Management functions Essay

I. Planning Great ideas do not achieve greatness until their originator posits some plan to get there. In management science, no grand expectation or promise of future growth is likely to ever be fully realized unless its predictor develops some well-organized plan to turn figures on paper into genuine productivity. The plan is essentially a road map to success and when it is clear and well written, the this map helps travelers find their way with little or no difficulty. Perhaps one of the most common examples of planning is in those functions, which relate to management of a sales force. Forecasting expected sales volume enables administrators to make decisions based upon the next fiscal period’s predictions. In many case studies, that I’ve reviewed, planning proved it more effective when it was more long-term. Sales forecasts that evaluate an entire year are generally considered more useful those that only seek to assess the next quarter or two. A long-term plan is generally better suited for change, if the need for such arises. When a one or two quarter plan has failed, it is often to late to change it. Planning is the fundamental and core essence of management in that it enables leaders to become leaders. Human resource operations are performed according to the executive â€Å"master plans† set forth by key managerial personnel who alone have authorship and a full understanding of what is being done and what needs to be done. Thus, the function of planning not only helps to make predictions about the company, but it also inherently help to draw the dividing line between upper management and general human resources. The former is aware and in charge of planning operations while divisions of the latter each only play some individual role in achieving the company’s ultimate goal but are rarely made aware of every minuscule detail. Without a plan, an organization has no direction, no purpose, no mission. A plan is a company’s future and success or failure is often based  upon one’s ability to achieve the tenets of the plan and to devise a new and improved plan for the next period. II. Leading Over the years, various theories of leadership have evolved, surfaced, and then disappeared. From top-down theories to inclusive structures and to the more empathic, human resource-focused leadership style of today’s contemporary, management, one theme has remained perennially clear: leaders must present themselves as role models within the organization for us to learn from and aspire to. Traditionally and throughout history, leaders of all sorts have been figures or icons that other people could ‘look up to’ and respect. Therefore, when a manager is not effectively leading his or her subordinates, disorganization is likely to erupt and ripple throughout an organization. The majority of people need someone to model their actions after and to come to when they have questions. Leaders present themselves as â€Å"touchstones†, seemingly capable of resolving problems and improving operations. Entire entities revolve around the leadership styles of a few and the masses are led by the minority. Those with power, rank, and an insightful plan which facilitates the culmination their leadership ability. When a manager can not effectively lead, she or he is disrespected and consequently, is ineffective. An effective leader must have traits and/or qualities that others will admire. Ethics are important and projecting a positive image can be done only when a leader is self-confident, self-motivated, and self-disciplined. In order for people to believe in their manager, she or he must communicate their ideas effectively and be able to empathetically handle any adverse situations that may arise. When managers have achieved truly empathetic leadership, the organization will run more efficiently. III. Organizing Similar in theme to planning, organizing is the function of management that ensures that every step will be met along the way. Even the best laid plans  of talented managers can fall to the waste side when administrators do not know how to ensure that each task will fall into a properly-organized chain that will promote maximum productivity at minimum cost and time expenditure. In contemporary management, several theories of organization have improved overall efficiency. Among these is time management; now an essential element in the administrator’s functionality. By budgeting and organizing one’s time, managers are more likely to be able to work out sub-plans which will enable them to accomplish a greater number of tasks over a short time span. First, by looking at everything on paper the effective leader can see precisely how steps of their plan should be organized throughout the course of a day or other period and then go ahead and act completely with regard to the allotted time budget. Delegation of power helps the leader to actually organize and handout, or delegate tasks, responsibility, and authority. Often, it is impossibly burdensome to expect a manager to handle all job tasks alone and so by taking the various steps outlined in the original administrative plan, and handing them out in group lets to those who are most capable of executing them properly, the manager is more likely to ultimately get his or her job done. If one group of employees is known to be better at empathetic customer relations, they might be given an important account to handle from a customer service-related perspective. If another segment is more computer-literate, they might work to accomplish technical tasks or even to cost-effectively train others within the organization. Other people might be organized as minimal â€Å"pawns† so-to-speak, serving the primary function of just doing whatever menial tasks are necessary. The organizational element of management’s plan is in tegral in deciding its ultimate success or lack thereof. IV. Controlling Control is an easy function to misunderstand or abuse. Definitively, it suggests that one person or group has power over another. No matter how we  define the tasks of managers and no matter how empathetically open-minded their individual styles might be the existence of superiority and power is unavoidable. Managers are, in fact, â€Å"above† their subordinates and are intrinsically endowed with the responsibility of exercising some control over their actions and activities. One of the many things that distinguish followers from leaders is that the latter are supposed to be more self-motivated. Administrators usually make their own decisions and are motivated to achieve greater personal goals and work for the betterment of the organization at the same time. In order to ensure that their constituents all do the same, managers must then, exercise a reasonable degree of control over them; Executive orders must be given and followed out†¦ People must be punctual and attentive†¦Disciplinary actions must be enforced when workers are indulging in actions that are counterproductive to the success and productivity of the organization. It is through the element of control that these things are all possible. When a manger loses control she or he is no longer able to function as an effective leader. As indicated earlier in this section, it is always possible for a poor manager to abuse their control over subordinates and to develop a non-empathetic tyrannical style. It is therefore important for a company’s various levels of management to have a system of checks-and-balances making it virtually impossible for any one people to attain to much power for themselves. Abuses of control will ultimately backfire though, as they tyrannical manager will usually find themselves spending more and more to hire replacements for all of the personnel that they lose. V. Implementing Of course, no aspect, element, or constituent of the plan will serve its purpose until it is implemented. Implementation inherently suggests that everything pre-conceived and designed is going to be acted out and accomplished. This is the culmination of the manager’s job and of their responsibility. All elements must now fall into place the plan must be  well-led and organized by an effectively-controlling leader who will do everything in their power to ensure that everything goes smoothly and according to plan. In most organizations, implementation relies upon the periodic assurance that all parts of the plan are being executed and that everything is on time and going ‘according to schedule.’ A good manager must be willing and prepared to assess the plan’s effectiveness every step of the way. One must learn to troubleshoot problems and to quickly and effectively brainstorm solutions to devise numerous alternatives for difficult situations and to keep the organization running as smoothly as possible. Finally, implementation acts as the final transitory stage, helping to create a cycle in which planning begins once again at its conclusion. As a plan is implemented, the manager must constantly learn from the experience and begin to forecast and plan for the next period. At the climax of implementation, a new plan is set forth and everything describes in this essay begins once again with the hope that it will be better than it was the time before.

Crowd Management

Crowd management Preparing for disasters Whenever large numbers of people come together to watch an event, there is potential for major disasters. No-one ever suspects that day watching a sport event is is a major risk to life and health but history proves otherwise. Sport administrators are required to conduct risk auditing for all types of events, large and small. Any failure to do this can result in an law suits for negligence. One important aspect of risk auditing is to examine all possible risks associated with spectators.Risks associated with spectators can arise as a result of the behaviour of spectators and in particular when spectators begin to take ona crowd mentality. Risk associated with physical arrangements, dimensions and layout of the venue must also be examined. Sport administrators really need to know Murphy's Law (anything that can go wrong, will go wrong). Crowd Control There is a necessity to make a careful estimation of the number of staff * Manage entry and exi ts Control / patrol all areas of the ground / facility * Control an evacuation should it prove to be necessary * Raise the alarm and liaise with emergency services * Having sufficient staff to manage an emergency is a â€Å"Duty of Care† It would be therefore prudent to consult appropriate emergency authorities (police, fire service, etc) in this matter. Training in Crowd Control The organization should provide courses that provide the participant with knowledge of the functions and roles of a crowd controller.Such a course might include: * Roles and responsibilities * Communication and clients * Operational procedures * Managing performance * Managing conflict * Emergency first aid * Crowd control operations * Law and practice * Emergency procedures * Access control * Securing premises and property In addition to this training, event managers and venue managers should provide additional training to familiarize their crowd control staff with specific aspects of the facility o r venue.For example, it will be necessary to know the: * Location of exits, stairs and other aspects of buildings * Position of emergency equipment such as fire hoses * Location of communication devices e. g. alarms, public address systems and telephones It will also be necessary to provide training in the venue's or hosting organisation's policies and procedures for event management and control. These policies and procedures should include conducting drills and tests to ensure staff have the knowledge required.

Ambassador Lange Essays - HIVAIDS, Presidency Of George W. Bush

Ambassador Lange Ambassador John Lange: Career in Global Health Diplomacy The simultaneous growth of Ambassador John Langes career as a global health diplomat and global health itself exemplifies the importance of the field as a prioritize matter on the global agenda. The diverse array of professional accomplishments Ambassador Lange achieved throughout his career demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of global health and the many ways to be a strong actor in the field. Ambassador Lange strongly emphasized the heightened need to bring forth international health concerns as detrimental to global prosperity with potential to impact national security and leading to socio-economic crises. Mr. Lange started off his professional career with the intent of practicing law, but quickly found himself immersed in the international affairs realm. During that time, he built his highly esteemed credentials by working in the State Department Bureaus of African Affairs, Western Hemisphere affairs as well as several American embassies located in Togo, France and Mexico. Later on in his career, Ambassador Lange served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and as Chargee Daffaires during which he had to deal with the terrorist bombing of the Embassy and the consequences in the aftermath. It was not until Mr. Lange became U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Botswana that his strong dedication to the field of global health and career as a global health diplomat commenced. As the people of Botswana were experiencing up to thirty eight percent HIV infectious rates, Ambassador Lange felt the imminent need to address this devastating phenomenon not only as a health issue but a security threat as well. This AIDS epidemic was seen as a forthcoming security threat in the sense that it would have destabilizing effects not only mortality rates, but on the capacity and capability of the workforce ultimately fostering a severe socio-economic crisis. In addition to the collaboration between Ambassador Lange and the Botswana governments strong efforts to alleviate the situation, The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations organized the first UN Security Council meeting on the impact of AIDS on peace and security in Africa. This historic event not only reinforced the strong correlation between AIDS, security, and stability but it also elevated the issue on the international agenda. Many other U.S.-based entities such as the Harvard AIDS foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others, played a crucial role in helping Botswana deal with this devastating health crisis. Fully invested in the field, Ambassador Lange then took on a position in the State Department where he helped the U.S global AIDS coordinator implement the new PEPFAR office. PEPFAR, a historic commitment to combating a single disease, experienced a few setbacks but ultimately was still acknowledged as a unique opportunity to make an immense difference in an emergency situation. Through PEPFARs efforts, as well as the work of other organizations, the concern regarding security threats in many countries has immensely diminished. Ambassador Lange finished off his career as a Foreign Service Officer by working on the threat of pandemic influenza. During that time, he realized that not only could pandemic influenza have serious consequences on national security and the entire fabric of American society, but that it was an issue that needed to be addressed at the global level requiring the involvement of other governments. Ambassador Lange strongly emphasized that, though international partnerships, certain goals imperatively needed to be achieved. These goals being: the elevation of avian and pandemic influenza on national agendas, the need to coordinate efforts among donors and affected nations, to mobilize and leverage resources globally, increase transparency in disease reporting and surveillance, and lastly to build capacity for the long term. Withholding certain viruses would not only threaten the field of global heath but would also present inconsistencies with the spirit underlying the provisions of inte rnational health values. After his retirement from the Foreign Service Department, Ambassador Lange took on a position working for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where he devotes his time engaging in high-level outreach among the International Development community. While working for the Gates Foundation, Ambassador Lange is able to focus on a vertical approach to Global Health which entails intervention strategy, monitoring

A Strategic Plan to Involve School-Family-Community Partnerships via Essay

A Strategic Plan to Involve School-Family-Community Partnerships via Service Learning - Essay Example An example of this is when students in a math class volunteer to tutor younger students in a poor community, they are able to harness their mathematics skills and improve on it. If they impart the lessons that they have learned and teach it to younger kids who have no knowledge of the skill, they tend to repeat it and eventually master the skill. The mastery comes from practice rather than just having examinations or drills inside the classroom. Their retention rates also improve. Service-learning fosters social growth. Students can contribute to their community by actively participating in community projects. This could be illustrated when a group of students who just studied about recycling wastes to protect the environment initiate a project in the community and collect wastes, segregate them and recycle those which are recyclable. This project will promote the students’ social growth because they are able to interact with the members of the community and at the same time h elp make their environment clean. Students are not only the ones benefitted by service-learning. Even their parents can take part in the service-learning activities to show their support for their children. It then becomes a collaborative effort between students, school administrators, parents, community leaders and members. A specific activity where parents can show their support is by assisting their children collect old clothes, books or shoes among the affluent members of the neighborhood and distribute them to the underprivileged ones. These types of projects will foster community involvement. For those who participate in the activity, it gives them a sense of self-fulfillment because they know that they are sharing their time and effort to the poor members of the community. Students use their skills in real-life situations rather than just learning about them in the classroom. They become critical thinkers and may even suggest solutions regarding problems in their communities. One important advantage of incorporating service-learning into the curricula of students is that it hones the leadership skills of students. Students do not have to rely on their teachers to take the lead in partaking in community activities; they themselves can think of projects which they know can benefit the community. There are several service-learning activities that have been undertaken by students from different schools. One worthy project which may serve to supplement a middle-grade school class in biology is the setting up of vegetable gardens in vacant lots within the community near the school. Since the students learn how plants grew, they can try their hands at planting. What better way to practice what they learn but through creating their own vegetable gardens. In that way, they are able to put into productive use the vacant lots that are just idle. The vegetables that will be produced will then be distributed among the poor people in the neighborhood for their own co nsumption. Truly, in this type of activity, students become involved in the community and at the same time they get to learn their biology in a more interesting approach. â€Å"From Coffee to Compost† is another worthwhile project implemented by students in Bozeman, Montana (United States Environmental Protection Agency,

Juvenile crime prevention Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juvenile crime prevention - Assignment Example LifeSkills ® Training is a classroom-based prevention program which is aimed at reducing the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and drugs by young people aged 11-18 (Crime Solutions, 2014). The program is appropriate for both genders. The content of the program meets the demands of white population only. The content of the program has several important aims. It promotes healthy lifestyle, teaches student social and personal skills which can be helpful and provides a good background for social resistance to unhealthy behavior. The program has 5 components which include self-improvement, coping with anxiety, decision-making, social skills training and cognitive components. Stress on these 5 components influences young people complexly. After the program cigarette, alcohol and drug use among students drops. They become aware about the consequences of their actions and can resist peer-pressure which is common in any community (Crime Solutions, 2014). The National Health Promotion Associat es   provides appropriate training for all people who want to participate in this program in their community.   Positive outcomes of the program make it very popular in different educational establishments for youth. These two programs are different in their content, target audience and strategies. LifeSkills ® increases awareness among youth and teaches them t make right choices in their lives. Both programs are proved to be effective in juvenile justice for crime and delinquency prevention (Crime Solutions, 2014).

What is meant by use of force continuum, how can it be problematic, Essay

What is meant by use of force continuum, how can it be problematic, and what is the general structure and function of the dynamic resistance response model - Essay Example ce continuum helps both law enforcement officials and the people to know about the extent to which law provides permission to the authorities to use force as a mean to know the truth in interrogation process. Use of force continuum is different in different countries based on the differences in the functioning of criminal justice system. Use of force continuum may become problematic when the law enforcement officials cross the limits in using this law. Some officials misuse their power in the name of this law to torture the suspect. The dynamic resistance response model helps law enforcement officials to use force judiciously based on the circumstances. The official should not use force if the accused or the criminal is ready to obey his instructions. â€Å"Within the constitutional parameters established by the Court, most agencies require officers to adhere to more restrictive use of force policies, which, in fact, have not entirely eliminated the controversy surrounding officer citizen encounters as evidenced by continued allegations of misuse of force† (FBI Law enforcement bulletin, 2007, p.16). For example, drink driving is common in many of the countries. When the police stop such cars, some drivers may not come out automatically. The police can use force if the driver continues to stick with his decision to stay inside the car. To conclude, use of force continuum & dynamic resistance response model provide guidelines to the law enforcement officials and the people with respect to the use of force by the law enforcement officers in certain

Real Options Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Real Options - Essay Example Use of standard techniques to evaluate real optionsTraditionally the use of standard techniques was predominant though lacked merit in its application. The techniques included use discounted cash flows and net present value analysis. Here, future expected cash flows are treated as the present values of the empirical probability measure that reflects the risk of the project under a discounted rate. Cash flows that is expected are highly valued in this approach than any other flexible issue that alters the strategy to market goal realizations. The net present value approach presents management as being passive to their Capital investment. Most analysts account for this real option problem by adjusting the discount rates. However, real options valuation looks at management as being active and they revolve interests with varying market trends. Real options usually bring into action the best contingency plan. Management has a duty to fight any negative occurrences by lowering the possibil ities of exposure and limit the firm’s benefits from uncertainties in the market.The contingent characteristic of profits to be realized in the future of a business, in real options models is exhibited by applying financial option techniques. Using the risk-neutral measure approach comprises the reduction of the probability distribution for the risk being accounted for. Real options valuation accounts for uncertainties in the future of definite parameters that define the value of the business.

Situation analysis in marketing planing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Situation analysis in marketing planing - Essay Example ?†¦.. 4 Marketing Mix elements †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 The customers †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Unique Value Proposition †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 External Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 The Market Extent †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 Competitor Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 The Economic Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 T echnology Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 SWOT Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ... As Armstrong and Kotler (2005, p. 6) stressed, marketing deals with customers more than any other business function and therefore building customer relationship based on customer value and satisfaction is at the very heart of modern marketing. This paper presents a brief report based on the marketing analysis of the Pizza Restaurant, to be located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This piece of paper relates to various marketing concepts and principles such as marketing vision, marketing mix, customer analysis, internal and external analysis and marketing strategies with regard to Pizza Restaurant. Situation Analysis (Internal to the company) Company’s mission, objectives and growth strategies The Pizza Restaurant aims to contribute to human needs by delivering quality pizza-foods and drinks and to enhance healthier food and joyful environment to help its customers find their entertainment needs to be satisfied. Armstrong and Kotler (2005, p. 42) emphasized that a statement of an organ ization’s purpose- a mission statement- must be able to define the business in terms of satisfying basic customer needs. For Pizza Restaurant, its customers are rich hippies and business or other professionals from Riyadh who come to meet their needs of hunger, thirst, joy and leisure entertainment. Company will value their needs, their responses and their varying requirements and thus it will design different services and quality multi-cultural organic food items in order to satisfy its customers. Main objectives of the company are establishing customer focus strategy, maintaining customer loyalty, ensuring long-term profitability and thus achieving sustainable competitive advantages. In order these objectives to be achieved, the

Comparative democratisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Comparative democratisation - Essay Example The death of Franco elevated Dan Juan Carlos de Bourbon to the monarchy. Until Franco's death, Juan Carlos had discreetly stood in the background and served to follow the dictator's plan. However once in power as king of Spain Juan Carlos facilitated the development of the current political system, as his father, Don Juan de Bourbon had advocated since 1946. Juan Carlos began his reign without leaving the confines of Franco's legal system. As such he swore fidelity to the principles of the movement national, the sole legal party of the Franco era. He took possession of the crown before the Francoist Cortes Generales and respected Ley Organica del Estado (the organic law of the state) for the appointment of his first head of government. He showed the beginning of transition through his speech before the Cortes. The first government of Juan Carlos was presided over by Carlos Arias Navarro. The king made this appointment in accordance with the guidelines of the 1966 Ley organica Del Estado (organic law of the state). However in July 1976, as Prime Minister Arias Navarro continued to delay reform and object to democratisation, King Juan Carlos demanded his resignation. Fernandez Miranda, as president of the council of the kingdom, obtained Adolfo Suarez's placements on the new list of three candidates for head of the government. The king chose Suarez because he felt he would be able to meet the challenge of the would be political process that lay ahead. Adolfo Suarez quickly presented a clear program based on how two points; (a) The development of a law for political reform that once approved by the Cortes and Spanish public in a referendum would open the constituent process for creating a liberal democracy in Spain. (b) A call for democratic elections in June 1977, in order to elect a Cortes that would be charged with drawing up a new democratic constitution. Despite all difficulties from the army and opposition Suarez's project went underway without delay between July 1976 and June 1977. The draft of the law for political reform (Ley para la Reforma politiza) written by Torcuato Fernandez Miranda was approved by the Suarez Government in September 1976. This law was debated throughout the month of November by Cortes under the presidency of Fernandez-Miranda. It was approved with 425 votes in favour, 598 against and 13 abstentions. The Suarez government wanted to gain further legitimacy for the changes through a popular referendum with 77.72 % participation rate. 94% of the voters voted in favour of the changes to add to his credibility Suarez, freed 400 prisoners in July 1976. He also granted blanket amnesty in May same year. In December 1976, he disbanded the Tribunal de Order Publica (TOP), a sort of Francoist secret police. He legalized the right to strike, with the right to unionize being granted a month after Suarez initiated political contact with the opposition by meeting Felipe Gonzalez, secretary general of the PSOE in 1976. However the big problem was for po litical normalization was the legalization of the communist party of Spain (Partido communista de Espania). PCE's secretary general, Santiago Carrillo's offer of a "social pact" pushed Suarez to take the riskiest step of transition by legalizing PCE in April 1977. To resolve the difficulty of a group of hard -liner Francoist led by Jose Antonio Giron, Suarez centered on General Diez Alegria. He decided to give the members this group the

Single Parent Homes and Academic Achievement Essay Example for Free

Single Parent Homes and Academic Achievement Essay There are several theories that can be used to study the way family structure influences academic achievement, as well as to demonstrate the influence of other factors such as poverty and family resources. When these factors are more closely examined it is evident that within any family structure a lack of necessary financial and supportive resources will negatively affect children’s academic achievement. As the number of both single and two-parent families living in poverty rises, this research is important in helping to develop an educational system in the United States that is both equal and effective for the growing changes in family demographics. Keywords: academic achievement, single-parent homes, Family Deficit Model, Risk and Protective Factor Model, social capital theory, parental involvement Children from single parent homes are not as negatively impacted academically as some in the popular media suggest. Raising children without a partner presents many challenges, but there is research that points to strategies to mitigate these issues. Specifically in terms of children’s academic achievement, studies show that it is other social and environmental factors, not single parenthood itself, which accounts for the achievement gap between children from single-parent homes and their peers from nuclear families. Statistics In 2007, there were approximately 13. 7 million single parents in the United States (Wolf, 2011). This number was an increased from an estimated 11 million on 1994 (Engber, 1995). In roughly 81% of these homes, the mother is the custodial parent, with just 17% of fathers as the primary custodian. Of the mothers who are head of household, 45% are divorced or separated, 34. 2% have never been married, 19% are remarried (to someone other than other parent), and 1. 9% are widowed (Wolf, 2011). Other important statistic regarding single-parent homes is that almost 40% are living at or below the poverty line in the United States. Nearly 90% of single-parents however, are employed full-time (Wolf, 2011). This places many families in a situation where their income is too high to receive state funded services such as Medicaid and cash assistance, but not high enough to meet the family’s financial needs. Research models Different models have been used throughout the years to study the effects of single parenting on children. In the 1970’s the Family Deficit Model suggested that single-parent homes have a negative impact on children because the model starts from the assumption that the traditional nuclear family structure is ideal. This model did not take into account economic or other social factors that influence families. In the early 1990’s the Risk and Protective Factor Model was developed. This model states that family structure is one of several risk factors. Under this model, a risk factor can be any environmental, familial, or social factor that has the potential to have a negative impact on a family. Protective factors, as described by this model, are those that positively support a family and can lessen the effects of risk factors (Adoption Media LLC, 2011). A third theory used to research the effect of single-parent homes on academic achievement is social capital theory. Social capital refers to a person or family’s ability to access resources such as income and education. According to Shriner et al. (2010), â€Å"As a construct, social capital is measured by the quality and quantity of networks connecting children to the resources of their parents† (p. 447). Using this model, researchers have identified factors other than family structure that influence academic achievement. One article stated: Although similar to each other, adolescents in single-mother and stepfather family structures had lower grades and vocabulary scores compared to their two-biological-parent counterparts. In these family structures, the academic outcomes were more likely related to mothers’ race, education, monitoring, and attachment, than family structure. (Shriner, 2010, p. 446) Academic Achievement The phrase academic achievement refers to the level of mastery in certain subject areas, not including one’s potential to achieve (Center for American Progress, 2006). Beginning with the No Child Left Behind Act, states are required to measure academic achievement of public school students using standardized tests and other tools (Center for American Progress, 2006). There has been much debate over the effect of single-parenting on children’s academic achievement. Some studies have shown that children from single-parent homes do not perform as well in school and have higher dropout rates than children from two-parent homes (Entwisle, 1996). In 1988, it was reported that the rate of grade repetition for children of single parents was 75% higher than children from nuclear families (Entwisle, 1996). Other studies have stated that children from single-parent homes are less likely to attend college and perform less well on standardized tests (Hampden-Thompson, 2005). In contrast, other research demonstrates that being from a single-parent home is not necessarily detrimental to academic achievement. According to one website devoted to research and information on single-parenting: Exceptionally achieving individuals in virtually every human endeavor are more likely to have lost a parent Roe (1952a) learned from her examination of notable contemporary scientists that 15% had lost a parent by death before age 10. Broken down by field, this happened to 25% of the biologists, 13% of the physical scientists, and 9% of the social scientists. To place this figure in perspective, Roe referred to data showing that only around 6% of college students lost a parent by age 10. Roe also mentioned Bells (1937) work on illustrious mathematicians, in which around one-quarter had lost a parent before age 10 and nearly one-third before age 14 parental loss can occur by means other than orphanhood, such as alcoholism, abandonment, and divorce (The Liz Library) One of the reasons for the change in views on this issue may be that earlier research was conducted mainly with single-parent families that became that way through divorce. The research did not include the trauma of divorce and the change in socioeconomic status that is often the result of divorce. It could be these factors, not the family structure itself, that accounts for the differences in academic achievement (Entwisle, A Parents Economic Shadow: Family Structure Versus Family Resources as Influences on Early School Achievement, 1995). Parental education, particularly that of the mother, is also pinpointed as having a major influence on a child’s academic achievement (Shriner, 2010). Children who have mothers who did not complete high school scored lower on standardized tests in math and reading. Conversely, when those mothers acquired more education, children’s test scores improved (Shriner, 2010). Many young mothers who become pregnant in high school are amongst the group of single-parent families. If these women are not able to complete high school or go on to college, the result could be lower academic achievement for their children (Shriner, 2010). Another possible explanation for research that shows lower academic achievement in children from single-parent homes is lack of financial resources and policies that support various types of families. Of 11 countries studied by Pong, et al. (2003), the Unites States ranked lowest in achievement differences between children from single versus two-parent homes. The researchers in this study also found there are several countries with equally high rates of single-parent homes as the United States. A major difference however, is that the United States is the only country that did not offer government funded family allowances. Countries such as Austria, Norway, and Canada, offer these family allowances to lower-income families, which offer a major source of financial support (Pong, 2003). This extra income can provide enough support that a single parent can work just one job and be available to be more involved in the lives of their children. Parental Involvement In both single and two-parent homes, parental involvement in a child’s education is found to be a major factor influencing academic achievement (Shriner, 2010). Anne Lewis provides an example of this fact in her article: For example, factors that together explain almost 90% of the differences among eighth-graders in math performance on the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress are ones parents control: student absenteeism, variety of reading materials available in the home, and excessive television watching. Reading aloud to young children, the report says, is the single most important activity that parents can undertake to influence the future reading success of their children. (Lewis, 1995, p. 431) Several studies are now showing that factors such as time spent doing homework with children, mother’s level of education, and volunteering at a child’s school, contribute to higher levels of academic achievement (Shriner, 2010). Discussion Combining the vast body of research, one conclusion that can be drawn is that there are factors beyond family structure that impact academic achievement more than family structure itself. Poverty is consistently identified as a major contributor to lower achievement scores. While supporting children on one income rather than two makes it more likely that a single-parent family falls below the poverty line, as the economy continues to decline and unemployment numbers rise, more and more two-parent families find themselves in poverty as well (DeNavas-Walt, 2011). According the 2010 information from the U. S. Census Bureau, there are 46. 2 million people in this country living at or below the poverty line. This is the largest number found in the 52 years that poverty has been studied (DeNavas-Walt, 2011). In countries that have developed policies that help support and supplement families below the poverty line, the achievement scores on standardized tests have improved (Pong, 2003). Without solid support policies in place to assist families in poverty, despite the structure of that family, achievement scores will continue to fall in the United States. Building on the issue of poverty and academic achievement is the issue of parental involvement. With parental involvement being a key factor in academic success, it stands to reason that in families where one or more parent has to work more than one full-time job or one job with an excessive amount of hours, there is less opportunity for parental involvement in education. Despite the changing structure and economics of families in the United States, the educational system and governmental policies have not caught-up in terms of supporting family involvement (Lewis, 1995). There is research to indicate that stronger policies that support parental literacy and financial resources for low-income families is correlated with higher achievement scores (Pong, 2003). There is a great deal of research about family structure and academic achievement. Though it was previously thought that being in a single-parent household was in itself detrimental to a child’s achievement, research has now brought to light factors that are more specific and are now disputing the original conclusions about single-parent homes. This research will be instrumental in helping educators, parents, and policy-makers to make changes that will better support families and improve academic achievement in children in the United States. References Adoption Media LLC. (2011, November). Single Parenting and Childrens Academic Achievement. Retrieved from adoption. com: http://library. adoption. com/articles/single-parenting-and-childrens-academic-achievement. html This article cites significant research on the issue of single-parenting and academic achievement. Specifically the article discusses two of the major theories researched in terms of family structure, the Family Deficit Model and the Risk and Protective Factors Model. Adoption Media LLC provide community service information and resources to families considering adoption from any angle. This company has provided assistance and information to several news media organization, and thoroughly cites research for the articles on the website. Center for American Progress. (2006, July 26). Measuring Academic Achievement. Retrieved from americanprogress. rg: http://www. americanprogress. org/issues/2006/07/b1982011. html The Center for American Progress is a political action committee which reviews and advocates on different political issues. The website for this organization provides a detailed definition for the term academic achievement and how it is measured. DeNavas-Walt, C. P. (2011). U. S. Census Bureau, Current Populations Reports, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in t he United States: 2010. Washington D. C. : U. S. Government Printing Office. This

What Are The Motivations Of Dark Tourists?

What Are The Motivations Of Dark Tourists? On the 27th of April 2008, Josef Fritzl was arrested in Amstetten, a small town in Austria. It has shown that Fritzl sexually abused his daughter, Elisabeth, since she was eleven years old. When she was eighteen years old he locked her up in the basement underneath his house. Fritzl forced his daughter Elisabeth to write a letter to her mother where she stated that she had run away from home and joined a sect. The sexual abuse led to the birth of seven children. Three of these children were raised by Elisabeth in the basement and the other three were raised by Fritzl and his wife. One of the children died a few days after it was born. Furthermore, Fritzl convinced his wife that the three children they raised were exposed by Elisabeth. When one of the children that lived in the basement, the at that time nineteen-year-old Kersten, got ill Elisabeth convinced her father that she needed to be hospitalized. Because Kersten was not registered anywhere, one of the doctors informed the auth orities. After this, Elisabeth saw a program on the television in her basement that made a call up for the mother of Kersten. Then she convinced her father to bring her to the hospital, which led to the hearings of Fritzl and Elisabeth and the confessions of the cruelties that took place. After twenty-four years Elisabeth was freed from the basement and reunited with all her children (Wikipedia, 2010). This affair has received tremendous attention in the media and therefore the case is known all over the world. The affaire encompasses a painful and shameful episode on a national and local basis. Furthermore, the house of Fritzl has become a touristic attraction. Amstetten is dealing with an increasing amount of tourists that come to visit the house. When tourists visit the house, they often take photos of the house and of themselves in front of it. The articles on the internet show that the local authorities find this shocking (HLN, 2010). The phenomenon that people visit places that are associated with death, suffering and violence can be described as dark tourism. Thanatourism is a similar concept and also involves the visiting of locations associated with death and suffering, but an emphasis is placed upon symbolically experiencing a painful death. Another related concept is black spots, which can be described as commercial cemeteries of famous people or locations where death an d suffering took place. The house of Fritzl belongs to such places and visiting this location fits the description of dark tourism and thanatourism. The house of Fritzl, where the abuse and cruelties took place, can be seen as a symbolic reflection of this affaire and its tragic events. Furthermore, the house serves as a tangible object that invokes the memory of the Fritzl-affaire (Yull, 2003: 10-13; Logan en Reeves, 2009: 1-3; Rojek, 1993: 136). The phenomenon that people visit the house of Fritzl inspired me to formulate the following research question: What are the motivations of dark tourists? The case of the house of J. Fritzl in Amstetten. It is interesting to find out why tourists visit the house, if the media attention has played a role in the decision of people to visit the house and if certain characteristics, such as age and gender, affect the motivation of these visitors. The case of Fritzl offers a fascinating and recent case to go more in-depth into the motivations of dark tourists. Scientific and Social Relevance The scientific relevance of this research question lies in the fact that the subject of dark tourism is relatively new within the academic field. Several articles have been published on this topic, but as Stone (2006) argues: despite this increasing attention the dark tourism literature remains both eclectic and theoretical fragile (Stone, 2006: 145). Some researchers have already focused on visitor motivations of dark tourist sites. For example, Yull (2003) investigated why people visit the Holocaust Museum in Houston. However, according to Stone (2006) and Sharpley (2009) research first and foremost has focused on describing the different dark tourist sites, rather than on the consumption and experiences of visitors. This research will contribute to the understanding of visitor participation in dark tourism by taking the visitors of the house of Fritzl as the focal point of this research. Furthermore, the existing research has not focused on the motivations of visitors to dark tour ist sites, comparable to the house of Fritzl and therefore this research will add to and fill the gap in the existing literature. The social relevance of this research is harder to determine. However, finding out what the motivations of visitors are, might provide useful and relevant information for directly involved parties, other than the scientific community. For example, this information could offer the local community of Amstetten and (in)direct victims of this case a better understanding of what is going on and with what reasons people visit this site of horror. For example visitors might be motivated to visit this place to pay respect to the victims or remember the cruelties that took place, instead of entertainment purposes. Furthermore, the results of this research could even be relevant to society as a whole, since dark sites similar to the house of Fritzl seem to increasingly pop up and attract visitors world-wide. This research seeks to provide insights into why people a re motivated to visit these morbid locations. Theoretical Concepts and Hypothesized Relations As mentioned previously, several theoretical concepts are related to the phenomenon where people visit places associated with pain, death and suffering. Academic attention to this phenomenon increased in the twentieth century and several theoretical concepts were introduced. These concepts are black spots (Rojek, 1993), dark tourism (Lennon and Foley, 1996: in Yull, 2003) and thanatourism (Seaton, 1996: in Sharpley, 2009). These dark concepts will be briefly discussed in a more or less chronicle order, based on introduction in the literature. Another concept of importance for this research is visitor motivations (Sharpley, 2009: 12-15). Dark Concepts Black Spots Rojek (1993) coined the term black spots and argues that these locations involve commercial cemeteries of famous people or sites where death and suffering took place. In his research, Rojek (1993) also mentions that people increasingly visit these dark sites and that entrepreneurs initiate tours around these black spots. Examples of black spots are the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oswiecim-Brzezinka, Ground Zero in New York and the location where Princess Diana got killed in a car crash (Rojek, 1993: 136-145). Dark Tourism and Thanatourism Visiting places associated with death, pain and suffering is becoming increasingly popular. However, Sharpley (2009) argues that this is not a new phenomenon. In the Roman Empire, it was a common form of entertainment to attend a gladiators match. Another example are the public executions in the Middle Ages. Traveling to places where death and suffering are central elements can be defined as dark tourism. Furthermore, it involves consuming real or simulated places of death and horror. Visiting these places where actual cruelties took place by relatives or friends of the victims cannot be seen as a form of dark tourism. Thanatourism is a concept which strongly relates to dark tourism and was introduced in the literature in the same year as dark tourism. Thanatourism entails the visiting of locations associated with death and suffering, where visitors want to symbolically experience a painful death. This description points more to the motivations of visitors of dark sites. However, the term dark tourism is usually used in the academic field and no distinction is made between the concepts dark tourism and thanatourism. Therefore, I will use the term dark tourism in this research and make no difference between dark tourism and thanatourism (Lennon en Foley, 2000: 3-5; Yull, 2003: 10, 11; Sharpley, 2009: 3-19). Dark tourism involves the actual visiting of black spots. There are different black spots which are visited daily by tourists and therefore belong to sites of dark tourism. Furthermore, several tours are initiated around dark sites. Commercial motives, in terms of entrance fees, are often involved. Examples are the Jack the Ripper tour in London or the tour in Charleroi which shows you, among other dark sites, the house of the famous kidnapper and child molester Marc Dutroux. Visiting morbid museums, old prisons or battle field fall also under the category dark tourism. As discussed previously, the house of Fritzl fits the description of a black spots and inc reasingly attracts visitors. This research seeks to understand the motivations of these visitors (Stone, 2006: 145, 146, 152; HLN, 2010). Visitor Motivations For this research it is necessary to include visitor motivations as a theoretical concept. Motivations of individuals to visit regular tourist places include getting acquainted with other cultures and increase ones knowledge about these locations. Furthermore, motivations often involve entertainment purposes, such as having fun or seeking adventure. Relaxation, revitalization, being active and get close to nature are also common incentives to visit a certain location (Kozak, 2002: 225). However, these motivations of regular touristic locations might differ from motivations of tourists that visit black spots. Unfortunately, few literature is available that focus on visitor motivations of dark tourists. The literature that is accessible, uses similar research questions to the one is used in this research. Yull (2003) studied the motivations of dark tourists and focused more specifically on the motivations of visitors of the Holocaust Museum in Houston. Niemelà ¤ (2010) focused on visi tor motivations of the House of Terror museum in Budapest. This museum is built to remember the tortured and killed people during World War II. In addition, Poria, Reichel and Biran (2006) chose to investigate the motivations of the visitors of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Although the dark tourist locations used in these researches are museums associated with death and suffering and therefore differ from the dark site that is used in this research, similar motivations may be found. If different motivations are found, it could be argued that this difference is dependent on the specific dark tourist site. According to Yull (2003), motivations of dark tourist could involve entertainment purposes, such as providing a thrill, a novel experience or adventure. Furthermore, remembering the victims and the cruelties that took place or curiosity can also be motivations of tourist that visit the house of Fritzl. Although education might be more suitable as a motivation to visit a museum associated with death and suffering, individuals can also visit the house of Fritzl to learn something. For example, visitors might want to enrich their knowledge about the Fritzl-affaire. In addition, Niemelà ¤ (2010) argues that emotional involvement might also play a role in the motivations of dark tourists. Visitors might identify or have a personal connection with the cruelties that took place. Moreover, Poria, Reichel and Biran (2006) include two more motivations; tourists might visit a dark site, because it is famous or because they feel that the site is historically important (Yull, 2003: 146-159, 191-199; Niemelà ¤, 2010: 37; Poria, Reichel and Biran, 2006: 322). The media play an important role within the field of dark tourism. The media can report tragic events that take place all over the world. The attention that the media pay to tragic and horrible events serve as a stimulation for flows of tourism. Furthermore, media has the capacity to bring dark tourism sites to public consciousness (Yull, 2003: 125). Additionally, Lennon and Foley (2000) argue that the attention of the media to specific dark sites, might motivate individuals to visit the location in order to experience the reality behind the media representations. Since, the Fritzl-affaire received tremendous attention in the media, it will be likely that this attention has an influence on the motivation of visitors (Stone, 2009: 57; Seaton, 2009: 90; 95, 106; Lennon and Foley, 2000: 152). Operationalization of Theoretical Concepts In this section, the operationalization of the theoretical concepts will be discussed. To answer the question What are the motivations of dark tourists? The case of the house of J. Fritzl in Amstetten, I will conduct qualitative semi-structured interviews  [1]  with visitors of the house of Fritzl in Amstetten. This implies that a topic list will be made, consisting of topics that will be addressed in the interview. However, the order in which the topics will be discussed is not fixed and if necessary, the interviewer will probe for more information and adapt to new themes that are brought up by the interviewees. Furthermore, the interviewer can adapt to the level of comprehension of the respondents. The questions will be open, which means that no answer categories will be made (t Hart, Boeije and Hox, 2007: 274, 275; Gilbert, 2001: 123, 124). Several topics that will be addressed in the interview are outlined. First of all, it is important to include demographic factors of the v isitors, such as age, the country the interviewee lives in and the highest obtained level of education (primary school or less, secondary school, intermediate vocational training, higher vocational training, college or post graduate). Furthermore, the gender of the respondent will be noted during the interview. These demographic factors are included, because they are important background variables and might affect the motivations people have to visit the house of Fritzl. Other topics that will be included will focus upon the motivations of visitors of the house of Fritzl in Amstetten. It will be asked what attracted the visitors to visit Amstetten and what their primary reason is for visiting this town. I will seek to explore whether visitors come specifically for the house or if they have other motives or more than one reason to visit this town. Then, I will focus on the topic of why people visit the house of Fritzl. Although, similar answers to the research on dark tourist motivations described above maybe found, such as entertainment, curiosity, remembrance of the victims and cruelties that took place, emotional involvement, historical importance of the site or its fame, unexpected answers also need to be taken into account. Furthermore, it is essential to go in-depth into the answers and ask for further elaboration if necessary. Additionally, it needs to be explored whether visitors have multiple motivations to visit the house of Fritzl. Seeking to understand motivations of visitors of the house of Fritzl, demands for adapting to possible unexpected answers and the skills to react to this situation adequately. Furthermore, the role of the media will be addressed. Central themes will be, whether visitors are familiar with and interested in the Fritzl-affaire, if they have followed the case in the news, documentaries or on the internet. This will seek to explore whether media attention to the Fritzl-affaire affects the tourists in their motivation to visit the house. Next, I will focus upon if the visitors have previously visited other dark locations, where cruelties have taken place. It will be interesting to find out if there is a relationship between visiting the house of Fritzl and other dark locations and if we are dealing with tourists that have an interest in visiting dark sites in general. Plan for Data Collection For this research, the visitors of the house of Fritzl in Amstetten are the objects of study. Hence, it is necessary to come into contact with these visitors. For this research I choose to use qualitative semi-standardized interviews to answer the research question. Qualitative methods are used when a certain research topic is relatively new and unexplored. Furthermore, qualitative methods offer the possibility to go more in-depth into specific aspects of a certain phenomenon. Baarda, de Goede and van der Meer-Middelburg (1996) argue that qualitative interviews are a suitable method when ideas, motivations, opinions and experiences need to be investigated. Since this research seeks to explore the motivations of visitors of the house of Fritzl in Amstetten, it fits this description (t Hart et al. 2007: 253; Baarda et al. 1996: 18-20). I choose to use semi-structured, one-to-one interviews. This implies that topics will be formulated and addressed in the interview. Besides demographic questions, specific questions, answer categories or the order of the questions will not be fixed in advance. This gives the interviewer the opportunity to probe for more information if necessary or reflexively respond to new themes that might be brought up. This reflexive approach is essential, since motivations of dark tourists is relatively unexplored, especially in regard to locations comparable to the house of Fritzl. This may result in unexpected answers to be brought up. When standardized methods are used, this will not be possible. One-to-one interviews are used, because the interviewees will not be influenced by the opinions of others and may give them the feeling to speak more openly about their motivation(s). Furthermore, confidentiality and anonymity of the data will be guaranteed (Baarda et al., 1996: 18-24, 26-28; t Hart et al. 2007: 254, 261, 262, 267; Gilbert, 2001: 123-129). To interview the research participants of this research it is necessary to go to Amstetten, w hich is roughly a nine hour drive from Rotterdam. I will spend three days around the house of Fritzl and I will approach the visitors that come by. I will ask them if they are willing to participate in this research. This research requires purposive sampling, because I assume that only a small group of visitors of the house of Fritzl is accessible in these three days and this group will be likely to represent the visitors as a whole. Furthermore, using a probability sample is often unrealistic for small-scale or qualitative research (Gilbert, 2001: 62). The duration of the interview will be approximately twenty minutes and the amount of interviewees will depend on the willingness to participate. The aim will be to conduct ten to twenty interviews. Furthermore, the interviews will be recorded. Gilbert (2001) argues that recording is recommendable, especially when conducting non-standardized or semi-structured interviews. This, because this type of carrying out interviews requires an active participation of the interviewer within the conversation. By recording the interview, the data wont be lost and in contrast to making notes it wont obstruct or slow down the dialogue. It also signals that the responses of the respondents are taking seriously. Of course, the use of recording will be explained to the interviewees and their approval will be asked. Directly after the interview, notes will be made about the setting, the interview and the interviewee which can be used to recall the context of the particular interview (t Hart et al. 2007: 268-270; Gilbert, 2001: 61-63, 135-137). Plan for Data Analysis When the data is collected, the analysis of the data will begin. First of all, the recorded interviews will be verbatim transcribed. I choose to write down everything that is said, because then data wont get lost that might be of significance when the research progresses. Although, transcribing everything is time-consuming and labor-intensive, the low quantity of interviews makes it possible to do so. Furthermore, transcribing the data allows you to get familiar with the data and it helps facilitating thoughts and ideas about possible connections and underlying themes. Before analyzing, the transcripts will be checked by listening to the recordings once more and by carefully reading the written text. The demographic characteristics of the respondents will be shown on the first page of the transcripts. After this, I will offer the transcript to the respondents, so that accuracy can be checked and comments can be made. This improves reliability and validity of the answers (Gilbert, 200 1: 134-137). The transcripts will be read repeatedly with the aim to identify underlying themes and connections. By comparing and contrasting fragments within interviews and between interviews, fragments with an underlying connection will be categorized and labeled. Furthermore, it will show whether the earlier described motivations are found in the transcripts, or if new themes will be discovered. Similarities and dissimilarities between different respondents may emerge and might relate to their demographic characteristics. Eventually, the codified themes will be linked and compared to draw a full picture of the motivations of visitors of the house of Fritzl in Amstetten and answer the research question (Gilbert, 2001: 137, 138; t Hart et al. 2007: 176, 277). Discussion Gilbert (2008) describes six properties that a research question should have. The research question should be interesting, relevant, concise, answerable, feasible and ethical. For this research it is necessary to address two of these properties more in-depth, which are the feasibility of this research and its ethical dimensions. The research question, What are the motivations of dark tourists? The case of the house of J. Fritzl in Amstetten, is feasible to the extent that it can be answered within a relatively short period of time and with relatively low costs. Furthermore, the research participants are accessible. However, the search for visitors of the house of Fritzl might show difficulties. For this research I will spend three days around the house of Fritzl and approach the tourists that will visit the house. However, it is possible that on these particular days there will be no visitors at all. Consequently, finding research participants might be time-consuming and unpleasant ( Gilbert, 2008: 48). According to Gilbert (2008), it is of importance to take into account the ethical dimensions of a research question. While no specific approval is needed from institutions to conduct this research, this research involves a certain sensitivity. The reason for this, is that this study focuses upon an affair where people suffered and were mistreated. Therefore, this affair is sensitive to victims or relatives of these victims. Furthermore, this case might be sensitive to the neighboring residents or the whole community of Amstetten. Spending three days in front of the house of Fritzl to gather the research participants might be offensive to the residents. For example, they might be upset or feel that their privacy is violated. Consequently, it is necessary to work with discretion. Eventual publication of this research also involves ethical implications. Publication might cause harm to the different parties involved (Gilbert, 2008: 48, 49; Gilbert, 2001: 49-53). A la st brief comment I would like to make is about the weaknesses of Literature Baarda, D.B., de Goede, M.P.M. van der Meer-Middelburg, A.G.E. 1996. Basisboek Open Interviewen. Groningen: Stenfert Kroese. Gilbert, N. 2001. Researching Social Life (2nd edition). London: Sage Publications. Gilbert, N. 2008. Researching Social Life (3d edition). London: Sage Publications. t Hart, H., Boeije, H. Hox, J. 2007. Onderzoeksmethoden. Amsterdam: Boom onderwijs. Kozak, M. 2003. Comparative analysis of tourist motivations by nationality and destinations. Tourism Management 23, 221-232. Lennon, J.J. Foley, M. 2000. Dark Tourism: The Attraction of Death and Disaster. Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning. Logan, W. Reeves, K. 2009. Places of Pain and Shame: Dealing with Difficult Heritage. USA/Canada: Routledge. Niemelà ¤, T. 2010. Motivation Factors in Dark Tourism: Case: House of Terror. https://publications.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/14984/Niemela_Titta.pdf?sequence=3 6 October 2010 Poria, Y., Reichel, A. Biran, A. 2006. Heritage Site Perceptions and Motivations to Visit. Journal of Travel Research 44, 318-326. Rojek, C. 1993. Ways of Escape: Modern Transformations in Leisure and Travel. London: The MacMillian Press. Sharpley, R. 2009. Shedding Light on Dark Tourism: An Introduction. In: R. Sharpley P.R. Stone. The Darker Side of Travel: The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism. Bristol: Channel View Publications, 3-22. Stone, P.R. 2006. A dark tourism spectrum: Towards a typology of death and macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions. Tourism 54 (2), 145-160. Stone, P.R. 2009. Dark Tourism: Morality and New Moral Spaces. In: R. Sharpley P.R. Stone. The Darker Side of Travel: The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism. Bristol: Channel View Publications, 56-74. Yull, S.M. 2003. Dark Tourism: Understanding Visitor Motivation at Sites of Death and Disaster. http://etd.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/89/YUILL-THESIS.pdf?sequence=1. 7 October 2010 Websites HLN, 2010 http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/960/Buitenland/article/detail/314386/2008/06/16/Toeristen-op-de-foto-voor-horrorkelder.dhtml 6 October 2010 HLN, 2010 http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/1901/reisnieuws/article/detail/269697/2008/05/08/Ramptoerisme-bij-Oostenrijks-gruwelhuis.dhtml 6 October 2010 Wikipedia, 2010 http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritzl-incestzaak 6 October 2010

Point of View in Eudora Welty’s A Visit of Charity Essay -- Visit Char

Point of View in Eudora Welty’s A Visit of Charity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Every now and then point of view is worth writing about, because only every now and then is point of view actually seriously considered. In Eudora Welty’s â€Å"A Visit of Charity,† the third-person limited point of view of the little girl, Marian—her self-consciousness, descriptions, and fear—exactly portray what a little girl might experience in a nursing home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To Marian, this is probably the first time in a nursing home. She is there simply because she wants to gain points; when asked who she would like to visit, Marian simply states, â€Å"any of them will do.† She brought flowers simply because they added a point, and hid her apple outside rather than have it accidentally considered to be a gift. Marian is a very self-conscious girl; she is deftly aware of all the point values associated with the visit and is wearing the same cap that â€Å"all the little girls were wearing that year.† While actually visiting the ladies, she is very afraid, as a young girl might be in a strange place, but is still mindful of her own affairs ...

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Spirituality is held by all cultures. It is such an important theme; it has been used in many books over the centuries. Both Isebel Allende's House of the spirits and Herman Hesse's Siddhartha show the same spiritual characteristics. In House of the spirits theres Clara, who believes that her powers can be used to help others, and her son, Nicholas, who uses the beliefs of spirituality for commercial venues. In Siddhartha, we see Siddhartha who believes that through traveling, both physically and mentally, he will achieve enlightenment. While, Govinda believes that that hearing strictly the doctrine will be a path to enlightenment. From all of these characters we see that even though the beliefs are different, they are all driven by their beliefs. In both books we have examples of two characters with two different spiritual beliefs and because of that, they act differently. For house of the spirits, we have Clara and her son Nicholas. For Clara, her life while she grew up was very peaceful, "Clara's adolescence past calmly in her parents large house with its three court yards. She was spoiled to death... With the most tender of intentions." (page 78) This led her to be calm, peaceful, and unselfish, which showed later in her life. An example is when she help the gardener, "Clara took out her slate from her apron pocket...Clara told him what to do and won 80 pesos." (Page 78) Even when she has gr...

Caddie - Australian Movie Review :: essays research papers

The movie Caddie stars Helen Morse as ‘Caddie’ Marsh, a young woman in the depression, Jackie Weaver, as Caddie’s friend Leslie, Jack Thompson as Ted, and Takis Emmanuel as Peter. Caddie is set in the times of the Australian depression and was the first remotely successful Australian feature film. It follows the story of a spirited woman and her experiences over seven life-shaping years of her life. Through her eyes we see the effect of the depression on the average Australians of the time. The movie tells the story of a young Sydney woman during the years 1925 to 1932 in which time she changes from a young suburban 25 year old matron and mother to a free-wheeling woman of 32. The film opens with Caddie learning that her husband is in love with her best friend, Ester, and taking the only course she feels is open to her; she leaves him taking the children with her. To earn enough money to keep her and the children, Caddie takes a job as a barmaid, and soon learns the ropes with the help of fellow barmaid Josie. One day Ted, the SP bookmaker comes into the pub. He names her Caddie after his brand new Cadillac that, like her, he says has class and beauty. Caddie is struggling to look after her two children, Anne, and Terry properly, so she makes the very difficult decision to put them into children’s homes. Through a friend, Caddie meets Peter, a Greek immigrant and successful businessman. They fall in love and become lovers, but fate strikes with the sudden illness of Peter’s father and he has to leave for Greece. Winter two years later, and the Great Depression is taking its toll on Sydney and Caddie. She has trouble staying employed, and finally is bed-ridden suffering from malnutrition and nervous exhaustion. She is befriended by â€Å"Bill the Rabbito† and his younger brother Sonny, who share their meagre belongings with her until she is well and strong again. Caddie takes yet another job as a barmaid, and meets Paddy Reilly who

Half the Sky Documentary Evaluation

Half the Sky is a movie that discusses the oppression of women around the world. It brings to light the issues that, even in today's society, are still occurring. Women, young adults, and children everywhere in the world are becoming victims to abuse, rape, and being deprived of getting an education. This film documents Nikolas Kristof going around the world with the help of well known people in America to show some of the issues and some organizations that are working to change the way society views women and children. Early in the documentary a shocking statistic was given. It stated that around 60 million to 100 million females are currently missing out of the population. Where are all of these women going, and how are we letting this happen in today's societies? Females all around the world are becoming victims of genital mutilation, sex trafficking, rape, and abuse. Half the Sky is shedding light into some of the cultures around the world where this is a norm, and is trying to promote awareness. It discusses the reasons why these events are still taking place in current cultures, and what we can do about it to change the way people respond to these events. Some of the issues addressed in the movie Half the Sky are talking about women being oppressed in current societies. Women are constantly being put through human trafficking, violence, are being undereducated, and catching a ton of diseases from being raped. The people in this movie are trying to look at the issues of women not being treating equally and having the same rights as men in the 21st century. One of the main reasons this is happening is because men are never even caught, and when they are most of the time are shown no consequences. Another issue that first brought these issues in countries to light was that in China many females have gone missing due to the fact that it is more accepted to have a male born into your family, not a female. Children, primarily females, are being sold at shockingly young ages to brothels and are forced to be sex slaves. In so many countries it has become a norm for men to abuse women and use them as sex slaves. There are a few reasons there has been little progress made in changing the ways some cultures view women. One reason there has been no progress is because of the lack of punishment towards those causing the abuse. An example of this from Half the Sky is when they went into Sierra-Leone. There was a case where a teenage girl told her parents about her being raped by a relative, and they decided to press charges. After the man was captured, arrested, and placed in jail the family then became almost shunned by the community. After all this occurred the father in the family kicked the wife and child out. They said it was because the child had caused â€Å"shame† upon the family. Then the child forgave the man who had raped her, and many others, and he was released free; thus, causing the cycle to begin all over again. There is a huge lack of police forces investigating crimes, and men actually having consequences to their actions. A hard problem to solve is how we can fix these problems and change the way so many people feel about women. It's a slow and grueling process, but eventually if everybody does there part we can make a difference and create equality for all women. In every culture there's at least one organization out there trying to change the way women and children are treated in their society. The greatest challenge is when you have outsiders coming into a community to talk about these issues. Many people within a culture are not going to listen to an outsider, so we really need people within the communities to help change the way that society views the way their females are treated. We need people within the culture to empower others in that society to speak up and gain more followers. Secondly, we need to train societies to prosecute and investigate these crimes more thoroughly. If these countries don't have a strong justice system no changes can be made when those committing the crime don't see it as a crime. Thirdly, we need to educate children. Girls are likely to drop out of school at an age of fourteen or before to work for their family, whereas boys are likely to drop out at sixteen. Building an educated generation will help because then they can get a career and will not be caught in poverty like so many generations before them. Lastly, we need to bring all of these issues to light in countries that can help. We need more Americans to become aware of these issues, and reach out to help make them better. Nikolas Kristof said in Half the Sky, † Once people pay attention, that's the first step towards a solution. † All of this relates to sociology in many ways. One of the main ways it relates is because you see how something so looked down upon in one culture can be so socially acceptable in another culture. When somebody is accused and prosecuted for rape in America they are put in jail for a long time, and receive consequences for their actions. If you go to say Sierra-Leone, or Cambodia the person accused of rape will almost 100% of the time walk away with no consequences. It's all a matter of perspective and your culture you live in. Everybody needs to learn to be more culturally aware, and learn to help other cultures that aren't quite were we think they should be. Sociology is also related to Half the Sky because of the idea that it chases after women and children alone being oppressed. All in all, societies are all different in one way or another. Sociology helps us to understand the reasons people may act one way opposed to another, and how we can all work together to make a difference.

Roles and Functions Paper

HCS 325 Roles and Functions Paper 10/22/12 The four major functions in managing health care accurately are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Managing health care is important especially for employees and your place of business (Lombardi). These factors ensure quality service without any rest stops or burdens being an issue. Within the health care field, employees usually have trouble with communicating with the higher authority due to issues and lack of time.Planning is important to ensure that goals are being set and that the future looks brighter than what it already is. Planning comes along with meeting needs and focusing on the employees well being. Organizing is ensuring that all things are done and made on time (Hagemann). Organizing comes along with ensuring that there is no time to make residents/patients wait for care. Leading is one of the most important parts of management because this can leave a reputation that either looks good or bad.This is the time wher e employees should offer suggestions and speak up on any problems that they may have on the job. This is also the time to set goals for employees to meet by a certain period. This gives the manager time enough to challenge those who work under him so that he/ she can get a hint of what assignments should be given to what employees based off how they perform. Controlling is very important because this way everyone is following guidelines and rules along with working as a team rather than individual performance.Employees should be able to call on one another to help each other out so that no one feels left behind or less than. (Hedlund) The most important role for a health care manager and leader throughout a diversified health industry is to maintain balance meaning always be sure that everyone is comfortable as well as equality towards each individual. The manger should have different innovative ways that will cover a diversified health care industry. I will love to gain more inform ation about how to be more of a leader than a manager in a health care setting. T * The References * Lombardi, D. N. , & Schermerhorn, J. R. (2007). Health care management: Tools and techniques for managing in a health care environment. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. * Hagemann, Bonnie; Stroope, Saundra. T+D. Jul2012, Vol. 66 Issue 7, p58-61. 4p. 1 Color Photograph * Hedlund, Nancy; Esparza, Angelina; Calhoun, Elizabeth; Yates, Jerome. Physician Executive. Sep/Oct2012, Vol. 38 Issue 5, p6-12. 6p. 1 Color Photograph, 1 Diagram. Roles and Functions Paper Managers in the health care field have many important roles and functions. As the health care system continues to evolve, sound management is critical to the survival of health care institutions (Johnson, 2005). Every manger’s main duty is to succeed in helping the organization achieve high performance while utilizing all of the organization’s human and material resources (Lombardi and Schermerhorn, 2007). Mangers in the health care field must strive to improve daily operations and make future planning on ways to improve efficiency and productivity. According to Lombardi and Schermerhorn (2007), on a daily basis health care managers must recognize performance problems and opportunities, make good decisions, and take appropriate action. This is achieved by using the process of management; planning, organizing, controlling the use of resources, and leading to accomplish performance goals. One of the day–to-day responsibilities of a health care manager is informing the team members about what is expected of them. Health care mangers must also recruit, train and develop team members (Lombardi and Schermerhorn, 2007). Other responsibilities are the following: coordinating with other teams, plan meetings, figure out the work schedules, and clarify goals and tasks. The most important responsibility of a health care manger I believe a health care manager has is to ensure that each team member has the tools he or she needs to be productive. Mangers must also take on certain roles in order to ensure that team members are being productive. There are three categories that the roles of a health care manager fall in; interpersonal roles, informational roles, and decisional roles. Interpersonal roles involve interactions with people inside an outside the unit (Lombardi and Schermerhorn, 2007). Informational roles of a health care manager involve giving, receiving, and analyzing information. Finally, the decisional roles of a health care manger involve using information for decision making, problem solving, and addressing opportunities (Lombardi and Schermerhorn, 2007). The most important role of a health care manger I believe is giving, receiving, and analyzing information because communication between management and team members ensure that the needs and wants are being met. There are many responsibilities and roles a health care manger must fulfill. The most important responsibility of a health care manger I believe a health care manager has is to ensure that each team member has the tools he or she needs to be productive. The most important role of a health care manger I believe is giving, receiving, and analyzing information because communication between management and team members ensure that the needs and wants are being met. By completing this course I hope to learn more about the responsibilities and roles of health care mangers. I would also like to apply what I have learned while taking this course to my work habits, so that I can improve my management skills.

19th Century Theories in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment Essay

19th Century Theories in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment â€Å"I teach you the Superman. Man is something that has to be surpassed. What have you done to surpass him? † These words said by Friedrich Nietzsche encompass the theories present in Dostoevsky’s nineteenth century novel, Crime and Punishment. Fyodor Dostoevsky, living a life of suffering himself, created the character of Raskolnikov with the preconceptions of his own sorrowful and struggling life. Throughout his exile in Siberia from 1849-1859, his sentiments of suffering, sorrow, and the common man surfaced and heightened, inspiring him to begin writing Crime and Punishment in 1859. The main motif in this novel is that of suffering. It is apparent that all characters, major and minor, experience some sort of internal or external affliction. The overall theme of the work is that all mortal men suffer, and that salvation can not be obtained unless this anguish is present. Dostoevsky’s protagonist, Raskolnikov, must evolve and realize this fact to overcome his conflicts and reach the salvation of peace and tranquillity. Volumes and volumes of critique can be written on where this suffering originated, but Dostoevsky’s main concentration and focus is not where, but why suffering must exist and how this suffering can be overcome. See more:  First Poem for You Essay This is seen from the fact that throughout the six sections of the novel, only one section is focused on the origin of the torment – the Crime, and the remaining five sections are concentrated on Raskolnikov’s path to overcoming this anguish – the Punishment. By focusing solely on the punishment, the internal and external conflicts that arise within the novel do not only provide Raskolnikov’s own philosophy of the path toward salvation, but encompasses that of the German philosopher Nietzsche, as well as his contemporaries. Raskolnikov’s justifications for his actions are relayed in his own Extraordinary Man Theory, which states that there are two classifications of men in the world: ordinary, and extraordinary. He wanted prove that he was extraordinary, that he could commit a crime as horrid as murder, but because he did it for the betterment of society, he would feel no sympathy or regret for his justified actions. In following Raskolnikov’s theory, it becomes apparent from where his conceptions originate. Though the whole work encompasses the philosophies of all the nineteenth century theorists, Raskolnikov’s ideas spawn from that of Friedrich Nietzsche and Georg Wilhelm Hegel. Since it has already been established that the entire novel contains theories of its era, to begin an analysis in regard to the novel’s main ideas evolving from the concepts of merely Nietzsche or Hegel would, in a way, belittle the importance of the remaining non-Hegelian nineteenth century philosophers. By analyzing the ideologies of the major theorists from Father to Fruitcake (Kierkegaard to Freud) with respect to Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky’s intentions, motifs, and ideas can be interpreted with ease. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) believed that truth is both power and suffering. He is often noted as the Father of Existentialism, an innovated modern belief that life has no meaning, and that we must live life just for the sake of living, and nothing else. To know the truth about life and the individuals living it would be a form of powerful knowledge incomprehensible to man. The truth is – Life is suffering. Kierkegaard believed that man was blessed with the greatest gift of all – free will, but this free will creates decisions, and decisions generate emotions. Emotions are the key to the suffering of man. Happiness creates a fear in losing prosperity, fear leads to anger toward life’s unjust ways, anger leads to hatred of life in general, and hatred leads to the suffering of the individual mind. This is the path of the common man, the man who â€Å"thinks† that life can be blissful. The existential man â€Å"believes† that life has no meaning, no substance, and no path for happiness. He is the man who knows and accepts that all things, good and evil, exist, including suffering. This is why the existential man is indifferent toward the benefits and consequences of life. Raskolnikov believes that The Extraordinary Man feels no suffering and no pain. He is the man who can break the laws, transgress the laws, and make the laws. Raskolnikov believed that if he were extraordinary, he could commit any crime, even the crime of murder, and walk away from it indifferent, apathetic, and without emotion. What he did not realize was the main point of Kierkegaard’s philosophy, that no matter what – man suffers. Raskolnikov thought that he could avoid the truth and avoid suffering. It is not until he confesses to both Porfiry and Sonia, which coincidentally is the same instant that his own pain begins to vanquish, that he fully understands and believes in the suffering of man. Georg Wilhelm Hegel (1770-1831), another prominent philosopher of the nineteenth century, hypothesized a dialectic method for the analysis and comprehension of history. He believed that all events in time move in a teleological fashion contrary to the popular belief of a circular path. Hegel stated that history, rather than repeating itself, learns and moves forward toward a purpose. In his theory this purpose is the freedom of all men in a rational state, and moving toward such a beneficial purpose justifies all good and evil events in history. The dialectic method also consisted of a diagram regarding this teleological path. Hegel believed that history is made up of a series of events all corresponding to a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. The thesis and antithesis serve as the conflict in history, while the synthesis becomes the result. In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov is the thesis, the symbol of good intentions, while Svidrigailov is the antithesis, the epitome and reality of evil and suffering. With the battle of good and evil comes salvation, or the synthesis, in this case – Sonia, the representation and key to Raskolnikov’s salvation. This method can also be viewed in the perspective of Dostoevsky’s primary concentrations. With that respect the crime can be viewed as the symbol of good intentions. Raskolnikov killed Alyona because she represented the evil in society. Because her death would be a blessing and benefit to the world he believed his crime would be justified. The punishment can be viewed as the reality of suffering. It is not until after he commits the crime that Raskolnikov realizes that all men in fact do suffer. The key is to overcome this suffering instead of avoiding it. The salvation can be viewed as the redemption and end to suffering – the result of the crime and of the punishment. This analysis also maps Hegel’s teleological perspective because the novel moves in a linear fashion. The Crime (thesis) encompasses Part I of the novel, the Punishment (antithesis) is demonstrated in Parts II-VI, and the salvation (synthesis) is introduced in the epilogue. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844- 1900) did not believe in the suffering of all men. He believed that there existed a superman, a powerful individual that lived for self-gratification and nothing else. The Nietzschean superman asserts his own power to situations while he watches the common and ordinary man suffer because of life’s imperfections. This man needs no justification in his actions, because as long as he has satisfied himself, then his dominance over others requires no reason. Nietzsche also believed that in order to become a superman, an individual must surpass the common man. He must have no qualms or regrets in his actions, and above all, he must not fear his actions or consequences. â€Å"Fear is the mother of morality,† it is an emotion only known to ordinary men. A superman has no fear. Perhaps the character of Svidrigailov emits the best example of a Nietzschean superman in the novel. He is the epitome of evil and lives only for self-gratification. His downfall to his superman visage is suicide. Death is the escape to suffering. Svidrigailov feared its company, and in turn, took his own life to avoid it. Raskolnikov on the other hand, did not avoid suffering – he conquered it. Though before his crime he did ask the Hegelian question of â€Å"Will this crime serve a noble purpose,† he also asks the Nietzschean question of â€Å"Do I dare commit this murder and therefore prove myself to be a man by proving that my will is strong? † It is after this that he commits the crime and begins to endure this suffering. Unlike his rival, Svidrigailov, Raskolnikov overcomes his pain through salvation with the help of Sonia, ends his isolation, and returns to the humanity of society. Karl Marx (1818-1883) believed that society was the root of suffering. His common man, the proletarian, struggled because of the capitalistic bourgeoisie. He believed that â€Å"the proletariat goes through various stages of development. † The first stage is the struggle against the bourgeois, which later turns to suffering. Through the growth of the masses, the final stages of the common man of strength and victory evolve. The goal and path of the Marxist man is to emerge from being a mere commodity of society into being a creative and active member of it. The strength that allows him to do this is the realization that he is suffering because he lives for others, and his victory is obtained by overcoming this anguish through the bond of the proletariat. Though Raskolnikov does not face the same pain of worthlessness as the proletariat, he develops in the same fashion. He struggles against his inner emotions of reason and morality, and suffers because of it. Though Sonia and Porfiry contribute to his salvation, it is Raskolnikov himself that overcomes his emotions. He does not need the bond of the masses to aid him in his survival and path toward salvation; he only needs the bond of his inner rational and emotion states. This is why Raskolnikov survives. In 1859 the theorist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) published a controversial book of survival entitled The Origin of Species. In this work Darwin established that an organism’s evolution or devolution in life is representative of their ability to conform, adjust, and survive within the harshness of its environment. This theory of â€Å"survival of the fittest,† later became the coined theme of Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism believes that man survives and prospers in nature because he is the organism that is fit enough to do so. In a battle between man verses nature, and even man versus society, only the strong shall survive, while the weak will parish. Faith and belief no longer have any bearing on the members of tomorrow’s society, only strength.   his theory is presented many times in Crime and Punishment. Alyona and Lizaveta both perish because they are not capable of defeating Raskolnikov. Alyona also did not survive because Raskolnikov’s beliefs were stronger than her will and intentions. Svidrigailov cannot conquer the constraints society has placed upon him, and in turn, he commits suicide. The only exception to this theory is Raskolnikov. His inner strength of intelligence may be strong, but his physical and emotional abilities do not coincide with Darwin’s notion of fit. Raskolnikov’s survival is from his redemption. He reaches salvation because he chooses to, and therefore he survives because he chooses to. He does this through his own realization and rationalization. The psychologist and theorist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) believed that an individual’s decisions are not always determined by the rational state of mind. He believed that all humans possess three distinct decision making chambers of human behavior. He refers to the first of these as the id. The id is the childhood and instinctual need of the individual. This is the sector that satisfies an individual’s wants and desires, accomplishing them at no fear of risk. The second portion of human behavior is referred to as the ego. The ego is the rationalist, the sector that makes decisions that benefit the individual and society. Freud believed that the majority of all individuals make decisions based on their ego. The final and third division of an individual’s behavior is called the superego. The superego is the ideal individual. This individual makes decisions that should be made; he does things the way they should be done in his opinion, and no matter what the results may be, has no reason for regret. Though most of the characters in the novel make decisions based upon their ego, it is evident and apparent that Raskolnikov does not. He knows what he believes to be right and wrong, and tries to right the wrongs in society with his superego. Though he is the only one to use his superego, all of the other Freudian sections of human decisions exist in the work. Throughout the novel, Svidrigailov uses his id. His encounters with women, prosperity, and fortune are not prolific because he deserves them, but because he wants them. It is his id that leads him to his desire for an end to suffering, and his death near the end of the novel. Sonia and Dounia both rationalize their actions through their ego. Though Sonia does not and should not be a prostitute, she knows that it is the only way for her family to survive. Dounia is in a similar predicament. She did not wish to marry Luzhin, but his wealth and proposal to help Raskolnikov rationalized her to stay. Later, her ego permits her to marry Razumihin for his compassion, admiration, and companionship. This use of the id, ego, and superego supply a Freudian element to Dostoevsky’s work. With all of these theories analyzed, computed, and settled, we can end this critique where we began: â€Å"I teach you the Superman. Man is something that has to be surpassed. What have you done to surpass him? † Is Raskolnikov a Superman? Well, he follows Kierkegaard’s existential statement of â€Å"I believe, therefore I am,† which means that he surpasses the common man who merely â€Å"thinks. † Through the ideas of Hegel, his teleological movements from crime to punishment all serve a justified purpose in benefiting his moral and rational states. He overcomes the common man through the salvation he obtains from this linear evolution of trials. He suffers not from Marxist classes, but from internal struggle, excluding him as a member of the proletariat, or common man. Though not physically or emotionally fit to survive, his confession becomes his salvation, his survival, and his disclaimer in the Darwin theory of surviving. The common man may survive because he is fit to survive, but Raskolnikov survives because he chooses to survive. Unlike Freud’s theory that the everyday man lives his life through his ego, Raskolnikov makes his decisions based on his superego, doing things not just because it would be rational, but because that it the way it should be done. So then, â€Å"Is Raskolnikov a Superman? † Yes.