Evaluate the Incident Investigation,Medical Surveillance and the Case Study

Evaluate the Incident Investigation,Medical Surveillance and the Training at a Restaurant - Case Study Example This article involves evaluation of incident investigation, medical surveillance programs and the training at Winn- Dixie restaurant. An effective incident investigation will look at all the components of an incident which are its design, environmental and behavioral components and not only a single cause. An investigation should be done thoroughly because when it gets conducted poorly or it is done ineffectively, legal liability may result. Investigations should be limited to the workers who were present at the time of the incident and the investigators should obtain as much information as they can for them to be able to conduct a fair investigation (Barth, Hayes, and Ninemeier, 2001). Winn- Dixie restaurant had a case of food poisoning scare. The restaurant had to be shut down after patrons who had eaten there reported that they were feeling unwell. Restaurants have to observe food hygiene therefore the restaurant had to be closed for an investigation to be carried out. Tests that were been done by food safety consultants and environmental health officers proved to be inconclusive. Management however did not understand how contamination of food had happened as they ensured that they employed hygiene consultants. Food samples got analyzed routinely and the results that came back were always negative. More results of the tests showed that the incident might have been due to a non- specific virus. This still puzzled management as they ensured that staff members got tested when they came back from their holidays in far places to ensure that they do not have any illness with them which may affect the food and customers as well. After the cause of contamination was confirmed, more help from other food safety consultants was needed. It was apparent that safety measures were being followed by management and that the employees were attending training sessions so

Women and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Women and Leadership - Essay Example Women were first hindered by rules that made them under the shadows for years. Women were blocked by laws passed by the government that is why they cannot move smoothly in the society especially in the government posts (Eagly and Carli 3). However, this problem was given some actions through changing some laws but another problem evolved, the glass ceiling. This problem was long been a challenge to women in the workplace. Women were allowed to take posts however, they were not allowed to acquire higher posts (4). However, as the society moves toward modernity, the barriers against women also moved forward that concrete wall and glass ceiling were no longer the main problems but only parts of the bigger picture. Women now face the so-called â€Å"labyrinth† wherein the barriers are vague but there. These kinds of problems are collective and have higher effect on women’s improvement because the problems have chain reaction (Eagly and Carli 6). Women can now attain higher posts but the path to be taken is harder compared to men. Women are faced with more difficult standard than men because employers consider other factors compared to men who are applying for higher posts (8). These are the reasons why women take longer time to attain higher posts compared to men both in the workplace and in the government. The hindrances against women on acquiring leaderships still exist however, more research that disproves the high difference between men and women leadership characteristics are coming out. According to Eagly and Carli (47), the differences that people claim about the differences between men and women are just a show for hindering women in attaining higher positions. Eagly and Carli believe that women and men have only slight leadership skill differences and women are much capable of handling heavy positions in the society. On the other hand, Wilson (n.p.) strongly believes that women lead differently compared to men. Wilson’s book,

Once upon a time Essay Example for Free

Once upon a time Essay These mechanical birds are books, with many wings, meaning pages. The body shrieking without pain is laughter and the eyes melting are the readers tears. Model T is a room with the lock inside A key is turned to free the world For movement, so quick there is a film To watch for anything missed. These seventh and eighth stanzas are talking about a car. This is simple as Raine refers to Model T, a well-known car. Raine says it is a room because you go inside of the car and you are away from the outside world. You need a key to turn the car on and off and to lock the car. As you read on, you can see some of the poets influences for his writing. Raine is participating in a very ancient poetic ancient tradition. If you look at the poem as a series of riddles to be deciphered by the reader, then that takes us back centuries to the riddle poems in Anglo Saxon literature. In stanzas 10-13, the following lines are- In homes, a haunted apparatus sleeps, That snores when you pick it up. If the ghost cries, they carry it To their lips and soothe it to sleep with sounds. And yet they wake it up deliberately, by tickling it with a finger. This is a reference to a phone, a haunted apparatus. If it cries- rings, we pick it up to our lips and soothe it to sleep with sounds, meaning we speak into it. If we tickle it with a finger, we dial into it. The following lines have possibly the most bizarre descriptions of the whole poem- Only the young are allowed to suffer Openly. Adults go to a punishment room With water but nothing to eat. They lock the door and suffer the noises Alone. No one is exempt And everyones pain has a different smell. These are probably the hardest stanzas in the poem, but with some hard thinking, the lines all make sense- A punishment room with just water is a bathroom. When Raine writes, only the young are allowed to suffer openly he is talking about a baby getting their nappies changed in the open. Yet, us adults have to go to the bathroom and suffer our pain alone. Raine has written three exceptional stanzas, nobody really thinks about their own or other peoples daily use of the toilet. It is generally unspoken about and could almost be seen as a taboo subject, not to be raised in public. The last two stanzas end on a peaceful note- At night when all the colours die, They hide in pairs And read about themselves In colour, with their eyelids shut. This is a normal full day seen in the Martians eyes. It has now come to an end, reading about yourself in colour with your eyes shut, is quite obviously understood as dreaming. These two poems both share one very significant subject which links them together overall, but it is important to state first the similarities and differences between each persons work. Gabriel Okara seems to feel strongly about the idea of such falseness in our mannerisms and ways of speaking in everyday western life, as it is not like the hospitable place his homeland was. Gabriel Okara seems to be speaking from his own mind, about how he feels about this environment. Craig Raine has been born and bred in England, and doesnt talk about a strange westernised country like Gabriel Okara, but about life on this planet in general. Craig Raine does not seem to be annoyed at our everyday customs (or if he is, he hides it in his wording very well), merely humoured at how humans generally structure their lives. With Gabriel Okaras style of writing, there are no riddles to unveil and his poem is structured very differently in contrast to Craig Raines. Okara simply starts with Once upon a time, son, which is straightforward enough, rather than Caxtons are mechanical birds with wings, which can baffle most readers. Gabriel Okara is quite dark about the cold place he has come to, not at all like his native Nigeria. He certainly did not intend to humour the readers. I think that Raine wrote this poem to give his mind a rest from the real world. Perhaps he wrote it for pleasure and humor. I think this would be an enjoyable type of poem to write. Raine wanted his readers to be humored, to see life through somebody elses eyes, who has never seen life on Earth before. Also, the Martian seems merely bemused by human life and our everyday rituals. Mysteriously, the Martian never discusses what life on his planet was like, unlike Gabriel Okara whom describes the warmth he used to experience before. However, despite these many differences, the poets come together on one extremely important subject. It is, the way we take our lives for granted while others, unsuspectingly wander around feeling confused at all the social and physical complexities of the strange and alien world around them. The poets both write about separate characters commenting on their experience in another place, and not feeling at ease with it as the other members of the population are. It is true that one poem is quite dark and the other is lighthearted, the stanzas and couplets are differently placed, the wording is different etc, but overall, the characters in question are both feeling out of place and confused about all the common perplexities. They comment on life on this Earth we experience every day and take for granted. We hardly notice how a car may sound to an outsider or how It was nice having you here today with us could hurt a guest or client who knows you didnt mean what you said. We are all so accustomed to our lives; we do not think much of how it may seem to anybody else who has never been in that state of environment.

Reflective Report regarding Leadership Skills

Reflective Report regarding Leadership Skills Are people born with management skills and leadership qualities? Or is this something an individual develops with experience? These are some questions that have often troubled me throughout the latter part of my undergraduate degree, a confused stage in my life, where I was in a fix deciding if I should pursue my Masters in Management or gain working experience. My family and peers were instrumental in giving me the necessary encouragement in directing me towards my career goals. Even though I wasn`t able materialize on it straight after graduation, I somehow believed that a fair amount of corporate exposure would teach me the skills and give me the practical knowledge, I needed to tread the path of an entrepreneur. Building up on my academic background, I have completed my Bachelors in Arts Communication from Christ University, India where I specialised in Journalism, Psychology and Optional English. Being one of the top ranked universities in India, I not only received a strong academic foundation but also a platform to develop myself holistically. Soon after my graduation I took up my first job at Aviva (UK`S largest insurer) outsourced to Bangalore. To start with I was offered the role of a Motor Insurance Sales/Customer Service Advisor. This environment gave me a hands-on experience in interacting with customers in the UK, selling insurance products services tailor made to the customer needs with a high degree of customer experience. Professional achievements measured through my performance, initiatives and responsibilities, (in 15 months), elevated me to the position of a Level 2 Claims Analyst: a role that involved a great deal of liability/dispute handling, decision making, negotiation with solicitors/brokers, fraud investigation, resolution and settlement. After 2 years of managing this responsibility, I made a career move into a more challenging and rewarding role in the form of a Business Analyst (Credits/Collections) for the rapidly growing software giant Oracle, Inc. With five years of experience, my understanding about organizations and my role as an individual has grown leaps and bounds. I have gained insight into how organizations function, the hierarchical structure the importance of Customer experience. The creative marketing strategies multinational companies utilize to boost sales and the impact marketing has on its audience, inspires me to launch my own business enterprise someday. Who wouldnt like to be their own boss in a company thriving on new creative ideas, making a great deal of money? Keeping my dreams within my reach, and to make it achievable one day, I needed to start working on those goals and getting all the learning possible. I somehow felt the need to gather all my working knowledge, along with theories that will give me insight, help me develop my skills, and build a strong foundation for managerial responsibilities in the future. Pursuing an MBA, especially in an international arrangement would give me the platform to interact with people from very diverse cultures, share best practices, backgrounds and ideologies. It would give me a broader perspective of how markets function globally and help me get the learning I need to enhance my capabilities, thus providing a strong foundation to build a promising career. Most importantly it will also equip me with the skills that will prepare me to take on bigger roles and greater challenges in an organization. Thus a strong blend between practical knowledge, behavioural patterns at work and learning on management subjects, would help me set up my own business someday and turn my dream into reality. Reflection on Action: Through my conversations with people who have completed an MBA and entrepreneurs who have made their vision a reality, I have learned that Management is an ocean that cannot be crossed in a year or on completion of the program. It is a constant learning process through various experiences we encounter on a day to day basis, how we deal with situations and how we counter problems. There are numerous hurdles we are likely to face, in our journey, starting with how we complete given tasks, assignments, what approaches we use to learn, how we manage our time effectively etc. Therefore it is important that we do some introspection to see if we have the necessary skills to tackle these problems, if not work on the required strategies and plans to counter these issues effectively. The ability to resolve these problems effectively is dependent on experiences had in the past and the learning derived from it. It is vitally important to understand the nature of the problem and define it properl y before setting about resolving it. (Linstead et al. 2004) Preparing for this assignment got me thinking into aspects which I normally would have not thought about. It required me to spend some time introspecting and analyzing my life in more detail. An interesting conclusion could be drawn from doing a SWOT analysis to determine what factors are likely to hinder my progress from completing the MBA and most of all my approaches towards solving them. This has opened my eyes to a whole lot of issues that is likely to hinder my progress from completing the MBA successfully. Firstly focusing on my academic background with seventeen years of education I have had in India, where the learning was more theoretical. Subjects were taught in class, handouts given, specific texts were followed as per the curriculum. Learning was measured through term tests, mid-term and final examinations where we had to memorize chapters and reproduce information by way of answers to specific questions asked. This was completely a different methodology compared to the education system in the UK which is more of a practical approach to learning. We are expected to refer multiple books, journals, article etc. from libraries or electronic databases. Moreover, we are marked on assessments and presentations which is way different to the Indian system. This difference would require myself to quickly change my approach to preparation and learning. Secondly I have a little more than five years of work experience. Getting back to academics after a long break seems to be the biggest challenge I`m currently faced with. I havent done any reading, other than the newspaper, in the last few years. Thus lack of concentration and focus, could possibly lead to lack of preparation, resulting in assignments being undone until the very last minute. This will indirectly impact the quality of information submitted and ultimately lower grades. Another thing that goes against my favor is the fact that I tend to make short drafts initially before a final version is scripted. This seems to be a very tedious and time consuming task, even though improvements in quality and content can be guaranteed. Limited reading habits do not help me in analyzing from wider perspectives and from thinking out of the box. My time management skill is not something I can boast of. I often see myself putting forward things to a later date or until the very end. Prioritizing on lesser important things gets me more distracted than often. For eg. Instead of reading on related topics pertaining to assignments, I`d probably be involved in social networking sites or music/movie sites on the internet. When it comes to writing my assignment or reading, I quickly lose interest and find it difficult to spark that inspiration again. I need to improve my understanding on the Harvard system of referencing, because errors of not referencing or citing correctly could result in unintentional plagiarism. Even though I am a confident communicator, however I feel that sometimes I can present in a much more effective manner. Wider reading could broaden knowledge on the subject and improve vocabulary. Besides development and practice in PowerPoint and excel could improvise the effectiveness of presentation. This will give a know-how to balance aspects of presentation by keeping it crisp to the timelines, yet have a lasting impact on an audience, and more consistently. In the past, at school, I would just read or memorize specific topics for the sake of examinations and score good grades. Here it was more of theoretical and individual learning that was followed. Later at the graduate level, learning was through a combination of lectures, discussion with peers, theoretical and individual of sorts. Very soon things were a little different at my work place where learning was through multimedia presentations, on the job training, sharing experiences or best practices, building professional relationships, etc. I have had a very straightforward approach to learning and what was important was that I adapted to the different learning styles according to changing environments and situation. Most of my learning on tackling situations and solving problems has been based on past experiences, what I learned from those situations, what their outcomes were, etc. Pondering on those experiences may probably make me look at things from different perspectives. If pos sibly something did not go too well the previous time I have not been skeptical to try out something new to see if this works out, not forgetting to mention that I do some amount of brainstorming before drawing to conclusions. I feel it is better to consider all options at hand before drawing conclusions or taking action for problem solving. (Linstead etal. 2004) cites (Brown and Duguid 1991) by saying that learning in organizing is not for problem solving alone but focused towards improving relationships whenever people take up to behave in an organized way. He states that this process of learning to relate to circumstances is a form of situated learning among groups who practice this approach, in comparison to those who do individual and isolated learning. However individual learning to me has been useful to understand problems in depth by giving further insight. This knowledge broadens my perspective to come up with various possible resolution methods from theories. Learning styles defers from individual to individual. It is a preferred method an individual uses to learn a theory and concept, which is best suited for them and that could leave a lasting effect. To me learning style develops from past theoretical experiences and also from your personal traits. For e.g. when I was younger I implemented theoretical approa ches to learning and it for sure worked for me. As I grew older approaches were different as learning was through the different situation and problems I encountered be it at work or in my personal life. Kolb`s experiential learning cycle to a great extent relates to the learning style and methodology I have used in the past. From the words of David A. Kolb, he states that learning cycles normally start with some concrete experience. From this we analyze on the situation, through some reflective observations. This gives us possibilities to draw conclusions, as to what happened in the same situation previously and what methodology was used to counter it. If we were successful we look at it as learning experience. On the contrary if it did not go too well, we tend to reflect back and lay down reasons why things turned the way they did. However, it is inevitable that you envision into aspects that could have probably saved you effort or time, irrespective of the fact that it was successful or not. This is known as abstract conceptualization. Thus we may draw conclusions and take up shorter and more effective methods to ultimately implement actions to give you the desired output, which i s the fourth stage of the cycle called Active experimentation. This whole process thus creates a new experience which becomes learning unless situations change. Kolb also states that these stages not necessarily need to be followed in the given order. This learning style is vastly used by organizations for problem solving and finding. A diagrammatic representation below shows Kolb`s experiential learning cycle. Source: Anon (2009) Center for Teaching Excellence, Duquesne University from http://www.duq.edu/cte/teaching/understanding-students.cfm (Accessed: 06 April 2011) Even though I relate closely to Kolb`s experiential learning, contrasting views can be seen in the International Journal of Lifelong Education by Miettenen (2000) where he states that the model makes use of different ideologies and concepts from various sources. However these concepts are explained without sufficient reference to the background literature. Therefore he says these concepts remain ambiguous and varied interpretations. Another interesting fact by Smith (2001) David. A. Kolb on Experiential Leaning, the encyclopaedia of Informal education. (Retrieved: 06 April 2011) from http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-explrn.htm is that even though learning is considered to be affected by environments, Kolb combines contexts from different sources, irrespective of the limited cultures they come from and experience they have had, hence making it a very subjective theory. Action Planning: Reading from numerous sources, analyzing and introspecting with relevant approaches has given rise to a repertoire of thoughts towards approaches that I could possible use to enhance future learning and skills to counter problems effectively. With different methodologies in learning, especially with the standards being higher in a Masters degree, preparing for this assignment has sparked in new ideas to approaches I can implement. In this assignment I have covered aspects which have had certain relevance in my life. Even though I could not conclude my approach to learning through a single methodology, however a couple of theories had elements relevant to practices that I follow. Even though there is no concrete evidence or criticism to evaluate whether a methodology is right or wrong, I believe positives from other theories can perhaps help me to learn better and enhance my problem solving skills.

Analyzing the Effects of Educational Structure of Vietnam on the Greate

Analyzing the Effects of Educational Structures and Opportunities of Vietnam on the Greater Society Abstract: Education attainment is the highest level of formal education a person achieves within a given society. With education there are more opportunities, including a better standard of living. Vietnam is a developing country that sees the benefits of higher education, but due to structural problems, students and administration are dealt with many pressures to overcome. This paper uses structural theories of Weber and Parsons to analyze the current situations in Vietnam. By using public publications and personal interviews, inferences are made about the future development of the country. ANALYZING THE EFFECTS OF THE EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURE OF VIETNAM ON THE GREATER SOCIETY â€Å"Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.† - Thà ­ch Nhá º ¥t Há º ¡nh, This quote spoken by Thà ­ch Nhá º ¥t Há º ¡nh, a religious scholar, Buddhist monk and activist from Vietnam represents the aspiration to have a better life that all people seek. This message, while short, concisely represents the attitudes of many individuals coming from impoverished or developing countries. Generally from a sociological perspective, aspiration profoundly influences people to achieve. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a Southeast Asian nation on the brinks of social development within both public and private sectors. The country which is noted for its single party communist agenda with French civil statute influences, it has re-opened western diplomacy in the last two decades since the Vietnam War. The summer of 2010 marked Vietnam’s 15th ann... ...the abilities for individuals to make decisions accordingly. In particular, family units may influence big decisions, such as what university or college to enter and what a child should choose as a major. Of course, various family units may have varying demands on members, depending on living conditions. This topic will be further discussed later in this paper. In society, there is what sociologists call life chances. Max Weber developed this term and it refers to the opportunities available for a given person within a society (Anderson and Howard 2009). As indicated in our introduction, this often reflects particular stratification of an individual. This also correlates with how individuals interact within society as an institution. Perhaps, life chances could be grouped with the adaptation function with student’s using the resources that are presented to them.

Over Population Essay -- essays research papers

The population of our planet will quickly reach a point where there will not be adequate amount of resources to support life on Earth. Population control must be enforced to avoid such a catastrophic occurrence. Many economic, social and environmental problems are either affiliated with or are increased due to overpopulation. With an exponentially increasing world population, the problems created by overpopulation grow correspondingly. In order to stabilize the massive population, the world must work together to maintain population stability. One of the main reasons is due to the fact that Man treats his surroundings, for example like his land, his environment, his atmosphere, his waters and other life forms as merely objects. Man utilizes, destroys and discards them when he’s finish. If Man does not respect his planet, there will be nothing left except for a dead, barren wasteland. We must act soon or better yet, now. The earth does not have enough resources to supply the cur rent enormous population growth. In many areas, there is simply not enough food to feed the growing populations. 150 million children in the world suffer from poor health due to food shortages. Alongside with food, there is another resource that cannot keep up with the increasing population, that is water. Our supply of fresh water is very essential to life and limited. Eventhough, our earth is covered with 2/3 of water and 1/3 land, converting salt water to fresh water can be expensive. In additi...

Criticism of the government Essay

In naming people, the girls were probably projecting their own guilt onto others. In this assignment, â€Å"The Crucible† by Arthur Miller I am going to explore the whole situation to discover from where I think the evil came from. In order to do this, I am going to need to analyse some of the characters and state how much I think they contributed to the real evil in Salem. Firstly there is Samuel Parris. He is a very memorable character. Throughout the play, his character comes across as nasty, cold and cunning but underneath that bold exterior we see that he is an insecure and cowardly man who is easily intimidated by those of higher power in order to achieve what he believes to be a high status. Because of this, and the fact that he is widowed and has never been able to care for children, anyone who has read the play will find Parris unfit to be a father to his only daughter Betty, let alone be a minister of Salem. Due to his insecurity, Parris is paranoid that whatever he does, or wherever he goes he is being judged, as Arthur Miller states in his introduction, â€Å"He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went, despite his best efforts to win people and God to his side. † As he thinks of himself as a man of importance to the ordinary people of Salem, because he is a minister of Salem, he is over-sensitive and easily offended, even if â€Å"someone rose to shut the door without first asking his permission. † Between the very start of the play and the very end, there is quite a change in Samuel Parris’ character so our feelings towards him change also. As a member of an audience first watching the play, I would have no idea of the characteristics of Parris, which are described above, so when Parris first appears I am not biased towards him, and, in fact pity him as he kneels helplessly at the bedside of his daughter, although this feeling does not last long. We can see through Parris’ actions throughout the play that he is actually quite a foolish man. Although it is obvious that there are many others who can be blamed for the start of the witch-hunts in Salem, Samuel Parris is to blame on many occasions. For instance, his inability to handle the situation, the dancing in the woods, where he found his daughter, niece and other young girls in the wood, doing what he thought to be conjuring spirits, and Betty’s state of unconsciousness. Parris could have handled the situation with humour, realising that such young girls were most probably unable to conjure spirits, and that Betty may have reacted like she did out of fear and hysteria. In this scene we find that Parris is very selfish as he cares more for his reputation than for the well being of his only daughter. He says that he does not wish to leap to withcraft for the cause of Betty’s state when he says, â€Å"Let him look to medicine and put out all thought of unnatural causes here. There be none. † We believe that he is worried about his daughter and does not wish to let himself believe that there might be some evil presence with a hold on Betty, but it soon becomes apparent that he is only worried about his reputation and how his enemies will try and use Betty’s condition against him, â€Å"Now look you child, your punishment will come in its time. But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it. † Parris can also be quite cruel. Instead of bringing up his niece Abigail as a cherished member of his family, he sends her out to work as a maid to the families of the village. Because of this, and all the previous discoveries made about Parris, it is easy for the audience to start to see his character differ from how it was at the very start of the play. We start to resent Parris, and start to see the cunning and selfish character of Parris, as described in Arthur Miller’s introduction to the play. One action that proves just how prone to act before thinking Parris is, is when he calls for Reverend Hale of Beverly, an expert in seeking out unnatural presences, although he has already stated that he does not want to look to unnatural causes to find the source of Betty’s condition. He then progresses to tell Mr Hale that he caught the girls in the woods conjuring spirits, â€Å"Why, sir-I discovered her and my niece and ten or twelve of the other girls, dancing in the forest last night. † There was absolutely no need for Parris to have told Hale that. If he had not told him then Hale would have eventually have had to come to some conclusion about what was wrong with Betty and even if he did say it was to do with the unnatural world, Samuel Parris, nor any of the girls could be held responsible. It is doubtful that any of the girls would have confessed it themselves as the other girls threatened those who came close to telling. Later on in the play, Parris realises this early mistake he has made even though by now it is too late to save himself. After Hale eventually manages to get the girls to confess to have conjured spirits, we see a great change in Parris’ views towards witchcraft. He no longer wishes to stay away from the possibility of unnatural causes; in fact he does all he can to put all the blame on it when he finds that he can use it to his advantage. Parris seems to find it his responsibility to make matters worse for anyone accused of witchcraft, as with anyone who’s testament may stand in the way of him achieving what he wants. As the girls make wild accusations about the poor innocent members of the Salem community, Parris makes senseless claims that make it seem like the girls are telling the truth. He does the same with anyone who tries to defend someone he has accused. He does this solely for his own benefit. Take for example when, in Act three, Judge Danforth asks John Proctor, â€Å"Now, what deposition do you have for us, Mr Proctor? † to which Proctor replies â€Å"It’s a sort of testament. The people signing it declare their good opinion or Rebecca, and my wife, and Martha Corey. † Parris tries to enforce doubt into the minds of those present by questioning the validity of his argument, â€Å"Their good opinion! † though thankfully, he does this to no avail. Parris’ character stays pretty much the same throughout the duration of the play. He continues to ruin people’s lives. He is quite wise as he is able to manipulate people’s words to make it sound as if they are confessing to have trafficked with the devil. Nearing the end of the play, when John Proctor has been accused of witchcraft and is to be hanged, Parris’ character changes somewhat. Prior to the accusation against Proctor, Parris has slandered John Proctor and Giles to judge Danforth so that they will not be believed because he knows that if they are, it will look bad on his part. Soon after Proctor is accused, the people of Salem, who had always applauded the execution of ‘witches’, realised that the innocent were being killed. They chose to take out their anger on Parris and he received death wishes, one being a dagger in his door. This is what brings on the peculiar difference in his character. With his vain attempts, he tries to get Proctor to admit to witchcraft although he knows he’s not guilty of it. Parris’ reason for doing this is clear to the audience, and our beliefs that he is a selfish man are confirmed. There are also many others who can be blamed for the Salem witch-trials. One other is Abigail Williams. I think that Abigail is the main, and close to being the only cause of the witch hunts in Salem. In comparison to all the other characters that I will describe, she is relatively young, yet she seems to be the wisest in the art of corruption and deceit. As with every character in the play, as a member of the audience I know nothing about Abigail’s character other done what she shows through how she portrays herself on stage. Because of this, when we first meet Abigail’s character, we have no previously existing feelings towards her. We first see Abigail when she has just entered the bedroom of her cousin Betty, who lies inert on her bed after the shock of being caught dancing in the woods. Her character seems to be gentle and caring. We soon learn that she is not so innocent because of two things she does, or has done. The first is the news of the cruel deed that she is supposed to have committed against Elizabeth Proctor, as Parris says â€Å"Abigail, is there any other cause than you have told me, for your being discharged from Goody Proctor’s service†¦ she comes so rarely to church this year for she will not sit so close to something soiled. What signified that remark? † By the way that she responds to this, it is simple to see that she is very aware of how she feels about people, and cares nothing about the respect she should show them, through what she says, â€Å"She hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, snivelling, woman, and I will not work for such a woman! † The second is the change in attitude she has towards Betty. She claims that she will never do anything to harm Betty, â€Å"I would never hurt Betty. I love her dearly. † But as soon as Parris has left the room, we see that she is conniving and all that she said whilst Parris was in the room was an act. Immediately we grow to resent Abigail as we have seen her for just a short while, yet she has already been deceitful to someone that she should have great respect for. Abigail, in fact, has no real care for Betty. Her only care is that Betty does not land her in trouble. Once Parris has left the room, Abigail becomes more aggressive in her attempts to get Betty out of her unconscious state, â€Å"Betty? Now stop this! Betty! Sit up now! † Abigail is a person who easily intimidates her peers. I personally think that the other girls allow her to be so dominant over them as they think that she has no fear of anyone because of what happened to her parents, â€Å"†¦ I saw Indians smash my dear parents’ heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down! † There is much that can be said about Abigail, and her contribution to the evil in Salem. As Mary Warren tells her early on in the play, all Abigail has to do, to save her own, and many others lives, is admit to having had danced in the woods. If she had been straight with Parris and told him everything that went on in the woods – instead of blaming it on Tituba – then she, along with the other girls who participated, would have only been whipped for their dancing. When Abigail and Proctor are first seen together in Betty’s room, we see once more the lack of Abigail’s innocence as we find out about the pairs brief encounter, â€Å"Give me a soft word, John. A soft word. † The manner in which Abigail talks to Proctor is not of that of a child, so any beliefs that we assumed about the innocence of her character are dashed. When Reverend Hale first arrives and begins to question Abigail, she is frightened of the thought of being caught, and then when Hale simply asks if she was forced into it by Tituba, she finds a useful way of shifting the blame away from her, and onto someone that she herself knows is entirely innocent. Because of this our feelings towards Abigail change dramatically. Not only has her character lost its innocence, but it has also gained a streak of deceit, cruelty, and cowardice. Out of pure fear for her life, Tituba confesses to having had conjured spirits, but when Abigail joins her in confessing, it is done purely to alleviate her from the guilt of letting Tituba take all the blame. The fact that the other girls soon join in after Abigail either symbolises the same thing it did with Abigail or just shows how much power Abigail expresses other them. Because of the fact that Tituba is supposed to be a cherished friend of all the girls, how easily the girls can blame her comes as a shock, and just shows how far from kind the girls are. Unknowingly the adults actually fuel the start of the witch-hunts as they feed the girls with names of people that can be held liable of committing the ‘crime’. However, Abigail is fully aware of what the adults are doing and uses it to her advantage. The other girls follow Abigail, but only out of the hysteria. This event helps to inspire Abigail. Throughout the rest of the play, Abigail uses this technique to claim that she saw people with the devil. She is believed by the court officials because, as judge Danforth says, â€Å"†¦ witchcraft is ipso facto, on its face and by its nature, an invisible crime, is it not? Therefore, who may possibly be witness to it? The witch and the victim. † As I have already stated, Abigail is clever and it does not take her long to realise that she can blame people that she wishes to take revenge on, whatever the reason may be. For example, Abigail accuses Elizabeth Proctor because she wants her out of the way so that John Proctor will return to her. Abigail seems heartless as she jeers when she sees people that she knows are innocent being hanged. For this reason, and many others that I have described, including her infatuation with John Proctor, I blame Abigail for the Salem witch-trials. She contributed more than most of the others. Although it is not his fault, John Hale can be blamed for the conviction of people accused of witchcraft. However, John Hale did not contribute much to the evil. Through all of his actions, John Hale acts honestly and is genuinely convinced that the people are possessed. Hale is a minister who specialises in ascertaining witchcraft. He is convinced that he can tell if a person is possessed, and does not mean to cause any harm when he uses his ‘gift’ to convince people to confess to trafficking. The accused know that confession is the only way of staying alive, but, at this moment, Hale is oblivious to it. Fortunately, Hale realises what is going on, after he is confronted by Proctor when he speaks of how many have confessed to witchcraft, â€Å"†¦ why not, if they must die for denyin’ it? There are them that will swear to anything before they’ll hang: have you never thought of that? † Hale is truly remorseful and from that point on, does everything in his power to resolve the situation. But, with Hales case, although he does nothing to promote it, it shows how much image overpowers common sense. Hale brings with him weird books and he is thought of as a great healer, whereas Giles Corey’s wife is hanged for reading books that could have been just like Hales. Compared to most of the other characters, the Putnams played a relatively small part in their contribution. In these times, it was thought that if a child died young it was the mother’s failure as a woman. Ann has had seven of her eight children die at a young age and is ashamed of what the townspeople must think of her. Because of this we pity her. When Goody Osburn is blamed, Ann is relieved and is quick to find that she can now use Goody Osburn as the reason her children died, as she states, just after Goody Osburn is charged, â€Å"I knew it! Goody Osburn were midwife to me three times. I begged you, Thomas, did I not? I begged him not call Osburn because I feared her. My babies always shrivelled in her hands! † Unlike Ann, Thomas Putnam does not act out of grief, but out of greed. For this reason, we don’t pity Thomas, and, in fact, feel resentment towards him, as he is heartless. He feels absolutely no guilt or remorse in falsely testifying in court about someone that he wants something from. For instance, Thomas Putnam convinces his daughter Ruth to cry witchery on George Jacobs so that he will be arrested, as it is obvious that such a man will not admit to working with unnatural spirits. This was because the law on witchcraft was, if someone was executed after being accused of witchery, but does not admit to it, then their land becomes state property, which means that anyone can buy it. Giles Corey realises that Putnam is acting out of greed and heads straight to court, in an attempt to overthrow the court, as Danforth questions Putnam â€Å"I have here an accusation by Mr Corey against you. He states that you coldly prompted your daughter to cry witchery upon George Jacobs that is now in jail. † John Proctor can also be blamed because from the start, he could have brought the situation to a halt if he had not been such a coward. From the start, Elizabeth tries to tell John Proctor of the dangers of Abigail but he does not seem to grasp just how dangerous the situation might become, until it is too late.