Thursday, December 26, 2019

The Theme of Escape in The Glass Menagerie Essay - 1973 Words

The Theme of Escape in The Glass Menagerie In Tennessee Williams play, The Glass Menagerie, Amanda, Laura, and Tom have chosen to avoid reality. Amanda continually attempts to live in the past. Lauras escape from the real world is her glass collection and old phonograph records. Tom hides from the real world by going to the movies and getting drunk. Each character retreats to their separate world to escape the cruelties of life. Living in the past is Amanda’s way of escaping her pitiful present reality (Knorr). She never forgets to tell Laura and Tom about her receiving seventeen gentlemen callers in Blue Mountain when she was young: One Sunday afternoon-your mother received-seventeen!-gentlemen callers! Why, sometimes there†¦show more content†¦Nobody goes to the movies night after night. Nobody in their right minds goes to the movies as often as you pretend to (Williams 41). This shows Amandas fear that someday Tom might leave her and Laura. Amanda tells Tom how to do the simplest things such as how to eat his food, which irritates him: I havent enjoyed one bite of this dinner because of your constant directions on how to eat it. Its you that make me rush through meals with your hawk-like attention to every bite I take (Williams 24). All of these things make Toms home life unpleasant. Though Amanda may seem cruel at times, she really wants whats best for her children. She constantly nags Laura on looking nice for when the gentlemen callers arrive: Stay fresh and pretty!-Its almost time for our gentlemen callers to start arriving (William 28). When Amanda says our gentlemen callers, including herself in the wait, she has returned to her days in Blue Mountain. Laura tells her mother that she doesnt think that any callers will come and Amanda cannot believe that there will be no gentlemen callers for her daughter. To Amanda, it is a disgrace to not have gentlemen callers (Knorr). Laura tells Tom about the situation: Mothers afraid Im going to be an old maid (Williams 28). Amanda begins her plan to help Laura by asking Tom to ask a nice young man from theShow MoreRelated The Theme of Escape in The Glass Menagerie Essay874 Words   |  4 Pages The Theme of Escape in The Glass Menagerie In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams uses the theme of escape to help drive the play forward. None of the characters are capable of living in the real world. Laura, Amanda, Tom and Jim use various methods to escape the brutalities of life. Laura retreats into a world of glass animals and old records. Amanda is obsessed with living in her past. Tom escapes into his world of poetry writing and movies. Jim also reverts to his past and remembers theRead More Essay on the Theme of Escape in The Glass Menagerie1045 Words   |  5 PagesThe Theme of Escape in The Glass Menagerie    The Glass Menagerie, a play by Tennessee Williams, is set in the apartment of the Wingfield family, housing Amanda Wingfield and her two children Tom and Laura. The father left many years ago, and is only represented by a picture on the living-room wall. The small, dingy apartment creates a desperate, monotonous feeling in the reader. None of the Wingfields has any desire to stay in the apartment, but their lack of finances makes it impossible toRead MoreIllusion Vs. Reality In The Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams1022 Words   |  5 PagesIllusion versus reality is a theme that illustrates the conflict people have when they have difficulties in their lives. They want to deny or ignore the difficulty, so they force themselves to think in a different way and believe something that is not true, thus, making an imaginary world for themselves. They have a desire to live in a different world and fool themselves to thinking that they are, but in reality, they are not. Authors use this theme in their writing to highlight the effect of theseRead MoreThematic Comparison Of The Glass Menagerie And A Streetcar Named Desire1399 Words   |  6 PagesLiane Walls THTR 475C Dr. Ramirez Thematic Comparison of The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams is regarded as a pioneering playwright of American theatre. Through his plays, Williams addresses important issues that no other writers of his time were willing to discuss, including addiction, substance abuse, and mental illness. Recurring themes in William’s works include the dysfunctional family, obsessive and absent mothers and fathers, and emotionally damaged womenRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams986 Words   |  4 PagesTennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie, is a classic drama about a young man who is tired of his dull and boring existence. Tom, the main character, struggles to deal with his family, who is apparently holding him back in life. With the use of powerful writing techniques, Williams is able to captivate his audience and create a play that has stood the test of time. An excellent writing technique employed by Williams that contributes to The Glass Menagerie’s success is his use of plot. ThroughoutRead More Comparing the Life of Tennessee Williams and Glass Menagerie707 Words   |  3 PagesWilliams and The Glass Menagerie   Ã‚  Ã‚   Tennessee Williams is one the major writers of the mid-twentieth century. His work includes the plays, The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. One theme of The Glass Menagerie is that hopeful aspirations are followed by inevitable disappointments. This theme is common throughout all of Williams work and throughout his own life as well. It is shown through the use of symbols and characters.    I have only one major theme for my work, whichRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams1637 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Glass Menagerie† by Tennessee Williams is a play about desire to escape and this concept is conveyed through a variety of techniques and ideas shown in this play of exploration by the playwright, Tom Wingfield. First, Jim tries to escape his engagement by having a romantic night with Laura. Then, Tom’s father escapes for the same reasons Tom did. Thirdly, according to Roger Boxill from ‘The Glass Menagerie’ Amanda escapes by reminiscing â€Å"Blue Mountain ... And the seventeen gentleman callersRead MoreEssay Crushed Dreams in The Glass Menagerie1194 Words   |  5 PagesCrushed Dreams in The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚  Ã‚   Tennessee Williams is known for his use of symbols, tension, and irony. Williams uses all of these components to express the central theme of The Glass Menagerie - hope followed by despair. Each of the characters has dreams that are destroyed by the harsh realities of the world.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the narrator blatantly admits, since I have a poets weakness for symbols, symbols are central to The Glass Menagerie (Williams 30). Symbols areRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams1055 Words   |  5 PagesDrama Oral: The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Good morning everyone, today I will be talking about â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† by Tennessee Williams. Context/ author biography Tennessee Williams was born in Columbus, Mississippi, in 1911. His birth name was Thomas Lanier Williams III. He got the nickname Tennessee in college due to his classmates calling him that because of his Southern accent and his father’s home state. Characters: Amanda Wingfield - Laura and Tom’s mother. She is a cheerfulRead MoreConflict Between Reality and Illusion as a Major Theme of ‘the Glass Menagerie’1718 Words   |  7 PagesConflict between reality and illusion as a major theme of ‘The Glass Menagerie’ Introduction The Glass Menagerie is a dramatic play about human nature and the conflict between illusion and reality. An illusion is pretense and not reality. In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams has made use of both reality and illusion together using conflict between them. Illusion is a misinterpretation of the facts. It is an opinion based on what we think is true rather than on what is actually true. In this

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

What Is The Issues And Contributions In The Amendment Act

Certain other recommendations made in the LCR could have been expressly codified and included in the Amendment Act. For instance, the question of arbitrability of disputes relating to fraud. Another significant suggestion of LCR which has been ignored by the legislators is the encouragement of institutional Arbitration most importantly it does not take into consideration the fact that there is a need to actively encourage institutional arbitration across India as also the establishment of a special body to perform this function. Unfortunately, the above sighted issues can possibly have an unintentional effect of increased interference by the judiciary, finally defeating one of the most important purposes of the Amendment. This study tries†¦show more content†¦H01: The Amendments shall prove unsuccessful in resolving all future issues of Arbitration in India. Ha1: The Amendments shall prove successful in resolving all future issues of Arbitration in H02: The Amendments shall not help reduce judicial interference and shall not create effective Arbitration Institutions in India. Ha2: The Amendments shall help reduce judicial interference and create effective Arbitration Institutions in India. H03: The Amendments shall not provide significant growth in investment in India. Ha3: The Amendments shall provide significant growth in investment in India. Proposed Research Methodology: The study shall be mix of doctrinal and empirical research approach. The study being interdisciplinary in approach is bound to have a mix methodology. Hence, both Quantitative and Qualitative methodology shall be adopted for the research. Quantitative research is perceived as the most ‘scientific’ method of research, and is often termed as positivist research8. Similarly the Qualitative research, most often used in Legal research is also regarded as the most accepted paradigm9. All secondary sources used in Library research shall be used in the study. In addition to these the empirical data shall be captured form primary sources using structured questionnaire, Semi- structured Interview forms. The questionnaire shall be tested for validity in a pilot study. The Data analysis tools, including,Show MoreRelatedThe Hatch Act of 1939 Essays1020 Words   |  5 PagesThe Hatch Act of 1939 Under Hatch Act of 1939, federal employees, employees of the District of Columbia (D.C.) government, and certain state and local government employees faced significant restrictions on their ability to participate in political activities and placing ceilings on campaign expenditures. The act is named for its author, Senator Carl Atwood Hatch (1889-1963) of New Mexico. (There was an earlier Hatch Act (1887), named for Representative William Henry HatchRead MoreHistory Of The Campaign Finance1464 Words   |  6 Pagesfavorable to the bank. This expenditure can be conceived as being spent against Jackson, because of the competing ideals of the Bank and Jackson s anti-bank platform. Furthermore, in the 1850s, Pennsylvania Republican Simon Cameron began to develop what became known as the Pennsylvania idea of applying the wealth of corporations to help maintain Republican control of the legislature. Political machines across the country used the threat of hostile legislation to force corporate interests into payingRead MorePolitical Scandals During The Twentieth Century986 Words   |  4 Pagesscandals was unlike anything America had witnessed before. Muckraking writer Lincoln Steffens, in his book The Shame of the Cities, described the problem of the political sphere of his time by stating: â€Å"politics is business. That s what s the matter with it. That s what s the matter with everything.† (Steffens 2) Something clearly needed to be done to stem the rising corruption and action came as the progressive movement took hold, bringing with it a new-found zeal for reform. Benjamin Parke DeRead MoreEssay On Campaign Finance1196 Words   |  5 PagesThe Nec essity of Campaign Finance The right of free speech granted to all citizens in the first amendment, the necessity of funding expensive political campaigns, and the fact that small donations make a candidate responsive to the needs of their constituents, all make any restrictions on campaign financing unneeded and onerous. Congress should strike down any bills attempting to reform this essential part of the U.S. election process. Any further restrictions on donations to political campaignsRead MoreCampaign Finance Reform Essay1544 Words   |  7 Pagesastounding 126 million to finance their campaigns in the primaries (Godfrey). 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Yet when asked the question â€Å"Regarding the role of money in American political campaigns, what level of influence do you think money has?† 96%Read MoreThe 17th Amendment: The Case for Repeal Essay examples1516 Words   |  7 PagesThe 17th Amendment: The Case for Repeal Have you ever wondered what would happen if your worst fears became reality? For the founding father and crafters of the U.S. Constitution those fears have come to roost. What was originally designed to be the foundation of our country, and the law of the land; has now been amended out of existence. The ratification of the 17th Amendment changed the country’s political landscape and weakened the U.S. Constitution by allowing Senators to be directly electedRead MoreAmerica s Relationship With Guns Essay1421 Words   |  6 Pagesnot be infringed†, also known as the Second Amendment. (Constitution) Nevertheless, just as guns were common in Colonial America, so were its limitations. For example, Native Americans, as well as Slaves, were banned by law to acquire and possess guns. However, it was not until 1934 that President Franklin D. Roosevelt was urged by increasing mafia related incidents, to pass the first Federal Law to control machine gun sales, in the National Firearms Act of 1934. (History of Gun Control Legislation)Read MoreThe Politics Of The United States1434 Words   |  6 Pagesthose currently in office, are able to edge out competitors because of money. The price of elections can also affect issues that are covered by politicians. While its not too hard to fill the requirements for becoming a senator or representative, most people are unable to run for election due to the financial burden. In current times this leads to politicians caring less about issues and more on their image, money, and reelection. This is because money is related to power so the more money one hasRead MoreEssay on Prayer Should Not be Allowed in Public Schools1051 Words   |  5 PagesPrayer Should Not be Allowed in Public Schools School prayer is a very controversial issue in today’s society. This issue has been a problem since America was first founded, in that the country was founded on religious beliefs. The Pilgrims wanted to be able to express their beliefs freely, but in England this freedom was not found, so they decided to come to the Americas, where their beliefs could be expressed freely. As time passed they realized that having this kind of freedom

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

HRM Issues and Challenges of Telstra-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the HRM issues and challenges of your chosen organization. Answer: Introduction The main of this task is to explain key HRM issues and challenges of an organization. Telstra has been selected in the report to describe the HRM issues. It is one of the biggest growing telecommunication companies in Australia which provides telecommunication network and services to the customers across the world. On the other hand, the report explains that how the company overcomes these HRM issues and challenges. Further details of the task have been discussed below. Telstra Corporation Ltd. is an Australian telecommunication and media corporation which operates and develops telecommunication network and market voice, internet access, mobile, pay television and other entertainment services and products. It is one of the biggest telecommunication corporations in the world. Andy Penn is the CEO of the company. The company head office is located in Melbourne Australia. There are approx 36,165 employees employed in the company. In todays era, the corporation is expanding and flourishing its business activities and operations globally. In 2014, Telstra became a most respected company in Australia (Telstra, 2016). Key challenges There are various key challenges faced by Telstra while conducting business activities and operations in the competitive market. It also has a direct impact on the success and growth of the firm. These challenges are difficult to overcome in the global market. It is essential for the company to maintain a favorable working environment in the organization for the workers, so that they can increase and maximize productivity and effectiveness (Armstrong Taylor, 2014). Telstra is facing several key HRM issues and challenges due to poor human resource management and approaches. It is essential for the firm to implement the strategies and approaches according to requirements, needs and wants of the customers. The organization has not attained its desired goals and objectives due to the lack of labor supply and demand in the global market. Appropriate strategies and approaches are not being used by the firm in an effective and correct manner. Telstra is fighting to identify and measure the solutions to eliminate these issues and challenges (Story, Barbuto, Luthans Bovaird, 2014). The key challenges of the firm include an aging workforce, labor supply/demand, generations, demographics and diversity issues. The key challenges have been discussed in details below. Labor supply and demand Labor is one of the significant factors to meet its business objectives and goals. The firm is facing problems and issues due to lack of effective and potential labor supply. The firm has not been able to select skilled and experienced employees. As a result, it influences long-term mission and vision of the firm. In addition, the firm is not able to recruit right candidate for the job due to immense competition present in the global market. The biggest challenge of Telstra is to check whether the workers working for the firm is satisfied or not. The firm falls shortage of labor due to inadequate demand in the market. It also affects the financial position of the firm. Telstra has not been able to select right and appropriate candidates due to a shortage of potential and capable employees (Collings, 2014). Now it is recommended that the company should maintain a balance between labor supply and demand. The firm should understand and evaluate the turnover rate and labor market to reduce and eliminate absenteeism in the organization. In addition, workforce planning should be done by the firm attract more labors in the international market. Demographic issues Demographic issues are related to gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, religion, and workforce. The demographic factors have a direct impact on operations of human resource management. These factors are most common forecasters in the turnover. Furthermore, culture, values, and customs also affect the progress of the firm adversely. The company does not maintain records of the new candidates. The working environment is another issue in HRM. Telstra is not able to provide good and favorable working environment to the workers. It affects productivity and effectiveness of the employees. Apart from this, diversity and aging workforce is also a big challenge which has been faced by the firm while conducting business activities at international level. Telstra discriminates among the employees on the basis of caste and religion. Further, they recruit those employees whose age between 30 to 35 years. The human resource management does not appoint older people because they think that age affect s capabilities and efficiency of the people (Muethel, Gehrlein Hoegl, 2012). The company does not diversify its trading activities and operations across the world. Cross-cultural factors also influence the long-term vision of the firm. The employees have not been able to understand the language of customers due to culture differences (Martn Alczar, Miguel Romero Fernndez Snchez Gardey, 2013). Therefore, it affects performance and productivity of the employees. Moreover, Telstra does not provide compensation, incentives, bonus, and remuneration to capable and competent employees. As a result, they get disappointed and frustrated in the organization. In addition, they are not able to perform task and duties efficiently and successfully. High employee turnover also another HRM issues which have a negative impact on the performance of the employees. All these challenges have been faced by Telstra while carrying its business globally (Kulik, 2014). Now it is recommended that effective and dynamic strategies and policies should be made by the firm to develop and build sustainable human resource management. Demographic issue is a big concern for the company. Thus, the firm should maintain effective and dynamic communication within the organization to resolve and handle these issues and challenges. On the other hand, the company could not able to maintain diversification in the firm. To eliminate and reduce diversity issues and cultural differences, the organization should provide training and development coaching to capable and potential employees. Along with this, favorable and healthy working environment should be provided by the company to motivate and encourage employees for doing work successfully and effectively. It shall be noted that rewards, incentives, and bonus must be provided by the organization to improve and enhance the productivity of the workers. A fair remuneration system must be developed and built by human res ource management to provide satisfaction and morale to the employees. In addition, Telstra should maintain collaboration and cooperation in an organization to attract more employees in the organization. Moreover, top management and managers should maintain unity, belief, and trust among the employees in order to handle several issues and problems of the employees. All these strategies and approaches should be initiated by the firm to resolve and eliminate demographic issues and challenges (Lazazzara Bombelli, 2011). Workforce training and development It is another issue which is being faced by human resource management in the organization while delivering telecommunication services to the customers in the competitive market. The firm does not provide training and development coaching to the workers. Thus, they are unable to provide right and correct information to clients in the global market (Huselid Becker, 2011). The top management and managers think that training and development are time consuming and expensive process which is not afforded by the firm. Therefore, it affects the dynamic image of the firm in the competitive market (Budhwar, Debrah, 2013). To overcome this issue, training and development sessions and programs must be initiated by the firm. It helps to attract and retain employees in an organization. Also, it helps to reduce and eliminate high employee turnover within the organization. It decreases absenteeism in the firm to maximize returns and revenue of the firm. Management changes The company makes the changes in its strategies, internal processes, and structure for growing in the international market. Thus, it is difficult to the employees to copy with these changes and they resist the changes. As a result, the companies have to decrease and reduce their profits and productivity during a period of change. It is a major concern for human resource management in the organization which can influence the progress of the firm (Antonioli, Mancinelli Mazzanti, 2013). Now it is recommended that top management and business owners should communicate the advantages of changes for employees. Regular staff meetings are a good place to start and communicate. When the team understands why, when, and how of the changes, then they can easily understand the role of management changes in the organization and they easily accept these changes in an organization. In this way, Telstra can change its technology and processes in order to maintain good and dynamic communication with customers across the world. Proper training and development coaching must be provided by the firm to explain the benefits of the changes. Recruiting talented employees The company has not been able to recruit capable and potential employees in the organization. It is difficult for the Telstra to balance keeping a business running and selecting the right employee at the right time. Furthermore, it is difficult to know whether a candidate will actually be fit and suitable until they have worked for the company for a period of time. Recruitment and selection are an important function of human resource management which helps to maximize returns and profitability of the firm. It also helps to overcome the competitors in the competitive market (Stone Deadrick, 2015). It is suggested that Telstra should use effective and dynamic staffing process to recruit capable and potential candidate in the organization. It is the best way to find a right and appropriate candidate for the business to gain long-term objectives and goals. It will also help to save time, money and resources of the firm. In addition, effective and dynamic recruitment and selection strategies and techniques should be used by the firm to select the right candidate for the job. Retaining talented employees Competition of talented and capable employees is fierce. Furthermore, employee turnover is very expensive and costly and can adversely impact business success and growth. In addition, it is very difficult to retain potential and competent employees in an organization. Telstra is not able to provide incentives and other benefits to the workers. As a result, absenteeism and high employee turnover rate are increasing in the organization. It affects progress and success of the firm negatively (Festing Schfer, 2014). Now it is recommended that the firm should reduce and control high employee turnover rate and absenteeism in an organization. Effective strategies and policies must be used by the firm to provide incentives and other benefits to the workers in the organization (Long, Ajagbe Kowang, 2014). Employee branding is a good and unique strategy to reduce and eliminate the key challenges of recruitment and selection in the organization. The employee branding in Telstra organization is excellent and unique. In addition, the firm must reach a large number of employees who have the capability and potential to meet the companys needs and requirements. For this purpose, they must promote and enhance the seminars and events to attain mission and vision of the firm. On the other hand, Advertising is one good strategy to attract more candidates in the global market. It is an effective way to promote and enhance branding. The firm uses this strategy to reach into the global market. It helps to expand and explore its business activities and operations globally. Conclusion On the above-mentioned facts, it has been concluded that human resource management is important part of the company which helps to attract and retain capable and suitable employees in an organization. Therefore, the firm should maintain effective and dynamic human resource management to conduct business activities and operations successfully and effectively. In todays competitive world, various key challenges and HRM issues are faced by the firm which can affect the growth and success of the firm. The company should control all these factors to stay in the competitive market. References Antonioli, D., Mancinelli, S., Mazzanti, M. (2013). Is environmental innovation embedded within high-performance organisational changes? The role of human resource management and complementarity in green business strategies.Research Policy,42(4), 975-988. Armstrong, M., Taylor, S. (2014).Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Budhwar, P. S., Debrah, Y. A. (Eds.). (2013).Human resource management in developing countries. Routledge. Collings, D. G. (2014). Integrating global mobility and global talent management: Exploring the challenges and strategic opportunities.Journal of World Business,49(2), 253-261. Festing, M., Schfer, L. (2014). Generational challenges to talent management: A framework for talent retention based on the psychological-contract perspective.Journal of World Business,49(2), 262-271. Huselid, M. A., Becker, B. E. (2011). Bridging micro and macro domains: Workforce differentiation and strategic human resource management. Kulik, C. T. (2014). Working below and above the line: The researchpractice gap in diversity management.Human Resource Management Journal,24(2), 129-144. Lazazzara, A., Bombelli, M. C. (2011). HRM practices for an ageing Italian workforce: the role of training.Journal of European Industrial Training,35(8), 808-825. Long, C. S., Ajagbe, M. A., Kowang, T. O. (2014). Addressing the issues on employees turnover intention in the perspective of HRM practices in SME.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,129, 99-104. Martn Alczar, F., Miguel Romero Fernndez, P., Snchez Gardey, G. (2013). Workforce diversity in strategic human resource management models: A critical review of the literature and implications for future research.Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal,20(1), 39-49. Muethel, M., Gehrlein, S., Hoegl, M. (2012). Socio?demographic factors and shared leadership behaviors in dispersed teams: Implications for human resource management.Human Resource Management,51(4), 525-548. Stone, D. L., Deadrick, D. L. (2015). Challenges and opportunities affecting the future of human resource management.Human Resource Management Review,25(2), 139-145. Story, J. S., Barbuto, J. E., Luthans, F., Bovaird, J. A. (2014). Meeting the challenges of effective international HRM: Analysis of the antecedents of global mindset.Human Resource Management,53(1), 131-155. Telstra.,(2016). About us., reviewed on 17 Dec 2017., https://www.telstra.com.au/aboutus

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

The Problems With Hmos Essays - Health In The United States

The Problems With Hmos Sarah Cay Bradley English 320 May 20, 1999 The Problems With HMOs It was no surprise when I interviewed my English class about HMOs, that out of 13 students, seven currently having HMO coverage, 77% felt HMO healthcare inferior to traditional insurance. This group closely represents the U.S. population, as HMOs have become practically synonymous with health care and the idea that Americans are no longer receiving the quality care they received from unmanaged plans. Managed care plans have succeeded in dramatically cutting the rate at which medical spending in the United States has been growing. Does it matter that 100 years after Lincoln freed the slaves that we have found another way to trade lives for money? HMOs have introduced an innovative way to provide health services: incentives for doctors not to treat patients. The less a physician practices, the more the company makes. HMOs make money by not providing a product. (Physicians Who Care, Internet 1999). What exactly is an HMO? HMO is an acronym for health maintenance organization. An HMO is an organization that provides comprehensive health care to voluntarily enrolled individuals and families in a particular geographic area by member physicians with limited referral to outside specialists and that is financed by fixed periodic payments determined in advance. (Merriam-Webster's Dictionary-1996) Sometimes considered a new concept, HMOs have been around since the 1930s. The difference today is that consumers are being nudged into them by their employers, in an attempt to hold down costs, and out of traditional insurance plans, in which the insurer reimbursed the patient directly and covered most of the cost of medical treatments. To encourage consumers, the HMOs promote their preventative services. Since the HMO has the patient's money up front, it is important for them to keep the patient healthy. (Sinclair Community College-1999) An HMO can also be described as what seemed like a go od idea at the time, but quickly became a concept out of control, thanks to medical bureaucracy, and just plain greed. At the beginning of the 1990s, there were nearly 600 HMOs across America and they were regarded as a practical alternative to escalating medical costs. By 1998, it was clear that HMOs were out of control, leaving a trail of angry and neglected patients in their path. Physicians have also begun speaking out against HMOs in increasing numbers. According to Dr. Daniel J. Esposito, the main problem with HMOs is that, there are no economic incentives to take care of people. The incentive is not to do anything (More Trouble With Managed Care PG). What happened? How could something, which started out so promising, have gone so terribly wrong? In a survey conducted by Harvard University in conjunction with the Kaiser Family foundation, it was revealed that 51 percent of Americans polled believe that HMOs are responsible for the deteriorating quality of their health care. Fifty-five percent expressed concern that HMOs were more preoccupied with cost-cutting measures than with providing the best possible medical care for the patients they serve (The HMOs Image Problem; Public Distrust Can be Cured By Ensuring Patient Rights 8). This certainly does not sound like the all-purpose solution to quality and affordable medical care the government was looking for when it began addressing the issue of a national citizens' health plan back in the 1960s. What has sparked this widespread public mistrust of HMOs? Part of the problem has been the exceptional growth of HMOs during the 1990s. By 1996, HMOs boasted a membership of 110 million enrollees, a figure four times higher than 1986 (Evans). The federal government's attempts at reform have only added fuel to the growing fire. With their ineffectual price controls and budget slashing, the bottom line is that people are receiving less health care instead of more -- hospital stays and specialist referrals are kept at a minimum to defray costs (Evans). This leads to the question, if people are so unhappy with the cost and quality of HMOs, why are they continuing to sign up in record numbers? It should be understood that, first and foremost, an HMO is not a public service organization. HMOs are in business to make money, and the more people they can enroll, the greater the profit.