World Wrestling Entertainment

WWE, Inc. The WWE is not just the biggest wrestling company in the United States, but it is also the biggest in the world. The company has gone about this by spreading the WWE name and logo all over the world through international expansion. The expansion of the WWE product into overseas market was more of a necessity considering the current situation of the wrestling industry in the United States. Linda McMahon, CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. outlined her reasoning behind the push to expand globally in a press conference held on August 23, 2004.The main reason being an increased demand for the WWE product abroad, as well as impressive attendance numbers when events were held internationally. Additionally, attendance at live events or house shows, were very low. Linda McMahon said that by providing more shows overseas to fans that normally do not have the chance to see the WWE live, they will be satisfying a need as well as covering for a declining market in the United St ates (wwecorporate. com 2011). Due to the increase in live events overseas, the WWE also hired more international staff members in order to handle and continue the expansion.Another aspect that helped the WWE expansion internationally is their television presence in many countries. On their corporate website, the WWE lists thirteen countries in which they have television deals. Included are the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Mexico, and others. Obviously, this is important because their push to increase live events overseas would not be successful if they did not have television deals in place. Otherwise, the people in these international markets would have no clue as to who the wrestlers are and no reason to want to pay money to see them live or purchase WWE products.The WWE also has licensing agreements with about 75 licensees worldwide. The licenses use the WWE logo and its trademarked wrestling characters on all types of products and merchandise. This licensing program has expan ded internationally to include the United Kingdom, Italy, India, Japan, South Africa, and Australia. (www. wwe,inc. com) World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. used horizontal integration in 2004 with the purchase of their rival, World Championship Wrestling. With the acquisition of World Championship Wrestling, it allowed World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. o be the only major wrestling company in North America. WWE had monopolized the wrestling industry. With World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. as the only big name in town, the wrestlers were in an awkward position. If the wrestlers were let go by the WWE or had a dispute with management over their contracts, their only alternatives would be to work for a much smaller company that could not match the kind of wages the WWE offered, or to find a new line of work. WWE Superstars do not have a union to represent them.The biggest asset in the acquisition of World Championship Wrestling wasn’t the company and all intellectual proper ty that went with it; rather it was the video tape library it possessed. The WWE went on to acquire the video tape libraries of other defunct promotions like the AWA, ECW, and Jim Crockett Promotions. Collecting a majority of the wrestling video tape library in existence gave the WWE a competitive advantage. Linda McMahon has publicly said that the video library â€Å"is a leading growth project for the company†.The library of video footage allowed them to test the waters of an on demand channel featuring all of the classic material. At her press conference on August 23, 2004, Linda McMahon said that the WWE 24/7 On Demand service is being counted on to provide the company a strong source of revenue in the future . The exciting news for fans of the WWE is that they have so much footage that only a portion of what they have now has been digitalized (November 4, 2010 – World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc). When Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon decided to buy out all other wrestling corporations they united the sport under their own belt and logo and gained all monetary compensations. When Linda McMahon decided to start WWE On Demand 24/7, the WWE, Inc. struck gold by making wrestling able to be seen overseas via cable networks. This globalized the following of WWE fans. Now merchandise created through the many forms such as music, merchandise, movies, pay per views and live events, and video tapes or DVDs could be sold anywhere in the world and be profited from WWE, Inc. , their suppliers, creators and merchandisers.WWE can have a show in any of these countries and have a sold out venue and also be welcomed into these poorer countries with open arms because of the job availability WWE created for them. WWE also sent venues overseas to support our troops, who were serving in the Iraq war, and this also established an emotional empathy type connection with some of WWE’s followers. Because the WWE, Inc. is such a huge corporate conglomerate it is made up of an extensive board of directors and an independent audit committee. Vincent Kennedy McMahon is the Chairman and the CEO of the WWE, Inc. The board is consists of mutual family members and loyal friends.George Barrios is the Chief Financial Officer and oversees the WWE’s financial, accounting and investor relations, strategies and their activities. Jim Connelly is the Senior Vice President of Consumer Products and oversees the WWE’s global licensing, home entertainment and book and magazine publishing’s. Kevin Dunn is the Executive Vice president of television productions and manages a state of the art television studio with 140 wrestlers and he also sits on the Board of Directors. Donna Goldsmith is the Chief Operating Officer, sits on the Board of Directors and is part of the Chief Executive Committee for the WWE.Brian Kalinowski is the Executive Vice President of all global digital media initiatives through web and mobile interactive technologies, content production and electronic commerce. John Laurinitis is Executive Vice President of talent relations and promotes all wrestlers appearances outside the venues. Stephanie McMahon is the Executive Vice President of Creative Development and Operations. Stephanie McMahon oversees the creative process for all television and pay per views as well as directing and producing WWE televised live events.Stephanie also oversees all aspects of other talent management, branding, booking live events, and marketing for the WWE, Inc. Stephanie McMahon is also the daughter of CEO and Chairman, Vince McMahon, and has been raised in this industry, including having her own wrestling persona. Andrew Whitaker is the Executive Vice President, International. Andrew is responsible for determining the strategic direction and revenues for the WWE, Inc. outside of the United States for all business units. Michelle D. Wilson is the Executive Vice President of Marketing and Integrated Brand Initiatives.Mic helle oversees the strategies and financing for pay per views, advertising, promotions for the WWE and its wrestlers, research and demography for the company to keep it innovative, all creative services deemed needed for the company to flourish, and maintains and scripts all public and government relations. Michelle also oversees the WWE’s integrated sales and sponsorship business (WWE,Inc Corporate. com). All of these people are the geniuses behind the success of this company. Without any one of them the company would struggle in that field. These people have served on this committee throughout the lifespan of the WWE.There are so many Vice Presidents and departments because the WWE is a national and international success with their hands in every means of entertainment, merchandising and promotions that are possible. Because each of these members has their own stakes in the business and independent audit committee of the board of directors is required to make sure that ever ything is running smoothly and within a budget. The independent audit committee consists of at least three directors. These directors can have no ties, directly or indirectly, with any board member, family member, worker, or wrestling persona of the WWE, Inc. o ensure that everything is maintained fairly and unprejudiced. With the auditors having no gain or stock in the WWE all audits are accurate and financially sound statements. The audit committee assists the board in overseeing: * The accounting and financial reporting practices of the WWE, Inc. * The audits of the WWE’s financial statements including the WWE’s internal controls and internal auditing functions * The reality and accuracy of the financial statements put out from the WWE, Inc. * The WWE’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements (www. wwe,inc. om) The WWE’s system of their disclosure controls and system of internal controls regarding finance, accounting, legal compliance and the ethics that the management and Board of Directors have established within the company. This company promotes corporate citizenship through many means but choose to call it corporate social responsibility instead. â€Å"WWE has a strong philosophy to give back to the communities and lives that we touch. † (WWE, Inc. corporate website page) The WWE carries its corporate citizenship or responsibilities by having a PG rating on all shows and at all venues to promote a family orientated atmosphere for all ages.WWE also is host to numerous charities and programs, such as literary programs to help children read, WWE in Your Corner, and WWE also contributes to the military members by hosting shows here and overseas to military members serving our country. WWE also implements types of programs for helping retired, current or want to be wrestlers. It seems here that the WWE does try to uphold laws and contributes back to everyone in one form or another. The WWE is so extensive that it is its own United States citizen and has even had members run for senate, like Linda McMahon, and governor, Jesse â€Å"The Body† Ventura.Some win, some lose, no different than when a wrestler enters the ring or the WWE trying its hand in the restaurant industry. Linda McMahon stepped down as CEO of the WWE, Inc. on September 16, 2009. Linda McMahon officially announced her candidacy to run for the United States Senate for Connecticut. During this time others in office put the WWE, Inc. in the spotlight for political tirades against Mrs. McMahon and her qualifications. The WWE headquarters is based out of Stamford, Connecticut and this is also where the McMahons live. On November 1, 2010, President Obama and his wife Michelle visited Stamford, Connecticut and Mrs.Obama paid a visit to the WWE headquarters. After the President left the WWE, Inc. was told they were under investigation for distributing merchandise near select polling locations. The Secretary of State for Connec ticut, Susan Bysiewcz, stated that if anyone turned out to the polls wearing any type of WWE merchandise, including a simple wrist band that the voters would be told to either remove it, cover it up or to go home and change and come back. The WWE, Inc. took this to federal court and won because there is no law on what attire a voter should wear to vote. (Time Magazine, November 2010).On November 8, 2010 Linda McMahon lost to Richard Blumenthal and says she feels that there was corruption in the way the polls were run. Linda McMahon contributed fifty million dollars to her own campaign in the senate race. Linda McMahon is not going to return to her position of CEO at WWE, Inc. but plans on running again for a political party in the future. With Linda not returning to WWE, Inc. this leaves Vince McMahon as the chairman and now the CEO of WWE, Inc. The community that surrounds WWE, Inc. stands behind the WWE for the majority being that the McMahons contributes too many charitable facto rs in the community.With the President and his wife visiting Stamford it opened up many economical doors in the community promoting tourism and the trickle effects from the tourism and notoriety of the situation. No matter what changes the United States goes through in our economy WWE, Inc. still sells out every wrestling venue and almost all merchandise with their logo on it is a top seller and carries high demand for the public. Vince McMahon has received deals with people like Walt Disney to lease his wrestlers, like Duane â€Å"The Rock† Johnson, to star in their movies.Billions of people worldwide have an avid and loyal following of the WWE. The WWE has reached many countries outside the United States through television airing and internet access. Once again WWE is sending a wrestling venue for Christmas to our troops to show their dedication and gratitude to the men and women serving our country. â€Å"This will be the first Christmas though that the WWE will take it t o the troops in the United States instead of flying to Iraq (www. wrestlezone. com)†. WWE, Inc. has gotten the four factors of the marketing mix down to a science and the right marketing team behind them to do so effectively.The market researchers for WWE seem to be highly into utilizing environmental scanning as well. The marketing researchers have studied all the factors, such as global, technological, social cultural, and economic. WWE, Inc. really has no competitive factors to study at the moment, because there is no other competition right now; therefore, WWE dominates the industry. It seems everything that the WWE has its logo on is in mass market production throughout the world. The WWE may have started out as niche marketing but it quickly grew into a mass frenzy. The WWE logo and name brand is now worldwide.Vince McMahon and his marketing research team are genius. They have definitely done their market segmentations to a science and have even made merchandise availabl e for the poor to be able to purchase their products. The demographic segmentation is analyzed before the WWE even enters an agreement to bring their show to that arena. Everywhere they have a show it is a sellout every time. With the WWE, Inc. branching into television, music, movie theaters, magazines, clothing, internet, and other merchandise they have extensively covered every means of technology to appeal to audiences and consumers.World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is committed to conducting its business fairly, honestly and in accordance with law. All officers, directors and other employees (collectively, including outside directors in their capacity as WWE directors, referred to herein as â€Å"employees†) should read this Code of Business Conduct carefully. This Code is not meant to be all inclusive, and in many cases, employees will be required to sign additional acknowledgement forms that they have read and understand various Company policies. www. wwe,inc. com) W WE, Inc is more extensive than what I thought it would be. This corporation is a citizen in itself that started as a small business and evolved into a worldwide corporation. I do not think that Vince McMahon ever imagined the take off and demand his company would acquire. Vince McMahon was smart enough to hire tech and business savvy individuals to help ensure that he stayed on top of the game. Without his Vice Presidents in each area, this ompany would not have been able to overtake the wrestling market and branch out into every form of marketing, selling, technical areas, and merchandising that the WWE has done. This corporation is definitely one of the best in the world. Everything it touches, besides the restaurant venue, has turned to complete profit. REFERENCES www. wrestlezone. com retrieved 5/31/12 www. wwe,inc. com retrieved 5/31/12 www. wwe,inc. com/corporate retrieved 5/31/2012 November 4, 2010 – World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. magazine Time Magazine, November 2010 http://graphjam. memebase. com/vote/page/1184/ retrieved 5/31/12

Social security policy

Social security policy is a major, convoluted issue in all societies. Millions of people are heavily reliant on social security as a means of support to achieve a basic standard of living. There is thought to be three main welfare regimes, in western society. These regimes are corporate-conservative, socio-economic and liberal. This essay aims to give a brief description of these regimes in action, in relation to the USA, France and Sweden, respectively. Then, go on to compare the regimes, in relation to social security. It will take in to account unemployment, pensions and family policy. Social security is basically the procedure of benefits and transfers in the form of financial assistance as income maintenance which is funded by taxation and/or insurance contributions. (Baldock et al, 1999) There have been three principle types of welfare regime. These are corporatist-conservative, socio-democratic and liberal. The corporate-conservative regime is usually based on individual's contributions, therefore very work-orientated. The socio-democratic regime is usually based on universal values. The liberal regime is usually residualist. This means that the welfare is seen more as a bag-up, only to provide for those who would not manage at all without it. (Esping-Anderson, 1990) France is an example of the corporatist-conservative regime in action. Social security is hinged on solidarity. In this context, it means mutual responsibility, shared risks and common action. It was first brought in to place by the introduction of a regime general for social and health security. This was then expanded. In the 1970's additional measures were introduced to include all ‘excluded' people. The most significant measure was introduced in 1988. This was called the Revenu Minimum d'Insertion. It amalgamated a rudimentary benefit with a personal contract for social inclusion. The French regime is somewhat expensive. The control of expenditure has become the focus of social policy. Pensions play a very prominent part as they are very costly. (www2. rgu. ac. uk/public policy/introduction/wstate. htm) The French regime basically advocates the rights are in accordance status and class. Support comes mostly through private insurance, which is supported by the state. It aims to fortify civil society while limiting the market. (Esping-Anderson, 1990) Sweden is an example of the socio-democratic regime in action. This Swedish model is often judged as the exemplary form of welfare state. One of the integral components is the sense of organised co-operation. (www2. rgu. ac. uk/public policy/introduction/wstate. htm) The socio-democratic regime advocates equality and universalism of high standards. This is through the state. The state is the main way of support; there are high levels of benefits. It aims to amalgamate welfare and work and promote full employment. (Esping-Anderson, 1990) The United States of America is an example of the liberal regime in action. The liberal regime advocates residualism, laissez-faire, individualism and a severe stand on poverty. These are all dominant subjects in USA debates on welfare, yet the USA does not have a unified welfare system. The predominant measures of federal provision came in the 1930's from the Roosevelt administration. (www2. rgu. ac. uk/public policy/introduction/wstate. htm) it was called ‘the new deal'. It was instigated to be a safe-guard against market failures, which was desperately needed after the mass unemployment of the depression years. The main principle behind it was that the state should provide more than just support; it should actually protect the individual. (Miller, 2003) The liberal regime basically has a strong work ethic. Support comes through means-tested assistance. It aims to strengthen the market. (Esping-Anderson, 1990) Unemployment is a very contentious issue. The three countries all have differing ways of dealing with it. France has a twofold system of providing unemployment benefits. One of them is an unemployment insurance scheme. This scheme is when individuals are part of a national collective agreement, which is mediated by the state. This system is financed by contributions. The unemployed are allowed to receive benefits if they are a member of this scheme and it was not their own fault that they lost their job. The provision and duration of these benefits also depends on how long the individual has been part of the scheme. Its payment has two forms. These are either the basic benefits or post-entitlement benefit. (www. eurofound. ie/under. tm) The other system of unemployment benefit is a guarantee supplementary scheme. It is funded by the state and was set up in 1984. its aim is to provide unemployment benefits for widowed or divorced women, young people and other disadvantaged groups, who have not been in the job-market long enough to make substantial contribution. It also helps those who have had been in unemployment for a very long time and are no longe r eligible for the insurance scheme. Its payment comes in two forms, either a work programme allowance or a guaranteed supplementary benefit. (www. urofound. ie/under. htm) This rigid system is in stark comparison to Sweden. Their unemployment insurance benefit (UIB) has been thought to be one of the most generous in the world. It is controlled by the trade unions, finance by the state and administered by 40 voluntary societies. The level of contribution varies as it depends on the likelihood of unemployment. UIB encompasses about 3/4 of unemployed people, the rest rely on social assistance. In the 1990's UIB came under intense pressure because of an increase in unemployment and concern to limit social expenditure. This resulted in that by the late 1990's there was a decreased eligibility and the proportion of previous income received was slashed from 90% to 80%. There is now a far greater pressure on unemployed individuals to join in AMS schemes (Government training schemes) to indicate their availability to work. Involvement in AMS schemes permits the re-establishment of eligibility to UIB. This can be seen as a huge incentive! There is a three year benefit duration limit. Despite this limit, it is still safe to say that it is more generous and less disciplined than that of France. (Cochrane et al, 2001) In comparison to France and Sweden, welfare for unemployment is very complicated. The administration of social assistance is controlled by state or local government agencies, on a decentralised basis, even though funding does come from federal Government. However, USA welfare on employment is mainly through unemployment insurance (UI). Unemployment insurance varies significantly depending on state and local government. However, there are some principles which are relevant to most states. (www. tiss. zdu. uni) Unemployment insurance is not aimed at being long term support for the unemployed. It is designed to be a bridge till they obtain a new job. Unemployment insurance operates under very strict condition for limited periods of time. The number of covered people is relatively low. This is due to the fact that a lot of people are not eligible foe unemployment insurance. (www. law. cornell. edu/topics) Unemployment insurance is not available to the self-employed, domestic servants, farm workers, Government employees and those who have only been briefly employed. (www. buzzle. com) To actually receive unemployment benefits from the state is incredibly complex. The actual law on benefits and who is eligible to welfare schemes is very convoluted. In extreme cases, where vulnerable individuals do not even meet the criteria for schemes of federal support or assistance, may be entitled to state and local or purely state relief. This is called general assistance. (www. law. cornell. edu/topics) It has been found that the population age profile of western societies is changing. We are now living in an increasingly ageing population. The age structure of the population comes from past birth rates, increasing mortality rates, increased longevity and migration trends. This inevitably means an increase in the amount of people who will be eligible for a pension. (Baldock et al, 1999) Therefore, welfare regimes have to account for it. France has a pay-as-you-go system. (www. news. bbc. co. uk) The pay-as-you-go system is basically that the pensions that are being paid out today are being funded by taxing the employed of today. This is in stark contrast to private pension scheme (those favoured in the USA) as these are based on paying pensions out of the contributions an individual made during their entire working life. (Baldock et al, 1999) It is believed that this is going to be unsustainable. This is due to the increasing longevity and the declining birth rates. This means that in the future there will be far fewer workers to pay for the multiplying amount of pensioners. (www. news. bbc. co. uk) This is now worrying the French Government. They are now beginning to take steps to remedy the situation. One example of this can be seen by looking at a bill approved by the French Government, in May of last year. They approved a bill that meant that the amount of time that all Government employees must work in order to get a full pension increases from 37 years and 6 months to 41 years and 9 months. www. telegraph. co. uk) In comparison to Sweden, the French system leaves a lot to be desired. In Sweden, there are two mandatory statutory pension schemes. These are a basic flat-rate payment and a contributory earnings-related scheme (ATP). Both schemes are funded on a pay-as-you-go system. They are paid out of contributions from the current workforce. Every citizen and long-term r esident are entitles to the basic flat-rate pension. To get the ATP pension, they have to have a thirty year history of contribution. However, there is a supplement that can be obtained with the basic pension if an individual has no ATP or a very low level of ATP. For most of the people in Sweden, the two statutory pension schemes, replace or provide around 65% of pre-retirement gross salary. However, these pensions are liable for taxation. Also, 90% of employees in Sweden top-up the statutory schemes by covering themselves with extra occupational pension schemes. These cover various groups of employees and provide up to an extra 10% on replacement income. The extra occupational pension schemes encompass four main schemes and they work on a collective agreement. They cover people employed by local and central government as well as blue-collar workers and white-collar workers. In Sweden, in 1992, only 6. 3% of elderly households were defined as being poor after taxes, this is in stark comparison to the USA as in 1996; just over 20% of elderly households were poor. These are phenomenally different statistics. (Cochrane et al, 2001) There are two public pension schemes in the USA. They are the public flat-rate pension and the public earning related pension. The public pension scheme encompasses both the means-tested, basic-rate pension (Supplementary security income, or SSI) and the earnings related pension (Old-age, survivor and disability insurance, or OASDI). The flat-rate basic pension is financed by general federal Government revenues. However, some states give an additional small state-government supplement. All SSI pensions are subject to income and asset testing. The earnings related pensions (OASDI) are financed through contributions. It is broken down as follows: employee provides 6. 2% of earnings and the employers provide 6. 2% of payroll whereas the self-employed provide 24. % of earnings. The minimum eligibility requirement for OASDI pensions is ten years of contributions. This is also a pay-as-you-go system. However, occupational, private pension schemes are highly recommended. (www. reformmonitor. org) Family policy plays a very significant part in social security. In France, family allowance is assigned to all families with at least two children, under the age of 18, regardless of income. However, there are numerous supplementary means-tested benefits available. There is the family supplement, which is for families with three children, over the age of three. There is also the single parent allowance, adoption allowance, the parental education allowance, the special education allowance for children with disabilities and also the annual school allowance for children between the ages of 6 and 18. There is also the housing allowance; this is calculated by the expense of rent and the families' situation. Additionally, there are also birth payments, maternity benefits and parental leave benefits. These include a means-tested young child allowance; it is available from the fourth month of gestation until the child is three years old. Also, included is a maternity benefit that increases by the amount of children plus if the mother is insured there are even more benefits. There are also paternity leave benefits, where the mother or the father can be on leave up until the child's 3rd birthday. Since 1998, there have been means-tested allowances to decrease the cost of childcare for children under 3 years old. The childcare can be in the home (child minder) or at a registered facility. There are also allowances in childcare for 3 to 6 year olds. (www. reformmonitor. org) Like France, Sweden has a universal child allowance. This is for children under the age of 16 years. This goes up to 20 years, if they are in full-time education. Families, with more that 3 children are entitled to a large family supplement. There is also a family allowance for handicapped children who attend a public school. They also, like France, have a housing benefit. This benefit is also dependant on the expense of rent and the size of family. There are also birth payments, maternity benefits and parental leave benefits but the do not seem as good as France is. There is a paid parental leave for 450 days, which is divided up between the parents. Also, the mother gets special allowances because of reduced work ability. In Sweden, they can also claim a sick child benefit. This is available for a maximum of 60 days, per year, per sick child under the age of 12 years. There is a positive infrastructure of support services to help working parents meet their childcare obligations. It also includes the support of single parents. Since July 2001, childcare expenses were lowered for families with children in subsidised childcare facilities. With this reform came a guaranteed 3 hours a day for childcare for unemployed people. This was so that they could actively seek employment. (www. reformmonitor. org) The USA is completely different from France and Sweden. In the USA, under the temporary assistance for needy families programme (TANF), benefit payments differ widely across states. The TANF programme is to support poor families with low incomes and dependant children. It is often reduced or even stopped after a family has received benefits regularly for 6 to 24 months. This is supposed to help reduce dependence on the state. The main family assistance, which is practically available in most states, is provided through federal income tax. Families with 1 or more children are provided with an ample amount off of income tax and people who earn a very low wage plus have children are given refundable income tax benefits. Unlike both France and Sweden, there are very few employees, who are given paid parental leave, when a child is born or is sick. However, since 1995, unpaid leave for both child birth and child illness has been mandatory. There are 5 states, which do provide income replacements, subject to certain conditions, for up to 52 weeks. Federal employees do benefit from 24 hours of paid leave a year, for child related activities. Some employers, in the USA, do offer subsidised childcare facilities for their staff. However, the majority of employers do not. Federal childcare funding was provided so that states could be flexible in designing inclusive, integrated childcare facilitates, to make it easier for unemployed or single parents to get back to work. (www. reformmonitor. org) To conclude, there are some major differences between each of the welfare regimes. The biggest differences come from looking at unemployment differences and family policy. The USA is probably the most diverse plus the have all had very different consequences. However, there are similarities between some of the aspects. This comes from pensions. All regimes are based on the pay-as-you-go regime, to a certain extent. However, they all have differing success. All in all, it would be hard to say for definite that any one of them would be superior but Sweden would be a definite contender. However, it is safe to say that welfare regimes in the future could benefit from utilising the most successful parts for the present regimes and learning for the unsuccessful parts. Social Security Policy New Labour promised to halve child poverty by 2010 and to eradicate it by 2020, (Walker, 1999). Social security is not merely about poverty relief, as the relief of poverty requires more than just social security reform, it is important to address the position of social security policy at present to see whether Labour can live up to this rather ambitious target it has set. The term ‘Social Security' is used to refer to the range of policies which aim to transfer cash resources between individuals and families. It is concerned with policies which govern the redistribution of resources within society. After coming to power in 1997 the Labour government reviewed the key principles of social security policy. They developed the ‘Welfare to Work' strategy, as they want people of working age to look for employment within the labour market and avoid dependence on the state. The maintenance of a high and stable level of employment was one of the fundamental assumptions of the Beveridge report, and an objective to which all governments were positively committed after 1944 (Lowe, 1993). Hills (1997) argues that since Beveridge, the objectives of social security have never been set out in a way allowing measurement of whether benefit levels are adequate to meet their aims. The original aim of the National Insurance system as introduced following the recommendations of the Beveridge report in 1948 was to set up a system of subsistence level flat-rate social insurance benefits which were intended to cover all the main causes of inability to earn, such as old age, sickness, unemployment, widowhood and orphanhood. It also included virtually the whole body of the populations, whether employed, self- employed or non- employed, as far as possible in the same terms (Sleeman, 1979). Changes in the welfare system have been needed for a variety of reasons, society has changed, and policies need to change to keep in tune with this, these changes include changing families, working women, an ageing society and rising expectations (Giddens, 1998; Hills, 1997). In the UK, the earliest form of social security was the Poor Law which was based around discretionary payments related to individuals' assessment of need, and this continued to play a part in the delivery of many means- tested benefits until the last two decades of the twentieth century (Alcock, 2003). The Elizabethan Poor Law (1598) distinguished between the deserving and undeserving, this is something which is still reflected in Social Security policy; Hewitt and Powell (2002) point out how the use of contracts can be taken back to the deserving and undeserving poor, only now the terms being used are responsible and irresponsible; and this is reflected in the ‘Security for those who cannot' (DSS 1998)- which means no security for those who can but do not. Another similarity between the poor law and the modern welfare state is that Parishes excluded the traveling poor from its boundaries; this is still evident today with the treatment of travelers and the single homeless. This argument is supported by Hills and Gardiner (1997). Within Social Security, Employment policy occupies a crucial position in the post- war reconstruction, and without which the welfare state could not exist. Full employment would both finance the development of the welfare state, and government welfare policy would help to maintain economic growth. Barr (1993) has outlined three social aims of state intervention in income distribution; the relief of poverty in order to protect a minimum income standard was the first. The second is the protection of accustomed living standards to ensure that none has to face an unexpected and unacceptably large drop in their standard of living and the third is, smoothing out income over the life cycle. However, as pointed out by Glennerster and Hills these three interact, the balance between them and the responsibility of the state can differ over time and between countries. The aims of Social Security policy are not merely to be measured in income terms. Social and political participation may be seen as important civic virtues by a broad spectrum of political opinion. Social Security maintains a standard of living that supports inclusiveness (Townsend 1979), the consequences of failure in this respect is ‘social exclusion'. The miseries of unemployment in a work- ethic society are well- documented by Sinfield, (1981). To these are added the harassment and insecurity of dependence on means tested welfare (Bradshaw and Deacon,1983) and the despair of living at a standard of living which steadily falls behind that of the working class in work. (Taylor- Gooby, 1985). Glennerster (1999) has criticized the critics, arguing that paid work brings dignity and respect. Social welfare imposes controls on society, social security regulations distinguish those who do and do not deserve support. As pointed out by Taylor- Gooby (1985) regulations which ensure that a household head is usually responsible for the living standards of family members defined as dependents encourage a certain household pattern. Social Security is traditionally divided into a contributory and a non- contributory sector, the former covers benefits such as sickness benefits, unemployment benefits, retirement pension, widows' benefit- those regarded as the important benefits. In the latter most benefits are allocated to those who can prove that they do through a mean test. Eligibility for social security has two elements, the first being the formal rules and regulations governing provision of benefits and secondly the perceptions of eligibility held by claimants and potential claimants. The contributory principle, whereby National Insurance benefits are linked to earnings established under rules of eligibility which disproportionately excludes those in intermittent or low paid work, those with a higher risk of unemployment as well as recent migrants. The establishment of such policy on the basis of a White, Male norm thereby formally excluded many of those in minority ethnic group from social citizenship rights to such benefits (Amin and Oppenheim, 1992). Post war welfare reforms and immigration legislation have continued to institutionalize racially exclusionary rules which determine eligibility to welfare benefits these include residence tests, rules on ‘recourse to public funds' and sponsorship conditions. This is well documented in the case of asylum seekers in Britain. Compared with some of the other developed industrial countries, Britain has been relatively successful in establishing a general and comprehensive welfare floor. (Sleeman, 1979) As argued by Hills (1997) benefits for those without work may ameliorate their immediate position but they do not solve the problem. A prime aim of social security policy should be for claimants, where possible to find independent sources of income. While the overall level of employment depends on wider economic factors, the social security structure may discourage employment under some circumstances. Under the Conservatives, due to rising unemployment and the recession in the early 1990's changes were made to social security policy with regards to the unemployed. Not only did the costs of paying unemployed people's mortgages reduced, but Income support (IS) payments for mortgages were withdrawn for the first nine months of unemployment. In 1996 Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) was created when contributory unemployment benefit and means- tested Income support were merged. With JSA for the first six months of unemployment there would be a contributory basis and after that it would be means- tested. It was decided that those under the age of 25 would receive a lower rate of benefit and that contract would be introduced between claimants and the benefits agency to formalise job searches and training criteria, as well as establishing availability for work. With regards to means tested benefits, we have all heard politicians expressing their concerns about benefit ‘dependency'. According to Glennerster and Hills (1998) unemployment benefit has been the largest single source of growth in means- tested populations, followed by lone parenthood. A major theme of policy has been to sustain a gap between income and benefits and in work to ensure incentives to work in the face of increasing levels of unemployment, decreasing relative levels of wages for the unskilled, and increased part- time and temporary working, Benefit policy has been changed to both decrease relative value of benefits for the unemployed and to increase use of means testing. This leads to two problems for ensuring incentives to work: one is to ensure that benefit rates are not close to or greater than in- work income and to ensure that those who are working on the margins of benefit entitlement are able to improve their incomes through work. The side- effect of means testing is that benefit is reduced as income rises alongside the incidence of tax and social security contributions on increased earnings. As benefits have fallen relative to incomes over time, the incentives to work, therefore, in general have been improved (Glennerster and Hills, 1998). The main theme of social security policy is ‘work for those who can; security for those who cannot'. Which consist of a rights and responsibilities discourse. Those who cannot work have a right to security. However, for those who can work, the right to benefit is more conditional. The basic philosophy is that work is the best route out of poverty. ‘Making work pay' includes a national minimum wage, tax reform such as Working families tax credits and nursery credits, which increase the return from low paid work and reduce the poverty trap. The government aims to achieve full employment, instead of paying people in poverty more benefit, New labour will redistribute opportunities and take a preventative approach, giving people the skills to escape poverty. Within Social Security policy is employment centred social policy which is based around the ‘New Deal' programmes; which target different groups. For example for young unemployed people there are four choices; education; a subsidized private sector job; a voluntary sector job or an environmental task force; the opportunity for sitting at home on benefits is not an option, as benefits will be reduced. For lone parents there are no penalties for not taking up employment, although they do have to attend work- focused interviews, in order to make them aware of the opportunities available to them. With regards to pensioners; pensions are uprated by prices rather than earning, the poorest pensioners do have a means- tested minimum pension guarantee that ties in with the increase in earnings. This represents a move from Universalism to selectivity. This also means that gradually pensioners will carry on falling behind workers (Powell and Hewitt, 2002). This in itself demonstrates the lack of respect for the elderly, and the fuels the argument that once someone passes working age, they are no longer deemed an integral part of society, and are pushed out of mainstream society. This essay aims to look at the provisions in place for younger people, of working age, for whom the government are trying to move into the labour market. What New Labour is trying to aim for is an active, preventative and intelligent rather than passive welfare state that encourages people to realize their potential rather than being chained to passive dependency (Powell and Hewitt, 2002). The bulk of National Insurance expenditure is on pensions, whereas for sickness and unemployment contributory benefits do still apply. JSA covers unemployment, for the first six months there is non- means tested support for hose who meet the NI contribution conditions and is linked to an agreement by claimants to take steps to secure a return to the labor market. Jobseekers allowance is no longer an Insurance benefit for the unemployed, after six months claimants remain on the benefit, and are subject to the same job search criteria, but their benefit moves onto a means- tested basis, which means any other resources (income from a partner) will reduce one's overall entitlement. In practical terms, means- tested JSA is Income support, given another title, as Income support has for some time been payable to unemployed claimants not covered by National Insurance benefits. It is still available for those out of work, who are not required to seek work under JSA rules, such as lone parents and people with disabilities and Carers. ‘Income support is a minimum income scheme for British citizens' (Alcock, 2003), payable only to those who are out of full- time employment (16 hours a week) and is reduced if there are any earning or any capital above à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3000 in total. Housing costs are not covered, but claimants who pay rent can apply to their local council for housing benefit and council tax benefit, in some cases interest payments on mortgage debts are covered. For children of parents who are in receipt of Income Support or means- tested JSA free school meals are available. A major feature of social security protection was once sickness, but in the 1980's , under the Tories support for short term sickness (up to six months) was shifted to employment, employers were expected to pay workers a minimum level, whilst they were off sick. After six months, claimants with chronic illness or disability move to Incapacity benefit (NI protection) if they meet the contribution conditions with a medical test, which requires they are incapable of ‘all work'. For those who do not satisfy the contribution condition, they are paid Income Support which is means- tested, as long as they can satisfy the conditions for Incapacity Benefit. For those in low wage employment means- tested support is also available through tax credits, payable through employers, administered by the Inland Revenue. Alcock (2003) argues that there has been a significant shift in the operation of means – tested benefits under the Labour government since 1997. Family Credit was replaced by Working Families Tax Credit, made available to a wider range of low- income families. Not only does this act as a supplement to the wages of low income workers with dependent children, it also aims to make low paid work seem more attractive, to encourage labour market participation as part of the governments commitment to promote employment. The most important of the Universal benefits is child benefit which is paid to all parent or guardians to help them with the cost or rearing children. Critics would argue that, like all Universal services, Child benefit is a waste of public resources by paying benefit to wealthy parents, who do not need this money like poorer parents do. The benefit of Universal benefits is that there is no stigma attached to being in receipt of it. Jones and Novak (1999) argue that the whole benefits system operates to control and discipline citizens rather than support and protect them. There are a number of different theories and ideologies of welfare, the main traditional theories are the Classical Liberal theory; Marxist theories and Fabian theories. Classical liberal theories are based around ideas that see freedom as absence of coercion rather than protection from misfortune and hardship. Within classical liberal thinking there are two contrasting views on the state. Traditional or negative liberal defend the individual liberty while challenging what they perceive as the arbitrary misuse of power. Negative liberals say the role of the state should be minimal. On the other hand there are positive liberals who say that the state can adopt a more constructive role in dealing with social problems. Both positive and negative liberal thinking have been influential on the modern British Conservative party. It is important to make the distinction that not all classical liberals are opposed to the welfare state. Classical liberal theory points out that unwarranted state intervention will only amplify social and economic problems since the market system will be less efficient and economic growth will slow. It is also believed that individual freedom is of paramount importance and any attempt by the state to provide fiscal help to the poor compromises that individual freedom, this is said to be done in two ways; the first is by asking those who earn wages to pay extra taxes to support the poor and secondly, by creating the conditions under which poor individuals and the state will have a relationship of dependency. Classical liberals regard the causes of poverty to be personal, rather than structural; poverty is traced to personal feelings rather than to failings of the political or economic systems. They go on to say that individual rights must be preserved at all times, and go as far to say that people have the ‘right' to be poor. Barnett (1986) stated that the welfare state was necessary for a short time, following the problems created by the Second World War; that those who supported it did not take a long term view of the countries economic needs. The welfare state is no longer beneficial. A recurring objection to the welfare state is the belief that services provide benefit to those who do not need it; such as child benefit, which is a universal benefit and it paid to everyone, regardless of earning, some would see this as a waste. Sidney and Beatrice Webb were influential figures in Fabianism, they believed that collective welfare through the state was not only essential, but an inevitable development within British capitalist society. An early example of the influence of Fabian thinking was with regards to the Poor Laws, whereby in 1905 the Royal Commission was set up to review the old Victorian support system. The significance of this was the governments' recognition that it had to implement major changes to the welfare state. Fabianism is a variant of British Socialism. The ‘New Left' is a term used to describe a broad range of differing approaches to social structure and social policy from a Marxist perspective. In general many agreed that the achievement of the welfare state in Britain was neither as desirable nor as successful as had been assumed. Marxists argued that the welfare state had not been successful in solving the social problems or the poor and of the broader working class, in practice the welfare state supported capitalism, as opposed to challenging it (Ginsburg, 1979) The New Left has been criticized for its theoretical assumptions of the assumed desirability of state welfare services, arguing that for many of the working class social security was seen as being oppressive and stigmatizing. Hayek (1944) argues that despite the overwhelming influence of Fabianism within social policy, right wing critics of state welfare had always argued against the interference of state provision with the workings of a capitalist market economy. This neo-liberal thinking was referred to by Fabians and the new left as the ‘New Right; as it was interested in returning to the classic liberal values of a laissez- faire state, which advocated for self- protecting families and communities. The main argument of the new right was that state intervention to provide welfare services, and the gradual expansion of these which Fabianism sought, merely drove up the cost of public expenditure to a point at which it began to interfere with the effective operation of a market economy (Bacon and Eltis, 1976). They claimed that this was a point that had already been reached in the 1970's , where the high levels of taxation needed for welfare services managed to reduce profits, crippled investment and driven capital overseas (Alcock, 2003). Like the New Left, the New Right also challenged the desirability of state welfare in practice, arguing that free welfare services only encouraged dependency and provided no incentive for individuals and families to protect themselves through savings and insurance (Boyson, 1971). Hayek (1982) argued that state intervention involved unwanted interference with the freedom of individuals to organize their own lives. Neo- liberal thinking is opposed to extensive state intervention to provide public services; effectively they are opposed to the ‘welfare state'. They argue that it is undesirable on ideological, political and economic grounds; that is undesirable in theory and impossible in practice. Their ideological objections to it revolve around their concern about dependency culture; by providing welfare through the state, individuals are discouraged from providing these for themselves and their families, which could in turn trap them into relying on others for support. Murray (2002) makes the point that in social security if everyone is going to be provided with a basic standard of living, this makes it an attractive option for individuals to choose this, rather than seeking paid employment. Which applies to means- tested benefits, whereby entitlement is related to an individuals' income level, this means any increase in income means a loss in benefit. Economically speaking, the welfare state is undesirable because it interferes with the free working of the market, leading to failures in markets developing properly. Although neo- liberals argue that the welfare state is not practical, most recent neo- liberal theorists agree that a safety net should be in place, as it may still be needed. Neo- liberalism, therefore still remains within the mixed economy of welfare, which is found in all modern welfare capitalist countries (Alcock, 2003). Marxist theories are based around the idea of Marx (1970) whose claim was that capitalism is an inherently oppressive economic structure in which the working class are exploited by the capitalist class through the labour market. It is argued by Marxists that Socialism or Communism is the logical and desirable alternative to the failures of both capitalist markets and the welfare state. However, they do not provide any explanation as to how this is to be achieved, except that it needs to be done revolutionarily, rather than gradually and involves the overthrowing of the existing democratic governments. This ideology has never attracted much attention in Britain, making its political potential limited here. Marxists believe that the welfare state uses taxes paid by everyone to provide services and to foster the illusion that the state is altruistic and redistributiove, whereas in actual fact the stae is preserving and reinforcing certain norms and structural relationships. Ginsburg (1979) argued that institutions of welfare operated within British society to control and suppress people as well as to provide for them; arguing that the social security system in practice stigmatized claimants and forced them into low waged employment. This criticism of the British welfare state comes from a Marxist perspective. The strength of the Marxist critique of the welfare within Capitalism is its ability to demonstrate the contradictory nature of social policy as providing social control and social protection at the same time. In 1998, New labour developed a ‘third way', Blair argued that both the right wing pro- market approaches and the old left's support from state monopolistic services should be rejected in favour of a new (third way) which would be located between the state and the market. The new labour government was not interested in whether services were best provided by the state (the old, Fabian, left) or by the market (the right) instead it was looking to find the most effective way to meet social needs; which was a practical judgement based on empirical evidence of effectiveness. Hills (1997) has pointed out that some benefits, such as child benefit, state pension and unemployment benefit for some, go to people unaffected by means- testing, and argues that further means- testing would allow spending to be better targeted. Some have argued that elimination of universal benefits would free up sizeable sums of money, which could then be spent on those that need it the most, which would mean for New Labour that they could go a little further to achieve its targeted with regards to child poverty. Eliminating Universal benefits would mean a substantial reduction in the overall cost of welfare spending, meaning the government could put more money into other areas such as the National Health Service. Social Security is the largest element of public expenditure, greater than both health and education, and accounts for 11 per cent of gross domestic product (Alcock, 2003). Social Security is an important aspect of our society, through state intervention individuals are provided with a basic standard of living, and kept out of absolute poverty. An interesting Marxist theory of the purpose of the welfare state states that the state maintains a ‘reserve army of labour' , through which a certain portion of society are kept out of work , but may be asked to join the labour force when needed. By providing these people with benefits (the unemployed, disabled and lone parents) the welfare state is serving capitalism by maintaining these groups who can be called upon at short notice. Marxists would argue that welfare constitutes social control and ‘polices' the state. They claim that the unemployed and other members of the reserve army of labour are treated harshly, to remind others of the consequences of not working. Lowe(1999) points out that the history of postwar social security was riddled with contradictions. The promise of the Beveridge report was to realize the new ideal of social security, through a simplified system of state relief without resort to the unpopular means- test, aroused immense popular enthusiasm and lay at the heart of the new values and perspectives upon which the new welfare state was initially built. Yet within ten years the social security system was no longer popular. The means test did not wither away and the system started to become so complex that it became self defeating. Social Security has both positive and negative connotations, in practice it can be seen as a benefit and by others a cost (Alcock, 2003).

Assessing a Company’s Financial Future Essay

It is detrimental for higher-level management in a company to assess the long-term financial health of the institution. Throughout history there have been depictions of several corporations taking on lucrative and highly ambitious initiatives to increase the wealth of the company. These companies come to find out their programs could not be funded as anticipated. This paper will show how proper strategy and a step –by-step process will successfully be able to assess a company’s financial future. In this case we will be looking at performance measures based upon the income statements and balance sheets of SciTronics (A medical device company). It is imperative that the measures are grouped into three types: (1) profitability measures (sales), (2) activity (asset management) measures, and (3) leverage and liquidity measures. (Piper, 1-6) Page 6: 1-3 1. By assessing the performance of SciTronics during the 2005-2008 periods we see that it’s profitability ratio increased. The company is heading in the right direction. In terms of sales we can see in the below table that the company has increased it’s net income. 2. SciTronics financial strength and its access to external sources have improved. This is evident from the financial ratios of profitability and leverage. 3. a. What will management do to maintain current liabilities that had been increased during the 05-08 period? b. As seen in Table 1 the salary and employee expenses are very high in the company. We can see by looking at Sell, General and Admin that it has decreased which is good. The company doesn’t want to pay out to employees too much. This interpretation varies with different companies. Most companies want their employees income to be anywhere from 12% to 22% of their total sales. By looking at the market average we can see that with pharmaceutical companies it is a little different. It is apparent that selling, general and administrative includes the sum of all indirect and direct selling expenses but a valid question to ask management would be: Why is this number so high in comparison to the market average, and what can we do to lower this number? c. Will SciTronics continue to expand their fixed assets such as property and equipment? This is imperative to know because it will increase the value of the company in turn making it more financially stable. If need be, it could then use these assets as collateral towards loans. If SciTronics came to my bank and asked for a $126,000,000 loan to support their growth in business I would approve the loan because of careful examination of their financial statements including analyzing the profitability, leverage, activity, and liquidity ratios. (1) Profitability Measures Sales growth provides the company with a measure to determine how well their product is doing in the market. * During the four-year period ended December 31, 2008, SciTronics’ sales grew at a 20.69% compound rate. There were no acquisitions or divestitures. * SciTronics’ profit as a percentage of sales in 2008 was 5.74% * This 5.74% represented an increase from 3.40% in 2005. * SciTronics had a total of $159,000,000 of capital at year-end 2008 and earned, before interest but after taxes (EBIAT), $16,00,000. Its return on capital was 10% earned in 2008, which represented an increase from the 4% earned in 2005. * Scitronics has $75,000,000 of owner’s equity and earned $14,000,000 after taxes in 2008. Its ROE was 18.67%, which represented an improvement from the 8.20% earned in 2005. Figure A below: * This figure shows an initial decrease in the profit as a percentage of sales however are followed by a steep increase in 2008. Profitability is quite obviously very important to a company. It allows the company to have access to debt, have a proper valuation of the company’s common stock, the ability to finance its own programs, and the pervasiveness of management to issue stock. This is depicted in Figure A as an indefinite increase from 05-08. Figure A Figure B * Return on equity indicates how profitable SciTronics is utilizing shareholders’ funds. (Piper, 7) To shareholders of a company, this is equally as important as EBIAT. (2) Asset Management Measures A company must use Activity ratios to determine how well it is using its assets. If improper use of assets occurs there is a need for financing for the company. This is turn leads to more interest costs and also brings about lower return on capital. * Total asset turnover for SciTronics in  2008 can be calculated by dividing $244,000(net sales) into $159,000. The turnover deteriorated from 1.58 times in 2005 to 1.53 times in 2008 * SciTronics has $66,000 invested in accounts receivables at year-end 2008. Its average sales per day were $668.49 during 2008 and its average collection period was 98.73 days. This represented an improvement from the average collection period of 104.29 days in 2005. * SciTronics apparently needed $29,000 of inventory at year-end to support its operations during 2008. Its activity during 2008 measured by the COGS was $74,000. It therefore had an inventory turnover of 2.55 times. This represents an improvement from 2.05 times in 2005. * SciTronics had net fixed assets of $18,000 and sales of $244,000 in 2008. Its fixed asset turnover ratio in 2008 was 13.56 times, and deterioration from 16.33 times in 2005. Figure C * As seen in Figure C, there is an improvement in inventory turnover from 2.05 in 2005 to 2.55 in 2008. This is very important because this indicates to the company its effectiveness with which the company uses its inventory. (Piper, 8) (3) Leverage and Liquidity Measures The different types of leverage ratios measure the relationship of funds supplies by creditors to the funds supplies by the owners of the company. Return of equity will improve when the use of borrowed funds from creditors or owners is appropriated correctly. * SciTronic’s ratio of total assets divided by OE increased from 1.52 at year-end to 2.12 at year-end 2008. * At year-end 2008, SciTronic’s total liabilities were 34.41% of its total assets, which compares with 32.41% in 2005. * The market value of SciTronic’s equity was $175,000,000 at Dec 31, 2008. The total debt ratio at market was 32.43%. * SciTronic’s earning before interest and taxes (Operating income) were $26,000,000 in 2008 and its interest charges were $2,000,000. It’s times interest earned been 13 times. This represented an improvement from the 2005 level of 10 times. * SciTronics owed its suppliers $6,000,000 at year-end 2008. This represented 8.11% of COGS and was a decrease from the ratio of 11.63%  year-end 2005. * The financial riskiness of SciTronics decreased between 2005 and 2008. Liquidity ratios measure a company’s ability to meet financial obligations as they become current. (Piper, 10) * SciTronics held $133,000,000 of current assets at year-end 2008 and owed $48,000,000 to creditors, due to be paid within one year. SciTronics’ current ratio was 2.77, a decrease from the ratio of 3.90 at year-end 2005. * The quick ratio for SciTronics at Year-end 2008 was 2.17, a decrease from the ratio of 2.90 at year-end 2005. Figure D * This figure depicts an increasing level of financial leverage. In this figure total assets divide total liabilities. We can see that financial leverage increased throughout the years until 2008. Figure D Work Cited Piper, Thomas. Assessing a Company’s Future Financial Health. 911th ed. Vol. 9. Boston, MA.: Harvard Business Review, 2012. Print. Ser. 412.

Managerial Communication Report Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managerial Communication Report - Term Paper Example The Social Media as a Management Tool in the Business Environment Managerial Communication Report To: From: Subject: Date: The social media are one of the technological advancements in a business environment. Although during its advent, many companies could not hide their criticism over the negative effect that the social media had on the business environment. The report will consider the evil and the ethical of the social media on any business environment. Social Medias such as Facebook, Twitter and various company intranets have been a valuable link among employees of a company. These Medias have also been the best marketing media that reach the various groups of consumers. Various companies agree that they help in the maintenance of communication among employees. The description of the nature of communication is an honest one; this allows employees to know more about one other. The aim for a good communication in any company is to create an interconnected, work place. A good worki ng environment for employees motivates them to be productive. ... an urgent announcement to its employees, the most appropriate means will be to post the notice in the company’s intranet, and the other way would be to post the notification in the company’s space, in any social network. The scope of doing this is that employees who visit the space will get the message, and because of the good relation that exists, among the employees, the notice gets to be passed to the other employees. This means of communication would be better than writing a memo to each department in the sense that the time used to deliver the memos is saved; the company also saves the misuse of its papers on printed notices. This means of communication can be facilitated using a computer or the advance mobile handset. This is easy for any management because the heads of departments could also get the chance to have a control of the company from any place. A clear example would be for a manager who wishes to know what his employees are up to at any given time can j ust log into the social network site, and keep track of the thoughts and action of his/her employees. D’ Angelo examines that the social media is one way that companies have employed to interact with their customer and stakeholders. Companies have also employed social media managers to manage the media existence. Various studies show it is not the leading companies alone that use the social media as a means of communication but rather in the year 2008 to 2009 there was an increase in the use of social media by the small businesses (D’ Angelo, 2010). D’ Angelo exerts that the use of the social media is crucial in the promotion of Brand identity, management, a company can employ a social site manager with its main activity being to create the company’s brand identity and market it online. D’

What is ICD-10 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What is ICD-10 - Research Paper Example Each category includes a set of related diseases or health conditions. Buechner (2002) states that there are over 120,000 codes available in ICD-10. ICD-10 is actually a diagnostic code set that interprets the signs, symptoms, diagnosis of diseases, abnormalities and other health conditions from words to codes which are used to store, retrieve and analyze the data later on (World Health Organization, 2004, p. 3). It was originally meant for the statistical classification of mortality rate recorded at the time of death registration. Afterwards, it played its role in compilation of morbidity statistics as well. ICD-10 was published in 1992 and has been in use in WHO Member States since 1994 after getting approved by the forty-third World Health Assembly in 1990. ICD-10 was published when the need for a stable and flexible classification system was felt that would not require revisions for many years. The Federal agency, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in the United States, holds the responsibility for the maintenance of ICD-10. WHO has approved the expansion of versions of ICD-10 to be used in the United States for typical government reasons. All amendments to be done to the ICD-10 must obey the rules laid down by WHO conferences for the ICD. ICD-10-CM is the clinical modification of ICD-10 and is referred to as a new diagnosis coding system that has replaced volumes 1 & 2 of ICD-9-CM. it was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; while, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) holds the responsibility to maintain this clinical modification coding. According to AHIMA (2009), it is a morbidity classification system that classifies the diagnoses of diseases along with other reasons for healthcare encounters. Health conditions are given alphanumeric codes comprising of 3-7 digits. The clinical modification contains features that give

Primal Leadership The Hidden Driver of Great Performance Essay

Primal Leadership The Hidden Driver of Great Performance - Essay Example These two factors has a great impact on the overall of a company. For example, a reckless boss would create a toxic organization that had underachievers who did not take opportunities presented before them. The eventual result will be a profit or loss. On how emotional intelligence affected performance, data from Hay Group data was availed. The authors discovered that emotional intelligence was carried thorough an organization similar to electricity through wires. The mood of the executive was contagious and it spread quickly thorugh out the business. It is imperative to note that the mood of a leader and his accompanying behaviors are directly linked to the success of the business. So, his primal task is emotional leadership. A leader should ascertain that not only is he regularly in an optimistic mood so that his followers may feel the same way.Even though some days may be difficult, he should know that primal leadership demands more that putting face, it requires him to determine, through reflective analysis how emotional leadership will determine the moods and the actions of the

Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Personal Statement Example Nursing Positions Held In the Past Five Years I have worked in several capacities in the past five years. I served as an ICU/CPU nurse. This position entailed provision of complete nursing care to patients in critical condition by closely observing them. Secondly, this position involved administering approved medicine to patients and collaborating with other medical practitioners in service delivery. It also entailed provision of support and education to families. Finally, it involved respiratory, speech and physical therapies, patient assessment and delivery of treatment in various leadership roles. The second position was a case manager or admission nurse in a hospice setting. This involved performing and reviewing admissions, evaluations and assessment. The third position I served in was in a case manager hospital setting. It involved constant support through comprehensive assessment and ensuring patient quality management by ensuring cost effectiveness. Finally, I served in as a staff nurse in a long-term care facility (LTAC). I helped physicians with bedside procedures, infection control, wound care and overall examinations. Personal and Professional Goals Over the Next Five Years My personal goals are to improve my education level thereby sharpening my knowledge and skills in the field. I plan to advance my education in the NSN Family Nurse Program. Once I complete the BSN program that I wish to pursue to increase my practice in the nursing career, I will have the relevant knowledge and skills to fit in the expanded role of FNP. My professional goals are focused towards developing my skills and knowledge. I plan to be attending seminars and educational forums to work on my skills. I purpose to be reading nursing and healthcare journals and periodicals to stay in touch with any changes in the practices. I plan to be playing an active role in the political affairs relating to professionalism practice organizations and insightfully seek DNP. Finally, I seek to acquire an entry level to practice in a FNP position and practice in an institution where I can serve families. Reasons Why I Chose the FNP Role To begin with, FNPs (Family Nursing Practitioners) have been known t have a long history of helping patients understand their illnesses and assist them in making improvements. This role is becoming increasingly dominant, most of the nurses are going for this option.The FNP role has grown immensely since its inception, and career opportunities are not limited to the hospital setting. This role is subject to professional longevity since FNPs will play an important role in expansion of health care service provision. This role enables me to provide primary and preventive health care services. Additionally, I will prescribe medications, diagnose and treat minor illnesses within the scope of practice. Additionally, this role encourages collaboration with physicians. This helps me to serve family and patients better. There are financial benefit s accruing from this role owing to increasing marketability in the profession. Although I appreciate the pay, it is not the sole reason why I chose to advance the practice role of an FNP. How I Will Utilize FNP Training Over the Next Five Years The FNP training will be of a positive impact in my career over the next five years. This training will help me identify past and current issues in the health care sector

Comparing and Contarasting the Governments of India and Ireland Research Paper

Comparing and Contarasting the Governments of India and Ireland - Research Paper Example Ireland Like India, Republic of Ireland is a sovereign democratic state with a parliamentary form of government. The Cabinet or Executive is known as the government of the Republic of Ireland exercising executive authority in terms of the Irish constitution. The republic is also a member of the European Union. The cabinet or government of the Ireland is seated in its capital city Dublin. 2. Internal structures There are three branches of the government in both India and Ireland, the executive, the legislative and the judiciary. India The constitution provides for a federal government structure with President as the head of the executive of the union. The legislative assembly is the parliament and is the supreme governing body. According to the constitution of India adopted on 26th November 1949, the union parliament consists of a lower and an upper house called the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), respectively. The upper house is comprised of 2 50 elected members, whereas the lower house comprises a total of 550 elected members. The constitution also provides for a Council of Ministers with the prime minister as its head. The president is bound to exercise powers in accordance with the advice of the prime minister. Thus, the executive power is vested in the Council of Ministers headed by a prime minister. ... The Council of ministers along with chief minister as its head is responsible to the state legislative assembly. The seven union territories are administered centrally. Judicial system in India functions independently. The judicial branch of Indian government has a unitary system. The structure of judiciary consists of Supreme Court of India at federal level, High courts of India at the level of the state, and district and session courts in all districts within a state. The Supreme Court comprises 30 associate judges headed by a Chief Justice. These associate judges are appointed by the president on advice of the chief justice of India. The superior courts in India have the power to review laws of state not in conformity with the constitution and invalidate them. The government employs civil servants who are responsible for the implementation of government decisions. Ireland The parliament of the Ireland is called the Oireachtas. Like the Indian parliament, Oireachtas is a bicameral parliament comprised of a lower and an upper house known as the Dail Eireann and Seanad Eireann, respectively. There are 60 members in the upper house and 166 in the lower house. According to the constitution of republic of Ireland, the cabinet must be larger than 7 and smaller than 15 members. Prime minister, called Taoiseach is head of the government who is nominated by the lower house and formally appointed by the president. There is also a deputy prime minister called Tanaiste appointed from members of the government by the prime minister. According to the constitution, only two members can be appointed from the upper house, and Taoiseach, Tanaiste and Minister for Finance must be appointed from the lower house. Other members of the government are called

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Apply the SPSS in the department of academic accreditation of graduate certificates from the International Schools, Colleges and Universities - Assignment Example Over time, the definition of quality has transformed with changing perceptions among customers. Presently, in many organizations quality is defined as understanding, meeting, and surpassing customer needs and expectations (Besterfield, 2009). According to Montgomery (2005), quality is now one of the most important factors in selection of goods and services. Statistical tools are very important in quality management, they allow measurement and evaluation of performance in an organization and they are therefore regularly applied in decision support (Karuppusami and Gandhinathan, 2006). Total Quality Management tools and techniques are categorized into quantitative and non-quantitative, the quantitative tools generally consist of what is called statistical process control (SPC). SPC comprises of a number of statistical tools, usually seven, including Histograms, Pareto Charts, Process Flow Diagrams, Control Charts, Scatter Diagrams, Check Sheets and Effect Diagrams (Karuppusami and Gandhinathan, 2006). This report applies basic statistical tools of quality control in assessing the benefits of academic accreditation of graduate certificates from international schools, colleges and universities by the ministry of higher education in the Sultanate of Oman. Four main SPC tools are utilized including histograms, Pareto diagrams, scatter diagra ms, and control charts. The main objective of the report is to utilize SPC tools in assessing the efficiency of the accreditation process with the aim of improving it to meet or exceed customer needs. Histograms are special bar charts that are used to measure the frequency of occurrences (Goestch, 2005). The only difference between a bar chart and histogram is that the X-axis in a bar chart lists categories while in a Histogram it consists of a measurement scale with no gaps between the adjacent bars. Pareto diagrams

Literary Analysis of Shakespeare’s Hamlet Essay Example for Free

Literary Analysis of Shakespeare’s Hamlet Essay In the English Renaissance, identity was an important concern, particularly the construction of identity. As Stephen Greenblatt argues, there is in the early modern period a change in the intellectual, social, psychological, and aesthetic structures that govern the generation of identities that is not only complex but resolutely dialectical (1). The identity of the sovereign was of particular importance: how monarchs shaped their own identities, and how these identities affected their subjects. Taking Greenblatts argument, this paper examines the construction and manipulation of identity in Shakespeares Hamlet: in particular, the ways in which Elizabeth Is self-representations inform the play. In addition, the paper will show how the characterization of Hamlet is shaped by the rule of Elizabeth I, who controlled her public image through elaborately constructed self-representations. Reflecting her use of these representations, Hamlet, who possesses stereotypically feminine attributes, fights to recreate himself as a masculine character to recover his familys and kingdoms honor. The late Elizabethan period was filled with anxiety and dismay over the aging of Queen Elizabeth I. Concern about her impending death was only made worse by her refusal to name a successor. When Shakespeare composed Hamlet in 1600, the playwright was subject to an aging, infirm queen, who at sixty-seven had left no heirs to the English throne. In Hamlet, Shakespeare thus addresses two political problems that England faced at the beginning of the seventeenth-century: royal succession and female sovereignty. As Tennenhouse argues, History plays could not be written after Hamlet, because the whole matter of transferring power from one monarch to another had to be rethought in view of the aging body of the queen (85). The preoccupation of the English public with who would become their new ruler, along with eager anticipation of male kingship, is expressed throughout Hamlet. Although the play is not written as a political allegory, undeniable similarities do exist between aspects of Queen Elizabeth Is public persona and the character of Hamlet. Before further explaining this comparison, however, it is necessary to describe how Elizabeth I shaped her public persona. Elizabeth Is Image As head of the Anglican Church, Elizabeth I was wary to align herself in marriage with a Catholic. Accordingly, Carole Levin argues that Elizabeth I promoted the image of herself as a pristine maiden well into the middle and advanced years of her life: Elizabeth presented herself to her people as a symbol of virginity, a Virgin Queen (64). Whether political or personal, her refusal to marry was in many ways advantageous, for she avoided the disaster of Mary Is match with Phillip II. Yet it also caused a great deal of concern among the populace. As Levin observes, by not marrying, Elizabeth also refused the most obvious function of being a queen, that of bearing a child. Nor would she name a successor as Parliament begged her to do, since Elizabeth was convinced this would increase, rather than ease, both the political tension and her personal danger (66). Elizabeth Is strategy to retain political power may have prevented the usurpation of her authority by a husband, but it did cause disfavor among the English citizens, especially as she grew older without announcing an heir. Anxiety over the succession led to contempt for Elizabeth I, with many people gossiping that she did not marry because she was an unnatural woman. Levin writes, there were rumors that Elizabeth had an impediment that would prohibit regular sexual relations (86). Levin provides an example for these rumors in an excerpt of a letter from her cousin Mary Stuart: indubitably you are not like other women, and it is folly to advance the notion of your marriage with the Duke of Alencon, seeing that such a conjugal union would never be consummated (86). Others claimed that Elizabeth I had illegitimate children who were kept secret (Levin 85). These accusations indicate that English citizens, as well as family relations, perceived Elizabeth Fs prolonged maidenhood as unnatural and even monstrous. Although Elizabeth I was willing to admit to Parliament that she had spent much of her strength, she was careful to cultivate the image of herself as a young woman to the public. One important example of this method is the famous Rainbow Portrait, which Elizabeth I commissioned in approximately 1600, the same period Hamlet was written. Even though Elizabeth I was sixty-seven years old when the painting was commissioned, she appears in the painting to be a young woman (Levin). Elizabeth I created an intricate and diverse image of herself. As an unmarried monarch, she became Englands Virgin Queen. Possessing two bodies, Elizabeth I established masculine authority as Prince and as mother to her subjects. As Elizabeth I grew older, she relied on iconography to deceive the English populace into viewing her as young and vital. These diverse representations of Elizabeth I are complexly reflected in Hamlet. The similarities between Elizabeth I and Gertrude are obvious: both women are perceived as indulgent, sensuous monarchs and are criticized for attempting to act like women younger than their true ages. To Gertrude, Hamlet even states, O shame, where is thy blush? (3. 4. 91). Despite these correspondences, a more interesting analogy exists between Elizabeth I and the character of Hamlet. The paper will compare Elizabeth I, who claimed to have the heart and stomach of a king (Levin 1) with Hamlet, a prince often castigated for acting in a stereotypically feminine manner. Reflections of Elizabeth Is Constructed Identities in Hamlet One attempt by Elizabeth I to maintain her image as the Virgin Queen was a use of heavy cosmetics in an effort to make herself look younger and therefore stronger. Mullaney quotes Jesuit priest Anthony Rivers as describing Elizabeth Is makeup at some celebrations in 1600, when Hamlet was written, to be in some places near half an inch thick (147). Unfortunately for Elizabeth I, this attempt to hide the weakness of her age seems only to have exacerbated her subjects contempt for the assumed weakness of her sex. M. P. Tilley observes that during the late Elizabethan period, there was a strong feeling against a woman using cosmetics (312). Women who used cosmetics, according to popular feeling, altered their bodies, the creations of God, and were therefore not only immodest but blasphemous. According to Mullaney, women who used cosmetics considered to be false women because they created a deceptive face to replace the one given to them by God; altering their natural female appearance made them not truly women. Not only were cosmetics blasphemous and dishonest, they were physically destructive. A woman who painted her face in the Renaissance thus arguably destroyed her person in every way possible: spiritually and bodily. Hamlet displays notable disgust toward painted women, yet critics have overlooked that many of the contemporary Renaissance objections to womens use of cosmetics apply to Hamlets actions. Similar to the way that painted women used cosmetics to disguise the faces that God had given them, Hamlet puts on his antic disposition to disguise the faculties of reason which God has given him (1. 5. 192), faculties which in the Renaissance were an essential aspect of the virtuous man. Whether or not Hamlet is truly mad, he constructs a persona to dissimulate his purpose of revenge. Painted women were disparaged for poisoning their body with dangerous chemicals; Hamlet engages in a dangerous quest to avenge his father, and because of his quest for revenge, he is fatally poisoned. By assuming an antic disposition, a false face, Hamlet is physically poisoned by the bated sword of Laertes. Laertes poison destroys Hamlets body natural and symbolically disrupts the body politic, since Hamlet will be unable to rule Denmark. In addition to putting on an antic disposition, a type of face painting, Hamlet possesses other womanly attributes that would arguably have caused some anxiety. Mullaney asserts that popular opinion in the Renaissance, especially in the final years of Elizabeth Is reign, was against the rule of a female monarch. The English people had always been hesitant to accept a female queen; as Elizabeth I grew older and more infirm, their tolerance for being ruled by a woman diminished. Mullaney further argues that this intolerance was a part of the English subjects realization that Elizabeth I was feeble and politically weakening: for the Renaissance misogyny may in fact be an integral part of the mourning process when the lost object or ideal being processed is a woman, especially but not exclusively when that woman is a queen of England, too (140). As the English publics grief for the decline of their queens strength increased, so too did their contempt for her bodily weakness and inability to govern effectively. Reflecting anxiety about Elizabeths I old age and infirmity, Hamlet displays a stereotypically feminine quality that makes him problematic as heir to the Danish throne. Early in the play, Claudius chides Hamlet for his unmanly grief concerning the passing of his father (1. 2. 98). Elaine Showalter claims that Hamlets emotional vulnerability can readily be conceptualized as feminine (223). Discussing Hamlets creation of a mad persona, Carol Thomas Neely also lists passivity and loss of control among Hamlets feminine attributes during his period of madness (326). Hamlets emotional vulnerability and passivity, when considered in the politically-charged atmosphere of the late Elizabethan period, can even be seen as his downfall. Mullaney, quoting Tennenhouse, argues that Hamlet is a play keenly aware of its late Elizabethan status, in which the impending transfer of power from one monarch to another had to be rethought in view of the aging body of the queen' (149). He goes on to view Hamlet as inhabiting a male-constructed world. Mullaney asserts that like other Shakespearean males, Hamlet achieves a partial if suicidal resolution of the contradictions of patriarchy by constructing a world that is not so much gendered as free from gender differentiation—a world that is all male (158). It is believable that Hamlets true problem is actually the opposite—his world is too female, or rather feminine. Despite the small number of females in the play, Hamlet presents a feminine character in a male body, a twisted reflection of Elizabeth I, who claimed to have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but the heart and stomach of a king (Levin 1). Hamlet possesses the body of a prince, but the heart and stomach of a woman: a fusion which was particularly problematic in the misogynistic environment that prevailed during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. As a feminine character in the body of a male, particularly one who, as Claudius observes, is most immediate to the throne (1. 2. 113), Hamlet cannot be allowed to survive and assume the throne. His death, as well as the passage of the Danish monarchy to the quintessential warrior figure, Fortinbras, reflects the transition of the throne from Elizabeth I to James I. James Is ascension to the English throne alleviated some anxiety of female sovereignty, although his reign showed his peevish, cowardly, and self-indulgent disposition. When Hamlet puts on an antic disposition, crafting himself as mad, he evinces natural traits that are usually associated with feminine weakness. Hamlet is beset with passivity and indecision, two qualities often ascribed to women in the Renaissance (Woodbridge 275-99). Passivity and indecision impede and nearly thwart his quest to obey his fathers demand for revenge. Davis D. McElroy claims that Hamlet, in addition to considering the ghosts exhortation to avenge him, contemplates taking no action at all. McElroy examines the opening five lines of the to be or not to be soliloquy: To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether is nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing, end them. (3. 1. 64-8) McElroy alleges that these lines, which are generally believed to be Hamlets argument regarding suicide, constitute a different deliberation on revenge: killing Claudius, as the alleged ghost of his father demands, or taking no action at all—a more cowardly decision, certainly, but definitely safer. McElroy compares the two options by examining the rhetoric of chiasmus—claiming that to be refers to taking arms against Claudius and not to be refers to suffering outrageous fortune. He argues that the speech pertains more reasonably to revenge than suicide because killing oneself is more like avoiding ones troubles than opposing them (544). It can be posited that Hamlets indecision concerning his vow to avenge his father parallels Elizabeth Fs refusal to name an heir. As Tennenhouse observes, Where Claudius would be second to Hamlet and Hamlets line in a patrilineal system, the queens husband and uncle of the kings son occupies the privileged male position in a matrilineal system.. . It is to be expected that Claudius could not legally possess the crown, the matrilinear succession having the weaker claim on British political thinking. (89) Hamlets duty is not merely to uphold his promise of vengeance. He also has an obligation to his country to see Claudius removed from the throne and Hamlet, the rightful ruler in patrilineal succession, put in his place. When Hamlet contemplates neglecting this obligation, he endangers the succession to the Danish throne in much the same way that Elizabeth Is secrecy concerning her own succession endangers England. Arguably, Hamlet fails in his responsibility to protect the Danish succession: after Hamlets death, Fortinbras, a Norwegian, assumes the throne. Although Fortinbras is a better candidate than the corrupt Claudius, he is a member of Norways royal line, not Denmarks. Elizabeth Is refusal to marry consigns England to a similar fate regarding kingship and royal lines. James I is a member of the British royal family, but he is a Stuart, not a Tudor. As the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I secures her own power by refusing to name a successor during her lifetime, but she allows her familial line to die with her. Elizabeth I also protected her political authority by crafting several personas. As seen in the Rainbow Portrait, she took liberally from mythological figures, such as Astraea, Flora, and Diana. Just as Elizabeth I appropriated the appearance and femininity of goddesses, Hamlet appropriates the masculine authority he observes in Fortinbras. Hamlet attempts to construct a persona that goes beyond an antic disposition, wanting to fashion himself as a strong son and leader of Denmark. After hearing of Fortinbrass plan to attack a desolate stretch of Poland, Hamlet resolves to emulate the militant Fortinbras by fashioning himself as a bloody avenger: How stand I, then, That have a father killed, a mother stained, Excitements of my reason and my blood, And let all sleep O, from this time forth My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth! (4. 4. 59-62, 68-9) Although Hamlet desires to construct himself as an aggressive and violent fighter, he is never able to attain Fortinbrass forcefulness. Hamlets passivity here shows weakness and debility, not qualities appropriate in a military leader or a monarch. Although Hamlet attempts to assume the masculinity of Fortinbras, shaping himself as a potent agent of revenge, Hamlets attempted emulation of Fortinbrass masculinity is merely another false front. Hamlet recognizes his own passivity, but however much he tries to counter and suppress it, his femininity is too firmly a part of his personality for him to overcome it completely. Even though Hamlet seeks to avenge his fathers murder, he is unable to kill Claudius in Act three, scene three. Hamlet decides not to kill Claudius at his attempted prayer, and he thus does not do what he has resolved to do. At this point in the play, the audience sees a fluid character, one who first fashions himself as mad, then earnestly attempts to mold himself like the soldier Fortinbras. However much Hamlet views himself as mutable, he cannot override his passive nature. Hamlet attempts to put on Fortinbrass masculine disposition after killing Polonius and assuring the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, yet even after returning from his voyage to England, Hamlet is caught in his feminine passivity. Despite his earlier resolve that his thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth (4. 4. 69), Hamlet makes no move against Claudius. He walks with Horatio in the graveyard, where he learns of Ophelias death (5. 1. 253), and he attacks Laertes at her gravesite (5. 1. 273), but he still clings to his false antic disposition. Gertrude calls his behavior mere madness and compares Hamlet to a female dove (5. 1. 302, 304). Hamlets shock and grief at learning about Ophelias death could excuse his distraction from attacking Claudius, but Hamlet delays his task too long. By waiting for Laertes challenge instead of choosing his own time to confront Claudius, Hamlet is forced to fight on the treacherous kings terms and dies at the tip of Laertes poisoned sword. Hamlets struggle mirrors the rule of Elizabeth I, who controlled her public image through elaborately constructed personas. Similar to Hamlet, Elizabeth I attempted to disguise or suppress her feminine weakness. She proclaimed that she possessed a masculine body politic despite her female body natural. Elizabeth I maintained supremacy throughout her reign—no easy task for a woman in the Renaissance—yet her refusal to marry and produce heirs ended the Tudor line of succession. Hamlets plight reflects the anxiety experienced by many English subjects as Elizabeth I grew older with no children to succeed her: as Elizabeth I aged, the question of the sovereigns role or representation to provide for the common welfare became increasingly critical. The Queen was still a mere woman, even though she had the heart and stomach of a king (Levin 1). Equally, Hamlet strives to create a public persona that corresponds with the masculine strength of Fortinbras, but he ultimately succumbs to feminine passivity, even though he is a prince. Conclusion Hamlet reflects the anxiety of many of Elizabeth Is subjects concerning the strength of their Queen and the succession of the monarchy. With no husband and no heir to the throne, the political security of the country was at stake. Furthermore, many citizens were concerned with Elizabeth Is aging body and her undignified attempts to appear younger. This concern developed in many cases into contempt for Elizabeth Is deceptive manipulations of her image. Hamlet has many feminine characteristics that, especially in the climate of Elizabeth Is decline, make him unsuitable as a ruler or potential king. Although he is not naturally suited to the masculine requirements of kingship, Hamlet strives to overcome his feminine nature in order to reinstate the honor and dignity of his family and kingdom. Although he accomplishes this end, his femininity delays him until he is betrayed by Claudius treachery. Hamlet removes Claudius from the throne, but at the cost of many lives, and the Danish monarchy passes to a Norwegian ruler. Like Elizabeth I, Hamlet tries to recreate his identity to gain needed respect and authority, but ultimately fails to protect his fathers line of succession. In Hamlet, readers can surmise some of the feelings Shakespeare may have experienced in the growing misogyny that permeated the final years of Elizabeth Is reign. Like Hamlet, Elizabeth I was not without flaws, and her subjects came to resent her for these weaknesses, anticipating the advent of a more powerful—and masculine—monarch. As Shakespeare demonstrates with Hamlets poignant death and with Fortinbrass triumph, a stronger, more manful monarch is not necessarily a more admirable or worthy one. Works Cited Greenblatt, Stephen. Renaissance Self-Fashioning: From More to Shakespeare. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1980. Levin, Carole. The Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania P, 1994. McElroy, Davis D. To Be, or Not to Be—Is That the Question? College English 25. 7 (1964): 543-545. Mullaney, Steven. Mourning and Misogyny: Hamlet, The Revengers Tragedy, and the Final Progress of Elizabeth I, 1600-1607. Shakespeare Quarterly 45. 2 (1994): 139-62. Neely, Carol Thomas. Documents in Madness: Reading Madness and Gender in Shakespeares Tragedies and Early Modern Culture. Shakespeare Quarterly 42. 3 (1991): 315-38. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Eds. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square P, 1992. Showaiter, Elaine. Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness, and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism. Hamlet: Complete, Authoritative Text with Biographical and Historical Contexts, Critical History, and Essays from Five Contemporary Critical Perspectives. Ed. Susanne L. Wofford. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martins Press, 1994. Tennenhouse, Leonard. Power on Display: The Politics of Shakespeares Genres. New York: Methuen, 1986. Tilley, M. P, I Have Heard of Your Paintings Too. (Hamlet III, i, 148). The Review of English Studies 5. 19 (1929): 312-17