“Offensive Play” by Malcolm Gladwell Essay

The author of the article, â€Å"Offensive Play† is Malcolm Gladwell. He is a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine, and has published four books. â€Å"Offensive Play† was published in the October 19th, 2009 edition. The New Yorker began February 21, 1925, and is now published forty-seven times annually. It focuses on arts, culture, politics, sports, medicine, etc. Anything enticing the wealthy, middle-class and metropolitan is what it is geared towards. In addition, it has also won many awards. I believe that The New Yorker is up to date because the year 2009 was not too long ago for a great deal of information to supersede what we now know. Mr. Gladwell did not have a â€Å"pre-set† perspective on things because he gives you clear facts about the article â€Å"Offensive Play† and the dangers of football, so we can read it with an open mind and figure out what to do. The intended audience for â€Å"Offensive Play† was for doctors’ for research, fans and athletes. This article seemed to have a good balance aimed towards the population in general because it gives you background information on researchers, the injuries involved, the sport, and what it is we can do. Obviously, Mr. Gladwell had a clear motive to write this article. He wanted to let the public know the dangers of the National Football League, and what illnesses develop in former players’ so perhaps, we can think of ways to make it safer. â€Å"Offensive Play† was written to inform you of the dangers of the N.F.L. Mr. Gladwell gives us both sides of the topic; how it’s dangerous to play, but there are things that can be done to improve the health and overall wellbeing of the players’. I didn’t feel an emotional punch from reading this article; although, it did make me more aware of the effects of playing the sport. In the article, â€Å"Offensive Play† by Malcolm Gladwell, the author argues that, researchers’ are studying the brains’ of former football players’ to examine the long term effects of hits / concussions received during the game. Players’ dedicate their skills and motivation to the game, but face serious illnesses that can lead to death. Studies done on former athletes have found mental illnesses in the brain from the trauma of getting hit during a game. It is unclear whether changing the rules of football will decrease brain injuries because many little hits can impact like one big one. Different positions have different impact of hits; however, players’ will then play more aggressively. Athletes dedicate their time into the game, and being the greatest they can be. The players’ would come back early from their injuries to get back on the field to play the game they love. There is no true answer on how to prevent injuries because it’s the risk each player is willing to take, and they know the consequences. In the end, it’s all about the fans’. Today, more ex-athletes suffer from brain diseases from injuries they receive during a game later in their life, researchers’ have found. The evidence that neuropathologist, Bennet Omalu has discovered from studies on ex-N.F.L. players’ has been included to support the author’s point. He is well respected and considered reliable because of his title. This study was performed back in September of 2002, so it is a decade outdated and may not be considered current. The information is relevant to the claim the author is making because he states that researchers’ are studying the brains’ of ex-football players’ to examine the long term effects of hits received during a game. I agree with the author’s use of language because he clearly uses professional and reliable researchers’ to make accurate diagnosis and statements. It helps me to better understand how severe the game of football really is. His neutral tone is just meant to inform you of the injuries and illnesses of football. As long as fans purchase ticket’s to go to games, and merchandise to support football, the players’ will continue to play hard regardless of the injuries the may face. The evidence that has been included to support the author’s point comes from a quote by Dr. McKee. Ann McKee is well respected and considered reliable because she is a doctor and a hospital researcher. I believe this is still current today because the same injuries occur in football, and the players’ still have â€Å"gameness.† The information is relevant to the claim the author is making because the players’ still uphold themselves to sacrifice their bodies’ to win games regardless of the mental illnesses they may face later in their life. I agree with the author’s use of language because he says, â€Å"there is nothing else to be done, not as long as fans stand and cheer.† This influences me because I have purchased tickets to go watch the New York Giants ’ play as well as merchandise. Malcolm Gladwell’s focus / view on â€Å"Offensive Play† is to provide you with the information that researchers’ have studied and found on former football players’ brains from the hits they received during the game. Mr. Gladwell, was indeed effective in reaching the audience because I felt impacted, and more knowledgeable upon reading the article of the dangers and injuries of the N.F.L. Mr. Gladwell, therefore accomplished his purpose to make you aware of these issues, and he used evidence from researchers’, doctors’ and former players’ to back up his article.

Sections:

Section Four: Software to Support Assessment 1)In a 750-1,000 word essay, draft your proposal to utilize software to support assessment in the classroom as a part of your Comprehensive Classroom Technology Plan (Benchmark Assessment), which is due in Module 7. Consider the following: a)In what ways can technology facilitate the ongoing effort to assess student learning? b)What is the difference between formative assessment and summative assessment and how can technology be used to facilitate both? c)What are the pros and cons of using technology to assess student learning? )Should a teacher only use technology to assess student learning? Why or why not? 2)Support your rationale from your required readings and from three to five peer-reviewed articles from the GCU eLibrary. 3)Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the GCU Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. 4)The instructor will provide commentary on your draft, which you will then use as a basis for revising this section. The revised section will then become part of the complete Comprehensive Classroom Technology Plan (Benchmark Assessment), due in Module 7. Refer to the rubric portion of this resource (below) for grading criteria for this assignment. 5)The draft of this section is due by the end of Module 5. Section Five: Technology Ethics in the Classroom 1)Construct a 750-1,000 word essay drafting your proposal for the ethical uses of technology in the classroom as a part of your Comprehensive Classroom Technology Plan (Benchmark Assessment), which is due in Module 7. 2)Address the following issues in your essay: a)Discuss Internet security and how you would implement this in your classroom to protect the students from Internet predators and any inappropriate material. )Explain the way that you would create proper copyright and student use agreements that could be used in your classroom or in any K-12 classroom. c)Discuss three ethical practices of technology use that you would implement in your classroom and explain their importance in a K-12 classroom. 3)Use the GCU eLibrary to research a minimum of three to five peer-reviewed artic les that can be used in support of your content. 4)Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the GCU Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

Subway (sandwiches) going to Norway Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Subway (sandwiches) going to Norway - Essay Example The kingdom of Norway is the second least densely populated country of Europe. It is a population of approximately 5 million people but it holds top global rankings in various industries. Norway is the fifth largest oil exporter, third largest natural gas exporter and second largest exporter of seafood. (Norway considers avenging Chinese bullying, 2012) Let us conduct SWOT analysis of Norway as the potential target market for expansion. Norway is blessed with stable labor force, technological development along with natural resources which provide suitable environment for businesses. However, entrepreneurs find some difficult to target the niche audience. There is emphasis on small enterprises. The high per capita income is considered as bonus point for businesses. There is a big export potential and there are several opportunities to exploit them. However, there are few strict regulations which go against the businessmen and it serves as threat for businesses. (Norway considers avenging Chinese bullying, 2012) Now, let us consider the expansion of Subway chain in Norway. Subway is one of the fastest growing restaurants in the world which has more than 36000 franchises in 100 countries of the world. Norway can be the potential market for Subway. The largest export client of Norway is United States of America and it has got comparative advantage over it. The largest export item of Norway is fossil fuels products for U.S.A and it also exports petroleum products, telecommunication equipment, natural gas, military equipment, steel manufacturing materials and much more. Subway will extend its business to Norway in next year. It will conduct market research to understand the competition and nature of investments required to achieve its objectives. Then hire the best people or sign franchising agreements with locals to achieve maximum economies of scale and ease of doing business. Most of the

Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Retail supply chains in the fashion industry are networks distributions options which performers the roles of procurement of, conversion of the materials into intermediary and finished goods, and the distributing of these end products to customers. Supply chains exist in both service and manufacturing organizations, although the complexity of the chain may vary greatly from industry to industry and firm to firm. (Rhys, 2005) Codes of conduct of an organization or a company, define the ethical standards that are developed by the Organization or Company. Therefore, the two go together. There has to be a document that describes the responsibilities of the company towards the people that it regularly gets in contact with. For accompany to ensure that the codes of conduct are complied with its employees, it sets up programs to ensure that the employees are made aware of the existing codes of conduct put in place by the company. This is also to carry out audit compliance. It is the process of measuring, evaluating, reporting, and adapting a company's social impact and ethical behaviour in light o fits values and expectations of the people it gets in contact with. This is often difficult for most companies to undertake alone. Therefore a more practical approach is them using existing certifications like ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. The latter is concerned with safety issues while the former dictates the aspects inv olving the environment. The two issues are the ones that are responsible for continued innovation. There are other certifications which protect Companies from various problems in their day to day operations. Example, there is one that protects suppliers from customers' unethical behaviors. Labour conditions are also set by some of the certifications. In general, the is-certifications and codes of conduct improve on the accountability of a company to its stakeholders and employees. (Sternberg, et al.2000). This paper will try and examine the ethical social responsibility and environmental considerations of a fashion company operating in the UK. The Gap In the last ten years or so, The Gap Company has underwent a course of vibrant growth through its diverse trademarks (Gap, Gap Kids, Banana Republic, Baby Gap Store, Gap Shoe Stores,) which the company markets and have a direct control all through the world. Following this success, Gap Company since 1999, became the second largest apparel retailer stores. The company, which usually subcontracts every one of its production, has since formulated a code of conduct that creates company selection criterion and the particular ways of submission. The company in emphasizing the way it values it code of conduct has undertaken services of an external monitoring company to monitor how its ethical code of conducts is followed. (Gap, 2008) Ethics Companies view The ethical standing of products is has of late become a main concern of many consumers. Presently the fashion industry is undertaking ethical fashion as championed by fashion designer Hamnett Katherine, at the present moment GAP as a company view with a lot of seriousness and it has undertaken strategies to ensure that

The Thinker by Auguste Rodin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Thinker by Auguste Rodin - Essay Example One of them is Franois-Auguste-Ren Rodin, popularly known as Auguste Rodin. He was a French sculptor, an artist with a sharp eye. His arts echoed until these days. He fashioned his works meticulously and looked at the details. Thus he was honored as the leading sculptor of the late 19th and early 20th century. He combined and artistically manipulated his works with detailed textures and modeling associating the vast emotions of man. The following year he decided to delve into doing decorative stonework. And in 1862, her sister Marie died, which caused him great troubles and afflictions. He tried to enter the church but it was fate that brought him to met Rose Beuret in 1864 who became his life companion. Formally they were not joined by the matrimony of marriage until a few weeks before her death in February 1917; she was 53 years old then. The same year when he met Rose Beuret, he became an apprentice to the sculptor A.-E. Carrier-Belleuse. His first submission to the official Salon exhibition in 1864, The Man with the Broken Nose, was rejected. In 1871, he went with Carrier-Belleuse to work on decorations for public monuments in Brussels. Carrier-Belleuse was not satisfied with his work thus dismissing him. Soon, Rodin collaborated on the accomplishment of decorative bronzes, and Beuret joined him in Brussels. The rejection probably had made hi... Carrier-Belleuse was not satisfied with his work thus dismissing him. Soon, Rodin collaborated on the accomplishment of decorative bronzes, and Beuret joined him in Brussels. The rejection probably had made him to realize he needed to develop a style of his own. It was consummated after four years; he developed his own styles because he was urged to produce innovative and decorative works. In the midst of this innovation, He toured to five cities of Italy: Genoa, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Venice before returning to Brussels. Italy has been the cradle of Renaissance art. He saw the works of Michelangelo and Donatello, amazed with their works; he was inspired to create such fine works as Michelangelo and Donatello, bringing the emphasis on the muscle works and human emotions. He produced his first original work molded in bronze, The Vanquished, depicting painful expressions of a physically overpowered man seeking for rejuvenation. Scandals arose in his exhibition in Brussels and at the Paris Salon of The Age of Bronze in 1877. People did not believe that he made such realistic work and he was charged of casting it from a living person. His former master heard that he went back to Paris in 1879, Carrer-Belleuse asked him for designs. After much controversies and rejections, he was granted a payment and appointed to make a statue for the City Hall in Paris. He gained his reputation as a sculptor in 1880 with the success of his sculptures: The Age of Bronze and St. John the Baptist Preaching. The same year he modeled The Gates of Hell, the sculptured bronze door for the Muse des Arts Dcoratifs in Paris. The door incorporates scenes from The Inferno. It was made through the inspiration of Dante Alighieri's The

Claim and fact Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Claim and fact - Essay Example men shun the positions all the same because of the negative perceptions that the society has towards women who are senior in organizations (Deal and Stevenson 289). Such women are believed to have given sexual favors to men to acquire such positions. At times, they are hated by men or even discriminated. A very good example is Margret Thatcher who even to death was hated by many men (Brenner 382). The increasing impact made by women in leadership positions mostly the senior most positions has led to research to examine the effectiveness of women as better leaders. Research shows that it is natural for women to employ some skills. Women are non-coercive, team players as well as a proficient in making better relationships (Kolb et al. 306). Furthermore, female qualities such as expressive, emotional, cooperative, tactful, warm, gentle, and talkative as well as submissive (Park 15).These qualities of women make them have a more nurturing, motivational as well as based on relationships their work. Women juggle with a lot of house work. They cook, raise children, and they do laundry as well as they clean the house at the same time they go to work. It is very challenging to do housework as well as be a career woman yet women still succeed. This has made them know how to prioritize their work. Men lack priority in their type of leadership skills. Organizations require prioritization. Men are aggressive, and task oriented while women work on the relationships of the employees. This in turn results in a better outcome. Women are more transformational leadership works well in any organization. This the best type of leadership that is required in any organization. Women model their organizations they take them as their responsibility. They know that that it is their home. There is a famous saying that says â€Å"give a woman a house and she makes it home.† This simply means that women transform everything that is left under their care. Every place that requires a leader

Brand Management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Brand Management - Term Paper Example ..9 Brand Positioning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 Brand Value†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.11 Current Scenario†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..12 Conclusion & Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.14 Introduction A Brand is the identity of a particular product or service, which distinguishes it from other products. The concept of branding has gained a lot of importance with the passage of time and nowadays branding has become an essential part of marketing for many companies. Nowadays, everything from a product to a person is a brand (Parameswaran, 2006). In this report, I will discuss the effectiveness of Nokia as a brand and evaluate it on various criteria that form the basis of brand management. Brand Management: Brand management understands what a ‘brand’ actually is and an approach to managing it in a way that it creates value for a company (Miller & Muir, 2004). A brand is the differentiating factor between two products which makes it special and gives it a competitive edge. A brand put forwards a promise which defines what the product has to offer to its customers. Marketers cr eate a proper image of the brand through visual images, logos, etc so that a customer can identify with it. Hence, brand management is a comprehensive process starting from understanding the brand to maintaining its image. Brand management can be simplified into 3 steps: First step is to create a promise i.e. understanding the brand and what it has to offer and defining it to the customer. Next is to make that promise which is how the image of the brand is created to register in the minds of the customers. Last is to keep the promise i.e. no brand can only survive on its name. A brand survives on what it offers to its customers and more. So brand management is also about living the promise of the brand till it exists. There are various ways to evaluate the effectiveness of a brand. The most important criteria are: Brand Image: A brand has a personality and a promise and the impression or image of that personality in the mind of a consumers’ mind of a brand’s character is known as brand image. Brand image is the overall impression of a brand that a consumer acquires from various sources. For example while purchasing a car Nissan would be associated with style, while Toyota is associated with reliability. Brand image is based on the fact that customer’s buying decision is associated with the image of the product and the customer is purchasing that set of beliefs (the image) that he has about the product. So a brand image should be positive and distinctive. Various promotional tools can be used to strengthen bran image like advertising, packaging etc. Brand Positioning: Positioning refers to how a product appears in the eyes of the target market as compared to other products

A fundamental objective of the Land Registration Act 2002 Essay

A fundamental objective of the Land Registration Act 2002 - Essay Example The Land Registration Act 2002 aims at allowing prospective buyers of land know the existence of any equitable interests that may be attached to the land1. The basic assumption of the law is that prospective buyers should not take the burden of verifying the adverse interests attached on the land, but should rely on the land register that reflects any equitable interests attached to the land2. The Act also eliminates most of overriding interests in land by ensuring the duty of disclosure and reasonable inspection of interests attached to land3. This paper will mainly focus on the main provisions of the Act that has ensured accurate and timely reflection of the status of title of land. The enactment of the act provided a new breakthrough in the land title registration and verification since it changed the mechanism of sale and purchase of registered land from paper based transactions to electronic transactions. The Act followed the three principles articulated by Thoedore Ruoff, a for mer Land registrar of England. The principles are ‘mirror principle, curtain principle and insurance principle. For unregistered land, the title of the land must be inspected under the old rules and seller must prove 15 years unbroken chain of the title from the root of the title. The purchaser has the duty to register his title to the register within the stipulated time, failure to which he or she will lose his legal estate in the land. The Land registry provides a description of the piece of land, the legal owner and any other interests that may affect the value and ownership of the land. ... The electronic network capturers all transactions related to the land including the registration of the title by the parties. The Act has laid down formalities relating to electronic conveyance such as time and date when the electronic dispositions should take effect. All the electronic signatures must be authenticated and such electronic documents must be signed by all involved parties. Section 4 (1) (g) of the Act requires registration on the creation of a protected first legal mortgage that is protected by the deposit of title deeds and also registration of leases with a term remaining of more than seven years. The Act also grants the land registrar powers to use transaction information on the network in order to monitor and disclose such appropriate information to other parties in electronic conveyance chain5. The Act also facilitates electronic settlement by granting the Land registrar the powers to form or assist in formation of a company or invest in a company with this system of electronic settlement. In the case of Abbey National Building society v, Cann, the main concern was the registration gap that occurs when an interest is created at the point of registration but before completion6. However, The House of Lords ruled that a party must have actual occupation of the land at the date of completion of registration of any interest to land in order to attain an overriding status to the land. In practical basis, the purchase of the land is not completed on the day the purchaser makes official search, but after few days has lapsed. Provided the purchaser lodges a registration within the stipulated period, he or she is not bound by notices or restrictions that may be made within the intervening period7. Section 7 (1)

Bank of America Financial Statements Research Paper

Bank of America Financial Statements - Research Paper Example These auditors provide a clean opinion on the financial statements as they are in done with the accordance of the law of the state and they value the client’s long standing relationship. PwC values their clients and they share a long and committed relation with their clients. The financial statements of Bank of America provide materialistic and factual evidence of subsequent events. The bank also provides a consolidated five year summary of the selected financial data in order to provide accurate results. The bank is divided into six business segments, which consists of deposits, global card services, home loans & insurance, global commercial banking, GBAM and GWIM. â€Å"Results of our operations through six business segments: Deposits, Global Card Services, Home Loans & Insurance, Global Commercial Banking, GBAM and GWIM, with the remaining operations recorded in all Other† (Bank of America, 2010). The auditors provide a clear report of the firm and they dedicate thei r report to the society. The reason for the bank’s downfall which has reduced its profits in the year 2010 was a decrease in the growth of assets. Similarly the bank has raised large amounts of debt in the last financial year and aims to improve its financial and capital strength. Bank of America is the one of the earth’s major financial organizations, serving individual customers, small- and middle-marketplace business and big businesses with a complete variety of asset management, investing, banking and other fiscal and risk management goods and services. The business offers unmatched expediency in the US, serving around 57 million customer and small business relations with around 5,900 retail banking offices and about 18,000 ATMs and award-winning online banking by way of 29 million active consumers. Bank of America is one amongst the world's foremost wealth management businesses and is a worldwide leader in business and trading and investment banking across a wide variety of asset classes, serving businesses, governments, organizations and persons around the world. â€Å"Bank of America does not undertake an obligation, and disclaims any duty, to update any of the information in

Budgeting Importance Essay Example for Free

Budgeting Importance Essay Abstract Beyond Budgeting has been proposed as an influential idea that will reinvigorate management accounting contribution in business  operation and performance. It is claimed that the traditional system has lost relevance with the modern business environment and is no longer satisfying the needs of managers. Budgets have been ingrained in the culture of business since their inception in the 1920s and managers will find it extremely difficult to radically shift to a system without budgets. The implications of a Beyond Budgeting system are; performance measures relative to competitors and a decentralised organisation structure. Alternatives such as the Better Budgeting techniques may be more favourable to management who desires a formal planning and control system. The Beyond Budgeting concept is still in its infancy and requires further development and practical implementation. Keywords: Budget; Beyond Budgeting; BBRT; Management Control I. Introduction Beyond Budgeting has been proposed as an influential idea that will reinvigorate management accounting contribution in business operation and performance. According to Hope and Fraser (2003) the budgeting system, as implemented by most businesses, should be eradicated. The budgeting debate has arisen due to a movement into the information age (Drury, 2008). It is considered that the environment is now so complex and competitive that budgeting in its existing form is no longer useful for businesses. Dissatisfaction with traditional budgets is growing in the business world and ‘Beyond Budgeting’ has been suggested as a method to reinvigorate the managerial contribution of management accounting. This article discusses how budgeting has evolved into its current state, before examining why this universal technique has come under such heavy criticism of late. The limitations and weaknesses of traditional budgeting system will be supported with appropriate references. At the he heart of this paper is the evaluation whether the Beyond Budgeting model is more relevant in today’s business environment and if it can be a prominent tool in the future practices of management accounting. After critically evaluating academic scholars’ views on this issue, a conclusion will be drawn as to whether Beyond Budgeting really is the way forward. This article is organised as follows: Section II introduces and discusses evolution of various concepts of budgeting; Section III discusses limitations of traditional budgeting; Section IV discusses how beyond budgeting addresses the limitations of traditional budgeting and is indeed the way forward and finally section V concludes. II. Evolution of Various Concepts of ‘Budgeting’ Bhimani et al. (2008) define a budget as a quantitative future plan created by managers to assist the implementation of this plan. Becker et al. (2009) state the common view is that at the foundation of management accounting  systems is budgeting. In the 1920s budgets were born in order to help managers control costs and cash flows (CIMA, 2007). This concept grew into fixed performance contracts involving future income and expenditure estimations. Budgets were used to drive and evaluate management performance. Furthermore, Rickards (2006) believes the main purpose of budgets is to help implement a firm’s strategy, not just controlling and planning. The changes in the economic environment and business processes led to evolutions in budgeting. From the initial cash budgets to more modern techniques of zero based budgeting (ZBB) and activity based budgeting (ABB). Drury (2008) details six functions of traditional budgets: Refining the company’s long term plans; Coordinating the different departments and helping to improve relationships between them; Communicating ideas and expectations from top management to all other employees; Motivating managers to achieve challenging targets and goals.; Controlling the business activities using variance analysis to determine areas requiring attention; Evaluating the performance of managers in relation to achieving targets. A study of 40 managers revealed that budgeting is still very popular (Dugdale Lyne, 2006). They found that all businesses in question were using budgets and that when used alongside other tools; budgets can harmonise, motivate and control. Budgeting is ingrained in the cultures of many companies; therefore it can be difficult to convince managers that the business will be better off without them (Libby Lindsay, 2007). Daum (2002) argues that in the dynamic business environment managers should be looking to grow, expand, exceed targets and limits, and not be restricted by them. He describes many features of this environment such as; complex activities, innovation, retention of good employees. The new business environment is vastly different from the 1920s and although budgets have evolved to adapt to these changes, they are increasingly coming under criticised. III. Criticisms of Traditional Budgeting The traditional budgeting methods are considered too time consuming and unresponsive to external changes. According to a research by Neely et al. (2003) the budget creation uses 20% of management time. Following on from this, Bartram (2006) found that even the leanest and most efficient  companies take 79 days to organise their budgets, whilst 210 days are spent in the worst practice companies. This is a considerable amount to time for a firm to spend on an activity that arguably adds no value to the business. The budget culture has restricted the ability for a firm to reshape into a modern business because the budgets reign and contain management behaviours into old  paradigms (Hope and Fraser, 1997). In today’s environment the traditional systems of frequently found to be an obstacle to innovation and enterprise by management (Daum, 2002). Daum Hope (2003) highlight the growth of organisations as a factor in causing the irrelevance of traditional budgeting methods. Previously, businesses were smaller and staff relationships were built on trust. Trust to act in the best interests of the company. The expansion and development of multinational companies has caused a break down in trust between employees. To combat this, budgets were used as systems of control. However, now this control aspect has become a restriction to progress for a modern and forward thinking company. The following are weaknesses suggested by Neely et al. (2003) and they advocate these as an area for improvement. Budgets lack strategic focus and value creation, instead the aim is always cost reductions. The bureaucratic style restricts flexibility which in turn impacts a firm’s creative instincts. Annual budgeting is too infrequent therefore feeding into the unresponsive argument. Employees may not react well to having controls forced onto them thus having the potential to de-motivate. Also the top down style of budgets strengthens vertical command structures, which can lack adaptability and responsiveness. Working to budgets can cause dysfunctional behaviour as managers are often under pressure to meet targets, this behaviour is also known as budget games. Bartram (2006) breaks down budget  games into five areas. Firstly, ‘The Sky’s the Limit’, this entails management pushing the boundaries and trying to get as large a budget as possible instead of asking for just what they need. This feeds into ‘Mine’s Bigger than Yours’ whereby managers use the size of their budget to judge their own status within the company. ‘Cooking the Books’ relates to a delay of declaring revenue if the targets are already met so that they can use this revenue to meet future objectives. Next is ‘Hey Big Spender’, managers feel that they must spend the entirety of their budget otherwise it will be cut next year. Finally, ‘Bonus or Bust’ is concerned with the managers focus on measures that impact their own salaries or bonuses, whilst ignoring targets which may be more vital to long term success. On the subject of budget games, Jensen (2003) feels the integrity of the whole firm can be compromised when managers partake in this type of behaviour. The traditional system is based on a flawed principle; reward managers for meeting targets but punish if they fail to do so. This only encourages the type of dysfunctional behaviour described by Bartram. In order to end these games, Jensen proposes abolishing the using budgets as a system for rewarding performance. Otley (2003) believes budget system has the potential to create dysfunctional behaviour and discusses his experience of a coal mine that held back stock to meet weekly quotas, an example of ‘Cooking the Books’. The majority of criticism of traditional budgeting methods has been published by the proponents behind the Beyond Budgeting movement, Hope Fraser. Their initial criticisms were used as a spearhead to create a better management tool. Traditional methods rely on past information which can have negative knock on effects. An example is the incremental budgeting tool, where the previous year’s budget is slightly adjusted for the new year without any analysis into areas which are over/under performing. The performance evaluation is generally carried out at the end of the budget period; this can be too late to remedy deficiencies. Leading on from this, the common practice is to carry out fixed percentage cuts when early results appear unacceptable (Hope Fraser, 2003). Libby Lindsay (2007) feel that the problems are originating from how budgets are implemented and used within business, if used correctly they still can be a very effective tool. Ekholm Wallin (2010) agree with Libby and Lindsay, and add that if properly used traditional budgets are a strong framework to plan and measure a company’s operations. Therefore it can be suggested that many of the inadequacies of traditional budgets could be down to the implementation and not the tool itself. Despite the reasoning behind these limitations, Hope and Fraser (1997) report that 99% of European companies use formal budgeting procedures, this figure is likely to remain high even today. In addition, a survey of US organisations by Libby Lindsay (2007) revealed that over 50% of senior managers felt businesses could not cope without budgets and that they were imperative to success. Managers also believed that despite the associated time and costs, budgets were adding value to a company. Ekholm Wallin (2010) feel the annual budget is not dead yet, but it is past its peak and has lost usefulness and become outdated. IV. Beyond Budgeting Beyond Budgeting promotes the most ideal characteristics of a budgeting system; flexibility, coordination and responsiveness (Pilkington Crowther, 2007). It is not just another system of tools; it requires a complete overhaul of the organisations culture and a shift in the management style (Becker et al, 2009). Hansen (2011) states this can be performed in two stages; move toward performance evaluation relative to competition and then implement a decentralized structure. Hope Fraser (2003) believe the limitations of traditional budgetary systems require businesses to abandon budgeting altogether and instead focus on financial and non financial measures. The process should look to external benchmarks and competitors rather than internally set targets. The restrictive nature of budgets is removed and this can enhance the potential of a firm whilst empowering employees to make better decisions. Player (2003) describes Beyond Budgeting as extreme approach but with vast benefits to be r ealised. A key problem area is with rewarding managers using traditional systems. A Beyond  Budgeting reward system is far more appropriate as it is relative to performance measures, often derived from competitors and benchmarks (Hope Fraser, 2003). Daum Hope (2003) argue that Beyond Budgeting is a more adaptive approach to management, with more frequent performance reviews. A second feature is that centralized and hierarchical structures are converted to a decentralized management style. This empowerment pushes authority and decision making to lower levels of the business. The effect can be found in increased productivity and motivation. Managers have embedded budgets into their culture so it is likely they will struggle to manage without them. Hope and Fraser (2001) believe that the volatile nature of the environment mean budgets and plans are redundant. Budgets try to remove surprises from business. Instead, managers should embrace them and look to them as opportunities for improvement. They continue by saying that in order to take full advantage of the opportunities lower level staff need the authority to make strategic decisions. Furthermore the removal of budgets creates extra time for managers spend on  problem solving and adding value to the business, as the time taken to prepare budgets is a particular disadvantage (Ostergren Stensaker, 2011). The Beyond Budgeting model is becoming increasingly popular and many companies are now following its principles. Hope Fraser (1997) discovered that the Scandinavian bank Svenska Handelsbanken abolished all forms of traditional budgeting in 1979. Since then it has grown into the largest bank in Scandinavia and one of Europe’s most efficient banks. Their CEO reported that a cultural change from budgets and targets to improvement has enabled costs to be driven down. Daum (2002) states that Svenska Handelsbanken utilised a decentralised structure to enable each branch to run as an independent profit centre. This is an example of the potential that Beyond Budgeting can unlock. The Beyond Budgeting Round Table (BBRT), a network designed to transform the  traditional budget system, studied 14 companies without budgets or almost without budgets and from this they produced 12 guiding principles to Beyond Budgeting: i. Measure performance against the competition, not internal targets. ii. Motivate employees by empowerment. iii. Delegation to divisional managers allows them to take responsibility. iv. Give operational managers independent access to resources. v. Create customer focused teams. vi. Provide transparent information sharing across the organisation. vii. Set targets on external benchmarks. viii. Rewards in line with beating the competitors. ix. Allow managers to be involved with strategy planning. x. Grant management access to local resources. xi. Coordinate the internal use of resources. xii. Performance measurement information should be available freely. (Daum, 2002) Pilkington Crowther (2007) have found that Beyond Budgeting is most commonly adopted by large firms employing over 1,000 people. The smaller firms (10 50 employees) tend to impose strict budgets for employees to follow. This is likely to be due to the size, management style and ability to train staff in unfamiliar concepts. DeWaal (2005) suggests an entry scan before implementing Beyond Budgeting to ensure that staff feels the current systems are failing. The scan creates discussion into whether staff wants, and if the organisation can, implements Beyond Budgeting. The main advantage of questioning the employment of Beyond Budgeting is that staff will feel involved in decision making and internal business processes. Beyond Budgeting appears to have many advantages over traditional systems but it is not without criticism of its own. CIMA (2007) believe that having no budget  creates various problems. A business will have no framework for planning, coordinating and controlling its activities. The business can lose direction without detailed plans of its current position and future goals. Finally, a drastic culture change can leave employees feeling disillusion and the decentralized structure may be impractical for some organisations. An alternative option for firms that still want a formal budgeting system is Better Budgeting. Better Budgeting entails five techniques that can be used to overcome some of the limitations of traditional methods (Neely et al, 2003). Activity Based Budgeting involves planning using value adding activities, following a similar concept to ABC and ABM. Zero Base budgeting forces managers to justify their budgets every year to try and prevent dysfunctional behaviour and budget games. Thirdly, a Value Based technique encourages a focus on creating shareholder wealth and linkages with strategy. Profit methods consider both short and long term projections whilst ensuring sufficient cash is generated. Finally, Rolling Budgets create frequent budgets to provide more accurate forecasts. A major problem with Better Budgeting techniques is that they can actually take even more management time to be used effectively, which is likely to cause greater dissatisfaction with the processes. The Beyond Budgeting movement is still in the early stages of development and Rickards (2006) feels that further research and practical implementations are required before a real breakthrough in management accounting is achieved. Becker et al (2009) believe that the initial fascination with Beyond Budgeting is fading and that some principles are being put into practice, just not under the umbrella of Beyond Budgeting. Decentralisation and empowerment may be growing in popularity due to the current business environment. V. Conclusion To conclude, Hope’s view is that Beyond Budgeting is a far more effective system which conquers the limitations of traditional methods. He foresees the international expansion of the BBRT and that Beyond Budgeting will become a ‘major management theme for the future’ (Daum Hope, 2003). After evaluating the thoughts and opinions of various academics, this article believes that Beyond Budgeting has an important role to play in the future of management accounting. However, it is unlikely that it will be fully adopted as the BBRT imagined; a number of principles are extremely useful within the modern environment. These may be adopted but management will find it hard to completely abandon budgeting, as it is embedded it business culture. Perhaps some Better Budgeting techniques could be practiced in order to update the failing traditional system. This article supports the argument that traditional budgets are outdated and no longer appropriate for the current environment. Furthermore, budgets can actually destroy shareholder value within a firm therefore it is vital that new systems are developed. It is the view of this article that the traditional budget requires refreshing and revitalizing but is not yet ready for removal. References Bartram, P. (2006). Forecasting the end for budgets. Director. 30. Becker, S., Messner, M. and Schaffer, U. (2009). The Evolution of a Management Accounting Idea: The Case of Beyond Budgeting. Working paper. Bhimani, A., Horngren, C., Datar, S. Foster, G. (2008). Management and Cost Accounting, 4th ed. Harlow: Pearson. Michael Goode, Ali Malik CIMA 213 (2007). Beyond Budgeting. [Online] Available at: http://www.cimaglobal.com/Documents/ImportedDocuments/cid_tg_beyond_bu dgeting_oct07.pdf [Accessed: 28/11/11] Daum, J. (2002). Beyond Budgeting: A Model for Performance Management and Controlling in the 21st Century? Controlling and Finance. Daum, J. and Hope, J. (2003). The origins of Beyond Budgeting and of the Beyond Budgeting Round Table (BBRT) An interview with Jeremy Hope. DeWaal, A. (2005). Is Your Organisation Ready for Beyond Budgeting? Measuring Business Excellence, 9(2), 58-67 Drury, C. (2008). Management and Cost Accounting. 7th Edition. Andover: Cengage Learning. Dugdale, D. and Lyne, S. (2006). Budgeting. CIMA Financial Management, 32-35. Ekholm, B. and Wallin, J. (2010). Is the annual budget really dead? European Accounting Review, 9(4), 519-539. Hansen, S. (2011). A Theoretical Analysis of the Impact of Adopting Rolling Budgets, Activity-Based Budgeting and Beyond Budgeting. European Accounting Review, 20(2), 289-319. Hope, J. and Fraser, R. (1997). Beyond budgetingbreaking through the barrier to the third wave. Management Accounting, 75(11), 20-23. Hope, J. and Fraser, R. (2001). Beyond Budgeting Questions Answers. CAM-I Hope, J. and Fraser, R. (2003). New ways of setting rewards: the Beyond Budgeting model. Californian Management Review, 45(4), 104-119. Hope, J. and Fraser, R. (2003). Who needs budgets? Harvard Business Review. 81(5), 125-126. Jensen, M. (2003). Paying People to Lie: the Truth about the Budgeting Process. European Financial Management, 9(3), 379-406. Libby, T and Lindsay, R. (2009). Beyond budgeting or budgeting reconsidered? A survey of North-American budgeting practice. Management Accounting Research. Neely, A., Bourne, M. and Adams, C. (2003). Better budgeting or beyond budgeting?Measuring Business Excellence, 7(3), 22-28 Ostergren, K. and Stensaker, I. (2010). Management control without budgets: A field study of â€Å"Beyond Budgeting† in practice. European Accounting Review, 19(1), 1-33. 214 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 31, No. 2 Otley, D. (2003). Management Control and Performance Management Whence and Whither? British Accounting Review, 35, 309-326. Pilkington, M. andCrowther, D. (2007). Budgeting and control. Financial Management, 29-30. Player, S. (2003). Why some organizations go Beyond Budgeting. Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance, 14(3), 3-9. Rickards, R. (2006). Beyond budgeting: boon or boondoggle? Investment Management and Financial Innovations, 3(2), 62-76.

Relationship Between Exports and Trade

Relationship Between Exports and Trade Methodology Empirical Strategy The primary objective of this paper is to determine whether there is a main difference in the causal relationship between exports and trade finance among two groups of countries classified based on their financial systems; bank-based and market-based. As outlined in the literature review section, there are contradicting empirical and theoretical evidence on the impact of trade finance on exports and thus, the secondary objectives are first to determine the significance of this impact using my own proxy for trade finance and then, to capture the effect of the financial crisis on this causal link between exports and trade finance. Data Sources and Measurement Technique Annual data for 19 countries ranging in the period 2001 to 2011 have been used for the empirical analysis of this paper. All data used for the 10 annual observations for these countries were obtained from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators. The estimation technique in this paper generally follows the model used by Liston and McNeil (2013) but contains several modifications and extensions due to unavailability of data and different objective. They constructed both an export volume equation and an import volume equation to analyze international trade. The common variables included in both equations are real exports (exportst,j), real imports (importst,j), real gross domestic product which is equivalent to real gross national income (GNIt,j) , export demand (EXDEMt,j), real effective exchange rates (REERt,j), trade finance (FINt.j) and a dummy variable (Dcrisis) that takes a value of 0 from the period starting 2000 to 2007 and zero otherwise. Additionally, there are other dummy variables which classified countries based on their financial systems and they are structure size dummy (DUMMY1t,j) and structure activity dummy (DUMMY2t,j). Structure size dummy takes a value of 1 for countries with higher means ratio of market cap to bank credit as compared to structure activity variable which takes a value of 1 for countries with higher means ratio of value of shares traded to bank credit and 0 otherwise. Real exports and real imports are measured in constant 2005 U.S dollars and as for export demand, it represents market share. In this paper, the proxy for export demand differs from that of Liston and McNeil (2013) due to model modification and instead, the ratio of individual country’s export to world exports is used to represent market share as opposed to the ratio of the sum of imports to the sum of exports. Similarly, the proxy for trade finance is different in this paper due to data unavailability. Nevertheless, short-term net flows on external debt are instead used as the proxy for trade finance. Short-term net flows on external debt represent net lending received by the borrower during the year where the maturity of the debt is one year or less. The rationale behind using this proxy for trade finance is that trade finance is basically a short term debt used to carry on trade and hence, an increase in trade finance should be reflected in an increase in the proxy used. Mo reover, due to unavailability of data for real domestic product, it is substituted by gross national income and in theory, they should be equivalent. The last discrepancy from the paper of Liston and McNeill (2013) is that as a substitute for real exchange rate, real effective exchange rate index is used in this paper where 2005=100 for the index and REERi,j is included to account for relative prices between countries. Empirical Model To investigate whether financial system and trade finance affect trade flows, panel data models are estimated. The models consist of 16 countries which most of them are developing or under-developed countries. Interestingly, empirical studies such as Liston and McNeil (2013) demonstrated that countries with lower level of financial development give a higher importance to trade finance compared to developed countries and hence, the relationship between trade finance and exports should be high in this paper. The export volume specification is described as: Log(exportst,j),= ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1log(EXDEMt,j) + ÃŽ ±2 REERt,j + ÃŽ ±3 FINt.j + ÃŽ ±4FINt.j* DUMMY1t,j + ÃŽ ±5FINt.j* DUMMY2t,j + ÃŽ ±6FINt.j* DUMMY3t,J + Â µt,j (1) Where exportst,j are real exports for the jth country at time t, EXDEMt,j represents export demand, REERt,j is the real effective exchange rate index, FINt,j is the trade finance proxy, DUMMYt captures effects of the financial crisis as it is 1 for the years 2008 and onwards and 0 otherwise and DUMMY1t,j, DUMMY2t,j and DUMMY3t,j represent the classification of countries into 2 groups by financial system upon structure size, structure activity and financial structure respectively. As for import volume specification, it is arranged as: Log(importst,j)= ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1log(GDIt,j) + ÃŽ ±2 REERt,j + ÃŽ ±3 FINt.j + ÃŽ ±4FINt.j* DUMMY1t,j + ÃŽ ±5FINt.j* DUMMY2t,j + ÃŽ ±6FINt.j* DUMMY3t,J + vt,j (2) Where importst,j are real imports for the jth country at time t and GNIt,j is the real gross domestic income for the jth country. All other variables are the same as that in the export volume specification. Expected Signs of Variables All the variables included are expected to have some impact on international trade and the expected effect of these variables on exports and imports are given in table 1. Table 1. Overview of expected effects of variables used on exports and imports Variables Expected effects on Exports Expected effects on Imports Export demand positive Real Effective Exchange Rate negative positive Trade Finance positive positive Gross Domestic Income positive As export demand in this paper represents exports market share, an increase in export demand should also generate an increase in exports. Real effective exchange should have a negative impact on exports and a positive impact on imports respectively because when a country’s currency strengthen, its exports become less competitive whereas its price of imports become cheaper and imports tend to increase. Moreover, an increase in trade finance should have a positive effect on both exports and imports. Trade finance is used to fund firms for them to be able to continue exports and imports also should increase due to the imports of raw materials used for exports. Also, as gross domestic income increases, demand for foreign goods increases and thus, imports are also expected to increase. Estimation Technique Both equations (1) and (2) are estimated first by their base models to analyze the common explanatory variables for export and import volumes. In the export volume equation, the base model includes export demand (EXDEM) and real effective exchange rate (REER) whereas in the import volume equation, instead of including export demand (EXDEM), real gross domestic income (GNI) is included. Then the base models are extended by including the proxy for trade finance (FIN). Log(exportst,j),= ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1log(EXDEMt,j) + ÃŽ ±2 REERt,j + ÃŽ ±3 FINt.j + Â µt,j (3) Log(importst,j)= ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1log(GDIt,j) + ÃŽ ±2 REERt,j + ÃŽ ±3 FINt.j + vt,j (4) Equations 5 and 6 are then extended by adding dummy variables which represent financial system of a country. The dummy variable takes the value of 1 when a country is classified as market based and 0 otherwise. Separately, they are interacted with proxy for trade finance which will enable the analysis of whether between market and bank based economies are more dependent on trade finance or there is no difference at all. Log(exportst,j),= ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1log(EXDEMt,j) + ÃŽ ±2 REERt,j + ÃŽ ±3 FINt.j + ÃŽ ±4FINt.j* DUMMY1t,j + ÃŽ ±5FINt.j* DUMMY2t,j+ Â µt,j (5) Log(importst,j)= ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1log(GDIt,j) + ÃŽ ±2 REERt,j + ÃŽ ±3 FINt.j + ÃŽ ±4FINt.j* DUMMY1t,j + ÃŽ ±5FINt.j* DUMMY2t,j + vt,j (6) Finally, equations 5-8 are enhanced to include a dummy variable Dcrisis which captures the effect of the financial crisis and which takes the value of 1 for the period 2008 to 2011 and 0 for the period of 2000 to 2007. By adding this structural break, during the crisis, it is expected that exports will be more reliant on trade finance in general due to turmoil in financial markets and the presence of a liquidity crunch. Additionally, whether how this affected the analysis made from the interactions of the dummy variables in equation 5 and 6 needs to be tested and analyzed. The results of the panel data regression and its analysis are provided in the next section. Log(exportst,j),= ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1log(EXDEMt,j) + ÃŽ ±2 REERt,j + ÃŽ ±3 FINt.j + Dcrisis + Â µt,j (7) Log(importst,j)= ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1log(GDIt,j) + ÃŽ ±2 REERt,j + ÃŽ ±3 FINt.j + Dcrisis + vt,j (8) Log(exportst,j),= ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1log(EXDEMt,j) + ÃŽ ±2 REERt,j + ÃŽ ±3 FINt.j + ÃŽ ±4FINt.j* DUMMY1t,j + ÃŽ ±5FINt.j* DUMMY2t,j + Dcrisis + Â µt,j (9) Log(importst,j)= ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1log(GDIt,j) + ÃŽ ±2 REERt,j + ÃŽ ±3 FINt.j + ÃŽ ±4FINt.j* DUMMY1t,j + ÃŽ ±5FINt.j* DUMMY2t,j + Dcrisis + vt,j (10)

Analysis of the Play Beauty and the Beast Essay -- Musicals Plays Beau

Analysis of the Play Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast was an amazing musical, many say it was much better than the movie. Just like the movie. It starts off in a faraway land, with the Young Prince who lived in a shining castled. The prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind. An old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the Prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. The old woman warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is to be found within. And when he sent her away again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The Prince tried to apologise, but it was too late. As punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. The Rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose. If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return before the last petal fell, the spell would be br oken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a Beast for all time. In a little town, a young girl by the name of belle arrives. The Towns people despite their admiration for Belle's beauties think of Belle as odd and peculiar because of her favourite thing to do is to read. Gaston, a handsome, skilful hunter who has fallen in love with Belle. Gaston is obsessed with belle marrying him and will not give up. Meanwhile, Belle slips away and goes home to...

Macbeth :: essays research papers

One thing leads to another. This is a statement most people are familiar with, especially if they read William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It tells what happens to the tragic protagonist, Macbeth. At the start of the play, Macbeth is a highly praised and loyal nobleman admired by all until he becomes a victim of the witches. Their promises evoke his unrestrained ambition. From then on, Macbeth’s actions snowball out of his control and under the witches’ power. His unholy deeds trouble his sleep, and the innocent victims return to haunt him. Evil spirits take over his every move and thought. The luring prophecies, sleepless nights, hallucinations, and deceptive apparitions are all products of sorcery used to cloud Macbeth’s moral judgment and lead him to further degradation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By pricking Macbeth’s desire for power and prestige with promising prophecies and giving him confidence with the apparitions, the witches lure him to commit evil deeds and to continue doing so endlessly. Their tempting prophecies bait Macbeth into their deceitful plot. Banquo, a fellow nobleman, warns him about the prophecies, “But ‘tis strange: and oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray’s in deepest consequence'; (I, 3, 122-127). Banquo is a smart man, and it is unfortunate that Macbeth ignores his advice. To be sure that Macbeth self-destructs by his own sinful behavior, the sorceresses create prophetic images that ensure him security. Not knowing they are all part of the deception, Macbeth easily succumbs to their plan. He aimlessly kills, believing nothing can harm him, but he is dead wrong. The witches true intention is best revealed in Hecate’s orders, “And that distilled by magic sleights shall raise such artificial sprites as by the strength of their illusion shall draw him on to his confusion'; (III, 5, 26-29). Macbeth’s biggest misfortune is encountering the witches, and an even bigger mistake is to revisit them. The cunning scheme of the wicked women successfully leads Macbeth to evil and confuses him enough for him to lose command of his actions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even away from the witches, Macbeth still cannot escape their evil influence. By using hallucination, haunting spirits, and ghostly images, they over-power his ability to make right judgments. Macbeth’s hallucinating experience begins when he sees a dagger leading him to kill King Duncan. Macbeth’s reaction to the sight was, “Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight, or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a fatal creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?

Defying Male Power in John Websters The Duchess of Malfi Essay

  Ã‚   John Webster's play The Duchess of Malfi is an illustration of the unequal power relations between the sexes during the sixteenth century. In the play the brothers Ferdinand and the Cardinal are shown as men who want to control their sister the Duchess by not letting her remarry. Out of this situation emerges the Duchess who, in spite of her promise not to marry again (p. 1298), will do the complete opposite, thus defying male power. Her conversation with Antonio (lines 317-61, pp. 1292-3) is an example of this because in her speech the Duchess intends to make Antonio realize that she is against both the conventions of marriage codes and men's assumptions of women's sexuality. The Duchess, after she puts her wedding-ring upon Antonio's finger, sets out to convince him that they have the right to become husband and wife. She tells him that his lower status should not stop her from marrying him. Being a Duchess, she argues, she has the power to "raise [him] higher" (line 319). When Antonio objects to such an "ambition" she even offers him her riches. Thus the Duc... Defying Male Power in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi Essay   Ã‚   John Webster's play The Duchess of Malfi is an illustration of the unequal power relations between the sexes during the sixteenth century. In the play the brothers Ferdinand and the Cardinal are shown as men who want to control their sister the Duchess by not letting her remarry. Out of this situation emerges the Duchess who, in spite of her promise not to marry again (p. 1298), will do the complete opposite, thus defying male power. Her conversation with Antonio (lines 317-61, pp. 1292-3) is an example of this because in her speech the Duchess intends to make Antonio realize that she is against both the conventions of marriage codes and men's assumptions of women's sexuality. The Duchess, after she puts her wedding-ring upon Antonio's finger, sets out to convince him that they have the right to become husband and wife. She tells him that his lower status should not stop her from marrying him. Being a Duchess, she argues, she has the power to "raise [him] higher" (line 319). When Antonio objects to such an "ambition" she even offers him her riches. Thus the Duc...

Film Comment Essay

â€Å"Just too many ideas. I wanted all these characters, they all meant something to me, but I wanted them to weave together in some way; I wanted it to feel unified in the investigation† (Russell qtd. in Smith 4). These are the words of David O. Russell, writer-director of the movie I Heart Huckabees, when asked by Film Comment editor Gavin Smith about the most difficult dilemma in the film. From this reply, he was very much aware of the limitations of his movie, and is honest about it. The movie is not your usual movie-date fare. Yes, it is a comedy. Yes, it does have an all-star cast. However, this comedy is an existential one, a film that tries to discuss the profound questions of existence with humor. The movie’s protagonist is Albert (Jason Schwartzman), who seeks the help of â€Å"existential investigators† Vivian and Bernard Jaffe (portrayed by Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman) when he is disturbed by repetitive, coincidental encounters with a Sudanese orphan. The couple starts to work on Albert; Vivian delves into his everyday activities, while Bernard tries to help him understand the interconnectivity of things. Then there is Tommy (Mark Wahlberg), the â€Å"other† to Schwartzman’s Albert. Meanwhile, the Jaffes find a predicament in Caterine Vaubert (Isabelle Huppert), who uses her charms to brainwash Albert and Tommy with her nihilistic ideals. The movie should be praised for having a profound and serious theme successfully conveyed in such a humorous light. Nonetheless, this is the very reason that hinders the movie to exert much influence on its viewers. It is too preoccupied with being existentialist that the characters seemed to be two-dimensional for its audience. The film is too caught up with its philosophical leanings that the characters alienates them moviegoers, even if Russell did draw inspiration from people in real life. When asked about Brad, one of the characters, Russell replied, â€Å"†¦your good intentions are staying in there, but you’re really compromising away half of them† (Russell qtd. in Smith 5). Too bad that also applies to the entire movie. Works Cited Smith, Gavin. â€Å"Hearts and Minds. † Film Comment Sept. -Oct. 2004:1-5.

The Brandenburg Gate Speech

Speaker’s Relationship with the Audience: The Brandenburg Gate Speech Ronald Reagan, the former president of the United States from 1981 to 1989, spoke in the Brandenburg Gate. Ronald Reagan gave his famous â€Å"Tear Down this Wall† speech in Berlin. Many people in Germany were ready for freedom and others wanted it as well. Many people felt there should be peace within the city. Ronald Reagan wanted to persuade the Soviets and Communists that change and openness was a great thing. Ronald Reagan’s speech was a sort of challenge to Gorbachev, to tear it down as a symbol for increasing freedom. We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace.President Ronal Reagan’ speech tried to persuade German people to believe that the unification of Berlin was possible, he achieved this through the use of one main rhetorical tool: the speaker’s re lationship to the audience. This tool used German quotes, the identification of shared ideas, the exaltation of cultural qualities, the distinction of political group, and the classification of groups into a political stream to persuade.Historical Background: The Brandenburg Gate The Brandenburg Gate, was built in 1791. It stands as Berlin’s arch of triumph. From 1961 to 1989 the Berlin Wall blocked the Brandenburg Gate. The wall divided Germany into two zones of ideological contention and political distrust during a time known as the Cold Was. The United States and its allies administrated West Germany; East Germany was under the control of the USSR. West Berlin was administrated by a group of allies, but was closely aligned with West Germany, which had its own government. Easter and Western Germans were denied access through the gate.On the twenty-second of December 1989 after 28 years of division. East and West Berlin were reunified and the gate was reopened. Two years bef ore the Gate was reopened, Ronald Reagan spoke in front of the Brandenburg Gate. In his speech he tried to persuade the German people to believe that the unification of Berlin was possible. He used the â€Å"wall† as a metaphor in describing oppression. Speaker’s relationship with audience through German quotes Ronald Reagan was able to build a relationship with the audience, German people, through the use of German quotes.At the beginning of his speech he communicated how he felt welcomed in Berlin and how there was a connection between him and the place. He said, â€Å"You see, like so many Presidents before me, I come here today because wherever I go, whatever I do: â€Å"I still have a suitcase in Berlin†. Comment that he said the phrase in German alsoThe connection between the place and feelings made possible that the German audience felt that there was a relationship between them and the speaker.It made feel the audience that he could understand for what they were going through at that time. President Ronal Reagan made them feel important showing them by â€Å"I still have a suitcase in Berlin† that he was going to help them to overcome that oppression by tearing down the wall. he’s not going to Moreover, the mention of an important political position like being the president of the United States, demonstrated authority showing them that even though he was in a place where he was a foreigner in Berlin, he still could help them.The importance of Berlin as a place that had politically disputes, and later on, the attribution of some qualities to this place by a foreign actor gave importance to Berlin and encouraged empathy toward German people. Speaker’s relationship with the audience through the identification of shared ideas Having a feeling of unity and understanding, Ronald Reagan moved into a political idea that was well supported by German people given the previous feelings of agreement.He used his speaker re lationship with the audience to propose the concept of a unified Berlin, and then he highlighted this idea in German words: Our gathering today is being broadcast throughout Western Europe and North America. Though the command, â€Å"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,† was to become the rally cry of western civilization, the wall actually had little to do with President Reagan's purpose. The President was there to market the American way of life.He may have put his vocal emphasis on this now famous demand, but it was the more subtle enticements that President Reagan held out to the unseen listeners, trapped behind that wall, that were the catalysts for its destruction. President Reagan says: â€Å"Today in West Berlin there is the greatest industrial output of any city in Germany busy office blocks, fine homes and apartments, proud avenues, and the spreading lawns of parkland. Where a city's culture seemed to have been destroyed, today there are two great universities, orch estras and an opera, countless theaters, and museums.Where there was want, today there's abundance-food, clothing, automobiles-the wonderful goods of the Ku'damm. † To those on the other side, the east side, it must have sounded like a beautiful world. Those behind the wall were caught in the endless cycle of poverty, and the hunger and anger it generates. Those behind the wall were controlled by a totalitarian government, and brutalized by suppression. It was to these people that President Reagan spoke. They were his targets. Then he continued speaking â€Å"in the West today, we see a free world that has achieved a level of prosperity and well-being unprecedented in all human history.In the Communist world, we see failure. Even today, the Soviet Union still cannot feed itself. After these four decades, then, there stands before the entire world one great and inescapable conclusion: Freedom leads to prosperity. † After he has described the affluence of West Berlin, the President shows a picture of life in the Soviet Union. And that is when he slips in the subtle suggestion that would, most assuredly, occupy the collective consciousness of the oppressed: â€Å"Freedom leads to prosperity. â€Å"Freedom is the product, prosperity the benefit†.Reagan made German people feel that the unification was a German idea; a hope that prevailed in the public opinion even while the political division existed. One Berlin was mainly a German desire, and something that foreign political friends supported. Thus, his ideas as a speaker were sustained because of this link with the audience. He also expressed the relationship through the media. Reagan maintained the German people from the East and West were linked through modern devices of communication and that in spite of ideological contention they were united in hope.All were gathered hoping to see the Brandenburg gate opened and Reagan’s ideas fulfilled. Speaker’s relationship with the audi ence through the exaltation of cultural qualities Emphasizing his relationship with the audience, Reagan asserted that despite the adverse political conditions there were chances to have a unified Berlin. Past political, economic, and cultural recovery opened opportunities to believe that a future unification was possible. He emphasized that the positive attitude of the German people forecasted better political conditions that ultimately would consolidate and unify Germany.From devastation, from utter ruin, you Berliners have, in freedom, rebuilt a city that once again ranks as one of the greatest on earth†¦ Now the Soviets may have had other plans. But my friends, there were a few things the Soviets did not count on: â€Å"Berliner heart, Berliner humor, yes, and a Berliner Schnauze. † The specific mention of German characteristics, associated with cultural behaviors and ideas, like humor, made German people believe that there was a connection between the speaker and th e hopes that he had about Germany. Reagan’s audience saw a normal human being: They saw themselves and friends.The manner, in which he speaks, as friends do, gives the German people a sense of fraternity. President Reagan was the most powerful man on the planet. He was a man that could speak and declare this truth, and he was a man that could encompass genuine humanness: Intimidating and stern to the enemy; relatable, and redeeming to his friends. Although President Reagan was an American, he has the ability to relate to the German people almost by becoming one. His reasons for coming to Germany are not only to perform his job, but for other, more selfish and human reasons.Reagan remarked how Germany was a country that emerged from adverse political, economic, and social conditions and became a productive and competitive nation. In this way, not only did he create a connection between the audience and himself by recognizing their characteristics, he also used this relation to suggest that current present characteristics would change the political conditions of the future. He created a relationship between the audience and himself by suggesting that Germany would pass through unfavorable political conditions.The Conclusion: Evaluating Reagan’s Persuasive Achievement Ronald Reagan persuaded the Germans in 1987 using a principal rhetorical took: the speaker’s relationship with the audience. President Reagan’s speech was greatly successful. Establishing his purpose and duty, becoming the friend to the oppressed and free. He used German expressions that put him in a position of understanding and cooperation with the Germans. He exalted German cultural behaviors, like people’s willingness to work, in orders to gain common ground where political ideas about the unification would have been accepted.He explained how foreign countries supported a future where Eastern and Western Germany coexisted as one. This understanding created a de fined identification of one political group and the possibility of acceptance of the ideas of that group. This group was the West, and Reagan was its speaker; he persuaded people to believe that the unification of Germany was possible. It is difficult to evaluate the exact degree in which Reagan persuaded German people to believe that the Brandenburg Gate would be opened again.

Poverty in Botswana Essay

Poverty is defined either in relative or absolute terms. According to Datta, 1995: 99, relative poverty is the deprivation in comparison to the living standards of other people who are the majority. On the other hand, absolute poverty refers to lack of minimum resources to maintain a minimum standard of living. The statistical measures used by the governments conceal so much about poverty, its extent, victims, and even the distribution. This is because mostly it is seen in economic terms such as Gross National Product or the per capita income which has been employed as the real indicator of social welfare. However it has been noticed that this method of measurement is concealing a great deal of information on poverty e. g. the internal variation in the progress in economic development by different groups in the population. Since Botswana achieved self governance in the 1966, it has experienced rapid economic growth; poverty in the rural areas has persisted over these years. There has also been brisk development to show in terms of infrastructure, education and health development. Botswana just like any other African country is still considered a third world country hence the endemic poverty has not escaped this southern African state considered to be having huge economic growth annually. Even though significant progress has been made in the last two decades in terms of economic growth, i. e. per capita gross domestic product increasing from 1,600 dollars in 1980 to nearly 10, 000 dollars today, most analysts argue that there is slim chances of the country halving the number of people living on less than a dollar a day by 2015. According to the household survey done in the country in 2002/2003 the unemployment rate was 23. 8 percent. It also indicated that income inequality in Botswana also increased between 1987 and 2003 hence analyst argue that poverty is not only quite widespread but also deeply rooted because it has persisted despite growth. However according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 47% of the populations live below the poverty line, that is, they live on less than one dollar a day. Further half of female headed households live on less than one dollar a day (Challenges 2006-7: Poverty in Botswana persists despite growth). This UNDP survey also indicate that the poorest 20% of the population get a merely 4% of the national income while the 20% richest share a whooping 60 percent of the total national income. According to McFarlan M in his paper;’ The Micro economic impact of HIV/AIDS in Botswana’, this statistics shows the high level of inequality in Botswana. That the urban- rural divide intensifies the already rampant inequality. The further statistics shows that four out of five members of a household still depend on the income from a family member in urban and that about one-fifth of rural households do not have any income source that could be recorded (MacFarlan M et al 2001) Women education Poverty does not necessarily refer to lack of possessions or income, experts argue that it also refer to lack of skills, knowledge, understanding and empowerment. It also refers to as a household’s financial inability to meet its basic nutritional, education and shelter needs (UNICEF, 1993: 77). Poverty hence tend to be more severe in particular groups in a society like low income groups, female- headed households, rural communities who cannot access social amenities like schools. Poverty, women and lack of education has been reported in many parts of the world, both in developed and developing countries. These uneducated female household heads are relatively younger and poorer. With lack of information and having high dependency burden, the circle of poverty continues. Poverty in Botswana has remained mainly a rural phenomenon whose bulk population are women. The female headed households are highly affected. This trend has been a cycle where female- headed house holds whose offspring are female end up heading their own households with inherited poverty. Botswana’s rural women lack access to economic opportunities and resources. Women also have no access to opportunities in economic resource exploitations. They lack access to agricultural land and other resources like technology, employment and credit. Whenever a poverty alleviation program fails in the village, it is women who feel the pinch because they form the bulk of those who depend wholly in agriculture.

Crusades: First Crusade and New Paragraph

The Crusades were a series of religiously sanctioned military campaigns waged by much of Western Christian Europe, particularly the Franks of France and the Holy Roman Empire. The specific crusades to restore Christian control of the Holy Land were fought over a period of nearly 200 years, between 1095 and 1291. There are several reasons for the Crusades, but the importance and relevance of some are debated by scholars even to this day. (NEW PARAGRAPH) In the Middle Ages, Christians considered Palestine the Holy Land because it was where Jesus had lived and taught.The Arabs had conquered Palestine in the 600s. Most Arabs were Muslims, but they usually tolerated other religions. Jews and Christians who paid their taxes and observed other regulations were free to live in Palestine and practice their own religion. The Arab rulers didn’t usually interfere with Christian pilgrims visiting Palestine, and European traders could generally do business there. During the 1000s the Seljuk Turks, people from central Asia who had adopted the Muslim faith, conquered Palestine and attacked Asia Minor, which was part of the Byzantine Empire. NEW PARAGRAPH) When the Turks threatened the capital city of Constantinople, the Byzantine emperor appealed to the pope in Rome.Because Christian pilgrims going to Palestine came home with reports of persecution from the Turks, the Byzantine emperor’s appeal for help found a reception in Europe. (NEW PARAGRAPH) Pope Urban I wanted to regain the Holy Land from the Muslims. He called a great meeting of church leaders and French nobles at Clermont France in 1095. At the meeting he encouraged the powerful feudal nobles to stop fighting with each other, and to join in one big war against the â€Å"unbelievers. Urban’s request made his listeners very enthusiastic and they joined in one big cry, â€Å"God wills it! † (NEW PARAGRAPH) From Clermont people traveled through France preaching the cause. The people who joined the expeditions sewed a cloth cross on their clothes. They were called crusaders, from the Latin word cruciata, which means, â€Å"marked with a cross. † People joined the Crusades, the expeditions to regain the Holy Land, for many different reasons. Most knights joined the crusades for the land and plunder in the rich Middle East. Merchants saw a chance to make money.The pope promised both heavenly and earthly rewards. Those who died on a Crusade were said to go strait to heaven. (NEW PARAGRAPH) The pope also guaranteed church protection of the crusader’s property and family during his absence. Debtors who joined a Crusade had their debts canceled. Criminals were relieved of punishment. The Crusades appealed to both a love of adventure and the promise of reward- the desire to escape debts or punishment. French and Norman nobles led the First Crusade that lasted from 1096 to 1099. In three organized armies, they marched across Europe to Constantinople. NEW PARAGRAPH) The crusaders received a hostile reception in Constantinople. The Byzantine emperor had asked for some assistance, but now, seeing three armies approaching the city, he feared they might capture and plunder the capitol. After much discussion the Byzantines allowed the crusaders to pass through Constantinople to begin their long, hot march across Asia Minor toward Palestine. In their wool and leather garments and their heavy armor, the crusaders suffered severely from the heat. Because they had few pack animals, a shortage of food and water plagued them.Additional problems erupted when the leaders quarreled over fiefs in the lands they captured. Despite these difficulties, however, the crusaders forged on to capture the city of Antioch. Then they marched toward Jerusalem. If the Turks had not also been quarreling and disunited, the expedition would have failed. (NEW PARAGRAPH) Conditions improved as the crusaders marched down the seacoast toward Palestine. Fleets of ships from the It alian cities of Genoa and Pisa brought reinforcements and supplies. The crusaders captured Jerusalem after a short battle and slaughtered the Muslim inhabitants.One leader wrote to the pope that his horse’s legs had been bloodstained to the knees from riding among the bodies of the dead Muslims. In the Middle East the crusaders set up four small states: the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripole, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. They introduced European feudalism and subdivided the land into fiefs controlled by vassals and lords. For almost a century, the Europeans occupied these lands. (NEW PARAGRAPH) Brisk European trade, with goods carried mostly in Italian ships, sprang up.Christians and Muslims lived in close proximity and grew to respect each other. Many Christians adopted Eastern customs and came to prefer Eastern food and clothing. The Second Crusade began in 1147, after the Turks had recaptured the important city of Edessa and threatened th e Kingdom of Jerusalem. In this Crusade, King Louis VII of France and the Holy Roman Emperor, Conrad III led their armies across Europe to the Holy Land. They were fighting separately, and didn’t join forces until they got to Damascus, which was held by the Turks.Luis and Conrad couldn’t capture the city and returned to Europe disgracefully in two years. In 1187 the Muslim leader Saladin recaptured Jerusalem. (NEW PARAGRAPH) Two years later the Third Crusade, the â€Å"Crusade of the Three Kings,† began and lasted until 1192. King Richard of England, King Philip Augustus of France, and Emperor Frederick Barboarossa of the Holy Roman Empire each started out at the head of a great army to regain the Holy Land. The Europeans failed once again, and an estimated 300,000 Christians and Muslims died.There were many more Crusades until 1291, when the Muslims captured the last Christian stronghold, in Acre. Fore 200 years a constant flow of Europeans streamed into the Ho ly Land. Over that period, however, the religious zeal of the crusaders had steadily dwindled. (NEW PARAGRAPH) From a military standpoint, all the Crusades except the first failed. The Muslims eventually recaptured Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine. However, Europeans learned many things of military importance, such as the crossbow, carrier pigeons and messengers, new siege tactics, and gunpowder.In Europe the Crusades increased the power of kings and decreased the power of feudal lords. Kings imposed new taxes and led armies drawn from their entire countries. The church also got more political power because of its leadership role in initiating the crusades. After the Crusades the status of women changed. When their husbands were gone they managed feudal estates. Europeans were influenced by the ideas exchanged among the crusaders form different countries and between the crusaders and the other people they met.

100 Years of Solitude - Essay Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

100 Years of Solitude - Essay - Assignment Example The conditions of that region are depicted by the use of various facts of life; revolution and war, youth and old age, poverty and prosperity, love and lust – all themes are found dispersed throughout this work. People belonging to a variety of cultures reside in the South American land and it is for this reason that the influence of these cultures is evident in everyday life of the people of Macondo – the imaginary village. The story of the novel takes into account the history of almost five generations of the Buendia family and there are various points in the story where the author points towards the multicultural nature of the residents of the region. The author has at various points pointed towards the uncertainties that prevail in the South American region. Of note is the way in which the political realities of the region are presented in the novel. The novel clearly depicts how the influential classes of the South American society used assassination as a tool to control the lives of common people. The number of people who lose their lives in the process is astounding; yet the thirst of blood of the power-hungry politically influential class is never satisfied. They way in which the influential class of the society uses the slogan of ‘patriotism’ to provoke the innocents of the society, is clearly a reflection of the negative ways that are utilized to achieve political gains using the strength of masses. The picture portrayed by the author clearly demonstrates the uncertainty regarding life; people are provoked and then punished, but justice is hardly ever served. An interesting metaphor used by the author of this work is ‘ice’. Although regarded as the ‘greatest invention’ of this time by the author, ice holds symbolic significance that is beyond ordinary. Ice and its fate have been associated with the history of Macondo.

How to prepare and recover from a Hurricane Research Paper

How to prepare and recover from a Hurricane - Research Paper Example Besides the flying debris and flood coming in the wake of hurricanes are also quiet destructive. Hence, in the areas that are prone to hurricanes, it is certainly a good idea to prepare in advance. Such timely and prompt preparation could save many human lives and property and could well protect the people living in hurricane prone areas from the disaster and destruction caused by hurricanes and facilitates a better recovery after a hurricane (Wagner 6). Preparing for a Hurricane While making preparations for a hurricane it is imperative to select and identify a safe area where the families could weather the strong storms, tornadoes and rainfall accompanying a hurricane (Mitchell 7). This place could be a location within the home like some room located at the bottom floor or any other room in the house that has no windows. In case a home does not have a safe area than it is important that the family members in such homes do have access to at least two hurricane shelters located close to the home. In case a family member is suffering from some medical condition and will not be in a situation to shift on one’s own, than it is important to seek the help of the concerned professionals in advance (Burnett, Dyer & Pickins 10). While preparing for a hurricane it is also important to stock up the requisite quantities of water and food (Dickson 9). The families lying in the route of an imminent hurricane should have sufficient supplies of processed food and water in the stock that should last for a number of weeks (Dickson 9). In case the stock of food and water accrued by a family has gone old, it is important to replace this stock with the fresh supplies, well in time. Besides the preparations for a hurricane require stocking varied other emergency supplies like flashlights and extra batteries, strong and sturdy shoes, battery operated radios with extra batteries for them, cash, credit cards, first aid kits and manuals, important medicines, and non-electrical c an openers (Ready 1). It is also important to make arrangements for pets. Pets may not be accommodated in a hurricane shelter for cleanliness and hygiene reasons (Bevan 54). Thereby it is necessary to contact the nearby humane societies to cull out information on local pet shelters (Bevan 54). It is useful to get one’s home ready in case of an imminent hurricane. In case a house is already provided with hurricane shutters, it helps to look to it that one has extra screws and washers in one’s possession. In case a home does not have access to precut plywood to bolster the windows, it helps to look into the storeroom to locate anything that could serve the purpose. It really helps to hurricane proof the home well in advance. In the case of an approaching hurricane, it happens to be quiet pragmatic for the families to prepare family communication plans (McGinnis 60). The family members may get separated after or before the storms start. In such a case the family members s hould recognize an out of state contact as a contact point for all the family members. It should be assured that all the family members know about this contact and have its phone number with them. It is helpful to keep the vehicles gassed up during the hurricane season. It is also pragmatic to check one’s insurance coverage in advance because insurance companies stop extending coverage in case of an approa

Discuss the impact of fear and anger (in patients) when caring for Essay

Discuss the impact of fear and anger (in patients) when caring for clients in the health care setting - Essay Example â€Å"Anger is a HEALTHY EMOTION. It is a WARNING SIGNAL that something is wrong† (Middelton-Moz, Ph.D., 2009) Fear and anger even though are common in most of the living things and also in normal cases it may not create much harm to the person who was afraid of something or feeling angry at something, it’s effect is not the same as far as patients are concerned. Fear and angry can complicate the conditions of a patient because of the psychological and physiological changes it can develop among the patients. Patients irrespective of their nature of disease definitely need a peaceful mind for the speedy recovery from the disease. Fear and anger can worsen the conditions of a patient. Frustrations can creep up among the minds of the patients because of their inability to lead a normal life which they may demonstrate in the form of fear or anger. Nurses who are taking care of the patients often confused with, how to deal with such patients in order to settle them and to regain their lost mental balances or psychological equilibriums. â€Å"Fear of not being in control, fear of uncertainty and the unknown, fear of pain and change, fear of not being able to meet your obligations to family and job. Fears can mask themselves in anger and hostility, which is often directed at those youre closest to, as well as doctors, nurses, and technicians† (Schimmel, 2009) Dry Mouth, Heart Palpitations, Numbness, Heightened Senses, Breathlessness, Feeling Dizzy, Muscle Tension, Hyperventilation etc are the most visible symptoms of fear and anger (Duffey, 2009) First and the foremost thing the nurses must concentrate in dealing with such emotionally distracted patients are to develop strategies to regain the patient’s normal mental condition. Nurses must know that medications alone may not yield 100% recovery of such patients and psychological approaches also required to

Marketing assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Marketing assignment - Essay Example which is concerned with partitioning or dividing the market into one or more segments which can be targeted by the organization for selling and marketing their products / services by developing marketing mixes which are specific to such market segments. Dividing a market into various parts / segments helps in configuration of a company’s value chain and gives a competitive edge to the organization as compared to its competitors1. Segmentation helps organizations in developing a market mix which caters to the specific needs and concerns of the customers belonging to a particular market segment and helps in offering higher value to their target customers. In economic terms, the process of segmentation can be viewed as creation of monopolistic or oligopolistic market conditions whereby organizations seek to realize the highest price that their target customers in the particular market segment are willing to pay. Targeting refers to targeting a product to a specified market segment which comprises of customers who are most likely to consume the company’s products. Targeting helps the organizations in achieving best return on their investments, reach their core customers, gain a wider market share and achieve strategic positioning in the industry. The targeting strategies available to the marketers include2: This involves selling a single product to the entire (mass) market and is based on the assumption that the needs and demands of the consumers to whom the product is marketed are more or less identical. For instance, products such as Colas, Burger King, K – mart etc market and sell a unique product to a mass market. It involves selling different products to different market segments in a way which is appealing to every set of customer according to their respective market segments i.e., the marketers try to match the product with the needs of the customers in each of the identified market segment. For example, airline companies offering different services to

History of Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of Psychology - Essay Example Annoying to some people and beneficial to other as it may look, the behaviorist approach developed with the era and has stayed to be at par with the revolution of psychology (Myers, 2004). People who present the behaviorist approach are more forceful and effective than in the past, with the help of various modernized reporting mechanisms established by the growth of technologies. The Cognitive approach to psychology is a discipline which is utilized to decipher interpretations from previous or past occurrences. Such concept is utilized in modern psychological disciplines and social fields to symbolize a perspective of the value of previous events which leads with the manners that interpretations of events is being analyzed and interpreted by people. There are various manners in which the cognitive approach to psychology can be described. This involves investigating, comprehending the hidden hypotheses, outlines, concepts that establish the framework for idea and concepts and realization. The cognitive approach possesses various aspects of definition in different areas of analysis and investigation. Basically, the humanistic approach in psychology pertains to movement and trend, including the policies and programs that aim to improve the developments of the quality of life that will aid in the adjustments of the people. The humanistic approach to psychology helps change the social and technological aspects of all the people in plenty of measure that most of the time vary form their assumptions (Weiten, 2007). More often than not, the humanistic approach targets the process of helping the people in adjusting to a new cultural and technological change, and this works together with the government that pertains to developments of existing attitudes and inherent behaviors in a citizen who is facing cultural and technological adjustments. A victorious achievement of the influence of the humanistic approach needs a tremendous cooperation between the agents of modernization like the mass media and the public. D. Present Time Without a doubt, the people at present would have to undergo changes of attitudes, beliefs, skills, goals as well as profiles and identities as a primary consequence of the new developments on the field of psychology. The present trends on psychology is normally quickly felt but with several delays in implementation, composed of significant developments and needing extreme adjustments leading to increased pressure to the public. The tremendous level of life developments and changes that the public needs to face as a consequence of the new wave of psychology can result to the development of the idea of discrimination and helplessness which can hinder their motivation in attaining their objectives in their new modernized environment (Hock, 2004). The new wave of psychology and its application at present as well as all over the world have established a critical responsibility in its technological and social development. Media highlights and investigations have insisted the need for studying the positive and negative consequences of the present psychology since the development of every nation's leadership and governance systems also relies on it. The Comparison of the Four Psychological Approaches All the four psychological approaches simply pertain to the field of stating situations and phenomena as they happen. Such stating includes gathering,