Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Case Study Example Jessica presented case 7 titled ‘It’s not our fault. The case is about two couples who share four children. The family had some unexpressed conflicts and communication problems. Circular questioning, Formula first session talk, scaling and deconstruction were applied before and during the therapy. The therapy was successful and one of the two couples was further referred for couple’s counseling. The case presentation evoked many opinions in the group. Jessica, Teresa, Richard and Keri although were in favor of the therapy applied and the way the case was handled, but they had some differential views when it came to minute details of therapeutic application. Jessica would have added some object relations therapy to improve the relationship of the children with their biological mother. Keri and Teresa agreed with the therapy applied but suggested that Douglas could have been helped with some individual sessions using CBT for reducing his unreasonable and complainant behavior. Richard was of the view that Diane needed more individual therapy regarding the abuse. Matt thought that a strong communication approach would have been helpful since the communication process of whole family was faulty and inadequate. This case is about a two year old boy named Joshua who had constipation due to his parent’s antagonism. The parents, Donna and Nick both lawyers, were not happy with each other and the atmosphere of the home was always tense. After this case was presented, Teresa, Keri and Richard agreed that individual CBT given to both partners would have helped since they refused joint marital therapy sessions, therapeutic work on the personality aspects of each would have been helpful in improving the relationship in an indirect way. Jessica was in a favor of the applied systems approach fully and thought that the case would not have been handled so nicely had the therapist used another approach. Matt believed that play therapy could have

Leadership Process Essay Example for Free

Leadership Process Essay First Section Leadership is a process by which one person influences the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of others. Leaders set a direction for the rest of us; they help us see what lies ahead; they help us visualize what we might achieve; they encourage us and inspire us. Level 5 leadership refers to the highest level in a hierarchy of executive capabilities that we identified during our research. Leaders at the other four levels in the hierarchy can produce high degrees of success but not enough to elevate companies from mediocrity to sustained excellence. And while Level 5 leadership is not the only requirement for transforming a good company into a great one—other factors include getting the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and creating a culture of discipline—our research shows it to be essential. Good-to-great transformations don’t happen without Level 5 leaders at the helm. They just don’t. (Traylor, 2001) The Level 5 leader sits on top of a hierarchy of capabilities and is, according to our research, a necessary requirement for transforming an organization from good to great. But what lies beneath? Four other layers, each one appropriate in its own right but none with the power of Level 5. Individuals do not need to proceed sequentially through each level of the hierarchy to reach the top, but to be a full-fledged Level 5 requires the capabilities of all the lower levels, plus the special characteristics of Level 5. (HBR, 2001) It differs from other leadership styles as the leaders come from the grass root of the organization. Meaning, it is the leader who has grown and developed from the ground level of the organization and has gradually escalated towards the top most level. This allows an employee to go through all phases and nurture to the top level of the organization i.e. CEO level. A few years ago in Strategy Leadership, Michael Raynor debunked the premises on which the shareholder-first model rests, and a few months ago Michael Porter criticized the current belief that looking beyond the business is bad for business. In the January/February Harvard Business Review he argues that companies should be considering other stakeholders, and so generates economic value by creating societal value. These respected thinkers offer another answer to the question about the purpose of a business: the firm should see itself as an interdependent part of a community that consists of multiple stakeholders whose interests are integral to business success. In this view, an enterprise can be seen as a system of long-term cooperative relationships between affected parties. (Collins, 2001) These include the firm’s managers and employees, customers and clients, investors, suppliers, the towns, states and nations where the firm is located or sells goods and services and even future generations of stakeholders. In such a system, stakeholder influence generates pressure for the organization to behave in ethical and environmentally and socially responsible ways, and in turn, this interdependency helps the firm be sustainable and resilient. This alternative approach to leadership is variously referred to as ‘‘sustainable,’’ ‘‘Rhineland’’ or ‘‘honeybee’’ leadership. By sustainable we don’t just mean a firm is being green and socially responsible. Research and observations in over 50 firms around the world, including in many listed corporations, suggest that sustainable leadership requires taking a long-term perspective in making decisions; fostering systemic innovation aimed at increasing customer value; developing a skilled, loyal and highly engaged workforce; and offering quality products, services and solutions. (Caroselli, 2003) Second Section In 2005, Lee Scott, ex-CEO and President of Wal-Mart Stores and now Chairman of its Executive Committee, announced that the company would essentially adopt sustainable leadership principles going forward, although he did not use that term. Financial performance was solid, but the company was the target of many complainants – employees, local communities, suppliers, and environmentalists. Scott decreed that Wal-Mart, one of largest Fortune 500 corporations, would become more ethical, and more socially and environmentally responsible. The company would use its political might to benefit ordinary Americans in healthcare and energy savings, and make people’s lives better. Scott even advocated paying more for products from ethical suppliers – an extraordinary reversal by an enterprise built around a low-cost strategy. In the years since, Wal-Mart has experimented with environmentally-friendly stores and other socially-responsible measures. Interestingly, its bottom line has not suffered during this process, posting net sales increases for the past five years, according to Wal-Mart’s 2009 annual report. In recent months, in a move to improve the healthiness of its products, the firm announced plans to reduce the fat and salt in its house brand groceries and cut prices on fresh produce. (Shaw, 2005) A considerable body of evidence shows that sustainable practices are more likely to enhance business performance than the shareholder-first approach. First, various writers have examined and compared the Anglo/US system with its Rhineland counterpart, concluding that Rhineland principles are more sustainable and lead to better outcomes than the shareholder-first approach. Second, Avery and Bergsteiner have gathered extensive evidence for each of the individual practices in their pyramid model, showing how they are more likely to contribute to positive business outcomes than their counterparts under the shareholder-first model. For example, a major difference between shareholder-first and sustainable practices lies in whether they retain people or lay them off when times get difficult. Staff retention is regarded as a foundation element in the pyramid because conditions aimed at keeping staff can be initiated at any time. However, retaining staff supports various higher order outcomes in the pyramid; it allows knowledge to be retained, and supports quality, trust, and innovation, for example, and enhances financial performance, as well as staff and customer satisfaction. Similar cases can be made for the other 22 elements. (Cooke, 2008) What senior executive would reject these as legitimate goals for an enterprise seeking to both thrive and endure? To some cynics, sustainable leadership – a management approach aimed at delivering better and more sustainable returns, reducing unwanted employee turnover and accelerating innovation – sounds too good to be true. They dismiss it as just another form of humanistic management, merely good management practices, or as following old-fashioned values. There is some truth in each of these characterizations. Certainly, sustainable leadership embraces aspects of humanistic management in that it includes valuing people and considering the firm as a contributor to social well being. The individual practices of sustainable leadership are not new: B Warren Bennis advocated recruiting, training, and employing an effective top leadership team rather than just relying on the heroic CEO. He also proposed that firms become financially transparent as a step to becoming more ethical. B Peter Drucker wanted managers to promote change and allow innovations to come from all over the organization, thereby enabling ordinary people to make extraordinary things happen. B Stephen Covey urged using the knowledge and engagement of a firm’s employees. What is new is the understanding that these practices form a self-reinforcing leadership system that enhances the performance of a business and its prospects for survival. What is also significant is that sustainable leadership practices are diametrically opposed to the typical shareholder-first approach, which business schools, management journals, the media, and many practitioners continue to promote. (Branson, 2010) Sustainable leadership in practice Sustainably-led organizations have been identified across different sectors, countries, institutional contexts, and markets. Examples of successful enterprises that consistently embrace sustainable leadership principles abound, particularly among privately-held firms and SMEs. Unlisted companies displaying virtually all of the 23 characteristics of a sustainable enterprise include: in the USA, WL Gore Associates (Goretexw and other products) and SAS (software); in Germany, Giesecke Devrient (bank notes and securities) and Ka ¨rcher (cleaning solutions); and in Switzerland, Endress Hauser (flow technologies) and Migros (retail conglomerate). However, it is likely to be more difficult for listed corporations or private equity groups to operate on sustainable principles because of the pressures on them to achieve short-term performance goals. Yet numerous listed enterprises manage to operate sustainably, if necessary by standing up to or managing their relationships with the financial markets. Well-known examples include Germany’s Munich Re from the finance industry; Colgate (consumer goods) based in the USA; Britain’s BT Group (telecommunications); the Thai construction corporation, Siam Cement Group, and its competitor from Switzerland, Holcim. (Streshly Gray, 2010) Third Section There are many obstacles in changing to sustainable leadership. First, sticking with conventional wisdom is comfortable and easy – it’s business as usual. Second, change is disruptive and initially creates both financial and intangible costs, although as the Wal-Mart case shows these may not slow growth and profits. Third, most people disregard hard evidence and make their decisions on the basis of ideological beliefs. Managers are no exception to this human foible despite their training and experience in decision making. Fourth, major change involves risks, bringing with it the chance of a drop in short-term performance, so stakeholders need to be prepared to focus on the long term. Finally, radical change can take a long time to embed and then maintain. A major Australian bank converted from a shareholder-first strategy to a sustainable leadership model. The change took a decade to take hold, with outstanding results, but unraveled in only a few years to under a new CEO with a different agenda. The choice to adopt a more sustainable strategy, one that research and practice show leads to higher resilience and performance over the long term, remains in the hands of each executive team. Unfortunately, executives remunerated on a short-term basis may have no incentive for seriously pursuing long-term change, to the detriment of shareholders and other stakeholders. This is where the fundamental short-term focus of the shareholder-first or business-as-usual model begins to destroy shareholder value and endanger a firm’s very survival. (Brown, 2005) References Branson, D. M. (2010). The last male bastion: gender and the CEO suite in Americas public companies. Taylor Francis. Brown, M. T. (2005). Corporate integrity: rethinking organizational ethics, and leadership. Cambridge University Press. Caroselli, M. (2003). The business ethics activity book: 50 exercises for promoting integrity at work. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Collins, J. C. ( 2001). Good to great: why some companies make the leapand others dont. Harper Business. Cooke, P. (2008). Branding Faith: Why Some Churches and Non-Profits Make a Difference and Others Dont. Gospel Light. Shaw, K. A. (2005). The intentional leader. Syracuse University Press. Streshly, W. A., Gray, S. P. (2010). Leading Good Schools to Greatness: Mastering What Great Principals Do Well. Corwin Press. Traylor, P. S. (2001). IT Takes Two. CIO Magazine , Vol.15, No.4, November 15

Approaches To Leadership In Tata Group Management Essay

Approaches To Leadership In Tata Group Management Essay Introduction: Leadership is an integrated part of our life. According to corporate chief and former US presidential candidate Ross Perot, the principles of leadership are timeless because, in a rapidly changing world, human nature remains a constant. We all experience leadership in our life from early childhood in our families, through friendships, social sports activities, school higher education, in politics, in government and of course in our work. We all recognize leadership in other people and often in ourselves. In government, global corporations and small businesses alike, the leadership role is becoming more demanding, more open to scrutiny and more difficult [Gill, R. 2006]. The development of leadership theory also parallels the development of organizational theory. The bureaucratic form of business organization is characterized by laissez-faire leadership whereby so-called leaders tend to avoid taking a stand, ignore problems, not follow up, and refrain from intervening or transactional leadership, in which leaders practise management by exception, focusing only on deviations from what is required, and contingent reward, rewarding people (either materially or psychologically) for achieving what is required. The emergence of the post-bureaucratic form of organization in the late nineteenth century reflects the development of the concept of transformational leadership [Gill, R. 2006]. Theory Approaches to Leadership: Many Leadership theories and approaches have been evolved around Style, Trait, Behaviour, Situation and Charisma. Many researchers made efforts linking these theories across these leadership approaches. However, each leadership model has its merit, assumptions and limitations. Most recent researches are conducted on Situational Transformational leadership styles. Various leadership Gurus presented new models as variations to the already existing models. Max Weber, MacGregor, Bass, Bennis Nanus are some of the most important researchers in the area of transformational leadership. The difference between transactional and transformational leadership is vital in getting the whole concept of transformational leadership theory. In general, a relationship between two people is based on the level of exchange they have. The more exchange they have the stronger the relationship. Managers expects more productivity from employee in order to give good rewards. In this way, if something is done to anyone based on the return then that relation is called Transactional type. In business, leaders announce rewards in turn to the productivity. These relations are all about requirements, conditions and rewards (wordpress.com). In our life at various stages some things are happen without any expectation from other side e.g. mothers love for her babies. This is one for of transformational approach. Transformational Leaders work toward a common goal with followers: put followers in front and develop them, take followers to next level, inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests in achieving superior results (wordpress.com). Here we discuss the various forms of leadership and Table 1, given below shows how Basss full range model of leadership works [DBS Notes]. Table 1 By studying the evolution of leadership approach of the TATA Group, an in-depth analysis of importance of leadership model is given now onwards. Leadership Approach in TATA Group: TATA Group founded in 1868, is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai. The Group has more than half million employees spread across over six continents (more than 100 countries) and is the largest private corporate group in India. The estimated market capitalization of the group is worth $80bn. It is the biggest employer in UK as well, employing more than 50,000 people. It has main interests in communications, IT, engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products and chemicals. Its present chairman, Ratan Tata is the most influential business leaders in India. He is also one of the worlds most influential people as per Forbs magazine. The Group is known for ethics and value based business approach. Evolution of Leadership in TATA Group: Under the leadership of the Ratan Tata, the Group has incorporated more leadership changes which were essential in current environment to drive towards to be more competitive. In terms of leadership style, the Group has adopted a team-led culture and collective effort approach. Trust became a major factor and theme of the group. Ratan has put a complete organisational restructuring, since he became chairman of the group in 1991, by taking a more matrix-style approach building teams. These changes have transformed a lot in the group business, senior managers have to be on their toes and flexibility and adaptability became essential qualities to have. The leadership changed from a centralised, command centre to a much more distributed form with employees and all managers enjoying greater responsibility and knowledge, which in turn motivated them to work harder and as a group. From well established leadership models such as the McGregor Theory X and Y; in which the theory X manager believes workers dislike work, are not creative and avoid all responsibility whilst the theory Y manager believes that workers get as much enjoyment from work as they can derive with leisure, accept responsibility and be creative. Theory Y approach has been adopted by the Ratan Tata. He wanted all his managers to be modelled as closely to Theory Y and he himself could be called a Theory Y facilitator. He encourages managers to be more innovative and share all their ideas, consulting actively with them and giving them more responsibility and importantly encouraging team-working. Five Factor Leadership Model: Emotional Stability: Ratan has very low anxiety within him and has great sense of security with his future leadership. Extraversion: Even being a bachelor Ratan is very sociable. He has produced very positive affect on future leadership of the Group. Openness: He believes in originality and versatility. By making  £1200/- car he has shown his great interest with and innovation seeking personality. Agreeableness: Within his management team and outside world, Ratan is well trusted and very friendly. Conscientiousness: He is very dutifulness. He spent most of his life working for Group without having any self-interest. He leads a very well organised life. Style (Behaviour) Theory in TATA Group: As per style theory, there are three kind of leadership models are available in literatures. These are as given below. Autocratic Democratic Laissez-faire Ratan Tata is a leader who engages in more democratic style of leadership approach and occasionally shows the other two leadership styles as well. He is more democratic because he always encourages his group leadership to be creating good communication and participation. The budding leadership are well informed about group future strategy and they are very well engaged in decision making process. Most of the group long-term and short-term strategies are formulated by the lower rank of the leadership and are treated as stake holders. Ratan has occasionally shown some short of autocratic style of leadership. Sometimes when needed especially when quick and informed decisions have to be taken, but he is never too commanding in his nature, being a man of few words and being more of a man of action. This is evident from the manner he aggressively pushes for bold international deals, such as during the global acquisitions of business powerhouses such as Corus, JLR, and Tetley. One of his se nior leadership team members, Muthuraman refers him Ratan was the chief architect of the Corus deal. I was worried about the magnitude and the amount of money. But he instilled confidence. In daily routine matters and in developing the leadership, Ratan also uses the Laissez-Faire model such as the delegation of important duties and decision-making, he also do not interfere with any managers functioning, he might make a broad strategic assessment but he does not interfere in operational issues and details, which shows that he has his trust and faith in his managers and believes in their ability. Another quote from Gopalakrishnan, an executive director of the company, expresses how much value Ratan places on his trust, this can be highly motivating for managers and workers alike, I remember what Ratan told us at a meeting. He said that he will continue to trust all his managers, but once they lose that trust, he will go after them. I think that is a very fair deal. Max Webers Leadership Model in TATA Group: Looking at Max Webers Transactional and Transformational Leadership models, where leadership is classed in three forms, Bureaucratic, Charismatic and Traditional, where a Bureaucratic leader is one who is always bound by the set rule and never go beyond them; a Traditional leader is one who does and follows everything from a history and always loyal to obey these traditions and a Charismatic leader is one who uses his own wit or abilities to inspire and is one who can be described as radically opposed to administrative rules and set principles. From these models, Ratan Tata falls into the Charismatic form because he is one who leads by example, coming up with highly innovative ideas such as  £1200 (Rs. One Lakh) car the Nano, budget hotels or low-end watches, he brought radical change to the Tata Group as a whole, changing it from its Traditional mindset to new more flexible and adaptive cultural mindset in global world. Bennis Nanus Transformational Leadership Model in TATA Group: We can see from Bennis and Nanuss Transformational Leadership model that the transformational leaders groom their followers into self-empowered leaders and their main focus is to articulate vision and values clearly so these self-empowered leaders know where to go. Their traits include logical thinking, persistence, empowerment and self-control. Benniss and Nanus has evolved the model which emphasis on the four Is of Transformational leadership, which are Idealised Influence (being a role model) Inspirational Motivation (creating a team spirit, motivating and provide a challenge) Intellectual Stimulation (innovation and creativity) Individual Consideration (mentoring and providing support for followers) Ratan Tata has been proved a true transformational leader. We can see all Is built-in in Ratan Tata. He is the leader with great vision hence he knows right approach to groom future leadership. He has created the team spirit in whole group at every level. He has empowered all his managers and executives and has complete faith in them. He is extremely innovative and is credited for much of the Groups new products; he places a great deal of importance to his RD department. He deeply cares about the welfare of all his employees and managers. During the Mumbais terrorist attack in Taj Hotel (belongs to TATA Group), he took front line in leading at the time of crises. In his leadership statement he articulated One hundred years from now, I expect TATA Group to be much bigger, of course, than it is now. Best in the manner in which we operate, best in the products we deliver and best in our value system and ethics. [tata.com] As a leader of a global business group, Ratan, knows the fierce competition experienced by group business empire. He put a lot of effort in making his business competitive at global level. Through transformational leadership process, the group has made their processes and technology up to date. Ratan Tata said to his managers in his leadership speech A company or business which remains static is a business that will die; a company that constantly changes and accepts that there are better ways to do things than the way they are done today, is a company that will survive in the global market that we face. From this statement we can infer that he knows the importance of developing a good leadership within group to take Group to new heights. Ratan, involves strategy in leadership. He is a deep thinker and a brilliant strategist as is described by one of his Executive Directors, Alan Rosling, He is a deep thinker and extremely strategic. He is always 2-3 steps ahead. Ratan Tata is a man o f strong integrity, ethics and valued principles. He cultivated the same across the Group companies. One of his companies CEO said Tata has shown that there is no other way he will do business other than do it ethically. He believes in strong value based leadership approach in doing business. Ratan Tata has led the TATA Group to transforming from local business group to become a global leader. Leadership Development in TATA Group: TATA Group has long standing leadership program in-place. Their leadership program is based in British Administrative Service model. Groups leadership development programme aims at grooming the managers of today into the leaders of tomorrow. The leadership development programme conceived by JRD Tata, the late chairman of Group in 1950s. The idea behind the leadership programme known as Tata Administrative Services (TAS) was to select and groom young managers, provide them opportunity for professional growth, and make them leaders of tomorrow. This is TATAs in-house programme and has goal is to provide training to high performers, act as a cradle of change and develop the leadership qualities. Most of the Group companies are traditionally led by these in-house groomed leaders. Cons in Leadership Development in TATA Group: Although Ratan Tata has been very successful in leading the group to a new height, but as in case of every leadership he lacks in few of the areas, these areas includes his successor and integration of his own companies in smaller numbers. Due to large number of companies within group, there is chance of internal conflict between its own companies leadership. There have been cases when the Ratan Tatas leadership has been ineffective in dealing with some critical situation. Ratan Tata will be retiring next year and the group is still struggling to get his replacement. He made himself bigger than the group as a whole. Most of the group leadership hover around him and whole leadership has become Ratan centric. Due to recent scam in 2G spectrum allocation in India, the group reputation has been affected severely. Its few of the top leadership were involved in different scams which could prove detrimental to group business in future. Furthermore TATA Group leadership lacks international f lavour. This could be a major hindrance for the group in becoming a major global player. Conclusions: Ratan Tata has transformed TATA as global brand under his leadership. He has created a rank of leadership to whom he can easily pass the leadership baton. Grooming 98 CEO/MD (TATA Group has 98 companies in its group) is a challenging job in which Group has been very successful so far. He has provided inspiration to leaders within his own company. Ratan Tata has successfully led and motivated its CEO/MD of the group companies to be ambitious. Ratan Tata has adopted a management by consensus style. Leading a large group of companies in current business scenario of changing regulations, increasing competition and global economy could be a tough challenge for many business leaders. Leading the business through these tough times and growing multi-folding revenues could be a dream for many business leaders. Achieving this requires clear vision, innate conviction, ability to inspire and guide along the way. Ratan Tata established himself to be the right leader who has helped the company sai l through the turbulent waters and reach the desired lands. Appendix: Reference List DBS Managing People Lecture Notes Roger Gill, Theory and Practice of Leadership, Sage Publication, 2006 Robins, S.P Judge T.A (2010) 10th Edition, Essentials of Organizational Behaviour, Pearson, ISBN 0-13-815763-4 http://leadershipchamps.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/transactional-leadership-vs-transformational-leadership/ http://business.outlookindia.com/inner.aspx?articleid=682editionid=22catgid=70subcatgid=464 http://www.tata.com/company/Articles/inside.aspx?artid=YJbf7uiUY0M= Visionary Leadership: Creating a Compelling Sense of Direction for Your Organization (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series): Burt Nanus Tata Group Annual Reports (1991 -2011)

Cell Phone History - The Evolution of the Cell Phone :: Expository Essays

Cell Phone History - The Evolution of the Cell Phone Cell phones have become a part of mainstream culture. Recently they have become more affordable and accomplish much more than making and receiving calls. Along with the growing popularity there is also growing concerns about safety and health. In this paper we will address cell phone history and how they have evolved. We will discuss health concerns such as tumors and talking while driving. Finally, we will talk about all of the technology that cell phones can accomplish such as receiving Email and buying stocks. History: In 1921 the Detroit Michigan Police Department first used mobile radio in a vehicle. Digital wireless and cellular roots started in the 1940s. In the 1940s new frequencies between 30 and 40 MHz were available. There was an increase of availability in channels which police systems were encouraged to use. Mobile units were available within private companies, individuals, and public agencies. In St. Louis, 1945 the first mobile telephone system in the US was introduced. Along the highway between New York and Boston a Public mobile system carried greater frequency distance in 1947. In 1n 1949, the FFC authorized separate radio channels to common carriers. A new system was developed with automatic channel selection in 1964. With this new system each call allowed customers to dial for themselves and it eliminated the need to push-to-talk operation. In 1975, in Chicago, AT&T was authorized to develop a cellular system. After this AT&T and Bell labs work with other cellular vendors to develop their cellular phones. Their phones were made so consumers would have the quality products available to use on cellular networks. There are many reasons why the mobile wireless has not progressed further in the last 60 years, this is because of cautiousness and federal regulation. The Federal Communications Commission controlled frequency availability. Their regulations and unresponsiveness had the most significant factors hindering radiotelephone development. The Federal Communication Commission delayed the technology in America by ten years. Health: Brain tumors and eye cancer are two health concerns of cell phones that are currently under investigation. Many people have heard rumors about whether or not cell phones are responsible for these health problems, but answers never seem to be found.

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay -- Frankenstein Shelley Essays

Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" In order to illustrate the main theme of her novel â€Å"Frankenstein†, Mary Shelly draws strongly on the myth of Prometheus, as the subtitle The Modern Prometheus indicates. Maurice Hindle, in his critical study of the novel, suggests, â€Å"the primary theme of Frankenstein is what happens to human sympathies and relationships when men seek obsessively to satisfy their Promethean longings to â€Å"conquer the unknown† - supposedly in the service of their fellow-humans†. This assertion is discussed by first describing the Promethean connection. Thereafter, the two forms of the myth, Prometheus the fire-stealer and Prometheus the life-giver are reviewed in the context of Shelly’s use of the myth in her novel and their relationship to the main theme. Finally, the character of Frankenstein as a modern Prometheus of the scientific age is discussed in the context of English Romantic literature. This â€Å"Promethean longing† mentioned by Hundle, is the connection between Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton. They both seek to gain knowledge of the unknown. Victor Frankenstein’s obsession with occult scientific knowledge results in the destruction of his family and friends, whilst Walton, the narrator of the story, causes many deaths by his obsessive journey to the North Pole. Shelly’s use of the Prometheus myth combines the two versions of the legend, Prometheus the â€Å"fire-stealer† and Prometheus the â€Å"life-giver†. According to the Ancient Greeks, in the first version of the myth, the Titan, Prometheus, in rebellion against Zeus, took fire from the sun and gave it to humankind to warm them and enable them to make tools and weapons, thereby allowing them to rise above other animals. Zeus was incensed by Prometheus’ disobedience, and as punishment, ordered Prometheus chained to a rock, where his liver was eaten by eagles each day and restored each night so that his torment could be prolonged for eternity. The second, Roman version of the myth, comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which, according to Newey (1993), Mary Shelly read in 1815. In this version Prometheus was the Creator who made man from clay and breathed life into him. This relates directly to the quotation on the title page of Shelly’s book. â€Å"Did I request thee Maker, from my clay to mould me man. Did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me? Although a quotation from Milton’s... ...fe-giver. However, it could be argued that Frankenstein is better connected to Prometheus the fire-stealer. Frankenstein’s experiments with the two edged sword of forbidden knowledge had the possibility of bestowing great good upon humanity or perhaps the destruction of humankind. Shelley has utilised both versions of the myth to great effect in the development of the main theme. Her character, Frankenstein, effectively destroyed all he held dear as a consequence of his obsession with the pursuit of forbidden knowledge. Works Cited: Griffith, G. V. 1997 Frankenstein in the Context of the Romantic Era. Retrieved April 2004 from http://www.enotes.com Hindle, M. 1994, Mary Shelley Frankenstein Penguin Books, London Hunter, J. P. (ed.), 1996, Mary Shelley Frankenstein. The 1818 Text, Contexts, Nineteenth-Century Responses, Modern Criticism, W.W. Norton & Company, New York Newey, K. 1993, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Sydney University Press, Sydney Schmidt, A. 1999, The Myth of Prometheus, Retrieved April 2004 from http://www.enotes.com Oates, J.C. 1984 Frankenstein’s Fallen Angel, in Critical Inquiry, Vol 10 No.3. Retrieved April 2004 from http://www.enotes.com

Death Penalty :: essays research papers

DEATH PENALTY  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The death penalty has been a staple in the justice system of America since its inception. Though very controversial, it has stood the test of time as the ultimate punishment. Many countries are currently abolishing their death penalty practice. America, on the other hand, has thirty-eight of fifty states with laws regarding the death penalty. It seems the United States requires the death penalty more than ever due to the increased rate of violent crime. Since nineteen ninety more than three hundred fifty people have been put to death with another three thousand three hundred in the waiting on death row. On a larger scale, since nineteen seventy-six five hundred fifty-two executions have occurred in the United States, the breakdown is as follows: three hundred ninety-four by lethal injection, one hundred forty-one by electrocution, eleven by gas chamber, three by hanging, and two by firing squad. Half of the post- nineteen seventy-six executions have occurred within the last five years, including fifty-two so far this year. Although the death penalty has brought many viscous criminals to a â€Å"fitting† end, the process by which the death penalty is based upon is an inconsistent one. The system of tangled appeals, court orders, and last minute pardons has rendered the entire system ineffective. As displayed by the swelling of the stagnant pool of death row inmates, criminals are not deterred by the punishment. â€Å" An evil deed is not redeemed by an evil deed of retaliation. Justice is never advanced in the taking of human life. Morality is never upheld by legalized murder.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many loopholes exist in the structure of the death penalty. The outcome of the case is decided by the quality of the lawyer defending the accused. Many criminals cannot afford a competent lawyer, resulting in a greater chance of that particular person being issued the death penalty, as opposed to life in prison. A fine line separates these two charges, and a defendant who can afford a competent lawyer stands less of a chance of being assigned the death penalty than one who cannot. Also studies show that the application of the death penalty is racial biased. The amount of violent crimes are split almost equally between the white and black ethnic groups. Since nineteen seventy-seven eighty-two percent of the criminals assigned the death penalty have committed the crime in question against a Caucasian. Another glaring defect of the structure of the death penalty system in America are the laws regarding the sentencing of criminals under the age of eighteen. Minors can be sentenced to death in twenty-four states.

American Policy

U. S. and China are two of the most powerful countries in the world with two very different ideologies (Cheung 1998). After Chinese communists took power in 1949, U. S. and China had been enemies until Nixon visited China in 1972 which made these two countries allies against the Soviet Union. While this good relationship did not last long, after the June 4 massacre and the collapse of the former Soviet Union and its eastern European bloc, the Sino-U. S. relations are more competitive than cooperative. Under this circumstance, the current American policy towards China should be: containment first, cooperation second.First U. S. needs to contain China’s military and political might to prevent it becoming a new Soviet Union. To achieve this, America should focus on the following tasks: first, U. S. should focus on the war of hearts and minds to spread the ideas of freedom and democracy to Chinese people (especially intellectuals and the youth); second, assist independent organiza tions human rights activists inside China; third, support American allies around China (especially Japan and Taiwan) both politically and militarily. While confronting China in many areas, U. S.and China need to cooperate on a number of important issues, such as economy, anti-terrorism, climate change, pandemic control, and nuclear non-proliferation, etc. In addition to facilitate a peaceful transformation of China, U. S. should help maintain the balance across the Taiwan Straits and assist China and Southeast Asian countries to solve the South China Sea islands disputes peacefully. To sum it up, though a democratic, free new China is in US interest, America should not push China too hard now while facing many big problems including the current economic recession.But U. S. should also be firm about its basic principles, not sending China wrong messages by saying that human rights issue should not affect the overall Sino-U. S. relationship (Clinton, as cited in Kralev, 2009). Referen ces Cheung, G. (1998). Market liberalism: American foreign policy toward China. New Jersey: Transaction Pulishers. Kralev, N. (2009, February, 21). â€Å"Clinton riles with rights remarks†. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www. washingtontimes. com/news/2009/feb/21/clinton-says-rights-take-back-seat-to-climate-chan/