Scarlet Letter - Central Idea - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 622 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/05/15 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: The Scarlet Letter Essay Did you like this example? In The Scarlet Letter, there are two main central ideas presented throughout the book. The three main characters; Hester, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale, all contribute to changing and shaping the core of the story. In addition, the setting and events in the book help to develop the two main points; secret sin and hypocrisy. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Scarlet Letter Central Idea" essay for you Create order These two particular themes are presented within the book time and time again. With central ideas of secret sin and hypocrisy, this novel is a page turner. Within the novel, sin is deeply revealed not only as the crime itself, but the effects sin has on the mind, body, and soul. Secret sin is revealed most through the actual characters. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth all have their demons. Ironically, they all live in the tiny Puritan town of Boston, Massachusetts where sin is strictly forbidden. Because Puritans believe all people to be born sinners, they consider it their job to watch over each other. The disowning and taunting of the towns citizens starts with Hester. Hester committed adultery. This was a sin punishable by death, but they decide to instead make Hester a living reminder of what adultery looks like. They made Hester wear a big A on her chest so she would be reminded of her sin. Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast, at her, the child of honorable parents, at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, at her, who had once been innocent, as the figure, the body, the reality of sin. (Chapter 5, page 1). Her partner in this act of adultery was Dimmesdale. However, Dimmesdale was a minister. People looked up to him for moral  guidance. This is where the hypocrisy is shown. Dimmesdale is in the midst of living two lives. He claims to go about his life Godly, but actually he is doing the complete opposite. Chillingsworth is much more vile and cruel than the two other characters. In contrast, Chillingworths secret sin is more internal rather than external. He has this obsession to destroy Dimmesdales life for committing adultery with Hester. Hadst thou sought the whole earth over, said he, looking darkly at the clergyman, there was no one place so secret, no high place nor lowly place, where thou couldst have escaped me, save on this very scaffold! (Chapter 23, page 18). He is seen as evil or the devil/demon himself in the story. The story itself is hypocritical. Three characters are living their life in sin, but yet the setting takes place in a Puritan society. Hypocrisy is the other big central idea in the book. Dimmesdale is the root of hypocrisy in this book. He is the minister in the Puritan town, however he doesnt live his life accordingly. Living two lives can be exhausting. He goes about his everyday life worried someone will find out his truth, while juggling his respectable life as a minister. Keeping his sin secret is killing him physically and mentally. He judges Hester for her sin and not telling people the truth about who the father is, but why should that be Hesters responsibility? He is the one who made the mistake, but he is too cowardly to stand up for his own actions. Hypocrisy is yet seen another time from Dimmesdale when he judges Hester, but he hasnt even come clean about his own sin. Hypocrisy and secret sin are shaped and developed through the characters, setting, and timing of events. The lying, cheating, and darkness the characters display proves this notion. The setting is ironic because the town is supposed to be pure and authentic, however, all that is seen is sin and deception.

The Incarceration Of A Prisoner - 1464 Words

When a prisoner is released, he or she must establish a new life. Whether the prisoner’s new life is good or bad, it is up to him/her to end up where he/she wants to be. As prisoners are released to society, they begin their lives by finding a job. However, they might not be possible due to their criminal record. They might appear dangerous or a threat, because of their criminal record, when in reality they just made a few mistakes. According to Tyjen Tsai and Paola Scommegna, writers for the Population Reference Bureau, the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the entire world! This is caused by severe sentences for petty crimes such as shoplifting and loitering. The purpose of prisons is to rehabilitate and educate the public about braking the law, yet many prisoners’ crimes are not met with equal sentences but too severe. America has high incarceration rates because of laws making it easy to get into prison, poor rehabilitation programs, and for the i ncarceration of people whom should not be. The purpose of laws in society is to provide guidelines by which citizens must live by. These guidelines are meant to protect everyone, yet sometimes these laws not only protect but over protect. For instance, Robert Fassbender was almost sentenced to 25 years in prison for two conviction strikes of robbery and another for stealing doughnuts. (â€Å"Crime Locale†). Before the Three strikes law was changed in 2012 these petty crimes would have earned Robert a minimumShow MoreRelatedThe Incarceration Of Prisoners1413 Words   |  6 PagesThe average incarceration of prisoners per year is 2,418,352, however more than half of those prisoners are not provided the proper care needed for their survival. (Cooper, Sabol, West 1) Several inmates are put in unjust situations and living conditions through prison systems that majorly effect their everyday lives. Many of these issues pose threats to the prisoners but are preventable through chang e in the system. Prison systems around the world are flawed and need to be reworked. Inmates areRead MoreIncarceration Of Prison And Prisoners869 Words   |  4 PagesFor many years, people with knowledge and statistical results and data, drew to logical conclusion that prison has become a revolving door and the ones who study how prison and prisoners acted that prisons were replacing mental hospitals. â€Å"On any indictment or presentment for a misdemeanor, process shall be issued immediately.   If the accused appear and plead to the charge, the trial shall proceed without delay, unless good cause for continuance be shown.   If, in any misdemeanor case the accusedRead MoreEffects Of Long Term Incarceration On Prisoners900 Words   |  4 Pagesis the effects of long-term incarceration on prisoner’s mental and psychological state. Many individuals believe that long- term incarceration and the conditions of prisons have negatively affected inmates psychologically and mentally. It has been discovered that post-traumatic stress disorders and anxiety is shared between those who have been in prison for a long period or those who are adapted to prison life. (Garcia) Incarceration was created to help the prisoners reimburse themselves and learnRead MoreEssay on Cost of Incarceration1308 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is incarceration? Incarceration is the act of placin g someone in prison. Incarceration serves as a punishment for criminals due to their actions against the law. It is a solution for keeping the public safe. Prisoners follow a strict rules and schedules while following the culture within the walls among other prisoners. As a result of their crimes, convicts lose their freedom and are place among others who suffer the same fate. Crime is the cause of this establishment, but what are the effectsRead More Are Prisons Effective? Essay1490 Words   |  6 PagesOne group, The Council on Crime in America, is pro-incarceration; while on the other side of this issue, The National Criminal Justice Commission, is con-incarceration. Both sides have presented their viewpoints clearly and factually. Those who are for incarceration present their opinions in such a way as to sway the reader toward accepting what they say as the only answer to fight back against the growing crime rate. If the prisoners are locked up in prisons, then they cannot commit crimesRead MoreThe Data Around Incarceration Rates And It s Correlations With Poverty Rates1191 Words   |  5 Pagesthis paper is to look into the data around incarceration rates and it’s correlations with poverty rates in two separate locations in the United States of America (USA). The key points within this paper include incarceration, poverty, and medium income. This paper will look at these different key points and investigate these inequalities by location. Empirical Question: Do areas with higher poverty rates in the United States face disproportionate incarceration rates compared to areas with lower povertyRead MoreThe Death Of The Prison1446 Words   |  6 Pagesinmates certain programs that will help them once they are released. Other prison systems Since the United States is high in incarceration rates and recidivism rates, it would be an excellent idea to examine other countries and how they manage to keep incarceration and recidivism rates low. Besides Norway, there are other countries that have a significant low incarceration and recidivism rate. Two countries are Germany and the Netherlands. In 2013, Germany incarcerated 64, 379 out of a populationRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States Criminal Justice System1744 Words   |  7 PagesIncarceration Rates in the US are The United States criminal justice system has failed to rehabilitate criminals. Even after being punished for their crimes, convicts continue their wrongdoings without having gained valuable lessons from being incarcerated and are sent back to prison. Jails are supposed to aid those imprisoned by helping them gain skills that will reduce future occurrences and enable them to act morally in society. Punishing criminals is not as productive as it isRead MoreThe Video Of Last Week Tonight By John Oliver884 Words   |  4 PagesReaction Assignment In the video of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, John Oliver discusses the problem of mass incarceration in the United States. He starts by talking about the extremely large prison population in America. According to Oliver America has a larger prison population than China despite having a much smaller overall population. In fact America has the largest prison population in the entire world. He then discusses how the prison population is mostly populated with minorities andRead MoreCriminals Must Be Punished For Breaking The Laws Of The Land1489 Words   |  6 Pagesthe system of incarceration. Jails have functioned in our society to protect citizens, or those who obey the constitution. For years, our jails were able to separate criminals from obedient citizens as well as punish criminals for their wrong doings. In the past, people have questioned whether this system was effective or not. Now, we have shifted our focus onto how much longer our jails will exist due to our lack of resources. The longer we wait to find a solution to mass incarceration the harder the

Problems of Recruitment-Free Samples for Students-Myassignment

Question: Summarize at least three Current articles from journals, books, articles, magazines, etc. that discuss difficulties and solutions in recruitment and selection. Answer: Recruitment in general term is the enlisting of new people for a common motive or job role (Armstrong Taylor, 2014). The recruiters face a number of issues while recruiting people for a certain process. The essay discusses the problems faced by the recruiters and their solutions. The recruitment and retention of people in health trials is a major issue faced by the health experts. The retention rate of the recruits is also low with a drop rate of about 20%. The health experts face different issues while performing continuous recruitment due to high dropout rate. The first issue is time as the health researchers need to take time from clinical and research practices for recruitment for the trial, which is also time bound (Richards Hallberg, 2015). The people do not attach much importance to these trails, there is lack of participation, and there is a dearth of experienced research staff. There is incompatibility between trial protocols and the clinical practice. To improve the recruitment in the field simple solutions are given. Firstly, the details of the program can be properly communicated and instead of opt in opt out method proper information can be collected. Secondly, since giving financial gains for the process is considered unethical other things lik e gifts and vouchers can be given in return. Thirdly, the patient can be informed in advance about the intricate details of the program and the procedure so that the participants give an informed consent. There is an issue faced among the Canadian society, which revolves around the cohesion among the migrant workers and the general population of the state (Taylor Foster, 2015). Canada is a state with open door policies to the migrants in the country. It is facing major issues due to its Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The people coming from different background face the issue of acceptance in the society. The local population sees the immigrants as threats to the economy and often the recruitment takes place without the proper licensing and the training procedure, which is detrimental for the workers of the immigrant population. As a solution, the licensing bodies should keep a strict eye on the immigrant population chosen to work in this program (Strauss McGrath, 2017). Moreover, the cultural and the shift in the work environment should be fulfilled with proper training of the work and local language to the immigrants. The program should focus on the recruitment of able candidate s so can fit in the Canadian society. According to a Swedish research on Social site recruitment procedures, the traditional methods of recruitment negatively affect the economy of the organization (Chan Kjellberg, 2017). The traditional recruitment methods use a large workforce and the cost of recruitment of the employee cannot be borne by the organization if the employee does not work for a stipulated amount of time. In a country like Canada where the people are socially active the online recruitment will help the organizations. The social media not being used to the full potential for the recruitment of the employees is another issue faced by the organization, which makes the recruitment a recurring cost for a large organization. The study suggests the usage of the social media will improve the recruitment process in a number of ways. Firstly, it will decrease the cost of advertising and make the background checks easy. The job will have a large number of applicants from different backgrounds improving the talent poo l of recruitment of the organization. There are various improvements in the recruitment and selection in these fields. The health test volunteers are now recruited by organizations that focus on serious candidates who volunteer. The recruitment of the workers in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program should focus on the proper and legal recruitment of individuals under the Canadian immigration authorities ("Canada Immigration, Visa, Canadian Citizenship Permanent Residence", 2017). The recruitment issues faced in the social media recruiting are being resolved as in the present times majority of the population is active on social media due to high internet penetration. The organizations can improve their recruitment and retention procedure in various other ways. To a health volunteer the importance of the research and the issues regarding it should be communicated. They include giving proper incentive and increment in salary to the employee. The job role of the employee in the organization and the organizational goals should be clearly explained. In the social recruitment, the background check of the employee should be properly done with the available resources. References Armstrong, M., Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Canada Immigration, Visa, Canadian Citizenship Permanent Residence. (2017). Canada Immigration and Visa Information. Canadian Immigration Services and Free Online Evaluation.. Retrieved 11 November 2017, from https://www.immigration.ca/ Chan, E., Kjellberg, A. (2017). # RecruitmentSocialMedia: How Swedish organizations can utilize the beneficial outcomes of using social media in the recruitment process. Richards, D. A., Hallberg, I. R. (Eds.). (2015). Complex interventions in health: an overview of research methods. Routledge. Strauss, K., McGrath, S. (2017). Temporary migration, precarious employment and unfree labour relations: Exploring the continuum of exploitationin Canadas Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Geoforum, 78, 199-208. Taylor, A., Foster, J. (2015). Migrant Workers and the Problem of Social Cohesion in Canada. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 16(1), 153-172.

Myth of Money and Success free essay sample

According to Horopito Alger and Toni Cede Bambina, they both believe the concept that the American Dream is a myth and prove these fundamentals through their writing. A single person or a small group does not create the notion of success, but it is created by our whole society. The myth of instant wealth is one of the most popular myths society uses. In fact society uses the hope of instant wealth to make people work harder. The fact that they do not have a real chance of obtaining that wealth by competing in the economic system stays invisible to the most of people.But people have believed that fiftieth will work hard then they can achieve success. Richard Hunter, main character of the book Ragged Dick has been a typical example of American notion of success. According to this book, by Horopito Alger, everybody can become well recognized and financially prosperous if they would work hard and show their merit. We will write a custom essay sample on Myth of Money and Success or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Dick, a young gentleman on the way to fame and fortune, as his friend Fossils from the story Ragged Dick describes him in the end of the story, climbs on the social ladder, starting from the very bottom.Being absolutely illiterate and having o money in the beginning Dick gets into business circle of people, by working hard and showing his merit. While reading this book, I really was able to put myself in the story, and live Dicks life With him. This typical story of Rags to Riches, is a general theme for many people lives. Today, as well as back in the sasss when the story was written, most peoples dreams are to achieve success. This formally became known as The American Dream. Although this may seem strange for everyone to have the same idea, it really isnt when you kick at it with an open perspective.Each and every persons perception of success is extremely different and individual, which makes everyones dreams different. There may be people who strive for big goals, and there may be others who take it one day at a time, achieving happiness on a less formal level. In comparing the time period of the story to our society today, there are many similarities and differences to consider. According within the world we live today, people tend to set much higher goals and expectations for themselves, whereas, in Ragged Dick, it was more of a day- to-day type situation.When people set smaller, more realistic goals, it results in more happiness and comfort in their lifestyle. However, in todays world, Americans have become so incredibly competitive and successful, that the standards have been significantly raised to the point where personal happiness is no longer good enough. After reading a novel like Horopito Lagers Ragged Dick, you subconsciously make yourself realize the important underlying message that he is trying to portray. To me, this message is to always be optimistic, and no matter how bad your life is, it can always get utter if you are honest, hardworking and determined.Another good source that brings forth the concept of money and success is through Bamboos writing, The Lesson. The major theme of the story was creating awareness in adolescents about what l ife has to offer. The nature of human beings of accepting the realities of life to such an extent that apathy and lethargy sets in, is what proves to be destructive for the social fabric of todays world. In this stagnation, Mrs.. Moore provides the impetus required for people to realize their god given right to something better. We are told that Mrs.. Moore has a college degree, is well dressed most of the times, and has a good command on her language. She seems to be a kind of a person who has seen the world. She has experienced life, and wants to use that experience in providing the children with an opportunity to broaden their horizons. This opportunity that she strives to provide is opening their eyes to the true nature of life and not by giving them money and bombarding their psyche with moralistic attitudes. The Story showcases the lack Of aspirations Of a culture. It takes us through the point of view of the children, who think of thing but entertainment, and through the mind frame of the adults who have resigned their lives to mediocrity.Mrs.. Moore proves to be the catalyst that sets alight the imagination of the children. She realizes that by just telling the children that there is something better out there, she will not be able to instill in them a sense of longing; an aspiration to achieve something better in life. So the morale of this story was to show how one could achieve success with certain disadvantages and still work towards the realistic American Dream. As a result, Americans are never satisfied with what they have.It has en said that Americans are no longer trying to keep up with the Joneses, but instead looking at celebrities, and envisioning themselves with the same expensive possessions. Americans today do in fact look at celebrities and long for their lavish lifestyles, but also still do try and keep up with the Joneses. This scenario is also similar with possessions of luxury items. Ever look at your neighbors new car and want one of your own? It is very common to see your neighbor pull in their driveway with a new Mercedes, then look at your car and think of going and getting a nice new car that is comparable to theMercedes. We as Americans are never satisfied with what we have. The American Dream is still alive, though it is not what it used to be. One can be successful, have freedom, and be happy. But are they fulfilling their version of the American Dream? Some of us may take it to further extremes than others, but there will always be the desire to have something better than everyone else. Society today tells us that we should have the best of everything if we dont; we are of a lower class of people. We are sucked in by these beliefs because we as Americans do not want to be shown up, and want to be part of he higher class.

Free Essays on Mandala

I. How are the architectural structures of the Stupas and the paintings of Mandalas related to each other? Mandalas create circular symbolic designs, similar to that of Buddha’s crown, which is the top spire, forming a circle on the Stupa. The hemispherical mound forms a drum shaped base. In addition to this, the head of Buddha forms a square as well as the base of the Stupa. Within the circle of the Mandala, a square is formed that has four T-shaped gate-like entrances leading to the center of the Mandala. This is similar to the four legs of Buddha that form steps of the lower terrace which represent four separate T-shape gate entrances. Each is a circle inscribed in a square. Both the Stupa and Mandala have a Buddha at the center of these creations. Both centers represent the essence, the heart of Buddha. III. Discuss the Paleolithic period to the Neolithic period. What do the existing art works convey about these time periods? The Paleolithic period marked the development of the human species. This era refers to the â€Å"Old Stone Age,† a time period during which the majority of the population was making tools of stone. The people of this time were nomadic and were also hunters and gatherers. A large part of this civilization spent a lot of time in caves where they painted w/ brushes made of animal hair. They finger painted using colors/pigments made by mixing minerals and animal fat, or vegetable oil. An example of art from this period is the Venus of Willenorf. This particular artwork conveys full figured women, representing pregnancy/fertility. This suggests the practice of fertility rituals. The cave painting of animals suggests the practice of hunting. The Neolithic period is known as the â€Å"new Stone Age,† a time when people were living in a more community based environment. They had established villages with farms, and the animals were now domesticated. This period developed pottery, a modest clay pot re... Free Essays on Mandala Free Essays on Mandala I. How are the architectural structures of the Stupas and the paintings of Mandalas related to each other? Mandalas create circular symbolic designs, similar to that of Buddha’s crown, which is the top spire, forming a circle on the Stupa. The hemispherical mound forms a drum shaped base. In addition to this, the head of Buddha forms a square as well as the base of the Stupa. Within the circle of the Mandala, a square is formed that has four T-shaped gate-like entrances leading to the center of the Mandala. This is similar to the four legs of Buddha that form steps of the lower terrace which represent four separate T-shape gate entrances. Each is a circle inscribed in a square. Both the Stupa and Mandala have a Buddha at the center of these creations. Both centers represent the essence, the heart of Buddha. III. Discuss the Paleolithic period to the Neolithic period. What do the existing art works convey about these time periods? The Paleolithic period marked the development of the human species. This era refers to the â€Å"Old Stone Age,† a time period during which the majority of the population was making tools of stone. The people of this time were nomadic and were also hunters and gatherers. A large part of this civilization spent a lot of time in caves where they painted w/ brushes made of animal hair. They finger painted using colors/pigments made by mixing minerals and animal fat, or vegetable oil. An example of art from this period is the Venus of Willenorf. This particular artwork conveys full figured women, representing pregnancy/fertility. This suggests the practice of fertility rituals. The cave painting of animals suggests the practice of hunting. The Neolithic period is known as the â€Å"new Stone Age,† a time when people were living in a more community based environment. They had established villages with farms, and the animals were now domesticated. This period developed pottery, a modest clay pot re...

Word Choice Hole vs. Whole

Word Choice Hole vs. Whole Word Choice: Hole vs. Whole For reasons far too boring to go into here, English spelling involves a lot of silent letters. We see this in some words that start with â€Å"wh-,† including â€Å"whole.† However, English also includes the word â€Å"hole,† which is pronounced exactly the same despite the lack of a â€Å"w† at the start. â€Å"Whole† and â€Å"hole† are completely different in meaning, though, so you won’t want to mix them up in writing. Check out our guide on how to avoid errors when using these terms. Hole (A Gap or Hollow) The word â€Å"hole† is almost always a noun. It refers to an empty space in something. This can either be an opening that goes through something to the other side or just a hollow in something: My favorite part of a doughnut is the hole in the middle. I dug a big hole in the ground. In the first sentence above, â€Å"hole† refers to the opening that goes through the entire doughnut. In the second, it refers to a space dug into the surface of the ground. But both of these are â€Å"holes.† We assume this is a hole full of baked goods.(Photo: George Cummings) More rarely, â€Å"hole† is a verb meaning â€Å"make a hole in something.† However, this is usually restricted to ships and boats (e.g., The torpedo holed the ship). Whole (Complete or Unbroken) With a â€Å"w† at the beginning, â€Å"whole† is typically an adverb or an adjective. We use it to say that something is complete or unbroken. For example: I am going away for the whole week. The snake swallowed the rat whole. The first sentence here uses â€Å"whole† as an adjective to modify â€Å"week† (i.e., the entire week). In the second, â€Å"whole† is an adverb modifying â€Å"swallowed† (i.e., it tells us that the snake ate the rat in one piece). In both cases, though, it shows we’re discussing the entirety of something. â€Å"Whole† can also be a noun, where it again refers to something in its entirety: Taken as a whole, the work of John Hurt is impressive. Two halves make a whole. In all cases, then, â€Å"whole† refers to something being complete or undivided. Hole or Whole? â€Å"Hole† and â€Å"whole† sound the same and share many letters, so they can be easy to confuse. However, they are very different in practice, so keep the following in mind: â€Å"Hole† is usually a noun and refers to an empty space or gap in an object. â€Å"Whole† is usually an adjective or adverb and refers to being complete. Since these words are so similar written down, and since spellcheckers won’t flag either term as â€Å"incorrect,† you also need to look out for accidental typos. But proofreading can help with that!

Wedding Ceremony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wedding Ceremony - Essay Example This definition, however, fails to highlight the actual meaning and worth of a wedding ceremony. In most cultures weddings underscored the need for the transition from one stage of life to another. It may no longer be seen that way but in Greek cultures, for example, wedding marked the transition of a woman from one â€Å"Oikos† to her new â€Å"Oikos†. â€Å"She changed from a partner, a maiden, to a nymph, a married woman without children, when she married and then finally to a gyne, an adult woman when she bore her first child. The entire set of marriage rites focused on the bride and her relocation to a new Oikos and Kurios, the most important transition in her life.† (Powers, 1997) The wedding in Greek culture would last three days where each day had an important cultural significance. The first day was the day when a bride would offer her toys and other childhood stuff to deities. This was done to mark her freedom from her old life and transition into a new life. Similarly for Romans as well, the wedding was a critical rite and did not just mean the act of marrying two people. In Roman culture, people could legally live together without a wedding and hence when a ceremony took place, it meant much more than just legalizing the marriage. Just like the Greek ceremony, Romans would also have a day on which the bride would perform certain rituals to mark her transition to the next stage of life. She would also get rid of her toys and childhood belongings. However, the most important part of the ceremony was the hairdo and the dress. The Roman bride would wear the dress only once and her hair would be styled in a particular manner. The veil was a must and it had to be worn by all brides.

Review Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Review Article - Essay Example The researchers subjected the cadavers’ spines to 20Â º of flexion and 15Â º of extension, then measured intradiscal pressures, along with segmental motion, at the intact C4-C5 and C6-C7 vertebrae of their specimens respectively. Subsequently, they measured these variables on the C5-C6 vertebrae following anterior cervical plating. By performing a paired measures t-test on their measurements of changes in intradiscal pressure and segmental motion, the authors arrived at their results. The research findings demonstrated that intradiscal pressures (the dependent variable) increased considerably during the flexion (the independent variable) imposed upon them. Pressures at the C4-C5 vertebrae increased by roughly 73.2% during the course of this flexion, and at the C4-C5, an increase in pressure of approximately 45.3% was observed. Although intradiscal pressures at adjacent levels increased during pressure, this effect failed to reach significance. Both during extension and flexion, the researchers’ measurements of segmental motion during flexion increased at these adjacent levels. Based on these results, the authors cite substantial intensification of intradiscal pressure and segmental motion at levels adjacent to fusion as primary causes of early disc degeneration and pathology. In part, these measured effects account for one mechanism of early disc degeneration at levels adjacent to cervical spine fusion, which is in line with the author’s hypothesis. Issues relating to a criticism of Eck et al. (2002) fall generally between two categories: (a) potential confounding variables in the design of the experiment, and (b) methodological limitations that may prevent more accurate results. One potential confound in the experiment is the possibility of inconsistency between the cadaver specimens. In the Materials and Methods section, no mention is made of how the cervical spines of these

Assessing the occupational competence in the work enviroment Essay Example for Free

Assessing the occupational competence in the work enviroment Essay C. IN CARRYING OUT ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL COMPETENCE, I WOULD ASK MYSELF: †¢How effective was my assessment and feedback? †¢Was there anything I didn’t anticipate? †¢How did I deal with it? †¢What went well? †¢What could I improve? †¢If I had to change anything what would I do DIFFERENTLY? I WOULD ASK THE LEARNER WHAT THEY INTEND TO DO AND HOW THEY ARE GOING TO ACHIEVE IT, GET THEM TO TELL ME WHAT TOOLS THEY ARE GOING TO USE TO GET THE DESIRED LOOK AND WHY THEY WILL BE USING THEM, ALSO WHAT PRODUCTS ARE GOING TO BE USED (IF ANY). ONCE THEY HAVE FINISHED THE ASSESSMENT I WILL ASK THEM. HOW THEY THINK IT WENT AND THEN GIVE THEM MY FEEDBACK. MY FEEDBACK WILL START WITH A POSITIVE E. G. WELL DONE FOR KEEPING WITHIN THE TIME SCALE. AND THEN TELL THEM IF THE ASSESSMENT WAS ACHIEVED OR NOT AND IF NOT HOW THEY COULD WORK TOWARDS ACHIEVING IT. I WILL FINISH WITH ANOTHER POSITIVE AND SETTING A NEW TARGET WITH A NEW DATE. BY KEEPING A REFLECTIVE JOURNAL ON MY EXPERIENCES AND THOUGHTS IT WOULD HELP ME WITH MY FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AND GIVE ME USEFUL PRACTICE IN SELF-EVALUATION. D. TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENCY OF OWN EXPERTISE AND COMPETENCE RELEVANT TO OWN ROLE IN ASSESSING. OCCUPATIONAL COMPETENCE, I WILL NEED TO KEEP MY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS UP TO DATE IN ORDER FOR ME TO BE AN EFFECTIVE AND CREDIBLE ASSESSOR. I WILL NEED TO MAINTAIN CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND I WILL HAVE TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH RELEVANT GOVERNMENT LEGISLATIONS, AWARDING ORGANISATION REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND ORGANISATION PROCEDURES RELATED TO ASSESSMENT AND QUALITY ASSURANCE. I WILL ALSO NEED TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND TEACHING. I WILL ATTEND FURTHER TRAINING COURSES TO KEEP MY CPD UP TO DATE AND KEEP A LOG OF IT. I WILL ATTEND STANDARDISATION. MEETINGS TO SHOW THAT I AM KEEPING MY ASSESSORS QUALIFICATION UP TO STANDARD REQUIRED BY THE GOVERNING BODIES. OUTCOME 4 BE ABLE TO PLAN THE ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL COMPETENCE. B. TO PLAN ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL COMPETENCE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING METHODS: †¢Observation of performance in the work ENVIRONMENT I WOULD OBSERVE THE LEARNER BY THEIR PERFORMANCE MAKING SURE THE CRITERIA IS COVERED. THIS WOULD BE DONE THROUGH ONE TO ONE WITH THE LEARNER. I WOULD MAKE SURE START AND FINISH TIMES WERE SET AND MAKE SURE THE SERVICE PROVIDED IS GOING TO MEET THE STANDARDS REQUIREMENTS. ANY  DOCUMENTATION WOULD HAVE TO BE FILLED IN, SIGNED AND DATED AND NEW TARGETS WOULD BE SET. †¢Examining products of work – I would check that THE WORK OF THE LEARNER HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT IN THE CORRECT AND PROFESSIONAL WAY AND THE END RESULT HAS THE DESIRED LOOK AND FINISH. †¢Questioning the learner – I would initially ask the LEARNER WHAT THEIR PLAN OF ACTION IS AND HOW THEY ARE GOING TO ACHIEVE IT, IF MORE CRITERIA NEEDED TO BE MET I WOULD ASK MORE QUESTIONS TO GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY AND MEET THE LEVEL REQUIRED. †¢Discussing with the learner – I would make sure the DISCUSSIONS WERE RELEVANT TO THE OUTCOMES AND. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA, I WOULD DISCUSS THE UNITS THAT NEED TO BE COVERED AND HOW WE COULD USE ONE VISIT TO COVER MORE THAN ONE UNIT (HOLISTIC APPROACH). I WOULD ALSO DISCUSS THE AMOUNT OF TIME NEEDED FOR THE PROCESS AND DATES AND TIMES OF VISITS. I WOULD MAKE IT CLEAR TO THE LEARNER WHAT I WOULD EXPECT FROM THEM FOR A COMPETENT ASSESSMENT. †¢Use of others (witness testimony) – As an assessor YOU WOULD NEED TO BE A PROFESSIONAL IN HAIRDRESSING WITH X NUMBER OF YEAR’S EXPERIENCE. YOU WOULD NEED TO BE FAMILIAR WITH THE NATIONAL STANDARDS AND CARRYING OUT OBSERVATIONS, YOU WOULD DOCUMENT ALL. THAT HAS BEEN OBSERVED BUT COULD NOT ENTER INTO THE CANDIDATES LOG BOOK. †¢Looking at learner statements – The learner would HAVE DOCUMENTED EXTRA EVIDENCE. THIS WOULD BE A WRITE UP ON UNDERPINNING QUESTIONS WHEN A RANGE HAS NOT QUITE BEEN MET. THIS COULD ALSO BE A WRITE UP ON A HAIR STYLE THAT WAS ACHIEVED, EXPLAINING HOW THEY WENT ABOUT GETTING THE ACHIEVED LOOK. †¢Insufficient evidence – If a learner hands back their ASSIGNMENT BUT HAS NOT MET THE CRITERIA COVERED, THEY WOULD BE TOLD THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENT. THEY WOULD BE ASKED TO ADD THE REQUIRED EVIDENCE MAKING THE. ASSIGNMENT ACHIEVABLE. †¢Recognising prior learning – This would be when a LEARNER HAS COMPLETED A UNIT IN ANOTHER QUALIFICATION WITHIN THE SET TIME OF THE NATIONAL STANDARDS. I WOULD CHECK THEIR CERTIFICATION FOR PROOF OF THIS AND GET THE LEARNER TO TAKE THE TEST OF UNDER PINNING KNOWLEDGE SO THEY WOULD NOT HAVE TO DO THE SAME UNIT AGAIN. I WOULD BE ABLE TO DOCUMENT THIS IN THE LEARNERS LOG BOOK WITH A RPL FORM, THE FORM WOULD NEED TO BE SIGNED AND DATED FROM THE ACHIEVED DATE ON THE CERTIFICATE. C. TO PLAN THE ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL COMPETENCE TO ADDRESS LEARNER NEEDS AND CURRENT ACHIEVEMENTS. IN MY ASSESSMENT PLAN I WOULD IDENTIFY ANY SPECIFIC NEED THAT THE LEARNER MAY HAVE E. G. DYSLEXIA (I WOULD CHECK WITH THE RELEVANT DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE TRAINING ESTABLISHMENT TO SEE WHAT HELP COULD BE OFFERED TO THE LEARNER I. E. EXTRA TIME GIVEN FOR ASSIGNMENTS AND WRITTEN TESTS). I WOULD THEN AGREE THE LEVEL AND EXTENT OF THEIR CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS. D. IN ASSESSMENT PLANNING MEETINGS WHEREVER POSSIBLE I WILL ALWAYS TRY TO TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH. IF ONE UNIT IS BEING TAKEN I WOULD IDENTIFY HOW MANY OUTCOMES AND CRITERIA MIGHT BE MET, I WOULD DO THIS BY USING THE ASSESSMENT METHODS OF: OBSERVATION, EXAMINATION OF. PRODUCTS OF WORK AND QUESTIONING. AS AN ASSESSOR, WORK TO HOLISTIC ASSESSMENT PRINCIPLES WILL MAXIMISE OPPORTUNITY AND SAVE TIME AND COST. IF I HAVE ARRANGED TO BE OBSERVED ASSESSING COMPETENCE, EXAMINING PRODUCTS OF WORK AND QUESTIONING, I COULD DISCUSS WITH MY ASSESSOR WHETHER I COULD BE OBSERVED CARRYING OUT AN ASSESSMENT PLANNING MEETING DURING THE SAME VISIT. THIS COULD BE A FOLLOW ON PLANNING MEETING WITH A LEARNER WHO IS READY TO GO ON TO THE NEXT STAGE OF THEIR ASSESSMENT. BILINGUALISM DEALING WITH BILINGUALISM WOULD FIRST HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED AT THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT; THE LEARNER’S FIRST. LANGUAGE IS NOT ENGLISH SO AS AN ASSESSOR I WOULD HAVE TO FIND THE BEST WAY OF COMMUNICATION. THIS COULD BE IN USING AN TRANSLATOR (ELECTRONICALLY OR A DICTIONARY) THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY ON THE LEARNER’S BEHALF TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PASS THE TESTING THAT IS INITIALLY DONE BEFORE ACCEPTANCE OF THE COURSE. SKILLS TESTING A SKILL TESTING IS A PRACTICAL OBSERVATION OF A SET SKILL TASK THAT HAS BEEN SET BY THE ASSESSOR. THE ASSESSOR WILL TELL THE LEARNER WHAT IS REQUIRED AND GIVE THE LEARNER A SET TIME TO GET THE TASK ACHIEVED. THIS CAN BE USED TO CHECK THE LEARNER’S CAPABILITIES. MAINTAIN LEGAL AND GOOD PRACTICE REQUIREMENTS WHEN ASSESSING VOCATIONAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING UV30566 TRACEY HEARNE OUTCOME 4 TO EVALUATE MY OWN WORK IN CARRYING OUT ASSESSMENT OF VOCATIONAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING I WOULD ASK MYSELF: DID THE LEARNER UNDERSTAND WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE TO MEET THE CRITERIA? WAS THE FEEDBACK CLEAR ENOUGH FOR THE LEARNER TO UNDERSTAND? WERE ASSESSMENTS MARKED AND RETURNED WITHIN THE TIMESCALE? BY ASKING MYSELF THESE QUESTIONS I CAN EVALUATE MY OWN WORK WITH THE EVIDENCE THAT I HAVE RECORDED. D. TAKE PART IN CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO  ENSURE CURRENT EXPERTISE AND COMPETENCE IN ASSESSING VOCATIONAL SKILL, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING. IN TAKING PART OF ‘CPD’ THIS IS TO KEEP MY KNOWLEDGE UP TO DATE, AND TO MAINTAIN NEW SKILLS WHILST ASSESSING. I NEED TO BE ABLE TO PROVE HOW I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS. I NEED TO SHOW CERTIFICATES I HAVE GAINED IN COURSES I HAVE ATTENDED. KEEP A RECORD OF HOURS WORKED/SHADOWED. MADE REGULAR VISITS TO RELEVANT WEBSITES. (WWW. HABIA. ORG) READING RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS (HAIRDRESSERS JOURNAL (HJI). KEEPING A LOG OF ALL MY ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION IN EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES WILL BE MY RECORD OF ‘CPD’.

All About Shark Cartilage Essay -- Animals Fish Papers

All About Shark Cartilage Sharks have existed on this earth for over 400 million years, and for the most part have been one of the only species in earth’s history that has not been changed dramatically as a result of evolution (http://www.nutritionwarehouse.com/Shark.Cartilage.html). Furthermore, in recent times since the onslaught of the industrial revolution, numerous pollutants and toxins have been introduced into the earth’s oceans, forests, and atmosphere resulting in cancerous development in nearly all forms of life. Incredibly, however, the amazing living machine known as the shark has survived literally unchanged and has rarely developed cancer despite the fact that almost all other creatures of land and sea get cancer regularly (http://www.realife.com/cancer.html - http://www.realife.com/cancer.html ). These prehistoric sea creatures have skeletons, unlike other animals, largely made up of cartilage, which is a tough yet malleable connective tissue. The fact that sharks do not regularly get cancer, that they have survived the test of time, and that they are composed mostly of cartilage has raised quite a bit of interest among scientists within the past twenty years (http://www.realife.com/cancer.html - http://www.realife.com/cancer.html ). Based upon this research (however, mostly unofficial) shark cartilage is now very popular on the web as a safe and effective treatment for osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and numerous other diseases (http://www.freeyellow.com/members/totalnatural/doforme.html - http://www.freeyellow.com/members/total). The above information was obtained off of the world wide web, however, in this website we will also discuss the "real" information that has been obtained from reliable med... ... claims made on the web are definitely not true because of their lack of scientific evidence. Shark cartilage may be used for cancer treatment effectively in the future, however, right now no scientific facts can support the claims of shark cartilage's ability to treat cancer. References Hunt, Traci. "Shark cartilage for cancer treatment." American Journal of Health System Pharmacology. Aug 15 1995; 52: 1756, 60. Iwaguchi, T. "A novel angiogenic inhibitor." Cancer Letters. Jun 15 1990; 51:181-6. Langer, Robert. "Shark cartilage contains inhibitors of tumor angiogenesis." Science. 1983; 221:1185-87. Markman, Maurie. "Shark cartilage." Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. June 1996; 63:179-180 Matthews, James. "Media feeds frenzy over shark cartilage as cancer treatment." Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Aug 4 1993; 85:1190-91.

Centura Health Overview

Centura Health is considered Colorado's largest healthcare organization, inclusive of a 12-hospital system. The company's mission includes celebrating the value inherent in each individuals life and working collaboratively to â€Å"lift the burdens of others† by offering comprehensive and loving care to all customers and patients served by Centura (Centura, 2005). The mission statement of the organization is to â€Å"extend the healing ministry of Christ my caring for those who are ill and nurturing the health of people in our communities† (Centura, 2005). The vision includes fulfilling the organizations covenant that guarantees excellence and integrity of service, creating partnerships with community members and patients for life (Centura, 2005). The organization has identified multiple core values which include: integrity, stewardship, spirituality, imagination, respect, excellence and compassion† (Centura, 2005). Current Centura operates as a non-profit agency and structures key decision making using what they refer to as a â€Å"Values Impact Analysis† (Centura, 2005). This tool helps organizational representatives weight the costs to benefits of selected decisions as applied to the organizations core values. The process adopted by the organization is considered â€Å"dynamic and rigorous† with the intent of enabling â€Å"conscientious decisions respectful of stakeholders needs† but also in line with the values and needs of patients (Centura, 2005). The organizational model includes a hierarchical system with the following: President/CEO, Executive Vice President and COO, Sr. Vice President, CFO, Chief Medical Officer and supporting management staff (Centura, 2005). Key to the governance model includes collaboration with other medical providers and health agencies throughout the state of Colorado. The decision making model adopted by Centura involves use of the Values Impact Analysis process that helps key management staff make decisions that are not only fiscally sound but also reflect the organizations core values and perspectives of patients that may be impacted by decisions. The organization makes use of an on site Mission and Ministry whose role includes providing â€Å"reflections, a prayer chain† and various other resources for employees and associates of the organization (Centura, 2005). In addition the organization utilizes a SHARE program that resembles a rewards and recognition program to highlight outstanding achievements among employees, customers and co-workers (Centura, 2005). Centura has also adopted a collaborative environment where communication is promoted through a â€Å"Mastery Development Plan† (Centura, 2005). This plan provides team members within the organization a method of facilitating personal and professional development and communication by providing training for technical and support staff and providing communications training to all staff to encourage greater collaboration and community connections among employees (Centura, 2005). Centura has also adopted quality improvement measures focusing on patient populations, physician and clinician teams to help promote â€Å"excellence in care† (Centura, 2005). The organization to this effect has created what they refer to as a â€Å"Quality, Safety and Outcomes Management department† whose sole role includes supporting a solid communications infrastructure and commitment to quality improvement (Centura, 2005). Centura's approach to quality involves defining ‘value directed' services and providing value directed management to customers both internal and external. This is a solid approach to instilling quality within the organization. Arogyaswamy & Simmons (1993) point to the important of using value-directed management approaches to ensure the best possible service to customers. Further the authors suggest that organizations must approach total quality and empowerment of staff through articulated measures to achieve â€Å"stronger market positions† by establishing â€Å"an unquenchable thirst for improvement† (Arogyaswamy & Simmons, 3). Ways to do this include through integration and shared vision (Lambert, Hylander & Sandoval, 2003). Barusch, Merkman & Maramaldi (2005) note that within the health care organization standardized measures are necessary to ensure control and power are properly delegated and that quality is ensured in all patient interactions and outcomes. Care benchmarks, satisfaction tools and quality assessors currently adopted by Centura fall in line with recent studies suggesting that routine attention to performance measurement via various standardized methods help improve organizational efficiency and continuous improvement (Holzer & Julnes, 2001). Further risk management is best assessed by gathering quality data from standardized reporting systems that provide detailed summaries of the industry, characteristics of service and help regulate distribution of services and procedures within the healthcare organization (Blankmeyer, Knox & Stutzman, 2001). Centura uses multiple benchmarks to currently reap information regarding quality and service protocols, including the Values Impact Analysis and the Master Development Plan. The values impact survey acts as a standardized reporting system providing mangers and staff with detailed cues regarding employee and organizational performance. The Master Development Plan serves as a tool that can enhance performance management and train various staff members including nursing staff members to achieve their highest potential within the organization. Key issues a nursing staff coordinator may address within this organizational context is whether incumbents are consistently reporting on their progress and achievements using the values impact analysis and master development program. These programs do offer detailed information regarding potential areas of weakness and improvement within the organization. At present the strongest elements of Centura's organizational structure include its commitment to shared knowledge and communication among staff members. Additionally the organization is committed to empowering employees to excel in their job functions and dedicated to continuous training. The organization may benefit from an overhaul of the performance measurement protocols adopted for individual employees. Most organizations fall short of identifying to as great an extent possible the level of staff satisfaction with performance measurement protocols. Turnover within the organization at present is relatively low suggesting that employees are however receiving the feedback they need to excel on the job. At this point in time when problem areas are identified using the quality assessment tools in place management turns to focused committees to resolve issues. The organization would benefit by involving more primary care nurses and other direct staff involved in decision making processes that involve improving quality improvement. Because Centura is a hierarchical organization, most decisions are made from the top down. Recent studies suggest however that continuous quality improvement and risk management efforts are enhanced significantly when organizations adopt a flat approach to knowledge management and quality improvement. This means that employees at all levels of the organization must be empowered to help make decisions and share information regarding continuous improvement measures. One way to adopt this philosophy at Centura may be to establish various committees designed to help solve specific problems within their scope of expertise or knowledge. Overall Centura Health provides a superb foundation for providing quality care and direction for staff and the patients and community it serves. The organization is committed to quality improvements, knowledge sharing and partnerships within the community to reduce any risk associated with delivering care and to improve its knowledge sharing ability within the community. At present the organization has adopted various standardized instruments, which consistently provide accurate measurements of quality benchmarks within the organization. The top down management approach may be the sole factor limiting consistent knowledge sharing and hence risk management reduction or continuous improvement within the organization.

Market Concept Essay

Article from Karl Moore: Karl Moore is PHd associate professor in the Faculty of Management at McGill University was responsible for writing the article â€Å"The Marketing Concept- RIP† which was published July 17th, 2006. He discusses the decline and the increasing irrelevance of the marketing concept idea and how firms are adapting this strategy in today’s market. Moore emphasis on the following points: 1. Importance of market research before launching a product 2. The need to focus on the product’s usage by the end users 3. The difficulty firms face to implement the marketing concept strategy in today’s market place. The author uses the example of the high-tech sector and explains why he feels the marketing concept applied in this way is no longer relevant, then goes into detail about how it is not just limited to the high-tech sector. To understand Moore’s article you need to understand what marketing and the marketing concept it first. Marketing consists of individual and organizational activities that facilitate and expedite satisfying exchange relationships in a dynamic environment through the creation, distribution, promotion and pricing of goods, services and ideas. The main principles of marketing are to satisfy customers, target the â€Å"right’ customer, facilitate exchange relationships, stay ahead of competitors and enhance profitability (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 7). The ultimate goal is to satisfy targeted customers, seeking their loyalty and consumption. The marketing concept can be defined as the philosophy that firms should analyze the needs of their customers and then make decisions to satisfy those needs, better than the competition (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 17). In his opening paragraph Moore mentions that the marketing concept is â€Å"coming to a close† and heading towards a â€Å"semi-retirement†. I strongly disagree with this statement. Why? Since the marketing concept era many companies are now transitioning to the market orientation era (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 17). The focus of the market orientation era is mainly on continuously collecting information about customer needs and competitors’ capabilities and to use this information to create value, ensure customer satisfaction and develop customer relationships (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 7). Let us look at how Netflix took the Marketing concept in stride. Netflix involved the identification of the unmet or underserved customer needs. Reed Hastings, founder and creator of Netflix started off as a video rental customer himself, tired of paying late fees and having to run to the video store when he wanted to watch a movie, he decid ed to create something simpler and more convenient for customers (Dean. 2010). He was able to draw upon personal experience to help establish the opportunity nucleus and survey what other customers wanted out of a video store. The movie rental industry had already established methods surrounding video rental, late return policies, and membership rules. Hastings believed that without competition, these brick-and-mortar movie rental companies would never have a reason to change (Dean. 2010). Reed Hastings, decided to disrupt the traditional video rental business by introducing a new twist on the home movie service (Dean. 2010). A perfect example of advances in technology, adaptation of DVD media over VHS, and an unmet consumer demand is responsible for the successful launch of Hastings’ vision of Netflix. Not unlike other innovative start-up companies, Netflix has undergone several strategy shifts (Dean. 2010). Each change in focus or direction has assured that the company remains dominate in the movie rental industry. It appears that Hastings has followed the Marketing Concept to a tee, he started off with collection information from customer needs’ (his own) and the competitors capabilities (video rental companies were not in a position to change their rules and regulations) and he completed the circle by using customer knowledge to create customer satisfaction as Netflix still remains more popular than Blockbuster or Rogers Video. Moore goes into more detail about the high tech industry, giving the example of the Sony walkman and how the product was developed. He also explains that if Sony followed the Marketing concept theory in creating the walkman, it would have failed. He follows this explanation of the Sony walkman with the comment â€Å"with many high tech products you cannot get a very reliable data from current customers about the potential uses of your future products. † This statement is by far the most ludicrous statement thru out the entire article and makes absolutely no sense. The vast majority of high tech industries rely solely on how customers perceive new and future products. Look at the Apple IPods. Apple made sure they always stayed ahead of the game by releasing new hardware, software, or better and newer applications for the iPod (Taber. 2007). People love new and flashy products so this was a great way to sell a product. The iPod has become a fashion accessory and a must have. People salivate if there hear a new and more updated version of the iPod is coming out, they want a product that can hold more music and data. Why would they want a â€Å"dinosaur† iPod that only holds 1000 songs when they can get an iPod that holds 2000, takes videos, and has downloadable apps? In this sense, the iPod marketing concept strategy made sense because it consistently advanced Apple’s emerging goal of making the Mac the hub of a digital lifestyle (Taber. 2007). It also aligned with the company’s strategic goal of frequently releasing innovative new products in an effort to stay ahead of a curve of consumers who quickly get tired of old gadgets. As usual, it was a strategy that leveraged the benefits of existing technology, and it made sense from the point of view that it was consistent with what historically drove the company, is bringing products to people that were stylish and easy to use. So if Apple didn’t use the marketing concept strategy, it would have failed. The one paragraph in Moore’s article that I do agree with is when he mentions that a great deal of high tech industries do spend more time launching a new product then developing the product. Models of new product development prescribe critical stages that organizations should go through to have a successful product launch (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 262-271). Regardless of the model, critical phases include: product idea generation, idea screening, concept testing, and business analysis, marketing mix development, test marketing and commercialization (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 262-271). In theory, going through these stages systematically helps organizations weed out the potential failures. Customer focus is an integral component of the product development process that is often ignored. The need to incorporate the voice of the customer (adopt the marketing concept) at every phase is imbedded in these models of new product development, each phase contributing additional knowledge as to what customers want (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 263-264). Yet concept testing and test marketing are most often overlooked y new product development teams as they rush to get their product to market before the competition (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 259-260). Unfortunately, this can lead to fatal errors when customer expectations are extremely high – or when dealing with a sophisticated customer – as is the case for high tech products. An example of this was the Apple Newton; Apple pre-announced the Newton before it was ready. In terms of the product offering, it was neither a complete product nor a fully functional product (Hormby. 006). In the hurry to get to the market, Apple had not fully developed the handwriting recognition software, one of the featured attributes (Hormby. 2006). While innovators and early adopters are willing to take risks on new products, they do expect a minimal level of performance which the Apple Newton could not deliver. Moore also makes a valid statement in his end paragraph with respect for non-tech marketers have to know who their key customers will be and how the marketers should focus their research efforts. Customer focus, a core element of the marketing concept, is certainly a widely adopted buzzword today, one which is stressed in all introductory marketing texts. While the marketing concept applies to all industries, it is particularly important in technologically driven industries that have been among the first to introduce quality techniques, many of which begin with capturing the â€Å"voice of the customer†. (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 259). Look at how Apple launched its iPod back in 2001 to appeal to customers. When you watch the iPod commercials on television – what did you see? You see a bunch of people dancing on a colored background. There are women and men, but you don’t know anything else about them. This advertisement is ingenious for many reasons. For one, you don’t know where these people are. They could be anywhere in the world. Secondly, you don’t know who they are or what they do for a living. They can be anyone. All you know is that they are enjoying the music and rocking out. This is what makes that commercial so great and such an excellent idea. It allows anyone in the world to be that person. In conclusion, Moore is correct in his assumption that many high tech industries are in a rush to release their product before actually developing their product. However, it is very unrealistic of him to state that if companies follow the marketing concept they would be doomed to fail, he needs to look at many of the successes of the high tech market such as the Apple iPod or Netflix and how many non-tech industries can learn from Apple’s/Netflix marketing strategy. Although this article was written back in 2006, many advances of technology have taken place and it’s foolish to think that the marketing concept had nothing to do with this advancement. Refernces Crane, F. G. , Kerin, R. A. , Hartley, S. W. & Rudelius W. (2008). Marketing. (7th Canadian ed. ). Toronto, ON: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. Taber, David. (17 Sept. 2007 ). â€Å"The Taber Report on IPod Marketing. † The Taber Report. Retrieved April 25, 2011, from http://www. taberconsulting. com/download/dtr-35. htm. Weisbein, Jeff. 1 March. 2008). â€Å"The iPod Success: Thank the Marketing Department†. Retrieved May 5, 2011, from http://www. besttechie. net/2008/03/01/the-ipod-success-thank-the-marketing-department/. Hormby, Tom. (7 Feb. 2006). â€Å"The Story Behind Apple’s Newton†. Retrieved April 25th, 2011 from http://lowendmac. com/orchard/06/john-sculley-newton-origin. html. Dean, Gregory. (10 Nov. 2010). â€Å"Netflix: An Online Business Beyond Geniusà ¢â‚¬ . Retrieved May 15, 2011 from http://marketography. com/2010/11/10/online-business-beyond-genius/.

Swim and Punishment †A Narrative Essay

Swim and Punishment – A Narrative Essay Free Online Research Papers When I was a forth grader in China, I was always told by my teachers that I couldn’t go to swim where there was no lifeguard because we were still young. I always kept it in mind as my rule. One day, a day I was really out of control, and broke the rule. It was an extremely hot summer. The sun was raised to burn up the whole continent. Rain had not been seen for a couple of months already. People were like chicken within an oven, wait to be driven crazy. 37 degrees Celsius was the common temperature at southern China. I myself was an active kid, wouldn’t just stay home. One day, I was asked to hang out. First, we met each other at school as usual. We didn’t wear shirts due to the hot weather. As usual, we went to a store in the front of school to buy some litchi juice. I remembered that litchi juice was our favorite drinks because it was so cheap and tasty. After buying the supplies, we decided to walk around the countryside. That was what we usually did while we were all bored and didn’t know what to do. It was also a good way to resist heat because of the trees. We were walking through boundless fields where nothing can be seen except for green. We would like to feel the silence rather than talking a lot. Suddenly, silence was broken by a loud voice. â€Å"River is over there, let’s go and swim.† a friend of mine yelled out. â€Å"No, we can’t. We will be caught by our teachers.† I responded without any thinking. â€Å"No problem, man. It is so damned hot now. The depth of the water is only like 6in. Nobody will report to the teachers, right?† he argued. I could see his desire to swim through his eyes. I wasn’t sure what I should do at this moment. Soon after, they jumped into the river. I was still standing there and considering my rule. I looked at the sun and the water. Suddenly, there was an impulse came out of my mind. I closed my eyes and jumped into the water. By that time, I was still comforting myself by saying stuffs like â€Å"the depth of water is only 6in, it will be ok.† By that, I wasn’t feeling guilty anymore. Instead, we lie down and set ourselves in the water, like heated rocks in cold water. That feeling was so good for me by that time. Sun could not make fun of me anymore because my body was protected by cold water. And then we decided to play a game called capture. One person would be an eagle, the rest would be chicken. I chose to be a chicken. Then we started running. Running at the water was so different from the land. The water made my feet much heavier. Because of that, I was the first chicken to be caught. By that time, I had nothing to do except for waiting. Then I decided to splash water to them. As soon as they noticed what I had done. They stopped the game and splash water to each other. It was not sunny day anymore. The water we splashing water was like rain, dropped on our bodies. I thought it was the best rain I had ever met. It cooled down my body as well as my mind. After an hour, we all decided to leave. The day after, we went to school. We were all called by our teacher. She had noticed what we had been done yesterday. I didn’t know for sure how she knew it. She was like a lawyer, kept asking us questions. I was just standing there like a piece of wood, without saying anything. Finally, the question period was over. I was thinking this would be ended up with it. But I was wrong, she needed us to hand copy a 10-page essay twice and turn it in tomorrow. She also set up a conference with our parents. The following years, I still couldn’t figure it out how she knew it. Maybe I would never know, like a locked box stayed in my mind forever. Still, I didn’t think I was wrong about that because the depth of the water was only 6in. It wouldn’t be any problem for a forth grader. The punishment I paid for it was undeserved. Even so, every time I watch people play at the water, those little happy scenes will appear again in my mind. Research Papers on Swim and Punishment - A Narrative EssayThe Spring and AutumnThe Hockey GameMind TravelHip-Hop is ArtAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationBringing Democracy to AfricaPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyStandardized TestingQuebec and Canada

That Annoying New Verb disrespect

That Annoying New Verb disrespect That Annoying New Verb â€Å"disrespect† That Annoying New Verb â€Å"disrespect† By Maeve Maddox Reader Erica Richards, commenting on the post about the abomination â€Å"a few stuff,† was not so sanguine as I about teenagers outgrowing appalling usage: The trend Im seeing is that poor grammar habits are not only perpetuated into adulthood, but can be treated as an accepted form of speech used on TV or the radio. I suspect that eventually it is accepted as proper grammar . . . The most notable example is the current vernacular use of â€Å"disrespect† as a verb, as in he disrespected me.   Sounds like nails on a blackboard to me, however, its all over the media. Well, I feel the same way about disrespect used as a verb. It flies all over me when I hear it and I was about to write a post about how ridiculous, unidiomatic and unnecessary the usage is. Before I did, however, I looked it up in the OED. I didn’t expect to find it or, if it was there, I expected it to be labeled an Americanism. This is what I found. disrespect: v. trans. The reverse of to respect; to have or show no respect, regard, or reverence for; to treat with irreverence. Hence disreï ¿ ¼spected ppl. a., -ing vbl. n. Not only is disrespect in the OED as a verb, its use as a verb goes back to the seventeenth century. 1614 WITHER Sat. to King, Juvenilia (1633) 346 Here can I smile to see..how the mean mans suit is dis-respected. 1633 BP. HALL Hard Texts N.T. 11 If he love the one he must disrespect the other. 1683 CAVE Ecclesiastici 231 (Basil) To honor him, and dis-respect his Friend, was to stroke a mans head with one hand, and strike him with the other. 1706 HEARNE Collect. 26 Apr., He was disrespected in Oxford by several men who now speak well of him. 1852 L. HUNT Poems Pref. 27 As if..sorrow disrespected things homely. 1885 G. MEREDITH Diana I. 257 You will judge whether he disrespects me. Some of us may feel that â€Å"disrespect† as a verb is a despicable neologism, but it isn’t. Erica, your observations about the way incorrect usage filters into the media are valid, but it looks as if we’ll have to bite the bullet on disrespect as a verb. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire You"Owing to" vs "Due to"15 Names and Descriptions of Effects

Select one speaker's topic and add information from a second source Essay

Select one speaker's topic and add information from a second source (journal article, industry website, book, etc.). Discuss the topic and offer your opinion. Cite your source - Essay Example Teamwork, I believe it contributes largely towards my success in capstone course. This is because it increases competitiveness and productivity by resulting to superior work and goal (Reynolds, 1994). Teamwork further takes advantage of opportunities offered by technological advances (Hills, 2001). Working together for success improves individual commitment and motivation. To succeed and remain competitive, teams need to utilize each other fully and the available materials and equipment optimally. Education and learning, such as the capstone course adoption of teamwork as a strategy of effective learning is important (Levin, 2002). Designs for learning need to include student-centered team based studying and learning such as case based, problem based, and inquiry based and project based scenarios. Teamwork and teams assist in promoting deep learning, which occurs through interaction, dialogue, collaboration, cooperation, and problem solving. Members of a team should be flexible enough (Hills, 2001). There are several attributes for a successful teamwork. First, there is commitment to team success and shared goals for the project. Successful teams are engaged, aim to achieve results, and are motivated. Second, there is interdependence; members of team create an environment where together they contribute much more as compared to individuals (Reynolds, 1994). Positive interdependence brings out the best of each individual enabling the team to achieve even far more as expected. Individual members encourage and promote fellow members to achieve, learn, and contribute. Third, there are the interpersonal skills, which include the capability to discuss issues in open with other team members, be trustworthy, supportive, and honest, and show commitment and respect to individual member and the team at large. Forth there is open

Barclays bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Barclays bank - Essay Example Financial ratios are important in that they aid in determining the financial performance of the company, they also help to identify the strength and the weaknesses of the company, financial ratios include debt ratio, sales turnover ratio, return on assets, and return on equity gearing ratio, current ratio and price earning ratio. All these ratios are important but in order to identify the strength and the weaknesses of the company we need to identify the profitability, efficiency and the leverage of the company. The gearing ratio is a financial indicator of the relationship between long term liabilities and capital employed, it is an important indicator to investors, this is because shares in a financial year may earn dividends while in some years dividends may not be paid, it is also important to investors in that long term liabilities are in form of loans and that they need to be paid back with interest and if the ratio is not appropriate investors end up loosing finally share holders have voting rights while long term liabilities do not have the voting rights that are used in making decisions of the company. Therefore the gearing ratio shows the relationship between long term liabilities and it is calculated by dividing long term liabilities by the shareholders equity. ... 1685 27106 Because we derive the gearing ratio by dividing the long term liabilities by the total share holder equity we substitute our values as follows: Gearing ratio = 183,011/27106 = 6.75 Therefore our gearing ratio is 6.75, this means that the company finances more using long term debts than equity through sale of share, this means that the company has to pay interest earned by these liabilities while it would have been possible to raise capital through equity, therefore there is a problem of having to pay high interest levels for the debts and therefore the company needs to minimize the costs of debts by raising funds through the sale of shares. Dividend history: The following table summarizes dividends paid over the past 3 years, form the table it is evident that dividends paid have increased over the years: year dividends paid (million pounds) 2005 1894 2006 2215 2007 2559 The following chart shows the dividends paid by the company in the past 3 years: From the above chart it is evident that the companies dividends have increased, this is an indication that in 2008 the dividends are likely to increase, this is an indication that the bank has increased its profit levels and therefore it is likely that the dividends will increase in the future, therefore investing in this company is much more profitable due to the high anticipated divided levels in the future. Cash flow statement: We analyze the company's performance using the 2007 cash flow statement, according to this statement we will be in a position to analyze the financial position of the bank and also indentify the source of the high profits gained by the bank. Assets purchases: During the year 2007 there were major changes in the level of assets held by the company, the company

How Can the Study of Management Help Students in Their Future Essay

How Can the Study of Management Help Students in Their Future Professional Career - Essay Example agement is undergoing numerous changes, therefore the older principles are being changed with the newer ones and thus nothing tends to remain permanent in the field of the management. The management principles need to be applied according to the requirement of the organisation since they tend to be relative concepts. It is worthy of mentioning that each of the organisation tends to be different in comparison to other because of the timing, place as well as the socio-cultural factors. However, the individuals working in a same organisation may also differ. Therefore, it is vital to apply a particular management principle according to the prevailing condition and context. There has been disagreement regarding whether the management is science or art. It can be stated that management is both science as well as art (Covey, n.d.). Historical and Socio-Cultural Perspectives It is worthy of discussing the ways through which the needs of the management development are being met with the assi stance of the historical views of management. It has been a well known fact that the management institutes that exist today were not in existence until the 1920s and the Second World War. Therefore, it can be understood that the management institutes tend to be at the early stages of development. The establishment of the management schools in the developing countries is a recent phenomenon. In adherence to the well known fact that management is a profession, it was realised that the skills, the knowledge and the capabilities can be gained by a person systematically. However, before realising this fact, on-the-job management was learned. The process of learning was referred to as school of hard knocks. There was a belief that the managers are born and not made. This was evident from the fact... As the essay stresses the management principles need to be applied according to the requirement of the organisation since they tend to be relative concepts. It is worthy of mentioning that each of the organisation tends to be different in comparison to other because of the timing, place as well as the socio-cultural factors. The individuals working in a same organisation may also differ. It is vital to apply a particular management principle according to the prevailing condition and context. From the report it is clear the education for the managers of the future took numerous forms, thus making the system of education complex. After a short period, the emergence of entrepreneurs because of their innovative ideas and efforts were sought. They learnt to manage because of necessity. The approach was suitable and satisfactory in those times. Since the product, market as well as the geography started to grow and diversify, the old ways of recruiting the managers became outdated and thus new ways were stimulated. The best way to recruit the top management was to put them at specialised task a step down, so that they can get an overall knowledge regarding the management. A person may be skilled at one job, however may be weak at others. After a certain period of time the diversification of the businesses gave rise to the new channels of the on-the-job development for managers since the companies were split into divisions.

Acrobatics Workshop Essay Example for Free

Acrobatics Workshop Essay No matter which figures or pyramids are being tried, the facilitator must make sure that there are catchers present to prevent injuries. Participants should be instructed how to catch one another and to take responsibility for others in the group.  1. Description of the activity  Part 1 Warming Up Trust Exercises  A. The participants are put into pairs. One partner becomes a guide, the other becomes blind. The guide takes their blind partner for a walk (around the grounds, over obstacles, etc. ) while holding hands. After some minutes the partners change roles. Variations: Follow the same steps as above, but have the seeing partner lead with only one finger. Alternatively, have the seeing partner lead using only their voice no physical contact between partners.  B. In pairs, participants stand face to face with their feet together and holding hands. Each person leans back carefully with full body strength by stretching their arms. The challenge is to maintain balance.  C. All participants stand together in a circle and hold hands. Count off into 1s and 2s. On the signal, using all their strength, the 1s lean inside while the 2s lean outside. After a few seconds, carefully pull back into a normal circle and then change (2s inside, 1s outside). D. In small groups (3-7 persons), one person stands in the middle of a circle. Standing stiff and without moving their feet, the one in the middle falls from one person to another and is slowly passed around inside the circle. After some moments, change roles. Give everyone a chance to be in the middle.  Variation: you can also do this with just three persons. The one in the middle is slowly passed forward and backwards between two persons. Part 2 Stretching  Before trying actual figures, it is important to warm up the joints and the muscles. Gently stretch legs, arms, neck, and shoulders. Dont forget to pay attention to the wrists and ankles, too.  Part 3 First Acrobatic Steps  3A. Napoleon (3 persons):   The first person goes down and takes the bench position; the second person goes up and forms a bench on top of the first person (see diagram 4)   The first person goes down and takes bench position; second person goes up and stands on the shoulders and hip of the bench. Keeping their balance, the bench slowly starts to walk forwards on their hands and knees (see diagram 10). (Remember you must NEVER stand in the middle of the benchs back, only on their shoulders and hips!) The third person is always the catcher for the person who is up.  3B. Knee stands (4 persons)   The first person goes down and takes the bench position; second person sits down on the benchs hips (facing benchs feet); taking the second persons hands, third person goes up and stands on second persons knees (keep holding hands). If second and third person can balance on their own, the bench can walk away, leaving the two in balance position. The fourth person is the catcher. 3C. Galion figure (4 persons)  Ã‚  The same as 3B (above), but second and third person open op their arms on one side and look in the same direction. (You still need the fourth person as catcher.)  Part 4 Pyramids and standing on shoulders  Once participants have grasped the basic steps, they can proceed onto building pyramids and making new shapes (see diagrams in section D Some Pyramids).  2. General remarks  Who can do acrobatics? Acrobatics can be used with groups of all ages: teenagers, adults, even children from 4 or 5 years of age. It is important to include the warming up and trust-building exercises, especially if the people in the group do not know each other very well. Stretching and warming-up the muscles is important to avoid accidents. Everyone in the group should be taught the catchers tasks. The group has to take responsibility for itself it is up to everyone to look out for one another. Why use acrobatics?  Acrobatics is a perfect method for team-building at any age. Its good to learn to give and to take help from one another. Even if you have only a short amount of time, participants can learn amazing things like building pyramids or standing on shoulders. Acrobatics can help people learn about taking responsibility for others but also about respecting limits (their own and other persons). The atmosphere in the workshop should allow participants to say if they dont want to try a certain figure or activity. An extra touch  If you have more time (e.g. the group stays together several days), the participants can put together a presentation. This is a great way for the group to show off what they have learned (especially good for children and young adults).  Accessibility  Some groups may have specific needs (e.g. older participants or individuals with physical or mental disabilities), but these are not reasons for people to be excluded. For example, past experiments with acrobatics has shown that its possible to include people who might be missing a limb or even those in wheelchairs. There may be some limits, but in most cases it just takes some fantasy to create new forms and figures which include all members of the group. 3. Literature  There are many resources to be found describing acrobatics and other circus activities. Two of these include:  1. Rudi Ballreich, Udo v. Grabowiecki (Hg.), Zirkus spielen. Ein Handbuch, 1999 Stuttgart/Leipzig. Not only about acrobatics but all circus skills you can use with young people, tips for presentation as well. (German language)  2. J.M. Fodero/E.E. Furblur, Creating Gymnastics, Pyramids and Balances. Leisure Press, Champaign, Illinois, 1989. This book focuses only on acrobatics and has a great amount of drawings for figures for 2 persons up to pyramids with 15 or more persons. For beginners to advanced. You can find some figures presented in the book on the Internet: http://www.mypage.bluewin.ch/mmc/akro/bkd7.html. (A German-language edition of this book is available under the title Menschenpyramiden.)

Strategic Analysis of Ryanair Essay -- European Carriers Business Airl

1 INTRODUCTION The aim of this report is to carry out a strategic analysis of Ryanair. This will involve investigating the organisation’s external environment, to identify opportunities and threats it might face, and its strategic capability, to isolate key strengths and any weaknesses that need dealing with. Finally, a SWOT analysis will be carried out to assess the extent to which Ryanair’s strategies are suitable to what is happening in its task environment. Ryanair is Europe’s largest low-fares, no-frills short-haul carrier. The organisation was founded in 1985 as a conventional airline but re-launched itself in 1990/1991 as a low-cost carrier, replicating American Southwest Airlines’ business model. Since then Ryanair has grown substantially and successfully. The company currently has 146 routes to 84 destinations in 16 countries, and carries more than 15 million customers annually. Ryanair aims to be Europe’s largest airline in 8 years (www.ryanair.com). 2 ANALYSIS OF THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT This is a crucial part of a strategic analysis because ‘†¦organisations do not exist in a vacuum, they are part of a complex world’ (Bowman 1987:61) and many factors can influence operations, beneficially and unfavourably. However, these can be difficult to comprehend due to their complexity, diversity and fast changing nature. Necessarily a number of techniques have been developed to facilitate the process and to ‘†¦contribute to answering the key managerial question†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢of what ‘†¦opportunities and threats might arise in the future’ (Johnson & Scholes 2002:99). 2.1 PESTEL analysis This identifies the main micro-environmental influences by classifying them into six groups: Political, Economical, Sociocultural, Technological, Environmental and Legal. By applying this framework to Ryanair it is possible to summarise the key forces in the general environment (see appendix A) likely to present opportunities and threats to the organisation (Johnson & Scholes 2002). Political  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ËœSaturday May 1 will mark one of the most important days in recent European history’ (http://europa.eu.int). The continent will see the biggest expansion of EU to date when ten states become new members. For Ryanair new markets will open which suits its growth plans (www.ryanair.com).  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stansted airport, owned by BAA, is one of the most rapidly growing airports i... ...al Times Gow, D. (16/02/04)’Ryanair plans zero frills and fares’, The Guardian Hotten, R. (13/03/04) ‘No-frills deal has impact on bmi’, The Times Insley, J. (18/01/04) ‘Happy New Year for second homes’, The Observer Insley, J. (08/02/04) ‘You can make it if you try’, The Observer Newman, C. (03/12/03) ‘Travellers face big rise in air passenger levy’, The Financial Times Pratley, N. (05/02/04) ‘Clipped Wings’, The Guardian Tait, N. (03/12/03) ‘Ryanair in court over wheelchair fee’, The Financial Times Tran, M. (03/02/04) ‘Ryanair’s airport subsidies’, The Guardian Wright, R. (01/12/03) ‘BA threat to sue if Stanstead gets runway’, The Financial Times PESTEL ANALYSIS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  APPENDIX A Political  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The expansion of the European Union (EU) ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  BAA’s proposed Stanstead expansion ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  CAA’s new regulations on airport charges Economical ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  High oil prices Sociocultural ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increasing second-home ownership ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Europe’s increasingly ageing population  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technological ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New satellite technology Environmental ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Global emissions-trading scheme Legal  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The European Court of Justice ruling Strategic Analysis of Ryanair Essay -- European Carriers Business Airl 1 INTRODUCTION The aim of this report is to carry out a strategic analysis of Ryanair. This will involve investigating the organisation’s external environment, to identify opportunities and threats it might face, and its strategic capability, to isolate key strengths and any weaknesses that need dealing with. Finally, a SWOT analysis will be carried out to assess the extent to which Ryanair’s strategies are suitable to what is happening in its task environment. Ryanair is Europe’s largest low-fares, no-frills short-haul carrier. The organisation was founded in 1985 as a conventional airline but re-launched itself in 1990/1991 as a low-cost carrier, replicating American Southwest Airlines’ business model. Since then Ryanair has grown substantially and successfully. The company currently has 146 routes to 84 destinations in 16 countries, and carries more than 15 million customers annually. Ryanair aims to be Europe’s largest airline in 8 years (www.ryanair.com). 2 ANALYSIS OF THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT This is a crucial part of a strategic analysis because ‘†¦organisations do not exist in a vacuum, they are part of a complex world’ (Bowman 1987:61) and many factors can influence operations, beneficially and unfavourably. However, these can be difficult to comprehend due to their complexity, diversity and fast changing nature. Necessarily a number of techniques have been developed to facilitate the process and to ‘†¦contribute to answering the key managerial question†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢of what ‘†¦opportunities and threats might arise in the future’ (Johnson & Scholes 2002:99). 2.1 PESTEL analysis This identifies the main micro-environmental influences by classifying them into six groups: Political, Economical, Sociocultural, Technological, Environmental and Legal. By applying this framework to Ryanair it is possible to summarise the key forces in the general environment (see appendix A) likely to present opportunities and threats to the organisation (Johnson & Scholes 2002). Political  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ËœSaturday May 1 will mark one of the most important days in recent European history’ (http://europa.eu.int). The continent will see the biggest expansion of EU to date when ten states become new members. For Ryanair new markets will open which suits its growth plans (www.ryanair.com).  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stansted airport, owned by BAA, is one of the most rapidly growing airports i... ...al Times Gow, D. (16/02/04)’Ryanair plans zero frills and fares’, The Guardian Hotten, R. (13/03/04) ‘No-frills deal has impact on bmi’, The Times Insley, J. (18/01/04) ‘Happy New Year for second homes’, The Observer Insley, J. (08/02/04) ‘You can make it if you try’, The Observer Newman, C. (03/12/03) ‘Travellers face big rise in air passenger levy’, The Financial Times Pratley, N. (05/02/04) ‘Clipped Wings’, The Guardian Tait, N. (03/12/03) ‘Ryanair in court over wheelchair fee’, The Financial Times Tran, M. (03/02/04) ‘Ryanair’s airport subsidies’, The Guardian Wright, R. (01/12/03) ‘BA threat to sue if Stanstead gets runway’, The Financial Times PESTEL ANALYSIS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  APPENDIX A Political  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The expansion of the European Union (EU) ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  BAA’s proposed Stanstead expansion ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  CAA’s new regulations on airport charges Economical ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  High oil prices Sociocultural ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increasing second-home ownership ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Europe’s increasingly ageing population  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technological ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New satellite technology Environmental ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Global emissions-trading scheme Legal  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The European Court of Justice ruling

How the character of Lady Macbeth changes and develops throughout the course of the play Essay

When we are first introduced to Lady Macbeth in Act I, scene v, she is at once perceived as a rather hard, ambitious individual who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. However, throughout the play her character undergoes many changes and in the end she goes insane, because of her heightened sense of guilt, and kills herself. Lady Macbeth’s first 2 soliloquies in Act 1 reveal her character very well. The way she speaks of Macbeth’s character makes it quite clear that hers is very different. She does not feel that she has to achieve things respectably or honourably, and is quick to seize opportunities, unlike Macbeth, as is shown by how she immediately connects the prophecies with the king’s visiting her castle. ‘†¦The raven Himself is hoarse That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements’. (Act I, scene v, lines 36-8) As soon as the messenger leaves, Lady Macbeth calls upon the spirits of the Underworld to fill her with ‘direst cruelty’ and to let ‘no compunctious visitings of nature shake her fell purpose’. She thinks womanhood and femininity weak, and through this we see her hard, cold, remorseless side, that will do anything to fulfil her desires and ambitions. In Act I Lady Macbeth is only talking about and planning the murder- in Act II we see her spring into action. She is the one behind it all, pushing her weak and unwilling husband to do the deed. In this act it is seen even more clearly that Lady Macbeth has no conscience, or if she does it is lying dormant. Every time Macbeth begins to express his guilt and dismay, his wife cuts him off and says something like ‘These deeds must not be thought/ After these ways: so, it will make us mad.’ (Act II, scene ii, lines 33-4). She is also very much in control of herself and the situation, unlike the verbally incontinent Macbeth (see Act II, scene iii, lines 105-15). When she sees that Macbeth is about to give them away with his babbling, she prudently pretends to faint to draw attention away from him. The banquet and the murder of Banquo take place in Act III. Here we see Macbeth all but fall to pieces when he sees the ghost of the murdered Banquo sitting in his place at the table. Lady Macbeth however, had nothing to do with Banquo’s murder. Now it seems that Macbeth does not need his wife to push and chivvy him anymore- he thinks of and plans evil deeds without help. In this act Lady Macbeth only serves to cover up for her husband when he starts rambling and talking to the ghost. Her domineering character is not needed anymore and her role has dropped from that of the dominant wife, to a smiling one, concealing her husband’s evil deeds. Even at this early stage Lady Macbeth shows signs of growing weaker. In the first 2 acts, she was the one in charge, telling her husband what to do and laying all the plans. But now she seems to depend on him more, e.g. Act III, scene ii, line 45 ‘What’s to be done?’ Lady Macbeth is actually asking her husband what to do, but Macbeth tells her to ‘be innocent of the knowledge’. Macbeth is withholding information from her, and yet she is not upset. It is the beginning of the end for Lady Macbeth. She even regrets what they have done, because of the niggling doubts and insecurities she has about the safety of their position. ‘Nought’s had, all’s spent, Where our desire is got without content ‘T is safer to be that which we destroy, Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.’ (Act III, scene ii, lines 4-7) Lady Macbeth is insecure and lives in ‘doubtful joy’ despite the eagerness with which she encouraged Macbeth to kill Duncan and seize the throne. She sees now the futility of merciless ambition, for she has obtained the power she desired, but cannot enjoy it because of the guilt that accompanies it. Lady Macbeth’s sanity seems to have propelled downward very fast, but as we see nothing of her in Act IV, and know nothing of the time span in which Act IV occurred; it is hard to say how quick it happened. In Act V however, ‘Since his majesty went into the field’, says the gentle woman, Lady Macbeth has been showing signs of erratic and insane behaviour- ‘I have seen her rise from her bed, throw her night gown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon ‘t, read it, afterwards seal it, again return to bed, yet all this while in a most fast sleep.’ In Act V we can see how much Lady Macbeth has changed since the beginning of the play. For in Act I she fears the light as it might show what she was doing, e.g. ‘Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry, â€Å"Hold, hold!†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (Act I, scene v, lines 48-52) Compare that statement with this- ‘DOCTOR How came she by that light? GENTLEWOMAN Why, it stood by her: she has light by her continually; ‘t is her command’ (Act V, scene i lines 17- 19) The darkness which she asked for and rejoiced in Act I now worries her, and she must always have light by her. Light is symbolic of goodness, and darkness of evil. She also continually rubs her hands, as if to clean them. This is clarified in her speech- she keeps saying things like ‘Out, damned spot! Out I say!’ as if speaking to the mark of blood. ‘What will these hands never be clean?’ She is speaking of when her hands were coated with blood when she had to go back and smear Duncan’s on his guards. Then she said ‘a little water clears us of this deed’ Now she says ‘all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.’ In act V, scene v the queen dies. Whether she kills herself or dies of natural causes it is unknown. But as the doctor said in Act V, scene i ‘Yet I have known those which have walked in their sleep, who have died holily in their beds.’ The insane, guilty woman who died at the end of the play was a far cry from the strong, hard, ambitious woman in the beginning.