Sleep Deprivation And Its Effects On Society Essay

Success in life is typically measured by the result of what is accomplished during the waking hours. The degree of effectiveness of those hours however, depend on effective rest. â€Å"Sleep is integral to the health and well-being of all people† (Wells 233). Sleep is simply defined as the body’s rest cycle – a time to recharge. The widely accepted metric for normal or sufficient sleep is about 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. When this metric is not met, either through total sleep loss or accumulated sleep debt, the effect can be dire, â€Å"Sleep deprivation results in poor memorizing, schematic thinking, which yields wrong decisions, and emotional disturbances such as deteriorated interpersonal responses and increased aggressiveness† (OrzeÅ‚-Gryglewska 95). Sleep deprivation hinders the abilities of the mind, harms the body, and shortens length of life. Executive functions, sometimes also called higher-order functions of the brain refer to working memory, response selection, and inhibition. Insufficient sleep has a detrimental impact on these functions, â€Å"tasks that rely on executive processes have been reported to be particularly disrupted by sleep deprivation and this has led to the notion that Executive Functions are particularly sensitive to sleep loss† (Lo, Groeger, Santhi, Arbon, Lazar, Hasan, and Dijk 2). Cognitive performance is undoubtedly a key component for both short-term successes i.e. remembering to pick up the kids from school to accurately meeting the boss’s dailyShow MoreRelatedSleep Deprivation And Its Effects On Society1431 Words   |  6 PagesBeing a full time student and avid participant in the community, sleep usually falls by the wayside as the struggle to maintain a healthy balance of activities and work continues. Sleep deprivation can actually be very devastating, having a huge affects o n work ethic and focus. Sleep deprivation is â€Å"the condition of being robbed of sleep,† according to Dictionary.com. â€Å"A chronic sleep-restricted state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness, weight loss or weight gain,† giving it a substantialRead MoreSleep Deprivation And Its Effects On Society1443 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Very nearly everybody encounters sleep deprivation occasionally, which is a developing issue, can influences a huge number of individuals on the planet particularly found in ladies, and more established. Additionally individuals who are separated or widowed have a more noteworthy chance than the individuals who are hitched to be casualties of sleep deprivation. A sleeping disorder originates from the Latin words for no slumber, which can be characterized as a reason or evident multifacetedRead MoreEssay On Sleep Deprivation801 Words   |  4 Pagesthe world sleep deprivation could be detrimental to people lives and health. Without sleep Im a angry person I get real snappy and grumpy. I would like to know more about the effects of the lack of sleep that effects people’s lives. I know that without sleep you can’t function properly. Why do people choose to push themselves to the limit when they are tired? Who do sleep issues mainly effect? These are some of the questions that I have pertaining to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is a globalRead MoreThe Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Teenagers939 Words   |  4 Pagesteenagers can cause many problems such as sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation in teenagers can cause a lot of problems, in addition to that sleep deprivation is the leading cause of sleep disorders and depression. Sleep deprivation in teenager can have negative effects in their lives, especially academically and socially. There are different causes of sleep deprivation, two of the main causes are, Technology and Sleep Disorders. Teenagers in today’s society students are plague with the world of technologyRead MoreEffects of Sleep Deprivation881 Words   |  4 PagesSleep is an essential part of life. Without sleep, the body does not get the energy that it needs to function. Yet a large amount of people do not get anywhere near the amount of sleep they need. Whether it is because of medical reasons or because there just is not enough time in the day, sleep deprivation is a major problem in todays society. The many people who do not get enough sleep usually end up suffering the consequences. No good can come from not getting enough sleep. Sleep deprivation hasRead MoreSleep Deprivation Is A Wide Spread Phenomenon1277 Words   |  6 PagesSleep is one of our most basic physiological needs and getting enough of it is paramount to keeping our bodies and minds functioning at optimal performance. Th e amount of sleep needed varies and decreases by age. From 12-18 hours needed by a newborn to 7-9 hours needed by a health adult. The basal sleep need varies by individual with some people requiring more or less sleep than others (Czeisler 2014). When an individual does not get enough sleep they enter a state of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivationRead MoreSleep Deprivation Negatively Influences Driving Performance1722 Words   |  7 Pagesaverage person is generally awake for around 16 hours a day, however sometimes within busy lives sleep may become a last priority between family and work, and thus extending the period a person is awake (Williamson Feyer, 2000). In this essay, it will be argued that sleep deprivation negatively influences driving performance, as it has been found that driving for long periods of time or after sleep deprivation leads to poor driving performance as levels of alertness are low. Two empirical studies haveRead MoreLack Of Lack Sleep Deprivation767 Wo rds   |  4 PagesWhat exactly is sleep? Sleep not only allows the human body to rest and reset after a long day but it also plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory, learning and our vital body functions (Harvard Medical School, n.d.). When the human body becomes warn down and unable to properly regenerate and rest, it becomes more and more susceptible to disease, infection and health complications. In the American culture society burns the candle at both ends which often spirals into a wholeRead MoreSleep Loss Or Sleep Deprivation860 Words   |  4 PagesSleep Loss Sleep loss, or sleep deprivation, is very common throughout the world. It is very important to make sure you get at least eight hours of sleep each night for you to be ready to get up and go. It has been said that teenagers need an average of nine hours and fifteen minutes of sleep, according to my psychology teacher. It is very dangerous to go without sleep, hallucinations can and sometimes will occur. It is always easy to tell when a person is not getting enough sleep. They have bagsRead MoreThe Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Stress1352 Words   |  6 PagesSleep is very important for proper human functioning. Sleep deprivation occurs the body does not get an adequate amount of sleep regularly. The lack of sleep can affect many aspects of life. This topic affects many Americans especially college students. American culture values being very busy and cramming in many activities to daily schedules in which often requires sacrificing sleep. Different age groups reactions to sleep d eprivation was investigated. Physical effects of lack of sleep were examined

Where is Cole Group vulnerable What should it watch out for Free Essays

Question 2: Where is Cole Group vulnerable? What should it watch out for? As a company with millions of customer throughout 2, 900 stores, The Coles Group certainly be one of the top companies in Australia and New Zealand. However, it has lost its market share to the more enhanced and focused Woolworths company. The loyalty program battleground between two companies seemed more advantages over the Woolworths side since it gained 40% of market share with less on 50% advertising spending. We will write a custom essay sample on Where is Cole Group vulnerable? What should it watch out for? or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are some possible problems the Coles Group has to consider while managing its broad relationship marketing programs. First, their customer may find it very difficult to understand and remember all the complexity of saving points promotion. Second, it may cost even more in advertising and marketing to inform the customer all the benefits they can get from the diverse collection of Coles Group promotions. People are confused to count all the points, discount, actual value they can get from the FlyBuys card. On the other hand, The Woolworths offered the simple, logical program of discounts points via Woolworths Credit Card, so the Woolworths can deliver these loyalty programs to the customer better. Moreover, with millions of members through FlyBuys and Coles Group Source MasterCard, the system may misreport the reward points for the customer and cause some serious customer complaints. References: Bianca Hartge-Hazelman. (2012, 11 July). The loyalty program battle ground .The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 11 July 2012 from http://www.afr.com/p/personal_finance/portfolio/the_loyalty_program_battle_ground_4hwbD00hKdMWP6verYnLpN Madeleine Ross(2012, 7 Dec). Coles vs Woolworths: Who’s winning?. Bandt.com.au. Retrieved 11 July 2012 from http://www.bandt.com.au/features/coles-vs-woolworths-the-battle-of-the-mega-marts http://wps.pearsoned.com.au/au_be_kotler_mktgmgt_1/85/21977/5626312.cw/-/5626314/index.html References cá » §a Case Coles Group. (2007). Welcome to Coles Group Limited. 1 November 2007, from http://www.colesgroup.com.au/Home/ Fenner, R. (2006, 31 July). Coles plans comeback to recoup market share [Electronic Version]. Retrieved 3 November 2007 from http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/31/bloomberg/sxcoles.php. Fenner, R., Choudhury, A. (2006, 13 March). Coles Myer to offload its department stores [Electronic Version]. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 1 November 2007 from http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/13/bloomberg/sxcoles.php. FlyBuys. (2007). Frequent Questions [Electronic Version]. Retrieved 1 November 2007 from https://www.flybuys.com.au/flybuys/content/information/faq.html. Howarth, B. (2007, 3 October). Beer and nappies and so much more [Electronic Version]. The Age. Retrieved 1 November 2007 from http://www.smh.com.au/news/businessinnovations/beer-and-nappies-and-so-much-more/2007/10/22/1192941044453.html. smh.com.au. (2004, 19 July). Woolworths reports $27.9b annual sales [Electronic Version]. Retrieved 1 November 2007 from http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/19/1090089068573.html?from=storylhs. Woolworths. (2007). The fresh food people. Retrieved 3 November, 2007, from http://www.woolworths.com.au/ How to cite Where is Cole Group vulnerable? What should it watch out for?, Papers

Basic Organizational Design free essay sample

Once managers are done planning, then what? This is when managers need to begin to â€Å"work the plan. † And the first step in doing that involves designing an appropriate organizational structure. This chapter covers the decisions involved with designing this structure. Focus on the following learning outcomes as you read and study this chapter. LEARNING OUTCOMES 10. 1 Describe six key elements in organizational design. 10. 2 Contrast mechanistic and organic structures. 10. 3 Discuss the contingency factors that favor either the mechanistic model or the organic model of organizational design. 0. 4 Describe traditional organizational designs. A MANAGER’S DILEMMA How can we design an organizational structure that will help us accomplish our company’s goals? Should our structure be tall or flat? Traditional or contemporary? Will our chosen design enhance our capacity to continuously learn, adapt, and change in a dynamic global environment? As tomorrow’s man agers, many of your students will soon face these questions. In Chapter 10, students learn about various elements of organizational structure, the contingency factors that influence organizational design, and traditional and contemporary design. In addition, they will study design challenges encountered by managers who work in a variety of organizational structures. â€Å"A Manager’s Dilemma† highlights some of the problems in store for Eli Lilly Company, a major US pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly Co. stands to lose $10 billion in annual revenues between now and 2016 as three of its major drug patents expire. As CEO, John Lechleiter’s job is to find foster new drug development to replace the projected loss revenue. While other pharmaceutical companies are seeking a merger route to acquire new drugs, Eli Lilly One has decided to revamp the company’s operational tructure into five global business units and create an improved product research and development center. Students should address other organizational design elements Lechleiter might use to ensure that Lilly achieves its goal of speeding up its product development process? From the information presented here, it appears that Eli Lillyâ⠂¬â„¢s has adopted a product structure which offers the advantage of being more responsive to changes in the external environment. Eli Lilly may also want to create more teams in their structure as well as take advantage of technology with virtual teams. Designing organizational structure involves the process of organizing (the second management function) and plays an important role in the success of a company. Managers need to establish structural designs that will best support and allow employees to do their work effectively and efficiently. Several important terms must be defined in order to understand the elements of organizational structure and design: 1. Organizing is arranging and structuring work to accomplish the organization’s goals. This process has several purposes, as shown in Exhibit 10-1. 2. Organizational structure is the formal arrangement of jobs within an organization. 3. Organizational design is developing or changing an organization’s structure. This process involves decisions about six key elements: work specialization, departmentalization, chain of command, span of control, centralization/ decentralization, and formalization. Chapter 10 examines each of these structural elements. A. Work Specialization. Work specialization is dividing work activities into separate job tasks. Most of today’s managers regard work specialization as an important organizing mechanism, but not as a source of ever-increasing productivity. Exhibit 10-2 illustrates the human diseconomies from division of labor—boredom, fatigue, stress, low productivity, poor quality, increased absenteeism, and high turnover— eventually exceed the economic advantages created by work specialization. B. Departmentalization. When work tasks have been defined, they must be arranged in order to accomplish organizational goals. This process, known as departmentalization, is the basis by which jobs are grouped. There are five major ways to departmentalize (see Exhibit 10-3): 1. Functional departmentalization groups jobs by functions performed. 2. Product departmentalization groups jobs by product line. 3. Geographical departmentalization groups jobs on the basis of geographical region. 4. Process departmentalization groups jobs on the basis of product or customer flow. 5. Customer departmentalization groups jobs on the basis of specific and unique customers who have common needs. 6. Popular trends in departmentalization include the following: a. Customer departmentalization continues to be a highly popular approach because it allows better monitoring of customers’ needs and responds to changes in the needs of customers. b. Cross-functional teams, which are work teams composed of individuals from various functional specialties, are being used along with traditional departmental arrangements. C. Chain of Command. The chain of command is the line of authority extending from upper organizational levels to the lowest levels, which clarifies who reports to whom. Three concepts related to chain of command are authority, responsibility, and unity of command. 1. Authority is the rights inherent in a managerial position to tell people what to do and to expect them to do it. a. The acceptance theory of authority proposed by Chester Barnard says that authority comes from the willingness of subordinates to accept it. Barnard contended that subordinates will accept orders only if the following conditions are satisfied: 1. They understand the order. 2. They feel the order is consistent with the organization’s purpose. 3. The order does not conflict with their personal beliefs. 4. They are able to perform the task as directed. b. Line authority entitles a manager to direct the work of an employee. It is the employer–employee authority relationship that extends from the top of the organization to the lowest echelon, according to the chain of command, as shown in Exhibit 10-4. c. Staff authority functions to support, assist, advise, and generally reduce some of their informational burdens. Exhibit 10-5 illustrates line and staff authority. 2. Responsibility is the obligation to perform any assigned duties. 3. Unity of command is the management principle that each person should report to only one manager. D. Span of Control. Span of control is the number of employees a manager can efficiently and effectively manage. 1. The span of control concept is important because it determines how many levels and managers an organization will have. (See Exhibit 10-6 for an example) 2. What determines the â€Å"ideal† span of control? Contingency factors such as the skills and abilities of the manager and the employees, the characteristics of the work being done, similarity and complexity of employee tasks, the physical proximity of subordinates, the degree to which standardized procedures are in place, the sophistication of the organization’s information system, the strength of the organization’s culture, and the preferred style of the manager influence the ideal number of subordinates. 3. The trend in recent years has been toward wider (larger) spans of control. E. Centralization and Decentralization. The concepts of centralization and decentralization address who, where, and how decisions are made in organizations. 1. Centralization is the degree to which decision making is concentrated at upper levels of the organization. 2. Decentralization is the degree to which lower-level employees provide input or actually make decisions. 3. The current trend is toward decentralizing decision making in order to make organizations more flexible and responsive. 4. Employee empowerment is giving employees more authority (power) to make decisions. . A number of factors influence the degree of centralization or decentralization in an organization (see Exhibit 10-7). F. Formalization refers to the degree to which jobs within an organization are standardized and the extent to which employee behavior is guided by rules and procedures. 1. In a highly formalized organization, employees have little discretion, and a high level of consistent and uniform output exists. Formalized organizations have expl icit job descriptions, many organizational rules, and clearly defined procedures. 2. In a less-formalized organization, employees have much freedom and can exercise discretion in the way they do their work. 3. Formalization not only fosters relatively unstructured job behaviors, but also eliminates the need for employees to consider alternatives. 4. The degree of formalization can vary widely between organizations and even within organizations. 10. 2 MECHANISTIC AND ORGANIC STRUCTURES Organizations do not have identical structures. Even companies of comparable size do not necessarily have similar structures. A. Two Models of Organizational Design. See Exhibit 10-8) 1. A mechanistic organization is an organizational design that is rigid and tightly controlled. It is characterized by high specialization, rigid departmentalization, narrow spans of control, high formalization, a limited information network, and little participation in decision making by lower-level employees. 2. An organic organization is an organizational design that is highly adaptive and flexible. It is characterized by little work specialization, minimal formalization, and little direct supervision of employees. 3. Under what circumstances is each design favored? It â€Å"depends† on contingency variables. 10. 3 CONTINGENCY FACTORS Appropriate organizational structure depends upon four contingency variables: A. Strategy and structure. The organization’s strategy is one of the contingency variables that influences organizational design. 1. Alfred Chandler originated the strategy-structure relationship. His finding that structure follows strategy indicates that as organizations change their strategies, they must change their structure to support that strategy. . Most current strategy/structure frameworks focus on three strategy dimensions: a) Innovation needs the flexibility and free flow of information present in the organic organization. b) Cost minimization needs the efficiency, stability, and tight controls of the mechanistic organization. c) Imitation uses some of the characteristics of both mechanistic and organic organizations. B. Size and structure. Considerable historical e vidence indicates that an organization’s size significantly affects its structure. Larger organizations tend to have more specialization, departmentalization, centralization, and formalization, although the size-structure relationship is not linear. C. Technology has been shown to affect an organization’s choice of structure. 1. Every organization uses some form of technology to transform inputs into outputs. 2. Joan Woodward’s study of structure and technology shows that organizations adapt to their technology. She found that three distinct technologies have increasing levels of complexity and sophistication. a) Unit production is the production of items in units or small batches. ) Mass production is the production of items in large batches. c) Process production is the production of items in continuous processes. 3. Woodward found in her study of these three groups that distinct relationships exist among these technologies, the subsequent structure of the organization, and the effectiveness of the organization. Exhibit 10-9 and provides a summary o f these findings. LEADERS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE As the first female CEO of Avon, Andrea Jung has held that position for a decade—the most-tenured female CEO in the Fortune 500. Ms. Jung clearly understands the importance of organizational design in helping her global company prosper in good times and bad. This part of her job is especially challenging considering that 70 percent of Avon’s sales are in developing countries. Ms. Jung has made tough decisions to restructure, refocus, and redefine the company’s strategies and created an organizational design to help it continue its success as the leading women’s beauty products company. D. Environmental uncertainty and structure Environmental uncertainty is the final contingency factor that has been shown to affect organizational structure. Environmental uncertainty may be managed by making adjustments in the organization’s structure. The more uncertain the environment, the more flexible and responsive the organization needs to be. 10. 4 TRADITIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGNS A number of different organizational designs can be found in today’s organizations. Exhibit 10-8 summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of each of these designs. A. A simple structure is an organizational design with low departmentaliza-tion, wide spans of control, authority centralized in a single person, and little formalization. . Strengths of the simple structure are its flexibility, speed, clear accountability and low maintenance costs. 2. The major limitation of a simple structure is that it is most effective when used in small organizations. B. As an organization grows, its structure tends to become more specialized and formalized. When contingency factors favor a bureaucratic or mechanistic design, one of the following two options is likely to be used: 1. A functional structure is an organizational design that groups similar or related occupational specialties together. . A divisional structure is an organizational structure made up of separate, semiautonomous units or divisions. Contact Channel Manager Sears Holdings Corporation Loves Park, IL Cindy offers several recommendations for Eli Lilly Company. To better the structure of the organization, she recommends the use of more flexible structures, i. e. a divisional and organic structure, while at the same time including a mechanistic structure to help speed up certain aspects of the drug approval process. Her final recommendation, to ‘create cross-functional teams across the business units to share best practices and key learning to increase the product development process’ is an insightful one in that it leverages the power of teams to aid in the decision making process and at the same time create a learning/innovation based climate. Answers to Review and Discussion Questions 1. Discuss the traditional and contemporary views of each of the six key elements of organizational design. Traditionally, work specialization was viewed as a way to divide work activities into separate job tasks. Today’s view is that it is an important organizing mechanism but it can lead to problems. The chain of command and its companion concepts—authority, responsibility, and unity of command—were viewed as important ways of maintaining control in organizations. The contemporary view is that they are less relevant in today’s organizations. The traditional view of span of control was that managers should directly supervise no more than five to six individuals. The contemporary view is that the span of control depends on the skills and abilities of the manager and the employees and on the characteristics of the situation. . Can an organization’s structure be changed quickly? Why or why not? Should it be changed quickly? Explain. The speed with which structural changes can be implemented depends partly upon an organization’s size. A small organization is usually able to change its structure more rapidly than a larger one because a smaller company has fewer employees who are involved in the restructuring process. However, a large organization can change its structure and often does in response to changing environmental conditions and changing strategies. 3. Contrast mechanistic and organic organizations. A mechanistic organization is a rigid and tightly controlled structure. An organic organization is highly adaptive and flexible. 4. Would you rather work in a mechanistic or an organic organization? Why? Students’ answers to this question will vary. Many students prefer the structure provided by a mechanistic organization, whereas others would be less productive in an organization with structural rigidity. Note that SAL #III. A. 1 â€Å"What Type of Organization Structure Do I Prefer? † addresses whether each of your students would like to work in a bureaucracy (a mechanistic organization). Students might want to revisit this assessment in answering this question. 5. Explain the contingency factors that affect organizational design. An organization’s structure should support the strategy. If the strategy changes, the structure also should change. An organization’s size can affect its structure up to a certain point. Once an organization reaches a certain size (usually around 2,000 employees), it’s fairly mechanistic. An organization’s technology can affect its structure. An organic structure is most effective with unit production and process production technology. A mechanistic structure is most effective with mass production technology. The more uncertain an organization’s environment, the more it needs the flexibility of an organic design. 6. Contrast the three traditional organizational designs. A simple structure is one with low departmentalization, wide spans of control, authority centralized in a single person, and little formalization. A functional structure groups similar or related occupational specialties together. A divisional structure is made up of separate business units or divisions. 7. With the availability of advanced information technology that allows an organization’s work to be done anywhere at any time, is organizing still an important managerial function? Why or why not? Although an organization’s work may be done anywhere at any time, organizing remains a vital managerial function because the work that must be accomplished still must be divided, grouped, and coordinated. 8. Researchers are now saying that efforts to simplify work tasks actually have negative results for both companies and their employees. Do you agree? Why or why not? Studies as far back as 1924 show that simplified jobs lead to boredom. In 1950 other researchers found that highly segmented and simplified jobs resulted in lower employee morale and output. Other consequences of low employee motivation include absenteeism and high employee turnover, both very costly for businesses. ETHICS DILEMMA Shortly after the BP oil spill, BP engaged in a campaign to improve their image including buying domain names that referred to terms like ‘oil spill’ and ‘oil spill claims. ’ A company spokeswoman said â€Å"the strategy is to assist those who are most impacted and help them find the right forms and the right people quickly and effectively. Is this an ethical issue? What ethical concerns do students see in BP doing this? What stakeholders might be affected by BP’s actions (buying the search terms)? In what ways might these stakeholders be affected? While some students may not see this as unethical, there is a question as to whether BP acquired the domain names to better inform the public or to control information access. By controlling information, BP could put their ‘spin’ on events or even keep the domain names idle so that they could not be used by others to distribute negative information about the company actions. Ultimately, with a disaster as large as this one, there were many stakeholders affected – fisherman, rig workers, hotel owners, management, and employees. Without access to information, these stakeholders may be unaware of their rights to sue or file claims against BP. SKILLS EXERCISE: DEVELOPING YOUR EMPOWERING PEOPLE (DELEGATING) SKILLS A manager’s job is to do things through other people. This requires that a manager learn to trust and empower those they supervise. In this exercise, the author gives five behaviors for effective delegation. Students are to then to read through the scenario and write a paper describing how they would handle the situation described. In the scenario, Ann is already following several of guidelines given for recommendation, by clarifying the assignment and allowing Ricky to participate. In Ricky’s meeting with Bill, he will have to follow his Boss’s lead and follow the recommendations as well. He should first clarify the assignment and what Bill will be able to include (and not include) in the manual. It will also be a good idea if Ricky and Bill get other employees’ input on the policy manual – since it will be used by everyone in the organization. Students should be prepared to share their chart with the class. If this is done outside of class as an assignment, it may be a good idea to have students use Microsoft PowerPoint to prepare the chart. PowerPoint has an option to draw organizational charts in the Smartart menu. Your Turn to be a Manager †¢ Find three different examples of organizational charts. In a report, describe each of them. Try to decipher the organization’s use of organizational design elements, especially departmentalization, chain of command, centralization–decentralization, and formalization. Survey at least 10 different managers about how many employees they supervise. Also ask them whether they feel they could supervise more employees or whether they feel the number they supervise is too many. Graph your survey results and write a report describing what you found. Draw some conclusions about span of control. †¢ Draw an organizational chart of an organization with which you’r e familiar (where you work, a student organization to which you belong, your college or university, etc. ). Be very careful in showing the departments (or groups) and especially be careful to get the chain of command correct.

Synposis of Plutarch’s Life an Example by

Synposis of Plutarch’s Life Mestrius Plutarchus, better known as Plutarch, lived his life in a Greek town called Chaeronea. He was a priest at the temple of Apollo at Delphi which was about 20 miles away from his abode. He was popular in the Roman empire because of his writings and lectures. He preferred to participate in the local affairs of his community rather than bask in his glory. Need essay sample on "Synposis of Plutarchs Life" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed One of his great works is called the Moralia which contain 78 essays and dialogues that are based on concerns he took seriously. His essays and lectures attracted Romans to his ideas because it was a relief from the problems they faced after the tragedies that Nero and Domitian brought about. Plutarch planned to write Parallel Lives, which are essays on the lives of Roman heroes and their counterparts in Greece. However, his most popular work that people appreciated even up to centuries after was Lives, a collection of his essays on Roman heroes and how they lived. It is written in Attic Greek which accounts for its unpopularity right now in our generation. Demetrius Poliorcetes, considered one of the best engineers of his time, was the son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus, a Didochi of Alexander the Great and also known as founder of the Antigonid dynasty. He sailed to Rhodes, upon his fathers orders, and captured the city in 307 BC using many siege contraptions that he and his men built. Some of the contraptions or siege engines he used were the Elepolis, a huge tower built by Epimachus of Athens, catapults that throw 80 kilogram rocks up to 150 meters away, the Tortoise, a very tall wooden structure with wheels and a battering ram, and drills that were about 25 meters long that can bore through the enemys walls. He also constructed the Stoa of Cleisthenes or Stoa of Demetrius:Sicyon in around 300 BC for his friend, Lamia and a fortified garrison for the Macedonian Guard atop the Hill of Muses in 294 BC. Paraphrase of at least 15 paragraphs about Demetrius (Source: Lendering) Antigonus and Demetrius lost in the Battle of Ipsus. Asia, Turkey, Syria, Phoenicia and Palestine divided as spoils of war because of Antigonus and Demetrius defeat. The three leaders who won felt unsafe because Demetrius was able to escape form Ipsus. He still led a large navy. Because of this, Cassander, Lysimachus and Ptolemy made a treaty by marrying their children. Ptolemy also needed his allies because he was wary of Seleucus, the new king of Asia. Seleucus knew that Ptolemy was preparing for war so he married his daughter to Demetrius. Their tandem was successful to the point that Ptolemy accepted a treaty. The Greeks betrayed their alliance to Demetrius by making a peace treaty with Cassander which gave Demetrius reason to attack them. He seized Athens and denied it its freedom and autonomy. He also retook Peloponnesse in 294. Demetrius wanted Macedonia. When Cassander died, his two brothers, Antipater and Alexander divided the territory. To secure his property, Alexander got the support of Demetrius and Pyrrhus. Pyrrhus invaded Macedonia for the two brothers and won. When Demetrius entered Macedonia, Alexander tried to kill him but Demetrius turned the tables on him. Demetrius was the new king and Antipater fled to Lysimachus. Demetrius had to give up Asia because of his desire for Greece and his enemies immediately seized the territories. Demetrius was content in conquering Greece except for Sparta and Aetolia. When he tried to invade Aetolia, Pyrrhus sided with the Aetolians and tried to invade Macedonia to no avail. They simply signed a peace treaty after. Demetrius had the smallest kingdom but his army was the largest and strongest. The three other kings attacked against him. The Macedonians also revolted. He installed his son, Antigonus Gonatas, as governor before attacking the east. He hoped to win Turkey and defeat Seleucus t o increase his troops. He won against Ptolemy but his soldiers deserted him which forced his surrender. Seleucus captured him and treated him kindly but he decided to drink himself to death. Three Quotations and Reflections Plutarch remarked, Such an unsociable, solitary thing is power, and so much of jealousy and distrust in it. This has been true in his time just as this truth still has its grip on the present. When one is powerful, one has to choose his friends wisely. One is lucky if he already had his friends beside him before he became powerful. Even then, it is easy to lose these friends once jealousy sets in. For those who gained power before attracting new friends, the questions that would abound will always concern the loyalty and true motives of the new friends. Power can set people apart from society and alienate them whether they like it or not. When Demetrius asked the famous philosopher, Stilpo, if any of his property had been stolen during his siege of Megara. No, replied Stilpo, I have not met with anyone to take away knowledge. I believe that one of the most valuable thing someone can be given is education. Knowledge can be a very strong foundation for success if it is put into good use. I also believe that a successful man will always meet failure in his lifetime. However, his good use of knowledge can always turn these failures into new successes. Antigonus advised Demetrius to marry Phila (a much older woman) for her status in society and wealth by saying, A man must wed where profit will be got. Horrible as it may seem, this type of decision-making can still happen nowadays. However, I believe that the only reason people should wed is their commitment to love each other eternally. Wealth can easily be managed and collected by two married people, if they make wise decisions and work together well as a team. Making wealth the primary reason for marriage makes it insulting, especially to women like Phila. However, in those days, men were considered far more superior than women. These days, though, women like Phila would have had a better chance to keep their wealth from gold diggers. References Demetrius Poliorcetes. (2001). Technology Museum of Thessaloniki. Lendering, J. (n.d.). Alexander's successors: the adventures of Demetrius. Plutarch-Priest of the Delphic Oracle. (2000). Wilmot H. McCutchen.