Art and culture of Orissa Essay

Orissa boasts of a rich and vibrant cultural heritage naturally caused by a long history of different rulers of varied cultural and artistic inclinations. Further confluence of racial streams has also enriched the art, craft and culture of Orissa in no uncertain terms. Orissa is particularly famous for its brass work, silver work, terracotta art objects and appliquà © work, besides its unique handloom. The culture of Orissa, India, makes for an interesting study. Situated along the Bay of Bengal coast, Orissa is an Indian state that exemplifies the unique and commendable blend of ancient glory and modern initiative. Orissa is a place where nature unfurls her one of the most beauteous aspects. Unsullied beaches, rivers, gorgeous waterfalls and majestic hills all contribute in accentuating the appeal of the state as a popular tourist destination. The culture of Orissa also generates considerable interest among both the domestic and the foreign travelers. Orissa is largely rural and the traditional values that are still retained form an integral aspect of the Orissa culture. Orissa’s strategic geographical location has engendered the assimilation of the culture of the Aryans and the Dravidians. The culture of Orissa can very well be described as an Indo-cultural synthesis. Orissa art and craft constitutes a major portion of the culture of Orissa. The art of Orissa underwent myriad changes and is a product of a number of assimilations and imbibitions. Orissa is known for its sand arts, Patta Chitra, Palm Leaf Paintings, Jhoti, Chita and Muruja. The Orissan artists are unsurpassed in their skill. Orissa boasts of a glorious tradition of dance and music. The figurines of dancers and musicians gracing the walls of the quaint temples in Orissa speak volumes about the rich musical heritage of the state. Odissi music is the classical art that has imbibed the elements common to the Hindustani and Karnatik music. The Odissi dance, Chhau Dance, Mahari dance, the jatra, pala and Daskarhia comprise of an inextricable part of the culture of Orissa. The  sacred environs of Lord Jagannath temple, the eroticism of Konark’s Sun temple, the wondrous caves of Jainism, the mystical monasteries of Buddhism, the paintings of folklore and the weaver’s magic; all stand as meek evidences of an eloquent past and continuing golden present of Orissa. FAIRS AND FESTIVALS Besides celebrating the important festivals like Dusshera, Durga Puja, Diwali and Holi, Orissa also has its own share of numerous festivals celebrated with frolic and vivacity. The most prominent Puri festival comprises of Rath Yatra, Chandan Yatra and Devasnana purnima. While the Puri Beach festival is a fun lovers fest, the Konark Dance festival marks a befitting tribute to the magnificent Sun temple at Konark.

Tort Law

In any given situation, it is evidently clear that the company should remain responsible and legally liable to their people or employe and among the consumers that patronize their product. Thus, should there be any accident and/or damages that badly harm these people in the course of exercising their duties, as employees and workers, the company could be held liable and sue to settle their legal obligations in shouldering the damages and lost of these people.As for the case of The Bug Plant located in Shady Town, USA, the employees and the vendor that have been attacked and robbed in the parking lot of the company could possibly file a law suit against the The Bug Plant under the legal offense of Negligence, as written in the Tort Law.Given the fact that the incidents of robbery against these people have happened within the premises of the company's grounds, wherein these people are working as the company's workers, both of the employees and the vendor could sue the company under the Tort Law, as it is evident that The Bug Plant has failed to ensure the safety and security of these people while staying and performing their duties and responsibilities for the company.More so, with the prior information that the Shady Town has been plagued with a recent crime wave, the case of Negligence could be filed against The Bug Plant, as the company failed to do the necessary adjustment to strengthen their company security and ensure the welfare of their people.Thus, The Bug Plant could be sued under the Tort Law, as they failed to exercise and meet the required standard of care in doing business. Lastly, The Bug Plant could use the notion that the incidents of robbery in the parking lot against the second shift employees have happened after their shift and/or beyond their official work hours, as the BUG's potential defense.On the other hand, The BUG Plant could also use the fact, as their defense, that the vendor who has been robbed, while waiting for the dock manager, is not their legal employee and that they do not have direct employment connection with this person and they should not be held liable for any damages. References Definition of Tort. (n. d. ). Retrieved June 12, 2009, from http://www. personal-injury-info. net/definition-of-tort. htm Product Liability. (n. d. ). Retrieved June 12, 2009, from http://www. personal-injury-info. net/product-liability. htm

Employee retention Essay

1. INTRODUCTION In these changing times both the employee & employer are under tremendous pressure to perform. There is fierce competition not only in the industry but also across categories. This new liberalized cutting edge technology driven environment has made employee retention mind-boggling. The fast pacing change across the globe has made the new employee & employer relationship irreversible. However all corporations not only in IT sector but also traditional manufacturing sector are attempting to stem attrition. This paper attempts to unravel this paradox & study the various facts that surround this burning issue. There are many tactics and strategies used to retain employees in organizations. The basic purpose of these strategies is to increase employee’s satisfaction, boost employee morale, and achieve retention. Sometimes, retention strategies are not used properly and wrong retention strategies are used. As a result of this, these strategies fail to achieve the desired results. There are costs associated with employee turnover. The impact of employee turnover on organizations is that it often engenders far-reaching consequences and may jeopardize efforts to attain organizational objectives (Hill and Jones, 2001). In addition, Hill and Jones (2001) indicated that when an organization loses a critical employee, there is a negative impact on innovation, consistency in providing service may be jeopardized, and major delays in the delivery of services to customers may occur. A decline in the standard of service could also adversely affect the satisfaction of internal and external customers and consequently, the profitability of the organization. It is for these reasons that the paper sought to assess retention strategies in organizations and how they affect workers‟ performance. Let us see what â€Å"Employee Retention† used to mean This entails understanding just a little history. The term â€Å"employee retention† first began to appear with regularity on the business scene in the 1970s and early ’80s. Until then, during the early and mid-1900s, the essence of the relationship between employer and employee had been (by and large) a statement of the status quo: You come work for me, do a good job, and, so long as economic conditions allow, I will continue to employ you. It  was not unusual for people who entered the job market as late as the 1950s and ’60s to remain with one employer for a very long time—sometimes for the duration of their working life. If they changed jobs, it was usually a major career and life decision, and someone who made many and frequent job changes was seen as somewhat out of the ordinary. What is Employee Retention? Employee retention refers to the various policies and practices which let the employees stick to an organization for a longer period of time. Every organization invests time and money to groom a new joinee, make him a corporate ready material and bring him at par with the existing employees. The organization is completely at loss when the employees leave their job once they are fully trained. Employee retention takes into account the various measures taken so that an individual stays in an organization for the maximum period of time. The human resource of an organization consists of management and employees. Human resources are key assets to organizations. Employees have to be motivated to stay in an organization. When employee retention strategies function properly, they increase the commitment of employees towards organizational goals. Thus, if the commitment of employees is won by management through employee retention strategies, it increases job satisfaction, motivates employees to work hard as well as encourages workers to stay in their organization. Hence, employees will be satisfied with their job and be motivated to work hard, thereby leading to improved employee performance. Improvement in employee performance leads to achievement of organizational goals. 1.1. LITERATURE REVIEW Williams and Dreher (1992), wages is the key factor influence in the employee attraction and retention, and play important role in the recruitment process. Highhouse et al, (1999) recommend that only pay is not sufficient to retain the employees. He argues that low pay package will drive workers out the organization but it is not necessary that high pay package bring and keep the workers in the organization. Ultimately, the workers stay in the  organization due to others factors i.e. work environment, co-workers behaviour and supervisor support etc. which compel the employee to retain in the organization. According to Osteraker (1999), the employee satisfaction and retention are considered the Cornerstone for success of organization. Past study divided it into social, mental or physical Dimension. The grouping is based on social contacts at works, characteristics of the work task or the physical and material circumstances associated with work. The retention factors of the mental dimension are work characteristics, employees are retaining by flexible tasks where they can use their knowledge and see the results of their efforts. The social dimension refers to the contact employees have with other people, both internal and external. The physical dimension consists of working conditions and pay. order to retain employees the organization need to gain information about the dynamics that characterized the motivation to work. According to Smith (2001) money bring the workers in the organization but not necessary to keep them. According to Ashby and Pell money satisfies the employee but it is not sufficient to retain the employee means it is insufficient factor. Money is not considered as primary retention factor (Brannick, 1999). Many organization implement very good employees retention strategy without offering high compensation or pay based retention strategy (Pfeffer, 1998). In such circumstances a wide number of factors are seems for successful retention of employees. The existence of other retention factors cannot be ignored. Kehr (2004), explains that the implicit retention factors in spontaneous, expressive and pleasurable behaviour and can be divided into three variables; power, achievement and affiliation. Power refers to dominance and social control. Achievement is when personal standards of excellence are to be met or exceeded and affiliation refers to social relationships which are established and intensified. Implicit and explicit retention factors relate to different aspects of the person, but both are important determinants of behaviour Thompson and Prottas (2005) examined the relationship between employee turnover intention and organization support such as supervisor support, flex time work family culture and co-worker support etc, and they conclude that organization support reduced the employee turnover intention. Pasewark and Viator (2006) places flexible work arrangement as an very important part of work family support that plays pivotal rule in the retention of employees. Ihsan and Naeem (2009), indicated that Pharmaceutical sales force rated pay and fringe benefits as the most important retention factor which is supported by the findings of past studies In addition, it indicate that pay and fringe benefits is highly valued by the sales force of all demographic Backgrounds. It’s possible explanation could be that pays and fringe benefits enable salespersons to fulfil their physiological as well as esteem needs. Thus, critical review of the current incentive schemes is required to make them more effective to cater to needs of the sales in both multinational and local pharmaceutical companies to retain their talent workers. Yanadoria and Katob (2010) investigated the family support effects at workplace and concluded the statistical importance of relationship between work family support and employee retention, the recent research recognize that existence of family support within the organization reduce the turnover intention and help the retention of talented employees in the organization. According to BC Jobs, in a survey commissioned by their company, only two percent of executives said employees leave because of lifestyle changes, such as relocation. When top performers start jumping ship, it’s most often for professional, not personal, reasons. In another survey commissioned by the same company, executives said that good employees leave primarily because of limited opportunities for advancement (39 percent), unhappiness with management (23 percent) and lack of recognition (17 percent) (BJ JOBS, 2012). Employee retention techniques go a long way in motivating the employees for them to enjoy their work and avoid changing jobs frequently. Why do Employees Leave? Research says that most of the employees leave an organization out of frustration and constant friction with their superiors or other team members. In some cases low salary, lack of growth prospects and motivation compel an employee to look for a change. The management must try its level best to retain those employees who are really important for the system and are known to be effective contributors. It is the responsibility of the line managers as well as the management to ensure that the employees are satisfied with their roles and responsibilities and the job is offering them a new challenge and learning every day. Let us understand the concept of employee retention with the help of an example: Manisha was a talented employee who delivered her best and completed all her work within the desired time frame. Her work lacked errors and was always found to be innovative and thought provoking. She never interfered in anybody else’s work and stayed away from unnecessary gossips and rumours. She avoided loitering around at the workplace, was serious about her work and no doubts her performance was always appreciable. Kumar, her immediate boss never really liked Manisha and considered her as his biggest threat at the workplace. He left no stone unturned to insult and demotivate Manisha. Soon, Manisha got fed up with Kumar and decided to move on. Situation 1 – The HR did not make any efforts to retain Manisha and accepted her resignation. Situation 2 – The HR immediately intervened and discussed the several issues which prompted Manisha to think for a change. They tried their level best to convince Manisha and even appointed a new boss to make the things better for her. Situation 1 would most likely leave the organization in the lurch. It is not easy to find an employee who gels well with the system and understands the work. Hiring an employee, training him and making him fit to work in an organization incur huge costs and thus sincere efforts must be made to retain the employee. Every problem has a  solution and the management must probe into the exact reasons of an employee’s displeasure. Employees sticking to an organization for a longer time tend to know the organization better and develop a feeling of attachment towards it. The employees who stay for a longer duration are familiar with the company policies, guidelines as well as rules and regulations and thus can contribute more effectively than individuals who come and go. 10 important factors that can impact employee retention in the organization Shorten the feedback loop- Do not wait for an annual performance review or evaluation to come due to give feedback on how an employee is performing. Most team members enjoy frequent feedback about how they are performing. Shortening the feedback loop will help to keep performance levels high and will reinforce positive behavior. Feedback does not necessarily need to be scheduled or highly structured; simply stopping by a team member’s desk and letting them know they are doing a good job on a current project can do wonders for employee morale and help to increase retention. Offer a competitive compensation package- Any team member wants to feel that he or she is being paid appropriately and fairly for the work he or she does. Be sure to research what other companies and organizations are offering in terms of salary and benefits. It is also important to research what the regional and national compensation averages are for that particular position. You can be sure that if your co mpensation package is not competitive, team members will find this out and look for employers who are willing to offer more competitive compensation packages. Balance work and personal life- family is incredibly important to team members. When work begins to put a significant strain on one’s family no amount of money will keep an employee around. Stress the importance of balancing work and one’s personal life. Small gestures such as allowing a team member to take an extended lunch once a week to watch his son’s baseball game will likely be repaid with loyalty and extended employment with an organization. Beware of burnout- staff adequately to reduce the amount of unwanted overtime a team member must work. Some employees enjoy the extra money that accompanies overtime hours, while others would rather spend their time with their  families or doing other activities they enjoy. Burnout can be a leading cause of turnover. Recognize the warning signs and give employees a break when they need it. Provide opportunities for professional development and growth – offer opportunities for team members to acquire new skills and knowledge useful to the organization. If an employee appears to be bored or burned out in a current position offer to train this individual in another facet of the organization where he or she would be a good fit. Nobody wants to feel stuck in their position will no possibility for advancement or new opportunities. The ability to provide input and be taken seriously – everybody has opinions and ideas, some are better than others. However every team member wants to feel that their input is welcome and will be taken seriously without ridicule or condescension. Some of the greatest ideas can come from the most unlikely of places and people. Creating a culture where input is welcome from all level of the organizational chart will help your organization grow and encourage long term employee retention. Management must take the time to get to know team members- it’s not a big surprise that one of the greatest complaints that employees express in exit interviews is a feeling that management didn’t know they existed. Nobody wants to feel like just another spoke in a big wheel. Managers are very busy – everybody is busy, but it is crucial that managers and supervisors take the time get to know the team members who work under them. Learn and remember a team member’s name , what skills and talents they bring to the table, and what their business interests are. The time spent by management getting to know team members is well invested and can eliminate the headaches caused by having to continually hire and re-train new employees. Provide the tools and training an employee needs to succeed- nothing can be more frustrating to an employee than a lack of training or the proper tools to successfully complete his or her duties. You wouldn’t try to build a house without a hammer, so why should an office job be any different? Providing a team member with the tools and training she needs to be successful shows a commitment and investment in that employee and will encourage the team member to stay with the organization. Make use of a team member’s talents, skills, and abilities- all team members have knowledge, skills, and abilities that  aren’t directly related to their job description, but are still useful to an organization. Utilizing a team member’s talents in areas other than their current position will indicate to an employee that management appreciates and recognizes all that an employee has to offer to the organization. This can also provide work variety and helps to break up the everyday grind of work. Never threaten a team member’s job or income – While threatening an employee with termination or demotion might seem like a surefire way to get the results needed from him or her, doing so will likely cause the employee to leave the organization. Put yourself in the employee’s shoes, what is the first thing you would do if your job was threatened? Odds are you would probably update your resume and start checking for open job postings expecting the worst. If a team member’s performance is not what you had hoped it would be, work with that team member on ways to improve his performance, saving termination only as a last resort. The Advantages of Employee Retention Acquiring Talent When organizations retain their employees, they avoid hiring costs. These are often hidden costs. The cost to post on job boards can be annual or a one-time expense. Agencies charge a percentage of an employee’s annual wages. Larger companies may have staffing departments whose sole responsibility is screening and interviewing talent. Other companies may assign this task to department heads or other individuals in the organization. The time an individual spends screening and reviewing resumes takes him away from his main job responsibilities. The hiring process is risky. Background checks, personality testing and aptitude testing can predict a candidate’s capability, but there is still a risk. Training and Development Retaining workers reduces training costs. Recruits need to be trained in business practices specific to the employer’s software, culture and office practices. Training requires one or more current employees to take time away  from their job responsibilities to educate the new employee on the organization’s way of doing business. Two or more people are on the company payroll producing the results of one person. In the first 90 days, a new hire costs the company money. When companies retain employees, training dollars can be used to further develop the work force. Long-term associates have the experience to review what has worked before and apply that knowledge to future situations. Skilled Labour Force Employment retention develops a strong staff. Working individually or in teams these individuals share knowledge and expertise. The future managers of an organization come from this work pool. These employees are the historians of an organization’s successes and challenges, and provide mentoring to new hires They are committed to the continued growth of the origination and its work force. These individuals have finessed the inner workings of an organization. As they continue to develop their skills, the organization benefits. Impact on Customer Service Employee retention has a positive impact on customer service. Turnover brings disruption in customer service, loss of business and possible negative business impacts. An organization’s customer base expects consistent and reliable service. There is a learning curve with new hires and thus the potential for error or poor communication with a client. This can impact business relationships. Long-term employees develop relationships with customers. They know the clients’ preferences and can anticipate future needs. This knowledge develops over time. 1.2. COMPANY PROFILE Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, is a pharmaceutical company based in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The company was founded by Anji Reddy, who had previously worked in the publicly owned Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited, of Hyderabad, India. Dr. Reddy’s originally launched in 1984 producing active pharmaceutical ingredients. In 1986, Reddy’s started operations on branded formulations. Within a year Reddy’s had launched Norilet, the company’s first recognized brand in India. Soon, Dr. Reddy’s obtained another success with Omez, its branded omeprazole – ulcer and reflux oesophagi is medication – launched at half the price of other brands on the Indian market at that time. Within a year, Reddy’s became the first Indian company to export the active ingredients for pharmaceuticals to Europe. In 1987, Reddy’s started to transform itself from a supplier of pharmaceutical ingredients to other manufacturers into a manufacturer of pharmaceutical products. Dr. Reddy’s manufactures and markets a wide range of pharmaceuticals in India and overseas. The company has over 190 medications, 60 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for drug manufacture, diagnostic kits, critical care, and biotechnology products. Dr. Reddy’s began as a supplier to Indian drug manufacturers, but it soon started exporting to other less-regulated markets that had the advantage of not having to spend time and money on a manufacturing plant that would gain approval from a drug licensing body such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). By the early 1990s, the expanded scale and profitability from these unregulated markets enabled the company to begin focusing on getting approval from drug regulators for their formulations and bulk drug manufacturing plants in more-developed economies. This allowed their movement into regulated markets such as the US and Europe. By 2007, Dr. Reddy’s had six FDA plants producing active pharmaceutical ingredients in India and seven FDA-inspected and ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001 (environmental management) certified plants making patient-ready medications – five of them in India and two in the UK. In 2010, the family-controlled Dr Reddy’s denied that it was in talks to sell its generics business in India to US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which had been suing the company for alleged patent infringement after Dr Reddy’s announced that it intended to produce a generic version of Atorvastatin, marketed by Pfizer as Lipitor, an anti-cholesterol medication. Reddy’s was already linked to UK pharmaceuticals multinational Glaxo Smithkline. VISION: To become a discovery ruled global pharmaceutical company with a core purpose of helping people lead healthier lives MISSION: To be first Indian pharmaceutical company that successfully takes its products from discovery to commercial launch globally VALUES: In pursuit of purpose of providing affordable and innovative medicines for healthier lives, Dr. Reddy’s will create an environment of innovation and learning while continually reaching for higher levels of excellence. Integrity and Transparency: Dr. Reddy’s will uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency in all their interactions. Safety: Dr. Reddy’s are committed to providing safe working environments through continuous improvement of their infrastructure, work practices and behaviors. Quality: Dr. Reddy’s are dedicated to designing quality into their products and processes to delight their stakeholders. Productivity: Dr. Reddy’s strive to achieve more with less through a culture of innovation, continuous improvement and a sustained focus on elimination of waste. Respect for the Individual: Dr. Reddy’s are committed to creating a work environment that encourages diverse perspectives and upholds the dignity of work and of individuals. Collaboration and Teamwork: Dr. Reddy’s will leverage expertise and resources from across their global network to create greater value for their stakeholders. Sustainability: Dr. Reddy’s will create value for all their stakeholders in a manner that respects their natural environment and serves the best interests of the communities in which they live and work. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Dr. Reddy’s board of directors are experts in the diverse fields of medicine, chemistry and medical research, human resource development, business strategy, finance, and economics. They review all significant business decisions and committees appointed by the board focus on specific areas. WHOLE-TIME DIRECTORS: G.V. Prasad – Chairman and chief executive officer Satish Reddy – vice chairman and managing director INDEPENDENT AND NON-WHOLE TIME DIRECTORS: 1. Dr. Omkar Goswami 2. Mr. Ravi Bhoothalingam 3. Mr. Anupam Puri 4. Dr. J. P.Moreau 5. Ms. Kalpana Morparia 6. Dr. Bruce LA Carter 7. Dr. Ashok Ganguly 8. Mr. Sridhar Iyengar BOARD COMMITTEES: There are seven board- level committees at Dr. Reddy’s, namely 1. Audit Committee 2. Nomination, Governance & Compensation Committee 3. Risk Management Committee 4. Science, Technology and Operations Committee 5. Shareholders’ Grievance Committee 6. Investment Committee 7. Management Committee The Management Council is the top tier of Dr. Reddy’s company’s management structure. The management of Dr. Reddy’s has developed and implemented policies, procedures and practices that attempt to translate our company’s vision, mission and purpose into reality. The management also identifies, measures, monitors and controls the risks factors in the business and ensures safe, sound and efficient operation. The Management Council meets every quarter under the chairmanship of the CEO. Global employee strength of DR. REDDY’S Fig 1.2.1 Employee turnover Turnover Rate 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Overall India 16.20% 16.30% 14.30% 12.70% 18.20% 18.00% 0.70% 20.80% Fig 1.2.2 1.3. EMPLOYEE RETENTION AT DR. REDDY’S: Dr. Reddy’s has dozens of individual and team-based awards that recognizes teamwork, innovation, institution-building, and social Dr. Reddy’s uses extensive structured coaching to encourage continual dialogue between managers and employees to enhance employee engagement. As well, the company has a formal system in which senior managers mentor employees and job mentors serve as mentors in plants. Respect for the Individual: They are committed to creating a work environment that encourages diverse perspectives and upholds the dignity of work and of individuals.They have begun to have more presence at campuses, they have announced higher rewards for team members on successful referrals of women or differently able professionals to the organisation and they continue to encourage employees to shift within the organisation to different domains and functions through internal job posting opportunities. One of the key attempts of the leadership at Dr. Reddy’s is to enable each one of their talented employees to see the cathedral they are helping to raise, and give  them a hand if they run into rough spots. Building this environment to inspire are several elements drawn from global HR experiences and the best of management intuition. Exit interviews: Exit interviews are conducted with departing employees just before they leave. From the employer’s perspective, the primary aim of the exit interview is to know the reasons for the person’s departure, on the basis that criticism is a helpful driver for organizational improvement. Good exit interviews should also yield useful information about the employer organization, to assess and improve all aspects of the working environment, culture, processes and systems, management and development, etc. 2. OBJECTIVES To find out the Factors that make employees retain in the organization for a long period of time. To know the reasons why employees move out of the organization How is Dr. Reddy’s putting efforts in understanding employees? What are the steps taken by the company to retain their employees? What are the important elements that an employee looks in an organization to work? 3. SCOPE The scope of this project was to focus on employee retention in DR. Reddy’s Laboratories CTO1 Bollaram, Hyderabad , India (pharmaceutical company). The scope is limited to R0 and R1 employees in the organization. The approx. number is 100. The sample size is 40 employees out of 100 R0 and R1 employees. LIMITATIONS No proper inputs were provided by Dr. Reddy’s laboratories CTO1 management. Dr. Reddy’s has instead to limit the questions in a questionnaire to 10. Duration for of the project was just two months. 4. Research Methodology 4.1. Research Design In this study where we translate a research problem into questionnaires, and then use the questionnaires to create data and also indicated that survey is a process of asking many people the same questions and examining their answers. Hence, respondents were asked the same questions. The aim of a survey is to obtain information which can be analyzed and comparisons made 4.2. Sample Selection The target population for the study was all employees working in DR. Reddy’s. The list of all the workers in the organizations served as the sampling frame. Out of the sampling frame, the sampling units were identified. The individual persons in the organizations such as R0 and R1 categories of employees were used as sampling units for the study. The study population was junior and senior staffs DR. Reddy’s. The total number of employees in these categories is approximately 100. Out of the 100, 40 respondents were selected to specifically provide information that would be relevant to the study. The sample size was obtained by calculating 40% on the total population. 4.3. Data Collection Methods for Collecting Primary Data Questionnaires were the tools used for collecting the primary data for the study. The questionnaires contained closed-ended questions. The questions focused on employee’s work satisfaction in the organization. Questionnaires and face-to-face interviews were effective methods used in collecting the primary data. Questionnaires were useful for the research since I could reach many respondents within a short time. Moreover, the face-to-face interview also enabled me to observe the surroundings and nonverbal communication of respondents. The language that was used for the face-to-face interview was English, Hindi and Telugu. 5. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION: 1. How long have you been employed at Dr. Reddy’s? Graph 5.1 Interpretation: As per the respondents 0% of employees mentioned that they have been employed at Dr. Reddy’s for less than 1 year, 15% of employees mentioned that they have been employed at Dr. Reddy’s from 1-3 years, 30% of employees mentioned that they have been employed at Dr. Reddy’s from 3-5 years, 35% of employees mentioned that they have been employed at Dr. Reddy’s from 5-10 years and 20% of employees mentioned that they have been employed at Dr. Reddy’s for more than 10 years. 2. What factors have influenced you to remain with Dr. Reddy’s? SCORE 3 as most preferred, 2 as second preferred and 1 s last preferred) Graph 5.2 Interpretation: As we can see in the above graph, leadership (brand) has got majority score, which is actually retaining the employees in the organization. Benefit packages, working conditions and shift works are also motivate employees in a large scale to retain in DR. Reddy’s. Pay has got the lowest score as per the respondents i.e. 8.75% 3. How satisfied are you with your career development within Dr. Reddy’s? Graph 5.3 Interpretation: As per the respondents 0% of employees mentioned that they are dissatisfied with the career development at Dr. Reddy’s, 17.5% of employees mentioned that they are somewhat dissatisfied with the career development at Dr. Reddy’s, 27.5% of employees mentioned that they are neutral with the career development at Dr. Reddy’s, 70% of employees mentioned that they are satisfied with the career development at Dr. Reddy’s, 10% of employees  mentioned that they are very satisfied with the career development at Dr. Reddy’s Regarding the promotions and hikes within the organization, majority of the employees seem to be satisfied. This is a good sign, but still Dr Reddy’s laboratories ltd management need to work on this issue as this plays a vital role in retaing employees in the organization for a longer period of time 4. What is your level of satisfaction with the attitude of teamwork within Dr. Reddy’s? Graph 5.4 Interpretation: As per the respondents 32.5% of employees mentioned that they are neutral towards the level of satisfaction with the attitude of teamwork at Dr. Reddy’s, 67.5% of employees mentioned that they are satisfied with the level of satisfaction with the attitude of teamwork at Dr. Reddy’s and none of the employees choose the rest of the options i.e; dissatisfied, somewhat dissatisfied and very satisfied. Most of the employees seem to be satisfied with their colleagues which will in turn reduces the internal conflicts between the employees. 5. I feel that my contribution is respected and appreciated by the department. Graph 5.5 Interpretation: As per the respondents 0% of employees mentioned that they strongly disagree that their contribution is respected and appreciated by the department, 0.05% of employees mentioned that they disagree that their contribution is respected and appreciated by the department, 42.5% of employees mentioned that they are neutral that their contribution is respected and appreciated by the department, 47.5% of employees mentioned that they agree that their  contribution is respected and appreciated by the department and 0.05% of employees mentioned that they strongly agree that their contribution is respected and appreciated by the department. Approximately 50% here agree that their work is appreciated by the department which is a good sign. But Dr Reddy’s laboratories ltd needs to work more in this area to increase these figures in a positive way. 6. I have a comprehensible course for career advancement inside Dr. Reddy’s. Graph 5.6 Interpretation: As per the respondents 0% of employees strongly disagree that they have a comprehensible course for career advancement inside Dr. Reddy’s, 20% of employees disagree that they have a comprehensible course for career advancement inside Dr. Reddy’s, 57.5% of employees are neutral that they have a comprehensible course for career advancement inside Dr. Reddy’s, 22.5% of employees agree that they have a comprehensible course for career advancement inside Dr. Reddy’s and 0% of employees strongly agree that they have a comprehensible course for career advancement inside Dr. Reddy’s Coming to career development within the organization employees are not much satisfied and they are on a diplomatic side by answering neutral. 7. The workload placed on personnel is fair and realistic. Graph 5.7 Interpretation: As per the respondents 0% of employees strongly disagree that the workload placed on personnel is fair and realistic, 7.5% of employees disagree that the workload placed on personnel is fair and realistic, 17.5% of employees are neutral that the workload placed on personnel is fair and realistic, 52.5% of employees agree that the workload placed on personnel is fair and  realistic and 22.5% of employees strongly agree that the workload placed on personnel is fair and realistic. These figures tell us that Dr Reddy’s laboratories ltd is a friendly environment to work with, where there is no work pressure. 8. Have you ever considered leaving Dr. Reddy’s? Graph 5.8 Interpretation: As per the respondents 32.5% of employees mentioned that they considered leaving Dr. Reddy’s and 67.5% of employees mentioned that they never considered leaving Dr. Reddy’s. It’s a good sign were approximately 70% of the employees are not considering to leave Dr Reddy’s laboratories ltd. 9. If your answer was yes to the previous question; what would be the reasons? Previous question (Have you ever considered leaving Dr. Reddy’s?) Graph 5.9 Interpretation: We can notice as majority of the employees i.e. 48.75% of employees want to leave the organization for better pay and benefits. Better opportunities and relocation are also playing a vital role in employees leaving the organization. Only 6% of employees feel there is no proper communication in the organization. 6. FINDINGS Retention is all about managing people. If an organization manages people well, employee retention will take care of itself. Organization should focus on managing the work environment to make a better use of human resources. As per the survey, Dr Reddy’s laboratories ltd employees like to work where these are present. Appreciation for the work done by the employee. More opportunities to grow within in the organization. A friendly and cooperative environment between the employees. A feeling that the organization is second home to the employees. Findings regarding Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Effective leadership is also motivating them to work with Dr. Reddy’s. Salaries are not up to the expectations of the employees in Dr. Reddy’s. Dr. Reddy’s is having an employee friendly environment. Where employees feel more comfortable while working. Dr. Reddy’s has cross-functional project teams, encourage employees to shift within the organization to different domains and internal job posting opportunities. Dr. Reddy’s SPEAK OUT program is a communication channel open to all employees. The program is conducted every month by the Senior Managers of the respective locations encourages the employees to open up and discuss any issues be it professional or personal. Dr. Reddy’s REACH OUT program similar to speak out, which encourages employees to use drop boxes to convey their suggestions, raise or highlight any issue which they may not be comfortable to come forward or if they wish to maintain anonymity. Dr. Reddy’s has a team-based award that recognizes teamwork which in turn motivates employees. 7. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusion Retention has emerged as one of the dominant themes in management studies during the past decade. The goal of this report was to understand the reasons behind employee’s retention in the organization. The report attempts to provide the facts with a better understanding of employees and their needs. The employee demands such as good working conditions and having development opportunities are just two factors to be mentioned. Dr. Reddy’s laboratories should have good communication, hiring management with strong  human relation skills, providing growth opportunities and consulting with employees, formally and informally, will strengthen the bond with the organization, but will not guarantee their loyalty. Herzberg, through his motivation-hygiene theory suggests that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction are produced by different work factors. What makes people unhappy is not what they do but how well they are treated. Recommendations Though Dr Reddy’s laboratories ltd is doing a great job it can still improve its working conditions to have work satisfaction in the employees and to retain them for a longer period of time. Dr. Reddy’s management can provide support in the form of work-life balance. Work life balance includes Flexible hours Alternate work schedules Vacations Dr. Reddy’s management should give little more importance to the Career growth and development of the employee within the organization. A manager plays a role of a mentor, they are the ones who involve employees in the work. So they need to hire managers who can make and maintain good relations with their subordinates. Promoting team work will improve the relationship between employees. This can lead to good and healthy competition and relation between the employees. Management of Dr. Reddy’s can support employees by providing them recognition and appreciation. 8. ANNEXURE 1. How long have you been employed at DR.Reddy’s? 1. Less than 1 year 2. 1-3 years 3. 3-5 years 4. 5-10 years 5. More than 10 years 2. What factors have influenced you to remain with Dr. Reddy’s? ( SCORE 3 as most preferred, 2 as second preferred and 1 s last preferred) 1. ___ Pay 2. ___ Benefit Package (Health Insurance, ect.) 3. ___ Promotional Opportunities 4. ___ Work hours/Shift work 5. ___ Loyalty to community 6. ___ Team culture/peer relations 7. ___ Working conditions( i.e. Safety) 8. ___ Leadership (Dr. Reddy’s only) 9. ___ Training 10. ___ Retirement plan 11. ___ Contribution to the Organization 3. How Satisfied are you with your career development within Dr. Reddy’s? 1. Dissatisfied 2. Somewhat Dissatisfied 3. Neutral 4. Satisfied 5. Very Satisfied 4. What is your level of satisfaction with the attitude of teamwork within Dr. Reddy’s? 1. Dissatisfied 2. Somewhat Dissatisfied 3. Neutral 4. Satisfied 5. Very Satisfied 5. I feel that my contribution is respected and appreciated by the department. 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Disagree 3. Neutral 4. Agree 5. Strongly Agree 6. I have a comprehensible course for career advancement inside Dr. Reddy’s. 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Disagree 3. Neutral 4. Agree 5. Strongly Agree 7. The workload placed on personnel is fair and realistic. 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Disagree 3. Neutral 4. Agree 5. Strongly Agree 8. Have you ever considered leaving Dr. Reddy’s? 1. Yes 2. No 9. If your answer was yes to the previous question; what would be the reasons? (SCORE 3 as most preferred, 2 as second preferred and 1 s last preferred) 1. Pay and benefits ____ 2. Better opportunity ____ 3. Family reasons ____ 4. New challenges ____ 5. Relocation ____ 6. Leadership ____ 7. Poor or no communication ____ 8. Job security ____

College mathmatices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

College mathmatices - Essay Example The value of 10 is used as a base because mathematicians have found that logarithms having a base of 10 were more useful for computations and they possessed many advantages that were not obtained in other bases. Common logarithms are denoted as log10(x) and even if there is no base written it should be assumed that the base is 10. If the base is other than 10 then it must be specified by the use of a subscript. On the other hand Natural logarithms use e as a base, where e is an irrational number whose decimal value is approximately 2.71828182845904. Natural logarithms are also important like common logarithms because of their relationship to e which is used in solving many differential equations in calculus. Natural logarithms are denoted by loge(x) or ln(x). Logarithms have eased up the way of calculation in mathematics. Recall that multiplication is a shortcut for addition and exponents are shortcut for multiplication, similarly logarithms are shortcut for exponents. John Napier a great mathematician will never be forgotten for his great discoveries, formulas, and theories. He once said that I hope my logarithms will save calculators much time and free them from slippery errors of calculations. Laplace said 200 years later said, "By shortening the labors, Napier doubled the life of astronomers" (as cited in Petersen, n.d.). Logarithms play a crucial role in the field of sciences and engineering. They can help you out whenever there is an exponential component missing in the problem. We can find several applications of logarithms in astronomy, geology, computer science, chemistry, physics, and several other disciplines. In chemistry we have a concept of pH which determines whether the whether a substance is alkaline, neutral, or acidic in nature depending if pH is greater than, equal to, or less than 7 respectively. A substance with a pH of 5 is ten times as acidic as one with a pH of 6 that’s why pH scale is expressed by a common logarithm. If H+ is the

One change I would made to Houston Commit y College ( HCC) Essay

One change I would made to Houston Commit y College ( HCC) - Essay Example There is a problem at the Egalitarian office and the root cause must be found and dealt with as soon as possible or the Egalitarian as a training avenue for future journalists will be nothing more than a joke in the near future. In its current state, the Egalitarian does not carry any weight among the student population and its writers, rather than being admired as some of the great thinkers on campus, come across as inept and ill educated when it comes to the finer points of journalism. As students of Houston Community College, it is our duty to try and help improve our school paper as best as we can. We have an obligation to ourselves and our college to ensure that The Egalitarian becomes the embodiment of journalistic integrity and accuracy. At the moment, The Egalitarian is wanting in so many avenues as a mouthpiece for both the college administration and student body. As a part of the training ground for the students of the College of Journalism, it is of the utmost importance t hat the professors and mentors at the department educate their students on the importance of accuracy of content, proper journalistic grammar, and create a diversified topic selection for the paper that represents the student body in a professional manner using a diverse range of topics. The topics covered by the journalism students at the paper is sadly, quite wanting in terms of becoming a true voice for the student body in terms of allowing the students to be equally represented within the pages of the school paper. The topics and news articles written by the members of the staff, and even the contributing writers show a lack of connection with the general student population who are supposed to be the main readers of the paper. The editorials and other columns do not have the ability to spark an intellectual debate among the students either. In fact, the paper is quite boring when one actually bothers to try and read the paper from cover to cover. It is perhaps because of this la ck of professionalism and interesting content from the members of the school paper that the student body chooses to pass on reading the paper when they receive their copies. They do not wish to read a newspaper that does not accurately represent their interests, misrepresents information by using irrelevant or improper information in their articles. The profanity used within the articles and horrible sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation errors within the paper are also unforgivable to any decent journalism or education student of the college who bothers to read the paper. Due to the numerous problems that plague the school paper, most members of the student body and professors alike do not view The Egalitarian as a credible news sources. This negative point of view about the school paper has prevented many aspiring journalists, writers, and educators from contributing interesting and relevant news articles to the publication staff. The lack of professionalism by the members of the newspaper team make them lose their interest in contributing to the school paper. Given such a sentiment, it is quite obvious that the student body does not consider the school paper to be a newspaper that represents the students and their interests. The Egalitarian has the ability to become the platform by which the various college departments can showcase their talents to the student body. Students of graphic arts and the like are

Compare Tesco and Sainsbury Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compare Tesco and Sainsbury - Coursework Example The firm paid an extra  £0.04 in comparison with the previous year. Sainsbury had a dividend per share in 2013 of  £16.7, a figure that is  £0.6 higher than in 2012. Overall Sainsbury paid higher dividends than Tesco. Tesco’s dividend cover was 0.10 and 2.38 in 2013 and 2012 respectively. Dividend coverage indicates the capacity of an organization to pay dividends out of profit attributable to shareholders (Accounting-simplified, 2013). Sainsbury had dividend coverage of 1.95 and 1.99 in 2013 and 2012. The dividend coverage of Sainsbury was better than Tesco in 2013, but lower in 2012. The dividend yield ratio shows the return on terms of cash dividends being provided by the stock. Tesco dividend yield ratio was superior to Sainsbury both in 2013 and 2012. The price-earnings ratio is an important indicator of comparative value in which an investor is better off buying a stock with low price-earnings ratio than high price-earnings ratio (Ft). Both the price-earnings ratio results of Tesco in 2013 and 2012 were lowered than Sainsbury, thus Tesco performed better than Sainsbury in this metric. The book value per share measures the amount that would be distributed to shareholders if all assets were sold at their balance sheet carrying amounts and if all creditors were paid off (Garrison, et al. 2003). Since a high value is the preferable output Tesco performed better than Sainsbury in this ratio. The market to book ratio of Sainsbury is much higher than Tesco on both years because its stock is valued higher in the

States have used Responsibility to protect as a reason not to act Essay

States have used Responsibility to protect as a reason not to act rather than a reason to act. Discuss - Essay Example mple, the Americans used their own troops to attack Afghanistan in October 2001 and Iraq on March 2003.The principle of the state responsibility to protect is a norm and military interventions are the last resort and permission from the United Nations Security Assembly is a requisite before use of force. In this article, I will define the meaning of responsibility to protect and will discuss the state’s responsibility to protect norm by providing instances where the states used international organizations to advance this norm. I will also provide instances where the state failed to effectively intervene. I will analyze the states responsibility to protect role in view of Bosnia and Darfur Sudan as well as the impacts of their actions, for example intervention as in the case of Bosnia and limited or lack of it in the case of Darfur. This article will equally analyze the notion of legitimacy in the intervention of states in pursuit of their responsibility to protect role and it will answer the following questions: If a state is a failed state, and is unable to protect its citizens from the above crimes and peaceful measures are not working, then the international community has an obligation to prevent such crimes through diplomacy or coercive means. In September 2000, The Norm of Responsibility to Protect got a major boost from the Canadian Government. The Commission on States Sovereignty and Intervention, formed by the Canadian Government released its report on December 2001. The report noted that the Global Community has a responsibility to prevent mass atrocities by using diplomatic means or a more coercive means and use of military interventions should be as a last resort. Security should be emphasized while enforcing this role and justice should be carried out to victims of mass atrocities. The African Union, in its founding charter observed the fact that the global community has a duty to intervene in crisis situations if states cannot provide security

AMERICAN THEATER HISTORY Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

AMERICAN THEATER HISTORY - Assignment Example Most importantly, Flanagan ensured that the Federal Theater Project established different units in different states and cities. This paper will discuss the role played by the Federal Theater Project, especially in its series of plays titled Living Newspapers. Moreover, the paper highlighted the significance of the Federal Theater Project to the understanding of American theater in the 1930s. The Federal Theater Project represented efforts by the Federal government to establish an organized presentation and production of theater Wax and events. It served as one of the projects established by President Roosevelt’s administration to provide Americans with jobs. Worth noting is the fact that Americans had experienced the great depression in the 1920s, a factor that saw the collapse of the economic system with many people losing their jobs. For this reason, the Federal Theater Project was established under the Wax Progress Administration as a strategy of providing artists with jobs. The Federal Theater Project sought to bring together actors, playwrights, designers, stage managers, directors, and other artists so that they would count in the public relief roles (About the Federal Theatre Project, 2011). Additionally, the Federal Theater Project sought to present the people with artistic works that would strengthen community life. Worth noting is the fact that the Fede ral Theater Project served its role of providing employment to the people because it hired more than 12,000 artists. In her years of experience, Flanagan had acquired expertise in a unique theater form titled the Living Newspaper. The Living Newspaper theater form made use of common people as significant characters in different plays. The plays introduced existing social and political problems and highlighted potential solutions to the problems (Klein, 2013). The

Two choose one. will upload later Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Two choose one. will upload later - Essay Example say will establish businesses internationalisation and focus on the economic, environmental, political, and social impacts of business internationalisation. The content in the essay borrows from Economics, International Business, and Critical Political Economy. The main aim of internationalisation is to maximise profits and formation of capital. Businesses set out to international platforms to harness the innovation and influence the price and quality of assets in other regions. Firms may also internationalise in order to present a strategic marketing alliance or technological front as compared to their competitors. Similarly, an enterprise may in its choice of location, be keen to find resources that reduce its direct costs and increase its assets base (Dunning, 2001, p.184). In the search for reduced costs of production, firms try to harness cheaper alternatives in order to maximise profit margins in a competitive market. Most times, the local market offers a high price for factors of production. With internalisation, prospects of cheaper factors of production set. At times, firms go global in order to meet their international demand. Export to foreign markets may affect their product demand due to increased shipping cost. Production at a subsidiary plant may increase returns for the parent company. The reason of internationalisation compares the advantages of the process to the business to the benefits and costs of accessing cross-border transactions (Dunning, 2001, p.187). In Economics, demand adjusts supply and consumption influences production. Thus, Economics is a system that is responsive, elastic, and automatic (Coase, 1937, p.387). Economics tries to achieve this balance by focusing on the production process and its impact on the price. Firms are characterised by the price mechanism. In internationalisation, firms optimise production by sourcing cheap sources of factors of production such as labour. With the establishment of a foreign firm, it is

Caffeine - Ginkgo Essay Example for Free

Caffeine Ginkgo Essay There are only a few good things about energy drinks, but there are still good things, however. B Vitamins, Ginseng, Ginkgo Biloba, Carnitine and Antioxidants are all good ingredients that an energy drink contains. But, like anything, they’re only good in small amounts. Vitamins and Minerals are good for us. B Vitamin is supposed to wake up our bodies and kickstart them, which is why energy drinks put these type of vitamins in them. Ginseng is an herb that is known to increase energy levels, and alleviate stress. Ginseng is created naturally by the body, so it’s okay to have. But the levels of supplementation and energy drinks dont match up well when you drink energy drinks on a regular basis. Another good ingredient is Ginkgo Biloba. Along with Ginseng, this is another emerging herb. It is said to help your memory, concentration, and blood circulation. This also is made for the regulating of stress levels, which means its something that is made for and okay for your body to consume. Energy drinks also contain Carnitine and Antioxidants, which are actually very good things for your body. Carnitine speeds up your metabolism. So, by drinking one a week, you can gradually increase your metabolism and lose weight in a somewhat-healthy manner. Antioxidants are in most vitamins. They kill the free radicals in your body and can recover from the damage they can sometimes leave. But their are much better ways of getting antioxidants than drinking energy drinks. Although energy drinks have some good qualities, they are, overall, extremely bad for you. Their common ingredients are B Vitamins, Antioxidants, Ginseng, Gingko Biloba, Carnitine, Taurine, Inositol, and Guarana Seed. As I said before, the first four ingredients (B Vitamins, Antioxidants, Ginseng, and Gingko Biloba) are good. But, the bad ingredients are bad enough that they completely cancel out the good things. Energy drinks are a secretly bad combination of soft drink and psuedo-nutritional supplement. But one of the main concerns with the use of the herbs in these drinks is their source. The manufacturers of these drinks aren’t required by law to say whether or not the herbs they use have been sprayed with toxic pesticides, irradiated, or watered with contaminated water supplies. So there is no telling what other toxins are contained in these drinks, or whether or not these herbs will have a negative effect on the body. The caffeine in these drinks is dangerous enough on its own. Caffeine is addictive, and it acts as both a stimulant and a diuretic. The stimulant in it can cause anxiety attacks, heart palpitations, and insomnia. When people drink it in large or regular quantities, caffeine can also make you jittery or irritable. The diuretic in caffeine causes your kidneys to remove extra fluid from your body. They have also found that, if you consume energy drinks while sweating, the effects can be dangerous, maybe causing you to become severely dehydrated quickly. Alcohol and caffeine dehydrate our bodies enough when taken separately. But many younger people have started mixing energy drinks with alcohol because it makes them feel alert and energetic, even when they’re drunk. I have never, nor will I ever, try an energy drink. I think all people should avoid drinking them as much as possible. They decrease our bodies internal water supply and natural detoxification processes. And medical professionals don’t know the long-term effects of consuming these drinks. What we do know, though, is that they do nothing to provide our bodies with any necessary nutrients or fluids, and they can cause heart attacks and elevated blood pressure. http://www. globalhealingcenter. com/natural-health/the-health-dangers-of-energy-drinks/ http://www. globalhealingcenter. com/natural-health/dangers-of-taurine/ http://planetprose. com/1660/are-energy-drinks-bad-for-you/ http://ezinearticles. com/? Energy-DrinksAre-Energy-Drinks-Good-For-You? id=1990557 http://www. whyev. com/energy-drinks. html.

Application of Regression Analysis

Application of Regression Analysis Chapter-3 Methodology In the application of regression analysis, often the data set consist of unusual observations which are either outliers (noise) or influential observations. These observations may have large residuals and affect the parameters of the regression co-efficient and the whole regression analysis and become the source of misleading results and interpretations. Therefore it is very important to consider these suspected observations very carefully and made a decision that either these observations should be included or removed from the analysis. In regression analysis, the basic step is to determine whether one or more observations can influence the results and interpretations of the analysis. If the regression analysis have one independent variable, then it is easy to detect observations in dependent and independent variables by using scatter plot, box plot and residual plot etc. But graphical method to identify outlier and/or influential observation is a subjective approach. It is also well known that in the presence of multiple outliers there can be a masking or swamping effect. Masking (false negative) occurs when an outlying subset remains undetected due the presence of another, usually adjacent subset. Swamping (false positive) occurs when usual observation is incorrectly identified as outlier in the presence of another usually remote subset of observations. In the present study, some well known diagnostics are compared to identify multiple influential observations. For this purpose, first, robust regression methods are used to identify influential observation in Poisson regression, then to conform that the observations identified by robust regression method are genuine influential observations, some diagnostic measures based on single case deletion approach like Pearson chi-square, deviance residual, hat matrix, likelihood residual test, cook’s distance, difference of fits, squared difference in beta are considered but in the presence of masking and swamping diagnostics based on single case deletion fail to identify outlier and influential observations. Therefore to remove or minimize the masking and swamping phenomena some group deletion approaches; generalized standardized Pearson residual, generalized difference of fits, generalized squared difference in beta are taken.   Ã‚   3.2 Diagnostic measures based on single case deletion This section presents the detail of single case deleted measures which are used to identify multiple influential observations in Poisson regression model. These measures are change in Pearson chi-square, change in deviance, hat matrix, likelihood residual test, cook’s distance, difference of fits (DFFITS),squared difference in beta(SDBETA). Pearson chi-square To show the amount of change in Poisson regression estimates that would occurred if the kth observation is deleted, Pearson χ2 statistic is proposed to detect the outlier. Such diagnostic statistics are one that examine the effected of deleting single case on the overall summary measures of fit. Let denotes the Pearson χ2 and denotes the statistic after the case k is deleted. Using one-step linear approximations given by Pregibon (1981). The decrease in the value of statistics due to deletion of the kth case is Δ = Ë- , k=1,2,3,†¦..,n 3.1 is defined as: 3.2 = And for the kth deleted case is: = 3.3 Deviance residual The one-step linear approximation for change in deviance when the kth case is deleted is: ΔD = D Ë- D(-k) 3.4 Because the deviance is used to measure the goodness of fit of a model, a substantial decrease in the deviance after the deletion of the kth observation is indicate that is observation is a misfit. The deviance of Poisson regression with kth observation is: D=2 3.5 Where = exp ( D(-k)= 2 3.6 A larger value of ΔD(-k) indicates that the kth value is an outlier. Hat matrix: The Hat matrix is used in residual diagnostics to measure the influence of each observation. The hat values, hii, are the diagonal entries of the Hat matrix which is calculated using H=V1/2X(XTVX)-1XTV1/2 3.7 Where V=diag[var(yi)(ii)]-1 var(yi)=E(yi)= In Poisson regression model =i) = (,where g function is usually called the link function and With the log link in Poisson regression i= = V=diag( 3.8 (XTVX)-1 is an estimated covariance matrix of and hii is the ith diagonal element of Hat matrix H. The properties of the diagonal element of hat matrix i.e leverage values are 0 and Where k indicates the parameter of the regression model with intercept term. An observation is said to be influential if ckn. where c is a suitably constant 2 and 3 or more. Using twice the mean thumb rule suggested by Hoaglin and Welsch (1978), an observation with 2kn considered as influential. Likelihood residual test For the detection of outliers, Williams (1987) introduced the likelihood residual. The squared likelihood residual is a weighted average of the squared standardized deviance and Pearson residual is defined as: 3.9 and it is approximately equals to likelihood ratio test for testing whether an observation is an outlier and it also called approximate studentized residual, is standardized Pearson residual is defined as: = 3.10 is standardized deviance residual is defined as: = 3.11 = sign( Where is called the deviance residual and it is another popular residual because the sum of square of these residual is a deviance statistic. Because the average value, KN, of hi is small is much closer to than to ,and therefore also approximately normally distributed. An observation is considered to be influential if |t(1, n Difference of fits test (DFFITS) Difference of fits test for Poisson regression is defined as: (DFFITS)i= , i=1,2,3,†¦..,n 3.12 Where and are respectively the ith fitted response and an estimated standard error with the ith observation is deleted. DFFITS can be expressed in terms of standardized Pearson residuals and leverage values as: (DFFITS)i= 3.13 = = An observation is said to be influential if the value of DFFITS 2. Cook’s Distance: Cook (1977) suggests the statistics which measures the change in parameter estimates caused by deleting each observation, and defined as: CDi= 3.14 Where is estimated parameter of without ith observation. There is also a relationship between difference of fits test and Cook’s distance which can be expressed as: CDi= 3.15 Using approximation suggested by Pregibon’s C.D can be expressed as: () 3.16 Observation with CD value greater than 1 is treated as an influential. Squared Difference in Beta (SDFBETA) The measure is originated from the idea of Cook’s distance (1977) based on single case deletion diagnostic and brings a modification in DFBETA (Belsley et al., 1980), and it is defined as (SDFBETA)i = 3.17 After some necessary calculation SDFBETA can be relate with DFFITS as: (SDFBETA)i = 3.18 The ith observation is influential if (SDFBETA)i Diagnostic measures based on group deletion approach This section includes the detail of group deleted measures which are used to identify the multiple influential observations in Poisson regression model. Multiple influential observations can misfit the data and can create the masking or swamping effect. Diagnostics based on group deletion are effective for identification of multiple influential observations and are free from masking and swamping effect in the data. These measures are generalized standardized Pearson residual (GSPR), generalized difference of fits (GDFFITS) and generalized squared difference in Beta(GSDFBETA). 3.3.1 Generalized standardized Pearson residual (GSPR) Imon and Hadi (2008) introduced GSPR to identify multiple outliers and it is defined as: i 3.19 = i 3.20 Where are respectively the diagonal elements of V and H (hat matrix) of remaining group. Observations corresponding to the cases |GSPR| > 3 are considered as outliers. 3.3.2 Generalized difference of fits (GDFFITS) GDFFITS statistic can be expressed in terms of GSPR (Generalized standardized Pearson residual) and GWs (generalized weights). GWs is denoted by and defined as: for i 3.21 = for i 3.22 A value having is larger than, Median (MAD ( is considered to be influential i.e > Median (MAD ( Finally GDFFITS is defined as (GDFFITS)i= 3.23 We consider the observation as influential if GDFFITSi 3 3.3.3 Generalized squared difference in Beta (GSDFBETA) In order to identify the multiple outliers in dataset and to overcome the masking and swamping effect GSDFBETA is defined as: GSDFBETAi = for i 3.24 = for i 3.25 Now the generalized GSDFBETA can be re-expressed in terms of GSPR and GWs: GSDFBETAi = for i 3.26 = for i 3.27 A suggested cut-off value for the detection of influential observation is GSDFBETA

Environmental Impact Of Transportation In London Environmental Sciences Essay

Environmental Impact Of Transportation In London Environmental Sciences Essay Climate change is one of the major environmental threats faced by the earth for many years. These could cause by many different activities practiced by human such as deforestation, combustion of fossil fuels and dumping chemical into the water. However, there is another major factor that could harm the environment which is usually been neglected by people. In cities, overloaded of transportation could be one of the most significant reasons causing various environmental issues. Heavy traffic not only affects people mentally but also physically. This issues had come to an extend where it affects humans health and well-being significantly. The public have no choice but to raise their awareness on this issue. The evolution of transport in London started decades ago. TfL (2010) stated that in year 1933, when Londons public transport was united by the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB), bus services had leading area coverage compare to other public transport. This clearly showed that buses were widely used at that time. However, due to the various developments in Londons public transport such as London Underground, London Tramlink, London Rail and taxis, certain public transport had become equally essential to citizens in London. For example, TfL (2010) stated that London Underground today, made 3 million passenger journeys every day linking 275 stations. It is always good to see such changes in Londons transport which directly explained the advancement of the city in the past decades. Nevertheless, these had also increased the negatives effect on environment cause by transport. According to Banister and Burton (2003), previously, people were only concerns about loud noises caused by transport and the never-ending in expanding the landscape for heavy traffic. Their concerns had now expanded into environmental issues such as global warming and ozone layer depletion which has gain awareness from all related organisations. The UK government had realized the seriousness of this issue and had introduced several solutions trying to reduce the traffic going into London or encourage people to use public transport, preferably walk and cycle. This report will include various main issues for this topic such as the negative effect caused by the road traffic in London and what had been done by UK government in order to minimize the impact of road traffic to the environment. Vehicle pollutants play a dominant role in causing the increase of air pollutions day by day. Pierce (1992) stated that the transportation produce most of the poisonous gas existing in the worlds air. Although people are aware of this environment issue, this does not prevent them from driving their private vehicles into London. The Lancet (2009) warned that the gas emissions from transport are still rising each year and had estimated that there will be an 80% increase on bad gas emission from the year 2007 to 2030. According to European Conference of Ministers of Transport (2001), these vehicle pollutants consist of hazardous gas such as particulate matter (PM), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxides (NO), Lead, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Those hazardous gas released brings health problems to people from all ages which has caused relevant organisations such as government, environmentalist and health related organisations to have look into this issue seriously. A review by Krzyzanowski, Dibbert and Schneider (2005) stating that hazardous air produce by transport could increased the chances of getting asthma for children and brought death due to the malfunction of our cardio for adults. Transport not only caused air pollutions, it can also lead to serious noise pollutions in London. In urban cities such as London, transport is the major sources for noise pollution. Hensher and Button (2003) pointed out that one could get affected by noise pollution directly from transport and also through vibration caused by heavy vehicles and trains. Sperling (2004) stated that noise produced by transport not only brings severe annoyance but also affect humans health. A study in UK and Germany by Schade (2003) report that an exposure to transport noise above 70 dB(A) levels will increase the risk of getting myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) by 30% compare to those above 65dB(A). The productivity of people at work and daily life will be greatly affected by constant exposure to transport noise. People who live by the highways or railways, cannot sleep well during the night. People without a good rest at home cannot focus well while undertaking various activities in their daily life. As a result, many problems such as mistakes at work and traffic accidents will arise due to the ineffectiveness of human. Although these transportations contribute to various pollutions, climate change is believed to be one of the major negative effects cause by transports pollutant. Hardy (2003) clarified that nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxides and ozone influenced the climate the most. These gases are specified as greenhouse gases where it will affect the temperature of the earth. Gliiespie (2005) stated that the change of the atmosphere thermal structure immediately relates to global warming. This could lead to the destruction of the ozone layer where it increased humans exposure to ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B). A long-term exposure to UV-B will have an effect on humans health by having certain infectious diseases, skin cancer and eyes problems (Goettsch, 1994). A research carried out under London Climate Change Partnership 04/05 reported the influenced caused by transport in London. Arkell and Darch (2006) explained that different scenarios happened because of climate change. London will encounter warm winters, hot and dry summer, more rainfalls, rise of sea level and flooding in low area. In year 2050s, Londons average temperature is estimated to increase for at least 1 Celsius (Arkell and Darch, 2006). These are all caused by the constant released of hazardous gas by transport in London where 66% of particulate matter and 42% of nitrogen oxides are from road transport (Mayor of London, 2009). In spite of this, it is not impossible for the public to work together in order to prevent transport pollutions get into an even more severe stage. There are few methods that had been brought out by the UK government in order to change the current situation caused by transport pollutants in London. One could tell the biggest difference in air pollutions after this had been carried out is the introduction of congestion charge in central London. Beevers and Carslaw(2004) reports that after the introduction of London congestion charging scheme (CCS) in February 2003, it has noticeably reduced the traffic going into London. The changes of vehicle numbers have a direct impact with the gas emission levels in London. Transport pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter are believed to have reduced at a percentage of about 12% each (Litman, 2004).This could be said as a substantial decrease to London. People had begun to take public transport more often or even cycle to work after the charge. This had tremendously affected the environmental conditions. Apart from those above, the public has to pay environmental taxes for owning a vehicle. Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) (2009) stated that vehicles owner not only has to pay fuel tax, they have to pay Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) which is paid annually depending on the type of vehicle you own. Apparently, more polluting cars will have to pay more whereas less polluting cars will have a chance to be exempted. In order to differentiate the levels of polluting cars is by measuring the emissions of carbon dioxide from each car. Other than that, the increase of parking fee in London will cause vehicle owners to think twice before driving into London. In certain areas of London, parking fee was charged according to the emission of carbon dioxide by the vehicle. UK government had also tried to provide fewer parking spaces in London so that drivers will get frustrated while looking for a parking and choose to take public transport where they will not have to face all these problems. (Transport Committee et al., 2009) Greater London Authority (2002) stated that The Mayors Transport Strategy and Transport for Londons (TfLs) Business Plan consists of a range of steps needed to be considered in the future. Public transport such as bus system has to be improved intensively by reducing the travel time, increase the regularity of buses, introduce more bus route and using low-emission carbon dioxide buses. It is crucial to improve the conditions of the cyclists and pedestrians as well to ensure that their safety can be insured. Other than bus services, UK government are always improving the London Underground services from time to time in order to provide a better services to the public (Sodhi and Norris, 2004). The implementation of crossrail is said to be beneficial to the public in London. There will be an addition rail access in London which helps to reduce private vehicle getting into London. It gives the public extra choices on public transport and crossrail might cover areas that had not been well-covered by existing public transport. Introduction of a new public transport, crossrail, also helps to achieve the goal of the government in sustaining the environment. (Great Britain: Department of Transport, 2007) Moreover, standard of public transport should be maintained at a high level to attract people using continuously. Banister (2005) emphasizes that there should be a limitation of mobility in certain areas of a city. Non-polluting transport such as electric vehicles that use renewable energy sources will only be allowed in that particular zone whereas the others will be outside that area. The launching of London Oyster Card in August 2003 does help in encouraging the public to take public transport more. Oyster card is a new way of ticketing which is called the smart-card ticketing (Blythe, 2004). It is easy to be use, time saving and most importantly it is faster than any other paper ticketing (Winters, n.d.). The public will not find any problems travelling by oyster card instead they will think it save them a great deal of time and their desire in wanting to take the public transport obviously will be higher. Hence, several ways and campaign had been introduced by UK government in order to reduce this issue. Woodcock, et al (2009) also notified that it is better to reduce the usage of transport compare to increase using of lower-emission transport; however, it will have a better effect if both are to be practiced together at the same time. According to the Department of Transport (n.d.), the UK government is setting-up a long-term planning for the transportation in London. The UK government is trying to promote various campaigns such as encouraging people to walk and cycle more, share vehicles, travel using public transport, improve current situation on road traffic and manage the network in a better way. UK government not only wish to benefits economically but also environmentally. Furthermore, the introduction of Barclays Cycle Hire scheme had become increasingly famous in London. Barclays Cycle Hire scheme is said to be the newest pollution free public transport in London which was stated in the website Mayor of London (2010). It operates 24 hours every day which was located more than hundreds of places in London. Cycling is not only a good exercise which could lead the public to a healthier life but to a better living environment. In England, their aim is to build better and safer cyclists paths to encourage the citizens to treat cycling as their daily transport (Bhopal, 1995). In addition, electric vehicles (EV) which were introduced to the society few years ago had draw attentions from the public in London. The vision of the Mayor regarding Electric Vehicles Delivery Plan is to boost up the usage of EV and build more charge points (Source London, 2010). Electric vehicles run by electric motors are a replacement for petrol and diesel. Mayor of London (2009) shows that EVs owner will be 100% free from congestion charges, discounted rate in parking and privilege of using the bus lanes at certain hours. A research shows that by replacing 100,000 of fuel powered vehicles, Nitrogen oxides could be reduced by 350-400 tonnes per year (Mayor of London, 2009). Lastly but not least, London Hydrogen Partnership was introduced by former London Mayor, Ken Livingstone (Wagner, 2010). This campaign is to encourage the use of hydrogen in vehicles. It is slightly difficult for public transport like buses and taxis which usually operate long hours per day, to power by electric, but it is possible to use hydrogen. Hydrogen is a fuel that does not bring much noise and release less greenhouse gases to the environment (London Hydrogen Partnership, 2010). By using hydrogen in vehicles fully support the aims in sustaining a clean and green environment. In conclusion, due to the irresponsible of humans daily activities and lack of awareness of the current situation caused by over-loading transports, the Earth is getting much more polluted compare to past decades. Unfortunately, some people think that by travelling in their own cars could represent their status in the society or increase their quality of life (Banister, 1997). The public are concerns about the environment by always recycle what they had used at home but they always forget that transport brings a greater impact to the environment. This action could be clearly seen in the process of buying a new vehicle. Fuel consumption of a vehicle is usually the last few points a buyer will consider or it might totally be neglected throughout the whole buying process (Department for Transport, n.d.). It cannot be denied that travelling by own vehicle is always more comfortable than public transport as one do not have to cram with others in a limited place. However, people should consider the long term effects and their future generations. One could enjoy the way they are living now but no one can guarantee what is going to happen the next day. Therefore, citizens should aware of this the environmental issues caused by transport in London. It is everyones responsibility to keep the earth a safe and healthy place to live in. Thus, everyone should work together before it comes to a severe stage where no one can do anything to change it. Citizens should work closely with the government in order to build a good living environment. It does not matter if one does it just for themselves or for the society as long as it could help to improve the current situation of the environment.

Of Mice and Men - George and Lennie seem to have a very close friendship :: English Literature

Of Mice and Men - George and Lennie seem to have a very close friendship throughout the story. Of Mice and Men George and Lennie seem to have a very close friendship throughout the story. This is strange because they are completely different from each other mentally, as well as physically. The author tells us that George is a small, quick and defined man. He is the leader of the two men and makes all the plans. Lennie respects him a great deal. Lennie is huge, and very strong, but he has the mentality of a child. He relies heavily on George, as he cannot fend for himself. He always tries his best to imitate George's actions and an example of this is when the two men are at the beach. "George lay back on the sand and crossed his hands under his head, and Lennie imitated him, raising his head to see if he were doing it right." This shows just how much Lennie looks up to George and wants to be like him. It is not, however, a one-sided friendship. George must be very close to Lennie because he goes to a lot of trouble to make sure that they both stay together. When Lennie got himself into trouble in Weed George didn't abandon him; they ran away to a different ranch together. I think George relies on Lennie for companionship because of the unfriendly and lonely environment they are in. he obviously cares about lennie because he says, "God, you're a lot of trouble. I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn't have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl." If George wanted to leave Lennie and change his lifestyle completely, he easily could. But he stays with Lennie throughout the whole book so they must have a special friendship. In contrast to George and Lennie's friendship, Curley and his wife do not seem to have a very good relationship at all. Even though they are married, the two of them are never seen together in the story. They always claim to be looking for each other, but never find one another. At one point in the book Curley's wife comes into the bunkhouse and flirts with the men, whilst pretending to be looking for Curley. She asks Slim if he has seen Curley. Slim tells her that Curley went into the house and she obviously hasn't been looking for him very well. We are then told her reaction to his answer, "She was suddenly apprehensive. "Bye Boys" she called into the bunk-house and she

Macbeth :: essays research papers

The Influence of External Forces  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were many external forces that influenced Macbeth on making his major decision. The decision was whether or no to kill King Duncan. These forces were the apparitions, the old witches, and Lady Macbeth. The apparitions influenced Macbeth by making him think he was invincible. The witches influenced Macbeth by telling him that he was going to become king. Lady Macbeth also influenced him by emasculating him. Although these factors influenced Macbeth, it was still his choice to act upon this decision. Still, no matter how hard Macbeth tried, he could not avoid the influence of what others had to say.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first external force that influenced Macbeth was the apparitions. The apparitions influenced Macbeth by making him think he was invincible. The first apparition said, â€Å"Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff! Beware Thane of Fife, dismiss me; enough.†(act 4, scene 1, lines 71-73) This meant that Macbeth, had to watch out for Macduff, the Thane of Fife . The second apparition said, â€Å"Be bloody, bold, and resolute, Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none born of woman shall harm Macbeth.†( act 4, scene 1, lines 78-81) This meant that no man that was born out of the female birth canal could harm Macbeth. This statement contradicts the one statement made by the first apparition. Macbeth thought that since Macduff was human that he had to have been born through the birth canal. Macbeth did not know that Macduff was born by c-section, he was untimely ripped. The third apparition said, â€Å"Be lion-mettled, proud and take no care of who chafes, who frets, or where conspires are: Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.†(Act 4, Scene 1, Lines 89-94) This means that Macbeth should be brave and proud. It also means that Macbeth will not be killed until the forest marches up to his castle. Macbeth thinks though that that was absurd. He never imagined the forest walking. The forest did walk though. It walked when Macduff and his associates camouflaged themselves with it, and attacked Macbeth’s castle. The apparitions made him feel like he could do anything. Then he decided to take out Duncan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The witches also influenced Macbeth in killing King Duncan. They told Macbeth that he was going to become king. The first witch said, â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis.

Normative ethics Essay

Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. [1] The term comes from the Greek word ethos, which means â€Å"character†. Ethics is a complement to Aesthetics in the philosophy field of Axiology. In philosophy, ethics studies the moral behavior in humans, and how one should act. Ethics may be divided into four major areas of study:[1] Meta-ethics, about the theoretical meaning and reference of moral propositions and how their truth values (if any) may be determined; Normative ethics, about the practical means of determining a moral course of action; Applied ethics, about how moral outcomes can be achieved in specific situations; Descriptive ethics, also known as comparative ethics, is the study of people’s beliefs about morality; According to Tomas Paul and Linda Elder of the Foundation for Critical Thinking, â€Å"most people confuse ethics with behaving in accordance with social conventions, religious beliefs, and the law†, and don’t treat ethics as a stand-alone concept. [2] Paul and Elder define ethics as â€Å"a set of concepts and principles that guide us in determining what behavior helps or harms sentient creatures†. [2] The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy states that the word ethics is â€Å"commonly used interchangeably with ‘morality’ †¦ and sometimes it is used more narrowly to mean the moral principles of a particular tradition, group, or individual. â€Å"[3] Meta-ethics is a field within ethics that seeks to understand the nature of normative ethics. The focus of meta-ethics is on how we understand, know about, and what we mean when we talk about what is right and what is wrong. Meta-ethics came to the fore with G. E. Moore’s Principia Ethica from 1903. In it he first wrote about what he called the naturalistic fallacy. Moore was seen to reject naturalism in ethics, in his Open Question Argument. This made thinkers look again at second order questions about ethics. Earlier, the Scottish philosopher David Hume had put forward a similar view on the difference between facts and values. Studies of how we know in ethics divide into cognitivism and non-cognitivism; this is similar to the contrast between descriptivists and non-descriptivists. Non-cognitivism is the claim that when we judge something as right or wrong, this is neither true nor false. We may for example be only expressing our emotional feelings about these things. [4] Cognitivism can then be seen as the claim that when we talk about right and wrong, we are talking about matters of fact. The ontology of ethics is about value-bearing things or properties, i. e. the kind of things or stuff referred to by ethical propositions. Non-descriptivists and non-cognitivists believe that ethics does not need a specific ontology, since ethical propositions do not refer. This is known as an anti-realist position. Realists on the other hand must explain what kind of entities, properties or states are relevant for ethics, how they have value, and why they guide and motivate our actions. [5] Virtue ethics describes the character of a moral agent as a driving force for ethical behavior, and is used to describe the ethics of Socrates, Aristotle, and other early Greek philosophers. Socrates (469 BC – 399 BC) was one of the first Greek philosophers to encourage both scholars and the common citizen to turn their attention from the outside world to the condition of humankind. In this view, knowledge having a bearing on human life was placed highest, all other knowledge being secondary. Self-knowledge was considered necessary for success and inherently an essential good. A self-aware person will act completely within his capabilities to his pinnacle, while an ignorant person will flounder and encounter difficulty. To Socrates, a person must become aware of every fact (and its context) relevant to his existence, if he wishes to attain self-knowledge. He posited that people will naturally do what is good, if they know what is right. Evil or bad actions are the result of ignorance. If a criminal was truly aware of the mental and spiritual consequences of his actions, he would neither commit nor even consider committing those actions. Any person who knows what is truly right will automatically do it, according to Socrates. While he correlated knowledge with virtue, he similarly equated virtue with happiness. The truly wise man will know what is right, do what is good, and therefore be happy. [6] Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) posited an ethical system that may be termed â€Å"self-realizationism. † In Aristotle’s view, when a person acts in accordance with his nature and realizes his full potential, he will do good and be content. At birth, a baby is not a person, but a potential person. To become a â€Å"real† person, the child’s inherent potential must be realized. Unhappiness and frustration are caused by the unrealized potential of a person, leading to failed goals and a poor life. Aristotle said, â€Å"Nature does nothing in vain. † Therefore, it is imperative for persons to act in accordance with their nature and develop their latent talents in order to be content and complete. Happiness was held to be the ultimate goal. All other things, such as civic life or wealth, are merely means to the end. Self-realization, the awareness of one’s nature and the development of one’s talents, is the surest path to happiness. [7] Aristotle asserted that man had three natures: vegetable (physical/metabolism), animal (emotional/appetite) and rational (mental/conceptual). Physical nature can be assuaged through exercise and care, emotional nature through indulgence of instinct and urges, and mental through human reason and developed potential. Rational development was considered the most important, as essential to philosophical self-awareness and as uniquely human. Moderation was encouraged, with the extremes seen as degraded and immoral. For example, courage is the moderate virtue between the extremes of cowardice and recklessness. Man should not simply live, but live well with conduct governed by moderate virtue. This is regarded as difficult, as virtue denotes doing the right thing, to the right person, at the right time, to the proper extent, in the correct fashion, for the right reason. [8] [edit] StoicismThe Stoic philosopher Epictetus posited that the greatest good was contentment and serenity. Peace of mind, or Apatheia, was of the highest value; self-mastery over one’s desires and emotions leads to spiritual peace. The â€Å"unconquerable will† is central to this philosophy. The individual’s will should be independent and inviolate. Allowing a person to disturb the mental equilibrium is in essence offering yourself in slavery. If a person is free to anger you at will, you have no control over your internal world, and therefore no freedom. Freedom from material attachments is also necessary. If a thing breaks, the person should not be upset, but realize it was a thing that could break. Similarly, if someone should die, those close to them should hold to their serenity because the loved one was made of flesh and blood destined to death. Stoic philosophy says to accept things that cannot be changed, resigning oneself to existence and enduring in a rational fashion. Death is not feared. People do not â€Å"lose† their life, but instead â€Å"return†, for they are returning to God (who initially gave what the person is as a person). Epictetus said difficult problems in life should not be avoided, but rather embraced. They are spiritual exercises needed for the health of the spirit, just as physical exercise is required for the health of the body. He also stated that sex and sexual desire are to be avoided as the greatest threat to the integrity and equilibrium of a man’s mind. Abstinence is highly desirable. Epictetus said remaining abstinent in the face of temptation was a victory for which a man could be proud. [9] [edit] HedonismMain article: Hedonism Hedonism posits that the principal ethic is maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. There are several schools of Hedonist thought ranging from those advocating the indulgence of even momentary desires to those teaching a pursuit of spiritual bliss. In their consideration of consequences, they range from those advocating self-gratification regardless of the pain and expense to others, to those stating that the most ethical pursuit maximizes pleasure and happiness for the most people. [10] [edit] Cyrenaic hedonismFounded by Aristippus of Cyrene, Cyrenaics supported immediate gratification or pleasure. â€Å"Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. † Even fleeting desires should be indulged, for fear the opportunity should be forever lost. There was little to no concern with the future, the present dominating in the pursuit for immediate pleasure. Cyrenaic hedonism encouraged the pursuit of enjoyment and indulgence without hesitation, believing pleasure to be the only good. [10] [edit] EpicureanismMain article: Epicureanism Epicurean ethics is a hedonist form of virtue ethics. Epicurus â€Å"presented a sustained argument that pleasure, correctly understood, will coincide with virtue†. [11] He rejected the extremism of the Cyrenaics, believing some pleasures and indulgences to be detrimental to human beings. Epicureans observed that indiscriminate indulgence sometimes resulted in negative consequences. Some experiences were therefore rejected out of hand, and some unpleasant experiences endured in the present to ensure a better life in the future. To Epicurus the summum bonum, or greatest good, was prudence, exercised through moderation and caution. Excessive indulgence can be destructive to pleasure and can even lead to pain. For example, eating one food too often will cause a person to lose taste for it. Eating too much food at once will lead to discomfort and ill-health. Pain and fear were to be avoided. Living was essentially good, barring pain and illness. Death was not to be feared. Fear was considered the source of most unhappiness. Conquering the fear of death would naturally lead to a happier life. Epicurus reasoned if there was an afterlife and immortality, the fear of death was irrational. If there was no life after death, then the person would not be alive to suffer, fear or worry; he would be non-existent in death. It is irrational to fret over circumstances that do not exist, such as one’s state in death in the absence of an afterlife. [12]