Literature :: essays research papers

In â€Å"Oxford Concise Dictionary Literary Terms† by Chris Baldick, characterization is defined as the representation of persons in narrative and dramatic works which include direct and indirect methods in inviting the readers to infer qualities from characters’ actions, speech, or appearance. However, modals in literature context serve as an eye opener to the personality and traits of the characters in short stories. It enables the readers to learn of the characters’ abilities, capabilities, prohibitions, obligations and so forth. The appearance of modals in literary texts serves its own specific purposes in accordance to the author’s wish. In David Leavitt’s â€Å"Territory† which describes the relationship between a mother (Mrs. Campbell) and her son (Neil) who is a homosexual, gives me an interest to explore and find out more about the characters. Through the use of modals found in the extract, it enables me to go in depth and examine t he characterization in the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Firstly, in paragraph 2, line 1 of the extract, the modal â€Å"must† is used by David Leavitt to show one of Neil’s traits indirectly – â€Å"The last item puzzles him: Pedro. Pedro must be the gardener.† Here, as Neil read through his mother’s daily list found on the kitchen table, he came across the name â€Å"Pedro† which he was unfamiliar with. Eventually, he expressed an assumption which he believed was true. However, instead of using â€Å"could† to indicate possibility, the writer chose to use the modal â€Å"must† to reveal Neil’s inner self which was lacking in confidence and even probably having a strong need of self assurance despite the fact that the modal is meant to express certainty. Thus, the readers are able to know more of Neil’s character as the modal is used to create a reverse effect on the readers as an irony. Secondly, in this extract, Neil the protagonist is presented by the writer as a son who was torn between his own desire to follow his heart or to live up to the society and his mother’s expectations of him. He tried to vision himself as the son that his mother expects of him through the use of modal â€Å"could† – â€Å"He could make a list of his own selves: the child, the adolescent, the promiscuous faggot son, and finally the good son, settled, relatively successful.† (Paragraph 2, line 3)By using the modal â€Å"could†, it gives the readers a feeling that he is capable of doing what he was expected to and it only depends on whether he is willing or not.

Common Themes of The Client, Dragon, and Beowulf :: comparison compare contrast essays

Common Themes of The Client, Dragon, and Beowulf A woman her late thirties bellowed "My Baby! My Baby!", as her baby carriage rolled towards the bottom of the great hill. Off in a distance, a man of around early thirties heard these desperate calls for help. The man dashed out from his house and immediately followed pursuit of the blue baby carriage. Within one minutes, he safely reclaimed the carriage and the baby girl was safely returned to her mother without harm. This is an example of how the young man is showing traits of heroism, the traits being courage, intelligence, and strength. He was courageous to help return to the young woman the baby carriage, intelligent to act quickly and actually catch up to it, and his strength is shown by his ability to outrun a racing carriage down a deep hill. Different books use different characters to display heroism within their characters. Mark Sway of The Client is a story of a young boy's heroic battle against the Mafia and the FBI. The story of Dirk Pitt of Dragon is a story of how a older man of the nineteen- hundredths can overcome evil. Beowulf of the story Beowulf is an example of how even hundreds of years ago, heroes used the same traits as today. Heroes of every culture of all ages share courage, intelligence and strength. Courage is a prominent feature of all heroes. Within these three books, each character, Mark Sway, Dirk Pitt and Beowulf, display signs of Courage. Mark Sway was a courageous boy at his age of 9 years old. Mark would never quit from continuing with an idea of his if it was for good: "`We can't let them take the body, Reggie. Think about it. If they get away with it, it'll never be found.'"1 What this phrase points out, is that Mark did not want to leave the Mafia men to retrieve the body of the Senator Boyette, for if they got the body, his efforts to keep quiet about the whole situation would seem fruitless. Dirk Pitt used courage in order that he can continue perusing the enemies. Dirk never gives up exposing a plot of death and trickery of another person. Beowulf displays courage by fighting off the Troll, the Troll's mother, and the Dragon. Beowulf would not forfeit a fight with one of those people despite their gruesome

Beryllium :: Research Papers Essays

Beryllium Beryllium is a highly toxic metal and if exposed to it, at or above the threshold values, it can lead to a chronic beryllium disease (CBD) (i.e. berylliosis) or an acute beryllium disease. Toxic exposure to beryllium is most often thru an inhalation pathway. Beryllium has a variety of effects. Some beryllium combines with a protein and is deposited in the liver, spleen and kidneys, but the beryllium when bound with a biological protein, a hapten, can result in the chronic form of the disease which is believed to be a delayed hypersensitivity immune response. The major toxicological effects of beryllium are on the respiratory tract,specifically the lungs and their alveoli. Beryllium and its unique characteristic led to it being used widely in a variety of industries prior to is know toxic effects. Today it is know that beryllium is a highly toxic material which results in devastating toxic effects on the lungs. There has been drastic increases in the regulation in beryllium use so as to protect those that directly handle and work with the metal. With theses regulations, beryllium is fairly safe to work with and use in a variety of products and industries. In the following text, there will be a description of beryllium confusing history and toxic effects on the respiratory system of man. Beryllium has the symbol Be. In the older chemical literature, beryllium is called glucinium after the Greek word glykys meaning sweet, because of Vauquelin's initial description and observation of Beryllium. Beryllium's atomic number is 4, its atomic weight is 9.01 and in its pure metal form it melts at 1278 degrees Celsius. The Beryllium element, an alkaline earth metal which belongs to group II of the periodic table, was first discovered in 1798 by L.M. Vauquelin. Vauquelin,a French chemist, was doing work with aluminum and noticed a white powder that was nothing like that of aluminum or any of its derivatives. Vauquelin named this mystery powder, gluinium because of its sweet taste was like that of glucose. In 1828, Wohler, a German metallurgist reduced it to its metallic form and renamed it beryllium.(figure 2) There was no commercial application of beryllium until 1918 when Cooper patented a beryllium-aluminum alloy, which turn into the 'jump-start', into extending beryllium's application. Following Cooper's patent of the beryllium alloy, Charles II in 1921, was intrigued by beryllium's light weight, extreme stiffness, high heat absorption and interesting nuclear cross section.

Smooth Talk

â€Å"Smooth Talk† is a film adapted from the short story â€Å"Where are you going? Where have you been?† by the author Joyce Carol Oates. The short story was first published on 1966 while the film was released on 1985. The protagonist â€Å"Connie† in the short story was a fifteen year old young lady who has two sides of herself; one side if for her home and the other is for outside her home or anywhere else aside from home. Connie’s sister named June is the opposite of her. While June is being praised by her mother which is also different from Connie, Connie on the other hand was a young girl who enjoys the company of her girl friends. Together with her girl friends, they enjoy watching movie or have a walk to shopping plaza. In the short story written by Joyce Carol Oates, Connie’s character was described as a young girl who is concern with the way she looks. Her character was centered in her physical appearances and gestures and not so much of her attitude and feelings. It was evident in the short story when Joyce Oates describes Connie’s â€Å"quick, nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right† (Joyce Carol Oates. 1966). The vulnerability of Connie’s character was very present in the story when Arnold Friend’s enters the picture and forces her to come with her. Arnold Friend is described as a â€Å"suspicious stranger† whom she saw once and suddenly knows almost everything about her and her family. Connie at a very young age was susceptible to Arnold Friend who wanted her to simply go out and have a ride with him. Her character in the short story define a weak young girl who faces a man she doesn’t even know and mocks her up until she get loose of everything on her mind. Joyce Oates was precise about Connie’s vulnerability when she describes how Connie helplessly tries to let go of Arnold Friend but vulnerably ends up with his arms. Indeed, the short story was in fact a manifestation of how powerless Connie was in terms of her handling Arnold Friend’s attitude towards her. Connie could have had done something but with her vulnerability as a young girl she gives up something of herself. On the other hand, â€Å"Smooth Talk† visually presented the short story to film. Connie’s character was evidently showed in the film as a young fifteen year old girl who flirts around with boys and loves to cruise the shopping malls with her friends. Connie’s character was expanded in the film, adding up some new things that were not mentioned in the short story. Nonetheless, Connie’s being vain and flirt was still evidently in the film. Her suspicious stranger was more powerful in the film seducing her with his smooth-talking way. In the film, Arnold Friend’s character involves sexual desire for Connie and his character was full of aggressiveness to seduce Connie. Connie on the other hand, is a young girl who is silly and flirtatious with other guys but come one Sunday morning when she was left alone at home and was confronted with the suspicious stranger, Connie’s vulnerability was evidently showed. Her character as a young girl who has two sides of herself was helplessly alone and afraid, trying to overcome Arnold Friend’s seduces. While she was trying to figure out what to do and how to let loose of the stranger, the smooth-talking man tries to seduce her and consistently tries to win her. Part of the film was entirely focused on the situation on which Connie was confronted by the stranger just like in the short story. Though there were some minimal  changes in the film that wasn’t mentioned in the short story, â€Å"Smooth Talk† by Tom Cole gave justice to Joyce Oates’s â€Å"Where are you? Where have you been?†. Connie’s character in the short story was more innocent than her character in the film. Although it was the same, her character in the film portrayed by Laura Dern was â€Å"lavishly and lovingly textured†. (Joyce Carol Oates. 2007) Basically, the mere fact that a short story is being read while the film was being watched evidently showed that Connie’s character of vulnerability was formulated both in the short story and in the film. It was clearly defined and translated in the sort story how Connie’s weak character gave her the risk of giving herself up for Arnold Friend. While in the film, both Connie and Arnold’s characters were emerged consistently as described in the short story. The vulnerability of Connie in the film is just somewhat the same in the short story. But Connie’s being naà ¯ve of the things that happens around her was clearly specified in the short story. Nevertheless, â€Å"Smooth Talk† and â€Å"Where are you? Where are you going?† is both a masterpiece in there own rights and abilities. The two is not only about the reality of a teenager growing up in a harsh world outside her home but also it imparted to us the idea of some issues that runs inside a family or inside home that most of us take for granted. The adaptation was visually presented well from the short story and just the same, both gave the justice on its own. Connie’s character provides us the imagination of how innocent and free spirited she was as a young girl that in the end lose herself to a man she doesn’t even know but who knows her very well. There lies the mystery or the story by Joyce Carol Oates. Works Cited Oates, Joyce Carol. â€Å"Where are you going? Where have you been?.† Celestial Timepiece A Joyce Carol Oates Home Page. Joyce Carol Oates. 12 July 2007. University of san Francisco. 24 July 2007. http://jco.usfca.edu/works/wgoing/text.html. Brussat, Frederic and Mary Ann. â€Å"Film Review.† Spirituality and Practices Resource for Spiritual Journals. Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. 2007. 24 July 2007. www.spiritualityandpractice.com.   

Spunk: Kill and Story

Brianna Walton English 101 What Goes Around Comes Around Men’s role in the eyes of society is to be the head of the house, to provide for the family, and to be physically and mentally strong. They are taught not to show their emotions but to bury them. Society has taught us that the aggressive man will run the bigger business, make more money, eventually have a more successful life. Men who tend to be soft spoken and timid are looked at as weak in the eyes of others as well as in society. In Zora Neale Hurston's â€Å"Spunk,† there is a conflict between Joe and Spunk. Spunk is having relations with Lena, Joe's wife. Joe seeks revenge and Spunk kills him. Ultimately Spunk is killed supposedly by Joe's evil spirit. The language captures the tone in the story, which strengthens the saying â€Å"what goes around comes around†. Spunk is looked at as the town’s hero because he is not afraid of anything and he is physically strong, when in all actuality he should not be glorified by the town’s people because he is nothing but a bully. Joe is the exact opposite of Spunk, he is physically weak but mentally strong. The purpose of this story is to show that the physically bigger male doesn’t always win. Karma is always out looking for revenge and eventually the man that has spunk will be shown. Spunk is first introduced as a giant brown-skinned man that’s known for his bravery. The town’s people rejoice as they see him even though he is walking arm and arm with someone else’s wife. He is seen as the â€Å"ideal† male because he is strong and brave. Joe’s introduction is completely different. He is immediately looked at as weak by the town’s people because at the mention of his wife you could see the pain he was suffering in his eyes, his face, his hands, and even the dejected slump of his shoulders showed the pain he was suffering from the absence of his wife. It is obvious that Joe is not respected by his peers. Joe pulls out the razor to show them that he plans on killing Spunk, they don’t believe that he has what it takes to kill Spunk. They even go as far as laughing boisterously behind his back as they watched him go into the woods. The overall tone used in â€Å"Spunk† is seriousness and irony. The serious tone is shown when its seen that Joe’s wife is having a public affair: â€Å"Now Joe knew his wife had passed that way. He knew that the men lounging in the general store had seen her, moreover, he know that the men knew he knew. † This means Hurston uses this conflict to create a serious tone in the story. Moreover, a bigger conflict with Joe and Spunk occurs: â€Å"Joe came out there wid a meat axe an' made me kill him. This also sets up a serious tone. Hurston uses this conflict to fuel the next part of the tone in the story. There is also ironic tone in the story † But Spunk says twan't no bob-cat nohow. He says it was Joe done sneaked back from hell! † The author sets this tone up by making the story supernatural and spiritual. The mood in the story that seemed to arise was anger. The first part of the anger is towards Lena. â€Å"Lena looked at him real disgusted but s he don't answer and she don't move outa her tracks. She was cheating on her husband in public. She should have divorced him or fully left Joe, instead of mistreating and humiliating him in public. The second part of the anger is towards Joe. â€Å"One could actually see the pain he was suffering, his eyes, his face, his hands, and even the dejected slump of his shoulders. † The reader wonders why Joe let Lena and Spunk make a fool out of him. For that, the reader is angry at Joe’s timid personality. In â€Å"Spunk,† Hurston uses a series of language devices. The allusion element is vividly used: â€Å"Joe came out there wid a meat axe an made me kill him. He sent Lena home and led the men back to Joe-crumpled and limp with is right hand still clutching his razor. † Hurston sets Spunk up to be an over-exaggerator in the story without saying he is. The author also uses the conversation between the Elijah and Walter to exhibit the distinctive dialogue: â€Å"Ah like him fine but tain't right the way he carries on wid Lena Kanty, jus' 'cause Joe's timid about fightin'. This form of down south olden' days slang give a different edge to the story, that the reader does not experience in modern day. The story displays a dramatic irony: â€Å"It was Joe, â€Å"Lige that dirty sneak shoved me†¦ he didn't dare come to mah face†¦ † This makes the reader say isn't that ironic. Hurston displays Spunk to be the bad guy he is that killed the good guy, then is killed. In the beginning of the story an allusion is presented to the reader: † Looka theah folks! cried Elijah Mosley, slapping his knee gleefully. ‘Theah they go, big as life an' brassy as tacks. † This gives the reader the conception that there is going to be some drama in the story. The dialogue in this story establishes realism: â€Å"Gimme some soda water. Sass'prilla, Ah Reckon. † The dialect shows the reader the setting is probably during the days when blacks did not have an education or wasn't really allowed to get educated. The dramatic irony enriches and evokes the central idea: â€Å"If spirits kin fight, there's a powerful tussle goin' on somewhere ovah Jordan, cause Ah b'leeve Joe's ready for Spunk an'aint skeered of anymore†¦ Karma gave the illusion that Joe returned and killed Spunk. However Spunk's guiltiness about killing Joe led him to his fate. The dominant element of â€Å"Spunk† is the central idea, karma. Hurston exhibits karma: † He pushed me ‘Lige-the dirty hound pushed me in the back! † Spunk Banks was claiming Joe Kanty's evil spirit kill him. Spunk took Joe's wife and killed him, nevertheless Spunk died. This is a classic case of what goes around comes around.

Martha’s Vineyard Essay

Abstract I chose Martha’s Vineyard as the subject of my School Context Paper. Martha’s Vineyard is New England’s largest resort island and lies seven miles off the coast of Cape Cod in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is accessible by ferry or plane only. The island is roughly one hundred square miles with 124.6 miles of tidal shoreline. Martha’s Vineyard has a year-round population of about twenty thousand residents that grows to one hundred thousand in the summer with an additional twenty five thousand visitors coming and going on the ferries every day. There are six towns that makeup the island; Aquinnah, Chilmark, Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, West Tisbury and Vineyard Haven (also known as Tisbury). The island is best known for its miles of beautiful beaches, quaint villages and natural beauty. On the vineyard there is only one regional high school which offers a vocational program for its students along with five public elementary schools, one public charter school, several private pre- schools and an active home schooling network. The school system also provides for children with special needs from ages three to twenty two. Assignment 2: School Context Paper I chose Chilmark, a village located on Martha’s Vineyard to write my paper on. Martha’s Vineyard is located about seven miles off the coast of Cape Cod. It is a triangular shaped island that is nine miles wide and twenty three miles long with a total land area of approximately one hundred square miles and 124.6 miles of tidal shoreline. You can travel by ferry to reach the island, which takes about forty five minutes from the mainland, or you can take a plane that will fly you to the only airport on the island located in its center. It is New England’s largest resort island. There are six towns (or villages) on the island; Aquinnah, Chilmark, Edgar Town, Oak Bluff, West Tisbury and Vineyard Haven. There is one regional high school, one public charter school and five public elementary schools serving the Vineyard. These are administered through the office of the Superintendent of Schools. The All-Island School Committee is composed of members from all of the towns. The Up-Island Regional District committee hires the superintendent and oversees shared programs that serve all Island schools. These resources are available through Central Administration: Superintendent of Schools, Assistant Supt. for Curriculum & Instruction, Director of Student Support Services, Assistant to the Superintendent for Business Affairs, Financial Administrative Assistants, Administrative Secretary, Business Secretaries, Treasurer, Grant Administrator, Receptionist/Clerk and Special Education Secretary. Special Services are available such as: Title 1 Coordinator, Early Childhood Coordinator/Consultant, Occupational Therapists, School Psychologists, Speech Pathologists, Autism Specialist and ELL Director. Chapter 766 provides for the educational needs of children with special needs. The school system provides for every child, regardless of handicap, between the ages of 3 and 22. The law requires parental involvement and a network of services including that of a school psychologist, occupational therapist, and psychiatric and nursing services under the direction of a special education administrator. The school system also operates a special needs preschool, called Project Headway (http://www.mvy.com/Vineyard_Community/Public_School.aspx August 2012). I chose Chilmark’s school system and the Up-island Regional District as my area of focus. The Population of Chilmark was eight hundred and ninety four as of July 2009 with the estimated median household income of fifty seven thousand, one hundred and eight dollars. The major business of Chilmark is construction with Carpentry being the most popular occupation. The Chilmark School serves students in grades K-5. Chilmark students in grades 6-8 attend the West Tisbury School and Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School serves grades 9-12 for the whole island. Students can also apply to The Vineyard Public Charter School. The enrollment indicators for these schools are as follows; Chilmark Elementary School enrolled fifty two students, W. Tisbury enrolled three hundred and twenty five students for grades pre k thru 8, Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School enrolled six hundred and sixty nine students and The Vineyard Public Charter School enrolled one hundred and eighty one students for the 2011-2012 school year. Chilmark’s Public Elementary/Middle School Mission Statement states that,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Chilmark Elementary School is committed to equipping students with the tools they need for academic, personal and social achievement. Chilmark Elementary School enables every student to reach their highest potential by establishing a curriculum that meets or exceeds government standards for education; providing extracurricular programs that develop children’s’ mental, physical and social skills; and partnering with parents and the community to create an environment geared to the success of all students†( http://massachusetts.webschoolpro.com/chilmark-elementary-school_MA00707740010/mission.htmlAugust 2012). West Tisbury’s School Mission Statement states that â€Å"The West Tisbury School staff strives to provide a solid academic foundation, to inspire a love of learning for the sake of learning, to foster an understanding of basic human values with a working knowledge of the rights and responsibilities associated with those values, and to promote independent thinking through cooperative and inclusive learning while maintaining the unique values of our diverse, rural island community. We strive: To teach solid academic skills, to instill a love of learning and to promote an understanding of human values† (http://wtisburyschool.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=225325&SID August 2012). Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s Mission Statement states that â€Å"Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School will provide a safe, active teaching and learning environment where students strive for academic excellence and endeavor to achieve the high level of intellectual and interpersonal skills needed for success in a culturally diverse society. Each student’s educational experience will prepare him/her to be a self-confident lifelong learner, able to set and achieve individual goals, and to become a contributing member of a humane and democratic society (http://www.mvrhs.org/pos/POS-2011-2-Eng.pdf1August 2012). The Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School is a K-12 public school. Families do not pay tuition. An application is filled out and then the student body is drawn from a lottery. The mission statement of the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School states that â€Å"It is the mission of The Martha’s Vineyard Public Carter School to create a public school that will  cultivate life-long learners in a multi-aged, project-based setting. To this  end, each student in the K-12 school works from a personal education plan that sets specific obtainable and challenging goals. In addition to meeting the state mandated curriculum frameworks, students experience a rich array of other educational arenas outside of the academic classroom. The entire Island serves as campus where an educational alliance of parents, educators, businesses, artisans and community services is formed† (http://www.mvy.com/Vineyard_Community/Marthas_Vineyard_Public_Charter_School.aspx August 2012). The chart below shows some of the MCAS ratings for the school year 2010-2011: Massachusetts Elementary School Rankings 3rd, 4th Grades Combined MCAS English Language Arts & MCAS Mathematics 2010-2011 Rank* (of 895) School District City Tisbury Elementary Tisbury Vineyard Haven HighGrade Total students (2010) Student/ Teacher Ratio (2010) MCAS, avg Mathematics** (2011) 8 305 8.2 88.5 MCAS, avg English Language Arts** (2011) MCAS Combined Rank Change from 2011) 86.5 175.0 up 23 School District City W. Tisbury ElementaryUp island Regional West Tisbury HighGrade Total students (2010) Student/ Teacher Ratio (2010) MCAS, avg Mathematics** (2011) 8 276 7.8 79.5 MCAS, avg English Language Arts** (2011 MCAS Combined Rank Change from 2010 82.0 165.9 down 19 (http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MA/schoolrank.aspx August 2012 Reference List http://www.mvy.com/Vineyard_Community/Town_Information.aspx http://www.mvy.com/Vineyard_Community/Public_Schools.aspx http://www.mvy.com/Vineyard_Community/Education.aspx http://www.mvrhs.org/pos/POS-2011-2-Eng.pdf http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/enrollmentbygrade.aspx http://www.city –data.cim/city/Chilmark-Massachusetts.html http://massachusetts.webschoolpro.com/chilmark-elementary-school_MA00707740010/mission.html http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/mcas/performance_level.aspx?linkid=32&orgcode=07740010&orgtypecode=6& http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MA/schoolrank.aspx http://wtisburyschool.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=225325&SID http://www.mvy.com/Vineyard_Community/Marthas_Vineyard_Public_Charter_School.aspx

Personal development plan Final Essay

Learning Outcome: 1. Be able to asses personal and professional skills required to achieve strategic goals. 2. Be able to conduct a skills audit to identify learning style. 3. Be able to implement a personal development plan. This assignment is based on my personal development plan that helps bridging the gap between where I am now and where I want to be in a certain period of time successfully. At first, let’s find out what a Personal development plan is. Actually it is a career plan that contains employee’s goals and used to measure their performances. In detail, it is the process of creating an action plan based on awareness, values, reflection, goal-setting and planning for personal development within the context of a career, education, relationship or for  self-improvement A personal development plan is one of the most important tools for students and professionals who want to achieve success in different fields. It enables one to keep track of the changes required in their life and areas of weakness that require improvement. The plan provides a gauge for a person to see his or her development and progress and determine the skills required to achieve in the future. It aids in the achievement of goals for personal and professional development. This is because success requires planning and setting of goals. The goals set in the plan have to be clear and measurable. The personal development plan for me is a chance to know myself better, I can realize what I want to achieve or where I want to go in the plan, in the short- or long-term, and also identifying the need for skills, knowledge or competence. It also helps me to define the appropriate development to meet those perceived needs. In this report, I am going to focusing on what my strengths are and where my Weaknesses are, also how to use my strengths in the field I will work into in the future, and how to develop my weaknesses to be my Strengths as well. CAREER ASPIRATIONS Chosen role I would like to pursue a career as Stock Broker. A stock broker is commonly characterised as any competent and regulated professional who is involved in the buying and selling (trading) of shares or stocks. Also, a stock broker is an individual responsible for a business deal on a stock exchange. Usually, a negotiation is made between two authorised members of the exchange. For the purposes of convenience, an ordinary person is no longer needed to walk into the premises of any institution, for instance, the New York Stock Exchange, to enquire on the trade stock. This exchange is done through a broker. However, a stock broker is not just confined in such plain participation in a transaction as there are other stock broking opportunities such as execution-only, advisory dealing, and discretionary dealing, and other related services. Execution-only stock broker involves the implementation of the client’s instructions to buy or sell. A stock  broker who focuses on advisory dealing informs and gives important information to the client on which shares to buy and sell, but leaves the task of final decision-making to the jurisdiction of the investor. Meanwhile, a stock broker who is in-charge with discretionary dealing determines the client’s investment intentions and serves as the mainly involved person in all transactions and decision-making functions done on the client’s behalf. In general, stock brokers provide relevant and useful information on trading stocks, for instance on the cases of which stocks or mutual funds to be bought. To be a full-pledged stock broker, I must be involved in activities and related opportunities that will increase my competencies, particularly those that I need to be a successful stock broker. Of course, it is necessary to finish my studies first. I will begin by providing assistance to a certified stock broker. This is my short term aspiration. By being an associate, I will have direct exposure to the business transactions that my employer deals with. Gaining experience is my key motivation. My medium aspiration is to get promoted or trusted with bigger responsibilities. For example, my employer will ask me to do things that are similar to his/her functions, allow me to decide on important things, expect me to be reliant to classified tasks, and the likes. After staying on this position for a significant period of time, I will try to evaluate myself if I am already capable of entering my long term aspiration – that is – being a stock broker. I will immediately take up the needed examinations and eligibility requirements. Skills required for the chosen role The chosen occupation entails the management functions including planning, organizing, directing/leading, coordinating and controlling. These functions are goal-directed, interrelated, and interdependent with each other. These are also needed in dealing with all elements of business – people, jobs or positions, technology, facilities and equipment, materials and supplies, information, and financial resources. Planning is very important. It is the most primary and basic process of formulating courses of action or organised behaviour ahead of particular time (Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson 2003; David 2002). It appears to be foundational aspect to effective career management (Blustein 1997; De Voe  1998; Kaye 1997; Moses 1995; Orpen 1994; Shahnasarian 1994). While it is true that many people do not always plan their actions, it is important for an aspiring stock broker – like me, to plan. Organisations pay particular importance to the planning ability of every employee. However, whether dealing with the context by which planning is occurring or whether on the individual or organisational level, the process takes place according to the prevailing attitudes, beliefs, and goals that are involved. On this case, the presence of definite course of actions and organised behaviour is important in stock broking. Brokers have deliberate goals that needed immediate response in the most time- and cost-effective ways possible. When a stock broker is affiliated to any stock broker firm, the firm’s objectives should reflect standards of success in financial and competitive performance, as well as acceptable levels of risk and rates of long-term growth (Roney 2004). The broker then is expected to present plans and interventions on the tasks and the resources to be utilised in achieving the predetermined goals. The lack of formal planning or poor planning process and ability can decrease individual as well as organisational performance (Baird et al. 1993). According to most authors (Roney 2004; Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson 2003; David 2002; Matthews and Scott 1995), managerial strategic planning minimises the potential negative consequences of lack of formal planning or poor planning (i.e. uncertainty). The success of several organisations and people rely on the outstanding ability to plan, evaluate and materialise arrangement in connection to the achievement of goals. Organising is the ability of putting similar elements following one or more rules (Morgenstern 1998). Generally, it includes the specification and distribution of tasks to appropriate components (e.g. people, departments, etc). It is also the assignment of authority and allocation of resources. The practice of organising is crucial in developing inputs to planning, making planning decisions, and implementing strategy. To be effective, however, comprehensive management function in the business must be done in a continuous pattern (Hornsby and Kuratko 2005; Roney 2004). Yet, it is argued that the organising process that is to be conducted within the firm or among the individual is dependent on the plans that must be implemented. On the case of a stock broker, organising includes the development of coordinated efforts and interventions especially in the  performance of prescribed duties and eventual achievement of deliberate goals set ahead of time. This is highly needed to cope up with the soaring demand of clients and the industry itself. Directing or leading involves the execution of planned and organised activities and interventions for the achievement of predetermined goals (Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson 2003; David 2002). The task of directing or leading is also connected to other organisational factors such as the clients, the firm’s budget and assets, and all other firm’s resources (Roney 2004). Furthermore, it is encouraged to adapt participative approaches to directing/leading in order to elicit useful characteristics and elements that are useful for the individual’s and firm’s success level. Also, the development and execution of appropriate leadership style is a vital determinant of effective directing or leading process. In the stock broking industry, it is still fundamental to study the practicable directing or leading applications to be implemented in accordance to the achievement of individual’s and organisation’s most important motives. Coordinating is the regulation of all the various elements needed in the achievement of set goals. It is the integrating and establishing of linkages to diverse elements in order to accomplish harmonious operations a nd execution of plans (Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson 2003; David 2002). Coordinating includes the effective flow of communication. Communication is the link to successful execution of plans and achievement of objectives because it serves a number of fundamental functions (Brown 2001). Among these functions include the management of data and information, its flow, and so on. Surveys focusing on areas of improvement among corporations state that communication usually ranked as key element within the organization (Harris 1993). Eckhouse (1994) suggested that communication serves four major functions within a group or organization including control, motivation, emotional expression, and information. Communication is needed in a stock broker career because of the presence of constant meetings and appointments with different groups and types of people. Controlling is the task of management in the course of providing positive controls on the efforts of various elements of the organisation such as people and financial resources (Witzel 2003). It has been demonstrated that the emphasis in successful management lies on the man, not on the work (Gilbreth 1914 cited in Witzel 2003). According to  Gilbreth, the man’s mind is a controlling factor in efficiency, and has, by teaching, enabled the man to make the most of his powers. A stock broker must be able to control the future of every transaction so as to uphold the premeditated individual as well as organisational goals. Every action is planned, organised, directed, and coordinated towards a general consensus. The future of every business deal is reliant on the ability of the stock broker to minimise potential hazards and increase productivity. Thus, controlling and all the other management functions mentioned above are relatively important. Strength I recognised myself as someone who possesses the strength of the task of coordinating particularly on the case of communication. Petit, Goris and Vaught (1997) noted communication’s function is essential for cases like allowing employees to conduct meetings, make memos, provide feedback and share corporate-wide information. I believed that the previous exposures and experiences that I gained help me acquired this core competency. Good communication skill was gained from giving presentations at seminars, supplier and customer service transactions (e.g. issuing clear and concise instructions, advising and assisting customers, etc). I am also used at working on team projects particularly during my course. This involved different roles, which have developed my impeccable negotiation and persuasion skills. Considering the significant role of communication in stock broking, coordinating is among the basic ingredients of my professional success. I also believed to the spill over effects of effective coordinating function like the development of teamwork and successful working relationship. Teamwork is also attributed to the positive effects upon the psychological health and well-being of organisations member (Carter and West 1999). Through effective communication, people are motivated to work in unity and towards the achievement of individual and organisational goals alike. Weakness Firstly, it is in depth knowledge which I think I don’t have right now. I do have the knowledge of a stock broker but I am not a specialist.  Secondly, I tend to be little autocratic sometimes. So, this kind of attitude reflects as my weakness in terms of directing or leading. Leadership is an important aspect of management. As stated by a few authors (e.g. Cohen and Brand 1993; Hyde 1992), management requires leader’s full participation and involvement instead of designating individual groups who will shoulder all the responsibilities. Furthermore, this also helps in creating a sense of commitment and loyalty (Hill 1991). I presumed that I am the opposite of a favoured leader. I am autocratic which means I tend to be overly manipulative and domineering. I was engaged in an argument in my previous job placement out of my domineering attitude. This attitude hinders the development of harmonious relationship or esprit de corps among colleagues and most importantly on the part of potential clients. I recognised the need to learn a leadership style that will be instrumental on the achievement of my intended career role as well as the development of other important values useful in my future as stock broker and person as whole. Opportunities I have plenty of opportunities in this specific subject. In fact I have the world. The scope of learning here in United Kingdom is better than my home country. I am also active in this business right now and dealing with one of the biggest stock brokerage firm in Europe which I think that is one of the most learning experience I am having in this business ever. Threats The most common and important threats in this business are the uncertainties, competitors and future world situations. REFLECTION ON MY SKILLS DEVELOPMENT We all know that fact that knowledge is power. So I think that I have to study more and more about the subject to gain more knowledge so that I can handle all the situations happens there in a stock exchange individually. While I recognise my limitation of being an autocratic leader, I learned to lessen my domineering attitude and improved my leadership style. ‘In the business point of view, good leadership proves to be quite beneficial as aids in effectively meeting job-related demands,  creating higher-performing teams, fostering renewed loyalty and commitment, increasing motivational level, and reducing absenteeism and turnover of employees’ (Drucker 1995). From the last incident which I had in my last job with one of my subordinate, I considered having a reality check on my leadership skills – from autocratic to democratic or being friendlier. I gradually changed from domineering to accommodating leader. By doing so, I am able to listen on other people’s voices and study the situation before giving my personal judgments. I should have been more lenient to the new employee. With this experience, I learned that autocratic attitude is not actually relevant particularly in working with teams because it hinders the development of teamwork among team mates. Thus, I needed to reconsider other leadership style as option. Now, I will take all the opportunities whatever comes to my way. As my knowledge is growing day by day regarding this business, I think that I can make the best use of my opportunities. I hope, I can handle the threats as well. In this case, I should have proper knowledge about my competitors; I should be more analytical while predicting the future business situations. So, from the above discussion, it is clear that what a personal development plan is and how to develop it. SWOT analysis is a vital exercise for personal development plan. The examples given here in this assignment are based on my own life experiences and future plan. References: Baird, I. S., Kuratko, D. F., Lules, M. A. & Orris, B. B. 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