Fifties & Advertisements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Fifties & Advertisements - Essay Example In the US, these advertisements were very much against the USSR and were bent on expressing opinions against the communism. During the post-World War II era, these advertisements gained much popularity and support from the masses. The government authorities were also eager to support these advertisements even if they portrayed inaccurate details about USSR and communism. This paper shall further explain and provide support to the idea that these advertisements increased the tension between the US and the USSR. This paper is being conceptualized in order to establish a scholarly and academic discussion of the thesis and the subject matter. The thesis of this paper is: that the 1950s Cold War Advertisements were used as propaganda by the US to sell the war to the American people. The 1950s Cold War advertisements depicted scenes and images which were very much anti-USSR and anti-communism. Three reasons why this thesis is true are based on the following explanations: 1. these images were supported by the US government even if they were inaccurate depictions of USSR and of communism; 2. these advertisements focused on gaining support for the Cold War; and 3. these images nurtured the image of the USSR and communism as evil and threats to American democracy and world peace. The Cold War advertisements were used by the US to sell the war to the American people. The advertisements which were posted during the Cold War period had the backing of the US government. The US government used advertisements in order to fuel further the feelings against communism and the USSR. An ad from Scot Tissue Towels reads: â€Å"Is your washroom breeding Bolsheviks?† and another advertisement for â€Å"truth dollars† reads: â€Å"Sure I want to fight communism—but how? With truth dollars—that’s how! The ad goes on to say that the truth dollars â€Å"fight communism in its own backyard –

Great Gatsby Analytical Writing Essay Example for Free

Great Gatsby Analytical Writing Essay Gatsby is a pillar of the American literary canon and has been woven over generations into the very fabric of American culture. You should read this text carefully and interactively – annotating your text so that, during class discussions, you are able to find and reference meaningful passages. On the second day of classes you will turn in a well-crafted, thoughtful essay of 3-6 pages. Your essay must be typed, doubled spaced, in 12 pt. Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins and formatted according to proper Modern Language Association (MLA) standards [proper header, page numbers, and parenthetical citations]. If you have any doubt about how to write in MLA format, consult the most recent edition of the MLA handbook (available in the ISS library). This will be my first encounter with your formal writing. Some things to consider when writing a formal literary analysis paper: 1.The paper should have a defined, focused, and assertive argument (thesis). 2.The paper should be written in third person (no use of â€Å"I,† â€Å"we,† â€Å"you,† etc.). 3.The paper should be written in the literary present tense (e.g. â€Å"Gatsby goes† as opposed to â€Å"Gatsby went†). 4.The paper should paraphrase and quote specific passages as evidence to support claims. 5.Quoted material should be properly assimilated in the student’s writing. 6.The paper should be structured according to a logical progression for the argument. 7.The paper should be thoroughly edited for proper grammatical usage. 8.The paper should hold the reader’s interest. 9.Good essays have interesting titles. Options for responding to the text: 1.Choose two characters in the work and compare them – noting their similarities and differences. Do so, though, not merely on a surface level, but in such a way that you explore the greater issues and concerns of the novel that the characters’ represent. 2.Choose two particular places that represent two opposing forces or ideas that are central to the novel. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrasting contributes to the meaning of the work. 3.Choose at least two â€Å"social† scenes from the novel and discuss how these scenes establish some of the values or concerns that pervade the novel.

The Door :: essays research papers

Everything (he kept saying) is something it isn't. And everybody is always somewhere else. Maybe it was the city, being in the city, that made him feel how queer everything was and that it was something else. Maybe (he kept thinking) it was the names of the things. The names were tex and frequently koid. Or they were flex and oid or they were duroid (sand) or flexsan (duro), but everything was glass (but not quite glass) and the thing that you touched (the surface, washable, crease-resistant) was rubber, only it wasn't quite rubber and you didn't quite touch it but almost. The wall, which was glass but turned out on being approached not to be a wall, it was something else, it was an opening or doorway--and the doorway (through which he saw himself approaching) turned out to be something else, it was a wall. And what he had eaten not having agreed with him. He was in a washable house, but he wasn't sure. Now about those rats, he kept saying to himself. He meant the rats that the Professor had driven crazy by forcing them to deal with problems which were beyond the scope of rats, the insoluble problems. He meant the rats that had been trained to jump at the square card with the circle in the middle, and the card (because it was something it wasn't) would give way and let the rat into a place where the food was, but then one day it would be a trick played on the rat, and the card would be changed, and the rat would jump but the card wouldn't give way, and it was an impossible situation (for a rat) and the rat would go insane and into its eyes would come the unspeakably bright imploring look of the frustrated, and after the convulsions were over and the frantic racing around, then the passive stage would set in and the willingness to let anything be done to it, even if it was something else. He didn't know which door (or wall) or opening in the house to jump at, to get through, because one was an opening that wasn't a door (it was a void, or kid) and the other was a wall that wasn't an opening, it was a sanitary cupboard of the same color. He caught a glimpse of his eyes staring into his eyes, in the and in them was the expression he had seen in the picture of the rats--weary after convulsions and the frantic racing around, when they were willing and did not mind having

Rci Master Distributors

RCI Master Distributor Evolution of Supplier Relationships 9/16/2012 Group 3 PHILIP CORRADINI (IE/15/009) KAMALIKA GANGOLY (PGP/15/019) S. SIDDHARTH (PGP/15/048) DEVINA BHASKAR (PGP/15/082) APOORVA GOYAL (PGP/15/130) MADHURI MUKHERJEE (PGP/15/155) AMARENDRA (PGP/15/202) DHANANJAY JANARTHANAN (PGP/15/216) GAUTAM S (PGP/15/277) S. HARIPRASAD (PGP/15/314) HISTORY OF RCI 1946 – Mark Schwartz founded a motor repair business and secured a GE franchise for component parts. He was instrumental in bringing about a service innovation by exchanging fully working motors with customers who came in for repairs of their broken down motors.He then repaired them and replenished his motor inventory. 1962- GE’s General Purpose Control operation developed a new contactor for its air-conditioning and refrigeration business. Mark Schwartz attained the rights to exclusively distribute these contactors to the aftermarket through air-conditioning and refrigeration wholesalers. 1963 – RCI had demonstrated to GE that they could get GE’s products to market, with the parts moving from master distributors to wholesalers and ultimately service repair persons. RCI also worked in the direction of providing new innovations in terms of packing and product innovations as well.Mark Swartz worked with GE engineers and through this inputs in developing innovations, RCI continued to distribute these models exclusively. 1974 – Danny Swartz takes more responsibility and starts taking all the day-to-day business decisions. Some of the key values which RCI followed were * Working by developing a relationship of trust and faith with suppliers. They did not have any formally drawn contracts. * Demonstrating to the suppliers how difficult distribution was and how RCI’s competencies could not be replicated. CURRENT SYSTEM The current position of RCI was as follows:RCI distributed over 6000 electrical and related products earning revenue of $ 35. 8 million and with op erating profits of $ 3 million. RCI plays the role of a master distributor i. e. it sells to air-conditioning and refrigeration wholesalers who in turn sell to air conditioning and refrigeration contractors and repair houses. Their role is essentially restricted to the aftermarket channel for repair parts. RCI’S SALES PROCESS RCI uses a network of independent manufacturer’s reps. who were 45 in numbers and from 14 companies. The average commission received by them was 3. % and usually do not carry competing lines. RCI operated five warehouses which were electronically linked and operated on real-time inventory basis. RCI’s strength was in commercial refrigeration and air-conditioning business where price was secondary in some cases and reliability was more revered. Manufacturers of Electronic Components Ex: GE, Texas Instrument, Honeywell, Emerson W. W. Grainger Wholesale/ Distributor 330 Outlets Master Distributors e. g. , RCI, Steveco, Brownell, GEM Appliance Equipment Manufacturers e. g. , GE, Amana, Trane Air-conditioning, Refrigeration and Appliance Wholesalers approx 1250 with 4000 branches) Repair and Service Houses (approx. 10,000) Appliance Retail Dealers Consumers Overview of Industry Channel Structure Conflicts with GE GE Appliance and control: Loss of exclusivity In 1976, RCI first lost its exclusivity for cold controls to GEM which started selling 10 times the volume of cold controls as compared to RCI. GE Appliance and control was not very confident with Mark Schwartz who had only 3 years of distribution business experience. GEM’s success led to gradual loss of exclusivity of PCI over other products.GE appliance and control used ‘Coercive power’ against RCI because the latter was not able to increase the sales volume as desired by the former. Listed below are the outcomes of GE Motors’s distribution channel study:- a. Master distributors were gradually becoming inefficient and ineffective in managin g inventories, product knowledge and providing merchandising support. b. Master distributors were being bypassed by suppliers who were selling products directly to wholesalers. c. The wholesalers were getting products at prices 5-17% lower than GE’s master distributors from GE’s competitors selling directly to them. . Master distributors started losing share of sales to manufacturers selling directly to wholesalers. GE Motors hence decided to keep master distributors but proposed to sell directly to top 10 wholesalers, a proposal that would have given RCI a very serious blow. But RCI threatened GE motors to take back existing inventories with them, billing them for catalogue printing and distribution cost and refused any kind of repair service which meant end of the relationship. RCI had been in this business for a very long time and its innovative ideas were not being imitated by competitors as effectively as they could.The threat resulted in GE scrapping the proposal . This showcases the use of ‘Expert power’ by RCI owing to its expertise in distribution channel. This time around GE wanted to bypass RCI and remove its exclusivity by selling its products to WW Grainger who was a distributer/wholesaler (that too, a large one). This was esp. in the case of ‘design and control relay’ which had been mastered by Mark Schwartz for GE under the RCI banner. We could say this was GE’s display of ‘Legitimate Power’ as it was looking out for options which could have brought in more sales volume to GE.RCI established itself as a standard in low cost ‘lower end two pole devices’ – a #2 seller only next to Honeywell in retaliation to GE not reducing its price or developing a low cost product for the low end device by tying up with Component Manufacturing Seeing this GE approaches RCI to distribute its low cost private label for the lower end of the business. This behavior or GE was due to RCI es tablishing itself as a reference in Lower end two pole device which can be seen as RCI’s ‘Referent Power’. Post the death of Mark Schwartz GE wanted to eliminate the Master Distributers completely.Danny threatened to drop the GE Line completely and add in competitors’ line. GE yielded to this seeing the revenue from RCI as a bird in hand better than two in the bush where it had to develop newer channel partners. Thus in this case we can say that RCI exhibited ‘Reward Power’ RCI – GEM Difficult period in 1986: The demise of Mark Swartz left Danny Schwartz in charge of RCI for the first time. There was decline in sales for the first time in 1986 since 1971. There was also a major drop in the profits. Danny feared of making a loss due to these reasons.This led to questions whether RCI be able to handle this transition. The following were the threats faced by Danny Schwartz: GE acquiring GEM: GE bought GEM products in the year 1986, who is a competitor distributor to RCI. Implications of GE takeover of GEM: GE could internally lower price to GEM as it was only an internal transfer price. If this happens then GEM could sell at a lower price than RCI. And if GEM turns out to be profitable, GE could eliminate RCI as its distributor. Danny Schwartz remarked that this was the worst time of his life. GE’s relations with Grainger:Grainger was an integrated distributor/wholesaler franchise with 330 wholesale outlets that were served by its own captive distributor. It had significant buying power at the manufacturer. Grainger though was not a direct competitor to RCI. But it was competitor to the customers of RCI, the other wholesalers. Because of its strong influence on the consumers, the customers who went to Grainger to make a purchase would continue to buy in Grainger thereby pulling away business from the other wholesalers who are RCI customers. This way Grainger causes a serious threat to RCI.Pricing policy for OE Ms: OEMs were also reselling parts of the products. Due to their huge volume of buying, the OEMs were able to purchase GE motors components at discount about 25%. This would imply that price of a component purchased by RCI at 25$ would cost only 20$ to OEMs. Response by RCI: Danny struck a deal with A. O. Smith to make top 25 models of products under RCI Label. GE cautioned by Danny’s attempt of distributing a â€Å"fighting brand† by reducing its price from 25$ to 21$. It then distributed the A. O. Smith models to the areas where GE sales were weak.THE CRITICAL ARMS OF THE RCI BUSINESS Customers For RCI, the customers are the wholesalers. Their biggest asset is the strong relationships they have built with their customers, which is primarily a result of their performance, and is also somewhat based on their social interactions and experiences with each other. RCI tries to re-educate customers in a way that is advantageous for them, mainly by convincing them that small shipments are better, which increases their reliance on RCI. They offer two pre season specials in which they give extended terms and rebates based on the quantities purchased.This is contradictory to their philosophy of encouraging small shipments; however, it keeps the customers’ warehouses loaded, leaving lesser space for competitor’s products. Suppliers Managing suppliers is a major task for RCI. This is achieved, firstly, by purchasing in volumes, and secondly, by maintaining strong social relationships. Social relationships are maintained at a personal level with individuals by making suppliers comfortable in visiting them or having RCI people visit them, socialising, and working together.However, the downside of maintaining personal relationships is seen when the advocate at the supplier’s end moves to a new job. At that juncture it becomes difficult because a new relationship needs to be developed with his successor or boss or other people in the concer ned department. Operations RCI has faced problems at various ends, many a times by losing exclusivity or their suppliers’ share to competitors. However their competitors have mostly failed with the products they were given. RCI has been able to maintain a significant share in all products except the cold controls which was the first product they lost exclusivity on to GEM.RCI tries to accommodate the needs of each major customer by structuring different deals for them. The RCI business is a relatively small part of their customers’ overall business and they make large gross margins on their products. RCI represents not more than 5-10% of their customers’ business even if they have about 80% market share in the products they supply. As a result, their reliance on RCI is low. However, they want their customers to get hooked on to them by regularly placing small orders. Manufacturer’s Reps The reps cultivate and maintain personal relationships with customers .They are the first point of contact for the customer due to the relationships that they build. In addition they provide ‘One stop shopping’ for the customers by allowing them to choose from a broad line of products from various manufacturers. The master distributor lacks the manpower or the capability to deal with individual customers and negotiate with them on price or quantity. This factor prevents manufacturers from entering the distribution business directly as he would face the same challenges. While dealing with individual reps the master distributor has significant power as RCI for instance accounts for 50-70% of its rep’s income.This allows them to be demanding in their expectations from the reps. However at the same time RCI ensures that it makes its payments on time and that it does not cheat its reps out of their commissions. The reps situation appears to be fragile as it can be seen from the case that 75% of the rep companies have come on in the last ten years. In case a particular rep does not perform up to expectations or if he is outsourcing the work to other reps RCI is prompt in getting rid of him. This ensures that only competent salesmen remain. Threats The primary threat faced is the consolidation of customers.This results in a loss of income in the following ways. The manufacturers decide to deal with the consolidated customers directly through their captive distribution divisions leaving out the master distributor entirely. This process also forces existing wholesalers to consolidate or quit the business entirely thereby severing the relationship they have with the master distributor. Upon consolidating customers start centralized distribution warehouses and thereby eliminate the need for specialized services that RCI provides such as rapid delivery.Although margins have remained constant prices have dropped throughout the industry. Acting upon the lower base prices the gross margin dollars of RCI has decreased over t ime. Other problems faced include a growing increase in expenses on account of inflation, increased wages and other costs. At a time of constant margins this ends up affecting the bottom line. OEMs’ have a different relationship with manufactures due to the large volumes they provide. These volumes enable them to purchase parts at a significantly lower rate than independent replacement part distributors.This lowers the value of the assets that these replacement part distributors provide but enables them to capture a greater share of the OEM aftermarket share. OEM’s are also starting in-house aftermarket distributors by using the price discounts that they receive from manufacturers. This could be a major threat in the long run as the only thing preventing the growth of these firms is the belief that manufacturers would not allow the same product to be sold to two different customers performing the same function at two different prices.RCI competes with such firms on the basis of its credibility and service that it provides. It provides a broad product line and better packaging with instructions and labels at a cost effective rate. Manufacturers prefer selling to companies like RCI as their margins would be higher. The long term attractiveness of RCI’s business is also decreasing due to the fact that prices are margins are being eroded in the long run.

Review of related studies on library service in the Philippines Essay

Library has increased with the complexity of our society. The rapid growth of technology has meant that many gadgets and equipment have appeared and continuous progress of the world the help of the Science and Technology. Library is considered the heart of the school it is expected to be taken care of for its normal functioning day by day. Many students, workers, and researchers need varies value information that are provided by the library and giving them important data that they need. At the same time libraries are progressing as the whole world progress. The world we live it seems so easier now because of the fast growing high technology that were given by the inventors. In the same phase of this statement, we have to aim the perception of the students in a particular library, are they satisfied regarding the services provided by the library, and are they comfortable. Library is derived from the French word â€Å"librairie† in Latin â€Å"liber† means book. It is an organized collection of information resources made accessible to a defined community for reference. It provides physical or digital access to material, and may be a physical building or room, or a virtual space, or both. A library’s collection can include books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films, maps, prints, documents, microforms, CDs, cassettes, video tapes, DVDs, e-books, audio books, database, and other formats. A library is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, a corporation, or a private individual. Public and institutional collections and services may be intended for use by people who chose not to — or cannot afford to — purchase an extensive collection themselves, who need material no individual can reasonably be expected to have, or who require professional assistance with their research. In addition libraries are expected with provision to ensure maximum and availability of collection of all references needed, there by showing the satisfactory use of the library materials through adequate range and quality services. Administration should enforced proper coordination between the faculty and the library staffs in promoting effective use of library resources by the students. Modern libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many formats and from many sources. They are extending services beyond the physical walls of a building, by providing material accessible by electronic means, and by providing the assistance of librarians in navigating and analyzing very large amounts of information with a variety of digital tools. In the Philippines, the national library can trace its history to the establishment of the Museo-Biblioteca de Filipinas (Museum-Library of the Philippines), established by royal order of the Spanish government on August 12, 1887. It opened on October 24, 1891 at the Casa de la Monedain Intramuros, then home of the Philippine Mint, with around 100 volumes and with both Julian Romero and Benito Perdiguero as director and archivist-librarian, respectively. Romero resigned in 1893 and was briefly replaced by Tomas Torres of the Escuela de Artes y Ofà ­cios in Bacolor, Pampanga (now the Don Honorio Ventura College of Arts and Trades), who in turn was replaced by Don Pedro A. Paterno on March 31, 1894. By that time, the library had moved to a site in Quiapo near the present site of the Masjid Al-Dahab. Later on, Paterno published the first issue of the BoletindelMuseo-Bibliotecade Filipinas (Bulletin of the Museum-Library of the Philippines) on January 15, 1895. The Museo-Biblioteca was abolished upon the onset of the America colonization of the Philippines. By the time of its abolition, the library held around 1,000 volumes and averaged around 25-30 visitors a day. The entire collection would later be transferred at Paterno’s expense to his own private library, of which some books would form the basis for the Filipiniana collection of subsequent incarnations of the national library. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library) In the University of Cagayan Valley, library offers student’s service such as informational service, Wi-Fi connection, and internet connection. In this way, the University of Cagayan Valley is getting for the best in uplifting the quality and training  of the students as the costumers of the institution. The University of Cagayan Valley operates with the open shelves and internet system. Book holdings are classified according to the Dewey decimal classification schemed, it consists of different section namely; the general reference section; periodicals; reserve section; circulation; filipiniana and reading room. Many students found it difficult to utilize the services just like the BSMT students perceptions in the library regarding of their services which in the internet system there are no printing machine provided to the students that they can use therefore, this is one of the reason which struck the researcher’s decision to conduct a research in order to know and evaluate how tertiary students perceive in the delivery of services of the library. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION This chapter presents the summary of findings, conclusions as well as the recommendations Summary of Findings: 1. Age – The frequency highest frequency of BSMT students from 2nd – 3rd year was 18 years old followed by 17, 19, 20, 21, and the last is 22. 2. Gender – The majority was male having percentage of 90% while the female is 10% only. 3. Civil Status – All respondents was single. 4. Religion – The Roman Catholic is the highest frequency having percentage of 97% and 3% only for the other religion. 5. Students – There 509 BSMT students from 2nd – 3rd Year of the University of Cagayan Valley and only 100 students who were chosen through random sampling. Conclusion: The data gathered showed by this study pertaining to the respondents profile were contributive to the effectiveness of the subject under the study. From the findings of the study, it could be further concluded that the perception of the BSMT students on the services of the library of UCV is often. BIBLIOGRAOHY Serafin D. Quiazon, â€Å"Reflecting of the Staff Development of the National Library†, Bulletin of the National Library association. NIV (March-June 1972) p. 8. Ferdinand Marcos, 46th General Conference International Federation of library Association and Institution. (Manila: IFLA, 1980), p. 5. Philippine Library Association, Bulletin of the Philippine Library Association. Vol. 7, Nos, 1-4. P. 53. Dr. Lino Arquiza, â€Å"The administrators Role in Developing Library Service†. p.2(114 JPL 27 (1&2): pp. 109-150) Veranda C. Sernande, May 2004, LIBRARY RESOURCE, FACILITIES AND SERVICES OF THE PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION ON THE CAGAYAN VALLEY REGION (Dissertation). Denny, Carolyn Ann King, A survey of User’s Attitudes Towards the Resources and Sources of the Three University Libraries in Saudi Arabia, Dissertation Abstract International, 55 (1995) Internet Resource http://www.studymode.com/essays/Review-Of-Related-Studies-1320212.html http://nnlm.gov/mar/about/valuerelated.html http://www.studymode.com/essays/Review-Of-Related-Studies-1397981.html Title: Production Scheduling for Manufacturing Execution System Author: Steï ¬â‚¬en Lamparter, Lars Jordan Farzana Shafique, Islamia University, Bahawalpur. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Review-Of-Related-Studies-1397981.html http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/baskaran.htm http://paarl.wikispaces.com/file/view/Evaluation+of+Standards+for+Acad+Libraries.pdf Title: AN EVALUATION OF STANDARDS FOR   

Facilitating Learning And Assessment In Practice The WritePass Journal

Facilitating Learning And Assessment In Practice Introduction Facilitating Learning And Assessment In Practice IntroductionNursing StandardsFacilitating Learning and AssessmentReflective CommentaryConclusionReferences AppendicesRelated Introduction I am a registered nurse based in a ward that manages spinal and orthopaedic conditions among patients. Currently, I am finalising my training as a qualified mentor. This paper presents a reflective account of my experiences in facilitating, teaching, and assessing student learning during their learning practice. It also highlights the learning outcomes drawn from the experience. Due to ethical considerations of any academic publication, which demands confidentiality, and anonymity of the persons that were actively involved in my encounter, this paper omitted names or used pseudonyms in the development of the account (Polit Beck, 2008). Practice-based learning provides the students with needed experience, which is an essential aspect of skill development that enhances their ability to effectively interact with clients as well as their families by developing the student’s communication, interpersonal, psychomotor, and technical skills (Myall et al., 2008). Practice-based learning is also an effective opportunity that allows the learners to link theory and practice, which are vital in the learner’s professional development (Zachary, 2011). Furthermore, practice-based learning is essential in a nursing career due to its vocational nature as well as its role in determining the learner’s clinical competency and hence protecting the public from instances of incompetency in nursing practice (NMC, 2008). Through demanding and instilling high standards of professionalism during assessments, practice-based learning makes sure that nursing students are able to effectively practice before they are registere d as nurses (Myall et al., 2008). This demonstration of my eligibility to assess and supervise nursing students in practice coupled with successful completion of this training will allow me to be an effective mentor in nursing (Price, 2007). Therefore, I will be able to actively participate in the development of future nurses that will meet the needs of patients, which are increasing in diversity and complexity (Polit Beck, 2008). Nursing Standards In order to promote adherence to specific attributes that support assessment and learning in practice, the nursing standards offers specific guidelines that must be met by teachers, practice teachers and mentors (NMC, 2008). Specifically, the fixed requirements cover standards, frameworks, and information on the approaches for assessment in nursing practice. There standards are defined by eight domains including: leadership, evidence-based practice, context of practice, creating a learning environment, learning evaluation, assessment and accountability, learning facilitation, and establishment of valuable working relationships (NMC, 2009). Linking these domains to my own practice, I hold high regard for leadership and formation of useful working relationships. Establishment of good working relationships is essential in nursing as a nurse works together with the patients family in ensuring the best nursing care is provided for the patient (Polit Beck, 2008; Appendix 1) enhancing the standards of care. Good working relationship is also important in minimizing the negative student experiences building on the student’s competency in practice (NMC, 2008). Consideration of the imperativeness of family-centred approach to nursing care and the promotion of good working relationships demands effective leadership. To be specific, leadership in my case involves influencing others, improving nursing care, and role modelling (NMC, 2009). This demands application of a situational approach to leadership when handling different leadership situations at work. In my work setting, leadership is broad ranging from handling the pat ient’s family issues, which requires participative leadership, or directing a practicing student, which demands assertiveness. However, it is imperative for a nurse to act in the best interest of the patient (Price, 2007) which can best be achieved through autocratic approach to leadership. Consequently, establishment of effective leadership and relationships require knowledge, skill, and experience and are vital in the provision of high-quality nursing care (Myall et al., 2008). There are several professional challenges that I encountered during the assessment   which emanated from the complexities related to staffing levels and hastiness in the ward that negatively influence the quality of practice assessment (Polit Beck, 2008). The sustained pressure from clinical commitments and the limited time availability affects the process of student supervision and assessment during practice-based learning (NMC, 2009). More so, there may be inconsistency in achievement, which affects the process of student assessment with regard to their fitness to practice (NMC, 2008). In other cases, some students in practice-based learning do not conform to the existing support systems for instances of failure limiting their learning and effectiveness of the assessment. In addition, the supervisor may be reluctant to fail an incompetent learner due to perception that he process is too complex or general poor assessment, this also posed a challenge in my practice. The existing nursing standards that guide learning and assessment of students in practice offer frameworks for nursing mentors. However, the document is limited, as it does not consider all competence assessment aspects (Myall et al., 2008). Therefore, some forms of assessment are subjective as much as the framework for assessment is provided due to the intrinsic nature of the nursing profession and the variations in nursing skill-set to be assessed. It is challenging to establish a comprehensive assessment of competency especially due to learners’ spontaneous action to utilise their skills, knowledge, and attitude from an emotional intelligence perspective (Bradshaw Merriman, 2008). These issues are enhanced in situations where a mentor fails to fail instances of incompetency among learners (Myall et al., 2008). These problems are resolved through the use of sign-off mentors that offer final evaluation of the students before being accredited to be effective to service as pro fessional nurses at the end of nursing training program (NMC, 2009). Consequently, more support to the nursing standards is needed to promote effectiveness of learning assessment for practice-based learning. This support is provided various nursing documents such as nursing guides, which offer strategies and support for practitioners in the nursing profession. Facilitating Learning and Assessment This is an important approach for assessing skills, knowledge and attitudes among nursing students (Price, 2007) and is complex in nature with the focus of promoting objectivity in the assessments (Bradshaw Merriman, 2008). The ensure the diversity of the nursing settings are accommodated during the assessments, there are several assessment approaches that can be used in student mentorship programs including mini clinical assessment exercise, direct observation, case-based discussion, and mini peer assessments (Myall et al., 2008). Mini clinical assessment exercise offers an overview of student performance of key clinical skills. This assessment approach works both in routine patient encounter as well as ward environment. Direct observation of procedural skills involves observing a nursing student which conducting a clinical procedure where the observer provides necessary feedback at the end of the procedure. A good example of a clinical procedure that can be observed is preparation of a dressing trolley by a student. Case-based discussion, on the other hand, involves an interview aimed at exploring judgment and behaviour such as asking the student to list what he/she observed during a specific patient care program. Finally, mini peer assessments encompass a team of qualified professionals that offer feedback on the performance of an individual. The process of selecting the method of assessment should consider its cost effectiveness, educational impact, acceptability, validity, and reliability (Bradshaw Merriman, 2008). Assessing a student’s craft knowledge helps the student to reflect and develop based on experiential learning (NMC, 2009). Effective assessment should focus on developing insights into a students craft and formal knowledge in order to understand the students ability to assess risks and utilise learned knowledge in meeting practice requirements (Price, 2007). There are four vital areas that cover student assessment, namely motivation, performance, skill, and knowledge. Even though continuous assessment is known to promote effective positioning of a student’s performance, it has limitations with regard to reliability and validity. Therefore, successful implementation of student assessment require coordination between service providers and educators to ensure the assessment approach is appropriate in terms of its summative and formative perspectives which are imperative in promoting a working linkage between theory and practice (Myall et al, 2008). Mentorship program in clinical setting is complex due to the pressure emanating from the need of sustained student assessment in front of the patients and their family as well as other professionals, which may raise anxiety among the students as well as assessors, which may negatively impact on the assessment process (Bradshaw Merriman, 2008). Anxiety may be caused by a variety of reasons including curriculum changes, which may undermine the assessor’s competency, the student’s readin ess during assessment, and the assessors feeling of competency with regard to the assessment process. This portfolio outlines an assessment of the competency of a nursing student with regard to the appropriate use of pain assessment tools. I considered this to be vital in the profession of nursing due to the importance of pain assessment skills in nursing care as it is classified as the fifth vital sign in nursing (Murray et al., 2008). Considering the requirement that nursing students should actively participate in vital signs, developing this competency is vital for patient safety (Price, 2007). Further, I considered this assessment to be a direct observation of a procedural skill where I was available during the whole process while offering feedbacks and assessments on the process (NMC, 2009). To ensure the assessment was a success, I developed a plan that included a criterion for implementing the process as well as questions that were used for testing the levels of understanding exhibited by the learner. Furthermore, the assessment plan was developed with the consideration for th e student’s level of practical and theoretical learning (Myall et al., 2008). The questioned used in the assessment were open-ended to allow the student to offer the rationale behind their action path. This was important in developing deeper insight into the leaner’s competency, as well as promotes appreciation of diverse approaches to skills application (Murray et al., 2008). The assessment was initiated after ensuring the ward was quiet enough to minimise the effects of a noisy setting on the assessment program. The process commenced with an official introduction between me and the student as an approach to familiarization between me and the student to minimise instances of anxiety (Price, 2007). After that, I proceeded by informing the student my expectations, the timeline, and offered my reassurance that the process was not formal as I was just interested in observing the process and offering my feedback at the end of the process (Murray et al., 2008). As much as I managed to develop effective background information needed to establish an effective assessment void of anxiety, I did not inquire about the learner’s previous experience, which could have assisted in the assessment process. As much as I had previous encounter with the student, lack of enough background information hampered my effective participation in the growth of the student durin g the practice-based learning. Furthermore, I did not clearly identify the outcomes of the assessment at the beginning of the assessment. As much as appropriate information was provided and the environment was conducive, developing a summary of discussion could have enhanced the levels of student conceptualization of the expectations as well as minimize anxiety and confusion (NMC, 2009). When the student completed the first process, I asked the student several questions. These questions were established to evaluate the student’s communication skills, their understanding of the problem at hand, and general nursing skills (Murray et al., 2008). From the assessment, I observed that the student effectively communicated with the patient as well as the patient’s family a clear illustration of practical application of family-centred approach to nursing (Price, 2007). The student also effectively addressed the nursing situation at hand, as he utilised Wong-Baker pain rating to stabling the pain situation by the patient (Wong et al., 2001). After the student had gained an appropriate pain score, I asked the student a question regarding the appropriate frequency for observing pain, in which the response of the student was appropriate (Bradshaw Merriman, 2008). From the case, it was evident that I had a problem with my communication skills as I had to repeat myse lf severally before the student could understand what I was addressing. Lowering my communication speed is necessary to enhance the student’s ability to comprehend the information given to them during assessment and minimise on instances where students are overwhelmed by information that is faster than their processing rates. I offered the student a feedback session with the aim of promoting proactive learning relation with the student (Murray et al., 2008). This feedback included active involvement of the student in the development of an action plan for dealing with the identified inconsistencies during the assessment. Considering that the student demonstrated competency in the skill that I was assessing, the action plan was centered on increasing the number of alternative approaches that can be used in applying the skill with the focus on increasing the student’s reflexive skill and hence a holistic competency (Zachary, 2011). The process of provision of the feedback considered developing a positive and constructive impact on the student to assist the student in building self-esteem, cultivating a positive working relationship as well as a supportive learning environment which are important aspects that reduces anxiety during nursing practice (Myall et al, 2008). Research has demonstrated that st udent-mentor relationship influences the student’s learning experience (Price, 2007) and therefore, effective communication between the mentor and the learner can illicit competency concerns at early stages to minimise instances of failure (Zachary, 2011). Even though the student and the mentor may feel sad due to a failed assessment, it is vital for the mentor to appreciate failure as avoiding to report of failure may have an adverse effect on the progression of the student (Bradshaw Merriman, 2008). This feedback was provided immediately after the assessment session as an approach to providing the student with prompt support and offer immediate corrective measure for any unpleasant conduct exhibited by the student during the session (Zachary, 2011). Based on the assessment and my individual reflections on the outcomes, I identified various areas of my practice that require improvement. Specifically, my feedback on the assessment was limited and did not offer the student a wider scope on improvement. Furthermore, my speaking speeds need to be slowed to ensure effective communication. I also need to focus on developing in-depth background information about the student before the assessment as well as offering the student the expected outcomes of the assessment. In addition, asking the patient about the service will also enhance the determination of the performance of the student as well as development of an effective feedback. Reflective Commentary Mentorship is an important leadership characteristic (Zachary, 2011). Transformational leadership is founded on the ability of an individual to influence others through affecting their thinking. Adoption of this approach of leadership in nursing promotes autonomy as well as enabling the students to realise their full potential. It is also central to encouraging the development of excellent Interprofessional rapport (Myall et al., 2008). By becoming a role model at work through formulating solutions to problems that exist within nursing mentorship, I will be able to benefit myself as well as the student. This influence can also be transferred to other situations in the nursing environment, which will culminate to a better outcome in my nursing practice (Price, 2007). Common obstacles to mentorship such as staffing issues, hectic hospital environment, and clinical commitments influence my ability to perform as a mentor and hence the development of an effective relation with the student is essential (Price, 2007; Appendix 2). Due to the hectic nature of the nursing environment it is challenging to get time for developing a written feedback for the student however to enhance by mentorship capability I need to establish relationship with other mentors that is founded on sharing evaluation feedback as an approach to building my scope with regard to student evaluation. Being able to share with other mentors about feedback can also expand my evaluation to the benefit of the student. As much as this approach is effective in enhancing a student mentorship program in hospital settings, it is challenging especially in cases where other mentors are not interested in sharing their experiences and work limiting its usability. Promoting teamwork in mentorship can be an effective approach to overcoming this obstacle. Dealing with the problem of anxiety requires innate understanding of the student, which implies discussing with the student the most appropriate way for implementing the assessment. This is effective as it encourages the student to be actively engaged in the assessment program and also creating a better relationship between the mentor and the student (Zachary, 2011). Conclusion The process of student assessment is only successful if it is administered objectively and fairly. As much as this approach may result to some emotional distresses by both the assessor and the student, it is imperative for the success of a mentorship program and prevention of negative implications on the student’s advancement. It is also necessary for ensuring approved nurses are competent enough to guarantee patient safety. Therefore, I am determined to ensure that students that I mentor, assess and approve and fit and competent to service as nurses in their respective fields. To achieve this, I will focus on developing a closer working relationship with the students to ensure all competency issues are identified and addressed timely. This is important in ensuring the students that I encounter do not face surprises later during their summative assessment or even when practicing as registered nurses. Furthermore, involvement of the patients and their families in the assessment of my students will be a major trademark of my mentorship and assessment program as I regard inputs by the patient vital to determining the competency of the student nurse. Consequently, as much as the practice of assessment and mentorship is challenging and compound in nature, I believe that effective application of relevant knowledge and skills while focusing on the expected outcomes, it is possible to deliver efficiently in this function. This reflection process has enriched my understanding on the concept of mentorship and its significance in the nursing profession. It has also enhanced my perception of the concept of professional and personal development. I believe that if I eliminate the few areas of weakness that I have identified in the reflection, I will be able to offer effective mentorship and assessment for nursing students in clinical practice. References Bradshaw, A., Merriman, C. (2008). ‘Nursing competence 10 years on: fit for practice and purpose yet?’  Journal of Clinical Nursing,  17(10): 1263-1269. Murray, C., Grant, MJ., Howarth, ML., Leigh, J. (2008). ‘The use of simulation as a teaching and learning approach to support practice learning.’ Nurse Education in Practice,  8(1): 5-8. Myall, M., Levett†Jones, T., Lathlean, J. (2008). ‘Mentorship in contemporary practice: the experiences of nursing students and practice mentors.’  Journal of clinical nursing,  17(14): 1834-1842. Nursing and Midwifery Council, NMC. (2009). Additional information to support implementation of NMC Standards to support learning and assessment in practice. London, UK : Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Nursing and Midwifery Council, NMC. (2008). The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives.  London: NMC. Retrieved from nmc-uk.org/aArticle.Aspx Price B. (2007). ‘Practice-based assessment: strategies for mentors.’   Nursing Standard, 21 (36), pp. 49-56. Polit, DF., Beck, CT. (2008).  Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Zachary, LJ. (2011).  The mentors guide: Facilitating effective learning relationships. New York, NY: John Wiley Sons. Appendices Appendix 1: Critical thinking competency standards Source: drake.edu/media/collegesschools/soe/images/msld/competency_model.png    Appendix 2: Essential competencies for an effective mentor

Communist Ideology and the Chinese Communist Party essays

Communist Ideology and the Chinese Communist Party essays Chinese Nationalism refers to cultural, historiographical, and political theories, movements and beliefs that assert the idea of a cohesive, unified Chinese people and culture under state(s) that are primarily Chinese. One difficulty in this definition is the wide variation and ambiguities in the definition of the term Chinese. In 1926, following the death of Sun Yat-sen, the new Kuomintang leader General Chiang Kai-shek launched the Northern Expedition and civil war against the official government to purge the Communists who had been allied with the Kuomintang (KMT). The full-scale civil war lasted until 1949. By the end of 1949, the Communists controlled the mainland. The KMT fled to Taiwan. In 1950 Chiang took office in Taipei under emergency rules which halted democratic processes until the mainland could be recovered. Chinese Nationalistic ideologies all regard Sun Yat-Sen in high esteem and tend to claim to be the legacy of his famous three peoples principles, nationalism, democracy, socialism. Also, Chinese nationalistic ideologies regard both democracy and science as positive forces, unlike Communism. They do have radically different notions of what democracy means though. Opponents of Chinese nationalism attack it on various grounds. Some have asserted that Chinese nationalism is inherently backward and dictatorial and incompatible with a modern state. Others have asserted that Chinese nationalism is fundamentally an imperialist and racist ideology which in practice has led to the oppression of minority groups such as Tibetans and Uighurs. Communist ideology and The Communist Party of China (CPC) are more frequently related to the historical accounts of Mao Zedong and the revolution that took place in mainland China. The CPC is the ruling party of the People's Republic of China. The party was founded in 1921 and fought the Nationalist KMT during the Chinese Civil War. With more than 63 million members today, the Com...

How to Clean Out Your Inbox in 5 Easy Steps

How to Clean Out Your Inbox in 5 Easy Steps We all start with the best of intentions: an empty inbox (except for our most current unread or action-required emails), and an array of carefully labeled file folders containing all the rest. But one busy week or month, and we spiral far beyond our own control- until we’re one of those people with 12,429 unread emails, or with page after page after page of unfiled, undeleted stuff  and no time to sit down and fix it.But clearing clutter is as important in your inbox as it is in your working space. So take an hour, turn off all distractions- maybe even the Internet!- and get the monster that is your email back in working order.Determine Who’s WhoStart by sorting your inbox by sender. This helps you get rid of page after page of newsletters and promotions you no longer need, plus it helps you weed out the unimportant and deletable emails from more important senders.Go IncognitoFor the purposes of this exercise, you’re not â€Å"checking your email.† No ma tter how quickly you can do it, resist the temptation to start replying to time-sensitive messages. There’ll be plenty of time for that. Flag the ones that require replies and move on.Find Your SystemNo one else’s organization system will work better for you than your own. Find a filing and labeling system that works best for you- and makes your job easier, not harder. If the idea of applying such a system retroactively is too daunting for you, you could always put everything not current into a folder labeled â€Å"BEFORE† and rely on search to call up older emails and start fresh.Be RuthlessPretend each email is a piece of physical mail, slowly piling up on top of your desk, and repeat: I don’t have to keep everything. Keeping a paper trail with important stuff is crucial, but just because you can keep and store a billion emails doesn’t mean you should. Free up disk and head space and hit delete whenever you can.Know Your TricksUsing your keyboard shortcuts (arrow keys, â€Å"shift,† â€Å"delete,† etc.) can make this process go much faster. Try finding a way to make the process go like lightning, rather than using your mouse to click on every email.

Health Care Services and Their Work Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Care Services and Their Work - Assignment Example Failure to adopt a population health reduces the chances of determining the nature or number of healthy and unhealthy cases in a given population. Thus, adopting a population approach is a significant move in reducing the problematic populations within the health setting. These populations are with the inclusion of poor and untrained personnel, corrupt managers or directors and irresponsible nurses or medical specialists. Infrastructure in different healthcare settings in different countries are poor, and this leads to poor delivery of medical services in those regions. It is considered as the obligation of the government to consider integrating appropriate measures to address the issue of infrastructure, which includes both transport and communication. With advancement in technology and digitalization, it is expected that every government in the contemporary world utilizes and enjoys the benefits linked to technology and digital innovation in the healthcare setting. Inability to build a new generation of intersectoral partnerships- This is a common challenge which can be addressed by educating and training the concerned people on the importance of establishing reliable and dependable partnerships. This is because they draw on the perceptions and resources of diverse societies, and actively includes them in health activities. Lack of systems of accountability- Most organizations in the health industry are observed to lack systems of accountability such as updated data systems of information systems which can be used to countercheck on the performance of some employees. This challenge can be addressed by integration of modern technology (IT) and digital innovation in all sectors of the institutions to enhance performance and increase accountability level.

Strategy Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategy - Literature review Example This review will address the major aspects of capitalism in the society in the perspective of â€Å"Dead Man Working.† Mostly, these are the strategies the authors of this book recommend the society should adopt, as well as those they should not have taken in their course of combating capitalism. In this book, the authors portray the world today as good as dead because of the cancerous capitalism that prevails in various states. They recommend that what corporations and governments need is a change of strategy, especially in the managerial sector, as this will liven the dead world. Today, heavy capitalistic clouds cover the world. People are left helpless and have not taken any course of action to deal with this. People today have chosen to work and live, as this is the only option remaining, the alternative to capitalism. This trend persists among people as they wait for the unknown end, which could as well be the looming collapse of capital. However, this is not the right ap proach to face capitalism, as we shall see. The authors introduce the concept of emotional capitalism. This is the new face of capitalism today. The age of work ended, but it ironically adopted a different face evident in the present workers society, where everyone is obsessed with work. This book at the beginning describes a dead man working. He feels drained, and dead. This is his life routine, long office hours, compulsory team building sessions, and interactions with capitalist managers disguised as anti-capitalists. Working today is compared to a living hell. Working is neither living nor dying, it is a living death. However, the ‘dead’ man is expected by his corporation to wear a smile, and a jovial face. The authors attempt to show the difficulty presenting itself for any chances of the situation getting better. The new face of capitalism is hard to clear. First, the capitalistic managers in work places today wear the friendliness masks. Capitalists have become t actful in their strategies, as they even condemn capitalism and tyranny, and employ anti-capitalistic policies in corporations. In addition, they ask their workers to incorporate an element of fun in their work. This is a strategy to brainwash the employees from seeing the dark side of their work and the capitalistic face of corporations. Corporations today propagate the capitalistic culture and this has resulted in somatic desolation of employees, and these are considered â€Å"dead† but still working, as capitalism has squeezed life out of them. Most people do not like their work today. ‘Entering the workforce is like entering the grave† (4). This is a fact known by managers of corporations. They therefore employ other strategies to change the employees’ perception of work. For instance, â€Å"fun-sultants’ are invited in companies to make employees who work themselves to death have a moment of laughter. The authors break down the characteristics of the dead world in order to prove to the reader the state of the contemporary labor sector. Not all these characteristics happened naturally, rather, they are strategies adopted by governments, companies, as well as wealthy individuals to achieve their selfish interests, while blinding the public who will not read between the lines. The main characteristic is the liberal communism, a strategy employed by governments and corporations. Liberal communism embraces philanthropy at highest levels. No one hates philanthropy;

Women and honor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Women and honor - Essay Example What is clear about this is that women need a new path of ethics and morality. The problem that stands in the way is speech or language that prevents us from putting an end to our silences and â€Å"liberating ourselves from our secrets.† Speaking on the subject of truth, Rich tells us that women tell lies in order to survive. They lie to most people they come across especially people who legally have power over us such as a husband or a lover. Lying is used as weapon of false power that is wielded to get our own way. In a culture that validates only male power, women use lying as a potent tool to gain control of different situations. In order to justify our lies we use phrases like –â€Å"nobody’s business but my own† or â€Å"my privacy† etc...Rich compares lying to living a life â€Å"in the closet†, because it becomes more a necessity to lie to friends, family, bosses, colleagues or even clients. According to her, a liar leads a life of fear and loneliness which is self- destructive. It creates a kind of void within the woman and she tries to fill this barrenness by getting children. The lies she uses is more like a denial of the fear she feels. A liar always resists confrontation because she lives a cowardly life- one that has no truth in it. The author emphasizes that truth and honor are not things that just spring to life, they have to be created and nurtured between people. When truth prevails, the possibilities between people are endless and life becomes all the more interesting; but the liar loses sight of all these possibilities and continues to live in fear and loneliness. Graham Greene’s narration shifts between the past -of the events leading to Pyle’s death and the present reality that exists after the death of Pyle. The Quiet American is set against a backdrop of Vietnam during the latter part of the First Indo- China war. The story revolves around love of a young and beautiful Vietnamese girl

Presentation Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Presentation Critique - Essay Example The introduction did, however, set up the presentation well and give some general themes that would be explored better further in the presentation, though one thing I would have liked to see would be some explanation of context (a power outage that affects a huge area vs a small area, or home vs office etc.) The content was good, though some parts of it were more disjointed than was necessary. The introduction gave some topics that would be discussed, but some of these were either missing in the presentation (such as how to stop equipment damage) or else not clearly correlated with those introductory ideas. However, all content presented was on topic, appropriate and effective. This was one of the weaker areas of the presentation. Some of the visuals were good (the lightning one, for instance) while others seemed very out of place: the â€Å"Key to success† visual was both off topic (equating success to money, which was not really what success is in terms of power outages), while also being low resolution and overly

African-American Muslims in Philadelphia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

African-American Muslims in Philadelphia - Essay Example Though the roles of men and women are clearly spelt out in the Quran, the bone of contention is: How are African-American women perceived or treated in this religion? While these women put themselves on the same equal ground as their male counterparts, the media and Americans in general see them as a subjugated group. Sunni African American women believe that Muslim is the first and only religion that is centered on feminism. They recognize this religion as their source of redemption in a male dominated world. Even though their opinions and views may seem absurd to most Americans, the religion keeps growing in popularity among the Blacks. It is worth noting that men were attracted to Islam as it put a lot of emphasis on male leadership1. Elijah Muhammad used this opportunity to affirm the role of both men and women in religion, leadership being the primary role of men. In African-American churches, leadership positions were mostly taken by women with one overall male leader- the pastor. Black women were also attracted to Islam despite being reduced to housewives and child bearers by the sect. This was due to how they viewed Muslim men and the respect that the religion accorded women and children. Unlike their irreligious or Christian counterparts, Muslim men were responsible, focused, loved their women and were always smart in suits. This attracted the women to the sect. Many came from abusive and dysfunctional families; Islam offered a source of reprieve and comfort for them. Elijah called for the men to protect and provide for their black women to preserve the purity of black skin and to discourage interracial relations with the whites. It was not for the benefit of the black women. In fact, men were in control of their spouses bodies. The only time men were not allowed to copulate with their wives was during menstruation and when they were sick. Regardless of whether she was in the mood or not, a Muslim woman was mandated by her religion to meet her

Presentation Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Presentation Critique - Essay Example The introduction did, however, set up the presentation well and give some general themes that would be explored better further in the presentation, though one thing I would have liked to see would be some explanation of context (a power outage that affects a huge area vs a small area, or home vs office etc.) The content was good, though some parts of it were more disjointed than was necessary. The introduction gave some topics that would be discussed, but some of these were either missing in the presentation (such as how to stop equipment damage) or else not clearly correlated with those introductory ideas. However, all content presented was on topic, appropriate and effective. This was one of the weaker areas of the presentation. Some of the visuals were good (the lightning one, for instance) while others seemed very out of place: the â€Å"Key to success† visual was both off topic (equating success to money, which was not really what success is in terms of power outages), while also being low resolution and overly

Medieval, Renaissance, and Enlightenment Thought Essay

Medieval, Renaissance, and Enlightenment Thought - Essay Example In the realms of romanticism, a number of examples have helped people to understand the kind of philosophical thought that passes through the minds of characters and people and what changes their minds with respect to the relationships that they share with people around them. In modern day society, such a thought process might have changed but is inherently very similar to the days of yore. When talking about cultural mutation, one can easily witness changes taking place in modern day society with respect to the formation of global economies and socio-cultural scenarios. As compared to the past, in order to depict the growth in thought, one should be able to determine the causes and inferences of the Lutheran Reformation, victory of the usage of empirical methods and statistical data in order to prove scientific methods rather than relying on normative thought processes. (Triki, Rachida) Furthermore, the journey of conversion from the identity of a hero to a saint also finds a very p romising exemplary while discussing the power and established Renaissance Empire during the time of Michelangelo.

What do we learn about the role played by Curleys wife in of mice and men Essay Example for Free

What do we learn about the role played by Curleys wife in of mice and men Essay Curleys wife is a very interesting character. As the sole woman in the novel she could be said to represent her gender. However, few readers would regard her in a positive manner. Even before she appears in the novel, readers are given a negative impression of her as a sexual promiscuous character. Her role in the novel allows Steinbeck to develop hes central themes such as loneliness and dreams. In society women are terribly degraded by mens comments and actions. They are victims of prejudiced, which leads to loneliness. she got the eye goin all the time on everybody. I bet she gives the stable buck the eye. Curleys wife is never referred to anything but Curleys wife. This symbolises that she is thought of as hes property. None of the men speak very highly of her they all think in their words that she is Jail bait. This is realistic because even today we see this type of sexism occurring. Curleys wife walks the ranch as a temptress, she also hides a deep sense of loneliness behind the tramp, tart and bitch attitude she puts on. Her first outburst in crooks room shows her image. Satiday night. Everybody out doing sompin. Everbody! An what am i doin? Standin here talkin to a bunch of bindle stiffs, a nigger an a dum- dum and a lousy ol sheep, an likin it because they aint nobody else. For a young lady to be left home alone all day would send anyone in a deep state of depression. She is married to a man that gives her little attention and none of hes time. This is why I think she degrades herself. She shows little or no sign of respect for herself. She flirts with other men to keep herself entertained. Swell guy aint he? Spends all his time saying what hes gonna do to guys he dont like and he dont like no body. As a woman during the depression she has no choice but to marry someone who can support her. Society gives jobs and independence to men and women have no power. She is at the bottom of society. Her marriage to Curley is a disaster because he only cares about himself and he isnt interested in her at all. Curleys wife understands that all men think of her as an object, she uses her beauty to attract men so they will talk to her. She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward. She needs friends and people to talk to, but everyone turns her away. Curley is jealous and treats her like his possession to be guarded, she feels frustrated. Whats the matter with me? Aint I got the right to talk to nobody? Desperate to satisfy her need for belonging and love, she turns to strangers such as Lennie, the only person that she feels she can talk to. She hints at her loneliness when she says, Seems like they aint none of them cares how i gotta live, Her aggravation and frustration about being lonely is being released, and she may be free from loneliness because she has finally released most of her feelings and emotions before her death. Loneliness is a large aspect of the novel. Different characters deal with it in different ways. When Curleys wife opens up to Lennie the readers sympathise with her. Well I aint told this to nobody before This shows her inner feelings of how desperate she is in wanting a friend. She is successful in getting a person like Lennie to talk to and trust in, but from all this she had been killed by the hands of the one she trusted. Curleys wife has a dream she wants something to call her own, she wants fame, fortune and admiration. When she is talking to Lennie, alone in the barn, she recounts her obviously well told stories of her offers of fame. Coulda been in the movies an had nice clothes. She is unhappy with her husband, and his constant stories of who hes going beat up next. This brings up a very important question in the readers minds. Why did she marry Curley? I ast her if she stole it, too an she says no, so I married Curley. This shows that Curleys wife is a very stubborn character she wants everything her own way, and doesnt care what she has to sacrifice. She seems to have a deep regret that she didnt take up either of the men on their offers. This dream is important to her because it decides weather or not shes going to try again and go on in life and be a success and full fill her dream of being an actress or that she stays where she is and becomes something else. She tells Lennie of her need for affection, and how she needs to be wanted. Curleys wife does not seem at all likely to achieve her dreams. Even if she wasnt murdered, she was stuck in a rut with Curley, a rut that would have gone round and round in until he left her for a new woman, or she finally built up the courage to leave him. The first description of Curleys wife is described very differently from how Steinbeck describes her at the end of the novel. Steinbecks first description is very sharp and harsh. She had full roughed lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up Steinbeck describes her to be a tart; he wants the readers to think that she looks like a prostitute. When Curleys wife is murdered hes description is changed. she was very pretty, simple and her face was sweet and young. This description was given after her death, there is a hidden meaning to why I think Steinbeck did this. He wants the readers to understand that the description that was given earlier in the novel was what everyone thought of her, it was like a mask she had on. Her real personality and her real self were only discovered before she died.

Approaches to Financial Crisis Management

Approaches to Financial Crisis Management LITERATURE REVIEW The following Literature review starts with past studies and researches based on the crisis in general. Different types of crisis are referred and what kind of effects do they cause to businesses and people. Additionally are past studies on management strategies in period of recession and what does a business has to follow, not only old businesses but also new. Furthermore we focus on the new start up businesses that decide to grow in period of crisis. What Past studies and researches found and proved through history, when again in the past there was a recession. Crisis A crisis is an adverse incident with an unpredictable outcome (Campbell, 1999; Coombs, 1999; Coombs Holladay, 2002; Ruff Aziz, 2003). Interestingly, it should be pointed out that there is a wide range of crisis categories, from a basic ‘internal versus external’ introduced by Evans and Elphick (2005, p. 135), to a more complex system proposed by Henderson (2007) who categorized crises into economic crisis; political crisis; socio-cultural crisis; environmental crisis; technological crisis; and commercial crisis. Although there are numerous approaches to crisis categorization, The Pacific Asia Travel  Association (2003) has suggested that crises can be largely categorized into two major types, which are human-made and natural-made crises. It is crucial for one to understand that not all types of crisis lead to the same consequences, differing from one another in terms of the scope and extent of damage caused (Aktas Gunlu, 2005). Different public reactions to both human-made and natural crises provide a clear example of the critical differences in the public’s reaction to different types of crisis. The public normally reacts more negatively to the effects of human-made crises than to those of a natural crisis. While it is generally conceded that organizations have little control over natural crises, human-made crises can devastate the established reputation of an organization. As human-made crises are usually preventable, this type of crisis therefore often receives severe public condemnation (Pearson Mitroff, 1993). Furthermore, different crisis types, particularly both natural and human induced crises, are neither absolutely predictable nor avoidable. This means while crises occur rarely and randomly, it is also true that no industries are unaffected by those crises. In  response to the near certainty of experiencing crises, it is suggested that organizations come up with a plan for minimizing the damage of, and accelerating the recovering from, such crises through the development of crisis management strategies (Faulkner, 2001). Therefore the concept of crisis management is discussed below. Crisis Management Being able to effectively respond to a crisis is critical for the survival of an organization. Whether an organization is prepared or not for a possible crisis usually depends on senior officials and other private operating within organizations. More importantly, studies have shown that organizations with an established crisis management approach are able to effectively communicate and respond in the event of a crisis (King III, 2002). Clearly, it is crucial for an organization to have a crisis management approach in place. In general, a crisis management approach can be viewed simply as involving the  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ4 Rs’ of a four-stage process, which are reduction, readiness, response and recovery (Evans   Elphick, 2005). The Pacific Asia Travel Association (2003) has summarized and described each stage as follows: Reduction. In this phase, an organization’s analysis of strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats (a SWOT analysis) will help the managers to assess a potential crisis and to prepare a contingency plan. After identifying potential crises, organizations need to be prepared by developing strategic, tactical and communication plans. Readiness, the second phase, crisis response and crisis simulation exercises are very important in order to acquire and maintain crisis management skills as managers and staff need to be ready for the impact and stress from crises. Response, the third phase, a contingency plan is implemented immediately after a crisis occurs, as organizations that have a well-established crisis management plan tend to be more successful in handling crises. A crisis communication strategy should be utilized to communicate with not only the customer, but also the stakeholders and the public. Recovery. In the last phase, the crisis recovery could be measured by the speed with which an organization resumes full business operations; the degree to which a business recovers to pre-crisis levels, or the amount of crisis-resistance added since the crisis occurred. Whilst corporate managers are faced with the reality of trying to implement this process (Evans Elphick, 2005), it should be noted that all stages of the crisis management process need to be flexible, which allows for potential evaluation and modification, depending on the nature of the crisis/disaster (its magnitude, scale and time pressure) and stakeholder response to strategies. Although crisis management is a requirement for organizations, and although business leaders recognize this, many do not undertake productive steps to address crisis situations. Managers who do take productive steps however will be in a much better position to respond when a crisis or disaster affects an organization or destination (Ritchie, 2004). So, because a start up business in time of a recession has knowledge of all the stages, it is easier to handle the crisis as they are aware of the consequences a bad economy has on a business. Measurement are been taken before they have any bad influence on the ir business from the recession. Start-ups business and existing business in time of recession First of all, we are going to study past studies that were done during a period of recession and see how they coped during the period. Small businesses in their starting period are responsible for the New England turnaround and the Massachusetts miracle in the early 1980s. Small businesses had the willingness to expand and form and were the reason the economy became so strong (Lamp, 1988). It was found by Birch (1987) that the keys to new job creation are pioneering firms. Stable economies that can offer a proper environment for start-ups and existing firms to expand and grow but on the other hand those that cannnot offer such an environment usually suffer. With the reason that large businesses are reengineering, resizing and most importantly, downsizing, many people are leaning towards small business as a reason of economic expansion. In 1994 Dun Bradstreet anticipated that 3.1 million new jobs would be created with 72.4 percent following up from new firms with less than 100 employ ees. New small firms with less than 20 employees have also been seen as the creators of new markets for large firms and as the nations job creators (Phillips, 1993). As from this example, it is clear that new businesses and especially a small one can survive and also take advantage of the recession, if handled in the right way. Small businesses are considered to add to the local economy and therefore invigorate the economy (Violaris, Harmandas and Loizidis, 2012). When there is an economic recession, it is a period where all firms are struggling for their survival, especially for new firms and start-ups the failing rate proved to be higher compare to larger companies (Latham, 2009 p180-201, Lawless and warren,2005). However, some scholars have argued that smaller firms (start-ups) can have their own unique competitive advantage since they are closer to the market and realize the customers’ needs more easily (Young and Shepherd, 2005, Tavakoli and McKierman, 2009) There are several success factors that new companies can adopt in order to survive the crisis or event to expand in this recessionary environment. According to professor, John Quelch (2012), a success factor during a recession is that the firms should continue spending on marketing and in order to survive a firm should be able to realize how the needs and preferences of customers change in order to adopt their strategies. They should keep 8 factors in mind when making the marketing plans: research the customer, focus on family values, maintain marketing spending, adjust product portfolios, support distributors, adjust pricing tactics, stress market share and emphasize core values. A research of (Srinivasam, 2009) on six recessions that took place in US, from 1969 to 2007, showed that increases in RD (research and development) decreases profits for B2B and B2C, while there is no change for service firms. However, more expenditure in advertising increases the profits to B2B and B2C but not for firms that are in service. Also another research agreed that increases in advertising spending increases returns during recession but disagrees that increases on RD decreases returns (Graham and Frankenberger, 2008). Another strategy for start ups to follow during recessionary environment is a â€Å"Lean start-up† strategy. Many start-ups do not manage to survive because they spend a lot of money and time trying to produce products to customers that they might don’t like and therefore will mathematically drive the company out of business ( Eisenman, 2011). The methodology on start-up businesses is all about avoiding waste in terms of money and time. A good example is through the Toyota Production System (Dennis 2002). Important factors, for the success of small firms, especially in recessionary environment are the role of education, training and prior knowledge and experience. There are evidences that prove entrepreneurs having previous experience in the industry and knowledge of the market will have positive impact on the firms (Harada, 2002). A research that took place by Simpson, Tuck and Belammy, 2008, shows that only one group out of the four( â€Å"the empire builder†, â€Å"the happiness seeker†, â€Å"the vision developer† and â€Å"the challenge achiever†) showed clear evidence that education and training had a positive impact on the success of the business. He found out that motivation and teamwork is a key factor for success. According to Fiol (2001) employees are recognised as one of the most valuable resources to the business in order to achieve their objectives. For some small firms the key point for success is happiness. Entrepreneurs must be happy at wor k as well the employees and the customers must enjoy the experience at the place of work (Simpson, Tuck and Belammy, 2008). Analysts have researched on firms choosing to start during recession by following investment strategies. In antithesis with downsizing, firms like to take recessions as opportunities to innovate, expand and invest into new markets in order to extend or expand in a competitive advantage during the recession. Most of today’s household names had successfully launched businesses during recessions in the past. In the oil and steel industries that were emerging during the 1870s recession Rockefeller and Carnegie took advantage of steel production and technologies and of the weakness of various competitors from the same industry (Bryan and Farrell, 2008), and Edison also established General Electric which is until today a big and successful business (Lynn, 2009). Hershey started up their brand and distribution during the 1893-97 depression. Everybody also know until today Kellogg’s which grew out of another period of depression in the 1920s (Rumelt , 2008). The electrical, che mical and motor industries that were very important to post-war British industry expanded during the 1930s. Also two massive companies today, Microsoft and Apple corporations were also both founded in the 1970s, following from the oil-crisis. A lot of different studies disagree that firms adapt to recession conditions by applying business strategies based on new investment, market diversification and innovation, and a a strategy such as that usually leads to higher levels of business performance. Such examples are :targeting new market niches ,increased marketing spending and new product development (Roberts, 2003; Srinivasan, 2005; Pearce II and Michael, 2006); pricing strategies that centre the value, whereby rich resource firms highlight brand and quality instead of low prices to attract customers, or even, adopting ‘acquisitive pricing’ policies, to control low prices in sensitive markets that are influenced by prices (Chou and Chen, 2004). On a macro-level, quantitative studies of quantities and asset prices show that quantities differ more than prices do over the business’s cycle, including time between the periods of recession (e.g. Bhaskar, 1993; Geroski and Hall, 1995). From the above it is referred that most firms respond to macroeconomic shocks from a recession by prices maintenance, leading to quantities sold eventually to decrease. For a lot of firms, this is more likely to consequent into lower sales and, to extreme cases, exit. Studies like this show important data on the response of firm under financial crisis conditions but offer a small insight on why firms pick to respond in this way or if the price maintenance is advised by efficient measures. For the new business, more recent studies claim that a recession is normally an opportunity, not a threat for them, if handled correctly (Rumelt, 2008; Williamson and Zeng, 2009). The recent recession the whole world is facing is characterised by its nature globally and the risk that companies in rising markets take are becoming more active than expected. But research also show businesses not doing very well. Williamson and Zeng (2009) said that a key strategy business might be adopted to avoid this by focusing on developing what rising markets know to do well by offering value for money. They also suggest that companies should invest in research that is aimed at service and product innovation offers similar purposes but at lower expenses and costs. To sum up, a new business has to have a strategy to begin with. The proof on start up businesses adopting investment strategies to grow through recession is not so clear. Taking on strategies in the beginning and especially in a recession is under risk and most businesses are more likely to be very busy with short-term survival to think correctly about way to innovate and grow. Investments need resources –managerial skills, technical expertise and especially finance –and businesses with no or fewer resources are more likely not to be able to implement them. On the other side, history has proved that companies can adapt competitive advantage though a recession period from innovating into services, business models, products and also by getting into new and growing markets. As seen from previous studies they make very little efforts in explaining the reasons why particular firms do so very well when starting up their business in time of recession. No explanation is clearly given why they take the risk in the first place and avoid the potential risks of attempting such investment. It is consequential from the various researches that when a business adopts investment strategies from the beginning, success without any doubt follows. But the procedures a business has to take to imply these investment strategies and also having profitable outcomes is more likely to be more complicated than just said. However, such suggestions ignore the external issues: if all new firms start up by adopting investment strategies, would all succeed? In such crucial times of a recession, when nearly all customers turn to cheaper products, market conditions may not be able to support a wide range of unique and new innovations or a large number of firms looking for diversity, or new business wanting to grow and succeed. It is known that new business cannot lower their costs as they have more expenses than a mature business. REFERENCES Aktas, G. Gunlu, E. 2005, Crisis Management in Tourist Destinations, in Global Tourism,  3rd edn, ed. W. Theobald, Elsevier Inc., New York, pp. 440-55. Bhaskar, V., Machin, S. and Reid, G. (1993) ‘Price and Quantity Adjustment over the  Business Cycle: Evidence from Survey Data’, Oxford Economic Papers, vol. 45, no 2, pp. 257-268. Bryan, L. and Farrell, D. (2008) Leading through uncertainty, McKinsey Quarterly, online  at: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Leading_through_uncertainty_2263 Campbell, R. 1999, Crisis Control: Preventing Managing Corporate Crises, Prentice Hall,  Australia. Chou, T-J. and Chen, F-T. (2004) ‘Retail Pricing Strategies in Recession Economies: The  Case of Taiwan’, Journal of International Marketing, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 82-102. Coombs, T. 1999, Ongoing Crisis Communication: Managing, Responding and Planning,  Sage Publications, London. Coombs, T. Holladay, S. 2002, Helping Crisis Managers Protect Reputational Assets:  Initial Tests of the Situational Crisis Communication Theory, Management  Communication Quarterly : McQ, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 165-87. Evans, N. Elphick, S. 2005, Crisis Management: Evaluation of their Value  for Strategic Planning in the International Travel Industry, The International Journal  of Tourism Research, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 135-51. Faulkner, B. 2001, Towards a Framework for Disaster Management,  Management, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 135-47. Geroski, P. and Hall, S. (1995b) ‘Price and Quantity Adjustments to Cost and Demand  Shocks’, Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 185-204. Henderson, J. 2007, Crises: Causes, Consequences, and Management, Butterworth-  Heinemann, Oxford. King III, G. 2002, Crisis Management Team Effectiveness: A Closer Examination,  Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 235-50. Lynn, M. (2009) The new capitalism, Sunday Times, 17 May, p.4.  Pacific Asia Travel Association 2003, Crisis: It Wont Happen to Us, Pacific Asia Travel  Association, Bangkok. Pearce, J. II and Michael, S. (2006) ‘Strategies to Prevent Economic Recessions From  Causing Business Failure’, Business Horizons, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 201-209. Pearson, C. Mitroff, I. 1993, From Crisis Prone to Crisis Prepared: A Framework for  Crisis Management, The Executive, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 48-59. Ritchie, B. 2004, Chaos, Crises and Disasters: A Strategic Approach to Crisis Management  in the Retail Industry, Retail Management, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 669-83. Roberts, K. (2003) What Strategic Investments Should you make During a Recession to  Gain Competitive Advantage in the recovery?’ Strategy Leadership, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 31-39. Ruff, P. Aziz, K. 2003, Managing Communications in a Crisis, Gower Publishing Limited,  England. Rumelt, R. (2009) Strategy in a Structural Break’, McKinsey Quarterly, no. 1, pp. 35-42. Simpson M., Tuck N., Bellamy S. 2004. Success factors of small businesses: the role of education and training Srinivasan, R., Lilien, G and Rangaswamy, A. 2005, ‘Turning Disaster into Advantage:  Does Proactive Marketing During a Recession Pay Off?’ Journal of Research in Marketing, vol. 22, no. 2, pp.109-125 Williamson, P.J. and Zeng, M. (2009) Value-for-money Strategies for Recessionary  Times, Harvard Business Review, vol.87, no.3, pp: 66-74.

Michael Jordan: Beyond Personal Glory Essay -- Basketball Players Pape

Michael Jordan: Beyond Personal Glory Michael Jordan is the only athlete to have ever gained the middle name "Air" because of his unbelievable ability to soar through the sky before he smashes the ball through the rim. He has managed to defy all obstacles ever thrown his way within the sport of basketball, earning his reputation as the most competitive and determined player in the NBA. Over the span of Michael Jordan's 18 year long career in the NBA, he has enjoyed world wide attention and recognition as the ambassador of basketball. Jordan has influenced basketball players around the globe and, with his own shoes and clothing brand, along with his artistic way of handling himself on the court, has developed a style of his own within the sport. Michael Jordan can be considered the foremost leader of the enlightenment in the sport of basketball. I myself am the owner of two pairs of Jordan shoes, which I consider to be my favorite shoes, although I certainly realize that Jordan's merchandise is way too expensive and I along with the rest of the basketball fanatics am being suckered in to paying large sums of money for an image. Ever since I started my journey as a basketball player, Michael Jordan has been an idol and a role model for me to follow in my quest to reach my own goals as an athlete. I have devoured all the information about this man I could possibly attain and have been inspired by his life as a basketball player as well as a role model off the court. Many people characterize Michael Jordan as a typical athlete, who was successful within his sport, but because of his personal flaws and his self-destructive competitiveness never managed to exceed the level of other very competent and well known athle... ...el, Michael Jordan is a brand name." Nieman Reports, Vol. 53 Issue3, p41. Grimm, Mathiew. "Over Jordan." Brandweek, Vol. 40 Issue 6, p. 24. Hirsch, Phil. "Should his Airness be a Cultural Icon?" http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/Field/1307/newspaper.html. Lipsyte, Robert. Michael Jordan: A Life above the rim. New York, NY: Harper Collins,c1994. "Michael Jordan." American Decades CD-ROM. Gale Research, 1998. "Michael Jordan." Contemporary Black Biography, New York: Gale Group 1999. "Michael Jordan." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. New York: Gale Research,1998. "Jordan's Wife Juanita Files for Divorce." http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2002/0107/1307442.html. "Michael Jordan Foundation." http://www.delorisjordan.com/page/MJpage.html.Dec.1. "Michael Jordan." Notable Black American Men. New York: Gale Research, 1998.

Furthering My Education Essay

I’m going to talk about going back to school farthing my education. From the time i graduated from high school i always want to go back to school. I never took the time to do so. I would always look into going back to school or talk about going back to school but never took the time to go. Until one day I started working in child care and that moated me to go even more. Going back to school was hard for me because i looked at it as if I didn’t have any money to go to school. I over came all that and went on line to apply for school, and now I am attending Ashford University College. I am going for my Associates in Early Child Hood. Therefore, returning back to school to complete my degree after 7 years was very rational and thinking it out it me and my husband that it was time. We are sometime told that experience is the key to get the perfect job, but I disagree with that, have a degree in that field will help you in and getting that opportunity from a manager or boss will landed you that perfect job. But in years in the workforce I have learned that is not always the case. Employers will sometime use the fact that you don’t have a degree against you and after miss some jobs I really want I refuse to let this happen to me every again. I want from this day forward to be armed with everything that the next candidates have and so I can feel that I belong with them. Today’s workforce is forever growing and in order to land that big jobs or promotion you must be able to compete with other and have extra special things that make you stand out. Experience is very important almost key in some cases, but in my opinion having a college degree will help and will make you very marketable and wanted. Sometimes have a degree or other credential will set you apart from all the other candidates and most of the times that will work in you advantage to land that promotes or dream job. Returning back to school to obtain my degree was pertinent to my future and also my kid because it show them it is never too late to lived your dream or make yourself a better person in social, I tell my kids all the time you just don’t want to be another number. So what that being said and done I want to show my kids so that they can one day follow my footsteps. In my Conclusion The more education I try to achieve, the more income I can earn. My goal of returning to school has been a life time goal. I also do expect to meet the challenges that it will present my decision in returning to school has everything to do with my decisions and goals in life. REFERENCE Wirt, W. (1836). Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry, as reproduced in L. Copeland & L. W. Lamm (Eds.), The world’s great speeches. New York: Dover, 1973. Retrieved February 28, 2010, from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Web site at http://www.history.org/almanack/life/politics/giveme.cfm

Lord of the Flies: Writing an Interpretive Composition

Piggy is an important character in William Golding's Lord of The Flies. The novel follows a group of boys who crash land on a deserted island. At first, the boys believe that they will be rescued and will soon return to their normal lives. The reality of the situation, is that the world outside of the island is in war. The island becomes their new home. Using Piggy's physical features, mental state, and emotional level, Golding makes Piggy a symbol of security, and civilization. Piggy's character plays a major role because he serves as Golding's personification of intelligence, and critical thinking. Piggy is very important in the story, he is the character that gives the story kind of a mysterious twist; he is the character that turns the story upside down. He is the smartest on the island, without piggy the island would be a huge mess. Piggy from the beginning told the boys how to maintain themselves. Golding’s symbolism is strangely in Piggys appearance. The boys criticize Piggy from when he got on the island all the way up until his death. They nag at him because he is overweight, has asthma, ugly, he has pale skin, and has a speech impediment. This all symbolizes civilization. Without Piggy on the island the boys would be a mess, and they would lack proper thinking abilities. Even though Piggy is the obvious choice for the boy’s leader, they decide to go for the more athletic, and good-looking one Ralph. Ralph is chosen because the boys didn’t like the fact that Piggy was overweight, and lacked all abilities to be a leader. They didn’t know or even give him a chance to show who he was, had they done that they would have found out that Piggy is the more mature one out of all the boys; he does have the ability to be a leader. Piggy in every way seemed older, the boys had hair that kept growing, Piggys was already starting to bald because he had handicaps that made him look older then he really was. Piggy is clearly the most mentally stable boy on the island. For example when the boys said there was a ‘beast’ on the island, Piggy knew that no large animal could possibly sustain itself on the island, not by itself anyways. There is nothing on the island, just these boys he tried to tell them that; he tried to tell them there is nothing to fear. â€Å"I know there isn’t no beast—not with claws and all that I mean- but I know there isn’t no fear either† (page 84). He tries to tell the boys, that the only thing to be afraid of is themselves. They have all turned into such monsters and they are the only ‘beasts’ on the island. Piggy stays calm under pressure and thinks through situations clearly and thoughtfully, moreover; he is mature and independent. Piggy should have been elected leader even though his physical features don’t meet the boy’s standards. All of the other boys constantly leave him alone to fend for himself and take care of the young boys on the island. His independence is a principal factor that keeps him from turning into a monster like the rest of the boys do by the middle of the novel. At the beginning of the boys' journey, Piggy found the conch, which is a shell that when blown brought all of the boys into a ‘family’ meeting. This allowed the conch to represent order and democracy. Until his death, Piggy tries to make the boys stay calm and close. By the end of the novel on the boys have become completely divided, and Piggy and Ralph are completely on their own. Piggys glasses have been stolen by the other boys in the separate group, in his desperate effort to get his glasses back, he expects the talk to be quite peaceful and mature. That’s not what he got, when he got to the boy’s camp they began screaming at him calling him down, and making him feel more useless then he already is without his glasses. During his plead Jack decides it is a smart idea to throw a huge bolder on Piggy’s head. I’m not sure if his clear intentions were to kill Piggy or to scare them away, but it deffinatly resulted in Piggy’s death. The boys aren’t very clear and in their own ‘state’ of mind. They have absoloutly no reassurance in their minds, they don’t know what they’re going to do. They have all lost their minds. The bolder that is crushing down on Piggy is a symbol of radical breakdown of civilization, meaning there is no ‘peace’ anymore. The story kind of took a turn from here, the boys were trying to hunt Ralph, their intentions were to kill him aswell. Piggy’s character was very important to the story. Piggys personality at the beginning of the novel is similar to his personality at the ending. He became the voice of reason on the island, he likes to get every word he needs to say out. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies just wouldn’t have been the same if Piggy wasn’t in the story, it wouldn’t have had the twists and turns it had.