Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency Essay Example for Free

Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency Essay The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) is an Australian government agency. It is statutory authority located within the portfolio of the Australian Commonwealth Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). EOWA’s role is to administer the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 (Commonwealth)[1] which was passed by the Federal Parliament in November 2012, and through education, assist organisations to achieve equal opportunity for women. Outlined in Part III Section 10 of the Act, the Agency is primarily a regulatory body, whose role is to annually monitor the reporting of eligible Australian organisations on equal opportunity for women in their workplaces. The Agency also has responsibility to undertake research, educational and other programs, and more generally promote the understanding of equal opportunity for women in the workplace within the community. In 2012, the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 was replaced by the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012. The passing of the new legislation means the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency has now been renamed the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. The Employer of Choice for Women (EOCFW) citation is announced annually  since the 2001 inaugural list of 55 organisations. As of 2012, the list had grown to 125 organisations.[2] Gender pay gap in Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Main article: Gender pay gap Gender pay gap in Australia refers to the difference between the average female and average male salary. It is calculated on the average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time employees published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The gender pay gap excludes part-time, casual earnings and overtime payments.[1] Australia has a persistent gender pay gap. Since 1990, the gender pay gap remained within a narrow range of between 15 and 18%.[2] In May 2013, the Australian gender pay gap was 17.5%.[3] Studies A 2009 report by the National Center for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) prepared for the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairsstated: Using robust microeconomic modelling techniques, based on a comprehensive and critical evaluation of several methodologies, we found that simply being a woman is the major contributing factor to the gap in Australia, accounting for 60 per cent of the difference between women’s and men’s earnings, a finding which reflects other Australian research in this area. Indeed, the results showed that if the effects of being a woman were removed, the average wage of an Australian woman would increase by $1.87 per hour, equating to an additional $65 per week or $3,394 annually, based on a 35 hour week. (The second most important factor in explaining the pay gap was industrial segregation.)[2] Data collected by NATSEM for the Catalyst Australia publication, Equality Speaks,[4] found that the gap between the average wealth of men and women also varies according to the occupations and industries in which they are engaged. According to industry, the largest gap in personal wealth between men and women is within the ï ¬ nance and insurance sector ($330 600 versus $88 500) where many women work. By contrast, there exists only a small differential in the construction industry ($63 500 versus $62 700) where few women work. In other industries where many women work, there are large wealth gaps: for example, in health and community services ($174 000 versus  $68 000) and retail trade ($84 000 versus $34 000). Turning from industry to occupation, other signiï ¬ cant disparities are revealed. The greatest disparity between the average wealth of men and women is amongst elementary clerical, sales and service workers ($110 400 versus $19 900). Jobs that fall within this category include sales assistants, security guards and laundry workers. The smallest relative wealth gap can be seen in advanced clerical and service workers ($91 600 versus $83 500). Jobs in this occupational category include book-keepers, personal assistants and secretaries. Ian Watson of Macquarie University also examined the gender pay according to occupation, specifically the gap among full-time managers in Australia over the period 2001-2008. He found that between 65 and 90% of this earnings differential could not be explained by a large range of demographic and labor market variables. Watson notes that a major part of the earnings gap is simply due to women managers being female. He also found that despite the characteristics of male and female managers being remarkably similar, their earnings are very different, suggesting that discrimination plays an important role in this outcome.[5] Economist Paul Miller explored the degree to which the Australian gender pay gap differs across the wage distribution and found that the gender pay gap was much greater among high wage earners than among low wage earners. At the top of the wage distribution (95th quantile) the pay gap reached 25% or more while at the bottom the pay gap was around 10%. He concluded that the notion of a ‘glass ceiling, whereby women struggle to advance beyond some point in the more typical career path, is certainly prevalent in the Australian labour market.[6] In a similar study, Hiao Joo Kee found that the gender pay gap increased at higher levels of the wage distribution in the private sector – leading to her conclusion that a glass ceiling existed there – but that the gap in the public sector was relatively constant over all percentiles. Moreover, Kee found that the acceleration of the pay gap across the wage distribution does not vanish even after extensive controls. She concludes that the gender pay gap in both sectors was a result of differences in returns to the same characteristics between men and women.[7] Trends in the Australian labor force[edit] In 2010 Australian females represented 50.2% of the Australian population and  45.3% of the workforce.[8] Trends within the Australian labour force have female workforce participants increasingly more educated than their male counterparts with more females completing year 12 and going on to university than males in 2008 females made up 55 per cent of students enrolled in Australian tertiary institutions.[9] In 2010 Finance was the industry with the widest gender pay gap at 32.2%, followed by Health Care and Social Assistance at 27.2% and Mining at 22.7%.[10] Cases and legislation Until 1969, legislation allowed employers to pay women a minimum rate of pay that was 25 per cent less than male employees doing the same or similar work. In 1969 the first federal pay case[11] established the principle of equal pay for equal work. The 1969 case established a principle that affected 18 per cent of women workers, mostly teachers and nurses.[12] In 1972, the second federal equal pay case widened the 1969 principle to equal pay for work of equal value in line with International Labour Organisations Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (100).[13] This meant that women were awarded the same rate of pay as men no matter what work they were doing, as long as it was assessed as comparable in value. New South Wales (NSW) was the first Australian industrial jurisdiction to legislate for equal pay in the Female Rates (Amendment) Act in 1958.[14] In 2000, the NSW Industrial Relations Commission created Australia’s first Equal Remuneration Principle (ERP). The principle provides an avenue for unions to seek redress where they believe work has been undervalued on a gender basis. In 2002, the Full Bench of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission fully ratified the Crown Employees (Librarians, Library Assistants, Library Technicians and Archivists) Award 2002, which incorporated pay increases of up to 26%. The Commonwealth Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986 was enacted to improve equity in the Australian workforce and establish the Affirmative Action Agency. It aimed to promote equal opportunity for women in employment and eliminate discrimination by the employer against women. In 1999 the agency was changed to the Equal Opportunity in the Workplace Agency to administer the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 (Commonwealth).[15] In 2009 an Australian House of Representatives Pay Equity Report called on the Commonwealth Government to elevate pay equity to  be a clear objective of modern awards and recommended the establishment of a federal Pay Equity Unit and the conducting of mandatory pay equity audits for companies with 100 employees or more.[16] Western Australia Western Australia has the largest gender pay gap of any state or territory in Australia. As of August 2010 it was 24 per cent, representing a gap between average weekly ordinary time male and female earnings.[17] Research has failed to adequately account for all the factors that underpin Western Australia’s relatively large gender pay gap and thus explain why its gender pay gap is higher than the rest of Australia, which was 17 per cent in August 2010.[18] A specialist Pay Equity Unit in Western Australian was established in 2006 to address the States gender pay gap. The Western Australian Pay Equity team in the Department of Commerce developed the WA Pay Equity Audit Tool, a resource for employers to use in assessing workforce data and assist in the development of strategies to improve pay equity and female career progression in the workplace. The Tool was adopted nationally by the Equal Opportunity in the Workplace Agency.[19] Income and wealth inequality, how is Australia faring? Australians like to think of themselves as egalitarian, and for much of our history we believed our income and wealth was spread around evenly. The Conversation is running a series, Class in Australia, to identify, illuminate and debate its many manifestations. Here, Peter Whiteford investigates what has happened to income and wealth inequality in Australia in recent times. Australians like to think of themselves as egalitarian, and for much of our history we believed our income and wealth was spread around evenly. For many years, the world also shared that view. As early as the 1880s, visitors  remarked on Australia’s relatively equal distribution of wealth, the lack of visible poverty, the country’s generally comfortable incomes and its relatively few millionaires. As late as 1967, prime minister Harold Holt could say that he knew of no other free country where â€Å"what is produced by the community is more fairly and evenly distributed among the community† than it was in Australia. From the 1980s onwards, however, this view of Australia came under scrutiny. As historian John Hirst wrote: ‘Egalitarianism – see under myths’: so runs the index entry in a standard sociological text on Australian society. The most common measure of inequality is the Gini coefficient, which varies between zero and one. If everyone had exactly the same income then it would be zero (perfect equality). If one household had all the income then it would be one (complete inequality). The most recent figures for OECD countries, from around 2010, show that Australia is the 11th most unequalof the 34 OECD members. Australia has only ever briefly been below the OECD average Gini coefficient: just as the mining boom started in 2003. Trends in income inequality Working out what has happened to inequality in Australia over the long term is complex. While there is disagreement about overall trends, according to economists Andrew Leigh and Tony Atkinson, inequality declined between the 1950s and the late 1970s, with Peter Saunders identifying an increase in the 1980s. These long-run estimates are usually based either on wage trends or income tax data, which means that findings apply to individuals rather than households. Household incomes after benefits and taxes, however, are generally regarded as a better measure of economic resources. Since the early 1980s, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has conducted regular high-quality surveys of household incomes. The most recent survey covers the 2011-12 year. Research by economists David Johnson and Roger Wilkins found that the Gini coefficient increased from around 0.27 in 1981–82 to around 0.30 in 1997-98. Subsequently, the official ABS income statistics show that the Gini coefficient increased to 0.34 just before the global financial crisis in 2008, then fell to 0.32 in 2011-12. The ABS points out that changes from year to year are sometimes not large enough to be statistically significant. Yet the cumulative picture is of an upward trend, punctuated with periods in which inequality has fallen. Whether the most recent fall continues or is reversed remains to be seen. Trends in wealth inequality For many years, statistics on the distribution of wealth were even sparser than comprehensive statistics on the distribution of income. The improvements in income statistics achieved by the ABS were more recently matched by the collection of information on wealth – or more precisely on â€Å"net worth† (assets minus liabilities). According to the ABS, the wealthiest 20% of Australian households, with an average net worth of A$2.2 million per household in 2011-12, accounted for 61% of total household net worth. The poorest 20% of households accounted for 1% of total household net worth, and had an average net worth of $31,000 per household. This means that the wealthiest 20% of Australian households had net worth that was 68 times as high as the least wealthy 20%. In contrast, the 20% of Australian households with the highest disposable income were about five times better off than the poorest 20%. So, it seems pretty clear that wealth is much more unequally distributed in Australia than income. Or is it? This depends on how you look at it. The most recent Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report, prepared by Anthony Shorrocks, one of the most highly respected world experts on wealth distribution, estimates that the distribution of wealth in Australia is the second least unequal (after Japan) of 27 major countries and the 12th least unequal of 174 countries. It is also notable that the Credit Suisse report finds that Australia has the second highest average level of wealth in the world and the highest median wealth. The ABS survey – used by Credit Suisse – also presents two ways of looking at the distribution of wealth: first, by ranking households simply by the amount of wealth they have; second, by ranking households by how much incom e they have. When the ABS ranks households by their incomes, the 20% with the lowest incomes have an average net worth of around $437,000, while the 20% with the highest incomes have about $1.3 million in net worth. This means that the poorest one-fifth of households, measured by income, hold 12% of net wealth, while the richest  one-fifth hold 36%, a ratio of about 3 to 1. These figures suggest that wealth is actually more equally distributed than income when the joint distribution of income and wealth is used which is a more comprehensive measure of total household resources. These two approaches yield remarkably different pictures of wealth distribution. This reflects the fact that people accumulate wealth over the course of their life. Young people starting off in their first job generally don’t have much in the way of wealth, but as they grow older they will purchase homes – which have been the great wealth â€Å"equaliser† in Australia – and accumulate superannuation and other savings. As a result, older people have much higher average wealth than younger people, but older people generally have lower incomes than younger people. So, why did we think that income was equally shared in Australia if it wasn’t? The answer is that most of the earlier studies were based on a limited income measure: usually wages before tax and usually full-time wagesfor men. In the past, Australia’s wage-fixing system compressed the wage distribution. As late as 1999, Australia had the highest minimum wage relative to the median in the OECD. If you are a full-time employed male wage earner in Australia, then you have a lower level of income inequality than in Denmark, otherwise one of the lowest inequality countries. The most important source of inequality in Australia is whether you have a job or not. So the pillars of egalitarianism in Australia were high wages, high home ownership and low unemployment. If we want to regain this position, we need to ensure that unemployment remains low and that low-income earners are able to buy into affordable housing. References 1. Jump up^ Australian Government. Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999. Retrieved 2013-09-26. 2. Jump up^ Employers compete to be first choice for women. Employer of Choice for Women (EOCFW). The Workplace Gender Equality Agency. 13 Mar 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2013. 2. ^Changes to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act reflect a shift in focus. |http://www.dibbsbarker.com/publication/Changes_to_the_Equal_Opportunity_for_Women_in_the_Workplace_Act_reflect_a_shift_in_focus.aspx DibbsBarker. 13 February 2013. 1. Jump up^ Department of Commerce. Frequently asked questions about pay equity. Retrieved on May 06, 2011. 2. ^ Jump up to:a b National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling. The impact of a sustained gender wage gap on the economy. Report to the Office for Women, Department of Families, Community Services, Housing and Indigenous Affairs, 2009, p. v-vi. 3. Jump up^ Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency. 6302.0 Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, May 2013. Australian Government, 2013. 4. Jump up^ Catalyst Australia, Equality Speaks Chapter 10, 2009 5. Jump up^ Watson, Ian (2010). Decomposing the Gender Pay Gap in the Australian Managerial Labour Market. Australian Journal of Labour Economics, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 49-79. 6. Jump up^ Miller, Paul W. (2005). The Role of Gender among Low-Paid and High-Paid Workers.Australian Economic Review, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 405-417, quote p. 413-414. 7. Jump up^ Kee, Hiao Joo (2006). Glass Ceiling or Sticky Floor? Expl oring the Australian Gender Pay Gap. The Economic Record, Vol. 82, No. 259, pp. 408-427. 8. Jump up^ Toohey, Tim, David Colosimo Andrew Boak (2009). Australia’s Hidden Resource: The Economic Case for Increasing Female Participation. Melbourne: Goldman Sachs JBWere Investment Research, p. 3. 9. Jump up^ Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Student 2009 Full Year: Selected Higher Education Statistics. 10. Jump up^ Australian Bureau of Statistics, Average Weekly Earnings. Catalogue 6302.0, Time Series Tables 10A 10D. 11. Jump up^ Equal Pay Case 1969 (1969) Volume 127 Commonwealth Arbitration Reports p. 1142. 12. Jump up^ Brenda Finlayson. Equal Pay – We’ve Come A long Way. Workers Online, Issue No 17, 11 June 1999. 13. Jump up^ C100 Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951. 14. Jump up^ NSW Industrial Relations. A history of pay equity. 15. Jump up^ Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency. Overview of the Act. 16. Jump up^ Parliament of Australia, House of Representatives. Inquiry into pay equity and associated issues related to increasing female participation in the workforce. 17. Jump up^ Australian Bureau of Statistics. Labour Force. 6202.0, Table 8, November 2010 (trend data) 18. Jump up^ Department of Commerce. Frequently asked questions about pay equity. 19. Jump up^ Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency. The Pay Equity Audit Tool.

In A Moment Of Self Discovery English Literature Essay

In A Moment Of Self Discovery English Literature Essay In Henrik Ibsens A Doll House, Nora experiences a quick epiphany at the dà ©nouement of the play; this moves the plot forward into the resolution (at least for Nora). This final scene is compressed into Aristotles Theory of tragedy of a complex plot. The actions between Nora and Torvald surprise the audience in several manners, while continuing the story. The act of reading Krogstads second letter received by the maid contributes to preipeteia. This occurs because Krogstad produced a letter of amnesty, an effect opposite to which he intended to produce, originally wanting to expose Noras debt to him and longing for Helmers new job. This event expedites the next, anagnorisis, allowing Noras epiphany to take place, producing conflict between herself and Torvald. Noras new perspective places Torvald into confusion, trying to understand her personal revelation: HELMER (sitting at the table directly opposite her). You worry me, Nora. And I dont understand you. HELMER. How do you mean that? HELMER. Whats that?  [1]   The affect of a complex plot, or the cause-and-effect chain led to catastrophe. In terms of A Doll House, Nora leaves, slamming the door shut, abandoning the suffering Torvald; thus, bringing the complex plot to an ending. Antigone, in addition has a moment of anagnorisis in her final soliloquy of Sophocles Oedipus trilogy. She realizes that no one is there to save her from her metaphoric death, or literally the entombment. Seeking help from man and gods, she receives nothing but sympathetic feelings from the Theban elders; perhaps being victim of the Oedipus family curse. Having been abandoned by all, her personal dirge outlines her sacrifice for her brother, the hypothetical actions performed with a future husband (Haemon) and children, the love of her family, and a curse upon Creon. Acting upon the peripeteia of Creons punishment in the third episode, her soliloquy provides a chance of self-discovery in the next episode of the play. This chain of effects creates the catastrophe within Antigone, leading to Creons suffering of both Haemons and Eurydices death in the exodos. Antigones epiphany of loneliness affects the plot because of her own death and the curse set on Creon. His grievance over family suicides progresses the plot, feeling ashamed for all he has done. Comparing both tragedys they use anagnorisis in the female protagonists, later influencing plot. In Aristotles view, plot is most important priority of a tragedy. Seemingly, both plays use a complex plot structure in the lusis of action. Ibsen compresses this unravelling in the last ten pages of the tragedy, compared to Sophocles expanded over six separate scenes. The agency of self-discovery is defined as the change from ignorance to knowledge and Nora goes through a much more rational process than Antigone. Noras naivetà © stems from how she is treated as a woman. Her knowledge is gained through and used against Torvald, explaining her stream of consciousness before leaving the family. Noras epiphany has a smaller affect on character and plot outcome, as Antigones anagnorisis is overwhelming with the affects ranging for the rest of the play. At first, our Greek protagonist assumes that burying her brother Polynices is justifiable through the gods, however earthly laws state it is illegal. Therefore, when she is brought back to Creon to hear her final outcome, a life and death situation, her mindset changes. Accepting her actions and the chaotic environment around her, she kills herself so she can be with her loving family. Nora and Antigones anagnorisis leads to more actions, the catastrophe; however, it is Antigones reaction to it that stands out because it leads suicide. In addition, the effect of the female self-discovery affects their male opposite detrimentally. In A Doll House, Torvald is left sitting alone, bewildered. in contrast Creon is left with no family. His son and wife are dead. The use of anagnorisis in A Doll House and in Antigone develop the plot, but it is Sophocles Antigone that dramatizes the affect of self-discovery, leading to multiple deaths and Creons sorrow. Comparison between plot development/complexity Characterization with self-discovery Nora She wants a new life with a real meaning She can only have a real life outside of the house, Within the house she is trapped, she doesnt like Torvalds care for her Her epiphany stems from the way Torvald acts, and what he said He is not emotionally devoted to her But it devoted on how he can play with or handle her life, like the father Transforming into a new woman, with her new found independence She cannot stand being controlled anymore Characterization through inner thoughts and feelings that are expressed through dialogue Torvald initiates her stream of consciousness and reasoning She becomes stronger as an independent woman Challenging society and Torvald/rules The conflicting views of honour and women Antigone Her self-discovery only contains anagnorisis She realizes that she is alone and cannot be saved by anyone In normal spoken verse, a solliliquy is said by her Recollecting on the main thoughts on the tragedy of this play Burying her dead brother sending him to the underworld, in return she dies because of her unlawful actions Although respecting the gods, she didnt receive the same respect on earth Compare and Contrast the characterization effects Conlcusion!!!

The Maturation of Telemachus in Homers Odyssey Essay -- Odyssey essay

The Maturation of Telemachus in Homer's Odyssey       The Odyssey was a great book in which many characters were brought out and developed.   The most significant development that occured in the epic was the development of Telemachus.   Telemachus is a very complex character that Homer develops from beginning to end.   From the beginning when is a mere shadow of his father to near the end in which he is considered just as courageous.   Many factors influence Telemachus as he matures into a man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To begin with his name means "Far from Battle".   This was given to him because he was born when the male generations of his parents were going off to the Trojan War.  But the name proves to be ironic, for the epic ends with Telemachus taking part in two battles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not having any father figures as a child severely effects Telemachus.   He becomes a timid, shy and spineless boy who is greatly pampered by his mother.   He is not helped by being the son of a world-famous father- a difficult reputation to live up to.   This lack of motivation and assertive behavior does not help Telemachus when the suitors start eating away at his estate.   Telemachus knows what the suitors are doing is wrong but yet does not do anything about it.   Telemachus foolishly hopes that his father will come and clean up the mess that the suitors are to blame for.   Telemachus knows that his father would handle the situation with the suitors in a much more aggressive manner than he does.   Odysseus would kill all of them for being treacherous beings, while Telemachus does nothing but whine.   Telemachus says "how his noble father might come back out of the blue, drive the suitors headlong from the house, and so regain his loyal honors, ... ...us and his son fight side by side against the suitors. It is clear at this point that the old Telemachus is gone and all that is there is a new brave, bold and thoughtful Telemachus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Homer does a wonderful job in maturing Telemachus during the course of this book.   It is delightful to see a young, foolish boy grow into the proud man that he became.   Pallas Athene helped get the wheels in motion but it takes true hero to get places and keep the status that he gains.   We last see him standing within the accurate order of the clan of Odysseus, when Grandfather Laertes, Odysseus, and Telemachus, all in armor, all defending the ancestral estate receive the blessing of Pallas Athene and of Zeus. Works Cited and Consulted Homer, The Odyssey, ed. W. Shewring Oxford University Press, 1980. Tracy, Stephen V. The Story of the Odyssey Princeton UP 1990

Cigarette Litigation Essay -- essays research papers fc

Cigarette Litigation In August 1970 a leading tobacco defense attorney, David R. Hardy, wrote a confidential letter warning that indiscreet comments by industry scientists, including references to biologically active components of cigarette smoke and the search for a safer cigarette, constitute a real threat to the continued success in the defense of smoking and health litigation. The actual knowledge on the part of the defendant that smoking is generally dangerous to health, that certain ingredients are dangerous to health and should be removed, or that smoking causes a particular disease. This would not only be evidence that would substantially prove a case against the defendant company for compensatory damages, but could be considered as evidence of willfulness or recklessness sufficient to support a claim for punitive damages. As the evidence about the health hazards of smoking accumulated, and especially after the 1964 surgeon general's report, liability protection. The cigarette companies continued to aim propaganda about the smoking and health controversy at the general public. The Cigarette Papers describes plans in 1969 for a public relations campaign intended to set aside in the minds of millions the false conviction that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer and other diseases. As late as 1985, R.J. Reynolds ran misleading ads suggesting that a large epidemiological study had not found evidence of a link between smoking and heart disease. The tobacco companies have always feared that one successful suit would lead to a flood of litigation, sweeping the industry away. Nowadays that fear seems more realistic than ever, given the hundreds of pending state lawsuits, secondhand smoke claims, class actions, and cases filed by individual smokers. The case started when two small-town Mississippi lawyers declared war on Tobacco Companies and skillfully pursued a daring new litigation strategy that ultimately brought the industry to the negotiating table. For forty years tobacco companies had won every lawsuit brought against them and never paid out a dime. In 1997 that all changed. The industry agreed to a historic deal to pay $368 billion in health-related damages and tear down billboard advertisements. Mississippi's Attorney General Mike Moore joined forces with his classmate attorney Dick Scruggs and sued tobacco companies on behalf of the state's t... ...ials01.htm Lawyers in Early Tobacco Suits to Get $8 Billion: http://nytimes.qpass.com/qpass-archives/fastweb?QProd=19&QIID=1998arcDOC109434&NYTID=&Srch=state_id=1+view=!view!+docid=!doc!+docdb=1998arc+dbname=!db!+TemplateName=doc.tmpl Companies' Cost Would Be Great, But So Is Their Outlook for Profit: http://nytimes.qpass.com/qpassarchives/fastweb?QProd=19&QIID=1997arcDOC47100&NYTID=&Srch=state_id=1+view=!view!+docid=!doc!+docdb=1997arc+dbname=!db!+TemplateName=doc.tmpl Philip Morris Admits Evidence Shows Smoking Causes Cancer: http://nytimes.qpass.com/qpass-archives/fastweb?QProd=19&QIID=1999arcDOC84540&NYTID=&Srch=state_id=1+view=!view!+docid=!doc!+docdb=1999arc+dbname=!db!+TemplateName=doc.tmpl Senate Approves Limiting Fees Lawyers Get in Tobacco Cases: New York Raising Tax on Cigarettes To Help Uninsured: http://nytimes.qpass.com/qpass-archives/fastweb?QProd=19&QIID=1999arcDOC104461&NYTID=&Srch=state_id=1+view=!view!+docid=!doc!+docdb=1999arc+dbname=!db!+TemplateName=doc.tmpl Inside The Tobacco Deal: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/settlement/etc/synopsis.html Actual Knowledge: http://reason.com/9612/bk.jacob.shtml

To what extent does the portrayal of women in Much Ado About Nothing subvert the conventions of the society shown in the play?

Freedom for women in the patriarchal society, in which the play is set, appears controlled and constrained in ‘Much Ado About Nothing (MAAN)’. Shakespeare employs the rebellious spirit of Beatrice in his comedy to subvert the social orthodoxy of the Elizabethan era. Hero falls victim to the suppressive nature of the dominating male characters; however Beatrice, our shrew, provides humour with her quick wit and wordplay, and a breath of fresh air for a modern feminist audience. The dramatic genre of comedy is often subversive and ‘MAAN’ definitely does not fail to live up to this expectation. With her opening line, our female protagonist subverts conventional stereotypes as she interrupts a conversation between two male speakers, questioning the return of â€Å"Signior Mountanto†. Instantly this informs us of her subversive lack of etiquette in conversation, as women would not typically speak out for themselves, especially not against a man. Her wordplay and double entendre here invokes humour firstly because the name relates to an up thrust in duelling, thus describing Benedick as a show-off, and secondly because it has sexual connotations. Beatrice’s outward smutty nature can be marked in juxtaposition to Hero’s lack of independence and confidence (a woman who occupies the role of a tragic heroine, rather than a comic one, barely utters a word throughout the play, and succumbs totally to the homosocial ruling class of Messina). Behind her witty exterior, and her constant determination not to be seen as weak, Beatrice can be seen as inquisitive about Benedick’s time away, showing she cares for him; this would conform to Renaissance standards for it was anticipated that all women would fall into the arms of a man. Being a standard feature of romantic comedy, the female protagonist typically begins by hating the man she loves, mirroring the structural pattern of beginning in discord and ending in accord. Furthermore, Beatrice, the stock character of the shrew, is exposed as a woman whose opinion of marriage definitely subverts the status quo. Asserting that she will not marry â€Å"till God make men of some other metal than earth†, her unconventionality of not wanting a husband can be seen explicitly. An Elizabethan audience could deem this to be impractical and absurd; however a contemporary feminist critic may praise her for her independence. Most noteworthy perhaps, is when she says she will â€Å"cry â€Å"Heigh-ho for a husband! †Ã¢â‚¬  illustrating that the fact she is without a lover bothers her more than we may have assumed previously. Consequently, she initiates an impetuous proposal from Don Pedro which is fascinating as we are left unsure as to whether it was merely a jest or actually sincere – this confusion and chaos being predictable of a comedy. In my opinion the proposal was sincere as Don Pedro is left unhappy at the end of the joyous comedy: â€Å"Prince, thou art sad; get thee a wife†. Although, staying true to her word, Beatrice turns down the offer, on the basis that his â€Å"Grace is too costly to wear every day. † But there is dramatic irony in this; it is evident that she does not want a husband, so the audience is fully aware that the plot will alter in due time, ending in a married Beatrice. Again, this is conventional of a romantic comedy, where the female heroine will ultimately revise her original opinion of the man. Additionally, Beatrice’s discontent with the lack of respect and regard she receives as a woman manifests itself in her wish that she was a man. Beatrice is clearly aware of her inability to act against Claudio (purely because of her gender), after he shuns Hero at the altar. Beatrice declares â€Å"O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market place! † The metaphor used here creates an image of a savage and ruthless Beatrice (implying she would kill Claudio, rip his heart out and then eat it); traits which definitely are not associated with the conservative women of the Elizabethan era. However, some may deem her subversion of the gender roles here as positively defiant. Although verbally expressing her anguish, Beatrice â€Å"too, in this patriarchal society, must be dependent on a man to make right prevail†, as Penny Gay says, and this disheartens the audience. Thus, Beatrice turns to a man to carry out her wish for her: â€Å"Come, bid me do anything for thee. † Also note Benedick’s reaction to this request; he succumbs to Beatrice’s influence, and in consequence reverses the established gender roles in Renaissance society. The consistent sexual innuendo Beatrice insinuates in her speech is undeniably subversive. Bawdy language, not generally used by young, conventional women, presents Beatrice as characteristically more masculine than feminine: â€Å"With a good leg and a good foot, uncle†. There is a sexual pun on the word â€Å"foot†, perhaps linking to the unmannerly French ‘foutre’, as to suggest an adept lover during copulation – women having openly sexual desires during Elizabethan times was very distasteful, making the comment even more significant. It is also vital to note Leonato’s response to such language stating to â€Å"be so shrewd of thy tongue† â€Å"wilt never get thee a husband†, as if almost presuming Beatrice aspires to be wedded and oppressed. Moreover, deception and mistaken identity, features typical of comedy, allow Beatrice to subvert the status quo even further when she has the upper hand on Benedick, at the masked ball. The humour present is in the dramatic irony that Benedick is unaware that she knows who he is; he feels he is at an advantage by being able to hear what Beatrice ‘thinks about him’. Yet, it is Beatrice who is truly at an advantage, for she can in fact balance the power between the sexes, by ‘indirectly’ insulting Benedick, the â€Å"very dull fool†. Not only is the use of disguise a catalyst for humour, but Beatrice’s, debatably, greater intelligence challenges the conventional view that men are superior to women in every aspect. However, the structure of ‘MAAN’ enables the reader to recognise the chronological downfall of Beatrice’s wild spirit and liberation. The ending, with its characteristic comic resolution of marriage, also sees Beatrice being silenced by Benedick, significantly on the day of their wedding. The literal kiss, used to cease her independence, is preceded by the imperative â€Å"Peace! I will stop your mouth. † The fact that the feisty Beatrice is letting herself be silenced, which is marked in stark contrast to the â€Å"rare parrot-teacher† we met at the beginning of the play, demonstrates the restrictive nature of marriage for women. The timing of the kiss, right at the end of the play, gives a lasting feeling that Beatrice will stay submissive to her husband after the play ends. As Jacob Lund argues â€Å"the marriage of Beatrice and Benedick seems at first to offer a different view of what constitutes social order in the world of the play† with their repartee and Beatrice’s confidence, seen clearly when she remains contentious just before becoming a wife, stating she will â€Å"take thee for pity†. In spite of this critic’s view, I think the uniform structure of comedy, concluding with the restoration of order, means that it is only natural that Beatrice should be suppressed before long. It is clear that Shakespeare has created a realistic ending; perhaps it was too idealistic to assume Beatrice would claim superiority in the relationship? Inconsistent to Beatrice’s early assertions that she would â€Å"rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me†, she suddenly appears ditsy and romantic on discovering Benedick’s love for her. Conforming to the stock character of an adoring, courtly lover she exclaims â€Å"Benedick, love on; I will requite thee† in her passionate soliloquy written in strictly formal Elizabethan iambic pentameter verse; the form giving this gulling scene a much more serious tone than the previous. The explicit parallel between the two scenes, both beset with comic deception, marks a contrast between the soliloquies of Beatrice, and her male counterpart, Benedick. In comparison to Benedick, Beatrice’s fall from disdain has less of a dramatic impact, accentuating her sincerity and glee, whereas Benedick has to give himself reasons to requite her love, and consider how others will react. This undoubtedly presents Beatrice as the feebler and more vulnerable of the sexes. There is now even more of an inevitability surrounding her imminent submission to a controlling husband, as she tames â€Å"my wild heart to thy loving hand† just as she was expected to do. A feminist critic would argue that the play’s heroine has just sold out to tradition by adhering to a life of matrimony. This scene is hyperbolic in the 1993 Kenneth Branagh film version, and Josie Rourke's production of the Shakespearean comedy. This adds great comic effect as Beatrice cries out her love in an over exaggerated and quixotic fashion; arguably too extravagant? The view that some of the comic heroines in ‘MAAN’ may fall into the typical portrayal of women as passive and compliant, has some credibility. However, the unconventional wit and defiance of Beatrice outweighs the previous statement, and provides exactly what a comedy is made for: humour. It is arguable that the play ends badly from a feminist critic’s point of view as social order and the expected position of the sexes is restored (just as is anticipated, due to the comic structure). Nevertheless, mocking, transgressing and subverting the status quo will always be at the very heart of comedy, and ‘MAAN’ corresponds totally to this notion, especially in its depiction of the unforgettable character, Beatrice.

Enron Accounting Fault Essay

Enron is frequently given as an example of creative accounting. It is also given as a good example of accounting fraud and insider trading. This is a good example of creative accounting taken too far – not many would disagree that it was accounting fraud, although some would say they were just unlucky to get caught. after all, the auditors were Arthur Anderson, at the time one of the most respected auditing firms. Creative Accounting – Example 1 – Creating multiple trading entities The creative accounting involved setting up other entities and then trading with these entities. This is a common practice; many businesses divide their operations into sectors that perform specialist functions and then trade is carried out between these various entities. However, normal applicable accounting standards (GAAP), would require that some sort of financial consolidation is performed and the full picture reported. However, there was a bias to record income, revenue, and profits from transactions with these entities; rather than costs, expenses, and losses. Creative Accounting – Example 2 – Moving business segments offshore Enron created these entities offshore. This is also a common practice in accounting and tax planning. Many businesses do this to reduce the amount of taxes they pay, this can be done legally (tax avoidance) and it can take illegal forms (tax evasion). Offshore entities usually enjoy an enhanced level of privacy, this can make it difficult for local governments and auditors to gain insights into what is going on. Enron appears to have manged to succeed for a long time in hiding what was going on from both auditors, investors, and potential whistle-blowers. If Enron was recording profits, and assuming not much else was happening in these other entities, then these offshore entities would be recording losses. These losses were conveniently recorded away from the financial statements and therefore investors and many staff never new about them. Creative Accounting and Insider Trading The executives didn’t stop here. By using creative accounting and fraud to manipulate profits, they were able to affect the stock price, the next logical and illegal step was to start to trade the stock to benefit from the inside knowledge they had. This is know as insider trading and is illegal in most countries.

Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy Essay - 696 Words

Looking Backward The book Looking Backward was written by Edward Bellamy and published in the year 1888. Bellamy started off his career as a journalist but then married and decided to devote his efforts to writing fiction novels. Looking Backward was published and Bellamy was famous. The book stirred around the country and had people imagining a world like the one Bellamy created in his book. The idea of a utopia as the one he describes is unbelievable. His book is what people, of even now in the twenty first century, wish the world could possible be like. However, Bellamys world of reasoning and judging of people based on the inner beliefs was not what people of then or now do. Bellamys book showed a world of rationality being†¦show more content†¦Mr. West is surprised by how the society has turned out and the kindness he received from a complete stranger. This stranger and doctor is the other main character Dr. Leete. Julian begins to discuss the vast improvements among the half a century he has been asleep. Here Bellamy begins to describe the utopia world that he has created. Julian is amazed to hear how the society is equally prosperous and is worried and the society values common good among the society than who has the most power. Within the next few chapters Dr. Leete and Julian stay up to talk and answer questions that he may have. In these chapters Bellamy is using a comparison of the Julians old world to the utopia that he has just entered and what Bellamy is creating as readers continue with the story. Bellamy continues to explain further details of this utopia. For one Bellamy explains how each makes the money equally within the state and than how the money is given to the state to be equally distributed. Continuing on Bellamy describes a little how the society and state was run back in the ninetieth century. He talks about mans place in the work field and all the other responsibility that they carry out. Bellamy writes about each world a little at a time i n order for the reader to distinguish the differences of the ninetieth century and the twentieth century. As the chapters progress and the story of the unimaginable world continuesShow MoreRelatedLooking Backward By Edward Bellamy, And Fahrenheit 451931 Words   |  4 PagesTo you it could mean no more war, no more poverty, every person of every race and gender being treated exactly the same. However, to someone else their idea of a perfect world could be the complete opposite of what you would want. In Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury the idea of a perfect world is not just an idea anymore, it becomes reality. Nevertheless, both books â€Å"perfect world† are completely different from one another. 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TheyRead MoreEssay on Bellamys Looking Backward: Utopia or Fantasy?1610 Words   |  7 PagesBellamys Looking Backward: Utopia or Fantasy?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   Although Edward Bellamys twentieth century society in Looking Backward appears to be the perfect utopia, it could never exist. The very factors that Bellamy claimed contributed to the societys establishment and success are, in reality, what would lead to its failure. The twentieth century society lacked the possibility for advancements in technology while at the same time lacking competition and appropriate incentives. Even ifRead MoreEssay on Visions of Utopia in Bellamys Looking Backward749 Words   |  3 PagesVisions of Utopia in Looking Backward  Ã‚   Edward Bellamy addressed many of the topics crucial to the development of a civilization in his book, Looking Backward. In the story he addresses several different features of years past utopias. Some being universal harmony, distribution of occupation according to individual aptitudes, equality of reward, universal ease and comfort, reduction of hours of labor, suppression of idleness, of competition, of the struggle for life, and also for money (DeRead MoreLooking Backwards And Fahrenheit 4511221 Words   |  5 PagesEdward Bellamy and Ray Bradbury both expressed their concerns that they had during their two different time periods. Their pieces of literature both reflected on a what-if society based on the current living conditions. Each of the main characters were both guided by people and amazed at what they could find if they broke their norm and put their heads in the mindset of creating or living in a better society. In each of the novels Looking Backwards and Fahrenheit 451, the authors clearly oppose whatRead MoreEssay on Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward806 Words   |  4 PagesEdward Bellamy’s Looking Backward    People have always wondered what the future will be like. Certainly Edward Bellamy did when he wrote the novel, Looking Backward (1888). Bellamy uses a man named Mr. West as the main character in this novel. He opens by telling who he is and what his social standing is. West is a young man, around the age of 30, and is fairly wealthy. At the beginning, he tells us about his fiancà ©, Edith, and the house he is having trouble building for her. The trouble comesRead MoreGender Roles in Utopian Societies Essay1310 Words   |  6 Pagesis the more fragile character in the background. We wonder if the roles could reverse or how can these roles differ in certain societies. In Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, males play the dominant role when it comes to society, whereas in Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy focuses on female-dominated aspects of society. Utopia by Sir Thomas More depicts men to be the deciders when it comes to creating a family of their own. In the section Of Their Slaves and Of Their Marriages, More begins the idea of

Why I Don t Know - 975 Words

â€Å"I don’t know,† he said as he flicked on the television. News flickered on every T.V. and there is a moment of silence as the sound of the news filled the hospital. â€Å"There is a massive explosion in Hong Kong†¦. 500 deaths†¦ attack†¦ unidentified personnel†¦evacuation†¦ out of Hong Kong.† Only certain words came to my mind as she spoke. Fear ached through my chest and I turned to search for Ai-He. â€Å"Ai-He! Ai-He!† after moments of searching I find her with Fa-Liang rushing patients out of the hospital. I take a moment to gather myself and then hurried to the rooms of patients’ and pulled them out of their rooms for evacuation. In seconds, police come rushing out of doors helping patients out. â€Å"BOOM!!!† the ground shook once more but harder than†¦show more content†¦I rush out before them with them tailing me. We run towards the exit stairs. Moments later, we reached outside into the cold win ter and the clatter of gunfire fills the air â€Å"ratatata-ratatata.† Military Jets scream by with sound breaking speed. Helicopter blades beats the air like drums. Military officers shouting orders and tanks rolling past with clanking metal tracks. We rushed out into the direction where the military officials pointed. Soldiers leading the way and soldiers follow. Escorting us to safety, we reached an area of quietness with only machine-gun fire in the distance and explosions are from afar. â€Å"QUIET DOWN!† ordered a soldier. Every whispering voice lowered into silent footsteps. My military training kicks in with flashbacks from my past: â€Å"GET DOWN!† said an army mate as a rocket propelled grenade whooshes past and hitting the wall behind us. Returning fire with our military issued M4A1 carbine rifle. With only 5 of us left and outnumbered with 20 insurgents engaging us with AK-47 assault rifles. We radio in for support and I hear a thud as my face gets s meared with blood. I check to see who’s it is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The leader in the front held up his arm in a ninety degree angle with a fist clenched. Everyone stopped. There is nothing but quietness. The leader signals for two soldiers to check ahead in a building. The two soldiers move in closer to the building. â€Å"BOOM! BOOM!† Rockets hit where the two soldiers are. â€Å"GUAN XI!†