Employment Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Employment Law - Essay Example In this case, Bruce takes emergency time off, but his employer thinks that the time offs are not genuine. Owing to the characteristics of the provision and the fact that the categorization of the leave as unpaid, there is no limit as to the occasions when the employee can exercise the right (Gennard & Judge 2005, p.296). Besides, Bruce has taken a â€Å"reasonable† time off as the circumstances demonstrate. Bruce was responding to an immediate crisis and had fully informed the line manager of the emergency at hand. Royal Mail did not have a right to subject Bruce to disciplinary procedures or the written warning as Bruce did not abuse the statutory provision. The line manager had ascertained the precise reasons for Bruce taking the emergency leave and was aware of the length of the leave. There was no uncertainty on either party regarding the emergency time off; hence the disciplinary procedures taken against Bruce are unwarranted. In cases of subjection to a detriment owing t o a request for emergency time off, the employee has a right to complain to an employment tribunal (Booty 2009, p.123). The refusal for Emergency leave or unreasonable victimization for taking the leave goes against the spirit of the Employment Rights Act. To remedy the situation, Bruce should discuss the issue with his line manager (as appropriate), and explore as to whether the matter can be resolved, probably through the grievance procedure. In the event that the employee fails to resolve the matter, Bruce should present a complaint to the employment tribunal as his employer has refused to comply fully with section 57A. By subjecting Bruce to disciplinary procedures, Royal Mail demonstrates unreasonable refusal to allow Bruce to take time... In this case, Bruce takes emergency time off, but his employer thinks that the time offs are not genuine. Owing to the characteristics of the provision and the fact that the categorization of the leave as unpaid, there is no limit as to the occasions when the employee can exercise the right (Gennard & Judge 2005, p.296). Besides, Bruce has taken a â€Å"reasonable† time off as the circumstances demonstrate. Bruce was responding to an immediate crisis and had fully informed the line manager of the emergency at hand. Royal Mail did not have a right to subject Bruce to disciplinary procedures or the written warning as Bruce did not abuse the statutory provision. The line manager had ascertained the precise reasons for Bruce taking the emergency leave and was aware of the length of the leave. There was no uncertainty on either party regarding the emergency time off; hence the disciplinary procedures taken against Bruce are unwarranted. In cases of subjection to a detriment owing to a request for emergency time off, the employee has a right to complain to an employment tribunal (Booty 2009, p.123). The refusal for Emergency leave or unreasonable victimization for taking the leave goes against the spirit of the Employment Rights Act. To remedy the situation, Bruce should discuss the issue with his line manager (as appropriate), and explore as to whether the matter can be resolved, probably through the grievance procedure. In the event that the employee fails to resolve the matter, Bruce should present a complaint to the employment tribunal as his employer has refused to comply fully with section 57A. By subjecting Bruce to disciplinary procedures, Royal Mail demonstrates unreasonable refusal to allow Bruce to take time off as stipulated by section 57A. Bruce should present a complaint to the tribunal in the period before the end of three months beginning with the date when the subjection to disciplinary procedures started. To this effect, the tribunal may rule the matter to be well founded or not, and subsequently make redress. If the tribunal rules in employees favour, Bruce may be compensated for the illegitimate disciplinary action.

The Central Limit Theorem Essay Example for Free

The Central Limit Theorem Essay The Central Limit Theorem for a Mean state that for a random sample of size n from a population with mean  µ and standard deviation ? , as the sample size increases the distribution of the sample mean approaches a normal distribution with mean  µ and standard deviation . On the other hand, if the population is normal, the distribution of the sample mean is normal regardless of sample size (Doane Seward, 2007). Now, suppose a random sample of size n is taken from a population with mean 100 and standard deviation 10. The sampling error or standard error of mean for samples of n = 1, n = 4, n = 9, n = 16, n = 25, n =100 will be For n = 1, For n = 1, For n = 1, For n = 1, For n = 1, For n = 1, From above it can be seen that as the sample size increases, the sampling error reduces. Further, the histogram (if plotted) of samples means approaches a normal distribution. Therefore, while on cannot get rid of sampling error the results from one’s statistical work can be still useful as the sampling error will be less for larger sample size. References: Doane D. P. Seward L. E. (2007). Applied Statistics in Business and Economics. McGraw-Hill/Irwin: New York DQ2-WK3 What is the difference between a sample and a population? When can the same information (e. g. the age of each of the ten students in our class) be considered both sample data and population data? A sample involves looking only at some items from the population. For example, if a survey is to be taken from student of XYZ College for their choices, than the population will be consist of taking survey of all the students in XYZ College and a sample will be taking survey for only some of the students selected based on sampling method. For small population, there is little (or no) reason to sample. Similarly, if the data are on disk, than 100% of the cases can be examined easily (Doane Seward, 2007). Therefore, the same information can be considered both sample data and population data if the population is small or can be taken easily with no additional cost for analysis purpose. For example, in a class of 30 students, if the average age is to be determined, than the population is entire class that is all 30 students. In this case, the population is small; therefore, there is no need to sample and therefore, the age of all 30 students can be considered both sample data and population data. References: Doane D. P. Seward L. E. (2007). Applied Statistics in Business and Economics. McGraw-Hill/Irwin: New York DQ3-WK3 When would you use ANOVA at your place of employment, in your education, or in politics? Please share the WORDS that would lead you to the null hypothesis for a specific and simple example and, then, show the null and alternative hypothesis in symbols. Analysis of variance (commonly referred to as ANOVA) is used for comparison of more than two means simultaneously and to trace sources of variation to potential explanatory factors (Doane Seward, 2007). For example, if sample data for 15 days of manufacturing defect rates for automotive parts manufactured at four plant locations is collected (or available). Than, ANOVA can be used to answer questions such as are the observed differences in the plants’ sample mean defect rates merely due to random variation? Alternatively, are the observed differences between the plants’ defect rates too great to be attributed to chance? This can be written as null and alternate hypothesis as , i. e. at all four plants mean defect rate are the same. , i. e. at least one mean differs from the other. Now, if the null hypothesis is not rejected than it can be concluded that the observations within each treatment or group actually have a common mean ? (ibid). References: Doane D. P. Seward L. E. (2007). Applied Statistics in Business and Economics. McGraw-Hill/Irwin: New York

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease The lungs are one of the most important organs in the human body. Without the lungs a person is unable to intake oxygen that is need to life. There are many problems that can develop within the lungs. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common lung diseases. This paper will discuss the epidemiology and pathophysiology of COPD. The pre-hospital treatment of COPD will also be covered. A detailed example of a field impression and treatment plan will also be illustrated. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease causes a person to have difficulty in breathing. There are to main forms of COPD; chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Chronic bronchitis is a long-term cough that produces mucus. Emphysema is the destruction of the lungs of a period of time. Most people that have COPD have a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. There are several causes of COPD, with smoking being the most prevalent. The more a person smokes, the more likely they are to develop COPD. There are also several causes of COPD in non-smokers. Patients who lack the protein alpha-1 antitrypsin can develop emphysema. Other airway irritants such as, exposure to gases and fumes in the workplace, second-hand smoke, and frequent use of cooking gases without ventilation are other potential risk factors. Again, smoking is the primary cause of COPD; however someone can be a lifelong smoker and not develop COPD. All diseases have a pathophysiologic reason as to how and why it affects the body. However, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, COPD does not have a clear pathophysiology. What is known about COPD is that the cells of the bronchial tree have been subjected to chronic inflammation. This inflammation is caused by smoking and other irritants that mentioned previously. When the cells of the bronchial tree are inflamed it causes the smooth muscles of the airway to constriction excessively. This hyperactivity causes the airway to become swollen, production of excess amounts of mucus, and decreased effectiveness of the cilia. As COPD progress, patients begin to have difficulty clearing secretions, which causes a chronic productive cough, wheezing and difficulty breathing. Due to the inability for the patient to clear the productive cough, mucus begins to collect in the airway. The collection of mucus is an issue because it collects bacteria and cause causes infections. B oth chronic bronchitis and emphysema caused airway obstruction. In cases of chronic bronchitis the airway is obstruction caused by the build-up of mucus describe previously. In cases of emphysema, the alveoli become enlarged an eventually destroy. This hinders the necessary exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has many negative effects on the body that impedes the body from respiring efficiently. Just like every condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has signs and symptoms that all providers the ability to both diagnosis and treat their patients. The classic signs of COPD include an ongoing productive cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, and tightness in the chest. These symptoms can appear both early and late in the disease process. If a patients presents with these symptoms early, then it is possible that they have not lost the ability effectively move air. COPD patients may also present with the following symptoms: difficulty catching breath, signs of cyanosis such as blue or gray lips and nail beds, alerted mental status, and tachycardia. It is important for the provider to have good assessment skills so that he/she picks up on these signs and symptoms. Most COPD patients that an EMS provider will come in contact with will already be diagnosed with the disease, thus making it important for the provider to obtain SAMPLE and OPQRST history. After the provider has concluded that this patient is suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease it is time for treatment to begin. The treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is pretty straight forward in the pre-hospital arena. Due to difficulty breathing, the patient should be placed on high-flow oxygen via non-rebreather. The provider should keep a constant monitor on the patients pulse oximetry to issue adequate oxygen levels in the blood. If the patient is wheezing then a nebulized albuterol treatment is indicated. Albuterol dilates the airway, thus increasing air movement. The next step in the treatment plan should be obtaining intravenous access for medicine administration. A blood draw should also be performed at this time. The provider should monitor the patients ECG. If accessible the provider should also obtain a 12-lead ECG and monitor Capnography. If the patient continues wheezing after the initial albuterol treatment, a second dosage should be administered after ten minutes. If wheezing still continues, the provider should consider administering Solu-Medrol intravenously. Solu-Medrol is a parenteral steroid that attempts to lower the inflammation of the cells in the bronchial tree. If the patients pulse oximetry is below 90 percent on high flow oxygen via non-rebreather, the provider should consider use of positive-pressure ventilation. There are two types of positive-pressure ventilation, bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Since local protocols allow the use of CPAP, it will be used for the purposes of this paper. CPAP decreases the workload of the patient on inspiration. CPAP also keeps the alveoli open allowing better gas exchange. Fluid build-up in the lungs is another indication for CPAP. The positive pressure supplied by a CPAP device will push the fluid from the lungs back into the vascular space. CPAP is contraindication on patients with altered mental status and systolic blood pressure of less than 100. With the treatment plan listed above, the pre-hospital provider should be able to effective treat a symptomatic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is disease that Emergency Medical Services provider will have to deal with on a daily basis in a busy locality. This is caused mainly by the high popularity of tobacco smoking in the United States over the last century. COPD can by a gateway to other medical issues in the body, such as congestive heart failure and infection. The effects on the body in COPD patients works like a chain reaction, inflammation causes fluid build-up, which causes airway compromise and possibly infection. Patients suffering from COPD should immediate stop smoking. The treatment plan describe above is straight forward and can provide short term relief in the pre-hospital setting. Like stated at the beginning of this paper Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a like changing disease that can destroy one of the bodys most important organs, the lungs, and if a patient is unable to breath, they will die!

The Morality of Atheism Essay -- essays research papers

That there is a difference between religion and morality is uncontroversial. How can atheism be interpreted as a moral alternative? Although religion and morality reflect different values, they are deeply tangled for most individuals. In many cases, a person’s moral principles are grounded in religious commitments. In other cases, people find the source of morality outside of religion, such as the inherent value of all human beings. My central claim is that atheism rather than a theologically based value system offers the moral high ground. Theism is defined as the belief in a God or Gods. The term theism is sometimes used to designate the belief in a particular kind of god the personal God of monotheism but, theism signifies the belief in any god or number of Gods. The prefix a means without, so the term, a-theism literally means without theism, or without belief in a God or Gods. Atheism, therefore, is the absence of theistic belief. One who does not believe in the existence of a God or supernatural being is properly designated as an atheist. Atheism is sometimes defined as the belief that there is no God of any kind, or the claim that a God cannot exist. While these are categories of atheism, they do not exhaust the meaning of atheism, and they are somewhat misleading with respect to the basic nature of atheism. Atheism, in its basic form, is not a belief it is the absence of belief. An atheist is not primarily a person who believes that a god does not exist; rather, he does not believe in the existence of a God. What propels people toward atheism is above all a sense of revulsion against the excesses and failures of organized religion. Atheism is ultimately a worldview of fear a fear, often merited, of what might happen if religious maniacs were to take over the world. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good. (Psalms 14.1) This passage captures the essence of how the average religious person views atheism. Atheism is probably the least popular and least understood philosophical position in America today. It is often approached with fear and mistrust, as if one were about to investigate a doctrine that advocates a ... ...imply because it is right, and not because of some ulterior motive. There is no need to create fictions for the purpose of moral motivation and to do what is right because one wants to avoid punishment, whether the punishment take the form of incarceration or eternal damnation. The right thing is for honorable people to act for the sake of a reward, whether that reward is worldly or otherworldly. Moreover, a God who will forgive any and all sins does more to promote wrong acts than any secular philosophy. Atheists can avoid these pitfalls since they typically embrace the principle that virtue is its own reward. However, religion can and does play a meaningful role in many lives. A great number of individuals lead a morally good life precisely because of their religious commitments. A deeply ingrained personal faith can provide one with the strength to face hardship and overcome adversity. Hope thrives for those who believe an in an omniscient and all-powerful God, but God and religion are form a necessity to act righteously. Believers and nonbelievers need to work together to live up to the highest moral standards for society to survive as a whole. The Morality of Atheism Essay -- essays research papers That there is a difference between religion and morality is uncontroversial. How can atheism be interpreted as a moral alternative? Although religion and morality reflect different values, they are deeply tangled for most individuals. In many cases, a person’s moral principles are grounded in religious commitments. In other cases, people find the source of morality outside of religion, such as the inherent value of all human beings. My central claim is that atheism rather than a theologically based value system offers the moral high ground. Theism is defined as the belief in a God or Gods. The term theism is sometimes used to designate the belief in a particular kind of god the personal God of monotheism but, theism signifies the belief in any god or number of Gods. The prefix a means without, so the term, a-theism literally means without theism, or without belief in a God or Gods. Atheism, therefore, is the absence of theistic belief. One who does not believe in the existence of a God or supernatural being is properly designated as an atheist. Atheism is sometimes defined as the belief that there is no God of any kind, or the claim that a God cannot exist. While these are categories of atheism, they do not exhaust the meaning of atheism, and they are somewhat misleading with respect to the basic nature of atheism. Atheism, in its basic form, is not a belief it is the absence of belief. An atheist is not primarily a person who believes that a god does not exist; rather, he does not believe in the existence of a God. What propels people toward atheism is above all a sense of revulsion against the excesses and failures of organized religion. Atheism is ultimately a worldview of fear a fear, often merited, of what might happen if religious maniacs were to take over the world. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good. (Psalms 14.1) This passage captures the essence of how the average religious person views atheism. Atheism is probably the least popular and least understood philosophical position in America today. It is often approached with fear and mistrust, as if one were about to investigate a doctrine that advocates a ... ...imply because it is right, and not because of some ulterior motive. There is no need to create fictions for the purpose of moral motivation and to do what is right because one wants to avoid punishment, whether the punishment take the form of incarceration or eternal damnation. The right thing is for honorable people to act for the sake of a reward, whether that reward is worldly or otherworldly. Moreover, a God who will forgive any and all sins does more to promote wrong acts than any secular philosophy. Atheists can avoid these pitfalls since they typically embrace the principle that virtue is its own reward. However, religion can and does play a meaningful role in many lives. A great number of individuals lead a morally good life precisely because of their religious commitments. A deeply ingrained personal faith can provide one with the strength to face hardship and overcome adversity. Hope thrives for those who believe an in an omniscient and all-powerful God, but God and religion are form a necessity to act righteously. Believers and nonbelievers need to work together to live up to the highest moral standards for society to survive as a whole.

Leadership and power

I. INTRODUCTION:Leadership is an important part of every human endeavor- personal, community-based or even in a big or small organization. There has been a volume of research and studies regarding leadership its theory, style and how can we be an effective leader using power and influence.First, let us try to define what leadership is. Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders should have very good influencing powers .To carry out the goal of the group or the organisation. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as belief, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills.Leadership is a process of getting done through and with people. Leaders should always remember that leadership is people oriented. As a good leader, you should know how to deal, communicate, and manage people. Being a leader, we should know how to d evelop teamwork in our organization. To be a leader, we must deal with people, develop good rapport with them, apply appropriate persuasion, inspire them and influence them to in the direction of our goals.There are many reasons why society and organizations need effective leaders. First, leaders are held responsible for the growth and development of the organization. The success and failure of any organizations lies mainly in the hands of a leader. Second, leaders provide a guiding purpose for the group or organization. Third, today’s concern about the integrity of our institutions emphasizes the need for better relationship in government, school business or an organization.Are leaders born or made? Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never-ending process of self-study, education, training, seminar and experience. This guide will help you through the process.Effective leaders hip can happen on the dance floor of conversation. Leadership is an interactive conversation that pulls people toward becoming comfortable with the language of personal responsibility and commitment.Leadership is not just for people at the top. Everyone can learn to lead by discovering the power that lies within each one of us to make a difference and practicing the law of reciprocity.In this essay, it would include the presentation of the critical analysis of one effective and ineffective leader, what contributes to their effectiveness and ineffectiveness, what power and influence did the leaders use and what their particular organization could do to augment the effectiveness of their leaders and to develop other effective leader.II. BODY OF THE ESSAY:According to Ralph Lauren â€Å" an effective leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. This is true in a sense that as leaders, we should be visionary and believe that our hopes and goals will be achieved.Go od leaders are not born but they are made. If we have the desire and will power, we can become an effective leader. Good leaders are developing through time and training. Everybody has the capacity to develop and acquire leadership skills.Developing such skills will help us to understand how people feel, what motivates them, and the best way to influence them.Being a leader is not an easy task. There are many things to do and to develop for a leader to become an effective leader? The question is, what are the characteristics of an effective leader?   For one to be considered as an effective leader, first, a leader should have the passion those leaders who love what they do and love what they are doing, give hope and inspiration to his followers. Second, an effective leader makes tough decisions. As a leader, we should be comfortable making sound decisions. We should gather facts, organize information, and apply good judgement in their choice of action.A good leader can accept and take risks for his decisions. Risk takers tend to be achievement-oriented, goal directed, and self-confident. The willingness to try new ideas often reaps reward for the individual and the company. According to studies, risk-takers are tantamount to successful leadership. Next, an effective leader is a good communicator wherein they can express their thoughts and ideas in a very good manner. It includes good oral and written communication skills. They set goals and achieve those goals by communicating to others what they want to gain support and cooperation.An effective leader also knows how to motivate others to influence other people to produce good results. Motivation of employees will lean away from the autocratic methods of the past toward the new style of inspiring and empowering employees. According to Kotter, author of the Leadership Factor that tells that leadership is the process of moving people in some direction mostly through non coercive means. An effective leader reco gnizes that people are a key resource to the success of the organization, project or vision. Also, to be an effective leader, he should be a visionary.   Leaders should have a clear idea of what they want to do and the strength to persist. An effective leader is a person of integrity, gives trust and is trustworthy.The following traits and characteristics stand out as an important for success  Ã‚   an ineffective leader is totally the opposite. First, they create a climate of fear wherein the subordinate follow simply because they are afraid of the leader not because they really give support to the mission and vision of the company. An ineffective leader avoid changes, they don’t want to try new ideas. Also in the list of an ineffective leader is that they avoid making tough decisions. Their unwillingness to take risk is simply because they are afraid to commit mistakes. An ineffective leader exhibits character of being anti-social and does not want to accept responsibili ty.According to Mcshane (2007) one effective leader is CEO of Procter & Gamble (P& G) named Alan George Lafley. As an effective leader, he has knowledge of the business environment in which they operate. For example, he has a thorough knowledge of Procter & Gamble products and market. In this way, he recognizes opportunities and understands the organization’s capacity to capture those opportunities.   He also possesses self-confidence, he believes in his leadership skills and ability to achieve objectives.Effective leaders are usually extrovert outgoing, sociable, and assertive. Importantly, Lafley also walks the talk; his behaviour is aligned with the message he conveys. He restructured the company, pruned costs and rekindled a spirit of innovation through special creativity teams.   As a leader, Alley has a high level of emotional intelligence. He has the ability to perceive and express emotion, assimilate emotion in thought, understand and reason, and regulate emotion in themselves and others.Last, but not the least, he has the drive for achievement. It represents the inner motivation that leaders possess to pursue their goals and encourage others to move forward. Drive inspires an inquisitiveness and need to learn. An ineffective leader is Niccolo Machiavelli. He was one of the history’s most enduring characters. He was a bureaucrat and a diplomat for the city –states of Florence. He was known for his clever frauds, boldness and expert use of cruelty. He advocates the use of machination, ruthlessness and treachery. He also believes that leaders need to be half-beasts, possessing the fox’s guile and the lion’s brutality. As of present, there are leaders who admire Machiavelli. From him, the world produces leaders like Hitler, Mussolini and Lenin. They are ineffective in a sense that they don’t care for other people and create an atmosphere of fear.In leadership, the word influence is a key word. Influence is our ability to change the behaviour attitude of the person. This ability is the result of our power. Leaders vary in their use of their powers. There are many sources of power: reward, coercive, legitimate expert, and referent. Reward power is the ability to give something of material or personal value to others. The rewards maybe in the form of promotions, bonuses, highly desirable job assignments, praise for a job well done or a desired position title.Coercive power is based on fear and punishment. Demotions, dismissals, reprimand, assignment of unpleasant tasks, and public embarrassment is some of the examples of coercive power. This form can direct toward superiors, co-workers or subordinates. Unfortunately, excessive use of coercive power is considered to be unacceptable in the work environment especially for the professionals. It may take sabotage or malicious obedience.Because of its potential for harm, coercive power should be used with great care. With the case of Niccolo Mach iavelli, he used the coercive power . Because he advocated that leaders should be ruthless to his subordinates and he practice treachery among his members. In this kind of power, leaders are power-grabber and power-hungry. They will try to succeed at any cost. Legitimate power is derived from a formal rank or position within an organizational hierarchy. This power is dependent on the formal, established chain of command within the organization and the perceived authority of the individual in that position of power.The fourth   power is the expert power, it develops when an individual possesses specialized skills, knowledge, or expertise. It can be held by individuals ranging from the chief executive officer to the computer technician. Last but not he least is the charisma power. It is a combination of charm and personal magnetism that contributes to a remarkable ability to get other people to endorse your vision.   Referent power is based on respect or admiration for the individ ual that results to personal charisma. Charismatic leaders develop vision, shows conviction and develop self-confidence. In the case of CEO of Procter & Gamble Alan George Lafley, he used the combinations of power like referent power , because he earned the respect and admiration of people in their organization. Expert power because he has the full knowledge regarding the business of P& G. Legitimate power in a sense that he was duly chosen to be the Chief Executive Officer of P& G.Leadership is not totally for executives alone. Anyone in the organization may be a leader in various ways and times. This view is known as shared leadership or the leaderful organization. Successful organizations empower their employees to take leadership role.   They will realize later on that the real essence of leadership is influence, they realize that everybody has leadership qualities and responsibilities.III. CONCLUSIONTruly, we say that leadership is influencing, motivating, and enabling others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which we are members.REFERENCES:Dalton, M., & Hoyle, D.G. Human relations 2nd edition. (2000) Ohio: SouthWestern Educational Publishing Thomson Learning.McShane, S. L. & Glinow, M. V. Organizational behavior.   (2007) New York:Mc Graw Hill International Edition

Puritan society Essays

Puritan society Essays Puritan society Essay Puritan society Essay Arthur Millers Crucible is set in the deeply religious society of Salem in 1692. When the McCarthyism incident arose in America in the 1950s, Miller decided to write an allegory that would draw parallels between what was happening then and what was happening in the 1950s. the trumped-up witch hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts, deteriorated the rational, and emotional stability of its citizens. This exploited populations weakest qualities and insecurities. The obvious breakdown in Salems social order led to the tragedy which saw twenty innocent people hung on the accusation of witchcraft. Arthur Miller, author of The Crucible, used hysteria to introduce personality flaws in venerable characters. A ridged social system, fear and confusion were evident conditions that became prevalent before and during the witch trials. These conditions only contributed to the tragedy in Salem. The isolation of the Puritan society created a rigid social system that did not allow for any variation in lifestyle. The society of Salem was fixed around the idea that life is to be lived serving God, whether it be working in the fields or going to church at every opportunity. Salems attitude to leisure and free time would be considered somewhat different to modern day preferences. They would not have permitted reading, unless the words read about God and prayer against enjoyment such as visiting the theatre. Such Christians did not even celebrate Christmas, as a break from work would be just another opportunity to concentrate on prayer. Salem was afraid that if the work routine were broken so would be Salems morals of keeping the place from spoiling. Looking closely at the text in The Crucible we can explore how Arthur Miller uses language and dramatic devices to emphasise the importance of religion to the community of Salem. Because religious language is used in almost every conversation, be this at home, during the trials or even in a simple chat towards one another, this shows how Salem is surrounded by religion and it is a part of everyday life, but some people use it a lot more often then others and for several reasons. One reason is to put other characters under pressure and to create tension. We can see this in Hales questioning of the Proctors. The first sense of tension is seen when Hale asks Goody Proctor if she knows her commandments. From the stage directions we can tell how this is said to have made Elizabeth feel under pressure. Then, with the voice of one administering a secret test. Calling it a secret test is correct and a clever way of putting Hales questioning, in the sense that Hale is testing the Proctors religious knowledge and giving them a chance to prove that although they have their faults they are both good Christians.