Macbeth, The Odyssey, Beowulf and Gulliver's travels Essay

Macbeth, The Odyssey, Beowulf and Gulliver's travels - Essay Example To spur Macbeth into action, Lady Macbeth indicates she is the stronger character because â€Å"I have given suck, and know / How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me: / I would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have plucked the nipple from his boneless gums / And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn† (I, vii, 54-58). Although guilt forces him to go through with the murder of the king, Macbeth becomes a victim to a new kind of guilt following the murder that far surpasses anything he had experienced before it. When Macbeth willingly participates in murder, this quickly escalates to massacres of perceived enemies and the propagation of lies and deceits as a means of maintaining the perception others have of him. As Macbeth confesses to his wife his fears regarding his inability to say ‘Amen’ (II, ii) following his first murder, she consoles him and warns him against the future both share, â€Å"These deeds must not be thought / After these ways; so, it will make us mad† (II, ii, 32-33). Despite this warning, though, neither character seems capable of escaping the inevitable deterioration of the soul that their actions have brought upon them. Because of this guilt, Macbeth begins seeing ghosts of friends he has murdered on the suspicion that they might accuse him of Duncan’s murder and Lady Macbeth goes insane in an attempt to cleanse herself of the guilt that has infected her soul. Like Macbeth, a great portion of Odysseus’ tale is brought about as a response to guilt. He has fought well and bravely before Troy and, at the beginning of his story, is preparing to return home to his wife Penelope and the young son he has yet to meet. However, in willingly joining in battle on Troy, which was strongly associated with ideas of family and home, Odysseus has committed a crime that must be atoned for. Zeus makes this clear in

Space Tourism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Space Tourism - Term Paper Example This cannot be ignored. Businessmen and government must come together and work out a technology that will lessen the carbon emission and also design a program for these space tourism companies to offset the carbon they are emitting. There is an unspoken mantra in technological space: build it and they will come (Taylor, 2006). For years, technological companies spend billions of dollars on research and development of new products and services with no clear market. It’s a risky move but one that almost always pays off. That, in essence, is the business principle followed by space tourism. Vienna has expressed plans on building a spaceport in Asia, Singapore and United Arab Emirate. It will tap Russia in building five space crafts to shoot man into space. Building it will cost anywhere between $115 million to $265 million to build (Malik 2008). The numbers, obviously, are big risks and the obvious concern is whether it is worth pursuing. This paper will examine space tourism from three angles: economic, environmental and cultural. Specifically, this paper will answer the following questions: A qualitative method will be used to collect information about the topic. Published articles, news articles, and published statements will be the main references to analyse the economic, environmental, cultural and educational potential and impact of space tourism. Figures on the target market and potential revenue will be gathered and analysed. The same procedure will be applied to environmental impact. Several studies have already been done that quantifies who space tourism’s economic potential will impact the environment. These numbers will be collected and interpreted. The first space tourist went to space in April 2001. Dennis Tito paid $35 million for the experience of seeing Earth from the space. Since then, only seven people

Transformational corporate leaders

Transformational corporate leaders Introduction Leadership is a practice that has been around for very many years though there has been no single definition to completely describe it. This could be due to its continuously evolving nature and variations depending on context. Leadership is generally a complicated concept that can be applied in many areas while the results that it creates are highly dependent on the context in which its being applied. The term ‘transformational leaders was first formed by J.V. Downton in 1973. During his study of political leadership, James Macgregor introduced for the first time the concept of transformational leadership. According to Macgregor, transformational leadership is a not just a set of specific behaviours but a continuous process through which leaders and followers uplift one another to high states of motivation and morality (The transformational leadership report 2007). Transformational leaders provide a purpose that goes beyond the short term goals looks at the higher order intrinsic objectives. These leaders will always raise the bar by engaging to higher ideals and values of their subordinates. This way, the leaders are able to model the values themselves as well as use appealing methods to lure people to the values and to the leaders themselves. Transformational leadership requires high level of self actualization and self esteem in order to be an authetic and transformational leader. Essentially the work of a transformational leader is to induce people to be conscious of their feelings, to feel their true needs strongly and to meaningfully define their values so that they can be moved to a determined action (Chance Chance 2002 p.79) Macgregor was among the first scholars to insist that true transformational leadership does not just create change and attain goals within an organization but also changes the individuals involved and makes both the leaders and followers to be ennobled. According to () transformational leadership is also defined in terms of how the leader impacts his subordinates who are in turn supposed to respect, admire and trust the transformational leader. Transformational leadership has evolved from elements of preceding types for instance behavior and trait theories, situational, charismatic and transactional leadership. Transformational leaders are actually natural leaders. They automatically take charge of group of workers with great confidence and authority and they motivate their followers to do things with ease. Such leaders who are admired and envied for their natural qualities in leadership skills are actually born with leadership qualities in them. Astrologists argue that qualities of leadership are given at birth. For instance they believe that individuals born under the Aries zodiac sign are usually natural leaders and will always find themselves in leadership positions as adults. According to ( ), its not doubtable that certain people are born with natural characteristics and traits that make it easier for them to inspire and have power over others. Some people are born with natural confidence which is an advantageous characteristic for leaders. Such people are therefore more attractive for their determination and drive which creates an impetus that other people find easy to follow. Those people with proper communication skills and empathy which are generally admired by people, and the ability to relate well with people even in stressful situations, attract a sense of respect and liking from other people. This paper evaluates the characteristics of transformational leaders and how they are made. The paper tries to illustrate that transformational corporate leaders are actually born and not made. Theories and models of transformational leadership According to Gosling, Marturano Dennison (2003), transformational leadership is procedure in which organizational leaders take actions to enhance the awareness of their associates on what is right and crucial (p.16). These leaders raise the motivational maturity of their followers which makes them to go beyond their own individual interests for the betterment of their group as well as the whole organization. Transformational leaders provide their followers with a feeling of purpose that exceeds a simple receiving of rewards for their efforts. Transformational leaders are unique leaders whose leadership qualities are believed to be natural. These leaders not only optimize the general performance of their associates but also the development of an organization. Organizational or business development involves the maturation of values, ability, attitudes and motivation (Gosling, Marturano Dennison 2003 p.16). Transformational leaders are aimed at developing the maturity level of their f ollowers needs from the basic security needs to the needs of self development. Theories A number of recent theories on leadership have tried to describe leadership effectiveness according to how leaders transform or change an organization (Chance Chance 2002 p.94). One of the theories in leadership is the transformational leadership theory also known as the leadership theory. This theory states that leadership is interlinked or can not be separated from the needs and goals of the followers, and that its as a result of interaction between the followers and the leaders. According to Chance Chance (2002), there are two important forms of leader follower interaction which are transformational and transactional (p.94). In transactional relationship the leader influences the follower through an exchange of something valued by both of them. Transformational theory assumes that the main focus of leadership should be the capacities and commitments of organizational individuals. Their should also be higher level of individual dedication to organisational objectives and greater capacities for fulfilling these objectives. According to Bush T. (2003), transformational leaders succeed by acquiring the followers commitment to such degree that the higher levels of accomplishment become a moral imperative (p.77). The transformational model is for instance broad in that it gives normative approach to school leadership which aims basically on the process by which leaders endeavour to manipulate the school outcome and not the nature of those outcomes (Bush T. 2003 p.77). Transformational leadership has the capability of becoming autocratic because of its well-built heroic and charismatic features. According to Chance Chance (2002), transformational leadership stimulates others to look at their work from new dimensions while creating the awareness of the mission and vision of the organization (p.95). Transformational leaders stimulate others to be creative and innovative. This creativity and innovation is promoted through looking for new ideas from others. These leaders attend the needs of their followers and help them in growth and development by acting as their mentors. The underlying principle of these leaders is their commitment to personal values and moral purpose which are important in bri nging about organizational change. Models in leadership Models on leadership assist us to understand what makes leaders to operate the way they do. The different types of behaviours discussed in models help us to understand that every situation calls for a specific approach. One of the models is the four framework approach where leaders illustrate behaviours in leadership in one of the four types of frame works. These frame works are the structural, political, human resource or symbolic. The leadership style can either be effective or not depending on the behavior chosen in certain situations. In a working leadership situation the leader is usually a social architect whose style of leadership is analysis and design. On the other hand leaders in failing leadership are just tyrants whose styles of leadership consist of mere details. Structural leaders put more emphasis on strategy, structure, environment, experimentation, implementation and adaptation. In the human resource framework, the leader in the effective leadership conditions is a catalyst and servant whose style of leadership is support, empowerment and advocation, while in a non working leadership the boss is a pushover whose style of leadership is fraud and abdication. Human resource leaders hold believe in people and they communicate that believe. They are accessible and encourage increased participation and sharing of information. These leaders involve everybody in the organization when it comes to decision making. For a political framework the leader in effective leadership circumstances is an advocate whose style of leadership is a coalition and building while in the ineffective condition the leader is a hustler whose style of leadership is manipulation. Political leaders indicate clearly what they can get and build relationship with other stake holders. They first apply persuasion then coercion and negotiation only if necessary. In symbolic framework, the leader in working leadership is a prophet whose style of leadership is inspiration while the leader in a non performing situation a fool whose style of leadership is smoke and mirrors. The other model in used in leadership is the managerial grid. This model uses two axes whereby ‘concern for people is plotted using the vertical axis while the ‘concern for task is plotted on the horizontal axis. The managerial behaviour is then described using the two dimensions that are drawn as a graph. Both axiss are plotted on a range of 0 to 9 and the leaders are then grouped depending on what they score on both sides. Those who score 9 points on the task side and 1 on the people side are authoritarian, those who score 9 on both sides are team leaders, those who score 1 on both sides are impoverished while those who score 1 on task and 9 on people are country club leaders. Authoritarian leader are more task oriented and are tough on their employees. These leaders are very tough on schedules and expect the workers to do everything without question. Team leaders lead by good examples and are concerned in promoting a team environment. They encourage their followers to attain their goals effectively and to strengthen the bonds between employees. On the other hand the country club leaders mainly use the power of reward and recognition in maintaining discipline among their employees while the impoverished leader uses delegation of duties as a management style (Chance Chance 2002). These leaders are neither concerned with maintenance or task accomplishment. References Bass B. M. Riggio R. E. (2006) Transformational leadership London: Routledge. Hacker, S, Roberts, T (2003) Transformational leadership: creating organizations of meaning American Society for Quality. Avolio B. J Bass B. M. 2002 Developing potential across a full range of leadership: cases on transactional and transformational leadership Routledge: New York. Gosling, R .B, Marturano, A Dennison, P. (2003) A review of the leadership theory and competency frameworks. Centre for leadership studies: Dunsford Hill. Schwartz M. K. , Gimbel K. G. 2000 Leadership resources: a guide to training and development tools Center for Creative Leadership. Chance, P. L. Chance, E. W (2002) Introduction to educational leadership organizational behavior: theory into practice Eye on Education. Bush T. 2003 Theories of educational leadership and management SAGE. The transformational leadership report (2007) (http://www.transformationalleadership.net/products/TransformationalLeadershipReport.pdf)

LASIK Surgery :: LASIK Surgery Essays

Seeing well without contact lenses and glasses is the dream of millions of Americans and modern medical science has enabled that dream to come true (Caster, 8). Since first grade, Dede Head, a 30-year-old fitness trainer in North Carolina, has worn glasses to correct sever nearsightedness and astigmatism. Over the years she became accustomed to wearing glasses and contacts, but this has limited many important aspects of her life, including sports. She then heard of a laser eye surgery that â€Å"supposedly†, helped to correct a person’s vision by means of lasers. She immediately signed up for the procedure and ever since that day, she has not worn glasses or contacts. Dede is just one of the eight hundred-fifty-thousand people who have undergone a procedure by the name of LASIK or Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis. If surgical procedures were movies, LASIK would be this years box office smash as it has received much media coverage and many praises; however, not that many peo ple know what LASIK is, what the advantages and disadvantages are, and most importantly if LASIK is right for them (Buratto, 1). LASIK is basically a type of laser surgery which can help correct nearsightedness (myopia), which is the inability to see distant objects, farsightnedness (hyperopia), which is the inability to see close, and astigmatism, the inability to focus light waves evenly. LASIK has grown greatly in the last year, mostly because of 4 reasons; it is fast (procedure takes about 5-10 minutes), safe, painless, and the results are almost always prolific. The eye is just like a camera because it works by focusing light waves that pass through it. Light rays that enter the eye must first pass through the most outer layer of the eye called the cornea. The cornea performs 2/3 of the focusing process, the remainder of is then completed by the crystalline lens which further focuses the light on the retina. This requires extreme precision in that the focused light must fall ex actly at the level of the retina (Gallo, 126). The retina is a nerve tissue that carpets the inner surface of the eye, much like wallpaper covers all aspects of a wall. The retina converts the light into electrical signals, which are transmitted to the brain by the optic nerve. Just as a camera cannot produce clear photographs of the image if the incoming light is not focused on the film, we cannot produce a clear vision if the cornea and crystalline lens do not focus the light precisely on the retina.

Building Brand Community Essay

1.HOG has been phenomenally successful at attracting members and chapters. From nothing in 1983 it has grown to half a million members in 1,160 chapters. This is the core of Harley-Davidson’s market and it is easily reachable through Hog Tales magazine. This is particularly important for Harley given that its customers are so varied making it hard to reach them through traditional marketing methods. HOG overcomes the wide differences in its membership by focusing on their common passion, motorcycle riding. While members get to meet fellow enthusiasts, Harley gets to keep their attention on Harley. As it cannot compete with Japanese imports on price, and perhaps quality, Harley has to focus on its brand. HOG builds brand community and dispels the old image of Harley owners as Hell’s Angels gangs. In fact, Harley has been so successful in building its brand that BusinessWeek ranks it as the 44th most valuable in the world. Retaining Harley owners is clearly lucrative; Harley estimates that active HOG members spend an extra $850 a year with the company. This translated into over $140 million, money that can easily be spent elsewhere by less loyal customers. 2.Given that HOG serves to retain and reach customers by building a brand community, the Posse Rides serve to create a brand within the brand. Lisa Laundry describes Harley as â€Å"a mystique, a lifestyle as opposed to a brand.†Ã‚  This kind of awe is mixed with a cultist sense of community, a dollop of patriotism and Americana, and commitment to riding to create your average Harley rally pilgrim. The Posse Rides focus on the latter part of that physiological make-up, on the hard-core riders. It allows these people to differentiate themselves from the larger group of Harley owners. The first Posse Ride was a big success, giving participants bragging rights that they promptly exercised on return to their HOG chapters. This word of mouth raised expectations for the sequel which, like many sequels, it failed to live up to. Participants expected their T-shirts stop after stop, and they expected to mingle with management to share their views. The results of the pre and post-ride surveys (see Exhibit 1) show high satisfaction with their bikes and the ride itself, but much lower satisfaction with HOG and Harley as a company, particularly afterwards. This is dangerous as it undermines brands loyalty. Barbara Hammet is right when she says â€Å"Harley certainly has enough money that if they have to eat a shirt or two, it shouldn’t matter.† Given the importance of T-shirts as souvenirs, or markers, to participants there is no excuse for not having enough on hand. If management had been paying attention on the 1st Posse they should know this. One has to ask why the mangers ride together at all? They can meet at the office, or have their own intra-office Posse. They should be seen to be part of the larger group. 400 people over ten days is not many people to ‘meet and greet’ for say, four managers. Mike Keefe defends management by saying â€Å"What they don’t see is the research that occurs unobtrusively†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The end of his sentence is unimportant because if they do not see it, or more importantly feel it, it is worthless. The old axiom, ‘If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right’, applies here. Harley should spend more time and resources doing so. 3.That the Posse Rides are worth doing should not be doubted. They are part of the brand image; a two-mile long rolling billboard for Harley. Seeing old and young, male and female Posse Riders traveling together projects an open, inclusive image for Harley. The Posses are advertising for Harley and its dealers and Harley should exploit this more. It should encourage, even subsidize, dealers to build on the Posse Rides in ways such as the dealer in  Duluth did on the 1st Posse. Coordination with local TV and radio should be used to raise awareness and crowds. The dealer network should also be used by the Posse Rides to solve logistical problems such as the T-shirts fiasco. Given that Posse Rides have different routes, most dealers will be able to participate over time. 4. While the visual promotional effect of the Posse Rides should be exploited as much as possible, commercializing them should be avoided. Participants are Harley’s best customers and it should take the opportunity to reward them, not exploit them. These people are not stupid and will soon notice if Harley tries to squeeze out every last cent from them. The indirect benefits, such as building brand awareness and loyalty, are much more important than short-term sales. If participants want to shop at every dealer, great, but their direct costs should be kept as low as possible. Given their wide differences in income, raising prices will simply drive off working class participants that blow their annual wad on one rally. This would change the nature of the Posse from an open, inclusive group to a rich, closed one. Over time, as Posse Rides become a feature of Harley’s brand, it would depreciate the brand. Posse Rides will also have to maintain their exclusivity if they are to be continually successful. If everyone can get a Posse T-shirt because of merchandizing they will not be worth having to real Posse Riders. Keeping the number of participants small also adds to the feeling of exclusivity, as does not running the Posse Rides more than biannually. This should also help to maintain a feeling of spontaneity that is missing from regularly scheduled, annual events. Exhibit 1 1.I will definitely sign up for another long distance HOG rally 2. If I were to replace my motorcycle I would buy another Harley 3. I would recommend this ride to a friend 4. I feel a sense of kinship with other Harley owners 5. I have made lifelong friends because of my Harley 6. My Harley says a lot about the kind of person I am 7. I really understand what Harley is all about 8. No one but Harley-Davidson could put on an event like this 9. Harley-Davidson really understands what riding a bike is all about 10. I am satisfied with HOG 11. Harley-Davidson really cares about me as a customer 12. Harley really understands my needs 13. My Harley is an integral part of my daily life

Compound Interest and Cellphone User

Entire Review Problems Cumulative- Practice 1. At a certain car wash, 40 more cars than vans go through on a typical day. If each car pays $12 and each van pays $16 and the total earned per day is $2244, find the number of vans that go through the wash. 2. a) In the Fine Company, the CEO must invest in 30% more shares than the CFO. The shares sell for $10. 20 each and the total value of the shares owned by the two of them is $132 549. Find the number of shares owned by the CEO. b) The Fine Company’s total profit for the year was $300 000.Determine the P/E ratio (price to earnings ratio) for Fine Company, assuming that the CEO and CFO together own 5% of the number of stocks in the company. (Remember that price=price per share and earnings= profit earned per share) 3. The ratio of males:females in the 1st year at TRSM is 5:4 this year. If the school had admitted 200 more males, the ratio would have been 3:2. Find the number of students actually admitted this year. 4. a) Solve th e system of equations: b) If you graph both of these lines, what does the answer you found represent? c) Graph both lines and verify your answer graphically. . The following equations represent lines that are a) parallel b) intersecting c) are the same line. Circle the correct answer. 3x-6y = 7 9x-18y=20 6. It turns out that $1 CAN is worth 0. 63 euros. When I go to Europe and get ready to return to Canada, I have 500 Euros left, which I exchange. The person cannot give me change and always rounds down to the nearest Canadian dollar, in order to make a profit. How many Canadian dollars do I get back? How much profit does she make? 7. Solve for x: 8. The following chart represents a survey done on cellphone use as shown. Cellphone| No Cellphone| Total| Under 25| 600| 100| | 25 or over| 260| 320| | Total| | | | If a person is selected at random from those polled, determine the probability that: a) a cellphone user is selected b) a person under 25 is selected c) a person under 25 and a cellphone user is selected d) a person over 25 or a cellphone user is selected e) the person is over 25, given that (s)he is not a cellphone user If two people are selected from those polled, determine the probability that: f) they are both cellphone users g) at least one of them is a cellphone user ) at least one of them is 25 or over, given that they are both cellphone users 9. In a game of Subtract, two dice are rolled and the smaller number is always subtracted from the larger number. Put all the possible results on the chart shown below: Result| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 1| | | | | | | 2| | | | | | | 3| | | | | | | 4| | | | | | | 5| | | | | | | 6| | | | | | | Determine the probability that: a) a score of 4 is rolled b) a score is greater than or equal to zero c) a score is greater than 5 d) a score is less than or equal to 4 e) a score is less than 2, given that one die shows a 3. ) The most likely score is rolled 10. Tel stock has gone up by 2%, up 15% and down 17% over the past thre e years. If the stock was originally valued at $10 per share, shown that the price has changed overall, even though the decreases and increases add up to 0% overall. Find the % increase or decrease over the three year period. 11. Forty percent of all car accidents involve alcohol. 80% of all drivers are over 25. Sixty percent of all accidents involving drivers age 25 or younger involve alcohol. An accident occurs. Find: a) the probability that a driver consumed alcohol and is over 25. ) the probability that a driver is over 25 given that he/she has consumed alcohol. c) the probability that she/he is 25 or younger and has not consumed alcohol. 12. Let t represent the number of years I have owned a car. Let y represent the value of the car. Assume a linear model applies. (see table below) a) Find the slope and explain what it represents b) Find the equation of the line c) Find the y intercept and explain what it means d) Fill in the missing values in the table. e) A second car I own h as the formula y=-3000t + 29 910. When will the cars I own have the same value? t | y| 1| | 3| 20000| | 12365| | 7275| 13. A stock increases 6% annually each year for 8 years and is worth $80 per share at the end of that period of time. Find the original value when you purchased the stock if: a) the interest was calculated on the basis of simple interest. b) the interest was calculated based on compound interest. 14. A company claims that they can double their money in one year less if the interest rate is 10% per annum compounded daily versus 9% per annum compounded annually. Verify or dispute this claim showing your calculations. Answers: 1. 63 vans 2. a) CFO=5650 shares, CEO=7345 b) 8. 84 3. 1800 4. ) (2,-3) b) pt of intersection c) not shown 5. Parallel (same slope, different y intercept) 6. $793 (she makes 65 cents profit) 7. x=27 8 a) 43/64 b) 35/64 c) 15/32 d) 59/64 e) 16/21 f) 45. 1% g) 89. 25% h) 51. 35% 9. a) 1/9 b) 1 c) 0 d) 1/18 e) 5/11 f) 5/16 10. Lost 26 cents overall, 2. 6% 11. a) 28% b) 70% c) 8% 12. a) slope =-2545 means the car loses $2545 in value each year I own the car b) y=-2545t+27635 c) $27635= original price of car d)(1,25090), (8,7275) e) after 5 years, they are worth the same 13. a) $54. 05 b) $50. 19 14. It is true. In fact, it takes 1 year 39 days less time.