The Arrival of the Europeans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Arrival of the Europeans - Essay Example They were a part of the Virginia Company of London (Morgan, 18). Much of the history of this time does not talk of the atrocities that were committed upon the people who were Native Americans. This points to the historical inaccuracies that are created by colonialism as an economic and political phenomenon. Jamestown experienced severe difficulties in setting up a local economy and for a very long time was dependent upon the economy of the mother country, that is, England. This was the case with many new colonies around this time. They were unable to find a firm footing in the new lands. This was attributed in many cases to the lack of labor in these new lands. The situation was different where the colonization was not accompanied by a genocide and labor could be had from the local populations. This was however, not the case with Jamestown. Edmund S. Morgan talks of the reasons as to why the English were unable to begin the production of food in the new colony. The composition of the population is touted as the major reason for this failure. The composition of the colonial population consisted of, to a large extent, the nobility of England. This meant that there was not enough labor available in the new colony, to work in the fields. This hampered the production of food to a great extent. Morgan attributes the failure of the production of food to the â€Å"poor organization† of the colonial enterprise and Jamestown in particular. This then resulted in alliances with the natives of America. In a short while, thus, the colonizers were dependent on the natives for a large part of their lives (19-21). One of the main reasons for the survival of the English settlement in Jamestown was the success of John Smith. John Smith was an experienced man and knew how to deal with the Indians and was also well versed in warfare. The cruel manner in which he dealt with the Indians was

Elizabeth looked Essay Example for Free

Elizabeth looked Essay Discuss the significance of this statement within the play and the wider political and historical contexts. The play, The Crucible, portrays a community which is based on paranoid accusations of witchcraft ending in mass hysteria. The accusations led to dozens of alleged witches being prosecuted in the Massachusetts colony; resulting in the death of nineteen people being hung and one pressed to death, over the following two years. Set in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts during 1692, it depicts one man, John Proctor, in his struggle to keep his pride and name from being destroyed with lies, deceit and accusations of consorting with Satan. In 1915 Arthur Miller was born in New York City where he grew up. When he was older, in 1934, he paid for himself to enroll at the University of Michigan and graduated in 1938. Then during 1953 he published The Crucible but was then later criticized for being an Anti-American. Arthur Miller was intrigued by the witch trials of the 17th Century Salem, but he was also concerned with United States political events; parts of which were opposing the spread of communism. The McCarthyism era, in 1938, was created and led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, it was on the basis that communism was spreading and would undermine and destroy capitalism. McCarthy gave across the point that communism was to be feared and that it was a threat to America. Slowly Americans seemed to grasp his paranoid ideas and began to eradicate communism from the country. John Proctors statement, I have given you my soul; leave me my name! is significant within the play and also outside of it. Proctor was a village person, who lived in a small, friendly community where everybody knows each another and so a name would mean a lot about that person living in that community. For that reason Proctor wishes to keep his name as it is because he believes that it is the only thing he has left to hold onto. Yet outside of the play labels are formed for specific groups such as communists and capitalists. A name has been a strong idea throughout history where Kings are recognised by their names and everyone is given a name at birth. One of the main characters in Arthur Millers play is John Proctor. He was known in Salem as having a high moral status and being a respectable, honest and hard working farmer. John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth Proctor had 3 children; John tended to the farm while Elizabeth looked after the house and children. He had a strong belief that he should stick to what he believes by holding his head high against accusations and immoral justifications. He stands up for himself when he is told to sign the confession papers to be nailed onto the church door and does not let people over come him. You will not use me! I am no Sarah Good or Tituba, I am John Proctor! You will not use me! It is no part of salvation that you should use me! John Proctor is a character who, since the start, denounced the whole proceedings of the Witch Trials unjust and that the afflicted girls were liars. This builds up a life changing dilemma where he is accused of witchcraft and eventually will be hung unless he confesses to working with the devil. One of the choices he could take was to lie; he was to sign his name to a document confirming he performed witchery while in association with Lucifer. This outcome would result in him letting down this wife, children, his friends and even the people who have already been hung for witchery. Although ultimately he would be letting himself down and losing his pride and honour. The other choice he could take was death. Proctor ultimately chooses death as he wanted to hold onto, what was left of, his pride, honour and reputation. During this execution he pleaded for a little respite of time while claiming he was not fit to die. His plea was, of course, unsuccessful. Another main character is Abigail Williams; she is revealed to show her true malicious self as the play progresses.

Research into Phonological Mean Length of Utterance (pMLU)

Research into Phonological Mean Length of Utterance (pMLU) Specific language impairment (SLI) is a disorder defined by exclusion. Children with SLI exhibit language difficulties in the absence of other factors, such as hearing loss, mental impairment, physical impairment, emotional disturbance, or environmental deprivation (Bishop, 1992a, 1992b; Lubert, 1981). Children with SLI have difficulty acquiring one or more of the components of language, i.e. form (phonology, morphology, and syntax), content (semantics), and use (pragmatics). The field of phonological acquisition has made extensive efforts to measure its development through normative studies (Templin, 1957; Olmstead, 1971) and articulation tests (Hodsen Paden, 1991). Earlier, the research focus was on correctness of consonants as well as the analysis of segments in general. Recently the whole word complexity has been stressed (Masterson Kamhi, 1992, Ingram, 2002). One such measure is the Phonological mean length of utterance (pMLU). It is a whole word measure for measuring phonologic al proficiency (Ingram,2002). It measures the length of a childs words and the number of correct consonants. The pMLU for a speech sample is calculated by: (1) counting the number of segments (consonants and vowels) in each word as produced by the child; (2) counting the number of consonants produced in each word that the child produced accurately; (3) summing these two numbers; (4) totaling these sums; and (5) dividing this total by the total number of words in the sample. pMLU quantifies development of phonology and focuses on the childrens whole-word productions instead of specific segments. Ingram demonstrates the value of the pMLU measure by applying it wide range of contexts. NEED FOR THE STUDY Although pMLU has been addressed in normal as well as phonological disorders and cochlear implanted children, the same is not focussed on children with SLI. Since PMLU is a whole word measure, problems in phonology and morphosyntax are expected to reduce the score. Hence PMLU can be used to investigate the difficulties if any in phonology and morphosyntax of children with SLI. Hence the present study was planned. AIM OF THE STUDY: To compare the pMLU of children with SLI in comparison with typically developing Kannada speaking children. METHOD: This study followed a case control design. Participants were divided into 2 groups. Clinical group comprised of six individuals (5 males 1 female) with SLI in the age range of 4 to 6 years. The diagnosis of SLI was done on the basis of Leonards exclusionary criteria and the informal assessment of morpho-syntax by the primary investigator. The control group comprised of age matched 30 children out of which 15 were males and 15 females. Exclusion criteria considered were speech, language, hearing and neurological problems. A minimum of 50 spontaneous speech utterances were elicited from each child for a duration of 30 to 40 minutes which was audio recorded using SONY recorder. The childrens utterances were narrow transcribed and pMLU was calculated for each word produced by the child. The sum of each word in all the utterances were totalled and divided by the number of words produced by the child to obtain the pMLU scores. pMLU was calculated for all the children in both the groups. Mann Whitney U test was administered to find out the significant differences between the means of both the groups. RESULTS: The results of the Mann Whitney U Test revealed a statistically significant difference between the means of pMLU scores across the group at p DISCUSSION: pMLU is a whole-word measure for phonological development. The results of the present study revealed that the pMLU scores for the children with SLI were lower in comparison to children with normal language development. This could be attributed to the increased number of incorrect consonants in the speech of clinical group when compared to the control group. The decrease in pMLU scores in the clinical group could also be due to the deficit in the use of morphosyntax as these children were having morphosyntactic errors. This in turn suggests that children with SLI are inferior in the acquisition of segments and in their whole-word phonological proficiency to typically developing children. As this pMLU measure includes the number of segments in a word, pMLU can be used to indicate morphosyntactic abnormalities in children with SLI. This tool can also serve as an aid for monitoring the progress of a child when assessed pre and post therapeutically. CONCLUSION: The present study investigated pMLU in children with SLI in the age range of 4-6 years. The results revealed that children with SLI are inferior in the acquisition of segments including morphemes as well as in their whole-word phonological proficiency than the typically developing children. Hence, pMLU measure could be regarded as a yardstick for phonological and morphosyntactic development in children with SLI. INTRODUCTION: SLI is a disorder defined by exclusion. Children with SLI exhibit language difficulties in the absence of other factors, such as hearing loss, mental impairment, physical impairment, emotional disturbance, or environmental deprivation (Bishop, 1992a, 1992b; Lubert, 1981). Specific language impairment (SLI) has been estimated to affect approximately 7 percent of children (Leonard, 1998; Tomblin et al., 1997) and to persist into adolescence (Aram et al., 1984; Beitchman et al., 1996; Stothard et al., 1998;Johnson et al., 1999). Children with SLI have difficulty acquiring one or more of the components of language, i.e. form (phonology, morphology, and syntax), content (semantics), and use (pragmatics). However, as a group they show disproportionate difficulty with some areas, performing worse than typically developing children matched on vocabulary level or mean length of utterance. Several authors (eg, Leonard et al.,1992; Rice et al., 1995; Rice and Wexler, 1996; Oetting and Horohov, 1997; van der Lely and Ullman, 2001) observe that this is particularly the case in the area of verb morphology and it has also been reported in some areas of syntax, including the comprehension of passive sentences (Bishop, 1979; van der Lely and Harris, 1990; van der Lely, 1996) and formation of wh-questions (Leonard 1995; van der Lely and Battell, 2003). The field of phonological acquisition has made extensive efforts to measure its development through normative studies (Templin, 1957; Olmstead, 1971) and articulation tests (Hodsen Paden, 1991). Earlier studies have focused on correctness of consonants as well as the analysis of segments in general. Recent studies have focused on the whole word complexity (Masterson Kamhi, 1992, Ingram, 2002). One such measure is the Phonological mean length of utterance (PMLU). It is a whole word measure for measuring phonological proficiency (Ingram, 2002). It measures the length of a childs words and the number of correct consonants. The PMLU for a speech sample is calculated by: (1) counting the number of segments (consonants and vowels) in each word as produced by the child; (2) counting the number of consonants produced in each word that the child produced accurately; (3) summing these two numbers; (4) totaling these sums; and (5) dividing this total by the total number of words in the sample. PMLU quantifies development of phonology and focuses on the childrens whole-word productions instead of specific segments. Ingram demonstrates the value of the PMLU measure by applying it in a wide range of contexts. These include a comparison of monolingual children, a comparison across languages, and the diagnosis of impairment or delay. Very few studies have addressed the PMLU in different languages. One such study is by Ingram (2002) who proposed preliminary PMLU stages, reflecting the possible level of development in English speaking children which are as follows. Helin, Makkonen Kunnari (2006) reported that PMLU was much higher in Finnish speaking children than those reported for children acquiring English. Balasubramanium bhat (2009) reported the same in kannada speaking typically developing children. Other studies have focused PMLU on the disordered population. Schauwers, Taelman, Gillis Govierts (2005) reported lower PMLU scores in children with cochlear implant than age matched typically developing peers and they also concluded that the earlier implanted children were more proficient than the later implanted children. Prasad, Hossabetu, Balasubramanium Bhat (2010) studied phonological mean length of utterance in children with phonological disorder and they reported, children with phonological disorder are inferior in the acquisition of segments as well as in their whole-word phonological proficiency than the typically developing children. NEED FOR THE STUDY: Although pMLU has been addressed in normal as well as phonological disorders and cochlear implanted children, the same is not focussed on children with SLI. Since PMLU is a whole word measure, problems in phonology and morphosyntax are expected to reduce the score. Hence PMLU was used to investigate the difficulties if any in phonology and morphosyntax of children with SLI. Hence the present study was attempted in this direction. AIM OF THE STUDY: To compare the pMLU of children with SLI in comparison with typically developing Kannada speaking children. METHOD Participants The study followed a case control design. Participants were divided into 2 groups i-e the control group and clinical group. Clinical group comprised of six individuals (5 males 1female) with specific language impairment in the age range of 3 to 6 years. The control group comprised of age matched 30 children out of which 15 were males and 15 females. The diagnosis of specific language impairment was done on the basis of Leonards exclusionary criteria and the informal assessment of morpho-syntax by the primary investigator. The exclusion criteria for the controls were the history of speech, language, neurological and hearing problems. Procedure In order to assess the phonological mean length of utterance, spontaneous speech utterances were elicited from each child for duration of 30 to 40 minutes. Samples consisted of minimum of 50 utterances. The experimenter served as a conversational partner and introduced the child to age appropriate toys and questions. The samples were obtained in an informal setting within the school premises for the control group and in the therapy premises for the clinical group. Audio recording was done using a portable Sony Recorder in a relatively quiet environment. The words were accepted for analysis according to the rules suggested by Ingram and Ingram which are mentioned in the table mentioned in appendix. The childrens production of utterances was narrow transcribed and PMLU was calculated for each child. For each word, the number of segments (consonants and vowels) as produced by the child was counted and summed with the number of correct consonants in a word. The sum of each word in all th e utterances of a single subject were totaled and divided by the number of words produced by the child to obtain the PMLU scores. Mann Whitney U test was administered to find out the significant differences between the means of both the groups. RESULTS: The results of the Mann Whitney U Test revealed a statistically significant difference between the means of pMLU scores across the group at p Group Statistics DISCUSSION: pMLU is a whole-word measure for phonological development and is used to investigate the difficulties if any in phonology and morphosyntax. The present study compared the pMLU of children with SLI in comparison with typically developing Kannada speaking children. The results of the study revealed that the pMLU scores for the children with SLI were lower in comparison to children with normal language development. This could be attributed to the increased number of incorrect consonants in the speech of clinical group when compared to the control group as these children were neutralizing the sound contrasts and also exhibiting syllable reduction strategies. Whether it is syllable structure reduction or sound contrast neutralization, it reduces the overall pMLU score. As children with SLI are inferior in the acquisition of segments as well as in their whole-word phonological proficiency than the typically developing children, phonological errors are reflected in the pMLU scores. Hence it can be concluded that pMLU reflects on the phonological errors. The results of the present study are in consonance with findings that the developments of phonology in children with SLI are much later in comparison to typically developing children (Balasbramanium Bhat, 2009) and also that children with phonological disorder are inferior in the acquisition of segments as well as in their whole-word phonological proficiency than the typically developing children (Prasad, Hossabetu, Balasubramanium Bhat 2010). Hence, pMLU can be used as an assessment tool for children with SLI as this provides an objective assessment tool in the evaluation process. The decrease in pMLU scores in the clinical group could also be due to the deficit in the use of morphosyntax as these children were having morphosyntactic errors. This in turn suggests that children with SLI are inferior in the acquisition of morphemic segments when compared to typically developing children. As this pMLU measure includes the number of segments in a word, pMLU can be used to indicate morphosyntactic abnormalities in children with SLI. This tool can also serve as an aid for monitoring the progress of a child when assessed pre and post therapeutically. CONCLUSION: The present study investigated pMLU in children with SLI in the age range of 4-6 years. The results revealed that children with SLI are inferior in the acquisition of segments including morphemes as well as in their whole-word phonological proficiency than the typically developing children. Hence, pMLU measure could be regarded as a yardstick for phonological and morphosyntactic development in children with SLI. REFERENCES: Aram, D. M., Ekelman, B. L., Nation, J. E. (1984). Preschoolers with language disorders: 10 years later. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 27, 232-244. Beitchman, J., Wilson, B., Brownlie, E. B., Walters, H., Lancee, W. (1996). Long-term consistency in speech/language profiles: I. Developmental and academic outcomes. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35, 804-817. Bowen, C. (1998). Developmental phonological disorders: A practical guide for families and teachers. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd. Bishop, D. V. M. (1979). Comprehension in developmental language disorders. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 21, 225-38. Bishop, D. V. M. (1992a). Comprehension problems in children with specific language impairment: Literal and inferential meaning. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 35, 119-129. Helin, K., Makkonen, T., Kunnari, S. (2006). The Phonological mean length of utterance: the methodological challenge from cross linguistic perspectives. Journal of Child Language, 33, 179-190. ÂÂ  Hodson, B., Paden, E. (1991). Targetting Intelligible speech: a phonological approach to remediation. Austin TX: Pro-edition. Ingram, D. (2002). The measurement of whole-word productions. Journal of Child Language, 29, 713-733. Johnson, C. J., Beitchman, J. H., Young, A., Escobar, M., Atkinson, L., Wilson, B., Brownlie, E. B., Douglas, L., Tback, N., Lam, I., Wang, M. (1999). Fourteenyear follow-up of children with and without speech/language impairments: Speech/language stability and outcomes. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 42, 744-760. Lakkanna, S., Venkatesh, K., Bhat, J. (2007). Assessment of language development. Mangalore: Codeword processors. Leonard, L.B., mcgregor, K.K., Allen, G.D. (1992). Grammatical morphology and speechperception in children with specific language impairment. Journal of Speech and hearingresearch, 35, 1076-1085 Leonard, L. B. 1995 Functional categories in the grammars of children with Specific language impairment, Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 38, 1270-83. Leonard, L. B. (1998). Children with specific language impairment. Cambridge, MA: Bradford. Lubert, N. (1981). Auditory perceptual impairments in children with specific language disorders: A review of the literature. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 46, 3-29. ÂÂ  Masterson, J., Kamhi, A. (1992). Linguistic interrelationships in school age children with and without language disorders. Journal of speech and Hearing Research, 35, 64-75. Olmstead, D. (1971). Out of the mouth of babes. The Hague: Mouton. Oetting, J., Horohov, J. (1997). Past tense marking in chldren with and without specific Language impairment. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 40, 62-74. Polite, J ., and Leonard, B. (2006). Finite verb morphology and phonological length in the speech of children with specific language impairment. Clinical Linguistics Phonetics, 20, 751-760. Radish, B., Jayashree, S. (2009). Phonological Mean Length of Utterance (Pmlu) in Kannada-Speaking Children. Language in India, 9, 489-502. Rice, M.L., Wexler, K., Cleave, P.L. (1995). Specific language impairment as a period of extended optional infinitive. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 38, 850-863. Rice, M. Wexler, K. (1996). A phenotype of specific language impairment. In M. Rice (Ed.), Toward a genetics of language, pp. 215-238. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc. Stothard, S. E., Snowling, M., Bishop, D. V. M., Chipchase, B. B., Kaplan, C. A. (1998). Language impaired preschoolers: A follow-up into adolescence. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 41, 407-418. ÂÂ  Templin, M. (1957). Certain language skills in children. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota press. Taelman, H., Durieux, G., Gillis, S. (2005). Notes on Ingrams whole-word measures for phonological development. Journal of Child Language, 32, 391-405. Tomblin, J. B., Records, N. L., Buckwalter, P., Zhang, X., Smith, E., OBrien, M (1997). Prevalence of specific language impairment in kindergarten children. Journal of Speech Hearing Research, 40(6), 1245-1260. Van der Lely, H. K. J. Harris, M. 1990 Comprehension of reversible sentences in specifically language-impaired children. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders 55, 101-17. Van der Lely, H. K. J. 1996 Specifically language impaired and normally developing children: Verbal passive vs adjectival passive sentence interpretation, Lingua, 98, 243-72. Van der lely, H. K. J. Ullman M. T. (2001) Past tense morphology in specifically language impaired and normally developing children. Language and Cognitive Processes, 16: 177-217. Van der Lely, H. K. J. Battell, J. (2003) Wh-movement in childrenWith grammatical SLI: a test of the RDDR hypothesis, Language 79,153-81.

The Destruction of our Environment :: essays research papers

One of the greatest arguments of philosophy and the scholastic disciplines of the sort has been the debate on the degree of influence that nature has on the growth and development of human beings and the civilizations that define them. By examining the interactions of the environment and the living creations that reside within, one is able to examine and define the type of relationship in place between nature and the creatures of the world. Upon first glance, one will notice that the fundamental roles of the environment and the creatures within respectively are that of a cyclical reciprocity wherein the environment serves as a primary provider in a great cycle of life and death, a cycle that all of the living creatures, especially humans, are a part of on a daily basis. The first premise is that the environment’s role in the cycle of life is that of a provider, wherein all possible forms of energy and sustenance derive. All of the environment’s facets, the air, the water, the verdancy, serve as the primary commodity with which the basic order of life on this planet employ for their means of sustenance. Most animals in nature directly receive their means of sustenance directly from consuming articles of the earth, namely plankton, field grass, and the lowest forms of animals and receive their obligatory elements from the water and the air. All animals are entangled in the reciprocation of water and air, for all animals consume water and then replete the water supply via digestive process wherein water is returned to the Earth, and all mammalian animals transfer air amongst their environment wherein the plants are able to internalize this discharge and return back into the environment viable source of breathable air. These basic roles help to foster the more complex roles that are found in the environment between the different forms of life, the different types of animals and plants. The more complex roles that one will see in play in nature include the hierarchy of the predacious wherein animals comport their existence to the animals and plants that they rely on for food, energy, and maintenance. It is by this process of comporting to the environment that becomes the predication on which a species’ evolutionary track progresses, towards prosperity and towards stagnancy. It has been refuted by many, but accepted by most that it is due to a harmonious and contemporaneous existence between the environment and those who depend on the environment that results in the prolonged existence and evolution of a species. The Destruction of our Environment :: essays research papers One of the greatest arguments of philosophy and the scholastic disciplines of the sort has been the debate on the degree of influence that nature has on the growth and development of human beings and the civilizations that define them. By examining the interactions of the environment and the living creations that reside within, one is able to examine and define the type of relationship in place between nature and the creatures of the world. Upon first glance, one will notice that the fundamental roles of the environment and the creatures within respectively are that of a cyclical reciprocity wherein the environment serves as a primary provider in a great cycle of life and death, a cycle that all of the living creatures, especially humans, are a part of on a daily basis. The first premise is that the environment’s role in the cycle of life is that of a provider, wherein all possible forms of energy and sustenance derive. All of the environment’s facets, the air, the water, the verdancy, serve as the primary commodity with which the basic order of life on this planet employ for their means of sustenance. Most animals in nature directly receive their means of sustenance directly from consuming articles of the earth, namely plankton, field grass, and the lowest forms of animals and receive their obligatory elements from the water and the air. All animals are entangled in the reciprocation of water and air, for all animals consume water and then replete the water supply via digestive process wherein water is returned to the Earth, and all mammalian animals transfer air amongst their environment wherein the plants are able to internalize this discharge and return back into the environment viable source of breathable air. These basic roles help to foster the more complex roles that are found in the environment between the different forms of life, the different types of animals and plants. The more complex roles that one will see in play in nature include the hierarchy of the predacious wherein animals comport their existence to the animals and plants that they rely on for food, energy, and maintenance. It is by this process of comporting to the environment that becomes the predication on which a species’ evolutionary track progresses, towards prosperity and towards stagnancy. It has been refuted by many, but accepted by most that it is due to a harmonious and contemporaneous existence between the environment and those who depend on the environment that results in the prolonged existence and evolution of a species.

Achieving Strategic Fit

Strategic fit express the degree to which an organization is matching its resources and capabilities with the opportunities in the external environment. The matching takes place through strategy and it is therefore vital that the company have the actual resources and capabilities to execute and support the strategy. Strategic fit can be used actively to evaluate the current strategic situation of a company as well as opportunities as M&A and divestitures of organizational divisions.Strategic fit is related to the Resource-based view of the firm which suggests that the key to profitability is not only through positioning and industry selection but rather through an internal focus which seeks to utilize the unique characteristics of the company’s portfolio of resources and capabilities. [1] A unique combination of resources and capabilities can eventually be developed into a competitive advantage which the company can profit from. However, it is important to differentiate betwee n resources and capabilities.Resources relate to the inputs to production owned by the company, whereas capabilities describe the accumulation of learning the company possesses. Resources can be classified both as tangible and intangible: Tangible: Financial (Cash, securities) Physical (Location, plant, machinery) Intangible: Technology (Patents, copyrights) Human resources Reputation (Brands) Culture Several tools have been developed one can use in order to analyze the resources and capabilities of a company.These include SWOT, value chain analysis, cash flow analysis and more. Benchmarking with relevant peers is a useful tool to assess the relative strengths of the resources and capabilities of the company compared to its competitors. Strategic fit can also be used to evaluate specific opportunities like M&A opportunities. Strategic fit would in this case refer to how well the potential acquisition fits with the planned direction (strategy) of the acquiring company. In order to ju stify growth through M&A transactions the transaction should ield a better return than Organic growth. The Differential Efficiency Theory states that the acquiring firm will be able increase its efficiency in the areas where the acquired firm is superior. In addition the theory argues that M&A transactions give the acquiring firm the possibility of achieving positive synergy effects meaning that the two merged companies are worth more together than the sums of their parts individually. [2] This is because merging companies may enjoy from economics of scale and economics of scope.However, in reality many M&A transactions fails due to different factors, one of them being lack of strategic fit. A CEO survey conducted by Bain & Company showed that 94% of the interviewed CEO’s considered the strategic fit to be vitally influential in the success or failure of an acquisition. [3] A high degree of strategic fit from can potentially yield many benefits for an organization. Best case scenario a high degree of strategic fit may be the key to a successful merger, an efficient organization, synergy effects or cost reductions.

Supporting Big Bang essays

Supporting Big Bang essays Science has hypothesized that the universe was created by a big bang. By researching stars and fossil records scientists have claimed that the earth is much older than it is said to be in the creation theory. The creation theory says that the universe is only several thousand years old, but carbon dating has shown that fossils on earth are millions of years old thus disproving part of the creation theory with evidence. There is another reason scientists think that the creation theory is wrong. If the universe was a small ball of matter then outside of this small ball of matter was void. The creation theory says that the universe was created by a supreme being, but there is nowhere that this being could have come from. Other dimensions can only exist inside the universe. If there had been no universe then there is no where that this supreme being could have come from. ...

Discipline in High School Class

Discipline in High School Class Free Online Research Papers Subject: Discipline Topic: Use some ideas from Kounin or Skinner to solve a classroom problem One of my classes is made up for the most part of good students. The class is not large, although the room is tiny and crowded. Some of the students are excellent, always having the answers ready. Others listen for the most part, and learn. Two students, who we will call Amit and Gal, are different. They don’t seem to take the class seriously, and like to laugh and joke, even when nothing is funny. Amit doesn’t always pay attention, but when his behavior in class is commented on by the teacher, he always makes a big argument and defends himself. â€Å"Why me? I’m not the only one talking. And anyway, I wasn’t disturbing the class. I work hard to assimilate the material, see how my grades have come up since the beginning of the year. Why do you pick on me? I wasn’t fooling around at all. â€Å" He never admits anything. You would think he was being interrogated by the police and was afraid to admit even one thing, because it will be held against hi m What advice can Skinner and Kounin give me? How can I control this student’s behavior, or get him to control himself? I think I would try Skinner’s successive approximations and positive reinforcement. If Amit doesn’t disturb for a half an hour, make a positive comment even if he doesn’t listen. When he listens attentively make another positive comment. (These students are too old for stickers or Smileys). After a few days of this, discuss with him his improvement but insist in the future on no disturbances and also attentiveness. I would also try and keep up the Kounin student accountability pressure on Amit by peppering him with questions more frequently than other students. I would do this even though he will resent it. Gal’s problem is very similar. I once told of a humorous comment of the Ibn Ezra, at which Gal laughed uproariously. Gal constantly refers to this comment and laughs, even though it’s not that funny the tenth repetition. He also talks in class much too much, and is called to task frequently. I and using Kounin’s student accountability, but that has only limited effectiveness. I think I should try a schedule of reinforcement if Gal does not disturb, and note and praise his positive (or really non-negative) classroom behavior. Research Papers on Discipline in High School ClassStandardized TestingTrailblazing by Eric AndersonHip-Hop is ArtUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyWhere Wild and West MeetQuebec and CanadaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever Product

Writing Effective School Policy and Procedures

Writing Effective School Policy and Procedures Writing policy and procedures for schools is a part of an administrators job. School policies and procedures are essentially the governing documents by which your school district and school buildings are operated. It is essential that your policies and procedures be current and up-to-date. These should be reviewed and revised as necessary, and new policies and procedures should be written as needed. The following guidelines are tips and suggestions to consider when you are evaluating old policy and procedures or writing new ones. Why Is the Evaluation of School Policies and Procedures Important? Every school has a student handbook, support staff handbook, and certified staff handbook which are loaded with policies and procedures. These are vital pieces of each school because they govern the day-to-day occurrences that happen in your buildings. They are valuable because they offer the guidelines for how the administration and school board believe their school should be run. These policies come into play every single day. They are a set of expectations that all constituents within the school are held accountable by. How Do You Write Targeted Policy? Policies and procedures typically are written with a specific target audience in mind, This includes students, teachers, administrators, support staff, and even parents. Policies and procedures should be written so that the target audience understands what is being asked or directed of them.  For example, a policy written for a middle school student handbook should be written at a middle school grade level and with terminology that the average middle school student will understand. What Makes a Policy Clear? A quality policy is both informative and direct meaning that the information is not ambiguous, and it is always straight to the point. It is also clear and concise. A well-written policy will not create confusion. A good policy is also up-to-date. For example, policies dealing with technology probably need frequently updated  due to the rapid evolution of the technology industry itself. A clear policy is easy to understand. The readers of the policy should not only understand the meaning of the policy but understand the tone and the underlying reason the policy was written. When Do You Add New Policies or Revise Old Ones? Policies should be written and/or revised as needed. Student handbooks and such should be reviewed on a yearly basis. Administrators should be encouraged to keep documentation of all policies and procedures that they feel need to be added or revised as the school year moves along. There are times to put a piece of new or revised policy in effect immediately within a school year, but the majority of the time, the new or revised policy should go into effect the following school year. What Are Good Procedures for Adding or Revising Policies? The majority of policy should go through several channels before it is included within your proper district’s policy book. The first thing that has to happen is that a rough draft of the policy has to be written. This is usually done by a principal or other school administrator. Once the administrator is happy with the policy, then it is an excellent idea to form a review committee made up of the administrator, teachers, students, and parents. During the review committee, the administrator explains the policy and its purpose, the committee discusses the policy, makes any recommendations for revision, and decides whether it should be submitted to the superintendent for review. The superintendent then reviews the policy and may seek legal counsel to make sure the policy is legally viable. The superintendent may kick the policy back down to the review committee to make changes, may kick out the policy completely, or may send it on to the school board for them to review. The school board can vote to reject the policy, accept the policy, or may ask that a part be revised within the policy before they accept it. Once it is approved by the school board, then it becomes official school policy and is added to the appropriate district handbook.

Short Term Long Term Goal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short Term Long Term Goal - Essay Example Since then, I have never lost sight of my goals of pursuing entrepreneurship. In college, my friend and I started a clothing import company which enjoyed considerable sales. I also joined the companies of AXA Advisors, Philip Simon Developments USA, Inc and later Shoesapart, Inc. to learn fundamental business structures and to have an in-depth scope into daily business operations. Despite these developments, I know I can still be better. Thus, my short term goal is getting accepted to the CEIBS MBA program. My recent trip to China made me discover the great business potential that it holds. Not only does it offer accelerated and extensive market expansion, China also offers a high level of penetration opportunity. I am confident that through the CEIBS MBA program, I will be able to build an extensive network of classmates and alumni and gather sufficient knowledge of the local market in China to streamline future business growth. Within a year of acquiring my MBA, I want to start a p romising food business venture, choosing the initial location at a primary market to promote the brand and attract franchising interest.

AN INVESTIGATION OF INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL DISCLOSURE IN ANNUAL REPORTS Research Proposal

AN INVESTIGATION OF INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL DISCLOSURE IN ANNUAL REPORTS OF Saudi ARABIA FIRMS - Research Proposal Example Facilitating transformation in the traditional structure of annual reports might prove costly, and therefore the more pragmatic approach is to encourage voluntary IC disclosure in a company’s annual reports. Based on the structural framework and objectives of a company, disclosure depends on corporate governance decision. New approach adopted in presenting the annual reports to the readers should help stakeholders make proper value assessment through the company’s intellectual capital (Li et al., 2008:137). In order to meet the goal of profit maximization through enhanced performance, intellectual resources of an organization play an indispensable role. The problem faced is the paucity of IC related information in the annual reports of the four Saudi Arabian banks that have been selected for this paper. Since IC is not legally mandatory for inclusion in annual reports, this component is also considered as â€Å"unaccounted capital† (Abeysekera & Guthrie, 2005: 151). This paper will focus on intellectual capital disclosure in annual reports of Saudi Arabia firms. The necessity of IC information is steadily gaining importance from profit seeking perspective. While details about financial data and physical factors of products are easily available in annual reports of companies, there is now growing demand for disclosure of IC information (Vandemaele et al., 2005: 417). The objective of this paper is to learn how several banks in Saudi Arabia disclose intellectual capital in their annual reports. Further, this paper will explore the contribution of IC theory in the success and development of an organization. For the purpose of address the research objectives, the research question of this paper is â€Å"To what extent is intellectual capital is represented under different categories in the annual reports of Saudi Arabian banks?† The purpose is to learn how human capital is displayed in four

Mary Rowlandson captiviity narrative vs. Douglas slave narrative Research Paper

Mary Rowlandson captiviity narrative vs. Douglas slave narrative - Research Paper Example the most famous and moving of a number of narratives written by former slaves, in factual detail describes the events of his life as a slave and thereafter. Both works are considered influential in early American literature. Analyzing the two, one sees that what at first appears to be a connection bound by the notion of captivity, that connection is well superseded by the very different personal and overall goals of the writers. .. a single individual, usually a woman, [who] stands passively under the strokes of evil, awaiting rescue by the grace of God. The sufferer represents the whole, chastened body of Puritan society; and the temporary bondage of the captive to the Indian is dual paradigm-- of the bondage of the soul to the flesh and the temptations arising from original sin, and of the self-exile of the English Israel from England. In the Indians devilish clutches, the captive had to meet and reject the temptation of Indian marriage and/or the Indians "cannibal" Eucharist. To partake of the Indians love or of his equivalent of bread and wine was to debase, to un-English the very soul. The captives ultimate redemption by the grace of Christ and the efforts of the Puritan magistrates is likened to the regeneration of the soul in conversion. The ordeal is at once threatful of pain and evil and promising of ultimate salvation. Through the captives proxy, the promise of a similar salvation could be offere d to the faithful among the reading public, while the captives torments remained to harrow the hearts of those not yet awakened to their fallen nature. (Stokes 94) Narratives of slavery, such as that written by Frederick Douglass, recounted the personal experiences of ante-bellum African Americans who had escaped from slavery and found their way to safety in the North. Employing the tradition of the captivity narrative, narratives of slavery were similarly reliant on Biblical references and imagery. Differing in context, however, they were replete with

Ancient giza Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ancient giza - Research Paper Example The pyramid is believed to have been built as a tomb for one Egyptian Pharaoh whose name was Khufu. This explains the name Pyramid of Khufu. The name is translated as Cheops in Greek language and this also explains why the pyramid is also known as Pyramid of Cheops. Khufu was a pharaoh in the fourth dynasty. How pyramids were built. Pyramids were normally built from quarry stones. One of the major challenges faced by the Egyptians during early pyramid building was the mobility of the huge rocks as well as other raw materials. The illustrations from the Djehutihoep of the twelfth dynasty show an alabaster statue being pulled by around one hundred and seventy two people. It is estimated that the statue was about sixty tons heavy. It further estimated that one rock block required about forty five workers to move a block of about sixteen thousand three hundred kilogram (Penn State University 23). The Symbolism of Pyramids The shape of pyramids in early Egypt are said to have been symboli c. They are believed to have been representing primordial mound. The early Egyptians believed that the earth had been created from the primordial mound. The shape itself was believed to be a representation of the sunrays. For this reason most pyramids were from high polished and reflective white limestone. The purpose of this was to give the pyramid a shiny look like the sun. Some pyramids were given names that give them a sunny description. For instance, the pyramid at Senwosret in El-Lalun was formed named as Senwosret is shining. While it is generally accepted that the pyramids were general burial monuments, there have been continued disagreement about the particular theological foundational principles surrounded them. One of the theories is that they had been designed as a form of "resurrection machine.† The mummies in the pyramids were actually thought to continue with their lives (Lehner 84). The Egyptians had believed that the dark area brought by the night sky which th e stars appeared around was a heaven gate way. There was a sharp pointed end at the top of the pyramid. This has been believed to suggest that the pyramids were actually a way to send the demised pharaohs to the gods through this opening. Most of the Egyptian pyramids were located on or closer to the banks of river Nile. Most of these pyramids were found on the West of river Nile. This was where the sun normally set. This is said to have a symbol of representation of the demise of the pharaoh to be buried in that pyramid. This can be logically attributed that Nile was an important source of raw materials. The alluvial soil from the river banks as well as the proximity to a large quantity of water. Most of the Egyptian is desert and therefore proximity too water for such heavy construction is very important. The ancient Egypt had an elaborate and complex form of civilization. In fact the civilization from ancient Egypt is said to have influenced civilization in other parts of the wor ld. Although Arabic is the currently widely spoken language the Egyptian language was an indigenous language that was spoken during the ancient. They even had laws (Shupak 103). The language can be evidence from the specific kind of writing that existed in the ancient Egypt. The writings are known as the hieroglyphics. These writings were normally preserved on reeds, papyrus reeds. The Egyptian language kept evolving. The Coptic language was a stage of the

Attitudinal Component of Nurses Research Proposal

Attitudinal Component of Nurses - Research Proposal Example The caring behavior along with self esteem was found to be an attitudinal component in professional nurses. These findings can be considered as baseline for understating the attitudinal component. The unexplained part of the model is about large percentage of variance in the result. (Gail Holland Wade, 2004) The sample can be termed as large as 317 senior nursing students were considered from 20 national leaguer programs. This sample can be termed large with the number of nursing students considered from the number of programs they are selected from. The sample can be considered as large due to the number of working environments considered while selecting 317 nurses to study their attitudinal components. This brings out one of the largest environment sample. Due to the larger environments considered the nurses responses also can vary. This may be a reason for the large variance observed in the study's result. The large environment or the more number of environments considered in this study is a sample representative of the population. The extraneous variables considered are regarding caring, attitude and perception of the instructor. These are considered as deciding variables in nursing autonomy and professional status for nurses. In deciding about autonomy and status for nurses, the caring, attitude and perception of the instructor will play a major role. The large variance in the results obtained indicates that these variables are not satisfactory. The ideals of autonomy can be used to control the extraneous features regarding caring, attitude and perception of instructor. 4. Study Instruments Tools The study instruments and tools considered here are autonomy, clinical competency, perceptions of instructor and self esteem scale. The model of the practice, review instrument and data extraction tool can be considered as tools. The model of practice is attitudinal component of nurses. The review is regarding the professional nurse practice. There is validity for the study instruments as the relation between autonomy to the nurses and professional status is considered as a valid issue. The study supposed that this aspect will affect the clinical competency of the nurses along with the perception of instructor. The purpose of the study is to find the causal model of the attitudinal component. The investigation for the cause that results in attitudinal component gives validity to the study and the relevance to the support given to the study. The instruments used in the study can be termed as appropriate as the study is quantitative. (Alan Pearson et al, 2006) 5. Data Collection Methods The clinical activities considered by Watson in his theory of transpersonal caring are data collections methods in this study. The factors of taking care numbered to 10 are interrelated clusters of characteristics associated with human caring. This method is capable to give a structure for studying and understanding nursing education and enables data collection regarding the attitude of the nurses. The establishment of conceptual congruency between factors

Gender differences in communicating relationship expectations Research Paper

Gender differences in communicating relationship expectations (interpersonal communication) - Research Paper Example When we communicate with other people, we do not just say words but we say it with different tone of voice and sometimes, actions. This is what interpersonal communication is all about. With just a different tone of voice, the meaning differs. Our facial expression also is an important factor in the interpersonal communication. How we look in conversing with others will mean differently. Our gestures as well as our body language also affect our communication with others. Because of gestures, the other person might understand what we mean in a different way. It is very important that we study the aspects of interpersonal communication because we surely want to convey the message the way we want to be understood. Since everyday of our lives, we communicate, we have to communicate effectively and efficiently. The first principle of interpersonal communication is it being inescapable (King, 2000). A person cannot â€Å"not† communicate. We cannot escape from communication even if we try to. Though we might not talk or use words to converse to others, our gestures, facial expression may do it for us. We must always remember that people cannot read our minds, thus whatever we put in words or show in our body language, will be understood as such by our receivers. It is our behaviour that is understood by people (King, 2000). Interpersonal communication is irreversible (King, 2000). We cannot take back something what we already said. For example, because of our anger, we might burst out words we really do not mean to say to someone. But we know that these words are really not meant to hurt the person we are talking to, but the words already pained the other person. Even if we wanted to take back everything that we have said, the hurt and pain it has caused will not be taken away from that person. The third principle is interpersonal communication being complicated (King, 2000). According to King (2000), theorists

Ancient giza Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ancient giza - Research Paper Example The pyramid is believed to have been built as a tomb for one Egyptian Pharaoh whose name was Khufu. This explains the name Pyramid of Khufu. The name is translated as Cheops in Greek language and this also explains why the pyramid is also known as Pyramid of Cheops. Khufu was a pharaoh in the fourth dynasty. How pyramids were built. Pyramids were normally built from quarry stones. One of the major challenges faced by the Egyptians during early pyramid building was the mobility of the huge rocks as well as other raw materials. The illustrations from the Djehutihoep of the twelfth dynasty show an alabaster statue being pulled by around one hundred and seventy two people. It is estimated that the statue was about sixty tons heavy. It further estimated that one rock block required about forty five workers to move a block of about sixteen thousand three hundred kilogram (Penn State University 23). The Symbolism of Pyramids The shape of pyramids in early Egypt are said to have been symboli c. They are believed to have been representing primordial mound. The early Egyptians believed that the earth had been created from the primordial mound. The shape itself was believed to be a representation of the sunrays. For this reason most pyramids were from high polished and reflective white limestone. The purpose of this was to give the pyramid a shiny look like the sun. Some pyramids were given names that give them a sunny description. For instance, the pyramid at Senwosret in El-Lalun was formed named as Senwosret is shining. While it is generally accepted that the pyramids were general burial monuments, there have been continued disagreement about the particular theological foundational principles surrounded them. One of the theories is that they had been designed as a form of "resurrection machine.† The mummies in the pyramids were actually thought to continue with their lives (Lehner 84). The Egyptians had believed that the dark area brought by the night sky which th e stars appeared around was a heaven gate way. There was a sharp pointed end at the top of the pyramid. This has been believed to suggest that the pyramids were actually a way to send the demised pharaohs to the gods through this opening. Most of the Egyptian pyramids were located on or closer to the banks of river Nile. Most of these pyramids were found on the West of river Nile. This was where the sun normally set. This is said to have a symbol of representation of the demise of the pharaoh to be buried in that pyramid. This can be logically attributed that Nile was an important source of raw materials. The alluvial soil from the river banks as well as the proximity to a large quantity of water. Most of the Egyptian is desert and therefore proximity too water for such heavy construction is very important. The ancient Egypt had an elaborate and complex form of civilization. In fact the civilization from ancient Egypt is said to have influenced civilization in other parts of the wor ld. Although Arabic is the currently widely spoken language the Egyptian language was an indigenous language that was spoken during the ancient. They even had laws (Shupak 103). The language can be evidence from the specific kind of writing that existed in the ancient Egypt. The writings are known as the hieroglyphics. These writings were normally preserved on reeds, papyrus reeds. The Egyptian language kept evolving. The Coptic language was a stage of the

Gender differences in communicating relationship expectations Research Paper

Gender differences in communicating relationship expectations (interpersonal communication) - Research Paper Example When we communicate with other people, we do not just say words but we say it with different tone of voice and sometimes, actions. This is what interpersonal communication is all about. With just a different tone of voice, the meaning differs. Our facial expression also is an important factor in the interpersonal communication. How we look in conversing with others will mean differently. Our gestures as well as our body language also affect our communication with others. Because of gestures, the other person might understand what we mean in a different way. It is very important that we study the aspects of interpersonal communication because we surely want to convey the message the way we want to be understood. Since everyday of our lives, we communicate, we have to communicate effectively and efficiently. The first principle of interpersonal communication is it being inescapable (King, 2000). A person cannot â€Å"not† communicate. We cannot escape from communication even if we try to. Though we might not talk or use words to converse to others, our gestures, facial expression may do it for us. We must always remember that people cannot read our minds, thus whatever we put in words or show in our body language, will be understood as such by our receivers. It is our behaviour that is understood by people (King, 2000). Interpersonal communication is irreversible (King, 2000). We cannot take back something what we already said. For example, because of our anger, we might burst out words we really do not mean to say to someone. But we know that these words are really not meant to hurt the person we are talking to, but the words already pained the other person. Even if we wanted to take back everything that we have said, the hurt and pain it has caused will not be taken away from that person. The third principle is interpersonal communication being complicated (King, 2000). According to King (2000), theorists

Consumers as Individuals Essay Example for Free

Consumers as Individuals Essay The self-concept refers to the beliefs a person holds about their attributes, and how they evaluate these qualities. Components of the self-concept It is composed of many attributes, some of which are given greater emphasis when the overall self is being evaluated. Attributes of self-concept can be described along such dimensions as their content (for example, facial attractiveness vs. mental aptitude), positivity or negativity (i. e. elf-esteem), intensity, stability over time and accuracy (that is, the degree to which one’s self-assessment corresponds to reality). Self-esteem Self-esteem refers to the positivity of a person’s self-concept. People with low self-esteem do not expect that they will perform very well, and they will try to avoid embarrassment, failure or rejection. People with high self-esteem expect to be successful,, will take more risks and are more willing to be the centre of attention. Self-esteem is often related to acceptance by others. Marketing communications can influence a consumer’s level of self-esteem. Exposure to ads can trigger a process of social comparison, where the person tries to evaluate their self by comparing it to the people in these artificial images. Real and ideal selves Self-esteem is influenced by a process where the consumer compares their actual standing on some attribute to some ideal. The ideal self is a person’s conception of how they would like to be, while the actual self refers to our more realistic appraisal of the qualities we have or lack. And we often engage in a process of impression management where we work hard to ‘manage’ what others think of us by strategically choosing clothing and other cues that will put us in a good light. The ideal self is partly moulded by elements of the consumer’s culture, such as heroes or people depicted in advertising who serve as models of achievement or apprearance. Products may be purchased because they are believed to be instrumental in helping us achieve these goals. Some products are chosen because they are reaching the standard set by the ideal self. Multiple selves We have as many selves as we do different social roles. Depending on the situation, we act differently, use different products and services, and we even vary in terms of how much we like ourselves. A person may require a different set of products to play a desired role. The self can be thought of as having different components, or role identities, and only some of these are active at any given time. Symbolic interactionism If each person potentially has many social selves, how does each develop and how do we decide which self to ‘activate’ at any point in time? The sociological tradition of symbolic interactionism stresses that relationships with other people play a large part in forming the self. This perspective maintains that people exist in a symbolic environment, and the meaning attached to any situation or object is determined by the interpretation of these symbols. Like other social objects, the meanings of consumers themselves are defined b social consensus. The consumer interprets their own identity, and this assessment is continually evolving as they encounter new situations and people. The looking-glass self When you choose an article of clothing, the mirror superimposes it on your reflection so that you can see how it would look on you. This process of imagining the reactions of others towards us is known as ‘taking the role of the other’, or the looking-glass self. According to this view, our desire to define ourselves operates as a sort of psychological sonar, we take readings of our own identify by ‘bouncing’ signals off others and trying to project what impression they have of us. Self-conciousness There are times when people seem to be painfully aware of themselves. If you have ever walked into a class in the middle of a lecture and noticed that all eyes were on you, you can understand this feeling of self-conciousness. Some people seem in general to be more sensitive to the image they communicate to others. A heightened concern about he nature of one’s public ‘image’ also results in more concern about the social appropriateness of products and consumption activities. Several measures have been devised to measure this tendency. Consumers who score high on a scale of public self-conciousness, for example, are also more interested in clothing and are heavier users of cosmetic. A similar measure is self-monitoring. High self-monitors are more attuned to how they present themselves in their social environments, and their product choices are influenced by their estimates of how these items will be perceived by others. High self-monitors are more likely than low self-monitors to evaluate products consumed in public in terms of the impressions they make on others. Products that shape the self: you are what you consume Recall that the reflected self helps to shape self-concept, which implies hat people see themselves as they imagine others see them. People use an individual’s consumption behaviours to help them make judgements about that person’s social identity. A consumer exhibits attachment to an object to the extent that it is used by that person to maintain their self-concept. Objects can act as a sort of security blanket by reinforcing our identities, especially in unfamiliar situations. Symbolic self-completion theory predicts that people who have an incomplete self-definition tend to complete this identity by acquiring and displaying symbols associated with it. Self/product congruence Because many consumption activities are related to self-definition, it is not surprising to learn that consumers demonstrate consistency between their values and the things they buy. Self-image congruence models predict that products will be chosen when their attributes match some aspect of the self. These models assume a process of cognitive matching between these attributes and the consumer’s self-image. Research tends to support the idea of congruence between product usage and self-image. Congruity has also been found between consumers and their most preferred brands of beer, soap, toothpaste and cigarettes relative to their least preferred brands, as well as between consumers’ self-images and their favourite shops. Some specific attributes that have been found to be useful in describing some of the matches between consumers and products include rugged/delicate, excitable/calm,†¦. The extended self. Many of the props and settings consumers use to define their social roles in a sense become a part of their selves. Those external objects that we consider a part of us comprise the extended self. Many material objects, ranging from personal possessions and pets to national monuments or landmarks, help to form a consumer’s identity. Four levels of the extended self were described. These range from very personal objects to places and things that allow people to feel like they are rooted in their larger social environments. †¢ Individual level. Consumers include many of their personal possessions in self-definition. These products can include jewellery, cars, clothing and so on. The saying ‘You are what you wear’ reflects the belief that one’s things are a part of what one is. †¢ Family level. This part of the extended self includes a consumer’s residence and its furnishings. The house can be thought of as a symbolic body for the family and often is a central aspect of identity. †¢ Community level. It is common for consumers to describe themselves in terms of the neighbourhood or town from which they come. †¢ Group level. Our attachments to certain social groups can be considered a part of self. A consumer may feel that landmarks, monuments or sports teams are a part of the extended self. Sexual identity is a very important component of a consumer’s self-concept. People often conform to their culture’s expectations about how those of their gender should act, dress, speak and so on. To the extent that our culture is everything that we learn, then virtually all aspects of the consumption process must be affected by culture. Gender differences in socialization A society’s assumptions about the proper roles of men and women are communicated in terms of the ideal behaviours that are stressed for each sex (in advertising, among other places). Gender goals and expectations In many societies, males are controlled by agentic goals, which stress self-assertion and mastery. Females, on the other hand, are taught to value communal goals such as affiliation and the fostering of harmonious relations. Every society creates a set of expectations regarding the behaviours appropriate for men and women, and finds ways to communicate these priorities. Gender vs. sexual identity Sex role identity is a state of mind as well as body. A person’s biological gender does not totally determine whether they will exhibit sex-typed traits, or characteristics that are stereotypically associated with one sex or the other. A consumer’s subjective feelings about their sexuality are crucial as well.

Case Study: Holly Farms

Case Study: Holly Farms Introduction In order to revive profits and save themselves from bearing heavy losses, Fred and Gillian Giles had opened a two purposed farm for the general public in 1993. Their ambitious goals had let them to put in all their savings to establish facilities on the farm which would entertain the tourists. This side of the business was apart from the usual farming being carried out which included the distribution of ice cream which was manufactured behind the farm in a small factory, a milking parlor to see the latest technology being used to milk the cows and an additional guided tour of the farm. Even though the business is currently running reasonably well, the owners are facing some serious issues related capacity constraints and competition. Answers Answer 1: There is a no. of issues which Gillian Gales is facing in her side of the business. These issues include the fact that in order to grow the Holly Farms business, it is not possible for the owners to add additional capital. They have already invested a lot of money and any additional capital available to them will be in terms of a loan. However, the interest rate on the loan is expected to be above ten percent which would not make it feasible since the owners are not expecting to earn that high a return on their investment in order to pay the interest and the principal amount. Other issues which Gillian needs to take notice of include the fact that the ice-cream factory is not operating at full capacity, the freezer which has a capacity to hold 10,000 units is operated at 7000 units storage to allow for stick rotation. The lack of preservatives used in the ice-cream would also be a factor in this regard where the inventory needs to move out of the factory within 6-12 weeks. This factor would be driving down retail sales to shops and hotels which might be interested in stockpiling the ice-cream for their peak periods (since Gillian is not in a position to increase production for them at that time). Gillian also needs to decide whether to promote coach firms or market to families and schools for trips to their farm. Gillian mentions that on average one out of two coach customers buys one liter box of ice-cream while a four occupant car buys the same amount. This data, though a good starting point, would not allow for proper decision making since data on how many a coach normally holds. Also the use of averaged data is not advisable when making decisions as to who the target market would be for the coming year. There is also a need for extra staff by the farm, currently the ice-cream manufacturing employs farm workers wives (three) and a maximum of four flavor can be produced given the time constraints and the set up time (to change flavors). Since capital investment is not possible at this time, Gillian would need to hire more staff for ice-cream manufacturing if she plans to increase the number of flavors to ten, analysis and accurate forecasting of what quantities of flavors t o produce would also be required if the number of flavors is to be increased. Market researches as to which flavors are being demanded by the customers would also be required and could help eliminate the need to expand to ten flavors outright, but this is currently not being undertaken by Gillian. The lack of promotional activities by Gillian has seen the number of arrivals to the farm cap at 15000 a year; this situation is being ignored as Gillian is concentrating more on expanding the manufacturing side, now she needs to take a more active approach to increasing the traffic at the farm. The issue of farm timings not being conducive to picnics and factory visits (20% of the customers leave before the milking process) and this very fact that many visitors are unable to see the milking process is also one which would be driving lower ice-cream sales and needs to be looked into by Gillian. Answer 2: To increase the number of farm visitors by 50% in a single year is a almost unachievable goal that Gillian has set for herself. Although it is possible that the number be increased, but going from 15000 visitors to 22500 visitors is not a small task which can be achieved in the duration of a single year. This is due to a number of factors which, for Gillian, would be constraints in achieving this growth target. These factors include: 1. The fact that the farm is open to visitors for 7 months in a year, during the remaining months the animals are kept inside and the rides etc available to customers are not safe due to the weather situation. This is a limit which Gillian would be unable to surmount in a single years time without capital investment into building sheds and indoor facilities etc at the Holly Farm. 2. Another time constraint is the fact that Gillian and Fred found that keeping the farm open for more than the four days it is already open (Friday to Monday) is not feasible due to the low traffic during the remaining days. Also the farm workers would not be free during the three days of the week (they would be involved in the â€Å"real† farm work), so the only way to keep the farm open the entire week is through hiring extra staff which could only be justified and feasible if Gillian were able to confirm attendance/traffic at the farm during these days via school trips etc. The weekend is the peak period for Holly Farm and it is unlikely that working individuals would be willing to take farm trips during work days. The sales forecast for 1999 shows that Gillian has prepared is highly presumptuous given that she has yet to decide how she would be increasing the number of customers on the farm. Whether she wishes to bring in more customers through coach firms or target the family and recreational travelers (who come by car). With coach firms Gillian would most likely have to offer discounts on the farm visits to the coaching firms to plan trips or revert to her old marketing tactics of giving lectures at schools and institutes and market her farm herself. The decision on whether or not to engage with coaching firms is not possible at this time because the number of passengers on each coach has not been identified, thus one cannot calculate the profits to be had from the sales of ice-cream and other produce along with the admission fees (with or without the discounts). Even if the averaged figure of one-liter ice-cream sale per two coach passengers is taken to be reliably accurate without the numb er of potential customers coming through the coach trips, and via cars for that matter (one liter per four passengers), choice between the options would be more moot point than proper decision making on the part of Gillian. If we were to assume that half the customers come by car and half come via coach trips than promoting coach trips would yield more benefits in terms of ice-cream sales as 7400 coach trips/2 = 3700 liters of sales 7400 car travelers/4 = 1850 liters of sales Given that 13500 liters were sold through the retail shop ($27000/$2(selling price)) this would mean that close to 41% of the sales comes through the customers on the farm. A 50% increase in the number of customers on the farm would lead to sales of $40,000 only if the number of customers at the farm window also increased by 50% which is a market not being targeted by Gillian, thus the following calculation leading to a figure of $40,000 would be incorrect as the sales would be lower (higher from the customers on the farm but when including the trend based sales through the farm window the total sales would be lower). 148001.5=22200 customers 11100 coach trips/2$2=$11100 11100 car travelers/4$2= $5550 $16650/0.41 = $40,610 in sales. School parties and trips could be a good tactic on the part of Gillian as they would ensure higher number of visitors and a larger sale of ice-cream and other products which could be made on the farm. Charging a lower admission fees for parties and retaining the catering of the party would be a good source of income for the farm and has the potential of increasing the traffic at the farm by opening a whole new target market for Holly Farms i.e. party venue. Gillian should invest some time and effort into undertaking market research into how many schools would be willing to have parties or field trips on the farm (before offering party packages), also information on the customer tolerance for queuing (to watch the milking process) would be beneficial to Gillian in analyzing how to increase the number of customers on the farm because if the customers are not able to watch the milking process and view this as a deal breaker, they might seek out other sources of recreation and by increasing customers in the short run, Gillian might lose customers in the long run. Information on the actual number of car visitors vs. those coming through coach trips should be sought before Gillian decides on a course of action. Answer 3: Before undertaking a decision to increase the number of ice-cream flavors from 4 to 10 Gillian should weight the advantages and the disadvantages of this venture. The first factor which Gillian needs to consider is whether a market exists for ten flavors of ice-cream or not, and whether it is feasible for the farm to be producing ten flavors. The fact that capital investment is not possible for Holly Farms means that the additional production would be through an increase in the labor force but the overall quantity of the ice-cream produced would still be limited to an inventory level of 7000 liters (which can be held by the freezer). This would mean that the new flavors would be introduced at the expense of the old flavors. This can be an advantage if the customers of Holly Farm are seeking one or two flavors other than those being offered (market research would be required to confirm this) and that the quantity demanded would allow for greater turnover through either farm or retail sales. Alternatively this venture could lead to unsatisfied customers in cases where the farm could experience stock outs of certain flavors due to the fact that many flavors would be under production. A move to directly offering ten flavors would also create logistical problems as the machines available for production and storing are limited. The fact that more staff would have to be hired would also increase the cost of production of all ice-creams and that would affect the profits of the ice-cream venture and Gillian would be forced to make another key decision on whether to pass on the increased cost to the customers in the form of higher prices, and risk losing some business, or decrease the profit margins of the same. Since an increase in volume is only possible if the inventory turnover is greatly enhanced by the introduction of new flavors (which is not certain) the profits for the farm would be on a downward trend if all other factors remain constant and flavors are added to the product offerings. Since there is no research to suggest that there would be a greater uptake of ice-cream (at retail or farm level) with more flavors, a jump to 10 flavors would be rash and create more problems for Gillian in terms of resource management, forecasting the demand for individual products and overlooking the manufacturing of the same, rather than the advantages Gillian seeks. Undertaking some degree of market research and exploring one or two additional flavors (based on research findings) whilst maintaining the same level of staff could be more beneficial for Holly Farms and they could expand their flavor offerings over the long run when they have the capacity to increase production or maintain higher levels of inventory. Conclusion The case under review explores the capacity and resource constraints being faced by a small business which was able to attract customers and diversify into other forms of complementary businesses i.e. tours and ice-cream retailing. What we find in this case is that Gillian, the partner in charge of the complementary businesses is facing two critical decisions (a) how to increase the number of customers visiting the farm and (b) how to increase the retail sales of the ice-cream. Since capital investment is not a viable option for the business the means of increasing customer traffic are limited to promotional activities and attracting the right customers for both tours and ice-cream sales. We find that such decisions are not possible with the data available to Gillian at the present time and that the option to increase the number of ice-cream flavors to ten (from four) is also not viable given the manufacturing and storage constraints. Gillian should therefore seek additional data on the target audience for promotional activities and if she plans to increase the number of ice-cream flavors she should start on a smaller scale after conducting proper market demand research. References [Author of Book] (1999), â€Å"Case Study: Holly Farms†, [Name of Book], Pp 244-248

Diminishing Discrimination :: Essays Papers

Diminishing Discrimination Times are changing; people who used to be discriminated against are now starting to be treated with more equality and respect. The disrespect and abuse that the disabled community has gotten in the past is a very dark topic that comes with many sad and scary truths. There are many groups and laws at the present time that are helping this community grow. By integrating more disabled people into public services helps them gain a higher esteem for themselves. The abuse problem amongst the developmentally disabled still does exist today. The most controversial abuse problem happened behind closed doors, in the institutions. The one institution that was in Tucson was called Arizona Training Program Tucson (ATPT). In these such institutions, people with all many varieties of disabilities. This problem of institutional abuse was recognized for at least two centuries (Sobsey, 89). The term institutional abuse refers to neglectful, psychological, physical, an/or sexual abuse that took place in the managed institutional car of human beings (Sobsey, 89-90). Hearing stories from both the patients in these institutions to the workers is horrifying. Some of the things the staff would do to the patients: use heavy sedation, locks, restraints, sexually abuse them, take inappropriate pictures, time outs for long periods of time, and takedowns with several large staff. Other things that were done to the patients was doing the same r outine over and over never teaching new tasks, no outside contact, and no luxury items just bed dresser and clothes. Yes, ATPT was one of the better institutions there were. Many were worse. Institutional abuse is characterized by the extreme power iniquities that exist between staff and residents. In extreme cases, staff control when residents wake up, sleep, eat go to the bathroom, wash, communicate, exercise, rest, and virtually every other aspect of their lives. These extreme disempowerment of institutional residents is rationalized by the paradoxical notion of â€Å"good intentions† (Sobsey, 90). The public was hidden from the real truth till recently when they were shut down or changed into day programs and smaller residential settings, to be more like a home environment.

Sunrise On The Veldt: Order :: essays research papers

Sunrise on the Veldt: Order Order is sought instinctively. In Literature, as well as Biology, order is sought instinctively by authors and scientists. Authors use order to convey real-life incidents and make their stories seem more realistic. Scientists use a way of classification to bring order to Biology. The life cycle, as the cycle of a virus, shows order. The young boy in the short story, "Sunrise on the Veldt," found order in the life cycle. He sought this order to help him explain the death of a buck. The death of the buck made the young boy think about the life cycle. He shot the buck, and the buck became injured. Then the buck died. An organism is born, it grows, it lives for a period of time, then it dies. The human life cycle is similar. A baby is born. The baby’s parents take care of it, then the baby turns into an adult. The adult lives for a period of time, then the adult dies. Humans seek order in the life cycle to help explain death. The order in the life cycle was sought instinctively, because people wanted an explanation of death. The order in "Sunrise on the Veldt" was shown in the life cycle. In the novel, The Wave, a teacher sought order to help keep his classroom under control. The order helped keep the classroom under control. But the students began to notice they were not thinking, and the order began to tear the school apart. The teacher sought order because he wanted his students to behave better. Scientists use order to control viruses. Viruses are classified by several attributes; their shape, the vectors that transmit them, and their RNA or DNA content. Once a virus is classified, it can be examined, and controlled. Biologists use order to classify other organisms as well. Charles Darwin sought order instinctively by becoming a naturalist. He studied animals and plants and devised a theory of evolution. He decided that variations exist within populations. Some variations are more advantageous for survival and reproduction than others. Organisms produce more offspring than can survive. Over time, offspring of survivors will make up a larger proportion of the population. Darwin believed that organisms produce more offspring so that the stronger offspring can live, but the weak offspring die. Darwin, the virus cycle, and The Wave portray order being sought instinctively. A virus seeks order instinctively. A virus attaches itself to a host. Then it enters into the host by exchanging its DNA or RNA. The virus then replicates itself, inside the host.

“Nineteen Eighty-Four” by George Orwell Essay

â€Å"Nineteen Eighty-Four† is George Orwell’s unswervingly grim vision of a dystopian future. The author always intended it as more warning than prophecy, so that even though its title date has passed, its lessons about the dangers of conformity, mental coercion, and verbal deception retain their validity and relevance. The novel depicts a world divided into three totalitarian superpowers that are constantly at war with one another: Oceania, dominated by the former United States; Eurasia, dominated by Western Europe; and Eastasia, dominated by China and Japan. Since the novel belongs to the genre of the dystopia, a negative Utopia, much of its content is necessarily involved in describing Oceanian society—not only in the features of its everyday life, much of which reflects British life in 1948 (a year whose inverted numbers may have suggested the novel’s title), but also in detailed explanations of the historical origins of Ingsoc and Oceania, as well as its official language, Newspeak. Discussion A key ingredient in this chilling documentation of eroding human freedom is its depiction of a corrupted language, â€Å"Newspeak,† Orwell’s brilliant rendering of that degraded language of politicians and sophists which hides rather then reveals truth. (Orwell, 19) Orwell, rather clumsily in the view of some critics, gives much of this information in the form of a book-within-a-book, the supposed handbook of the revolutionaries, and an appendix to the novel itself about Newspeak. The purpose of Newspeak was to drastically reduce the number of words in the English language in order to eliminate ideas that were deemed dangerous and, most importantly, seditious to the totalitarian dictator, Big Brother and the Party. â€Å"Thought crime,† the mere act of thinking about ideas like Freedom or Revolution, was punishable by torture and brainwashing. Newspeak was the sinister answer. A character in 1984 describes it succinctly: â€Å"Do not you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end, we shall make thought crime literally impossible because there will be no words in which to express it. The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact, there will be no thought as we understand it now. † Is our real world today, at the beginning of the new millennium, so very different on a fundamental level from what Orwell predicted? There have been countless refutations of the 1984 dystopia: Totalitarianism is on the wane, Communism is dead, there is more prosperity, more community, more freedom than ever before. (Orwell, 37) Arguably, on a geo-political level, the global information economy has promoted the causes of peace and freedom, preventing potentially worse atrocities and repression in hotspots such as China and the Balkans. The bottom line is: you have no freedom, no power, you feel no need or desire for freedom or power, and, what’s worse you do not even know that you do not have it. Analysis Critics of every aspect along the political spectrum, no matter what their views about the validity of Orwell’s social analysis in â€Å"Nineteen Eighty-Four†, agree on one thing: Considered politically and historically, â€Å"Nineteen Eighty-Four† is one of the most important books of the twentieth century. The bleakness of its vision of a totalitarian society became a profound warning, and Orwell’s accuracy was attested by dissidents in Eastern Europe and Russia both before and after the dissolution of the Soviet empire; Orwell, said a Russian philosopher, â€Å"understood the soul, or soullessness† of Soviet life. Not only did the words â€Å"Newspeak† and â€Å"doublethink† enter the English language but Russians refer to the Novoyaz of Communist Party language. (Orwell, 67) Some critics have pointed out that another layer of meaning exists within the novel. They connect Orwell’s dissection of Oceanian society to his portrayal of his depressing and unhappy preparatory school days, which he discussed in his essay â€Å"Such, Such Were the Joys† (1952). Young English boys were removed from the warmth and security of their families, mini-societies governed by love and respect, and hurled into a world dominated by fear, repression, and an all-pervading sense of guilt. There, Orwell was imprisoned â€Å"not only in a hostile world but in a world of good and evil where the rules were such that it was actually not possible for me to keep them. † In such a society, rebellion or even dissent becomes almost impossible, and even personal relationships are viewed with hostility and suspicion by the ruling â€Å"class,† that is, the masters and proprietors of the school. (Orwell, 81) Conclusion As a true anti-utopian novel, one in which the horrors of totalitarianism are amply illustrated, â€Å"Nineteen Eighty-Four† serves as a poignant reminder of the preciousness of free thought and an open society and whatever the author has predicted in this novel has one way or the other turned out to be true. Works Cited Orwell, George (1949). â€Å"Nineteen Eighty-Four†. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co. pg 15-129.

Obesity: Logic and Marion Nestle

â€Å"Obesity: Who is Responsible for Our Weight? † In the essay, â€Å"Obesity: Who Is Responsible for Our Weight? † Radley Balko explains his argument on obesity; we are responsible for what we eat. Overall, the strengths were clear and persuading in this essay. One strength in his essay was his main point, we are responsible for our own weight. He explains that we are in control of what we consume, and the government should not be responsible for that. This engages the reader to think, should we really blame the government, or is ourselves to blame. This main point validates all his reasoning.Another strength is his ability to explain why government intervention is irrelevant to obesity. For example, he mentions that Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown is conducting to have a Fat Tax on high calorie food, where food restaurants must list their fat, calories, etc. on each meal. And instead they should be promoting personal-sense awareness. Overall this essay had more weaknesses than strengths. Though his side of the argument is completely true, his reasoning weren’t clearly detailed. For example, Radley Balko only targeted the government’s intervention on obesity.But what should have followed that is the food industry businesses that allow this, not just the government. Not only did he lack detail, but also he didn’t consider the point of genetics. Some Americans do not become obese by choice, but by genetics. Those who are affected by genetics may be very conscience of what they eat, but it still does no justice because of their genes. This weakened his essay. Another weakness is that he focuses too much on the government’s intervention on obesity; instead he should have listed more reasons to why obesity is a personal problem.Taken as a whole, the essay was very short, and took a while to get to the point. â€Å"Are You Responsible for Your Own Weight? † I found this to be a very strong, interesting argumentative essay by Kelly Brownell and Marion Nestle. One strength relates to the fulfillment on attention grabbing in their opening sentence. Brownell and Nestle reminds us that the food industry is like any other business: they must grow. This makes a valid point, and grabs the readers attentions which leads to wanting to read more.Mentioning the counter-argument that obesity is a personal responsibility is also a strength. This tells the reader that she is understanding to the opposing argument, while making hers very clear. Another strength is the fact that gives several examples why personal responsibility isn’t to blame which includes; obesity is growing year after year, it’s human biology for humans to be attracted to good food with high calories, the default approach of promotion of eating better and exercising more has failed for multiple years, and how personal responsibility is a trap.Not only did they have multiple examples, they had clear reasoning for each example, which proves they thought out their argument on obesity. Although this was a very strong, convincing essay, there were a couple of weaknesses. The first weakness is the unawareness of government’s real role in business. In America, our policy towards business relies strictly on the concept of Laissez Faire. Laissez Faire means allowing industry to be free from state intervention, especially restrictions in the form of tariffs and government monopolies.This is a very known concept to many Americans, and this weakens her argument. Another weakness is Brownell and Nestle mentioning they’re attentive to personal responsibility, but didn’t clearly give any reasoning to that. Overall, they essay was very well structured and barely had any weaknesses. The essay â€Å"Are You Responsible for Your Own Weight? † gives a more persuading argument. First of all this essay was clearly structured, which made it easier to read. The first essay was not as easy to read, and not as structured.Brownell and Nestle listed their reasoning, which made their points clear reassuring no confusion. Where as to Balko, there were barely any explained points in his essay, which made it hard to follow. Also, Brownell and Nestle are much more persuasive. They provided clear explained examples of why we are not the only ones responsible for obesity while Balko had little to none examples of why we are responsible. Altogether, Marion Nestle and Kelly Brownell provided a more effective argument on obesity and whose responsible for it than Radley Balko.

Inventory management Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Inventory management - Literature review Example In scientific meaning, the inventory management finds the way of maintaining the stock to meet the demands for production in order to provide the right product at the right time at the competitive prices with right quantities. Objectives of inventory management include as the best services for customers, minimizing the cost of the inventory, optimized use of the machine and men, and achieving the best production targets. According to Waters (2003) inventory management works for three main objectives as it manages the flow of material or products through the entire chain of supply. Inventory management helps the logistic in order to achieve the aims of the organization. Inventory managers support the managers to be sure about availability of the needed goods. The main aim of inventory management is the arrangement of all material of library in a proper manner. The books must arrange in accurate order. The librarian periodically checks for missing books (Xavier University Library 2013). Inventory management like many other activities of the company contributes the welfare for the company. Logistic operations of the company contribute to profit in marketing services and financial requirements of the company. Inventory management meets the demands of the customers at the minimum cost. Inventory management optimizes the support in the three main areas as inventory cost, customer services and operating costs (Wild 2002). The book by O’Neil (1998) is based on the management of library and archival security. The author focused on the management of the library as well as the security. Libraries are the treasures of knowledge and information, so security is very important. The libraries of universities are mostly having donors. If there is a lack in management of the library, it will give a bad impact of university in front of donors. The proper inventory management system is required to follow for the maintenance of library. The investment