Discuss R.K. Narayan

The Guide by R.K. Narayan focuses on the theme of guilt and redemption. The main character of the novel, Raju first leads a life of guilt and finally redemption. Raju leads the general public to believe that he is a hero, Sadhu. Raju is an ordinary man who experience changes in the course of his life and earns admiration of the people around him because they never understood him.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss R.K. Narayan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The readers understand Raju’s past in his parents’ home, hut shop, school, as a tourist guide, as a prison and lastly as a homeless seer. The character does not reveal his true self and allows this misunderstanding to continue for his personal gains. Finally, the villagers expose Raju for his acts of deceit. He dies of hunger thinking that it is raining some place. Raju experiences the social environment brought about by colonialism in Mal gudi. The railways truck leads Raju away from the sleepy village of Malgudi to a large city in his consciousness. There is no significant movement involved. Raju becomes an expert in guiding tourists, classical arts and master of dance forms. He learns that in order to survive in the city, one has to wear many hats and adopts sophistication and intellectually of city life. Raju finds these roles easy because of his involvement with Rosie. Raju uses Rosie, her lover to reach the final goal of his life through her art of dancing. Narayan considers Raju a modern man facing a dilemma as a result of colonialism and struggling to live with it (Narayan 10). When the police arrest Raju for attempting to forge Rosie signature in order to sale her jewels, he sentenced to prison. It is the prison, which transform him. When Raju comes out of jail, he settles down near a river. The villagers mistake Raju for a seer, Sadhu. Indians consider Sadhu to be a man who has no desire for worldly things; he is celibate and devotes his life to God. Sadhu depends on offerings from common people for his daily bread. Raju as a Sadhu is not suppose to work, but rather pray to God in order to escape the cycle of life, death and rebirth. The title of the novel portrays Raju both as a tourist and spiritual guide to public. He is the tourist’s guide. Raju is also a fake spiritual guide. In fact, he is not a spiritual leader at all, but a former prisoner. Narayan demonstrates this through the use of irony.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is the village moron who leads Raju to his trap when he conveys his message of fasting for the rain. Devotees of Raju stay to show their support and admiration for him. They consider this a magnificent sacrifice for the sake of the people. This action attracts large crowd including American news reporter. Fasting leads Raju to (Narayan 220 ). Narayan presents a vague ending. Raju dies while thinking that it is raining at some place. Raju is struggling to fit in the life of past and present with its effects from colonialism. His identity formation removes him from his past life. An ordinary tourists guide, becomes a dancer agent, goes to jail and finally develops to a spiritual guide. Narayan also presents the theme of empowerment of women. He uses Rosie. Emancipation of women has been a social concern since the past century, and Indian writers were not out of the discourse. Rosie shows efforts to come out strongly and prove her identity through art. She has a husband, Marco who has never given her any support. Marco is only interested in his art. He has not time for his younger wife. Marco and Rosie were incompatible. He always snubs her (Narayan 67). Rosie also has no interest on what her husband does. To her, Marco is not a real live husband. Raju takes advantage of this and engages Rosie in extra marital affairs. T his encounter changes her life altogether. Rosie came from a family of professional dancing girls. Dancing as an art is part of their lives. She always craved to dance and express herself. Raju likes the way Rosie dances, and he praises. He notes that Rosie can achieve notable success like a meteor if only Macro had an interest in supporting her. Rosie finds this support from Raju (Narayan 155). Narayan portrays Rosie has a woman who has interests in family life. Though, Rosie had extra-marital affairs she is sorry and begs for forgiveness from her husband. Marco reacts by disowning her, yet it is his fault that led his wife to another man (Narayan 133). This new experience transforms her. She manages to build her dancing career. She gets fame and public attention. Rosie got a new name as Nalini. This marked a new beginning in her life and her past suffering disappeared (Narayan 157). Raju views Rosie as his possession and becomes jealous for fear of losing her to Marco. Unlike in t he past, Rosie began to enjoy herself. Raju says that she would never stop dancing.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss R.K. Narayan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Narayan depicts that liberating women is also a problem. Rosie rises beyond the control of Raju. Raju is not able to stop Rosie. Raju realized that neither he nor Marco had no place in Rosie’s new life. Rosie demonstrate that women it is the economic conditions and lack of expression, which stop women from discovering their position in society. The author shows that male dominance of the society still affects, but they must fight for their emancipation. Works Cited Narayan, Rasipuram. The Guide. New Delhi : Penguin Books, 1988. Print. This essay on Discuss R.K. Narayan was written and submitted by user Gideon to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Legal Issues Report essays

The Legal Issues Report essays One of the most pressing legal issues that the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is facing is issues pertaining to employee hiring, firing and management. Within this area of employment law, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind has faced several discrimination claims filed against them by employees. The majority of these discrimination claims were based on a claim that an employment decision was based on the employees disability. Because the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is a publicly funded entity, it is considered a body of the government and is thus held to a specific standard for determining whether or not they acted in a discriminatory fashion. The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind claims that they had an important need for the so-called discrimination in that the employees disabilities prevented them from being able to carry out the important functions required of working with a deaf and blind population. For example, Kevin Nealey, a dormitory instructor, claimed that he was demoted to the status of a part-time employee because of his disability. Nealey is blind and was told he could no longer perform his job due to his blindness. Nealey claims he is able to perform all the required functions of the job. The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind states that a dormitory employee requires the greatest monitoring of children at all times. The Americans with Disabilities Act covers entities, including private employer, against qualified individuals with a disability. A qualified individual is an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the employment position that such individual holds or desires. A disability is defines as 1) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual; 2) a record of such impairment; or 3) being regar...

From the perspective of an operations manager in a large manufacturing Dissertation

From the perspective of an operations manager in a large manufacturing firm, present a case to the board of directors for adopti - Dissertation Example Elements of Lean Production 9 Figure 2.3.1.1. Six Sigma Implementation: An Overview 24 Executive Summary At present, products that have high levels of quality remains to be a prerequisite for any manufacturing company. Quality is the main focus of both lean manufacturing and Six Sigma as poor quality management often leads to waste and unproductive activities. On the other hand, appropriate management of quality significantly facilitates the manufacturing process, reducing safety buffers and identifying quality issues. Lean production emphasizes awareness of organizational culture, an organized workplace, standardization of work, flexibility in operations, empowerment of employees, control of materials, level production, and error proofing. Six Sigma also involves project definition, collecting measurements, analyzing process, correcting, designing, documenting and training, as well as controlling and verifying final outputs. The incorporation of both systems will allow a firm to ach ieve better outcomes than what either approach may not obtain. The combination of these two approaches can provide more favorable results compared to methods as it can incorporate both the human aspects (e.g. leadership, change in culture, customer focus) and process components (e.g. statistical thinking, process management), hence the need to examine the implementation of both systems. 1. Research Question From the perspective of an operations manager in a large manufacturing firm, present a case to the board of directors for adoption of Lean Production Systems and 6 Sigma Quality Management System. 1.1 Project Aims This current study aims to evaluate and present a business case with regards to the implementation of the lean production system as well as the Six Sigma quality system in an organization. 1.2 Project Objectives As such, the current study aims to address the following objectives: 1. Discuss the lean production system and Six Sigma quality system, and identify their effe cts on the organization; 2. Present case studies to examine and analyze the implementation of lean production and Six Sigma, highlighting their benefits; and 3. Develop a conclusion as well as recommendations based on the analysis and discussion of relevant data. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Introduction In an environment that is intensely competitive, the long-term success and survival of various organizations can depend on their ability to enhance quality and reduce costs in a continual manner (Montes, Moreno, and Molina 2003). Consequently, a higher level of productivity accomplished with fewer expenses has become an important component to become market leaders and sustain competitive advantage. For a number of successful manufacturers, integrating change into their production methods, such as the use of a leaner operation along with low inventory has been recognized as a fundamental practice, compared to traditional mass production that made use of a high inventory (Bai and Lee 2003 ). This suggests a clear message to employees- that goods should be produced with no defects in a timely manner and at an appropriate price. A shift towards lean production, however, can cause conflict that can hamper the implementatio

Flores v. Reno Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Flores v. Reno - Research Paper Example When the law catches up with the parents, however, society has long struggled with what to do with the children, particularly adolescents, while deportation proceedings are pending. Add to this the reality that there are thousands of illegal immigrant juveniles coming to the United States unaccompanied, which creates an even more muddied position where the law is concerned. There is grave disagreement in society over what to do with such immigrants who are found to be here illegally, yet lacking any strong custodial or family presence within the region. This paper deals with the facts of one such case that has caused America to re-think how they treat adolescents in such cases. Examined with be the facts and background of the case, and analysis of what the recent Flores v. Reno decision means for children of illegal immigrants today, and look at some current organisations that are providing assistance and aid to adolescents who find themselves caught in the middle of this fierce batt le. Facts and Background At the time that Flores (an illegal immigrant and juvenile) was detained, prevailing Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) policy was to hold the individual in a detention center until such time that they could either be deported or otherwise dealt with in a proper and law abiding manner. The issue, however, is that such facilities do not house only juveniles. Both sexes are present, juvenile and adult. The conditions are not conducive to minors, no educational services are provided, and social arrangements are not accommodated. Even thought Flores was an illegal immigrant lacking proper documentation, the argument was that her civil rights were being gravely violated. Interestingly enough, during this time, INS shifted its policy a bit to be more flexible in its provision that an interested adult party, should they be available, could take temporary custody of the juvenile. This was only permitted in special circumstances, however, and rarely acted u pon. The reason was that INS felt the juvenile would not have any reason to turn back up for deportation hearings, so they would be lost inside the system once again. Initially, the courts agreed with Flores, After the government won a series of appeals, however, the Supreme Court did eventually weigh in. In a 7-2 decision, the finding was against Flores and in favor of existing INS policy. While the various courts and Supreme Court Justices certainly wrestled with and sympathized with unaccompanied minor being detained, they did not feel that their rights were being unduly violated. They were to be remanded into INS custody, as deemed appropriate, until proper arrangements could be made for the care and/or return of the immigrants to their own country. The issue remains, of course, whether INS custody in a detention facility is the right place for a scared juvenile from another land. Subsequent to these rulings, the INS has reviewed and modified policies, insisting that they will n o longer subject juveniles to facilities with opposite sex members and an adult population, in exchange for finding them custodians that can more properly care for them. Many critics remain, however, as they have cited cases in at least four different states where the detainment on unaccompanied minors continues to be detrimental to the immigrants emotional and physical well being. Analysis Recent

The effects of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis on the Thai Economy Essay

The effects of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis on the Thai Economy - Essay Example The crisis that the United States experienced that began way back summer of 1987 made way to the pullback to its economy and the world. Economic recession did a domino effect in the global financial crisis. How ever, as the member of the first world country recovers from the crisis, consequences still felt on some of the fast developing countries like Thailand. Economic recovery globally has been a sudden and immediate focus of the countries among Asian nations. The lost of many jobs are expected to happen in the United States and Europe in the coming year and with regard to this, a higher rate of unemployment is very hard to predict globally. Thailand as apart of the Asian nations would also be affected by the crisis as a whole. With the economy that depends on the exportation and importation, Thailand’s economy will be expected to be tumbling down and in effect would be reducing growth and unemployment. Thailand as a part of the global imbalances as it has been manifested in the recent years, will have to double work considering that it has also its own internal difficulties politically in dealing with the policies with the government. In spite the fact that Thailand’s government has been working so hard and ambitiously aiming to build a stronger economy in the middle of the global financial crisis, confusion and disorder among the people are manifested and has become a serious internal problem between the government and the people. Crisis Impact to the Economy of Thailand There are two financial crises that Thailand experiences with in the span of ten years; 1997-1998 and 2007-2008. The first part of the financial crisis was so damaging and required many years to recover. In fact, upon recovering, the country is able to achieve and attain a higher and promising private investment growth in its economy and established good reputation to be a destination of foreign capital. During this time, the country recorded rapid development and sustained th e growth of economy but still, the financial system shows vulnerability to the shocks of global crisis and became unstable (Ahmed & Islam 2010 ,p.66). The recent crisis which is the 2008 is merely different from the first one. Although in this crisis, Thailand is not much involve in debts compared to last time. Facing the reality that the country cannot escape from the issue of global crisis, in what way does the issue impacts the economy of Thailand? As it has being known that Thailand after the last crisis increasingly depends on the global economy. When the global crisis burst and the damage is felt and seen among some major institutions in the United States and European countries, credit-default is experienced, shocked the financial market, it is expected that that the real and deep effect of the crisis be seen and felt in the industrialized countries. Thailand has not seen and felt the direct effect of the global crisis during the first wave. The second wave of the crisis broug ht panic globally which resulted to freezing in the credit market and the global stock market meltdown. This time, Thailand economy was not able to escape as the stock market index fluctuated where billions of dollars were lost in few months time (Chirathivat 2011). The weakening of the economy transcends business programs between the bank of Thailand and the business firms all over the country during 2008. A serious

Understanding Organisational Behaviour And Leadership Management Essay

Understanding Organisational Behaviour And Leadership Management Essay Leadership is a vital and pivotal role in any organisation, regardless of size. It can be in the form of a single person in a small sole-trader like business, or in the complex structure of a multinational corporation. Leadership is essential for organisations to achieve their goals, and to manage their employees in the process. I will be looking into the theories of leadership and assessing how they affect the work performance of employees, in terms of motivation and efficiency. In particular, I will discuss the path-goal theory, and how it links into the different styles of management affecting employee work performance, as well as the benefits and criticisms of the model, and finishing with a conclusion as to what my stance is on the subject of leadership affecting work performance and to what extent performance is affected by leadership and theories such as this. From preliminary reading and understanding of this area in the subject of organisational behaviour, my viewpoint can come to assume that leadership does have an effect on an employees performance, and that the style and method of leadership does have a positive correlation on the mentioned relationship. The Path-Goal Theory The performance of employees in an organisation is much dependant on the leadership they have. Leadership has to be effective and tailored to the particular situation to ensure that the optimum efficiency is achieved. The path-goal theory of leadership effectiveness, developed by Robert House in 1976, is a transactional leadership theory that explains how leadership should be carried out in a manner that brings out the best in the employees abilities and is dependent on the efficiency, motivation and satisfaction of the employees in an organisation. The theory outlines how leadership behaviour and the employees abilities will lead to a particular path that will achieve the outcome, the goal (House, 1996). This goal would be a mutual goal of the worker and the organisation. Different leadership styles are needed, in terms of leadership behaviour, depending on the demands and circumstance of the particular state of affairs (House, 1971). Looking at the theory in more detail, this situational leadership theory explains how an individuals attitudes and their behaviour are in ­fluenced by the link between their effort and performance, the goal paths, and the attractiveness of the rewards, which is the goal attractiveness, being it the leaders job for this direction (Strebel, 1994). Therefore, these individuals would be productive, and their desires fulfilled when they see a strong connection between their effort and performance and when this results in highly appreciated rewards. House argues that the most successful leaders are those who assist their subordinates go down the path to receiving valued rewards (Indvik, 1986). The theory states that leader behaviour must be motivating and gratifying to the level that it clarifies the aims and the paths to the goals and as a result increases goal attainment, hence success, thus increasing the work performance of the employees (Evans, 1970). From this, we can gain the basic idea behind the path-goal theory as being the following shown in Figure 1.1 (Northouse, 2007): The path-goal theory is a very complex concept, as you look further into it. An array of factors and characteristics, such as leadership behaviour, subordinate characteristics and task characteristics are evident when looking at this concept of path-goal theory (Northouse, 2007). Even though there are potentially many different leadership styles, this theory approach has broken down these styles into four distinct leadership styles (House Mitchell, 1974). Directive Leadership: this style is where the leader would tell the workers what to do and what is expected and provide detailed guidance, standards of work, and schedules of work to assist performance Supportive Leadership: in this style, the leader treats its subordinates as an equal member of the organisation, and would go out of their way to ensure the well being, personal needs and status of the employees are maintained pleasantly. In addition to this, there would be interpersonal relationships developed as a result of this leadership style. Participative Leadership: this is a more democratic leadership style, whereby the subordinates are involved in the decision-making process of the organisation. The leader would consult the employees and take into account their opinions when making decision on how the group will tackle the task. Achievement-orientated Leadership: leaders set high targets and challenging goals for the subordinate to achieve, and therefore expects them to perform at their highest standard. However, achievement-orientated leaders show large amounts of confidence in their workers to achieve the goals set out. In comparison to Fiedlers Contingency Theory (Fiedler, 1967), which advocates that leadership style is resistant to change, the path-goal theory is one where the same manager can execute the four different styles of leadership behaviour during different situations at different times. However, it must be taken into consideration that although path-goal model fails to explain how to identify the most appropriate leadership style, the theory does give a series of situational factors that need to be taken into account when making the decision on the style of leadership. From this, we can see, in Figure 1.2, the major components of the path-goal theory, putting everything discussed so far into a visual model (Northouse, 2007). Strengths and Weaknesses of the Path-Goal Theory The path goal theory has both strengths and weaknesses. One key positive of this model is the fact that it is the first attempt to provide an expanded framework which brings together the previous works of contingent and situational leadership as well as the expectancy theory (Jermier, 1996). Furthermore, the path-goal theory is one where attempts have been made to incorporate motivation principles from the expectancy theory into the theory of leadership, and from my further reading, this seems to be a unique characteristic, as no other leadership theory has this relationship with the principles of motivation. In addition to all of this, the path-goal theory has a clear direction, and a path, so to speak. It definitive as to what the managers need to do with their subordinates and it defines very practical and clear roles for a leader. It ensures that questions are constantly being asked of improvements in work performance to reach the mutual objectives of all. On the other hand, there are also many criticisms that are to be addressed. This model is regarded to be a very complex theory since it considers many parameters and therefore requires extensive analysis of those parameters to effectively choose the correct leadership style for the situation at hand. Additionally, another limitation has come about from the relationships detailed by the path-goal model. These have been the subjects of a number of empirical studies to test the validity of the theory (Schriesheim Kerr, 1997; Schriesheim Schriesheim, 1980; Schriesheim Von Glinow, 1977; Stinson Johnson, 1975; Wofford Liska, 1993). In some of this research, it is apparent that leader direction is strongly related to the workers satisfaction when tasks are ambiguous, however other pieces of research fail to agree on this. Another factor to be noted as a criticism of this theory is element that not all aspects of the theory have been given the same amount of attention and detail in the creation of the model, as well as much of the research to date only involving partial aspects of the model (Faulk Wendler, 1982), it is evident that a good level of detail has gone into the aspects of directive and supportive leadership, unlike the other two styles, participated and achievement-orientated, have fewer studies addressing them. It is therefore that the claims of this model will remain tentative due to the lack of a full picture in the research findings and not being able to have consistent corollaries of path-goal theory (Evans, 1996; Jermier, 1996; Schriesheim Neider, 1996). This extent research has tested the theorys predictions regarding the moderators of lead ­ership effectiveness, and how to assess as to whether the situational variables interrelate with the leadership styles in the predicted approach. It can be verified that the model is successful in predicting how the situational variables and leadership styles come together to influence individual satisfaction. However, the model seems not be a good predictor of a group or even and individual performance. The final criticism that can be made of the path-goal theory concerns an indirect outcome as a result of implementing such a theory. The model greatly relies on leaders to give full direction, coaching and guidance to their subordinates and it is the leaders who define the goals and assist them in their path to success and achieving these objectives. This therefore means that there is an enormous reliance on the leaders from the workforce, disregarding independence. As a result subordinates are dependent and reliant on the leaders and managers to get through the obstacles during the path to the goal, and hence, this theory fails to recognise and utilise the full abilities and skills of the subordinates, asking questions of the subordinates in the firm rather than the leaders, and originally mentioned in the original theory (Green, 1979). In some ways we can see that the major disadvantage in trying to authenticate the model empirically, is the fact that the model contains too many variables and simply tries to explain too much, making it very complex. Therefore, conducting an experiment examining the full path-goal theory of leadership will be difficult because of the numerous variables. Nonetheless, the studies that are available tend to support the model, even though they suggest that it understates the intricacy of the situation. Adding to this, the research mentioned recommend that other variables, such as structure and conflict, also need to be integrated into it. Conclusion The path-goal theory was developed for leaders to help and assist them in motivating subordinates to be productive, efficient and increase job satisfaction. Due to it being a theory that is based upon the task, the behaviour of the leader as well as the contributions of the subordinates, it can be classed as a contingency theory, one of which has been derived and created from the expectancy theory. An expectancy theory is one about the mental processes regarding choosing or making a choice. It explains the processes that an individual undergoes to make choices. On the other hand a contingency theory can be defined as the theory that explains how different management styles will be more effective in different situations. Looking at the four different leadership styles, it gives the leader room for change and provides a more dynamic approach to this aspect of business. It is certain to say that leadership does affect and employees work performance. As to what extent by which it is affected, that is something that is subject to a matter of individual opinion. Referring back to my stance, it can be believed that there is a strong positive relation between a good leader and subsequently increased work performance by the subordinates. Theories and models such as this, the path-goal model, provide a great guidance to leaders and manager as to how they can be effective themselves, in order for this to be passed down the hierarchy in the firm. This model gives some structure an despite the fact that it does have many criticisms and drawbacks it is one that offers a large et of predictions and assumptions as to how leaders interact with their subordinates, and the idea of steering them down the right path in order to achieve this common goal and objective with a reward that motivates them, achieving goal attractiveness is a great one, and perfectly sums up this theory and its objectives. Being one of the first models to provide an expanded framework, which brings together the previous works of contingent and situational leadership, it is far more complex than what one would initially think. It proves that leadership is effective and useful, especially when tasks are unclear and/or the subordinates are autonomous, and choosing the right leadership style is essential in motivating employees and increasing their work performance. It is therefore that I believe that leadership does greatly affect and influence employee work per formance, looking at it through the analysis of the path-goal theory of leader effectiveness.

United NAtions :: essays research papers

United Nations â€Å"5 W’s† What: The political organization established 1945 by the allied powers who were later joined by other nations Who: Today there are 191 nations in the United Nations but It was originally started by those who were fighting against the axis powers. Where: It was decided to have it located in the Eastern United States, they bought land with money given by John D. Rockefeller Jr. along the East River in NYC. When: The United Nations was officially coined such in 1941 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The term was not used officially until Jan. 1, 1942, when 26 states joined in the Declaration by the United Nations. Why: The war effort needed to be joined so that they didn’t make peace separately. The need for an international organization to replace the League of Nations was not stated until Oct. 30, 1943. Six Bodies: General Assembly: It meets in regular yearly sessions under a president elected from among the representatives. The regular session usually begins on the third Tuesday in September and ends in mid-December. Special sessions can be convened at the request of the Security Council, of a majority of UN members, or, if the majority concurs, of a single member Security Council: It is charged with maintaining peace and security between nations. While other organs of the UN only make recommendations to member governments, the Security Council has the power to make decisions which member governments must carry out under the United Nations Charter. Economic and Social Council: It assists the General Assembly in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. Trusteeship Council: It was established to help ensure that non-self-governing territories were administered in the best interests of the inhabitants and of international peace and security. They suspended operation in 1994. Secretariat: It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for their meetings.