Organizational Learning Essay Example for Free

Organizational Learning Essay 1. 0 Introduction The title of this journal is Organizational Learning Practices in the Project Management Environment. The author is Timothy G. Kotnour from University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA. This journal focuses on understanding how project managers continuously improve their project quality and performance by building knowledge through learning. Beside that, for the project organization to learn, organizational members must create, share and apply knowledge. The organizations members will create new knowledge for learning experiences. Learning-by-doing occurs when a problem solver associates plans and actions to accomplish positive results and avoid negative results (Anzai, 1987). While, the plan-duty-study-act (PDSA) cycle, is used to represent the learning process in a project environment. There have two learning cycle in this journal which is Inter-project learning cycle and Intra-project learning cycle. Inter-project learning is the combining and sharing of lessons learned across projects to apply and develop new knowledge. Tools to support inter-project learning include information technology tools and employee groups aimed at sharing knowledge across the organization provides a detailed example of an online system for recognizing, documenting, validating and making available lessons learned for an organization. While, intra-project learning is the creation and sharing of knowledge within a project. Intra-project learning focuses on tasks within a single project and supports the delivery of a successful project by identifying problems and solving them during the project. Learning take place when a project team members discuss approaches for completing a task or overcoming problems. The intra-learning occurs throughout routine reporting cycle such as weekly or monthly status and review meetings, project deliverables or major occurrences in the project. 2. 0 Research Methodology Framework The research methodology involves a lessons learned oriented survey was completely by 43 project managers who were attending a chapter meeting of the Project Management Institute. The survey used to lesson learned terminology because it is more familiar to project managers than organization learning. The survey contained four question sets. The first set asked project manager their background in project management. The second set focused on how project managers produce lessons learned which is including when, what about, how know, what to produce a lesson learned about and what is included in a lesson learned. While, the third set asked respondent to describe, using five-point Likert scale ( 5 = strongly agree, 4 = agree, 3 = not sure, 2 = disagree, 1 = strongly disagree ), which is the degree to which they practice project management learning practices. Next the fourth set asked respondent to describe using a five-point Likert scale the degree to which their organization is achieving the learning outcomes. Factor analysis was performed on the third and fourth data sets. There are five general steps to factor analysis which is assessing applicability of the factor analysis process, determining the number of factors through factor extraction, grouping the variables into factors according to factor loading, producing weighted factor scores and lastly each factors reliability was computed using Cronbach’s alpha 3. 0 Framework, Independent Variable (IV) and Dependent Variable (DV) The learning framework offer an implications for a project manager to use in focusing the learning activities of a project team which is first, the opportunity for learning is an inherent part of the project management process. The project management process parallels the learning process. The steps in the process provide the foundation for learning. In a discussion with a project manager, most of the them viewed producing lessons learned as a valuable and important exercises. However, they felt that they did not have time to complete a formal lesson learned and viewed the learning as a separate activity. This situation showed that, there has a weak relationship between IV and DV. Second, the use of lessons learned can be conducted throughout a project life-cycle, not just at the end of the project. Using the intra-learning cycle, lesson learned can be produced for each cycle in a project to carry on learning to the next cycle and to the next project. And the lastly is the learning process can break down at any stage of the intra- or inter-learning PDSA cycle. For example, the break down can happened in the learning process if there have not using the project management process and tools in a systematic fashion on the model of intra- and inter-project learning. Other than that, the learning process also can fail in the â€Å"plan† step by not reviewing past plans and lessons learned to apply to the current project. In the â€Å"do† step, learning can break down as a result of the project team not following the plan or collecting data on the performance and changes to the plans. While learning also can fail in the â€Å"study† step by not analysing project performance with project tools and not competing lesson learned. Finally, in the act â€Å"step†, learning process can fail because there have no sharing with or incorporating lessons learned into the next project. 4. 0 Result of the Journal The results of survey analysis in this journal are divided into two areas. First, hypothesis testing is completed and second descriptive analysis is completed on how project managers produce lesson learned. Table III contains the result of regression analysis for hypothesis testing. [pic] 4. 1 Project Performance As shown in Table III, project management performance is positively associated with project knowledge. Having knowledge about what could be wrong, ways to ensure success and ways to avoid problems supports the organization in delivering better products and services and managing projects better regarding plan a project and meet cost, schedule and performance requirements. 4. 2 Project Management. As shown in Table III, intra- and inter-project learning practices are directly associated with project knowledge. Producing lesson learned is hypothesized to support the intra- and inter-project learning activities by providing a mechanism to reflect on the project and sharing the knowledge across the project. 4. 3 Learning Practices. Based on Table III, producing a lesson learned is related to inter-project learning. The important factor to increase inter-project learning is not just to produce a lessons learned but to conduct multiple activities for producing lesson learned. 4. 4 Learning Support According on Table III, learning support is needed for each of the learning activities such as inter, intra and lesson learned. Collecting data about the set of steps on a project supports intra-project learning by providing the data and information to compare against the plan and identify mistakes. Being willing to openly and honestly address the mistakes helps drive the learning for intra-project learning and produce lessons learned which can be shared across the organization through inter-project learning. 5. 0 Suggestion/Recommendation There have some recommendation for organizational practices in the project management environment. Project organizations are faced with continuously improving the quality and performance of their products and services to compete in the competitive environment. To learning such an integrated in the project management environments from project experiences to improve knowledge and performance, there must have provide a learning framework which defines the learning processes in a project management environmental. Beside that, analysing the survey result of practicing project manager’s perception on learning outcomes and practices. Other than that, by integrating and sharing the experiences and learning across project, the organizational will have a greater knowledge. While, project team members must need support for learning to enable them to learn from experiences. Next, for developed organizational practices in the project management environment, the factor analysis and reliability results for the project management learning practices should be provided. This included how project manager share knowledge from one project to next, how project managers create knowledge during a project and the action project managers take to support the learning process. There also recommend to provides the factor analysis and reliability results for the learning outcomes. There have 2 factors for learning outcome which is the increased knowledge by sharing lessons learned across projects and how to learning process helps the organization improve in managing a project and delivering products and services. 6. 0 Conclusions As a conclusion, project organization should focus on building knowledge because increased knowledge is associated with increased project performance. To support knowledge building the organization must focus on the learning both and between projects. However, the learning process needs to support by using management tools to plan and monitor results. There also needs to be supported with an environment which allows team members to admit mistakes and openly discuss solutions to problems. All of this needs to be completed to lead to project management success. 7. 0 References Kotnour, T. G. , Orr, C., Spaulding, J. and Guidi, J. (1997), Determining the benefit of knowledge management activities, 1997 International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, October 12-15, pp. 94-9. Anzai, Y. (1987), Doing, understanding, and learning in problem solving, in Klahr, D. , Langley, P. and Neches, R (Eds), Production System Models of Learning and Development, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 55-98. Argyris, C. and Schon, D. A. (1978), Organizational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective,Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA. Abdullah, H. S. Research Method Guide. Gido, C. Effective Project Management, 5th Edition.

The Introduction And Background Of Sime Darby Finance Essay

The Introduction And Background Of Sime Darby Finance Essay The Sime Darby in 1910 got the name from two European business partners by name; William Sime and Henry Darby. William Sime, a traveler and adventurer from Scotland, ventured to Malaysia when he was in his late 30s. Sime Darby Berhad is the largest conglomerate in Malaysia and one of the largest in Southeast Asia . Within its territory are more than 270 operating companies in 23 countries, while foreign operations in Hong Kong of which account for 25% of revenues, Singapore (14 %), and Australia (11%). The company generates 38 percent of its revenues domestically. Its broadly diversified activities include a wide range of industries, with the core businesses being plantations including oil palm and the companys original business, rubber, tire manufacturing, heavy equipment and motor vehicle distribution, property development, power generation, and engineering services. Natural rubber synthetic rubber was still being developed and had just been introduced to the country from Brazil. Sime and other entrepreneurs at the time recognized that the climate of Malaysias jungle region was similar to that of Brazils. Therefore, rubber could just as easily be grown in that country and sold not only in Malaysia but throughout Southeast Asia and the world. However, Sime Darby encountered opposition to its venture from locals, who were wary of outsiders coming in to operate a plantation in Malacca, in order to overcome this, Sime and Darby forged friendships with several members of the Chinese business community. The company expanded, becoming a manager for owners of other plantations and then moving into the trading end of the industry. Sime set up a branch office in Singapore in 1915 and shortly thereafter established a marketing office in London. Demand for rubber eventually outstripped Sime Darbys production capacity, and by the late 1920s the company found it necessary to clear more jungle. To do so, Sime Darby purchased Sarawak Trading Company in 1929. Sarawak (later renamed Tractors Malaysia) held the franchise for Caterpillar heavy earthmoving equipment. That important purchase signaled Sime Darbys expansion into the heavy equipment business, which would eventually become a major component of its expansive network. In 1936 the companys head office was relocated from Malacca to Singapore. Sime Darby made a fortune in the global rubber industry during the 1920s and 1930s. Growth in the industry began to fade, however, as natural rubber was gradually supplanted by synthetic rubber. Sales of natural rubber boomed during World War II as warring nations purchased all available supplies. The war, however, also led to significant advancements in synthetic rubber technology. A good deal of it was used to acquire other companies, thereby expanding Sime Darbys reach into several other industries. Much of Sime Darbys success during that period was attributable to its acquisition of the giant Seafield Estate in 1971 and the establishment of Consolidated Plantations Berhad that same year. Through Consolidated Plantations, which became the companys main plantation subsidiary, Sime Darby became a leading force in the regions thriving agricultural sector. In addition to growing the oil palms and cocoa, the company began processing the crops into finished products for sale throughout the world. As its sales and profits spiraled upward during the early and mid-1970s, Sime Darby became a shiny feather in Britains cap. To the surprise and chagrin of the British stockholders, however, the company was wrested from their control by the Malaysian government late in 1976. The intriguing events leading up to the takeover began in the early 1970s. During that time, Sime Darbys chief executive, Denis Pinder, began investing the companys cash in new subsidiaries throughout the world. The companys stock price soared as Sime Darbys sales spiraled upward. At the same time, some observers charged that Sime Darby was engaged in corrupt business practices (with critics coining the phrase Slime Darby). Allegations of corruption were confirmed in the eyes of some detractors when, in 1973, Darbys outside auditor was found stabbed to death in his bathtub. The Singapore police ruled the death a suicide, but Pinder still ended up in prison on misdemeanor charges. Pinders successor took up where he left off, investing in numerous ventures, most of which were located in Europe. Unfortunately, many of those investments quickly soured. Some Malaysians felt that Sime Darby was taking profits from its successful domestic operations and investing them unwisely overseas. So, in 1976 the Malaysian government trading office bought up Sime Darby shares on the London stock exchange. It effectively gained control of the company and installed a board made up mostly of Asians. Also in 1976, Asian and British board members were able to agree that Tun Tan Chen Locks son, Tun Tan Siew Sin, would be an acceptable replacement as chairman of Sime Darbys board. In 1978 Sime Darby was reincorporated in Malaysia as Sime Darby Berhad. Its headquarters was moved to Kuala Lumpur the following year. Staggering in the Early 1980s; Rebounding in the Late 1980s and Early 1990s Sime Darby jettisoned some of its poorly performing assets during the late 1970s and early 1980s under Locks leadership. But it also continued investing in new ventures. It purchased the tire-making operations of B.F. Goodrich Philippines in 1981, for example, and secured the franchise rights to sell Apple Computers in southeast Asia in 1982. The addition of B.F. Goodrich Philippines marked the companys entrance into the tire manufacturing sector; also in 1981 came the establishment of Sime Darby International Tire Company, which in 1988 was renamed Sime Darby Pilipinas, Inc. In 1984 the company purchased a large stake in a Malaysian real estate development company, United Estates Berhad, and used it to begin developing plantation lands. This company later was renamed Sime UEP Properties Berhad. In Malaysia, Sime Darby acquired the franchises for BMW, Ford, and Land Rover vehicles. By the early 1980s Sime Darbys push to diversify had given it a place in almost every industry, from agricultural and manufacturing to finance and real estate. Although it did diversify into heavy equipment, real estate, and insurance businesses, new management also plowed significant amounts of cash into the companys traditional commodity and plantation operations. Sime Darby became a favorite of investors looking for a safe bet. Indeed, the mammoth enterprise tended to minimize risks after the investment mistakes of the early 1970s and seemed content to operate as a slow-growth multinational behemoth that could withstand any market downturns. Even if something did go wrong, the company had a war chest of nearly a half billion U.S. dollars from which it could draw. Unfortunately, Sime Darbys staid strategy negatively impacted its bottom line. Sales dipped to M $2.78 billion in 1992 before plunging to M$2.17 billion in 1983. Sime Darby lumbered through the mid-1980s with annual sales of less than M$2.5 billion, and net income skidded from about M$100 million in the early 1980s to a low M$59 million in 1987. To turn things around, Sime Darbys board promoted Tunku Ahmad Yahaya to chief executive. Ahmad was a veteran of the companys executive ranks and was a favorite nephew of Malaysias first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman. Under Ahmads direction, the giant corporation began a slow turnaround. Significantly, Ahmad was instrumental in luring Tun Ismail to Sime Darbys board. Ismail was a highly influential central bank governor and the chairman of Sime Darbys biggest shareholder. Ismail became nonexecutive chairman of the company following the death of Tun Tan Siew Sin in 1988. During the late 1980s and early 1990s Ahmad invested much of Sime Darbys cash hoard into a bevy of new companies and ventures. Sime became a relatively big player in the global reinsurance business, for example, and tried to boost its activities related to heavy equipment and vehicle manufacturing. Most notably, Sime began pouring millions of dollars into property and tourism in key growth areas of Malaysia in an effort to get in on the development and tourism boom that began in that nation in the late 1980s. The success of that division prompted the company to invest as well in tourism overseas. Through its UEP subsidiary, for instance, Sime Darby bought a full-service resort with condominiums in Florida (Sandestin Resorts) and a hotel in Australia, among other enterprises. As the company dumped its cash into expansion and diversification, sales and profits bolted. Revenues climbed from M$2.53 billion in 1987 to M$4.98 billion in 1990 to M$6.20 billion in 1992. During the same perio d, net income soared from M$85 million to M$353 million. Sime Darby realized a stunning 65 percent average annual growth in earnings during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Despite its gains, though, critics charged that the company had concentrated too heavily on traditional commodity industries and had failed to move into the 1990s with the rest of Malaysia. In fact, Sime Darby continued to garner about 43 percent of its sales from commodity trading activities in 1993 and only 18 percent from manufacturing. The rest came from heavy equipment distribution, insurance, and its property/tourism holdings. Although building strength in those businesses had added to the companys sales and profits during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the strategy had caused Sime Darby to fall behind more progressive holding companies in the region that were participating in booming high-tech, gaming, brokering, and manufacturing sectors. Many company insiders believed that Sime Darby would have to eliminate its heavy reliance on commodity industries if it wante d to sustain long-term growth. The Crisis The companys stock price began to fall in 1993 and its rapid revenue and profit growth began to subside in comparison with late 1980s levels. In 1993 Ahmad stepped back from control of the company when he named Nik Mohamed Nik Yaacob to serve under him as chief executive. Among Mohameds first moves was to initiate the merger of the companys plantation assets, organized as Consolidated Plantations, and the parent company, The company also bolstered its regional insurance business in 1993 by joining forces with AXA of France for its insurance operations in Malaysia and Singapore. These efforts signaled an end to the companys historical emphasis on commodities and reflected Mohameds desires to increase activity in manufacturing, high-tech, financial services, and other fast-growth businesses and reduce Sime Darbys bureaucracy. The turn around after the crisis The company began increasing investments in businesses such as power generation, oil and gas, and heavy equipment exporting. In heavy equipment, Sime Darby bought the Australian distributor of Caterpillar equipment, Hastings Deering (Australia) Ltd., in 1993. In power generation, a key move came in 1994 when Sime Darby took a 40 percent interest in Port Dickson Power Sdn. Bhd., an independent power producer in Malaysia. That same year, the company acquired U.K.-based Lec Refrigeration plc, which was involved in the manufacturing, marketing, and servicing of refrigeration equipment and related products. At the same time, Mohamed worked to absorb the flurry of acquisitions conducted during the previous several years and streamline the company into some sort of cohesive whole. Despite restructuring activities, Sime Darby managed to boost sales to US$3.15 billion in 1994, about US$186 million of which was netted as income. In 1995 Sime Darby stepped up its acquisition drive through the purchase of a controlling 60.4 percent interest in United Malayan Banking Corporation from Datuk Keramat Holdings Berhad. The US$520 million purchase deepened the companys involvement in the countrys fast-growing financial services sector. United Malayan, which was the fourth largest bank in Malaysia in terms of assets, soon was reorganized as Sime Bank Berhad, with the companys brokerage arm becoming a subsidiary of Sime Bank under the name Sime Securities Sdn. Bhd. For the fiscal year ending in June 1997 Sime Darby posted record net income of M$835.8 million (US$322.9 million) on record revenues of M$13.24 billion (US$4.35 billion). Sime Bank and SimeSecurities played a key role in these stellar results (accounting for 30 percent of pretax earnings), but the eruption of the Asian financial crisis in July 1997 quickly proved that the acquisition of United Malayan had been ill-timed, if not also ill-advised. The severity of the crisis in Malaysia, which included a steep decline in the Malaysian stock market and a sharp depreciation of the ringgit (the nations currency), led Sime Bank to post the largest loss in Malaysian banking historyM$1.6 billion (US$431 million) for the six months to December 1997. In turn, Sime Darby posted its first loss in decades for the same six-month period, a loss of M$676.2 million ($172.7 million). With other Sime Darby units being hit hard by the crisis as well, the company posted the first full-year loss in its clo se to 90-year history in the 1998 fiscal year, a net loss of M$540.9 million (US$131 million). Subsequently ,it beat a hasty retreat from its aggressive expansion, determining that the prudent course would be a return to the companys core areas: plantations, property development, tire manufacturing, heavy equipment and motor vehicle distribution, and power generation. In June 1999 Sime Darby sold Sime Bank and its SimeSecurities subsidiary to Rashid Hussain, who merged it with RHB Bank to form the second largest commercial bank in Malaysia. During the 1999 fiscal year, the company also sold Sandestin Resorts for US$131 million. In 1999,it returned to the black with net earnings of M$821.8 million (US$216.3 million) on revenues of M$9.91 billion (US$2.61 billion). A further pull-back from the financial services sector came in March 2000 when Sime Darby sold its interest in Sime AXA, its insurance joint venture with AXA of France. Meantime, an area of growing interest was emerging at the turn of the millennium as Sime Darby increased its interest in Port Dickson Power to 60 percent, giving it majority control and turning Port Dickson into a company subsidiary. Flush with cash from the sale of its financial services units, Sime Darby appeared poised to make additional forays into the power generation sector. Given the near disaster of its aggressive moves into financial services, however, the company was likely to proceed with much caution in all of its future expansionary endeavors in a return to its traditional style of conservative management. Business activities: Plantation: Plantation is Sime Darby largest revenue generator with about 70% of the conglomerate profits come from this segment. The company operates palm oil and rubber plantations in Malaysia and Indonesian islands of Sumatera, Kalimantan and Sulawesi. With a land bank of over 633,000 hectares, including 300,000 hectares in Indonesia, it is one of the largest plantation company in the world. Property: The company is involved in the property development business in eight countries, namely Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, PeopleHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peoples_Republic_of_ChinaHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peoples_Republic_of_Chinas Republic of China, Australia and United Kingdom. Industrial and Monitoring :The company is involved in the purchasing, leasing and selling of industrial equipment such as Caterpillar Inc. heavy duty trucks and tractors.. it has partnership with Ford, it sells Fords cars and trucks together with the Land Rover brand. It is also a major BMW dealer in Singapore, Australia and Thailand. In Southern China, the company sells BMW and Rolls-Royce. In addition, Sime Darby co-owns Inokom Corp Bhd, a joint-venture with Hyundai Motor Company which assembles and sells Hyundai vehicles in Malaysia. Energy Utilities: The company is an Oil and Gas services company which provides equipment for exploring oil and gas assets in the South East Asia region. The company is also an independent power provider in Malaysia and Thailand. The company also provides engineering services in the system integration and sales sectors, security and oil gas sectors. Healthcare: The company owns hospital named Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya Sdn. Bhd ,SDMC Formerly known as Subang Jaya Medical Centre, and college formerly known as SJMC Academy of Nursing and Health Sciences which was established in 1995 and now is known as Sime Darby Nursing and Health Sciences College. Other businesses: The company has a port utility company named Weifang Sime Darby Port Co Ltd. Other businesses that the company is involved in include healthcare, aerospace (divested from Asian Composites Manufacturing (ACM) in 2009), bedding, consumer and industrial products, logistics and packing.The company also owns the 30% of the Malaysian arm of Tesco stores. Sustainable Practices: Sime Darby plantations implemented Zero Burning Planting Techniques Techniques (ZBPT), a practical and environmentally sound technique of replanting, in 1989. The Board of director and audit committee profile: Company Profile Bhg Dato Mohd Bakke, was chosen on13th May 2010 as the new president and group chief executive (PGCE) and formerly group president/CEO of Felda Global ventures Holdings SDN Bhd, he has necessary experience in corporate restructuring exercises as well as in management expertise in the plantation. Dato Azhar Abdul Hamid, Chairman,board of Directors and Managing Director of Sime Darby Plantation Sdn Bhd. He is head of the Sime Darby Groups Plantation and Agri-business Division Internal and External Audit Duties and comments To say that the group had processes in place its just that they had not been implemented properly certainly laughable because it is all too  familiar. If one was to seriously respond to this excuse, it would be that is why you have internal and external auditors. And when the internal auditors raised the red flag in August 2008, it was conveniently swept under the carpet! If the excuse was that, the non-executive independent directors were obliged to give the benefit of the doubt to management, the external auditors, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) certainly had no such obligation or professional reason to do so! This was their red flag to delve into the issue of cost over-runs including its recovery of such costs. This is no more an ordinary run of the mill statutory audit. PWC had been put on enquiry and were obliged to look into the concern meticulously. The question to be answered is that, what did PWC do? They signed off the accounts of Sime Darby for 2008 and 2009 with a clean audit report! Not even an emphasis of matter especially on the possible cost over-runs and its recoverability! The fact that official media had highlighted these matters, besides the media report prior to the finalization of the 2008 and 2009 accounts speak volumes about the role (or lack of it) of PWC The official media currently has been quite polite about this latest incident .yes, they have been polite relatively speaking, but if you read in between the lines, the insinuation is the total collapse in the check and balance roles of the other parties involved with Sime Darby notably the auditors and members of the Audit Committee headed by the ex-chairman of PWC. Andrew Sheng, a proponent of strong corporate governance is unfortunately embroiled in this mess as director and he cannot easily extricate himself out of this especially when he was appointed in 2007.He has to regain credibility by insisting massive and fundamental changes to the way things are done in the Malaysian corporate world in general and Sime Darby in particular. The audit committee In April 2008, for example, there were news reports that Sime Darby Engineering Sdn Bhd had incurred cost overruns of between RM120mil and RM150mil in its offshore engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning project for Maersk Oil Qatar (MOQ). In February 2009, a report also alleged that there had been costs overruns in the same project, but this time, the figure mentioned was far bigger. At a media briefing on Feb 4, Zubir dismissed this: Theres no such thing as the RM800mil losses. The Minority Watchdog Group (MSWG) wrote to Sime Darby chairman Tun Musa Hitam in March 2009 on issues in the energy and utilities division. At the companys AGM last November, the MSWG also raised questions about the divisions shrinking bottom-line. Moreover, it has been reported that Sime Darbys internal auditor has come up with reports highlighting the divisions losses and that longtime independent auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) had delayed signing off Sime Engineerings 2008 accounts. Boardroom strength: The former executive director of a Big Four firm says When PwC does not sign off the accounts of a significant subsidiary of listed company and yet signs off the parent companys accounts. It is understood that the auditors could issue an unqualified audit opinion on the Sime Darby accounts despite not doing so for Sime Engineering because the issue in dispute at the Sime Engineering level was not material on a group basis. The current public discussions about accountability and the suggestions that more heads must roll at Sime Darby are making the headlines, but the core underlying issue is quite different: How could this mess have happened in spite of the conglomerates governance structure and controls? Going by the information in the annual report 2009, Sime Darbys system of checks and balances at the boardroom and top management level is sturdy and robust, befitting its status as a sprawling multinational corporation. Beside Ahmad Zubir, Sime Darby has 12 directors. Half of these are independent directors and all 12 are non-executive directors. Together, they form a team with deep and varied experience and knowledge. Among the independent board members are stalwarts such as Musa, Raja Tan Sri Arshad Raja Tun Uda, Datuk Seri Panglima Andrew Sheng and Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Tajuddin Ali.You cant accuse the board of being sleepy. There are some heavyweights there, says the research head of a foreign investment house. Yet, the directors have missed the extent of Sime Darbys project woes until, reportedly, PwC went to Musa last year to express its concerns over the energy and utilities division. In the financial year 2009, there were 12 board meetings. Not many listed companies in Malaysia hold these meetings this frequently. In addition, there are seven board committees and they each meet several times a year. Above all, Sime Darby has supervisory committees that were set up to assist the board in the oversight of the respective divisions (of the company). The board has identified certain non-executive directors to sit on these committees. Definitely, this is not a case of the directors having limited exposure to the companys management and affairs. So how is it that the many warning signs had not prompted the board to initiate a probe until October last year, when it established a board work group to review the energy and utilities divisions operations? The boards defenders say the management convinced the directors that in spite of the auditors concerns and the rumors, the situation was under control. The argument here is that the board has to constantly maintain a balance between objectivity and the ability to work well with the management. In other words, in the absence of strong evidence to the contrary, the board saw no reason to doubt the information provided by the management. That is why, it took a bit of time for the Sime Darby board to get into full swing once it became clear that it must investigate the corporate governance and performance of the division. The directors have to shift from a position of trus t to skepticism to disbelief and finally, to outrage, says a corporate insider Rajawas executive chairman and senior partner for 18 years, retired from PwC in June 30, 2005. Raja Arshad was appointed to the board of the pre-merger Sime Darby on July 1, 2007 exactly two years later, thus fulfilling the criterion for boardroom independence at Sime Darby. Raja Arshad was not necessarily the best choice to head Sime Darbys audit committee, PwC insisted that his position in the audit committee does not change how the firm conducts its audit of Sime Darby. Therefore, what is PwCs part in the Sime Darby fiasco? The four key findings disclosed by Sime Darby on May 13 was that , only one decision to reverse revenue of RM200mil for the Qatar Petroleum project relates to a matter taken up in accounts already audited. The other three relate to items that have only surfaced in the current financial year. This means PwC could not have known about these figures until it begins auditing Sime Darbys 2010 accounts. Nevertheless, some in the accounting fraternity say this may be a test case for the newly constituted Audit Oversight Board.

Experiments on Trusting Senses

Experiments on Trusting Senses The illusion of sight and sound This report examines what aspects of psychology can provide interactive and informative ways to provide an opportunity for the public to evaluate whether they can trust their senses. Focusing on vision and the illusion created by the human mind, also auditory perception, and the co-dependence on other senses, for example sight. 1: Introduction The minute decisions we make are based upon the information we gain from our senses. The human body depends on five senses, this report will focus on the individuals ability to see and hear. However, the way the human body processes information can trick the senses and the brain into not hearing sounds or seeing illusions. This report will outline some ways in which psychologists understanding of the senses may provide useful interactive tools to connect with the public and give an opportunity for self-discovery. 2: What are the senses? The senses are the bodies way of gaining information from the surrounding environment. The five senses are sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, which has three individual aspects, feeling temperature, pain and pressure. These senses provide the body with information externally and internally. There is also proprioception, known as the sixth sense. This additional sense gives information as to where the body is in relation to the environment, for example where the different limbs are in correlation to the environment, the bodies need for food and drink, body awareness (Turner, Block4, 2015). 3: How the other four senses work? Our sense of taste is influenced by sight and smell, for instance cover your nose and eat with a blindfold on and some of your favourite foods may taste differently. The sense of taste is altered by personal experience, emotions are also tied to the bodies relationship to food and expectations of the taste and texture of a food (Turner, Block 4, 2015). Smell is based on experience, there are some smells many find unpleasant. However, when exposed to an odour repeatedly, the body learns to mask and ignore the scent, for instance a perfume can smell amazing or terrible, influenced completely by your attraction to the individual wearing it (Turner, Block 4, 2015). Touch is often influenced by subjective comparisons. Proprioception, awareness of environment, for example, feeling heat near the skin or cool air, touching hard or soft surfaces (Turner, Block 4, 2016). 3.1: Vision Sight is the most trusted of the senses, however what is seen by the individual is dependent on personal beliefs, levels of attention and perceptions. The human eye can only detect light in a faction of the range of the electromagnetic spectrum, to counter this shortcoming the individual builds an accurate internal representation of the surrounding environment. People rarely see what is occurring around them and often fill in the blanks with assumptions. For example, when being asked to describe the contents in a bedroom, the assumption is there was a bed there, even if we didnt see one (Turner, Block 4, 2015). 3.2: Auditory perception Hearing is often based on assumptions, for instance, having misheard what someone said, even when they speaking clearly or not noticing a repetitive sound until it is pointed out to you. A typical person hears less than a bat or elephant in terms of range of sound frequencies. People are constantly surrounded by sound and learn to filter out much of the environmental noise (Turner, Block 4, 2016). An individual can focus attention on areas of interest, for example, at a party, where many conversations are going on, yet the human ear only tunes in to the conversation of interest. 4: Interactive examples For the public to fully engage with the surrounding environment and to gain a clearer understanding about the human abilities and limitations of sight and sound, the suggestion of interactive visual illusions offers a good opportunity to evaluate whether they can trust their senses within a fun and relaxed way. Â   Â   Â   For example, this YouTube video which illustrates the individuals perception of length and distance. This optical illusion illustrates a three-dimensional perception, how the distance between lines and shapes cause the brain to perceive a size difference simply by altering lines. This illusion is also known as The Ponzo illusion, which favours the top-down process, simply put, the human brain decides on what is being perceived based on prior existing knowledge (Turner, Block 4, 2015). A suggested example for auditory senses, this video plays a distorted sentence, twice which allows the brain to begin existing prior information to help understand incoming information. The sentence will be played for a third time, when to the surprise of the individual the sentence is understandable. Usually the individual assumes the audio has been changed but once explained can help people draw attention to whether they can trust their senses or not. Also within the framework of this exhibition the language barrier and the possible decreased ability of some senses should be considered. A language option being provided before individuals begin the various tasks, maybe including a sign language option should be considered as to not exclude any members of the public from this learning experience. 5: Conclusion Discovering if the senses humans depend on can be trusted can be developed into an adventure of self-knowledge. Appling different techniques of visual optical illusions, problem solving activities which require minimal skills to complete and auditory illusion, the exhibition becomes interactive with the public and can continue to develop within a multi-cultural framework, however the exhibition should balance the many languages and sensory needs of all visitors to this exhibition. That a verbal and visual aid should be suggested along with language opinions. In conclusion, the evidence is persuasive that there are still many things to learn about human senses, however the individual senses working together seem to manage the important tasks of everyday life. On balance this exhibition will help to build a greater understanding of our own boundaries of self. Word Count: 1017 References An audio Illusion-Your Brain, [ Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG9HSvNPVKQ (Accessed [ 20.03.2017]). Moving Illusions, [ Online]. Available at https://youtu.be/Iw8idyw_N6Q (Accessed [ 20.03.17]). Turner, J. (2016), section 3:Auditory perception, DD210, Bock 4, Week 18, Making sense of the world, [Online].https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=843722section=3 (Accessed [ 20.03.17]). Turner, J. (2016), section 6:Developing your skills: report writing, DD210, Bock 4, Week 21, Conspiracy theories, [Online]. https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=843725section=6 (Accessed [ 21.03.17]). Turner J., (2015) Making Sense of the world, in: Turner, J., Barker, M.J. (eds.) Living psychology: From the Everyday to the Extraordinary. (Book 2.) Milton Keynes, The Open University. Turner, J. (2016), section 2:You are plastic and so are your brains, DD210, Bock 4, Week 18, Making sense of the world, [ Online]. Available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=843722 (Accessed [ 20.03.17]). Turner, J. (2016), section 4:Motion perception, DD210, Bock 4, Week 18, Making sense of the world, [Online]. https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=843722section=4 (Accessed [ 21.03.17]). Turner, J. (2016), section 3:Perceiving things that arent there: pareidolia, DD210, Bock 4, Week 19, Everyday errors in making sense of the world, [Online]. https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=843723section=3 (Accessed [ 21.03.17]). The government minister may focus on the decrease of -14% from 2013-14 in Credit card identity theft. However, the opposing shadow minister could counter with data illustrating a decrease from 26,488 -15,420 in 2008-2011 when the shadow government were in place. However, the government minister could also suggest the data implies an increase from 15,420 24,078 in 2011-2012, before the initiatives were imposed and therefore implicating the shadow minsters government as being at fault. Overall from the public view point there is only 5.4% difference between the figure in 2008 and the figure presented in 2014, the data shows a steady decline during 2008-2011. However, during 2012 there was a shape increase of 8.658 incidents which increases again in 2013 and falls by -14% in 2014. The government minister May also focus on the overall decrease of 4% in 2013-14 in counterfeit fraud (cloned/skimmed cards). However, the shadow minister may wish to raise that in 2009 this area was at its lowest of 99,403 incidents and at its highest in 2013 with figures reaching 138,967 incidents and therefore there is no real decrease in occurrences as the initial figures suggest, in fact there is an increase of incidents after the measures were put in place by the present government minister. From the public view point in 2013 incidents increase by 25.964 taking the figure to 138.967 which then fell by -4% to 133.943, the two highest figures from 2008-2011 the data shows a strong decrease from 2008 -2009 dropping from 115,590 to 99,403, however, there is a steady increase from 2010-2012 the data showing that an additional 11.056 incidents occurred. Overall the data suggests that the measures and initiatives put in place by the government minster in this area have increased the le vel of incidents occurring. Data suggests that the area of remote/online purchase fraud has grown by 7% the shadow minister may well raise the evidence which shows a marked increase in incidents from 2012-2013 which is when the measures were imposed, there is a growth of 201.788 incidents occurring. And this figure increases again in 2014 by 7%. However, the government minister could suggest that the figures from 2013-2014 for credit card identity theft and counterfeit fraud (cloned/ skimmed cards) has a decrease of -18% collectively and therefore suggest more resources be directed towards remote/ online purchase fraud. The government minster could also argue that the data suggests from 2011-2012 there was an increase of 40.798 incidents which were before any measures were in place. However, the shadow minister can use the data to show that during 2008-2011 there was a decrease of incidents totalling 165.684. From the publics view point the area of remote/online purchase fraud has the highest incident rate across the data table. The data suggest the measures which were in place prior to 2013 show stronger impact across the data table. In 2009 column, there is a marked decrease in all areas in contrast with 2013 column after the measures were imposed there is a marked increased in all areas. The data table suggest the public are at more risk from fraud in 2013-2014 then in 2009. Word count: 523 Are lies more believable than the truth? As the title suggests the purpose of this short essay is to outline the research undertaken by psychologist into rumours and conspiracy theories and assess if the research findings favour or refute the idea that a lie is more believable than the truth. There is a traditional saying that A lie can get halfway round the world before the truth has its boots on, It can be argued that rumours create conspiracy theories and just like a pebble in the pond creates more ripples, more rumours can enable a collective cycle of mutual reinforcement. For instances, Procter et al., observed media reports and the social media engine Twitter during the English riots of August 2011, this allowed for an opportunity to study how rumours begin and grow over the course of an event. Byford, (Block 4, 2016), suggests that close to 2.6million tweets were posted during and shortly after the events, carrying a hashtag pertaining to the riots and occurring events. The purpose of Procter et al., 2013 observation was to gain insight into specifically tweets which make claims and counter claims about unfolding events, but lack the evidence to refute or support the claims. This information can then be used to clearly demonstrate the difference between rumour and factual tweets. Byford, (Block 4, 2016) suggests the study results showed a pattern, a cycle of a rumour beginning to spread via a tweet being shared by others, before being flagged and questioned for rationale, evidence or support. This then began the cycle of a few people questioning the many and this would then become a debate, which leads to the tweet being slowly ignored and no longer shared, as the rationale or lack of clear evidence being shown discouraged believability. However, the findings of this study also showed that a false tweet spread faster than the subsequent debate or conclusion of its falsehood. Procter et al., 2013, p. 204 uses the rumour of rioters attacking Birmingham childrens hospital to illustrate the speed in which false tweets are shared in comparison to rebuttals. This analogy suggests the rumours travel three times as fast as the explanation provided by the police at that time, clearly rebutting the false rumour. The cycle was the same it took longer for the falsehood t o be refuted and disregarded. Procter et al., (Block 4, 2013), also noted individuals arriving late to the conversations showed a preference for the original false tweet rather than the debate or rebuttal, this action may suggest that the debate and rebuttal are somewhat ignored. In conclusion, many conspiracy theories continue with strong momentum simply because there is no clear unrefutably solid evidence provided, which only adds to the collective cycle of mutual reinforcement as there have been some Conspiracy theories found to be factual for example, Security services in the USA and Europe monitoring communications and terrorists conspiring to carry out the 9/11 attacks, However, as many if not more conspiracy theories are shown to be faulted. The strength of social media to do good and harm plays out mostly with rumour and fact. As the research suggests lies do travel faster than the truth. Word count:532 References Byford, J., (2015) Conspiracy theories, in: Turner, J., Barker, M.J. (eds.) Living psychology: From the Everyday to the Extraordinary. (Book 2.) Milton Keynes, The Open University. Turner, J. (2016), section 3:Conspiracy theories as stories, DD210, Bock 4, Week 21, Conspiracy theories, [Online]. https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=843725section=3 (Accessed [ 21.03.17]). Turner, J. (2016), section 7:Developing your skills: numeric data and statistics in psychology and everyday life, DD210, Bock 4, Week 19, Everyday errors in making sense of the world, [Online]. https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=843723section=7 (Accessed [ 21.03.17]). Turner, J. (2016), section 6: Focus on methods: risk, randomness and probability, DD210, Bock 4, Week 19, Everyday errors in making sense of the world, [Online]. https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=843723section=6 (Accessed [ 21.03.17]). Turner, J. (2016), section 4:Heuristics and biases: health and safety, DD210, Bock 4, Week 19, Everyday errors in making sense of the world, [Online]. https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=843723section=4 (Accessed [ 21.03.17]). Procter, R, Vis, F, Voss, A 2013,Reading the riots on Twitter: methodological innovation for the analysis of big data, International Journal of Social Research methodology, 16,3, pp. 197-214 [ online]. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2013.774172 (Accessed [ 21.03.17])

The State of Mind of Hamlet in Shakespeares Hamlet :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Hamlet

The State of Mind of Hamlet    The Elizabethan play The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark is one of William Shakespeare's most popular works.   One of the possible reasons for this play's popularity is the way Shakespeare uses the character Hamlet to exemplify the complex workings of the human mind. The approach taken by Shakespeare in Hamlet has generated countless different interpretations of meaning, but it is through  Ã‚   Hamlet's struggle to confront his internal dilemma, deciding when to revenge his fathers death, that the reader becomes aware of one of the more common interpretations in Hamlet; the idea that Shakespeare is attempting to comment on the influence that one's state of mind can have on the decisions they make in life. As the play unfolds, Shakespeare uses the encounters that Hamlet must face to demonstrate the effect that one's   perspective can   have on the way the mind works. In his book Some Shakespeare Themes & An Approach to Hamlet, L.C. Knight takes notice of   Shakespeare's use   of these encounters to journey into the workings of the human mind when he writes:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What we have in Hamlet is the exploration and implicit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   criticism of a particular state of mind or consciousness. In   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hamlet, Shakespeare uses a series of encounters to reveal the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   complex state of the human mind, made up of reason, emotion,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and attitude towards the self, to allow the reader to make a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   judgment or form an opinion about fundamental aspects of human   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   life. (192)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare sets the stage for Hamlet's internal dilemma in   Act 1, Scene 5 of Hamlet when the ghost of Hamlet's father appears and   calls upon Hamlet to "revenge his foul and most unnatural murder"   (1.5.24).   It is from this point forward that Hamlet must struggle   with the dilemma of whether or not to kill Claudius, his uncle, and if   so when to actually do it.   As the play progresses, Hamlet does not   seek his revenge when the opportunity presents itself, and it is the   reasoning that Hamlet uses to justify his delay that becomes paramount   to the reader's understanding of the effect that Hamlet's mental perspective has on his situation. In order to fully understand how Hamlet's perspective plays an   important role in this play, the reader must attempt to answer the   fundamental question: Why does Hamlet procrastinate in taking revenge   on Claudius?

The Ambiguity of Shakespeares Ambiguous Hamlet Essay -- Shakespeare H

Ambiguity of Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚   In Shakespeare’s dramatic tragedy Hamlet, the reader finds ambiguity of one type and another here and there throughout the play. The protagonist himself is an especially ambiguous character is his own rite.    Harold Bloom in the Introduction to Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet expounds on the ambiguity and mysterious conduct of the hero during the final act:    When Horatio responds that Claudius will hear shortly from, presumably that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been executed, Hamlet rather ambiguously [my italics] makes what might be read as a final vow of revenge:    It will be short. The interim is mine. And a man’s life’s no more than to say â€Å"one.† (2)    The play begins with the changing of the sentinels on a guard platform of the castle of Elsinore in Denmark. Recently the spectral likeness of dead King Hamlet has appeared to the sentinels for no definite purpose. Tonight the ghost appears again, for no apparent reason, to Barnardo, Marcellus and Horatio, a very close friend of Hamlet. Horatio and Marcellus exit the ramparts of Elsinore intending to enlist the aid of Hamlet, who is home from school, dejected by the â€Å"o’erhasty marriage† of his mother to his uncle less than two months after the funeral of Hamlet’s father (Gordon 128). There is a social gathering of the court, where Claudius pays tribute to the memory of his deceased brother, the former king, and then, along with Queen Gertrude, conducts some items of business, for example dispatching Cornelius and Voltemand to Norway to settle the Fortinbras affair, addressing Polonius and Laertes on the subject of the latter’s return to school abroad.    Hamlet is present at the court gat... ...est Young Aristocrat.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: Univ. of Delaware P., 1992.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.    Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. â€Å"Hamlet: A Man Who Thinks Before He Acts.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Louis B. Wright and Virginia A. LaMar. N. p.: Pocket Books, 1958.      

Industrialization in “Hard Times” by Charles Dickens Essay

The industrial revolution was an era of mechanization. During this era, in 1854, Charles Dickens (1812-1870) wrote Hard Times to comment upon the change within society and its effect on its people. Dickens points out the flaws and limitations of this new society in his eloquent and passionate plea on behalf of the working poor (Charles Dickens Hard Times, 2000). The novel shows presents to readers the authors perspective of life during the nineteenth century and makes comments on the central theme of fact versus fancy. Due to this theme, the novel ends with many characters realising that a person needs more than just fact in their life. The novel examines the utilitarian system through various characters such as Tom, who has been brought up in the utilitarian education system. Dickens exposes his own views on this system through Sissy Jupe, the uneducated daughter of a circus master, and the positive influence she has on the Gradgrind family. Thomas Gradgrind has a strong rationalist philosophy and believes that fact, and fact alone is the one thing needful but through the satirical way Thomas Gradgrind is described, Dickens makes his own comments regarding his conflicting views of this philosophy. Dickens introduces Mr Gradgrind as Thomas Gradgrind, sir. A man of realities. A man of fact and calculationswith a rule and a pair of scales, and multiplication table always in his pocket, sir, ready to weigh and measure and parcel of human nature (p48). This portrays Gradgrind as a man who places a numerical value on everything and does not believe in anything other than black and white fact. Gradgrind is described with a satirical tone which signifies that Dickens is mocking Gradgrind and the system which he believes in. Dickens ridicules Gradgrind through his use of sarcasm against him. This is shown when Dickens says You might hope to get some other nonsensical belief into the head of George Gradgrind, or Augustus Gradgrind, or John Gradgrind (all suppositious, non-existent persons), but into the head of Thomas Gradgrind no sir (p48) The no sir is an intrusion of the authors voice which, in a condescending tone, ridicules Thomas Gradgrinds strong belief in the utilitarian system. Through Mr Gradgrind, Dickens ridicules the system and it is evident that Dickens disagrees with it. Tom is a product of the utilitarian system and Dickens uses him to convey his  own opinions of the system. Tom was brought up by his father under a system that allowed room for nothing but fact (p47). He was not exposed to any emotion and as a result he did not develop any decent morals. He was taught to value fact alone whilst remaining ignorant of compassion. His callous nature is evident when he positions Steven Blackpool to be falsely accused of robbing the bank. Tom instructs Steven to just hang about the bank an hour or so (p191) and soon afterwards Tom goes ahead with the robbery. As a result of Toms instructions, the citizens blame Steven for robbing the bank as he was seen hanging about the bank just before the robbery. This incident reveals Toms deceitful nature due to the fact he is mercilessly able to let his fellow worker take the blame for his crime. It also signifies that even thought Tom was brought up in a system that was believed to be infallible; this utilitarian system did not teach him other more important things such as how to be a good person. Another example that reveals Toms cunningness is when Tom decides to visit Louisa after having ignored her for a long period of time. The only reason Tom does this is because he is aware that Mr Bounderby has proposed to Louisa and he wants to ensure that she accepts his proposal as this will increase his earnings at Mr Bounderbys bank. Tom says to Louisa Has father said anything particular to you, today or yesterday, Loo? then her brother glanced at her face with greater interest than usual, and, encircling her waist with his arm, drew her coaxingly to him (p130). The way Tom treats Louisa indicates that he only shows interest in his sister when he has something to gain from it. His actions are manipulative when he coaxingly brings her towards him. This shows that, even though Tom has been provided with what was believed to be the finest education, ad has learnt every Ology, he is still extremely selfish and uses people to his own will and benefit. Tom has turned out to be a very corrupt man and, being a product of the utilitarian system, Dickens uses Tom to declare that this system does not work. Dickens portrays the idea that the utilitarian system has drained all the goodness of human nature through the symbolic description of Sissy and Bitzer within Hard Times. For example, when Sissy and Bitzer are introduced to the reader, it is evident through the symbolism used that Dickens favours Sissy, of the lower class. The girl was so dark eyed and dark haired, that she seemed to receive a deeper and more lustrous colour from the sun when it shone upon her, the boy was so light eyed and light haired that the self-same rays appeared to draw out of him what little colour he ever possessed (p50). This passage is significant because it reveals Dickens opinion of the utilitarian system. It is no coincident that Bitzer, the boy who was educated under the system of fact has been described as colourless while Sissy, the poor and uneducated girl, has been described as lustrous. The colour symbolises the fancy while the paleness represents the fact and through the above passage Dickens states that Bitzer is being filled with so much fact that it is draining all the fancy out of him. Sissy, on the other hand, has not been educated and filled with fact therefore she has been characterised as dark and full of colour. Another example that epitomises Dickens use of colour to represent goodness is when Sissy is revealing to Louisa that she never once envied her. She says I had nothing to complain of, and was not at all hurt (p148). This demonstrates Sissys unpretentious nature and the author believes this is a respectable quality to possess which he highlights by saying Her colour rose as she said it modestly and hurriedly(p148). This shows that Dickens has used colour to represent kindness whilst a lack of colour, such as that describing Bitzer, to highlight the negative outcomes of the system. Through Sissys influence on the Gradgrind family Dickens presents the idea that there is another thing needful than just fact. Another critique, David Craig, also agrees that Dickens conveys is opinions his views on the utilitarian system through inspection of the Gradgrind family. Hard Times is increasingly taken over by an examination of the family, showing how damaging and limiting an upbringing which allows no place for imagination and fancy can be. The effect Sissy has on the Gradgrinds is shown through the way the characters change throughout the novel. For example, at the beginning of the novel Louisa is unable to express her emotions because even if she does try she is told not to. Later in the novel when Louisa becomes ill Sissy spends considerable amounts of time with her. This gives Louisa an  opportunity to learn about love and compassion. This is evident when Louisa cries out Forgive me, pity me, help me! Have compassion on my great need, and let me lay this head of mi ne upon a loving heart. This speech by Louisa is very different to anything said by her earlier in the novel. It is an outburst of emotion and there is evidence of expression which Dickens has indicated through the use of exclamation marks. Another incident that epitomises Sissys kindness, and the consequence this has, is the speech given by Mrs Gradgrind preceding her death. She tells Louisa You learnt a great deal, LouisaOlogies of all kinds, from morning to nightbut there is something not an Ology at all that your father has missed, or forgotten, Louisa I dont know what it is. I have often sat with Sissy near me, and thought about it (p225). Sissys presence is noteworthy because it indicates that Sissy inspires Mrs Gradgrinds emotional being, something that the Gradgrinds were never exposed to before. It shows that Sissy possess a certain touch of humanity that not even the most fact-filled person could provide or teach. Through this Dickens states that even though Sissy has not been educated, she has much to offer to the world; she has more than what Mr Gradgrind could ever have taught his children. Charles Dickens lived during the industrial revolution, an era ruled by utilitarianism. His knowledge of the system as well as his personal opinion is revealed in Hard Times through the characterisation of the Gradgrind family, Sissy Jupe and Bitzer. Mr Gradgrind believes that fact is one and only thing you need whilst Sissy believes there is more to life than fact. Throughout the novel these two philosophies are compared and as an end result readers are positioned to believe, through techniques of characterisation and symbolism used by Dickens, that fancy is just as important as fact. Dickens states that a person without fancy cannot possess the goodness and modesty present within Sissy and that even the most intelligent person who knows all their Ologies cannot be a moral person if they do not nourish their emotion and imagination. References: Oldham, R. (2000). Charles Dickens Hard Times. Retrieved 27 August 2005, from http://www.pillowrock.com/ronnie/hardtimes.htm

The Lost Thing

THE  LOST  THING Shaun  Tan Teacher’s  Notes By  Nancy  Mortimer               Contents †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Introduction   Language  and  Literacy   Visual  Literacy   Design  and  Layout   Discussion  Points The  Lost  Thing  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Shaun  Tan   Teacher’s  Guide  2009  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Page  1  of  8   www. hachettechildrens. com. au INTRODUCTION The  Lost  Thing  is  the  first  picture  book  that  Shaun  Tan  has  both  written  and  illustrated,  and  the   result  is  a  wonderful,  warm,  humorous  story  that  will  be  read  and  enjoyed  by  a  wide  range  of   ages. There  is  so  much  to  pore  over  and  ponder  in  this  book  that  it  will  be  a  welcome  addition  to   the  resources  that  teachers  have  to  draw  on.The  story  is  a n  age? old  and  familiar  Ã¢â‚¬Å"lost  dog  story†Ã‚  told  by  the  boy  and  addressed  to  the  reader. It  is  a  matter? of? fact  anecdote,  full  of  interest  and  compassion,  but  the  accompanying   illustrations  make  The  Lost  Thing  extremely  challenging. The  juxtaposition  of  text  and  drawings   make  a  book  that  is  both  thought? provoking  and  filled  with  food  for  thought. The  Lost  Thing  can  be  used  in  the  classroom  from  middle  primary  right  through  to  upper   secondary  and  a  great  deal  can  be  gained  by  those  who  read  it. The  Lost  Thing  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Shaun  Tan   Teacher’s  Guide  2009  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Page  2  of  8   www. achettechildrens. com. au LANGUAGE  AND  LITERACY The  language  the  story  is  written  in  is  simple  and  ostensibly  straight  forward,  however   Shaun  Tan  is  constantly  challenging  the  reader  with  his  unexpected  use  of  words  and   concepts  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  look  at  the  meaning  of  the  word  weird  for  instance  and  the  summary  of  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœthe   thing’:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It  was  quite  friendly  though,  once  I  started  talking  to  it†Ã‚  when  depicted  on  the  page   is  a  huge,  indefinable,  outlandish  creature. The  narrator  tells  the  story  in  a  familiar  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What  I  did  in  the  holidays†Ã‚  mode. Question:  What  is  the  effect  of  this  simple  language  and  minimal  text?Question:  What  was  a  real  dilemma  for  the  narrator? (Page  16)  Ã‚      Satire   Satire  in  literature  holds  the  mirror  up  for  us   to  look  at  our  society,  our  foibles  and   ourselves. Look  at  the  place  of  satire  in  The  Lost  Thing. Metaphor  Ã‚   Look  at  The  Lost  Thing  as  being  a  metaphor  and  thus  having  different  meanings  from  what   appears  on  the  surface. Discuss  this  with  the  class. Understatement  Ã‚   Look  at  the  place  understatement  plays  in  The  Lost  Thing. Opening  Ã‚   Look  particularly  at  the  beginning  of  the  story  and  comment. The  Lost  Thing  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Shaun  Tan   Teacher’s  Guide  2009  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Page  3  of  8   www. achettechildrens. com. au Ending  Ã‚   What  is  the  impact  at  the  end  of  the  story? What  do  you  think  has  happened  to  the  narrator? Characters  Ã‚   Do  a  character  study  of  the  narrator,  outlining   what  he  is  like  and  what  he  enjoys  doing. What  other  characters  are  in  the  story? What  part  do  they  play? Activity:  Look  at  the  lost  thing  itself,  and  make  a  list  of  words,  which  describe  it. Humour   What  makes  the  story  humorous? Where  does  the  humour  come  from? Discuss  with  the   class  different  sorts  of  humour  and  look  at  the  ingredients  that  comprise  hum