The Story Only Goodness by Jhumpa Lahiri

People usually have strong opinions and differences when it comes to problems that face intercultural marriages. Most of the people I know my brother, dad and some of my friend married from different culture and each one has a story to tell. However, some of the problems that face intercultural marriage are culture difference, religion, and last but not the least identity conflicts. Some people think culture difference is not an issue and they can adapt to a new culture very easily, but that is not true. It is number one problem that faces every intercultural marriage. There are a lot of things that we do that are normal to us, which are not normal to others. For example, in my community a man is known as the breadwinner while a woman is caretaker of the children and has nothing else to do, so she cannot ask her husband to change diaper, or help her clean the house. In America something like this is normal. Another example of culture difference that leads to a lot of problems is a woman having a male friend. In most of the communities a woman should not have a male friend besides her husband, but in America it’s normal for her to have friends regardless of their gender. All of this culture difference leads to problems in intercultural marriage and makes understanding each other difficult. Religion is one of the main problems that faces intercultural marriage. Despite the upswing in the religious fundamentalism in all part of the world, very few couples can speak of their religious conflicts freely in their marriage. However, people normally think they can address their religious differences thoughtfully before marriage, realizing that what people believe affects not only how they worship, but also how they live their daily life. A good example is a marriage between a Muslim and Christian. A Muslim person has a lot of restrictions he is not allowed to drink alcohol or eat pork meat, which is normal in most part of the world, but not to a Muslim person and will lead to a lot of problems because some people can’t live with out alcohol. Another problem is, a child borne into this kind of marriage get confused which way to follow because the father and mother have different religion and they each want their child to follow their footsteps and they get caught in the middle. Finally, another problem that faces intercultural marriage is identity conflict. Children borne out of two races for example black and white or different nationalities have difficulties in stating their races because mostly they face rejection from both sides, some time they call themself half white or half black or fifty fifty. A good example is our president Barack Obama. Some people think he is black while others think he is white because of his mother, and most blacks don’t like him for that. I have a half brother who is still trying to figure out whether he Arab or African because his mother is an Arab and lives in Dubai and our father is African. Last year when he came to the USA we met each other he couldn’t speak any other language except Arabic and we couldn’t communicate each other well because of that, but he did not think of me as a brother, but a stranger he just met. His mother got divorced from my father long time ago when he was a child and took him along with her. All these are problems that face intercultural marriage. In conclusion intercultural marriage has many problem such as culture difference, religion, and identity conflict. But all of these are how nature is and nobody can change it. It doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t marry; they still do get married from different community and live together happily ever after. Even I want to get married to a white girl and let’s hope things will never change for us and remain the way it is now and tomorrow.

Driving a car or riding a motorcycle? Essay

Transportations take us to anywhere we want to go and make our life easier. Without them, we will feel like losing our feet. Cars and motorcycles are inventions for people to travel faster. They both have their supporters based on their conveniences, safeties, and expenses. First, both cars and bikes are convenient for people to travel around. They both have some kind of way of controlling the direction of travel. Motorcycles can get to the short destinations and find a parking quickly and easily. As long distance, cars have many accessories such as radio, CD players, navigational systems, and even TVs. Let riders killing times while long driving. Second, safety can be concerned since many dangerous accidents are reported. The car has a roof and windows to keep you from all kinds of weather. Moreover, seatbelts and airbags in a car are able to protect passengers form an accident. Unlike more and more accidents caused by checking phones, motorcycle riders don’t text on their phones while riding. They will not be distracted by food or coffee, either. The last important key element to choose between cars and bikes is expense. Motorcycles cost less. Even work-study students can afford it. In addition, bikes use less gas. 30 miles per gallon is on the low end and smaller engines can get triple digit mileage. On the other hand, when getting a car, there are a lot of choices according to the budget. If you are lucky, you can still get a fancy one with a good price. Cars and motorcycles make people travel faster. Some people like motorcycles over cars and some people prefer cars over motorcycles, depending on their conveniences, safeties, and expenses. There are still many other differences between cars and motorcycles. It is better to take some time to find out what you need before making a decision. Careful consideration of the information presented here will have much fun when driving or riding a car or a bike.

TMA04 B202 Accounting & Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

TMA04 B202 Accounting & Finance - Essay Example The name Tesco first appeared above a shop in Edgware in 1929 and since then the company has grown and developed, responding to new opportunities and pioneering in many innovations. By the early 1990s Tesco faced strong competition and needed a new strategy. We were good at buying and selling goods but had begun to forget the customers. Sir Terry Leahy, who became Chief Executive in 1997, asked customers the simple question - what are we doing wrong?". We then invested in the things that matter to customers. For example, we launched our loyalty scheme Clubcard and Tesco.com, our internet home shopping service. Going the extra mile for customers has been key to our growth. We want to make customers lives easier and better in any way we can. We want to appeal to every customer and give them a reason to come back to Tesco. Originally specializing in food and drink, it has diversified into areas such as clothing, consumer electronics, financial services, telecoms, home, health and car insurance, dental plans, retailing and renting DVDs,[4] CDs, music downloads, Internet services and software.(Tesco plc) Among its local competitors most significant ones are Morrisons,Sainsbury and Asda. The following graph shows Tesco’s market shares locally(TESCO MAIN SUBMISSION TO THE COMPETITION COMMISSION (CC) INQUIRY INTO THE UK GROCERY RETAILING) According to TNS World panel Tescos share of the UK grocery market in the 12 weeks to 30 November 2008 was 30.9%, up 4.3% on 12 weeks to 2 December 2007. Across all categories, over  £1 in every  £7 (14.3%) of UK retail sales is spent at Tesco. Tesco also operates overseas, and non-UK revenue for the year to 24 February 2007 was up 18% on 25 February 2006. Wal mart had sales of $287bn ( £160bn) in 2004-5, more than its three closest rivals put together(Deloitte 2006 Global Retailing Powers study). Walmart had put its feet in China.Following suit Tesco aggressively expanded in China, while Wal-Mart plans to hire

World of work silver- organisation awareness Coursework - 1

World of work silver- organisation awareness - Coursework Example However, soon after the 2008 activities, the demand for Land Rover cars declined by almost one-quarter. In 2009, for instance, 144,133 car sales were registered worldwide. Jaguar also recorded a slump in sales by almost 20 per cent to about 52,500 in 2010 (Grant, 2010). Regardless, Jaguar’s internal processes paint its image as an effective, innovation-driven organization (Batchelor, 2014). As a mechanical engineer I can attribute the innovation successes to unique car designs. In order to improve the quality of its products, JLR has reduced its product lines to two instead of the initial six (Raynal, 2012). The company allocates generous budgets for its R&D in order to support the creation of fine mechanical engineering qualities. Nonetheless, JLR demonstrates a higher level of balancing its innovation with the primary risk of cost overruns than its competitors (Batchelor, 2014). Regardless, Jaguar’s supply chain management is still poor, judging by the lower presence of the products in the developing economies than the units of its market rivals such as Mercedes Benz or General Motors (Harris, 2013). As a mechanical engineer, I think Jaguar should increase the quantity of its units at the dealers, because the strategy of cashing in on customers who associate with rare products keeps their consumer base smaller than that of their rivals with more units in the market. Owing to the fitness of the Land Rover for different purposes, the brand is apparently performing better than the Jaguar (Gomes et al, 2007). After the recent acquisition, the company has shifted major head office decisions to India in an attempt to strengthen its market presence across the two products. In India, the company enjoys the advantage of the cheap labour, reduced production expenses and low-cost of logistics (The Guardian, 2015). These important factors will likely increase the quantity of the brand

Jeffrey Eugenindes's Middlesex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Jeffrey Eugenindes's Middlesex - Essay Example This novel showcases Eugenides mastery of imagination as he weaves together the different aspects of this family's history presenting them in an eye opening coming of age tale perfectly fitting for today's modern age. The story does a great job of melding self-conscious artifice and real-world history. Perhaps what is most surprising about Eugenides novel is how he effortlessly establishes the credibility in his narrator in the opening statement, " I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey Michigan, in August of 1974" (Eugenides 3). Here the narrator introduces himself and his sordid history, explaining his grandparent's incestuous marriage and how they vowed to keep it a secret. The center of the story surrounds Cal and his struggles with his sexuality. He says, "I've got a male brain. But I was raised as a girl" (Eugenides). While Cal struggles with this dilemma his entire life, Eugenides fights to prove through these struggles that Cal is really no different than any other American teenager. The novel covers all of Cal's childhood and adolescent obstacles in the hope of normalizing Cal's very un-normal condition. What makes these descriptions interesting is that Cal does not provide any emotion, leaving it up to the reader to judge how Cal must have felt as a result. For instance, when Cal tells of his close encounter in the San Francisco park and how he is nearly raped, the descriptions are virtually devoid of any emotion. Cal says the men in the park tell him "Crawl back into the hole you came out of freak" (Eugenides), but the reader is left on their own to decide how Cal must have felt. The closest description to anything emotional is when Cal says, "I had seventy-five cents to my name. I wished more anything that I could call home" (Eugenides). It seems that Eugenides chose to make Cal's descriptions devoid of any true emotion because he hoped the reader would feel for Cal and understand the emotions he must have been feeling through their own. These emotionless descriptions can be seen again in Cal's pursuit of love where his limited manhood most manifests itself, because Cal is afraid of revealing his body. He says very matte r of factly without expressing how this makes him feel, "And so, without permanence, I have fallen into the routine of my incomplete seductions," (Eugenides). It is evident that the overall goal of this story is paint a picture of American life and the decisions of one particular family in history. Eugenides takes the reader through the minds of each family member, allowing them a peek inside the windows into their souls. He begins with the grandmother, Desdemona, and her escape from her Greek island home and how she first fell in love with her brother lefty. Through the eyes of Desdemona the reader can begin to understand the reasoning behind her incestuous relationship with her brother Lefty. He makes it easy for the reader to understand why the family members decide to do the things that they do, and why they have made specific

IS setup Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IS setup - Essay Example In the recent times, the sales have been decreasing and the new CEO has contributed it to the lack of technology in its operation. It is observed that an effective computer based information system would greatly improve and improvise the delays in the various operations of the firm and help give it a competitive advantage. I agree with the CEO because the current functioning of the firm delays the access to vital information for efficient decision making vis-Ã  -vis various managerial decision making. There is lack of effective communication amongst the various branches which increases the overhead costs considerably. The diverse units of FYC need to be linked through effective system that would facilitate sharing of information within the departments and within the branches. Access to information represents the basic precondition for success of a firm (Drucker, 1998). Access to information is vital part of organizational management processes as it not only promotes efficiency and knowledge based discharge of duties by the employees but it a great tool for the management to exploit the available information to improve its performance. It would also facilitate timely and regular communication amongst the employees and branches. Information provides wide ranging knowledge about the existing and emerging paradigms of the business world which may have considerable impact on the organizational performance outcomes. Hence, organizations need to develop a comprehensive information system that would promote and accelerate the organizational aims and objectives. Use of IS would facilitate higher level of efficiency and organizational growth which would offset a competitive advantage over their rivals. Information system development is the new methodology of storing and manipulating strategic business information that are designed to improve the overall business prospects. The ISD has been evolved to encompass various spheres of the business including

Individual Report Marketing Communications Campaing Plan Essay

Individual Report Marketing Communications Campaing Plan - Essay Example Its awareness truly started to spread when businesses realized the importance of communicating their purpose to their target audiences affectively. It is important to determine that how businesses can communicate their purpose and intended goals to their customers. Here, comes the importance of marketing communication. This paper will focus on marketing communication strategies, objectives and finally the plan proposed for Green and Black organic chocolate that aims to convert dark into rainbow. This proposal is prepared to be presented before an agency by Green and Black organic for illustrating their communication strategies they are thinking to opt. Marketing communication: Marketing communication, as described by Kimmel (2005), is a process that constitutes various activities such as advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, public relations and direct marketing conducted to communicate company’s offerings to present and potential customers. Green and black organic, while keeping in view their position in market, is proposed to devise the following marketing plan for communicating benefits and attracting customers to their product portfolio. Marketing communication Plan: SOSTAC approach is one of the traditional and generic approaches for the development of marketing communication plan (Smith, Berry and Alan Pulford, 1999). ... The company was initially carrying out its operations individually, but later it came under the control of Cadbury. SWOT analysis: In order to assess the current and past performance of the company, SWOT analysis was carried out for the purpose of analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strength Following are the factors that made Green and Black organic a successful company in confectionary industry. Manufacturing chocolates from organic food. Dark chocolates prepared from 70% of cocoa beans. Operating under the name of Cadbury. Regarded as first manufacturers of chocolate from organic substance. Employment of good marketing activities as compared to those conducted by small brands. Weaknesses Following are the weaknesses of Green and Black organic Most of the people do not prefer eating dark chocolates so this can result in reduction in sales volume. The size of the company is too small and so, it cannot extend its operation in areas outside the borders of Londo n. As the name of the company does not specify anything related to chocolate, so people can misunderstand the name green and black organic. Opportunities Green and black can earn huge revenues if it focuses and avail following opportunities Manufacturing of chocolate butters and chocolate spread can earn them huge profits. Manufacturing chocolate shakes can also be an attractive option for customers to direct their buying behaviors in favor of Green and Black Organic. Extending their operations beyond the territories of London is an attractive opportunity. Threats The company has the following threats that it can face from the market and competitors. The

Monologues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Monologues - Essay Example Monologues have been part of plays, film scripts, and has been interjected into the twenty- first century with the emergence of blockbusters. It allows us to value the importance of a character's own existence without the supplementary help of the surrounding characters, just a certain strength with processing streams of emotions and lines of thoughts into words carefully chosen and rearranged. The term "monologue" was used to describe a form of popular narrativeverse, sometimes comic, often dramatic or sentimental,which was performed inmusic hallsor in domestic entertainments in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Monologues are a celebration of a character's humanity. In Shakespeare's playwrights, monologues are often called soliloquies. Asoliloquyis a type of monologue in which a character directly addresses an audience or speaks his thoughts aloud while alone or while the other actors keep silent. In fictional literature, aninterior monologueis a type of monologue that exhibits the thoughts, feelings, and associations passing through a character's mind. These monologues, since time immemorial, have established the character's individuality in a pedestal. It allows the character to see process his feelings, thoughts and perceptions freely. According to ()The "interior monologue" is a technical device in narrative. It renders a character's thoughts in the present tense, omitting speech markers such as "he thought" and quotation marks. Although the terms are often confused, it can be distinguished from thestream of consciousnessdevice by its relatively structured syntax and possibility of the monologist's addressing himself. The device allows a rendition of a character's thoughts and emotions more intimately than traditional forms of narration, since all readers learn what the character says only to himself. These poems aredramaticin the sense that they have a theatrical quality; that is, the poem is meant to be read to an audience. To say that the poem is amonologuemeans that these are the words of one solitary speaker with no dialogue coming from any other characters. Think of one person standing alone on a stage speaking to an audience. Certainly, you are part of that audience, but the poem usually implies that the speaker is mainly talking to a specific person(s). Internal struggles are very humanistic traits and this bridges the gap of reader and literature. Such struggles are very much conveyed by a monologue, especially if well written and a good reflection of a universal human experience. Monologues are crucial to characterization. Often, what readers remember well about a certain piece of literature is the certain character whom they feel deeply with. The novelist's has to render the character strong and human, possesses and air of fascination and must be believable, above all. Monologues are meant to reach out to the reader and supplement the textual identity of the literary work it is encompassed upon. It produces the cadence of and spirit and contributes to the whole lore of a work of literature. Barthes and Textual Identity There is a concept inlinguisticsandliterary theorythat refers to the attributes that distinguish the text (a technical term indicating any communicative content under analysis) as an object of study in those fields. This is called Textuality. To consider the text and its identity is to analyze its textuality

Broken Dreams of the Soviet Times Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Broken Dreams of the Soviet Times - Essay Example I was able to complete my secondary education in 1977 with an average grade of 4.95 (maximum 5). This grade fuelled my desire of fulfilling my childhood dream of becoming a fighter pilot. My eagerness made me feel that I am well-prepared and competitive for the education perspective. In the spring of 1977, I applied at The Chernigov Aviation High School. It was a tough experience; I had to undergo a rigorous medical examination and entry exams against 200 applicants. But I failed. I did not pass the last and very simple medical test. The surgeon pointed out that my x-shaped legs are unfit for someone who is privileged to serve as an Officer of the Soviet Military Aviation Force. The disappointment had put me off for a while but my ambition to fly prevailed. I enrolled at the Buguruslan Pilot School. In 1980, I finished the course obtaining a Lieutenant Military Rank, a diploma and a Civil Pilot License. The same year I passed entry exams at the Kiev Institute of Civil Aviation, but l eft it in 1981 upon completion of one school year. I felt that it was impossible to combine my high intensity flying job with such a demanding study. In 1985, I broke through the toughest possible in the USSR competition. I got the chance to study at the Moscow State Institute of International Affairs. However, I was expelled in the next year for speaking up my political views. I left Russia by the end of the ‘80s and had to start everything from the very beginning.

The book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Essay Example for Free

The book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Essay John Steinbeck wrote the book Of Mice and Men in 1936 after Wall Street crashed in 1929 and overnight the great depression set in, in America. Everyone lost all their money after investing in the stock market and no one had any money and jobs because company collapsed due to the knock on affect of the crash. As a result, people forgot about trying to settle down with a family and just thought about trying to stay alive. But still in the back of their minds the American Dream still lived on and at some point would all like to have their own plot of land living a carefree life. To stay alive though to do this they had to get any money they could. They travel around the country as migrant workers just looking after themselves going for any job that came up. They had to keep going, from job to job, people had no time to make friends. There were two special characters though, two men who traveled around together and were both very close friends. Although you could call them the odd-couple, due to the fact that they were both very different. But they looked and cared after each other, were together for a long time and learned they were so close they had to keep travelling together and try to go at it wit each other. These two guys didnt really have much before the Wall Street crash and didnt need to care about making it all back. The story is about two people who dont just care about themselves but want to look after each other. These two people were Lennie and George. In the book George says Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world, they got no family. They dont belong no placebut us! An why? Because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you John Steinbecks style carries a lot of symbolism. Even the town Soledad where its set means loneliness. All this shows that the lifestyle after the Wall Street crash forced people to go at it alone and the American Dream was getting further and further away. Steinbeck wrote this book because he saw the USA as a lonely place at the time. Even though Lennie and George have each other and arent as lonely as everyone else, there are still times wee they are lonely. When Lennie was younger all he had was his Aunt Clara who was the only one who looked after him and then she died. Until George came to live all the time with Lennie, all he had was his soft mice that he liked to pet. He had nothing else and was very lonely. Then when George came Lennie must have seen him as a savior and would do anything for him and listens to everything he does. But because he is mentally challenged he cant sometimes go through with his promises. When saying all this, John Steinbeck is expressing that Lennie and George are no two ordinary migrant workers doing it alone moving from place to place. Lennie and George are different because they stay together. But when Lennie acts like he does, George gets very annoyed and says God a mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an work, an no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month came, I could take my fifty bucks and go into town ant get whatever I want. This makes Lennie sad, but really George wouldnt do this because he cares too much about Lennie. Lennie gets upset when people talk about leaving as he has had a lot of that happen to him in his life, with not knowing his parents and his Aunt Clara dying he has become sensitive to that happening and apologizes for whatever has made George say this very quickly. In the Book Candy is another very lonely character he is also symbolized through his dog who just goes through life then he gets quite old without making much significance and just kill him or send him off without say when hes worthless and dont care about his feelings. He is extra worthless as he got his hand lopped off in one of the farm machines and makes him not as useful as he was. This will happen to Candy, hell get fired and he knows this because he starts to get left out of everything. He knows time is not on his side and hell get canned before too long. This is why when he hears George and Lennie have a plan to get a farm and he had money to make this plan happen for all of them, (from compensation when he got his hand chopped off) he wants to be in on it so he cant be fired and would just do the easy jobs. Then he could stay with shelter and not get chucked out to die. I also think that he wants something to show for his life and the farm would be something good as the money he has wouldnt be a good indication for a successful life as he has no one to pass it on to. I think Steinbeck has put Candy into the book so there was another extreme of loneliness. The character shows that in America in the 30s no one had any respect or sympathy for old folk and when they get too old they are just sent out for the vultures not caring about feelings. This shows in Candy and when they are speaking to the stable buck and he says Nobody listen to you, Candy then says No he agreed Knowbody listen to us. This shows that Candy knows whats going on and his time is approaching fast. Crooks is also another extreme of loneliness just because he is black. He isnt even allowed to sleep in the same bunkhouse. They say I stink, but I say they stink. He says this, not because they smell but because he thinks the way they treat him stinks. Even on special occasions, for fun they beat him up. They dont treat him like a fellow human at times and dont like speaking to him. He gets lonely because he doesnt get to talk to anyone all day. This shows the racism of the time and how in America they still had the ideals of the slave trades and the black were nailed to the bottom of the social pile. Then in the book he wants to join in with the ranch plan as he thinks its his way out of hatred and the stereotypes. But eventually he rejected the ranch because he knew that he was also useless because he had a crooked back and he would be not respected, and he told Lennie that because he was mentally retarded that George might leave him. He says this because he is thinking about the thoughts of the times, but doesnt know that George would never leave Lennie. Another character is Curleys wife. She is very lonely and seeks for attention. This is because she is a woman and they just think she is someone who is just there to cure Curleys needs. But also she is a person. She said, Im stuck in the house all day and no one to talk to. People see her as a Tart because she seeks attention and flirts with all the workers on the ranch behind Curleys back, but Curly knows it is going on and gets very jealous and protective. She says when she was younger she met a man who could have put her in the movies, but when he sent her a letter saying she was in, her mum hid the letters because she was too young to leave. But maybe she had thought up these ideas that the man was actually interested in putting her in the movies or just trying to chat her up and then Curleys wife when she didnt hear anything might have blamed it on her mum and wanted to believe she was good enough to be in the movies. Then she left home to try and make her dream come true but never really had a plan. Then she met Curly and thought maybe this was the key to getting to the top, but now she is stuck on the ranch. She knows she will never fulfill her dreams. Steinbeck always refers to her as Curleys Wife and she never has a name all through the book. This is because no one needs or thinks it is necessary to get to know her because she is a woman. This character shows hatred of women at this time and how they meant nothing. All of the Characters, Crooks, Lennie, Candy and Curlys wife, have personalities that are lonely and in America at this time these personalities were outcasts. In the book they were excluded from everything because they were different. I also see Carlson as someone who thinks as a community and not for peoples feelings. For example at the end of the book when George has killed Lennie, then Slim is comforting him, he says Now what ya suppose is eatin them two guys? Not considering that George has just killed his old best friend who has traveled with for a long time. He cant understand why they feel this way, as he thinks as the community thinks at the time in how everyone has to try to do it for themselves and you cant have friends in this time but Lennie and George did. In the Book Slim and George get to know each other a bit. George likes to get to people and he thinks everybody is stupid not making any friends and being cautious of Everyone: -Maybe everbody in the whole damn world is scared of each other? He thinks everyone thinks they cant get to know anyone but he doesnt see this in George. John Steinbeck wrote this book in the 1030s when all these prejudiced feelings to people who are different were going on. He recognized this, what people were doing and how they were making everyone else lonely, but at the same time making themselves lonely too. When he wrote this he had a different character for all different aspects of loneliness and prejudice he could see in America at the time. He described it through migrant workers due to how on the farms it was capitalist with the boss looking down on his workers and by doing this, also people wanted to be the boss and not have to look up to people. To do it, they couldnt really do it with everyone else because than he couldnt have anyone else to look down on, so they had to go alone. Owning a farm somewhere and being your own boss was back than the American Dream. But by going alone they would never have enough money, so as their dream fails, along with it, so does their spirit. These 3 points show hoe different aspects of life all culminated to kill their spirit and make them lonely. It all spirited from themselves.

Competition in Broadcasting: BBC

Competition in Broadcasting: BBC In Western Europe, North America and Eastern Europe mainly persistent talks are about the broadcasting rules of the public or community. Newly enhanced machinery, rules and ways of doing business changed the actions and topic of debates and extent of work. BBC stays on first channel of the all. It provides free advertising services to its viewers. It is financed by the TV licence fee that viewers pay annually and fifty percent discount for blind people. It earned status for worlds no. 1 TV channel. It gains status by its news and entertainment channels. Following are the channels of BBC: Now a days broadcasting companies are competing with each other. They do what they want to see their company on first place. Main competitors of BBC NEWS are CNN, Fox NEWS, Sky NEWS and all local media channels. In the world of entertainment the BBC main competitors are Channel 4, ITV, boomerang, discovery and etc. BBC World of Digital TV: In beginning of 1998, people do not have any concept of digital television. After the six years, almost in every home there is digital TV. People like digital television network more than the non-digital system because it has channels in greater number than the non-digital system. Now a days every one can enjoy more than 200 channels by paying just little amount. In the last 6 years, BBC remarkably increases its amount of output by opening a series of TV channels and now BBC is broadcasting excessive amount of output i-e 380 hrs per week. Competitive Analysis: BBC performs like an ideal in approximately whole of the European market like in Germany, France, Switzerland and etc. In the United Kingdom the BBC make market share up to the 36% as the survey about this is conducted in 2005. While in radio BBC occupy the 54% market share as said by the governor in 2005. BBC NEWS: According to my point of view globally BBC and CNN are the main competitors in the news casting media both of them captured the more than 50% market shares of the whole market. International sources of news are increasing the number viewers by giving them choices of viewing the news on their mobile, by texting and on internet. It is written in the lines of article that published in Europe (1998), CNN the main competitor of BBC is currently having more viewers on internet other than on broadcasting. CNN in addition declaring that they have more than 50 million viewers who use the messaging facility. That is the story of CNN, in response of the strategies of CNN; BBC starts to modify the services of TV by accumulating more news about trades, limiting the long news i-e cutting down the irrelevant material from stories and learning the best marketing illusions to capture the attention of its viewers. BBC Entertainment: BBC Cbeebies channel that is for the child viewers of who do not go to school and BBC CbbC is concentrated on the kids whose age are ranging from six to fourteen. These are the channels of BBC who are focusing on kids but few more channels like boomerang, disney playhouse and nick jr that are also about the kids who do not go to school. There are also thirteen more kids TV channels who concentrate on the kid of age ranging from six to fourteen. Competitors of BBC kids channels are strong enough in terms of finance and also that the international contributions are helping out the market. Currently their capability is not in danger. But still to take competitors out of business the strategies of BBC are quite clever because they are targeting on the segmented marketing i-e niche or position marketing. See Appendix 2. There is another channel names BBC FOUR, it is very diverse channel based on culture and science fiction programmes and its competitors are the history channel, discovery, discovery health etc. BBC FOUR and its competitors are all working well and it is before time to say that BBC FOUR have problem with finance because it is the diverse type of channel and people who have interest in science and the people who have interest in culture will always be watching this channels. There is not as much competition in these types of channels. See Appendix 3. BBC three is a channel that catches the attention of same age group. The viewers of the BBC three recommended that this channel can excel and can leave behind its competitors. The rival of BBC three, Channel 4 finds that BBC three is giving a lot of money to its hosts and this is causing the inflation. Share of BBC three is improved merely 0.2%. Its majority rivals are being not changed i-e they keep up the share at the same level. While in response BBC three start to concentrate on youth. Rivalries in this type of channels are strong. See Appendix 4.

Bacon Roger :: Essays Papers

Bacon Roger Roger Bacon was an English Scholastic philosopher, scientist and one of the most influential teachers of the 13th century. He was born in Ilchester, Somersetshire in 1214. Roger Bacon was educated at the universities of Oxford and Paris. He remained in Paris after completing his studies and taught for a while at the University of Paris. When he returned to England in about 1251, he entered the religious order of the Franciscans and lived at Oxford. He carried on active studies and did experimental research in alchemy, optics, and astronomy. Bacon was critical of the methods of learning of the times, and in the late 1260s, at the request of Pope Clement IV, he wrote his Opus Majus (Major Work). In this work he represented the necessity of a reformation in the sciences through different methods of studying languages and nature. The Opus Majus was an encyclopedia of all science, embracing grammar and logic, mathematics, physics, experimental research, and moral philosophy. The response of the pope to Bacon's masterpiece is not known, but the work could not in any circumstances have had much effect in Bacon's time, because it reached Clement during the period of his fatal illness. Bacon's revolutionary ideas about the study of science caused his condemnation by the Franciscans for his heretical views. In 1278 the general of the Franciscan order, Girolamo Masci, later Pope Nicholas IV, forbade the reading of Bacon's books and had Bacon arrested. After ten years in prison, Bacon returned to Oxford. He wrote Compendium Studii Theologiae (A Compendium of the Study of Theology, 1292) shortly before his death. Despite his advanced knowledge, Bacon accepted some of the popular but later disproved beliefs of his time, such as the existence of a philosopher's stone and the efficacy of astrology. Although many inventions have been credited to him, some of them undoubtedly were derived from the study of Arab scientists. His writings brought new and ingenious views on optics, particularly on refraction; on the apparent magnitude of objects; and on the apparent increase in the size of the sun and moon at the horizon. He found that with sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal, a substance (now known as gunpowder) could be produced that would imitate lightning and cause explosions.

Quen Elizabeth I :: essays research papers

Queen Elizabeth I King Henry VIII was married to Catherine of Aragon when the young girl Anne Boleyn caught his eye. Henry believed himself in love with the young Anne and was determined to end his marriage with the older Catherine. King Henry wanted an annulment from Catherine, yet to obtain one meant having the Pope’s approval. Catherine had a powerful connection to many such as the great emperor Charles V, the Pope would not offend such a man and denied King Henry his annulment to his Queen Catherine. King Henry discreetly engaged n an affair with the young Anne Boleyn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  King Henry and his advisors established their own church breaking away from th Catholic Church and formed the Church of England. King Henry now had full ecclesiastical power over England known as reformation. With king Henry’s new power over the church he would now obtain his anullument from Catherine of Aragon. 1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Januaray of 1533 King Henry married his pregnant Anne, who was belived to be carrinying the male heir to the throne. â€Å"Both Henry and Anne believed with their whole heart that the child she was expecting was a boy, and had every reason to as the philosophers and astronomers assured the jubilant king   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scruton 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   that this time he would have a son.† (Thomas, par. 4) To the disappointment of the King, Queen and her supporters Anne gave birth to a girl, Elizabeth Tudor. â€Å"Elizabeth's birth was one of the most exciting political events in 16th century European history; rarely had so much turmoil occurred on behalf of a mere infant.† (Englishhistory) 4 Elizabeth’s birth was greeted with little celebration, however three days later she had a grand Christening a Greenwich Palace. 'Henry, beside himself with disappointment, did not attend the christening.' 2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  King Henry’s attitude towards his young wife changed aftr the birth of his Princess and he openly show his tiredness towards his Queen. His only heir was a young girl, and this was considered undesirable to have a woman ruler. France even had laws to prevent such an occurrence. Anne tried to have a son yet failed to do so miscarrying and then giving birth to a premature dead baby boy. Some have said that she lost her savior 1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As Anne had her second mishap Catherine of Aragon died leaving Henry wanted yet another wife in the hope of producing a male heir. Anne was charge with adultery, witchcraft, and incest in which the jury found her guilty and was sentenced to death by beheadment.

Sylvia Plath Biography :: essays research papers

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath: Born: October 27th 1932, Boston Died: 11th February 1963, London Sylvia Plath was born in 1932 and her Brother Warren was born in April,1935. When she was around 8 years old (1940) her father Otto died and she was devastated but never showed it. In 1941 Plath’s poem was printed in the children’s section of Boston Herald, it was a short poem about what Plath’s saw and heard on summer nights. After Plath had just graduated in 1950, her Poem â€Å" Bitter Strawberries† appeared in The Christian Science Monitor which was her first national publication. Also in 1950 Plath entered Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. 1952 Plath won Mademoiselle’s college fiction contest with her story â€Å" Sunday At The Mintons.† Through college she dated many boys and had a serious relationship with Dick Norton. However she developed depression and often thought about suicide. Plath spent most of June 1953 as a guest editor at Mademoiselle’s magazine, she was one of twenty people to be involved in this. In August 1953 Plath stole the sleeping pills that had been locked away and crawled in the crawl space under the porch through the cellar, She took forty of them. Her parents found her 2 days later after hearing moaning coming from the cellar, when they found her she was covered in her vomit and dazed but alive. April 1954 Plath started bleaching her hair platinum blonde and was awarded a $1,200 scholarship for her next year at Smith and also received one to Harvard Summer School. During the summer in Boston (1954) Plath began to date an older man who she said had raped her and had nearly bleed to death from hemorrhage. She continued to him even after this incident had occurred. 1955 Plath’s â€Å"Go Get The Gloodly Squab† was published in Harper’s and she also received an honourable mention in Mademoiselle’s Dylan Thomas poetry contest for her poem â€Å"parallax.† â€Å"Circus In Three Rings† was her first poem to finally be published in The Atlantic Monthly. Early 1956 Plath had learnt that her grandmother had developed stomach cancer. At this time Plath was also suffered with insomnia and sinus infections and her writing was getting rejected from publication. She then had attended a party where she met Ted Hughes an English poet who immediately caught her eye at first glance. By the time Plath and Hughes had been together for 2 months they were discussing marriage and decided to get married secretly so it wouldn’t jeopardize Plath’s fellowship grant.

Individual vs. the Society in “The Scarlet Letter” Essay

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the theme of the individual versus society is prevalent. One of the most intriguing characters in the novel is Hester Prynne, who is ostracized by the society around her. Hawthorne uses symbols to accentuate how Hester chooses to accept her branded punishment as a moral obligation rather than a mark of shame. Her individualism is achieved through a clear conscience and accepting the fact that she is unique, distanced from the Puritans surrounding her. Immediately, The Scarlet Letter sets up a clear contrast between Hester and the other ladies in Boston, Massachusetts. Hester emerges from the prison as a gorgeous woman who was, â€Å"tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale. She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the susnhine with a gleam, and a face which ,beside being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion†¦ was ladylike, too, after the manner of the feminine gentility of those days; characterized by a certain state and dignity.† (Narrator, p. 46-47) Meanwhile, the other women in Boston are portrayed as gossiping quacks who ridicule Hester out of jealousy and spite. Hester is further distanced from the mob throng through her elegant garb and her skill of needle-work. While on the scaffold, and later when she moves into a cottage distanced from everyone else, Hester remains defiant. She asserts her quasi rebellious personality by not wavering amid the penetrating stares of the townspeople. In addition, she chooses to stay in Boston rather than take the opportunity to escape and start a new life. By running away, Hester would be acknowledging society’s power of her. Instead, she desires to establish her own identity and not have society determine it for her. If Hester were to succumb to outside pressure, it would further undermine what little integrity the townspeople see in her. However, the cruel taunts are meaningless to her, because Hester is adamant in her convictions; she has a genuine purpose in life. Her daughter Pearl is an important part of Hester’s life. Much more than a living embodiment of the sin that Hester is reminded of through the scarlet letter, Pearl allows Hester to have a reason to live and a reason to stay. Pearl acts as a reality check, for she daily reminds her mother of her sin. Yet, Pearl is a miracle child, by proving that beauty can spring from sin. She offers Hester a mirror of herself, and an enduring obligation for which to uphold. In addition, Hester feels an obligation to stay in New England because she feels morally bound to stay with Pearl’s father. The scarlet letter in a sense defines who Hester is. Lavishly decorated â€Å"in fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread,† (Narrator, p. 46) the letter â€Å"A† binds Hester to serve her due atonement for the wrongs she has committed. However, her brilliant skills at needle-work and uniqueness of individuality are frowned upon by the society. Out of malice and jealousy, they verbally abuse both her and Pearl, degrading them to worthless figures while they themselves are hypocrites in their own right. Ironic takes its finest form when the skillful works of Hester are adorned by those highest officials that are punishing her. Despite the ridicule, Hester stands tall. She knows the expectations that are placed on her, and that the shame incurred by her will extend for possibly generations to come. Hester is not willing to mold herself to the eager hands of others so that they may satiate their cruel desire to see her torture in her mental prison. She strives for compassion and well-being amid all the harsh words. This is evidenced in her treatment of Pearl, who is exalted far beyond the other children. She is dressed in the most extravagant attire, while being taught heavenly virtues. Motherly love defies all pressures, and Hester’s undeniable love for Pearl is the quintessence of this. In the strict morals of Puritan society that are delineated in The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne undergoes many tribulations. Her wrongdoing helps provoke the angry sentiments of the townspeople, who are determined to see her suffer to the fullest extent. However, Hester’s attitude is one of moral obligation and compassionate defiance. She retorts with nothing but love, as beautifully demonstrated in her treatment of Pearl. Hester is unique, and so  is her unwavering attitude regardless of what the rest of society thinks of her. She answers to a higher order and never relents her conscience to the greedy hands of others.

Assertiveness is the ability to express your feelings, opinions, beliefs and needs directly

â€Å"Assertiveness is the ability to express your feelings, opinions, beliefs and needs directly, openly and honestly, while not violating the personal rights of others.†(Holland and Ward 1990) Corollary to which, being assertive entails knowing its limit because the right of a person ends where the right of another person begins.   Being assertive is an expression and protection of one’s right up to such an extent where one protects and respects the rights of others.â€Å"There's a kind of integrity that goes along with assertiveness — meaning what you say, when you say it, in the way that you say it.† (Davidson, J. 1997).   Thus, it is ultimately aimed at generation a resolution to problems that is amenable and beneficial to all, essential to maintain fairness and mutuality, which are the basic tenets of any form of human relationships.RightsIn legal parlance, a right is the legal entitlement to do or avoid doing something which is sanctioned by law or the provisions of a contract. However, everyone has rights that are inherently conferred to us by virtue of being humans, which is called human rights. (Gewirth, 1998) Human rights are universal, every person is entitled to it; equal, every person has the same rights; and entail a correlative duty, the bearer of which under international law is the state or the government to which a person had pledged allegiance to.(Clapham, 1993) Perhaps the most basic of these human rights which Immanuel Kant himself declared is freedom –nobody owns one’s life except oneself.   From which the following rights can be derived: the right to decide for oneself in terms of behavior, idea and emotion; the right to change the same, the right to be independent in the conduct of one’s life, to join and not to join, to act or not to act or the right to have a choice.However, in the exercise of these rights, people are prone to commit mistakes.     The right to commit mistakes therefore is in essence part of a person’s right to make decisions and to have choices.   In as much as a person has the right to commit mistakes, he/ she also has the responsibility for the consequences of his/ her choices and decisions.Assertiveness is the balance between two extreme behaviors: passiveness and aggressiveness.   Passiveness or being non assertive is the renunciation of one’s rights which involves turning down one’s opinions, allowing others to decide for one’s own fate, or not exercising one’s right because of guilt or anger.Aggressiveness or being too assertive is the abusive exercise of one’s rights which involves intimidating other people, coercing or manipulating others (lying) thereby not allowing them to decide for themselves or, exercising one’s right to an extent of exploiting other people’s rights.   (Lloyd, 2001)In other words, â€Å"people have a fundamental right as human beings to express t hemselves so long as doing so will not trample on the rights of others.† (Davidson, J. 1997) Such assertion becomes am aggressionBarriers to AssertivenessA big barrier to assertiveness is the over watchfulness or worrisome of people to be misinterpreted as being aggressive and offensive.   It may anger others or hurt their feelings and consequently engender a feeling of hatred, a perception of arrogance or selfishness or even stupidity against the assertive person.These misled conclusions are basically drawn from misconceptions about assertiveness which involved legitimate rights, a sense of concern towards others and a sense of responsibility for the consequences of one’ s decisions. (Paterson and Paterson, 2000)

Marketing Intelligence

Market intelligence is a term that is widely used, widely misunderstood, and often mistaken for a mysterious art requiring high-level detective work. Before providing advice on how market intelligence can potentially benefit your business, it is therefore essential that we begin this paper by agreeing on a definition. It is defined by Wikipedia as follows: â€Å"Market Intelligence is the information relevant to a company’s markets, gathered and analyzed specifically for the purpose of accurate and confident decision-making in determining market opportunity, market penetration strategy, and market development metrics. In simple terms, market intelligence is information that is gathered for the purpose of making business decisions. It is largely synonymous with market research, the systematic gathering, recording, analysis and interpretation of information about a company’s markets, competitors and customers. * Types of Intelligence Sources Intelligence can be described as the summary of internal and external data and information, paired with expertise and experience in any given environment and brought into context with the own doing and goals. Primarily though, market & competitive intelligence is based on sources providing the critical mass and substance to deal with as it comes to knowledge of any type. External Market & Competitive Intelligence Sources External market & competitive intelligence sources can and should provide a rich and realistic view of the external environment any business is operating in. Market & competitive intelligence has become a major marketing discipline and industry supplying much needed insights into business figures and trends. Desk Research for Intelligence Desk research might be the most common intelligence discipline regardless how advanced the organizations intelligence programs and systems are. Published information and data, pushed by partners, consultants and MI specialists as well internal resources pointing towards external intelligence is being scoured, gathered and pre-analyzed. Acquired Intelligence & Market Reports Industry reports, market studies and other business intelligence are being made available in many formats and sizes. Any industry or market have their major players in terms of research, market observation and monitoring who create and provide studies, reports, overviews, key market data, trends and indicators. Business Journals & Trade Magazines Business journals and trade magazines are excellent intelligence sources for both market intelligence as well as competitive intelligence. Most importantly here, the intelligence consuming organization needs to make sense of it all. Condensing and bringing relevant intelligence into context of immediate business needs and long term market strategies are crucial elements of intelligence preparation. Industry & Market Newsletters Keeping customers and partners in the loop of developments and offers can be done quite effectively via newsletters that are delivered in hard copy format or electronically. Not only is this a crucial customer retention measure but a competitive tool as well where customers find another comparison opportunity across products and service offers. Individual Intelligence Subscriptions A large corporation with thousands of employees hardly has any overview of how many subscriptions are being ordered and offered to staff. Subscription providers never care about consolidation. Neither do bothered employees if asked to openly acknowledge their subscriptions to market websites, news portals or periodicals. Market Intelligence: Wholesale Sourcing Drop Shipping, Bulk Wholesaling, General Wholesaling, Liquidation / Overstock Sourcing are sourcing strategies that need and naturally produce a lot of intelligence both market intelligence and competitive intelligence. External Soft Intelligence Any sales force and other field operators possess and handle unbelievable amounts of external intelligence about customers, market players, associations, industries and events with all developments and dynamics. Not to utilize this vast amount of intelligence in any organizations is a major competitive disadvantage. Internal Market & Competitive Intelligence Sources Most important and generally of extremely high value are internal sources for business intelligence. Legacy systems, ERP, any transactional data as well as soft information such as meeting transcripts and verbal communication with customers, suppliers and partners need to be exploited. The intelligence found in internal resources such as management and marketing or sales force is invaluable for any business decision. Business Data & Databases Major databases such as ERP systems, legacy systems, transactional data archived and stored for reference should be considered standard intelligence as they provide the very base for any data comparison and measurement. As well as for external intelligence, soft knowledge residing in the heads of the employees regarding internal view of markets and customers, competitors and other business variables can be invaluable for the entire intelligence prospective. Utilize Internal Soft Knowledge. As well as for external intelligence, soft knowledge residing in the heads of the employees regarding internal view of markets and customers, competitors and other business variables can be invaluable for the entire intelligence prospective. * Steps to be taken by a Company to improve its Marketing Intelligence (1) Train and Motivate Sales Force: A company's sales force can be an excellent source of information about the current trends in the market. They are the â€Å"intelligence gatherers† for the company. The acquired facts can be egarding the company's market offerings, whether any improvements are required or not or is there any opportunity for new products, etc. It can also provide credible source to know about competitor activities, consumers, distributors and retailers. (2) Motivate Distributors, retailers, and other intermediaries to pass along important intelligence: Specialists are hired by companies to gather marketing intelligence . In order to measure the quality of production, the way the employees are behaving with customers, quality of facilities being provided; retailers and service providers send mystery shoppers. Firms can also assess the quality of customer experience with the shops with the use of mystery shoppers. (3) Network Externally: Every firm must keep a tab on its competitors. Competitive intelligence describes the broader discipline of researching, analyzing and formulating data and information from the entire competitive environment of any organization. This can be done by purchasing the competitor's products, checking the advertising campaigns, the press media coverage, reading their published reports, etc. Competitive intelligence must be legal and ethical. 4) Set up a customer advisory panel: Companies can set up panels consisting of customers. They can be the company's largest customers or representatives of customers or the most outspoken customers. Many business schools set up panels consisting of alumni who provide their knowledge and expertise and help in constituting the course curriculum. (5) Optimal usage of Government data resources: Governments of almost all countries publish reports regarding the population trends, demographic characteristics, agricultural production and a lot of other such data. All this data must be or can be referred to as base data. It can help in planning and formulating policies for the companies. (6) Information bought from external suppliers: Certain agencies sell data that can be useful to other companies. For example, television channels will require information on the number of viewership, ratings of TV programs, etc. An agency which calculates this information and generates this data will provide it to companies that need it. (7) Collect Competitive Intelligence through online customer feedback: Customer's view about a product is most essential for any company. Ultimately it's the customer who's buying the product. Hence customer feedback must be taken. Online platforms like chat rooms, blogs, discussion forums, customer review boards can be used to generate customer feedback. This enables the firm to understand customer experiences and impressions. It becomes easier for companies to apply a structured system to do so as it can then scan out the relevant messages without much of a trouble. With the above steps being applied, a company's marketing intelligence system will prove to be beneficial to its effective functioning.

Conceptualizing a Business Essay

When establishing a successful business, no matter how big or small, one monitors progress, assesses results, and develops new programs. One must determine what they want the company to be, produce, and accomplish. Several things have to be determined for the purpose of the business or organization. For example creating a vision, mission. and values statement allows the organization and its customers to identify what the company believes in, what they want to do, and where their long term goal is. Another important component of a successful business is a strong strategic plan. One company that can benefit by re-defining their vision, mission, and values statement is TOMS Shoes Inc. New customers can be gained by analyzing areas where TOMS can improve their business strategy and re-define the companies direction. TOMS Shoes Inc. is a private for profit company that was created in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie. During one of his travels he came by a village in Argentina where several children that had no shoes. His desire to help these children impelled him to create TOMS’., a company that would sell shoes in order to give shoes to the children in need. After realizing the impact of matching purchases with donations TOMS launched an eyewear line that would help give sight to a person in need with every pair sold. TOMS gives in over 60 countries and has given 10 million pairs of shoes to children in need. TOMS is now giving different types of shoes based on the terrain and climate where the children in need live. TOMS has also created local jobs in third world countries by producing shoes in the countries it gives in. Since 2011 TOMS purchases has restored the sight of 150,000 people in need. Since TOMS was established it has created an awareness for global issues of poverty. However, TOMS has also been criticized for not having the most efficient way to have economic development. Also, that TOMS aid model is not enough and creates other economic issues in the companies they give to. After extensive  criticism TOMS determined that they wanted to increase economic development in the countries they give to by producing the shoes in those countries. In addition to the gift of shoes and sight TOMS has added the gift of water, for every bag of coffee sold they will provide clean water to those in need. Even though TOMS has taken some steps to improve the organizations strategy, there are additional steps they can take to improve the company’s impact. In order to improve TOMS vision, mission, and value statement it is important to understand what these statements mean, their significance, and how they will benefit. The purpose of a vision statement is to provide a clear picture of where the organization would like to be in the future and what they want their long term accomplishments to be. The mission statement describes what the purpose of the organization is and is focused on the present. Values statement identifies the organizations guiding principles and core beliefs. The values statements also assists in guiding the organizations employees to implement strategies to achieve the organization’s mission and vision. Researching through TOMS website it is difficult to identify the companies mission, vision, and values. However, after extensive searching one can determine that the vision statement for TOMS Shoes Inc. is â€Å"to be a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need.† The mission statement is â€Å"One for One†. Although the values are not clearly stated one can assume by the company’s overview that they believe in giving back, responsibility, and environmental responsibility. Redefining some of TOMS practices can increase the impact the company already has created. First step is to create a vision, mission, and values statement that are parallel to what the company stands for. TOMS product is to produce comfortable footwear that attracts customers to give to those in need by purchasing their shoes. The new mission statement is â€Å"to create sustainable giving; with every product we sell we will give back, one for one. We strive to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, and improve people’s lives through business.† TOMS redefined vision is â€Å"to be a leader in corporate citizenship and sustainable development, to create social impact by influencing others to give back by showing them the value of  giving and that giving is fun.† TOMS stated values will be: responsibility, transparency, honesty, independence, generosity, and growth. TOMS will also include customer feedback in the company’s growth and giving strategies. Currently TOMS has attracted customers that like to be involved in giving to those in need and also like comfortable shoes. The strategy of involving customers to give has made TOMS successful. In 2006 when TOMS first started there was no other company that followed the one for one model and the media promoted the giving model and gave TOMS free marketing. This is what gave TOMS a competitive advantage and made TOMS a successful company. Since then, TOMS has been criticized for not responding to customers complaints through TOMS social media outlets. If TOMS wants to stay involved with their social media success they should also respond to customers’ needs and complaints. In doing so TOMS will show that they are willing to take the time to listen to their customers and show that TOMS values them. With the redefined vision, mission, and value statements TOMS has a clearer definition of what they do and why they do it. This allows for customers to better identify with the company and to promote their success. References: ASQ. (2014). Vision, Mission, Values Statements. Retrieved from http://asq.org/service/body-of-knowledge/tools-vision-mission-values Toms CEO Blake Mycoskie Offers Surprising Answer To His Critics. (2013, November). Huffington Post, (), . Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/14/toms-ceo-critics_n_4274637.html TOMS Shoes Inc.. (2006-2014). One for One. Retrieved from http://www.toms.com/gift-of-water

Discuss the extent to which social work can be considered a profession Essay

Discuss the extent to which social work can be considered a profession - Essay Example Social work also entices creation of favorable societal conditions to their goals (Zastrow, 2009:27). Social work subsists in the society, to supply gentle and effective group, individual, family, community, and societal-social services, to enhance and improve both social functioning and the quality of life. Social work can be, classified as both academic and professional exercise, involving life and health, and environmental development (Segal, Gerdes, and Steiner, 2010:62) Social work as a profession consists of two aspects: the macro practice and the micro practice. The micro practice involves assisting individuals suit better in own environment. On the other hand, macro practices involve changing of the environment to suit individual who live in it (Segal, Gerdes, and Steiner, 2010:71). Social work is explained as, both professional and academic exercise that hunts to develop and recover the value of life and health of individuals, a group, or community. The social workers target to improve lives of individuals and as well the society as a whole. Social work can be termed a career, though exciting and challenging. There exist two kinds of social workers. First is direct-service social workers and second type is clinical social workers. The direct-service social workers are those who assist people resolve and survive with problems in their lives while clinical-service social workers diagnose and cure behavioral, mental or psychological and emotional matters. Social work is somewhat of recent origin with first welfare agencies formed by early 1800s mostly in urban areas (Zastrow, 2010:110). Originally, these agencies were founded from religious groups, and were more of private focusing on providing physical basic needs like shelter and food. These ancient private agencies also made attempts of treating private and sensitive complexities with religious rebukes. The examples of these agencies

Human Resource Management in the Hotel Industry Term Paper

Human Resource Management in the Hotel Industry - Term Paper Example The more surprising aspect is that the service industries like for e.g. hotels depend much more than manufacturing industries on their human capital for the quality of service being delivered by the intangible interface between the staff (the service provider) and the customer. The reason for this could be that the ‘services sector’ is not homogeneous and includes such diversified industries and services like banking, business services, catering, distribution, finance, insurance, leasing, hotels, and transport etc. In addition to this, it is estimated that sixty-five to seventy-five percent of work in the manufacturing industries also relates to ‘services’. However, the services provided by different industries are different in content and nature and for the reason cannot be dealt with as a general proposition. For example, the hotel industry is seasonal unlike many others listed above. The hotel industry is characterized by ad hoc management, lack of trade unionism and high labor turnover. (Hoque 1999a 4)The quality of human resources could well be the differentiator that can lend a competitive edge to the industry. The reputation that a hotel earns for its quality of service, is difficult for its competitors to replicate. The core philosophy of human resource management is that employee commitment enhances employe... sen sums up the key objectives for pursuing strategic HRM in the hotel industry as follows: it must focus on both activities generating value for the company and optimizing HRM costs at the same time (value contribution); it must develop, promote and retain human capital to suit the company's strategic objectives (aligni ng human capital with strategic objectives); and it must anticipate and support change initiatives with necessary processes, methods, and instruments for a smooth transition (managing change). Hoque cites other researchers like Guest (1987) and Beer et al., (1985) to argue that employees' commitment makes them more satisfied, productive, adaptable, willing to accept organizational goals and values, and not mind to 'stretch' themselves to meet organizational goals.     

Assignment # 1 - Geography of Everyday Life Essay

Assignment # 1 - Geography of Everyday Life - Essay Example Although people inside the gym are normally few in the mornings, the place normally smells of sweat as people strain and flex their body muscles under various loads. The gym is decorated with pictures of people with a lot of muscle and strength. Whenever I get inside this place, I first feel some temporary tension especially when I think of having to bear the load of weights I will lift. Visiting the gym daily makes me feel more confident about my physical appearance and makes me feel strong, fit and physically powerful. For many people, the gym is a place where one expends some energy to rejuvenate the mind while at the same time strengthening muscles. This is a place where people invest their confidence in to control their Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure and boost their muscular endurance. After showering, eating, and spending a little time in the privacy of my home, I walk down to the harbour on a regular basis. The Lakeshore Harbour is a commercial area which welcomes millions of tourists each year, especially in the summertime. It is a huge open area where public events are held daily during the summer, and almost every weekend until extreme weather hits. The interesting thing about the harbour is that it is an extremely busy public area open for anyone, yet it is also the place I like to go when I feel the need for some peace and quiet. The sound of water gently hitting the beach is normally very pleasant to my ears. Although the sound is never pleasant during turbulent weather, the site of the pace is usually captivating during such times. The site of people relaxing, children playing and people rowing in boats or riding on floats is quite delightful to me especially when the sky above is clear. Urban parks, such as the harbour surroundings, are highly valued lan dscapes. They represent sources of pleasure, leisure, and escape from the concrete of the streets, and everyday sensuous encounters with ‘nature’. If

Buildng construction for fire services (Brannigan & Corbett) Final Research Paper

Buildng construction for fire services (Brannigan & Corbett) Final - Research Paper Example The changes to these codes is expected to make tall buildings safer around the world and better equipped to handle a disaster. Building codes have been in use in the US for over 100 years since the first model code was written by the National Board of Underwriters in 1905. These codes have been revised and updated based on new materials and construction methods as they became available. Building damage during natural events like hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes led to revisions and upgrades of the building codes. The codes are written to establish the minimum requirements but the construction industry has often treated these as the maximum requirements (Dehring, 2006, p10, 11). Two comparatively recent major building disasters have led to the coining of the term â€Å"progressive collapse† and have led to the modification of building codes to prevent these from happening. In 1968, a gas explosion in a kitchen on the 18th floor of the 22-story Ronan Towers Apartment Building in London, UK knocked out pre-cast concrete load bearing panels in a corner of the building and that loss of support caused an entire corner bay of the building to collapse. The Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City was destroyed in 1995 by a bomb in a truck in the basement of the building. The bomb explosion damaged or destroyed three columns which led to the failure of a transfer girder. This caused the columns supported by the transfer girder and the floor areas supported by those columns to collapse causing a general collapse (Nair, 2004, p 1, 2). In both cases, the structural collapse is considered disproportionate to the trigger and the engineering community and the codes have attempted to change design codes to prevent such disproportionate damage. In general, codes attempt to improve building safety using three approaches – increasing local resistance, creating redundancy or improving interconnection (Nair, 2004, p2, 3). Increasing local

MPH 504 - Epidemiology (Module 5 - CBT) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MPH 504 - Epidemiology (Module 5 - CBT) - Essay Example However this also eliminates high number of HIV infected individuals due to reduced sensitivity causing undesirable social and health problems (such as risk of spreading the disease and delay for the treatment). To overcome the problems of both extremes A is the most suitable OD ratio to establish the cutoff. 6. Director of Blood Bank: HIV is a deadly disease with no cure. Therefore the intention of screening the donated blood samples against HIV is to totally protect blood receivers from being infected with HIV. Therefore director of Blood Bank has to set the cut off where he can eliminate almost all the HIV infected blood samples. In other words he has to attain 100% sensitivity. Thereby he has to draw the cutoff line for OD ratio at B eliminating the risk of possible false negatives. However this decision dramatically reduces the specificity by increasing the number of false positives. This leads to rejection of higher number of healthy blood samples. Investigator: The investigator needs to select high risk HIV infected individuals to test the efficacy of his potentially toxic antiviral drug through a clinical trial. Since the antiviral drug is potentially toxic he has to select only HIV infected individuals without any false positives. Consequently he has to achieve 100% specificity eliminating all false positive. In doing so he should draw the cutoff line for OD ratio at C. However as a result of this decision he has to reject high number of HIV infected individual who tested negative due to low sensitivity resulted from the newly defined cutoff. This makes him recruit a larger sample (than expected) to get the required number of eligible

Drama analysis of Hamlet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Drama analysis of Hamlet - Essay Example Hamlet feigns insanity to discover the truth, but might as easily be insane by the mere fact of seeing and talking with ghosts. While Hamlet at first seems to be insane, there are several ways, through both language and action, that Shakespeare works to demonstrate that there is a definite method behind Hamlet’s madness. Hamlet, is at first presented as an intelligent young man who is perhaps a little spoiled yet who knows his duty and has a bright future ahead of him, but who is also quickly linked with the idea of insanity. From the beginning of the play, he is shown to be a man who is divided. His first spoken words in the play, â€Å"a little more than kin, and less than kind!† (I, ii), are spoken in an aside to himself, indicating the disdain in which he holds his uncle and mother, but could also be interpreted as the first signs of insanity as he is seen to be talking to himself. His next words, spoken to his uncle, â€Å"Not so, my lord. I am too much in the sun† (I, ii), demonstrate his ability to quickly turn a phrase upon itself. While he is answering his uncle’s question about why the â€Å"clouds still hang† on him, he does not answer the question and instead makes a reference to being looked after too much by his uncle as well as too much considered a son. Th is tendency of his to always find a double meaning in any sentence is one of the first indications of insanity Shakespeare provides. In addition, Hamlet demonstrates an almost suicidal depression following his father’s death and his mother’s betrayal, only kept from that by his religious upbringing: â€Å"O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, / Or that the Everlasting had not fixed / His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter† (I, ii). Very early in the play we learn that Hamlet has lost all faith, all joy and all purpose in life. He cannot accept his

Tyco international Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tyco international - Essay Example government. After its incorporation, the firm involved itself with high-tech science materials and conversion of energy products for use in the commercial sector. Over time, Tyco International was involved with various corporate strategies such as mergers and acquisition to become a leading manufacturer of industrial products. Corporate Level Strategies According to Porter (2008), corporate strategy includes all strategies that an organization employs as it diversifies. The strategy involves the combination of enterprises that a firm should compete in integration and modes through which to subsidiaries are coordinated. The four common corporate strategies applied by many firms including Tyco International include the portfolio strategy, restructuring, skills transfer and activity sharing (Tyco, 2011). The portfolio strategy as applied in the context of Tyco international is the ability of the firm to choose the best strategy exploits the strengths of the organization with the ability to exploit existing opportunities. The aim is to maximize shareholder returns. The analysis of the existing business portfolio and making decisions on suitability of the firm in receiving any further investment is a major step that should be accompanied strategy evaluation. In order to achieve the intended strategy, various methods are used, two of which is the BCG matrix and the General electric/shell strategy. Through the application of these strategies, Tyco International has been able to diversify over time (Tyco, 2011). Tyco International was established as an experimental laboratory/organization conducting experiments for the government. However, over time, the firm was able to experience both internal and external growth with diversity in its operations in different fields with the latest being a split. Internal growth was experienced through increased revenue that was used to pursue external growth through mergers and acquisitions. For instance, mergers began as early as 19 66 when the firm acquired Industrionics Control Inc. the 1970s saw the firm acquire Simplex and Grinnell. The firm continued its external expansion and ended acquiring more firms in the course of its growth (Porter, 2008). However, the firm realized it potential growth prospects and exploited the corporate strategy of split in 2006 where it was split into three independent companies that were Covidien Ltd, Tyco Electronics Ltd and Tyco International Ltd. Before splitting, Tyco International utilized the BCG strategy that could be used to establish the product portfolios of the firm as explained in the next section. While diversifying in international markets, Tyco International utilized strategies such as the export strategy, franchising and joint ventures and licensing among others. BCG Matrix as Applied to Tyco International The BCG matrix categorizes products of an organization based on the market share and the market growth rate. Based on these two axes, four quadrants are drawn representing stars, cash cows, dogs and cats. The matrix postulates that Stars represent products of the firm that depict high growth rates in the market such as healthcare products and services of Tyco International. Electronic products that have a large market share although they perform moderately in the market while question marks and dogs represent products of low market share operating in high growth markets and

Sense and Sensibility Essay Example for Free

Sense and Sensibility Essay Jane Austen’s novel â€Å"Sense and Sensibility† was originally named â€Å"Elinor and Marianne† before the title was changed during publication in 1811. Thus, the readers associate Elinor with â€Å"sense† and Marianne with â€Å"sensibility†. â€Å"Sense† and â€Å"sensibility† establish the overall characterization of the two main characters. The dichotomy of â€Å"sense† and â€Å"sensibility† is one of the perspectives through which the novel is most commonly analyzed. Although Jane Austen seems to be in favour of â€Å"sense†, through the novel’s plot and characterization of the Dashwood sisters, Jane Austen seems to be suggesting that a balance of both attributes is necessary in order for one to survive in their society. â€Å"Sense and Sensibility† refer to Elinor and Marianne, respectively. From the footnotes of the novel, â€Å"sense† is defined as possessing judgment and intelligence, while â€Å"sensibility† is defined as capacity for refined emotional response to feelings and experiences, involving delicate sensitivity to moral and aesthetic issues. From these descriptions, Elinor can be portrayed as the embodiment of â€Å"sense†, while Marianne is â€Å"sensibility†. At the beginning of the novel, Jane Austen describes these two traits in Elinor and Marianne and how they are in comparison to each other. â€Å"Elinor†¦ possessed a strength of understanding and coolness of judgment†¦ and her feelings were strong: but she knew how to govern them† and â€Å"Marianne’s†¦ quite equal to Elinor†¦ but eager in everything†¦ she was everything but prudent. † These descriptions set up the basic personalities of the Dashwood sisters throughout the novel and are important in showing their growth. Some of the main trials faced in the novel are for â€Å"sense† and â€Å"sensibility† to cooperate and for the sisters to find a meeting point between reason and emotion. In the novel, as Elinor and Marianne mature and develop, the readers start to see the sisters exhibiting each other’s characteristics. For instance, when Elinor finds out that it was Robert that Lucy married and not Edward, she reacted the way the readers would expect Marianne to behave: â€Å"Elinor could sit no longer†¦ burst into tears of joy, which at first she thought would never cease. † By exhibiting â€Å"sensibility†, Elinor demonstrates to Edward her feelings for him and consequently, they are happily married at the end of the novel. Another instance is when Marianne reflects on her behavior: â€Å"My illness has made me think†¦ I saw in my own behavior†¦ nothing but a series of imprudence towards myself and want of kindness to others. † Here Marianne begins to think more rationally and before long, she sees how caring and heroic Colonel Brandon is capable of being (previously, she thought of Colonel Brandon as one who has succumbed to the infirmity of dull middle age) and eventually, Marianne gets her happy ending. From the aforementioned examples, the readers perceive that it is only when the sisters are able to find an intersection point between reason and emotion and their â€Å"sense† and â€Å"sensibility† are in balance, do the Dashwood sisters get their deserved outcomes. Here, the title â€Å"Sense and Sensibility† act as a plot device, as well as a device for character development. Another way in which the title of the novel is significant is it explores some of the main concerns in â€Å"Sense and Sensibility†. One of the main concerns explored is the relationship between Elinor and Marianne. The title â€Å"Sense AND Sensibility† perhaps suggests that â€Å"sense† cannot exist and function without â€Å"sensibility† and vice versa. Seeing that Elinor represents â€Å"sense† and Marianne represents â€Å"sensibility†, this would explain the reversal of roles at the end of the novel. The role reversal discards the somewhat fixed descriptions of the Dashwood sisters at the beginning of the novel. If Elinor and Marianne were to remain true to Jane Austen’s characterization of them, they would not be able to achieve their respective happy endings. Another concern explored through the title is societal expectations of women. In the introduction, it explains that â€Å"sensibility† may be considered as â€Å"a feminine attribute in some respects, but it would be socially inconvenient for women to possess too much of it, for they would not fit in with what was required of them or put up with what they had to endure†. One example, where the â€Å"possession† of too much â€Å"sensibility† has caused a problem is Marianne. When Marianne saw Willoughby at the ball, she was overcome by emotions and acted against the social code and shortly after that she fell ill. This is a result of her having too much of â€Å"sensibility† and too little â€Å"sense†. Perhaps Austen is trying to make a point that in society, a woman needs to have Elinor’s â€Å"sense†, but she also needs to display emotion and possess a bit of passion like Marianne. In short, the well balance of â€Å"sense† and â€Å"sensibility† is necessary. All in all, the overall impression that the readers get from the title, â€Å"Sense and Sensibility†, in relation to the novel’s plot and characters, is that the novel is not about the triumph of sense over sensibility or their division; on the contrary, the readers remember â€Å"sense† and â€Å"sensibility† as a conjunction of terms that serve together as the compound subject of Jane Austen’s novel.

Market Analysis and Promotional Issues in South Africa Essay Example for Free

Market Analysis and Promotional Issues in South Africa Essay South Africa is an ethically diverse country and was under the colonial rule for decades. It has been noted that its Black African ancestry in the whole population consisted of 79.3% while the white population was 9.1%, the colored 9% and the Indian/Asian of 2.6 %. The country’s new constitution which came into effect on 4th February, 1997, has recognized 11 official languages and has further given them all an equal status. Its colonial history was one of subjugation by the white colonial masters and therefore the native African and colored population nursed a growing sense of resentment, doubt and a feeling of revenge for the wrong doings meted out to them by the colonial rulers. The nation that became liberalized by emerging out of the past again realized that the colonial spell of subjugation was not fully over as yet as they still have to remove the feeling of inferiority over the English language left out by the foreign rulers. Thus, conscientious efforts were on by the new government to save the country’s various linguistic cultures. By accepting linguistic globalization, which has adapted the use of English, mother tongue equally need to be used and also developed (Moyo, 2009). In this context and the resulting confusion of attaining a cultural identity the book sales in South Africa saw a significant increase including those of English books. South African Customers The South African Customer for market purpose in consumer products covers a whole range of people from all cultural and linguistic angles. Yet from the point of view of the book publishing the range is limited and this is further narrowed down given to reason that the English reading population is limited only to the white people and the educated lot of the Black African and colored population. Now taking into consideration the market of English fiction of the Janet Evanovich line of books the market gets further segregated according to age. However, it is seen that fiction in general is the easiest genre to sell in the overseas market (O’Reilly, 2010). This is more so keeping in view of the South African government’s recent bilingual education policy where English language is an important official language. Although South Africa has a significantly different political, social and cultural landscape than that of US, it provides an excellent example of bilingual education policy (England, 2009). In spite of the above it is seen that there is some amount of resistance from the culturally distinct group who would like their own mother tongue as their main language. According to the author Mzamane Mbulelo Vizikhungo liberating the African mind from the stronghold of Western cultural imperialism is the unfinished business of the liberation struggle (2009). This shows the nature of resistance which still exists in the Black African and colored population which may take some time to completely erase out. As Vorster states that after a long period of inequalities in the society a new dispensation cannot be effectively established without a deep-rooted transformation process that must redress the imbalance cause by the previous dispensation (2005). Yet this may slowly subside as the whole world moves towards globalization and there will be changes in the attitudes of the consumers. An understanding of the psychological process by which attitudes are changed should provide insight into when and how attitudes guide consumer behavior (Bagozzi, Gurham-Cauli and Priester, 2002). This is true for any fiction and the publishers ought to be aware of this in order to project the book as tailored for the customers. Today’s approach is to accept that there are different demands in the market place and the product needs to be tailored specifically to meet the differing demand if it is stand the best chance of success (Proctor, 2000). In case of Janet Evanovich writing which is incidentally a fast moving, suspense filled, romantic version of contemporary life in America, and the South African public can see reason as to why they too may not change likewise. Customers are more discerning than they used to be in the past where they purchased simply on their whims and impulse (Griffin, 2002). The same could hold true for the modernizing South Africa who might rather than reject accept the fast fiction version of the American life. Defining the Changing South African Market With the advent of globalization it is not possible for any nation to remain cocooned in one’s own narrow beliefs and cultural pretense. Although by and large the global society would undoubtedly become a multicultural and multi-lingual one there is enough evidence that heterogeneity would remain distinctively rooted within a larger homogeneity in existence everywhere. This homogeneity would be defined as the assimilation of all positive sides of human endeavors and linguistic aspects. Therefore, for projecting the Janet Evanovich’s line of books the publishers need to emphasize the point through website and other media that the book is meant for the public simply as a form of entertainment and not to transgress on their cultures and at the same time to inform them of the life style in contemporary America. Marketing is about meeting customer’s needs and developing their trust and loyalty (Doyle, 2000). In order to achieve these publishers would have to wean themselves away from the biasness of their own home country and look at book sale as a specific objective. Many marketers now distinguish a goal as a specific objective, a refinement of an objective and make it desirable (Rogers, 2001). In order to remove whatever friction that may cause by the introduction of the books the publishers may undertake promotions in an appealing way with due consideration given to the cultural aspects of each group. Not only can a celebrity endorsement campaign fit with the launch of Janet Evanovich’s line of books by local artists, but the author can sign a few dozens of the initial published copies. This can make the public more intimate with her style of writing and wouldn’t try to uncover any seemingly hidden motives. Utilizing a charitable outlet for a portion of the profits can enhance the sensitivity of the company’s representation in the community (Hosier, 2010). Further, a special low pricing could be offered so as to entice the potential customers who are usually in the age group within 16 to 60. Or a special discount could be offered for the first hundred copies or the whole of the first published lot in South Africa only. Prices, reflect values, the value seller believes their product possesses and which the buyer too perceives (Bradley, 2003). An intimate relationship is thus established between the consumers and with those who are very sentimental when their cultural values is seen under threat.   Reference List Bradley Frank (2003). Strategic Marketing: In the Customer Driven Organization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pricing Strategies and Tactics. 12, 221. Chichester, England. Wiley. Bagozzi P. Richard, Gurham-Cauli and Priester R. Joseph (2002). The Social   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychology of Consumer Behavior. Attitude Change. 5, 102. Philadelphia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Philadelphia Open University Press. Doyle Peter (2000). Value Based Marketing: Marketing Strategies for Corporate   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Growth and Shareholder Value. The Marketing Value Driver. 3, 69. New York.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   John Wiley Sons. England W. Travis (2009). Bilingual Education: Lessons from abroad for America’s   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pending Crisis.   A. South Africa. Washington University Law Review. Griffin Jill (2002). Customer Loyalty. A Closer Look at Loyalty. 2, 17, San Francisco.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jossey-Bass. Hosier Bill (2010). Benevolent Marketing-Building Charitable Giving into the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Business Model. Advertising, marketing, public relations community. O’Reilly Gillian (2010). Canadian Books Sell around the World. Fiction. Canadian   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Children’s book News. Proctor Tony (2000). Strategic Marketing. Segmentation, Target and Positioning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10, 188. London. Routledge. Moyo Thamba (2009). Linguistic diversity and development: the language question   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And Social justice in Southern Africa. The Mother Tongue Defined. Forum   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table.

The Life And Work Of Euclid

The Life And Work Of Euclid While studying geometry with Euclid a youth inquired after having learned the first proposition, What do I get by learning these things? Euclid called a slave to them and said, Give him threepence, since he must make a gain out of what he learns. [8] Euclid, a Greek mathematician and teacher, changed the course of the world. Euclids work not only affected the work of other prominent scientists to come after him, but also the lives of ordinary people, which contributed to the rise of modern science in western civilization. What is perplexing is that despite him changing the course of world, we know very little about him. Unlike some other well-known historical figures, Euclids influence did not spread simply by fame. Historians dont even know his exact date of birth. To this day, we do not know which continent he was born on, much less the city. Of the little we do know about Euclid, we know that he taught in Alexandria around 300 B.C. [9], and that he wrote, amongst approximately 10 other books, arguably one of the greatest mathematical textbooks in history, The Elements. The Elements is a geometry textbook that unified all of the previously known principles of geometry. It was unique in that it was constructive in its delivery of its principles. Basically, it explained mathematic principles from the ground up and added onto what was already established. Imagine trying to study science if one concept didnt flow into the next and everything was garbled and out of order. The Elements solved this problem through careful organization and logical delivery of its principles. The Elements wasnt a revolutionary observation or a new and exciting revelation, but rather a book of brilliant deductive reasoning, analysis, and organization. The Elements was explained so well that every Geometry textbook preceding it was practically discarded, and because of this the term Euclidean wasnt necessary or used for over two thousand years because there was no other known form of geometry[17]. Concerning Euclids deductive reasoning and analysis, his axiomatic systems are most prominent. His axiomatic systems are considered to be constructive. [18] This means that he never reached any conclusions or spoke about concepts that he did not yet explain to the reader. He arranged the geometric theorems so that they flowed logically from one to the next. [9] For example, he started with the simplest of concepts such as describing a geometric point and worked his way into derived propositions. [16] More specifically he took a small number of axioms (self-evident logical truths) and deduced many other theorems from them. He even filled in the blanks whenever it was necessary by filling in the missing steps absent from others processes, and even by developing his own proofs [9]. For example, Euclid proved that it is impossible to find the largest prime number. He proved that if you were to take the largest known prime number and 1 to the product of all the prime numbers leading up to it and including it then you will get another prime number. This is accepted as being one of the classics proofs in mathematics because of how clear and concise it is. [5] Euclid put a lot of effort into making it possible for common people to understand geometry rather than just professional mathematicians. How the natural flow and style of explanation of The Elements affected the world is self-evident. Since it is easier to understand scientific concepts when they are communicated clearly and concisely and delivered in a logical order, Euclids book made it much easier for the people to acquire a complete understanding of geometry. As newborns in this world often one of the first things we get to play with are blocks of different geometric shapes. This helps us to develop our minds both visually and mathematically. Euclidean shapes are quite literally everywhere in our society. Unlike Calculus where there is usually a fixed method for solving a given problem, when it comes to geometry, using Euclidean axioms allows people to solve any one problem in several different ways. It also inspires development of problem solving skills. One of the ways Euclidean geometry has been applied and influences our day to day lives is through construction and architecture. For example, if somebody wants to construct a wooden table. If they wanted to figure out if it was square or not they could measure each corner of the table to see if it was at a 90 angle. With Euclidean Geometry, however, they would need only to measure two of the corners. The properties of right triangles within The Elements tells us that if two corners are square then the whole shape is square. This is probably very obvious to a person of our modern day, but it was not at the tme. Unless you are a mathematician you may not even know who such properties can be attributed to and just consider them common knowledge. Another, less obvious way they could have done this is to have measured the distance between two diagonal corners of the table. If the two distances are the same then the table must be a square. The latter method I have described is a common wa y for construction workers or home-improvement workers to check their work. There are countless examples of this that common people can utilize in their everyday lives with the principles of Euclidean Geometry. Euclids influence doesnt end there. Examples of Euclidean geometry can be found in modern day computer graphics. It is used in mesh generation. A mesh is basically a combination of geometric polygons or polyhedrons that create the illusion of a curve. Although the Euclidean Geometry may be widespread within western civilization, in some third world countries there are houses are constructed as lop-sided indeterminate shapes. This is a real-life example of what our architecture would have looked like without Euclids influence.[4] It is fair to say that the study of Euclids book was one of the main contributing factors to the Scientific Revolution and subsequently the rise of science in Europe rather than in Asia. The Elements made the concept of one principle being built upon another glaringly obvious and, over the course of time, it became considered common knowledge in western civilization. Of course, scientists such as Newton, Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo played significant roles as well [9], but as Sir Isaac Newton said If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants [21]. Euclids book provided for us, not just a shoulder, but an entire foundation built of giants shoulders that would have otherwise been scattered and disorganized. This solid base of knowledge allowed western civilization to reach new heights. For example, when it came to Isaac Newton and his book, Principles Of Natural Philosophy, many of his proofs were set in a geometric form similar to those found in The Elements . [12] As it is with any great work of science, The Elements allows others to build upon it or advance into new areas of discovery. Some men, such as Girolamo Saccehri, have tried to disprove or find flaws in Euclids axioms. Saccehri was an Italian mathematician who in 1733 almost discovered a form of non-Euclidean geometry. He studied for years to find a flaw in Euclids work. He was supposedly on the verge of a breakthrough but gave up before his work came to fruition. It wasnt until about a hundred years later in 1899 that a German mathematician by the name of David Hilbert found another set of geometric axioms that differed from Euclid. [13] Non-Euclidean geometry allows us to describe physical space in new ways. Following Hilbert came another German, by the name of Albert Einstein. Einstein recalls receiving two gifts that had particular influence on him as a child, one a magnetic compass, and the other Euclids The Elements. He referred to The Elements as the holy little geometry book. [3] Another example of a great scientist that was influenced by Euclid is Galileo Galilei. In his old age Galileo told his biographers that while attending the University of Pisa he would nose-drop in on lectures being given by Ostilio Ricci to the court pages on Euclid. These lectures were only available to members of the court so he would try to stay quiet whenever he attended them. His interest in Euclid got the better of him after a while and he approached Ricci to ask him questions on Euclid. Ricci noticed Galileos talent for math and eventually became his teacher. Although Galileo was supposed to be going to college to study medicine, (Galen) he secretly studied mathematics (Euclid) instead. Galileo later used Euclids Book Five, Definition Five, to show how bodies of certain arbitrary weight have weights directly proportional to their volumes. [2] This is one of the best examples how influential Euclids work was to anybody with a mind for mathematics and how he changed the course o f history by capturing the interest of a man such as Galileo. Euclids work also influenced philosophers such as Benedict Spinoza. Benedict Spinoza was a prominent philosopher of 17th century. He wrote the ambitious philosophicical book Ethics where he attempts to provide us with a coherent view of the universe and our place in it. To explain such concepts he used Euclids style of delivery complete with axioms and propositions. Speaking of the system within his book and the style in which he chose to present it in Spinoza said that it was demonstrated in geometrical order. [23] Usually philosophical books were written differently, such as Rene Descartes Meditations that was written like a diary. When it comes to mathematicians I think every mathematician alive since the time of Euclid had to have been influenced by his work in some form or another, but, of some of the most prominent mathematicians, Euclid specifically influenced the work of Bertrand Rusell, Alred North Whitehead, Blaise Pascal, Marin Mersenne , and Adrien-Marie Legendre. Interestingly enough Bertrand Russell, an English 20th century mathematician and logician, used Euclids work to push mathematics into the next level by explaining to people in his book An Essay On The Foundations Of Geometry [11] how Euclidean Geometry was being replaced by more advanced forms of geometry. Both Russell and Whitehead were co-authored the epoch Principia Mathmatica in which they referenced Euclid a number of times as evidence in their work. Pascal, a 17th century French mathematician, received a copy of Euclids Elements as a boy and before the age of 13 he had proven the 32nd proposition of Euclid and discovered a flaw in Rene Descartes geometry [25]. Mersenne, also a 17th century French mathematician, used Euclids proof on prime numbers to develop his own ways or forms as they are called, making it even easier to find large prime numbers. Prime numbers are important to modern day society because they are used in cryptographic software security systems. Basically, large prime numbers can be implemented into coding schemes that are difficult to break. Legendre, a 19th century French mathematician, wrote his most famous book Elà ©ments de Gà ©omà ©trie based entirely off of The Elements. In it he sought to simplify Euclids propositions even further. Elà ©ments de Gà ©omà ©trie was used in elementary school classrooms for over a 100 years. [13][24][6] Euclid influenced politicians such as Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln, as a lawyer traveling on horseback would carry a copy of Euclids Elements in his saddlebag. According to his law partner, at night Lincoln would lay on the floor for hours at night studying Euclids Elements by lamplight. [5] He was a great admirer of the logical delivery of information that The Elements contained and used Euclids systematic approach in many of his speeches. It is no coincidence that the phrase dedicated to the proposition bears such striking similarities to Euclids axioms. Lincoln, speaking of his study of Euclid, said, In the course of my law reading I constantly came upon the word demonstrate. I thought at first that I understood its meaning, but soon became satisfied that I did not. I said to myself, What do I do when I demonstrate more than when I reason or prove? How does demonstration differ from any other proof? I consulted Websters Dictionary. They told of certain proof, proof beyond the possibility of doubt; but I could form no idea of what sort of proof that was. I thought a great many things were proved beyond the possibility of doubt, without recourse to any such extraordinary process of reasoning as I understood demonstration to be. I consulted all the dictionaries and books of reference I could find, but with no better results. You might as well have defined blue to a blind man. At last I said,- Lincoln, you never can make a lawyer if you do not understand what demonstrate means; and I left my situation in Springfield, went home to my fathers house, and stayed there till I could give any proposition in the six books of Euclid at sight. I then found out what demonstrate means, and went back to my law studies. [1][5] The astronomers Johannes Kepler and Nicolaus Copernicus were also influenced by Euclids work. When it came to Keplers approach to astronomy he depended almost entirely on Euclid. Kepler, much like Galileo studied Euclid while attending a university (Tà ¼bingen). Kepler was a devout Lutheran and considered Euclid geometry to be the only geometry that could be applied to the heavens and refused to use any other form of geometry because he considered such forms to be heretical. He developed a proof of concerning planetary motion based entirely off propositions found in The Elements [22]. Copernicus used Euclids work on optics as evidence in his book On The Revolutions Of The Celestial Spheres which was considered the starting point of modern astronomy and the defining epiphany that began the scientific revolution. All these great men of science were not able to use Euclids work as evidence simply because he was well known or famous for doing something exciting and spectacular. It was the intellectual quality of Euclids work that made the difference. We dont know enough about Euclid to either love him nor hate him and unless you happen to be a mathematician, his work is undoubtedly not awe inspiring. Nevertheless, Euclid still managed to affect some of the most important figures of the Scientific Revolution by setting the foundations necessary for the development of modern science. Sources: 1. The Lincoln year book, written by Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865, passage 32 2. Galileo at Work: His Scientific Biography, written by Stillman Drake, pages 2-3 3. Einstein as a Student, written by Dudley Herschbach, page 3 4. How To Use Euclidean Geometry, written by Henri Bauholz, http://www.ehow.com/how_4461018_use-euclidean-geometry.html 5. Euclid, Math Open Reference, http://www.mathopenref.com/euclid.html 6. Great Scientists: from Euclid to Stephen Hawking, written by John Farndon, 2007 7. A Chronicle of Mathematical People, written by Robert A. Nowlan 8. Geometry Quotes, History of Mathematics Archive, http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/~john/MT4521/Lectures/Q1.html 9. The 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Persons In History, written by Michael H. Hart, 2000 10. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Euclid 11. The Teaching of Euclid, written by Bertrand Russell, http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Extras/Russell_Euclid.html 12. Isaac Newton, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton 13. Mathematicians Are People, Too: Stories from the Lives of Great Mathematicians, written by Luetta Reimer Wilbert Reimer, 1990 14. The Beginnings of Western Science: The European Scientific Tradition in Philosophical, Religious, and Institutional Context, Prehistory to A.D. 1450, written by David C. Lindberg, 2008 15. Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers, written by Jan Gulberg, 1996 16. Euclids Elements, written by D.E. Joyce, http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/java/elements/elements.html 17. Euclid, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclid 18. Axiomatic Systems for Geometry, written by George Francis, 2002 19. The Thirteen Books of the Elements, written by Euclid / Thomas L. Heath 20. Mathmatical Thought, University of Arkansas, http://math2033.uark.edu/wiki/index.php/EuclidHYPERLINK http://math2033.uark.edu/wiki/index.php/Euclids_ElementsHYPERLINK http://math2033.uark.edu/wiki/index.php/Euclids_Elementss_Elements 21. Newton: Understanding the Cosmos, New Horizons, Letter from Isaac Newton to Robert Hooke, 1676, as transcribed by Jean-Pierre Maury, 1992 22. KEPLERS PLANETARY LAWS, written by A. E. Davis, http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/HistTopics/Keplers_laws.html 23. Spinoza and Jefferson, The Teaching Community, http://teachingcompany.12.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=2147 24. A History of Mathematics, written by Carl B. Boyer, 1985 25. The History of Computing Project, Blaise Pascal, http://www.thocp.net/biographies/pascal_blaise.html