Feminism in Indian English Literature

Feminism in Indian English Literature First, the phase of imitation is prolonged and the dominant tradition and the international roles have affected the social roles. Secondly, the phase of protest was established against the standards values of life which also includes demand for autonomy. Lastly, Self-discovery is a phase, where search for identity was the main aim of the writers to project in their writings, as they experienced freedom from self-dependency. Thus the critic supplanted the traditional definition of feminism especially in literature by a new paradigm for manifesting the evolutionary aspect of womans consciousness as reflected in literature specifically in the British novel through three stages of progression- the feminine, the feminist and the female. While the post-colonial enigma gradually changed into a neo-colonial consciousness in India, the creative writers specially the woman factionalists resorted to examining the role of modern Indian women vis-Ã ¢-vis family and society differently and more positively. The second generation of Indian women novelists like Anita Desai, Shashi Deshpande, Bharati Mukherjee and Shobha De specially exhibits a steady progression in context of the three stages advocated by Elaine Showalter. Their female protagonists display a psychic transformation traversing and evolving gradually but firmly through the respective stages of imitation of tradition, protest and advocacy of rights, and eventually introspection leading to self-discovery which metamorphisezes them into strong, independent, expeditious women willing to encounter the onslaughts of life not merely as a minority group but with the cognizance of being powerful sustaining force for society as a whole. It has been observed that the position of women in India has been subjected to varieties of changes over the past few years. From equal status with men in the prehistoric times through the less equality which was prevalent in the medieval period. The promotion of womens rights had been taken up by many reformers in India in order to emancipate their position. In the contemporary times, women have been at high post in the nation like India, that includes, the post of President, Prime Minister, Speaker of Lok Sabha and Leader of opposition party respectively. Not only that women have done exceptionally well in different spheres of life, be it academics, teaching, defense, media or entrepreneur etc. In Ancient India, many scriptures had written about the situation of the women, where she enjoyed equal status as that of men. Not only in the sphere of rights but also in the field of education, were women given equal opportunity. Vedas like Rigveda and Upnishads, wrote about women sages and seers, Gargi and Matreyi. After the medieval period the position of the women got deteriorated and evil practices like Sati, child marriage, ban on widow remarriage became part of social life in India. The conquest of India by the Muslims brought in practice like purdah and Jauhar. The conditions were difficult and stringent for Indian women, and few women excelled in the field of literature, politics, religion and education. To name some women who excelled in different field, Razia Sultan who ruled over Delhi, Durgavati, the Gond Queen, Chand Bibi fought against Mughal forces of Akbar and defended Ahmednagar, Nur Jahan established imperial power and was a real force behind the Mughal throne. Mirabai,a female saint-poet was an important Bhakti movement figures. Many reformers during the British rule also worked for the upliftement of the women, and some of the freedom fighters included women in forefront like Bhikaji Cama, Dr Annie Besant, Vijaylakshmi Padit, Kasturbha Gandhi and Rani Laxmibai If we talk about defining women empowerment, it simply means giving the women crucial authority. It has been proved since time immemorial that women are more responsible when tackling a situation, so delegating authority with confidence is the first step towards women empowerment. It also means to give rights and power to women to face the challenges of life. When we analyze empowering women, it emphasizes on inspiring women with the courage to break free from the barriers of patterns of society or religious norms that kept traditionally women suppressed. It is known fact that women, particularly in India are still backward and they are not aware of their rights that the constitution has endowed. The mission of many reform institutions in India is to make them aware of all these facts and fight against the torture and all evil things caused to them by the society and the husbands and other people is called Women Empowerment. Women empowerment is instilled by many with the aim of giving power to women to make their own decisions in their lives. It includes social, economic, legal, and political and health empowerment. It is a central issue which is growing at a slower pace. In India, Women Empowerment was a challenging task and one needs to acknowledge that gender based discrimination and due to this social malice was prevalent for many years. The malice cannot be removed by adopting few laws or policies, as many of them though may be on paper, but are not implemented in actual terms. The power structural forces of the society never tried to uplift the status of women at different levels and the growth of the women was stunted. At this juncture of complexities related to the rights of women, the situation can only be improved, once the social attitude is revamped and the prevalent evil practices against the women should be banned. This can be brought in by womens access and control over the decision making. Further increasing the social interaction on women at different levels in the society. In India, women are marginalized at every level of the society whether in economic, social or political participation and gender disparity is crept in the life of people that The rise of the novel in India was not purely a literary phenomenon. It was a social phenomenon as much, rather the fulfillment of a social need. It was associated with social, political and economic conditions which were comparable to those which favoured rise in England. The rise of novel and appearance of it in nineteenth century India as it did in eighteenth century England synchronized with the rise of individualism and with all the consequent political and social reorientations which followed. The eighteenth century was an age of anarchy from a political point of view, torn as it was by wars, conquests and annexations.The character of Indian novel is bound to vary from language to language and is bound to be conditioned by the regional, linguistic and cultural peculiarities characteristic of the writer and his environment. But the Indian novel, whether in English or in any other Indian languages, has an individual quality, a distinctiveness which calls for serious critical attention and the Indian novel in English has this distinctiveness much more than the novels in other languages of the country, a distinctiveness which transcends all the peculiarities characteristics of different linguistic and cultural milieus. Though this would mean our accepting the Indianness of the Indian novel in English as one of the important frames of reference in all critical studies of the genre, one has to guard oneself at the same time, against the danger of the `Indianness becoming, with t he writer and the critic alike, an obsession, an unhealthy pre-occupation with orientalism, lush scene painting and with a desire to pander to the national self esteem of the Indians or gullibility of European intellectuals. A novel written by an Indian writer will certainly be Indian without any conscious effort on the part of the writer to the extent to which it depicts Indian life and culture, reflects faithfully the life and spirit of the Indian ethos and grapples with the problems and tensions generated by the rather unique way in which an individuals life and character are determined by home, family and society in the Indian social milieu. It can be peculiarly Indian in respect of its form, narrative techniques employed and the manner in which it adapts the English language to the native sensibility. It can be much more characteristically Indian in its moral and spiritual content and in the values and ideals it upholds and it may even show another worldliness, a predilection for myth and fantasy, a tendency to turn ones back on the here and now and show a basic hunger for the unseen- all deriving from the Indian writers unconscious affiliation with the world of legends, fables and puranas. But any deliberate attempt made by the writer to make his novel Indian or to design it for a Western audience will make it artificial and unreal. Though no Indian writer writing in English can be absolutely free from being conscious of the Western reader, he can at least avoid designing his work specifically for a Western audience. He may write for a Western audience as much as for an Indian audience but he must write as an Indian with India in his bones, of course, but without a conscious or deliberate effort to make his work distinctively Indian. Indian fiction in English has emerged as a separate entity for the study of the rapid change and development in social, economic, political and psychological facets of Indian society.

The Tragedy of Macbeth | Analysis

The Tragedy of Macbeth | Analysis The tragedy of Macbeth is a play normally called Macbeth by William Shakespeare concerning the regicide and aftermath. It is the Shakespeares briefest tragedy believed to have been put down between 1603 and 1607. Shakespeares sources of tragedy are encounters of Macduff, King Macbeth of Scotland and Duncan in Holinsheds Chronicles of 1587, history for Scotland, England and Ireland similar to Shakespeare and his accountability (Coursen and Herbert 1997). The initial act of play opens in the amidst lighting and thunder when the present three witches came into decision of meeting with Macbeth in their next meeting. In the following scene, an injured captain gave description to King Duncan of Scotland regarding his generals Macbeth (Thane of Glamis) and Banquo. The report reviewed how Banquo and Thane of Glamis had defeated their enemies forces of Norway and Ireland who were led by conspirator Macdonwald. Macbeth, the kings kinsman was appraised for his fighting prowess and bravery. As the scene took another dimension, Banquo and Macbeth entered as they discussed about the weather and their victory. As they wandered onto the heath, the three witches entered as they waited to welcome them with prophecies. Although the Banquo challenges them at first, they addressed Macbeth after allà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Coursen and Herbert 1997). The first witch summoned Macbeth as Thane of Glamis, second as Thane of Cawdor while the third one proclaimed he could be the King in future. Macbeth seemed to be amazed into silence as Banquo challenged them furthermore. The witches notify Banquo that he would father the line of Kings, arrive and inform Macbeth concerning his newly bestowed title. Thus the first prophecy is fulfilled. Suddenly, Macbeth starts to harbor aspiration to become a king. Macbeth wrote to his wife concerning the witches prophecies as Duncan decides to remain in the Macbeths fortress at Inverness, while Lady Macbeth comes with a plan to kill him and protect the throne of her husband. Though Macbeth is concerned about the reignite, eventually Lady Macbeth persuaded him by challenging his manhood to convince him to follow his plans (Coursen and Herbert 1997). On the night when the King visited, Macbeth killed Duncan though the deed is not recognized by the audience. However, it leaves Macbeth so perplexed that Lady Macbeth had to take charge. Depending on his plans, she puts the Duncans resting servants for killing by inserting bloody daggers on them. Then the porter opened the gate as Macbeth led them into the kings chamber, whereby Macduff discovered Duncans corpse. In the contrived well of bitterness, Macbeth kills the guards before they would take care for their innocence. Macduff is then suspicious of Macbeth though he does not show his suspicion to people. To run for their lives, the Duncans sons leave, Donalbain to Ireland, and Malcolm to England. The correct heirs voyage calls them suppose and Macbeth takes the kingships the coming King of Scotland as Kinsman for dead King. Regardless of his victory, Macbeth remained disturbed regarding the prophecy of Banquo. This made Macbeth to invite him to majestic banquet in which he noticed Banquo and his young son could be coming on that night. He then hired two men to murder them as the third murderer emerges mysteriously at the park before the murder. As the assassins murders Banquo, Fleance takes the chance to flee. At the banquet, the Banquos ghost goes in and sits in Macbeths place and Macbeth alone sees the specter (Coursen and Herbert 1997). The rest wonder at Macbeth raging to empty chair till the distressed Lady Macbeth demands them to flee. Macbeth gets disturbed and visits the Three Witches again. They invokes the three spirits with three warnings and prophecies which commands him to beware Macduff though none of the woman born could harm Macbeth and he would never annihilate till the Great Birman Wood to greater Dunsinane Hill comes against him. Macduff is in exile in England and Macbeth assumes he is safe, and kills everybody in the Macduffs stronghold including the Macduffs wife together with their children. Lady Macbeth feels guilty of the crimes she committed together with her husband. She then sleepwalks and attempts to wipe the bloodstains imaginary from her hands while speaking of dreadful things she knew. In England, Macduff and Malcolm are informed of Ross that her castle was surprised and her babes and wives savagely slaughtered. Macbeth not considered as tyrant, views majority of his thanes conquering. Malcolm leads an army with Englishmen Siward (the elder) and Macduff, the Earl of Northumberland in opposition to Dunsinane Castle. While in Birnam Wood, the military were commanded to reduce and take the tree limbs to disguise their statistics and pleased the witches third prediction. Meanwhile, Macbeth gives the soliloquy tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow along learning of Lady Macbeths death (Coursen and Herbert 1997). The reason remained unrevealed and some assume she committed suicide. The battle ended in homicide of the young Macduffs and Siward altercation with Macbeth. Macbeth brags he had no reason to panic Macduff as he could not be killed by any man born by a woman. In play, the three Witches symbolize chaos, darkness and conflict while their duty is as witnesses and agents. Their presence communicates impending doom and treason.

Letter Written By MLK From Birmingham City Jail, Alabama :: essays research papers

My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statements in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms. I think I should indicate why I am here In Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against "outsiders coming in." I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. Frequently we share staff, educational and financial resources with our affiliates. Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program if such were deemed necessary. We readily consented, and when the hour came we lived up to our promise. So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here I am here because I have organizational ties here. But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid. Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.

Herbal Medicine Essay -- essays research papers

Herbal medicine is the extraction of herbs or plants which have a medicinal value in treating illnesses and diseases (Brody 1). A herb is known as a plant that does not have a woody stem and usually dies back at the end of each growing season. It is also known as a "natural" drug because they are derived from nature. This is unlike pharmaceutical drugs, which are synthesized from chemicals. Herbal medicine dates back a very long time. More than 4,000 years ago, the Chinese emperor Qien Nong put a book together, or a herbal, of different medicinal plants (O’ Sullivan 2). It contained descriptions of more than 300 plants. Some of these plants are still used today. The Sumerians, at the same time recorded prescriptions on clay tablets. Also, the Egyptians recorded their information regarding medicine on rolls of papyrus. A very famous papyrus is the Ebers Papyrus, which includes specific information on how to use different plants (Brody 1). The Greeks and Romans learned about herbal medicine from these early civilizations. They also recorded them in books. We know of these works because they are translated into Arabic. Monks in Europe studied and grew plants for medicinal use. They translated the Arabic and that helped them with the plants. The first drugstores were in Baghdad (which is present day Iraq) in the 9th century (Smith 1). In the 13th century, major trade of herbs and spices occurred in London. Since there were no standards, bad quality herbs and wrong substitutes were often sold. Carolus Linneaus introduced the binomial system of plant nomenclature in 1753 (O’Sullivan 1). This helped identify plants scientifically, which helped to avoid mistakes between different plants. Many drugs commonly used today are of herbal origin. About one-quarter of the prescription drugs distributed by pharmacies in the United States contain at least one ingredient derived from plant material. Today, everyone from health care consumers to providers are learning about natural options to help with being healthy. â€Å"Herbalists, or individuals who use herbal remedies to alleviate pain, are on the rise in the United States† (Tremmel 1). In 1995, a survey was taken with about 600 physicians across the count... ...umerous kinds of herbal medicines available today. The best way of getting you money’s worth is by asking for the most popular one. This isn’t the only step, but also ask for any clinical trials, consult your doctor, and/or the company of the product. This way you can get the most effective product and be safe at the same time. I think that this new era of using natural herbal medicine is great and I support it greatly. Trying something new for a change is good. Even though some kinds of herbal medicine can produce harmful effects, many of the others are good. The only problem I see is that the Food and Drug Administration didn’t make it a requirement for the makers to submit studies on the drugs. Therefore, maybe sellers can make specific claims about preventing a disease even though it isn’t true. So if the FDA starts testing the medicines and helps separate the good from the bad then everything will be great. Thus, herbal medicine is medicine made from different parts of plants. They have become very popular in modern times. Some of these herbal medicines can be helpful while others can be harmful.

Robert Altmans The Long Goodbye As A Genre Revisionist Film Essay

"Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye attempts to do a very interesting thing. It tries to be all genre and no story†¦ It makes no serious effort to reproduce the Raymond Chandler detective novel†¦ it just takes all the characters out of that novel and lets them stew together in something that feels like a private-eye movie." ---ROGER EBERT (REVIEW) The period of American cinema between 1965 and 1975 produced many films that almost completely restructured classical Hollywood’s accepted genre conventions. A fine example of this would be Robert Altman's iconoclastic take on Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe in The Long Goodbye (1973), a detective film based on the final book in Chandler’s Philip Marlowe series. Altman, who is known for turning around traditional genre conventions, revises and reinvents the film-noir style made popular by Dick Powell in Murder, My Sweet (1944), Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946), and Robert Montgomery in Lady in the Lake (1947). The actors and the films in the 1940’s film-noir period conformed to genre conventions, and it wasn’t until Robert Altman directed Elliot Gould’s Philip Marlowe in The Long Goodbye that the detective genre had changed. It is very interesting to note how the conventions of 1940’s hardboiled private eye fiction translate into the 1970’s. The low-rent drabness of the genre loses much of its allure. The dark shadows and long nights of urban Los Angeles become the bright lights and warm sunshine of Malibu beaches. The detective’s normally snappy dialogue turns into joking asides. Marlowe’s hardboiled narration becomes the self-conscious mutterings of a lonely man talking to himself. The romantic myth of a man set apart from the city is turned on its head as a pathetic man living alone with his cat. Elliot Gould plays private investigator Philip Marlowe, who uses his smart-aleck detachment carried along by a natural wave of 1970’s California that Altman exercises for both humour and social commentary. Rich drunks, drugged out youth, multicultural gangsters in touch with their heritage and their feelings, people more than willing to use their friends, all indicate a self-obsessed society, a force as relevant in the 1970’s as the ever-present title song. Originally, Hollywood backed Altman, the eccentric director of M.A.S.H and Nashville, in the hopes that a gritty detective film would cash-in on the... ...grab glimpses of the character's true nature. In The Long Goodbye, these foreground strokes, intended to lay a foundation for audience sympathy with the lead character, are made as prominent as the climax, as well as the end. This is because Marlowe wanders through the action of the film meeting and reacquainting himself with unrelated characters, such as the gatekeeper-impressionist in Terry Lennox’s neighbourhood, and the grocery store clerk, who Marlowe meets again in prison. The time between The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye signifies a significant evolution of American, or at least Hollywood, culture, from the country's post-WWII optimism to the alarm of Vietnam. The character of Marlowe, it appears, has one foot in each book-end of history. Bibliography Kagan, Norman. American skeptic: Robert Altman's genre-commentary films. Ann Arbor, Mich., Pieran P. 1982. Karp, Alan. The Films of Robert Altman. Metuchen, N.J., Scarecrow P. 1981. McGilligan, Patrick. Robert Altman: jumping off the cliff; a biography of the great American director. New York, St. Martin's P. 1989. Wexman,Virginia Wright. Robert Altman; a guide to references and resources. Boston, Mass, Hall. P. 1984.

Knowledge work productivity Essay

The road to an organization’s success depends on the PEOPLE. In Peter Drucker’s writings, there was always a part on people and how they can CONTRIBUTE. Before the internet and social media congested world of today; Drucker noticed how people behaved with their work duties. Whether it was putting a tire on a car; talking strategy on how to move the business forward or volunteers interacting with each other at a non-profit, Drucker soon realized that successful organizations have the foundation of great people. People grow organizations together. From the beginning straight to the end; it is the people who decide how far they want to take their organization. Knowledge work defines our society today. With the dominance of social media, the expanding internet, and the powerhouses of technology; the possibilities of knowledge are endless. Educators are beginning to orient themselves towards teaching through technology, whether that is tablets in the school classroom or universities providing entire courses online. Physical labor still exists; however, the high level of knowledge that is needed still persists. Our society today depends on people working with their minds; a reality that Peter Drucker was envisioning over fifty years ago. The organizations that use knowledge work effectively empower and trust their people to have the freedom to share their ideas. Executives and managers work together to align people’s ideas to the mission; as well as create a sense of belonging to each that works there. Management is always about the people first. A manager needs to create an environment where people are comfortable working together and in tandem, and resist the urge to create individual silos. Everyone wants to do great things for their organization; it is up to management to foster that environment of collaboration and teamwork and align the team to the company’s mission and goals. People will always be the structure of any organization. When the structure is strong; the support of more is there. When one feels empowered to use their passion and knowledge to be successful; the winning formula begins to develop, and all it takes is to empower that person to be their best. The author of 39 books during his long career, and counselor to titans of business and rulers of nations, Drucker championed the powers of observation, often formulating simple ideas that triggered startling results. The Practice of Management (1954) and The Effective Executive (1966) are considered his landmark works. Part of Drucker’s genius lay in his ability to find patterns among seemingly unconnected disciplines. â€Å"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said,† he once said. The magazine called Drucker’s teachings â€Å"a blueprint for every thinking leader,† noting that Drucker taught generations of managers the importance of picking the best people, of focusing on opportunities and not problems, of getting on the same side of the desk as their customer, of the need to understand their competitive advantages and to continue to refine them (listening-and-learning approach) Drucker called himself a â€Å"social ecologist,† a close observer of the way humans are organized across all sectors—in business, but also in government and in the nonprofit world. â€Å"None of my books or ideas means anything to me in the long run,† he said. â€Å"What are theories? Nothing. The only thing that matters is how you touch people. Have I given anyone insight? That’s what I want to have done. Insight lasts; theories don’t. And even insight decays into small details, which is how it should be. A few details that have meaning in one’s life are important.† Drucker’s track record is impressive, as BusinessWeek succinctly summarized upon his death in 2005. Among his accomplishments: –He introduced the idea of decentralization—in the 1940s—which became a bedrock principle for virtually every large organization in the world. –He was the first to assert—in the 1950s—that workers should be treated as assets, not as liabilities to be eliminated. –He originated the view of the corporation as a human community—again, in the 1950s—built on trust and respect for the worker and not just a profit-making machine, a perspective that won Drucker an almost godlike reverence among the Japanese. –He first made clear—still the ’50s—that there is â€Å"no business without a customer,† a simple notion that ushered in a new marketing mindset. –He argued in the 1960s—long before others—for the importance of substance over style, for institutionalized practices over charismatic, cult leaders. –He wrote about the contribution of knowledge workers—in the 1970s—long before anyone knew or understood how knowledge would trump raw material as the essential capital of the New Economy. As he aged, Drucker appeared to assume more gravitas, slowing his speech, projecting a more authoritative presence, allowing his audience to hang on his words. He expressed dismay with the greed and self-interest that pervaded corporate America in his later years, shifting his focus to nonprofits. In writings and speeches during the 1980s, Drucker emerged as one of corporate America’s most important critics, preaching against reckless mergers and acquisitions. He warned that CEO pay had rocketed out of control and implored boards to hold CEO compensation to no more than 20 times what the rank and file made. In The Definitive Drucker: Challenges for Tomorrow’s Executives—Final Advice from the Father of Modern Management (2007), author Elizabeth Haas Edersheim wrote, â€Å"Peter’s ideas were the catalyst that freed people to pursue opportunities they had never expected to have. He liberated people by asking them questions and eliciting a vision that just felt right. He liberated people by getting them to challenge their own assumptions. He liberated people by raising their awareness of, and their faith in, things they knew intuitively. He liberated people by forcing them to think. He liberated people by talking to them. He liberated people by getting them to ask the right questions.† The Business of Listening Why should you care about listening skills? Most of us have developed as business people in organizational cultures that emphasize the persuasiveness of the speaker. We’ve spent countless hours, and a great deal of money, attending to our appearance, business dress, body language, facial expression, selection of language, tone of voice, charts, graphs, and on and on. The importance of those factors is not denied. However, they’re not the only factors influencing communication. And are they powerful enough, when we’re trying to get the best from a diverse group of people, build a customer-focused organization, or influence those who disagree with us? As Kenneth R. Johnson, said in his book, Effective Listening Skills, â€Å"Listening effectively to others can be the most fundamental and powerful communication tool of all. When someone is willing to stop talking or thinking and begin truly listening to others, all of their interactions become easier, and communication problems are all but eliminated.† Understanding others, results in them understanding you Consciously cultivating your listening skills helps you understand the many difficulties affecting other people. You become better at being heard and understood. Use your human resources better Improving your listening skills helps you more fully use the diverse knowledge, wisdom, energy and enthusiasm of the people you deal with. Get more out of face-to-face interaction Maximize the value of your live, non-electronic, conversations. Face-to-face interaction still influences the quality of your business relationships and meetings more than any other factor. Gain depth and intimacy You engage more deeply and intimately with your people, your teams and important organizational issues and changes. Motivate Improving your listening skills helps you maintain the energy, equilibrium and enthusiasm of others, as well as your own. â€Å"Managers who get to know their people, respect and trust the competency of their employees, and listen continually for how employees are doing relative to their aspirations, quality of work life, and sense of career advancement, will have a far greater chance of developing and retaining their employees.† Caela Farren, CEO of MasteryWorks THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING March and Olsen provide a model of organizational learning as a cycle in which individual and organizational action are distinct but interrelated. Individual actions – based on individual beliefs – lead to organizational action that in turn induces an environmental response. If an environmental response subsequently affects individual beliefs, the cycle is supposedly completed and learning has been achieved. However, if the environment remains unchanged, the three other elements of the learning model remain unaffected and therefore only individual but no organizational learning might occur. If in contrast, the environment changes, individual beliefs will change which in turn will lead to some corresponding individual and organizational actions. This concept of learning as adaptation is further developed by Levitt and March who suggest organizations learn by â€Å"encoding inferences from history into routines that guide behavior.† Drawing on a stimulus-response model of responsiveness this adaptive perspective portrays the generation of responses as a function of environmental change. In turn, the perspective of organizations as cognitive systems has extended the foundational argument of the adaptive perspective on learning by identifying cognition as the basis for deliberate organizational action. In this case, Ducan and Weiss remind us that organizational learning refers to an organization’s – i.e. its dominant coalition’s – capacity to identify the need for change and adaptation and take intentional actions. Action-outcome relationships and their conditions are tested, validated, and subsequently rejected or confirmed. In particular, they emphasize two key aspects of such learning processes, namely the ability to communicate and integrate knowledge and insights. Similarly, Fiol and Lyles state that â€Å"learning enables organizations to build an understanding and interpretation of their environment†¦it results in associations, cognitive systems, and memories that are developed and shared by members of the organization.† Thus organizational members are portrayed as interpreters of reality who become conscious actors in individual and collective learning process. On a similar note, Draft and Weick provide us with a model that views learning as resulting from conflicting interpretations of reality. In their seminal piece, they propose organizations as interpretation systems whereby interpretation refers to a process through which information is given meaning and subsequent actions are identified. Building on, yet extending the behavioral view, Draft and Weick suggest iterative sequences of scanning, interpretation and learning. For instance, scanning refers to vigilantly monitoring and gathering data from the environment, whereas the interpretation refers to the translation or sensemaking of such data. Finally, learning involves knowledge of the organization in terms of the interrelationship of organizational actions and its environment. The generation of responses in this model is portrayed as a function of the interpretation style of an organization’s dominant coalition. Effective Communication is significant for managers in the organizations so as to perform the basic functions of management, i.e., Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling. Communication helps managers to perform their jobs and responsibilities. Communication serves as a foundation for planning. All the essential information must be communicated to the managers who in-turn must communicate the plans so as to implement them. Organizing also requires effective communication with others about their job task. Similarly leaders as managers must communicate effectively with their subordinates so as to achieve the team goals. Controlling is not possible without written and oral communication. Managers devote a great part of their time in communication. They generally devote approximately 6 hours per day in communicating. They spend great time on face to face or telephonic communication with their superiors, subordinates, colleagues, customers or suppliers. Managers also use Written Communication in form of letters, reports or memos wherever oral communication is not feasible. Thus, we can say that â€Å"effective communication is a building block of successful organizations†. In other words, communication acts as organizational blood. The importance of communication in an organization can be summarized as follows: 1. Communication promotes motivation by informing and clarifying the employees about the task to be done, the manner they are performing the task, and how to improve their performance if it is not up to the mark. 2. Communication is a source of information to the organizational members for decision-making process as it helps identifying and assessing alternative course of actions. 3. Communication also plays a crucial role in altering individual’s attitudes, i.e., a well informed individual will have better attitude than a less-informed individual. Organizational magazines, journals, meetings and various other forms of oral and written communication help in moulding employee’s attitudes. 4. Communication also helps in socializing. In todays life the only presence of another individual fosters communication. It is also said that one cannot survive without communication. 5. As discussed earlier, communication also assists in controlling process. It helps controlling organizational member’s behaviour in various ways. There are various levels of hierarchy and certain principles and guidelines that employees must follow in an organization. They must comply with organizational policies, perform their job role efficiently and communicate any work problem and grievance to their superiors. Thus, communication helps in controlling function of management. An effective and efficient communication system requires managerial proficiency in delivering and receiving messages. A manager must discover various barriers to communication, analyze the reasons for their occurrence and take preventive steps to avoid those barriers. Thus, the primary responsibility of a manager is to develop and maintain an effective communication system in the organization.

Economics and Prostitution Essay

Introduction: The word â€Å"prostitution† has always confused the minds of people for years. Constant attempts to solve this existing problem have not really given any positive results. For some time the problem was obviously ignored by the government as if it completely did not know what to do with it. In the beginning of the XXI century a prostitute has become one of the most ordinary goods that the market can offer. It is also necessary to mention that the demand on prostitution is constantly growing due to several factors worth of separate analysis. Prostitution has always been â€Å"covered† from the eyes of citizens as is has always been unacceptable. Nevertheless, the problem does not disappear and in fact it becomes even more â€Å"sharp† with time. Of course it is easier to pretend like there is no enormous amount of women and men that have no other way to survive but offering sexual services. Basically, the Law of Canada has not done anything good enough to solve the problem in any way, except causing vagueness in the understanding  of what is legal and illegal in terms of sexual services. Prostitution has a lot to do with the economy, as it is not only its â€Å"dark† side but also the potential legal income, which is always needed so much. So what is prostitution? Does it need economical stimulation or should it be completely prohibited or ignored? And should the economical approach be used to prostitution at all? Prostitution is not and will never be a standard job and this is something that is to be never forgotten. 2. Choosing prostitution as a â€Å"career† opportunity? Read more: Reasons for Prostitution The most horrifying thing about prostitution is that it has become not just a way to make money for starving and homeless people but also a â€Å"career† opportunity for the young generation. Why do our children have to grow up with the notion that prostitution is a source of getting money and surviving in this world? The contemporary world lives under certain regularities. A man has to get a job that will provide him or her with a sufficient amount of money in order to maintain a normal living. So if a person does not have enough knowledge to get this or that job he or she always has another opportunity – to prostitute himself or herself. Prostitution as a primitive was of making money; it is a problem that prevents the society from its perfection and development. Prostitution is obviously a negative phenomenon, demoralizing the society but is has actually become a â€Å"job† for many men and women and this fact cannot remain unnoticed. 2.a. Definition of prosti tution Prostitution does exist and it an unchallengeable fact. It existed since ancient times in different countries, with different social-political statuses. A prostitute is a person who provides sexual services in exchange for money. In other words it is a person who offers sex and gets paid for it. Nevertheless, none of the people providing this type of services are performing a business activity. It is usually believed that prostitutes are women; nevertheless men play an important part in prostitution as an object of high demand, too. Anyhow it is very hard to give a definition to prostitution as a profession, because prostitutes do not pay taxes and do not receive any pension while on retirement. Prostitution is not illegal in Canada and this fact puts it in a very uncertain position in terms of possible â€Å"career opportunities† for the young generation. It is legal to  sell services but it is illegal to buy them – this statement makes many people bewildered. One th ing is certain for sure: prostitution – is an act of selling a person’s body for further sexual services for material compensation. 2.b. Danger of the oldest profession Choosing prostitution as a profession is not rational. Yes, it does bring income and the demand is always high. But what will a prostitute remain with at the threshold of the pension age? This is one of the reasons that many people such as the criminologist Dr. John Lowman argue in favor of its legalization1. Prostitution is considered as a potential source of renewing the budget of Canada. But there are also other reasons for not becoming a prostitute except the tax-pension side of the issue. Many of the prostitutes simply disappear and often become the victims of violence. According to the statistics â€Å"90 percent had been physically assaulted in prostitution and 78 percent had been raped in prostitution†2. Prostitutes do not get the protection the representatives of standard professions do. They can also be the cause of spreading of venereal diseases due to the fact of absence of a proper medical checkup. This â€Å"dangers† put prostitution in the position of the â€Å"risk zone† occupation. No one will argue that choosing an occupation with high risks is not rational at all. 3. Economical approach to prostitution Prostitution is legal in Canada. But it is only formally, because â€Å"pimping and operating or being found in or working in a â€Å"bawdy house† (every place where one or more prostitutes regularly work or where â€Å"indecent acts† are performed) are not†3. Criminal Code sections 210 and 211 forbid â€Å"Bawdy houses† and section 212 foresees responsibility for living on the avails of the prostitution of a person. How should the economical approach be applied to prostitution? Canada’s Justice has put prostitution in a position where is has to be done in certain places without any publicity or in other words it has to respect the moral abutments of the society. If prostitution is to be viewed as a type of â€Å"profession† than it is put on the same level with other taxpayers such as teachers, lawyers and many others. The application of the economical approach means that prostitution has to have a legal status. SO this makes us view prostit ution as a business. A business  activity is an independent activity directed to a systematic income arrival from property use, selling goods, work execution or rendering services registered and stated by Law. So prostitution is a systematic income obtained from rendering a service. Prostitution gets the possibility to exist illegally from the gaps in the Law and the Canadian Law with its semi-legalization does not make it easier to define the status of prostitution in the country. If prostitution is legal than prostitutes have to be 18 years old and have the right to medical and social security. At the same time they have to pay the monthly income tax, which will make the profession less profitable, then it is now. 3.a. Prostitution and economy. The existance of prostitution in Canada still can be explained form the point of the economic approach for Canada has a market-based economy. According to the economic approach both of the sides have to be in profit. Demand gives birth to supply and in this terms prostitution is just the reaction of the high demand of sexual services. So it is about the morality of the society in the first place. Third parties should be completely eliminated from this â€Å"deal†. These third parties, known as â€Å"pimps† or even sex-firms are the ones to be persecuted. Sex-workers have become an integral part of Canada’s society and they even form alliances such as the Sex Worker’s Alliance of Vancouver. The amount of money obtained from prostitution is enormous, so therefore the budget is left without any additional financing. There are only two ways out –either to completely legalize it eliminating street prostitution or to completely forbid it. Prostitution has increased in the last years in Canada. This has a lot to do with the sex-tourists arriving to Canada searching for sexual services. This means that Canada is getting foreign â€Å"deposits† that go to â€Å"nowhere†. Conclusion: Prostitution can be found in Canada’s every corner and especially in its main cities4. Its existance is conditioned by many factors. Canada is offering licensed sex but for some reason the gaps in the law enforcements are so big that it is completely impossible to notice them. In many cases prostitution is the only option of a person and the reaction of the government should not be through the legalization of this option but in the creation of other options of decent money making. The economic approach explains the existance of prostitution because any country is a big market place and is interested in  profit in the first place and Canada in not an exception. â€Å"The communicating law† is not effective anymore. Prostitution needs to be analyzed from every single side and needs a new conception of functioning if functioning at all. The economic approach app lication does not imply that the profit is made on the degradation of the society. And it is obvious that if the sex-workers had education, a place to work and a decent salary they would never have found themselves on the panel and could be their labor would have brought a bigger income for the budget. Canada needs to change the economic approach to the human approach and study everything concerning the prostitution for new.