RHOgam Case Essay

RHOgam refers to Rho immunoglobulin. RHOgam is an injectable blood product used to protect an Rh-positive fetus from antibodies produced by its Rh-negative mother. The injections are given at about 28 weeks in the pregnancy and immediately after delivery. With these injections, Rh-negative women can have safe Rh-positive pregnancies. Rh is short for Rhesus factor. Rhesus factor is a type of antigen present on the surface of red blood cells. If you have this particular antigen, you are Rh positive. If you don’t, you’re Rh negative. The Rh factor is important in determining blood type for transfusions. Normally your immune system protects against potentially harmful substances (antigens). When foreign antigens enter your body, your immune system makes antibodies to help destroy them. If you are Rh negative and you’re exposed to Rh-positive blood your body may make antibodies to Rh-positive blood on your next exposure to it. If a mother is Rh negative and a father is Rh positive, the child will likely be Rh-positive. This can create problems with pregnancy. During pregnancy a mother may be exposed to the Rh positive cells of her baby and develop antibodies to them. During a future pregnancy, these antibodies can destroy the red blood cells of an unborn child, leading to serious problems. If both parents are Rh-negative, they can only have Rh-negative offspring. If the mother is Rh-positive, her body will not produce antibodies that will cause these problems. References * http://www.rhogam.com/Professional/Pages/default.aspx * http://www.rhogam.com/Patient/WhatRhNegativeMeans/Pag es/WhatdoseitmeantoRhNegative.aspx * http://www.drugs.com/cdi/rhogam.html * http://www.vaccinetruth.org/rhogam.htm

Environmental Impact of Textile Production – Handloom Production Is the Answer

D. Narasimha Reddy 1/11 Environmental Impact of Mechanised and Automated Textile Production Introduction The contribution of mechanised and automated manufacturing to various environmental impacts is enormous. Environmental impacts from manufacturing industries can be seen such areas as toxic chemicals, waste, energy, and carbon emissions. Manufacturing in developed countries is also a heavy user of water, and there have been many cases of air, water and soil contamination which have led to such actions as cleanups, class actions suits and a variety of other corporate liabilities. Environmental impact can be seen in all phases of textile production and use, from growing or making fibres to discarding a product after its useful life has ended. The physical environment is affected by these processes, including resource depletion, pollution and energy use; the biological environment, by considering what happens as a result of manufacture, and the social environment as it impinges on our psychological, physical and physiological comfort, as well as our financial well-being. In recent years, textile industry in developed countries has been facing severe problems, the most serious of which are those connected with pollution. In fact, governments have been bringing up environmental laws which strictly prohibit wastewater discharge in rivers and lakes. This situation indeed burdens the textile industries and also leads to increase in production costs. Textile Industry and Process Description The textile industry includes multiple processes and activities. The four major textile operations are: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Yarn Formation: preparing and spinning raw materials (natural and synthetic); texturizing man-made filament fibers. Fabric Formation: warping and slashing yarn; performing weaving and knitting operations. Wet Processing: preparing the fabric for dyeing and finishing; dyeing, printing, and finishing operations. Product Fabrication: cutting and sewing the fabric, performing final finishing operations. In the yarn formation process, fibers are bound using spinning operations, grouping, and twisting. Staple fibers, natural and man-made, are prepared for spinning through a combination of various processing steps such as blending, drawing, carding, opening, combing, and roving. Following drying operations, yarn may then be woven into fabric. From the spun or filament yarn, fabric is formed by knitting or weaving operations. Yarn e-mail: nreddy. [email  protected] com D. Narasimha Reddy 2/11 can be processed directly through knitting operations but typically requires preparation for weaving operations. Preparation for weaving includes warping and slashing (sizing). Wet processing enhances appearance, durability, and serviceability of the fabric. Chemical Pollution Textile production involves a number of wet processes that may use solvents. Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) mainly arise from textiles finishing, drying processes, and solvent use. VOC concentrations vary from 10 milligrams of carbon per cubic meter (mg/m3) for the thermosol process to 350 mg carbon/m3 for drying and condensation process. Waste water from processes is a major source of pollutants. It is typically alkaline and has high BOD5 (700 to 2,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L)) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) (approximately 2 to 5 times the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) level), solids, oil and possibly toxic organics, including phenols (from dyeing and finishing) and halogenated organics (from processes such as bleaching). Dye effluents are frequently highly colored and may contain heavy metals such as copper and chromium. Pesticides used on natural fibers are transferred to effluents during washing and scouring operations. Pesticides are also used for moth proofing, brominated flame retardants for synthetic fabrics, and isocyanates for lamination. Effluents might include pesticides (such as DDT and PCP), and metals (such as mercury, arsenic, and copper). Air emissions include dust, oil mists, acid vapors, odors, and boiler exhausts. Cleaning and production changes result in sludges from tanks and spent process chemicals, which may contain toxic organics and metals. Table 1: Chemicals and Chemical Categories Commonly Encountered in Textile Manufacturing Process Chemicals and Chemical Categories Dyeing/Printing Ethylene glycol, ertain glycol ethers, methanol, copper compounds, chromium compounds Desizing Certain glycol ethers Sizing Methanol Scouring Biphenyl, xylene, certain glycol ethers Chemical Finishing Certain glycol ethers, methyl ethyl ketone, formaldehyde Coating Operations Dichloromethane, methanol, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene Article/Formulation Chromium compounds, copper compounds, methanol, Components antimony compounds Manufacturing/Processing Ethylene glycol, methanol, phenol, toluene, xylene, Aids biphenyl Reactants Diisocyanates, formaldehyde, methanol, phenol Source: Emergency Planning and Community Right- To-Know Act Section 313 Reporting Guidance for the Textile Processing Industry, US Environmental Protection Agency, May, 2000 Chemicals are used for the removal of impurities from the fiber and for machine maintenance. Man-made filament fibers may be manufactured using chemicals. e-mail: nreddy. [email  protected] com D. Narasimha Reddy 3/11 Processing of these fibers, known as texturizing, can result in the removal and subsequent release and other waste management activities of chemicals from the fiber. Oils, lubricants, machine maintenance chemicals, and waste yarn and material are also released. Chemical sizing agents are added to the yarn by solution or pad/dry techniques and other chemical additives may be added to increase yarn softness and pliability. Chemicals are also used during fabric formation as fabric processing agents and equipment cleaning and maintenance chemicals. Fabric processing agents include sizing agents and performance enhancing chemicals such as certain glycol ethers, ethylene glycol, and methanol. These chemicals typically volatilize or are washed off during fabric formation. However, some may remain with the fabric throughout the fabric formation process and into the wet processing and finishing operations. Both fugitive and point source air emissions containing chemicals typically occur during the slashing (sizing) operation or during fabric drying operations. This includes chemicals used as sizing agents or performance enhancing chemicals. Dust air emissions may also be generated during fabric formation. Effluents are generated from fabric cleaning and slashing operations; used oil, lubricants, and other machine maintenance chemicals; and equipment cleaning operations. Solid waste is also released from fabric formation. The primary source of solid waste is excess fabric material and scraps that may contain chemicals not volatilized or removed during fabric formation or chemicals brought on-site with the raw material (e. g. , antimony oxide used as a fire resistant). Dust containing chemicals is also generated during knitting or weaving operations, which when collected by air pollution control devices or by floor sweepings is a significant solid waste. During slashing operations, residue left in sizing agent or other chemical agent containers may be a source of chemicals. Fugitive emissions are most likely to result from slashing and drying operations when chemicals, such as methanol, evaporate. In wet processing, chemical agents, such as dyes, pigments, strength agents, and flame resistors are applied through a water-intensive process. Synthetic materials may be desized and scoured prior to dyeing or printing. After preparation for wet processing, dyeing or printing can occur, followed by rinsing, drying, or heat setting. Printing operations typically do not use water. The final wet processing step is mechanical and chemical finishing; these operations are used to improve appearance, texture, and performance of the fabric. Dye application includes various dye types and methods. Dyes can be fixed to the textile chemically and/or physically. Dyes may be bonded to the fabric or precipitated by removal of a dye solubilizing agent. Color can be affixed through the use of pigments, solvents, and resin binders. For the textile industry, wet processing operations are significant sources of chemical release. Typical chemicals include ammonia, certain glycol ethers, and methyl ethyl ketone. Alkaline or solvent solutions are used during scouring. Solvents, although used in the past, are being replaced with aqueous chemicals. Bleaching agents and other chemical e-mail: nreddy. [email  protected] com D. Narasimha Reddy 4/11 additives are used during bleaching operations, however, these are usually not chemicals. Acids are used for neutralizing remaining caustic soda during mercerizing operations. During dyeing or printing operations, chemicals such as solubilizing agents, dye carriers, salts, and fixing agents may be employed to speed the process or enhance the process effects. Chemicals used during finishing operations include optical brighteners, softeners, and flame resistant chemicals. Effluents are generated from spent process baths, solutions, and rinses. Process effluents include spent sizing solutions, scouring and dyeing baths, cleaning rinses, dyeing rinses, textile cleaning water, and mercerizing operations. Chemicals in textile effluents include dyes, pigments, and salts. Salts present in process effluents may be either raw materials (e. g. , metal compound salts) or byproducts from neutralization or other chemical reactions (e. g. , nitrate compounds). Metal compounds such as copper compounds and chromium compounds are also commonly present. Other sources include equipment cleaning wastewater, container cleaning wastewater, and used lubricants and other machine operating aids. Cleaning solvents may become part of the wastewater after scouring operations and equipment cleaning. The US EPA has estimated that there are approximately 135 major source facilities, in US, in the printing, coating, and dyeing of fabrics and other textiles source category. The principal hazardous air pollutants emitted by these sources include toluene, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), methanol, xylenes, methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, n- hexane, glycol ethers (ethylene glycol), and formaldehyde. Exposure to these substances has been demonstrated to cause adverse health effects such as irritation of the eye, lung, and mucous membranes, effects on the central nervous system, and damage to the liver. The EPA has classified two of the hazardous air pollutants, methylene chloride and trichloroethylene, as probable or possible human carcinogens. Dyeing The art of textile dyeing dates back thousands of years, when dyes extracted from plants or sea snails were used to color cloth. Today, most dyes are synthetically manufactured, yet only 40-90% actually resides on the cloth. The residual dye is treated and discharged into our rivers and streams. World wide, it is estimated that this accounts for over 400,000 tons of dye per year. Colorfastness is a textile industry standard that determines how stable the color is in a garment. Good colorfastness means the garment won’t fade after one washing. Resin pretreatment is done for garments that require excellent colorfastness. Cationic fixatives could be used for outerwear garments where colorfastness to washing is moderate but colorfastness to dry cleaning is high. Poor shade repeats are a major cause of economic loss and pollution in dyeing operations. An average dye worker makes 300 weighings per day. Sources of error are many, e-mail: nreddy. [email  protected] com D. Narasimha Reddy 5/11 including sorption of moisture from the atmosphere which way amout to up to a maximum of 20% error in dye weight. Other factors such as water quality, fiber variations, and the like also contribute to reworks and off quality. There needs to be a balance between improved productivity in dyeing, and the need to minimize water, energy, and effluent discharge in the textile industry. There is a need to regulate usage of dyes in improving shades on textiles while optimizing water, dye and energy utilization. Under most circumstances, a mixture of dyes is utilised to achieve the desired shade. This means that a small number of dyes can be used to achieve an infinite number of colours, but also means that achieving the exact shade desired requires some skill and can often entail redyeing with a shading addition to correct the shade. In extreme cases, the cloth can be stripped of colour and completely redyed, but this is an environmental and commercial last resort. One of the root causes of problems in achieving the required shade is that if dyes in a mixture have different dyeing profiles the shade and depth of dyeing may change with time and the timing of the dyeing process is therefore crucial. Thus, the difficulty associated with reliable attainment of shade and depth provides a hidden cost in production through reduced capacity and proportionately increases the environmental impact of reactive dyeing through the extra water, chemicals, energy and time needed to make a shading addition. Dyes and auxiliary chemicals used in textile mills are developed to be resistant to environmental influences. As a result, they are hard to remove from wastewater generated during the dyeing processes. In India, the detrimental nature of the synthetic dye industry has been recognised. The Central Pollution Control Board of India has included it in its â€Å"hyper-red† category reserved for the seventeen most polluting industries in the country. The true costs of synthetic dye production and application have never, to our knowledge, been assessed. According to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, an estimated 80. 70 million litres of effluent water is discharged daily into the Noyy al River from dyeing and bleaching units in Tirupur. 2 Water Consumption Water is used extensively throughout textile processing operations. Textile operations vary greatly in water consumption. Water use can vary widely between similar operations as well. Almost all dyes, specialty chemicals, and finishing chemicals are applied to textile substrates from water baths. In addition, most fabric preparation steps, including desizing, scouring, bleaching, and mercerizing, use aqueous systems. The amount of http://www. undp. org. in/Programme/Environment/natdye/dyejust. tm Zero Discharge – Treatment Options for Textile Dye Effluent: A Case Study at Manickapurampudur Common Effluent Treatment Plant, Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, S. Eswaramoorthi, K. Dhanapal1 and J. Karpagam EPIC in India, No. 33, Anugraha Gardens, Central Studio Road, Trichy Main Road, Singanallur, Coimbatore-641005, India, 2004. 2 1 e-mail: nreddy. [email  protected] com D. Narasimha Reddy 6/11 water used varies widely in the industry, depending on specific processes operated at the mill, equipment used, and prevailing management philosophy concerning water use. The various stages of textile production (from spinning, weaving and knitting, to dyeing and finishing) require enormous energy and water use. For example, 26. 5 gallons of water are needed to process 2. 2 pounds of textiles. Reducing water consumption in textile processing is important, due in part because excess water use dilutes pollutants and adds to the effluent load. Table 2: Water Use in Textile Processing Processing Water Use Water Use Subcategory Minimum, Median, gal/lb gal/lb of production of production Wool 13. 3 34. 1 Woven 0. 6 13. 6 Knit 2. 4 10. 0 Carpet 1. 0 5. 6 Stock/Yarn 0. 4 12. 0 Nonwoven 0. 3 4. 8 Felted Fabrics 4. 0 25. 5 Water Use Maximum, gal/ lb of production 78. 9 60. 9 45. 2 19. 5 66. 9 9. 9 111. 8 Different types of processing machinery use different amounts of water, particularly in relation to the bath ratio in dyeing processes (the ratio of the mass of water in an exhaust dyebath to the mass of fabric). Washing fabric consumes greater quantities of water than dyeing. Water consumption of a batch processing machine depends on its bath ratio and also on mechanical factors such as agitation, mixing, bath and fabric turnover rate (called contact), turbulence and other mechanical considerations, as well as physical flow characteristics involved in washing operations. These factors all affect washing efficiency. In general, heating, wash, and dyebaths constitute the major portion of energy consumed in dyeing. Washing and rinsing operations are two of the most common operations in textile manufacturing that involve significant water consumption. Many processes involve washing and rinsing stages. To grow the fiber for one cotton diaper requires 105. 3 gallons of water, one T-shirt needs 256. 6 gallons of water, one bath towel needs 401. 4 gallons of water, a man's dress shirt requires 414. 5 gallons of water, and 987 gallons of water are required for one pair of jeans. An average integrated textile mill produces 15 tons of finished cloth per day. It uses a total of approximately 3,840 cubic meters of water per day, including 1,680 cubic meters for finishing and processing, another 960 cubic meters for steam generation, and an 3 Source: Sustainable Planet: Solutions for the 21st Century, â€Å"Cleaning the Closet: Toward a New Fashion Ethic,† Juliet Schor, November 2002; http://www2. bc. edu 4 California Cotton Ginners and Growers Associations, Cotton Facts, http://www. ccgga. org e-mail: nreddy. [email  protected] com D. Narasimha Reddy 7/11 equivalent volume for serving the workers colony and other domestic uses of water. The water used for finishing and processing results in contaminated liquid effluent of approximately 1,500 cubic meters per day. 5 In Tirupur, annually the textile industries alone utilize around 28. 8 billion litres of ground water. 6 An estimated 70 percent of textile effluents and 20 percent of dyestuffs are still dumped into water supplies by global factories. Energy Consumption Textile manufacturers use energy as a raw material input to the manufacturing process or for some other purpose usually referred to as non-fuel use. Electricity consumption is increasing in textile mills. Textile manufacturers have to deal with rising energy supply costs. Dow Chemical Co. nd DuPont both recently announced they're raising prices on nearly everything they sell, from chemicals used in bathroom cleaners to freezer bags and kitchen counter tops, because of high raw materials costs. Testifying before Congress in October, 2005, Dow CEO Andrew Liveris said high prices for natural gas that Dow and other companies use for both fuel and raw materials have rendered â€Å"the entire U. S. chemical industry uncompetitive†. â€Å"We simply cannot compete with the rest of the world at these prices,† Liveris said, adding that Dow is shifting some work overseas. â€Å"It undermines all U. S. manufacturing, because we supply all of U. S. manufacturing. † Raw materials and energy account for 50 percent of Dow's costs today, Liveris said. Energy costs were also a factor in layoffs at a Hanes Dye and Finishing plant in WinstonSalem and a Klaussner Furniture plant in Robbins, in Moore County in US. â€Å"China was the big reason, but energy costs make it difficult to compete in the global market,† said Mike Vaughan, vice president of operations and general manager for Hanes. Vaughan said the company uses a significant amount of natural gas to operate the machinery at its facilities. In the past three years, he said, the costs have tripled. 7 In Indian textile industry, energy accounts for an estimated 12%-15% of total cost of production. It was estimated that the energy saving potential is as high as 23%. 8 The Textiles Committee has taken up a programme to help processing units in Tirupur reduce their energy costs. Committee sources told The Hindu9 that three small-scale dyeing units, that were members of the Mannarai Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP), had been selected for this purpose. The project has three phases. This project Pakistan: Environmental Impact of Cotton Production and Trade, Tariq Banuri, Copyright  © 1999 International Institute for Sustainable Development, Canada 6 Ibid 2 7 http://www. newsobserver. com/102/story/374287. html, 16th March, 2006 8 http://www. renewingindia. org 9 The Hindu, 22nd January, 2004 e-mail: nreddy. [email  protected] com 5 D. Narasimha Reddy 8/11 was taken up in association with the School of Energy of the PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, under the cluster development programme of the committee. Sources explained that power, steam and water consumed by these units for processing one kg of fabric were estimated. During the first phase, energy auditing had been carried out in the three units. The energy consumption and the actual requirement were estimated in each of the participating units. Under the second phase, the areas that required â€Å"corrective action† were identified. Measures that had to be taken by the units and the cost implications were also recommended to them. Growth in artificial fibre over natural fibre Fibres are transformed into yarn through spinning for natural and blended yarns or drawing and texturising for synthetic filament yarn production. Yarn is weaved into cloth. The process of fabric formation or weaving comprises preparatory activities followed by actual weaving on the loom. The preparatory process includes winding, warping, sizing, drawing-in and denting. The sheets of yarn thus prepared are then converted into fabric on the looms. This weaved cloth or fabric is stitched into garments or sold in other forms of finished textiles. These stages of manufacture have various levels of automation possible as an improvement from the basic process. Textile fibres are predominantly of two types – natural and manmade (see figure ‘Basic Threads’). Based on the source, natural fibres, in turn, can be those derived from animals, vegetables or minerals. On the other hand, manmade fibres are produced in the fibre form by application of mainly chemical processes on the naturally occurring substances (like hydrocarbons). The textile industry uses vegetable fibers such as cotton, animal fibers — such as wool and silk, and a wide range of synthetic materials such as nylon, polyester, and acrylics. The production of natural fibers is approximately equal in amount to the production of synthetic fibers. Polyester accounts for about 50% of synthetics. Manmade fibres fall in two categories – synthetics and cellulosics. Synthetic fibres are primarily made from petrochemicals whereas cellulosics are mainly regenerated wood pulp with chemical and physical treating. These fibres can be either long, highly strong yarn called filament yarn (which is oriented and fully drawn and is straight) or in staple form (much smaller in length and crimpy like natural fibres). Filament yarns are woven or knitted as they are. They are also woven into fabrics of textured yarn by combining with other types of filament yarns, twisting yarns and texturing in accordance with the aim of the product. The filament yarns are processed into circular, triangular, oval, hollow and other cross-sections that have even better properties. The staple fibres can be easily blended with other types of fibres. They are woven into fabrics by blending with cotton, wool and linen fibres to suit the aim of the product. e-mail: nreddy. [email  protected] com D. Narasimha Reddy 9/11 The principal manmade fibres include polyester, nylon, acrylic and viscose. Chemically, polyester (or many esters) is primarily a family of polymers wherein the monomers belong to the category â€Å"esters†. The most commonly used polyester is the polymer of diglycol terephthalate and is called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Nylon is a group of polymers, which can be classified as polyamides. Today several types of nylon are produced with properties tuned to meet customer specifications. The most commonly used ones are nylon-6 (which is manufactured from caprolactam) and nylon66 (made from adipic acid and hexamethylene diamine). The special characteristics of manmade fibres combined with availability and cost factors have seen an enormous increase in their use in the global textile industry. Fibres consumption (and consumption of related goods) has been growing at an astonishing rate. Consumption per capita of fibres has been growing steadily passing from 3. 7 kilos in 1950 to 9 kilos in 2002. The growth of manmade fibres in the textile industry has been phenomenal. Production of artificial fibres outnumbers natural fibres since the beginning of the 1990s. In 2002, natural fibres production was at 22. 5 million tons against 33. 6 for man made fibres. Table 3: World fibre production/Consumption per capita10 Year Natural Manmade TOTAL Population Consumption * ‘000 billion** kg / capita tons 2002 22. 463 33. 657 56. 120 6,23 9,0 2000 21. 504 31. 147 52. 651 6,08 8,7 1990 21. 460 19. 380 40. 840 5,28 7,7 1980 15. 227 14. 301 29. 528 4,46 6,6 1970 13. 484 8. 394 21. 878 3,71 5,9 1960 11. 607 3. 367 14. 974 3,04 4,9 1950 7. 723 1. 681 9. 404 2,56 3,7 * Ramie, flax, hemp, jute, sisal and coir (fibre prepared from the husk of the coconut) not included. * World population Comparing the domestic consumption patterns of fibres in India and China, two of the largest textile players on the global market, the imbalance is evident. In India, the textile industry covers a wide range of economic activities and has a significant role in the economy of the c ountry. In 2003, it was growing at the annual rate of 5%. In the meanwhile, the per capita consumption of textile fibre in India is one of the lowest (2. 5 kg) in the world. In China, the consumption of textiles is booming. Synthetic fibre yarns are in the top fifty import commodities. In 2003 China imported 710,000 tons of cotton yarn and almost all Source: 2003/feb/25bud20. htm 10 www. indo-rama. net/FiberYear2002. pdf; www. rediff. com/money/ e-mail: nreddy. [email  protected] com D. Narasimha Reddy 10/11 luxury yarns and fibres are imported. During the same year, China's quantity per capita of processed chemical fibre reached 10 kg, much higher than the world's average. China's textile sector is predicted to achieve a 6. 0% growth to take its total fibre consumption to 14. 0 million tonnes by 2005 and its per capita fibre consumption from the 2001 level of 6. 0 kg to 8. 0 kg. In India, as yet there is no effort to quantify the overall environment impact of wet processing of ma n-made fibers, especially with respect to chemical components, processing formulations and the effluent produced from the process. It is known that pretreatment of cellulosic textiles is characterized by high consumption of chemicals, water, and energy along with great discharge of waster water. This is mainly due to carrying out pretreatment operations on separate steps with repeated washing operations after each step. Conclusion Clothes and other textiles can affect the environment to varying degrees throughout their life cycles. Before textiles reach the consumer, they have gone through many different chemical processes. They may be treated with chemicals to dye them, make them more hardwearing or wrinkle-resistant, or less flammable. Some of these chemicals are carcinogenic or may cause harm to children even before birth. Others may trigger allergic reactions in some people. Some flame retardants that are used in certain textiles contain organic bromine compounds that are persistent (break down very slowly in the environment). The use of some dangerous chemicals in textiles is restricted such as azo dyes and formaldehyde. All textiles processes have an impact on the environment. The industry uses large amounts of natural resources such as water, while many operations use chemicals and solvents. All companies use energy, produce solid waste, discharge effluent and emit dust, fumes, etc to the atmosphere. Many textiles companies are located in rural areas where environmental protection assumes significance. While companies in developed countries are faced with increasingly stringent legislative controls and rising water and other raw material costs, their competitors in developing countries are getting away by externalising the environmental costs. Efficient and effective use of raw materials and improved process operations are vital for Western companies to remain competitive. Pressure is also being exerted by suppliers and customers on such companies to reduce their environmental impact. Environmental aspects in the textile industry are typically addressed at the corporate level, and the environmental costs are viewed as corporate overhead, but in general not discussed at the national level. A more efficient compliance with proper environmental guidelines is required for significant cost reduction on environment. e-mail: nreddy. [email  protected] com D. Narasimha Reddy 11/11 Environmental issues can no longer be ignored by the textiles industry and the government. Indian textile industry should realize that to remain competitive operating costs have to be reduced and environmental compliance has to be increased. Government should also integrate environmental goals into the national textile policy, and cannot have independent growth strategies, as environmental costs are proving to be a drag on growth and development. The textile industry in Tirupur was expected to grow to achieve the targetted textile product export of US$ 50 Billion by the year 2010. But, such growth is now greatly hampered due to immense environmental damage caused to the Noyyal river, ground water system, and agricultural production, by the textile wet processing industries in Tirupur. 11 All these factors mean that environmental issues should be an essential part of textile growth policies. For Indian textile sector, the main drivers for environmentally benign growth can be: †¢ Growth of handloom sector †¢ Competition †¢ Pressure exerted down the supply chain by the consumer †¢ Reducing production costs †¢ Meeting current and anticipated legislative requirements †¢ Concern for the global and local environment In India, a comprehensive approach has not been undertaken before on environmental impacts of textile manufacturing and has never previously been associated with textile production and use. A comprehensive analysis of the environmental impact of textile manufacturing activity should be done, which includes an analysis of the degradation by air pollution, wind, water and other agents. A complete survey of how developments in the textile industry and consumers of its products have affected the environment in the past needs to be taken up. This should also cover the most recent solutions adopted by the industry to alleviate the problems. This is important given the high textile production targets post 2005, and the ways in which the industry is responding to the environmental challenge. It will help the national textile policy and the growth of textile industry as well. 11 Ibid 2 e-mail: nreddy. [email  protected] com

Week 4 summary and one discussion question Essay

Week 4 summary and one discussion question - Essay Example Actual authority is where there is a legal relationship with consent and the agent and principal are solely involved. Express and implied authorities are the two heads of actual authority. Express authority is construed by words (if contract written) or by evidence (if oral). Implied authority can be found by looking at actions of agent. Apparent authority is where principal represents to other persons that he has delegated authority to the agent. Theoretically the affirmative action is a way through which equal opportunities to minorities and females is provided . It has been seen that there has been a change in attitude towards hiring of the minority and females, it has still been seen that high positions have still been dominated by the majority, this can be seen by looking at the statistics of CEOs of company, Heads of Defence and Judiciary. In today’s world there is a strong need for further affirmative action to be taken so as to allow equal opportunities to minorities and to females, so as to prosper. Finally pre-employment testing has been allowed to the extent of their relevance to the job. Thus any tests which are found to be discriminatory to persons with disabilities or any other sort have been termed unlawful. Thus it has been said that extreme precaution must be taken if such tests are to be carried out, by looking at scientific validity, relevance to job and respect to right of privacy. The trend of allowing employees to leave the company when they desire has been seen in the professional world. The ethics has been that if such employees are not allowed to leave they will possibly convince others to leave the company as well. However, this is not the only reason for allowing the employee to leave. Other reasons include benefits which accrue might come the company’s way if the employee leaves. The next issue which will now be considered is that of the re-hiring of the employee. It has been said that a

The state of Human Rights in Arab countries Research Paper

The state of Human Rights in Arab countries - Research Paper Example such, their political systems and the means by which existing law impacts upon the way in which issues such as human rights are understood oftentimes have not had time to evolve; at least in the way that other political systems throughout the world have been able to define themselves with respect to the interpretation and understanding of human rights. Essentially, these more recent developments and relatively new and â€Å"young† political systems within the Arab world have effectively created a situation in which many of the Arab states have been reticent to adopt or otherwise engage with widely established norms or agreements concerning the application and provision of broader human rights.1 Thus, the overall level of ratification that many of these states have engaged with is abysmally low as compared to other regions around the globe. Interestingly, recognizing this deficit, there have been several futile attempts by certain Arab states to adopt an Arab charter of human r ights; one that would leverage a fundamentally different and cultural interpretation of human rights based on a shared identity, religion, and culture that is more or less uniform throughout these Arab states. In terms of a case in point analysis, it should readily be noted that in almost all Arab states there exist â€Å"laws of suspicion† and/or â€Å"preventative measures† that significantly stipulate that certain actions must be taken against individuals as a means of preventing the â€Å"potential† for the commission of certain crimes. Naturally, this free criminal behaviour interpretation of the means by which the law should be enforced is substantially different from the way in which many other societies throughout the world seek to punish crime and seek to improve society as a whole. Interestingly, beyond merely contradicting the norms and mores of many nations with respect to human rights, these regulations, evident in nearly each and every predominantly Arab nation, are also often

Construction Procurement and RIBA Plan of Work Assignment

Construction Procurement and RIBA Plan of Work - Assignment Example Separated & Cooperative System This system is one of the most widely used system where each party of the project namely client, designer and contractor are different and work separately. In this system each party completes it work and then project is transferred to next sequential predecessor. The system initiates with a feasibility study then detail design, tendering, contracting for construction along with construction supervision. The main advantages include the fact that it is one of the most practiced systems that’s why there are lesser problems encountered and general protocol procedure have been developed and well versed in case of problem. Another advantage of the system is that every aspect is done by an expert, hence every drawing, design and detail is developed to its maximum. Hence this produces a high quality of work done. The figure below shows each process that exists in a traditional procurement system. The disadvantage is that the system requires a lot of input and attention of the client, as his involvement in each step is detrimental. In addition due to the sequential nature of the system, extra time is required and wasted while transition from one step to another, as qualification and bids invitation for each party has to done for each step. Hence a variation is made in the systems processes which are now called as accelerated system, where feasibility, detail design, tender documentation and construction supervision, all the three works are given to single consultant. The whole construction process is assigned to single contractor, who selected from a prequalified contractors list. As a quantity surveyor I believe the system is well established and all system bugs have been eliminated. This system has better cost control as the client has to pay and perform the whole project piece by piece. But the time consumed is more hence the cost increase with time due to price escalation s. In my understanding, the system can be improved if the strong effective timeline of the project is created in the planning phase which will highlight the key dates of transition of different phases and review the whole timeline for free floats and critical activities to optimize the time allocation. An accurate time allocation can be only done if the correct quantity of work is known. 2. Integrated Procurement System The reason for creation of this system was to eliminate the disadvantage of the traditional procurement system. Rather than having several parties engaged in single project, in integrated procurement system the complete project is assigned to one firm that means the firm has to design as well as construct the project. The â€Å"Design & Build† system is comes under this procurement system. The starting process of this system is that a client gives an invitation to EPC (Engineering procurement construction) firms for a project and then these firms submit the te chnical and financial proposal for both design and construction. In addition the contractor along with consent of the client generally come into contractual bidding of completion of project with a certain agreed duration and in a negotiated price normally lump sum. There are some modification made to the integrated procurement systems which have resulted into newer and efficient systems for both the client and the contractor. The first among which is the â€Å"Turn key† project type. In this system the client will be handed over the keys

Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words - 1

Research Proposal Example This sentiment is supported by Van Belle (2000) who argues that political figures within a government structure are pressured to make socially-relevant decisions within the constant presence of the camera, hence media serving as a force to drive political transparency in decision-making and communications. Without media serving as a medium for educating political thought and providing society members with knowledge regarding the behaviors of political representatives, the public would have inferior knowledge about governance activities and political decision-making. In the early 2000s, after the events of September 11, 2001, political ideology in American society changed as a result of media coverage of the George W. Bush political administration and its efforts to curb the spread of terrorism in the United States. In Western nations, such as the United States, the slaughter of civilians is believed, at the social level, to be barbaric and monstrous (Atawneh, 2009). The acting President Bush led a media-driven campaign to publicize his stance on terrorism which emphasized that these terrorist actors were evil and reprehensible, with this discourse influencing American society members to view Middle Easterns as malevolent and immoral (Graham, Keenan & Dowd, 2004). The President, using media as a forum to spread this politically-motivated ideology, utilized the phrase us versus them, where â€Å"us† was representative of peaceful individuals and â€Å"them† as foreign opponents of democratic lifestyle and peace-loving society (Leuda r & Marsland, 2004). Media coverage of Bush’s ideology toward terrorism influenced American society to adopt his political views related to the terror campaign, giving Bush more social clout which ultimately led to society’s political action to elect Bush for a second term. The media, hence, served as the fundamental influence to change political thought of American citizens, with media-covered political rhetoric

Social networking sites help students do better at school Research Paper

Social networking sites help students do better at school - Research Paper Example There are some students who find physical-social contribution and interaction difficult. Engaging these students through an online platform can make studying easy for them (Osborne). Dialogue and collaboration are hampered by the introduction of social networking on the learning environment. Collaboration and dialogue are critical to the one-to-many and one-to-one models. In the many-to-many model which is used in social networking, the point of attention shifts from the collaborative to cooperative learning and from the group level to an individual. While collaboration seeks that the group moves together, cooperation seeks individual affinity and flexibility in a learning environment. George Middle School, in Portland developed a program that encompassed social networking and school routine. Through the program, they discovered that grades increased by 50 percent. 20 percent of the students completed extra assignments at will. Through the program, they discovered that integrating social networking with the education system lowered absences by 33 percent. An article in The New York Times explains that, Erin Olson  a teacher uses social media to improve class participation. The students use a website where they post their feelings and thoughts about the classroom discussion. Olson appreciates the arrangement because students become more engaged in learning and participate when they others post their views than when done in class (Sang). Students and other individuals join social networks to associate and engage with others who are like minded and in need of learning similar things. Some schools impose learning management systems on their students. Many students are of habit of avoiding using the school-managed learning environments and systems because they are either difficult to use or irrelevant to the basic daily learning needs. Such a response from students shows that a loose network of composed of willing participants guarantees

Comparative european politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Comparative european politics - Essay Example , influential, majoritarian leadership results in superior policy outcomes, Westminster democracies fail to surpass consensus democracies (Lijphart 2007). On a number of pointers, such as inflation, consensus democracies essentially outperform Westminster democracies; in general, they perform slightly better, which somewhat implies that consensus democracies execute no worse (Lijphart 1999). Moreover, consensus democracies have a more moderate, benevolent attributes: better environmental protection, more welfare support, more foreign assistance mission, lower imprisonment rates, and less exercise of capital punishment (Lijphart 1999). Consensus democracy has certain benefits for extremely divided states. Majoritarian democracy may be denounced for ruling out nearly half the population from the decision-making or law-making process, as it can exclude 49.9% of the population from the governmental process (Crepaz et al. 2000). In the existing literature, it is claimed that this disapproval is invalid on two situations (Lijphart 2007). First, if the current minority has an actual opportunity of becoming the future majority, then exclusion perhaps is not a critical dilemma, because each half of the nation alternates being in charge, which will have a tendency to regulate exploitation of the marginalised by the mainstream (Mair 2005). Second, if a country is adequately unvaried, then non-inclusion might not be a critical dilemma since the barred interests of the minority do not diverge much from those of the majority (Ersson & Lane 2003). Lijphart (2007) challenges these two premises by emphasising that in several coun tries, particularly in societies with deep-seated ideological, religious, linguistic, or ethnic divisions, neither situation is valid. These deep-seated cleavages can thwart crossover voting, stopping the current minority from having an actual opportunity of being a future majority (Lijphart 2007). Furthermore, there is unlikely to be a great deal of

My Sisters Keeper Essay Example for Free

My Sisters Keeper Essay I am discussing the movie, â€Å"My Sisters Keeper,† the moral dilemma in the movie is not revealed until the end; Kate has put her sister Anna up to suing her parents for the rights of her own medical decisions so that in actuality Kate can die in peace; in essence voluntary passive euthanasia. The dilemma described in the movie is immoral based on the Categorical Imperative by Immanuel Kant. Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative rejects the view that a person’s actions are good or bad based on solely on the consequences of those actions; Kantians emphasize that a person is praised or blamed for their actions based on the intentions with which they act. This film explores the medical, legal, ethical and moral issues related to long term illness and discusses some of the bioethical issues around the experimental technique known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. It presents many ethical dilemmas when a couple chooses to genetically engineer a baby to create a bone marrow match for their terminally ill daughter. That creation is Anna Fitzgerald, who is beginning to wonder about her place in the world and questions her on going donations in order to save her sister’s, Kate’s life. Anna feels that her existence is defined by her ability to save her sister. That type of knowledge of such form of conception must have some sort of psychological ramifications upon a growing child. If I knew that I was a test tube baby, it would make living a little less extraordinary because it takes away the romance of creating life. â€Å"Most babies are accidents. Not me. I was engineered, born to save my sisters life. †Those opening words are spoken by Anna Fitzgerald, an 11-year-old girl who was conceived in vitro as a genetic match for her leukemia-stricken older sister Kate. Whenever a part of Kate’s body fails, Anna’s parents Sara and Brian immediately offer up the needed part of Annas body for donation.

Tale of Cinderella compared to the movie Essay Example for Free

Tale of Cinderella compared to the movie Essay Everybody has already heard about tales during their childhood and everyone has liked them. One of the most known tales is of course the PerraultsCinderella. The movie industry still continues today to make films inspired from this popular tale. In this essay, the tale of Cinderella will be compared to the movie, Ever After. This comparison essay will show two common aspects: the male superiority to women and the importance of feminine beauty. First of all, in both films the male is superior to women. In Cinderella, the Prince is the hero who is wealthy and future king. He is the alias who only wants to find a woman to become his wife. Cinderella is the poor weak and passive girl who has to obey to the orders given by her stepmother. Her alternatives are to stay miserable or marry into happiness; the Prince is her rescuer. In Ever After, it is the same thing because the young girl has to obey to the order of her cruel stepmother and sisters. She has no power like Cinderella and while her stepmother gives her to the cruel baron, the Prince rescues her. In the movie and the story, the deprived girl marries the Prince. Secondly, in the movie and the tale the feminine beauty is very important and high-classed clothing gives identity like the Prince, the King, the stepmother and the stepsisters. Cinderella has an identity only at the moment that her godmother changes her into a princess for the ball. In Ever After, the girl has identity in front of the Prince only when she wears beautiful clothes. The beauty is not only on the physical side but also the psychological side. In contrast to the move and the tale the girl forgives her stepmother and stepsisters because she is without resentment even though they have been cruel to her. Both girls are a sweet, innocent, nice people even when they dress poorly. Also, the women with power and beauty are cruel in these situations. To sum up, in the movie and the tale, males like the Prince and the King are superior to women because they are wealthy and powerful. Also, Cinderella has only the alternatives to stay miserable or marry the Prince to be happy. Beauty is something very important in Cinderella and Ever After:Â  high-classed clothing gives beauty and identity and without this, you are nothing.

Factors that influence individual and group dynamics

Factors that influence individual and group dynamics Introduction Organizational Behavior has become a challenging hot topic among many groups who are interested to study the individual and group behavior of people working as teams in organizations. The term organizational behavior may have many definitions. According to Debra (2008), Organizational Behavior is the study of individuals and their behavior within the context of the organization in a workplace setting. She describe it is an interdisciplinary field that includes sociology, psychology, communication and management. There are also views that it is not only the study of how organizations behave, but rather the study of individual behavior in an organizational setting. This includes the study of how individuals behave alone, as well as how individuals behave in groups. The purpose of this essay is to gain a greater understanding of those factors that influence individual and group dynamics in an organizational setting so that individuals and the groups and organizations to which they belong may become more efficient and effective. It also includes the analysis of organizational factors that may have an influence upon individual and group behavior. However the literature review help the author of this essay to realize that much of organizational behavior research is ultimately aimed at providing human resource management professionals with the information and tools they need to select, train, and retain employees in a fashion that yields maximum benefit for the individual employee as well as for the organization. Going beyond that this essay will discuss Leadership and change management aspects of organizational behavior. Author V.G.Kondalkar describes Organizational behavior is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups and organizational structure have on behavior within the organization, for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organizational effectiveness. There for organization behaviors can be discussed in different levels including Individual, group and organization structure. Individual Group Structure Studying these distinct different levels, may helps to understand the organizational behavior at a broader way so that it could see the different aspects at each level which the managers can use to facilitate their day-to-day job. Individual level of analysis At the individual level of analysis, organizational behavior involves the study of learning, perception, creativity, motivation, personality, turnover, task performance, cooperative behavior, deviant behavior, ethics, and cognition. At this level of analysis, organizational behavior draws heavily upon psychology, engineering, and medicine. Taking Google as an example to this, Google recruit individuals with best academic and analytical capabilities. By this they expect a knowledge organization. The individuals coming from this kind of back ground will naturally bring in a studious learning culture. There will not be an explicit necessity to motivate them towards learning. Their business is that they invent technologies specially related to internet. Business gets the competitive edge over its competitors by their innovations. To align this strategy they also recruit above kind of people. They always encourage an entrepreneur culture where they expect a flatter structure and less power distance between individuals. So that they expect ideas coming from bottom to up to generate always creative ideas. Individuals can be motivated by different means. Motivation towards expected behavior is where organization can most benefit. Herzberg came up with two factor theory where he define both implicit and explicit factors for motivation. Providing examples to the effectively of indirect motivating factors, organizations like Google offer 20% of their employees work time to involve in a project which each individual like. Given more facilities to child care, good food, health and entertainment Google wants to provide as many as intrinsic motivators. This was very successful as they fulfill the individual needs to a greater extent so that employees can involve their work with their Saul morality. It was one Einstein said people who work if it is just to avoid punishment or to gain the rewarding of good work as like in most religious teachings; they will address the morality of individuals. It is just the fear that makes that work done. There for this essay argue if organizations can really address the morality of individuals like what Google successfully did, they can have the most effective and pleasant work force. It was also highlighted in order to have a moral organization it should recruit people who are capable and self disciplined. On the other hand it will definitely need the support from organization Leadership and culture. However individuals form groups. In other words group behavior is influenced by individual behavior. But obviously group behavior has more power and has more strength. There for to have the best fitting group behavior for the organization it must have the right individuals. This individual behavior paves this essay to the way towards how an organization can best benefit the group behaviors. Group level of analysis At the group level of analysis, organizational behavior involves the study of group dynamics, intra- and intergroup conflict and cohesion, leadership, power, norms, interpersonal communication, networks, and roles. At this level of analysis, organizational behavior draws upon the sociological and socio-psychological sciences. When there are groups it is naturally the first thing come to mind is leadership. Organizations can have many different groups. Sometimes they can be formal and obvious many times they are informal. These groups plays a vital role in an organization as these groups can be treated as energy cells, which concentrate some pockets of power. These pockets are very important to determine the success of organization. On the other hand this is where organizational politics and leadership comes in. As far as organizations are concerned most critical decisions are coming from director board. For example these decisions can be approved only by majority. To make decisions effective and comes in to play they have to get the support of subordinates. As the research to Prof Robert Reich, he finds that many times the subordinates do not support to the logical accuracy of decisions, but they support to the personal traits or any other leadership traits. There most the time subordinates address issues with gut feelings. This is why group behavior is so important. If organizations can form groups which doesnt obey only to the gut feeling but put some effort to overcome mental resistances and come to some rational decisions; such kind of organizations do better in business. Richard trading, one local company once employed only board members from two families. At the board they always had this power struggle. But ultimately the board was introduced with professionals and the group started performs than never before. Because their group directors didnt stop to their gut feeling. This provides how group behaviors can be best effective to organizations. If an organization really focus on these group behaviors they can turn them in to their benefits. Most the time informal group behaviors seen bringing negativities to the organizations. But effectively used these behaviors can be used for organizations advantages. Human resources if managed well hold the key to the success of the organization. According to (Cranny, Smith Stone, 1992 ) human resources output is higher when the employee s function as a team than it is the case when employees do not work as teams . A synergetic effect is what results when organizations embrace team spirit. However creating functional and efficient teams calls for expertise, tolerance and a lot of motivation on the part of the organization. Teams enable employees to exploit their potential and therefore increase job performance. A team consists of members with diverse experience, skills and qualification. These diverse work group and synergy effects have contributed effectively to the organizations like Microsoft to gain competitive advantage by means of creativity and different thinking. It is accepted around the world that diverse work forces are helping to facilitate new idea generation and creativity. As understood the benefits of group behaviors to the organ ization enhanced through essence of diversification, companies like Microsoft earned best advantages. Microsoft in their web site acknowledges that they encourage synergy effects to the organization in the ways and means of diversity. Communication is also another area that organizations can vastly advantage of. Group and team theory of communication have also been studied to determine the best ways to form groups . The choice of communication model is driven by the target recipient . It is important for organizations to understand the dynamics of each form of communication which will enable them to send messages effectively .Communication being an integral part of human existence is the medium through which understanding is gained. In an organization , communication is important since it is the means by which people are able to work together to achieve common goals .Schermerhorn , Hunt , and Osborn (2005 ) defines a team as a formal group of people working together with an aim of achieving common goals . Teams are important in that, they improve performance in an organization , they enhance communication and they make an organization more competitive in that they draw from a wide range of talent . This paper look s at conflict resolution process in teams with an aim of analyzing how conflicts affect teams. Provided above this section of the essay argue that today organizations can best advantage if they effectively manage the effects of organization politics, synergy, diversity and communication at organizations group behaviors. Organization level of analysis At the organization level of analysis, organizational behavior involves the study of topics such as organizational culture, organizational structure, cultural diversity, inter-organizational cooperation and conflict, change, technology, and external environmental forces. At this level of analysis, organizational behavior draws upon anthropology and political science. But the evolution of political nature was described during the group level analysis. Diversity and Cultural level things will be discussed in the latter part. However this section mostly focuses in to the structural impact to the organization behavior. Structure in simple is the degree of complexity, formalization and centralization in the organization. Complexity is the degree of vertical, horizontal and spatial differentiation in an organization Formalization is the degree to which jobs within the organization are standardized. Centralization is the degree to which decision making in concentrated at a single point in the organization Provided above elements of structure it is obvious the structure may interact to people in terms of span of control and power distribution. As discussed before power is coming from others, or subordinates. The reason to power can be different. It can be informal like referent, expert, charismatic, or it can be formal Coming from position. Any way the correct planning of power may help organization to achieve their desired results. Elements of Organizational Behavior The organizations base rests on managements philosophy, values, vision and goals. This in turn drives the organizational culture which is composed of the formal organization, informal organization, and the social environment. The culture determines the type of leadership, communication, and group dynamics within the organization. The workers perceive this as the quality of work life which directs their degree of motivation. The final outcome are performance, individual satisfaction, and personal growth and development. All these elements combine to build the model or framework that the organization operates from. Cultural element A social system is a complex set of human relationships interacting in many ways. Within an organization, the social system includes all the people in it and their relationships to each other and to the outside world. The behavior of one member can have an impact, either directly or indirectly, on the behavior of others. Also, the social system does not have boundaries it exchanges goods, ideas, culture, etc. with the environment around it. Culture is the conventional behavior of a society that encompasses beliefs, customs, knowledge, and practices. It influences human behavior, even though it seldom enters into their conscious thought. People depend on culture as it gives them stability, security, understanding, and the ability to respond to a given situation. This is why people fear change. They fear the system will become unstable, their security will be lost, they will not understand the new process, and they will not know how to respond to the new situations. Individualization is when employees successfully exert influence on the social system by challenging the culture. But when challenging culture it must be careful because normally culture is seen as an iceberg to most management specialists. This nature of culture is very illusive and organization must best understand the culture if they are to do best in business. Cultural dimensions will be different from country to country and also from region to region, may be from organization to organization. This best explains why the same model may be success in one culture but not will be success in another culture. Models of Organizational Behavior There are four major models or frameworks that organizations operate out of, Autocratic, Custodial, Supportive, and Collegial: Autocratic The basis of this model is power with a managerial orientation of authority. The employees in turn are oriented towards obedience and dependence on the boss. The employee need that is met is subsistence. The performance result is minimal. Custodial The basis of this model is economic resources with a managerial orientation of money. The employees in turn are oriented towards security and benefits and dependence on the organization. The employee need that is met is security. The performance result is passive cooperation. Supportive The basis of this model is leadership with a managerial orientation of support. The employees in turn are oriented towards job performance and participation. The employee need that is met is status and recognition. The performance result is awakened drives. Collegial The basis of this model is partnership with a managerial orientation of teamwork. The employees in turn are oriented towards responsible behavior and self-discipline. The employee need that is met is self-actualization. The performance result is moderate enthusiasm. Although there are four separate models, almost no organization operates exclusively in one. There will usually be a predominate one, with one or more areas over-lapping in the other models. The first model, autocratic, has its roots in the industrial revolution. The managers of this type of organization operate mostly out of McGregors Theory X. These kind managers does believe that employees are not good, cannot work their own and should be kept under tight controls etc. The next three models begin to build on McGregors Theory Y who believe employees are capable, and they must be provided with good environment to work as a result they will work and produce good result. However each models has evolved over a period of time and there is no one best model. In addition, the collegial model should not be thought as the last or best model, but the beginning of a new model or paradigm. Change In its simplest form, discontinuity in the work place is change, (Knoster, Villa, 2000). According to Lord Buddha there is no certainty everything is subjected change. This will not only explain the uncontrollable and unexpected but eternal law of change, but also its describe change is unavoidable. There for organization also cant deny this truth. When the attitudes, expectation, trends and styles, change with people factor, the other PESTEL variables can also be change as a result. As a result facing change itself is become a big challenge for many organizations. However the researches evident that 70% of change processes are unsuccessful. Thus change is inevitable for organizations. Almost all people are nervous about change. Many will resist it consciously or subconsciously. Sometimes those fears are well founded the change really will have a negative impact for them. In many cases, however, the target population for the change will come to realize that the change was for the better. The pace of change is ever increasing particularly with the advent of the Internet and the rapid deployment of new technologies, new ways of doing business and new ways of conducting ones life. Organizational Change Management seeks to understand the sentiments of the target population and work with them to promote efficient delivery of the change and enthusiastic support for its results. There are two related aspects of organizational change that are often confused. In Organizational Change Management we are concerned with winning the hearts and minds of the participants and the target population to bring about changed behavior and culture. The key skills required are founded in business psychology and require people people. Provided the significance of peoples factor, as discussed throughout this essay it is ultimately peoples behavior which may affect the organizations behavior at the most severest context. There for it is only the effective leadership which can address these diversities of people behaviors may brings the most success to the organization. Following will discuss how leadership is best effective at todays organizational behaviours. Leadership and Organizational Behavior One can also argue that Organizational Behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. It does this by taking a system approach. That is, it interprets people-organization relationships in terms of the whole person, whole group, whole organization, and whole social system. Its purpose is to build better relationships by achieving human objectives, organizational objectives, and social objectives. As you can see from the definition above, organizational behavior encompasses a wide range of topics, but ultimately its the leadership which can make determine the successful integration of all these variable to produce more optimum results. To begin with, the concept of organizational leadership, as described here, is not entirely new. For almost a century, various observers have glimpsed the self-organizing characteristics of groups, and their natural tendency, more or less of their own accord, to design and direct their own affairs. More than that, there have also been suggestions in the literature that leadership and authority are to be viewed as distinctly separate phenomena. In an intelligently managed organization, that leadership isnt a randomly operating process; its a propulsive force given motion by purpose, and by a joint effort to accomplish it. That is its natural tendency, its bias. But it is managements role to ensure that this organizational leadership has a substantive and meaningful core around which to form itself and to give it traction for advancing the organization toward its stated ends. Using these as a basis, organizational leadership can provide the functions of leadership to an organizationally beneficial degree that cannot be matched by individual charismatic leaders alone. It is also far more reliably focused on the organizations ability to accomplish its own purposes and ensure its own sustainability (rather than resulting in the perversion of those to the interests of senior executive leaders). Conclusion This essay critically analyses the effects of organization behavior in todays context by different aspects. It very clearly proves people are the key factor of the determination of organization behavior. Individual behavior will influence the group behavior. Formations of groups may crates pockets of power. Power can be formal or even informal. But the powerful personalities can influence more effectively the organization. Leadership is best effective where if organization gather many power groups around the personality which can thrive the business to the most effective direction. However organizations are always to change. People create resistive forces most the time to the change. Leadership is successfully useful to reduce the resistive forces to the organization change objectives.

Orestes An Innocent Hero Essay -- essays research papers

Orestes: An Innocent Hero   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout time there has been a universal question that does not yet yield a universal answer. All people have a different view on whether or not it is right to avenge the killing of another, through the death of the killers. In America during this day and age, it is the obligation of the court system to decide whether or not a murderer should be put to death. Most of the time, the criminal is sentenced to a prison term, but when a judge decides to issue the death penalty there is usually an uproar among the people. Does the court now become a murderer along with the convicted felon or is the court an innocent body. Is it a hero who is looked upon as the hand of justice or just another bad guy? In the trilogy of “The Oresteia,'; we come across a similar situation. When his jealous wife Clytaemnestra and his cousin Aegisthus kill Agamemnon, the king of Argos, it is up to his long lost son Orestes, to avenge his death. To the people of Argos and the house of Atreus, Orestes was an innocent hero in yet another chess game played by the gods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Deep into the first story of “The Oresteia,'; better known as “Agamemnon,'; Cassandra, who has been cursed by Apollo to be a seer who will never be believed, envisions the death of Agamemnon and herself. It is in this vision that she sees an avenger who will come about and bring justice to the murdered victims, “ We will die, but not without some honor from the gods. There will come another to avenge us, born to kill his mother, born his father’s champion. The gods have sworn a monumental oath: as his father lies upon the ground he draws him home with power like a prayer.'; ( Aeschylus. The Oresteia U.S.A.: Penguin, 1975.) This vision proves to be very important when speaking about the innocence of Orestes and his heroism as well. Before the incident even takes place, we know that the gods have destined Orestes to avenge his father’s death. During this period of time, when the gods were on your side, you were doing the right thing! An other way to prove Orestes innocence is through the god of sun, song, and prophecy, better known as Apollo. Early on in “The Libation Bearers'; Orestes puts his faith in Apollo. He declares: “Apollo will never fail me, no, his... ...it brings Orestes home.'; (Aeschylus, 172)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As we move on in “The Libation Bearers';, Electra, like the leader and his chorus, also looks to Orestes as a savior or hero. As she sits at the grave of her father Agamemnon, Electra prays to Hermes, god of the dead. She prays for “the one, who murders in return!'; (Aeschylus, 182) Later on in her prayers she says, “ Rekindle the light that saves our house!'; (Aeschylus, 183) and “Raise up your avenger, into the light, my father – kill the killers in return with justice.'; (Aeschylus, 183) All of these prayerful statements refer to one; Orestes. As the trilogy comes to a climax, Orestes finally acts out his revenge and it is not until the end of his trial that his destiny is fulfilled.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the end of the trilogy, the jury was split fifty fifty, and in another proof of innocence the tie breaking lot thrown by Athena was in favor of Orestes. He was officially proven innocent. Once more in Greek mythology, human beings were used as pawns in a godly game of chess; but at least this is one of those times when an innocent hero emerged.

Enlightenment: The Light Bulb Of The 1700s :: essays research papers

Enlightenment: The Light Bulb of the 1700's Throughout history many people have changed society with their ideas and actions. Two philosophers whose ideas and actions changed society are Voltaire and John Lock. Martin Luther and Galileo also changed society. John Lock and Voltaire both fought for basic human rights. Voltaire fought for basic religious freedom. He claimed that if god created the Catholic religion and god loves all people, then why does the Catholic religion have the right to torment other religions. As a result of this, Voltaire was exiled. John Lock also fought for human rights. He thought that government should protect the people. John Locke and Voltaire both spoke against a major power. Voltaire spoke against the church while Locke spoke against the government. Thus, change began occurring in both the church and government. John Locke and Voltaire changed society, because now people were beginning to challenge authority. John Locke influenced Thomas Jefferson because Thomas Jefferson believed in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Martin Luther and Galileo both disagreed with certain things that the church believed in. Martin Luther said that the only way to atone for your sins were through prayer and contrition. In his 95 Thesis he established that salvation is within oneself and that individual faith in God is very important . But the church did not see it that way. The church believed that the only way to atone for your sins were through indulgences. Indulgences were paying for the removal of your sins. Martin Luther was later excommunicated from the church. Galileo also disagreed with certain things that the church believed in. Galileo proved Aristotle's theory wrong about gravity. One night during dinner, Galileo picked up two pieces of fruit of unequal size. He then dropped them and established that they dropped at the same rate. The church had believed Aristotle's theory. Aristotle said that the two pieces of fruit of unequal size would drop at different rates. Although his theory might have been correct, he

A prototype of the Mahindra REVA NXR Essay

Last week, the Indian government revealed more details about its plan to spend 230 billion rupees ($4.2 billion) to stimulate a domestic market for electric vehicles. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that government and manufacturers would split the pot equally in order to build a domestic industry of low-carbon transport. EV makers and aspiring drivers have reason to doubt the government, which has shown a lack of follow-through in its promises to subsidize electric cars and two-wheelers. In 2010, the government offered buyers a generous rebate on their purchases, but payments stopped a few months later, and the following year the plan was abandoned. India‘s electric auto industry is tiny even by the standards of the fledgling global EV market. The only company making cars is Mahindra REVA, whose two-seater REVAi has sold 2,500 vehicles domestically. Motorcycles and scooters are wildly popular in India, and electric offerings are more diverse, including such players as Yo Bykes, Hero Electric, Ampere and Lohia Auto. All of these manufacturers face a tough sell to the Indian motorist, who has shown reluctance to pay a premium to go electric. Also, frequent power outages have eroded consumer confidence in battery-powered vehicles. Despite these doubts, Mahindra REVA sees big potential for EVs. Early this year it expects to debut a sporty new model, the NXR, and manufacture it in a new factory in Bangalore slated to make 30,000 cars a year within three years. In an interview two weeks ago, Sohinder Gill, the head of the Indian Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles and CEO of Hero Electric, said that he and other leaders in the industry are meeting with government officials to hammer out the details of the EV stimulus plan. In his speech last week, Singh said the subsidies would shave up to 1.5 percent off of India’s carbon dioxide emissions, eliminate the need for up to 2.5 million tons of fuel, and add 6 million to 7 million electric vehicles to the roads by 2020. The last goal may be hard to obtain, considering that the U.S. plan to produce electric vehicles, a far more modest 1 million vehicles by 2015, has been in place several years longer and is already lagging.

Humor in American Literature Essay

American society is unique, and the first of its kind. When Charles Dickens visited the United States he was astounded to see how informal American society was, as is recorded in his travelogue, American Notes For General Circulation. Besides this, it is often said by non-Americans that Americans have coarse senses of humor, or senses of humor that are low-class. The American sense of humor is said to clash with a polarized British one. The informality of American humor is utterly logical based on a theory that American society developed in response to Old-World British and European society. This theme often manifests itself in humorous American literature. Humor in American literature frequently bases itself on a sense of entitlement within the lower class, their flawed and ignorant moral senses, and a caricaturing of American exceptionalism, a theory of American superiority among other nations. American humor hasn’t changed extremely, but rather has maintained the common denominator of the humor of American exceptionalism and has parodied a feeling of individual self-worth that is seemingly intrinsic to Americans of all classes. This subject matter can be found in such works as Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Sut Lovingood: Yarns Spun by a â€Å"Nat’ral Born Durn’d Fool†, by George Washington Harris, and Stephen Colbert’s I am America (and So Can You). Most of George Washington Harris’s work was done in the middle of the nineteenth century. His most famous character is the stereotypical rural farmer, Sut Lovingood. Harris’s Sut Lovingood stories were told from the character’s perspective and were defined by Sut’s heavy â€Å"Appalachian English† accent. His stories were initially published separately in multiple newspapers until Harris compiled the stories in his 1867 book Sut Lovingood: Yarns Spun by a â€Å"Nat’ral Born Durn’d Fool. The book mostly pokes fun at the ignorance and simplicity of the title character. Sut Lovingood dictates the book to a writer. He is unable to write it himself because he is illiterate. He is uneasy about this though. Sut says: â€Å"I don’t like the idear ove yu writin a perduckshun, an’ me a-findin the brains.† (Harris 2) Sut is an immensely simple character, but does not see himself as such. He thinks he has important things to say and that anyone who doesn’t read his book will simply be worse-off for having done so, but in reality his stories mostly consist of folderol. Sut states that he wanted his dedication page to read as such: â€Å"Dedercated wif the symperhtys ove the orthur, to the man ur ‘oman, huever they be, what don’t read this yere book.† (Harris 5) Despite his coming after George Washington Harris, Mark Twain is often hailed as the father of American Humor. Twain’s tales of life on the Mississippi River became the definitive stories of his era. His stories are often about naivetà © and the innocence of childhood, on a superficial level , but on a deeper level they are about ignorance and other shortcomings of adults. Twain’s stories were simultaneously entertaining and critical of society. One of his most famous works of this classification is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Tom Sawyer is set in a small Missouri town, where the standards for luxury are quite low, and the people easily impressed. The townspeople are awed by the county-Judge Thatcher, a relatively low figure in the governmental hierarchy. When he pays a visit to the town church everyone there bends over backwards to â€Å"show off† and impress him (Twain 38). The people are especially impressed by the fact that there exists a tin roof atop one of the buildings in Judge Thatcher’s town. Tom Sawyer’s Aunt Polly is an excellent caricature of American humor. Despite being the voice of discipline in Tom’s life, Aunt Polly is constantly being fooled by the boy. Among the most well known of the Tom Sawyer stories is the anecdote about doing the chore of whitewashing a fence. Because of his indolent nature, Tom cozens his peers into completing his task for him, unbeknownst to his aunt. After Tom returns from his supposed labor after only a short time, Polly commends him saying, â€Å"Well, I never! There’s no getting round it, you can work when you’re a mind to, Tom†. And she goes on to give Tom a â€Å"lecture upon the added value and flavor a treat took to itself when it came without sin through virtuous effort. And while she closed with a scriptural flourish, he ‘hooked’ a doughnut.† (Twain 26) Not only is Tom able to totally fool his aunt, but he is confident enough in her incompetence that he even snatches an additional snack. She and all of the adults in the story go on to fall for Tom’s wiles on numerous occasions. The more modern Stephen Colbert wrote a book entitled I Am America (and So Can You), which bears many similarities to George Washington Harris’s book. Colbert’s work is written from the character on his satirical news show’s extremely traditional, right wing perspective. He spoofs the idea of a traditional American family, going so far as to say that anything falling short of his expectations is simply wrong. He remarks on the role of a good, traditional mother: â€Å"A good mother cooks, cleans, drives, organizes charity events so her children earn community service points for college, and expects nothing in return except love and breakfast in bed one day a year.† (Colbert 9), and he lambasts the idea of one-parent families saying, â€Å"â€Å"If you ask me, from time immemorial, the word ‘family’ has meant only one thing: a Mom married to a Pop and raising 2.3 rambunctious little scamps.† (Colbert 5) Colbert is joking of course, but his implications are that the traditional American standards have room for adjustment and that many conservative Americans are overly hidebound. He goes on to lampoon the institution of religion. â€Å"Religion is the cornerstone of civilization. Without it, we would have no laws, no morality, no social structure, and no guidelines for furnishing our tabernacles.† Many people have tried to pinpoint exactly what it is so distinctive between American and British humor. British comedian Simon Pegg wrote about in the UK Guardian in his 2007 article, â€Å"What Are You Laughing At?†: Americans can fully appreciate irony. They just don’t feel entirely comfortable using it on each other, in case it causes damage. A bit like how we feel about guns. It’s not so much about having a different sense of humour as a different approach to life. More demonstrative than we are, Americans are not embarrassed by their emotions. They clap louder, cheer harder and empathise more unconditionally. It’s an openness that always leaves me feeling slightly guilty and apologetic when American personalities appear on British chat shows and find their jokes and stories met with titters, not guffaws, or their achievements met with silent appreciation, rather than claps and yelps. We don’t like them any less, we just aren’t inclined to give that much of ourselves away. Meanwhile, as a Brit on an American chat show, it’s difficult to endure prolonged whooping without intense, red-faced smirking. It isn’t that one culture is funnier per se, just that comparing the two would be like comparing apples and oranges. In former Vanderbilt English professor Nancy A. Walker’s book, What’s So Funny? Humor in American Culture, Walker expounds upon the origin of the distinctive American â€Å"tall tale†, citing the American pioneers of the Western frontier who would write back to the East Coast telling tales of exaggeration in an attempt to impress the readers of their tales. Edward J. Piacentino wrote that the purview of classic American humor still reaches us through mediums such as The Beverly Hillbillies, or the work of comedian Jeff Foxworthy. America’s unique face of humor stems from multiple factors of American history. Firstly, American humor developed intentionally and in stark contrast to that of the British, just like much of American society. Because of the revolutionary nature of the founding of America, certain values have been instilled in the country’s inhabitants. American culture developed as a volte-face from British culture. Additionally, as Walker presented, the development of American humor and exaggerated â€Å"tall-tales† derives from the geography of the country and the frontier development of it. Those elements of the country’s history laid the groundwork for the America that we know today. That is why we still have much of the same face of humor in America after all these years. Works Cited Colbert, Stephen, and Michael C. Brumm. I Am America (and so Can You!). [New York]: Grand Central Pub., 2007. Print. Harris, George Washington. Sut Lovingood. Yarns Spun by a â€Å"nat’ral Born Durn’d Fool.† Warped and Wove for Public Wear. New York: Dick & Fitzgerald, 1867. Print. Pegg, Simon. â€Å"What Are You Laughing At?† The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 02 Sept. 2007. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. Piacentino, Edward J. The Enduring Legacy of Old Southwest Humor. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 2006. Print. Twain, Mark, and Deidre S. Laiken. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. New York, NY: Baronet /Playmore, 1989. Print. Walker, Nancy A. What’s so Funny?: Humor in American Culture. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1998. Print.

A Sustainable Competitive Advantage Essay

Operations Management is a key component in the success of any ï ¬ rm. The textbook  outlines ten critical areas to focus on for Operational Managers–many ï ¬ rms have developed these one or two of these areas into a competitive advantage. One ï ¬ rm, Anhueser-Busch/InBev has successfully incorporated all ten areas of focus and developed them into a legacy of quality and a sustainable competitive advantage. This focus on Operations Managemnt has lead to Ab/ InBev’s reputation for quality, and their continued dominance as a global brewery. Design of Goods The design of goods/services deï ¬ nes a ï ¬ rm, and sets them up for success (or failure) in  the market. In order to design a superior product, ï ¬ rms must ï ¬ rst understand their customer— what their needs and requirements are. Anheuser-Busch/InBev has focused on developing a diverse portfolio of global brands to satisfy a myriad of customer needs; a few of their more recently-developed beers are actually based on customer suggestions and recipes. The AB/ InBev portfolio ranges from low-cost products such as Busch (which focuses on a costleadership strategy), while domestic brands such as Budweiser and Bud Light are a force to be reckoned with in the North American markets. Other brands such as Hoeegarden and Leffe appeal to craft beer consumers as well as global markets (a differentiation strategy). By customizing products to various consumer tastes, they are able to obtain greater market share worldwide. AB/InBev’s original beer, Budweiser, was developed in the 1800s by the company’s  founder, Adolphus Busch set out to create a beer that balanced ï ¬â€šavor and refreshment— something that everyone could enjoy. This understanding of customer needs, combined with a commitment to quality and consistency still exist in the company today, which contributes to the overall sustainability of the company. Managing Quality As mentioned above, AB/InBev makes sure to incorporate quality into their individual  products—by meticulously managing their supply chain, they are able to control the overall quality of input as well as their products. Their commitment to tradition is the basis for their commitment to quality; many of the ingredients they use while brewing today’s beer come from the same lineage as the ingredients Adolphus Busch used back in the 1800s. Since AB/InBev directly owns the farms where the hops, rice and barley are grown, by ensuring the quality of the ingredients, they ensure quality and consistency in each batch of beer. AB/InBev offers quality to consumers by offering an extensive line of products—they  improved on their Lime-o-Rita line by offering additional ï ¬â€šavors. There is manufacturing based quality in their products—each batch of Budweiser is brewed to the same standards as the last, thus ensuring that each individual bottle tastes as good as the last. Process and Capacity Design By maintaining a process-focused strategy, AB/InBev has created a sustainable  competitive advantage—their unique lineup of products all revolve around the same quality ingredients. Fewer inputs (hops, rice, barley, etc.) all distill down to a variety of quality products that AB/InBev uses to meet their customer demands. This high volume, low variety production method allows for the efï ¬ ciency needed to produce the mass quantities of product that AB/InBev demands. A simple visit to the AB/InBev brewery creates a clear picture of their commitment to the  product-focused strategy—their facilities are designed speciï ¬ cally to accommodate the variety of products they have created. This speciï ¬ city and simplicity lead to lower variable costs per unit, higher equipment utilization, and overall easier production planning. Although switching  production lines between products can be a bit of a hassle, the specialization of labor reduces lead time and setup costs for each production run. Location Strategy The main headquarters of AB/InBev are currently located in St. Louis, Missouri, where  they were originally established in the early 1800s. Although the merger between AnheuserBusch and InBev in 2008 could have easily meant that  headquarters would be relocated, moving production elsewhere would have been incredibly costly. Because of the company’s long-standing residence in the Midwest, many suppliers are also located in the Midwest. Relocating the brewery would have not only increased shipping/handling costs of the various inputs, but also the campus that AB/InBev currently occupies is now owned outright by the company—attempting to build a new production facility would have been a signiï ¬ cant outlay of capital. The brewery in St. Louis is certainly a well-known landmark within the city, but it is not  the only brewery that AB/InBev owns and operates. Because the demand for AB/InBev products is so widespread, the brewery operates 12 different brewing and bottling plants throughout the United States. These locations help ensure the freshness and overall quality of the product delivered to various markets nationwide, as well as help reduce the costs of moving product from manufacturer to distributer. Layout Strategy! Because AB/InBev offers almost 200 unique products, layout strategy is incredibly  important in keeping the company competitive—efï ¬ cient and effective use of space ensures that things continue to run smoothly. At the brewery in St. Louis, a couple of different layouts can be seen. Silos at the  entrance to the campus store the various ingredients needed to brew the beers, while outlying buildings double as ofï ¬ ce space and storage of other components (such as bottles, cans, labels, etc.). By using a warehousing/storage layout for certain items, things that are used most commonly during production are close by, thus saving on shipping and handling costs. The beer that is brewed in St. Louis is bottled on-site. The bottling lines follow a  product-oriented layout—for example, glass bottles for Bud Light are run through one set of lines, while cans of Bud Light are run through a separate set of lines.

My Masters Are You Mad? Essay

Interestingly, the concept of ‘madness’ can be interpreted and explored in many ways. The foolishness of one’s actions; the mayhem or pandemonium of a situation; or the mental instability of an individual. Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night mentions ‘madness’ more often than any of his other plays, suggestion that madness plays a central role in the development of both the plot and the characters. The intention of Malvolio’s question, although potentially ambiguous, is to suggest to his ‘masters’, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, that they are crazy to be up in the early hours of the morning making such a noise in Olivia’s house. Through his question Twelfth Night, indirectly, presents many answers that lead us, the reader, to our own conclusion about the degree of madness within each of the characters and the situations they create or find themselves in. The theme of love as a cause of madness is one that presents itself regularly in Twelfth Night. As the play opens, Orsino talks of how too much love can make one’s appetite for it ‘sicken and so die’. He says how love can make you want things one minute, and then, in another, make you sick of them, ‘But falls into abatement and low price Even in a minute.’ Love should be, in theory, a powerful, all consuming feeling of euphoria and fulfillment. However, when Orsino describes this violent mix of desires accompanying love, he seems to be referring to everybody’s experience of love. He is generalising and assuming, however disruptive and chaotic love is, everybody experiences it in the same way he describes. As the play progresses, we are shown that his love for Olivia is unrequited, ‘How will she love, when the rich golden shaft hath killed the flock of all affections [†¦] !’ Unrequited love is impure love, as the path of the one who love is almost certainly headed for despair. The suggestion that such a beautiful emotion could result in turbulence and such pain & upset is the suggestion that love, and the journey it takes Orsino on, is mad. The readers are left contemplating that if Orsino knows the path he it taking is unstable, why does he bother continuing when he knows his fate? Love has left him mad & unhinged and, possibly, incapable of making rational and thoughtful decisions. Instead he leaves to ‘sweet beds of flowers’ to further ponder his emotions. The loss of Olivia’s both brother and father within a short space of time has left her grieving excessively and unnecessarily. Sir Toby opens a scene by questioning Olivia’s behavior, ‘What a plague means my niece to take the death of her brother thus?’ intimating his disapproval. He is the first to be bold enough to point out the ridiculousness of her overly-melodramatic grieving, having vowed to hide away for seven years. It is considered appropriate to mourn for the loss of a loved one for a period of time, but, in Olivia’s case, seven years would usually be considered inordinate. Before Olivia even makes her debut appearance in Twelfth Night, precast as a self-indulgent and overemotional character. The theme of madness again presents itself in her self-important view of the world. The fact that Olivia is giving up seven years of her own life to grieve, shows her desire to play the victim, hiding away from the world outside her house and the affections of others. When Viola, in disguise, comes to Olivia on Orsino’s behalf, Olivia plays upon his affections for her, teasing his messenger with her disguise, ‘Give me my veil; come throw it o’er my face.’ If she truly was wretched from the loss of her brother and father she would not indulge in such frivolous devices to keep others interested. The prolonged grieving she had opened herself up to has been at the expense of her better-judgment and maturity. She, a ‘master’ of Malvolio, as his question includes, has slipped into instability and silliness, and, if she keeps it up, is not far from the madness that seems to engulf the characters of Twelfth Night. The role of the ‘fool’ in Olivia’s household is to speak their mind, having no fear of the possible repercussions they may face from their masters for their honesty. Ironically, but perhaps unsurprisingly as this is a work of confusion in Shakespearean proportions, Feste, the clown is perhaps the most sane and wise of all the characters. Feste makes a comment to Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, asking them if they have ever seen ‘the picture of ‘We Three’?’ The picture he is referring to is that of two fools, with the idea that the viewed is the third fool. He is suggesting that they either are the fools in the picture, or have both seen it and, therefore, make up the third fool. He is the only character inferior to both Sir Toby and Sir Andrew to refer to their drunken and feasting lifestyle as foolish, showing not only his boldness, but also his astute observations and wit. Later on, when speaking to Viola disguised as Cesario, he comments on her lack of facial hair, ‘Now Jove, in his next commodity of hair, send thee a beard!’. Although he may only be commenting on the fact a post-pubescent boy is without a beard, it is also suggested that he is wise to the fact ‘Cesario’ is not the eunuch he appears to be but is, in fact, a girl, Viola. Shakespeare’s introduction of such a minor, and seemingly insignificant, line that holds incredible subtext is enough to suggest that Feste, the fool, is not as foolish or as mad as the other characters perceive him. The many ways in which madness can be interpreted in both the characters perceptions of each other and the reader’s, or audience’s, perception opens Twelfth Night up to the questioning of the sanity and the rationale behind the motives of the characters. It has never been more true to say of something than it is of this play that madness is in the eye of the beholder.