Monday, September 30, 2019

A pair of blue eyes Essay

With reference to the first seven chapters, show how Hardy uses the novels setting to develop character It has been said by many critics, that the main focus of Hardy’s pre-19th century novel â€Å"The Return of the Native†, is none of the characters, but the almost animate heath land upon which it is set. Hardy’s methods of describing the heath, allows us to view it as several different things to several different characters, for example, Eustacia Vye, to whom the heath is a prison, or Clym Yeobright, husband of Eustacia, who views Egdon Heath as an area housing the commonest man, a group of people who have been transformed into simplicity by the heath, who he can educate. One possible reason of this is because the heath is written to seem almost ancient, thus has had time to adapt to the way nature shapes the landscape at its will, â€Å"at present, a place perfectly accordant with mans nature â€Å". With features such as barrows, Hardy has created a religious, almost pagan feel to the heath land, with on which the main characters congregate in the first few scenes, to hold a bonfire, giving the night air upon the land an eerie feeling throughout the rest of the book. The weather upon the heath through the early chapters is somewhat harsh, â€Å"the storm was its love, the wind was its friend† yet still the characters persist to roam the heath at night, Eustacia especially, searching endlessly for an escape. One good example is where Eustacia awaits Wildeve upon a barrow, but she utters a sigh as she waits, pondering whether he will arrive, â€Å"thrown out with the winds, it became twined in with them†. It is events like these which Hardy gives us insight to, that we can see the development of the characters, for example, this is just another step of Eustacia becoming even more heavily buried within the land. Hardy also uses inanimate objects other than the heath, to create an atmosphere, such as the fire which burns between Wildeve and Eustacia as they speak,† The revived embers of passion glowed clearly in Wildeve now†. However, Eustacia does not light a communal bonfire for the sake of community, nor for the sake of sanity, similar to the locals who feel that communication through bonfire separates them from the heath,† perhaps as many as thirty bonfires could be counted within the whole bounds of the district†. She lights her fire, and attempts to communicate with something which will set her free from the realm – a man, to either take her from Egdon to America, such as Wildeve promises, or back to Paris, the location from which her husband has come. Another interesting feature of Hardy using objects, rather than words or actions to describe how a character feels, is Eustacia constantly viewing the heath from her telescope, as if she is hoping for some kind of miracle, a ‘knight in shining armour’ to come and whisk her from her feet. Another good example of a similar event is her checking her hourglass while waiting upon the heath. These two items, the telescope in particular being from distant places (of which she wishes she could travel to), differ significantly from peasant tools or items, from which she is eager to disassociate herself from. However Hardy is again referring to the vastness of the heath, by implementing a telescope, and the immense age of the heath, by an hourglass, however, for Eustacia, the hourglass diminishes the vastness of the heath, almost providing her with something she’s wished for. The heath folk seem to exist in a more than comfortable relationship with the heath, and the heath in a comfortable relationship with civilisation, as it becomes overgrown; the humans cut the furze and faggots, and put them for good use – fire. The folk seem to be driving off the darkness, upon November 5th, Guy Forks night, upon a barrow used for burials in the past, â€Å"the ashes of the original pyre which blazed from that summit lay fresh and undisturbed in the barrow beneath their tread†. The ‘locals’ don’t even appear to be celebrating this fact, more so finding comfort in the spotting of other fires lighted in the district. The people here are highly superstitious, and due to the size of the community, and involvement with other communities (very little), the heath only fuels their ideas, as is shown in the third chapter, when the heath folk are talking about Christian – a man who no man would marry, for the reason of the date he was born upon having no moon,†No moon : hey neighbours, that’s bad for him†? This early superstition in the novel serves many purposes, the main ones being reader interest, and plot evolution – for it is a form of superstition, voodoo, which a heath folk uses against Eustacia as she finally tries to negate the heath, causing her death. Another pastime which suitably provides the heath inhabitants when they are not creating fire is gossip. The heath only fuels the peoples desire to talk about others’ business, because the community is very small, so hence everybody is aware of the news of everybody else, for instance, the news of Clyms success as a scholar travels for miles before he has even reached the age of three. Personally, I do not subscribe to the belief that the heath is a character within its own right, even though Hardy inspires such thoughts with phrases such as â€Å"The storm was its lover, the wind was its friend†. I believe that Hardy’s immense concentration upon the heath is merely a sign of two its importance to the play, and as a method which he can use to develop the rest of the characters, such as Eustacia, helping her to constantly arrive at a â€Å"state of enlightenment which feels that nothing is worthwhile†..

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Rosalind Franklin Research on the X-ray Diffraction Techniques

Rosalind Franklin lived during an exciting and turbulent era both socially and scientifically. Upon passing the admission examination for Cambridge University in 1938, at fifteen, Franklin was was informed by her affluent family that she would not recieve financial support. Franklins father disapproved of women receiving college educations, however, both Franklins aunt and mother supported her quest for education. Eventually, her father gave in and agreed to pay her tuition. Franklin would later prove to be worth her education. As Rosalind Franklin was pursuing her degree World War II raged. She focused her research on coal, the most efficient use of energy resources. Five papers on the subject were published before Franklins 26th birthday. Further, Franklin had given up her fellowship to become a physical chemist at the British Coal Utilization Research Association at age 22. She was indeed an efficient and driven researcher. Franklin utilized the X-ray diffraction techniques (that she has become most famous for) while working in a Paris laboratory between 1947 and 1950, with crystallographer Jacques Mering. X-ray crystallography helped determined the three dimensional structure of DNA when Franklin returned to England. She became the first person to find the molecules sugar-phosphate backbone while working with a team of scientists at Kings College in London. Unfortunately, leadership misunderstandings and personality conflicts depreciated Franklins effectivness in the laboratory. Maurice Wilkins, the laboratorys second in command, returned from a vacation expecting Franklin to work under him. Franklin came to the laboratory with the understanding that she would be researching alone. While Franklin was direct and decisive, Wilkins tended to be alluding and passive-aggressive. As Franklin made further advances in DNA research, Wilkins secretly shared her findings with the famous duo of Watson and Crick, who were then working at Cambridge. Franklins discoveries fueled their research machine, allowing them to advance beyond others in the field. They would eventually publish on DNA structure in 1953. Due to discriminatory procedures at Kings College, Franklin eventually left to become the lead researcher at Londons Birbeck College–upon agreeing not to work on DNA. She furthered her studies in coal and made significant advances in virology. Franklin died in 1958 of ovarian cancer. She lived 37 monumentally significant years. After researching Rosalind Franklins scientific career, I truly believe that she was a pioneer rather than a follower. Her early coal work is still referred to today; she helped launch the fields of high-strength carbon fibers; and was an integral part of early structural virology. Had it not been for a cruel twist of fate, I believe that Franklin would have published first on DNA structure. She was the best in her field when it came to DNA analysis through X-ray diffraction. Franklin innovatively found a way to isolate an extremely fine X-ray beam and arrange her superfine DNA fibers into parallel bundles. She took her research to a higher level by analyzing molecular properties in adverse conditions such as humidity. Rosalind Franklins individualistic, self-dependent nature made it impossible for her to find satisfaction in following the scientific accomplishments of others.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Workplace Bullying Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Workplace Bullying Research - Essay Example According to the website 'bullying at work' although bullying often lacks a focus, bullies are deeply prejudiced but at the same time sufficiently devious to not reveal their prejudices to the extent that they contravene laws on harassment and discrimination. The workplace bullying is defined as "a person is bullied or harassed when they feel repeatedly subject to negative acts in the workplace, acts against which the victim may find it difficult to defend themselves" Einarsen et al (1994) cited in Lewis et al (2005). The choice of the technique by which data is gathered depends upon the choice of the researcher and the requirements of the research or investigation. Although there is no particular data collection technique which can symbolized as ideal for every situation, there are a variety of data collection techniques that can be considered for being used. Data in social sciences are attained in either formal or informal settings and evolves verbal (oral and written) or non-verba l acts or responses. The combination of the two types of responses results in the four major forms of data collection. These being: observational methods; survey research; secondary data analysis; qualitative research, Punch (2005). Different methodologies like surveys, field observations, interviews are being used in Social research studies. Such studies are often conducted through a combination of data collection techniques to ensure a maximum validity of the data collected. The method selected depends on the resources available and the nature of the phenomenon under investigation. However, there had never been a consensus on the best technique or method that can be termed as scientific. Malcolm (1996) In this respect, the motive behind the concern with the attempt to identify the scientific method is that as Malcolm points out "most philosophers of science have argued that method used is the only guarantee that knowledge obtained is valid, reliable and thus scientific. By employing the correct method[s], the scientist may be sure that their findings are true, repeatable and generalisable." Social research is defined by Malcolm (1996) as "the process of investigation that defines something as being research, rather than being driven by more abstract concerns." While he describes research as a "methodical investigations into a subject or problem. To research is to seek answers that involve understanding and explanation, whereas the credibility of its outcomes will rest heavily upon the conduct of the investigation." In this respect, Frazer (1995) argues that "careful research delivers valuable findings." 3.0 Research Methodology: Hammersley (2006) highlights two areas where philosophy can make an important contribution to social science. These areas are methodology and value relevance. Methodology is concerned with clarifying both the aims and means of research. While value relevance is related to values that frame social science inquiries so as to make them relevant to human concerns. In terms of methodology, Hammersly draws a basic distinction between methodology as technique and methodology as philosophy. Methodology as a technique, on one hand, portrays research as the deployment of particular methods and procedures, those that are taken to be scientific. On the other hand, methodology as a

Friday, September 27, 2019

Is it5 a good argument critical thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Is it5 a good argument critical thinking - Essay Example Analyzing a shorter argument involves numbering their premises and the conclusion and lastly representing their relationship with arrows. On the other hand, an arrow is used to represent a statement that gives logical support for another statement. However, if there are multiple statements, which give relationship for one another, the relationship is represented by a plus and an arrow. Therefore, there are two types of support, the independent and dependent support. Independent support does not depend on another statement while dependent support depends on another statement. When it comes to longer arguments, there is a need to summarize than to diagram them. Diagramming longer arguments is tiresome than summarizing them. Diagramming an argument has several factors connected. In diagramming, a conclusion is first identified, and then attention is paid to the premise and the conclusion. Sentences are neither broken up nor numbered since sentences don’t represent a single statement (Barnet, 1999). Another aspect of critical thinking is evaluation of arguments and truth claims. When evaluating an argument, there are two questions to be asked. Is the argument a good argument? And secondly, are the premises acceptable? For an argument to be rated as a good argument, it must have several characteristics. For example, the argument must be precise and clear. This means that somebody must understand the argument for it to be a good argument. Additionally, the premises must be relevant with the topic. The argument must be consistency and additionally, it must be fair. On the general knowledge, a good argument highlights out all bodies that surrounds critical thinking (Ruggiero, 2004). It is obvious that arguments have premises and conclusions. But when is it necessary to accept premises. There is the use of the principle of rational acceptance. This means that a claim is accepted if the claim does not occur in a conflicting side with the personal

Thursday, September 26, 2019

2014 Current Events Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

2014 Current Events - Essay Example This article in the Washington Post is about a Syrian warplane that bombed a school in Syria. This occurred in the north of Aleppo. This school had students and teachers, who were carrying out their normal activities. This bombing has been linked to the ongoing fight between the government and the opposition. Other sources however claim that the bombing was as an accidental. The bombing claimed the lives of 10 children and 9 adults. According to the article, the bombing is an indirect consequences of war between the government of Syria and the rebels. The war has been taking place for two years and there is no sign of stopping. Bombing cases have been on a drastic increase in the recent years in Syria. Planes keep dropping bombs aimlessly killing innocent civilians and leaving others in serious injuries. There are widespread fears that more life’s shall be lost if this continues. Because of such attacks, many people in Syria have been rendered homeless and have never felt the sense of security. The main activities like learning, trading and other activities that develop the economy have been adversely affected as well. Many people have also been forced to seek refuge in the foreign countries and they are subjected to hardship. According to this article, 100,000s of people have been killed during this war especially women and defenseless children. The war is still going on and the number will rise to even 1000000 if this does not stop. Although the level of fighting has reduced, people are still killed. The war has given terrorist a chance to develop as they have come from other parts of the country to take part in the war. Syria is using the remaining chemical weapons according to US officials (http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-officials-say-syria-is-using-remaining-chemical-weapons-stockpile-as-leverage/2014/04/30/1dd68c8a-d0a8-11e3-9e25-) A month long effort to disarm Syria’s chemical weapons 27 tons of sarin precursor, it has

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Managing high performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managing high performance - Essay Example The Japanese culture is group oriented. Managers working in corporations in Japan always seek harmony and they try to avoid conflict. Negative criticism is typically avoided and when given is in a manner that is palatable to the recipient (Super-business). The use of teamwork is a practice that is used more in Japan than in the United States. This makes more feasible and effective to implement group incentives to raise the performance of the employees. One of the cons of teams in Japan is that teams seek the approval of upper management instead of making their own decisions. This dependency for approval hurts the creativity of teams. Japanese visualize teamwork as an essential element of their culture. Competition is more likely to occur in the United States than in Japan due to the differences in culture. â€Å"The society in Japan is largely homogeneous and middle class, whereas the American society is heavily heterogeneous, owing to the increased levels of immigration† (Differencebetween, 2010). Diversity influences the workplace more in the United States than in

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Forms of Government in England and France Essay

Forms of Government in England and France - Essay Example A the paper stresses feudal aristocracy was under division because of internal faction and it is doubtful if they could participate in economical and political spheres as an organized group. Church had a great power there. Though there were such events like feudal faction, church and cities autonomy, we consider the society of Western Europe to be integrated, but it is worth mentioning that this integration was based not only on common ideas, but on combination of political and economical power that was held by one social class. In the period of economical development western society was considered to be pluralistic and divided into relatively autonomous spheres of political, economical, scientific and religious life, no class could reign another one like it was when the feudal aristocracy was at the top. We can say that transfer to capitalism was not just change of the ruling circles, but transfer from integrated society to pluralistic one. This essay declares that the events of 1066 were very important for England and had positive results: England became strongly involved into European life. Reunion was very significant because it took place when European countries and their aristocracy were at the top after the crusades. We should also mention that the most important time for England was the time of crusades: as a result of winners and beaten fusion the English nation was generated.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Markets & Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Markets & Marketing - Essay Example A Market is the demographic and/or geographic group or groups of buyers for products and services on offer. It may be limited to a small area or may be worldwide but that is dependant on the type of product or service on offer. But a market can be defined only through the Marketing effort that is put in to exploit this market. The potential market may be larger but the market for a product or service is the targeted market for which it makes this effort. Using different methods, Marketing determines the size of the market that is being approached but this has to be a controlled exercise otherwise the effort will be aimless. Usually this data is drawn from valued sources such as the U.S. Postal Service Deliverable address counts, Equifax TotalSourceâ„ ¢ consumer database household counts, as well as state and local agencies. Some important databases are: National Change of Address (NCOA) is a database owned and updated by the United States Postal Service (USPS) It containing approximately 160 Million permanent address records filed with the USPS over the last 48 months. (NCOA) ï‚ · Mail Preference Service (MPS)  -   This list is managed by the Direct Marketing Association and lists people who have opted not to receive advertisements through mails. ï‚ · Deceased Master File Suppression  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ This list flags addresses whose primary residents have died. With this data it is possible to segment the market and subsequently to determine the target customers for the organization’s products. Once this data is available, the serious exercise of Segmentation begins. Markets are heterogeneous and are created by reasons of different values, needs wants, constraints, beliefs and incentives. Customers differ in their values and perceptions and want to purchase things that have value for them. Value is not just the monetary part, but also the usefulness and emotions that with go with it. The need and want play a great role in

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Assignment 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

2 - Assignment Example The company owns over 7 million hectares of land across the Northern Territory and Queensland. The company’s strategy is to operate in diversified agribusiness operations and bring innovation in existing business practices in order to achieve long term gains. ActivEX Limited is an Australian mineral and exploration company that specialises in identifying, acquiring, and distribution of minerals. The company aims to increase shareholders’ value by investing into quality projects including minerals such as gold, copper, cobalt, etc. The company is involved in activities such as drilling, soil testing and mapping, data compilation, and reviewing. Adcorp Australia is a leading advertising agency owned locally and offers services including branding, advertising, creative design, event management, media planning and promotions. a) The monthly returns of the three companies are calculated using the following formula: Monthly return = (Current adjusted close price/Previous adju sted close price) – 1 The historical prices of the three companies are obtained from Yahoo Finance and the individual monthly returns of the three chosen stocks are shown in the appendices section. The period under study was for 61 months ending on Dec 31, 2012. The calculations are made in the MS-Excel spreadsheet application using the above formula to calculate monthly returns. Then the average monthly return is calculated using the Excel function AVERAGE that computes the average of given numbers. The standard deviations of adjusted closing prices are calculated using the STDEV function of MS-Excel. Standard deviation is the measure of risk of investment which measures the stock volatility over a given period of time. The expected return from the stock is calculated using the CAPM (Capital Asset Pricing Model) approach, where there is the concept of Beta. From the above summarised risk-return analysis, it can be said that the returns of all the three stocks are equal since beta is very close to zero but it is positive. This means that investment in either of the companies is safe as it is apparent that the standard deviation of market index (AORD) is more volatile than the chosen stocks. From the theory of risk-return, it can be said that the higher the risk, the higher would be potential return. This is true in case of AORD since the risk borne by the investor must be compensated by higher expected returns. When the individual stocks of the companies are compared to AORD, it can be said that all the three stocks have lower standard deviation or risk associated with investment. This would alternatively mean that the returns from these stocks would be lower due to less associated risk. This can be verified from the expected return that calculates the estimated return from the stock using CAPM. In this study it was found that expected return of AORD was higher than the three chosen stocks due to a higher risk. Also, for the given return, the rational i nvestor would select the stock that is least risky and in this study riskiness of investment is determined using standard deviation. A higher value of standard deviation means that the stock is more risky and vice versa. From the above table, it can be said that Activex Limited is the least risky (the lowest standard deviation among other two stocks) and Australian Agriculture Co. Ltd is the riskiest (the highest standard deviation among other two stocks). b) In order to estimate the beta for each of three chosen

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Corporate Finance Essay Example for Free

Corporate Finance Essay 1. Set forth and compare the business cases for each of the two projections under consideration by Emily Harris. Which do you regard as more compelling? Productions was New Heritage ´s largest division as measured by total assets, and easily its most asset-Intensive. Approximately 75 % of the division ´s sales were made to the company ´s retailing division, with the remaining 25% comprising private label goods manufactured for other firms. The division revenue figures include approximately $95 million of internal sales within divisions which are eliminated when considering consolidated revenue for the company. We must look closer on the financial projections and the operating details for the two proposals. By looking we can see a big difference in Revenue growth. We realize that Design your own doll can handle much more additional annual revenue according to the resources in the balance sheet. According to the outlays the initial expenditures for Design Your Own Dolls is much higher than Match my Doll Clothing. As with Match my Doll Clothing the required RD and marketing costs would be tax deductible. EBIT is a good gauge of how well those two companies is being managed. It is watched closely by all stakeholders, because it measures both overall demand for the company ´s products and the company ´s efficiency in delivering those products. The operating projections tell us that Design Your Own Doll has gained more in operating profits. Substantial investment in working capital (primarily work in process inventory of partially manufactured dolls) would be required beginning in 2011 for Match My Doll Clothing to support the forecasted level of sales. The value of a risky alternative to the decision maker may be different than the expected value of the alternative because of the risk that the alternative poses of serious losses. The concept of the certainty equivalent is useful for such situation. Factors considered in the assessment of a project ´s risk for Emily Harris included, for example, whether it required new consumer acceptance or new technology, high levels of fixed costs and hence high breakeven production volumes, the sensitivity of price or volume to macroeconomic recession, the anticipated degree of price competition, and so forth. Given the proven success of Match My Doll Clothing, Harris believed the project entailed moderate risk that is, about the same degree of risk as the production division ´s existing business as a whole. Design Your Own Doll had a relatively long payback period, introduced some untested elements into the manufacturing process, and depended on near-flawless operation of new customer-facing software and user interfaces. If the project stumbled for some reason, New Heritage risked damaging relationships with the best customers. On the other hand, the project had a relatively modest fixed cost ratio, and it played to the company ´s key strength – creating a unique experience for its consumers. The cash flows excluded all financing charges and non-cash items (i.e. depreciation), and were calculated on an after-corporate-tax basis. The New Heritage’s corporate tax rate is 40%. We think that the Design Your Own Doll project is more compelling. 2. Use the operating projections for each project to compute a NPV for each. Which project creates more value? (Please find the calculations in the attachment)  NPV calculations include a terminal value computed as the value of a perpetuity growing at constant rate. We computed Free Cash Flows (FCF) to find out the actual amount of cash from operations that the company could use in developing its new projects. We calculated the terminal value for 2020 as projected FCF in the first year beyond the projection horizon divided by discount rate of 8.4% less the perpetuity growth rate, which in this case was 3%. According to our calculations the MMDM’s terminal value in 2020 is 16,346,000 and DYOD’s is 27,486,000. Based on the our calculation the NPV of the Match My Doll Clothing project is $7,151,000 ( and the NPV of the Design Your Own Doll project is $9,257,000 . In both cases the NPV is greater than zero but NPV of project 2 is greater than NPV of project 1, therefore project number 2 should be selected. | | | | | | | | | | | | NPV calculations for Design Your Own Doll| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2010| 2011| 2012| 2013| 2014| 2015| 2016| 2017| 2018| 2019| 2020| EBIT | -1201,00| 0,00| 550,00| 1794,00| 2724,00| 2779,00| 2946,00| 3123,00| 3310,00| 3509,00| 3719,00| Tax @ 40% | -480,40| 0,00| 220,00| 717,60| 1089,60| 1111,60| 1178,40| 1249,20| 1324,00| 1403,60| 1487,60| | | | | | | | | | | | | Net Income | -720,60| 0,00| 330,00| 1076,40| 1634,40| 1667,40| 1767,60| 1873,80| 1986,00| 2105,40| 2231,40| plus: depreciation | 0,00| 0,00| 310,00| 310,00| 310,00| 436,00| 462,00| 490,00| 520,00| 551,00| 584,00| less: ΔNWC | 0,00| 1000,00| 24,00| 1386,00| 942,00| 202,00| 213,00| 226,00| 240,00| 254,00| 269,00| less: capital expenditures | 4610,00| 0,00| 310,00| 310,00| 2192,00| 826,00| 875,00| 928,00| 983,00| 1043,00| 1105,00| | | | | | | | | | | | | Free Cash Flow (FCF) | -5330,60| -1000,00| 306,00| -309,60| -1189,60| 1075,40| 1141,60| 1209,80| 1283,00| 1359,40| 1441,40| terminal value | 0,00| 0,00| 0,00| 0,00| 0,00| 0,00| 0,00| 0,00| 0,00| 0,00| 27486,00| FCF after terminal value | -5330,60| -1000,00| 306,00| -309,60| -1189,60| 1075,40| 1141,60| 1209,80| 1283,00| 1359,40| 28927,40| | | | | | | | | | | | | Discount factor (DF=8,4%) | 1,00| 0,92| 0,85| 0,79| 0,72| 0,67| 0,62| 0,57| 0,52| 0,48| 0,45| | | | | | | | | | | | | Present Value (PV) | -5330,60| -922,20| 260,41| -243,07| -861,51| 718,47| 703,57| 687,77| 672,93| 657,81| 12913,19| | | | | | | | | | | | | Cumulative Present Value| 14587,38| | | | | | | | | | | Net present value (NPV)| 9256,78| | | | | | | | | | | 3. Compute the IRR and payback period for each project. How should these metrics affect Harris ´s deliberations? How do they compare to NPV as tools for evaluating projects? When and how would you use each? IRR Analysis Table – IRR Sensitivity Analysis | Revenue Change | Match My Doll Clothing Line | Design Your Own Doll (baseline) 3% | 18.24% | 14.68% | 2% | 17.74% | 14.28% | 1% | 17.24% | 13.87% | 0% | 16.74% | 13.46% | -1% | 16.23% | 13.04% | -2% | 15.72% | 12.62% | -3% | 15.21% | 12.19% | -4% | 14.69% | 11.77% | -5% | 14.16% | 11.33% | -6% | 13.63% | 10.90% | The model reflects a change in revenue from +3% to -6%. IRR of NPV is not used because sensitivity is included in the discount rate. Payback Period Analysis Payback period for each of the scenarios: * Match My Doll Clothing Line Expansion (baseline) = 8.43 years * Design Your Own Doll (baseline) = 10.09 years 4. What additional information does Harris need to complete her analyses and compare the two projects? What specific questions should she ask each of the project sponsors? In order to complete her analyses, several questions need to be asked in order for the report to be as fruitful as possible. Thus the questions that could be asked in order for Harris to make good decisions in comparing the two projects, goes as follows. * What changes would be expected in capital expenditures during periods of change? * Are there any hidden labor costs not being considered in the Match My Doll Clothing Line Expansion, similar to the additional labor costs in Design Your Own Doll? * What level of risk does the project Design Your Own Doll pertains? In hand with revenue-analysis, what are the incremental earnings? * In addition to the risk level of Design Your Own Doll, is the project stable enough not to harm customer relationships? * What is the forecast for the whole industry? What will be the future market share since this affects sales outstanding and in hand revenue? * Based on the data, what will the equity of the company and share price be, taking into account the two projects? Historical data for inventory turnover ratios; days sales outstanding and days payable outstanding would also be additional information that Harris could benefit from. 5. If Harris is forced to recommend one project over the other, which should be recommended? Why? To improve the present value for both projects the  management of the company should think of how to improve the projects’ cash flows. Typically, companies aim to increase cash flow from their existing operations by collecting receivables as soon as possible and slowing down their payables without harming their relations with suppliers. The NPV is a forecast, and as with every forecast, the outcome is not given. Typically forecasts for shorter periods are more accurate. The forecast for New Heritage Company is based on a time period of 10 years. I would recommend reducing that time period to provide more accurate cash flow figures. As with all forecasts, the NVP is not free from risks. The management should be aware that risks such as increase in inflation, change in interest rates, and increased competition in the toys business, could have a negative impact on future benefits of selected project. Last, I would recommend for the management to monitor the costs to increase profits. However, the management should weigh the benefits of reducing costs to avoid an adverse effect of diminished profits. If additional cash inflows are achieved, the company should invest a portion of the profits to generate additional money and expand the business through creation of new products and projects.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Beyond Reasonable Doubt And Balance Of Probability Law Essay

Beyond Reasonable Doubt And Balance Of Probability Law Essay The standard of proof, in essence, can be loosely defined as the quantum of evidence that must be presented before a Court before a fact can be said to exist or not exist. As the type of cases before a Court can be classified into criminal or civil, so can the standard of proof. There is a clear understanding that the Courts follow according to wich the standard of proof to be followed in a criminal case is that of beyond reasonable doubt whereas the standard of proof changes, even lowers to the balance of probabilities in cases of civil proceedings. It is also widely understood that the standard is higher in criminal cases. This does not mean that the actual quantity of evidence adduced should be more but speaks more of the nature of evidence. Even though such a bifurcation exists, a problem might crop up in the form of criminal charges within a civil case. This is one of the most important questions that the researcher has tried to analyse in this paper. The researcher has analysed the meaning and scope of the two standards, the position in India and finally, the question of a third standard. Reasonable Doubt v. Balance of Probability In common law, two separate standards of proof are recognized- proof beyond reasonable doubt and proof based on the balance of probabilities. The former is he standard adopted while dealing with criminal cases while the latter is the standard in use in case of civil suits.  [1]  Different standards of proof are constructed seemingly to, among other things, minimize the high social costs that may arise on account of errors.  [2]  In actuality, these two terms are rarely used, especially in jurisdictions where juries are involved, as the two terms seem to be rather esoteric in nature and not immediately comprehensible.  [3]   The standard used in criminal trial that is proof beyond reasonable doubt is viewed as requiring a high degree of satisfaction that the prosecution must, through the evidence and materials it presents, create in the mind of the Judge or the jurors. This high degree often leads to acquittal sometimes even when the authority trying the case feels that the guilt of the accused, based on the evidence, is more probable than his innocence. Even so, if the slightest doubt as to the guilt of the accused is created in the mind of the Court, he is given the benefit of the doubt and his innocence proclaimed. The basis of this is the general belief that the conviction of an innocent man as opposed to the acquittal of a guilty one is a fate more heinous, which is why such an allowance is made in the first place. Also, in most cases the accused might not have at his disposal the kind of facilities that the prosecution can use to establish their version of events. This could also be one of the reas ons behind the leniency awarded to the accused as regards the standard of proof to be upheld by the prosecution. The nature of penalty in case of criminal cases is also often harsher in nature, which is why the same standard is not adopted in case of civil suits. Even though the concept, as well as the term, reasonable doubt was greatly acknowledged by the House of Lords in Woolmington v. D.P.P  [4]  , later decisions have shown that the Court, especially with respect to jury direction, does not consider it an obligation to use the term while explaining the level of proof required. It is often emphasized that the degree of persuasion, even in criminal cases, be determined depending on the unique characteristics of the case at hand. As a result, the generalized use of the term is not considered indispensable for a valid trial.  [5]  In common law cases, while explaining the standard of proof needed in criminal cases, even while avoiding the phrase beyond reasonable doubt, the Courts have explained to the jury that the doubt they were expecting should be the kind which might arise when the jury are themselves dealing with matters of importance in their own affairs.  [6]  This is important because if the Courts were to be less speci fic and characterize the doubt to be the kind that would come up in everyday affairs, the envisaged high standard of proof would be suitably lowered. This is of significance because even though absolute certainty is not expected, the deciding authority is supposed to come as close to it as practically possible.  [7]  In the United States of America, arguments were made against defining beyond reasonable doubt while directing the juries as this was believed to have reduced the level of satisfaction required in the minds of the jurors and thereby increasing the chances of conviction. The Courts held that as long as the terms used in the definitions were in line with the case as a whole, there was no error committed. The same view has been held valid in common law countries as well.  [8]   A lower standard, that of balance (or preponderance) of probability is applied in civil litigation. Even though the standard of proof is lower in civil cases, it is no reflection on the seriousness of the allegations in question. The rationale behind the use of such a standard is that in some cases the question of the probability or the improbability of a happening is an imperative consideration to be taken into account in deciding whether that event has actually taken place or not.  [9]  In other words, even when a very serious allegation has been made in a civil case, the standard of proof is not considered to be automatically raised to come closer to the criminal standard.  [10]  However, there are certain cases which are primarily civil in nature but require, in the view of the Court, a standard of proof applicable in criminal proceedings.  [11]  The exceptions to the aforementioned general rule in civil cases include civil contempt of Court and. applications for orde rs relating to sex offenders or those exhibiting anti-social behaviour.  [12]  In other cases where there are criminal allegations as part of civil cases, the standard in use is the balance of probability. The reason behind this was explained in Hornal v. Neuberger Products Ltd.  [13]  , where it was held that within the scope of balance of probabilities, there might be varying degrees therein. It is thus suggested that there are innumerable degrees present that fluctuate on a case to case basis.  [14]   Since varying degrees within the same standard of proof threatened to cause irregularity or absurdity, suggestions were made to create a third standard of probability, which were shot down in common law jurisdictions, reaffirming that only two standards of proof would be operational in these jurisdictions. Contrastingly, the United States of America has in fact created this third standard, present somewhere in between reasonable doubt and balance of probability. This midway standard is characterized by the terms clear and convincing evidence and is used as the measure of persuasion essential in the type of cases which involve allegations of criminal or quasi-criminal actions within (what is at its crux) a civil case. The reasons behind the construction of such an intermediary standard is to make the trying of such cases easy as are concerned with important rights of an individual in civil cases.  [15]  In spite of it being considered a third standard, reasonable doubt has been sh own to coexist with clear and convincing evidence, leading to the assertion that the distinction between the two remains obscured.  [16]   Section 3 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 Following the general external tests in use to determine the standard of proof, the Indian Evidence Act accepted the conditions of a prudent man as being the apt standard by which proof can be measured.  [17]  Having said that, it is crucial to note that even though the condition of a prudent man is accepted, the Court also makes allowance to probable or improbable circumstances and conditions so that in cases which do not require the criminal standard of reasonable doubt to be applied, the standard of the probability or improbability of an event can be considered as appropriate.  [18]   The concept of reasonable doubt, which is considered to be the appropriate standard of proof for criminal cases, though not defined in the Act has been interpreted through various judicial decisions. In Commonwealth v. Webster  [19]  , reasonable doubt is not meant to be comprehended as a mere possible doubt (as all that is connected to the affairs of humans can be said to contain a possible element of doubt). Reasonable doubt is the state of mind of the jurors wherin they are not in a position to confirm the veracity of the guilt of the accused even after careful perusal of all the adduced evidence.  [20]  Since the law presumes that the accused is innocent until he is proven guilty, it is essential that before he is condemned, such a reasonable doubt not exist. In the event that a doubt is created in the mind of the Judge, the accused is permitted the benefit of the aforementioned presumption.  [21]  Beyond reasonable doubt, however, does not mean that those who have as sessed the evidence at hand should be absolutely certain of the guilt of the accused as this would create a bizarre and inconvenient situation by leaving out circumstantial evidence completely.  [22]  Although, it is a high degree, almost approaching certainty but not to the extent of scientific or mathematical certainty, for example.  [23]  It must merely rule out all the reasonable suppositions conceivable, except the one it is trying to prove.  [24]  To generalise, it is important that all the cases that come before the courts, be decided on their own merits and the extent of proof needed be fixed based on the facts and circumstances of each individual case.  [25]  This ensures that each case is given its due importance and not always victim to procedural exactitude, which though is essential to ensure justice may not always achieve the same. What is characteristic to the Indian scenario is that the Apex Court has laid down that the conscience of the Court cannot be bound by any rule or provision but the fact that such a conscience is rising is proof of the fact that prudent judgment is at play. This has been likened to explain the standard of reasonable doubt. The doubt which is created in the mind of a reasonable man is to be taken into account while coming to a conclusion and for this doubt to be important enough, it must be proportional in nature to the offence alleged in the case.  [26]   Where reasonable doubt is the standard of proof in criminal cases, the standard required for civil cases is the balance of probabilities. The standard continues to be the balance of probabilities even in cases which are primarily civil in nature but where a criminal charge may be made out against the party. This is concluded from the definitions of the terms proved and not proved, from the Act. Basically, in civil litigation, the Judge has to decide in favour of that party who is supported by the preponderance of proof. This, again, does not mean the evidence considered be wholly exempt from doubt.  [27]  It has been held by the courts that for civil cases, the parties are required to make their best case before the courts based on which the decision is granted in favour of either of the parties. For criminal cases, the Court must take all the requisite measure to find out all the relevant adduced and ensure that justice is meted out.  [28]   For the purposes of interpreting the Act, it cannot be said that a higher degree of probability will in all likelihood fulfill the criterion of proof under Section 3.  [29]  As such, the standard of beyond reasonable doubt is considered to be stricter than its counterpart for civil cases, the balance of probabilities. In The degree of sureness that is needed before a fact is said to be proved, is explained in Section 3. Basically, as per the Section, the Court will consider the case and the related evidence before it can say whether an alleged fact is in fact true. The fact is said to have been proved if the Court is of the opinion that it exists or its being is so probable that a man of ordinary prudence would function under the presumption of its existence.  [30]  This degree, of a fact being proved based on the available evidence, is higher in case of criminal proceedings. The degree here is that of reasonable doubt which essentially means that the Court is convinced beyon d reasonable doubt of the guilt of the accused.  [31]  The burden to prove this guilt, in most cases, rests on the prosecution who has to convince the rational mind of the same. The basis of decision in civil litigation is a mere preponderance of probability whereas the basis in criminal trials the assurance expected is much greater, although this depends from a case to case basis.  [32]  The nature of the evidence and material put on record.  [33]  For example, for a given situation, the evidence produced maybe sufficient to prove a act for the purposes of civil litigation but the same evidence may not be considered adequate to prove a fact in criminal cases.  [34]  The more blatant and deliberate a criminal act seems to be, the more is the need for it to proved with certainty. This is perhaps to avoid the severe consequences arising from a wrongful conviction. Especially in criminal cases, an impartial moral conviction cannot be the sole basis for sentencing the accused but must be backed by such findings and evidence that prove that no other chain of events except the one endorsing the conviction is reasonably possible.  [35]  Those facts which support the incrimination of the accused should be find to be in contravention of the circumstantial evidence on record. This is important even though circumstantial evidence is not given the status of conclusive proof; it is just as important as it acts as a ground for forming suspicion against the accused and a negation of the same would help the case of the accused, again, if proved beyond reasonable doubt.  [36]  For this, the circumstantial evidence recovered should not be justifiable.  [37]  in fact, there is usually no distinction drawn between circumstantial evidence and any other kind of evidence.  [38]  As established is the standard of proof for criminal trials, the same is construed liberally when the burden of proof of proving an exception is shifted to the accused. In other words, in a criminal case, when the burden rests on the prosecution, a fact being proved would mean a higher standard of proof is necessary while the same (in case of exceptions, for example) is lowered when this burden must be discharged by the accused.  [39]  Even so, the Indian Evidence Act doest not contain in its text any mention of the level of satisfaction to be created in a reasonable mans mind being different in a situation where the accused has to discharge the burden of proof from when the prosecution must do so.  [40]  Even though it speaks of a possible shifting of the burden of proof, the fact that the standard of proof is brought down in case of such a shift is explained through decisions of the Court and not based on any statutory provision. It should also be kept in mind that it is not up to the Court to demand that a certain method of proving a fact should be exclusively used with respect to a case before it unless a specific Act requires this to be done. Similarly, the Court cannot ask for a different standard of proof than what is actually sufficient in a particular case. If asked for, it would be deemed a procedural error or an error in law.  [41]   Conclusion In the course of writing this research paper, the researcher has been able to draw a few inferences. Firstly, even though the standard of beyond reasonable doubt is higher, it is nowhere expected that the evidence be able to prove the fact absolutely. As long as there is no scope for a prudent mind to doubt the occurrence of an event, that version of events is termed valid. Also simply because the standard of balance of probabilities is considered to be lower than the standard used in criminal trials, it cannot be validly concluded that the seriousness of the matter in civil cases is not given due regard. In the opinion of the researcher, however, there is also a nexus between the nature of penalty in the two cases and the standard of proof to be discharged. Secondly, quite often, the Courts have received suggestions to design a third standard of proof, which would be somewhere between the criminal standard and the civil one. Even though it seems that this could be the possible solution to peculiar circumstances, like that of criminal allegations within a civil suit, in the humble opinion of the researcher this would create confusion and absurdity, further burdening the judicial system. That there are still ambiguous areas in the presence of two standards shows that perhaps a third standard is not the best step at present.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Womans Role In Macbeth :: Free Macbeth Essays

The Woman's Role In Macbeth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  William Shakespeare's, Macbeth, is a play full of betrayal and deception. It is a story about Macbeth's desires to achieve greatness and become king. Despite his involvement in actually committing the treasonous acts, he cannot be held accountable.   However, if it were not for the deeds of a woman at one time or another, Macbeth never would have involved himself with acts of treachery.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the opening scene, we begin to see the role that women play in Macbeth.   The three ugly witches are gathered in a thunderstorm cackling greedily over their evil plans. Their chant of "fair is foul, and foul is fair" illustrates how women perform acts of ugliness and evil to achieve disorder.   In addition, we see that women can cloud reality, thus causing deceptiveness in the "fog and filthy air."      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Act I, scene 3, we again see the feminine presence through the witches. This time, however, they are casting spells on a poor sailor because his wife cursed one of the witches and refused to give her some chestnuts. Chances are, that if women are fighting, a man will suffer for it.   Just then, Macbeth and Banqou see the witches and engage them in conversation.   The witches greet Macbeth with, "Thane of Glamis" (his present title), "Thane of Cawdor" (his soon-to-be announced title), and the prophesy that he will be "King hereafter."   They also greet Banquo with, "lesser than Macbeth, and greater," as "not so happy, yet much happier," and tell him "thou shalt get kings, though thou be none."   How would the witches know of their future?   Perhaps they were trying to plant an idea in Macbeth's head that would later lead to certain calamity.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After Macbeth discovers the witches' first prediction came true, he begins to aspire to realize the next prediction of becoming king.   Already, because of the women, Macbeth begins to entertain the idea of such power. Macbeth later informs his wife of his encounter with the witches and their predictions.   Because Lady Macbeth likes the idea of becoming queen, she encourages Macbeth to kill Duncan.   Just like a woman would do, she begins to put her own interests before the well-being of her husband.   She tells him that he must kill Duncan, which he eventually does with great hesitance.   Even after he commits the deed, she maintains that what he did was rational, and thus

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Social Blindness Essay -- Sociology

Blinded Total darkness can take over ones’ sight, leaving the individual barely capable of forming cognitive images, and experiencing the inevitable dependency on the words of others, thus allowing physical blindness to cripple even the most independent of individuals. The phenomenon of social blindness can describe one who leans not on their own understandings, but instead on the understandings of those surrounding them, which is a trend all too common in the modern world. In â€Å"Selections from Losing Matt Shepard: Life and politics in the Aftermath of Anti-Gay Murder†, transcribed by Beth Loffreda, mass media affected the spread of the truth behind an incident and blindly lead the majority of the United States population to believe various aspects of the murder of Matt Shepard that were created by the media. The spread of unrestrained information about the murder was only possible with the assistance of today’s largest medium, the internet. In â€Å"Is Google Mak ing Us Stupid?† author, Nicholas Carr explained how modern individuals no longer check the validity or exposition of a source, but â€Å"Power Browse† for the facts and important aspects of what they are reading. Whether the article is false or valid has little to no effect on the decision making of reader, for all they look to obtain from the text is information†¦ right or wrong. Yet, with this more efficient and immediate form of information extraction, there is a tangible loss of deep reading and the ability to â€Å"See.† In â€Å"The Mind’s Eye: What the Blind See† the author, Oliver Sacks, gave a few accounts of individuals who were blind in the common meaning of the word that could â€Å"See† more than most individuals that had a fully functioning optical mechanism. Today’s society conta... ...ess, a slow, almost prehensile attention, a sensuous, intimate being at one with the world which sight, with its quick, flicking, facile quality, continually distracts us from,† (Sacks 313). It has been stated that throughout one’s life they maintain a malleable brain that can adapt to multiple situations, which in this case blindness. At the onset of blindness, the brain begins to rewire itself by spreading into the areas of optical stimulation and the brain manipulates them to aide with the expansion of the other senses. The rewiring of the brain accounts for the blind being known as â€Å"Whole-Body Seers,† since the senses of their body’s have matured more than normal in the absence of visual stimulation. As â€Å"Whole-Body Seers,† the blind claim to be sensitive to inflections in the pitch of others voices that show signs of emotions not present to the ordinary eye. Social Blindness Essay -- Sociology Blinded Total darkness can take over ones’ sight, leaving the individual barely capable of forming cognitive images, and experiencing the inevitable dependency on the words of others, thus allowing physical blindness to cripple even the most independent of individuals. The phenomenon of social blindness can describe one who leans not on their own understandings, but instead on the understandings of those surrounding them, which is a trend all too common in the modern world. In â€Å"Selections from Losing Matt Shepard: Life and politics in the Aftermath of Anti-Gay Murder†, transcribed by Beth Loffreda, mass media affected the spread of the truth behind an incident and blindly lead the majority of the United States population to believe various aspects of the murder of Matt Shepard that were created by the media. The spread of unrestrained information about the murder was only possible with the assistance of today’s largest medium, the internet. In â€Å"Is Google Mak ing Us Stupid?† author, Nicholas Carr explained how modern individuals no longer check the validity or exposition of a source, but â€Å"Power Browse† for the facts and important aspects of what they are reading. Whether the article is false or valid has little to no effect on the decision making of reader, for all they look to obtain from the text is information†¦ right or wrong. Yet, with this more efficient and immediate form of information extraction, there is a tangible loss of deep reading and the ability to â€Å"See.† In â€Å"The Mind’s Eye: What the Blind See† the author, Oliver Sacks, gave a few accounts of individuals who were blind in the common meaning of the word that could â€Å"See† more than most individuals that had a fully functioning optical mechanism. Today’s society conta... ...ess, a slow, almost prehensile attention, a sensuous, intimate being at one with the world which sight, with its quick, flicking, facile quality, continually distracts us from,† (Sacks 313). It has been stated that throughout one’s life they maintain a malleable brain that can adapt to multiple situations, which in this case blindness. At the onset of blindness, the brain begins to rewire itself by spreading into the areas of optical stimulation and the brain manipulates them to aide with the expansion of the other senses. The rewiring of the brain accounts for the blind being known as â€Å"Whole-Body Seers,† since the senses of their body’s have matured more than normal in the absence of visual stimulation. As â€Å"Whole-Body Seers,† the blind claim to be sensitive to inflections in the pitch of others voices that show signs of emotions not present to the ordinary eye.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Inferior to Society Essay -- Character Analysis, Beneatha

Lorraine Hansberry depicts her character of Beneatha as being inferior to the rest of the human race through the use of the name â€Å"Beneatha†, depicting the hardships of African Americans. Hansberry accomplishes her depiction of the hardships through the use of discrimination, both stereotypical and racial, against the African American race and through the general inferiority of her character of Beneatha, in her play, A Raisin in the Sun. For instance, when Hansberry introduces the character of Beneatha, she illustrates that Beneatha is inferior to Ruth in physical appearance (35). Hansberry writes: "([Beneatha] is not as pretty as her sister-in-law)"(35). This passage illustrates the hardships of the African American race through the character of Beneatha, portraying the inferiority of Beneatha through the name Beneatha. This passage is significant because it shows Beneatha as inferior before she can even show her personality, therefore identifies her as inferior. Si nce she is labeled as inferior, society treats her in a childlike manner and she does not receive the same general rights and treatment as other members of society. When Beneatha enters the scene, she looks up at the ceiling, symbolizing her inferiority (46). Hansberry writes: â€Å"(Beneatha comes in brushing her hair and looking up to the ceiling, where the sound of a vacuum cleaner has started up)†(46). This passage depicts the general inferiority of Beneatha. This passage exhibits the fact that Beneatha is inferior to the rest of society. Although she is literally beneath the people on the floor above her, she is also figuratively below them. This passage is significant because it depicts the reality of the true superiority of society versus the character of... ...even looking up) In your heart of hearts you are much drunkard. BENEATHA: (To encourage WALTER, thoroughly caught uwith this side of him) OCOMOGOSAIY, FLAMING SPEAR! RUTH: (Having had enough, and embarrassed for the family) Beneatha, you got company—what's the matter with you? Walter Lee Younger, get down off that table and stop acting like a fool. RUTH: He's had a little to drink†¦I don't know that her excuse is. GEORGE: Oh, don't be so proud of yourself, Bennie—just because you look eccentric.(78-80 In this passage, George tells Beneatha that she needs to stop being so obsessed with her heritage. This passage is significant because it illustrates Beneatha as a child by displaying her childlike obsession with her heritage. Beneatha is shown as being beneath other people and as a child through her fascination with her family origin.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Practices of Leadership contribute to managing sustainability Essay

In this essay I will undergo a critical argument that expresses there are practices of leadership which contribute to managing sustainability of a business in the post-bureaucratic era. ‘†¦The process of directing, controlling, motivating, and inspiring staff toward the realization of stated organizational goals†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Cleg, Kornberger & Pitsis 2011). The decisions that are made by management or leadership can have effects on the businesses reputation; hence whether the organization wants to maximise profits or place an emphasis on the ethical decisions made; portraying the idea the decisions made may be legal but is it ethical. In section one through Cameron, Bright & Caza (2004) and others I will explain how individual virtuousness expands to organizational virtuousness which is influenced by leadership, and is therefore expressed through the nature of the business. Further on I will examine the link between the influences of religion, ethical values, age and gender to the variations within levels of relativism and idealism to the ‘trait leadership theory’ which influences a leaders decision making in relation to ethical issues to a certain extent. Through Stubbs & Cocklin (2008) and others I am able to analyse how the leaders; mainly conscious leaders, within the business initially drove the changes through the emphasis on concept of stakeholders within the business to incorporate a ‘sustainability business model’. Therefore it is evident that practices of leadership develop and nurture certain aspect of creating a sustainable business, whether it be ethical decisions or stakeholders over shareholders. Through Cameron, Bright and Caza studies explore how organizational performance is related and linked to virtuousness within the organization. Therefore highlighting how leadership practices affect the outcomes and actions that the business will take in relation to their ethical decisions. Such studies express the differences within leadership practices and attitudes affect how they can lead to different actions taken within the business. Timberlands CEO, Jeffrey Schwartz stated ‘If we don’t make money, no amount of virtue will do our firm any good. Wall Street will ignore us,  and we will soon be out of business. We must have bottom line performance for virtuousness in our firm to be taken seriously’ (Cameron, Bright & Caza, 2004, p 770). Therefore this highlights that the idea of virtuousness in certain organizations have no benefit if there are no pragmatic outcomes, reinforcing the idea of a classical business theory to maximise profits. Hence highlighting an authentic post-bureaucratic leadership where there is pressure on enhancing performance within the business and less emphasis on virtues in comparison to a conscious leadership. However the conscious leadership aspect highlights the notion of integrity and virtue which is therefore expressed through the virtuousness idea of providing an amplifying affect. â€Å"†¦love, empathy, awe, zest, and enthusiasm . . . the sine qua non of managerial success and organizational excellence† (Fineman 1996, p 545). This notion expresses the idea that an emphasis on integrity and emotional intelligence portrayed by the leader can lead to improved cognitive functioning, enhanced decision making and quality relationships between organizational members. Hence through a conscious leadership perspective i.e. an individual virtuousness will then expand throughout the organization, creating organization virtuousness. The central meaning of virtuousness is not the same concept of ethics or corporate social responsibility, but is simply an extension. ‘The entire organization is influenced positively when virtuousness is displayed, especially by individuals in leadership positions’ (George 1995, p 130). Therefore it is evident that different practices of leadership will either adopt practices of virtuality. However it is difficult to manage to effects of the outcome as leaders can have different standards, ‘..,who decides what is good outcome, for whom†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Wray-Bliss 2007). Depending on the leaders attitude they may adopt practices depending if there are beneficial profit outcomes or if it creates a positive organizational environment which will increase business benefits in the longer run i.e. managing the business sustainability decisions. Through studies conducted by Fernando, Dharmage and Almedia we are able to understand the link between decisions made by a leader and how it is influenced to a certain extent by the idea of the ‘trait leadership theory’. However it is evident that ethical values, age, religion and gender to the  variations within levels of relativism and idealism i.e. the traits of a leader create different standards of ethical decisions within an organization. Forsyth’s perception on idealism ‘†¦assume that desirable consequences can, with the right action, always be obtained†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Forsyth 1980, p. 176). Relativism on the other hand is defined by Forsyth as ‘†¦the extent to which an individual rejects universal moral rules†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Forsyth 1980, p. 175). Through Karande et al I was able to observe that ‘†¦models of ethical decision-making posit that organizational factors, such as an organization’s ethical values influence a manager’s ethical decision-making†¦ (Ferrell and Gresham, 1985 p 3). It is evident that the ‘trait leadership theory’ has an effect on this idea to a certain extent i.e. religion. Through studies conducted it is evident that religion had a high effect on the leaders decisions, which is highlighted through Hunt and Vitell ‘A priori, compared with nonreligious people, one might suspect that the highly religious people would have more clearly defined deontological norms and that such norms would play a stronger role in ethical judgments’’ (Fernando, Dharmage & Almeida 1993, p. 780). Therefore highlighting the idea that a leader (that has characteristics of the trait theory) with a perspective in religion will have more incorporation of Corporate Ethical Sustainability within the decisions they make in their organization. It is evident that age plays a role in the decisions that leaders make, the older in age the more life experiences which causes moral development. Hall stated that ‘†¦older the managers tend to be exposed to a variety of ethical problems and become more sensitive to the harm that ethical transgressions can do to the organization and its stakeholders†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Hall 1976, p 148). Therefore highlighting that a leader’s age is negatively related to relativism, hence the older a leader is take into consideration universal moral rules. However there are certain aspects such as gender that doesn’t play a major role in ethical decision making, as gender isn’t significantly related to both idealism and relativism. Fr om this study it highlights the importance of leadership’s traits i.e. age, religion when they are making ethical decisions internally and externally of their organization. Through the study conducted by Cocklin and Stubs it is evident that a conscious leader is able to have an effect and change the organization both  internally and externally i.e. understanding the importance of the stakeholders within the organization. The notion that organizations previously focused on profitability i.e. the shareholders importance has decreased to a certain extent in comparison to the stakeholders of the company, hence expressing the power that leadership has in modifying the idea of utilitarianism. It is evident that the conscious leader highlights the importance of the stakeholders, hence ‘†¦visionary CEOs will push the sustainability agenda throughout organizations and stakeholder networks†¦sustainability becomes more embedded in the organizational structure and culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Cocklin & Stubs 2008, p 123). This highlights the idea that a sustainable business with a humble leader will adopt a stakeholder perspective, emphasising the idea that an organizations success is intimately linked to success of their stakeholders rather than the shareholders. It is evident that companies such as Shell petroleum highlight their importance on their stakeholders, and believe that engaging correct ethical decision making towards stakeholders will be more profitable and responsive in the long run, ‘We remain convinced that engaging with stakeholders and integrating social and environmental considerations better throughout the lifetime of our projects makes us a more responsive, competitive and profitable company, in the long and short term.’(Knights & Wilmott, 2007 p. 4) Through Mackey’s article it highlights the differences between a conscious business and corporate social responsibility. ‘†¦emphasis on conscious business on higher purpose, stakeholder interdependence, conscious leadership and conscious culture apart from corporate social responsibility†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Mackey 2011, p 5). These differences are driven by a conscious leader which affects the decisions that one may make i.e. they focus on reconciling caring and profitable through higher synergies in comparison to CSR decisions are focused on adding ethical and financial burden to business goals. However through data produced by O’Toole and Vogel it was evident that their there was the idea to treat all stakeholders equally and fairly. This idea is quite uncontrollable and unrealistic hence Mackey stated that it would be impossible for a conscious leader to achieve anything like this. Hence there is the notion that there will be ‘conflicts’ between stakeholders, which may cause unethical decisions made by the management. It is evident that the conscious leader has enhanced the idea of the stakeholder’s theory which has evolved from the idea of utilitarianism. It is evident that practices of leadership have an effect in the development and management of ethics and CSR. Through the articles I was able to analyse the effects that CEO’s have on their own organization in decision making, whether variables such as age, religion etc have an influence in the ethical decisions that are made by the leaders. The emphasis of a conscious leadership business portrayed the beneficial longer term benefits for the business when stakeholders are seen as the center rather than shareholders. Reference List Cameron, K.S., Bright, D. & Caza, A. 2004, ‘Exploring the relationships between organizational virtuousness and performance’, American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 766-90. Clegg, S.R., Kornberger, M. & Pitsis, T. 2012, Managing and organizations: An introduction to theory and practice, 3rd edn, Sage, London. Fernando, M., Dharmage, S. & Almeida, S. 2008, ‘Ethical ideologies of senior Australian managers: An empirical study’, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 82, no. 1, pp. 145P55. Ferrell, O. C. and L. G. Gresham: 1985, ‘A Contingency Framework for Understanding Ethical Decision Making in Marketing’, Journal of Marketing 49, 87–96. Fineman, S. (1996). Emotion and organizing. In S. R. Clegg, C. Hardy, & W. R. Nord (Eds.), The handbook of organizational studies (pp. 543-564). London: Sage. Forsyth, D. R.: 1980, ‘A Taxonomy of Ethical Ideologies’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 39(1), 175–184. George, J. M. (1995). Leader positive mood and group performance: The case of customer service. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 25, 778-794. Hall, E. T.: 1976, Beyond Culture (Anchor Books, Doubleday, Garden City, NY). Knights, D. & Wilmott, H. 2007, Introducing organisational behaviour and management, Thomson, Australia. Mackey, J. 2011, ‘What conscious capitalism really is, California Management Review, vol. 53, no.3, pp. 83-90. Stubbs, W. & Cocklin, C. 2008, ‘Conceptualizing a â€Å"sustainability business model†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, Organization & Environment, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 103-27. Wray P Bliss, E. 2007, ‘Ethics in work’, in D. Knights & H. Willmott (eds), Introducing organizational behaviour and management, Thomson Learning, pp. 506-33. Reflective response: Argument: From the feedback I received I needed to ensure that all my points within my essay correlated and linked from one aspect to anther critiquing what changes had occurred instead of describing the leadership practices. In Assignment 2 I ensured that I only critiqued and I ensured that my main points flowed and related to the question. Organisation and Structure: Assignment 1 my flow of my arguments were not effective they jumped from one point to another, hence in the Assignment 2 I ensured that my essay structure related cohesively so one can read and understand the flow and my main points. Critique: I didn’t score very high in this section as I described the practices of leadership in too much detail. In essay 2 I ensured that I didn’t describe the ideas because the reader already understand the practices I had to critique the ideas, and ensure that I did only describe to the very minimum. Understanding and Content: I scored quite well; I feel I grasped a pretty good understanding of the lectures and the readings. However for assignment 2 I ensured I used more readings and based my arguments from the readings and lectures that I had analysed. Academic English: I made some of my sentences to complicated when they could have been cut down to minimal words. In assignment 2 I ensured that I went straight to the point without any extra words. References: I wasn’t very confident on referencing in assignment 1. For assignment 2 I went onto uts library and it showed me how to reference properly for every type of media. Formatting and presentation: I didn’t follow all the formatting procedures for essay 1. For assignment 2 I went to the assignment guideline and followed all the steps and even went to the rubric and saw what additional formatting need to take place.

Oscar Wilde’s the Importance of Escape Essay

Oscar Wilde’s play entitled â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest† illustrates the concept of dual personality, fantasy, love, and lies. Jack, Algernon, Gwendolyn, and Cecily all live in lies. They are manipulated by their fantasies and desire for perfect relationship and love. Jack, the protagonist in the play, is the root of lies because of his imaginary brother named Earnest. Algernon uses the name to win Cecily, while Gwendolyn and Cecily are both fascinated by this name because it expresses strength and perfection of manhood. Due to their search and desire to have Earnest, the male and female characters escape from the reality. Therefore, Wilde in The Importance of Being Earnest portrays a gender doubled theme of escape as the male characters escape through alter-egos and female characters privately through their imaginations. Jack escapes from reality using his alter-ego to become free from his responsibilities and obligations. In the first part of the play, readers learn that Jack is placed in a complex situation: â€Å"When one is placed in the position of guardian, one has to adopt a very high moral tone on all subjects†¦ a high moral tone can hardly be said to conduce very much to either one’s health or one’s happiness, in order to get up to town I have always pretended to have a younger brother of the name of Ernest, who lives in the Albany, and gets into the most dreadful scrapes† (Act I). Jack escapes from his country and changes his identity to Earnest to perform the things that he wants to experience. For Jack, being a guardian and a landowner is a great obligation for his ward and people. Through his alter-ego, Jack obtains freedom because he becomes the opposite of his real self—the liberated and careless individual that he could not demonstrate in reality. Aside from Jack, Gwendolyn also escapes from her real world, through her imagination, to find her true love. When she learns that Jack’s name is Earnest, she immediately confessed to him: â€Å"For me you have always had an irresistible fascination. Even before I met you I was far from indifferent to you. We live, as I hope you know, Mr. Worthing, in an age of ideals. And my ideal has always been to love some one of the name of Ernest. The moment Algernon first mentioned to me that he had a friend called Ernest, I knew I was destined to love you† (Act I). Gwendolyn escapes from the reality to find her match. Searching for his Earnest gives her the opportunity to exit from reality and explore the world of fantasy. She believes that marrying a man with the name of Earnest can give her all her physical, emotional, and economic desires. As she walks into her fantasies, she tends to escape from the reality—from the fact that there is no perfect man. Similarly, Cecily uses her diary to escape from the reality and dreams for her Earnest. When she talks to Algernon, whom she knows as Earnest Worthing, Cecily excitedly revealed: â€Å"You see, it [her diary] is simply a very young girl’s record of her own thoughts and impressions, and consequently meant for publication. When it appears in volume form I hope you will order a copy. But pray, Ernest, don’t stop. I delight in taking down from dictation. I have reached ‘absolute perfection’. You can go on. I am quite ready for more† (Act I). If Gwendolyn uses her imaginations, Cecily is using her diary as her gateway to fantasy. She illustrates her engagement with Earnest in her diary. It means that beyond the boundaries of reality and existence, Cecily found her Earnest, which she claims in her diary. Therefore, Cecily escape from reality and obtainment of her fantasy is part of her comfort zone. It makes her happy, complete, and loved. In conclusion, Jack, Gwendolyn, and Cecily all escape from reality because they want to be free and be loved. Jack uses his alter-ego to detach his self from his moral obligations and obtain liberty without limitations and fears. Meanwhile, Cecily and Gwendolyn escape from reality because they want to experience love. They try to find their own Earnest that will complete their being—and through their fantasies, they are able to explore the idyllic and fearless relationship with the man that they desire.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Neurological Effects of Marijuana

The recreational use of marijuana has become an almost mainstream part of our society today, so mainstream in fact that 16. 8% of Canadians older than 15 use it. In government, the debate to legalize marijuana has long gone back and forth yet never coming to a conclusion. But in this debate is the government really examining the psychological effects of the drug, or are they just concerned with the money aspect. In one study of the neuropsychological effects of marijuana it was concluded that â€Å"The low dose produced generalized impairment of all mental processes (concept formation, memory, tactile form discrimination and motor function). † The research question of this essay is â€Å"Are the short and long term neuropsychological effects of marijuana severe enough to leave lasting impressions on our society? † Purpose The thesis of this essay is â€Å"the neuropsychological effects of marijuana are ery apparent through experimental research and the deficits caused by marijuana could become visible in our society and create problems down the road. † The essay will proceed in the order of first examining a case of neuropsychological effects on heavy marijuana users, then we will examine some of these effects and they way they impact teenage marijuana users. It will also be examined how marijuana may be seen as a cause of psychotic disorders, and also the way marijuana affects aggression. Argument The use of marijuana affects the brain and our neuropsychological functions such as memory. But how memory is affected; is it long term or short term memory and is this a lasting effect or not. In a study performed by Kanayama, Rogowska, Pope , Gruber , and Yurgelun-Todd (2003), 12 heavy cannabis smokers, and a control group of 10 others were to completed a spatial working memory paradigm that included two tasks: a perception task and a short-delay working memory task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. The results showed that the recent cannabis users displayed greater and more widespread brain activation than normal subjects when attempting to perform the aforementioned task. This suggests that the recent cannabis users may experience some neuropsychological deficits and they compensate for these deficits by calling upon different regions of the brain to help out in completing the task. This study shows that for a heavy cannabis user, simple tasks require extra effort from different regions of the brain in order to accomplish said task. This experimental study was well conducted and provided significant findings regarding the neuropsychological functions of a heavy cannabis user. These findings show that the heavy cannabis users had to work harder to accomplish the task at hand, and even though they still managed to accomplish the task, the neurological deficits shown through this study could leave them crippled or handicapped later in life with continued use of the drug. The debate continues in that people are unsure whether neurological deficits associated with cannabis last only as long as the drug does or if the continue afterwards and are more permanent. For example, Fried (2005; cited in Murray, Morrison, Henquet, Di Forti 2007) et al. found no evidence of cognitive deficits in cannabis users after three months of abstention66, whereas Bolla (2005; cited in Murray, Morrison, Henquet, Di Forti 2007) et al. found persisting deficits in decision-making and brain activity among heavy cannabis users who had been abstinent for 25 days. This inconsistency could be due to the age of participants or any number of other variables, which is why this sort of experiments can be unclear and inconclusive at times. One aspect of the age variable is that most experiments of this type are performed on adult participants and so does not show how the neurological effects of cannabis might affect the growing mind of a teenager. In a study performed by Harvey, Sellman, Porter, and Frampton (2007), 70 adolescents aged 13-18 were recruited, and after a 12 hour abstinence from marijuana performed several test. These tests included a demographics questionnaire, a Timeline Follow-Back (TLFB) questionnaire for drug use in the past 28 days. Intelligence was measured using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery was used and the tests administered were: Motor screening (visual and movement problems), Rapid visual information processing (attention and memory), Spatial working memory (memory and strategy), Intradimensional extradimentional shift (attention), and Paired Associates learning (visuo-spatial and spatial span). The pen and paper cognitive tests used were Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test, and Symbol Digit Modalities Test. Psychiatric functioning measures used were: Visual Analogue Scale for Mood (present mood), Beck Depression Inventory II, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Conduct Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The Timeline Follow-Back showed that 68. 5% of participants had used marijuana in the last 28 days. The results found from this well conducted study show that adolescents who were regular cannabis users showed a significantly worse performance on four measures of cognitive functions; attention, spatial working, memory, and learning. These results suggest that the young mind could be more susceptible to the neuropsychological deficits experienced through frequent use of marijuana. This is very negative considering 68. 5% of participants use marijuana frequently and thus has neurological deficits when it comes to attention, spatial working, memory and learning. If this sample is a close representation of the teenage population then our society could have problems down the road. If these teenagers continue to consume cannabis regularly through to adulthood then we could see these neurological deficits etting worse and worse as these teens earn more responsibility as they progress through life. Another possibility of problems that could come from this is the possibility that cannabis use could lead to psychosis or schizophrenia. It is unclear whether this is true or not but, but in some cases cannabis has been deemed a causal risk factor for schizophrenia. Richard Reading (2004) examined the evidence behind these claims and identified five studies that included a well-defined sample drawn from population-based registers or cohorts and used prospective measures of cannabis use and adult psychosis. After examining these cases thoroughly he concluded that cannabis is a component cause to psychosis. It is part of a complex mix of different factors which lead to psychosis down the road. Through these findings Reading deemed that cases of psychotic disorder could be minimized by discouraging cannabis use to vulnerable youth. Considering how 16. 8% of Canadians use marijuana on a regular basis, this is a very negative finding. Even if marijuana is only one little factor which contributes with many other factors to the chance of a psychotic disorder, then having this many people partaking could increase the number of psychotic disorders in Canada by quite a bit. We also know that a very large part of teenagers use cannabis as a social activity, and when used frequently for long periods of time these teenagers could develop psychotic disorders early on in life, making it difficult for them to contribute to our society to their full potential. On the other hand however marijuana could possibly give some positive to our society as well. In an earlier study conducted by Myerscough and Taylor (1985), the aggression levels of thirty male college students were examined while under the influence of either a light, medium, or heavy dose of marijuana. Since the U. S. government released â€Å"Reefer Madness† in 1936, it has been in question whether marijuana really does drive people crazy and amps up their aggression. The subjects were given either a low, medium, or high dose of marijuana then were sat in booth which corresponded with the booth of another participant. They were told that by pressing on one of eleven buttons they could choose the intensity of an electric shock that would be administered to their corresponding subject and vice versa. The person who completed this task faster would not be administered the shock but would find out what level of shock the other had picked for him. When the participants would see the aggressiveness of the other’s choices and receive shocks they would perhaps become more aggressive themselves. In concluding the data they had gathered showed that people in the low dose group tended to respond more aggressively than those in the mid to high level groups. Those participants in the high dose group were for the most part non-aggressive throughout the entire experiment. These findings indicate that when people are on marijuana they tend to be more calm and relaxed, and less easily aggravated. This could benefit many people by helping to ease stress. It could also help to lessen the aggravation behind many acts of crime, and violence in our society. Unfortunately we could not really use these findings to our advantage because we are unable to control who does what, and when. This does help shed some light on the benefits marijuana could have for our society. Conclusion The mainstream use of marijuana as a â€Å"party drug† or social tool in our society has started to get out of hand. Adults and teenagers alike take part in this illegal habit, but what are the consequences. As we see throughout this paper marijuana causes deficits in the neurological processes of adults by making the brain work harder to accomplish certain tasks. Also in teenagers the mental processes of memory, spatial working, attention, and learning were slowed by the frequent use of marijuana and showed deficits that could be worsened with time. It has also been shown here that marijuana could be a causal factor in the development of psychotic disorders. Though all of these experiments and research show how marijuana negatively influences people in our society there are many discrepancies in the research done on marijuana, and some do show no negativities whatsoever. Though the limited and controversial data we have on marijuana’s effect on psychological processes is incomplete, it is hard to say if it will have a lasting negative impression, however we know that marijuana is not having any useful positive effects on our society.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Discuss the role of John Proctor Essay

Discuss the role of John Proctor in ‘The Crucible’. Why does he choose to die at the end of the play? John Proctor is the protagonist of the play ‘The Crucible’, written by Arthur Miller. This is because Miller uses Proctor as a character to help the audience understand the characters’ experience. He does this by either making sympathetic expressions or the actions that Proctor makes, whether they are violent or confusing. Miller makes us feel sympathetic for Proctor when Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth gets taken away to court for being accused of doing ‘the devil’s work’. Proctor knows she is innocent but nobody will believe him. In Act I, John Proctor’s role is to introduce himself and show his character: ‘Be you deaf? I forbid you leave the house did I not? ‘ (Proctor, Act I) This comment suggests he likes to be powerful and in control, in this case, by being forceful. He feels ‘strong about hypocricy, but is even-tempered. Miller tells us that ‘in the presence of Proctor a fool felt his foolishness instantly’. He also tells us that proctor ‘is a sinner against his own vision of decent conduct’, of which he is talking about the affair with Abigail Williams. This is dramatic irony as, only three characters (including Proctor) are aware of this. When we first meet Proctor he is with Abigail, Mary and Mercy Lewis. Abigail’s first words are: ‘Gah, I’d almost forgotten how strong you are John Proctor! ‘ (Abigail, Act I) John Proctor quickly realises what she is implying and replies: ‘What’s this mischief then? ‘ (Proctor, Act I) This shows he doesn’t want anything to happen between him and Abigail. ‘No, no Abby. That’s done with. ‘ (Proctor, Act I) Later on he replies with this to Abigail, and this shows he is strong-willed, recognises what is happening and the mistake. However Abigail thinks that John is just playing around with her and speaks of how he clutched her back behind his house and sweated like a stallion. ‘I may have looked up. ‘ (Proctor, Act I) This quotation suggests that Proctor is still interested and this brings across a message that people don’t change, in this case Proctor a sinner, but then the strong, powerful part of his character comes across and he threatens to whip her, to which the stage directions say ‘shaking her’. This suggests he regrets the affair and wants no more to do with Abigail. As an affair is more likely to have happened in the 20th century, the audience sympathise with him as the play is set in the late 17th century, so Proctor is a man ahead of his time. When Proctor meets Hale, he wants him to make Salem more realistic. He shows his sensible character, but could also be seen that Proctor is trying to be ‘in charge’ and think he knows too much: ‘He don’t believe in witches. ‘ (Giles, Act I) ‘I never speak of witches one-way or the other. Will you come Giles? ‘ (Proctor, Act I) ‘I’ve heard you to be a sensible man Mr Hales. I hope you’ll leave some of it in Salem. ‘ (Proctor, Act I) Act II shows Proctor’s house, and Proctor is tense, which brings tension upon the audience. He carries a gun, which suggests insecurity among Salem, and himself. He places it leaning on the wall, which is an accessible point, again showing insecurity. It makes the audience feel inferior. AS Elizabeth walks down the stairs he goes to a basin washing his hands and face. This is symbolic as he is trying to forget the affair, because he feels so guilty. This builds more tension: ‘What keeps you so late? It’s almost dark. ‘ (Elizabeth, Act II) This comment of Elizabeth’s shows she is anxious and suspicious of his whereabouts. He replies that he was ‘planting far out the forest edge’. Then goes on to say: ‘Pray now for a fair summer. ‘ (Proctor, Act II) He is trying to please his wife, still feeling guilt. He says with a grin: ‘I mean to please you, Elizabeth. ‘ (Proctor, Act II) Elizabeth replies, although hard to say, which suggests denial or disbelief: ‘I know it, John. ‘ (Elizabeth, Act II) Proctor and Elizabeth fear each other, and this illustrates the feature of the play-fear. Their short sentences and being silent suggests this, and also brings tension upon their marriage, and the audience. Act II is mostly to do with John Proctor, the visiting of Hale to which he is questioned about his religious efforts, his arguments with his wife, his suspicions of the witchcraft in Salem and Abigail, and the arrest of his wife. He grabs the search warrant off Cheever: ‘Proctor, you dare not touch the warrant. ‘ (Cheever, Act II) ‘Ripping the warrant. ‘ (Stage directions, Act II) This is Proctor’s angry side. He knows what Abigail is up to, yet no one will believe him. They go on what Abigail says. As he rips up the warrant, he puts a reputation to his name at the courts of the Witch trials. Act III shows Danforth, a deputy governor, talking to Proctor about witchcraft. He is questioning about the pretence that Mary Warren has confessed. He wants a second view from John Proctor: ‘We burn a hot fire her; it melts down all concealment. ‘ (Danforth, Act III) This relates to the title of the play ‘The Crucible’. It is a metaphor of a crucible, which points out the message of the play. As a crucible is a container in which metals are heated to extract the pure elements. In the play, witches are to be purified and ‘to come back to God’. When Mary is in court, Proctor is determined to get the judges to see what is really happening. He goes into the courts and confesses his sin of adultery with Abigail to try and make the judges see how much of a ‘whore’ she really is. He risks his well-preserved name to save his wife from being hanged. The judges have no proof: ‘In her life, sir, she have never lied. ‘ (Proctor, Act III) Here he talks of Elizabeth, and he thinks she will tell the courts the truth of the affair, but instead she thinks the courts don’t know. She worries that she is risking her husband’s well-dignified name, and lies: ‘Answer the question! Is your husband a lecher! ‘ (Danforth, Act III) ‘No, sir. ‘ (Elizabeth, Act III) Proctor gets taken into jail for perverting the course of justice: ‘Marshal! Take him and Corey with him to the jail! ‘ (Danforth, Act III) Hale realises what is happening and quits the courts. Act IV is tragic, bringing the death of the ‘hero’ of the play. Danforth is doing almost anything he can to get a confession from Proctor. For example he gets Elizabeth, his wife that he tries so hard to please, to go and talk to him. They understand what Proctor meant by all the lies. Abigail ran off the Barbados. When Proctor sees Elizabeth again, it creates a tragic atmosphere. To them it seems almost unreal, like they didn’t think they would see each other again. The short, quick sentences that they exchange give us a sense of tension: ‘You are a – marvel, Elizabeth. ‘ (Proctor, Act IV) ‘You – have been tortured? ‘ (Elizabeth, Act IV) As she asks Proctor this it proves that she wants to forgive him, and that she wants to love him again. He decides to confess about witchery, for Elizabeth’s sake. Once the confession has been written down he grabs it, saying: You have all witnessed it – it is enough. ‘ (Proctor, Act IV) He refuses to sign his confession. He doesn’t want to blacken his name anymore: ‘God knows how black my sins are! It is enough! ‘ (Proctor, Act IV) If he doesn’t give it back, or sign the confession, he will be hanged, he will be killed. Instead he rips it like, just like he did the warrant/ He decides to die. The atmosphere turns tragic and goes still. The audience’s reaction is also tragic, but also understandable – after all, that was the role of John Proctor. He chooses to die because he would blacken his name, and his children’s name – Proctor. He realises he has ruined his reputation from the affair, and that the courts in Salem were finished. He couldn’t lie anymore. He chose his own death rather than betrayal of his conscience. This shows us that he too has come through the fire to be purified, just like the pure elements extracted from the metals in a crucible.