Pride and Prejudice Plot Essay

Elizabeth Bennet receives two proposals; one from Mr Collins and one from Mr Darcy. Mr Collins was a tall and heavy looking man of twenty-five years. Although he was polite and well mannered he was also pompous and had a self-inflated ego. He always made ‘never ending speeches about nothing’ and bored everyone to death. Mr Collins flattered everyone constantly but sometimes inappropriately. ‘He begged to know which of his fair cousins the excellence of it’s cooking was owed.’ -By this, Mrs Bennet was offended and assured him they were in fact able to keep a good cook. This showed his lack of judgement in when to compliment. He was also quite absurd and Mr Bennet’s sarcasm often went completely unnoticed. For example, on page 54, Mr Bennet asked if his flatteries were prepared and Mr Collins admitted that sometimes he would think of them for his amusement! Lady Catherine de Bourgh who was his patroness employed him. He grovelled to her constantly as she paid his way; because of her, he was middle/upper class. He was a clergyman at Hunsford near Rosings, Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s home. When Mr Bennet dies, Mr Collins will inherit Longburn, as Mr Bennet cannot leave the house to his wife; women couldn’t inherit. In Mr Collins’ letter, he proposes to make peace with the family. Mr Darcy on the other hand was very good looking. ‘He soon drew the attention of the room by his fine tall person, handsome features, noble mien†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ He is also described as ‘a fine figure of a man’. But he was soon to be discovered to be ‘proud above his company’. He was clever, but at the same time he was ‘haughty, reserved and fastidious’. He owned Pemberly Estate and got one thousand a year. -He was upper class and he knew it; ‘He had seen a collection of people in whom there was little beauty and no fashion for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest.’ Darcy and Bingley had a good friendship despite many differences. ‘Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared; Darcy was continually giving offence.’ Darcy had no sense of humour and admitted it. He couldn’t see the funny side of life whereas Bingley was light hearted and liked to enjoy everything he did. In the past Wickam and Darcy had a disagreement. Mr Darcy’s father had promised Wickam a place in the church but when he died Darcy refused to help him. Mr Collins first hints on his future plans in his letter to the Bennets when he writes; ‘I cannot be otherwise than concerned at the means of injuring your amiable daughters, and beg leave to apologise for it, as well as to assure you of my readiness to make them every possible amends.’ On the first day of staying at Longburn, he, in a conversation to Mrs Bennet said; ‘I can assure the young ladies that I come prepared to admire them.’ -Here he gave Mrs Bennet a small glimpse of his intentions. Jane Austin then gave it away saying that now having a good house and income; Mr Collins was in want of a wife. He was also pleasing Catherine de Bourgh who thought he should marry. So for the first evening Jane was the settled choice being not only the eldest, but the prettiest -this was, until he was informed by Mrs Bennet that she was soon to be engaged to Bingley (exaggeration). Then at the Netherfield Ball he asked Lizzy to dance several times and she realised she was the chosen one out of the five sisters. Mr Darcy on the other hand was far from admiring Lizzy at first and when Mr Bingley suggested he dance with her at the Meryton Ball he replied that he had not the least intention of dancing. -Bingley was dancing with the only good looking girl in the room. Here he was referring to Jane. He said Lizzy was ‘tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.’ Then at Sir William Lucas’s party, William tried to pair up the two of them and Darcy did not resist, but Lizzy brushed him off with; ‘I have not the least intention of dancing.’ -this was pay back. It was at this party that Darcy realised his true feelings for her. At Netherfield when Jane went to stay, she fell ill and Lizzy being worried came to visit. Here, she noticed that Darcy was constantly watching her. Miss Bingley who secretly liked Darcy, in seeing that he was drawn to Lizzy tried to turn him against her. But all in vain, for whatever she said, he just stuck up for Elizabeth. Miss Bingley, in Mr Darcy’s defending her said; ‘I am afraid Mr Darcy that this adventure has rather affected your admiration for her fine eyes.’ I think when she says this she’s half-teasing and half jealous of him liking her. Before proposing, Mr Collins said to Mrs Bennet, ‘May I hope madam, for your interest with your fair daughter Elizabeth, when I solicit for the honour of a private audience with her in the course of this morning?’ -Here, he was basically asking Mrs Bennet’s permission to propose. He then launched straight into his ‘speech’. Mr Darcy came to visit Lizzy and at first made light conversation, asking about her health. Then there was an awkward silence where he must have been trying to think of how to start before proceeding. -Differences are already showing through. Mr Collins first said he’d chosen Lizzy almost as soon as he’d met her (which was a lie) and went on to specify his reasons for marrying her. He, as a clergyman wanted to set an example to the rest of the parish, he thought it would make his happy and he was following Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s advice. He’d obviously planed out his speech carefully but in his reasons, he had not mentioned that he was in love with her! Darcy on the other hand offered his hand in marriage because he did love her and his opening sentence expressed this clearly; ‘In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how I admire and love you.’ Mr Collins also made several insults to Lizzy when proposing to her without even realising it! For instance, he said that if she refuses, she my never get another offer. He also reminds her that if she stays single, all she may ever be entitled to is twenty-five pounds when her mother dies. Darcy put his foot in it too. After saying how much he loved her, he went on to say that it was not his wish to do so with her connections and status; ‘His sense of inferiority -of the family obstacles which judgement had always opposed to inclination.’ When he was turned down he thought she was just offended; ‘Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections? -To congratulate myself on the hope of relations, your connections?’ He also admitted to trying to split up Jane and Darcy and even ‘rejoiced’ in his success of doing so. In response to rejection, Mr Collins thinks Lizzy is playing hard to get and says this is to be expected of a lady. He goes on to say all the good materialistic reasons to marry him forgetting to mention things like love. He acts as if marrying would be a good investment for Lizzy or something. He then assured her that both of her parents approved of the marriage. Mr Darcy in response to rejection is shocked and angry but manages to control himself. He asked why he had been refused and thought she must be offended by what he had said earlier; ‘Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections?’ But after saying these words he accepted her answer. Both proposals were made for very different reasons; Mr Collins obviously proposed for convenience, whereas Mr Darcy was in love. Both men also reacted in different ways when turned down; although Mr Collins couldn’t take the rejection, he was not actually bothered about anything other than having his male pride hurt. -Darcy must have been extremely upset, to him Lizzy was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with but he tried not to show his emotions. They both involved a lot of snobbery in their proposal speeches. They thought that Lizzy would not reject someone of the higher class and she should be grateful that she was chosen out of all the other girls; both reminded her constantly about her status. Mr Collins was more personal mentioning both what would happen when her mother and father died but Lizzy got more angry at Darcy because of things he has said and done in the past. Mr Collins and Mr Darcy both said in much detail all the pros and cons of the marria ge. In conclusion, both proposals have some similarities but they differ in the essential requirement of love.

Women Rights in Islam – Modernizing or Outdated?

Women Rights in Islam – Modernizing or Outdated? Definition According to the Oxford dictionary, ‘Women’s Rights are the rights that promote a position of social and legal equality, of women to men. According to the Oxford dictionary, ‘they are the rights, claimed for the women, equal to those of men, as regards to suffrage that right to vote, as regards to property, etc. ‘Modernizing according to the Oxford dictionary means, ‘to make modern, to adapt to modern needs or habits And according to the Webster’s dictionary it means ‘to make modern, or to give a new character or appearance – e. . , to modernize ones ideas In short, modernizing is a process of updating or opting for the betterment of the present status itself – It is not the present modern status itself. Can we modernize ourselves, to master our problems, and to realize a new way of life, for the whole human race? I am not concerned about the modern ideas, the conclusions and the categorical statements made by scientists and inexperienced armchair experts, as how a life should be lived by a woman. I am going to base my conclusions and considerations on truth, which can be proved by experience. Experience and unbiased factual holistic analysis, are the sure test, between the gold of truth, and the glitter of theory. We have to check our thinking against reality, otherwise many a times, our mental process will go astray – Indeed the great brains of one time, believed that the world was flat. Women Rights in the West If we agree with the ‘Women’s rights in Islam as portrayed by the Western media, you have no option, but to agree that the ‘Women’s rights in Islam are outdated. The Western talk of women’s liberation is actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body, deprivation of her honor and degradation of her soul. The Western society which speaks of upgrading the status of women in Islam, have actually reduced her status to concubines, to mistresses, to society butterflies, which are mere tools in the hands of sex marketers and pleasure seekers, which are disguised behind the colorful screen of art and culture. Women Rights in Islam Islam’s radical revolutionary support, gave women their due right and status n the days of ignorance 1,400 years ago. Islam’s objective was and continues to be, to modernize our thinking, our living, our seeing, our hearing, our feeling and striving for the women’s upliftment and emancipation in the society. Before I dwell further with the topic, I would like you to make note of a few points. †¢Approximately one fifth of the world’s population consists of Muslims. There are dif ferent Muslim societies – Some may be close to Islam, some may be far away from Islam. The ‘Women’s rights in Islam should judge according to the authentic sources, and not what individual Muslims do, or what the Muslim society does. †¢The authentic sources of Islam are the Qur’an, which is the word of God, and the authentic Sunnah, and the traditions of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him). †¢Qur’an will never contradict itself, nor will the authentic Hadith contradict itself neither will these two authentic sources, contradict each other. †¢Sometimes the scholars differ, and many a times, these differences can be removed by analyzing the Qur’an as a whole, and not just by quoting one particular Verse. Because if one particular verse of the Qur’an is ambiguous many a times the answer is given somewhere else in the Qur’an – Some people quote one source and neglect all the other sources. †¢It is the duty of every Muslim, male or female, to seek the pleasure of God, and to act as His trustee on this world, and not to try and gain fame or satisfy one’s own ego. Islam believes in equality of men and women Equality does not mean ‘identicality In Islam, the role of a man and woman is complimentary, it is not conflicting. It is that of a partnership, it is not contradictory, so as to strive for supremacy. Where ‘Women’s rights in Islam is concerned, I have divided it into 6 broad categories. Six Categories of Women Rights in Islam The first are ‘the Spiritual rights second are ‘the Economical rights third are ‘the Social rights fourth are ‘the Educational rights fifth are ‘the Legal rights and last are ‘the Political rights. Sex is Not the Criteria to Enter Paradise: The greatest misconception that the West has about Islam, is that they think ‘Paradise in Islam, is only meant for the male – it is not meant for the female This misconception can be removed by quoting from Surah Nisa, Ch. No. , Verse No 124, which says, ‘If any of you do deeds of righteousness, whether it be male or a female and has faith, they shall surely enter Paradise and not the least injustice shall be done to them. A similar thing is repeated in Surah Nahl, Ch. 16, Verse No. 97 which says ‘If any of you perform good deeds, be it a man or a w oman and is a believer, We shall give you good life and We should reward you for all your good works. Just because in Islam, sex is not the criteria to enter Paradise, will you call such rights in Islam as modernizing or outdated? A. Spiritual Rights of Women in Islam Another misconception is that, which the Western media has, that, ‘The woman has no soul. In fact, it was in the seventeenth century, when the Council of wise men, when they gathered at Rome, and they unanimously agreed that the woman had no soul. In Islam, man and woman have the same spiritual nature. It is mentioned in Quran, Ch. 4, Verse No. 1, which says that, ‘O humankind reverence your Guardian Lord, who has created you from a single person and created like nature his mate. A similar thing is mentioned in Surah Nahl, Ch. 16, Verse No. 72, which says that, ‘We have made for you companions and mates of your own nature. In Surah Al-Shura, Ch. 42, Verse No. 11, it says, ‘He is the one who has created the heavens and the earth and has made for you pairs from among yourselves. Just because the spiritual nature of a man and woman is the same in Islam, will you call such rights in Islam, as modernizing or outdated? The Qur’an clearly mentions that, ‘God has breathed somewhat of His spirit into the human beings. If you read Surah Hijr, Ch. 15, Verse No. 29, it says, ‘When I have fashioned you in due proportion and have breathed into you something of my spirit, fall you down in obeisance. A similar thing is repeated in the Qur’an, in Surah Sajdah, Ch. 2, Verse No. 9, which says, ‘Then He fashioned him and breathed into him of His Spirit†¦ Here, when God refers to as ‘Something of My Spirit, is breathed into the human beings? E- it does not mean, a sort of incarnation or a pantheistic form. It means that Allah has given to every human being something of His s piritual Nature, and the Knowledge of God Almighty, and coming closer towards Him. Here it refers to both Adam and Eve (may peace be upon them) – Both were breathed something of God's Spirit. Again we read in the Qur’an, that Allah has appointed the human being as His vicegerent, s His trustee, as is mentioned in Surah Isra, Ch. 17, Verse No. 70, which says, ‘We have honoured the children of Adam and bestowed on them special favours? E Note, here all the children of Adam have been honoured, male as well as female. There are some Religious scriptures, for example the Bible, which puts the blame on Eve for the downfall of humanity. In fact if you read the Qur’an in Surah Araf, Ch. 7, Verse No. 19 to 27, Adam and Eve (may peace be upon them both) are addressed, more than a dozen of times. Both disobeyed God, both asked for forgiveness, both repented, and both were forgiven. In the Bible, if you read Genesis, Ch. 3, only Eve is held responsible (May peace be upon her) for the downfall of humanity. And according to the doctrine of ‘Original Sin? E because of Eve (may peace be upon her) the whole of humanity is born in sin. Does Pregnancy Uplift the Women or Degrade? If you read the Bible in Genesis, Ch. 3, Verse No. 16, it says that, ‘To the woman He (God) said, â€Å"I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you. ‘ That means, pregnancy and child birth has been said in the Bible to degrade the women and the labor pain is a sort of punishment. In fact if you read the Qur’an, pregnancy and child birth have uplifted the women. If you read Surah Nisa, Ch. 4, Verse No. 1, it says, ‘Respect the womb that bore you Its mentioned in Surah Luqman, Ch. 31, Verse No. 14, it says, ‘We have enjoined on the human being to be kind to the parents, in travail upon travail did their mother bore them and in years twain was their weaning. A similar thing is mentioned in Surah Ahqaf, Ch. 46, Verse No. 5, it again repeats, which says, ‘We have enjoined on the human beings to be kind to his parents. To be kind to the parents – in pain did their mother bore them, and in pain did she give them birth – Pregnancy in the Qur’an has uplifted the women not degraded her. Just because pregnancy has uplifted the women in Islam will you call such rights in Islam as modernizing or outdated? Criteria in the Sight of God to Judge Male and Female: The only criteria for judgment in the sight of Allah is ‘Taqwa ‘God consciousness or ‘righteousness It is mentioned in Surah Hujurat, Ch. 49, Verse No. 3 ‘O humankind, We have created you from a single pair of male and female and have divided you into nations and tribes, so that you shall recognize each other not that you desp ise each other and the most honored in the sight of God, is the one who is the most righteous. Sex, color, caste, wealth has got no criteria in Islam – The only criteria in the sight of God is ‘righteousness neither is sex the criteria for God to reward or to punish a person. If you read Surah Imran Ch. 3 Verse No. 195 it says ‘I will never suffer the loss of any of you, be it male or female, you are companions unto each other. Equal Moral Duties for Men and Women: I had started my talk by quoting a verse from the Qur’an from Surah Al Ahzab, Ch. 33, Verse No. 35, which says, ‘For Muslim men and Muslim women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast and deny themselves, for men and women who guard their chastity, for men and women who engage much in God's praise, God has prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward. This verse indicates that the spiritual duties, the moral duties, for the men and women in Islam are the same – Both have to believe, both have to pray, both have to fast, both have to give in charity, etc, etc. But the women has been given certain concession in Islam. If she is undergoing her menstrual period or pregnancy, she does not have to fast – She can keep those fasts later on, when she is more healthy. During the menstrual period and during the postnatal period, she needs not pray also – she has been given the concession, and neither does she have to compensate it later on. Just because the moral duties of the men and women are equal in Islam will you call such rights in Islam as modernizing or outdated? B. Economical Rights to the Women Islam gave economical rights to the women 1,300 years before the West. An adult Muslim woman can own, she can dispose or disown any of her property without consulting any one, irrespective whether she is married or she is single. In 1870, it was the first time in England, that the West recognized the rights of the married woman, where she was allowed to own or dispose any of her property without consultation. I do agree that the women were given their economical rights 1300 years ago – these are ancient rights – but the question is ? E‘are they modernizing or outdated Enbsp; Women on Job: A women in Islam, if she wishes to work she can work – There is no text in the Qur’an or the authentic Hadith which prevents or makes it prohibited for a woman to do any work, as long as it is not unlawful, as long as it is within the preview of the Islamic Shariah, as long as she maintains her Islamic dress code. But natural, she cannot take up jobs, which exhibit her beauty and body – Like for example, modeling and film acting, and such kind of jobs. Many of the professions and jobs which are prohibited for the woman are also prohibited for the man, for example serving alcohol, working in gambling dens, doing any unethical or dishonest business. All these jobs are prohibited for both men and women. A true Islamic society requires women to take up profession such as doctors. We do require female Gynecologists, we do require female nurses, we do require female teachers. But, a woman in Islam has got no financial obligations – The financial obligation is laid on the shoulders of the man in the family – Therefore she need not work for her livelihood. But in genuine cases, where there are financial crisis in which both the ends do not meet, she has the option of working. Here too, no one can force her to work – She works out of her own, absolute free will. Financial Security for Women: A woman in Islam has been given more financial security, as compared to the man. As I told you earlier, the financial obligation is not put on her shoulder – It is put on the shoulder of the man in the family. It is the duty of the father or the brother, before she is married and the duty of the husband or the son, after she is married to look after her lodging, boarding, clothing and financial aspects of her. Compulsory Marital Gift for a Woman: When she gets married, she is on the receiving end. She receives a gift – she receives a dower or a marital gift, which is called as ‘Meher? E And it is mentioned in the Qur’an in Surah Nisa, Ch. 4 Verse No. 4 which says, ‘Give to the woman in dower, a marital gift? E For a marriage to solemnize in Islam, ‘Meher? Eis compulsory. But unfortunately in our Muslim society here, we just keep a nominal ‘Meher? Eto satisfy the Qur’an, say 151 Rupees, or some people give 786 Rupees and they spend lakhs and lakhs of Rupees on the reception, on the decoration, on the flowers, on the lunch parties, on the dinner parties. In Islam, there is no lower-limit, nor is there an upper limit for ‘Meher? E- But when a person can spend lakhs of Rupees on the reception, surely the ‘Meher ? Eshould be much more. There are various cultures which have crept into the Muslim societies, specially in the Indo-Pak area. They give a small amount of ‘Meher? Eand they expect the wife to give a fridge, to give a T. V set, they expect the wife to give an apartment, to give a car, etc. , and a large sum of dowry, depending upon the status of the husband. If he is a graduate, they may expect 1 lakh – If he is an engineer they may expect 3 lakhs – If he is a doctor they may expect 5 lakhs. Demanding dowry from the wife, directly or indirectly is prohibited in Islam. If the parents of the girl give the girl something out of their own free will, it is accepted – But demanding or forcing directly or indirectly, it is prohibited in Islam. No Financial Liabilities: If a Woman works, which she does not have to – whatever earning she gets, it is absolutely her property. She need not spend on the household – if she wants to spend it is her free will. Irrespective how rich the wife is, it is the duty of the husband to give lodging, boarding, clothing and look after the financial aspects of the wife. In case of divorce or if a wife gets widowed, she is given financial support for the period of ‘Iddah? E- and if she has children, she is also given child support. Right to Inherit: Islam gave the right to the women to inherit, centuries ago. If you read the Qur’an – in several verses, in Surah Nisa, in Surah Baqarah and in Surah Maidah, it is mentioned that a woman, irrespective she is a wife or she is a mother, or a sister, or a daughter, she has a right to inherit. And it has been fixed by God Almighty in the Qur’an. C. Social Rights of Women in Islam Broadly it can be categorized into four sub-headings. Social rights given to a daughter, to a wife, to a mother and to a sister. Social Rights to a Daughter: Islam prohibits, female infanticide. The killing of female children is forbidden in Islam. It is mentioned in Surah Taqveem, Ch. 81, Verse No. 8 and 9, ‘when the female child is buried alive and when she questions you, for what crime was she killed? E Not only female infanticide has been prohibited, all sorts of infanticides has been prohibited in Islam, whether it be a male child or a female child. It is mention in the Qur’an in Surah A’nam Ch. 6, Verse No. 151 that, ‘Kill not your children for want of sustenance for it is God that will provide sustenance for you and for children? E A similar thing is mentioned in Surah Isra, Ch. 17 Verse No. 31 which says? E‘Kill not your children for want of sustenance, for it is God that will provide sustenance to you and your children, for killing of children is a major sin? E In the pre-Islamic Arabia, whenever a female child was born mostly she was buried alive. Alhamdullillah, after the spread of Islam this evil practice has been discontinued. But unfortunately it still continues in India – According to a BBC report, in the programe assignment the title of which was ‘Let Her Die? E there was a British reporter by the name of Emily Beckenen, who came all the way from Britain to India to give us the statistics of the female infanticide. In that programe, it gives the statistics, that every day more than 3,000 fetuses are being aborted on being identified that they are females. If you multiply this figure by the number of days, that is multiplied by 365, you get a figure of more than one million female fetuses are being aborted every year in our country. And there are big hoarding and posters in states like Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, which says spend 500 Rupees and save 5 lakh Rupees. What does it mean? – That spend Rupees 500 on medical examination like Aminocententus or Ultra Sonography, and identify the gender of child. If it is a female you can abort it and you’ll save 5 lakh Rupees – How? The couple of lakhs you spend on upbringing her and the remaining lakhs of Rupees you spend on giving dowry to the man who will marry her (a custom in India). According to the report of the Government Hospital of Tamil Nadu ? E‘out of every 10 female children that are born, four are put to death? E- No wonder the female population in India is less than the male population. Female infanticide was continuing in India since centuries – If you analyze the statistics of the 1901 census, for every 1000 males there were 972 females. According to the 1981 statistics and census, it tells you for every 1000 males you have 934 females. And the latest statistics of 1991 tells you that for every 1000 males you have 927 females. You can analyze that the female ratio is dropping every year – And since science and medicine has advanced, it has helped in this evil practice. Just because Islam tells you that you should not kill any children whether it be male or female will you call these rights in Islam as modernizing or outdated? Qur’an not only prohibits female infanticide, it rebukes at the thought of you rejoicing at the birth of a male child and getting saddened at the birth of a female child. In Islam, a daughter should be brought up correctly. In Islam, there should be no partiality in upbringing of the daughter or the son. According to a Hadith, ‘In the presence of the Prophet Muhammad, once a man kissed his son and placed him on his lap but did not do the same to his daughter. The Prophet immediately objected and said that you are unjust – You should have even kissed your daughter and placed her on the other lap? E Social Rights to Wife: All the previous civilizations, they have considered the women to be an ‘instrument of the devil? E The Qur’an refers to the women as ‘Mohsana? E that is a ‘fortress against the devil? E And if a woman, who’s good, marries a man, she prevents him from going on the wrong path. There’s a Hadith in which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) he said that, ‘there is no monasticism in Islam? E. And again according to Sahih Bukhari, Volume No. 7, Ch. No. Hadith No 4 it says that ‘the Prophet Muhammad ordained the young men, all those who have the means to marry, they should marry – For it will help them to guard their gaze and guard their modesty. The Qur’an say’s that, ‘We have put love into the hearts of the husband and wife? E If you read Sura h Rum, Ch. 30, Verse No. 21 it says that, ‘And amongst our signs We have created for you mates or companions, so that you may dwell in them in tranquillity and we have put love and mercy between your hearts? E According to Surah Nisa, Ch. 4, Verse No. 21, marriage is considered as a strong agreement, a strong contract. According to Surah Nisa, Ch. 4, Verse No. 19, it says, ‘You are prohibited to inherit women against their will? E- Means, to marry the permission of both the parties are required. It is compulsory that the man and women both should agree to marry. No one – not even the father can force their daughter to marry against her wishes. There’s a Hadith in Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 69, which says ‘that a lady she was forced by her father to marry against her wishes? E- And she went to the Prophet and the Prophet invalidated the marriage? E Another Hadith in Ibn-e-Humbal, Hadith No. 469, it says ‘that a daughter was forced by her father to get married – And when the daughter approached the Prophet, the Prophet said you can either continue, or if you wish you can invalidate the marriage. That means, the consent of both the male and the female is required. In Islam, a women is considered as a homemaker – She is not considered as a hou sewife, because she is not married to the house. Many people use terminology, without understanding what it means ? E‘Housewife? Emeans ‘you are the wife of the house? E So I believe, from now onwards the sisters would prefer calling themselves ‘homemakers? E than ‘house wives? E if they are occupied more in the home. In Islam, a woman, she is not married to a master that she should be treated like a slave – She is married to it is equal. And there is a Hadith which says in Ibn-Hambal – Hadith No 736, 7396. It says that, ‘the most perfect of the believers are those that are best in character and behavior, and those that are best to their family and their wives? E Islam gives equal rights to the man and woman. Qur’an clearly mentions that men and women, husband and wife have equal rights in all aspects, except leadership in the family. It is mentioned in the Qur’an in Surah Baqarah Ch. 2, Verse No. 228. It says that, ? E.. the women have been given rights similar against them (men) on equitable terms but the men have a degree higher†¦? E Most of the Muslims have misunderstood this verse, when it says ‘a men have a degree higher? E- As I said we should analyze the Qur’an as a whole. And its mentioned in Surah Nisa, Ch. 4, Verse No. 34 which says, ‘The men are the protectors and maintainers of the women, for God has given one of them more strength than the other and they give them their means? E People say the word ‘Kawwam? E means, ‘one degree higher in superiority? E- But actually the word ‘Kawwam? Ecomes from the root word ‘Ikamah? E ‘Ikamah? Emeans for example ‘when you give the Ikamah before prayers – You stand up? E So ‘Ikamah? Emeans to standup – so the word ‘Kawwam? Emeans one degree higher in responsibility, not one degree higher in superiority. Even if you read the commentary of ‘Ibne-Kathir? E- He says that the word ‘Kawwam? Emeans one degree higher in responsibility, not one degree higher in superiority. And this responsibility, should be carried out by mutual consent of both husband and wife. It is mentioned in Surah Baqarah, Ch. 2, Verse No. 187, which says, Which means? E‘Your wives are your garments, and you are their garments? E What’s the objective of garments – It is used to conceal and to beautify. The husband and wife, should conceal each others faults, and they should beautify each other – Its a relationship of hands and gloves. The Qur’an mentions that, ‘even if you do not like your wife, you should treat her kindly? E It is mentioned in Surah Nisa, Ch. 4, Verse No. 19, that, ? E.. consort with them (your wives) in kindness, for if you hate them it may happen that you hate a thing wherein God has placed much good. Even if you dislike your wife you have to treat her kindly and with equity Just because the rights of a wife are equal to those of the husband in Islam, will you call such rights in Islam as modernizing or outdated? Social Rights to a Mother: The only thing above respect to Mother, is the worship of God – It is mentioned in: Ch. 17, Verse No. 28-29, It says that? E‘God has ordained for you, that you worship none but Him, and to be kind to your parents. And if any one or both of them reach old age do not say a word of contempt or repel them but address them with honour, and speak to them with kindness, and lower your wing of humility and pray to God – ‘My Lord! bless them as they have cherished me in childhood? E Surah Nisa, Ch. No. 4, Verse No. 1 says, ‘Respect the womb that bore you? E Surah A’nam, Ch. 6, Verse No. 151, says that, ‘You have to be kind to your parents? E Surah Luqman Ch. 31, Verse No. 14, says that, ‘We have enjoined on the human beings to be kind to his parents. In travail upon travail, did their mother bore them and in years twain was their weaning? E A similar thing is repeated again in Surah Ahqaf, Ch. 46, Verse No. 15, that? E‘We have enjoined on the human beings to be kind to his parents. In pain did their mother bore them and in pain did she give them birth? E Another Hadith related in Sahih Bukhari in Volume 8, Ch. No. 2 Hadith No. 2, as well as in Sahih-Muslim – It says that a man asked the Prophet Muhammad? E‘Who requires the maximum love and respect and my companionship in this world? The Prophet replied ? E‘your mother? Ebr> ‘Who is next? E ? E‘your mother? Enbsp; ‘Who is next E? E‘your mother? Enbsp; The man asked for the fourth time, – ‘Who is next? Enbsp; The Prophet replied ‘your father? E So 75% of the love and respect goes to the mother and 25% of the love and respect goes to the father. Three fourth of the better part of the love and respect goes to the mother ? EOne fourth of the remaining part of the love and respect goes to the father. Social Rights to a Sister: According to Surah Tawbah, Ch. 9, Verse No. 71, it says that, ‘The men and the women they are friends of each other? E Prophet Muhammed (may peace be upon him) he said, ‘The women are the ‘Shakat? E-‘Shakat? Emeans sister? E D. Educational Rights to a Woman The first 5 verses which were revealed in the Qur’an were from Surah Alaq, or Surah Iqra, Verse No. 1 to 5 which says: ‘Read, recite or proclaim in the name of your Lord, Who has created the human beings from a congealed clot of blood (a leech like substance). Read, your Lord is most bountiful. Who has taught the use of the pen. Who has taught the human beings that which he knew-not? E The first guidance given in the Qur’an to the humankind was not to pray, was not to fast, was not to give charity – It was read – Islam pays utmost importance to education. Education is Compulsory in Islam: According to Quran: †¢God will exalt those of you who believe and those who are given knowledge to high degrees. (58:11) †¢And say, O my Lord! increase me in knowledge. (20:114) †¢And whoever is is given knowledge is given indeed abundant wealth. (2:269) According to a saying of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) â€Å"It is obligatory for every Muslim, male or female, to acquire knowledge (Al-Bayhaqi). Imagine, 1400 years ago, when the women were ill treated and were only used as property, Islam asked the women to be educated. Because Islam tells that every woman should be educated, – Will you call such women’s right’s in Islam as modernizing or outdated? E. Legal Rights to a Woman According to the Islamic law, men and women are equal – The Islamic Law protects the life and property of a man and woman both. If a man murders a woman he too will receive the capital punishment of ‘Kisaas? E According to the Islamic law of ‘Kisaas? E men and women – irrespective the injury be of the eye, of the nose, of the ear, of the body – both receive equal punishment. And if the guardian of the murderer, even it be a woman – If she says, that forgive the murderer and she accepts ‘Dia? E that is compensation – her opinion cannot be rejected – they have to accept it. And if there’s difference of opinion between the relatives of the person whose murdered – And some say that the murderer should be killed and some say that he should be forgiven and ‘Dia? Enbsp; should be accepted – people should prevent the relatives from killing that murderer. And irrespective whether the witness or the opinion is given by a man or woman, it has same weight. According to Surah Maida, Ch. , Verse No. 30 – It says? E‘As to the thief, whether he be man or a woman, cut off his or her hand as a punishment for his crime, an example from God? E Means, if a person robs, irrespective whether he is a man or a woman his or her hands should be chopped – The punishment is the same. According to Surah Nur, Ch . 24, Verse No. 2, it says ‘If any commits fornication, be it a man or a woman, flog them with 100 stripes? E The punishment for fornication in Islam irrespective whether it is a man or a woman, it is the same – Flogging with 100 stripes. The punishment for men and women, is the same in Islam. In Islam a woman is allowed to give witness Imagine, Islam gave right to a woman to be a witness, 14 centuries ago. Even now in as late as 1980, the Jewish Rabai, they were considering that whether the women should be given a right to act as a witness or not – And Islam gave that right 1400 years ago. Accord ¬ing to Surah Nur, Ch. 24, Verse No. 4, it is said ‘If any of you put a charge against the chastity of a woman, produce 4 witnesses, and if they falter, flog them with 80 stripes? E In Islam for a small crime, you require 2 witness – for a big crime you require 4 witnesses. Accusing a woman falsely is a big crime in Islam, therefore you require 4 witnesses. Now a days you see in the modern society, you find men abusing women and calling them all sorts of name. They call them prostitutes etc, and nothing is done. In an Islamic state, if a man calls her a ‘prostitute? Ein public or anywhere else, and if she takes that man to court – And if that man cannot produce 4 witnesses or even if he produces 4 witnesses and any one of them falter, all of them will receive 80 lashes each, and in future all their evidence will be rejected. Islam gives utmost importance to the chastity of the woman. When a lady marries, she normally adopts the name of her husband. In Islam she has the option of either keeping her husband’s name, either adopting the name of the husband, or maintaining her maiden name. And maintaining the maiden name is recommended in Islam – And we find in several Muslim societies that women, even after they get married they maintain their maiden name, because according to the Islamic law men and women are equal. Will you call such rights in Islam modernizing or outdated? F. Political Rights of a Woman According to Surah Tawba, Ch. 9, Verse No. 71, ‘The men and the women they are friends (supporters) of each other? E Supporters not only Socially – even Politically ? EPolitically, men and women should support each other. Women can even take part in law making. And according to the famous Hadith in which Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he was discussing with the Sahabas, and considering putting an upper limit on the ‘Meher ? E since young men were discouraged from getting married – a lady from the back seat she objected and said When the Qur’an says in Surah Nisa Ch. , Verse No. 20 that? E ‘you can even give a heap of treasure, a heap of gold in ‘Meher? E when Qur’an puts no limit on ‘Meher? E who is Umar to put a limit (may Allah be pleased with him). And immediately Hazrat Umar (peace be upon him) said? E‘Umar is wrong and the lady is right? E Imagine, she was a common lady – If it would have been a famous lady, the name of the lady would be mentioned in the Hadith. Since the Hadith does not mention the name of the lady, we can understand that the lady was a common lady. Means, even a common lady can object to the ‘Khalifa? E the head of the state. And in technical terms it would be called that ? E‘she is objecting to the breach of the constitution? E- because Qur’an is the constitution of the Muslims – That means a woman can even take part in law making. Women have even taken part in the battle fields There is a full chapter in the Sahih Bukhari mentioning women in the battle field – Women gave water – they give first aid to the soldiers. Because the Qur’an says ‘Man is the protector of the ‘Woman? E Under normal circumstances, the women should not go to the battle field. It is the duty of the man. Only when required, under necessity are women allowed – and they should go to the battle field if they want. Otherwise you’ll have the same position as you are having in the USA. Women in USA are Not Safe In USA women were allowed to join the battle since 1901 but they were not allowed to take active part – They only played the part of a nurse. Later on after the ‘Feminist Movement? Ehad started in 1973, the ‘Feminist movement? Edemand ¬ed ? E‘Why aren’t women allowed to take active part in the battle field E/font> So the American government allowed women to take active part in the battle field. And according to a report of the Defense Department of America, which was released on the 23rd of April, 1993 it said that, ? E0 people were sexually assaulted in a convention, out of which 83 were women and 117 officers were charged with in disciplinary action? E Imagine in one convention only, 83 women sexually assaulted. What was the crime of those 117 officers? They made the women run and they snatched at their clothes. They made them parade absolutely nude without even covering the genital parts. They were made to have sex in public. Is this what you call ‘Women’s rights? E If you think that this is what is ‘Women’s right? E then you can keep your rights to yourselves. We do not want our sisters, our daughters our mothers to be sexually assaulted. And there was a uproar in the parliament and the President, Bill Clinton – he himself had to apologize publicly and he said, ‘Necessary action will be taken? E And you know when politicians say ‘necessary action will be taken, what happens. So Islam allows women to take part in the battle field only when required. But there also they should maintain their Islamic dress and the Islamic ethics, and their modesty. USA Has One of the Highest Rates of Rape United States of America is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries of the world. It also has one of the highest rates of rape in any country in the world. According to a FBI report, in the year 1990, every day on an average 1756 cases of rape were committed in U. S. A alone. Later another report said that on an average everyday 1900 cases of rapes are committed in USA. The year was not mentioned. May be it was 1992 or 1993. May be the Americans got ‘bolder? Ein the following years. Islamic Law Let's Women Breathe Easily Consider a scenario where the Islamic law is implemented in America. Whenever a man looks at a woman and any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he lowers his gaze. Every woman wears the Islamic dress as mentioned in Quran. After this if any man commits rape he is given capital punishment. I ask you, in such a scenario, will the rate of rape in America increase, will it remain the same, or will it decrease? If Islamic law is implemented in any part of the world, women will breathe easier. Conclusion Before I conclude, I’d like to give an example. As I said in the beginning of my talk, Islam believes in equality between men and women – Equality does not mean identicality. Suppose in a classroom 2 students, student ‘A? Eand ‘B? E during an examination both come out first – Both secure 80% marks – 80 out of 100. When you analyze the question paper, the question paper has 10 differ ¬ent questions, each carrying 10 marks. In question 1 student ‘A? Egot 9 out of 10, and student ‘B? Egot 7 out of 10 – So in question 1 student ‘A? Ewas higher than student ‘B? E In question 2, student ‘A? Egot 7 out of 10 and student ‘B? Egot 9 out of 10 – Student ‘B? Ewas higher than student ‘A? Ein question number 2. In question 3 both of them got 8 out of 10, both were equal. So when we add up the marks of all the ten questions, both student ‘A? Eand ‘B? Egot 80 out of 100. So in short, student ‘A? Eand student ‘B? Eare over all equal. In some questions ‘A? Eis higher than ‘B? E in some questions ‘B? Eis higher than ‘A? E in others both are equal. In the same fashion, taking the example that since God has given man more strength – Suppose a thief enters the house will you tell, ‘I believe in women’s rights – I believe in women’s rights? E – will you tell your mother, your sister and your daughter, to go and fight the thief E No, but natural you’ll fight him – If required they may interfere – Under normal circumstances since God has given you more physical strength, you have to go and tackle the thief. So here, in physical strength, man is one degree higher than the woman Let us take another example where it comes to respecting the parents – The children are supposed to respect the mother 3 times more than the father (as mentioned earlier). Here the women have one degree higher than the men – Over all both equal So Islam believes in equality, not identically – Men and women are over all equal in Islam. This was in brief, the highlights, of ‘the Women’s Rights in Islam? E After this what the Muslim society did is different – Many of the Muslim societies did not give the women their rights and they deviated away from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The Western society is largely responsible for this – because of the Western societies, many Muslim societies have become over protective, over precautions and have gone to one extreme and deviated away from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. On the other extreme, some of the Muslim societies turned to the Western culture, and followed their culture. I want to tell the Western society that if you analyze the women’s rights in Islam according to the Qur’an and the Sunnah – you will realize it is modernizing and not outdated.

Juvenile Crime and Socio-economic Factors Term Paper

Juvenile Crime and Socio-economic Factors - Term Paper Example No one is a born criminal and it is evident that the surrounding socio economic environment acts as an important ingredient and a positive catalyst in turning a young boy or girl into a vicious criminal who might be breaking some one’s house or threatening some one at his/her gun point. In the following paragraphs a detailed investigative analysis has been led to explore the different avenues through which these socio economic factors make their inroad into young blossoms to turn them into dried hays waiting to be ignited with faintest of sparks and provocation. Before moving into details it is worth mentioning that the following analysis would be based on a set of socio economic indicators that comprises of; family, socio-economic class and factors that also includes community factors, educational background, urbanization, media, exclusion and influence of the peers. Family: Juvenile period is the formative period of human life and family plays the most critical role in this juncture. A family with healthy atmosphere cultivate the socially acceptable norms within the siblings that help them to grow into responsible, matured social being in the long run. In sharp contrast a family that is subject to unhealthy environment and does not provide enough psychological nourishment towards the siblings might be considered as the breeding ground for juvenile criminals who in no time would become a social menace. Metaphorically a tree determines the kind of fruit it is going to produce in future. A strong statistical evidence might be produced here a â€Å"study of 250 boys found that among boys at age 10, the strongest predictors of later convictions for violent offenses (up to age 45) were poor parental supervision, parental conflict, and parental aggression, including harsh, punitive discipline.† (Shader, 6) Again if the seniors of a family are already engaged into anti social activities, then the child manages to witness such activities on a regular bas is and that work as a kindergarten, ironically for criminal lessons. Going by social process theory, individuals react to such conflict situations with hostility and anti social activities (Zarka). It is worth mentioning a study in this respect that was â€Å"carried out in prisons in the United States reveals that families involved in criminal activities tend to push their younger members towards violating the law. More than two-third of those interviewed had relatives who were incarcerated; for 25 per cent it was a father and for another 25 per cent a brother or sister.† (chapter 7: Juvenile Delinquency, 196) Evidence has also been found that a family where peace and love are distant issues between couples and that displays continuous marital disorder results in creating an environment that eventually promotes juvenile delinquency. This is also true for families with evidence of divorce, though at the end it depends much on family unity than on single or double parenthood. Socio-economic class and factors including community: It seems that children from economically weak background tend to be more into juvenile crime. This socio-economic class based idea held strong in 1950s and 1960s. However statistical analysis since 1960s revealed that youths belonging to the economically middleclass are also almost equally into juvenile delinquency. This is in accordance to the social structure theory of crime, which explains

Historical Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Historical Literature - Essay Example Malamund’s story tells only one of the many struggles between heritage and what is accepted by society. Over the course of history many people have been persecuted and forced into submission by a bigger more socially accepted culture. Jewish religion has always met with persecution throughout history, but unfortunately while the Jewish are the most well known, they are not the only ones who have had to endure the life ruining affects of an invading people and culture bigger than their own. History is riddled with stories of people who were seen as inferior by conquering cultures. The Jew Bird details the destruction of a culture overwhelmed by a larger population’s expectations and ideas as to the way a person is supposed to live their life. Malamund uses Cohen as an example of what every Jewish American realizes and fears will become of their culture and their way of living. Cohen has forgotten the ways that he used to live. His way of living has been so completely altered that he does not even recognize a true Jew when he sees one, and when questioned about Jewbird he says,† Poor bird, my ass. He is a foxy bastard. He thinks he is a Jew† (Malamund 738). Cohen has become bitter and weary of life and takes little joy in anything. For example, when Jewbird comes to his door asking for food, instead of graciously inviting him into his home and offering him food and comfort as Jewish culture previously condoned, he harshly tries to turn him away by saying, "This aint a restaurant" (Malamund 738). He does not want to help out or give anyone charity because no one did that for him while his people were being persecuted by the Nazis and being killed by the thousands. The presence of Jewbird in the story gives the reader a stinging reminder of how wonderful the Jewish culture once was and how horribly destroyed it became. The contrast between Jewbird and Cohen is so strong. While Cohen wont go out of his way for anyone, Jewbird "Spends most

Corporate Culture on the Example of AIG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Culture on the Example of AIG - Essay Example Similar happened with American International Group (AIG) - one of the world’s leading insurers. This case analysis is built up at delving deep into corporate culture factors which paved the way for AIG’s doom, conduct of AIG executives worsening the situation and alternative route AIG could have taken to prevent its downfall. Role of AIG’s corporate culture in its downfall Corporate culture of a firm constitutes the environment in which employees work, rules and regulations which mold their working practices and even the leadership under which employees learn to differentiate between right and wrong. AIG’s culture was not up-to-the-mark in terms of true leadership, correct human resource policies and even ways and means to capture and exploit business opportunities. Hank Greenberg, the CEO of AIG was into lobbying and made use of back-door tactics to get hold of contracts and business leads. His ethical philosophy was misleading from the very beginning of his youth when he used to violate rules while he was in army. Activities which were not allowed by senior officials were done by Greenberg silently and he supplied the proof of doing something different to army officials (Jennings 19). This instance makes clear that Greenberg was a man who did not care about ethics. He had his own way of doing things which he himself wished to, and also maintained a pseudo personality ready to pretend that he is abiding by the rules. As such, under his leadership, the employees of AIG too developed this habit of fulfilling their personal interests and supplying wrong information and proof to the outside world that everything is under control. Moreover, culture at AIG was not one that placed greater emphasis on company’s mission. It focused on profits and growth first. Stakeholder wealth management principle came second. This is evident from the fact that AIG employees were paid bonuses and incentives for their excessive and unnecessary risk taking activities. Dazzled by short term gains and exponential growth, the company and top management overlooked what it owes to its investors, shareholders and stakeholders. Before any growth comes the benefit of people whose money is wi th the company. Rewarding system at AIG was crippled as it encouraged unethical risk taking endeavor of its overexcited employees of Financial Products Division. The corporate culture at AIG was developed into a form that had started taking undue advantage of its reputation and standing in the financial market. High-profile joint ventures, global outreach, revolutionizing business concept and astronomical growth in the beginning- all blinded the officials and employees at AIG to move ahead at lightning speed without conforming to the risk management rules and ethical compliance obligation. It did not offer complete disclosure of credit investment information, entered into risky ventures, came up with a host of derivatives and products and get itself engaged in deals and businesses which seemed lucrative superficially. Lack of transparency, complete disclosure and complex jargon of financial market mislead the public at large. This was all attributed to how employees at AIG were lear ning from its leaders, how their compensation plan was devised which did not account for risks but only unaccrued income. Lastly, stakeholder wealth maximization principle was totally lost from the corporate charter of the company. Ethical conduct of AIG executives Jennings (15) highlights multifarious unethical behavioral dimensions which lead to an ethical breach of duty. At AIG, these dimensions were numerous and have reached to a very high level- level which was irreparable and punishable. The executives not only

Sexual Abuse of Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sexual Abuse of Children - Essay Example The four large scale factors aw self-report measures, improvement in other indicators of crime, administrative changes that have influenced decline, intervention strategies and programs. Other indicators of health status among American children and youth include rates of child abuse and neglect. While there is some controversy about whether the upswing in child abuse and neglect cases is a reflection of better reporting or of actual increases in cases, there appears to be a steady climb in the number of child abuse and neglect cases every year. The International Child Abuse Network: "Child abuse is the bad treatment of a child under the age of 18 by a parent, caretaker, someone living in their home or someone who works with or around children. Abuse of a child is anything that causes injury or puts the child in danger of physical injury" (Defining Child Maltreatment, n.d.). 'Sexual abuse' constitutes a continuum of activities which can range from flashing, exposure to pornographic material through inappropriate fondling to anal or vaginal penetration. On the other hand, just as feminists have sought to define rape as an act of violence, not a sexual act, it is right to remember that what is at stake in sexual abuse of a child is the expression of superior power rather than an inapposite sexual relationship. Sexual abuse is classless representing the expression of deep-structured inequalities - between men and women, between adults and children. Miller-Perrin and Wurtele underline that it is difficult to define sexual abuse "as all definitions are time- and culture-bound as well as direct reflections of the values and orientations of communities and societies at large" (Miller-Perrin, Wurtele, 1993, p. 3). According to statistical results, the vast majority of sexual abuse is perpetrated by adult males on girls. A standard definition of child sexual abuse is that it is the involvement of developmentally immature children and adolescents in sexual actions which they cannot fully comprehend, to which they cannot give informed consent, and which violate the taboos of social roles. It is somewhat redundant given what goes before, and it yokes abuse too closely to incest as traditionally understood (Jackson et al, 1991). Following Miller-Perrin and Wurtele, child sexual abuse "perpetrated by adults involves the exploitation of adult authority and power for sexual ends. This definition also includes children and adolescents as perpetrators if a situation involves the exploitation of a child by virtue of the perpetrator's size, age, sex, or status. It also includes experiences of physical contact between perpetrator and victim and those where contact may be limited or absent" (Miller-Perrin, Wurtele, 1993, p. 5). There were 669,000 reports of child maltreatment in 2005. By 2006, the reports were over 1 million, and in 2007, they had reached more than 2 million per year. Not only has there been a rise in the number of reports, but the type of injury has become increasingly serious, with a decline in the proportion of reports representing neglect and an increase in reports of sexual abuse and other serious maltreatment (the UK Statistics Authority 2008). . Each year, sexual abuse of children costs 4 millions pounds to the state (UK statistics Authority 2008). Area Child Protection Committees (ACPCs) provide the forum for joint working on child protection issues in the United Kingdom. Each ACPC must have

Strategic Human Resource Management - Assignment 1 Essay

Strategic Human Resource Management - Assignment 1 - Essay Example It is in this context that training and development is regarded as one of the important and valuable constituents of SHRM. Training and development not only supports an organisation to compete with its chief rivals, but also assist it to sustain in the 21st century competitive landscape (Lundy & Cowling, 1996). From a generalised perspective, it can be apparently observed that the role of training is to develop the performances of the entire workforce belonging to a specific organisation for smoothly performing their different assigned tasks or jobs. Conversely, it has been viewed that the role of development is to prepare the personnel of an organisation for conducting future responsibilities as well as functions in an effective manner (Torrington & et. al., 2011). The organisations belonging to this modern day context strongly believed that they can avail significant benefits from paying much attention upon the importance of training and development. ... Moreover, certain suitable recommendations will also be provided to the company for enhancing this particular field with the intention of maintaining organisational effectiveness. A Brief Overview of Cathay Pacific Airways Cathay Pacific is often regarded as one of the most dynamic international airlines in the global passenger and cargo airlines industry. Established in Hong Kong, the company currently deals with operations providing passenger along with cargo services to an excess of 110 destinations throughout the globe. The vision of the company has been to become one of the best airlines across the globe. The company was established in the year 1946. Since then it has been incessantly making substantial investments to drive advancement in the aviation industry of Hong Kong and also to enhance the business position of the economy as a local transportation hub. The airline company has been viewed to prioritise the aspect of SHRM functioning through training and development with th e motive of developing the performance of its entire workforce and thus preserve its operational excellence (Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, n.d.). In this similar concern, the airline company has been viewed to invest substantially on training and development with the intention of accomplishing its pre-determined business targets. The various business goals of the company might comprise enhancing profitability along with productivity, increasing market share and most importantly attaining superior competitive position over its chief business market contenders. Driven towards these objectives, the company realised the utmost necessity of emphasising more upon its training and development practices to engage

Legal opinion for formation of a public company Coursework

Legal opinion for formation of a public company - Coursework Example Before the company starts its business, it must have allotted shares whose minimum value should be at least 50, 000 pounds. A quarter of the shares should be paid up; this amounts to ?12, 500. For each of the allotted shares, up to the last quarter of its nominal value has to be paid up as well as any premium (Companies House, 2012). The other procedure in the formation of a public company includes the choosing of directors of the company. Several requirements have to be followed when choosing the company directors. One of the requirements is that the person should not be disqualified by law from becoming a director or be bankrupt. The maximum age of directors that was previously seventy years has been removed. During the formation of the company, the minimum age required for company directors is sixteen years. The directors of the company should then select few names (four) that are suitable enough and indicate the company’s objective (Companies House, 2012). One of the four names selected will become the main name while the three others have to be mentioned in their order of preference. The directors should then make an application to the registrar of companies to ascertain whether the selected names are appropriate. Once the names go through, the next step includes the drafting of the memorandum of associations and articles of association. The authorized share capital of the proposed public company should then be declared and be in line with the minimum paid up capital required in forming a public company. The next step involves filing a declaration and attaching the statement in lieu of the prospectus. Once the company is through with these steps, it will obtain a certificate that will enable it to commence business. Shares will be floated through an initial public offering, which states the price per share and the minimum and maximum number of shares that can be held by shareholders (Companies House, 2012). How the courts distinguish between contrac ts of service and contracts for services and the importance of this distinction. The law distinguishes between a contract of service and a contract for services. A contract of service refers to an agreement, which may either be verbal or written, implied or expressed. In this contract, a person makes an agreement employ another person as an employee while the employed person makes an agreement to serve the employer. An example of a contract of service includes an apprenticeship agreement or contract. On the other hand, contracts for services refer to independent contractors and sub-contractors. In differentiating between a contract of service and contracts for services, courts apply such tests as integration and control (Barendrecht 2007, p. 151). The test of integration looks at the extent to which the work of the employee may be said to be integrated into business. The control test explores the question on whether the employer can tell the employee what they ought to do. Other tes ts applied by the courts in the distinction between contracts of services and contracts for services include mixed or multiple tests. These tests question whether the agreement or engagement has wages, holiday pay, and sick pay. The courts state that these tests ask whether PAYE and PRSI are deducted. According to the courts, these multiple and mixed tests should also look at whether

Watergate scandal Essay Example for Free

Watergate scandal Essay In 1972, five burglars tried to break into the Watergate office building but were arrested at the crime scene by the police. The burglars were planning to enter and bug the Democratic National committee offices which were the Democrats headquarters. After investigations it was later revealed that the burglars were employed by the campaign committee for re-election of President Nixon. Furthermore, it came to be known that the Watergate incident was one of the spying and sabotage political campaigns conducted by President Nixon and his campaign staff (Lewis, 1972). The President and his campaign team were spying on the activities of the Democrats who happened to be their major political opponent. By spying on them they might be able learn the tactics or the methods they were using in campaigning and this will enable them to adopt new and better ways than those of the Democrats. Similarly, if the Democrats campaigning methods were better of than theirs they could use them earlier before the Democrats had a chance to implement them. Later, in 1973, after investigations were done two former officials of President Nixons campaign team, Liddy and McCord, were arrested and arraigned in court and convicted of bugging, burglary and conspiracy. More than 60 witnesses testified and about 100 evidence pieces were collected and used in the court hearing. In accordance to the testimony from the one of the witnesses, Liddy was given more than $332,000 by the deputy campaign director to carry out a spying operation. Liddy was found guilty of burglary and conspiracy and was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment and fined $40,000. McCord was found guilty of burglary, conspiracy and attempted bugging and was therefore sentenced to 45 years imprisonment and fined about $60,000 (Meyer, 1973). The scandal led to the resignation of two White House aides and the attorney general. The President accepted their resignations and proceeded to fire the counsel of the White House. By accepting their resignations the President was attempting to conceal his involvement in the scandal and was trying to avoid the occurrence of another scandal by firing the Counsel of the White House. The president goes forward and creates a committee to investigate the Watergate scandal and prosecute the suspects (Stern Johnson, 1973). In a televised interview, President Nixon declared himself to be clean of any involvement in the Watergate scandal. He goes on to say that he never profited from the Watergate issue and did not obstruct justice in any way while performing his national duties. At the White House, the President recorded all his conversations in tapes and hence any information about Watergate scandal discussed in the White House must have been recorded and saved in the tapes. This therefore made him refuse to reveal the tape recordings since they might contain some information which could destroy his presidential career. However, in spite of him refusing to provide the tape recordings, to ensure his innocence, he promised to provide more evidence through documents and tapes and even give more details about his financial accounts. The President went forward to accuse the Democrats for conspiring to remove him from office because he had refused to boost their high support prices. Consequently, he admitted for not supervising his campaign staff adequately thereby leading to the Watergate scandal. During the televised speech, the President was noted to be nervous and was even misspelling some of his words but he still managed to control himself and plead his innocence (Kilpatrick, 1973). In spite of President Nixons plead for innocence, all activities done by his campaign team needed his consent, and hence they is no way his campaign team would get involved in an illegal activity without him knowing. In addition, his Chief Campaign Director must have been notifying him daily on the progress of the campaign and hence there is no way he was innocent. Students protest in the 1960s The needs and problems experienced by students are usually common in peer groups and communities. In campuses, the students of the same peer group are brought together to learn and hence gain knowledge. The campus environment provides a good place for the development and formation of organized groups since the students are given relatively much freedom and have enough time. In campuses, students use to participate in social activities depending on their culture or race. Groups were therefore formed according to race or culture. Students of the same culture will usually experience similar problems and thus have similar ways of solving the problems. By organizing themselves in cultural groups the students were therefore able to mobilize a large number of people for protest. During the years of 1960s there was racism, poverty and the war in Vietnam and this led to much student activism. Even though racism was not something new in America, the learning institutions perpetuated it thereby leading to protest by the black students since they could not tolerate it any longer. In colleges, the students are supposed to interact well with the learning environment for them to learn but with much racism they cannot interact well and this become a barrier to learning. For instance, in some cafeterias black students were not allowed to eat and in some colleges they were not allowed to vote (Churney, 1979). Furthermore, the war in Vietnam made students to form anti-war movements in order to stop the government from participating in the war. Because of the war many soldiers lost their lives and the newspapers were keen in reporting the number and even the names of the soldiers who had lost their lives. In addition, there was much poverty experienced by the community and the government was reluctant in solving the problem. Poverty was affecting the students adversely thereby becoming a barrier to learning. With education, the students acquired knowledge and were therefore able to find protest as a way of solving their problems. Reference List Churney L. (1979). Student protest in the1960s. Retrieved May 27, 2009 from http://www. yale. edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1979/2/79. 02. 03. x. html Kilpatrick C. (1973, November 18). Nixon Tells Editors, Im Not a Crook. Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved May 27, 2009 from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/articles/111873-1. htm Lewis A. E. (1972, June 18). 5 Held in Plot to Bug Democrats Office Here. Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved May 27, 2009 from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2002/05/31/AR2005111001227. html Meyer L. (1973, January 31). Last Two Guilty in Watergate Plot. Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved May 27, 2009 from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2002/05/31/AR2005111001234. html Stern L. and Johnson H. (1973, May 1). 3 Top Nixon Aides, Kleindienst Out; President Accepts Full Responsibility; Richardson Will Conduct New Probe. Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved May 27, 2009 from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2002/05/31/AR2005111001235. html

The supernatural aspects of Macbeth Essay Example for Free

The supernatural aspects of Macbeth Essay In my essay I am going to be writing about the Supernatural aspects of Macbeth. I will be referring closely to Act 1 Scene 3, Act 1 Scene 5 and Act 4 Scene 1. In Shakespeares day people were obsessed with witchcraft. Shakespeare added supernatural elements to the play to grab the audiences attention right from the beginning. This includes opening (Act 1 Scene 1) Macbeth with three witches, with immediately establishes the influence of the supernatural. They are discussing where they will meet Macbeth to tell him his future. In Act 1 Scene 3, the three witches are talking about the death of a sea captain, whilst waiting for Macbeth. Macbeth arrives with Banquo, and each of the three witches has something different to tell Macbeth. The first witch says All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! , the second witch says All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! , and the third witch says All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter! Macbeth is very confused and begins to question what the witches had said to him. Then, the three witches disappear. This would have caused a gasp in the audience in Shakespeares day because of the Supernatural phenomena. This basically means that the witches can tell the future, and this scares the audience. In Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth, telling her of the witches predictions. She is a very ambitious woman and will make sure that the prediction will be fulfilled. When she hears that King Duncan is on the way to the castle, she calls upon the evil spirits to help her carry out the murder of King Duncan. She says; Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood; stop up the access and passage to remorse, when she says unsex me here, she is asking the spirits to take away her femininity because she wants to have the strength of a man. She also says Stop up the access and passage to remorse which means she is asking the spirits to take away the emotion guilt so that she cannot feel bad about what she has done or have doubts. A Shakespearean audience would find this part of the play very shocking because this was probably the part of The Supernatural that they knew least about. In Act 4, Scene 1 the witches are preparing a cauldron whilst waiting for the arrival of Macbeth. Hecate (The head witch) comes to make sure that all is ready whilst the other witches seal the charm/spell. Macbeth then arrives commanding the witches to tell him what he wants to know. If you asked people in the modern day what a common thing for a witch to say is, they would most probably say Double, double toil and trouble. Shakespeare added this to the play because he knew that it would leave an effect on the audience. The witches show Macbeth four apparitions. The first apparition is a Helmeted Head, which warns Macbeth to be cautious of Macduff. The Second apparition is a child covered in blood, which tells Macbeth that no man born from woman can harm him. The third apparition is a child crowned with a tree in his hand; this tells Macbeth that he is safe until Birnham Wood moves to Dunsinane. The fourth and last apparition, is a show of eight kings, the last with a glass in his hand; Banquo following. This shows Macbeth that Banquos descendants will be crowned king. This means that the witches were right because it comes true at the end of the play. On a modern stage, Macbeth would be shown with a lot of electrical sound effects, lighting, smoke machine ECT. But in the Shakespearean day, there wasnt anything like that so people would have to create their own sound effects, and have to wait until a certain time of day to set the scene. In conclusion, there are many supernatural aspects to Macbeth. This leaves the audience is left confused whether the Supernatural is real or not and have to make up their own minds. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Barclays Organizational Behavior

Barclays Organizational Behavior Organizational behavior is a study that looks at the individuals, employees, and how management teams behave and interact within the organization in a workplace setting. OB is therefore an interdisciplinary field that comprises communication, sociology, psychology, and management.  The key issues that influence organizational behavior include; organizational change, corporate culture within the industry, organizational development, and customer expectations that usually shape the organizational values. This research paper tries to explain the basic but vital principles of organizational behavior in order to equip the management teams with adequate theoretical knowledge regarding essential concepts necessary for the efficient and effective management their work, and to understand some of the concepts and challenges related to the management of behavior in organizations. This is done with focus on Barclays bank, to identify the correlation between employees and the organizations in w hich they work. The research methodologies adopted are online questionnaire, interviews, and the use of observation of the operation of Barclays bank employees. There is an increase in the drive by companies to develop mature organizational behavior and culture, owing to the perceived benefits and success associated with it that companies enjoy. Key words: Organizational behavior Organizational Behavior Research on Barclays Bank This paper seeks to analyze the organizational behavior adopted by Barclays bank across the world. Barclays PLC is a British multinational banking and financial services company, which is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Barclays PLC operations in over 50 countries across Europe, Asia, South America, North America and Africa including Kenya, with a total number of customers exceeding 48 million globally and the fourth-largest bank worldwide by asset (Business.barclays.co.uk, 2013). Barclays is organized in two business clusters, (1) the corporate and investment banking and wealth and investment management and (2), retail and business banking. The corporate and investment banking and wealth and investment management cluster covers three business units: the corporate banking; Investment banking; and Wealth and investment management, while the retail and business banking cluster involve four business units that include Africa retail and business banking; Barclaycard; Europe retail and business banking; and UK retail and business banking (Business.barclays.co.uk, 2013). Most subsidiaries of Barclays PLC operate under Retail, Corporate, Treasury and Card Services with cross functional relationships to support the segments of local business and small to mid-sized enterprises (SME). Barclays financial strength coupled with extensive local and international resources have positioned Barclays as the top provider of financial services in the market for the past several years. Moreover, Barclays consistent financial performance has built confidence in their leadership and management among the Banks shareholders, as well as the indus try in general making it an easy go brand. For example, the Kenyan subsidiary known as Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited has been in operation for 95 years, and has consequently built an extensive network of 117 branches and over 230 ATMs countrywide (Business.barclays.co.uk, 2013). The network is supported by Internet and mobile banking channels plus a Customer Service Centre that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The multinational nature of Barclays bank and the diverse clusters operating in different business environment globally present different challenges to the bank that are related to the industry environment. Similarly, Barclays bank in this regards is influenced by both local and international industry environment since decisions made at the international regions have a direct bearing on the operation of other subsidiaries around the world. The bank draws its employees across all nationalities, races, and cultures as a result of the increasing globalization and interconnectivity where people from different nationalities are hired to work far away from their countries of birth bringing with them different values, norms and cultures. To deal with this, Barclays bank has successfully managed to develop workable and standard organization behavior and culture that that cuts across the nationalities to ensure harmonious operations. Organizational Behavior Principles The success of multinational organizations is dependent upon the organizational behavior principles adopted and applied in the respective subsidiaries. The OB principles that re relevant to this study are customer responsiveness, personality and organization, work motivation, job satisfaction and reward management, communication, change management and leadership. Customer Responsiveness Being that Barclays operates in a service industry; their success is fully attributed to the quality of service and the fast level of responsiveness when handling customer queries. One of the values adopted by the bank is the declaration that customer first, to mean that customers must be attended to first before anything else. This has become part of the organizational behavior, making the bank to strengthen their customer service department by ensuring that all employees handling customers are well trained to offer quality service within the shortest time possible. Every one including the management team is oriented to treat the customers as the boss in all circumstances. Customer responsiveness is also achieved through product diversification to meet the demands of all groups of customers irrespective of their socio-economic status. This is much evident through the introduction of flexible and diversified credit card products commonly known as Barclaycards that match different needs. The market and customers expectation has been modeled to demand flexible and cheaper cards that match diverse needs of the members (Barclays.co.uk 2013a). For example, Barclaycard being the first credit card provider in Britain offers a range of quality products that match the need of all customers including those who require competitive interest-free product, or those in need of first credit card at competitive rates. Similarly, there are low standard-rate credit cards that are preserved for clients with excellent credit histories. This range of product ensures there is a suitable product for every category of customers. It is what is missing in HSBC that needs to be pr ovided to ensure that customers satisfaction are met, corporate communication, group behavior, human decision making. Personality and Organization To develop a good organizational behavior, the management need to understand personality of employees in order to develop a workable interaction model within the organization. Personality involves characteristics, qualities, skills, and competencies of employees, combined with other traits such as grooming and attitude. Personality in most cases is influence by the environment and the social settings. However, there are particular universal characteristics which always emerge in individuals that are acceptable across the board. For example, customer service executives are expected to be aggressive, humble and respectful, have a listening ability, assertive and welcoming. These traits, thoughts, and feelings should be translated into visible behavior that can attract and retain the customers. Communication Clear communication within the organization is very important since it is essential in inculcating common objective. Failure in communication can result when clear purpose is not conveyed or when the message is distorted along the channel of communication followed. Communication setting can also bar clear conveyance of information as a result of unclear chain of command. Some of the barriers of effective communication may include assumptions by the sender who ignores parts of the information to be relayed, preconception among the receivers and biases in delivery. It is therefore imperative for the organization to develop communication culture as part of the organization behavior (Ashraf, 2012). Such culture clearly stipulates the chain of command of communication, communication channel and generally the type of language to be used in any delivery of information, which must strictly be official. Everyone including the management must communicate well with all people within the organiz ation irrespective of being subordinates. This will instill respect and accurate execution of the command as clearly outlined. Clear communication also plays a major role in the satisfaction of customer demands and to provide all the information needed by the customer for decision making Work Motivation Full compliance to the organizational culture and behavior is also influenced by the level of motivation among the staff and the entire workforce. Motivation brings the intrinsic urge to perform at work place, and is connected to the psychological and emotional well-being. The level of motivation among the staff within the organization therefore, activates behavior or an urge that is directed at a goal (Ashraf, 2012).This means that for the organizations culture and behavior to be adhered to at all times, the management need to develop a highly motivated staff that understands and fully embraces the values of the organization. To achieve the work motivation that has direct impact on productivity, several factors can be adopted as part of organization culture to encourage competition among the employees towards production. Some of the factors include; Job Enrichment: Jobs need to be designed to offer opportunities for responsibility growth, achievement, and recognition for good performance. This involves providing challenging responsibilities that fully engages the employees through greater utilization of skills and offers opportunity for personal development. Flexi time: This concept is meant to allow employees to occasionally control their work schedule, such that they decide which work to start with (Ashraf, 2012). This system makes employees more responsible and accountable, and eliminates the general feeling that they are micromanaged to perform. Empowerment: This involves giving employees authority in their area of operation to make decisions and be able to resolve their work related problems without approval from the management. Employees stock ownership plan: this method has become a key tool in attracting, retaining, and motivating workforce in business organizations. The system allows employees to own the companys stock to be part of the stockholders and as part of their benefit package. This motivates employees work harder and protects the organization since their service directly impacts the performance of the company. Low employees productivity means lower value of the stock prices. This strategy was adopted by Equity Bank, which is currently the fastest growing bank in the sub-Saharan Africa, thus should be adopted by market leaders like Barclays bank. Job Satisfaction and Reward Management Organization behavior should be one that promotes job satisfaction, which is the employees overall attitude towards their jobs. It is the fulfillment an employee develops after evaluation of a job or job experience. Job satisfaction can be derived from a number of features such as the amount of pay, promotion opportunities, the work itself, supervision, conducive work environment, and relationship with co- workers. Every organization should therefore create a standard organizational behavior that includes employee promotion on merit, professional supervision, and standard remuneration of employees based on productivity and job group. Although different people may derive satisfaction from different features, the most common elements are as mentioned above and a wider approach to improve job design, work organization and general quality of life. In addition to job satisfaction, effective reward management needs to be developed that fairly recognizes employees efforts to reinforce produ ctivity or adherence to organizational values and behavior standards. Usually, in case peoples good behavior are effectively recognized or rewarded through any means, the desired behavior is usually repeated. Organizations such as Barclays in this regard need to consider designing a standards reward system that is sustainable to the business and make it an organizational culture and behavior promotion tool. Leadership This involves controlling and directing individuals, groups and subordinates within the firm. It includes hiring, training, guiding, and assessment of processes in order to achieve the best performance from employees. Organizations that succeed in their operations usually maximize on the talents and energies of their employees (Ashraf, 2012). This is because such firms develop competitive advantage against their rivals as a result of maximum production. Due to the fact that employees are vital resource to the achievement of the organizational goals, managers should be careful on how they interact and handle their subordinates. This means that managers who are knowledgeable and skilled in organizational behaviors are likely to effectively and efficiently manage their teams and influence them to fully support the companys goals. Different leadership styles such as autocratic, consultative and free will may be adopted depending on the situation (Locke, 2009). Organizational behavior in relation to the leadership style adopted in all the management levels is very important to the success of the organization. The management structure adopted by Barclays bank is usually the vertical line where top management that comprise CEO and the board of directors issue directives that are implemented at the middle and lower level. However, before the decision is communicated downwards, consultation at the tactic level of management takes place, involving the finance department which is responsible for the strategy development process, driving business performance and financial control across Barclays Africa. Other management functions include human resource, operations, consumer banking, risk management, corporate banking, treasury services and card business departments. This also includes the personnel in each of the departments. It is important for organizations to note that decisions made collectively are often easier to implement than forced decisions. Whereas different leadership styles can be adopted in different situations, organizations mindfully need to create a leadership culture that has clear distinction of roles and clear definition of responsibility to enable efficient flow of duties. Leadership must be concerned and emphasize on peoples issues just as the organizational issues (Locke, 2009). Employees are very important resource that must be valued if the organization is to succeed, thus their complaints must be addressed well without ant victimization from the leadership. Organizations must therefore adopt leadership behavior that respects the employees, treats them fairl y in order to improve their attitude towards work and the firm in general. Theoretical Framework Organizational behavior refers to the study of groups and individual dynamics within an organization, as well as the nature of the organizations. The interaction between human resource and the organization and the interaction amongst employees themselves usually bring several factors into play and in turn define the organizational behavior. Presently, different people with diverse cultural values and backgrounds work together in different institutions. Organizational behavior in this respect seeks to bring an understanding and emphasize the acceptable behavior in organizations in orders to develop competencies and standards in which people likely to behave. These finding are therefore, to assist in controlling behaviors that go against the regulations and objectives of the organizations. Equally, it is significant to note that in an organization, the social system comprises all the people, considering how they relate to the rest of the world. Normally, the behavior of one person has impact on the behavior of others either directly or indirectly. Culture refers to the conventional behavior of a society that comprises knowledge, beliefs, customs, and practices and people depend on culture since it guarantees them understanding, stability, security, and the ability to react to a given situation. It shapes human behavior, even if not fully embraced. In an organization set up, people fear change in culture and behavior for fear instability, and loss of security. The operation of organization is usually based on the managements philosophy, vision and mission, values and goals that guide employees. These consequently define the organizations culture or behavior, which is composed of the formal and informal organizations, and borrowed from the social environment. The organizations culture determines the type of leadership adopted, communication channels and chain, and group and individual dynamics within the organization. Existence of such working environment, culture, and behavior becomes a motivating factor to the workforce, leading into high performance, individual and group satisfaction, and personal growth and development. The combination of these elements constructs the framework that guides the operation of the organization. Research Methodology The choice of research methodology to determine the organizational behavior adopted by Barclays bank was depended on the objectivity, reliability and sustainability of the method based on the environment and nature if the industry. To clearly meet the purpose, three methods were used alternatively to determine the employees feelings concerning the organizations culture and the customers feelings on whether the organizations behavior is suitable in the service industry. Online questionnaire was used to collect data from 25 employees in different ranks within the organization equally distributed from the middle management to the cleaners through clerks. This was after securing their email addresses, having that time constraints could not allow them to adequately respond to interview questions. Face to face interview was also used to specifically interview 15 randomly selected walk-in customers from across socio-economic class and age bracket with an intention to gauge if they were sati sfied with the reception and service they received from the bank staff. Their feelings on the general arrangement within the banking hall and personal grooming of the staff were also sought. Finally, observation was used to monitor staff response to customers enquiries and the speed of service. This observation was done during my routine visit to the bank to carry out transactions. The structured online questionnaires were filled by the respondents at their convenient times. Prior to the collection of data, authorization was sought from the bank management, who in turn briefed the security agencies for the days the data were collected. This arrangement was done silently without notifying the staff members to ensure that the data collected in not skewed when employees try to conceal their right attitude and behavior. It is also important to note that more information about the profile and background of Barclays bank was sought from the banks website. This gave a clear understanding of the banks operations and the actual values, vision, mission, culture and the organizational behavior that the bank stand for, to be used gage the level of compliance by the employees. Results and Findings According to the online questionnaire survey that was filled by 25 randomly selected Barclays bank employees from across the socio-economic class and age bracket, most respondents especially the non-management staff who responded to the questions as indicated in the appendix section of this paper disapproved the organizations culture and behavior, while most of those in management positions approved the organization behavior. One of the reasons for disapproval is that management was authoritative in decision instead of being consultative and felt that their views are not accommodated in the running of the system. The interview that involved 15 customers sought to know their view on Barclays banks organizational behavior. The analysis found that 90% or the customers interviewed were satisfied by the arrangement of counters and service points inside the banking hall. Similarly, an overwhelming majority of 14 customers were of the opinion that the official dressing as part of their behavior was commendable and should continue, while only 1 felt the type of dress was not concern. The observations made also confirmed the values of the bank as they are in the mission statement. The declaration that customer comes first in their list of priority was evident, especially in relation to how customers were ushered in and allowed to sit while awaiting to be served. Are Organizations Behavior principles applied in Barclays Bank? The principle of effective reward management is partially applied in the bank based on the findings. Most junior staff complained that the difference in salary bracket between the management, the clerks, and other staff members such as cleaners was very big. It showed that management teams are paid much higher than the rest, thus the feeling that effective reward system be adopted. One area reward that if fully implemented is on earning of bonuses at the end of the year and the yearly increments according to the collective bargain agreement. This is however dependent on individual performance as indicated by the balance score card assessment sheet. Employee recognition based on particular achievements is done within the banks, both formally and informally. As indicated in the principle above, reward is a tool that reinforces good behavior. According to the management, several staff members are given recognition cards for being best communication agents, best time managers, and best i n minimizing the wastage of papers. This reward system needs to continue since it encourages other to work harder to earn bonuses at the end of the year after meeting their yearly targets and receiving nomination cards that improve profile for future promotions. One the standard sustainable reward behavior is adopted; all sectors are covered without discrimination. This research found out that measuring job satisfaction has been a challenging process to most managers. Based on the determinants of job satisfaction such as amount of pay, promotion opportunities, the work itself, supervision, conducive work environment, and relationship with co- workers, several employees, several employees are not satisfied with their jobs, either because of the perception of inequality in the pay structure, the management being too authoritative and the generally routine nature of the jobs that offer little opportunity for personal growth. Customer responsiveness is a principle that is fully applied in the entire Barclays bank. Based on their value that makes customer first, it was evident through the observation that customers were well received, advised, and served within the shortest time possible. Whenever a customer walks into the bank they are advised by the customer care representative on which counter to go to for the desired service. This was also confirmed by the customers themselves who said that they are satisfied with the manner they are handled by the bank staff. Customer responsiveness is also proved by the diversified products offered by the bank that are meant to meet the demands of all customers in all socio-economic groups. The most outstanding product line is the Barclaycard that covers all needs from low interest to low interest cards, as well as those meant for students. Barclays bank personnel composition is composed of top level management that involve the CEO and the Board of directors at the local level, middle management including the branch managers and operation and departmental managers and the lower level staff including clerks and sales representatives. Leadership is in this case is well structured with very clear chain of command from the strategic level to the regional directors and to local subsidiary branches (Business.barclays.co.uk, 2012). This has clearly assisted in separation of responsibilities and entrenched accountability systems within the management. In the recent economic recession, the bank recently adopted restructuring that saw several employees lose their jobs and adoption of the system where junior staffs like the clerks, cashiers are employed on a contract basis in most subsidiaries. This is a human resource policy, accompanied by lower remuneration structures led to mass exodus of staff. Conclusion and Recommendations This research paper looked at the organizational behavior adopted by Barclays PLC, which is a British multinational banking and financial services company with its headquarter in London, United Kingdom. Barclays PLC operations in over 50 countries across Europe, Asia, South America, North America and Africa including Kenya, with a total number of customers exceeding 48 million globally and the fourth-largest bank worldwide by asset (Business.barclays.co.uk, 2012). Organizational behavior is concerned with how individuals, employees, and management behave and interact within the organization in a workplace setting. It is an interdisciplinary field that comprises communication, sociology, psychology, and management. The key issues that influence organizational behavior include organizational change, corporate culture within the industry, organizational development, and customer expectations that usually shape the organizational values. Organizational Behavior Principles are also very i mportant since they guide companies in setting their organizational behavior standards. This paper has discussed customer responsiveness, personality and organization, work motivation, job satisfaction and reward management, communication, change management and leadership as major principles of OB. The methodologies employed in this study are online questionnaire filled in by employees, face to face interview of customers and observation methods. The observation methods were instrumental in monitoring how the staff receive, address, and serve customers if within the organizational behavior standards. These methods were selected based on their objectivity, reliability and sustainability of the method based on the environment and nature if the industry. To clearly meet the purpose, the three methods were used alternatively to determine the employees feelings concerning the organizations culture and the customers feelings on whether the organizations behavior is suitable in the service industry. The study found that most of respondents especially the non-management staff who responded to the questions as indicated in the appendix section of this paper disapproved the organizations culture and behavior, while most of those in management positions approved the organization behavior. Recommendations The success of organizations is dependent upon the organizational behavior principles adopted and applied in the respective subsidiaries. The OB principles that are relevant and should be adopted by organizations include customer responsiveness, personality and organization, work motivation, job satisfaction and reward management, communication, change management and leadership. In order to develop a good organizational behavior, the management needs to understand personality of employees in order to develop a workable interaction model within the organization. Personality involves characteristics, qualities, skills, and competencies of employees, combined with other traits such as grooming and attitude. Personality in most cases is influence by the environment and the social settings. However, there are particular universal characteristics which always emerge in individuals that are acceptable across the board. For example, customer service staff members are expected to be aggressive, humble and respectful, have a listening ability, assertive and welcoming Every organization should therefore create a standard organizational behavior that includes employee promotion on merit, professional supervision, and standard remuneration of employees based on productivity and job group