Forward the Foundation Chapter 16

6 Hari Seldon was fighting off melancholy. He was lectured in turn by Dors, by Raych, by Yugo, and by Manella. All united to tell him that sixty was not old. They simply did not understand. He had been thirty when the first hint of psychohistory had come to him, thirty-two when he delivered his famous lecture at the Decennial Convention, following which everything seemed to happen to him at once. After his brief interview with Cleon, He had fled across Trantor and met Demerzel, Dors, Yugo, and Raych, to say nothing of the people of Mycogen, of Dahl, and of Wye. He was forty when he became First Minister and fifty when he had relinquished the post. Now he was sixty. He had spent thirty years on psychohistory. How many more years would he require? How many more years would he live? Would he die with the Psychohistory Project unfinished after all? It was not the dying that bothered him, he told himself. It was the matter of leaving the Psychohistory Project unfinished. He went to see Yugo Amaryl. In recent years they had somehow drifted apart, as the Psychohistory Project had steadily increased in size. In the first years at Streeling, it had merely been Seldon and Amaryl working together-no one else. Now ** Amaryl was nearly fifty-not exactly a young man-and he had somehow lost his spark. In all these years, he had developed no interest in anything but psychohistory: no woman, no companion, no hobby, no subsidiary activity. Amaryl blinked at Seldon who couldn't help but note the changes in the man's appearance. Part of it may have been because Yugo had had to have his eyes reconstructed. He saw perfectly well, but there was an unnatural look about them and he tended to blink slowly. It made him appear sleepy. â€Å"What do you think, Yugo?† said Seldon. â€Å"Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?† â€Å"Light? Yes, as a matter of fact,† said Amaryl. â€Å"There's this new fellow, Tamwile Elar. You know him, of course.† â€Å"Oh yes. I'm the one who hired him. Very vigorous and aggressive. How's he doing?† â€Å"I can't say I'm really comfortable with him, Hari. His loud laughter gets on my nerves. But he's brilliant. The new system of equations fits right into the Prime Radiant and they seem to make it possible to get around the problem of chaos.† â€Å"Seem? Or will?† â€Å"Too early to say, but I'm very hopeful. I have tried a number of things that would have broken them down if they were worthless and the new equations survived them all. I'm beginning to think of them as the achaotic equations!† â€Å"I don't imagine,† said Seldon â€Å"we have anything like a rigorous demonstration concerning these equations?† â€Å"No, we don't, though I've put half a dozen people on it, including Elar, of course.† Amaryl turned on his Prime Radiant-which was every bit as advanced as Seldon's was-and he watched as the curving lines of luminous equations curled in midair-too small, too fine to be read without amplification. â€Å"Add the new equations and we may be able to begin to predict.† â€Å"Each time I study the Prime Radiant now,† said Seldon thoughtfully, â€Å"I wonder at the Electro-Clarifier and how tightly it squeezes material into the lines and curves of the future. Wasn't that Elar's idea, too?† â€Å"Yes. With the help of Cinda Monay, who designed it.† â€Å"It's good to have new and brilliant men and women in the Project. Somehow it reconciles me to the future.† â€Å"You think someone like Elar may be heading the Project someday?† asked Amaryl, still studying the Prime Radiant. â€Å"Maybe. After you and I have retired-or died.† Amaryl seemed to relax and turned off the device. â€Å"I would like to complete the task before we retire or die.† â€Å"So would I, Yugo. So would I.† â€Å"Psychohistory has guided us pretty well in the last ten years.† That was true enough, but Seldon knew that one couldn't attach too much triumph to that. Things had gone smoothly and without major surprises. Psychohistory had predicted that the center would hold after Cleon's death-predicted it in a very dim and uncertain way-and it did hold. Trantor was reasonably quiet. Even with an assassination and the end of a dynasty, the center had held. It did so under the stress of military rule-Dors was quite right in speaking of the junta as â€Å"those military rascals.† She might have even gone farther in her accusations without being wrong. Nevertheless, they were holding the Empire together and would continue to do so for a time. Long enough, perhaps, to allow psychohistory to play an active role in the events that were to transpire. Lately Yugo had been speaking about the possible establishment of Foundations-separate, isolated, independent of the Empire itself serving as seeds for developments through the forthcoming dark ages and into a new and better Empire. Seldon himself had been working on the consequences of such an arrangement. But he lacked the time and, he felt (with a certain misery), he lacked the youth as well. His mind, however firm and steady, did not have the resiliency and creativity that it had had when he was thirty and with each passing year, he knew he would have less. Perhaps he ought to put the young and brilliant Elar on the task, taking him off everything else. Seldon had to admit to himself, shamefacedly, that the possibility did not excite him. He did not want to have invented psychohistory so that some stripling could come in and reap the final fruits of fame. In fact, to put it at its most disgraceful, Seldon felt jealous of Elar and realized it just sufficiently to feel ashamed of the emotion. Yet, regardless of his less rational feelings, he would have to depend on other younger men-whatever his discomfort over it. Psychohistory was no longer the private preserve of himself and Amaryl. The decade of his being First Minister had converted it into a large government-sanctioned and -budgeted undertaking and, quite to his surprise, after resigning from his post as First Minister and returning to Streeling University, it had grown still larger. Hari grimaced at its ponderous-and pompous-official name: the Seldon Psychohistory Project at Streeling University. But most people simply referred to it as the Project. The military junta apparently saw the Project as a possible political weapon and while that was so, funding was no problem. Credits poured in. In return, it was necessary to prepare annual reports, which, however, were quite opaque. Only fringe matters were reported on and even then the mathematics was not likely to be within the purview of any of the members of the junta. It was clear as he left his old assistant that Amaryl, at least, was more than satisfied with the way psychohistory was going and yet Seldon felt the blanket of depression settle over him once more. He decided it was the forthcoming birthday celebration that was bothering him. It was meant as a celebration of joy, but to Hari it was not even a gesture of consolation-it merely emphasized his age. Besides, it was upsetting his routine and Hari was a creature of habit. His office and a number of those adjoining had been cleared out and it had been days since he had been able to work normally. His proper offices would be converted into halls of glory, he supposed, and it would be many days before he could get back to work. Only Amaryl absolutely refused to budge and was able to maintain his office. Seldon had wondered, peevishly, who had thought of doing all this. It wasn't Dors, of course. She knew him entirely too well. Not Amaryl or Raych, who never even remembered their own birthdays. He had suspected Manella and had even confronted her on the matter. She admitted that she was all for it and had given orders for the arrangements to take place, but she said that the idea for the birthday party had been suggested to her by Tamwile Elar. The brilliant one, thought Seldon. Brilliant in everything. He sighed. If only the birthday were all over. Dors poked her head through the door. â€Å"Am I allowed to come in?† â€Å"No, of course not. Why should you think I would?† â€Å"This is not your usual place.† â€Å"I know,† sighed Seldon. â€Å"I have been evicted from my usual place because of the stupid birthday party. How I wish it were over.† â€Å"There you are. Once that woman gets an idea in her head, it takes over and grows like the big bang.† Seldon changed sides at once. â€Å"Come. She means well, Dors.† â€Å"Save me from the well-meaning,† said Dors. â€Å"In any case, I'm here to discuss something else. Something which may be important.† â€Å"Go ahead. What is it?† â€Å"I've been talking to Wanda about her dream-† She hesitated. Seldon made a gargling sound in the back of his throat, then said, â€Å"I can't believe it. Just let it go.† â€Å"No. Did you bother to ask her for the details of the dream?† â€Å"Why should I put the little girl through that?† â€Å"Neither did Raych, nor Manella. It was left up to me.† â€Å"But why should you torture her with questions about it?† â€Å"Because I had the feeling I should,† said Dors grimly. â€Å"In the first place, she didn't have the dream when she was home in her bed.† â€Å"Where was she, then?† â€Å"In your office.† â€Å"What was she doing in my office?† â€Å"She wanted to see the place where the party would be and she walked into your office and, of course, there was nothing to see, as it's been cleared out in preparation. But your chair was still there. The large one-tall back, tall wings, broken-down-the one you won't let me replace.† Hari sighed, as if recalling a longstanding disagreement. â€Å"It's not broken-down. I don't want a new one. Go on.† â€Å"She curled up in your chair and began to brood over the fact that maybe you weren't really going to have a party and she felt bad. Then, she tells me, she must have fallen asleep because nothing is clear in her mind, except that in her dream there were two men-not women, she was sure about that-two men, talking.† â€Å"And what were they talking about?† â€Å"She doesn't know exactly. You know how difficult it is to remember details under such circumstances. But she says it was about dying and she thought it was you because you were so old. And she remembers two words clearly. They were ‘lemonade death.'† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Lemonade death.† â€Å"What does that mean?† â€Å"I don't know. In any case, the talking ceased, the men left, and there she was in the chair, cold and frightened-and she's been upset about it ever since.† Seldon mulled over Dors's report. Then he said, â€Å"Look, dear, what importance can we attach to a child's dream?† â€Å"We can ask ourselves first, Hari, if it even was a dream.† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"Wanda doesn't say outright it was. She says she ‘must have fallen asleep.' Those are her words. She didn't say she fell asleep, she said she must have fallen asleep.† â€Å"What do you deduce from that?† â€Å"She may have drifted off into a half-doze and, in that state, heard two men-two real men, not two dream men-talking.† â€Å"Real men? Talking about killing me with lemonade death?† â€Å"Something like that, yes.† â€Å"Dors,† said Seldon forcefully, â€Å"I know that you're forever foreseeing danger for me, but this is going too far. Why should anyone want to kill me?† â€Å"It's been tried twice before.† â€Å"So it has, but consider the circumstances. The first attempt came shortly after Cleon appointed me First Minister. Naturally this was an offense to the well-established court hierarchy and I was very resented. A few thought they might settle matters by getting rid of me. The second time was when the Joranumites were trying to seize power and they thought I was standing in their way-plus Namarti's distorted dream of revenge. â€Å"Fortunately neither assassination attempt succeeded, but why should there now be a third? I am no longer First Minister and haven't been for ten years. I am an aging mathematician in retirement and surely no one has anything to fear from me. The Joranumites have been rooted out and destroyed and Namarti was executed long ago. There is absolutely no motivation for anyone to want to kill me. â€Å"So please, Dors, relax. When you're nervous about me, you get unsettled, which makes you more nervous still, and I don't want that to happen.† Dors rose from her seat and leaned across Hari's desk. â€Å"It's easy for you to say that there is no motive to kill you, but none is needed. Our government is now a completely irresponsible one and if they wish-â€Å" â€Å"Stop!† commanded Seldon loudly. Then, very quietly, â€Å"Not a word, Dors. Not a word against the government. That could get us in the very trouble you're foreseeing.† â€Å"I'm only talking to you, Hari.† â€Å"Right now you are, but if you get into the habit of saying foolish things, you don't know when something will slip out in someone else's presence-someone who will then be glad to report you. Just learn, as a matter of necessity, to refrain from political commentary.† â€Å"I'll try, Hari,† said Dors, but she could not keep the indignation out of her voice. She turned on her heel and left. Seldon watched her go. Dors had aged gracefully, so gracefully that at times she seemed not to have aged at all. Though she was two years younger than Seldon, her appearance had not changed nearly as much as his had in the twenty-eight years they had been together. Naturally. Her hair was frosted with gray, but the youthful luster beneath the gray still shone through. Her complexion had grown more sallow; her voice was a bit huskier, and, of course, she wore clothes that were suitable for middle age. However, her movements were as agile and as quick as ever. It was as if nothing could be allowed to interfere with her ability to protect Hari in case of an emergency. Hari sighed. This business of being protected-more or less against his will, at all times-was sometimes a heavy burden. 8 Manella came to see Seldon almost immediately afterward. â€Å"Pardon me, Hari, but what has Dors been saying?† Seldon looked up again. Nothing but interruptions. â€Å"It wasn't anything important. Wanda's dream.† Manella's lips pursed. â€Å"I knew it. Wanda said Dors was asking her questions about it. Why doesn't she leave the girl alone? You would think that having a bad dream was some sort of felony.† â€Å"As a matter of fact,† said Seldon soothingly, â€Å"it's just a matter of something Wanda remembered as part of the dream. I don't know if Wanda told you, but apparently in her dream she heard something about ‘lemonade death.' â€Å" â€Å"Hmm!† Manella was silent for a moment. Then she said, â€Å"That doesn't really matter so much. Wanda is crazy about lemonade and she's expecting lots of it at the party. I promised she'd have some with Mycogenian drops in it and she's looking forward to it.† â€Å"So that if she heard something that sounded anything like lemonade, it would be translated into lemonade in her mind.† â€Å"Yes. Why not?† â€Å"Except that, in that case, what do you suppose it was that was actually said? She must have heard something in order to misinterpret it.† â€Å"I don't think that's necessarily so. But why are we attaching so much importance to a little girl's dream? Please, I don't want anyone talking to her about it anymore. It's too upsetting.† â€Å"I agree. I'll see to it that Dors drops the subject-at least with Wanda.† â€Å"All right. I don't care if she is Wanda's grandmother, Hari. I'm her mother, after all, and my wishes come first.† â€Å"Absolutely,† said Seldon soothingly and looked after Manella as she left. That was another burden-the unending competition between those two women. 9 Tamwile Elar was thirty-six years old and had joined Seldon's Psychohistory Project as Senior Mathematician four years earlier. He was a tall man, with a habitual twinkle in his eye and with more than a touch of self-assurance as well. His hair was brown and had a loose wave in it, the more noticeable because he wore it rather long. He had an abrupt way of laughing, but there was no fault to be found with his mathematical ability. Elar had been recruited from the West Mandanov University and Seldon always had to smile when he remembered how suspicious Yugo Amaryl had been of him at first. But then, Amaryl was suspicious of everyone. Deep in his heart (Seldon felt sure), Amaryl felt that psychohistory ought to have remained his and Hari's private province. But even Amaryl was now willing to admit that Elar's membership in the group had eased his own situation tremendously. Yugo said, â€Å"His techniques for avoiding chaos are unique and fascinating. No one else in the Project could have worked it out the way he did. Certainly nothing of this sort ever occurred to me. It didn't occur to you, either, Hari.† â€Å"Well,† said Seldon grumpily, â€Å"I'm getting old.† â€Å"If only,† said Amaryl, â€Å"he didn't laugh so loud.† â€Å"People can't help the way they laugh.† Yet the truth was that Seldon found himself having a little trouble accepting Elar. It was rather humiliating that he himself had come nowhere near the â€Å"achaotic equations,† as they were now called. It didn't bother Seldon that he had never thought of the principle behind the Electro-Clarifier-that was not really his field. The achaotic equations, however, he should, indeed, have thought of-or at least gotten close to. He tried reasoning with himself. Seldon had worked out the entire basis for psychohistory and the achaotic equations grew naturally out of that basis. Could Elar have done Seldon's work three decades earlier? Seldon was convinced that Elar couldn't have. And was it so remarkable that Elar had thought up the principle of achaotism once the basis was in place? All this was very sensible and very true, yet Seldon still found himself uneasy when facing Elar. Just slightly edgy. Weary age facing flamboyant youth. Yet Elar never gave him obvious cause for feeling the difference in years. He never failed to show Seldon full respect or in any way to imply that the older man had passed his prime. Of course, Elar was interested in the forthcoming festivities and had even, as Seldon had discovered, been the first to suggest that Seldon's birthday be celebrated. (Was this a nasty emphasis on Seldon's age? Seldon dismissed the possibility. If he believed that, it would mean he was picking up some of Dors's tricks of suspicion. Elar strode toward him and said, â€Å"Maestro-† And Seldon winced, as always. He much preferred to have the senior members of the Project call him Hari, but it seemed such a small point to make a fuss over. â€Å"Maestro,† said Elar. â€Å"The word is out that you've been called in for a conference with General Tennar.† â€Å"Yes. He's the new head of the military junta and I suppose he wants to see me to ask what psychohistory is all about. They've been asking me that since the days of Cleon and Demerzel.† (The new head! The junta was like a kaleidoscope, with some of its members periodically falling from grace and others rising from nowhere.) â€Å"But it's my understanding he wants it now-right in the middle of the birthday celebration.† â€Å"That doesn't matter. You can all celebrate without me.† â€Å"No, we can't, Maestro. I hope you don't mind, but some of us got together and put in a call to the Palace and put the appointment off for a week.† â€Å"What?† said Seldon annoyed. â€Å"Surely that was presumptuous of you-and risky, besides.† â€Å"It worked out well. They've put it off and you'll need that time.† â€Å"Why would I need a week?† Elar hesitated. â€Å"May I speak frankly, Maestro?† â€Å"Of course you can. When have I ever asked that anyone speak to me m any way but frankly?† Elar flushed slightly, his fair skin reddening, but his voice remained steady. â€Å"It's not easy to say this, Maestro. You're a genius at mathematics. No one on the Project has any doubt of that. No one in the Empire-they knew you and understood mathematics-would have any doubt about it. However, it is not given to anybody to be a universal genius.† â€Å"I know that as well as you do, Elar.† â€Å"I know you do. Specifically, though, you lack the ability to handle ordinary people-shall we say, stupid people. You lack a certain deviousness, a certain ability to sidestep, and if you are dealing with someone who is both powerful in government and somewhat stupid, you can easily endanger the Project and, for that matter, your own life, simply because you are too frank.† â€Å"What is this? Am I suddenly a child? I've been dealing with politicians for a long time. I was First Minister for ten years, as perhaps you may remember.† â€Å"Forgive me, Maestro, but you were not an extraordinarily effective one. You dealt with First Minister Demerzel, who was very intelligent, by all accounts, and with the Emperor Cleon, who was very friendly. Now you will encounter military people who are neither intelligent nor friendly-another matter entirely.† â€Å"I've even dealt with military people and survived.† â€Å"Not with General Dugal Tennar. He's another sort of thing altogether. I know him.† â€Å"You know him? You have met him?† â€Å"I don't know him personally, but he's from Mandanov, which, as you know, is my sector, and he was a power there before he joined the junta and rose through its ranks.† â€Å"And what do you know about him?† â€Å"Ignorant, superstitious, violent. He is not someone you can handle easily-or safely. You can use the week to work out methods for dealing with him.† Seldon bit his lower lip. There was something to what Elar said and Seldon recognized the fact that, while he had plans of his own, it would still be difficult to try to manipulate a stupid, self-important, short-tempered person with overwhelming force at his disposal. He said uneasily, â€Å"I'll manage somehow. The whole matter of a military junta is, in any case, an unstable situation in the Trantor of today. It has already lasted longer than might have seemed likely.† â€Å"Have we been testing that? I was not aware that we were making stability decisions on the junta.† â€Å"Just a few calculations by Amaryl, making use of your achaotic equations.† He paused. â€Å"By the way, I've come across some references to them as the Elar Equations.† â€Å"Not by me, Maestro.† â€Å"I hope you don't mind, but I don't want that. Psychohistoric elements are to be described functionally and not personally. As soon as personalities intervene, bad feelings arise.† â€Å"I understand and quite agree, Maestro.† â€Å"In fact,† said Seldon with a touch of guilt, â€Å"I have always felt it wrong that we speak of the basic Seldon Equations of Psychohistory. The trouble is that's been in use for so many years, it's not practical to try to change it.† â€Å"If you'll excuse my saying so, Maestro, you're an exceptional case. No one, I think, would quarrel with your receiving full credit for inventing the science of psychohistory. But, if I may, I wish to get back to your meeting with General Tennar.† â€Å"Well, what else is there to say?† â€Å"I can't help but wonder if it might be better if you did not see him, did not speak to him, did not deal with him.† â€Å"How am I to avoid that if he calls me in for a conference?† â€Å"Perhaps you can plead illness and send someone in your place.† â€Å"Whom?† Elar was silent for a moment, but his silence was eloquent. Seldon said, â€Å"You, I take it.† â€Å"Might that not be the thing to do? I am a fellow sectoral citizen of the General, which may carry some weight. You are a busy man, getting on in years, and it would be easy to believe that you are not entirely well. And if I see him, rather than yourself-please excuse me, Maestro-I can wiggle and maneuver more easily than you can.† â€Å"Lie, you mean.† â€Å"If necessary.† â€Å"You'll be taking a huge chance.† â€Å"Not too huge. I doubt that he will order my execution. If he becomes annoyed with me, as he well might, then I can plead-or you can plead on my behalf-youth and inexperience. In any case, if I get into trouble, that will be far less dangerous than if you were to do so. I'm thinking of the Project, which can do without me a great deal more easily than it can without you.† Seldon said with a frown, â€Å"I'm not going to hide behind you, Elar. If the man wants to see me, he will see me. I refuse to shiver and shake and ask you to take chances for me. What do you think I am?† â€Å"A frank and honest man-when the need is for a devious one.† â€Å"I will manage to be devious-if I must. Please don't underestimate me, Elar.† Elar shrugged hopelessly. â€Å"Very well. I can only argue with you up to a certain point.† â€Å"In fact, Elar, I wish you had not postponed the meeting. I would rather skip my birthday and see the General than the reverse. This birthday celebration was not my idea.† His voice died away in a grumble. Elar said, â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"Well,† said Seldon with resignation, â€Å"we'll see what happens.† He turned and left. Sometimes he wished ardently that he could run what was called a â€Å"tight ship,† making sure that everything went as he wished it to, leaving little or no room for maneuvering among his subordinates. To do that, however, would take enormous time, enormous effort, would deprive him of any chance of working on psychohistory himself-and, besides, he simply lacked the temperament for it. He sighed. He would have to speak to Amaryl.

Isabel Allende

A Tribute to Isabel Allende Honor should be given to Allende, whose works sometimes contain aspects of the â€Å"magic realistic† tradition, is one of the first successful women novelists in Latin America. She is largely famous for her contributions to Latin-American literature, novels such as The House of the Spirits (La casa de los espiritus (1982) and City of the Beasts (La ciudad de las bestias) (2002), which have been hugely successful. She has written novels based in part on her own experiences, often focusing on the experiences of women, weaving myth and realism together. She has lectured and done extensive book tours and has taught literature at ten US colleges. Having adopted American citizenship in 2003, she currently resides in California along with her husband. Professional Life Born in Lima, Peru, her Chilean diplomat father and her mother divorced and she lived with her mother and grandparents. She worked first as a secretary and then as a journalist in print, on television and in movie documentaries. After the overthrow and assassination in 1973 of her uncle, Salvador Allende, president of Chile, Isabel Allende and her husband and children left for safety in Venezuela. It was in her exile that she began to write The House of the Spirits, her first novel, which was based on her own family and the politics of Chile. She continued to produce novels based in part on her own experience, often focusing on the experience of women, weaving myth and realism together. She has lectured and done extensive book tours, and has taught literature at colleges in Virginia, New Jersey and California. Her 1995 work, Paula, is based on the extended coma and death of her daughter in 1992. She was divorced from her first husband, Miguel Frias, an engineer. In 1988, she married William Gordon, a lawyer. Personal Life Allende thinks is very strange to talk about her because her life it is not just a list of dates and events. In reality the most important things about her life happened in the secret chambers of her heart and have no place in a biography. According to her own words, her most significant achievements are not her books, but the love she shares with a few people, especially her family, and the ways in which she has tried to help others. When she was young, she often felt desperate: so much pain in the world and so little she could do to alleviate it. But now she looks back at her life and feels satisfied because few days went by without at least trying. A day at a time, a person at time; in the end it adds up! Here are a few things she considers important and you won't find in a list of her publications and accomplishments: ? It is important to be kind, be truthful, and take care of others and herself. Women her age, as elders of the village, have a duty to care for the young, especially girls. If the world is ever going to heal, it will be women who will make it so. Today's girls are tomorrow's women. We cannot leave them to fend for themselves. ?She has been empowered by education, reproductive rights and economic independence. Young women who are uneducated and have no skills, who are not in control of their own bodies and fertility, and who cannot support themselves, can become destitute and be victimized. Each of us must act without delay to empower girls to take control of their lives, even if they stumble and fall a hundred times. With our help, they can succeed. ?In every human being there is a core of shining dignity and courage. Conclusion In 1981, the world gained one of Latin America most remarkable writers with distinguished contributions as a literary artist and humanitarian. Works by the writer â€Å"The House of the Spirits†, (novel) Spain 1982 â€Å"Of Love and Shadows†, (novel) Spain 1984 â€Å"Eva Luna'†, (novel) Spain 1985 Stories of Eva Luna†, (short stories) Spain 1989 â€Å"The Infinite Plan†, (novel) Spain 1991 â€Å"Paula†, (novel) Spain 1994 â€Å"Aphrodite† (recipes, stories and other aphrodisiacs) Spain 1997 â€Å"Daughter of Fortune†, (novel) Spain 1999 â€Å"Portrait in Sepia†, (novel) Spain 2000 â€Å"The City of the Beasts† (young adult novel) Spain 2002 â€Å"My Invented Country†, ( novel) Spain 2003 â€Å"Kingdom of the Golden Dragon†, (young adult novel) Spain 2003 â€Å"Forest of the Pygmies†, (young adult novel) 2005 â€Å"Zorro†, (novel) Spain 2005 Ines of My Soul†, (novel) Spain 2006 â€Å"The Sum of Our Days†, (novel) Spain 2007 Works about the writer Isabel Allende, Award-Winning Latin American Author by Mary Main (2005) Bautista Gutierrez, Gloria and Corrales-Martin, Norma; Pinceledas Literarias Latinoamericanas, John Wiley and Sons, 2004 â€Å"Allende is all about storytelling. † Toronto Star (Canada) 23 Oct. 2002. www. epnet. com www. isabelallende. com www. ted. com. php/talks/isabel_allende_tells_tales_of_passion. html www. motherjones. com/arts/qa/1994/09/allende. html

Organisational Behavioral Disciplines Essay

Before we start, we must first understand what Organizational Behaviour is. Organizational Behaviour is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, group dynamics, and structure have on behaviour within the organizations and its effective use for the purpose of such knowledge towards improving its performance.A multidisciplinary field devoted to understanding individual and group behavior, interpersonal processes, and organizational dynamics. . Organizational behavior is built upon contributions from a number of behavioral disciplines/sciences, this is too understand, manage and predict effectively in a work environment. The first in psychology, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, and political science. Psychology is the science that seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change the behavior of humans. It is used to improve organizational effectiveness and the work of individual in the organization. This is the learning, perceptions, personality, emotions, training, leadership effectiveness, decision–making, fatigue, boredom, and other factors relevant to working conditions that could impede efficient work performance. More recently, their contributions have been expanded to include, job satisfaction, decision-making processes, performance appraisals, attitude measurement, employee selection techniques, work design, and job stress. Sociology; Sociology studies people in relation to their fellow human beings to improve organizational performance. Some of the areas within Organizational behaviour that have received valuable input from sociologists are group dynamics, design of work teams, organizational culture, formal organization theory and structure, organizational technology, communications, power, and conflict. Social psychology Social psychology blends concepts from both psychology and sociology. It focuses on the influence of the people on one another. One of the major areas under considerable investigation by social psychologists has been, how to implement it and how to reduce barriers to its acceptance. Yet we find social psychologists making significant contributions in the areas of measuring, understanding, and changing attitudes, communication patterns, building trust, the way in which group activities can satisfy individual needs, and group decision-making process. Anthropology Anthropology is the study of societies to learn about human beings and their activities. For instance, anthropologists’ work on cultures and environments has helped us understand differences in fundamental values, attitudes, and behaviour between people in different countries and within different organizations. Much of our current understanding of organizational culture, organizational environments, and differences between national cultures is the result of the work of anthropologists or those using their methods. Political Science Political science studies the behaviour of individuals and groups within a political environment. Specific topics of concern here include the structuring of conflict, allocation of power, and how people manipulate power for individual self-interest. Challenges in Organizational behaviour Similar to the evolution of man and its environment there has been a substantial change in the approach for better productivity within an organization through the brainstorming efforts applied by a business executive /entrepreneur. Understanding organizational behaviour within a corporation and particularly the factors influencing the organizational behaviour of a single entity has become the key to the success of any organization. There is no one single approach to organizational behaviour which is best for all organizations; instead, organizations/companies or businesses must evolve the system which works best for them with the help of effective planning and technological support which changes over time as their current work environment and the individuals within that current work environment similarly. They are seven organizational behaviour current work challenges I have noted: I.One of the major current work challenges of organizational behaviour is finding ways to motivate employees as a way to improve activity. Some of the ways organizations improve productivity within the organization is to empower the employees. When organizations and businesses empower its employees, it gives them a sense of loyalty to the company because they feel like they are part of the success of the business. II.Second of the challenges of organizational behaviour is hiring the right employees for the company. Hiring the right employees for the organization is not only about finding the people with the skills and knowledge that the position requires, but also employees that fit into the organizational culture or can help to improve employee relations. For example, it can be de-motivating to employees if upper management is not open to progressive thoughts and actions that can move the business forward. Hiring a progressive and forward thinking executive manager who also has the experience and knowledge can help to give the employees a new outlook on the company. III.Third of the main challenges of organizational behaviour is how to run a productive organization but also show its employees that it cares about them as well. In other words, it is about helping employees find the right work-life balance. For example, a company that provides an on-site clinic center as an employee benefit or at a reduced cost is one way for the company to show that it cares about its employees both professionally and personally. This can lead to the employees contributing to organizational behaviour and culture in a positive manner. IV.Another example in challenges of organizational behaviour is overcoming ethnic and cultural diversity among employees. Because different employees have different beliefs, opinions and ways of working, it can be challenging for employees to work together because of these differences. Some organizations choose to offer diversity training courses or workshops to help overcome these issues. The point is to illuminate how the diversity of an organization actually makes it better for the different benefits that each of the employees bring to the table. V.It is easy for corporate scandals to reach the public within a short time. Organizations often have policies that facilitate ethical behaviour within the workplace. The challenge for managers is to promote an ethical organizational behaviour and culture such that employees will not put their individual interests ahead of organizational interests. Personal interest is an aspect of organizational behaviour and managers face the task of encouraging group interest over personal interest so as to preserve ethical values. VI.Last but not least, Individual employee problems can be personality conflicts, supervisor issues, personal trauma or company structure oriented. Organizations must learn the cause of the problem and who or what keeps â€Å"fuelling the fire.† If there is no clear trigger, the answer could fall back to insufficient or confusing communications. For example, an employee in a decentralized organization may feel they must answer to multiple supervisors if the chain of command is not communicated clearly. VII.Finally, Information technology plays an integral role in workplace communication. Additionally, workplace communication also influences how people and groups behave in the organization. Although technology brings with it efficiency in collating and disseminating knowledge, it can also alienate individuals such as the elderly within the organization. The challenge here is in finding ways in which technology promotes organizational communication and inclusion rather than exclusion and discrimination. Conclusion Various challenges confront organizations within the context of organizational behaviour. With new challenges arising every day, there’s a need for adaptation in the current work environment. With the use of technology and team building tasks, one can achieve a good working environment leading to a motivated and sustained work force.

Summarize and assess Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summarize and assess - Essay Example In this note, Vattimo also emphasized that metaphysics have no place in this dialogue since metaphysics have already taken the path of interpreting their knowledge that is limited on scientific knowledge and approach—with it are very defined scientific system of belief and tradition i.e. objectivism. At the latter part of his discussion, Vattimo concluded that Christianity should not be tied down on just one entity—which is always is the stereotypical perspective, particularly with Roman Catholicism. The concept of harmonious living, of everything that is good, ethical, and moral must be a sense of charity we feel for one another. And when there is the presence of God, there is Charity (Caputo & Vattimo, p. 45). Thus, when we choose not to clash with one another, that means we are being charitable, thus we are being Christians. Ergo, we profess Christianity in a non-religious perspective. One of the many critical arguments that Vattimo presented in his premise, towards his discourse on proving his point of a nonreligious Christianity is the importance of knowledge and its subjectivity. â€Å"In anything I must choose a perspective.† Science deliberately limited their knowledge because they devoid themselves of their private interests that does not concern their science (p. 27). Though science’s claims of objectivity had help put a finite order in our daily lives, it is clear that Vattimo have efficiently excluded metaphysics in his discourse because Christianity as a philosophical discourse could not be pursued with objectivity. Another critical point that Vattimo made is that knowledge is culturally dictated, as well as the use of language. Therefore, interpretation is also culturally defined. The use of language as a part of a cultural system means that it has its own rules. As he cited, he could be praying the Lord’s Prayer, yet speaking on a spiritual language. Because Vattimo’s discourse is

Literary Analysis Of White Teeth By Zadie Smith Essay

Literary Analysis Of White Teeth By Zadie Smith - Essay Example She is currently a Fellow at Harvard University in the US. Our children will be born of our actions. Our accidents will become their destinies. Oh, the actions will remain. It is a simple matter of what you will do when the chips are down, my friend. When the fat lady is singing. When the walls are falling in, and the sky is dark, and the ground is rumbling. In that moment our actions will define us. And it makes no difference whether you are being watched by Allah, Jesus, Buddha, or whether you are not. On cold days a man can see his breath, on a hot day he can't. On both occasions, the man breathes. -Zadie Smith, White Teeth If World War II and the knowledge of oppression it represents are absent from all too many postcolonial studies, fifty-five years after its ending, the event and its lingering effects have found a critical position in the remarkable novel White Teeth, by Zadie Smith, Britain's most celebrated postcolonial prodigy. In White Teeth, the last days of that war mark the beginning of an escape from the nightmare of belonging to someone else and chart a journey to somewhere else. White Teeth proclaims a declaration of independence not only from the haunting and constraining memory of the war's catastrophes and racist oppression, but from the very idea of belonging. After centuries of colonial oppression and decades of postcolonial depression and anger, White Teeth imagines the grand finale of Empire as the construction of a multicultural, multiclass British bazaar. Acknowledging its colonial history and debt to postcolonial studies, the novel creates a set of unanticipated mutating connectio ns among historical and imagined events and identities interwoven among first-, second-, and third-generation postcolonial citizens of Britain. (Mike Storry, Peter Childs 53) The end of World War II meets the creation of a new Britain when a younger generation seizes the monocultural ground of Englishness on which their racialized conditions originated. As this younger generation remaps the future of their interrelated history, the narrative and political effects of their takeover represent a response not only to postcolonial critics, but to British women writing the end of Empire. Born in 1975, of a Jamaican mother and English father, in the epicenter of "British racism of the 1970s and 1980s, "Zadie Smith writes White Teeth as a rebellion against her confinement in the role of marginalized victim in an ongoing history of oppression. Neither she nor her characters will accept their places as objects of an interminable and global racist plot. (Nasta 11) Instead, she insists that "her own education at a comprehensive school and then at Cambridge shows that"life changes, my family is a picture of change"). The novel's hyperkinetic romp across interracial, multiethnic London veers from the marriage of working-class Englishman Archie Jones to biracial Jamaican Clara, from his friendship with his Bengali Muslim army mate, Samad Iqbal, to their children's entanglements with the Jewish Chalfen family. As their children hip-hop unimpeded through London's jumble of social and cultural identities, White Teeth understands, toys with, and then refuses inclusion in the "official racism of Britain in the 1970s". These characters and the whole of White Teeth will not play into the hands of Enoch Powell's racist rhetoric-"the triumph of barbarism over civilization". Powell's rallying cry against the postwar waves of postcolonial immigration reverses that slogan used by colonial conquerors and also by the Allies in their war against Nazi conquest-th e triumph of civilization over barbarism. But Powell's slogan also exposes what all

Strategic Analysis for Tui Travel PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Analysis for Tui Travel PLC - Essay Example Additionally, while other companies in similar marketplaces are experiencing drops in share value, based on the current economic crisis across the globe, TUI Travel, Plc. has witnessed a 42 percent increase in share value (TUI Travel, 2009). What this suggests is an organisation which is satisfying stakeholder expectations and is reaping the profit of having a very solid business model and diverse line of company brand names. Perhaps this high share value can be attributed to having a business model which recognises opportunities for improvement and looks continuously for methods to make the business even stronger. For example, in 2009, TUI Travel entered a strategic alliance with Air Berlin and will now own almost 20 percent of Air Berlin (Done and Wiesmann, 2009). This new strategic alliance will give TUI Travel a multitude of new opportunities for customer air travel and give the firm more destinations to provide to their many customers. Even though TUI is not invested into this alliance for a long-term, ownership agreement, TUI is actively looking for opportunities to expand its brand presence and keep the TUI name both flexible and financially-strong in the minds of its customers and investors. TUI also seems to have a very high cash availability, which is something that many companies in today’s economic climate cannot say. Cash increased by a considerable margin from 2007 to 2008, suggesting that TUI has the financial capabilities to consider many different alliances or acquisitions in the pursuit of giving the company a stronger brand image and more options for holiday for its many travel customers. There are many strengths under TUI’s current business model, one of which is the external environment which is prompting many positive changes to how the business performs internally. Arends and Niththyananthan (2009) suggest that TUI is now facing much lower fuel prices, lower

The elasticity of demand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The elasticity of demand - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the sensitivity of demand of a product with respect to changes in its own price is identified as the own price elasticity of demand. To state this alternatively, own price elasticity of demand is defined as the percentage change in demand per percentage change in the price of the product, other things remaining the same. Therefore, the own price elasticity of demand is expressed as the ratio of percentage change in demand and the percentage change in the price of the good in question. So, own price elasticity of demand for the good X with a per unit price PX shall be given by the expression: EPx = (percentage change in quantity demanded of X)/ (percentage change in PX). This can be calculated as either at a movement from a point on the demand curve to another, which is known as arc elasticity or as the limiting value of arc elasticity known as point elasticity of demand. However for changes assumed to be infinitesimally small, so that the movement is not perceptible and it is as if the consumer stays on the same point on the demand curve almost, we use the limiting value of arc elasticity of demand, known as point elasticity of demand. Since for all normal goods quantity demanded varies inversely with price, own price elasticity is always negative, though the extent to which demand varies inversely is not the same for all goods.

Taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Taxation - Essay Example In implementing the principles of tax efficiency, it adheres to â€Å"fiscal neutrality† in the sense that the tax system is implemented such that â€Å"it does not interfere with the workings of the markets or the decisions of the households while minimising the disincentive effects† of government taxes on he level of economic activity. Subscribing to the perspective of the OECD that â€Å"an efficient tax system† is achieved via a mix of different taxes, the UK tax system combines various types of taxation to promote taxation efficiency (UK Parliament, 2011). Another important policy anchor on which the UK taxation system rests is fairness. According to the UK Parliament (2011), this means that â€Å"the burden of tax should reflect the ability to pay while incorporating principles of intergenerational equity.† A defensible way of interpreting the policy declaration is that the UK’s tax policy is governed by equity taxation which can be extended t o mean that taxation can be used to promote equity. The UK’s notion of equity, however, covers the promotion of social and intergenerational equity. This means that equity across social groups is promoted (without promoting disincentive to work and do business) as well as intergenerational equity. ... It is a standard notion in economics that horizontal equity means that those who earn the same should have equal burden of the tax while vertical equity means that those who earn more should share a higher burden of the tax: those with the same ability should pay the same tax and those with higher abilities should pay more taxes. The UK Parliament (2011) also emphasised that in promoting fairness in taxation requires that the UK government create policy measures that prevent tax avoidance and evasion. Finally, another important reason given by the UK Parliament on why the government of the UK imposes taxes is that people must get value for their money. This is interpreted to mean that the UK taxation is designed and people are taxed in a manner that compliance and collection costs are marshalled to a minimum (UK Parliament, 2011). In sum, based on the UK Parliament’s publication, the core principles of the UK government’s tax policy are sustainability, efficiency, fairn ess and value for money. The four principles provide the basis as well as the reasons on why a certain tax policy is adopted and the manner by which a tax policy is implemented. At the same time, the articulation of the four principles should not obscure a fundamental fact: the â€Å"main aim of the tax system† of the UK is to raise revenue (UK Parliament, 2011). The UK Parliament (2011) publication declared that if tax policy is used to support other objectives then it should be interpreted as an attempt by the tax system to produce the best value for money. With the ongoing global economic difficulties that are believed to have originated from the United States sub-prime crisis of 2008, UK’s taxation policies are also

Discuss how Napoleon and his General Staff took centuries of Essay

Discuss how Napoleon and his General Staff took centuries of monolithic parade units and redefined the protective units both as bodyguard and elite maneuver units - Essay Example n and brilliant mind that resulted in the imposition of rigid admission criteria for Imperial guardsmen, and he also trained them to handle rotating functions. Napoleon is a marvelously bright hands-on leader, devoted to his general staff, who exercised his power with nobility and personally attended to the needs of his staff. â€Å"Napoleon’s personal supervision of even the most mundane matters - such as the quality of ration bread - served to deepen the reciprocal affection between Emperor and Guard† (Haythornthwaite and Hook 7). During the Napoleonic wars, protective units, such as bodyguard and elite maneuver, have duties to save the French empire of Napoleon; however, these units are redefined through the expansion of roles. The authentic definition is to guarantee Napoleon’s safety, but this is predefined from a personal guard to a major combat force that is always prepared for the invasion. Napoleon believed that war is not a preset engagement, but it is an affair where a quick decision to fight is the way to victory (Griess 33). Thus, his protective units are given the role to be employed and politically involved in establishing personal links with foreign allies. The units are not just reserved to fight, but these are the instruments used to tame the enemies by giving them positions in protective

DISCUSSION BoARD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

DISCUSSION BoARD - Essay Example Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having one. Whistle blowing is a practice that asks of an individual or a group of individuals to speak against the system in a quiet manner. This individual or the group comes out in the open by revealing the facts which may not be known to anyone at a given time. Whistle blowing is an important element that comes under the ethical constructs. This is because it directly forms a link with whether it should be bracketed under ethics or not. However, for the sake of understanding the organizational concerns, business ethics has to be taken into consideration in order to have a good knowledge of whistle blowing as its ramifications are manifolds and should always be judged from a number of angles and perspectives (Roper 2005). The reasons why an employee would rather refrain from reporting potentially unethical behavior to their management concerns in the organization is because they are wary of the consequences that might arise from the same. They would rather put such issues under the carpet be cause taking it far would not help the cause of anyone, as per their thinking. They fear awkward scenarios to crop up for all the wrong reasons. It is important that a corporation develops an ethics hotline that taps anonymous concerns without revealing their identities. It will make sure that the ethical issues are analyzed, discerned and implemented from a solution-oriented point of view. Hence the advantages outnumber the drawbacks since it benefits the concerns of the people at large. You are a high level manager for a corporation that has recently expanded into the global market. You have been asked to manage an interdepartmental team that will help you to create a global ethics training program. Imagine that your team has very little, if any, experience with ethics training or international management. Create a memorandum to your team that explains the need for an ethics training program, the

Lost and Sex and The City Essay Example for Free

Lost and Sex and The City Essay They are referring to the kinds of programmes that are perceived as more expensively produced and, especially more culturally worthwhile, due to their subject matter or content. In the history of ‘quality’ television, it presents a daunting set of challenges. There is no central register of quality programming quality style is defined by depth and warmth of its characters and the use of self reflexivity and the notion that the writers and viewers enjoyed an unusual degree of freedom. The term also associates mostly on the issue of gender representation. In this essay I will discuss television shows, Lost and Sex and The City and how they have both proved great quality television through their success and interesting storylines. (Jancovich, Mark, Lyons, James, Quality Popular Television, 2003) The complex characters, settings and dilemmas are what make good quality television. This brings me to Lost. Lost is an American television drama that follows the survivors of a plane crash that end up on a mysterious island. Each episode typically features what happens on the island as well as a secondary storyline of the characters lives. Most of the characters in Lost are driven to reconcile a patriarchal crisis; Jack must resolve an ‘Oedipal’ conflict with his alcoholic father, John Locke must redeem his masculinity and after being manipulated by his father and rebuild his disabled body and Kate and Sawyer are repetitively haunted by their fathers and dark pasts. The whole island is an experimental site, emphasizing the constant distress of mystery that the island holds and the unknowing. Within this, each episode continues a story about each character, most encountering their violent fathers and how this will shape the collective islands culture. In one particular episode, ‘The 23rd Psalm’, flashbacks consist between Nigeria, the present day and a Nigerian beechcraft airplane that crashed on the island. ‘Mr Eko’ becomes aware that drug addict ‘Charlie’ has possession of a heroin filled Virgin Mary statue that he realizes has a connection to his own past. After discovering the plane on the island, Eko finds his brothers corpse along with it. The episode has an overall theme of redemption of Mr Eko’s religious leanings that have created a major turn in his life. This also challenges our assumptions about coincidence and fate and how the overall series depicts spirituality and realism through the characters pasts. (www. uk. tv. ign. com/artcicles/101/1011812p1. html) The director, ‘JJ Abrams’, creates strong character development and long term plotting which is why the Lost series remained so strong and captivating for audiences. The fact that people were being forced to live together and survive, made it interesting to watch because relationships were created very fast and viewers wanted to see love, fights and dramas as well as action and supernatural happenings on the island. In the first pilot episode of Lost, the first scene shows an eye close-up and character ‘Jack Shephard’ as he awakens in a jungle and notices a yellow Labrador retriever darting through the forest. He then runs through the jungle to a beach where he is faced with the disaster of the plane crash and people fighting for survival. Quality TV dramas are what make audiences want to keep watching and Lost is a great example of this because in the very first scene, viewers are already given that mind blowing experience and the drive to keep watching. The characters are also faced with the unraveling of the islands mystery and the motives of the unknown ‘Others’ who may also inhabit the island. The series tracks two major, interconnected themes; first, the struggles to survive and live together on the island and second, the lives of the fourteen main characters before the crash which is retold through flashbacks. It doesn’t follow the stereotypical television back story and allows viewers to become connected with the characters, their secrets and motivations. Jack is a doctor becomes the leader of the group; helping Charlie kicks his drug addiction and encourages ‘Shannon’ to pursue her relationship with ‘Syid’. Jack is seen at the very beginning of the series and in the last episode in the last scene where it re creates the first scene again only in a different context. The way Lost starts off, during; with all the inconceivable and unthinkable story lines, makes it so mesmerizing for audiences. After six seasons of plot twists, there was a completely thrilling but not entirely logical finale. Audiences across the world became worried about what Lost would end like and how everything could be explained because of its constant complexity. Lost is full of mind puzzling and gripping drama that has become a huge success through its mind blowing performances. (www. tv. com/shows/lost) Another American quality TV show is Sex and The City. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the comedy-drama series follows the lives of a group of four women; three in their mid thirties and one in her forties and throughout their different natures and constant changing sex lives, they remain great friends with high confidence. Sex and The City becomes quality television through the continual of its quirky storylines and modern social issues that explore the differences between friendships, relationships and revolves around femininity. The main character ‘Carrie Bradshaw’ is the narrator of each episode which is structured through her train of thoughts. Throughout the entire series, Carrie is entangled with her on and off relationship with ‘Mr Big’ and whose name eventually is revealed to be John Preston. Each character has their own individual unique personalities which female audiences can relate to and connect with. Sex and The City has proven to be one of the most successful and controversial television programmes of the last decade. In transforms the idea of the incisive widow into the life of the single urban female and emphasizes an upper class life. It also presents sophistication and yet, much of the generic and stylistic conventions, are by no means new to this specific show. (LeMay, Matt, Sex and the City and the Discourse of Quality Television: 2) ‘Once upon a time on a small island not too far away, there lived four smart, beautiful women who were all very good friends’. (LeMay, Matt, Sex and the City and the Discourse of Quality Television: 2) This quote already establishes the genre of the show and the kind of characters the audience may expect to see. Much of the criticism both positive and negative, show degrees of realism which suggests how they are entwined in the history of industry and market standards of quality television and determines gender and class. Many other dramas can be traced back to earlier ‘realist’ family sitcoms and still remain relevant to contemporary quality television such as Sex and The City. There is a particular emphasis on self reflectivity and the program’s representations and intersexuality. Through Sex and the City, the relation to feminism and sexual taboos positions itself in the history of television. Intersexuality occurs through the importance and real-life impact of the cultural phenomenon called ‘Sex and the City’. (Akass, Kim, McCabe, Janet, Reading sex and the city. London: I. B. Tauris, 2004) In conclusion, the serve to clearly set out the intended debate and issue of ‘Quality TV’, is the way in which critics and audiences currently define it and supplying a broad overview of the critical contentiousness of quality TV as a collective term. Quality Television is about captivating storylines, unique characters and enabling viewers to want to watch excellent programming. Within this, audiences are able to connect with the show through the interesting structures that are included in them. Bibliography Books: Jancovich, Mark, Lyons, James, Quality Popular Television, 2003) McCabe, Janet, Akass, Kim, Contemporary American Television and Beyond, 2007) Akass, Kim, McCabe, Janet, Reading sex and the city. London: I.B. Tauris, 2004

Skills and Applications Task Essay Example for Free

Skills and Applications Task Essay Purpose This task provides the opportunity for you to demonstrate your ability to: investigate and critically analyse the purpose, design concepts, processes, and production techniques of existing products investigate and analyse the differing characteristics and properties of materials or components. apply appropriate knowledge and understanding of skills, processes, procedures, and techniques to a range of technological activities. Description of assessment Investigate and analyse the properties of two or more materials or components that may be suitable for use in the creation of your major product. 1. Begin by considering the critical properties required of materials used in your final product (e.g. hardness, durability, malleability, rigidibility, machinability, or others). 2. Devise methods in which you test materials to determine their suitability (e.g. research, tests, experiments). 3. Investigate a number of possible options for your choice of materials. Identify their properties. Select two that you think may be most suitable for your product. 4. Investigate these two materials to a greater depth using the methods you identified in Step 2 and include an analysis of the impact of the materials on individuals, society, and/or the environment. 5. Summarise and evaluate the results of your experimentation with a recommendation for use in your major product. Assessment conditions You should negotiate the method of presentation before starting. You have one week of lesson time in which to complete the testing component of the task and 2 weeks for completion of the report. The presentation of the results of your investigation and analysis should be a maximum of 800 words  if written or a maximum of 5 minutes if presented as recorded multimedia material. Learning Requirements Assessment Design Criteria 1. investigate and critically analyse the purpose, design concepts, processes, and production techniques of existing products or systems 2. create, test, validate, modify, and communicate design ideas for an identified need, problem, or challenge 3. investigate, analyse, and use the differing characteristics and properties of materials, components, processes, and equipment to create products or systems safely 4. use the design process to select materials, components, processes, techniques, and equipment, to develop and implement solutions and ideas for products or systems 5. apply appropriate knowledge and understanding of skills, processes, procedures, and techniques to a range of technological activities 6. evaluate product or system development and outcome, and reflect on technological ideas and procedures used, with reference to the design brief 7. analyse the impact of technological practices, products, or systems on individuals, society, and/or the environment. Investigating The specific features are as follows: 1. Identification of a need, problem, or challenge. 2. Creation and validation of an initial design brief based on needs analysis and task identification. 3.Investigation and critical analysis of the characteristics of existing products, processes, systems, and/or production techniques. 4. Investigation of product material options and analysis for product use. 5. Investigation into the impact of products or systems on individuals, society, and/or the environment. Planning The specific features are as follows: 1. Analysis of information to develop solutions to an identified design brief. 2.Communication of product design ideas using relevant technical language. 3. Testing, modification, and validation of ideas or procedures. Producing The specific features are as follows: 1. Application of skills, processes, procedures, and techniques to create a product or system to a chosen standard and specification. 2. Use of resources, equipment, and materials to create a product or system safely and accurately. 3. Development of solutions to technical problems that may arise during product or system realisation. Evaluating The specific features are as follows: 1.  Evaluation of product success against design brief requirements. 2. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the product or system realisation process. 3. Reflection on materials, ideas, or procedures, with recommendations. 4. Analysis of the impact of the product or system on individuals, society, and/or the environment.

Why is investment appraisal process so important

Why is investment appraisal process so important Investment decisions are of critical importance to all companies, since they determine both their potential to succeed and their ultimate cost structure. Investments usually implicate high initial cash outflows and thus tie up substantial funds. Sound investment decisions are crucial, therefore. Yet, according to a highly complex and fastly changing business environment they remain a challenging management task. A capital investment appraisal is used to make sure value for money with regard to developing an estate strategy and capital project. It is not an indication of loss or profit for the company as a whole but rather a comparision of costs with regard to those areas of the estate where there is an opportunity or a demand for change. (Baum T., Mudambi R., 1999). Capital investment decisions are the important criteria to be used by an organization in order to apply its corporate strategy. Because of this, it has to include strategical decisions, marketing decisions and human recources implications that are an overall business review. These decisions include; expansion, cost reduction, market development, acquisitions and disposals, lease or buy. It is possible to evaluate the validity of the opportunities for an investment appraisal by comparing the expected benefits with the anticipated costs as its purpose. ( Kind J, 1999 p.122) (b) What is the payback period of each project? If AP Ltd imposes a 3 year maximum payback period which of these projects should be accepted? Payback for Project A Years Net cash flow Cumulative net cash flow  £000  £000 0 (110) (110) 1 20 20 2 30 50 3 40 90 4 50 140 5 70 210 Total 3+=3.4 years Payback for Project B Years Net cash flow  £000 0 (110) 1 40 2 40 3 40 4 40 5 40 Total = 2.7 years c) What are the criticisms of the payback period? Payback is a type of measurement that indicate the necessary period of time required for the recovery of the initial investment. There is a necessity of clarification that the payback can not be used as an only decision criterion because it does not include any profits or cash flows occurring after the payback period. Second, payback gives equal weight to all cashflows before the cutoff period, despite the fact that the more distant cashflows arc less valuable.( Mott, 2005, p 217.) It is a compulsory for a company to determine a proper end time for the investment in order to use payback method. Too many short-lived projects will be chosen by the company rather than long term ones in case of using the same date without taking into account the project life. Also it can be considered as an effective auxiliary investment appraisal tool since some possible risks that may arise from an investment project can be indicated by payback. As paralel to this, it might be thought as an important factor for the consideration of the economic life of a project as a consecuence of a sensitivity analysis. (Gà ¶tze U, 2008, p.46) Although it has weaknesses, payback will be used as one of the main decision making tecniques because the simplicity is the keynote of this investment appraisal method. And also it has short term perspective that leads decision making. In case of consideration of more complex projects,we should use advanced analysis like Net Present Value method and think carrefully what might be at risk. ( Dyson, 2007, p.422) (d) Determine the NPV for each of these projects? Should they be accepted explain why? NPV for Project A Years Net cash flow Discount factor Present value  £000 12%  £000 1 20 0.893 17.86 2 30 0.797 23.91 3 40 0.712 28.98 4 50 0.636 31.8 5 70 0.567 39.69 _______ Total present value 141.74 Less: Initial cost 110 Net present value 31.74 NPV for Project B Years Net cash flow Discount factor Present value  £000 12%  £000 1 40 0.893 35.72 2 40 0.797 31.88 3 40 0.712 28.48 4 40 0.636 25.44 5 40 0.567 22.68 _______ Total present value 144.2 Less: Initial cost 110 Net present value 34.2 Both projects should be accepted, since both Net Present Values are positive according to ACCEPT-REJECT decision making techniques. If we use RANKING decision making techniques; Project [emailprotected] 12% Discount Rate  £000 B 34.20 A 31.740 As it can be seen from the rankings Project B is more preferable with a higher NPV. (e) Describe the logic behind the NPV approach. NET PRESENT VALUE METHOD One of the most widely known and used technique of financial analysis is Net Present Value method. It is a comparision of the value of money now and that of the future. A pound today is precious more than a pound in the future, because the buying power of the future money is eroded by the effect of inflation. Importance of Time Value of Money in Financial Management; The time value of money is the fundamental for financial management because it is the aid of determining present value in todays paund of the future net cash flow of a project. Therefore you can obtain a comparision of that sum of money with necessary amount of money to carry out the project. Any of financial decisions must not be taken in case of the equality of inflows and outflows because of uncertain future conditions. In order to purchase assets the inflow must be above the outflow. If the purpose is to raise the funds then outflow must be kept more than the inflow. And it is required that the inflow and outflow can be matched. In order to make effective financial decision, the flows expected in the future must be adjusted on the purpose of being compared with the current ones.( Ramagopal, 2008, p.221) The procedure of Net Present Value Calculation; Net present value method can be used to examine the profitability of all investment projects. If the net present value > 0 The project is feasible If the net present value < 0 The project is not feasible If the NPV is greater than the cost, the project will be gainful for the company. In the case of having more than one project, you should calculate Net present value of all, and the superior one that has the most difference between Net present value and cost must be chosen. Project that its net present value is bigger than zero, are considered to raise the value of the company. (Mott, 2005, p216) The advantages of this method; It puts forward the value of 1 pound of today is more than that of 1 pound in the future. Because the return of todays investment will be received earlier than any of the future investments. The estimated cash flows and the opportunity cost of capital are examined by this method. In order to calculate the net present value for the whole project, the current values of the cash inflows and outflows could be added since present values are todays value. ( Kind J, 1999 p.127) The weakness of the model is that cash flows are accepted to be seen on the last day of the year depending on discounting once a year. On the other hand the assumption of the constant cost of capital during the whole life time of the project can be considered as the another weakness of the method. (Proctor, 2009, p.192) (f) What would happen to the NPV if: (1) The cost of capital increased? If the cost of capital increases, discount rates decrease, which means that present values of cashflows also decrease. As a result, NPV will also decrease, because there will be a decrease in the sum of total present values of cash flow (2) The cost of capital decreased? Decreasing the cost of capital will increase discounting rates, which means an increase in total present value of cashflows. Depending on this increase, NPV which includes the sum of total present values of cashflows will inevitanly increase. (g) Determine the IRR for each project. Should they be accepted? The net present value is most popularly alternated with internal rate of return (IRR). IRR is defined as the discount rate or cost of capital at point where the benefits are balanced with its costs, the net present value is equal to zero and so, can be considered as break even rate. It can be used as measure of capital efficiency. Advantages of IRR Liquidity is considered in this method. It emphasize timing of net cash flow. The exact % return on investment is given NPV FOR PROJECT A: Years Net cash flow Discount factors Present value  £000 17% 22% 17% 22%  £000  £000 1 20 0.855 0.82 17.1 16.4 2 30 0.731 0.672 21.93 20.16 3 40 0.624 0.55 24.96 22 4 50 0.534 0.451 26.7 22.55 5 70 0.456 0.37 31.92 25.9 _______ ______ Total present value 122.61 107.01 Less: Initial cost 110 110 Net present value 12.61 (2.99) IRR= positive rate + -range of rates= = 17%+-5% =21.04% At 21.01% discount rate the NPV is equal to zero. NPV FOR PROJECT B: Years Net cash flow Discount factors Present value  £000 22% 27% 22% 27%  £000  £000 1 40 0.82 0.787 2.863 2.581 2 40 0.672 0.620 3 40 0.55 0.488 4 40 0.451 0.384 5 40 0.37 0.302 _______ ______ Total present value Less: Initial cost 110 110 Net present value 4.52 (6.76) IRR= positive rate + -range of rates= 22%+-5% =24% Since both projects IRR are bigger then cost of capital; both of them can be accepted. (h) How does a change in the cost of capital affect the projects IRR? The IRR value of the project is not affected by a change in the cost of capital. The point that must be taken into account here is that IRR value must not be below cost of capital for the safety of the investment. (i) Why is the NPV method often regarded to be superior to the IRR method? The NPV calculation will usually always provide a more accurate indication of whether or not a project should be undertaken or not.However, since IRR is a percentage, and NPV is shown in money, it is more appealing for a manager to show someone a particular rate of return, as opposed to money amounts.

Laertes and Horatio as Foils for Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- The Trag

Laertes and Horatio as Foils for Hamlet In the play, Hamlet , Shakespeare uses a cast of characters that have many roles. Of this cast, Shakespeare uses two characters, Laertes and Horatio, as foils for Hamlet’s character. Through similarities and differences these characters, accentuate Hamlet’s pretense of being crazy, emphasize how Hamlet is an improper son by standards of the time and cause him to be a tragic hero. A foil is a minor character that helps develop a major character by sharing similarities and differences with the main character. This is a common practice Shakespeare uses within many of his plays. The use of foils in Hamlet, is especially effective in affirming Hamlet’s anguish. Laertes and Hamlet share two basic similarities. Both Laertes and Hamlet want revenge for their father’s deaths. Hamlet wants revenge against his uncle and Laertes wants revenge against Hamlet. Both want to protect their family name. The revenge Hamlet wants is what starts him pretending he is crazy. He is attempting to use his dementedness as a ploy to get his uncle to confess to the murder. Laertes and Hamlet are both thought to be acting improperly by their parents. Laertes’ father sends two spies to Paris to watch his son and to report back their findings because, " in his worldliness and cynicism, he is absolutely sure that he knows how young men behave when away from parental control." [Source?] This outlook hints at the way Hamlet is behaving without his parental control. Hamlet is presumed mad because he claims to see his dead father[' H-50]s ghost and is obsessing ab... ...cumstantial causes (reasons) of Hamlet's behavior are shown, then is he not being shown as acting reasonably, and not insanely?] By using similarities and differences to contrast them to Hamlet, Shakespeare uses the minor characters to help the reader learn or understand Hamlet better. This is why Laertes and Horatio are foils for Hamlet. Both of these minor characters interact with Hamlet throughout the play and they constantly set him off as a tragic hero. [ Teachers Note: The primary point discussed in relation to Laertes could have been better made using Fortinbras, and the evidence provided in the discussion of Horatio appears to prove just the opposite of what the writer claims. On the other hand, this writer started with a very good thesis and attempted, throughout the entire essay to support that thesis. ]

Foggy Night :: Creative Writing, Family Essays

Foggy Night Surrounded by a foggy white film, I tried to adjust my vision to see. Anything familiar would appease me at this point. Nonetheless, I did not see a thing. Am I dead?" I thought to myself. Can this possibly be what the afterlife is like? I began to feel very anxious. The dense mist totally consumed my body and mind. This was not what I planned for myself. My life was supposed to be filled with an array of happiness, love, wonderful sights, and the joy of watching my children grow. Where is my sanctuary? Last thing I remember was looking out of my window and seeing the serene sky. At the time, I assumed I would be joining those that I love so deeply. My assumption was dismissed by a glimmer of reflection on my life up to this point. I was born into a middle class family in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California in 2400. My father was a hard working Maintenance Efficiency Sub-nucleic worker, my mother a homemaker. At three, I started to develop an interest in news programs, c-span in particular. I was told that instead of playing with dolls, I would play with calculators. At seven, I would put on my virtual reality suit and cruise the business section of all the top companies online. My parents realized then that I had a knack for business and was career oriented. With a lot of thought and money saved up over time, they decided to send me to a private school in Japan. This school was said to be number one world wide, and their focal point was on business and financial markets. From the age of thirteen until eighteen, I was in school. I received my series seven license at fourteen, then my bachelor's degree at fifteen, an M.B.A at seventeen, and became a C.P.A. at eighteen. When I came back to California, I was fluent in five languages, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, not to mention English. My parents then knew that their money was well spent, and found a respect for my intelligence that was abundant. Being away and buried in the books most of my adolescence, I never really had an opportunity to socialize with the other boys and girls. When returned to California, my parents made sure that under their roof, (I was still their little girl), even though they knew I was responsible and faithful by their rules.

The New International Economic Order Essay -- Economy Economics Essays

The New International Economic Order The gap between the rich and the poor is growing more and more every day. Something has got to be done to solve this issue. In 1974 members of the Third World gathered together at the United Nations. Their purpose was to find the answers to solve the gap between the rich and the poor. A total of seventy-seven members proposed the NIEO, hoping this might solve the gap. The NIEO stands for the New International Economic Order. Its aim was to bring the rich and the poor countries together to discuss issues that might bring the gap closer together. The negotiations of the NIEO were called the North and the South Dialog. Eighteen clauses made up the NIEO. These clauses were the changes that the Group of 77 desired. One of the clauses stated that each state would be free to determine their own economic and political system. Unfortunately this did not happen due to the fact that rich countries have taken it among themselves to determine what is right for poor countries. The poor countries do not have a say in what they want. The second clause stated that each state it to control their own natural resources. This means that rich countries will no longer be able to control poor countries natural resources like they had been doing. This causes a huge problem with rich countries who gather natural resources from these countries and the corporations who make money off of the natural resources. The rich countries do not like to see this take place. One example has to do with Chili and their copper. The copper of Chili is controlled by IT&T. During a presidential election in 1970, a man by the name of Allende said that if he was elected he would nationalize the copper. He was soon elected and then... ...ms. One example deals with the AIDS epidemic in Ghauna. Twenty-five percent of the people in Ghauna have the AIDS virus. The AIDS virus is spreading even faster in the Third World Countries because of the lack of modern technology. The Third World Countries feel if the United States finds a shot that will prevent AIDS, the shot should be a Heritage of Mankind which means everyone will be intitled to it. The United States says no because they did the research and spent the time and money. Overall, the Group of 77 had very good intentions. They saw that there needed to be something done to help solve the gap between the rich and the poor. The only problem is that the rich countries are far to ahead of the game. They will not allow many of the proposals to go into action. This leads to an even larger gap between the rich and the poor that is still on the increase.

Fun, Family and Flashbacks Essay

The beauty of photographs is that they can frame one single split-second moment of your life to help you remember good times. The rest of the story on how you got to the picture or what happened after becomes history and remains a flitting memory that may or may not be triggered to resurface once the photograph is again seen. One such precious instant happened when I was eight years old†¦ an age where I used to find so much delight in simple things such as a photography session with my brothers. My eyes in the picture are sparkling with laughter at all the trouble my mom had to go through for this snapshot. It was nearly father’s day and my mom thought a great secret gift would be a professionally shot picture of all three of us children. As soon as lunch was over, she quickly packed all of us up and we went to this posh photo studio. While waiting for our turn, she excitedly dressed us all up in such fine and neatly pressed clothes (as if the wrinkles would be noticeable on film). My hair was combed probably more than one hundred times over just to make sure no single strand would go astray out of her plan. As we were passing the time till our photo opportunity, mom would keep our energy up by making us practice different kinds of poses and smiles. A few more minutes passed and my mom was already getting impatient with all the excitement. Alas! The photographer came up to my mom just to tell her that there seemed to be something wrong with the camera and that he could not take our pictures at that moment. Horrified and panicky due to the unexpected long time of having to wait for a useless chance to get some shots professionally done, my mom swiftly packed all of us up at once and went home. We wanted to laugh at mom’s dismay over the problems of this great idea of hers but we knew better than to irk her even more. As soon as we got home, she quickly brushed us up and with quick thinking, got our own camera to make her own snapshots instead. It was not hard for us to smile as we knew the pains she was going through just to keep her hand still on the camera button. We all knew that our father was about to arrive in just a few minutes and her panic was with cause. After some quick clicks, she quickly made us dress up into our play clothes again and had us do some wrestling matches just to erase the more than 100 times brushed up look she gave our hair. This was one of the most enjoyable memories of my life yet the camera was only able to show three children with smiles on their faces†¦everything else precious was left for us to relive in our own imaginations.

Character analysis Essay

Priestley describes him in the opening stage directions as a ‘rather portentous man’, full of his own self-importance. In the play, he is certainly very concerned with his social position – he twice mentions that he was Lord Mayor as a way of impressing Gerald (pp.8, 11), and mentions the knighthood to him, even though it is far from definite. He is solely worried about how his family’s reputation will suffer at the inquest when he hears of Mrs Birling’s part in the girl’s death (p.45), and he is more concerned about how to ‘cover†¦up’ Eric’s thefts (p.54) than about how to put them right. He tries to use first Gerald’s family name (p.13) and then his friendship with the Chief Constable (p.16) as ways of bullying the Inspector; he obviously believes that others are as easily impressed by social connections as he is. (We know he is easily impressed because of his evident pride at Gerald’s family background ; he obviously believes he has made a good match for Sheila.) His key characteristic is his complacency. He is well-off (as the opening stage directions suggest), and he believes he always will be: that ‘we’re in for a time of steadily increasing prosperity’ (p.6). This success, however, has been at the expense of others – he threw the girl out of her job for asking for a modest rise, and intends in the future to work with Crofts Limited ‘for lower costs and higher prices’ (p.4), exploiting his power as a capitalist to profit at the expense of others. Birling does not believe he has a responsibility to society, only to his family: ‘a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own’ (p.10). He is not upset, unlike Eric, at hearing the details of the girl’s death (p.12), which shows him to be a little heartless. He is suspiciously defensive when he thinks the Inspector is accusing him of causing it, and – like Mrs Birling – is relieved when he thinks the finger is no longer pointing at him. This is hypocritical because, as the Inspector says, ‘the girl’s [still] dead, though’ (p.18). He also has double standards: for he sees nothing strange in wanting to protect Sheila from the unpleasantness of the girl’s life and death, yet feels no guilt at not having protected the girl herself. Crucially, Priestley undermines this self-important, complacent man, who believes his only responsibility is to his family, right at the start of the play. He is shown as short-sighted and wrong:  Prediction  Reality  Ã¢â‚¬ËœWe’re in for a time of steadily increasing prosperity’  The Wall Street Crash (1929) and the Great Depression within a generation  Ã¢â‚¬ËœThere isn’t a chance of war’  World war within two years, with a second to follow within the same lifetime  Ã¢â‚¬ËœIn 1940†¦you’ll be living in a world that’ll have forgotten all these Capital versus Labour agitations’  The General Strike (1926) and the continued rise of the Trade Union Movement. The Titanic: ‘unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’  SS Titanic sinks on her maiden voyage  This dramatic irony at his expense encourages us to question how many of his other beliefs are correct; Priestley, as a socialist, is not sympathetic to what this capitalist believes.  He also undermines Birling’s relationship with his family, the only institution that Birling believes matters. In Act Two, both his children – who learn from the Inspector in a way Birling never does – behave badly in front of him (pp.32-33), and his heir Eric is later revealed as both an alcoholic and a thief. After the Inspector has gone, Birling simply wants things to return to the way they were. He cannot understand Sheila’s and Eric’s insistence that there is something to be learnt, and he is relieved and triumphant when he feels that scandal has been avoided and everything is all right. Right up until the end, he claims that ‘there’s every excuse for what both your mother and I did – it turned out unfortunately, that’s all’ (p.57). Birling is not the cold and narrow-minded person that his wife is; he simply believes in what he says. He is a limited man, who is shown to be wrong about many things in the play; it is the Birlings of the world whom Priestley feared – in 1945 – would not be willing or able to learn the lessons of the past, and so it is to the younger generation that Priestley hopefully looked instead†¦Ã‚  Mrs Birling  Priestley describes her in the opening stage directions as ‘a rather cold woman’ (p.1).  She expects Sheila to make the same sacrifices in marriage that she had to (p.3); she has a clear sense of her duty within the family.

International Business Ethics Essay

A business colleague once recalled a situation in which a former employer had to decide whether gift-giving or bribery was ethically acceptable. In an international business situation, bribery is often a way of cutting through bureaucratic red tape and expediting deals. American companies consider bribery unethical because the American way considers bribery an unfair advantage and does not condone the practice. On an international level, bribery is often an accepted part of local culture and not seen as unethical, but as a way to achieve a quick win-win deal for all parties involved. American business has long been accused of cultural imperialism, the practice of promoting the culture of one nation into another nation by force (wikipedia, 2007). American businesses feel that the American way of doing business is the only way all international businesses should operate, regardless of a locally accepted practices or culture. American companies that are not willing to accept that bribery is an ethical and integral part of performing business on international soil are severely short selling business opportunities. While bribery has resulted in unethical practices on American soil, the same is not true in many international settings. Extra payment for services is seen as good business and often the only way to get any business completed in a timely fashion. While some companies may use bribery on international soil to a disadvantage, most local business cultures simply will not do business without the bribery payments. Globalization has increased the pressure on international business members to regulate many business practices such as bribery. American businesses need to be cognizant of international cultures and take into consideration that accepted practices in a global setting may not be the same as on American soil. Global regulation should strive to be free of American cultural imperialism to be accepted and respected on an international level. Reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_imperialism

Psy 250

Biological and humanistic approaches to personality Jonathan G. Castro PSY 250 October 17, 2012 Andrew R. Moskowitz Biological and humanistic approaches to personality In our world there are different types of people with different types of personalities. There are many way to describe where they came from through biological or humanistic theories. In my paper I will describe biological factors that are influences to the formation to personality. I will agree to disagree with the theory of biology having an influence on personality. I will break down the basic aspects of humanistic personality theories.Last but not less I will express my opinion on biological and humanistic approach on personality are compatible. Biology revealed many aspects of how the human body works and what it needs to stay healthy. â€Å"In 1953 James D. Watson and Francis Crick discovered that DNA was structured as a double helix (Friedman & Schustack, 2009). This discovery was a huge accomplishment in the st udy of human biology. Charles Darwin took human biology a step further. Darwin used the fact that not one human being is the same to support his evolutionary personality theory.Darwin believes that humans are â€Å"people evolved directly from more primitive species (Friedman & Schustack, 2009). † For example, Brian G. Richmond and David S. Strait wrote an article called â€Å"Evidence that humans evolved from a knuckle-walking ancestor (Richmond and Strait, 2000). † This article explains that evidence has surfaced proving that humans could have once been gorillas. Psychiatrists’ who use the biological approach believe that your personality comes from your parents’ personalities. In other words, they believed your personality is genetic.When someone is born they have a strong foundation for certain personality. This is the belief we are all born with no personality and we learn what our personality is from our parents. Basically, it is saying that our per sonality is a learned behavior. It was theorized that â€Å"a natural selection has determined our personality† (Richmond and Strait 2000). We are not born with full fledge personalities when we come into the world. Instead, we are born with a temperament. This is susceptibility towards a certain personality. It does not mean that we keep the same personality all our lives. You can understand people’s temperament by watching children playing. They can be either inhibited or uninhibited. An inhibited child will seem withdrawn and a more of loaner and will watch the other children play instead of playing with the other children. An uninhibited child can start a conversation with another child and play along with the other children† (Richmond and Strait, 2000). A Darwinian approach to that idea would be that over time conditions in the environment caused some gorillas to no longer need to walk on their knuckles, no longer needed huge nostrils in their noses, and so on.Also in that group of gorillas it could have been a need for longer legs and slimmer body sizes for the sole purpose of survival. This, in turn, changed the way those gorillas behaved, furthermore, changing their personality, in which, the human being evolved. â€Å"It is important to note that unique results emerge when certain biological aspects of personality are combined with certain environments (Friedman & Schustack, 2009). † The same would go for two children raised by a quiet and withdrawn mother. The one child who inherits the mother’s introverted genes may grow to be like the mother.Whereas the outgoing child, may grow to be more family oriented focused on communicating with all family as a means of being more sociable. Raising those two children in a household with a more outgoing mother, could have caused a reverse outcome. Although this idea does seem to make sense Abraham Maslow believes in a humanistic approach to personality. The humanistic approach to personality focuses on the humanistic nature of the human being, in other words, the qualities of mankind that make humans different from animals.Humanistic people like Maslow believe that every human is born healthy, normal, and good. Maslow believed that all humans need to fulfill needs of human nature such as love, esteem, and self-fulfillment. Maslow believed that humans are like animals to a certain extent. In other words, humans need to feed themselves to survive, drink water to stay hydrated, and sleep to stay energized to survive another day. â€Å"Maslow argued that the correct social conditions are needed to encourage the highest level self-actualization†¦..We cannot usually fulfill our complete human potential and search for truth and beauty if we lack food, safety, love, and esteem (Friedman & Schustack, 2009). † The humanistic approach and the biological approach do have similarities, in which they agree that the human being has needs that should be fulfi lled but the two theories also have their differences. For instance, according to Friedman and Schustack the drive to grow and self-actualize is unlike the drives to satisfy hunger, thirst, or libido and thus relieve tension, in that it is not strictly necessary for survival.Maslow divided human needs into categories. These categories are physiological needs (basic biological necessities: food, water, sex, and shelter), safety needs (a sensibly predictable world), belongingness and love needs (psychologically intimate relations with other people), esteem needs (respect for oneself and for others), and self-actualization (peace with oneself) (Friedman & Schustack, 2009). Some psychologists, who believe in the humanistic approach to personality, do not question the realness of free will.Whereas psychologists who believe in the biological theory of personality, believe free will is not a real entity. Many modern biologists believe that humans are more intelligent than most animals but they do not believe that humans are at the top of the evolutionary tree. â€Å"Maslow and other humanistic psychologists were particularly irked by B. F. Skinner’s views of personality†¦ Skinner claimed to be studying human psychology by observing pigeons and laboratory rats (Friedman & Schustack, 2009). People who believe in the humanistic approach believe that no one is born in a way that hinders him or her from being a good person. People who believe in the biological approach to personality, express that a person cannot help what genes he or she are born with, therefore, cannot help being an angry person or mean spirited because he or she is born that way. The biological and humanistic approaches are just two of the six psychology approaches. The other four are psychoanalytic, trait, behavioral, and cognitive. These are the different approaches to the human personality.Each one describes how can we gain our personalities and what affects them. The approach used depe nds on the psychiatrists’ and the persons personalities. The effectiveness is determined by our personalities. I believe it is the psychiatrists’ responsibility to get to know the person to determine what approach will work best. In conclusion the humanistic approach to personality is somewhat similar to the biological approach to personality. I believe that personality is a formulation of humanistic and biological aspects that influence a person’s characteristics of his or her personality.I have gathered my own theory and have come to the conclusion that every person is a product of his or her own environment. References Friedman,H. S. & Schustack, M. W. (2009, July 15). Personality: Classic theories and Modern Research, Fourth Edition: Retrieved from University of Phoenix: https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/content/ebooklibrary2 Richmond, B. G & Strait, D. S. (2000, march). Nature: Evidence that humans evoled from a knuckle-walking ancestor, Nature volume 404:Retri eved from http://www. nature. com/biology/personality