Saturday, November 30, 2019

Organisational behaviour case study Essay Essay Example

Organisational behaviour case study Essay Essay Introduction The chief end for any concern has ever been to increase net income borders. In the past the companies focused merely on the figure of productions and other proficient issues. whereas other facets. such as human recourses direction. were non valued as of high of import. These yearss. concern environment has changed dramatically. It is believed that organizational behavior is one of the chief countries for possible betterment in order to run a sustainable concern ( Robbins et al 2011. p. 8 ) . This instance survey will analyze the internal direction schemes of Westpac group ( Westpac ) . one of the four chief Bankss in Australia. It shows how Westpac uses organizational behavior rules to increase occupation satisfaction to actuate its employees. It will besides explicate how the company supports its employees in struggle state of affairss and analyze the leading manners of the bank’s Chief Executive Officer ( CEO ) . Gail Kelly. Surveies have shown that utilizing the appropriate organizational behavioural techniques can advance a motivated. satisfied and conflict free work force. but how does Westpac actuate its staff and how satisfied are its employees in their occupation functions? We will write a custom essay sample on Organisational behaviour case study Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Organisational behaviour case study Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Organisational behaviour case study Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Job satisfaction and motive Westpac being a big. good established company is good cognizant of how finding. retaining and actuating its employees can be important for a successful concern to thrive ( Westpac 2006 ) . The company is faced with actuating employees and. in bend. bring forthing high occupation satisfaction throughout all degrees of the administration ( Root 2014 ) . It can besides be deduced that if employees feel occupation satisfaction so this. consecutively. will filtrate through to make a positive experience for Westpac’s clients every bit good. However. in order to bring forth a motivated work force. Westpac must offer its employees benefits. wagess and acknowledgment. which are a few of the cardinal causes of occupation satisfaction ( Robbins et al 2013. p. 59-74 ) . These incentives come in many different signifiers and are sometimes. specific to an employee’s demands. When actuating a individual with a benefit or wages. Westpac must understand that each single individual will value a wages otherwise ( Root 2014 ) . For illustration. an employee with a immature household may value paid parental leave. or a shorter on the job twenty-four hours. over a publicity or a wage addition. Westpac shows that they understand that non all employees are the same and have differing demands by ranking foremost in 2013 in the one-year benchmarking study ‘Work/Life Initiatives’ for their flexible work options. offering 12 hebdomads paid parental leave. entree to child attention every bit good as offering flexible on the job hours ( ‘Westpac leads in satisfaction poll’ 2013 ) . However. for another employee. a valued wages may take the form of chance to travel up in the company. If an employee is promoted to a function they have been endeavoring to obtain so that publicity is a agency of recognizing their difficult work and finding and makes the employee more motivated in their occupation and the company. therefore bring forthing occupation satisfaction ( Robbins et al 2013. p. 59-74 ) . while profiting the company excessively. There are many ways that Westpac generates motive and in bend occupation satisfaction. nevertheless. one of these is through occupation enrichment ( Darling 1997 ) . This is the pattern of heightening an employee’s person occupations and increasing duty which. in bend makes the occupation more stimulating and honoring for the employee. by giving them more control over their work and how they perform it. advancing increased occupation satisfaction ( Robbins et al 2013. p. 171-190 ) . By giving employees more duty and control of the work they are making increased occupation satisfaction. as a deficiency of control or stimulation is frequently a cause of emphasis and ennui. which causes a lessening in motive. It is difficult to challenge that the right employee motive creates occupation satisfaction. and in bend client satisfaction. In 2013. Westpac surveyed its employees and 70 % said they were committed to their occupation. moreover. in the same twelvemonth Westpac came out on top of the four chief Bankss for client satisfaction ( Bennet 2014 ) . Westpac topographic points great accent on the bar and declaration of possible struggles between its employees. It can besides be said that by making a more comfy workplace for employees this will in turn contribute to the efficiency of the company’s public presentation as a whole. Conflict direction It is hard to conceive of any workplace to be wholly conflict free. First of all. workplace brings together people with different values. personality traits and people of different ages. Furthermore. when there is increased force per unit area on employees to run into marks. complete undertakings faster frequently with a deficiency of resources. tensenesss can originate and the work environment becomes increasingly more nerve-racking for the employees. This means that colleagues ever need to seek an appropriate manner to interact with each other at work. However. it is besides an issue for directors as they are responsible for comfy communicating and struggle declaration between workers. Harmonizing to Robbins et Al ( 2012 p. 450 ) . there are three chief causes or beginnings of struggle: communicating. structural factors ( such as size of a group and specialization ) and personal variables ( including personality. emotions and values ) . Analyzing the struggle direction system of We stpac. it is just to reason. that the company is more focussed on the bar of struggles that may originate from personal variables. As an illustration. the company pays great attending to the rights of employees to an equal employment chance. Indeed. today the enlisting patterns of many companies indirectly discriminate possible employees because of their race. gender. age. sexual orientation or cultural background. One of the chief schemes of Westpac is to make a balanced work environment. free of torment and favoritism. Harmonizing to Westpac ( People policies 2014 ) . the handling claims about the events of favoritism applies to all employees. clients and spouses working for the company. Westpac takes all sensible stairss to forestall possible struggles caused by such events from happening in the workplace. The company requires all employees to set about particular discrimination/harassment preparations and requires them to be familiarised with the current favoritism and harassment policies and processs. Two other types of personality-based struggle in the workplace are emotional-based and values-based. The ability to equilibrate emotions and grounds. understand the involvements of each other every bit good as the ability to keep good communicating and remain dependable can assist to forestall and pull off a struggle ( ‘Managing Conflict’ 2007. pp. 46-47 ) . In order to keep a comfy work environment for the employees Westpac has created the Employee Assistance Program. which provides employees with confidential reding on a scope of issues. such as household mournings. deficiency of occupation satisfaction. results of mark oriented direction. emphasis and trauma direction. Another foundation. Critical Incident Management Program. helps employees after traumatic events: personal menaces in the workplace. the decease of work co-workers and menaces from different external events. Why is it of import for the company to pay so much attending to such type of struggle? As Robbin s et Al ( 2012. p. 448 ) province. relationship struggles are dysfunctional. It means that they have a negative impact on the work efficiency. This point of position was shared by Karim ( 2009. p. 289 ) . who argues that emphasis on the occupation causes lower productiveness and hapless public presentation in the administration. As an illustration. pull offing traumatic incidents can significantly cut down employee’s absences after the event ( ‘Prompt injury direction can cut down employee absence’ 2007 ) . The company aims to promote staff members to describe any error in order to assist directors to adequately pull off hazard and cultural issues. Examples of error can be a breach of Westpac’s Policies and Codes. improper behavior and safety issues. As a portion of struggle direction. the company has established the ‘Concern Reporting’ system ( Westpac 2013 ) . It includes an online and telephone service. which allows anon. communicating. which connects employees to trained specializers from an independent administration. However. if the struggle has already occurred. Westpac has a figure of procedures to foreground issues between employees and their directors with farther probe with senior directors if the issue is non resolved. It is of import to gain that the relationships between employees are really susceptible to the leading manner set in the group. Leadership manners Leadership plays an of import function to maximize efficiency and to accomplish organizational ends. Effective leaders have an ability to actuate and animate employees and contribute to the great success of the company ( Keskes 2014 ) . Gail Kelly emphases the importance of puting a clear way for an administration and joint all employees and other stakeholders ( ‘Leadership advice from the CEO of Westpac. Gail Kelly’ 2014 ) . This manner of leading has been successful to accomplish the company’s ends and visions. This achievement brought her as a magnetic leader and her personal appeal helps her to all employees commit to the house and bring forth higher fiscal public presentation ( Davidson et all 2009. pp. 386-387 ) . Now she is ranked the 11th most powerful adult female in the universe and is Australian’s highest paid businesswomen. Harmonizing to Goleman et all ( 2002 ) . leadings are divided by six types. viz. airy. coaching. affiliative. democratic. p acesetting and commanding. Each type of the leading can be used apart. depending on state of affairss. Companies spend a great trade of money on new procedures and efficiencies to increase one per cent of bottom-line profitableness. but 30 per cent of the company’s bottom-line profitableness is responsible by leading manner. Therefore. it is really of import to utilize leading manners to react to different state of affairss efficaciously. These yearss. dramatic alterations can be seen across the fiscal services. Australian Bankss have competed for the biggest portion of the place loans market. However. this competition has shifted to acquiring customers’ sedimentations. When the company prosecute a new way. airy leading manner is the most appropriate. The aim of this manner is to travel people towards a new set of shared marks with clear account. Many companies end up with failure to alterations due to decelerate response or when employees are non certain about the way of the house. One of the great successes of Westpac is that Gail Kelly uses this manner efficaciously ( ‘Leadership Styles’ 2011 ) . Another manner of leading that is built-in to Gail Kelly is affinitive manner. Affinitive manner of leading is besides seen to accomplish high employee satisfaction ( Brook. K 2003 ) . Westpac put the value on the importance of teamwork and the diverseness of employees irrespective of age. race and ability ( People policies 2014 ) . The company helps the employees’ to work out personal jobs and encourages them to be more cohesive in order to make a comfy work environment. This manner of leading is utile to heighten squad harmoniousness. increases the morale and the betterment of communicating in employees. that is indispensable in current volatile state of affairs in fiscal industry. However. affinitive leading would be unsafe to utilize by itself since its emphasis’s on group work and it might advance hapless public presentation or no future growing. For this ground. the demand to unite different manners of leading. that the company does successfully. is indispensable to make the ends of the concern ( Robbins et al 2011. Ps 357 ) . Decision Organizational behavior is more than merely the rules of how people can work in the group together. It is a complex survey that shows how the right interaction of employees can profit the business’s effectivity. The analysis of Westpac Group has revealed that the company endeavours to increase occupation satisfaction of the employees by honoring each individual correspondingly. Therefore. in order. has a good consequence on the production effectivity. doing positive feelings among clients. The company appreciates the diverseness among its employees and successfully manages the struggles caused by personal jobs every bit good as struggles in relationships with others. The Westpac’s system of struggle direction helps to forestall a possible diminution in occupation public presentation and creates a comfy work environment. The instance survey has besides revealed that the company benefitted from the efficient usage of different manners of leading. The ability to rapidly react to the volatility in a finance sector by altering leading manners helps Gail Kelly to take the concern successfully. heightening squad engagement and overall part. MentionsBrooks. K 2003. ‘Primal Leadership: Gaining the Power of Emotional Intelligence’ . Human Resource Development Quarterly. 14. 2. pp. 235-238. Business Source Complete. EBSCOhost. viewed 6 September 2014. Darling. K A ; Arn. J 1997. ‘How to efficaciously honor employees’ . Industrial Management. 39. no. 4. Masterfile Premier. EBSCOhost. viewed 8 September 2014. Davidson. P. Simon. A. Woods. P A ; Griffin. Roentgen 2009. Gail Kelly. bank executive – outstanding leader and director in Management: Core Concepts and Applications. John Wiley A ; Sons. Milton. Queensland. ‘Dealing with Workplace Conflict’ 2006. Point For Credit Union Research A ; Advice. p. 19. Business Source Complete. EBSCOhost. viewed 29 August 2014. Goleman. D. Boyatzis. R A ; McKee. A 2002. Cardinal leading: Learning to take with emotional intelligence. Harvard Business School Press. Boston. USA. Karim. N 2009. ‘Stress in Organsations: Management Strategie s’ . Dialogue ( 1819-6462 ) . 4. 2. pp. 286-300. Academic Search Complete. EBSCOhost. viewed 25 August 2014. Keskes. I 2014. ‘Relationship between leading manners and dimensions of employee organisational committedness: A critical reappraisal and treatment of future directions’ . Intangible Capital. 10. 1. pp. 26-51. Business Source Complete. EBSCOhost. viewed 10 September 2014. ‘Leadership Styles 2011’ . The Wall Street Journal. pp. 1-3. viewed 9 September 2014. . ‘Leadership advice from the CEO of Westpac. Gail Kelly’ 2014. Australia Business Review. viewed 30 August 2014.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Eastern vs. Western Architecture essays

Eastern vs. Western Architecture essays Architecture has many unique characteristics as compared to the vast body of styles of art. Architecture must be functional and contend with difficult engineering challenges as well as an artistic statement. Even within the boundaries of architecture, it is obvious that the styles approached in creating the magnificent buildings seen in everyday life vary greatly. Difference in style is obvious when comparing the works of the Ancient Greek culture and those of the Islands of Japan. Both cultures have contributed greatly to the science and art of architecture, each in their own unique styles. The two contrast greatly, yet have some artistic similarities making each impressive according to yesterdays, and todays standards. The characteristics in architecture developed by the Greeks are considered among the greatest achievements in Western Society. The Greek style of architecture combines both simplicity and grandeur to create magnificent structures that are world renowned and have continuously influenced the latter day architecture of Western Society. There are many characteristics in the architecture of Greek temples that separate the Greek era from of the Japanese Shinto shrines. To fully comprehend Greek temple architecture, one must understand the basis of the Greek state of mind. Ancient Greek culture thought very highly of man. Greek philosophers believed that nature to served mankind and that man was second only to humanistic Greek gods. The Greeks built temples as monuments to the deities and were designed in attempt to conquer nature much like the gods; last for an eternity. An excellent example of a Greek temple is the Parthenon located on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. The Parthen on was built to honor the goddess Athena. The Parthenon is a regular but articulate building; although it is a stoa it is perceived more or less as a sculpture or monument rather than a place of shelter. Because the Greek culture was...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Causes of Disequilibrium in the economy

Causes of Disequilibrium in the economy Economists usually define general disequilibrium as the state in which contrasting market forces of supply and demand fail to reach a balance and there exist an intrinsic inclination for change. The main indicator of market disequilibrium is the continuation of shortages either in the demand or supply side of the economy. There are two main models that hold divergent views concerning disequilibrium namely the classical and Keynesian models   [ 1 ]   . Causes of disequilibrium Generally, the major causes for disequilibrium in the markets if the deficiencies created either in the aggregate demand or aggregate supply side of the economy. This means that in such circumstances the market does not clear. Main causes of disequilibrium are understood in the light of the economic model s followed by scholars. For instance, the Keynesian theory’s causes differ from that of classical economists. For instance, following Keynesians’ view, disequilibrium arises when there are di sparities between leakages and injections where as classical economists argue that if such cases arise, price always adjust to bring the economy back to equilibrium.   [ 2 ]    In the above diagram, equilibrium occurs at point P2-Q2 where AD2= AS. At that point, the economy is at full employment. Below this point the economy is in disequilibrium whereby it is operating below full employment. Keynesian theory’s view s about disequilibrium Keynesian theory is the widely used model that explains the general equilibrium using the IS-LM model. Keynesian model construe that markets may not be self-adjusting therefore the markets would not lead to full employment equilibrium if the economy is left to self-regulate. Keynes used the income-expenditure theory to explain the concept of disequilibrium and full employments. He came up with a detailed analysis of the functions of money, functions of interest rates as well as the aspect of relative prices. Keynesian theory postulates th at equilibrium usually occurs below the full employment level. Keynes argued that constant equilibrium cannot prevail due to the existence of involuntary unemployment.   [ 3 ]    In the commodity markets, Keynesians clearly outlines the major disparities that usually reinforce a state of disequilibrium. They compare the aggregate expenditure which includes household consumption, investment function as well as government spending with the effective demand. They postulate that when the economy operates below the intersection of the two, it means there is an imbalance/disequilibrium.   [ 4 ]    Keynesians denied the supply side of the classical economists. Keynes stated that firms should be given the supply schedule so that they can demand smaller amounts than the existing national demand schedule. Keynes explained the causes of disparities in supply and demand separately. According to him, supply creates income. He postulated that what people produce is the one which is bought therefore supply’s value at all times equals the income value. The income is spent by the earners in consumption of more goods. Keynesian economists advocate an increase in government spending when the economy is below full employment in order to stimulate the economy.   [ 5 ]    Classical economists Classical economists holds the notion that markets are self regulatory which is opposite of Keynesian views. They construe that whenever disequilibrium state occurs between the leakages and the injections, prices usually adjusts to re-establish the general equilibrium. They held assumption that there prices are flexible savings are equal to investments as well as embracing the say’s law which states that supply creates its own demand. Explaining the aspect of disequilibrium through say’s law, classical theorists construe that aggregate production in the economy have to create sufficient income that to buy all units of income, failure to which disequilibrium occ ur.   [ 6 ]

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Color-blind racism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Color-blind racism - Essay Example The study aims at discussing colour-blind prejudice and explaining how neoliberal was drawn on old thoughts and experiences of race. Critics allege that many people apply the use of colour- blindness as way of avoiding the subject of prejudice and racial bias. The term is used to weaken populace legal right achieved by some minority collections. In the United States for instance, the country was made by settlers. Roads and canals were built by Irish while the Chinese were employed to finish the transcontinental railway line (Carl 1). Due to the competition among the settlers and workers especially from China, they were forced to resolve to less in order to retain jobs. Thus, the employer has effectively removed the difference between illegal and lawful settlers. They all lined up outside the company long before the doors were unlocked to be the first to start work. Around the globe, neo-liberalism has been inflicted by strong financial organizations like the World Bank, and the international monetary finance. World nations are told to minimize their import restriction, monetary controls and duty. The process of neo-liberalism was made possible in order to protect their sovereignty as well as competitive gain (Massey 124). They are informed to allow internationals the right to control banks, industries and public utilities and to exploit natural reserves. The exploration was to be done without restrictions in order to endorse all round economic development. In the current global economy, capitalist market strategy has taken grasp across the globe more than any time in history. It attracted more region of the planet and a growing section of the populace into capitalistic social connection. The outcome is an increasingly rough development and ever-greater social disruptions worldwide. At the time of the North America free trade agreement (NAFTA) cooperation, for instance, Mexican President Carlos

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Should Competition Take Place in Healthcare Research Paper

Should Competition Take Place in Healthcare - Research Paper Example On the other hand, many others argue that no segregation is necessary for healthcare industry from other industries and competition may increase the quality of the healthcare services and products delivered.   Michael Porter and Elizabeth Teisberg in 2004, argued that â€Å"competition takes place at the wrong level in the healthcare industry: the level of health plans, networks, and hospital groups† instead of â€Å"level of diagnosis and treatment of individuals’ diseases† (Enthoven & Tollen, 2005). For example, the health insurance sector in America is dominated by private people even though governmental intervention is there for namesake. The greedy private insurance people always try to increase their profits which will increase the competition among the private insurance business people rather than at the level of diseases and treatments. The unhealthy competition among the healthcare insurance people actually denies the rights of the patients. Insurance companies can influence the doctors who treat the patients. Attracted by the offers and promises provided by the insurance companies, doctors may not prescribe expensive medicines or treatment options for the pat ients who have taken private insurance. Thus unhealthy competition among insurance providers may result in patients getting inadequate care even if they have the insurance protection. â€Å"Some employer groups advocate ‘system to system’ competition, in which physicians are forced to commit to one closed network or another. This actually limits competition at the level of diseases and treatments† (Enthoven & Tollen, 2005).  Ã‚  

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Old Man at the Bridge Essay Example for Free

The Old Man at the Bridge Essay The book I have read Ive recently read a book, which has made a very deep impression on me. It is named Gone with the Wind The author of the book is Margaret Mitchell. She was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in a family of the president of the Atlanta Historical Society. All the family was interested in American history and she grew up in an atmosphere of stones about the Civil War. After graduating from the college Margaret Mitchell worked for a time for the Atlanta Journal. In 1925 she got married. In the following ten years she put on paper all the stories she had heard about the Civil War. The result was Gone with the Wind. It was first published in 1936 and became the talking point of all America. In 1939 the book was made into a highly successful film. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable played the leading roles. Vivien Leigh won the Oscar. Everyone loved her high-spirited and beautiful heroine, Scarlett OHara. The story is set around the time of the American Civil War (1861-1865), when the Southern states went to war with the North to defend their way of life. It was a way of life in which rich gentry lived in large houses and owned huge areas of land, cultivated by black slaves. Scarlett OHara was born in one of those rich houses. But Gone with the Wind is also about a love triangle. While Scarlett loves the quiet, gentlemanly Ashley Wilkes, the wild and decidedly ungentlemanly Rhett Butler is in love with her. Not so long ago, in 1991, a publishing company asked Alexandra Ripley, a historical novelist, to write the continuation of the story. Her novel Scarlett was not in the same class as the original. Critics have been writing very bad reviews of Scarlett but the book is popular with the public. ? , .  «  ». — . ? , , ? . , ? ? ? . - ?  «Atlanta Journal ». ? 1925 ?. . ? , ? .  «  ». ? 1936 ?. ? . ? 1939 ?. . ? .  «Ã‚ ». ? , . ? (1861-1865), ? , . , ? ? , . ? .  «  » ? . ? , ?  «  » .  ? 1991 ?. , , , .  «Ã‚ » ? ? .  «Ã‚ » , . Entertainment Nowadays everybody knows that people are very busy and don’t have much time to spare. Sometimes it’s only the weekend and I think that every day-off needs some special planning. The English say: Who knows how to work, knows how to rest. I think it’s true. In my view rest is as important as work. I prefer spending my free time with the people whose company I always enjoy. I also like to spend my spare time alone, when I’m tired and haven’t got any desire to talk to anybody, very often I want to get away from noisy streets and go to the countryside and change the scenery. On the other hand I may go to different entertainment centers such as cinema, theatre, concerts halls, etc. If you want to be strong and healthy, go in for sports. There are many sports clubs, swimming-pools, gymnasiums and sport grounds for everybody who loves sports. Sport will make you not only healthier and stronger, but kinder, more sociable, cheerful and even wiser. Sport will give you its strength and energy and you’ll become a greater admirer of life with all its problems and wonders. Travelling is also a good way to spend my spare time. Visiting new places, seeing sights and meeting new people is a very exciting and useful relaxation. I can go hiking. In summer I like to be outdoors from morning till night, sunbathing, walking barefoot on the grass. My family or my friends are the very people to go with to the riverbank, to the forest or to the seashore. Its really wonderful to put up a tent, make a fire and spend time in a picturesque place. People are dreamers, our dreams are different but each person chooses his own way of spending free time, either passive or active. In any case leisure should be refreshment and a source of inspiration. Education in Great Britain: Schools In Britain it is compulsory for everyone between the ages of 5 and 16 years to receive some officially recognized form of schooling, though most secondary schools continue to provide education until the age of 18. The vast majority of pupils attend state schools, which are absolutely free (including all text books and exercise books), but there are also about 500 private schools providing secondary education. The most famous of these schools are Eton and Harrow. There is no statutory age at which students change from primary to secondary school, nor are schools specialized — pupils choose from the numerous subjects taught in their particular school. The recently introduced National Curriculum has made it compulsory, however, for three core subjects — English, mathematics, and science — and seven other foundation subjects — technology (including design), history, geography, music, art, physical education, and a modern foreign language — to be included in the curricula of all pupils. Passage from one academic year to the next is automatic. After a two-year course, usually from 14 to 16 years of age, most pupils take their General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), assessed on the basis of a mixture of course work and a written examination, in individual subjects. Pupils obtaining at least five passes at GCSE can then specialize for two years (usually from 16 to 18 years of age) in two or three subjects, in which they take the General Certificate of Education Advanced level (A-level) examination. This is used as an entrance qualification for university (minimum two passes) and other types of higher education, as well as for many forms of professional training. Education in Great Britain: Higher Education (1) There is a considerable choice of post-school education in Britain. In addition to universities, there are also polytechnics and a series of different types of assisted colleges, such as colleges of technology, art, etc. , which tend to provide more work-orientated courses than universities. Virtually all students on full-time courses receive grants or loans from the Government which cover their tuition fees and everyday expenses (accommodation, food, books, etc. ). Universities in Britain enjoy complete academic freedom, choosing their own staff and deciding which students to admit, what and how to teach, and which degrees to award (first degrees are called Bachelor degrees). They are mainly government-funded, except for the totally independent University of Buckingham. There is no automatic admission to university, as there are only a limited number of places (around 100,000) available each year. Candidates are accepted on the basis of their A-level results. Virtually all degree courses are full-time and most last three years (medical and veterinary courses last five or six years). Students who obtain their Bachelor degree (graduates) can apply to take a further degree course, usually involving a mixture of exam courses and research. There are two different types of postgraduate courses — the Masters degree (MA or MSc) and higher degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Tradition: Lost And Kept :: essays research papers

Tradition: Lost and Kept Each culture in the world follows its own customs and traditions. These traditions, however, are sometimes broken to allow a compromise in their society, or are still kept throughout the culture's existence. In the story The Rain Came, an African tribe faces a harsh and desolate time because their tribe is experiencing a severe drought and as a result the livestock is dying from dehydration, the crops are drying out, and the tribe's Chief is called upon to remedy the situation. Following their tribe's tradition on asking the gods for assistance, the Chief discovered the only way to eliminate the drought is by sacrificing his daughter in a traditional ritual. The events that follow will show how the tribe's customs will be kept and lost. Tradition is shown in many parts of the story. The first example of tradition is evident in the scene where the Chief speaks to the ancestors to change the sacrifice; he loves his only daughter dearly and does not wish her to die. Unfortunately, he could not abandon his position as Chief and let the people die from the drought either. In the tribe, it was customary for the Chief to have several wives and children. The Chief married five wives and the fifth one brought him a daughter. Another tradition that was shown in the story was the explanation of how Oganda (the chief's only daughter) received her name. Her name meant "beans" because her skin was smooth, very much like the skins of beans. A last example of tradition is the sacrificing of Oganda. She is scheduled to be sacrificed to a lake monster in order for the tribal villages to receive precipitation and water. In modern days, we would check the local satellite forecast for the area and determine when to conserve water during a drought. However, in this story, tradition must be followed to allow the people to live and thrive, or does it? Revealing the parts of the story where tradition is kept is important in order to compare with the part where tradition is lost and compromised. The Chief keeps tradition when he arranges a meeting with all the family members except Oganda to discuss her sacrifice to better the chances of survival for everyone else. Oganda believes that her family is discussing her marriage and her morale and hopes increase until her family informs her of the situation. To the villagers, it was a great honor to let a woman's daughter to die for her country. To the Chief, it was a great and sad loss for his only daughter would