Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Business environment report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Business environment report - Essay Example In addition, the company also offers financial and online services across Asia, North America, and Europe. Based on the revenue, it is the third largest retailer in the world behind Carrefour and Wal-Mart, which is the largest. In terms of profit, it surpasses Carrefour to rank only behind Wal-mart. In the UK, its biggest competitors are ASDA and Sainsbury. Tesco’s philosophy is embedded in their desire to expand and grow as is shown by their strategy. Tesco has a consistent and well-established growth strategy that has allowed them to strengthen their core business in the UK, as well as drive their expansion to other markets (Tesco Plc, 2013: p1). This paper will seek to discuss the business environment of Tesco. The business environment analysis will include the micro-economic analysis because it directly impacts the management of the company. A macro-environment analysis will also be essential because it impacts the decisions taken by the management, which will include a PE ST analysis, SWOT analysis, and Porter’s five forces analysis. The paper will also compare Tesco’s financial ratios with those of its biggest UK rival, Sainsbury in order to determine its financial environment and performance. With regards to Tesco’s financial status, the analysis will be made for the period between 2009 and 2011. Finally, the paper will make recommendations as to how Tesco can adapt to the current business environment. Tesco’s Business Environment Analysis Micro Environment factors For Tesco, customers are one of the most important factors of the business. Tesco as an organization gives their customers increased benefits to keep them happy, for example, giving them the best quality and variety of products (Jones et al, 2012: p884). Tesco ensures that they are able to meet the demands of their consumers in an environment where competition is ever increasing, whereas also meeting the expectations of the wider market. Another factor is mate rials, which is important because production and sales at Tesco are directly related to materials. If the material is easily available, the production and sales will increase. Tesco ensures this by storing their material in easily accessible warehouses. Employees are another important micro-environmental factor. Tesco ensures that they have the best staff for them to offer better service to the consumer. Satisfaction of the employees helps to improve the quality of their service and improves their competitiveness (Elearn, 2013: p11). Suppliers are important to Tesco in order to offer competitive service to their customers. Having and maintaining efficient supply chains improves their ability to get orders delivered on time. Getting the material delivered on time has various advantages and it is essential for Tesco to maintain a good supplier-user relationship (Elearn, 2013: p12). The shareholders are an important micro-environmental factor, as well. Great organizations require good relations with their shareholders in order to increase their growth. Tesco gives substantial dividends to their shareholders, whereas also allowing their employees and suppliers to buy company shares. This gives added satisfaction to their suppliers and employees, improving their productivity. Media gives Tesco the ability to achieve top sales and, as such, it is an important micro-environmental factor. It is important to get information on new products and services, as well as

Monday, October 28, 2019

My role model Essay Example for Free

My role model Essay To me a role model is someone in my life that has influenced me in a positive way. They help shape the way I am in the present and what I am going to be in the future. They are some one that I can look forward for advice in a tough situation and I know that they will give me advices with wisdom. They will never judge me on my past but only look to help because they really do care about me. Some one who I never feel awkward talking to about my problems because I know that it will not change their view of me and they will not reveal any information about me to other unrelated person or someone who are nosey. A role model should be sincere and not out for there own good but the good of others. I think that they should be older then I am because they need to have more experience then I do and need to have a deeper insight. It would be pointless to have a role model who knows less then me. Read more: My role model essay But apart from my parents, , teachers or very best friends like Brian Lee really do care about me a lot, there is nobody should be deserved to have a talk about, or can drag my attraction, or makes me change my personality and reach more achievements. I don’t have a real one honestly, but I would be searching for him or her! ( You must feel surprised that why do I write such a short paragraph this timeï Å )

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Offshore Oi Drilling Causes Environmental Damage Essay -- Environmenta

Oil drilling is the process of perforating oil from the earth’s surface. This process can be dangerous. The drilling process can be harmful to nearby animal life. The process used to locate oil waves can be harmful to animal life. When the oil ascends, it brings with it a number of deadly chemicals. The chemicals released can consist of mercury and arsenic. Other substances such as lead have been known to ascend with the oil (Horton, Jennifer, 1). An oil spill is the process by which oil is mistakenly dispensed. The danger and damage an oil spill can cause is exponential. An oil spill can cause millions of dollars in damages. Oil spills are one of the worst catastrophes that happen, and they happen frequently. It has been predicted by the Mineral Management Service, that a spill of one thousand oil drums will occur in the Gulf of Mexico every year (Horton, Jennifer, 1). It is expected that there will be a spill of more than ten thousand oil drums every three or more years (Horton, Jennifer, 1). Oil spills have been defined as inevitable (Climate & Energy, 1). As of now, there exists no truly safe way of cleaning a spill (Climate & Energy, 1). The oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was one of the worst oil spills that has ever occurred (Clean & Energy, 1). The Gulf of Mexico oil spill by British Petroleum is the largest environmental catastrophe in the history of the United States (Clean & Energy, 1). Over two hundred million gallons of oil was released into the Gulf of Mexico (Clean & Energy, 1). The oil flowed for approximately three months (Clean & Energy, 1). Within that time period, the spill was responsible for eleven human deaths (Clean & Energy, 1). Extensive damage was done to the environme... ...e 1-2. 14 Nov. 2014. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/BP%2c+firms+made+risky+decisions+before+spill%3a+re... â€Å"BP shares hit 6-month high after Shell takeover report.† Oil & Gas News. Jan 10, 2011: Page 1-2. 14 Nov. 2014. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/BP+hit+6-month+high+after=Shell+takeover+report Chelette, Tim â€Å"Options for Dealing with a Spill.† Climate & Energy. Copyright 2010 Oceana: page 1 14 Nov. 2014. http://na.org/en/our-work/climate-energy/offshore-drilling/learn-act/options-for-dea â€Å"The Spill- By the Numbers.† Climate & Energy. Copyright 2010 Oceana: page 1. 14 Nov. 2014. http://na.oceana.org/en/our-work/climate-energy/offshore-drilling/gulf-oil-spill-response-c Why is offshore drilling so controversial? How Stuff Works.com page 1-2. 14 Nov. 2014. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/offshore-drilling-contoversy2.htm

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Are We Too Dependence on Computers

With the improvement of technology, mobile phones have become an inevitable part of our lives. Because of their convenience and improvements, we now can make a phone call from any spot on our planet Earth. In today’s society our technology is more advanced than ever before. So far advanced is our society, that we can easily use cell phones to speak to anyone, anywhere and at any time. That’s why I am in favor of them. To begin with, they are very useful and parents can always call their children whenever they want and make sure they are fine. For example, we can use cell phones while driving, or speak to someone in another country. We can use them in the business world to conduct meetings or to rely vital information to co-workers or to conduct trade with other businesses. Many scientists consider the mobile phone transmitters to be the greatest danger to public health. I personally use them to call my friends whenever I feel miserable, euphoric, you name it. Making appointments with them is so easy. And not to miss the texting, which I have been using quite a lot recently. I have come to the conclusion that a text can make you much happier than a phone call, when you least expect it. Some may say that requiring children to wear uniforms does not allow the child their individuality. I think pupils at middle schools should wear school uniforms because school uniforms are homogeneous and show no difference concerning the families economic. Another reason why I think middle schools should have school uniforms is that school uniforms help pupils to represent their school and also help to separate themselves from other schools and pupils. Finally I think the idea of wearing school uniforms at middle school is a good way to form a positive school spirit and let pupils feel united and not separated only because of a more or less affluent background. I think that personally, I have nothing against school uniforms. They can be handy – no need to dwell on what the kid would have to wear everyday in school. But to use the argument that it will make schools safer is, I think, not fair. There are other more effective things we can do to ensure school safety. Let us not use school safety as an excuse to do things that we want.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Summary of the Film “The Smartest Guys in the Room”

‘Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room’ Frauds and financial scandals in the business world were before an Enron’s case and will be after it. That’s in human nature. But a chain of events lead to an enormous shock on the Wall Street and went down in history as one of the biggest business scandals. For a long time sequence of events was a basis for articles and books, documental films and analytic researches. Specialties were retold and discussed by analytics. It was real human tragedy.The film ‘Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room’ tries to answer the questions that all people somehow connected with the business world were interested in: How it could happened? What are the reasons and who is responsible for that? The film tries to lift the veil. From the beginning of the film it is clearly stated that the Enron case is exceptional. Working in a field of energy and power, having reputation of ‘unsinkable’ ship and demonstrating fasci nating financial results, Enron dramatically collapsed almost in a day. But the beginning of this story is bright and ambitious.Enron represents a company of great promise. The first seconds of the film represent an end of it: John Cliff Baxter committed a suicide, being heartbroken with what was happened. And it was a conviction of the fraud that was happened. After this crucial episode, viewers come to the best years of the Enron. It is a seventh largest corporation in America, valued 70 billion $. It is an innovative business with absolutely new business model. But how it starts? It starts with Ken Lay, who comes to the story of Enron from humble roots. His father is a Baptist minister and their life is rather poor.Probably, his background plays an integral role in having huge ambitions to make wealth of him. Ken Lay wants to change a market of power and energy. He convinces that government is not a solution but a problem to the business. In other words, he involves in the idea o f deregulations. Not only he but other participants of a power and energy business share this outlook. A tendency to deregulations starts to develop in 1985 and in this very moment the Enron is founded. Kay Lay thinks that it would be beneficial for his new company that gas prices float with the currents of the market.That is the power of deregulations. An important episode of Enron is a contribution to the presidential campaign of George Bush, who lately helps to secure money in government subsidies and to promote Ken Lay with idea of deregulations. Trading in oil market considers as a very risky business. But Enron always wins. Even then an improbable success gives a rise to doubt about legality of Enron’s business. Illegal actions start with the president of Enron Louis Borget, who takes about 3 billion $ of corporate funds in his personal account with the help of a treasurer Mastroeni and his phony books.When the rumors become too strong, Mastroeni discloses real books an d it becomes clear that all reserves of Enron are gambled away. This tremendous news is hidden by the bluffing of the market and that is how Enron stays afloat. But a little later Enron is forced to disclose the information about those manipulations and all guilt is focused on Mastreoni and Borget. Mastreoni receives a suspended sentence, Borget spends 1 year in a prison. So who will make money now? The second period of Enron’s history is connected with Skilling, who is a person with the biggest ideas of all. He is a great visionary as a Ken Lay.It is he who comes up with a new idea: make energy a financial instrument like stocks and bonds. And it is like an explosion in the industry. Enron becomes a genius of the industry. All employees are proud of being working in Enron. It is worth mentioning, that it is a moment when SEC approved an implementation of a mark-to-market accounting approach, which allows estimating assets of the company by a market price and not by a real. I t also allows booking potential profit as it is already gained before money comes to Enron. That is the first almost unobservable alarm bell to a room for unethical actions and frauds.If to speak about work environment, it is clearly seen that Skilling is an unconstrained leader. Interesting fact of his power is that when he stops wearing glasses, everyone in the company does the same. But the culture that is cultivated is aggressive and tough, like in a wild nature with the basic instincts of survival of the fittest. Skilling is convinced that money is the only thing that motivates people. He wants employees to show him great results, great profit. Therefore, traders are encouraged to gamble. Making money no matter what the methods are used.Skilling also implements a system of evaluation of employees and every employee who does not meet the demand of Skilling’s vision is fired. As a result of this system, turnover index is 15% that is really negatively impressive. Skilingâ⠂¬â„¢s vision of people is based on the theory of ‘People with spikes’. Only extraordinary and exceptional people deserve his attention and respect. The list of people consists of Ken Rice who is a salesman of Enron; John Cliff Baxter who is very talented but prone to depression (as viewers of the film know, that will be a fatal point in his future).The list continued with Lou Pai – a key skilling lieutenant, working in one of the business units of Enron – Enron Energy Services (EES). His activity is wrapped in a mystery; employees even call him ‘Invisible CEO’. Lou Pai is highly motivated by money. When he loses interest in his work in Enron, put another way, when he achieves a marginal profit, he leaves or better to say escapes from Enron with 250 million $ and becomes the 2nd largest landowner in Colorado. The next stage of Enron is connected with its stocks that are being increased significantly day by day.Everyone wants to play in the mar ket because prices go up and up; there is an illusion that it will never end. The heading of this time is ‘A new day a new record’. By all means, these records have a direct impact on a profit of Enron, which gets higher and higher. But how they get these numbers? It is a questionable issue. In the books everything goes perfect but in reality it was quite the opposite. At this time Enron invests in India that is unreasonably risky. And they fails because India could not afford to pay for the power which Enron offers. As it is said in the fim ‘Failure was not an option’. Hence, Enron hides nsuccessful results in India, continuing show artificial bright results. Later, a merger with electrical company makes it possible for Enron to come into a new deregulated market of California. The company shows unrealistic results: stock price are soared by 34% in 2 days. Analysts were blinded to the doubtful information that is already occurred. It is not an unfortunate occurrence, but it will be disclosed only later. Enron diversifies its activities; in particular, it covers a new market of broadband. But it does not work. It is a mark-to-market accounting that helps Enron to book revenues as it is wanted to be.In reality there are not any revenues. And that is the moment when executives of Enron begin to understand a certainty of collapse; they start to sale their stocks. In other words, they leave a sinking ship. The end is coming. In 2001 dotcom companies undergo massive difficulties whereas Enron is a shining star of an American economy. It is named as the â€Å"most admired† corporation by Fortune magazine. But Enron is a black box. Nobody knows how exactly money is made. Suspicions of falsification of financial statements begin to occur. The next key figure in the Enron’s case is Andy Fostow who is a financial officer.He is motivated by a future career. He tries to please Skilling and therefore he hides debts in artificial comp anies and handles finance so that stock prices continue to going up. Moreover, he encourages 96 individual banks to put their money in LGM (Andy’s artificial company) to somehow change Enron’s situation. Why respectful banks do not suspect illegality? Analytics suppose that they do suspect, but agree to give money because Andy Fastow plays on their greed. They are ‘useful idiots’. Actions cross the line when Skilling responds unethically to one reporter.It is already seeable that Skilling starts to lose his countenance. He does not know how to keep stock prices high. Meanwhile, one more illegal chance to keep Enron’s stock prices takes place. It is called ‘California’. Enron produces an energy crisis. Blackouts take plays; as a result a demand on electricity is soared and so do the prices. Consequently, Enron gets money. These manipulations lead to a lot of domestic problems of citizens of California but nothing changes. During this par t, there is a comparison of Enron’s activity in California with Milgram’s experiment which is quite remarkable.Both ‘experiments’ are about how people can be convinced to do something morally wrong if a person in authority tells them it is his responsibility and he will not be blamed. As in the Milgram’s experiment Enron continues to manipulate with electricity and things become worse and worse. People understand that nothing is left to accident, they blame Enron in this; desperate protests take place. In this time George Bush becomes a president of the USA and therefore with the old beneficial relations Enron does have an easy access to the administration.As a consequence, government does not interfere in the Californian difficulties. People stop believe in Enron and its stocks begin to fall. In this moment Skilling suddenly announces that he resigns from Enron. Employees take this is as a betrayal. One of the employees – Sherron Watkins bec omes aware of the fraud that takes place at Enron. She tries to speak with Ken Lay but he does nothing. Meanwhile Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) starts an investigation and discovers that in reality millions of assets are millions of debts. And it is Andy Fostow who is blamed by all Enrons’ executives for falsifications.It is interesting to note that the same situation was with Borget and Mastreoni in the early 1990s. The end comes in 2001 when Enron declares a bankruptcy. Employees feel that they are on the sinking whip without lifeboats. They lose everything. Cliff Baxter commits a suicide 7 months later. Concerning tragic specialities, $ 1,2 billion in retirement funds and $2 billion in pension funds are disappeared in a matter of weeks. 20,000 employees lose their jobs. Ken Lay and Skilling are under a precise look of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The congressional committees launch court proceedings.It is the end of the film ‘Enron: The Smartest Gu ys In The Room’. Enron’s tragedy is often compared with Titanic. And that is not just empty words. In both cases there were a lot of warnings of possible danger but ‘ships’ continue a full-speed running. In both cases there were great opportunities but then a combination of human errors and hubris lead to a fatal meltdown. The fall of Enron is a story not only about people but about whole system, consisting of government, financial and business institutions, conditions and relations. All participants in fraudulent actions have their share of a pie.That is why this story is called ‘a story of synergetic corruption’. I am absolutely fascinated by this film, to be precise, by a scale of greed and addiction to money and power. Understanding that characters of this film are the real people and all actions that were showed really took place makes me fascinated even more. To my mind, Enron case is not an aberration; it is a consequence of way of livi ng. It is a ‘dark shadow of the American dream’ as it is said in the film. Therefore, it can be repeated. And it can be us who would be affected by manipulations. That really boggles the mind.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

A Critique of Carl Becker’s “Ideal Democracy” Essays

A Critique of Carl Becker’s â€Å"Ideal Democracy† Essays A Critique of Carl Becker’s â€Å"Ideal Democracy† Essay A Critique of Carl Becker’s â€Å"Ideal Democracy† Essay Name: Instructor: Course: Date: A Critique of Carl Becker’s â€Å"Ideal Democracy† As one of the most renowned historians of American history, Carl Becker advocated profoundly for the inculcation of democracy into the prevailing American government in the early 20th century. According to Becker, the American Revolution did not only incorporate independence as its main objective, it strived to change the conventional institutions in the government that did not involve nor concur with the spirit of the public. Thus, Becker advocated for an ideal democracy. A democracy in which the will of the people is respected, a government created by the people, for the people and by the people. Expounding more on the nuance of the ideal democracy based on Becker’s assertions requires a critique of his discussion, â€Å"Ideal Democracy†. Becker exemplifies the meaning of democracy by comparing its definition with other systems of leadership that existed at the time. Through a comparative assessment of other forms of government, Becker’s full definition of government was based on a government that did not impose autocratic leadership on the people. Moreover, he borrows from the standard definition of democracy, which is a government of the people, for the people and by the people. Hence, according to Becker, a democratic government is a government in which citizens, or a sufficient number of them, are accorded rights and responsibilities to determine intricate procedures and regulations that are valid for the governing of a country or state. Becker illustrates this by adding that the citizens are accorded with the privileges of common will in which they are able to appoint or summon magistrates, enact or annul the rules by which the community is governed (Becker, 108). Regardless of the euphoric definition that Becker attaches to democracy, Becker also notes that such a definition, although positive in nature, stands to be contradicted by the present condition of the citizens. However, Becker offers enumeration for this rhetoric. Simply, Becker acknowledges that for democracy to survive, certain conditions need to be observed. Additionally, Becker bases these conditions by using examples of regimes in which democracy flourished. For instance, Becker acknowledges that democracy flourished briefly in parts of Greece. Thus, through examples of ancient Greece and France, Becker acknowledges that the conditions required for democracy to prosper comprise mobility, necessity for economic security, ease of communication and industrial prosperity. Apparently, Becker describes these three conditions as the fundamentals required for the success of any democratic government (Becker, 108-109). Apart from the conditions that Becker presents as platforms to ensure success of a democratic government, Becker emphasizes that there are certain qualities that are required on top of the conditions provided. According to Becker, democracy is a type of economic luxury. He reiterates by using an example in which he alleges that democracy was a major factor of development of novel and probable rich nations. Moreover, Becker adds that the dwindling of economic prosperity led to weakened democracy. Relating to this assumption, Becker alleges that citizens need to possess certain virtues and competencies, such as capability of managing affairs, reconciling conflicts of class and individual interest, rationality and good will. Such moral standards and qualities are factors coupled with the previously mentioned conditions that will make democracy function (Becker, 110). In conclusion, the ideal democracy based on Becker’s nuances referred to a liberal system of government that integrated morals and values with the governing of people. The assumption behind democracy is based on an assumption that incorporates important means and ends joined with the freedom of contemplation and self-government. Regarding the qualities and facets that Becker attaches to an ideal democracy, it is evidently clear that what is described as democracy presently is entirely different from Becker’s definition of democracy. Becker, Carl. â€Å"Ideal Democracy.† A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002. 101- 120. Print.

Monday, October 21, 2019

irony of macbeth essays

irony of macbeth essays Shakespeares play Macbeth portrays much irony. Such as the scene where Macbeth is made to believe that he is supposed to become king when really he is not. Another ironic scene is where Macbeth, on the outside gives the impression that he is trustworthy and loves Duncan, yet on the inside he longs for the death of Duncan. Also ironic is where Duncan is walking into Macbeths castle thinking it is going to be a pleasant place where he will be welcomed graciously; yet, he is walking into his own death-trap. When Macbeth spoke to the three witches, they told him that they predicted that he would be the next king. All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis. All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter! (1.3.51-54). Macbeth, who had no proof what so ever of the witches being capable of predicting future events, foolishly believed them. This scene depicts irony because Macbeth now believes he is going to be a king, when really he isnt because the witches have no idea as to what they are talking about. Another ironic scene was when Duncan was asking how he could repay Macbeth. Macbeth said The service and loyalty I owe in doing it pays itself. Your highness part is to receive our duties, and our duties are to your throne and state children and servants, which do but what they should by doing everything safe toward your love and honor. (1. 4. 25-30) Whats ironic about this scene is that Macbeth is making it look like he is extremely kind, worthy, and loyal to Duncan, when actually he wants to kill him. Macbeth is acting this way to give the impression that if Duncan were ever to be murdered, Macbeth would be the last person to be accused of the murder. The next ironic scene is where Duncan is coming to Macbeths household believing that he is going to be greatly appreciated and warmly ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

From Memory and By Heart

From Memory and By Heart From Memory and By Heart From Memory and By Heart By Maeve Maddox A headline on the National Public Radio (NPR) site prompted this post: A Self-Taught Artist Paints the Rain Forest By Memory The more common idiom for doing something that is recalled and not seen is to do it â€Å"from memory.† From is more appropriate than by in this idiom because memory may be regarded as a receptacle and not as an agent. For example: Painting from memory can be just as productive as painting from sight. If youve ever repeated a rhyming poem from  memory  in front of an audience, youve given a  recitation. Pewsey clergyman Canon Gerald Osborne is to perform a remarkable feat of faith and memory by reciting in public the whole of Mark’s Gospel from memory. George Doi, a nisei,  reconstructed  the  map from memory  in March 1993. The process of committing something to memory for later recall is â€Å"to learn it by heart.† Learning texts by heart once held a more valued place in the elementary and high school curriculum than it does now. When I was a child, school children were encouraged to memorize poems like Longfellow’s â€Å"Paul Revere’s Ride† and speeches like Lincoln’s â€Å"Gettysburg Address.† In her 90s, my mother could still recite poems she learned as a child in the Chicago public schools. Visiting a family in France one summer, I was treated to the experience of hearing members of three generations recite a tale of Fontaine- in unison and with great mutual pride. Poems learned â€Å"by heart† in childhood enrich the rest of life. Here are some examples of the idiom â€Å"by heart†: Learning poetry by heart ignites the imagination- Andrew Motion. Miss Allan  encouraged us to learn poetry by heart, for which I am everlastingly grateful now that I am registered as blind and still have memories of some of the  loveliest poems ever written. In  Poems to Learn by Heart,  Kennedy stresses the importance of memorizing poetry and presents a collection of poems that she believes everyone should internalize. [David Cameron] said his youngest daughter Florence was so obsessed with the movie [Frozen] that he found he’d learned it off by heart. Note: Learning â€Å"by heart† is not the same thing as learning â€Å"by rote.† Rote learning is more or less mindless. Learning a poem one neither likes nor understands for the sake of reciting it one time for a grade is a pointless exercise. Learning a poem or a speech â€Å"by heart,† on the other hand, is a process that engages the mind and the emotions. Bottom line: We recite from memory what we have learned by heart. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Good At, Good In, and Good WithIn Search of a 4-Dot EllipsisThe Difference Between "Shade" and "Shadow"

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Child Development Journal Article Review and Discussion Essay

Child Development Journal Article Review and Discussion - Essay Example This means whatever had been effective for a toddler might not work anymore when he is a teenager because his needs constantly change. For example, being a weekend parent from the time his child was a preschooler all the way up to being an adolescent may be a routine that provides a comfortable rhythm to a father. However, there are times when a child might need him more, especially if the child is a growing boy who needs a male role model in his growing up years. With this knowledge, parents and legal practitioners must make better decisions in designing a parenting plan for the children. This particular article by Hartson (2010) focuses on the infancy to toddlerhood stage of development of a child. Each developmental stage comes with its own challenges. The infancy to toddlerhood stage is a critical since an infant is a fully dependent being who cannot communicate his thoughts and feelings on how his parents’ separation affects him. Parents need to rely on his cues and research from child development studies to understand what he needs. Infants and toddlers, in particular, are yet in the process of establishing attachments to the significant people in their lives and when this is disrupted, may have serious implications in the development of their personality. An important factor to consider is the infant’s temperament since this gives a clear indication of how a parent should deal with him so they get along well. Some children may easily transition from relating to one parent to the other, some may be more difficult, and some may just be slow to warm up. The parent has his or her own temperament to reckon with, and the compatibility of the parent-child temperaments would constitute Chess & Thomas’ (1987) â€Å"goodness of fit† factor. In order to have a harmonious relationship, parents need to be able to adjust to their infant or toddler’s temperament. The child’s concept of time,

Friday, October 18, 2019

Substance Abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Substance Abuse - Research Paper Example However, according to National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA 2011), it is a common misreading that drug abusers lack moral principles or will power essential for changing their behavioral traits. In reality, drug addiction is a complicated state of health which encourages compulsive drug abuse in individuals. As a result, it becomes very difficult for users to give up the habit despite their aspiration to do so. This paper will evaluate various causes and implications of substance abuse specifically about the use of alcohol, prescribed drugs, and illegal drugs. Alcohol abuse To begin with, in American society, numerous beliefs persist regarding alcohol consumption. In the colonial era, the American community believed that alcohol was the â€Å"good gift of god† solely meant enjoyment. However, decades later, US government prohibited alcohol sale and consumption in the country as the science proved that alcohol consumption raised serious issues such as poverty, violence, and he alth problems. However, now US regulations allow people to enjoy alcohol beverage. Subsequently, the number of younger alcoholics is alarmingly increasing in the present US society. As per the reports of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Oct 22, 2010), 14,046 people die each year due to alcoholic liver diseases; and at the same time, alcohol induced deaths excluding accidents and homicides constitutes 23,199. Prescription drugs abuse From the legal point of view, a prescription drug is a licensed medicine which can be legally used with the prescription of a physician. Heroin and aspirin are the examples of prescription drugs. Although they are licensed medicine, they also can cause many health issues. Generally, dispensation of prescription drugs includes a detailed description regarding its contents. In United States, a special regulation called Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act defines prescription drug requirements. According to this act, medical practitioners who pr escribe a drug must possess specific qualifications. Furthermore, while prescribing medical drugs, a physician must make his patient aware of the intended effects of the drugs and its expected side effects. However, prescription drugs are largely misused for intoxication purposes across the States, which has evoked the governmental attention to the issue. Obviously, unethical drug marketing plays a major role in the rampant growth of prescription drug abuse. Illegal drug abuse Illegal drug trade offers large opportunities to global black markets as it includes the manufacture, distribution, and sale of substances which are prohibited by drug prevention laws. Hashish, Cocaine, and Crack are some of the examples of illegal drugs. According to the UN report, â€Å"global drug trade generated an estimated $321.6 billion in 2003† (Pollard, 2005). The drug prevention laws were the main causes that persuaded international black markets to trade drugs illegally. Despite the strict re gulations and penalties imposed on illegal drug traders and users, the US government has not yet succeeded to control this illegal activity. Illegal drugs leave more dreadful impacts than legal drugs on users because the illicit drug manufacturers add excessive addictives to their products with intent to attract and retain more users. Causes of substance abuse Undoubtedly substance abuse is a serious problem that affects a person both mentally and

Contacts to ZnO (zinc oxide) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Contacts to ZnO (zinc oxide) - Research Paper Example Furthermore, as ZnO films and crystals may be interfaced with a variety of metals to form schottky and ohmic contacts. ZnO contacts have the capability of replacing conventional or time tested materials that have been used including the AlInGaN system and so, ZnO contacts may pave way for more reliable and less costly appliances. ZnO has a hexagonal or wurtzite crystal structure. The wurtzite structure is formed with the Zn atoms being tetrahedrally coordinated with four O atoms. This allows the Zn d shell electrons to hybridize with the p shell of O. ZnO has a density of 5.606 g/cm3, melting point of 1975Â °C and exciton binding energy of 60mEV. The compound is a direct band gap semi conductor that has Eg=3.2eV. ZnO can be molded to produce desired electrical properties by divalent subsititution on the cation site. ZnO supports both n-type and p-type doping. The presence of Zn interstitials, O vacancies and hydrogen .The intrinsic level defects that cause n-type doping are 0.01-0.05eV below the conduction band. The material possesses an intrinsic direct band gap, a strong exciton state and gap states due to the presence of point defects. A study of the optical properties of ZnO by use of photoluminesence, photoconductivity and absorption confirms the presence of point defects[10].. ZnO is a wide gap semi conductor. Wide gap semi conductors are known to be more susceptible to n type doping; such as n-type doping through of ZnO through addition of excess Zn, Aluminum or Gallium. In this instance ZnO can be easily doped to form n-type material rather than p-type material. The reason behind the difficulty in doping ZnO to form p-type material can be linked to a number of reasons. In some cases, the inate point defects within the material compensate for the additional impurity by forming deep level traps. In other instances strong lattice relaxations push the dopant energy level deeper into the

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Effects of Earthquakes on People and Property Essay

The Effects of Earthquakes on People and Property - Essay Example They believed that the earth floats on the sea and whenever it is agitated, earthquakes are produced. And, the best story that portrays the damages caused by earthquakes is that of the people from Peru. They believe that earthquakes occur whenever their god visits the earth to count the number of people in it. As he does so, the people leave their houses in order to help him finish his work faster and keep themselves safe at the same time. Even now, in the present, people have created some myths that describe the damages caused by earthquakes. One of them is that of the Swallowing Earth which theorized that a chasm can form along the fault and anything and anyone in that vicinity can be swallowed by the earth. No one, however, has been reported to have died from such a fate. Contrary to the myths that were presented in this introduction, this paper will focus on the documented damages caused by earthquakes. The two major effects caused by earthquakes are shaking and ground rupture. This can lead to damages to buildings and other rigid structures. The intensity of the damage is defined by the magnitude of the earthquake, the distance of the area from the epicenter or the origin of an earthquake, and the geological and geomorphological conditions of the location which can significantly increase or decrease the propagation of the waves generated by an earthquake. When there is an earthquake, the area where the epicenter is located is usually the most damaged. This can be clearly described by a graph made by a Japanese engineer, Shigeru Tani, that showed the relationship of the damage percentage of the fill dams in Japan to the distance of the epicenter. According to the graph, the farther the fill dams are from the epicenter, the lesser the damage is. There are some exceptions to this rule, however. There are times when the biggest damage can occur away from the epicenter. A very good example would be the Denali Fault Earthquake in Alaska which happened in November 3, 2002. In this case, the area 330 kilometers away from the epicenter received the greatest damage. Since the location was sparsely populated, there were no deaths and there was little damage on the structures. A facility which is 40 miles from the eastern part of the fault rupture was damaged such that it was no longer usable. This was the runway of the Northway Airport which was damaged by lateral spreading and sand boils. Fortunately, none of the oil pipes in the ruptured areas were destroyed during the earthquake. The worst thing about earthquakes is that they do not choose the structures that they bring down. Many buildings, dams and roads have been damage by earthquakes. Even historical sites are not saved from this disaster. In Israel, an earthquake which has an intensity of 5.3, shook the Temple Mount, opening up a large hole. In addition to the damages caused by shaking and ground rupture, earthquakes can also cause landslides and avalanches. A very good example of this is the January 13 earthquake in El Salvador which had an intensity of

Outlook report for Marks & Spencer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Outlook report for Marks & Spencer - Essay Example On the other hand, the market share of Marks & Spenser in Food is 3.9 percent.1 Marks & Spenser Food retailer is considered as one of the UK’s leading high-quality food provider. The company is offering fresh produce, groceries, ready and partly prepared food. Today the company has total 668 stores throughout UK, out of which 156 are simply food wholly owned outlets and 182 are simple food franchises. In order to evaluate the factors based on which Marks & Spenser Food Retailer has been able to sustain its brand name as a value-creating brand, an outlook of Marks & Spenser has been presented here. This outlook will evaluate the various challenges and prospects for the company during the last few years. In spite of the cultural differences, Marks & Spenser Food has been able to operate very efficiently in terms of macroeconomic policies. The company has been able to expand by building strong relationships with other countries. However, during the last few years, because of the worsening macroeconomic conditions, the governments of various states have been introducing different policies, which have affected the operations of Marks & Spenser and other food retailers. The economic conditions and the recession have negatively affected the operations and balance sheet strength of Marks & Spenser. According to the annual reports of Marks & Spenser, in the year 2009, the company has to reduce its dividends by 20.9 percent. The Chairman Sir Stuart has also reported in the annual report that the decision of cutting dividends have been taken because of two reasons; first, economic conditions of the company and second, the need of the company to retain financial strength and flexibility. Moreover, the profits of the company have declined by 40.0 percent because of the conditions on High Street and the important decision of the company to improve quality and value. The social needs of the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Effects of Earthquakes on People and Property Essay

The Effects of Earthquakes on People and Property - Essay Example They believed that the earth floats on the sea and whenever it is agitated, earthquakes are produced. And, the best story that portrays the damages caused by earthquakes is that of the people from Peru. They believe that earthquakes occur whenever their god visits the earth to count the number of people in it. As he does so, the people leave their houses in order to help him finish his work faster and keep themselves safe at the same time. Even now, in the present, people have created some myths that describe the damages caused by earthquakes. One of them is that of the Swallowing Earth which theorized that a chasm can form along the fault and anything and anyone in that vicinity can be swallowed by the earth. No one, however, has been reported to have died from such a fate. Contrary to the myths that were presented in this introduction, this paper will focus on the documented damages caused by earthquakes. The two major effects caused by earthquakes are shaking and ground rupture. This can lead to damages to buildings and other rigid structures. The intensity of the damage is defined by the magnitude of the earthquake, the distance of the area from the epicenter or the origin of an earthquake, and the geological and geomorphological conditions of the location which can significantly increase or decrease the propagation of the waves generated by an earthquake. When there is an earthquake, the area where the epicenter is located is usually the most damaged. This can be clearly described by a graph made by a Japanese engineer, Shigeru Tani, that showed the relationship of the damage percentage of the fill dams in Japan to the distance of the epicenter. According to the graph, the farther the fill dams are from the epicenter, the lesser the damage is. There are some exceptions to this rule, however. There are times when the biggest damage can occur away from the epicenter. A very good example would be the Denali Fault Earthquake in Alaska which happened in November 3, 2002. In this case, the area 330 kilometers away from the epicenter received the greatest damage. Since the location was sparsely populated, there were no deaths and there was little damage on the structures. A facility which is 40 miles from the eastern part of the fault rupture was damaged such that it was no longer usable. This was the runway of the Northway Airport which was damaged by lateral spreading and sand boils. Fortunately, none of the oil pipes in the ruptured areas were destroyed during the earthquake. The worst thing about earthquakes is that they do not choose the structures that they bring down. Many buildings, dams and roads have been damage by earthquakes. Even historical sites are not saved from this disaster. In Israel, an earthquake which has an intensity of 5.3, shook the Temple Mount, opening up a large hole. In addition to the damages caused by shaking and ground rupture, earthquakes can also cause landslides and avalanches. A very good example of this is the January 13 earthquake in El Salvador which had an intensity of

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Audience use of media texts is inextricably linked to the formation of Essay

Audience use of media texts is inextricably linked to the formation of social identities and the forging of cultural distinctions. Discuss - Essay Example It seems that question is no longer whether it does rather how much and in what manner. In current times we have seen how television has morphed from simply a provider of entertainment and a means of recreation, into a god-creator of a proxy-community – where people are drawn to the images and to the text and use them to form social identities and forge cultural distinctions. The notion of a â€Å"fan culture† is a complex one. There are a whole plethora of reasons why an individual finds himself â€Å"hooked† to a particular television show. When these individuals come together, a whole community is created, a whole subculture is forged, and the fans cease to be peripheral observers and become active agents and manipulators of the text itself. From â€Å"borrowed material†, or the material churned out by television producers, scriptwriters and directors, fans craft a patchwork quilt all their own – fusing their own individual experiences and perceptions and coming up with an entirely new animal resembling in parts, and far removed from, in other parts, the original text. This is the theory posited by Jenkins in the book â€Å"Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture† (1992) where he navigates through the media fan community and demonstrate how the cultural practices within it serve to rework the text and create its own social institutions, with its own hegemonies and rules. In order to explore how media defines social identity and on what level, this paper shall take as an example the success of the 1990 hit television show Twin Peaks. It illustrates that the effect of media on social identity can be both normative and prescriptive. First, the portrayal of young adults in Twin Peaks can be prescriptive in terms of lifestyle and behavior. Second, the developments in television genre occur simultaneously with developments in sub-culture. And that the

Monday, October 14, 2019

Ancient Greeks Essay Example for Free

Ancient Greeks Essay Ancient Greeks made many influential contributions to western civilization such as in the areas of philosophy, art and architecture, and math and science. The Greeks were a remarkable civilization and contributed things people use in every day life then, and currently. Some very important people of Ancient Greece include Socrates, Aristotle, Pericles’, Hippocrates, Euclid, Sophocles, Plato and Galen. All of these people shaped western civilizations, while Greece was in two wars at the time. They pushed through hardships and still created innovations that contributed to the western civilization. In the area of Philosophy, Socrates, Aristotle and Plato had a belief system that was very powerful. The philosophers initiated an approached that was based on reason. Their theories were diverse and they tried to â€Å"identify underlying principles†. Socrates believed in the encouragement of question, saying that a life without examination is not worth living. Aristotle thought that people should to live for a reason, and strive for that reason. Plato was a philosopher, and student of Socrates. He laid the foundations for philosophy in western civilizations. These ideas of human reasoning had been a big part of Greece’s influence. As well as philosophy, art and architecture were a contribution to the western civilization. As far as the monuments made, columns were used and are well known today. Performances of music and dance were vital parts of religious festivals. Not very many forms of art have been saved or found from the time of Ancient Greece. But, dramas and plays took a central role in the culture. Sophocles had created plays, and the most common was tragedy. Greek literature contained a strong epic as well including the tales of Iliad and Odyssey, both written by Homer. All of the poems, literature, architecture and dramas were vital for the western civilizations. Math and science were the most important and well-known achievement in the Greeks history. They had achieved all kinds of things in the area of psychology, physics, astrology, math, and medicine. Euclid was a Greek mathematician and was known as the ‘father of geometry†. He impacted all of math due to his book of Elements. This book had provided many theorems, which had simple forms of geometry. Although the theorems may have not been very complex, they are extremely important. Not only did they influence western civilizations, but the whole world. Medicine was very important in this era. Hippocrates was an ancient Greek physician referred to as â€Å"the father of western medicine†. He adapted the Hippocratic oath stating that he would never supply someone with harmful medicine. As well as medicine, the field of astrology was key. They Greeks had studied the stars and the way things had worked in the atmosphere at night. All which were very important for the western civilization. In conclusion, Greeks were very studious and contributed things in the fields of philosophy, math, science and art. They created geometry, astrology, philosophical advancements and art advancement. All of which are used today.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Sociological Methods Of Research

Sociological Methods Of Research Sociology studies the social structures and influences society has on people, their experiences and interpretations of the world around them. Sociology provides information on how human societies are constructed, where our belief system may stem from, our daily routines and how social identities are formed. This essay will cover a small fraction of sociology; Quantitative and Qualitative methodology, its advantages and limitations. What will also be covered is quantitative approach to suicide by Emile Durkheim (1897) and his critic, J.D Douglas qualitative approach to suicide. (Tutor2U 2010) Emile Durkheim (1938) advocated Comtes methodology and agreed that social factors should be studied rather than what goes on internally; his rule was to consider social facts as things, he believed social facts make individuals behave in a certain ways (Haralambous). Sociologists use different methodologies to reach their conclusion; ways of producing and analyzing data so the theories can be tested which are then accepted or rejected. Durkheim adopted the methods of natural science by applying the use of quantitative methods in his suicide study. There are two ways in conducting a research, primary and secondary research. Primary research is where sociologist has to start from scratch as there is no data available, for it to be taken from. In order to do this the researcher needs to design they method of collecting data and analyze the results. Primary research is only validated if the research gives true measurement, descriptions or explanation of what was being studied. Unfortunately there is a likely hood that these finding may not be actually explain peoples everyday settings or actions. (Haralambous p815-16) Secondary research is data that has already been produced by a previous researcher(s); Organizations such as companies, charities, trade unions are useful sources of data as well as documents such as letters, autobiographies and dairies. Secondary research may not be specific enough for researchers needs which in that case means they may have to look at more than one source to come to a conclusion and not only that but more than necessary time is taken up, also information given by the secondary data are sometimes questionable which is why the research has to be aware of this disadvantage (Haralambous 838-9) Quantitative research, in sociology, contains measurements of variables within society; people and groups. In order to get peoples opinions, a survey may be carried out; fieldwork, experiments or documentary research. When these methods are carried out, the researchers are usually avoiding being biased. In order to be unbiased as possible questions that are asked in a closed question form, so the participants replies are very limited or generalised observations are then conducted. Researchers who carrying out quantitative research do not want to get distracted from the intent of the research; they know exactly what they are looking for so their researches are controlled, with closed questions or only statistical information (McGuigan 2010). Alternatively, qualitative research, in sociology, attempts to gather more in depth understanding of individuals or groups actions in the context of social life (Giddens 2009). There usually is no scientific evidence and if there is, its very little evidence. When using qualitative methods of research the investigator is more interested in deeper truths; they prefer to observe things in their natural settings, make sense of things and interpret the information gained; in order to gain information they may interview people or observe them in non artificial settings. Qualitative is more theoretical rather than statistical. Information gained explores deeper into their interest and then data is collected by either observing or interviewing and from the data gain helps generate a hypothesis. Qualitative research digs deeper into reasons of why people may act the way they do. A survey is a method used by researchers to gather information from a sample of individuals whether its from a certain gender, age, race etc where the researchers interest is at and changes depending on the purpose of the study. These samples of individuals are questioned on their information that will help the sociologist conclude, questions can be very much closed questions or open, they are sent out to participants or administered directly; surveys can have a variety of purposes and questions are asked in standardized procedures so the same questions are asked; Surveys help obtain a composite profile of the population. In all reputable survey organizations, organisers should present their results anonymously (Scheuren). Surveys are an advantage for generalizing a big group by getting smaller groups to answer the questions once there is an efficient amount of results. Unfortunately there is a risk of answers to the questions being answered falsely, may not actually reflect their tr ue feelings or may even seem superficial. Surveys can be used to either get quantitative or qualitative data, solely relies on the wording of the question, whether its a open question or a closed question. Field work is when the investigator hangs out, works or lives with a group, organization or community and lives the realism of the environment by taking direct part in their activities; in other words real world experience. Investigators who take part in this are likely to have a better understanding of those who actually are a part of what they are investigating. This method is more likely to be used to have a qualitative outcome. There are two types of experiments, one being laboratory and the other being field experiment. Experiments are used to test the hypothesis and the relationships between the two variables are tested. It is conducted in a controlled environment where the variables are isolated and the correlation between things can be discovered. In sociology laboratory experiments are barely used as they believed variables cannot be controlled, the environment people are put in are artificial which will lead to the actions of people being artificial too and they do not believe its right to put laboratories just to measure the effect of variables. Field experiments have been proved to be more used and affective in sociology as they are conducted in normal everyday situations and environments; variables cannot be controlled. Although field experiments arent conducted in laboratory they are still not exact but are more valid than lab experiments as the actions from the people are real; less artificial. B ut if people are aware that they are taking part in a experiment their actions can become artificial, for an example workers may work harder in normal conditions because they know they are being observed. Emile Durkheim (1897) did a socially confusing study on suicide based on the hypothesis; as the individuals social unity decreased it was found there was an increase of suicide rates. Durkheim (1897) did not believe that reasoning for suicide was an individual act, he believed suicide was a social fact that can be proved by other social facts; the larger social forces can account for social facts. Durkheim (1897) employed quantitative research to his study of suicide, to make it have a scientific backbone as he believed it to be more rich and valid, by examining the official suicide statistics in France; these official statistics were secondary sources produced by the government. He believed that patterns of suicide were linked to the way which individuals were integrated and regulated by society and how they controlled them, he identified there were four types of suicide, and he generalized these four types of suicide to everyone; the four were Egoistic, Anomic, Altruistic and Fatal istic suicide. Egoistic suicide is when an individual is isolated or their ties to a group is broken or weakened; Catholics and Protestants. Anomic suicide is when an individual feels his life has a lack of meaning and feels as they are worthless, this can be a result of a divorce. Altruistic suicide is when an individual values others more for an example a mother who pushes their child out the way of a oncoming car and hurts herself or a suicide bomber. Fatalistic suicide is when an individual feels hopeless about their fate or feels excessively restraint for an example an individual may take their own life before the police arrest them to avoid being in a cell for the rest of their life or many years. Egotistic and Anomic are the two most common occurred, of the four. In contrast to Durkheims study of suicide Douglas (1967) is one of the many interpretive sociologists; interpretive approach strongly advocate qualitative data as they believe sociologists should be able to understand and interpret the meanings and motives of actions and quantitative data does not help discover meanings and motives. Interpretative sociologists reject studying social facts as things, they say natural sciences deal with matter and matter does not have a mind which in that case has no consciousness which in that case there is no meaning in behaviour. Interpretive approach acknowledges that people have consciousness, it is believed that people will interpret the meaning of a stimulus and then react to it; meaning is attached to the stimulus. J.D Douglas (1967) conducted his study Social meanings of Suicide, he believed that the official statistics were systematically biased and could have been made up by friends, families, and coroners. He disputed that Durkheim (YEAR) neglected other meanings attached to why an individual may commit suicide, he believed it to be wrong that Durkheim (YEAR) would treat all suicides the same without investigating other reasonings. Douglas was concerned with meanings of suicide and believed there to be different reasons behind a suicide than the four generalisations Durkheim (YEAR) had made. In Douglass (1967) study of social meanings for suicide he believed there to be four different meanings of suicide. Douglas (1967) believed in qualitative research methods to find his answers to why an individual would commit suicide; his methods were conducting case studies, unstructured interviews and diaries, from his investigations he found four types of suicide, the four are Transformation of the s oul, this is where it is used as a way of getting into heaven, transformation of self, this is where the individual would want others to think differently of them, suicide where an individual wants sympathy and suicide where the individual tries to get revenge by leaving the other person feeling guilty.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Wonderment and Awe: the Way of the Kami Essay -- Movies Film Films Ess

Wonderment and Awe: the Way of the Kami When watching the fantastic anime (animation) of Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, it soon becomes apparent that he has infused his richly detailed worlds with an animistic world-view that references ancient Japanese beliefs, practices and myths. His films describe an intriguing mixture of earthy spirituality particularly drawn from the Shinto tradition. Shinto is less a religion than a way of life – a pantheistic and animistic faith that believes that every object possesses a spirit, and encourages nature worship, folk beliefs, ancient deities and rituals. It has no dogma or moral doctrine, except for four general tenets: worshipping and honouring the kami; love of nature; tradition and the family; and cleanliness (Picken 1994:9-10). For the scope of this article, I will be looking at how respect for the kami and nature inform two of Miyazaki’s films Princess Mononoke (Mononokehime 1997) and Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi 2001). The key to Miyazaki’s work lies in his knack of transformation and transfusion. He transforms and reinvigorates the tenets of Shinto and also elements of Japanese myth such as dragons and gods. His films do not rework specific stories – rather he creates a hybrid Japanese ‘modern myth’ that is accessible (in different ways) to post-industrialised audiences all over the world. Film critics have praised his films: many appearing to share the sentiments of American film writer Chris Lanier that ‘ultimately, when the movie is over, one doesn’t chiefly savour its sequences or incidents, or even the audacity of its imagination. One rather savours the world-view that seeps through it, which is an eminently kind one’ (2002). I would suggest that Miyaza... ...s spiritual roots. Tokyo: Kodansha International. Picken, S. (1994) Essentials of Shinto: An analytical guide to principal teachings. Connecticut & London: Greenwood Press. Saitani, R. (1995) ‘I Understand Nausicaa a Bit More Than I Did a Little While Ago: Long interview with Hayao Miyazaki’ in Comic Box special memorial issue: The Finale of Nausicaa. January. Website accessed 15 May 2003: www.comicbox.co.jp/e-nau/e-nau.html Mes, T. (2002) ‘Hayao Miyazaki Interview’on Midnight Eye. 1 July. Website accessed 15 May 2003: www.midnighteye.com/interviews/hayao_miyazaki.shtml van Bremen, J. (1995) ‘Introduction: The myth of the secularization of industrialized societies’ in Ceremony and Ritual in Japan: Religion in an Industrialized Society. London: Routledge. Weber, M. (1965) The Sociology of Religion translated by E. Fischoff. London: Methuen & Co. Wonderment and Awe: the Way of the Kami Essay -- Movies Film Films Ess Wonderment and Awe: the Way of the Kami When watching the fantastic anime (animation) of Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, it soon becomes apparent that he has infused his richly detailed worlds with an animistic world-view that references ancient Japanese beliefs, practices and myths. His films describe an intriguing mixture of earthy spirituality particularly drawn from the Shinto tradition. Shinto is less a religion than a way of life – a pantheistic and animistic faith that believes that every object possesses a spirit, and encourages nature worship, folk beliefs, ancient deities and rituals. It has no dogma or moral doctrine, except for four general tenets: worshipping and honouring the kami; love of nature; tradition and the family; and cleanliness (Picken 1994:9-10). For the scope of this article, I will be looking at how respect for the kami and nature inform two of Miyazaki’s films Princess Mononoke (Mononokehime 1997) and Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi 2001). The key to Miyazaki’s work lies in his knack of transformation and transfusion. He transforms and reinvigorates the tenets of Shinto and also elements of Japanese myth such as dragons and gods. His films do not rework specific stories – rather he creates a hybrid Japanese ‘modern myth’ that is accessible (in different ways) to post-industrialised audiences all over the world. Film critics have praised his films: many appearing to share the sentiments of American film writer Chris Lanier that ‘ultimately, when the movie is over, one doesn’t chiefly savour its sequences or incidents, or even the audacity of its imagination. One rather savours the world-view that seeps through it, which is an eminently kind one’ (2002). I would suggest that Miyaza... ...s spiritual roots. Tokyo: Kodansha International. Picken, S. (1994) Essentials of Shinto: An analytical guide to principal teachings. Connecticut & London: Greenwood Press. Saitani, R. (1995) ‘I Understand Nausicaa a Bit More Than I Did a Little While Ago: Long interview with Hayao Miyazaki’ in Comic Box special memorial issue: The Finale of Nausicaa. January. Website accessed 15 May 2003: www.comicbox.co.jp/e-nau/e-nau.html Mes, T. (2002) ‘Hayao Miyazaki Interview’on Midnight Eye. 1 July. Website accessed 15 May 2003: www.midnighteye.com/interviews/hayao_miyazaki.shtml van Bremen, J. (1995) ‘Introduction: The myth of the secularization of industrialized societies’ in Ceremony and Ritual in Japan: Religion in an Industrialized Society. London: Routledge. Weber, M. (1965) The Sociology of Religion translated by E. Fischoff. London: Methuen & Co.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Marketing Mix Halal chips

The purpose of this paper is to presents the results of the comprehensive marketing analysis of the feasibility of introduction of Halal chips to Indonesian market. The study consists of the overview of the product (using certain elements of the Marketing Mix methodology) and the overview of the target market (a full macro environmental analysis, encompassing the scan of political, economic, social, and technological aspects of the chosen market), followed by a conclusion concerning the rationale behind the introduction of Halal chips in Indonesia. Product: Halal chips Marketing Mix is one of the most effective tools to formulate a comprehensive marketing strategy. Marketing Mix is sometimes referred to as the ‘4 Ps’, which stands for product, place, price, and promotion. Sometimes this list is extended to ‘7 Ps’ to include people, process, and physical evidence; however, this paper will focus on the discussion of the traditional model. There are two basic marketing approaches to evaluating the product – Product Life Cycle and Three Levels of a Product. Product Life Cycle (PLC) model compares the existence of the product on the market with the biological life cycle: ‘After a period of development it is introduced or launched into the market; it gains more and more customers as it grows; eventually the market stabilizes and the product becomes mature; then after a period of time the product is overtaken by development and the introduction of superior competitors, it goes into decline and is eventually withdrawn’ (Marketing Teacher, 2006, The Product Life Cycle (PLC), para.2). Product Life Cycle is viewed as being comprised of four distinct stages such as introduction, growth, maturity and decline. At the Introduction stage, the pressure for immediate profit is less important than creating the first impression about the product. At the Growth stage, many competitors exist on the market, therefore companies tend to form strategic alliances, joint ventures, or merge. Profits are growing, and wide-scale advertising is the focus. At the Maturity stage, sales growth is stable, and the companies pay most attention to differentiating their offers and promoting the product through various media. At the Decline stage, the product is either radically transformed or withdrawn from the market. When introducing Halal chips to Indonesian market, it is of paramount importance to choose appropriate strategy at every stage of Product Life Cycle. Immediately after the introduction, it is necessary to develop a positive image of Halal chips. At the Growth stage, it is imperative to maintain a competitive advantage over competitors. At the moment, the competition is not intense, yet the situation may change if the introduction of Halal chips proves to be a success. At the Maturity and Decline stages, strategies like repackaging, differentiating (e.g. adding new flavors), and aggressive advertising will have to be applied. Another marketing model that can be applied to analyzing Halal chips is the Three Level Model. The Three Levels of a Product model argues that within each product it is possible to distinguish three different levels — the core product, the actual product, and the augmented product. The core product is the immediate benefit the customer receives from the ownership of a product. The actual product is the tangible, material thing. The augmented product encompasses the added value of the product, i.e. additional services that accompany the product. The examples can include ‘toll-free customer information, installation guides, delivery, warranty, and after-sale services’ (Lilien & Rangaswamy, 2006, p.234). In the case with Halal chips, the level of augmented product is virtually non-existent, therefore, the main focus should be on the levels of core product and actual product. The core product should be larger than the actual, tangible product. Through advertising and correct positioning, it is necessary to have the customer associate benefits from buying Halal chips not only with delicious taste and hunger satisfaction, but also with adherence to tradition or good times shared with friends while eating the chips. Pricing policy is another vital aspect of marketing the Halal chips. There are different pricing strategies, and the application of each strategy should rely on all other elements of the Marketing Mix. The basic pricing strategies include Premium Pricing, Penetration Pricing, Economy Pricing, Price Skimming, Psychological Pricing, Product Line Pricing, Optional Product Pricing, Captive Product Pricing, Product Bundle Pricing, Promotional Pricing, Geographical Pricing, and Value Pricing. In the case with Halal chips, Penetration Pricing can be used at the initial stages of the introduction of the product. This strategy implies that the price is artificially lowered with a view to establish the company on the market. When Halal chips are established on the Indonesian market, Price Skimming can be used. It is applied by companies that have a significant competitive advantage. Price Skimming can not be sustained for a long time as new competitors, lured by high revenues, enter the same segment of market. At the stages of Maturity and Decline, Economy Pricing might be the most feasible option. Economy Pricing means that it is a low price offered by a company that keeps marketing and manufacturing expenses at a minimum. Target Market: Indonesia Presently, Indonesia is a market that offers many lucrative opportunities for doing business in different spheres. However, it is necessary to assess all the possible risks involved, including political, economic, social, and environmental factors. Political Recently, Indonesia has been showing signs of enhanced political stability. The political climate of the country has become more favorable for further economic and social changes. In the framework of Reformasi movement following President Suharto’s resignation in 1998, greater democracy was introduced into Indonesian political life. However, problems include pervasive corruption, administrative obstacles to doing business, and the danger of radical Islamist ideology overtaking the political scene. Terrorism threat also remains high. Separatism is another risk factor: although a political settlement to an armed separatist conflict in Aceh was achieved in 2005, Indonesia a very diverse country where conflicts between different ethnic groups are hard to avoid. Economic Indonesia was badly hit by the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, therefore the government increased its intervention in economic matter. Nevertheless, Indonesia has a functioning market economy. Furthermore, the government struggles to change the regulatory framework to attract more investment. Major problems include instable legal and judicial system, weak competition laws, and lack of internationally acceptable accounting and disclosure standards. Social Indonesia has a large population, which is supposed to increase in the years to come, given the present annual growth rate of 1.25%. Therefore, the number of potential consumers of Halal chips is doomed to increase, since chips and related snacks are popular among teenagers and youth. In terms of religious affiliations, 86% of Indonesians are Muslim. An interesting trend observed in Indonesia is the gradual Westernization of the society coupled with greater observance of religion and traditions. Therefore, there exists a degree of fascination with Western lifestyle (e.g. eating chips), yet there is also an avoidance of conflict between consumerist values and well-entrenched traditions (e.g. chips have to be Halal). Technological From the technological perspective, Indonesia is striving to meet all the international standards in this field. Indonesia has been noted for the rapid development of infrastructure and modernization of its production facilities. The development of Indonesian technological sphere may leave much to be desired, yet shows clear trends towards substantial improvement. Conclusion The entry of Halal chips into Indonesian market has high chances of being successful. Given the high percentage of young Muslim population, the target market is large and growing. However, the commercial success of such an entry depends greatly on the carefully chosen marketing and promotional strategy, pricing, and advertising. While there are some risks involved, mostly of political and economic nature, they can be offset by lucrative business opportunities Indonesian market offers. References Lilien, Gary L., & Arvind Rangaswamy. Marketing Engineering. Ottawa, Canada: Trafford Publishing, 2006. Marketing Teacher. ‘The Product Life Cycle (PLC).’ 2007. November 21, 2007. Â   Â   Â   Â  

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Macbeth- the Destruction of Power

Within William Shakespeare’s play, ‘Macbeth’, the destructive nature of power is immensely explored. The nature of power is obliquely and inevitably expressed through Macbeth’s ambitious drive for supremacy, the unknown and distraught notion of fate and free will, as well as a personal reaction towards the concept of power. Although, the majority of the play is based on the destructive nature of power, the moral nature of power is also portrayed, in spite of the evil. Macbeth was naturally an ambitious man, who constantly desired more.However, he was greatly influenced by his wife Lady Macbeth, for in the beginning Macbeth’s nature was â€Å"too full o[f] the milk of human kindness†. Lady Macbeth’s provocation encouraged the evil residing in Macbeth and his ambition only increased â€Å"I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other. † The weird sisters we re aware of his overpowering determination and were able to manipulate him into believing he had the potential to gain â€Å"absolute power†.Via these strong influences and his unfathomable ambition, Macbeth went to great extents to retrieve ultimate power, essentially transforming into a tyrant within the process. Macbeth’s level of free will is questionable, for it seems that despite the triggers of his ferocious actions, he was an exceptionally hubris man. The witches can be depicted as advocators for fate, rather than fate itself and with the support of manipulation, they were able to convert Macbeth into an ignorant autocrat. â€Å"Fair is foul and foul is Fair. Weird sister’s prophecies were not what they seemed. Although, Macbeth received various triggers that led to his destiny, it is likely that he would have received the same fate, had the witches not interfered. â€Å"I'll make assurance double sure, And take a bond of fate. † Macbeth attempts to control fate by murdering his possible threats to power. Macbeth was ambitious at heart and clearly a power driven man, whom takes pride in his masculinity and in essence already on the pathway to destruction.Macbeth was too focused on gaining his own power and control, to comprehend the issues arising against him. As Macbeth aspired to optimum power, he gradually began to dehumanise. â€Å"What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? † Lady Macbeth questions whether the guilt and anxiety of murdering these loyal people was worth the power or lack of it. The weird sisters manipulated Macbeth into believing he was invincible, resulting in irrational acts of terrorism against the people of Scotland.Murder, betrayal, torture and cruelty were inflicted upon all of Macbeth’s followers on a regular basis, whom were forced to obey him. â€Å"I am in blood, stepped in so far, that, should I wade no more† Macbeth went too far, to withdraw and developed into a tyrannical leader for the simple reason he had the power to do so. What he chose to do with his power lead to his corruption, although, not all choose the wrong path. There are some individuals born to lead and gain power, with the intention of goodness and then there are others who do not retain the ability to effectively control their power.Duncan and Malcolm both emanate morality, with the aspiration to improve and support their country, Scotland. â€Å"But I must also feel it as a man,† Malcolm exclaims as he understands he must feel compassion In order to become a respectable leader. The destructive nature of power is explored in many aspects throughout the play, for each individual reacts differently. Macbeth was ambitious at heart and easily influenced to commit such brutality against his own people.However, Malcolm and Duncan were able to harness and control their power with intention of supporting their country to the best of their abilities. Mac beth’s fate seemed inevitable despite the weird sister’s interference, for he already retained the qualities of an ambitious tyrant. Macbeth ultimately desired power with fierce determination and eventually received it. Once he had acquired all power, he became ignorant and apparently ‘invincible’ ultimately resulting in his destruction.

Child labor Essay

Children are the future of the nation. They are flowers of our national garden. It is our duty to protect these flowers. Child labour is a socio-economic problem. Child labour is not a new phenomenon in India. From ancient times, children were required to do some work either at home or in the field along with their parents. However, we find in Manusmriti and Arthashastra that the king made education for every child, boy or girl, compulsory. In those days there was a system of trade of children, who were purchased and converted to slaves by some people. The problem of child labour was identified as a major problem in the 19th century when the first factory was started in mid-19th century. Legislative measures were first adopted as early as 1881. Since independence there have been several laws and regulations regarding child labour. Child labour has been defined as any work done by the children in order to economically benefits their family or themselves directly or indirectly, at the cost of their physical, mental or social development. Child is the loveliest creation of nature. But it is the circumstances which force them to hard labour. They have to earn livelihood from early childhood, stopping their mental development. The nation suffers a net loss of their capacity as mature adults. Child labour is a global problem. It is more common in underdeveloped countries. Child labour, by and large, is a problem of poor and destitute families, where parents cannot afford education of their children. They have to depend on the earning of their children. The prevalence of child labour is a blot on society. It is a national disgrace that millions of children in this country have to spend a major part of their daily routine in hazardous works. The problem of child labour in India is the result of traditional attitudes, urbanisation, industrialisation, migration, lack of education, etc. However, extreme poverty is the main cause of child labour. According to the UNICEF, India is said to have the largest number of world’s working children. Over 90% of them live in rural areas. The participation rate in rural urban areas is  6.3% and 2.5% respectively. According to a recent report, 17 million children in our country are engaged in earning their livelihood. This constitutes 5% of the total child population of the nation. It is about one-third of the total child labourers of the world. In India, working children are engaged in different organised and unorganised sectors, both rural and urban areas. In rural sector, children are engaged in field plantations, domestic jobs, forestry, fishing and cottage industry. In urban sector they are employed at houses, shops, restaurants, small and large industries, transport, communication, garages, etc. In India, working children are also self-employed as newspaper, milk boys, shoeshine boys, rag pickers, rickshaw-pullers, etc. About 78.71% of child workers are engaged in cultivation and agriculture, 6.3% are employed in fishing, hunting and plantation, 8.63% in manufacturing, processing, repairs, house industry, etc., 3.21% in construction, transport, storage, communication and trade and 3.15% in other services. Child Labour is exploited in several ways. Preference of child labour by many employers is mainly due to the fact that it is cheap, safe and without any liability. Many children take up the job just because of the non-availability of schools in their areas and thus rather than sitting idle, they prefer to go to work. Illiteracy and ignorance of parents is also an important factor. These parents do not consider child labour as evil. Child labourers have to work more than adult workers. They are exploited by their employers. There are several constitutional and legal provisions to protect working children. At present there are 14 major acts and laws that provide legal protection to the working children. Notwithstanding, the evils of child labour is on the increase. The biggest cause behind its spread is poverty. It cannot be completely eradicated from society unless its root cause is not addressed. Child labour perpetuates poverty. Child labour is economically unsound, psychologically disastrous and ethically wrong. It should be strictly banned. The general improvement in socio-economic conditions of people will result in gradual elimination of child labour.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Evidence-Based Practice In Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evidence-Based Practice In Nursing - Essay Example In the field of nursing and medicine, the already existing medical knowledge is undergoing advances with every passing minute. For that matter, it is important for a student nurse or a practicing one to be in touch with these developments and a feasible way for that is research conduction. It not only broadens the horizon for the researcher but also if the conducted research is good enough it proves to be a useful tool for fellow professionals in the setting. Mosby’s Medical Dictionary (2009) defines Evidence-Based Practice as health care practice in which the practitioner, be it the doctor, nurse or any other healthcare professional, finds sifts through and then uses the latest and appropriate research findings for his clinical decision making. The evidence-based practice has been integrated into almost all professions including medicine, nursing, psychiatry, law, etc. With the ever improving sophistication of professional dealings, the responsibility increase on the shoulders of a nurse, a doctor or any other professional for that matter, to provide the best possible quality of service. This is where evidence-based practice comes into play. By developing patient-centered approaches in the delivery of quality care using the latest evidence available, evidence-based care can be implemented in nursing practice (Emanuel, et al. 2011). Field and Lohr (1992) define clinical practice guidelines as statements which are developed systematically in order to assist practitioners and patients alike in their decision making regarding requisite health care for various scenarios.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Business Project Management 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Project Management 2 - Essay Example The team of project managers handles the various activities of the project that involves competing demands for cost, time, quality and risk, managing the expectation of the shareholders and identifying the requirement. Many of the processes within the project management are iterative in nature. The reason is that there is necessity and existence of progressive embellishment during the life cycle of the project because the more one gets to know about the project the more he is able to manage the project (Young, 2013). The project life cycle is defined as a sequence of steps that forms different phases of the project. The project life cycles comprises of four steps project commencement, project preparation, project implementation and lastly project closure. Project commencement is the first step in which various opportunities and problems related to the business are identified and various solution options are prepared through development of business cases. Feasibility study is conducte d to analyse whether the solution provided will address the business problem and finally the solution is recommended. Once the solution is recommended it is approved and project is initiated. The next step is project planning. The project planning involves steps outlining the plan of the project, quality plan, financial plan, resource plan, risk plan, procurement plan, communication plan and acceptance plan. The third step is the project execution. In this phase the project gets executed according to the project plan and a series of management process are engaged in controlling and monitoring the output delivered by the project. The final step is project closure, which involves processes like delivering the final product to the customers, the project documentation is handed over to the business, the supplier’s agreement are terminated, project resources are realised and finally the closure of the project is communicated to the stakeholders (Westland, 2007; Schwalbe, 2010). Th e study aims to critically evaluate the relationship and usefulness of time, cost and quality behind the success of a project. Relationship between Time, Cost and Quality For deriving the relationship between the three factors one of the factors need to be held constant. In order to find the relation between time and cost, quality is held constant. A trade off relationship exists between the cost and the time required to complete the project. For some types of cost the relation is directly proportional while for some other cost a direct trade off is noticed. Due to these two categories of costs there is best possible project rapidity for nominal cost. By considering the relationship between the time and cost, the impact of change in scheduled time on the cost of the project can be better understood. There are two types of cost involved in a project, direct cost and indirect cost. Direct costs are those costs that are directly related to the activities of the project like equipments, material, salaries etc. If the pace at which the activity is running is increased then the cost increases, since in order to complete the project faster more resources will be allocated. Indirect cost is denoted as overhead cost; the cost that are not directly associated with the activities of the project like office space, taxes and administrative staff etc. During the project the

Monday, October 7, 2019

Music concert report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Music concert report - Essay Example Other pieces played had incorporation of instruments such as bass guitar, Hammond organ, harmonica, and electric guitar blue rock. Personally, I comprehended the genre associated with heavy metal , boogie rock , Garage rock , southern rock , punk blues hard rock. The band consisted of blend of old generation people with youthful blood in it. The organizers of the event sold their tickets through Ticketmaster.com quite early in time thus facilitating the convergence of a substantial number of people to the function. From the concert I mastered the relevant core blues rock. These were an electric guitar, drum kit and bass guitar which the artists applied to ignite the mood of the people. The electric hugely amplified via the tube guitar in a typical overdrive effect. It was observable that to produce the customized reverberation, two guitars were played in subsequence to riffs and some of the chords on the rhythmical guitar. Synchronically, another artist must be playing corresponding melodic lines and rhythmical solos from the lead guitar. While at the concerts we as the audience were served with cool nice combination of instruments melodies thus widening our zeal and love for the music. Am not a fan of rock but I had to appreciate the model on which it was availed. The musicals created a conducive and soothing environment. The fusion of drumbeats and other instruments provided very nice tranquility and comfort zone.Personally, my main aim for the occasion was to relate with history.

Sunday, October 6, 2019

The Opportunities for Multinational Companies to Shift Resources Term Paper - 2

The Opportunities for Multinational Companies to Shift Resources around the World - Term Paper Example At a superficial glance, when a multinational invests in a country overseas, the partnership seems beneficial. Both the parties seem to profit. The multinational company finds a new domain to practice business on, while the country involved benefits due to the creation of jobs in its economy as well as the expansion in the consumer market due to the addition of the MNC’s product. There is, however, a more deep-rooted impact of this operation, which implies increased benefit for the MNC and less benefit for the developing country. The nation-state, which allows the multinational to operate within its borders, seldom sees the profit from the company’s operations (Chen, pp. 136, 2003). Multinational company, upon earning this profit, will whisk the profit out of the country to its own origin and home. Resultantly, even when million-dollar companies enter a developing country’s market, the million-dollar profit is not beneficial to the country itself in any way. If e valuated by the subjective eye, the situation can appear as if the MNC exploits the hosting country for its cheap labor and consumer market, while paying back only the bare minimum in the form of wages, while earning a massive profit as well as a beneficial expansion in operations. The operations of a multinational consist of combining the expertise (especially new technology) and the stock capital of the multinational with any opportunities the MNC may find in other countries in the form of cheap labor and other resources, leading to an increased output (Toyne, pp. 42, 2009). The result is often a substantial profit that the investors in the multinational divide amongst themselves and take home.

Friday, October 4, 2019

Incidents in the life of a slave girl Research Paper

Incidents in the life of a slave girl - Research Paper Example This was precisely because inside the house, there was no hash scorching sun and they could also eat their master’s leftover (Bowdoin.edu 5). However, in some homes, it was not the case. After a meal, the master and family would spit on the pans and kettles so that the slaves could not feed on the left overs (Bowdoin.edu 5). For slave’s who were mothers, life was very hard since there was no better nutrition for them and their infants. Many infants died due to chronic undernourishment since there was little food and the mothers were also overworked (Bowdoin.edu 7). This hardship life saw many slaves die early and very few lived to old age (Bowdoin.edu 7). Slaves were considered not human. The abuse and torture they went through was worse than what animals went through. It is revealed how slaves were whipped, lashed and clubbed on daily basis whether they did something good or bad (Bowdoin.edu 10). For female slaves, life was even worse than males. Most were also subjected into physical abuse. Many women and girls were rapes and sexually abused by their masters (Bowdoin.edu 10). There was no one to rescue them. It is important to note that most slaves’ masters used this kind of harassment and punishment to control and dehumanize their slaves (Bowdoin.edu 5). The slaves had different ways of copying up with the bondage they were encountering. There are those who took in and those who fought back. Based on the repercussion, fighting back openly was a serious crime. No slave was allowed to defy his/her master’s orders. This was heavily punishable. However, slaves being human beings did not agree to everything the master said. But due to lack of courage to speak as a result of fear, many chose to collaborate. In the case of Linda who was a beautiful female slave fell into an additional trap since her master fell in love with her (Harriet, Jacob 11). She had

Thursday, October 3, 2019

George W. Bush and Darth Vader Essay Example for Free

George W. Bush and Darth Vader Essay More often than not when comparing two characters, whether one be real and the other fictional, we come up with both similarities and differences between them. Seldom however do these similarities and differences between a fictional character and a person from the real world become so glaring that such comparison consequentially provide a substantial realization. One of such seldom case is the comparison of George W. Bush and Darth Vader. This paper will venture on comparing both characters and at the end provide a realization of such comparison. The two mentioned personalities need no introduction hearing these names will immediately give us an image of them in our heads. George W. Bush is the current president of the United States. Darth Vader on the other hand is the popular character in the Star Wars movies. On first instance it may seem that a comparison between these two personalities is absurd. This paper however will show us that such comparison is not without realization. It is submitted that on rare occasions seemingly trivial things such as comparison of Bush and Vader can in fact provide us with a realization far better than any other concept we have. To outline this paper will proceed on first stressing the similarities of both characters, then proceed with its differences and eventually state the realizations made through the conclusion Their Similarities Leaders The most obvious similarity between Vader and Bush is that they are both leaders. Leaders in their own respect Bush lead a nation and Vader leads an army. More worth noting in this similarity is not only the fact that both are leaders but the fact that both have the same way of leading. Vader and Bush exercise an attitude of strength in leadership that they do not think of casualties they however have the end in mind. Like the war in Iraq started by George W. Bush he was fearless in proceeding with such war even if he knew what it would cost. His ratings of popularity went down and the economy of his nation went down with it. Whenever one comes to war inevitably lives are put on the line. Bush was not hesitant in outing young military soldier’s lives on the line in order for him to achieve his goal and win his war on Iraq. The same ideology is shared by Darth Vader. Darth Vader always has a goal or a mission to accomplish. The ruthless use of his army to achieve his directives are clearly gleaned within his personality. In this type of leading we find the similarity between George W. Bush and Darth Vader. They both seem to share the ideology that making sacrifices in order to achieve a goal is necessary. They also have utter disregard for the cost and the consequences as long as they achieve this goal this is their way of leading. This is the kind of leading we see in the Star Wars Movies by Darth Vader and the kind of leading we see in America by George W. Bush. It is therefore submitted that because they have the same kind of ideology of leadership the result of their leadership hypothetically are the same. The end of Darth Vader has already been seen this type of leadership resulted in failure. The present administration of Bush has not yet ended but the seeming similarity of leadership ideology with Darth Vader can provide us with a reasonable conclusion that the administration of Bush will end in failure. The Saga Journal as proof of Vader’s leadership provides: â€Å"George Lucas has succeeded in creating one of the greatest cautionary tales for the aspiring leader in his portrayal of Darth Vader’s devastating reign of terror. Darth Vader embodies traits that make most contemporary leadership scholars cringe. † (Cited in: Michelle Drum, The Saga Journal) Perceived as Villains Another similarity between these two personalities is that many of us perceive them as villains. Villains in their own right majority of the people see both George W. Bush and Darth Vader as villains. Darth Vader very much like George W. Bush were not always perceived as Villains. They were first considered as heroes. George W. Bush could not have been president if the people did not think of him as a hero. He won the election two times. This is only proof that before George W. Bush was perceived as a villain he was considered as a hero. The same is true for Darth Vader. Darth Vader was not immediately Darth Vader before his transition to such character. He was the young and promising Anakin Skywalker his views were moral and he had a good sense of justice. This however changed because of the circumstances as provided in the movie. This only means that sometimes the famous quote in the batman movie might be true sometimes we see ourselves a hero long enough to become the villain. This is the similar circumstance of both Bush and Vader. In one of the articles of the National News it provided the perception of Bush being a villain as it said: â€Å"According to an Associated Press-AOL News poll, President Bush is both the number one villain and the number one hero of 2006. † (cited in: Two Sided Coin for Bush: Villain and Hero By Cathy Gill) Powerful The final similarity this paper will provide from all the similarities of these two characters is their power. There is no doubt that both George W. Bush and Darth Vader are very much powerful in every sense of the word. George W. Bush being the President of the United States of America and Darth Vader being the leader of the imperial army. Vader being perceived as powerful in an article in USA Today as it said â€Å"Not only is Vader powerful, hes sexy, says David Prowse, who appears as Vader in the first three films and has made thousands of appearances as Vader in costume. † (Cited in: Breathing Life into Vader by Mike Snider) Their Differences Their Rise to Power Though it is granted that both George Bush and Darth Vader are powerful they however differ in the manner of their rise to power. Darth Vader used pure brute force in order to be the leader of the imperial army. He had to lean to the dark side in order to achieve this goal. George Bush on the other hand rose into power through the mandate of the American people. Bush rose into power because of his will and the will of the people. Darth Vader on the other hand had to search and conquer this power by himself. This difference in their rise of power gives us an insight on how they held this power. Darth Vader could hold his power until he wished to abandon it. Bush on the other hand is bound by the limits of mandate given to him. He can only have the power of being a chief executive according to the period of time given to him. This gives us an insight on why Bush tries his best to stay in power while Vader needlessly and calmly enjoys his power. This is because Vader’s power is not bound by any limits. Vader Quick on His Feet, Bush Not so Much Darth Vader even as a youngster known to be Anakin Skywalker has always been quick on his feet. His reflexes during his time were comparable to no one. Bush on the other hand has admitted that he might not be as quick on his feet than most people. This is reflected on the way Darth Vader and President Bush makes decisions. Darth Vader is ruthless and quick on making decisions. President Bush has apparently a considerable amount of thinking time before he can make a decision. This spells a very different effect of their leadership. Darth Vader being quick on his feet can easily command his subordinates and they follow him without question. The delay on the decision making however of President Bush spells a different story because of such his subordinates may not follow him right away and might even question his decisions. Bush Democracy, Vader Dictatorship The most important difference between these two personalities however lie in the fact that Bush leads through a democratic structure while Vader in every sense of the word is a dictator. This brings us to the question which kind of structure is more effective is it the democratic structure or the dictatorship? Dictatorship brings obedience, order and an unquestionable authority. Democracy however gives freedom for every individual. It is submitted that both structures have their advantages and disadvantages. It is further submitted however that ruling a democratic structure like the task of President Bush is much more difficult than ruling in a dictatorship like Darth Vader. In an article in the LA Times President Bush advocated this democracy as the article said: â€Å"President Bush made good Thursday on his inaugural vow to push for democracy around the world. † (Cited in: Bush Democracy Vows May Take Time to Bear Fruit by: Sonni Efron) Conclusion The similarities and the differences between the two personalities having been discussed we now proceed to the realizations this paper has to offer. George Bush and Darth Vader are two very different personalities. In fact one lives in the real world while one finds existence in a fictional movie. They are both leaders, they are both powerful and they are both perceived by many as leaders. On the other hand they differ on their rise to power, quickness in decisions and the structure where they lead. The most important thing we have to realize out of this comparison is the simple fact that Darth Vader’s story has already been told while George Bush’s story is still unraveling. This only means that we can learn from what happened to Darth Vader and necessarily imbue it with the unraveling of the story of George Bush. This will give us a reasonable conclusion on how George Bush’s story will end. The relevance of knowing how George Bush’s story will end is that if we are aware of the end then we can prepare for this end that we foresee. Works Cited †¢ Michelle Drum, The Saga Journal †¢ Two Sided Coin for Bush: Villain and Hero By Cathy Gill, December 29, 2006 †¢ Breathing Life into Vader by Mike Snider, April 22, 2005 †¢ Bush Democracy Vows May Take Time to Bear Fruit by: Sonni Efron, February 25, 2005