Thursday, October 31, 2019

Hobbies Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hobbies - Article Example I love McDonalds, and Starbucks is my home away from home. Some people like to collect to stamps, some like to paint'..I like to eat. Simple! I have yet another hobby that most people aren't aware off. I'm a serial killer!! Yes I'm the same person who some people and even animals are afraid off. Yes...and that's because I kill mosquitoes. I have a record hunting spree of killing 103 mosquitoes in a single hour. I kill by the dozen and that too with my bare hands. And I enjoy it. Weird right' Well that's me! Oh I left the favorite hobby of mine for the last. This is the most normal hobby that I have and it's a kind of hobby that most people have. Yes I'm talking about reading books. Bookworm sounds too nerdy, yet if it had been something cool, I would be a a proud bookworm. But obviously I read E-books. Harry Potters, Lord of the Rings, Stephan Kings, Dan Browns'.you name it and I most probably would have read it. I suppose you weren't expecting such a normal hobby from me, right' Wel l, I have to say it again'that's me '

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

ASSIGNMENTREADING SKILL PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ASSIGNMENTREADING SKILL - PowerPoint Presentation Example Since she can afford to spend more on her food and "tube", we can assume she has some back-up financial arrangement to fall back upon in case of need. Moreover, she had been doing this job out of curiosity and adventure instead of a real need; therefore it would be safe to think she was leading a comfortable life outside the hotel. 4(b) The dissatisfaction among the workers at the hotel was at its peak. The employees were under-paid and never happy with their wages. They had reservations about unpaid hours and little bonuses as they were hardly making both ends meet. There were also concerns about the nature of job they were doing as most of them would not want to perform the toilet-cleaning and similar kind of chores. 5 I think both writers have given a balanced picture of life on the minimum wage. Article 1 gives the experiences of people coming from different backgrounds; nevertheless they are working under the same roof and leading their lives in the same city. The general economic and social environment is same for the whole set of people and all of them are getting the same "minimum wage". Furthermore, the writer has not compared the situation to other countries. Similarly in the second article, the writer has compared the situation in different countries but in the similar economic conditions.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Social Gradient In Health Health And Social Care Essay

Social Gradient In Health Health And Social Care Essay The current world is explicitly divided into developed world characterized by having ultra-modern technological advancement, most efficient communication system, better health care and income opportunities and under developed region with completely opposite scenarios. This huge inequality among the countries depicted in huge differences in health and wellbeing of the populations.. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is a 36 years variation between the life expectancy among the countries. The life expectancy of Malawi is only 47 years while in case of Japan it is 83 years. WHO has declared that there is no biological or genetic reason for [the] alarming differences in health and life opportunity. The unequal scenario of health status, however, not only persists between countries, but also evident within countries, and surprisingly almost all countries irrespective of rich or poor. There is a distinct differentiation in the health status among people of different so cio-economic status (SES). Generally, people with higher SES tend to have better health than that of lower SES (Whitehall Study). That is health status is directly related to social status. This fact is referred to as the social gradient in health ( Kosteniuk and Dickinson, 2003). Since health inequalities are evident despite significant improvement in overall health of the populace, it has become the pivotal agenda in the health policy planning and management. Social Gradient in Health The social gradient in heath refers to the fact that inequalities in population health status are related to inequalities in social status (Kosteniuk and Dickinson, 2003).The poorest of the poor, around the world, have the worst health. Within countries, the evidence shows that in general the lower an individuals socioeconomic position the worse their health. There is a social gradient in health that runs from top to bottom of the socioeconomic spectrum. This is a global phenomenon, seen in low, middle and high income countries. The social gradient in health means that health inequities affect everyone. Health inequities, in particular, are avoidable inequalities in health between groups of people within countries and between countries. These inequities arise from inequalities within and between societies (WHO). Below are some examples of health inequities between and within countries extracted from WHO: the infant mortality rate (the risk of a baby dying between birth and one year of age) is 2 per 1000 live births in Iceland and over 120 per 1000 live births in Mozambique; the lifetime risk of maternal death during or shortly after pregnancy is only 1 in 17 400 in Sweden but it is 1 in 8 in Afghanistan. Examples of health inequities within countries: in Bolivia, babies born to women with no education have infant mortality greater than 100 per 1000 live births, while the infant mortality rate of babies born to mothers with at least secondary education is under 40 per 1000; life expectancy at birth among indigenous Australians is substantially lower (59.4 for males and 64.8 for females) than that of non-indigenous Australians (76.6 and 82.0, respectively); life expectancy at birth for men in the Calton neighbourhood of Glasgow is 54 years, 28 years less than that of men in Lenzie, a few kilometres away; the prevalence of long-term disabilities among European men aged 80+ years is 58.8% among the lower educated versus 40.2% among the higher educated. Measurement of Social Gradient SES is generally categorized based on income, academic qualification, social position, occupation, etc. Each of these components is very associated with themselves. For example, better education tends to lead better job which again associated with better income. In UK, two classifications exist. The Registrar-Generals Social Classes were introduced in 1913 and were renamed in 1990 as Social Class based on Occupation. The classes are: Professional occupations (Class I), Managerial and technical occupations (Class II), Skilled non-manual occupations (Class IIIN), Skilled manual occupations (Class IIIM), Partly-skilled occupations (Class IV), and Unskilled occupations (Class V). Office for National Statistics on the other hand classified social classes into eight categories. Table 1 depicts this classification. Table 1: Social classification of the Office for National Statistics Class Description 1 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations 1.1Â  Large employers and higher managerial and administrative occupations 1.2Â  Higher professional occupations 2 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations 3 Intermediate occupations 4 Small employers and own account workers 5 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 6 Semi-routine occupations 7 Routine occupations 8 Never worked and long-term unemployed Based on the two above social classification outcome variables (i.e., mortality and life expectancy) are analyzed. Results showed that those who belong to the upper social class tend to have better health in terms of less mortality rate and higher life expectancy than that of the lower class inhabitants. That is health status follows a social gradient. Current Scenario: UK The figure 1 below depicts differences in male life expectancy within a small area in London. Travelling from Westminster, every two tube stops represent one year of life expectancy lost. C:UsersazharDocumentsAcademicTheories Perspective of HPliteraturevital referencesD-Tube Map on LE 2004-08.jpg Although life expectancy has increased in all London boroughs since 2000, there has been a widening in the gap between the boroughs with the highest and the lowest life expectancy. In 1999-2001, this gap was 5.4 years for men and 4.2 years for women. In 2006-2008, the gap had increased to 9.2 years for men and 8.5 years for women (ONS data sources). Regarding different social class mortality rate also varies significantly. From the data of the figure 2, we can see that mortality rate per 100,000 people increased to almost double from class I to class VII. This is a graph showing age-standardised mortality rate by NS-SEC: men aged 25-64, England and Wales 2001-03Figure 2: Age-standardised mortality rate by NS-SEC: men aged 25-64, England and Wales 2001-03 Explanations for Inequalities In order to explain why these inequalities exist, a number of explanations have been offered. These are briefly explained below: Artefact The relationship between social class and health is probably an artefact of measurement systems used to determine social class as well as health status. Mortality ratios calculated on basis of number of deaths per social class divided by number from each class determined by census returns may be inaccurate reporting of social class. However, this explanation can be questioned in way that inequalities have been demonstrated using a number of different systems of measurement of social class. For example, occupation, property ownership, educational status and access to social resources. Nonetheless, still there is room for improvement in the measurement system by which classification and health status are determined. Downward drift (Darwinian selection) Based on the Darwins assumption, this explanation suggests that the illness will slide down the social class while the healthier people will have a greater chance of social advancement. However, the fact that many health problems only seen in adulthood, often once career choices have been made and social class has been determined. Now, if illness causes downward shift then the explanation of healthy rise class is less likely be true. Cultural explanations Health damaging behaviours are differentially distributed across social classes and contribute to observed gradients. This suggests that the lower social classes prefer less healthy lifestyles, eat more fatty foods, smoke more and exercise less than the middle and upper classes. Using the Canadian National Population Health (NPH) Survey (1994-1995) data of 7720 men and 9269 women 15 to over 80 years of age, (Kosteniuk and Dickinson, 2003) found higher household income, being retired, and aging are associated with better physical health and lower mental distress when accounting for their role in lowering stressor levels and bolstering control, self-esteem, social support, and social involvement. This evidence can partly be of supportive with the cultural explanations. However, more investigation is needed why this variation in behaviour of different social class. The material explanation Physical and psychosocial features associated with the class structure influence health and contribute to observed gradients. This indicates that poverty, poor housing conditions, lack of resources in health and educational provision as well as higher risk occupations for the poor determines the gradient in health. No doubt poverty impacts negatively in the health outcomes. However, only improving materialistic access might not lead better health and less social gradient. Consider the example of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Having around double income per person than that of Bangladesh in last decade, India and Pakistan left behind in almost all the health indicators (see Figure 3). Life expectancy at birth increase for Bangladesh is 17% while the figures for India and Pakistan are 12% and 6.56% respectively. In case of infant (age Figure 3: Health and income status of Bangladesh, India Pakistan from 1990 to 2011 (extracted from The Economist, 3rd November 2012) Social class is a complex construct that may involve status, wealth, culture, background and employment. It would therefore be naive to look for a simple causal relationship between class and ill health. Each individual will experience a number of different influences on their health, some of which also come under the umbrella of social class. Actions to combat social gradient in health Marmots review (2010) noted The implications of the social gradient in health are profound. It is tempting to focus limited resources on those in most need. Although social gradients in health affecting almost everyone, interventions however are very crucial for people in need most. But so far the policy, programmes and interventions aiming to reduce social gradient in health mounted a lot and itself create problems for the root level personnel. A report from the Audit Commission says there has been too much policy and accompanying guidance issued by central government for people working in the field to keep up with. It is also critical that trusts and local authorities have often faced conflicting demands from central government and calls for a more consistent and lasting set of policy statements to aid implementation on the ground. We are unlikely to be able to eliminate the social gradient in health completely, but it is possible to have a shallower social gradient in health and wellbeing than is currently the case for England. This is evidenced by the fact that there is a steeper socioeconomic gradient in health in some regions than in others, as shown in Figure 2. To reduce the steepness of the social gradient in health, actions must be universal, but with a scale and intensity that is proportionate to the level of disadvantage. We call this proportionate universalism. Greater intensity of action is likely to be needed for those with greater social and economic disadvantage, but focusing solely on the most disadvantaged will not reduce the health gradient, and will only tackle a small part of the problem. Potential area of intervention: Unhealthy behaviour Potential target group: group at in risk Conclusion Unhealthy behaviour Smoking Poor Diet Less physical activity Alcoholism Determinants of health In todays debates, the determinants of health include all the major non-genetic and non-biological influences on health. The term therefore covers individual risk factors, such as smoking, and what are often called wider determinants (Hilary Graham* and Michael P Kelly, Health inequalities: concepts, frameworks and policy) Smoking is responsible for one in six deaths in the UK. It is overall the one area where behavioural change would make the greatest impact on health inequalities. A clear divide remains in smoking levels between manual and non-manual groups, and there are also significant differences between different ethnicities and genders. Over 40% of Bangladeshi men smoke, compared to around 5% of Bangladeshi women, and more than one in four women of Irish descent are smokers. Smoking is the largest recognised cause of premature death and disability, and is responsible for about one in six deaths (over 100,000 in total) every year in the UK. Smoking prevalence has fallen dramatically in the most affluent sectors of society over the past 30 years, but much less so among the most disadvantaged. Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have babies born prematurely, twice as likely to have low birth weight babies and up to three times more likely to die from sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI). Low birth weight babies experience increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Long-term smokers bear the heaviest burden of death and disease related to their smoking and is disproportionately drawn from lower socio-economic groups. Smokers in poorer social groups tend to have started smoking at an earlier age: 31% of smokers in managerial and professional households started before they were 16, compared with 45% of those in routine and manual households. Obesity and its risks are not experienced equally across society, in some cases this is related to particular behaviours. There is evidence that people whose ethnic background is Pakistani or Bangladeshi are much less likely to engage in high levels of physical exercise. There are marked differences in satisfaction with primary care services. People from black and minority ethnic groups report significantly worse access than white British people. Performance on access is worst for people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds: their satisfaction with their level of access is 10-20 percentage points below that reported by people from white British backgrounds. It is clear that more needs to be done to address the needs of people with disabilities. Compared with people without disabilities, they are more likely to live in poverty, less likely to have educational qualifications, more likely to be economically inactive, more likely to experience problems with hate crime or harassment, and more likely to experience problems with housing and transport. These correlations appear to work in both directions: people are also more likely to become disabled if they have a low income, are out of work or have low educational qualifications. Stroke is the single largest cause of disability in England.1 Approximately half of those who survive a stroke will be left with long-term disability problems six months afterwards and will be dependent on others. People with disabilities often experience multiple forms of labour market disadvantage: more than 40% of people with disabilities are low-skilled; around 25% of those of working age are over 50; and around 10% are from black and minority ethnic groups. One study2 has estimated that people with learning disabilities or long-term mental health problems are 58% more likely to die before age 50 than non-disabled people. And studies of psychiatric patients in hospitals show that up to 70% smoke. Access to care services has been reported as an issue. Around a quarter (24%) of deaf or hearing-impaired people miss care appointments, and 19% miss more than five appointments, because of poor communication. Two-fifths (40%) of visually impaired people believe that their GPs are not fully aware of their needs, rising to 60% for other surgery staff. Disabled people are also four times more likely than the general population to find their dentists surgery inaccessible. Stigma and shame are barriers to the engagement and employment of people with mental illness. Negative media images add to this discrimination. Only 21% of people with long-term mental illness are employed, the lowest proportion of any disabled group. People with severe mental illness are 1.5 times more likely to die prematurely than others, often from preventable causes, and they are also less likely to access routine health checks. There are also differences in alcohol related deaths. There are now around 23,260 deaths related to alcohol every year in England. Every man dying of alcohol-related causes loses on average 21 years of life, and every woman loses 15 years. The prevalence of disability increases rapidly with age. Approximately 75% of men and women aged 85 and over are disabled. Alcohol is a particular problem in the mid years. Around 26% of adults in England are drinking at hazardous, harmful or dependent levels. The largest increase in the number of NHS alcohol-related hospital admissions is in the 35-49 age group. These include admissions where alcoholic liver disease, the toxic effect of alcohol or mental and behavioural disorder due to alcohol are identified as the primary or secondary diagnosis. The social pattern of problem drinking is complex, but more disadvantaged communities have higher levels of mortality, hospital admission, crime, absence from work, school exclusions, teenage pregnancy and road traffic accidents due to alcohol consumption. Within localities, the most disadvantaged individuals typically unemployed, low-income older smokers have 4 to 15 times greater alcohol-specific mortality and 4 to 10 times greater alcohol-specific admission to hospital than the most affluent. Alcohol has a serious effect on behaviour and relationships in the home, affecting the mental health and behaviour of children of alcohol-misusing parents.15 Furthermore, harmful drinking is linked to psychiatric morbidity including depression, and around a third of incidents of domestic violence are linked to alcohol misuse. Around one million children live in families where at least one parent misuses alcohol, and by the age of 15 young people in families with a parent who drinks at harmful levels have rates of psychiatric disorder that are between 2.2 and 3.9 times higher than those of other young people.16 Since the mid-1990s, newly diagnosed cases of HIV have been increasing. Increased testing will have contributed in part to this, and also enables earlier intervention. Men who have sex with men continue to be disproportionately affected. By 2006, men having sex with men accounted for up to three-quarters of UK-acquired HIV infections, and they remain the behavioural group at greatest risk of acquiring HIV in the UK. An estimated 31% of men having sex with men aged 15-59 were unaware of their infection in 2006. Among HIV-infected men having sex with men, diagnosed late are 14 times more likely to die within one year of diagnosis than those diagnosedearlier.17

Friday, October 25, 2019

Successes and Failures of Signals Intelligence :: essays research papers

SUCCESSES AND FAILURES OF SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE The United States must be prepared to deploy against sophisticated and unsophisticated adversaries on a moments notice. The enemy may have little concern for the Hague Convention, which seek to limit collateral damage and noncombatant casualties. Signal Intelligence provides foreign data that analysts can collect, process and analyze into intelligence information. Whoever has the ability to control and exploit the electromagnetic spectrum, which ranges from zero to infinity, will know their enemies vulnerabilities, create opportunities, achieve tactical surprise, and result in mission accomplishment. Considerations such as successful and unsuccessful collection in Signal Intelligence will be a tremendous factor in planning and the execution of U.S. military operations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are numerous accounts of the successful gathering of Signal Intelligence that prove to be of use. The rapid advancements in microelectronic technology forces the government to design and manufacture sophisticated new radars, airborne reconnaissance, and surveillance platforms; they offer superior capabilities over previously employed systems. Having accredited systems and networks, in accordance with Department of Defense guidance, will ensure that units are within regulations while collecting signals. To obtain the most beneficial information, analysts need to be properly trained in the latest and greatest data sets. Staffing 100% qualified personnel in strategic locations will lead to optimal performance in signals analysis; commanders should provide the capability of target redundancy with different forms to ensure that collection requirements are met. Lastly, understanding commander’s intent and the focus of effort are critical ingredients for su ccess. Despite the factors that lead to success, there are just as many failures, which need to be discussed. Failures are the temporary or possible permanent annihilation of the ability of a mechanism to perform its required purpose. The number one failure in signal intelligences is bureaucracy. All of the policies, guidelines, rules, procedures, course of actions, and laws, create so much red tape, that signal analysts cannot do their jobs, which is to collect, process, or analyze foreign intelligence information. Once the analyst work through the political rubbish, the opportunity for collecting Signal Intelligence may have disappeared. Units that try to use lethargic and robust radars against state of the art Electronic Security will provide marginal data if any; the Electronic Security provides firewalls, secure logins, and offers protection resulting from measures that are designed to deny unauthorized persons access to information. Some radars have the ability to use passive tracking , which means that there is no target illumination by the tracking system.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Maydavian Online Reservation and Booking System Essay

Maydavian has been founded as a resort in the beautiful island of Palawan. With the exertion of Ms. Marrieta S. Mayor, the capital of this unspoiled island, and a memorable journey of about two hours by bus or shuttle taking you through a zigzag in the mountains and with breathtaking views of mountain ranges and unspoiled forests. An oasis of hospitality awaits you at Maydavian, with spectacular views of the Sulu Sea. Ideally located in a coconut plantation with modern facilities in harmony with the serene and soothing atmosphere. Maydavian Resort establish on 2000. The establishment started with just a small canteen, 6 rooms and small dinning cottages. After a few months, reception hall, VIP rooms and Standards rooms were built. A swimming pool was formally open to the public. Maydavian Resort has a total land area of eighteen hectares located at Brgy. Caguisan Narra, Palawan. The guest who visited Maydavian loved enjoyed a walkway through century mangroves, clear Sky and myriad of stars and delicious food serves for the most discerning of pallets comprising both Filipino and western specialties. Presently, Maydavian offers plenty of facilities and services. There are the Restaurant and Bar, the Maydavian Pavillion. One of the venues for wedding and birthday parties, island Park intended for playful kids and weather favors the park also serve as venue for children party and garden wedding reception for sports minded guest, there is a room venue for billiards and many more that had contributed to the overall success of this more than a decade old establishment. The continuous growth of the world their exist the modern and a high-tech way of living due to the reason of unsatisfied and consciousness of humans by discovering and searching for more effective way of living such as computer- is a device that computes, especially a programmable electronic machine that performs high speed mathematical or logical operations that can assembles, store, correlates and otherwise process information. Dealing with the triumphant advancement, internet is a network of almost transaction system through this transaction system must gather sort of information for online services. Website is related collection of web files that includes an initial called a homepage it is essential in an organization to establish a tourist spot in the province of Palawan adopting reliable reviewing like a website to provide a complex transaction system through on line services. This system is entitled â€Å"Maydavian Resort Online Reservation and Booking System†.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Manufacturing Practices of the Footwear Industry: Nike vs. the Competition

The Manufacturing Practices of the Footwear Industry: Nike vs. the Competition Steven Van Dusen The current manufacturing practices of the sneaker industry, in particular companies such as Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Converse, and New Balance, takes place throughout the globe. With the industry experiencing severe competition, and the product requiring intensive labor, firms are facing extreme pressure to increase their profit margins through their sourcing practices. The following paper will analyze the sneaker industry, while examining the multitude of viable manufacturing options, and critiquing their current manufacturing structure. Footwear Industry – Players, Revenues, Market Share To properly review the manufacturing in the footwear industry, it is necessary to first gain an understanding of the dominant leaders in the marketplace. The industry is currently experiencing hypercompetition, led by six main firms – Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Fila, Converse, and New Balance (see exhibit 1), with nearly $7 billion in revenues domestically. Nike is the industry leader, with a 47% market share, followed by Reebok, a distant second at 16%, and Adidas at 6% (see exhibit 2). This category is facing decreasing demand and the rising popularity of alternative footwear, resulting in more pressure than ever before to achieve high gross margins through effective global sourcing practices. Manufacturing options Footwear companies have two basic options in the manufacturing of their products, they can both own and operate the factories that produce their products, or subcontract their products out to secondary manufacturers. These facilities can be located either domestically or internationally, and both present a myriad of positives and negatives. Firms that produce domestically benefit from ease of monitoring, skilled workforce, government stability, job creation, and well understood labor rules, while suffering from the relatively high wages required in the U. S. as compared to developing countries. By manufacturing products overseas, in particular in third world economies, tremendous efficiencies are gained in the form of reduced wages, but are countered by the increased difficulty of monitoring the quality of their products and the actual working conditions in the factories. Companies that are vertically integrated, who own and operate the factories where their products are manufactured, are faced with large capital expenditure requirements and the management of the factories themselves, resulting in lower profit margins. Strategic Outsourcing In analyzing the sneaker industry, we are faced with the question, â€Å"What are these firms core competencies? † If manufacturing falls under this umbrella, then firms should look to produce internally. However, the core skills that set these companies apart from the competition, are their marketing, distribution, and technological expertise. Applying the dominant sneaker companies areas of expertise, let’s review the following questions: Is internalization a source of competitive advantage? Is manufacturing a skill our firm does better than anybody else? Will firms be able to leverage their manufacturing expertise in the future? Are we releasing any of the firm’s proprietary skills/information by outsourcing? With all of the above questions posed to any of the big four sneaker companies, they would respond with a resounding â€Å"no†. Therefore, in today’s global environment, the most strategically viable manufacturing strategy is the outsourcing of their products. The efficiencies that are gained, in the form of shifting of risk, reduced capital requirements, lower wages, and ability to focus on their core competencies, strongly outweigh all other manufacturing options. The Evolution of Manufacturing in Third World Countries As the economies of countries around world expand, so does their ability and skill level in all facets of manufacturing. Beginning in London in the early 1900’s, and followed through to the present day, manufacturing in its simplest form consists of light manufacturing, which uses unskilled labor to produce items such as shirts, shorts, and jeans. As the economy develops along with the skill of manufacturing, countries begin moderately technical light manufacturing, which includes footwear, outerwear and, performance sportswear. The next step in this growth involves the production of technical consumer products such as radios, calculators, and wristwatches. With the most developed economies gaining high levels of technical expertise, manufacturing grows to include technical durables, which includes automobiles and computers. This progression represents the advancement of economies throughout the world today, and provides the reasoning behind sneaker companies manufacturing beginning in the United States and Germany, and passing through Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, to its present day central areas of China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. As these three countries progress over the next decade, and large amounts of new capital is pumped into their economies, their standard of living will rise along with their manufacturing expertise. Companies will be forced to relocate their manufacturing in countries such as Cambodia, Pakistan, and underdeveloped regions of Africa in search of lower wages. Nike Nike currently enjoys a 47% market share of the domestic footwear industry, with sales of $3. 77 billion. Nike has been manufacturing throughout the Asian region for over twenty-five years, and there are over 500,000 people today directly engaged in the production of their products. They utilize an outsourcing strategy, using only subcontractors throughout the globe. Their majority of their output today is produced in factories in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, but they also have factories in Italy, the Philippines, Taiwan, and South Korea. These factories are 100% owned by subcontractors, with the majority of their output consisting solely of Nike products. However, Nike does employ teams of four expatriates per each of the big three countries (China, Indonesia, Vietnam), that focus on both quality of product and quality of working conditions, visiting the factories weekly. They also developed their code of conduct in 1992 and have implemented it across the globe, as its goal is to set the standard for subcontractors to follow if they wish to do business with Nike. However, due to a manufacturing network of this magnitude, they have faced numerous violations involving factory conditions and human rights issues, which have been widely publicized. They have responded to these issues through the Andrew Young report, the Dartmouth Study, and Ernst & Young’s continual monitoring, but are still approximately two years away from completely addressing these problems throughout the globe. Reebok Reebok, as the second leading manufacturer of footwear, has domestic revenues of $1. 28 billion and a market share of 16%. Similar to Nike, they also utilize a 100% outsourcing strategy and manufacture their products throughout Asia. They have created and implemented their own code of conduct for manufactures to follow, but have less infrastructure than Nike across the globe to enforce it. They are facing scrutiny in regards to wage, overtime, and air quality issues, and like Nike, are working to address these issues. However, their strength, the creation and distribution of a global brand, is allowed to foster under this manufacturing strategy, as they focus on their core competencies, and outsource their production. Adidas Adidas is currently enjoying the fastest growth of any brand domestically, with a market share of 6% and revenues of $500 million. They have been shielded from bad publicity by the two Goliath’s of the industry, Nike and Reebok, and are reaping the rewards substantially. They have adjusted their manufacturing strategy, from a vertical operation in Germany in the 60’s and 70’s, to an outsourcing focus today throughout Asia. Unlike the big two, they do not have a code of conduct, and their factories are considered to be the worst in the industry. It is just a matter of time before they are exposed, with an underground swelling of negativity already occurring today. In order to avoid the negative effects and lost revenues that Nike and Reebok have received, they need to immediately begin to take a proactive stance in regards to the working conditions of their factories. Converse With a market share of 3% and revenues of $280 million, Converse manufactures their products both domestically and internationally. It is important to note that the only product they continue to manufacture in the U. S. oday, is the Chuck Taylor All Star, with plants in Lumberton, NC and Mission, TX. This is a product where the â€Å"Made in the USA† label is crucial to its success, and internalization is a source of competitive advantage. These two factors serving as the sole reason why the production remains within the U. S. All other shoe models are outsourced in Asia, with the explanation of reduced wages driving this strategy. Converse, lik e Adidas, must also generate a higher degree of internal monitoring of their subcontractors, or they will soon face increased scrutiny New Balance New Balance is the one company that has kept a substantial amount of manufacturing in the United States, and has a 3% market share with sales of $260 million. They currently operate five plants in New England, employing over 1400 workers, that produces 50% of their output. With this mixed strategy, of vertical integration and outsourcing, they are very unique, with their strategic reasoning based on the advantages gained through higher levels of quality domestically, and the â€Å"Made in the USA† label. They are in a highly specialized, niche business, running shoes, and closeness of factories is more essential to their customer base than the other companies because of special orders. For their most technical products they employ outsourcing, following the strategy of their competitors. Although there is something to be said for manufacturing domestically, they are straying away from the skills that they do better than anybody else – the design and marketing of the premier running shoe in the industry. Their long-term strategy should shift to a 100% outsourcing model, allowing them to control this niche for the future. Summary Manufacturing in the footwear industry has evolved dramatically over the course of the last century. As economies grow and skills are enhanced, production has been forced to spread to less developed regions around the world. While Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Converse, and New Balance each have their own manufacturing structure, the reason behind their rise to dominance in this industry is their ability to focus on the core skills that they perform better than anybody else. The outsourcing trend that dominates the industry today will only increase in the future. The major issues facing these firms today, working conditions and human rights, must be addressed in the short-term. Through either one firm’s leadership, or all footwear companies strategically aligning, these issues will be addressed; the question is â€Å"Just how long will it take before the footwear companies say Just Do It? † Copyright, 1998 Van Dusen, INTS 092 UNC – Chapel Hill

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

8 ELL Mistakes Youre Probably Making in Your College Essays

8 ELL Mistakes Youre Probably Making in Your College Essays The number of ELL (English Language Learners) attending American colleges and universities is steadily growing. In fact, according to a whitepaper produced by the American Institutes for Research:From 1990 to 2014, the number of international students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions more than doubled, reaching a total of 1.1 million students in the 2016–17 academic year (Institute of International Education, 2017a). Second-generation Americans, children born in the United States to immigrant parents, currently account for almost 20% of all U.S. college students and 24% of community college students (Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education, 2015).American Institutes for ResearchThe number of ELL writers in the US is steadily growing. Photo by Sean Kong on Unsplash.Mistake #1: Switching tense or incorrect tenseIn my experience as an editor for many ELL clients, a switched tense or incorrect tense were two of the most common mistakes I found. In the En glish language (as with other languages), the tense of a sentence shows the reader whether something occurred in the past, the present, or will occur in the future. In most cases, if a paragraph is written logically, it will consist of verbs that use the same tense. For example, consider the following paragraph:In their study of the migratory habits of birds, the authors explained that birds migrate due to lack of resources. They will move to areas with more resources. The authors note that birds look for food and nesting locations.Notice how the first verb, explained is in past tense and the following verb, migrate is in present tense. The next verb, will move is in future tense. And the last verb is note, which is present tense. Since the writer used three different tenses instead of one, the paragraph is confusing and poorly written. A better way to write it would be:In their study of the migratory habits of birds, the authors explain that birds migrate due to lack of resources, and then move to more fertile areas to compensate. Typically, the birds look for food and nesting locations.Not only is the above paragraph written in all present tense, Ive combined the first two sentences to make it read less choppy. Ive also removed the repetition of resources and authors, which brings us to Mistake #2.Mistake #2: Repeating words excessivelyIts always a good idea for any writer- whether English is your second language or not- to look over paragraphs to ensure that excessive repetition isnt taking place. While your grade might not get dinged for it as a grammar error, it does come across as poor writing.As shown in the example paragraph beneath Mistake #1, the two best ways to deal with this are:Combine shorter sentences that repeat a word.Rewrite a sentence using alternate language to avoid repetition.Mistake #3: Using the wrong prepositionMany prepositional phrases (groups of two or more words that begin with a preposition) are idiomatic expressions, meaning if they are taken literally, they likely wont make sense. A few good examples are:Beside the pointBehind the scenesIn any caseOn account ofTo a certain extentOut of the questionOn the other handOf courseIn no timeIn advance ofAt any rateAt ones disposalBy heartFor a livingAt lastAt a lossThese are only a few of the idioms in the English language that begin with a preposition, but it is obvious how complicated they could be for someone just learning the language to understand. In fact, advanced writing courses often suggest leaving idiomatic expressions out of ones writing completely, since they can be misunderstood by a large percentage of readers (including ELL readers).This confusion is the main reason many ELL college students use the wrong preposition in their writing. Errors like by the other hand instead of on the other hand, at a certain extent instead of to a certain extent, and in any rate instead of at any rate are common among ELL writers- and rightly so. These errors could arguably make more logical sense than the correct preposition, although theyll still sound awkward to the native English speakers ear.Mistake #4: Using incorrect articlesAs a student of the French language, I often struggled with learning articles for nouns because of their masculine versus feminine qualities. Although I havent studied Spanish, Ive read that the language contains nine articles compared to the three used in English. So, I understand how article use can be confusing to an English language learner.Just like Spanish, the English language contains definite and indefinite articles. A and An are indefinite, while The is definite. So, the first step to determining which to use is to determine if the noun that follows needs a definite or indefinite article.Examples:A rainshower always makes the air smell wonderful.The rainshower made the air smell wonderful.In the examples above, the first sentence is referring to any rainshower- or all of them! Rainshowers, in general, alwa ys make the air smell wonderful. However, the second sentence is referring to a specific rainshower- one that happened recently or today. That particular rainshower made the air smell wonderful.Once you have determined whether a definite or indefinite article is to be used, the final step is to look at the noun again and determine if it begins with a vowel (or vowel sound) or consonant (or consonant sound). In the case of indefinite articles, and only indefinite articles, this will determine whether A should be used or An should be used.Keep in mind that the vowels are A, E, I, O and U. Most words will follow the general rule of A before words that begin with a consonant and An before words that begin with a vowel. However, in the rare cases that a word begins with a vowel sound but the letter is actually a consonant (such as hour), use An instead. Likewise, when a word begins with a vowel that sounds like a consonant (such as university), use A instead. This might be a tricky proce ss for some, but eventually, youll memorize that correct article to use in these uncommon situations.Mistake #5: Using a thesaurusWhile a thesaurus can be a handy tool for writing, it can also cause some serious confusion if the writer doesnt understand the connotation of words. For example, a toxic relationship means something very different than a lethal relationship, but toxic and lethal are listed together as synonyms in a thesaurus.One of the hardest steps to take in any language is to understand the connotation of a word. This is because much of a words connotation develops over time and even varies by culture or region. In other words- if youre not sure of both the connotation and denotation of a word, dont use it. If you are an ELL writer, its always a good idea to have a native English speaker look over your writing to ensure that you havent used words that could have the wrong connotation.One of the hardest steps to take in any language is to understand the connotation of a word, especially in academic writing. Photo by Nirma Safitri on Unsplash.Mistake #6: Not getting to the pointMaking definitive statements is part of academic writing and is the result of studying a topic in enough depth to be confident in your knowledge of it. However, due to the difficulty in learning another language- and even more so, academic writing in that new language- making a definitive statement can be a daunting task. However, its an obstacle that needs to be overcome if you want to learn to write well in English.The result of not making definitive statements is a paper full of insinuations and vague suggestions that doesnt get to the point. A professor needs to see a clear thesis statement in your papers introduction, and then clear supporting arguments for that thesis throughout the body of your paper. Even if you feel unsure about your writing abilities, avoid this mistake for a higher grade.Mistake #7: Using the wrong verbalAs you can see from this study guide, ther e are three types of verbals, which are words formed from verbs but used as nouns, adjectives or adverbs. Specifically, these are gerunds, infinitives, and participles.GerundsThe gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and is used as a noun.Examples:Running is my favorite activity. (Running is the noun; is is the verb)Knowing is always better than guessing. (Knowing and guessing are nouns; is is the verb)She liked dancing. (dancing is the noun; liked is the verb)InfinitivesAn infinitive is a verb with to in front of it. It can be used as a noun, adjective, or adverb in the sentence.Examples:I like to write. (like is the verb; to write is the direct object)They have a suggestion to offer. (have is the verb; to offer is the adjective)She wants to go to Hawaii. (wants is the verb; to go is an adverb)ParticipleA participle is a verbal that ends in -ing, -ed, -d-, -t, -en, or -n and is used as an adjective.Examples:The shouting crowds were out of control. (shouting is used as an adjective m odifying crowds)The fallen soldier is buried in an unmarked grave. (fallen is used as an adjective modifying soldier)Mistake #8: The big oneUltimately, the biggest mistake ELL writers can make is to give up. Even native English speakers must practice diligently to become great writers. With practice, youll find that it gets easier to do without making so many mistakes.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Technology effect essays

Technology effect essays In the article Cybergrace: The Search for God in the Digital World, ¡ Jennifer Cobb wonders if a collective and self-reflective intelligence,  ¡Ã‚ °God ¡ isn't embodying itself in cyberspace. She observes the God-like nature that humans may gain in cyberspace and warns that we must proceed with caution. To me, the only thing I could think about with technology is it ¡Ã‚ ¯s ability to make almost anything possible such as, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, robotics, and increasing computer power, decreasing computer size. In last decades, the modern technology industry relies very explicitly on faith that the software will work, that the demo won't crash, and that the market will keep going up. Technology is technology; it is a means for communication and transportation over space, and nothing more. Technology that plays a significant role in all aspects of my life today, for example a computer, allows me to use technology benefits me by enhancing my learning capabilities and development in my college education. As a future engineer, the technology makes our life much easier, and it can be a powerful tool for educational use. During my high school years, or even now, a computer is the one of instructional tools that provides the discovery and exchange of information, communication, exploration, learning, and teaching. However, after I read Cobb ¡Ã‚ ¯s article, I must admit a little concept as I begin to see a growing awareness of spirituality in our relationship to machines even in this most secular of worlds. At first, this article starts comparing unlikely subjects that is the Internet and the divine, in Cobb's able hands, a seamlessly woven web of connection. Cobb urges us not to abandon the online world to commercial forces but to realize that "through the medium of computation, our spiritual experience can be extended in profound ways."(160) She proceeds toward an in-depth discussion of the nature of divinity. ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Crime Justice and Criminals Vocabulary

Crime Justice and Criminals Vocabulary These words are used when talking about crime and criminals. Each word is placed in a related category and defined. Crime Types Assault: To hit/injure someone physically. Blackmail: To threaten to reveal incriminating materials if someone doesnt do something. Burglary: To steal or break into a home or car, etc. Fraud: A deception intended to result in financial or personal gain. Hijacking: Unlawfully seizing an aircraft, vehicle, or ship while in transit Hooliganism: Volent or rowdy behavior that occurs (typically) in crowds or gangs. Kidnapping: The act of abducting someone and holding them captive. Mugging: The act of attacking and robbing someone in a public place. Criminal Terms Mugger: A person who attacks and robs another in a public place. Murderer: A person who kills another person. Robber: A person who steals from another person. Shoplifter: A person who steals from a store. Smuggler: A person who imports/exports prohibited goods. Terrorist: A person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. Thief: A person who steals. Vandal: A person who defaces property of another person. Justice System Terms Appeal: Asking for a reversal of the decision of a court. Barrister: A British term for a lawyer. Caution: Care taken to avoid danger or mistakes. Cell: An area considered a living space for inmates within a prison. Community service: Voluntary work intended to help people in a particular area. Court: Place where cases and legal matters are conducted. Court case: A dispute between two parties that is decided in a court of law. Death penalty: The punishment of execution. Defense: The case presented by or on behalf of the party being accused. Fine: The payment of money for being caught. Gaol, jail: The place where accused persons and criminals are held. Guilty: Found responsible for wrongdoing or an unlawful act. Imprisonment: The state of being imprisoned. Innocent: Not being guilty of a crime. Judge: An official appointed to decide cases in a court of law. Jury: A group of people (typically twelve in number) sworn to give a verdict in a legal case on the basis of evidence submitted in court. Justice: A judge or magistrate, or, the quality of fairness. Lawyer: Someone who practices or studies law. Offense: A breach of law/illegal act. Sentence: Length of time a prisoner is imprisoned. Prison: A building where people are legally held as a punishment for a crime they have committed or while awaiting trial. Probation: The release of an offender from detention, subject to a period of good behavior under supervision. Prosecution: The legal proceedings against someone in respect of a criminal charge. Punishment: The infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offense. Capital punishment: The legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime. Corporal punishment: Physical punishment, such as caning or flogging. Remand home: Detention/reform school for juvenile offenders. Solicitor: An officer having charge of a legal business. Trial: A formal examination of evidence before a judge and/or jury, in order to decide guilt in a case of criminal or civil proceedings. Verdict: The legally binding decision on a case. Witness: A person who sees an event, typically a crime or accident, take place. Crime Verbs Arrest: To take someone into custody legally. Ban: To forbid or limit something. Break-in: To enter somewhere without consent or by force. Break-out: To leave somewhere without consent or by force. Break the law: To go against the law. Burgle: To enter (a building) illegally with the intent to commit theft. Charge: To accuse someone of an illegal act. Commit a crime: To do something illegal. Escape: To break free from confinement or control. Getaway: An escape or quick departure, especially after committing a crime. Get away with: To avoid prosecution for a criminal act. Hold up: To point a weapon at someone to make them give them money or a valuable good. Investigate: To look deeper into a matter and gather information about what happened. Rob: To take something forcefully from someone unwilling. Steal: To take (another persons property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it. Other Crime-Related Words Alibi: A story given to explain that one was not near the location of a crime. Armed: To be in the possession of a firearm (gun). Burglar: Someone who steals from others, a thief. Car alarm: An alarm on a motor vehicle. Alarm: Loud noise meant to draw attention when disturbed. Legal: Pertaining to the law, on the right side of the law, allowed. Illegal: Against the law, criminal. Store detective: Someone who watches over a store to make sure people dont steal from it. Private detective: Someone who is hired to investigate a matter. Weapon: Something designed or used for inflicting bodily harm or physical damage.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Ruritanian Project Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Ruritanian Project - Coursework Example The country is currently politically stable. Governments have been democratically elected for the last twenty years. There are two major political parties in Ruritania. The country is about to go for polling in next couple of months. Recent opinion polls suggest that the present Government currently enjoys a 7% lead over the other major party and this view has remained reasonably stable. So if the incumbent government stays in power, it will continue the reform works. The other major party is also committed to democratic principles and a market based economy. They intend to increase both corporate and personal taxation to provide additional funding for their proposed social expenditure (Case Study). The currency of the country was deregulated nearly twelve years ago. Though there was initially a sharp depreciation of the currency, the currency has gained stability against major international currencies during the past three or four years. There has been a speculation that the government will peg the currency with a major currency as a first step for joining the euro. Ruritania is currently negotiating for membership of the European Union and hopes to join in about 2014 (Case Study). In this case, our company wishes to set up a manufacturing in the country in order to utilize the low cost labor and access the local market. We are going to discuss various long term and short term financial issues and underlying theories that are likely to influence the investment decision (Case Study). Foreign Direct Investment as a Strategic Decision of the Firm FDI refers to the reassignment of the capital, managerial and technical assets of a firm from the dwelling country to the host country. It is a type of international finance which consists of lending and portfolio investments. It is unlike lending because it demands ownership. Also it is different from portfolio investment since it entails control of financed actions over administration. There is no united theory associated to FDI. Basically, three levels of analysis have been differentiated by theories based on conventional trade and location theories, theories based largely on industrial organization economics, and theo ries are based on the theory of the firm and center on the competitive advantage of the firm. Customary international trade theories have been enlarged to FDI with regard to the international movement of factors of production. Examples incorporate such extensions of the international trade theory, as factor endowment theory that includes factor mobility (Helpman, 1984, pp. 451-471) and specific factor models (Markusen & Venables, 1998, pp. 183-204), which both are delegates of the new trade theory. They are valid in the context of FDI, as they let imperfect competition and product differentiation. Also traditional location theory stresses on the least-cost location of production as the best location of the firm. Macro-economic investment theories include Dunning's developmental model of international investment. The theory relates the determinants of outward and inward investments to the developmental stage of the state. According to the model, outward investment beats the inward in vestment as the country grows. The ongoing shift from negative to positive on net investment depends on a country's factor endowments, politico-economic system and its interdependencies with the world economy (Dunning 1993). Vernon pioneered the product life cycle theory in the mid-1960s, but expanded it later to a clearly oligopolistic understanding. The theory elucidates the geographical course of locating the manufacturing units in the four broad stages of development. In the first phase, new products are launched by a firm griping technological headship in

Friday, October 18, 2019

Supply chain management - Operation management Essay - 1

Supply chain management - Operation management - Essay Example The aggregate planning is often shared with the supply chain partners since it has a great impact on the supply chain. All the stages within the supply chain ought to work hand in hand in order to improve the supply chain performance. This is quite essential because it would help synchronize the flow of operations throughout the supply chain (Boyer & Verma, 2009). The information that would be better shared with the supply chain partners is the vendor managed inventory because vendors are known to undertake the duty of planning on behalf of the trading partners. My main reason for such a decision is to minimize the safety stock as a buffer on the vendor side due to the uncertainty in demand as well as minimize the safety stock on the consumer side due to uncertainty in supply (Liu & Kumar, 2003). The supply chains partners will have to ensure that there is collaboration between the overtime, inventory holding and the subcontractors. In case the aggregated plan is not achieved, a special handling process ought to be adopted so that the process of production is not slowed down, but met as anticipated within the six months. Strategic sourcing is, as well, information that ought to be shared herein. Since the production of tankloads involves a chain of suppliers, sourcing becomes a complex match making procedure. The combined process of efforts from subcontractors, working overtime and the inventory holdings varies in its structure from chronological sharing. The success in information sharing throughout the supply chain, starting from demand forecast to order fulfilment, will see the Bottling Company minimise costs using this production

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Human Resource Management - Essay Example Analysis of the journey to understand the importance of the HRM is long, but worthwhile as it presents some very interesting facts about organizations. This paper covers my reflections of the functions of the HRM department in any organizational set up. The roles of the HRM department are the most vital in an organization, ranging from planning, staffing, and leading, organizing, and controlling the organization’s work force (Mathis & Jackson, 2010). The process of HRM includes testing, training, planning, compensating, and appraising employees. The employees’ safety and health, and equality are also major concerns of the department. Given the facts above, one would be quick to question the bad image painted on the department. Why do some people consider the department as a psychotherapist clinic of a company or as a mere recruiting office? I think the performance of those HRM departments under criticism did not meet the employees’ expectations and thus the lamen tation. HRM departments are supposed to carry their duties indiscriminately. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative actions should be the core of the department’s moral principles. These two guiding principles are the stepping-stones to enhancing positive diversity in an organization. The identification of differences enhances development of an environment that promotes respect. The HRM department should nurtures these differences and use them for the benefits of both the organization and the individual. The government, through reports requirement, has enforced the two policies in both federal and public organizations (Mathis & Jackson, 2010). Federal organizations are required to submit their reports to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Nevertheless, these requirements are fragmented and irregularities with the records often emerge. It is imperative that HRM professionals observe the EEO and Affirmati ve actions policies, from their lifestyles to places of work. A diverse work force will provide creative and innovative workers to drive an organization towards achievement of its strategic goals. In the planning, recruitment and selection, enforcement of EEO and affirmative actions should remain on focus. Potential employees have the right to equal opportunities of employment without prejudice of race, color or religion (Ivancevich, 2006). The recruitment of the employees should be clear of discrimination, and the vacancies assigned to qualified applicants with occasional reference to the diversity ratio. The issue that arises during the planning is the decision to determine candidacy of employees based on qualification or equality. In some situations, the best-qualified candidates are qualified, but represent only a margin of the population. The conflict of equal employment opportunity and affirmative, and the desired employee characteristics arises here. The case scenario is evid ent, as it has occurred in one of my classes. Majority of the students who passed on the course subjects were male. Now, presenting awards to only male students would portray the idea of male chauvinism.

Metaphysics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Metaphysics - Term Paper Example ics, so everything and object that is used computationally and mathematically in any field whether research, medical, defense, communication, manufacturing industries etc are the outcome of the great science of logics. The details and explanations of Logics are not that alike throughout the history, perhaps the philosophers are constantly engaged in critical argumentations about logical principles and logical views. The ancient logic and the modern formal logic differ in various aspects, logic is perhaps a science and knowledge i.e. is always developing and growing for better. It should be kept in mind that the contemporary logic is the result of many philosophical views that develops time by time and era by era. Hence these philosophical views are not futile and it is worth understanding these views and discussions on logic. The concept of philosophical logic started with the arrival of great philosopher Aristotle and it is the learning of arguments and reasoning. Aristotle’s six main works on logic is named as â€Å"Organon† in the Greek terminology. These were the first formal achievement on the subject of logics throughout the human history. In the modern age, modern logicians have proved falsification of some of Aristotle logical concepts. On the contrary the main focus of Aristotle’s logic was to investigate the working dynamics of inferential systems so as to provide a solution for argumentation. The philosophical perspective of different philosophers regarding the credibility of logic differs excessively. Some philosophers were of the idea that logic is gateway to reality while some other argued on this and they just keep logic to human endeavor for finding a truth, some other explained the gap between logic and reality as the flaw of human limitation, while some explained th is gap understanding as a function that only God’s domain. Logic went through different ages, and several modification and up gradation. Different philosophers contributed in

Thursday, October 17, 2019

CASE STUDY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CASE STUDY - Essay Example Typically, a client that is very serious about purchasing a new product, a new line, or a development package is usually going to be on time to the meeting and show the salesperson as much respect as possible in hopes that they can ease down the price of the products with their charm and good will. At 10:20am another non-verbal clue took place when another salesperson that was Andrews’ competitor walked into the office for a 10:30am appointment. Not only was the buyer for Skaggs Manufacturing tardy for their meeting, but she already had another salesperson scheduled for an immediate meeting right after Andrews. Gillespie also showed many counts of blatant disrespect toward Andrews. For one, there was a 10 minute period where she was discussing a tennis match for that day with the secretary instead of concentrating on who was there for a scheduled appointment. Finally, as Andrews began to speak with Gillespie in her office she gave him no attention, no eye contact and was focused on reading letters from her desk instead of what he had to say. The final sign of disrespect came when she answered the phone in the middle of their meeting and began talking with her husband for another 10 minutes until she finally saw the frustration on Andrews’ face. Each of these non- verbal clues was blatant hints that Andrews was not going to be able to earn the business of Skaggs Manufacturing that morning and he had definitely wasted his time. If I was John Andrews, I would have likely performed many of the same behaviors that he did. He kept calm during many different frustrating events where he was being blatantly ignored and disrespected by the buyer for Skaggs Manufacturing. Still, his job is to sell the product, so it is important to maintain an aura of professionalism and do his best to earn the customer’s business. Unfortunately, he was never able to actually give a sales pitch

Prosecutor report Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Prosecutor report - Term Paper Example While wearing masks, the offenders stormed the store. Offender B hit the guard with the butt of his gun in order to knock him down and held hostage two patrons in a small closet. Offender A went to the manager’s office threatened the manager and ordered her to fill their bag with money. In the process, offender A noticed an employee trying to trigger a silent alarm and shot the employees dead. The offenders left the parking lot with offender A driving the vehicle carelessly and at a high speed. A patrolling Montgomery County police officer noticed the carelessly driven car and tried to stop the car, but the offenders tried to escape resulting in a high speed chase. After the chase, the offenders escaped on foot and tried to resist arrest but were overpowered and arrested by the police. Basing on these facts, the two offenders committed multiple offenses that are punishable under the Maryland’s statute codes and the US law in general. Offender A Maryland Criminal Statuto ry Code Criminal Charge Facts relevant to this charge Maximum Criminal Penalty (Felony/ misdemeanor) CL  § 7-105 Motor vehicle theft .The defendant stole a Ford Explorer that he intended to use in robbing a liquor distributor store. The defendant is guilty of a felony and subject to a sentence of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or a fine not exceeding $ 5,000, or both  § 3-403. Robbery with dangerous weapon. ... The defendant is guilty of misdemeanor and liable for a $10,000 fine or imprisonment of up to five years or both.  § 2-201. Murder in the first degree. During robbery, the defendant shot and killed a liquor distributor employee as he was trying to trigger a secret security alarm. The defendant is guilty of a felony and is subject to life imprisonment without a parole, death sentence or life imprisonment.  § 21-901.1. Reckless and negligent driving. The defendant was spotted by a patrolling Montgomery County police officer driving erratically and at a very high speed. The defendant is guilty of misdemeanor involving careless and high speed driving and is subject to a fine of $1000.  § 9-408. Resisting or interfering with arrest. After the robbery and while driving carelessly, the police attempted to stop the car using Sirens and emergency light, but the men evaded the police triggering a speed chase. The defendant ran the car into a guard rail and Fled. After a chase, they physi cally fought with the police officers who tried to arrest them. After the struggle, the men were arrested by the police. The defendant is guilty of misdemeanor for violating this section and should be subjected to a fine not exceeding $5,000,imprisonment that does not exceed 3 years or both imprisonment and fine.  § 7-104. General theft provisions. The defendant together with his compatriot were in possession of a stolen car that they used in robbery, escaped with it and abandoned it after it had rammed into guardrail. Since the truck exceeds $100,000, the defendant is guilty of a felony and is subject to a fine not exceeding $25,000 and imprisonment not exceeding 25 years or both. Offender B Maryland Criminal

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

CASE STUDY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CASE STUDY - Essay Example Typically, a client that is very serious about purchasing a new product, a new line, or a development package is usually going to be on time to the meeting and show the salesperson as much respect as possible in hopes that they can ease down the price of the products with their charm and good will. At 10:20am another non-verbal clue took place when another salesperson that was Andrews’ competitor walked into the office for a 10:30am appointment. Not only was the buyer for Skaggs Manufacturing tardy for their meeting, but she already had another salesperson scheduled for an immediate meeting right after Andrews. Gillespie also showed many counts of blatant disrespect toward Andrews. For one, there was a 10 minute period where she was discussing a tennis match for that day with the secretary instead of concentrating on who was there for a scheduled appointment. Finally, as Andrews began to speak with Gillespie in her office she gave him no attention, no eye contact and was focused on reading letters from her desk instead of what he had to say. The final sign of disrespect came when she answered the phone in the middle of their meeting and began talking with her husband for another 10 minutes until she finally saw the frustration on Andrews’ face. Each of these non- verbal clues was blatant hints that Andrews was not going to be able to earn the business of Skaggs Manufacturing that morning and he had definitely wasted his time. If I was John Andrews, I would have likely performed many of the same behaviors that he did. He kept calm during many different frustrating events where he was being blatantly ignored and disrespected by the buyer for Skaggs Manufacturing. Still, his job is to sell the product, so it is important to maintain an aura of professionalism and do his best to earn the customer’s business. Unfortunately, he was never able to actually give a sales pitch

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Cross-cultural Communication Essay Example for Free

Cross-cultural Communication Essay In order to accomplish the task I decided to interview my friend from Italy who arrived to the USA after having won a language competition to live and study here and whom I recently visited in Italy. So, below you may see some differences and similarities of American and Italian culture. First of all he decided to rent a car since it was more convenient than a train or other transportation vehicle. He noted that there are almost no pedestrians in the streets as everybody drives a car. Also, he stated that American people take care of their life as no other culture in the world because they have a list of emergency calls in every household and therefore are rightfully scared to death of Italian drivers. The system of driving in Italy is almost beyond American understanding. The basic difference is that Americans like lanes and pretty much expect everybody to stay in one. Italy does not work like this at all. Instead they use a surprisingly tolerant system of swerving, tail gating, and other go-as-you-please driving etiquette that Americans would be driven to homicidal road rage by if it happened in the hometown. Traveling through Italy American person will never see anyone irritated or aggressive while driving. Italians just casually drive like maniacs and know that everyone else is too. Along the way, they adore chatting and laughing with each other. As a huge generalization Italians are very attractive people. It felt like people are living in an Armani commercial. But as he says they smoke everywhere, all the time. As expected, he liked American food everywhere: in restaurants, in coffee shops, etc. although he was more accustomed to have a dessert and a thimble of coffee. It was quite a surprise for him to reveal that dinners last an hour or an hour and a half at most while in Italy they go on for hours. Time in general moves differently in the USA, as he says. In the USA days start earlier than according to the Italian standards. In Italy the whole country shuts down from one oclock to three or four oclock every afternoon. There is also a great difference in architecture of these two cultures. Italy is full of narrow streets, plazas and buildings. He says if you want to live in an apartment that is several hundred years old and is probably built on top of even older building you can do it. In the USA it is hard to find something older than about 200 years old. In my essay I would like to refer to the idea of the context of situation (Kramsch 25) that includes three major parts: o The field of discourse o The tenor of discourse o The mode of discourse The field of discourse covers the situation of visiting another country and penetrating into its culture. The tenor implies the participants, while the mode includes the role of the language in this situation. Therefore, it would be appropriate to note that Italian tradition of driving may serve as a good example of the context of situation. First of all, it involves such important factors as high level of emotionality, hot weather, narrow streets, and their somewhat confusing location. As the tenor of discourse investigates the members of the situation, it is necessary to mention here the importance of the origin of the participants. As we may see from the interview and from my own experience Italians and Americans drive in completely different way and both of them believe that their driving tradition is the best and most convenient. In conclusion, I may add that cultural diversity implies different traditions that require understanding, open-mindness, and tolerance. References Kramsch, Claire. (2003). Language and Culture (4th edition). New York: Oxford University Press.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Environmental analysis of Nivea in Thailand

Environmental analysis of Nivea in Thailand In todays world, all businesses are facing the dynamic of world economy. In business world, there is always strong competition in the market with new business players and convergence of the industry. Companies have to adjust themselves in order to survive and to conduct good performances; even the market leader of the industry needs to be successful with improved performance, high profitability and competitive edge. To be successful, a business needs to set its overall direction for the company through business plan aiming to achieve business goals and objectives. One of the most important parts of the overall business plan is the marketing plan. In formulating an effective marketing plan, a company needs to follow segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) steps as they are the foundation of marketing strategy (Desarbo et al., 2008). STP process is in the area of market-oriented approach, which primarily examines the external environment based on market needs so as to develop products which well respond to the market. Currently, while the overall markets are becoming more mature and customer needs are greatly diverse, the use of STP strategy is indispensable. In highly dynamic environment, most companies conduct segmentation research studying the changes in the marketplace and adapt themselves to the dynamic world. Therefore, it is very common that most businesses are increasingly segmenting markets and identifying each target market in order to explore new opportunities, develop right positioning to establish brand image and brand reputation, deliver proper communications to the target audiences, and also effectively invest resources and specific capabilities to the main marketing activities. The company will be able to create a value proposition specific to the target market by developing an effective marketing strategy, including marketing mix. By going through the STP process, a company will be likely to establish its own identity and differentiate itself from other competitors in the marketplace. This research studies the mens grooming product industry in Thailand. The methodology is to examine how the product owner develops its marketing strategy and how the STP process has vital role in formulating the strategy. In Thailand, mens grooming market is a high growth industry, with approximately 14 percent growth annually from 2005 to 2008 and the market size in 2009 expanded with the value of Bt5.5 billion. Growth of the industry in year 2008 mainly came from growth of mens skin care market, with 26% percent growth in terms of current value (Euromonitor International: Mens Grooming Products Thailand, 2009). Mens skin care market is considered not only an attractive market but also a very highly competitive market in Thailand. This paper uses a case study of NIVEA FOR MEN brand in Thailand, the line of products manufactured by Beiersdorf Thailand, as it is a good case study about mens skincare market. Moreover, it specifically concentrates on male skin care market which is segmentation method of NIVEA FOR MEN. Therefore, this case study is of interest of the author to study the whole process of STP which can lead to the formulating of marketing strategy of a leading brand in mens skin care market, NIVEA FOR MEN. Prior to this study, there have been some researches studying male consumers behaviors which claimed that men consumers are now much more a part of modern consumerism as women (Sturrock et al., 1998). In recent years, a number of researchers aim their interests at male consumers in order to study male consumption of products and styles which contributes to the production of self image (Firat, 1993), and also the construction of self concept (Thompson and Hirschman, 1995). In this paper, the qualitative approach, in-depth interview will be the main research method. The research will provide more details of the area of study and clarify the discussed concepts. 1.2 Purpose of the project Points of the authors interest in this research are the rapid growth of mens grooming product industry and the way a leading brand in this industry has employed marketing strategies. An overall purpose of the project is to study the thorough process of segmentation, targeting, and positioning (STP process) that is the main part in creating effective marketing strategy, and to examine how and to what extent the STP process can be applied to men skin care industry as well as to assess its implementation on a leading brand in men skin care market, NIVEA FOR MEN which is owned by Beiersdorf Company. 1.3 Design of the Project and Objectives This paper mainly deals with the scope of the process of segmentation, targeting, and positioning of a leading brand in men skin care market. As the stated process is the foundation and genesis of marketing strategy formulation, this research covers the linkage among these market-led marketing strategies. The paper will analyze market attractiveness in Thailand, and male consumers needs as well as Beiersdorf Thailand resources and capabilities. The investigation will be done by in-depth interview with marketers in Beiersdorf Thailand in order to gain insight information about the STP process and also the implementation of NIVEA FOR MEN marketing strategies. After all, the theory will be concluded and will also be used as a base of recommendation for the potential growth direction of NIVEA FOR MEN, a market leader in the very high growth industry. The objectives of this research are as follows to trace the origins of marketing strategy concept in real word situation in mens grooming products market and men skin care market in Thailand; to investigate the process of segmentation, targeting, and positioning of NIVEA FOR MEN brand; to examine the linkage among segmentation, targeting, and positioning as well as to study how STP process leads to the formulation of marketing strategy of NIVEA FOR MEN; to study the creation of competitive positioning and marketing plan as a market leader men facial care industry; and to make recommendation in respect of the maintenance of its market leader positioning according to consumers perspectives. 1.4 NIVEA International History and NIVEA Thailand History The case study of Beiersdorf Thailand, NIVEA FOR MEN is used in this research as it is the best case to study about the market-oriented approach with focusing on segmentation, targeting, and positioning process. Moreover, it is of interest of the author as NIVEA FOR MEN, with the various lines of products, is the leading brand in Thai rapid growth industry, mens skin care market. The history of Beiersdorf AG is briefly summarised (See Appendix [4-1]). Both NIVEA international history and NIVEA Thailand history are summerised to illustrate NIVEAs current conditions in world market and in Thailand. 1.4.1 NIVEA International History Figure [1-1]: NIVEA Worldwide Source: www.nivea.com NIVEA is one of the worlds leading international skincare industries, founded in 1911 in Germany by Oskar Troplowitz, who named the company NIVEA, from the Latin word nix or nivis, meaning snow, in reference to the colour of the product. Currently, NIVEA is claimed to be the worlds largest skincare brand with a strong international presence in around 170 countries and an enviable reputation. Also, Beiersdorf has had strong sales worldwide as during 2008 and 2009, Beiersdorfs annual sales in terms of worldwide products sales are at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 5,971 million and à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 5,748 million, respectively. Beiersdorf had already established an international presence with a large number of products prior to World War II. Trademarks were registered in many countries in order to protect these brands. According to the Beiersdorf website (2010) after World War II, these trademarks were lost in almost all countries, particularly those for NIVEA, and the company tried in each of these countries to recover the trademarks. Beiersdorf began expanding internationally in 1952s. Among the countries involved in the first international expansion were the Netherlands, followed by Argentina, Switzerland and Brazil in 1958. The following overview shows when the rights were recovered in each country. 1961 Sweden 1963 Mexico 1966 Finland/Denmark 1968 African Commonwealth Countries (except South Africa) 1973 U.S.A 1974 France incl. former colonies, now Chad, Mali, Cameroon, The Congo, etc 1977 Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Gibraltar, Cyprus, Malta, Bermuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago 1985 Norway 1992 United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Israel, Australia 1993 Romania 1998 Poland Besides guaranteeing continued high quality on individual products, NIVEA expanded their product range into new cosmetic fields, such as decorative cosmetics and hairstyling and made notable innovations in skincare. Moreover, NIVEA began expanding their product line to provide complete cosmetic care for the whole family and for style-conscious singles. 1.4.2 NIVEA Thailand History In 1984, the NIVEA brand was introduced in Thailand, imported and distributed by Beiersdorf (Thailand) Co., Ltd. The brand was introduced as the first mass market skincare cream and the worlds first true cosmetic moisturizer in the famous blue tin with the white logo. NIVEAs products included NIVEA Crà ¨me, Skin Lotion and Labello Lip Care. According to the Beiersdorf (2010) website, Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chooses the NIVEA factory for shooting Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Introduction Video. Later, in 1995, NIVEA obtained the GMP certificate from the local FDA Public Health Ministry which was the first GMP certificated to a cosmetic factory in Thailand and NIVEA Research and Development (RD) presented the New Method in Non-Animal Allergy Testing, to the Dean and professors of Pharmaceuticals Science Faculty, Chulalongkorn University. (Nivea website, 2010). By 2008, NIVEA in Thailand was successfully growing and had achieved an excellent 32% market share in the Super Hypermarkets sales channel which is of strategic importance in the Thai market (Nivea website, 2010). Overall, in skin care market, Beiersdorf Thailand is market leader with 11.9 percent market shares in 2008. In this year, Beiersdorf Thailand overtook Unilever Thai Holdings to lead sector sales (Euromonitor International: Skin Care Thailand, 2009) (See Appendix [1-2]). In Thailand, NIVEA achieved market leadership in Mens grooming sectors in year 2008 with 23.4 percent market share, followed by Gillette by Procter Gamble with 14.1 percent market share (Euromonitor International: Mens grooming products Thailand, 2009) (See Appendix [1-3]). NIVEA is also number one in body care sector, with body care brand share 23 percent and 23.5 percent in 2007 and 2008, respectively. (Euromonitor International: Skin Care Thailand, 2009) (See Appendix [1-4]). The NIVEA brand is now available in Thailand in the following products: NIVEA Body NIVEA FOR MEN NIVEA Visage NIVEA Deodorant NIVEA Sun NIVEA Lip Care NIVEA Bath Care

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Jane Eyre :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jane Eyre   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By Charlotte Bronte 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  End of Chapter Ten My favorite character at this time in the novel, is Jane Eyre. A new chapter in her life was about to begin when she was accepted for the position as a governess, for a small child at Thornfield Hall. She has come a long way from her days abandoned by her cruel aunt and treated poorly by her cousins. After her school days at Lowood, she wanted a brighter and more independent life for herself. She has had the strength to be strong and confident through it all. The characters that I disliked were her Aunt Reed and her cousins. Her aunt abandoned her, did not treat her as the other children and locked her up the majority of the time. Her cousin John would constantly cause her physical and emotional harm, while cousins Georgiana and Eliza preferred to ignore her. Jane had spent eight years at Lowood Institution and suffered many hardships. Her life is saddened when her best and only friend, Helen Burns, dies at Lowood from sickness. Fortunately Jane wants a better life for herself, and ventures out into the world. I do like this work so far because it is interesting to see what will happen to Jane and where her life will lead. Charlotte Bronte's style does tend to be a little dull in some parts of the novel, from too much emphasis on minor events to much detail in some areas of the novel that is not relevant. I do think that Jane will enjoy the new life she has made for herself, this being a different experience. End of Chapter Twenty-Eight Jane is still my favorite character in the novel. She makes you want to reach your heart out to her with all that she experiences. The novel centers around her and her life, she has to be the favored character. I disliked Mr. Rochester when he was first introduced, always being cold, stiff, and difficult towards Jane. As the days pass, Jane does feel the intensity of love build between her and Mr. Rochester. They eventually make their way to the church to be married, when the dark and terrible secret is revealed. Lurking in the attic of Thornfield Hall, is Mr. Rochester's insane, maniac wife Bertha. She is a character to despise throwing tantrums, setting Rochester's bedroom on fire, tearing Jane's veil to shreds, and stabbing and biting her own brother Richard.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Slavery in the United States Essay example -- Slavery Essays

Slavery in the United States In the history of the United States nothing has brought more shame to the face of America than the cold, premeditated method of keeping black people in captivity. People from England who migrated to America used many different methods to enslave black people and passed them down through the children. These methods were quite effective, so effective that these â€Å"slaves† were kept in captivity for over two hundred years in this country. It was the rain of terror that kept black people in fear of their lives for so long. The invention of the gun back in the fifth-teenth century was the main reason that these people were able to go to another continent and enslave so many people. These people from Africa were mistreated very badly right from the start both mentally and physically. They were packed very tightly on ships for months at a time chained to each other with no place to go to the bathroom, little water to drink, and hardly anything to eat. As the population constantly increased in the colonies during the 1600’s, so did the demand for slavery especially in the southern colonies where the big plantations were. These plantations were very lucrative since the owners had free manual labor and they could keep all the profit from the crops for themselves. They also had to justify what they were doing to themselves so what they did was tell themselves that these slaves were barbaric and not smart enough to be civilized. These slave owners also owned huge houses in the middle of their plantations and thought of themselves as noblemen. In acuality, it was the slaves who were living nobly while the Europeans were living barbaricly. The Europeans who owned slaves also thought that the sl... ...un power is what created slavery. Keeping the fear in the eyes of the slaves is what kept them working under such poor conditions everyday, while their friends and family could be sold away at any time or place. Learning English and being able to read and write is what educated these men and women. Once they were educated enough, they could secretly plan escape routes to the north and finally get some sympathy for their people which would eventually lead to the Civil War. This war was about right and wrong. There is a moral way to make money and then there is an immoral way to make a living. Slavery is the number one event in our country’s history that has disgraced and put shame to our culture. Even though not everyone owned slaves, one bad apple spoils the bunch. Hopefully people will learn from history, and immoral actions or events like slavery will not take place again.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Discuss the Significance of Names in of Mice and Men Essay

As seen in the book Of Mice and Men, author John Steinbeck uses a range of different names for his character, but as it seems, it is not just a coincidence that they are named this way. Steinbeck uses these specific names to match personality of a character and to show the significance of these characters to the society. Many characters names begin with a C for example Candy, Crooks, Curley, to create a direct reference to ‘Cain’ a nomad from the bible; who was cursed by God that he would never be able to settle down because of his wrongdoings for power, this signifies that the characters and Cain have a similarity; they are not able to settle down but are forced to keep moving from one area to another. Curley’s Wife, is perhaps the most major female character that is essential to the story, but has no name in the book. The most obvious assumption as to why Steinbeck has decided to do this is because he is using a historical reference to the American community, where woman were considered to be a man’s possession. â€Å"When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an’ spoke in the radio, an’ it wouldn’ta cost me a cent because I was in the pitchers†. In the book, Curley’s Wife has a dream/desire to have her name known as an icon, however, the results were that she had married a ‘nobody’ which makes her an even smaller existence to the society and the world. We can come to a conclusion that Curley’s wife is unnamed because Steinbeck reflects her complete lack of individual identity. Lennie Small, one of the two most major and necessary characters in the storyline, has a very ironic name. ‘Lennie’ is short for ‘Leonard’ or abbreviated to ‘Leo’ has a definition of lion, has symbolizes courage, rulership and strength, which is a complete opposite of Lennie’s character. ‘Small’ is also an addition to the irony, where Steinbeck uses this to emphasize his huge physical appearances. â€Å"I don’t want no trouble, don’t let him sock me George†. As seen in the book, Lennie is a ‘coward’, as he has a huge body and strength, yet doesn’t know how to defend himself in certain situations and cannot stand-up for himself. Slim is perhaps the most unique characters throughout the whole book. The reason as to why Steinbeck has decided to name this character in this way is to reflect on the American society (similar to Curley’s wife’s reasoning) as to where people were depressing and rarely had a reason to laugh or be ‘positive’ meaning that his physical appearance as being a tall skinny man refers to this. Slim however, is often thought as a hero, and thinks deeply about his actions toward other people as seen in chapter 6 where Slim out of all men goes over to check on Curley’s Wife’s lifeless body. â€Å"Then Slim went quietly over to her, and he felt her wrist. One lean finger touched her check, and then his hand went under her slightly twisted neck and his fingers explored her neck.† In other words, Slim’s naming is decided on to reflect and perhaps to criticize the American society at the time. Carlson, is the complete opposite of Slim, with ‘Carl’ meaning ‘man’ or ‘manly’ and ‘son’ meaning son, creating a definition of man’s son. Carlson as seen in the earlier parts of the story is seen to show no respect or value to Candy’s dog because of its putrid odor, not considering that the pet could be Candy’s only companion, showing that his character is arrogant and selfish. Carlson’s name is also decided to reflect on the American society, where his physical appearance also represents the average man. â€Å"Carlson stepped back to let Slim precede him, and then the two of them went out the door†. Nonetheless, Carlson shows in chapter 2 that he pays respect to the more superior than him, in this case to Slim, as he precedes back to let Slim past by. In conclusion, the names of characters in ‘Of Mice and Men’ are not just coincidences. In fact, the names John Steinbeck have chosen a re to symbolize and signify certain images and personalities and sometimes to criticize the American society, therefore, names in ‘Of Mice and Men’ are also a great significance to the story.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

A House for Mr. Biswas

In his novel A House for Mr. Biswas, V.S. Naipaul has created a very lively and realistic atmosphere of ex-patriot Indian community that is living separate from its culture, while trying to live the same cultural atmosphere.The novel has vividly shown internal conflict and struggle of its protagonist, Mr. Biswas, especially in relation of his in-laws, the Tulsis. Mr. Biswas, a person of humble personal fortunes and limited means was never fully accepted in rather affluent and well-off business class Tulsi family. At the best of their behavior Tulsis merely tolerated Mr. Biswas and Mr. Biswas, on his part found Tulsis an extremely hypocrite and disorganized clan, though he often wondered at the complexity of their huge joint family.In this context the Christmas celebration in Tulsis holds special significance for both its inhabitants as well as for Mr. Biswas. Mr. Biswas, normally finding the stores of Tulsis very depressing and repulsive, could not ignore the sudden transformation of Tulsis store in places of romance, charm and delight at the time of Christmas.The stored owed this transformation to assorted goods kept their for sale in Christmas, and presence of these varied, multicolored goods, that included various toys, musical instruments, resplendent show pieces, gift items and scintillating glassware that changed the character of not only the store, but also enlivened the houses of Tulsis and spirits of its members. Christmas always created a series of anticipations and hopes among members of Tulsi clans.The younger generation engaged itself in colorful decorations, while the ladies of house, although superficially uninterested in this ‘trite’ event, could not help preparing for the occasion, stuffing the lining of children’s pillows with gifts items.The excitement of Christmas, as described in the novel, peaked on Christmas morning and with sufficient over dose of excitement, it was felt to be over by noon, with everyone’s atte ntion turning to delicacies being prepared in kitchen and children went to sleep with great anticipations for their ‘Santa Clause’ gifts.The gifts, eventually proved to be very ordinary-an apple, a balloon and a whistle for every child, but as it was a common gift, no one complained and children remained content with their gift, enjoying some excellent lunch and not so excellent dinner. Meanwhile a sharp contrast has been drawn by description of Christmas at barracks, the world of Mr. Biswas, showcasing the great difference of class in even a small ex-patriot community.â€Å" At the barracks there were no apples, no stockings, no baking of cakes, no churning of ice creams, no refinements to be waited for. It was from the start a day of abandoned eating and drinking and was to end, not with the beating of children, but with the beating of wives.†There is no wonder then Mr. Biswas felt a kind of fascination for the Christmas celebration taking place at the house of Tulsis.The following of ‘Doll House’ sharply points at the vast gulf that existed between the world of Mr. Biswas and the world of his in laws. At the time of above described Christmas, Mr. Biswas’ wife Shama was living at her parent’s house along with her two children Savi and Ananad. On the next day of Christmas Mr. Biswas, realizing he had not brought any gift for his children, purchased a splendid doll house ly for his daughter Savi, with whom was he was most attached, and presented it to her when all other children happened to be standing around.Mr. Biswas had gifted this rather exquisite doll house to his daughter out of purely love and affection, however, in the complex political atmosphere of Tulsis, this gesture was seen particularly offending and humiliating and Mr. Biswas was straightforwardly told of his effrontery by the matriarch of the family.Meanwhile the situation turned unpleasant as other children at Tulsis were publicly admonished agai nst touching the ‘Doll House’ that was brought just for Savi, in an attempt to ostracize the girl and her mother because they happened to receive an expensive and quality gift that other children did not.