Team Achievement Essay Example for Free

Team Achievement Essay This assignment looks at the important role that can be played by teams in successful organisations and businesses. You should explore the way in which the use of teams in a selected organisation may help that business achieve its strategic aims and objectives. You then need to describe key features of an achieving workplace team within a selected organisation. Resubmission When you resubmit your assignment, you MUST ensure that you TRACK YOUR CHANGES by pressing Ctrl + Shift+ E, or go to Tools, and Track changes. WHEN YOU SUBMIT THIS WORK YOU AUTOMATICALLY CERTIFY THAT THE WORK CONTAINED IN THIS ASSIGNMENT WAS RESEARCHED AND PREPARED BY YOURSELF. Plagiarism will result in the assignment not being accepted and marked ASSIGNMENT TASKS Task 1: P1 Describe ways in which the use of teams in a selected organisation may help achieve strategic aims and objectives To complete this task you will need to explain the following: * How does a team monitor progress and performance? E.g., identifying team objectives, monitoring performance to objectives? * How does the organisational structure and functions affect and support a teams achievement? * How does the role of a supervisor and manager contribute to the achievement of a teams objectives? Task 1 Monitoring progress and performance Monitoring the progress and the performance of a team is very important. As a team may be off track and heading for the wrong direction, a team under close monitoring would make sure this is not happening, Its the supervisors responsibility to monitor and assure that the teams performance is up to the best standards. Supervisors tend on passing on that responsibility to Team leaders as they are constantly working with the team members. Team leaders monitor the progress and performance by using appraisals. This helps to identify each member of the teams progress. Another way a team is monitored is by using Gantt charts. Team leaders and supervisors can look back to a Gantt chart to make sure they are on track and not falling behind as well as making sure all the tasks are complete. Without the constant monitoring of a team, it is very unlikely that a team would be successful at achieving their objectives and can very quickly head off rails. Organizational structure and functions The way organisational are organised creates an organisational structure; the type of structure depends a lot on the individual team. Companies that tend to have flat structures are generally quite small. They operate informally, in that everyone will know everyone else and there will be few formal procedures the staff will have to follow. When companies are relatively large they need to have a more complex structure than that of a flat structure; hierarchical organisations or pyramid structures are often what flat structure grow into being. They are taller than flat structures, with the senior employees at the top, and the lowest level of employee at the bottom, it is often that there are more employees at the bottom than at the top, hence the name pyramid structure. The final type of structure is the matrix structure; they are neither flat, nor hierarchical. They are generally found in one off projects, such as building a bridge or constructing a motorway. A matrix structure allows the project managers to have direct contact and support from the main functions of the business, such as finance, production and human resources. The project teams will work on the project until completion, when the team will be disbanded and a new team will form to work on the next project. Supervisors and managers A supervisors and a team leader is a strong pillar in to the success of a team. Without them would be like playing football with no ball, it just wouldnt work. They need to be role models of good working practice and show commitment and enthusiasm towards team objectives. They contribute to the achievement of a teams objective by: * Planning: This involves managers setting objectives, targets, and planning on how to achieve them. * Monitoring: Supervisors monitor and measure the level of work being inputted by the team members in order to ensure that the team is running smoothly. * Organizing: Managers need to ensure that all their team members are equipped with necessary tools and equipment needed to carry out the tasks * Commanding or directing: It is the team leaders responsibility to command and direct their team members by communicating instructions and delegating tasks. The business being used for this section is Thomas Cook air travel service. Thomas Cook Group plc is a leading international leisure travel group, created by the merger of My Travel Group plc and Thomas Cook AG in June 2007. It is a successful enterprise with a portfolio of market leading travel brands across Europe and North America. The companies business aims and objectives are stated within its mission statement. All businesses have aims and objectives these are its purpose this tells us why the business exists and what it wants to achieve, these will change over time as some will be achieved and others will not, this is how a business develops. Aim-A goal a business wants to achieve in the future for example increase market share and to become the world leaders. Objectives-steps the business needs to achieve in order to meet its stated aims for example make a profit this will help the business to develop and expand which could lead to them increasing their overall market share then gradually becoming the world leaders. These can also be found in the businesses mission statement that describes the businesses goals in a shorter and simpler way, so other people can understand them like the public. Thomas Cook PLC Mission Statement The strategy of Thomas Cook Group plc is to continue to deliver benefits from existing cost saving and margin improvement plans already adopted by MyTravel and Thomas Cook; to grow revenues in existing and new market segments; and to deliver efficiencies from being part of a larger group. Thomas Cook has a range of air travel teams to help them operate effectively. They help provide a pleasant, safe travel service to its customers. The teams consist of small groups with a number of individuals, put together to deliver and carry out different roles. There are two types of teams: Formal teams, these are created for a specific purpose. For example a marketing team is put together to research and obtain specific information for a business e.g. competitive behaviour. They will have set goals with a specific purpose to achieve. Informal teams, these are less structured and are developed instead of made for a specific purpose. For example, a group of friends decide to do something together, so they are known as a group as they are sharing the workload etc. The teams within the Thomas Cook air travel service include the following: ground floor staff, cabin crew, pilot and other flight crew (stewards). The role of the ground floor staff is to greet passengers once they are landing at the destination; they are there to guide passengers to and from the aeroplane in a safe and orderly manor and to help where needed. In addition, they provide information such as travel, exchange rates, currency etc and other relevant information they may be required to know. They help Thomas Cook achieve its strategic aims and objectives by providing excellent customer service as they are constantly dealing with the businesses customers and their issues and problems. In addition if customers find their staff approachable and useful then they will want to use their air line service again as they had a good experience with their staff, this would also help the business gain a good and positive reputation as customers will share their experiences with family or friends etc. There is a lot of inter-dependency within this team as they all have mutual responsibilities and share a common set of principles with other. The internal teams within the air travel service such as the cabin crew and pilot have different roles to ensure a safe and pleasant journey. The cabin crews have different roles for each individual. There is a front of house and back of house cabin crew. Front of house show passengers the safety equipment and how to use them in case of an emergency, make sure passengers are strapped in securely and guide them through health and safety procedures/positions for landing and departing. However the back of house team deal with the customer orders for food and drink, throughout the journey. They all have important roles to help achieve the aims and objective of the business. For example if the back of house got the food orders wrong or the front of house team did not cater for the passengers needs, then Thomas Cook would have a lot of unhappy customers due to having a bad flight because of their staff. This may result in customers going to their competitors for a better service and gain a bad reputation etc. The cabin crews are the main employees that deal with the customers directly for hours on flights to different locations, they need to support each other and respect one another in order to have an effective team, if the members of the group get on and feel involved then this will show through the companies performance overall. Effective teams mean an effective business which will overall help achieve the businesses goals. All of the different teams within the air travel service of Thomas Cook PLC all have a lot of inter-dependence. Because even though each individual have there own responsibilities they all work together as a group to help overall achieve the best outcome. Overall all the teams play a big part in making the business successful by helping achieve the businesses strategic aims and objectives, as they provide a safe, pleasant travel service to its customers so they enjoy their stay on the Thomas Cook airplanes, so they want to use their services again. Feedback Task 1: P1 Describe ways in which the use of teams in a selected organisation may help achieve strategic aims and objectives Task 2: M1 Analyse the contribution of a high achieving team to the accomplishment of strategic aims and objectives * Discuss the characteristics of a high achieving team. * How important are these characteristics to the achievement of strategic aims and objectives? * How does the performance review cycle help with this? In each case try and relate your answers to teams that you are familiar with. Task 2 In order to develop a good team an organisation must consider personal attributes when selecting individuals. If an organisation is to exceed they must select individuals with high technical skills which meets the skills of other members. Also in order to have a high achieving ream, you must have clear objectives and the right combination of people BELBIN. Belbins identified eight major roles, and argued that teams work more effectively when they consists of members who are able to play all of these roles. High achieving teams do not result from spontaneous combustion. They are grown, nurtured and exercised. Yes it takes a lot of hard work and skill to blend the different personalities, abilities, and agendas into a cohesive unit willing to work for a common goal. Behind every great team is a strong leader. A leader whose job is not to control, but to teach, encourage, and organize when necessary. Tuckman identified four stages in developing a high performance team, which I have spoken about in detail in the first assignment; these are: Forming ? Storming ? Norming ? Performing Each one of these four stages is vital to building an effective team; the stages must also be done in the order above. If one stage is not complete, it would be impossible to continue to the next. The idea of this is just like a chain, if one link is broken or not present, the chain would fall apart. That is exactly what it is like when building a team, if any of Tuckmans four stages links would not be carried out correctly, the team would fall apart or known otherwise as an under performing team. Teams play a big part in the effective running of an organisation. As a whole an organisations workforce needs to work together in order for information to be passed across and so there is a steady stream of communication through the business. This will help spot problems before they arise and will help each department to interlink with one another. However most large organisations are broken down into different functions (departments), so each aspect of an organisation can be handled and operated more effectively. Within each department, there are teams that work together to complete tasks and assignments to help meet their overall goals, which are normally set by the team leader or department manager. These aims and objectives will be different for each department but will overall help achieve the businesses strategic aims and objectives. High achieving teams will have all the key features required to perform at a high level and will be able to motivate one another to achieve their targets, one time and to a high standard. A well-established team leader is essential for a group to move forward and progress to the next level. As this person will be responsible for leading there team in the right direction. Establishing teams help an organisations workforce to share ideas and build relationships amongst one another. It takes less pressure off individuals as teams work together by putting forward knowledge to get the best possible outcome. On the one hand, high achieving teams are very effective in reaching their goals and working together to complete tasks. They help to motivate each other so that each member feels they are part of something so they contribute even more, so the final out come is at a high level. They will be able to smoothly move through the Tuckmans forming, storming, norming and performing stages, so they are effective and efficient in how they interact and communicate with one another. However on the other hand not all the teams within every department will be well established and be highly achieving, but on balance with more work and with an effective team leader an organisation will be able to form its workforce, so they are all trained and managed so every department have high achieving teams with all the key features and attributes required to perform well. This will overall lead to every team meeting their targets, so will result in the businesses departments meeting there set goals. The greatest effect this will have on an organisation is helping to effectively meet the strategic aims and objectives of the organisation. Simply because an effective team, means an effective workforce so means an effective business overall. Without high achieving teams an organisation will not be able to work together to achieve the individual aims and objectives as their will be no communication, so no co-operation. That will show in the failure to meet strategic goals of the company. An effective workforce is the key to an effective business. Feedback Task 2: M1 Analyse the contribution of a high achieving team to the accomplishment of strategic aims and objectives Task 4: D1 Make recommendations to raise the achievement of an under-performing team * What are the characteristics of an underperforming team? * How can these weaknesses be addressed? * What approaches and strategies can be used to raise achievement? Task 4 Following the previous section, this task will evaluate dysfunctional teams and analyses all the different aspects that may effect an underperforming team and provide detailed recommendations as to how it could be improved and how they can be resolved to overall help achieve there goals. I will do this by weighing out whether it is the team that is dysfunctional or whether the other factors are genuinely amenable to help improve team activity and progress. To have effective teams they need to have good interpersonal skills in order to grow and develop successfully, also these skills and qualities help teams to bond and build relationships so they all feel part of the group and co-operate together. However, it is not always teams interpersonal skills that help complete tasks or make a team dysfunctional. Other factors such as experience in carrying out certain tasks or knowledge in that field, do determine the extent of how successful a team will be or can be. The following is an analysis of different aspects of why a team may be dysfunctional and detailed recommendations as to how this can be resolved. Analyses of why a team may be underperforming. Task-relevant Experience: This has a big impact on whether a team may be able to carry out the task or to the best of their abilities. This is simply because a team with experience will be able to make a better contribution to the team were as a team with no experience will have to learn from the beginning so will need more time to learn and adjust to what is needed in order to be successful. This leads to the theory that most people feel more comfortable with what they already know than they do learning new skills or theory, especially in a group of individuals who may be still at the forming stage of their development. The extent of the impact depends upon how well developed interpersonally the team is, to stay focused on meeting their targets. On the one hand, this affects whether the team is able to do the task if they are new to it and what it requires. For example a team of engineers are asked to carry out research on the market in which they operate in, whether they are able to do this task effectively will depend on the knowledge they have in carrying research out and what methods are available to them. Without experience, they are more likely to produce a poor out come and co-operate less effectively and fluently as individually, they may be scared of getting it wrong. On the other hand if the group is at the norming stage, then the group will feel comfortable to accept criticism if they are wrong and may motivate each other to meet the challenge of doing something new and may enjoy learning new skills and knowledge to help meet their goals. So on balance there are two ways a team may accept the task if they have no experience and may be the cause to why a team may be underperforming. However if a team has excellent inter-personal skills they could overall overcome this problem and seek new opportunities from this task. In this scenario, I recommend that a team should look for solutions and better ways of completing their task to over come the problem. However having the right resource to carry out the task is equally important to be able to produce a high standard and to overall complete the work they are given. In addition, the team may not have definitions of responsibility between members. For example they may not have a team leader to lead them and organise the group to get a tasks done and on time. This could lead to members being left out and a feeling of tension within the group, which will result in less co-operation and less team work being done. Without a team leader the group will have no one to manage the project so will not operate effectively as their will be no leader to define the objectives to help meet them in the most appropriate, simplest and logic lest order The question to consider is whether a team is capable of achieving the task or whether they are able to for example may not have the resources needed to complete the assignment or may have a team leader with poor communication and interpersonal skills. Recommendations From the above information on the different aspect that can affect a team and make it dysfunctional the following are recommendations to help raise the achievement of an underperforming team. I recommend team-building techniques are used to help improve the productivity and interaction of the team members to help the group bond and feel part of something. Successful team building has far-reaching communication skills in an organisation. Improve the way team members interact and you improve their ability to solve problems. Better problem solving means better efficiency in general. Increased efficiency tends to boost morale and productivity. It also helps to decrease stress, turnover and operating costs. In addition, all of these improvements bolster the organisations public image. Once established an effective team becomes self-perpetuating. In addition, I recommend that a point scoring system that has prospects should be used to help motivate teams to achieve their targets so they have something to work towards, as they will want to get the highest score so they can be recognised for their hard work and rewarded. This will help the teams within an organisation become more competitive and work much harder to achieve their goals. This will encourage underperforming teams to be motivated to work together to get their tasks done so they can be recognised by the business for their contribution to their success. Also to scope for personal and professional development through training and international mobility. This will mean employees can continue to learn and gain new skills through their work. This will help motivate staff to do the most amount of work they are able to do to, to the best standard they can achieve. So they have a better chance of being promoted. This will help underacheiving teams to be motivated to do the work as they can learn how to do it if they done know how. In addition to the above recommendations, my final recommendation is to overall increase employee motivation by concentrating on the environment they work in and what can be done to provide a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere so the productivity can be increase and stress levels can be decreased. Techniques such as bringing plants into the work place have proved to reduce stress and bring a more calmed environment to the workforce. It is very important for any organisation/business to improve underperforming teams as they result in increasing levels of customer complaints, high staff turnover and incomplete tasks. So overall it leader to an under performing business as they will not be meeting their strategic aims and objectives. Overall action needs to be taken at the first signs of a dysfunctional team.

Making Choices Guide Essay Example for Free

Making Choices Guide Essay As we age our bodies and lives take on many different changes. Some of these changes are for the better and then there are changes that are not so much in our favor. Our health status is the one thing that can vary from time-to-time as we age, and for this we have to prepare ourselves for the many possibilities of needing long term care (LTC). Once the need for LTC is evident, there are many decisions to be made, and a long list of things to take into consideration. Finances, costs, demographics, and independence, are just a few variables to consider when choosing where you or a loved one will be spending the next chapter in life. Finances are the most important variable to take into consideration, mainly because plain and simple; the care is going to cost. Whether a LTC facility or a person’s home is going to be the place where the care is delivered, there will be some expenses accrued. Personal income, annuities, long term care insurance, savings, government programs (Medicare Medicaid), Veteran’s Benefits, and reverse mortgages are just a few payment options available for LTC. There are more payment options becoming available through new financial products as our populace ages. When it comes to the costs of delivering the care, and where it is to be delivered, a lot of things come into play. Residing in a LTC facility brings about a multitude of expenditures compared to staying at home or aging in place. In 2010, semi-private rooms averaged about $200 a day in a nursing home, and about $230 for a private room, and a one bedroom apartment in an assisted living facility averaged about $3,300 a month. Those costs are not all inclusive. There is usually a cost for added services such as private laundry, additional activities or programs. According to LongTermCare.gov (n.d.), it is wise to think now about how your  current residence and community will support your needs as you age and require long term care services. Staying at home or aging in place has its expenses too. A home owner’s expenses are a little less costly if they had their home built to their satisfaction to begin with. This eliminates having major work done on the home to accommodate the need for LTC. The adding of handrails and ramps, throughout the home is much cheaper than living in a LTC facility for a month. Another advantage of aging in place is the caregiver could be free of charge if it is a friend or relative. On the other hand, the cost of home health aides and homemakers range from $19 to $22 per hour. There are also programs to assist those who choose to age in place. One program is The Older Americans Act. According to LongTermCare.gov (n.d.),The Older Americans Act is a Federal program designed to organize, coordinate, and provide home- and community-based services to older adults and their families. These services and programs assist the elderly and older adults in remaining independently in their communities. Local transportation services, in-home personal care, meals delivered for the homebound (and available in the community), and homemaker services are just a few of the programs and services available through the Older American Act. These services are also extended to Native Americans. Having the feeling of belonging where you are is a comfortable feeling. When making the decision on where you plan to live your next chapter of life, it is important to keep in mind to find somewhere comfortable and familiar to you. Nothing is more familiar to a person than where they are – home. . Here is where the demographics can come into play. Most individuals are familiar with their communities and the people within them, so it is a little easier to locate services and programs in the area. Community-based programs are mostly targeted to help the elderly, disabled, and older adults to reestablish and preserve their optimal level of self-care, while preventing and prolonging unsuitable and unwanted institutionalization. According to Gibson, (1995 – 2014), these programs stress partnership with the participant, family, caregiver, primary care physician, and the community in working toward maintaining personal independence. An outstanding and reliable social support system can be a valuable asset, regardless of where your next chapter in life may take place. Having family, friends, and the support of others (staff if in a  facility) can have a positive impact and influence on the individual receiving the LTC. Regular visits and communication can also influence positive motivation. According to AHRQ (2006), social support and interaction within the facility also relate to quality of life satisfaction and reduced isolation and depressive symptoms, which is important for independent individuals. Other variables that can affect a couple’s or individual’s choice on a LTC facility includes whether or not the facility is Alzheimer’s friendly. If the individual who is needing the care has Alzheimer’s, you would want to make sure the staff are properly trained to care for them. Other things to consider is whether or not there is a wing or ward for individuals with Alzheimer’s., or if the facility is safeguarded for these individuals to roam around indoors and out. .It is important to know the staff to resident ratio. There need to be enough staff to service the residents at all times. Visiting is a variable to be considered also. Not only having family and friends visit, but if the individual’s mobility is at a doable level, are they able to do an outing with a family member or friend?  When the time comes to make the choice of where your next chapter in life is going to be spent, be sure to thoroughly research your options. Make sure that the services and programs you choose are not only available now, but also available for the future. There is an endless list of variables to consider. You would want to make sure the facility and staff are licensed and certified to provide the care needed. It is also important to know if the facility has full access to the medical care needed. A very important variable is behavior management. Knowing how the facility deals with various types of behaviors is significant to another resident’s safety. Question the facility as to whether they use chemical or physical restraints, or if the individual is shut off from the main area. These are just some of the variables and questions to consider. Keep asking questions until you are fully satisfied and happy with the answers. When older adults and the elderly are devoted and participating personally in their care, they tend to be more satisfied with where they are and the decisions they have made to get to that point.  References AHRQ, (December, 2006), Factors Important to Consumers When Choosing Residential Care, U.S. Department of Health Human Services (DHH), Retrieved from http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/systems/long-term- care/resources/facilities/ltcscan/ltc5.html Gibson, H., (1995 – 2014), Choosing Well: Long-Term Care Facilities, Today’s Caregiver, Retrieved from http://caregiver.com/channels/ltc/ articles/choosing_well_ltc_facilities.htm LiveStrong Foundation, (n.d.), Assisted Living and Nursing Home Facilities, Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.org/we-can-help/managing-your-life-during-treatment/assisted-living-and-nursing-home-facilities/ LongTermCare.gov, (n.d.), Costs how to pay, Retrieved from http://longtermcare.gov/costs-how-to-pay/

The History Of Indra And Purusha Theology Religion Essay

The History Of Indra And Purusha Theology Religion Essay The Indo- Aryan society believed in many gods. The Aryans believed that many natural events were being influenced by their gods. These people also seemed to follow some laws or code of conduct to keep order in their society. They also had a caste system. The early Aryans did not use writing but they composed plenty of poem, hymns, and songs that gave site into their religion and literacy. Everything was transmitted orally from one generation to the next. They communicated through a sacred language known as Sanskrit. The earliest of those transmissions where the four Vedas, which were named the Rig Veda. The Aryans told stories of how their deities helped their people with the problems that came upon the society. Most of the songs in The Rig Veda are dedications to the deities and their greatness. Indra was the most important of the Vedic gods. Indra was the Aryans chief deity. It is said that Indra eats Soma to hallucinate and gains victory over the dragon. This dragon that they talk about is the dragon of drought that is a plague for their people. The Aryans are a farming group of people, and the need for water is a very high necessity. Indra defeats the dragon, and then lets the waters flow free, which tell us that the clouds that were described as the dragon opened up and poured on the land. After the defeat of the dragon Indra was considered the ruling god over all in the Aryan nation. Some people were starting to lose faith in Indra and that he needed to be reinforced as the supreme ruling god. Many events that happened to the Aryan people were said to be because of his intervention in the world. This passage tells us that there was some unrest about if Indra really was doing well for the people. Some people are discontent with their deity and are losing the faith, but people see him he is mighty as a bull and he was the one whom let rivers flow so that the people could flourish. He strikes down his enemies and the enemies of the people such as Rauhina. Aryans relied on the gods to answer the unknowns in nature. The sun, the moon, the rain, the wind, the animals, and even the seasons were determined by Indra. These people were afraid of their god. They offered sacrifices to help appease the god so that he would not punish them with natural disasters. We can tell that the people of the time were either really religious or doubting; this passage on the victory over Vritra was made for those doubting people by the religious people who feared Indras displeasure with the doubters. This knowledge of wrong doing seems to give us some insight into moral codes and public laws. These people feared the god and believed that they could anger those gods, so they must have followed some kind of public code of conduct. Purusha was said to compose everything in the world. He makes everything that we see and use, he is everywhere at every moment. Purusha is held in high regard by these people and is considered the creator of everything and is also considered to be in everything in the natural world. During the Vedic age the Aryans were in battling the enemies or dasas, but not only outsiders but they fought themselves. They didnt have a common government but chiefdoms with each a leader known as a raja or king. The men from one village often raided herds from another. After migrating south the Aryans learned how to make iron tools and weapons. Now having these iron tools this made cultivating easier which in hand make a large growth in agriculture. This allowed the Aryans to settle into a permanent community instead of always migrating from place to place. From my readings I can see that the Aryan people had many gods and beliefs; they had common laws that were followed in practice and also had a caste system of their people. As time passed the memory of Indra receded into almost nothing the Aryans use the battle as inspiration to build a great society. But then they migrated they connected with the Dravidians and from being enemies to becoming one. Their combined legacies led to the development of a distinctive and rich cultural society. Early Aryans practiced a limited amount of agriculture, but they depended a lot on a pastoral economy. They prized their horses and herds of cattle. The Aryans adopted Dravidian agricultural techniques. They used a formal political institution. After settling in India the Aryans changed from relying on herding to relying on political structure and they produced a well-defined social hierarchy. This social distinction was based on ones occupation and role in society. This was known as a caste system. The Aryans used the term Varna to describe the major social classes more on agriculture. The Rig Veda shows us that the early Aryan civilization had a caste system comprised of the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Sudra. If we consider where each of these groups is on Purusha we can look into how important people believed they really were. The Brahmin held the top position on the caste system, they were priests. Kshatriyas were nobles and aristocrats. Vaishyas were the cultivators, artisans, and merchants. Shudras were the land peasants and serfs. In the end of the Vedic Age a new category was added and those people would become the untouchables, the ones who performed dirty and unpleasant tasks. These four castes were said to b e the four body parts of the Aryan deity Purusha. This was a fixed system to maintain Aryans high power. Under these four main levels there were 3,000 sub castes known as Jati. Each individual had darma or a responsibility and if you do right your get good karma. Ones goal is to reach mulksha which is the release or liberation from the caste system. While building a social hierarchy on the foundations of caste and varna distinctions, the Aryans also created a strongly patriarchal social order based on gender. Within the Aryan society Indian men dominated. Anyone would was important was male. The Law book of Manu dealt with proper moral behavior and social relationships, including sex and gender relationships. This was created to advise men to treat women with respect and honor. This book also specified the duties of the women. One custom one the Indian society was Sati. Sati was the practice of the voluntary action when the widow threw herself on the funeral pyre of her dead husband, these never became popular. The combination of the Dravidian and Aryan society gave light to the Upanishads. The Upanishads were the practices of disciples gathering before a sage for discussion of religious issues (Tradition and Encounters 81). The Upanishads taught that the body and soul are separate, that each person is a small are of a huge soul called Brahman. They also believe that we are not only born once but many times over again. The goal of ones soul is to escape the cycle of birth and rebirth. The Upanishads created multiple doctrines and one of the main ones were of samara. Samara is a place after death where souls go to the World of Fathers and return to earth reborn. By the end of the Vedic age the Aryan and Dravidian traditions became the ground work for the Indian society. Agriculture spread thought out India. The caste system helped maintain public order. The role of human beings and their religious views sparked further reflection on spiritual and intellectual matters.

Fluoxetine Hydrochloride and Unipolar Depression :: Psychology Medicine Medical Papers

Fluoxetine Hydrochloride and Unipolar Depression Unipolar Depression is a historically documented affliction that many people experience in their lifetime. B.E. Leonard describes it as "a heterogeneous disease state characterized by complex alterations in several Central Nervous System neurotransmitter and receptor systems" (1992). Episodes of depression range from severe bouts that last a minimum of 2 weeks, to years (also known as Dysthymia," requiring a 2 year minimum duration for appropriate diagnosis). Depression interferes with a person's functioning and well-being on the general level of daily tasks and experiences that most of us participate in and take for granted: people experience loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, major changes in sleep patterns (sleeping too much or waking early in the morning), appetite, and feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, irritation and/or listlessness. (Davison, 2004.) Researchers have long struggled to pinpoint the origins of depression in order to improve quality of life for those who experience it. While no one causal relationship can be labeled as the main factor in depression (genetics, biology, and environment always interplay a complex role in all human experiences), specific correlational evidence has been found. The neurotransmitter serotonin (5 hydroxytryptamine) acts on areas of the Central Nervous System that are responsible for maintaining and regulating anxiety, sleep, aggression, appetite, temperature, sexual behavior and pain sensation, and has been found to have exceptionally low activity level in depressed people. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (such as fluoxetine, better known as Prozac) limit the reabsorption of serotonin by blocking receptors at neural level, raising serotonin activity levels and proving effective in helping to treat depression. SSRIs are equally effective as tricyclic drugs, with the particular advantages of not being associated with anticholinergic adverse effects, sedation, cardiotoxicity or massive weight gain, while retaining massive life changing effects. (Leonard.) In this paper, we investigate the synthesis of serotonin, the chemistry and route of access of Fluoxetine, and how the two interact to produce their effects. We study this interaction at the neural level, analyzing the behavioral and physiological changes and results as reported by those who have used the drug. Thus, we progress from profiling the micro level of action to a larger-scale, investigating how fluoxetine and serotonin interact with biology and environment to create the resulting positive and negative effects and, hopefully, to ultimately relieve Unipolar Depression. Serotonin and Fluoxetine: A Prelude to SSRI Functions

Before Iran-Contra :: essays research papers

Before Iran-Contra: The Development of Latin American Foreign Policy During the Reagan Administration When the Reagan administration first took office early in 1981, many of its key members wanted to make a move as soon as possible in response to the growing realm of Soviet power in the world. One area that the U.S. felt a lot of pressure from was Latin America. Even before the advent of communism, US influence in Latin America was always a touchy subject. As early as Teddy Roosevelt’s term as president, the US began a course of foreign policy that protected US investments in Latin America. While being decidedly pro-imperialistic in the dealings with these small neighbors, Roosevelt created a â€Å"dollar diplomacy† relationship and resorted to a devious policy of â€Å"preventive intervention† in dealings with Latin America. Not surprisingly, there were not many American supporters in those countries, except, of course, for the American companies exploiting the native populations to maximize profits. But not until the late seventies, with the threat of communist expansion into Central America, did the US again focus their attention on Latin American foreign policy affairs. From the beginning, the Reagan administration displayed concern about Nicaragua becoming another Cuba. Nicaragua showed signs of becoming an armed camp from which trained guerillas would be sent into the neighboring countries to start revolutionary movements, and the US began to think that their only choice was military intervention. But support for military intervention was not very popular in the US among the public and legislature. The first Boland Amendment of 1982 capped the US monetary support for the contra rebels, and in successive years, amendments to the Boland Amendment dropped that number dangerously low. Congress remembered the lessons of the Vietnam War, and wanted to avoid the slow, steady build up to all-out war. Also, many of Reagan’s most trusted advisors were leftovers from the Nixon era. They had watched Vietnam fall shortly after the U.S. withdraw, followed closely by Laos and Cambodia, and the situation in Nicaragua seemed eerily familiar. Cringing at the memory of leaving millions of South Vietnamese American supporters to suffer a dismal fate at the hands of the NVA and People’s Republic of Vietnam, the Reagan Administration was careful not to get so involved in the situation that they could not wash their hands of it if necessary. Therefore, the US’s plan for challenging communism in Latin America changed.

Comparing the Black Album and Rushdies The Satanic Verses Essays

The Black Album and Rushdie's The Satanic Verses      Ã‚  Ã‚   British writer C.C. Colton once claimed, "Men will wrangle for religion; write for it; fight for it; die for it; anything but--live for it" (Copeland 345). Indeed, if nothing else, Hanif Kureishi's The Black Album shows the depths to which people concern themselves with questions of religion, ethnicity, and the identity associated with them. Kureishi's themes and symbolism work within a larger context of the politics of identity, race, and nationality. Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses and the larger religious question associated with it, serve to polarize the British community between Muslims and non-Muslims, as well as to polarize people supporting liberation and those supporting containment. Combined with other cultural references, Kureishi uses the literary allusion to create his themes and symbolism.    The question of the racial, religious, and socioeconomic identity of Shahid becomes a central question posed as Shahid undergoes translation from his Pakistani ancestry to his desired identity as a Briton. Shahid's translation parallels the translations of the former Asian colonies of Britain into their new postcolonial identities. Unfortunately for Shahid, the struggle over The Satanic Verses catches him as he is translating himself, presenting him with a series of tough choices.    The quest for identity in Indo-English writing has emerged as a recurrent theme, as it is in much of modern literature (Pathak preface). Indeed, often the individual's identity and his quest for it becomes so bound up in the national quest for identity, that the individual's search for his identity becomes allegorical of the national search (Pathak pr... ...pular Quotations for All Uses. Garden City, New York: Garden City, 1942. Gorra, Michael. After Empire: Scott, Naipul, Rushdie. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1997. Kureishi, Hanif. The Black Album. New York: Simon, 1995. Lings, Martin. Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. Revised edition. Bartlow, Cambridge, UK: Islamic Texts Society, 1991. Pathak, R.S., ed. Quest for Identity in Indian English Writing. New Delhi: Bahri, 1992. Rusdie, Salman. The Satanic Verses. First Owl Book edition. New York: Henry Holt, 1997. Saynor, James. Rev. of The Black Album, by Hanif Kureishi. The New Statesman & Society, March 3, 1995, p. 40(2). Wilkie, Brian, and James Hurt. Literature of the Western World. 2nd edition. In Galloway, Stan. "The House of Bernarda Alba." http://www.bridgewater.edu/~sgallowa/203/alba-notes.htm, April 26, 1999.    Comparing the Black Album and Rushdie's The Satanic Verses Essays The Black Album and Rushdie's The Satanic Verses      Ã‚  Ã‚   British writer C.C. Colton once claimed, "Men will wrangle for religion; write for it; fight for it; die for it; anything but--live for it" (Copeland 345). Indeed, if nothing else, Hanif Kureishi's The Black Album shows the depths to which people concern themselves with questions of religion, ethnicity, and the identity associated with them. Kureishi's themes and symbolism work within a larger context of the politics of identity, race, and nationality. Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses and the larger religious question associated with it, serve to polarize the British community between Muslims and non-Muslims, as well as to polarize people supporting liberation and those supporting containment. Combined with other cultural references, Kureishi uses the literary allusion to create his themes and symbolism.    The question of the racial, religious, and socioeconomic identity of Shahid becomes a central question posed as Shahid undergoes translation from his Pakistani ancestry to his desired identity as a Briton. Shahid's translation parallels the translations of the former Asian colonies of Britain into their new postcolonial identities. Unfortunately for Shahid, the struggle over The Satanic Verses catches him as he is translating himself, presenting him with a series of tough choices.    The quest for identity in Indo-English writing has emerged as a recurrent theme, as it is in much of modern literature (Pathak preface). Indeed, often the individual's identity and his quest for it becomes so bound up in the national quest for identity, that the individual's search for his identity becomes allegorical of the national search (Pathak pr... ...pular Quotations for All Uses. Garden City, New York: Garden City, 1942. Gorra, Michael. After Empire: Scott, Naipul, Rushdie. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1997. Kureishi, Hanif. The Black Album. New York: Simon, 1995. Lings, Martin. Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. Revised edition. Bartlow, Cambridge, UK: Islamic Texts Society, 1991. Pathak, R.S., ed. Quest for Identity in Indian English Writing. New Delhi: Bahri, 1992. Rusdie, Salman. The Satanic Verses. First Owl Book edition. New York: Henry Holt, 1997. Saynor, James. Rev. of The Black Album, by Hanif Kureishi. The New Statesman & Society, March 3, 1995, p. 40(2). Wilkie, Brian, and James Hurt. Literature of the Western World. 2nd edition. In Galloway, Stan. "The House of Bernarda Alba." http://www.bridgewater.edu/~sgallowa/203/alba-notes.htm, April 26, 1999.   

In Another Country Is a Story of Ironies Essay

In the story In Another Country, one of Hemingway’s greatest themes is the implausibility of war, focusing on the fate of the soldiers in the aftermath of war, when they experience the tragedies and futility of their lives. In fact, the story offers a rethinking of war-related concepts and values such as bravery, heroism, patriotism, camaraderie, etc. and a tool used to convey contrasting or unconventional views is irony. For example, irony lies in the fact that the soldiers have wounds in the very parts of the body that make what they are, the medals may be meaningless and do not have true value, and the Cova girls are considered the most patriotic people of all. Those ironies seem to reveal the author’s anti-war attitude. First, the characters ironically receive wounds in the parts of the body that make them what they are. A noble man now becomes a noseless figure, a footballer has a damaged knee, and a fencer a shriveled hand. It seems as if the war has deliberately chosen to rob them of the things that give their lives meanings and essence. In short, they are not their selves any more. To make the ironies more tragic, the boy who lost his nose had his face rebuilt, but ‘they could never get the nose exactly right,’ and the major – the fencing champion – has no confidence in the treatment. Although ‘to lose is human’, a soldier cannot avoid having to ‘place himself in a position to lose’. The soldiers’ losses cannot be recovered and are a painful blow to their bravery. The medals are also images of irony. Though supposed to be awards for deeds of bravery and thus something that hold the soldiers together, that make them ‘friends against outsiders’, the medals have become causes for injustice and discrimination. In fact, the American soldier received his medals just because he is American, without doing anything to get them. Knowing this, the others’ soldiers changed their attitude towards him. The American is well aware that he is never really one of them, would never have done brave things like the other three, and is never a hunting hawk like them. This realization causes the American to drift apart from the other soldiers and their camaraderie suffers from this discrimination and despise. Another bitter irony comes from the fact that the people who appreciate the soldiers most are not the respectable citizens of Milan but the cafà © girls at the Cova. Needless to say, going to war and sacrificing his youth, future, career, and even his life, a soldier expects to be recognized and loved by non-soldier people. However, the people in Milan hate them and yell at them when they pass by. On the contrary, the lowly girls at the Cova like and welcome them, to the point that the I-narrator ‘found that the most patriotic people in Italy were the cafà © girls’ and he believes ‘they are still patriotic.’ It is not clear whether the cafà © girls showing interest in the soldiers comes from real respect or just a means to show their hospitality but the girls’ behavior may question what makes patriotism and highlight the sense of isolation experienced by the soldiers. The three images of irony discussed above, though not exhaustive, evidence the implausibility of war and the cruel fate of the soldiers after war. We have the impression that the soldiers are betrayed by the war, which inflicts the kinds of wounds that are intended to destroy them, to rob them of the very meaning of their existence, by the medals, which widen the gap between fellow soldiers rather than unite them, and by the people, who, in return for the soldiers’ sacrifice, pay them with ingratitude and hate. Hemingway’s anti-war attitude seems to emphasize the fact that war is inglorious and life is unfair.