Hubungan Tenaga Kerja

Individual project: Research current theories in employment relations I. Traditional perspectives on the employment relationship. Traditional perspectives are important because they express the different assumptions that other make about the nature of organization, the fundamental nature of the relationship between workers and employers, and the characteristics of the society within which work organization exist and function. The three views are most frequently referred to as the unitary, pluralist and Marxist perspectives.The Marxist/ radical perspective is sometimes referred to as the Conflict Model. Each offers a particular perception of workplace relations and will therefore interpret such events as workplace conflict, the role of trade unions and job regulation very differently. 2. 1 the unitary perspective In Unitary perspective, the organization is perceived as an integrated and harmonious whole with the ideal of â€Å"one happy family†, where management and other membe rs of the staff all share a common purpose, emphasizing mutual cooperation.Furthermore, unitary has a paternalistic approach where it demands loyalty of all employees, being predominantly managerial in its emphasis and application. 2. 2. 1 management style management’s right to manage and make decision is seen as rational, legitimate and acceptable to all ( Salamon 1987) its mean there is only one source of power and authority. 2. 2. 2 roles of parties For the management have to provide good communication skill and also strong leadership skill. The employees roles should be loyal to organization and management. 2. 2. employment relations perspective The aggressive style of management (strong emphasis on HRM such commonality and organizational goal) that can promote the avoidance or marginalization of trade unions 2. 2. 4 weakness/critisms A narrow approach that neglects cause of conflict, fails to explain the prevalence of conflict within organization. Assumption that all man agement decisions are rational and will take care of employee needs.Does not take account for uneven distribution of power among employees and employers in the decision making process. . 2. 5 a unitary perspective, which informs in human resource management (HRM) HRM also knew as modern form that approach by unitarism perspective to industrial relations characteristics, that is. The management of the employment relationship primary from the perspective of the employer. This can be refer in the main focus of HRM. Such as plan human resource requirement, recruit and hire employees, train and manage employee performance, reward employees and dismissal or retire employee. The two main forms within the HRM approach are known as: . Soft HRM is developmental humanism, 2. Hard HRM is instrumental integration of employees into company objective. This two perspective to HRM can also be seen as the best practice approach and contingency approach. 2. 2 the pluralism perspective In The pluralism perspective the manager approve foster freedom of expression and the development of groups, which establish their own norms and choose their own informal leaders. Organization Power is diffused among the main bargaining groups within the employment relationships (no-one dominates).Because of the power and control arise in several areas of the organisation and loyalty is commanded by the leaders of the groups, which are often in competition with each other for resources. Pluralist perspective regards conflict as inevitable because employers and employees have conflicting interests; trade unions are seen as a legitimate counter to management authority. This is mean, represents good leadership, although sometimes it can be difficult to achieve the necessary balance, in which the interests of all stakeholders have to be taken into account.The management style under pluralist perspective focuses on consensus building. However, according to Rensis Likert, when employees become involved i n solving work-related problems and making decisions, they become involved in what they are doing and committed to the achievement of successful outcomes (Likert, 1961). 2. 3. 6 roles of parties Management will attempt to reconcile conflicting and keep the conflict within acceptable bound so that does not destroy the organization. Employees will accept mutual adjustment and will constantly push for their own goals . 3. 7 employment relations perspective The role of government was to develop and manage the framework and, through legislation, to ensure that conciliation or arbitration was available to the parties to achieve a binding consensus. 2. 3. 8 weakness/critisms The concept of pluralism is inextricably linked to the idea of democracy (Flanders 1965). The reality is that workplace is not a democracy. In Power context is not evenly diffused: it is typically weighted towards management in the workplace.Pluralist thinking lends itself to the conclusion that there is a simple and s traightforward set of processes that resolve conflict, and that conflict can be readily managed through rules, regulations and processes. 2. 3. 9 a pluralist perspective, leading to ‘ neo-institutional’ approaches. Neo-institutional approach emerged in an attempt to extend the pluralist thingking for the role of ‘rule making’ in the employment relationship. they have Two type of the rules : formal / informal rules, substantive/ procedural rules.And this rules are made as a result of the forces and imperatives of capitalst social relations, in society and workeplace. And some others features. 2. 3 marximst perspective The radical or Marxist perspective sees industrial conflict as an aspect of class conflict. The solution to worker alienation and exploitation is the overthrow of the capitalist system. 2. 4. 10 general philosophy Inherent and irreconcilable conflict. 2. 4. 11 management style Management is focused upon extracting the maximum amount of labour f rom the workforce.Under modern capitalism, this seen more sophisticated managerial applications such as TQM or HRM. 2. 4. 12 roles of parties Roles employees challenging management control in demand and obtain as much as they can. For employers to make extract as much as possible 2. 4. 13 employment relations perspective The Marxist perspectives argue that the balance of power between capital and labour promoted in the pluralist perspective is illusionary (Salamon 1987). In the context of power relations, a balance is achieved through the implicit knowledge that employers can withdraw their capital and employees cab withdraw their labour. . 4. 14 weakness/critisms Preoccupied with conflict: obscures any cooperation or shared goals between management and workers. Capital is not homogenous: competition among capitalists. The theory was formulated at a time when labour did not have a representative political view. 2. 4. 15 radical perspective, which enables a ‘labour process†™ approach. Because management’s goals and labor’s goals are in the long term—opposed, it cannot also be assumed that management will be able to capture all of the potential labour. Management is obliged to seek increased effort.Labour may not always agree, especially when the extra effort only goes to making increased profits for the employer. Because the employment relationship is open-ended, management needs some system of controlling and improving labour effort, and the relationship is constantly renegotiated. Braverman identified the first major method through which management sought to control labour, such as Productivity through deskilling labour. Braverman also argued that Taylorism and scientific management are strategies to maximise the conversion of potential into actual labour, by simplifying the work process and minimizing employee discretion.Some researchers argued that Braverman oversimplified the complexity of management’s strategies. Fr iedman, for example, argued that management could either use ‘direct control’ as outlined by Braverman or it could use more sophisticated, commitment-based strategies.IV. references books: * Teicher, J. , Holland, P. , and Gough. R (Eds. ), (2006). Employee Relations Management, 2nd Edition. French Forest, NSW: Prentice-Hall. * Nankervis, A. , Compton, R. , and Baird, M. (2008) Human Resource Management: strategies & precesses, South Melbourne : Cengage Learning Australia. Stone, R. J. (2008). Human Resource Management. (6th ed. ). Brisbane, Australia: John Wiley & Sons. * De Cieri, H. , Kramar, R. , Noe, R. A. , Hollenbeck, J. R. , Gerhart, B. & Wright, P. M. (2005). Human Resource Management in Australia (2nd ed. ). Australia: McGraw-Hill. * Dessler, G, (2004). Human Resource Management. (10th Ed. ), New Jersey: Prentice Hall. * Dessler, G. , Griffiths, J. & Lloyd-Walker, B. (2007). HRM. (3rd Ed. ), Australia: Pearson Education. * Sappey, R. , Burgess, J. , Lyons, M. & Buultjens, J. (2009). Industrial Relations in Australia Work and Workplaces (2nd ed. ). Australia: Pearson.Online resource:  http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Human_resourceshttp://www.thefreelibrary.com/Unitarism,+Pluralism,+and+Human+Resource+Management+in+Germany-a057816024 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Industrial_relations http://www. brighthub. com/office/project-management/articles/77199. aspx

Jefferson vs. Hamilton: Confrontations That Shaped a Nation

April 13, 1743 Albemarle County in the English colony of Virginia was the start of an American historical giant. Thomas Jefferson was born in affluence to his father, Peter Jefferson, a rising young planter in the Virginia colony, and his mother, Jane Randolph, who held a high status within the colony as well. Due to his father’s prosperity Jefferson was afforded the absolute best in the ways of education, starting with private tutors at the age of five, then moving on to learn how to read Greek and Roman in there original text and finally taking his studies to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg which he would say is â€Å"†¦what probably fixed the destinies of my life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  pg 5. On the other side of the spectrum, a few years later another huge American historical figure is born. Presumably on January 11, 1755, Alexander Hamilton the bastard son of his father, James Hamilton, a Scotsman of a well-known family but never flourished on his own, and his mother, Rachel Fawcett Lavien, who had left her husband, John Lavien, to live with James Hamilton. There is very little said about Hamilton’s early life just that his father â€Å"drifted away† and his mother passed in 1768. Lacking wealth, Hamilton’s educational opportunities in his young life were nonexistent, this is not to say though that his youth was wasted it was here that he gained a vast knowledge of business and finance that he would later use in his service to President George Washington. Even in their early lives it was easy to see the great dissimilarities between these two patriarchs, now I will discuss further more issues that Jefferson and Hamilton shared some differences of opinions. During the Philadelphia convention of 1787, which we now refer to as the Constitutional Convention, James Madison, representative from Virginia, in his notes of Hamilton’s lengthy speech on June 18, 1787 he writes, â€Å"Mr. Hamilton, had been hitherto silent on the business before the Convention†¦Ã¢â‚¬  pg 17 Madison had added it to Hamilton’s character to be so, suggesting that it was out of respect of the men who were superior in age, abilities, and experience to him, but also making it clear that the matters before the convention were far too important for Hamilton to remain that way. Hamilton expressed dissatisfaction with both of the plans brought forward to the convention. The Virginia plan, which was a proposal to completely abandon the Articles of Confederation, and replace it with a bicameral national legislature, an executive branch selected by the legislature, a judiciary, and a council of revision with the power veto, and the New Jersey plan, which suggested to keep the Articles of Confederation, but revise it to give Congress the power to tax, regulate commerce, and choose plural executive and members of a supreme court. Hamilton felt both these plans lacked a strong central government. He was specifically displeased with the New Jersey plan â€Å"being fully convinced† Madison writes â€Å"that no amendment of the Confederation, leaving the States in possession of their Sovereignty could possibly answer the purpose. † pg 18-19. He feared that either of these plans would leave the newly founded country weakened and â€Å"†¦would ultimately destroy the confederation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  pg 20. Finally, though Hamilton would given the federal government more power, he supported what was to be and is now the Constitution of the United States of America and he became one of its leading supporters during the ratification process. Though Jefferson was unable to join the convention due to his duties in France as the United States Minister, he learned of its resolution in November 1787, from a copy sent to him by John Adams. After receiving a letter from Madison explaining the proceedings of the convention he articulated his likes and dislikes of the Constitution. Jefferson liked â€Å"the organization of the government into legislative, Judiciary and Executive† pg 23 and the powers given to each branch. Among his dislikes, the greatest seeming to be â€Å"†¦the omission of a bill of rights providing clearly and without the aid of sophisms†¦Ã¢â‚¬  pg 23 the freedoms he felt inalienable to the human race. During the French Revolutionary war in 1789, Jefferson and Hamilton found each other on opposing sides once again. Jefferson felt that while the violence in the revolt was deplorable but he â€Å"†¦would have seen half the earth desolated. † pg 109 than to see the cause of liberty fail, feeling that â€Å"the liberty of the whole earth was depending on the issues of the contest. pg 109. While Hamilton, disagreed almost wholly on Jefferson’s justification for the violence in France. He â€Å"as a friend to mankind and to liberty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  pg 106-107 rejoiced in the efforts made by Marquis de Lafayette, General of the French Revolutionary National Guard and after serving with Hamilton in 1781 a friend of his as well, but feared the steps in motion t o gain the freedom that Lafayette and all of France desired. It was said that Hamilton never commented on the French revolution without it bringing the â€Å"horror,† â€Å"abhorrence,† and â€Å"repulsion† to his mind. In the presidential election in 1800, Hamilton not being a native born citizen could never run for the presidency, but this didn’t stop him from doing a lot of work in the background to protect his big government federalist views. When he first learned of the federalist’s loss in New York he wrote a letter to Theodore Sedgwick urging him and the other federalists in the legislature â€Å"to support Adams and Pinckney, equally†¦Ã¢â‚¬  pg 130 feeling that it was their only shot at a federalist for president. Hamilton went as far as to contact John Jay, federalist and the current governor of New York, to call a special session of the federally run legislature knowing that there were many objections to this proposal but feeling that â€Å"†¦the reasons for (the special session) outweigh the objections† pg 131. When it came time to vote the results ended as Jefferson 73, Burr 73, Adams 65, Pinckney 64, and John Jay 1. Hamilton now had a much different fight to make, while Jefferson was less than desirable as a candidate, Aaron Burr was an unthinkable choice in Hamilton’s mind. Knowing now that it either was going to be Burr or Jefferson, Hamilton started contacting people persuading them to vote Jefferson over Burr because â€Å"†¦Jefferson is to be preferred. He is by far not so dangerous a man and he has pretensions to his character. † pg 133. In April 1802, Spain had retroceded Louisiana to France, giving the French a valuable spot on the continent with the Mississippi river connecting the south U. S. to the rest of the commercial U. S. The big turning point was in October of 1802 when Spain invalidates the United States use of the ports on the river. Jefferson seemed to be very torn by this predicament having been the U. S. minister to France a few years previously saying â€Å"this is not a state of things we seek or desire. † pg 159. On April 30, 1803 James Monroe, a diplomat to France, left prepared to offer France up to fifty million livres, upon arrival he and Robert R. Livingston initialed an agreement that ceded all of Louisiana to the United States for $15 Million, the settling of which is looked on as the peak of Jefferson’s first term as president. Hamilton had a lot to say about this purchase feeling that Spain’s â€Å"†¦direct nfraction of an important article of (Spain and the U. S. ’) treaty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  pg 164 was a call for war and â€Å"†¦should we have thought it advisable to terminate hostilities by a purchase, we might then have done it on almost our own terms†¦Ã¢â‚¬  pg 164. In 1798 Congress was well on the way to signing into law two acts that they felt at the t ime were for internal security of the U. S. The naturalization act and a sedition act, the idea behind the naturalization act was the president reserved the right to deport any resident alien he deemed dangerous, or if the U. S. was at war with an alien’s home country. The sedition act made it a crime to combine, conspire or to oppose any lawful measure of the government, it also made it punishable to write, say, or publish anything to defame the president, Congress or the government of the U. S. Jefferson saw these acts as a slap in the face to the constitution feeling like it was â€Å"an experiment on the American mind to see how far it will bear an avowed violation of the constitution. † pg 115. Hamilton felt just a strongly about these acts in his letter to Theodore Sedgwick he asks â€Å"What, My Dear Sir, are you going to do with Virginia? pg 118 after he learns of Virginia’s protest to the acts. He felt as congress did that the acts were for the best of the country feeling that the government â€Å"†¦will not be the dupes of an insidious plan to disunite the people of America†¦Ã¢â‚¬  pg 119. To say that Jefferson and Hamilton were diametrically opposed on all subjects some would say is an over simplification, whil e the two disagreed on many topics there were also many things that they could come together in agreement on. The biggest example was the way both men looked at the Constitution, not to say that it was perfect in either man’s eyes but it was definitely an area where they came to a very nice compromise with each other’s beliefs about how this country should be run. Both of these men fought hard and struggled against opposing views to make this country what it is today, there is no telling what our present would look like without these two gentlemen who did their best to make this a free nation.

How Did Erasmus Use Folly to Criticize the Catholic Church

How did Erasmus use â€Å"Folly† to criticize the Catholic Church of his Day? It may seem odd or different to admire and acclaim Folly, but there is a definite benefit to foolishness: the freedom to tell only factual information. In Praise of Folly, Erasmus put this independence to good use in repeating to the readers, a civilization significantly besmirched by mature worries, that a person is unable to serve both God and Mammon. He leveled over his irony by promising us that â€Å"there is merit in being attacked by Folly† (7), and closed with the recap that â€Å"it's Folly and a woman who's been speaking† (134), a renunciation that permitted him to be as brutal as he desired to be in his condemnation. He definitely found necessity for severity, for the standards he saw at the center of Christianity, the sympathy and detriment of the Scriptures, were everywhere stunned by gluttony, drive, and fallacy. Having the disguise of Folly, Erasmus critiqued the developing middle-class financial values, policies of hierarchy, and even Catholicism itself, and in the course he safeguarded the traditional Christian ethic, which appears as Folly to the world. Obviously, the affection of Christ was distant from the princes of Christendom, having been substituted by egotism and exploitation. While Erasmus remained faithful to the Catholic Church, Erasmus observed many exploitations among her ministry, theologians, and untrained persons, and he dedicated a huge apportion of the Praise of Folly to disapproval of the sleaze in the Church. The sleaze of the clergy was similar to that of the princes, and like the princes their existences made ridicule of the â€Å"linen vestment, snow-white in colour to indicate a pure and spotless life† (107) and other symbols of the ideal Erasmus envisioned for the cardinals, bishops, and popes. Their greatest care was â€Å"netting their revenues into the bag† (107). The popes were biased by the fraud of â€Å"their wealth and honours, their sovereignty and triumphs, their many offices, dispensations, taxes, and indulgences, all their horses and mules, their retinue, and their countless pleasures† (109). In what way, as â€Å"vicars of Christ†, were they able to â€Å"imitate his life of poverty and toil† (108). Reasonably, they permitted individuals to â€Å"enjoy deluding themselves with imaginary pardons for their sins† (63-64) through the deal of pardons, and Church offices were given to the highest bidder rather than the most religious. Erasmus also critiqued the reclusive system, being detached from civilization seemed to make the monks â€Å"a long way removed from religion† (96)l. The priests, like their elders, believed mostly of â€Å"harvesting their gains† (112), using Scripture and ancient writings to reinforce their right to the duty, while â€Å"it never occurs to them how much can be read everywhere about the duty they owe the people in return† (111). Erasmus criticized the theologians, in particular the scholastics, for the exclusiveness that triggered them to â€Å"write for a learned minority† (81) and divide theological aspects that only added to division. Among the untrained people, Erasmus saw â€Å"varieties of silliness† in the â€Å"ordinary life of Christians everywhere† (66). Fallacy and empty rites made up most of the varieties of silliness. Erasmus spoke out contrary to the sect of saints, whose supporters had disremembered the vital opinion that â€Å"the saint will protect you if you'll try to imitate his life† (66) in their dependence on the saints to get them out of dilemmas. He also cautioned of the Virgin Mary that â€Å"the common ignorant man comes near to attributing more to her than to her son† (65). The â€Å"varieties of silliness† and fallacy of the commonplace people had substantially fogged the important principles of Christianity, yet they were â€Å"readily permitted and encouraged by priests who are not unaware of the profit to be made thereby† (66). Erasmus acknowledged that the standards and financial system of Capitalism that were evolving along with the new middle-class was in many ways differed to conservative Christianity, so traders and their class were integrated in the mocking attacks of Folly. He criticized many classes of people for their commitment to Mammon: gamblers who â€Å"make shipwreck of their entire resources† (62), the man who â€Å"marries a dowry, not a wife† (76), or â€Å"thinks himself rich on loans and credit† (76), â€Å"the priests who look for profit by their flocks† (66), and the merchants themselves, â€Å"most foolish of all, and the meanest† (76). Erasmus brought out their â€Å"lies, perjury, thefts, frauds, and deceptions† (76), which does not stop them from seeing themselves greater on justification of their prosperity. He also made note of the narcissism of this wealth, though one can be affluent and influential, â€Å"if he lacks all spiritual goods and can never be satisfied, then he's surely the poorest of men† (44). â€Å"Spiritual goods† such as devout knowledge are not good business sense: â€Å"How much money,† Folly asks, â€Å"can he make in business if he lets wisdom be his guide, if he recoils from perjury, blushes if he's caught telling a lie, and takes the slightest notice of those niggling scruples wise men have about thieving and usury? (114) The traders instead displayed a sophisticated understanding to outfit their gluttony. Erasmus also criticized the tiered type of his society, in particular criticizing the dishonesty of kings and their courts and the desolation of noble designations. He reprimanded those who took pleasure in â€Å"an empty title of nobility† (67), proposing they might be called â€Å"low-born and bastard† because they were â€Å"so far removed from virtue, which is the sole source of nobility† (45). He grieved that honesty is far from stately courts, princes â€Å"having no one to tell them the truth, and being obliged to have flatterers for friends† (56). His idea of what a monarch should be is very forward and point blank, he â€Å"has to devote himself to public instead of his personal affairs, and must think only of the well-being of his people† (104). But in reality it was far dissimilar, as Erasmus showed the idea of the prince, whose immoralities make ridicule of the royal representations of what he should be, â€Å"a man ignorant of the law, well nigh an enemy to his people's advantage while intent on his personal convenience, a dedicated voluptuary, a hater of learning, freedom, and truth, without a thought for the interests of his country, and measuring everything in terms of his own profit and desires. Then give him a gold chain, symbol of the concord between all the virtues, a crown studded with precious stones to remind him that he must exceed all others in every heroic quality. Add a sceptre to symbolize justice and a wholly uncorrupted heart, and finally, the purple as an emblem of his overwhelming devotion to his people. If the prince were to compare these insignia with his way of life, I'm sure he would blush to be thus adorned, and fear that some satirist would turn all these trappings into a subject for mockery and derision† (105). Though he criticized the irrationality that led to fraud in the Church, societal ladders of rank, and finances, Erasmus smoothed out his justification of conservative Christianity with admiration for a different kind of Folly, the vital Scriptural truths of Christianity which are the knowledge of God that seems silliness to people. He mentioned Paul's lessons of the folly of the Gospel, declaring that â€Å"the Christian religion has a kind of kinship with folly in some form, though it has none at all with wisdom† (128). If â€Å"by stoic definition wisdom means nothing else but being ruled by reason; and folly, by contrast, is being swayed by the dictates of the passions† (29), then the dominant education of Christianity, love for God and one's fellow citizen, was in fact similar to folly, for love is definitely a passion. This forsaken love along with empathy, martyr, and the other principles of Christian idiocy, was what Erasmus pursued to support in his criticism of a civilization tainted in the observance of Mammon rather than God.

How will the College of Business fit into your future professional Essay

How will the College of Business fit into your future professional goals - Essay Example I have also studied at Cambridge for a short period of time. I have been an active member in the extra-curricular activities in my schools. My management and planning skills earned me the post of ‘Student’s Council’ in Shanghai Community International School. I have been a prominent player of basketball and volleyball teams in my schools. These participations and activities enhanced my team work spirit. My personal background has allowed me to be exposed to the world of business since childhood. Although there are many fascinating aspects of business that one can hope to pursue, I look forward to working on an international scale. The global economy is an ever-changing variable that seems random due to the many factors that are involved in it. Due to its variability, it seems very challenging and exciting. I want to get professional education in this field so I can pursue my aim in life which is to become an international businessman. My global exposure gives me the advantage of being equipped with the required knowledge about different cultures and regions. This knowledge will help me cater to the demands of customers all over the world. I want to be equipped with the knowledge that is needed to run a good business and hence provide customers with high quality products. Business studies not only gives one knowledge about the tactics of running businesses, it also gives exposure to the market trends and analysis that is vital for the progress of any business. I find business studies very exhilarating since one has to develop plans and launch products, campaigns. This requires great deal of creativity and management skills. I have always been interested in challenging things where the person with the most knowledge and tactics surpasses the rest. Business studies will give me the foundation which is needed to understand the development of a business and thus

Multicultural Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Multicultural Education - Essay Example The question is not whether or not the educational system will offer a multicultural education; the question is how will the multicultural program be constructed. While culture in a classroom can be a daunting subject that is tempered by legalities, prejudice, and cultural sensitivities it can also be an opportunity for educators to expand the purpose of education. Multicultural education can be implemented in any classroom that cares to reach out and give consideration to the diversity of the student population. Technology can help educators reach across cultural lines and involve all the students in the exploration of the global community. The Internet in the classroom gives the students an opportunity to meet and explore different cultures around the world. In a diverse classroom, students can meet and begin to understand the cultural identity and heritage of the student sitting next to them. Schwartz, Lin, and Holmes state that technology "allows people to meet new cultures in bite-sized pieces that target specific opportunities for reflection" (295). Understanding another culture reduces ethnocentric fear and begins to focus on similarities, rather than differences. Technology is the central hub that educators can use to prompt the discussion of culture in the classroom. While technology can be used to bring culture into the classroom, culture can be used to explore subjects as diverse as science and ec

Titanium Metal Matrix Composites Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Titanium Metal Matrix Composites - Essay Example The metals which are usually used are Aluminum, Magnesium, Titanium and Copper. In case of titanium metal matrix composite the principal metal used is titanium. Hence the metal matrix composite is Titanium metal matrix composite. In the MMC the metal is the monolithic material into which the reinforcement is embedded and it is completely continuous. The reinforcement can be continuous which can be monofilament or multifilament or it can be discontinuous which can be a particle, whisker or short fiber. They have lot of applications in commercial workspace. Metal-matrix composites are either in use or prototyping for the Space Shuttle, commercial airliners, electronic substrates, bicycles, automobiles, golf clubs, and a variety of other applications. It is widely perceived that Titanium Metal Composites have lot of potential in space propulsion applications. If we look at Titanium and its alloys we can say that they have good corrosion resistance, fatigue properties, and high strength- to-weight ratios. Products differ in terms of composition, grade, shape, dimensions, and features. Commercially pure, unalloyed or very low alloy titanium does not contain or contains only very small amounts of alloying elements. By contrast, titanium alloys contain significant amounts of added elements or constituents. Clad or bimetal titanium alloys consist of two different alloys that are bonded integrally together. Metal matrix composites have a composite or reinforced metal or alloy matrix filled with a second component, which may be in particulate, chopped fiber, continuous filament, or fabric form. Other unlisted, specialty or proprietary titanium and titanium alloys are also available. These materials are often based on a unique alloy system, use a novel processing technology, or have properties tailored for specific applications. While selecting titanium and titanium alloys, we also need to check an analysis of dimensions, production processes, and performance features. Outer diameter, inner diameter, overall length, and overall thickness are important dimensions. Most materials are cast, wrought, extruded, forged, cold-finished, hot-rolled, or formed by compacting powdered metals or alloys. Performance features for titanium and titanium alloys include resistance to corrosion, heat, and wear. Ti MMCs offer provide potential advantages for structural applications, where they combine the high strength, high temperature capability, and oxidation resistance of titanium with an increase in stiffness provided by the ceramic reinforcement. Another thing is that they have the advantage of being isotropic in behavior, cheaper to manufacture and more amenable to subsequent processing and component forming operations. Of all the potential reinforcing phases for titanium which includes TiB, TiB2, SiC, Al2O3, and TiC, TiB offers the best balance of stiffness, stability, and similarity of thermal expansion coefficients. Other properties, such as the strength of metal matrix composites, depend in a much more complex manner on composite microstructure. The strength of a fiber-reinforced composite, for example, is determined by fracture processes, themselves governed by a combination of micro structural phenomena and features. These include plastic deformation of the matrix, the presence of brittle phases in the matrix, the

Habermas the Public Sphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Habermas the Public Sphere - Essay Example 1-13). According to many political theorists, the public sphere is an important entity for a strong democracy. The public and the private spheres acquired a clear distinction in the 17th and 18th century. The public sphere usually consists of informal citizen discussions and deliberations that lead to the formation of a public opinion which is rational enough to guide and influence political systems. Habermas has given a complete outline of the public sphere in The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society. (1989). This piece of work outlines the public sphere critical theory in a systematically developed manner (Dahlgren, 1995, p. 44). The public sphere thus develops from the realms of public authority as well as private relations. The private relations may involve the family and the civil society at large. The private individuals, therefore, come together to form the public sphere. They are driven by the notion of speech without censorship as well as the desire for unified reasoning. According to Habermas, therefore, the public sphere involves both historical economic and political concerns. He continues to explain that every communication contains a communicative action which is oriented towards an agreement. Whenever a matter concerning living together as a people with differences is debated, the public sphere is always constituted. The public sphere became more of a commercial and entertainment entity rather than its conserving its political character. The shift from the original character to other commercialized versions is documented in the press. Habermas, therefore, looks at the integration of literature and journalism as well as the role played by mass media. The public sphere was also affected by the emergence of mass media. The apparent evolution of the communications environment has made the public sphere to change to a platform for advertisements. As a result of these, there emerges a new class of participants such as public relations practitioners (Thompson, 1993, p. 67). Democracy, according to Habermas, is founded on the world of life. It is this world of life that enables free communication between different people. It also drives people into pursuing private and individual interests as opposed to common goals in life. The media plays a crucial role in any democracy. This comes easier, of course, if the environment is right. Such an environment is one which consists of the requisite skills that enable democratic reporting. The media is most of the time flooded with advertisements that target some individual tastes. The information that is presented is also based on the pre-existing views. There should, therefore, be mechanisms which check for public accountability as well as professionalism in media operations. One of the characteristics that identify a democracy is the independence of the media. This is strengthened by the financial viability of the media organizatio ns. Financial strength ensures that the media operates in an environment free of external influences, especially political influences (Hallin, 1994, p.12). The media is also an essential for checking the political system when that system is unable to meet the social expectations. The media is, however, not expected to entertain political bias or partisan reporting at all. Accessibility of the media

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, a Shared Faith Assignment

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, a Shared Faith - Assignment Example If not for lesser details of greater complications, these religions would be precisely the same. What a unified body of worshippers that would make! But there are discrepancies even among fellow believers. This paper is not about these discrepancies, but about the relative philosophies among believers of these three separate yet united religions. Judaism, Christianity and Islam have been intertwined throughout history by the certain commonality they share in theology, all three are monotheistic (believing in one God) and conceive God to be the Creator and also the source of moral law. The same figures, histories and places are prevalent in each, although they are frequently presented with different roles, perspectives and meanings. 54% of the world’s population consider themselves of the Abrahamic religion. These religions share the collective belief that Adam was the first man created and ancestor of all human beings, Abraham is a prophet and the Torah (which is comprised of the first five books of the old-testament) as being a revelation of God. The holy scripture Jews read is called the Tanach, which is the Torah. Christians study The Holy Bible, both the old and new testaments. And the Muslims follow the Quar’an. All three of these works cover the first 5 old testaments, and the lessons of such prophets as Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Noah, and the list goes on. The fact these religions are monotheistic is the most significant unity between them. In Judaism and Islam, the monotheism of God is absolute including of God’s essence. In Christianity there is a doctrine titled Trinity which says that God exists as 3 persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit united in one being. Christians believe Jesus is God, Jews and Muslims deny this stating that God is too powerful to be reduced to a man that has such needs as eating and sleeping, and who could be beaten, and experience death as Jesus did. They attest that no savior is needed or available as an in termediary for us. Islam regards Jesus not as God, but only a human being that became a magnificent messenger of God, and was God’s word brought to Earth. Jews not only deny Jesus as God but as a prophet as well believing the true messiah the word promises has not come yet, but will arrive at a future place in time. Just as Jews refuse Jesus, so too do many Jews and Christians refuse Muhammad, a prophet singular to Islam religion, visited by the angel Gabriel who brought the final message of God to Earth. Christians share with Muslims the belief in the second coming of Jesus, yet they are split in this joint notion as Christians believe this will be the time of rapture and the final judgment day and Muslims believe Jesus coming will be only to kill the false messiah and restore God’s people once again leading them through this treacherous time. Jesus will rule and then die forty years after leaving behind him a world cleaned and restored to true religion, the religion of Islam. Aside from monotheism, some other mutual views of God these religions hold are that God will reward the good and punish the wicked, God knows the thoughts and deeds of men, the dead will be resurrected, and a personal relationship with God is within everyone’s grasp. We can return to God always through repentance, perfection is not expected of His creation. Following God’s commandments in this physical world connects us to God spiritually and our mission on Earth is to proclaim the glory of God and His existence everywhere. All three religions maintain that life is a test and we will all be judged by God after death since He

SLP 5 TUX - 101 CAREER EXPLORATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SLP 5 TUX - 101 CAREER EXPLORATION - Essay Example To link an organization’s management and all the employees. Coordinating as well as supervising the roles played by specialists and the subordinate staff members within the organization. The human resource managers oversee the recruitment, interview, selection as well as the hiring process of new employees. The managers offer advisory services to the managers of other department on matters such as gender equality and sexual offences. The human resource managers also handle staffing issues such as mediating disputes and directing disciplinary procedures. I have chosen this profession due to the many opportunities that comes with it. The retail manager position in every organization is a post that is charged with the day-to-day running of stores or departments within the organization. The aim of any retail manager is to maximize profit while minimizing costs since these factors largely depend on them. A retail manager is thus answerable on matters pertaining the financial performance of the company. Retail managers ensure promotions are accurate and merchandised to the company’s standards, staff are fully versed on the target for the day and excellent customer care standards are met. In some companies retail managers may also be required to deal with human resources, marketing, logistics, information technology, customer service and finance. This is aimed at ensuring smooth operations within the organization (Greenhaus, 12-36). The retail managers are responsible for overseeing all operations in a retail store. Operations can include staffing, bookkeeping, security and ensuring overall cleanliness. They are held accountable for the stores profitability, so they must develop and implement cost-cutting measures to minimize expenses. Supervising the stores customer service procedures is also a part of the managers day-to-day activities, and she may frequently have to

A Quantitative Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Quantitative Analysis - Essay Example In addition, it also markets products meant for kids, and even other athletic and recreational uses, such as baseball, cricket, lacrosse, outdoor activities, tennis, volleyball, walking, and wrestling. To add on, it sells sports clothing and accessories. Lastly, it sells a series of performance equipment, including bags, socks, sports balls, eyewear, timepieces, digital devices, bats, gloves and other protective equipment (Miller, 1992). The sources of market for the company include various strategic stores for the already mentioned activities. However, there exist other retail accounts through the enterprise owned retail stores and Websites of the Internet, who are very direct to consumers (Ramaswamy, 2008). It is comparatively important to mention that the Nike company was formed in 1964 and that the headquarter in Beaverton, Oregon. This report gives the most recent quantitative analysis and goes further to explain the various financial analysis that puts the company ahead in terms of its performance. The investigation has shown that financial results for its fiscal 2015 quarter two ended on November 30, 2014. The quarter results demonstrate that the company is on the growing side and that the power of the portfolio is what unlocks the growth (Parker, 2015). Net working capital involves the discrepancy between the current assets and current liabilities. Examples of current assets are cash and inventories. This can be in the resources this company has not forgetting accounts receivable not yet seen in money form. It is always used to determine the net worth. However, the calculation also involves the current liabilities the company has. It is not the case of Nike Company that has more assets compared to liabilities. In totality as an analyst, in order to make networking capital run smoothly the management structure should be well established so as to know when to lend or buy for the Company success. Based on the financial records below, it clearly depicts

Eriksons Stages Essay Example for Free

Eriksons Stages Essay This experiential learning activity will give you an opportunity to apply basic psychological principles to learn more about your own behavior. The project will be conducted over a 9 week period. By week 3, you will choose a behavior that you would like to change and come up with a behavior change plan. In weeks 4-10, you will work on changing that behavior and record your progress. In weeks 11-13, you will reflect, analyze, and interpret your behavior change and outcomes. A 5 page write-up (double spaced) of this behavior change activity covering the points described below is due the week of presentations at the beginning of the class period. Here are the steps: 1. Select a behavior that you would like to change, one that you’d like to increase or decrease or modify in some way (Examples: eating junk or high-fat foods, chewing gum, smoking, getting angry, studying, exercising, spending money, worrying, etc). 2. Define your specific goal, consider the benefits and barriers, and choose a behavior modification plan. 3. Design a method of tracking your daily progress. This could be a tallying form, a data table, etc. This device should allow you to record the frequency and/or duration of your behavior on a daily basis. (if your behavior is something that is done several times a day, you might want to create a data tracking device that you can carry along with you). 4. Record your behavior, following the procedures you have developed, throughout the semester. Write a 5 page report that includes the following points and be sure to include theories and concepts we covered during class in addition to these sections. **Use at least 2 journal articles related to your topic and give a brief description of the articles in the introduction** Goal-Setting and Monitoring †¢ What behavior did you try to change? What was your precise goal? (for example, to increase/decrease the frequency and or duration) †¢ What were the benefits that you perceived to changing your behavior? In other words, why did you want to change your behavior? †¢ How did you keep track of (record) your daily progress? Very briefly describe the type of tallying sheet (or recording device) that you used. Motivation †¢ Where do you think your goal would fall on Maslow’s hierarchy of motives and why? What types of counter-motives made it difficult for you to accomplish your goal (example; hunger, pleasure, etc.) Where would these counter-motives fall on Maslow’s hierarchy? †¢ Did you feel more intrinsically or extrinsically motivated to change this behavior and why? †¢ Did your goal involve the behavioral activation system (BAS) or the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and why? Was your goal more approach- or avoidance-oriented and why? †¢ Do you think that your motives contributed to your outcome? How and why? Learning †¢ How did you go about trying to change your behavior? Did you use any of the behavior learning strategies that we discussed in class such as classical or operant conditioning? †¢ How did you use these strategies? Did they work or not? Emotions, Barriers, and Social Support †¢ What types of emotions did you feel when trying to change your behavior? How did you feel along the way and how were these emotions related to the amount of effort you invested in trying to change your behavior? †¢ What were some of the barriers that you encountered while trying the change the behavior? Did you expect these barriers when you started or did they surprise you along the way? What did you do to overcome these barriers? †¢ Did you enlist the help of family and friends in trying to change your behavior? Was this helpful or harmful? Conclusion †¢ Did you reach your goal or not? How do you feel about the outcome? What could you do differently in the future to be even more successful at changing your behavior? Outline of written report †¢Introduction †¢Description of topic †¢Explanation of why this is an important area of study †¢Reason for picking this area to write about †¢Literature review †¢Description of theory †¢Previous research on topic (Use at least 2 journal articles related to your topic and give a brief description of the articles) †¢Citations of all work mentioned in the paper †¢Statement of hypothesis †¢Methods section †¢Description of process in reaching your goal (recording behavior, keeping track, etc) †¢Description of materials used (tally sheet? recording device?) †¢Results †¢Conclusions †¢Goal-setting Monitoring †¢Motivation †¢Learning †¢Emotions, barriers, and social support †¢Conclusion paragraph (see assignment sheet) †¢Applications (how will these results be useful to individuals and society as a whole?) †¢References †¢APA style †¢Citations in the body of paper should appear in the reference section

Employee Motivation Essay Example for Free

Employee Motivation Essay Simple acts such as eating are motivated by hunger. Educatio n is motivated by desire for knowledge. Motivators can be anything from reward to coercion. From the scientific viewpoint, by most accounts, motivation is defined as an inner state of need or desire. That state of desire creates a movement or activity towards satisfying that desire. In my never-ending quest to spread the word about turning ideas into action, I view inspiration as the state of mind that primes us to come up with great ideas, and motivation as the state of mind that spurs us to action. Concept of Motivation In order to understand the concept of motivation, we have to examine three terms : motive, motivating and motivation and their relationship Motive ?A motive is an inner state that energizes, activates, or moves and directs behavior towards goals.? Motivating ?Motivating is a term which implies that one person includes another, to engage in action by ensuring that a channel to satisfy the motive becomes available and accessible to the individ ual.? 2 Motivation Dubin has defined motivation as; ?Motivation is the complex force starting and keeping a person at work in an organization. Motivation is something that moves the person to action, and continues him in the course of action already initiated? According to McFarland; ?Motivation refers to the way in which urges, drives, aspirations, strivings, or needs direct, control, or explain the behavior of human being. .. Based on Motives: Motivation is based on individual‘s motives which are internal to the individual. These motives are in the form of feelings that the individual lacks something. In order to overcome this feeling, he tries to behave in a manner which helps in overcoming this feeling. 2. Affected by Motivating: Motivation is affected by way the individual is motivated. It can also activate the latent needs in the individual, that is, the needs that are the less strong and somewhat dormant, and harness them in a manner that would be functional for the organization. 3. Goal–directed Behavior: Motivation leads to goal-directed behavior. A goal-directed behavior is one which satisfies the cau se for which behavior takes place. 4. Related to Satisfaction: satisfaction refers to the contentment experiences of an individual which he derives out of need fulfillment. Thus satisfaction is a consequence of rewards and punishments associated with past experiences. 5. Complex Process: Motivation is a complex process; complexity emerges because of the nature of needs and the type of behavior that is attempted to satisfy those needs. 6. Person Motivated in Totality: A person is motivated in totality and not in part. Each individual in the organization is a self-contained unit and his needs are interrelated. These affect his behavior in different ways. 3 Motivation Motivation is a force that drives people to do things. Employees are normally motivated to achieve their needs, whatever they may include. Motivation is inside another persons head and heart. It may be intrinsic or extrinsic. This is what we call motivation. Employees of a company will be motivated if they associate certain incentives with an activity of work. Motivation is an important function which every manager performs by assigning the people to work for accomplishment of objectives of the organization . Issuance of well conceived instructions and orders does not mean that they will be followed . A manager has to make appropriate use of motivation to enthuse the employees to follow them. Effective motivation succeeds not only in having an order accepted but also in gaining a determination to see that it is executed efficiently and effectively. In order to motivate workers to work for the organizational goals, the managers must Determine the motives or needs of the workers and provide an environment in which Appropriate incentives are available for their satisfaction . If the management is successful in doing so; it will also be successful in increasing the willingness of the workers to work. This will increase efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. There will be better utilization of resources and workers abilities and capacities. Concept of motivation The word motivation has been derived from motive which means any idea, need or emotion that prompts a man in to action. Whatever may be the behavior of man, there is some stimulus behind it . Stimulus is dependent upon the motive of the person concerned. Motive can be known by studying his needs and desires. There is no universal theory that can explain the factors influencing motives which control mans behaviour at any particular point of ime. In general, the different motives operate at different times among different people and influence their behaviours. The process of motivation studies the motives of individuals which cause different type of behavior. 4 Need of motivation Management‘s basic job is the effective utilization of human resources for achie vements of organizational objectives. The personn el management is concerned with organizing human resources in such a way to get maximum output to the enterprise and to develop the talent of people at work to the fullest satisfaction. Motivation implies that one person, in organization context a manager, includes another, say an employee, to engage in action by ensuring that a channel to satisfy those needs and aspirations becomes available to the person. In addition to this, the strong needs in a direction that is satisfying to the latent needs in employees and Harness them in a manner that would be functional for the organization. Employee motivation is one of the major issues faced by every organization. It is the major task of every manager to motivate his subordinates or to create the ? ill to work‘ among the subordinates. It should also be remembered that a worker may be immensely capable of doing some work; nothing can be achieved if he is not willing to work. A manager has to make appropriate use of motivation to enthuse the employees to follow them. Significance of Motivation Motivation involves getting the members of the group to pull weight effectively, to give their loyalty to the group, to carry out properly the purpose of the organization. The following results may be expected if the employees are properly motivated. 1. The workforce will be better satisfied if the management provides them with Opportunities to fulfil their physiological and psychological needs. The workers will Cooperate voluntarily with the management and will contribute their maximum towards the goals of the enterprise. 2. Workers will tend to be as efficient as possible by improving upon their skills and Knowledge so that they are able to contribute to the progress of the organization. This will also result in increased productivity. 3. The rates of labor‘s turnover and absenteeism among the workers will be low. 4. There will be good human relations in the organization as friction among the workers themselves and between the workers and the management will decrease. 5. The number of complaints and grievances will come down. Accident will also be low. 5 6. There will be increase in the quantity and quality of products. Wastage and scrap will be less. Better quality of products will also increase the public image of the business. Motivation is the activation or energization of goal-oriented behavior; Intrinsic Extrinsic From a practical standpoint, we can dig into our motives in order to get better results, and move ourselves from point A to point B. For example, if you know what motivates you, you can use those motives to get yourself to do things that you wouldnt do otherwise. These same principles can be applied to motivating others as well. Motivational techniques, therefore, are useful to teachers, leaders, parents, employers, and really, almost anyone. The key is in understanding that you are not motivating someone else. Instead, you are simply providing a circumstance that triggers that person to be motivation. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Intrinsic Motivation Intrinsic motivation comes from rewards inherent to a task or activity itself the enjoyment of a puzzle or the love of playing. This form of motivation has been studied by social and educational psychologists since the early 1970s. Research has found that it is usually associated with high educational achievement and enjoyment by students. Intrinsic motivation has been explained by Fritz Heider attributional theory, Banduras work on self effeciency,and Ryan and Decis cognitive evaluation theory. Students are likely to be intrinsically motivated if they: Attribute their educational results to internal factors that they can control (e. . the amount of effort they put in), Believe they can be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i. e. the results are not determined by luck), 6 Are interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote- learning to achieve good grades. Extrinsic motivation Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the performer. Money is the most obvious example , but coercion and threat of punishment are also common extrinsic motivations. While competing, the crowd may cheer on the performer, which may motivate him or her to do well. Trophies are also extrinsic incentives. Competition is in general extrinsic because it encourages the performer to win and beat others, not to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity. Social psychological research has indicated that extrinsic rewards can lead to over justification and a subsequent reduction in intrinsic motivation. In one study demonstrating this effect, children who expected to be (and were) rewarded with a ribbon and a gold star for drawing pictures spent less time playing with the drawing materials in subsequent observations than children who were assigned to an unexpected reward condition and to children who received no extrinsic reward. Motivation starts with you! As you aspire to be more successful in life, your attitude towards yourself and others will play a huge role. Positive people learn how to handle lifes challenges differently and use these opportunities to grow. So can you! Self Motivation The self-control of motivation is increasingly understood as a subset of emotional intelligence; a person may be highly intelligent according to a more conservative definition (as measured by many intelligence test), yet unmotivated to dedicate this intelligence to certain tasks. Yale School of Management Professor Victor Vrooms expectancy theory provides an account of when people will decide whether to exert self control to pursue a particular goal. Drives and desires can be described as a deficiency or need that activates behavior that is aimed at a goal or an incentive. These are thought to originate within the individual and may not require external stimuli to encourage the behavior. Basic drives could be sparked by deficiencies such as hunger, which motivates a person to seek food; whereas more subtle drives might be the 7 esire for praise and approval, which motivates a person to behave in a manner pleasing to others. Motivation Process 1. Identification of need 2. Tension 3. Course of action 4. Result –Positive/Negative 5. Feed back TYPES OF NEEDS There are many needs which an individual may have and there are various ways in which these may be classified. The basic objective behind classification of needs into different categories is to find ou t similarity and dissimilarity in various needs so that incentives are grouped to satisfy the needs falling under one category or the other. Thus needs may be grouped into three categories. 1. Primary Needs: Primary needs are also known as psychological , biological , basic or unlearned needs . These needs are common to all human beings , though their intensity may differ . Some of the needs are food , sleep , air to breathe etc. These needs arise out of the basic physiology of life and are important for survival and preservation of species These needs are conditioned by social practice . 2. Secondary Needs: As contrast to the primary needs, secondary needs are not natural but are learned by the individual through his experience and interaction . Therefore, these are also called learned or derived needs. Emergence of these needs depends on learning . There may be different types of secondary needs like need of power, achievement, status, affiliation, etc. 8 3. General Needs: There are a number of needs which lie in the grey area between the primary and secondary classifications. In fact, there are certain such needs for competence, curiosity, manipulation, affection etc. Motivation and Behavior Motivation causes goal-directed behavior. Feeling of a need by an individual generates a feeling that he lacks something. This lack of something creates tension in the mind of individual. To overcome this state he engages himself in a behaviour to satisfy his needs. This is goaldirected behaviour.

Cause And Affect Of Unemployment In Malaysia Economics Essay

Cause And Affect Of Unemployment In Malaysia Economics Essay Unemployment is a very important issue for every country, especially developing country with a tremendous population. High unemployment means that labor resources are not being used efficiently. In consequence, full employment should be a major macroeconomic goal of government. This essential issue often being included in the government policy or agenda for parliament debate and discussion year after year. After a long period of discussion and debate, it seems no ultimate solution has been found to completely eliminate unemployment. Theoretically, industrial economies are cyclically sensitive as such when it expands, factors including employment, sales, prices and profits will rise. However, when it contracts, downturns are inevitable and significant (Nazaria, 2003). When our national economy is in recession, many firms and companies are close down, it will cause unemployment rate to increase. The financial crisis that started in mid 1997 has affected the Malaysian economy. The impact was evident with the economic growth measured in real GDP began to slow down and registered the first negative growth since 1985 of -7.4 per cent in 1998. Table 1 depicts real GDP growth, labor force and unemployment from 1996 -2003 (UKM Juru Perunding, 2002). The contraction in real GDP affected the labor market resulting in slower employment growth, increased in the unemployment rate and also retrenchment. Labor force registered negative growth of 2.1 per cent and employment declined by 2.8 per cent in 1998 compared to a positive growth of 4.9 and 4.6 per cent in 1996 and 1997, respectively. In the same year, unemployment, on the other hand, experienced a slight increase standing at 3.1 per cent. Retrenchment soared to 83,865 workers in 1998 compared to approximately 19,000 in 1997 (EPU, 1999). Table 1: Real GDP Growth, Labor Force, Employment, Unemployment, Labor Force Participation Rates, 1996-2003 Sources: Nazaria B., 2003: Working paper of Unemployed Graduates: Pre and Post 1997 Crisis. Okuns Law, stated that there is a negative relationship between unemployment rate and real GDP. Okun (1962) found that a deviation of 3 per cent in the GDP will produce a rise by 1 per cent in the unemployment rate. Besides that, Zaleha, Norashidah Judhiana(2007) prove that Okuns Law can be applied to explain Malaysias condition. Results of Table 2 showed that the value of the t-statistic for the coefficient (5.796) is greater than the critical t-value at the ninety five percent confidence level (1.96). This proves that GDP strongly depends on unemployment. Unemployment is one of the main mechanisms that can affect GDP. On the other hand, the result also confirmed that there is a negative relationship between unemployment and output growth. The Coefficient is -1.75 and it is significant at 1 percent level. It means that one percent decline in unemployment will increase output by 1.75 percent. As a result, it will increase the growth rate of the GDP. Table 2: Results of Regression Analysis Sources: Zaleha Mohd Noor, Norashidah Mohamed Nor Judhiana Abdul Ghani (2007). The Relationship between Output and Unemployment in Malaysia: Does Okuns Law exist? Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Putra Malaysia,Pp.6 1.2 Objectives of the Study The overall goal of the study is to examine the factors that cause and affect the unemployment in Malaysia. It is important to identify these factors in order to find solutions which can reduce unemployment rate. The study aim to investigate the factors that cause unemployment such as consumption, investment, government spending and trade. They affect the supply and demand in the labor market. While economic recession may cause lack of job opportunity in the job market. Moreover, this study also intends to develop some solutions to solve the problem of unemployment. It is expected that this study will achieve the research objective and highlight some important issues which relate to unemployment. 1.3 Organization of Research Study This study is organized into 3 chapters that will address the overall objective of the research. Each chapter will also serve the purpose of delivering the research following its title. Chapter 1 briefly introduces the research topic Relationship between Unemployment Rate and Economic Growth in Malaysia. Meanwhile, the research objective will be to study the consumption, investment, government spending, as well as the trade that affect economic growth and caused unemployment in Malaysia. Chapter 2 seeks to support the study by providing various relevant journals and articles on the area of interest of the research. This is also the proof of reading the literature relevant to the area of study. Chapter 3 discusses the strategy and method used to collect the data. The research frameworks consist of four independent variables, which are consumption, investment, government spending and trade. Meanwhile, unemployment will be the dependent variable. Secondary data collected from Data Stream and research methods are decided. 1.4 Significant of Study The information gained from this research will be able to provide valuable solution to reduce the unemployment rate in Malaysia. It will also provide Malaysia government with an idea on how important is to reduce the problem of unemployment rate. Reducing the unemployment rate may lead to a better economy in Malaysia due to the increase in productivity of Malaysia. A growth of national income, higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Malaysia will then be achieved while the nations will have higher purchasing power and can lead to a better quality of life. Investment, indeed, brings a lot of job opportunity in the country. Whenever foreign direct investments (FDI) invest in the country, there will be a lot of industry set up for production and administration. Thus labor demand will be increased due to the investment. It then decreases a certain amount of unemployed. Another factor to reduce the unemployment is through the government spending. Government needs to build and construct many of the facilities in the country for the societys benefits. Government needs to spend on construction of big projects; this injection of money will help to create the job opportunity for the labor in the country. Unemployment will be decreased. Trade is one of the factors to reduce the unemployment as the working opportunity is created when two countries trade. Increasing of trade internationally meaning there will be an up surging of export. Thus, domestic supply of goods is needed to meet the international demand. From that, the people have an opportunity to produce and manufacture new product for the trade among the countries. 1.5 Research Question The research question for the study would be Relationship between Unemployment Rate and Economic Growth in Malaysia. Several independent variables affecting the unemployment rate will be investigated to see how actually it will influence the economic growth in Malaysia. The details of the study are: To study the consumption pattern affect the economic growth. To investigate whether investment affect the unemployment rate. To examine whether government spending affect the unemployment rate. To study the effect of trade on the unemployment rate. 1.6 Problem Statement Unemployment is a negative issue that may arise in every country around the world. As long as a person is involved in the labor market, he or she may one day become unemployed. Once unemployment issue is not solved, creation of problems to the unemployed graduates, nations, society and even the country will certainly arise. Furthermore, if the nations unemployment continues to be severing, riots and insurgency will be occurring across the country and halting the country trading. A significant lost towards the nation will arise due to this serious problem. Solution for the unemployment problem is a priority of the government to include in the national economic planning and policy implementation. In this research, focus will be placed on how economic growth effects unemployment and their relationship. Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Definition of Unemployment According to International Labor Organization (ILO, 2001), unemployed is persons who are above a specified age are without work, currently available for paid employment or self-employment, and actively seeking work. There are three categories of unemployment, Structural Unemployment Structural unemployment is related to the mismatch in skills, as well as the inadequacy in locations or simply the wrong area desired for work, and interpersonal characteristics. For instance, as the technology is improving and changing in the market often causes many skills possessed to be obsolete. With the advancement of computer many jobs in manual book-keeping have been replaced by highly efficient and handy software. Frictional Unemployment Frictional Unemployment is resulting from temporary transitions made by workers and employers. This type of unemployment occurs when there are fresh graduates trying to enter the job market, searching for job of their choices. Cyclical Unemployment Unemployment that is attributed to economic contraction is called cyclical unemployment. The economy has the capacity to create jobs which increases economic growth. When the economy is in recession, firm will reduce production and it lead to the decline of labor demand. Thus, cyclical unemployment will rise sharply during recession. 2.2 Unemployment in Malaysia It is essential to look at the unemployment trends in Malaysia for the period ranging from 2000 to 2009 (Figure 1). By observing the figure, unemployment rate remained moderate at approximate 3 percent. Unemployment rate increases steadily from 2001 to 2004. On the year 2001, the 911 incident, US World Trade Centre was attacked by terrorists (Terence Tai-Leung Chong,2005). This attack marks the beginning of the US economy downturn. It then affects the whole world economy to decline. Being the largest economy in the world, US needs to import tremendously from the rest of the countries. Thus, US economy downturn has decreased its import and the worlds export will decline as well. When the decline of export for the country, it will directly cause the down fall of the countrys economic growth as the productivity has been reduced .Therefore, the global economy will be sluggish. Hence, unemployment rate in Malaysia is 3.7 percent on 2002. During 2003, Malaysia was hit by double critical incidents which were Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Iraq War (Robert Evans,2003). Unemployment rate was 3.8 percent which has increased 0.1percent. There was an immediate effect from the outbreak of SARS and Iraq War due to the large amount of inter-regional trade. SARS and Iraq War have triggered a global downturn therefore affect the world economy into recession, and lowered world growth forecasts. SARS epidemic was concentrating in Asia which is the fastest growing economy in the world and that had basically been keeping the world economy to float. Malaysia has gone through East Asia financial crisis during 1997. Thus, Malaysia has the ability to combat and survive during the sub-prime crisis. Some efforts of the policy maker have made to strengthen the domestic economy. Policy maker has implemented several monetary policy as well as fiscal policy to stimulate the economy. The increasing trend and steady growth in the Malaysias Leading Index (LI) and the ratio of the Coincident Index to Lagging Index in 2007 (Public Bank Berhad,2007) indicates that the Malaysian economy was continue to remain strong and healthy in 2008 which US sub-prime mortgage crisis deceleration in the US economy. Figure 1: Unemployment Rate in Malaysia Sources: Indexmundi.com (2008). Malaysia Unemployment rate (%). Retrieved November3,2009.Website:http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=myv=74 During a period of high unemployment, employees worry about losing their job and not able to get another job. Other than that, workers are less willing to leave unsatisfactory jobs because it is not easy to be hired at this current period. This may cause a decrease in production because workers are lack of experience in their current job. Higher unemployment rate will also affecting the government tax revenue. It is because there are more workers losing their jobs and leads to decrease in government revenue from income tax. 2.3 Factors that affect Unemployment There are four independent variables that affect unemployment which are consumption, investment, government spending, and trade. 2.3.1 Consumption Based on the study by Castillo, Dolado Jimeno (1998), the result showed by using one cross-section of household per county, by comparing with the employed workers, the consumption losses suffered by the unemployed were 50% to 100% higher in Portugal and Spain, depending on the workers job experience and skills. Besides, Bover et al. (2000) found that the unemployment benefits systems in Spain are more generous than in Portugal. According to Samuel et al (2001), an increase in the duration of unemployment of male household heads tend to be connected with consumption losses in Germany, Great Britain, and the US than Spain and Italy. Also, in terms of married households, Browning and Meghir (1991) found that the husband is unemployed in a married household have budget shares for clothing of 35% lower than the husband is being employed. There are two authors have proven that consumption suffers downfall during unemployment. Cochrane (1991) reported a fall in consumption growth of 24% to 27% during unemployment. On the other hand, Browning and Crossley (2001) also proved that a mean fall in consumption of 14% on unemployment. Browning and Crossley (2000) deal with the effect of income shock due to unemployment on consumption. Individuals experiencing an income shock may reduce consumption on durable expenditure than on food expenditure. For example, they may postpone to buy new jewelry or to replace new furniture. 2.3.2 Investment According to Harms and Hefeker (2003), the returns of portfolio investment abroad are positively correlated with U.S. labor demand shocks. When there is more investment, it generates new jobs; therefore labor demand will increase accordingly. Thus, this will aid in the decrease of the unemployment rate. Erkki Koskela, Rune Stenbacka, and Mikael Juselius (2009) study the effect of the unemployment equilibrium with capital investments under the category of labor market imperfections. By showing a higher capital, labor ratio has a wage-moderating effect with sufficiently strong labor market imperfections, the strategic effect of capital investments. Based on this appliance, an increased capital stock decreases unemployment equilibrium if the relative bargaining power of the labor union is sufficiently strong. Marino (2000) showed the interdependency between FDI, economic growth, employment or explanation of factors for stimulating the FDI inflow in the case of open economies. The GDP growth is positively correlated with the capacity of FDI inflow. On the other hand, the relationship between GDP growth and FDI inflow is rather contrary in the case of closed economy. Christoph Ernst (2005) studied that a country needs stable and productive investment inflows which would contribute to a rise in production rate and employment, to the technological modernization of the economy, as well as the production of higher value added goods resulting in a better integration into the world economy. There is a strong correlation between national productivity and the level of unemployment (Joseph Prokopenko, 2000). In a situation where the economy is productive and competitive, there will be contest in the foreign market. Thus, it lowers the unemployment rate. However, investment will increase due to the high production rate. Then, it will create new job opportunities and the employment rate will increase as well. Hence, investing in a productive market is a source which can create new market and then increases the job opportunities in the market. According to Borensztein, Gregorio Lee(1998) and Yussof and Ismail (2002), FDI will introduce technology and management skill into the domestic firm to enhance the productivity. They may bring towards new technology into the domestic market. Thus, domestic labor will have a chance to upgrade and equip themselves with knowledge from the new technology and systems. FDI have positive effects on domestic unemployment, according to Lall (2002). FDI leads to increase the value of human capital accumulation. Labor will always get new knowledge from new technology so that they will be able to suit themselves into the specified occupations or jobs. Then, unemployment rate will decrease, hence, strengthening the economic growth of the country. On the other hand, Blomstorm, Fors Lipsey (1997) found that FDI will retain unskilled jobs at home country when more skill-intensive activities are allocated to the foreign country. Foreign investors will leave jobs which do not need much of labor skill work at their home country and relocate more labor-skilled works abroad. This way, the investors would be able to save in training cost by investing in foreign countries which have abundant skillful workers. 2.3.3 Government Spending Government programs are the largest source of counterbalancing the income against household earnings shocks arising from the unemployment in the U.S. (Dynarski Gruber, 1997). Agell, et al. (1997) noted that the government purchases and transfers can enhance employment thus strengthening and stabilizing the economic growth of the nation. Spending on infrastructure will create more jobs opportunity (Kenyon, 1997). Government spending can raise labor productivity and also complements the investment from private sectors. Subsequently, the demand for labor will increase, hence, decreases the unemployment rate. The whole process of government spending is like a catalyst that can stimulate the overall economic activity and growth in the country. According to Feldstein (1978), due to the unemployment insurance and taxation on labor income could deform work-leisure decisions, and it increases unemployment rates. Even if they do not have a job, they could still get the unemployment insurance to support their daily lives. Thus, this will result in a negative manner where labors will depend on the unemployment insurance instead of working hardly. On the other hand, the increase in income tax will lead to unemployment because income taxes charge according to personal income of individuals. The higher the income, the higher the taxes the person needs to pay. Everyone work so hard to get better income for a better life and yet they need to pay higher tax. Hence, there is this mentality where they would choose or decide not to work hard or be jobless, so that they would be able escape from being oppressed by the government with income taxes. 2.3.4 Trade According to Brecher (1974), the unemployment rate could rise or fall after trade depending mainly on whether the country exports labor-intensive goods or not. It shows under the Heckscher-Ohlin model. Davis (1998a, 1998b) further discussed about the effect in a two-country framework. If home country produces and exports labor intensive goods, then the employment rate will increase. Matusz (1996) explored the consequences of opening to trade on the unemployment rate using the efficiency-wage framework. Open to trade will create intra-industry trade. It creates new jobs opportunity and then reduces the unemployment rate. According to Brecher (1974) and Davis (1998), their study found that trade liberalization can reduce unemployment rate. Foreign workers are able to go to other countries anytime if there is no existence of the barrier of trade. Thus, a countrys supply of labor will be excessive and it reduces tremendously, the job opportunity for domestic labors. Besides, frictional unemployment in comparative advantage model was introduced to find whether any relationship lay on a comparison of capital-labor benefit across countries (Davidson Matusz 1988). For a country that produces capital intensive goods, labor skill is not in need for its production, thus, unemployment rate will increase. Besides, fair wages has been introduced into a model with increasing returns to scale and trade liberalization of trade that would increase the unemployment rate (Egger and Kreickemeier, 2009). Labor wages in home country will be affected due to the excess in foreign labor supply. It reduces domestic wages and also reduces the chance of domestic worker to get a job at home country. As for one of the consequences, domestic unemployment rate will increase dramatically. Helpman and Itshoki (2008) combined the comparative advantage consideration and increasing returns to scale by using search-matching approach. In conclusion, globalization can affect the increase of unemployment rate. Foreign workers can enter into the domestic labor market in a country, with cheap labor wages, that will result in the reduction of domestic wages as well as reducing the chance of domestic workers to get a job in their own country. Unavoidably, the domestic unemployment rate will increase. According to Thomas (2004), Malaysia is heavily depending on foreign trades, the nations exports account contributes large proportion of GDP, and manufactured goods are one of the main exports of Malaysia. As Malaysia is dependent on generating revenue through exports, many problems would occur if the exporting sector fails. Mainly, it will cause a major unemployment issue that would cause many of its people to suffer economic downfall. This is because manufacturing factories fail to sell and export their products, causing them to face financial problem. Therefore, it would result in the closing down of the factory, thus, the unemployment rate rises. 2.4 Unemployment Benefits in Malaysia Unemployment benefits system is a benefit which is for eligible workers who become unemployed. Unemployment benefits consist of unemployment insurance and unemployment assistance. Unemployment benefits are available to the eligible unemployed only. The term eligible here means an unemployed individual which is in a condition of ready, willing and able to work on the go (Eva Liu, Walter and Kwong, 2000). Many studies have proven that unemployment benefits effectively smoothens consumption during unemployment. According to Gruber (1997), he found that the nations budget on consumption expenditures would fall by 22 percent without the presence of unemployment insurance. It is proven from the study that unemployment could deteriorate not only the populations welfare but as well as the country itself. Furthermore, according to Kugler (2002), a study has made showing that the withdrawals from unemployment insurance savings account cause an increase of consumption level by unemployed househ old in Colombia. Martin Borowing Thomas Crossley (1996) discovered the impact of unemployment benefits to household welfare through the chain below. In general, their research study has concerned and included the overall link from unemployment benefits to its expenditures. As the result, they found out that a 5 percent cut in unemployment benefits level will cause an expenditure fall by 0.3 percent. The unemployment benefits as a major income for unemployed household have significantly larger falls in consumption. Also, some of the studies have been reviewed. For instance, the author reviewed Kell and Wright (1990) and Lundberg (1985) studies which were the relationship between personal income and household income depending on the reaction of earnings by other family members. Unemployment Insurance benefits Personal Income Household Income Household Expenditure Household Utility Level However, Malaysia does not have any unemployment benefits system but the government has prepared a several types of welfare benefit system. 2.4.1 Severance Pay Severance pay, in Malaysia, is regarded as a form of unemployment-related benefit for both employers and employees (Eva Liu, Walter and Kwong, 2000). Those workers, whose earnings which are not exceeding RM 1500 per month, irrespective of their earnings are covered under the employment Act 1955, will be provided for severance pay. Severance pay is known as retrenchment benefits, or termination and lay-off benefits in Malaysia. The rate is paid at the following rates: 10 days, 15 days, 20 days wages for each year of service for an employment shorter than two years, longer than two years but shorter than five years, five years or longer, respectively. Severance pay is expected to be sufficient to meet the basic need of an unemployed worker until the next job is found. But, one must be clear that, severance pay is not equivalent to unemployment insurance or unemployment assistance. Recipient employees do not need to have any prior contribution, neither the recipient employees are required to be able to work, nor willing to working or in the mode of finding work, in order for him to receive severance payment. Severance pay is made to an employee solely on the basis of termination of contract by the employer. 2.4.2 Employees Provident Fund The Government has set up the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), a social security organization that provides retirement benefits to private sector  employees and non-pensionable public service employees.  Ã‚  Under the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Act 1951 (Malaysia,1951), it is compulsory for all employers and employees to contribute towards this Fund. Employer need to contribute 12% for his employees EPF at the same time, employee need to contribute another 11% for himself from his monthly wages into his EPF savings. This fund provides benefits for old citizens, disability and death. Nevertheless, it does not provide cash assistance to any employee who is unemployed and the money can only be withdrawn when one reaches the age of 55. 2.4.3 Work Injury Insurance Work injury insurance is treated as a kind of employment related benefit in Malaysia. The Social Security Organization (SOCSO), a statutory body, administers payment of benefits under the Employment Injury Scheme and Invalidity Pension Scheme. The Employment Injury Scheme provides protection to employees who are involved in accident during work. On the other hand, Invalidity Pension Scheme provides 24 hours coverage for employees from invalidity or dies irrespective of the cause of death. Although these two schemes are not somewhat unemployment-specific, an unemployed worker could benefit under these schemes. That particular individual is covered whenever an injury or invalidity happens during his/her immediate past employment. This indirectly categorizes those two schemes, as the unemployment benefits system which is practiced by other countries (Eva,L. Walter,K.2000). 2.4.4 Services for the Poor In Malaysia, under the Destitute Person Act 1977, public assistance is available to households with monthly income of less than RM460. Families which suffer from poverty due to unemployment, aging, illness or even disability, may apply for assistance under this program (Eva,L. Walter,K.2000). 2.4.5 Labor Laws There are various labor laws in Malaysia that specify the obligations of employers with respect to the workers benefits which is mainly related to sickness, maternity, and termination. In other words, basic protection, such as mentioned above, has to be provided by the employers for their employees. The principal labor laws on these matters are the Industrial Relations Act 1967, the Employment Act 1955 for Peninsular Malaysia, the Labor Ordinances of the states of Sabah and Sarawak. The formula for the benefits is specified in the relevant laws. Certain sectors have their standard cover or benefits for those who are related within the sector itself. For instance, those in the plantation sector are accorded certain minimum benefits such as housing and medical benefits the Workers Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act, 1990.(Soh C.S, 2007) 2.5 The effects of Unemployment on Social Issues Unemployment is one of the major causes of many social and economic problems, such as the imbalance of social status among the populations or the increase of vice activities. Social problem is pin pointed in this discussion. Of many countries around the globe, Malaysia is not excluded from getting involved and dealing with crime offence issues every day. The phenomenon of crime wave has received an increasing attention and the criminal activity has been given wide coverage in the newspaper and media (Muzafar Shah Habibullah A.H. Baharom,2008). As proposed by Becker (1968) and Ehrlich (1973), however, criminal activity in Malaysia does not attract the attention of the people across the globe and remains largely neglected by the economics of crime literature. Economic condition seems to be one of the most important macroeconomic variables affecting crime. According to the economic models of crime such as Becker (1968), when a nations economy is stabilized, fortified and becomes stronger, this would open more opportunities for the citizens to get themselves involved in the nations workforce. When individuals earn their income legitimately, the possibility or tendency of an individual to get involved in crime related activities would be greatly decreased, thus, relatively decreases the crime rate. According to Pichaud (1997), unemployment can cause a humongous social and economic cost to a countrys budget. Every problem arises would have its consequences, for instance, when the unemployed are faced with financial problem, hence, those individuals will be in poverty and in debts due to the inability to pay up their levies. The matter would be worse for those individuals having to support their family members. Once the population is in the state of poverty, they would be thinking of possible ways, legally or illegally, to get money in order to support their daily life expenses. According to Ehrlich (1973), he predicted that when opportunity cost in illegal activity is low, then unemployed will get involved in criminal as they can get better payoffs. Therefore, there are certain kinds of criminal activity are directly linked to unemployment. Jahoda (1982) has linked unemployment to family disruption, suicide, health problem, drug addiction, malnutrition, poor prenatal care, schoo l dropouts, racial and ethnic antagonism, and other possible social problems. On the other hand, a study proved a relationship between GDP per capita and robbery rate. The study tells that an increase in GDP per capita is associated with a significant fall in the robbery rate (Fajnzylber, Ledeman, Loayza,2002). This result supported by economic cycles which have a strong impact on crime. There is many other studies that prove and support the statement that strong economic performance may reduce criminal rate such as Pyle and Deadman (1994), Deadman and Pyle (1997), Hale (1998) and Masin and Masih (1996). Unemployment could affect the lifestyle of the society as this is strongly related to stress management. For an example, when unemployment occurs, this would increase

Alexanders Empire :: essays research papers

Alexander's Empire The ancient Kingdom of Macedonia, situated in the north of modern Greece, was established by Perdiccas I about 640 B.C. Perdiccas was a Dorian, although the Macedonian tribes included Thracian and Illyrian elements. Originally a semibarbarous and fragmented power, Macedon became tributary to Persia under the Persian kings Darius I and Xerxes I and thereafter struggled to maintain itself against Thracians and other barbarians and against the Greek cities of the Chalcidice as well as Sparta and Athens. A new stage began with Archelaus (d.399 B.C.), who centralized the kingdom with a system of roads and forts; he also fostered the Hellenization of his people by inviting famous Greek artists, Euripides among them, to his court. Few regions gave much thought to Macedonia. The area was so primitive that it seemed to belong to another age- it was a rude, brawling, heavy-drinking country of dour peasants and landowning warriors. The language was Greek, but so tainted by barbarian strains that Athenians could not understand it. Macedonia remained an outland. Growth of trade in the early fourth century promoted the rise of several cities, yet when Perdiccas III, king of Macedonia, fell in 359 B.C. while fighting the Illyrians the seaboard of his state was largely under Athenian control or in the hands of the Chalcidian league, grouped about Olynthus. Philip (382-36), brother of the dead king, was made regent for the infant heir, soon set aside his nephew, and became outright king. Once power was his, the young monarch swiftly brought order to his domain by armed force when necessary, by diplomatic guile whenever he could, Philip set out to make Macedon the greatest power in the Greek world. Alexander was born in 356 to the first wife of Philip. As a teenager Alexander was educated by Athenian philosopher Aristotle. By the year 337 all of the Greek city-states had been conquered or forced into an alliance by Philip. He was planning to lead their joint forces for an invasion of the Persian empire when he was assassinated in 336. Thus at the age of 20, Alexander became king of the Macedonians. After Philip's death, some Greek cities under Macedonian rule revolted. In 335 B.C. Alexander's army stormed the walls of the rebellious city of Thebes and demolished the city. About 30,000 inhabitants were sold in slavery. Alexander's action against Thebes discouraged, for a time, rebellion by other Greek cities With Greece under control, Alexander turned to his fathers plan for attacking the Persian Empire. In 334 B.C., he led an army of about 35,000 infantry and cavalry across the Hellespont from Europe to Asia.

Illusion vs. Reality in Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie Essay

Illusion vs. Reality in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, contains multiple themes.   While there are many themes, the theme that holds the piece together is illusion versus reality.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This theme is established very quickly, In fact, the first paragraph of the play describes the illusions to take place, "But I am the opposite of a stage musician.   He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth.   I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion" (1866).   During Tom's monologue, he discusses the premise of the play; when it takes place, who the characters are, and how the play is to be perceived (as a memory).   His reference to illusion is not used as to describe any of the plays specific events, but rather to subtly give weight to the plays ideas.   Although the play itself is an illusion of reality, Tom says that there is truth behind the illusion.   We use this as a sort of flashlight as we enter the play.   We shine it around, looking for the truth Tom speaks of.   We also seek the plays realities and illusions.   Williams, by stating this idea in the beginning, focuses the readers mi nd into such a state that he will unconsciously look for what Williams knows is already there-- the conflict of reality versus illusion.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We will look at the characters one by one, determining each of their realities and illusions.   This will help to establish why Williams chose this as a central theme, and what the resolution of these ideas are.   Because Amanda plays such a large part in the play, we will start with her.   Amanda's life is much illusion.   She establishes this right away when she begins to reminisce of the south and her nume... ...rld of Tennessee Williams. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1965. Jolemore, Nancy.   "Lecture Notes and Study Guide Questions for Tennessee William's The Glass Menagerie."   Old Dominion University.   18 January 2000. 29 June 2000. <http://courses.lib.odu.edu/engl/njolemor>. Kolin, Philip C. Tennessee Williams: A Guide to Research and Performance. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1998. Presley, Delma E.   An American Memory.   Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990. Reser, Rob.   "A Touch of Glass."   29 June 2000. <http://www.filmspot.com/glassmenagerie.html>. Roudane, Matthew C. The Cambridge Companion to Tennessee Williams. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Williams, Tennessee.   "The Glass Menagerie." The Bedford Introduction to Literature.    Ed. Michael Meyer.   5th ed.   Boston:   Bedford/St. Martin's. 1999. pp.1865-1908.