Grapes of Wrath Essay Steinbecks Use of Interchapters

The Use of Interchapters in The Grapes of Wrath nbsp; John Steinbecks, The Grapes of Wrath, is a narrative about the travel of the Joad family from Oklahoma to California.nbsp; However, between many of the narrative chapters, Steinbeck inserts interchapters, which interrupt the flow of the narrative to provide the authors commentary.nbsp; This technique is very effective because the interchapters create an image of the economic and social history that impact the story.nbsp; They provide a broad picture of what is happening to the mass of migrants traveling to California on Route 66.nbsp; Without the interchapters, the reader would be given a limited view of how life was for the migrants, and Stienbeck would not have been able†¦show more content†¦nbsp; The interchapters provide Steinbeck with the opportunity to insert his own subjective commentary and help to interpret the novel for the reader. For example, chapter three of the novel is an extended metaphor that demonstrates endurance and perseverance; qualities that are demonstrated by the Joads, as well as other migrants, throughout the novel.nbsp; Steinbeck highly admired the migrants because they endured much suffering but never gave up.nbsp; He uses this interchapter to depict the struggles of the Joads, as well as other migrants, and to commend their praiseworthy determination and persistence.nbsp; In addition, in chapter twelve Steinbeck challenges the idea that America is a free countryShow MoreRelated The Changing Family Revealed in Grapes of Wrath Essay1785 Words   |  8 PagesThe Changing Family Revealed in Grapes of Wrath  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   The emphasis on family in America is decreasing. Divorce rates, single-parent households, and children born out of wedlock are all increasing. Furthermore, instead of the network of aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and other relatives that was prevalent in early America, Americans today are more distant from their extended family. As sociologist David Elkind said in a 1996 interview with Educational Leadership, Instead of togethernessRead More Role of the Family Explored in Slapstick and Grapes of Wrath2584 Words   |  11 PagesRole of the Family Explored in Slapstick and Grapes of Wrath  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   On Maslows hierarchy of needs, the need for belongingness and love ranks only below the need for survival, making it one of our most basic needs (Weiten 267). Many people fill this need for affection by participating in a family unit. However, as the 20th century continues, the emphasis on family in America is decreasing. Divorce rates, single-parent households, and children born out of wedlock are all increasing. FurthermoreRead More Brief Biography of John Steinbeck Essay3594 Words   |  15 Pageswon the Drama Critics Circle Award. The next year, he published The Long Valley and the last part of The Red Pony. His big project for the year, however, was working and researching a great novel, to be published in 1939 under the title The Grapes of Wrath. With this book, Steinbeck insured his future in the literary world. The book was so controversial that Steinbeck had to worry about attempts on his life or reputation; even now, it (along with Of Mice and Men) often are f ound on lists of commonly

Social Media Myths About Social Networking - 1880 Words

10 Social Media Myths That Need To Be Nipped In The Bud An excess of twits tweet twaddle! In the event that you ve quit having faith in beasts, orcs, and kissing frogs, possibly now is the right time to quit accepting these social networking myths as well? Stories of trolls hiding in the internet and leads on Twitter being as subtle the Loch Ness Monster course the promoting calling like a session of Chinese whispers. Don t be perplexed, social networking can be marvelous for your image (particularly if there are charming creature Gifs included) and give your advertising a new turn. Demonstrate these myths the entryway and free them from your showcasing techniques for good. 1. Everyone is on social networking sites Not so much genuine, however that surely shouldn t prevent you from taking advantage of it. A vast extent of your buyers are on social networking, regardless of the fact that its just to make a record and watch what their companions are dependent upon. Stunningly better, with social networking you can target individuals keen on your business that haven t discovered you yet. Twitter has in excess of 200 million dynamic clients, with the dominant part picking to utilize the site on their telephones instead of on a desktop. Something to think about in case you re planning to enhance your shopper reach. Besides, examine has demonstrated organizations utilizing Twitter normal two times a larger number of leads than the individuals who don t; and organizationsShow MoreRelatedSocial Medi The World s Largest Social Network938 Words   |  4 Pages Social Media Networking can help a business, but there are some myths and benefits of social media. A business needs to know the myths and benefi ts of social media prior to using social media for their networking method. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Nextdoor, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube are some of the social media sites that business can use to promote their business. 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It has opened new dimensions for people and is regarded as the most innovative and revolutionary creation of the 21st century which has played a significant role in globalizing the world. As much useful can social media be, one major phenomena is that no matter how protected the webs may be, social media has a much deeper and darker sideRead MoreSocial Media and Its Impact742 Words   |  3 Pages†¢ About APA †¢ Psychology Topics †¢ Publications †¢ Psychology Help Center †¢ News Events †¢ Research †¢ Education †¢ Careers †¢ Membership SEARCH Top of Form [pic]IN Bottom of Form †¢ E-MAIL †¢ PRINT Home  » News Events  » Press Room  » Press Releases August 6, 2011 Social Networking’s Good and Bad Impacts on Kids Psychologists explore myths, realities and offer guidance for parents WASHINGTON—Social media present

Democracy in the US Free Essays

Each of us is aware that change is everywhere we look. No segment of society is exempt. We as the public are dealing with the advent of continuous and ever increasing change. We will write a custom essay sample on Democracy in the US or any similar topic only for you Order Now Change in technology, change in resource availability, change in national demographics, change in workforce diversity, change in simply every facet of the organizational environment and context in which public institutions must operate. Change, as the saying goes, has truly become the only constant. The challenge for organizations is whether they can become flexible enough, fast enough. And will they do it on terms set by the organizational culture, and then adapt and succeed in the face of it or will they challenge the status quo and attempt to transform the prevailing culture. What follows is the story of a public organization, which is trying to change the context under which it performs rather than be changed by that context. In the realm of Philosophy, as Erasmus of Rotterdam, the first truly great humanist of the modern age once said, â€Å"The intent suffices in a great design†. Erasmus, no doubt was right. However, beyond simple intent, or to phrase it in the current vernacular, vision, action is required to bring the vision to life. In any age, there are those individuals willing to challenge the status quo, whether it is in the field of politics, science, business, or public administration. If these individuals are to enjoy a measure of success, they must be willing to take an inordinate amount of risk and withstand criticism, indifference and cynicism from every quarter. Most importantly, they must have the capacity to envision a great design and then transform that vision into action. A skeptic would find little or no relationship between philosophy and the modern practice of the public. A purist would probably go further and find offensive the very idea of comparing these two seemingly opposed disciplines. One, grounded in the metaphysical pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, and the other, a pragmatic and practical effort to conduct the public’s business, appear to be at opposite ends of an intellectual continuum. Closer examination reveals that both disciplines share similar characteristics and both pursue parallel aims. Philosophy and public administration seek to understand human motivation, philosophy for the sake of pure knowledge, and public administration to harness this understanding to practical ends. Human apprehension and resistance to change is but one aspect of this understanding that is shared by both disciplines. The idea of a flatter, more horizontal organization, one with a minimum number of organizational layers separating the front line employees from senior management is by no means new. Organizations, if one can call them that, in the early years of the industrial revolution consistently reflected an absolute minimum number of layers. Indeed, a face to face relationship often existed between ownership or management and the employee or worker. As methods of production grew increasingly complex and the principles of scientific management were applied, more and more layers of organizational structure were created. Organizations being ongoing entities, these layers tended to become permanent features of the organizational landscape, often well beyond the time where they†re original intent and usefulness has become obsolete. The private as well as the public sectors has found that the pressures of operating successful enterprises in an ever-changing competitive world, demand new management approaches. A realization has emerged that a principal impediment to the rapid response to a changing environment is organizational structure.    The organization, which was to emerge, was to strive to become boundaryless, free from the confines of the hierarchical past, and organized around processes rather than functions. We desired to become a customer-oriented, fast, focused, flexible, friendly and fun organization. But here again the government felt as though they need to step in. We carefully blended concepts from a diverse variety of management thinkers. As we met in community meetings, every idea and suggestion that complemented our vision of the future organization was documented on video and considered. If we valued the people as assets, then we had to come to respect them. Our habits and organizational routines stripped people of initiative and pride. People frequently did â€Å"leave their brains in the parking lot† as a way of coping with the nature of the anything. They did it because the message we sent through all of our command and control structures, most notably, that people shouldn’t do anymore than what the job description said. And we reinforced this with compensation systems that rewarded this behavior. We had to set these human resources free. The people of the U.S. needed to feel that they had a right to exercise the freedom to think and the freedom to act. We would work very hard to demonstrate we were credible on this point. Until we could free all of our assets and apply them to the services we render, it was hopeless to believe that our customer focus could be evident. Individually, we hope to achieve meaningful and lasting contributions. To do this, we must first look inward and objectively determine what our strengths and weaknesses are. Ideally, we should be able to use the benefits of the former to slowly erode the drawbacks of the latter. Persistence and patience, coupled with the use of character, should allow us to achieve this end. Organizations, however, rely on the interdependent actions of the individuals that comprise it. Therefore, if these individuals hope to enact any significant changes they must first ensure that there is a commonality of purpose, a shared vision. Importantly, this vision must be embraced by and apply to each and every one of the members. In this fashion, interdependence and commonality of purpose can be achieved. Governments have found that they can legislate laws that define what is acceptable and what is not just as proven by Alexis de Tocqueville. This definition of acceptability is accompanied with a corresponding punishment. Governments draft, approve and enforce laws. They cannot, however, hope to legislate morals or morality. They have tried, and they have failed. That laws cannot prevent human beings from killing each another is not tragic. It is only one’s conscience, based on the moral principles under which we were raised, that prevent us from breaking the law. The laws of the land say we must be punished, but the same laws are powerless to prevent us from killing does this sound just to you. Laws are the manifestation of the moral principles we all learned as children. They are the shared morality, the ethics, of a nation. We felt the need to create a code of ethics based on simple common sense principles derived from a general consensus. This was of paramount importance in our quest. To that end, we adopted our foundational principles. We choose to define empowerment, as the freedom to think and the freedom to act, with the appropriate knowledge of the responsibilities linked with the exercise of power. The first principle, to treat each other with respect and dignity, was embraced by all as the most important guiding principle. The second, that sharing is not a weakness, required a huge shift in perception. To view sharing as strength, rather than as a weakness, becomes very important in the context of the chaos of large-scale change. Without these principles, we could not proceed to fundamentally re-invent ourselves. There are a number of desired talents that any organization needs from its members in order to achieve excellence. Competence, becomes a de facto assumption, for without it the attainment of our goals and objectives is doomed to failure. However, competence, by itself, does not constitute the only element in this formula. Character is the catalyst that binds all the diverse organizational elements into a coherent whole. In fact, character is probably considerably more desirable than competence. Most organizations believe that you can teach skills to create or supplement competence, but you can not teach, dictate, or prescribe character. The third essential talent is intuition. We each have an inner voice which, when combined in the presence of character and competence allows us to do great things. This is a sadly an often ignored reality of leadership. Perhaps one day soon the people of today†s times will start seeing what minority groups of the government would just prefer we not. How to cite Democracy in the US, Essay examples

Theories of Organizational Conflicts-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Disucss about the Theories of Organizational Conflict. Answer: Organizational conflict refers to the condition of misunderstanding or disagreement that is caused by the perceived or actual opposition in the needs, interests and values among people who work together. Organizational conflict may also be termed as workplace conflict. The conflicts occur during situations where there is an interaction between two or more members of an organization involving contradictory opinions. Organizational conflicts are influenced by a variety of factors like the lack of clarity in the responsibility of the team members, the interpersonal relationship that is shared by the members of the organization. The scarcity of the needed resources may lead to the rise of conflict between the members of the organization. This report attempts to look into the two theories of the organizational conflict. These theories are the organizational conflict theory and the conflict management theory. Keywords: Organizational conflict, Organizational Conflict theory, Change Management Theorys Introduction Organizational conflict refers to the condition of misunderstanding or disagreement that is caused by the perceived or actual opposition in the needs, interests and values among people who work together. Organizational conflict may also be termed as workplace conflict. The conflicts occur during situations where there is an interaction between two or more members of an organization involving contradictory opinions. These opinions may be brought forward concerning any particular decision or task that has taken place within the organization. Organizational conflict, in simpler terms, implies to the outcomes of the human interaction that commences with the declaration of a member of the organization that his values, attitudes or goals are not compatible with the attitude, values or goals that have been set by the organization and needs to be followed by the members of the organization (Siira, 2012). The incompatibility of the opinions may arise between two members of the organization wo rking in the same group, between two groups of members in the organization or within a person who is working member of an organization. There are several types of conflicts that may arise within an organization. The various types of conflicts are the task conflicts, process conflicts and the relationship conflicts. Organizational conflicts are influenced by a variety of factors like the lack of clarity in the responsibility of the team members, the interpersonal relationship that is shared by the members of the organization. The scarcity of the needed resources may lead to the rise of conflict between the members of the organization. The disagreement of the members on the fields of interest may also lead to the conflicts and altercations within the workplace. The main causes of the organizational conflict are the disruption of the communication, the lack of accountability on the part of the members (Marion Gonzales, 2013). The misunderstanding on the part of the employees may also lead to the conflicts within the organization. Organizational conflict may also arise from the conditions where the targets that are set by the superiors are not met by the employees who work under their supervision (Bhat et al, 2013). The following report deals with the theories of the conflict within the organizati on. The report aims to look into the causes behind the conflict within the organizations, the different types of the conflicts and the factors that influence the incidents of organizational conflict. The report, on the concluding note, attempts to look into some ways that may be helpful in the management of the conflicts that arise among the members of the organization. Organizational Conflict A condition at the workplace that includes the misunderstanding or miscommunication among the employees of the organization due to the actual or the perceived contradiction of the needs, interests and values may be referred to as the organizational conflict. There may be many forms of conflict that takes place in the organizations. The clash between the formal power and authority and the sufferers or the affected groups and individuals. There may be disputes over the issues of division of revenues, the ways in which the task at hand might be accomplished. The conflicts may also arise over the working hours and techniques of the employees. There may occur some jurisdictional disagreements among the departments, individuals and among the management and the employee unions that exist within the concern (Katzenbach Smith, 2015). The subtle forms of the conflicts refer to the jealousies, rivalries, personality clashes, struggles for the favor and power and the role divisions. The individ ual employees may respond differently to the various demanding situations that arise in the process of working. Influencing factors There are various factors that may influence the conflicts that may arise within an organization. Lack of clarity of responsibility Conflict arises in a situation where the responsibility of the employees is not clearly mentioned. In order to avoid these situations, the responsibilities and roles of each member must be stated clearly in advance in order to avoid such discrepancies. These discrepancies lead to conflicts within the concern in future (Prause Mujtaba, 2015). Interpersonal relationships The issues of interpersonal relationship among the employees may lead to the conflicts that arise within an organization. The difference in the personalities of the employees may at times prove helpful towards the solving of the conflicts that arise in the workplace. Scarce resources Inadequate resources often lead to the developments of issues at the workplace, which in the due course of time may lead to the serious conflicts. Members of an organization often compete with each other on the availability of the resources like the materials required, the amount of money that needs to be spent, and the time required for the completion of the task at hand. Interest issues The disorientation between the organizational goals and the goals of the concerned individual may lead to a conflict. The concerned individual may fight for his own personal goals, which in turn leads to the hindrances in the overall success of the project that the team is working on. Apart from the above-discussed factors, there are more factors that influence the conflicts that take place within an organization. These factors include both the individual and the factors dealing with the activities that involve a number of individuals. The conflict that arises when a managerial staff breaches or defies the norms of the given organization may be termed to be an inter-individual conflict within the organization (Abiodun, 2014). The individual factors that result in conflicts within the organization are the beliefs, personality orientation, attitudes and other such human frailties that exist within the individuals working in an organization (Moore, 2014). Types of conflict arising in the organizations There are several types of conflicts that may arise within an organization. The primary types of conflict that the organizations generally face are enlisted below. Relationship conflict This type of conflict may arise from the interpersonal tension that exists between the employees of the concerned organization. These conflicts are concerned intrinsically with the persons. They do not concern the project or the assignment at hand. Task conflict These conflicts arise from the discordance that exists among the employees regarding the nature of the particular job at hand. These conflicts generally involve the members of the organization and the management of the concerned organization (de Wit, Jehn Scheepers, 2013). Conflict of process This conflict arises among the members of the same team. These conflicts arise from the differences in the opinions of the members regarding the ways in which the task should be completed. In order to avoid these conflicts, the team members must discuss the work strategy before commencing the job. The investor of the Target Corporation William Ackman had raised an issue with the management of the retailer chain. The conflict in this case was raised in the field of the change that Ackman felt was necessary in the business strategy of the organization. Organizational conflict may also refer to the personal conflicts, the intergroup conflicts and the intragroup conflicts. The personal conflicts refer to the ones that exist between two members of the organization. These conflicts arise due to the mutual dislike that exists between the members. The intergroup conflicts, as the name suggests, refer to the conflicts that may arise due to the differences in the opinions between two groups of members that wok within the same organization. The intragroup conflicts refer to the conflicts between the members of the same work group. These differences arise from the lack of resources, liberty of the employees of the team and other such internal factors (Babatunde, 2013). Causes of the conflict There are many causes that result in the organizational conflicts to arise. These causes are enlisted below. Expectations of the managerial staff The management expects all the employees to meet the targets that are set by their superiors. The discrepancies in the understanding of the task at hand or the inability on the part of the employee to achieve the set targets results in the conflicts that arise in the concerned workplace. Disruption in the communication One of the major causes of the conflicts that arise in the workplace is the disruption that occurs within the members working in the same organization. These conflicts may arise in situations where a member may be in need for some information from another colleague who does not reply in a proper manner or does not provide with the needed information (Halevy et al, 2014). Misunderstanding This is the most common cause of the arousal of conflict within an organization. These conditions may arise when one member of the organization misinterprets the information that has been conveyed to him. This may lead to the creation of a number of conflicts that may prove disturbing towards the overall growth of the organization (Chen et al, 2012). Accountability lack There may be situations in the organization whereby the responsibilities of the member are not clearly stated. In any dispute and mistake conditions that arise, no member of the concerned team or group is ready to take responsibility. This may lead to conflicts between the employees of the organization. In order to resolve the conflicts within the organization, the factors that cause the conflicts must be clearly addressed. These conflicts if unresolved may pose a hindrance to the effectiveness, efficiency and the productivity of the members employed within the organization. This may hamper the overall growth of the company thereby reducing the success of the company on a larger scale. Ways to manage the conflicts The arousal of conflicts within an organization is an inevitable condition. The concerned company must devise various ways to deal with those conflicts; thereby helping the organization to bring about a rise in the productivity. The conflicts within an organization must be handled positively in order to avoid the recurrence of the same problem. The company should have a proper procedure to address the grievances of the all the members of the concerned organization. The organizational managers should concentrate more on the causes of the conflict rather than the effects of the same in order to assess the conflicts in a proper manner. The parties involved in the conflict must have an equal say while the conflict is being addressed. The parties must not be judged based on their terms, position in the company or the political influence that they may have over the other members of the organization. The active participation of all the members involved in the conflict should be demanded in order to counter the situation that may result from the situation of the conflict (Graham, 2014). IBM, for example, is benefitted from the diversity that it has in terms of the employees of the organization. The employees of the organization participate actively in order to solve the issues that may arise within the organization. Theories of organizational conflicts There may be many theories that explain the issues of the organizational conflicts. Some of these theories are the Organizational Conflict Theory, the Conflict Management Theory Organizational Conflict Theory The conflict at the workplace is inevitable. The organizational conflict theory states that there are a varied number of conflicts that arise within an organization. Interpersonal conflicts being the most common type of workplace conflict, there are some other areas of conflict as well. These include the inter-departmental conflicts, the struggle for power among the senior managerial members, the inter-organizational conflicts. According to some of the theorists, these conflicts must be resolved to allow the smooth progress of the organization, while others opine that the conflicts at the workplace helps to drive the company towards success (Nain, 2017). Interpersonal Conflicts The interpersonal conflicts suggest that the members of a given organization may not always mix well with each other. The members of the organization may not wish to socialize among themselves while they are at their workplace. In case of work, if they are to work together, conflict may be seen between them (Mikkelsen Clegg, 2017). Role Conflict The other type of conflict includes role conflicts. These conflicts are not due to their individual personalities or values but results from situations relating to their roles and responsibilities. These kinds of conflicts are witnessed in instances wherein a nurse manager ordering a nurse not to perform tests on a patient as his insurance does not cover those tests, whereas the nurse is bound by her ethical boundaries to save the patient. These conflicts are usually resolved by the higher authorities. Maturity and Immaturity Theory The maturity theory holds the view that people should want to develop and mature in their professional lives in the similar way as they do in their personal lives. This is in conflict with the Immaturity theory, which is witnessed in many hierarchy-based industries where the tasks are segregated in micro-specialties. This limits the growth area of the employees thus providing dissatisfaction of the workers as whole. This leads to conflict between the people following the two theories. From an individual point of view the workers might develop resentment and might begin forming unions, and in extreme cases revolt. Industries promoting an intense level of specialization and less flexibility may usually witness frequent conflicts resulting from the maturity-immaturity theory (Lumineau, Eckerd Handley, 2015). Intergroup conflict This is a common occurrence at workplace scenarios where one group of workers might find themselves at a face-to-face junction with another group. This happens when, in order to perform one of their tasks, one group creates or rather obstructs the workflow of another group. This might be very damaging to the organization body as a whole if escalated. Thus, such a problem needs to be resolved as soon as it arises (Kerzner, 2013). Causes There are several plausible causes of organizational conflicts. Mostly they involve factors such as mismatch of opinions between members of the same team or maybe a difference of understanding between authorities at workplace (Franks et al, 2014). A few main reasons for conflicts in organizational environment are discussed below. Communication Issues One of the most significant issues of organizational conflicts include poor communication or miscommunication. Different communication patterns often lead to misinterpretation of various topics, which lead to a false impact on the brain regarding the person talking on the topic. This results in a conflicting attitude on the discussion itself. A simple instance like a manager reassigning a workers task to his/her colleague, but failing to mention it to the concerned worker, or communicating his intentions to the worker before assigning the task, might lead to the employee harboring negative perception about the manager. Repetitive occurrences of this nature in the future might lead to the employees poor organizational conduct as a whole or towards the manager and might lead to serious organizational conflicts. Thus, it can be observed how miscommunication or absence of proper communication leads to conflict within an organization. Hence, poor communication not only gives rise to confl icts in the workplace itself but also negatively affects productivity of the entire working group (Odle-Dusseau, Britt Greene-Shortridge, 2012). Organizational Structure The structure wherein an organization is formed plays a very determining role in the conflict area. A simple example can be observed in the fact that in case of a matrix-structured company, decisional conflicts are almost built-in, as it is specified in the structure itself that an employee should report to two bosses (Gelfand et al, 2012). This type of a structure will almost always lead to confusion as the company is segmented into smaller parts, always having two opinions on one issue. Authority Responsibility Relationship The design of authority in the organizational structure determines the chances of arising of a conflict. An ill-defined authorityresponsibility relationship will definitely lead to a conflict. The lack of consistency in work is observed when such authority-responsibility relationships are not properly or rather clearly defined. Communication problems creep in and crack open wedges of conflict. Inter-group conflicts are usual results of such weak organizational structures (Sonnentag, Unger Ngel, 2013). Contradicting Personalities This encircles one of the most common reasons for conflict in office scenarios. Differences in personality in the workplace are as common and expected as sand on a seashore. Employees come to work from different ethnic backgrounds, having had different experiences and harbor a different and individualistic mindset, thus forming a unique character of each to understand. In the case when one worker fails to understand the other in certain areas or maybe in areas relating to the area of the work assigned to them, conflicts take place (Deyoe Fox, 2012). A proper instance might include having a straightforward-minded employee who believes in speaking the truth or what he feels directly, without considering the effects of it. This straightforward persona might affect or insult the other workers surrounding if it is such a topic. Sometimes the person with the straightforward attitude might feel offended as well in case the other workers do not behave in that manner with him and keep stuff away from him. Frustration and Stress Conflict arises in situations where the parties involved are too stressed out or frustrated with their own work. Stressed out people are more likely to start a quarrel with a properly functioning co-worker. This shall in turn reduce productivity on the overall front. Causes of such stress can be as simple as unwanted noise, lack of privacy, untidy workplace, or very serious such as threats of violence, harassment, extreme negative criticism (Riaz Junaid, 2012). Competition centering Resources Resources like equipment, money or time are usually limited and scarce. It is a very natural phenomenon that competition among workers for such resources is a frequent source of conflict. Cutting-edge gadgets and accessories like laptops and iPhones might be allocated to a certain rank of employees whereas others may be deprived of it. Some employees might hold the view that those technical devices are crucial for their productivity and might revolt in extreme cases. This leads to severe competition at times. Such unhealthy competition gives rise to an unethical environment in the office itself, thus lowering the workplace morale as a whole. This in turn demotes teamwork and encourages individualism (Katz Flynn, 2013). Dependency Issues One of the significant causes of conflict involves task interdependence. The cases where completion of ones task involves other co-workers to perform equally their tasks, conflicts regarding efficiency or sincerity of the co-workers, are usually seen. Group projects, like creating an advertisement for an item usually suffers from such conflicts, as one is dependent on the creative team for the main design and layout, the photographer for the visual effects and so on and so forth. Lack of efficiency in one sector holds the potential to disrupt the entire workflow into conflicts (Meier et al, 2013). Incompatible Goals Goals are an important, rather the most fundamental aspect of an organization. For an organization to run as a well-oiled machine it needs hard-working employees who have a proper understanding of their individualistic goals. In an organization, incompatibility in goals may arise due to the different ways of compensation of the managers. A typical example can be considered in the case of a sales manager. A sales managers income may be related to the number of sales made for the company. This might tempt an individual to provide customers freebies, in order to increase delivery and thus sales. On the other hand, the transportation companys income might be linked to the amount of money it can save on various transportation modes. This leads to a conflict between the two bodies and will be at it until the company resolves the issue via some sort of compensation. Difference in Values Sometimes there exists a certain age gap between the employees at the workplace. Although this is mostly a good thing as the junior get a lot of experience and can as well learn from the senior people, but this also leads to certain conflicts between people sharing a generation gap. The values have changed down the time due to the advancement of society, and the society has become more open and accepting too many new reforms, which may not always sit right with the older generation. The difference in values is not always the harbinger of conflicts but the arrogance to of not accepting such change is. Dealing on the lines of such values, quarrels often breakout and insults only fuel such conflicts (Cahn Abigail, 2014). Outcomes of Conflict Conflicts, in general, are problematic for the organization as a whole. A few of such negative impacts are mentioned below: Mental strain is caused between both the parties involved in the conflict. Mutual discontentment is harbored between the two conflicting parties. During issues of arguments, feelings of defeat or domination might be felt which would decrease individual morale or in severe cases might lead to feelings of harassment in workplaces. A group under constant subordinate conflict might feel threatened. Communication breakdown is a common result of conflicts as well. Extreme and repetitive case of conflicts might lead to resignation of an employee. An atmosphere of mistrust builds up which naturally obstructs proper functioning of the members as a team. Productivity is usually lowered a lot, if the conflicts are not resolved (Russ, 2013). All conflicts are not absolutely detrimental although there are several downsides of organizational conflicts. Some of the noteworthy positive or favorable outcomes are as follows: Due to conflicts a broad range of ideas are considered, thus resulting in a better and more universally accepted idea across the organization. Inaccurate assumption on various topics is surfaced. There is an overall increase in creativity and participation around the office. Individual views that might be sensitive and necessary are acknowledged as well as corrected which in turn help in learning Usually after a conflict is resolved the bonding between co-workers increase. People come to understand each other better after a conflict thus reducing chances of further conflict. In some sort of way, conflicts also release pent up strain (Horton, Bayerl Jacobs, 2014). These conflicts need to be resolved in a proper fashion so as to maintain a balance in the workplace. The proper management of these conflicts constitutes the Conflict Management theory. Conflict Management Theory Conflict management refers to the practice of being able to identify and handle conflicts sensibly, fairly and efficiently. Conflict management may be defined as the opportunity to strengthen relationships and improve situations. Conflicts at workplaces are highly common a subject and most importantly they require attention for their solution. The underlying concept is that both the parties should understand their conflict to be a problem, which needs to be solved mutually so that both parties end up, satisfied. Interpersonal skills help a lot in this area. Proper conveying of the problems that one feels or proper delivery of the arguments one party has instead of randomly throwing opinions at the other party, helps not only to resolve conflicts but also to prevent them in the first place. Self-awareness is highly essential in this arena to let other people understand the viewpoint and motive behind one partys action and thus resolve conflict (Spaho, 2013). The understanding the othe r person and analyzing their strengths and weaknesses helps a lot in managing organizational conflicts. Assertiveness is the method of expressing thoughts and feelings while asking for what one wants in an appropriate way, thus clearing out confusion and avoiding conflicts to some extent. Five conflict management styles that can be followed effectively to obtain a solution are enlisted below. Avoidance or Withdrawal The individual tries to ignore the conflict passively instead of actually resolving it. He stays neutral in order to avoid the conflict entirely. In case of the Fuji Heavy Industry, the communications regarding the resolving of the issues of payment is done mainly in a more polite manner rather than the aggressive manner that is followed in the other organizations. Accommodation or smoothing: In this style, a more submissive approach is observed. The individual gives in passively to other party in order to resolve the conflict. They smoothen over the differences in mentality to preserve harmony. This method sometimes defines precedence and does not completely involve the participants as one gives in, though this resolves the situation and enhances the ego of the other party (Ellis Abbott, 2012). The CEOs of the companies Apple and Samsung, for example, had organized a meeting with a judge in the U.S. District Court of Northern Carolina in order to attempt a resolution to the high profile patent case that was filed by Apple. Compromise Bargaining is involved in this case, which takes into account the interests of each party so as to create a win-win situation. A give-and-take policy is applied in this style, keeping in mind what is acceptable to each party. Hence, in this case a win-win scenario is created thus satisfying both the parties involved in the conflict. This may lead to everyone feeling like a dead end in some situations though this shows good will and creates friendship (Sudha Khan, 2013). In case of the United Auto Workers and the Ford Motor Company, for example, there have been an agreement that they would participate in the integrative style of bargaining. This might help them to bring about a boost in the competitiveness of the automobile industry by putting forward the solutions that may prove to be mutually acceptable for both the organizations. Competitive or authoritative In this case, one of the two parties tries to resolve the conflict via aggressive behavior or by force or authoritative influence. This style usually results in a less satisfied party and a victorious one. The victor usually obtains gains. This style, on a negative view, establishes battleground for the next conflict and gives rise to a series of conflicts. It may also cause in loss or withdrawal of important parties from the organization (Collewaert Fassin, 2013). Collaboration This is the most acceptable style of conflict resolving. In this case, the parties jointly try to resolve the problems with the most optimal solution acceptable to all the parties, although this creates an everyone wins scenario this is usually very hard to achieve at all times. The maintenance or following of the above styles for management of conflicts in organizations usually lead to resolving of the conflict. In addition to these styles, good inter personal skills, self-awareness, empathy, sympathy, confidence, clarity in conversation and other such qualities are required as mentioned above. There is a high chance of resolving that conflict if all these qualities are kept in mind whenever a conflict surfaces (Nielsen Einarsen, 2012). Conclusion In lieu of the above discussion, it may be said that organizational conflicts are an inevitable part of any and every organization. There are no such organization that is devoid of conflicts. Organizational conflicts, although undesirable are at times necessary for improvement in a few sectors. There may be various influential factors and causes for organizational conflicts. A noteworthy few of them include communication problems, personality differences, and competition for limited resources. The types of conflicts may vary from individual conflicts to inter-group and intra-group conflicts, from role-based conflicts to ethical-dilemma-centered conflicts. These conflicts, as explained earlier, result mostly in negative situations like mistrust among groups, communication breakdown and in extreme cases resignation of employees take place, there are a few positive impacts of conflicts as well, which include better understanding of one anothers viewpoints and better bonding once the conflict is resolved. To resolve these conflicts in an organization, conflict management theory can be followed. This theory encircles concepts, which can be followed to avoid conflicts in the first place or resolve conflicts once it has arisen. Proper application of interpersonal skills along with proper implementation of self-awareness concern and clarity in conversation usually helps the conflicts to be resolved. Five main styles of conflict management are usually followed to mitigate organizational conflicts, namely, accommodation, avoidance, competition, compromise and collaboration. Thus, to conclude, organizational conflicts are inevitable and it is to some extent necessary; but severe conflicts should and must be resolved properly, for an organization to grow and flourish. References Abiodun, A. R. (2014). Organizational Conflicts: Causes, Effects and Remedies.International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences,3(6), 118. Babatunde, A. (2013). Occupational Stress: A Review on Conceptualisations, Causes and Cure.Economic Insights-Trends Challenges,65(3). Bhat, A. B., Rangnekar, S., Barua, M. K. (2013). Organizational conflict scale: Reexamining the instrument.IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior,12(1), 7. Cahn, D. D., Abigail, R. A. (2014).Managing conflict through communication. Pearson. Chen, X. H., Zhao, K., Liu, X., Dash Wu, D. (2012). Improving employees' job satisfaction and innovation performance using conflict management.International Journal of Conflict Management,23(2), 151-172. Collewaert, V., Fassin, Y. (2013). Conflicts between entrepreneurs and investors: the impact of perceived unethical behavior.Small Business Economics,40(3), 635-649. de Wit, F. R., Jehn, K. A., Scheepers, D. (2013). Task conflict, information processing, and decision-making: The damaging effect of relationship conflict.Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,122(2), 177-189. Deyoe, R. H., Fox, T. L. (2012). Identifying strategies to minimize workplace conflict due to generational differences.Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business,5, 1. Ellis, P., Abbott, J. (2012). Strategies for managing conflict within the team.British Journal of Cardiac Nursing,7(3), 138-140. Franks, D. M., Davis, R., Bebbington, A. J., Ali, S. H., Kemp, D., Scurrah, M. (2014). Conflict translates environmental and social risk into business costs.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,111(21), 7576-7581. Gelfand, M. J., Leslie, L. M., Keller, K., de Dreu, C. (2012). Conflict cultures in organizations: How leaders shape conflict cultures and their organizational-level consequences.Journal of Applied Psychology,97(6), 1131. Graham, S. (2014).Attribution theory: Applications to achievement, mental health, and interpersonal conflict. Psychology Press. Halevy, N., Cohen, T. R., Chou, E. Y., Katz, J. J., Panter, A. T. (2014). Mental models at work: Cognitive causes and consequences of conflict in organizations.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,40(1), 92-110. Horton, K. E., Bayerl, P. S., Jacobs, G. (2014). Identity conflicts at work: An integrative framework.Journal of Organizational Behavior,35(S1). Katz, N. H., Flynn, L. T. (2013). Understanding conflict management systems and strategies in the workplace: A pilot study.Conflict Resolution Quarterly,30(4), 393-410. Katzenbach, J. R., Smith, D. K. (2015).The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization. Harvard Business Review Press. Kerzner, H. (2013).Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Lumineau, F., Eckerd, S., Handley, S. (2015). Inter-organizational conflicts: Research overview, challenges, and opportunities.Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation,1(1), 42-64. Marion, R., Gonzales, L. D. (2013).Leadership in education: Organizational theory for the practitioner. Waveland press. Meier, L. L., Gross, S., Spector, P. E., Semmer, N. K. (2013). Relationship and task conflict at work: Interactive short-term effects on angry mood and somatic complaints.Journal of Occupational Health Psychology,18(2), 144. Mikkelsen, E. N., Clegg, S. (2017). Conceptions of Conflict in Organizational Conflict Research: Toward Critical Reflexivity.Journal of Management Inquiry, 1056492617716774. Moore, C. W. (2014).The mediation process: Practical strategies for resolving conflict. John Wiley Sons. Nain, A. S. M. (2017). Conflict perspectives in analyzing and understanding organizational behavior.Jurnal Kemanusiaan,2(2). Nielsen, M. B., Einarsen, S. (2012). Outcomes of exposure to workplace bullying: A meta-analytic review.Work Stress,26(4), 309-332. Odle-Dusseau, H. N., Britt, T. W., Greene-Shortridge, T. M. (2012). Organizational workfamily resources as predictors of job performance and attitudes: The process of workfamily conflict and enrichment.Journal of occupational health psychology,17(1), 28. Prause, D., Mujtaba, B. G. (2015). Conflict management practices for diverse workplaces.Journal of Business Studies Quarterly,6(3), 13. Riaz, M. K., Junaid, F. A. (2012). Types, sources, costs consequences of workplace conflict. Russ, T. L. (2013). The relationship between Theory X/Y: assumptions and communication apprehension.Leadership Organization Development Journal,34(3), 238-249. Siira, K. (2012). Conceptualizing managerial influence in organizational conflicta qualitative examination.Negotiation and Conflict Management Research,5(2), 182-209. Sonnentag, S., Unger, D., Ngel, I. J. (2013). Workplace conflict and employee well-being: The moderating role of detachment from work during off-job time.International Journal of Conflict Management,24(2), 166-183. Spaho, K. (2013). Organizational communication and conflict management.Management: journal of contemporary management issues,18(1), 103-118. Sudha, K. S., Khan, W. (2013). Personality and motivational traits as correlates of workplace deviance among public and private sector employees.Journal of Psychology,4(1), 25-32.

Comparison Of Water Brands Ads Essays - Communication Design

Comparison Of Water Brands Ads The product line that was chosen was Water. There are numerous brands that have been developed in the field of water, hence leading to tough competition. But out of the various brands namely Masafi, Gulfa, Oasis, Hatta and Evian. The one with the highest market share was found to be Masafi. Below is the detailed description of each ad in the respective media's and the appeal created by it:- A. Newspapers and Magazines- 1) Brand- MASAFI Ad Description- Masafi resorts to an attractive full-page advertisement. Masafi has always provided products, which reflect the consumers aspirations, trends and increasingly health-conscious demands. The Masafi ad in the newspaper and magazine focuses on the purity of the water and states the reason for the consumer to purchase the best, that is Masafi. To begin with, the ad is pictured on a desert where a cheerful girl is shown through an enlarged glass of water. This illustrates both the clarity of the picture and the purity of the water. In addition to this, the ad further symbolizes that just as a child is pure and serene, the same goes for the water, which is so pure that even a girl standing behind it can be seen through it. The ad states that Masafi is 'Clearly Outstanding' in comparison to the others. On interviewing the customers they mentioned that the ad created a positive emotional appeal. It also mentions that Masafi helps one perform its best both physically and mentally. For these reasons the advertisement motivates the people to buy Masafi. 2) Brand- GULFA Ad Description- The Gulfa ad focuses on the water, which is collected, from the springs. The ad shows the Gulfa bottle behind which are a few rocks through which water is flowing. The Masafi ad focuses on the desert and a girl whereas the Gulfa ad emphasizes on the rocks and mountains from which the water is obtained. The ad states 'Our Production line in full swing' which refers to the fact that just as the water is continuously flowing from the springs, so is the production of Gulfa. The purity of the water can be ascertained as the ad states that it is produced by nature and bottled by Gulfa. According to the viewers this ad creates a rational appeal among the people because it gives them information about the product. It mentions that the P.E.T. bottle is used which motivates the customer to buy the product as it is crushable and does not harm the ecological balance. 3) Brand- OASIS Ad Description- The Oasis ad is simple but different and attractive. The picture focuses the calmness on the girl's face when she quenches her thirst from a 500ml bottle on a sunny day. It also shows 3 different sizes of bottles and mentions their quantity respectively. It portrays that these bottles each come handy during different times. The ad specifically mentions that oasis water is meant for all age groups, which therefore gives us an emotional appeal. It compels us to 'Drink Oasis' as mentioned in the ad, which was the main aim of the dealers. 4) Brand- EVIAN Ad Description- Evian Natural Spring Water is bottled exclusively at its source in Evian, France located in the French Alps. Filled, sealed bottles are then shipped to over 120 countries throughout the world. Several hundred tests are conducted daily both on the source and after the water has been bottled to verify the constancy of the mineral composition, the absence of pollution and the quality of the plastic bottles. The ad is indeed a very simple one with just mountains in the background which reflect the French Alps. The ad states that 'When it comes to the question of purity? our answer is clear'. The ad creates a rational appeal among the viewers as it specifies the details of the company and gives us information regarding the purity of the water. Evian does not have an elaborate ad and is presented in a practical way without any other resource to promote it. The ad also mentions and ensures complete physical and emotional well being. Evian is one of the purest mineral waters that are marketed throughout the world. C. Mural or Outdoor Advertising- 1) Brand- MASAFI Ad Description- Another media used

The eNotes Blog You Offend Me, Sir! Top 10 Insults from One Writer toAnother

You Offend Me, Sir! Top 10 Insults from One Writer toAnother Anyone who thinks authors would not stoop to trash-talking a fellow writer has another thing coming. Authors have egos that bruise like overripe peaches and will lash out at the slightest provocation. Provocations include boredom, low sales (you are convinced that it only takes the right person to acknowledge your brilliance), high sales (convinced that you are the superior author and that other guy is secretly sponsored by the Garden Weasel), hangovers, sobriety, and a lack of cheese choices when hungry. (Note: the last bit may be applicable only to me.) Fortunately, since writersfollow me closely herewrite things down,  we get to revel in their snarkiness. Dont pretend you dont want to look. 10.   Mark Twain on Jane Austen I havent any right to criticize books, and I dont do it except when I hate them. I often want to criticize Jane Austen, but her books madden me so that I cant conceal my frenzy from the reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Every time I read Pride and Prejudice, I want to dig her up and hit her over the skull with her own shin-bone. 9.   Virginia Woolf on James Joyce I dislike Ulysses more  and more that is I think it more and more unimportant; and dont even trouble conscientiously to make out its meanings. Thank God, I need not write about it. 8. Ernest Hemingway on James Jones To me he is an enormously skillful  f#*-up and his book ( From Here to Eternity) will do great damage to our country. Probably I should re-read it again to give you a truer answer. But I do not have to eat an entire bowl of scabs to know they are scabsI hope he kills himself 7.   James Dickey on Robert Frost If it were thought that anything I wrote was influenced by Robert Frost, I would take that particular work of mine, shred it, and flush it down the toilet, hoping not to clog the pipes.a more sententious, holding-forth old bore, who expected every hero-worshipping adenoidal little twerp of a student-poet to hang on his every word I never saw. 6.   John Irving on Tom Wolfe He doesnt know how to write fiction (The Right Stuff), he cant create a character, he cant create a situationYou see people reading him on airplanes, the same people who are reading John Grisham, for Christs sake.Im using the argument against him that he cant write, that his sentences are bad, that it makes you wince. Its like reading a bad newspaper or a bad piece in a magazine.You know, if you were a good skater, could you watch someone just fall down all the time? Could you do that? I cant do that. 5. George Bernard Shaw on William Shakespeare With the exception of Homer, there is no eminent writer, not even Sir Walter Scott, whom I can despise so entirely as I despise Shakespeare when I measure my mind against his. The intensity of my impatience with him occasionally reaches such a pitch, that it would positively be a relief to me to dig him up and throw stones at him, knowing as I do how incapable he and his worshippers are of understanding any less obvious form of indignity. 4.   Katherine Mansfield on E.M. Forster Putting my weakest books to the wall last night I came across a copy of Howards End and had a look into it. Not good enough. E.M. Forster never gets any further than warming the teapot. Hes a rare fine hand at that. Feel this teapot. Is it not beautifully warm? Yes, but there aint going to be no tea. And I can never be perfectly certain whether Helen was got with child by Leonard Bast or by his fatal forgotten umbrella. All things considered, I think it must have been the umbrella. 3.   D.H. Lawrence on Herman Melville Nobody can be more clownish, more clumsy and sententiously in bad taste, than Herman Melville, even in a great book like Moby Dick.One wearies of the grand serieux. Theres something false about it. And thats Melville. Oh dear, when the solemn ass brays! brays! brays! 2. Samuel Johnson on John Milton Paradise Lost is one of the books which the reader admires and lays down, and forgets to take up again. None ever wished it longer than it is. 1. Harold Bloom on J.K. Rowling How to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone? Why, very quickly, to begin with, and perhaps also to make an end. Why read it? Presumably, if you cannot be persuaded to read anything better, Rowling will have to do.

Implementing and evaluating my e-Learning design model in my workplace Assignment

Implementing and evaluating my e-Learning design model in my workplace - Assignment Example As a producer of information, every professional is expected to be able to share the information and ideas they have produced in their course of work. As consumers, they expect to have an easy way to access the information that has been produced by others in the same profession. This applies to all types of professions. Teachers are no except from this need of information production and sharing. In fact, this need to produce share and information and collaborate is highly necessary for teachers, regardless of the subject they are teaching (Cowen, 2014). As part of the Arabic teachers’ community, I have identified a need to have collaboration and sharing system for Arabic teachers. As a result of this, I have in the past come up with the design which when implemented will help in teaching Arabic teachers to share their ideas and to build each other. The following is an implementation and evaluation of the design I have designed in the past. The system is designed to aid learning and sharing of ideas. The system is geared towards helping teachers who are engaged in teaching Arabic to high school students. The system must be able to meet some pedagogical principles in order to aid in helping the teachers to not only share the knowledge but also to be able learn from the system. It must be able to motivate the teachers in using the system to enhance the system. The system is not going to be useful unless and until the system is used by the teachers. For this to to be a reality, the system should be easy to use, and must prove its self useful to the users in order for them to find it useful. This means that the system must be intuitive which means that the users must be find it easy to learn how the various components work and how they can navigate the system (Klopotek, 2002). It must also be able to act as a knowledge management system which means that it will be able to

Scientific Concept and Learning Development from Vygotsky's Theory Research Paper

Scientific Concept and Learning Development from Vygotsky's Theory - Research Paper Example It is during this development stages that the child acquires the scientific concepts, which enable them to learn and progress (Vygostky & Cole, 1978). Systematic concept and the everyday concepts are two very different ideas in everyday reasoning. In this regard, in the everyday concept, human ideas are based on their social, cultural concepts, but not on the relation to human traits in the field of the size of brain or soul. In the everyday concept, humans tend to think of a certain thinker, which they look at the perception of the socioeconomic and the social-cultural background in which they are associated in work. In the same context, scientists rely on the thoughts, and the tools present in their time. For instance, the playground of a child offers them the opportunity to play with more objects (Daniels & Hedegaard, 2011). The environment holds a major role in learning the progress of the everyday concept. On the other hand, systematic concept entails the person’s behavior or the social behaviors, which are composed of compound of amalgamation of reflexes. Reflexes are the â€Å"fundamental atoms† which are the main straightforward for behavioral acts that are observed. In the same concept, systematic concept involves the use of a scientific move toward analyzing the observable fact in terms of reflexes with the intention to comprehend the complex psychological and the societal phenomenon. However, systematic concept creates tension for the scientific interest and the blend of a reductionist mechanical approach (Egan, 2007). There arises a huge difference between concept and systematic concepts in the everyday ideas. For instance, for everyday concept, the link amid biological and social traits of the state of affairs gives new channels of reasoning about pedagogic approaches to settings such as cerebral palsy. Moreover, teaching profession rebuffs children with disability to acquire

Green motorsports Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Green motorsports - Research Paper Example The diesel-powered Audi emerged the winner with almost 100 points clear from their closest rivals in the American Le Mans Series. In the United Kingdom, Team West Racing used Ethanol fueled MG Zs in Touring Car Championship. In the Economics of Climate Change, it is recommended that swift and very proactive action be considered so as to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and stabilise it between four hundred and fifty thousand and five hundred and fifty thousand parts per million (Autosport magazine 76 ). If this is not done, there would be dangerous consequences and if the actions are carried out weakly, the situation would probably stabilise at upper limit. For this to happen, the global emissions would have to decrease by twenty five percent by middle of this century, and in particular, countries which are higher level emitters would have to cut down the emissions by even a higher margin. In the UK, the government has stepped up its effort through commissioning of a transport study so as to respond to the challenges that are posed by climate change to buffer against economic and environmental perils. There is continuous pressure from the scientific world for interventions to be carried out more vigorously to be able to combat climate change. It is notable that although there is unanimity for the need of strong actions against climate change, just a handful of the views, sometimes only those appearing maverick, get exagerrated attention. There is unanimous agreement that the first step in reducing the green house gas emisions is energy efficiency. The transport sector is envisaging the use of small cars which will be much more energy efficient for local use in their own high speed lanes. These cars would abe able to convey at least tenfold as many people as would the personal cars. Additionally, it is easier to imagine micro wind turbines or solar panels mounted on top of their garages to top up their their energy

Joint Illnesses and Diseases: Causes and Treatments

Joint Illnesses and Diseases: Causes and Treatments Herniated Disc Herniated (slipped) disc happens when all or only a portion of an intervertebral disc is forced through the weak part of the disc thus exerting pressure to the adjacent nerves or spinal cord. Intrinsic degeneration of the intervertebral disc or extrinsic compression of the neural structures in the spinal canal can cause radicular pain. The loss of disc height, which can alter the mechanics of the axial skeleton, may result to disc degeneration. The said changes might produce in other structures such as the zygapophyseal (facet) joints and may result to spinal stenosis. Radicular pain is defined as pain radiating in the distribution of spinal nerve caused by the irritation of the dorsal root ganglion while discogenic pain is an axial pain originating in a degenerative disc. [39] [40] [41] [45] Considered to be a critical part of the load-bearing structures of the spinal column, the structural component of the invertebral disc make it capable of changing shape and absorbing shock thus allowing movement. The dysfunction of the intervertebral disc is brought about by multiple factors namely trauma, aging or the degenerative disorders of the spine. [46] The boundary between nucleus and annulus become less evident as a person ages, furthermore as a person grow older the nucleus of the intervertebral disc becomes less gel-like and more fibrotic. Trauma results from activities such as slipping, lifiting while in a flexed position, suppressing a sneeze or falling on the buttocks. Degeneration like in osteoarthritis or ankylosing spondylitis predisposes the misalignment of the vertebral column of the client. [46] A research on the mechanism of intervertebral disc pointed out several pathophysiologic processes. It includes the changes that occur in aging, loss of proteoglycan which is mentioned as the most significant biochemical change that occurs in disc degeneration. It is inferred that the loss of proteoglycan leads to loss of hydration. Another mechanism is the loss of collagen fiber. Unlike with the proteoglycan, the loss of collagen is not that evident. Furthermore, it is deduced that the biochemistry of disc degeneration do not just include increase fragmentation of collagen and proteoglycans but also it includes the increase fragmentation of fibronectin populations. The said mechanisms contribute to the functional changes of the intervertebral disc. [6] The cervical and lumbar portion of the vertebrae is commonly affected by the dysfunction because it is the most flexible areas of the spine where bending of the vertebral column and support of the mass are greatest. Around 90 to 95% of herniations in the lumbar vertebrae occur in L5 or L% to S1 regions respectively. With regards to the herniation at the cervical spine, the most often affected portion is C1 to C7 and C6 to C6. The protrusion usually happens posteriorly toward the intervertebral foramen where the annulus fibrosus is thin and poorly supported by the anterior or posterior ligaments. Pain is the first and the most usual symptom of herniated disc. The nerve roots namely L4, L5, S1, S2 and S3 give rise to back pain that radiates down back of the leg and over the sole of the foot. Major weakness is rare but slight weakness may occur. Also the most common sensory deficits are paresthesia and numbness, specifically of the leg and foot. There are instances also that knee and ankle reflex may also be absent or decreased. [46] Osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is a disease in the joints that usually affects middle-age to elderly people. The disease is commonly referred as OA or as the wear and tear of the joints although it also involves the cartilage, joint lining, ligaments, and bone. Osteoarthritis is undoubtedly the most usual type of arthritis. [47] Almost 27 million Americans are living with osteoarthritis and almost 1 million people consults medical professional because osteoarthritis. [47] Perhaps, it is the most cause of disability and pain among elderly people. [48] [49] Among the risk factor in the development of osteoarthritis are old age and obesity, in fact in the United States it is concluded that by the year 2020, the prevalence of osteoarthritis is already 66 to 100%. [49] Epidemiologic data shows that age, gender and race interact in the development of osteoarthritis. Men is said to be affected at a younger age compare to women however the prevalence of women affected with osteoarthritis exceeded men by mi ddle age. [50] Heredity influences the occurrence of osteoarthritis. There is a lower prevalence of hip osteoarthritis among Chinese than Europeans, perhaps representing the influence of other factors such as occupation, obesity or heredity. White women will most likely experience hand osteoarthritis on the other hand knee osteoarthritis is more common on black women. [49] In addition, excess fat may have might have a direct metabolic effect on cartilage beyond the effects of excess joint stress; hence weight loss reduces the risk of developing knee arthritis. The disease is defined as a breakdown of joint cartilage brought about by mechanical strees or biochemical alteration, resulting to the failure of the bone underneath. Osteoarthritis used to affect various joints in the body which includes hip, knee, first metatarsal pharyngeal joint and, cervical and lumbosacral spine. [47] [48] With regard to hands, the base of the thumb and, the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints are most commonly affected. Osteoarthritis is a joint failure wherein all structures of the joint have undergone structural change which is pathological. [49] As mentioned earlier, osteoarthritis is popularly known as wear-and-tear arhthritis. Osteoarthritis undergoes substantial mechanical and composition change in the properties of cartilage. [48] The first structural change happens in the cartilage followed by the soft tissue. The progressive wear and tear of the cartage leads into thinning of the surface of the joint and bone ulceration. Later on, inflammation of the joint, increased in the blood flow and hypertrophy of subchondral bone will occur. Consequently, new cartilage and bone will be formed at joint margins resulting to osteophytosis or bone spurs which cause alteration in the shape and size of the bone. The primary manifestation of osteoarthritis is a long-standing pain in one or more joints that aggravate with weight bearing or joint use. There is also a presence of morning stiffness usually for 30 minutes and bone deformity (osteophyte) or enlargement of the joint. In some cases there are crepitation and effusion. [51] Spondylolisthesis Spondylolisthesis is a bone condition wherein a vertebral body in the spine slips out of the proper position onto the bone below it. It can be associated with spondylosis, infection, lumbosacral junction congenital anomalies, osteoporosis, trauma, tumor, degenerative spine or prior surgery. It is most common to women than men. The slippage of the vertebral body may be asymptomatic or may cause low back pain, hamstring tightness, nerve root injury which is more frequent in L5, or spinal stenosis. The tenderness of spondylolisthesis can be produced near the segment that has slipped forward. There might be a protrusion of the abdomen and shortened trunk because of the extreme forward displacement of L4 on L5. Surgery is usually recommended for patients who are not recovering through rest and physical therapy. [33] In children spondylolisthesis usually happens between the L5 and S1. It is sometimes because of a birth defect in the spine area or an acute injury in the portion of the spine. In adults, the most often reason behind the development of spondylolisthesis is the abnormal wearing off of the bones and cartilage such as in arthritis. Individuals playing sports such as gymnastics, football and weight lifting is at risk in developing the disease. [52] Anteroposterior and lateral plain radiographs of the lumbar spine should be obtained in patients complaining of back pain. The lateral view of plain radiograph is useful in identifying spondylolithesis for it can demonstrate the pars interarticularis. Pars interarticularis is the region of junction of the lamina and the pedicle. Incases wherein there is an absence of nerve involvement, computed tomography (CT) scanning of the lumbar spine provides necessary information with regards to spondylolithesis and its possible cause. CT myelography can give information regarding nerve impingement to patients with radiculopathy. Magnetic Resonance Imaging is advantageous for it protects the patient from being exposed to radiation while imaging is being done. Typically sagittal and axial planes are used. [52] Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia is a poorly understood type of myofascial pain syndrome. Patients with fibromyalgia usually have severe muscle pain and tenderness having specific trigger points, easy fatigability and disturbances in sleep. People with fibromyalgia have â€Å"tender points† such as on neck, shoulders, hips, arms, legs and back. These areas hurt if pressure is exerted to them. In the United States, fibromyalgia has a prevalence rate of 3 to 5 % in females and 0.5 to 1.6% in males. Fibromyalgia is the second most common disease that experts in rheumatology encounter with 15% among those who are evaluated. It is also ascertained that around 8% of patients cared in primary care clinics have fibromyalgia. In 2005, the United State spend 10, 199 dollars per patient per year and it has been also estimated that overall, fibromyalgia costs the United State economy over 9 billion dollars every year. [53] With respect to gender, epidemiologic data reveals that fibromyalgia is more common to women than in men with a female-to-male ratio of around 9:1. Furthermore, it can occur to patients at any age of either sex. It can occur to pediatric patients, especially the adolescents. [54] The current understanding about fibromyalgia is that it is a disorder of central pain processing or a syndrome of central sensitivity. It is described as a problem with pain threshold. Researchers suggests that patients with fibromyalgia have a lower threshold to pain and other stimuli namely noise, heat and strong odor. It is also believed that neurobiologic changes causes hypersensitivity of patients. These neurobiologic changes are related to psychological factors in that this change affects the person’s perception to pain, expectancy or vigilance. Disturbed sleep has been linked to the pathogenesis of fibromyalgia. Studies have ascertained that awakening unfreshed or nonrestorative sleep has been observed in most of the patients with fibromyalgia. Sleep electroencephalographic studies have shown disruption of normal stage 4 of sleep (non-rapid eye movement). Deprivation in stage 4 sleep has a role in causing fibromyalgia as supported by the observation that symptoms of fibromyalgia developed to normal individuals with disrupted sleep in stage 4. Decreased serotonin metabolites are seen in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with fibromyalgia. Since serotonin is known to be a neurotransmitter that regulates NREM sleep and pain, it is believed that it might also be involved in the pathogenesis of fibromyalgia. Autonomic dysfunction is also suspected to be involved in the development of fibromyalgia. Individuals with the said disorder were observed to have low levels of cortisol. Low level of urinary free cortisol decreased respo nse to corticotrophin-releasing hormone suggest abnormal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. There is also low level of growth hormones. Growth hormone is released during stage 4 or NREM sleep. Many patients have accompanying psychological abnormalities. Almost 30% of patients fit the diagnostic criteria of anxiety, depression, somatization and hypochodriasis. There is also high prevalence of physical and sexual abuse, and eating disorder. [55] The goal of treatment for patient with fibromyalgia is to relieve pain and other symptoms, and to help a person cope with the said symptoms. It includes: physical therapy, stress relief methods, exercise and fitness program, antidepressants, muscle relaxants and cognitive behavioral therapy. The Haunting Of Hill House | Analysis The Haunting Of Hill House | Analysis Eleanor life is characterized by numerous challenges that happen because of her mother. She has a difficult responsibility of taking care of her ailing mother without any help from the society. She leads a strange life blending with people that sees her outcast in the society as she has grown with the attitude that people hate them because they do not mix with them. She later learns that her mother defied the society norms, and that is the reason that the society abandoned her. Others believe that perhaps that is the reason that she is ailing. Even though, Eleanor is aware of the existence of the social norms, she never knew their significance because she was never into them. After she drives into the Hill House, at first, she is not certain about her identity in the society, and she thinks that in the Hill house, she might experience some difference. She enters the house and her life changes, she starts seeing things in a completely different way and after contemplating on her relationship with the society, and she has no option, but to become a witch. Her death is mysterious as other character restores their lives back. It is true that many critics and readers believe that, in the end, Hill House consumes Eleanor and she willingly allows this to happen. Hill House consumes Eleanor Eleanor mothers poor health deprived Eleanor more than just her precious moment. The main reason that Eleanor rides forth to the house is an event that happened when she was young that certainly integrated some kind of supernatural manifestations. Despite of the situation, Eleanor tells Dr. Montague afterward in the story that she cannot clearly recall her mother claimed that the neighbors never appreciated them, and that was the reason that she would never mix with them (Jackson 73). The reader learns that, Eleanor and her sister had supposed at the time that the other was responsible for the supernatural incident (Jackson 7). This incident although, Dr. Montague reassures Eleanor that the event is long forgotten, means the incident must have had a negative impact on Eleanors family and, certainly did not affect Eleanors personality (Jackson 74). She is still uncertain whether she will ever be accepted in the society after her mother defying the social norms. It is difficult to face the reality in order to fight the stigma from the society. However, that is the only way out if she has to survive in the society. From the start, Eleanor grew up with a mother who was against the societys norms. Perhaps the ailing mother suffered out of her ignorance to the societal norms, and Eleanor suffers because of her mother. The journey to the Hill House is move that Eleanor fails tom resist. At one point, he thinks it is the right call for her to make, considering her relationship with the society and at another point, he wrestles with that spirit that pushes her to accept the invitation into the house. It becomes almost impossible for her to make a decision. From the onset of the book, Eleanor is in a dilemma. Even though, there are some characters in the Hill House that accepts to be part of the Hill house that does not mean that Eleanor should be inclusive. As opposed to Eleanor, the four characters have weird characters and perhaps that is the reason they feel comfortable being part of the Hill House. For instance Luke, despite being an heir of the house, steals from his aunt. Theodora too, an artist by profession is a lesbian. Doctor Montague, although a scholar, has an interest in the occult. This shows that, even though it is difficult to accept these characters within the social culture, they are better off than Eleanor, who cannot face the society. To worsen the matter, Eleanor is homeless, and this secludes her from the rests of Jacksons characters. Theodora engages into a conflict in the Hill House, but she cannot return, she remains there. The house has already consumed her. In depicting a homestead setting far from the Hill House, Jackson reveals to the reader that Dr. Montague is a family man and in the later chapters, we see his wife cleaning dishes together with Mrs. Dudley in Hill House, and this shows a kind of familiarity. Similarly, Dudley and her family own a house in town (Jackson 39) which keeps them safe from the house during late night hours. Moreover, Luke Sanderson could say that he owned the house, but he never took care of it. Luke is an affluent man, and he could buy the house, but it is not clear why he does not have one. Instead of accepting her situation and predicaments in life, for instance, being homeless, Eleanor says that she has a home. She is aware of the social values, even though she has never been deep into them. Hill house is a strange house as depicted in the previous discussions. When Eleanor accepts to be consumed by the house, she turns out to be an outsider. The House consumes Eleanor, and it blends both her fear and attraction of the House. She is lured into mysterious place, and she becomes interstitial that her pas life when she enters the house. Eleanor fits neither with her friends, nor in the society, and she turns out to be outrageous. The society rejects her , she turns to be a fringe member, and she does not have an option, but to fit into the skin of a witch. The five characters in the house have their differences, but Eleanor believes that with time they will adopt tom each others behavior (Jackson 58). She anticipates that sooner they will be a friend, and Theodora, affectionately refers to her as a cousin. They lived in the house as one family and even shared meals together. However, some scholars look at this situation in a different perspective, for instance, Tricia Lootens, in Whose Hand I Was holding, says that the characters live together as one family. However, Lootens is not certain about the continuity of this group and she cites this as terror of [Jacksons] entire culture: the brutal, inexorable visionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦of nuclear families that kill what they are supposed to nurture (151). Even though, Lootens believes that the group has a hidden agenda of ruining each others life, I refute with her perception. The characters are in harmony with one another, and there is no sense or fear between them. Eleanor is the one who is undisputed and seems rejected and deserted. This is evidenced at the novel closes its chapters, whereby Theo, Luke, and Dr. Montague observe Eleanor and she distances herself from the Hill House. Jackson mentions about the death of Eleanor and the other characters going back to their normal lives. Novel Dental Materials for Root-end Applications: A Review Novel Dental Materials for Root-end Applications: A Review Abstract Achieving a good apical seal is crucial for ensuring successful endodontics; especially in cases that involve a wide apex (e.g. immature apices, apical resorption, and fracture involving the tooth apex). An efficient root-end material is an absolute requisite towards achieving this goal. The recent years have witnessed a decent outflow of new products for root-end applications. However, their merits, and claims of superiority over MTA, have to be ascertained via sustained research. Keywords: Apical seal, bioactive, MTA, novel root-end materials, review. Introduction The quest for an ideal material for root-end applications has produced a plethora of products that are based on different compositions and exhibit varied setting reactions. Though many of them have been proven to be effective, none of them can be described as ideal yet, thus generating scope for further development. MTA as the gold standard Since its introduction by Torabinejad in 1993, MTA has been extensively studied and used. Over the years, it has emerged as the time-tested and attested material. MTA is essentially Portland cement (Sio2, CaO, Al2O3, MgO, and Fe2O3), to which a radioopacifier (Bi2O3), and dehydrated(anhydrous) calcium sulphate have been added. MTA is biocompatible and osteogenic. It is bioactive: i.e. MTA is capable of interacting with living tissues and allows deposition of apatite crystals in the MTA-tissue interface. This material is capable of inducting hard tissue formation.1 Apart from exhibiting excellent sealing properties, it also has the capacity to set and also remain steady in the presence of moisture. Hence, a recent review has described it as ‘hydraulic silicate cement’.2 However, this material is not devoid of disadvantages. Re-entering MTA-treated teeth is difficult. High acidity and alkalinity (beyond a pH of 8.4) can unfavorably influence the surface hardness of set MTA. MTA is shown to expand uncontrollably.3 Grey MTA has been found to discolor tooth and the neighboring gingival tissues. Both grey and white MTA contain toxic substances and impurities. The material is fairly difficult to manipulate owing to its sandy consistency; though the small particle size of white MTA may aid in producing a thicker mix; hence, better workability.4 MTA exhibits low washout resistance during initial set especially when a setting accelerator is not incorporated into the MTA mixture. Its initial solubility is undesirable when used as a root-end filling material.5 In lieu of MTA’s potential drawbacks, the search for superior materials has resulted in the emergence of newer materials in the market; the majority of which, bear resemblance to MTA with minor alterations in their composition. Bioaggregate This novel water-based, hydraulic cement, consists of tricalcium silicate as its primary component. Tantalum oxide imparts radioopacity; hydroxyapatite and amorphous silicon oxide have been added to reduce the level of formation of the weak phase- calcium hydroxide.6 Purity is ensured via elimination of aluminum. Though the manufacturer states that trace amounts of naturally occurring contaminants may be detected during chemical analysis, the lack of detection of heavy metal contamination is noteworthy. The material is bioactive.7 Sayeed et al. suggested that Bioaggregate be considered as an alternative to MTA owing to the former’s better sealing ability. The authors attributed the hermetic seal associated with bioaggregate to: (1) Its nano-sized particles that exhibit excellent adhesion to the dentinal walls of the root canal, (2) Its hydrophilicity.The presence of a gel-like calcium silicate hydrate as the main component, resulted in improved strength, hardness, and sealing characteristics to the set material.8 Bioaggregate also exhibited excellent biocompatibility and induced periodontal regeneration.9 Biodentin Biodentine, marketed by Septodont is available as a powder and liquid formulation. Tricalcium silicate and dicalcium silicate form the core materials of the powder. Purity of calcium silicate is enhanced by eliminating the contaminants namely aluminates. Calcium carbonate and calcium oxide, and zirconium oxide have been added as the fillers and as the radioofacifier respectively. Liquid comprises of calcium chloride as the accelerator. Hydrosoluble polymer and water reducing agents are also present. Biodentine can be used as a root repair material but is not indicated for root amputation and hemisection. The working time is over 1 minute and the setting time ranges between 9 and 12 minutes. The final hardness of Biodentine approximates that of the dentin, thus rendering retreatment difficult if not impossible. 10 On performing cytotoxicity assay and cell growth on set materials, human gingival fibroblasts responded similarly to Biodentine and MTA extracts.11 EndoSequence Root Repair Material EndoSequence Root Repair Material (Brasseler USA) is based on bioceramic technology and is essentially composed of nanoparticles of tricalcium silicate, dicalcium silicate, calcium phosphate monobasic, amorphous silicon dioxide, and tantalum pentoxide.12 It differs from white MTA mainly in that it is aluminium free and contains calcium phosphate monobasic and tantalum pentoxide (radioopacifier).13 It is marketed as a pre-mixed formulation in two different consistencies: syringeable paste, and condensable putty. `The former has bendable tips to facilitate intra-canal material placement. 14 According to the manufacturer, the material exhibits superior handling properties owing to its pre-mixed formulations, short setting time (~2 hours), and high resistance to washout. The material is radiopaque, hydrophilic, and highly alkaline (+12 pH), thus bactericidal. Its setting reaction is initiated by dentinal moisture. 15 Endo sequence is bioactive. 16 Hirschberg et al. compared the sealing a bility of ERRM with MTA, and concluded that leakage was greater in samples restored with ERRM when compared to that of MTA-restored samples.17 In simulated root resorption defects, intracanal placement of white MTA resulted in greater and sustained release of hydroxyl ions, and thus a higher pH when compared to EndoSequence. This, the authors attributed to the quicker set of ES as compared with MTA. But, few MTA samples exhibited discoloration, while none of the ES samples did. This may be esthetically relevant.18 Top of Form Bottom of Form iRoot BP Plus These bioceramic materials are primarily composed of calcium silicate, and require the presence of moisture to set and harden. They also contain zirconium oxide, tantalum pentoxide, calcium phosphate monobasic, and filler agents They are available in three forms: (1) iRoot ® BP Plus putty root canal filling andrepair material- white hydraulic premixed puttyintended to be used for root canal repair and restorative applications, (2) iRoot ® BP Injectable Root Canal RepairFilling Material- white hydraulic premixed injectable paste intended to be used for root canal repair and restorative applications, and (3) iRoot ® SP Injectable Root Canal Sealer- injectable white hydraulic cement paste intended to be used for permanentroot canal filling and sealing applications. 19 According to the manufacturer, these materials are insoluble, radiopaque, aluminum-free, possess excellent physical properties, and do not contract on setting.20 iRoot ®BP Plus was biocompatible and did not elicit critical cytotoxic effect. However, its long-term performance was inferior as compared to White MTA.21 Another study observed that both materials i.e. iRoot BP Plus and iRoot FS exhibited negligible cytotoxicity. Under simulated clinical conditions, iRoot FS was able to completely solidify within an hour, whereas iRoot BP Plus set only after seven days.22 Ceramicrete Developed at Argonne National laboratory, Ceramicrete is essentially a chemically bonded phosphate ceramic (CBPC), which was developed to function as a binder for waste management. The material was inducted into dentistry owing to its inherent strength, biocompatibility, and bioactivity. Radioopacity is achieved by incorporation of radio opacifiers (bismuth oxide, cerium oxide). Wagh and Primus found Ceramicrete to be a strong material exhibiting lower porosity and permeability due to the formation of potassium-magnesium phosphate hexahydrate ceramic matrix phase. The decreased porosity also contributes to Ceramicrete’s superior sealing capacity.23 The use of an acid conditioner prior to application of ceramicrete may result in better adaption due to removal of smear layer, thus improving the seal. Incorporation of calcium silicate whiskers resulted in the formation of a brushite phase, which improves mechanical properties. Though, initially, the material tends to be acidic, set Ceremicrete-D is alkaline (pH of 11 after 72 hours). However, the acidic pH (2.2) of a fresh mix may exacerbate the acidic condition of an already inflamed tissue. 24 The low pH may be the reason why ceramicrete D caused initial death of primary osteoblasts and failed to support further cell growth, since low pH is shown to inhibit osteoblast activity. 25 The radioopacity of ceremicrete was substantially less (3.2mm of aluminium) than white MTA (8.5mm of aluminium). Handling properties and resistance to washout were superior. According to porter et al, Ceremicrete-D retained a weak chalk like consistency even after seven days of setting. They suggested the original formula be modified to effect increase in the strength of the material.26 Capasio Capasio (Primus Consulting, Bradenton, FL) is an experimental calcium-phospho-aluminosilicate–based cement that is mixed with a water based gel. Bismuth oxide has been added as a radiopacifier.27 When mixed, Capasio develops dough like consistency and can be rolled into a rope which enables better handling. Ceremicrete-D and Generex A also demonstrate this desirable property. Capasio displays good washout resistance, and improved physical characteristics such as setting time (9 minutes), compressive strength, and washout resistance.26 It exhibited slightly less basic pH (10.9) when compared with white MTA. 28 The radiopacity of Capasio was significantly less as compared to MTA but marginally greater than Ceremicrete-D.26 Capasio is also bioactive. It has the ability to precipitate apatite crystals on its surface. The smaller particle size of Capasio (a mean particle size of 5.3 µm as compared to 10 µm of MTA) may be perceived as an advantage. Materials that demonstrate the capability of penetrating dentinal tubules exhibit improved marginal adaptation, retention, and also entomb the residual bacteria. The material was shown to penetrate dentinal tubules up to a depth of 18-26  µm; much greater than that of MTA.29 Penetration of an endodontic material into the dentinal tubules results in improved marginal adaptation, increase mechanical retention, entombs residual bacteria and improved antibacterial effects owing to closer proximity of the material to the bacteria.30 Quick-set Capasio (Primus Consulting, Bradenton, FL) has been further developed and has been renamed as Quick-Set (Primus Consulting). The refinement has been performed via removal of the cationic surfactant from the liquid gel component, which was thought to affect its biocompatibility. Using murine dental papilla-derived odontoblast-like cell line (MDPC-23), Wei et al. observed that the in vitro cytotoxicity of Quick-Set was similar to that of WMTA.31 Ashraf et al. concluded that the in vitro osteogenic/dentinogenic differentiation potential of Quick-Set was favorable. 32 Generex A and B Generex A (Dentsply Tulsa Dental Specialities, Tulsa, Usa) and B are calcium-silicate-based materials with novel setting reactions. Generex A contains tricalcium silicate, dicalcium silicate, and tricalcium alumunate. Its composition is similar to that of MTA but for the fact that the powder is finer, and unique gels are used for mixing instead of water as is the case with MTA.25 Usage of the gel results in: improved handling characteristics and reduced setting time.26 Among the materials evaluated for their osteogenic potential (Generex A, Capasio, Ceramicrete, and MTA), only Generex A and MTA allowed primary osteoblast growth.25 In a study conducted by Porter et al, Generex A exhibited the shortest setting time (1.25 hrs) as compared to Capasio and Ceramicrete, which set in 2.5 hours. Generex A also emerged as the strongest among the other materials tested. 26 Endobinder Endobinder differs from MTA in that, MgO and CaO (cause undesirable expansion of the material), and Fe2O3 (causes tooth darkening) are eliminated from its composition. Al2O3 and CaCO3 are calcined at temperatures between 1315deg C and 1425d C, and are ground following which, Bismuth oxide is added to obtain radioopacity. Purity is ensured by eliminating traces of MgO, CaO, and Fe2O3.32, 33 Endobinder assisted early differentiation of a higher osteoblastic cell population in comparison to MTA. this, the authors attributed to the lower calcium hydroxide release from endobinder when compared with MTA.34 While slightly higher concentration of extracellular calcium can stimulate osteoblast cell viability, proliferation, differentiation, and function, an overload can be cytotoxic. 35 According to Oliveira et al., Endobinder exhibited better fluidity, improved handling properties, higher mechanical strength, and reduced porosity (with lower pore size) when compared with MTA.36 The material was biocompatible when tested in subcutaneous tissue of rats.37 Conclusion The past few years have witnessed the development of novel materials with a purpose of overcoming the disadvantages of MTA. Some are primarily composed of calcium silicate (Endobinder, Endosequence, Generex A and B, and iRoot BP Plus), some are primarily tricalciumsilicate-based (Bioaggregate, and Biodentine) or calcium-alumino-silicate based (Capasio and quickset), and one is a chemically bonded phosphate ceramic (Ceramicrete). The focus behind developing these materials has mainly been- improved physical and biological properties over the present gold standard i.e. MTA. While some of these novel materials have exhibited improved characteristics, more research in the form of in vivo and in vitro studies are required in this direction, in order to ascertain the same. Also, newer materials with a composition differing from that of MTA, may bring a fresh approach with regard to this application. 1