A Reflection on the Violence of the Current Times Essay

Wars and revolutions have been considered over the years as the most destructive choice that many nations have pushed through for the sake of fighting for their ideologies and interests. Just like the most aggressive natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions, wars can end the lives of millions of innocent people in just a snap. All those ruthless bombing, deafening shootouts, and inhumane treatments among fighting nations are killing the world in such worse ways than natural disasters. This makes war as one of the most hated, resented, and feared concepts. However, it has also become one of the most tackled topics and themes in literature, allowing those who never experienced it to see a glimpse of its nature and reality. In James William Gibson’s article, Warrior Dreams, he talks about the feeling of being â€Å"unnamed† by a war that never became victorious. In the face of challenges and obstacles, this man who has been weakened by the fight seems to have formed illusions of invincible warrior heroes like Rambo, Dirty Harry and Jack Ryan (Gibson 625). An average and normal man would understand completely that the reality of being unmanned can be compared to a distressing situation in a man’s life where his greatest natural ability and strength are taken away: â€Å"Feeling unmanned by a war lost and by the rewriting of gender codes in the wake of the sexual revolution, millions of American men [†¦] began to dream, to fantasize about the powers and features of another kind of man who could retake and reorder the world† (Gibson 625). This would most certainly leave that person weak in his own awareness and belief; therefore, he will need something or someone—even an imaginary hero—from whom he can gain strength and an inspiration of invincibility. This, Gibson notes, can be one of the most potent roots of ruthless violence and inhumanity. Like many literary artists and sociologists who explored wars and revolutions in their works, Gibson admits that wars are practically naturally occurring events. He even claims that wars have divine histories as well — that during the ancient societies, even gods used wars as a way to set up the deified order of things: â€Å"These cosmogonic, or creation, myths posit a violent conflict between the good forces of order and the evil forces dedicated to the perpetuation of the primordial chaos. After the war in which the gods defeat the evil ones, they establish the ‘sacred order’† (Gibson 633). This claim, together with most of the academic claims about wars, implies that generally, wars are something which is innate in the tendencies of human beings and that war and violence appears to be never-ending exhibition of power by the humans—a power that they think they own. There are a lot of current issues and happenings that can be related to Gibson’s perspective on war and violence. Aside from the seemingly unending wars and violent acts rooted in religious conflicts and ideological clashes, Gibson’s discussion on the nature and reality of war and violence can also be exemplified in the case of a ruthless shooting in school done by mere adolescent boys rattled the entire nation — a nightmare that they never imagined to ever occur. It was a perfect spring morning in the fields of the Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado. As the investigation revealed, the deaths of 13 innocent people were indeed done by two boys by the name of Eric Harris, 18 years of age and Dylan Klebold, 17 (Bradley). The two started packing their rigging weapons and bombs in their duffel bags on the morn of April 20, 1999. After preparing their weapons and god-knows-what, they headed to Columbine High School. It was past 11 in the morning when the first set of gunshots were heard by the students from the cafeteria and they immediately scooted under the table to protect themselves from what they cannot deny as danger. What followed next was a series of pointless, cold-blooded shooting and bombing by the two young gunmen. The police were immediately present in the area; however, they were not able to protect the lives of 13 innocent people who fell dead. After the shootings and bombing, when the police and the SWAT were finally ready to enter the campus, the gunmen, Harris and Klebold, ended their own lives. This was just one of the most gruesome and distressing violent acts the whole of America has witnessed over the years. However, what disturbed most Americans about this incident was the involvement of two young people as the gunmen themselves. After the incident, a lot of harsh critics passed the blame onto the media industry for their irresponsible broadcasting and insufficient monitoring and control with the messages and content they convey. A lot of parents not just grieved but also blamed every possible medium which they think has contributed to the growth of violent materials in the mass media industry and consequently affected the behavior of children. However, even to this date, no one can be really certain about what went on in Harris and Klebold’s minds to do such a thing. But considering Gibson’s discussion on the nature and reality of wars and violence, one could infer that these two boys just had an urge of power exhibition in false knowing and understanding that they can control and change the order of the world. Works Cited Bradley, Ed. â€Å"What Really Happened At Columbine? † CBS News. 17 April 2001. 9 July 2009. . Gibson, James Wilson. â€Å"Warrior Dreams. † Title of the Book. Ed. First Name Last Name. Location: Publisher, Year. 625–633.

Why Go to Summer Program

Name: Tham Wei Yie Matrics Number: EEE110145 Faculty: Faculty of Economics and Administration There are some of the reasons why I am interested to join for the summer program. Firstly, I can experience a new culture. While on this program, I have a chance to thoroughly experience the culture of the different country. This occurs through direct application as a result of living with a family native to the region, going to school with true residents of the country, and through various other means.I will find myself completely immersed within a different culture once I have arrived in the foreign countries, due to differences in the cuisine, architecture, familial tradition, and even the ways in which people carry out conversation! After having spent a significant amount of time within the country, I will become accustomed to the culture of foreign country and will find myself essentially able to behave in the manner of a local.This excellent learning opportunity typically leaves me wit h better understanding for people of all sorts, and can really make me feel as though I have become â€Å"citizens of the world. † After the return to my country, I will likely enjoy sharing my new culture with those around my friends and relatives. In addition to learning of the culture of the foreign country, I will become familiar with the ways of life of people all around the world through meeting other exchange students. This is guaranteed me to be amusing, and very interesting!Secondly, I will learn a new language. This is the opportunity that I have to learn a foreign language as I never had before. Being a student of going off others country is much like becoming a small child once again, and this provides the opportunity to become familiar with the language in the manner of a native speaker and I will become conversationally fluent if on a short term staying in the different environment. A new language will aid me in the future by allowing me to explore new interests , and will likely also help widen my range of future career options.Thirdly, I can meet new friends from all around the world. During the summer program, I will have meetings and trips where I can get to meet other foreign students. . It is so much fun when I am get together with them because we have so much in common. I will also meet tons of native friends in the country and will have a close relationship with the rest of my life. Most summer program are present within multiple countries within the world; as a result, I will typically have the opportunity to meet other exchange students, from a variety of countries!Oftentimes, the program will involve various outings with other exchange students, which are typically quite fun and interesting – it is incredible to see hordes of people from numerous foreign regions interacting with one another, forming friendships and promoting cultural understanding. One of the most challenging things may be ever experience, and it is wonder ful to know people who are facing similar challenges during that time. The friendships one creates while on summer program are often very long-lasting – and studded with great memories! Lastly which is most important to me is personal development.I will be confronted with challenges in everyday life that I will have never before experienced. Everything is new, as the student adjusts to life within a foreign place with a completely different language and culture. Although this may seem utterly frightening, the difficulties associated with everyday life in abroad can truly teach me a countless life lessons. Even better, I have a chance to accomplish something very unique for my age – living independently for an extended period of time in a foreign country, without the aid of my natural parents.As a result of homesickness, feelings of alienation, or various other factors, I may occasionally go through times of depression, but these must be ended through when I am taking t he initiative to go out and enjoy my amazing new life! Having enjoyed the good and survived the bad components in abroad, I will return to my home country with newfound strength, confidence, and self-understanding. Few other experiences can help me to gain these qualities so early on in life – that is truly the magic of summer program.

Art and aesthetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Art and aesthetics - Essay Example Therefore, the definition of art proper; is the art as a means of expression, since the other aspects of art, such as art as a craft and art as a magic have no real bearing on the essence and the meaning that art has to create, if it is not applied as a means of expression (Collingwood, 105). This is because, under circumstances where art is to be defined as a craft, then it must be divided into the elements of; means and the end (Collingwood, 108). However, it is apparent that art is not divisible into the components of a means and an end, but unfortunately the various answers that have been given to responding to the question; what is art, has always suggested that it is so. Therefore, there is a need to refute the claims that are postulated by the hypothesis that art is divisible into the components of means and end, where the technical theory of art defines the component of means as arousing emotion (Collingwood, 108). This hypothesis tries to indicate that art is a means of brin ging onto the fore, something that has already been determined as desirable, so that it eventually influences the way an individual feels. The factual truth about art is that it is not a means that arouses feelings and emotions, but it has some element of interacting with emotions, but what it does clearly resembles arousing emotions, but it is not arousing it (Collingwood, 108). Therefore, the real definition of art has something to do with emotions and their arousal, but clearly exists in two different ways, one being the unexpressed emotion, where an individual feels the emotions in a helpless and oppressive way, considering that such emotions are in existence, but then they have not been streamed into action so that they can be understood, rather remaining suppressed within an individual, thus sitting in as just oppressive (Collingwood, 109). The second nature of emotions is the emotions in expressed way, which then refers to the emotions that the individual has allowed to be kn own, and as such they are fully expressed and exploited, and they have therefore been removed from the unconscious part of the individual, into being conscious feelings, which has something to do with the way the individual is feeling the emotions. Through expressed feelings, an individual’s mind is freed of the baggage of the emotions, and thus the sense of oppression has completely vanished and the mind becomes eased and somehow lightened by the unburdening of the feelings (Collingwood, 110). This serves as the real meaning of art, and thus the response to the question what is art, can be responded to by stating that; art is a means through which an individual eases and lightens their mind, through unburdening the oppressive emotions inside them, by allowing the burden to vanish into the audience. Therefore, to express emerge as becoming conscious of an emotion, which then means it is not practically possible to apply a differentiation between means and end, when it comes t o the functionality of art (Collingwood, 111). Thus, there is a need to differentiate the philosophical meaning of art and work of art, considering that it is through a work of art that the aspects of planning and execution can be differentiated, but there is completely no way of differentiating planning and exec

Nature of Wal-Mart Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 78

Nature of Wal-Mart Industry - Essay Example According to Fortune Global 500 in 2014, Wal-Mart was the biggest company by revenue and the largest employer in the private sector worldwide. The number of employees stood at 2.2 million making it is the most valuable company in the world. The operations of Wal-Mart are in three divisions namely Sams Club, Wal-Mart US, and Wal-Mart International with nine retail formats. The formats are supercenters, general merchandise, food and drugs, stores, bodegas, membership warehouse Clubs, cash and carry stores, apparel stores, restaurants, and soft discount stores. The Wal-Mart US is the largest with sales amounting to $258 billion operating discount stores, Neighborhood Markets, and Supercenters. Some of the Wal-Mart stores are located in Argentina, Canada, Brazil, and the UK. The company also involves global eCommerce, which is involved in online sales in the US with headquarters in San Francisco. The main competitors of Wal-Mart in North America include departmental stores such as Kmart, Target, Meijer, and Publix, which sell similar products. One of the main competitor is Target (TGT) in the retail market. Wal-Mart competes directly with Target (TGT) a discount retailer, which offers its goods and services at low prices. Just like Wal-Mart, TGT provides a wide range of products especially staple consumer goods such as household goods, clothing, food, and groceries. TGT also offers discount to its customers to attract them, which is also a common method in Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart sells products at lower prices to attract low-income consumers while TGT targets goes for affluent customers with their high quality merchandise. Both Target and Wal-Mart try to keep their profit margins high through cost reduction measures. Other competitors include Giant Tiger and the Real Canadian Superstore competing for the retail market. Wal-Mart also competes with Mexicos retail stores such as Soriana and Commercial Mexicana.

A Quantitative Comparison of Academic Achievement In New York City Dissertation

A Quantitative Comparison of Academic Achievement In New York City Public Schools vs. New York City Charter Schools As Measured By 2009 - 2010 New York State ELA And Math Exams - Dissertation Example The intention of this study are charter schools - the public schools that operate independently of the district board of education, making them a one-school public school district. They have their own charters written by private individuals: parents, educators, community leaders that enumerate their laws, governance structure and principles. This autonomous setup results in bigger accountabilities for the school. Because of this autonomy and â€Å"customized† curricula, many people believe that charter schools are far more beneficial to children, as compared to public schools. People also believe that charter schools provide better services because of the high standards they set for themselves. There are studies that compare the effectiveness of public schools versus charter schools. However, they differ in their findings. The growing appreciation for the potential benefits of quality educational programs has strengthened funding agencies’ and policy makers’ comm itment to ensuring all families have access to programming that can support and enhance children’s development, growth, and learning. These benefits can be realized, however, only in high-quality programs with characteristics linked to positive outcomes for children. However, deciding whether a public or charter school will best suit the needs of the child can be a harrowing and difficult decision for parents to make and requires a method for determining which scholastic institution will provide the best educational experience for the child. The establishment of a stable formula for measuring the academic achievement of the students from public schools and charter schools is needed. According to research conducted by Lubienski and Lubienski (2006

David Bowie and Performativity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

David Bowie and Performativity - Essay Example This argument will serve as a lens in analysing David Bowie’s song, â€Å"Queen Bitch.† The song revolves around a hustler prostitute seducing a gay man’s boyfriend. Using stereotyped language and images and an upbeat tone and guitar melody, Bowie challenges the narratives of authentic identity by undermining sexual gender roles and asserting his own lack of performance in contrast to the aggressive nature of the Queen Bitch, although he realises that his gay performative acts include sexual liberation from an unfaithful relationship that is doomed because of heterosexual desires. Butler believes that gender is not biologically-based, but created in the past, and Bowie uses stereotyped language to support that feminine gender is subjected to socially-produced heteronormativity, which society designed for male desires. Butler asserts that gender is â€Å"tenuously constituted in time† (901). The tenuous part can be ascribed to gender norms and roles that ar e passed on from one generation to another, particularly in patriarchal societies that men design and control. Bowie specifically questions the gender norm of the female bitch. In describing her clothing, he demeans the clothing that women wear to attract the male gender: â€Å"She's so swishy in her satin and tat/In her frock coat/and bipperty-bopperty hat† (lines 13-15). The satin and tat are an odd mix because satin can be related to sophistication, while tat is a form of laced clothing. The combination suggests a cheap imitation of the ideal virginal woman. â€Å"Bipperty-bopperty† seems to be onomatopoeic, like something is being conjured out of magic. The effect is that the hat is as â€Å"fake† or as â€Å"contrived† as the woman. To stress the poor choice of clothing of the prostitute, Bowie says; â€Å"Oh God, I could do better than that† (16). He curses and calls the name of God, as if saying that even if God made her a woman, he is a bet ter woman, even if he is a man. Society defines manhood and womanhood, so gender is â€Å"tenuously constituted in time,† a time that Bowie finds hard to oppose (Butler 901). Furthermore, heteronormativity is present in the song because the man, who can be inferred as the boyfriend of the singer, is not loyal to the latter, and instead, acts like a stereotyped womaniser. Bowie notes that though the woman is a â€Å"bitch,† the man is a male version of a bitch: â€Å"And he's trying hard/to pull sister Flo† (4-5). The man is not exactly resisting the charms of the woman, whom Bowie calls sister Flo, probably because she goes with the flow, the flow of men with money or looks or both. Bowie shows that society produces slutty women and men within the context of heteronormativity, where male desires shape social norms. Present gender roles and interactions are products of heteronormative desires. Aside from the tenacity of the past in influencing gender norms, Butle r argues that gender is performed. She maintains that gender is â€Å"an identity instituted through a stylized repetition of acts† (901). The stylised repetition of actions pertains to bodily movements that are socially approved for men and women. Bowie notes the social production of queens: â€Å"She's an old-time ambassador/Of sweet talking, night walking games/And she's known in the darkest clubs/For pushing ahead of the dames†

Marketing Online Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Online - Essay Example Particular concentration is given to the significance of a channel management general strategy in the e-marketing background. Firms consider this alternative require to have a high level of capability in relationship marketing skills (Jeeves, 2005). Now question is what is a brand "Your brand is the relationship you have with your customers," says L. Kareem Geiger, founder and vice president of client relations at TechnikOne (www.technikone.com), like him other professional says branding answers the questions: What do people think of us Who are we Who are our customers How are we making bigger ourselves in an association with them (Cravens, D., 2000) Hi-tech products can be an outcome of a fantastic innovative idea, superb technological breakthrough but if customers don't accept the value proposition since they don't perceive the similar, it will not last long with sustainable revenue model. The technical products can be substituted extremely rapidly as technological advancements are extremely fast also these products can reach the adulthood levels rapidly and can become outdated in no time (Barney, J., 1991, 99-120). Nowadays it is much easier for a competitor to copy your goods, services and systems. Technology is becoming a product business, and the comparatively established hi-tech companies discover themselves being sucked in to the product trap (Chowdhury. J., 2001, 72-86). Coca-Cola. McDonald's. Jaguar. every name evokes a mini universe of things you've come to be expecting from them. Coke's branding, for instance, pervades its product excellence, packaging, advertising, the look of its trucks, dispensers, and machines, and it has supervised to productively port its image online. Smart move bearing in mind online sales will reach $126 billion by 2004, according to an eMarketer report (Costa, J. & Teare, R. 2000, 156-169). Like all other organizations Coca-Cola recognized premature on that the Web would play a significant role in not only cementing brand faithfulness but also in draw latest customers to its product (Conant, J., 2000, 365-383). Let's take a look upon Adds Carrie Williams, owner of Williams imaginative Marketing in Seattle, "Brand transcends your products. If your brand communicates effectively, it can bring a culture together, whether it's an internal audience (the company) or an external audience (consumers)." (Dabholkar, P., 2003, 3-16) A company doesn't produce a brand just for the product or overhaul it sells, it does it for the association and trust that go with it. "Brand has a lot of essence; it's not just a graphic look," says Patricia Belyea, president and planned director of Seattle's Belyea Marketing/ Communication /Design. "Brand is graphics, customer service, quality of product, and dependability of delivery. It is performance, not public relations." (Day, G. 2004, 37-52) There are quite a few ways to draw consumers online using both. Offline marketing gives consumers a chance to examine your Website and get further information concerning your products and services. Innovation/Contribution in Marketing The Brand One of the major benefits of the Internet is its cost-effectiveness when contrast by other marketing methods such as straight mail, television, radio, prints advertising,

Project Management Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Project Management Principles - Essay Example A typical project goes through a cycle. The standard cycle involves four phases – initiation, planning, execution and closure. In most cases changes are required to the initial plan and this involves a process of adaptation (See diagram of a six phase cycle in Appendix 2). The cycle starts with the initiation of the project during which time the scope and objectives of the project are determined. The Planning stage sets out the human resource plan, the financing plan, the communication plan, the risk management plan. After all the activities are determined and a schedule is prepared the project is implemented. If monitoring indicates that things are not going as planned then project manager needs to adapt, adjust the plan and implement the changes. The results are then checked against the project plan and if every thing is satisfactory and the objectives have been achieved then the project can be closed (RDI 2009). 1.1 Analysis of project phases This project involves the redesign of office space to accommodate new members of staff. Wysocki (2009) indicates that effective project management is not the product of a fixed set of steps to be followed in every project. However, effective project management requires that projects go through a series of steps that are clearly defined (RDI 2009). According to PM4DEV (2007) projects operate as part of a system and they involve a high level of uncertainty. Project phases are divisions within a project where additional controls are needed to effectively manage the completion of a major deliverable (PMI 2008, p. 18). By dividing the projects in several phases the project manager is able to integrate both internal and external factors in the planning process. It allows for proper control of the project and ensures that each phase is completed before moving to the next. The five major phases of a project are: identification of needs; formation of objectives and project definition; detaile d planning and scheduling; project activity management; and closure and feedback (RDI 2009). 1.1.1 Identification of n

The south after the civil war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The south after the civil war - Essay Example Earlier the south enjoyed a competitive advantage over the rest of the country with the help of slave energy and cultivation of huge plots of land. This measure had dual advantage. Firstly, the wage or cost per labor was considerably low and secondly this cost benefit was ploughed back into the agricultural business by buying large plots of land and cultivating huge area at one time. Thus it is obvious that the yield this way used to be generating formidable surplus out of the business. Once the civil war was lost and the advantage of slave energy was diminished the landlords or the region found it difficult to adjust with the changed situation of escalated labor cost and in the process they were forced to employ tenants and divide the land into smaller plots. Both these factors diminished returns and this caused the south to face a low per capita income and in the process became the most backward states of the nation. (Kunreuther, 526-51) However, there are opposing views to this hypothesis. Ransom believed that the main cause of economic degradation was due to the fact there was a substantial amount of racism present in the South even after the Civil War. This racism induced low legal and social support for the African American in the region.

Civil War Essay Example for Free

Civil War Essay The aftermath of the Civil War brought in major industrial expansion and significant economic growth for New England, the middle Atlantic states and the mid-west – more so with the completion of the transcontinental railroads years later. In contrast, the same Civil War brought in economic depression for the south. (Slavin, 2008) 3) The 1920s began with a brief depression which was completely forgotten between 1921 and 1929 when America enjoyed economic prosperity. The stock market crash in 1929, however, ended the abundant times and brought in the â€Å"Great Depression†. Similarly, there was a brief economic recession in the early part of the 1990s – it began in early 1992 and ended later that same year. With the end of such recession, the stock market soared and the years that followed witnessed economic expansion in America until the index reached its peak in March 2001 and then dove deep, signaling the end of the good, profitable days of the bourse. The economy worsened in September 2001 after the World Trade Center Tragedy. (Slavin, 2008) The opportunity cost of attending the concert using a free ticket is less time spent on studying. Having to leave for the concert venue earlier than planned and then getting home much later because of the miserable weather would further increase the opportunity cost of attending the concert, since it would mean more study time spent on something else. 5) Last summer, I incurred opportunity costs by cancelling plans to take a summer job and choosing, instead, to spend my summer bumming around with friends. Under no circumstances can we operate outside our production possibilities curve. It would mean generating an output that is more than what results from full employment and full production. Such a scenario is not attainable. (Slavin, 2008) 7) a) According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, â€Å"economists study how society distributes resources, such as land, labor, raw materials, and machinery, to produce goods and services. They may conduct research, collect and analyze data, monitor economic trends, or develop forecasts. † (U. S. Department of Labor) b) According to the College Majors Handbook and as cited in the article, the top three types of jobs for economics graduates are as follows: â€Å"1) Top- and mid-level managers, executives, administrators; 2) Insurance, securities, real estate, business services; and, 3) Accountants, auditors, other financial specialists. † (Schwartz) WORKS CITED Slavin, Stephen L. Economics 8th Edition. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2008. U. S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook. (http://www. bls. gov/oco/ocos055. htm#nature) Schwartz, Shelly K. â€Å"Economics Grads Face Strong Job Market, but Higher Degrees Still Help. † CNNMoney Personal Finance. (http://money. cnn. com/2000/08/18/career/q_degreeeconomics/)

The Profound Aspects Of The Islamic Society Religion Essay

The Profound Aspects Of The Islamic Society Religion Essay During the sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E new religious philosophies came to the surface in India and rejected the ancient Indian religion that revolved around the ritual sacrifices offered by Brahmin priests in hopes that the gods would reward their loyal human servants. The development of the Indian economy and the evolution of the societies to wealthy classes have raised the questions about the ancient religion for its role in the societies and rejected it as meaning less and less connected to the Indian societies of the time. The early Buddhism started when the Buddha publicly announced his doctrine first time about 528 B.C.E in the Deer Park of Sarnath, near the Buddhist holy city of Banaras (modern Varanasi), in a sermon delivered to friends (Bentley and Ziegler 220). The core of Buddhas doctrine consists of Four Noble Truths that teaches that all life involves suffering; that desire is the cause of suffering; that elimination of the desire brings an end to suffering; and that a disciplined life conducted in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path brings the elimination of desire (Bentley and Ziegler 220). The Noble Eightfold Path states that the individuals should seek to live balanced moderate lives by rejecting both the devotion to luxury and extreme asceticism (Bentley and Ziegler 221). Buddhism appealed to many people and become popular from social implication of the doctrine as well as the language and other community service reasons. The Buddhism did not favor the Sanskrit and adapted vernacular tongues that reached a much larger popular audience. In addition, the organization of Buddhism movement created many monastic communities that dedicated their life for enlightenment and salvation. Overtime these monasteries become important institutions in the Indian societies and served as community organizations such as banks and social welfare institutions for the Indian country side populations. As these networks of monasteries have evolved overtime, the monasteries have made significant impact on social, cultural and economic aspects of India. In addition, the Buddhism has also received the endorsement from the Mauryan dynasty, where a major empire Ashoka adapted the Buddhism in about 260 B.C.E, according to Ashokas own accounts (Bentley and Ziegler 221). This is con sidered as a major influence of Buddhism as the King Ashoka said that he had decided to pursue his aims henceforth by means of virtue, benevolence, and humanity rather than arms after his realization of war against Kalinga and adaptation of Buddhism (Bentley and Ziegler 221). By the Ashokas decision he has implemented nonviolence and banned animal scarifies in Paraliputra and gave up his beloved hunting expeditions, and eliminated most meat dishes from the tables of his court, a great example of religion influencing the rule of law in an empire and a government. In addition, he as encouraged Buddhists by awarding grants for spreading the Buddhism and developed monasteries, stupas, and holy sites of Buddhism. Furthermore, Ashoka also sent missionaries to other parts of the world such as Bactria and Ceylon and eventually spreading the religion to central Asia, east Asia, and southeast Asia (Bentley and Ziegler 222). Overtime, Buddhism was adapted by various classes of people at various levels and evolved to a more regional faith. A good example of this is the Mahayana Buddhism that flourished with its advanced educational system and advancement towards the future innovations of the society. The best known institution of historic time is Nalanda University of Gupta dynasty in the Ganges River valley near Paraliputra. The University was famous for teaching Buddhism as well as Vedas, Hindu Philosophy, logic, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. In conclusion the Buddhism evolved from the rejection or way out of the strict Ancient Indian Religion and evolved to a more moderate religion and then influenced the Mauryan dynasty and spread across Asia and other parts of the world. The Christianity inception dates back to the tenth century B.C.E when the dissolution of the Jewish kingdom of David and Solomon occurred. While the Jewish people maintained their faith various other groups from Babylonian, Achemenid, Alexandrian, Seleucid, and Roman embraced many different ethnic and religious practices; and the empires created state cults that honored their emperors as gods. As these state cults evolved and imposed rules of their own, they clashed with Jews as they did not see the state cults as honorable and refused to participate in the state requirements and created tensions between imperial authorities and Jews and ignited wars between Jews and Roman forces. Ultimately Roman forces decisively defeated the rebels during the Jewish War of 66 to 70 C.E; and then Jews founded new sects that looked for saviors to deliver them from subjection; The Essenes formed one such sect; and one sect formed in 1947 by the discovery of Essene writings. According to the sources, though the early Christians probably had little contact with the Essenes they shared the similar concerns, and Christians formed their community around Jesus of Nazareth, Jewish teacher and a recognized savior. Jesus presented himself as peaceful man, who taught many about devotion to god and love for fellow human beings. He became popular and attracted large population for his wisdom and miraculous powers; especially the ability to heal the sick (Bentley and Ziegler 280). Jesus spread the spirituality and faithfulness towards the God to others and believed that the the kingdom of God is at hand. meant the spiritual realm in which God would gather those faithful to him (Bentley and Ziegler 280). The Roman administrators took this belief as a threat to the Roman Empire and executed Jesus by fixing him to a cross during the early 30s C.E; however, this did not put an end to the movement and continued the spread of the Jesus for his proclaimed presence after th e crucifixion. Although, the Christianity has originated as a sect of Judaism, with its popularity and adaptation by the urban populations, it became the most dynamic and influential religion in the Roman Empire by the third century C.E. The growth of Christianity occurred among mass populations in urban lower classes, and women who did not have the freedom to enjoy the freedom of spirituality in the Roman Empire. In addition, Christianity provided the platform of faith to women as well as men to succeed in life as long as they keep faith in god. In conclusion, the Christianity developed as a spiritual faithful religion promoting equality and hope for better life of all classes and genders of people, which was not evident by the various religions around the Roman Empire. About the 610 C.E, Prophet Muhammad underwent a profound spiritual experience and seeded the path for the religion Islam. According to the sources his convictions include that there is only one deity, Allah(God), that ruled the universe, that idolatry and the recognition of other gods amounted to wickedness; and that Allah would soon bring his judgment on the world (Bentley and Ziegler 348). As he shared his convictions with others, by about 620 C.E. enthusiastic and expanding minority of Meccas citizenry joined his circle and started the promotion of the Islam. During the first century of the Islams existence, Islam reached beyond Arabian homeland expanding to Persia, parts of Byzantine Empire; and by eighth century it has started influencing the political and economic sectors of the post classical societies. According to the sources, the early Islamic religious beliefs reflected the influence of Jewish and Christian faith, and the Muslim society reflected the nomadic and mercantile Arabian society from which Islam arose (Bentley and Ziegler 346). It is common observation in the Islamic society that the evolution of the religion includes the adaptation of various religious practices overtime. For example, after Muslims conquered Persia, they have adapted the Persian techniques of government and financial administration, Persian literature, science, and religious values. Similarly, during the later centuries Muslims adapted the traditions from Greek and India as they travelled or conquered these areas. It is observed that the Islamic society is rather formed by the inclusion of various practices from these other societies then being created as new by blending the elements from Arab, Persian, Greek, and Indian societies. One of the profound aspects of the Islamic society is the establishment Islam in Arabia, occurred when Muhammads followers attacked in 630 C.E. and conquered the city. They force the elites to adapt Muhammads faith and imposed government dedicated to Allah. This attached included the destruction of pagan shrines and were replaced by the mosques for Muslims praying holy places; by the prophets death in 632 C.E., most of the Arabia under the control of Muslims. During the Muhammads period, his faith and his personal leadership influenced significantly for the development of Islamic community. Muhammad founded the community based on the Five Pillars of Islam: (1) Muslims must acknowledge Allah as the only god and Muhammad as his prophet. (2) They must pray to Allah daily while facing Mecca. (3) They must observe a fast during the daylight hours of the month of Ramadan. (4) They must contribute alms for the relief of the weak and poor. (5) And, in honor of Muhammads visits to Mecca in 629, and 632, those who are physically and financially able must undertake the hajj and make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca (Bentley and Ziegler 351). Though, the Islamic community expanded the doctrine features with specific legal, social, and sects, the five pillars remained as basis and powerful. In addition, during the centuries after Muhammad the Islamic holy law, known as sharia, also added to the Islamic society governance model and was used as part of the Islamic empire. After Muhammads death in 632 C.E. his followers expanded the Islamic military power and expanded the Islamic empir e beyond Arabia and brought additional transformation to the Islamic society. As the evolution and spread of the Islamic society continued, it has thoroughly transformed the cultural traditions that it absorbed, and provided political and administrative framework for large part of the eastern hemisphere, from Africa to the islands of southeast Asia; this included the framework for trade operations for this part of the world. Eventually this is referred as dar al-Islam (house of Islam). In conclusion, the Islamic religion has founded as a powerful religion about during the 600 C.E and rapidly expanded the religious community and the Islamic empire that ruled significant part of the world and transformed some parts of the world permanently with Islamic traditions and practices. In conclusion, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam have evolved during the classical era and created permanent footprint in the world for their religious practices, beliefs, and faith towards god. In addition, these religions have provided framework and basis for the political and government systems and influenced, also dismantled other religions, in some cases, as part of the establishment process.

Cynthia Ozicks Writing Essay -- Cynthia Ozick Authors Papers

Cynthia Ozick's Writing "His thighs were taut, his calf sinews thick; he had the inky curly hair of a runner on a Greek amphora," and Cynthia Ozick fell in love at once. Actually, she was not struck by that "venerable image of arrow or dart," until her second meeting with this imposing gladiator, when he was marrying one of her friends. It is strange envisioning this instantaneous and objectionable infatuation-this "divination" that caused Ozick an overwhelming sense of loss (as soon as she left the reception)-without understanding a little bit about Ozick's character: she was already married, had been a childhood friend of the bride whom she described as having "a small head and a Cheshire-cat smile," and had only met the bridegroom once during a game of Frisbee. What a plot for a story, and it unfolds in her own heart! She captures this memory in an essay, aptly titled, "Lovesickness," years after it happened. Ozick is the master of the worlds that she herself creates. She was not defeated by that unattainable love, and in fact "in a week or so" that "dazing infatuation" had faded from her thoughts. The dizzying rapture had lost its excitement, but her suffering was electrifying, and later we see, controllable. She created an opportunity to expunge her affections when she received a thank-you note from the newly wedded couple and observed the groom's handwriting for the first time. She absorbed the details of the note down to the shapes of each letter: "The sentences themselves were sturdy and friendly, funny and offhand-entirely by-the-by" (205). Everyday Ozick traced over this man's scribbles. It was a dark, secret obsession. She "pursued his marks. . .trapped and caged them." She "was his fanatical, indelible ... ...e decidedly alludes to the fact that as a writer, she leads that journey. She may focus on the readers' role, but behind her love for their imagination is her desire to channel it. She forms a relationship with her readers. The reader, she explains, "rides the seesaw," but it is in fact "along with the writer, [that he weighs] in against the writer's proclivity" ("Imaginary" 160). Readers relate to her thoughts and can use her stories to create their own, but it is Ozick who captures their inspiration. On paper, her fears and her most trivial thoughts carry the same significance, and she has ultimate control over both. Works Cited Ozick, Cynthia. Quarrel and Quandary. New York: Knopf, 2000. "Cinematic James." 147-158. "Imaginary People." 159-161. "The Ladle." 162-165. "Lovesickness." 204-212. "She: Portrait of the Essay as a Warm Body." 178-187.

Technology is a Positive Influence in the Education Field :: Teaching Education Essays

Technology is a Positive Influence in the Education Field Everywhere you look there are computer games, but it just isn’t the fun computer games anymore, they are making more and more learning programs. I have seen learning programs from the preschool level all the way up to the college level. I think this is wonderful it gives children or young adults the chance to practice at home or even before the class the starts, it gives you a little introduction. I have a six year old sister who uses those programs all the time, and they help her. When she was in preschool it helped her count and now the levels are getting harder now that she is in first grade. My family, me especially because I am going into the education field think that these programs are very beneficial, they help the students get a good grasp on things. I think technology has positively impacted the education field. When I see my little sister practice and play on the computer I can tell it is helping her in her school work, but at the same time she is enjoying it. Because it is on the computer it doesn’t feel like she is doing homework or school work, but in her mind she is playing on the computer, for fun. I know for the most part many people use these programs as an introduction to a course or for a certain grade level. This helps the student prepare themselves for the up coming tasks. These computer programs allow students to get their feet wet before they go in for the dive. During my senior year I was a student aide for a first grade class, and even in the classroom the teachers were using computer programs as a certain center or station. Students can practice their numbers or letters, their typing, and their work with the computers all at the same time. A lot of the students got a lot of joy from this, you could tell by their facial expressions, and also their excitement that they showed when their name was called to work on the computers. I remember when I was that age and we had a Tandy computer at our house and I never thought computers were that much fun because I never had all these fun learning games.

Gabriela Mistral :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gabriela Mistral was an extraordinary woman. Her life was filled with tragedy but she turned her experiences into beautiful poetry. Her poetry reflected many things about who Gabriela Mistral was and what had happened to her throughout her life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gabriela Mistral was born on April 7, 1889 in Vicuà ±a, Chile. When she was only three years old, her father abandoned her family. She attended a rural primary school and the Vicuà ±a state secondary school. By the age of sixteen, she started to support herself and her mother by working as a teachers aide. Gabriela Mistral is only a pen name for Lucila Godoy Alcayaga. She took the name from her two favorite poets: Gabriele D’Annunzio and Frà ©dà ©ric Mistral. She was the first Latin American to receive the Nobel Prize for literature (1945). After the suicide of her lover, Romelio Ureta, she lived a life of self-described desolation. Although she wanted it, she never experienced motherhood. She did adopt a child but it later died. She taught at Colombia University, and Vassar College. In 1930, she was a visiting professor at Barnard College in New York City. She also became the principal of Santiago High School. Her first text was la Voz de Elqui and Diario Radical de Coqui mbo in 1905. Her second work was called Desolacià ³n. Soon after she accepted her post at Santiago, she was invited to work in Mexico on a plan to reform the libraries and the schools. She lived primarily in France and Italy during 1925 to 1934. She also worked for the League for Intellectual Co-operation of the League of Nations between 1922 and 1938. She was the honorary consult for Brazil, Spain, Portugal and the U.S. In 1933 she entered the Chilean Foreign Service and was appointed by the government of Chile as a sort of ambassador-at-large for the Latin American Culture. During World War two, she became friends with Stefan Zweig and his wife. Later they committed suicide in Rio de Janeiro. Also her nephew, Juan Miguel killed himself. Because of poor health, she was forced to retire to her home in New York. She died on January 10, 1957, at the age of sixty-seven. She died of cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Like most people, Gabriela Mistral wrote poems about her life experiences or what she holds to be true. In her poem â€Å"Dolor†, which is from the Desolacià ³n collection, she expresses her feelings on the death of her lover.

Nutritional adventurism Essay

This article is about the effect of the show ‘MasterChef’ on the nutritional adventurism and culinary knowledge of children. The show is a reality game show about cooking, hosted by two chefs. The article explains how the show had appealed to young audiences. ‘MasterChef’, claims the article, has caused an increase in television ratings for the channel from which it is shown. The show has also given children extra culinary knowledge. Now, children are more interested and more critical about what they eat. They also judge their own food and the food prepared by their parents or other people. The show sparked numerous cooking lessons and workshops. Numerous recipes featured on the show have also been downloaded over the internet. Personal Opinion: I always believe that teaching children how to cook will help them in the future. Culinary skills learned early will definitely result to future households where food is a primary concern. MasterChef, and its effects on young audiences illustrates the possibility of making young audiences interested not only in the cooking show but more importantly in the food that they eat. Summary 2: This article is about the Community Gardens program which has three goals; to bring the community and the government together to address nutritional problems, to promote horticultural knowledge and initiate an exchange of indigenous horticultural knowledge, and to create an indigenous garden industry which will give communities livelihood and address their health needs. According to the article, collaboration in the community in horticulture gives the community a sense of food security because gardens are just as important as water systems. The article also illustrates how the program has succeeded in bringing together communities and encouraging innovative ways of horticulture. The fringe benefit of all these is the availability of healthy produce for the communities in which the program was implemented. Personal Opinion: I have confidence in the health benefits of organic and fresh food. The essence of community gardening comes to me not only as a means of providing the opportunity for communities to eat healthy but also the opportunity for communities to value the fruits of community effort. The Community Gardens Program is one such program that fosters fellowship and concern among community members while making healthy food available at the same time. Summary 3: Wangkatjungka is the main focus of this article where the establishment of home vegetable patches was apparently spurred by childrens’ school projects. Many vegetable patches mushroomed all over town because of this and each household began to eat what they produced. This was a very welcome change for the people of Wangkatjungka, second to the community ban on alcohol. According to the article, the establishment of household vegetable patches has made organic and healthier food available for the children and the adults. The article claims that this trend in backyard gardening has contributed so much to the community in that it has vowed to support and continue the project until each household in the community has their own vegetable patch. Personal Opinion: Having your own vegetable patch is such a good idea for me that I might even be starting my own. This article has given me enough new insights to consider the benefits of backyard grown produce and look into the possibility of having my own vegetable garden. I like fresh vegetables, and I like freshly picked organic fruits and vegetables even better. Summary 4: The relationship of diabetes and the eating habits of people is tackled in this article. In it a study by a certain Himsworth is mentioned that showed why third world countries had lesser incidence of diabetes and obesity compared to Western countries. The article attributes this to the kind of food that people eat in these countries; third world countries have more unprocessed carbohydrates and adequate animal protein in their diets than in Western countries. The article also outlines the value of healthy and basic or simpler eating in the control of diabetes and other metabolic disorders. It states that people who eat more plant or fruit based food are less likely to suffer metabolic disorders like diabetes and obesity. Personal Opinion: There are so many metabolic disorders that cause a myriad of health problems nowadays and it is comforting to know that the best weapon against these diseases is simply, basic and healthy eating. I am a believer in the idiom that ‘prevention is better than a cure’ as well as in the motto that ‘it would be better to spend money on healthy food than on medicine. † The insights offered in this article have encouraged me to eat healthier and begin my pursuit of a longer, healthier life. Summary 5: To sum up this entire article, one can simply say that it taunts at the way the judges in the show MasterChef make their judgments and throw snide comments at their contestants. The article purports that the decision of the MasterChef judges are influenced by the aesthetic or visual quality of the food presented and not by palatability of the food. The article implies that the show does not give justice to the way ordinary people cook, rather it insults the cooking skills of ordinary people by showing that cooking on television is not the same as real cooking, and that in the MasterChef kitchen, one doesn’t have to cook delicious food if one can be chefy with the presentation. Personal Opinion: I have seen the show, MasterChef myself and this article seems to have reason to claim that the judges in the show do not necessarily judge according to how ordinary people cook but have begun to become influenced by how one would expect food prepared by a professional chef. I believe that it is the show’s spontaneity and ‘reality’ that gives it its appeal and if the judges fail to remain in these ideals the show will ultimately fail.

Frederick Douglass’ Paper Essay

This map portrays a mass exodus into the Northern states as well as Canada. The trip from Louisiana to Indian was an arduous expedition taking several weeks or months to transverse. In this trek African Americans prove their stalwart bravado in the face of danger and prove that their freedom is worth the trail . Frederick Douglass With the idea African American influence in the Civil War, the name of Frederick Douglass is synonymous with freedom, or free blacks. His belief in an unshackled African American race led him to be the spokesman of abolishing slavery. His importance in shaping the fate of the Civil War is found in his being a voice for the freed slave, the oppressed slave, and the sympathizers of abolition. He changed the course of the war simply by speaking out and demanding to be heard, as well as his actions against oppression. His advocacy in abolition changed the tide of not just the war, but also the mentality of many whites to the capabilities of blacks, their intellect, as well as their strength and ingenuity in battle. Douglass was not only a lecturer on anti-slavery but he was a journalist and writer as well. Douglass was invited to join the Anti-Slavery Society and journeyed on a circuit across the Northern states to speak out against slavery by using his own life as a basis for others to become abolitionists. During one of Douglass’ speeches in Pendleton Indiana he is accosted by a mob and has his right hand broken, only a friend and fellow abolitionist stopped the mob from murdering Douglass; in this story and many others, Frederick proves to be a guiding light for other African Americans to unite and be free. Along with these feats of bravery, Frederick Douglass has a magazine entitled Frederick Douglass’ Paper, and subsequently has another paper entitled, Douglass Monthly in which he speaks of the horrendous nature of slavery, its disgrace to humanity and ways in which free blacks are regaining their lives in this country. (Tracy O. 2005). Bordewich describes Frederick Douglass as such, Douglass was one of the most charismatic members of an emerging generation of black intellectuals who were beginning to give African Americans a national voice through antislavery lecturing, journalism, and the ministry. More than anything else, however, it was the steady growth of independent black churches that provided the African American with what John Mercer Langston, the found of the Ohio State Anti-Slavery Society, a black organization called the ‘opportunity to be himself, to test his own powers. ’ (226) The bases of Douglass’ speeches were to encourage abolitionists’ fight in freedom of the African Americans. Many parts of the Northern states were still segregated, especially in areas that could prove to encourage African Americans to learn and be educated. In a Philadelphia, Robert Purvis instituted a black library . In New York, David Ruggles instituted a similar library. Blacks were rising up; they were speaking their minds about suffrage, about oppression, discrimination on public transportation, and schools. Frederick Douglass aided in the movement of a race to define themselves as free to a forming nation, and with the idea of personal liberty laws helping to protect fugitives once they entered the North, this movement quickly became a staple in Douglass’ speeches as well as becoming a changing force in the course of the Civil War. (Bordewich, 226). In striking contrast to white abolitionists, black abolitionists incited their own personal struggles with slavery to get their point across that humans do not belong in bondage. In extreme cases of rebellion groups, some believed in the taking up of arms against their former masters and in the issue of slavery using the events happening on the Amistad d as a vehicle to incite further rebellion and to stoke the fires of freedom and to attest that the supposed supremacy of white slave owners could be overthrown (Bordewich, 227). The antislavery movement, with the help of Frederick Douglass, became one which, though devastated the South’s economy, defined the history of a nation during the Civil War. During his speech with the Anti-Slavery Society, Douglass met with many other like-minded abolitionists, and the lectures proved to be indispensable in allowing the general public to know what abolition was and why it was so integral in the Civil War. As Bordewich describes of Douglass’ life during these lectures. The antislavery movement provided Douglass and a host of his fellow speakers with a forum for their views and life experience that African Americans had never enjoyed before. The stories that they told of floggings, sadistic overseers, shattered families, and prostituted mothers and sisters overwhelmed skeptical Yankees for whom slavery was an unpleasant but abstract national problem, and turned thousands of them into active abolitionists. Douglass soon became one of the movement’s most popular lecturers. ‘All the other speakers seemed tame after Frederick Douglass,’ Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote, after a convention at Boston’s Faneuil Hall. His immensely popular autobiography, first published n 18445, made his name close to a household word (227) Douglass was so adamant about his views of abolition that once during a train ride where he paid for his first class ticket he refused to leave his seat despite the insistence of the conductor. When his refusal couldn’t be tolerated any longer, the conductor had six men physically lift him from his seat to try and remove him due to the enforcement of Jim Crow laws. (Bordewich, 228). The Anti-Slavery Society offered Douglass the opportunity to lecture in New England in the spring of 1843. The lectures began in Vermont and New Hampshire and they ended in Ohio and Indiana. As Bordewich states of this event, Douglass was selected as one of the corps of traveling speakers who would cross the country. He was thrilled. This was his breakthrough, his opportunity to carry his message to a national audience. ‘I never entered upon any work with more heart and hope,’ Douglass wrote. ‘All that the American people needed, I thought was light. Could they know slavery as I knew it, they would hasten to the work of its extinction. ’ 228. Among some of the other noted lecturers there were Charles L. Remond, Henry Highland Gernet, Amos Beaman, and Charles M. Ray. During this period, Frederick Douglass found within himself the ability to offer to an audience the reality of slavery through his own tale of it, and his eventual fugitive state and then freedom. The Church In times of crises, faith is tested, and through this testing there is a revelation of belief and a growing of churches. During the Civil War, both the enslaved blacks and the freed blacks depended on a source of stability and in no other place was this found more strongly than in the church. The church provided a meetinghouse for abolition events (lectures, etc. ), it gave the black community not only a place in which to worship but also a place in which to become united as a people. Not only were many Northern abolitionists found within the sight of the church and religion but also many blacks found within the church a place of sanctuary. As Bordewich states on the subject of black revival religion. Between 1863 and 1846, African Methodist Episcopal congregations grew from eighty-six to nearly three hundred, and spread from the churche’s orginal base in Philadephia as faw wast as Indiana. Black Baptist churches, meanwile, had grown from just ten in 1830 to thirty-four in 1844. Not surprisingly, black churches were usually outspoken in their denunciation of slavery, and many of them were woeven into the web of the abolitionist underground, like the Bethel AME church in Indianapolis, a key station on the Underground Railroad, and Cincinnati’s Zion Baptist Church, which regularysheltered fugitives in its basement (226). Religion was also a source by which the African Americans could be educated. In this turn of events it is not necessarily the African Americans who were a great influence on the Civil War but the war gave them an opportunity to become educated and this happened mainly through studying the bible and learning to read it and become familiar with its morality. In the South, the general opinion was that education for blacks was not stunted through un-exposure to education, but the North held a very different idea ; being removed from the obstacle of slavery allowed freeman to discover their propensity for learning. It is through religion that this education was made possible, as Glatthaar states, â€Å"The more Southern black soldiers studied the Bible, and the better they learned to read and write, the sooner proper character, represented by morality, thrift, industry, and striving for perfection, would take shape among these new freedmen. In turn, this would help to uplift the entire South† (225). The view taken by the abolitionist movement in regards to religion and education was that in the reconstruction it was essential for African Americans to be able to read, write and do arithmetic. One of the overwhelming sentiments that came out of the Civil War was the engrossment of religion to the newly freed blacks. Their strength now came form a religious source and this source gave them the means by which to discover for themselves the true meaning of freedom and gratitude for that freedom. This can best be described through McPherson’s quoting of Susie King Taylor , There are good friends to the negro. Why, there are still thousands that have not bowed to Baal†¦Man thinks two hundred years is a long time, and it is, too; but it is only as a week to God, and in his own time-I know I shall not live to see the day, but it will come-the South will be like the North, and when it comes it will be prized higher than we prize the North to-day. God is just; when he created man he made him in his image, and never intended on should misuse the other. All men are born free and equal in his sight (314). McPherson goes on to give detail about sentiment in the church, and Rev. J. Sella Martin a former slave became pastor of the Joy Street Baptist Church in Boston and wrote this note to Frederick Douglass, Just think of Dimmick and Slemmer (Union Officers) sending back the fugitives that sought protection of them. They refuse to let white men sell the Southerners food, and yet they return slaves to work on the plantation to raise all the food that the Southerners want. They arrest traitors, and yet make enemies of the colored people, North and South; and if they do force the slave to fight for his master, as the only hope of being benefited by the war, they may thank their own cowardice and prejudice for the revenge of the negro’s aid and the retribution of his bullet while fighting against hem in the Southern States. I received a letter form Mobile, in which the writer states that the returning of those slaves by Slemmer has made the slaves determined to fight for the South, in the hope that their masters may set them free after the war, an when remonstrated with, they say that hey North will not let them fight for them (23). The influence that can be seen today with religion and African Americans is the vastness of churches rising across America, and the gospel hymns inspired by wanting to break free of slavery.

Inspirational teacher Essay

Dear Ms. Cornell, On the last day of my 9th grade English class, I gathered my books, took one last look around, and wondered if you and I would ever cross paths again. As you erased the chalk board, I wondered how many students were actually as inspired by you as I was. I considered interrupting your meticulous erasing, but decided against it, coming to the conclusion that you had had enough of us rowdy 9th graders for one school year. Your English class was my favorite, and I always looked forward to the exciting activities you’d come up with for us to participate in. Going into the 9th grade, I didn’t think that group activities and reading those â€Å"long† short stories would be something that I actually looked forward to, but you changed my outlook completely. I never thought I would have the opportunity to contact you again as I ventured off to high school to pursue the final years of structured schooling. It’s funny, though†¦as I walked out of your class room, you stayed with me through the duration of my schooling. The way that you taught inspired me in ways that no other teacher could. Your exclusive focus on each individual student you encountered helped me to understand that everyone is, indeed, individual. The creativity you incorporated into each lesson plan helped me to see that nothing has to be boring†¦it’s all in the way that a person approaches it. The little methods you utilized to make large exercises seem small and easy encouraged me to break down my large assignments into several small tasks. Something about the way you spoke to us kids made anything impossible seem absolutely attainable. I am in the process of completing my credentials to become a grade school teacher. I have completed student-teaching for Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd and 4th grade classes. I can now say that I honestly understand why this field is so rewarding. The kids are always so eager to see me. As I did with you, they continually await the learning activities I have planned for them. The various students I have had the opportunity to work with remind me of when I was young and dependent on the grown-up standing in the front of the room trying to teach me all the things I would need to know in life. As I approach the end of my formal education, I felt it was important to let you know that you played an important role in what I chose my career to be. Though the grades are different, the purpose is the same. Watching you effortlessly pass on your knowledge to a bunch of somewhat unappreciative 14-year olds gave me aspiration to practice a career in education. You had a major impact in my life and my hope is that one day I will be someone’s â€Å"Ms. Cornell. † For everything that you taught me, and for everything that you do, Thank you. Sincerely, ________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of.

Advantages of Cooking a Food by Yourself Essay

Foods have important for human’s life. Some people choose prepare food at home, because it’s a save money. In the other hand, some people want to comfortable and save time, they choose eating ready-made meal. But, if you like to take care oneself, I can advise to you about advantages for cooking at home by yourselves. There are three advantages of home cooking; healthy, budget saving and family communicates. First of all, home cooking will make a healthier because you can choose fresh ingredients and high quality for planned menu. If you want diet or take care of eating, you should cook at your house. Such as, food’s material and seasoning for cook, it have label show nutrient information to you. It will help to you calculate volume and control the ingredient. Moreover, if you want to eat vegetarian food, you will be confident for prepare food by yourselves. For some people seriously to process cooking some food. Although, you ordering in high price restaurant, you will not surely them because chef will make a dish in kitchen that you can’t look it. In short, at present, many people see healthy as important, them pay attention to eating and exercise. So, cooking at home is a good choice for you. Second, eating at home is a great to reduce the expenses for daily food. Such as, you spend for once meal at restaurant, it be equal to you cook a two or three meal at home. Moreover, you just to pay rent on your house or apartment, and buy kitchen equipment, you should use kitchen to most benefit. All in all, if you don’t believe me, you can try to calculate how much money you can different to save when you go to restaurant with cooking at home. You will be surprised, it a good ways to save money. Last, in your family, you can use cooking activity for increase communication. Home cooking, is a fun activity when doing it with the other members in your family. For example, you can guide to prepare food for your kids. They can help to you and your children have a nice relationship. Furthermore, you can sit in front of the TV and watch an interesting TV program with family. Finally, having home-cooking at home, they are closer and share some good or bad moments happened that time. So, if you want to add relation for family, it a good reason for started to cook a food in your family. In conclusion, There are three reason support about advantage prepare of food by yourselves. It is a better choice for people who love to take care of health, save budget, and increase family relationship.

The components of HRM's success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The components of HRM's success - Essay Example Despite Guest’s hesitancy in concluding that HRM contributes to organisational performance, other scholars provided an empirical link between HRM strategies, policies and practices and certain aspects of individual and organisational performance (Liu et al., 2007; Nohria, Groysberg and Lee, 2008; Huselid, 1995: 635; Wall and Wood, 2005: 430; Pfeffer; and Pfeffer and Veiga 1999). This paper aims to determine HRM issues and to offer some solutions. After reviewing several studies, including opposing ones, HRM systems, policies, and practices are believed to drive company performance through shaping recruitment, selection, and retention strategies that develop engaged and creative employee, who can serve as one of the company’s sustainable competitive advantages. The role of human resource systems in strategic recruitment cannot be undermined (Liu et al., 2007). Recruitment should not be dismissed as something that can easily be outsourced to other parties because recruitm ent strategy should meet existing HR strategy goals. Walker, Bernerth and Tocher (2009) studied job seekers’ organisational attitudes at different phases of the recruitment process by evaluating the interactions among the variables of job seekers’ procedural justice anticipations, procedural justice perceptions and preliminary screening feedback quality. After using two phases of data collection that included 392 participants in phase 1 and 351 in phase 2, findings showed that participants who were engaged in the recruitment process with high procedural justice expectations were more affected by initial screening feedback quality than those with low justice expectations (Walker et al., 2009: 5). Procedural justice perceptions throughout the preliminary screening affected their organisational attitudes (Walker et al., 2009: 5). These authors concluded that how firms recruit candidates can affect the quality of perceptions regarding the organisation (Walker et al., 2009: 6). Rehman (2012) affirmed the same findings for his empirical work on the recruitment efforts of public sector organisations in Pakistan. He discovered that organisations with poor promotion and governance systems tend to recruit fewer competent applicants and tend to have higher turnover rates. Managers must be clear in explaining what they expect from their employees and what employees can expect from the organisation, in terms of rewards, culture and other organisational and managerial factors. HRM managers who carefully carve the right organisational image and job expectations for its employees during the recruitment process can hire high-performing employees than those who do not care on the image and expectations they provide to applicants. HRM affects individual performance through its recruitment strategies because they influence individual decisions through organisational factors, which when affirmed through hiring, can result to employee job satisfaction and retention. H an and Han (2009) explored the relationship between hiring perceptions and retention and found a correlation between the two. Another studies emphasised that in recruiting the right people, job experience, skills, and personality are critical. Newman and Lyon (2009)

Suicide and Pesticide Use among Pesticide Applicators and Their Essay

Suicide and Pesticide Use among Pesticide Applicators and Their Spouses in the Agricultural Health Study - Essay Example is associated with the exposure to the "organophosphate pesticides." Even with the many deaths associated with the use of pesticides such as OP and the chlorpyrifos, the articles sole purpose focuses centrally on how the organophosphate pesticides(OP) results to suicide among the users and their spouses in the agricultural health study (Beard, et al., 2011). As per the methodology, the article focuses on the agricultural health studys cohort (1993-1997) who provided data on the lifestyle and the demographic factors, and pesticide use and exposure at the beginning of enrollment (1993). Most of these applicators were men with women forming the most spouses. The information was recorded systematically according to the age, the location, the sex, and the health diagnostic of the cohort. The authors also assessed the rate of exposure of each individual, the statistical methods used was the "COX proportional regression model." The main reason for choosing the model was that it would show the estimated hazard ratios, another model used in the article includes the stratifying models. In the stratifying model, the categorization was in terms of using protective gear (chemical resistant gears), the number of children, and the location (Beard, et al., 2011). Under the Cox model, the researchers investigated both the applicators and their spouses combined, this is because the data gathered relating to the spouses was too little, hence could not be analyzed alone. Later the covariates associated with suicides in both age-adjusted and age-adjusted models and the unadjusted models, under this they used the "Schwarz Bayesian and the Akaike information criterions." Under the stratifying models the researchers compares the HRs using the two strata, these models included the race and the marital status. The marital status and the race categories include the individuals that had ever used pesticides and those diagnosed with diabetes. The authors results collected showed that the

Gender Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender Relations - Essay Example Traditionally, the woman was subordinate to man. She was expected to take care of the house chores and bear children. The man was to provide for the family, protect the family, and ensure that the family was well housed. Traditionally, it was not necessary for a woman to work since the man took care of all her needs. The man was the key decision maker; they occupied positions in leadership that were only designated for men (Pew, 2012). However, all the above has had significant changes from the social trends. In the American society, both man and woman are considered equal. This is because of the great emphasis placed on the slogan that what a man can do a woman can do it better. For instance, the women are in charge in the American homes where they make three quarters of the decisions in the family (Pew, 2012). This is a position that was only controlled by the male gender. With the changing social trends, the traits ascribed to men and women have been more diverse and of stereotypes (Griffis, 2008). Women are ascribed to be welcoming, more caring, enthusiastic, confident, inspired, and devoted to what she intended to do (Prentice & Carranza, 2002). Men are ascribed to be strong, mature, focused, resourceful, tenacious, and protective (Prentice & Carranza, 2002). The ascribed traits are not necessarily reflections of each gender since they can be possessed by both genders. However, standards for men traits are raised higher than those of the women. The society gets strict on any oversight from the men side than it does to the woman. However, there are some aspects of a man and a woman that cannot be over ruled. They are both believed to possess an important position in the society that no gender can replace the other. For example, child bearing is a natural aspect that cannot be shifted from one gender to the other. A woman is expected to bear children, a role that a man cannot handle no matter how much emphasis is placed

International Business Enviornment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Business Enviornment - Essay Example (A) Analysis of National Business System and Cultural Conditions National Business System In this report, the developing nation that has been considered is India that has shown greater potential in the recent years and has been a potential market for many Multinational Corporations (NCAER, 2005). The Indian national business system is a diversified business model that has different aspects of operations. There are urban, rural, metropolitan markets and each of them differs in area with different business system of model. The national business system of India is different from other nations. In India the concept of family is highly valued within the organisations. A significant number of the organisations are owned and managed by the family members. The sense of corporate culture is present in current Indian organisations. But in the UK the business units are fully owned and managed by different personnel i.e. professionals. ... The best suited example is the Wal-Mart of the USA and Bharti Group of India in the retail sector (Bose & Et. Al., 2009). For the business development in the Indian market there are two organisations that operate. The CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) and FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) operate for the enhancement of Indian organisations and for foreign investments to be attractive in the Indian market in different sectors (Sinha, 2005). Many of the world’s renowned retailers such as Tesco, Wal-Mart and Carrefour are at present provided significant amount of importance to the Indian retail sector. Carrefour in recent times has entered into the booming retail market of India. With a populace of more than a billion people and escalating middle class, India provides ample promises in the retail sector. But the Indian market is unique with different aspects that make the market challenging for the foreign players (Padmanabhan, 2010). Cultural Co ndition India has a diverse culture. Business people in India have grown accustomed to the western method of education. The business language that is primarily used in India is English, and the nation also has a similar business and legal framework to that of the UK. In India, boom in the consumer product exports are frequently modern, innovative and lower-priced adapted version of the UK. Any marketing promotion, advertisement or other promotion should be personalised and adopted to take into account the Indian culture (Medicon Valley, 2007). In business organisations of India the participation of women is comparatively lower as compared to the UK. Companies of the UK should focus on this factor before deciding to appoint

Advanced Construction Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Advanced Construction Law - Essay Example The main aspect that needs to be understood is that an LOI is not a contract; at best it is an offer that needs to be confirmed or negated by the other party. However, a particular contractor by dint of some merit has been chosen over others. â€Å" It applies also where the sub-contractor has been chosen for his specialist trade. – â€Å"British Waggon Co.-v-Lea (1880)† 2 (Footnote: In this case it was held that delegation of contractual duties is possible except when individual’s skill, competencies and other resources are not considered while effecting the delegation.) This was again confirmed in the case of â€Å"Southway Group Ltd-v-Wolff and Wolff (1991)† 3 (footnote: Novation is another means by which contractual obligations can be "transferred" from one person to another) That being said, it is also necessary to state that in construction business, the main documents are the floatation of tender. As per accepted protocol, the contractor or owner floats tenders which are quoted by different parties, these tenders are examined and the final bid is finalized. â€Å"The form and content of LOIs are as varied as the circumstances in which they may be issued.No doubt it is this variety that led Robert Goff J in British Steel Corp v Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Co Ltd (1984) to observe that there is "no hard and fast answer to the question whether a letter of intent will give rise to a binding agreement: everything must depend on the circumstances of the particular case." 4 Sometimes there is an oral promise by one party to do something and for another to remunerate him on his doing it. â€Å" The latter transaction is really no more than a standing offer which, if acted upon before it lapses or is lawfully withdrawn, will result in a binding contract.† 5 However, in this case, although the parties wished and hoped for the contract to be finalized, it did

''All Quiet on the Western Front'' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

''All Quiet on the Western Front'' - Essay Example Moreover, sound just added a new reality, allowing us to feel what soldiers felt waiting out shelling in a bunker or hiding in trenches knee high in dirt. Surely, the movie was not going to happen without the outstanding book, even in spite of the fact that it started its triumphal procession around the world a year after the movie release, in 1931. That year the novel by Erich Maria Remarque was nominated for the Nobel Prize, but did not win it.  In the same year the book was committed to fire by the Nazis all around Germany as anti-German.  The Third Reich  fell down, but eighty years later the book still remains the best selling in the history of Germany.   The adaptation by Lewis Milestone became the absolute classics of the genre.  Being a native of Tsarist Russia, Milestone directed the Hollywood movie with an immodest budget of $ 1.2 million, having the main task to remake the book, narrated in the first person, where all historical events were deeply intermixed with reasoning, into a monumental film about the most unjust of the wars, about aging without growing up, about death without end. Well, he succeeded probably because of his life experience. A year spent on the Western Front allowed Milestone to read Remarque’s story through the eyes of the soldier, who is emotional over every word, every page and to do the film with a so powerful emotional impact. The book and the film are not mainly about the war, its prehistory, reasons for it or historical heroic battles. They are the saga of the lost generation. Its glorification and requiem at the same time. Hemingway, Dos Passos, Remarque wrote not about the war, but about common men at war. Before the First World War many countries were wrapped in aggrieved pride, vanity and revanchism.  The rulers diligently heated those â€Å"righteous† emotions of their subjects. But, as usual, not the rulers, with rifles and bayonets, fought against other rulers. Young men, who just began to live and love, just learned to distinguish between good and evil, had to go to battle.  Instead of the bright future they met doom, pain of loss and irreplaceable emptiness.  Everything they had been taught before became pointless. The generation, which will be called later the lost, had to adjust to new values and rules.  They had to kill, save their skin any minute, at any cost.  Dirty barracks became their home, more dear than home where they born. New boots became their dream and lice - the most devoted friends.  A wound became the last way to escape, at least for a while, from the nightmare of trench war, when inactivity is followed by a hurricane of fire, when every moment you are at gunpoint and see enemy’s eyes.   Paul  Baumer, Kropp, Leer, Muller, Kemmerich rushed boldly into the abyss of war.  But soon they realized that they have become one of the millions of soldiers who are fighting in the interests of others; that glory, bravery and medals are gh osts and phantoms and their real battle mission - to wade through the war alive, to break that ring of death. Right in the first scene, the director shows how rapidly enters the war into peaceful life.  A housewife is cleaning, washing floors; her husband wipes door handles and opens the door. Outside the door –

Review article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Review - Article Example Consequently, the authors show how circadian rhythm is produced by the donor tissue and not a consequence of spontaneous recovery of function. The title, a diffusible coupling signal from transplanted superchiasmatic nucleus controlling circadian locomotor rhythms, is adequate in describing the content of the article. It contains the entire content that is discussed in the article. From the article, the authors’ goal is to show that transplanted SCN can sustain circadian activity rhythms by diffusible signal means. The fact that transplant of SCN restore circadian activity rhythms to ablated animal SCN has motivated the research and discussion in the paper. The other factor is that coupling nature of signals from grafted SCN is unknown and presumed that re-establishment of appropriate synaptic connection is required in functional recovery. In conclusion, the findings showed that neural afferents are essential for circadian rhythmicity. Additionally, it shows how circadian rhythm of SCN can be relayed to targets. Further, the results demonstrate that diffusible signal is sufficient to rhythmicity restoration. The finding in the paper is significant as it demonstrate how diffusible signal is sufficient in rhythmicity

Charles Dickens Essay Example for Free

Charles Dickens Essay It also suggests that his previous way of conducting himself has been broken and therefore he has changed. The form of the book and the way that it has been structured has a specific effect on the reader. It breaks the book down into chunks and emphasises the point of each one. The first and last staves, act as a prologue and epilogue to show the Scrooge before and after his moral transformation. This idea is backed up by the fact that the last stave is much shorter than the other four, acting as a round off to the book leaving you to imagine the rest of Scrooges life. In the third stave; The second of the Three Spirits Scrooge meets with the Spirit of Christmas Present who proceeds to show Scrooge how people are spending their Christmases. First he takes Scrooge through the town showing him the hubbub of Christmas shoppers getting food for the forthcoming day. There were ruddy, brown-faced, broad-girthed Spanish Onions, shining in the fatness of their growth like Spanish Friars; and winking from their shelves in wanton slyness at the girls as they went by, and glanced demurely at the hung-up mistletoe. There were pears and apples, clustered high in blooming pyramids; there were bunches of grapes, made, in the shopkeepers benevolence to dangle from conspicuous hooks, that peoples mouths might water gratis as they passed. Dickens uses such descriptive language here to focus on how much the food means to people who cannot afford much, and also how important the meal, and Christmas generally, is to everyone. The idea of food is again a running theme as in Dickenss time large quantities of food, as we commonly see now, were not possible during Victorian times. This was because they had no way of refrigerating food and therefore Christmas was very special in that people could feast at this one time of the year. The language he uses here is important because the way that he personifies the food shows how much attention was showed to it and we see this attention to detail at the beginning of this stave as well when the ghost is sat in a kind of throne of food. Also when the ghost is sprinkling blessings on passing peoples food the ghost tells Scrooge that the poor are more needy than the rich which Scrooge did not realise before as he was always looking out for himself only. Then they visit the Cratchits home where although they are very poor they all love each other and they have a very happy home, this contrasts with Scrooges home and work because although Scrooge is very rich, he is always unhappy. For example although they cannot afford a very big goose for Christmas lunch they are all very happy with it and none of them complain. Dickens especially conveys the feeling of a happy home with the use of a lot of dialogue between family members. Dickenss use of dialogue throughout the book is very effective and attracts the reader as it seems much more realistic. In the forth stave Scrooge meets with the Ghost of Christmas future who has come to show him what his future will be like if he does not change his ways. He is shown his colleges discussing his funeral, and is surprised to realise that none of them care for him. He is also shown a back street merchant to whom his belongings are being sold as no one looked after his house when he died. Finally he is shown that Tiny Tim has died because his family did not have enough money to support him. This stave is very important as it shows Scrooge the short-term consequences of his actions in life if he continues to live the way he is doing so now. And we see that he has fully changed by the end of the stave I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, Present and Future. The Spirits of all three shall strive within me. This clearly shows that he now cares fully and realises the error of his ways. This is an important part of the novel as it shows that he has changed fully, and the desperation he has at the end of stave four, makes the reader feel sorry for him. This has deliberately been done by Dickens as it shows that a character whom at the start of the story you despised, by the end of this stave you feel sorry for and hope that he does have a chance to show that he is a changed man. Finally in the fifth stave Scrooge gets a chance to show how changed he is as he has been with the spirits only the length of one night. He gets to go and visit his nephew and he raises the salary of his clerk. This particular part, when he raises the pay of his clerk, uses humour again as it shows just how surprised Bob Cratchit is that he is receiving a pay rise, as he cowers and holds up a poker. This use of humour raises the mood of the last stave. Also we see Scrooges mannerisms become much different and he laughs and becomes a different person. During the last stave the most important running theme is emphasised, that anyone can change for the better. This point is shown very clearly because Dickens creates the most horrible character he can and by the end of the book, as a reader you are inclined to like him. The book is appealing to readers because the moral points are important and it is a very heart-warming book that makes people feel better about themselves and want to embrace the spirit of Christmas, which is what Dickens intended.

Balance Sheet Notes Preparation and Discussion Essay Example for Free

Balance Sheet Notes Preparation and Discussion Essay This week paper requires our team to prepare three notes to the balance sheet and income statement. Also, request us to discuss why footnotes are useful and important to financial statements. Below we have included the requested footnotes (prepared based on our experience working with a CPA Firm in public accounting) and our discussion related in relation to the footnotes: Inventory: Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market using the first-in, first-out method of inventory accounting. Inventory includes certain costs associated with the preparation of inventory for resale, including distribution costs, labor, and freight. The Company records a reserve for the anticipated loss associated with selling inventories below cost. This reserve is based on management’s current knowledge with respect to inventory levels, sales trends and historical experience (Lowe’s). Property and Equipment and Depreciation Policy: Property and equipment are stated at cost. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged against operations. Renewals and betterment’s that materially extend the life of the assets are capitalized. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the related assets. For income tax purposes, depreciation is computed using the accelerated cost method (AICPA). The Company periodically reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an  asset may not be recoverable. No evidence of impairment is evident as a result of such review. Income Taxes: The Company establishes deferred income tax assets and liabilities for temporary differences between the tax and financial accounting bases of assets and liabilities. The tax effects of such differences are reflected in the balance sheet at the enacted tax rates expected to be in effect when the differences reverse. A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the carrying amount of deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the asset will not be realized. The tax balances and income tax expense recognized by the Company are based on management’s interpretation of the tax statutes of multiple jurisdictions (Lowe’s). Team Discussion First of all, it is a fact that footnotes are an integral part of the financial statements (F/S). They contain information that otherwise cannot be included in the body of the F/S, but important enough to influence the judgment of a user or reader (Kieso, Weygrandt Warfield). Such information could be express either as an explanatory paragraph, schedule or timetables, useful to help users have a better understanding of how the company he intend to invest or extend credit operates, its environment, industry, and how it measure and records transactions. Additional information like going concern issues, contingencies, and subsequent events, which are relevant to reach a conclusion, are included in the footnotes as well. When this happens, it raises red flags to readers, because they provide information and events they may have been occurred after the end of the financial statement’s period, which is necessary for timely accuracy (â€Å"Chron†, 2015). References AICPA (2015). Illustrative Financial Statements Prepared Using the Financial Reporting Framework for Small and Medium Entities. Retrieved from: http://www.aicpa.org/InterestAreas/FRC/AccountingFinancialReporting/PCFR/DownloadableDocuments/FRF-SME/FRFforSMEs_Illustrative_Financial_Statements.pdf â€Å"Chron† Small Business. (2015). Guide-making Footnotes to Financial Statements. Retrieved from:

Holiday inn hotel brands in world

Holiday inn hotel brands in world Abstract Holiday inn is one of the best known family of hotel brands in the world. The experience, the quality, the service, the spirit etc, etc its all begins here. With over 2000 hotels on six continents of the world, Holiday Inn has spent the last seventy years welcoming people to a world of comfort, excellence service, quality accommodation and memorable experiences in the best locations on the planet. WHAT EXACTLY IS HOTEL INDUSTRY? Like other industries, the Hotel Industry also needs to explore the opportunities for innovation in order to achieve peripheral service and customer satisfaction. This industry is alone a multi-billion dollar and one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy of recent age. The hotel industry is diverse for people to work in different areas of interest and offer unlimited opportunities. According to the latest statistics of The Time Newspaper, there are approximately 120000 businesses within the commercial sector in Great Britain including hotels, restaurants, cafes, holiday camps, public houses, snack bars, and catering contractors. (Source: www.thetimes100.co.uk) Hotels are service industries. They provide a service to the customer rather than a product. The service consists of looking after people when they are away from home, by providing food, shelter, drink, sleeping accommodation, entertainment and leisure facilities. COMPANY OVERVIEW The Holiday Inn has more than 2,000 hotels in 56 countries worldwide. (Source: http://www.hoteldesigns.net/review/review_412_1.html) The first Holiday Inn Hotel was founded in 1952 by Wilson in USA, for inexpensive family accommodation travelers. The brand name Holiday Inn is now owned by IHG who in turn license it out to franchisees and third parties who operate hotels under management agreements. (Source: http://www.hoteldesigns.net/review/review_412_1.html) STANDARDS Holiday Inn has a history of standards, part of Wilsons original idea. Not meeting these standards may mean a lost franchise. Many of the older Holiday Inn hotels, especially the two-story ones with exterior corridors, have been removed from the Holiday Inn system as franchises expired and rebranded. Some old Holidomes have been rebranded as Best Westerns, Days Inns, and Quality Inns. Holiday Inns boasted air-conditioned rooms, restaurants, meeting rooms, pools, television, direct dial telephone service, piped music and radio, wall to wall carpeting, cocktail lounges, and the Holidex the computerized reservation system that put many Mom and Pop outfits out of business. Millions of road weary business travelers and harried families learned to organize their trips around the ritual of Holidex reservations, knowing that the same room, food, and night-lit pool awaited them down the road. (Source: http://www.hoteldesigns.net/review/review_412_1.html) IN WHAT AREAS THE ORGANISATION HAVE STRATEGIC PLANS AND WHAT ARE THE PLANS? Introduction Businesses are often worried about instantaneous issues and lose sight of their ultimate objectives and goals. Thats why a strategic plan is a virtual necessity for organisations. This may not be a recipe for success, but without it a business is much more likely to fail. A sound plan should: Explain the business to others in order to motivate, inform involve other people. Serve as a framework for decisions. Support performance monitoring and benchmarking. Motivate change, bring innovation and become a vital part for next plan. Strategic planning activities have become a significant source of competitiveness for hotel industry. Decision-makers must be able to integrate strategic initiatives to gain competitive advantage in the face of increasingly volatile technological innovation, customer expectations, and global competition. Strategy maker professionals must learn to integrate strategic and planning as well. While others (Walker, 1992; Schuler, 1990; and Ulrich, 1987) have detailed the models for changing strategies, less work has been done to identify the specific steps of linking strategic practices. Strategic Planning of Holiday Inn Strategic planning determines the major goals of the organization. It provides the foundation for the policies, procedures and strategies for obtaining and using resources to achieve those goals. Policies are broad guides to action and strategies determine the best way to use resources. At the strategic planning stage, the company decides which customers to serve, what products or services to sell and the geographic areas in which the firm will compete. There are more than 220,000 employees in Holiday Inn Corporation worldwide. While every hotelier is branding beds, redecorating and adding amenities, Holiday Inn and Hilton are onto the next hospitality marketing frontier: solicitous employees. Holiday Inn is trying to brand the guest experience by standardizing service with a program called People Notice. As part of the plan, the chain is implementing the new service culture by conducting a three-month hands-on training program that emphasizes going the extra mile for hotel guests. For example, if a housekeeper learns that a guest is missing a wedding anniversary while on the road, that employee can send flowers to the guests room with an anniversary card signed by the staff. If a guest requires medication to be refrigerated, a staffer can follow up by delivering the medicine at the appropriate time with a bottle of water and crackers. Incentives include recognition programs allowing guests and co-workers to laud an employee. Holiday Inn is also participating with internal branding gurus from Northwestern Universitys Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement in a multi-company study seeking to identify employee behaviors that result in customer loyalty. The Forum project intends to put a value on these actions so a company can develop a budget and invest in the behaviors that matter. An external branding campaign is also in the works. â€Å"Anybody can knock off anybody elses bed, do it better, cheaper and easier when it comes to products today,† said Bruce Bolger, the Forums executive director. â€Å"The difficult thing is changing employee behavior, and that is what separates the women from the girls.† Meanwhile, Hilton Hotelslast month took its internal â€Å"Be hospitable† campaign to TV, print and outdoor, via FCB, San Francisco. One objective of the umbrella effort is to communicate to the public that assurances of Hilton quality also apply to sister brands such as Embassy Suites. The efforts random kindness theme was augmented with DVDs, brochures, seminars and other materials provided to employees. Even company orientation packets, health benefit folders and recruiting booths are stamped with the â€Å"Be hospitable† look. â€Å"A lot of hotel advertising today is about the bed but frankly, I dont think people are surprised to find a bed when they check in to their room,† said Jeffrey Diskin, svp-Hilton Brand Performance. â€Å"We want to help you with why you went on a trip, and to do that, we need to focus on what the guest needs. A critical part of that is using our own people.† Kathy Sheehan, travel analyst and svp for Roper Reports, New York, said the idea has merit. â€Å"To differentiate, you have to establish a relationship with the consumer and that means using your people.† That practice, dubbed â€Å"internal branding† or â€Å"leveraging human capital,† is figuring more prominently in marketing plans, said Bolger. Indeed, agencies like Golin/Harris, Chicago; OgilvyOne, New York and human resources consultants like Hewitt and Mercer are establishing disciplines in people performance management for their clients. Draft, Chicago, has also long incorporated internal branding as part of its integrated marketing approach. â€Å"Companies are realizing it not all push-and-tell marketing,† said Tony Weisman, Drafts CMO. â€Å"Co-creation by inviting in the customers and the employees is part of the process.† WHAT DOES THE ORGANISATION DO TO IMPLEMENT THESE PLANS Implementation means more than simply exercising the plan. It means acting on recommendations made during the vulnerability analysis, integrating the plan into company operations, training employees and evaluating the plan. Where Do They Stand Right Now? Review Internal Plans and Policies Documents to look for include: Evacuation plan Fire protection plan Safety and health program Environmental policies Security procedures Insurance programs Finance and purchasing procedures Plant closing policy Employee manuals Hazardous materials plan Process safety assessment Risk management plan Capital improvement program Mutual aid agreements Identify Critical Products, Services and Operations Youll need this information to assess the impact of potential emergencies and to determine the need for backup systems. Areas to review include: Identify Internal Resources and Capabilities Resources and capabilities that could be needed in an emergency include: Personnel fire brigade, hazardous materials response team, emergency medical services, security, emergency management group, evacuation team, public information officer Equipment fire protection and suppression equipment, communications equipment, first aid supplies, emergency supplies, warning systems, emergency power equipment, decontamination equipment Facilities emergency operating center, media briefing area, shelter areas, first-aid stations, sanitation facilities Organizational capabilities training, evacuation plan, employee support system Identify External Resources There are many external resources that could be needed in an emergency. In some cases, formal agreements may be necessary to define the facilitys relationship with the following: Local emergency management office Fire Department Hazardous materials response organization Emergency medical services Hospitals Local and State police Community service organizations Utilities Contractors Suppliers of emergency equipment Insurance carriers WHAT FACTORS DO THEY APPEAR TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHEN DEVELOPING STRATEGY Physical What types of emergencies could result from the design or construction of the facility? Does the physical facility enhance safety? Consider: The physical construction of the facility Hazardous processes or byproducts Facilities for storing combustibles Layout of equipment Lighting Evacuation routes and exits Proximity of shelter areas Human Error What emergencies can be caused by employee error? Are employees trained to work safely? Do they know what to do in an emergency? Human error is the single largest cause of workplace emergencies and can result from: Poor training Poor maintenance Carelessness Misconduct Substance abuse Fatigue Regulatory What emergencies or hazards are you regulated to deal with? Analyze each potential emergency from beginning to end. Consider what could happen as a result of: Prohibited access to the facility Loss of electric power Communication lines down Ruptured gas mains Water damage Smoke damage Structural damage Air or water contamination Explosion Building collapse Trapped persons Chemical release Good salary: The employees expect a good salary from the hotel in return of the work they do. Good salary is the most important need of the internal customer and if this need is fulfilled they are satisfied. Good treatment from the management: Money is not the only need of the internal customer; they also need good treatment from the management. Trust from the management: The management should have faith in their employees; this will increase the confidence level of the employees and will have a positive effect on their work. Promotional opportunities: Most of the employees are ambitious, especially young employees. So they look for promotional opportunities. Promotional opportunities are also one of the essential needs of the internal customer. Various perks: Perks or fringe benefits in other words have an immense effect on the attitude of the staff. By providing special perks to the staff the hotel in a way provokes them to work with their heart, which proves beneficial for the hotel. Job security: Employees need a kind of job security for their future. If the job of the employees is secured then they can work tension free. Good working atmosphere: The working atmosphere of the organisation should be cool. There should be no pressure from anywhere so that the employees feel free to work. EXTERNALCUSTOMERS External customers are those who are the guests of the hotel. The pay the hotel for the services that are provided to them by the hotel. External customers should be provided with good and efficient service so that they become repeat customers of the hotel. NEEDS OF THE EXTERNAL CUSTOMERS Warm welcome from the hotel: First and foremost what external customer need is a warm welcome from the hotel. They should be greeted properly when they arrive in the hotel. Efficient service: Service is the most influential factor for the customers of the hotel. If the service provided by the hotel is efficient and effective it affects the reputation of the hotel in a positive way. The external customers can also recommend the hotel to other people. Friendly environment: The environment of the hotel should be friendly so that the customers feel like home. Some extra benefits if they are repeat customers: If the customers are repeat customers then they should be given some benefits like discounts or special rates, so they feel happy and remain the customers of the hotel for long time. Good facilities: The hotel should provide all the essential and also luxurious facilities for which they are paid for. Reasonable and affordable rates: The customers always expect affordable rates for their stay or meal in the hotel. This can result in making them repeat customers for the hotel. WHAT COULD BE THE POSSIBLE PROCESS Companies obviously need to improve strategy implementation activities, but the pace of these activities and the implementation itself have many problems. Primary objectives are somehow forgotten as the strategy moves into implementation, and the initial momentum is lost before the company realizes the expected benefits. The cause isnt easy to explain, but it can be attributed to a variety of problems. WAYS OF ATTRACTING CUSTOMERS: Advertising: It is a paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services by an identifiable sponsor. Advertising is a purposive communication to external customers. Pricing: Reasonable pricing of the product and services can attract external customers to a certain extent. Channels of distribution: Like transport, stock holding and storage, local knowledge, promotion, display can attract external customers. Sales Promotions: These are marketing activities that stimulate consumer purchasing, and dealer effectiveness, such as displays, shows and exhibitions, demonstrations and various non-recurrent selling efforts not in the ordinary routine. Branding: A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design intended to identify the product of a seller and to differentiate it from those of competitors. Brand names like Hilton, Marriott can often attract external customers to a wide extent. Personal selling: The sales force is an important part of the communication mix. Personal selling is concerned with an individual selling his own ideas of the typical personal sales. Customer loyalty schemes: Customer loyalty schemes can also attract external customers. Customer loyalty schemes like offering a discount cards, offering extra facilities during parties etc are effective attracting the external customers to the hotel. Public relations: Public relations are important to attract external customers. Public relations are all about getting publicity for the product through skilful manipulation of the media. Direct marketing: It is the planned recording, analysis and tracking of customer behaviour to develop relational marketing strategies. CAN THE ORGANISATION PLAN BE IMPROVED OR DEVELOPED Simply put, strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more, how its going to get there and how itll know if it got there or not. The focus of a strategic plan is usually on the entire organization, while the focus of a business plan is usually on a particular product, service or program. There are a variety of perspectives, models and approaches used in strategic planning. The way that a strategic plan is developed depends on the nature of the organizations leadership, culture of the organization, complexity of the organizations environment, size of the organization, expertise of planners, etc. For example, there are a variety of strategic planning models, including goals-based, issues-based, organic, scenario (some would assert that scenario planning is more a technique than model), etc. Goals-based planning is probably the most common and starts with focus on the organizations mission (and vision and/or values), goals to work toward the mission, strategies to achieve the goals, and action planning (who will do what and by when). Issues-based strategic planning often starts by examining issues facing the organization, strategies to address those issues, and action plans. Organic strategic planning might start by articulating the organizations vision and values and t hen action plans to achieve the vision while adhering to those values. Some planners prefer a particular approach to planning, eg, appreciative inquiry. Some plans are scoped to one year, many to three years, and some to five to ten years into the future. Some plans include only top-level information and no action plans. Some plans are five to eight pages long, while others can be considerably longer. Quite often, an organizations strategic planners already know much of what will go into a strategic plan (this is true for business planning, too). However, development of the strategic plan greatly helps to clarify the organizations plans and ensure that key leaders are all â€Å"on the same script†. Far more important than the strategic plan document, is the strategic planning process itself. REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHY Airey, D. and Johnson, S. (1999), â€Å"The content of tourism degree courses in the UK†, Tourism Management, Vol. 20, pp. 229-35. Higher Education Funding Council for England (2001), Getting Ahead: Graduate Careers in Hospitality Management (HEFCE 01/30 May Report), Council for Hospitality Management Education/HEFCE, Bristol. Impact Skills Network (2002), â€Å"An assessment of skills needs in tourism and cultural industries: Skills dialogues†, July, available at www.impactskillbase.org.uk Jameson, S.M. and Holden, R. (2000), â€Å"‘Graduateness who cares? 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