Marketing Speech Notes Distribution Channels - 1379 Words

Hi, my name is xxxxxxx and this is xxxxx. Our talk is on Topic 10: Distribution strategies. The first question asked us to examine Marketing Distribution Channels. Identify and describe the marketing distribution channel system currently being used by the company and product and highlight the types of wholesalers and/or retailers used. A distribution channel can be defined as a set of interdependent organisations and firms that are involved in the process of directing products from producers to end consumers. Marketing Intermediaries are an integral part of this process and can be seen as middlemen. They are used to help the company promote, sell, and distribute its goods to other necessary intermediaries or ultimately - the final†¦show more content†¦Exclusive distribution involves a limited number of intermediaries given exclusive rights to distribute the companys products, so as to limit number of channel members to one intermediary in each geographic territory. An example of this type of distribution can be easily found in the automotive industry, with prestigious brands such as Porsche, Ferrari, Jaguar and Maseratti all having a limited number of dealerships. Selective distribution involves the use of more intermediaries than that used on an exclusive basis, but still fewer than all possible intermediaries. A limited few intermediaries are used to sell the product within a given geographic region. This is a technique employed by many television or furniture companies. Clothing companies such as country road and Tommy Hilfiger as distribute in this manner. Using selective methods enables means company does not have to spread it efforts out over a large area, this gives a higher amount of control and usually results in lower costs. Companies can then concentrate on relationships and interactions with intermediaries so as to maintain a good image and to improve the overall selling effort. Intensive distribution is used by producers of convenience goods and common raw materials. Intensive distribution is a strategy which entails the use of all possible and suitable outlets for the product. This type of distribution is highly competitive and is often sought by manufacturers of high-volume,Show MoreRelatedMarketing Theory and Example7270 Words   |  30 PagesTopic : Marketing. 1.introduce to marketing. The major purpose of marketing is to recognize the individual and societal needs. If a product is produced without consumption, it will not be able to bring any profits to the manufacturer. Therefore, the brief definition of marketing is to evaluate people’s needs profitably. In 1985, the American Marketing Association defines marketing as follow: Marketing is the activity, set of processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offeringsRead MoreA Report on Exploring Distribution Channel of Grameen Phone7792 Words   |  32 PagesA Report on Exploring Distribution Channel of Grameen Phone i A Report on Exploring Distribution Channel of Grameen Phone Submitted To Dr. Md. Baktiar Rana Course Title: Marketing Channel Management Course Code: MKT 403 Submitted By Aniqa Tahsin Anchal(787) Md. Shafaeth Zaman(802) Nafiz Imtiaz Noor(816) Md. Ashiqul Islam(1332) Md. Aftarul Islam(1981) Date of Submission 22nd February, 2014 Institute of Business Administration, Jahangirnagar University ii LETTERRead MoreMass Communication5882 Words   |  24 Pagesincreasingly focused on the convergence of publishing, broadcasting and digital communication. The academic mass communication discipline historically differs from media studies and communication studies programs with roots in departments of theatre, film or speech, and with more interest in qualitative, interpretive theory, critical or cultural approaches to communication study. In contrast, many mass communication programs historically lean toward empirical analysis and quantitative research -- from statisticalRead MoreResearch Paper on Singapore1805 Words   |  8 Pagesresearch results regarding Singapore, as well as draw the picture of its marketing environment. I will include the information about the location, climate, population, religion and culture, official spoken languages, state of economy and level of technologies, political and legal systems, level of competition and potential for economic growth. In the conclusion I will highlight advantages and disadvantages of the Singapore marketing environment. 1. Introduction Singapore is the nation of islands whichRead MoreSales and Marketing for Financial Institutions80443 Words   |  322 PagesFIN235 sales and marketing for financial institutions Master of Applied Finance INTRODUCTION TOPIC 1 TOPIC 2 TOPIC 3 TOPIC 4 TOPIC 5 TOPIC 6 TOPIC 7 TOPIC 8 TOPIC 9 INTRODUCTION DISCLAIMER These materials are issued by Kaplan Higher Education on the understanding that: 1. Kaplan Higher Education and individual contributors are not responsible for the results of any action taken on the basis of information in these materials, nor forRead MoreTaran Swan Hbr Case Analysis2602 Words   |  11 PagesNickelodeon is a cable channel for kids 2-11 years old. It started out in the US in 1979. Nickelodeon produced cartoons, live action, comedy, drama, music, sports and game shows. In 1996 it was the most popular kid’s TV channel in the US. The international channels had their own names, but relied on US programs that were voiced over. The channels were launched by a team from corporate the company called the Nickelodeon International Swat Team. They would build the channel and transition it to localRead MoreDaffodil International University7456 Words   |  30 Pagesï » ¿ Daffodil International University Internship Report On Marketing Challenges of Readymade Garments Industry in Global Market: A Comparative Study on Lusaka Group Supervised By: Mr.Gouranga Chandra Debnath Assistant Professor Department of Business Administration Daffodil International University Prepared By: Md.Nahid Hasan ID NO # 073-11-2130 Batch: 18th Major: Marketing Date of Submission: 31-08-2014Read MoreEssay on Bus 599 Week 11 Bus599 Week 115733 Words   |  23 Pagesbelieve is the best strategic position for your company. Explain the approach you will use to implement this strategic position in order to distinguish your beverage from other non-alcoholic beverages. 5. Provide an overview of your company’s distribution channels. Explain the manner in which your product will reach end users. Provide a rationale for your chosen method. * Hints:  For example, will you sell your beverage in grocery stores, restaurants, or sports venues? If so, describe the typesRead MoreEssay about What Chuck Dons Can Learn From Apple Computer2915 Words   |  12 Pagesidentify an additional company that could benefit from the lessons from this case. Success From this case study, four main components of success for Apple Computer Inc. surface: Innovation Strategic thinking and partnerships Marketing savvy Learning from past mistakes Apple Computer Inc. demonstrates a history of innovation. From its beginnings and introduction of the Apple II, to the Mac, to its more recent iTunes and iPhone, Apple has managed to maintain a competitiveRead MoreBoots Strategic Planning and Implementation5135 Words   |  21 Pagesexternal competitive market environment. It is related with marketing strategy, production and operations strategy, finance and other business objectives. A weak strategic marketing planning could create wastage of resources and miss the opportunities. Effective strategy is able to correlate the different operations within the organisation in order to reach a common goal. Graeme Drummond, John Ensor, Ruth Ashford (2008) Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control (3rd edition) Task1: Alliance Boots

Analysis of the Poem War Photographer - 1435 Words

War Photographer by Carol Ann Duffy In his darkroom he is finally alone with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows. The only light is red and softly glows, as though this were a church and he a priest preparing to intone a Mass. Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass. He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays beneath his hands which did not tremble then though seem to now. Rural England. to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel, to fields which dont explode beneath the feet of running children in a nightmare heat. Something is happening. A strangers features faintly start to twist before his eyes, a half-formed ghost. He remembers the cries of this mans wife, how he sought approval without words†¦show more content†¦It is seen that the photographer’s feelings are brought out in two contrasting situations, at home and while at warfront. The poet continues to describe the sufferings of the photographer when his mental state is compared as he is travelling between the two contrasting worlds – one the warfront which is full of destruction and chaos and the other is ‘Rural England,’ probably countryside that is peaceful and serene. He compares the pain of war to simple pain of changing weather back at home in England. There being nothing worse then the harsh weather that the children have to face as against the mines that explode on the running feet of the children affected by war. This only tells us that the photographer longs peace and he is deeply moved by the affected children. His prolonged thoughts are presented with great effect by the use of enjambment in this line and this adds to the effect of continuity of thoughts. From a realistic tone the poet moves on to a mysterious tone when she opens this third stanza with ‘something is happening.’ Probably something unforgettable, frustrating and unbearable is happening. This is unfolded in the subsequent line, ‘half-formed ghost,’ it’s the body of a dead soldier which seems to be haunting the photographer who is dead. His conscience is pricking him for he had to seek the dead soldier’ wife’s s permissionShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem War Photographer By Carol Ann Duffy2591 Words   |  11 Pagesexperiences and the issues it raises for the living. Death is rife during global conflicts and some poets use their craft to show the pain and suffering aspects of death. ‘War Photographer’ by Carol Ann Duffy presents people’s death through both literal and figurative lexis. It uses the metaphorical lens of a camera to create an opinion about war and the role of media is reporting it huma nely. ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ by Chinua Achebe presents the suffering and torment of death with strong sensory imageryRead MoreAnalysis Of Remember And War Photographer 1226 Words   |  5 PagesLiterature: Analysis of the portrayal of death in, â€Å"Remember† and â€Å"War Photographer†: The two poems I am writing about today, â€Å"Remember† by Christina Rossetti and, â€Å"War Photographer† by Carol Anne Duffy are both poetical works associated with dying and also within â€Å"Remember† the apprehensiveness of the afterlife. â€Å"Remember† is written in first person, the poet is the speaker, and is contemplating various events which will happen after one has died or a loved one. â€Å"War Photographer† is in thirdRead MoreAn Unknown Girl Analysis1379 Words   |  6 Pages↠ A Passage To Africa. (Narrative Article, Literary  Analysis.) Poetry Analysis: An Unknown Girl- Moniza  Alvi. 28May In the evening bazaar Studded with neon An unknown girl Is hennaing my hand She squeezes a wet brown line Form a nozzle She is icing my hand, Which she steadies with her On her satin peach knee. In the evening bazaar For a few rupees An unknown girl is hennaing my hand As a little air catches My shadow stitched kameez A peacock spreads its lines Across my palm. Read More Analysis of Randall Jarrells The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner1310 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of Randall Jarrells The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner Many of the great poems we read today were written in times of great distress. One of these writers was Randall Jarrell. After being born on May 6, 1914, in Nashville Tennessee, Jarrell and his parents moved to Los Angeles where his dad worked as a photographer. When Mr. and Mrs. Jarrell divorced, Randall and his younger brother returned to Nashville to live with their mother. While in Nashville, Randall attended Hume-Frogg highRead MoreA Comparative Analysis of Harlem Renaissance Poetry Essay596 Words   |  3 Pages (A Comparative Analysis of Harlem Renaissance Poetry) The great philosopher Plato once orated: â€Å"Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. PBS defines the the Harlem Renaissance a â€Å"Cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem between the end of World War I and the middle of the 1930s. During this period Harlem was a cultural center, drawing black writers, artists, musicians, photographers, poets, and scholars.† Those who wish to sing alwaysRead MoreRoberto Matt Making The Invisible Visible1635 Words   |  7 Pagesas surrealist automatism, which is defined as the inspiration for artwork coming from the artist’s mind, especially his/her subconscious, alone. However, With World War II rapidly approaching, Matta made his way to New York City in late 1938. Here, in the mid-40’s, he changed the style of his work to reflect the terrifying war around himself. This collection of pieces is known as his â€Å"Social Morphologies†, due to its reflection of the political and social perspective of the times, as opposedRead MoreAnalysis : The Agony That His Friend 2077 Words   |  9 PagesAnalysis of AQWF Pages 22-24 Starting halfway down page 22, Paul begins describing the agony that his friend is in, he then goes into detail about every waking movement that Kemmerich endures. By going into detail about such movements, mannerisms and how â€Å"he just weeps with his head turned,† we begin to get a more inclusive look into the feelings that Paul is feeling when being sympathetic to his friends. We also begin to grasp an outlook on war that isn’t represented as commonly, the devotion andRead MoreHarlem And The Middle Of The 1930s1791 Words   |  8 PagesThe Harlem Renaissance was the name given to the cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem, New York between the conclusion of World War I and the middle of the 1930s. During this period, Harlem was a cultural center, drawing black writers, artists, musicians, photographers, poets, and scholars. Many had come from the South, fleeing its oppressive caste system in order to find a place where they could free ly express their talents; this became known as The Great MigrationRead More Richard Wrights 12 Million Black Voices: Photo and Text1915 Words   |  8 Pagessmile when we call the way of life we lived in Africa civilization, but in numerous respects the culture of many of our tribes was equal to that of the lands from which the slave captors came. We smelted iron, danced, made music, and recited folk poems; we sculptured, worked in glass, spun cotton and wool, wove baskets and cloth; we invented a medium of exchange, mined silver and gold, made pottery and cutlery; we fashioned tools and utensils of brass, bronze, ivory, quartz, and granite; we had ourRead MoreMirza Ghalib6891 Words   |  28 PagesMihr-e-Nim Roz (Midday Sun), both in Persian language. His idiosyncrasy became so popular that even the most popular writers including Maulana Hali and Sir Sayed Ahmed Khan embraced his unpretentious style and carried forth the valuable legacy. Through analysis it becomes clear that the re cannot be encountered any essential difference between the style that Ghalib adopted, and the style which is prevalent in today’s era which demands simplicity as well, rather than the complex and incomprehensible literature

Pharmaguard Limited

Questions: The level of each activity in the three market segments and the total cost incurred for each activity in 2015 is shown below: Activity-based cost data Activity level Pharmacare 2015 Activity General supermarket chains Pharmacy chains Pharmacist-owned single stores Total cost of activity in 2015 Orders processed (number) 140 360 1 500 $80 000 Line-items ordered (number) 1 960 4 320 15 000 63 840 Store deliveries made (number) 120 360 1 000 71 000 Cartons shipped to stores (number) 36 000 24 000 16 000 76 000 Shelf-stocking (hours) 360 180 100 10 240 $301 080 Required: 1. Compute the 2015 gross-margin percentage for each of Pharmaguards three market segments. 2. Compute the cost driver rates for each of the five activity areas. 3. Use the activity-based costing information to allocate the $301080 of other operating costs to each of the market segments. Compute the operating profit for each market segment. 4. Comment on the results. What new insights are available with the ABC information? 5. The senior management at Phramaguard plans to implement ABC in its retail operations, manufacturing operations and its medical centre operations. The staff in these divisions are not in favour of implementing ABC and the Activity-based management (ABM). They are resisting these changes. Some employees are questioning, why does the company need to change at all? 6. As a consultant, give your professional advice on the benefits and limitations of adopting ABC for all its all operations at Pharmaguard. Answers: Introduction Pharmaguard has approached Delots Management Consultants regarding implementing Activity-based Costing ( ABC ) in its retail operations. The company has three main market segments: General supermarket chains Pharmacy chains Pharmacist owned single stores Delots Management Consultants scope will be to study the current segment wise profitability and analyze the gross margin and profit numbers using the traditional method being followed by Pharmaguard. The analysis starts with analyzing the drivers of the operating costs i.e., Orders processed, Line-items ordered ( number ), Store deliveries made ( number ), Cartons shipped to stores ( number ), Shelf-stocking ( hours ), goes on to find the profitability after allocating the operating costs using Activity Based costing method ( ABC ). The results are compared and the reasons for the difference are delved into. Post the analysis, a recommendation for the use of traditional and ABC method is done so that the better method is used by Pharmaguard in future. The typical pitfalls in using either of the methods are also enumerated in the analysis below. Finally, the recommendation is made as to which method should the company adopt in future so as to iron out inefficiencies and provide better business to its market segments Analysis The company currently makes a revenue of $ 8.8 mn. 42 % of the revenue or $ 3.71 mn comes from General supermarket chains. 36 % of the revenue or $ 3.15 mn comes from Pharmacy chains. 22 % of the revenue or $ 1.98 mn comes from Pharmacist-owned single stores. The mix of the cost of goods sold is 43 : 36 : 21 for General supermarket chains, Pharmacy chains, Pharmacist owned single stores respectively. As a result, the gross margin of $ 438 k is divided into $ 108 k for General supermarket chains, $ 150 k for Pharmacy chains and $ 180 k for Pharmacist-owned single stores. Thus the gross margin % are 2.9 % for General supermarket chains, 4.8 % for Pharmacy chains, 9.1 % for Pharmacist-owned single stores. After the operating costs of $ 301 K, the operating profit is 1.5 % or $ 136 k. Orders processed 7 % of the mix of the orders processed ( 140 ) comes from General supermarket chains, 18 % the mix of the orders processed ( 360 ) comes from Pharmacy chains, 75 % the mix of the orders processed ( 1500 ) comes from Pharmacist owned single stores. In all, 2 k orders are processed with total cost of $ 80 k. The cost per activity driver is $ 40. Line-items ordered ( number ) 9 % of the mix of the Line-items ordered ( 1960 ) comes from General supermarket chains, 20 % the mix of the Line-items ordered ( 4320 ) comes from Pharmacy chains, 70 % the mix of the Line-items ordered ( 15000 ) comes from Pharmacist owned single stores. In all, 21.28 k orders are processed with total cost of $ 64 k. The cost per activity driver is $ 3. Store deliveries made ( number ) 8 % of the mix of the stores deliveries made ( 120 ) comes from General supermarket chains, 24 % the mix of the stores deliveries made ( 360 ) comes from Pharmacy chains, 68 % the mix of the stores deliveries made ( 1000 ) comes from Pharmacist owned single stores. In all, 1.48 k orders are processed with total cost of $ 71 k. The cost per activity driver is $ 48. Cartons shipped to stores ( number ) 47 % of the mix of the cartons shipped to stores made ( 36 k ) comes from General supermarket chains, 32 % the mix of the cartons shipped to stores made ( 24 k ) comes from Pharmacy chains, 21 % the mix of the cartons shipped to stores made ( 76 k ) comes from Pharmacist owned single stores. In all, 76 k orders are processed with total cost of $ 76 k. The cost per activity driver is $ 1. Shelf-stocking ( hours ) 56 % of the mix of the Line-items ordered ( 360 ) comes from General supermarket chains, 28 % the mix of the Line-items ordered ( 180 ) comes from Pharmacy chains, 16 % the mix of the Line-items ordered ( 100 ) comes from Pharmacist owned single stores. In all, 640 orders are processed with total cost of $ 10.24 k. The cost per activity driver is $ 16. Thus the total operating cost spend of $ 301 k is divided as 27 % or $ 80 k for orders processed, 21 % or $ 64 k for line item ordered, 24 % or $ 71 k for stores deliveries made, 25 % or $ 76 k for cartons shipped to stores, 3 % or $ 10.24 k for shelf stocking. Based on the ABC method of allocating overheads on the above mentioned cost drivers, $ 301 k of cost is allocated as $ 59 k for General Super market chains, $ 71.5 k for Pharmacy Chains, $ 170.573 k for Pharmacist owned single stores. This represents a mix of 20: 24: 56 for General Super market chains, Pharmacy Chains and Pharmacist owned single stores respectively Accordingly, the amounts allocated to the segments for the various operating cost heads are given below Orders processed ( number ) 7 % of the mix of the orders processed ( $ 5600 ) comes from General supermarket chains, 18 % the mix of the orders processed ( $ 14.4 k ) comes from Pharmacy chains, 75 % the mix of the orders processed ( $ 60 k ) comes from Pharmacist owned single stores. Line-items ordered ( number ) 9 % of the mix of the Line-items ordered ( $ 5.88 k ) comes from General supermarket chains, 20 % the mix of the Line-items ordered ( $ 12.96 k ) comes from Pharmacy chains, 70 % the mix of the Line-items ordered ( $ 45 k ) comes from Pharmacist owned single stores Store deliveries made ( number ) 8 % of the mix of the stores deliveries made ( $ 5.8 k ) comes from General supermarket chains, 24 % the mix of the stores deliveries made ( $ 17.3 k ) comes from Pharmacy chains, 68 % the mix of the stores deliveries made ( $ 48 k ) comes from Pharmacist owned single stores. Cartons shipped to stores ( number ) 47 % of the mix of the cartons shipped to stores made ( $ 36 k ) comes from General supermarket chains, 32 % the mix of the cartons shipped to stores made ( $ 24 k ) comes from Pharmacy chains, 21 % the mix of the cartons shipped to stores made ( $ 76 k ) comes from Pharmacist owned single stores. Shelf-stocking ( hours ) 56 % of the mix of the Line-items ordered ( $ 5.76 k ) comes from General supermarket chains, 28 % the mix of the Line-items ordered ( $ 2.88 k ) comes from Pharmacy chains, 16 % the mix of the Line-items ordered ( $ 1.6 k ) comes from Pharmacist owned single stores. Based on the above allocations, the profitability analysis i.e. operating profit is $ 49 k for General Super market chains, $ 78.5 k for Pharmacy Chains, $ 9.4 k for Pharmacist owned single stores. This represents a mix of 36 % for General Super market chains, 57 % for Pharmacy Chains, 7 % for Pharmacist owned single stores. The operating profit % is 1.3 % for General Super market chains, 2.5 % for Pharmacy Chains, 0.5 % for Pharmacist owned single stores. Based on the gross margin % , the following are the market segment ranks in terms of profitability Segment Rank Pharmacist-owned single stores 1 Pharmaguard Ltd 2 Pharmacy chains 3 General supermarket chains 4 However, after the adoption of ABC costing system for allocation of other operating costs, the ranking of market segments completely changes. The new ranking is as under Segment Operating Profit % Rank Pharmacy chains 2.5 % 1 Pharmaguard Ltd 1.5 % 2 General supermarket chains 1.3 % 3 Pharmacist-owned single stores 0.5 % 4 The market segment which was ranked 1 in the gross margin analysis has now become rank 4 after allocation of operating costs As mentioned, the senior management is in favor of the change in the costing system to ABC system while the retail ground level staff is resisting. The reason for this is evident in the results given in the answer to d above wherein the retail pharmacist owned single stores were ranked higher in terms of gross margin profitability. Hence they were benefitting. There was no basis of allocation of operating costs earlier. Hence it was reduced from the overall gross margin to arrive at operating profitability. The true profit picture emerged only after the allocation of operating costs through ABC method. The Pharmacist owned single stores are most dismally performing. There are some benefits of adopting ABC by Pharmaguard which can be understood by comparing it with the traditional method of costing. The pricing of products for Pharmaguard may be incorrect if ABC system is not used. a ) The case in point is selling prices in pharmacist owned stores seemed to be correct earlier. But now they generate the lowest profitability after ABC is used. Pricing in Pharmacist owned single stores have to increase to generate the same level of profitability as before. Pricing in general super market chains may have been set too high than the market can absorb. Hence the gross margin was dismal. But after the allocation of operating cost as per ABC system, the pricing seem to be alright. Thus there is a situation where non use of ABC system leads to incorrect setting of selling price. For certain underpriced market segments, pricing may be lower and hence profits may be squandered. For high prices set, the market may not be in a position to absorb and hence market share will be squandered. Competition will take advantage b ) The efficiencies of the team performance may not come to the fore if ABC is not used. Since the foundation is itself erroneous in the absence of ABC, the appraisal of market segment performance will be flawed. The bad performers may hide behind the incorrect costing. c )Since different market segments will have capital and revenue budget to be earmarked, the flawed profitability analysis using non ABC methods will result in good money chasing bad market segments and the segments will not actually perform. This will affect adequacy of budgets for the good segments. d ) The segments which have been allocated inadequate budgets will not be in a position to perform due to lack of funds. Thus they will not produce the quantum of goods or service up to their potential. Customers will not be optimally served and the market share of the segment will go down thereby affecting the entire company profitability as well. However, the foundation of ABC is identifying the correct drivers. If that is not done, then the entire exercise will throw wrong results and decision making will be affected. However, in cases where entities have low overhead costs, the allocation methodology would not make any great change to the overall absorption and hence the costs will be similar. In cases, where the management feels that traditional costing methods to allocate operating costs are more representative and is representing a direct driver of overhead costs, use of traditional method or Activity Based costing ( ABC ) would give same results Inference and Conclusion Thus it is clear that the ABC method of allocating costs is a superior method compared to traditional method. Delots Management Consultants feels that the company should adopt ABC and implement the same. This will help to iron out budget flaws, the tracking of performance, the pricing to the market and maintaining or increasing market share of its respective segments. References AccountingCoach.com. (2016).Activity Based Costing | Explanation | AccountingCoach. BusinessDictionary.com. (2016).What is activity based costing (ABC)? definition and meaning.. Classes.bus.oregonstate.edu. (2016).CHAPTER 11: ACTIVITY-BASED COSTING. The Economist. (2009).Activity-based costing.

John Locke Essays (774 words) - Rights, Empiricists, John Locke

John Locke John Locke John Locke was an English philosopher and political theorist during the 1600s. He was also the founder of British empiricism. He is known for his great contribution to the Enlightenment period, in which he gave people the idea of natural rights and a government that protects those rights. John Locke also wrote a famous essay called Concerning Human Understanding and attacked the theory of divine right of kings in Two Treatises of Government. John Locke was a very important philosopher and his ideas effected many people. John Locke was born in Wrinlington, Somerset on August 29,1632. He lived from 1632 to 1704. He was the son of a puritan lawyer who fought for Cromwell in the English civil war. The father also named John Locke was a very devoted man to his work and family and an even-tempered man.John Locke was educated at Westminniser School and Oxford and later became a tutor at the university. His friends urged him to leave the church and start writing all of his great ideas, but John Locke said he was not fit for that calling, so he remained at the Church of England. He had long been interested in Meteorology and the experimental sciences, especially chemistry. He turned to medicine and became one of the most known practitioner of his time (Microsoft). In 1669, Locke became confidential secretary and personal physician to Anthony Ashley Cooper, later Lord Chancellor, and the first earl of Shaftbury. Locke's association with Shaftbury enabled him to meet many of the great men of England, but it also caused him a great deal of trouble. Shaftbury was indicated for high treason, but Locke was suspected of disloyalty. In 1685 he left England for Holland after the revolution of 1688 (Wolterstorff 83). Locke was always very interested in psychology, and in about 1670, some of his friends begged him to write and publish a paper on limitations of human judgment. He started to write a few paragraphs, but 20 years passed before he finished because he was interested in Shaftesbury's political affairs. The result was his great and famous essay Concerning Human Understanding. In his work he stressed the theory that the human mind starts as a tabula rasa, which is a wax tablet ready to be used for writing. The mind has new born ideas, and once men get a greater understanding of the idea, he can learn to make that idea greater (?John Locke?). Locke was the founder of British empiricism. Locke's Essay is one of the classical documents of British empirical philosophy. The thing that Locke was most concerned about was epistemology, which means the theory of knowledge. Locke sees the universe as made up of ?insensible particles? and ?immaterial substances? that associate with human bodies. He believes these bodies have senses, which produce ideas. These ideas are what creates our thoughts, perception, and consciousness. Locke believed we have no knowledge other then our ideas. According to Locke, secondary qualities, such as taste, ?are nothing in the objects themselves but powers to produce ideas in use by their primary qualities? (Aaron 72) Locke is also known for the Two Treatises of Government. The first part of the document talks about the political views of Sir Robert Filmer. Filmer had argued that the power of a king is the same as a father's power over his children. Locke didn't agree with this concept and thought that the father only has power until his child become an adult and that the king's subjects are not the same as children. In the second part of the document, Locke says that ruler's must rule by the laws of nature, or natural rights to life, liberty, and property. The ruler's powers are given to him with people trusting that the ruler will follow these natural rights, and if the ruler doesn't follow these rights his power can be taken away. He believed that a monarchy with an assembly to make sure the monarch follows these natural rights was a perfect political arrangement. He also believed that principles of conduct were possible and humans could be trusted to follow these principles. These ideas had a tremendous effect on all future political thinking. The Americans Declaration of

Explain how group work contributed to the final performance Essays

Explain how group work contributed to the final performance Essays Explain how group work contributed to the final performance Essay Explain how group work contributed to the final performance Essay When we first began working as a collective none of us were very sure about how to proceed; we knew that for this to work, everyone would need to take their role within the group, but the problem was in finding what those roles should be. As we were in a very small group, everyones full input was needed throughout the process as we realised early on that if this did not happen then there would be a large proportion of the group not taking part. In larger groups, having someone not taking part would not necessarily be that important, however, with ours, we would be at a serious disadvantage. Luckily every one of group was very committed to producing the best piece that we could, and this involved not letting each other down. This work ethic allowed us to have many in-depth discussions into the possible interpretations and meanings of our work, and so we developed a very complex understanding of what we were actually trying to communicate, and, to us, gave the work much greater meaning. In the beginning stages, we all took on very similar working roles. This was not very productive as often the same task was performed three times over. For example, all doing research on the same subject meant that a lot of information was being regurgitated, and so time was being wasted on unnecessary work. Although it seems like an obvious course of action, we began giving people dedicated tasks at the end of each rehearsal. This allowed us to know exactly what other members of the group would be bringing to the next meet, and so we were able to structure our own work around this knowledge. One of the most difficult parts of coming to the devising process was learning how to constructively working in a group over a long period of time. While we were used to being part of a cast, we had always had the influence of a director to keep things fresh and to solve conflicts. This time we would have to figure it all out for ourselves.  Before we tried to begin doing any work we first sat down and discussed and agreed upon a number of ground rules that we would be working to during our devising. These rules were not there to keep members of the group constrained, but were there so that we knew what was expected of us during this process. Much of what was decided came from common sense, but it was very useful to have everyones contribution as this created an open atmosphere where we could voice hopes and concerns about working in the group. These rules were written down, but they were never referred to afterwards as we all respected them throughout the process. In this early stage we had not had the chance to develop the group skills that would be so important to the completion of the project. In order to gain these skills we began working on simple tasks such as constructing short scenes and improvising around the stimulus material. These exercises did not contribute to the final performance, however, the processes of constructing them allowed us to work in the same group situations that we would be working in throughout the devising process, and gave us an idea of the kinds of concessions and cooperation needed for the success of group work. This way of working, was very intense, and although it did produce results, the group was not its without conflicts. Because of the open nature of the group we never had disagreements over the actual work; if there was a problem with what was being produced, we sat down and tried to work out alternatives, and it was this way of working that probably stopped a number of arguments. However, this was a very stressful atmosphere, especially as we came closer to the night of performance. On one occasion we found ourselves arguing over petty problems, and this began interfering with the work. At the time we decided to abandon the rehearsal and spend the evening relaxing, not thinking about the play! Thankfully this was the only occasion that we actually argued over the work and so the only time that our work was interrupted in this way. Although I have said that the amount of time spent together was the cause of disputes, this also created a very tight bond between the members of the group, and it was this bond that was crucial to the success of the final performance. This closeness that we had developed worked to our advantage on a number of levels. When developing ideas we were able to understand the thought track of other members very quickly, and so very little explaining was needed when presenting new concepts. But also, when we came to the final performance, we knew that we were able to rely on the abilities of other group members. In the performance, not only did we know what we were meant to be doing, we also knew exactly what other members of the cast were supposed to be doing. This allowed us to precisely plan our reactions and meant that (epically with the more physical elements) we were able to rely on other cast members to doing exactly what they supposed to be doing. This level of trust that had been developing for a number of weeks meant that we did not have to worry about the performance of other members of the group. Without the development of group work in the early stages we would not have been able to work effectively within the group, and possibly the very simple devising tasks would not have been achieved.

Fraught Is a Heavy Word

Fraught Is a Heavy Word â€Å"Fraught† Is a Heavy Word â€Å"Fraught† Is a Heavy Word By Mark Nichol Fraught, one of my favorite words, is fraught with meaning. The term, a variant of freight, was originally a noun and an adjective, with a verb form of fraughten. However, the noun, meaning â€Å"cargo,† disappeared from English (though it survives in Scottish), the verb is entirely extinct, and the adjectival form, which means â€Å"laden, full of† has survived only (with the exception, again, of Scottish) in its centuries-old figurative sense. Now, when a situation is fraught, it is accompanied by, or full of, a feeling usually danger, peril, or some synonymous (and usually sinister) quality. There are exceptions: Note the use in the first paragraph of this post, and a place can be said to be fraught with memories, which may be positive, negative, or a combination thereof. However, because of the word’s often negative connotation, fraught has developed an additional sense of â€Å"uneasy,† and when used this way, it requires no object. For example, one might write, â€Å"We found ourselves in a fraught predicament.† In conversation and in writing, use of the word is fraught with consequences: For one thing, it’s a fairly obscure term, though â€Å"fraught with (blank)† constructions are common enough to form a class of clichà ©s. Furthermore, the use of fraught in the sense of a situation involving emotional turmoil may be unfamiliar to your audience. But fraught is loaded with the strength of precision its meanings are sparse and specific, so it packs a punch and you should hesitate to allow a potent word’s relative rarity to disqualify it from your vocabulary. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of AdjectivesOne Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . .Artist vs. Artisan

Streer Bike Stunters write-up Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Streer Bike Stunters write-up - Essay Example Street bike stunting in the streets of California is one thing that brings a lot of young people to craze and it has helped to develop friendship and amity among the youths. I set out to find out how bike stunting had been incorporated in the society as a culture. Many youths during their early life experiences, tend to incline to a certain group usually informally, this is because of the same age, or live same street e.t.c. I learnt from my friend that street bike stunts in many American states helps young people to socialize and interact at personal levels offering each other support in their activities. Theses activities help to build friendships and give the young people an opportunity to discover their talents and encourage them to work even harder to achieve greater heights. I have experienced the street bike stunts of San Jose of California and found out that all they do is more than just stunting on the streets. A friend of mine by the name Jonathon says â€Å"these stunts give us an opportunity to socialize and discover full potential in a person†. Affinity groups may develop formally as a result of being included in the same school team, or same class (Glaser 1999, 21). â€Å"How did you guys meet?† I asked him. â€Å"Actually we were not strangers we grew up in the same neighborhood† Jonathon explained. â€Å"How do you identify yourselves?† I asked â€Å"The name of the group is Stunters, Street Battlers† we came up with the name to build in ourselves a psyche and motivation to achieve greater heights. The group works to entertain people as well as build on their skill and to earn experience of what they do best. I think the stunts pool together youths who are ambitious to develop their talents and the stunts are occasionally graced with prizes and cash for the best stunts. People usually give money to support the events for the love of the sport and this is wholly a non profit making

Developing probes of cathepsin L Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Developing probes of cathepsin L - Lab Report Example The resin has a linker of acid sensitivity that allows the protection of dipeptide. Besides, the cleavage process also affects the selection of the resin. The synthesis process involved adopting the SPPS protocol which involves the use of DMF, resin, reagents like 4-Dimethylamionpyridine (DMAP) and DMF before the addition of liquid reagent (DIC). The resins were washed with DCM3, IPO 3 and NMP 3 several times. The cleavage process involves using a dilute TFA process. The dry resin was placed in the glass funnel and 1% 10 ml FTA of the dry DCM added, filtered through the application of nitrogen pressure on the flask with ten percent pyridine (2ml) dissolved in methanol. The washing of resin and checking of the filtrate using either the HPLC or the TLC method helped in the process. The mass spectrometry was used for the identification of the protein profiles. The mass of the protein were evaluated by the calculation of m/z peaks. The cleavage of the protein was successful and lead to t he identification of 12 peaks. Majority of the cathepsins are cysteine protease while others are either serine or aspartic proteases. The secretion of cathepsins in the body can be induced by factors like interferon and tumour necrosis factor (Hassanein et al., 2009). Different cathepsins are induced by different molecules, for instance cathepsin L is induced by nicotine. Cathepsins are proteases. Proteases are enzymes with the potential to degrading the proteins. These enzymes are ubiquitous in animals and other organisms. The cathepsins occur in different forms and families. Their differences are based on the differences in structural domains (Puzer et al., 2005). Other factors affecting the type of cathepsins include the proteins they cleave and the catalytic mechanisms. The optimal environment for these enzymes is acidic media, therefore, most of the cathepsins undergo activation at lower ionic concentration characterised by the

GFP Bunny Essay Example for Free

GFP Bunny Essay Oswald Chambers once said that, We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do (http://home. att. net/~quotesabout/god. html). In a society which is constantly making progress, human beings do not understand the repercussions of new scientific discoveries and often cross the delicate line of being human and playing God. Science gives us security as it is considered to be the cure to all evil. What eludes us is that in the act of eradicating this evil, we inadvertently bring into being a newer, more powerful evil. Victor Frankenstein, the focal character in Mary Shellys novel Frankenstein and Aylmer, the antagonistic character in Nathaniel Hawthornes short story The Birthmark both become so devoted in their pursuits of creation, that they forget their human limitations ending up with chaos and destruction. In the story, The Birthmark, Aylmer tells his newly wed wife that he is shocked by the birthmark on her face, as it is the visible mark of earthly imperfection (Hawthorne 1131). His thoughts and words hurt his wife greatly, which drives her to a point where she would rather die than live on another day with the hideous birthmark on her face. As Georgiana imparts on to her husband, her wish to get the birthmark removed once and for all, Aylmer is fueled to succeed at all costs. He rents out an extensive apartment where he observes Georgina and delves in a variety of natural philosophies so that he can remove her birthmark once and for all. Aylmer is so engrossed in playing God to remove a human imperfection so his wife can get rid of her mortal nature that he does not realize that he lacks the powers to make things around him flawless. It is this obsession, which eventually eradicates the birthmark. But along with the birthmark, a fair Georgiana becomes a martyr for her husbands cause. Similarly Victor Frankenstein, the character created by Mary Shelly, wishes to indulge in the secrets of heaven and earth (Shelley 45); however, despite having the intentions to banish disease from the human frame (Shelley 47), he is completely careless in accepting responsibilities for his creation. After his mothers death, Frankenstein becomes a victim of fate. It is fate coupled with his eternal thirst for knowledge that leads to the monsters creation. An ambitious Frankenstein eventually goes against Mother Nature by creating the monster. Frankenstein and Aylmers actions of creating life and beauty respectively parallel the nature of recent cloning efforts by the Clonaid Corporation. According to The Economist On December 27th Clonaid, a firm associated with the Raelians, a religious sect, announced that it had succeeded in producing the worlds first human clonean allegedly healthy baby girl called Eve, born to an unnamed American woman at an undisclosed location (61-62). Cloning has been going on for years and numerous animals have been cloned. Critics, skeptics and supporters have paid minimal attention to this sensitive subject because it has never affected our lives in a direct way. But as our own species are being cloned, we cant help but to stop and think about the implications of cloning. In sciences great pursuit to take over gods duties, one wonders whether creating clones is ethical and moral, not only to the clone that may suffer serious deformities but to the society it will be unleashed upon. Science is trying to create a life which they cannot govern later on as natures will eventually take over. Paranoid. Human Beings have always been inclined towards art and beauty. It is in our nature to lay emphasis on beauty and creation. It is something that mesmerizes us and wheels us into great depths. Art that is created naturally can be exquisite at times, but when our obsession with superficiality drives us to inject science into this artistic force, we are looking at a grotesque and unethical piece of creation. Aylmer was so fixated on his wifes beauty that he saw the birthmark as a sign of her mortal nature. He saw the birthmark as a symbol of imperfection, sorrow, decay and death; all things ugly. He is eager to remove the birthmark and tells Georgiana, his humble wife that he is convinced of the perfect practicability of its removal (Hawthorne 1132). Aylmer with his previous experiences at taming nature sees no reason why he should not further beautify his nearly perfect wife upon whom nature has placed its ugly stamp. Frankensteins creation The monster has also been judged at a superficial level from the very beginning. Following the birth of his creation, he instantly gives the monster a feeling of being on the outside of society. Victor responds to his creation by saying, I beheld the wretchthe miserable monster whom I had created (Shelley 61). It is his initial rejection which leads the monster to plead with Frankenstein: You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me nothing? they spurn and hate me (Shelley 94). The creature struggles with the thought of being unwanted because of his grotesque looks. The monster was a benevolent creature, but as he was shunned by people for his external appearance, he turned miserable and vengeful.

Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie Essay -- essays research papers

Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie From the beginning, the figure of the narrator shows that Williams' play will not follow the conventions of realistic theater. The narrator breaks the conceptual "fourth wall" of naturalistic drama by addressing the audience directly. Tom also tells us that he is going to give the audience truth disguised as illusion, making the audience conscious of the illusory quality of theater. By playing with the theme of memory and its distortions, Williams is free to use music, monologues, and projected images to haunting effect. Tom, as narrator, tells the audience that the gentleman caller is a real person†¹more real, in many ways, than any other character†¹but he also tells the audience that the gentleman is a symbol for the "expected something that we live for," the thing for which we are always waiting and hoping. This naming of a character as both real entity and symbol is characteristic of Williams' work; both of these aspects of the gentleman caller are important to the overall impact of the Play. The allusion to Guernica and the turmoil in Spain, juxtaposed to the uneasy peace in America, establishes a tense atmosphere as the play's background. There is symmetry between the uneasy peace of the time period and the uneasy peace in the Wingfield house. Just as America stirs restlessly with the uneasy peace before the Second World War, Tom seethes with the need to escape his home and set out into the world†¹as his father did before him. The fire escape, a visually prominent part of the set, is an important symbol for the imprisonment that Tom feels and the possibility of a way out. In his stage directions, Williams characteristically imbues the fire escape with symbolic weight, saying that the buildings are burning with the "implacable fires of human desperation." Tom addresses the audience from the fire escape, and his positioning there, standing alone between the outside world and the space of the apartment, points to the painful choice he makes later in the play. In order to escape, he must escape alone and leave his mother and sister behind. This is the first scene where the audience sees Laura taking care of her glass menagerie. The glass menagerie is the most important symbol for Laura and her fragility. H... ... is also, in many ways, the surrogate for Williams' sister†¹whose name was Rose. Williams uses the rose as a motif for Laura to emphasize her delicateness and her beauty, as well as her worth. The fantastic blue color of the flower shows, however, that Laura is not a being of this world Tom's closing speech is a great moment. The descending fourth wall puts a powerful but permeable barrier between Tom and his family. They are behind him, behind him in time and in the physical space of the stage, and they are inaudible. Yet he cannot seem to shake the memory of them, and they are clearly visible to the audience. Although he has never explicitly spoken of one of the play's most important themes†¹the conflict between responsibility and the need to live his own life†¹it is clear that he has not been able to fully shake the guilt from the decision that he made. The cost of escape has been the burden of memory. For Tom and the audience, it is difficult to forget the final image of frail Laura, illuminated by candlelight on a darkened stage, while the world outside of the apartment faces the beginnings of a great storm.

Classic Post-Modernist Writers

Charles Dickens. Thomas Hardy. Joseph Conrad. During their time, they were considered to be realists because they shape their readers’ perceptions of the world. In doing so, their writings are described to be modern and post-realist. This paper will discuss their approaches and on how their works, which we discussed this semester, are classic masterpieces simply because these transcend over time. Post-realism in literature is done when subjects are depicted on the page as how they are in daily life. There is no interpretation and embellishment.They reveal the mundane truth. Most of the time, in post-realism, these truths are ugly and sordid. Therefore, during the 20th century, when these writers came up with their works, they were often criticized for discussing subjects at that time were deemed as taboo. Realism was the cultural movement that was quite popular in literature in the 1800s. It was the opposite of romanticism because it encouraged artists to present objects at th eir most real. The perceptions are undistorted by bias and it is said that realism is the objective reality.The trend reformed the cultural movements in literature and became modernized. Cultural, political and artistic movements headed this direction at the turn of the century. It confirmed the ability of human beings to improve, create, reshape and enhance their environment. The period of modernism was during 1884 to 1914. Through technology, practical knowledge and scientific experiments, individuals are able to improve their way of life. It was at its earliest stages but these three novelists were able to become masters of the technique way before their counterparts did.Modernism examined the aspect of existence. It ranged from philosophy to commerce. It allowed the readers to reflect without holding back and replaced the old methods with the new progressive techniques. It was the introduction on how the world must accept the changes that were already occurring. By embracing the se changes and retaining some traditions, the post-realist movement came into place. (Crook, 1991, p. 32) Charles Dickens is known for his storytelling and immortal characters. With this, his literary creations received worldwide popularity which readers often anticipated for as well.The demand for Dickens’ short stories and novels didn’t allow these to go out of print. He wrote serialized novels which the public eagerly waited and religiously read. Scholars who studied why Dickens’ stories could reach out to his readers discovered that the author’s childhood influenced his fiction. These innocent experiences assisted him in bringing these stories to life. His writing style is poetic because it combines fantasy and realism which allows readers to shift from one to the other. He was also inspired by the gothic romance theme that was made popular in the 18th century.The downside to this writing style is that some of his characters are grotesque that they of ten overpower the stories. (Glancy, 1999, p 45) â€Å"Dombey sat in the corner of the darkened room in the great arm-chair by the bedside, and Son lay tucked up warm in a little basket bedstead, carefully disposed on a low settee immediately in front of the fire and close to it, as if his constitution were analogous to that of a muffin, and it was essential to toast him brown while he was very new. Dombey was about eight-and-forty years of age. Son about eight-and-forty minutes.Dombey was rather bald, rather red, and though a handsome well-made man, too stern and pompous in appearance, to be prepossessing. Son was very bald, and very red, and though (of course) an undeniably fine infant, somewhat crushed and spotty in his general effect, as yet. † The two paragraphs are from the first chapter of Dickens’ â€Å"Dombey and Son. † Dickens was an active participant in social concerns and such themes were rooted in this novel. Examples were marriages being arranged a s if it were financial partnerships. Other themes were familial relationships and child cruelty.A factor that made Dickens’ works post-modernist is his take on social commentaries. He often wrote about poverty, specifically the social stratification in the Victorian society. The approach Dickens often utilized is presenting the incidences through caricatures in order to present the readers the social truth. (Glancy, 1999, p. 53) Another post-modernist theme is that Dickens often highlighted his idealism through the poignant social commentaries of his novels. A number of his novels discussed social realism and concentrated on the mechanisms of the social control which directed the lives of the individuals.He used coincidences which only showed how idealistic his works were. Thomas Hardy is Dickens’ exact opposite. He is a realist in the sense that his novels often ends in a tragic note. Hardy was an English novelist, writer and poet. Unlike Dickens, Hardy’s child hood was privileged nor luxurious. His father was a stonemason and his mother provided him with his formal education. He was trained as an architect before he moved to London where he enrolled at King’s College. Because of his skills in designing, he won prizes from the Architectural Association and the Royal Institute of British architects.He discovered he also had the knack in writing, thus he began his career as a novelist. â€Å"Jude the Obscure† was Hardy’s most controversial work. It received negative reviews especially from the Victorian public because of the brutal and unsanitized depiction of sex. It was touted as â€Å"Jude the Obscene. † It also caused further strain on Hardy’s marriage to Emma Hardy because it was said that the novel was autobiographical. Scholars pointed out that Emma was Hardy’s first love, just as Sue was Jude’s. Another evidence was Emma’s obsession with religion toward the latter years of her m arriage to Hardy.Incidentally, this was Sue’s predicament on the novel as well. Inspite of the controversies, Hardy became one of the best English novelists by the 20th century. His other works â€Å"Tess of D’urbervilles† and â€Å"The Mayor of Casterbridge† were well-received by the public. His novels are set in Wessex, an imaginary world that covered the large area of the south-west and south England. (Harvey, 2003, p 23) He also wrote poetry and these were published after 1898 when Hardy took a break from writing novels to concentrate on his poems instead. Hardy was a hybrid of the rural and the architectural world.He understood the former because he knew this as a child and at the same time, he also adapted to the changes of the latter because of how he was trained as an architecture. The post-modernist approach that is apparent in Hardy’s works is his ability to capture the industrial revolution, particularly the ones that took place in the E nglish countryside. He also set this in the Victorian setting which makes his novels more real. (Harvey, 2003, p. 25) â€Å"It was as old fashioned as it was small, and it rested in the lap of an undulating upland adjoining the North Wessex downs.Old as it was, however, the well-shaft that was probably the only relic of the local history that remained absolutely unchanged. Many of the thatched and dormered dweeling-houses had been pulled down of late years, and many trees felled on the green. Above all, the original church, hump-backed, wood turreted-and quaintly-hipped, had been taken down, and either cracked up into heaps of road-metal in the lane, or utilized as pig-sty walls, garden seats, guard-stones to fences, and rockeries in the flower-beds of the neighbourhood.In place of it a tall new building of modern Gothic design, unfamiliar to English eyes, had been erected on a new piece of ground by a certain obliterator of historic records who had run down from London and back in a day. † That is an excerpt from â€Å"Jude the Obscure. † Another post-modernist theme that is common in Hardy’s works is his depiction of the rural life in the nineteenth century. He presents it as a fatalistic world that is filled with injustice and suffering. The lead characters in his stories are often alienated and ostracized for following their innermost desires that do not coincide with what society expects from them.He emphasizes on the power of fate, especially on the working class. He also shows the deep human instinct and will to struggle against elemental passion. Examples are Tess in â€Å"Tess of the D’urbervilles† and Jude and Sue in â€Å"Jude The Obscure. † (Morgan, 1992, p. 15) â€Å"Tess of the d’Urbervilles† was a censored novel that followed â€Å"Jude the Obscure. † It is a great classic but received mixed reviews when it was first published because like â€Å"Jude the Obscure,† it presented sex in a straightforward manner that was rarely done during that time by other writers.Hardy illustrated modernism and this was a common theme in â€Å"Tess of the d’Urbervilles. † He portrayed Tess as a woman who was able to strike the balance between the rural world and the architectural world, just as what Hardy was able to do. Hardy also discussed the separation of man from nature. In one part of the story, Angel was reduced to a skeleton when he got sick. This is an allusion to his creation of the destructive machinery. (Morgan, 1992, p. 18) There is also the double standard on sexuality which Tess had to go through.Hardy questioned and criticized the Victorian period’s perception of female purity. In the novel, Hardy made Tess suffer in order to repent for the scenes of her forefathers. This was a common belief during that time. He also presented her heroine as a sacrificial victim which symbolized her personification of mother nature. This is the similar ity Tess shares with Sue in â€Å"Jude the Obscure. † (Morgan, 1992, p. 20) â€Å"Jude the Obscure† tells the story of Jude Fawley who wishes to be a scholar. He fell in love with his cousin Sue, an intellectual who is training to become a teacher.The apparent themes in the book that are post-modernist concerns are class, religion, scholarship, marriage and the modernization of intellectual thought along with society. It also questions whether fate has an important role to a person’s life letting it lead him to where it will or the person can eventually take the reins and control his life on his own. The accidents and the details that are encountered in the stories eventually leads to the ruin of both Jude and Sue. The book also discussed loneliness and sexuality, in terms of incest. Sexuality also prevents individuals from following through with their dreams.The most controversial topic that was present in the novel is marriage and on how personal dreams could no longer be fulfilled because of that. There was also the satirical look on how living a life as sophists, intellectuals and libertines often result to the condemnation from traditional society. All these themes are post-modernist. Scholars who focused on Hardy concluded that the author loved leading his characters to their downfall as if he were a sadistic god. There are also strong autobiographical references to Hardy’s life in â€Å"Jude the Obscure.†Two important clues to this theory is that Hardy did not attend a university and the love of Jude’s life, Emma Gifford, became more and more religious. (Harvey, 2003, p. 83) Joseph Conrad is the combination of Charles Dickens’ idealism and Thomas Hardy’s realism. He was one of the best English novelists of his time. Despite being Polish born, he was recognized as a master prose because of his approach on modernist literature. His style is narrative and his characters are often anti-heroic. He has b een said to influence the lieks of Graham Greene, DH Lawrence and even Ernest Hemingway.(Orr, 1999, p 46)Conrad reflected on his experiences in the navy in his works. He wrote short stories and novels that showed areas of an empire and how it affected the human soul. Closely looking into Conrad’s life and how this affected his work, other autobiographical accounts are the clear depictions of certain parts of the world such as South American, Malay states, Borneo and Australia in some of his novels. This was because Conrad quickly became first mate and was already the master of his own ship by 1886. By the age of 36, he settled down and started writing.(Orr, 1999, p 62) â€Å"Heart of Darkness† is a novella filled with symbolisms. It is a story in a story or what the post-modernist theme describes as â€Å"frame narrative. † It is the story of Charles Marlow and his recollection of his advenutre in the Congo with a group of men. He was employed by the Belgian tra ding company to transport ivory. During this task, he then developed an interest in checking out the Kurtz. Conrad’s inspiration in writing the novel was his real-life experience in the Congo. He was there for eight and a half years before he sat down to write â€Å"Heart of Darkness.†As a matter of fact, he was captain of the Congo steamer. Therefore, there details in the novel are quite accurate because Conrad was actually there in the Congo. â€Å"I looked at him, lost in astonishment. There he was before me, in motley, as though he had absconded from a troupe of mimes, enthusiastic, fabulous. His very existence was improbable, inexplicable, and altogether bewildering. He was an insoluble problem. It was inconceivable how he had existed, how he had succeeded in getting so far, how he had managed to remain– why he did not instantly disappear.`I went a little farther,' he said, `then still a little farther–till I had gone so far that I don't know how I' ll ever get back. Never mind. Plenty time. I can manage. You take Kurtz away quick–quick–I tell you. ‘ The glamour of youth enveloped his parti-coloured rags, his destitution, his loneliness, the essential desolation of his futile wanderings. For months–for years–his life hadn't been worth a day's purchase; and there he was gallantly, thoughtlessly alive, to all appearances indestructible solely by the virtue of his few years and of his unreflecting audacity. I was seduced into something like admiration– like envy.†The previous paragraph is an excerpt of the novel which elaborates the post-modernist theme that is apparent in â€Å"Heart of Darkness. † This is the ambiguity between civilization and the barbarians. A number of characters in the novel had spiritual darkness and were looking for their morals. Those who were deemed to be barbaric turned out to be the civilized characters in the end. All throughout the novel, there is the tension between civilization and barbarism. Kurtz represented the darkness which only served as the foundation to the moral structures that are often connotated to civilization.Marlow confronted Kurtz and asked him to commit to the savagery of human instincts or to veneer in the civilization setting. Marlow was torn but between the two, it was the lastter that he couldn’t absolutely do. He was then horrified by what was in his heart. Conrad used the darkness in order to represent the unknown. Mr. Kurtz was the anti-hero of â€Å"Heart of Darkness. † Mallow’s recounts on the whole experience was also explored through the character build-up of Kurtz as well as Mallow’s interaction with the Africans.Another post-modernist theme is the novel’s regard on women’s naivety. There is also the struggle between the good and the evil in the characters. (Orr, 1999, p. 36) Conrad was an emotional man who was depressed and pessimistic. He doubted his s elf and his capabilities. He was able to discipline his craft by resorting to romantic temperament. As an artist, he focused on what could be seen and made the written word powerful by it. (Orr, 1999, p. 28) That was a post-modernist theme that was made popular by Conrad, Hardy and Dickens.Their ability to write in a style that is similar to visual arts single the three of them out as the best in prose. They create the settings of their story, be it real like that of Conrad’s Congo or fictional like that of Hardy’s Wessex. Whether they choose to have their characters be confined and isolated or out there socializing, Conrad, Hardy and Dickens could do so. Literary critics comment on the works of these three novelists and recommend them for their complex narration, pessimistic ideas, profound themes and exotic styles. However, these do not put the readers off.The ideas which Conrad, Hardy and Dickens presented way back in the 20th century are still interesting for 21st century readers. It only comes to prove that their approaches and their writing style are very modern and post-modernist. (Crook, 1991, p. 26) Modernists believed that rejecting tradition from the roots of romanticism and realism, they could make art that organized and guided individuals through the fast pace of the new century. Modernists take their cue from the Impressionists and they all believe that by redefining their art, they are able to arrange these in a modern way which anybody could relate with.Post-realist in literature emerged from the historical backdrop that was presented by the romantic period. By responding to the architectural changes going on around them, post-realist writers in the previous centuries unconsciously became modern-writers because they replaced the themes that were dominant during the period of enlightenment by listening to their emotions and by combating the widespread conventions with taboo subjects presented in a new, truthful and sordid manner.In fluenced by the constant evolution of society, modernists such as Dickens, Hardy and Conrad present their literature in a society that embraces the social truth they are in. Most of the characters in literary creations with post-modern themese are often dissatisfied but they embarked on a journey which allows them to revive the traditional elements or way of life and at the same time discover the other world out there and the new life that opens its doors for them.

Darden case study Essay

1. Using the full spectrum of segmentation variables, describe how Darden segments and targets the sit-down dining market. The types of segmentation include geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral segmentation. For geographic segmentation, Darden has all of its Longhorn Steakhouse restaurants in the eastern half of the United States but they are trying to expand to the west coast. This is a great idea because out west is an untapped market with great potential for lots of earnings. Darden has a chance to redefine the image of steakhouses as is currently being done like the classiness that is being added to the brand. The customer traffic is increasing and Longhorn Steakhouse could potentially even overtake Outback Steakhouse as the premier steakhouse type of restaurant. For demographic segmentation, Red Lobster represents the opportunity Darden has to fill the gap between the young fast food concept and the upscale white-tablecloth restaurants. Red lobster is even making many changes to accommodate for the changing times around America which is causing sales to fall. With innovative concepts such as wood fired grilling resulting in a â€Å"taste of wood-grilled seafood† and investments in equipment and training, Darden is putting itself back in the spotlight to becoming recognized and respected. You can also never go wrong with fried shrimp so Red Lobster will always have that marketing card to play. The Psychographic segmentation is shown by how people want to feel positive emotions when they go out to restaurants such as the concept of a happy family and namely the mythical Italian family. Customers want to feel emotionally satisfied as much as they want to be physically satisfied by the food. Creating an authentic menu hits close to home because people get that warm and happy feeling when they see the authenticity. Even Olive Garden’s commercial â€Å"When you’re here, you’re family† and slogan show the feelings of connection that Americans want to feel and would be willing to come in for. Behavioral segmentation is shown in how less frequently Americans want to sit down at restaurants to eat their meals. With all of our financial constraints we are choosing different and more cost effective ways to eat out and have a good time with the family. Darden needs to use more cost effective ways to lower the meal prices so that family’s will once again be willing to eat out at a sit down restaurant on a regular basis.

Evidence for the Safety and Efficacy of Metal

Evidence for the Safety and Efficacy of Metal Introduction The development of joint replacement surgery was a major milestone in orthopedic surgery. Hip replacement is often the only viable solution for patients with advanced joint deterioration. Total hip arthroplasty is usually the last recourse for patients whose condition cannot be resolved clinically.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Evidence for the Safety and Efficacy of Metal-on-Metal Hip Prosthesis: Sufficient or Insufficient? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Successful hip replacement usually leads to a better quality of life for the patient, due to the elimination of pain, and restoration of mobility. In addition, hip replacement improves the overall functioning of the body. The most common medical condition that can lead to the need for hip replacement is osteoarthritis. Other conditions include inflammatory arthritis, fracture, dysplasia, and malignancy. The use of Metal-on-Metal hip repla cement implants arose from the need to have durable implants. Metals also offered biomedical engineers a wide range of possibilities when designing Metal-on-Metal hip implants. Apart from durability, biomedical engineers could treat metals to make them inert, and to make them withstand corrosion better that most materials. Materials and Design There are two types of Metal-on-Metal hip replacement systems. The first type is the total hip replacement system. Total hip replacement involves the substitution of the hipbone and the hip joint with a metallic system as shown in Figure 1 below. The second type of hip implant is used in cases where the hipbone is not very damaged, by where the hip joint has deteriorated. In this case, a replacement hip joint substitutes the lining of the hip joint in the place of worn out cartilage as shown in Figure 1 below. Four main types of hip replacements are available to patients. The first type is the Metal-on-Plastic implant. Usually, this type of i mplant is made using a polyethylene socket, while the bearing is made from cobalt-chrome alloy. The second type of hip implant is the Metal-on-Metal implant made from cobalt-chromium alloy, titanium alloy, or sometimes stainless steel.Figure 1: Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant SystemsAdvertising Looking for critical writing on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The third type of implant is the Ceramic-on-Ceramic implant. This type of implant has the best durability because of the resistant nature of ceramics. The debris produced as the joint wears is also not toxic to the human body. The fourth type of implant is the Ceramic-on-Polyethylene implant. This type combines the qualities of the two materials to produce a very durable implant. Table 1 below compares devices from different manufacturers Name of Device Manufacturer Market Status Reasons ASR XL Acetabular system DePuy Recalled 2010 High 5-year fa ilure rate of 13% R3 Acetabular system Smith and Nephew Orthopaedics Recalled 2012 Studies showed problems with metal liners in systems Rejuvenate ABG II metal hip stems Stryker Recalled 2012 Multiple failures including dislocation and pain Acetabular Component (Durom Cup) Zimmer Durom Recalled 2008 Voluntary recall by company citing low skill levels among surgeons Table 1: Device Comparison Clinical Safety and Efficacy A team of researchers at the Joint Replacement Institute of the Orthopedic Hospital in Los Angeles conducted a study to investigate the performance of Metal-on-Metal hip replacement implants. The study was titled â€Å"Metal-on-Metal Hybrid Surface Arthroplasty: Two to Six-Year Follow-up Study†. It was published by Amstutz et al. in 2004 in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. The researchers studied the performance of 400 Metal-on-Metal hip replacements in 355 patients who had undergone arthroplasty after an average of three and a half years. The r eviews were done three months after the arthroplasty, and then annually for a period of three years. The findings from the study were as follows. First, the researchers found that most of the patients were able to resume active lifestyles after the arthroplasty, including participating in sporting activities. The level of activity of each patient dictated the rate of wear of the replacement joints. Out of the 400 hip arthroplasty procedures, twelve (3%) required total replacement after four years due to loosening of the femoral component, or due to neck fractures on the femoral component. The main risk factors associated with the degradation of the femoral component were large femoral heads, female gender, patient height, and small component size in male patients.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Evidence for the Safety and Efficacy of Metal-on-Metal Hip Prosthesis: Sufficient or Insufficient? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The researchers concluded that in the overall sense, their review of the performance of Metal-on-Metal arthroplasty gave an encouraging picture. Secondly, the researchers concluded that optimal femoral preparation was a key success factor in hybrid Metal-on-Metal arthroplasty. In addition, optimal sizing of the replacement joint was also necessary for successful operation of a replacement hip. The researchers also concluded that replacing a Metal-on-Metal joint by a standard femoral component is easy to carry out. This research project supported the continued use of Metal-on-Metal hybrid joints based on their durability. The researchers failed to take into account the impact of the metallic debris on periprosthetic tissue. This shows that the researchers were biased towards the performance of the Metal-on-Metal hybrid joints at component level. Clarke et al. (2003) conducted research into the toxicological exposure to Chromium and Cobalt in patients who had unde rgone Metal-on-Metal hip arthroplasty. The researchers presented their findings in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery in an article titled, â€Å"Levels of Metal Ions after Small and Large Diameter Metal-on-Metal Hip Arthroplasty†. The hypothesis of the project was that the production of arthroplasty debris would be less after resurfacing arthroplasty that after total hip arthroplasty. The patients chosen to participate in the research project were those who had undergone arthroplasty at least six months prior to the research. The inclusion criteria included having undergone either total hip arthroplasty or resurfacing arthroplasty. The exclusion criteria include the presence of other metallic prosthesis in the body with the exception of titanium. In addition, the researchers excluded patients with secondary exposure to cobalt or chromium. The researchers compared the levels of chromium and cobalt in two sets of 22 patients who had undergone resurfacing arthroplasty and th ose who has undergone total hip arthroplasty. The first finding was that patients who had undergone resurfacing arthroplasty had medium serum levels of cobalt and chromium of 38 nmol/l and 53 nmol/l.Advertising Looking for critical writing on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These levels were much greater than the levels found in those who had undergone total hip arthroplasty, which were 22 nmol/l and 19 nmol/l respectively. This notwithstanding, the researchers noted that these levels were significantly greater than the levels in patients without implants, which is typically 5 nmol/l. The researchers concluded that larger diameter implants result in greater exposure to cobalt and chromium. In addition, they concluded that patients have a higher level of metal ion concentrations after resurfacing arthroplasty compared to total hip arthroplasty. The main criticism about this research project was that it focused too much on the impacts of the metal debris arising from hip arthroplasty. A balanced view of the subject should have included a cost-benefit analysis aimed at finding out whether this condition was better than the prognosis arising from hip problems. This way, it would have been easier to decide whether the risks are worth taking. A study by rese archers in South Korea sought to establish whether metal hypersensitivity had a role in the onset of osteolysis after total hip arthroplasty. Park et al. (2005) conducted their research in the Departments of Orthopedic Surgery, Dermatology, and Pathology in the Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, located at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea. They presented their findings in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery through an article titled, â€Å"Early Osteolysis Following Second-Generation Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement†. The researchers wanted to investigate the possible role of metal hypersensitivity in the etiology of osteolysis. Their research was motivated by the increasing use of Metal-on-Metal components for hip arthroplasty as a replacement for metal-on-polyethylene components, especially on second-generation patients. The researchers studied 165 patients (169 hips) who had undergone total hip arthroplasty between 2000 and 2002. The researchers fo llowed the patients for a period of twenty-four months. After this period, the researchers found that nine patients had developed osteolytic lesions. The researchers then conducted skin patch tests for hypersensitivity on the nine patients, and in a control group of nine patients who did not have the lesions. The researchers also conducted further tests on two hips during replacement surgery. These tests included microbiological cultures, histopathologic examinations, and immunohistochemical analysis on the two hips. The results obtained by the researchers showed that the patients who had developed osteolytic lesions had a higher hypersensitivity reaction to cobalt compared to their cohort. The two hips that underwent further tests showed no signs of metallic staining. There was however a high concentration of lymphocytes in the periprosthetic region. The researchers failed to find a way of telling apart natural sensitivity to Cobalt from acquired hypersentivity. This leaves the res earch findings open to interpretation because there is no proof adduced to the heightened levels of cobalt in the bodies of patients. In the same way, the researchers failed to find out whether Metal-on-Metal prosthesis has anything to do with osteolysis. This reduces the overall efficacy of the report. A research project conducted in the Departments of Orthopedics and Pathology, at the Klinikum der Universitt Gà ¶ttingen in Gà ¶ttingen, Germany sought to find out whether there is evidence to support the presence of an immunological reaction in patients who undergo a successive arthroplasty using Metal-on-Metal implants. The findings of the research project by Willart et al. (2005) were presented in the article titled â€Å"Metal-on-Metal Bearings and Hypersensitivity in Patients with Artificial Hip Joints†. The initial observation by the researchers that triggered the research process was that the some patients experienced a recurrence of preoperative symptoms after underg oing a second-generation total hip arthroplasty. Ideally, the surgery should have alleviated the entire range of symptoms related to aging prosthesis. In this regard, the researchers developed the project to find out why there was little or no change in patients who underwent arthroplasty involving second-generation Metal-on-Metal prosthesis. The researchers collected clinical data and examined periprosthetic tissue from nineteen patients who underwent arthroplasty in participating clinics. The sample was chosen on a consecutive basis as an application of random sampling. Out of the nineteen patients, fourteen patients received alumina-ceramic or metal-on-polyethylene implant. Five patients received second-generation Metal-on-Metal total joint replacement. The researchers used immunihistochemical methods to test the periprosthetic samples. They also used histological methods to test the samples. The main findings that the researchers reported were that the patients who underwent Met al-on-Metal total hip replacement had a recurrence of the preoperative symptoms characterized by an immunological reaction. The evidence adduced to support an immunological reaction was the presence of T and B lymphocyte cells in the periprosthetic region. In addition, immunohistochemical tests showed that the immunological reactions were ongoing as at the time of the test. This project made very important findings in regards to the impact of metallic debris arising from Metal-on-Metal prosthesis. The researchers did not provide a conclusive proposal on how to deal with the issues. This leaves the readers with task of deciding what to do about the prosthesis. Good research reports need to take into account the likely range of actions. Fisher et al. (2004) conducted a simulated experiment on the performance of surface engineered prosthesis to find out whether it is possible to reduce the rate to wear on metal-to-metal prosthesis. The researchers used a simulator to mimic the operatin g conditions of a Metal-on-Metal prosthesis. Lower rates of wear and tear associated with Metal-on-Metal prosthesis compared to other types of implants inspired the researchers. Metal-on-Metal prostheses have much lower wear rates compared to polyethylene prostheses. However, the researchers were aware that the levels of toxicity of the residue associated with Metal-on-Metal prostheses were higher that the levels associated with residue from other materials. Therefore, they identified the need for Metal-on-Metal prostheses with lower wear rates to eliminate or reduce the toxicity associated with metallic residue. The stated goals of the project were to investigate the wear, wear debris, and ion release of fully coated surface engineered Metal-on-Metal bearings for hip prostheses. The researchers used the Leeds Mark II physiological hip joint simulator operating at 1 Hz to conduct the wear experiments. This enabled them to collect the debris from the exercise. The test units were fiv e types of surface engineered prosthesis. The researchers also subjected conventional Metal-on-Metal prostheses to the simulator tests to develop a comparison. They found that the surface engineered bearings had a wear rate that was at least 18 times lower than traditional prosthesis after one million cycles and 36 times lower after five million cycles. The differences were calculated by measuring the debris levels and ion concentration in the lubricants. The debris levels and ion concentration in the lubricants were much lower when the experiments were done using surface engineered prostheses. The experiment by Fisher shows that it is possible to reduce the wear rate of metallic prostheses. Theoretically, this should reduce the problems associated with high serum concentration of metallic ions in patients with Metal-on-Metal prosthesis. However, the researchers failed to find out whether better surface engineering can reduce the problems associated with immunological responses espe cially in periprosthetic tissue. Conclusion This review shows that in the period prior to 2005, there was increasing concern regarding the use of Metal-on-Metal implants because of the immunological reactions caused by hypersensitivity to high ion concentration. In addition, the long-term impact of high ion concentration is unknown. Surface engineering can help resolve these fears. Reference List Amstutz, HC, Beaule, PE, Dorey, FJ, LeDuff, MJ, Campbell, PA Gruen, TA 2004, Metal-on-Metal Hybrid Surface Arthroplasty: Two to Six-Year Follow-up Study, The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, vol 86, no. 1, pp. 28-39. Bohle, P Quinlan, M 2000, Managing Occupational Health and Safety: A Multidisciplinary Approach, Macmillan Educational AU, South Yarra. Clarke, MT, Lee, PT, Arora, A Villar, RN 2003, Levels of Metal Ions after Small- and Large Diameter Metal-on-Metal Hip Arthroplasty, The Journal of Joint and Bone Surgery, vol 85, no. 6, pp. 913-917. FDA 2013, Medical Devices: Metal-on-Met al Hip Implants. Web. Fisher, J, Hu, XQ, Stewart, TD, Williams, S, Tipper, JL, Ingham, E, Stone, MH, Davies, C, Hatto, P, Bolton, J, Riley, M, Hardaker, C, Issac, G Berry, G 2004, Wear of Surface Engineered Metal-on-Metal Hip Prostheses, Journal of Material Science: Materials in Medicine, vol 15, no. 1, pp. 225-235. Park, Y-S, Moon, Y-W, Lim, S-J, Yang, J-M, Ahn, G Choi, Y-L 2005, Early Osteolysis Following Second-Generation Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement, Journal of Joint and Bone Surgery, vol 87, no. 7, pp. 1515-1521. Singh, JA 2011, Epidemiology of Knee and Hip Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review, Open Orthopaedics Journal, vol 5, no. 1, pp. 80-85. Willart, H-G, Buchhorn, GH, Fayyazi, A, Flury, R, Windler, M, Koster, G Lohmann, CH 2005, Metal-on-Metal Bearings and Hypersensitivity in Patients with Artificial Hip Joints, Journal of Joint and Hip Surgery, vol 87, no. 1, pp. 28-36.

The Slope of a Horizontal Line is Zero

The Slope of a Horizontal Line is Zero In The Slope of a Line, you learned that the slope, or m, of a line describes how rapidly or slowly change is occurring. Linear Functions have 4 types of slopes: positive, negative slope, zero slope, and undefined slope. Real World Example of Negative Slope Refer to the graph, Horizontal Line, m 0.   The x-axis represents time, in hours, and the y-axis represents distance, in miles, from Downtown Houston, Texas. Hurricane Prince, a Category 5 storm, threatens to flood (among other things) the Bayou City in 24 hours. You have the bright idea- along with 2 million other Houstonians- to leave Houston now. You’re on Interstate 45 North, the road that snakes northward to flee anything blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico. Notice how time is moving. One hour passes, two hours pass, but you’re still one mile away from downtown. Remember, slope is a rate of change. For every two hours that pass, you move zero miles. Because of this, your slope is 0. Calculating Zero Slope Refer to the PDF, Calculate_Zero_Slope to learn how to  use a graph and  the slope formula to  calculate a zero slope.  To download free software to view the PDF, visit https://get.adobe.com/reader/.

Assinment # 2 Report on Religious Field Research Paper

Assinment # 2 Report on Religious Field - Research Paper Example However, from author’s views the existence of religion is debatable. In his book ­ On the Philosophy of Religion ­ Richard Gale argues we must not just accept the existence of religion and God without thinking. He did not say straight he did not believe in religion but put emphasis on rationalism (Gale page 64 ­145, 2006). I was in a state of spiritual confusion during my childhood. I never understood other religions apart from Islam and Christianity. In fact I thought of Hinduism as a form of occult. Because Hindus never eat cows, the first impression which attacked my mind was that they worshipped cows. I also deduced that Hindus did not have a strong faith in god. If the did, then why worship many gods. This strongly presented ambiguity to my mind and denied me all the patience required to understand Hinduism. Besides, the social divisions within the religion were another source of confusion. As a theology practitioner, I created time to interact with Hindus by attending a real worship. The variety of books on religion have come across also gave me a deep insight of the doctrines of Hinduism. I just found it wise to try to bury the religious misconceptions about it. Its origin and foundation was attributed to the original inhabitants of the Indus Valley located in India. Indus Valley was a victim of frequent combat attacks from other communities, especially the Aryans. This motivated scholars globally to study the complexity of this Valley. Reports from religious historians suggested that there are approximately 33 million Hindu gods in India, each treated with equal magnitude of respect and fear (Fisher page 72 ­112, 1997). allowed to eat other forms of meat, feeding on cows is prohibited. Hinduism is believed to be the most populated religion after Christianity and Islam. It is also the oldest religion. These believers strictly follow their

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Reading response - Essay Example For instance, the word chair – we only of the word chair as the object itself but we cannot make any other significance to the word beyond its own definition â€Å"unless† we combine it with other parts of speech: This chair is mine. Now it makes a lot of sense. In a nutshell, and as a student, it is not enough to simply learn the words of a language but to know the context in which they can be spoken, written or used in any other way possible. Chapter 9 is probably the most crucial and interesting one considering that at the end of day, the purpose of having a language is to send message and express meaning. The central point of this chapter is the duality of an English expression: (1) the sentence construction; (2) the meaning of the sentence construction (132). As mentioned earlier, words do not make any other sense aside from their individual significance in a language unless combined with other parts of speech to create a complete thought and a whole new meaning. I n the same way, in expressing meaning, words should be chosen based on which king of meaning we intend to express: command, request or question. By having this knowledge as a student, I am always being reminded to not only focus on words but on meaning too to ensure clarity of expression. In the initial passages of chapter 10 entitled â€Å"The Link between Language and Culture†, a very strong point has been brought across: â€Å"acquiring the ability to understand the social meaning of an utterance is an important part of learning a language† (175). This is particularly true, most especially for cultures that are heavily rooted from extreme conservatism. Significantly, there is a certain degree of interlocked relationship between language and culture considering that language is basically moulded from the dynamics and general consensus of a particular community. For instance, accent variations tell a lot about a person’s nationality or regional affiliation such that New York residents pronounce the word car differently from residents of Michigan or Boston area for that matter (175). Furthermore, in the context of religious conservatism, there are countries that are very strict when it comes to using certain terminologies such as the world â€Å"Allah† – Muslim for â€Å"God† – which is prevalently agreed to be used only by Muslims. As a student, having knowledge of the social and cultural significance of a certain language will help establish smooth and amicable communication with people of different nationalities, language or culture; it encourages dynamism and flexibility. Chapter 10 and Chapter 11 make tessellated points in so far as the importance of understanding the context in which a language is being spoken and used is concerned. Politeness is substantial for the language learner because the standards of certain virtues like politeness are â€Å"determined by a given culture based on assumptions about what it means to be polite in that society† (194). This point provides a great deal of learning: it allows the language learner to understand the array of differences in which the essence of politeness in a certain language can be carried out or manifested. As a student, this will surely help in ensuring that language

Dancing in a Winter Wonderland Managing Stakeholders Case Study

Dancing in a Winter Wonderland Managing Stakeholders - Case Study Example There are different theoretical approaches to stakeholder management in an organizational context. They are; agency theory, transaction cost economics, competitive theory, institutional theory, stakeholder theory, and network theory. In the context of event management, it is worth considering the stakeholder theory and the network theory. The stakeholder approach deals basically with groups or individuals who can affect the performance of an organization and whose interests are taken care of by the management (Freeman, 1984; Frooman 1999) Power, legitimacy and urgency are identified as the basic attributes of stakeholders (Mitchell et al 1997) The network approach talks about the positions of different actors created by the links among them. (Thorelli, 1986) A different kind of social relationship among actors is assumed in the network analysis (Galakiewicz, 1996) Thus actors, activities and resources are the basic concepts in a network (Johanson and Associates 1994) The actors in th e network own and control resources and carry out activities by combining resources (Sharma, 1993) While stakeholder theory is mainly static the network theory deals with the dynamic process involved in changing the network. Thus event management encompasses the basic elements of both of these theoretical approaches. Therefore it becomes important that the event is conducted skillfully so that it becomes valuable to all the stakeholders. One of the most cited reasons for the failure of any event is the lack of resources. Lack of resources can be identified by the inability of the event management to attract more sponsors and donors. Thus the success of the events depends largely on the support from stakeholders. This adds to the proposition that the event managers should manage the relationship with the stakeholders more efficiently. The literature on event management has established the relationships between the management of events and the stakeholders (e.g. Getz, 1997; Watt 1998; Long, 2000; Lvendahl, 2000) However it needs to be mentioned that there is no documented evidence of the application of the stakeholder theory in the event management contexts (Reid & Acordia 2002)