Saturday, May 23, 2020

The Hobbit A Hero s Journey - 1481 Words

In many stories, there is a hero ‒ a character who rescues, saves, survives, and sacrifices in order to help the greater good. He usually is of mysterious origin and often starts off seeming ordinary and insignificant. However, as the hero eventually grows and develops, he follows the hero’s journey, or the general structure of a hero’s adventures. Such is the case in J.R.R. Tolkien’s renowned The Hobbit, a high fantasy novel detailing the adventures of Mr. Bilbo Baggins, a small furry creature known as a hobbit. Bilbo lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until he is compelled to join a dangerous quest with Gandalf the wizard and thirteen dwarves. As Bilbo Baggins progresses along his hero’s journey, he transforms, develops, and changes into an extraordinary hero. Firstly, Bilbo grows bolder and more curious as he begins his adventures. The first stage of a hero’s journey is the Separation, in which the hero leaves his known world, or home, and crosses into the Unknown (Thompson and Harris 7). Bilbo resides in Bag-End, his hobbit-hole, where he lives as a â€Å"very respectable [hobbit who]...never had any adventures or did anything unexpected† (Tolkien 2). Bag-End represents Bilbo’s known world, where he lives comfortably and complacently. Next, Bilbo undergoes the first step of the hero’s journey, the Call, which occurs when the protagonist is called to adventure (Thompson and Harris 8). Bilbo is not particularly brave or gifted, but when Gandalf chooses him to be the burglarShow MoreRelatedThe Unexpected Epic Of Bilbo Baggins s The Odyssey 1297 Words   |  6 PagesEpic Hero Praised for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities, a hero has distinguished courage and ability. An epic hero is a unique type of hero who is often depicted in an epic poem. Homer initiated the concept of an epic hero in the person of Odysseus in the epic poem The Odyssey. Through his works and other author s works, the traits of an epic hero emerge. An epic hero embodies certain traits or characteristics; a strong love for their people, courage and being humble. The hero alsoRead MoreThe Tolkien s The Hobbit930 Words   |  4 PagesJ. R. R. Tolkien s novel The Hobbit is one of a kind. The novel revolves around the protagonist Bilbo Baggins and his journey not only of recovering the treasure from Smaug, but his journey becoming a hero. Through the main character Bilbo Baggins Tolkien changed my perspective on what a mythic hero is suppose to be. When the term â€Å"mythic hero† is brought up I visualize someone that is a stouthearted a warrior namely Achilles or Odys seus to be exact not a hobbit. A little friendly, good-naturedRead MoreAnalysis Of Bilbo s Hobbit 1712 Words   |  7 PagesAfter beginning his adventure, Bilbo faces one of his most difficult challenges in The Hobbit when Bilbo Baggins faces the Inmost cave stage he fights with Gollum in the cave. Holmes describes the Inmost Cave as â€Å"the abyss. This is the greatest challenge that faces the hero† (Holmes). This stage is literally in a dark cave, one that provides a morally challenging and terrifying experience for Bilbo. In the cave, he deals with the Gollum and finds the Ring, changing his character forever. Only onceRead MoreThe Hobbit, Or There And Back Again Essay1423 Words   |  6 PagesThe Hobbit, or There and Back Again, is a high fantasy novel written by JRR Tolkien and published in the year 1937. Spanning a proper 300 pages it contains an adventure of grand proportions; detailing the exploits of one Bilbo Baggins and his attempts in aiding a band of 13 dwarv es to reclaim a lost treasure. Although commonly intended for a child audience, The Hobbit does include subtle hints of adult like themes and motifs such as conflict between different races and the corrupting factor of wealthRead MoreWilliam Tolkien s The Hobbit 1315 Words   |  6 Pagesto embark on a journey or do something unlike anything else one has ever done before? Some may seek thrill and adventure, but living in the same world as a hobbit, one might think twice about venturing out. The Hobbit is an allegorical novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. The story follows the protagonist, Bilbo Baggins as he sets out to undertake a long journey with a wizard named Gandalf and thirteen dwarves. In the beginning of the novel Bilbo doesn’t feel the need to set out on a journey, but once a groupRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Hobbit 941 Words   |  4 PagesLiterary Analysis of The Hobbit Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit living in the Shire having a peaceful quiet life in his hobbit hole. One day after living a life of leisure and pleasure he is awakened by a rude knock on his door. In a matter of a few hours he will meet the people that changed his life for good. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is a story about a hobbit and his adventure. His adventure starts with a knock on his door by his old Friend Gandalf. Gandalf then promptly asks Bilbo†I am looking forRead MoreThe Hobbit, Or There And Back Again1491 Words   |  6 PagesAmanda van der Merwe Wide Reading #4 - novel The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. â€Å"The world is not in your books and maps.† - J.R.R Tolkien.   Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe Hobbit’, written by Tolkien which was published in 1937, follows the journey of a â€Å"reluctant hobbit† who sets out on a unexpected adventure to the Lonely Mountains, with a â€Å"spirited group† of dwarves and a â€Å"talented wizard†, to reclaim their mountain home - and the gold within it - from the dragon Smaug.   Through this dynamic text, Tolkien conveys toRead MoreAnalysis Of Bilbo Baggins s The Hobbit 1616 Words   |  7 PagesBilbo Baggins is one of the main characters of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Being a main character in a story, especially an adventure story, typically comes with some pretty hefty responsibilities. More often than not, the main character is also the hero. A hero is defined as â€Å"a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities,† and these are not necess arily qualities readily attributed to Bilbo Baggins (oxforddictionaries.com). ThisRead MoreSummary Of Bilbo The Unexpected Hero 1339 Words   |  6 Pages Crumm2 Mrs Hooper Period 8 April 16th, 2015 Bilbo, the Unexpected Hero J.R.R. Tolkien is best knowing for his work in the series â€Å"Lord of the Rings†, which is held to be one of the best told modern day folklore. It consists of a world inhabited by mythical and supernatural beings. In his book â€Å"The Hobbit†, which is also taken place in this world, we meet our unlikely hero Bilbo Baggins. Hobbits are known not to be very adventurous. They live in comfort and do what is expected fromRead MoreThe Hobbit : The Metamorphosis Of Mr. Baggins1571 Words   |  7 PagesRiley Professor: William Tooma English 215 November 10 2015 The Hobbit: The Metamorphosis of Mr. Baggins. In The Hobbit, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, the main character Bilbo Baggins experiences a drastic inner transformation along the story. The author executes the development of the protagonist’s personality in three stages: before the quest, during and after it. Previous to his journey, Bilbo was a coward and conventional hobbit. During the first part of the quest he is not confident of himself

Monday, May 18, 2020

Belgian Colonializm in the Congo Free State Essay

The violent and forced rule of the Congo is a horrific time in African history. The time period beginning with Henry Morton Stanleys first exploration to the Congo, and King Leopolds desire of this area, had been a nightmare for the people of the Congo. The civilizing mission to the Congo not only resulted in the killing of thousands of people but also the destruction of a culture. The two articles, Belgian Colonialism in the Congo, and the letter by George Washington Williams, are just two views from this time. Both articles depict very different opinions of what is going on in the Congo and also what should be allowed to go on there. These articles show the very different opinions of someone who has never gone and someone who has†¦show more content†¦What trade was conducted between Europeans and African traders occurred on the coast? (Class notes). When King Leopold decided that he wanted the Congo he knew nothing of the land or the people there, and he did not wish to kn ow. King Leopold relentlessly tried to gain control of this region for his own economic gain. In his Open letter in 1898 Leopold states that, ?I am pleased to think that our agents, nearly all of whom are volunteers drawn from the ranks of the Belgian army, have always present in their minds a strong sense of the career of honor in which they are engaged, and are animated with a pure feeling of patriotism, not sparing their own blood, they will the more spare the blood of the natives, who will see in them the all-powerful protectors of their lives and their property, benevolent teachers of whom they have so great a need? (article #1) This sentence directly states the idea of imperialist thinking. The idea that the people of the Congo are uncivilized and savage is the mindset of King Leopold during the time of Congo colonization. Leopold wishes to take the Congo solely for his own advancement. Allow he says that he wishes to civilize the people there, he does very little of that. The part in the letter where he says that it is better to spare their blood then your own is the way most of the people who went over to the Congo were thinking. A true imperialist idea, that the people there were no better then

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

My Externship At Wild Dunes Resort - 1756 Words

Reflections of My Externship at Wild Dunes Resort On January 11th, I began my externship at Wild Dunes Resort where I was employed as a Front Desk Associate. At the beginning of my externship, I was nervous as I had spent the majority of my adult life as a stay at home mother and I also worked as a Realtor for six years. Neither of these two â€Å"jobs† required working in a large office and with a large volume of computer and operational training. So, as a result, I was a little apprehensive the first couple of weeks as I received no training from a â€Å"real person† during this time, but instead spent my time completing computer modules which truly do not represent the way operations are performed in the office. As one of my main goals included mastery of the hotel’s reservation software, I went to work on completing the modules immediately. As I said, the modules were somewhat helpful in familiarizing a person with the actual SMS system but were not accurate in the way the employees actually use the sys tem. At the end of the first couple of weeks, I did not really feel very prepared regarding the software and this did frustrate me. At least part of the time during week two, I was able to spend a little time with a trainer who taught me the very basics of check-ins and check-outs. In front desk operations, there are a million ways that an operation can proceed and I realized I was in for a long road of mastering the SMS system. My â€Å"trainer† for the week actually said, â€Å"I

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

How Is the Continual Battle of Nature vs Human Technology...

Explain how Bradbury uses this story to question human’s reliance on technology The house was created for the sole purpose of serving mankind. The house cannot save the family, or humans, from the viciousness of a nuclear bomb. By the time the reader is exposed to the house, the owners have been eradicated, â€Å"their images burned on wood in one titanic instant†. The house continues to make breakfast, have little robotic mice that clean the house, and even read poetry for, essentially, no one. When the story begins, it appears that machinery has triumphed over humans. Humankind might have fallen beneath the powerful nuclear bomb, but technology has not. Furthermore, while the family relied on the house to take care of†¦show more content†¦Instead of a family having to cook and clean, the house does it for them. There is no love within the house. While it would require more work, perhaps it would be more meaningful for a family to work together to keep their house running properly. Instead of being a mere house, it would become a home. Techniques Bradbury uses throughout the story? 1) Personification 2) Foreshadowing 3) Suspense 1) The most often used literary technique to describe the house is personification, where you give inanimate objects human-like characteristics. The stove is given human actions, In the kitchen the breakfast stove gave a hissing sigh and ejected from its warm interior.... This passage shows that Bradbury has given a breakfast stove the ability to hiss a sigh. Stoves are not physically able to sigh. Rain is personified, And the rain tapped on the empty house, echoing. The rain did not literally tap on the house, it means that the rain was making noise as it fell and came into contact with the house. 2) Bradbury uses is foreshadowing, hinting clues that suggest events that will later happen. The voice-clock sang, worriedly, ...Ticktock, seven o clock, time to get up, time to get up, seven o clock! As if it were afraid that nobody would. This shows that the house was sensing something was going to be different today. It foreshadows that something bad may happen. There is a fire in the h ouse, Smoke and silence. A great

Statement of Purpose For Ms Applied Statistics Free Essays

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FOR MS APPLIED STATISTICS. Right from childhood, I was fond of mathematics and how it had the ability to convey a lot of information with so little illustrations. This, together with my consistent good performance in mathematics throughout high school, was responsible for the nurturing of a special interest in it. We will write a custom essay sample on Statement of Purpose For Ms Applied Statistics or any similar topic only for you Order Now This childhood zeal in the subject gradually crystallized into a more mature form as I stepped into higher studies. The most significant influence on my life has been my parents. They have encouraged me to learn more always, therefore, instilling in me an urge to know beyond what is evident and a drive to study more than what was demanded by my high school teachers. These habits not only helped me greatly in my academic pursuits by increasing my hunger for knowledge but ensured that I was amongst the best in all my classes. What can be more interesting and fascinating than the structure of the world around us? I asked myself this question when I was deciding which course to pursue in my undergraduate studies. I knew two things at the time; the first was that the world can be thought of as a vault of data and secondly, that mathematical statistics is basically the science of extracting and interpreting the most fundamental knowledge from data obtained. With this mindset, I knew that statistics was the tool I needed to channel my mathematics interests and skills into the workings of nature. These ideas appealed to me and are the primary reason why I decided to choose mathematics major with statistics concentration at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, and unsurprisingly, graduated with a first class honors degree. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology offers training in mathematics and statistics whose standard is comparable with the best in the world. My days in this institute were an unforgettable experience. Students were to take an average of six courses each semester. To successfully complete a coursework, one had to pass class work and presentations, mid semester and an end of semester exam based on each course. I had full semester in-depth training in several mathematical, probability and statistical courses; notably amongst them are regression analysis, time series analysis, sample survey theory and stochastic processes. These courses gave me an insight into applied statistics through the practical problem based projects I undertook during my classes. I realized my passion for statistics when I performed exceptionally in each of these courses. I had to be methodical and diligent in my studies to be able to excel consistently. In view of this, I learnt the ability to think in an organized and efficient manner, became a fast learner and gained confidence to live up to the requirements of any coursework. Side by side with these courses, I received highly rigorous training in calculus and algebra, through a three semester calculus sequence and two semesters training in linear and abstract algebra. Moreover, my exposure to the world of computers at an early age gave me the opportunity to develop a considerable degree of familiarity with computers over the years. My self-study on the C programing language basics made it relatively easier for me to grasp the advanced concepts of computer languages and programing during my undergraduate studies. I have officially had a semester of training and fairly proficient in each of the following courses; Visual Basic for Applications, Microsoft Excel, MATLAB, HTML. It has always been a childhood dream to become a research scientist. This amateurish pursuit became an actual ambition during my undergraduate studies and has motivated me to further my education. My desire to study studies in Statistics at a graduate level further arose during an internship at the Ghana Chamber of Commerce. While working as an intern, I was fascinated with the enormous interaction of computers and statistics and also had ample opportunity to analyze different types of data sets. This helped me realize the decision making attributes that came with statistics. It also gave me a firsthand glimpse into applying statistics in industry and provided me with an opportunity to study in detail the possible consequences of using various time-series models. It has been my experience that some problems cannot be solved merely by using standard Statistical tools. The motivating factor behind my decision to undertake graduate study is to equip myself with the necessary tools to address such problems, build a strong foundation to pursue a scientific research career in Statistics and eventually contribute to this branch of knowledge. The Master of Science degree program in Applied Statistics at the Wright State University appeals to the way it provides its students with a strong grounding in statistical techniques used for practical analysis of data. Furthermore, my choice was also influenced by the benefits and assistance that the statistical consulting center gives to Wright State students when they choose to use them. In spite of this, I feel that the department offers a good environment to carry on research and thus, the Wright State University is the place much better suited to my objective. Moreover, I was inspired by the vastness of research those professors in this department undertake, and want to be a part of such an environment. With the kind of in-depth training in theoretical statistics, probability theory and mathematics that I have received, I am confident to live up to the graduate courses and research works in your department. I look forward to contribute to the enrichment and the subject at your institution. Thank you for considering my application and I hope to be a part of your department. (FELIX ESSUMAN-NELSON) How to cite Statement of Purpose For Ms Applied Statistics, Essay examples

Management and Organization Behavior Departmental Store

Question: Describe about the Management and Organization Behavior for Departmental Store. Answer: Introduction Purpose of report: Management has been often perceived in varying contexts as people or process. As people, management refers to the senior authority assigned for the monitoring and supervision of the organizations activities. From the perspective of a process, management can be widely perceived as the effective utilization of resources in order to attain predefined objectives of an organization (DuBrin, 2013). The report provided below is largely concerned with the managerial aspects of an organization and attempts to emphasize on the four profound managerial functions which are required for the sustainable operations of an enterprise. The issues addressed in the report include references to the disparities among theoretical and actual practices in management (Giacalone Rosenfeld, 2013). Organization background: The organization which was selected for the report is Myer Holdings Ltd which is a leading departmental store in Australia. The number of stores operated by the company is 65 and the stores are concerned with provision of 11 different categories of products which include apparel for both genders, electrical appliances, beauty accessories, cosmetics and various merchandize. Myer also shows innovative strength in terms of in house stores of Vodafone and Espresso coffee (Greenberg Colquitt, 2013). The store serves products from almost 2400 brands and is accountable for supplies from 800 international suppliers. The organizations profound feature is its association with almost 3 million customers through its trust and loyalty program. With a formidable product range and visible market presence, Myer holds a promising opportunity for realizing the capabilities of management practices to enable sustainable growth for it in the future (Goetsch Davis, 2014). Interview process: The interview questions were prepared with consideration for the privileges of each manager selected for the interview. The interview process was conducted on five managerial personnel of Myer Holdings Ltd. the managers were selected from distinct domains of the organization such as sales manager, security manager, data manager, operations manager and marketing manager. The role of each respondent can be apprehended from the description of their jobs. These individuals were selected primarily because of their managerial role in the organization and the significance of the departments they lead in realizing the business objectives of Myer (Griffin, 2013). The participants were contacted directly in their offices through prior appointments and were informed of the nature and objectives of the interview in order to gain their participation. The interview questions were open ended and were largely related to the conjunction of their professional and personal lives. Major emphasis on mana gement of the balance between personal and professional lives of managers enabled the respondents to become familiar with the interview process (Lewin, 2014). Report outline: The interview questions have to be analyzed with references to the various theoretical descriptions provided regarding the role of a manager in an organization. The report provided below has been structured according to the four distinct functions of planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Each of the sections of the report would be dedicated to each of the above mentioned functions (Levine, Thompson Messick, 2013). The sections would provide an insight into the theory associated with each function and the observations from the interview which are indicative of realization of the specific function. The conclusion of each section is related to the critical review of the processes implemented by the managers as perceived from the interview which would help in deriving suitable recommendations for improving the managerial strategy at Myer Holdings Ltd (Locke, 2015). Planning: Theory Planning is concerned with the design of a feasible course of action for a company. The finalization of a precise plan for strategy implementation is accountable for the precise allocation of resources and utilization of organizational capabilities in the appropriate context. The planning process for an organization is primarily associated with goal setting and is considered as the profound source for deriving the vision for an organization. The creation of objectives or goals is responsible for providing a common apprehension related to the procedures needed for accomplishing goals (Lent Brown, 2013). Therefore a proficient manager is characterized by fluent planning capabilities and theory associated with managerial practices suggests that managers must adopt distinct approaches for planning. Business planning and strategic planning could be executed in unison or individually depending on the expectations and investments of the managers. Efficient business planning enables a manag er to predict the issues for degradation of performance, comprehensive analysis of market and industry in which the organization operates, calculated objective formulation and provision of opportunities for sustaining the organizations growth in future (Miner, 2015). The objectives set by a manager must be capable of adapting to performance measurement systems adopted by the company. This would enable the manager to monitor the performance of employees according to the predefined implications in the business plan. Findings A business plan is primarily composed of business and product description, market analysis, implementation strategy, management guidelines and financial plan. The business description indicates the details of the business in terms of its origin and the legal obligations as well as organizational structure. Product descriptions refer to the illustration of products and services facilitated to customers and the benefits of the product to customers as well as its distinction from the products of competitors. Market analysis provided in a business plan must be directed towards the description of market size, customers, competitors and the future scope in the market (Morgeson et al., 2013). The implementation strategy is concerned with the methodologies which must be adopted to realize the objectives of the plan. Assignment of responsibilities to teams and management as well as key authorities is also a profound inclusion in the planning activities of a manager. Financial planning on beha lf of a manager is expected to be realized in the form of break-even analysis, balance sheet, budgeting, costing, cash flow analysis and other tools for financial predictions. Managers are also required to conduct strategic planning which is an essential derivative of the planning process. Strategic planning is chiefly intended for the estimation of external and internal factors which could be impactful on the activities of the organization (Mathieu et al., 2016). The commonly used models for strategic planning include SWOT analysis, Porters five forces model and PESTEL analysis. These tools enable the acquisition of information on the favorable as well as detrimental aspects of the organization and thereby suggest favorable improvements in the subsequent stages of the management functions such as organizing, leading and controlling. Analysis The interview responses from the different managers indicated a common approach towards planning. However disparities in certain sectors such as components of business plan or strategic plans were not addressed by certain managers such as the security manager and the operations manager. The pre-planned activities of Myer enable limited scope for innovation on behalf of managers in the planning phase. The management of Myer is completely involved in the planning process prior to the design and launch of new products (McShane Von, 2015). The interview responses suggested that business planning was divided into different management levels such as top level, mid-level and departmental managerial levels. Strategic planning is conducted by the senior management while the task of operational and tactical planning is assigned to departmental and mid-level managers. The reflection on such practice in Myer Holdings Ltd. in terms of planning function of managers would indicate that the organization should emphasize on creativity to obtain promising results from the potential of managers. The analysis of responses indicates the attitudes of the managers towards the varying distribution of authority which limits their involvement in the process of decision making in the planning process (Mihalache, et al., 2014). The organization must adopt the ideal practice of implementing a collectivist framework and include all managerial personnel in the planning process to obtain a diverse impression of the performance of different sectors of the organization as well as include remedial measures. Organizing: Theory Managers in an organization are not completely able to realize all the planned activities. The key reason for this could be perceived as the lack of organization. Organization of tasks indicates that the managers have to assign the planned tasks to various individuals in the organization. The process of organizing is also concerned with the activities of direction and coordination. This would enable employees to realize the precise expectations of the organization from them in context of the defined objectives (Nahavandi et al., 2013). The allocation of resources is also improvised with the application of organizing functions by managers. The manager is responsible for communicating the levels of authority, organization of the available workforce and distribution of resources to employees of the organization. The foremost activity of a manager is to prepare an organizational chart which indicates the organizational structure for clarification on the classification of management as we ll as classification of individual responsibilities within an organization (Pinder, 2014). The organization structure signifies the association which exists between different departments of the company and their individual as well as common functions. The arrangement of the organizational structure according to a hierarchy is indicative of the classified distribution of authoritative levels in an organization and individuals who rank higher in a hierarchy usually enjoy added power and responsibility at the same time. The organizing functions of a manager are initiated with references to the delegation of activities and tasks to employees (Robbins Judge, 2012). The managers must take a note of the existing activities as well as new strategic modification which employees must incorporate in their tasks. The delegation of activities and tasks has to be primarily based on the skills and capabilities of the employees in each department. Departmental organization of activities as planned in the strategy would account for unification of similar groups and increasing the scope for division of labor. Departmental organization also accounts for limitations on the magnitude of tasks and hence employees could achieve the desired objectives with ease. The next step in organizing refers to the categorization of authority which is also inclusive of the implications for division of responsibility and reporting (Stadtler, 2015). Finally, the managers have to communicate the necessity of maintaining a fine balance between responsibility and authority which would mean that managers of respective departments would not misuse their privileges. Finding The organizing aspect of managerial functions has been observed as one of the profound elements of management practice implemented in Myer Holdings Ltd. the responses from the interview of managers suggested that organizing function of managers in the organization was chiefly concerned with management of human resources, financial resources and raw materials (Wagner Hollenbeck, 2014). The communication of managers in the form of interactive meetings enables employees to acquire a lucid impression of their duties which is responsible for the feasible execution of strategic plans of the organization (Shortell Kaluzny, 2013). Analysis The reflection on organizing function of managers with respect to Myer Holdings Ltd. and the inferences observed in theory suggest that the organization must assume a sophisticated communication channel for interlinking the various departments of the organization which in turn would result in effective organization of activities and realization of managerial performance (Shortell Kaluzny, 2013). Streamlining the activities of the different managers into distinct categories and departments could also be considered as plausible alternatives by managers to enhance managerial capabilities. Leading: Theory The third function of a manager is to serve as an ideal example for employees to follow suit. On a practical basis, managers are required to direct the activities of staff in the right direction. The leading process enables the employees of an organization to accomplish the individual as well as professional objectives through motivation, department leadership and communication. The managers are able to command the activities of employees and leading functions are aptly realized in the commanding nature of leaders (McShane Von, 2015). Managers must be capable of providing order and directing employees and should move above the mere level of informing employees about the requirements from a particular task and indulge in guiding and supervising the staff (Robbins Judge, 2012). Furthermore managers are also concerned with the supervision of compliance of employees to deadlines and targets. Managers must be able to provide illustrated guidelines in order to ensure that their subordina tes complete their tasks according to requirements. Theoretical implications of leading function of management re associated with directives of pervasive function, delegate function, human factor, creative activity and continuous activity. Findings In the case of Myer Holding Ltd. the leadership style followed by managers has proved to be a crucial influence on the motivation of the large workforce of the organization. Leadership has enabled the company to achieve the tag of Australias leading departmental store chain. The managers of the organization rely on a democratic and participative style of leadership which enables leaders to involve all employees of the organization in decision making processes as well as resolving existing issues in the organization (Nahavandi et al., 2013). The characteristic observation which can be derived from the interview responses indicates that managers at Myer adopt situational leadership styles which can respond to dynamic changes in the business environment. The prominence of contingency theory is also a notable feature in the leadership aspect of managerial function. Analysis The critical reflection of the leading functions provided by managers at Myer Holdings Ltd provides an insight into the reliable methods which can be adopted for improving talent retention. Though the participative style of leadership is favored by majority of employees, the setbacks in terms of financial remunerations often get unnoticed. Therefore, top level managers must be responsive towards the financial as well as non-financial sources of motivation for improving and retaining talent. Controlling: Theory Controlling or evaluation is considered as an imperative inclusion in the functions of a manager. The process is associated with frequent evaluation of the efficacy of operations and implementation of remedial measures in case of discrepancies. Managers can realize the efforts to measure and evaluate the activities of various individuals which are indicative of the proper compliance of the individuals with the assigned responsibilities. Establishment of disciplinary controls could not be assumed as the final solution to controlling initiatives as the reason for inferior performance could be attributed to certain traits of workers and managers have to find the reasons and address them individually (Robbins Judge, 2012). Controlling has been defined in literature as a systematic process or exercise schedule which is capable of comparing the actual performance of the workforce with reference to the standards or plans mentioned in the strategy. The two foremost purposes served by contro lling function include planning and coordination of activities in an organization. The characteristics of effective controlling functions are also reflective of the necessary measures which must be adopted by managers to respond to the dynamic environment observed in contemporary business scenarios (McShane Von, 2015). Controlling is perceived as an end function and is directed towards a farsighted vision for an organization (Robbins Judge, 2012). Controlling enables performance to be aligned with the plans of the organization, different levels and multiple issues of the organization, review of process implementations and a flexible opportunity for realizing the potential of realizing higher revenues from the existing resources and capabilities of the organization. The interdependency of planning and control functions of a manager is also considered as a prominent highlight of management and organization behavior practices. Findings Myer Holdings Ltd. entrusts its success in a formidable controlling mechanism complemented with the proficiency of managers of the organization. The interview session revealed ample inferences in terms of the description of the controlling techniques adopted by managers. The performance systems are meant for realizing the control functions of a manager as they offer a comparative representation of the performance of the organization with respect to standardized performance. The establishment of a benchmark for employees has enables the leaders of Myer to motivate employees and drive them towards accomplishment of goals specified in the strategic plans (Shortell Kaluzny, 2013). The top management is the chief supervisor of the controlling activities of managers and the establishment of control standards for optimizing the performance of employees. Analysis Critical review of the interview responses indicates that the distribution of control functions must be extended to lower echelons of management. The managerial personnel situated at the lower levels of organizational hierarchy must be provided with substantial opportunities to increase the scope of control and ensure that all activities are executed in the desired manner (Robbins Judge, 2012). Managers have to consider the aspects of leniency while considering control standards for the organization as excruciating controls can also lead to degradation of employee performance. Conclusion: The report summed up the four managerial functions from classical perspective of management with respect to the selected case study of Myer Holdings Ltd. The report was executed with a distinct purpose of identifying the issues faced by managers while implementing the functions of management in real time situations. Each function was represented distinctively with individual references to implications of the function in context of theory, practice and the supposed recommendation for ideal practice for managers in an organization. The report found that the managers at Myer Holdings Ltd must try to move beyond the conventional aspects associated with the four functions of managers such as opting for talent retention measures, effective involvement of all layers of management and constructive leveraging of resources according to the planned strategies. References Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G., 2014.Organization development and change. Cengage learning. DiPaola, M. and Tschannen-Moran, M., 2014. Organizational citizenship behavior in schools and its relationship to school climate.Journal of School Leadership,11(5), p.424. DuBrin, A.J., 2013.Fundamentals of organizational behavior: An applied perspective. Elsevier. Giacalone, R.A. and Rosenfeld, P., 2013.Impression management in the organization. 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Saturday, May 2, 2020

Power And Hierarchy Are Intrinsic To A Healthcare System In Australia

Question: Discuss about the Power And Hierarchy Are Intrinsic To A Healthcare System In Australia. Answer: Introduction Governments all over the world are aiming to provide value for money health benefits for its citizens. As the health costs across the world are spiraling out of control special focus is being paid on beliefs of illness, modalities of treatment and beliefs about health. Health professionals and the hospitals are under constant pressure to diagnose the illness accurately and to find its cure. We are living in an age where people are obsessed with health. They are continuously being bombarded with images and messages from fitness gurus, health authorities and health professionals where ever they go (Berry De Geest, 2012). In this essay, we will discuss how power and hierarchy are intrinsic to a healthcare system in Australia. We would discuss about theories and perspectives such as the biomedical approach, Pluralist theory and socialist dominance theory. We will also discuss how biomedical approach has failed to capture the impact of hierarchy and power on the healthcare system in Aust ralia. (Cockerham, 2013).Like many other countries, Australia has maintained a symbiotic and interdependent relationship between the community, government, and medicine. This relationship has been based on reciprocity and mutual resource dependency. But there are evidence that social trends such as proletarianization, corporatization, and managerialism are giving rise to challenges to the power of the medicine. (Cockerham, 2013). Australian healthcare has been influenced by ideologies of the center right and center-left parties. (Rayner Lang, 2012). Sociologists of science and medicine have always argued how modern health professionals are seeking opportunities to secure their legitimate position and gain their turf in the healthcare sector. These studies stress how labor division in the healthcare settings is maintained, challenged, constructed and negotiated by daily actions (Kieft, et al., 2014). In Australia, the Biomedical approach is the one that is predominant to illness and health. The health care system focuses on the biological and physical aspects of illness and disease. This model ideologically underpins the contemporary beliefs of nature as well as the remedies of disease and illness. Firstly, illness was an imbalance within the individual. But this model changed the perspective from bedside medicine to being hospital medicine shifting to an object orientated approach. Body The health care professionals (doctors, nurses etc) experience a privileged position in the healthcare industry due to this biomedical approach (Wilson, 2012). Sociologists have argued that it is necessary that economic factors along with political factors are incorporated in this profession. Eliot Friedson in the year 1984 focused on the medical profession and explained how government needs to regulate the autonomy on the work of the health professionals (Kieft, et al., 2014) . He showed his concern that due to the nature of this profession and its knowledge and expertise healthcare professionals have an autonomy. Even when they have numerous ideological and political conflicts. He explains how once this profession has achieved autonomy they will easily secure government authority and will set educational requirements and standards for their profession. Willis has also identified how healthcare workforce in Australia have practiced medical dominance on different levels. Firstly, the se professionals have autonomy on their work and do not have any evaluation by any other body or organization (Wilson, 2012). Secondly, they hold authority of direct supervision as well as limiting of other health professionals groups such as dentists, physiotherapists and homeopaths. Thirdly they practice absolute power on health occupations through referrals, paid leaves, pensions etc. Friedson explains how medical dominance is prevalent in four dimensions in healthcare sector. Firstly, it is in the form of medical research and knowledge which is approved by health professionals, secondly physicians treat and diagnose, thirdly physicians supervise other healthcare professionals and lastly healthcare professionals do not possess equal status in their profession (Cronin, et al., 2015). This gives the physicians the occupational power to easily influence the decisions for resource allocation and on organizational authority. This present status of medical practitioners is due to the s ocial, technological, economic and political factors. But many developments are challenging this medical sovereignty (Rayner, Lang, 2012) . Some of these developments are other health professions such as physiotherapy, nursing, and psychology seeking their own independence and power. Physiotherapists have majorly achieved this independence as they have got the status of being an allied health profession. But other professionals such as nurses still are subordinate to the physicians . This has led to many incidences of struggle between health personnels. Medical dominance is not limited to patient-doctor relationship but could present it in forms like subordination where higher healthcare providers direct their subordinates (Kieft, et al.,2014). social forces such as deskilling, technology, cost-cutting policies by the government and deprofessionalism are also undermining the power of medicine (Wilson, 2012). To understand it lets take an example of a patients family that wants to b e involved in the treatment and decision making regarding the care of their family member. This changes the authority that the physician had to a more team orientated partnership. She explains how this arrangement will include open communication, cross-referrals, reviews etc. this team orientated approach in restructuring the Australian healthcare system can be great as it will give equal power to all its members. Another factor that can curb the autonomy of the physicians or their medical dominance is through cost containment measures and malpractice suits as followed by other countries like United States of America. Despite these points the public legitimacy and prestige related to this profession is very high. The power of this profession is increasing with the advances that are made in technology, surgery and diagnostic techniques. Gender and class factors also play a vital role in medical dominance as it is observed that allied professionals are usually females and of a low soc ial class. These allied professionals are continuously making demands through their unions for better working hours and pay. (Wilson, 2012). Many studies have supported the view that independent status of allied professions such as dentists, physiotherapists etc will affect the medical dominance (Wilson, 2012) . While many other studies have shown that this has not caused any difference in the medical dominance but has increased the dominance of medicine through the division of labor. There is a shortage of empirical data that can prove how the independence of allied professions has affected medical dominance. There was a study conducted by Brian S. Turner in the year 1986 who studied the complaints made by nurses in their daily work. These complaints were about the constraints that are imposed with by their superiors in a hospital setting. The data showed that the nurses were made clear that they are subordinate by their profession and cannot make any autonomous decisions for the patients care. (Kieft, et al.,2014). The Biomedical model does not discuss the impact of power and hierarchy in the health care setting. (Neilson, 2017). Numerous studies have shown that there is a link between social domination and boundary demarcation. Lets first understand what is a hierarchy? Hierarchy is a layered system that has members of a society or organization that are ranked according to the relative authority or status (Cronin, et al.,2015),( Knight, Mehta, 2016). Whereas power is the capacity or ability to act and do something in a specific way (Neilson, 2017). This capacity influences the course of events and influences others. In Australia healthcare system, should give universal access to its citizens in the form of services that are funded by taxes. Medicare is the health program that covers this universal access to treatments in hospitals and other medical services (Sav, et al.,2015). But does this philosophy of universal access is underpinning Medicare as Medicare has always been based on equity? Th is equity should ensure equal access to all services. This is just an ideal form of definition for equal access which in the case of Medicare is not getting justified (Neilson, 2017).. The dilemma that health educators and administrators feel is that the medical profession that is dominant in the country is maintaining its status in the healthcare system but other allied professions are also striving for their power and autonomy. This is affecting the patients as professional autonomy and medical shortages are strengthening their medical dominance over the sector but the people are getting affected due to lack of quality healthcare. (Greenfield, et al.,2014). Social epidemiologists and scientists have shown how time and place as dimensions are involved in influencing the health of an individual. Different theories like social dominance theory explain how inequality is based on age, sex and the arbitrary set. Where age explains how adults have more power and status than children in the society, sex discrimination shows how men are more powerful in the society than women and arbitrary set is about discrimination based on ethnicity example whites used to hold power over blacks (Willis, 2011). Pluralist theory: A functionalist perspective is about power distributed in veto groups where the government is just an impartial participant (Muntaner, et al.,2015).. This theory could be understood by taking an example of parents being impartial arbiters while their kids are fighting. So, the government acts a referee to ensure that competition is fair among all the groups. Another theory called the elite theories: conflict perspectives explain how po wer in the democratic society is in the hands of few wealthy organizations and individuals. This power in the hands of few influences even the government and shape the decisions in the interest of these wealthy people (Muntaner, et al., 2015). A government where in any country should be neutral, but with the impact of this theory government officials and politicians cater to the interests and needs of the few. In Australia, power and hierarchy are affecting the health and care giving in numerous ways. One such setback is the inability of the poor to quit smoking. The Australian government has recently increased the tax on tobacco to which now a pack of cigarette will cost almost 40$ (Tropman, Nicklett, 2012). But it will only affect the poor in more adverse ways, as now they will spend their income on tobacco and forego the expenses on essentials as food and shelter. New Zealand faced the same problem when the poor income families faced more difficulties when the government increas ed the tax on tobacco (Tropman, Nicklett, 2012). A study titled Socio-economic disparities in tobacco exposure and use: are the gaps widening? and another study Impact of tobacco control interventions on socioeconomic inequalities in smoking: a review of the evidence concentrate on the fact that how power relations are influencing the social geography of tobacco use and smoking. Power is defined as the capacity to act in the interest of an organization or individual (Cronin, et al.,2015). It was in the year 1997 Grabb identified how government can control the production by controlling the materials used for production, they can also control the production by controlling labor power, and by controlling ideology and cultural dominance. This study stresses on the fact that there may be an intentional class profiling and intentional racial profiling while advertising for tobacco. Greenhalgh, EM, Scollo, MM, Pearce, M. in their article Smoking, ill-health, financial stress and smoking -related poverty among highly disadvantaged groups explained how citizens who were living in remote and regional areas of the country which comprised of over 30% of the Australian population have higher rates of smoking than people who were living in the major cities and regions (Hill, et al.,2013). Prevalence of smoking in areas around the cities have reduced over time but the percentage of people smoking in these remote regions have remained the same. These people have also reported having more tobacco-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, and asthma. (Bonevski, B., Bryant, J. Paul, C., 2010), (Hitsman, 2016), (Jiang, et al.,2017), ( Millett, et al., 2011), (Wang, et al.,2015). Conclusion In this essay we learned how healthcare cannot be relied on only the use of the healthcare models. These models have various implications for the society, patient, and for the credibility of the healthcare sector. As a health professional, we need to focus that we should not take advantage of the power that we are given by the healthcare model. We should not engage in self-regulation and should point out any irregularity in our profession. Medical errors and fatalities need to be reported even when they are done by a superior (Rayner Lang,2012). We should not treat patients as through put and should not treat them based on quantified averages. Example how long should a mother take to give birth etc. We need to learn that absolute control of the profession is neither helping the public nor it is helping the health professionals as decreased waiting list numbers are a proof (Wilson, 2012). Clinical governance and managerialism are needed to control the autonomy of physicians which in turn will help us to gain the trust of the public in the healthcare sector. While the structural dominance intrinsic to the healthcare sector but the medical dominance is not needed in this profession. This struggle to gain control and turf on the healthcare sector is only reducing the trust that the public has in this profession. Further empirical research is needed to learn about the struggle and the perspectives that the patients, medical professionals, and health professionals have on this issue. As a health professional, we need to monitor our self-perception of competence as this is influencing our perception about authority and in turn medical dominance. We need to perceive our own position in the health care industry and build our attitude for a team orientated patient-centered care. Where we have a realistic relationship with our allied counterparts and our patients. References Berry, E. De Geest, S. (2012). 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