Saturday, August 31, 2019

The Deep Vein Thrombosis Health And Social Care Essay

What is Deep Vein Thrombosis or good known as DVT. Did you of all time heard about blood coagulum? A status which a blood coagulum thrombus signifiers in a vena is known as venous thrombosis. Blood flow through the vena can be limited by the blood coagulum, ensuing in swelling and hurting. Most commonly occurs in the deep vena in the legs, thigh or pelvic girdle but it can still go on elsewhere in the organic structure ( Pai and Douketis, 2012 ) . The larger venas that go through the musculuss of the calf and thigh are deep leg venas. They are non the venas that we can see merely below our teguments, neither are the same as varicose vena. Deep Vein Thrombosis is most common in grownups over age 60 but it can go on at any age every bit good. DVT normally can do intercalation when a portion or all of the blood coagulum in the vena breaks off from the site where it is formed and travel along the venous system. DVT can take to long lasting job. It can damage the vena and do the leg to br eeze through, swell, alter colour and leg sores after old ages. What cause deep vena coagulums to organize? Blood coagulum can organize in venas when you are inactive. For blink of an eye, coagulums can organize if you are paralyzed or sit while on a long journey. Surgery, hurt and malignant neoplastic disease besides can damage your blood vas and lead to blood coagulum. If DVT remain in the legs it can do a few complications including phlebitis and leg ulcer besides can take to pneumonic intercalation. Phlebitis is a status which blood coagulums with redness in superficial vena was seldom cause serious job but if blood coagulum in deep venas go on require instant attending because it can take to intercalation. Deep Vein Thrombosis can do the blood flow in the vena is partly or wholly blocked by the blood coagulum. The common site for DVT is in calf vena and a thigh vena is less normally affected while DVT is seldom happen in other deep venas. There are few alternate names for DVT such as thromboembolism, post-phlebitic syndrome or post-thrombotic syndrome. A pneumonic intercalation is a dangerous complication and long-distance flights may lend to the hazard of DVT or besides known as economy-class syndrome. Coronary bosom disease, being overweight or corpulent, coffin nail smoke, gestation, household history of DVT or recent surgery or hurt besides can take for DVT to go on. A DVT is frequently merely a one-of event after a major operation has been done. However, some people who develop a DVT have an on-going hazard of a farther DVT. If have a blood curdling job or continued stationariness, so everybody are advised to seek for a medical attention or take anticoagulation such as heparin inj ection ( after which they are prescribed Coumadin ) to avoid farther complication.LITERATURE REVIEW2.1 Histopathology Histopathology refers to the microscopic scrutiny of tissue in order to analyze the manifestations of disease. Examination of a biopsy or surgical specimen by diagnostician, after the specimen has been processed and histological subdivisions have been topographic points onto glass slides besides can good depict about the histopathology. Sing with DVT, its histopathology is rather complex to understand. Differential diagnostic considerations prior to thrombolytic intervention and surgery should include tumors. Definitive diagnosing can be achieved by a biopsy but CT and MRI besides bring rather a function in naming DVT. However, CT and MRI merely such a waste when the disease is at an advanced phase because any of these scrutinies should be done in the early phase of disease. Based on Phlebol ( 2006 ) , soleal vena was the most frequent site of DVT. At first, primary thrombi would be formed at soleal venas, so its will propagate to proximal venas. The proximal venas would be occluded by fresh thrombi, thenceforth secondary thrombi were made at non-drainage calf venas. Paterson and McLachlin found that most venous thrombi consisted of two parts. One of it is composed preponderantly of fibrin and trapped red blood cell while the other one are composed largely by aggregative thrombocytes. The fibrin-rich parts that attached the thrombi to the vas wall, while the platelet-rich parts localized farther from the site of fond regard. These show that activation of curdling system come before thrombocyte activation and aggregation during the formation of venous thrombi ( Lopez et al, n.d ) . Based on that inf ormation, we know that the usage of anti-platelets drug in venous thrombosis is really limited. Histopathology grounds in DVT shows that coagulation occurs on or nearer to the endothelial surface. When curdling starts on the endothelial surface, thrombocytes may be regrouped to the fibrin coagulum rich in thrombin through adhesive interactions and it will ensue to farther thrombus growing. Based on everything that stated above, we can state that the thrombocyte aggregation localize to parts of the coagulum that are far off from its site of attachment and anti-platelet drugs such as acetylsalicylic acid has prove that it can cut down the hazard of DVT in our cherished life. 2.2 Causes and Risk Factors Deep Vein Thrombosis occurs when a blood coagulums signifiers in a deep vena in our organic structure. DVT ever go on in the legs but it can still go on in your weaponries, thorax, or other countries of your organic structure. The blood coagulum can barricade our circulation or Lodge in a blood vas in our lungs, bosom, or other portion of our organic structure and can do terrible organ harm and can take to decease. This subject will uncover about every causes and hazard factors that can take to DVT. There are many causes and hazard of DVT. Some of that are: A individual will hold DVT when a vena & A ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢s inner liner is damaged. There are many factors that can take to this hurt. For instant it can be cause by physical, chemical, or biological factors. Besides, surgery, serious hurts, redness and immune responses besides can be the causes to it. DVT can besides go on when the blood flow is sulky or slow. Stationariness or deficiency of gesture can do sulky or slow blood flow. This status ever occurs after the surgery, bed remainder for a long period and holding a long journey that take a long clip. A status which blood is thicker or more likely tend to coagulate than normal ( thrombophilia ) besides can ensue in DVT. This is due to familial status such as V Leiden factor that increase the hazard of blood curdling. Apart from that, endocrine therapy or birth control pills besides can increase the hazard of blood coagulum. The preventive pill and endocrine replacing therapy ( HRT ) has little increased hazard of DVT since the oestrogen in it can do the blood to coagulate somewhat more easy. Peoples with malignant neoplastic disease or bosom failure can besides increase the hazard for DVT. Usually, probe looking for the cause of DVT may demo malignant neoplastic disease to be the implicit in cause. Older people over the age 60 old ages besides probably to hold DVT peculiarly if they have hapless mobility or holding a serious unwellness that can halt them to make a batch of action. Pregnancy besides increased the hazard for DVT to go on. Normally, within six month after they give birth or while they are pregnant. Dehydration will increase the opportunities for DVT because the blood becomes more gluey an apt to coagulate. As a male, safeguard should be taken because work forces tend to develop a DVT more frequently than adult females. Bing an corpulent individual besides can take to DVT. There are many causes and hazard of DVT that we are incognizant of it for the certain time.DVT can go on anyplace in our organic structure portion and besides can assail everybody in different ages but older people are more vulnerable to it. The most hazardous patient to hold DVT is after holding a surgery because the blood can easy coagulate if it non cared in a good ways. Lack active individuals besides are in a high hazard of DVT since it will do the blood to flux easy and easy to coagulate. DVT besides can be inherited and incorrect pill intake besides can ensue in DVT. In easy word, there are many causes and hazards that can take to DVT and every citizen around this universe should take every safety safeguard to avoid DVT. 2.3 Incidence and Comparison There are many people around this universe that have experience DVT. About 2 million Americans have experienced DVT each twelvemonth without they are recognizing it. Based on Convenient option for DVT ( 2012 ) , the exact incidence of DVT is still unknown in Malaysia but there is turning grounds that DVT is non uncommon in Asians. Based on necropsy surveies, hospital audits of admittance to major infirmaries and besides subclinical DVT in high hazard state of affairss such as after major joint surgeries show that there is increase of the incidence. Harmonizing to Prof Hatem Salem, Head of Department, Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, there is sedate misconception that DVT is rare in Asians because he finds out that Asians excessively are at hazard of DVT ( Convenient option for DVT, 2012 ) . Normally, DVT happen after post-surgeries and a few studies have appeared with high incidence of DVT in orthopaedic patients comparable to Western survey. Dhillon, Askander and Doraisamy ( 19 96 ) suggest that the present pattern of keep backing everyday prophylaxis against thromboembolism in Asiatic patients undergoing bad orthopedic process should be reconsidered. In Western states, DVT occurs in 45 % to 84 % of patients after hip and articulatio genus surgery in the absence of prophylaxis ( Stulberg et al, 1984 ) but there is a steadfast belief that the complications is rather rare in Asiatic patients. Lack of consciousness in Asia of a status that become one of the chief slayer factors in West is due to the religion that thromboembolic disease is rare in Asia. Since DVT ever have been linked with post-operative so every patient that have undergoes surgery should take a good attention of their wellness to avoid DVT. However, there are few sentiments that stated DVT is rare in Asians and the first study was made by Tinckler in 1964 stated that there is rareness of post-operative DVT and pneumonic intercalation in Asians ( Tun et al, 2004 ) . A survey that has been made in a few Asians state like Malaysia, Hong Kong and Japan besides show that there is low incidence post-operative DVT has happened around this state. A few incidences in Asiatics can be taken to do a comparing with the Western to demo differences in frequence of DVT in this universe. In developed states of the Western country show that DVT and attendant pneumonic intercalation is still becomes the figure one menace to post-surgery while in Asian specifically in Malaysia show that there is still low incidence of DVT after the operation done. A survey has been made in United Kingdom to stand for Western hemisphere and Malaysia as Asian & A ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢s representator. In UK, Sandler and Martin found that 9 % of patients admitted to a general infirmary died and 10 % of these deceases were due to pneumonic intercalation that originated from DVT of lower limb. Based on a survey made in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia on 45 patients, merely one positive DVT confirm among 45 patients that have been observed. There is merely 2.2 % and this good consequence show incidence of DVT among patient in Asia is still low ( Tun et al, 2004 ) . In a nut shell, the incidence of postoperative DVT in Asiatic patients is non low as is normally believed and besides it is non high like we know. Larger surveies are needed to settle this contention and happen out all the true fact sing this affair. Based on survey that has been made above, everyday pattern of keep backing prophylaxis in Asiatic patients undergoing bad orthopedic process should be reconsidered. We can reason that DVT is still low in Asians but we should be cognizant of DVT in the hereafter because it is excessively hazardous to take this affair as little things. 2.4 Mortality and Morbidity If DVT is left untreated, there are many bad effects can go on and some of that can ensue in mortality and morbidity. There is short-terms morbidity in DVT such as cardiorespiratory effects that may detain ablactating from mechanical airing and there is besides long-run morbidity like patient-centered effects such as chronic venous inadequacy. Based on Vascular Medicine ( 1998 ) , short-run mortality for DVT patient is reported to run between 7 % and 15 % merely while long-run mortality has record a great figure of deceases for patient with DVT. In a Dutch survey of 355 patients, 90 died during follow up. Patients with a DVT are at hazard for morbidity and mortality since a fragment of the thrombus can embolize to the lungs. Anthony and Bon ( 2004 ) , suggested that about one half of patients with an untreated proximal DVT will develop a pneumonic intercalation within 3 months. In the yesteryear, contrast venography has been used to govern out DVT. Nevertheless, due to some job such as outgo of work force and clip, infinite and equipment and most significantly is it besides associated with morbidity, it was been terminated and been replaced with other machine that can get the better of this job. There are many indicants of short-run mortality of patients with DVT such as malignant neoplastic disease, pneumonic intercalation and major hemorrhage. There are besides many caused that can take to long-run mortality such as malignance, pneumonic intercalation, acute myocardial infarction, ischaemic shot and decoagulant related to bleeding. 2.5 Pathophysiology 2.6 Signs and Symptoms There are few symptoms to acknowledge DVT but frequently DVT occurs without any symptoms. The symptoms of DVT are related to obstructor of blood returning to the bosom and doing a pooling of blood in the leg. Patient with DVT will undergo puffiness of the affected leg and the leg may experience warm and look ruddy. Apart from that, patient calf or thigh may hurt or experience stamp if it is been touch or squeezing or when base or move. There are no symptoms appear if the blood coagulum is little and for some instances, Pulmonary Embolism is the first mark that confirm for DVT. Basically, it can be difficult to observe DVT since some of the symptoms are same with other wellness jobs. Sign and symptoms entirely are non plenty to find the DVT but when hazard factor is take under considerable, so it can assist to find likeliness of DVT. Some of the common mark and symptoms of DVT: Pain Swelling ( hydrops ) Tenderness Inflammation or tegument colour alterations Skin heat Stain Dilatation of venas surface Discomfort when the pes is pulled upward Leg weariness Signs and symptoms occur vary depending on the badness of the status and non all of these symptoms have to happen with deep vena thrombosis. 2.6.1 Conditionss That May Cause Similar Symptoms Patient is advised non to do any early premise in holding Deep Vein Thrombosis if they are undergo the symptom that stated above since there are a figure of different conditions that can do the same mark and symptoms like DVT. Some of the conditions are: Muscles achings and cryings Superficial thrombophlebitis ( blood coagulum that forms in an inflamed portion of a vena near the surface of the organic structure ) Varicose venas ( blood vass that are abnormally conceited and distorted Blood coagulums in arterias Arthritis ( redness of the articulation ) Cellulitis ( infection in tissue under the tegument ) Bone break Lymphedema ( swelling in the custodies and pess caused by extra unstable keeping ) Since DVT symptoms are rather same like other wellness job, patient demand to undergo specific process and particular trial to corroborate the diagnosing or regulation out the other job.Imagination MODALITIES3.1 First Line Evaluation 3.2 Second Line EvaluationIMAGES FEATURE OF PATHOLOGYTREATMENT AND PREVENTIONPrognosisDecision

Friday, August 30, 2019

Planning and Control

Table Of Content 1. Introduction Planning 3 2. Planning 3 2. 1Goals3 2. 2Plans4 2. 2. 1 The Planning Process5 3. Controlling the Management Process6 3. 1Steps in Control6 3. 2Areas of Control7 3. 3Characteristics of Control7 4. Conclusion8 Reference 1. Introduction Of the four fundamental tasks of management I have chosen to discuss the first and forth steps of management which are Planning and Controlling the management process. Planning is the basis for the rest of the management functions. The two core components in the planning stage are goals and planning process.Goals are the destination of the organisation, they indicate where the organization is heading, planning is the route mapped out to achieve the goals, the steps taken and the changes that are to be made in order for the organization to reach said goals Planning Planning promotes co-ordination in the company where all departments work together to reach the pre-determined goal. Therefore teamwork and interdepartmental co- operation and communication are essential to work toward a primary goal. Management plan and formulate goals which are later used to assess control .The cost of the planning process may be time consuming. A lot of time and energy is needed to plan and strategize goals, this may cause a backlog in the management schedule. Planning may become rigid, not allowing any time to stray from the plans even the budget does not allow for it. The formal planning phase may also become a routine rather than viewed as a challenge thus the initial vigour and creatively may diminish over time. 1. 1Goals Goals are the starting point of any planning phase; they start from a mission statement and grow more specific.Organisations may have multiple goals the type of goal set is influenced by the level at which it is set. Goals are either stated publicly or not, this is determined by the degree of openness of the company. Official goals are declared publically to the media. Operative goals are private goa ls which are kept within the organization. Criteria for effective goals to improve chances of success achieving goals, managers should ensure that goals are not ambiguous. The SMART framework states that goals should be specific Goals should be Specific, it indicates what the goal relates to -Measurable , result can be evaluated in quantifiable terms -Attainable, challenging yet realistic -Relevant, relates to organisations mission and strategy -Time Bound, specified time line to instil a sense of urgency A goal setting technique : Management by objectives is a technique whereby the individual and Management goals are integrated toward on primary goal. Advantages of MBO The efforts of managers and employees focus on attaining organisational goals The organisations performance can improve Employees are motivatedIndividual goals align with organisational goals Disadvantages of MBO Constant change in the environment can cause frequent change in organisational goals Poor relations betwe en managers and employees reduce the effectiveness of MBO Operational goals may displace strategic goals The organisational culture may discourage effective use of MBO MBO can result in too much paperwork 2. 2 Plans Plans are the ‘blueprints’ of achieving goals. It is an indicator of how goals are to be reached. It specifies resources to be used, the period in which the plans must be implemented.Managers consider many alternate plans of actions and choose one or a few plan of action that may be most feasible this includes External factors such as environment and market stability, strengths and weaknesses of the company and staff as a whole as It is best to work to the strengths of the company taking into account skills, patent, capital and the image of the organisation. 2. 2. 1 The planning process Variables set the parameters within which the managers can formulate realistic organisational goals and plans.Planning in context, uses five variables namely, purpose, Missio n statement, Environment, Values of Managers and Experience of Managers. In each organisation the purpose must be clear. The organisation must take into account its social responsibility, job creation and how to improve its product. The mission statement states a clear defined goal. The organisation is constantly adapting the economic environment may cause the plan to change, money may not be available to attain goal, a new route must be planned. Thus with Managers the organisational culture and work ethic must be in line with the organisations view and have relevant experience.Establish a goal, several different alternative plans are looked at of which the most feasible plan is selected. This plan is then implement and monitored, called reactive planning. Planning happens on three levels of the organisation, top level – long term strategic goals, middle level- medium term tactical goals, and lower level – short term operational goals for their department. There are di fferent types of goals and plans. Strategic, Tactical and Operational. Strategic goals and plans involve the company as a whole long term goals and not specific function or operation.These aim to improve the image of the company and market the product to the masses to increase business opportunity strengthen the company and foundation in the market place by increasing sales and demand of the product. Tactical Goals, for middle management for functional area goals and how to carry out these tasks. These are medium or short term goals derived from the long term goals and are focused goals. Operational goals , are short term goals no longer than a year that deal with the day to day running of the company which are unit goals and operational standards.These require programs that are followed, targets to be reached, budgets and projects that need to be completed. 2. Controlling the management process The forth step of fundamental management where the assessment of actual performance agai nst planned performance initiates a new cycle of planning, organising , leading and control. Organisations use controls to ensure that they progressing toward their goals. Although it is the final step it forms the basis of a new cycle as it gives feedback as to what is working and what needs to changed. The purpose of control is to align goals and actual performance.Control helps organisations adapt to environmental change, helps limit error, ensures companies cope with growing complexity most importantly It helps minimizes financial implications. 3. 1 Steps In Control Establish performance standards at strategic point and is a mirror image of planning, as the plans indicate the goals and setting of standards or norms necessary for control. Measuring actual performance is based on assessing quantifiable, reliable results before any valid comparisons are made. Evaluate deviations the results are measured to assess if the target is near or far from the goal.At this stage the gap betw een below average, level or exceeds expectations are evaluated Take corrective action, the results are evaluated and strategy adjusted to achieve required result. 3. 2 Areas of control Most organisations define areas of four different types of resources, Generally human, financial physical and information resources are deployed to achieve specific goals. Physical control, are the inventory items like raw material deliveries on time so that production is not interrupted. Quality control, involves the product is made without fault.Human resources involves orderly placement and selection of staff , using regular job performance evaluations to make sure the standards are not slipping. Information resources are the accurate marketing and forecasting of the product, financial resources are the budgeting. Financial resources are at the centre of control as it enables and restricts the amount of control and planning executed by the company due to affordability. 3. 3 Characteristics of effec tive control system Integration – control system is more effective when it is integrated with planning.The closer links between control and planning the better the eventual control system will be. Flexibility – the system should be able to accommodate change . adjustments that are not regarded as deviations but rather revision of plans. Accuracy – provides an accurate objective, errors and deviations should not be concealed in the data. Timeliness control data should be supplied regularly as needed and not be taken hastily. Simplicity – a complex system is viewed as an obstacle because they can have a negative influence on the sound judgement of competent managers.Too much information can be demotivating and place great demand on time and attention of management which means that the control will become too expensive. Conclusion. The Importance of Goals are that they are unidirectional, meaning that the company moves towards a primary goal using a clearly formulated action. Planning ensures that the company has the resources to reach their goals and controlling the processes is the ever changing adapting process to keep the company on track to achieve the intended goal. REFERENCE : INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS MANAGEMENT; TOIT, ERASMUS, STRYDOM; OXFORD UNIVERSITY ; EIGHTH EDITION

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Skills Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Skills Development - Essay Example Additionally, it is a task of knowing your personal weaknesses, coming up with plans of action on how you can improve them (Lumley and Wilkinson, 2014, p.1). Lumley and Wilkinson (2014, p.1) add that there are more graduates looking for jobs, therefore, a person needs to have distinct features in order to stand out of the crowd. Graduates need to provide distinctive evidence that they not only possess transferable skills, but also special kind of mindsets. Basically, a key factor for employment is a person’s mindset, which is characterized by varied attitudes that are often demonstrated through a range of activities. For example, the extracurricular activities that people engage in. Richard (2009, p.7) advises that, the development of accounting staff should not be neglected as this can be a long term detriment to a business. The fresh graduate’s portfolio needs to have a multiple knowledge base with a range of skills that are acquired through the university curriculum and then consolidated by practice. Indeed, a variety of technical skills assist professional accountants to satisfy their employers by conducting their work efficiently and effectively. Essentially, functional and technical skills involve a range of general skills and skills that are specifically tailored to the field of accountancy. The skills required include, risk analysis and decision making, numeracy skills, measurement skills, reporting skills, and compliance with regulatory and legislative necessities (Oussii and Klibi, 2013, p119). The accounting profession has faced a close scrutiny due to failure of high-profile corporates, globalization, and mutable technologies. As a result, more employers are in quest of a diverse range of attributes and skills as a requirement to offer employment (Kavanagh and Drennan, 2008, p. 280). K avanagh and Drennan (2008, p. 280) assert that,

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Letter - Assignment Example Should the misunderstanding between Felicia and Curt persist, E&Y is most likely to lose its highly esteemed clients because of the eminent and unprofessional attendance they experience. It is appreciable that Felicia has been a great mentor and serves diligently as the client team leader at E&Y for two and a half years. Being the Department Supervisor, your immediate attention is critical to addressing the situation. Your actions are also important to getting a viable resolution to the disagreement that would enable the two work efficiently and in coordination. Therefore, there is necessity that you schedule for another meeting in which you will resolve the contentious issue affecting E&Y. In addition, a meeting with Felicia and Curt would help solve their existing disagreements and subsequently prevent future challenges to attending to clients at E&Y. Moreover, peace would remain maintained within our department besides enhancement of the relationship between Tulsa office of Ernst & young and E &Y client Midcontent

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Managing in a mized economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managing in a mized economy - Essay Example This therefore means that management of an entity would have to set up a system of delegation and working that would enable individuals within an organisation to extract resources from the society, process it and then sell it to members of the society. Most organisations are either publicly or privately owned (Gadkari, 1997). However, there is a growing trend of social entrepreneurship. 'Social entrepreneurship' is a term linked to the activists, NGOs, policymakers, international institutions and corporations which address a range of social issues in innovative and creative ways (Nicholls, 2006). Management techniques are adapted to be able to give all organisations guidelines and codes of best practices to apply in the setting up and running of successful businesses (Montana & Charnov, 2008). Management encourages the people with power and authority in organisations to set up permanent systems and structures as well as periodic targets and ends and ensure that they are attained thro ugh leading, co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation (Witzel, 2004). In this sense, management gives sufficient tools, techniques and guidance that can enable people in all forms of organisations to attain results. This means that management just gives people in authority the right and ideal standards and techniques to attain the standards and targets they set. This therefore means that management in public, private and voluntary organisations are essentially the same. However, Holley et al (2009) state that management in public, private and voluntary organisations are different because of the inherent nature of these forms of business. First of all, the public sector is set up by the government to provide services to the public at little or no costs. On the other hand, private businesses are set up to render a service to the society with a view of maximizing the profits of the owners. Voluntary organisations on the other hand, are set up by non-governmental entities to provide ser vices to the public at little or no costs and are usually funded by philanthropic efforts. The structures of authority and establishment of these entities create inherent differences in these organisations that makes it inappropriate for a manager to use the management system that works for one class of entity on another. This is because the government's requirement from public sector organisations are not the same as those used by the shareholders of private companies. Also, the requirements of sponsors of voluntary organisations are very different from these two. This therefore makes it necessary for different management systems to be used in each of these cases. Holley et al (2009) state that monopolistic conditions often exist in the public sector. This is because few people provide the same service that public sectors do. This therefore means that the requirements and desires of the public sector are not very demanding. On the other hand, the private sector is very competitive. This is because an average business seeks to gain a larger market share in the face of competition from other businesses that provide similar goods and services to members of the public. This therefore means that a private sector organisation needs to remain competitive to survive into the foreseeable future. Voluntary organisations are also specialised in their nature and do not often face competition directly (Courtney, 2002). However, their supreme goal is

Monday, August 26, 2019

Choose two foreign policy failures and two foreign policy successes Essay

Choose two foreign policy failures and two foreign policy successes that the US has experienced since 1898 - Essay Example President Carter initiated talks with the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and the Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp Davis in 1978. The peace treaty entailed Israel withdrawing from the Sinai Peninsula and US troops would monitor to ensure there would be no more attacks. In addition, Israel would initiate peace negotiations with Palestine. The treaty led to Israel withdrawing completely from the Sinai gulf. Also, The US government helped Israel to rebuild the Negev Desert Israel military base. Menachem and Anwar won the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize (Smith, 2014). Secondly, the Marshall Plan (1948-1951) entailed the USA extending aid worth 13$ billion to Western Europe. This treaty was a success because it propelled Western Europe’s growth of capital stock. Exchange rates stabilised, and prices were restored since the aid reduced massive shortages of resources. The Marshal Plan played a role in ensuring the stability and prosperity of Western Europe and also the formation of the current Eastern Europe (Block, 1977). Firstly, The American Foreign policies largely support and protect Israel. As a result, USA has tolerated Israel’s destruction and killing of Palestinians in a bid to maintain amicable relationships with Israel. . The tolerance is an indication of foreign policy failure since it does not uphold the main aim of foreign policies which is to uphold peace in all nations. Also, moral and ethical decay is evident leading to lack of trust between USA and Arab nations. The American Veto power in the UN has prevented the UN from charging Israel with the war crimes despite the 2,142 deaths of Palestinian nationals (Smith, 2014). USA has also gone against the general foreign policies by breaking international laws on Guantanamo MO bay and treatment of prisoners. The violation of human rights has tainted the image of USA as well as its credibility. America being at the forefront of the war

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Book Review - Essay Example This particular nature of history has been the subject matter of many a powerful writings through the years. Thus, we have one of the best literatures which deals with the aforementioned characteristics of history with the specific examples of the African-American context in the book Race and Revolution by Gary B. Nash. Nash, a prominent social historian, through the extra ordinary ways of description and analysis, deals with many such related issues in his book. Leon F. Litwack, author of Been In The Storm So Long, makes the following observation on the blurb of the book Race and Revolution by Gary B. Nash. â€Å"The best history makes a difference in how we think about and feel the past. Race and Revolution is an important, tough-minded, provocative group of essays that contributes to our understanding of the most debilitating virus in the American system. Not only has Gash Nash illuminated the critical challenge of race and slavery in the revolutionary era and ‘the most tra gic failure’ of American leaders, but he has brought to the forefront the long ignored role of black revolutionists in the early struggles for freedom.† (Gary 1990). In the book Nash, a professor of history at the University of California, Los Angeles, presents three wonderful essays in the title ‘The Revolutionary Generation Embraces Abolitionism,’ ‘The Failure of Abolitionism’ and ‘Black Americans in a White Republic’ and sustaining annotated documents for each of the chapter dealing with the ignored subject of slavery all through the Revolutionary era. Race and Revolution can be treated as an incisive reading of the revolutionary peoples early efforts to make clear their obvious opposition to slavery and the characteristic features of their revolution. The book also looks into the eventual compromises of the people which made the society undamaged but gave the protection of the government following the tear

An Analysis Based on Marks and Spencer Annual Reports Essay

An Analysis Based on Marks and Spencer Annual Reports - Essay Example In 2007, Cash inflow from continuing operating activities had been increased by '259 million. Cash inflow from continuing operation in 2008 has been decreased by '206.6 million that has reflected a higher working capital outflow. In 2007, there was reduction in cash outflow on leasehold repayments as compared to 2006 and hence it resulted to an increase in the working capital which was accounted to be '114.1 million. Non Financial Performance Marks and Spencer's stores in UK are highly sophisticated and are established in such a way that it can offer most convenient shopping to the customers. According to the latest survey' Over 21 million people visit Marks and Spencer's stores each week' is highly important in a fluctuating market where competition among groceries and other large scale retailers are fierce (Your M&S- 2008) Amenities including vehicles parking and restaurants are available at its most stores. Around 300 Marks and Spencer stores in UK are equipped with entrance cameras that can record the number of people who visit the stores. It is helpful to establish the ratios between the visits numbers and sales. The annual report details its strategies that it is changed and technologies are upgraded in order to capture customer footfall more accurately. Marks and Spencer has introduced thermal image cameras in its stores that are more sensitive in picking up flow of individuals and separating groups of people as they walk into the stores (Your M&S-2008). The annual reports also indicate that Mystery Shopping strategy is another way used by Marks and Spencer in order to evaluate the service qualities and convenient shopping... This essay stresses that Marks and Spencer’s stores in UK are highly sophisticated and are established in such a way that it can offer most convenient shopping to the customers. According to the latest survey’ Over 21 million people visit Marks and Spencer’s stores each week’ is highly important in a fluctuating market where competition among groceries and other large scale retailers are fierce (Your M&S- 2008) Amenities including vehicles parking and restaurants are available at its most stores. Around 300 Marks and Spencer stores in UK are equipped with entrance cameras that can record the number of people who visit the stores. It is helpful to establish the ratios between the visits numbers and sales. As the paper declares the annual report details its strategies that it is changed and technologies are upgraded in order to capture customer footfall more accurately. Marks and Spencer has introduced thermal image cameras in its stores that are more sensitive in picking up flow of individuals and separating groups of people as they walk into the stores. The annual reports also indicate that Mystery Shopping strategy is another way used by Marks and Spencer in order to evaluate the service qualities and convenient shopping possibilities. Each of the stores will be anonymously visited once a month by the experts. Marks and Spencer has created a broad approach towards customer orientation programs. ‘Marks and Spencer’s new manifesto campaign goes a step further by introducing powerful messages on provenance and healthy eating.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

E-commerce And Marketing Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

E-commerce And Marketing - Coursework Example ling goods and services may prefer internet services in marketing and doing economic transaction with other businesses or to customers because of its efficient and effectiveness to the consumers or the suppliers. E-commerce and marketing have played an important role in marketing and promoting businesses throughout the world through websites namely Facebook, blogs, YouTube and twitter etc. this social media websites provides opportunity to connect and to communicate with customers all over the world on a more personalized. This report also tries to evaluate how marketing and e-commerce websites for companies provides viewers with fresh and updated information about new products, innovations, offers and programs that the company is undertaking at any moment (Dholakia, Nikhilesh). This provision of current and updated data to viewers encourages clients to visit the Company’s website, which results into increased sales and advice the company of any changes to be made to the produ ct or to the services for their satisfaction. When marketing services or products, a company must ensure that there is production and purchase of products and services at the right time by the consumers. These products must meet and deliver the required quality standards and performance specifications for the customers’ satisfaction that might be done through internet. In this process, companies must ensure it has sufficient stock that meets the demands of the customers. In addition, the products must reach the customers in a timely manner and a perfect condition. However the e-commerce and marketing process will enable the company to interact with customers and improves their satisfaction, as it establishes clear business strategy and process. The company does this by ensuring that it meets... This report stresses that E-commerce and marketing have had an important impact in Business-to-Business, Consumer to Consumer and Business-to-Consumer models of electronic commerce. Also the media is one of the key determinants of the purchasing decision of the present consumer. Consumers in the present society will want to look for information about a product or service from any available source that appears to be reliable. For many consumers, the media appears as one of the independent and reliable in situations that can offer information to the public without bias. Unfortunately, some media companies have taken advantage of the trust that consumers have bestowed on them, to manipulate the consumer into purchasing products and services unwillingly. This paper makes a conclusion that the media companies achieve this by delivering faulty information on the real identity of the products and services to the target market. E- Commerce is necessary to a business since it helps in spreading information from one person worldwide. Through this business have greatly marketed themselves and increased profit since the negative and positive responses they get encourages them to develop or maintain the loyalty of the customers. The author of the essay recommends the company to redesign the website requirements by considering the preferences of users rather than the company requirements.Through this business have greatly marketed themselves and increased profit since the negative and positive responses they get encourages them to develop or maintain the loyalty of the customers.

Friday, August 23, 2019

E-Commerce and the Value Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

E-Commerce and the Value Proposal - Essay Example The platform of e-commerce has emerged as one of the popular modes of performing related operations of retail chain businesses in an electric form. Notably, the activities in e-commerce include performing operations and making transactions with the use of internet. For several businesses, the platform of e-commerce is also used for gathering relevant information about consumer market and competitors’ actions amid the prime ones. The rationale behind conducting this study was to explore the benefits and identifying the challenges that Sainsbury’s experienced with respect to introduction of e-commerce in its business process. Besides, further supporting the assessment of the identified issues, certain recommendations has been made that will certainly assist the business of Sainsbury’s to improve its operational process. Considering the fact that the platform of e-commerce has emerged as one of the beneficial approaches to reach more customers in highly conventional setting thus, apparently, the prospective to conduct this study was to explore e-commerce trend in the global retail market. Along with this prospect, the significance of conducting the study also laid in exploring the issues that Sainsbury’s faced within aggressive e-commerce trend in the marketplace by other competitive businesses. Rationale after the study resolution to recognised the problems of the corporation that can be positively to sustenance the company in developing its commercial procedure. Appropriately, this study will support the company.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The term illumination Essay Example for Free

The term illumination Essay In metaphysics refers to an ineffable state of knowledge or communion with a godhood or an absolute ideal. Because the state of illumination is, by nature, a deeply subjective experience, the quantification or definition of the state is difficult to execute through traditional expository methods or scientific investigation. Illumination is a desired state for mystic who maintain the practice of putting oneself into, and remaining in, direct relation with God, the Absolute, or any unifying principle of life. Mysticism is inseparably linked with religion. Because of the nature of mysticism, firsthand objective studies of it are virtually impossible. (Mysticism, 2004) Rather, what can be known, second-hand, about the illuminative state is gleaned through the expression of mystics,artists, poets, and writers who express their subjective apprehensions through various means, often utilizing complex and mythologically driven symbolic systems of reference. The language of mysticism is always difficult and usually symbolic. This is readily seen in the Song of Songs in the Old Testament, in the book of Revelation in the New Testament, and in the writings of William Blake. Mystics, especially those of the Roman Catholic and the Islamic traditions, have made use of a terminology borrowed from ordinary human love. (Mysticism, 2004) In many cases, illumination is closely affiliated with established mystical traditions (as in Zen Buddhism) and also with established religious traditions (such as Roman Catholicism). In all cases, illumination is regarded as a step on the road to union with God or the ideal, but not a conclusion or attainment of the goal in and of itself. In this regard, illumination stands closely in hand with another mystical state known as purgation where the soul undergoes a painful cleansing of its impurities in order to enter into union with God or the ideal. Illumination can be Illumination page -2- regarded, metaphorically, as the light which shines through the cleaned window of the soul, as it has been cleared through the purgative state. The two states are seen as continuing and sometimes overlapping. (Mysticism, 2004) The basic pattern for the path to mystical union with God or the ideal can be generically rendered, although the specific differ widely throughout geographic and culturally specific traditions and beliefs. At the core of the mystical journey, involving periods of illumination, several key archetypal aspects can be cited: The soul undergoes a purification (the purgative way), which leads to a feeling of illumination and greater love of God[ ] after a period the soul may be said to enter into mystical union with God[ ] an ecstatic state to a final perfect state of union with God. (Mysticism, 2004) The process above is quite generally envisioned and the above description is probably as close to anything like an objective account of what mystical experience is and what its goals are; the illuminative feeling indicates that the mystic has successfully enjoined the path to union with God or the ideal. However, it is not the final union with God or the ideal and its ecstacy are not particularly connotative of what mystics have imagined the final union with God or the ideal to be, once actually attained. Rather, illumination is a state of awareness and knowledge that blossoms from mystical communion with God or the ideal. It is not a linear knowledge:We have illumination which is no mere deduction from previous knowledge; but the illumination is at the same time like a leap of recognition. This may throw some light on the problem we noticed earlier the relation between faith described in terms of the energizing of the Holy Spirit, and mans efforts of reason. (Emmet, 1945, p. 133). Illumination page -3- The distinction between ordinary rationality and mystical illumination is an important one, for knowledge that is derived by linear reason is often interpreted by humanity as an achievement of humanity alone, whereas illuminative knowledge gleaned from communion with God or the ideal often comes like a bolt out of the blue and transcends not only individual ego, but racial, national, and cultural biases as well: Thus the community whose way is defined by Torah looks to the moment when Moses stood on Sinai; the Christian Church sees its life as continuing Gods act of reconciliation Prophet as the community of the faithful, committed to God in submission to the stark majesty of His Transcendence; Buddhists look to the moment of illumination under the Bo tree, when Buddha saw the way of release from the restlessness of finite existence. (Emmet, 1945, p. 156). Just as scientific or other types of linear knowledge may cast world-changing ideas or technologies into the flow of history, the mystical tradition reminds humanity that we are all united in the truths of the highest ideals, in the love of God. Illumination often transports the mystic not only to euphoric feelings of ecstacy, but important realizations about the nature of human existence and how human tragedy and pain can be minimized and sometimes overcome. From important illuminations come new ways of living in relation to the transcendent, which have given form to new ways of feeling and of thought. These were not reached by general reflections on the general character of experience but born out of the devotion of individual seekers who looked inward to find the illuminative power and phenomena which every mystic believes emanates directly from God or the ideal. (Emmet, 1945, p.156). The verifiable impact of religious and philosophical movements and doctrines that began in the subjective state if illumination are evidence that illumination represents a process of human reason and knowledge which is as important as linear modes. References Mysticism. (2004). In The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed. ). New York: Columbia University Press. Emmet, D. M. (1945). The Nature of Metaphysical Thinking. London: Macmillan Co. Ltd.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Basic personality of an individual

Basic personality of an individual Its very important for an individual to know about his personality. â€Å"Personality has been defined as an individuals characteristic patterns of thought, emotion, and behaviour, together with the psychological mechanismshidden or notbehind those patterns†. No two persons can be the same they differ at any point even the twins possess different personality behaviour. Over period of research analysis it was found out that the personality is determined by the Heredity, Environment and Situation of the individual. (Robbins Judge, 2009) I have never thought of what my personality is, so when i was asked to write an essay on what my personality was it was just a great task for me to writing about my personality. Later with the help of Prentice Halls Self Assessment Library i came to know a little about my personality. At first it seemed to be a normal one for me to attend the test but later after seeing the results had me to take the test seriously and was involved in the test to find my personality. So with the help of this Self Assessment test, this essay will be discussing my personality behaviour and the thing that motivate me in the job environment. My basic personality: Emotional stability, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and openness to experience. These are called as Big Five models of personality (Robbins Judge,2009).Emotions are the intense feelings that are directed at someone are something. I am always enthusiastic person but becoming a calm person by and by. I always lose my calmness easily but by doing some personality development classes I have started being a calm person and enthusiastic person. When a work is assigned to me and if it is capable of me to work i do it with enthusiasm and finish it. I am a person who thinks that the responsibility is achieved and cannot be taken. It is us who are responsible for ones future and about dependability to say I depend on many sources like my friends, elders during some actions. As I used to like in the residential campus from my schooling so in the starting days i used to be an introvert person being alone and used to talk to only few persons but by and by as the time passes I changed myself into an extrovert person and started getting together with other persons and like the company of others. I am also not an openness person because comfortableness is found in the ones which are familiar to me rather than the ones that are not familiar to me. Jungian 16-Type Personality: This test tells that my score result is ENTP which means i am an innovative, individualistic, versatile and entrepreneurial. I have an idea of establishing an sole business for profits and also like to face risks and take challenges it was easy forme to adopt to the surrounding and I am an person who does not like to be independent and like to be a fellow person in a group rather than a some person in a group. Am I a Type-A? : In this personality test i achieved A+ personality type. I believe that it reflects only some of my qualities like that aggressive, moving, walking, eating rapidly and the impatient quality and job satisfaction in routine and really on speed. As of doing work i dont like to do both things at a time but rather like concentrating on each thing and like to work out in groups I dont like to wok on long term results but rather like to work on fast yielding results.. Ambiguity: Ambiguity refers to the term doubtfulness or uncertainty. This can be interacted as the uncertainty in the behaviour of the person seen at different situations. (Ritov and Droary, 1996) I do agree with the test partially as it reflects my personality because i tend to be more comfortable in front of the known people rather than the ones whom i dont know. I like the things going in the same way rather than changing immediately. But this one is worked out to be only outside the organization but within the organization the result reflects my personality. So for me the result reflects my personality in the work place or an organization because I like to work in a group if i am uncertain of what i am i cant be friendly to the other people. So by this I cant say that i can handle ambiguity depending on the circumstances around me. Creativity: Creativity is one of the finest ability to survive in the present world. â€Å"Roger von Oech Creative thinking involves imagining familiar things in a new light, digging below the surface to find previously undetected patterns, and finding connections among unrelated phenomena.†Ã‚   I am not an creative person but was good at studies and score good percentage but the creative ability is very less in me .During my group presentation I could find the things that are available only but could not come up with anything new which my fellow mates could come up with on a particular idea. Hence i can judge to myself that i am low at creative thinking Being creative is seeing the same thing as everybody else but thinking of something different All the five assessments test discussed above are about my personality now we will discuss about the things that motivate me and there insights. The first test is about what Motivates Me? Motivation means â€Å"The process that accounts for an individuals intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal†. (Robbins Judge, 2009: 175).The key elements in motivation are Intensity, Direction, Persistence. For the test the analysis was made on the Growth, relatedness and Existence needs. I prefer to be given an loyal pay for the work done that was done me rather than adjusting with the unbalanced pay and if you are paid according to the work this would motivate you and make you to work hard .It was during my job as a marketing sales executive where my boss called everyone up and said he would be giving an bonus payment for the ones who makes more sales for every three months, this announce by the boss has made everyone to work hard and it helped everyone on both sides. Dominant Needs: The dominant test was carried out on four social needs Achievement, Affiliation, Autonomy, Power. I agree with the test result because i am so much focused to excel in my studies during my under graduation time because of my failure in a unit ,so during the next exam I thought to improve myself and perform better than the past result and achieved it and the similar one is being following in my life like doing the things with comparing the past results. Even the companies take the past result into consideration and plan the present strategy. The other social needs are still satisfactory for me. On the test result of what i value most? It Is a very good test question for me because it reflects most of my ideas in doing or choosing an job at an organization. As of the result shows my ideas of an ideal job whether it is a good pay, prestigious title, vacation time, security in job, recognition,interesting work, plesent working conditions friendly co-workers but i scored quite low in the flexible schedule which says that i like to work in an designed schedule rather than frequent changes. The next test is Whats my view on the nature of people? This test result was based on the Douglas McGregors Theory X and Theory Y. It is said by the Douglas McGregors that the person with Theory X possess to be lazy, disinterest in working while the Theory Y is quite contradictory to Theory X. Persons with Theory Y tend to work interestingly and are very responsible in their work.Based on the scores of the result the personality of a person is divided evenly. According to the assessment test result I am flexible in the selection of my senses. An example for this can be during the group formation of a particular unit. Each and everyone are new for me and I have no idea of their knowledge, personality and behaviour. Few of them looked to be smart , not active, lazy and thought I had fallen in an unexpected group and have decided to try my luck in the group but as the timed passed by the group was more friendly and everyone are quite different from what I judged. The next test is on the course performance goals? The test is basically trying to test our reasons to study and whether it is an goal oriented study course work or not. I have come to Australia from India for doing my Post graduation in Telecom and Business Management. As I want to explore my knowledge globally and three would be no sense if I have come here without any goal and waste my money. I have done my Under graduation in India and as have a goal of establishing an business and thought to establish that business in Australia. So thought to do my post Graduation in Australia which help me in two things like getting to know the Australian culture and will also be obtaining a study degree. The next question is about how confident am i in my Abilities to succeed? Without self confidence and hard work achieving goals is not easy. Robbins and Judge (2009) states that self-efficacy refers to an individuals belief that he or she is capable of performing a task .An example for this can be the recent job which i had got in an software company .My role is to call the customers and remind them to make their outstanding balances, at first when i started making calls i was so much shocked by the responses of the customers and as it a new challenge for me to compete i thought to withdrew from the job by the response of the customers but the team leader helped me in rising my confidence and after that the job was not as it is before . The next test is about my Attitude toward Achievement: this test helps in understanding the reaction of the individual on the success of the others. The scores tell me that i favour very less seeing the successful people fall. An example for this can be the present fall of an Indian originated MNC company SATYAM. The chairman of the company had worked hard to build-up the company but he had been cheating the company share holders from past few years showing fake annual results of the company. I do also like to see the successful people being rewarded. An example for this can be the Issue of Oscar award to the Indian Musician A.R.Rahman. I like to get paid for what i do and expect to be given the same importance as other who do the same work as I do. In a short and simple to say i expect the outcomes to be the same as the incomes of which i keep. The assessment result says my character as the equity sensitivities which is an mirror image of my quality and idea. The job motivation potential is calculated depending on the factors of skills,task identity,task significance,Autonomy and Feedback.I like to work in a job where there is variety ,less contribution moderate autonomy and a constant feedback for my work. During my job as an call centre operator i used to have variety tasks to complete and my contribution would be less for the company and used to get a constant feedback for every call I talk. Do I want an Enriched job? Everyone like to have a enriched job. â€Å"job enrichment strategies may not have the same effects in more collectivistic cultures than they do in individualistic cultures† (Robbins and Judge, 2009: 237).The result shows that i like have a job with innovation, security, friendly employees and my ability to excel. It would be wonderful thing to summarise my essay in few lines. With the help of this essay it was able for me to know my personality and motivation. My personality is an emotional stability one with a less creative knowledge and stress based and have ambiguity quality and need to reduce this. On for the ones that motivates me are the during my job is the good pay for the job ,friendly environment, power to do, security in the job, mindset of the people, aim oriented and the attitude towards the achievement and the level of confidence in achieving the goal.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Sexism In The Chinese Languages Cultural Studies Essay

Sexism In The Chinese Languages Cultural Studies Essay Language as a sociocultural phenomenon (Arndt et al, 1987) is closely associated with the social structure, values and norms of behavior. It arises with the formation of human society and varies with the development of social life. Such co-variation between language and society enables the linguistic phenomena to reflect the social customs and values of life. Gender differences and sexism in language reflect each specific social values, concepts and national modes of thinking. China has gone through a long history of feudal society in which women did not enjoy any prestige of social status. Sexism has pervasively existed in the Chinese languages and society and has reflected both in written and oral language. In the general linguistic literature, hundreds of popular and academic studies on language and gender have been conducted since the early 1970s in the United States, prompted by the womens movement. For the Chinese language and its dialects, during that period and into the 1980s, scant attention was paid to gender-differentiated speech aside from language variation research, in which sex is an important independent variable. Owing to the scarcity of adequate empirical research and on the pavement of prior literatures and studies on gender discrimination in Chinese culture and society, the article attempts to conduct a comprehensive study on the Chinese language by analyzing the Chinese word structures, lexicon and sociocultural contexts. Background Western linguists have been studying various aspects of sexism in the English language for several decades. Following the influential works by Robin Lakoff (1975), and Miller Swift (1977), and some others, many of the researchers began to identify and categorize types of sexism marked in linguistic features such as vocabulary, grammar, discourse, and even intonation (Baron, 1986). Recently scholars have turned their attention to sexism in Mandarin Chinese as well, finding remarkably similar sexism phenomena in linguistic aspects on Chinese words, vocabulary, idioms, and proverbs. (Shih, 1984). The most notable treatment of sexism in the Chinese language is that of Yan (2003) and Pan (2004), whose works have greatly influenced the direction of this article. Since the mid-70s, Chinese sociolinguists have presented this topic from several different perspectives. Current studies in this field have shifted its focus from single linguistic variables to context-specific connected speech, d rawing on approaches from discourse analysis and the ethnography of communication. Recent work also tends to be based more on empirical research rather than on casual observation or introspection. However, the studies of sex differences and language have been carried out in English-speaking societies. Relevant research on the Chinese language is still in its infancy. Moreover, very little has been done from the new perspectives on language and gender concerning the Chinese language. Sexism in Chinese character structures Chinese is one of the worlds longest-standing languages, whose characters are the important carriers of its culture that is the base on which Chinese words are shaped. Chinese is the worlds only existing language, which is characterized by ideography and which represents connotation by pictography. The Chinese pictographic words contain and convey plentiful cultural messages. One of the six categories of Chinese character formation is pictographs which display the meaning through directly depicting the appearance. Right from the early period of the word formation, the word à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³ (woman) in Chinese ancient oracle script (à §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ²Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ªÃ‚ ¨Ãƒ ¦-†¡ jiaguwen) emerged the low social status for women in ancient China. The hieroglyphic character shaped reflecting a kneeling woman with her hands crossed. When two points (breasts) are added, it becomes à ¦Ã‚ ¯Ã‚  (mother). Oracle Bone Script is one of the oldest known forms of Chinese written language. According to rece nt archaeological research, it dates back as far as 4,800 years ago. It was likely used from the Middle to the Late Shang dynasty. Oracle script was etched onto turtle shells and animals bones. The shape of these characters are often described as pictographic, in that they resemble stylized drawings of objects they represent. Such pictographic words illustrate that the females were in dominated position. The ancient pronunciation of the word à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³ (woman) was read à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ´ /nà º/ meaning slave, (connoting a woman à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³ with a big handà ¥Ã‚ Ã‹â€ ). In Chinese slavery society, daughters were used for debt mortgage. Afterwards, a great quantity of Chinese ideographic words combined with à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³ as feminine morpheme are formed mostly of discrimination. From the onset of Chinese character formation, it is obviously seen that the women in Chinese society were in low position. According to Modern Chinese Dictionary ( Wang et al, 1995), besides the single word à ¥  ¥Ã‚ ³ (woman), there are 202 words consisting of à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³ (woman) morpheme as the word root. Based on the statistics of some Chinese scholars, words with the woman morpheme are found in à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¾Ã… ¾Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ µÃ‚ ·Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ci Hai (literally translated Sea of Rhetoric, published in Hongkong, 1989) with a total of 257 words, in which 100 characters are of medium evaluation in realty, 35 of derogatory, 47 of praise and 18 of half-and-half praise or derogatory evaluation. Lets see some examples of this type à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³component which are detrimental to women : à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ /dà ¹/ (jealous)- woman à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³ + householdà ¦Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ·/hà ¹/; à ¥Ã‚ «Ã¢â‚¬ ° /jà ¬/ (envy) womanà ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³+ diseaseà §- ¾ /jà ­/; à ¥Ã‚ ¦- /yao/ (demon) womanà ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³ + die young à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ­ /yao/ ); à ¥Ã‚ ¨Ã‚ ¼ /chang/ (prostitute) womanà ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³+ flourishing à ¦Ã‹Å"Å’Â ¼Ã¢â‚¬ º à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å" /zhi/ (prostitute) womanà ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³+à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¯ bra nch store); and à ¥Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ² /niÇÅ ½o/ (flirt) (man + woman + man); à ¥Ã‚ «- /bià  o/ (act of visiting prostitutes); à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ¸ /jian/ (wicked or evil); à ¥Ã‹Å" / ping/ (have illicit relations or sexual intercourse with); à ¥Ã‚ «Ã…’ /xià ¡n/ (suspicion); à ¥Ã‚ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ º /yà º/ (give pleasure ) and so forth. In addition of the word structure with the left-side morpheme of woman mentioned, Chinese people, in cognition of up-down spatial system, have a tendency of superior-and inferior concepts and discrimination. The loss of female identity consciousness is superficial cause that emerges come into gender discrimination of Chinese character structures. For examples, à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ¾ /qià ¨/ (concubine)- consisting of set up à §Ã‚ «Ã¢â‚¬ ¹/là ¬/ and womanà ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³; à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ (absurd, arrogant); à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ¥ / tuÇ’/ (proper, suitable)à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ » /qi/ (wife); à ¥Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ª /jà ¬n/ (greed); à ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  /suÇ’/ (weak, play); à ¥Ã‚ ¬- /pi/ (show favour to); à ¥Ã‚ ¦ /jian/ (rape) and much more. Those are made of a à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³ (woman) morpheme and another component word. Such kind of words in the up-down structure occupy 3% of the total words with woman (Ci Haià £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¾Ã… ¾Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ µÃ‚ ·Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹, 1989). Chinese people ancest ors might have thought of peacefulness by positing women in a deep room under the roof ( à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã¢â‚¬ ° /an/). Such structure of à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã¢â‚¬ ° (peacefulness) further reflects obviously the male-dominance ideology in Chinese languages and society. If those words are dissembled ¼Ã…’they can be interpreted as womens common failing ¼Ã…’a gender-based failing to the exclusion of men ¼Ã… ½Those Chinese characters seem to pass on the message that women are characteristic of those negative emotions ¼Ã…’disposition ¼Ã…’and maneuver ¼Ã… ½ Sexism in the Lexicon and socio-cultural contexts Another biased representation of the sexes that concerns the portrayal of man as the norm and women as the appendage can be seen in Chinese lexicon. The article tends to focus on the manifestation of sexism from the angles of generic masculine, naming and addressing terms. The Chinese lexicon has many depreciative terms of address, a lot of which are directed at women. For example, a man can call his wife à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ º /nà ¨irà ©n/ (a person inside the home), means a woman can only stay at home without freedom of movement or engaging in political and social activities. Another termà ¨Ã‚ ³Ã‚ ¤Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ /jià  n nà ¨i/ illustrates the lower status of a woman as humble and lowly person inside home. à ¨Ã‚ Ã…  Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ µ/jingchai/ (thorn hairpin), meaning a woman who is very poor as she uses a thorn as her hairpin. à ¨Ã‚ ²Ã… ¾Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬  /zhenjià ©/ (chastity and virginity), these are specially prepared for women. Chinese lexicon has à ¨Ã‚ ²Ã… ¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¦ / zhenfà ¹/ (chastity woman) and à §Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¦ /jià ©fu/ (widow) but it has no à ¨Ã‚ ²Ã… ¾Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ · /zhennà  n/ (chastity man) and à §Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ · /jià ©nà ¡n/ (widower). This illustrates that in terms of sexual relationships, the chains are only obligatory to women. A man can remarry after his wifes death, and his newly-married wife is then called à ¦Ã‚ ·Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¦Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¿/tianfà ¡ng/ ( added room) or à §Ã‚ ºÃ…’à §Ã‚ µÃ†â€™/xà ¹xià ¡n/ ( continued string, meaning a woman who marries a widower). But there are no corresponding female-centered characters in Chinese in this regard; as a result. Chinese traditional principle of no posterity as the greatest of the three unfilial acts firmly legalizes the male dominance. The male-dominant trend of modern Chinese characterized by polysyllabic words are only aimed at or centered on men. The generic words like à ¦Ã‚ ³Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‹Å"/fÇÅ ½guan/ (judge), à ¥Ã‚ ·Ã… ¾Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚ ·/zhouzhÇÅ ½ng/ (governor), à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ²Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¶/zhà ¨ngzhi jia /(politician), à ¦Ã‚  Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚ ·/xià  ozhÇÅ ½ng/ (principal), à ©Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¨Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚ · /bà ¹zhÇÅ ½ng/ (minister), à ¥Ã‚ °Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ »Ã‚ /jiangjun/ (general), and à §Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ½Ãƒ §Ã‚ µÃ‚ ±/zÇ’ngtÇ’ng/ (president) are specially denoted and referred to male. When referred to female, the morpheme à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³ (female) /nà ¼/ is added to the existing as a prefix, such as à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ©Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¨Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚ · / nà ¼ bà ¹zhăng/ (ministress) à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ½Ãƒ §Ã‚ µÃ‚ ± / nà ¼ zÇ’ngtÇ’ng/(female president ) and so forth. The sexism in Chinese can be reflected on the order of word combination in volving sex. In collocation, many polysyllabic words denoting male are placed before those denoting female. For example, à §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³/nà ¡nnà ¼/ (man and woman or boy and girl), à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ «Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ » fuqi/ (husband and wife), à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³ /à ©rnà ¼/(sons and daughters). This mentality of regarding men as taking precedence over women exists not only in Chinese culture but also in Western culture. In Chinese lexicon, there is an imputation of sexual immorality to referents of the womans term, but with the mans term carrying very general ¼Ã…’usually favorable implication ¼Ã… ½Another astounding fact is that there are far and away more words for prostitutes than for their customers ¼Ã… ½In Chinese, many terms refer to a prostitute ¼Ã…’such as examples above ¼Ã…’but theres the only most frequently used for a man as à ¥Ã‚ «-/bià  o/ ¼Ã…’still with Chinese compound character à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³(woman) ¼Ã… ½ Like English, in Chinese, masculine pronouns are mostly used as a general reference. For example, à ¤Ã‚ »- /ta/ (he) referred to both generic gender. Similar cases include à ¤Ã‚ »-à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ º /tarà ©n/ (others), à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »-à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ º /qà ­ ta rà ©n/ (the rest). In speech, women like to express themselves as à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¶ /rà ©n jia/ (another person) instead of using I due to social expectation that women are said to be indirect and invisible. Sexism in Chinese sociocultural contexts can be observed in Chinese slang and idioms which also reflect the social ideology of less-dominance upon women. For example, Chinese has expressions à §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ·Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¥ / nà ¡n bà ¹ gen nà ¼ dà ²u/ ( man will not argue with a woman) or à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ… ¾Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ·Ã… ¸Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-à ©Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¥ / ji bà ¹ gen gÇ’u dà ²u/ (chicken will not fight with a dog), à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ­Ã‚ Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¾Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¾Ã‚ · /nà ¼ zÇ  wà º cà ¡i bià  n shà ¬ dà ©/ ( a woman of ignorance is a virtue, or an unaccomplished woman is a virtuous woman), à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã‚ ´ /nà ¼ rà ©n shà ¬ hà ¹o shdži/ A woman is a disaster-maker), and à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¦Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ² /san gà ¨ nà ¼ rà ©n yi tà ¡i xà ¬/ (Three women can stage a performance, equally English, many women, many word ). A common theme here is that women are liable to gossip ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ºthey are talkative ¼Ã…’and noisy. They are stereotyped as gossip- laden, tentative, discursive and fussy which again echoes how important language is to the social construction of gendered identity ¼Ã… ½ Conclusion Since human being existed on the earth, there have been presented two different genders-male and female. On account of the differences between their physiological features and the superiority and inferiority in social activities, men and women are differentiated from each other in individuality, value, image and status, which give rise to variations in their language styles and language uses. From these linguistic evidences of sex discrimination existing in the Chinese language and male-governed society, a woman was always in the less-dominant position. Sexism phenomena present in the formation of the language, but it originates from its sociolinguistics and socio-culture. The differences refracted from the linguistic aspects and sexism are not determined by natural property of the language itself, but are naturally refracted in the language by specific concepts of social values and national modes of thinking. Many attempts nowadays are made to eliminate as much as possible the gende r discrimination both in the cultural-linguistics and social identity. References 1. Carfleron Deborah. 1990. The feminist critique of Language. (2001) 2. Ci Hai (à ¨Ã‚ ¾Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ µÃ‚ ·,à ©Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¯), 1989. Rhetoric Dictionary, Hongkong. 3. Defeng, Yang. Chinese and Cultural Communication. Beijing: 2001. 4. Freeman ¼Ã…’R. and McElhinny ¼Ã…’B.Language and Gender. InMckay, L.S. Hornberger, H. N. (2001). Sociolinguistics and Language Teaching. Shanghai. 5. Modern Chinese Dictionary, 2001. Xiandai Hanyu Cidian, à §Ã… ½Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ±Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¸, à ¥Ã…’-à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¬Ãƒ ¦- °Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã… ½Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ º-à ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ º-à ¥Ã…’-à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¨Ã‚ ¡Ã…’à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â€š ¬,Xinhua Book Store, Beijing, 2001. 4. Sunderland, Jane. 2006. Language and Gender. Routledge, Taylor Francis Group. 5. Zhang, Aiping (à ¥Ã‚ ¼Ã‚  Ãƒ §Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ©Ã… ¸Ã‚ ³). 1995. Another look at the sajiao ¼Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° phenomenon. Manuscript, Ohio State University. Appendix 1 Some Oracle Bone Scripts found related to woman. ( pictographic words were found at http://www.shufa.org à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¸Ãƒ ¨- Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¶Ã‚ ²-à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¤Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ µÃ‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ «-à ¥Ã‚ £Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ (translated and arranged by Lam)

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Tragic Hero of Hamlet Essay -- Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

The Tragic Hero of Hamlet    Shakespeare's play, Hamlet illustrates the tragedy of a young prince's pursuit to obtain revenge for a corrupt act, the murder of his father.  Ã‚   As the exposition unfolds, we find Prince Hamlet struggling with internal conflict over who and what was behind his father's death.   His struggle continues as he awaits the mystic appearance of a ghost who is reported to resemble his father.   Suddenly it appears, proclaiming, "Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing / To what I shall unfold" (1.5.5-6).   The ghost continues to speak providing an important clue: "The serpent that did sting thy father's life / Now wears his crown" (1.5.38-39).   In short, this passage reveals evidence leading to the identity of whom Prince Hamlet must pursue in order to obtain revenge.   Moreover, Prince Hamlet's pursuit for revenge casts him into the role of a tragic hero, whose decision to feign madness enables the audience to see his tragic flaw, which seals his fate of destruction. Tragic heroes are characterized as the protagonists of a tragedy who begin in a state of happiness and fall into destruction.   The manner in which Prince Hamlet's happiness is affected, causing him to assume the role of a tragic hero is through the loss of his father, which drives him into a state of depression.   Also, the hasty remarriage of his mother, Queen Gertrude to his uncle, Claudius, the new king becomes significant, as he is reluctant to support this marriage.   His reluctance is portrayed later in the play as he speaks to Gertrude, saying, Look her upon this picture, and on this, The counterfeit presentment of two brothers.  Ã‚   See what a grace was seated on this brow: Hyperion's curls, the front of Jove himself, An eye like Mar... ...eare. Ed. Gerald Chapman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965. Epstein, Norrie. "One of Destiny's Casualties." Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. of The Friendly Shakespeare: A Thoroughly Painless to the Best of the Bard. New York: Viking Penguin, 1993. p. 332-34. Gooch, Bryan N. S. "Review of The Shapes of Revenge: Victimization, Vengeance, and Vindictiveness in Shakespeare." Early Modern Literary Studies 4.1 (May, 1998): 5.1-6   http://purl.oclc.org/emls/04-1/rev_goo6.html. Gordon, Edward J. Introduction to Tragedy. Rochelle Park, NJ: Hayden Book Co., Inc., 1973. Jorgensen, Paul A. "Hamlet." William Shakespeare: the Tragedies. Boston: Twayne Publ., 1985. N. pag. http://www.freehomepages.com/hamlet/other/jorg-hamlet.html Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. T. J. B. Spencer. New York: Penguin, 1996.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

KAL 801 :: essays research papers

Flight Synopsis Flight KAL 801 was scheduled to fly from Kimpo Airport in Seoul, Korea to A.B. Won Guam International Airport in Agana, Guam. The flight crew had met earlier to discuss the flight release, weather conditions and fill out all necessary paperwork. And on August 6th, 1997 at 9:27 PM the Boeing 747-300 departed Kimpo Airport for a three hour and fifty minute trip to Guam. The flight crew consisted of a captain, first officer and a flight engineer. The captain had several flight hours as a pilot in the Korea Air Force until Korean Air hired him in 1987. Not only did he have many hours flying a 747, he received a flight safety award from the company president, three months prior to the crash. He also earned two excellent evaluations in the simulator proficiency checks and passed the company’s mandatory Level three English test. In addition, the captain along with his first officer watched a video presentation based on the familiarization of the Guam Airport and studied approach charts several hours before the accident. (Krause, 2003) The first officer had also served in the Korean Air Force before joining the ranks with Korean Air in 1994. Although he was only two years younger than the captain, he had a high number of flight hours as a 747 first officer. However, his performances in the simulator evaluations were slightly above average. One instructor noted that his â€Å"altitude management on nonprecision approach was somewhat less than desirable† and adding that he was â€Å"somewhat slow to carry out directions† (Krause, 2003) The flight engineer was also a very distinguished pilot and was hired by KAL in 1979. Similar to the captain, he earned excellent ratings in his evaluations of crew management and simulator tests, and also passed the English proficiency exams. (Krause, 2003) â€Å"†¦a weak low pressure trough is moving slowly [through] the Mariana Islands†¦resulting in gentle to moderate easterly winds and scattered showers. The effects of the upper level low far to the northeast have diminished during the past 12 hours or so. Light to moderate showers should be expected except for isolated afternoon thunderstorms due to solar heating†, this was the weather report provided by the Guam Weather Station. However, at around 0122, the crew received a message via the Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS), â€Å"†¦wind calm, visibility seven [clouds] one thousand six hundred scattered, two thousand five hundred scattered, temperature two seven [Celsius], dew point two four, altimeter niner eight six, runway six in use.

Personal Narrative- The Lonely Middle-Aged Woman :: Personal Narrative Writing

Personal Narrative- The Lonely Middle-Aged Woman I got off the bus, not knowing where I had to travel in the cold night. I had a rough idea, but I’ve been having terrible luck trusting my rough ideas lately. I thought I’d ask someone for details. The passengers that had gotten off the bus with me obviously knew where they were going, because their strides were purposeful and quick. Looking for someone to help, I turned to a middle-aged lady in smart business clothes and voiced my question. She looked at me strangely for a second, as though I was speaking a foreign language, then just as quickly she snapped out of it and told me the direction I had to walk. Then she added "But I have to go that way. I can give you a ride if you’d like." When she said that my mind traveled years back to primary school, when they would sit us all down on the floor and try to convince us not to do stupid things. Don’t light fires. Don’t play with guns. Don’t trust anyone wearing a trench coat. Don’t accept rides from strangers. I’ve broken most of these, except the trench coat one, so I decided that I should accept her offer. The situation, statistically speaking, was more dangerous for her than for me. Newspapers are hardly littered with stories about middle-aged women kidnapping and torturing innocent teenage boys. We walked to her car. She pointed it out to me, and I wasn’t surprised to see that it was a little red two-door BMW. She opened the door for me first and I slipped into the leather seats, running my hands along the wood dashboard that contained an elaborate stereo system. I pictured her zipping along the road, humming happily along to a Brahms concerto. Or maybe some jazz. I didn’t ask her. Sitting in her car I was consumed by warmth, not just from the heating, but because of her. If men use cars as penis extensions, this was the female equivalent. We kept talking. It was on a different level to small talk, but neither of us said what we were thinking. I felt her quiet desperation- she told me of her divorce; or rather she talked enough to let it slip. She talked about her sons and their jobs and wives. I’ve never experienced any of it but I had an idea how she felt.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Bang & Olufsen

Bang & Olufsen How the tiny family-owned company Bang and Olufsen survives and prospers in spite of all the multi-nationals can do. Consumer electronics is dominated by multi-nationals who believe growth and acquisitions are the keys to survival in this price-point conscious industry. So how come in a remote country town in the north west of Denmark, an organisation with a mere 3000 employees is prospering and charging premium prices? B&0 is still in the hands of the families who started it back in 1925. Young Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen were both keen experimenters from boyhood with electricity and their first radios were built in the attic of the Olufsen house. Right from the start the company followed a philosophy of innovation. The company has always striven to set higher standards of performance than its competitors and, as a consequence found itself moving inevitably towards the upper-end of the market. Along the way styling became an important element of the B&O philosophy. A number of their products are in the permanent design collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The company uses freelance designers who are answerable to the product strategy department who are responsible for marketing planning and the technical feasibility of ideas. It took more than style, however, to give Bang & Olufsen its unique positioning in the marketplace. A long time ago it was realised that the key to survival lay in offering products which were not only different but had qualities which could not be found elsewhere. Back in 1938 they produced a radio with a preset programming function for 16 stations. In 1943 a B&O gramophone had an option for rogramming a 3 minute pause between tracks – time to allow you to bow to your new dancing partner! The first B&O TV receiver appeared in 1952. In 1951 they produced the world's first stereo cartridge. They invented the HX professional recording system which increases the headroom available for recording high frequency signals on all tape types. This system is now found in most good quality tape decks. In 1982 they int roduced the Beolink system which gives round the house sound and round the house remote-control. For all their small size Bang and Olufsen produce practically everything themselves. They even ake much of their own production equipment. Such are their capabilities that they supply injection moulding equipment to other manufacturers and have developed such diverse products as an insulin pen and extension units for telephone switching exchanges. Their entry into the telephone receiver business grew out of a contract to develop a new standard telephone for Danish Telecom. Since then they have sold over 200, 000 units of their elegant and distinctive handsets. The company regularly gets suggestions for new product categories. These are considered but unless there is scope for a distinctively B&0 concept, it will not proceed. Car audio is an example. Because the car stereo has to fit into a set size hole in a console, there is little or no scope to produce a distinctively different product that would fit into the B family of products. Today, B operate in more than 20 countries around the world. Their biggest single export market in terms of combined TV, video and hi-fi sales is the United Kingdom. As mentioned earlier, this equipment does not fit into an existing selling or price-point structure and would face an uphill struggle in the bazaar atmosphere of the typical electrical retailer. This led to the decision to carry out the entire marketing, distribution, and selling (retailing) operations in- house. The calm and luxurious atmosphere of a Bang and Olufsen showroom is highly conducive to the appreciation not only of the performance of the product but the elegant styling too. The arrangement leaves no place for opposition or competitors for, as B&0 will gladly tell you, there aren't any. At the same time, haggling over such mundane matters as discounts seems very much out of place in such surroundings. It’s a far cry from the rest of the industry where the sales staff can usually tell you very little but the price. The showroom decor is simple and subdued to highlight the discreet styling of the equipment. The staff are very much part of this presentation. Fast talking and pressure to buy have no place here. When people are spending the kind of money a B&O system costs (the 1owest priced sound system is listed at $8,000 and you can go over $30,000 with the greatest of ease) they want time to relax and consider their choice very carefully indeed. The staff are there as consultants and advisors. In fact, of course they are very effective sales people who really know their products and ow to present them. There are several six B&O showroom in Australia, all in major capital cities. Sales of audio and video products run 50/50 and in both categories the best sellers are the top models in the range. So who buys this expensive equipment? It is probably easier to say who does not. The true hi-fi buff who loves electronics and fiddling dials & buttons tends to treat B&O with the same disdain that a spor ts-car buff has for an automatic Mercedes family car. Your typical B&O owner is more interested in music and entertainment than electronics. While he r she appreciates the unique styling, sheer quality and performance of the equipment, it is the ability to deliver at the touch of a button or even a glass plate which probably counts for more. B&0 have recognised that the hi-fi industry has made its products so complex and intimidating to the average person that he only become frustrated and confused by all the conflicting advice he receives. Visiting the hi-fi specialist can be an unnerving experience which ends up giving the prospective buyer an inferiority complex. B&0's approach is to put all the complexity to one side. Technology is used to simplify. So, lthough B equipment has possibly the most sophisticated control systems of anyone in the industry, it is, paradoxically, probably the simplest of all to operate. Once you have a B unit in your home you become a prospect for upgra des and extensions. B were the first to bring round-the-house sound and later video which can be controlled from anywhere in the house. Called the Beolink, it first came out in l982 and it is only 10 years later that any other such systems are beginning to appear. Any B model can be extended to give quality hi-fi or video to any room in the house. It is not B po1icy to bring out new models each year. Rather they introduce them to meet market requirements and then upgrade them when and as required. Very often existing equipment can be brought up to the latest specifications. It is also policy that all parts are fully available for 8 years after a model goes out of production. B still regularly gets calls to service equipment over 20 years old. All parts are airfreighted from Denmark. B are too small to develop original products like the CD or even the VCR. Their role is to take such products and enhance them, make them easier to use, and package them very uniquely and attractively. A considerable proportion of B systems are sold with an older model taken as a trade-in. The quality of the products is such that they have a ready second-hand market and owner loyalty is the highest in the industry. An organisation pf just 3000 people in a very high cost country taking on the established giants of the electronics world sounds like an extreme case of wishful thinking. Band and Olufsen will tell that they think differently. They do. And it works. Do you know of any other business which has no direct competitors? Q: Identify, Understand Analyse competition and suggest appropriate competitive positioning strategies.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Graffiti and Popular Culture Essay

The treatment of popular culture is usually dichotomized by the contrast of its being popular because it is patronized by the greatest number of a society’s population and by its being popular because of its proliferation for the benefit of the upper class of the society which greatly utilizes it as a powerful mechanism of subjugation. Sociologists are divided between opposite views. Nevertheless, popular culture does not always reside on the opposites. It can be also perceived as something that is between the asserted ownership of the masses and the powerful mechanism of few powerful persons. Accordingly, popular culture is a dialectical process brought about by the enforcement of it from above of the societal structure to the acquisition of it from underneath the societal structure. This claim is highly supported by Hall in pointing out that popular culture is actually a twofold advancement of restraint and opposition. While forces from above of the society are using popular culture as an instrument of suppression, it is also an instrument of struggle for the lower forces of the society. In the task of discovering popular culture as a dialectical process, it is a convenient endeavor to first define the popular and cultural aspect of popular culture. The usual definition must be first discussed. After will be the elaboration of Hall’s perception regarding the popular culture. Finally, an example on the practical application of Hall’s view regarding popular culture must be supplied. As Raymond Williams stated, the word popular is actually derived from the word â€Å"popularis†, a Latin word which means â€Å"belonging to the people†. In the early introduction of the word popular, it is often used to attribute to the connotation of things regarding the â€Å"most known† and â€Å"the most common†. Also it refers to the â€Å"most favored†. At some point of the introductory use of the word, it has rested on referring to neutrality. However, the most common definition of the word popular up to the present time is still referring to the â€Å"most familiar†. This definition has leaded the way to the attribution of the word popular to greatest number of people in most societies, which basically composes the lower stratum of societies. It is because people in the lowest stratum of the society are generally the greatest constituent of societies. Thus, the term popular is attributed to the largest part of the population of a society, which is mainly the masses. In characterizing the meaning of the word â€Å"culture†, it is an inevitable task to delve into the schemes and symbols of societal structures which include traditions, customs, common convictions, and remnants that represents the history of constituents of a society. The transfer of these schemes and symbols of societal structure from generation to generation is also an important feature of the meaning of the word â€Å"culture† Anthropologists are similar with the abovementioned definition of culture. This definition is actually considered as the most usual definition of culture: So, what do we mean by culture? A fairly typical view, both in common language and in the way anthropologists have approached their work, sees culture as a shared body of custom, reproduced through time that makes societies distinctive. It seems that there is a certainty in the definition of culture. However, the definition of culture is not always perceived as something that is unchanging and immobile. Its definition is also viewed as something that is changing depending on the context and reference. Deducing from the generally acknowledged definition of popular culture, the popular aspect and cultural aspect of the definition of popular culture can be generated. Popular culture is then quoted because it denotes the popularity of a culture which represents symbols, customs, traditions and beliefs in a society. Consequently, popular culture also embodies the characteristics, qualities, and features of a particular or a general popular belief, custom, tradition, object, or idea. Popular culture is popular because it is owned by the populace. It is the most accessible and pervasive type of culture. This is so because it transcends barriers. At some times even the economic aspect of life is crossed by popularity of popular culture. The popularity of popular culture goes beyond race, ethnicity, and generation, location of residence, country, sexuality and gender. Popular culture caters to the largest number of people that it can cater. As much as possible the availability of a form of popular culture is extended to myriad arrays of cultural categories. To achieve the extension of popular culture, products of it is manufactured and created in such a way that it is culturally neutral. This only means that products of popular culture are not inclined in any side of the spectrum of cultural categories. Anyone who consumes or support any form of popular culture is expected to closely relate the product of popular culture in his or her personality. This relation greatly concerns the cultural inclination of the person. Therefore, products of popular culture are expected to be owned by everyone irrespective of gender, sexuality, age, nationality, and ethnicity. Even though, popularity transcends the barrier of cultural preference and partiality, popularity also paves the way for the correspondence of a popular culture to a specific cultural leaning. Every cultural category such as gender, sexuality, age, ethnicity, or nationality create and device a unique and peculiar fashion of giving meaning to the experience of popular culture. Each cultural category glace at different angles in considering and experiencing popular culture. In example, gender creates a distinguishing manner of the experience of popular culture. It concerns the interplay of the masculinity, femininity and bisexuality of the experience of a certain product of popular culture. In the occurrence of encountering popular culture, the masculinity, femininity or bisexuality of a person can be demonstrated. This is evident in the myriad choices of products that are sold. The product catering to masculine male is different from a product catering to a feminine male or masculine female or a bisexual. The notion of popular culture in the view of Hall is generally concerned on the interpretation of the whole experience of a product or a medium of popular culture. The meaning of the experience does not reside solely on the intention of the producer of a certain product or of the encoder of the meaning. It also does not depend on the creation of meaning of the consumer of the product or of the encoder of the meaning. The origin of Hall’s views can be traced back to his belief that the employment of language concerns context of power and institutions. In the utility of language, persons become active agents as well as beneficiary of meaning. Therefore persons are perceived as generators and at the same time consumers of culture simultaneously. For Hall, it is erroneous to assume that persons as consumer and generator only absorb the experience of popular culture without criticizing it. Usual persons performing the twofold role of being a generator and consumer possess the power of generating meaning and experiencing meaning. Persons are active and at same time passive. They are active, because they generate meaning of the popular culture experience from their constitution of meaning. They are passive because they are the receiver of the experience. Institutions and companies producing popular culture have no total control of the reactions and responses of persons that receive the experience. It is sure that they can impose and really impose there expected reaction of persons to a certain experience of popular culture. However, they cannot totally rely on their expectation. This is evident on the modifications that are made by these institutions on the improvement of their products and services. They need to create modifications so that their products and services somehow cater to the general public. And these modifications are based on the reactions and feedbacks of the consumers. In some essence, institutions and companies of popular culture production are also receiver of the meaning imposed by consumers on experiencing the product and service of companies and institutions. The theory of reception and textual analysis of Hall explicated the role of the consumer as an audience of a text encoded by institutions and firms of popular culture production. The idea of textual analysis explains that the audience or the consumer is always on the agreement and disagreement with the intentions of the producers of popular culture. In example, the meaning of a text of an experience varies from the point of view of the consumer and the producer. While the producer imposes the meaning by the limitation of the modes of expression of a text through packaging, the consumer does not always concur to the imposed meaning of the producer. The consumer creates a distinguished meaning about his or her experience. In creating this meaning, the element of cultural categories enters the picture. The meaning is created dependent on which cultural category does the consumer belongs. Sexuality, age, race, and economic power are the factors in the creation of meaning. Consequently, this creation of meaning results into either the dismissal or acceptance of the consumer regarding the imposed meaning of the producer of specific popular culture product or experience. Therefore the meaning of the experience rests at some point between the producer and the consumer. It is the interpretation that really matters and neither the interpreter which is in this case the consumer nor the interpreted which is the product or the service as a form of popular culture. Thus popular culture is constructed in dual movement of concurrence and opposition. And this dual movement of concurrence and opposition is the dialectical process of the experience and creation of meaning. In applying the notions and ideas of Hall regarding popular culture, the material must obviously display the elements of opposition and concurrence. Also it is note worthy if the chosen material is an interesting one. In the enterprise of applying the analysis of Hall, it is an appealing move to consider the production of graffiti as a cultural practice. The word graffiti came from the Italian word graffito which denotes an antique writing on a surface of a rock. In the recent time graffiti refers to sketches or illustrations usually of words and phrases on walls of public areas. The manner of sketching can be done through painting and spraying or scratching. Graffiti art has acquired its peak in the United States during the years 1970’s-1980’s. Based from the general definition of graffiti, it is inevitable to perceive this form of art as a deviant kind of activity. This is because graffiti is seen as a negative reaction to the forms and conventions of the usual accepted cannons of arts: As The graffiti subculture is a culture of opposition because it is perceived as deviant, and because the dominant culture limits and denies access to the kinds of specialized space suitable to the expression of graffiti subculture. The manner of making graffiti involves the painting of wall of a usually abandoned building or public area. Because of this, graffiti art is perceived as something that resists the prevailing standards of the society. It is viewed as a transgressing subculture. However for the graffiti artists, the activity is a different experience. Artists view their piece as something that is really note worthy and deserves public attention. Myriad of writers narrate their experience in coherence with each other. Graffiti writers said that they feel a poignant compensation every time that they are alone in the middle of the night and finding a specific public area to write or sketch their art . Many graffiti writers speak of their experiences of writing graffiti in similar terms. References to cities that have quieted in the night, and walls that the artist ‘owns’ for a short period of time are comparable to the soulful atonement that Walt Whitman often described when referring to being alone in nature. The same with their reputation, their art are viewed as something that is deviant and null and void of artistic values. They are ostracized in the whole realm of art. Worst is even their isolation is oblivious to the eyes of the society conforming to the standard of an artistic cultural activity. With this obliviousness, graffiti is still recognized. However, this recognition is accompanied by disgust and awfulness. It is perplexing that they are usually charged with cases of vandalism and destruction of private and public property because of utilizing walls of establishments they don’t own. This is because those walls they use are usually of buildings empty and have long been vacated and abandoned by the owners. Therefore, graffiti writers are often viewed as lawbreakers. Usually, graffiti artists do not really give emphasis on showing their art to the general public because their concern is limited in just the expression of themselves. Nevertheless, they also somehow want the appreciation of their masterpiece. This is the reason why graffiti art are often found on walls of buildings frequented by the public. Physical characteristics of graffiti yards include a degree of visibility that enables a piece to be seen from a passing car on a nearby street or freeway. Although pieces are not aimed directly at the general public, the artists do like their work to be seen and recognized. Even though graffiti art are disgusting to the general public, manufacturers of apparels and accessories have used the concept of graffiti to make their products sell like hot cakes. In this situation, the recognition of graffiti as a cultural activity took its place. As what Hall asserted, popular culture is dialectical process of resistance and agreement. In the case of the graffiti art, it is worth noting that the producers of the culture are denoted as deviant elements of the society. However it is ironic that the consumers of the graffiti art are the big institutions and companies that sell mass produced commodities. The graffiti art as a cultural activity is a clear example of a popular culture being received yet decided to be rejected or accepted. In the multinational companies’ attempt to use graffiti as a potential source of great profit, the disgusting art has been transformed into an acceptable enterprise. However the consumption of the products promoting graffiti art still depends on the cultural background and the power of person to dissent or agree on the attractiveness of it. References: 1. William, R. 1976, ‘Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society,’ Fontana, London. 2. Dressler, W. 2002, ‘A Working Definition of Culture’, Europhamil, [Online] Available at: http://www. europhamili. org/protect/media/96. pdf. 3. Esposito, R. 2005, ‘The Artistic Construction of a Counter Culture’ Graffiti [Online] Available at: http://www. graffiti. org/faq/esposito. html. 4. Bolivar, S. 1997, ‘†Bombing† L. A. : Graffiti Culture and the Contest for Visual Space’, McNair [Online] Available at: http://www-mcnair. berkeley. edu/97journal/Bolivar. html 5. Wittenberg, D. 2004,’Introduction: Extreme Mainstream’ Iowa [Online] Available at: http://www. uiowa. edu/~englgrad/ijcs/mainstream/mainintro. htm 6. 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