Effect of Marriage on Mental Health

Effect of Marriage on Mental Health Sara Zafarullah Sheikh (GN12119) According to World Health Organization, an individual with good mental health is able to cope with the stress of everyday life, knows his or her own abilities and work productively in every aspect to contribute to the community. On the other hand marriage is defined as a union of husband and wife in a universal and legitimate relationship recognized by law and social institution (Watkins, 2013). Both of them have a big influence over each other and are affected by each other (Ostwald, 2009) In my view marriage contributes to a healthier society, building up a separate unit called family, which is at the same time part of the society as a whole. This serves society by its children, by labor of its members and through other aspects. It provides keeping of traditions and continues generations promoting cultural aspect of society. Therefore, it is regarded as pillar to the society. Goesling Avellar (2010) states marriage to contribute to an individual’s emotional and social benefits in all aspects thus contributing its part in physical health as well. Regardless of the fact, marriage is considered to be not meant for psychiatric patients considering them not capable of taking responsibilities, dangerous for the spouse and lacking of their self-identity, adding it to their social stigma (Gray, 2011). While negotiating with my patient, I recognized the seriousness of this issue and decided to reflect upon it so as to emphasize the importance of marriage in society and its mental health benefits. On my clinical rotation to Karachi Psychiatric Hospital, I was assigned to interview an old lady; 42 years old diagnosed with Schizophrenic paranoid with symptoms of aggressiveness, hallucinations, somatic delusions, irritability and self-talk. Upon interaction she appeared responsive and cooperative. According to the patient, she was accompanied to the hospital by her mother. On taking the family history, patient verbalized of having four sisters and one brother. She further verbalized that all her siblings are married. According to the client only she was not allowed by her mother to get married regardless of her wish of getting married like her other sisters. Upon close observation she seemed to be attracted towards opposite sex. She even took some names that she verbalized of getting married with but eventually also said, â€Å"they will not marry me.† No indicators for sexual abuse were found which clearly reflected her need and wish of getting into a secure relationship that provides her with support and identity, which was now a requirement of her age as well. She verbalized her engagement in the substance abuse due to this reason. Glancing at the cultural context, parents hold the complete authority for choosing partners for their children in eastern culture whereas, in western culture children have the right to choose their mate and made decisions for their future life. Nock proposed the theory of domesticating role of marriage to explain the phenomenon that married people are found to consume healthful and delighted lives than unmarried compeer (2005). As the institution oblige responsibility on both of the spouses and implies assurance to both of them creating a huge room for positive change. Men tend to change, as before marriage they live less healthy lives and are much more involved in dangerous behaviors including substance abuse drinking and car racing. They work regularly, have a tendency to involve more in religious practices and become future oriented. Women are generally viewed to be responsible since childhood and less involved in anti-social behaviors. According to Loveless Tolman (2007) women think about themselves complete after marriage. Women enjoy commitments and duties after marriage, they love being busy with children, spouse and household chores. If this sensorium of completeness is not achieved they get indulged in anti-social behaviors example, substance abuse and are prone towards mental illness. Wood (2007), inferred that unmarried women show more depressive symptoms than the ones married. My patient also wanted to live like a married women enjoying all commitment a marital life embraces. As she could not achieve the outright goal she started using substance abuse to diminish the emotion of unsatisfaction. Marriage contributes to mental health by providing subsequent support and emotional intimacy, creating sense of self-identity and self-worth, building a satisfied connection between two partners, making the innate human need to fulfill (Wood, 2007). According to Howell (2009), report on marriage and mental health, product of many random sample studies revealed that marriage makes individuals less prone to have psychological illness. Marriage ensures engagement of partners in less risk taking activities and also it influences the quality and size of gains. A study revealed that intermediate rates of mental disorders were found in widowed, highest in divorced and separated while married people had the lowest rates among them. Study of 80,000 suicides in U.S, also indicated that suicide is committed less by married women compared to unmarried ones. They define themselves less depressive and emotionally healthier than unmarried ones. Relating it to my clinical scenario the patient also r equired emotional stability, self-worthiness, a partner to whom she can share her emotions, and her own family. Neither had she wanted the illness nor loneliness. Therefore, she started saying that she is suffering from tuberculosis associated with somatic delusions denying the fact that she had any mental health problem. In society specifically Pakistani society, mental illness is considered as social stigma leaving it to be neglected. Interventions should be applied on individual, group and national level. At individual level clients should be allowed to ventilate their feelings providing them with support. In association with the health care professionals at group level these patients should be involved in different rehabilitation therapies to work with their creativities and find out strengths in them using therapeutic way of communication, which would help them enhance their self-esteem and build sense of self worthiness. Embroiling my patient in the occupational therapy I asked her to bore seeds for new plant to build a hope and see new sunrises in her life. Family support plays an essential role for these people to view their lives in positive face. At community level institutions should be formed to gather these people helping each other to fill unfilled gaps of their lives. At state level pol icies should be formulated for unmarried suffering from mental illness. To conclude it is important to realize the potential need of every person for a companion, the intimate love one needs in life. According to Carl Rogers, this is human’s basic nature of an intrinsic need of warmth and acceptance from the mate. Each and every one has a right to have partner, and declaring a person not mentally fit and therefore, not allowing the person to get married makes the person more prone to mental illness. References Australian Institute of Family Studies, Vaus,D.D. (2002).Marriage and mental health. Howell,P. (2009).Healthy marriages and mental health. Hurvitz,N., Straus,R.A. (1991).Marriage and Family Therapy: A Sociocognitive Approach. Sydney, Australia. Mathis,D. (2012).Preparing for Marriage: Desiring God Foundation. Mishra,D.K., Alreja,S., Sengar,S.K., Singh,A.R. (2009). Insight and its relationship with stigma in psychiatric patients.Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 18(1). Pollett,H. (2007, June 18).Mental Health Promotion: A literature Review. Scott,L.A., Holman,T.B. (2007).The Family in the New Millennium: World Voices Supporting the Natural Clan. Simon,R.W. (2012, July 23). The Relationship between Marriage and Mental Health. Psychiatry Weekly,7(14). Wilson,C.M., Ostwald,A.J. (2005, May).How Does Marriage Effect Physical and Psychological Health? A Survey of the Longitudinal Evidence. Wood,R.G., Goesling,B., Avellar,S. (2007).The Effects of Marriage on Heath: A Synthesis of Recent Research Evidence(9). Department of Human and Health Services.

Expatriate Turnover And Retention Management Essay

Expatriate Turnover And Retention Management Essay This chapter discusses the relationship between the research questions and previous peer reviewed literature by demonstrating knowledge of contemporary research findings. It sets out the tangibles to be achieved through the dissertation in the broader context by discussing the need for collaborative approach in addressing expatriate turnover in KSA. Expatriate turnover and retention: Global Perspective As business establishments expand they are faced with the problem of an ever shrinking of the available skilled workforce. The demand for workers with the right combinations of qualifications, skills, experience and personal qualities is expected to increase. The ability to select the right candidate and retain them in the business establishment is crucial to a businesss sustainability and success in the coming decades. The global worker selection is a concept that is facilitated by globalization. A globalized economy and exponential technological progress have facilitated global mobility and flexibility in the workplace and workforce. The result is that experienced and skilled individuals seek international career opportunities. Due to skilled and experienced workforce shortage in many countries and the increasing demand for inter-culturally flexible workers with more differentiated skill sets, expatriates are strategically valuable resources for business establishments (Cao, et al., In press). While the number of expatriates has and is expected to steadily increase, business establishments have had to face fierce international business competition as well as challenges linked to the economic crisis. They consequently have had to adapt their strategies in order to reduce and control their costs. This has led them to downsize, restructure, merge or, relocate to remain competitive and to modify their approach to the way of compensating expatriates. Expatriate workers compensation is often considered extremely costly and time consuming for the business establishments involved. This perception pressures companies to either decrease their investment in international experience and knowledge, look for alternate international worker populations, such as self-initiated expatriates or decrease the coverage and amount of their expatriate compensation packages (Milkovich Newman, 2002) However, compensation practices and strategy are one of the most powerful and salient means by which the business establishment can send clear messages concerning about expected attitudes and behaviours. There is a danger that the pressures that business establishments feel to reduce compensation costs may lead to changes in expatriates perceptions as concerns their compensation package and the whole employment relationship thereby prompting them to change their attitude toward their employer (Conway Briner, 2005). Research has already noted that employees have lost their job security and therefore severed their socio-emotional attachment to their employers due to compensation friction. There has been a shift in the psychological contract between employees and employers such that the exchange relationship has become much more transactional and calculative nowadays. This means that those involved in the employer-employee relationship are directed by multiple motives that include a mix of selfish and social interests. The parties pursue their interests and strive to keep their commitment. The standard today for what expatriate workers consider acceptable in their exchange relationship, between employers and employees, may have shifted such that getting more than they deserve is more satisfying than what they actually deserve (Briscoe, et al., 2009). A consequence of this spiral of changes is that business establishments increasingly face tremendous challenges in attracting, motivating and retaining these valuable expatriate workers for sustaining their strategic development. They have to overcome the challenge of designing compensation programs that not only span the globe and support the business establishments strategic goals and objectives, but also guarantee consistency, equity and transferability throughout the entire working life of the workforce. Key challenges for business establishments are whether they have means of modifying the content of expatriate compensation packages to increase their costly and valuable employees affective commitment that are antecedent to job satisfaction and turnover attitudes so as to retain them without inferring incremental costs. Prior to this understanding, business establishments need to learn how their expatriates perceive and react to their compensation practices signalled by their pac kage, what types of rewards the workers value most and how these affect their decisions regarding their turnover or retention. In other words business establishments look for information about how to commit their costly expatriate workers to the business establishment. Understanding what kind of compensation elements and rewards motivate expatriates most might provide this information (Armstrong Stephens, 2005). Getting the right person in the right place for the right length of time to execute a job is not a simple matter, more when expatriate workers are involved. It involves an array of considerations, such as the type of assignment and its remuneration; investment in staffing and places to work; and numerous professional, cultural and family pressures that can overwhelm the hardiest executives (Economist Intelligence Unit , 2010,). Multinational companies are increasingly recognizing the need to adhere to sound business practices to remain competitive in an increasingly flat business world. Moreover, they realize the critical and increasingly important role that expatriate employees play in managing and maintaining their global operations. This role is further complicated by the contracting global economy and labour pool (Shelton, 2009, p. 51). Expatriate employees and their role have received a considerable attention from researchers over the past three decades (e.g., Bhuian Al-Jabri, 1996;Carpenter et al, 2001;Yamazaki Kayes, 2004; Takeuchi et al, 2005).Carpenter et al, (2001) argued that expatriate executives are likely to be a valuable and unique resource for multi-national corporations. However, although the management literature frequently stresses the significance of expatriate employees in the development and effective functioning organizations, there is substantial evidence indicates that expatriates often fail in their international assignments and thus returned home or dismissed early (Baruch Altman, 2002; Lee Beaumont, 2001) But what is the meaning of expatriate turnover? And what is the difference between expatriate and local employees turnover? Expatriate turnover is a broad term that has many definitions in the current literature. It has been defined as return prematurely to home or failure in an overseas assignment before the assignment contract expires (Naumann, 1992; Bhuian Al-Jabri, 1996; Forster Johnson, 1996). Many significant reasons for expatriate turnover are flaws in the expatriate workers selection procedures, the mismanagement of the relocation process and inability to adjust in to a foreign country culture (Gregersen Black , 1992) Business establishments regularly bring in overseas skilled workers to overcome skills shortage. While they ideally wish to retain the expatriate workers, this is not always the case. In 75 per cent of the cases the workers spouses are unable to adapt to the new environment. Given that 85 per cent of all expatriate workers are accompanied by their spouses the case of spouses inability to adapt is a strong one. It is recommended that to ensure expatriate workers retention practical and psychological support must be provided to their families (Wells, 2008). Many spouses accompanying leave their careers behind them and often discover that neither their professional qualifications nor experiences correlate to job opportunities in the countries they settle in. They also lose their support networks, which include their family and established childcare arrangements, and quickly feel isolated, unhappy and anxious in the country they settle in. Expatriate turnover in the context of this research refers not just to the spectacular failure of an assignment in the overseas location but to a range of negative outcomes that affect the worker, the organization, co-workers and other stakeholders in the host country, the workers family and fellow expatriates. The ramifications of expatriate retention are wide: the loss of the resources they have put into a particular assignment; the potential damage done to the business establishments reputation and goodwill; the negative impact on a worker of having failed to measure up to expectations in the overseas assignment, and possible ramifications for familial relationships; and the loss of a valued workers expertise and experience. Both the scholarly literature and empirical evidence suggest that numerous factors impact on expatriate turnover including such issues as provision of appropriate cross-cultural training, in-country support, spousal adjustment, cultural distance and relationships with host nationals (Bennett, et al., 2000; Gudykunst, 2005; Kim, 2003; Samovar Porter, 2003; Zakaria, 2000). In an increasingly globalized world, business establishments find themselves in competition for a highly specialised workforce of skilled workers who can perform effectively across cultures and in a variety of environments. In recent years there has been a decrease in the number of suitable candidates willing to accept an expatriate posting. Shimoni et al, (2005) discuss this phenomenon and postulate a number of reasons for it occurring. They emphasize that one of the most significant reasons is that people have become aware of the difficulties associated with relocation and are reluctant to put themselves or their families through a disruptive process (Shimoni et al, 2005). A significant percentage of expatriate workers leave their company within one to two years of starting work where such was not the original intention of either the employer or the employee. This has significant negative consequences for both the business establishment and the expatriate. It is most commonly related to a lack of retention strategies in the relocation of expatriate workers and their dependants (MacDonald Arthur, 2003) Companies often place unrealistic expectations about handovers and mentoring of incoming expatriate employees once they have signed on. This can have negative implications for the incoming workers. In many business establishments, selection of an expatriate for a job offer is an indication that a particular employee is thought of highly. An expatriate worker, couple or family usually require assistance in a variety of forms and to differing degrees of intensity. There will be the practical issues around finances and time such as allowances for removals, resettling their children in school, the readjustment issues to the workplace, family and friends and acquainting themselves with the host culture. Depending on the difficulties of adjustment or if the move is particularly difficult or traumatic, there may be psychological issues, as well as social, financial and professional ones, that require specialist professional support. Business establishments have long recognized that benefits and compensation are key determinants of expatriates satisfaction and, as a result, retention. The Mercer survey bears this point out, as 86 per cent of the business establishments surveyed consider benefits provisions for expatriate workers a high business priority. Surprisingly, however, only 26 per cent of the surveyed businesses admitted to not having a policy for providing expatriate workers benefits. Moreover, 64 per cent of the surveyed business establishments have no specific procedures in place to measure the success of their expatriate benefits programs. Findings from the Mercer survey indicate that business establishments face two-pronged challenge in as far as expatriate workers retention is concerned. First, they must track the elements of their expatriate workers programs to ensure consistent administration and quantify a solid return on investment. Second, they need to address the global economic situation by communicating clearly with expatriate workers and providing transparency with regard to their benefits and compensation that in turn promotes their retention (Shelton, 2009, p. 52). In managing expatriate workers the business establishment must ask questions that include: Questions on culture Do the expatriate workers identify with the business establishment and the success of the business establishment as being of direct benefit to themselves? Do the expatriate workers see themselves as having common interests with their work colleagues and group? Is there a strong team spirit? Is work allocated on the basis of individual expertise rather than position in the business establishment? Are there sufficient skills/power bases in the business establishment? Are there appropriate leadership skills within the business establishment? Are expatriate workers encouraged to say what they think about the business establishment? Does your business establishment encourage innovation and creativity amongst expatriate workers? Do expatriate workers feel a sense of personal responsibility for their work? Is quality emphasized in all aspects of the business establishment? Questions on the business establishment Does the structure of your business establishment encourage effective performance? Is the organization structure flexible in the face of changing demands? Is the structure too complex? If so in what areas? Do the expatriate workers have clear roles and responsibilities? Does the organizational structure tend to push problems up rather than resolve them at the point where they occur? Do procedures and management in the business establishment practices facilitate the accomplishment of tasks? Questions on the expatriate workers Do expatriate workers in the business establishment have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their jobs in the most effective manner? Do expatriate workers understand their jobs and how they contribute to overall business performance i.e. have clear goals and objectives? Do expatriate workers have a customer service orientation? Are personnel with potential spotted and developed for the future? Are expatriate workers encouraged to perform well through the giving of recognition and feedback? Do expatriate workers know what their expected performance standards are? Questions on the business management system Do organizations systems, which include employee selection and recruitment, promotion, planning, management, information and control, encourage effective performance among expatriate workers? Are these systems consistent across the business establishment? Are there clear rewards for effective performance within the work group? Does the organization review its systems frequently and ensure they mutually support each other? In a study to analyse global expatriate workers trends, the Economist Intelligence Unit (2010, p. 3) identified a number of key issues that include: Cultural and family pressures present the greatest difficulties in facilitating expatriate workers retention. An inability to understand local culture and cultural conflicts is one of the greatest difficulties for expatriate workers. Cultural sensitivity is thus regarded by some margin as the most important attribute for an individual seeking to work in a foreign country, and business establishments admit that it is not easy to find the right type of person in their ranks. More than half of expatriate workers do not relish the prospect of learning another language, suggesting a possible lack of commitment to their role. The spouses needs have become more important than ever in expatriates workers acclimatisation. Perhaps the greatest obstacle to the success of an expatriate placement lies with the expatriates spouse and/or children, who may resent the sudden separation from their own career, social life, schooling and routine. The resulting strain on family relationships can often bring about a premature end to the work. Expatriate turnover and retention: KSA Perspective The KSA is an emerging global business hub that represents approximately thirty billion dollars worth of annual export potential. This has acted as an incentive for business establishments that require an array of diverse workforce to base their operations in the country. Consequently, the country has become an international business focal point resulting in the country experiencing exponential increased interest from the global workforce (Bhuian, 1995). The countrys need for more of the global workforce is increased by the inexperience, less knowledge and inadequate of the indigenous workforce. (Baker Abou-Ismail, 1993) reported that as of 1992 approximately 7 million expatriate workers were engaged by business establishments within KSA. These expatriates are mostly employed on a contract bases and usually undergo cultural shock on getting into the country. While contractual employment is preferred by a majority of the expatriates, there major concern lies with extrinsic rewards, pay, fringe benefits, stability and security that come with their job. While the expatriates attempt to adjust to the local culture, there efforts are no free of problems as they are made aware that their adjustment directly affects their effective performance (Baker Abou-Ismail, 1993). Expatriate workers turnover is a concern for business establishments based in the KSA. This problem is further compounded by shortage of available, skilled and qualified indigenous Saudi citizen workers. This has resulted in a scramble for available, skilled and qualified expatriate work force. While the expatriate workers are engaged with the intention of employing them for a definite period of time, this is not always the case as a some leave before their time elapses due to ineffective work performance and dissatisfaction resulting in significant direct and indirect costs incurred by the business establishment (Yavas et al, 1990). Past researches on the subject of expatriate turnover have identified three categories of expatriate workers turnover tendencies (Tyagi Wotruba, 1993). These tendencies include: Work-related attitudes (job satisfaction and organizational commitment) Personal characteristics (age, education, and experience) External environmental factors (organizational climate, management practices and supervisory behaviours) It is generally accepted that while the three identified categories have a bearing on expatriate workers turnover and retention, the management of the business establishment can only control the work-related variables. The personal characteristics can, to some extent, be controlled by the expatriate employees selection process and can be enhanced by effective training programs. The external environment is usually difficult to change in the short run though this can be done in the long run (Tyagi Wotruba, 1993). Literature suggests that employee turnover tendency and job satisfaction may differ with respect to the types of employee (expatriate or domestic), the nature of the job (permanent or contractual), and the types of organizational culture (traditional-bureaucratic or supportive culture) (Banai Reisel, 1993; Gregersen Black , 1992). Saudi Arabia, one of the most important international markets in the developing world, provides an ideal setting for a study on expatriate employee turnover tendencies because of the attendant presence of a large expatriate community in the country. Over the last five years, HICAP has suffered from a dramatically increase in expatriate turnover. The average annual expatriate turnover rate was 3.2, 4.5 8.2, and 13 per cent respectively (Dabbas Elvin, 2012). This is a potentially expensive problem for business establishment as replacing departed employees cause significant direct and indirect costs (Bhuian Al-Jabri, 1996, p. 393). To give an example, HICAP paid around 4 million dollars as a penalty for delaying the delivery of one of the projects because of the unexpected resignation of six key members of the implementation team (Dabbas Elvin, 2012). Due to the relatively increasing rate of expatriate turnover, academics and scholars have expended considerable resources to study its causes. In the study of predictor variables of expatriate turnover, Naumann, (1992) identified three categories of predictor variables that precede expatriate turnover. These categories are: (1) job/task characteristics, which involves the degree of expatriate satisfaction in the job assignment; (2) Organization characteristics which includes Behavioural, structural, and demographic characteristics of organizations (p.509); (3) worker characteristics, which includes the employee demographic characteristics such as age, gender, material status .etc. Similarly, (Bhuian Al-Jabri, 1996; Tyagi Wotruba, 1993) proposed three categories of what they called expatriates turnover antecedents: (1) personnel characteristics which can be controlled through different processes such as employee selection and training processes; (2) work related characteristics that can be controlled by organizations; (3) external environmental factors which they argue that it is unchangeable and does not have a great impact on expatriates turnover. Limited studies investigated expatriate turnover in the KSA. But why is the KSA important and why has it been selected for such research? The KSA can be considered as an ideal environment for conducting such a study. It is one of the most important exporting markets in the world. In 2006 the KSA was considered among the top 23 global exporting countries with approximately 175 billion dollars worth of exports (Anon., 2008). However, according to the latest study conducted by the ministry of labour in KSA, two thirds of the employees, working in the private sector are expatriates (Anon., 2010). These expatriates and especially their families cannot adjust easily with the Saudi culture and consequently not performing effectively (Bhuian Al-Jabri, 1996). Consequently, vast amount of losses were incurred by local organisations (Yavas et al, 1990: Dabbas Elvin, 2012). However many gaps and limitations were noted in previous researches which will be tackled in this research: First the above studies neglect the effect of external organizational factors on expatriate turnover. (BhuianAl-Jabri, 1996) argued that external environmental factors are usually unchangeable in the short run thus they have excluded their effect on expatriate turnover. While (Naumann, 1992) did not consider external environmental factors as an antecedents for expatriate turnover. Second, it has been argued that workers characteristics did not show any significant impact on expatriate turnover. Not only this, all of the previous studies concluded that there is no or little correlation between expatriate demographic characteristics and turnover. Research hypotheses Research hypotheses act as a guide in designing and conducting the research. There are two types of hypotheses in any research process; testable research hypothesis (H1) and null hypothesis (H0). The H1 is that; demographic characteristics, external and internal environments have an influence on expatriate turnover. The H0 acts as a fall back in the case that the H1 is disapproved (Johnson, 1975). The H0 is that; demographic characteristics, external and internal environments have no influence on expatriate turnover. This research study empirically analyses the expatriate demographic, organizational internal and country external variables that may lead to expatriate turnover in HICAP in order to develop a functional match for between the antecedents for expatriates turnover the KSA. In establishing this functional match, the dissertation looks into factors affecting expatriate turnover. The outcome can be used by both scholars and business executives in offering insights into the best way for KSA business establishments to retain expatriates as well as build a framework for future analysis.

Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex (the King) and Seneca’s Oedipus Essay -- compar

Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex (the King) and Seneca’s Oedipus    Contrary to Sophocles’ Oedipus that was written to the Greeks, a peaceful and wise audience, Seneca’s Oedipus was written to the Romans, a militaristic and violent community.   Seneca successfully appeals to the elements of Roman literature; therefore, Edith Hamilton in The Roman Way calls him the â€Å"Father of sentimental drama.†Ã‚   Seneca wrote the play in around 50 AD about 480 years after Sophocles’ production.   The Roman audience responded to a melodramatic plot rather than the tragic theme of the former Oedipus.   Seneca, in rewriting the play Oedipus makes significant adjustments to suit the Roman audience, particularly plot and style changes. Melodrama in this sense (compared to tragedy) draws forth more of an emotional, pitiful reaction and any evidence of fear is removed; on the contrary, the emotion of pity is exaggerated and stressed.   The Greek wisdom and their capability to see beauty in all life created a desire for tragedy which draws forth reactions of both pity and fear; according to the Greeks, tragedy portrays mankind at his finest, standing tall among suffering and capable of heroism by overcoming evil.   Edith Hamilton in The Roman Way says, â€Å" . . . the unfamiliar and the extraordinary were on the whole repellent to them (the Greeks) and they detested every form of exaggeration.†Ã‚   She goes on to say, â€Å"Greek tragedy had no appeal as the Romans understood the words.†Ã‚   The Romans viewed life as cheap, almost worthless; therefore, to appeal to this audience, Seneca made fate seem merciless, while Sophocles suggested a tragic flaw, indicating the partial fault of the character. The plot of Sophocles’ and Seneca’s Oedipus are much the same.   Oedipus... ...d concentration on fate, Seneca appeals to the vicious Roman audience he writes to, as opposed to Sophocles’ pensive Greek audience.   The Roman audience desired more violent literature, and responded to the concept that fate and predestination were inescapable, while the Greek audience defined tragedy, including a tragic flaw of the character, as mankind at his best because the character becomes wise.   Seneca in rewriting the original Oedipus tragedy, removes any indication of fear, completely concentrating on the emotion of pity.   While Sophocles’ Oedipus can be called Greek tragedy, Seneca’s Oedipus exaggerates pity and disgust and must be classified as melodrama.   Instead of arousing pity and fear from the audience, Seneca uses plot and style changes and simply appeals to the emotion of pity to adhere to his Roman audience.               

Filling the Gap in My Heart :: miscellaneous

Filling the Gap in My Heart Flavia Weedn once said that â€Å"some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same.† Recently I had a life-changing experience that narrates to that notable quote. This experience opened my eyes to a whole other part of me that I never knew about. I learned that giving second chances doesn’t always have an unconstructive outcome and that building relationships aren’t effortless. When I opened my heart I faced a lot of poignant anxiety that guided me to a blissful and rewarding ending that I am grateful for. Growing up there was always a fraction of my heart absent that I had always wanted to have fulfilled. Not having a father throughout my childhood has put a mild affect on me expressively. In my eyes, having no father for eighteen years meant that it would be too late to ever have one in my life. That emotion came to an end on the day of my high graduation when my biological father showed up on my front porch. I was absolutely stunned and soundless of words. I didn’t recognize him in any way but the reaction that dispersed through my body when I opened that door led me to know that he was my father. Why was this stranger finally deciding to see his daughter? I kept asking myself that question repeatedly in my mind until we finally got the chance to sit down and converse. He informed me that I had three half siblings which consisted of one brother and two sisters. At that moment I felt left out like as if I didn’t do my role as a big sister all their lives. The hole in my heart seemed to get deeper as he spoke until he finally confessed the real truth to why he had abandoned me for all these years. He began explaining how he had been in prison for the last fifteen years for transporting illegal drugs over the U.S border. There was no method of contacting me and if there was he didn’t want me growing up knowing that my father was incarcerated. At that moment everything seemed to make sense and I actually wanted to give this gentleman a hug and perhaps even a chance to be in my life. Once he departed all I could feel was excitement within my heart.

The Philosophy of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

The Philosophy of Gilles Deleuze and FÃ ©lix Guattari ABSTRACT: In academic philosophy the writings of Gilles Deleuze and FÃ ©lix Guattari are still treated as curiosities and their importance for philosophical discussions is not recognized. In order to remedy this, I demonstrate how the very concept of philosophy expounded by the two contributes to philosophical thinking at the end of the twentieth century while also providing a possible line of thought for the next millenium. To do this, I first emphasize the influence of Deleuze's thinking, while also indicating the impact Guattari had on him. This account will therefore show Deleuze's attempts before Guattari to concieve of a non-dialectic philosophy of becoming. I will turn to rethink this approach given the influence of Guattari and his anti-psychoanalytic analysis of territorial processes. The result is a conception of philosophical activity as an act of 'becoming minor'.(1) 1. Introduction In the following I would like to talk about a topic that has been treated very little in academic philosophy. The works of GILLES DELEUZE - and not to forget his co-author, FÉLIX GUATTARI - are still treated as 'curiosities' and their importance for philosophical discussions is not recognized. (2) In opposition to this, I will show what the very concept of philosophy means to these two thinkers. In doing this I will start with the more theoretical backround. As many others have already I will stress the decisive influence of DELEUZE'S thinking, but I will also try to indicate the impact GUATTARI had on him. This account will therefore show DELEUZE'S attempts - before GUATTARI - to concieve of a non-dialectic philosophy of becoming. After that I will turn to the rethinking of such an approach given the influence of GUATTARI and his anti-psychoanalytic analysis of territorial processes. The outcome will be the resulting conception of the philosophical activity as an act of 'becoming-minor'. 2. GILLES DELEUZE Philosophy of Difference - Against Dialectics GILLES DELEUZE'S early philosophy is dominated by the project of attaining a kind of philosophy that can be characterized best by naming its very enemy: dialectics. Whether as a 'school' of philosophy (including the leading figures in France, KOJÈVE and SARTRE) or as an ontological approach to the world itself, which implies - no matter if in the Hegelian or Platonic version - a fundamental dualism. (In PLATO the difference between the sensual and intellectual world, in HEGEL'S dialectics the 'sublation' [Aufhebung] of real differences in the world through the synthesizing faculty of the mind qua negation).

“Is College Worth the Money?” by Daniel S. Cheever, Jr. Essay

In this day and age, the cost of a college education is more than most middle-class families’ yearly salary. In today’s job market, a lack of having a college education makes it difficult to land an entry level position. The discussion of college cost comes and goes but is a major question in the minds of parents and potential college applicants around the nation. In Daniel S. Cheever, Jr’s article, â€Å"Is College Worth the Money†, Cheever urges people to look at other factors when judging the value of a college education rather than its cost. To begin with, Cheever brings home the point that college tuition is rising at an exponential rate. Over the last 20 years, undergrad tuition at Havard has risen over twenty thousand dollars, outpacing the consumer price index. Cheever makes a valid point, by only focusing on one institution, is this indicative of all colleges across the board? By attending Harvard University, one could argue that one is paying for the prestige of the school rather than the quality of the education. Cheever also points out; parents are willing to take out $100,000 to pay for a highly educated graduate that, by the end of a working, career will make one million dollars more than someone who didn’t get a higher education. Taking cost out of the equation, what does that investment yield for the student? The final statement that Cheever makes, â€Å"Parents and students will demand a proven and verifiable outcome that measures the outcome on their investment† is a bleak conclusion. It is no t indicative of the students that go for a good time and not the quality of their education. Cheever makes bold claims throughout his essay that he seems to fail to back up. Though Cheever lacks depth in his essay, he makes many agreeable statements as to what we should consider in valuing a college education.We should look deeper into what a college brings to the table, more than just the prestige it has acquired. Having a after-grad services would definitely play a factor in how we judge a schools value. During the schooling years though, being able to become an economically productive and community minded citizen will aide anyone who attends, even if they decide to leave town, or even the state, after graduation. Cheever brings great ideas to the table, even if  just briefly touching each subject, he still makes the question, â€Å"Is College worth the money?† a tough one to answer. With all these great tips, asking is college worth the money is still a difficult decision. Ultimately, it falls to the students and parents seeking higher education to make the decision. Everyone is different, different upbringings, different theologies and requirements about what a school should do for them. If answering a generic question, â€Å"Is College worth the money?† is as easy as Cheever makes it out to be, why hasn’t the discussion stopped? There may never be a direct answer, but it has some basic guidelines based on Cheever’s essay. If you need any more information though, you’re better off calling each school you’re interested in and asking the same questions and seeing which school is the best for you. Reference Cheever Jr., Cheever S. â€Å"Is College Worth the Money?.† The Blair Reader. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Pearson, Prentice-Hall, 2014. 113-115. Print.

Questions on Short-Term Finance

What can managers do to control the cash cycle? What are the tradeoffs In shortening the cash cycle? Know how to calculate: Elements of the cash cycle and the operating cycle Managing the Working Capital Cycle (Chi. L) For what aspects of working capital does financial management have responsibility? What are the two key areas of working capital policy set by financial management? What are the objectives In setting working capital asset policy? What Is the difference between temporary current assets and permanent current assets? In what ways can working capital assets be balanced? What is spontaneous financing of working capital assets?How is the amount to be used determined? What should be considered in choosing between short-term and permanent financing sources for funding working capital assets? What are the tradeoffs? How can the lifetime of assets be matched to the maturity of funding sources (I. E. , what Is a restrictive working capital financing strategy)? How can working cap ital assets be financed more flexibly than with a restrictive strategy? How can they be financed more aggressively? Cash Management (Chi. L & Chi. 2) What is the focus of short-term financial planning? What are the steps of the short-term financial planning process?How are cash collections forecast? How are cash disbursements forecast? What are the elements of a typical cash budget? Why is short-term debt appropriate for covering short-term cash deficits? What are the typical sources of short-term funds? What Is a line of credit? What are the tradeoffs in cash? What is â€Å"cash†? How are borrowing reserves and marketable securities like cash? What is float? What types of float exist? Why do we care about float? How do we deal with float? What tools can we use to manage float? What is a locker arrangement? How do we compare costs and benefits of a locker?How does using a locker help us to manage risk? Elements of a cash budget Float time, float balances; Costs and benefits o f lockers Credit and Inventory Management Managing Accounts Receivable/Setting Credit Policy (Chi. 3) What are the elements of a receivables management program? What are the components of a credit policy? What are the tradeoffs in setting credit policy terms? How does competition affect the optimization of credit policy terms? How can a vendor have a lending cost advantage over other banks and finance companies? Why might a vendor be able to charge a higher price for goods and services by offering reedit?When might a vendor find it necessary to offer credit in order to establish reputation? What are the advantages/disadvantages of open account billing over invoice billing? What factors affect the ideal credit period? What factors determine whether or not credit (early payment) discounts should be offered? What are the five Co's of credit? What tools are used to monitor receivables? How is the impersonal nature of collection agencies both good and bad? In what forms can credit be off ered to customers? How does a firm offering credit to customers finance its own receivables? What is acting of receivables?What are the advantages/disadvantages of factoring? What elements of a credit policy decision can be quantified? How may a change in credit policy affect the costs associated with inventories? How may a change in credit policy affect the costs associated with receivables? In what two ways can projected bad debt losses be affected by a change in credit policy? What are the costs/benefits of offering discounts? Annual percentage costs of credit discounts Costs, benefits, and net benefit of a change in credit policy Break-even probabilities and percentages for a change in credit policy