Mrs. and Mr. Bennet : Parenting in Pride and Prejudice Essay

A thorough second reading of Pride and Prejudice compels the reader to view the novel with a different perspective. Besides being a novel of courtship and romance, it focuses on decorum of conduct. Pride and Prejudice is about consequences. Jane Austen introduces her characters to the reader through simple conversations, refraining from authorial comments and physical descriptions to bring out their personalities. This shows her general disposition of not letting appearances affect her moral choice. Through her varied characters, she not only entertains her reader but also makes a point, without preaching. The novel begins with a conversation between Mrs. And Mr. Bennet. At once we are introduced to a couple whose banters are distressingly amusing, half parts witty and half parts inane. Mrs. Bennet fails to catch her husband’s sarcasm and the ill-treatment he metes out to her ‘poor nerves’. Mr. Bennet is aware of her feelings but he is not interested in her consta nt raptures and worries. Their weak understanding is the consequence of a marriage based on superficial factors like appearance and sexual chemistry. As a result, their parenting lacks wisdom and Jane Austen brings to light the upshots of such a marriage through various social means. When dealing with five children, it is only natural to have favorites among them. But good parenting is one where you keep it to yourself rather than avowing your views in front of the less favored siblings. In case of the Bennets, their bias is critical. And their open criticism of their less favored daughters does them no good. Mr. Bennet’s calling his two youngest daughters ‘uncommonly foolish’ and ‘the silliest girls in the country’ evokes only a sense of incredulity in Mrs. Bennet whereas Lydia is least affected by her father’s contempt. Her mother takes her side rather than seeing the point her husband is trying to make. As a result, Mr. Bennet’s contempt for Lydia has no effe ct on her as she continues to express her admiration of officers with ‘perfect indifference’. On the other hand, Elizabeth is Mrs. Bennet’s least favorite daughter. By repeatedly reproaching Lizzy in front of Lydia, Mrs. Bennet brings down Lizzy’s position as an elder sister in Lydia’s eyes. Lydia therefore doesn’t value Elizabeth’s views and has no respect for her intellect. The two teenaged daughters, Kitty and Lydia, are audience to their parents’ uninhibited criticism of Mrs. Long. The Bennets’ ‘failure to obey some arbitrary code of genteel conduct’ results in an equally forward and shameless daughter who is exposed to bad manners at a tender age. And Lydia is exposed to her mother’s horrifying public conduct throughout her teenage, up till the point, where she herself becomes a cause of embarrassment and mortification. By speaking ill of her neighbours and rebuking Elizabeth in front of the Netherfield party, Mrs. Bennet degrades the essence of relationships in Lydia’s view who thus fails to see nothing of a person beyond their appearance and physicality. Jane Austen uses the power of conversations and situations to bring out the contrast between good and bad. The moment Mrs. and Mr. Gardiner are introduced to the readers, we are awed by their genteel conduct and their love for their nieces. Mrs. Gardiner shares a healthy relationship with Jane and Elizabeth, especially with the latter. After Charlotte Lucas, Mrs. Gardiner is the only other person in whom Elizabeth confides. Mrs. Gardiner, being a fine judge of character, helps Lizzy in assessing situations well and is a companion to her in her doubts and philosophies. Mrs. Bennet, as a mother, should have been by her daughter’s side when deciding upon matters concerning lifelong felicity, like marriage. She should have been her guide, a friend, while choosing a life-partner for her daughter. Rather, her ‘habitual impropriety is a material impediment to her daughter’s chances of making a prosperous marriage’. It is her aunt instead, who by stressing to Lizzy her strengths of fine judgment, helps her keep a check on her thought-process. She even warns Eliza about Wickham’s suspicious manners. All of this, Mrs. Bennet fails to do as a mother. Unlike his wife, Mr. Bennet had the intellect and thus the power of directing his family towards a better path. He knows what right conduct is and isn’t oblivious to his daughters’ bad manners. But he chooses to sit back and relax in his library, thus dodging any responsibility that comes his way. His not saving money for his daughters even though he knew well that he couldn’t leave behind his estate to them brings out the worst in Mrs. Bennet. This forces her to consider every other charming, rich man as an eligible husband for her daughters. ‘It is thus entirely natural and plausible that a mother in her situation†¦would develop an overriding anxiety about their [her daughters’] future.’ â€Å"I r emember the time when I liked a red coat very well-indeed so I do still in my heart.† These lines by Mrs. Bennet are a confession of her still unappeased sexuality and by saying this she fosters in Lydia the thought of righteousness of uncontrolled sexual energy. She thus catalyzes Lydia’s already growing frivolous nature. Mrs. Bennet favors Lydia and is totally blind to her flaws to the extent that she blames the Forsters for Lydia’s elopement. Jane Austen cleverly voices the reader’s opinion of the shortcomings of Mrs. Bennet’s parenting through her own mouth – â€Å"I am sure there was some great neglect or other on their side, for she is not the kind of girl to do such a thing, if she had been well looked after†, though these accusations of Mrs. Bennet are directed towards the Forsters. Mr. Bennet fails to secure his family financially. Yet he could have imparted to them what money could never have done. He could have at least preserved the respectability of his daughters by channeling their energy and talents. A strong mind would have surpassed the material impediment that money is for the Bennet sisters. On the one hand, where Lydia is an element of stupidity and triviality in the novel, Elizabeth shows a change of character, alignment of priorities and the liveliness of a strong mind. Though brought up under the same roof, one can notice the degradation of morality and character in the Bennet sisters. Jane has a calm and composed countenance. Elizabeth has a fine intellect but shows a streak of her mother’s forwardness. Mary Bennet is the least interesting of all. Her display of her scholarly opinion once in a while is more or less her role in the household. Easily influenced by her younger sister’s wild ideas about life, Kitty is merely a companion to Lydia in her flirtatious adventures. Lydia is an untamed and fearless young woman who ‘subordinates all decent occupations to the pursuit of males.’ Jane and Lizzy’s closeness to their uncle and aunt, the Gardiners, early on in their life is the reason for their strong set of principles. The first three sisters are all well-read and this is the result of the exposure to their father’s extensive reading habits. Kitty and Lydia are the outcome of Mrs. Bennet’s frustrations resulting from failed attempts of having a son. Mrs. Bennet fails to separate herself from Lydia and gives her a piece of her mind, literally. Lydia’s proximity to her mother spoils her to the extent that the presence of two morally adept sisters, an uncle and an aunt is not enough to affect her. So guarded was she in her world of immorality. Lydia is less of anti-heroine. She is simply the product of a feckless father and a noisy and raucous mother. It is thus unfair to label her as an anti-heroine. But by her means, Jane Austen contrasts the goodness of Elizabeth, the heroine.

Cultures in the World Essay

To define culture is not easy because culture means different things to different people. Hence there many definitions of culture as there are many different cultures in the World. Anthropologists define culture as social behaviour of human beings. To others dance, music, theatre, artifacts and fashion constitute culture. On the other hand, fashion is a style characteristic of the social elite and is mainly associated with social class and is highly dynamic. Hence fashion should be in current mode for instance a garment. Fashion, style, vogue or even mode are used interchangeably to refer to a preferred type of dress, behaviour, adornment or a way of life at a given time span. In broadest terms fashion usually refers to conventions which are generally accepted by a society or by any culture or even a subculture. Style like mode often stresses the adherence to standards and elegance and should be socially accepted. For instance miniskirts were the mode in the late sixties. Vogue is applied to style or fashion that prevails widely but often suggests enthusiastic but short lived acceptance (The American heritage 2003). Wilson, further states that fashion is always in a continual change and sets the terms for all sartorial behaviour (Wilson 2003). The importance of fashion can never be overemphasized in the current world since fashion now is always around us from media to our daily lives in clothing and even automobile sector. Let it be clearly noted that fashion is for aesthetic as well as societal class, elegance and modesty. In the current years fashion has become a major factor affecting the psychosocial wellbeing of major cultures and subcultures in the world. This influences the life of people both in style and preferences and their economical sphere. The growth of fashion is linked with the development of cities and urban centres in the 14th century and the growing sophistication of the courts. But it is only in 15th and 16th centuries when people developed the culture of fashion and class such that they felt shameful to wear outdated clothes (Wilson 2003). The entrance of fashion led to increased spending on clothes and a clear cut class differences. The rise of bourgeoisie became so much crucial in the development of fashion and style. The poorest class received the cheapest clothing with the people in the highest level in class ladder wearing the most expensive clothes. With the rise of Industrial revolution came capitalism hence new markets for clothes in fashion and fashion became more and more important with the circulation of images in mass communication. GENDER AND FASHION In the current contemporary world, fashion has become the order of the day. Media houses and world class beauty and model centres have been developed all over the world especially in Europe and U. S. A. However, unlike the past where fashion was associated with female, this industry welcomes both genders nowadays. But because of the past skewed interest of ladies in the industry they are still the major players. Nevertheless, almost every one in the current society setting especially in urban areas appreciates fashion and style and is a product of the same in one way or another. People are more conscious when it comes to fashion and no one is willing to be left behind in the outdated world hence consumption of these fashion products has tremendously risen. ‘Dress is a practical negotiation between the fashion system, the social conditions of everyday life such as class and gender as well as rules or norm governing particular social situations. The outcome of this complex interaction cannot be known in advance precisely because the habitus will improvise and adapt to these conditions’. Thus dress is a personal attempt to orientate ourselves to particular circumstances and thus recognise the structural influences of the social world and the individual on the other (Entwistle 2000) FASHION AND MODERNITY Fashion has kept pace with modern life. It has followed every step the global world is making and is by itself part and parcel of the globalised world. From North to South, West to East fashion is seen to influence the global ways of life. However, this is bringing about similarity and extinction of cultures since fashion and culture are linked and the change of one leads to change of the other. Since fashion is dynamic it follows that the fashion of yester years is different from the fashion of today hence today’s fashion is new and can be termed as modern. Modern fashion has greatly been affected by the present technological advancement and the entrance of new marketing approach. For example, the use of internet has revolutionized this industry. It is not a wonder therefore what is considered modern in London today is even being used the following day in Washington. This has promoted customized fashion products to promote what many fashion stars look for in fashion; uniqueness and class. Fashion and style industry has in the recent decades been well established with increased sales as many people go for class and fashion. Also, the quality of the products has greatly developed thus fashion has become our way of life. FASHION, SUBCULTURAL & YOUTH STYLES It is important to distinguish between the concept of youth culture and youth subcultures. In general terms youth culture is more homogenous, doing similar things and being treated in the same way playing down aspects of differentiation. This idea was much popular with U. S sociologists in early 1960s. In modern youth culture emphasis is more on subcultures. Unlike the 20th c where fashion was highly linked with class, in 21st c the line of demarcation has narrowed and the mode of classification is not only on class lines but across a wide plane of social and cultural identities. Hence the youth even in ghettos are coming up with their modes of fashion. The issue of subcultures within the large framework of culture in a society is a major phenomenon. Hence these subcultures act as the seed bed for fashion that is embraced by the larger society. The link between class and identity is far less apparent in the 20th c, in particular since high fashion is democratised and not longer the prerogative of a small elite. In contemporary culture distinction does not run along class lines alone but across a wide plane of social identities. Thus, rather than being only imposed from the top, fashion is also ‘bubbling up’ from the street and youth cultures (Entwistle 2000). The use of style brings across clear identity within the youth and serves to sometimes oppose dominant values within the society. Youth tend to solve their problems of culture and fashion in their own unique understandable way hence they act against the main stream fashions of the old. However their fashions and style are dominantly affected by the media and celebrities entertainment industry. Fashion trends brought forward by top musicians come fast and go quickly. These fashions and styles linked with subcultures are known to be diverse as the youth are dynamic. Therefore the rate of change of any fashion within a subculture is higher than in the dominant cultures. The youth also customise fashions by either adding or removing some parts from the original fashion to create a different identity. And for sure youth have revolutionised the world of fashion and culture, in the contemporary world. Therefore fashion is regarded as a mode of identity by the youth and serves as the avenue through which the youth express themselves. EFFECTS OF FASHION ON CONSUMERISM The cycle of fashion in the modern times has been found to influence the level of consumerism in the current world. Fashion is fueled by change and conversion. Designers always persuade their customers that their new fashions are everything they need. In the next season the same designers convince their customers to bade farewell to outdated designs and instead embrace the new trends in their latest collections. Western society’s culture of mass consumerism has widely been influenced by the fashion cycle. Sociologist Stella C. (1993) likens fashion cycle with the rolling waves of the sea. As one fashion gains popularity and is outdated another style is gaining momentum and this change our modern culture. Today’s fashion is not only placed on the contest of youth, sexuality and historicism, but also previous culture movements and shows fashion reflects its surrounding, its subjects but ultimately itself. FASHION AND CLASS Fashion is known to influence lifestyle and how people relate within the society. However this relationship is both on the individual and societal levels. Fashion is a product of class division since many people want to be seen in a unique way within any given society and societies also show their class differences using fashion hence affecting the culture of present societies. CONCLUSION It is true that fashion and culture are highly interlinked. A culture that appreciates fashion is a culture that is dynamic and ready to follow where its fashion leads it to. Modern culture is hinged on the fashion of each passing day and unlike the past psychosocial behaviour is influenced by fashion on a larger scale. Youth subcultures promote their own form of fashion which may be interlinked with fashions within the larger sphere of culture. These fashions serve to show their rebellious identity. The cycle of fashion has seen unnecessary changes of fashion due to designers who look forward to make profits and are out to change fashions as quickly as practicably possible. Hence the world is supposed to be aware of these uncalled changes in fashions. Unethical issues are also related to fashion and culture. Therefore, some people see it like their religious and spiritual beliefs are affected by fashion. However on a global perspective fashion has promoted the entrance of more products in the world market leading to increased competitiveness. Modern global culture is a mirror of fashion and design. REFERENCES Bruzzi Stella, and Patricia Gibson, 2000, Fashion Cultures: Theories, Explorations, and Analysis. London; New York: Routledge. Craik, Jennifer, 1993, The Face of Fashion: Cultural Studies in Fashion. London; New York: Routledge. Entwistle, J. 2000, The Fashioned Body: Fashion, Dress and Modern Social Theory. Cambridge: Polity Press. Malossi, G. 2000, Material Man: Masculinity, Sexuality, Style. New York: H. N. Abrams. The American Heritage, 2003, Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition by Houghton Mifflin Company. U. S. A.

A study on the bobath concept

A study on the bobath concept The Bobath Concept was established by the physiotherapist Berta Bobath and her husband Dr Bobath. Prior to the Bobath Concept emphasis was put on an orthopaedic approach using a range of treatments including massage, heat and splints (Raine, 2009, p.1). However, whilst treating a stroke patient, Berta Bobath found that facilitating movement in the affected limb had a profound effect on regaining function and with input from her husband they formed the Bobath Concept (Raine 2009, p.2). The Bobath Concept is still used by many practitioners with Lennon (2003, p.456) finding that out of the 1022 practitioners that took part in a questionnaire relating to stroke rehabilitation 67% preferred to use the Bobath Concept. However, despite significant use within neurological rehabilitation it has not been proven to be superior to other treatment approaches (Kollen et al, 2009, p.90). There are a number of neurological rehabilitation approaches available to practitioners. In studies analysing the use of approaches within physiotherapy for stroke patients it is apparent that the Bobath Concept and Motor Relearning are by far the most popular approaches with Johnstone and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) being used by some therapists (David and Waters 2000, p.74). This essay will aim to critically discuss the use of the Bobath Concept in stroke rehabilitation with reference to its current criticisms and lack of evidence to suggest its superiority compared with the other approaches Stroke is caused by deprivation of oxygen to part of the brain causing loss of consciousness and neural damage (Baer and Durward, 2004, p.76). Johansson (2000) suggest that the notion of plasticity comes from Merzenich and colleagues who found evidence to suggest that cortical maps can be modified by sensory input, experience and learning as well as in response to a lesion within the brain. This could therefore explain why the facilitation of movement advocated in the Bobath Concep t works well. The British Bobath Training Association (no date) suggests that the contemporary Bobath Concept consists of the facilitation of movement within the patients environment utilising a problem solving approach to enhance the motor control of the body. This concurs with the International Bobath Instructors Training Association (IBITA 2008, p.1). At the time of its inception the Bobath was revolutionary as it promoted the regaining of function in the affected limb instead of merely finding ways to compensate for the affected limbs dysfunction which in turn leads to the regain of motor control of the affected limb (Graham et al 2009, p.57). The Bobath Concept has developed over time and as a result the IBITA have put together a document to outline a set of current theoretical assumptions of the Bobath Concept to include: ‘1. Linking participation, activities and underlying impairments 2. Organization of human behaviour and motor control 3. The consequences of injury and dysfunction in the execution of movement 4. Recovery Neural and muscle plasticity Motor learning 5. Measurement of outcome’ (IBITA 2008, pp.1). The IBITA state that the Bobath Concept has promoted the link between treatment activities and the patient’s activities of daily living for a number of years and that specific goals must be set for the individual patient (IBITA 2008, p.2). This suggests that the Bobath Concept is a very individual approach and there are no set criteria that address every patient in the same way. Lennon and Ashburn (2000, p.670-671) performed a focus group with expert therapists. Both groups in the study suggested that goal setting was an important component of the therapy. However, one group stated that goals were decided in the assessment and based upon the patient’s problem areas where as the other group stated that goals were based on regaining motor control and movement. It can be seen in these groups that although goals were seen a s important therapists may not be making them patient specific. There are drawbacks with this study in that the group was very small however as the study was a focus group this would have been necessary to remain in control in the group situation. Furthermore, the therapists were chosen though selection from their interest group (Association of chartered physiotherapists with an interest in neurology and physiotherapists interested in the care of older people) and as a result it is unclear whether these therapists are actually Bobath focused practitioners. Raine (2007, p.147) argues that in their study they found that goal and task orientation that was functional to the patient was a major feature of Bobath therapy. The participants were all members of the BBTA and had extensive Bobath training and therefore it would be accepted that their understanding of the assumptions behind the Bobath Concept would be great as they are teaching the concept to others. However, the study does not show the carryover of these assumptions to the practitioners that are not members within the BBTA.

BLOG2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

BLOG2 - Essay Example Rather, â€Å"fag† marks failed masculinity. If masculine in demeanor, a homosexual man is not a fag; and a fag is not necessarily homosexual. Second, both the homophobia and the fag discourse are â€Å"gendered,† practiced only by boys. (Note that the boys typically think lesbians are cool). Third, both discourses are also racial. Pascoe recurrently demonstrates how masculinity models and discursive practices differ across racial groups. The relationship between adolescent masculinity and sexuality is embedded in the spectra of the faggot. Faggots represent a penetrated Masculinity in which ‘to be penetrated is to abdicate power’. Penetrated men symbolize masculinity devoid of power, this in its contradiction, threatens both psychic and social chaos. It is precisely this spectrum of penetrated masculinity that functions as a regulatory mechanism of gender for contemporary American adolescent boys. ‘Fag’ is not necessarily a static identity attached to a particular (homosexual) boy. Fag talk and fag imitations serve as a discourse with which boys discipline themselves and each other through joking relationships. Any boy can temporarily become a fag in a given social space or interaction. This does not mean that those boys who identify as or are perceived to be homosexual are not subject to intense harassment. But becoming a fag has as much to do with failing at the masculine tasks of compete nce, heterosexual prowess and strength or an anyway revealing weakness or femininity, as it does with a sexual identity. Pascoe scrupulously delineates the boundaries of these behavioral modes among boys. She presents the exceptions to the prevalent model (e.g., religious boys, and some engaged in loving relationships). Also, she makes clear that both the dramaturgy of the fag discourse and the heterosexual claims-staking are pack behavior.

The Craft of Public Administration Statute Essay

The Craft of Public Administration Statute - Essay Example Accommodating the suggestion either, totally or with modifications or restrictions; deferring action resting on the suggestion or looking for additional information concerning its operation and impact; rejecting a proposal because it does not have value or would be contradictory with other rules or a statute. (Magat 70) When an advisory committee decides primarily that a particular modify in the rules would be suitable, it normally asks its journalist to prepare a draft modification to the policy and an explanatory committee note. The draft amendment and committee note are discussed and nominated upon at a committee meeting. (Magat 72) Once an advisory committee vote initially to recommend an amendment to the rules, it is required to obtain the approval of the Standing Committee, or its chair to issue the proposed amendment for municipal comment. In seeking publication, the advisory committee must give details to the standing committee the reasons for its suggestion, including any marginal or separate views. (Magat 83) The reporter prepares a summary of the printed comments received from the municipal and the proof presented at the hearings. The advisory committee next takes a fresh look at the anticipated rule changes in light of the printed comments and testimony. ... Once the advisory committee decides to carry on in final form, it submits the proposed amendment to the Standing Committee for approval. (Magat 86) Stage 4. Approval by the Standing Committee The standing committee considers the final recommendations of the advisory committee and may recognize, reject, or modify them. If the Standing committee approves a projected rule change, it will pass on to the judicial conference. (Magat 90) Stage 5. Judicial Conference Approval The judicial Conference generally considers proposed amendments to the policy at its September assembly each year. If approved by the conference, the amendments are transmitted to the Supreme Court. (Magat 91) Stage 6. Supreme Court Approval The Supreme Court has the authority to lay down the federal rules, subject to a legal waiting period. 28 U.S.C. 2072, 2075. The Court ought to transmit proposed amendments to assembly by May 1 of the year in which the modification is to take effect. 28 U.S.C. 2074, 2075. (Magat 93) Stage 7. Congressional Review Congress has a statutory period of at least 7 months to take action on any rules prescribed by the Supreme Court. If the Congress does not pass legislation to decline, amend, or defer the rules, they take outcome as a matter of law on December 1. 28 U.S.C. 2074, 2075.

Benefits, impediments and critical success factors in B2C Annotated Bibliography

Benefits, impediments and critical success factors in B2C - Annotated Bibliography Example instead it provides insight that may be important for conducting future studies and development of theories while paying emphasis to obstacles and success faced by thousands of companies that have adopted and are adopting e-business techniques. In this study, the case study approach was used in which eight case studies were studied and analyzed while focusing on the benefits that a company expects to gain from e-business system and the benefits that the company actually gains and secondly the focus was on what are the issues experienced by those who implement e-business solutions and thirdly, the focus was on locating the critical reason that leads to the success of businesses that adopt e-business solutions (Dubelaar, 2005, p.1254). A total of eight companies were studied by the researchers, six of these companies had online existence and two of these companies were those who operated mainly through physical outlet, but they even had limited online existence. The study concluded that the major obstacles for companies in adopting an e-business solution were issues in operations, technology, leadership and lack of effective design for their business. The reasons that led to the successful application of e-business solutions were: application of doing business online and offline combined, delivering high value, customer retention and satisfaction, keep a bird’s eye on the activities of the competitors and lastly trust building. The researchers believe that if an e-business solution is to work in the factor of the company, the adoption of the solution should be relevant to the business, value adding to customers and should provide ease of operation for the organization. Since various businesses are adopting various e-business solutions such as selling over the internet and advertising, this journal article helps students learn what they have to do as managers to ensure that their business experience success as they adopt one of the e-business strategies and how

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Philosophy - Essay Example Therefore, we are certainly not planning to take the legislation lying down. There are also those who will manage to pay the extra tuition fee one way or the other, and will not be forced to leave college. But they too realize that this increase will result in wastage of talent and violation of merit. It will also reduce opportunities for young people and promote economic inequality in a society which is already haunted by its ill-effects (such as unsettling urban crime rates). Protests can be very effective as they can demonstrate clearly to lawmakers the unpopularity of certain legislation. They can perchance sway them, and force them to reconsider their allegiances. Protests and acts of civil disobedience are sure to swiftly put the issue in media spotlight, which will get it the attention that it deserves. Protests can provide an effective means of mobilizing public opinion for a particular cause, and can help earn support from a wide range of people. Nonviolent protests and acts of civil disobedience have been carried out for worthy causes in the past. I intend to participate in such activities to make myself heard, and draw attention to this pressing concern. Part 2 The realm of ethics (not unlike other branches of knowledge) is fraught with conundrums and complications. But ethical decision-making is a necessity.

Post Soviet Eurasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Post Soviet Eurasia - Essay Example Speaking about the collapse of the Soviet Union, it is important to note that the its main reason was killing of established regime by the crisis, caused by the internal contradictions of the Soviet system and the inability of the Communist Party to resolve them. The end of the Soviet Union led to the ethnic and other conflicts that resulted in thousands of victims and became the cause of instant impoverishment of millions of people as well as the development of the widespread criminality and massive loss of life guidelines. The question of the Post-Soviet reality is more complicated. All former Soviet republics managed to transform themselves into the independent states, which could be hardly imagined in 1991. Today the economic situation in these areas is different. Before the beginning of the global economic crisis, almost all countries of the former Soviet Union managed to overcome deep financial default, caused by the collapse and reconstruction of all-union economy. â€Å"Most of the armed conflicts that accompanied the collapse of the Soviet Union took place in the Caucasus. The independent countries of the south – Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia – are beset by the economic problems, social unrest and territorial disputes† (King, Charles, 2008). The origins of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict lie in the events of the late 1980s, when the activation of the Georgian national movement for the independence from the Union center and the radical actions of its leaders led to a sharp deterioration of relations between Georgians and ethnic minorities (primarily, the Abkhazians and Ossetians, who had their own autonomous education and demanded to enhance their status). In 1992, South Ossetia was an independent state, with its own constitution (adopted in 1993), and state symbols. Georgian authorities continued to accept it as the Tskhinvali region, but they did not take active steps to establish control over it. In

Leadership Skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership Skills - Assignment Example A classroom would become a fish market if a teacher does not lead it. A home would run out of finances if the parent/parents don’t control the expenditures of the children. A company would lose track of the project scope, time and quality if the employees are not led by the manager. People vary in their scope of leadership, yet they have to execute certain leadership skills irrespective of the scope of leadership or the circumstances in which they have to execute the leadership. Three Leadership Skills Three of the most fundamental leadership skills are planning, controlling and resolving the conflicts. They are discussed below: Planning Planning is the first and the foremost necessity of leadership. A leader has a plan according to which he/she directs the followers. This plan is made with a view to achieving the goal that is of interest not only to the leader, but also to the whole team. People would not follow a leader until they see something coming out of it that they val ue. Planning is defined as choosing the course of action. From among a variety of plans, a leader is entitled to select such a plan that maximizes the benefits and convenience both for himself/herself and for the whole team and minimizes the cost of operation and the problems and risks. Since the entire project is based on the plan selected by the leader, an individual must be extremely skilled in choosing the right plan in order to be an effective leader. Controlling Controlling is the second most essential skill every leader should have. Controlling essentially means making the followers conform to the instructions of the leader. A leader has hundreds of ways to control the followers, but the most effective of them requires the leader to be least authoritative and dictator in his approach and nature. A leader can best control the followers by earning their confidence. Leadership exists only as long as the trust of the followers sustains. The moment that trust is shattered, the lea der is gone. In order to gain that trust, a leader should make the followers aware of his/her plans and the reason he/she wants the followers to act in a certain way. Once the project has been started, the leader should make sure that the followers are provided with all materials, resources and funds they need to execute the project. Thus, a leader needs to control the expenses and resources. There has to be a balance in the cash flow and the use of resources. The leader must know what resources to release in what amount and at what time. Being at the right place at the right time is the key to effective controlling. Conflict Resolution Whenever there is a team, conflicts are bound to occur. Conflicts may be functional or dysfunctional. Functional conflicts are those in which the team members argue with one another in an attempt to identify the most suitable course of action. Dysfunctional conflicts are those in which the followers fight with one another over matters that are of no significance to work. A leader must ensure that the functional conflicts do not change into the dysfunctional ones and the dysfunctional conflicts do not occur at all. A leader can achieve this if he/she has adequate conflict resolution skills. There are certain exercises that can help a leader resolve conflicts among the followers. The leader should design process groups for the work and allow the followers time to spend with one another

Terrifying things people do (ideas) Essay Example for Free

Terrifying things people do (ideas) Essay As you probably know the writing of an essay is to gauge the writers creative ability and to assess the fluency of their mind and its properties to assimilate within actions and sounds their take and acknowledgement of the world around them. In such confines your wish to project the panoply of Depression is both brave and challenging. If one had a coin for every time you have heard the sufferer say that it is the inability of people without the illness to be able to understand its vagrancies or machinations then we the patients would be very rich indeed. You have the opportunity of perhaps giving some insight into one of the most insidious of illnesses and I would encourage you to use such an occasion. You do not identify yourself as a mental health user but I think in some way you must be associate with the illness to consider such a subject. You ask for assistance in creating an opening for the subject heading Terrifying things people do ever day With your approval I would offer the following: 1. It without doubt borders on the terrifying when as a severe depressive you awake each morning to sense if that feeling of loss and imprisonment is waiting for you to wake. By long experience you know that through a lifting of your eye-lids, if you will be caught for that full day in the snarling web of black depression. 2. You know then that the day ahead will be a struggle and a battle, competing with a condition that wants to ensure that you suffer terrifying mental and physical pain. 3. It is a terrifying experience to attempt to live through such a day without the proper function of the brain giving out proper signals to relay cognition, memory or the confidence to speak in public or to feel or act naturally. 4. You feel terrified and afraid and because you are in such a low mood feelings of fear are multiplied until you reach a point of standstill. In many cases you become almost dumb unable to vocalise your symptoms or the anguish of the illness. 5. You are haunted and terrified with a past but no future and cocooned in hopelessness. Hopefulness has become an early victim to the illness. 6. As a form of retreat from the illness you seek out the safety of the duvet and sleep becomes a form of retreat but such safety turns to terror when you exaggerate in a day the wakening up experience. 7. You become reclusive which can be in itself terrifying, the world continues to spin, and the traffic flows and people like ants hurry and scurry about but you become invisible which is frightening, you are alone desperate for companionship but no one appears to notice you or to give you the time of day. 8. In the most acute stages, the mind wanders into that terrifying prospect of suicide and death becomes a welcomed conclusion to the pain and agony of a brain so badly affected with a chemical imbalance. Its at such a junction that the terrifying prospect of death challenges your will to live and in the most perverse way a battle not of the mind but of the will and spirit rages on in a terrifying contest. Normally this takes place against a backdrop of darkness. The mind is lost in the dark but the soul must somehow find the light to survive. An episode of full-blown suicidal tendency is the most terrifying the non-soldier in life will ever experience. 9 The survivor from this mental holocaust will be now have reached the stages of therapy and medication and if properly diagnosed will have started a programme of lessening the effects of severe depression. It is still to be proved if Depression and Mental Illness in all its labels is curable. However the medication is probably for life. Whilst you may reach a level of functioning, its terrifying to be in such an abyss without the feeling or exact knowledge of expectant hope and true well-being. 10. The sufferer who has incurable Mental Illness will probably have lost a half to a third of their working life and to enter that vista of old age without savings or pension plans has that re-visit to terror. Life as it has been commercially re-designed is to get to that nirvana of retirement, financially protected and making for the golf course. This is not the option of the long-term ill, their terrifying journey into the final years have already been predetermined through sad event and circumstance. Terror is looking forward and seeing no hope; Terrifying is living that no hope. This is what millions of sufferers do every day. In a land that refuses to accept the depth of the illness. The caption for any documentary on mental illness today would need to encapsulate The Walking Dead in our lifetime this is truly Terrifying!

Approaches to Management and Organisational Behaviour

Approaches to Management and Organisational Behaviour Approaches to Management and Organisational Behaviour 1. Objectives This report is to further develop the understanding on the management and organisational behaviors of organizations by studying on several areas including the business background, organisational structure design and the organisations approaches of two organisations which are having similar business nature. Organisations approaches include motivation, leadership, learning knowledge management, human resource management, culture diversity, information technology and communication which would be discussed one by one in the following sections. Two organisations which are being studied and discussed in this report are Google Inc. and Microsoft Corporation. 2. Business Background Google Inc. (named as Google in this report) is a technology company which was founded by two Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin in Year 1998. Googles organisational mission is To organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful aiming to develop and provide powerful search engine for letting people to find what they are looking for faster and easier. Google is acting as an Internet Information Provider with the core business on providing search services and advertising through internet. It provides various internet services (including e-mail services, online shopping services, YouTube and so on) and document processing solutions Google Doc, which is available online at free for people to view/ save/ edit/ save documents, to public. Besides, it also provides different kinds of customized intranet or software solutions on Search or Document Processing technology to enterprises. Apart from providing internet or intranet services via networked PCs, Google also working hard on developing the technology for allowing people to access information via mobile devices like operating system Android which is specifically designed to be used in mobile devices , and Chrome OS which is designed for portable PC such as netbooks.. Google grows so quickly that apart from the corporate headquarter, named Googleplex located in California U.S.A., it also has branches located in different countries (including USA, Europe, Asia, Canada, Latin America and so on) around the world and now having more than 19,000 employees worldwide. (Google Inc. 2009) Microsoft Corporation (name as Microsoft in this report) is a technology company which was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Year 1975. Microsofts organisational mission and values are To help people and business throughout the world realize their full potential aiming to provide and support people the most innovative ways and technologies (including software and hardware devices) for bringing out peoples talent and achieving their goals at the highest level. Microsoft is acting as a worldwide software and hardware products and solutions provider with 7 core business categories (as below listed) covers the needs for different gradation of people, also covers both peoples living and business. Windows Client: including all Microsoft Windows embedded operating system, Information Worker: including all Microsoft stand-alone desktop applications like Microsoft Officeetc, Business Solutions: including all Microsoft customized business process applications and services, Server Tools: including all Microsoft server software, software developer tools and developer network, Mobile and Embedded Devices: including all Microsoft mobile devices like Pocket PC, Mobile Explorer microbrowseretc, MSN: including all Microsoft web-based services and Home Entertainment: including all Microsoft consumer hardware software, online games, TV platformetc. Microsoft is a globalized world size organisation. Apart from its headquarter located in Redmond, USA, it is now having over 40 offices in different countries and having over 90,000 employees worldwide. 3. Organisational Structure and Design 3.1 Organisation Structure of Google Google consisted of a lot of shareholders, every shareholder had the right to vote for the decision. At the same time, Co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin had the sufficient power to affect the final decision in order to make sure whole organization is under control. Although Google is now a globalized world sized organisation, it kept having a flat and short organisational structure rather than bureaucratic structure in order to able things to be done quickly since it believed time was peoples most valuable treasure. Besides, Google also believed innovation and acting were much more important than deciding. Thus, it empowered their engineers to make decisions and acts by themselves as long as their decisions were innovative and could lead the organisation to go further and quicker. Whole organisation was divided by function as shown as below structure chart (The Official Board 2009). Each functional department was worked as a team responsible for specific job function with clearly defined job duties instead of multi-functions. Google focused on people. It cared about the needs of the users (clients / customers) as well as the employees. All-hands meetings and team building activities were held regularly for understanding the needs and establishing the relationship among the employees. 3.2 Organisation Structure of Microsoft Microsoft was run by a board of directors who were elected every year during shareholders meeting. Meanwhile there were total five committees which handled more specific matters. These committees included: Audit Committee which oversaw account and audit issues; Compensation Committee which handled and approved the matters regarding the compensation to CEO or employees; Finance Committee which handled financial matters like proposing mergers; Governance and Nominating Committee which was in charge of corporate matters include nomination of Boards Antitrust Compliance committee which handled the laws issues. Each committee oversaw specific matters and under these five committees there were sixteen company offices located in different countries which handled the daily operation matters. The organisational chart of the company office is shown as below. (Cogmap 2009) Each company office was divided by function, and each function was further divided into small and more specific function which handled by a team. Microsoft focused on having things done fast rather than bureaucracy, each company office was empowered to make decision and the committees oversaw each company office through the data in their centralized data base system and regular meetings. Last but not list, Microsoft concerned about the needs and the growth of its employees. It aimed to provide employees a supportive, health and happy working environment which helped the employees do their best work and have sufficient resources for developing their own career. 3.3 Compare the Similarities and Differences of Organisational Structure between Google Microsoft Decentralisation is the process of which upper management authorizing or empowering lower peers to make decision which allow more flexibility on decision making. (Dubois Fattore 2009) On the contrary, bureaucracy is an organizational structure which has the main features including specialisation, hierarchy of authority, system of rules and impersonality according to Stewarts study. It focuses on procedures and all the power is centralised at Top management. All decisions can only be made by Top management instead of the employees and what employees can do is to follow instruction. Google and Microsoft were having very similar organisation structure. They both ran the organisation in decentralized structure instead of bureaucratic structure, such that their employees or individual departments were empowered to make some decision by themselves instead of having all decisions made by the top management. At the same time, Google and Microsoft had applied Human relation approach as their core approach to organisation and management, such that they focused on the psychological and social needs of people at work. They provided perfect working environment, benefits, opportunities on developing career and talent, team building activities which not only supported their employees basic social needs but also the psychological needs. 4. Approaches to Management Organisational Behaviour 4.1 Motivation Google believed every employee was equally important to its success and all employees were innovative and creative as long as they felt comfortable in their working environment and free to share their ideas. Thus, Google provided their employees the best working environment Googleplex. Apart from office, there were also cafà ©, gym, washing machines, video games machines and table tennis tables in Googleplex which were provided to all their employees. Besides, Google also believed innovation and acting were much more important than deciding. At Google, there was a 20-precent time, such that all employees were encouraged to spend 20% of their working time on developing any project that they were interested in or they thought was valuable. Google also empowered their engineers to make decisions and acts by themselves as long as their decisions were innovative and could lead the organisation to go further and quicker. In addition, Google not only emphasized on team achievements, but also cared about the individual accomplishment. Every employee was encouraged to take part in leading the organisation towards the success. (Google Inc. 2009) Microsofts organisational mission was To help people and business throughout the world realize their full potential. Microsoft believed in the power of technologies and it deeply believed its products and services helped people to bring out their potential. Employees were encouraged to improve existing products and services or develop innovative products for helping people and community. Microsoft believed all its employees were innovative, skillful, self direct and self control. As long as its employees ideas could lead the organisation towards the success, it provided full support for actualizing the ideas. Apart from providing perfect working environment and full support of resources, tools and facilities, Microsoft also provided options to its employees for choosing their career path by their own. Employees could choose to keep on further develop their professional by staying at their current position or choose to try to work on other functional field which is completely difference from their own original professional, that allowed the employees to go toward their dream and achieve what they want. (Microsoft Corporation 2009) With referenced to McGregors theory X and theory Y, Google and Microsoft were having the similar belief as theory Y. It believed all their employees were innovative, hardworking, creative, responsible, self direct and self control. Relationship among the organisation and employees were based on participation, commitment, trust and open. According to Maslows hierarchy of needs, Google and Microsoft not only fulfilled peoples basic needs (including physiological and safety), they also fulfilled their employees with the upper levels including love, self-esteem and self-actualization. 4.2 Leadership Google focused on people. Apart from the users who used their online services, it put its employees at the first place of the organization. Employees at Google were being inspired and trusted rather than managed. Leadership that was carried among the leader (top management) and followers (employees or subordinates) was a kind of Action-centred leadership established based on consideration. Google had a very clear objectives that they did Search and goaled to develop and provide perfect search engine. It encouraged employees to see their work as challenge and let employees believe challenge was fun. Besides, Google kept its working atmosphere casual, provided perfect working environment, encouraged employees to speak or express their idea and opinions freely which allowed the needs of each employee to be realized and fulfilled by the organisation. At the same time, there were clear principles guideline and principles which guided employees actions and provided a clear direction to emp loyees to follow. (Google Inc. 2009) Microsoft concerned about the freedom and the individual growth of each employee. It treated the relationship among employees, managers Microsoft as a kind of partnership. At Microsoft, managers acted like coaches who brought out the organisations needs and business priorities and provided support and efforts to the employees helping them to bring their talents in full play and do their best work. At the same time, Microsoft acted like a supporter for supporting the partnership between managers and employees by providing best working environment, opportunities and resources. Employees had freedom to choose how their career path goes. They could choose to keep on further development within their existing position or make functional change by trying different job positions among different functional departments which depended on each employees own ability and choose. (Microsoft Corporation 2009) Both Google and Microsoft were having the similar leadership approaches as McGregors theory Y that all employees should be inspired and respected instead of controlled since they all were innovative, responsible, self direct and self control. Google, Microsoft and McGregors theory Y believed employees enjoy their work duties and they were able and willing to seek out the ways to do their job best as long as they were guided appropriately and supported with sufficient resources. 4.3 Learning and knowledge management Google emphasized on discovering peoples actual needs, solving real-world problems and encouraging new ideas instead of just fitting the needs. Google supported its employees to keep on further study on what they were working on by providing tuition reimbursement as long as the employees had achieved certain grades or certification. Besides, Google also provided its own designed training to its employees in order to make sure all employees were skillful and knowledgeable enough to cope with their daily jobs and problems. (Google Inc. 2009) Microsoft believed every employee was responsible for his own career and all employees were able to learn through experience. Thus, it put efforts on providing a supportive working environment where employees could lean and grow while working. At Microsoft, education and training programs were also provided to employees for increasing their awareness, skills, knowledge and ability. Besides, there was tuition reimbursement program in order to encourage employees to keep on learning (Microsoft Corporation 2009) Learning is about change. Google and Microsoft understood that the world is changing every second and it was importance to have their employees kept on learning in order to maintain sufficient ability to cope with changes and challenges. They both used the ways of providing specific training programs and tuition reimbursing programs for letting their employees to learn the explicit knowledge. At the same time, Google focused on employees ability rather than experience and believed all its employees were innovative and creative when they felt comfortable and fun. Thus, it provided a perfect relax working environment and causal working atmosphere to its employees. While Microsoft believed in the power of tacit knowledge, it appreciated every employees own experience from different market and background and treated this as a kind of wisdom and wealth. Thus, it focused on giving a supportive working environment which allowed employees to learn while working. 4.4 Human resource management Google concerned people. It provided a perfect working environment to its employees and tried its best to recognize employees needs. Besides, Google respected and treated every employee equally as an important part. It favored ability rather than experience and focused on innovation and creativity of people rather than the technical skills, such that it provided equal chances to various types of people including fresh graduated students or non-experienced people to become a part of Google. At Google, it was committed to provide opportunities to employees to bring their talent into full play. Apart from assigned daily job duties, all employees were encouraged to develop their own ideas and work on the projects that they thought were valuable. This not only provided opportunities to employees to further develop their career along with their interest and skill, but also provided employees the chances to explore their talent. Google appreciated team success as well as employee individual accomplishment. Apart from this, Google had its own education program which aimed to improve its recruitment strategies and techniques for choosing the most suitable people to become a part of Google. (Google Inc. 2009) Microsoft focused on employees freedom, balance and autonomy. It aimed to provide a flexible workplaces and full support of programs and resources to their employees in order to allow them to fully develop their talents and do the best work. Besides, Microsoft provided options of career path for its employees to choose which allowed employees to develop their career paths by their own choice. Microsoft concerned about ability and innovation as well as technical skill and experience. It welcomed people who came from any marketing fields and background. At the same time, Microsoft also offered benefits including health benefits, broadband connection to employees home, social club, career guidance, financial planning program, car leasing problem and so on, which not only covered individual employees personal needs, but also covered the needs for their family for allowing employees to enjoy a balance lives while developing their career. At the same time, Microsoft had divided its busines s into 7 categories which streamlined their business and allowed the job duties for each employee to be more specific. Last but not least, Microsoft made use of software system which helped to record and evaluate the performance of each employee for making sure they were doing their best and rewarded appropriately. (Microsoft Corporation 2009) With referenced to Mullinss studies, a completed HRM philosophy should: recognize peoples needs and expectations; respect everyone; treat everyone equally and have a fair reward system; offer stable employment; provide good working environment; provide opportunities for self and career development; concern freedom and comply with laws. Both Googles and Microsofts HRM complied with the above 8 philosophies. They focused on peoples, treated all employees equally and provided employees the best working environment and opportunities for further development. The main difference among Google and Microsoft was that Google hired people who were innovative rather that skillful or experienced. While Microsoft hired people who were innovative as well as skillful and experienced. 4.5 Culture and diversity Even Google is a globalized world sized organisation, it insisted to maintain small company feel that every employee was encouraged to make use of all the facilities and spaces which were opened to them in office or Googleplex in order to make themselves comfortable and enjoyable to work at Google, since Google deeply believed innovative ideas were always came out when people felt comfortable. At the same time, Googles culture also emphasized on having fun and enjoying lives, it kept the working atmosphere casual, helped employees to treat work as challenges and challenges as fun and focused on team work as well as individual accomplishment. Apart from these, Google paid attention on ensuring all employees were having balance lives styles which included work, play and life. Besides, all employees were treated equally and were encouraged to share or express their ideas with different teams or Top management including Co-founder Larry or Sergey directly. In addition, Google emphasized on team achievements as well as individual accomplishment. Every employee was encouraged to take part in leading the organisation towards the success. Microsoft focused on innovation and getting things done rather than bureaucracy. It concerned about people and saw every employee as its most valuable treasures. Every employee was treated equally and provided with opportunities. Microsoft emphasized on work and life balance, it encouraged employees to enjoy their lives with their family while developing their career and professional. Microsoft had passion for technology and believed in the power of technology which could help people to develop or bring their potential fully out at anytime anywhere. As per Microsofts organizational mission To help people and business throughout the world realize their full potential, it believed all its products and services were helping people to build up and realize their potential. Microsoft believed diversity enriched its performance, products and their communities where its employees lived and worked in. It concentrated on seeking people who were skillful, honest, open, willing to face by challenges and committed to personal excellence and self-improvement. (Microsoft Corporation 2009) With referenced to the seven dimensions of organizational culture, Google and Microsoft were having similar organizational couture. They both emphasized on innovation, risk taking and people orientation. Besides, Google also focused on Team orientation while Microsoft focused on outcome orientation. 4.6 Information Technology To organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful is Googles core mission. Google believed in the possibilities and boundless of the internet itself, it worked hard on developing the technology on accessing information and browsing web through the internet not only via networked PCs but also mobile devices, which allowed people (including its employees) to exchange or share information at anytime anywhere. Google put great effort on keep on modifying their software and upgrading their hardware / server setup in order to allow all the information was accessed in the fastest and simplest way. Apart from these, all employees were carrying a mobile devices like netbook or packet PC which allowed them to develop or express their ideas whatever or whenever there were new ideas come up to their mind. (Google Inc. 2009) As a worldwide software and hardware products and solutions provider, Microsoft believed Nothing is impossible for technologies. It worked hard on developing not only single category of technology but different categories including operating system, application solutions, network or internet technologies and mobile technologies. It took technology as a serious part of future and deeply trusted technology could bring people toward the upper level. (Microsoft Corporation 2009) Google and Microsoft were Technology Company, Google focused on developing the perfect search engine as well as other software solutions for allowing people to get the information they look for in the shortest and easiest way. While Microsoft focused on developing the technology for helping people to realize and bring out their potential. They both trusted in the possibility and huge power of technology, which provided people easier and better lives. At the same time, they realized the importance of information. They made effort in developing the technology for allowing people to access information more quickly and easily via various channels not only the internet but also the mobile devices or any other kinds of device. Apart from this, they also recognized the importance of the security of the information and tried hard to develop powerful salutation for protecting peoples privacy. 4.7 Communication At Google, all employees were greatly encouraged to share their ideas with different teams or the top peers of the organisation directly. For example, there were weekly all-hands meetings which allowed employees express their opinions. Since Google believed all its employees were innovative and self control as long as they were being comfortable and feeling fun, it provided the prefect and relax working environment and empowered its employees to make their own decision for carrying out their own ideas or projects. It also recognized the importance of information accessibility, it kept on developing new or optimizing the existing technologies and products for allowing people to access or exchange information more easily and quickly. All employees were communicated via multi-channels which increased the transparency and the flow of information among teams and different levels of management through out the whole organisation. (Google Inc. 2009) At Microsoft, all employees were welcomed to express their ideas. Relationship among the managers and employees was treated as a kind of partnership and respect rather than top-down relationship. Managers acted like coaches, they brought out the needs and the objectives of the organization, provided supports and advices for helping or allowing the employees to develop their individual career and talent along with the success of the organization. Apart from this, Microsoft made use of technology which allowed employees to access or share information among teams or departments via web base system (Microsoft Corporation 2009) Communication was a kind of exchange or transfer of information or understanding. With referenced to Eric Bernes the Ego-State (or Parent-Adult-Child) model, the core communication model that Google and Microsoft applied was Adult-to-Adult transactions. They respected their employees, focused on guiding and supporting their employees to solve problems, do their best work and further develop their career along with the organisations success rather than demanding, commanding, controlling or criticizing their employees. At the same time, Google also applied Adult-to-Child transactions, it made effort in keeping the working atmosphere casual and fun, and encouraging their employees to view challenges as fun in order to bring out their potential and maintain employees passion on what they are doing. Apart from this, Google and Microsoft encouraged employees to share their ideas with different teams and let them to communicate via multi-channels via decentralized networks. 5. Conclusion As a kind of Technology Company, Google and Microsoft were having quite similar organisational structure and managerial approaches. They both sought for three win situation (users win, employees win and the organization wins) rather than focused on organisations revenue only. They put the users and employees at the first place since they believed organisations would only win while all people including both their users (customers) and employees won. In order to cope with the rapid changes of this world, they both chose to run their organisation with decentralized structure instead of bureaucratic structure in order to allow more flexibility. Both organisations, which included Technical level, Managerial level and Community level, were divided by functions which allowed each functional group handles specific function. Google and Microsoft respected their employees, they believed their employees were innovative, self direct and self control same as McGregors theory Y. It was not necessary to control the employees, but higher level of employees needs, including the level of love / belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization according to Maslows hierarchy of needs, should be fulfilled for maintaining employees motivation on their work. At both organisatoins, employees were being inspired or guided for bringing out their talent in order to further develop their career path along with organisations success. Learning is about change. Both Google and Microsoft provided their employees training, education program or other supportive programs for encouraging them to keep on learning in order to have sufficient ability to cope with changes or solve problems by themselves. One main difference among Google and Microsoft was that Google did not concern much about employees working experience but it only focused on employees innovation and ability. For Microsoft, it concerned about employees innovation and ability as well as working experience. It treated employees individual working experience or background as a kind of valuable treasure and wisdom. Regarding HRM, Google and Microsoft followed Mullinss eight HRM philosophies. They tried hard to understand and fulfill their employees needs and expectations by encouraging their employees to express their opinions and providing employees sufficient support. They respected their employees without any discrimination. They treated everyone equally, offered stable employment, provided prefect working environment, provided opportunities, concerned freedom and complied with laws. With referenced to the seven dimensions of organizational culture, Google and Microsoft were having similar organizational culture. They both emphasized on innovation, risk taking and people orientation. Besides, Google also focused on Team orientation such that it appreciated team work, while Microsoft focused on outcome orientation which concerned about getting the result. Google and Microsoft realized the important of technology and recognized that information was a kind of very valuable treasure. They put all their effort on developing technology which allowed information to be searched, accessed or exchanged in the fastest and easiest way. They both make use of their own technologies to allow their employee to access and exchange information in the fasted ways. They also encouraged their employees to communicate in various channels. In conclusion, there was no golden organisational structure or golden managerial approaches, which were suitable for all organisations. The structure or approaches which were applied by Google and Microsoft might not be suitable for other organisations even they were same kind of Technology Company. The effectiveness of the organisational structure and managerial approaches was organisation dependent, such that the structure and approaches would only be workable with the organisation as long as they matched with the culture of that organisation. Each organisation should have its own design of the organisational structure and managerial approaches based on its culture and needs. Otherwise, the structure and approaches not only could not help the organisation, but might damage the origanisational health. References Cogmap (2009) Microsoft [online] available from [31 December 2009] Dubois, H.F.W. Fattore, G. (2009), Definitions and typologies in public administration research: the case of decentralization, International Journal of Public Administration, 32(8): 704-727. Google Inc.(2009) Google Corporate Information [online] available from [29 December 2009] Microsoft Corporation (2009) Careers Home [online] available from [30 December 2009] Mullins L.J. (2007) Management And Organisational Behaviour. 8th ed.

Birth Control Through the Times Essay -- Contraceptives, Birth Control

The idea of men and women having control of their familial future is nothing new. In fact, the use of contraception dates back to ancient Egyptian times. Despite the controversy that often surrounds the use of birth control, history shows that the need for pregnancy prevention existed even before most modern religions were established. This paper will cover the colorful history of what we now know as birth control, through the centuries and up to modern times. Hopefully, this can give the audience a good idea about how necessary this concept is, and to look at the idea of controlling your destiny with objectivity. Beginning in ancient times, people saw a need to control the amount of children that they may have. One civilization in particular, the ancient Egyptians, had novel approaches to birth control. Drawings found from the time, around 3000 B.C., depicted men wearing condom like devices. This civilization also had what is called a pessary, which is an object or mixture that is inserted into the vagina to block or kill sperm. Some of their mixtures may have included pebbles, crocodile dung, or even rock salt. The Egyptians also used sea sponges drenched in lemon juice; much like a woman today might use a sponge with a spermicidal. The Egyptians weren’t the only ancient civilization to utilize birth control methods; the ancient Greeks used a method of post coital birth control. This method was employed when the couple was done with sexual intercourse, and the woman was to squat and apply pressure to the abdomen to rid the vagina of semen. Yet another approach from within the same ti me period was that of Aristotle, who recommended that women â€Å"anoint that part of the womb in which the seed falls† with olive oil, cedar oil, or f... ...e or not to have children. This is a pattern that will no doubt persist in the future as long as laws allow it. With that said, hopefully some insight can be gained by learning about the history of birth control, and perhaps it can demystify this taboo that no one wants to talk about. Works Cited Clemmitt, Maricia. "Controversies of Women's Access to Birth Control." Women's Health 2006. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 18 Feb. 2012 Cornblatt, Johanna. "The History of Birth Control." Newsweek - National News, World News, Business, Health, Technology, Entertainment, and More - Newsweek. Newsweek, 2009. Web. 18 Feb. 2012. "Religious Views on Birth Control." Wikipedia. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. http://www.wikipedia.org. Stacey, Dawn. â€Å"What Do Religions Say About Birth Control and Family Planning?† About.Com 2011. www.about.com. Web. 5 March. 2012.

A Competitive Audit of Nestles Milo Essay examples -- Business Manage

A Competitive Audit of Nestle's Milo I plan to produce a SWOT analysis, PEST analysis and a Competitive Audit on Milo. This is because I’m going to need to produce a good analysis on the market place, if I intend to create the best marketing strategy. This is important because there are a range of options available when creating a marketing strategy. Without these analytical processes I will not be able to identify, which strategy is appropriate. I am going to produce a SWOT analysis to find out how effective Milo is operating and what internal factors may influence its success. A SWOT analysis analyses the internal factors that may influence the success of a business. The initials SWOT stand for: Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Strengths and Weaknesses are internal factors within the control of the organisation. Opportunities and Threats are outside the control of the organisation. For example, products offered by competitors, or market forces such as seasonal fluctuations in demand. It enables an organisation to plan future activities by considering a number of questions such as: * What are our Strengths? How can we build on them to ensure that we offer a better product than our competitors? * What are our Weaknesses? How can we eliminate them? * What are our Opportunities? How are we going to use them to attract new customers or increase the number of products that existing customers buy? * What are our Threats? How are we going to minimise them so that they do not affect sales of our products? Here are the advantages and disadvantages of using a SWOT analysis: Advantages * Identified strengths (value for money) * Identified opportunities for marketing * Identified weaknesses (problems to be addressed) * Identified threats * Structure for analysis Disadvantages * May contain biases (If based whole strategy on SWOT information without considering validity of using other marketing tools could cause strategy to fail) * Results/Importance/Consequences need to be communicated to everyone in company to make it successful not just more paperwork * Prone to Human error * Focus could become too diverse and loose main objectives Here is a SWOT analysis on Milo: Strengths * Only chocolate energy drink * Unique selling point * Big sales in other countries * Part of Nestle (reputation) funds available for relaunch * ... ...ship and adverts in Australia * Advertising on TV, bill boards etc * Sponsorships for large sports events * Last sponsor was the Rugby World Cup * Buy one get on free * 25% extra free etc * Boosts performance makes athletes go 25% longer * Advertisements on T.V, internet websites, bill boards, magazines, etc. To conclude all three process (SWOT, PEST and Competitive Audit) have affected my strategy and marketing decisions. The SWOT analysis has help me to acknowledge and comprehend my weaknesses, which will be a benefit because now I know my weaknesses all I need now is search for a way to eliminate them. The PEST analysis has drawn my awareness to the external forces that may have an influence on the product (Milo). Therefore, when making marketing decisions the factors found will be taking into consideration. The competitive Audit has showed me where Milo’s competitors are (what level they are on) which is also a benefit because I can see what I’m up against, what I have to do to get ahead and whether I’m disadvantaged in anyway. This is very important in the competitive environment because as a competitor, you cannot allow rivals to gain advantages in any form or way.

Eucharist History :: essays research papers fc

Eucharist History -reenacts the closing events of jesus' life -links past-present-future one ceremony -powerful, meaningful ritual -last of the 3 sacraments of initiation -prescribed by christ -have to see the eucharist as body, not bread Eucharist celebrates -"a way of remembering" -daily reminder of Gods love -jesus shared bread at last supper/do this in memory of me -a thanksgiving feast -"eucharist" means giving thanx Ritual Meal -earliest form of rituals are eating and gathering -sacrifice meal -ritual not a routine -builds on the symbolism of a ritual mean Sign and Symbols -symbol of gods love for us -jesus' body -last supper/banquet -welcome others to participate in the eucharist -unfilled celebration -if we went to mass on sunday, it would make the rest of the week more meaningful -unified body -it is the most commonly received sacrament, most pivotal of 7 -as a community, we celebrate the presence of christ in the eucharist -bread: basic food for most people/closely assoc with nature human work Vestements -white/purple/black robe Words -"Do this in Memory of Me." -"This is my body, which has been given up for you." ST. ROBERT'S CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL "THE EUCHARIST" BY: MARK HARNUM Presented to: Mr. DiMaio NRE 2A0-09 Monday November 29 , 1993 THE EUCHARIST Thesis: The Eucharist is a sign of Jesus' death, and how He gave himself up for us, and how we experience Him through His body. History of the Eucharist The Eucharist is a Jewish Ritual of worship. It dates back to the Last Supper, where Jesus celebrated a typical Jewish community meal with His friends. Sharing a meal with family, (very important to the Jews) also dates back to the Passover Meal. This is called the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the early Christians added Jewish synagogue service and then became the Liturgy of the Word. The Eucharist is a sacrament, and is also a ritual. It is a repeated sacrament, and is the most frequently used among all sacraments. It is "a way of remembering" and a daily reminder if God's love. Jesus at the Last Supper shared bread with us, and said "Do this in Memory of Me." This is why we have bread, because it represents Jesus' body, and how He gave Himself up for us. The first little while of the Church, the "Mass was celebrated as a friendship meal called agape." Christians shared brought food to the house where they were assembled, but as the numbers increased, the meal was cut down to bread and wine. Today, the offertory collection echoes the early years of the spirit giving at the Eucharist. It is living bread that came down from heaven.

Cardinals wholesaler case

The fraud triangle is helpful in explaining motivation for employees to fraud the company: Motive, Opportunity, and rationalization are the trigger for employees to perpetrate any company. Motive-incentive or pressure that drives an individual to commit fraud. This is caused by life pressures, illicit activities or lifestyles needs that create personal financial problems. Opportunity-a condition or situation that allows fraud to occur. Both the design and effectiveness or internal controls play a key role in this regard.Rationalization-is the attitude or mindset that enables the individual to rationalize the fraudulent act. Bill Carter- an angry, ex-employee that felt unfairly fired. Bill felt pressure from financial obligation and the need to support his family after being fired. With debts totaling $38,000 and educational expenses for his oldest son, Bill felt desperate about his financial situation and grew angrier giving him a motive to commit fraud. Bill was the purchasing depar tment manager and was aware of the weak internal control that existed in the company.He knew that there was no segregation of duties in the company because as a former manager he knew that the person who approved vendor list also approved the payment. With this in mind we can see how opportunity to commit fraud is present. His rationalization was that the company owed him for using him as a escape goat to prove their point and he also felt that a lucrative company as Cardinal would not miss a few thousand dollars. Mike Smith-had large debts, a gambling problem and a lifestyles hard to maintain.He also felt he owe his friend Bill for accepting his position after he was fired. All this together gave him the motive required to commit fraud. Now being the purchasing department supervisor he was in a position where he was capable of perpetrating the fraud because Bill had informed him that segregation of duty was not present in the company. He knew that he was the person in charge Of app roving the vendor list as well as the payment. And lastly Mike rationalization was that this was the only way for him to pay-off his debts and make a fresh start.He also felt that he could always back off the scheme after his debts were all gone. Four areas of Fraud Bill Carter had been employed for 22 years with a Fortune 500 corporation where he was the purchasing department manager. He had been married and had three children with his oldest attending an Ivy University. Unfortunately due to an indiscretion Bill was fired and was worried that his fife would find out what had happen. With only a two week severance pay he felt pressure to find a source of income to provide for his family.Consequently Bill decided to pull a vendor scheme with the help of his friend Mike Smith. As I conducted a review of the vendor list I revealed that they were six vendors suspicious of fraud. I was able to identify the six vendors because they either had a post office box address, no phone number lis ted, and they either had an invalid taxpayer identification number or were missing the number altogether. Also the invoices were created using an excel broadsheet invoice template which is a common characteristic of fictitious vendors.The search also revealed that Bill Carter created the vendor as well as opened the bank account. Unfortunately for Bill one drunken night at a bar he revealed to a stranger what he had done. Vendor scheme was created by Bill Carter and Mike Smith In a fictitious vendor scheme the fraudster establishes a shell company in this case was Trig-State company. A shell company exists on paper only but provides no goods or services to the victim organization which the organization then pays for without having receive any goods in return.This scheme is only possible when the fraudster can place the shell company in the victim's organization ‘s approved vendor list, either through poor internal controls or an inside accomplice and Bill had both. Bill had Mi ke Smith as an accomplice and was aware of the lack of internal control that exist in the company. Shell company is not a legitimate business so it has no employees, no physical location or address, no phone number and an invalid or missing tax identification number. I realized that Trig-State trucking met all of the above.Lastly the scheme is easy to perpetrate when internal controls are cake. In this case figured out that Cardinals Wholesaler did not adequately segregated job responsibilities. Detection Bill Carter receives the check, endorses and deposits the money into the bank account of Trig-State Trucking. Here Bill has unrestricted access to the fund and can spend the money any way he wants. Some red flags were found that help conclude Bill and Mike had created a fictitious vendor scheme. Trig-State Trucking had an invalid tax payer identification, a valid tax id has nine digits and Trig-State only had seven.Trig-State had no physical address and was using a post office box. The invoices were created using an excel or word invoice template. All invoices for Trig-State had an even dollar amount with no tax included. Prevention Company needs to implement stronger internal controls by segregating duties to different people. One person should place vendors on the approved vendor list, the other should prepare the payment vouchers, and the other should approve the payment vouchers. The company should performed background checks on any new vendors prior to placing them on the approved vendor list.A CAFE should be engage periodically to review the approved vendor list and look for any red flags. Identifying the fictitious vendors There are four groups of vendors. Those possessing three, two, one, or zero suspicious characteristics. The Company Cardinals Wholesaler has been a list for the company to identify any existent fraudulent vendors in the group. To take care of this task I decided to narrow down the vendor list by searching for red flags that would be evident to the data base. To do this I decided to query three data fields using the excel auto filter function.These data fields are tax payer id, address, and phone number. Using this strategy I can rank the vendors and see how many suspicious characteristics they assess. The more characteristics found the easier it is to identify a fictitious vendor without having to inspect every single invoice in the company. As finished my query was able to identify six suspicious vendors. Here are the six vendors found and the characteristic that led me to believe they are suspicious. PC One missing phone number and using a post office box as address S&B Foods, Inc. Avian a wrong tax payer number and missing phone number Stamen Floral Distributors missing phone number and using post office box as address Thresher Beverages having a wrong tax payer number ND using a post office box as address Trig-State Trucking having a wrong tax payer id number and using a post office box as address The Conne ction having no tax payer id number and missing phone number As I reviewed the six suspicious vendors I found red flags that led me to believe that Trig-State trucking had the most suspicious characteristics.Trig- State trucking listed a post office box as its address Invoice number suggested Cardinal Wholesaler was their only client Vague description of goods or services received Balance due was an even amount with out taxes or shipping address Invalid tax payer identificationNo contact information provided on the invoice Invoice was created by an excel program Canceled checks showed no evidence of typical company expenses Personal items were paid using Trig-State Trucking bank account Checks made payable to Bill Carter and Mike Smith were signed by Bill Carter There are two types of schemes that are used to perpetrate a company Pass-through and fictitious. In a Pass-through scheme is a fictitious entity created with the sole purpose of committing fraud. With this scheme the compan y receives something in exchange for payment and the loss is the amount of the profit made by the fraudster.With a fictitious scheme the company has a fabricated name with a post office box. In this scheme the company receives nothing in return from the fictitious vendor except the bogus invoice and the fraud loss is the total payment made to the vendor. As I review the files have determined that the suspicious vendor is perpetrating fictitious vendor scheme. As I review the bank Statements and the return checks noticed that the fictitious company named Trig-State Trucking is a fictitious company. The checks show that they were used to purchase personal items as well as the fact that all the checks were sign byBill Carter the person who created the fictitious company. As I check the bank statements can also see that the vendor on this account is also Trig-State company which is using a post office box. And lastly, the checks that are made for Bill Carter and Mike Smith are signed by Bill Carter which give the indication that these are the payment they are getting for the bogus invoices they have created. To prevent a fictitious scheme from occurring Research shows 93% of all fraud schemes involves cash. The prevention of fraud in the future depends on the development of adequate controls and procedures.Here are some recommendation to prevent this type of fraud in the future. Background checks should be performed on all new vendors Verify receipts of items/services before paying vendor invoices Segregate the duties of approving vendors and vendor payments A review of canceled checks and bank statements by a third person Periodic review of the approved vendor list for any red flags Company needs to implement a stronger system of internal controls Bill Carter, an angry, terminated employee and Mike Smith, Carter's replacement joint together to perpetrate a fictitious vendor scheme against Cardinals Wholesaler.The scheme lasted five years were each perpetrator poc keted about $900,000. Cardinals Wholesaler was perpetrated when Bill Carter was fired and his friend Mike Smith became his replacement. Feeling loss and with no income Ben decided that all he needed was to create a fictitious vendor to scheme the company. Bill knew that to pull this off he needed an accomplice. This is when he brought Mike Smith who accepted the proposal due to his large debts and gambling problems. They created a shell company where the company is trick into paying vendor invoices for which it receives nothing in return.I believe it happened because Ben Carter was humiliated after being fired after 22 years of service. He felt it was unfair and as a payback he decided to setup a fraud to get back what he thought was owed to him. Bill Carter and Mike Smith plan the fraud to last enough for Bill to get back on his feet and for Mike to pay off his debts but after a while they noticed how well they were doing and how they were getting away with it. If it wasn't for Car ter's excessive drinking one night the scheme might have never been caught. I believe that what cause this to happen was how Bill was fired.

Development of the Renaissance Centralized Church Plan Essay

Analyze the development of the centralized church plan in Renaissance architecture (15th and 16th centuries). In your examples, include an analysis of meaning and symbolism. During the Renaissance period, new centralized church plans developed as a result of a more scientific approach to nature. The idea of precise proportions and measurement emerged through Vitruvius’ theory regarding human anatomy. Vitruvius described how human body, with extended arms and legs, fits perfectly into the most basic geometrical shapes: circle and square. This concept triggered the minds of artists during the Renaissance to take on a new approach for church plans (Honour and Fleming 444-445). However, it is not until the fifteenth century that the centralized plan was regarded as a divine expression when Alberti discussed scientific method of maintaining God’s image through mathematical approach in De Re Aedificatoria, a treatise containing the first full program of the ideal Renaissance church (Tavernor 30). From Alberti’s perspective, a centralized plan should reveal God’s symbol while keeping pure forms of absolute mathematics in the structure, therefore the Greek-Cross figure is favored (Heydenreich 36). His theory influenced many others to realize the importance of the Greek-Cross planning method, and this is reflected in works such as S. Sebastiano, Maria Della Carceri and St. Peter’s. Thus, the Greek-Cross centralized church plan was developed, that became the divine figure for Renaissance architecture. The development of Greek-Cross plan is derived from Alberti’s theoretical demands based on Vitruvius’ basic principles of accuracy and proportions. In the early sixteenth century, Vitruvius began answering questions regarding how a buildings proportion is constructed through human anatomy (Wittkower 22). Such question is further raised through Vitruvian figures drawn within a square and circle became a symbol of the mathematical relationship between man and god through geometry (Wittkower 25). Alberti, who suggested that to obtain architectural perfection, one must follow the basic laws of symmetry and proportions, expanded on these early ideas. In his treatise, he had defined the laws of symmetry and proportion through the physical characteristics of the human body (Tavernor 40). There, he combined a square and circle to generate the image of the geometrical shapes in relation to human anatomy, identical to Leonard Da Vinci’s drawing of a man with outstretched limbs located within a circle and square (figure 1). Alberti’s intention was to clarify the ideal architectural beauty for others during the time, through accuracy and precision (Tavernor 40). The Greek Cross central plan is developed through three transformations from the square, square plus one-half, square plus one third, and the square doubled (Murray 58). If these square ratios are applied to architectural plans, more complex figures can be produced; subsequently the centralized Greek Cross plan was developed and was a visible expression of the Divine Proportion. (Smith) Alberti’s obsession over geometrical perfection involved applying his theory within the interior structure as well. For example, the height of the wall up to the vaulting in round churches should be one-half, two thirds of three quarters of the diameter of the plan. These proportions of one to two, two to three, and three to four conform to Alberti’s law of harmony, written in his treatise (Murray 58 58). It was Alberti who expressed the theory of beauty in his writing, which became so influential for the High Renaissance. He defined beauty, â€Å"harmony and concord of all the parts, so that nothing could be added or subtracted except for the worse† (Smith). From Alberti’s explanation, the symbolism of the Greek Cross is regarded as a beautiful and natural figure, representing every aspect of God due to the precise measurements on all sides of the shape. Therefore, Alberti argued â€Å"Beauty will result from the beautiful form and from the correspondence of the whole to the parts, of the parts amongst themselves, and of these again to the whole; so that the structures may appear an entire and complete body† (WIttkower 31). He believed to thoroughly appreciate Renaissance architecture, one should understand architecture is not based on theories of function but rather view it as mathematical theory of proportion (Smith). Another significance from the Greek Cross central plan is signifying the development of Renaissance architecture. For Alberti and architects of the Renaissance, the emphasis on classicism is ideal, which challenges a different approach from the previous. Pursuing mathematical order and simplicity of pure whites have replaced the Roman gothic style churches (Heydenreich 27). Also, the prominence of classical features is more suited for Alberti’s theory of proportion so that all sizes and shapes are defined. A clear example of Renaissance classicism is S. Sebastiano, where Alberti used Greek-Cross plan that shows almost all of his own theoretical requirements as well as several classical elements in the architectural design (figure 4) (Murray 59). Alberti’s argument for incorporating classicism, a high flight of steps and pilasters at the temple front is best supported by architect Palladio’s correspondence with Alberti’s ideas: â€Å"buildings in which the supreme Being is invokved and adored should stand in the most noble part of the city, raised above the rest of the city†¦they ought to be built so that nothing more beautiful could be imagined and those who enter should be transported into a kind of ecstacy in admiring their grace and beauty. Buildings dedicated to the omnipotent God should be strong and everlasting†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wittkower 31) This idea of rising above is coherent to Leonardo Da Vinci’s principle, which he adhered to in all his designs (Wittkower 26). S. Sebastiano exemplifies the meticulous image of Renaissance beauty, and developing architectural style beyond the Roman gothic style (Smith). Another example of a building resembling absolute proportion is St. Maria Della Carceri, designed by architect Giuliano Da Sangallo. After Alberti’s treatise on architecture was published in 1485, the centrally planned church became popular. Many architects during the Renaissance conformed to his law of harmony. Within the same year, the church of St. Maria Delle Carceri was the first Greek-Cross structure built. The entire interior and exterior description of Giuliano da Sangallo’s church complies with Alberti’s theoretical demands, demonstrating the impact Alberti made through his publication (Wittkower 31). The plan for St. Maria Delle Carceri is based on the two elementary figures of square and circle, where the depth of the arms is half their length and the four end walls of the cross are as long as they are high, therefore forming a perfect square (figure 2). The structure contains desirable symbolic feature by integrating a dome in the center. It appeals more to Christianity to represents closure towards heaven or God’s presence. The grand church is viewed as â€Å"†¦a majestic simplicity, the undisturbed impact of its geometry, the purity of its whiteness are designed to evoke in the congregation a consciousness of the presence of God – of a God who has ordered the universe according to immutable mathematical laws, who has created a uniform and beautifully proportioned world, the consonance and harmony of which is mirrored in His temple below.† (Wittkower 31) Donato Bramante was another architect who responded to historian’s theory concerning centralized plan. His designs are similar to Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawings on centralized plan, where he sketched numerous centrally planned forms and illustrates complex geometrical forms from the first simple shape (figure 5). Da Vinci’s intentions were interpreting Vitruvius’ explanation more accurately through visual art (figure 1) (Wittkower 25). The importance of these drawings reflects Da Vinci’s conscious theoretical speculations for which a new technique of representation is produced (Wittkower 25). Although Da Vinci did not build anything, through his illustrations, Bramente was profoundly influenced that affected the sixteenth century approach. It is likely that those drawings allowed Bramante to comprehended the versatile of geometrical shapes, influencing architecture (figure 4) (Honour and Fleming 444-445). There is even evidence to believe that Bramante’s early design for St. Peter’s was much influenced by Leonardo’s drawings of centrally planned structures. (Honour and Fleming 444-445) When Bramante was appointed to redesign the Saint Peter’s at the beginning of the sixteenth century, he envisioned the new it as a grander version of his previous architectural design: a central, Greek cross plan building. The design must continue the ancient Roman tradition of domed temples, therefore St. Peter’s is crowned by an enormous dome. Bramante, like others before him, combined the symbol of the Greek cross with the symbolic values of centralized geometry. (Wittkower 34). Bramante submitted his Greek cross design on a large scale, which reflects Alberti’s humanist-Christian idea in pure form. In Renaissance thinking, Bramante’s St. Peter’s central plan and dome also symbolized the perfection of God (Honour and Fleming 444-445). Certainly, so overwhelming was Bramante’s design that none of his successors could divert his influence (Honour and Fleming 444-445). The impact of the Greek cross was enormous for the development of Renaissance centralized plan. The geometrical figure is a result of Alberti’s in depth mathematical approach of viewing nature (Tavonor 42). Many Renaissance architects utilized the Greek Cross plan due to Alberti and other historians theory regarding obtaining architectural beauty. For them, comparing building structures to human anatomy proportion was essential in defining what is ideal. More importantly, the Greek cross symbolizes divinity. Vitruvius also discussed the relationship between the human body and geometry, which is crucial for the creation of the Greek cross (Wittkower 25). Such explanation expanded by Alberti influenced the formation in several significant churches, such as the Maria Della Carceri, St. Peter’s design and S. Sebastiano. Architects who designed these churches corresponded with Alberti’s argument, therefore demonstrating the wide acceptance of the Greek Cross. MLA Citations Heydenreich, L. Architecture in Italy, 1400-1500. rev. ed., New Haven, 1996. Honour and Fleming, The Visual Arts: a History, 4th ed, 1995, 444-445. http://www.phs.poteau.k12.ok.us/williame/APAH/readings/Bramante’s%20Tempietto,%20St%20Peters,%20Michelangelo.pdf Murray, P. The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance. London, 1963. Smith, Bernard. â€Å"University of Melbourne.† University of Melbourne. Print. http://shaps.unimelb.edu.au/public-resources/database-resources/bernardsmith/lectures/BSmith-HighRenaissance.pdf. Tavernor, R. On Alberti and the Art of Building. New Haven, 1998. Wittkower, R. Architectural Principles in the Age of Humanism. 3rd ed., London, 1962. Figures Figure 1: Da Vinci’s human anatomy drawing http://www.centopietrevenice.typepad.com/ca_centopietre_bed_and_br/2009/11/leonardothe-vitruvian-man-between-art-and-science-accademia-galleries.html Figure 2: S. Maria Della Carceri centralized plan by Giuliano Da Sanglio Figure 3: S. Sebastiano front view http://architecturetraveljournal.blogspot.ca/2008/02/san-sebastiano-mantua.html Figure 4: S. Sebastiano centralized plan http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/14-italian-renaissance-ii-/deck/2633566 Figure 5: Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawing on centralized plan http://www.art.com/products/p12016104-sa-i1452778/leonardo-da-vinci-sketch-of-a-square-church-with-central-dome-and-minaret.htm Figure 6: Bramante’s St. Peter’s design http://mexichino-jr.blogspot.ca/2011/06/bramantes-st-peters-rome.html