Friday, September 4, 2020

Greek Grave Steles essays

Greek Grave Steles papers The gateways to everlasting status Greek Grave Steles To us who live in present day times the melancholic look that we find in the figure of burial grounds all through the world is something we underestimate. Despite the fact that its validness has been lost to us, this alleged look can be followed back to fifth century Greek funerary figure. For us it is just normal to connect such a look with death. In any case, as the above section explains, the Greeks saw demise to some degree uniquely in contrast to the manner in which we do. To them passing liberated their spirits and brought genuine satisfaction: at that point for what reason does their grave model look so meditative and mindful? It is on the grounds that not at all like today where the dead are just spoken to metaphorically in a crying holy messenger or distressed seraph, the Greeks delineated their dead as they were throughout everyday life - life which was brimming with vulnerabilities and weights yet in addition with straightforward delights that made everything worth while. The Greeks effectively consolidated these two compared encounters, and orchestrated its logical inconsistencies to depict in steles the person, whose simplicities and difficulties was an impression of the unpleasant pleasantness of life. No where is this mix more fruitful than in the Greek grave stele of the fifth century before Christ. The fifth B.C. included two unmistakable periods: the early traditional and the high old style. Anyway both these periods shared the exceptionally repudiating, continually explorative, and unobtrusively optimistic vision of life, which made the subjects of the stele, at their snapshot of death, even more human to the eyewitness. Neither the past Archaic period, nor the accompanying fourth century, or the previous civic establishments so convincingly catch for the spectator the impact of death the way a fifth century BC stele could. The time of the fifth century B.C. is once in a while referrd to as the brilliant age, which is the stature for Greek workmanship and developments; and incidentally has its start and closure in war! ... <!

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Case Study of Beit Misk The Effect of Bigness Example For Students

Contextual analysis of Beit Misk: The Effect of Bigness Diagram Introduction: Area - Description - Issue Body: - Foreign contributing - Imaginary Monetary qualities - Branding - Public infinites - Natural danger - Insecurity Choice: - The outcome of enormity BeitMisk, is the 1 of the most praised private endeavors in Lebanon that is arranged in Atshaneh, Metn, in Mount Lebanon and a 10 proceedingss from the focal point of the capital, covering around 655,000 sqm and aggregate of USD 1,000,000,000 in whole expenses. BeitMisk will hold stop 1,800 units split into pads and Villas alongside stores and retail units. It will other than utilizes â€Å"green† designs all through the endeavor, while giving for its resident’s the absolute most exceptional engineerings, accordingly doing it as a â€Å"smart† undertaking, blending to worldwide models. In any case, the of import request is the reason do we require such an endeavor with huge contributing and does it really hold a section to it’s the milieus and to the state? Remote INVESTMENT The BLF ( Banque Libano-Francaise ) territories: â€Å"The undertaking joins the more than 41 percent of the whole estimation of Arab possessions endeavors in Lebanon that originated from UAE investings in 2008, blending to the Inter-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation one-year study. BeitMisk adds to $ 1bn UAE investings in Lebanon. Any endeavor that is supported from an outside state may do a hazard to Lebanon.† ( BLF,2011 ) Foreigners buying bundles, metropoliss like Misk is viewed as that non only puting yet having a city. However, it is a neglecting to our ain specialists non helping to financing this kind of endeavors and square outsiders. Envision there are 100s of endeavors like Misk. They will have the state. Defamation BeitMisk, plays other than an of import partition in trashing and promotion ( trust sweet spot ) , makes motivation through countrywide. Georges Abou Jaoude, Renaissance Holdings, the owners of the endeavor stated: We accept that the accomplishment of this marking venture will loan extraordinarily in continuous countrywide endeavors to uplift Brand Lebanon among outside financial specialists from the UAE and past, ( Georges Abou Jaoude,2010 ) However, Beitmisk has no connection with Lebanese progress and legacy, it doesn’t characterize as Lebanese. Furthermore, marking for what? For a level that you can neer manage. However these disparagements mark non local people yet outsiders. What's more, it doesn’t have certain bit that is assigned for low salaries buyers and the greater part of the populaces live in need. IMAGENARY Monetary qualities â€Å"If this is a humble community it ought to be minimal effort, individual state me what amount does a house there cost? † ( unknown,2012 ) Abou Jaoude, leader of Beitmisk said that: â€Å"I recognized that the ascent in the money related estimations of belongingss has decreased the appetency of Lebanese to buy existent domain and pads contrasted with old mature ages. The Lebanese can no longer get by with lifting existent domain money related qualities. The money related estimation of land had risen alarmingly and to the degree that it has thought about the estimation of pads and for this ground the market can no longer process this , † he said. In his notion, the Lebanese have started to modify old wonts acquired by their folks and grandparents when it came to buying a level. â€Å"In the old yearss, numerous Lebanese used to buy a spot in the city and rent a house in the mountains in the late spring. The beneficial thing about Beit Misk is that a family unit can pass the late spring and winter in the part because of its propinquity to Beirut and reasonable tallness, † he said. ( Abou Jaoude, 2012 ) If it is non minimal effort, for what reason would you build such an endeavor? What Mr. Abou Jouade said does non answer to the request. On the off chance that it is the solitary topographic point for holidaying ( like rents and chalets ) , there are other topographic focuses which are less expensive and I imagine that most guardians will non rent such mixes for their children. UTILITY SALVATION( utilized other than as defamation ) The Epidemiology Of Tuberculosis ( Tb ) EssayIn choice, Beitmisk is someway a hazard to Lebanon. Much the same as some other enormous and city graduated table endeavors, especially in the event that they are private endeavors or even most exceedingly terrible if the outsider have other than placed their authorities in to it. We ought to be extremely cautious and dissect progressively about these sort endeavors ( Like promenades ) . I comprehend individuals who need to contributing or buy terrains and develop solid dividers and sell them for net gain yet outsiders come and buy them. Potentially the specialists should think about these sorts of hazards. Little people should make little endeavors like structure an individual house and the specialists takes consideration of open infinites. Refrences hypertext move convention:/lb.linkedin.com/bar/george-zard-abou-jaoude/68/5b2/1aa hypertext move convention:/www.eblf.com/en/News-Banque-Libano-Francaise-is-financing-Beit-Misk # sthash.qnSLHbBE.dpuf hypertext move convention:/www.eblf.com/en/News-Banque-Libano-Francaise-is-financing-Beit-Misk hypertext move convention:/www.lebanonwire.com/0908MLN/09081022PR.asp hypertext move convention:/blogbaladi.com/hayda-or-haydi-beit-misk/ hypertext move convention:/brofession hypertext move convention:/www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Local/2014/Nov-12/277267-beit-misks-1-billion-megaproject-on-track.ashx # sthash.aW7gknHk.dpuf hypertext move convention:/www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Local/2014/Nov-12/277267-beit-misks-1-billion-megaproject-on-track.ashx alreview.com/2012/04/09/beit-misk-at long last utilizes publicizing/! hypertext move convention:/www.kataeb.org/en/news/subtleties/422200/Former+Adviser+to+Saudi+King+drugged, +kidnapped..++I+slept+in+Beit+Misk+and+woke+up+in+a+barn hypertext move convention:/yalibnan.com/2014/05/25/hezbollah-boss shows up television talk-opposition/n? 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Saturday, August 22, 2020

Niger Delta Conflict On The Nigerian Economy Politics Essay

Niger Delta Conflict On The Nigerian Economy Politics Essay The goal of this Chapter is to give a foundation to the examination. This incorporates the ramifications of the Niger-Delta (ND) struggle on the Nigerian economy, the beginning of pardon arrangement, the goal of the examination, inquire about inquiries, philosophy just as extension and restrictions to the investigation. Foundation to the Study The centrality of the Niger-Delta Region to Nigerias economy is unquestionable. This is on the grounds that it creates the oil that directly continued the economy. Shockingly, in any case, in the course of the most recent decades, it has gotten a middle for rough fights with damaging outcomes on the Nigerian economy and socio-political steadiness just as the undulated impact over the worldwide. For example, government measurements have demonstrated that in 2005, Crude oil creation has tumbled from 2.7million barrels every day (mbpd) to 2.4mbpd in this manner indicating a deficiency of 0.3mbpd in unrefined petroleum creation. On the income side, around the same time, the anticipated income of N1.63trillion was overhauled descending to N1.4trillion because of deficit in raw petroleum creation (2006 FGN Budget Speech). So also, in 2006 expected income into the Federation Account fell by N570 billion because of loss of 600,000bpd (2007 FGN Budget Speech). In 2007, the anticipated income was short to the tune of N796billion because of disturbance of raw petroleum creation in the Niger-Delta area (2008 FGN Budget Speech). In 2008, unrefined petroleum creation was anticipated at around 2.45mbpd yet just 2.00mbpd was accomplished additionally because of disturbance of creation (2009 FGN Budget Speech). In 2009, unrefined petroleum income projection fell by 17% because of interruption underway just as fall in raw petroleum cost at the global market (2010 FGN Budget Speech). Another pointer to the bleak idea of the Nigerian economy was the utilization of the Excess Revenue Account (ERA) from year 2006 consistently, with the exception of in some not many cases, to enlarge the month to month dispensing of income from the Federation Account. For example, over N733.81bn and N795.41bn were pulled back from the ERA to enlarge spending consumption for the three levels of government in 2007 and 2008 individually (CBN, Annual Report, 2008). The contention has been accused on the countries lopsidedness political structure; long stretches of ecological contamination because of oil investigation and extraction exercises; infrastructural disregard and interest for bigger portion of income from unrefined petroleum deals (Omeje, 2006). In any case, conspicuously, throughout the decades, government have utilized carrots and sticks approaches both to pressure and mollify the individuals of the Niger-Delta Region. While the past measures have had some critical effects in certain regards, there are repeating echoes of alarm from the district. Among the past endeavors were the production of the Niger-Delta Development Board (NDDB), Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Derivation Principle (from 1% to 13%) and the foundation of Niger-Delta Ministry in 2008. Fisher-Thompson (2010) composing for the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Branch of State saw that the way to Nigerias financial advancement is strength in the Niger River Delta, where the greater part of the countrys oil and petroleum gas is created and where a seething militancy and damage of creation offices compromise progress for the districts 30million inhabitants. Therefore perceiving the tremendous possibilities of Niger-Delta for the country everywhere, the late President YarAdua, for instance, said it is silly to believe that power could be created and transmitted on a feasible premise in Nigeria if goals of the Niger-Delta question remains actually or allegorically in the pipelines (Adeniyi, 2010), Similarly, the Technical Committee on the Niger-Delta (TCND, 2008), noticed that President YarAdua perceived the vital significance of the Region as the fundamental wellspring of Nigerias remote income by making the Niger-Delta issue one of the 7-Point program of the organization. Along these lines, absolution was conceded to the activists in the Niger-Delta area of Nigeria in June 2009, by late President YarAdua to alleviate the pestering militancy in the locale. There is, in any case, barely any investigation right now that have made any valuable endeavor to break down the effect of the acquittal program on the countries raw petroleum creation just as income stream into the Federation Account with the exception of the spotted papers cuts and other dispersed authority reports. Likewise, for what it's worth with most novel methodologies, the acquittal program has been welcomed with bunches of doubt as its possible effect of reestablishing harmony and improved raw petroleum creation and stream of income into the Federation Account probably won't be accomplished. Likewise, as a topical issue in Nigeria, which feasibility is addressed, it gives the inspiration and enthusiasm to scrutinize government records so as to give a superior image of the circumstance. Moreso, as a staff of Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), an office of government that is naturally accused of the capacity of observing income gatherings into and payment from the Federation Account, added more catalyst to the subject of the examination. Henceforth, this examination is an endeavor to assemble official records just as different sources so as to give a fundamental effect of the acquittal program on unrefined petroleum creation and income into Federation Account. Targets In this examination, the mission isn't to talk about the absolution program or to harp on the oil failure in Nigeria, yet to relate the acquittal program to a portion of the normal advantages, which are explicitly interconnected with improved unrefined petroleum creation and stream of oil income into the Federation Account. As it were, the essential point of this examination is to see if the acknowledgment of absolution by the aggressors in the Niger-Delta has any huge effect on unrefined petroleum creation yield and stream of oil income into the Federation Account. RESEARCH QUESTIONS This exploration would especially endeavor to respond to the accompanying examination questions: What exactly degree has the allowing of acquittal as a system to oversee asset struggle in the Niger-Delta district adds to improved unrefined petroleum creation? What is the impact of the pardon on the progression of income into the Federation Account (Common Pool) from the oil segment? How does the pardon program sway on the Nigerias financial federalism? Strategy Jankowicz, (1995) has characterized strategy as a methodical and efficient methodology taken towards the assortment of information with the goal that data can be acquired from those information. This exploration receives a subjective methodology, which has been depicted as an abstract record that one creates by getting inside circumstances and including oneself in the regular progression of life (Gill and Johnson, 2005:89). In Strauss and Corbin (1990:17) Qualitative Research is any sort of research that produces discoveries not showed up at by methods for measurable strategies or different methods for measurement. The target of utilizing this methodology is to have the option to reach inference from the exploration question with respect to whether there was an expansion in raw petroleum creation just as income stream into Federation Account because of the pardon conceded to the activists. This examination utilizes auxiliary information assortment approach. The information of raw petroleum creation measurements and income inflow were sourced from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Federation Account Allocation Committee Files (FAAC) and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). In spite of, their deficiencies, the validity of information from these organizations isn't in question on the grounds that no some other office can give such information inside and outside Nigeria without alluding to them as source. The information gathered were assessed utilizing a straightforward information review strategy which is an examination between genuine encounter and counterfactual situations. This kind of procedure is involved three techniques specifically; with versus without, before versus after and target versus genuine. This strategy is fundamentally used to break down the impacts of projects and execution (Douangboupha, 2004). This exploration embraced the when strategy since it give the premise wherein correlation is done between raw petroleum creation and income stream into Federation Account when the absolution has been allowed. The before versus after technique is utilized to contrast execution of another strategy and what was before the change. This methodology as a rule shows what occurred and not why it occurred. In any case, this drew closer is censured on the way that it overlooks other outer variables that can impact it result (Douangboupha, 2004). Extent OF THE RESEARCH The extent of this exploration is to inspect unrefined petroleum and income information from January 2009 May 2010. Essentially, the examination would not be keen on taking a gander at the acquittal program when all is said in done. Section Two Writing REVIEW Presentation The primary target of this Chapter is to basically audit writing from assortment of viewpoints on the causation and the board of contention with connections to normal assets instigated clashes. Survey of Literature Struggle is a catastrophe and obstacle to advancement (Collier and Hoeffler, 2000). Struggle is an interference of advancement as no improvement undertaking will ever occur in a condition of contention. Obviously, this has been recognized by late President YarAdua that contention is compromising harmony, security, request and great administration and risking the economy of the country (YarAdua, 2009). Struggle has been characterized by Burton (1990) as those practices of people or gatherings that go past difference that cause genuine injury to physical, security and future advancement of people, gatherings and countries. As

Classic George Orwell Quotes

Exemplary George Orwell Quotes George Orwell is one of the most well known journalists of his time. He is maybe most popular for his questionable novel, 1984, a tragic story where language and truth are debased. He additionally composed Animal Farm, an enemy of Soviet tale where the animals rebel against the people. An incredible author and a genuine ace of words, Orwell is additionally known for some brilliant platitudes. While you may definitely know his books, here is an assortment of statements by the writer that you ought to likewise know. Extending from grave to amusing, from dull to hopeful, these George Orwell cites give a feeling of his thoughts on religion, war, governmental issues, composing, enterprises, and society on the loose. By understanding Orwells feelings, maybe perusers will have the option to all the more likely read his works.â On Freedom Opportunity is the option to mention to individuals what they would prefer not to hear. I once in a while feel that the cost of freedom isn't so much unceasing cautiousness as endless earth. Talking Politics Presently political discourse and composing are to a great extent the barrier of the weak. In our age, there is nothing of the sort as keeping out of legislative issues. All issues are policy centered issues, and governmental issues itself is a mass of falsehoods, avoidances, habit, scorn and schizophrenia. In the midst of all inclusive double dealing, coming clean turns into a progressive demonstration. Jokes A grimy joke is a kind of mental defiance. As I compose, profoundly humanized individuals are flying overhead, attempting to execute me. On War War is a method of breaking to pieces... materials which may some way or another be utilized to make the majority excessively agreeable and... excessively savvy. On Hubris A heartbreaking circumstance exists accurately when righteousness doesn't triumph however when it is still felt that man is nobler than the powers which pulverize him. On Advertisements Publicizing is the shaking of a stick inside a gulp container. Foodie Talk We may discover over the long haul that tinned food is a deadlier weapon than the automatic rifle. On Religion Humankind isn't probably going to rescue progress except if he can develop an arrangement of good and wickedness which is free of paradise and damnation. Other Wise Adviceâ The vast majority get a considerable lot of fun out of their lives, however on balance life is enduring, and just the exceptionally youthful or the stupid envision in any case. Legends which are had faith in will in general become valid. Progress isn't a dream, it occurs, however it is moderate and constantly disillusioning.

Friday, August 21, 2020

buy custom Operations and Technology Management essay

purchase custom Operations and Technology Management paper Slack et al. (2008, p. 2) state that tasks and procedure the board is the activity taken to deal with the procedures and assets that produce administrations and items. Associations have an activities work since they produce an administrations or items. Procedures are overseen through various methodologies utilizing any of the four activity Vs: assortment, perceivability, volume and variety, as identified with the different administrations and items delivered by a business association. High perceivability/variety/assortment/volume strategies and procedures require the executives in an unmistakable manner, utilizing various individuals and innovation to structure and build up an alternate way to deal with low volume techniques. Tasks technique is the framework of activities and choices that shape the enduring destinations, vision and capacities of the activity and its part to the general business system. This exposition examines how the successful administration of activities adds to a n upper hand in Ericsson Company. Ericsson is an organization from Sweden that partakes in the media transmission industry. Its tasks additionally include information correspondence frameworks and the administration of comparative administrations identified with media transmission. In the ongoing past, tasks in the media transmission industry have gotten a premise of upper hand. Media transmission industry administrators are looking for execution destinations like speed, cost, adaptability, quality, and trustworthiness. With the ever-expanding hugeness of activity, the media transmission administrators have started searching for outer providers to amplify their tasks. Ericsson Company understood this dynamic pattern and set up their oversaw administration office which offers activity structure and HR to Telco administrators (Meurling and Jeans 2000). The DU is a telecom administrator situated in Dubai and redistributing its business to Ericsson. DU works in the accompanying levels. Initially, there is a front-level activity group that screens the whole system. Furthermore, there is an activity group at the following level for dealing with the issue of the system and grievances from the clients. This level works with a nearby connect to the business and showcasing. The third level establishes the managemet group for managing and booking any changes. The fourth level comprises a group that manages the presentation of the system. Through this, Ericsson has realized a noteworthy contrast and, following the redistributing of DU, has earned a ton of benefit and income in the Middle East locale. This is exceptionally intelligent of the way in which activity has contributed in this achievement. After Ericsson took up oversaw tasks and administrations, there were a lot of issues that were acknowledged in the system. In this manner, the initial step was to address these issues. Next, Ericsson acclimated to best practices through adjustment of the activity procedure and apparatuses. Robotized contents were created in 2010 to set up proactive proportions of observing the system and yield insights of assessing the market dependent on advancements for advertising to contemplate patterns. In like manner, the arranging group applied these measurements to make arrangements concerning the system. The tasks of Ericsson have set up the in-house MSTOP device established on all inclusive utilized Enhanced Telecom Operations Map (eTOM). The instrument can be utilized for forms established on the 4Vs, connection in the midst of different groups in the activity, administration level accords, advancing quality, execution and speed inside a given timespan lastly in a heightening way. With the use of Slack et al. (2008) activity the executives techniques, the activity for DU by Ericsson is transforming from the third stage to the fourth stage. It isn't totally at the fourth stage, however is taking up the fourth stage. Regarding both the interior and outside end-use and the main stage, the vast majority of the issues concerning the outer client are tended to in the imparted time which adds up to clients that are fulfilled. Furthermore, regular gatherings with inward client are being directed to upgrade execution. Moreover, the activity group has gone past responsive measures to adopting up proactive strategies. No different, there are various clashes which get stretched out because of issues between offices. In the subsequent stage, considering activity practice on outer lack of bias, Ericsson builds up best business and activity rehearses. Ericsson has esstablished MSTOP found on eTOM cost that utilizations best practices dependent on execution observing. Changes in the system and their administration, the readiness of all procedures are lined up with the technique of the business. This expands the key effect and capacities of activity. Such best strategic approaches have offered a reasonable favorable position to the DU over its rival, Etisalat, and simultaneously increased over 40 percent of the offer in the market, which shows that the best practice is more significant than the contenders. No different, activity isn't assuming up liability for rebuilding desire and abilities of the whole gracefully arrange (Meurling and Jeans 2000). Associations with serious methodology and the third stage about the idea of being inside steady is another degree of activity. Quality is a significant angle to DU. The objective by the top administration is to build the pace of maintenance and simultaneously decline the pace of agitate. The beat rate is the rate at which the client of DU leaves DU. Activities are vital in this sense. The protests of the clients are altogether tended to. The fulfillment of the client is equivalent to the speed through which the activities group will give an answer. An exertion was made in limiting courses of events for fathoming these issues, assessment of the adjustments in the system and the usage of the progressions that increase the value of the system. Therefore, those undertakings have made activity supportive to the business inside activity and procedure, while practically forming the serious system. There is likewise a striking development in the activity at the fourth stage which is additionally remotely strong. Activity in DU takes up a proactive structure. The advancements are extremely noteworthy to the serious methodology. The proactive arrangement in 2010 obviously demonstrated a creative and proactive activity. In any case, activity is as yet not included completely in changing altogether the principles of the game and, despite the fact that activity is significant for the serious technique, it doesn't make it. No different, compelling administration of tasks adds to an upper hand in Ericsson Company. Purchase custom Operations and Technology Management paper

Friday, August 7, 2020

9 Tips to Reduce Employee Theft

9 Tips to Reduce Employee Theft © Shutterstock.com | BoBaa22You probably don’t know it yet, but one or more of your employees may be stealing from you.I know what you are thinking: You are a nice person who pays them their dues in full and on time. They certainly must be feeling indebted to you because you are such a nice person.Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s not the case. This employee may not show it, but he thinks that you are kind of a jerk. He feels overworked and underpaid. He can also swear that you don’t treat him with as the respect as he deserves. He believes that the only way of getting back at you is stealing small unnoticeable items.Don’t believe the smiles. You have a problem.Employees and workers are deemed to be the most important assets of any company or organization. You may have machines and equipment for the manufacturing processes in your company, but at the end of the day, these machines and equipment will not run or function without human input. Most companies these days greatly rely on systems for much of their operations, but you can’t deny the fact that systems are created by people, ran by people, and also maintained by people. That’s why it is safe to say that companies cannot exist, much less succeed without their employees.Unfortunately, this will also tend to pull the blinds on the eyes of your company’s management. Your recognition of the importance and contributions of your employees tends to make you lenient and, often, deliberately oblivious to employees’ bad behavior.However, there are certain lines that must not be crossed. When your employees’ actions have direct negative effects on your company’s profitability, management has to pay attention and act accordingly. If, for example, a tiff between two employees is starting to cause discomfort in the workplace, there is a need to step in and fix things. If productivity is clearly suffering due to improper behavior and actions, corrective steps must be taken before things get worse.D isagreements, conflicts, and lack of motivation are some of the things that can easily be addressed by you as a manager using a heart-to-heart talk or a series of counseling sessions. But what if the problem is something so grave that it constitutes an actual crime? Like “employee theft”, for instance?SOME HARD TRUTHS ABOUT EMPLOYEE THEFTJust as the phrase implies, employee theft refers to the act of stealing or pilfering by an employee in the workplace. But before we can delve fully into the concept of employee theft, here are some hard and dirty truths about employee theft that will drive home exactly how serious a problem it is.For starters, according to the 2015 report of the Global Retail Theft Barometer, United States retailers clock in losses amounting to around $42 billion in a year, losses that can be blamed primarily on shoplifting and vanishing merchandise due to dishonest employees or, to be more precise, employee theft. Of that total amount, 43% or a little more tha n $18 billion can be traced to employee theft.If you ask the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, you’ll be surprised to learn that the annual losses due to employee dishonesty and employee theft averages $50 billion. And this is something that can happen to practically any company â€" no matter the size or industry. Other statistics include:75% of all employees commit theft at least once and that’s not the scariest bit about it. The sad bit is that half of them (or 37.5% of all employees) make a habit of it.One out of every three businesses that fail can directly trace the result of the failure to employee theft. This is because it is among the big reasons for the business to incur losses and eventually causing it to close shop.75% of all employee-related crimes go unnoticed and, therefore, unpunished. The dishonest employees end up getting away with the crime. That means that only one out of every four crimes is discovered.The American Society of Employers, on the other hand, has its own statistics to share. Here are some of them.There is a great deal of awareness among employees that theft is taking place among their ranks. In fact, it is estimated that 20% of employees are aware of employee theft happening right under their noses. Now whether they are doing something about it or not is something that we can’t be entirely sure of.More than half of the employees committing theft are holding supervisory positions. 55% of confirmed employees stealing from their employers are managers.It takes employers an average of 18 months or a year and a half to apprehend a dishonest employee. That is quite a long time, allowing the employee to amass large amounts. Worst case scenario: by the time the fraud scheme or thievery is discovered, it would have already been too late, as the dishonest employee may have already resigned from the company, taking his loot along with him, with no hope of the stolen assets being recovered in full.These findings somehow agree with the genera lizations that can be made from the results of the 28th Annual Theft Survey conducted by Jack L. Hayes International for 2015. Some highlights of the Survey are:There was a 1% increase in apprehensions of dishonest employees, with 75,947 employees apprehended in 2015. One can easily make a loose connection between the number of apprehensions and the rate of employee thefts. The mere fact that there was a rise in the number of dishonest employees that were caught, is already a cause for alarm, since it may also indicate a corresponding increase in the rate and frequency of employee theft being committed.In a study involving close to 3 million employees, it turned out that one out of every 38 employees was apprehended or caught by the employer in the act of stealing employer or company property. Now think about a medium to large company, with hundreds or even thousands of employees. This statistic just increased the likelihood of bigger companies having more thieves among their employ ees and that means more loses from employee theft.In 2015 alone, the amount recovered from the apprehended employees amounted to a little over $55 million. Worse, this is even under the assumption that not all properties or assets stolen by the apprehended employees were recovered. Now compare that with the annual loss of $42 billion, and we’re talking about a recoverable amount that less than 0.2%.WHAT IS EMPLOYEE THEFT?Now let us head straight to the core of this discussion, which is Employee Theft.Any stealing, abuse or misuse of the assets of an employer or business by an employee for personal reasons is “employee theft”. We’re not just talking about the employee you’ve assigned to the cash till or cash register pocketing some cash at the end of the day, because employee theft pretty much covers the theft of assets, not just monetary assets.Cash or money. This is the most obvious and most common asset stolen by employees. In fact, when we hear about stealing or theft, we’ll immediately think of someone grabbing someone else’s cash or money.Supplies and properties. Bringing home reams of stationery paper or boxes of pens from the supplies inventory at the office qualifies as employee theft. The same is true when an employee decides to take an office computer or laptop home and claim it as his own, without permission or an intention of bringing it back.Merchandise or Goods. If you have ever run a retail company, you must have experienced this. It involves merchandise or goods vanishing, thanks to employees’ quick hands.The object of thieving by employees is not limited to tangible items, since there are also assets of an intangible nature that can also be stolen from your company.Time. Time is one of the most important resources in business, your employees are being paid for every second of their time at work. Therefore, we can comfortably conclude that any minute at the workplace that is spent doing something else other than the employee’s actual job constitutes employee theft. This is on the premise that that employee is being paid for his time, but he is not putting in the work he is supposed to.Data or information. Some industries deal with information of such a sensitive nature that divulging them to external interested parties could mean actually earning money from it. Company secrets, trade secrets and product designs are some of the types of information that is often stolen by employees, and sold to external parties.In one of the statistics presented earlier, we saw that more than half of the perpetrators of employee theft are composed of managers. However, all employees are actually capable of committing theft, regardless of their position in the structure or hierarchy, especially if you take in consideration the wide variety of assets that can be stolen.But why do employees commit theft in the companies they work at? Why do they decide to bite the hand that feeds them?To answer that question, we can look to the theory developed by criminologist Donald R. Cressey, which he called the “Fraud Triangle”.According to the Fraud Triangle, there are three factors that influence or push an employee to commit occupational fraud or, in this specific discussion, employee theft. All three elements must be present.Pressure, from a financial need that can’t be sharedOpportunity, or a perceived opening to commit fraudRationalization of the crime of fraudIt is simple enough. Your employees will feel pressure arising from financial constraints, where they find themselves in need of money, and there are no other sources they can turn to. Maybe a sudden family emergency calls for a large amount of cash immediately, and at that moment in time, no cash is available. If the employee is unable to take out a loan, not even a personal loan from friends or other co-workers, then the pressure can lead to unorthodox ideas.This pressure will lead them to look for other possible sources, and the moment they sp ot a weakness in the company’s internal controls, or there is an oversight on the part of management in some areas regarding protection, maintenance and custodianship of assets, they are bound to spot an opportunity. Managers or those in positions with considerable authority definitely have greater opportunities to commit employee theft, which explains the statistic about managers being more prone to committing the act.The third element entails the employee rationalizing the criminal act of stealing, reconciling the behavior and justifying his actions. He will find ways to make stealing all right. Some employees justify stealing by saying that it is a matter of life and death. If they did not steal, their loved one would have died or their family would have fallen to ruin. Or it could be in the form of pinning the blame on someone else, most likely someone at work. He could say that he would not have stolen if the company paid him enough, or if the supervisor granted his applicati on for a loan.Out of the three elements of fraud, the one that the organization has the most control over is on opportunity, which explains why most anti-employee theft efforts are directed towards decreasing the likelihood of these opportunities cropping up. TYPES OF EMPLOYEE THEFTAgain, employee theft can be more than the act of physically taking cash out of the cash register or supplies and merchandise from the shelves. Briefly, let us go over the most common and frequently committed types or methods of theft used by employees.LarcenyThis is when your employee unlawfully takes the asset or property from your premises with no intention of ever bringing it back. The best example would be that of a stock clerk of a convenience store pocketing part the day’s collections from the cash register at the end of his shift, or a maintenance person sneaking out the backdoor of the office building with a box filled with cleaning materials that he plans to sell or bring home for personal use .EmbezzlementMany tend to confuse embezzlement with larceny, and they wouldn’t be wrong, since the concept is pretty much the same. The difference lies in the employee committing theft. It is considered embezzlement if the employee stealing is someone who is in the position of having legal access to the assets that he is stealing. It is embezzlement if the convenience store cashier is the one who steals the money from the cash register.It is larceny if the stock clerk, tasked with keeping the shelves well and fully stocked. A cleaner, who is in a position of trust when it comes to cleaning supplies and materials, is committing larceny if he’s the one to steal the money. If it is the maintenance man, who is primarily tasked with plumbing and wiring duties, it is larceny.SkimmingSome crimes of employee theft are done off-the-books, and they are termed as skimming. Usually, this type of theft is committed by employees who have custody of cash, and the method of stealing is done thr ough timing intervals.For example, a cashier, debt collector or bank teller can commit skimming by taking the cash even before it has been recorded in the company’s books. This makes the theft much harder to detect since the employee pretty much intercepted the cash before it can get to the company.For example, your cashier can take the payment from the customer and immediately pocket it, without recording it in the cash register. This means there won’t be a receipt or any document as proof of the transaction, and the cashier can keep the money to himself.Fraudulent DisbursementsThis type of employee theft has a lot more impact than the previous two, primarily because it is a crime committed by an employee working around the existing system of the company. It is a given that this theft is committed by one who is knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the system and can manipulate data to suit his purposes.An employee can do this through check tampering, or using company checks to pay themselves fraudulently. It often involves forgery of the signature of persons authorized to make and process check payments. Or they can set up fake accounts as vendors and bill the company to pay those accounts for nonexistent deliveries.It can be more elaborate, though, with employees using payroll and expense reimbursement schemes. These are the scenarios that involve the so-called “ghost employees”, or when the employee seeks reimbursement from the company for expenses that were not actually incurred.Stealing Business Ideas, Information, and OpportunitiesThis is probably the heaviest among the different types of employee theft since they often involve ideas and information of high value. For example, an employee of a company may resign his current position and transfer to the competitor, providing them with vital information from his old employer.It is even worse if the employee remains employed in the company and actually sells confidential information and secrets t o the competition.TIPS TO REDUCE EMPLOYEE THEFTEmployee theft is rising, but that does not mean that you are completely helpless against it. There are actions that you can take to ensure that incidences of employee theft are minimized, and the amount of damage it causes is also kept at a minimum. Here are 9 tips for employers that are seeking to reduce employee theft.Hire the right people, so weed out the rotten apples from the beginning.Here’s a reality check for you: no matter how much you claim to be careful in the selection of your employees, the possibility that they will eventually commit theft once they are employed in the company is still present. In fact, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce study claims that majority of the employees who commit theft are first-time offenders.Still, it is encouraged that you weed out the bad apples from the beginning, as much as you can. Here are some things you can do to accomplish that:Do a thorough background-check. It is not enough to rely en tirely on the qualifications and credentials of the candidate. You should also perform a background check. This is to discover information about the candidate that is not presented in his resume. Running a background check will allow a glimpse of his previous behavior, which you can use as an indicator of future behavior, especially when he is employed in your company.Perform a drug test on all potential candidates. If possible, do the drug tests on your own dime. There are far too many diagnostic and drug testing centers that may issue results that can be easily manipulated by the candidate. Usually, addiction can be a potential precursor to the commission of theft and other crimes.Review the organizational structure.Are you giving too much power and authority to one manager? Is there a system of check and balance when it comes to authorization and implementation of transactions and activities?All positions must have accountabilities. Similarly, no position should be too powerful t o make all the decisions alone. Give a manager too much power and he will be drunk with it, basking in it and eventually end up abusing it. The next thing you know, he has embezzled much of the company’s cash and you are left in regrets.Nurture a good employer-employee relationship.Some employees who committed theft say that they stole because they felt no remorse stealing from an employer who did not seem to care about their well-being. In fact, they even felt justified stealing something from an employer who does not even seem to know much about them.As a human being, it is proper human decency to get to know people you will be working with. As an employer, it is a good business practice to nurture a healthy and good relationship with the people working for the company, mainly to ensure productivity.Employees are less likely to steal from an employer that they respect because he showed interest in them as human beings and as contributing members of the organization. If you are f ree you’re your employees, it will also give you more opportunities to show empathy if they are having financial difficulties, and you have the chance to even help them look for solutions that will dissuade them from stealing. A good relationship will keep everyone happy, and keep any thoughts of theft at bay.Do not leave your employees alone.Usually, employee theft is committed by a lone person. Left alone, with no other eyes on him, he is bound to be tempted to steal. After all, no one else is there to catch him, or to rat him out to the bosses.Do not give employees the opportunity to commit theft by leaving them to their own devices. Sure, you may think this is a show of your faith in his capabilities, but it is also a come-on for the employee to steal.Encourage the buddy system. Let employees work in pairs, at least. This will limit the opportunity for one of them to commit theft. A cashier being the sole employee during the night shift at a convenience store is bound to steal if there’s no one else with him. Assign another store clerk to be on the same shift as the cashier.Encourage a culture of teamwork. The buddy system is not entirely fool-proof, however, since there is a risk that the two will be in cahoots and actually conspire to commit theft together. An alternative is to encourage employees working in a team. There will be more people working in close proximity with each other, so there are more eyes to consider when contemplating stealing.Practice job or task rotation. Familiarity can easily breed a criminal act or something to that effect. You see, if two employees have been assigned as a pair or work buddies for a long time, they’re bound to have formed a bond or relationship that will likely lead to them working together to commit theft. To avoid this, rotate the employees who are paired together every once in a while.Pull the Big Brother act on your employees.If employees know that they are being watched by the bosses, they are less lik ely to steal anything. Setting up CCTV systems or similar surveillance systems around the workplace, or in key areas where there are assets that may be stolen, is a good idea. It will cost money, yes, but it is also a good investment in the long run. Not only will it protect the company’s assets, but it will also ensure that employees are kept on the straight and narrow. It is also a good security practice against outsider attacks.Of course, make sure that your surveillance systems are not accessible by just anybody. Security systems must be under the control of only a select few: you, key members of top management, and core security officers. This is to avoid possible tampering of dishonest employees of the surveillance system long enough to allow them to commit the act and get away with it.If your budget is limited, there’s an affordable solution. Performing your supervision functions â€" and encouraging all other supervisors to do their jobs properly â€" is already one way to keep employees in line. It is a fact that employees with less supervision are more inclined to go astray. Supervise them well, and they will be more respectful and loyal. Loyal employees rarely, if ever, steal from the one they are loyal to.Maintain tight physical control and security over assets and properties.If only you can keep everything under lock and key, then there would be no problem. However, you cannot do that with the machines and supplies and other materials used in the normal course of operations. Will you want to keep large production machines in storage at the end of every work day, only to bring them out first thing the next day, and set them up all over again? That will be very tedious and will also be costly.You can, however, ensure that the areas where these assets or properties are located are secured and protected. Factories must be locked up tight at the end of the day. Depending on the nature of the business and the assets, there may also be assigned securit y personnel specifically tasked to make sure no one steals or tampers with them.Close monitoring is also a must. When packing up goods for shipping or delivery to customers, make sure the proper checks are in place to see to it that the amount ordered is actually what will go out of the warehouse. In some cases, employees may also steal by using the company’s trash collection system. This is why some companies make trash removal monitoring as another physical control.Here’s one thing you should definitely take into consideration: set up a dedicated security system for employee theft. You may already have a security system to avoid retail theft or shoplifting in your physical stores. But that’s a different type of theft altogether, so you cannot expect it to work the same way when you’re dealing with employee theft.Get all employees involved by empowering them.Even with a security team in place, or even a state-of-the-art electronics or computer system, a company can still be vulnerable to employee theft. After all, do not forget that the ones running these systems are the employees themselves.Sometimes, employers may feel overwhelmed with the task of policing the company. He cannot do it alone. He will need help. Well, he should ask for it, then.Setting up a hotline or a similar reporting facility where employees can give information on any suspicious movements or actions implying a potential for theft will definitely help. There is nothing wrong with turning your employees into watchdogs. Worried that they might hesitate about ratting out on their co-workers? Make it an anonymous reporting facility and reward any useful hints. This is another way of keeping a watchful eye on employees, but this time, through the eyes of other employees. Knowing that there are other people watching will surely discourage an employee from committing theft.Keep employees informed about the company’s policies on theft. This way, they cannot plead ignorance in the event that they are caught red-handed. Let them know the sanctions that will be made when they are apprehended and caught. If they are made aware, they will be discouraged to risk stealing anything from you. Show them how deeply committed the company is in preventing losses, particularly due to employee theft. Make it clear to them about the steps that will be taken to deal with such cases.Maintain good internal controls and audit policies.Good business practices dictate that every company must have internal control over inventory and other assets, not just physical control. Documentation must be clear and accurate so that no employee can easily manipulate them to commit theft.Usually internal controls focus on three things: separation of duties, access control and authorization control. Separation of duties refers to avoiding redundancy of job functions. Only authorized employees should have access to physical and financial assets. Do not make everything accessible to everyone. Only allo w a few individuals and they should be personally responsible for all authorizations made. Otherwise, they will be tempted to steal. Finally, there should be clear-cut policies on the initiation, recording and review of financial transactions, and these policies must be implemented to the letter.Performing informal audits and random inventory counts are only two of the many activities that can be performed to enforce good internal control. Overall, implementing an effective internal control and accounting system takes the company a step closer to reducing the risks of employee theft.Lead by example.Creating a positive working environment is something that employers should do in general, not necessarily to prevent theft. If you as the employer can demonstrate that you are not the type to commit theft, then they will follow your example and stay away from that path. Don’t take shortcuts just because you can. Your employees are learning from you.Unfortunately for businesses everywher e, there is no sure-fire one-pill-cures-all solution for the reduction or prevention of employee theft. In fact, you’re probably wondering why we are aiming for its reduction instead of outright elimination. That’s because completely eradicating it from a business or organizational culture is close to impossible.Of course, we are all hopeful that the time will come when employee theft will no longer take place. But let’s be realistic here. If that does happen, then it won’t be in the next several years. Until then, the best thing that businesses and employers can do the world over is to keep these employee thefts under control, and keep the related losses at a minimum. Before long, and with efficient tracking, it will be a thing of the past.

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Maxims and Masks The Epigram in The Importance of Being Earnest - Literature Essay Samples

Oscar Wilde frames The Importance of Being Earnest around the paradoxical epigram, a skewering metaphor for the plays central theme of division of truth and identity that hints at a homosexual subtext. Other targets of Wildes absurd yet grounded wit are the social conventions of his stuffy Victorian society, which are exposed as a shallow mask of manners (1655). Aided by clever wordplay, frantic misunderstanding, and dissonance of knowledge between the characters and the audience, devices that are now staples of contemporary theater and situation comedy, Earnest suggests that, especially in civilized society, we all lead double lives that force upon us a variety of postures, an idea with which the closeted (until his public charge for sodomy) homosexual Wilde was understandably obsessed.The plays initial thrust is in its exploration of bisexual identities. Algernons and Jacks Bunburys initially function as separate geographic personas for the city and country, simple escapes from nagging social obligations. However, the homoerotic connotations of the punning name (even the double bus, which serve mostly an alliterative purpose, insinuate a union of similarities, and Bunbury rhymes with buggery, British slang for sodomy) flare up when paired with Algernons repeated assaults on marriage:ALGERNON. She will place me next to Mary Farquhar, who always flirts with her own husband across the dinner table. That is not very pleasant. Indeed, it is not even decent and that sort of thing is enormously on the increase. The amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous. It looks so bad. It is simply washing ones clean linen in public (1633).The mixed truth of a Wilde epigram stating the normal in a ludicrous fashion, as with Algernons aghast reaction to marital flirtation, and often capped by tweaking an established clichà ©, as with washing ones clean linen is not only humorous, but salient; his distaste for public display s of clean heterosexual affection implies his deep-seated resentment that his linen is considered dirty and must be washed in private.Though both men are Bunburyists, Wilde holds and heightens dramatic tension through Jacks denial of the fact. The characters are given to hyperbolic conviction in their brief speeches, a fast-paced technique that magnifies the plays distant relationship to vaudevillian humor and reveals another duality within homosexuality; Algernon is perfectly happy to be gay, while Jack is repellent to the idea, perhaps even to the point of self-loathing. Algernon puns on the idiom to part with, showing his reluctance to remove himself from both the world and the physically splitting position of homosexuality: Nothing will induce me to part with Bunbury, and if you ever get married, which seems to me extremely problematic, you will be very glad to know Bunbury. A man who marries without knowing Bunbury has a very tedious time of it (1634). Jack claims he is goi ng to kill [his] brother, conflating his sexual duality as all he will kill is a part of himself: That is nonsense. If I marry a charming girl like Gwendolen, and she is the only girl I ever saw in my life that I would marry, I certainly wont want to know Bunbury (1634). His confidence in Gwendolen as his only soul mate is an ordinary declaration of love in most plays; here, it intimates a fundamentally homosexual man who has converted to heterosexuality on this sole occasion.Wilde extends the duality of homosexuality to the female population, as Algernon points out Gwendolens alternative to staid marriage: Then your wife will. You dont seem to realize, that in married life three is company and two is none (1634). Again, Wilde updates a preexisting aphorism (Twos company, threes a crowd) and applies it for his own subversive measures, simultaneously ridiculing two distinct cultural specimens, the clichà ©d love triangle of French drama and English marriage. The convergence of art and life in epigram is a pillar for Wilde that bases his observations in two lands, the aesthetic and the natural, and adds contemporaneity for his Victorian audience while maintaining universality for future performance. What must be a relatively universal puzzle for audience members is Algernons cultish language to Jack: Besides, now that I know you to be a confirmed Bunburyist, I naturally want to talk to you about Bunburying. I want to tell you the rules (1633). These rules, one can assume, are the unwritten codes of homosexuality, and since Algernon never gives the game away by explaining what they are, Wilde explodes another duality into the theater which members of the audience get it, and which are left in the dark. While Algernon and Jack codify Bunburying in defiance against the unassuming audience, Wilde deploys another character/audience duality: the comically dissonant effect of accenting the female characters ignorance of a situation against the audiences know ledge of the truth.The meeting of Gwendolen and Cecily is a prime example of such farcical confusion, out of which Wilde mines material for the mercurial nature of female emotion. Gwendolens opening lines foreshadow their problematic relationship, one born of disinformation of appellation and appearance, that plays against the audiences superior position: Cecily Cardew? What a very sweet name! Something tells me that we are going to be great friends. I like you already more than I can say. My first impressions of people are never wrong (1653). Her blindness to the circumstances is made physical through the use of a punning prop: Cecily, mamma, whose views on education are remarkably strict, has brought me up to be extremely short-sighted; it is part of her system; so do you mind my looking at you through my glasses? (1653) Her weak grasp of the situation sets up more laughs, especially when she banishes any doubts of foul play: Ernest has a strong upright nature. He is the ve ry soul of truth and honor. Disloyalty would be as impossible to him as deception (1654). Though deception is the more flagrant offense, the word disloyalty recalls his promiscuous Bunburying and brings us back to the binarism of sexuality.Once the women are officially at odds, Wilde is able to critique the Victorian politesse that often shadows ill will. In the absence of witnesses, a no-holds-barred fight progresses: CECILY. This is no time for wearing the shallow mask of manners. When I see a spade I call it a spade. GWENDOLEN. [satirically] I am glad to say that I have never seen a spade. It is obvious that our social spheres have been widely different (1655). In class-conscious England this is a devastating insult and, interestingly, it is the presence of the servants [that] exercises a restraining influence, under which both girls chafe, as Wilde points out in the stage directions (1655). The juxtaposition of high and low classes farcically enacts a duality of social manners in which the women behave with a contempt for each other as saccharine as their snacks:CECILY. May I offer you some tea, Miss Fairfax?GWENDOLEN. [with elaborate politeness] Thank you. [aside] Detestable girl! But I require tea!CECILY. [sweetly] Sugar?GWENDOLEN. [superciliously] No, thank you. Sugar is not fashionable any more. [CECILY looks angrily at her, takes up the tongs and puts four lumps of sugar into the cup.] (1655)And so on, until Gwendolen can no longer contain herself and reverses her previous intuition, shifting their relationship into a binarism of empathy/hatred: From the moment I saw you I distrusted you. I felt you were false and deceitful. I am never deceived in such matters. My first impressions of people are invariably right (1656).Through stage direction, Wilde makes more visible and immediate the womens reversals of emotion. In conversation with Cecily, Gwendolen sits down and stands up four times as her misgivings rise and fall. Even more exagg erated are the womens reactions when confronting the men. After she calls out Ernest! My own Ernest! Gwendolen withdraws; once Jack denies his engagement to Cecily, she offers her cheek for a kiss. Six lines later, Cecily tells her Ernests real name is Jack, and Gwendolen recedes yet again. Cecily goes through the same exact motions retreat, kiss, retreat with the same skeletal dialogue construction of Thank you. You may in response to a kiss, and |I knew there must be some misunderstanding, Miss Fairfax/I felt there was some slight error, Miss Cardew.| The gentleman |whose arm is at present round your waist/who is now embracing you| is my |dear guardian, Mr. John Worthing/cousin, Mr. Algernon Moncrieff| (1656). Both women respond to this disclosure with the exposed name followed by Oh! They ask the men about this in similar fashions, and both admit their deception. Wilde has merged, through word and action, the two women into a single unit and the men into another, and t he vacillation of sympathy now comes to fruition as the women bond at the expense of the men:CECILY. [to GWENDOLEN] A gross deception has been practiced on both of us.GWENDOLEN. My poor wounded Cecily!CECILY. My sweet wronged Gwendolen!GWENDOLEN. [slowly and seriously] You will call me sister, will you not? [They embrace. JACK and ALGERNON groan and walk up and down.]Their newfound sisterhood stands in ironic contrast to the falsified brotherhood of Algernon and Jack (which is, in the plays final irony, real), and the simultaneous groan and physical movement of the unified yet distraught men amplify the heightened pace and new friendship duality of the preceding interaction.As Jack concludes after the plays denouement, which again inverts the character/audience duality by revealing all first impressions as truthful when we always knew them to be false, it is a terrible thing for a man to find out suddenly that all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth (1667). It se ems that facing ones true self is the most frightening occupation in Wildes world. Wilde lightly mocks the flagrant social posturing of Victorian women, a world with which he was inextricably associated but from which he could just as easily distance himself via a pithy saying, but he treats the tension of homosexuality, his own mask, more seriously. Jack is never ready to admit his entrance into the Bunbury underworld, and we never learn from Algernon the necessary rules of conduct. The personification of homosexuality as a characters double is not surprising some critics argue that Dr. Jekyls evil counterpart, Mr. Hyde, has some homosexual leanings as such a controversial and, perhaps, embarrassing topic can be more easily disguised and obscured in the murky depths of the doppelganger tale. Today, with scientific evidence backing an opinion that places individuals sexual preferences on a sliding scale from full heterosexuality to full homosexuality, the simple bifurcated vie w of sexuality in literature may soon be obsolete.