Portrayal of Australian Mining Towns Essay

Arthur Boyd and Oodgeroo, formally known as Kath Walker, both effectively depict their own view of Australia through the painting â€Å"The Mining Town† and the poem â€Å"The Time Is Running Out. † They each present slightly differing interpretations of the country based upon their altered perspectives and context. Arthur Boyd presents a vivid and vibrant life of an Australian mining town of 1920 through his painting while Kath Walker aggressively portrays an outraged view of what Australia has become violently outlining the damages caused by European settlement. In Kath Walkers poem â€Å"time is running out† she uses a passionate and forceful tone allowing it to illustrate an Aboriginal perspective of the mining town, which effectively portrays her view of Australia. â€Å"The miner rapes the heart of the earth† the use of the word â€Å"rape,† describes a traumatic and violent action. Kath Walker uses this aggressive quote to start her poem essentially stating the miners are ruining the natural part of Australia. She then proceeds to say â€Å" With this violent spade† meaning the spade the miners are using is killing the earth. â€Å" Stealing, bolting her black blood. † The use of a metaphor in this quote depicts the miner taking the black coal from the earth. She then personifies the earth to exemplify that the Europeans are destroying the natural beauty of Australia â€Å"for the sake of the greedy trade. † Kath Walker demonstrates her disappointment throughout the poem in the European culture of Australia and is horrified by what the country has become. She effectively conveys her view of Australia. In the second part of Kath Walkers poem she proceeds to use a patriotic and again a violent tone to portray her view of Australia. She challenges upon all Aborigines to take a stand against the violent nature on the earth caused by the foreigners. The repetition of â€Å"violence† â€Å"he knows violence† â€Å"will be violently written† â€Å"make the violent miner feel† exaggerates her perspective of Australia by portraying Australia as a terrible violent country. Throughout her poem she over exaggerates the terrible wok of the miners and at the end of her poem she hypocritically gives a violent message of retaliation against the miners â€Å"to defend their timeless land. † â€Å"Come gentle black man† she creatively changes the audience’s state of mind by showing that the aborigines are the victims and are innocent. Kath allows the audience to feel her frustration with the use of her aggressive tone and adjectives essentially providing the audience with not only Kath’s view of Australia but also the whole Aboriginal community. It is because of Kaths poetic devices and techniques which allows her to present her perspective of Australia from an Aboriginal point of view. Her aggressive and serious tone, shows her passion and love for the nature of the country. She also spreads a message of violence of retaliation and revenge on the European miners who are destroying nature in Australia all for â€Å"the filthy dollar. † Therefore I think that the poem most effectively conveys a view of Australia rather than the photo.

Beauty Lies in the Eye of the Beholder

McNulty, J. , Neff, L. , Karney, B. (2008). Journal of Family Psychology. Beyond Initial Attraction: Physical Attractiveness in Newlywed Marriage, 22(1), 135-143. â€Å"Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder†. A famous statement that normally holds true. However, how long will this beauty last in the beholder’s eye? Will physical appearance affect a relationship over time as the relationship deepens and develops? A study was conducted by James K. McNulty, Lisa A. Neff, and Benjamin R. Karney attempting to answer how physical appearances continue to affect established relationship.The study was published in the â€Å"Journal of Family Psychology† in 2008 titled Beyond Initial Attraction: Physical Attractiveness in Newlywed Marriage. The primary reason for the study was to expand on prior studies of physical attractiveness which suggested that physical attractiveness should be connected with more positive outcomes in marriage. Apparently, many studies of physical a ttractiveness came about to support or over- throw two poets recognition on the period of physical attractiveness.Poet John Keats believes that the benefits of beauty are everlasting while poet G. B. Shaw believes that beauty is destined to fade over time. Different theories were also taken into consideration. Equity and similarity theories predict that attractiveness should be connected with greater levels of satisfaction and vice versa. Evolutionary perspectives and normative resource theories suggest that the gender of the more attractive partner should play an important role in determining the effects of different attractiveness.The author had cited clear review of literature and the problem was clearly visible to the average reader why the researchers felt this study needed to be done. With that said, this research tested hypothesis about whether physical attractiveness continues to influence relationships after marriage or fade with time and experience. The focus of the study was to obtain observer ratings of physical attractiveness, observer ratings of behavior, and self reports of satisfaction from a sample of recently married couples.Relative levels of attractiveness were then analyzed in order to understand the impact of each spouse’s attractiveness on how they compare with one another. Only newlyweds were selected for this particular study. The couples had to be recently married, were relatively around the same age, and were selected within the first 6 months of both partner’s first marriage. The selected 82 eligible couples went through a formal laboratory session and questionnaires before any experiments were conducted.To conduct the ratings of physical attractiveness, the researchers had to use the Quality Marriage Index, a six-item scale asking spouses to rate general statements about their marriage. Higher scores would reflect greater satisfaction with the relationship. To conduct ratings of behavior, trained raters had coded vide otaped discussions of support topics based on The Social Support Interaction Coding System. Every behavior such as speaking, turning, and gestures were recorded and analyzed.To conduct self reports of satisfaction, researchers rated the facial attractiveness of each spouse from the recorded videotapes. From a scale from 1 to 10, higher ratings indicated more attractive faces. The results of the study reflected the researchers’ expectations in newlyweds. According to the tables and data, both husbands and wives had relatively high level of marital satisfaction, there were more positive behaviors during their social support interactions, and their facial attractiveness were at the attractiveness scale.Further analyses were conducted on levels of physical attractiveness connected with outcomes of established relationships. Regression models were drawn separately for husbands and wives and the results indicated that the absolute levels of attractiveness were associated with both satisfaction and behavior. Surprisingly, findings shows that more attractive husbands tended to behave more negatively in an established relationship but neither the husbands’ nor wives’ supportive behavior was related with their partners’ attractiveness.Results indicate that relative attractiveness was a better predictor of behavior; thus, the analyses were consistent with the predictions derived from evolutionary and normative recourse theories. Both husband and wives behave more positively when the wives are more attractive than the husband, but more negatively when the husbands were more attractive than wives. It is believed that physical attractiveness is less important to the wives; thus, attractiveness may only affect them through the effect on husbands.The current study is consistent with Poet John Keats’ view where the attractiveness that brings people together will continue to influence relationships even after marriage. However, the way physica l appearances affects the relationship seems to change over time. The recommendations for the current study were to a call for additional research in the area. It is suggested to use larger samples with varying attractiveness. More variables in other indicators of attractiveness are definitely recommended as well. This was a very in-depth research project.For the most part it was well written and well organized. The methods use to gather the data for the study was clearly explained. The instruments and development were explained and all possible tests were given. The findings were well organized, sectioned, and reported objectively. The conclusions of the study were based on the findings and logically stated. The article did get a little complicated in the reporting of data due to the complicated statistical procedures used. Overall, it was a very interesting, significant contribution to the field of research in family psychology.

Age of Exploration Essay Example for Free (#3)

Age of Exploration Essay ? The age of exploration had many varied effects on the countries involved, mainly Spain, France, and England. By establishing a prosperous empire in South America by conquering the native people, Spain became vastly wealthy off of the gold collected by its native subjects. However, since the native people were dying off rapidly due to the foreign diseases brought over by the Conquistadors, as well as malnutrition and fatigue, Spain and Portugal were the first to introduce slavery to the New World by replacing them with African slaves brought over by Portuguese slave traders. The silver mining by these slaves caused world trade to increase. Often, silver brought to Europe from America was then traded with China and other Asian countries, making silk, porcelain, and Indian spices more prevalent in Europe. Products from America that became popular in Europe included corn, potatoes, pineapples, and sugar cane. Many cultures spread and combined with others: Spanish missionaries converted natives to Christianity, which then combined the new Christian beliefs with the natives’ cultural traditions. Another example, Arabian coffee with American sugar became quite popular throughout Europe. Although saying that anyone who crossed the Atlantic (at least when referring to modern theories) truly discovered America is ridiculous, I believe that the first to do so was Leif Eriksson and his group of Vikings whose settlement was found in Canada. According to the Greenlander saga and the Eric saga, his father, Eric the Red, a Viking outlaw, discovered Greenland. In order to establish himself as a man separate from his father, Leif sailed to the west in order to discover his own land. He sailed west because there had been a rumor in Greenland for the past fifteen years of a merchant sailing from Iceland to Greenland whose ship had been blown off course in a storm. According to the rumor, the merchant claimed that there were three separate lands west of Greenland. Around the year 1000, Leif purchased the merchant’s ship from the story, and obtained directions from the same merchant. He set sail only for a few days, which was reportedly was miserable due to the conditions on the open boat. On this expedition, they were seeking trees, which were scare in Greenland, but abundant in what is now northern Newfoundland, Canada, where the party landed. Leif named the new land Vinland after the wild grapes found there and the wine the grapes produced. Shortly thereafter, the settlers began to erect a settlement and scouted the land. In 1960, the archeologist and set out to find the fabled Vinland, using a four hundred year old Icelandic map and descriptions from the sagas. On the very northern tip of Newfoundland, they came across an area of mounds and ruins near a small town. Because the ruins predated the settlement of the area, the locals had always believed that Native Americans created the mounds. In fact, through almost seven years of painstaking excavations and radiocarbon testing, it was proven that the ruins were of a settlement dating back to the year 1000. Various artifacts found at the site also confirmed its Norse origins. Archeologists have gone so far as to pinpoint which ‘house’ was Leif Eriksson’s, based on size and complexity of the structure. I believe that Leif Eriksson was the first to cross the Atlantic and settle in America because of many factors. The radiocarbon dating of the site which puts it at 1000 C. E. immediately eliminates any of the explorers from the age of exploration, as well as the Chinese in 1492, in addition to the obvious implausibility of traveling above Canada in ice riddled waters in a flimsy wooden vessel. A case could perhaps be made for the merchant in the sagas who started the rumor, but as with all epic stories, the Icelanders who were the ones to transcribe the sagas based on oral stories, may have simply added him in as a fictional supporting character. Because of this and other equally plausible scenarios, I have to concede that Leif Eriksson was the first to reach the New World by crossing the Atlantic. There is confusion among certain people about whether America was colonized because of a desire for more money on the part of England or because the colonists were seeking religious freedom from the Roman Catholic Church. This confusion stems mainly from the watered down version of Jamestown and the Mayflower that we teach students at a young age. While it is true that Puritans did indeed come to the New World seeking religious freedom, the initial desire to colonize America was all about the desire for wealth. Because of Spain’s conquests in South America, the gold it had acquired from the natives and silver mining had made the country vastly wealthy and other nations were eager to get their share of the riches. America also had an abundant supply of farmland at a time when many farmers had small farms that they toiled over in an effort to merely support their families. In addition, as more settlers moved to America and created a demand for indulgences that they were accustomed to in Europe, the companies that sold such items made more money because of the higher prices the settlers had to pay in order to accommodate shipping costs. In short, while religious freedom was a noble and idealistic dream, it wouldn’t benefit anyone or make any money, which is what people were chiefly concerned with. How would America be different if it had been settled one hundred years later, in 1592? To begin with, it probably would not be called ‘America’. America is so named after Amerigo Vespucci; however, as he died in 1512, it is unlikely that we would have been named after him. Perhaps we would be named Raleigh, after Walter Raleigh, a British explorer of both North and South America in our actual history. Christopher Columbus would not be in history books, as he would not have been to Raleigh. Native Americans thus would have never been referred to as Indians. Because of our late start as a nation, it is reasonable to assume that certain historical events in our country would be delayed, let us say, fifty years or so. Because colonization was delayed, it would take longer for tensions to raise between the colonists and the French, so the French and Indian War would not have started in 1689, but around 1739 instead. This in turn would delay the Seven years war and thus the taxed imposed by the British that led to the American Revolution, which would now begin in 1825. Thus, we would have the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1826 and become our own country in 1833. Or alternatively, because of the differing technology, we might have lost the war and still been English today. But lets assume that we won and Raleigh was founded. I believe the Civil War would have been delayed as well until 1911, three years before World War One started. Both world wars, because we did not start them, would have happened the same years as they actually did, 1914 and 1939 respectably. However, I believe that the issue of civil and women’s’ rights would have been later in coming, perhaps in the 80’s. We would probably be dealing with racism more than gay rights today, if that were the case. And our music would be behind as well, so 60’s music today would then be 80’s music now. Age of Exploration. (2016, Oct 23).

Annotated Bibliograpgy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Annotated Bibliograpgy - Essay Example (2007)] 7. Healing Emotional and Psychological Trauma [Help Guide (2008)] 8. Strategies to prevent injury [Abernethy L. & Bleakley C. (2007)] 9. Future trends in treatment of sport injuries [Niams.nih (2009)] 10. Conclusion Annotated Bibliography 1. Smith, R.E., Smoll1, F.L. Ptacek1, J. T. (1989). Conjunctive Moderator Variables in Vulnerability and Resiliency Research: Life Stress, Social Support and Coping Skills, and Adolescent Sport Injuries. University of Washington. This source focuses on demonstrating the conjunctive impacts of two psychological factors; psychological coping skills and social support. The source gives a overview of the number of injuries that occur among athletes in the US. The injuries are mainly caused by biomechanical and physical factors and to some level by psychosocial factors. Referring to studies conducted in the past, the authors state that some moderator variables may affect the relationship that exists between vulnerability to injury and life events . The source advocates teaching athletes psychological coping skills and increasing social support with an aim of increasing their resiliency. 2. Birrer,  D.,  Horvath,  S., Meyer,  S.,  Moesch,  K.,  &  Seiler,  R. (2007). ... The source specifically seeks to establish if the stability of various psychological variables impacts rehabilitation. Some of the variables that are investigated include anxiety, social support, self control, internal locus of control and degree of adherence among others. This source is important in establishing the relationship that exists between various factors and how well rehabilitation of athletics who get injured in the course of playing respond to treatment. 3. Glazer,  D.  (2009). â€Å"Development and Preliminary Validation of the Injury-Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport (I-PRRS) Scale†.  Journal of Athletic Training,  44(2),  185-189.   This source focuses on the effects of injuries to sports people. The source states that apart from physical injuries, sports people undergo psychological distress in the event that they get hurt in the process of playing. Some of the predisposing factors to athletes’ injuries are psychosocial in nature ac cording to Glazer. The effects of returning to the field before sports people fully recover from psychological effects that result from injury include depression, lower performance, anxiety, fear, re-injury as well as possible injury of other body parts. The source emphasizes that there is need to measure athletes’ confidence levels before they are allowed to return to the playfield after sustaining injuries in order to avoid or mitigate the aforementioned effects. Glazer discusses the scales used to measure how ready or confident sports people are to engage in sporting activities after suffering injuries while playing. 4. Help Guide (2008) Healing Emotional and Psychological Trauma Symptoms, Treatment, and Recovery.

Abraham Lincoln Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Abraham Lincoln - Essay Example Abraham Lincoln was a racist. For approximately 100 years after his death, the African Americans regarded him widely as a paternalistic figure. Modern historians started publicizing the truth that Lincoln was as racist just as other whites of his time. One of the incidents cited as evidence for racism is whereby the blacks had to kneel at Lincoln’s feet. He advocated for the return of newly freed slaves towards Africa and openly stated the primary goal of the civil war being the preservation of the union and not ending the slavery. Lincoln was led by political as opposed to moral reasons as a result of his concern for slavery. His critics used these revelations in order to portray him as being complicit in the creation of false mythology towards personal gain. However, prominent African Americans, as well as the current president, have concluded that Lincoln broached the slavery issue. Albeit Lincoln had no intention of completely ending slavery, his effort of raising the awar eness of the public on the issue deserves credit.In conclusion, Lincoln seems not to have complete emancipation support in the beginning, but this does not mean he was after it personally. His motives are honorable because he was principally and morally at ending slavery. His personal beliefs were always opposed to slavery. He did believe in the effort of the founding fathers who put slavery towards extinction, while he wanted to pursue along that path. He was, however, hesitant at emancipation due to political than other reasons.

NHS and Community Care Act 1990 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

NHS and Community Care Act 1990 - Essay Example In a broader perspective, the initial misgivings with regard to the aspects such as the implementation of the services and professional opposition have been overcome successfully, and this is a significant achievement. Guillebaud (1953), states â€Å"Providing the best service possible within the limits of the available resources has always been the challenge for the NHS. But it has never prevented the NHS striving for - and achieving - ambitious results. The record speaks for itself†. Viewed from the backdrop of an increase in the number of people aged at 85 and over from 240,000 at the end of 1956 to 1,024,000 at the end of 2006, it can be said that the NHS has been by and large fulfilling its mission in providing community care to the society, satisfactorily. In mental health, the services are provided in a variety of settings. It takes care of the community psychiatric needs through acute wards with secured provisions as well. The service delivery in respect of learning di fficulties has improved over a period of time and has become very diverse to cater to the specific needs. Triggle (2010) states that a huge cultural shift is needed in the NHS in England to ensure children get the right care, a government-commissioned review says. Abuse of elders in private setting is also a cause for concern among the professionals. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (2003, p.1)states that the range of therapy services is available, but there are long delays for occupational and speech and language therapy.

Solutions to the 21st Century Energy Issues Essay

Solutions to the 21st Century Energy Issues - Essay Example concerns, it may prove undesirable to use only fossil fuels to meet the ever-growing demands for energy. Moreover, reserves of natural gas and oil are limited. As ther reserves are localized in certain geographical areas, this might lead to conflicts and wars between countries. It is therefore of utmost importance to expand the contribution of alternatives to fossil fuel combustion during the next decades. With scientists issuing warnings that deposits of fossil fuels will not last us beyond another century, it is time we woke up and took note of this crisis. Conventional forms of fuel like coal and petroleum will be exhausted in a few decades' time. These are not renewable and need certain climatic conditions and several years to be formed again. Solar energy is a source of power that uses energy from the sun. The term solar energy is used more specifically to describe the utilization of this energy through human endeavor. It is a renewable energy source that has been used in many traditional technologies for centuries. It is also in widespread use where other power supplies are absent, such as in remote locations and in space. The primary forms of solar energy are heat and light. Secondary forms and effects include photosynthesis, wind, the Gulf Stream, the hydrologic cycle, fossil fuels and electricity1. The total solar energy available to the earth is approximately 3850 zettajoules (ZJ) per year (89,000 TW), which is far more than what we need for human consumption. Solar energy is harnessed and stored in the form of solar cells and can be used to heat up rooms, offices, geysers and a lot of other needs of humans. 3.2 Wind Energy Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into more useful forms, such as electricity, using wind turbines. At the end of 2006, worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was 73.9 gigawatts; although it currently produces just over 1% of world-wide electricity use, it accounts for approximately 20% of electricity use in Denmark, 9% in Spain, and 7% in Germany. Globally, wind power generation more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2006. Most modern wind power is generated in the form of electricity by converting the rotation of turbine blades into electrical current by means of an electrical generator. In windmills (a much older technology), wind energy is used to turn mechanical machinery to do physical work, such as crushing grain or pumping

Comparative analysis on early contacts involving indigenous peoples Essay

Comparative analysis on early contacts involving indigenous peoples and European explorers - Essay Example Columbus and Cook share certain traits. Both of them were great travelers and made use of wonderful traveling techniques, yet the fundamental reasons of their travel were totally different from each other. It is also noteworthy that the two had made their journeys at different points in time, and the success or failure of the voyages of Cook was fundamentally influenced by the proceedings of Columbus since he had made his voyages before Cook, thus leaving the latter reduced opportunity of discovering new places. In order to thoroughly understand the underlying causes of travels of the Columbus and Cook, it is imperative that a brief insight to the history of empires is taken. In the 16th century, Habsburg Spain was the heart of first global empire and was a superpower. It had rich culture and the 17th century was a golden era for Spain. It was only after the Peace of Utrecht in 1713 that Spain became deprived of a major share of its power and lost territories in many Low Countries in cluding Italy. In the Continental politics, Spain befell into a second rate nation. Nevertheless, Spain kept hold of its empire overseas. The Genoese sailor, Christopher Columbus was in Spain in 1486, and required support from Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand which he was denied twice, but in the year 1492, Columbus finally gained their support. It was the same year when the last Moorish King of Granada was driven out by Spain. It was a big victory for Spain having achieved which, the Christians of Spanish origin began to dream of triumphing over Islam. Thus, the victory of Christianity was a primary goal of the Spanish Christians. The fundamental reason behind sending Columbus abroad was the spread of Christianity, and accordingly, the empire of Spain. Columbus notes in the letter which appears at the preface of the journal of his first voyage: †¦Your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians . . . took thought to send me, Christopher Columbus, to the said parts of India, to see tho se princes and peoples and lands . . . and the manner which should be used to bring about their conversion to our holy faith,†¦ (Columbus cited in Fiske). This explains why Spanish King opted to send Columbus to far off regions. However, complete understanding of the voyages can not be gained without comprehending Columbus’s own interests in making the voyages. On his journey to the western hemisphere, Columbus compiled journals in which he shared his experiences. The journal of Columbus’s first journey conveys his original impressions of the indigenous people of Caribbean islands. The first excerpt mentioned in the book of (Bentley and Herbert 474) essentially depicts the two main reasons of Columbus’s travels, namely commerce and Christianity. These journals have been written by Columbus in an exaggerated manner in order to convince the Spanish Queen into presenting him gold and rewards. Columbus was promised great rewards and power if he succeeded in att aining the objectives of the Spanish empire. Columbus has also mentioned his personal interests in the very letter in these words: Your Highnesses commanded me that, with a sufficient fleet, I should go to the said parts of India, and for this accorded me great rewards and ennobled me so that from that time henceforth I might style myself "Don" and be high admiral of the Ocean Sea and perpetual Governor of the islands and continent which I should discover . . . and that my eldest son

Civil right Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Civil right - Essay Example Segregation existed in all kinds, forms and shapes in the daily lives of the people mentioned in the documentary. As Foner said, â€Å"They had to fight for every inch of it. Nobody gave you anything. Nothing† (957). They were dealing with people who believed in some sort of religion, where â€Å"racial amalgamation is both illegal, immoral and a disgrace† As a foreigner who does not know American history well, I was stunned by the facts presented in the documentary. Watching the discussions of what occurred in the fight for human rights brought so much grief, sorrow, misery and pain to me as a viewer so I can just imagine how the Blacks felt in their struggle to acquire the equal rights they have been fighting for. The Blacks wanted to get rid of racial segregation in the state because it has not been good for them, nor the state (Medgar Evers, during TV show). It made me rethink about non-violent resistances led by Martin Luther King Jr. and how difficult it has been for him to pursue his people’s desire for freedom through the extreme opposite of what most Blacks wanted and believed in. King told the Blacks who lost their beloved fathers and sons, who were despised and who lost their jobs and houses to the Whites, that they would never use violence on their protests. â€Å"There will be no White persons pulled out of their homes and taken out to some distant road and lynched† (King, the speech of the launching of the Montgomery bus boycott), was the philosophy that the reformer believed in. I think this was a noble act which fairly received its due when the Blacks were finally recognized as human beings, worthy of a life where they are treated as they

Carbon dioxide Essay Example for Free

Carbon dioxide Essay Do not write outside the box around each page or on blank pages. ? Do all rough work in this book. Cross through any work you do not want to be marked. Information The marks for questions are shown in brackets. ? The maximum mark for this paper is 45. ? You are expected to use a calculator where appropriate. ? You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers. ? Advice ? In all calculations, show clearly how you work out your answer. (Jan12CHy1H01) K76507 6/6/6 CHY1H 2 Answer all questions in the spaces provided. Do not write outside the box 1 Petroleum diesel is a fuel made from crude oil. Biodiesel is a fuel made from vegetable oils. To make biodiesel, large areas of land are needed to grow crops from which the vegetable oils are extracted. Large areas of forest are cleared by burning the trees to provide more land for growing these crops. Leave as forest Forest Produce food Burn the trees Grow crops Produce biodiesel 1 (a) 1 (a) (i) Use this information and your knowledge and understanding to answer these questions. Carbon neutral means that there is no increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Abstract Benefits Of Corporate Social Responsibility Commerce Essay

Abstract Benefits Of Corporate Social Responsibility Commerce Essay Corporate Social Responsibility is a term that has been very popular recently. It represents the obligation of an individual, or in this case an entity, to benefit to society. There is no longer consideration for profit only. Today society demands from companies to take care of them and the environment in which they operate. In simple words, Corporate Social Responsibility is a way of doing business by combining economic benefit with sustainability of the environment. Companies may contribute to environment in many ways among which there are: protection of the environment, by investment in social, educational or cultural programs or by getting the return on employed human resources. This paper analyzes the concept of CSR and it explains benefits that company may get if it pursues Social Corporate Responsibility. Key words: business, company, corporate social responsibility, corporate strategy, environment, profit, society. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a part of business ethics. Ethics represent the process of doing things that are morally correct. By CSR, companies are trying to maximize their positive impact on society and to minimize the bad one. CSR is very important to consumers all over the world. Increase in pursuing the products with green characteristics is one fact that proves it. Previously, in time of communism (social economy), social responsibility and increase of living standards were basically the government issues. By accepting the open (market) economy and privatization of the companies, this also became the issue of those who operate in the market. Another reason is that people demands are much higher nowadays and government cannot deal with all of it. Companies also saw their chance of being different by pursuing certain so called socially responsible policies. Today, CSR represents a way of differentiation, a way of gaining competitive advantage in the market. Two main q uestions for the companies that apply corporate social responsibility are the quality of the management and the degree of impact of their operations on the society. The general social belief is that companies are the ones who created environmental and social problems by their tenure of people and nature through the centuries. This is the reason why they are perceived as those who are responsible for these issues. Francois-Marie Arouet known as Voltaire (1832) was a writer, and according to certain evidences, he was the first one that used well known phrase with the great power comes great responsibility. Later on, many artists, politicians and other people used this phrase in their speeches and it became a normal phrase for responsibility. In modern economy companies have the power so they should be responsible behavior toward the society in which they operate. CSR may be seen as topic that is a new one, but this concept was developing through many years. After the Second World War, people started to put attention on the issues of environment and social situation. From several influences, companies also started to think about this concept. Through the years, this concept became important not just for people in society, but also for the companies. Today, they see it as way of diversification on the market. It is become a tool to attract and retain the customers. Being socially responsible also gives trust to investors, and more of them are willing to invest in corporation with ethical principles. In the near future, it is expected for this tool to become a separate strategy by which corporations will be guided. 1.1 Objectives of the study The CSR is a very important topic and issue in today world. Many conferences are done on these issues in order to raise awareness and to make programs and mechanisms to deal with it. For the wellbeing of not just certain societies, but also for the whole planet, it is out of essential importance that companies start to use the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility in order to make the environment sustainable. The core of this paper is to reach several objectives. First one is define concept of CSR and those related with it. The paper will provide the information about development of this concept and what does it mean to today business world. Second objective is to analyze benefits that company gets by having social responsibility towards its community. Furthermore, it shows the potential threats when applying the CSR and it show negative the consequences that may come from avoiding social responsibility. Final objective of the paper is to show the challenges that societies and corporation are facing in the modern economy. 1.2 Significance of the paper The main significance of this paper is that it shows the reasons why to apply CSR and why it is important to the consumers. Further, this paper provides several real examples related to the concept. It represents a quality literature on the topic and may be used for other researches in the future. The main findings and information that are provided may be useful for students, academic staff and businesses. 1.3 Structure of the paper The paper is constructed out of nine chapters. First chapter, which is introduction, explains the topic, reasons and purpose of the paper. Chapter 2 deals with previous literature on the topic. Literature is based on definitions of CSR and relationship between CSR and business performance. In chapter 3, historical data has shown. By this chapter, paper provides information on how development process of CSR was done, which events have influenced people to start thinking about it and what obstacles it faced in its way toward the concept that is known today. Information about the approaches, principles and types of modern CSR are provided in chapter 4. Chapter 5 shows how CSR can be implemented as a strategy and additionally this concept shows the corporate manager tasks. Comparative assessments about potential benefits and costs of this CSR are provided in Chapter 6. In chapter 7, paper shows the main reasons why companies decide to implement CSR and how do they act in the market. Chap ter 8 deals with new challenges that are present in the market. Here, it may be seen how globally powerful company may use weak economies in order to gain benefits for themselves. Conclusions about the topic are given in the final chapter. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definitions on CSR Even if concept of CSR is a modern one that started to create a real shape few decades ago, some initial literature and papers that were including parts of this concept are dating from an earlier period. Barnard (1938) defined this concept as analysis of five aspects of environment: economic, legal, moral, social and physical. According to Carroll (1983) profitability and obedience to the law are foremost conditions when discussing the firms ethics and the extent to which it supports the society in which it exists with contributions of money, time and talent. He assumes that corporate responsibility goes far beyond the pure profit and that therefore it should take into consideration other aspects, mainly the social ones. Because it includes corporate citizenship, corporate sustainability, business ethics, shareholders management, environmental management, and corporate social performance, Visser (2005) defined CSR as an umbrella concept. According to Waldman (2006), company that practices CSR is the one that invests in employee development and empowerment. It is a company that shares information with its employees in order to give them better knowledge, so they could progress at the work. Guthey, Langer, Morsing, (2006) called CSR as latest management fad, which is referred to the fact that this concept should be developed even more in the future. 2.2 Relationship between CSR and business performance As a time passed, and concept has been developing and started to be used the relationship among the CSR and business performance has been changing. Previously, due to different economic regimes in the world, it was hard to find the evidence on relationship among these concepts. Even in certain cases, there was a negative relationship meaning that the money that company invests does not give returns. However with open economy and open competition positive relationship is the one that researches find mostly. Nicholas Overton (2009) in his dissertation wrote the following: even though some studies postulated a negative relationship (e.g., Vance 1975) or no relationship (Aupperle et al, 1985) between the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and business performance, more recent studies provided the empirical evidence that there is a positive relationship between those two constructs (Abratt and Sacks 1988, Russo and Fouts 1997, Waddock and Graves 1997). Miles and Munilla (2005) explained the reasons of using CSR model through the table which holded Van Marrewijk (2003) framework and Carroll (1991) pyramid. There are many benefits that can be obtained from applying the concept of CSR. Detailed information are provided in the main part of the paper. CHAPTER 3 DEVELOPMENT OF CSR Corporate Social Responsibility is often interchangeable with corporate ethics, corporate accountability or corporate responsibility. 3.1 Historical facts on CSR History of CSR is closely related to the history of the companies. Some specialists in the field of social responsibility, link the origins of concept of CSR with an ancient times. According to them, countries that were dealing with trade such as ancient China or Egypt, were putting importance on wider public interests. Through the time, this concept was evolving and while companies were establishing themselves as market driving forces, importance on social responsibility was slightly growing. Through the years many slaves were used. Children, women and men were all working for many hours in order to produce resources that owners needed. Many people died and got injured on their work places, while others were tortured. Among the first biggest events that showed that CSR is important is related to the end of 18th century and British riot against British West Indian Sugar Company. The reason was the slave trade and more than 400.000 of people signed petition against it. The first legislative body that made decision about ending the slave treatment was British Common House in 1792. Certain advance in the field of CSR was started in 19th century, simultaneously with Industrial Revolution. This was a time when many people started to work and being paid for it. This period may be described as the one of transition in people life; both in working and demographic conditions. However, CSR still was not represented as it should. In this time, the leaders of corporations were the leaders of societies. Most of them were using Social Darwinism as a policy to rule. This policy is related to selection and survival of the strongest. That was the way how companies acquired workforce. People were used up to the limits and certain social giving were done by subjective beliefs or will of the owners. From this, it can be concluded that approach to the society was not the company ones, but rather the individual. With the new (20th) century, the situation was starting to change. Many riots were happening and mostly the reason was dissatisfaction with working conditions. Large corporations were perceived as exploitative ones. These riots were resulting in new laws that were aimed to protect workers, societies and consumers. These were the first significant facts that were indicating to the future CSR model. In the following period, companies strategies were changing from purely profitable one to the strategies that were now looking to society and taking into consideration some other responsibilities toward the environment in which they were operating. The mid of the century was characterized by civil right movements throughout the world. The results were not the same in each country, but what is common for all is that these actions lead to certain improvements in laws. The focuses of people dissatisfaction in that period were once again the large corporations. From them, it was demanded to be more socially responsible. This was mostly related to the two facts; that corporations were mostly the cause of societal problems and that they had the possibility to entail themselves in solving those problems. People were demanding equal job opportunity and safety for environment, products and workers. All these initiatives are representing the large part of today phenomena known as Corporate Social Responsibility. In this period the line between traditional and modern approach to CSR started to be drawn. From traditional approach, that was representing the interests of the owners and stockholders, CSR started to represent wider public interests such as stakeholder (workers, consumers, inhabitants, and environment. 3.2 Sustainable Development The important thing that happened in the following period, and is hugely important today is Sustainable Development. In 1987, UN committee defined sustainable development  as a pattern of growth in which  resources  use aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment  in the way that these needs can be met not only for current situation, but also for generations to come (UN, 2012). It represents holding the balance among consumption, savings and regeneration of all our resources because not only current but also coming generations will be dependable on them. Sustainable development is a process of change and it has to start from each individual and it continues by transmitting it to each area of our lives. International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD, 2012), states that all definitions on sustainable development require that we see the world as system a system that connects space; and system that connects time. According to this institute, process of SD is constructed around two key concepts. First one represents the needs of poor part of the world, low budget people and those who live in regions where there is no or very little life resources. In year 1970, World leading countries made an agreement to allocate 0.7% of their total gross national income in order to help those countries which were struggling. Second concept represents ability of planet to meet future generations needs. Sustainable development represents a system of interrelated global issues that in future could threat to total collapse of the planet if people do not act in the present. On this definition, all international polices related to protection of environment are built. Since 1992 and a conference in Rio de Janeiro sustainable development became a leading term in field of politics about environment. From this point there is much clearer relationship among environmental, economic and social problems. Sustainable development implies: Consolidated use of resources Consolidated investments Consolidated technical development Consolidated institutional changes During the process the understanding of sustainable development has been spread to two more fields: economic and social. All three are making so called magic triangle of the process. From the figure above, it can be seen that only in a case when all three dimensions are satisfied, or that problems are being solved at the same time, country can reach sustainability. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an issue that is working its way into many policy debates and corporate agendas. CSR is an evolution in the approach towards sustainable development; while the 1992 Rio Earth Summit focused on environmental management, the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) focused on a broader set of issues, including poverty reduction and social development. (IISD, 2012). Here, it may be seen how issue become important for the countries and how much importance is given to the topic. Now, people are aware of potential threats to the earth and they are trying to develop programs that may help in sustainable development of the world. CHAPTER 4 CONCEPT OF CSR 4.1 Approaches to CSR There are several perspectives from which people, organizations and governments look at CSR. According to Marrewijk (2003), there are three basic approaches to the CSR that were developed through the time. Shareholder approach refers to the one that is based on economic reasons. Main idea behind this approach is to maximize profit and to prong benefits to those who own the company. The centre of the approach is the company and its future. Those who manage should focus on well being of the company, to strength it and to find the way for improvement and expansion. Stakeholder approach refers to the approach that includes certain others parts of the company that are also important. This approach does not see its owners as the only ones that are important, but also puts importance on other stakeholders such as employees, customers, partners and others. It is taught that each actions of the company does not affect just the company itself, but also other entities that are connected to it. Societal approach refers to the wider approach of all. It puts importance of companys responsibility toward the society, because without society approval company could not operate. This modern approach shoes that company is fundamental part of the society so they should support and invest in it. When summing all, it can be distinguished that Shareholder approach is the oldest and the strongest one. If there is no will for profit neither of the other two approaches may be used. So, company should apply all of three approaches in order to satisfy each side that is affected by its actions. 4.2 Principles of CSR CSR is among top issues in the current corporate world. As already stated there are two sides of public view regarding this concept; one side is the one which supports it and the other one is against it. In order to evaluate CSR activities, in most cases, three principles are used. Sustainability as a principle deals with the effects that current actions have on future. Resources should be used in a way that they satisfy the current needs and that they will be there in a future. The best way to explain this principle is the example of forestry. For each action of cutting trees there should be an action of planting the new ones, in order to have those resources in the future. The big issue with this principle is related to the resources that cannot be planted such as coal, silver and others. Sustainability dictates that those resources should be used carefully and that programs should be developed in order to find substitutes that could be used in the future, when there are no more supplies of certain resource. Companies that do not care about sustainability will not survive in the future. If company represents the vital part of current economic system, it therefore should use the resources in the amounts that can be generated. Accountability refers to the principle by which company shows that they are aware of the effects that their actions may cause in internal and external environment. The most appropriate way of using this principle is to give knowledge to the parties which are part of environment (both internal and external) about the possible consequences of companys actions. Further, this principle may be described as a system of evaluating and reporting of measures taken regarding the actions done in the environment. In any case, benefits that are gained from those actions must be above the costs, for the company and society. Report should be understandable and available to all parties included and they should represent the situation as it is (information should be correct). Information should include quantitative and qualitative data and it should be explained in a way that ordinary citizen may understand it. Transparency refers to the process of providing the information to the society about companys business, results and others. This is especially important for the actions that affect the society. This principle may be described as the one that follows the previous two principles. It represents the process of societys familiarization with business of the company. If company uses transparent policies and ways of reporting, it is easy for people to get knowledge about sustainability and accountability of the company. As already stated, all principles are taken from CSR framework and that is why there is importance on corporate governance. 4.3 Types of CSR As the companies see CSR as diversification tool, they engage in many different areas by which they try to get more benefits. Carroll (1979) argued that companies have to look outside of their core responsibilities (economic and legal). In his work from 1991, he added two more responsibilities that each of the company has to take into consideration. Based on this, and further discussions, today Corporate Social Responsibilities is constructed out of four main responsibilities. 4.3.1 Economic area Through the history, the main responsibility of each company was to maximize the profit which means that they must reach their financial goals. This responsibility is called economic or financial one. It represents the most important responsibility of the company. Everything is dependent on this process (produce and sell). In order to be able to fulfill any other of the responsibilities, this one has to be satisfied, either company faces crisis, which may results in many negative events in the society. Based on everything stated, economic responsibility is at the bottom of the pyramid, since business which does not gain profit, does not stay in the business for long. 4.3.2 Legal responsibilities Economic responsibilities have to be reached in accordance to the law and regulations of the society in which company operates. So, corporations are operating in accordance to the rules imposed by the governments. Those companies who gain economic benefits with obeying laws are perceived as socially responsible. Customers perceive those companies responsible in the way that they believe that those companies use quality materials and production processes that pass minimum legal requirements and that their final goods are safe and will not harm the environment. 4.3.3 Ethical area of responsibility Those companies who are believed to be ethical are expected to do the right things for the society. Society expects them to reach their financial goals by doing it in a right way. Companies should avoid the actions that are against the society norms even if they are not forbidden by law. If we take an example of less developed countries that have not strict laws about environment protection, it is still not good for the companies to use it and harm society. 4.3.4 Philanthropic responsibility This area of responsibility represents the one where investments are made in society in which company operates. Philanthropic responsibility gives big credibility to the company. Society expects from those successful companies to invest the money in projects that brings benefits to them. Most investments are done in educational and scholarship programs, cultural programs, renovation of certain institutions, green fields, parks, sport centers and clubs and others. Based on these types it may be assumed that there are two forces that drives social responsibility: company and society. Economic and legal responsibility are more important for the company, while on the other side, society perceives ethical and philanthropic responsibility as the important ones. However, all of them combined make one important part of the society and each should contribute to the other. CHAPTER 5 CSR AND MODERN BUSINESS Strategy is a Greek word that has meaning of command or generalship. This term is known from ancient times, where battles between empires were done. This is mainly known as military strategy that is even used today. On the other hand, strategy is used in any other part of life. Corporate strategy is referred to the overall  scope  and  direction  of a  corporation  and the way in which  its  various  business operations  work  together to  achieve  particular  goals. (Business dictionary, 2012) Those who are charged for implementing of these types of strategies are managers of the corporations. Drucker (1986), sometimes called as a father of manager, defined the management as independent of ownership, rank, or power. It is objective function and ought to be grounded in the responsibility for performance. It is profession; management is a function, a discipline, a task to be done; and managers are the professionals who practice this discipline, carry out the functions, and discharge these tasks. 5.1 Principles of business process Drucker (1954), in his book Practice of Management, defined five main principles of management that are widely used today. According to him, manager or group of managers as leaders in implementation of a corporate strategy should deal with following five tasks. Set objectives This refers to responsibility of manager to identify what are the objectives of the company. Then, manager determines goals as a part of objectives, it opts for the ways by which those objectives should be accomplished and it introduces the people (workers) that will be part of implementation process with the objectives in order to have efficient work. By this, manager reduces possibility of future misunderstands of employees. Organize This part is related to the analysis of the decisions and activities related to purpose of the company. Further, manager divides work into activities and assigns people for each job. Through classification, these jobs become a part of organizational structure. Good organization prevents time consuming, saves money, makes more relaxed atmosphere and it gives more time to managers that can be used in the implementation process, which at the end demands the most commitment. Motivate and communicate This refers to the most difficult part of implementation process. Manager needs to be the one that starts the engine, the one that puts fuel in it. Team of people that were chosen for the job must be motivated. This is done through several ways such as pay, placement and promotion. The important part here is continuous communication with upper and lower levels of the company. Through this, manager gathers information and slightly directs people in a way that he desires. In modern organization, motivation is playing a big role. It is believed that through motivation several benefits can be obtained such as increased efficiency, easier way to reach objectives or better relationship among employees. Measure This is a part through which manager follows the process of achieving the goals and objectives. Two main part of process are evaluated: the process itself (is it a good one) and employee assigned for the task (are they perform well). So, manager analyzes progress and writes reports that are submitted to the parties involved in the process (superiors, subordinates and others). Also, good monitoring process give possibility to managers to react and prevent further damages, in cases when process goes in the wrong way. Develop people Since, especially today, people represent one of the most important part of the company their development is important. Modern, knowledge economy demands from people to upgrade their knowledge and skills each day and that they follow the current trends. This applies to the employees at all companys levels, including managers. Tomorrow, when company needs people for certain position it is much easier and safer to choose from its own pool than to bring someone from outside. The traditional way of management (business) planning is constructed in a very similar way. From the figure above we may see two additional circles to Drucker theory. While FIVE of his principles are sorted in four circles, there are two other steps that are included at the start and at the end of a cycle. First one is to gather information which is mostly related external information (market, law, competition). This step helps managers to assign better and more feasible objectives and goals for the company. On the other hand, evaluation plan refers to the step of having feedback, which is used in order to stop or modify the initial planning process. 5.2 Business as corporate strategy Today, CSR is referred as an integral part of corporate strategy. In the future, it is believed that it will be a separate strategy that may be ruled by independent department. To be profitable each part of business must be carefully measured. CSR gives certain direction, or maybe it is better to say that it gives certain performance indicators which create standards for the business. There are many examples of corporations that integrated CSR as a strategy into their business. Some of them are supporting educational programs, some of them cultural some of them are related to the environment. Nestle Company, from Switzerland, deals with production of healthy and nutritional products. Founded in 1866, today this company reports the highest revenues in the world. Among the most known products are Nesquik, Nescafe and KitKat. According to them, they incorporate CSR in order to get best ingredients for their products. It is done through continuous work with their supply chain throughout the world. They try to use the best technologies and practices which give them results of high quality products, loyalty of their suppliers and sustainability. Ethical behavior of top management is very important since it reflects the ethical culture of the company. According to Business Case Studies (2012) ethical behavior may: attract customers to the firms products, thereby boosting sales and profits make employees want to stay with the business, reduce labor turnover and therefore increase productivity attract more employees wanting to work for the business, reduce recruitment costs and enable the company to get the most talented employees attract investors and keep the companys share price high, thereby protecting the business from takeover. Managers represent the company and they behavior reflect companys image and reputation. Those who avoid this behavior, sooner or later, will face consequences of it such as customer disloyalty or sales and profits decreases. Case provided below shows how corporate unethical behavior can damage the business. From the case above, it may be seen how business ethics should not be applied. Because of this, Enron Corporation went to bankruptcy and if we take the example that somehow they survived this scandal, their reputation would be destroyed, providing them very low possibilities to continue the business (with customers and partners). Similar case, we have with so called Greek crisis, where government officials used so called creative accounting in order to cover bad countries financial situation. Such frauds and collapses of the some biggest corporations in the world have put even more importance on CSR framework. So, each manager should put attention on his behavior in the business. As ethical behavior is to do what is morally right, every individual in the business should try to maximize its efforts to do it like that. This is not just pure theory, but certain researches have shown positive rela

Rauschenbusch: A Man Ahead of His Time :: essays research papers

Rauschenbusch: A Man Ahead of His Time â€Å"Theology is the esoteric thought of the Church.† (WR 15) What is meant by this is that theology is a part of the Church that is very mysterious and confusing to most laymen. Rauschenbusch has introduced many new ideas into the theological point of view. Rauschenbusch tries to explain that the social gospel is here to help people pull more from theology than just jargon that they don’t understand. One of Rauschenbuch’s main points throughout his book A Theology for the Social Gospel is that man uses the thought of Adam being responsible for original sin and therefore everyone is born into sin. Jonathan Kozol, the author of Amazing Grace, went to the impoverished city of Mott Haven to observe the motivation of the citizens amidst a town where sin is around every street corner. He examined the meaning of life and the little opportunity the citizens of Mott Haven had to escape their unfortunate circumstances. Through Walter Rauschenbusch’s A Theology for the Social Gospel one can find the answers to the questions of sin and the heavy presence of sin. The excuse of using Adam as a reason to rid men of their responsibilities is one of the biggest mistakes theologians make, but Rauschenbusch has tried to set things straight by pointing out that those sinful behaviors are learned through your lifestyle and surroundings. Rauschenbusch has introduced many new ideas into the theological point of view. He still uses many of the same ideas of the â€Å"old theology†, but has just made some important changes to add his own thoughts on what theology should be about and how it should be used to influence people’s daily lives throughout the world. Rauschenbusch says, â€Å"Theology is not superior to the gospel. It exists to aid the preaching of salvation. Its business is to make the essential facts and principles of Christianity so simple and clear†¦that all who preach or teach the gospel†¦can draw on its stores and deliver a complete and unclouded Christian message. When the progress of humanity creates new tasks†¦or new problems†¦theology must connect these old fundamentals of our faith and make them Christian tasks and problems.† (WR 6) He is saying that basically the social gospel is an aid to help people understand what their salvation is and how to achieve salvation, but while doing this not using complicated jargon to confuse the laymen.

one :: essays research papers

One flew over the cuckoo's nest One flew over the cuckoo's nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest For as long as time could tell, whenever and wherever there is a corrupt ruling system in place, there will always be an opposing force trying to over throw it. This ruling system can be a variety of things. In some cases it is the government, a boss, or basically anything or anyone that has some type of control or authority over something else or someone else. In some cases the opposition can successfully take over control of these corrupt systems, while in other incidents the opposition is pitifully pounded back to silence. In other cases, the opposing force will be beaten, but in their shadowy remains lye a path for future generations to follow. In the case of Mc Murphy and the Big nurses a power struggle, the opposition (Mc Murphy) gets beaten silent, yet his words will continue to ring throughout the halls of the ward. Mc Murphy has been made a martyr, and has ultimately stripped Big Nurse of her abused powers and paved the way for fellowmen to escape her entrapment. Based on the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, it seems that the authors' perspective on this issue is that the system in place during this time period is in need of change. Ken seems to like the revolutionist characteristics found in his main character, and emphasizes the idea of questioning the authority power. His belief seems to be that even if you are not successful in changing the system in entire, the effects of a person trying can still be very effective. In fact, if all you manage to accomplish is changing a small aspect of the system, it was still all well worth the fight. For as seen, the effects of a minor victory, ripple into much larger victories in the battles to come. As a revolutionist, you set an example for others to follow and in essence pave the way for others to follow. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the main character, Randle Patrick McMurphy, fights to change the system in a mental hospital. McMurphy is very outgoing, loud, rugged, manly, a leader and a rebel. From the first couple scenes of the book, there is a constant power struggle between the patient's new found savior McMurphy, and the evil Nurse Ratchet who rules their wing of the hospital with an iron fist.

Early American Settlements :: essays research papers

How Much is Too Much? In order for any society to be successful there must be some kind of law and order. Without some established rules and regulations little would get done and there would be chaos and confusion. But in turn there is another side to the spectrum. At what point are the rules too much? There comes a point in which enforcements are overbearing and hinder the people under them. This often seems to be the case in early American times. Though these early laws benefited the foundation of church and state into a more united community, the often caused many hardships to the citizens under them. In studying laws in early American settlements it seems logical to look at Jamestown first. Jamestown had its problems from the beginning. One of the main ones was the colonists lack of desire to work. The work schedule of the day was considered easy even by modern day standards. Colonists were only required to work 6 hours a day, while the rest was reserved for personal leisure time. This from a colony that was practically starving to death. This is one of the few examples in which the laws in early colonial America were actually not harsh enough. But this was all about to change. By 1611 things were not good in Jamestown. Many more people had died than had survived the harsh east coast winters. People were still frolicking in the streets instead of working hard to ensure their survival. Then Sir Thomas Dale arrives in May of 1611. He was sent to bring discipline among the disorganized colonist, and discipline he brought. He published a set of rules now known as "Dales Laws." Many of these rules called for harsh punishments for what today would be thought of as relatively minor wrong doings. But where these rules too harsh? They did after all end up saving the colony. But at what price? Is it worth killing a man over petty theft of a hoe or axe if it leads to the eventual survival of his society? These are all hard questions with no definite anwsers. But one thing is for sure, had it not been for Dale and his strict enforcements the colony of Jamestown would have certainly perished. Two other early colonies that deserve mention were the Pilgrim colony at Plymouth and the Puritan settlement in Massachusetts Bay. The colonists which resided here were unlike the early settlers of Jamestown in that order was always a primary concern of theirs.

Consumer Perception on Public vs Private Bank

Consumer perception on Public Bank versus Private Bank A survey Report Prakhar Agarwal (09FN-077) Ravi Jain (09FN-090) Sachin Gogia (09FN-094) Sandeep Agarwal (09FN-099) Saurabh Kumar (09FN-101) Sunay Jain (09FN-110) * CONTENTS Particulars Page No Executive Summary Introduction Methodology Data Analysis & Findings Recommendation Conclusion Bibliography Executive Summary Regulatory, structural and technological factors are significantly changing the banking environment throughout the world.One factor that is spurring the growth of the service economy in India is the liberalisation that has been ushered in by the government in the banking sector. The financial sector reform in India was designed to infuse â€Å"greater competitive vitality in the system†. In other words, financial liberalisation has led to intense competitive pressures and retail banks are consequently directing their strategies towards increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty through improved service qu ality. Retail banks are pursuing this strategy, in part, because of the difficulty in differentiating based on the service offering.Typically, customers perceive very little difference in the banking products offered by retail banks as any new offering is quickly matched by competitors. This research endeavours to fill the gap in the service quality by exploring the dimensions of customer perceived service quality in the context of the Indian retail banking industry. A set of service quality parameters, drawn from customers’ perceptions about service quality as well as the bank marketing and service quality literature using the RATER model have been drawn up.Finally, the research has drawn upon the findings of the service quality dimensions to contend the initiatives that banks’ managers can take to enhance employees’ skills and attitudes and instil a customer-service culture. This research will thus help bankers to know the ways in which how to improve customer perception towards the services provided by them. Introduction Perception: Perception is a process by which an individual select, organize & interpret stimuli in a meaningful picture of the world Also, we can describe as â€Å"how we see the world around us†. Perception is one of the objects studied by the science of consumer behaviour.Analyzing the works of scientists studying consumer behaviour, it is possible to make a conclusion that perception is presented as one of personal factors, determining consumer behaviour. Personal factors mean the closest environment of a human, including everything what is inside the person, his head and soul, characterizing him as a personality. Customer Perception: Customer perception is an important component of our relationship with our customers. Customer satisfaction is a mental state which results from the customer’s comparison of expectations prior to a purchase with performance perceptions after a purchase.A customer may m ake such comparisons for each part of an offer called ‘‘domain-specific satisfaction’’ or for the offer in total called ‘‘global satisfaction’’. Moreover, this mental state, which we view as a cognitive judgment, is conceived of as falling somewhere on a bipolar continuum bounded at the lower end by a low level of satisfaction where expectations exceed performance perceptions and at the higher end by a high level of satisfaction where performance perceptions exceed expectations. Customer Perception on Service These characteristics of service also make service unique and different from goods as described below a.Intangibility. b. Heterogeneity. c. Inseparability. d. Perishability. e. Non-returnable. f. Needs-match uncertainty. g. Interpersonal. h. Personal. i. Psychic. Like other industries, banking and financial services companies have reached the conclusion that the relationship with the customer should not (metaphorically and lit erally) end at the bank door. Customer access after the transaction adds value to the transaction. Definition of Banking Banking means accepting for the purpose of lending or investment, of deposits of money from the Public, repayable on demand or otherwise and withdraw able by cheques, draft, order or otherwise.Banking is a crucial economic function and forms an integral part of nation’s economy. A healthy banking system is essential for any economy striving to achieve good growth and yet remain stable in an increasingly global business environment. The Indian banking system, with one of the largest banking networks in the world, has witnessed a series of reforms over the past few years like the deregulation of interest rates, dilution of the government stake in public sector banks (PSBs), and the increased participation of private sector banks.The growth of the retail financial services sector has been a key development on the market front. Indian banks (both public and pri vate) have not only been keen to tap the domestic market but also to compete in the global market place. New foreign banks have been equally keen to gain a foothold in the Indian market. Fig. 2. 1-Segreation of banking industry The Banking Sector Today Depth Countrywide coverage Large number of players Increasingly sophisticated financial markets Technology Increasing use of technology in operations Poised to expand and deepen technology usage Diversification Emergence of integrated playersDiversifying capital deployment Regulation Robust regulatory system aligned to international standards Efficient monetary management Fig. 2. 2-Banking sector Sector Snapshot Indian Banking sector is dominated by Public sector banks (PSBs) which accounted for 72. 6% of total advances for all SCBs as on 31st March 2008. PSBs have rapidly expanded their foot prints after nationalisation of banks in India in 1969 and further in 1980. Although there is a restrictive entry/expansion for private and fore ign banks in India, these banks have increased their presence and business over last 5 years.Within the group of banks, foreign and private sector banks grew at higher rate than the industry from FY03 to FY08 primarily because of lower base effect and rapid expansion undertaken by these banks. In FY09, overall growth in credit and deposits was led by PSBs. However, growth of private and foreign banks was significantly lower in FY09 due to their high exposure to stressed sectors and problem at parent level for foreign banks. Size Total assets of US$ 335 billion Total deposits of US$ 279 billion Number of banks Over 290 scheduled banks Public sector: 27 Private sector: new – 9; old – 24 Foreign: 37Over 190 regional rural banks Branch network Over 66,000 branches Public sector: 46,000 Private sector: 5,500 Foreign: 190 Regional rural: 14,400 Source: ICICI bank Fig. 2. 3-Indusrty size Measuring Customer Perception in the Banking Industry The domestic Indian economy is an i ncreasing pie which offers extensive economies of scale that only large banks will be in a position to tap. With the phenomenal increase in the country's population and the increased demand for banking services; speed, service quality and customer satisfaction are going to be key differentiators for each bank's future success.Thus it is imperative for banks to get useful feedback on their actual response time and customer service quality aspects of retail banking, which in turn will help them take positive steps to maintain a competitive edge. The working of the customer's mind is a mystery which is difficult to solve. This exercise in the context of the banking industry will give us an insight into the parameters of customer satisfaction and their measurement. This vital information will help us to know how banks can build satisfaction amongst the customers and customer loyalty in the long run which is an integral part of any business.We can recognize where we need to make changes to create improvements and determine if these changes, after implemented, have led to increased customer satisfaction. Need and Importance of the Study One of the most important developments in banking sector has been the growth of the financial industry over the past two decades. The benefits of financial industry can be seen in the form of large scale industrial development, increased employment opportunities, higher turnover as well as revenue generation to the government and also increase in export of goods and services. Investments play a vital role on the part of the customers.A real investor does not simply throw his or her money random investment. Today banks have a relationship management approach with their clients. Banks are offering more customized solutions to their clients. Everything revolves around the customer and banks via with their innovative and quality products to suit their clients. Today the bottom line for any customer is convenience understanding and evalua ting the customers perception on the service ;amp; products of a bank has without doubt become a need, which propels the body to structure itself for better performance and service.Indian Overseas Bank has ensured that whoever comes in for cash withdrawal will receive his/her cash within five to ten minutes. Fig. 3. 2-Reliability Assurance * Employee’s knowledge and courtesy and the ability of the firm and its employees to inspire trust and confidence. * Every customer treated with utmost care * Problem solved with great enthusiasm. * Customers are assured * the money they invest is secure * the interest rate that is being provided to them is at par or higher. * the money they have invested will be returned to them as and when required with proper interest. Empower their customer contact people * Regularly train them in skills to build trust and loyalty between employees and customers. * Assigned some of their staff members to build relationships with the customers by getting to know them personally. Fig. 3. 3-Assurance Tangibility The appearances of physical facilities, equipments, personnel and communication materials. * Entire premise is air-conditioned. * Computerized systems in place – quick, accurate and efficient service can be provided to the customers. * Tables and chairs are conveniently located. * Personnel always have a cheerful and helping behaviour.Fig. 3. 4-Tangibility Empathy * The caring, individualized attention the firm provides its customers. * Employees are always polite humble and helpful. * Ready to go out of the way. * Regularly holds seminars and training workshops for employees so that they can understand the consumer better and thus serve them better. Fig. 3. 5-Empathy. Responsiveness * The willingness to help the customer and provide him with immediate and fast service. * Prompt at providing customers with information and services they seek. * Prompt when it comes to resolving complaints of customers. The customers, in their feedback form, mentioned this as one of the most important factor that has prompted them to continue with this bank. Fig. 3. 5-Responsiveness Source of Data The researcher proposed to gather the required data through primary data . Primary data are those which are collected afresh and for the first time, and thus happen to be original in character. It will be collected through questionnaires method. Universe The proposed study is to find out the services rendered by the Public and Private Sector Banks to their Customers. The population is uncountable and is considered as infinite.However, the proposed sample for the study from Private Sector Banks and Public Sector Banks is 120. Sampling Method The universe of the study is the account holders of Public and Private Sector banks and the sampling technique adopted will be convenient sampling method. Statistical Tools and Techniques The collected data have been analyzed with the help of percentage analysis. Limitations of the Stu dy The time spent for canvassing the bankers and customers to get the questionnaire filled was considerable. Further, there was reluctance on the part of customers to respond the questionnaire.The cost and time factors are the other limitations. However adequate care was taken to collect unbiased data. Data Analysis ;amp; Findings We have based our survey on RATER model (given by Parasuraman), thus considering the effect of Age, Occupation and Income on various parameters defined by RATER. During our analysis we will focus on various combinations of Age, Income and Occupation and various parameters of RATER model:- During our study we have maintained weights for various options which are maintained underneath:- 1 for Strongly Disagree 2 for Disagree 3 for Neutral 4 for Agree for Highly Agree We have divided our analysis in two parts a. Those who have accounts in both Private and Public Banks and thus have firsthand experience with both the banks b. Those who have accounts with only one of the banks(i. e either in Private Bank and Public Bank) and thus during analysis we have taken their perception about other bank thus the analysis may be biased based on their perception Analysis for those who have account with both Private and Public Banks:-1. Based on AGE Group Fig4. 1-Depicting relationship between age and RATER model parameters a. For the Age Group ;lt;20 They believe that the tangible benefits are more in private banks as compared to public banks. * They are more than satisfied with the Reliability of Private Bank with respect to Public Bank * They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are notch higher than of public bank * They believe that the assurance provided by Private and public banks are almost of the same level. * They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers are better than shown by Public bank Considering the above parameters and few other things they believe that overall Private Banks are slightly bet ter than Public Banks . For the Age Group 20-30 * They are satisfied with the tangible benefits provided by private banks as compared to public banks. * They are of the view that Reliability of Private Bank are in terms with Reliability of Public Banks. * They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are higher than that of public bank * They believe that the assurance provided by Private and public banks are almost of the same level. * They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers are better than shown by Public bankConsidering the above parameters things they believe that overall Private Banks are better than Public Banks c. For the Age Group 30-40 * They are satisfied with the tangible benefits provided by private banks as compared to public banks. * They are of the view that Reliability of Private Bank is bit less than the Reliability of Public Banks. * They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are bit higher than that of publi c bank * They believe that the assurance provided by Private Banks is bit higher than provided by public banks. They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers are almost same than shown by Public bank Considering the above parameters things they believe that overall Private Banks are satisfactory in compared to Public Banks d. For the Age Group 40-50 * They are not satisfied with the tangible benefits provided by private banks as compared to public banks.* They are of the view that Reliability of Private Bank is in terms with the Reliability of Public Banks. They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are same as that of public bank * They believe that the assurance provided by Private Banks is bit lesser than provided by public banks. * They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers are almost same than shown by Public bank Considering the above parameters things they believe that overall there is not much diff erence in Private Banks and Public Banks e. For the Age Group 50-60 * They believe with the tangible benefits provided by private banks are of same level as compared to public banks. They are of the view that Reliability of Private Bank is in terms with the Reliability of Public Banks. * They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are slightly more satisfying than of public bank* They believe that the assurance provided by Private Banks is bit lesser than provided by public banks. * They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers is a bit less than shown by Public bank Considering the above parameters things they believe that overall Public Banks are slightly better than Private Banks f. For the Age Group ;gt;60 They believe with the tangible benefits provided by private banks more satisfactory as compared to public banks. * They are of the view that Reliability of Private Bank is very less as compared to Reliability of Public Banks. * They be lieve that the responsiveness of private banks are in terms with responsiveness of public bank * They believe that the assurance provided by Private Banks is far less than provided by public banks. * They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers is a far lesser than shown by Public bankConsidering the above parameters things they believe that overall Public Banks are far better than Private Banks Findings Based on Age Group: The Public Banks are the most preferred by the age group of ;gt;60 years with the Reliability being the highest scoring point of Public Banks over Private Banks. This may be attributed to the fact that they have been associated with Public Bank for very long time so a sort of relationship is developed between them. Also they are more prone to risk so they prefer Public Bank s as they are backed by Governments.On the contrary Private Banks are mostly preferred by age group segment of 20-30 years this may be attributed to the fact t hat most people in this group are working class and for them time is the most important factor so the services such as better Online Banking, better responsiveness provided by Private Banks make them more attractive to this segment 2. Based on Income Level Fig4. 2-Depicting relationship between income groups and RATER model parameters a. For the Income ;lt; 1. 5 L * They believe that the tangible benefits are more in private banks as compared to public banks. They are a bit more satisfied with the Reliability of Private Bank with respect to Public Bank * They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are notch higher than of public bank* They believe that the assurance provided by Private and public banks are almost of the same level. * They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers are better than shown by Public bank Considering the above parameters and few other things they believe that overall Private Banks are slightly better than Public Ba nks b. For the Income 1. L-5L * They are more than satisfied with the tangible benefits provided by private banks as compared to public banks. * They are of the view that Reliability of Private Bank is slightly better than the Reliability of Public Banks. * They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are more satisfying than that of public bank * They believe that the assurance provided by Private and public banks are almost of the same level. * They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers are slightly better than shown by Public bankConsidering the above parameters things they believe that overall Private Banks are slightly better than Public Banks c. For the Income 5L-10L * They are satisfied with the tangible benefits provided by private banks as compared to public banks. * They are of the view that Reliability of Private Bank is bit more than the Reliability of Public Banks. * They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are bi t higher than that of public bank * They believe that the assurance provided by Private Banks is almost same as provided by public banks. They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers are slightly better than shown by Public bank Considering the above parameters things they believe that overall Private Banks are slightly better in compared to Public Banks d. For the Income ;gt;10L * They are satisfied with the tangible benefits provided by private banks as compared to public banks.* They are of the view that Reliability of Private Bank is lesser than Reliability of Public Banks. They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are same as that of public bank * They believe that the assurance provided by Private Banks is almost same level than provided by public banks. * They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers are almost same than shown by Public bank Considering the above parameters things they prefer Public Bank as compared to Private Bank e. For the Income Not Applicable * They are satisfied with the tangible benefits provided by private banks as compared to public banks. They are of the view that Reliability of Private Bank is in terms with the Reliability of Public Banks. * They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are slightly more satisfying than of public bank * They believe that the assurance provided by Private Banks is bit more than provided by public banks. * They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers is a bit more than shown by Public bank Considering the above parameters things they believe that overall Private Banks are much more satisfying than Private BanksFindings Based on Income Levels: The Private Banks are the most preferred by income group of ;gt;10 L. with Tangible benefits as the most differentiating Factor . This may be attributed to the fact that private banks provide customized services to the customers, also the t imings of public bank are more suited to them, the services such as mobile banking, online banking saves them lot of time which is of utmost importance to them. On the other hand Public Bank are most preferrd by middle class income group (i. e 5L;lt;Income;lt;10L) with assurance as most differentiating factor .This may be attributed to the fact that they are more prone to risk and for them safety of money is of utmost important. 3. Based on Occupation Fig4. 3-Depicting relationship between occupation and RATER model parameters a. For the Business Persons * They believe that the tangible benefits are more in private banks as compared to public banks. * They are a bit more satisfied with the Reliability of Private Bank with respect to Public Bank * They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are notch higher than of public bank * They believe that the assurance provided by Private and public banks are almost of the same level. They believe that the empathy shown by Private B ank employee to its customers are almost same than shown by Public bank Considering the above parameters and few other things they believe that overall Private Banks are almost as same as Public Banks on various parameters b. For the Service Person* They are more than satisfied with the tangible benefits provided by private banks as compared to public banks. * They are of the view that Reliability of Private Bank is slightly better than the Reliability of Public Banks. They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are more satisfying than that of public bank * They believe that the assurance provided by Private and public banks are almost of the same level. * They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers are slightly better than shown by Public bank Considering the above parameters things they believe that overall Private Banks are slightly better than Public Banks c. For Students * They are satisfied with the tangible benefits provided by pri vate banks as compared to public banks. They are of the view that Reliability of Private Bank is bit more than the Reliability of Public Banks. * They believe that the responsiveness of private banks are bit higher than that of public bank * They believe that the assurance provided by Private Banks is almost same as provided by public banks. * They believe that the empathy shown by Private Bank employee to its customers are slightly better than shown by Public bank Considering the above parameters things they believe that overall Private Banks are slightly better in compared to Public Banks Findings Based on Occupation:-The Private Banks are the most preferred by students with tangible benefits is the most differentiating factor among banks. This may be attributed to the fact that students are tech savvy and the services provided by private bank in this regard is better also students don’t have much concern towards safety aspect as the amount of money involved is very small. On the other hand Business persons are indifferent to both banks as for them both are important their safety concerns (regarding huge money ) is appropriately addressed by Public Bank where as their time concerns are addressed appropriately by Private Banks .Analysis For Customers having accounts with only one type of Bank : The analysis is done for those customers who have banking accounts with either private banks or public banks but not both. Since, those customers have accounts in only one of the banking sectors i. e. either private or public; the inferences drawn will be based on their perception of the other banking sector without any practical banking experience. The inferences may have a biased opinion towards the banking system in which the customer hold an account and is thus only a suggestive indication of the customer perception towards both private and public banks.

Elizabeth Bishop Essay

Elizabeth Bishop is a very highly skilled poet. She deals with several different but equally interesting subject matters. I am personally drawn to many elements of her work, for example her themes and style of writing. Bishop deals with many different themes, including family, death, beauty and survival. She also uses a very unique and intriguing style of writing. Bishop has a remarkable eye for detail, her poems reach a conclusion and she puts a huge amount of her own life into her work. Firstly I will look at the themes of her poetry. Family, childhood and home are recurring themes throughout her poetry. Bishop had quite an unfortunate childhood and lost both her parents at quite a young age. This is reflected in the unnerving images she often employs in accounts of her childhood. This theme is central to many of her poems. â€Å"Sestina†, for example, is dominated by mages of rain, failing light and tears. Also in â€Å"First Death in Nova Scotia† she captures the confusion of a child faced with the inexplicable fact of her cousin’s death. The use of the third person voice in â€Å"sestina† blends the poet’s adult perspective with the child’s. It also allows Bishop to distance herself emotionally. Quite noticeably there is no mother in â€Å"sestina†, which is reinforced by the repetition of â€Å"grandmother.† This lack of parental figure in Bishop’s life is common in her poems, all but â€Å"First Death in Nova Scotia†. â€Å"Come,’ said my mother† Bishop lost her mother at five years of age. Although her mother didn’t die at this time it is notable that the only poem in which she is mentioned is predominantly about death. It seems Bishop never knew a true home and her search for a sense of belonging is apparent in â€Å"Filling Station.† At first she is disgusted by the â€Å"dirty† filling station. However as the poem progresses she discovers that it is a â€Å"family filling station.† She notices a warmer, more feminine touch in the home. â€Å"They lie upon a big dim doily draping a taboret.† Bishop tells us that â€Å"somebody† embroidered the doily. This somebody is the mother of the â€Å"greasy sons.† There are also many other domestic comparisons in her work, such as the reference to â€Å"ancient wallpaper† and â€Å"tarnished tinfoil† in â€Å"The Fish.† â€Å"The Fish† uses many different types of descriptions. Bishop’s use of both factual, objective imagery and aesthetic, subjective imagery is an element of her work which really appealed to me. In contrast to factual description such as â€Å"rags of green weed hung down† there is quite a bit of romanticising such as â€Å"five haired beard of wisdom.† There is also a contrasting link between the fish and roses. Once again Bishop takes something quite unpleasant and makes it beautiful. â€Å"Speckled with barnacles† is hardly a pleasant image, much like the skin of the fish hanging off. However Bishop’s carefully chosen language shows beauty. Bishop also finds beauty in the most miserable of scenes. This is clear in â€Å"The Prodigal.† The prodigal lives in a pig sty, he leads a truly disgusting life. However Bishop’s ability to find beauty in the most miserable of places shines through. â€Å"The sunrise gazed the barnyard mud with red.† Beauty is discovered through a series of observations in â€Å"Filling Station.† At first glance the filling station is a filthy and thoroughly unpleasant place to be. â€Å"Oil-soaked, oil-permeated to a disturbing overall black translucency.† However she continues to discover more and more about their home and the images become more pleasant. â€Å"Embroidered with daisy stitch with marguerites.† Another interesting theme throughout Bishop’s work is death. â€Å"First Death in Nova Scotia† deals with a child’s first experience of death. The child is younger than five and doesn’t understand death. This is showing where she speaks about the stuffed loon. â€Å"Since Uncle Arthur fired a bullet into him he hadn’t said a word.† The child doesn’t understand what has happened or what will happen to â€Å"little cousin Arthur.† She is unfamiliar with coffins and compares his to a â€Å"little frosted cake† because it is small and white. In the final lines of the poem the child becomes frustrated due to her confusion. â€Å"But how could Arthur go and the roads deep in snow?† Throughout â€Å"The Fish† the animal’s life is in the speaker’s hands. She holds him â€Å"half out of water,† while he breathes in the â€Å"terrible oxygen†, the fish is slowly dying in her hands and she must decide whether or not he is worth saving. Ultimately the speaker decides the fish is far too â€Å"venerable† to lose its life. â€Å"And I let the fish go.† The final theme I will look at is survival. This is shown best in â€Å"The Fish† and â€Å"The Prodigal.† â€Å"The Fish† shows that nature’s creatures are like humans in their ability to suffer and learn from that suffering. The â€Å"tremendous† creature has escaped death at the hands of previous fishermen 5 times. â€Å"A five haired heard of wisdom trailing from his aching jaw.† The word â€Å"wisdom† shows that he has become wise from his struggles. â€Å"The Prodigal† shows survival in a different sense. The alcoholic in this poem will endure anything to maintain his addiction. Surviving in vile conditions to maintain his drinking. â€Å"The Prodigal† also made me question my own attitudes towards addiction, helping me to understand and sympathise with it. Many poems have attention to the senses. This shows Bishop’s commitment to detail. This is very strong in â€Å"The Prodigal.† Sound, â€Å"their little feet and snored;† smell, â€Å"the brown enormous odour;† touch â€Å"he leaned to scratch her head;† and sight â€Å"plastered half way up with glass smooth dung.† This attention to all our senses is also strong in â€Å"The Prodigal†. Sound, â€Å"their little feet and snored†; smell â€Å"The brown enormous odour†; touch â€Å"he leaned to scratch her head†; and of course sight â€Å"the sty was plastered halfway up with glass-smooth dung† Our senses are also used in â€Å"Sestina†. Sound, â€Å"rain that beats; smell â€Å"she cuts some bread†; touch â€Å"she thinks the house feels chilly†; and finally sight â€Å"With crayons the child draws a rigid house†. Bishop’s concern with every day, ordinary objects also adds to her compelling dedication to detail. This is at the heart of â€Å"The Fish,† â€Å"Filling Station† and â€Å"First Death in Nova Scotia.† As such she allows us to see how wonderfully attractive the world can be if we stop and pay attention to the details. In â€Å"The Fish† for example, Bishop describes a â€Å"tremendous,† fish that she caught. She compares the fish’s skin to â€Å"ancient wallpaper† and speaks of the â€Å"rosettes of lime† that she sees. Even the aspects of the fish that she cannot see, his insides and entrails, she describes in intricate detail. Likewise this fascinating attention to detail is also apparent in â€Å"Filling Station.† Standing before an average filling station the poet becomes increasingly curious about the place. â€Å"Why the extraneous plant?† she wonders. In â€Å"First Death in Nova Scotia,† we discover Bishop’s commitment to detail was something she possessed even as a young child. â€Å"Edward, Prince of Wales†¦ with Queen Mary.† As she tells this poem from her childhood perspective the images are childlike and unusual, however they stay true to her particular technique. This ability of Bishop’s to see beyond the ordinary, to note and appreciate the wonder in the everyday objects around us is refreshing All of Bishops poetry reveals how time spent observing the world around us can lead to interesting conclusions and insights. Colour is also an appealing quality of her work. There is a lot of colour throughout â€Å"The Fish†, we never go more than a few lines without the next addition of colour. These colours get much more vibrant as the poem progresses, going from his â€Å"brown skin† to â€Å"rusted orange.† The steady progression of colour ultimately leads to the exclamation â€Å"rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!† In â€Å"The Prodigal† she mentioned â€Å"the brown enormous odour.† Attaching a colour to the odour strengthens the unbearable stench and I think it creates one of Bishop’s strongest descriptions. Unlike â€Å"The Fish†, â€Å"First Death in Nova Scotia,† references the same colours repeatedly. Red and white are repeated and references continuously. The â€Å"frozen lake† which the loon sits on is mentioned twice along with â€Å"frosted cake,† â€Å"white like a doll,† and â€Å"left him white forever.† This colour may represent peace or innocence. The child also mentions the loon’s â€Å"red eyes† twice, as well as â€Å"a few strokes of red† and â€Å"warm in red.† This may represent pain or suffering. There is also reference to colour in â€Å"Filling Station.† The difference here is that Bishop focuses on the lack of definite colour. Greys and blacks make up the scene, â€Å"Black translucency.† The repetition of â€Å"dirty† reinforces this. The lack of colour makes the comics stand out, â€Å"the only note of certain colour.† A common theme throughout all of Bishop’s work is her ability to reach a conclusion in order to end the poem. Her conclusions include â€Å"And I let the fish go†; â€Å"But it took him a long time finally to make his mind up to go home†; â€Å"The child draws another inscrutable house† and â€Å"Somebody loves us all†. Quite notable there isn’t a pleasant ending to â€Å"First Death in Nova Scotia† which reinforces the lack of understanding in the child and her inability to give her cousin a happy ending. What I personally admire most about Bishop’s work is how much of herself she puts into her poetry. On a deeper level, â€Å"Filling Station† may be about Bishop herself. She missed and longed for a mother figure in her own life. Sadly she and her mother were separated when she was only 5 years old. â€Å"Sestina† deals with the period of time just after the separation. The mother is absent from the scene and she draws a man who we presume is her late father. â€Å"Then the child puts in a man†. â€Å"The Prodigal† represents her problems with alcoholism and was inspired by drinking in a barn. She, like the prodigal, suffered with addiction. â€Å"First death in Nova Scotia† is the only poem where Bishop mentions her mother, showing us she has some memory of her. It is significant that the only poem where she mentions her is one where death and the understanding of death is the central theme. â€Å"The Fish† shows the ability to struggle on and survive, despite all odds. The Fish was like Bishop because it had grown tired of fighting for its life. Bishop’s poetry displays her need throughout her life to find stability and order. Bishop never outgrew the loss of her mother and the terrible feeling of not belonging. Elizabeth Bishop’s work is fantastic and compelling, allowing the reader to see into her own life through varied themes and subject matters. Her style of writing is appealing and unusual and this makes her an incredibly skilled poet. Bishop is honest in her portrayal of her upbringing which is undoubtable very appealing.