Conception and Birth of Heroes in Greek Mythology Essay

Hero, the word strikes a universal chord making us think of exceptional and spectacular stories or deeds that far surpass any common feat. To the Greeks and many other cultures, the birth of these heroes is important. The birth of a hero sets them, apart often even before birth, from common mortals in Greek mythology. Birth is the first of many major events in our lives, our entrance into the world (Leeming). For heroes, that entrance must be as special as their lives will prove to be. A mundane birth is simply not an option for a hero, whether by the machinations of the gods or prophecies from an oracle, even the events surrounding their conception must be spectacular. From Perseus and Danaà « to Theseus and Aethra, the myths†¦show more content†¦Theseus, born of Aethra and Poseidon, grew up secretly in Troezen keeping him protected from those who would harm him. Thus, claiming the items his father left him and setting out for Athens, he started on the path leading to many great and heroic adventures. Hercules, born of Alcmena and Zeus, was conceived when Zeus took the form of Alcmena’s husband and lay with her. Her true husband lay with her again later that night and she conceived twins. One would be born to her human husband, and the other fathered by Zeus himself (Hamilton). Zeus bragged about his soon to be born son alerting and infuriating Hera to Hercules existence. Hera was notorious for tormenting her husbands’ illegitimate offspring since she couldn’t harm Zeus outright for his infidelity (Hamilton). Hera persuaded Eileithyia to slow Alcmena’s labor in a fit of piquà ©, almost killing her (Hamilton). Alcmena in fear of Hera’s wrath gave her son to nature. Zeus (in some accounts Hermes) stole him away to Olympus, where he suckled at Hera’s breast while she lay sleeping, granting him immortality (McLeish). When Hera awoke during the suckling she pushed Hercules away and the milk that spra yed out formed the Milky Way (Leeming). Zeus took the infant and placed him back in his crib before departing to Olympus again. Enraged Hera sent two massive serpents to kill Hercules and his brother as they lay sleepingShow MoreRelatedMythology And The Word Of Mythology2333 Words   |  10 PagesThe word ‘mythology’ is a word derived from ancient Greek word, ‘mythos’ meaning story of the people and ‘logos’ - the word for speech. These two words together mean ‘spoken story of a people’, thus creating the word and meaning of ‘mythology’ (Mark 2009, para. 1). Mythology as defined by Mark (2009), is the interpretation and study of tales and fables of a culture and religion (Mark 2009, para. 1). According to Kelsey, by retelling myths, people can experience their deeper meaning so that theyRead MoreGrrek Mythology Heroes2122 Words   |  9 PagesQ) In what ways are Perseus and Heracles typical heroes? In what way are they not typical? In the realm of Greek myth, it is the focus on heroes rather than of Gods themselves that humanises the myth. Although Gods may operate in the background it is the human traits such as worth, dignity and potential that holds the main focus. The heroes of Greek myth share certain characteristics or experiences. Some of these include a divine parent or ancestor, physical strength, a performance of seeminglyRead MoreDifferences and Similarities of Greek and Roman Gods1714 Words   |  7 PagesMythological gods are a subject that has fascinated many for centuries. Some of the more popular gods are the Greek gods and t he Roman gods. On many occasions people have confused the gods of these two ancient civilizations. For instance when a person thinks of the goddess of love they may think of Venus or Aphrodite and think that they are one and the same. They are not though, Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and Venus her Roman counter part. When thinking of the God of Love, Cupid i s the firstRead MoreThe Hero With A Thousand Faces2252 Words   |  10 PagesWhen I look at mythology during the past and present I can find a lot of similarities in the base components of these stories. Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecture. I am instructed by a lot of his thoughts when thinking about myth stories. As Dr. Joseph Campbell pointed out in his theory of the monomyth, all the myths that have withstood the test of time for thousands of years are based on a similar foundation. This foundation is explored in his book The HeroRead More The Parallels of Jesus and Hercules Essay1186 Words   |  5 Pagesboast such a birth lineage many examples exist within ancient tales; however Hercules, the illegitimate son of Zeus (supreme god of the Greek pantheon) and Alcmene (a mortal woman) is perhaps one of the most well-known. While the birth of Jesus was with consent and acknowledgement of Mary, Alcmene was tricked into a relationship with Zeus; it is interesting to note, however, neither conception was of traditional coupling. Both Jesus and Hercules were marked for death directly from birth. Hera, Hercules’Read MoreGreek Religion : Ancient Greece1601 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough Greek religion is no longer popular because of it s diversity compared to religion today, it had a great standing back in Ancient Greece; Many aspects played a role in creating it s foundation such as the deities, worship and rituals, and mystics and oracles. Greek religion was considered polytheistic for it s belief in many gods and they were called upon during everyday trials and tribulations, providing their wisdom and guidance. The deities depicted in Greek mythology had strangeRead MoreMyths And The Reason Behind Mythology1653 Words   |  7 PagesWHAT ARE MYTHS AND THE REASON BEHIND MYTHOLOGY? Mythos, the Greek word for myth means story, appertain to colorful tales that enlightens about the origins of humans and the universe. Myths, as amazing as it sounds, is also a cause for birth of new religions, where and how they originated. Many cultures have myths about how the gods and goddesses came to be, even elucidating the origin of humanity and its traditions. Even ideas about how this world of ours came to existence have many myths, creationRead MoreAncient Greek Religion And Ancient Greece1955 Words   |  8 Pagesthese 3 things were almost always in view. The ancient Greeks worshiped many different gods and goddesses that each controlled something in the mortal world. What was different about their gods and goddesses was that they were very human like. They looked like mortals, had thoughts like mortals, and they even quarreled with each other like we do. Ancient Greek religion is also known as Greek Mythology, Classical Religion, and Classical Mythology. Though whateve r people call it, decisions made in AncientRead MoreAthena And Gender Roles During The Odyssey1776 Words   |  8 PagesAllen Professor T. Carlisle English 212-044 October 05,2017 Research paper intro and thesis and work cited Athena and Gender Roles in the Odyssey The expectations of gender roles had a great impact on women in classical Greek society. In Ancient Greece, women were banned from entering the battlefield because warfare was seen more suitable for men, it is where they would show their strengths, physical courage and power. Women had no power or say as far as giving orders, their role was to stand behindRead More Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - Victim of Fate3445 Words   |  14 Pagesancient Greeks called hubris.   Two ideas kept recurring in my mind that afternoon: fate and the hero.   I knew instinctively that the thesis for my paper lay buried in those two concepts.   After much arduous searching and sleepless nights reading, I now believe that fate victimized Oedipus, but he was a tragic figure since he was not a puppet of fate or the gods.   Being a hero, he freely chose to pursue and accept his own destruction.   Ã‚  Ã‚   I will first focus my attention to the ancient Greeks idea

The Legal Drinking Age Should Be 18 - 957 Words

On the topic of the appropriate legal drinking ago, I stand firm on the belief that the legal drinking age should be 18. In every other aspect in America, an 18 year old person is considered an adult, legally and morally. So why aren’t these adults allowed to legally drink? 18 year old adults are permitted live on their own, vote, gamble, purchase cigarettes, and fight in a war. There is not denying the fact that teenagers are exposed to drinking prior to their 18th birthday, and many drink heavily in their adolescence. The legal drinking age of 21 isn’t prohibiting these people from drinking or anything that happens to them once they are drunk. Similarly, gun control laws, traffic laws, or any other prohibitive law doesn’t keep people from doing what they want any more than telling an 18 year old adult that he or she is not allowed to drink until they are 21. However, I am sure the economy would benefit from the increase in alcohol sales that these lower age groups would provide. Many state legislatures want to revert the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, sign by President Ronald Reagan. The focus of this reform would be to allow enabled establishments with a liquor license the discretion to allow anyone over the age of 18 to drink. However, 20 and younger would still not be able to purchase alcohol at a store (2008, Mar 29). This proposition seems fair to me, but there is still too much skepticism revolving around this idea. The critics acknowledge the ideaShow MoreRelatedShould the Legal Drinking Age Be Lowered to 18?590 Words   |  2 PagesUnderage Drinking Age Position Paper Drinking is a serious problem in America. The current legal age is 21. But some people seem to disagree. Should the legal drinking age be lowered to 18? It’s a question that has been thrown around for years. I believe that the legal drinking age should stay at 21. There are so many more benefits and responsibilities you have at age 21. You don’t fully mature until you’re at least 20 years old. The amount of underage drinking fatalities that happen every yearRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be 18 Essay677 Words   |  3 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Did you know that in the year 1980 the legal drinking age was only 18? In 1987 there was a law passed that said in order to drink legally and to buy alcohol a person had to be 21. At the age of 18 people are allowed to buy tobacco, vote, get married without parental consent, and even join the armed forces, so why can’t some one who is 18 by alcohol. This is a question I have; I believe that the legal dri nking age should be 18. Dr. Ruth Engs, a professor of Applied Heath Sciences atRead MoreEssay on The Legal Drinking Age Should Be 181540 Words   |  7 Pagesminimum drinking age in this country sometimes seem ridiculous and unnecessary. In this paper, I will discuss why certain laws are unfair and I will provide alternatives to certain problems concerning underage drinking and binge drinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Let?s face it, no matter what laws the government enforces to cut down on underage drinking, it is commonplace and happens everywhere from grade school through high school and predominantly in college. The government is looking to stop teen drinking ratherRead MoreWhy Lowering The Drinking Age Is A Good Idea?. Lowering1627 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Drinking Age is a Good Idea? Lowering the drinking age to 18 in the United States has been a source of controversy in recent years. It has been a controversial topic because many people disagree, while many agree with the topic. For example, the people who disagree and are against lowering the drinking age to 18 believe we should not lower the drinking age because 18 year old individuals are not responsible enough to drink alcohol. While, the people who agree we should lower the drinking ageRead More The Drinking Age Should NOT Be Lowered Essay1006 Words   |  5 Pagesminimum legal drinking age. Choose Responsibility, a group founded by John McCardell, proposes that upon completion of a 40 hour course to educate young people about alcohol, 18, 19, and 20 year old people should be licensed to drink. The Amethyst Initiative, part of Choose Responsibility, is a petition to Congress to rethink the minimum legal drinking age. Several college leaders have signed this petition in the belief that lowering the minimu m legal drinking age will reduce binge drinking on collegeRead MoreLegalizing the Drinking Age to 181624 Words   |  7 PagesLegalizing the Drinking Age to 18 When people turn to the age of eighteen, they are finally considered an adult. They can join the army, have the right to vote, buy cigarettes or tobacco products, get a tattoo and even die for our country, but they aren’t allowed to buy alcohol? A person can be responsible enough to live on his or her own, make money, pay bills, and yet they are not old enough to purchase or consume any type of alcohol. Underage drinking has been a major controversial issue forRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered From The Age Of 21 Essay980 Words   |  4 Pagesconsidered â€Å"adults† cannot even make their own decisions? The drinking age on alcohol is a controversial social and cultural issue in today’s society; all fifty states have a minimum drinking age of 21. The legal drinking age should be lowered from the age of 21 to 18 allowing young adults to be granted the right to drink in restaurants, bars, at social events, in the comfort of their own home, and so o n. If anything, lowering the legal drinking age would have a positive impact on the United Sates economyRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered988 Words   |  4 PagesThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered There are copious amounts of people who believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen. Others think the drinking age needs to remain the same. A few of those also conclude the legal age of adulthood should be raised to 21. The belief is if the adolescent brain has not matured enough to support alcohol use by age 21, it cannot make the responsible decisions required at 18 years of age. Voters should make the decision toRead MoreUnderage Drinking Is Part Of The Culture Of College1734 Words   |  7 PagesI did discover is that underage drinking is part of the culture in college, also the friends that I had in high school who are 21 now I have discovered they drink some of the least amount now. Which has begun to make me wonder why people who are 21 drink less than people who are underage. I believe that when people are 21 they now do not have to worry about the next time they can get alcohol. Congress should lower the drinking age from 21 to 18 beca use at age 18 when they are in college, for someRead MoreShould The Legal Alcohol Age Be Changed?1560 Words   |  7 Pages To fight for our country at the age of 18 and seeing things that only you could imagine in the battlefield. Coming home from deployment and just wanting a simple beer for your hard work but not being able to buy any because you are not 21 years of age. How is that fair to the men in the military forces? Fighting for our country’s freedom but not being able to have a few beers with your closest friends and family members. The topic of the legal alcohol age being changed has been a great topic

Streams of Silver 6. Sky Ponies Free Essays

string(167) " Dried blood crusted Bruenor’s hair and he had lost his helm, but his dwarven toughness had carried him through another encounter that should have finished him\." Black-haired barbarians, screaming in the frenzy of battle, burst into the copse. Drizzt realized at once that these burly warriors were the forms he had seen moving behind the orcan ranks on the field, but he wasn’t yet certain of their allegiance. Whatever their ties, their arrival struck terror into the remaining orcs. We will write a custom essay sample on Streams of Silver 6. Sky Ponies or any similar topic only for you Order Now The two fighting Drizzt lost all heart for the battle, a sudden shift in their posture revealing their desire to break off the confrontation and flee. Drizzt obliged, assured that they wouldn’t get far anyway, and sensing that he, too, would be wise to slip from sight. The orcs fled, but their pursuers soon caught them in another battle just beyond the trees. Less obvious in his flight, Drizzt slipped unnoticed back up the tree where he had left his bow. Wulfgar could not so easily sublimate his battle lust. With two of his friends down, his thirst for orcan blood was insatiable, and the new group of men that had joined the fight cried out to Tempus, his own god of battle, with a fervor that the young warrior could not ignore. Distracted by the sudden developments, the ring of orcs around Wulfgar let up for just a moment, and he struck hard. One orc looked away, and Aegis-fang tore its face off before its eyes returned to the fight at hand. Wulfgar bore through the gap in the ring, jostling a second orc as he passed. As it stumbled in its attempt to turn and realign its defense, the mighty barbarian chopped it down. The two remaining turned and fled, but Wulfgar was right behind. He launched his hammer, blasting one from life, and sprang upon the other, bearing it to the ground beneath him and then crushing the life from it with his bare hands. When he was finished, when he had heard the final crack of neckbone, Wulfgar remembered his predicament and his friends. He sprang up and backed away, his back against the trees. The black-haired barbarians kept their distance, respectful of his prowess, and Wulfgar could not be sure of their intentions. He scanned around for his friends. Regis and Bruenor lay side by side near where the horses had been tethered; he could not tell if they were alive or dead. There was no sign of Drizzt, but a fight continued beyond the other edge of the trees. The warriors fanned out in a wide semi-circle around him, cutting off any routes of escape. But they stopped their positioning suddenly, for Aegis-fang had magically returned to Wulfgar’s grasp. He could not win against so many, but the thought did not dismay him. He would die fighting, as a true warrior, and his death would be remembered. If the black-haired barbarians came at him, many, he knew, would not return to their families. He dug his heels in and clasped the warhammer tightly. â€Å"Let us be done with it,† he growled into the night. â€Å"Hold!† came a soft, but imperative whisper from above. Wulfgar recognized Drizzt’s voice at once and relaxed his grip. â€Å"Keep to your honor, but know that more lives are at stake than your own!† Wulfgar understood then that Regis and Bruenor were probably still alive. He dropped Aegis-fang to the ground and called out to the warriors, â€Å"Well met.† They did not reply, but one of them, nearly as tall and heavily muscled as Wulfgar, broke rank and closed in to stand before him. The stranger wore a single braid in his long hair, running down the side of his face and over his shoulder. His cheeks were painted white in the image of wings. The hardness of his frame and disciplined set of his face reflected a life in the harsh wilderness, and were it not for the raven color of his hair, Wulfgar would have thought him to be of one of the tribes of Icewind Dale. The dark-haired man similarly recognized Wulfgar, but better versed in the overall structures of the societies in the northland, was not so perplexed by their similarities. â€Å"You are of the dale,† he said in a broken form of the common tongue. â€Å"Beyond the mountains, where the cold wind blows.† Wulfgar nodded. â€Å"I am Wulfgar, son of Beornegar, of the Tribe of the Elk. We share gods, for I, too, call to Tempus for strength and courage.† The dark-haired man looked around at the fallen orcs. â€Å"The god answers your call, warrior of the dale.† Wulfgar’s jaw lifted in pride. â€Å"We share hatred for the orcs, as well,† he continued, â€Å"but I know nothing of you or your people.† â€Å"You shall learn,† the dark-haired man replied. He held out his hand and indicated the warhammer. Wulfgar straightened firmly, having no intentions of surrendering, no matter the odds. The dark-haired man looked to the side, drawing Wulfgar’s eyes with his own. Two warriors had picked up Bruenor and Regis and slung them over their backs, while others had recaptured the horses and were leading them in. â€Å"The weapon,† the dark-haired man demanded. â€Å"You are in our land without our say, Wulfgar, son of Beornegar. The price of that crime is death. Shall you watch our judgement over your small friends?† The younger Wulfgar would have struck then, damning them all in a blaze of glorious fury. But Wulfgar had learned much from his new friends, Drizzt in particular. He knew that Aegis-fang would return to his call, and he knew, too, that Drizzt would not abandon them. This was not the time to fight. He even let them bind his hands, an act of dishonor that no warrior of the Tribe of the Elk would ever allow. But Wulfgar had faith in Drizzt. His hands would be freed again. Then he would have the last word. By the time they reached the barbarian camp, both Regis and Bruenor had regained consciousness and were bound and walking beside their barbarian friend. Dried blood crusted Bruenor’s hair and he had lost his helm, but his dwarven toughness had carried him through another encounter that should have finished him. You read "Streams of Silver 6. Sky Ponies" in category "Essay examples" They crested a rise and came upon the perimeter of a ring of tents and blazing campfires. Whooping their war cries to Tempus, the returning war party roused the camp, tossing severed orc heads into the ring to announce their glorious arrival. The fervor inside the camp soon matched the level of the entering war party, and the three prisoners were pushed in first, to be greeted by a score of howling barbarians. â€Å"What do they eat?† Bruenor asked, more in sarcasm than concern. â€Å"Whatever it is, feed them quickly,† Regis replied, drawing a clap on the back of his head and a warning to be silent from the guard behind him. The prisoners and horses were herded into the center of the camp and the tribe encircled them in a victory dance, kicking orc heads around in the dust and singing out, in a language unknown to the companions, their praise to Tempus and to Uthgar, their ancestral hero, for the success this night. It went on for nearly an hour, and then, all at once, it ended and every face in the ring turned to the closed flap of a large and decorated tent. The silence held for a long moment before the flap swung open. Out jumped an ancient man, as slender as a tent pole, but showing more energy than his obvious years would indicate. His face painted in the same markings as the warriors, though more elaborately, he wore a patch with a huge green gemstone sewn upon it over one eye. His robe was the purest white, its sleeves showing as feathered wings whenever he flapped his arms out to the side. He danced and twirled through the ranks of the warriors, and each held his breath, recoiling until he had passed. â€Å"Chief?† Bruenor whispered. â€Å"Shaman,† corrected Wulfgar, more knowledgeable in the ways of tribal life. The respect the warriors showed this man came from a fear beyond what a mortal enemy, even a chieftain, could impart. The shaman spun and leaped, landing right before the three prisoners. He looked at Bruenor and Regis for just a moment, then turned his full attention upon Wulfgar. â€Å"I am Valric High Eye,† he screeched suddenly. â€Å"Priest of the followers of the Sky Ponies! The children of Uthgar!† â€Å"Uthgar!† echoed the warriors, clapping their hatchets against their wooden shields. Wulfgar waited for the commotion to die away, then presented himself. â€Å"I am Wulfgar, son of Beornegar, of the Tribe of the Elk.† â€Å"And I’m Bruenor – † began the dwarf. â€Å"Silence!† Valric shouted at him, trembling with rage. â€Å"I care nothing for you!† Bruenor closed his mouth and entertained dreams concerning his axe and Valric’s head. â€Å"We meant no harm, nor trespass,† Wulfgar began, but Valric put his hand up, cutting him short. â€Å"Your purpose does not interest me,† he explained calmly, but his excitement resurged at once. â€Å"Tempus has delivered you unto us, that is all! A worthy warrior?† He looked around at his own men and their response showed eagerness for the coming challenge. â€Å"How many did you claim?† he asked Wulfgar. â€Å"Seven fell before me,† the young barbarian replied proudly. Valric nodded in approval. â€Å"Tall and strong,† he commented. â€Å"Let us discover if Tempus is with you. Let us judge if you are worthy to run with the Sky Ponies!† Shouts started at once and two warriors rushed over to unbind Wulfgar. A third, the leader of the war party who had spoken to Wulfgar at the copse of trees, tossed down his hatchet and shield and stormed into the ring. Drizzt waited in his tree until the last of the war party had given up the search for the rider of the fourth horse and departed. Then the drow moved quickly, gathering together some of the dropped items: the dwarf’s axe and Regis’s mace. He had to pause and steady himself when he found Bruenor’s helm, though, blood-stained and newly dented, and with one of its horns broken away. Had his friend survived? He shoved the broken helm into his sack and slipped out after the troupe, keeping a cautious distance. Relief flooded through him when he came upon the camp and spotted his three friends, Bruenor standing calmly between Wulfgar and Regis. Satisfied, Drizzt put aside his emotions and all thoughts of the previous encounter, narrowing his vision to the situation before him, formulating a plan of attack that would free his friends. * * * The dark-haired man held his open hands out to Wulfgar, inviting his blond counterpart to clasp them. Wulfgar had never seen this particular challenge before, but it was not so different from the tests of strength that his own people practised. â€Å"Your feet do not move!† instructed Valric. â€Å"This is the challenge of strength! Let Tempus show us your worth!† Wulfgar’s firm visage didn’t reveal a hint of his confidence that he could defeat any man at such a test. He brought his hands up level with those of his opponent. The man grabbed at them angrily, snarling at the large foreigner. Almost immediately, before Wulfgar had even straightened his grip or set his feet, the shaman screamed out to begin, and the dark-haired man drove his hands forward, bending Wulfgar’s back over his wrists. Shouting erupted from every corner of the encampment; the dark-haired man roared and pushed with all his strength, but as soon as the moment of surprise had passed, Wulfgar fought back. The iron-corded muscles in Wulfgar’s neck and shoulders snapped taut and his huge arms reddened with the forced surge of blood into their veins. Tempus had blessed him truly; even his mighty opponent could only gape in amazement at the spectacle of his power. Wulfgar looked him straight in the eye and matched the snarl with a determined glare that foretold the inevitable victory. Then the son of Beornegar drove forward, stopping the dark-haired man’s initial momentum and forcing his own hands back into a more normal angle with his wrists. Once he had regained parity, Wulfgar realized that one sudden push would put his opponent into the same disadvantage that he had just escaped. From there, the dark-haired man would have little chance of holding on. But Wulfgar wasn’t anxious to end this contest. He didn’t want to humiliate his opponent – that would breed only an enemy – and even more importantly, he knew that Drizzt was about. The longer he could keep the contest going, and the eyes of every member of the tribe fixed upon him, the longer Drizzt would have to put some plan into motion. The two men held there for many seconds, and Wulfgar couldn’t help but smile when he noticed a dark shape slip in among the horses, behind the enthralled guards at the other end of the camp. Whether it was his imagination, he could not tell, but he thought that he saw two points of lavender flame staring out at him from the darkness. A few seconds more, he decided, though he knew that he was taking a chance by not finishing the challenge. The shaman could declare a draw if they held for too long. But then it was over. The veins and sinews in Wulfgar’s arms bulged and his shoulders lifted even higher. â€Å"Tempus!† he growled, praising the god for yet another victory, and then with a sudden, ferocious explosion of power, he drove the dark-haired man to his knees. All around, the camp went silent, even the shaman being stricken speechless by the display. Two guards moved tentatively to Wulfgar’s side. The beaten warrior pulled himself to his feet and stood facing Wulfgar. No hints of anger marred his face, just honest admiration, for the Sky Ponies were an honorable people. â€Å"We would welcome you,† Valric said. â€Å"You have defeated Torlin, son of Jerek Wolf-slayer, Chieftain of the Sky Ponies. Never before has Torlin been bested!† â€Å"What of my friends?† Wulfgar asked. â€Å"I care nothing for them!† Valric snapped back. â€Å"The dwarf will be set free on a trail leading from our land. We have no quarrel with him or his kind, nor do we desire any dealings with them!† The shaman eyed Wulfgar slyly. â€Å"The other is a weakling,† he stated. â€Å"He shall serve as your passage to the tribe, your sacrifice to the winged horse.† Wulfgar did not immediately respond. They had tested his strength, and now were testing his loyalties. The Sky Ponies had paid him their highest honor in offering him a place in their tribe, but only on condition that he show his allegiance beyond any doubt. Wulfgar thought of his own people, and the way they had lived for so many centuries on the tundra. Even in this day, many of the barbarians of Icewind Dale would have accepted the terms and killed Regis, considering the life of a halfling a small price for such an honor. This was the disillusionment of Wulfgar’s existence with his people, the facet of their moral code that had proved unacceptable to his personal standards. â€Å"No,† he replied to Valric without blinking. â€Å"He is a weakling!† Valric reasoned. â€Å"Only the strong deserve life!† â€Å"His fate is not mine to decide,† Wulfgar replied. â€Å"Nor yours.† Valric motioned to the two guards and they immediately rebound Wulfgar’s hands. â€Å"A loss for our people,† Torlin said to Wulfgar. â€Å"You would have received a place of honor among us.† Wulfgar didn’t answer, holding Torlin’s stare for a long moment, sharing respect and also the mutual understanding that their codes were too different for such a joining. In a shared fantasy that could not be, both imagined fighting beside the other, felling orcs by the score and inspiring the bards to a new legend. * * * It was time for Drizzt to strike. The drow had paused by the horses to view the outcome of the contest and also to better measure his enemies. He planned his attack for effect more than for damage, wanting to put on a grand show to cow a tribe of fearless warriors long enough for his friends to break free of the ring. No doubt, the barbarians had heard of the dark elves. And no doubt, the tales they had heard were terrifying. Silently, Drizzt tied the two ponies behind the horses, then mounted the horses, a foot in one stirrup on each. Rising between them, he stood tall and threw back the cowl of his cloak. The dangerous glow in his lavender eyes sparkling wildly, he bolted the mounts into the ring, scattering the stunned barbarians closest to him. Howls of rage rose up from the surprised tribesmen, the tone of the shouts shifting to one of terror when they viewed the black skin. Torlin and Valric turned to face the oncoming menace, though even they did not know how to deal with a legend personified. And Drizzt had a trick ready for them. With a wave of his black hand, purple flames spouted from Torlin and Valric’s skin, not burning, but casting both the superstitious tribesmen into a horrified frenzy. Torlin dropped to his knees, clasping his arms in disbelief, while the highstrung shaman dove to the ground and began rolling in the dirt. Wulfgar took his cue. Another surge of power through his arms snapped the leather bonds at his wrists. He continued the momentum of his hands, swinging them upward, catching both of the guards beside him squarely in the face and dropping them to their backs. Bruenor also understood his part. He stomped heavily onto the instep of the lone barbarian standing between him and Regis, and when the man crouched to grasp his pained foot, Bruenor butted him in the head. The man tumbled as easily as Whisper had back in Rat Alley in Luskan. â€Å"Huh, works as well without the helmet!† Bruenor marveled. â€Å"Only for a dwarf’s head!† Regis remarked as Wulfgar grabbed both of them by the back of their collars and hoisted them easily onto the ponies. He was up then, too, beside Drizzt, and they charged through the other side of the camp. It had all happened too quickly for any of the barbarians to ready a weapon or form any kind of defense. Drizzt wheeled his horse behind the ponies to protect the rear. â€Å"Ride!† he yelled to his friends, slapping their mounts on the rump with the flat of his scimitars. The other three shouted in victory as though their escape was complete, but Drizzt knew that this had been the easy part. The dawn was fast approaching, and in this up-and-down, unfamiliar terrain, the native barbarians could easily catch them. The companions charged into the silence of pre-dawn, picking the straightest and easiest path to gain as much ground as possible. Drizzt still kept an eye behind them, expecting the tribesmen to be fast on their trail. But the commotion in the camp had died away almost immediately after the escape, and the drow saw no signs of pursuit. Now only a single call could be heard, the rhythmic singing of Valric in a tongue that none of the travelers understood. The look of dread on Wulfgar’s face made all of them pause. â€Å"The powers of a shaman,† the barbarian explained. Back in the camp, Valric stood alone with Torlin inside the ring of his people, chanting and dancing through the ultimate ritual of his station, summoning the power of his tribe’s Spiritual Beast. The appearance of the drow elf had completely unnerved the shaman. He stopped any pursuit before it had even begun and ran to his tent for the sacred leather satchel needed for the ritual, deciding that the spirit of the winged horse, the Pegasus, should deal with these intruders. Valric targeted Torlin as the recipient of the spirit’s form, and the son of Jerek awaited the possession with stoic dignity, hating the act, for it stripped him of his identity, but resigned to absolute obedience to his shaman. From the moment it began, however, Valric knew that in his excitement, he had overstepped the urgency of the summoning. Torlin shrieked and dropped to the ground, writhing in agony. A gray cloud surrounded him, its swirling vapors molding with his form, reshaping his features. His face puffed and twisted, and suddenly spurted outward into the semblance of a horse’s head. His torso, as well, transmuted into something not human. Valric had meant only to impart some of the strengths of the spirit of the Pegasus in Torlin, but the entity itself had come, possessing the man wholly and bending his body into its own likeness. Torlin was consumed. In his place loomed the ghostly form of the winged horse. All in the tribe fell to their knees before it, even Valric, who could not face the image of the Spiritual Beast. But the Pegasus knew the shaman’s thoughts and understood its children’s needs. Smoke fumed from the spirit’s nostrils and it rose into the air in pursuit of the escaping intruders. The friends had settled their mounts into a more comfortable, though still swift, pace. Free of their bonds, with the dawn breaking before them and no apparent pursuit behind them, they had eased up a bit. Bruenor fiddled with his helmet, trying to push the latest dent out far enough for him to get the thing back on his head. Even Wulfgar, so shaken a short time before when he had heard the chanting of the shaman, began to relax. Only Drizzt, ever wary, was not so easily convinced of their escape. And it was the drow who first sensed the approach of danger. In the dark cities, the black elves often dealt with otherworldly beings, and over the many centuries they had bred into their race a sensitivity for the magical emanations of such creatures. Drizzt stopped his horse suddenly and wheeled about. â€Å"What do ye hear?† Bruenor asked him. â€Å"I hear nothing,† Drizzt answered, his eyes darting about for some sign. â€Å"But something is there.† Before they could respond, the gray cloud rushed down from the sky and was upon them. Their horses bucked and reared in uncontrollable terror and in the confusion none of the friends could sort out what was happening. The Pegasus then formed right in front of Regis and the halfling felt a deathly chill penetrate his bones. He screamed and dropped from his mount. Bruenor, riding beside Regis, charged the ghostly form fearlessly. But his descending axe found only a cloud of smoke where the apparition had been. Then, just as suddenly, the ghost was back, and Bruenor, too, felt the icy cold of its touch. Tougher than the halfling, he managed to hold to his pony. â€Å"What?† he cried out vainly to Drizzt and Wulfgar. Aegis-fang whistled past him and continued on at the target. But the Pegasus was only smoke again and the magical warhammer passed unhindered through the swirling cloud. In an instant, the spirit was back, swooping down upon Bruenor. The dwarf’s pony spun down to the ground in a frantic effort to scramble away from the thing. â€Å"You cannot hit it!† Drizzt called after Wulfgar, who went rushing to the dwarf’s aid. â€Å"It does not exist fully on this plane!† Wulfgar’s mighty legs locked his terrified horse straight and he struck as soon as Aegis-fang returned to his hands. But again he found only smoke, before his blow. â€Å"Then how?† he yelled to Drizzt, his eyes darting around to spot the first signs of the reforming spirit. Drizzt searched his mind for answers. Regis was still down, lying pale and unmoving on the field, and Bruenor, though he had not been too badly injured in his pony’s fall, appeared dazed and shivering from the chill of unearthly cold. Drizzt grasped at a desperate plan. He pulled the onyx statue of the panther from his pouch and called for Guenhwyvar. The ghost returned, attacking with renewed fury. It descended upon Bruenor first, mantling the dwarf with its cold wings. â€Å"Damn ye back to the Abyss!† Bruenor roared in brave defiance. Rushing in, Wulfgar lost all sight of the dwarf, except for the head of his axe bursting harmlessly through the smoke. Then the barbarian’s mount halted in its tracks, refusing, against all efforts, to move any closer to the unnatural beast. Wulfgar leaped from his saddle and charged in, crashing right through the cloud before the ghost could reform, his momentum carrying both him and Bruenor out the other side of the smoky mantle. They rolled away and looked back, only to find that the ghost had disappeared altogether again. Bruenor’s eyelids drooped heavily and his skin held a ghastly hue of blue, and for the first time in his life, his indomitable spirit had no gumption for the fight. Wulfgar, too, had suffered the icy touch in his pass through the ghost, but he was still more than ready for another round with the thing. â€Å"We can’t fight it!† Bruenor gasped through his chattering teeth. â€Å"Here for a strike, it is, but gone when we hit back!† Wulfgar shook his head defiantly. â€Å"There is a way!† he demanded, though he had to concede the dwarf’s point. â€Å"But my hammer cannot destroy clouds!† Guenhwyvar appeared beside its master and crouched low, seeking the nemesis that threatened the drow. Drizzt understood the cat’s intentions. â€Å"No!† he commanded. â€Å"Not here.† The drow had recalled something that Guenhwyvar had done several months earlier. To save Regis from the falling stone of a crumbling tower, Guenhwyvar had taken the halfling on a journey through the planes of existence. Drizzt grabbed onto the panther’s thick coat. â€Å"Take me to the land of the ghost,† he instructed. â€Å"To its own plane, where my weapons will bite deeply into its substantial being.† The ghost appeared again as Drizzt and the cat faded into their own cloud. â€Å"Keep swinging!† Bruenor told his companion. â€Å"Keep it as smoke so’s it can’t get at ye!† â€Å"Drizzt and the cat have gone!† Wulfgar cried. â€Å"To the land of the ghost,† Bruenor explained. * * * It took Drizzt a long moment to set his bearings. He had come into a place of different realities, a dimension where everything, even his own skin, assumed the same hue of gray, objects being distinguishable only by a thin waver of black that outlined them. His depth perception was useless, for there were no shadings, and no discernible light sources to use as a guide. And he found no footing, nothing tangible beneath him, nor could he even know which way was up or down. Such concepts didn’t seem to fit here. He did make out the shifting outlines of the Pegasus as it jumped between planes, never fully in one place or the other. He tried to approach it and found propulsion to be an act of the mind, his body automatically following the instructions of his will. He stopped before the shifting lines, his magical scimitar poised to strike when the target fully appeared. Then the outline of the Pegasus was complete and Drizzt plunged his blade into the black waver that marked its form. The line shifted and bent, and the outline of the scimitar shivered as well, for here even the properties of the steel blade took on a different composition. But the steel proved the stronger and the scimitar resumed its curved edge and punctured the line of the ghost. There came a sudden tingling in the grayness, as though Drizzt’s cut had disturbed the equilibrium of the plane, and the ghost’s line trembled in a shiver of agony. Wulfgar saw the smoke cloud puff suddenly, almost reforming into the ghost shape. â€Å"Drizzt!† he called out to Bruenor. â€Å"He has met the ghost on even terms!† â€Å"Get ye ready, then!† Bruenor replied anxiously, though he knew that his own part in the fight had ended. â€Å"The drow might bring it back to ye long enough for a hit!† Bruenor clutched at his sides, trying to hug the deathly cold out of his bones, and stumbled over to the halfling’s unmoving form. The ghost turned on Drizzt, but the scimitar struck again. And Guenhwyvar jumped into the fray, the cat’s great claws tearing into the black outline of its enemy. The Pegasus reeled away from them, understanding that it held no advantage against foes on its own plane. Its only recourse was a retreat back to the material plane. Where Wulfgar waited. As soon as the cloud resumed its shape, Aegis-fang hammered into it. Wulfgar felt a solid strike for just a moment, and knew that he had hit his mark. Then the smoke blew away before him. The ghost was back with Drizzt and Guenhwyvar, again facing their relentless stabs and rakes. It shifted back again, and Wulfgar struck quickly. Trapped with no retreat, the ghost took hits from both planes. Every time it materialized before Drizzt, the drow noted that its outline came thinner and less resistant to his thrusts. And every time the cloud reformed before Wulfgar, its density had diminished. The friends had won, and Drizzt watched in satisfaction as the essence of the Pegasus slipped free of the material form and floated away through the grayness. â€Å"Take me home,† the weary drow instructed Guenhwyvar. A moment later, he was back on the field beside Bruenor and Regis. â€Å"He’ll live,† Bruenor stated flatly at Drizzt’s inquiring look. â€Å"More to faintin’ than to dying’d be me guess.† A short distance away, Wulfgar, too, was hunched over a form, broken and twisted and caught in a transformation somewhere between man and beast. â€Å"Torlin, son of Jerek,† Wulfgar explained. He lifted his gaze back toward the barbarian camp. â€Å"Valric is has done this. The blood of Torlin soils his hands!† â€Å"Torlin’s own choice, perhaps?† Drizzt offered. â€Å"Never!† Wulfgar insisted. â€Å"When we met in challenge, my eyes looked upon honor. He was a warrior. He would never have allowed this!† He stepped away from the corpse, letting its mutilated remains emphasize the horror of the possession. In the frozen pose of death, Torlin’s face had retained half the features of a man, and half of the equine ghost. â€Å"He was the son of their chieftain,† Wulfgar explained. â€Å"He could not refuse the demands of the shaman.† â€Å"He was brave to accept such a fate,† Drizzt remarked. â€Å"Son of their chieftain?† snorted Bruenor. â€Å"Seems we’ve put even more enemies on the road behind us! They’ll be looking to settle this score.† â€Å"As will I!† Wulfgar proclaimed. â€Å"His blood is yours to carry, Valric High Eye!† he shouted into the distance, his calls echoing around the mounds of the crags. Wulfgar looked back to his friends, rage seething in his features, as he declared grimly, â€Å"I shall avenge Torlin’s dishonor.† Bruenor nodded his approval at the barbarian’s dedication to his principles. â€Å"An honorable task,† Drizzt agreed, holding his blade out to the east, toward Longsaddle, the next stop along their journey. â€Å"But one for another day.† How to cite Streams of Silver 6. Sky Ponies, Essay examples

Occupational Health and Safety Law OCHS 12015 †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Occupational Health and Safety Law OCHS 12015. Answer: Introduction Occupational health and safety is regarded as a discipline that contains a broad scope involving several specialized fields. In the broadest sense, occupational health and safety aims to promote and maintain the largest degree of mental, physical and social well-being of workers related to all occupations; prevent incidence of adverse health effects among all workers due to unsafe working conditions; provide protection from risks that may act as prerequisite to adverse health conditions during their employment tenure; and place and maintain an occupational environment that adapts to the mental and physical needs of the workers (Johnstone and Tooma 2012). This report will illustrate the occupational safety standards of a particular organization, the Do More Steel Manufacturing Company and will further elaborate on the responsibilities of all duty holders related to a particular accident that occurred in this company. Discussion Identification of duty holders, extent of duty and maximum penalties i.PCBU PCBU stands for a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking and is a legal term that is used in accordance to the Workplace Health and Safety Laws to refer to businesses, individuals (sole traders) or organizations (company) that conduct a particular business. Any person who works for a PCBU is regarded as a worker (Legislation.qld.gov.au, 2017). The primary duty of a PCBU is to ensure that the safety and health of its workers, subcontractors or visitors to the workplace are not put to risk by any of their work activity. This is referred to as primary duty of care. A PCBU who is a self-employed person must also ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, his or her own health and safety while at work. In the case study, the Do More Steel Manufacturing Company is the PCBU. It is entitled to provide a work environment that is without any risks to the health and safety of its workers and visitors. The reasonable practice duties of Do More include the following: Maintaining and providing safe structures and plant. Maintaining a safe work system. Ensuring safe handling, use and storage of the structures, plant and substances. Building adequate facilities that enhance worker welfare at times of work operation and allowing free access to the facilities. Creating opportunities for training or supervision to protect all workers from health and safety risks that arise at the company (Legislation.qld.gov.au, 2017). Regular monitoring of the worker health status and workplace conditions to prevent any occupational illness or workplace related injuries. Moreover, the PCBU is entitled to ensure that the means of entry and exit at the workplace do not pose any risks to the health and safety of any concerned person (section 20); the plants, fixtures and fittings are without potent risks section 21); and the installation, use an carrying out of foreseeable activity related to the plant or structure does not affect the workers health and safety. Penalties- A three-tier penalty structure is set up by the WHS Act. The most serious category 1 offence includes reckless conduct in respect of duty (HSWA Section 47). This penalty is imposed when the PCBU recklessly engages in any conduct that exposes the workers or officers to death risks or other serious injuries. The maximum penalty for the organization will be $3 million. A category 2 offence includes failure to comply with duties that expose individuals to serious injuries, illness or death risks (HSWA Section 48). The organization has to pay a fine of $1.5 million on committing this offence (Legislation.qld.gov.au, 2017). The category 3 penalty is imposed when there is a failure to comply with any health or safety duty (HSWA Section 49). The PCBU is subject to payment of a fine worth $500,000 on breach of this conduct. ii.Officers The duties of an officer of a PCBU are outlined by the WHS Act of 2011. The Act defines officers as an individual who is responsible for making decisions, or participating in decision making, that affects the entire or a substantial part of the concerned undertaking or business. Officers have the capability to significantly alter the businesss financial standing. Individuals who are only concerned with implementation of decisions are not considered as officers. The director or secretary of a PCBU is generally regarded as an officer. In addition to the Director, any person whose wishes or instructions are acted upon by a director, any administrator of the organization or a deed of arrangement, any liquidator of the organization and a trustee who administers the compromise between the organization and any other entity may also be considered as an officer (Legislation.qld.gov.au, 2017). In the case study, Harry Leaves, the managing director is the officer of the Do More Steel organizati on. His duties include: Acquiring and keeping an up-to-date knowledge of WHS matters. Gaining an understanding of the company operations that include the risks and hazards associated with it. Ensuring that the organization has adequate processes and resources to enable identification of WHS hazards and risks for elimination (Zanko and Dawson 2012). Ensuring that appropriate processes are available to receive and accordingly respond to hazard and incident information in a timely manner. Allowing provisions for implementation of duty under the WHS Act. Verifying, monitoring and reviewing all operation processes. Penalties- For category 1 reckless conduct, a penalty of 5 years imprisonment or $600,000 fine or both are imposed on the officers (Legislation.qld.gov.au, 2017). $300,000 fine is penalized for category 2 offence. Officers are liable to pay a fine of $100,000 on failure to comply with health and safety duties as a category 3 offence. iii.Workers A worker is a person who carries out any work in capacity for a particular employer or business or other PCBU. Workers can be any employee, apprentice, trainees, volunteers, contractors, sub-contractors; employees of any labour hire company or subcontractors and outworkers. In the case study, the safety advisor, plant engineer, foreman, mechanical supervisor, sitting line operator and accountant are all workers of Do More Steel Manufacturing Company (Legislation.qld.gov.au, 2017). According to the WHS Act, Section 28, they should follow 4 duties as stated below: Taking reasonable care for their personal health and safety. Taking reasonable care that their omissions or actions do not affect health and safety of other person adversely. Showing compliance with reasonable instructions given by the PCBU. Cooperating with reasonable procedures or policies of PCBU related to workplace health and safety. Penalties- A category 1 offence related under Section 47 imposes a penalty of five years imprisonment or $300,000 fine, or both. Section 48 category 2 offence by workers leads to fine of $150,000. Category 3 offence on grounds of Section 48 penalizes them with $50,000 fine (Legislation.qld.gov.au, 2017). Cause of incident The incident occurred due to violations of the rules and regulations formulated by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. The act was built with the object of providing a nationally consistent and balanced framework that would secure the health and safety of all workers at workplaces. Several sections of the Act contained guidelines specific for PCBU, officers and workers that they should follow to protect workers and other individuals against harms (Schilling 2013). All the concerned officers and workers of the Do More Steel Manufacturing Company failed to abide by the regulations and did not eliminate the risks that occurred due to fault in the sitting line operation. Rob Hansens accident involved an instrument malfunctioning during its operations. The company purchases coated or uncoated steel coils, paints the coils followed by shearing or slitting as per customer requirements. The company has one shear line, one paint line and another sitting line along with mechanical, electrical and fabrication departments. The accident that occurred was due to fault in the functioning of the sitting line operations. The sitting line is robust machinery that is composed of various equipments driven by electric motors. Hydraulic energy is used to power the ancillary equipment. The accident occurred in the region of the threader table that is situated between the recoiler and the pinch rolls. A threader clamp is attached above the threader table and the lower half of the table could be lowered in a vertical position when it was not requited. The clamp gets driven up the threader table, out from the recoiler when a new coil is fed at the front. This leads to rise of the lower end of the threader table. Shutting off the hydraulic power for a considerable period of time led to lowering of the table and this made the clamp to creep down. Moreover, the front wheels also ran off the track near the hinged section. In order to prevent any hazards from this event, there was a need to insert a safety pin inside the locating lugs on the pinch roll housing and the clamp. The events that triggered the accident were shutdown of the sitting line for the weekend and failure to insert a safety pin before the hydraulic pumps were stopped. On investigating the reason behind creeping of the clamp down the threader table, the absence of safety pin was noticed and Dave Basse, an operator advis ed Ima Necte, the foreman to seek help from Craig Pollard to fix the clamp back on its rails. However, they failed to move the clamp back to the table due to a jam of the wheels against the table frame. It was then, when Rob Hansen was asked for to relocate the clamp. A cumalong or pull lift device was attached to the frame of the clamp and the pinch roll. The clamp suddenly pulled up on its track and shot up the threader table when Rob applied pressure on the lifting device. He was unable to get out of the way and slipped. This made the clamp shoot like a rocket and the safety pin lugs jammed and struck Rob in his chest and abdomen. It took a long time to remove the clamp and get Rob out. On disconnecting the hydraulic pump, the clamp was moved and Rob could be freed. However, on admission to the hospital, Rob succumbed to his injuries. Thus, a machine malfunction can be stated as the main cause for the accidental death. However, that is not the only reason for this case. Failure to comply with workplace health and safety guidelines was also responsible for this incident that could have been avoided. The guideline proposed by the WHS Act, 2011 states that protection of workers and other person against any health or safety harm should be of utmost priority for all organizations (Australia, S.W 2013). Continuous monitoring of health and safety practices and elimination of risks that can arise from particular plant or substances should always be followed by the PCBU. However, the Do More Steel Manufacturing Company failed to eliminate the defective sitting line operation even when the malfunction was brought to the ir notice on several prior occasions. Failure to implement a permanent solution regarding the working of the machinery and negligence on the part of the officers and the workers led to the accident (Worksafe.qld.gov.au, 2017). Identification of breaches All duty holders in a workplace are entitled to ensure that health and safety of the workers or employees are a priority (Bluff et al. 2012). TheWork Health and Safety Regulations 2011 and Work Health and Safety Act 2011 require people who have the duty or responsibility to ensure worker health and safety by managing hazards through elimination of risks by extent that is reasonably practicable (Australia, S 2011). In the case study, the primary fault was on the part of the entire company and its Managing Director, Harry Leaves. He should have known about installation or construction of the machinery and should have exercised due diligence to ensure that the installed structure did not create any effects on the health and safety of the workers (Archer et al. 2012). However, his inquiry about the unit design after the notifiable incident proved the breach of conduct. Although, Ima and Craig were watching the work from an area outside the safety fence, Rob was inside the fence. This was a major breach of conduct as adequate information should have been made available to the workers regarding the distance they should have maintained while operating on the machines. The workers were not provided with instruction or training that was needed for working safely. Moreover, the WHs regulations state that it is the primary duty of the management and officers to control any fittings, fixtures or plants at the workplace to ensure that such machinery does not affect the health and safety of any employee (Australia, S.W 2012). This regulation was completely violated. Statements from the Mechanical Supervisor and Plant Engineer indicate that the problem with the threader table clamp was not new and had been known to all workers for more than 3 years. However, no permanent steps were taken to modify the machinery. The construction of new paining facility in the engineering department made it problematic for the organization to change the maintenance design. The matter was not considered an urgent safety issue. The plant engineer had been assured that the company production department would adhere to the custom of inserting a safety pin and that a system had been designed to remove jamming of the clamp when it crept down the table. This made the plant engineer not consider the malfunction of machinery as an urgent need. Thus, it can be said that the supervisor and engineer did not comply with their responsibilities of carrying out tests of the setting line operation to ensure that it does not pose any risk to the safety of the workers (Reese 2015). Moreover, their action showed offence in relation to consultation with other duty holders and workers (Section 46, 47). The plant engineer was also at fault for not informing the electrical foreman of the recent changes made in the electrical circuit while the latter was on a holiday. Not informing the concerned worker about changes made in his work area is an act of negligence. A production foreman is mainly involved in determining the work priorities and verifies which tasks should be completed first. Though, Ima Necte did not receive any training on operating the machinery, it was his prime duty to inspect the work environment and verify absence of hazardous conditions (Legislation.qld.gov.au, 2017). Though, he should have been self-informed about the situation, he was informed of the clamp jamming by the sitting line operator. Another breach of conduct was done by the safety advisor. Conducting single day for prevention, injury reporting and basic safety programs are not sufficie nt (Macdonald et al. 2012). Supply of PPE and regular training should have been accompanied with focusing on the top 5-10 workplace hazards, tracking the performance progress and devoting time to reduce hazards related to change management, hit by an object or manual tasks (Australia, S.W 2012). Lastly, the workers themselves should have taken care to maintain their own safety. Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that In order to implement a successful occupational health and safety practice, participation and collaboration is required from the workers and their employers together. There were major fault on the part of the organisation, the officers and the workers in showing compliance with the health and safety regulations, which led to the accidental death of Rob Hansen. References Archer, R.J., Borthwick, K., Travers, M. and Ruschena, L., 2012.WHS: A management guide. Cengage Learning. Australia, S., 2011. Work Health and Safety Act 2012.Safe Work Australia. Australia, S.W., 2012.Australian work health and safety strategy 2012-2022: Healthy, safe and productive working lives. Safe Work Australia. Australia, S.W., 2012.Work-related traumatic injury fatalities, Australia 2009-10. Australian Government-Safe Work Australia. Australia, S.W., 2013. Key work health and safety statistics.Canberra: Safe Work Australia. Bluff, E., Johnstone, R., McNamara, M. and Quinlan, M., 2012. Enforcing upstream: Australian health and safety inspectors and upstream duty holders.Australian Journal of Labour Law,25(1), pp.23-42. Johnstone, R. and Tooma, M., 2012.Work Health and Safety Regulation in Australia: The Model Act. The Federation Press. Legislation.qld.gov.au (2017).View - Queensland Legislation - Queensland Government. [online] Legislation.qld.gov.au. Available at: https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2011-018 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2017]. Legislation.qld.gov.au (2017).View - Queensland Legislation - Queensland Government. [online] Legislation.qld.gov.au. Available at: https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2011-018#pt.2-div.2 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2017]. Legislation.qld.gov.au (2017).View - Queensland Legislation - Queensland Government. [online] Legislation.qld.gov.au. Available at: https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2011-018#sec.27 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2017]. Legislation.qld.gov.au (2017).View - Queensland Legislation - Queensland Government. [online] Legislation.qld.gov.au. Available at: https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2011-018#sec.28 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2017]. Legislation.qld.gov.au (2017).View - Queensland Legislation - Queensland Government. [online] Legislation.qld.gov.au. Available at: https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2011-018#sec.31 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2017]. Legislation.qld.gov.au (2017).View - Queensland Legislation - Queensland Government. [online] Legislation.qld.gov.au. Available at: https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2011-018#sec.32 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2017]. Legislation.qld.gov.au (2017).View - Queensland Legislation - Queensland Government. [online] Legislation.qld.gov.au. Available at: https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2011-018#sec.33 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2017]. Legislation.qld.gov.au (2017).View - Queensland Legislation - Queensland Government. [online] Legislation.qld.gov.au. Available at: https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2011-0240 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2017]. Macdonald, W., Driscoll, T., Stuckey, R. and Oakman, J., 2012. Occupational health and safety in Australia.Industrial health,50(3), pp.172-179. Reese, C.D., 2015.Occupational health and safety management: a practical approach. CRC press. Schilling, R.S.F. ed., 2013.Occupational health practice. Butterworth-Heinemann. Worksafe.qld.gov.au (2017).Definitions. [online] WorkSafe Queensland. Available at: https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/laws-and-compliance/workplace-health-and-safety-laws/definitions [Accessed 14 Oct. 2017]. Zanko, M. and Dawson, P., 2012. Occupational health and safety management in organizations: A review.International Journal of Management Reviews,14(3), pp.328-344.

Araby Essays - Araby, Boy, Veld, , Term Papers

Araby And Sunrise On Veld Awareness "Araby" by James Joyce and "A Sunrise On The Veld" by Doris Lessing are both short stories in which the protagonists gained a consciousness that was beyond themselves. The main characters are both initiated into new realities and truths of which they were not previously aware. Both short stories will be examined with reflections according to the type of initiation that was experienced, the nature of the narrators, the similar and dissimilar aspects of both characters and various components of the short stories. In the two stories, both characters were experiencing an initiation or awareness of new actualities that were outside of themselves. The main characters both painfully learned that this initiation was beyond their control. It was impossible for them to ignore the new realities, which they both came to understand. The new found awareness was so powerful that it changed each boy's entire outlook and they both began to see the world through new eyes. The type of initiation both characters had was a distressing journey from innocence to knowledge and experience. The two narrators had different attitudes and reactions to the initiation experience. In Araby, the reader learns of the boy's initiation in the final sentence: "Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger." 1 The character had a negative reaction to his new awareness. His realization caused him to have feelings of shame, anguish, and anger. He was possessed and controlled by his passion for Mangan's older sister. His ideals of the girl were not realistic but were futile and vain. The girl drew out feelings in him and he discovered that feelings must be reciprocated and the downsides that love can be painful. He had a difficult time accepting his own weakness. He was in distress because he had stopped for a moment and gazed up into the darkness and realized that his previous feelings were wonderful but the only reality existed in his feelings. It had no existence beyond how he felt and the understanding of this was painful for the character. The protagonist of A Sunrise On The Veld was more accepting towards his experience of initiation than that of the character in Araby. The boy's attitude was stoical: "...this is how life goes one, by living things dying in anguish." 2 His feelings were of acceptance. In the beginning, the boy felt in control of himself in every way, and came to feel in control of the world in which he lived. This attitude changed completely after his encounter with the dying buck. He accepted the fact that there was nothing he could do to help and that some things were not in his power and were beyond his ability to control. He came to an awareness of his own limitations and accepted the inevitable. The character suffered however and felt anger, but also he was satisfied with what he realized about the cruelty of nature and life. There were several similarities and differences between the central characters. The two protagonists were both male and were young in age. Each was overcome and enthusiastic towards their feelings of delight and became aware of the negative side to joy. The boys were imaginative and romantic about their individual passions. They were both prompted by something or someone outside of themselves. The characters held an appreciation for beauty. The type of beauty the boys appreciated differed. The character in Araby felt emotional about a human being and the boy in A Sunrise On The Veld felt a love for nature. Both characters experienced an impatience and eagerness towards their obsessions. The boy in Araby could not wait to visit the bazaar, as the boy in A Sunrise On The Veld was eager to wake up and go into the vast fields of nature. One character was overcome by the morning, the nature and was exhilarated to be a part of it all. Similarly, the boy in Araby had the same feeling, however he was falling in love with a girl. One had a connection with nature and the other felt a connection with a person. They felt a oneness with the object of their love. They tried to breakdown the boundaries of their isolation. Both passions brought them out of their aloneness and loneliness. A difference in characters was that the boy in Araby was passive, inactive, and reflective about his passion. The focus was on himself and how he felt about

9 Reasons You Might Be Failing at Your Careerâ€And How to Fix It

9 Reasons You Might Be Failing at Your Career- And How to Fix It The time has come to talk about the â€Å"F† word. (No, not that â€Å"F† word.) Failure. No matter who you are or what you do, that word usually has the power to strike fear. If you suspect you’re already failing in your life (for example, you’re not where you thought you would be at this point, or you’ve experienced setbacks), that can be incredibly intimidating. It may keep you from shaking off bad habits and picking up new ones that would get you in a better place. This is especially true in your career. It can be super easy to fall into an inertia bubble and then find yourself shrugging helplessly when you know it’s time to get out. Let’s look at some of the reasons you might think you’re failing at your professional life, and what you can do about them.1. You feel helpless to make changes.This is one I struggle with all. the. time. You may not think you’re helpless per se, but maybe you just feel overwhelmed by dail y minutiae, and you feel like staying afloat is all you can accomplish. If you’re managing only what comes your way, you’re troubleshooting rather than improving.What to do about it: Realize that you do have a say in your daily life, even at work where things might seem very regimented or non-negotiable. If you want to take more agency and control in your life, it starts with you. Learn to advocate for yourself, and negotiate what you want. You’d be surprised at what you can get if you learn to ask for it in the right way.2. You’re too busy blaming other people.I’d be much further along if Susan weren’t getting all the attention and good projects at work. I’d be making more money if Frank paid more attention to what I’m doing. I’d have a better job if it weren’t for my cat/my parents/my therapist.What to do about it: You do you. Your career is yours, and yours alone. This means that ultimately, your decisions are your responsibility- not your cat’s, your parents’, or your therapist’s. It’s time to stop blaming, and instead start thinking about what it would take for you to get what you want: that raise, the good projects, the job you want. Blaming others takes up a lot of mental energy, which you should instead be using to do an internal audit of why things aren’t working out the way you want- and what steps you can take to make progress.3. You’re settling for a mediocre status quo.This is an especially insidious kind of failure. You’re comfortable enough, have a job that pays your bills, but you’re not really going anywhere. It’s settling for the good-enough-right-now, at the expense of what is good for you in the future.What to do about it: Do things that scare you a little (within reason). You don’t have to go busting every piece of your status quo right now, but if you start by doing one thing every week that is outsid e your comfort zone, you’ll likely find that â€Å"status quo† expanding around you. Take on a project that is a bit of a stretch. Take a class in a new skill. Apply for that reach job. If you find yourself hesitating, ask yourself why, and what you have to lose if you go for it. And if the answer isn’t â€Å"it’s physically dangerous† or â€Å"this will cause a divorce,† then consider moving forward with it after all.4. You don’t have the resources or education.If you avoid applying for jobs because you don’t have the necessary skills, experience, or education, that feeling of failure may creep in while you’re browsing job openings. It’s hard not to feel like a failure if all you can see are closed doors.What to do about it: Take a class! Going for a new degree (or completing an old one) just may not be feasible for everyone, but there are often ways to get around the traditional â€Å"going back to school† model. For skill-building, sites like Lynda.com offer free or relatively inexpensive courses you can take on your own time. There are also many universities and colleges that offer part-time degree programs, or non-degree courses online. There are so many ways to stay academically active and keep learning, even when time or money is tight.5. You’re avoiding hard truths.Facing reality is hard. That’s why we have 8 million things to distract our attention at any given time. Cat videos, TV, social media- we all have ways of decompressing and avoiding reality for a while. Those are all temporary, though. Ultimately you’ll have to think about new and different ways of doing things, or facts that make you uncomfortable. If you’ve been avoiding thinking about your professional future because it might lead to uncomfortable realizations about the choices you’ve made and the ones you will need to make in the future, then you’re setting yourself up f or failure.What to do about it: Time for a little self-audit. Where are you in your career, what’s keeping you in it, and where do you want to be in five years? This is an exercise just for you- no one else will see or judge, so it’s important to be extremely honest about what you have, and what you want.6. You think you’re too old to make changes.We often pick our career paths pretty early in life, based on what we want to study in college, or what we think we’d be good at doing when we’re 18. And think about it: how well do many of the life decisions you made when you were 18 still hold up? How many of your hobbies and interests are the same? You’re not locked into a career that you chose because it seemed like a good idea at the time. As you change, you’re never too old to change your professional path.What to do about it: If you feel stuck in a path that doesn’t interest you anymore, think about making a change- no matter h ow significant. Think about what it is you want to be doing, and start doing real research into what it would take- like education, certification, or skills. These are all things you can work on in the meantime, before you make any big moves.7. Your fear of failure has you pinned down.Failing because you fear failure? Is that a thing? Yes, yes it is. It’s possible to back right into failure while you’re on guard against it, avoiding risky changes or proactive steps that could result in failing. This kind of failure is sneaky, because it comes right from the place you thought you were watching.What to do about it: Don’t be afraid to be bad at something, or to make a bad decision once in a while. Failure can actually be one of the great learning experiences, painful though it may feel in the meantime. By letting fear of failure paralyze you, it can kill your career progress. Your professional life thrives on both your successes and your failures.8. You’re o verestimating your abilities.Full disclosure: I’m failing at being a ballet dancer. This is because I am the biggest klutz ever, I don’t have the right body type, and†¦oh yeah†¦I have very few ballet skills. So Misty Copeland’s title is probably safe. But if I expected to be a ballet dancer at this point in my career, I’d be making a fatal assumption that I could be one in my current state. It’s one thing to be confident in the abilities you have, but another thing entirely to be confident that you’ll be good at something without the education or skills to back it up. This kind of mindset lets you get comfortable in the idea that you don’t need to learn or do new things, because you’re the best the way you are.What to do about it: Embrace your strengths, work on your weaknesses, and accept the need to be realistic about what you can do.9. You’re not setting realistic goals.If you’re not planning your car eer in a realistic way, of course you’re going to feel like a failure- you set it up that way yourself. Going from entry level to CEO in two years was never going to happen.What to do about it: Time to set up some SMART goals. That’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Based. Setting these career goals both in the short-term (say, for the next year) and the long-term (five years or beyond) will help you make progress that you can quantify. There are lots of apps and tools you can use to help you, but don’t underestimate the power of a good old-fashioned checklist, and the smug, well-earned sense of satisfaction you get as you check something off the list.If you feel like you’re failing, it’s never too late to stop, figure out why, and start taking concrete steps out of the muck. Understanding why you’re failing is the most important first step you can take.

LIVE CELL IMAGING OF BACTERIAL PATHOGENS BREACHING THE BARRIER OF Dissertation

LIVE CELL IMAGING OF BACTERIAL PATHOGENS BREACHING THE BARRIER OF POLARIZED EPITHELIAL CELLS - Dissertation Example 2.3 Staining with anti-cortactin and phalloidin 15 2.4 Staining with anti-ZO-1 and HOECHST 16 2.5 Extracting GFP and YFP plasmids from C.jejuni for transformations 16 2.6 Transformation of Cj 11168 wt with GFP and YFP plasmids 17 2.7 Scanning Electron Microscopy 18 2.7.1 Specimen preparation for SEM (cultured monolayers) 18 3.0 Results 19 3.1 Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy 19 Staining with anti-ZO-1 and HOESCHT 23 Figure 11 (A-D) HOESCHT stains blue to visualise the nuclei and ZO-1 stains green to visualize the tight junctions 23 3.2 Scanning Electron Microscopy 24 3.3 Campylobacter jejuni invasion induces cytoskeletal rearrangement 28 3.4 Campylobacter jejuni invasion causes membrane ruffling 28 3.5 Analysis of wild type and DHtrA mutant C. jejuni by electron microscopy 29 3.2 Campylobacter jejuni invasion is time dependent 29 3.3 Campylobacter jejuni invasion induces cytoskeletal rearrangement 29 3.4 Campylobacter jejuni invasion causes membrane ruffling 30 3.5 Analysis of wild type and DHtrA mutant C. jejuni by electron microscopy 30 3.6 Transformation of Cj 11168 wt with GFP and YFP plasmids 30 4.0 Discussion 31 5.0 Conclusion 34 6.0 References 35 Abstract Campylobacter jejuni is a well known pathogenic bacteria commonly transmitted through contaminated food (Oyarzabal, et al., 2012). Its presence in the human intestinal gut causes disease and is one of the leading causes of gastroenteritis in human beings. By crossing the polarized epithelial barrier in the gut, it leads to increased damage to intestinal tissue although the exact mechanism by which it accomplishes this is not yet defined (Boehm, 2011). As such, the research aimed to determine this through a series of infection studies. Results of the manner in which C. jejuni breeches the barrier of polarized epithelial cells was captured through the use of high resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and confocal microscopy, and the results through various strains of the pathogenic bacteria evaluated. The results of the experiments carried out in this study indicated that invasion of an epithelial cell by C. jejuni causes membrane ruffling and cytoskeletal rear rangement. It also shows that invasion by C. jejuni is time dependent and the number of pathogenic bacteria increases with time. It also shows that C. jejuni strains can also undergo transformation with the GFP and YFP in order to ensure genetic diversity and replication. 1.0 Introduction The human gastrointestinal tract has a mucosal cell layer that forms a strong barrier which protects the body from invasion by pathogenic microbes commonly residing in the intestinal lumen (Boehm et al., 2012). This class of bacteria, commonly referred to as enteric pathogenic bacteria, include Salmonella, Shigella, Heliobacter, and Campylobacter among others possess specific properties that enable them to

Management and Leadership Assignment #1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management and Leadership Assignment #1 - Essay Example Vandebroek, the Chief Technology Officer in Xerox, engages into a thorough discussion of the importance of innovation in the technology industry and the critical role of managing innovation in eventually gaining competitive advantage. According to the case study, Vandebroek distinguishes innovation from simple invention largely on the basis of their differentiation in orientation. As Noteboom (2000) claims, invention is the ‘obsession’ to create something new in a radical manner, whereas innovation is actually the process of transforming the new idea into marketable products or services. The underlining difference lies in the fact that while invention is the art of designing a new product or service, innovation is what actually matches the fit between this new product and the overall market. Innovating, according to Vandebroek, substantiates with the ability to introduce and launch new products that are necessary for the customers and which can yield economic returns and profits for the company. The distinction is directly related to the three stages of innovation as the term invention practically refers to the first two phases; concept and product technology. Invention, in other words, it is a part of innovation but fails to grasp the essence of making products or services available to the market. Chell (2001) states that innovation is not just about conceptualizing and developing new products, it is also about designing the overall strategy to efficiently and effectively introduce innovative products or services to the market. Therefore, in Vandebroek’s distinction the innovation adds up to the third stage which is non-addressed by invention. Kreitner (2006) states that during the last years, companies have assumed a pro-active role instead of creative as a partial way to avoid any forthcoming regulations Legal factors that might need to be considered by Xerox in its overall innovation

Business analysis of Oklahoma National Bank Case Study

Business analysis of Oklahoma National Bank - Case Study Example During these years, the bank had competed very well hence leading to its success. Its loan outstanding was also doubled yearly and its core deposit growth was on a straight incline (Townsend, Busenitz, & Arthurs, 2001). Factors that led to Oklahoma national bank success Quality management Total quality management is one of the management approaches applied by Oklahoma bank in seeking to establish zero defects when running its business. It comprises of team leadership, worker empowerment, and creative problem solving in order to achieve its set goals. These programs are now available in marketing, production, customer support and finance (Schjoedt, 2009). A TQM program includes all aspects of organizations operations that include; the structure of the company, the culture the company has developed, and its hiring and promotional practices. TQM evolved from the quality assurance methods that were first developed during the First World War. It was due to the poor banking systems in the First World War that led to the adoption of the quality management practices by this bank (Rodriguez, 2008) Defining and measuring quality in Oklahoma bank Quality in its final analysis, is the capacity to meet diverse requirements which are economical, productive, social and of course with measurable actions. The quality of performance is one of the basic elements in trying to differentiate an organization within any market. This bank has applied the quality management in the following areas of its operation: 1) Customer relationships - involves establishing strong relationships with the customer’s through partnership arrangements and having direct customer contacts. 2) Customer involvement in the new product designs - this involves the involvement of the potential customers in the... Business analysis of Oklahoma National Bank It was founded in early 2000 and grew at such an alarming rate that within a couple of years, it multiplied more than eleven times the original assets and capital. It provides personal banking, commercial banking, business banking, and wealth management services in the United States. Its success was fueled by strong organizational culture, the bank’s ability to maintain high asset quality, quality management and use of En Act to zero in on customer relationship. Since then, it has merged with a larger banking organization, but it retains its decision making at a local level. It does this in order to remain committed to the fundamental values and beliefs that have seen this bank go far. As a result, the bank prides itself in having a unique laic culture of a strong relationship among the employees, directors and the founders of the bank. The bank is also God driven as they open all meetings with a prayer hence see this particular adventure as a blessing from God and seek to be good stewards indeed. Another key strategy which the bank has applied is that, they promote open discussion and honesty among their employees in order to have an honest dialogue in â€Å"an effort to effort† to meet the customers long term banking needs. This paper presents a model of strategic approach and entrepreneurial behavior and activities in either individual or cooperate entrepreneurship that eventually leads to a positive leap forward relative to present position.

Reward systems at heritage le telfair

Reward systems at heritage le telfair Tourism industry is a heavy dependent of human interaction, including employees (Baum, 1993; Davidson, 2003). Go et al., (1996) argue that the of products or experiences quality relies on competent, committed, and satisfied hospitality staff. Subsequently, numerous studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction (Schmitt and Allscheid, 1995; Schneider et al., 1998; Ulrich, et al., 1991; Wiley, 1991) cited in Jing and Avery (2008). Hence, to ensure job satisfaction the appropriate reward mechanism needs to be adopted (Danish and Usman, 2010; Bai et al., 2006). Rewards play an important role in organizations today: they influence a variety of work-related behaviour (Eastaugh, 2002; Helmer et al., 1988) and as well as the motivation of employees (Nayeri et al, 2005). Reward can be defined as the benefit derived from performing a task, rendering a service or discharging a responsibility (Pitts, 1995; Silbert, 2005). Thus, this conceptual analysis aims at reviewing clear definitions of reward systems (Lawler, 1993; Herzberg, 1966) and its structure (Bartol and Srivastava, 2002). Light will also be shed on the development of reward systems by Zhou et al., (2009), its objectives by Lawler (1993), and the total reward system (Armstrong, 2006). Furthermore, the literature sets out the prominent reward practices of the hospitality industry argued by a myriad of authors, lists the tools to determine reward effectiveness (e-reward, 2009) and finally analyse the perceptions of managers and employees on rewards by Nelson, 2003; Perkins, 2007, among oth ers. 2.1 REWARD SYSTEMS Reward Systems are a critical part of any organisations design. The way in which they fit with its other systems will determine the latters effectiveness and the quality of life of its employees (Lawler 1993, p.2). Reward systems refer to the intrinsic and extrinsic benefits that workers receive from their jobs (Herzberg 1966; Katz and Van Mannan, 1977). Moreover, Byars and Rue (1997) define reward systems as being all the returns employees receive as a result of the employment by their organization, monetary as well as non-monetary. In contrast, Armstrong, (2006) incorporates the element of effective reward management in order to benefit both people and organisation in his definition. 2.1.1 STRUCTURE AND COMPONENTS OF REWARD SYSTEMS According to Bartol and Srivastava, (2002) and Grawitch et al., (2007, p.3), rewards could range from: Monetary and; Non-monetary incentives In addition further research by De Cenzo et al. (1996) has been agreed by Bartol and Srivastava, (2002) on the categorisation of rewards as being intrinsic and extrinsic (depicted in figure 2.1.1). Figure 2.1.1: Reward Structure-Source: De Cenzo et al., 1996 2.2 DEVELOPMENT OF REWARD SYSTEMS Attesting that reward development has experienced five phases, Zhou et al (2009) summed up the relevant records in table 2.2a. Table 2.2a: The Five Phases of Reward-Source: Zhou et al, 2009 To provide a historical glimpse, another version on the development of reward systems-figure 2.2b-has been compiled from Shermon, 2004; World at work, 2007; AWLP, 2006. Figure 2.2b: Brief Overview the Evolution of Reward Systems Source: Adapted from Shermon, 2004, World at work, 2007, and AWLP, 2006 2.3 OBJECTIVES OF REWARD SYSTEMS Every hospitality industry employer wants to recoup back investment on its employees (Glenn, 2006). Traditionally, the purpose of reward systems is to monetarily reward desirable behaviour (Bartol and Srivastava 2002; Rajagopalan and Finkelstein 1992). But, further research suggests that there are other objectives which potentially can impact organization effectiveness (Lawler, 1993). 1. Attraction and Retention Enz (2009) affirms that attraction and retention are among the main HR areas of concern in the hospitality industry. A firms reward system can influence employees desire to stay in the company-as demonstrated by Bamberger and Meshoulam, 2000 and MacDuffie, 1995. Similarly, Gerhart and Milkovich, (1992) are convinced that organisations which give the most rewards tend to attract and retain most people. However, owing to its poor image in terms of remuneration and working conditions (Baum, 2007; Kusluvan and Kusluvan, 2000), the hospitality sector has lost its ability to attract and retain skilled staff compared to other sectors (Christensen Hughes, 2002; Lucas and Jeffries, 1991; Barron, 2008). On a serious note Terry and Lam (2000) cited in Chellen and Nunkoo (2010) warns that if hotels want to survive in todays highly competitive arena, they earnestly need to attract and retain quality employees. Though not being a panacea, to facilitate organisational commitment to employees has be en the idea proposed by Dawson and Abbott (2009) with the aim of a positive relationship with attraction and retention of these employees 2. Motivation of Performance Wagner (1990) claims that a primary concern in the design of reward systems is how well the plan will work in motivating employees. Responding to this, the works of Gerhart and Milkovich, 1992; Lawler, 1971, 1990; Bamberger and Meshoulam, 2000, MacDuffie, 1995 have proved that reward systems have been demonstrated to motivate performance under certain specifiable conditions. Simons and Enz (1995) research translated that hotel employees viewed bonuses associated to guest-satisfaction scores as an opportunity for motivation. Affirmatively, Torrington et al, (2009, p. 162) and Rabey (2000) allege that expectancy theorys advocates and behavioural sciences believe that employees will work harder if rewards are attached. Nonetheless, (Luthans and stajkovik, 1999) contest that there are a few who challenges the above perspectives. Such a scholar is Kohn, (1993), who concur that any incentive system makes people less enthusiastic, hence, less committed to excellence to their work. Notwithst anding with the above views, Chopin et al., (1995) have found that compensation depends on firm size and performance 3. Skills and Knowledge Just as reward systems can motivate performance they can motivate skill development by tying rewards to it (Lawler, 1996b). Jamison and OMara, 1991 and Pfeffer, 1998 explain that healthy work programmes are those which provide employees with the opportunity to increase and apply their knowledge and skills to different situations. Indeed, Kilik and Okumus (2005) ascertained that education and training were associated with productivity in hotels. Also, there has proved to be a positive relationship between training and employee retention, as reported by Dearden et al. (1996); Umiker (1994); and Blundell et al., (1996). However, being reputed for its high labour turnover culture (Denvir and McMahon, 1992; Deery, 1999; Tracey and Hinkin, 2006; Pizam and Thornburg, 2000; Rowley and Purcell, 2001; Lo and Lamm, 2005), the hospitality industry faces a lot of educational investment loss when training was provided to those leaving employees (Kang and Gould, 2002, Iverson and Deery, 1997; Rowle y and Purcell, 2001; Jenkins, 2001). 4. Culture Kerr and Slocum (2005) are among the advocates of the approach that the reward system can be a powerful means for influencing an organisations corporate culture. This is because of their important influence on communication, motivation, satisfaction, and membership (Lawler, 1998). Going a step further and in accordance with Brewster (1995); Bellenger et al, (1984); MilikiĆ¡ (2007); and Nacinovic et al., (2010), Lawler (1998) suggests that pay systems can help to change culture. As a deduction, Bauer and Erdogan (2009) admit that which behaviours are rewarded and punished determine the progression of a companys culture. Tracey and Hinkin (2000); and Davies et al., (2001) propose that increased wages and improved management practices such as increase staff motivation, commitment, flexibility and the quality of employees within an organisation could be efficient tools to remedy for the labour turnover culture in the hotel industry. However, Buultjens et al., (2007) emphasise o n the fact that hospitality businesses should adopt a more strategic approach to reward and monitor its effectiveness. 2.4 THE TOTAL REWARD SYSTEM The time when reward was only about cash and when people worked only for money, has nearly reached, if not yet, its extinction (Thompson, 2002; Phonsanam, 2010; Silverman, 2003; Schuster and Zingheim, 2000). Gao (2009) states that hoteliers have shifted from traditional to total reward systems. Simply defined, Total Rewards are the monetary and non-monetary return provided to employees in exchange for their time, efforts and results (Worldatwork, 2007). Alternatively, Zingheim and Schuster (2000) suggest that the new concept of total rewards comprise four total reward components as depicted in figure 2.4a. Figure 2.4a: Total Rewards-Source: Zingheim and Schuster, 2000 For the purpose of this study, the below model has been derived from the extensive list of total rewards provided by Worldatwork (2007) (Find in Appendix) which will be used to categorise Heritage Le Telfair Golf and Spa Resorts reward model. Figure 2.4b: TOTAL REWARD MODEL Source: Adapted from: Total Rewards: Different things to different employers Worldatwork (2007) A summary of the components found in the TR system with specific reference to the hospitality industry brought the classification of some points (Refer to Appendix B) The justification to adopt a total reward approach might be because it improves job satisfaction, work efficiencies, job performances, psychological contract and organizational citizenship behaviours (Zhou et al., 2009). Pessimistically, Kantor and Kao (2004) attributes to HR professionals of feeling confused or sensing chaos regarding TR thus contributing to the poor, complex and risky development and execution of TR (Thompson, 2002) leading to counter productivity and resource wastage (Albertson, 2000). Ergo, an advice would be that all pay components should be aligned complementarily and that the TR strategy should be derived from business strategy and, most importantly, be communicated to all employees, (Lyons and Ben-Ora, 2002; Gilbert and Cornish, 2005). 2.5 REWARD PRACTICES IN THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR 2.5.1. MYTH OR REALITY? Stereotype thinking has been revealed to be that the tourism and hospitality sector offers low pay, very little training and career prospects, limited scope for promotion, and unsociable working hours (WTTC, 2002a; HTF, 2000; Walmsley, 2004). Nickson (2007) also narrates the same facts but he associates this situation to the endemicity of unskilled or semi-skilled employees in the hospitality sector. 2.5.1.1 Low Pay Recurring evidence shows that that the compensation of regular employees of the hospitality is averagely lower comparatively to other sectors (Deery and Shaw, 1999; Hoel and Einarsen 2003; ABS, 2006a; Baum, 2007; Lucas and Jeffries, 1991; Tracey and Hinkin, 2000;; Worcester, 1999). However, hotels and restaurant recruiters are reporting that subject to the growth of the industry employers are increasingly offering attractive recruitment packages to attract the right staff (Wilson, 1999; HCIMA, 2010). Furthermore, wages in hospitality is on a rising trend owing to an increase in minimum wage (Clarke and Chen, 2007; McManus et al., 2011). Yet, Baram (2008) reports that minimum wage raise is not enough to survive in a high cost of living economy. 2.5.1.2 Unsociable Working Hours The hospitality sector requires employees to work relatively long hours (Pratten, 2003; Baum et al., 1997; Kelley-Patterson and George, 2001; OLeary and Deegan, 2005; Wallace, 2003; Lo and Lamm, 2005; Baum, 2006; Karatepe and Uludog, 2007 and Wong and Ko, 2009; Birdir, 2002) which deter a good work life balance. Further contributing to the black list, this sector is also associated to high-burn out service jobs (Maxwell; Faulkner and Patiar, 1997). Astonishingly, we have not come across any studies which sing the praises of working hours in the hospitality sector. It can thus be deduced that the hospitality workplace will fit only those who love the job environment and working night shifts that Barrons et al., 2007 study concluded. 2.5.1.3 Limited Training The EFILWC (2004) and STB (2002) stress that training is viewed as interesting by both employers and employees but is not the priority due to time and money constraint. Jameson, 2000; Dawson, 2006; Roberts 1995; Pratten, 2003; Lucas, 2002; Maxwell et al., 2004; Choe and Dickson, 2010 and Cairncross and Buultjens, 2007 also ratify the lack of investment in training. Indeed, Sigala et al., (2001) and Lashley and Best (2002) affiliate this with the high labour turnover in the industry. Howbeit, employers who admit that employee training has become preponderant for hotels, gain from improved service quality, decreased labour costs, increased productivity and profitability, high retention (Kim, 2006). Such companies are Ritz Carlton which provides its employees with 200 hours of training each year (Snell and Bohlander, 2010), Choice Hotels International, Coastal Hotel Group, Four Seasons Regent Hotels and Resorts, and Disneys Polynesian Resort (Enz and Siguaw, 2000). 2.5.1.4 Limited scope for promotion and career prospects In accordance with Getz, 1994; Hjalager and Andersen, 2001 and Page et al., 2001, Walmsleys (2004) exact words for tourism jobs are lacking in a clear career structure. Furthermore, various studies have shown that the hospitality sector is not a career option but rather a refuge sector. (Szivas and Riley, 1999; Riley et al., 2002; Wildes, 2007). Wright and Pollert (2006) also talk about an inhibitation of promotion of employees in hotels. Though, Hai-yans and Baums (2006) survey findings revealed that a majority of 68.1% envisage their future within the hotel sector, the other facet of the research is that nearly half of the staff feel uncertain about their hotel career and whine about promotion opportunities. Regardless of the above, Visit Scotland/George Street Research, (2002) and Wilson (1999) found that careers in the industry were in fact considered challenging and interesting. 2.5.2 FINANCIAL REWARDS Financial reward are rewards that enhance directly the financial well-being of the employee Chelladurai, (2006) and consists of base and variable pay, employee benefits and allowances (Armstrong, 2002). In an effort to develop a comprehensive understanding of the remuneration in the hotel sector, Mars and Mitchell (1974, p.27) and Wood (1994, 1997) suggested that payment to hotel employees from the perspective of a total payment system is comprised of basic pay ,subsidized food and lodging, tips, fiddles and knock offs. Base pay Base pay is a crucial component of any individuals total pay, and is used as a tool by many employers to attract talent (Sturman, 2006; Walker and Miller, 2008; Saks et al., 1996). Basic pay is the rate of pay which notionally reflects the market value for a job in an organisation (Heery and Noon, 2001). By far, many studies discerned that wages were preponderant and powerful motivational factors among hospitality employees (Simons and Enz 1995; Griffin and Moorhead, 2009; Blinder, 1990; Lawler, 1991e). Nevertheless, as Milkovich and Newman, 1990 expressed, pay is only one attribute among many others in attracting candidates. Pay for Performance Plans Most hospitality businesses are currently using some form of pay-for-performance compensation (Berman, 2010). Pay for performance has often been viewed as a norm of distributive justice by Campbell et al., (1998). UNISON (2001) highlights that the most common types of performance pay are piecework, payment by result, organisation wide incentives, merit pay, performance- related pay, competence based pay, profit related pay. When pay advancement is based upon an assessment of individual performance, against pre-established objectives, it can be referred to as performance related pay (Egan, 2010; Tanke, 2000). Nonetheless, when employees receive permanent pay increases based upon individual performance assessments, this can be referred to as merit pay (Heneman and Werner, 2005; Park and Sturman, 2009). Indeed, research evidence clearly supports that pay-for-performance plans have been found to help achieve desired results, at both the individual level (Bonner and Sprinkle, 2002; Gerhart and Milkovich, 1990; Heneman and Werner, 2005; Lawler, 1971, 1981; 1992; Schwab and Olson, 1990) and organizational level (Gerhart and Milkovich, 1990; Gomez-Mejia and Welbourne, 1988; Lawler, 1981). In contrast Hayes and Ninemeier (2009) avow that hospitality managers disagree that pay should be linked to individual performance as this has proved unbeneficial to teamwork. Many other counteracting studies divulged that PFP plans do not always affect performance (Heneman and Werner, 2005; Kahn and Sherer, 1990; Kuvaas, 2006; Pearce et al., 1985; Rynes et al., 2004 and Benson and Brown 2000) and does not really lead to motivation (Marsden and Richardson, 1994; Harris, 2001). Furthermore, PFP has been categorised as being subject to favouritism, personal bias, and deliberate distortion (Pfeffer, 1998; Milkovich and Boudreau, 1991; Campbell et al., 1998) and as an anxiety generator among employees (Bassett, 1994). Thus, the minimum requirement for the proper functioning of PFP should be, as Kessler (1994) says agreeable to employees. Tipping Tipping is a common practice in the hotel industry and is a considerable source of revenue for service employees (Lynn, 2003; Azar, 2004). Lynn (2001) defines tipping as an economic payment that occurs in the context of a commercial exchange thereby encouraging many hotel managers to view it as a useful management tool. Ogbonna and Harris (2002) perceive tipping as an effective way to control employee behaviour and wage cost, and a potential path towards organizational profitability, whilst Lynn (2001) distinguishes tipping as a tool to measure customer satisfaction and servers performance. Also, tips represent an opportunity for workers to supplement low pay level (Wood, 1992). It is commonly believed that there is a relationship between service quality and tip size (Lynn and Graves, 1996; Conlin et al., 2003). However, empirical research examining this relationship found it to be insignificant (Lynn and Graves, 1996; Lynn and McCall, 2000; Lynn 2001; Azar, 2003a). As such, tipping is an investment for future good service and deters reduced attention (Pearson, 2010; Bodvarsson and Gibson, 1999; Lynn and Withiam, 2008; Lynn and Thomas-Haysbert, 2003). Azar (2007b) strictly disputes this and notes that future service is not dependent on tipping. Consequently, Casey (2008) warns service managers not to count on tipping to motivate staff to provide good service as researchers have found tipping negatively effects employee commitment. Withal, Wood (1992); Lucas, (1996); and Shamir, (1983) criticise this practice as research has demonstrated that tipping can bring perturbation, increase competition and individualism, and overdependence on customers among workers at the workplace. Williams et al. (2004) identified that the collection and distribution of tips method was also customary by managers. 2.6 NON-FINANCIAL REWARDS FOR EMPLOYEES Direct financial rewards albeit play a central role in the attraction of talented employees, it has been proved that they trail only a short-term impact on employees motivational levels (Ellis and Pennington, 2004; Samodien, 2004). This is where non-financial reward programs come in handy. They are in fact tied to the quantity and quality of individual performance to generate greatest impact on improving overall business value (Stolovitch et al., 2002). Non financial rewards, according to De cenzo and Robbins, (1994, p.413), emphasise on making life easier on the job more attractive. According to Armstrong (2002) it includes of recognition, achievement and responsibility. Non-Financial Recognition (NFR) I can live for two months on a good compliment. Mark Twain According to Moody (2008, p. 277), non-financial compensation is defined as satisfaction that a person receives from the job itself or from the psychological and/or physical environment in which the person works. Recognition forms an indispensible part of the total reward system of a company (Dessler, 2009; Human Capital Institute, 2009). Recognition typically relates to formally recognising employees accomplishment to strengthen employee loyalty, intrinsic motivation and productivity (Aamodt 2007; Dessler 2009; Marchington and Wilkinson 2008; Blum and Tremarco, 2008). Liu (2010) expresses that NFR can convey the message on the type of performance that the organisation expects from them to other employees Silverman (2004) and Human Capital Institute (2009) clarify that the NFR schemes may vary from informal to formal structures (See figure 2.6.3 a) Figure 2.6a: A dissection of Non-financial Recognition Schuster and Zingheim (2000) categorise recognition as being verbal, written, work related, social, symbolic, tangible, and financial. According to an employee recognition survey carried out in 2002, 84 percent of the responding 391 companies had the following forms of recognition: Note: Total adds more to 100% because respondents were asked to indicate all that apply. Gift Certificates 63% Other 31% Cash 58% Watches 28% Office accessories 41% Electronics 24% Jewellery 40% Travel 14% Household items 35% Debit cards 6% Table 2.6b: Employee Recognition survey Findings-Source: Compensation and Benefits Report, 2003 Some authors highlight the essential nature of employee recognition as a vector of motivation (Dutton 1998; Appelbaum and Kamal 2000; Saunderson 2004; Grawitch et al., 2006), identity (Dejours, 1993), component of meaningful work (Mow, 1987; Morin, 2001) and company success (Ford and Fina, 2006; Armstrong and Brown 2006; Cilmi 2005; Schuster and Zingheim, 2000). In fact, a lack of recognition embodies the second-largest risk factor for psychical anxiety at work (Brun and Biron et al., 2003) and to high turnover in hospitality industry (Raleigh, 1998). Surprisingly, Nelson (1998) reports that employee recognition might not be beneficial when it becomes annoying to others who have to hear the continuous praises of their colleagues. Moreover, it has been found that traditional forms of recognition such as Achievement Awards, Cash Substitutes, Nominal Gifts or Food, and Public Perks have diminished in importance for most of todays employees (Nelson, 2004). Results from various studies ha ve indicated that indicate that wage increases and cash incentives are important motivational rewards for lower-level employees (Hong et al,. 1995; Arnolds and Venter, 2007). Thus, managers should bear in mind that recognition might not always be appropriate for everybody. Fiddles and Knock-offs Although recruitment, retention, and understaffing issues in hospitality are well documented (Baum, 2002; Brien, 2004; Choi et al., 2000; Gustafson, 2002; Jameson, 2000), there is poor literature dedicated to the issue of fiddles and knock-offs (Jones and Groenenboom, 2002). In addition to tips, some hotel and catering workers might also benefit from Fiddles and Knock-offs (Wood, 1992). Fiddles refers to pilferage that goes on in hotels. Whilst knock-offs is a particular form of fiddle involving the purloining of (usually) small items such as soap and towels, but mostly consisting of stealing food (Mars, 1973; Mars and Nicod 1981). In accordance with Mars and Mitchell (1976) and Nickson (2007) who establish that fiddles and knock-offs are in fact institutionalised in hotels whereby management collude on allowing to a certain extent this practice, Gill et al. (2002) have also stated that small-scale theft of hotel property are tolerated as a form of shrinkage. The reasoning behind mig ht be explained by Hollinger and Clark (1983) who found that employer retraction against theft was inversely related to theft. Despite that, agreement is widespread that theft in the workplace is a serious problem (Greenberg, 2002, Weber et al., 2003) and has proved costly for businesses (McClurg, 2006). Hence, the challenge lies in managements concern in setting parameters beyond which pilferage will not be tolerated (Mars and Mitchell, 1976). Fringe Benefits Heneman and Schwab (1985) defined benefits as indirect pay or payment for time not worked such as health care, retirement account, and insurance. Benefits account for a big portion of the reward package, and employees recognise them as an integral part of their reward package (Gross and Friedman, 2004; Williams et al., 2007). In its simplest forms benefits may include: breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks, that the employees and their families can have (Rubis, 2004), free cab rides home after certain times (Oldfield and ODonovan, 2001). Namasivayam and Zhao. (2007) apprised that benefits should be offered to all employees as they found out that benefits had greater positive effects on motivation, retention and job satisfaction on non-managerial employees. Considering the lack of academic research in the field of employee benefits in the hospitality industry, information on employee benefits at three international hotels has been gathered from their respective websites in the table 2.6c. Conversely, Hansen (2005) recur that the cost of employee benefits in the united states is killing profitability for whole sectors. Because of such costs, organisations are increasingly implementing cost containment strategies to lower labour expenses (Lucero and Allen, 1994). The same authors continue to argue that negative repercussions can range from mild dissatisfaction to severe outcomes like outrage, resentment, and anger. Table 2.6c: Examples of Employee Benefits in international hotels THE RITZ CARLTON FOUR SEASONS HOTELS AND RESORTS SHERATON HOTELS AND RESORTS Well-tailored Uniforms Medical, Dental, Vision Coverage Life and Accidental Death Dismemberment Insurance Short and Long Term Disability Health Care and Family Care Spending Accounts Domestic Partner Benefits Vacation, Sick/Personal and Holiday Pay Retirement 401(k) Plan Employee Stock Purchase Plan Employee Assistance Program Educational Assistance Program Employee Discounts on hotel rooms, restaurant outlet meals and retail items Complimentary Employee Meals Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals Paid holidays / vacation Educational assistance Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance Retirement benefits / pension Employee service awards Annual employee party / social and sporting events Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants Comprehensive, low cost health insurance for employee and family Dental and vision insurance coverage Company-sponsored retirement plans (U.S. 401(k) program) Life Insurance and Disability Insurance Flexible Spending Accounts Employee Stock Purchase Plan Employee Assistance Program Adoption Assistance Domestic Partner eligibility SOURCE: Adapted from: http://corporate.ritzcarlton.com/en/careers/benefits.htm, http://jobs.fourseasons.com/workingatfourseasons/benefits/Pages/fsbenefits.aspx, http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/careers/offer/benefits.html 2.7 MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF REWARD SYSTEMS You cannot improve what you cannot measure Lord Kelvin Pfeffer (1998) remarked that there was little devotion in measuring the efficacy of rewards although the design of the reward system loomed much management attention. However, Armstrong et al. (2009) rate the importance of such practice even above the design and execution of rewards. The primordial reasons for measuring reward effectiveness are to apperceive the benefits and impediments of a reward strategy Hodgson (2010) and to discern potential areas for improvement (Armstrong et al. (2009). Yet, Heneman (2002) comments that the evaluation of a reward systems effectiveness remains often overlooked. For instance, reward survey conducted by the CIPD in 2009 showed that only 32 percent of respondents had carried out any form of evaluation. In addition, a survey of reward by e-reward in 2009 established that only a low proportion of 12 percent of respondents had evaluated their performance-related pay schemes. Tools used to carry out the evaluation, according to e-reward (2009a) are: External market survey Staff attitude survey Benchmarking Internal data analysis Equal pay reviews Apparently, simpler methods for such practice do exist. For example, a survey carried out by Edenred concluded that reliance on manager observation, feedback and employee surveys were common for measuring reward effectiveness Hodgson (2010). Other criteria that could be used to measure reward effectiveness include improved performance, compliance with laws and regulations, cost reduction, contribution to strategic plans (Bergmann and Scarpello, 2002); Gomez-Mejia, 1992) and employee attitudes (Ram and Prabhakar, 2010). Hence, hospitality businesses could engage in carrying out such assessments in order to investigate the problem of high labour turnover in the industry. The tendency for overlooking the evaluation of rewards as highlighted by Heneman (2002) can be justified by the following reasons provided by Pfeffer and Sutton (2006): Lack of time and resources to evaluate Bewildering sources of information Lack of training and skills in statistics Laziness Constant change in organisations 2.8 THE GAP BETWEEN HOW MANAGERS REWARD EMPLOYEES AND HOW EMPLOYEES WANT TO BE REWARDED Figure 2.8: What Do Employees Want From Their Jobs?-Sources: Foreman Facts, Labor Relations Institute of NY (1946); Lawrence Lindahl, Personnel Magazine (1949) Repeated with similar results: Ken Kovach (1980); Valerie Wilson, Achievers International (1988) Bob Nelson, Blanchard Training Development (1991) Sheryl Don Grimme, GHR Training Solutions (1997-2001) Most managers feel that all employees want is more money (Nelson, 2003). Research shows there is a wide gap between managers and employees on this issue, as shown in the figure 2.8.1. However, other survey findings revealed new elements which have not been found by the original study in 1996. Thus, the below list has been compiled from various authors survey findings on the subject in hand. Fair (competitive) Compensation (Perkins, 2007) Flexible working hours and time-off from work (Nelson,