Analysis of the text The Prince by Machiavelli Essay

Analysis of the text The Prince by Machiavelli - Essay Example Firstly, the theorist identifies types of principalities, which he believes existed during the time. These principalities include those acquired through inheritance, mixed principalities, which are those annexed into pre-existing territories, new principalities and ecclesiastical principalities, which are under Papal States and ruled by the church (Machiavelli 84). Further, the types of armies that can maintain the reign of a prince are also highlighted with the author also highlighting how the prince can use these armies to his advantage given the risk that each might have on the preservation of power. Based on his analysis of the past and situation prevailing at the time of his authorship, Machiavelli presents Lorenzo de Medici prince of Florence with a well-thought-out plan of how he could reverse the political situation in Italy. The advice aimed at elevating the position of Italy amid continued conflict between powerful city-states such as, Milan, Naples, Venice, Florence, and those who had sworn allegiance towards authority such as the Papacy, Spain, France and the Holy Roman Empire. The situation resulted cities positioning themselves for protection and domination over the others leading to blackmails, violence and heightened political intrigues that occasioned Machiavelli’s quest for Italian unity and end of foreign intervention into local affairs. This essay presents an analysis of ideas presented by Machiavelli in The Prince in order to gain a perspective on his understanding of the political situation in renaissance Italy. The Prince focuses on the issue of power and how to preserve it by firstly highlighting the different types of governments, or what Machiavelli refers to as principalities. Machiavelli accepts the existence of governments established as either monarchies or republics; his focus is on the former. However, what I perceive as the most controversial is Machiavelli’s concept of what it takes

Trifles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Trifles - Essay Example In this regard, Susan Glaspell’s play â€Å"Trifles† appears to be a perfect example of representation of all essential literary elements of the play’s world for their research and analysis. For the beginning it must be said that the play â€Å"Trifles† is based on real-life story from the experience of Susan Glaspell as a reporter. The thing is that â€Å"†¦she was assigned to report on a murder case: the homicide of John Hossack, a prosperous Warren County farmer who had been killed in his sleep† in approximately 1900 year (MidnightAssassin.com). Being one of the first reporters who arrived at the accident site, Glaspell has been aware that Hossack’s wife is suspected in her husband’s murder, while she swore it was an intruder blood-guilty for John’s death. In a few days, Susan Glaspell has visited Hossacks’ farmhouse. The scenery of its kitchen has made a striking impression on the reporter. As we can see, the story of her further play’s character John Wright’s murder almost doubles the true story from Glaspell’s experience of the reporter. But there is one interesting point, that is, the time of the writing and performance of â€Å"Trifles†: â€Å"First performed by the Provincetown Players at the Wharf Theatre, Provincetown, Mass., August 8, 1916† (Glaspell). The time gap accounts for almost sixteen years. Then the obvious question arises: what circumstances prompted Glaspell to write the play? Having her previous practice of writing plays during 1909-1915 years, the playwrighter has decided not only to convey her ideas on paper, but also to animate them onstage before audiences. In this intention her husband has served as an active supporter and immediate participant of Glaspell’s ideas. â€Å"In 1915, at their summer home in Provincetown on Cape Cod, the couple organized a group of local artists as an amateur theatre group and staged a number of one-act plays in a converted fish warehouse† (Britannica.com). The

Operations Strategy Case Study of Factory

Operations Strategy Case Study of Factory Consultants Report |  An Operational Review  of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Factory† Contents (Jump to) 1. Executive Summary 2. Introduction 3. Strategic Review 4. Operational Issues 4.1 Processes 4.2 Plant/Equipment 4.3 Customers 4.4 Contractors/Supply Chain 4.5 Personnel 4.6 Environmental 4.7 Market/Competitors 5. Recommendations 6. Further Recommendations 7. Conclusion 8. Bibliography 9. Appendices 1.  Executive Summary This Report has identified the Pea Factory (the Factory)’s operations strategy as focusing on producing quality products, on time and satisfying the bespoke requirements of its customers. It achieves this through its quality controlled operational processes and procedures. Unfortunately these processes and procedures are not without problems, which are categorised under the following headings; processes, personnel, environmental, plant/machinery and market/competition. Problems encountered with quality issues can be addressed by carrying out a review of the whole process using qualitative and quantitative methods, applying benchmarking techniques and reviewing the whole system and applying total quality management methodology. The introduction of computerisation into the administrative process would eliminate human error and remove communication problems within the control room. It may also provide the opportunity of reducing costs (over a period), with the removal of personnel. The supply chain is a fundamental area for focus, as this is crucial for the survival of the business. Ensuring the supply chain is running smoothly is not only an extremely difficult thing to achieve and it can also be extremely costly. The management team need to focus on maintaining good relations with all suppliers, contractors and subcontractors. Many of the issues, such as lack of capacity, the requirement for additional equipment, increased market share etc could easily be improved with the acquisition of a competitor. This needs serious consideration, although it obviously requires investment by the parent company. In the meantime however, by implementing the recommendations in this report, the Factory can and will move closer to achieving sustainable competitive advantage and improving productivity, whilst reducing costs. 2.  Introduction This Report has been commissioned to provide an operational review of â€Å"The Pea Factory† (the Factory). The operations strategy will be identified together with an analytical review being carried out on the operational problems facing the Factory. Areas such as; how the entire process is controlled, the use and maintenance of the equipment, the focus on the customers’ needs and the use of quality control amongst other areas. The Report will also make recommendations for improvements to the operation, which will eliminate many of the problems highlighted. For instance, the introduction of a computerisation into the control room to monitor the process from start to finish would remove many of the timing and communication issues experienced. In undertaking the research for this report there were a number of other aspects of the operation that were identified, which would benefit from improvement and they are also contained within this report. 3.  Strategic Review In order to complete a strategic review of the Factory, it is necessary to first understand what is meant by the term operations strategy. According to Slack et al1], it is; â€Å"the total pattern of decisions and actions which set the role, objectives and activities of the operation so that they contribute to and support the organisation’s business strategy.† In order to develop an operations strategy, the operations manager has to consider a number of factors such as the needs of customers, as well as what the competition are doing. According to Porter(2); â€Å"an organisation should aim to achieve sustainable competitive advantage† The Factory achieves this by focusing on their customer requirements and by producing a quality product, in a timely fashion and at a reasonable cost. The ability to adapt and be flexible in its approach to its customer’s demands is an important feature in the organisation’s strategy. The Factory concentrates on its core competencies (that of the production of frozen vegetables) rather than diversifying into other products such as pizzas, pies and other products. Specialisation is key to the strategy. Whilst sufficient information is known about the Factory’s operations strategy, little is known about the Group’s strategy, and how the Factory’s operations strategy fits with it, other than to say that they are specialist food producers. 4.  Operational Issues A review of the processes and procedures of the Factory using a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis was undertaken (see Appendix 1 attached). This identified several operational problem areas, which have been grouped under the following headings; processes, plant/equipment, customers, contractors/supply chain, personnel, environmental and market/competitors. 4.1  Processes The operation’s process is coordinated from the control room. Unfortunately the control systems used are manual ones, with any change in process being amended on â€Å"the board†, this manual process could lead to errors, miscommunication and time delays. With the limited daily processing capacity, even if there was greater demand, the organisation would not be able to cope. Further, there is little room for error with the tight time line from picking to blanching. Quality issues with stock held in quarantine, and bulk peas needing to be run though the Sortex colour sorter, several times, results in wasted time and cost. 4.2  Plant/Equipment The extensive use of expensive machinery means that the organisation’s overheads are high with costly down time through failure (particularly unplanned). This has a detrimental effect of the Factory’s ability to achieve its targets and to fulfil orders, costing the organisation both time and money. 4.3  Customers Tailor made packaging for its customers may have a negative effect on the cost base. Satisfying the customer’s needs is an important aspect of the organisations strategy, but the question needs to be asked, as what cost? In order to answer this question, detailed financial information would be required for analysis. 4.4  Contractors/Supply Chain The use of so many contractors in various parts of the process does lead to problems such as communication, control and quality. Differing yields and size containers results in identification and storage difficulties. Using multiple storage contractors could result in missing stock and lack of quality control. This could result in down time and ultimately affect the quality of the product. 4.5  Personnel Fluctuating staff levels at different times of the year causes particular problems for the organisation. The need to train and re-train new staff results in delays and errors. Lack of communication causes costly delays. Such seasonal work may not be entirely satisfying thereby creating problems with lack of job satisfaction, and therefore lack of attention to detail. 4.6  Environmental Environmental issues are a major headache. The weather clearly impacts on the production of the pea crop. The varying weather patterns create uncertainty and scheduling issues. The crop rotation cycle also restricts the level of produce provided in any given region at any given time. This limiting factor can result in not enough of the product being available. 4.7  Market/Competitors An analysis of the competitive environment reveals that there is at least one privately owned competitor who is using aggressive pricing in the market. There is also the issue of the major retailers controlling the market. If one of the retailers decides to stop using the Factory then this will negatively impact the level of profitability and sustainability of the business. All of these issues need to be addressed immediately and the recommendations for doing so are highlighted in the next section. 5. Recommendations All operation managers experience difficulties and this is certainly the case at the Factory. In order to achieve operational effectiveness, Slack et al (3), agrees that there should be; â€Å"Smooth customer flow, a clean, well-designed environment, sufficient goods to satisfy demand, sufficient staff to serve customers, appropriate quality of service, a continuous stream of ideas to improve its operations†. What better way to measure a smooth customer flow than to introduce a computerised system which will track the stock, deliveries and all the processes from start to finish. This would require significant investment, but would have the benefit of eliminating human error and reducing overhead (by reducing the number of staff required to fulfil the function). Whilst this would affect staff morale, a programme of empowerment should be implemented combined with a reward scheme or performance measurement which would motivate the staff to achieve their individual and the organisation’s goals. A Total Quality Management (TQM) process should be implemented, the characteristics of which are; â€Å"meeting the needs and expectations of customers, covering all parts of the organisation, including every person in the organisation, examining all costs which are elated to quality, especially failure costs, getting things right first time, developing systems and procedures which support quality and improvement, developing a continuous process of improvement†.4] Using a process flow chart (similar to that shown in Appendix 2) would help to clearly identify what happens during the operations process and therefore show up the problem areas. Input-output analysis could be undertaken. Further analysis could be carried out using scatter diagrams, cause-effect diagrams and Pareto5] diagrams. The issue of the limited daily processing capacity could be improved with the purchase of additional equipment. Additional quality checks should be introduced into the process in order to eliminate time wasting through re-sorting the product, and the down time of equipment. This could be done through benchmarking or other continuous improvement mechanisms. According to Deming the PDCA6] (plan, do, check, act) cycle should be used, alternatively business process re-engineering which has been very popular recently. That is: â€Å"the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in the critical, contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service and speed.†7] Although this has been criticised as being the latest fad, as well as being an excuse for removing personnel and it could ultimately result in the loss of essential experience from the Factory. Additional preventative maintenance should be scheduled which would help resolve part of the issue of the unplanned downtime. The employment of an additional maintenance person would also speed up the process. The issue of bespoke packaging of the product for the customer should be debated within [2]the management team. If uniform packaging is introduced, this could result in a reduction in costs. However this needs to be [3]carefully weighed up against the customer needs and ultimately deciding not to purchase from the Factory. A customer quality survey could be conducted in order to ascertain the possible effect of this suggestion. The supply chain is also a critical area for the Factory to keep tight control on. According to Waller8]; â€Å"The supply chain is a complex network of suppliers, manufacturers and distributors whose ultimate objective is to provide goods and services to the client in a timely manner. The reliability of this supply chain depends on all the people in the network, plus the reliability of all the equipment employed including transportation vehicles, sophisticated machines and computer based information systems.† The use of contractors is a major issue that needs to be addressed. Formal contracts should be drawn up setting out the conditions of the relationship (if it has not already been done); with penalties for missing certain key targets being made. Consideration should be given to the Factory acquiring its own transportation, storage and packaging facilities. By focusing on the JIT (just-in-time) approach within the operation, it may further improve and simplify matters, as, according to Slack et al9]; â€Å"JIT is a disciplined approach to improving overall productivity and eliminating waste. It provides for the cost effective production and delivery of only the necessary quantity of parts at the right quality, at the right time and place, while using a minimum amount of facilities, equipment, materials and human resources. JIT is dependent on the balance between the supplier’s flexibility and the user’s flexibility.† The need to keep a close eye on inventory is essential for the Factory, and to keep it as low as possible, thereby freeing up essential funds for other areas of the business. The Factory needs to address all of these issues as a matter of urgency. Some of the recommendations identified here would involve capital investment. Therefore, further analysis would need to be undertaken once the necessary financial information is available, in order to present a robust business case to the parent company. The Factory needs to; â€Å"secure essential increases in productivity (which) requires the combined efforts of all functions. The increased use of technology has resulted in maintenance making a major contribution to the effective efforts in most business†1]0) In addition to the problem areas identified above, there are other areas that could be improved in the future, and these are mentioned in the following section. 6.  Further Recommendations Purchasing is an area that is significant to the business, as Slack et al1]1)suggests: â€Å"purchasing at the right time and in the right quantity can impact on the operations performance in terms of delivery, speed, delivery reliability and flexibility.† A separate review of the purchasing process and department should be initiated at some stage. Undertaking a financial review may also identify further improvements or reductions within the business (environmental, taxes, transportation and fuel costs). Using forecasting tools such as qualitative and quantitative methods to more accurately predict risks, time horizons, and economic indicators could also identify further areas to improve. Other problem areas that may be addressed include the environmental influences on the Factory. It should be possible to produce product all year using the poly-urethane tunnels that are seen in the countryside. The use of such tunnels would extend the growing period and lifecycle and allow pea production to take place all year, without the peaks and troughs that are currently happening. Further, if the organisation wanted full control of its entire process, then perhaps it should consider the acquisition of land to produce the product itself. Finally, in terms of the competition, we already know that one competitor is privately owned. In order to achieve transformational growth, rather than organic growth and consequently achieve many of the objectives identified above, the organisation should acquire this competitor. There would, of course, be issues with the merger of another organisation into its current business, but the increase in market share, the ability to produce more products and the access to additional equipment that this would bring, would seem to be an obvious answer to many of the problems. A thorough business case would have to be submitted to the parent company to qualify and quantify this proposal. 7.  Conclusion The operations strategy of the Factory is aimed at producing quality goods, on time and to their customer’s exacting requirements. This is achieved at the Factory, but at what cost? A thorough review of the Factory has revealed a number of areas that can be improved. Areas such as by identifying the process through the use of flow charts, then any weaknesses can be readily identified. The three quality checks that are currently undertaken is insufficient to prevent quality issues occurring, therefore additional checks should be implemented. Computerising the operations process would eliminate communication problems and speed up the process together with reducing costs. Focusing on JIT and TQM would enhance the process further. Not forgetting staff morale. Their input is critical in ensuring the process runs smoothly, whether it is the manual or computerised method. Including reward schemes and introducing empowerment is a means of involving the staff in the process and in achieving the goals and objectives of the organisation. If the parent company is willing to invest further, then transformational growth can be achieved by acquiring a competitor, land, a haulage company and by producing its own packaging. In order for the parent company to consider this, a business case would need to be produced, justifying the recommendation. The Factory has a great number of strengths, not least of which is its; location, quality product and specialist knowledge, however, by addressing its operational weaknesses and threats, it is possible to achieve sustainable competitive advantage and to continue to achieve its operational strategy, goals and objectives. 8.  Bibliography Cheng TCE, Podolsky S (1993) Just in Time Manufacturing, Chapman Hall (Pages 21 – 175) Fitzsimmons JA, Sullivan RS (1982) Service Operations Management: McGraw Hill (Pages 7 – 25) Hill, Terry. (2002) Operations Management Strategic Context and Analysis, Basingstoke: Palgrave (pages 184-547) Johnston, R. Clark, G. (2001) Service Operations Management, Harlow: FT/Prentice Hall (pages 25 73) Johnston R, Chambers S, Harland C, Hanson A, Slack N (1997) Cases in Operations Management: Financial Times, Pitman Publishing 2nd Ed (Pages 5 – 503) Lowson, R. (2002) Strategic Operations Management The New Competitive Advantage: London, Routledge (Pages 5 158) Muhlemann, A. Oakland, J Lockyer, K. (1992) Production and Operations Management, 6th Ed, Harlow: FT/Prentice Hall (Pages 63-150) Slack, N. Chambers, S. Johnston, R. (2004) Operations Management, Ed 4, Harlow, Pearson Education (pages 5 798) Sutherland, J. Canwell, D. (2004) Key Concepts in Operations Management, Basingstoke: Palgrave (Pages 19 117) Taylor, D. Brunt, D. (2001) Manufacturing Operations and Supply Chain Management, London: Thomson Learning (Pages 5 37) Waller, D.L. (2003), Operations Management: a supply chain approach, London, Thomson Learning (pages 88 595) Wild, R (2002) Operations Management, London: Continuum (Pages 17 187) www.cips.org [emailprotected] Appendices Appendix 1 – SWOT Analysis Appendix 2 – Flow Chart of the Factory Pea Production Process [1]Slack N, Chambers S, Johnston R (2004) Operations Management Ed 4, Harlow Pearson Education p77 Michael Porter from Lowson R (2002) Strategic Operations Management The New Competitive Advantage, London, Routledge, page 29 [4]4,5, 6, 7 From Slack et al p695-696 [5] [6] [7] [2] [3] [8] Deming from Wild, Operations Management p 636 [9] Slack et al p548 [1]10 Hill T, (2002) operations Management – Strategic Context and Analysis, Basingstoke, Palgrave p184 [1]11 Slack et al p478

Circus-circus Summary :: essays research papers

Circus-Circus was an unprofitable business and a small time casino when William Bennett and William Pennington purchased it in 1974 for $50,000. With a new marketing program in place and a stock offering in October of 1983, the company was rejuvenated. What it has become is a hotel/casino that is targeted mainly towards middle income gamblers as well as family oriented vacationers, but has not strayed away from the high rollers that are found in most casinos. With the focus being on many market segments, along with it's amusement park type atmosphere, this company can be categorized as a broad differentiator. Most recently, to go along with their amusement park atmosphere, Circus-Circus has broke ground into developing an aquatic environment that has beaches, snorkeling reef, and a swim-up shark exhibit. 2. ww 1. Financial Ratio Analysis 1997  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1996  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1995 A. Current Ratio 151,849/129,768 124,380/95,532  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   110,923/82,000   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.17 times 1.3 times 1.35 times B. Total Debt to 1,694,739/ 968,161/ 826,424/ Total Assets 2,729,111  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2,213,503 1,512,548   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   62%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  43%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  55% C. Asset Turnover 1,170,182/  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1,299,596/  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1,334,250/ 2,729,111  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2,213,503  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1,512,548   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   43%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   59%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   88%   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The results for current ratio are favorable. It states that Circus-Circus can pay off their short run debt with money to spare. Total debt to total asset is also favorable showing that they do not borrow much money that is listed as an asset. Asset turnover, however, is unfavorable. It was not as bad in 1995, but they are only making back about half of what they are spending. This is most likely due to the new aquatic addition they are putting adding. 4.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Circus-Circus' stock has been in somewhat of a slump since mid-March when the stock was at 26, but in June of 1998, had plummeted to 16. One of the main reasons for the drop is the rumor that Hilton Hotels has planned a takeover of the business.

The Secrets Behind the Secret Life of Bees

Style Analysis English Honors 1 30 April 2012 The Secrets Behind The Secret Life of Bees Novelist Sue Monk Kidd in her book The Secret Life of Bees illustrates Lily Owens’ journey as she overcomes the irrationalities of racism, discovers the power of the female community, and defines the importance of storytelling. Kidd’s purpose is to convey that even though society might drag a person down, the person still has someone who believes in them. She also wants people to be able to understand how real racism and loneliness is, what one can do to rise above it, and how not to put all of ones’ dreams into one belief.Kidd uses vivid imagery, poetic devices and a unique dialogue to assist making the point of views on racism in the 1960’s, Lily’s journey to finding a true role model, and the truth she craves so deeply, clear. Kidd uses a unique display of the southern vernacular in her novel, to stress the racism that occurs in the setting of the book. To ex emplify the racism in the story, the characters in the novel talk in slang. When Rosaleen, Lily Owen’s companion and maid, pours tobacco juice on a white man’s shoe, Lily defines how bad the situation is because the man Rosaleen poured â€Å"snuff juice† on was â€Å"the biggest nigger-hater in Sylvan† (37-38).This makes the racism towards Rosaleen clear by the use of the derogatory word â€Å"nigger† in the dialogue. Use of this word creates a feeling of anger within the reader. Another example of how Kidd uses dialogue in the novel to enhance racism is near the end of the novel when Lily and Becca, sit at the tables in school. Lily is speaking to the reader and explaining how she and Becca â€Å"have reputations as â€Å"nigger lovers,† (301) because they hang around and stand up for Zach, Lily’s African-American crush.This displays one of the many irrationalities of racism by demonstrating how people can stereotype those who hang around colored people. Kidd also uses dialogue as an amazing device to express the mood and tone of the book. Near the end of the story, Zach converses with Lily. He says, â€Å"We can’t be together now, but one day, after I’ve gone away and become somebody, I’m gonna find you, and we’ll be together then† (231). Zach makes this comment because he realizes that racism exists in the world and takes it upon himself to become a bigger man and see through it.Overall, Sue Monk Kidd created the dialogue in the southern vernacular to help elevate the tone of the novel, help people better understand the setting and to assist the reader in envisioning the scenes. Sue Monk Kidd mainly resorts to the use of figurative language to help the audience better picture the events in the story. Kidd repeatedly uses imagery to creatively describe Lily’s surroundings and give life to it. In the very beginning of the novel, Lily pictures herself talking to her mot her about the gun incident. She pleads, â€Å"Mother, forgive. Please forgive† (3).Then she pictures her mom kissing her skin â€Å"till it grew chapped† (3) and telling her she was not to blame. Kidd uses this kind of view to show the audience of the book that Lily wants her mom to love her more than anything and that she wants the truth to the incident so the guilt she feels can vanish. Kidd also uses personification and metaphors many times within the novel. She uses these two poetic devices to add more character to Lily’s personality. The use of this kind of figurative language better depicts the tone and mood of any scene. Kidd uses figurative language a lot when she is describing Lily’s love life.For example, Lily speaks to the audience of the books when she says, â€Å"I can tell you this much, the world is a great big log thrown on the fires of love† (133). Lily comes to this conclusion at the end of chapter 7 after she has her first intima te interaction with Zach and has witnessed Neil and June have a fight. In these two very intense moments, she comes face to face with love and learns that it not only brings people together, but also sometimes drives people apart. Just moments before this quotation, Lily was driving with Zach when she realized, definitively, that she loved him.The figurative language in this quote helps enhance the fact that Lily has become more mature while staying with the Boatwright sisters. The last main element Sue Monk Kidd uses in her novel The Secret Life of Bees is imagery. Kidd mostly uses imagery to stress the importance of believing in storytelling and the power of the female community. In the middle of the novel, Lily is lying in bed hurt from the truth about her mother. She describes her confusion and stress of the situation by saying, â€Å"One minute I was dreaming of Zach and the next I was hungering for my mother, imagining her calling my name, saying, Lily, girl.You are my flower † (139). Kidd identifies the pain of being alone and the grief of truth through Lily. She uses imagery and diction in this quote to appeal to the emotion of sorrow within the audience. This conveys a stressful, confusing tone within the book. In the end of the novel, Kidd appeals to the joyful and compassionate emotions of the audience when Lily says, â€Å"I have more mothers than any eight girls off the street. They are the moons shining over me† (302). This incorporates figurative language along with imagery, the importance of mothers, and the power of the female community into it.The meaningfulness and joyfulness of this quote conveys a calming tone that reassures Lily will be well looked after in her future and that she is loved by many people without the irrationalities of racism. In conclusion, Sue Monk Kidd uses four main techniques in her novel. The first method is dialogue, which is meant to enhance the readers understanding of the setting and characters in th e novel. The second style is the use of figurative language, which is meant to describe Lily’s surroundings and give life to it. This also makes the text more interesting to read because the figurative language helps spice it up.The third aspect is imagery which is meant to draw readers in with a display of colorful words, images, and diction. Lastly, the use of the southern vernacular incorporated in Kidd’s work better personifies the characters’ actions and thoughts. It also helps the reader understand the setting of the novel better. Altogether, these techniques of writing in Kidd’s work help deeper explain the three main themes: the importance of storytelling, irrationalities of racism and the power of the female community. Works cited Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life of Bees. New York: Penguin Group, 2002. Print.

Mcdonald’s Environmental Factors

McDonald’s: A Giant Marketing Success Story in APA style (your name) (your school) McDonald’s 2 Abstract When it comes to marketing a business domestically and globally, a lot of environmental factors come into play. These can involve finances of a foreign country, customs, culture, and trends. McDonald’s has been a worldwide corporate success, and much of this success has been due to their marketing decisions. Here, we will find out what exactly McDonald’s has done to beat the competition and grow as a company worldwide.McDonald’s 3 Worldwide, Ronald McDonald is one of the most recognizable characters to this day. The first McDonalds opened in 1937 (Colonel 66, 2003). In just a little over seventy years, McDonalds has become one of the biggest corporations in the world. This success did not happen overnight. McDonalds has made great decisions in marketing and advertising over the years. There are many factors that contribute to global and domestic marketing, and McDonalds has seemed to tackle each and every one.When McDonalds first launched, the two McDonald brothers had to decide how to market their product. The environment and culture of the United States during the 50’s were becoming more and more fast-paced. People wanted quality food for a good price and in a timely manner. The McDonald brothers then came to the idea of using the new technology of assembly lines in order to make quick hamburgers (Wikipedia, 2008). Soon, word of mouth spread the popularity of cheaper hamburgers and faster service compared to traditional diners.During the beginning of the McDonalds legacy, the United States was booming with new technology and a faster-paced lifestyle, and McDonalds learned how to incorporate this with their marketing. Soon after, in 1955, Ray Kroc took interest in the McDonald restaurant and established the McDonald’s System, Inc (Wikipedia, 2008). This served as the legal structure for the entrepreneurâ€⠄¢s planned franchises. It wasn’t long before the McDonald brothers sold their business rights to Ray Kroc.Although the brothers may have founded the idea of assembly line burgers and fries, Ray Kroc had the marketing plans to take McDonalds into the global direction. McDonald’s 4 As the baby boom began, and families seemed to revolve around the busy lifestyle of work and taking care of children, Ray Kroc decided to market McDonalds to children. It’s not surprising that after the Great Depression subsided, family became the focal point in the American environment. Marketers of McDonalds were smart to hire Willard Scott, formerly known as Bozo the Clown, to play the role of Ronald McDonald (Wikipedia, 2008).The idea of Ronald McDonald stuck, and a few years later, the whole family of McDonaldland was developed. These characters enticed children, and after the hard times America endured, American parents wanted to make their children happy. It is no wonder McDonal ds became a nationwide success. After becoming a phenomenon in the United States, McDonalds had to deal with global marketing and different environments and cultures in foreign countries in order to grow. When expanding to another nation, a company must have a deep knowledge of the needs of potential customers.Culture and custom plays a big role in marketing for any company, and McDonalds has achieved success despite many environmental factors in different nations. In India, many people are vegetarians due to religious beliefs. This may seem like a dead-end to a fast-food restaurant that specializes in hamburgers, but McDonalds developed the â€Å"Maharaja McBurger,† in Indian stores. This is a burger made from assorted vegetables and mayonnaise prepared without eggs (Associated Content, 2005). In addition, McDonalds has promoted various items throughout the world to celebrateMcDonald’s 5 foreignevents. For instance, in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, McDonald s sells a â€Å"Prosperity Burger† during the Chinese new-year (Associated Content, 2005). In addition to culture, financial situations in different countries also affect the way McDonalds operates. It would be impossible to have a set value for a Big Mac worldwide. Instead, McDonalds compares prices to local competitors in order to set their prices. This makes McDonalds infamous burgers affordable to most everybody in a variety of different nations.Technology has also played a big role in the global market for McDonalds. China’s first drive thru opened in December of 2005 by McDonalds. This new dining experience excited the Chinese as well as confused them. It took a strong team to teach employees how to conduct traffic through the drive thru (McDonalds Corporation, 2005). The success of McDonalds is greatly impacted by staying up to date with technology and equipment in all of their stores. While marketing in terms of profit, a company must also look into social and ethic behaviors.It’s not enough to provide a great product if the customers do not approve the methods of production. This has been a huge factor for McDonalds. One of the biggest social issues tied to McDonalds in the United States is obesity. According to Michael Russell (2006) over 60 million people are obese. McDonalds has been a target of concern for unhealthy eating habits. As a result, marketing turned away from the traditional core products of McDonalds: the hamburgers, shakes, and fries. Instead, McDonalds has focused attention on new, healthier products such as salads and fresh fruit.This healthful concern McDonald’s 6 even spreads over to the United Kingdom. Shiv Singh (2008) reports that McDonalds has launched a new national advertising campaign. These advertisements show parents that only healthy, high quality ingredients are used in Happy Meals. It’s clear that the marketing giant McDonalds is staying on consumer trends in all nations. To conclude, McDonalds has shown a successful path in marketing. Their decisions have been based on local culture and environment, and it’s shown that McDonalds has a deep understanding for the concept of environmental marketing.By treating each location as a local focal point, McDonalds has succeeded in becoming the global corporation that it is today. McDonald’s 7 References Associated Content (2005, March 3). McDonald’s Strategic Marketing Mix. Associated Content, Inc. Retrievedon July 30th 2008 from http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/263943/mcdonalds_strategic_marketing_mix. html? cat=4 McDonalds Press Release (2005, December 10). First McDonalds Drive-Thru Opens InChina. McDonalds, Inc Retrieved on July 30th, 2008 fromhttp://www. mcdonalds. com/corp/news/corppr/2005/cpr_12102005. tml Russel, Michael. (2006, May 21). Obesity in the United States. Ezine Articles. Retrieved on July 30th, 2008 from http://ezinearticles. com/? Obesity-In-The-United-States;id=202439 Singh, Shiv. (2008, July 1). McDonalds and Social Influence Marketing. Going Social Now. Retrieved on July 30th, 2008 from http://www. shivsingh. com/goingsocial/2008/07/heres-another-example-of-socia. html Wikipedia. (2008, July 1). History of McDonalds. Wikipedia, Inc. Retrieved on July 30th, 2008 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_McDonald's

Alex Rodriguez The Clean One Essays

Alex Rodriguez The Clean One Essays Alex Rodriguez The Clean One Essay Alex Rodriguez The Clean One Essay Alex Rodriguez The Clean One Alex Rodriguez is a Major League Baseball player. He has played twenty seasons in the MIL and has played for the New York Yankees, the Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners. He has set a path of making records big and small. Many speculate that he would break the home run record and then some. His reputation is that he will be the one who breaks all the records without using any kind of performance enhancing drugs (Peed). Last year he was loosely accused of using performance enhancing drugs with the Texas Rangers, but it was never proven or followed up on. Ever since the home run record was broken by Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez has been looked on as his successor. This has been a difficult reputation for him to live up to. Once Barry Bonds broke the home run record with 762 long balls, he was instantly accused of using performance enhancing drugs. But he was never officially convicted of using them. All the eyes of baseball turned to Alex Rodriguez to break the home run record with no use of performance enhancing drugs. He has recently been accused of using performance enhancing drugs for the second time. He is now sighting a suspension by Major League Baseball. Many people around the world did not like Alex Rodriguez or the New York Yankees before these allegations. Now this is Just another reason for the world of sports to hate on him and his team. This past week the New York Yankees played the Boston Red Sox. Whenever Alex Rodriguez made a play or was batting the entire crowd would boo him and the Yankees. The only time they cheered was when Alex Rodriguez got hit by a pitch. The loyal Yankees fans were the only people that cheered for him. When Alex Rodriguez was put on the pedestal to break the home run record he as also put on the watch for using performance enhancing drugs. He has always been disliked by many people in world of baseball; but has always been admired for the fact that he was doing it the clean way. Recently Major League Baseball had done some research and found substantial evidence showing that Alex Rodriguez most likely used performance enhancing drugs. He is still fighting the allegations and presently plays for the New York Yankees. The fabulous reality that he was supposed to be the man who accomplished the home run record clean turns out to be a farce. The evidence is pretty clear that he was using performance enhancing drugs. This is very disappointing news, the last man to break the record was accused of using performance enhancing drugs and now his supposed successor has also. Major League Baseball has now become known as the cheaters game. Unfortunately, when a clean player breaks a record people will instantly become skeptical. This is very sad for baseball! The reality of a clean player reaching a prestigious record is becoming less and less obtainable due to the inequalities of performance enhancing drugs. By astrology 7

101 The Conversation and Carr Professor Ramos Blog

101 The Conversation and Carr Quick Write Quick Write We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal Do you agree with this line from the Declaration of Independence. Do you believe that all people are equal? Four Defining Traits of a Game Goal. The outcome that the players will work to achieve. It focuses attention and gives you a sense of purpose. Rules. Limitations on how to achieve the goal. It will unleash creativity and foster strategic thinking. Feedback System. Tells players how close they are to achieving their goal. Provides motivation to keep playing. Voluntary Participation. Requires that you knowingly accept the goal, rules, and the feedback. You have the freedom to enter and leave the game at will. With these four ideas in mind, how can we apply this to college? Quick Write What is the best paper you have written? Why was it good? What did you do well? What is Literacy? Literacy – the ability to read and write. Also, competence or knowledge in a specified area. Journals Journals from now on should be two paragraphs long. First paragraph is a summary of the reading. Pick point or topic to summarize. Second paragraph is a response. Why did you pick it? What did you find interesting, or useful. Do you agree or disagree. Connect with it in some way. Summary Summarize what you think the main point was of the second literacy narrative. Response Respond to the point you summarized. What do you think about it? Do you agree with the point? Do you disagree with the point? Why? Does it remind you of something from your life? Does it help you understand something better? What did you learn? They Say Chapter 1 argues that good academic writing responds to what others are saying. What â€Å"They Say† is important to include in academic writing and is one way we can include the conversation when we write. The chapter includes templates for introducing standard views, implied or assumed and ongoing debates. Nicholas Carr Is Google making us Stupid? Carr argues that the internet affects our cognitive capacities, diminishing out ability to concentrate and to learn. Take two minutes and write something to share with the class. Why does Carr begin with lines from  2001: A Space Odyssey? Entering the Conversation The introduction to the textbook, page 1, explains that the book relies on templates to help us do the basic moves of writing. The templates are guides that when used help us to structure and generate our own writing. We will talk a lot about approaches to writing and how to think about writing, as well as use the templates provided to help us practice the principles of writing. State your own ideas as a response to others. You are just entering a conversation that has been going on for thousands of years. You are not expected to know everything, but you are expected to begin to understand what others have said before and how to find it. To argue means more than just stating your own position. To argue you need to enter into a conversation with others views. Then you can try to convince others of your position or just to see your position as valid. Where does Carr include the conversation in his article?

Terms You Might Not Know Are Considered Racist

Terms You Might Not Know Are Considered Racist Some racist terms have been included in the American vocabulary for so long that many who use them are often clueless about their origins. Boy In most situations, the word boy is not a problem. Used to describe an African American man, however, the word is troublesome. Thats because historically whites routinely described black men as boys to suggest African Americans werent on equal footing with them. Both during and after slavery, African Americans werent viewed as full-fledged people but as mentally, physically, and spiritually inferior beings to whites. Calling black men boys was one way to express the racist ideologies of yesteryear. Despite its widespread use as a racial putdown, in Ash v. Tyson Foods, the U.S. Court of Appeals  decided that boy cannot be considered a racial slur unless its prefaced with a racial marker such as black. This decision has sparked controversy, considering that whites typically didnt call African American black boys during Jim Crow, but simply boys. The good news, according to Prerna Lal of Change.org, is that the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the holding, ruling that the use of the word boy on its own is not enough evidence of racial animus, but that the word is also not benign. That means the court is willing to consider the context in which boy is used to determine if its being uttered as a racial epithet. Gypped Gypped  is arguably the most commonly used  racist term  in existence today. If someone buys a used car that turns out to be lemon, for instance, he may complain, â€Å"I got gypped.† So, why is the term offensive? Because it equates the Gypsy, or Roma peoples, with being thieves, cheats and con artists. When someone says that they â€Å"got gypped,† they are essentially saying that they were conned. Explained Jake Bowers, editor of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller ezine  Travellers Times, to the British newspaper the  Telegraph: â€Å"Gypped is an offensive word, it is derived from Gypsy and it’s being used in the same context as a person might once have said they ‘jewed’ somebody if they did an underhand business transaction.† But don’t take Bowers’ word for it. If you’re still debating whether or not to use the verb â€Å"gypped,† consider that Philip Durkin, the principal etymologist at the  Oxford English Dictionary  told the  Telegraph  that there is a â€Å"scholarly consensus† that the word originated as a â€Å"racial slur.† No Can Do and Long Time No See These two phrases have probably rolled off the tongues of most Americans at some point in time. However, the sayings are only mocking the attempts of Chinese immigrants and Native Americans, for whom English was a second language. Uppity Most people have no idea that the term uppity has racist connotations when applied to black people in particular. Southerners used the term for black people who didnt know their place and that term was usually followed by another racial slur. Despite its negative history, the word is regularly used by various races. Websters dictionary defines uppity as putting on or marked by airs of superiority and likens the word to arrogant and presumptuous. In 2011, the word got some national coverage when Rush Limbaugh said that Michelle Obama showed uppity-ism. Considering the Shyster Many people have come to believe that shyster is an anti-Semitic, but the origins of the word are linked to a Manhattan newspaper editor in 1843–1844. According to an article on Law.com, at the time, there was a crusade against legal and political corruption in the city, and the editor derived the term shyster from the German word scheisse, which means excrement. There are several reasons for the anti-Semitic confusion including the closeness to Shakespeares Shylock, and belief that the term came from the proper name of Scheuster, who some think was a corrupt lawyer. The etymology of the word indicates it was never intended as a racial slur, and that it was applied derogatorily to lawyers in general, and not to any one ethnic group.

Northeast Utilities Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Northeast Utilities - Research Paper Example The company that is the subject of this research is Northeast Utilities Industries. This company was formed in 1966 following the successful business merger that occurred between Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P), the Hartford Electric Light Company, and the Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO). This merger made the companies come under one management qualifying to be the largest multi-state holding following the Public Utility Holding Act of 1935. Other companies later joined the merger in the subsequent years and in this case, Holyoke Water Power Company (HWP) joined in 1967 and finally, in 1992, Public Service Company of New Hampshire (PSNH) signed a deal to merge with the company. This informs that five companies that were once independent constitute the Utility. In 2010, Northeast Utility further eluded their intention to the merger with NSTAR but maintaining the title as Northeast Utility and this is still a subject of approval. It is worth noting that the co mpany is listed in the Fortune 500 with the headquarters at Berlin, Connecticut. The company also runs several subsidiaries in the business of retailing electricity and natural gas. The company’s customer base in New England is about 2.1 million and this qualifies it to be one of the largest public utilities in New England. In this regard, the company has electric transmission lines covering 3,140 miles with about 32, 802 distribution pole miles. Their natural gas distribution also covers an area of about 5,000 km2.... In any business, it is very important to understand these forces so that one can identify the source of business strength and weaknesses so that the necessary adjustments can follow. In this case, this industry faces fierce competition from other companies providing similar products-competitive rivalry. This includes other companies like, First Energy, UIL Holdings, UNITIL, NSTAR, and EnerNOC (Murray, 2012). The existence of these companies in the provision of the same product has elicited severe competition in the provision of the same service-energy. There is different customer’s loyalty experienced in the market and other factors like switching cost that make the competition based on the existence similar products industries to be fierce. In the industry, there is need to achieve change in different categories; to achieve change in the efficiency of the energy production and distribution, this is aimed at reducing the cost of energy to the final consumers. When the cost of production is reduced, there is possibility of reducing the cost of the final product that goes to the consumers and thus a company is able to cut themselves a niche in the market. In this sense, the factor that is driving change in the company is the need to provide the consumers with products at moderated prizes to acquire a larger share in the market place. The reliability and safety of the product is also a concern of the company, the company dealing in the provision of the utilities tend to have the sense of reliability to the customers so that they do not lose market on that grounds. Competitors in the Industry Like any other business, the provision of the energy in which Northeast Utility is involved is experiencing the same competition from other service providers.

The Importance of My Values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Importance of My Values - Essay Example Moral values help maintain harmony and unity and are communally shared. These values are picked up in the course of growing up and personal perception is an important factor in their development. One of my moral values is courage and this helps me to do things even when the incumbent circumstances are unpleasant. Self-control is a moral value the helps me to take charge of my actions, emotions and thoughts. Integrity is another one of my moral values and this helps me to be convinced of the truth and to stand, courageously, by it without giving in to unnecessary pressure (Doty, 2006). Non-moral values are principles of behavior that do not apply morals. These values have to do with intentions and desires that are largely independent of moral obligation. However, these values are also moral and decisions that are made based on them can have moral consequences. One of my non-moral values is winning and I like it when I confront challenges and surmount them. Reputation is another non-moral value that I cherish and it pleases me when I meet renowned people and I aspire to be like them. Appreciation is an integral non-moral value in me and I take pleasure in acknowledging other people when they do something good and when other people compliment me. The non-moral value of money makes me endeavor to earn enough money to support others who may depend on me and me (Keech, 2000). Social values are beliefs and qualities that are shared within a group of people or a given culture. A society’s approval of a given quality or belief is what constitutes a social value even though other societies might disapprove that quality or belief. Social values shape the preferences and priorities of the members of a society and provide the criteria for determining the acceptability of a behavior in a group. The social value of moderation helps me to remain within acceptable limits of the things I do. Generosity is a social value that helps me to extend

The Downside of Internet Consumption among Children Research Paper

The Downside of Internet Consumption among Children - Research Paper Example Nowadays, the present generation would rather spend several hours using the computer than watching TV (Pavlik 267). This merely implies that whatever they want might just be acquired in an instant as almost everything is possible in just a matter of seconds. It is imperative to note, however, that the effects and the various influences of the rampant application of the internet among the youth may eventually create both constructive and detrimental impact on their development. Although the internet serves to be favorable and beneficial most of the time, its detrimental effects outweigh its advantages in most cases. Moreover, Cheon significantly notes â€Å"children’s exposure to negative internet content relates to the social context of internet usage†, where the family plays a significant part on their susceptibility to some unpleasant subject matter which can be easily accessed over the internet (3). Worst of all, children are always prone to suffer almost all sorts o f health-related issues even at their very young age, and might as well become more indolent and insensible because of too much reliability and addiction on the advances of technology. The main essence of this essay seeks to point out those children less than 12 years old should not yet be introduced to the cyber world. Furthermore, it seeks to highlight the disadvantages of the internet to children as evidenced by their inappropriate exposure to the media. II. Internet Definition, Origin, and History The Internet is precisely the most profitable contribution and seemingly the best application to the usage of computers in this era of technological development. It mainly refers to the â€Å"interconnection of networks,† which permits other computers to communicate and transfer data through a system of multiple devices (Goel 196). The availability of information becomes more exclusive as the internet offers different services in just a matter of seconds. Although the internet c ontinues to exist in this highly advanced and complicated society, not everyone knows where and how it started. Goel notes that computer networking originated at the US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) where it established the ARPANET in the 1970s that eventually developed the foundations of â€Å"internetworking† (197). Consequently, the stages that accompany the progress of the internet certainly made a quantum leap that made communication and interaction go across the borders of wireless connectivity. Purpose The frequent use of the internet severely revolutionized the current trend in the information technology (IT) industry where it created a much more complex and structured function in the delivery of the service it provides to its users. Hock argued that originally, the primary reason for the invention of the internet was plainly to design â€Å"a communications channel† which grants the comfort of data transmission where resources are readily available to the other users (2). In an academic research, conducted by the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET), the internet simply evolved to make what used to be complicated and difficult become more convenient and satisfactory. In this Information Age, the internet apparently does not only serve to make communication favorable to most, but it too has gone a long way to exceed limitations. Demographics of Users The massive application of the intern

The Crusades as a Religious Endeavor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Crusades as a Religious Endeavor - Essay Example Islam not only posed the threat of a rival religion, they also posed the threat of a rival culture (Rosenthal, 2005). Cultural and political influence must therefore be considered necessary additions to religion as factors in the ensuing power struggle. A thousand years after the Crusades, little has changed, with Christianity, Islam and Judaism vying for control throughout, not just the area of the Byzantine Empire, but the world. Again, culture and politics must be considered as well as religion. In the name of democracy, President George W. Bush considers the war in Iraq a quest for freedom, but a large contingent in the Middle East are followers of Islam, and in this respect consider the effort by Western nations to change their culture and religion in the name of democracy to be unacceptable. Great Britain's Tony Blair has remained committed to Bush's actions in Iraq, but the people of Great Britain are more realistic than the Americans as to the economic, political and cultural aspects involved in the Iraqi War. Perhaps, by studying the results of the Crusades, its effect on different populations might be an indicator of the importance of world cultural studies. A study of the Crusades might offer a different viewpoint of the present wars in which religion happens to play a major role. Pope Urban II as a Catalyst Pope Urban II has been credited with initiating the Crusades. He was elected as Pope in 1088 but did not take the papal throne until six years later, having been in exile on the Island of St. Bartholomew. Political issues kept the Byzantine Empire in a state of flux, and Urban was faced with many difficulties. The timing of his ascension, however, was in his favor. Not only was he a truly religious person with a focus on sharing Christianity throughout the world, he was also charismatic, and when he broached the idea of a Crusade against the enemies of the Christian faith at a council meeting in Clermont in 1095, it turned out to be a matter of good timing and use of imagination on his part. He strongly appealed to the general public, and the Crusades became a major undertaking, encompassing several countries (Butler, 2003). Appeals were sent out all through Europe urging people to take the cross. It must be noted, however, that one benefit of the Pope's appeal was to offset the pro pensity for violence within the Byzantine Empire__with individuals acting from personal and political motives__and the desire for economic expansion (Sloan, 2000). The Crusades gave society a common goal, and after a life of exile, upheaval and poverty, Pope Urban II finally was able to carry out his providence. The so-called "People's Crusade" was successful initially, but success was followed by failure, and a new crusade was begin in 1100, the second of eight formal crusades, and this army too was destroyed in 1101. For almost two hundred years, the Crusades affected a broad geographical and cultural area which carries through into the

Project Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project Managment - Essay Example Resource-based view is a main contributor to a firm’s competitive advantage. It implies the use of both tangible and intangible resources of the firm, so as to gain attributes that let it outperform its competitors (Shrivastava, 1994). Resource-based view (RBV) is a major determinant during the selection a firm’s location. These resources include the firm’s assets, management skills, organisational processes and routines, and the information and knowledge it controls. To begin, the human resource is important for a firm’s success as it encourages convergence and interaction of operations strategy and human resource issue (Thornhill & Amit, 2003). The economics and finance of a firm largely depend on RBV. A firm’s return is hoisted depending on the resources at its disposal. Thus, in selecting a location, the firm should consider the possibility of positive returns in its new location, and this, however, may be hindered by the firm’s heterogeneity (Barney 2001, 638). RBV is entirely, as well, a vital tool in expanding research and entrepreneurial developments in a firm. Through the entrepreneurial process of understanding market opportunities, and the coordination of innovativenes s and knowledge in the firm, the firm’s inputs can be easily translated to heterogeneous returns. Thus, the firm gains a competitive advantage over its competitors (Barney, 2001, 639) The selection of a new location for a firm is supposed to be based on other factors like marketing and customer preferences. Changing to a new location may alter the utilisation of RBV resources, and this may have the effect of either customer value creation or depreciation. Thus, RBV plays a big role in the determination of a new location for a firm. It may lead to a heterogeneous output for the firm if all the RBV resources are utilized with a prior market analysis (Belderbos et al., 2008) The design role in any firm

Comprehensive health history and Physical Essay

Comprehensive health history and Physical - Essay Example It was around six in the evening while he was driving from work when he noticed a change in his body. There was an abrupt pain onset of the pain to his right side which occurred for a small period of time about one to two minutes. He thought that he might have strained while driving and this might have resulted in the pain. The pain slowly moved from the parasternal area towards his neck. This was the first time he experienced such pain and describes his day as a normal day at the office with no strains. He felt tired at this time as the pain continued to radiate upwards. The pain subsided a little when he got home but he felt a discomfort that was accompanied by a shortness of breath. At this time, he was not nauseated or sweating. The pain seemed to disappear immediately he arrived home and rested. Two days ago the pain returned again and this time a little severe than the first episode and lasted close to five minutes. The pain seemed to emanate from the same place as the previous episode. He experienced this twice during the day in the morning and in the evening. In both instances he was not strained but simply walking around in the office. He went home and took a rest again and the pain seemed to disappear completely until today when the pain episode manifested. All this time he was contemplating of seeking medical attention but did not. He never used any pain relievers or any other drug that could ease the pain. The reason for this he says is that the pain seemed to last for a short period of time and would disappear itself or would end immediately he went to rest. This made him think that the pain was as a result of work. The patient says that he did not experience any other symptom apart from the shortness of breath during the pain episodes. There was no dizziness or palpitations. He also says that there was no other exertional dyspnea, orthopnea or paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. Interestingly the pain did not alter during movements or during food intake . There was also no palpable pain. He has never been informed of having heart problems. He has never had a problem with his chest before and neither has he ever experienced chest pains in his life. He does not have claudication. However, Andrew was diagnosed with hypertension about 2 years ago. Andrew is not a smoker and has no symptoms of diabetes. He was only diagnosed with the hypertension 2 years ago which he is fully aware of and had a total abdominal hysterectomy and a BSO about a year ago. Andrew has not been on any hormone replacement therapy of late. He also says that their family has a history of premature CAD. He has been monitoring his cholesterol level for quite some time but at present he does not know. Past Medical, Surgical, and Social History Surgical- has no history of surgical operations Medical history Childhood: diagnosed with mumps at the age of 7. No measles, croup, pertussis, rheumatic fever, scarlet or polio. Accidents: Andrew had an accident while at the ag e of 12 while riding his bicycle. He developed a fracture. At the age of 25 he was involved in a car accident although he survived with bruises. Chronic illnesses: In 2010 he was diagnosed with hypertension and was on medication until last year when he stopped taking the medication due to the drowsy effect they were having on him. In 2008 he was diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease which was successfully treated after three months using cimetidine. Hospitalizations: He was hospitalized at the age of 12 after the accident where he

Project Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project Managment - Essay Example Resource-based view is a main contributor to a firm’s competitive advantage. It implies the use of both tangible and intangible resources of the firm, so as to gain attributes that let it outperform its competitors (Shrivastava, 1994). Resource-based view (RBV) is a major determinant during the selection a firm’s location. These resources include the firm’s assets, management skills, organisational processes and routines, and the information and knowledge it controls. To begin, the human resource is important for a firm’s success as it encourages convergence and interaction of operations strategy and human resource issue (Thornhill & Amit, 2003). The economics and finance of a firm largely depend on RBV. A firm’s return is hoisted depending on the resources at its disposal. Thus, in selecting a location, the firm should consider the possibility of positive returns in its new location, and this, however, may be hindered by the firm’s heterogeneity (Barney 2001, 638). RBV is entirely, as well, a vital tool in expanding research and entrepreneurial developments in a firm. Through the entrepreneurial process of understanding market opportunities, and the coordination of innovativenes s and knowledge in the firm, the firm’s inputs can be easily translated to heterogeneous returns. Thus, the firm gains a competitive advantage over its competitors (Barney, 2001, 639) The selection of a new location for a firm is supposed to be based on other factors like marketing and customer preferences. Changing to a new location may alter the utilisation of RBV resources, and this may have the effect of either customer value creation or depreciation. Thus, RBV plays a big role in the determination of a new location for a firm. It may lead to a heterogeneous output for the firm if all the RBV resources are utilized with a prior market analysis (Belderbos et al., 2008) The design role in any firm

Explain What Christians Believe About the Sanctity of Life and Especially Their Responsibility Essay Example for Free

Explain What Christians Believe About the Sanctity of Life and Especially Their Responsibility Essay All Christian beliefs, believe in the sanctity of life. This means that life is sacred as God has given us life. But many of the different Christian religions have different views on the way both Abortions and Euthanasia should be handled. Catholics believe that life begins at the moment of conception. But from a quote from Jeremiah 1:5 ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you’. This shows that God has already given the child there special personalities and talents even before they are born. This quote forms the base of the Vatican’s Stance on contraception. They completely disagree with condoms, ‘The Pill’ and any other forms of contraception. They are also totally against the idea of Abortion. This is shown in the Humane Vitae. Mother Teresa is totally against Abortion as from this quote we can tell that she thinks that it is a sin. ‘Any country that accepts Abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants’. This shows that she backs up the views of the Roman Catholic that Abortion is a tragic sin. But the Church of England and many other religions such as Quakers and Lutheran believe that Abortion is acceptable to have an Abortion in certain circumstances, such as rape or when mental or physical damage cause be inflicted on the mother or/and child. They disagree with the beliefs of the Roman Catholic as we all have free will and having Abortion is in the rights of free will. Also there is no quote the bible that clearly states that Abortion is wrong. At the other end of the life scale Euthanasia is also another controversial issue. All Christians believe that we as human are all created by God. This is shown in Psalm 139:16 ‘You saw my unborn body’. This shows that when David sung the psalm he was telling the people that God knew you before you were born, showing that as our bodies an minds are unique we all must treat our minds with respect as otherwise we shall be committing a sin against God. Due to the fact that Jesus was human and he was the person who saved us from original sin then Euthanasia is a sin against God. Under no personal or social circumstances could ever, can now, or will ever, should Euthanasia ever render such an act lawful in itself. Pope John Paul II clearly states in this quote made in 1989 that he is totally against the idea of contraception. In the bible it states that God is the only person who can take a life. This shows that the Roman Catholics are all against the idea of Euthanasia, making it a mortal sin. Where as the Church of England and the Society of Friends would argue that if the person is likely to die very soon then using free will they should be allowed to use euthanasia as they no that they are going to die any way. Also they believe that someone should not be put to sleep immediately, but they can stop taking the medication that is keeping them alive to speed up the death. But this can cause the law trouble as they cannot tell completely what has happened. In the law it is illegal to have euthanasia performed on you. If you were found guilty you would have to face charges of man slaughter. In the it says that death is not the end of the road only the end of the first part.

A Review Of The Novel Alias Grace English Literature Essay

A Review Of The Novel Alias Grace English Literature Essay Grace Marks is one of the two accused for the murders of her employer, Mr. Kinnear and his housewife, Nancy. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. Initially she claims that she does not remember what happened at the scene of the crime. Grace is introverted and carefully chooses what she says so that she does not reveal much information about herself. After Dr. Jordan comes, she opens up a little and tells him her tough childhood and what she remembers about the murders. By the end of the novel, Grace is pardoned, marries her lover, Jamie Dr. Simon Jordan is the physician that is to analyze Grace. He is interested in her circumstances and wants to use what he knows about psychology to pry as much information from her as possible so that it can be determined whether or not she really is suffering from amnesia. After entering in a relationship with Mrs. Humphrey, his landlady, and the results of Graces hypnotism, Dr. Jordan becomes disillusioned. He is unable to come to a conclusion and in the end just returns to Europe. Mary Whitney is a girl about Graces age who also worked for Mrs. Parkinson. Mary is more experienced with worldly matters and thus becomes sort of like a mentor to Grace. It is through Mary that Grace is able to find family. They are like sisters and become close to each other. She has an affair with Mr. George that ends up in a pregnancy and a failed abortion that takes away her life. Grace seems to care more for Mary than her own mother because when her mom died, she thought twice about using the sheet to cover her. On the other hand, Grace uses her money to provide the best possible funeral for her friend. Supposedly, the spirit of Mary resides in Grace and will come out during hypnotism. Nancy Montgomery is the housemaid of Mr. Thomas Kinnear. When she is first introduced, she is looking for extra help. She is not as welcoming or friendly as Graces last employer, Mrs. Parkinson. She feels as though she is superior to Grace. Nancy has an affair with Kinnear and gets jealous of Kinnear when he starts lusting for Grace. She is later found in the cellar, strangled and her throat cut. 4. Conflicts: One major conflict in the novel is determining Graces innocence and also her identity. Much of the book is concerned about Grace giving the readers background information about herself and her version of what happened during the time of the murders The conflict never gets resolved because Dr. Jordan never comes to a conclusion and just abandons his all of his findings. He does not know what to think after he witnesses the spirit of Mary Whitney possess Graces body. Atwood gives you all of many small pieces and it is up to readers to put everything together and then decide whether or not Grace is guilty or not 5. Opening chapter or scene: Alias Grace opens with a dream about Nancy, a dream that also occurs again later on in the novel. The year is 1851 and Grace is twenty-four years old. She has been in prison ever since she was sixteen. She tries to be the model prisoner even though life in the penitentiary is described as tough. She tells this dream to Dr. Jordan when they arrive at the part of the story. In the next section is a little poem that gives a quick but somewhat inaccurate summary of what has already happened before the novel started. The opening gives some background information about Graces life and also foreshadows many events. 6. Plot: Grace has been kept at the Kingston Penitentiary when Dr. Jordan comes and performs his project with Grace, the inciting incident After Graces initial reluctance to participate with Dr. Jordan ends, the rising action occurs when Grace relates her past to him. She is an immigrant from Ireland to Canada and suffers from a dysfunctional and poverty-stricken family. Life was hard for her because her father was worthless. She was able to find a job as a housekeeper. While working, she befriends Mary Whitney. She is traumatized when Mary dies because of an unsuccessful abortion and quits her job. She takes up another job with Nancy Montgomery, who works at the Kinnear estate She also meets James McDermott, another worker under Mr. Kinnear. Nancy and Mr. Kinnear seem to have a relationship together but now Kinnear is paying more attention to Grace. James thinks that Nancy and Kinnear should be killed. Grace then tells Dr. Jordan that James kills them both and then faints when James threatens her. When she awakens, James says that she must keep her part of the deal which implied that she was to go to bed with him. Grace tries to put him off and persuades him to escape to Toronto but they soon get captured. In the climax, Dr. Dupont hypnotizes Graces but instead a spirit comes out saying that she is not Grace but Mary Whitney. When the trance is broken, Grace comes back but does not remember what happened during the hypnosis. 7. Conclusion: In the novels falling action and conclusion, a disoriented and confused Dr. Jordan ceases his investigations and returns back to Europe Grace is pardoned and released from the penitentiary at the age of forty-five. She ends up marrying her childhood lover, Jaime Walsh and soon gets pregnant. The novel ends with a passage about how Grace will quilt the Tree of Paradise. She will interweave Marys petticoat, her prison nightdress, and Nancys dress altogether. The ending was only somewhat appropriate because it did not really feel as if he flowed with the rest of the story, that it did not belong there. It just seems attached on. 8. Themes: One theme of the novel is gender and feminism in the nineteenth century. Women back then were supposed to act a certain way. They were to be submissive and modest with the men dominating. Women were also thought to be more petite and moral. This may be a reason why James was executed and why Grace was only sent to prison. Another theme of the novel is that of sexuality. This theme seems to be a big driving force in the story. Mary Whitney gets involved in a sexual affair that has big repercussions. While in prison Grace must deal with the verbal abuse and sexual advances of the guards. Grace is accused of having a sexual encounter with Jamie in the orchard. Also when Mrs. Humphreys husband leaves her, she turns to a sexual relationship with Dr. Jordan for comfort. Dr. Jordan, on the other hand has fantasies of Miss Lydia and even Grace. Both Mr. Kinnear and James lust after Grace. Kinnear and Nancy have an affair too. Either way, sexuality plays an important role in the novel. 9. Symbols/Archetypes: One big symbol is that of the quilt. There is both a physical quilt, the one that Grace is working on, and a mental quilt. Each time Dr. Jordan examines Grace, it seems if as though another piece of Graces life and identity are sewed onto a quilt. All of the little intricate bits and memories are stitched together make up the whole quilt and there are also different ways to look at and interpret quilts. In addition, the title of each chapter is a name of a real quilting design. Another symbol may be that apples. They could symbolize the truth and knowledge. It could also represent the apple in the Garden of Eden. Grace could symbolize Eve, who was manipulated by something evil and then was punished for it. 10. Parallel events/parallel works: Alias Grace is similar to the story of the Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gillman. Both works of literature were about psychiatric care. Women were the protagonist in both stories. Also both women were isolated from other people, one in an asylum, another in a lonely room. The dream that Grace describes in the opening chapter makes another appearance in the middle of the novel. In it, Grace sees Nancy with blood all over her face. Alias Grace is the retelling of the real story of Grace Marks. It is a historical fiction novel though, so some aspects such as the character of Dr. Simon Jordan are made up. 11. Style: Atwood rarely uses quotations in this novel. This makes the text more confusing as to who is talking and thinking which thoughts. This does emphasize the ambiguity of Graces life and her account of the murders In addition to the lack of punctuation, Grace also uses the word could very often. This makes it seems like she is making up some of the details, that what she says is conditional The story is presented from the point of view of Graces At the beginning of each chapter, Atwood uses a real historical article and/or a quote that describes something about Grace to introduce the next section. To highlight the quilt theme, Atwood also names each chapter after a genuine quilting pattern and even provides a small picture of the design. 12. Significant lines: I would rather be a murderess than a murderer, if those are the only choices (23) showing feminist attitudes like passing through the gates of Hell and into Paradise (447) when she left the penitentiary and went off into the real world and that is the same with all quilts, you can see them two different ways, by looking at the dark pieces, or else the light (162) there are always more than one way to look at things in life and everything has a dark and light side Murderess is a strong word to have attached to you (27) she has a label attached to her and it makes her think a certain way And so we will all be together (460) the last line of the novel, Grace will all of the remnants of her past onto one quilt so that she can look at it and move on

Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on the Environment Essay

The Deepwater Horizon spill occurred on 20 April 2010 and was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that killed 11 workers and injured 17 more. The drilling rig, located 66 kilometers southeast of the Louisiana coast, left an oil gusher that was finally capped on July 15, almost 2 months later. This was the largest accidental marine oil spill in history and the largest offshore environmental disaster in the United States (Telegraph, New York Times, BBC News). It is estimated by scientists that over 4.9 million barrels of oil were released into the ocean, about half of the crude oil the U.S. imports each day and worth $400 million (Popular Mechanics, CBC News). About 1070 kilometers of coastline were contaminated. Over 47 thousand personnel were deployed, 1.4 million barrels of liquid waste collected, and $40 billion spent on cleanup. Aerial photo taken in Gulf of Mexico more than 50 miles southeast of Louisiana showing the Deepwater Horizon oil rig burning after a deadly blowout of an oil well. Credit: Gerald Herbert The Gulf of Mexico contains commercially important aquatic life, including blue crabs, squid, shrimp, and fish. Toxins in the oil can kill these species or cause injuries such as genetic damage, disease, cancer, and reproductive and immune system impairment. Marine mammals, fish, reptiles, and birds depend on clean, healthy habitats to provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds. The presence of discharged oil in the environment can cause decreased habitat use in the area, altered migration patterns, altered food availability, and disrupted life cycles. Plants affected by the oil could die, eliminating the roots that help bind and stabilize the soil in the ocean floor, leading to erosi... .... Web. 6 November 2011. Gunter, Ford. â€Å"Explosion could have Disastrous Business Consequences.† Portfolio. Wall Street Horizon, 28 April 2010. Web. 6 November 2011. â€Å"Bird Impact Data and Consolidated Wildlife Reports.† FWS Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, n.d. Web. 6 November 2011. â€Å"Sea Turtles, Dolphins, and Whales and the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill.† Office of Protected Resources. NOAA Fisheries, n.d. Web. 6 November 2011. â€Å"Gulf Coast Oil Spill: One Year Later.† Gulf Oil Spill Response. National Parks Conservation Association, n.d. Web. 6 November 2011. â€Å"British Companies’ Reputation in the U.S. is Under Threat.† The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 14 July 2010. Web. 6 November 2011. â€Å"David Cameron confronts Barack Obama in Battle to Protect BP.† The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 16 June 2010. Web. 6 November 2011.

Its the End of the World as We Know it, and I Feel Fine :: essays research papers

It's the End of the World as We Know it, and I Feel Fine Earl. It rhymed with girl. He always took a lot of heat for that. But that was before the Easter egg. The extraordinary Easter egg. Earl’s extraordinary Easter egg†¦ He got it as a gift from his mean cousin Katie that never was and never will be nice to him (she kept teasing his name). It looked like nothing special to him. Probably just some chocolate inside but it definitely wasn’t an ordinary egg. This egg contained extra-terrestrial contents that have enormous potential. As he unwrapped the cheap aluminum wrapper encasing the egg, a little note fell out. At first, what seemed like an encoded language scribbled on the note moved its lines around and became American English. This is the pod of life and destruction. In the pod contains objects from the seventh dimension. Its purpose is to continue the mere existence of the universe by destroying much of it. 3,465,735,180,261 EUs received  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  32 EUs needed Note: The reader of this is cursed with the occupation of feeding the pod the energy it needs to complete its objective. Nice prank Kate but this is too stupid to be funny or scary, Earl thought. As he was about to throw it out, he noticed that the egg felt warm to his touch. He easily broke open the plastic shell and inside was a very strange looking object. It looked like a cool blue rock that shimmered like water. It felt like slick rubber but it bended and changed shape like Jell-o. This is weird, Earl though. As he was running out the kitchen door to ask Katie about this, the â€Å"thing† slipped out of his hand and a bounced straight up a couple hundred feet. While it was still going up, it disappeared. Uh-oh, Earl thought, it’s going to do whatever it’s supposed to do! Then, it warped back into existence right in the palm of Earl’s hand! Weird, Earl thought, better not tell Katie right away. At night, he put the pod under his pillow. It just made him feel safer when it’s in his hands than in his parents bedroom. Next morning, he felt really tired. He glanced at the slip and was shocked at the numbers on it. It read that instead of 32 EUs needed, it only said 3. Uh-oh, I looked at the back of the slip and found more words on it.

Disadvantages of Large Population of a Country in Relation to Development Essay

â€Å"Overpopulation is a curse to the society’s overall growth. Several countries facing this problem are trying to control their population growth. India, for example, has been introducing family planning programs to curtail the growth of its population.† Population growth in a country using a capitalist economic system means more demand for products and therefore economic growth. For a country with a low population and a lot of land, it can be an advantage especially if the distribution of wealth remains close to level so everybody can prosper. That’s not a long term solution for the planet however. The disadvantage is that population growth puts tremendous pressure on economic and ecological resources. In the long term, the world will have to come to terms with the fact that we are consuming at a faster rate than nature is able to produce right now. The consequences of not making an adjustment in an orderly manner will not be a pretty sight. Some of the underdeveloped and developing countries face the problem of over population. Too many mouths to feed and fewer natural resources on hand can have a devastating effect on the economy. Countries like India and China have large population. In India, population growth has been on a higher scale than what the country’s economy can handle. The prosperity of a nation depends upon the standard of living of its people. Developed countries, such as the US with less population provide a better standard of living for their people. The Americans have good food to eat, enjoy a luxurious living as compared to the people belonging to Sou th-East Asia. What are the disadvantages of overpopulation one may ask? Depletion of Natural Resources: The effects of overpopulation are quite severe. The first of these is the depletion of resources. The Earth can only produce a limited amount of water and food, which is falling short of the current needs. Most of the environmental damage being seen in the last fifty odd years is because of the growing number of people on the planet. They are cutting down forests, hunting wildlife in a reckless manner, causing pollution and creating a host of problems. Those engaged in talking about overpopulation have noticed that acts of violence and aggression outside of  a war zone have increased tremendously while competing for resources. Degradation of Environment: With the overuse of coal, oil and natural gas, it has started producing some serious effects on our environment. Rise in the number of vehicles and industries have badly affected the quality of air. Rise in amount of CO2 emissions leads to global warming. Melting of polar ice caps, changing climate patterns, rise in sea level are few of the consequences that we might we have to face due to environment pollution. Conflicts and Wars: Overpopulation in developing countries puts a major strain on the resources it should be utilizing for development. Conflicts over water are becoming a source of tension between countries, which would result in wars. It causes more diseases to spread and makes them harder to control. Starvation is a huge issue facing the world and the mortality rate for children is being fuelled by it. Poverty is the biggest hallmark we see when talking about overpopulation. All of this will only become worse if solutions are not sought out for the factors affecting our population. We can no longer prevent it, but there are ways to control it. Rise in Unemployment: When a country becomes overpopulated, it gives rise to unemployment as there fewer jobs to support large number of people. Rise in unemployment gives rise to crime as people will steal various items to feed their family and provide them basic amenities of life. High Cost of Living: As difference between demand and supply continues to expand due to overpopulation, it raises the prices of various commodities including food, shelter and healthcare. This means that people have to pay more to survive and feed their families. Top 20 thought provoking effects of over population 1.More mouths to feed. 2.Lower standard of living. 3.Poverty. 4.Overcrowded cities. 5.Sickness and spreading of diseases. 6.Insufficient natural resources to provide adequate goods and services. 7.Inadequate facilities, such as housing, medical etc. 8.Problem of starvation and malnourished population. 9.Education facilities may not meet the requirements of the entire population. 10.Unemployment. 11.Higher crime rate due to unequal distribution of wealth and insufficient financial resources. 12.Environmental pollution. Trees are felled to make space for housing facilities. 13.Agricultural production is insufficient to meet the requirements of the entire population, which results in higher prices. 14.Money is diverted to ensure that the population is fed, rather than carrying out fundamental research. 15.Lower life expectancy. 16.People living in rural areas are not provided with employment opportunities. 17.Large number of people lives in unhygienic conditions. 18.Birth rate is high. 19.Due to lack of proper medical facilities death is also very high. People succumb to various diseases. 20.Child labor is common. To sustain themselves families force their children to work, rather than send them to school.

Analysis of “1954” by Sharon Olds Essay

â€Å"1954† by Sharon Olds is a poem displaying the horrors of an instance of rape and murder of a young girl by a man named Burton Abbott in 1954. Olds uses a frantic and horrified tone highlighted by a careful choice of diction to express her messages that any ordinary-looking person can disguise evil and the current justice system has a hypocritical eye-for-an-eye mindset that only ends up destroying human life. The structure of â€Å"1954† is built on enjambment and broken sentences. This helps the reader understand fear the speaker feels, as if words are simply pouring out, developing the frantic and horrified tone of the poem. This fear builds as the speaker begins to make connections between the victim and herself. The author uses clear imagery in phrases like â€Å"†¦I feared the word eczema, like my acne and like the X in the paper which marked her body†¦Ã¢â‚¬  to help make these connections. The speaker relates the victim’s eczema with her own acne, and recognizes how an innocent, little girl has been reduced to nothing but an X that marked where her lifeless body was left. Now that the speaker can relate to the victim in a clear way, she begins to realize how ordinary the murderer was. The author uses simple, ordinary diction to describe him. Phrases like â€Å"as if he were not someone specific,† â€Å"his face was dull and ordinary,† and â€Å"he looked almost humble† are examples of the author’s use of ordinary diction that make the killer seem normal. The speaker then says the killer went against â€Å"what I’d thought I could count on about evil.† This helps support the message that evil can be disguised in anyone because by making the murderer seem ordinary, the author forces the speaker and the reader to begin to question the people around them. A definite shift occurs in line 22 of the poem. The author shifts from using the word â€Å"fear† to the word â€Å"pity† when referring to the crime, and begins to use â€Å"fear† to describe how the speaker feels towards consequences the murderer, Burton Abbott must face. The speaker realizes that â€Å"the good people, the parents† were going to fry Mr. Abbott on the electric chair for his crime. The author deliberately used the word fry to express that the parents of the victim did not just believe that Abbott should receive capital punishment, but they wanted him to suffer; they wanted to watch him  writhe in pain for what he did to their daughter. As a result, the speaker begins to fear electricity, and her mother’s electric blanket. The author uses this and other carefully chosen phrases like â€Å"death to the person, death to the home planet† to demonstrate the hypocrisy that exists in the justice system’s eye-for-an-eye men tality when it comes to capital punishment. When someone commits a murder, they are sentenced to death, simply resulting in further loss of human life. People who see these crimes in the news not only fear the murderer; they fear the brutal punishment just as much, demonstrated by the speaker’s new fear of electricity. The author uses carefully chosen diction and tone to communicate two completely different messages to the reader. Both of these messages come together at the end of the poem to pose a single, lingering question to the reader: Who should we fear more? The murderer, or our own justice system?

Sample Position Paper

The island is called Kankakee in Japan and Oddity in China. The territorial dispute was botched in 2012 by Tokyo, led at the time by the now- discredited Democratic Party of Japan. Reacting to China's increasingly intrusive presence in the waters around the Japanese-administered islands, and fearing that maverick former Tokyo Governor Shinto Ashier would carry through his threat to purchase the islands, then-Prime Minister Whooshing Nodal nationalized several of the islands after buying them from heir private owners in September 2012. China responded instantly with anti- Japanese riots and a freezing of diplomatic relations.Chinese patrol vessels and fishing boats began tense face-offs with Japan's Coast Guard. Within months, both nations' air forces began more active aerial patrols. One year and two months ago, China upped the ante by flying surveillance drones in such contested airspace. Japan responded by saying it would shoot down any drone that refused to leave the skies above t he islands. Beijing says that any attack on its drones would be an act of war. In another sign of high tensions in North East Asia, Japan announced that it scrambled fighter jets on the 7th January 2014 to head off a Chinese civilian aircraft near disputed islands.The Y-12 propeller plane entered Japan's air defense identification zone CADIS), but not the airspace around the Kankakee islets, before heading back to China. The incident is the first reported since China announced its own ADZ last November in the East China Sea, including the disputed islands, provoking an aggressive response from both the United States and Japan. The Obama administration immediately declared that US military aircraft would ignore the new Chinese protocols and flew nuclear-capable 8-52 bombers through the zone without informing Chinese authorities.US allies Japan and South Korea followed suit, raising the danger that an error or miscalculation could lead to a clash with the potential for escalation into an open conflict. The warfare is still continued and Japan did boost their defense budget. Controlling the use of drones for warfare is only in the hands of the nation's leaders. China's ambassador has accused Japan's Prime Minister, Shinto Abe, f â€Å"raising the specter of militarism† and putting his country on a â€Å"perilous path† that could threaten global peace.Lie Gaming said Abe, who has challenged the widely held view that Japan was an aggressor in the second world war, had contributed to a dramatic rise in tensions in north-east Asia with his hawkish policies and a recent visit to a controversial war shrine. The international community, Lie warned, should remain on a â€Å"high alert†. Relations between China and Japan – which enjoy expansive trade ties – have reached their lowest point in decades over competing claims to the Kankakee islands in the East China Sea, which are administered by Japan but also claimed by China.