Southwest Airline Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Southwest Airline Case - Essay Example ch eventually was Southwest’s primary strength and one of the major contributor of their success), can further promote company loyalty among its employees which in return will definitely deliver not just great but rather, excellent customer service that will fully satisfy their customers. Southwest Airlines’ success story was definitely not an easy business venture to accomplish because, as a new entrant in the airline industry way back in the seventies, they had to battle out large and well-established airline companies such as Continental Air just to be able to gain shares in the market and also, they even have to unfortunately adhere on to (unfair) state policies, one of which was the so-called Wright Amendment, whose alleged intention was to slow down Southwest’s progress [â€Å"Southwest Airlines (A)† p.53]. But despite all the obstacles hindering their company growth, Southwest’s strategy in confronting this dilemma however, under the leadership of Herb Keller the company’s CEO, was to give more focus into improving its services more for their customers’ satisfaction and delight rather than be provoked and get depressed by the imposed threats of their competitors. Among the other winning strategies that Southwest have f ostered, which eventually spring-boarded their competitiveness, were to fly to airports that are underutilized and close to a metropolitan area (convenient for tourists and especially for business travelers), frequent on-time departures and arrivals, non-stop flying (from point-of-origin to destination), faster turnarounds (meaning, more time flying in the air than being on the ground), of course having low-cost fares which obviously is very attractive to customers, and best of all, their unsurpassed quality customer service [â€Å"Southwest Airlines (A)† p.55]. But to give emphasis on the major competitive advantage of Southwest against all of their competitors is their cost-saving structure because of their longer or non-stop

International courts Essay Example for Free

International courts Essay Disputes are part of human existence. It is a normal occurrence. The earliest records one can find regarding quarrels between neighbors and the resolution of the same via third party intervention can be found in the Bible. Moses the old patriarch acted as an arbiter when two people could not resolve their issues. As civilizations developed, when Moses’ people were able to build more complex governments – the courts and the tribunals were also improved upon. In the modern times the system of settling disputes evolved into an art form. In America one has a very complicated way of resolving issues between two parties. It is already a great improvement from those used in the ancient world. Instead of a sole judge or king deciding over a case there is now a jury, a group of people who will work collectively as a whole and judge the matter so to speak. Now, all the previous discussion are all about settling disputes between two individuals or a group of people against a person and vice versa. This is also about a third party stepping in between two groups who could not settle their differences out of court. Finally, all the above are about the problems of individuals or groups of individuals that were addressed as citizens or as organizations within the bound of a political system or a geo-political nation. What if the disputes happened not between citizens within a country but a disagreement between two nations? Who will come in as a third party that will be reputable for each nation? This paper investigates the role of International Courts and the role it has to play in the ever increasing problem of global conflict. History According to Boris Kolba, international law and international courts is an old idea. He added that 17th century Dutch statesman Hugo Grotius, considered to be the â€Å"Father of International Law† argued, â€Å"†¦that all nations should follow one set of rules† (Kolba, p. 10). Those who were convinced on the practicality of Grotius’ ideas finally made decisive actions beginning in 1864 and Kolba wrote: In 1864, a group of nations met at Geneva, Switzerland, at the urging of Henri Dunant, one of the founders of the International Red Cross [†¦] It produced a set of rules for nations at war called the Geneva Convention [†¦] Only twelve nations signed the convention at first. Then in 1899 and 1907, delegates met at The Hague in the Netherlands [†¦] These conferences produced more rules, moving beyond war to cover how nations cold stay at peace. (p. 10) The United Nations. At the end of the Second World War, it was apparent that nations of the world must unite in dealing with international disputes so that it will not again result in a costly and devastating war. The first thing that was established was the United Nations and what followed suit is a more formal system of dealing with international problems. According to Mohamed Amr, to be a member of the UN automatically makes one a member of the International Court of Justice or ICJ. Referring to the Charter that established the UN, Sameh remarked that, â€Å"Article 92 of the Charter [†¦] reflects the constitutional position of the Court within the UN. It provides that the ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the UN [†¦] member states of the UN are ipso facto parties to the Court’s Statute† (p. 24). Simply put, if a country wants to enjoy the benefits and privileges as a UN member then that nation must also adhere to a basic condition as a member state and that is to honor the International Court of Justice. G. A. Knoops agrees with Amr and he said that the UN would establish international criminal tribunals as subsidiary judicial organs to fulfill its role as a guardian for international peace. Knoops added that: Clear examples of these enforcement measures are the establishment of international tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda [†¦] These tribunals have primacy over national courts (primary jurisdiction) concerning individuals suspected of perpetrating international crimes. The Security Council can compel UN member states to cooperate with the tribunals through use of its Chapter VII powers. (p. 7) Comparison Knoops made an interesting argument about the primacy of the UN’s International Court of Justice over that of national courts. It is therefore necessary in the study of International Courts to make a comparison to that of Civil Courts. Kolba provided the information as seen in the following: A Civil Court †¢ helps people settle their differences without fighting †¢ offers rules for people with disputes to follow †¢ takes time, giving people a chance to settle their arguments †¢ makes a decision that most people respect †¢ strengthens the rule of law The International Court of Justice †¢ helps nations settle their differences without going to war †¢ offers rules for nations with arguments to follow. †¢ takes time giving nations a chance to resolve their own disputes †¢ makes a decision that much of the world respects †¢ strengthens international law There is actually not much difference on how both systems work. The only difference is in terms of scale and instead of individuals what is being dealt here are relations between two countries. Moreover, if the disputes between two people could not be resolved amicably then the worst possible scenario could be personal vendetta that would probably result to violence. In case of disputes between two nations the catastrophic result could probably be a full-scale war. Kolba gave this riveting account on how an international incident can easily escalate into national disputes that could in turn lead to war. He wrote that in 1946, year after World War II, sea lanes were still unsafe for travel due to the numerous mines laid there by armies of the recently concluded global war: That year, four of Great Britain’s warship were sailing in the Corfu Channel off the coast of Albania [†¦] The warships struck at least one mine. The explosion badly damaged a ship, killing forty-five sailors and officers. Great Britain claimed Albania must have known the mines were there (and) blamed Albania for the damage and deaths. The unfriendly Albanian government said it was not responsible. (p . 4). The situation was tense. And the presence of British warships in the area added more tension to an already volatile atmosphere. Great Britain could have launched an attack, punishing Albania. Kolba however pointed out that in this case the rationale mind prevailed as the two nations saw the futility of war, â€Å"†¦the nations did not go to war. Instead, they went to court. Their dispute became the first case to be resolved by the International Court of Justice, the world’s most important international court† (p. 5).

Introduction To Managing Human Capital Management Essay

Introduction To Managing Human Capital Management Essay In highly competitive modern world, Managing Human Capital plays a pivotal role in organizational success than ever before. The every aspects of the human capital has changed drastically over time and now it is considered to be the most dominant and critical success factors in achieving in highly demanding and complex corporate objectives. Human Capital Management (HCM) can be defined and interpreted in many ways but in simplest form it can be defined as the strategic approach to people management in creating sustainable and competitive value to the organizations and people itself. As shown in the introductory slide, proper HCM strategy helps organizations to streamline and integrate with human resources with the business to deliver stakeholder expectations by addressing entire human resource cycle. First of all, proper HCM strategy helps organizations to identify, recruit and retain right individuals for the right positions by enabling significant advantage over the competitive edge. Also HCM focuses on effective employee engagement by establishing effective communication channels and increase workforce productivity by employee motivation and incorporating other strategies. Similarly, proper talent management, succession planning, leadership development and strategic alignment strategies more or less defines the organizational success and well defined and planed HCM strategy is the pathway to achieve it. Introduction to the Company KBSL Information Technologies Ltd (KBSL IT) is the leading Information/Systems Integrator of Information Communication Technology (ICT) solutions for Enterprises in Sri Lanka. KBSL has been in the industry for almost 25 years and it has the expertise in the areas of Server, Storage, Voice, Data Networks and Security Infrastructure Integration in providing a very sound and an optimal solution encompassing all relevant areas for customers, in meeting the current and growing requirements in keeping with industry trends. Currently, there are more than 75 highly talented individuals employed at KBSL and it is steered by a very flat management team which consists of CEO, CMO and Head of Business Units. The vision of the KBSL is to become the leading business system integrator in Sri Lanka by following the values of being fair and honest in every engagement with customers and the shareholders delivering the most innovative solutions. KBSL is best poised to achieve its organization mission through their simplified focus and in delivering customers information needs, through flexible and powerful solutions, that are central to their business success. The Key Issues and Challenges facing the General Management of Human Capital Globally and Locally They Key Issues and Challenges facing the General Management of Human Capital Globally In todays highly globalized, exceedingly competitive and dynamic business environments, managing human capital has become a global challenge for every manager in organizations. Referring to a survey done by PricewaterhouseCoopers addressing the key issues and challenges of human capital management of more than 200 companies from 35 countries, it is noted that change management, leadership development and organizational effectiveness are the top three issues faced by the companies. Additionally, employee recruitment, retention and succession planning are also considered to be important pain points of the managers in carrying out day to day business functions. Change management is highly important to address rapid changes imposed by the business environments such as mergers and acquisitions, dynamic changes in business strategy and focus, workforce mobility by managing the employees reluctance to change in a positive manner. Leadership development combined with the succession planning has also become a huge challenge for the management since it has a direct impact on on-going and future business operations and success. As per the survey managing the organizational effectiveness is equally important and organizations should review and restructure their entire organizational process and procedures to achieve success in local and international market segments. Similarly recruitment and availability of skilled employees and retention is equally important and has become a serious global challenge mainly due to aging workforce, inexperienced younger generation and competitiveness and agility of the labor workforce. They Key Issues and Challenges facing the General Management of Human Capital in KBSL Information Technologies Ltd To identify the key issues and challenges facing the general management of human capital, several one to one brief discussions were carried out with the Business Unit managers and finding are listed in the slide given below. As per the results, selection and recruitment of right candidates is the most challenging task and employee retention and development also goes side by side in management perspective. Nowadays, it has become almost impossible to find right talent for technical and non technical positions in service industry with right attitudes and qualifications mainly due to the facts that migration and overseas job opportunities and lack of interest and knowledge of the younger generation working in SI industry. So that company has to invest a lot on fresh graduates for their development by providing trainings and guidance without getting any productive outcome from them in return for a significant time period. Same as globally, coping up with the change has become one of the key challenges facing by the local management specially when handling employee behavior and perceptions in situations like drastic business strategy changes. Also addressing and filling up the gap between the employer and employee engagement happen to be impact negatively on overall business performance and this perceptual gap needs to be filled by establishing proper communication channels throughout the corporate hierarchy. Since we are still suffering and being victims of the global recession, local companies had to cut down budgets severely and due to that employees motivation and morality goes down ultimately affecting negatively on achieving business targets. Moving on with the discussion of global and local challenges faced by general management in handling human capital, now lets look at current HR management challenges of aligning employee and HR department agendas in KBSL. The current HR Management challenge of aligning The Employee Agenda with the The HR Department Agenda in KBSL The Employee Agenda in KBSL Information Technologies Ltd Every employee has their own expectations from their employers and organizational success heavily lies on identifying and satisfying those motivations, preferences and expectations of every individual in a win-win approach where both parties gets benefited. Small round table discussion was held with selective employees from each business units to identify their expectations from the company and listed are the findings of that session. First of all, every employee expects a positive working environment where they can carry out their assigned work productively and efficiently. They expect work-life balance since family life is equally important same as the working life and so that they expect it to be stress free, supportive and politics free culture. Also employees expect personal and professional growth equally as the attractive compensations and benefits because they want to climb up in the career ladder to reach higher commanding positions than being in the same position for a lifetime. Performance based rewarding approach and industry benchmarked salary levels are also expected and more importantly appraisals and evaluations to be done in transparently and fairly manner across the organization reward right individuals for their talent and performance. Apart from the benefits, employees expect to be given platform and opportunity to use their innovative ideas in to work where they can make a difference and get proper recognition in return. If employees feel that their work makes a difference and part of something unique and special they will get motivated and perform at their best to deliver more than expected benefiting the organizations at the end of the day. The HR Department Agenda in KBSL Information Technologies Ltd Similar to the employee expectations, there is always organizational and HR department agenda for each employee expecting to deliver certain results in return throughout the entire employee life cycle. Foremost of all, HR department wants to hire the best talent available in the industry and expecting them to perform at their fullest potential as a team to deliver organizational objectives. At the same time they expect everybody to act upon honestly and diligently with utmost commitment to the organization ad hearing to the corporate ethics and principals. More importantly, employees should represent their organization in a positive manner to outside world and every work related decisions they take should be made in the best interest to the customer. Also HR expects employees to develop their selves by updating with the latest technologies and practices and obtaining professional certifications to reflect the competency. Furthermore they expect employees to follow the directions set by the management, positively accept and learn from constructive criticisms and being dependable. Perceptual Gap Carefully evaluating and analyzing both employee and HR agenda, following key points were identified as the perceptual gap and incremental corrective solutions are proposed in the coming slide. As per the modern practices HR function should be strategically reengineered to closely align with the dynamic business environments and effective human capital management practices should followed. But refereeing to the KBSL entity, strategic focus of HR is minimal and more traditional administrative HR operations are followed. Since KBSL has a flat management hierarchy and consist of managers with traditional perceptual mindset still believes that employees as a liability and replaceable at anytime rather than treating them as organizations most valued assets. Also management expects employees to deliver more than they are capable without giving them proper training and compensations and some of the employees also expect limitless benefits from the company without delivering their assigned jobs. Both employees and HR department comes to false conclusions by judging on misinterpreted information mainly due to the distant engagement and lack of proper communication channels eventually affecting the organizational success. Finally there is no specific standard methodology to manage activities associated to employee life cycle causing unnecessary troubles to the business by following instantaneous ad hoc decisions. Proposals for Incremental Resolutions Based on the local and global trends and best practices and applying the human capital management theory, following resolutions are proposed to fill up the perceptual gap addressed above. Since employees are considered to be the most valuable asset to any organization, organizations should develop and maintain a win-win situation for both parties by addressing each others concerns genuinely. Also HR function should evolve to a more strategic and responsible role by closely aligning with business objective and proper communication channels needs to be established to minimize the misunderstandings between the employee and employers expectations. Also to address the major problem of employee turnover, KBSL management should provide competitive compensation and remuneration packages to the employees analyzing competitor benchmarks and focus on employee career development prospects positively to create a long lasting relationship with them. Also it is highly advised to incorporate modern HR practices given in the slide so that KBSL as a whole can benefit from positive outcomes. Talent Management Definition Talent Management has many definitions and as given in the slide it can be simply define as the systematic methodology in managing talent within an organization in achieving strategic business goals. Talent Management itself has important key components such as workforce planning, selection, recruitment, orientation, performance management, training and development, succession planning, compensation and benefits which can be directly impacted on organizational success. As per the formula shown in the power point slide talent should be a collective combination of competence, commitment and contribution so that in addition to the talent development, organizations should motivate and reward employees to gain their commitment and contribution to achieve organizational goals. The importance of the talent management is simply explained by the quotation of Organize as if the companys survival depends on talent management. It does by Boston consulting group and further discussed in the coming slide. Importance of Talent Management Talent management has become a crucial factor to organizational success due to many reasons and some of them are mentioned in this slide. In todays highly dynamic, highly competitive and highly demanding business environments, success is mostly depending on the talent of the workforce available within the industry. So that organizations should establish competency based recruitment procedures to attract the best among the industry and should retain and develop their best performers and highly skilled people to stay ahead in success race in the industry. Talent management plays a vital role in creating a high performing workforce and a winning corporate culture by implanting high motives in employees mindset and helps organizations to minimize the risk of losing key talent by initiating proper development programs giving employees plenty of opportunities to grow within the company. At the same time identifying successors for critical positions and develop internal employee capabilities to cater emerging organizational needs helps to address the resource scarcity in the industry. It also helps to identify competency gaps, talent requirements more quickly and make necessary arrangements to overcome those gaps for the betterment of the organizational performance. Finally it helps to manage challenging employee expectations effectively creating win-win situation for both parties otherwise which can be affected very severely. Key Issues and Challenges in Talent Management in KBSL Recommendations for Progressive Improvement and Resolution Source of Evidences References Al Ries, J.T., 1987. Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. 1st ed. Warner Books. Al Ries, J.T., 1994. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! HarperBusiness. Blythe, J., 2006. A very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Studying Marketing. 1st ed. Sage Publications. Charles D.Schewe, A.H., 1998. The Portable MBA in Marketing. 2nd ed. Wiley. Cowan, L., 2010. New Product Innovations and Launching Strategies. Business Issues, (February). Dean, J., 1976. Pricing Policies for New Products. Harward Business Review, December. Debelak, D., 1997. Entrepreneur Magazine: Bringing Your Product to Market. 1st ed. Wiley. Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka, 2011. Population Characteristics Population by District, Five year age groups and Sex. [Online] Available at: http://www.statistics.gov.lk. Duane E. Knapp, C.W.H., 1999. The Brand Mindset : How Companies Like Starbucks, Whirlpool, and Hallmark Became Genuine Brands and Other Secrets of Branding Success. 1st ed. McGraw-Hill. Fred Crawford, R.M., 2003. The Myth of Excellence: Why Great Companies Never Try to Be the Best at Everything. Crown Business. Google, 2012. Google Glass. [Online] Available at: https://plus.google.com/111626127367496192147/posts [Accessed 15 July 2012]. Greg W. Marshal, M.W.J., 2010. Essentials of Marketing Management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Isoble Doole, R.L., 2006. The Official CIM Course Book Strategic Marketing Decisions. 1st ed. Elsevier. Kotler, P., 2003. Marketing Insights from A to Z ( 80 Concepts Every Manager Needs to Know). John Wiley Sons, Inc. Kotler,P., Armstrong,G., 2011. Principles of Marketing. 14th ed. Prentice Hall. Kotler,P., Keller K L., Koshy, A., Jha, M., 2009. Marketing Management. 13th ed. Prentice Hall. London School of Commerce., 2012. Marketing Management Course Manual.

Essay --

1. A stakeholder is a person or group of people that has an interest or concern in an organization. There are a lot of different things that can affect a stakeholder such as the organizations actions, policies, and even sometimes their objectives. An example of a negative impact on stakeholders would be when an organization has to cut their costs and therefore has to start laying off employees. The stakeholders in this case would be Merck as there decided to try to pour a lot of money into research to develop new medications. Stakeholders are really important because they are ultimately what decide if a company survives or not. A business or organization needs to have stakeholders to be able to submit payments to them monthly to help them succeed. 2. There are a lot of potential costs and benefits of such an investment this is exhibited in this case. Profits that Merck made based on their selling of prescription drugs was not the only thing that they cared about and wasn’t in high priority to them. All that Merck tried to do was have the ability to feel like and think that the medicine that they have is for the people and that the profit comes second. Merck feels like if they remember this then they will have the ability to be able to make profits without even trying. All businesses need to be able to examine the positive and negative effects of all of their products or services. Most of the time business managers are only interested in seeing the bottom line, but in this case they care a lot more about their customers and what they have to offer them. 3. There are many different kinds of corporate social responsibility that all can help a company be successful if they are used correctly. My assessment of the company is that I ... ...potential and willing to give their all to your organization. 7. If I was running an organization or company, being the manager there would be certain ways that I would go about communication the corporate social responsibility to all of my employees. Being able to communicate this effectively with all of your employees allows you to establish a strong corporate culture and also strengthen a lot of the relationships that exist within your organization. The most important goal that all organizations want to be able to achieve is to have the ability to communicate the CSR effectively to help their employees be able to be engaged fully in the company. Some of the ways that I would use to be able to communicate the CSR to my employees and workforce effectively would be as follows: †¢ Social networking sites †¢ Videos †¢ Forums †¢ Websites †¢ Blogs †¢ Meetings †¢ Newsletters Essay -- 1. A stakeholder is a person or group of people that has an interest or concern in an organization. There are a lot of different things that can affect a stakeholder such as the organizations actions, policies, and even sometimes their objectives. An example of a negative impact on stakeholders would be when an organization has to cut their costs and therefore has to start laying off employees. The stakeholders in this case would be Merck as there decided to try to pour a lot of money into research to develop new medications. Stakeholders are really important because they are ultimately what decide if a company survives or not. A business or organization needs to have stakeholders to be able to submit payments to them monthly to help them succeed. 2. There are a lot of potential costs and benefits of such an investment this is exhibited in this case. Profits that Merck made based on their selling of prescription drugs was not the only thing that they cared about and wasn’t in high priority to them. All that Merck tried to do was have the ability to feel like and think that the medicine that they have is for the people and that the profit comes second. Merck feels like if they remember this then they will have the ability to be able to make profits without even trying. All businesses need to be able to examine the positive and negative effects of all of their products or services. Most of the time business managers are only interested in seeing the bottom line, but in this case they care a lot more about their customers and what they have to offer them. 3. There are many different kinds of corporate social responsibility that all can help a company be successful if they are used correctly. My assessment of the company is that I ... ...potential and willing to give their all to your organization. 7. If I was running an organization or company, being the manager there would be certain ways that I would go about communication the corporate social responsibility to all of my employees. Being able to communicate this effectively with all of your employees allows you to establish a strong corporate culture and also strengthen a lot of the relationships that exist within your organization. The most important goal that all organizations want to be able to achieve is to have the ability to communicate the CSR effectively to help their employees be able to be engaged fully in the company. Some of the ways that I would use to be able to communicate the CSR to my employees and workforce effectively would be as follows: †¢ Social networking sites †¢ Videos †¢ Forums †¢ Websites †¢ Blogs †¢ Meetings †¢ Newsletters

Adoption is a Family Affair!

Joyce Maguire Pavao, the author of â€Å"The Family of Adoption† has been successful in capturing the essence of adoption, the challenges it brings as well as the necessities that would help in handling these challenges.   Being an adopted child herself, she has a great understanding of the challenges and needs, not only of the adopted child, but the adoptive parent and birth parent as well.The book has a more practical and realistic feel since the author willingly shared her own experiences as an adopted child. One characteristic of the book that should be noted is the way the author categorized the whole book.   Covering the essentials not limited to the adopted child alone.The author also generously shared insights about the needs of the birth and adoptive parent.   It is very important to know the rationale behind her principle that the whole process of adoption does not only include the adopted child but the other individual surrounding her as well.   Her book has admirably captured and discussed this principle.In the book, the author well discussed the processes that the birth parent and the adoptive parents.   This part recognizes the fact that even the parents (birth and adoptive) may go through the process of grief and experiences dilemmas as well.In line with this, the book stated that the parents (birth and adoptive) may also need to go through the process of healing.   To further strengthen this fact, the author mentioned that there is a need for the adoptive parent to undergo counseling since this will help the adoptive parent to better understand and have a healthy relationship with the adoptive child.The book mentioned that an adopted child may go through â€Å"developmental stages† such us feelings of loss, experiencing problems in school and the wanting to know about their past.   The author mentioned that the adopted child have every right to know as much about his or her past.The adoptive parents should be open to this fact.   Apart from this, the author was able to clarify the different challenges and developmental stages that the adopted child goes thru.   She said that these are normal.   They may be challenging, but they are a normal process that the adopted child goes thru.In the book, it is stated that adoption â€Å"is not about finding children for families, but about finding families for children.†Ã‚   The items discussed in the book are somehow a reminder that the best interest of the adopted child should always be the priority of the parents.   In the first part of Chapter 1, the author said that â€Å"There have always been mothers and fathers who have not been able to, or not chosen to, or not been allowed to, parent their children†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚   This is a sad fact that Joyce Maguire Pavao has beautifully placed into proper perspective.The birth parents have had their share of criticism from many because they gave up their child.   But it is important to reme mber that the birth parents have reasons as to why they chose to give up their child for adoption.   Birth parents need the same understanding, perhaps, as that of the adopted child.This book presented us with the reality that adoption is a commitment more than anything else.   It is a process that needs the cooperation of both the birth and adoptive family of the child.Openness of both families is essential to the growth and better development of the child.   It is important to accept that the adopted child will go thru confusing stages that may prove to be a challenge for the parents.But because of the commitment that the parents choose to make, these challenges, when faced properly, may prove to be the cause of a better relationship with the child.  Ã‚   While the family (parents and child) are going through the different challenges that the process of adoption brought about, it is critical for the parents to remind themselves that the best interest of the child should al ways be the main concern.A lot of people have different opinion with regards to adoption.   Some may even have negative notions about it.   Apart from the usual challenges that an adoptive parent may face while going through the process of adoption, the opinions and reactions of the people around them is another thing that they would need to deal with.It is not enough that the adoptive couple alone understand and is happy about adopting.   It is vital that they have the support and understanding of the people they care about.The book â€Å"Adoption is a Family Affair† is perfect for the families and friends of the adoptive couple.   Patricia Irwin covered the different areas that families of the adoptive parents should know about.   Areas such as who can adopt, reasons behind the decision of adopting, kids understanding adopting and much more.She made the whole adoption process something that can be and should be shared amongst family members and even close friends.    This book is a helping hand to the families and close friends of the adoptive couple, for them to better grasp then reality of and better understand the decision made by their loved one.Patricia Irwin herself is an adoptive parent, given this, she may as well have experienced the confusions of her family and friends about her decision to adopt.   She has a clearer understanding of the need for the people who the adoptive couple cares about to know as much fact as possible with regards to adoption.It is important that the author pictured in the very beginning of her book that there can be a negative reaction from the people the adoptive parents care most about when the couple decides to share the information of adoption to them.   Like most of us, of course we would love for it for the people we equally love to feel the happiness and excitement we feel when we decide to adopt.   And as the author clearly illustrated, this is not always the case.The book acknowledges valid fears and concerns of the families and friends of the adoptive parents.   Some of the valid concerns that the author discussed were the permanence of adoption, whether the child will be different from them or will not fit, the racial difference, should grandparents include the adopted child in their will, how can the family have deeper bonds with the child, etc.These are all valid concerns and important.   In fact, the adoptive couple may have thought about all these things themselves.Patricia Irwin was great in giving solutions or suggestions on how to deal with these fears and concerns.   Some of her solutions were as simple as the family members spending time with the child to create a deeper bond, giving assurance to the family members that adoption is permanent, and the like.One interesting part of the book is where the author gave examples of the possibly irritating comments given by friends and relatives of adoptive couples upon knowing of the couples’ decision t o adopt.   These comments show how uninformed some people are about adoption.   It illustrates how some people, no matter how closely related they may be to the adoptive couple, can be insensitive about the whole adoption process.There were financial related comments where it appears as if the child is someone the adoptive couple picks from a shelf display of children and pays for it at the counter.   Some comments were just downright insensitive and would not be expected to have come from well educated individuals.Of course, we cannot expect everyone to be knowledgeable about adoption.   As the book illustrated, the families and relatives of the adoptive couple may be confused and misinformed about adoption.This book has truly been informative and is useful for the family and friends of the adoptive couple.   It plainly made clear the issues that the adoptive couples may go through in connection with the possible reactions, confusions and hesitations of the people around them who they wish to be a part of the adoption process.Reference ListPavao JM. The Family of Adoption. Boston: Beacon Press; 2004Johnston PI. Adoption is a Family Affair. Indianapolis: Perspective Press;

Realistic Characteristics of Life in the Iron Mills Essay

Davis narrates the story with as much irony as she situates her story close to a nineteenth century factory where her characters were once employed, more importantly, where her male character, Hugh Wolfe who used to live in her home, a lowly Welsh immigrant who finds comfort working for an Iron Mill along with him Deborah—a pathetic, grotesque woman deprived of everything that the word beautiful stands for. Their tale is set in the city of Wheeling, Virginia where it is portrayed in a gloomy state, perhaps the idea of uneducated men and women that paced back and forth set up a negative feeling, the text â€Å"You may pick the Welsh emigrants, Cornish miners, out of the throng passing the windows, any day. They are a trifle more filthy; their muscles are not so brawny, they stoop more. When they are drunk, they neither yell, nor shout, nor stagger, but skulk along like beaten hounds. (Davis, Rebecca Harding. Copyright 1861. â€Å"Life in the Iron Mills†) describes the immigrants as poorly as they are deprived of any sort of luxury for the reason that in this time period the type of class you are in defines how other people should look at you, how they treat you, or even how you should live you life, your limitations. Only three people seem to symbolize the head, the heart, and the pocket of the middle-class: Kirby, Mitchell, and Doctor May. Kirby—being one of the mill owners is the source of abusiveness to the poor workers, Mitchell—being the constant joker, a sarcastic bastard who toyed with Wolfe’s feelings, and Doctor May whom Wolfe trusts despite her lack of will to heal Wolfe’s misery. Denied of free will, focal characters Deborah and Hugh could never really make a choice especially when it came for Hugh to decide if he should return the stolen money or continue to live in guilt. Back then, hardly does anyone reflect about the wellbeing of other people, alas, when the authorities finally jailed Hugh for his sin it was too late for him to repent for his immorality. Power is symbolized through money and how it separates the upper class from the lower class. It gives the wealthy a place of authority and destroys the unfortunate. Before Hugh committed suicide, he and Deborah spoke one last of their unidealized accent, â€Å"It is best, Deb. I cannot bear to be hurted any more. †Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hur knows,† she said, humbly. Tell my father good-by; and–and kiss little Janey. † (Davis, Rebecca Harding. Copyright 1861. â€Å"Life in the Iron Mills†) which, despite its unconventional tongue, seems to say more than how it is read as, simply by saying farewell to Wolfe’s family. Sentimental Characteristics of Life in the Iron Mills In this context, in the midst of all the autocracy and injustice the workers only hope for survival is food. Yet the ‘hunger’ that is often mentioned in the story is not drawn to food alone but to the worker’s hunger for better lives. His words passed far over the furnace tender’s grasp, toned to suit another class of culture; they sounded in his ears a very pleasant song in an unknown tongue† (85). Davis suggests, in this text, that faith and hope are essential for these people to find happiness. Hugh Wolfe yearns to have a better life so he goes to church and pray for divine providence, yet when he hears the sermon it seemed to him that God only cared for the privileged. Yet, however contemptuous their lives may be and even though Wolfe decided to end his life in the end, certain occurrences have proved worthy of optimism. After Wolfe was buried, it seems that there is still hope for Deborah, as the text goes, â€Å"As the evening wore on, she leaned against the iron bars, looking at the hills that rose far off, through the thick sodden clouds, like a bright, unattainable calm. As she looked, a shadow of their solemn repose fell on her face: its fierce discontent faded into a pitiful, humble quiet. Slow, solemn tears gathered in her eyes: the poor weak eyes turned so hopelessly to the place where Hugh was to rest, the grave heights looking higher and brighter and more solemn than ever before. The Quaker watched her keenly. She came to her at last, and touched her arm. —â€Å"When thee comes back,† she said, in a low, sorrowful tone, like one who speaks from a strong heart deeply moved with remorse or pity, â€Å"thee shall begin thy life again,–there on the hills. I came too late; but not for thee,–by God’s help, it may be. † (Davis, Rebecca Harding. Copyright 1861. â€Å"Life in the Iron Mills†) this gives their ending a clearer view of Deborah may have wanted to live her life next after the treacherous event. With hope and the will to step forward and rise.

History of Ireland

In the years after 1000 AD the cultural and social landscape of Ireland changed a great deal. The influx of foreigners in Ireland had intentions to control, settle, and exploit the people and land and had a profound effect on the otherwise autonomous peoples who existed there. Most people assume the first people to inhabit Ireland were the Celtic speaking natives, who arrived between 700 and 500 BC. However, the island has been inhabited since as far back as 8000BC when nomads crossed the Irish Sea from continental Europe on ice bridges. Before the arrival of any other groups in Ireland the people of the island were very inward looking and not concerned with the events which took place in the rest of Europe. This paper will detail the effects that the newcomers had on the physical and social climate of Ireland and especially how and why the English were able to establish a control over the island which lasted for over 800 years. The primary unit of the Irish society was the family, each having its own lands. The source of power which gave rise to kingships and other forms of authority was cattle or other livestock given to families for use on their lands. In return for this families pledged their loyalty and services to their superior, such as in battle. As a result cattle became the measure of wealth and not lands as it was in the rest of Europe. 2 There was no single authority in Ireland to whom all answered; rather, historians noted any number of kingships on the island at any time. The kings were constantly fighting amongst themselves in an attempt to gain power and wealth. Perhaps even more divisive was the infighting amongst their own families; often, even brothers would fight each other dividing the established hierarchy. This created increased divisions between competing clans on the island and made any attempt to rule over it seemingly impossible as no Irishman was able to accomplish it. The Irish are naturally an open-minded and accepting people who have great respect for other cultures and traditions. The best example of this mentality is the spread of Christianity which St. Patrick introduced there beginning in 432AD. It must be noted that the spread of Christianity in Ireland was bloodless, unlike in many other parts of the world. By peacefully accepting the new faith, elements of openness and tolerance are evident in their natural character. The Irish people's actions were morally based on tradition and precedents set by their ancestors. They followed tradition very strictly when they warred with each other or had other disputes. Places such as monasteries were considered sacred, due to their strong belief in Christianity, and not to be interfered with when fighting took place. When a battle was won, the victor did not win the lands because tradition required that they stay in the possession of the family who tended them. Instead, loyalty and influence was won. This shows the respect land held in Irish society, it could be said that land was too sacred to become a pawn in the games of warring men. The first record of a strong foreign presence in Ireland came in 795 AD when Vikings arrived. It was reported that heathens had come ashore to loot and kill. 5 Throughout the forty years that followed sporadic raids were reported in all parts of Ireland as the Vikings sailed inland on the rivers and continued to attack coastal settlements. Similar raids were occurring at the same time in England and eventually it became evident to local populations on both islands that the goal of the raiders was shifting from bounty to settlement. 6 By the year 841 AD, the Vikings had established their own settlements on the island called Longphorts. These settlements were located on key waterways and used as a base from which to launch further attacks on the inland settlements of Ireland and on other areas of Europe, especially the island of England. Settlements included what are now major urban centers of Ireland such as Waterford and Dublin, which was founded in 852. These towns proved to be an important development as they would become forever sources of the wealth associated with trade. After establishing themselves permanently in Ireland the Vikings became much more vulnerable to counter attacks from native peoples and soon became part of the infighting which took place between all who inhabited Ireland. 7 Due to the changing condition of their homeland the Irish people had become more advanced and inline with the developing societies of Europe. They had been describe as â€Å"Tribal, rural, hierarchical and familiar† (In the sense of being family orientated) by one scholar but were quickly losing these traits. 8 Where it was once impossible to control lands or the kingdoms of other families, Irish leaders began to claim these kingdoms and lands in their name. Kings would capture Norse towns and hold them as their own; such acts were previously unheard of. 9 These actions occurred because the Norse had no knowledge of, or respect for the customs which were previously in place. Therefore, if the Irish wished to hold off the ever-expanding foreigners, their towns would have to have been overtaken and held. As a result of the importance of holding lands and towns a feudal system began to develop in parts of Ireland. . It is not reasonable to expect the Irish to show the traditional respect to an enemy who showed none in return. The effects of the Viking influence on Irish tradition can easily be seen in how the natives fought their wars after the arrival of the outsiders. No longer were certain things, such as monasteries, sacred and not to be interfered with. The Vikings upon first arrival were not Christian and so had no comprehension of the sanctity of monasteries, rather, they saw them as sources of great wealth and bounty. In order for the Irish to remain competitive in war they had to rebut in the same fashion. They did so by neglecting their traditions and attacking monasteries in Viking held positions. Viking kingdoms were established and were as active in the wars on the island as the clans who fought each other before their arrival. As intermarriage blurred the distinguish ability of Viking communities from native communities the people were divided less and less by race and more by kingdoms with none becoming dominant over the island as a whole. By the 1150s the Vikings had become much less a foreigner as a people who were establishing their own kingdoms on the island which the three predominate families of the island tried to rule over The most notable Norse Kingdom is that of Dublin where the Vikings traded with much of Europe. 10 It was during such a time that the English presence began in Ireland. In 1166 Dermot MacMorrough, a King of Leinster and Dublin, appealed to King Henry II of England to help him in his quest to regain his thrown and ultimately become king of all Ireland. The families he had ruled over did not whole-heartedly support him. As a result, when he stole the wife of another Irish king, O'Rourke of Breffni, the peoples who were to support him had an excuse not to. He was ousted in what had become a routine power shift like many which had occurred over the previous two centuries and was banished. In his mind he felt abandoned by his allies and so he looked to England for help in regaining his position. 11 He went to England because he had influential contacts there whom he met while they were trading in Dublin, as many people from all over Europe did at that time. 12 Henry II, who was fighting his own wars in France, agreed to help with his own motives in mind. He realized the value of the trade rich coastal cities such as Dublin and Waterford and realized Dermot would be in his debt should his attempt at restoration be successful. Henry himself was not able to help due to the battles he was involved with at the time. He drafted a letter addressed to all his subjects, who were many as he was the most powerful king in Europe at the time. In it he stated his approval for the cause of Dermot and encouraged all to aid him realizing that they went in his name. 13 Equipped with the letter of endorsement Dermot set out to recruit the force with which he would conquer Ireland. Using monies loaned to him by his wealthy friends and giving promises of lands and titles to those who helped him he was able to muster a small force. He was also able to assure promises of more men in the coming years from someone who would become a predominant figure in the years to come, Richard fitz Gilbert also called Strongbow. This man was eager to help because he was out of favor with Henry as he did not support him in the English Civil War. To Strongbow Dermot promised his daughter in marriage, making him the heir to whatever territories they gained. Using his new allies, Dermot returned in 1167 and reinstated himself in his old capital where for the next two years he waged small scale wars against his old enemies. As his enemies were still pre-occupied fighting each other he was able to regain most of his former lands and to live in peace as he awaited his next wave. 14 Having been the first Irishman to look to England for help in Ireland he was branded â€Å"Dermot of the foreigners† and is still considered the greatest traitor in Irish history as his invitation marked the beginning of the end of Irish sovereignty in the minds of many Irish. 15 It is tragic that the Irish peoples continued to fight against one another even after knowing that Dermot had aligned himself with the most powerful King Europe. Should they have worked together to throw off the English the course of Irish history would have undoubtedly been different. They would have saved themselves from the centuries of horror and catastrophic neglect which were to follow. As promised, Dermot's new allies arrived in Ireland in 1170 numbering nearly 2000 men. These newcomers held a tremendous advantage over the natives in the form of their advanced weapons. They possessed archers which proved to be an essential part of their success in the conquests that followed. They soon gained control of strategic coastal cities where they established themselves and expanded from, mostly winning territories on the eastern half of Ireland and proceeding westward. 16 The Character of Dermot is one dominated by greed and selfishness but also fierce determination. In the city of Waterford Strongbow married Dermot's daughter and secured his place as heir. Having effectively given what had become the highest position in Ireland to a foreigner it is easy to see why Dermot is seen as a traitor. Another account tells of how Dermot abandoned his own son for power. As a condition for peace upon his arrival he gave his son to one of his enemies to be held as assurance that Dermot would not go on the offensive. 17 Knowing that his son would be killed he pressed on anyway. These actions show the greed and self-fulfilling character of Dermot, he wished to be King of the Irish at any cost. He cared only about his time and did not bother himself with what would become of his kingdom after his death when he could not personally benefit. Following Dermot's death in 1171 Strongbow assumed control, however it was not a smooth transition. Many natives did not recognize him as a legitimate king and rebelled against his authority. Strongbow was able to maintain control but it became increasingly difficult for him after Henry II, who was still unsure of his loyalty and motives, took measures to limit Strongbow's control and future successes. Henry cut off supplies and reinforcements fearing Strongbow would establish a powerful rival regime so close to England. As a result the new regime had difficulty fending off the Irish who resented his presence and authority and they spent more time fending off attackers than expanding their influence. 8 Henry was not confidant that Ireland was under his control or that it did not pose a future threat even after Strongbow reaffirmed his loyalty to him and submitted the conquered lands to him. Henry decided to travel there and ensure that his objectives were accomplished; he was surprised and encouraged by the accomplishments of his countrymen and was confident that the entire island could be brought under his control. There is evidence to suggest Henry anticipated battle as he brought with him the largest English army to date, 5000 men, and provisions to last them for months. 9 It is difficult to imagine the state of mind the Irish were in while anticipating the arrival of Henry, they would have undoubtedly realized the threat he posed to them and the power he possessed. The fear of what was to come would have weakened the resolve of the forces still trying to fend off the existing English. Henry finally arrived in Waterford in 1171 and became the first English king to set foot on Irish soil and immediately received the appropriate respect from the Irish. 0 The presence of his army was more useful than their skills or techniques as they did not have to fight a single battle. All leaders of Ireland, except one high-king in the north-west, submitted to Henry knowing that if a battle was fought, they would not win. Due simply to his superior army Henry was able to conquer almost the entire island without fighting a single battle. Upon leaving Ireland Henry made his son John Lord of Ireland under who the leaders who had submitted to Henry ruled. When John became King of England Ireland was incorporated into the English Kingdom. The implications of theses events would be felt throughout the rest of Ireland's history. 21 When Henry II departed Ireland with poise he left behind him a new form of Ireland. Some new concepts were simple such as new foods he had introduced in an attempt to impress the subjugated Irish kings at a lavish dinner. He also effectively pushed most Irish and Viking inhabitants out of Dublin22. Others were more fundamental to the Irish way of life. A more strict enforcement of the evolving Christian church form was to take place in Ireland where it had not been adopted. This was made possible because now the church could spread a uniform throughout a single Kingdom. The new form of the church was adopted by the Irish and has shaped the faith of the Irish ever since. Even later when the English reformed and become Protestant the Irish remained Catholic. 23 This fundamental divide has shaped relations between Ireland and her authority to the current time. It is seen in the bitter relationship between the Catholic Irish Republic and the Protestant Northern Ireland, which remains part of Great Britain even now. This difference was a focal point of the separation of the two in 1922 as many inhabitants Northern Ireland were of English backgrounds whose ancestors had settled there and been upper-class citizens. The concept of feudalism was spread after Henry departed, this would prove to be a source of discontent among the Irish for the remainder of their subjugation. Two English Lords were appointed by Henry, given lands which belonged to Irishmen. They established feudal regimes in their territories as the remaining Irish kings continued in their traditional fashion. 4 Eventually, despite strong political and physical opposition from the Irish, the concept was spread throughout the entire island and the plight of the Irish took full effect. The fact that the Irish, along with their customs and heritage, were thrown aside in order for the egos and greed of the Kings men to be satisfied is unsettling. The English portrayed the Irish as uncivil and barbaric, but to in reviewing the English beha vior treatment of the natives a paradox is seen. Henry also began a long and merciless neglect and exploitation of the Irish people and their land and crop rights. All Irish Kings and English Lords he had put in place had to pay a tax to him. The payment of this tax would become another focal point in English-Irish relations. The most evident example of this came in 1845-1847 when many Irish were forced to leave their homelands due to famine. The potato famine caused over one million people to leave from 1847-1851 and the deaths of tens of thousands due to starvation. 25 The Irish starved because they were forced to export their crops, such as corn, to England as a tax. In most years this left them with little more than potatoes to eat and when they did not grow the deprivation took its toll. If the taxes have been forgiven in these years the displacement and death of over a million Irish could have been prevented. The Irish world was self-concerned and to an extent underdeveloped before the arrival of any foreign people, when power was finally returned to the Irish people in 1922 the entire landscape had changed. The distressing point in this fact is that the Irish had very little to do with shaping their country for over 800 years, instead it was shaped by the prerogatives of outsiders. The foreigners to settle in Ireland did also leave some positive marks such as key cities, trade partnerships, and the development of Irish nationalism. The most apparent sign of English influence today is that they remain the highest authority in Northern Ireland. If any lessons are to be learned from how the Irish handled the arrival of the Vikings and the English it is that a country divided against itself will fall. If they have worked together the fate of the Irish people, and Europe, would have been much different.