Authorship of the book of Ruth Essay

The book of Ruth has been historically claimed to be written by the prophet Samuel. It dates back to the 1011 and 931 B. C. It was a message of the love of God directly to the Israelites. With the main theme of sacrifice, it was essential for them at that time to hear such words of love. In the heathen land of Moab, located North of the Dead Sea, Ruth is resides for a period of time and them moves further into the town of Bethlehem, during the era of the judges which occurred directly after the Pentateuch books which are the first five biblical books. Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Naomi and Elimelech, who were an Israelite couple with two sons. Mahlon and Chilion were their names and both married Ruth and Orpah. Sadly, all three men in the family died, firstly Elimelech and then later on his two sons, leaving three widowed women. The actual period is not actually stated. However, most scholars have attributed its authorship to the pre-exilic era; the period after the enslaved Israelites were freed and permitted to return back to their homeland of Israel. As a historical book of the Bible and an excellent piece of literature, it has challenged the conception of the era and the norms of the periods as recording the attitudes and conducts between people. It demonstrated tremendous practicality and dealt with serious relational issues and we can learn a lot from it today. Its authorship is unknown. It clearly begins by alluding to the period of the judges and it is perceived by some to have been written around that time. The prophet Samuel has been given the credit for its authorship by many scholars. In recent times however, there have been speculations as to the real author of this book. It has been recognised as having been written by a female author. According to an ancient Beraithato the Talmudic treatise it stated that the prophet Samuel did write the book of Ruth. As it is does not provide strong evidence concerning the authorship, several authors in recent times have refuted the prophet Samuel as the actual author of this phenomenal book. Does it really matter whether it was written by a male or female author? This has been a question in the minds of many because in its entirety, the content of the book is very positive and has a lot of moral, social and legal coverage, which has provided a lot of insight into the way the Israelites interacted amongst themselves as well as among foreign nations, like the Moabites. In this essay, various perspectives of scholars will be addressed and references to the actual text will also be made to support and refute arguments which have been put forth by various intellectual minds. In a recent book entitled the Widow’s plea, a group of authors cited a number of key points about the book of Ruth. Central to their arguments were factors that provided an insight to the gender identity of the author. Firstly, they referred to a deliberate attempt by the author to strengthen the plight of widowed women in this book, by the avoidance of dealing with the Leveriate marriage, a popular custom that existed during that period. Lawson Younger in made inference to this point by referring to the book ‘Three Shekels’ by H Shanks: The inscription is puzzling. According to the law of levirate marriage, a man must marry his brother’s widow if his brother died childless (see Deuteronomy 25:5–6). Why wasn’t the husband’s brother, who had already received the wheat ? eld in Nacamah, required to do his duty by marrying his brother’s widow? Alas, the ostracon does not tell us(p 32) The laws relating to marriage and redemption were strongly intertwined and since it was not completely applicable in this case because Ruth did not marry her direct next of kin, these scholars have speculated that it might have been authored by a female. Furthermore, H Avolos backed this argument by purporting the deliberate exclusion in this case. (Avolos 616) In an attempt to further prove this point Young referred to various Hebrew texts and phrases used to give a better view point. For instance, the use of the words ‘Amah’ and ‘siphah were used at different times, suggestive of various points regarding the nocturnal influence of Ruth in Chapter 3:9. This is what he noted: Amah seems to be used to emphasize a slave’s feminine qualities (need for protect weakness, sexual attractiveness, etc. ), while siphah seems to be used when the female is viewed as a possession and a laborer. 41 Both terms can be used as self-designations. When it is used this way, amah appears to suggest a female petitioner’s weakness and need for help or protection when presenting a request before a more powerful male, never before another female. When siphah is used as a self-designation of obeisance, it seems to signify the woman’s subservience and readiness to serve or obey instructions. (p127) With the usage of the term amah, despite the fact that she was a labourer or indirectly in servitude, she was still able to realize her feminity even in hardship. It was suggestive of her need for protection and dependency on the one who is stronger than herself, especially when requesting a favour from an influential male figure. This point alludes to the kind of writing by a male author, realizing the need of the woman for protection and a bulwark. The usage of the term siphah suggested the readiness of the woman to adhere to instructions from the male and obey and to do is bidding. In both cases, there is a strong suggestion of a male authorship based on this viewpoint. Further Hebrew terms used indicate more usage of feminine forms of verbs. For instance, the word hyrja, meaning ‘them’ was used to refer to bodies of individuals. Its frequent usage indicated that the author made reference to a wide range of people who were female. Perhaps this could have been suggestive of a male author appreciating the role of the women or in actual fact, a woman who sought to enhance the role of the female in that era? The Feminist Companion of the Bible addressed several points that alluded to an obvious female authorship. (pg 34) It was argued that this book presented various points which gave credence to the importance of women in the Holy Bible. For instance, several women were identified who played excellent roles in biblical event, including Deborah, Dorcas, Esther and Miriam just to mention a few. It was also admitted that there were also major indications to the book of Ruth being authored by a male because of its superscription, just as the case was in other books like the book of Ecclesiastes. An interesting point to note was that there was a chance that although it may not have been written by a woman, the male author certainly had a profound respect for women and valued their contribution to the society. Interestingly, this book under the ‘Unconventional Life Partnership, Women Do Go Unconventional Ways’ heading also referred to the instruction by Naomi to Ruth, to use her natural female charm to win the heart of Boaz. (Athalya 29). This could very well have been a masculine viewpoint, in the sense that Naomi did recognize that Ruth needed a man in her life and hence was giving her advise on how to make Boaz notice her. During that period, it was generally expected that the women realized that they were being prepared for marriage at some stage and it would have been the role of an experienced woman like Naomi to share this with Ruth. This is a very feminine disposition which could have been expressed by the author. In the second chapter of the book of Ruth, she was portrayed as a hardworking lady who went to ‘glean with the reapers’. In Hebrew, the word ‘reapers’ refers to masculinity. Hence, irrespective of this fact, she was able to go and work with the men, gathering enough food supply for herself and for Naomi. As a matter of fact, it was emphasized that she worked through to the period of harvest. By so doing, she was able to gather more than sufficient rations to tend to the needs of a whole family. This was a progressive woman who knew that it was essential that she managed the home front successfully. In other words, she was a traditional homemaker – the major role of the woman. A female author would not have put this point any better. In his comparative study of the book of Ruth, Younger suggested that to a large extent, it seemed that a woman’s economic well-being was directly related to her link with some male. (p 129) From a feminine perspective it could be argued that this exhibited self-reliance and independence of the woman. On the contrary, there is also the aspect of the masculinity portrayed. The head of the reaper, when approached by Boaz who had not yet met Ruth at the time to ask about who she was, the reaper made excuses on her behalf, as she was a foreigner ( a Moabite girl) who did not the customs and modest requirements of the women of Israel. This impled that she was gleaning with the wrong set of people, in other words, the men. Hence, when Boaz eventually spoke to her, he advised her to glean with the girls or young ladies (Chapter 2:8). This was indicative of the male dominance and belief in the distinct and separate roles of the woman and the man. The geneological account in Chapter Four included women in it and this has made people suggest its female authorship. It was uncommon to have women included in the genelogical chronology. Especially in this instant, this geneology led all the way down to David, from whom the expected lineage of the Messiah was from. The character of Boaz was one of a generous and extremely loving individual. He saw the needs of Ruth and Naomi and took the necessary steps to ensure their happiness. By so doing, he tremendously brought a lot of benefits to himself. Eventually, he got married to Ruth. His numerous character traits are worthy of further study. Ruth was described as a virtuous woman. From the beginning of the book, she displayed loyalty and love, even to its end. When Naomi was bereaved of three members of her family including her husband and sons, Ruth did not seek out her own gain but decided to remain with Naomi, always. It took superhuman power to make such a profound statement in Chapter 1:16, entreating Naomi to let her (Ruth) remain with her. There was nothing that Naomi had to offer her. Both her sons were now dead, including the husband of Ruth. As was pointed out by Naomi, she had nothing to offer Ruth. Notwithstanding, Ruth made a selfless commitment to stand by Ruth, through times of sorrow and happiness. Naomi was a wise lady whose experience was of great benefit to Boaz and Ruth. In essence, she took the practical steps to facilitate their union. In all three characters, excellent themes of relational interactions have been displayed. Humility, sacrificial love, generousity and empathy just to mention a few, are required in everyday dealings with people. Regardless of the authorship, these character traits spread across boundaries and are pertinent in dealing with practical real-life matters. Especially today, these attitudes are still required and go along way in boosting human interactions. Works Cited Brenner, A. The feminist companion to the Bible (Second Series) Sheffield Academic Press Avalos, H. Legal and Social Institutions, 616 Malick, D. An Argument of the Book of Ruth from < http://www. bible. org/page. php? page_id=952> Shanks, H. (1997). Three Shekels pg 32. Younger, K. L. (1998). Two Comparative Notes on the Book of Ruth. Trinity International University

Dishonesty in Hamlet Essay

â€Å"Many critics have suggested Hamlet chronicles the perils of life within a largely false and dishonest world. To what extent has this been your experience of Shakespeare’s play?† The world we currently know has experienced many stages and eras such as the Renaissance era and the New World Era. In each of these eras, falsehood, dishonesty, deceit and revenge all seem to grow rich, however remorse and guilt grow poor. Like a domino effect, with all this tremendous falsehood come fatal and destructive dangers in life. Whether it be due to the risks of overthinking, or perhaps the risks of taking action, they seem to grow exponentially with time. William Shakespeare portrays evidently this changing world and it’s forever increasing perils of deceit throughout the play Hamlet, representing the aftermath of lying and its effects on everything around us, specifically the Great Chain of Being and Nature itself. The world the audience is shown as they enter Hamlet is stuck in a phase between the Renaissance and New World Era. The men of the Renaissance era were warriors and put trust in themselves, whereas in the New World, more men are thinkers as they have lost a sense of existential trust. This transition is essentially portrayed in the allusion to the story of the Helen of Troy, recited by Hamlet himself in Act 2 Scene 2 where Pyrrhus, a son who vows to avenge his dead father, seeks revenge on his murderer, Priam. Pyrrhus goes on to slay Priam, but before doing so, â€Å"like a neutral to his will and matter [does] nothing†. However after this pause, he is able to follow through with his mission. Pyrrhus hence portrays a true warrior. Similarly, we see in Act 3 scene 3, Hamlet following in Pyrrhus’ legacy to avenge his father, however there is a detrimental difference in Hamlet’s methods. Hamlet, being a thinker from the new world, pauses before striking King Claudius, however he does what Pyrrhus would not dare do – think. Essentially, Hamlet changes what should have occurred, and in turn causes a ripple effect where Polonius, Ophelia, Gertrude, Rosencrantz, etc. all die. This ultimately demonstrates how Shakespeare intends to chronicle how as the world changes and becomes less trusting with one’s self, the perils of overthinking life become more and more real and indeed cause the perils of death. All this change in the world and the ever-increasing deceit add up and cause a significant rupture and destruction of the Great Chain Of Being (GCOB). Where a king should be a descendant of the original king, instead of Hamlet becoming king, Claudius takes his position. Claudius’ crown is an extensive metaphor for a mask he wears in which it makes himself feel much more evocative and powerful, something he is not. Throughout the entire play, Claudius’ life is ultimately an existential lie. Portrayed through a metaphor used in Hamlet’s conversation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Act 2 Scene 2 that â€Å"Denmark’s a prison†, Shakespeare suggests that the city has spiralled into destruction, violence and unlawful sins. Also with the use of the metaphysical appearances of the ghost of Old Hamlet in multiple scenes, the audience is brought to conclude that the dishonesty of King Claudius has inflicted disruption to each and every person in Denmark. Hamlet tells the story of a real life Machiavel and how his villainous actions cause downfall and havoc to all life in Denmark. Ultimately, the anecdote of King Claudius is used to represent how one’s dishonesty to himself, and to everyone around him, create dangers to not only himself, but to nature and society itself. The idea that lies and deceit cause disturbances to every person’s lives is further enhanced by the use of structure in Hamlet. In almost every scene in which lies are being told (such as Act 2 scene 2 where Hamlet insults Polonius with his lies and where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern attempt to lie to Hamlet, and again in Act 3 Scene 2 where Hamlet teaches the players how to act or, in other words, lie, and so forth) the structure changes from Shakespeare’s famous iambic pentameter, to structure less speech. This use of transitory structures is Shakespeare’s method of metaphors to demonstrate that as people become more and more dishonest, they begin to destroy the unadulterated harmony of life and how its sequences should play out, pushing it into madness and confusion. Shakespeare attempts to portray to his audience his idea that the more lies and dishonesty, the more the perils of causing death and destroying the true sequence of events that are meant to be followed, falling back on the idea of disturbances of the GCOB. An old myth states that if you keep making faces as the wind changes, your face will remain that way. Analysing this further, if you wear a mask in many different situations, you soon begin to wear that mask forever. Shakespeare alludes to this myth in Act 2 Scene 2 where Hamlet says he is â€Å"but mad north-north-west† but â€Å"when the wind is southerly, [he] know[s] a hawk from a handsaw†. In Act 1 Scene 5, Hamlet states how he will â€Å"put on an antic disposition†, in other words put on a metaphorical mask whenever he is around those he does not trust. Shakespeare’s allusion to the myth suggests that if Hamlet continues to act like someone he is not, he will remain that way – he will remain to be crazy. Essentially, Hamlet’s dishonesty with himself and with those around him foreshadows his downfall, and, ultimately, his death. By alluding to the myth in one scene, and portraying how Hamlet is indeed wearing this mask as the wind changes in another scene, it can be extracted that Shakespeare intended to show a developing story of the dangers of lying and wearing masks to cover up the truth. If in your own world, you must lie to yourself, and continuously lie and deceive yourself, indeed you will remain that way, and henceforth lead on to much more fatal things such as becoming permanently insane. This notion of wearing masks to cover up one’s true identity is evident throughout the course of Hamlet. It is again seen where Polonius hides himself behind an arras in Act 3 Scene 4, spying on Hamlet and his mother’s conversation. Essentially, Polonius’ choice to hide behind an arras and lead himself into dishonesty unravels and causes him to be accidentally murdered. The demonstration of the consequences of lying and deceiving is genuinely strong here, where it does not lead to simply madness nor pain, but the worst punishment of our current world – death. This irreversible consequence demonstrates the desperation of Shakespeare to get his message across that with lying and dishonesty, there is a chain reaction and it may possibly lead to death, ultimately the greatest peril of life. There is a specific order in which the world works, and when one lies, or deceives those around them, indeed they denature the destined sequence of events in life. In doing so they form a sense of confusion and cause even more dishonesty with everyone around them. In conjunction with the above, it is overly simplistic to conclude that William Shakespeare depicts the ever-increasing dishonesty and deceitfulness throughout Hamlet and in turn successfully and evidently chronicles the consequences and aftermath of these sinful actions.

The Wise Choice Process

What is your ideal future outcome? ) My Ideal future outcome is to get my nursing bachelor degree by 2016, dive right Into my career right after I graduate, and while work as a RAN pursue my masters degree and become a Nurse Anesthetist I want to have a stable part-time job that works with my schedule, and supports me throughout my college years so that I can focus on school and not have to worry about my financial stability. Ideally, I want to control all aspects of my life, and right now I feel as though I don't have a complete grasp on what to do to better my life 3.What are my possible choices? (Create a long list of specific choices that might create your preferred outcome. Cut back on school, and spend more time on finding a Job. Try harder to find a job Find a Job, stay in school, and alleviate my stress Meditate and find ways to control my stress levels even if I don't have a job. Realize that things will get better eventually if I Just apply myself. Keep doing what I'm doing 4. What's the likely outcome of each possible choice? (If you can't predict the likely outcome of an option, stop and gather more Information.If I cut back on school, and spend more time on finding a job, it'll take me longer to finish school. It wouldn't hurt to try harder to find a Job. Finding a Job, staying in school, and getting rid of my stress would be perfect. Meditate and find ways to control my stress is what I should be doing so that I can focus on school. Realize that things will get better Is relying on time to fix your problems, In a sense. And I don't want to wait. I want It to happen now. I am not going to keep doing what I'm doing because it is not working for me. 5. Which choice(s) will I commit to doing?Pick from your list of choices in step 3. ) I will commit to looking harder for a Job I will commit to finding a Job, staying in school, and getting rid of my stress. I will commit to Meditating and finding ways to control my stress 6. When and how will I evaluate my plan? (Identify specifically the date and criteria by which you will determine the success of your plan. ) I will start making changes In my life today March 13,2012. I want things to change now. So I need to act now. If I procrastinate on changing, it'll only take those changes longer to happen.I'm tired of feeling like I have no control over my life, and Its time for me to get back that control. If I ever feel discouraged or frustrated, I will simply refer back to this Journal to encourage me to get back on track the Wise Choice Process I learned that ever problem has a solution, and its up to me to make the right choice. There are many choices I can make, but I have to weigh them and see which one is the best fit for me. Earlier in this Journal I mentioned feeling like I had no control over what was happening in my life, and learning this sis choice process inspires me to change and make what I want to happen, happen now.It feels like thoughts have been overflowing my mind. I now know that a good choice today, will lead to a better tomorrow, I have the power to choose! ‘ relearned that only we can change what goes on in our life, and I am starting my change today. It is my programming that has created my choices in the past. It is the choices that I make today that are creating the programs of my future. I need to † Listen to the quietest whispers of your mind. They are telling you the choices that will help you the most†

Media studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Media studies - Essay Example For instance, in Brazil, Samba is seen as music of the young working class, but in Europe and North America, it represents an exotic form of ‘world music’ popular with the educate elite. This explicitly reveals that relationship between culture and social class seems to differ broadly in the world. Thus, ‘class culture’ is a concept created by the debates about the changing structure of class (Kirby 1997: 676). Working Class Culture In the 1950s, affluent group of workers was emerging due to the escalating standards of living in the 1950s and changing working class culture nature, which created a change in political attitudes and middle class lifestyle. According to Kirby, â€Å"Sections of the working class enjoyed access to a range of cultural goods and commodities for the first time, including family cars, washing machines, televisions and holidays abroad† (1997: 676). Kirby further suggests that mass society was created by the emergence of America n cultural products including rock and roll, American movies, and juke boxes and so on, which led to gradual erosion of the working class culture. ... It also emphasized on commitment of one to political involvement and a sense of decency, which, knows right from wrong. The arrival of mass entertainment designed to appeal to all classes slowly eroded the traditional working class culture. The introduction of radio, for example, alienated the need for working-class people to meet and sing their own songs (Kirby, 1997: 677). Stereotypes of the Working Class Culture Stereotypes are based on â€Å"oversimplified and pre-conceived ideas of the characteristics of a particular, situation or group† as displayed in Oxford Dictionary, 1989, â€Å"Stereotype†. In many studies of the working class culture and stereotypes, there has been the dominance of gender. According to Dunk, stereotypes relating to gender are changing. Nonetheless, structures of patriarchy and ideology still have root in the society (Dunk, 2003: 18). Central stereotypes reflect the world concepts of dominant classes who are in a quest for self-actualization at the expense of others below their class. For example, many have stereotyped Blacks as ‘Jezebels whereby women were all perceived as promiscuous (Mankiller, 1998: 565). Alongside racial and ethnic stereotypes, gender and social class are among the most prominent features where people fall. In the society, a complex interplay exists among racial-ethnic, gender and class stereotypes (Andersen, Taylor 2008: 276). Andersen and Taylor further notes that there are gender stereotypes. This refers to stereotypes that focus on a person’s gender. According to these authors, women stereotypes tend to be more negative compared to those of men. The typical woman has been traditionally stereotyped as subservient, flighty, overly emotional, overly talkative

Public Key Infrastructure Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Key Infrastructure - Research Paper Example PKI is set of complex set of application that supports other application system and components that will assist in building a network security. Implementation of PKI is anticipated to serve as an essential component of an overall security system within the organization (Zao, 2012; Hanka et al., 2011). PKI is highly scalable and helps the in maintaining certificates with their unique identity. A feature of PKI such as scalability further creates no requirement of third party authentication. Through the feature of the delegation of trust the software enhances the authentication of the software within the end users. To enhance the security system within an organization the PKI provides unique codes and ensures that only legitimate users are able to access to the system resources. These features of PKI along with identity based self-certified keys are anticipated to ensure better security system controlled within the organization (The Saylor Foundation, 2012). PKI system allows the use of mathematically related key pairs, to be used for public and private level. The private key is used to safeguard the requirement of the privacy at the organizational level. Correspondingly, the public keys provide a unique identification to the users of the software. This method of encryption and decryption is further observed to help the organization to authenticate the software and enhances the credibility to the customers (United States Department of Agriculture, n.d.). The certificate authority helps in creating and binding the public encryption keys. The in-house certification authority enhances the maximum level of control over the different software being used within an organization. The process employs a digital sign which enhances the financial soundness, liability protection as well as enhances the corroboration of transaction. The document that is signed by a trusted b y a third party organization is referred to as a

Pro's and Con's of Telework from the Employers Perspective Research Paper

Pro's and Con's of Telework from the Employers Perspective - Research Paper Example Teleworking is an instrument that can alter the organization’s competencies (Illegems & Verbeke, 2004). Teleworking has multifaceted implications for the individual, for the organization as well as for the society. This paper evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of teleworking from an employer’s perspective. Lim and Teo (2000) define teleworking as a work arrangement where employees can work out of home during or outside office hours. Teleworking has also been defined as â€Å"Periodic work out of the principal office, one or more days per week either at home, a client’s site, or in a telework center (Nilles, 1998 cited in Hill, Ferris & Martinson, 2003). It involves working through different satellite offices or other remote locations away from the company office (Golden, 2006). Contact is maintained through different office equipments powered by communication and information technologies such as through computer modems, facsimiles and electronic and voic e mail systems. This is the reason that teleworking is more prevalent in countries that have more use of electronic communication. Teleworking is done part-time from home or other remote locations and this results in best output as it can prevent social isolation of the workers (Perez, Sanchez, & Carnicer, 2003). ... The IT industry has a high employee turnover rate globally. Frequent displacement of employees affects the morale of those who remain in the organization. Teleworking can be beneficial to the organization if the employees have a positive attitude towards it. The potential advantages include reduction in office space requirement, capital savings for the organization, and possibility of retention of scarce skills and talents in the organization (Lim & Teo, 2000). All of these in turn could boost the morale of the remaining employees. However, it is important that the employees have a favorable attitude towards teleworking. This has also been found in the case of Spanish firms where the organization can benefit only if the employees are involved in design and programming their own tasks (Perez, Sanchez, & Carnicer, 2003). If employees focus on self-management skills and are able to organize their schedules, set priorities, meet deadlines and asses their own performance, teleworking can be beneficial in Spain. This is because the HR managers are not familiar with technology and its implications. However, the same may not work in the UK as it requires shift in management culture (Perez, Sanchez, & Carnicer, 2003). To encourage teleworking initiative and adoption, an innovative culture is essential to foster and stimulate change as this makes adoption easier. Teleworking provides the organization to improve the way they manage their working activities in all areas of the value steam. To beat the talent war and scarcity of skills, offering such flexible working system enables the organization to offer something beyond the remuneration â€Å"deals† (Morgan, 2004). Telework helps to attract, motivate and retain

Advancing Career Development. Personal and Professional Profile Essay

Advancing Career Development. Personal and Professional Profile - Essay Example Categorical initiatives could benefit the industry, but there is a broader push on the component of the regime to try out and promote salubrious healthy living. Factors like utility prices and salary rates will have an impact on numerous aspects of the industry, as costs will elevate and customers may need to prioritize their expenditure as their disposable income are cut down. From the PESTEL analysis of the three companies, namely Fitness First, Virgin Active, and Gold’s Gym companies, it is evident that people have placed their health first before everything else. Most of their management skills have been enhanced to keep the clients satisfied and eager to search for better health opportunities. It is also true that in most fitness centers, customers who are satisfied with the services come back often and build a good reputation for the companies. General Managers are normally responsible for daily operations of a business. Planning, Monitoring and Controlling is what they need to do. Responsibilities also include hiring or training staff members and to deal with clients. Business Development Managers are needed in the Health and Beauty Industry as the market becomes more and more occupied and as competition level increases. That is why it is vital to have a specialist, who is focused on innovations and improvements. When analysing business processes, I was able to identify important issues and made some useful recommendations, like the development of a web-site and advertising of new products and services via texts to the customer base I am an experienced strategic planner and consultant with proven results in a variety of industries. My entrepreneurial spirit has permitted me to achieve established success, along with my understanding of market trends and implementing processes to grow and expand products and services. I have proven organizational and time-management skills, with extensive knowledge of Design Process

Evaluation of myself Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evaluation of myself - Essay Example As per my mother, I was always a disciplined and good natured person who has evolved into a responsible and reliable personality. It goes without saying that while constructing this configuration; my mother was to a large extent biased pertaining to the selection of data she subscribed to, to shape my persona. The information that she relied on to typify my configuration was primarily obsolete, as she had either little information as to how I carried myself as a social   and professional person, or she decided to ignore the information at her disposal, going by the choice of words that she used to define me. Not to mention that such a response from her was accurately in consonance with my expectations, though not in tandem with my innate self concept. I can say that my mother’s opinion of me was aimed at securing optimal relational satisfaction for her. The configuration contrived by my mother catered to my innate self concept that is adhered to a large extent to the stable set of perceptions that I held about myself. This indeed boosted my self esteem as it satiated that aspect of my, self concept that involved personal evaluations of my, self worth. I also need to mention that this particular interaction with my mother proceeded smoothly as her and mine communication was indeed impacted by a mutually evinced high self esteem. As my mother happens to be a ‘significant other’ in my life I must acknowledge that her evaluation of me was especially taken to be quiet influential.   This evaluation was no way influenced by any viable and pragmatic social comparison. Wang had been working as my subordinate for the past ten months and in the context of personal expectations, I considered him to be quiet close to me, irrespective of him being my subordinate. However, the configuration that Wang assorted turned out to be really surprising yet insightful in many respect. As per Wang, I happened to be a talented person, who lacked in patience and many a times he found me quiet confusing and indecisive. The conclusions arrived at by Wang tore through my, self serving biases as I considered myself to be quiet a patient and calm person. However, ascribing me to be impatient was indeed contrary to my expectations. Besides, in a way it turned to be insightful that I had always assumed Wang to be like me, which he was not. The configuration of Wang was always culturally influenced as he happens to be a person of Chinese origin. Being from a high power distance culture, perhaps Wang expected me to be hierarchical in my approach towards my subordinates, whic h I being from a low power distance culture, scarcely am. My habit of delegating responsibilities while extending minimal instructions may have turned out to be quiet unsettling for Wang, when he always expected me to be clear and concise with my professional expectations. The configuration facilitated by Wang especially upraised me of the need for retaining a flexible self concept and the need for not over resisting the revision of my personal self concept. Thereby while communicating with Wang I tried my best to not to engage in cognitive conservatism that is seeking only such information that bolstered my

Use Cases for ATM Service Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Use Cases for ATM Service - Case Study Example dispensing a) There are no errors and the cash is dispensed b) There is a shortfall or no stock of cash in denomination entered by the customer c) The ATM is out of cash d) Connection gets timed out due to connectivity issues with the bank servers f) Internal Error of the ATM g) Power Outage 11) Customer is dispensed the cash 12) Customer receives the card back 13) Printed advice is dispensed 14) Customer is prompted for another round of transaction 15) Customer enters a yes or a no a) If customer enters a yes then the entire set of steps from step number 6 or in some cases step number 4 is repeated b) If customer enters a no then the screen is reset and the User Session is closed 16) the ATM is ready for a fresh session / customer. Withdrawal Transaction Use Case: Figure 1: Use Case of Event of a bank customer withdrawing money from the ATM Figure 2: Use Case Diagram showing actors and processes in the process of withdrawing funds from the bank account using an ATM Use case dependen cy for making an account deposit: Below listed is the step sequence for a customer attempting to deposit a deposit to an account from the ATM: 1. Customer inserts his ATM card 2. Customer is asked to enter a language option 3. Customer is redirected to a page asking for the PIN 4. Customer enters PIN and is redirected to the Menu where transactions can be chosen 5. Customer chooses deposit money into account 6. Customer successfully deposits money into the account. Figure 3: Use Case Diagram for Depositing money into an account through an ATM Accounts Transfer Use Case: In order to make an account transfer from one account to another account the following steps need to be followed by the customer. 1. The customer inserts his ATM card 2. The customer enters language preferences followed by... The ATM is one component of the entire money transferring process from the Account holder’s bank account, right into the hands of the ATM operator in the form of currency notes. Account numbers are one of the most sensitive personal data. It is the access route to all finances of the bank’s customer. One of the major ethical issue related to the development or use of the ATM system is the failure of the network to securely transmit the credentials entered by the ATM user to the bank’s servers for transaction processing. This could lead to leakage of data and eventually hackers gaining access to the account through remote login into the account holder’s account. Another major ethical issue in connection with the development and use of the ATM that the Use Case exposes is the visibility of personally identifiable information to System Administrators, Data Operators for example: Name, email address, phone number, address and date of birth. Regarding security and compliance and Ethics every organisation should have common policies in place to prevent any sort of data privacy breach. Access Control, Multi Layer Data Encryption and Data Protection, Information Security, Biometric Scan etc should be in place to avoid any security or ethical breach. â€Å"Regarding security, every organization should have several common policies in place in addition to those already discussed relative to access control methods.

Processes of negotiation Essay Example for Free

Processes of negotiation Essay In simplest terms, negotiation is a discussion between two or more disputants who are trying to work out a solution to their problem. Negotiations typically take place because the parties wish to create something new that neither could do on his or her own, or to resolve a problem or dispute between them. The parties acknowledge that there is some conflict of interest between them and think they can use some form of influence to get a better deal, rather than simply taking what the other side will voluntarily give them. When parties negotiate, they usually expect give and take. While they have interlocking goals that they cannot accomplish independently, they usually do not want or need exactly the same thing. This interdependence can be either win-lose or win-win in nature, and the type of negotiation that is appropriate will vary accordingly. The disputants will either attempt to force the other side to comply with their demands, to modify the opposing position and move toward compromise, or to invent a solution that meets the objectives of all sides. The nature of their interdependence will have a major impact on the nature of their relationship, the way negotiations are conducted, and the outcomes of these negotiations. Mutual adjustment is one of the key causes of the changes that occur during a negotiation. Both parties know that they can influence the others outcomes and that the other side can influence theirs. The effective negotiator attempts to understand how people will adjust and readjust their positions during negotiations, based on what the other party does and is expected to do. The parties have to exchange information and make an effort to influence each other. As negotiations evolve, each side proposes changes to the other partys position and makes changes to its own. This process of give-and-take and making concessions is necessary if a settlement is to be reached. If one party makes several proposals that are rejected, and the other party makes no alternate proposal, the first party may break off negotiations. Parties typically will not want to concede too much if they do not sense that those with whom they are negotiating are willing to compromise. The parties must work toward a solution that takes into account each persons requirements and hopefully optimizes the outcomes for both. As they try to find their way toward agreement, the parties focus on interests, issues, and positions, and use cooperative and/or competitive processes to come to an agreement. Planning for Negotiations Effective planning is crucial to meeting negotiation objectives. If the parties are to reach a stable agreement, specific events must take place before the parties ever come to the table. 1. Parties must frame the problem, and recognize that they have a common problem that they share an interest in solving. Frames are the conceptions that parties have of the situation and its risks. They allow the parties to begin to develop a shared definition of the issues involved, and the process needed to resolve them. When the frames of both parties match, they are more likely to focus on common issues and have a common definition of the situation. The way in which parties define the problem can shape the rest of the planning process. 2. In the early stages of framing, negotiators must also determine their goals, anticipate what they want to achieve, and prepare for the negotiation process. They must define the issues to be discussed and analyze the conflict situation. In many cases, negotiators can appeal to research or consult with experts to help them develop a complete list of the issues at stake. 3. Negotiators often exchange and negotiate the list of issues to be discussed in advance. Consultation between negotiators prior to actual negotiation allows them to agree on the agenda of issues to be discussed, as well as the location of the negotiations, the time and duration of the sessions, the parties to be involved in the negotiations, and techniques to pursue if negotiation fails. Negotiators should also agree on principles that will guide the drafting of a settlement, the procedures to be used in negotiations, and the formula by which a general agreement is to be reached. 4. After assembling issues on an agenda, the negotiators must prioritize their goals and evaluate the possible tradeoffs among them. Negotiators must be aware of their goals and positions and must identify the concerns, desires, and fears that underlie their substantive goals. They must determine which issues are most important, as well as whether the various issues are linked or separate. Once they have determined the relative importance of the issues, parties need to decide the order in which issues should be discussed. Different situations suggest different answers to that question, and different negotiators and mediators prefer one approach over the others. 5. Negotiators that are operating on behalf of a constituency should consult with their constituents as well as with the other side to ensure that the constituents needs and priorities are included in the negotiations. 6. The next step is for negotiators to define specific targets with respect to the key issues on the agenda. Parties should try to figure out the best resolution they can expect, what counts as a fair and reasonable deal, and what is a minimally acceptable deal. They should also be aware of the strongest points in their position and recognize the strongest points in the other sides position. 7. Because negotiations typically involve more than one issue, it is helpful for negotiators to anticipate different ways of packaging issues. They can balance the issues they regard as most important by being more flexible about items they deem less important. 8. Planning for negotiation also involves the development of supporting arguments. Negotiators must be able to present supporting facts and arguments, anticipate how the other side will respond to these arguments, and respond to the other partys claims with counter-arguments. 9. Finally, planning involves assessing the other partys priorities and interests and trying to get a better idea of what that party is likely to want. Negotiators should gather background information about the other partys current needs, resources, and interests. This can be done through preliminary interviews or consultations with those who have done business with the other party in the past. In addition, negotiators need to understand the other partys objectives. Negotiators should be aware of the other partys negotiation style, reputation, and the strategy and tactics they commonly use. They should investigate that partys past behavior in related settings, determine his or her organizational position, and find out whom he or she admires and whose advice carries weight. An individuals past negotiation behavior is a good indication of how he or she will behave in the future. Also, negotiators should understand the other partys alternatives. If the other negotiator has strong alternatives, he or she will probably be willing to set high objectives and be willing to push hard for these objectives during negotiation.

The Lucifer Effect: How Good People Turn Evil

The Lucifer Effect: How Good People Turn Evil In Lucifer Effect Dr Zimbardo discusses his Stanford Prison Experiment conducted in 1971 in relevance to the prison abuses in Abu Ghraib in 2003. It is a shocking book presenting the transformation from an average good person into a bad brutal individual; the metamorphosis from Lucifer into Satan. At the same time Dr Zimbardo explains how this transformation is possible, how group dynamics and situational factors, maintained by the system influence human behaviour to create monsters even of normal good people. Moreover, Zimbardo discusses how to defend ourselves from becoming an evil. At the end he presents the victory of heroism and give a hope everyone is also able to do the most heroic acts. Body: What makes good people do bad things? This is a disturbing question which occupies our mind remembering the mass murders such as those of Cambodia, Darfur, Rwanda, Holocaust or May Lai. Would Holocaust occur again, Askenasy asks in his book Are we all Nazis? (in Blass, 1992). Milgram answers that if a system of death camps were set up in the United States of the sort we had seen in Nazi Germany, one would be able to find sufficient personnel for those camps in any medium-sized American town (CBS News, 1979, p. 7-8 cited in Blass, 1999, p. 956). Although most people would deny it claiming they could never be like them. (Blass, 2004, p. 35-36; Meyer, p. 71) surprisingly the examples from history and research studies have shown that everyone is capable of acting even in the most horrifying ways depending on the situational circumstances. People often underestimate the impact of the external factors because they cannot admit how easily they could be manipulated by situational forces, the concept known as fundamental attribution error (Jones Harris, 1967; Gilbert and Malone, 1995; Gilbert, 1998; Zimbardo, 1990). The studies on obedience (Baumrind, 1964; Burger, 2007; Burley McGuiness, 1977; Glasser, 1971; Halberstam, 1965; Kaufmann, 1967; Kilham Mann, 1974; Meeus Raaijmakers, 1987; Mantell, 1971; Milgram, 1963; 1965; 1974, p. 195; Ring, Wallston, Corey, 1970; Shanab Yahya, 1977, 1978; Sullivan, 1963; Taylor, 1970;), institutional aggression (Johnson, 1986; 1998), mass killings and genocides (Browing, 1993, Katz, 2004; Staub 1989; Waller, 2002) have indicated that violence is not determined by dispositional factors but it is a product of a situation. What social psychology has given to an understanding of human nature is the discovery that forces larger than ourselves determine our mental life and our actions chief among these forces is the power of the social situation (Banaji, 2001, p. 15). We dont have to look far to find an example of a blind authority follower. The Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann was an ordinary citizen who was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Nuremberg Trial in 1961 while he was just doing his job (Arendt, 1963, p. 135), only following orders (Zimbardo 2007, p. 218). Hanna Arendt helps us to understand that the Holocaust was not executed by fanatics but by normal people who accepted the state rules and therefore perceived their actions as normal. (Waxman, 2009). Anyone can be seduced to act wrong (Zimbardo 2004, p. 25). The Eichmann was not an exception; the manpower of Nazis in Final Solution was supported even by average elderly German citizens (Browning, 1993, p.16). The question what makes people act in the destructive ways has been long answered blaming the defective genes, the bad seeds responsible for pathological behaviour (Haney, Banks, Zimbardo, 1973b; Zimbardo, 2004, p. 21, 24). Starting from the landmark study, Stanf ord Prison Experiment (SPE) (Haney et al.,1973; Zimbardo, 1989; Zimbardo, Maslach, Haney, 2000) Lucifer Effect challenges this notion and argues that people act in the inhumane ways because they get poisoned by external factors, by a moment of a situation (Lewin, 1951) which is often supported by the bad system giving permission for a pathological behavior (Zimbardo, 2007). Stanford Prison Study shows the power of institution to influence the individual. It describes the transformation of normal, average students into aggressive, sadistic guards or passive, helpless and emotionally devastated prisoners playing the roles in the mock prison created in the dungeon of Stanford University. The study predicted for two weeks had to be terminated just only in 6 days because of the emotional breakdown of 5 of the students (Zimbardo, 1971; Zimbardo et al., 2000; 2004, p. 40). Dr Zimbardo saw the SPE as the parallel to the controversial abuses in Abu Ghraib (AG), which shaken the morality of the world in 2004 (p. 324; A Human Rights Watch Report [HRW], 2004; 2005; Stannard, 2004; Kersten Sidky, 2005; Dorf 2010; Zimbardo). The unbelievable humiliations of Iraqi detainees by American soldiers, who abused them in a number of horrifying ways (p. 357; Schlesinger et al., 2004; Taguba, 2004; Fay, 2004, p. 4) was not a surprise for Dr Zimbardo who saw it in SPE where prisoners became numbers inducing their powerless and dependence, were dehumanized and involved in humiliating tasks (p. 219; Haney et al, 1973b; Zimbardo et al., 2009). President Bush described the AG events as the incidents of few bad apples (Landford, 2009; Associated Press, 2005; Childs, 2005; Fox News, 2004; HRW, 2004; 2005) who were punished in the names of justice (HRW, 2005). Zimbardo, an expert witness for one of the guards, argues that there were not rotten apples, which should have been f ound guilty but it was the fault of the bad barrel which corrupted everything inside it (Zimbardo, 2008). Like in SPE good people were put in a bad, psychologically unhealthy situation, which had a dramatic impact on their behaviour and produced deviant deeds. (Zimbardo et al., 2000, p. 17). The soldiers in Abu Ghraib were just US Military Police Army Reservists (p. 335; Schlesinger et al., p. 12; Taguba, 2004) without any preparation to run the prison (p. 346, 377; Hersh, 2004; Schlesinger et al., 2004, p. 16; Taguba, 2004), exactly like the students role- playing the guards in the prison-like stimulated environment or just like the elderly men who joined the crimes of the Nazis. When placed in a novel unfamiliar situation, their learnt reaction patterns stopped working and their morale disengaged (Zimbardo, 2008) leading to the immoral behaviour. Soldiers, in the middle of the interrogation center, experienced a lot of pressure from Central Intelligence Agency to break the enemy (p. 336-37, 349, 382; Schlesinger et al., 2004, p.8; CBS News , ). Labelling the Iraqi the enemy (Allen Priest, 2004; CNN, 2001; Landford, 2009), enouncing the war with terrorism (p. 377, 430; HRW, 2004; 2005; Miles, 2006),) and the recent change in country attitude toward torture after 9/11 maintained by worldwide media and American administration (Zimbardo, 2004, p.35) gave the guards the permission to dehumanize the prisoners (Strozier as cited in Schwartz, 2004;) and treating them like dogs (Zimbardo, 2007, p. 337, 414). The powerful systemic forces created a fear across the country Zimbardo 2004, p. 35) and induced systematic propaganda under the cover of national security exactly as described in the novel 1984 (George Orwell, 1981) or Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury, 2007), in which societys enslavement to conformity was generated. It was enough to justify the horrific behaviour and made even killing acceptable and rationalized (p. 430; Zimbardo, 2004, p. 28, 35; Stratman, 2004). Additionally, there was no discipline in the Abu Ghraib and the unit was understaffed (p.336; Danner, 2004, p. 17; Gray Zielinski, 2006; Schlesinger, 2004; Stannard, 2004; Taguba, 2004). The place was kept in a secret (HRW, 2005), constantly under attack (Fay, 2004; Schlesinger 2004, p.11) without sufficient control (p. 348; Fay 2004, ; Schlesinger, 2004, p. 13; HRW, 2004; 2005) and strong leadership (Fay, 2004. ; Schlesinger, 2004, p.16). The situation was far from normal. Additionally, no formal policies or procedures to follow (p. 347) and confusion regarding the Geneva Convention (HRW, 2004; 2005; Schlesinger, p. 6-7, 14, 29, 37-38) gave the guards permission to do unthinkable crimes and torture like the superintendent Zimbardo let the abuses happen in SPE. As Lt. Col. Thomas Kolditz argued when the power is given to people without oversight it is a pure formula for violence (Donn, 2004). Human Rights Watch Report agrees with Dr Zimbardo that not few individuals should have be en blamed for brutality on site but the extraordinary pressures of the system which contributed to the abuses (Zimbardo, 2004, p. 47; HRW, 2004; 2005), the architects of the policies were responsible for creating the situation where abuses became a part of normality (HRW, 2004; 2005). The normality of the soldiers was the crime for us watching it from distance. If the guards had understood the mechanism of powerful situational forces maybe they could have been able to resist acting immorally. One of the factors contributing to the immoral deeds is deindividuation (Deiner, 1980; Festinger, Pepitone, Newcomb, 1952; Zimbardo 1970)) which fosters anonymity and violence, shutting down rational thinking about the consequences (p. 219; Festinger et al., 1952; Zimbardo, 1969; 1970; 2004, p. 33). What is the most frightening is the fact that deindividuation can be achieved simply by changing external appearance (Golding, 1954, p. 58, 63; John Watson; Zimbardo, 2007, ch. 3, 10. Another factor is moral disengagement from negative actions by justifying the conduct, diffusing responsibility for own actions (Kelman Hamilton, 1989; Milgram, 1963, 1965, 1974, 1992), blaming the accountability on the role played (p. 218; Freedman, 1969; Haney, Zimbardo, 1973c), while blindly following authority (Bandura, Underwood, Fromson, 1975; Darley Latane, 1968), conforming to the group norms seeking acceptance (Moore, 1978, p. 36), discriminating those from different groups (Baumeister, 1997; Bernard, Ottenberg Redl, 1968; Johnson, 1986, 1998; Staub, 1989;; Tajfel, Flament, Billig, Bundy, 1971; Waller, 2002), ignoring the consequences of the action and blaming the victims for the outcome while dehumanizing them (Bandura, 1975; 1988; 1996; 1999; Bandura, Fromson, Underwood, 1975; Bandura et al. 1996; Bandura, Osofsky, Zimbardo, 1999; 2005; 1998, 2003, str 511; Darley Latane, 1968 ). An individual has to be perceived as inhuman in order to make an unethical conduct com fortable for the perpetrator (p. 402; Kelman, 1973; Leyens et al., 2003),. Dehumanization process includes putting people into the roles (Haney Zimbardo, 1973) e.g. giving them the same uniforms and assigning numbers. As discrepancy between the immoral actions and personal beliefs occurs cognitive dissonance is created (p. 219; Aronson , Carlsmith, 1968 ; Festinger, 1957). The bigger the discrepancy between ones values and actions the more motivated the individual is to attain harmony (Janis and King, 1954; King and Janis,1956; Culbertson, 1957; Zimbardo, 1965).What is more, when people cannot deny their actions they tend to rationalize them persuading themselves and others that they followed the rational guidelines when making the decision (Zimbardo, 2007, p. 220). Grossman argues further that with the proper conditioning and the proper circumstances, it appears that almost anyone can and will kill (Grossman , 1995, p.4). It supports the notion that systematisation in creating the enemy which threaten the safety of people play an important role in inducing antisocial behaviour (Zimbardo, 2004, p. 43-45). When a pathological behaviour is additionally supported by authorities such as state or an institution it opens the doors for serious abuses. As it is the responsibility of government is to establish and maintain ethical guidelines across a state, country or world Lucifer Effect offers an advice for the authorities to prevent situations which set up conditions for individuals to behave immorally. Zimbardo emphasises that understanding the socio-psychological process of situational transformation is not an excuse for individual to commit crimes. It is just an explanation how people can be corrupted to do inhumane deeds and indeed it should be wisely used to resist the evil. (Wang and Zimbardo, 2006-2008). Dr Zimbardo also gives a hope that as much as people are capable of wrongdoing the creative mastermind of human beings can also generate terrific actions (p. 444, Zimbardo, 1996, p. 621, str. 504, Zimbardo, 2008). Eventually, Lucifer Effect teaches how to be a hero in waiting (see p. 330-331, 457-458, 471, 474-475, Lankford, 2009; Zimbardo et al., 1999; Zimbardo, 2004, p. 40, Zimbardo, 2008 Conclusion: The Lucifer Effect presents how good people turn evil. It involves understanding what powerful dynamic factors come into play during the human character metamorphosis within different circumstances. Lucifer Effect explains that personality variables contribute just a bit to produce certain behaviour, alleviating or escalating the impact of the situational forces, which are lying at the base of the psycho-sociological interactions (Banaji, 2001, p. 15; Mischel, 1968; Mischel, Shoda, Rodriguez, 1989; Mischel, Shoda, Wright, 1993; Mischel Shoda, 1995; Mischel, 2004; Staub, 1898, p. 126, 127). The argument in the book is indeed a convincing demonstration that evil deeds are attributable to the power of the bad situation (Zimbardo, 1989; Asch, 1952; Sherif, 1966; Tajfel, 1978) which is often maintained by the bad system (Zimbardo, 2008). Nevertheless, Dr Zimbardo also emphasises that understanding evil is not excusing it and everyone should be responsible for their own actions because t he individual can learn how to resist immoral actions (Zimbardo, 2008). The account Dr Zimbardo takes agrees with Hanna Arendts (1977) statement that unless people are insane they have ability to tell right from wrong then we must be able to demand its exercise from every sane person, no matter how erudite or ignorant, intelligent or stupid, he may happen to be ( p. 13).