Implementation of Health for all Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Implementation of Health for all - Essay Example This makes the staff responsible and accountable. The administration can ensure the retaining of efficient workers by offering them a promising career in health services. The health for all children has taken a new shape with implementation of Hall 4 recommendations. In pre Hall 4 period the implementation was limited to enquiring the families about the child health and submitting the details to the concerned department, which use that data in policy making. But the report of Hall which is termed as Hall 4 concentrates on complete health for all children and extends the scope of health visitors from survey persons to a complete health care activist. The targets of the scheme had increased manifold. The process was not limited to health surveillance and it was extended to screening, diagnosis, timely intervention, extending the needed help and frequent visits to implement the advice. This type of policy was framed keeping in view that the health is the right of every child and by following a holistic approach. The prevention of physical and mental health disorders was also made the part of the health care activities. It stresses on giving support to f amilies to cope up with health needs of their children. Generally the deprived families approach health care when the damage was done. The Hall 4 implementation specially targets this type of parents and families and developed a frame work to contact them, advice them and make them enable to get assistance and the needed help from the agencies implementing health for all children: Hall 4. The implementation's target is to enable every child to start life in healthy condition; both physically and mentally. Previously the deprived children used to be disabled either physically or mentally by the time they come into contact with health services. The Hall 4 implementations include recommendations for this type of deprived families also. They are contacted at regular intervals to monitor their child health and motivate them mentally and for helping economically if needed. (Economical help here is to assist them to get income and making them to spend on the health improvement). Aim of the report The pre Hall 4 implementation of health for all services was limited to health surveillance. The implementation of Hall 4 recommendations is to attain health for all in both letter and spirit. In some PCT s the health care situation and the performance of health visitors are not satisfactory. The analysis of the present situation and the need of any changes in management and organisation should be discussed and evaluated. The intervals between visits of health visitors to the families having children are also a point of content. Till now the babies were checked at 8 months and 18 months age. But now it was being recommended that the babies were to be checked at birth, six weeks, six months, 1 year and 2 years age. But there are some perceptions that the gap between the intervals of visiting may result in disability either physically and mentally for children of deprived families. These different perceptions about the intervals in health visits were to be discussed keeping in view org anisational and managerial issues. In some cases it was felt even by the staff that the gap betw

A Report and Risk Management Package Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

A Report and Risk Management Package - Essay Example In the real setting of delivery of healthcare, this would indicate a policy to follow in implementation of healthcare delivery procedure to avoid adverse incidents in medical practice (Leape, L.L. and Berwick, D.M., 2000). The most scientific approach, hence, would be to manage and monitor the quality of healthcare delivered, and clinical governance represents an organization-wise strategy for improving quality within National Health Service in UK. Translated into quality management terms, this would mean devotion to and implementation of a process that involves recording, reporting, managing, and investigating an adverse event and ability to learn from that (Department of Health, (2000). Since the goal of quality in healthcare is to ensure patient and staff safety, these incidents that threaten this safety are known as risks. Any risk management package, therefore, will consist of a written description of the procedure to serve as the standard with clearly demarcated areas of respon sibilities of the involved personnel; if there is such an incident, a process to classify, a protocol for analysis and investigation protocol; a policy of informatics to both the patient and staff with a positive and fair blame approach; guidelines for management of care and service delivery more efficiently; and most importantly, learning from these incidents (Moss, F., Palmberg, M., and Plsek, P., 2000).

WalMart SWOT Analysis

WalMart SWOT Analysis Wal-Marts policies and practices are designed to ensure an environment that is equitable and inclusive. To that end, Wal-Mart solicits feedback from all of their employees, annually, regarding their opinions of their work experience and the companys implementation of Wal-Marts basic beliefs and values. In addition, they provide training on working with people, leadership skills, equal employment opportunities, diversity and sexual harassment prevention. Wal-Mart is committed to providing all employees state-of-the-art training resources and development time to help achieve career objectives. They have a number of training tools in place that keeps then out in front of the competition, including classroom courses, computer-based learning, distance learning, corporate intranet sites, mentor programs, satellite broadcasts, skills assessments, and job announcements. These tools are successfully increasing advancement opportunities for women and minorities. Wal-Mart has been ranked among Training Magazines Top Training 100 companies for two consecutive years. Respect for the individual, one of Wal-Marts companys three core values, is reinforced throughout their training process. Wal-Mart is committed to the customers and communities they serve. Wal-Mart hires locally, representing the diversity and uniqueness of everyones hometown. As the demographics of the nation have changed, so has the family of Wal-Marts employees. More than 15 percent of their employees are over the age of 55, and they are the nations largest employer of Hispanics and African-Americans. Wal-Mart also uses its respectable financial position to attract and retain employees by offering stock ownership and profit-sharing programs. These programs are available to all full-time employees of Wal-Mart and make a significant impact on the earnings of employees. They are allowed to purchase shares of stock at reduced prices, which allows them an immediate appreciation of their portfolio. With the profit-sharing program, the employees receive bonuses at the end of the year based on the success of the overall company. These also provide a significant amount of compensation to their employees. Wal-Mart also has very strong community-based initiatives. They have continually gave college scholarships for high school seniors, raised funds for nearby childrens hospitals through the Childrens Miracle Network Telethon, provided money and manpower for fund raisers, school benefits and churches, Boy and Girl Scouts, park projects, police and fire charities, food banks, senior citizen centers, and more. They also educate the public about recycling and other environmental topics with the help of a Green Coordinator, a specially trained employee who coordinates efforts to make an environmentally responsible store. Along this same line, Wal-Mart has created Environmental Demonstration Stores in Lawrence, Kansas; Moore, Oklahoma; and City of Industry, California. These stores serve as a test tube for environmentally friendly building materials and experimental methods for conserving energy and water. Finally, the corporate structure of Wal-Mart is very well rounded and managed with three core values: respect for the individual, service to their customers, and striving for excellence. The management of Wal-Mart is the backbone to the entire company and these core-values have propelled Wal-Mart to the top of their industry and have allowed Wal-Mart to be the worlds largest company. (S)trengths Marketing The nature of Wal-Marts marketing is in its Every Day Low Price (EDLP) campaign. This is what makes Wal-Mart successful. Sam Walton devised a system for which price setting was to be followed. Sam wouldnt allow management to hedge a price at all. If the list price was $1.98, but Wal-Mart had paid only 50 cents, they would mark it up 30 percent, and thats it. Sams philosophy was No matter what you pay for it, if we get a great deal, pass it on to the customer. The other major campaign Wal-Mart employs is the Rollback. This occurs when Wal-Mart lowers the already lowered Every Day Low Prices. This has really been a successful way for Wal-Mart to increase its patrons. When consumers shop, they are always looking for the best deal, since Wal-Mart already offers low prices, when they rollback prices, they are able to out-price all of their competition. Stemming from the managements core values, Wal-Mart has been known for their customer oriented approach. Wal-Mart maintains one of the best satisfaction guaranteed programs, which promotes customer goodwill. One can return virtually any product to Wal-Mart without any problems. They simply take the product back and promptly refund the price of the product, nearly no questions asked. They also promote goodwill among consumers by employing a tactic, which Sam created known as the Ten Foot Rule. This is simply the idea that if a customer comes within ten feet of an employee, they are required to greet them and ask if they can help them in any way. This is also evident through employees getting to know customers on a first name basis. Finally, perhaps the single most important marketing aspect of Wal-Mart is that they create the ideal one-stop shopping experience. Wal-Mart is organized into ten distinct divisions. These include: Wal-Mart stores, SAMS CLUBS, Neighborhood Markets, International, walmart.com, Tire Lube Express, Wal-Mart Optical, Wal-Mart Pharmacy, Wal-Mart Vacations, and Wal-Marts Used Fixture Auctions. Through these divisions, Wal-Mart offers thousands of products. The Wal-Mart stores contain groceries, clothes, healthcare products, toys, electronics, bedding, sports and recreation, automotive, among other items. Because of this conglomeration of products, the typical consumer can go into any Wal-Mart and walk out without having to stop at another store for anything that they could need. Finance/Accounting Since 2000, Wal-Marts revenue has consistently increased. In 2000, they had revenues of $165,013 billion and in 2002 their revenue had increased 24% to $217,799 billion. This is astronomical growth in revenues considering the overall size and scope of Wal-Mart. Top be able to consistently grow revenues in such a large organization is simply amazing. The increase in revenues has also been very kind to their cash flow. In 1997, Wal-Mart had a positive cash flow of $4,044 billion and in 2002 this number had increased to a positive $9,961 billion. This growth also had an impact on Wal-Marts net income, which is to say that they were able to control their expenses while continuing to grow and expand their operations. In 1997, their net income was a not-so-paltry $3,056 billion, and in 2002, only five years later, Wal-Mart more than doubled their net income to $6,671 billion. The strength of Wal-Mart is also shown through its ratios. Nearly all of Wal-Marts ratios are strengths when measured against the industry averages. Through our ratio analysis, we have shown that Wal-Mart is the best-equipped company to succeed in the marketplace. (The ratio analysis can be found as Figure 3 in the appendix) Another area of strength is Wal-Marts stock price. Figure 4 shows the price of Wal-Marts common stock from October 2000 until the end of 2002. The price has fluctuated, but it has only fluctuated between $45 and $65. Including dividends, an investment in Wal-Mart would perform well. Production/Operations Perhaps the strongest aspect of Wal-Mart is in its access to distribution networks. Wal-Mart uses a system known as cross-docking. This is simply the process of continuously delivering goods to warehouses where they are sorted and distributed to their stores within one day. This enables Wal-Mart to take advantage of economies of scale with shipping trucks with full loads. This also gives Wal-Mart the ability to increase the speed of deliveries, a faster response to market demands, and a low inventory. This system has allowed Wal-Mart to decrease its sales cost by 2 to 3 percent over the industry. This savings is then priced into the products with the earlier discussed EDLP programs. This system is maintained through the most important aspect of Wal-Mart, its employees. With over one million employees worldwide, Wal-Mart definitely has the manpower to move goods. This is also facilitated with a proprietary satellite-based communication system that enables managers and point-of-sale systems real-time information on the needs of each store. Research and Development Wal-Mart does not engage in any research and development. Computer Information Systems As discussed in the production/operation section, Wal-Mart uses a sophisticated system of satellite-based communications. They also offer a safe, secure and complete website where consumers can purchase all of the same products found in the store. The website is strength because it is not only a means for purchasing products, but is also a very thorough informational site. Consumers can log onto www.walmartstores.com and do company financial searches, find employment, learn about the grassroots of Wal-Mart, email the company about problems, and learn about any recalls of products sold through Wal-Mart. (W)eaknesses Management The biggest weakness that Wal-Mart has in the management area is that it does not have a formal mission statement. While they do have core values, they do not explicitly tell their employees or consumers what their business is. This is a fundamental aspect of a company and it provides not definition and direction, but it gives a company a statement on which to rely on to stay strong and focused. Another weakness is that there are few females in top management and there are few minorities employed. With such a societal demand for equality, Wal-Mart is lacking in this category. This is not a very good ethical decision for Wal-Mart to be making. They are really hurting their corporate image by maintaining this position. The other area that Wal-Mart lacks in is with unions. Currently, Wal-Mart does not have any union involvement. This is a problem because of the perception of treating employees poorly. Unions are created to provide bargaining power to employees on issues that involve their compensation, benefits, and working conditions. This is also a weakness because of job security. With unions, job security is not as much of a concern. Marketing The biggest source of marketing weakness stems from Wal-Mart lobbying to expand into new markets. There are thousands of towns across the United States that have tried to block the introduction of Wal-Mart because of the economic impact that it has on small-town stores and shops. Wal-Mart has a damaged reputation because when they move into a location they end up forcing these types of businesses out of business. Finance/Accounting Weaknesses in Wal-Marts finances are seen in three of its ratios. The fixed asset turnover, earnings per share, and average collection period ratios are not very good. The fixed asset turnover ratio is telling us that they have made a lot of investments, but that they are not being fully used at this point in time. The earnings per share ratio is not good because when compared to the industry, they are not earning as much money for each shareholder. However, this is most likely due to the sheer number of outstanding shares. The average collection period is a cause for concern because it means that they are allowing their debtors to carry accounts with Wal-Mart for an above average period of time. This is not good because it increases the likelihood of non-payment. (These ratios can be found in Figure 3 of the appendix) Production/Operations The largest source of concern for this functional area is the slowing speed of checkout lines. This is simply a product of Wal-Marts success. Because more and more people are going to Wal-Mart, and the number of checkout lines is staying constant, the only way to compensate is for the time to checkout increase. This is a problem because it can and will cause people to choose other stores that are less congested. They are basically losing sales due to this fact. Research and Development This is a weakness because they do not actively engage in any research and development. Specifically, they do not do any prior site research before opening a store. They simply approach a local government and build. Internal Factor Evaluation The internal factor evaluation is used to evaluate the major strengths and weaknesses of a company. There are weights assigned to strengths and weaknesses based on how the company responds to them. The ratings are: 1 = poor response, 2 = average response, 3 = above average response, and 4 = superior response. (Figure 5 in the appendix) The key strengths we identified were financial position, employees, customer oriented, one-stop shopping, satisfaction guaranteed programs, employee stock ownership and profit-sharing, well-rounded business, ease of website, good reputation, and favorable access to distribution networks. Along with key strengths of Wal-Mart, we also identified key weaknesses. The key weaknesses are some ratios are not sufficient, non-unionization, no formal mission statement, few women and minorities in top management, undifferentiated products and services, site research, slow speed of checkout service, and finally a damaged reputation. The strengths were weighted: .04 for financial position, .07 for employees, .07 for customer orientation, .14 for one-stop shopping, .05 for satisfaction guaranteed programs, .05 for stock ownership and profit-sharing, .03 for well-rounded business, .04 for ease of website, .04 for good reputation, and .04 for favorable access to distribution networks. The weaknesses have also been weighted. The weaknesses weighted scores were .03 for insufficient ratios, .15 for non-unionization, .05 for no formal mission statement, .05 for few women and minorities in top management, .03 for undifferentiated products and services, .05 for site research, .04 for slowing speed of checkout service, and .03 for a damaged reputation. These weights show the importance of each strength and weakness of Wal-Mart. They are determined by how important that quality is to Wal-Mart and how hard of an impact each has against other businesses. We felt that the most important factors were one-stop shopping and non-unionization. These two factors are very important to Wal-Marts structure and well being as a whole. If these factors are not evaluated regularly, they could put a start to its potential downfall. We rated each strength and weakness based on how Wal-Mart seems to be positioning itself against its competitors. Wal-Marts employees, customer orientation, one-stop shopping, satisfaction guaranteed programs, stock ownership and profit sharing, ease of website, good reputation and favorable access to distribution networks all have been very successful strengths for the company. These are so successful we rated each with a 4. The financial position of Wal-Mart and the well-rounded business that it is has made Wal-Mart what it is today. Because of this success we rated these factors with a 3. In their weaknesses, we thought that minor weaknesses included: non-unionization, no formal mission statement, few women and minorities in top management, undifferentiated products and services, site research, and the slowing speed of checkout service. Since these were only minor we gave them a score of 2. We also rated some major weaknesses. These included insufficient ratios and their damaged reputation, which we rated as a 1. By using these scores in the internal factor evaluation matrix, we came to a total score for Wal-Mart being a 3.01, which is above average. They are above the average company when it comes down to its strengths and weaknesses and how they deal with them. (This is Figure 5 in the appendix) External Analysis (O)pportunities Economic An opportunity available to the industry is the free trade zone. When the government enters into new trade agreements with foreign countries, businesses in the United States have the ability to offer products from these countries in their stores. This simply increases the markets available to retailers. Social, cultural, demographic, and environmental An opportunity facing the industry is that customers want ease of shopping. To provide the ease of shopping the industry is guaranteeing that the customers will find what they want when they want it. This is supported by convenient presentation and the right level of service every time the customer shops. Political, legal, and government An opportunity facing the industry is that the Asian market is virtually untapped by the retail world. By having an untapped market it gives a huge opportunity for companies to expand. It promises unlimited potential for growth and profits. Technological An opportunity facing the industry is that internet shopping is growing. To take advantage of internet shopping, the industry is focused around the customer. The customer receives friendly site designs, efficient order fulfillment, fast delivery and professional customer response. They process returns, refunds, and rebates quickly. Competitive An opportunity facing the industry is that the value of money is weakening. The weakening value of money will help the industry because it reduces the ability of foreign manufactures to offer discounts. (T)hreats Economic A threat is that the economy is very slow right now. There is no way of preventing it and no way to change it. This impacts all businesses and causes profit margins to be reduced as price-cutting ensues to attract more consumers. Social, cultural, demographic, and environmental A threat is customer theft. Manufacturers are fighting back against customer theft by embedding paper clip sized antitheft tags, called electronic article surveillance labels, inside products and packaging. Called source tagging, the process offers several major benefits. For one, merchandise tagged on the factory floor during manufacture or packaging lets retail employees spend less time in the storeroom applying labels and more time on the show floor helping customers. Also, high-theft merchandise previously displayed behind glass can now sit out in the open, boosting sales significantly. Another social, cultural, demographic, and environmental threat is employee theft. Along with antitheft labels there are radio-frequency circuits that are hidden in packages and go unnoticed. The only time they will go off is when the bar code scanner does not deactivate the circuit, which means they stole it. This helps to prevent the two forms of employee theft, which are sweat hearting and sliding. Sweat hearting is when the employee charges the customer less than the actual price and sliding is when the employee covers the barcode at the point of sale. Political, legal, and governmental A threat is the Chinese regulations. China has one of the largest populations in the world; however, the Chinese government does not take kindly to opening their country to foreign establishments. Also, there is rampant corruption among the Chinese, and they have no generally accepted accounting principles. Technological A threat facing the industry is that technological advances may make the products obsolescent. As technology advances, products being sold today are gone tomorrow; this provides less products for retailers to sell. Competitive A threat is that the industry is not following consumer taste. To overcome the threat of not providing consumers wants the industry is expanding rapidly in the urban centers while traditional wet markets are being edged out as the middle-class enlarges and young people flock to the cities. Competitive Profile Matrix A competitive profile matrix identifies a firms major competitors and its particular strengths and weaknesses in relation to a sample firms strategic position. The ratings are as follows: 1 major weakness, 2 minor weaknesses, 3 minor strengths, and 4 major strengths. (Figure 1 in the appendix) Compared together, Wal-Mart, Target and Kmart are very close competitors. They are all retail-variety discount stores making their existence known throughout the world, except Target, which you cannot find globally. These three companies are constantly vying for the reputation as the lowest priced retailer. In the competitive profile matrix, the most critical success factor would be advertising with a weighted score of 0.25. Advertising for these competitors is very critical if they want to compete against each other for the best quality products at low prices. With this, Target was scored the highest with a rating of 4 while both Wal-Mart and Kmart are rated as a 3. This is because Target does a lot more advertising then Wal-Mart and Kmart. The next most critical success factor is global expansion with a weighted score of 0.20. This is somewhat important if you wanted to keep up with the competitors. Wal-Mart was found to be rated the highest with a 4 with Kmart was rated next with a 3, and finally Target rated as a 2. Wal-Mart was ranked the highest because they are found around world, while Kmart was ranked next because they are only found in a few other countries. Target, ranking last, does not have any global branches. This is only a minor weakness because they really do not have to go globally because of how well they are keeping up with the competitors within the United States. Price competitiveness and financial position are ranked next on the competitive profile matrix with a weighted score of 0.15 each. Wal-Mart, ranking the highest in both cases with a 4, is above all competitors. This is because they price reasonably with lower prices then all the competitors and their financial position is great. Target is ranked next with a rating of 3 in both price competitiveness and financial position. Target is known to have somewhat high prices and people tend to see that and want to go shopping elsewhere like Wal-Mart. Their financial position is not that great with the minor strength, but they are keeping up with their major competitor, Wal-Mart. Finally, Kmart is found to have a rating of a 3 in price competitiveness, and a rating of 2 in financial position. This is because Kmart does keep up with the prices of competitors, but they do get pricey in some areas. Their financial position is a minor weakness because of the Martha Stewart scandal and their bankru ptcy. Her products were being sold a lot until the scandal came out. Now they are pricing her products really low just to get the inventory sold. Next, product quality and customer loyalty is found on the competitive profile matrix to have a weighted score of 0.10. Target is found to have a rating of 4 in product quality. In customer loyalty they have a rating of a 3. This is because products found in Target tends to be top brand products, but at the same time, customers see these products somewhere else for a lower price and they tend to go to that place instead. Wal-Mart is ranked next with a rating of 3 in both product quality and customer loyalty. Wal-Mart may not have top brand products but the quality is fairly good. Customer loyalty is also ranked as a 3 because some people do like to get better products no matter how much it costs. Kmart, ranked last with a 2. This is because they do not carry quality products. People tend to go other places for what they want because of the better selection and quality. Finally, the last critical success factor is market share with a rating of 0.05. Wal-Mart and Target are both ranked 3 while Kmart is ranked 1. This is about right because as indicated by the total weighted score, Kmart is the weakest with 2.55. Targets total weighted score was in between but closer to Wal-Marts score of 3.15, and Wal-Marts was the strongest weighted score as 3.50. In conclusion of the competitive profile matrix, Wal-Mart as a competitor rises above both Target and Kmart. External Factor Evaluation An external factor evaluation matrix identifies the industry-wide opportunities and threats. Weights are assigned to the various opportunities and threats based on how well the subject company is responding to the threats and opportunities. The ratings are as follows: 1 = poor response, 2 = average response, 3 = above average response, and 4 = superior response. (Figure 2 in the appendix) The main opportunities that we identified were increasing internet shopping, ease of shopping, free trade zones, the Chinese market, and the value of the dollar. The main threats that we identified were technology making products obsolete, customer and employee theft, slow economy, the Chinese regulations, and not offering what the consumer wants. The opportunities were weighted .15 for internet shopping, .10 for ease of shopping, .10 for free trade zones, .10 for Chinese markets, and .05 for the weak dollar. The threats were weighted .10 for technology making products obsolete, .20 for customer and employee theft, .05 for the slow economy, .10 for the Chinese regulations, and.05 for not offering what consumers want. The weights and are representative of the importance the opportunities and threats presented to Wal-Mart. They were determined by considering the impact that each one has on the industry and how well Wal-Mart is conditioned to react to the situations presented. We felt that the most important factors were internet shopping, and customer and employee theft. These two factors are paramount to the industry and all of its counterparts success. If these factors are not addressed by the industry, bankruptcy is sure to follow. We rated each of the opportunities and threats based on how well Wal-Mart has been positioning itself in the market. Wal-Marts website has been a huge success with it contributing additional revenue to the bottom line; we rated this as a 4. The response to consumer demand for one-stop shopping has also been a success. The fact that you can buy a vast majority of everyday needs such as groceries, clothes, personal care products, electronics, among many other products shows the commitment Wal-Mart is making to the one-stop shopping idea. We also rated this 4. We felt that Wal-Marts continued expansion into foreign countries to be above average and thus rated it a 3. Because China is heavily regulated, we rated their response to the opportunities available in China a 2. This is still a very good score because it is very difficult for any firm to expand into China. Wal-Marts reaction to the dollar weakening has been above average because of its worldwide coverage. They have been able to take advantage of this economic factor with ease and we rated it a 3. The response to threats has been equally impressive. While technology is constantly making products obsolete, Wal-Mart has been able to position itself to be a positive avenue for selling all of the newest and innovative products. Wal-Mart suppliers definitely have a great opportunity for sales because of the vast audience that patronize Wal-Mart. We rated this as a 3. Employee and customer theft is inevitable in all industries. This was ranked as a 2 because Wal-Mart uses the same devices that the entire industry uses. The slowing economy has been a sour point to all industries as well. Wal-Mart has been able to limit its exposure by offering low prices and maintaining its market-leading share. We ranked this factor a 4. Again, because China is such a tough market to enter, we ranked their response to Chinese regulations a 2. The idea that companies offer products that consumers do not want is not uncommon. There have been thousands of products that have flopped after being introduced. Wal-Mart has been able to circumscribe their exposure by offering thousands of products across many different areas. We ranked their response to this a 4. The final score, 2.80, that was obtained from the external factor evaluation matrix shows that Wal-Mart is above average when reacting to opportunities and threats.

Free Essay: Alienation and Isolation in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily :: A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner

Alienation and Isolation in A Rose for Emily  Ã‚        Ã‚   William Faulkner, one of the most famed writers of our times, explores in his writing the themes of alienation and isolation. He interweaves these themes with his female characters. In A Rose for Emily, Miss Emily Grierson is a woman who is alienated and lives in isolation from the people in her town. The theme of isolation is the focal point of the story, since it is what drove her to her madness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Faulkner's theme of alienation comes up many times in his writing. In the book The Major Years, Melvin Backman states that Faulkner was reaching for a more decent life and more decent people in the midst of evil. He was reaching for love, innocence, simplicity, and strength, but he also knew that these things were being hidden by reality. "With Faulkner, as with all men, the personal condition underlay and shaped his view of the human condition" (Backman, p.183).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The critic goes on to note that men in Faulkner's works tend to undermine women and their roles in society. Women are oppressed and are usually controlled by men. The women try to fight the men in their society and are trying to find a way to escape from their grasps. They are hesitant to stand up to the men and instead they tend to hide away. Backman notes that, "The will to confront reality seems to be losing out to the need to escape"(p.184).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Miss Emily is a woman who had the whole town wondering what she was doing, but did not allow anyone the pleasure of finding out. Once the men that she cared about in life deserted her, either by death or by simply leaving her, she hid out and did not allow anyone to get close to her. Miss Emily was indeed afraid to confront the reality that Backman discusses. Since she did not want to accept the fact that the people she cared about were gone, she hid in her house and did not go out. She was the perfect example of a woman alienated by a society controlled by men who make trouble for her instead of helping her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Minrose Gwin, author of The Feminine and Faulkner, states that several of Faulkner's female characters, including Emily Grierson, are "indeed active disruptive subjects in their narratives; theirs are voices which denounce and subvert male power"(Gwin, p.

Portrayal of Female Harassment Issues in TV Dramas Essay

The values of gender equality are promoted among all countries all over the world. Women have become more economically strong and independent even in South Asian region. Media has played a vital role in molding the opinions and providing a sigh of relief to the suppressed women folk. The relationship of women and media is very important as media transforms the real picture of women and their core issues in front of the public through its programs and TV dramas. Media broadcasts important messages on women harassment issues, domestic violence, gender bias, stories of mental torture and gender norms through various TV dramas, talk shows and magazine shows. Keywords: Domestic violence, mental torture, gender harassment, faith, religious strength, patience, tolerance. Introduction Pakistani media has become very liberal, moderate and independent since 2001. Media has played a vital role in molding the opinions of the people and providing a sigh of relief to suppressed women of our society. The relationship between woman and media is very important as media presents the real picture of women issues among of the public. Pakistani media is growing with 60 private TV networks and 12 FM radio channels. Media transmits women domestic harassment, violence, mental torture, rape cases through talk shows and TV dramas. Our TV channels represent all cultural and social bindings of women so the audience can digest them without criticism. In some TV dramas, the Islamic values and trends are also projected. Mostly Pakistani dramas are centered especially on ‘women’ shown as mothers, sisters and wives. Women are critical to almost each and every story. Majority of Pakistani dramas today are a strange mix of growth and regress while some serials do carry a liberal, progressive and gender-sensitive messages. Most of them strengthen the patriarchal values and criticize orthodoxy in the same stride. It is very difficult for the general public to understand the conflicting messages behind several storylines in the modern-day drama. Working women are depicted as strong and independent but also negatively is portrayed by their cunning and vampire-like nature. Women are shown being maltreated by men i. e. slapped, beaten up, humiliated, abused and conversely, men are depicted as the exclusive decision-makers who simply order the women in their lives around, telling them what to do or what not to do. One point is extremely worrying about such scenes depicting male dominance and male chauvinism as they invoke similar negative behavior especially among males in the general public. The ordinary man or woman becomes subject to this reinforcement of stereotypical images of women and adapts and accepts these stereotypes as normal and natural. Honour is depicted often in highly distorted contexts. A brother’s or father’s reaction when a sister or daughter is suspected of immorality is portrayed in such a manner that the crime is glorified and the victim condemned. Very rarely, do these serials convey the idea that ‘honour’ does not have a physical manifestation and is purely related to a person’s character. Honour can never be taken away by the use of force. Overly negative emotions attached to having a daughter-in-law. Words and phrases constantly refer to the presence of a daughter-in-law as an individual who will take far away son from his parents. The expressions of insecurity is attached with parents as they do not want to lose their boy after getting married neither they want to allow him being very close to his wife. Connected to this patriarchal approach is the issue of a divorced woman. The blame is placed squarely on the woman for not being able to keep her marriage intact or her husband happy. A woman who asks for a divorce is portrayed as committing an unpardonable act. In some cases, divorced is given by husbands on suspect of shaky character of women at family level. In Pakistan even today, young girls are forcefully married to old men under the tradition of ‘Family Marriages/Vani’. Sometimes girls are married with old men as their brothers or father has killed someone in bridegroom’s family due to enmity i. e. Fata, North Waziristan, South Waziristan. The top most watched TV channel is GEO TV Network owned by Jang Group of Publications and was launched in 2002. Geo TV is news based and an entertainment channel. Rationale The present paper will highlight the relationship between gender and media with reference of Pakistani TV Drama Serial titled as â€Å"Meri Zaat Zarra-e-Benishan† that went on air on GEO TV in 2009. The rationale of carrying out this research on this play is as follows: Domestic (married) woman portrayal in media? How religion can be used for woman harassment in domestic affairs and consequences? How human relationships can be disturbed by telling lies, taking fake oaths on Holy Books and putting allegations on innocent people? Sometimes woman fights against many strange persons and situations to safe her martial life or relationship besides having feelings of self-pity and self-assassination. What are the reasons behind it? Domestic violence on women Pakistan is counted among those countries that falls in the headlines due to domestic and gender-based harassment issues. The ratio of sexual harassment victims is alarmingly getting high in Pakistan. Domestic violence is physical, sexual, psychological or financial violence that takes place within an intimate relationship and forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behavior.  This can include ‘forced marriage’ and ‘honour crimes’. * Pakistan is an Islamic state where 70 percent girls are forced to get married on their parent’s choice in rural and urban areas and choice marriages are still rare due to prevailing feudal culture of the society. Culturally and ethically, women are bound to pass their lives as per their husbands will and under his supremacy and authority. * Divorce in any case is not tolerable even in well-educated and sophisticated families and a divorce woman cannot pass a ‘stable’ life ahead. Choice marriages (boy/girl) are considered as a severe crime. * Repression of women continues even after marriage at the hands of husbands or in-laws. The worst form of married woman’s conflict is with her mother-in-law. In most of the divorce cases, mother-in-law or sister-in-law have played a primary role. * The husband or any close relative from the family can show doubts on woman’s character/ extra-marital affair. In some cases, husbands are found killing or divorcing t heir wives on these issues. Concept of Oath-taking on Holy Book Religious aspect is also very important in our society. Sometimes, woman has to justify herself in front of the whole family by taking an oath on ‘Quran’ which is considered as giving decision of conflict in Allah’s Almighty’ s hand. This custom is called as â€Å"Quran Uthana† in our society commonly practiced in four provinces of Pakistan. If the oath is completely based on truth, it will save her life forever but if the oath taken on Quran will be on false statement; the situation will be vice verse. I will mention a saying of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) â€Å"Do not be aggressive towards a person who has nobody to defend against you except Allah†. Never take a false oath by Allah as a witness keeping hand on Quran, as it is one of the major sins in Islam. Do not make your oaths a means of deceiving one another or your foot will slip after it was firmly placed and you will taste evil for barring access to the way of Allah and you will have a terrible punishment. (Quran: Nahl, 16:92) Those who sell Allah’s contract and their own oaths for a paltry price, such people will have no portion in the next world, and on the ray of rising Allah will not speak to them or look at them or purify them. They will have a painful punishment. (Quran: Al Imran, 3:77) Methodology: This study is an attempt to examine the relationship between gender and media as well as media dependency on religious norms of the society. It focuses on the female gender harassment at domestic level by giving religious justifications. This issue has been depicted brilliantly in one of the Pakistani TV drama serials â€Å"Meri Zaat Zara-e-Benishan† in 2009-2010. For a purposeful study, this play, its dialogues, scenes, characterization, religious aspects, impact on female viewers has been studied and deeply reviewed by the researcher under the methodology of content analysis and survey.

4 Paragraphs Essay

-My room is in a mess because I had a party with my best friends last night. I have to clean my room before my mom arrives from work. The underwear is hanging on the lamp, my books are all jammed in the closet, the scarf is beneath the TV and my shoe is under the bed. -We have the best cafeteria, they offer different type of foods, the food menu is so big it consists of Arabian, Indian, American, Mexican and Chinese food. They have a special Indian dish called â€Å"Chicken Tekka Masala† its a dish of roasted chicken chunks in a spicy sauce. Breakfast Burritos is a special Mexican food that contains Eggs, bacon, salsa, sour cream and cheddar cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla, hot sauce is optional. My favorite dish in the cafeteria menu is Shawarma, it’s an Arabian food made with chicken and bread. See more: Distinguish between problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping Essay -David is a dangerous driver, I hate the way he drives the car, he either drive too slow or too fast. One day we were in the Himalayan mountains, he was behind the steering driving uphill, he was driving so fast we almost fell of the cliff. The way he brakes the car is so scary, it reminds me of how my grandmother drives. Neighbors are so important if they are willing to help you in time of need. My favorite neighbor is Mrs. Shirley , I remember the day when the government cut off our water, she was the first one there to help us, she even offered us to stay at her place. She is so generous and I like the way she hosts me.