Happiness in ancinet cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Happiness in ancinet cultures - Essay Example This paper will seek to establish hat culture influenced happiness in the past. The ancient Egyptians struggled to live a happy life as well as eternal joy in the eternal life. They believed in life after death therefore; they had to make sure that their deeds here on earth guarantee them a next lifespan in eternity. They believed that a person, who keeps and observes the ways of the god, is guaranteed a whole life of joy and riches than all his peers. They too believed that an obedient person lives long up to old age in his own city, earning a lot of respect from other people, as well as being blessed with numerous children (Snape 29). This shows that since prosperity is associated with material wealth as well as happiness, everyone would struggle to obey culture and its beliefs. The ancient Egyptians had different gods who were responsible for different events in people’s lives. For instant, Osiris was a god of death, and would punish evil doers. This means that people would try very hard to avoid wronging their neighbors’ or the society to avoid death punishment. In return, quarrels were minimal and people lived in harmony and happiness in their villages. This kind of perception on happiness and eternity has been passed to the current generations due through kingdoms and dynasties. This means that inheritance and cultural practices have been passed from one generation to the next one because people are willing to live a longer life and continue their family lineage. The Egyptians had a positive view of life especially life after death since they invested in prestigious tombs with food and personal belongings for life after death. Marriage life was full of happiness since poetry was important and men were responsible for protecting their women as well reciting love poems for their wives. In Mesopotamia, population grew fast due to industrialization and plantation

Public smoking bans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public smoking bans - Essay Example There are a number of reasons for banning smoking in public places. First, such smoking endangers non – smokers, by exposing them to side stream or second hand smoke. Such smoke has been seen to cause dangerous ailments to the person who inhales it. Second, an undesirable example is set for the suggestible children, when smoking is permitted in public. Third, such prohibition enables smokers to discontinue smoking, thereby enabling them to lead a much healthier life (Khilawala). Fourth, banning smoking had legal and moral basis, which has proved to be successful in preventing young adults from falling prey to this deadly habit. Fifth, the proscription of smoking in public places has made it much more attractive to visit a discotheque or bar. Finally, the forbidding of such smoking has significantly reduced the number of individuals with cardiac complaints (Khilawala). There is consensus amongst the scientific community that smoking is extremely hazardous. It has now been confirmed that tobacco smoke results in cancer, cardiac ailments and strokes. However, it is essential to recognize that smoking harms the non – smoker, who happens to be in the vicinity of an individual who is smoking, to a much greater extent. Such passive smokers are at a considerably greater risk of contracting deadly disease (PROS vs. CONS). Furthermore, the non – smoker is forcibly exposed to smoke; and therein lies the iniquity and inequity of this untenable situation. Therefore, there is every justification to call for and impose a total ban on smoking in public. This is essential, if passive smoking is to be prevented. A recent report was categorical in declaring that approximately 440,000 denizens of the US die every year, due to the ill effects of smoking. Male smokers reduce their longevity, on an average, by 13.2 years; whereas, their female counterparts achieve a reduction of 14.5 years. The data on smoking reveals

Types of inflation and the rate of Bangladesh

Types of inflation and the rate of Bangladesh In 1990 the inflation rate was highest rate 10.522 which average 20.47% after that from 1991 to 1993 the rate was going down slowly like (-21.26, -56.26, -17.80) In 1995 the rate was going little high like but that rate was not recover before rates. In 1996 the rate was again straight going down. From the 1997 to 1998 the rate was going up. After 1999 to 2001 the rate was again going down, and than the rate was going up on 2007. And the last 2 years (2008-2009) the inflation rate of Bangladesh was going down. Task 02: A) Inflation: Inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. When the price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation is also erosion in the purchasing power of money  ¿Ã‚ ½ a loss of real value in the internal medium of exchange and unit of account in the economy. A chief measure of price inflation is the inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general price index (normally the Consumer Price Index) over time. B) Explanation: This area of economics has probably given rise to one of the most significant macroeconomic debates in recent history. There are essentially two causes of inflation.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Cause of Demand Pull Inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ Cause of Cost Push Inflation Cause of Demand Pull Inflation Demand is influenced almost entirely by the amount of money in the economy, namely the money supply. They argue that inflation is caused by the amount of money in the economy and hence the spending power of the population exceeding the capacity of the country to produce goods and services. Increased money supply will lead to increases in spending through transmission mechanisms and this will invariably create a situation where aggregate demand for goods and services exceeds the aggregate supply resulting in demand pull inflation. This is shown by the shift of the short-run aggregate demand curve in the diagram below. Cause of Cost Push Inflation When firms costs increase they will raise their prices in order to maintain the real value of their profits. This will result in the real incomes of the owners of the factors of production e.g. wages, falling. In an attempt to maintain their real income labour will demand higher money wages and this will in turn raise costs. This is often referred to as cost push inflation and may be caused by:  ¿Ã‚ ½ Increases in factor prices e.g. oil price increase.  ¿Ã‚ ½ An increase in wage settlements in excess of any increase in productivity.  ¿Ã‚ ½ A devaluation or depreciation of currency leading to an increase in import prices.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Interest rate increases will increase the cost of borrowing.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Indirect taxation or the removal of subsidies. As in the diagram below. The Keynesian Argument They argue that keeping a tight control over money supply so as to control spending is highly questionable. They argue that increases in money supply will lead to increases in spending and providing there are unemployed resources firms will increase output in response. Finally they argue that basing economic problems, how do you actually go about controlling the amount of money. In a world where there many ways in which people can borrow money, can monetary policy successfully control the amount available for spending? The Monetarist View of Inflation Monetarists put forward two possible explanations of inflation. Firstly they recognise that increases in aggregate demand may lead to demand pull inflation. Increases in spending in excess of the full employment level of output will create shortages (overheating) and firms will raise their prices. This can be shown by a shift of the aggregate demand curve to the right. Task 03: A) Under the bed, Not a safe place for your savings My money at home is a high risk strategy, as most household insurance policies will only cover a limited amount of cash. The total value of Bank of England banknotes in circulation continues to rise, but their use in transactions is falling gradually. Most of all, furthermore, keeping your savings in cash will also mean that you are slowly losing money. Holding physical cash gives no protection against inflation, which official consumer prices index figures put at 1.5%. This means that in order to maintain the purchasing power of your hard earned money it needs to be attracting an interest rate of at least inflation, preferably plus whatever tax you pay. B) This was a predictable Budget which did nothing to simplify the tax regime so businesses are in for another heavy Finance Bill. May be it can increase the rate of interest. Every month it should be multi more rather than main money. C) It was tough to pay the leant money. If you lent money through Prosper back then, when most of its loans were extended, there ¿Ã‚ ½s a very high chance that you ¿Ã‚ ½ve lost money  ¿Ã‚ ½ in some cases, a lot of money.  ¿Ã‚ ½Of investors with a portfolio of loans that are an average of at least two years old, ¿Ã‚ ½ notes Gimein,  ¿Ã‚ ½folks who have lost money outnumber those who ¿Ã‚ ½ve earned 6 percent annual return by more than six to one. ¿Ã‚ ½ One of the big problems that Prosper ran into  ¿Ã‚ ½ the massive credit crunch and the ensuing Great Recession  ¿Ã‚ ½ could reasonably be considered to be a one-off event with a low likelihood of happening again. But another is endemic to the model: Prosper borrowers with a given FICO score are inevitably going to be more likely to default on their debts than most other people with the same credit score. It wasn ¿Ã‚ ½t meant to be that way. Peer-to-peer lending was meant to create a personal connection between borrower and lender, and therefore make borrowers more likely to repay their debts than people faced with large obligations to hated, faceless banks. But it seems that adverse selection effects overwhelmed the site ¿Ã‚ ½s attempts to be warm and fuzzy. Task 04: A) Inflation is a sustained rise in the average prices of goods within an economy; it can also be seen as a change in the purchasing power of money. Inflation can normally be divided into two types ¿Ã‚ ½ cost-push and demand-pull. Cost-push happens when prices are pulled up by rising costs, demand-pull happens when demand outstrips supply and prices will therefore have to rise to accommodate this. Monetarists argue that inflation is caused increases in the money supply, the total amount of money circulating in the economy at one time. This is as the believe that any increase in the money supply which is not in line with the growth in output of the economy will lead to inflation. If the money supply was increased in the short-run then consumer spending. When you introduce money into circulation out of nowhere, it lessens the value of everyones money. It is in everybodys best interest, then, to keep inflation low. In Germany after WW1, they purposefully hyper-inflated their money. People were bringing money into stores in wheelbarrows just to buy daily groceries. They used money to fuel the fire and even used it as toilet paper, because it was virtually worthless. We want to tackle inflation because we dont want that to happen. B) Cost Push Inflation Cost-push inflation occurs when businesses respond to rising production costs, by raising prices in order to maintain their profit margins. There are many reasons why costs might rise: Rising imported raw materials costs perhaps caused by inflation in countries that are heavily dependent on exports of these commodities or alternatively by a fall in the value of the pound in the foreign exchange markets which increases the UK price of imported inputs. Higher indirect taxes imposed by the government  ¿Ã‚ ½ for example a rise in the rate of excise duty on alcohol and cigarettes, an increase in fuel duties or perhaps a rise in the standard rate of Value Added Tax or an extension to the range of products to which VAT is applied. Demand Pull Inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ A reduction in direct or indirect taxation. If direct taxes are reduced consumers have more real disposable income causing demand to rise. A reduction in indirect taxes will mean that a given amount of income will now buy a greater real volume of goods and services.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Rising consumer confidence and an increase in the rate of growth of house prices  ¿Ã‚ ½ both of which would lead to an increase in total household demand for goods and services  ¿Ã‚ ½ Faster economic growth in other countries  ¿Ã‚ ½ providing a boost to UK exports overseas. In the first diagram the SRAS curve is drawn as non-linear. In the second, the macroeconomic equilibrium following an outward shift of AD takes the economy beyond the equilibrium at potential GDP. This causes an inflationary gap to appear which then triggers higher wage and other factor costs. The effect of this is to cause an inward shift of SRAS taking real national output back towards a macroeconomic equilibrium at Yfc but with the general price level higher than it was before. Task 05: A) Supply-Side Economics: The term  ¿Ã‚ ½supply-side economics ¿Ã‚ ½ is used in two different but related ways. Some use the term to refer to the fact that production (supply) underlies consumption and living standards. In the long run, our income levels reflect our ability to produce goods and services that people value. Higher income levels and living standards cannot be achieved without expansion in output. Virtually all economists accept this proposition and therefore are  ¿Ã‚ ½supply siders. ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½Supply-side economics ¿Ã‚ ½ is also used to describe how changes in marginal tax rates influence economic activity. Supply-side economists believe that high marginal tax rates strongly discourage income, output, and the EFFICIENCY of resource use. B) Supply-Side Factors Bangladesh ¿Ã‚ ½s Factors: ? Rising world food prices The economy of Bangladesh is dependent on imports for most of the essential food items. Any increase in international prices is, therefore, expected to be passed on to domestic prices through the import channel. We notice a secular increase in the prices of four major food items (rice, wheat, soybean oil and sugar) in the international market during 2003-2007 (Table 3). Since Bangladesh is an import ¿Ã‚ ½dependent small economy, a positive relationship is expected to exist between world food prices and domestic inflation. As the weight of food items in the consumption is 58.84 percent at the national level, rising world food prices would influence overall inflation in Bangladesh. ? Changes in diesel prices Global oil prices have been rising steadily having macroeconomic impact on our economy. Recently, UNDP (2007) has rated Bangladesh as one of the high oil price vulnerable countries. However, two factors are pertinent to assess the impact of oil price change on inflation. Firstly, the current regime of administered pricing of petroleum products1 has involved significant lags in adjusting to world prices. Secondly, the existing construction of CPI excludes diesel, which constitutes more than 60 percent of total annual import of petroleum products. Consequently, its major impact is indirect through transport fares and irrigation costs. From Figure 5, we observe that generally every hike in diesel price is followed by a rising trend of point-to point inflation in one to three months lag. 1 The pass-through coefficient of diesel is 0.43 meaning that 43 percent of diesel price increase has been passed on to consumers (UNDP, 2007). ? Exchange rate fluctuations Among supply-side factors, exchange rate is found to be significant in explaining inflation in Bangladesh. A depreciation of exchange rate translates into a rise in the cost of imported commodities by making foreign goods more expensive, and thus induces an increase in the domestic price level. There is a close association between exchange rate fluctuations and inflation. Since the adoption of a floating exchange rate regime in May 2003, any depreciation of the exchange rate has been associated with a pickup in inflation by increasing the prices of imported goods. It is evident from Figure 6 that Bangladesh Taka shows a depreciating trend while Indian Rupee displays an appreciating trend during the period from FY98 to FY07. The depreciation of Taka makes imported commodities more expensive having bearing on the domestic price level. United Kingdom ¿Ã‚ ½s Factor: Supply side policies are govt measures to increase productivity in the economy and therefore shift LRAS to the right. Supply side policies usually involve reducing blockages to the free market or overcoming market failure. The key macroeconomic objectives of the govt include low inflation, low unemployment, increasing the sustainable rate of economic growth and minimising the balance of payments disequilibrium. Privatisation and deregulation were an important supply side policy of the 1980s; they involved selling state owned assets to the private sector and increasing competition within markets. Private companies have a profit incentive to cut costs and be more efficient. Greater competition also causes lower prices and more efficient methods of production, as firms compete for customers. This has enabled lower prices and greater productivity in some industries. However, this policy has been relatively unsuccessful in industries such as Rail and water because they are a natural monopoly and it is difficult to introduce competition into these industries Another example of supply side policies is education and training, if these policies are adopted then it enables higher labour productivity and improved economic performance. However, this policy may be subject to govt failure; for example, the govt may have poor information and set up inappropriate schemes which do not benefit workers Task 06: Economics The risk of inflation Contents:  ¿Ã‚ ½ Inflation rate of Bangladesh  ¿Ã‚ ½ Definition of inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ Impacts of inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ Controlling inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ Supply side economics  ¿Ã‚ ½ Source of reference Inflation rate of Bangladesh since 1990 to 2009: In 1990 the inflation rate was highest rate 10.522 which average 20.47% after that from 1991 to 1993 the rate was going down slowly like (-21.26, -56.26, -17.80) In 1995 the rate was going little high like but that rate was not recover before rates. In 1996 the rate was again straight going down. From the 1997 to 1998 the rate was going up. After 1999 to 2001 the rate was again going down, and than the rate was going up on 2007. And the last 2 years (2008-2009) the inflation rate of Bangladesh was going down. Definition of inflation: Inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. When the price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation is also erosion in the purchasing power of money  ¿Ã‚ ½ a loss of real value in the internal medium of exchange and unit of account in the economy. A chief measure of price inflation is the inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general price index (normally the Consumer Price Index) over time. Impacts of inflation: Keeping your savings in cash will also mean that you are slowly losing money. Holding physical cash gives no protection against inflation, which official consumer prices index figures put at 1.5%. This means that in order to maintain the purchasing power of your hard earned money it needs to be attracting an interest rate of at least inflation, preferably plus whatever tax you pay. If you lent money through Prosper back then, when most of its loans were extended, there ¿Ã‚ ½s a very high chance that you ¿Ã‚ ½ve lost money  ¿Ã‚ ½ in some cases, a lot of money.  ¿Ã‚ ½Of investors with a portfolio of loans that are an average of at least two years old, ¿Ã‚ ½ notes Gimein,  ¿Ã‚ ½folks who have lost money outnumber those who ¿Ã‚ ½ve earned 6 percent annual return by more than six to one. ¿Ã‚ ½ One of the big problems that Prosper ran into  ¿Ã‚ ½ the massive credit crunch and the ensuing Great Recession  ¿Ã‚ ½ could reasonably be considered to be a one-off event with a low likelihood of happening again. But another is endemic to the model: Prosper borrowers with a given FICO score are inevitably going to be more likely to default on their debts than most other people with the same credit score. It wasn ¿Ã‚ ½t meant to be that way. Peer-to-peer lending was meant to create a personal connection between borrower and lender, and therefore make borrowers more likely to repay their debts than people faced with large obligations to hated, faceless banks. But it seems that adverse selection effects overwhelmed the site ¿Ã‚ ½s attempts to be warm and fuzzy. Controlling inflation: A) Inflation is a sustained rise in the average prices of goods within an economy; it can also be seen as a change in the purchasing power of money. Inflation can normally be divided into two types ¿Ã‚ ½ cost-push and demand-pull. Cost-push happens when prices are pulled up by rising costs, demand-pull happens when demand outstrips supply and prices will therefore have to rise to accommodate this. Monetarists argue that inflation is caused increases in the money supply, the total amount of money circulating in the economy at one time. This is as the believe that any increase in the money supply which is not in line with the growth in output of the economy will lead to inflation. If the money supply was increased in the short-run then consumer spending. When you introduce money into circulation out of nowhere, it lessens the value of everyones money. It is in everybodys best interest, then, to keep inflation low. Supply side economics: The term  ¿Ã‚ ½supply-side economics ¿Ã‚ ½ is used in two different but related ways. Some use the term to refer to the fact that production (supply) underlies consumption and living standards. In the long run, our income levels reflect our ability to produce goods and services that people value. Higher income levels and living standards cannot be achieved without expansion in output. Virtually all economists accept this proposition and therefore are  ¿Ã‚ ½supply siders. ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½Supply-side economics ¿Ã‚ ½ is also used to describe how changes in marginal tax rates influence economic activity. Supply-side economists believe that high marginal tax rates strongly discourage income, output, and the EFFICIENCY of resource use. Source of Reference: Task 01: ? http://www.indexmundi.com/bangladesh/inflation_rate_(consumer_prices).html Task 02: ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation ? http://www.bized.co.uk/virtual/dc/copper/theory/th17.htm Task 03: ? http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/savings-and-banking/ask-an-expert/article.html?in_article_id=495492in_page_id=111 ? By Self ? http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/01/19/the-problem-with-peer-to-peer-lending/ Task 04: ? http://blog.economics4development.com/how-to-tackle-inflation ? http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100611143716AAzABWG ? http://www.blurtit.com/q929238.html ? http://tutor2u.net/economics/gcse/revision_notes/big_picture_inflation_remedies.htm ? http://tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/a2-macro-causes-of-inflation.html Task 05: ? http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/SupplySideEconomics.html ? http://bdeconassoc.org/userfiles/pdf/27%20Sources%20of%20Inflation%20in%20Bangladesh-%20Nasiruddin%20Ahmed.pdf ? http://www.economicshelp.org/macroeconomics/as-essays/supply-side-policies-improving-econ.html

Modern Christianity :: essays papers

Modern Christianity Now a day too many people are loosing their focus in life. We have heard that people are committing suicide everyday around in our community. In many of these occasions, religion has played a big role in saving many of these victims from the overwhelming pressures of our society. Religion has acted as a shelter that provides a peaceful environment and hope for guidance for these lost victims. Among that, becoming a Christian is what many have sought for. Two years ago, an eighteen years old high school friend of mine who is a typical American teenager lived in a perfect family of four had tried to commit suicide. It was astonishing when I found that he almost killed himself after he broke up with his girlfriend of six years. He simply thought that it was the end of the world when this had happened to him. He thought that his life would be no longer important and meaningful to this world. Luckily, at the very last moment of killing himself, his friend saved him. It happens that his friend knocked on the door of the bathroom at the right moment while he was trying to cut through his own wrist. After talking with this friend, who happened to be a Christian, he told him that there was a lot more in life that he should hold on to. He was then convinced that he could find what he had lost and would be able to realize how valuable a life is by becoming part of the big family, Christian, that is. He then became a born-again Christian ! in the following weekend. My friend although knew absolutely nothing about Christianity and he had never even read Bible, finally joined the big family. Another friend of mine who happened to be a really mature guy, living in his early 30^s had realized that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was being told that he would not live longer than 2 years. Before he got this disease, he used to be really energetic and hopeful for everything that he did. After realizing how much time he could have left in life, his personality made a huge swift to the opposite. He began to have no hopes in his life because he thought that he could die in any seconds. At that point of his life, he had totally lost his focus of himself and what is about to happen later on in his life. One day at the hospital, during a schedule psychological therapy those cancer patients were urged to take.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Summary

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, the main character, Stephen Dedalus has a life long desire to find a father figure. Not finding it within his own home he is forced to look out among the other men who play intricate roles in his life. Some of the men that Stephen looks to as father figures include; his dad, the dean of his school, the Jesuit priest of the retreat, his friend Cranly, and Daedelus of a Greek mythology. Again and again Stephen is faced with the disappointment of a potential father figure letting him down. It is not until all others have failed him that he finds a father figure that fulfills his life. Throughout Stephen’s life he and his father grow apart. As a child Stephen adores his father. Stephen remembers the story his father use to tell him about the moocow (1). Stephen’s memory of this story shows he put complete focus into his father whenever his father was around. Stephen’s father seems gentle and benevolent when he puts the sauce on Stephen’s plate after everyone else denies the sauce (19). As Stephen gets older he loses his bond with his father. Stephen believes his father is in a lot of trouble. Before Stephen’s family moves to Dublin he hears his father tell his uncle that he has enemies and some sort of fight is going to happen (45). This news puts a lot of pressure of Stephen and it makes Stephen pull away from his father. Stephen feels that the information that he learned makes him a part of the fight (45). Stephen’s bonds breaks even more when his father makes fun of him. Stephen’s father talked to the dean from Stephen’s school and learned that Stephen made a huge deal out of getting pandied (50). When Stephen learns they laughed about it he become very ashamed and he starts to dislike his father (50). As Stephen matures his father means less and less to him. Stephen feels ashamed of his father’s drinking so he tries to avoid the reality of the situation (65). Stephen begins to become ashamed of all of the things his father does (67). Stephen feels his father has failed him in being a role model to him. Stephen’s dad fails Stephen in the role of a father figure. This leads Stephen to look for a father figure outside of his family. Throughout his life Stephen looks to some of the religious leaders as father figures. Those father figures include the rector of his school and the Jesuit priest from the retreat. The rector of Stephen’s school is looked to as a father figure. Stephen believes his is of good intelligence and is not judgmental. After Stephen is pandied for no reason, Stephen looks to the Rector (36). Stephen believes he has been wronged and is very mad that Father Arnell did not stand up for him (35). Stephen shows great courage when he goes up to the rector’s room to complain about Father Dolan’s pandying. All of his fellow classmates are cheering him on to talk to the rector (36). At the beginning of Stephen and the rector’s conversation the rector show great care for Stephen. The rector just listens to Stephen and the problem he is having (38). When the rector starts to deny Father Dolan’s mistake Stephen becomes a little frustrated (39). The rector sees this frustration and tells Stephen he will talk to Father Dolan the next day (39). Stephen’s view of the rector as a father figure starts to change after the confrontation. The Rector really fails Stephen when Stephen learns that the Rector and Father Dolan have been talking about him, especially when he hears they laughed about him (50). Another father figure of Stephen’s fails. Even though the rector fails Stephen he provided some philosophy to Stephen’s life. The Jesuit priest from the retreat also provides a father figure to Stephen for a short period of time. The Jesuit priest puts fear into Stephen. During the three day retreat Stephen is told all of the bad things that sins do in your life (77). The Jesuit priest makes Stephen long for direction and he hopes he can live a sinless life after the retreat (103). When Stephen tries to live a sin free life he doubts himself that he is not completely redeemed (109). Even though the Jesuit priest scares Stephen into religion he fails Stephen as a father figure. Stephen feels he cannot trust the Jesuit, so he goes to a private church to pray (104). The religious leaders fail Stephen in giving him the father figure he is searching for. Stephen also looks to Cranly, his friend, in college as a father figure. Cranly gives Stephen advice on life and helps Stephen in choices. Cranly provides Stephen with philosophy in his attempt to be a father figure to Stephen. Stephen really likes Cranly (128). Stephen talks about remembering Cranly by his face and not what the rest of him looks like (128). Stephen looks to Cranly for help about a problem he is having. Stephen’s mom wants him to go to the Easter service, but Stephen does not feel the religious faith he once felt (167). Cranly tells Stephen he should go because a mother’s love is more important than Stephen’s religious doubts (167). Stephen and Cranly’s acquaintance ends when Stephen says his is going to leave the country to explore his artistic ability (169). Cranly warns him this may be the wrong choice, but Stephen ignores him. Cranly fails Stephen as a father figure. Stephen does not agree with Cranly in the end and that makes Stephen’s idea of Cranly as a father figure disappears. The one person that successfully provides Stephen a father figure is Daedelus from Greek mythology. Daedelus provides Stephen with inspiration to be a better person and to express his artistic ability (124). Even though Daedelus was not a successful father figure to his son Icarus, Stephen still feels that Daedelus is the prefect father figure. Since Daedelus is just in Stephen’s mind, Stephen is his own father. When Stephen leaves Ireland he become his own role model in that he is Daedelus in his mind and he is not leaving anything important behind (156). Stephen puts a lot of faith into Daedelus. In Stephen’s journal entry on April 27 he calls Daedelus the great creator; which also refers to Stephen being a great creator because Daedelus is in Stephen’s mind (185). Daedelus is the only man that provides Stephen with a father figure. Daedelus is Stephen’s perfect father in his mind. Stephen’s search for a father figure is throughout A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Even though Stephen takes a long time to find his perfect father figure, he does. Stephen searched his whole life for a father figure and then he realizes he is his own father and he is the only thing he needs. The father figures are a very important idea in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

Culture as a Determinant of Motivation Essay

Why is the study of Different Theories of Motivation important to managers? The World has changed at a very fast pace and will continue to do so. The view point that many prominent researchers had on motivation has also evolved with changing times. There has been a phenomenal change in the way organizations and individuals function in the twenty first century if we made a comparison with how organizations functioned back in the day. There is a significantly greater focus today on employee satisfaction, work life balance, cross cultural values, virtual teams and formal performance management processes to name a few. Globalization is one the key factors which has brought a prominent change in many organizational practices in the twenty first century. Hershey and Blanchard (1977) mentioned that â€Å"motives can be defined as needs, wants, drives or impulses within the individual which are directed towards goals which may be conscious or sub conscious†. Motivation has been defined by Robbins, Decenzo and Coulter (2011) as â€Å"motivation is the process by which a person’s efforts are energized, directed, and sustained towards attaining a goal â€Å" In this paper we will define motivation as the force which helps an individual focus on his immediate and long term goals and helps him run the extra mile. Also in this essay we will be focusing on the impact of culture on organizational behavior and the reasons why managers need to be aware of various motivational theories so that they are well equipped to handle this impact of culture change. Motivation is a very important tool that is not effectively utilized by managers. Motivation if used effectively can significantly improve the performance of teams and employees. It was thought earlier that motivation could be directed only by external factors, but it is now understood that every employee has his own set of motivators which if addressed correctly can significantly improve a manager and his team’s performance. It is the manager’s responsibility to correctly identify these motivating factors and take all steps possible to address them. But this is easier said than done. As observed in today’s environment there are many issues which create a hindrance for managers to motivate their respective teams. In most organizations because of the growing impetus of globalization and the fact that individuals from different cultures, ethnic backgrounds come on the same platform and work together, it is becoming increasingly difficult for managers to be on top o f these growing trends and continue to motivate their respective teams. It is very important for managers to understand how important the concept of culture plays in the way an employee thinks and behaves. Only when a manager is aware of the subtle changes in an individual’s behavior because of their cultural background, can he actually make a concentrated effort to analyze and evaluate methods to motivate that particular individual. Geert Hofstede’s (1980) theory of cultural dimensions describes how a particular society’s culture influences the behavior and values of individuals using a structure derived from factor analysis. This theory proposed four concepts on the basis of which cultural values could be evaluated; Individualism- collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, power distance and masculinity- feminity. As per Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) power distance is â€Å"the degree to which control and influence are distributed unequally in society†. In countries with high power distance it would not be recommended to give employees a lot of freedom with respect to their work. The employees would be more comfortable when they are abiding by a strict protocol and set guidelines and procedures whereas in countries with low power distance decentralization of power would be recommended where employees can be empowered and inspired to come up with creative ideas in their work. Countries like Venezuela and Malaysia are examples of nations which show High Power distance whereas Denmark and Great Britain are nations which show very low power distance. Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) defined the concept of individualism versus collectivism as â€Å"I and Me versus We and Us’†. Cultures where the beliefs are that one is responsible for his own decisions and the general tendency is to take care of only oneself and his own family are individualistic cultures. Collective cultures are those where people rely more heavily on groups and the general tendency is to take care of each other. Individualism is common in USA, Canada and mostly in the West whereas collectivism is more common in Pakistan, India and Brazil. In collective cultures promotions and appraisals are generally done on the basis of seniority, age and loyalty whereas in individualistic cultures appraisals are done only on the basis of merit. In countries where the culture is individualistic strong individual recognition and rewards would be very strong motivators. Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) expounded that uncertainty avoidance was â€Å"the degree of risk aversion†. Individuals from Countries with high uncertainty avoidance are generally very wary of ambiguous situations and they create beliefs and situations to increase their sense of security. They have very strong belief in experts and they generally arrive at decisions only with consensus of their entire group. Denmark and Great Britain are examples of low uncertainty avoidance cultures whereas Germany, Japan and Spain are examples of High Uncertainty avoidance countries. Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) elucidated on masculinity versus femininity as â€Å"the desire for material possessions and recognition versus the desire for relationships and family† In masculine societies monetary rewards would make very good motivators whereas in predominantly feminine societies Flexible working hours or more time away from work for family would be very strong motivators. A feminine society is more concerned with family and personal relationships as against masculine societies where jobs are more or less gender based. Examples of such masculine cultures are China, Japan, Philippines, India, Bangladesh whereas examples of more feminine cultures are Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia. Some researchers like William Ouchi (Theory Z) and Peters & Waterman(Excellence theory) developed theories on the difference between management practices between Japanese and American business corporations . They firmly believed that most American and Japanese corporations functioned similar to the McGregor’s Theory X & Theory Y where the American companies firmly believed that workers are generally unwilling to work and can be motivated only with economic benefits whereas the Japanese corporations were of the belief that the workers can be motivated by a sense of duty and loyalty. The major difference in the functioning of these organizations was also the fact the managers from the west which are predominantly individualistic cultures could not generally think about the bigger picture and this probably showed in the treatment of their employees. Hence the intrinsic factors of most employees were not catered to. Companies from the East like Japan which is a collective culture showed that managers used to generally behave with their workers like they were a part of a collective unit and this made the employees think about the companies as an extension to their individual self. This made them believe that money and economic benefits were not primary motivators. Such employees were motivated with other factors like by knowledge sharing, improving their self esteem, self respect, achievement, recognition and opportunities for more challenging work. Organizations need to pay utmost attention to the cultural and ethnic sentiments of their employees. Let’s say for instance Multinational Companies who have their setup in India also have to take many factors into consideration like the fact that every state in India has some festivals which have a very strong regional and cultural flavor. Organizations have to keep in mind that even within Cultures there are many sub cultures and the sentiments of the employees within these sub cultures also need to be taken care of. Like for instance in India in the state of Maharashtra the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is of very high cultural and emotional significance whereas in the state of Punjab Baisakhi as a festival is of very high importance. Organizations need to take these aspects also into consideration and keep a correct balance when they are deciding holidays for the employees in a particular culture or sub culture. If the management does not pay attention to the sentiments of their employees, this will send the wrong signals to their employees and they will be unable to identify themselves with the ideals of the company. In such situations motivating employees would become very difficult. Having seen the impact of culture on the behavior of employees and individuals it would be very advantageous for managers to understand the underlying and basic crux of motivation theories. These theories when used in the right context with employees will help motivate them and improve their performance. Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory of Motivation (1968) emphasizes on core job factors and distinguishes them into two categories Hygiene Factors and Motivational Factors. Herzberg further added that the Hygiene Factors like Pay, Company Policies, Fringe Benefits, Physical working conditions, Status, Interpersonal Relations, and Job Security were only factors that were extrinsic to the work environment and on ly prevented dissatisfaction. These factors never motivated individuals but only prevented the individuals from getting dissatisfied which might further lead to de-motivation. He further added that the motivational factors were intrinsic to an individual and were inherent in work. The motivational factors like recognition, Growth Opportunities, Responsibility, Leadership Quotient, and Meaningfulness of work were what were instrumental in creating satisfaction in an employee and motivating him. What is interesting to know is that in different cultures the motivators and hygiene factors are slightly different. In collective cultures sense of fulfillment and working towards company goal is considered far more important that individual pay and remuneration like in western cultures. Managers need to strike the right balance with employees to properly inspire them to perform better. In order to be able to do this they need to have sufficient background knowledge of the culture quotient of an employee along with certain theories of motivation which might be applicable to those employees. In recent times of financial crisis it has become even more important for managers to understand the key factors which can motivate their employees. Organizations in recent times have become hard pressed to offer economic benefits and rewards to their employees. In such situations it would a great advantage to managers if they have sufficient knowledge of motivation theories like the Equity theory of Motivation which states that every individual has an ingrained instinct to continuously evaluate what is it that he is gaining from the company with respect to what he investing in the company. Individuals also continuously compare themselves with their peers and colleagues. Such theories will help manages keep a right balance and ensure that certain factors which can give impetus to an employee’s dissatisfaction are sufficiently curtailed. They will then start focusing on improving an employee’s soft skills like interpersonal communication, instilling a sense of duty and loyalty towards the organization, making the employees strive for self improvement. Recognition and praise for good work will also be used more effectively used to motivate employees. The uses of motivation theories have become even more important as in most organizations virtual teams have become the order of the day. Employees work with their associates and colleagues whom they have never even met. It has become even more instrumental for managers to instill a sense of collectivism in their teams so that individuals working in a group can transform into a team in an actual sense. As per the survey done by Mckinsey(2010) it was found that most employees in organizations feel de motivated when they are unable to idolize themselves with the leadership of the company. It was also found that the many employees in the organization would feel even more motivated if they were offered a few words of praise from their boss. Like for instance if a manager appreciates the efforts of an employee who is a part of his virtual team whose first language is not English, this will really do wonders for that specific employee. All the small bits when put together make a collage. The study of motivation theories has now become of paramount importance to managers as they really need to understand that small bit which will motivate their team and their associates to do better than they actually can. This is what will separate a manager from a leader and will elevate the performance of a group of people to a team. Bibliography References * Hofstede, G. (1980). Motivation, Leadership, and Organization: Do American Theories Apply Abroad? Organizational Dynamics, 9(1), 42-63 * Hersey P, Kenneth Blanchard (1977). Management of Organisational Behaviour. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall * Sledge, S., Miles, A. K., & Coppage, S. (2008). What role does culture play? 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