To what extent is there a responsibility on the part of business Essay

To what extent is there a responsibility on the part of business people to act ethically - Essay Example Nevertheless, the idea of ethics in business has gained momentum and until now much effort is being invested in turning business ethical (eg. Maclagan, 2008; Zolsnia, 2006). In lieu with this, the paper intends to address the question, to what extent is there a responsibility on the part of business people to act ethically? In order to answer this question, the electronic databases Academic Research Premier and Business Search Premier were searched using a combination of the following key terms: business ethics, social responsibility, and organization. Articles written only in English and published from the period of 1990 till 2008 were selected. Articles that provided an analysis of ethics and social responsibility in connection with business were included in the selection. Correspondingly, excluded in the selection were editorials, case studies, commentaries, mimeographs, and pamphlets. The reference list of the articles was searched to identify additional relevant publications. Moreover, it should be noted that the question that will be answered in this paper already has certain assumptions embedded within in the question itself. These assumptions are: first, business people are already expected to act ethically and as such, the necessity of clarifying the ‘extent’ of their responsibility becomes a little urgent. Second, the question also assumes that acting ethically falls within the concept of responsibility attributed to business people. This particular assumption has been criticised on the premise that as scholars in business and organizations continue to assume that acting ethically is a responsibility of business people and business, they fail to provide a clear conceptual analysis of the concept of responsibility (Comite, 2008). Thus, a vague appreciation of the connection between responsibility and acting ethically in

Old Man Coyote Makes the World- Crow Story -American Indian Myths and Essay

Old Man Coyote Makes the World- Crow Story -American Indian Myths and Legends - Essay Example This channel of communication and mutual understanding was evident from the very beginning of the story where Old Man Coyote wanted someone to talk to rather than someone to rule over. In his discourse with the ducks, He sought their advice rather than impose his own will upon them. Additionally, Old Man Coyote is not the all knowing creator which is commonly presented in western mythos since he does not know if there is anything in the world other than water, he does not even know that ducks can stay underwater for a long period of time. The image of the creator matches the idea of a very powerful being, but the being is not all knowing. Moreover, Old Man Coyote is not very well acquainted with many different ideas of society and social existence which were taught to him by other creatures. For instance, he does not understand war or the need for was as a social conflict that allows certain problems to be settled once and for all or as a means to improve a person’s social standing. Cirape is the character which comes across as the individual which has the wisdom of a god but does not have the strength to put his thoughts into action. Finally, the relationship which the creator animal has with other animals brings about an image of a united family since the characters address each other as younger and elder brothers. The image of family is essential to the progress of the storyline since even characters that are not cooperative and act in hostility are not killed off or banished. The case of the Bear is a predominant one since his rebellion does not take him to hell; rather he is supposed to hibernate for the winter months while the other animals can stay awake. In conclusion, the creation story of the native American mythology is an interesting work since it does give significant insights into native American culture as well as the relationships that a society should have as a result of following that particular culture. Of course

Relevance of International Human Resource Management

Relevance of International Human Resource Management The study of International Human Resource Management is fine if you are going to work in a large Multinational Enterprise, but has no relevance for individuals who are going to work in small firms. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons and appropriate examples to support your answer. This paper sets out to show that the study of international human resource management is of benefit to individuals who are going to work in small firms whether in a management or worker capacity . It is noted that a â€Å"small firm† may or may not be multinational and for the purpose of this discussion it is assumed that the inference is that they are not. This paper will demonstrate that through showing that an appreciation of different approaches to work there can be benefits for the individual employee and the manager. Further benefits will be seen through demonstrating that strict adherence to accepted national customs and culture can have a negative effect on business success. There will also be a discussion on how individuals and businesses need to be aware of the increasingly multicultural nature of the British workforce. To open this debate it is necessary to define what is meant by the term â€Å"international human resource management†. Investigation into the term suggests that the emphasis lies on how to operate the human resource management function in multinational businesses and that it is concerned with the similarities and differences of managing in different countries and how to integrate a business culture across international boundaries. However, it is found that little attention is given to the fact that the UK has an increasingly multinational workforce and whilst they may be subject to the systems, procedures and laws of the UK, they way they think and operate is strongly affected by their personal national culture which may vary significantly to that of the UK. The BBC reports that â€Å"(a) record 582,000 people came to live in the UK from elsewhere in the world in 2004, according to government expertsâ€Å" (BBC 2005, p. not given). They further suggest that this influx is necessary to help the UK economy grow as the majority of these migrants have come to the country to work. The Times newspaper supports this in reporting that â€Å"Britain needed workers for 600,000 vacancies, including low-paid jobs that were often difficult to fillâ€Å" and goes on to say that â€Å"(e)mployers are aggressively recruiting staff from other countries† (Nugent et al 2004, page not given). They also found that 96% of these migrants were employed in full time work (Nugent et al 2004). This shows that the UK workforce is becoming increasingly multinational and diverse. The main arguments for the increase in awareness of international human resource management would seem to stress the pressures on managers working in multinational businesses. As an example of this, Trompenaars et al tell us that â€Å"(i)nternational managers have it tough. They must operate on a number of different premises at any one time. These premises arise from their culture of origin, the culture in which they are working and the culture of the organisation which employs them† (Trompenaars et al 1997, p. 3). However, the writer would argue that the same challenges also face those working in a solely UK based business as they become increasingly likely to be working with and for colleagues who originate from countries other than the UK and have different cultural expectations. To be able to ensure that the working relationship between groups is a productive and positive one, each individual would benefit from an understanding of some aspects of international human resou rce management especially in the area of culture where attitudes towards leadership, motivation, and pay and recognition may vary. A further benefit of awareness of different human resource management practices may be the realisation that UK based businesses may be able to adopt positive aspects of other countries work practices and cultures. Mullins (2005) states, there are benefits to be found in a business looking at how it’s national culture may be limiting their ability to be strategically competitive. He continues by citing Trompenaars who felt that his own work â€Å"helped managers to structure their experiences and provided insights for them and their organisations into the real source of problems faced when managing across cultures or dealing with diversity† (Trompenaars 1999, p. 31. cited in Mullins 2005, p. 43). Against the argument for individuals who are going to work in a small firm studying international human resource management is the range of areas such a topic covers. International human resource managers need to have an appreciation of the laws and policies of the countries their employer operates in and whilst this may of interest to a UK employee, it is not an area they would automatically be able to influence or change. This brings us to the questions of whether rather than international human resource management, what we are discussing is the management of diversity both from the point of view of a manager who supervises the work of a multicultural workforce or the case of an individual worker whose colleagues originate from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Brooks supports this point and states that â€Å"(d)ifferences in national culture may have a bearing on how organisations deal with each other and also on behaviour within organisations which comprise a mix of nationalities† (Brooks 2003, p. 264). Francesco and Gold say that â€Å"managers must develop organizational systems that are flexible enough to take into account the meaning of work and the relative value of rewards within the range of cultures where they operate† (Francesco et al 1998, p. 144) and whilst when saying this, they meant it to be applied to multinational organisations, the same can be said to be true of those working in a multicultural environment nationally based. Mullins agrees with this in saying that â€Å"there are a number of very good reasons why we could usefully understand cultural differences (and similarity) at work, based on new awareness contributing to our own effectiveness and moreover to the accomplishment of organisational goals† (Mullins 2005, p. 44). He goes on to say that â€Å"there could therefore be advantages of cross-cultural awareness which include: increased self-awareness; sensitivity to difference; questioning our own assumptions and knowledge; lessening ignorance , prejudice and hatred† (Mullins 2005, p. 44). As an example, a manager with a predominantly British cultural background may need to adapt their motivational techniques for individuals from cultures where recognition through praise is more highly regarded than a financial bonus. From the writers own experience, a common UK practice of publicising individual performance levels was found to be highly demotivating and a source of unease amongst a predominantly Asian workforce. Adler suggests there are inbuilt dangers where multi-cultural teams operate â€Å"(m)istrust including stereotyping; miscommunication with potential for reduced accuracy and resultant stress; process difficulties, that is failure to agree when agreement is needed or even what constitutes agreement when arriving at decisions† (Adler 1997, cited in Mullins 2005, p. 44). To overcome these potential issues, there must be an understanding and appreciation of the human resource management systems of other cultures as these will influence the work expectations and practices of the workforce. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) see the embracing if diversity as being crucial. They say that â€Å"(t)oday, many organisations are out-thinking and outperforming their competitors by using diversity as a strategy for ensuring long-term success and advantageâ€Å" (CIPD date not known page not given). They support his view by adding that â€Å"(i)n the face of changing demographics, a narrowing talent pool and an increasingly global marketplace, nurturing the creativity, innovation and hidden potential of organisations is vital† (CIPD date not known page not given). A further aspect to be considered is the legal requirement for companies to embrace diversity in their workforce. Since the 1970s there has been an increasing amount of legislation in the UK relating to pay equality and sex and racial discrimination. However, a CIPD survey found that 68% of respondents gave â€Å"legal pressures† as the key driver for diversity in their business (CIPD 2006, p. 3) suggesting rather than an appreciation of the business benefits of embracing diversity, the importance placed on these issues is due more to a fear of the negative publicity and costs associated with legal action as a result of discrimination. The concept of international human resource management has been seen to be mainly the concern of individuals who are to intend to operate across geographical boundaries. It has been demonstrated however that there are many aspects of the subject that are not only applicable to those intending to work for a small firm, but could also benefit them in being able to encourage cultural diversity and adopt good practice from other countries. The increasingly multi national workforce in the UK and the introduction of legislation relating to diversity means that employers and employees must have an awareness of the areas of international human resource management that relate to understanding and embracing cultural differences. References and bibliography. Adler, N.J. (2001). International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior. California, USA: South-Western College Publishing. BBC. (2005). Record immigration levels to UK. Accessed at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4359756.stm on 7/03/2007. Brooks, I. (2003). Organisational Behaviour: Individuals Groups and Organisations. 2nd ed. Harlow: Prentice Hall FT. CIPD. (date not known).The Psychology of Diversity. Accessed at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/CMSTraining/Psychology+of+Management/Psychology+of+Management/PCD.htm on 7/03/2007. CIPD (2002). New research shows international HR managers create global culture. Accessed at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/pressoffice/_articles/20092002135000.htm?IsSrchRes=1 on 9/02/2007. CIPD. (2003). HR’s Contribution to International Mergers and Acquisitions. London: CIPD. CIPD. (2006). Diversity in Business: How Much Progress have Employers Made. First Findings. London: CIPD. Francesco, A. M. Gold, B. A. (1998). International Organizational Behavior: Texts, Readings, Cases and Skills. Harlow: Prentice Hall FT Lucas, R. Lupton, B. Mathieson, H. (2007). Human Resources Management in an International Context. London: CIPD. Markides, C. Geroski, P.(2003). â€Å"Colonizers and consolidators: the two cultures of corporate strategy† in Strategy and Business. Fall Vol 32 p 46-55. Mullins, L.J. (2005). Management and Organisational Behaviour. Harlow: Prentice Hall. Nugent, H. Tendler, S. Patty, A. (2004). Foreign workers snap up the jobs that Britons on benefit reject. Times newspaper. November 11, 2004. Trompenaars, F. Hampden-Turner, C. (1997). Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing Ltd. Trompenaars, F. (1999). Trans-Culture Competence. People Management, 22nd April, p. 31. Trompenaars, F. Hampden-Turner, C. (2004). Managing People Across Cultures. Oxford: Capstone Publishing Ltd.

Health Care :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Kerry says that he will try to get a stronger affordable healthcare. Over the last three years family premiums increased more than three thousand five hundred and twelve as well as prescription drugs. They have grown four times more and quicker than ever. Now that shows that Kerry will try to improve these high price increases. These costs have hurt our economy. And we do deserve a President that will not make these American family’s become broke. That is pretty much what Bush was doing for the past three years. Kerry mentions that he will try hard to prevent this. Instead of spending three thousand five hundred and twelve a year, Kerry will help us save money by spending only one thousand a year. All the other extra money that Bush would cause us to use we can spend on things like shopping for grocery’s. He will lower the price of prescription drugs, use taxes cuts and most importantly to give a high-quality coverage to ninety-five percent of Americans. To make affordable health care a right not a privilege. I honestly really do agree with this comment one hundred percent. The four main things that John Kerry will do that will help us Americans save more money and afford healthcare. One way is to cut your premiums. To cover all Americans with quality care. To cut the price of prescription drugs. And lastly to cut waste and inefficiency. Bush believes that Americans should be able to have affordable health care. He will not be shifting costs to tax payers. He provides affordable health care for those who deserve it most. Unlike Kerry he said he will try to provide affordable health care to not only the people who need it most but to all Americans and it will be a right not a privilege. Bush mentions the five important things that he has done as a president and will try to continue these things. One was he allowed Americans to own and control their health care. That is a very idiotic comment because we by the health care so of course we should own it Health Care :: essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Kerry says that he will try to get a stronger affordable healthcare. Over the last three years family premiums increased more than three thousand five hundred and twelve as well as prescription drugs. They have grown four times more and quicker than ever. Now that shows that Kerry will try to improve these high price increases. These costs have hurt our economy. And we do deserve a President that will not make these American family’s become broke. That is pretty much what Bush was doing for the past three years. Kerry mentions that he will try hard to prevent this. Instead of spending three thousand five hundred and twelve a year, Kerry will help us save money by spending only one thousand a year. All the other extra money that Bush would cause us to use we can spend on things like shopping for grocery’s. He will lower the price of prescription drugs, use taxes cuts and most importantly to give a high-quality coverage to ninety-five percent of Americans. To make affordable health care a right not a privilege. I honestly really do agree with this comment one hundred percent. The four main things that John Kerry will do that will help us Americans save more money and afford healthcare. One way is to cut your premiums. To cover all Americans with quality care. To cut the price of prescription drugs. And lastly to cut waste and inefficiency. Bush believes that Americans should be able to have affordable health care. He will not be shifting costs to tax payers. He provides affordable health care for those who deserve it most. Unlike Kerry he said he will try to provide affordable health care to not only the people who need it most but to all Americans and it will be a right not a privilege. Bush mentions the five important things that he has done as a president and will try to continue these things. One was he allowed Americans to own and control their health care. That is a very idiotic comment because we by the health care so of course we should own it

Engineering Ethics Violated and Upheld In the Fukushima Disaster Essay

Engineering Ethics Violated and Upheld In the Fukushima Disaster Introduction            On March 11, 2011 an earthquake took place in Tohuku District, in Japan. The earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that resulted to an outbreak of a nuclear power plant in Japan. The tsunami was about 14- metres in height and it struck the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, that is located in Okuma and Futaba tons in the Fukushima Prefecture (Japan-earthquake, 2013). This caused the loss of power to the reactor that had units of 1, 2 and 3. Additionally, the outbreak caused failure of the cooling system and an explosion of hydrogen that caused a massive destruction of the entire nuclear plant. The damages came along with extensive release of radioactive reactors into Japanese atmosphere and the entire world. Great damages certainly happened to Japan and its dwellers.            There are many theories regarding this accident, but the disaster was majorly caused by either man-made disaster or a natural disaster (Ho, 2011). The implications of this disaster were tremendous in aspects of ecology, sociology, health and social hazards. The main goal of this research is to establish engineering ethic that were violated or upheld during the establishment of a nuclear plant. The paper will begin with definitions of engineering ethics, then, the research will establish the ethics that engineers violated during construction of the nuclear plant which later turned to be a disaster in Japan. Definition            Engineering ethics is a system of moral principles and field of applied ethics that are applied to the field and practice of engineering. Engineering ethics seeks to examine and set obligations for engineers to the society, customers and to the engineering profession. This discipline is closely related to other subjects such as ethics of technology, philosophy of engineering and philosophy of science. Responsibility of engineers            The code of ethics recognizes an engineer as a person who should work and pursue his or her profession with the greatest merit while committing his self interest to serving the community and pursuing the welfare and progress of the majority in the community. By changing the nature to benefit mankind, an engineer must be able to increase his or her awareness of the globe as the home of a man. Engineer’s interests to the universe should guarantee him power to overcome his spirit, skills and knowledge of reality to transform the earth into a fairer and happier place. An engineer should reject form of action that has a motive of causing general harm to the society so to prevent potential threats or hazards to the environment, health, life and the rights of human beings. Therefore, engineers are required to uphold the prestige of the engineering profession, ensure it is properly discharged and maintain a professional demeanour based on his or her ability, fortitu de, honesty, modesty, justice, magnanimity and temperance. These values should be upheld with proper consciousness of personal wellbeing and subordinated to the social good. An engineer should ensure that he acquires new skills, more in the engineering field and the same time disseminate his knowledge, share his or her experience and provide opportunities for training and education for his employees, provide credit, moral and material hold up to the college or university where he or she studied, therefore, returning the benefits and chances he and his bosses have received. An engineer should execute his duties with efficiency, that is, he must ensure compliance of standards required by law.            This knowledge is very important in understanding where things never worked in Fukushima nuclear power plant. The research majorly focused with the ethics behind setting a nuclear plants and presentation are as follows. Ethical concerns for nuclear power plant            As saying goes, â€Å"great power comes with responsibility.† This saying can be applied to a nuclear form of energy because of its additional power, but also to its volatile nature. Radioactive material is very hard to store and, therefore, presents a potential threat to the public health. The nuclear materials are also associated with the most powerful human weapons in the world. As an engineer contracted to set a nuclear plant, there are a number of controversial concerns that an engineer must address in order to uphold engineering ethics. Ethical issues that engineers could have addressed while setting Fukushima nuclear power plant include ramification of the location of the area that he plant was placed, this involved looking at the affects the plant could have to the people of Japan wellbeing and the people could have reacted to the idea of the plant. Global health safety is another concern that the engineers could have addressed (The Ethics behind a N uclear Phase-out and Replacement, 2014). Ethics involved in safety of nuclear reactors            The health and safety of nuclear reactors are the first consideration that engineers should have addressed during construction of Fukushima nuclear power plant. According to the National Society of professional engineers’ code of ethics, all engineers are expected to uphold the safety, welfare and health of the community. For instance, during construction, engineer should have used liquid sodium rather than water because sodium is much safe than versions of water. The engineers violated this code of ethics because the explosion of the Fukushima nuclear plant caused relocation of over 130000 people while 1,600 people were left dead (Bird, 2013). New times reported that more people around the place of incident were forced to relocate to other places much far from the area of accident due to radioactive materials that were released to the atmosphere. Japanese were quoted saying that, â€Å"this time we have nobody to blame for the mess that just occurred, we a re responsible for the polluted environment around us†¦.† (Bird, 2013).Public opinion ethics and global consequences            Fukushima nuclear power plant was against this code of ethics. The attitude of setting nuclear plant near public dwelling places was totally unethical. The results of the explosion were negative; many people were evacuated as others lost their lives. Therefore, according to this research, the public opinion ethics was not considered well by the engineers before setting the power plant at Fukushima a place that is surrounded by towns full of people. The engineers also never considered the safety of Japan’s and world’s environment. The radioactive materials released to the environment forced the government to relocate citizens who were living in the nearby towns. Conclusion            The choice Japan needs to consider: as discussed in the paper the downfalls of the nuclear power production in Japan should serve as major reassessment test of Japan’s principle source of energy. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and National Society of Professional Engineers’ (NSPE) code of ethics should be used to decide which source of energy Japan should take full advantage of (Code of Ethics, 2013). For instance, Japan should set a massive sea-based wind power off the coastal region of Fukushima and become independent of using nuclear energy that proved to be hazardous. Taking advantage of wave energy could be another solution of making Japan free of nuclear source of energy. This because the wave source of energy is beneficial and does not violate the ASCE’S and NSPE’s codes of ethics. This research, therefore, support and suggests the implementation of wind and wave power farms in Japan so as to make the country indep endent of nuclear powers caused great damage to the country’s dwellers and its environment. References E. Ho. (2011, March 16). â€Å"Reactor Redux: What’s happening at Fukushima-Daiichi?† TIME. (Online article).http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/03/16/reactor-redux-whats-happening-at-fukushima-daiichi/(2013). â€Å"Code of Ethics.† ASCE. (Online).http://www.nspe.org/Ethics/CodeofEthics/index.html (2013, September 20). â€Å"Japan Earthquake – Tsunami Fast Facts.† CNN. (Onlinearticle).http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/17/world/asia/japan-earthquake—tsunami-fast-factsThe Ethics behind a Nuclear Phase out and Replacement. (2014, March 04). Retrieved May 20, 2014, from my future as a professional Engineer: http://www.pitt.edu/~jtz9/MyFuture.htmlW. Bird. (2013, March 10). â€Å"Two years on, Fukushima evacuees seek justice and a normal life.† The Japan Times. (Online article).http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/03/10/people/two-years-on-fukushima-evacuees-seek-justice-and-a-normal-life/#.Um7nXZR4Z9B Source document

12 Literary Piece

12 Literary piece that have Influenced the World 1. The Bible or the Sacred writings: This has become the basis of Christianity originating from Palestine and Greece 2. Koran: The Muslim bible originating from Arabia 3. The Iliad and the Odyssey: These have been the source of Myths and Legends of Greece. They were written by Homer. 4. The Mahabharata: The Longest epic of the world. It contains the history of religion in India. 5. Canterburry: it depicts the religion and customs of English in early days. This originated from England and written by Chaucer. 6.Uncle Tom's Cabin: written by Harriet Beecher Stowe of US. This depicted the sad fate of slaves. This became the basis of democracy. 7. The Divine Comedy: (A Dante of Italy). This shows the religion and customs of early Italians. 8. El' Cid Comedy: This shows the cultural characteristics of Spaniards and their national theory. 9. The Song of Roland: This includes the Doce Pares and Ronces Valles of France. It tells about the Golde n Age of Christianity in France. 10. The Book of the Dead: This includes the cult of Osiris and the Mythology and theology of Egypt. 1. The Book of the Days: This was written by Confucius of China. This became the basis of Christian Religion. 12. One thousand and One Night of the Arabian Nights: from Arabia and Persia(Iran). It shows the ways of government of industries and of society of Arabia's and Persians TOP 20 epics of the world 1. The Iliad by Homer (Greek) – Iliad is one of the most celebrated and well known epics of the world. It is believed to be written by in 9th century BC by Homer. This poem is based on the legend of Trojan war. Iliad means the tale of ilios or the tale of troy.It narrates the story of the Greek struggle to rescue Helen, from Trojans, the wrath of Achilles and subsequent destruction of Troy. 2. Mahabharata by Vyasa (Sanskrit) – Mahabharata is one of the great Indian epic compiled around 8th century BC. This epic poem has about one lakh cou plets in Sanskrit and it can be considered as the longest epic poem of the world. This ancient epic deals with the rivalry between cousins – Kauravas and Pandavas – of a great ruling family of India . The armies of the two groups meet at the battleground at Kurushetra in which the Pandavas can destroy the Kauravas.The epic consists of thousands of mythical and historical stories 3. The Odyssey by Homer (Greek) – Odyssey is believed to be written in 9th century B. C by Homer the great Greek poet. It describes the exploits of the Odysseus during his homecoming after the fall of Troy. This great epic follows the Aristotelian conventions of epic poem. The poem describes the obstacles faced by Odysseus, varied tests of gods that he had undergone, his affair with nymph Calypso on the homecoming voyage, and his return to his kingdom. 4. Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto (Italian epic) Orlando Furioso is a famous epic with full of supernatural, allegorical and romanti c adventures. The main theme of the epic is the war between Christians and pagans. Even though Ariosto, the writer, has depended much on the Graeco -Roman literary tradition of earlier writers for characters and incidents, it is a great epic poem due to his smooth versification and technical facility which make the poem vigorous and brilliant, with ironic and humorous contrasts. 5. Ramayana by Valmiki (Sanskrit) – Ramayana is a great Indian epic poem written in 5th century BC.It is the oldest and most popular epic of Indian sub continent, believed to be written by Valmiki. It is written in Sanskrit, one of the earliest Indo – European languages, and has around 2400 couplets in seven sections. Ramayana means â€Å"the journey of Rama†. It depicts the conflict between Rama, the incarnation of God Vishnu, and Ravana who can be taken as the representative of evil forces and the final victory of the God incarnated Rama in safeguarding the Dharma (Universal moral orde r). 6. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (Italian epic) Divine Comedy is a celebrated epic poem written by Dante in 14th century. The narrator is lost in a forest. The poet narrator meets Virgil who guides him through the world after death. Virgil takes him through Hell. They go through the base of the purgatory and he can see the terraces of it where the sins of those who are ultimately to be saved are cleansed away. Then Beatrice guides him to the ultimate heaven. The poem ends with his moment of illumination and the vision of trinity. 7. Beowulf Anonymous (Old English) – Beowulf, one of the earliest epic of the world, is based on a Scandinavian legend.It was written around 750 AD by an anonymous writer and it has about 3000 lines. Beowulf, the great warrior hero, saves Horthgar, the king of Danes, from the attack of Grendel, a terrible monster, by killing it. Grendel's mother attacks him to avenge the death of his son. In the fight, Beowulf kills the mother – mon ster also, but he gets a mortal wound in the fight and succumbs to it. This epic, the most celebrated survival from Old English  literature, is also the earliest extant poem in a modern European language. 8. Paradise Lost by John Milton (English) Paradise Lost is one of the greatest English literary epic based on the theme of fall of man given in the old Testament and it was written in 17th century by John Milton. The great poet wrote it † to justify the ways of god to man†. The epic poem begins with the the Satan's devilish plans to to take revenge against god for his expulsion from heaven. Some critics has opined that Milton's Satan is the hero of the epic poem due to the excellent depiction and exposition of that character. This epic is celebrated for Milton's grand style, his interpretation of Biblical myth and Christian doctrine. . Shahname by Firdousi (Persian) – Shah Name is great Persian epic based on the historical and mythical accounts of around fifty Persian kings. Shah Name means â€Å"book of kings†. The epic begins the mythical creation of Persia and ends in the narration of the stories of historical kings. The most famous story of Shah Name is about the legendary king of Rostam and Sohrab, his son. 10. Aeneid by Virgil (Latin) – Aeneid is a great epic which is based on the legend of Aeneas. It is Roman nationalistic and patriotic poem which narrates the evolution of great Roman mpire. This poem shows great dramatic skill of high order and power of description. Aeneas decides to establish a secure kingdom for his people in Italy. During the long and perilous voyage for it their ships are wreaked on the coast of Africa. The Dido of Carthage invites them which prolongs their voyage. In the next voyage, they reach Latinum, ruled by Latinus. Aeneas marries his daughter Lavinia after killing Turanus, another suitor of her. He establishes a city of lavinium which becomes a base for great Roman empire later. 11. Theogo ny (Greek mythology) Theogony is a Greek epic poem which describe the mythical cosmogony. It can be used as a sorce book of Greek myhology which tells about the origin of cosmos and it evolution. 12. The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser – The Faerie Queene is considered as the first epic poem in modern English literature. This allegoric poem is arranged as a story for a twelve day feast, held by the queen of the fairyland. It is a national epic of England aimed at glorifying Queen Elizabeth. 13. The Epic of Gilgamesh – The epic of Gilgamesh is one of the earliest epic poem of the world.It tells the story of Gilgamesh, the ruler of Uruk and his companion Enkidu whose exploits are the described. The epic is equally fascinating for the window it opened to the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian cultures. 14. Buddhacarita by Asvaghosha (Indian epic poetry ) – Buddhacharita is considered as an authoritative work on Buddha's life. It describes the birth, early life , renun ciation, and teaching of Buddha. It is written in Sanskrit and has originally 28 cantos in which only 13 have been properly preserved. 15. Pharsalia by Lucan (Roman history) The Pharsalia is a celebrated Roman epic poem based on the Battle of Pharsalus which was occurred in 48 B. C. It depicts the civil war between forces led by Julius Caesar and the forces of Pompey the Great. This historical poem is considered as one of the greatest epic poem in the Latin literature. 16. Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – The theme of this great work is man's desire to transcend his physical limitations and his search for answers for eternal questions of mankind. 17. Raghuvamsa – Raghuvamsa describes the lives of the kings of the solar dynasty.It consists of 19 cantos. The epic chronicles the life of Rama and his ancestors. It is considered that Sanskrit epics have attained perfection in Raghuvamsa. 18. The Paradise Regained – The Paradise Regained is an epic poem from the master writer John Milton. It is not a sequel to Paradise Lost. The theme is the story of three temptations as revealed in the gospel of St. Luke. This epic is composed at the suggestion of Thomas Edward. 19. Don Juan – Don Juan is a the most effective and vigorous satire in the English literature.This poem reviews the social , political and economic condition of the Europe. It is a a kind of picturesque novel written in verse. The hero, don Juan ,wanders from one place to another and records his six adventures. Don Juan has visited Greece, Turkey, Russia, and England. 20. The Tale of Heiku – This is one of the most renounced Japanese epic poem based on the Buddhist law of impermanence. It tells the feud between two Japanese clans with elements of traditional folk narrative. Taira and Minemoto are the two clans mentioned in this great classic of medieval Japanese literature.