Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Training and development is said to be beneficial for both firms and Research Paper

Training and development is said to be beneficial for both firms and employees. Why then are some organisations and individuals reluctant to invest in training - Research Paper Example he essay will develop into an analysis of various factors that characterise training and development such as human resources development as well as mentoring and coaching. This section will also attempt to investigate why other organisations and individuals are reluctant to invest in this noble initiative that is beneficial to both parties involved. A conclusion will be drawn at the end on the basis of the main ideas that are going to be raised in the main part of the discussion which is centred on training and development. During the contemporary period, it can be noted that organisations operate in a dynamic environment which is characterised by different changes. In most cases, these changes are necessitated by various factors which include the following: economic, political, social as well as cultural and demographic among others (Schultz et al 2003). In order for the organisation to remain viable as well keep pace with the changes taking place in the environment, it is imperative for them to put measures that the employees are developed and trained to know the changes that may take place in their operations so as to be prepared to face the consequences that may affect their day to day dispensation of duties. Workers’ skills ought to be upgraded to meet the dictates of the constantly changing environment in which they will be operating. It is imperative to provide basic training to the employees so that they are equipped with the required knowledge to undertake the challenging tasks that can arise as a result of change in the operations of the organisation that can be encountered. Basically, employee training is job related learning that is provided by the employers for their employers and the aim is improvement of the employees’ skills, knowledge and attitude so that they can perform their duties according to the set standards (Swanepoel et al 1998). More often than not, successful training begins with the needs assessment to determine which employees

Monday, October 28, 2019

Fast Food Nation Essay Example for Free

Fast Food Nation Essay In this nation, fast food is filling up every ounce of our daily lives. An industry that started with a small innocent number of hamburger and hot dog stands has spread to every corner of the nation and the world. When we are to tired or have no time to make dinner after a long and extremely busy day, fast food restaurants is where we go to get our meals. Not only that, but fast food is now sold at airports, cruise ships, universities, high schools, elementary schools, and even hospitals. With the amount of money spend on fast food increasing every year, many Americans still are not aware or simply just do not care how our beloved fast food is prepared and how it is bad it is for our health. However, after reading the novel, â€Å"Fast Food Nation,† by Eric Schlosser, there is definitely one less American buying fast food for a long while. This book has made me disgusted with not only the food but how Americans could eat fast food with the way it is prepared. Americans now spend more money on fast food than on higher education, personal computers, computer software, or new cars. They spend more on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music combined. Schlosser describes the growth of the fast food industry as being driven by fundamental changes in American society. From the 1970s onwards, with a steady decline in the hourly wage (adjusted for inflation) of the average US worker, more and more American mothers were working outside the home. In 1975, about 1/3 of US mothers with young children did this. Today, almost 2/3 of such mothers are employed. A generation ago, three-quarters of the money used to buy food in the US was spent to prepare meals at home. Today, about half of that money used to buy food is spent in restaurants mainly fast food restaurants (in 1968, McDonalds had 1,000 restaurants; today it has about 30,000, and 2,000 new ones each year). http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/s/schlosser-fast.html.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Edward Jenner :: essays research papers

Edward Jenner â€Å"Now James, I need you to try to stay completely still. It may hurt your arm a bit when I make the cuts. It won’t take too terribly long, and if you pay close attention it will be done before you know it. Nurse, please hold his arm out towards me. Please be sure that he doesn’t move his arm, I don’t want there to be any accidents.† â€Å"Those were the last words I heard until the first tests were over. I was in the office of one of the most amazing men I have ever known. His name is Edward Jenner; and I was one of his test subjects in finding a cure for smallpox. Smallpox is a disease that most people who contract it call one of the most painful and frightening experiences of their lives.† â€Å"My name is James Philliphs, the first person given the smallpox vaccine; and the one who helped Edward Jenner prove that it actually works. At the first appointment I stepped into Jenner’s office, he told me about the test procedure, and the called for an assistant to help him run the test. He then asked me to sit down a chair and relax, then asked me to stay patient and stay still as he made two small cuts in my arm. Well, he made the cuts; and they didn’t hurt at all. Now Jenner told me he would be introducing a lesser-known disease called â€Å"cowpox† to the cuts. Cowpox was believed by some to be the only safe way to effectively develop immunities to smallpox. Jenner himself said that when someone had overcome cowpox; they had also become immune to smallpox.† â€Å"A little less than fifty or so days after the first day of testing, was called back to Edward Jenner’s office for my second appointment. We followed basically the same procedure as the first time. Although this time he introduced the cuts to smallpox. The strangest thing happened, we waited and waited. But like Jenner predicted, it had no effect on me at all.† Everyone who heard the news of Jenner’s discovery was amazed. He had successfully come up with the first safe cure for naturally occurring smallpox. Before Jenner’s acclaimed â€Å"Vaccination†, the only way to become immune to smallpox was to get infected by it, and then hopefully survive it. A woman named Mary Wortley introduced this method in 1718, 78 years before Jenner’s solution.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Coach Inc Case Preparation Essay

Coach Inc. Case Preparation: Key Facts: Low cost provider strategy Focused on matching key luxury rivals in quality and styling while beating them on price by 50 percent or more; competitive advantage Multichannel distribution model (indirect wholesales to third-party retailors vs. direct-to-consumer sales. Priorities increase global distribution and improve same-store sales productivity Build market share in NA, Japan Raise brand awareness and build share in underpenetrated markets Increase sales of products targeted towards men Create an online marketing presence using coach.com, etc 4.2 billion in sales in 2011 (20 percent annual increase) 63 percent were handbags, 27 percent accessories, 10 percent other products 16.7 million to 880 million in net income  2012 direct-to-consumer accounted for 87% of 2011’s net sales, indirect wholesaler had net sales of 540 million Coach, Inc. in 2012: Its strategy in the ‘accessible’ luxury goods market 1. Describe the macro environment of the luxury goods industry. Political Factors: The market in China was restricted for some time by the Chinese government Economic Conditions: the economic downturn in 2007-2009 hurt the luxury goods industry Sociocultural Forces: healthy/green movement, more conservative with money after the downturn etc Technological Factors: more ways to talk to consumers, provide brand awareness, and allow consumers to buy (websites, mobile apps, etc.) Environmental Factors: weather not really a concern in the luxury goods industry Legal/Regulatory Conditions: none mentioned in the case really, other than the counterfeit laws which are in place to help the luxury goods industry 2. What are the defining characteristics of the industry? What is the industry like? Defining characteristics of the industry/what is the industry like includes many competitors, growing demand as middle class and upper class expand, diversity in luxury products (using your brand name and  attaching it to other products/lines i.e., men’s products for coach). 3. How is the market for luxury handbags and leather accessories changing? What are the underlying drivers of change, and how can these forces change the industry? The market doesn’t seem to be changing very much, maybe expanding as more money and other countries are becoming wealthier (India). Drivers of change are new internet capabilities and applications, product and marketing innovation, changing societal concerns, attitudes, and lifestyles Different wants handbags for the more on the go lifestyle, environmentally friendly bags/processes. 4. What key factors determine the success of makers of fine handbags and leather accessories? KFSs are: diverse products, ahead of trends (fashion), marketing research, lower price point than competition, brand loyalty/recognition/awareness 5. What is competition like in the industry? Which of the five competitive forces is the strongest? Which is the weakest? What is the industry’s potential for profitability? Many competitors in the luxury goods industry. Strongest of the five forces I believe is rivalry, competitive pressures come from other firms in the industry, competitors numerous equal size and competitive strength, face high exit barriers, diverse countries of origin Weakest of the five forces I believe is potential new entrants, because brand recognition is so important in the industry Industry’s potential for profitability is high, markets are large and expanding, their sales are already high etc. 6. What does your strategic group map of the industry look like? The three main categories: haute-couture, traditional luxury and accessible luxury The first two are not where Coach competes but where some of its competitors are, where they have created other product lines that compete in the accessible luxury category. DKYNY, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, (last two created diffusion lines) are competition in the accessible luxury category 7. What recommendations would you make to Lew Frankfort to improve the company’s competitive position in the industry and its market performance? Follow their current plans and strategies to open up and pursue growing markets to improve market performance, and increased market share will help their competitive position.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Johnson Johnson Case

The corporate strategy that Johnson& Johnson pursue is to encourage autonomy in each division and cultivate entrepreneurial culture throughout the organization. It has heavily relied on acquisitions to grow over the years to expand the company into a board range of businesses in the healthcare industry. As Johnson& Johnson has grew into a complex enterprise, granted near-total autonomy has fostered each division to develop and expand its best-seller products and to be responsible for their promised achievement. This independence attributes most to the company’s success.It also provides the firm with the ability to respond quickly to emerging opportunities. Each division has the freedom to develop its own strategy, and to work with its own resources. However, this decentralization brings up the company’s overhead costs. Merger and acquisition has also brought up quality control problems that some of its products have been recalled. Johnson &Johnson has evolved to have to p-notch products and strong skills in all three basic divisions: drugs, devices, and diagnostics, that few companies can compete for.To increase collaboration between these divisions will attract new business opportunities, and the firm will benefit from his convergence by allowing different units work together. Weldon has pushed all of its units to work together to deal with different health problems and to work on new opportunities. As a leader, Weldon understands the importance of entrepreneurial spirit in the company. So he takes steps and cautions to foster collaboration among disparate operations.He set up groups that draw people from different division to work together on specific health problems, and each of the groups will be reported every six months on potential strategies and projects. He is also pushing for more internal growth that to accelerate top-and bottom-line growth. Weldon encourage employees to share database across the various business units to further improve innovation. To create a sustainable competitive advantage, Johnson &Johnson has to have valuable resources.By acquiring different segment of healthcare industry, they have the ability to develop new products that requires different segments of healthcare industry. Encouraging synergy will improve its efficiency and effectiveness in solving difficult health problem and neutralize threats, because few companies have such large resources as Johnson& Johnson does. Since few firms could actually be able to attain the idea of synergy, the resource that Johnson &Johnson has is rare. Besides that, Johnson & Johnson has to make sure their resource is difficult to imitate and difficult to substitute.Apparently, for competitors who own as large resources as Johnson& Johnson does will be able to perform same synergy; however, if Johnson& Johnson come up with some unique idea and products on curing one of the difficult health problems and get patent on it, it will be then difficult for competit ors to imitate. In order to be hard to substitute, Johnson &Johnson has to make sure their products have distinctive effectiveness that it would be hard to achieve without their products.From balance sheet, Johnson& Johnson’s liquidity, as measured by current assets compared to current liabilities, increased over the year. We might be tempted to conclude that its balance sheet has grown â€Å"stronger† currently. But its net income per sale has dropped dramatically. This might be caused by a string of product recalls and consumers are lost confidence in their products after recalls. Quality issues have risen since converging of two divisions, which directly affect Johnson& Johnson’s reputation. Investors are starting to question Johnson &Johnson’s management.Its financial picture looks even worsen now. Synergy to fix the manufacturing problems that had caused the recalls are taking longer than expected, and some brands might not return to shelves until 20 13. Current situation that Johnson& Johnson though may not put the company in a struggle condition, Consumers are losing faith in its products. Also, recent legal losses for Johnson &Johnson related to its antipsychotic drugs and the announcement to remove out some ingredients that have been proved harmful to personal health have made its overall picture worsen.From its 2nd quarter 2012 conference calls, they mentioned that their current main goal is to restore reliable supply and to regain trust from consumers. Consumers have lost some degree of confidence in Johnson& Johnson because of the recalls. But they have also mentioned in the conference calls that its pharmaceutical team achieved success in new products launching and their Synthes acquisition successfully closed in the 2nd quarter. Although they are still dealing with the negative impact of the

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

5 Exercises to Sneak in at Work!

5 Exercises to Sneak in at Work! You’re triple-booked with meetings, eating at your desk- with no time for a social life let alone a lunch hour! And it’s the holiday season, when all our best habits are dissolving into sugar cookies and sparkling cocktails and cheese trays. No time to hit the gym? If you can carve out just 15 minutes from your workday, you can keep up your fitness without having to drop any of your spinning plates. Try this simple routine a few days a week. All you need is you, your cubicle, and a little willpower!RELATED:Â  Top 9 Stress Relieving Activities at Work That’ll Keep You Happy1. SquatsTarget area: thighs and butt. How to do it: stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Focus your body weight in your heels as you push your hips down to knee level and lean forward at a 45 degree angle. Make sure to keep your knees above your ankles and your core strong. Do this 12-25 times. Extra credit: hold a book above your head to step up the intensity.2. PlankTarget area: core, arms, everything. Combat the negative effects of slumping at your desk and help your posture and alignment at the same time. How to do it: lower your forearms to the ground, fits and elbows flat, your palms directly below your shoulders. Keep your neck and spine neutral, keep your shoulders down and back, and stay as straight and firm as possible for 15 seconds. Repeat 4 times.3. LungesTarget area: legs, lower body. Stand with your feet together and your hands on your hips. Take a large step forward so your front and back leg are at a 90 degree angle. Return to the feet together position and repeat with the other leg. Get all the way down your office hallway. Extra credit: hold the book over your head doing this one too.4. Push-ups and Chair DipsTarget area: arms, arms, arms. Start with doing push-ups (you can use a desk to build up to the real thing), bending at the elbow and lowering your body until you arms are at a 90 degree angle. Repeat 10 times. Then, immediately, go to the c hair. With your back to it, use your arms to lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Straighten your arms to raise yourself back up Repeat 10 times. Do this duo 3 times in succession.5. Power VsTarget areas: abs, quads, hip flexors. How to do it: sit at the edge of your chair and lean your torso back. Tuck your pelvis, hold the base of the seat for support, and then raise your knees and extend your legs into a ‘V’ position. Hold for 5 seconds. Lower and raise up again. Repeat 10 times.Do this series of easy heart-pumping, ab-tightening, body-toning exercises twice through a few times a week and you’ll start to see results without letting your job suffer. No gym membership required!

Monday, October 21, 2019

History Behind The Atom Essays - Atomic Physics, Nuclear Physics

History Behind The Atom Essays - Atomic Physics, Nuclear Physics History Behind The Atom The History Behind The Atom Throughout the discovery of the atom, many scientists worked to formulate how the atom works. Which began in the early 1800s with John Dalton, to our current model of the electron cloud developed by Schrodinger. During this long process of the discovery the atom, took many models and scientists. The entire group of scientists who assisted in the discovery of the atom used each others model to improve each others theories. Firstly, John Dalton showed that, collectively, the three laws, the law of definite proportion, the law of conversation of masses, and the law of multiple proportion. These three laws demonstrate the existence of the atom. Also, Using these three laws he developed a theory called, Daltons Atomic Theory. This includes five basic principles; 1) all matter is made of indivisible and indestructible atoms, 2) atoms of a given element are identical in their physical and chemical properties, 3) atoms of different elements have different physical and chemical properties, 4) atoms of different elements combine in simple whole-number ratios to form chemical compounds, 5) atoms cannot be subdivided, created or destroyed when they are combined, separated, or rearranged in chemical reactions. However, after scientists look more carefully at his points they found some weaknesses. One weakness was that the atom was found to be indivisible, and they had smaller particles. After Dalton came up with the five points, J.J. Thompson came along. He discovered that charged and magnets deflected the straight paths of cathode rays. In addition, he discovered negative and positive charged particles. He stated that the atom was made of smaller particles called, electrons and protons. In the discovery of the electron he used the Cathode-ray tube. As he researched he came up with a model of the atom, he stated that the atom was a plum pudding model. This model featured negatively charged electrons embedded in a ball of positive charge. After, J.J. Thompson came Ernst Rutherford, who was a student of Mr. Thompson. He created gold-foil experiment which untimely-disproved J.J. Thompsons theory. In this experiment he directed a beam of alpha particles at a very thin gold foil sheet. This was so the Rutherford could measure the angles of the particles coming off the gold foil. Sheet. Most of the alpha particles went through the sheet, however some of the particles hit the foil and bounced back. The reason of this was that the particles that bounced off the nucleus and the particles that went straight through traveled in the empty space. The major was that his experiment was that the atom would eventually lose its energy and collapse in the nucleus. Around 1913, a Danish physicist named Niels Bohr came up with a new model to further our knowledge of the atom. In his model, he purposes that the electrons in the atom can reside only to certain energy levels. He related his model to a ladder, a person can stand on the rungs of the ladder, and however it is impossible for a person to stand between the rungs. The only way for the electron to jump to the next level is for it to have a Quantum leap. Which is the leap from one energy level to another, and the lowest energy level is called the ground state. Thus, comes to the conclusion that electrons are quantized. Helping Bohrs model become superior, Plank declared that energy comes in packets or bundles of energy that is discontinued. This went all against classical science and he was not favored with the other scientist. Helping prove Bohrs model he used the bright-line spectrum, which helped him prove his model. There was one flaw in his model, which was that it did not work with mu ltiple elements. After Bohr and Plank, another educated scientist came along who was DeBroglie, he purposed the Wave Particle Duality Theory. This theory stated that matter can act like waves, and waves can act like particles. To prove his theory he used the mathematical expression of mc=hc. Which meant that the m stood for the mass particles and the stood for the wavelength. Taking DeBroglies model to a further extent was Heisanburg; he treated electrons as particles. He

Sunday, October 20, 2019

10 Tips to Avoid Getting Stung By a Bee

10 Tips to Avoid Getting Stung By a Bee Being stung by a bee or wasp is never fun, and for those with bee sting allergies, it can be downright deadly. Fortunately, most bee stings are entirely avoidable. Bees, wasps, and hornets sting primarily to defend themselves, so the key to avoiding bee stings is to make sure the bees dont feel threatened by you. 1. Dont Wear Perfumes or Colognes In other words, dont smell like a flower. Bees can detect and follow strong scents, and wearing perfumes or colognes will attract nectar-seeking bees and wasps from a distance. Once they find the source of the flower smell (you), theyre likely to investigate by landing on you or buzzing around your body. 2. Avoid Wearing Brightly Colored Clothing, Especially Floral Prints This goes along with #1 - dont look like a flower, either. Theres a reason beekeepers wear white. If youre wearing bright colors, you are just asking bees to land on you. Keep your outdoor wear limited to khaki, white, beige, or other light colors if you dont want to attract bees. 3. Be Careful What You Eat Outdoors Sugary foods and drinks will attract bees and wasps for sure. Before you take a sip of your soda, look inside the can or glass and make sure a wasp hasnt gone in for a taste. Fruits also attract the stinging crowd, so pay attention when snacking on ripe fruits outdoors. Dont leave your peach pits or orange peels sitting around. 4. Dont Walk Barefoot Bees may nectar on clover blossoms and other small flowers in your lawn and some wasps make their nests in the ground. If you step on or near a bee, its going to try to protect itself and sting you. But if youre wearing shoes, its only going to hurt itself, not you. 5. Try Not to Wear Loose-Fitting Clothes Bees and wasps might just find their way up your pant leg or into your shirt if you give them an easy opening. Once inside, they will be trapped against your skin. And whats your first impulse when you feel something crawling around inside your clothing? You slap at it, right? Thats a recipe for disaster. Opt for clothing with tighter cuffs, and keep baggy shirts tucked in. 6. Stay Still The worst thing you can do when a wasp flies around your head is swat at it. What would you do if someone took a swing at you? If a bee, wasp, or hornet comes near you, just take a deep breath and stay calm. Its just trying to determine if you are a flower or some other item useful to it, and once it realizes youre just a person, it will fly away. 7. Keep Your Car Windows Rolled Up Bees and wasps have an uncanny knack for getting themselves trapped in cars, where they will buzz around in a panic trying to find a way out. If youre driving the car at the time, this can certainly be unsettling. But wasps and bees cant get inside a car thats closed up, so keep the windows rolled up whenever possible. If you do find yourself giving a ride to an unwanted stinging insect, pull over when its safe to do so and roll your windows down. Dont try to swat at it while you are driving! 8. Rinse Your Garbage and Recycling Cans and Keep Lids on Them Wasps love empty soda and beer bottles and will check out any food waste in your garbage, too. Dont let food residue build up on your garbage cans. Rinse them well now and then, and always put tight-fitting lids on them to keep wasps away from your garbage. This can substantially cut down on the number of wasps hanging around your yard. 9. Dont Hang out in the Flower Garden If youre really worried about bee stings, dont hang out where the bees are most numerous. Bees spend most of their time and energy collecting nectar and pollen from flowers. Dont get in their way. If youre deadheading flowers or gathering them for an arrangement, keep an eye out for bees and wait until theyve moved on to another flower. 10. Call a Professional to Have Unwanted Bees, Wasps, or Hornets Removed Nothing makes a stinging insect angrier than when someone disturbs or destroys its home. Professional beekeepers or pest control experts can remove wasp or hornet nests or bee swarms safely, without putting you at risk for stings.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Health Promotion for Early Years Practitioners Essay

Health Promotion for Early Years Practitioners - Essay Example ..It is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities (Health Promotion glossary, WHO, 1998). In the 1948 Constitution, WHO further declares that enjoying good health is the basic fundamental right of an individual, and the state must necessarily take measures to fulfil its obligation to this end. In context to child health WHO points out that â€Å"Healthy development of the child is of basic importance†, as good health during the formative years forms the foundation for a healthy adulthood. The state must make available to all its citizens the basic resources for medical, psychological well being and all relevant information that aims to achieve good health; and here there must not be any distinctions, based on â€Å"race, religion, political belief, economic, or social condition.† However in this context it must be mentioned that health is not only an obligation solely on the state; but there must also be an active coop eration and informed opinion based feedback from the general public that would help the state to function even more effectively. â€Å"Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health† (Health Promotion glossary, WHO, 1998). Health promotion is an ongoing process that reflects the social and political conditions pertinent to health conditions within a country. Promotions are not only aimed at improving individual health but are directed towards transforming the entire social-economic and the physical environmental conditions, so that is an overall improvement in the life qualities of the society as a whole. There are various socioeconomic factors of health, based on the economic and social conditions of different countries. WHO delineates the general factors that are necessary for achieving good health and these are: sufficient economic resources, adequate food and shelter, stable eco-system, sustainable natural resource s and their appropriate use., and in the process highlights the important yet complex links that exist between an individual’s socio-economic conditions, his physical environment, his lifestyle, and his health. A UK team of researchers identified the socioeconomic factors of health as: social/class gradient, social support, social exclusion, early life, work, joblessness, stress, food, transport, and addiction (Marmot and  Wilkinson, 2005). On the other hand, we find that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  identifies socioeconomic factors of health as, social status, housing, transport, easy access to various services, bias on the basis of gender/ race/ or social standing, and various stressors (environmental or social) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). Models and approaches to health promotion: There are various models and approaches to the health promotion plans seen in different countries worldwide. Such variations are owing to the var ying socioeconomic factors that are seen worldwide that makes it necessary for each country to adopt a health promotion plan that is made suitable for its social, cultural and economic conditions. In this context we will examine some of the well known approaches to health promotions, commonly seen in practice worldwide. In the Ottawa Charter WHO identifies three basic approaches

Friday, October 18, 2019

First Contact, or How I had Acquired a Grown-up Friend Essay

First Contact, or How I had Acquired a Grown-up Friend - Essay Example I loved television because it introduced new ideas, new imagery, new places, new people. My parents firmly believed that home should be both the center and periphery of a child’s life and that television is an unhealthy distraction. I was kept busy in the house, or hanging out laundry in the backyard, and television was regulated at one or two hours each month. Consequently, my world stayed very small, for many years. When I came to realize that resistance was futile, I cooperated with my assimilation to this Borg-type collective, in the interest of survival. My longing for unrestricted access to a window was hidden inside me, waiting to be awakened. The day of my awakening was a summer scorcher, I dressed in the shortest shorts and the thinnest T-shirt my mother would allow, and wiggled around on a sticky kitchen chair, staring at my pancakes and syrup, looking for images and the suggestion of something more than here. Eventually, they tired of me and I was dismissed to do ch ores, I watered the potted plants, checked on the slimy avocado pit I was sprouting in the windowsill, straightened up the surfaces of my bedroom, dusted our living room bookshelf and the barely-ever-used television screen, and washed the breakfast dishes. I relieved the washing machine of its load of floral sheets and bath towels, cycled the night before. I had done my homework to its rhythm. They had a faint overnight musty smell. I wrinkled my sunburned nose and placed the laundry in the red plastic tub, which still had the sticky adhesive residue that originally held its price in place. Using dishwater-shriveled, white, poufy-fingered hands, and a skinny pre-pubescent hip to wedge the tub against, I carried the sheets and towels to the backyard, to hang on the clothesline. The birds had left white pasty souvenirs of their digestive adventures again. After washing away the abstract deposits, I looked around the backyard with some satisfaction. Hanging laundry was, by far, my favo rite chore. It provided a private world, in which I could day-dream to my heart’s content. Day-dreaming is like television, except you get to write your own story and choose your own characters and even be the star actress if you want. The best thing going for it is that nobody could see it except me, so there was no one reacting to my watching it, or lecturing me on how it’s unhealthy and ruining my mind. Sometimes I would indulge myself in repetitive plots. I had crash-landed on a remote island, with no parents at all. There was a cave with a stream running through it and lots of berries and zucchini and tomatoes and a chocolate tree outside. A lifetime supply of pasta and meat sauce had crash-landed there with me, along with cases of sliced processed cheese, so I was happy. There were many rooms in the cave and each held new wonders to explore, things like chests of jewelry and exotic costumes, boxes of books, endless art supplies, a music box.

Child Protective Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Child Protective Services - Essay Example Arguments from both sides will then help the audience reach a conclusion on their own. Running through a brief history of CPS, 1655 was the first time a criminal case was brought up against child abuse in the courts of what is now the United States of America. In 1825, states made laws etched in their law books to protect the rights of children and granting the authority to several agencies to remove children from the custody of parents and guardians who deemed unfit to perform the parental role (Thomas, 295). By 1974, 49 U.S States had passed the law, hence the federal government moved quickly to pass the federal â€Å"Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act† (CAPTA) (Pecora et al, 232). This act was actually the last calling to establish the CPS which started functioning with proper rules and policies by the end of 1974. Thesis CPS is an essential part of the current society in the modern world; it should be made a strong agency with the proper backing of law enforcement ag encies so it is a reckoning force against those who tackle with the future of our young generation. A lot of voices have been raised against the CPS and its services but every establishment has its flaws, so does the CPS. As the number of cases reported in a year on a rise each year, more efforts have to be made for securing the future of our country. Arguments are that the program should be downsized because of its inability to do its job efficiently. However, the actual requirement now lies with the government to properly fund the program so no child goes unattended because the workers are not being able to attend to every child abuse report being filed with them. Support A variety of important people in the social service circles have been calling out for reforms or betterment for the system in place. Some even dare to propose the calling off of the CPS as they believe that it is not meeting the desired goals, across the nation. Abuse and neglect in children is still prevalent; t he system has loopholes through which parents and foster care givers are benefitting, covering their deeds by the noble act of performing their responsibility, key word being ‘act’. Every coin has two faces; both are different, almost opposites. American sentiment toward residential placement for troubled youths is increasingly suspicious, pessimistic, and even hostile. Yet many families are too dysfunctional to warrant keeping their youth at home and alternatives are scarce. Foster families are simply unavailable for many of the estimated 840,000 children who will require out-of-home placement by 1995. The most empirically supported criticism of residential placement is its limited positive influence on post placement problems such as delinquency (Pecora et al., 1992). Children are living on the roads because their parents are too poor or too intoxicated to even know their own identity, let alone take care of their children. Also the issue of child abuse is one which w ill have calamitous effect on the future generations. The only hope for the distressed children is the CPS. They take the children under their umbrella and place them with willing and caring families; families, who have taken up the added responsibility on their shoulders to provide care and affection to the children who did not have the same environment to grow in. It is a dangerous world for un-protected children out there;

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Mammal research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mammal - Research Paper Example Different mammals live in different habitats, depending on the kind of food they consume. Therefore, mammals can be found in deserts, near wetlands, forests, and near water bodies. This paper presents a study research that focuses on specific mammals referred to as â€Å"Otters,† and the research is about how otters socialize. There is presentation of data, and conclusions are made from the data. Otters are mammals that live or found in water, hence referred to as marine or aquatic mammals. These are considered to be the smallest kind of mammals that live in water. In order to keep warm, otters have thick fur on their body. There are different types of otters, including sea otters, giant otters, and river otters. One of the differentiating factors of these otters is their area of habitation. Nonetheless, otters can be found in Europe, Asia, North America, parts of North Africa, and South America. A common characteristic of all otters is that they exhibit a high level of social behaviour. These marine mammals for instance hang out in groups, based on their sexes. While female otters spend time together, their male counterparts also do spend their time together in groups. The otters that are mothers to young ones spend a great deal of their time nursing the young ones, as well as grooming them. These also carry their young ones on their chests (Dickerson 2-3). For this research on otters, it was important to locate a safe, convenient and accessible place, where otters could be found easily. This is mainly because, this is a primary research study, and hence first-hand experience was essential. It was deemed appropriate to conduct the research study in the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. This aquarium is located in Chicago, and is an indoor aquarium. In the aquarium, there are more than 30,000 marine animals, together with those that inhabit aerial and terrestrial environments (Shedd Aquarium Web). After scheduling and buying tickets, the study

FedEx Management Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

FedEx Management Philosophy - Essay Example According to the report findings the management philosophy of Fred Smith was ‘Take care of your People. They in turn will deliver the impeccable Service demanded by our customers who will reward us with the Profitability necessary to secure our future. This philosophy has been the guiding factor through which FedEx has over the years, built a reputation of on time, undamaged delivery of packages. Understanding the customer needs and providing it to them has been an essential element in building the brand equity. To maintain the services and reputation in a highly competitive market requires efficiency at all levels of employees. The process at each stage is important in delivering quality service to the customers. As the report declares when the courier collects a package, it is given a barcode that contains a vast amount of information. This information helps the company to disseminate information and locate the package at any stage. It also helps the customer to track the delivery because all information is available through the website. With the latest technology, FedEx can keep a close connection with the customer through out the process. The FedEx satellite tracking system identifies where every package is in the system and 55 million electronic entries are made every day. They have developed their Business Intelligence system such that the client need call only once to the company for all its needs. The same software is used all over the world at all its offices.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Mammal research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mammal - Research Paper Example Different mammals live in different habitats, depending on the kind of food they consume. Therefore, mammals can be found in deserts, near wetlands, forests, and near water bodies. This paper presents a study research that focuses on specific mammals referred to as â€Å"Otters,† and the research is about how otters socialize. There is presentation of data, and conclusions are made from the data. Otters are mammals that live or found in water, hence referred to as marine or aquatic mammals. These are considered to be the smallest kind of mammals that live in water. In order to keep warm, otters have thick fur on their body. There are different types of otters, including sea otters, giant otters, and river otters. One of the differentiating factors of these otters is their area of habitation. Nonetheless, otters can be found in Europe, Asia, North America, parts of North Africa, and South America. A common characteristic of all otters is that they exhibit a high level of social behaviour. These marine mammals for instance hang out in groups, based on their sexes. While female otters spend time together, their male counterparts also do spend their time together in groups. The otters that are mothers to young ones spend a great deal of their time nursing the young ones, as well as grooming them. These also carry their young ones on their chests (Dickerson 2-3). For this research on otters, it was important to locate a safe, convenient and accessible place, where otters could be found easily. This is mainly because, this is a primary research study, and hence first-hand experience was essential. It was deemed appropriate to conduct the research study in the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. This aquarium is located in Chicago, and is an indoor aquarium. In the aquarium, there are more than 30,000 marine animals, together with those that inhabit aerial and terrestrial environments (Shedd Aquarium Web). After scheduling and buying tickets, the study

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Exploring the politics of the Texas Railroad commissions regulation of Research Paper - 1

Exploring the politics of the Texas Railroad commissions regulation of texas oil and gas from 1917-1941 - Research Paper Example In the 1920s, there was a sporadic pattern of cooperation between the state and federal governments. Tensions were high in the coordination of the state activities and those of the federal government over the control of resources. The head quarters of the railroad commission are in the state of Texas in the United States and act as among the most powerful state agencies in the country. The paramount duties and responsibilities of the Texas Railroad Commission were to regulate the entire business of oil and gas exploration and mining in the United States. Most of the oil and gas deposits of the country are in the state of Texas hence the strategic location of the commission’s headquarters in order to ensure proper administration and control of oil and gas exploration activities in the country. In addition to the regulation of gas and oil production in the United States, the Texas railroad commission also monitors and controls major shares of the pipeline safety, uranium mining, gas utilities, liquid petroleum gas safety, and surface coal. All these responsibilities lie under the docket of the commission ever since its inception. The name of the commission is a little confusing to the common citizens who are not aware of the true duties and responsibilities of the company. ... The commission does not have any links or deals with the regulation of railroads in any way at all. The name simply developed out of common utterances. Issues surrounding the commission politics The Texas Railroad Commission had a number of politics surrounding its operations as well as dealing with other factors concerned with their duties and responsibilities. The company had both internal as well as external politics facing its operations and execution of its duties and jurisdictions, especially considering it primary control of the entire industry of oil and gas exploration within the United States of America from the year 1917 to the year 1941. The commission expanded its initial mandate of overseeing petroleum exploration and the regulations of oil pipelines from 1917, to the control of oil and gas production within the entire country in 1919, and finally elevated to the regulation of delivery systems of natural gas in the year 1920. Technically, the Texas Railroad commission g ained control of all the exploration and production activities of oil and gas within the United States, a task that made the commission elevate to become the single most powerful commission in the country, while others argued it had too much power for a single commission. The politics of this commission rose from time to time due to many occurrences in the country. One particular occasion whereby there was high political tension surrounding the activities and duties of the Texas rail road commission was in the 1930s whereby there was an oil boom in the state of Texas. This oil boom led to the escalation of oil prices to 25 cents per barrel. The commission was unable to negotiate a compromise price for the sale of the oil

The Current Status of Women in Middle East Countries Essay Example for Free

The Current Status of Women in Middle East Countries Essay Part I: Reasons why women are reaching a stagnant point in the Arab countries and how this could possibly change:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to feminists, the current status of women in Middle East countries is strongly attributed to state policies.   Scholarly information from studies conducted on the status of Middle East women have indicated that the changes that have taken place in the legal status of women and in their social placement in society have very much been determined by the changes taking place in political constitution of various states and regimes. The status of women and gender relations have also been equally determined by other factors like class structure, economic and demographic characteristic Religion can also not be ruled out as it has tremendous influence on the system of governance in many countries in this region.   Revolutionary projects carried out in Iran and Afghanistan but which did not yield good results act as a clear guideline on the status of women in Arab countries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The societies in the Arab world are predominantly patriarchal.   The role of a woman as wife and mother is still held with a lot of esteem in these societies.   Women are reproducers, educators of children and socialisers whereby they are responsible for implementing societal and cultural values in the young ones. These societies are also predominantly Islamic, a religion that still holds the family as the most fundamental unit of society and places greet responsibility on women about raising devout Muslims as well as transmitting cultural values.   Child bearing is therefore the central labor activity for the females while the men are responsible for the general upkeep of the family.   The place of the woman in a Muslim society therefore remains the home and the activities surrounding it. Muslim family law also gives the male members of the society extensive control over key decisions affecting the life of the women under their control for example in issues concerning marriage, education, business and mobility. Women in the Arab countries are still subjected to some form of subordination to the males and restrictive codes of behavior that govern their lives. There is sex segregation towards women and family honor is closely associated with female virtue.   As a result any attempts to change family virtues or the family structure has often met with a lot of resistance in the Arab world especially from revolutionary groups that have been operating under the concept of defending Islam such as the Taliban in Afghanistan.   Tribal-Islamist opposition groups also play a major role in opposing any attempts to change the status of women in these societies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Arab countries, marriage is still predominantly an agreement between families rather than between two individuals who hold equal rights in society. A husband has absolute rights over his wife’s body and such issues as marital rape are not recognized. Women are therefore still under male control and any attempt to achieve in their social status is viewed as resistance to made dominance.   The community has tremendous influence over a woman’s life in Arab countries a factor that can be seen in the societies refusal to do away with the veil even at a time when civilization has advanced in these countries.   As a result, the veil has widely been viewed as a civilizational threat to the position of the modern woman in society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wars that characterize several Arab nations have also been a threat to the status of women.   This is because even after their husbands have been recruited and probably died in war, women especially in the poor backgrounds cannot freely venture out to fed for their families and they still have to rely on male members of the family such as the older sons. This has subjected the women and their children to a lot of unnecessary suffering. There has also been a tendency in these nations to limit the political exposure of women, a factor that has resulted from the concept of male dominance in these societies.   In such a way, it has been difficult for women to push for change as society still holds views that their position should be in the house.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A lot can be done to assist the women and improve their status in society.   Women for example should be given freedom in education.  Ã‚   This is because modernization demands more labor in high profile jobs. Wars should be a great lesson and women should be given a chance of being economically stable to avoid desperate situations in the event of the death of the family’s breadwinner during war.   Education will also give women better chances of employment and produce women who are able to strongly advocate for change in society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Because family law in Arab nations greatly determines state and legal policies relating to gender and family matters,   perhaps these laws should be reviewed to give the women more influence in the family and society.   Various Arab governments should also give attention to demands by women on the improvement of their political, civil and social rights. Part II: Authoritative governments and the rise of fundamental Muslim groups   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Arab world, the main religion is predominantly Islam, a religion that has played a major role in determining the political, social and civil structures in these nations. Religious and state matters are intertwined in such a way that it becomes difficult to make a clear distinction between the two. Islamic law applies to every aspect of life in the Arab nations ranging from matters related to everyday life, to state matters such as the system of governance and even foreign relations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With modernization, the Muslim world has come into contact with the Western world, an aspect that has led to mixed reactions in different Arab nations. This is as a result of the major economic, political and social-cultural developments that have resulted from this type of contact. In most of the Muslim countries the political systems are based on Islamic laws derived from the Quran and this has resulted in the concept of Islamic States through which Arab countries want to exert their influence and change the Western culture to conform to Islamic way of life. There has also been widespread resistance to Western influence and these factors have led to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. A strive has risen among the Arabs between those who feel that Islam should determine the political culture of the Arab nations and those who prefer secular governments that have institutions modeled on Western governments. Islamic fundamentalist feel that Arab governments have established state constitutions that are too compliant with other religions or doctrines. It is therefore the ultimate goal of Islamic political fundamentalists to overthrow these secular states in a bid to achieve national dominance in the political system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Islamic fundamentalist movements have been modeled upon the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt began in 1928 that provided such movements with directives on the way forward in achieving political dominance through the implementation of the Sharia law. Even though composed of a minority of Muslims, Islamic fundamentalists have had varied political achievements in various nations. Good examples of such groups are the Wahhabi in Saudi Arabia and the Taliban in Afghanistan where strict Islamic law has been used to eradicate any form of Western influence. In Sudan, the efforts by the Muslim brotherhood to uphold Sharia law since independence in that nation in 1956 has led to a long civil war between the Islamic North and the Christain south.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood captures 20 percent of the seats in civic elections held in the later part of 2005. Turkey is ruled by an Islamist party that appears to accommodate democratic ideals. But since the September 11 attacks in the United States, growing concern has risen within the international community over the current situation in the Arab countries regarding religious reform and the prospect of Islamist fundamentalists having a share in political power. This is because of extremist groups that have resulted to terrorism as a means of achieving their goals. A good number of the countries in the Middle East are governed by autocratic regimes opposed to these Islamist movements. An attempt by such groups to gain political power has often been suppressed by denying them a popular vote in the governments and by exercising brutality against their leaders and followers. This is because of the tendency by these groups to result to violence as a means of airing their grievances and achieving their goals. Such violence has led to abduction of Western hostages, bomb attacks on the US Embassies in countries like Kenya and Tanzania and the September 11 attack in the US.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Islamic fundamentalists   originally aimed at achieving political goals through peaceful means but the refusal of Islamic governments to recognize their existence and the attempt to suppress these movements is what may have led to the emergence of extremist groups. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has however maintained peaceful means in dealing with the government an aspect that has helped the movement to rise into a political party with a strong following. The future of such groups is however threatened by the fight against terrorism and whether they will achieve in maintaining strict Muslim states is yet to be determined by the course that political events in the Arab world will take and the relations between these Arab nations and the West. Part III The lack of unification between the Arab countries has its benefits in regards to Preservation of culture but it is a hindrance to their potential political force Culture in any community plays a role of utmost importance particularly in preserving the identity of any community. Like everywhere else in the world, the movement of people in and out of the Muslim world has increased cultural integration. Colonial occupation in the Arab countries served to expand these cultural influences bringing in the process of westernization. However the Arab countries have more than any other group of nations succeeded in keeping both external and internal influences at minimal levels. These countries have thus managed to retain their individual cultures to large extent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From Egypt to Syria, the rise of Arabism was largely as a result of resistance to the colonial occupation mainly the British occupation. This growing force promised to unite Arab nations on the principles of nationalism as well as religion of Islam. This resulted in the expansion of state, missionary and private education (Moaddel, M., 53). However the cultural distance between the components of the Arab world would not allow for significant integration. This has to this day served to retain the cultural composition of the member countries. The lack of unity in the Arab countries has therefore served to preserve culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The biggest loss that is as a result of this disunity is however the loss of political forces that would have defined the Arab countries as a force to be reckoned with. The leadership’s radical difference in ideologies has made any meaningful integration difficult. A phenomenon akin to divide and rule has therefore been employed repeatedly by the western powers to further influence the political direction in the Arab World. This has worked against the region since it still remains on the shadows when political force is called for in order to change direction of the world.       Works Cited: Are Knusden. Political Islam in the Middle East R 2003:3 Chr. Michelsen Institute Development Studies and Human Rights Moaddel, Mansoor. Islamic Modernism, Nationalism and Fundamentalism. Chicago. University of Chicago Press.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Relationship between Social Groups and Religious Beliefs

Relationship between Social Groups and Religious Beliefs Assess sociological explanations of the relationship between social groups, religious beliefs and religious organisations Different social groups, all show different trends in relation to religious beliefs and religious organistions. This essay will only very briefly touch on the difficulty of defining religious organisations, as this is not its focus. It shall split the social groups into three major categories, age, ethnicity and gender; and attempt to distinguish reasons behind varying levels of religiosity. Religious organisations are difficult to define. Many sociologists, from Troeltsch to Wilson, attempt to define into four different categories, churches, denominations, sects and cults. There however is the problem when there are components which fit many different categories, this can arise when religions change current form (e.g Christianity started off as a small sect eventually becoming a church with its own denominations) as well as times when religions have properties of multiple categories (the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints, sect or denomination?). Different social groups are generally attracted to different religious organisations, in the class system there is evidence that people of lower classes tend to lean towards world-rejecting sects whilst higher classes choose world-accepting churches and cults. There are clear differences in religious beliefs and participation between genders. Whilst there is a large majority of men in priesthood running churches (some changes in recent times in the Anglican denomination however only last month, October 21st, numerous news outlets reported how conservatives within the church were rebelling against such changes are leaving to join Catholicism) the majority of people who practice inside religions are female. This is shown by in 2005 1.8 million women in England were churchgoers, as against 1.36 million men. This supported Miller and Hoffman (1995) thesis that women express greater interest in religion and attend church more often. Other sociologists put forward similar theories with Bruce (1996) estimated that twice as many women were in sects then men. In attempt to explain these differences the Davie analyses the differences between women and menà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s proximity to birth and death, she assumes that men do not have as close conn ection to these life processes meaning women are closer to the ultimate questions. This can be criticised as using the term closer to the ultimate questions is ambiguous, it could mean either closer to pondering about the question or closer to the answer; and even without the ambiguity it seems to overlook the men who work in professions where these life processes frequently occur and levels of non-belief among them, such as Doctors. Another explanation put forward for levels of female participation is that religion serves as a compensator for deprivation. Glock and Stark (1969) and Stark and Bainbridge (1985) argue that three main types of deprivation exist which are common among women explaining their high levels of sect membership. These include organismic deprivation, stems from physical and mental health problems, ethical deprivation, stems from evidence that women tend to be more morally conservative and social deprivation exists from evidence that women tend to be poorer. Assuming, without evidence, that Stark and Bainbridge carried out extensive research before coming up with their compensation for deprivation thesis it should be analysed to its validity in contemporary society. There have been many changes in society, such as wealth of women becoming higher, wages becoming more equal and receiving higher promotions than previously available; also there is evidence that women tend to vote, what would be g enerally be considered, more progressive or liberal could challenge Glock, Stark and Bainbridges thesis. In other social groups within society there is also evidence of varying levels of religiosity depending on ethnicity. According to policy studies institute (1997) the majority religions associate themselves with Christianity (around 72%) however different ethnicities make up this figure, ranging from white British members to those of black African or Caribbean origin. Other religions exist consisting of Muslims, Hindu and Sikhs make with almost all members coming from ethnic backgrounds originating in the Indian subcontinent. The Policy Studies Institute (1997) showed how white Anglicans where least likely to find their religion as important in their lives comparatively with African Caribbean Protestants who rated their religion as very important in their lives. Muslims were also found to have high levels of belief with Hindus and white Catholics being more in the middle of the table. Bruce (2002) attempts to explain these ethnic differences, he argues that religion is used as a cultural defense factor, becoming something to be unified under in an uncertain or hostile environment. This explains why migrants are more likely to be religious in a new country and explains why the native population inside a country has falling levels of church attendance. Bird (1999) supports this finding; he found religion as a unifying power within minorities. He also found that religion can aid with coping with oppression in a racist society, this is shown by the white churches in the UK not actively welcoming black Africans or Caribbean Christians. These both seem logical and explain how when migrants are integrated into society they start to leave the church. Will Herberg (1955) gives the reason, which isnt very different than Bruce of Cultural transition, instead of a means in which religion is used to defend culture; it is used as an integrator into new societies instead. This is also supported by the diminishing levels of religiosity among integrated social groups. It is most probable that both are equally relevant to ethnicity and religiosity, this, in fact, was shown by Ken Pyrces (1979) study of the African Caribbean community. There are big differences between the age of people and their religiosity. The general pattern is the older a person is the more likely they are to attend religious services. The English Church Census, however, found two exceptions to this rule. The under 15s are more likely to attend then other age groups because they are forced to do so by their parents, over 65s were more likely to be sick or injured to attend religious worship. It should be remembered that attendance at church, just as the levels of under 15s show, does not reflect accurately levels of belief. Other age groups could attend church for other elements, such as the social offering of religion, rather than the religious doctrine. Voas and Crockett (2005) attempt to explain these differences, they use the concept of the ageing effect, which is the view that people turn to religion as they get older. There is also the generational effect this is where each new generation becomes less religious than the one before. The latter being the imperative as its claimed that each generation is half as religious as previous generations. To evaluate this claim, the ageing effect, people starting to face their own mortality and turning to spirituality is in a sense logical. The church offers faith-based answers and provides a world in which death is only the beginning. It seems obvious that people facing the own demise would be attracted by this; it could also be supported by the evidence, English Church Census does support the idea that there is a higher number of older people than young in religion. The Kendal project showed people turn to spirituality when they get older therefore making them more likely to attend church . This supports the Ageing factor. The generational effect is supported by the English church census; the levels of the 15-19 year olds fell very sharply since 1979, showing how the new generation had a lower level of religiosity. Religiosity varies among lots of different social groups, the people who choose different religions generally all have different reasons for doing so. Ethnicity, gender, class and age are all different reasons why someone would want to join a particular religious organisation and have varying levels of religiosity. What is not explained however is what is the most important element, it is quite possible for a person to fit into all four categories, be a member of an ethnic minority; female; working class and young, what would, to this young female, be the most important part of her religiosity and her religious participation.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Comparing the Voice of Frost in Mending Wall, After Apple-Picking, and

The Voice of Frost in Mending Wall, After Apple-Picking, and The Wood-Pile    The "persona" narratives from the book - "Mending Wall," "After Apple-Picking," and "The Wood-Pile" - also strive for inclusiveness although they are spoken throughout by a voice we are tempted to call "Frost." This voice has no particular back-country identity, nor is it obsessed or limited in its point of view; it seems rather to be exploring nature, other people, ideas, ways of saying things, for the sheer entertainment they can provide. Unlike poems such as "Home Burial" and "A Servant to Servants," which are inclined toward the tragic or the pathetic, nothing "terrible" happens in the personal narratives, nor does some ominous secret lie behind them. In "The Wood-Pile," for example, almost nothing happens at all; its story, its achieved idea or wisdom, the whole air with which it carries itself, is quite unmemorable. A man out walking in a frozen swamp decides to turn back, then decides instead to go farther and see what will happen. He notes a bird in front of him and spends so me time musing on what the bird must be thinking, then sees it settle behind a pile of wood. The pile is described so as to bring out the fact that it has been around for some time. With a reflection about whoever it was who left it there, "far from a useful fireplace," the poem concludes. And the reader looks up from the text, wonders if he has missed something, perhaps goes back and reads it again to see if he can catch some meaning which has eluded him. But "The Wood-Pile" remains stubbornly unyielding to any attempt at ransacking it for a meaning not evidently on the surface. This surface is a busy one, as when the speaker meets the bird: A small bird flew be... ...essing it, when he has no audience to be bullied or flattered, when he is free, and speech takes one form and no other." Despite the presence of back-country characters and scenes in this "book of people," it is as a book of sentence sounds that it most truly exists, as a triumphant vindication of the poetic theory Frost had designed, and as a monument to how much could be accomplished by trusting to the rendering of speech. At the end of "Home Burial," the wife lashes out at her husband in exasperation: "You - oh, you think the talk is all . . ." But for the composer of these poems, the talk is all, whether that of his imagined characters or of himself speaking aloud. Works Cited Frost, Robert. "Mending Wall." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Julia Reidhead. 5th ed. 2 vols. New York: Norton, 1998. Frost: A Literary Life Reconsidered.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Explore how Friel uses language Essay

Explore how Friel has used language in order to create humour and other emotional responses in the audience? Focus particularly on the exchange between Yolland and Marie in Act 2 scene 2. In this essay I intend to explore the relationship between Marie and Yolland. I want to examine how the overall structure of the language presents a comical piece for the audience to watch and discover how the couple overcome the language barrier to connect on a much deeper level. I would also like to look at how they convey their emotions without verbal understanding. Then finally I would like to look at the way in which Friel provokes emotional responses in the audience. In a short play like Translations, the focus of the drama is on ever changing relationships demonstrated through language and conversation. If we study the relationship between Yolland and Marie and focus on their characters we find how different and individual they each are. The couple, prove to be direct opposites of one another. Yolland is an English soldier who has a romantic outlook on the world, whereas Maire is an Irish milkmaid who has a pragmatic view of the world. Yet both are similar in many ways, they both have hopes, dreams and fears. If we refer to the previous meeting between the couple (End of Act 2 Scene 1 from p58) we find the section where Maire and Yolland first ‘talk’ to each other. This demonstrates the difficulties faced when attempting to talk to someone from another culture. We know they are speaking in different languages and are confused by what the other is saying, whilst Owen is tries to act as an go-between and translator for them. After Act 2 Scene 1, the couple are next seen together, after the dance, trying to talk to each other. This scene is a intensely emotional love scene between the couple and is also a exquisite examination of the barriers between language and communication. The scene opens with the couple, running hand in hand and Marie exclaiming ‘O my God, that leap across the ditch nearly killed me’ and Yolland replies with ‘I could scarcely keep up with you. ‘ So that when the couple first speak, the dialogue is so highly skilled and the syntax is so well structured that it appears to the audience that they understand one another. The opposite is in fact true yet they seem to be making perfect sense. This creates a sense of confusion for the audience as we know, verbally they have little understanding of each other’s language. As the scene progresses Marie and Yolland realise their embarrassment. Before each speaks again their hands disengage and they study one another. Then follows a pause. This displays the hesitancy and the discomfort that the couple are feeling. Each is unsure of what the other is saying yet the following lines say exactly the same things in two completely different languages. Their lines intertwine and the responses are infact an illusion created by the lyrical poise and exact parallel balance. The couples’ observations are also based on very different realities, an example being Marie saying ‘The grass must be wet. My feet are soaking’ and Yolland retorting with ‘Your feet must be wet. The grass is soaking. ‘ Here if we look at the grammar, we know these lines mirror one another and we see how the playwright has developed this by just simply rearranging the subject and predicate to create this syntactic parallel equivalence. This humour is present throughout and this romantic exchange lightens what is quite a serious, political play. However the two characters are both symbols for two different cultures and apart from the language barrier they are divided by underlying conflict. In my opinion this also draws them together. What follows from here between them bears a striking resemblance to the discourse between Manus and Sarah in the opening act. They start with their names ‘George’ (Yolland) ‘Lieutant George. ‘ (Marie) They use basic and simple language and I feel this is done as the playwright is trying to provoke a sympathetic response from the audience. As with Manus and Sarah, the dialogue is drawn out, slow, yet humouress. Yet is also a display of tenderness and affection and is a way of making themselves known. This relates to the overall theme of identity within the play. If we look at the grammar we find again it is makes use of broken grammar, fragmented sentences and short turn taking roles. Together this creates tension in the audience. Friel makes use of this simple language again later on in the scene with the use of ‘water’, ‘earth’ and ‘fire’ after Maire tries to communicate in Latin. It is after both Yolland and Maire both confess – ‘Say anything at all. I love the sound of your speech’ and when they both end their unsuccessful attempting at communicating with an exasperated ‘Oh my god’, it becomes clear just how close a bond the two have begun to form. It is from here that the notion of non-verbal communication is effective. The splendour of this scene lies in the fact that, however meaningless words many be, body language and emotions are universal and can bridge the language barrier. Each becomes increasingly frustrated with their inability to communicate. As they do attempt to ‘talk’ there is plenty of confusion and misinterpretation within the conversation. An example being the plentiful use of what-what? Sorry-sorry? Just as in the previous scene. These two uncomplicated lines also bring about comic and compassion within the audience. Although the difference in this scene is that they have dispensed with Owen.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Gloria Anzaldua’s Aztlan: the Homeland

In her essay La Frontera, Gloria Anzaldua provides a detailed history of the persecution of the Chicano settlers of the U. S. Southwest at the hands of their Anglo oppressors. Anzaldua refers to the Aztlan, the borderlands between the United States and Mexico encompassing parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, as a â€Å"vague and undetermined place created by the emotional residue of an unnatural boundary†¦the prohibited and forbidden are its inhabitants†¦the squint-eyed, the perverse, the queer, the troublesome†. I find the author’s utilization of the word queer to describe the Aztlan peoples particularly interesting, as it draws a recognizable parallel between the historical struggles of Chicanos with the enduring tribulations of the LGBTQ community in modern America. Anzaldua accuses â€Å"The Gringo†¦the fiction of white superiority† of â€Å"seizing complete power, stripping Indians and Mexicans of their land while their feet were still rooted in it† and even goes so far as to make mention of â€Å"Anglo terrorism†. The author’s characterizations of the oppressive actions of the political-ruling white class towards the Chicano people can just as easily be applied to recent legislation crafted by several right-leaning politicians that serves only to strip LGBTQ individuals of their civil rights and to designate said persons as second class citizens. These statutes include the recently invalidated Proposition 8 here in California as well as the Federal Defense of Marriage Act, which would have forbidden gay couples from enjoying the same marriage benefits as heterosexual spouses, current state laws or constitutional amendments in 35 states that define marriage as being exclusively between a man and a woman, and current anti-sodomy laws aimed squarely at gay couples in 13 states that remain on the books despite such laws being outlawed by the US Supreme Court 10 years ago. Such anti-gay legislation is similar in prejudicial and persecutory scope as recent anti-immigration legislation enacted in Arizona and Alabama that seeks to intrude on the civil rights of Latin Americans in those states, who face imprisonment and deportation for non-compliance. As described by Anzaldua, the continuous berating of the Chicano people, â€Å"faceless, nameless, invisible, taunted with hey cucaracho and mojado† is ll too similar to the constant torment faced by members of the LGBTQ community by intolerant members of the oppressive majority, such as being verbally assaulted as â€Å"fags†, â€Å"queers†, â€Å"homos†, and much worse. Gloria Anzaldua eloquently equates the Chicano struggles with their Anglo imperial masters in the Aztlan with the LGBTQ struggle for civil rights in modern American society, and unfortunately, these fights will have to both continue to be waged will into the foreseeable future.

Fools and folly are widely used in comedy to create humour To what extent does this apply to Twelfth Night?

In this essay I will be exploring Twelfth Night and focusing on the extent at which folly is used to create humour. The word folly means â€Å"a silly person† or â€Å"one who uses folly for the entertainment of others† etc. In William Shakespeare’s comedy, Feste -licensed fool- the clown is not the only fool who is subject to foolery; others include Sir Andrew Aguecheek (natural fool), Malvolio who is exposed to be the natural fool and Sir Toby who is deemed to be the Lord of Misrule. Overall, fools and folly are widely used in Twelfth Night and form the basic plot. In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Feste’s role in this Illyrian comedy is significant. Feste plays the role of a humble clown and is employed by Olivia’s father thus playing the role of the licensed fool of their household. Olivia states that Feste is â€Å"an allowed fool† meaning he is licensed to speak the truth of people around him in order to entertain others. This is also seen when Curio states to the duke that â€Å"Feste the jester†¦a fool that the Lady Olivia’s father took much pleasure in†. Even though Feste is employed to be foolish, when compared to the other characters he is deemed to be the wisest, wittiest and the most philosophical of all the characters. Viola echoes this by saying â€Å"This fellow’s wise enough to play the fool. † By having the role of a licensed fool, Festes main role is to speak to the truth. Comedy is achieved through the truthfulness of the character. The first true glimpses of folly in Twelfth Night are seen in Act 1 Scene 3. Sir Andrew serves as an excellent example of the idea of Satire which Shakespeare throughout the play uses to undermine the so called rich, upper class characters. Sir Toby encourages Sir Andrew to â€Å"accost† Maria, which translates as â€Å"chat her up† and Sir Andrew foolishly addresses Maria as â€Å"Good mistress accost†. Shakespeare interestingly uses satire but also comedy of manners to illustrate his feelings towards the rich and powerful. His intentions are clearly seen here for the rest of the play; he starts with a powerful character being made a fool of and also ends with Malvolio being made a fool of, not weaker characters like Maria (servant) feste (clown). In this area of the scene, the audience expects a prominent, smart character to emerge on stage due to the description given by Sir Toby: â€Å"Why, he has an income of three thousand ducats a year,† which again links to the idea of comedy of manners- ‘a plot revolving around greed’. Subsequently, Sir Andrew is a naive, un-intelligent person who creates comedy and folly by miss-understanding Sir Toby. Knights in Shakespeare’s time would easily be able to gain respect through women due to it being an attractive occupation. However, Sir Andrew is the complete opposite and this allows the audience to laugh at how a character can be so different from the usual stereotype. Sir Andrew being so naive and thinking that he can easily add Maria to his endless list of women creates dramatic irony, the audience know that Maria thinks very poorly of him yet on the other hand Sir Andrew being so un-intelligent still thinks he is a wonderful human being. Alternatively, this area of Act 1 could show that even though Sir Andrew is rather naive, he still achieves because of the fact that Sir Toby mentions his â€Å"three thousand ducats a year† and Sir Andrew himself states to Maria that he is not â€Å"such an ass† and that he can keep his â€Å"hand dry,† this promotes the fact that when we wants to be, Sir Andrew can be smart and keep his â€Å"hand dry† which results in the audience weighing up what’s to come in the future for Sir Andrew. Ultimately, Sir Andrew fails to â€Å"woo† Olivia resulting in Sebastian marrying Olivia. Overall, this links back to the idea of comedy of manners and satire as both Sir Toby and Sir Andrew have been socially undermined with it being Sir Toby’s idea to set Andrew with Olivia and Sir Andrew failing in this quest. Feste who is employed to be funny and possibly ‘foolish’ is quite the opposite when compared with Sir Andrew. Feste is a philosophical, smart and witty character. In relevance to the question, a fool (feste) is employed to make people laugh yet there is no doubting that he comes across as anything but a fool. Shakespeare uses this character to highlight and contrast the frailties in the other characters such as Sir Andrew for example by allowing the natural fool to be the â€Å"natural wit† which is a very clever tool, the audience aren’t laughing at Feste being employed as fool yet laughing at how he makes others look like a fool. In act 1 scene 5, we don’t laugh at Feste for being a so called â€Å"fool†, we laugh at the witty re-marks that he creates and how undermines the people above him. Feste when talking to Maria regarding Countess Olivia states that â€Å"Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage†. This has two comical meanings. Firstly, Feste is saying to Maria that sometimes its better being killed than entering marriage but to increase the comedy the phrase could also mean that a â€Å"well hung†(sexual connotations) man can prevent a â€Å"bad marriage†. When compared to today, a modern day audience would still find that funny due to IY being true yet in Shakespearean comedy, the audience would have been very surprised for a ‘fool’ to come out with such a controversial phrase, thus increasing comedy. Shakespeare understands the need for ‘surprise’ because the audience are laughing more at the surprise element rather than the joke itself. By putting this comical line in the final scene of the act, the audience have now gained a further understanding for the character and worked out how intelligent, witty Feste is. This will increase the popularity towards the character as the audience may have forgotten what happened previous to this scene when in act 2 yet the comical line from Feste would have stayed in their heads. Personally, Shakespeare wanted this immensely and therefore in relation to the question, yes fools are used to create humour but not through being stupid but by being witty and controversial as audiences like to be surprised. I believe the â€Å"bad marriage† area of the quote highlights the philosophical values that Feste has; he is giving the audience his opinions on marriages which he has seen from a fool’s point of view. Shakespeare is also handing a lot of power to feste as he could be forecasting the future for the marriages of Sir Toby and Maria, Olivia and Sebastian etc. Finally, Shakespeare can be seen to use juxtaposition in order to allow the gag of Feste contrast with the ‘well behaved’ Maria, this makes the audience possibly dislike Maria, an opinion shared by Shakespeare due to the time that he lived in, with the disrespectfulness of women. By the end of Act 2 scene 5, we gain the basic underlying plot. In scene 3, foolishness is definitely used to create comedy; Shakespeare uses the main idea of dramatic irony to create comedy. Three characters (Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Maria) construct a plan to help make Malvolio look a fool, Shakespeare uses three characters to make the plot seem more severe, linking to the idea of a minor form of black comedy. In this scene we learn that foolishness is enhanced by using more people to gang up on another. Sir Toby speaks that â€Å"He shall think, by the letters that thou wilt drop, that they come from my niece, and that she’s in love with him. † This quote firmly shows; He’ll think these letters are from Olivia and that she’s in love with him. Shakespeare uses a gang approach to this due to Malvolio being a so called ‘kill joy’, Sir Andrew and Maria show their opinions on the plan with phrases like â€Å"Sport royal† â€Å"I have ’t in my nose too. † Which again highlights the mood of the other characters, the audience will ultimately laugh in feeling guilt towards Malvolio. In today’ world, a gang culture shows power due to power in numbers but in Shakespeare times it could be sign of wealth and power to be able to create a group situation. The word â€Å"drop† signifies the height at which this will drop Malvolio and purposefully ‘drop’ his heart when he finds out he is made out to be a fool. Subsequently, Malvolio foolishness creates huge comedy due to him being imprisoned because of his actions towards Olivia. The idea of a gang creating a plan to make another human being look a fool allows Shakespeare to experiment how Malvolio could act. By the end of the play he is seen to be very spiteful and out for revenge. Comedy isn’t always seen through people being fools or made out to be fools. Comedy is also achieved through other ventures. In order to gain approval in the kingdom Viola dresses as a man and therefore can work close to Orsino and takes on the name Cesario. This creates comedy because the audience know that she is a women beneath the disguise yet the characters don’t (dramatic irony) therefore power is given to the audience and they enjoy this. We understand in Act 1 scene 2 that she is going to take up some disguise by saying â€Å"Conceal me what I am, and be my aid†. At this moment in time, Viola seems very determined and confident towards being a man and she has reason so due to marrying Orsino at the end of the play. Therefore comedy isn’t just seen through the eyes of folly and foolishness it’s also achieved elsewhere. Due to it being a live play, the audience would be able to see it’s a disguised woman, even though all actors were men, and thus again increasing comedy. Twelfth Night was once a day to mark the end of the Christmas festivities. It was the feast of fools and even now, the Christmas season is a time where we all seek entertainment in the form of amusement and folly. Therefore Twelfth Night is still relevant today. Even now we love to see people make fools of themselves and the characters we don't like to be served with just retribution. In conclusion to my question, the answer is simply yes. Shakespeare doesn’t just have fools to laugh at (feste) which would seem the normal idea but he makes others look fools. This is through Malvolio being miss-lead, the naivety of Sir Andrew and possibly Orsino not having Olivia and having to make do with Viola. Interestingly, Shakespeare warms to the so called lower class characters like Feste, Maria by creating strong and confident characters that make the more upper class characters around them look fools. Comedy is also achieved in the play by the mistaken identity of Viola, the concept of black comedy and the comedy of manners. All key integral parts of how this play is seen comical. Overall, the main comedy comes from people acting foolish or looking foolish as well as the idea of comedy of errors.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Popular Resistance to Peter's Reforms (Peter the Great) Essay

Popular Resistance to Peter's Reforms (Peter the Great) - Essay Example Furthermore effect of these measures widened the gap between the peasant masses and propertied classes that had already appeared in the previous century, and would surely lead to the upper classes’ entire isolation and social outburst. Russian society of that time was grounded on the contract of service. Noblemen and the church had right to own the serfs and land. In turn they owed service to the state in the person of the Tsar. Initially there had been two groups of them. The first one comprised those who held their land possessions in perpetuity while those of another group held lands on a service basis. Nevertheless by the beginning of the eighteenth century hardly all of estates had become hereditary. In 1714 Peter recognized this change legally however required all entitled to serve. (Grey 356) To the propertied classes service meant first of all military service. However they had hated the old-fashion militia from which they used to be dispersed to their homes as soon as a campaign was over, they disliked the new regular army, because in it their duties proved to be much heavier. The only way to from the newly imposed service was injury or old age. Moreover Peter established the rule that no more than one third of the members of any noble family was allowed to serve in lucrative and relatively quite civil service while the others were compelled to serve either in the navy or in the army. Although many noblemen fit for military service did their best to evade military service, the summary enrollments and service registers were constantly being revised so such evasions were increasingly difficult. Being aware of the propertied classes’ ability to render state service effectively, Peter also paid close attention to the peasantry who bore the greater portion of his fundamental reforms’ burden. The peasantry provided recruits, paid taxes and the most of the labor. Having subjugated landowners to the military supervision, Peter thus increas ed their powers making the peasants’ escape more difficult and extending their bondage. In accordance with imperial ukase (edict) of November 26, 1718 the army in addition to its military duties was charged with the policing ones as well. Army officers became responsible thus for supervising local officials, pursuing of vagabonds and robber bands and for catching runaway peasants. The latter suffered most. They were forbidden to move without approval of army authorities and written permission of their immediate masters. Although the officers acted cruelly ordering executions and knouting for failure to pay there were not too many of peasants who fled or dared revolt against their masters or against the military. As a whole Russian peasantry went on serving and laboring with inconceivable fortitude Hardly the only escape for peasants from hard labour, recruiting and from taxes was flight. Although tolerant to inhuman oppressive policies Russian peasantry had an instinctive urg e to roam and to seek new lands free from oppression. The vast underpopulated expanse of Russia has always offered plenty of opportunities for the wanderer and colonizer yet made the labor force extremely unreliable and successive Russian governments have passed measures tying the peasants to the soil they tilled. It is no wonder that the number of escapes increased dramatically during Petrian reforms. In 1699 over 300 families from Voronezh

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Strategic Analysis of Zara Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Analysis of Zara Inc - Essay Example Research indicates these factors include intensive competitive rivalry, buyer power with consumers, and even threats of substitute products that can drive pricing lower. Research has also indicated much negative publicity for Zara, something requiring addressing by Zara executives in order to improve and sustain a quality brand reputation in its international markets. Though Zara is able to effectively create some barriers, such as new market entrants and by removing buying power by limiting outsourced supplier presence, Zara still requires more emphasis on understanding market characteristics effectively to provide relevant products and gain more brand loyalty. Recommendations for business improvement have been identified as conducting more intensive market research, more emphasis on the promotional function and utilisation of interactive marketing, decentralisation of certain business functions along the value chain, and building more self-owned manufacturing and supply capacity in order to gain competitive advantage. 1.0 Industry analysis Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) provide knowledge of contingency theory, a strategic model that indicates as circumstances in the market or industry change, the organisation’s structure must also be changed in order to adapt and stay relevant. Zara is a prime example of a business that understands the market characteristics and capabilities of major rivals, creating contingency strategies in order to respond (quickly) to changing market and industry dynamics. This is accomplished, of course, through maintaining a stance in which Zara executives routinely scan the external environment to identify threats and opportunities that could contribute to a better market position. Thompson, Gamble and Strickland (2005) offer the Five Forces Model proposed by Michael Porter identifying five competitive threats that are industry-related that will either enhance or disturb maintaining profitability and competitive advantage. The most intensive industry concern for Zara is threat of substitutes in its operating markets. H&M, Gap Inc. and Benetton offer similar fashion merchandise that is focused on either youth markets with a trends-focused set of buying characteristics or mass markets that are attracted to fashionable styles at affordable prices. Macro-economic theory indicates that threat of substitutes becomes a legitimate concern when the demand for the product has been affected by price changes associated with substitute products (Boyes and Melvin 2007). For Zara, substitute products include clothing sold at resale shops, such as with the emerging trend for retro-style fashions. In this environment, clothing is sold at a nominal price, but still offering consumers products that are deemed fashionable. The ability of consumers to procure merchandise and fashion accessories from a variety of lower-cost sales facilities has the ability to affect demand for Zara’s merchandise. Thus, Zara must be aware of alternative procurement

Monday, October 7, 2019

World Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

World Religion - Essay Example For example, when reading the almanac page about Buddhism, we read that its sacred texts provide â€Å"rules of monastic life† and that it practices meditation (â€Å"Major Non-Christian World Religions†). Just by reading this, we will form our own ideas of what mediation and monasticism is from our limited knowledge and understanding of Buddhism. We have to read and learn about the history of Buddha, the meanings and context of his teachings and how they have been influenced through out its history. Also, just by reading a small paragraph that their belief consists of cycle of rebirth and death, we can’t grasp the full understanding of this belief and what it is trying to say (â€Å"Major Non-Christian World Religions†). With such basic and little knowledge we would be unable to even try to compare it to other religions. When we just read these simple summaries, it makes us believe that religions are boiled down to the few listed practices and beliefs. We make the wrong conclusions and tend to misunderstand the true meaning and their teachings. For example, when reading the summary on Islam, it seems like a list of rigid tasks of fasting, giving charity, and strict rules of conduct (â€Å"Major Non-Christian World Religions†). These few words fail to do justice to the vast and rich history of the religion, its founder, practices, and cultural context. We don’t get an idea of how and why it came to be, what influences it had on the people and how it changed and developed history. Also, when we read the basic concepts and practices of any religion we start making assumptions that its followers worldwide do these same few practices that we have read on a page. For example, when one reads that in Judaism, people observe certain dietary restrictions, celebrate specific holidays like Rosh Hashana and adhere to a â€Å"period of fasting and penitence†, we automatically assume that every single

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Final Exam Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Final Exam Questions - Assignment Example Although mergers and acquisitions are always used in the same breath, the two terms have different implications. Generally, the main difference between mergers and acquisitions is based on how the purchase is articulated and communicated or received by the concerned parties. For example, unlike acquisitions, mergers occur when two companies agree to join and operate as one. In this regard, the merged companies can operate as equals or through laid down agreements. On the other hand, acquisitions involve a company taking over another company and establishing itself as the owner through a purchase. A fundamental characteristic of many acquisitions is that the acquiring company always takes over the management and ownership of the other companies they have acquired and eventually combine their operations. In this regard, the controlling power of one company is transferred from one shareholder group to another. One of the ways through which mergers and acquisitions contribute to business growth and expansion is that they offer quicker methods for companies to grow and reorganize their assets portfolios. They allow companies to acquire assets across many industries. It allows them to establish and penetrate new markets depending on the objectives of the company; acquired assets may be sold or retained (Maksimovic, 2011). ... In an acquisition, the acquiring company establishes sustainable positive results by spreading its risks through many different industries (Ross, 2005). Another important contribution of mergers and acquisitions related to business growth is that they enable companies take advantage of economies of scale. They increase the purchasing power of equipment’s and office supplies saving costs. This is due to increased negotiation power due to increased company size. The new entities, can access new technologies which gives them a competitive edge over their competitors. Expenses related to information and intelligence logistics are also reduced due to a shared infrastructure. This makes the cost of production per unit output to decrease increasing profits (Maksimovic, 2011). Question 4: How can a firm create the conditions for innovation? There are a diverse number of ways through which firms can create enabling conditions for innovation. Innovation is crucial to the growth and sust ainability of modern companies because. Increased innovation leads to more products in the market generating more sales. The top companies in the world are leading in innovations. Creating a culture of innovation is one of the best ways that companies can create favorable conditions for innovation. For example, a culture of risk aversion is one of the critical barriers to innovation. As a result, to ensure continued innovation, firms should move from risk aversion organizational culture to a culture of calculated risk taking. Similarly, firms should also create organizational cultures that promote curiosity and tolerance of mistakes and wish to experiment with new things. This includes giving the employees the freedom to experiment, promotion of open communication as well as