Associate Level Material Essay

Directions: Choose one of the Facts for Consideration sections from Ch. 3 of the text and list the page number for the section you chose. Then, complete the following table. List five threats appropriate to the environment from the section you chose. Rate the risk for each threat from 0 (low) to 10 (high). Then, list five appropriate countermeasures. Once you complete the table, write a brief explanation of the countermeasures for the two threats with the highest risk total, stating how the countermeasure reduces the risk associated with that threat. The inmate escape is very important. If there are extra guards then it will be easy to prevent this from happening, especially since some trips can take up to 48 hours to complete. With all the stopping (two to eight stops on any given trip) and going it would be great to have the countermeasure. When it  comes to inmates taking over the van, I feel as though that is something that can happen even if there are two officers on the van. Inmates are strong and they always have something up their sleeves. So if we were to take the countermeasure and actually have them checked before they get on the van and then handcuffed it makes the ride safer and less threatening.

Hunting Snake by Judith Wright Essay

First of all remember that we would never know what exactly the poet is trying to mention and non of the comments can said to be ‘wrong’ Great black snake represents the aborigin people in Australia and the person who gets scared of this snake is an English occupier. The word ‘black’ is simply you can understand that it means black people and snake is a wild animal who lives on their own land but humans are the occupiers and the writer at the same time fears and admires the snake while the snake ‘fled’ which mean the snake is also afraid of the people. As you can understand in present time, English people have started moving to Australia in order to get that place and the aborigins, the original people of Australia is being ignored at the same time we admire them but this admire is so extreme and unnecessary that we make them feel like they’re wild animals. And if you ever go to Australia, you would see that the tour guides would show the local people of Australia, the aborigins with their hands and we would admire them but we will never chat with them or have any talk between as we are scared and this is also the way we treat the wild animals. In the first stanza, we can see a perfect Picture of the atmosphere. The sky is in ‘gentlest’ way despite when the person sees that ‘great’ ‘black’ snake, we can understand that with using the word ‘great’, person admires the snake. But why is the word ‘black’ is used? As you can understand the color black represents darkness which humans fear. Also don’t we talk about racism, the ‘black’ and white people. We treat the black people as the same way, we act like they’re aliens, like they’re different from us and also we show an unnecessary amount of admire which makes them more alienated.

What Does it Take to Get into Fordham University?

Only 46% of Fordham University applicants are admitted. What does it take to get in? Founded in 1841 by the Catholic Diocese of New York, Fordham University is an acclaimed private research institution located in New York City. Fordham is a Jesuit, Catholic institution that is committed to both its founding religious values and the academic development of its student body. Additionally, the university and its students are fully engaged with its greater urban community—truly living up to the saying, New York is my campus. Fordham is my school.   With its rich history and dedication to excellence, Fordham is a top choice for many applicants around the world. However, with an acceptance rate of 46%, getting into Fordham is no guarantee. If you’re looking to contribute to Fordham’s vibrant community, keep reading for tips on how to craft a successful application. You can apply to Fordham University using The Common Application. For more information on The Common Application, check out our application guide, The Common App: Everything You Need to Know . Students may apply by November 1 for either Early Decision, Early Action or Priority Performance and by January 11 for Regular Decision.   There are specific commitment expectations associated with priority deadlines ; if you’re unsure about when you should apply, check out our post Early Action vs. Early Decision vs. Restricted Early Action for more insight. When applying, be sure to submit the following: Transfer applicants have a different set of deadlines and requirements. For more information, visit Fordham’s Transfer Admission page. With an undergraduate admissions rate of 46%, Fordham is moderately selective. In the fall of 2018, 46,164 students applied and 21,216 were admitted. Of those, approximately 2,260 students actually enrolled. Although admissions statistics can be intimidating, keep in mind that the strength of your individual application factors heavily into your personal chance of acceptance. Beyond strong grades and test scores, a well-crafted application can make all of the difference.   Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. As a research institution shaped by the dynamism of New York City, Fordham values applicants who are passionate and committed to taking their learning beyond the classroom—a true embodiment of their motto Sapienta et Doctrina, or wisdom and learning. Academic History. Fordham University expects prospective students to have taken at least 16 academic credits in the following areas: Potential for Success. Although your test scores are just one aspect of your application, they are reviewed in conjunction with your grades to predict your future success at Fordham. The middle 50% of admitted students from the class of 2022 had SAT scores that ranged from 1310-1450 and ACT scores that ranged from 29-33. If you are interested in a particular area of study, keep in mind that there may be specific standardized test score â€Å"cutoffs†Ã¢â‚¬â€take a look at Fordham’s Test Scores page for more information. As demonstrated by their active Office of Multicultural Affairs , Fordham is truly dedicated to fostering a diverse community of leaders and learners. That being said, take the opportunity to let admissions know how your unique life experience and perspective will positively contribute to the greater Fordham community. Avoid wasting time by listing generic facts and figures about the university in essay. Remember, the essays are meant to provide admissions with a better understanding of who you are. A commitment to giving back has been integral to Fordham’s mission since its inception. Each year, Fordham students log over a million hours of community service. With this in mind, it is important to demonstrate to admissions that you are also dedicated to community engagement through your continued involvement in meaningful extracurriculars.    Participating in community service should never feel like checking off another box on list of college applications to-do’s. The key is to first find a cause you’re passionate about, and then get involved. A little over half of all applicants to Fordham University aren’t admitted, so don’t take a rejection to heart. If you are still set on becoming a Fordham Ram, you can always transfer in, but keep in mind that admissions are normally just as competitive the second time around. It can be difficult to find contentment in your backup choice after rejection, but there are many great-fit schools out there. One of the best ways to proceed is to maximize your experience at another university; if you still want to transfer after a year or two, you can then consider it. Getting into Fordham University is no easy feat, but you can definitely improve your chances by building a strong academic foundation and giving back to the community in an intentional way. If you would like more tailored advice on your admissions profile, our College Applications Program helps students navigate the applications process with insight from successful mentor at a top school. We help every step of the way, from creating a strong school list to preparing for interviews.  

Witchcraft Trials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Witchcraft Trials - Essay Example It is based on the â€Å"said offences† that the inquisitor could punish any one (1484). Similarly the Dominican scholar Johannes Nider (1476) has pointed out that even confession or true repentance could not rescue a person accused as a witch from torture and death. For the society, church and individuals who carried out the witch hunt referred to here, the witches were not humans worthy of mercy. For example, the Papal Bull used the generalizing term, evils to describe the so-called witches, when it said it was duty-bound â€Å"to prevent the taint of heretical pravity and of other like evils from spreading their infection to the ruin of others† (Innocent VIII, 1484). By giving a blanket authority to the inquisitors to carry out â€Å"correcting, imprisoning, punishing, and chastising† against people accused as witches â€Å"for their said offences and crimes† (Innocent VIII, 1484). It is notable that in the above instruction, the inquisitors are given total power while the accused are defined very vaguely. Hence it becomes clear that theoreticall y, any person can become an accused under the slightest of doubt. From what Nider (1476) has written, it is evident that the â€Å"methods of primeval infection† to become a witch were nothing but certain oath taking and renouncing the church. This is a practice of cult formation that has existed always in the history of humanity. Yet this is viewed as an offense punishable by death, that too the most torturous kind, by the witch hunters. When this kind of a mindset exists in a society, and in the minds of its rulers, no person accused as a witch can hope for getting a fair trial. Though Christianity has been known for its focus on repentance and forgiving, Nider (1476) narrated that a man who truly repented and disclosed the methods by which he and his wife were initiated into witch craft, was not spared of death. It was even officially

Journaling Exercise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journaling Exercise - Essay Example In the light of the educations systems failure, there are questions to pose to the educators: Do educators teach about poverty? In order to attain the education system goals to solve the problem of poverty, America should change the education system to include poverty, poverty reduction strategies and effects of poverty. Singer in his article mentions these strategies to restructure the education system (Singer, 2009). Singer being a renown author in the field of ethics brings about a point in his argument. He looks at the topic of poverty as being narrowly covered in international development. However, singer proposition is that the system should integrate it in economics, ethics, cultural studies and sociology. Political science, a social science should have an in-depth coverage of poverty as a topic of study. Science courses should be designed to equip learners with skills to solve the poverty problem. And the psychology and other social sciences should analyze the view of not helping other countries. In the view of this major fields of study other important ones that should be part of the solution are: medicine and law (medical student should strive to reduce diseases and law scholars are to develop legal regimes that dont sanction trade with dictators) (Rivera-Batiz, 2001). Public education is also another key solution, as education the public about poverty changes the view of the people on poverty. Singer suggests that there be a modification on art and cultural values to eliminate poverty. Another view I get is that the lack of funds is a hindrance to the organizations that seek to provide assistance to the society. The issues tackled by this non-governmental organization are poverty reduction and health-care services. The united nations children fund (UNICEF) is a humanitarian and development assistance

What Is Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What Is Philosophy - Essay Example What Is Philosophy? Philosophy has crucial areas of inquiry, which include epistemology, logic, aesthetics, metaphysics, specialized branches, and political and moral philosophy. Epistemology focuses on the scope and nature of knowledge using the relationships that exist between belief, truth and the theories of justification. Logic focuses on the doctrines of correct reasoning. In this case, logic is used in arguments where they use deductive or inductive reasoning. Metaphysics focuses on the study of the general features of reality based on time, existence and the relationships between the body, mind, properties and objects. Moral or ethical philosophy targets the best ways that humanity can live and coexist. Ethics has different branches, which include normative, applied and meta-ethics. Philosophical enquiry of aesthetics focuses on arts, beauty, enjoyment, perceptions, sensory-emotional values, sentiments and matters of taste. The specialized branches of philosophy target the philosophy of language s, mind, law, science, religion and Meta philosophy. Metaphysics Metaphysics occurs as a traditional philosophical branch that focuses on the fundamental values and nature of the world and beings. Metaphysics focuses on addressing two crucial questions, which are what is it like, and what is there? Previously, natural philosophy addressed scientific questions. However, the scientific methods slowly turned natural philosophy to an empirical activity that depended on experiments unlike other philosophical fields. This led to distinguishing of science from philosophy. (Munro 21). Later, metaphysics denoted philosophical enquiries of non-empirical characters to the natures of existence. Metaphysics centrally aims at addressing central themes and questions such as the nature of being. Additionally, metaphysics seeks to address the conceptual and empirical objects using objects and their associated properties, cosmogony and cosmology, free will and determinism, identity and change and mat ter and mind. Additionally, metaphysics addresses issues of spirituality and religion, time and space, and possibility and necessity. It is vital to note that metaphysics has different methods and styles. These include empirical methods coupled with rational methods. In this case, rationalism refers to a theory or method whereby the criteria for the truth are deductive and intellectual instead of sensory. Empiricism emphasizes on the fact that senses serves as the main sources of knowledge concerning the world and universe. In addition to these methods and styles, other styles exist such as systemic versus analytical, dogmatic versus critical, individual versus collective and parsimonious versus adequate. The systemic approach focuses on answering all crucial questions in a coherent and comprehensive manner, and the analytical approach deals with the problems in a piecemeal fashion. Crucial Meta physicists who used the different styles and methods of metaphysics include Plato and So crates, Aristotle and Immanuel Kant among others (Munro 31). Epistemology Epistemology focuses on the scope and nature of knowledg

Discuss the arguments for and against the reform of the international Essay

Discuss the arguments for and against the reform of the international financial (monetary) system - Essay Example (IMF Fact Sheet, p1, 1999) In 1994 the predicament of Mexican peso and in 1997 the economic crisis of Asia and the fall down of the Russian currency recently spot to the requirement for new-fangled instruments which will more successfully defend the constancy of the global financial structure. In October 1998 a meeting of IMF was held in Washington which presented a medium for the International Monetary Fund and its associate nations to speak to this concern. The conference evaluated a broad series of proposals that seek to reinforce the â€Å"structural design â€Å"of the worldwide financial structure This paper examines s the probable extent of the monetary recession at present being encountered in numerous Asian countries subsequent their monetary predicament. Previous global encounter subsequent to economic crises is observed, and statistics is assembled to display the seriousness of the "credit crisis† being encountered in numerous "tiger" financial systems. This confirmation, together with the high silhouette banking troubles in several these countries, guides to the inference that the majority of the pretentious countries will not encounter a noteworthy bounce back in expansion for a substantial period. (IMF Fact Sheet, p1, 1999) Subsequent the current monetary disaster in Asia, a lot of bystanders are endeavoring to measure how long the financial slump will continue in distinctive countries. This subject is obviously of main effect for the precisely precious countries. It is also imperative t from a New Zealand viewpoint as the unfavorable consequence of the Asian monetary recession on New Zealand will be overblown the longer the depression persists. (Krugman, p1, 1998) Predominantly significant here are the financial systems of our main dealing associates. Japan is New Zealands following principal sell abroad market subsequent to Australia, which sequentially is susceptible to a protracted recession in its Asian trading

EFFECTIVE RESEARCH & PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE + ISM Case Study

EFFECTIVE RESEARCH & PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE + ISM - Case Study Example This can act as a delimiting factor at times. However, I feel that with a little bit of push I can make it to the top. I don’t feel that I possess any kind of threat. There are immense opportunities which I can cash upon. My curious nature, my cognitive thinking skills and my ability to work under pressure. All this will ensure that I produce high quality work in less time. The article is an empirical study on the role and scope of knowledge management systems in organizations. The article’s aims were well defined and chalked out. The article tried to test hypothetical the belief that the technologies used for information purposes in organizations and to lend support to business operations need to more in sync with each other. The focus was to redefine and reanalyze the purpose of KMS in light of the ways most organizations perceive Knowledge management. The study made use of findings from Delphi study and various in-depth interviews were conducted by them. Eventually, it concluded in a suggestion for developing organizational knowledge management systems. It was a qualitative analysis that came to the conclusion that knowledge management systems should be better integrated with the overall technology used in the firm. Thus instead of using a Knowledge Management system as a distinct entity the focus should be put the KMS in context with the prevailing technologies and enhancing their potential through the KM capabilities. The quality of the article was good. It was well researched, well explained and well substantiated. The limitations of the study were clearly indicated in the end and the discussion of the findings was very comprehensive. I believe that a qualitative study should be conducted for this research. As explained by many researchers, a qualitative study is more helpful when complex human behavior need to be researched and studied. In this study, current human behavior towards tutorial systems, prospect attitude towards them and a complex

Risk Assessment for Art Library Construction Case Study

Risk Assessment for Art Library Construction - Case Study Example This essay declares that the part of risk assessment is a major constituent of the construction plan, aimed at depicting the effects of unexpected events on the relevant stakeholders. Unexpected events have major effects on the organization, the public, owners, and the constructor. Therefore, it is vital for any project to entail risk assessment, with the aim of minimizing the damage instituted by these unforeseen events. Before the commencement of activities on the planned site, there arises a dispute among the constructors. The dispute is in relation to the number of the workforce to be hired, their salary, and the expertise needed. The dispute has a varied effect on the project, which is fully negative. The implications on the deadline for completion of the order are major, causing a 17-day delay. This paper makes a conclusion that unexpected events have major implications for a project, precise construction of an art gallery. During the process, the company incurred various risks, which consequently amounted to major losses on the aspects of time and cost. However, with a well-laid risk management design, it is possible to eliminate the dangers enacted by occurrence of these events. It helps the organization cut on costs, and if we had applied it in our organization, we would be in a position to meet the deadline. It would eliminate any losses that have been incurred, bettering our relation with the client, and allowing us proceed to other activities.

The Home Depot-Leadership in Crisis Management Essay Example for Free

The Home Depot-Leadership in Crisis Management Essay The Home Depot: Leadership in Crisis Management Introduction Established in 1979, The Home Depot has proved to be a leading retail company founded upon providing excellent products at competitive prices sold from knowledgeable sales representatives. Through this concept, The Home Depot has dominated both professional and do-it-yourself sales across the world. In 1992, The Home Depot was faced with a new challenge. Hurricane Andrew struck with vengeance and devastated 75,000 homes across Florida. Since 10% of The Home Depot’s stores were located in Florida, this quickly became a corporate emergency. The Home Depot stepped up to the challenge and stood behind their customers. Depot froze prices for supplies the community would need to rebuild or even sold products at costs in some cases. Then-CEO Bernie Marcus stated â€Å"This is not a time to make money on the back of other people’s misfortune† (Herman). This attitude proved prosperous for The Home Depot when profits increased 44%. With this eye opening experience, The Home Depot decided to take further actions to prepare their employees and customers for future hurricanes. Paul Raines was hired by The Home Depot and eventually was made the Divisional Leader for the Southern Region. His experience in the third world countries made him the perfect candidate to lead Depots crisis management project. When 2004 rolled around, Florida was viscously attacked with four storms in a seven week period. Through the devastation, The Home Depot utilized this period as a learning tool. The storms of 2004 developed three main â€Å"Crisis Management† concepts for The Home Depots: speed, preparedness, and chain of command. Speed was crucial for the community and The Home Depot strived to open as swiftly as possible after the storms ceased. The Home Depot stayed ahead of the storms by having a surplus of storm relief inventory, as well as workers close enough to be called upon when the major threats had passed. Finally, the employees of The Home Depot understood who was in charge and calling the shots. From these concepts a â€Å"Crisis Command Center† was born for category two hurricanes or worse. The Command Center consisted of conference rooms where representatives could meet and develop a plan of attack. With the click of a mouse they were able to determine what their customer’s main needs were. The main goal of the Command Center was to insure employee safety, re-open stores, and make sure computer systems were accurately working which included pay roll and cash registers. In 2005 the Command Center was put to the test when Hurricane Katrina attacked the Gulf Coast. The Home Depot began preparations well in advance and was ready to reopen stores as soon as possible after the storm had passed. Managers worked eighteen hours a day, which paid off when of the thirty-three stores in Katrina’s path all but ten opened the following day. With such an elaborate Command Center and well informed staff, The Home Depot was able to provide the communities with the supplies they needed to begin rebuilding their homes (Herman). In 2007, a new crisis was thrown at The Home Depot. This predicament was far more personal than any storm could ever be. Columnist Scott Burns verbally attacked The Home Depot in a published article on MSN. com. Customer service, products, inventory, and cleanliness were all under attack by disgruntled customers. In a short period of time, there were over 7,000 posts and 10,000 emails of customer complaints. Corporate Officials were outraged over the online posts. This was a delicate situation that needed to be dealt with. Official’s feared making a public statement would draw media attention to the article which had not yet been a hot topic for the television. Then CEO Frank Blake, felt he had no choice but to respond on the MSN post board. He made a lengthy apology to all disgruntled bloggers. He pleaded for all concerns to be forwarded to a private email account. He vowed to improve upon these negative insights and hoped to once again regain their trust. As Blake assumed, the media went crazy and picked up the article. Blake decided to utilize the Crisis Management plan to handle their current reputational attack (Herman). At the current time, the main issues faced by the â€Å"Command Center† were natural disasters such as hurricanes. From the Crisis Management Command Center, The Home Depot had found the key to success when handling natural disasters: speed, preparedness, and a clear chain of command. Utilizing these tools, The Home Depot had developed a great starting point for handling their Reputational Crisis. The Home Depots crisis management skills were analyzed in a SWOT analysis, which can be viewed in appendix A. In mainstream media, the public tends to remember the negative and forget the positive. Regardless of how many wonderful things The Home Depot had done for the community, the current reputational attack was going to be remembered the most. Blake’s swift response was both beneficial and harmful to The Home Depot in my opinion. I agree the Home Depot needed to respond quickly to the article; however, I feel they should have brought the media’s attention to the article through a press conference rather than by a post on a message board. If The Home Depot had made a verbal response, they could have put their own spin on the article. Blake’s apology was a good tactic which could have been carried over to a verbal response. Reputational attacks are bound to happen to major companies and The Home Depot needs to learn from this and be prepared to respond through positive publicity. Ways to accomplish this would be through donations, charity events, sales, or other generous acts which would benefit the community. These acts could help cover reputational attacks. The Home Depot also needs be prepared with the proper chain of command to respond to situations like these (Herman). Analysis: Decision Making Biases The Home Depots reputation crisis presented several decision making biases which involved crisis management situations where decisions had to be made under uncertainty. These biases included overconfidence, inertia, selective perception, representation, and self-serving biases. The overconfidence bias was based on the illusion that a company was superior to its competition, allowing the company to focus on successes and forget the situations where failures occurred. The Home Depot most likely assumed they were one step ahead of the competition. This assumption led them to believe their customers also felt The Home Depot was a superior company. Unfortunately, this was not the case and was revealed through the MSN article. The inertia bias was based upon the term procrastination which demonstrates when a projects immediate effect is unpleasant; a company will delay the project even if the long term reward outweighs the immediate negative effect. Essentially, this was a probable cause why The Home Depot postponed improving upon customer service, products, inventory, and cleanliness before it was attacked by the media. The Home Depot also likely encountered the selective perception bias. This bias focuses on instances where a company was influenced by its own base of interpretation more than the environment around them. In simplistic terms, The Home Depot had tunnel vision and was not focusing on the needs of their customers. The representation bias also applies to crisis management when companies ignore the laws of random occurrences and evaluate the likelihood of an event (social disaster such as the reputation attack on The Home Depot) based on how closely they resemble some other event (natural disaster for instance). Lastly, but not least, the self-serving bias focuses on situations where a company takes recognition for successes but blame external factors for failures. The Home Depot could have easily gone down this path with its reputation crisis, but it stood up to its own mistakes and faced the issue head on (Lehrer). Analysis: Crisis Leadership Now As discussed in the introduction, The Home Depot’s Disaster Management plan was based on three concepts which included speed, preparedness, and a clear chain of command. Throughout the years, The Home Depot proved their Disaster Management plan worked for various tragedies encountered by the company. Their methods have fallen right in line with approaches mentioned in the book, Crisis Leadership Now. Within this book, it states â€Å"If businesses are ready to survive and recover, the nation our economy are more secure† (Barton). The Home Depot was prepared and wasn’t afraid to get involved. The Home Depot’s Disaster Management plan also went along with the material within the Crisis Leadership Now, by showing The Home Depot practiced the idea that a company can best shield itself not just by assuming it’s protected, but by investigating deeper into potential problems and exposures. Along with that, The Home Depot was also promoting family and individual preparedness for disasters. Home Depot’s latest crisis involving the company’s reputation dealt with managing a crisis and handling key stakeholders. With such a public outcry for improvement, a quick response was needed to keep control of the situation. Crisis Leadership Now explains an â€Å"8 hour window† concept where â€Å"If you can capture what has happened, who is impacted, and how you intend to communicate your response with a clear plan of action within 8 hours, you have the foundation for an excellent recovery plan† (Barton). I believe The Home Depot followed this concept in formalizing a response on the MSN. com message board. The question which arises however is whether or not they should have carried the company’s response over to a verbal reply that would have appealed to more dissatisfied customers. Analysis: Managing the Unexpected The Home Depot’s Disaster Management Plan also follows several principles for HRO’s (high reliability organizations) that were laid out in the book â€Å"Managing the Unexpected†. There are a total of 5 principles which include: 1. Preoccupation with Failure – Do not focus primarily on business successes. 2. Reluctance to Simplify Interpretations – See as much as possible and welcome diversity. 3. Sensitivity to Operations – Be more attentive to the front line and be less focused on strategy. 4. Commitment to Resilience –Have the ability to bounce back after mistakes and learn from them. 5. Deference to Expertise – Do not focus expertise decisions on a hierarchical system where the top level makes all decisions. Place authority with person(s) with most expertise wherever they are located in the hierarchy. Weick) It is in my opinion that The Home Depot closely followed all five of the principles above. The two that stand out the most to me are the company’s â€Å"Commitment to Resilience† and â€Å"Deference to Expertise†. The Home Depot’s commitment to resilience can easily be seen over the years where the company produced a quick turn around after major natural disasters, as well as their response after the company’s latest reputational crisis Also, the company’s deference to expertise can be seen as top executives gave more power to the individual store managers. The executives realized that the specific store managers had more expertise for the individual store location than executives did. The fact that The Home Depot closely follows all five of the principles stated above shows that the company is a highly reliable organization (Weick). Conclusion The Home Depot has become an industry leader in Crisis Management. They continue to learn from their mistakes as well as from experience. The Home Depot should keep in mind there is always room for improvement. The key is not only to have plans set in place for natural disasters, but also for disasters such as reputational attacks. The Home Depot should continue to prepare for all sorts of tragedies. This will only insure their longevity in the field, as well as reassure customers of their core values. The Home Depot should rejoice in their successes and embrace their faults when trying to improve. Negative publicity will always be a concern for such a large company, but with a secure plan of attack, The Home Depot will continue to lead the way for home improvement.

E Business Analysis In Retail Industry

E Business Analysis In Retail Industry E-Business has brought revolution in the traditional value chain structure of the firms. Intermediaries are changing, not disappearing. Companies are found reluctant to bypass their traditional intermediaries. Instead, companies are searching for new ways of working with the middleman. For example, some companies are attempting to turn their retailers into customer-service agents. For online distribution, companies are developing a portfolio of options rather than drive customers to a single sales channel. The main obstacles to e-business are internal. The greatest barriers to e-business lie within the corporation: a need to re-engineer business processes, a lack of e-business skills and a lack of integration between front- and back-end systems (KPMG, 2005). Companies are using e-business to expand products and services to meet escalating customer demands and to keep products and services from becoming commodities. Companies are using the Internet to provide value-added products and services. The Internet is turning out to be an effective way of reaching new customers beyond geographic boundaries. E-BUSINESS IN RETAIL SECTOR Retail industry, on a global scenario, has become highly competitive due to increasing consumer preferences and the growing need of differentiation in terms of product with respect to the diverse markets across the globe. Introduction of E-business in retail sector has helped in creating new activities and features for retailing. It includes shopping 247, seven days a week, from the comfort of your home; gathering information to be a more informed consumer; creating the appearance of a relationship with the customer; and stream lining business to business ordering to reduce prices for the consumer. This focus on cost reduction throughout the value chain has become the prime element for gaining competitive advantage in this business landscape. This is due to accelerating pace with which new products have been introduced in the market day after day, which put tremendous pressure on firms to optimise their value chains. In the retail sector, companies use Information and Communications Technology to facilitate e-business processes for a broad range of applications along the value chain including procurement, warehouse management and logistics, and for marketing, sales and customer services activities. The basic goals of e-business identified are highly relevant in this sector: reducing costs by increasing the efficiency of processes, optimally serving customer by innovative means of information provision and communication and enabling growth by increasing market reach. As competition in the retail industry is strong and barriers to entry are low, ebusiness can take important roles in this industry. Retail firms trade goods and service and retail customers are end-consumers of the goods and services. Hence, while the retail industry is not a goods-producing industry, opportunities for improving business processes through e-business are numerous (Empirica GmbH, 04/2008). In retail sector, Focus on companies supply chain management is of imminent importance to realize above mentioned e-business goals. Following are some of the vital elements of supply chain: E-procurement: It improves performance of routine tasks like transaction processing, monitoring and enforcement of regulatory compliance. It increases transparency, eliminates middlemen overhead cost, improves competition amongst suppliers and eases management reporting (Vivekanand B Khanapuri et al., March 2011). With the implementation of e-procurement solutions, automation of buying and selling over the internet has been accomplished There are many types of e-procurement: Web-based ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning): In this type they can generate recommended purchasing schedules in order to achieve an ideal just in time production cycle. E-MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operating Supplies) E-sourcing: This is used to identify new suppliers for a specific category of purchasing requirements using Internet technology E-informing: this is used to gather and exchange purchasing information between buyer and seller (BPC, Article and glossary; 2012) E-procurement also has some disadvantages. There are financial costs, from computers to extra phone lines to learning the technology. Privacy of the information is one critical issue. Another disadvantage is that e-procurement is often conducted using credit card facilities for payments, so as a result very small and very large transactions tend not to be conducted online. If e-procurement system is implemented appropriately, it will benefit both buyer and seller. The in-house supply chain: As retailers do not transform goods, operation is not concerned with organising a production process but with arranging the in-house processes of receiving, distributing, and selling goods. Computerised systems that mainly serve processes inside a company are considered as internal electronic operations. These are valuable for making internal business processes more effective. (Abend, J. Penny, G, 2000) An e-business allows manufacturers and other members of the supply chain that do not have direct contact with customers in traditional channels to enhance revenues by bypassing intermediaries and selling directly to customers. SCM systems: These are the software systems specifically developed for supply chain management. SCM systems provide an overview of the flows of products/materials, information and finances (Claudia-Maria Wagner et al, 2010). In the most advanced form, they cover the whole process and value chain from suppliers/manufacturers to wholesalers, retailers and to consumer. In an effective e-business, the following SCM independent processes must be highly integrated. Demand management: These are shared functions including demand planning, supply planning, manufacturing planning, and sales and operations planning. Supply management: These include products and services for customer order fulfilment. Inbound/outbound logistics: These include transportation management, distribution management and warehouse management Success of the firm highly depends upon to what extent it has successfully integrated above processes using SCM systems. ERP (Enterprise resource planning: It helps to integrate and cover all major business activities within a company, including product planning, parts purchasing, inventory management, order tracking, human resources and finance.(Simchi-Levi,et al. 2003). The ability to access information from various parts of the organization has helped  ¬Ã‚ rms to streamline their business processes and reduce in ef ¬Ã‚ ciencies. Although ERP systems were implemented before the boom in e-business, their potential could not be explored and expanded due to lack of common standards and cost of access. The growth of e-business allows and requires that the information made available from the ERP systems be shared with other  ¬Ã‚ rms in the extended supply chain through the Internet. Advantages of such real time information sharing system are as follows: Inventory requirements for buffer stocks are likely to be lower, because the uncertainty in forecasts and demand can be reduced across the supply chain. As more supply chain execution information becomes available, firms can plan for future operations using advanced planning and optimization tools. The ability to share information creates an opportunity for firms to have collaborative planning and design, which removes the inefficiencies in these processes. CRM (Customer relationship management): It is a concept that enables an organization to tailor specific products or services to each individual customer. In the most advanced scenario, CRM may be used to create a personalized, one-to-one experience that will give the individual customer a sense of being cared for, thus opening up new marketing opportunities based on the preferences and history of the customer (Wilson et al., 2002). It seeks to maximise competitiveness, revenues, and customer satisfaction. These are the very same areas on which most e-business firms concentrate heavily (Tim Coltman et al., 2010). Reasons for CRM e-Business growing to such enormous heights are many. Some of the important points are: Traditional business methods have proved tiresome, costly and very time consuming due to lack of integration across supply chain elements. CRM e-Business increases the chances of building sales and increasing the sales revenue by increasing the area of operation, reducing operating costs, increasing productivity and thereby improving the efficiency of the supply chain. CRM solutions give companies a well-planned and easily integrated e-Business strategy that caters to both the customer needs as well as the corporate needs. Both these need to be appropriately catered to in order that company objectives be fulfilled. E-selling and e-marketing: Sales side business activities consist of three aspects. The first focus is on actual sales, i.e. transactions, and on related customer support activities, a second one on marketing activities. The diffusion of internet technologies among consumers enables retailers to sell their products via the internet to consumers. Online sales are normally done through an own company or through a portal hosted by a different company (Empirica GmbH, 04/2008). Also, e-selling enables retailers to go beyond geographic boundaries as far as customer base is concerned. it appears that online sales helps to extend the geographic focus slightly from regional to national sales while the international focus remains on the same low level. Because of the low barriers to entry of competitors, the perceived first mover advantage and the feeling that any competitor was only a click away from your customers, the internet generated an intense need for marketing and brand awareness. Internet changes the way of mixing 4Ps of Marketing- Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Requisite actions for e-business firm include creating awareness of their website, engaging customers through the same and effectively closing the sale by consistent follow up with the customer. Viral Marketing is one of the powerful forces extensively used by e-business. The product is spread by word of mouth or by passing on a copy or a URL to friends and colleagues. Success in e-business depends upon first mover advantage, obtaining customer lock-in, and network externalities. Barriers to entry by competitors are low. Brand recognition is important. These have combined to create a sense of desperation for new dot-com companies as they enter markets crowde d with competitors. This has also generated a surge in print, billboard, and media advertising to establish brand awareness (Empirica GmbH, 04/2008). E-support for Logistics and Distribution: logistics are a core issue for mail order retailers and for retailers selling goods online that need to be shipped to customers. Efficient customer-facing logistics are crucially important to lower the costs of goods sold in the internet and to satisfy customers who want to receive their orders swiftly, safely and at low shipping costs (Virpi Kristiina et al., 2005).Logistics management in e-business is mostly driven by e-logistics. E-logistics is the mechanism of automating logistics processes and providing an integrated, end-to-end fulfilment and supply chain management services to the players of logistics processes. Those logistics processes that are automated by e-logistics provide supply chain visibility. A particular challenge in logistics is to manage fluctuations in demand which may be considerable. Further challenges are reverse logistics. Current Scenario: Some Transport service providers give retailers the opportunity to check the current status of shipping on the internet. Online shops themselves may offer their customers the opportunity to check the delivery status online. Another trend is an increase in outsourcing of services to specialised logistics providers to benefit from their specialised services. CASE: AMAZON.COM; THE PIONEER OF E-BUSINESS IN RETAIL (Pankaj Ghemawat, 1998) Amazon.com is an American multinational electronic commerce company. It is worlds largest online retailer. Jeff Bezos incorporated the company (as Cadabra) in July 1994, and the site went online as amazon.com in 1995.Amazon began by selling books online through a bulletin board service in 1992 and now offers a huge variety of books and other merchandise through their own website, mostly to members. Following is the analysis of its value chain on the basis of three aspects: Procurement and Logistics: While Amazon offers more than million titles to its customers, it carries only fraction of it t its own warehouse. Amazon depended more on wholesalers than publishers, to stock its books. This helps Amazon to ship the book within 4 to 7 business days resulting in faster deliveries and cost reductions. Advantages: multiplied inventory turns and reduced working capital requirements and risk of obsolescence. Store Operations: Amazon.coms business model revolved around virtual storefront. But Amazon had its office located in Seattle, Washington. Choosing this location had four advantages: Close to the largest book distribution warehouse in the world, owned by Ingram Large pool of high tech talent Relatively relaxed tax system, allowing Amazon to provide customers from other states, tax free purchase of books. West Coast location permitted more (in-stock) books to be shipped the same day to the East Coast than would have been possible the other way around (Bacheldor, Beth; 2004). Amazon had a cost reduction approach while setting up its offices. Half of the manpower was involved in packing, shipping, customer service and other half in computer programming, marketing, accounting, and management. Top managers background was mostly computer related. Amazons investment in computer technology was focused on software rather than hardware. Marketing: By 1995, for Amazon, repeat customers accounted for more than 50% of orders. Amazon was the largest discounter in the world market. Some of the features of Amazon: Customers were able to shop at Amazon any time of the day, any day of the week Catalogue, with wide range of variety of items Easy process for membership and secure payment transfers Customers were instantly informed of the prices and inventory status of the items they had ordered. Customers were informed in timely manner, when their order was shipped from Amazons warehouse. Range of value added customer services like- Interviews with book authors Book reviews and recommendations by other customers and media Links to other sites, new release data Two personalized services, Eyes and Editors, which helped build traffic by emailing customers when books by selected authors, on selected subjects in selected categories became available. INDIAN E-RETAIL SCENARIO Indian online retail market, also known as e-tail market, is one of the fastest growing in the world. according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAIMA), the Indian online retail market has grown from US$250 million in 2008 to US$300 million in 2009, US$400 million in 2010 and US$600 million in 2011. In 2012 it is expected to more than double to US$1.3 billion and by 2015 to US$6.7 billion (Have Global E-tailers Missed the Bus in India?, 2012). Some of the prominent players in Indian market right now are Flipkart.com and Infibeam.com. Several new players with ambitious growth targets Firstandsecond, Librarywala and Tradusbooks, to name a few are also hoping to gain a foothold in the market. Growing evidence suggests that book e-tailing will eventually surpass retailing. The many advantages are seen: Potentially infinite shelf space: can post number of listings online for sale No real estate costs: firm need not invest in physical shop. As for the stocking inventory, maximum inventory can be managed at vendors location itself minimising the cost incurred in warehousing locations. An absence of the personnel and infrastructure expenses involved with running a physical store Lower prices and no inter-state taxes Global players entering Indian market: Many e-tail global players are gearing up to enter this growing market with future profit prospects. Some have already started making their moves despite the restrictions. Amazon, the worlds largest online retailer, entered the India market through Junglee.com which is a comparison site it bought more than a decade ago. eBay also entered India in a small way in 2004 with the acquisition of Baazee.com. eBay does not stock the products, but provides a platform for third-party merchants to sell to registered users. The firm recently also launched its own shipping service, PowerShip, which enables sellers to deliver their products to the buyers. Another foreign firm that has entered India is LuxeYard from the U.S. known for flash sale i.e. heavy discounts on items that are available for limited periods (Have Global E-tailers Missed the Bus in India?, 2012). LuxeYard has partnered with serial entrepreneur Sashi Chimala, who will launch a local venture that LuxeYard plans to buy after two years. ISSUES FACED AND CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR INDIAN E-RETAIL LANDSCAPE: Low levels of Internet penetration: According to an I-Cube (Internet in India) study conducted annually by IMRB International and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), India had 52 million active internet users as of September 2009. But only 10% of those users indulge in e-commerce (Indias Online Booksellers Try to Write a New Chapter, 2010). But recently the government has shown keen interest in developing an IT mandate for India, the reflections of which we find in the actions of regulators and policy making bodies. Examples: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ TRAI Recommendations on a National Broadband Plan-December, 2010 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Budget 2011-12, Ministry of Finance Delivery Delays: Locally available books take three to five days to arrive, and those that have to be ordered from international suppliers can take anywhere from two to six weeks (Indias Online Booksellers Try to Write a New Chapter, 2010). Factors causing this are mostly beyond companies control, since they deal with poor technological infrastructure at airports, inefficient transport connectivity.Global players typically use third-party logistics. But in India, this sector is not adequately developed. Another reason for concern is many of the companies are offering their own branded delivery. These companies have been investing heavily in creating their own delivery networks for a country like India, which has poor infrastructure and high diversity. Thus it also failed to achieve economies of scale. Supplier Relations: This is directly related to the inventory management. The amount of inventory the companies carry is dependent on supplier lead times. If the lead time is 24 hours, the business will carry only one days worth of inventory in its warehouse. That makes optimization of the existing supplier-inventory-shipping network a priority. These Retailers are always dependent on third-party information about the availability of products, which at very best is modest. Global players tend to deal with a few large suppliers (Indias Online Booksellers Try to Write a New Chapter, 2010). In India, e-retail firms have relationships with thousands of suppliers of all sizes. Psychological barriers: Indians are reluctant to use their credit cards online, and Indias banking regulator, the Reserve Bank of India, only recently introduced fraud checks on credit card misuse. More than 80% of payments are made as cash-on-delivery, in line with the traditional Indian consumer behavior of paying for goods only after receiving them (Indias Online Booksellers Try to Write a New Chapter, 2010). Cash-on-delivery model has its own issues: cash gets blocked, inventories are high and returns have to be managed. This model is contrary to the typical e-commerce model, and global players will find it challenging. Difficulties in e-procurement: Companys faces lot of issues in e-procurement process due to following reasons: High initial investment: E-procurement requires new IT systems that are often a significant financial investment. Also problems like technical issues hinder implementation for both buyer and supplier Suppliers Resistance to Changes: Buyers have to deal with the technological immaturity and unpreparedness from the suppliers side during the course of implementing e-purchasing initiatives (Rebecca Angeles and Ravi Nath, 2007). Limited Knowledge Pool: The consultant expertise on e-procurement initiatives is still not at par with global standards because of typical differences among industries in its procurement strategies. Weakness of IT Act: The present IT Act in India is weak and a sound legal framework is vital for the success of e-retailing in India. Hence, there is a strong need to introduce separate law for e-retailing in India as the existing laws are incapable to deal with the various issues that are emerging with the increasing implementation of e-retailing in India. CONCLUSION E-Business has indeed brought revolution in the traditional value chain structure of the firms. An e-retailer can gain a competitive advantage if they implement IT that enables them to have more effective and efficient supply chains. But to sustain that in ever increasing competition e-retailer has to implement innovative solution for continuous improvement of its value chain. Indian retail sector is growing fast. The retail scene is changing really fast. But still Indian consumers feel more secure transacting with a retailer who is present in online as well as physical format, so a clicks-and-bricks hybrid model can be a way forward for Indian e-retailers. India needs to invest in infrastructure to improve transportation and distribution capabilities of e-retailers. As more and more firms begin to integrate their online and traditional operations and share more information over the Internet, real-time supply chain management and ability to create value for customers using e-value ch ain on consistent basis are going to become all the more important.

Materialism in The Great Gatsby Essay -- Great Gatsby Essays

Materialism may be defined as attention to or emphasis on material objects, needs or considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual values. The acquisition of material wealth is often equated with happiness in this country. This is true today, and it was true during the 1920's, the setting of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. That the majority of Americans believe that wealth and happiness are the same is a result of our market economy that encourages consumption and conditions us to think that we need material possessions to be happy. According to Andrew Bard Schmookler, "Wealth and human fulfillment have become equated in the predominant ideology of liberal society, even though the great spiritual teachers of humanity have all taught otherwise." (17)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What happened to Gatsby's generation? The 20's were an age of a consumption ethic that was needed to provide markets for the new commodities that streamed from the production lines (Cowley, 53). The same problem exists today ... our materialistic attitudes are a result of the free market economy in this country. Consumers are taught that they need to have all these things that the businesses are trying to sell.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It's true that this desire for things is what drives our economy. The free market has given us great blessings, but it has in some ways also put us on the wrong path -- the path to a selfish, unhappy society. Michael Lerner, who worked as a psychotherapist to middle-income Americans notes that    "The problem is that the deprivation of meaning is a social problem, rooted in part in the dynamics of the competitive marketplace, in part in the materialism and selfishness that receive social sanction.... ...sterlin, Richard A. "Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot?". Nations and Households in Economic Growth:   Essays in Honor of Moses Abramovitz. Eds. Paul A. David and Melvin W. Reder. New York: Academic Press, Inc. 1974 (89-125) Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925. Kasser, Tim, and Richard M. Ryan. "A Dark Side of the American Dream: Correlates of Financial Success as a Central Life Aspiration. " Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 65.2 (1993): 410-13. Lerner, Michael. "Gurus of Cynicism vs. the Politics of Meaning." Houston Chronicle 24 June 1993, 2 star ed.: B11. Montagu, Ashley. Touching.   2nd ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1978. Schmookler, Andrew Bard. "The Insatiable Society: Materialistic Values and Human Needs." The Futurist July 1991: 17-23. J:ofsengclarklcarolyns.doc   

Genetic Engeneering of Food Essay -- Environment Science Debate Engine

Genetic Engeneering of Food Throughout the United States and the rest of the globe, genetically engineered food products are becoming increasingly used in agricultural and manufactured food goods. Because of the increase of genetically altered foods, an increasing population has become hesitant to accept the products and agriculture derived from genetic engineering. The large increase in genetically engineered foods has proved to have adverse health effects on humans. These health risks are becoming increasingly common as we continue to genetically alter foods. The main health concerns of genetic modification include virus spread, antibiotic resistance, and allergen effects. Genetic modification should stop and organic farming should be used instead for the future health of the planet. Provided evidence will support the claim that, genetically engineered food will have lasting effects on the population, the health in each of the provided categories will decline, and world hunger will actually increase with th e high amounts of genetically altered food products. Genetically modified foods are altered through inserting foreign genes or chromosomes to receive a desired trait or effect in the plant. According to Lappee and Bailey (1998) the most common form of genetic modification the chromosomes inside the nucleus which contains the blueprint information for building the plant or fruit. A genetic engineer will identify the chromosome which of the desired trait, which they wish to alter. Inserted into the DNA strand of the chromosome is a gene that the team wishes to modify. Along with the gene is a marker gene which scientists can use to locate the new gene. Together the team of genes is called an insertion package and... .... For the good of the nation and the world it is important for people to know, that they don?t have to eat what corporate business wants them to. Bibliography: Barnett, A. (2000, August 13). What?s Wrong with Our Food? Retrieved March 31, 2002 from web at: http://www.netlink.de/gen/Zeitung/2000/000813.html Cummins, J. Cauliflower Mosaic Virus Recombination , When and Where? Retrieved March 31, 2002 from web at: http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/mosaic-cn.htm Grogan, J. & Long C. (2000). The Problem with Genetic Engineering, Boston MA: Pearson Custom Publishing. Lappe, M. & Bailey, B. (1998). Against the Grain: Biotechnology and the Corporate Takeover of Your Food. Monroe, ME: Common Courage press. Wolfson, R. Synthetic Genetically-Engineered Bio-Tech Foods Retrieved March 31, 2002 from web at: http://eagle.westnet.gr/~aesclep/bioengl.htm

Effective Communication Used by Benevolent Leader, Queen Elizabeth I :: European History

Effective Communication Used by Benevolent Leader, Queen Elizabeth I Persuasion is a difficult skill to master. One has to take into account the ideologies held by the audience and how those relate to one’s own intentions of changing minds. In order to encourage her troops to fight courageously in defense of England, Queen Elizabeth I utilizes Aristotle’s principles of effective communication that include logos, pathos and ethos in her Speech to the English Troops at Tilbury, Facing the Spanish Armada. The first principle that Queen Elizabeth I introduces into her speech is logos, as she uses reason and inference to assure her soldiers of her faith in their resolve to fight for the good of England. She warns her soldiers that she has been told to â€Å"take heed how we commit ourselves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery.† This warning is from a source that is concerned with not only her safety, but also the safety of her subjects and, despite that concern, she claims that it is the tyrants who should be fearful. Since she has â€Å"placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good will of my subjects,† she has no reason to worry because she is not a tyrant like her enemies. As a result of investing and drawing her strength from the people of her kingdom, Queen Elizabeth I has little to fear unlike the tyrants who cannot trust their own armies. The trust that she has placed in her armies to protect the kingdom leads to the use of the second of Aristotle’s principles of effective communication. Queen Elizabeth I uses pathos to appeal to soldiers through their emotions by reminding them that she is on the field with them to die for her subjects (them), just as she is asking them to die for her. She is not on the battlefield with them for her own amusement; the Queen is determined to â€Å"live or die amongst you all, to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom† and this appeals to the soldiers’ sense of duty.

Devised self-Evaluation

Our first unit of work in the IGCSE was Devised theatre. Our theme was â€Å"The unexpected† and we chose this title because there is an always unexpected things that happens in our life. Our play is about a person who once had a family, job, and life, but after he got fired he loses everything. Then later on in the story a devil and an angel appears giving him idea of earning money. At last the person choses the Devils way instead of the angel’s way of earning money. The devils way of earning money is to wear his old uniform and pretend to be the manager of the supermarket. Then steal the money and walk away. The plan does not go as expectation. All things went wrong. At last nobody wants to help him, even the angel and devil did not want to help him. He even got someone in jail. Our group used the theme to create a 10 minute play exploring on unexpected events. We went about process by firstly planning the events that is going to happen in our play and then think of things that could go wrong in the story. We first started with the idea of a person who is desperate in need of money. Then we changed it gradually bit by bit, until we are satisfied. Input was shared equally by all members of the group by sharing different ideas and contributing to the group. Each member had contributed something to the group. Some people contributed props, equipment, ideas, and etc. Before the start of the performance I felt really nervous and i also excited about that I was going to perform in front of many parents and peers. It was also the first time I had to perform in the public. I try to overcome these emotions by telling myself not to panic and by staying in role during the performance. In my performance, I portrayed myself as an old granny and a little boy. I tried to communicate this character through the use of my tone, clarity, enunciation, volume, gesture †¦ I thought I was able to effectively use my tone, body gesture, and facial expression to create a sense of humor during the performance. For example, I had a hunched back gesture and a cranky voice, when I was being the grandmother. I stayed in role during the performance. I think I need to improve on having more eye contact toward the audience. I admired Andy’s group mainly of their use of comedy and humor. Their exploration of how they used their vocals, and how they used their body gesture was really outstanding during the performance. In conclusion, I think as a group we work quite well and I think our performance was quite successful, but I think there are some improvements to be done. The targets for our devised theatre are that we have to be more confident on contributing ideas to each other. Finally, the target for my performance skills is that i should more eye contact toward the audience.

Should Class Attendance Be Required

Word count 780 Should class attendance be a requirement? Many people ask should class attendance be a course requirement for students in college? There are two different opinions. Some people feel that it should be mandatory for college students to attend there classes everyday. Many other people however feel that students should be able to decide whether they want to go to there class or not. As far as I am concerned, no matter what unless the student is sick or has a family emergency they should be required to attend there classes every day whether the student likes it or not. Generally, students who do not like to attend classes have their own reasons. One of the main reasons is, many students feel they can learn some things better on their own rather than being in a classroom. If a student had to attend a class in which the professor teaches something they have already learned on their own, it would be a pointless. Some students that do not attend class, may feel they are able to learn some things better on their own but they may miss a lot of other important information given during a class. A student who attends all of his or her classes does have an advantage over a student who does not attend. In the first place, college professors often teach students many things that cannot be learned from a textbook. Like easier ways of figuring out a problem, or what something means. Many people believe that college is a place where professors are supposed to teach students what they know. In a textbook, normally there is just a lot of information and knowledge. However, how is the student supposed to understand and develop all this information? Students need to attend class; the professor is the best person to help them with these skills. Some students do not learn by just by reading the textbook, some people need things to be explained to them so they fully understand the concept. If the students went to class, the professor would be able to teach them how to learn, how to absorb information and how to apply what they have learned. When students attend class every day it also teaches them responsibility, discipline, and how to work together with other students. This prepares them for having a job, which requires people to work in groups. School starts at a certain time just like a job. Having to be at a certain place at a certain time also prepares students for getting a job in the real word. College is a lot like having a job. Students need to be responsible, and be in class on time just like people need to be at work on time. Being in class everyday and on time with an assignment-completed helps to prepare them for a career. College classes also teach students how to work with the other students in the class. Many times students will be given group assignments. In this activity, students will have to work with people from different backgrounds who they do not even know. In this situation, they learn how to handle working with people different from themselves, which is a very important factor in the work place. When students do not come to class they tend to miss many important things like discussions, due dates on work given during class, and class work. In college, professors teach student many things during discussions. This is when the professor lectures to the class about important things students need to know. During the discussion is the time to listen, learn and write down every thing the professor has to say on the given subject. If a student is not sitting in class to listen or write down information given by the professor he or she may never understand what was learned that day in class. In addition, students may miss due dates on assignments that were given during class which means the student will receive a zero on the assignment, and that is never good. Class work is a very important part of college. If a student does not attend class to complete his or her class there is a good chance that student will fail. I believe that students should be required to attend classes all the time. Student cannot just learn thing from reading a textbook they need a little guidance also. Professors can teach you the method of how to develop and use knowledge learned. In addition, college prepares you for a job by teaching discipline and responsibility. In short, attendance in all classes should be required.

Chaucer’s Contribution to the Development of English Literary Tradition Essay

Chaucer is commonly hailed as â€Å"the father of English poetry† who in such works as his masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, significantly contributed to the development of English as a literary language. The â€Å"General Prologue† to The Canterbury Tales has often been praised as â€Å"the most perfect poem in the English language. † The Canterbury Tales and his other notable works reflect Chaucer’s familiarity with French, English, Italian, and Latin literature, and demonstrate his consummate mastery of a variety of literary genres, styles, and techniques. His poems continue to draw the interest and praise of readers centuries after his death and are among the most acclaimed works of the English-speaking world. The originality of his language and style, the vivacity of his humor, and the depth of his understanding are continually cited as reasons for the permanence of his works. Chaucer’s decision to write in his country’s language, English, rather than in the was something of a risk, and a big break with learned tradition. The risk paid off. The Canterbury Tales were enormously popular because so many more manuscripts of the tales survive than of almost any other work of this time period. The Canterbury Tales were still going strong when the first printers made their way to England. William Caxton published the first printed version of The Canterbury Tales in 1476. One of the things that makes The Canterbury Tales so fun to read is the great detail with which the narrator describes each of the pilgrims. We learn, for example, that the cook has a pustule on his leg that very much resembles one of the desserts he cooks, or that the miller has a huge, pug nose. For many of his portraits, Chaucer is relying on a medieval tradition of â€Å"estates satire,† a collection of stereotypes about people based on what occupation they had or what social class they belonged to. Another medieval idea his portraits draw upon is â€Å"anticlericalism,† a tradition that got its start in reaction to a lot of abuses by clergy in the medieval church, but which basically became a collection of stereotypes about friars, monks, nuns, priests, and the like. Since The Canterbury Tales is a story about a storytelling competition, many of the questions it asks are about stories. As the pilgrims tell their stories, though, they turn out to be talking not just about fairytale people in far-off lands, but also about themselves and their society. This leads to a lot of conflict in a group of pilgrims formed by members of that same society. It is sometimes argued that the greatest contribution that this work made to English literature was in popularising the literary use of the vernacular, English, rather than French or Latin. English had, however, been used as a literary language for centuries before Chaucer’s life, and several of Chaucer’s contemporaries also wrote major literary works in English. It is unclear to what extent Chaucer was responsible for starting a trend rather than simply being part of it.

International law Essay

International law can be divided into two main branches; public international law and private international law. According to Corel University Law School, Legal Information Institute; public international law, oversees matters of rights between nations and citizens or subjects of other nations whereas, the latter deals with conflicts between private individuals arising out of circumstances of key importance to more than one nation. Over time the line between private and public international laws has been growing thinner with issues of private international law now linking with those of public international law. This is because the international community finds many matters of private international law of significance to them. In a nutshell, international law governs human actions and interactions at the global heights. For a long time since its inception in the 16th Century, international law consisted of policies and regulations governing interactions between nations until recently when the law was redefined to incorporate relations between states and individuals as well as relation between international institutions. International law has received its share of criticism with the emergence of a school of thought holding that it was mechanism designed by developed countries purposefully for colonization in the modern world. In his book; Imperialism, Sovereignty and the making of International Law Anghie argues that â€Å"the colonial confrontation was central to the formation of international law and, in particular, it’s founding concept, sovereignty. He goes ahead to argue that international law is a modern way of governing non-European people, that economic exploitations and cultural erosion that resulted from the same were strategically important for the discipline. Contrary to Anghie’s thinking, international law would otherwise be a benevolent undertaking had it not been demonized by powerful states to achieve 21st century colonialism. The concept of international law obviously conflicts with the fundamentals of sovereignty which also means independence. This is to say that a sovereign state should be free to run its domestic affairs free from hindrances by outside authority. The proponents of international law may have worked on the assumptions that the sovereignty of a state is not only founded on the self-governing will of its sovereign, but also on its position in relationship to several other states. This implies that if a certain country comes up with policies which are likely to affect its neighbors or other countries then its sovereignty can be subject to violation when international law intervenes. Nonetheless, the general belief is that a state should be able to do whatever it pleases within its territories. It is important to mention that sovereignty of a state means it is free to use its resources for its own prosperity without interference from outside powers. However, developed states have in many occasions meddled in the economic affairs of third world states. It is by right that a third world states control all that is within their territories without interference from developed countries. International law, through international business law paves way for exploitation of third world countries by their developed counterparts. Interdependence is a word strategically coined by developed states to cover up for their deeply buried conspiracy aimed at reaping resources from developed countries under the cover of globalisation. Hopefully, out of their own efforts, third world states may eventually grow to the level of being powerful. In the contrary, world super powers are not stupid to let third world countries grow to be as powerful as them. Because of this insecurity, they invent laws and lie to third world states that it is for the good of the world when the underpinning motive is to increase dependence by developing countries on the world powers. Even if these countries develop, they will be under control of developed states. A good example is the claim by developed countries in favor of their investors on foreign territories. The claim by capital-exporting countries is intended to limit a country’s sovereignty to impose limitations on foreign investors (Sornarajah 136). This may sound as a generous thought to open up equal playing grounds for signatories of international law. However, consider the fact that capital-exporting countries are the world superpowers hosting numerous billionaire investors just looking for places to multiply their billions. Some of these multibillion businesses are state owned corporations. With this kind of law, the world powers will establish multibillion corporations in third world territories in the pretext of privately owned investments. They will offer employment opportunities, good health facilities, education, housing, infrastructure to millions of natives of third world states. Because most third world governments are unable to offer basic needs for their populace, these international corporations will win the hearts of many in third world states. Although political rule will be retained by the hosting governments, such multibillion corporations will have unprecedented control not only over citizens whom they will have won their trust, but also over government policy decisions. By that time, third world states will be literally foreign territories of developed states. Of course a few rich individuals from developing countries will have benefited from this law and established businesses in developed countries. However, because their native governments will be lacking both economic and political powers, their activities will be highly controlled by the host governments keeping them from making any breakthroughs. This treaty might also limit a state’s ability to use domestic legal facilities on foreign investors who break the law since they will be under protection of international law. This is based on the belief that any grievance against an investor operating under international law is an injury to his native country. International law therefore was only formed with the excuse of interdependence between signatory states with the hidden purpose to reintroduce a modern style of Colonialism being witnessed today. In the modern world, economic sovereignty is paramount to any form of sovereignty. Political sovereignty in the 21st century is worthless without economic independence. It is because of this that developed countries continue to come up with selfish policies with the excuse of interdependence. For this reason most third world countries brag of political independence but when they cannot provide for their citizens, they seek shelter from the economic giants who do not offer anything without conditions. Developed countries will always do this through economic sanctions such as freezing donor aid which when implemented cripples the operations of third world states. Nye states that although the potential for benefits in interdependence exist, the potential for tragedy exists as well (179). Nye goes to the extreme to refer to the negative results of interdependence not merely as losses, which would be the opposite of benefits, but tragedy. Tragedy can also be a disaster, catastrophe or misfortune. The after effects of a disaster are usually devastating and repairing the mess requires extraordinary measures usually taking a longer period of time. The shocking thing is that whereas developing countries are obeying international law, developed countries can violate it and get away with it. Israel has been in the headlines for many years over Gaza strip conflict with Palestine’s. The attacks have led to serious violation of human rights and international law. Atrocities committed along Gaza Strip are worrying and one would wonder why Israel is being excused from war crimes trials. Up to date, the international judges still seem to be wondering if Israel has committed enough crimes to be subjected to trials. On the other hand, the United States of America reciprocated against Afghanistan after the September 11th attacks on America’s soil and many innocent lives were lost. Most worrying is human rights violations by US soldiers against war prisoners and terrorist suspects at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. In 2001, hundreds of Taliban prisoners of war were suffocated to death after they were imprisoned inside metal containers by US military in the Afghan town of Kunduz. Instead of being charged with human rights violations, the world superpower arrested Saddam Hussein and had him hanged to death for war crime charges during his regime. Meanwhile the international law is in full force in developing countries. International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant of arrest against Sudan’s re-elected leader Omar alBshir over war crime related charges. Currently, the ICC is also investigating human rights violations during the 2007 post election chaos in Kenya and is expected to take in suspects by September 2010. Efforts by the ICC to arrest perpetrators of violence are all in good faith, but how about the rich countries which commit the same crimes? Whereas it will be extremely difficult for a country which has cut off itself from the rest of the world, international law deprives nations from exercising their sovereignty within their territories with respect to the locally prevailing circumstances. The international law in large part works in favor of the developed countries and does not result in the desired interdependence which will empower weak nations. Nations should be empowered to be able to independently and decisively handle their economic, political and legal activities without interference from outside forces which may not understand the prevailing circumstances. It is only when they are empowered that they will be able to have the bargaining power which is critical for interdependence at the international level.

Administration and Procurement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Administration and Procurement - Essay Example Procurement systems can be categorized as: Project management is excluded as it is considered that a project manager could be applied to any procurement method. In other words, to dispel a common misconception, project management is not a procurement method (Bennett, 1986, p. 5).The following criteria can be used to examine client requirements and 'experts' preferences for the performance of each procurement method. NEDO (1985), Skitmore and Marsden (1988) and Singh (1990) suggest employing the following criteria to establish a profile of the clients' requirements:NEDO (1985) relates the characteristics of the most popular procurement methods used to a list of nine client priorities or needs. This technique, while useful as a guide in terms of eliminating unsuitable procurement methods from the available alternatives, is insufficiently sophisticated to enable a final decision to be taken as to the method appropriate for a building project (Masterman, 1992). Franks (1990) uses a rating system based on the ability of each procu rement system to meet seven common satisfying criteria. A scale of 1-5 is used, where 1 is the minimum and 5 is the maximum. Masterman (1992) states that the use of this technique in determining clients' needs is valid but is flawed with subjectivity. Skitmore and Marsden (1988) and Singh (1990) used the multi-attribute approach, which is a technique applied to measure a degree of objectivity to subjective areas. Both studies adapted the procurement path decision chart from NEDO (1985) to aid the decision-making process. Bennett and Grice (1990) have undertaken similar work. Furthermore, Skitmore and Marsden (1988) applied concordance analysis and discriminant analysis to their theoretical framework. Concordance analysis is used to measure the consistency of experts' ranking for each procurement against a set predetermined criterion. Discriminant analysis examined data collected under a set of criteria that are characteristics on

The Main Factors Which Influence Customer Buying Decision Essay

The Main Factors Which Influence Customer Buying Decision - Essay Example A fall in the price of a product will result to an increase in the quantity of a product purchased, however these depends on the price elasticity of a product. If a product is price elastic and this means that the price elasticity of the good is more than one, then the products demand will rise at a greater proportion than the rise in price. If the price elasticity of a product is less than one then the demand for the product will not rise at a greater proportion than the price. 1 The price of substitutes also play a major role in determining the consumers purchasing behaviour, in a situation where a substitute of a product is less expensive, then the consumer will purchase the substitute example margarine and butter are substitutes, if the price of butter goes up then the consumer will purchase margarine. Under the price of a product we will also consider the risk associated with buying a certain product, the more expensive a product is the higher the risk and the higher the consequ ences of making the wrong decision, buyers will also consider the scrap value of and mostly this is associated with vehicle and machinery product, products with very high prices and low scrap value will be less preferred. Another consideration is the price of the complimentary good, if the price of the complementary good is hi... tary good, if the price of the complementary good is high then a consumer will be less likely to purchase the product, a good example is petroleum products and vehicles, if the price of petroleum products is too high then the consumer will less be likely to purchase a vehicle, this can associated with the running cost of the product to be purchased will be high and therefore a rational consumer will not purchase the product with high running cost.2 Future expectations about changes in prices will also influence the buying decisions of consumers, if consumers expect a rise in price in the future for a certain product then they will tend to purchase that good in large quantities to avoid high prices of the product in the future, example if a consumer expects the price level of sugar to rise in the near future then he will purchase the sugar in large quantities today to avoid the future rise in price. Therefore the price of a product is a factor that influences the consumer buying decision, the consumer will purchase goods rationally to optimise on his real income and also maximise his utility, prices of substitute and complementary goods play a role in consumers decision making on what to buy and in what quantity.3 INCOME: Income is also another major factor that influence the buying decisions of consumers, the consumers disposable income play a major role in determining what to buy and in what quantities, however this depends on the income elasticity of a certain product, if the consumers disposable income increases and that the income elasticity of demand for that good is greater than one then the proportional rise in the demand for t hat product is greater than the rise in income levels.

Personal Statement for law admission Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

For law admission - Personal Statement Example Unfortunately, the government of Nepal is a highly repressive force and there were few opportunities for me to utilise the skills I learned in the academic realm. While working as a trekking guide in the Himalayans I met my future wife, the most wonderful and steady influence of my adult life. As she was an Australian citizen, I found the strength to leave the people and mountains that had structured my life for twenty-four years to enter into an uncertain future. Finding myself in a foreign land, with my language skills stretched and only a few hundred dollars in savings, we shared a small room in the outskirts of Perth and began the tremendously challenging yet rewarding task of building a life together. Within three weeks, I earned a position as a food and beverage attendant at Burswood Casino and Resort, where I am still employed. Eventually our hard work resulted in financial stability, and I began to consider the future. Wishing to take advantage of the freedom of expression and action available to me as a legal resident of Australia, I decided to dedicate myself to the goal of entering the legal profession. With that in mind, I passed the Education Institution University Board exam and submitted the application in your hands. Although I am Although I am only twenty-eight years old, I have learned much through my varied life experiences. Born and raised in Nepal, I comprehend the fundamental challenges of life and how a government can disregard what many see as fundamental human rights. My undergraduate experience in social science and humanities trained me in logically accessing issues and solving problems effectively. Never one to limit myself to a classroom, I also led tourists from around the world on challenging treks through the mountains and glaciers of Nepal. When I found love, I embraced the situation and was able to establish myself in a new country. Excited and committed to my life in Australia with my wife, I am still the son of Bal Bahadur and Laxmi Thapa and dedicated to individual justice and making a difference both here and in my homeland. For me, this opportunity transcends the simple considerations of financial renumeration on a growing field. In addition to the great benefits of further understanding varied aspects of the legal profession, eventually I want to enter the realm of investigating and protesting international human rights violations, especially in the highly conflicted regions of Rolpa and Rukum. In order to accomplish the ultimate goal of my life I need a strong and challenging education in law. I believe your university, with its excellent professors, extensive library and esteemed reputation, would provide the best home for me. I long to make a difference and I want the opportunity to dedicate myself to bettering the life of others. Please give me the opportunity to demonstrate that my intellectual capacity, real world experience and personal courage will lead to success at your institution. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you in the

Composition with Twelve Tones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Composition with Twelve Tones - Essay Example The researcher states that it was in the early 19th century (between 1911 and 1922) that Schoenberg was searching for something new, something that may replace the traditional and old scheme of composition of music pieces. He believed that the old music was using just one or two tones as the core elements of its compositions. These two elements according to him were the tone / tonality and dissonance. According to Schoenberg these elements were stretched and used throughout the composition which he did not appreciate. As a result Schoenberg came up with a new idea that all the twelve tones must be utilized while composing music. Through it he was assure of the fact that no single tone will get the significance and all tones will be heard and balance each other in any composition. If we try to understand ‘The method of composing with twelve tones grew out of necessity†¦such a change became necessary when there occurred simultaneously, a development which ended in what I cal l the emancipation of the dissonance’, Schoenberg actually pointed out towards the surplus use of dissonance in the late 19th century by the composers like Strauss, Debussy and Wagner. These composers used dissonance freely as the basic element of music. This was indeed a thorough change in the techniques of compositions and thus it ended in what Schoenberg’s has stated as ‘Emancipation of the dissonance’. It has been noticed that the majority of the Schoenberg’s twelve tone composition portrays some characteristics which summons the forms of large scale tones. The music composition included all the major and minor keys from A to G. However his prediction regarding the popularity of the twelve tone composition did not come to reality. He thought that with the formation of the twelve tone composition he can spread and sustain the Germanic Music for the coming ten decades. Actually it did not happen. Schoenberg’s twelve tone system gained popul arity in the 20th century only. However at present musicians are unaware of the system and does not even aware of what twelve tone composition (Taylor & Melchior, 1993). With the formation of the twelve tones composition there was a simultaneous development in the music composition which was called the emancipation of dissonance. Emancipation of dissonance is also a concept in music composition which was formulated by Arnold Schoenberg  and some other composers. In this emancipation he declared no difference or change in dissonance or consonance. According to Schoenberg, just like any other feature of life, music is also historically foreseeable. With this assumption and his establishment of the twelve tone composition he thought that he can hold German music for the coming 100 years. His representation was classical and portrayed a sequence in which principle of evolution was symbolized by chromatic scale. He further assumed the twelve tone composition as a replacement for functi onal tonality. The development of twelve tone composition was considered to bring a change in music style whereas the change was brought to an end with the development of emancipation of dissonance. However for the use of twelve tone composition he emphasized on not using or avoiding traditional dissonance or simple consonance (Encyclop?dia Britannica, 2013). It is evidenced from Music literature that Schoenberg was very

'Petroglyph Park' by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and 'The large Blue Term Paper

'Petroglyph Park' by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and 'The large Blue Horses' byFranz Marc - Term Paper Example Franz, was a very sensitive painter who was well known for expressing his feelings and emotions through his pieces of art. He loved painting animals, especially horses because he felt that animals are innocent creatures and are much closer to God than human beings. Both artists, Juane and Franz had their own unique and peculiar style of painting but yet shared some commonality between them – such as abstract figures and the use of rich colors. Juane’s paintings are well known as â€Å"inhabited landscapes† while she makes use of modernist color and unique techniques created from her vocabulary of art work which includes oil painting as well as works on paper. The Petroglyph Park was started by Juane about five years later when she completed her MA in art in 1980, from the University of New Mexico and it is this series of paintings that established her artistic voice in the lineage of landscape painting in America. In her modern abstraction of the Petroglyph Park, she makes use of a unique compositional style with brilliant colors and gestural layers of paint. ‘The Large Blue Horses’ by Franz Marc is an expression of his feelings towards animals in general. His type of painting belongs to the category of ‘Expressionists’ as it depicts the sensitive feelings and emotions of the artist.

What are the strengths and limitations of viewing learning as Essay

What are the strengths and limitations of viewing learning as apprenticeship What implication does this have for educators - Essay Example How to teach children and adults has long been one of the most problematic issues for scholars. Dozens of theories and models were developed, to explain human cognitive development and apply this knowledge to improve various systems of learning and knowledge delivery in educational settings. The current state of educational science is associated with relative flexibility of the learning approaches and openness to the improvement and implementation of the new theories and ideas. In the meantime, older systems of education and cognitive development are being constantly analyzed and improved. Cognitive apprenticeship models are rightly considered as some of the most complicated, controversial, and simultaneously, most productive models of cognitive development and learning. The model exemplifies an essential element of the social constructivist paradigm in learning, emphasizes teamwork, and treats scaffolding as an essential element of the process of training. The apprenticeship model o f learning is associated with numerous problems and limitations, including the lack of connectivity with the real-life conditions and the problems, implementation difficulties, and even the risks of distress and dissent in learners. Despite its limitations, cognitive apprenticeship model provides unique learning opportunities and can be readily applied in a variety of learning settings.Cognitive apprenticeship is a widely-known form of social learning, which helps novices to become experts in their field of study/ professional development (Dennen 2002). Rooted in the principles of social constructivism, cognitive apprenticeship is a model of social learning, which relies on scaffolding and provides structure and examples to be followed by learners (Dennen 2002). Apprenticeship has long been applied for teaching nurses, constructors and legal professionals (Dennen 2002). Today, cognitive apprenticeship is one of the most popular models of cognitive development and learning in young a nd adult learners. Social constructivism suggests that the cultural and social context play the dominant role in how knowledge is constructed and understood (Dennen 2002). Developed by Collins, Brown, and Newman in 1989, the model has become one of the basic elements of cognitive development and knowledge delivery in various educational and learning settings. According to Collins, Brown and Newman (1989), â€Å"cognitive apprenticeship embeds the learning of skills and knowledge in their social and functional context† (p. 454). From the standpoint of social constructivism, cognitive apprenticeship represents the model of learning and knowledge transmission, which treats guided experience, cognitive, and metacognitive elements as the principal factors of the learning process (Collins, Brown & Newmans 1989). Legitimate peripheral participation and situatedness are at the core of the cognitive apprenticeship model (Lave & Wagner 1991). In simple terms, cognitive apprenticeship i mplies that learning occurs through the learners’ participation in authentic situations/ settings (Lave & Wenger 1991). Such participation and engagement in practical environments foster the development of transferable, relevant knowledge more than other models of knowledge dissemination (Collins, Brown & Newman 1989). However, cognitive apprenticeship is more than merely the process of learning in authentic settings: rather, the success of cognitive apprenticeship models depends on how deeply learners are embedded into these authentic contexts (Wertsch 1998). It is imperative that the influence of various situational/ contextual factors be considered, whenever the quality and efficiency of such authentic settings are evaluated and