Human Resource Management 1 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Resource Management 1 - Research Paper Example In the following paragraph we are going to discuss about all the six features of a multicultural organization – Pluralism  refers to the mixed group of members in an organization and it also means taking proper measures to involve all the employees entirely that are different in terms of the central group dominating the organization. The concept of pluralism should take into account all the factors relating to race, religion, language, ethnicity, gender and culture which proves to be the basic component of a person’s identity and hence are sensitive facets of a person’s life. Pluralism is a part of the acculturation process. Acculturation helps to a great extent to introduce the concept of pluralism among the employees. Acculturation is the means by which the cultural disparity between the host/dominant cultural group and a minority cultural group are treated or resolved. There are a number of options for practicing acculturation within the organization, among which the most well-known being: 1. An unilateral procedure by which members of the minority culture take on the values and norms of the principal group within the workplace (this is called assimilation); 2. A course of action by which both majority and minority members of different cultural backgrounds accept some customs and rules of the other group (this is known as pluralism); 3. A state of affairs where there is modest scope of variation from each of the culturally different groups (this situation is referred to as cultural separatism). Pluralism further refers to the means of encouraging the minority culture groups are to enact the practices from the other cultural groups as well as from the dominant cultural group. They are as a result capable of retaining a sense of individuality within their minority cultural group. The concept of acculturation on the other hand is related to the cultural (customs and attitudes) characteristic of amalgamation of the diverse teams, as contra sting to simply make themselves physically available in the same setting (Buenker & Ratner, 2005, pp.18-20). Full structural integration:  An organization generally comprises of people from various backgrounds and different locations. When the firm has minority team members offering their service at every organizational level like responsibly handling all functions and enthusiastically taking part in all work teams, then it is said that the firm has attained full structural integration. Though, in order to obtain an appropriate knowledge of the structural integration framework it is significant to look further than the organization oriented summary data, and study the cultural blend in terms of function, individual work team and the level of work done. This involves dealing out with educational specializations and the variations in expertise and treating those evenly all through the organization. Full integration of informal networks:  integration in informal networks in a multi cultural organization is fostered through supervising and mentoring programs, particular social occasions and sustaining the cultural groups for the minorities. Such firm

United Arab Emirates Essay Example for Free

United Arab Emirates Essay In his article titled â€Å"United Arab Emirates† Sulayman Najm Khalaf gives an interesting overview of the UAE, one of the richest and most prosperous countries in the world. He briefly covers a wide range of subjects that concern the way of life of the Emirati society and vary from the country’s location and geography, its history, ethnic and social composition, political institutions, social welfare, the history of economic development, urbanization to the family life of its citizens, religion, child rearing, education, eating habits, etiquette, etc (Khalaf). Khalaf’s brief account of gender roles and statuses in the Emirati society now make me see the role of women in the country’s social, political, religious, or artistic life in a slightly different way. Although it is a well known fact that Emirati women, like women in many other Muslim countries, do not have the same rights and opportunities as men regardless of whatever the country’s government officials may declare, I did believe they had a greater influence on many aspects of social life and better access to the country’s politics than they actually have. I was also surprised to learn that in spite of the high ratio of the number of educated women in the UAE and their impressive performance in schools and universities, most of them tend to get married early, instead of taking the existing career opportunities, and actually choose to dedicate themselves to raising children and managing domestic affairs. I wrongly believed that the current status of women in the UAE was somewhat approaching the status of women in Western countries. In his article Khalaf describes some aspects of the special relationship between four principal social classes existing in the United Arab Emirates on the one hand, and between the Emirati nationals and the immigrants on the other hand. I was not aware of the high importance which is attached to the division of the nationals into social classes, their roles in â€Å"Page # 2† the Emirati society, and particularly the obvious impossibility for their members to move from a lower social group to a higher one. The article also changed my beliefs about the existence of equal opportunities for the citizens of the United Arab Emirates. Despite apparent openness and equality that I believed were typical of the country, and also tolerance for other ethnic or religious groups, now I am quite aware of the visible existence of gender discrimination and discrimination against other cultural or religious groups which, what is particularly shocking for a Westerner, are overtly encouraged by the state. As far as discrimination against the immigrants is concerned, now that I have read Khalaf’s article I am inclined to believe that the incomers are tolerated in the UAE not out of a sense of Emirati hospitality that is often advertised abroad, but because the country needs them and their low paid labor and services. This can be substantiated, for example, by the fact that the nationals that are just a minority group representing only 20% of the population are favored by most state laws or business regulations (Khalaf). Despite being a multiethnic society, the UAE grants privileges to and appears to protect the interests of only one ethnic group reserving other groups for a sustainable but nonetheless a relatively decent, by local standards, existence. It can be thus concluded that equal opportunities as we understand them in the West simply do not exist in the United Arab Emirates. The author explains that apart from Islam which is the country’s official religion foreign incomers can open and attend their own places of worship, too. But, as he emphasizes in the article, the majority of immigrants are of Asian or Arab descent following Islam. Khalaf does not mention, for example, how many, if any, practicing Christians or Buddhists as well as their churches or temples there are in the country. It would be also interesting to find out more about how the UAE regulates the inflow of immigrants from the much poorer countries of the region. Little does the author say about certain aspects of the country’s â€Å"Page # 3† political life, for example, how the president and his deputy are elected and by whom, how the judiciary is formed, etc. REFERENCES: 1. Khalaf, S. N. United Arab Emirates. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_gx5228/is_2001/ai_n19144272

Interracial America :: Racial Relations, People of Color, Asians

Lakshmi Chaundhry is a senior editor of AlterNet, an independent, alternative online news magazine. He thinks that people of different races falling in love, is a â€Å"luxury we can’t afford.†(158) Meanwhile, Andrew Sullivan a contributing writer for New York Times Magazine and senior editor of the New Republic thinks that interracial marriages break barriers and make people happier which in turn makes them more successful. Sullivan thinks, â€Å"If the rate of inter-racial marriages increases, the next generation may well not identify as ‘black’ or ‘white’ at all.†(158) â€Å"To avoid frustration, self-loathing, and anger, people of color should be discouraged from entering interracial romantic relationships,† claims Chaundry.(158) Chaundry suggests that people should stay away from interracial relationships. One of his main reasons is because not everyone will have someone. He feels that everyone picks and chooses. Chaundry states that it’s a â€Å"racial hierarchy.† â€Å"Anglos squarely are at the top.†(159) The Anglos determine who is hot and who is not. One of his arguments is about Asians. â€Å"Asians just don’t cut the list,† states Chaundry. (159) There will be no women for the Asian guy. â€Å"’We’re at the bottom of the pile, right along with black women.’†(159) Even Hollywood shows this. â€Å"In ‘Shanghai Knights,’ actress Fann Wong is matched with Owen Wilson instead of Jackie Chan, who is conveniently cast as her brother.†(159) Hollywood is send ing the message that Asian men are not wanted. â€Å"No women for the Asian guy.†(159) This affects the life of people. Henry says, â€Å"’It means a lot of loneliness, a lot of Friday nights without a date.’†(159) Being lonely leads these men to have â€Å"’an obsession with pornography.’† (160) Not having anyone for them affects the lives of these Asian men. On the contrary, â€Å"Asian women have a better shot at getting some white booty.†(160) This is called a â€Å"cultural leverage.†(160). A cultural leverage is when one sex isn’t really accepted culturally but the other sex can get anyone they desire. The Asian woman has more sexual options. The Asian man is limited to very few choices. â€Å"The men in my community want the right to do the same.†(160) This is a problem that the Asian man faces according to Chaudhry and her resources. â€Å"I spent my teen years falling in and out of love with a number of seriously cute Indian boys.†(161) She grew up in Indian where she refers to it as â€Å"[having] harsher realities of race.†(161) When she moved back to America she was judged by a white person for her marriage.

Randy Pausch’s Last lecture presentation

1. Randy Pausch’s Last lecture presentation is about achieving your childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and how you can achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others. Mr. Pausch had several childhood dreams these included: being in zero gravity, playing in the NFL, Authoring an article in the World Book Encyclopedia, being Captain Kirk, winning stuffed animals, and being a Disney Imagineer. He achieved his first dream of being in zero gravity when he was a professor and his students were taking part of a space ship demonstration.He did not achieve his dream of being a NFL player; however as a kid he was enrolled in football. He states that football taught him so many things, such as hard work, the fundamentals, and experience. He learned that when you’re screwing up and no one bothers to say anything to you that means that they stopped caring. He received an opportunity to write an article for the encyclopedia on virtual reality. He also won lots of bi g stuff animals for his family. Randy Pausch had done so well for himself in the virtual reality world that Captain Kirk came to meet him, and lastly he was able to work as a Disney Imagineer.Lastly, he ends his lecture with some important advice. He states to be good at something; it makes you valuable. He states to work hard, find the best in everybody; no matter how you have to wait for them to show it, and be prepared† â€Å"luck† is where preparation meets opportunity. I agree with his advice, one should not stop dreaming and striving for excellence. One should have fun, take chances and never give up. I feel that Mr. Pausch wanted to leave his family with one last positive legacy. 2. My childhood dreams were to be in NASA and go to space, have a family, to be wealthy and have my own island.I believe it is important to achieve your dreams; it keeps one striving for a goal and distracts one from seeing the negatives in his or her life. A dream defines you. 3. What I ’ve learned from my experiences with failure is that when one has a will there is a way. It gave me the opportunity to learn that I have people that will be there for me and help me understand that I’m not alone and that they will be with me through every step of the learning experience.4. The important life lessons I have learned so far are: that this is my ife and it’s up to me how I choose to live it, I have the right to choose my own destiny, I have also learned that family is more important than money, I have learned that nothing can buy you more happiness than a child and marrying the perfect woman, and always look on the bright side. 5. My last lecture would be about how to live life to the fullest. The five points I would communicate to others are: 1. Love and accept everyone including yourself 2. Laugh and be happy 3. Make a bucket list 4. Don’t hang onto the past 5. Don’t give up

Business Policy Essay

Produce a high quality products * Diversity and variety in products offered * Large market share (16% of global footwear market) * Major sponsor for a number of global sporting events * Purchasing of Reebok * Adidas has a Global Presence with over 2400 stores worldwide in a variety of regions. These alone account for nearly â‚ ¬2. 8bil. * Famous sports stars advertising products – Adidas has a series of football superstars who wear and advertise their products, including David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Stephen Gerrard etc. Weaknesses High prices in some products * Online customer service not â€Å"helpful† or easy to find * Not utilizing Reebok * Stiff competition and similar big brands means customers have high brand switching * The products can sometimes be costly due to innovative technology or production method * E-commerce is limited to USA Opportunities * Entering the Asian market, China is the fastest growing economy in the world. * Entering the female market * Social trend and popularity of social media sites such as Facebook, allowing Adidas to interact directly and build relationships with potential and current customers. Sponsorship of global sports events which improves the company’s global brand. These include an 11 year sponsorship on the NBA, the 2012 GB Olympic Games and the continued sponsorship of the FIFA WC. * Tie-up with emerging sports teams/clubs/players internationally * Collaborate with other online retailers to offer Adidas products Threats * Nike competition. Nike has strong reputation in the footwear and apparel industry * Global economic downturn. * Increase in the Price of Raw materials * Competition from designers such as Hugo Boss and Lacoste. * fake imitations affect brand image

Complete List of High School Sports How to Pick

Complete List of High School Sports How to Pick SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Interested in playing a high school sport? You should be! High school sports are a great way to make friends, get involved in your school, and stay active. What sports are offered? I’ll give you the full list of high school sports available in the US, and I’ll explainwhy you should join a team and how to figure out whichsport is right for you. The Complete List of High School Sports Offered in the US These are the sports that fall under the jurisdiction of a State Athletic Association. Each state has itsown Athletic Association that runs the sports leagues and championships for the below sports. NOTE: Not all of these sports are offered in all states.For example, Skiing Snowboarding isn’t offered in Florida. Less obviously, bowling isn’t offered in California and several other states. Additionally, even if asport isoffered in your state, it may not be offered at your school.There might not have been enough interest or funding to create a team.If you hope to play a sport that’s offered in your state, but not at your school, consider starting a team. I’ll discuss this optionmore in-depth below. There may be other sports offered at your high school that are played at a â€Å"club† level (they don’t have a state championship).To find out which sports are offered at your specific high school, check out yourschool's website or email a school administrator or athletic director. Unless otherwise noted, sportshave both boys' and girls' teams or a co-ed team: Badminton Baseball (Boys) Basketball Bowling Cheerleading / Competitive Spirit Squads Cross Country Dance Team Field Hockey Flag Football (Girls) Football (Boys) Golf Gymnastics Hockey Indoor Track Field Lacrosse Skiing Snowboarding Soccer Softball (Girls) Slow Pitch Softball (Girls) Surf Swimming Diving Tennis Track Field Volleyball Water Polo Weightlifting Wrestling When Is Each Sport Played? The season (fall, winter, spring) for each sport varies by state.There are a few sports that are consistent in season from state to state - football, for example, is always played in fall. To check when each sport is played in your state, do a Google Search for your state’s high school athletic association.Simply search â€Å"[State Name] High School Sports† or â€Å"[State Name] High School Athletic Association.†That will bring you to the athletic association website for your state.There should be a tab on the website for sports.Under that tab, you should see a list of all sports and their season. Below isa screenshot fromthe Florida High School Athletic Association website: How to Choose Which Sport(s) to Join There are many ways to choose which team (or teams) to join at your school.First, you should take into consideration the season when each sport is played.Follow the steps above to find out when each sport is played in your state.Most schools don't allow you to play two sports that are in the same season (or that overlap seasons as fall and winter sports sometimes do).Talk to your high school athletic director if you’re interested in playing two sports that are in the same season or may overlap. Next, you should take into consideration which sports you’ve played before and how much you enjoyed them.Did you play a sport inmiddle school or recreationally that you enjoyed?Is that sport offered at your high school?If it is, consider joining that team!You already enjoyed playing it, so you should continue. If the sport isnot currently offered by your school but is offered by your state athletic association, consider starting a school team.Again, follow the steps outlined above to see if the sport is offered by your school athletic association. If you'd rather not start a team, you also might be allowed to join that team at another high school. For example, if you wanted to be on the bowling team, and it wasn't offered at your high school but was at a high school a couple of miles away, you'd likely be allowed to try out for that team. Talk to your athletic director to see if this is an option. If it's not, you should see if there is a localcommunity sports team for that sport. If there is, consider joining that team! If the sport you love isn't offered by your state athletic association (such as Ultimate Frisbee), consider starting a club to play it with friends after school. You won’t have a state championship, but you’ll still have the opportunity to play the sport.As a bonus, starting your own club willalso be a great leadership experience to include on your resume. Before picking a sports team to join,consider how well your experience in a sport matches up with how competitive it is at your school.Have you played the sport before? For how long? How good is that team at your high school? Did they go to the state championship? For example, at my high school, when I attended, our football and lacrosse teams were terrible. They essentially lost almost every game.However, our men’s tennis team went to the state championship.If I was picking a team to join and I’d never played any of the sports before, I’d probably try out for football or lacrosse and NOT tennis, since I’d have a better shot atmaking the football or lacrosse teams.If I had playedtennis competitively throughout middle school, I’d still tryout for the tennis team. It’s good to be aware of how competitive each team is in advance of trying out. To help figure outhow competitive each team is, you should also try to figure out how many people get picked to be on each teamand how many players are returning from the previous season.For example, football teams typically have around 40 players. Tennis teams at high schools typically have five singles players and two doubles teams (often composed of four of the five singles players).Football is probably a less competitive team to join (even a good football team) than a tennis team since there are 40 spots versus five. However, if you're only going to try out for one specific position on the football team (such as quarterback), it may be MORE competitive than tennis since there is only one starting spot for quarterback versus five starting spots for tennis players. If all five tennis players are returning from the previous season, I’d be hesitant to try out because I likely wouldn’t make the team unless I were good enough to beat one or more of the current players. While all of the above should be taken into consideration when picking a sports team, don’t let any of the above stop you.If you’ve always been dying to play on a tennis team but have never played before, still try out! You never know, you might make it! If you're interested in a sport that's very competitive at your school, check to see if you can try out for a JV team (or some schools even have freshman teams in addition to JV andvarsity). You can start there and work your way up to varsity. 4 Great Reasons to Join a Sports Team Sports teams are a great extracurricular activity.I have some of my best high school memories from playing on the tennis team at my high school. Reason 1: It’s a great way to make friends (or make more friends).Sports team often bring together a lot of different people (who may not have been friends otherwise). Joining a sports team willprovide you with a new group of friends, who you might not have met otherwise. Reason 2: It can be a great opportunity for leadership (which colleges love to see on your resume).Sports teams often elect a team captain, which gives that personthe opportunity to be a leader.Typically, team captains don’t have a lot of responsibility; usually, it’s more of an honorary title. If anything, team captains are responsible for boosting team morale. However, becoming team captain will still help boost your college applications becauseit shows schoolsthat you’re well-liked and could potentially be a leader at their school. Reason 3: It helps you stay active and relieve stress.High school is stressful, and playing sports helps relieve stress. Staying active through sportscan make you feel happier and have major health benefits. Reason 4: Depending on how good you are and what your goals are, participating in a sportcan help you get into college.If you rise to become a top player of thesport in your state, you might be recruited to play thatsport incollege, and you might also be offered a scholarship.NOTE: this is rare. This isn't the norm. Don’t count on being recruited to college for your sport.If you’re seriously interested in college athletic recruiting, learn about the process in our other guide. WhatBenefits Should You Not Expect to Get From Joining a Sport? While joining a team has many benefits (as you can see above), you shouldn’t join a team if you’re hoping it’ll be the extracurricular activity that gets you into college.Unless you’re in thetop 1% of players in your sport, it’s unlikely you’ll be recruited to play it for college. Also, admissions officers are not particularly impressed by your participation on a team.My friend, who is a former admissions officer, said it is one of the most common topics for personal statements.Admissions officers hate to read these personal statements because they’ve heard every high school sports story.They’ve read about you and your team overcoming some obstacle and winning. They’ve read about crushing defeats.In your personal statements, admissions officers want to see who you are and what makes you unique. Playing a sport will not make you unique since many students play sports. Don’t play a sport so that you seem â€Å"well-rounded† on your college application.Top schools no longer want well-rounded students.Top schools want students who are an expert in something.If you’re the number 1 ranked tennis player in your state, you’ll be impressive because you’re an expert in tennis.However, if you’re the 150th ranked tennis player in your state, the college likely won’t care.It’d be better for you not to play a sport and to be a state champion mathlete or a state science fair winner or a debate champion.These all prove expertise in a field.To read more about this expert philosophy, read our guide on how to get into Harvard and the Ivy League. If you're not that interested in playing a sport, don't do it! Playing a sport takes a lot of time. If you don't enjoy the sport, it's a huge time-suck from which you aren't getting many benefits.Consider spending your time doing anotheramazing extracurricular activitysuch as one of the activities mentioned below. What’s Next? If you’re interested in playing a sport, you should learn about what makes an amazing extracurricular activity for you college applications. Also, you should learn about how many extracurricular activities you need for college. Interested in learning about other great extracurricular opportunities? Learn more about job shadowing, community service, and volunteer abroad programs. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

The Story of Beatrix Potter

The Story of Beatrix Potter Free Online Research Papers Helen Beatrix Potter was born on Saturday, July 28, 1866 at 2 Bolton Gardens, South Kensington, Middlesex in the country of England. She was the first child born to Rupert and Helen Potter; a well-to-do London couple who were heirs to a cotton fortune. Her father Rupert Potter was a prosperous lawyer. He was also an enthusiastic and skilled photographer who enjoyed not only taking photographs of his family and friends but also the ever changing scenes on the streets of London. Miss Potter’s mother, Helen Potter, was a simple country gentlewoman who became a social London lady after she married Rupert Potter. Prior to marriage she had enjoyed painting with water colors and frolicking in the countryside. As a married woman she engaged in carriage rides and afternoon tea with other socialite ladies of London and then back home to prepare herself for frequent elaborate dinner parties. When Rupert and Helen Potter married in 1863 they lived in Upper Harley Street, a fashionable part of London at the time. When Helen became pregnant they moved to 2 Bolton Gardens in Kensington where they remained until Rupert’s death nearly fifty years later. The third floor nursery in Bolton Gardens was Beatrix Potter’s playroom, schoolroom, and eventually studio for the forty seven years following her birth. In the time which Beatrix Potter was born it was customary for children to be cared for by either a nurse or governess. Beatrix spent much of her childhood in solitude, only seeing her parents at bedtime and on special occasions. The Potter’s hired a young woman, Nurse McKenzie, from the Highlands of Scotland, where the Potters went for their holiday every summer. Nurse McKenzie looked after and cared for Beatrix with strict and spartan attention. She fed her, dressed her, helped her to crawl and walk, taught her her first words and introduced her to fairies. When Beatrix was almost six years old, her brother Walter Bertram was born. Now that there were two children to be looked after by Nurse McKenzie it was natural that Beatrix became more independent and learned to do things on her own. She had inherited her parents’ artistic talents and discovered the pleasure it gave her to draw and paint. She began to take more notice of the pictures in the books she was reading and continued to develop her talents. Her parents encouraged her greatly and began to increase the supply of new books in the nursery for her enjoyment. Now that Nurse McKenzie was caring for the new baby Mr. and Mrs. Potter hired a governess to care for Beatrix. Miss Hammond came to start her education and began to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic. Time was also set aside each day for painting and drawing. When Beatrix turned twelve another governess, Miss Cameron, was hired to specifically teach her drawing. Beatrix became very fond of Miss Hammond who filled the days with learning, playing and exploring. Miss Hammond encouraged young Beatrix to read, write and explore the world around her. She was very kind and full of constant praise directing Beatrix to become the best she could imagine. When Beatrix became a teenager her parents decided that Miss Hammond had done all the teaching she could and then hired another governess, Miss Annie Carter. Miss Carter taught German and French and other language skills. More importantly, she taught Beatrix how to enjoy each day to the fullest and capture the splendor around her through writing, drawing, and painting. Miss Carter stayed on with the Potter family until Beatrix was nineteen. From a young age, Beatrix was fascinated by nature. Her family went on annual summer holidays in Scotland and the Lake District. Her parents often rented the Dalguise House, near Dunkeld on the river Tay in Perthshire, Scotland. Beatrix had many fond memories there and even used it as the location for her story, The Tale of Jeremy Fisher. These summer holidays in the country provided a prolonged and recurring happiness that Beatrix treasured throughout her life. Mr. Potter would engage in long exploratory walks with his children during these summer holidays and it was there that Beatrix and Bertram collected animals, skeletons and fossils together. They sketched and painted pictures of the plants and animals they saw; and often went to the Natural History Museum to learn more. These holidays in the country provided Beatrix with not only hands-on experience, but also a deep love and knowledge of the countryside. She had a deep love for animals and acquired many pets in different forms . Each of her lovely pets would later serve as characters in her writings and drawings. Although Beatrix’s childhood was abnormally secluded and lonely due in part to the fact that both her parents discouraged their children to have close friendships with others for fear of exposure to germs and bad influences, this allowed Beatrix to concentrate on her own fantasies and interests†¦ animals, drawing, writing, nature. Bertram was six years younger than Beatrix and she loved him dearly. She shared much with him but could not share all that she desired. Judy Taylor explains that â€Å"The substitute for human companionship for Beatrix were her pets – and a diary. To ensure that her journal was kept secret from prying eyes, particularly her mother’s, Beatrix invented a code.† (P. 34.Taylor). The code for her journal was not broken until 1958, several years after her death. When Beatrix was in her twenties, she made a minor scientific discovery in regards to spores of moulds. Since she was basically self-taught, her work was not only under suspicion but also scrutiny by botanists at the Royal Botanic Gardens. She wrote a paper on the subject which was presented by her uncle Sir Henry Enfield Roscoe in 1897 before the Linnean Society of London. Women were not allowed to attend meetings so the paper was could not be read by Beatrix. However, her discovery and theories were eventually proved correct and many years later were recognized by the Society. In 1997, the Society issued an official apology to Miss Potter for the way she had been treated. Beatrix loved to write and aside from her journal which she wrote in almost on a daily basis describing events and situations from her life, she also began to create drawings of her beloved pets; especially her rabbit Benjamin Bouncer. 1889 she began to submit her drawings to publishers who used them on greeting cards and in 1891 submitted several sketches to a number of publishers which were readily used in children’s books and children’s quarterlies On September 4, 1893, Beatrix wrote a picture letter to her former governess’ son, Noel Moore. Noel was five years old and had fallen ill. Beatrix was not sure how to write to him so she proceeded to tell him a story about four little rabbits named Mopsy, Flopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. This beautifully illustrated letter was so well-received that Beatrix decided to publish it privately as The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1900. At first she was rejected by five publishers, but on December 16, 1901 it was published by Frederick Warne Company and was a great success. The basis of Miss Potter’s many stories were the small animals that she smuggled into the house or observed during family holidays in Scotland and the Lake District. The characters she chose correlated with people and places that touched her life on a daily basis. These beautifully crafted stories described the adventures of Benjamin Bunny (Peter’s Cousin), Pig Robinson, Squirrel Nutkin and many more of Miss Potter’s delightful little ‘friends’. Each story was unique in its own and was full of sketches, descriptions of animals that Miss Potter loved, and descriptions of holidays by the seaside, and in Wales, Scotland, and other places that she enjoyed. She truly encompassed all aspects of the life around her into the stories she wove. As she was preparing to have another book published, Miss Potter began to correspond with Norman Warne, the son of the founder of the publishing company which she was now employed by. Norman was the one person whom Miss Potter turned for support and he always gave her the most encouragement. Their friendship grew stronger with each passing day and in the summer of 1905 Norman proposed marriage. Miss Potter was overjoyed by Norman’s proposal but knew that receiving consent from her parents, particularly her mother, would be a big obstacle to overcome. As expected, her parents were not pleased with the proposal because Norman’s family was not part of the London elite but rather a family of trade. However, her parents agreed there could be a wedding but only if Beatrix and Norman waited one full year before announcing their engagement. This way if either changed their mind there would be no embarrassment to the family. Margaret Lane writes, â€Å"Her (Beatrix) mind nevertheless was made up and the struggle carried on in unhappy silence. No announcement was made and almost nobody told, but Beatrix now firmly considered herself betrothed and wore her engagement ring.† (p. 137.) However, the wedding was not to be, for soon after the proposal, on August 25, 1905 Norman fell ill and died. Beatrix was devastated. Happiness did not come very easily in the weeks that followed and the summer of 1905 was difficult and full of struggle. Beatrix buried herself in her work and continued to write the stories she had been sharing and planning with Norman. She spent her time at the property she had purchased in the Lake District with the royalties from The Tales of Peter Rabbit. As the months of autumn approached she began to feel very ill but she struggled on and continued to write another book. When the opportunity to purchase another property came available Miss Potter acted quickly. She purchased a working farm in Near Sawrey called Hill Top. She started out with a few pigs and soon acquired sixteen Herdwick sheep, native to the Lake District. Herdwick sheep were a hardy breed that had wool which was prized for its hardwearing and waterproof qualities, especially for clothing and carpets. After just two years, Hill Top Farm had over thirty Herdwicks, ten cows, fourteen pigs, several ducks and many hens. There were also several dogs. Beatrix enjoyed her farm and even though it began to take up more of her attention, â€Å"she continued to work on her little books and used her animals and property to the full as models and as source material.† (p. 111. Taylor.) The Tale of Tom Kitten, published in 1907, was set in the house and garden of Hill Top Farm and in the village of Sawrey. In the pictures she drew the garden of Hill Top is in full bloom like a flower show. The interior of the little house is exactly as the house was when Beatrix moved in. Tom Kitten’s mother was named after the cat in the house where Beatrix stayed. Likewise, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-duck, published in 1908, was also set on the farm at Hill Top and the surrounding village. Jemima was a special duck who often amused Beatrix with her maternal problems of attempting to create a nest for her eggs. Jemima would journey throughout the farm looking for that secret place to care for her eggs and Beatrix would follow her and sketch the area which she trekked. Interestingly enough, the field which Jemima journeyed across would eventually be, thirty six years later, Beatrix Potter’s resting place. Her ashes were scattered in the field at the edge of Jemima’s woods, looking back to Sawrey. Beatrix spent more and more time at Sawrey and in 1909 she bought another farm there. Castle Farm had a small house facing her Hill Top Farm and gave her a grand view of the property she owned. She had farm hands that cared for her properties but she was also very much involved with both. By 1912, Beatrix owned a considerable amount of land in and around Sawrey. In all her property dealings she had taken advice from a local firm and was looked after by William Heelis. He informed her of properties which were coming available to the market, attended sales on her behalf, and took care of the contracts. Beatrix and William had developed a keen friendship and by the end of 1912 William had proposed to Beatrix and she accepted. On October 14, 1913 Beatrix Potter and William Heelis were married in London. After her marriage, Beatrix was able to settle in to the Lake District permanently where she took on an active role in caring for her farms. She loved her animals and enjoyed all the time she could with them. For several more years she turned all her energy toward farming and in 1924 she bought a spectacular hill farm in the Lake District named Troutbeck Park Farm. It had a stone farmhouse with over 2,000 acres supporting hundreds of sheep, the majority being the Herdwicks. Beatrix became a respected farmer, a judge at agricultural shows, and President of the Herdwick Sheep Breeders’ Association. Beatrix Potter died on December 22, 1943. She was more than an author of little books for children. She was an amazing artist, a farmer and landowner, a breeder, and a philanthropist. She is remembered both through her lovely books, which continue to be cherished by children today, and through the lovely Lake District in England, which she helped to preserve even at her death by bequeathing Hill Top Farm and over 4,000 acres to the National Trust. Cumulative bibliography: Aldis, Dorothy. Nothing is impossible: The story of Beatrix Potter. Peter Smith Publ. 1988 Lane, Margaret. The magic years of Beatrix Potter. Frederick Warne Co. 1978. Linder, Leslie. A history of the writings of Beatrix Potter, Warne 1971. Potter, Beatrix The Tale of Jeremy Fisher Warne 2001 Potter, Beatrix The Tale of Benjamin Bunny Warne 2002 Potter, Beatrix The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck Warne 2002 Potter, Beatrix The tale of Peter Rabbit. Warne 2007. Potter, Beatrix The Tale of Tom Kitten Warne 2002 Taylor, Judy. Beatrix Potter: artist, storyteller and countrywoman. Warne 1986 Research Papers on The Story of Beatrix PotterHip-Hop is ArtQuebec and CanadaDistance Learning Survival GuideInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This Nice19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraStandardized TestingThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationAmerican Central Banking and OilThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use