Financial Management – Risk Analysis

There are also reputation threats such as damage to the company's reputation in the market or from employee loyalty. You also have procedural risk, project, and financial, technical risk. Natural and political risk as well. Company decision makers must think through the systems, organizations or structures they operate, and analyze risks to any part of them. Once the threats have been acknowledged, the next step is to work out the probability of the threat being carried out and to evaluate its impact.A company must workout the value of risks It faces, so that the company can start to look at ways of dealing with them. When a company does this, It Is critical to choose cost effective methods. Risk analysis allows an organization to examine the risks that it faces. It Is based on a well thought out plan of attack In thinking through threats, followed by an evaluation of the probability and cost of Incidents occurring. Risk analysis forms the basis for risk management and crisis prevent ion. Five Interview Questions- Week SIX 1 . How would you Identify threats facing your company? . After Identifying the threats facing your company, how would you go about In assessing Its Impact? 3. How would you go about managing risk to your company? 4. After carrying out a risk analysis would you continue with regular reviews? 5. Why Is risk analysis so Important for a company? Financial Management – Risk Analysis By Judicial threats such as damage to the company's reputation in the market or from employee A company must workout the value of risks it faces, so that the company can start to kook at ways of dealing with them.When a company does this, it is critical to choose it faces. It is based on a well thought out plan of attack in thinking through threats, followed by an evaluation of the probability and cost of incidents occurring. Risk Five Interview Questions- Week Six 1 . How would you identify threats facing your company? 2. After identifying the threats facing yo ur company, how would you go about in assessing its impact? 5. Why is risk analysis so important for a company?

Report on Red Bull brand Essay

The energy drink market started to grow in the past 25 years. Red Bull was the first energy drink that started this kind of business. Throughout the unique branding strategy and extraordinary investment on marketing this brand maintained the best selling energy drink worldwide. This report will discuss on the Red Bull’s brand expression and how successful is the user perception of the brand image. History The Austrian businessman Dietrich Mateschitz created Red Bull’s energy drink formula in Thailand in mid 1980’s and the first can sold in Austria in 1987. He also developed a distinctive marketing strategy that established a new category of products. When Mateschitz questioned about the absence of energy drinks market he replied, â€Å"We’re going to invent one†. In 1992 the product reached other markets like Hungary and Slovenia, and then the United States in 1997 and the Middle East in 2000 . Today Red Bull is available in more than 160 countries and more than 35 billion cans been sold so far. Market Share Due to high demand and popularity, the market for energy drinks is constantly growing. People can now find several brands of energy drinks that offer several flavors, options and themes. With all this growth, Red bull still manages to dominate and lead the market over its main competitor such as Monster. With that, it was stated that this makes it the most popular every drink in the world. This can be reflected through the increase of Red Bull’s sales every year, selling 4.6 billion cans in 2011 and 5 billion in 2012. Customer Segmentation With Red Bull’s famous international tagline â€Å"Red Bull gives you wings†, and as an energy that is promoted to ‘increase performance’, it’s websites states that the best times to consume Red Bull is on the road, during lectures, study sessions, at work, while doing sports, playing video games, or going out day and night. This reflects that Red Bull is having a target audience of youth between 18 to 35 years old. In addition, Red Bull had a â€Å"Red Bull Brand Ambassador† Program targeting university students who work on representing Red Bull and bring the energy drink to events or parties, to attract more customers. In addition, Red Bull states that their cans are 100% recyclable, which proves being environmentally friendly and attract people concerned with the environment. Because of this unique branding strategy Red Bull was able to create loyal customers who only go for Red Bull when ever energy is needed, or not! Brand Expressions and Image The Red Bull Company tries to associate their brand with energetic and extreme events although as life style product. The current identity shows a direct connection between the product and it’s target audience, Athletes, students, hard workers, and who needs to â€Å"Vitalities body and mind†. The visual identifier is consist of two bulls butting each other which embodies strength, challenge and energy while the tagline â€Å"Energy Drink† describe the product in a quick catchy way. . Red Bull advertisings are not only pushing into being part of the cool extreme crowd and the risk-taking attitude but also showing that Red Bull is suitable with all aspects of user’s life (work, study and play). Methodology The objective of this research is to investigate publics’ attitude and perception towards the Red Bull brand. A 10 questions survey was designed based on an introductory research. The survey was distributed online and been giving to students and tutors in the Polytechnic campus. A total of 49 responses were gathered. Analysis Graph1: Demographics of respondents Graph2: Product usage It has been noticed that the majority of the respondents are not considered consumers, but since we are investigating the brand reception and not the product itself. Graph3: Aspects and associations This section is narrowed down for the respondents who consume the product and who are not, and examines their motives behind their behavior and attitude towards the brand indirectly. The results shows significant contrast between sports and studying as being what motivate the consumers, hence the brand image here support the brand expression of being part of the life style and not for sport events only. Graph4: User Perception Results indicate that most of the respondents are disagree when Red Bull is associated with sports. While above average satisfaction with the idea of it is being trending. Findings Red Bull’s current expression is focused on making the product appropriate as a life style drink and not connected to one aspect (i.e. sports). The survey that was conducted previously reflects the lack of gap between the current brand expression and the consumer perceive. The respondents are aware of the brand value that the company is trying to portray. This awareness is reflected on the public attitude which both the brand expression and image are settled on the impression of Red Bull as for the cool, fun, risk-taking crowd, not just a drink for athletics enthusiasts. Conclusions This report and survey results showed that Red Bull made successful brand equity that maintained it self on the first rank with customer satisfaction and market share. It also succeeded on delivering the right message and values to the right target audience. Red Bull keeps proving that an effective marketing plan and good brand equity could be a successful impactful business. RefErences Aaker, D. (2012, December 21). How Red Bull Creates Brand Buzz. Retrieved April 16, 2013, from Harvard Business Review: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/12/how_red_bull_creates_brand_buzz.html Bhasin, K. (2012, Febuary 15). How Dietrich Mateschitz Ignored The Haters And Created The Top Energy Drink. Retrieved April 16, 2013, from Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-dietrich-mateschitz-ignored-the-haters-and-created-the-top-energy-drink-on-the-planet-2012-2 Boome, A. (2011, May 31). How food superbrands manage to become your family. Retrieved March 25, 2013, from BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13598581 Miller, J. (2011). Red Bull’s Brand Equity. West Virginia University. West Virginia: News America Marketing. Red Bull GmbH Company Profile. (2013). Retrieved April 16, 2013, from Yahoo! Finance: http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/101/101316.html Red Bull GmbH. (2013). Red Bull the company. Retrieved April 3, 2013, from Red Bull: http://energydrink.redbull.com/company Red Bull History. (2004). Retrieved April 17, 2013, from Funding Universe: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/red-bull-gmbh-history/ Appendix A: Survey sheet Red Bull Brand Questionnaire 1- Age ââ€" ¯ Less Than 15ââ€" ¯ 16-20ââ€" ¯ 21-25 ââ€" ¯ 26-30ââ€" ¯ Above 31 2- Gender ââ€" ¯ Maleââ€" ¯ Female 3- Which energy drink do you drink the most? (Select one) ââ€" ¯ Red Bull ââ€" ¯ Power Horse ââ€" ¯ Boom Boom ââ€" ¯ I don’t drink any ââ€" ¯ Monster ââ€" ¯ Burn ââ€" ¯ Other _______________ 4- How often do you drink Red Bull? (Select one) ââ€" ¯ Everydayââ€" ¯ Frequently (Once or twice a week) ââ€" ¯ Occasionally (Once a month)ââ€" ¯ Rarely (Once every four months) ââ€" ¯ Never 5- If applicable, Why do you drink Red Bull? (You can select more than one) ☠ Taste☠ Studying☠ Work☠ Physical activities (sports) ☠ Lifestyle ☠ Mixing drinks☠ Driving☠ Brand design and image ☠ Marketing strategies, events, and sponsorships 6- If applicable, Why you do not drink Red Bull? (You can select more than one) ☠ Taste☠ Pricy☠ Unhealthy☠ I don’t believe in it ☠ Bad Reputation 7- On a scale of 1 to 10 Rate the following. Do you think that Red Bull is associated with extreme sports? Not at all

Othello coursework

Throughout the course of the play â€Å"Othello†, Iago is portrayed as the typical sinister villain with no motives for his evil plans, but he also brings many comical aspects to the production. Many audiences would have disliked Iago because of the fact that he is the stereotypical villain, yet we are compelled to watch in suspense, his next move. He is definitely a very complex character to understand. He appears to lack motivation for his evil plans and bases his reasoning on ideas he has conjured up in his head, such as the idea of his loving wife Emilia having an affair with Othello. Jacobean audiences in particular would have been shocked by Iago's behaviour for the fact that he uses a lot of blasphemous language such as â€Å"S'blood†. This would have been frowned upon in Jacobean society due to the this religious era; whereas today, it would not be seen as such a sin to take the Lord's name in vain. Many directors such as Sam Mendes have chosen to present their adaptation of the play as a homoerotic thriller and have portrayed Iago as the lusty servant who is in fact jealous of Desdemona, whereas other performances like Michael Grandage's production portrayed Iago as simply a motiveless character. In my opinion, Iago is undoubtedly one of Shakespeare's most notorious villains; without him there would be no story line. It is him who influences the characters to carry out the terrible tasks that keep the play entertaining and full of suspense. In many productions of Othello, Iago is a Machiavellian. This term originates from a text called â€Å"The Prince† which was written in the early sixteenth century by a figure of the Italian renaissance named Niccoli Machiavelli. He wrote in one of his books that â€Å"the end justifies the means† which was misunderstood by audiences who interpreted it as â€Å"any evil action can be justified if it is done for a good purpose†. Niccoli Machiavelli insinuated that all the rulers that had remained in power had not been kind and caring men, concerned with justice and fairness, but were infact cruel individuals, willing to do anything to ensure the security of their state and their own personal power. Iago shows the audience his Machiavellian ways in Act two Scene one when he says â€Å"Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me. For making him egregiously an ass. † This truly reveals his duplicitous nature and shows how much he enjoys other people's misery. Many critics have suggested that Iago may have been a warning to King James about his untrustworthy followers, as there was a lot of uncertainty about how he was ruling England at the time. Iago also reveals a duplicitous nature in Act one, scene two, when he swears to the Greek god â€Å"Janus†; the name of a Roman mythical God with two faces which could be reflected as a two faced image. Malicious is one of many adjectives used to describe Iago, but is it entirely accurate? Throughout most of the play, he is portrayed as an open and trustworthy person by every character; all of them refer to him as â€Å"honest Iago† Yet, as the audience are well informed by the end of the first act, he appears to be quite the opposite, as he states â€Å"I am not what I am† although ironically, he always tells the audience the truth In act one scene three, Shakespeare cleverly brings in the use of rhetoric as Iago tries to persuade Roderigo that Desdemona will soon tire of Othello. He states that â€Å"she must change for youth; which she is sated with his body she will find the error of her choice†, and then goes on to reveal his hatred for Othello and how he wishes for Roderigo to help him seek revenge. In a speech made by Iago, he mentions Roderigo's money eight times! He uses repetition to encourage Roderigo to make money, but the implication to the audience is that the money is for Iago and not Roderigo. Roderigo then says, â€Å"I'll sell all my land† which tells the audience that Iago's plan has worked. This prepares us for later on in the play when Iago uses his powerful manipulation to bring Othello to his downfall. Although Iago is often called the villain of the play, he also brings many entertaining moments; he is the only source of humour in the play. This may be perhaps, because he has caused all the misery in the play so is enjoying watching people suffer! He expresses his misogynistic views in Act Two Scene One in a heated discussion with Desdemona. Iago begins the discussion through the means of criticizing his wife, Emilia. He says â€Å"Sir, would she give you so much of her lips as of her tongue she oft bestows on me You would have enough† meaning Emilia often nags him. This shows that Shakespeare wished to amuse the audience too, as they would find this very entertaining possibly because they could relate to what Iago was saying, as it could be interpreted as a commonly stereotypical comment. Another scene where Iago is entertaining to the audience is in Act Two scene Three, where he pretends to be drunk in order to encourage Casio to drink more and become disorderly; in this scene Shakespeare is really playing to his audience. When the men are drinking, Iago makes a number of comments about the English, and what heavy drinkers they are compared to other countries, â€Å"Your Dane, Your German, and your swag-bellied Hollander – drink, ho! – are nothing to your English. † These comments would have met with a very wild reception from the crowd. This indicates to us that this play, despite its exotic settings, is very relevant to an English Jacobean audience. Also in this scene, Iago is at his best and plays a number of different parts to ensure the success of his plan. The three roles that he plays are: The ancient concerned for the sake of his master, the soldier desperate to maintain the peace of the city and the faithful friend of Cassio. The audience by now would be fully aware that he is really none of these roles, which brings us back to the idea that he is a complete machiavellian. Throughout the play, Iago uses his powerful language techniques to amuse and persuade the characters in order to get what he wants. During this process, Iago makes a number of powerful soliloquies that reveal his motives and plans. These soliloquies let the audience see the true personality and characteristic traits of the person speaking. Throughout, Iago is referred to as â€Å"honest Iago† or â€Å"good friend† but the audience are fully aware that these terms do not reflect Iago's true personality because they know what he is like as he has revealed his true self in his soliloquies. This brings a lot of dramatic irony to the play; the audience are fully aware of what has happened or what is about to happen, whilst the other characters remain unaware. A great example of this in the play, is in act 5 Scene 2. By this point, Othello had already killed Desdemona and had found out about Iago's lies; Othello then asks Iago, â€Å"why hath thus ensnared my soul and body? † ( meaning why have you done this to me? ) Iago replies, â€Å"demand me nothing; what you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word† This is hugely ironic because up to this, he had used words to his power, as the tool that caused Othello's downfall. This would be very frustrating for audiences who have been puzzled throughout the play as to what motivates Iago to cause such trouble. In conclusion, I believe Iago's character structures this play and creates the story line; some of the most exciting plots are centred around him – he murders his wife, arouses Brabantio, kills Roderigo and gets Othello's army drunk; His actions definitely drive the plot forward. His soliliques not only ensure he has a very intimate relationship with the audience, but they are the only dramatic device of the play. Although there is evidence to prove Iago is not racist, he is just jealous of Othello as he talks about Othello giving Cassio the promotion instead of him. To us, he is the character who keeps the plot alive and full of action. His character was used recently by a critic, Germaine Greer when she compared Shakespearian with current times to emphasise her point. She stated, â€Å"we no longer feel, as Shakespeare's contemporaries did, the ubiquity of satin, but Iago is still serviceable to us, as an objective correlative of the mindless inventiveness of racist aggression. Iago is still alive and kicking and filling migrants letterboxes with excrement† So, it really is a question of, should the play have been called â€Å"Iago† instead of â€Å"Othello†?

Electron Microscopy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Electron Microscopy - Coursework Example A selected area aperture is inserted into the back focal plane of the objective lens to select the required beam. When the direct beam is selected, a bright field image is formed, and when the diffracted beam is selected, a dark field image is formed. Bright field image The given micrograph shows a bright field image of a MgO crystal. The crystal specimen appears dark with a bright background. The background appears bright because only the direct beam of transmitted electrons is selected and let to pass through the aperture. The surface topology and the raised texture on top of the crystal are clearly observable. This kind of image is obtained by placing the objective diaphragm or the selected area aperture in the back focal plane of the objective lens. The aperture allows only direct beam to pass through while blocking the diffracted beam. The direct beam appears as a bright central spot. The aperture also maintains the collection angle. As seen in the ray diagram below, the objecti ve aperture blocks the diffracted beam, allowing only the transmitted beam to reach the image plane. Darkfield image The given micrograph shows a dark field image of a MgO crystal. The crystal specimen appears lighter than the background. The background is dark. The edges of the crystal are highly pronounced.   In case of the dark field imaging, also called as the central dark field operation, the selected area aperture is not shifted, but the incident beam is tilted to allow the scattered electrons in the diffracted beam to pass through the objective aperture. A collective ray diagram for both bright field and dark field imaging is given below: Selected Area Diffraction Pattern The given micrograph shows the selected area diffraction pattern of a MgO crystal. The lattice structure of the crystal is easily decipherable from the given SAED pattern. Diffraction from a single crystal in a polycrystalline sample can be captured if the aperture is small enough and the crystal is large enough. To obtain such a pattern, the selected area aperture is placed in the image plane of the objective lens and used to select only one part of the image. Using projector lenses to focus on electron beams to obtain small spots on the object surface, the diffraction patterns can be obtained. Using this pattern, the lattice of crystals can be easily studied and it is also possible to determine the orientation relationships between grains or even different phases. 2. (a) From a lattice image obtained from a single crystal of BaZrO3 (Fig. 4) determine the magnification. Compare this with the magnification obtained using the scale bar. Calculate the length the scale bar should be. To calculate the magnification from the lattice image given, the following formula for magnification is used: Magnification (M) = A stepwise solution for the given problem is presented below: Step 1 Calculation of pixel to cm ratio: The size of the image is measured in pixels and centimeters and found to be: Height in pixels= 556 pixels= 14.7cm

Terrorist Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Terrorist Organisation - Essay Example They usually term their terrorist movement as a national liberation movement and spare no effort to attract the attention of the world leaders to their cause. A great deal of success has been obtained by the subscribers to this form of terrorism. It can be asserted that the greatest number of benefits have been attained by its adherents. Such terrorists are very careful in regulating the amount of violence and destruction caused by their attacks, whose purpose is to obtain benefits without antagonizing or losing the goodwill of its supporters in the international community. Most of the terrorist groups that indulge in this form of terrorism are voluble in claiming that they should be designated as freedom fighters and not terrorists3. The most dangerous advocates of terrorism are religious terrorists. This is due to the fact that they resort to murderous attacks on innocent people in order to spread fear. The objective of these terrorists is to promote their own brand of religion and they sincerely believe that what they do has divine sanction. Their attacks are aimed at all those who do not subscribe to their beliefs. Due to this fact every person who does not follow their religious commands is at great danger from these fanatics4. Some of the religious terrorist groups are the Al Qaeda of Osama bin Laden, the Hamas which consists of Palestinian Sunni Muslims, the Shiite Muslim group of the Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Rabbi Meir Kahane organizations, the Baruch Goldstein of Israel and the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo5. At times a country's government will offer covert help to terrorists, this constitutes state sponsored terrorism. This constitutes a very effective foreign policy tool that is "a cost-effective way of waging war covertly, through the use of surrogate warriors or 'guns for hire'."6 Such terrorists are very effective, in comparison to other terrorists. This is due to the fact that such terrorists have vastly superior weapons, supplies, logistic support and access to up to date intelligence reports. The aim of the so called left-wing terrorists is to replace capitalism with communism. In comparison to the religious and state sponsored terrorists, their attacks on the general civilian population are very limited. This is due to the fact that these terrorists sincerely believe that the common man is the victim of the capitalists. Not surprisingly, these terrorists restrict their activities to kidnappings and destruction of monuments. Some of these left - wing groups are the German Baader - Meinhof, the Japanese Red Army, the USA's Weathermen of the 1970's, the 17 November group of Greece and the Italian Red Brigade7. A vast change has taken place in the field of terrorism. The previous instances of terrorism were mainly of the state sponsored type. Of late, as has been succinctly pointed out by Simon and Benjamin, religious terrorism has captured center stage. This variety of terrorism is independent of any country and is thereby not restricted by any country as to the amount and nature of violence that it can wreak on the general populace. In order to cause the maximum possible harm, these terrorists continually seek to procure weapons of mass destruction. The damage

Social Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Psychology - Essay Example taurant and hotel management about it, because he was my friend and I didn’t want to compromise our friendship and working unity over something like this, I didn’t say anything. Another time, I also took food from the cafeteria, along with P.M. He took most of it, but I kept a couple of sodas. The third time, I stole three steaks on my own. I think I wouldn’t have finally been fired for stealing, if I had done the right thing and reported P.M. This itself could be considered counter-factual thinking, though, because it is not rationally based: the past happened, and I cannot go back and change it, to make it fictional. I also saw these events with P.M. as being progressive and related to each other, but counter-factually, this could mean I was just ascribing meaning to them which they didn’t really have. B-Some psychologists suggest you can reduce cognitive dissonance by restoring positive self-evaluations that are threatened by the dissonance. Elliot and Devine (1994) refer to this as self-affirmation. Give an example of a time in your life when you reduced an unpleasant internal state in some self-affirming way. One time, I was able to overcome a bad situation in my life in a self-affirming way, using my sense of morality. I wanted to list examples of their morality may be more prone to give an accounting of their personal beliefs than what they see to be a proscribed function of weighing behavior by a set standard. â€Å"An affirmation is more effective when stated in the present tense. For example; "I now have a wonderful job." Avoid affirming something in the future tense, e.g. "I am going to have a wonderful job" or the results will always be waiting to happen† (Self, 2010). Therefore, ethics is perhaps a better measure of district leadership practice than morality, as it is seen as being less intertwined with belief systems than it is with more generalized (good or bad) behavior in relation to oneself and others. Like morality, ethics are

The effect of the Land Mortgage Loan Policy on the Efficiency of Dissertation

The effect of the Land Mortgage Loan Policy on the Efficiency of Chinese Farmers during 2003-2010 - Dissertation Example Setting up of schools, hospitals, emergency services like fire and other within short interval of places so as to provide the amenities to a larger number of people. One of the basic requirements for beginning mordernisation is industrialization. Industrialization triggers the process of mordernisation. With the setting up of industries for the commercial interests of the company, the factory units and the ancillary units would be constructed. Other important public amenity units like schools, houses, hospitals and shops would be built along with connecting roads and developed transport systems. Such building up of infrastructure fastens up the procedure of mordernisation. With globalisation, spread of the multinational companies all over the world, individuals are moving to different corners of the world for varied purposes like working, studying, treatment, settling down in better places and many more. As a result individuals now are more global citizens with presence in different countries. The People’s Republic of China is one of the most popular and highest ranking nation in the world. With the largest land area cover and a mighty population China has rapidly developed over the years to reach to the peak of success. China has been accommodating the largest population in the world; as a result, there has been a huge demand for the land for making houses. In order to restrict this trend, China has tightened its mortgage rule. 1.2: Research Aim Owing to the immense popularity of China, its phenomenal development and the ever increasing demand of land in China, the primary intent of this particular research paper is to find out the effect of land mortgage loan policy on the efficiency of the Chinese Farmers from 2003 to 2010. 1.3: Research Objectives Taking cue from the primary research aim of this paper, a few research objectives has been formulated. The research objectives are not something very different from the decided aims but instead it complemen ts the research aim. The assumed research objectives of this research paper are: To ascertain the significance of Chinese agriculture in last ten years To ascertain the challenges pertaining to the Chinese agriculture system and impact on farmers To analyse the impact and effect of financial support system on Chinese agriculture To ascertain the financial framework in the context of Chinese agriculture 1.4: Research Questions In order to attain the objectives of this research paper, it would be guided by a few questions which are as follows: What is the significance of Chinese Agriculture from the period 2003-2010? What are the challenges of agriculture in China and did they affect the farmers? What is the current financial support system for Chinese agriculture? What is the change and impact of current financial system on the Chinese agriculture? 1.5: Background of the Research In the recent years, the Chinese government has been adopting a number of policies with the aim of improv ing the rural areas and assisting the growth of the rural areas. The People’s Republic of China has been growing at a tremendous rate with its varied achievements in the different sectors. The entire economy of the People’s Republ

Management Practices in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management Practices in the Workplace - Essay Example entrusted with five functions namely: planning, leading, organizing, staffing and controlling which must be done efficiently and effectively to achieve organizational success. These will be the subject of this paper especially their implementation in a practical situation. This is one of the critical functions of management. According to Block (2011 p. 16) is the capacity to initiate a future distinct from the past. This can only be achieved through practices that foster high employee engagement. DuBrin (2008) and Reilly et al (2011) view planning as a process of setting goals and deciding on how to achieve them. Organizations unlike in the past whereby they used to have crisis management whereby decisions are made when problems arise; make long-term plans to guide the future of the organization. The manager must develop a vision and mission for the organization to guide all its activities. Plans can be strategic, tactical or operational depending on their use. Strategic plans are long-term and determine the future of the business. They are developed by high levels of management and form the basis for lower level tactical and operational plans. Tactical plans are developed for functional areas of the organization or business unit in a global company. These tactical plans according to DuBrin (2008) are for implementation of strategic plans through division into specific goals. They are also formulated by middle level managers. Operational plans on the other hand, are concerned with specific procedures and actions involved in running day-to-day activities or daily performance targets (Reilly et al. 2011). However, tactical and operational plans should be aligned with strategic plan. The operation plans in this case ensure efficiency (doing things right) while strategic plans ensure effectiveness (doing the right things) (DuBrin, 2008, p. 135; Reilly et al. 2011). For exa mple at Tripac, the most important decisions such as increasing market share or to do with

Price control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Price control - Essay Example The opinion of the College of Physicians was based on the fact that it would be better to self-impose limits instead of letting the insurance companies determine the income the industry would generate. In 1989 Argentina impose price controls on all goods and service in an attempt to stop the rampant inflationary forces. The government called the new system "managed prices" and in order to raise prices businesses had to ask permission from the government to do so. Prior to the new rules the price of food items had tripled in the previous weeks. In 1992 China eliminated price controls on food items in a rational move towards moving its economic system to assimilate more a free economy. It eliminated price controls on meats, eggs, and grain. The move hurt the civilian population as the price of meat which was undervalue went up 40% instantly after the government eliminated price controls on food items. At the beginning of the 21st century the Irish government considered imposing price controls on rents and housing prices due to high inflation in this economic sector. In 2001 California and Nevada impose price controls on wholesale electricity prices. The move caused some generators to withhold supplies, which created power shortages that caused stage 2 alerts. The Bush administration through this initiative capped excess profits on energy producers. Price controls are a common practice in the petroleum industry. In 1988 the U.S. government charged the Texaco Corporation with a penalty of $1.25 billion for violations of price ceilings on the sale of wholesale crude oil. Price control regulations have not been effective at maintaining the price of gasoline down in the 21st century. In 1999 the state legislature of the State of Maine was considering either imposing price ceiling on prescription drugs or realizing mass purchases in order to lower the price of medicine for poor people. One of the worst cases of

Short Critical Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short Critical Reflection Paper - Essay Example If I was allowed to guess the structure of the Web 3.0, I would embed nearly all the five senses that the human beings have within their folds. This would give me a better understanding of things that are related with the Internet and which bring success to their domains. There would hence be more participation by the members of the Internet and hence Web 3.0 would bring in more value for the sake of the users without any doubt (Green, 2011). Email seems to be a thing of the past as far as the teenagers are concerned. This is because they do not believe that emailing to their friends and family members is anywhere close to being their own selves, and they would rather send text messages on the phone or even call up the other party instead of emailing which has never been a hit with the teenagers (Lundby, 2011). Therefore it is a fact that emailing within teenagers is dead and would not come back until a new technology is

Advanced Practice Legal Considerations Case Study

Advanced Practice Legal Considerations - Case Study Example Basically, there are six types of torts—a few of which will be discussed here, and how those specific laws apply to Luann’s situation. There are intentional torts against persons, which deal with very specific charges that are incurred when one person injures another. Other categories of torts similarly deal with different types of wrongs committed, including: unintentional torts (negligence); and special negligence doctrines, including negligent infliction of emotional distress among others. Finally, defenses against negligence—as well as strict liability—will be examined, especially as it regards whether confidentiality issues were breached when the lab tech used personal information to make a decision about informing someone about someone else’s health, a one person who was not supposed to be privy to that information as that person was a third party. Herein are analyses of some aspects of torts, some of which may not be torts which necessarily a lign with this particular case, but which should be mentioned nonetheless. II. Misappropriation of the Right to Publicity According to Frackman et. al. (1996), â€Å"The right of publicity makes it unlawful to use another's identity for commercial advantage without permission. In recent years, that right has grown to encompass the potential misappropriation of voice, performance style, former names, and maybe, as contended in a case recently filed in Indiana regarding the race horse Cigar, . . . the image of an animal† (pp. 1). Misappropriation of the right to publicity basically means that someone’s privacy is being invaded in some way, shape, or form. Others’ privacy should be guarded well. III. Invasion of the Right to Privacy An invasion of the right to privacy is a direct intrusion on someone’s personal space. This â€Å"invasion of privacy,† so to speak, is not legislated per se. However, confidentiality agreements—such as the one the lab tech Luann signed—should be honored, and are honored, in a court of law. However, various celebrities and other personalities of note have invoked the invasion of the right to privacy in court cases. Using the name or likeness of a person can also get one into trouble in regard to the invasion of privacy. This is a bit like intellectual property law, where someone’s image is protected. Interference with the First Amendment can be a cause of torts. In the case of invasion of the right of privacy, this applies occasionally. IV. Unintentional Torts (Negligence) a) Duty of Care Duty of care basically means that a reasonable person has a duty to another person to make sure that he or she does not have any kind of trouble. This means that anyone should act reasonably according with to the situation at hand. For example, one example of duty of care is that, if an oncoming car is about to hit a pedestrian, and a passersby had the chance to save the person, this is called t he person’s duty of care. Any reasonably-acting person would have tried to get the pedestrian out of the way of the oncoming car. In Luann’s case, she had the duty of care to protect the confidentiality of her client’s name and condition. She did not abide by the confidentiality agreement set forth when hired, and this is what got her into a lot of trouble with the courts. V. Breach of Duty Breach of duty occurs when a person has a duty to perform for a person, but he or she does not do it. For instance, in the previous example with the car about to hit the pedestrian, the onlooker would have performed a breach of duty by not rescuing the

Ethics and Legal Environment Essay Example for Free

Ethics and Legal Environment Essay Something’s Rotten in Hondo is a case wherein a plant manager, George Mackee, needs to decide whether to get rid of the charges inflicted by the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA or to move in Mexico. He is in a dilemma because if he would choose the former, he has very little chance of eliminating the problem since Bill, George boss, refuses to finance the cleaning of the smokestack. On the other hand, if he would choose the latter, he has to lay off his current employees and hire Mexican workers as a trade-off for not being reprimanded about the EPA standards. His boss leaves the decision up to him. The most obvious ethical concerns in this case are two-fold. The first one is that if George would choose the first option – that is to devise a strategy or a technique that would eradicate the problem with the fines imposed by EPA, he would have to follow what his contemporaries are doing – that is by scheduling the heavy emissions of smokestack during nighttime when the EPA is not in patrol. This entails that he would allow the severance of the environmental pollution (particularly air pollution) for the exchange of not paying any fines to EPA. On the contrary, if George would choose the second option – that is to relocate in Mexico, he would have to dismiss most of his current employees in place of the Mexican workers. And such would include the laying off of his friends and extended families. Furthermore, if he would choose the second option, he would be tolerant of the air pollution caused by the plant’s incapacity to reduce air pollutants. In effect, George has also eliminated the problem of the company on fines issued by EPA. Application of Ethical Theories The case presented in this paper suggests particular ethical problems. For this matter, the author presents two distinct ethical dilemmas for George to decide on: Should he decide to relocate the plant to Mexico or should he just follow the strategy used by his contemporaries? But before he could arrive to a decision, he must first analyze the pros and cons of his decision. If he would choose the former, he could really eliminate the problem with the imposition of fines by the EPA since Mexico assure him that it would not reprimand the plant whatever it does. The only thing is that he has to hire Mexican workers that which implies laying off of his present employees including his friends and extended families. Conversely, if he would agree with that proposal he would also have to bear the dreadful effects of the plant’s operations on the environment, particularly on U. S. Nonetheless, if he would choose the latter, he could also get rid of the problem with the fines imposed by EPA because of failure to meet its guidelines. However, he has to take so much risk by doing the same strategy being used by his contemporaries. In addition, he also has to endure the environmental effects of such strategy just to avoid being reprimanded again by EPA and his boss. Kantian Categorical Imperative If he would apply Kantian’s Categorical Imperative that is by doing his duty, he ought not to do the strategy utilized by his contemporaries (his first option). This is for the reason that he has a duty to protect the environment for both the present and future generations. Plus the fact that his workers have to suffer if he would fire them out of their works. Kant’s Categorical Imperative suggests two maxims in which a person could use to examine the morality of his action. The first maxim states that an action is morally right if one could make such action a universal law. This means that if one could make his action universal or applicable to all others by making it a rule then such action is morally accepted thus it is right. The second maxim, in contrast, focuses on the idea of always treating all human persons as ends and never as means to an end. This maxim argues that every human person has dignity to be respected and has rights as a human thus everyone must act in promoting others rights and not promoting harm to them On the other hand, Kant would not also choose the second option because it also implies environmental degradation. Though he avoids being fined by EPA as well as not even being reprimanded by EPA whatever their operation is, for Kant, he would fail to do the maxims under the Categorical Imperative. He could never make his action or decision as a universal law. Likewise, he would treat other people as mere instruments to achieve his goal by inflicting heath hazards due to smokestack emissions. Kant would suggest that George must never make a decision that would tend to harm the environment because such would also cause severe consequences to the people. As evident in the two options, both would result to the degradation of the environment. Thus, Kant would say that George decision, whichever of the two, would be unethical and morally wrong. Kant would recommend that George must be able to find ways that would not lead to the toleration of environmental pollution. For example, George could instead convince his boss that the only way to solve the problem that would not require him to sacrifice the welfare of the environment is to invest for new technologies that would lessen the emission of smokestack. And such would not even require new scrubbers. Such action is a long-term advantage for the company as well as for the environment. Mill’s Utilitarianism JS Mill’s Utilitarianism would even strengthen the position of not deciding on either of the two options since both would result to environmental pollution. Mill’s Utilitarianism is premised on the idea that an action is right if it promotes the greatest happiness for the greatest number. In other words, Utilitarian principle is mainly directed towards the social utility of an act. This means that if an action can benefit or inflict advantages to more people then such action is morally right. In the case of George, either of the two options would make him tolerate the harm done against the environment. Environment is an essential mechanism that is necessary for human survival. If he would choose the first or the latter option as his decision, he could save the company but inflict great harm to more number of people. Mill would say that George must devise a way in which he could settle the crisis in the company without sacrificing the environment because lots people, including him and his family, depend on the environment’s gifts. Thus, Mill would also recommend the same thing as Kant. Convince his boss by arguing that it is risky and detrimental to the environment if he would follow what his contemporaries are doing. If EPA would find out such underground activities, the company could even be sanctioned more than the imposition of fines. The same thing goes with the second option. If the government of U. S. would find out that the company’s operation cause harsh effects to their environment then there is a big possibility that U. S. would inflict undesirable measures against the company. Rights-based Theory on Decision-making The rights-based theories suggest that it is not always the case that the morality of an action is based on the great benefit that it can produce. At the same time, the rights-based theories do not solely advocate the respect of rights of human persons. These theories suggest that while everyone has a duty to recognize and value the rights of other people (negative rights); it is also everyone’s duty to promote for other’s goals (positive rights). In such manner, the contending ethical theories of Kantianism and Utilitarianism are reconciled in a way that both their concerns are being considered. In the first place, rights are inviolable. They are inalienable or cannot be taken away from human persons no matter what the situation is. Thus, there is no sufficient and rational reason to go against their rights without their consent. The rights-based theories are premised on the idea that every person has the right to choose on how he would like to live his own life. It is not only a person’s duty to respect these rights but also to promote the accomplishment of the goals of other people. By doing so, the rights defined earlier are more strengthen and more realized. In the case of Hondo, George, as a manager, has a duty towards the company. Still, he has duty towards other people. Choosing either of the two decisions would disrespect the rights and disregard the goals of these people. For the rights-based theories, such decision is unethical. The more appropriate way to solve the problem is for George to lend money from a bank so as to install new technology that would lessen the emission of smokestack. He does not really need to hire new scrubbers. By having new technology, for instance machines that clean smokestack, he would not have to result to environmental pollution. It is costly in the beginning but its benefits would be greatly appreciated in the long run. Justice-based Theories in Decision-making In justice-based theories, the overriding principle is focus on the idea of fair. According to John Rawls, the morality of an action can only be measured by appealing to the principle of justice. In his A Theory of Justice, he suggests two principles: liberty and wealth. The former is expressed to explain justice by saying that all must have an equal extent in which they can enjoy and practice their liberties. A least extensive curtailment of liberty is advocated on the condition that such would be shared by all. This entails that an act is right is the product of such act is amenable to all. Hence, justice, in such context, is morally right. In resolving the ethical dilemma faced by George, Justice-based theories would advice him to consider if his decision would be fair to all. Obviously, both options are not beneficial to all. And at the same time, these two options are not the only available options which George has. If he would employ either one of the two options, he would not be just; knowing that if he would be in the place of other people who depend on and survive through environment he would not also endure such nor be willing to agree with such idea. It could be the case that the he and the company are amenable to either of the two options. Nevertheless, others are not really disposed to accept such. Hence, George must not employ such decisions. For George, he could, instead, make control-strategies that would monitor and regulate the emission of smokestack before, during, and even after the plant’s operation in order to examine well the problems concerning the smokestack. Furthermore he could meet with his workers and discuss the problem. He may solicit suggestions on how they could lessen the pollution secreted by their plant onto the environment. After that, he may ask for support from banks by lending or getting loan. Kohlberg’s Moral Development Lawrence Kohlberg was from the line of Piaget who used moral framework to discuss the psychological development of a human person. His thesis on Moral Development suggests that there are six stages wherein a person passes through before he reaches the ultimate state of being a moral person. This theory will be used to show how Kohlberg’s method would help George in resolving his faced ethical dilemma. The first stage is focus on the idea that one person is initially instructed to obey laws such that he could avoid punishment. This is the primary conception on morality that a person has during his early years. With regards to the case presented in this paper, the appeal to laws and rules concerning environmental protection is the most obvious consideration for George’s decision. He would not decide either of the two options since both would make him violate the law regarding the protection of the environment. On the other hand, if he fails to solve the problem immediately, he might receive punishment from his boss (i. e. termination or demotion). The point is that which of the two punishments could George endure more? More likely than not, he would choose not be imprisoned than being demoted or terminated by his boss. The second stage suggests that every person has his own way of thinking which makes every topic or matter subjective to each person. The thing that works for someone or the thing that is considered right by someone may not be the same for another person. Thus, morality in this stage is relative. George could say that the least that he could that would benefit him and put him out of the dilemma that he is in is by either doing the first option or the second option. Both would mean resolution of his problem yet would cause damage to the environment. If he is a nature-lover he would not go for such decision. But if he is a money-lover, he would employ one of the two alternatives. The third stage is concern on the character in which a person thinks of ways on how he can do good things to the persons close to him (e. . family and friends). This means that his initial moral outlook is directed towards the things that he can do for the sake of his loved ones. In the case, if George is at this stage, he would be more inclined to decide and act so as to promote his family and friends’ welfare. Thus, if he would decide on his problem, he would not choose to relocate since his wife is not in favor of this idea and such will inflict great personal unhappiness to his friends who work in the plant.

Factors that contribute to quality of life

Factors that contribute to quality of life A report by Garavan, Winder and McGee (2001) Health and Social Services for Older People, Consulting Older People on Health and Social Services: A Survey of Use, Experiences and Needs concluded within its findings that older women viewed that they had a low quality of life. Stuart-Hamilton (2000) states that an element within the ageing concept is that men for varying reasons die at a greater rate than women after the age of 70 and that therefore it could be concluded that the ageing experience could be a longer process for women. The elderly population in Ireland is increasing in that according to Connell Pringle (2004) the projected population of older women in 2021 is expected to be between 375,000 and 389,000 which would indicate a rise of over 50 per cent from that in 2002. Ageing can be defined as the process of progressive change in the biological, psychological and social structure of individuals à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦aged 60 or over (Stein and Moritz, 1999;4). According to Greenstein (2006) social research is abstract in general in that the concepts are not easily measured because of the subjectivity of the topics and that a way of gaining a vague measure within the research is to ask the participants their level of satisfaction or dis-satisfaction in relation to the sub-themes. Ageing has a direct biological decline and because of this quality of life has been regarded to be directly linked by the health of the person versus ill-health. But health being defined by the World Health Organisation cited in (Bond and Corner, 2004:2) as a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing have resulted in the concept that quality of life is much more complex and varied depending on other factors rather than being traditionally associated solely with health (Bond and Corner, 2004). Definition of Quality of Life Quality of life is not scientifically measureable in that it is very subjective to the individual depending on their experiences of ageing and that the terms well-being and life satisfaction are often used as a means of gaining an insight into the degree a person views that they are experiencing quality of life (Vincent, Phillipson and Downs, 2006). Research has shown that quality of life is subjective to the person, Abrams (1973) cited in (Bond and Corner, 2004:4) defines quality of life as the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction felt by people with various aspects of their lives. This literature review will act as a base for a thesis that will explore the views of older women in Cavan as to the factors that contribute to quality of life. The definition of what is quality of life is not easily determined and many authors offer different domains as the priority but in fact the priority will be subjective to what the individual older person measures as the most important aspect to them (Nay and Garratt, 2009). There has been much focus on what is quality of life in recent years in terms of social policies that have in turn directed service provision and providing care that is impacting positively on a persons quality of life according to Vincent et al (2006). Quality of life according to Nay and Garratt (2009) typically measures general health, physical, cognitive, sexual and emotional functioning while also measuring the happiness of the person but it is subjective to the person in that what one person views as important may differ from another person. Factors such as employment, social networks, social activities, self-identity, financial security and cognitive and physical function are considered to impact on quality of life (Renwick et al (2003) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009). Also that quality of life in relation to older people is often used as an assessment measure of whether a service is supporting the needs of its clients in that it is not just a measure of quantity of life but that the life has quality within it so that the outcomes of supports or services are impacting positively on quality of life (Nay and Garratt, 2009). That measurement of quality of life is sometimes measured within one domain such as general health while others measure cover several domains. But in general the largest measurement of quality of life is the concept that it is directly connected to the health of the person and their satisfaction regarding their health (Nay and Garratt, 2009). Therefore Health Related Quality of Life is a term that is often used by service providers as a directive for their care provision (Nay and Garratt, 2009:352). Focusing quality of life within the domains of general health can create what is called the disability paradox in that older people rather than viewing their decline in health as an indicator of low quality of life that the expectation of inevitable physical and health decline has resulted in other factors such as social networks and their overall well-being as the domains used to measure their view of quality of life and that it is presumptuous to view that general health is the sole measure of quality of life (Carr and Higginson, (2001) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009:353). According to Vincent et al (2006) people will view health, social networks and standard of living as important factors within their lives but that the importance of the factors will vary as the person proceeds along their life course. Research sources have shown the complexity in defining the key factors within quality of life and the initial reading by the researcher highlighted that the many elements could be loosely grouped within three sub-themes in relation to quality of life: (1) physical factors general health and physical mobility, (2) economic factors income, and standard of living and (3) social structure factors social networks, cultural environment but further reading has emphasised that even though these concepts are applicable that expanding them further will allow greater exploration and description. In that according to Stuart-Hamilton (2000) that focusing on a narrow of domains could result in some domains appearing more important within the research than they possibly are. That domains such as health, income, and environment have an impact on a persons life satisfaction in general and are all inter-related but that the personality of the person will also impact on the how they measure their life satisfaction (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Walker (2005) suggests that as quality of life has no distinct key factors that most research focuses on health, environment, employment and relationships. That the environment has within it the physical, social, cultural and economic elements that can either enhance or reduce quality of life. Health has within it general health and the physical, mental and emotional health of the person. Employment covers income and can be related to the wealth of the person. The key concepts with regard to quality of life as suggested by Hughes (1990) cited in Bond and Corner (2004) are: (1) Physical environmental factors which include quality of accommodation, access to public services such as shops, transport and other public services such as libraries and other leisure outlets. (2) Social environmental factors which include family members, social networks, the level of support obtainable from family and social networks and the levels of leisure activities that the person is involved in. (3) Socio-economic factors which include the general standard of living, the income available to the person and other means of wealth. (4) Cultural factors which include the age, class, gender and religious leaning of the person. (5) Health factors which include general health, mental well-being of the person and physical mobility. (6) Personality factors which include whether the person is an optimist or pessimist, will all impact on the subjectivity by the person on their measure of life satisfaction. (7) Autonomy factors which include the degree that a person has the capability to make their own decisions. (8) Satisfaction subjective to the individual the level of satisfaction over all the areas of their life that they judge as important. There is no definitive on what factors contribute to quality of life, therefore (Arnold (1991); McDowell Newell (1996) cited in Nay and Garratt 2009:355) suggest that the measurement of quality of life should include objective indices such as economic circumstances and housing, those that measure subjective aspects such as morale, happiness and life satisfaction and those that contain both objective and subjective components, such as health related quality of life But according to Bond and Corner (2004) the subjective and objective aspects are interrelated an illustration of this being in that the objective element of health related quality of life could be subjectively not important to the older person who as of yet has not experienced any health issues that they view as impacting on their quality of life. There is a view according to Stuart-Hamilton (2000) within society that the busier the life of an older person the more quality of life that they have. That the subjective measure of life satisfaction can be directly linked to the activities that an older person participates in that give a meaning to their life can be directly linked to one of the theories of ageing Activity Theory (Bond and Corner, 2004). That an indicator of life satisfaction can be the degree that an older person maintains activities within their community, in that the more activities indicate higher levels of life satisfaction. Bond and Corner (2004) disagree and agree with elements of this theory in that they state that although social networks and activities can maintain and support physical and mental health such as reducing depression that ageing has a biological element that can impact on health and reduces an older persons social network as confidantes become ill or eventually die and that it is wrong to e xpect an older person to engage in levels of activities to the degree that they did when they were much younger. Stuart-Hamilton (2000) suggests the concept that engaging in activities for the sake of them does not allow the older person the ability to make their own choices and that within the provision of services for older people that by assuming that any activity is better than none could be directly linked to the application of Disengagement theory whereby it is believed that the older person accepts that death is eventual and therefore prepares for death by choosing to dis-engage from society and that also it has a function of reinforcing the expected process of ageing in Western Society. Personality: And its link to health: One element within a persons personality is that it will relate to their choices with regard to their lifestyle such as diet, exercise all which can aid the life expectancy of a person but what if the persons personality has within it a negative outlook will this impact on how they view the ageing process and the biological decline and that rather than trying to improve their physical well-being by a healthier lifestyle that they approach death and illness as unavoidable and then reduce their activities and disengage from society (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Link between psychological well-being and personality and health: Research has shown a link between physical well-being and mental well-being in that according to Whitbourne (1987) cited in Stuart-Hamilton (2000) people that exercised and had levels of what they measured as physical well-being had a general feeling of overall well-being but therefore could it be said that people that have a poor physical well-being are more less satisfied with life (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Personality: Preference for lifestyle link: That the personality of a person whether they are an introvert or extrovert will also impact on the lifestyle they choose in that if they are an introvert it will probably follow that as they are older that they will not seek out social activities (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Disengagement theory Cumming and Henry, (1961) as cited in Stuart-Hamilton, (2000) suggest that as people get older that they automatically start to disengage from society in degrees as if in preparation for death and this is also supported by society in that the structures have come to expect this disengagement. This disengagement according to Stuart-Hamilton (2000) can be as a result of many factors such as illness, loss of family members, low income that does not provide for activities and also their personality type in that what if they are introvert or extrovert and that disengagement theory has been criticised for the overall image that older people are cutting ties with society in preparation for inevitable death. According to Maddox (1970) cited in Stuart-Hamilton, (2000) this disengagement may simply be a an aspect of the persons personality and that it is not an element of ageing at all. Merriman (1984) cited in Stuart-Hamilton (2000) also criticises disengagement theory an d states that ageing policies within many countries encourage that older people have an high profile within their community. Activity theory was proposed as a way of combating disengagement theory according to Stuart-Hamilton (2000) in that it was proposed that the more activities that an older person engaged in the better their life satisfaction. But this does not allow for choices for the older person and what if their personality is such that enforced activities is wrong (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Issues related to measuring Quality of Life There are issues relating to the measurement of quality of life in that the domains are both subjective and objective. The objective indices, such as economic circumstances and housing; those that measure purely subjective aspects, such as morale, happiness, and life satisfaction; and those that contain both objective and subjective components, such as Health Related Quality of Life measures (Arnold, (1991) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009:355). Vincent et al (2006) agrees that there are both objective and subjective domains but unlike Nay and Garratt (2009) attributes social factors within the objective domains by stating that the number of social networks that a person has is objectively measureable but that the quality of these social networks is a subjective element. Likewise Vincent et al (2006) states that health although measureable in terms of whether an illness was present and therefore objectively measureable that the domain is also subjective in that the importance of health to quality of life will depend on what the individual views health to be. The view by Vincent et al (2006) that the meaning of what is health is subjectively defined by the individual is illustrated by the disability paradox as per (Carr and Higginson, (2001) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009:353). In that older people rather than viewing their decline in health as an indicator of low quality of life in that the expectation of inevitable physical and health decline have resulted in other factors such as social networks as the domains used to measure their view of quality of life and that it is therefore presumptuous to view that general health is the sole measure of quality of life (Nay and Garratt, 2009). Anderson Bury (1988) cited in Vincent et al (2006) state that people can adjust to illness and develop coping skills so that the illness no longer factors as a significant domain to the person and this would therefore affect the measurement of health within quality of life research. Health and physical functioning as an objective measure in the domains of quality of life are mentioned continually and can in its simplest form according to Nay and Garratt (2009) be that if a person has a condition or range of illnesses be considered to have a low quality of life. But what if the adjustments suggested by Anderson Bury (1988) cited in Vincent et al (2006) were accommodations such as medication or lifestyle changes and were to adjust how the illness impacts on the person could it then be considered that although the health status remains the same but that the accommodations have resulted in the meaning of what is health to not be defined by illness or physical functioning. Therefore in relation to this research the aim is to explore the subjectivity of what the participant views as health and if any accommodations have impacted on the meaning of what is health. Economic factors such as standard of living are objectively measured according to Nay and Garratt (2009) in that income can be an indicator of a standard of living but according to Vincent et al (2006) this objective measure has to be balanced by the subjective measure of what is the expectation of a standard of living and according to Stuart Hamilton (2000) will be directly linked to past experiences of standard of living in that if a person has in the past had a particular standard of living the subjective measure will be linked to whether the same standard of living was expected by the person or not. Therefore in relation to this research with regard to economic factors as a domain within quality of life previous standard of living and expectations of standard of living as an older person and direct experience will be explored. According to Vincent et al (2006) quality of life has no scientific measurement that can define the exact objective degree of quality of life because there are so many variations of what is quality of life. That the experience of life may support or contradict what the objective measure describes as quality of life. Qualitative and Quantitative Methods: Quantitative methods are often the means of gaining information regarding what is quality of life but using quantitative methods will not allow for the subjectivity of individual experiences and their views on quality of life. That using structured questionnaires still conform to the researchers view of quality of life and does not allow for the exploration of the views of the older person. That these approaches do not allow for the symbolic nature and meaning of life to the individual (Vincent et al, 2006:158). Taking the view that as the person proceeds along the life course that their view of life will remain the same. Stuart Hamilton (2000) suggests that the life course Another challenge in relation to measuring quality of life and with particular reference to older people is that there can be such differences between each person in that as they age the experience in relation to physical, social, emotional, sexual and cognitive functioning is not as homogenous an experience and that these differing experiences will impact on what factors are key to quality of life (Stewart et al (1996) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009). The setting that the older person lives within will impact greatly on the factors that are viewed as contributors to quality of life in that if a person is living within a residential unit that this group orientated setting will have different routines and rules in comparison to an older person living within community in general, and that for those within a residential setting that research has shown that dignity, self-determination and participation and accommodation of resident needs were considered to be the factors that impacted on quality of life (Nay and Garratt, 2009:357). That measurement of quality of life needs to consider the domains that are considered contributors within quality of life and that how the research is conducted in that the way that questions are asked can create a bias. As already stated biological decline is a natural aspect of ageing therefore if an indicator of quality of life were to be considered the level of physical functioning it would be inappropriate to ask the participant if they were physically able to do as much and for as long as they used to when they were younger and that this would not be a realistic indicator of quality of life according to Nay and Garratt, (2009). Measurement tools are World Health Organisation Quality of Life Instrument (whoqol) (Skevington et al 2004), cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009. Conclusion This literature review has explored the concept of quality of life and that the factors that are considered to contribute to quality of life are varied and can contain subjective and objective components and that older people in order to measure quality of life should not be viewed as a homogenous group.

Comparison of HVDC and HVAC transmission systems

Comparison of HVDC and HVAC transmission systems A substantial development of offshore wind farms is taking place in different parts of the world, yet the major issue is the technique used to transfer the energy from the wind farms to the grid. Two of the major technologies used are: High-Voltage DC known as HVDC and High-Voltage AC known as HVAC. The main concern of electrical power engineers is that the transferring of energy occurs with low losses. Taking that into consideration, the advantages and disadvantages of both technologies have been studied and compared in order to choose the most efficient scheme. The HVDC system has been put in many power transmission projects, even though some disadvantages have been spotted. The components used in this system are as follows [1]: * AC and DC filters * Converter Stations * Smoothing reactor * DC cable and return path * Cooling devices Converters in this system have been the element of inconvenience for several reasons. Some of these reasons is that converters are relatively high in price; moreover they need reactive power and have the potential to produce lots of harmonics. In addition, the HVDC system has a restricted ability when it comes to the handling of overloads. Furthermore, the most important negative aspect in HVDCs is the treatment of faults. Noting that the rated power of the recent circuit breakers tend not to be so high which in return introduces us to another problem, and this is that the current and voltage in a DC line can never traverse 0. This however makes it tough to solve the fault, but a solution has been found and it is done by the help of the AC lines circuit breakers [2]. On the other hand, HVDC systems are characterized by its admirable advantages. The latter, is considered to be uncomplicated when it comes to construction. This had a positive effect on the system since it allows it to b e interconnected at different frequencies and causes the short circuits in the DC lines to become minimized. Moreover, there is no significant environmental effect since there will be no interference with the radio electromagnetic waves and the corona effect is supposed to be even less. Finally the DC system supplies an adaptable and a relatively fast power flow [2]. The following figure shows the interconnection of offshore wind turbines with HVDC technology [2]: On the other hand, the HVAC system has almost the same advantages as the HVDC but its disadvantages are distinct. For instance, the underground HVAC cables have very low characteristic impedance and yet it needs a very high charging current. Moreover these cables are not able to pass on any load. This makes the DC cables more popular since the mentioned drawbacks are not part of their characteristics. On the other hand, the earth-return ability is available with HVDC transmission and not with the HVAC system. Major analysis has been made on both HVDC and HVAC and it was realized that distance plays a major role in the amplitude of losses. According to Brakelmanns theory, the allocation of current along the cable and the temperature it possesses play a major role in the calculation of losses. The formulae used during calculation of power losses in the submarine cables are as follows [1]: However the formula used to calculate the losses in the HVDC cables is as follows [1]: It was realized that the power produced by both technologies is almost the same, yet the HVDC could achieve marginally higher voltages per conductor. Moreover, the distance over which the cables are stretched has an influence on the losses. HVAC system have minimum losses along short distances ranged between 50 to 70 km, while as the distance increases above 70 km it is preferred to use HVDC. The following graph shows the technology to be used as the distance gets longer [3]: More factors are taken into consideration, such as the cost, consistency, quality and technical capability. Quality wise, HVDC Light technology has been introduced to the market and its advantages for connecting offshore wind farms to the grid have been remarkable. One of the main features that make the latter more suitable than HVAC is the minimized area and mass of the cables. This however permits the HVDC cables to function under maximum electric field stress. Moreover, HVDC cables are preferred to HVAC cables when it comes to installation at a very deep range, since the mass of HVAC cables are double that of the HVDC cables [4]. Finally HVDC cables have been tested in systems of 150 KV and 400 MW were the result was positive [3]. The following figure shows a pair of submarine and land Light cables used for offshore wind farm connections [3]: Offshore HVDC Grid Building an offshore HVDC grid has been an idea that most of the European countries have been discussing. Not long ago these administrations and organisations have accepted it, yet taking into consideration the technical challenges within it. As mentioned above, the HVDC system is composed of two converter stations. The converters first used are the LCC (Line Commutated Converters), but a modern system has been introduced to the HVDC system and is called the VSC (Voltage Source Converters). The latter is considered better and more efficient than the LCC since its made up of a smaller amount of components, the circuit is easier to analyze when faults occur, and the has lower losses. The following figure shows the difference in both circuits [5]: The challenge concerning these converters is that when an offshore grid has to be built both converters need to be used, since most of the submarine cables constructed are for LCC yet can function with VSC. The solution is to build a system composed of both converters and this is considered hard because of two major drawbacks: The extremely high cost of the converters and the losses. Moreover one of the tough challenges is the consistency of the system, and this leads us to the issue of the circuit breakers that have to be more efficient in order to ensure that the system is protected. Finally, the problem seems to be the funding because the technology is available [5, 6].

Conflict Management Essay -- Business Communication Conflict Mediation

Introduction to conflict The term conflict referred to perceived incompatible differenced resulting in some form of interference or opposition. Conflict is a natural part of organizational life because the goals between mangers and workers are often incompatible. If people perceive that differences exist then conflict state exists. Conflict is not exists between individual only, it also can exist between departments and divisions that compete for resources or even because of overlapped authority. However, conflict is a force that needed to be managed or to be resolved but can not be eliminated. Unless is fully resolved, it may remain latent in the situation as a lingering basis for future conflicts over or related to a same matter. Therefore, true conflict resolution is to eliminate the underlying causes of conflict and reduces the potential for similar conflicts in the future. Moreover, the conflict management was rated as being more important than decisions making, leadership, or communication skills, since the ability to handle conflict was positively related to managerial success. Therefore, the conflict management skills are the most important interpersonal skills a manager needs. Managers struggle daily to effectively manage or resolve conflict. Understanding how the types and sources of conflict differ could how managers in dealing with conflict. The types of the Conflict It is divided into several types sources of the conflict, , they are interpersonal, intargroup and interorganization. Interpersonal conflict is conflict between individual members of an organization, it occurs due to their different goals or values; Intragroup conflict is conflict that arises between a group, team or department, it arises mainly ... ...cuments or records, will be fired. And lawful actions will be taken. 7. Employee who is found lying to superiors will receive a warning letter. 8. Employee should not work for any competing organization, or commit in criminal activities or participate unauthorized strike activities. Otherwise, he or she will be fired immediately. 9. Employees should treat your colleagues politely. 10. Employee who has received over four warning letters in a year will be fired. Conclusion I would establish the above series of grievance and discipline procedure in order to let my employees have a clear picture on my company policies. Furthermore, these procedures let my employees to have a mind of responsibility and a feel of safety. Moreover, any individual who against to follow the discipline procedures of his organization should be punished, and vice versa should be rewarded.

Kurt Cobain: Collection Of Personal Accounts From Family Relatives :: essays research papers

Kurt Cobain: Collection of Personal Accounts From Family Relatives I would like to share some of the memories and perceptions I have concerning this unique, rare and original human being called Kurt Cobain. I knew Kurt during his teen-age years in the period from about 1979 to 1984. I was in my mid-30s and living in and near Montesano. My sister married Kurt's dad, Don, and also lived in Montesano. My grandfather comprehended the intelligence and individuality in Kurt at a time when Kurt was being beaten down mentally and physically. "Gramps" often told me of his respect for Kurt's tenacity and compassion even though he was in emotional pain. Shortly before Gramps died, he had been talking about Kurt. He looked at me and said words to the effect that he could see a nobility about Kurt that he had never seen in anyone in all his 70 years. One time, Gramps invited Kurt along on one of our steelhead fishing trips. We were spread out a few hundred feet apart along the Wynooche River. All of a sudden, we heard this horrendous combination of screaming, warbling and yodeling from Kurt, who was upstream and out of sight. Gramps told me to run up there and help Kurt, who must have hooked a big fish. When I reached Kurt, he didn't even have his line in the water. When I asked him what was going on, he just looked at me with those piercing eyes and huge grin. He said, "Oh, I'm just trying to thicken my vocal chords so I can scream better!" When I went back to Gramps to tell him, he just grinned and said, "It figures, We'll just let him be!" We can now say, "Thank you, Kurt, for thickening your vocal chords!" Kurt didn't fit the general mold of society in a logging town, and so he was beaten upon by people who didn't understand him. One day I heard that he was in a fight a few blocks away. When I ran to the scene, the fight was over. However, I heard from a friend that Kurt was assaulted by a burly, 250-pound logger type. Evidently, Kurt did not even fight; he just presented the bully with the appropriate hand gesture everytime he was knocked down until the bully gave up. To top it all off, Kurt just had that usual grin on his face! A final footnote to this small remembrance of Kurt: A wonderful picture comes to mind of a rare, sunny day when I peeked out the window into the yard. Kurt Cobain: Collection Of Personal Accounts From Family Relatives :: essays research papers Kurt Cobain: Collection of Personal Accounts From Family Relatives I would like to share some of the memories and perceptions I have concerning this unique, rare and original human being called Kurt Cobain. I knew Kurt during his teen-age years in the period from about 1979 to 1984. I was in my mid-30s and living in and near Montesano. My sister married Kurt's dad, Don, and also lived in Montesano. My grandfather comprehended the intelligence and individuality in Kurt at a time when Kurt was being beaten down mentally and physically. "Gramps" often told me of his respect for Kurt's tenacity and compassion even though he was in emotional pain. Shortly before Gramps died, he had been talking about Kurt. He looked at me and said words to the effect that he could see a nobility about Kurt that he had never seen in anyone in all his 70 years. One time, Gramps invited Kurt along on one of our steelhead fishing trips. We were spread out a few hundred feet apart along the Wynooche River. All of a sudden, we heard this horrendous combination of screaming, warbling and yodeling from Kurt, who was upstream and out of sight. Gramps told me to run up there and help Kurt, who must have hooked a big fish. When I reached Kurt, he didn't even have his line in the water. When I asked him what was going on, he just looked at me with those piercing eyes and huge grin. He said, "Oh, I'm just trying to thicken my vocal chords so I can scream better!" When I went back to Gramps to tell him, he just grinned and said, "It figures, We'll just let him be!" We can now say, "Thank you, Kurt, for thickening your vocal chords!" Kurt didn't fit the general mold of society in a logging town, and so he was beaten upon by people who didn't understand him. One day I heard that he was in a fight a few blocks away. When I ran to the scene, the fight was over. However, I heard from a friend that Kurt was assaulted by a burly, 250-pound logger type. Evidently, Kurt did not even fight; he just presented the bully with the appropriate hand gesture everytime he was knocked down until the bully gave up. To top it all off, Kurt just had that usual grin on his face! A final footnote to this small remembrance of Kurt: A wonderful picture comes to mind of a rare, sunny day when I peeked out the window into the yard.

Everybodys All American :: essays research papers

Everybody’s All-American is the story of a famous football player who becomes an overweight middle-aged has-been. Gavin "the Gray Ghost" Gray is a legendary college football player who marries his homecoming queen sweetheart and embarks on a professional career full of difficulties. â€Å"The Gray Ghost† is a Louisiana football legend. There had never been a better, faster ball player, and everyone knows the hero is headed for pro football. To no one's surprise, Gavin marries his sweetheart, beauty queen â€Å"Babs.† He is a first-draft pick in the pros, as expected, and soon after that, the two begin their family. I was especially interested in this movie because I am, myself, a college athlete. This movie brought out the importance of having a life and goals other than playing a professional sport. Too many young athletes these days have unrealistic goals of going to the pros, while in actuality the chances of them doing so are next to impossible. Many athletes are in college just to play their sport, and do not care about their academic performance. Eventually, the limelight will fade and professional athletes will become has-beens left to reminisce about their â€Å"glory days.† Often in college, athletes will do just enough to get by and not care about what their academic performance means. Unfortunately, especially in some larger schools, preferential treatment for athletes does exist among the faculty. This also gives athletes the advantage at the time, but hurts them in the long run. In the movie, the ideal marriage of Gavin and Babs begins to come apart, when Gavin cannot deal with the loss of the glory he had in his youth.

Stylistic Potential of the English Noun

STYLISTIC POTENTIAL OF THE ENGLISH NOUN Table of Contents Introduction-3 Chapter One. Stylistic resources of grammatical units on the basis of the English Noun -6 1. 1 Functions of the language and connotative meanings-7 1. 2 Grammatical Stylistics and Stylistic Grammar-9 1. 3 The meaning of the grammatical form-10 1. 4 Noun in different functional styles -10 1. 5 Stylistic potential of the English noun-11 1. 5. 1 Stylistic potential of the category of gender-11 1. 5. 2 Stylistic potential of the category of number-26 1. 5. Stylistic potential of the category of case-30 1. 5. 4 Stylistic potential of the category of article determination-34 Chapter Two. Analysis of examples taken from fiction on the basis of considered theoretical phenomena-42 2. 1 Analysis of the examples regarding the category of gender-43 2. 2 Analysis of the examples regarding the category of number-53 2. 3 Analysis of the examples regarding the category of case-55 2. 4 Analysis of the examples regarding the cate gory of article determination -59 Conclusions-66 Reference list-69 Introduction Nowadays learning a foreign language implies its active practical mastering, what, in its turn, is quite impossible to do grasping just the system of a language, its standard grammar, language factors which correspond only to the literary norms. Do we always stick to the rules while speaking in our native language? The answer will be no. Why do we break them? By doing this deliberately we may express our attitude to what we are saying. We must â€Å"know the grammar† to make effective word and stylistic choices when we speak and write. At the same time, breaking grammar â€Å"rules† or conventions can be appropriate when rhetorical considerations of audience and purpose call for it. For example, we don't use the same â€Å"grammar† to write an Instant Message as we do to write an English paper. So this aspect of learning any language should not be neglected. The approach that would be more effective in this case is functional. Functions of the language are indissolubly connected with the usage of any of its elements. In other words, the emergence of connotative meanings depends on the functions of the language. The functional approach requires first of all revealing stylistic resources of the language units of its different levels including the grammatical ones. The latter are the object of the new branch of linguastylistics Grammatical Stylistics which basic aim implies study of stylistic means (both expressive and functional) of grammatical units. It can be subdivided into morphological and syntactical one. If the stylistic means of Syntax are not usually cast upon doubt, those of Morphology on the contrary are. In the project there was made an attempt to demonstrate that the reason for this is the result of insufficient study. The other objectives of the present work are: to consider, compare different points of view of linguists concerning the object of study; to organize the material according four nounal categories; to show the stylistic purpose of the usage of studied phenomena; to illustrate connotative meanings of the considered grammatical forms; to put the considered theory into practice. As to the methods used in the project, the following ones have been applied: comparative (there was made an attempt to consider different linguists’ opinions concerning certain linguistic phenomena); analytical (on considering 36 literal texts there were picked up plenty of examples, that were organized according four nounal categories and analyzed basing on the research made in the theoretical part). In the thesis there was made an ttempt to organize the material on the stylistic potential of the English Noun considering the following four nounal categories: the category of gender, the category of number, the category of case and the category of article determination. This work consists of two chapters. The first one deals with the functional approach to learning a foreign language, with the relatively new science Grammatical Stylistic. The purpose of this chapter is to reveal what has caused its appearing by considering different opinions of linguists and to illustrate the s tylistic potential of the English Noun on the basis of some grammatical categories. There were considered rules concerning certain linguistic phenomena, but most of the work is focused on what causes their violation (cases of transposition, neutralization). All the linguistic phenomena discussed in this chapter are illustrated in the second one by means of about 200 cases that have been taken from the works that belong to the belles-lettres style (tales, poetry, short stories) written by such famous English and American writers of 18-20 centuries as Blake W. , ColeridgeS. T. , Munro H. , Poe A. A. , Hemingway E. , Salinger J. D, etc. The aim of this chapter is to put the considered theory into practice showing the way the phenomena have been dealt with work out. The examples are organized also according the four nounal categories mentioned above in the following way: Examples regarding the category of gender (2. 1) (Here we distinguish two groups: (1)A neuter noun used as feminine; (2)A neuter noun used as masculine, explaining the purpose of changing the gender); Examples regarding the category of number (2. ) (In this paragraph we consider some cases when proper, abstract, material nouns are used in the plural form); Examples regarding the category of case (2. 3) (Here we consider cases when inanimate nouns take the s-genitive); Examples regarding the category of article determination (2. 4)(in this paragraph we consider cases when the article is used in the linguistic environment that is alien to it). The analysis is supported by the conclusions after each paragraph. Cha pter One Stylistic Resources of the grammatical units on the basis of the English Noun All the linguistic phenomena we consider in the presented work are the subject of a relatively new science that is Stylistic Morphology. The purpose of this chapter is to reveal what have caused its appearing by considering different opinions of linguists and to illustrate the stylistic potential of the English Noun on the basis of some grammatical categories. The chapter starts with an effective approach in mastering a foreign language, namely with the functional one. Paragraph 1. 1 also illustrates the relationship between connotative meanings and functions of the language. Paragraph 1. is devoted to the appearance of Grammatical Stylistics (Stylistic Grammar), its subdivision and contrary judgments concerning its importance. Then attention is paid to the meaning of the grammatical form and to the notion of transposition. In the subsequent part of the chapter there was made an attempt to organize the material on the stylistic potential of the English noun considering the following nounal categories: the category of gender (1. 5. 1); the category of number (1. 5. 2); the category of case (1. 5. 3); the category of article determination (1. 5. 3). 1. 1 Functions of the language and connotative meanings. Nowadays learning a foreign language implies its active practical mastering. What in its turn is quite impossible to do grasping just the system of a language, its standard grammar, language factors which correspond only to the literary norms. The approach that would be more effective in our case is a functional one. More and more linguists come to agree with it today. The Russian linguist Kojina M. [1] said: The indispensable attention to the peculiarities of the usage of language means is the most necessary condition and the most effective method of teaching (the Russian linguist M. Kojina) This statement requires a deep research in the stylistic usage of language means, taking into consideration both expressive and functional nature of stylistic phenomena. Functions of the language are indissolubly connected with the usage of any of its elements. In other words, the emergence of connotative meanings depends on the functions of the language. As to the latter, there are many different opinions concerning their number. But the absolute majority of linguists agree on the point that the language is polyfunctional. For instance, R. Jackobson distinguishes the following six functions[2]: . Referential, that implies orientation onto the context; 2. Emotive, that is the function of the expression of the speaker’s will, feelings; 3. Poetic; 4. Conative, that implies orientation onto the addressee; 5. Metalingual, that is the function that provides the possibility to speak about the language by means of the language; 6. Phatic, that implies the establishment of the contact . So the emotive function, for example, implies the intention to give way to emotions that, in its turn, causes appearing of the emotionally expressive connotation. Each function gives birth to certain stylistic shadows. And it is no accident that in any living language there exist stylistic connotations with their heterogeneous character that is determined by the variety of the functions, Now going slightly back to the first point of this paragraph we would like to continue it by mentioning that the functional approach in mastering foreign languages requires first of all revealing stylistic resources of the language units of its different levels including grammatical ones. The famous Russian linguist V. Vinogradov[3] once mentioned: The stylistics of the national †¦ language includes al its sides – its phonetic system, Grammar, Word-stock and Phraseology. So far in Stylistics much attention has been paid mainly to the analysis in the field of Word stock. But the success in the late elaboration of the problems of Functional Stylistics allows the linguists to apply the stylistic analysis also to Grammar (including Morphology). 1. 2 Grammatical Stylistics or Stylistic Grammar The modern stage of the development of Linguistics is characterized by appearing of new disciplines at the meeting point of old ones. Grammar and Stylistics are closely connected with each other. As a result, a new branch of linguastylistics has already appeared. That is Grammatical Stylistics or Stylistic Grammar. The basic aim of Grammatical Stylistics implies study of stylistic means (both expressive and functional) of grammatical units. Grammatical Stylistics can be subdivided into morphological and syntactical one. But if the Stylistic means of Syntax are not usually cast upon doubt those of Morphology on contrary are. There are some rather skeptical judgments (A,M. Peshkovski, A. N. Gvozdev, A. Alonso). Acknowledging only Syntactical Stylistics the Spanish linguist Martin Alonso writes[4]: Style is not Morphology; it is connected not with the word but with the sentence. However, this understanding of the Stylistic role of Morphology according to Firsova I. cannot be considered right. [5] It narrows the limits of Stylistics. According to the fact that the object of Stylistics implies the language in the process of its usage the stylistic analysis must embrace all the levels of the language including the morphological one. The observation proves the point of view of those linguists who consider that morphological units have stylistic possibilities and must be the subject of Stylistics. The traditional idea regarding the insignificance of Stylistic recourses of Morphology is the result of insufficient study of the material. Stylistic Morphology has a number of objects of study. This is on the one hand the subsystem of the means of word-building and on the other hand the subsystem of categorical grammatical forms. In the present work we are going to deal with the second one. 1. 3 The meaning of the grammatical form In order to realize better the stylistic potential of the morphological means it is important to consider the structure of their meaning. In this work attention is going to be paid to the grammatical form. Its meaning is not something homogeneous. It can have two elements of meaning: denotative and connotative. The first implies what the grammatical form denotes itself that is its grammatical meaning. The second element implies a complication by any kind of stylistic information (of both emotional and logical character). The connotative meaning of the units of the morphological level implies their ability to evoke in our consciousness secondary associations of emotional or logical character connected with our experience. In some cases the expression of different emotions, evaluation and also of functional stylistic connotations is realized by breaking usual valency relations. What we are speaking about is transposition. That is the divergence between the traditional meaning and that which is prompted by the context on the level of Morphology. And now at this stage let us consider stylistic potential of the English noun on the basis of some grammatical categories. 1. 4 Noun in different functional styles The noun plays a very important role among the morphological resources of any language including, of course, English. That is determined according the Russian linguist Golub I. [6] by: †¢ its semantic features; †¢ quantitative predominance over other parts speech; †¢ potential figurative and expressive means. â€Å"The noun as a part of speech according to Blokh M. I. has the categorial meaning of â€Å"substance† or â€Å"thingness†[7]. It is impossible to express an idea without the latter that is why the use of nouns is an obligatory condition for any speech act. Golub I. mentions that their frequency of use fluctuates depending on the content of the text; the style it belongs to; the peculiarities of author’s intention. Style influences over the choice of words, their forms and their place in the sentence. This correlation of style and words influence greatly over the composition of linguistic units. Nouns are often very much needed in so-called bookish styles: the scientific prose, newspaper, publicistic styles and also that of official documents. That is determined by the necessity to name institutions, persons, their activities, etc. The use in the belles-lettres style is determined by the creative purpose of the author, the way he or she resolves certain stylistic tasks. Here the noun fulfils not only the informative function but also an aesthetic one. A stylistically neutral noun can be involved into the system of expressive means of the language and so it gets expressive connotation[8] . 1. 5. Stylistic Potential of the English noun 1. 5. 1 Stylistic Potential of the category of gender In Old English all nouns were classified as masculine, feminine or sometimes neuter based entirely on grammatical considerations, not on sex or the lack of it. They were referred to by pronoun declensions that also were subdivided according to grammatical gender. Since then the language has undergone a great variety of big and small changes. The system of grammatical gender was not an exception. Since the 12th to 15th centuries most of the gender distinctions has disappeared. [9] Basing on the fact that the noun in Contemporary English does not possess any special gender forms and the accompanying adjective, pronoun, article does not agree with the head –noun (Compare: Engl. a young lady, a young man, a young tree and Russ. , , ) some linguists (M. Ganshina, N. Vasilevskaia[10], A. I. Smirnitsky[11],G. Leech and J. Svartvik[12], I. G. Koshevaya[13], etc) conclude that in Modern English there is no grammatical gender. What English nouns now have is according to them natural gender1 that stipulates the sex of the referent or its lack of it. So all the nouns can be subdivided into three classes according to their lexical meaning: masculine (referred to as he) – names of male beings, feminine (referred to as she) – names of female beings, neuter (referred to as it) – names of lifeless things and abstract notions2: Masculine:father, brother, boy Feminine:mother, girl, sister Neuter:computer, lamp, beauty, friendship Now let us consider another point of view namely that of Blokh M. [14] that a bit differs from the one already mentioned above. In her book â€Å"Theoretical Grammar† she agrees that the gender division of noun in English is expressed as nounal classification (not as variable forms of words). The question remains, Blokh M. continues, whether this classification has any serious grammatical relevance. She gives some arguments that support the positive answer to this question (see below). In the conclusions to the chapter we can read: †¦ the category of gender in English is inherently semantic, i. . meaningful in so far as it reflects the actual features of the named objects. But the semantic nature of the category does not in the least make it into â€Å"non-grammatical†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ So, as we can see, Blokh M. considers the category of gender as a grammatical one. In the book she presents it by means of the binary privative opposition. (It is a type of opposition that is formed by a contrastive pair of members in which one member is characterized by the presence of a certain differential feature (â€Å"mark†), while the other member is characterized by the absence of this feature. The member in which the feature is present is called â€Å"marked† or â€Å"weak† or â€Å"positive† (â€Å"+†); the member in which the feature is absent is called â€Å"unmarked†, â€Å"weak† or â€Å"negative† (â€Å"-†)). It is expressed by the correlation of nouns with the personal pronouns of the third person: he, she, and it. The category is formed by two oppositions that are related to each other on a hierarchical basis. According to the upper opposition all nouns can be subdivided into two groups: person (human) nouns [strong member] and non-person (non-human) nouns [weak member]. Within the subset of person nouns the lower opposition divides them into masculine [weak member] and feminine [strong member] (Fig. 1) Figure 1:1 Oppositional structure of the category of gender[15] (according to Blokh M. ) â€Å"+†- strong member â€Å"-†- weak member A lot of English nouns can express both feminine and masculine person genders. They are referred to as nouns of the â€Å"common gender† (i. e. doctor, teacher, president, etc. ). This capability of expressing both genders makes the category variable. On the other hand, when there is no need to indicate the sex of the person referents of these nouns, they are used neutrally as masculine. Another interesting interpretation of gender in the English language found we in â€Å"A University Grammar of English† by R. Quirk,etc[16]. Its authors say that some pronouns are gender-sensitive (the personal he, she, it and the relative who, which), but others are not (they, some, these, etc). Basing on the pattern of pronoun substitutions for singular nouns they distinguish ten gender classes ( see Fig. 2). Figure 1:2 Gender classes[17] (according to Quirk R. , Greenbaum S. Leech G, etc) |Gender classes |Examples |Pronoun substitution | |animate | | | |masculine ______ |uncle___aunt____ |who –he________________ | |feminine_______ |doctor__ |who- she________________ | |dual___________ |baby____ |who – he/she____________ | |common _______ |family__ |who-he/she/? it, which – it__ | |collective_______ |bull____ |which- it, who – they______ | |masculine higher_ animal_________ | |which – it/ (? who) – he____ | |feminine higher__ animal_________ |cow____ | | |higher organism__ | |which – it/ (? ho)-she)____ | |lower animal____ |France__ | | | |ant_____ |which – it/she____________ | | | |which-it________________ | |Inanimate | | | |inanimate_______ |Box |Which –it______________ | There are certain rules about what nouns can be regarded to as masculine, feminine and neuter. Some times they are broken in order to achieve a certain goal. At this stage it would be quite logic if we consider some of such cases grouping them in two sets where 1. A masculine or a feminine noun is used as neuter; 2. A neuter noun is used as a masculine or a feminine one. 1. A masculine or a feminine noun is used as neuter (depersonification) Dealing with this topic the Russian linguist Screbnev I. gives among several examples this one[18]: â€Å"Where did you find it? †- asked Mord Em’ly of Miss Gilliken with a satirical accent. â€Å"Who are you calling ‘it’† – demanded Mr. Barden aggressively. P’r’aps you’ll kindly call me I’m and not it† (W. Partridge) [19] So here Miss Gilliken is referred to with the pronoun it . A feminine noun becomes neuter. By doing this the speaker shows his neglect, he is probably m ocking at her and considers that she is not worth being respected. 2. A neuter noun is used as either feminine or masculine. Let us start considering the second set with animate nouns that are regarded to as neuter, namely with animals. The main purpose of such usage according to Ganshina M. , Vasilevskaya N. [20] is to create a certain image. In tales, for example, the choice of gender greatly depends on the personal qualities the author ascribes to the animal: Wait a minute,† said the monkey proudly, â€Å"I can climb. † He ran quickly up the tree and threw the rich ripe fruit to the ground. Next day the Rabbit went to see his friend the sable: she had many daughters and forest people always came to see her. [21] In general they say all nouns denoting animals can be substituted by the pronoun it and so considered neuter: We found the horse in its stable. [22] And summarizing everything M. Ganshina and V. Vasilevskaya come to the following conclusion: the lower the ani mal in the scale, the more exclusively is the noun denoting it referred to in the neuter gender. And so nouns denoting birds, fishes, insects and reptiles and generally considered s neuter: The snake crept into its hole. [23] According to G. Leech we use he or she for animals when we think of them as having the personal qualities of human beings (e. g. family pets): Have you given Rover his dog-biscuits. [24] Alice Macline singles out two types of nouns: ones that indicate the sex of the animals and ones that don’t. Let us illustrate them by the following examples[25]: Nouns indicate the sex of the animals do not indicate the sex of the animals Male FemaleCommon words bull, steer(cowcattle stallion, gelding(marehorse boarsowpig, hog ramewesheep buckdoedeer cock, rooster, capon*henchicken gandergoosegoose drakeduckduck Mentioning the case when the sex of the animal is not indicated by the noun M. Ganshina says that the nouns that stand for the larger and bolder animals are generally associated with the masculine gender, nouns that stand for the smaller and weaker with feminine:[26] Masculine: elephant, horse, dog Feminine: cat, parrot, hare. The elephant lifted his mighty trunk. The cat has upset her milk[27]. Here goes one more observation made by M. Ganshina concerning names of animals, the latter agree with the feminine pronoun also when their maternal instinct is referred to: A bird betrays her nest when trying to conceal it. The swallow was teaching her young how to fly. But in the imaginary world of Literature where there are no such traditional associations the writer is free to choose the gender to refer to his/her character in case of personification. Here M. Ganshina gives an example from O. Wilde â€Å"Happy Prince† where the author makes the swallow of masculine gender and the reed of feminine: One night there flew over the city a little Swallow. His friends had gone away to Egypt six weeks before, but he had stayed behind, for he was in love with the most beautiful Reed. He had met her early in the spring as he was flying down the river after a big yellow moth[28]. Sometimes one can refer to some thing that one feels is necessary or very important to him or her, that he or she likes very much with the pronoun he or she. By doing this one as if humanifies () the thing one adores and in this way expresses his or her affection. In terms of gender the neuter noun becomes either feminine (in case it is referred to as she) or masculine (in case it is referred to as he) as in the example given by the Russian linguist Kolpakchi M. : [29]: My typewriter must be easy to reach, he is my second self. Speaking about abstract nouns it is worth mentioning that by changing the gender the English speaker can emphasize his attitude towards it, its importance. While dealing with it in her book Kolpakchi M. A. gives the following example: Peace raised her voice†¦ She says that the author used here the possessive pronoun her (that corresponds to the personal pronoun she) not by mere accident. He or she used it on purpose imagining Peace as a woman, an unwearying fighter for peace. The choice of gender is very subjective. To illustrate this Kolpakchi M. A. gives the following two examples: Because I could not step for death, He kindly stepped for me. E. Dickenson Death was not there. It must have gone around another street. E. Hemingway Speaking about the impending death E. Dickenson, for example, made the latter masculine. Hemingway, on the contrary, referred to it with the pronoun it making it neuter. And so the reader gets the idea according to Kolpakchi M. A. that E. Dickenson imagined death as a man and Hemingway who had seen a lot of cases of death considered it an ordinary thing not personifying it. Now let us consider one more thing, namely zoomorphisms. These are the words that denote animals, birds, or fantastic creatures but are used to refer to people. The Russian linguist I. V. Arnold says that in this case they get a metaphorical emotionally colored and often offensive connotation[30]. She mentions that it can be easily noticed if we compare direct and metaphorical meanings of the following words: ass, beast, bitch, donkey, duck, mule, pig, swine, tabby, toad, wolf, worm, etc. Here are two examples with such metaphorically employed words in the context that gives Arnold I. V while considering zoomorphisms[31]: 1. I was not going to have all the old tabbies bossing her around just because she is not what they call â€Å"our class† (A. Wilson The Middle Age) In this example the speaker calls the ladies she does charity work with old tabbies. Arnold I. V mentions that in the same chapter but a bit earlier the narrator says that she (the speaker) regarded them as fools and did not hesitate to tell him so. That supports the idea that the word tabbies is used here emotionally. 2. What were you talking about to that old mare downstairs? S. Delaney) While reading the sentence you as if see the speaker pronouncing it with scorn, probably hatred. Alongside with the emotional connotation these words can also have an expressive, stylistic (colloquial) one. I. V. Arnold notices that when the words that name animals have synonyms, the latter can differ in intensi ty and character of connotation[32]. She illustrate this by giving the following examples: pig, monkey, donkeyswine, ass, ape can express irony together with affection. can sound rude, offensive. Here goes an example provided by Arnold I. V. of a zoomorphism in the context: E. g. â€Å"Don’t be such a donkey, dear† (C. P. Snow) Negative connotations according to the same Russian linguist can be intensified by means of different epithets, emphatic constructions: you impudent pup, you filthy swine, you lazy dog, that big horse of a girl[33]. Now let us go on with inanimate nouns. They can be substituted by the pronouns which, it and so treated as neuter. But sometimes they can be personified and the nouns that denote them are referred to either as belonging to the masculine or the feminine gender. Here are some traditional associations that Ganshina M and Vasilevskaya N distinguish[34]: 1. The nouns moon, earth are considered feminine, sun masculine: It is pleasant to watch the sun in his chariot of gold, and the moon in her chariot of pearl. (Wilde) The earth awoke from her winter sleep. 2. Those abstract nouns that suggest such ideas as strength, fierceness, courage, etc are considered masculine (anger, death, fear). The ones that are associated with gentleness, beauty are referred to as feminine (spring, peace, dawn). Names of countries can be substituted by either the pronoun it or she. So they can be considered either neuter or feminine. The choice depends on their use. According to Leech G. if the country is seen as a political or cultural unit rather than as geographical unit it is treated as feminine: Last year France increased her exports by 10 per cent. [35] Otherwise it is treated as neuter: Ireland is an island, on three sides it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean1 In sport the name of a country according to Quirk R. can stand for the team that represent her and be referred to as a personal collective noun: France have improved their chance of winning the cup. [36] In this class Quirk also places ships and other entities towards which an affectionate attitude is expressed by a personal substitute (ship, boat, steamer, car, etc): What a lovely ship. What is she called? He also mentions that a proud owner of a sports car may refer to it as she or perhaps as he if the owner is female. When a nonpersonal abstract noun (neuter) in the sentence stands for a personal one it becomes he (masculine) or she (femenine). The Russian linguist Arnold I. V. entions that in case of transposition of nonpersonal abstract nouns (used as personal) some emotional or expressive connotations appear[37]. She gives the following examples: The chubby little eccentricity::a chubby eccentric child; He is a disgrace to his family::he is a disgraceful son; The old oddity ::a n odd old person. From the point of view of sociology it is worth mentioning the sexist language here while speaking about the gender. It can be defined as â€Å"speech and writing that make unnecessary distinctions based on sex† (A. Macline). Some people do not like using occupational terms that show the sex of the person who is doing the work. They substitute them for nonsexist equivalents[38] : TraditionalNonsexist stewardessflight attendant postmanpostal worker chairman chairperson or chair salesladysalesperson or salesclerk According to â€Å"Book of English Usage†[39] some of the most interesting changes that have taken place in the English language over the last 30 years have been driven by the desire to avoid sexism in the language. This reform movement differs from most previous ones based on a desire for English to be more logical, more efficient in expression. The book says that the reforms involving gender are explicitly political in intent and represent a quest for social justice rather than a wish for more consistent logic. The author of this chapter considers that this movement has been remarkably successful by historical standards. A glance at any newspaper or five minutes in front of the television news will produce evidence to show that people are changing their language to accommodate concerns about fairness to both sexes. It is undeniable that large numbers of men and women are uncomfortable using constructions that have been criticized for being sexist. Since there is little to be gained by offending people in one’s audience, it makes sense to educate oneself about the issues involved and to try to accommodate at least some of these concerns. The use of the sexist language can sometimes lead to ambiguity. There is an example with the term policemen in the book. While using it, it is not clear whether the speaker is excluding women police officers or whether he or she allows the term stand for the entire police force. Another problem is that not everyone perceives the sexist language the same way. People have different levels of sensitivity on these matters and everyone must find a level that suits him or her. Some people not object to using the generic he, but avoid the generic use of compounds ending in –man. Some are not comfortable using the form fellow, as in fellow colleagues, to refer to women. That complicates the matter. Finally, it is important to remember that avoiding sexist terms and constructions is no guarantee that what one has written will be free of gender bias. Sexist stereotypes, such as the assumption that all nurses are women or that all executive are men, can seem like the status quo – the way the world is- especially when one is distracted by a deadline or concerned about some other feature of his or her writing, such as organization or its tone. Sexist assumptions can be insidious. A headline that reads â€Å"Allegations Embroil Financier and Woman† may seem innocuous at first, but if the article shows the woman to be a financier as well, one have to wonder about the politics of the headline editor, who has assumed that a financier must naturally be a man and that a woman’s professional status is somehow not worth mentioning[40]. . 5. 2ylistic Potential of the category of number The category of number is expressed by the opposition of the plural form to the singular one. The strong member is the plural. Basing on the quantitative characteristics of the nouns two groups can be distinguished: countable and uncountab le. Countable nouns refer to people, places, or things that can be counted (one dollar/two dollars, one house, two houses). They [these countable nouns] can always be made plural usually by adding â€Å"s† or some other variation of the plural ending (student(s), countri(es), child(ren). A few words are the same in both the singular and plural forms (deer, sheep). Uncountable nouns often refer to food, beverages, substances, or abstractions (meat, tea, steel, information); some uncountable nouns (but not the abstract ones) can be made countable by adding a â€Å"count frame† in front of them (two gallons of milk, six blocks of ice, a bar of soap, a bunch of celery). The nouns of the second group are treated as either singular or plural and are usually referred to as singularia tantum (peace, love, friendship) [only singular] and pluralia tantum (scissors, trousers, spectacles) [only plural]. M. I. Blokh[41] refers to them as absolute singular and the absolute plural. Unfortunately, there is not clear-cut distinction between countable and uncountable nouns. Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable even without adding count frames. For example, as an uncountable noun, experience refers to abstract knowledge or skill that can be gained by observing or participating in events. As a singular or plural countable noun (experience/experiences), the word â€Å"experience† refers to a particular instance (or instances) of participation in events. Similarly, the uncountable noun â€Å"glass† is a substance made from silicates; â€Å"a glass† (singular) is something you drink from; and â€Å"glasses† (plural) are frames containing lenses that correct imperfect vision[42]. There are other exceptions to the countable/uncountable distinction as well. Moreover, a noun that is countable in one’s native language may be uncountable in English, and vice-versa. For example, â€Å"watch† is countable in English but uncountable in Russian. However, as long as we are aware of these differences they probably will not cause us much difficulty. The Guide to Grammar and Writing [43] says that a special situation exists when a subject seems not to agree with its predicate. For instance, when we want each student to see his or her counselor (and each student is assigned to only one counselor), but we want to avoid that â€Å"his or her† construction by pluralizing, do we say â€Å"Students must see their counselors† or â€Å"Students must see their counselor†? The singular counselor is necesssary to avoid the implication that students have more than one counselor apiece. Do we say â€Å"Many sons dislike their father or fathers†? We don't mean to suggest that the sons have more than one father, so we use the singular father. Theodore Bernstein, in Dos, Don'ts and Maybes of English Usage, says that â€Å"Idiomatically the noun applying to more than one person remains in the singular when (a) it represents a quality or thing possessed in common (â€Å"The audience's curiosity was aroused†); or (b) it is an abstraction (â€Å"The judges applied their reason to the problem†), or (c) it is a figurative word (â€Å"All ten children had a sweet tooth†) (203). Sometimes good sense will have to guide you. We might want to say â€Å"Puzzled, the children scratched their head† to avoid the image of multi-headed children, but â€Å"The audience rose to their foot† is plainly ridiculous and about to tip over. In â€Å"The boys moved their car/cars,† the plural would indicate that each boy owned a car, the singular that the boys (together) owned one car (which is quite possible). It is also possible that each boy owned more than one car. One should be prepared for such situations, and consider carefully the implications of using either the singular or the plural. One might have to avoid the problem by going the opposite direction of pluralizing: moving things to the singular and talking about what each boy did[44]. There are cases when the opposition of the singular to the plural is neutralized when a change of meaning, attitude is involved. Let us consider some examples organizing them in the following groups: A) countable: the plural stands for the singular and vice versa B) Countable nouns: repetition groups C) Uncountable nouns: the plural form results in expressive transposition 1. ountable: the plural stands for the singular and vice versa The example below shows that such nouns as committee can be substituted either with the singular pronoun it or the plural pronoun they (without changing the number in the noun). R. Quirk and other authors of â€Å"A University Grammar of English† say that the differenc e reflects a difference in attitude: the singular stresses the non-personal collectivity of the group and the plural the personal individuality within the group: 1. The committee has met and it has rejected the proposal. The committee have met and they have rejected the proposal [45] Here are similar examples: 2. The family were gathered round the table. 3. The government are unanimous in disapproving the move of the opposition. In the subsequent cases (when the plural implies the singular and vice versa) the relation of the whole to its parts comes to the foreground. The varieties of transfer (‘whole –part’ and ‘part – whole’) are called synecdoche, which itself is the simplest case of metonymy: 4. â€Å"How dare he talk like that to ladies? † (there is only one lady present) 5. â€Å"Now what’s that? Reading books instead of working? † (the delinquent is certainly reading one book at the moment) 6. â€Å"This is what the student is supposed to know† (every student, a number of students, all those who study the subject: the singular stands for the plural)[46] 2. Countable nouns: repetition groups Indefinitely large quantity can be intensely presented by means of repetition groups. The nouns in them can be used either in the plural or in the singular: There were trees and trees all around us. I lit cigarette after cigarette. This variety of plural can be considered as a peculiar analytical form in the marginal sphere of the category of number[47]. (C)Uncountable nouns: the plural form results in expressive transposition As it has been mentioned above the English noun has both the singular and the plural forms. But there is a restriction on this general rule: proper, abstract, material nouns have just one form. And if the restriction is ignored some particular meanings, connotations are restricted. The plural form of the following nouns in bold type intensifies large quantity: E. g. : the sands of the desert; †¢ the fruits of the toil; †¢ Waters on a starry night are beautiful and fair. (W. Wordsworth) †¢ But where are the snows of yesterday? (F. Villon) It plays not the last role in making the description more graphic. M. I. Blokh calls it  "descriptive uncountable plural†. 1. 5. 3 Stylistic Potential of the category of case This category is expressed in the English language by the opposition of the genitive or possessive case to the common case. The strong member is the first one. Functionally, those two case systems relate to one another in a very peculiar way. If the common form is not restricted in its uses, the genitive one is. It is restricted to the functions that have a parallel expression by prepositional constructions. To illustrate the complex nature of the genitive Blokh M. distinguishes the following basic semantic types of the genitive[48] : †¢ â€Å"the genitive of possessor† E. g. : Christine’s living room (the living room belongs to Christine), Dad’s earnings, Kate and Jerry’s grandparents. †¢ â€Å"the genitive of integer† (â€Å"organic possession†) E. g. : Jane’s busy hands (the busy hands as part of Jane’s person), Patrick’s voice, the hotel’s lobby. †¢ â€Å"the genitive of agent† E. g. : the great man’s arrival (the great man arrives), Peter’s insistence, the hotel’s competitive position. â€Å"the genitive of patient† E. g. : the champion’s sensational defeat (the champion is defeated), Erick’s final expulsion. †¢ â€Å"the genitive of destinationâ₠¬  E. g. : women’s footwear (footwear for women), children’s verses, a fisher’s tent. In some postmodified noun phrases it is possible to use an ’s genitive by affixing the inflection to the final part of the postmodification rather than to the head noun itself. Thus: The teacher’s room The teacher of music’s room This group genitive is regularly used with such posmodifications as in someone else’s house, the heir apparent’s name, as well as prepositional phrases. Other examples involve coordinations: n hour and a half’s discussion a week or so’s sunshine. [49] The group genitive is not normally acceptable following a clause, though in colloquial use one sometimes hears examples like[50]: Old man what-do-you-call-him’s house has been painted A man I know’s son has been injured in a railway accident. In normal use, especially in writing, such s-genetives would be replaced by of-genitive: The son of a man I know has been injured in a railway accident. Now let us consider the combination â€Å"of + genitive case† (a friend of my brother’s) or â€Å"of + possessive pronoun† (a friend of mine). According to Ganshina M. , Vasilevskaya N. t has usually partitive, denoting â€Å"one of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Here are some examples[51]: He is a friend of my brother’s (= one of my brother’s friends); It is a book of mine (=one of my book); It is a novel of Galsworthy’s (= one of his novels). The say that sometimes this meaning can be lost and the construction acquires emotional force (denoting praise, pleasure, displeasure, etc) or becomes purely descriptive: We all admired that clever remark of his. That cottage of my friend’s is surrounded by a beautiful garden. It was really surprising that he had been able to find this small island of ours at all. Is she a particular friend of yours? A friend of the doctor’s has arrived[52]. In Modern English the use of the genitive case is restricted chiefly to nouns denoting living beings. In the following examples provided by Ganshina M. , Vasilevskaya N. the use of the genitive case is closely connected with personification:[53] 1. with the nouns sun, moon, earth: The sun’s (his) rays are very hot at noon in summer. The moon’s (her) shadow swept over the lake. And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast rose from the dreams of its wintry rest. (Shelly) 2. with the nouns ship, boat, vessel The ship’s crew were all asleep. 3. with the names of countries: Moscow is Russian’s greatest scientific and cultural centre. 4. with abstract nouns (especially in poetry) Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain top. But that does not exhaust the stylistic potential of the genitive case. It was mentioned in  «  » by Arnold[54] that the use of the inflected form is characteristic of newspaper headlines not only because of space economy but also because this form emphasizes the attribute. Comparing Hollywood’s Studios Empty with The Studios of Hollywood empty they prefer the first variant. Now let us consider one more point of view regarding the ’s and of-phrase. E. G. Rappoport[55] says that ’s expresses indissoluble connection between the whole and its part. Of ,on the contrary, characterizes such a relation between the whole and its part when the latter is understood as something that exists on its own. The author gives then an example from the novel by Galsworthy â€Å"The White Monkey†. Michael and Soms are waiting for Fleur’s baby to be delivered: Michael had his right arm tight across his chest, Soames his left. They formed a pattern, thus side by side. (Both were rather strained. ) Then Soames says, â€Å"Listen! †Sounds – different – confused! Michael’s hand seized something, gripped it hard; it was cold, thin – the hand of Soames. So Mike at first perceived Soames’ hand (the hand of Soames) as an object (something) . It doesn’t come to him at once that he has gripped his father’s-in-law hand. Michael’s hand, on the contrary, represents a closer unity and it is equal to Michael. 1. 5. 4 Stylistic Potential of the category of article determination The category of article determination is not universally manifestable. The categorial forms â€Å"determination-indetermination† are neutralized when either the definite or indefinite article is omitted although it should precede the noun or the noun group. But the neutralization (absence of the article) is stylistically heterogeneous. Most depends on what sublanguage the text belongs, on the circumstances of communication. It is known that absence of articles is typical of headlines to newspaper columns (the sublanguage used in newspaper headlines is jocularly called Headlinese – by analogy with Chinese, Portuguese, etc)[56]: Prime Minister Talks on Middle East Events Police Seek Mystery Assailant Miner Sentenced to Death Picket Tried to Hold up Train Skrebnev I. M. gives also the following example that demonstrates absence: Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth, namely twenty-four grinders, four eye-teeth and twelve incisive. Sheds coat in the spring; in marshy countries sheds hoofs too. Hoofs hard but requiring to be shod with iron. Age known by marks in mouth†. That is an extract from the speech of an exemplary pupil of the famous â€Å"school of facts†, Bitzer by name (Hard Times by Charles Dickens). The boy, on being asked to define a horse, talks as if he were asked to reproduce word for word the text of some reference book (in books of this kind articles are often omitted). So there is no article in particular types of abbreviated language[57]: †¢ newspaper headlines (Girls dies in Fire) †¢ dictionary deginitions (Crystal = substance solidified in geometrical form) †¢ instructions (Read instructions first. Check plug. Select correct speed. ) †¢ telegrams (Sign contract immediately. Letter follows. ) Sometimes articles are omitted in careless colloquial speech. To demonstrate this Skrebnev I remembers the well-known scene I of Pygmalion by B. Shaw where one of the by-standers says in Eliza Doolittle’s defence: Girl never said a word to him (instead of The girl†¦) Articles are also eliminated in many Pidgins as well as in a number of languages like, for example, Russian. â€Å"Bring me dog†, would possibly be more meaningful in context of the moment, than in some literary sense[58]. Article causes a considerable amount of confusion for speakers of most of the world’s other languages, who seem to get on rather well without them. Even between British and American usage one finds subtle differences in nuance or emphasis. For example, Americans usually say someone is in the hospital, much as they could be at the bank or in the park. To the British this sounds like there is only one hospital, just as they would say a child is at school or a criminal in prison. This is because they are thinking more of the primary activities that take place within those institutions rather than the buildings in which they are housed. If, however, you are merely visiting one of these places, you are at the hospital, at the school or at the prison. Considering this category in â€Å"Theoretical grammar† M. I. Blokh distinguishes two levels of opposition. On the first level the definite article is contrasted with the indefinite and zero-article being the strong member because of its identifying and individualizing function, while the other forms are referred to as the weak member as they leave the feature (â€Å"identification†) unmarked. On the second level the two types of generalization are contrasted: relative and absolute. The first one is interpreted as the strong member (the indefinite article and the meaningful absence of the article as its analogue with uncountable nouns and nouns in the plural); the second one accordingly as the weak member of the opposition (the meaningful absence of the article). (Fig 1:3) Fig. 1:3 The category of article determination (according to Blokh M. ) Article determination IdentificationNon-identification The +A (N)/? – Relative generalizationAbsolute generalization (â€Å"Classification†)(â€Å"Abstraction†) A (N)/ ? 1 + ? 2 – The article may occasionally be used with an uncharacteristic nounal collocation. It is worth considering now some of such cases starting with instances that involve the indefinite article: According to Blokh M[59] it†¦ †¢ can be used with a nounal collocation of normally individualizing meaning: After all, you’ve got a best side and a worst side of yourself and it’s no good showing the worst side and harping on it. (A. Christie) †¢ It may occasionally be used with a unique referent noun: Ted Latimer from beyond her murmured: â€Å"The sun here isn’t a real sun†. The choice of the adjective in this case is rather subjective. To illustrate this Kolpakchi M. A. gives the following example. The moon that seemed to Onegin foolish, can seem to somebody else mocking or ominous. 60] †¢ Being used before a proper name it can indicate a person whose exact identity has not been established: There is a Miss Frost waiting for you[61]. †¢ Being used before a proper noun according to Arnold I. V. it can create an evaluative m etaphorical connotation: I do not claim to be a Caruso=I don’t think that I sing well; I do not claim to be Caruso=I don’t say that my name is Caruso[62]. The connotation can be either positive or negative. In the following example also provided by Arnold I. V. the evaluation is undoubtfully positive: A century ago there may have been no Leibnitz, but there was a Gauss, a Faraday and a Darwin. (N. Viner Cybernetics) The indefinite article in this case emphasizes appreciation of their role in the development of science. However, very often when the indefinite article stands before a proper name of an undistinguished person it may render a negative connotation (it can point out, for example, to some demerits,etc). Here Arnold I. V. gives the following example: He was not a Bagster (GGreen The main point). -He does not want to be like Bagster. Being used before a proper noun the indefinite article can reveal one more meaning, namely belonging to a famous family. In this case it always reveals an evaluative connotation: Elisabeth was a Tudor – Elisabeth possessed some family traits of the noble kin. Here go some other cases that involve the definite article: Proper nouns are names of particular people, places, and things (John F. Kennedy, New York City, Notre Dame Cathedral), and for that reason they are inherently definite. Nevertheless, the definite article is not used with most singular proper nouns. For example, if you are referring to your friend George, you wouldn't say â€Å"The George and I went to a movie last night. † The only times â€Å"the† is used with a name like this are: a) when the speaker wants to be emphatic, as in â€Å"the Elizabeth Taylor† (to emphasize that you are talking about the famous actress, and not about another woman with the same name)[63]. Here goes another example provided by BlokhM Know my partner? Old Robinson. Yes, the Robinson. Don’t you know? The notorious Robinson. (J Conrad Lord Jim) Being used with a proper noun, it refers to one particular individual[64]: Is he the Stephen Spielberg, the film director? b) when the speaker is actually using the name as a common noun, as in â€Å"the George that I introduced you to last night† (the real meaning of this phrase is â€Å"the man named George†¦ â€Å"). Plural names, on the other hand, are always preceded by the: the Johnsons, the Bahamas, etc[65]. Now let us consider two other cases that involve the zero article: †¢ It may be occasionally used with an ordinary concrete noun the emantic nature of which stands in sharp contradiction to the idea of uncountable generalization[66]: The glasses had a habit of slipping down her button nose which did not have enough bridge to hold them up (S. M. Disney) †¢ The Russian linguist Arnold I. V. m entions that together with countable nouns it makes them abstract and considers the following example: There head falls forward, fatigued at evening, And dreams of home, Waving from window, spread of welcome, Kissing of wife under single sheet; But waking sees Bird-flocks nameless to him, through doorway voices Of new men making another love. In this poem by V. Oden Wanderer extreme tiredness of the Wanderer is rendered according to Arnold I. V. by means of abstract images. This fuzziness helps the reader to feel that home and happiness are just a dream. In all these cases that illustrate the peculiar cases involving the article traces of transposition can be seen. Chapter 2 Analysis of examples taken from fiction on the basis of considered theoretical phenomena Being a practical one Chapter2 illustrates the points mentioned in the previous theoretical chapter by means of about 200 instances. The latter have been taken mostly from works of English and American authors that belong to the belles-lettres style (tales, poetry, short stories). The aim of this chapter is to put the considered theory into practice showing the way the phenomena have been dealt with work out. All the examples were considered in the following way: †¢ Examples regarding the category of gender (2. 1) Here we distinguish two groups: A. A neuter noun used as feminine; B. A neuter noun used as masculine, explaining the purpose of changing the gender. †¢ Examples regarding the category of number (2. 2) In this paragraph we consider some cases when proper, abstract, material nouns are used in the plural form. †¢ Examples regarding the category of case (2. 3) Here we consider cases when inanimate nouns take the s-genitive. †¢ Examples regarding the category of article determination (2. 4) In this paragraph we consider cases when the article is used in the linguistic environment that is alien to it. 1. Analysis of the examples regarding the category of gender As it has been already mentioned in the theoretical chapter the gender division of noun in English is expressed as nounal classification (not as variable forms of words) which has grammatical relevance. The category is expressed by the correlation of nouns with the personal pronouns of the third person singular (he, she, it). That is why the latter accompanies all the considered nouns in the examples of this paragraph. Those that are referred to as he are traditionally considered as masculine, and so accordingly there can be distinguished also feminine (referred to as she) and neuter (referred to as it). There are certain rules about what nouns can be regarded to as masculine, feminine or neuter. Sometimes they are broken in order to achieve a certain goal. Such cases are considered in this paragraph, namely when a normally considered neuter noun is used as feminine or masculine. All the examples are divided accordingly into two groups which are considered separately: 1. A neuter noun is used as feminine 2. A neuter noun is used as masculine. In each subset we consider (A) cases where the choice of gender is determined by some traditional associations and (B) examples where this choice is free. It is also worth mentioning that all the subsequent instances are connected with personification. 1. A neuter noun is used as feminine A. Traditional choice of gender In the following example the word vessel (that is neutrally referred to as it) is accompanied by the possessive pronoun her that corresponds to the personal pronoun she. This is actually one of the ways of expressing an affectionate attitude towards any kind of vessel, vehicle, which is traditionally, associated with the personal pronoun she: ? There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail†¦. (A. Tennyson The lady of Sharlott) The same thing will illustrate the following example: ? And why not? he would have asked. If he hadn’t watched every penny all his life he wouldn’t be the owner of the fine ship lying alongside now. What if she was only a small coastal cargo-ship grossing a mere 2053 tons? She was rated Al at Lloyd’s, she would be sailing within the hour with a full cargo, and she was his. He owned and commanded her. (Porteus R. S. A Deal with Father) Here the word of the neuter gender ship is referred to as she and so it becomes feminine. We see that the owner is very proud that â€Å"he owned and commanded her† (personification in this case emphasizes this). Here goes another example from the same short story where the word ship is also used as a feminine noun: ? In the first grey streaks of dawn they sighted her – a pitiful, crippled thing , so far down by the head that the bigger seas broke clean over her foredeck. Captain Wellshot knew her well. Only a few hours ago she had been a fast modern cargo-ship of 10,000 tons, the latest addition to the Greek line. Now she lay with bowed head, wallowing sluggishly as if she no longer had the energy to rise to the seas, content to let them wash over her till they engulfed her completely. From a seaman’s point of view she was nothing but a menace to navigation until she took the final plunge. (Porteous R. S. A Deal with Father) The image of the sinking ship is as if personified here (Captain Wellshot knew her well†¦ She lay with bowed head†¦ ) In the subsequent example the word Moon (that is neutrally referred to as it) is also accompanied by the possessive pronoun her that corresponds to the personal pronoun she. That has a lot to do with personification that is also realized by capitalizing the word Moon and by using with it the participle foretelling (that usually used with animate nouns): ? I see the old Moon in her lap, foretelling The coming-on of rain and squally blast †¦ (Coleridge S. T. Dejection: An Ode) Traditionally such abstract nouns that suggest such ideas as gentleness, beauty, etc are associated with the feminine gender. The subsequent three sentences with examples illustrate this. In the first one the word autumn that is normally referred to as it is substituted by the personal pronoun she. So being a neuter noun it is used as feminine. That makes us imagine a nice woman who â€Å"gave golden fruit to every garden†: The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant’s garden she gave none. (Oscar Wilde The Selfish Giant) In the second one the word spring (that is neutrally referred to as it) is substituted by the personal pronoun she and is also referred to by the possessive pronoun her. The personification is realized not only by making the word feminine but also by using it in the possessive case by means of ’s (that is usually used with animate nouns) and by applying to it such words as pantings, kisses, to breathe that are characteristic of human being: ? If spring’s voluptuous pantings when she breathes, Her first sweet kisses, have been dear to me†¦ (Shelley P. B. Alastor or the spirit of solitude) In the third sentence the word Nature (that is neutrally referred to as it) is accompanied by the possessive pronoun her that corresponds to the personal pronoun she. The personification in this case is realized not only by it but also by capitalizing the considered noun and by the accompanying words wedding garment, shroud that are employed metaphorically: ? O Lady! We receive but what we give, And in our life alone does Nature live: Ours is her wedding-garment, ours her shroud! (Coleridge S. T. Dejection: An Ode) B. Free choice of gender In the imaginary world of literature when there are no such traditional associations, the choice of gender greatly depends on the personal qualities the author ascribes to the animal or to any object that becomes alive. The personification in the sentence below is realized not only by referring to the considered noun with the possessive pronoun her but also capitalizing it and by applying to it such phrases as to bow one’s head, to mind one’s charge (that are normally performed by human beings): ? The Cloud descended and the Lily bow’d her modest head And went to mind her numerous charge among the verdant grass. (W. Blake The Book of Thel) The neuter noun snow is referred in the following example by means of the possessive pronoun her that corresponds to the personal pronoun she. The change of the neuter gender into feminine results in personification. The latter is also realized by means of capitalization of the noun and the metaphorically applied to it noun cloak: The Snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak, and the Frost painted all the Trees silver. (Oscar Wilde The Nightingale and the Rose) Personification in the example below is realized by referring to the noun duck as she and also by making her speak as people do (â€Å"You will never be in the best society unless you can stand on your heads,† she kept saying to them). The neuter noun duck is used as feminine. As a result an image of a nice mother who was teaching her children has been created: ? The little ducks were swimming about in the pond, looking just like a lot of yellow canaries, and their mother [duck], who was pure white with real red legs, was trying to teach them how to stand on their heads in the water. You will never be in the best society unless you can stand on your heads,† she kept saying to them; and every now and then she showed them how it was done. (Oscar Wilde The Devoted Friend ) In the following two sentences the word Nightingale (which belongs to the neuter gender) becomes feminine by referring to it as she, her. Personification in this case is also realized by some metaphorically employed words that accompany the considered noun such as to wonder, to understand, to think. As a result the image of a kind creature that is not indifferent to the grief of others is created: ? From her nest in the Holm-oak tree the Nightingale heard him, and she looked out through the leaves and wondered. But the Nightingale underst