Role Model Essay Example for Free

Role Model Essay Dr King is my role model because he fought to change my history. Dr King didn’t only want to see a change happen for his self and others but also for his family. He had a wife Coretta and four children; these were the people who he wanted to see change happen for the most. After King’s death is family wanted to keep his legacy alive because they knew he stood for a good cause. According to the article A king family tribute â€Å"Family and friends remember Dr. King as a role model and dedicate themselves to his mission. Watkins, Dr. Kings niece, has assembled their writings and excerpts from their speeches. All pay tribute to his spirit, abiding faith and dedication to the cause of civil rights, and they affirm their own commitment to following the path he walked, as his nephew, Derek B. King, states. Kings fathers remarks are excerpted from his autobiography. Dr King is my personal role model because is stood for what he believed in. Dr king helped shape my worldview because through his hard work he’s shown me that nothing worth fighting for comes easy. I think a lot of people look over the fact that Dr King wasn’t just trying to change the race problem it stood of many different social issues. In the article Martin Luther King Jr conception of freedom and radical democracy the author states that â€Å"king came to believe that the civil rights struggle needed to expand beyond just racial desegregation in this country, He began to raise his voice against racism militarism, and economic exploitation around the world†. This is another reason why I look up to him because he didn’t only focus on one hing that needed to be changed so saw the importance of these issues and wanted to change them. Dr. king had a career as a pastor which is why I feel he never gave up believing in what he thought was right. The article Martin Luther King cover story gives background on his life â€Å"King was a preacher who spoke in biblical cadences ideally suited to leading a stride toward freedom that found its inspiration in the Old Testament story of the Israelites and the New Testament gospel of Jesus Christ. Being a minister not only put King in touch with the spirit of the black masses but also gave him a base within the black church, then and now the strongest and most independent of black institutions†. Like Dr King I believe that everyone should have the right to freedom and equal rights ; However, I don’t know if I could have endured the things that Dr king had to. Once Dr King was thrown in jail because of his protest, I think if I knew I could go to jail because I was protesting I wouldn’t protest. On the other Dr King who have pathed the way for me to be able to use my freedom of speech. I would want to be brave and stand for what I believe in for myself and my family just as King did. Reference MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. A King Family Tribute. (2012). Kirkus Reviews, 80(24), 222. Orosco, J. M. (2001). Martin Luther King, Jr. ’s Conception of Freedom and Radical Democracy. Journal Of Social Philosophy, 32(4), 386-401. White, J. E. (1998). Martin Luther King. (Cover story). Time, 151(14), 160.

Samuel Beckett Essay -- essays research papers

Beckett's Absurd Characters Beckett did not view and express the problem of Absurdity in any form of philosophical theory (he never wrote any philosophical essays, as Camus or Sartre did), his expression is exclusively the artistic language of theatre. In this chapter, I analyse the life situation of Beckett's characters finding and pointing at the parallels between the philosophical background of the Absurdity and Beckett's artistic view. As I have already mentioned in the biography chapter, Beckett read various philosophical treatises; he was mostly interested in Descartes, Schopenhauer, and Geulincx. These thinkers are the main sources which influenced and formed Beckett's view of the world as well as his literary writings. Beckett's major and the only theme appearing and recurring in all his works, is exclusively the theme of man. Beckett is interested in man as an individual, in his subjective attitude to the world, in confrontation of individual subject with the objective reality. According to Descartes, human being is composed of two different substances: body (res extensa) and mind (res cogitas).21 The body is a part of a mechanical nature, a material substance independent from spirit; and the mind, a pure thinking substance. This distinction of the two qualitative different substances is called subject-object "Cartesian dualism", 22 and it gave rise to number of philosophical problems, the essence of which is Their mutual connection. Beckett's characters are such subjective thinking substances surrounded by mechanical material nature; and as the subject-object connection was the most problematic part of Descartes' concept, it is one of the major motifs Beckett deals with. He uses dramatic symbols, to express the barriers and the walls between the worlds "in" and "out" as to demonstrate their incompatibility. His characters are physically isolated from what is happening "outside" and the space they are imprisoned in, is their inner subjective world. "A Beckett hero is always in conflict with objects around him... he is divided from the rest of the world, a stranger to its desires and needs. The dichotomy between his own mind and body finds an analogy in the outside world in the dichotomy between people and objects. ...tension is created between mind and body, on one hand, and people and objects, on the ot... ...tion, 1992. 10. Friedrich Nietzsche, Tak pravil Zarathustra, trans. Otokar Fischer, (Olomouc: Votobia, 1992) 9. /translation mine/ 11. Martin Esslin, The Theatre of the Absurd (London: Penguin Books, 1986) 23. 12. see Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays, trans. Justin O'Brien, (New York: Vintage Books, 1961) 21-24. 13. Camus 38. 14. see Diane Collinson, Fifty Major Philosophers: A Reference Guide (London: Routledge, 1997) 57-60. 15. Camus 10. 16. Camus 90. 17. Camus 4. 18. see Camus 3-8. 19. Camus 88. 20. Camus 89. 21. see Collinson 58. 22. Collinson 57. 23. Carolyn Riley and Barbara Harte, eds., Contemporary Literary Criticism: Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Today's Novelists, Poets, Playwrights and Other Creative Writers, vol. 1 (Detroit: Book Tower, 1973- ) 20. 24. Camus 11. 25. see Collins 100-103. 26. see Collins 100-103. 27. see Arthur Schopenhauer, Svet jako vule a predstava. trans. Jan Dvorak, ed. Thomas Mann (Olomouc: Votobia, 1993). 28. Collins 103. 29. see Camus 33. 30. see Schopenhauer 19. 31. see Friedrich Nietzsche, Filosofie v tragickem obdobi Reku, trans. Jan Brezina and Jiri Horak, (Olomouc: Rektorat UP, 1992) 46-52.

Improving Employee Productivity

As you may already know, improving the employee productivity is one of the most important goals In any business. But, In spite of this, a lot of human resources professionals do not consider this field very relevant. Even though most of the human resources professionals do admit that their job Is all about establlshlng schedules and rules concerning people management, only a few of them succeeds in bonding all these connections, in order to be able to increase productivity.John Sullivan (2011) refers in his article to several factors divided in a few categories, which are onsiderably influencing not only the individual productivity, but also the team productivity. Employee productivity is the main leading power behind a company's profitability and Its growth. Momentarily, the demand for employee productivity Is Increasing more and more, making this a feature that Is actually missing In todays workforce and also leaving most of the managers wondering what they should do next and what the causes are.This is the result of all the distractions and all the separate activities happing in the work environment. Nowadays, it seems that mployees are too busy tweeting, updating their statuses or chatting on Facebook, or simply texting. Because of that, most employees are not taking their tasks to an end, they are not finishing their work and they miss their deadlines. Another key aspect of this problem concerns the employee training tools. unfortunately, this aspect receives too little attention.Most of the time, the provider with the lowest costs is often chosen, even though the most effective provider is recommended. As a result, the recruitment is also poor, because of having as a main goal to minimize costs as uch as possible, but without enough consideration of the quality and the capability of each employer. No matter how you think it, the drawn conclusion here Is that the human resources department, Instead of being more Interested In finding solutions for Increasi ng the productlvlty, they are actually less Interested In doing transactions and more interested in cutting off the expenses.In order to increase the employee productivity and the performance of the workforce, considering the help you can expect from the human resource department, you must know and understand the factors that are influencing this rocess. Overall, taking In consideration John Sullivan's article, I have selected the most Important 16 factors from four main categories, which are going to be discussed next. As for the categories, the first one taken In consideration Is â€Å"Foundations of Productivity. According to John Sullivan (2011), a first factor mentioned here is â€Å"High- performing and Innovative employees are the foundation of productivity.By working together, managers and human resources professionals can find, hire, grow and keep high performing employees. It was proved that the most important factor in orkforce and productivity is hiring and keeping emp loyees with the best capabilities. Unfortunately, even the best people may sometimes need help. Without the head managers, much-needed resources and proper guidance, It's very hard to achieve your goal. Another factor measured in this category, according to John pawns are the second most important productivity factor because they play a very important role in defining the roles and the goals of the workforce.More is the pity that many managers are the weak ring in the productivity chain, therefore most of the time not only the employees needs guidance and education, but also their eaders. The second category taken in sight is â€Å"Direction and Guidance†. According to John Sullivan (201 1), a first mentioned factor here is â€Å"A corporate strategy and plan that builds commitment†. Most of the time, a very good business strategy and planning will increase the chances of having a successful and committed organization.Moreover, if the strategy is very clear and very we ll communicated, your employees will be more focused and their motivation will considerably increase. Another factor measured in this category, according to John Sullivan (201 1), is â€Å"A defined purpose for teams makes roles clear†. The managers need to develop a clear communicated purpose that has to be persuasive and also has the role to make their employees from their department to feel important. Employees sometimes can contribute even more to their work and tasks if they had a role in creating and understanding the main purpose.Still according to John Sullivan (201 1), next factor mentioned here is â€Å"Team and individual goals†. Defining some clear goals will let everyone know what is expected and what really has to be done. Also, giving some heads up on some perfect clear goals will also contribute for their employees to nderstand exactly what is and what is not important. Another factor measured by John Sullivan (2011) in this category is â€Å"Prioritiz ation for impactful resource allocation†. Establishing some clear priorities will help to better assign resources and funds, in order to achieve more important objectives.Next factor mentioned by John Sullivan (2011) here is â€Å"Performance metrics for continuous improvement†. Measuring performance in a successful way strengthens both individual and group goals. This will provide more attention, better feedback and better results for an ongoing improvement. Last factor measured in this category, according to John Sullivan (201 1), is â€Å"Effective rewards drive performance†. When the rewards are more connected to one goal, you double the strength of the message related to the importance of the Job that needs to be done.The third category taken in consideration is â€Å"Support Factors†. According to John Sullivan (201 1), a first factor mentioned here is â€Å"Team member support increases individual performance†. Only a few tasks can exclusivel y be done by an employee. If the employees are not working together with other people in a group as a team and if they are also not receiving all he necessary support from their managers, productivity will be lost. Next factor measured in this category by John Sullivan (2011) is â€Å"Best-practice sharing and collaboration improve productivity'.Productivity will considerably improve when the other people outside the team collaborate and brainstorm together. When the employees are using the â€Å"trial and error† method, all the growth of your business will slow down. Another factor mentioned here, according to John Sullivan (201 1), is â€Å"Support for innovation can dramatically increase productivity'. Having in mind as a oal to be on top of their business environment, companies struggle to achieve a double digit percentage improvement in their productivity (at least 10%, sometimes even goes to 25%) for every year.In order to reach this, a sustained level of sometimes no t enough in order to provide a double digit rise. Because of this, the human resources department must develop training measures, good processes, and stimulants that help the innovation. Still according to John Sullivan (201 1), next factor measured in this category is â€Å"Control and authority can result in a better decision aking process†. When there is a certain balance between freedom and control, so that employees have the authority to take most of the operational decisions, at that point we can talk about maximum productivity.Another factor mentioned here by John Sullivan (2011) is â€Å"Non-monetary factors that can also excite employees†. In addition to the usual rewards (as money), the managers can also provide a few non- monetary rewards, such as: feedback on their Job, appreciation for their work and so on. This is one of human resources department's most important responsibilities to e sure that the managers are using all of these methods in a right way, in order to increase the productivity process. The fourth category taken in sight is â€Å"Skills, Communication and Information Factors†.According to John Sullivan (201 1), a first factor mentioned here is â€Å"Employee skills and knowledge must be continually updated to maintain productivity'. Because of the changes brought by the high level global competition, the expectations of the employee's skills are much higher. The main role of the human resources department is to develop a plan that helps in an ngoing increasing employee's knowledge and training. Next factor measured by John Sullivan (2011) in this category is â€Å"Effective communications and feedback reduce errors and frustration†.As feedback is one of the most important strategies in the process of motivation, the failure of providing good feedback will lead to a poor work quality and maybe errors. You can best avoid this kind of situation if a company comes up with a well-organized internal communicat ion channel (like an intranet). The last overall factor mentioned here, according to John Sullivan (201 1), is â€Å"Providing he right information improves decision-making†. In order to take the best decisions and to increase the productivity, the managers and the employees will have to use the right information and to process the data.

The Nazis and Women Kinder, Kche, Kirche

Germany had been no different to other European nations when it came to the development of women’s employment. World War I had brought women into previously closed industries, and although the effects of this phenomenon are often exaggerated, the field was widening. Women were also benefitting from opportunities for better education and the chance to pursue a wider range of careers. In addition, women’s rights movements were effective in attaining better pay, respect and power for women, although there was still a long way to go. In 1930s Germany, these developments ran headfirst into the Nazis. Kinder, Kà ¼che, Kirche Nazi ideology was biased against women in several ways. The Nazis used a simplified and exaggerated mythology about German life that was inherently misogynistic. They also needed a growing population to fight the wars that would unite the Volk. The result was a Nazi ideology which claimed that women should be restricted to three spheres: Kinder, Kà ¼che, Kirche, or children, kitchen, church. Women were encouraged from a young age to grow into mothers who bore children and then looked after them until they could go and conquer the east. Developments which aided women in determining their own fates, such as contraception, abortion, and laws about relationships, were all restricted and promoted procreation. In fact, fecund mothers could even win medals for large families. German women did not start having any more children, however. In addition, the pool of women who were invited to have children shrank, as the Nazis only wanted Aryan mothers to have Aryan children. Racism, sterilization, and discriminatory laws tried to reduce the number of births of non-Aryan children.  The leading German feminists before the Nazi split; some fled abroad and continued fighting, while some remained behind but stopped challenging the regime in order to live safely. Nazi Workers The Nazis aimed to indoctrinate young women from a very early age via schools and groups like the Hitler Youth, but they inherited a Germany where many women already held jobs. However, they also inherited a depressed economy in which many men wished to work in positions already occupied by women. The Nazis passed legislation to try to reduce women in legal, medical and other jobs, and put maximums in place, such as in education, but there were no mass layoffs. As the economy recovered, so did the number of women in the job market, and totals rose throughout the 1930s. Workers lower on the social scale were targeted with carrots—cash payments for women who got married and quit jobs, and loans for married couples which turned into gift payments after children were born—and sticks—state labor exchanges being told to employ men first. Much like children were targeted by the Hitler Youth, so women were targeted by Nazi organizations designed to coordinate their lives in the required direction. Some weren’t successful. The German Worker’s Enterprise and Nationalist Socialist Womanhood did little for women’s rights, and when they tried they were stopped. But a whole strata of women’s groups were created, and within these the Nazis allowed women to exercise power and run the organizations. There’s been a debate about whether running their own bodies empowered women, or whether running what the male Nazis had left for them counts. Lebensborn Some of the Nazis in Germany were less concerned about marriages, and more about mating with the right examples of Aryan blood. In 1935, Himmler used the SS to set up Lebensborn, or Fountain of Life, where women deemed suitably Aryan, but who couldn’t find a suitable husband, could be paired up with SS soldiers in special brothels for a quick pregnancy. Work and the War In 1936, Hitler commissioned a plan to get the German economy ready for war, and in 1939 the country went to war. This pulled men away from the workforce and into the military, and also increased the number of jobs available. Women filled those positions and became a relatively large portion of the workforce. However, the debate remains about whether women workers were wasted by the Nazi regime. On the one hand, women were allowed to take vital jobs. In the end, Germany had a higher proportion of women in the workforce than Britain. On the other hand, Germany refused to take full advantage of a labor pool which could have provided many more women for important wartime work. They didn’t organize women’s labor well when they tried at all, and women’s employment became a microcosm of the Nazi economy. Women also played key roles in the instruments of the Nazi genocides, such as the Holocaust, as well as being victims.