Conformity Case Essay

INTRODUCTION: Ever since the first experiment on conformity was conducted by Jenness in 1932, psychologists have tried to measure conformity under various situations. Historically, conformity has been measured in numerous ways, though the most widely used methods have been behavioural observations and self reports (Scher and Thompson, 2007). While Asch’s Experiment (1951) remains the most popular work on conformity, Zimbardo (1971) and Milgrams’ (1974) work are noteworthy. AIM AND HYPOTHESIS: We wanted to find out whether undergraduate students conform to social norms or not? Also, what are the likely reasons for their behaviour? For this, we created our own experiment. However, let us define conformity and other key variables first. Kalat (2008) defines conformity as changing one’s behaviour to match other people’s behaviour or expectations. It is the dependant variable (DV) in our experiment and we gave it an operational definition. We measured DV by the subject’s correct gender identification and subsequent action of walking through the door assigned for their respective gender. This is further elaborated under the Research Method section. The independent variable (IV) in our experiment was self-monitoring attitude. We chose IV as our group believed that it is primarily high self-monitoring people are more conscious about their social image and are thus more likely to conform in general than low-self monitoring people and vice versa. The operational definition for self monitoring attitude was the score on Self-Monitoring (SM) Scale created by Mark Synder in the early 1970’s. Frayer believes that the personality test measures how much an individual would change his behaviour to suit situational cues. It has 25 questions in total and has been attached in APPENDIX 1 for your reference. The results were interpreted as high, intermediate or low score depending on how many questions the subject got corr ect using the answer key provided by lckes and Barnes (1977) attached in APPENDIX 2 for your reference. Our goal was to examine therelationship between self-monitoring attitude (IV) and   conformity (DV). We expected a positive co-relation due to our group belief mentioned above. Besides, Scher and Thompson’s (2007) experiment, which was our inspiration, had found a significant positive correlation relationship between self-monitoring and behavioural conformity. Our target population was the undergraduate students at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). However, our sample consisted of only forty HKU students composing of twenty female and twenty male students. RESEARCH METHOD: Let us elaborate on how we went about conducting our experiment. Firstly, we chose to conduct the experiment at Chi Wah composite building since many undergraduate students go there to study. Secondly, we replicated Sarah Lisbene experiment on gender conformity. Lisbene had pasted gender signs on an entrance of a building to observe whether people would conform to the gender symbols on the doors. We duplicated her gender conformity situation at the main entrance on the first floor of Chi Wah as it has precisely two doors. We stuck gender symbols on each door at the eye level right besides the door handles ‒ a male only sign on right door and a female only sign on the left door. Then, we shut both the doors at the entrance. Anyone who wanted to enter the building from this entrance was bound to read the gender sign before opening the door and thus would have to make a decision to conform, observable by his/her action of walking through the appropriate gender-marked door. Thirdly, we used simple systematic sampling method to choose our subjects. Every 10th person was invited to participate in our experiment by filling in a two paged survey. The survey was actually the SM Scale mentioned in AIM AND HYPOTHESIS section. We calculated their scores on the SM Scale by their marked responses to measure the IV and its relationship with DV. Lastly, we tried to observe participants in their natural setting. To remain unnoticeable, we dressed up in casuals and stood far away from the entrance, trying to avoid giving any additional situational cues to the participants. We wanted to prevent any bias adversely affecting our study and carefully observed the behaviour of the subjects reading the signs, recording their decision of walking through either door and then approached them, requesting to fill in the survey. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS: Though the response and the reactions from the subjects varied, a common trend in our experiment emerged. The participant would read the sign on the door when he/she approached to open the door and get confused. Then, he/she would take a step back and try to locate the other gender sign on the other door and finding one would relieve him/her and change their emotion. Then they would make a decision to walk through either door. The mean score on the SM scale was 12.1, an â€Å"Intermediate Sco re† as it falls in the band width of 9-14. It suggests that HKU undergraduates self-monitor themselves to a moderate degree on average and would be conscious of their social image. Our hypothesis would suggest that undergraduates are likely to conform to their respective gender roles. The statistics obtained from our sample were consistent with our expectations in general. In fact, 28 out of the 40 or 70% participants conformed to their respective gender role. We found a modest positive co-relation of .4049 between SM Scale and conformity. It suggests that self-monitoring attitude may lead to gender conformity. We observed two major group differences based on the data collected. The first group was divided on basis of gender while the second on their score on SM Scale. Firstly, the SM Score mean for females was slightly higher (12.2) than for men (12). The standard deviation for females (3.578) was lower compared to men (4.193) and the range for females was 4-21 and 3-18 for men. The data and statistics obtained are indicative of females conforming marginally more than males. Out of the 28 subjects that did conform, 16 or 57.1% were females and only 12 or 42.9% were males. Secondly, a score of 15-22 is high and 0-8 is low on the SM scale. Out of the 7 subjects who scored low on SM scale, only 3 or 42.9% conformed. Out of the 23 subjects who scored intermediate on SM scale, only 16 or 69.6% conformed and out of the 10 subjects who scored high on SM Scale, 9 or 90% conformed. This suggest that people who score high on the SM Scale are more likely to conform than people who score lower on the SM Scale. A third group difference, which is based on our observation of arrival of participant in a party or not can be suggested. In a group of two females and three males, a male pointed out the discrepancy at the entrance which surprised the whole group. They talked among themselves and even had a laugh, pointing at the symbols. Nonetheless, the group split up and members walked through respective doors and then rejoined once inside the building. This may suggests that people are more likely to conform if they arrive in a party consisting of both the genders. CONCLUSION From our data and observations in the experiment, we can make a few conclusions. Firstly, though HKU undergraduates are likely to conform to gender roles, females are more likely to do so. Secondly, there is a modest correlation between self-monitoring attitude and conformity, though we could not establish a direct causal relationship between the two variables. Thirdly, it seems that people who are scored higher on the SM Scale are more likely to conform to gender roles than those who scored lower on the SM Scale. Lastly, subjects are more likely to conform to gender roles when they arrive in a party consisting of both the genders. CRITICAL EVALUATION: Booker (2012) says that behavioural conformity is linked with youth happiness. Conforming behaviour enables us to create a strong social world and experience belongingness to a group, thereby facilitating social identification and security, leading to equilibrium of contentment. This suggests the importance of conforming in order to ac hieve happiness. Secondly, conforming behaviour is actually a â€Å"self-defining act† and people conform to keep their â€Å"state of peace† (Santee and Jackson, 1982). This too may explain why people conform in general. Furthermore, there is a difference in the view of conformity between both the genders ‒ men regard non-conforming behaviour as â€Å"self-image enhancing† while women regard conformity as â€Å"positive† and â€Å"self defining†. This helps explain why women are more likely than men to conform. Another plausible explanation for gender differences in conformity is given by Maslach, Santee and Wade (1987), who believe conformity is based on personality traits of men and women. Men are supposed to be â€Å"assertive† and â€Å"independent† while women are supposed to be â€Å"sensitive†. Recently, researchers from University of London (2011) have even found a mild genetic influence explaining gender conforming traits (31%) in women. According to Fraser, most people would like to maintain a positive public image and are perceptive to what people think about them. This may explain why high self-monitors who actively apply impression managem ent are more likely to conform than low self-monitors. The fear of distorting their public image or even dampening their social popularity would be a powerful incentive for high self monitors to conform. Lastly, individuals composing a group face a stronger effect of normative social influence than a collection of individuals who do not form a group (Deutsch and Gerard, 1954). This may explain why the conformity increases when subjects arrive in a party consisting of both genders. I would now like to talk about potential flaws in our experiment and some methods to improve our model. Firstly, conformity is not completely dependent on a single variable and we should have used a multi-variable regression model to estimate it instead. In our experiment, one of the omitted variables is lack of social pressure or incentive to conform. The subjects may not have sufficient incentive to walk through their gender assigned door as there was no reward or penalty in terms of social acceptance or rejection. Also, as many as 9 subjects reported that they did not notice any gender symbol and walked in using random door. None of them was suffering from any eyesight problem like colour blindness. Furthermore, Livingstone brings to light a potential confounding variable ‒ civility. Civility primarily depends on disposition of the subject, which in turn depends on parenting, school education and cultural background. We could have included all these variables in our model. Another potential flaw in experiment is not having a control group. Maybe the female lavatory near the left door favoured the female participants to walk through the left door, increasing their conforming number. Either a control group or interchanging the symbols on the doors after the first 20 subjects had filled in the survey would have removed this bias. To improve our model, we could have used better operational definitions too. The SM Scale is controversial and walking through a door marked by a sign may not be a relevant gender issue. Secondly, we could have used a larger budget and more time to improve our model. For instance, it took us four days to get permission to conduct the experiment at Chi Wah. If we had more time, we would have conducted the experiment in the Main Library and Medical Campus to get a representative sample. Increasing our sample size would have enabled us to detect micro trends and be more accurate. We could have offered subjects who refused to fill in the survey monetary compensation. Our study may have been subject to experimenter bias in spite our full effort to minimise the bias as we were expecting a positive correlation. Blinding was too expensive an option for us. PERSONAL REFLECTION: Though this experiment answered some questions, it has left me wondering about many more. If given the opportunity, I would like to conduct a few follow up experiments to seek some answers. Firstly, I would like to find out if there is any link between stress levels and gender conformity. This relationship arises from my observation that some subjects in our experiment who walked through the wrong door and also refused to fill in the survey seemed to be impatient and rude. Though there may be some other reasons behind their gender non-conformity behaviour and mood like being short on time, we cannot say for sure and will have to find out for ourselves. Also, I would like to find out if there is any threshold level for conformity? For instance, participants may refuse to conform by walking through a door in our experiment but they would probably conform while using a lavatory. If non-conformers conform if they know they would be severely rebuked for their actions, what precisely is that threshold level? The experiment also cleared my misconceptions of conducting experiments. I thought that it would be very easy to design and conduct an experiment. However, given our goal, there were so many ways of going about it that was very hard to select the best method given our resources and time constraint. Carrying out the experiment has its own fair share of struggles. I would also like to mention my experience with experimenter bias. While drafting the experiment, I was very confident that I could not be susceptible to experimenter bias. However, when we started the experiment, it was very hard not to hand out the survey to our friends and acquaintances who happened to come in through the doors but were not the 10th subject as per our systematic sampling rule. Finally, after having finished the experiment, I think it was painstakingly work involving a lot of planning and careful evaluation. Nonetheless, I had fun conducting the experiment. REFERENCES 1. Scher, N., & Thompson, T. (2007). Self-Monitoring and Conformity: A Comparison of Self-Report and Behavioral Measures. UW-L Journal of Undergraduate Research X (2007) Retrieved December 1, 2012, from http://www.uwlax.edu/urc/jur-online/PDF/2007/scher&thompson.pdf 2. Kalat, James W. (2008). Introduction to Psychology, Ninth (International) Edition. Wadsworth: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. 3. Fraser, M. â€Å"Mhaire†. Self Monitoring Notes and Resources. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from De Anza College Website: http://faculty.deanza.edu/frasermary/stories/storyReader$157 4. Montclair SocioBlog. Livingston, J. (2009). Civility or Mindless Compliance? Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://montclairsoci.blogspot.hk/2009/07/civility-or-mindless-compliance.html 5. Booker, Karene. (2012). Youths’ well-being linked to how well they conform to gender norms Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/news/youths-well-being-linked-how-well-they-conform-gender-norms 6. Santee, R.T., & Jackson, S.E. (1882). Identity Implications of Conformity: Sex Differences in Normative and Attributional Judgements. Social Psychology Quarterly, 45(2), 121-125. Retrieved from December 7, 2012, http://faculty.rhodes.edu/wetzel/223webproj/conformity%20and%20gender/ 7. Maslach, C., Santee, R. T., & Wade, C. (1987). Individuation, Gender Role, and Dissent: Personality Mediators of Situational Forces. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(6), 1088-1093. Retrieved December 7, 2012,from http://faculty.rhodes.edu/wetzel/223webproj/conformity%20and%20gender/ 8. Science Daily. Jul 9, 2011. Sexual Orientation and Gender Conforming Traits in Women Are Genetic, Study Finds Retrieved December 9, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110707173319.htm 9. Morton, Deutsch and Gerard, B. Harold. (1954). A Study of Normative and Informational Social Influences upon Individual Judgement. Research Center for Human Relations, New York University Retrieved December 10, 2012, from http://web.comhem.se/u68426711/8/deutsch55.pdf

Is it Ethical for Regional Airline to Pay First Year Essay

As compared to other airline workers, pilots are the most costly with labor being the largest cost for all airline companies. In fact, contract negotiations between pilot unions and the airline management are usually bitter. Recently, contract negotiations between the world’s largest airlines, UAL Corp’s, and its pilots resulted in the increase of costs throughout the airline or aviation industry. These contract negotiations between UAL Corp’s and its pilots led to the several negotiations between major airlines and various labor groups. In the previous years, first year pilots were paid less than $ 20,000 while major airline captains earned well over $100,000. While a pilot usually begin at a major carrier with at least eight years of preceding experience, they are paid depending on the years at the airline company and the aircraft flown. A typical month for a pilot includes only fifteen days of work and eighty flight hours a month. On the other hand, these pilots often spend the other eighty hours on duty at airports. However, the pilots are usually paid for the eighty flight hours and not the hours spent on duty at airports. Notably, pilots are considered as one of the well paid workers and their salaries are usually based on the measure of productivity and responsibility (Hirschfeld, 2001). Airline captains are often paid depending on the aircraft’s size, number of passengers, cargo tonnage and distance moved. Its however important to note that pilots not only have incredible amount of responsibility but they also have incredible training requirements. Even with the responsibilities and requirements that come with this profession, there is a need for setting limits that explain what constitutes a pilot’s reasonable and fair pay. Throughout the years, pilots’ salary increments have usually been ridiculously wide with most of their labor groups demanding a salary increment of thirty percent every four years. Additionally, there is always a huge annual salary difference between pilots at the bottom of the ladder and senior pilots for majors. Pilot’s Requirements: As I mentioned in the previous page, this profession requires not only an incredible amount of responsibility but also training requirements. As a profession with these requirements, there are other important personal requirements established by the government. Most importantly, to clearly examine whether it’s ethical for regional airline to pay first year pilots $20,000. 00, it’s necessary to look at these requirements. The requirements include: Age Limits: The minimum and maximum age requirements set by the government varies for various airline pilots. While private pilots and commercial pilots should have a minimum age of seventeen and eighteen years respectively, applicants for air transport pilot certificate should have a minimum age of twenty-three years. On the other hand, the common retirement age on listed airlines is sixty years of age. Physical Health Requirements: As compared to other professions, pilots are required to meet strict physical health conditions. These pilots are usually given medical certificates which are classified into different categories depending on the respective country. However, each of these categories not only has specific physical health requirements but their certificates are valid for different time periods. In the United States and Canada, trainees for an airline position should take a physician from FAA and Transport Canada respectively (â€Å"Looking for a Career†, 2009). Furthermore, pilots are required to meet special physical demands and strict health standards by regulatory agencies. These demands basically concern body parts like lungs and heart as well as eyesight and physical dexterity. Airline pilots who may be dependent on drugs including prescription may be disqualified from flying. Education: This is one of the most critical requirements for airline pilot professionals and has in the recent part become increasingly intricate and mechanical. With the changing technology, there is a continuous demand for pilots to meet a higher standard. In fact, for airline pilots, learning is continuous because of the development of new aircraft designs, systems and procedures. As a result of the evolving aviation technology, pilots are not only required to master new systems but they are also required to regularly pass ground school courses and simulated flight checks. Additionally, these pilots are also required to have a thorough understanding of navigation, mathematics, meteorology and aeronautics. This thorough understanding is necessitated by the technicality and complexity of the aircraft’s navigation and communication systems. A pilot begins to acquire these skills at the secondary level of education with the main weight being on basic sciences such as math and physics. In addition to this advanced math, aeronautical engineering and sciences are necessary courses for pilots’ preparation at the tertiary level of education. These pilots should also have a good attitude and judgment because of the responsibility of taking care of many lives and the monetary value of the aircraft. Licensing Requirements: This is the final and critical requirement for both pilots and professionals in the airline industry. In preparation to become an airline pilot, it’s important to note that there are four levels of certificates of pilots. These pilots’ certificates are student, private, commercial and air/airline transport pilot certificates. However, pilot certificate holders may also have various types of certification or ratings with the exception for pilots with student pilot certificates. These ratings include land, helicopter, sea, instrument, single-engine and multi-engine flying certification. Prior to flying a large aircraft needing two-pilot crew, a pilot is required to have a type of rating. Ethics and Pilots Salaries: Having looked at the airline pilot requirements in the previous section of this paper, I will now examine whether it’s ethical for regional airline to pay first year pilots $20,000. As I mentioned earlier the requirements of the airline industry basically helps us to understand the foundation of this profession. This foundation is what determines the answer to the question we are examining. By and large, airline pilots go through a lot of preparations and trainings before qualifying to work in this profession. Their responsibility and productivity is significant in determining the salaries of these professionals. In order to find a better answer to the question we are examining, we need to understand the field of ethics. Ethics or the field of moral philosophy basically involves defending, planning and recommending right or wrong behavior concepts. The field of ethics is divided into three general subject areas namely normative ethics, metaethics and applied ethics by today’s philosophers. While metaethics investigates the origin of ethical principles, normative ethics involves a more practical task which finds out the moral standards that control right or wrong behavior. On the other hand, applied ethics studies specific controversial issues (Feiser, 2009). Applied ethics usually attempts to resolve these controversial issues by using the concepts of both metaethics and normative ethics. Therefore, controversial issues usually depend on general normative principles, metaethics and discussion of applied ethics. Whether or not it is okay for regional airlines to pay first time pilots $20,000 is a question that falls under applied ethics. This issue has generated debate with supporters of the amount arguing that these pilots should be paid so because of the responsibility they carry on their shoulders. However, opponents argue that pilots are grossly overpaid and greedy. However, considering the huge salary difference between first year pilots and major captains, this figure raises a lot of questions. Even after probably accumulating in excess of $80,000 in student loans, those who believe that regional airlines should pay first year pilots $20,000 cite the following reasons for their support: Inexperience: Inexperience of the first year pilots may be considered as the one of ethical reasons why the regional airlines pay their first year pilots $20,000. For one to be promoted to a captain and earn ore money, their experience in the airline industry is quite critical. In fact, for most of these first year pilots, flying half way through the country, sleeping in airport trailers and lounges as well as sleeping in plane floors has become a normal routine as regional airline seeks to employ experienced pilots. Consequently, these pilots are usually paid $20,000 because of their inexperience. Tough Conditions: As I had earlier discussed, there are strict educational requirement for a person to become a professional in the airline industry. In addition to these strict academic requirements, airline pilots are also required to have a vast amount of experience in order to become professionals in the airline industry. In fact, in early 2000s, regional airlines insisted on candidates with a minimum of 1,500 of total flight hours prior to an interview. This demand was rewarded with a high pay when one was hire as a pilot. However the current $20,000 pay is as a result of the lowering of this demand to a total of 500 flight hours before an interview. It may therefore be ethical for regional airlines to pay this amount. Additionally, since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many airline companies especially regional airliners have gone through tough economic times. These harsh economic times have not only been due to the recent recession but also because of the fact that many companies are reducing costs of their businesses. Reasons why it’s unethical: After considering reasons why it may be ethical for regional airlines to pay first year pilots $20,000, I strongly believe that it’s unethical for the airline to pay this amount given the fact that these pilots have already accrued in excess of $80,000 in student loans. This is because of the following reasons: Day to Day Challenges: This is one of the reasons why it’s unethical for regional airline to pay first time pilots $20,000 especially after they have accrued in excess of $80,000 in student loans. This reason is in opposition to the ethical theory of consequentialism which considers an action to be morally right if its results are more favorable than unfavorable. This ethical theory usually demands the tallying of both good and bad results of an action. This amount of money is less as compared to the fact that these pilots have to pay the loans which may demand up to $1,000. The unethical prove of this amount of pay is the fact that more than half of the pilots of regional airline commute to work and hold down second jobs in order to make ends meet (McGreal, 2010). I believe that it is totally unethical because these pilots have to regularly pay their loans while struggling to cope with the demands of life. Usually student loan payments exceed $1,000 a month and it may be a tall order for these first year pilots to manage the demands of life as well as pay the student debts (Bailey, 2010). Regional airline should consider paying the first year pilots more than $20,000 in order for them to manage paying their student debts and cope with life. With this amount of pay, the ethical theory of consequentialism is not put into consideration since these pilots begin their jobs deeply in debt. In addition to these huge debts, most of these pilots are often forced to fly half way around the country prior to commencement of work. Seniority and Selfish Ambitions: As compared to major airline captains who earn between $150,000 and $215,000 annually, regional airline pilots are paid much less. However, regional airline senior pilots earn much more than their first year counterparts. The seniority ladder is quite evident here but the salary difference is huge. While I agree that first time pilots in regional carriers cannot be paid the same amount with their senior counterparts, there is a need of setting a fair and reasonable pay for these pilots. In addition to this, these senior pilots make it unethical for regional airlines to pay first year pilots $20,000 because of their continual demand of pay increase through pilots’ unions. These increment demands are usually driven by selfish ambitions of these senior pilots. These senior pilots demand premium pay through the powerful pilots’ unions (Smith, n. d. ). The selfish driven payment increment demands falls under the ethical principle of psychological egoism. This ethical principle of psychological egoism basically concerns the intrinsic selfishness of humans. This ethical principle also upholds that self-oriented interests eventually motivate all human actions. Over and over again, airline companies are usually forced to budge into these payment demands. As a result, first year pilots who usually begin their careers in the toughest conditions are not paid enough to reside in major cities where there employers are. Due to their less pay and the huge student debts that they have to pay, first year pilots of regional airlines end up relatively poor. It’s not ethical for senior captains to continue earning close to $250,000 annually while their other counterparts who have student debts in excess of $80,000 earn $20,000. Responsibility and Demands: By and large this is one of the major reasons why it’s unethical for regional airlines to pay first year pilots this amount considering the responsibility that pilots carry on their shoulders. These pilots not only carry the responsibility of the passengers as well as loads of mail and freight but they also carry the responsibility of controlling the multi-million dollar aircrafts. The responsibility of these pilots has also been increased with the recent technological advances in the aviation industry. These technological changes have not only improved the speed, safety and design of the aircraft but they have also changed the demands on the pilot. These increased demands on the pilot are also necessitated by the strict academic requirements and complexity of air-traffic system. Consequently, these demands have made the piloting job to be very challenging and fatiguing. I believe that it’s unethical for regional airline to pay their first year pilots $20,000 considering these responsibilities and the nature of the piloting job. Regardless of the airline company they work for, first year pilots and professionals in this industry are not overpaid (â€Å"Ten Most Overpaid Jobs†, 2003). For first year pilots, this amount from regional airlines is not their full market value. Conclusion: Having looked at both sides of the debate on whether it’s ethical for regional airline to pay their first year pilots $20,000 even after accruing over $80,000 n student loans, I strongly believe that is totally unethical for them to be paid such an amount. The academic qualifications, responsibilities and demands of these pilots are not different from their senior counter parts. Furthermore, these pilots have huge student loans that they should pay on a monthly basis. With all these facts in consideration, the amount raises serious ethical questions than it answers. References: Hirschfeld, S. (2001, March 1). Pilots Pay Smeared In U. S Air Woes Outcry. Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://www. airliners. net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read. main/403979/ â€Å"Looking for a Career† (2009, April). Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA). Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://www. learningforlife. org/exploring/aviation/alpa. pdf Feiser, J. (2009, May 10). Ethics. Retrieved from University of Tennessee at Martin website: http://www. iep. utm. edu/ethics/ Bailey, J. (2010). Pilot’s Dream Run into Reality. Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://www. nytimes. com/2008/04/10/business/worldbusiness/10iht-pilots. 4. 11877334. html? pagewanted=1&_r=1 McGreal, C. (2010, January 11). A Pilot’s Life: Exhausting Hours for Meagre Wages. Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://www. guardian. co. uk/world/2010/jan/11/pilot-exhausting-hours-wages â€Å"Ten Most Overpaid Jobs† (2003, November 15). PPRuNE: Professional Pilots Rumour Network. Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://www. pprune. org/rumours-news/108925-ten-most-overpaid-jobs-us-no-9-pilots-2. html Smith, P. (n. d. ). Overpaid Pilots? Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://toolkit. bootsnall. com/transportation-travel-guide/air-travel-guide/ask-the-pilot-collection/general-maintenance/overpaid-pilots. html

Report of Contract of Agency

Topic: Law of agency Summary of Facts: Company Star Boat employed Tom as the manager for marketing and sales department. Being an agent for Star Boat, Tom frequently concluded contracts with a number of suppliers for acquiring certain parts to manufacture boats. Smooth Sailing was one of the suppliers. Tom resigned from Star Boat in July 2012 upon being offered a better position in Star Ferry. However, he acquired 4,000 parts from Smooth Sailing in August and manager of Smooth Sailing did not notice that in the contract Tom indicated his signature as â€Å"manager, Star Ferry† and thought they were dealing with Star Boat as usual.When Smooth Sailing later notified Star Boat to make payment, Star Boat wanted to ratify the contract. Legal Issues: First, Star Boat wants to ratify the contract, we must know that whether there is any valid contract formed. There are six elements to create a valid contract including intention to create legal relation, an offer and acceptance, consid eration, privity of contract, capacity of contract and legality of contract. The first element – intention to create legal relation is not fulfilled. As Smooth Sailing intended to deal with Star Boat but not Star Ferry.However, the contract now is dealing with Star Ferry. Smooth Sailing has no intention to deal with Star Ferry. As there is no intention, no valid contract is formed. Second, there is a unilateral mistake in this contract. Unilateral mistake involves only one party mistaken. To be operative, it must be known to the other party. Normally involve fraud on the part of the non-mistaken party. In the above case, Tom was dealing with Smooth Sailing before July. However, in August, Tom did not tell the truth to Smooth Sailing that he is the agent of Star Ferry but not Star Boat now.Therefore, Smooth Sailing thought that he was dealing with Star Boat as usual. In the following paragraph, we list two relevant cases which are similar to the present case. Cundy v. Lindsay (1876) HL, L & Co, a linen manufacturer, received an order for a large number of linen handkerchiefs from Blenkarn, who signed his name in such a way that it looked like ‘Blenkiron & Co’, a well-known respectable firm. L & Co dispatched the goods on credit to Blenkarn, who resold 250 dozen to Cundy. Blenkarn did not pay for the goods. L & Co sued Cundy to recover the handkerchiefs.It was held that the contract between L & Co and Blenkarn was void for unilateral mistake. L & Co intended to deal with Blenkiron & Co, not Blenkarn. Cundy was liable to return the handkerchiefs to L & Co because no right of ownership had passed to him. Lewis v. Avery (1971) Lewis sold his car to a man who claimed to be Richard Greene, a popular star. The man paid by cheque, providing a film studio pass as a proof of his identity. He sold the car to Avery. The cheque had been taken from a stolen cheque book and was later dishonoured. Lewis sued Avery to recover his car.It was held that this co ntract cannot be voided as the plaintiff cannot show the importance of identity. The mistaken belief to the credibility of act is not sufficient. Comparison: Comparing the legal issue between Cundy v. Lindsay (1876) and our case, both cases have the unilateral mistake. Cundy v. Lindsay can be voided because the identity was vital for them to form a contract. For the second case Lewis v. Avery (1971) compare with our case, both are also have the unilateral mistake. But the case Lewis v. Avery cannot be voided as it cannot show the importance of the identity.In our case, Smooth Sailing was dealing with Star Boat in the past and it shows that the identity is very important. Conclusion: In our case, Smooth Sailing thought it was dealing with Star Boat as usual and the identity is very important as it affects the credibility. In fact, Smooth Sailing always deals with Star Boats. We apply the case law, the contract should be voided because Smooth Sailing mistakes the identity and the iden tity is vital to the contract. Moreover, Smooth Sailing has no intention to deal with Star Ferry. Therefore, no valid contract exists and Star Boat cannot ratify the contract.

Deltic Timber Corporation Credit Analysis Research Paper

Deltic Timber Corporation Credit Analysis - Research Paper Example In line with this, it is recommended for the company to take up proactive strategic management options that will push its fortunes higher, especially when it comes to dealings with competitors. Currently, the company finds itself in a business environment where talks of monopoly are far from the argument. Due to this, the greatest hindrance faced by the company has been found to be that of the creation of a competitive advantage. Using a strategic management option that will make the company the focus of customers is thus the saving path for the company in years to come. Indicative with the ratios of the company given in the paper, it would be realised that the company continue to have high debt financing, which creates a decline for profit utilisation. This means that even though revenues are high, these are hardly translated into profits because of higher debts and other expenses. 1.0 Organizational Overview Listed on the New York Stock Excahnge, Deltic Timber Corporation engages i n forestry industry where its major activities include the ownership and management of timberland. The specialisation that the company gives to this venture has resulted in the useful management of 445,800 acres of timberland over the past years. As a means of gaining diversification in its core business operation, which is the ownership and management of timberland, the company also owns two sawmills and is actively involved in real estate1. This said diversification has been the main source of financial capitalisation for the company because it has always been offered the opportunity of internally funding the running of its parent operations using revenues from diversified business. Currently, the company is headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas. The market segment of the company has largely been focused on Arkansas and north Louisiana with very limited external and international markets. This situation comes with its own advantages and disadvantages for the company but the company has largely tried to live within its means of operations. This report is thus focused on critiquing the current credit situation of the company and offer recommendations. 2.0 Corporate Segment Deltic Timber Corporation’s corporate segment is reflected in its total asset as represented in the graph below. Generally, there are four segments that the company emphasises on. These are manufacturing segment, which takes 9% of total asset, corporate business, which is responsible for 7% of total asset, real estate, which accounts for 17% of the total asset, and woodlands, which take the highest portion of 68% of total revenue2. It is important to establish that the percentage gain of total assets as given above is not a direct reflection of the percentage of focus or corporate segment that the company gives to the various segment. Rather, the figures given above are a result of the contributions of gains that the various segments make to the company’s total asset. For instan ce in the 2012 Annual Report of the company, it was established that even though manufacturing is responsible for 9% of total assets, the company actually gives higher corporate segmentation focus to that segment than it gives to real estate, which earns the company 17% of its total assets. 3.0 SWOT Analysis 3.1 Strengths The company has an effective internally generated funding policy that is motivated by the fact that there are diversifying businesses that are managed under the franchise of Deltic Timber Corporation. The company has kept a very steady rise in revenues and operating incomes, making it have a very strong competitive engagement with its key competitions. 3.2 Weaknesses The company lacks

Organizational Analysis on Wal-Mart Research Paper

Organizational Analysis on Wal-Mart - Research Paper Example The prime intention of the organization of Wal-Mart is to offer best products at lowest price so as to make its customers happy and contended. It mainly targets the customers of modest incomes rates but desiring to live a better life. Due to which, the organization expanded its operation by opening numerous stores in different countries. Wal-Mart comprises of almost 11,000 stores in more than 27 countries that helped the organization to amplify its customer base and distinctiveness in the market among others (Wal-Mart, 2014). The organization of Wal-Mart always desires to offer best quality of products to its customers in order to amplify their reliability and uniqueness in the market among many other rival players. This is done, in order to save the revenue of its target customers that may amplify its brand image and reputation. Moreover, by offering the products at a competitive price, the organization of Wal-Mart desires to enhance their life style and living standard to a significant extent. By doing so, the level of dependency and switchover costs of the customers might get reduced thereby amplifying their profitability and productivity of the organization of Wal-Mart among others. However, in order to become the leader in the segment of retailing, the organization of Wal-Mart need to offer best products at an effective price. Only then, it might become successful in amplifying its dominance and position in the market among others. But in order to fulfill the mission statement of the organization in an effective way, the human resource management offer significant concentration over certain areas such as planning, staffing, human resource development, compensation, employee relations, safety, security and risk management. This means, in order to offer best products, the organization tries to satisfy all the needs and demands of its employees effectively such as presenting

Marketing Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Analysis - Assignment Example Nevertheless, the discussion of the assignment endeavours to identify the key elements of marketing mix approach by analysing these and provides effective recommendations in relation to the primary objective of commencing bicycle shop in the growing market of Oxford. The overview of the current bicycle shop business industry in the UK has long been witnessed to attain major growth since the preceding few decades. In relation to the emerging trends, the bicycle business industry in the UK has been apparently witnessed to accomplish 8.5% growth in the year 2012 (Reed Business Media, 2013). In the context of size, the cycling market of Oxford is noted to gain continuous development especially across the locations adjacent to the universities and other educational areas (Farrelly, 2014). According to the recent observation of the market, the size of the cycling market in Oxford is mainly covered by a wide range of demographics including the income level, gender along with current social status of the customers (Grous, 2011). Correspondingly, the emerging trend of using bicycle by the students and other customer groups in an immense manner is also noted to ensure a major opportunity for the marketers to successfully attain their desired commercial goals (Association of the European Two-Wheeler Parts’ Accessories’ Industry, 2012; Transport for London, 2010). It is worth mentioning that the aspects including strong social inclusion and greater focus on environmental protection related interests of the customers can be duly regarded as the major external environment factors leading to increase the demand of bicycle in Oxford (Nielsen, 2010). The recent trend regarding the use of bicycle in Oxford has been viewed to experience continuous development. In relation to an in-depth observation, it is evident that the city of Oxford along with its surrounding areas are experiencing continuous growth due to the usage of bicycles for different purposes. The

An Exploration into the Role of Nutrition Information in Influencing Literature review

An Exploration into the Role of Nutrition Information in Influencing Consumer Choice - Literature review Example The strong association between nutrition and health, alongside the ever rising problem of obesity justify a study into nutrition consumerism. The main aim of this literature review is to explore the role of nutrition information in influencing consumer choices. Objectives The following objectives will guide this review of literature towards achieving the stated aim: To perform a prudent search for relevant literature detailing the role of nutritional information on consumer choices To review the literature noting highlights and emerging themes To arrive at a conclusion based on the literature review on the role of nutritional information on consumer choices Literature Review The approach followed for sourcing the literature involved a search for research and theoretical work through the key phrase â€Å"Role of Nutrition Information in influencing Consumer Choice.† The search was focused on a number of peer-reviewed journals for the research articles. Further, a look at the bi bliographies of the journals was used to find more relevant literature. The sources selected for use were restricted to the last decade in order to ensure this literature review is up-to-date, valid and relevant. ... Factors determining Consumer Choices in Nutritional Purchases A number of studies have explored the factors determining consumer choices when making food purchases. One of these is by Petrovichi and Ritson (2006) who investigated the factors that influence individual decisions to engage in dietary health preventative behaviour in Romania. Conceptually, the close relationship between health and nutrition translates to an association of managing nutrition practices to prevent or manage health. The methodology adopted by the two researchers entailed face-to-face issuance of questionnaires to 485 adult respondents. This study established that the respondents’ health motivations, beliefs that diet choices have the capacity to prevent diseases, financial status of households and the level of educational influenced their nutrition and health and thus food purchase decisions. Ling and Horwath (2001) established that the perceived benefits of certain dietary products influenced consume r food purchase decisions. Through a cross-sectional telephone and mail survey, the scholars gathered data from 1200 households. They showed that the perceived benefits of fruits and vegetables in diet tipped the decisional balance towards purchasing these food items. Godwin, Speller-Henderson and Thompson (2006) undertook a consumer survey involving 160 participants and established that knowledge about nutrition greatly influenced consumer preferences in food purchases; the majority of respondents perceived themselves as knowledgeable enough to understand nutrition labels and use these to make purchase decisions. To conclude this part, the general factors that influence consumer purchase decisions include knowledge on nutrition; health

Consumption is a site of social struggle between structure and agency Essay

Consumption is a site of social struggle between structure and agency - Essay Example According to the research findings ever since, women and men have always been conscious of how they look. In business too, the image one portrays is extremely beneficial in business and may depict his or her personality. Therefore, the fashion and design industry often provide ways in which individuals could fit into various occasions. In the community, one would be surprised at the rate which people consume commodities, especially clothes and beauty products. In addition, as one walks across the street, one can be impressed by the number of people wearing fashionable clothes and jewellery. Fashion has become part of the society. Many people have derived advantages from the fashion industry. The fashion and design culture started in the past limited to certain aspects in the society. For instance, in the past, it was easy to judge from the quality and the fabric used on a given clothe the social status of a certain person. Nowadays many more dimensions have evolved and considered as under the following: conservative or progressive, low or high educational level, low or high ecological awareness or more. Culture is a unique entity and fashion got its way to its heart million of years ago. With fashion, people often regard it to some cultures that have been there since time immemorial. Take for instance wearing of skirts by the Scottish people. In as much as fashion has more been likened to language since the past, still there is a vast gap existing between them. Language has grammar, and the sequence of the words provides meaning. Clothing, on the other hand has constantly perceived as one entity, not as a sequence, plus has no grammar. In the society, there are some impression regarding language and the clothes people wear (McCracken 2009, p.34). Another example could be the association Kanzus to Arab speaking people. Different languages have in the past been associated to certain fashions. Take for instance the Maasai speaking people in Kenya with their fashio nable clothes. As much as the fashion industry is trying not to associate certain clothes with languages, still in some reasons they become forced to do so. Fashion and culture have always been intertwined. In the society, people refer to certain fashion and designs as attributed to certain cultures. For example, sneakers get associated with the American culture (Douglas & Goodman 2004, p.78). There are some clothes which people associate them with hip hop culture, rock culture and the rest. Fashions get always attributed to certain cultures in the society. Individuals often associate with different cultures for the sake of identity (McCracken 2009, p.36). It is the love for identity that people often look for in certain clothes and materials. The items help them to associate with a given culture. In addition, there are some fashions that are unique, and it is only people who could afford them could possess them. Therefore, some fashion and design industries produce items that are u nique to the specifications of such people (McCracken 2009, p.40). Over time, consumption has proved to be site for social struggle between the agency and the structure. The fashion and design industry have at times have a problem with getting consumers for their products. Finding the right consumer for your product requires a lot of marketing into the lives of people living in the society. In regard to culture, sometimes fashion and culture have clashed. Take for instance the wearing of jeans by women in the Muslim community (Yurchisin 2010, p.33). The societies in some regions are against certain cultures. Majorly, the fashion and design industry often are in the move to create newer things, but the problem, which they often await is, will it be sold or not. There have been cases of outstanding designs and fashions rejected in certain

Information Systems in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information Systems in Business - Essay Example In the past for example, most of the business and offices used to maintain physical files, which required a lot of space and paperwork not withstanding the numerous risks involved such as theft and misplacement of files, destruction by environmental factors such as water, fire, and dust among others. The process of accessing the files was also tedious and it consumed a lot of time especially in departments such as accounting, government registries, and the banking sector. In a matter of time, these filing systems have become obsolete after the invention and accessibility of information technologies such as networking and spreadsheets among other applications, which have resulted to the availability of services such as the Automated Teller Machines, electronic money transfer, mobile banking and cloud computing among others (Peppard 39). For these reasons, it is imperative for businesses to have an effective strategic systems planning (SSP), which helps entrepreneurs and businessmen to identify the current and future trends in information systems and make recommendations on the best approach to tackle and anticipate technological shifts (Peppard 28). One of the advantages of SSP is that it enables a business to introduce change as where and when it is required instead of waiting until other competitors have upgraded their systems under which circumstance customers may be compelled to invest or buy products from the competitor. In this context, with an effective SSP, the business is able to maintain its customers and if the changes are implemented fast, the business stands the chance to gain more customers. This is more so because SSP also involves customers, who are represented by a customer representative in the project planning team and therefore, it is guaranteed that the final product is acceptable to them and i s also feasible to the business (Peppard 53). Strategic system planning is also essential in that it enables the

The Impact of Using Multimedia in an Online Learning Setting Essay

The Impact of Using Multimedia in an Online Learning Setting - Essay Example The paper "The Impact of Using Multimedia in an Online Learning Setting" talks about the impact of Multimedia on online learning. Learning is done in a computer-based setup where multimedia is used as a material for teaching. Having multimedia presentations through videos creates a sense of understanding in a given scenario.Nowadays, technology has been the number one accessible source of information around the world and its remarkable continuity gets to blow up as the years go by. In fact, it has become a feasible and possible preference to people especially to those who are into learning. It has given an opportunity for a new learning net to be born. Multimedia and online learning nurture information that is merely pertinent, applicable and significant for the college students. It would be best inculcated to them if multimedia is interactive and the control of it solely relies on the learner. In a live chat with a student who is shy, inspirational videos such as believing in oneâ⠂¬â„¢s self can encourage the student, even more, to believe in herself. As the college students continue to explore what life has to offer, engaging in the learning process results in a better exploration as they see it through an enhanced multimedia instruction. Online learning, or what is also referred to as distance learning, is an educational medium of instruction through the use of Internet. Its objectives are aligned with the same goals one would find in a traditional classroom setup. Instruction can take place anytime and anywhere.

Education of the filipino Essay Example for Free

Education of the filipino Essay ?According to the article, it seems that foreigners, especially the Americans influence us in a lot of different ways. They influence us in terms of speech, sense of style and clothing, food we eat, the movies we watch and even how we think and decide. And for that, I can say that our minds are somewhat manipulated by the Western culture and thus, we think and act as if we were like them. Where is the modern day Crisostomo Ibarra and Maria Clara who took their stand for the traditional way of living? Where are the people who care enough to preserve our culture and tradition? I agree with Renato Constantinos statement in which I would quote Education is a vital weapon of people striving for economic emancipation, political independence and cultural renascence. One must be aware of the countrys problems, understand the solution and be caring and courageous enough to work and sacrifice for our countrys salvation. We Filipinos must work hand in hand to achieve one goal. In my opinion, many Pinoys want the Philippines to be an American state because for them, lying in independence could mean poverty. Hopeless and grim as it may seem. For me, its not just the government and the system that has problem here, its the people and their manners plus attitude. It is also said that the most effective way of subjugating people is to capture their minds. In doing so, we are tricked into doing or being someone we are unlikely to be and some of our beliefs and stand can be swayed by such illusions of freedom to express. As long as feelings of resistance remain in the hearts of the vanquished, no conqueror is secure and as long as we are strong and sure of ourselves, we can avoid being swayed by others. The Filipinos mentality sometimes just escapes me. Many are bias and many are just plain jealous of the fact that Filipinos can be smart too. A lot cant still accept that fact. On the other hand, there are several weak beings that move beside the authorized person holding the power against them or what we call puppets. The American culture has been a part of the Filipinos lives. But despite of that I believe that we must preserve our resources and Filipino values to an extent. The fact still remains that these people are in a conquered nation whose national life had to be woven into the pattern of American dominance. The drawback is that we still rely on first world countries such as the United States for support financially and economically. Absurd as it may sound but the truth remains that we are poor and we need them to survive. A classic example would be us students most especially those taking up Nursing. We are struggling hard to finish this course because of its demands abroad. Many are aiming to seek for better job opportunities abroad. I would be lying if I say that I am taking up Nursing because I want to serve my country, but who doesnt want a brighter future? Now wheres my sense of nationalism? I say Im just being practical. Its much better to accept the fact that we, Filipinos are diverse in culture and language as well as our way of thinking because we have been influenced by so many cultures internally and externally. It is true that education will bring emancipation and the right education will broaden our perspective and hopefully, appreciate and capitalize on the diversity to propel us forward.

Healthcare management capstone by nikita brown Essay Example for Free

Healthcare management capstone by nikita brown Essay Weekly tasks or assignments (Individual or Group Projects) will be due by Monday, and late submissions will be assigned a late penalty in accordance with the late penalty policy found in the syllabus. NOTE: All submission posting times are based on midnight Central Time. Administrators must continuously seek opportunities to increase the profitability of their practice or facility. Throughout this course, you will develop a plan to integrate a current and emerging trend in health care in your organization. Your Executive Summary to integrate a current or emerging solution into your organization will include the following: †¢Week 1: Topic Research/Selection and Literature Review †¢Week 2: Organizational Assessment †¢Week 3: Project Plan †¢Week 4: Implementation Plan †¢Week 5: Evaluation Plan Week 1: Topic Research/Selection and Literature Review Part 1: Topic Research and Selection Begin this process by researching what health care organizations are doing or attempting to do to increase profitability. Remember, profitability can be improved from many different angles. A nonexclusive list of potential ways would be adding additional services, decreasing costs, increasing the amount of services that are provided, or implementing a quality improvement program that qualifies for incentive monies. Check trade journals or professional discussion boards, or reach out to existing health care managers. Part 2: Literature Review Perform a literature review of the solution that you have decided to apply to your organization. The review will encompass several articles, and at least 1 of the articles must be peer-reviewed. Look at current material (within the last 2 years). Remember, a literature review includes a summary of the information that you found that is relevant to your topic as well as an APA reference for each resource that you reviewed. Identifying what topic to perform research on should be accomplished quickly because you will need sufficient time to perform your literature review. Review a minimum of 10 documents. The review should be between 10–15 pages, including the bibliography. Use APA format.

Internal Control Over Fixed Assets Accounting Essay

Internal Control Over Fixed Assets Accounting Essay Maintaining control over plant and equipment: subsidiary ledgers Unless internal controls over plant and equipment are carefully designed many units of equipment are likely to be broken, discarded or stolen without any entry being made in the accounting records for their disposal. The assets accounts will then be overstated and depreciation programs for such missing unites of equipment will presumably continue. Consequently net income will be misstated because of the omission of losses on retirement of plant assets and because of erroneous depreciation charges. One important control devise which guards against failure to record the retirement of assets is the use of controlling accounts and subsidiary ledgers for plant and equipment. The general ledger ordinarily contains a serpent assets account and related depreciation accounts for each major classification of plant assets, such as land, buildings ,office equipment and deal very equipment. For example the general ledger will contain the account office equipment and also the related accounts depreciation expense: office equipment and accumulated deportation: office equipment, the general ledger account, office equipment, contains entries for a variety of items: typewriters, filing cabinets , dicta phones, desks, etc It is not possible in this one general account to maintain adequate information concerning the cost of each item, its estimated useful life, book value, insured value, and other date which may be needed by management as a basis for decisions on such issues a replacement, insura nce and taxation. A subsidiary ledger should therefore be established for office equipment, and for each of the other general ledger accounts which represents many separate units of plant property. The subsidiary ledger in a manual accounting system may consist of a card life, with a separate card of each unit of property, such as a typewriter or desk. Each card shows the name of the asset, identification number, and such as details as date of acquisition, cost, useful life, depreciation, accumulated depreciation, insurance coverage, repair, and gain or loss on disposal. The general ledger account, Office Equipment, serves as a control; the balance of this controlling account is equal to the total cost of the items in the subsidiary ledger for office equipment, The general ledger account, Accumulated Depreciation: Office Equipment, is also a controlling account; its balance is equal to the total of the accumulated depreciation shown on all the cards in the office equipment ledger. Every acquisition of office equipment is entered in the controlling account and also on a card in the subsidiary ledger . Similarly , every disposal of an item of office equipment is entered in both be controlling account and the subsidiary ledger. Each card in a subsidiary ledger for plant and equipment shows an identification number which should also appear in the form of metal tag attached to the asset itself. Consequently, a physical inventory of plant and equipment can be taken and will prove whether all units of equipment shown by the records are actually on hand and being used in operations. Other advantages afforded by a plant and equipment ledger are the ready availability of information for the periodic computation of depreciation, and for entries to record the disposal of individual items of property. A better basis is also available for supporting the date in tax return, for obtaining proper insurance coverage , and for supporting claims for losses sustained on insured property. In well managed companies , it is standard practice to control expenditures for plant and equipment by preparing a budget of all planned acquisitions for at least a year in advance. A first essential to the preparation of such a budget is a detailed record showing the assets presently owned, their cost, age , and remaining useful life. Plant and equipment: Transactions that change the amount of investment in the plant and equipment of a business have a tendency to occur infrequently and to involve relatively large amount Current assets, on the other hand , are in more or less fluid state, undergoing smaller changes constantly. Although a companys methods of internal accounting control generally apply to all transactions, whether they relate to current assets or to plant and equipment . the auditing procedures differ for the two groups. In auditing current assets at the balance sheet date, the auditor is concerned with the balance on hand. changes that occurred during the year are not substantiated in detail except in audits designed as complete audits, With plant and equipment , the auditor is concerned with all changes that took place during the audit period regardless of the type of audit that is being performed ALL of any substantial amount that either increase or decrease the value of such assets must be examined. LAND: Land used in the operation of a business should be recorded separately from land acquired as an investment or speculation. Procedures in accounting for the two types of land differ considerably. Land held for business use appears on the balance sheet as a part of plant and equipment, and expenses associated with it are operating expense, whereas land acquired as an investment is classified with other investment assets, and applicable expense sometimes are capitalized, they are treated as non operating or financial expenses. Land acquired for use in the operation of a business should always be recorded separately from the building that may be located thereon. The principal reason for this is that the buildings are subject to depreciation, which must be treated as an operating cost, while it is not customary to take into consideration any depreciation on land in ascertaining the operating costs of a business. In cases where an auditor finds land and building recorded in a single real estate account , he should recommend a segregation of the land and buildings with a specific value on each. This will facilitate the computation of depreciation of building apart from the land. Land is, in a sense, the most permanent asset of a business, the auditor should ascertain that the land account is charged with(1) the original cost,(2) the expenses incident to the purchase, such as a cost of investigating the title, recording the deed, commissions paid, and any other expenses that represent an addition to the purchase price and(3) the cost of subsequent improvements that increase the value of the land, such as draining, grading, building approaches, assessments for sewers, and treat improvements. Not infrequently. Assessments for improvements charged off as current operating expenses. Such costs, however, should be charged to the land account. When land is sold. The land account should be credited with the cost price, while the difference between the cost and the selling price should be recorded separately as a loss or a gain. Under this procedure the balance of the land account will always represent the original cost plus the cost of improvements of the land owned. Vehicles: Every organization that has vehicles must have a vehicle politics. This will write down the policy on a range of cases such as: Insurance Depreciation Repair and Maintenance Purchasing, disposal and replacement Private usage of it by staff What needs to be done when an accident happen Driver training and qualifications Carrying the passengers The costs of replacement and repair must be good in the budget procedure. For every vehicle there must be a record of journeys so that the operation costs per Km can be evaluated and private use closely monitored. Buying fuel for cash is risky, and it might be safer to establish an account with a reputable fuel company and pay every month by check instead Buildings: Buildings may be acquired through the purchase of real estate in which case separate values should be placed upon the buildings and land, the basis of the valuation being cost. In the preparation of annual should be valued at cost plus addition and Improvements less the depreciation. For balance sheet purposes, the buildings are generally listed at cost with the allowance for depreciation being deducted. The difference is extended as the book value of the buildings. Occasionally they question arises whether the accounts for buildings, as will as land and other types of plant and equipment should be marked up from the basis of cost to a higher current value determined by an appraisal. In the audit of the buildings account the auditor should prepare working papers in which different buildings are segregated. These working papers should show the book values at the beginning of the period under audit the cost of additions or deductions during the period. These beginning and ending balance should be checked with the amount of the building and ending balance on the balance sheet as both dates and should be in agreement with the account on the books. If the subsidiary building ledger is maintained it should be compared with the controlling account in the general ledger to see that they agree . all additions and deductions during the period should be carefully examined to be sure that they have been properly accounted for, due care being used to disting uish between capital and revenue expenditure. AUDIT OBJECTIVES Audit procedures to be followed when examining plant and equipment records are designed to acquaint the auditor with the recording methods used. To assure him that the claim of ownership is valid, and to assist him in determining that the assets do in fact exist and that the provisions for depreciation are adequate but not excessive. they also help in determining that internal accounting control is adequate that property accounts show consistent treatment of properly capitalizable items, hat no significant additions to properties have been charged to income, and that proper retirements and replacements. Elements of Internal Control over fixed assets Fixed Assets are sometimes referred to as Property, Plant and Equipment (PPE) and the terms are used interchangeably. In many companies the following elements of Internal Control over PPE are considered and performed according to standard guidelines: Approval process for Capital Expenditures (Capex) Determination whether planned expenditure is capitalized or expensed Purchasing and Accounts Payable systems are correctly applied If capitalized, appropriate useful life and salvage value determined Correct depreciation expense is calculated and applied each period Property tax reports filed with tax jurisdictions Insurance coverage relates directly to asset exposure However, there is one critical element of Internal Control that often is missed. This involves periodically checking that the information shown in the property record system corresponds to the actual assets reported to be there. To put this into perspective, a company may have a very good system of invoicing and accounts receivable, but it is still necessary to confirm that outstanding balances as part of the required annual audit. One well known aspect of this is the verification of ageing debts in the A/R ledger to confirm their collect ability. Similarly, with inventory (raw material, work in process and finished goods), for the past 70 years companies have been required to perform a physical count and valuation at least once a year. Further, auditors are required to monitor closely the inventory taking and pricing. In the case of perpetual inventory systems, periodic sample testing is required, again with external auditor input. After the reconciliation of receivables and inventory, adjusting entries must be made to bring the accounting records into agreement with the underlying assets. It is equally necessary that the same kind of reconciliation of reported balances to actual physical assets is in place because for many companies, PPE may represent 35% or more of total assets. Without a periodic reconciliation, the property record system will lose accuracy as items are scrapped or enhanced. If a reconciliation is performed and adjusting entries made, however, the resultant asset category totals have been verified. Managem ent can then sign with confidence the Section 404 certification its assertion that there is a system of Internal Controls and that the system is working properly. The Assets Register An Assets registry should be established with a record sheet or an entry for each asset. Each asset must be given a unique ref number for identification goals. The register will include information about when and where the item was purchased; how much its insured for; how much it cost; repair history; ref number, serial numbers and details of guarantees and warranties. It may also contain information on depreciation, if it is pertinent. The entry should state where the item held and who is responsible for its security and maintenance. The Assets Register must be checked by a committee member and senior manager each quarter or any discrepancies reported and take the appropriate action. Internal Control of Fixed Assets: A Controller and Auditors Guide: What are standard fixed asset control procedures? Tagging & labeling of assets assets are labeled or tagged so that they can be easily identified & their ownership established I insurance of assets against theft, fire, flood etc.- in most countries, only vehicles are insured. But it is a recommended practice to insure all project assets. In some financing agreements, this is mandatory Physical inventory of assets at regular intervals Log books for vehicles , construction equipment, generators etc. The log book records the details of use of the asset & is usually maintained by the driver or operator. It helps in identifying personal use of project assets. It is also used for calculating fuel consumption Cross referencing of financial & fixed asset records done to avoid payment to supplier before assets are recorded in the FAR. For internal control purposes it is vital to reconcile the financial accounting records with fixed asset records Note: In some countries, it is the Government Policy to only insure vehicles. Auditingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ second editionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..silvoso. bauer**** ****Accounting the basis for business decisionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.fifth editionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ walter B. meigs and Robert F. meigs.

The Oppressed Female in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Essay -- Jane Eyr

The Oppressed Female in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontà « clearly demonstrates the relationship between sexuality and morality in Victorian society through the character of Bertha Mason, the daughter of a West Indian planter and Rochester's first wife. Rochester recklessly married Bertha in his youth, and when it was discovered shortly after the marriage that Bertha was sexually promiscuous, Rochester locked her away. Bertha is called a "maniac" and is characterized as insane. Confining Bertha for her display of excess passion reinforces a prevalent theme in Jane Eyre, that of oppressive sexual Victorian values. Bertha's captivity metaphorically speaks on the male-dominated Victorian society in which women are inferior and scorned for acts of nonconformism.    For the first half of Jane Eyre, Bertha is only known to the reader through her nearly phantasmal presence&emdash;the peculiar laugh, and the mysterious incident in which Rochester's bed was lit on fire. Only after the foiled wedding of Rochester and Jane, in which Mr. Briggs and Mr. Mason appear unexpectedly declaring that the wedding should not proceed, does Rochester explain to Jane that he has a living wife detained on the third floor of Thornfield Hall. "He lifted the hangings from the wall, uncovering the second door: this, too, he opened" (327). "In a room without a window" Bertha is found living as a wild animal sequestered from everyone but her caretaker Grace Poole. Like a ferocious beast, she is even tied down and bound.    Throughout the novel there are similar images of the restrained female, an example being Jane's detention in the "red-room" at Gateshead Hall. Both Jane and Bertha were ... ...otypical woman of the Victorian era who courteously and obediently allowed herself to be dominated by males. Through the depictions of the incarcerated female, Brontà « speaks on the ills of an unjust society. Brontà «'s representation of Bertha as a wild, chained, and trapped animal and the symbolic use of fire reflect the difficulties women had in expressing their sexuality in an era in which men dominated and in which women played the role of the obedient, confined, and inferior being.    Works Cited and Consulted: Brontà «, Charlotte.   Jane Eyre.   New York, Penguin Books, 1997. Gates, Barbara Timm, ed. Critical Essays on Charlotte Bronte. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1990. Okin, Susan Moller.   Justice, Gender and the Family.   United States of America: Basic Books, 1989. Wollstonecraft, Mary.   The Rights of Women.   Everyman's Library Edition.   

Survival of the Marine Corps Essay -- essays research papers fc

SURVIVAL OF THE MARINE CORPS The Marine Corps historical characteristics after the Civil War could be based in part on survivability and the need for the Marine Corps to prove its worth to the United States as a Military Force. The Marine Corps part in the Civil War had been small and not altogether impressive. Both the Army and the Navy did not regard the Marine Corps as useful. This paper will in effect touch on the Marine Corps history from after the Civil War to World War I. It will then converge on a discussion with regards to the fight against the disestablishment of the Marine Corps. (Simmons/Moskin 1998) The Marine Corps found its mission in the amphibious landings of several countries â€Å"to protect American lives and property". Some of these countries included China, Formosa, Japan, Korea, Samoa, Hawaii, Panama, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Haiti, and Egypt. The United States, having conquered much of North America, was expanding overseas. Marines made small-scale landings in response to real or perceived affronts to U.S. diplomatic or economic interests. (Simmons/Moskin 1998) In 1883 the motto of the Marine Corps, "Semper Fidelis" (â€Å"always faithful†), was adopted as the official motto of the Marine Corps. Since 1812 the motto, although unofficial, had been "Fortitudine" ("with courage"). The Marine Corps adopted this motto in part because of the fact that there has never been a mutiny, or even the thought of one, among U.S. Marines. (Website For Young Marines, Online) When America became involved in the â€Å"splendid little war† against Spain when they landed in Cuba. The Marine Corps involvement was again modest with their major feat being the taking of a coaling station for the Navy. (Simmons/Moskin 1998) The day after the war with Spain ended, August 12, American troops began the occupation of Manila. Two battalions of Marines were involved in the attacking the fortified town of Novaleta. After a third battalion arrived in December the pacification of the Philippines continued. (Simmons/Moskin 1998) The Marine Corps continued to justify its means through World War I. The Marine Corps was involved in the Boxer Rebellion in China, Columbia, Cuba, Nicaragua and once again in the Philippines. Although most were minor scuffles, Marines were about to make their first significant mark in World Wa... ...me. (Warfighting Planning Course Online) It seems from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the Korean War, there were always certain affiliations that did not see a need for a Marine Corps. In theory this would be correct as even today you can make that argument. Aviation we have the Air Force, for Naval Power we have the Navy and for ground assaults we have the Army. Being a Marine myself I am a bit sensitive on the subject. Although I think there are a multitude of reasons I believe there will always be a Marine Corps, but only one reason makes all the others seem mute. There will always be a Marine Corps because the American People want a Marine Corps. BIBLIOGRAPHY Millett, Allan R., Semper Fidelis: A History of the United States Marine Corps (New York: The Free Press, 1991). Simmons, Edwin Howard, ed. and Moskin, J. Robert, ed. The Marines: The Marine Heritage Foundation, Levin Associates, 1998. Sturkey, Marion F., Warrior Culture. Heritage Press International, 2nd Ed., 2003. wanaki@infi.net, RE:Macauthor, Online. Warfighting Planning Course: USMC in National Military Strategy Website for Young Marines: Common Sayings and Quotations, Chadduck Enterprises. 1999

Jewish Resistance Essay -- essays research papers

Jewish Resistance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We must first realize that resistance was in no way a survival strategy. Yet, even when it seemed obvious that death was near inevitable, why did they not put up a fight? This argument is still puzzling to many holocaust historians, yet the arguments of Raul Hilberg and Yehuda Bauer offer insight to possible reasons why they did not fight and that resistance was more widespread than most people think.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First of all we will look at Raul Hilberg’s â€Å"Two Thousand Years of Jewish Appeasement,† to give us possible reasons why Jews simply willing followed orders to their death. We must see the destruction in a way that has two role-players: the perpetrators and the victims. We will closely look at the role that Jews played in sealing their own fate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hilberg gives us five possible Jewish reactions to the situation they had been confronted with. First of all we will look at the possibility of resistance. It seems as though people would not willingly walk to their death, but 2000 years of appeasement was not easily changed. Along with the history of appeasement, the Jews were totally caught by surprise. They had little organization and so, could not put up a worthwhile fight even if they had wanted to. The SS also did a good job of mental warfare in that any resistance, no matter how significant, the perpetrators knew that the repercussions would affect the whole community and so it was hard to muster support for physical opposition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second reaction was Jewish attempt to make the struggle more of a mental battle than a physical one. They tried to avert the full plans of the German army by using written and oral appeals. Jews also tried to anticipate German wishes. The SS found that the ghettos could be very productive and tried to milk them for all they could. In this way, the Jews believed that if they were able to be productive, they would be spared long enough because of their economic value for help to arrive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another possible reaction is flight. Only a few thousand Jews escaped from the ghettos in Russia and Poland, and very few escaped from the camps. This was the most viable survival option and yet very few took it. Von dem Bach talked about an â€Å"unguarded escape route to the Pripet Mar... ...was extremely difficult for many reasons. First of all, although there were armed undergrounds in two of the camps, they never acted, and other than this it was impossible to get arms to stage a real resistance. Second of all, the victims were so malnourished that they could not put up any reasonable fight. And lastly, they were in no mental state to fight the SS. They were instead, fighting for their life every second of the day. They had in some ways given up on life and often times willing to obey all orders because it was the easiest way to do things.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My immediate reaction is, how could they not resist when they know they are going to die. But, it is easy to say what you would do looking back at the situation. In many cases I believe that they did resist in the best way they knew how. They fought for life and did that by any means necessary. Many times they felt as though if they prolonged their life, that soon enough they would be saved. This seems as a very reasonable thought, so in my opinion I believe that they did resist more than Hilberg gives them credit for, but I believe they did it from lessons they had learned from the past 2000 years.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses Questions/AnswersA History of the World in 6 Glasses Questions/Answers Essay

1. Out of the six beverages, tea shows the strongest interplay of different civilizations. It is stated in that book that, â€Å"According to Chinese tradition, the first cup of tea was brewed by the emperor Shen Nung†(177). Tea was first popular in China, while it was the greatest empire in the world at the time. With this, China traded with many countries such as India, Japan, and Korea. It was inevitable that tea would spread to other cultures, the next being the Dutch. Tea was spread with Dutch doctors stating that tea was medical and could help people who were ill. On top of this, the European culture contributed an addition to the tea. They began drinking tea with milk. This became wildly popular there. â€Å"From the top of British society to the bottom, everyone was drinking tea†(196). This shows how accessible tea was to any individual of any class. Later on, the British brought their culture along with tea to America. 2. One continuity that occurred throughout the book was that each beverage is made from food or plant. For example, gruel is turned into beer when, â€Å"[it] was left sitting around for a couple of days underwent a mysterious transformation†¦the air fermented the sugar in the gruel into alcohol†(14-15). This exists because aside from water, every beverage is food or plant based, even in modern day. There are limitless possibilities of creations of drinks. Another continuity is that a few of the beverages are safer to drink than water. A reason why is because some are boiled. Boiling creates such extreme heat for many bacteria to survive in. For instance, tea is served hot because it is boiled. In addition, there are leaves in tea called â€Å"Camellia sinensis† (177) that kill some types of bacteria. 3. A practice that changed over time was the different beverages used for currency. For example, â€Å"The workers who built the pyramids were paid in beer†(37). This shows how common and known the drink was around that time. All people drank beer, including the children. It was known in the culture that beer was very healthy for them. Beer played a role in bringing the civilization more close and prosperous. Another practice was the way Mesopotamians kept their receipts. It began with, â€Å"tax receipts were initially kept in the form of tokens within clay â€Å"envelopes†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢(31). However, over time they changed their use tax receipts. They replaced the idea of tokens in clay envelopes with, â€Å"a tablet of wet clay, and to press the tokens into it to make the different-shaped impressions signifying barley, cattle, and so on†(32). This clearly shows their progress into becoming a better civilization. It also displays their growth and how advanced they were beginning to become. 4.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

The Theme of Games in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The theme of games plays a very important role in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In fact, much of the action that takes place in this story revolves around the playing of various â€Å"games. † When one thinks of the word â€Å"games,† there are several thoughts that may come to mind. Sports, board games, and card games are all types of games that society today might be familiar with. The author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight uses different kinds of games than the ones mentioned above.In the time of Sir Arthur and his court, the word â€Å"game† wasn’t as strongly associated with something pleasurable as it was meant to test one’s worthiness. When the Green Knight enters Arthur’s court and announces that he has come to ask â€Å" a Christmas game,† he has not come to play cards or scrabble, but instead has come to test the worthiness of someone in the court. â€Å"The â€Å" game† of exchanging gifts was very common in Germanic culture. If a man received a gift, he was obliged to provide the giver with a better gift or risk losing his honor, almost like an exchange of blows in a fight, or in a â€Å"beheading game† (Harwood).Many other games are involved in the plot of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Throughout the third section of the poem for example, we see Gawain's host's wife play games with Gawain. Gawain views his arrangement of trading with his host as a game (line 1380). Even from the beginning, the Knight plays a game of sorts with Arthur’s court by criticizing and almost taunting the court for failing to live up to its reputation:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"What, is this Arthur's house,† said that horseman then, â€Å"Whose fame is so fair in far realms and wide? Where is now your arrogance and your awesome deeds, our valor and your victories and your vaunting words? † (lines 308-311) Eventually the reader discovers all of t he events of the story are a game of Arthur's sister, Morgan Le Fay. Throughout the telling of the story it becomes evident that the author is playing a game with the mind of the reader. This essay will explore the theme of games in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as well as how they might be connected. The foundation of the entire plot of the story begins with the â€Å"Christmas game† that the Green Knight has come to play with Arthur’s court. The court initially believes hat the mysterious knight has come for â€Å"contest bare† (line 277). When the Green Knight reveals that he will exchange one blow for another, it seems like it would be an easy victory for an opponent, seeing that no one expects the knight to survive after being beheaded with his own axe. Surprisingly, the knight picks up his severed head and leaves. This severely heightens the seriousness of Gawain's promise to let the knight have a blow at his own head in exactly one year. Arthur clearly downplays the importance of this promise, saying, â€Å"Now, sir, hang up your axe, and return to the feast† (Line 477).Arthur clearly tries to write off the importance of the contest before Gawain beheads the knight with his own axe, as if he foresees Gawain's eventual success: â€Å"Keep, cousin,† said the king, â€Å"what you cut with this day And if you rule it aright, then readily, I know, You shall stand the stroke it will strike after† (Lines 371-374). While neither Gawain nor the reader is aware of the game that is already occurring throughout the plot of the poem, this same game continues to unfold as Gawain arrives at the castle on Christmas Eve.Bercilak, who plays â€Å"host† to Gawain, continues to trick Gawain by not revealing that he is the Green Knight from Arthur's castle. He allows Gawain to stay at his castle, on the condition that anything acquired throughout the day as a result of staying there would be given to Bercilak as a gift. In return, anything that Bercilak acquired while hunting would be gifted to Gawain. We see another representation of Games within hunting, as hunting is sometimes viewed as a game in itself.Gawain sees this mutual exchange of things won over the course of the day as a game, although Bercilak describes this arrangement as a â€Å"covenant† (Line 1384). It also becomes apparent that the hosts’ wife is playing her own games with Gawain by sneaking into his quarters and trying to seduce him. It is at this point in the story in which Gawain breaks a major rule of the game by not telling Bercilak about the girdle, which supposedly holds magical powers that would prevent any harm from coming to Gawain.Gawain does not fail because he accepts the girdle, but rather because he fails to gift the girdle to Bercilak as something won throughout the course of the day. Since Gawain believes that the girdle would give him the power to survive the blow of the Green Knights’ axe, he fails to hand over his relic to his host. Before Gawain goes to bed on this third night of his stay, Bercilak reminds Gawain, â€Å"Every promise on my part shall be fully performed† (Line 1970).This is a hint to the reader that the host is already aware of the fact that Gawain decided not to share this girdle that was gifted to him. When Gawain finally leaves the castle and finds the Green Knight waiting to hold up his end of the bargain, the Green knight continues to play games with Gawain by â€Å"teasing† him with the axe. He stops at first after Gawain flinches and taunts him for moving. Once Gawain remains still and the Knight deals his blow, only scratching the neck of Gawain, the Green Knight reveals his true identity, as well as the identity of Morgan Le Fay.It is at this point the reader realizes that almost everything that has happened up to this point is just a part of an elaborate game. This game was designed at the hands of Morgan Le Fay to teach Gawain, as well as the other knights of Arthurs’ court, that even the most noble of knights are human and subject to failure at the hands of temptation. As Gawain returns still wearing the green girdle around his arm, it is evident that this game has also taught him another valuable lesson: the lesson of humility (Bennett).Gawain returns to Arthur’s court, still wearing the girdle in shame as a reminder to always follow the rules of the game. After Sir Gawain shares his tales of deceit and trickery, the other knights deem it appropriate to also wear green sashes as a reminder of the adventure that Gawain had. Finally, there are at least two more games that the author plays with the reader throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The first and most obvious game is the fact that the author hides important information from the reader until the end, and then reveals this information.Such information includes but is not limited to the host's true identity, the reason for the â⠂¬Å"Christmas game,† and the fact that Gawain’s aunt, Morgan Le Fay, originated the game. While concealing this information is critical to the progression of the story, it still represents a more subtle game that is being played by the author. â€Å"A much more subtle game played by the author, however, is the way that the author sneaks moral instruction into a poem which, up until about the last three hundred lines, is almost purely entertainment†(Putter).The author clearly expresses to the reader that even Gawain, the noblest of knights, is human and subject to failings. Whether in the fourteenth century or today, the author’s message holds significant meaning. It is apparent that we are in fact all human, and at some point or another, subject to some type of failure. I believe that this is the message that the author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight wanted to pass along to the reader. In conclusion, the theme of games is demonstrated in many different ways throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.It is seen in the actions of the Green Knight and Morgan Le Fay towards Gawain. It is also evident that similar games are played between the author and the reader. All of these games tie together significantly to reveal what I believe is the key message of this poem: Regardless of social status, we are all human, we are all subject to temptation, and most importantly, we are all, at some point, almost certainly subject to failure. Works Cited 1. Harwood, Britton J. Gawain and the Gift,† PMLA 106. 3 (1991) pp. 483–99. 2. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Sixth Edition, Volume One. General Ed. M. H. Abrams. New York: Norton, 1993. 3. Bennett, Michael J. â€Å"The Historical Background† in A Companion to the Gawain-Poet. Derek Brewer and Jonathan Gibson, editors. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1997. pp. 71-90 4. Putter, Ad. An Introduction to the Gawain-poet. New York: Addison We sley Longman, 1996. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The Theme of Games in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The theme of games plays a very important role in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In fact, much of the action that takes place in this story revolves around the playing of various â€Å"games. † When one thinks of the word â€Å"games,† there are several thoughts that may come to mind. Sports, board games, and card games are all types of games that society today might be familiar with. The author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight uses different kinds of games than the ones mentioned above.In the time of Sir Arthur and his court, the word â€Å"game† wasn’t as strongly associated with something pleasurable as it was meant to test one’s worthiness. When the Green Knight enters Arthur’s court and announces that he has come to ask â€Å" a Christmas game,† he has not come to play cards or scrabble, but instead has come to test the worthiness of someone in the court. â€Å"The â€Å" game† of exchanging gifts was very common in Germanic culture. If a man received a gift, he was obliged to provide the giver with a better gift or risk losing his honor, almost like an exchange of blows in a fight, or in a â€Å"beheading game† (Harwood).Many other games are involved in the plot of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Throughout the third section of the poem for example, we see Gawain's host's wife play games with Gawain. Gawain views his arrangement of trading with his host as a game (line 1380). Even from the beginning, the Knight plays a game of sorts with Arthur’s court by criticizing and almost taunting the court for failing to live up to its reputation:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"What, is this Arthur's house,† said that horseman then, â€Å"Whose fame is so fair in far realms and wide? Where is now your arrogance and your awesome deeds, our valor and your victories and your vaunting words? † (lines 308-311) Eventually the reader discovers all of t he events of the story are a game of Arthur's sister, Morgan Le Fay. Throughout the telling of the story it becomes evident that the author is playing a game with the mind of the reader. This essay will explore the theme of games in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as well as how they might be connected. The foundation of the entire plot of the story begins with the â€Å"Christmas game† that the Green Knight has come to play with Arthur’s court. The court initially believes hat the mysterious knight has come for â€Å"contest bare† (line 277). When the Green Knight reveals that he will exchange one blow for another, it seems like it would be an easy victory for an opponent, seeing that no one expects the knight to survive after being beheaded with his own axe. Surprisingly, the knight picks up his severed head and leaves. This severely heightens the seriousness of Gawain's promise to let the knight have a blow at his own head in exactly one year. Arthur clearly downplays the importance of this promise, saying, â€Å"Now, sir, hang up your axe, and return to the feast† (Line 477).Arthur clearly tries to write off the importance of the contest before Gawain beheads the knight with his own axe, as if he foresees Gawain's eventual success: â€Å"Keep, cousin,† said the king, â€Å"what you cut with this day And if you rule it aright, then readily, I know, You shall stand the stroke it will strike after† (Lines 371-374). While neither Gawain nor the reader is aware of the game that is already occurring throughout the plot of the poem, this same game continues to unfold as Gawain arrives at the castle on Christmas Eve.Bercilak, who plays â€Å"host† to Gawain, continues to trick Gawain by not revealing that he is the Green Knight from Arthur's castle. He allows Gawain to stay at his castle, on the condition that anything acquired throughout the day as a result of staying there would be given to Bercilak as a gift. In return, anything that Bercilak acquired while hunting would be gifted to Gawain. We see another representation of Games within hunting, as hunting is sometimes viewed as a game in itself.Gawain sees this mutual exchange of things won over the course of the day as a game, although Bercilak describes this arrangement as a â€Å"covenant† (Line 1384). It also becomes apparent that the hosts’ wife is playing her own games with Gawain by sneaking into his quarters and trying to seduce him. It is at this point in the story in which Gawain breaks a major rule of the game by not telling Bercilak about the girdle, which supposedly holds magical powers that would prevent any harm from coming to Gawain.Gawain does not fail because he accepts the girdle, but rather because he fails to gift the girdle to Bercilak as something won throughout the course of the day. Since Gawain believes that the girdle would give him the power to survive the blow of the Green Knights’ axe, he fails to hand over his relic to his host. Before Gawain goes to bed on this third night of his stay, Bercilak reminds Gawain, â€Å"Every promise on my part shall be fully performed† (Line 1970).This is a hint to the reader that the host is already aware of the fact that Gawain decided not to share this girdle that was gifted to him. When Gawain finally leaves the castle and finds the Green Knight waiting to hold up his end of the bargain, the Green knight continues to play games with Gawain by â€Å"teasing† him with the axe. He stops at first after Gawain flinches and taunts him for moving. Once Gawain remains still and the Knight deals his blow, only scratching the neck of Gawain, the Green Knight reveals his true identity, as well as the identity of Morgan Le Fay.It is at this point the reader realizes that almost everything that has happened up to this point is just a part of an elaborate game. This game was designed at the hands of Morgan Le Fay to teach Gawain, as well as the other knights of Arthurs’ court, that even the most noble of knights are human and subject to failure at the hands of temptation. As Gawain returns still wearing the green girdle around his arm, it is evident that this game has also taught him another valuable lesson: the lesson of humility (Bennett).Gawain returns to Arthur’s court, still wearing the girdle in shame as a reminder to always follow the rules of the game. After Sir Gawain shares his tales of deceit and trickery, the other knights deem it appropriate to also wear green sashes as a reminder of the adventure that Gawain had. Finally, there are at least two more games that the author plays with the reader throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The first and most obvious game is the fact that the author hides important information from the reader until the end, and then reveals this information.Such information includes but is not limited to the host's true identity, the reason for the â⠂¬Å"Christmas game,† and the fact that Gawain’s aunt, Morgan Le Fay, originated the game. While concealing this information is critical to the progression of the story, it still represents a more subtle game that is being played by the author. â€Å"A much more subtle game played by the author, however, is the way that the author sneaks moral instruction into a poem which, up until about the last three hundred lines, is almost purely entertainment†(Putter).The author clearly expresses to the reader that even Gawain, the noblest of knights, is human and subject to failings. Whether in the fourteenth century or today, the author’s message holds significant meaning. It is apparent that we are in fact all human, and at some point or another, subject to some type of failure. I believe that this is the message that the author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight wanted to pass along to the reader. In conclusion, the theme of games is demonstrated in many different ways throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.It is seen in the actions of the Green Knight and Morgan Le Fay towards Gawain. It is also evident that similar games are played between the author and the reader. All of these games tie together significantly to reveal what I believe is the key message of this poem: Regardless of social status, we are all human, we are all subject to temptation, and most importantly, we are all, at some point, almost certainly subject to failure. Works Cited 1. Harwood, Britton J. Gawain and the Gift,† PMLA 106. 3 (1991) pp. 483–99. 2. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Sixth Edition, Volume One. General Ed. M. H. Abrams. New York: Norton, 1993. 3. Bennett, Michael J. â€Å"The Historical Background† in A Companion to the Gawain-Poet. Derek Brewer and Jonathan Gibson, editors. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1997. pp. 71-90 4. Putter, Ad. An Introduction to the Gawain-poet. New York: Addison We sley Longman, 1996.