Peer Review for Classmate Research Proposal - Peer 1 Essay

Peer Review for Classmate Research Proposal - Peer 1 - Essay Example Throughout the writing, the writer understands the topic of recidivism and goes ahead to explain the problems in the prison cells. After that there is a comparison of different studies on how inmates behave while in prison, after prison and the possible situations and reasons that make the inmates come back to prison. The writer writes carefully on the psychological aspects and behavioral aspect, giving remedies to solutions the inmates face. There is a clear understanding of the topic. The solutions presented relate perfectly with the problem of recidivism. Solutions are presented by the writer, and they come after the writer had described a diagnosis or a problem in the inmates. The writer presents solutions like therapy and rehabilitation, which are solutions to solve the problem of recidivism. There are recommendations that cover the three fundamental dimensions of counseling, the inmate, the prison institution and the society (Davis, 87). The writer gives solutions and recommendations to the individual, what prison should do the individual and how the society should react and behave towards the individual. The government is also in the society as an institution. The writer has used different sources and references, and that means that there was proper research though not exhaustive. Comparisons should be made from more than three sources to bring about clarity and understanding form consistency of ideas. The way they are incorporated to the report is good and the citation is also good because there is acknowledgment of the original researchers and writers. The sources were also quoted where the writer has not used her words to avoid plagiarism. If the author should improve the paper, issues of relativity are critical. The writer should focus on one idea and exhaust it fully. In some concepts and ideas, a blanket description is given which means the writer does not go

Pros & Cons of Television Essay Example for Free

Pros Cons of Television Essay For most people, watching television Is an enjoyable way to spend time. It Is an undemanding activity that passes the time and there are very few families that dont own at least one television. Since so many people now own a television, there has been a proliferation in the number of channels available and shows to watch, so that you can quite easily find yourself spending hours in front to the television. Consequently, you may neglect other activities that need doing. Thus, although television may help to ease boredom. Here are also some negative aspects associated with watching television. Breaking news shown live on your TV Global news network allows the latest global events to be aired worldwide and beamed directly to your living room. Examples (from top-left, clockwise) include September 1 lath attack, 2004 Tsunami in Indonesia, 2008 HINDI outbreak and 2011 earthquake In Japan. Pros of watching television The positive aspects of watching television include that you have something to talk to friends and relatives about. There are certain programs which are more popular than there and If you watch them you feel Included and that you have something In common with the people around you. Television can help to foster a sense of national identity, since a significant proportion of the population will be exposed to the same kinds of news programs and television shows, so that people feel that they belong to a wider community. Plus, television can also be Informative and educational, opening peoples eyes up to the world outside. Educational TV programs Educational TV programs provide priceless information that not only educate but also pens up your mind. Most of these programs teach and educate people on subjects that you may otherwise will not know and are never taught in schools. Non-educational TV programs However, there are also a lot of television shows that are not very educational, and could even be considered trash. Reality shows, for Instance, offer nothing of any worth to the audience. Yet people still tune in. People get hooked on shows which are poorly produced and concentrate mostly on issues of sex and violence. Although here is no conclusive evidence that watching violence on television makes children tofu people would become desensitizing to it, and that this could make it easier for children to engage in violent activities. Watching too much TV can lead to weight gain, poor social skills and lower academic results Unsupervised children spending too much of their time in front of a TV can have a big impact on their life. Obesity, lack of social skills and poor academic results are Just some of the effects TV have on children. Some psychologist believe that too such TV time can have a major effect in the psychology of the child. Children are suppose to interact and play, not sit and watch. Poor parenting and weight gain It is also evident that many people spend too much time watching television, so that parents dont bother to spend any time playing or talking with their children. It is far easier to stick them in front of the television, rather than taking them to the park. It cant be a coincidence that so many people are now overweight when they spend much more time watching television than they would have done years ago. People seed to be a lot more active, but now television is the most convenient way for individuals to keep themselves occupied. Thus, they burn hardly any calories while most probably consuming an excessive amount of calories. Its addictive Even though there are many negative aspects associated with watching television, many people enjoy television far too much to reduce the amount they watch or to avoid watching television altogether. People enjoy not having to think for themselves and to be able to sit down and watch something that helps them to relax, so why would they change?

Lesson Learned in Warfare Essay example -- Warfare

This paper examines lessons learned that are timeless in their relevance for all types of warfare with respect to the lesson materials discussed in the Warfare Studies course. The first lesson learned that this paper examines is the United States’ adaptability in response to changing nature of warfare. The United States has experienced various types of warfare ranging from war of annihilation, war of attrition, or fourth-generation warfare; the United States has no identifiable American way of war. Second, this paper looks at the importance and enduring nature of fourth-generation warfare and counterinsurgency operations. These events are here to stay and will be significant in the future conflicts. The third lesson learned discusses America’s poor planning and preparation for stability, security, transition, and reconstruction operations (SSTR) and demonstrated the need to avoid stovepiped, single agency planning. The apparent lack of planning for SSTR operations severely complicated and extended the United States mission in Iraq. Fourth, America must always strive to be on the cutting edge and maintain technological superiority over our adversaries in order to secure great advantages. However, the United States cannot solely rely on technological savvy military to achieve success. The last lesson learned discusses the growing relevance of information IOP as a powerful tool of war and the importance of it in shaping public opinion. The first lesson learned is the adaptability of United States to evolving nature of warfare. Adaptability is a trademark of the American way of war. The American way of war is usually associated with war of annihilation in which aims for decisive victory or war of attrition in which aims fo... ...ia and Military Operations. Carlisle Barracks, PA: US Army War College, 2008. Murray, Williamson. â€Å"Decisive Battle and the Ghost of Napoleon.† Marine Corps Gazette 84, no. 7 (July 2000): 36-37. Parker, Geoffrey. â€Å"The Western Way of War.† In History of Warfare: The Triumph of the West, 2-9. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Snow, Donald M. and Dennis M. Drew. Making Twenty-first Century Strategy: An Introduction to Modern National Security Processes and Problems. Maxwell AFB, AL.: Air University Press (January 2006). Ulrich, Marybeth P., â€Å"A Primer on Civil-Military Relations for Senior Leaders.† In US Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, Volume II: National Security Policy and Strategy. 3rd ed. Edited by J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr. Carlisle Barracks, PA.: US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute (June 2008): 241-252.

Proud Moment

If I had to describe a proud moment of mine it would have to be about the summer that just recently passed. In the summer I work as a lifeguard, a serious job that isn’t always taken as serious as it should be, but when faced with danger most of the employees know what to do. Anyways, in the summer I worked as a lifeguard in the afternoons and evenings and in the morning, I would teach younger children how to swim. I was their instructor and they were my students. We had a lot of fun, and I absolutely loved teaching little kids how to do something that I love to do myself. It was hot summer day and a lot of the camp children from the local boys and girls club had just arrived. So all of the lifeguards on duty assumed their positions and conducted a swimming test for the camp kids to make sure they were capable of swimming in the deep end. Once the swim test was over we now let the public into the pool area. A good sized group arrived at the pool, the group consisted of a single lady and about 5-7 other kids. A few of the older ones in the group had been to the pool before so I knew what they were capable of doing in the water. But there was this one little girl that made her was to the deep side and I asked one of them older kids if she was able to swim in the deep end and they said yeah she was she can swim. So silly me, I believed them and continued on with my day surveying the rest of the pool. As I watched the kids climb out of the pool and go do jumps I noticed that the little girl was up next to jump. Remembering the conversation I had with the older kids, I turned to focus on something else, and the next thing I knew, the little girl was bobbing up and down, so I immediately kicked of my flip flops and jumped off of the guard chair and into the pool. I grabbed the little girl and pushed her to the wall. My adrenaline was so high, I didn’t even notice that someone had pulled her out of the water after I brought her to the side. This would have to be my proudest moment not only because I was just doing my job as a lifeguard but I had saved a little girls life. I am pretty proud of myself now even though it is 4 months later. Not much has changed but I am proud that I am enrolled in higher education trying to make something out of myself and make a good living. I am also proud that I am having fun along the way. There really aren’t any differences between these two proud moments other than one was a paying job and it was my duty to help people and now it is my personal duty to fulfill what I want out of life.

Theme of Oppression: Waiting for Snow in Havana compared to Kaffir Boy

A paradigmatic moral witness â€Å"is one who experiences the suffering–one who is not just an observer but also a sufferer. † Carlos Eire, Professor of History and Religious Studies at Yale University and author of Waiting for Snow in Havana, is a moral witness. His book is a memoir of childhood and exile, the recollections of a privileged boy who, at the age of 11, was one of 14,000 children airlifted from Cuba, separated from his parents and, with only a small suitcase in hand, dropped off in a land in which he did not know a soul.The book is, however, more is a record of suffering endured at the hands of evildoers. As its subtitle indicates, Eire writes in the style of confession. Unlike Elie Wiesel, for instance, he does not mainly register evil and suffering to honor the sufferers and warn future generations or to accomplish an inner catharsis. He probes deeply into the warping that evil produces in the souls of victims and struggles with frightening honesty, born of faith, on a journey of redemption from its sinister power.So moving, so wildly humorous and yet so stern in its moral judgment, so concentrated on the self but so concerned with others and their redemption, a story so rooted in a specific time and place and yet so universal in import. Evil keeps appearing in the shape of a lizard, and the lizard of lizards is Fidel, who destroyed everything Eire knew as boy, wrecked it â€Å"in the name of fairness, progress, the oppressed, and of love for the gods Marx and Lenin.†Contrary to what one might expect, the redemption toward which Eire is groping bears the face not of a political figure or a social program but of Jesus, who â€Å"wept with joy upon seeing all the world's sins embedded in those mean, raw pieces of wood that meant death for Him at the age of thirty-three. † A Cuban nun taught him the meaning of redemption. She was wise enough to talk to the orphaned and exiled children not â€Å"about their present situa tion,† utterly dire as it was, but â€Å"in universal terms about [their] faults and about redemption from them. â€Å"In his search for redemption, Eire wrestles with two issues. First, what to do with desire bereft of a precious object, a boy's desire that yearns for what it could have had as much as for what it lost. â€Å"In the past thirty-eight years I've seen eight thousand nine hundred and seventeen clouds in the shape of the island Cuba,† writes Eire, an exiled man in his early fifties. Second, how does one make peace with enemies, even more, how does one love them? â€Å"My dream of dreams,† writes Eire toward the end of the book, is to â€Å"kiss [the lizard] fondly, and let go forever.†The original title of the book, rejected by the publisher as too offensive, was Kiss the Lizard, Jesus (Jesus Rubio was the main character in that first version of the book, conceived as a novel rather than a memoir). Much of what Eire is after as he sifts thro ugh recollections and the emotions stirred by the recollected events can be described as the redemption of memories: â€Å"imagine the sound of memories that have nothing to do with Batista or Fidel. † So how does Eire's journey toward redemption look?You must read the book yourself. One thing that will strike you immediately is the style. Here is its unforgettable first sentence: â€Å"The world changed while I slept, and much to my surprise, no one had consulted me. † Then there is the perspective. Eire combines a way of seeing the world often associated with magical realism (except that it is â€Å"all true,† or â€Å"at least 98. 6% of it,† as he told me) with a humor the likes of which I've never seen before–a humor that is not garnish but a way of life and itself a vehicle of redemption.An even more important element of redemption than humor–an element which lets humor do the redemptive work and not just relieve Eire temporarily of lif e's burdens–is his robust faith in God. His own peculiar â€Å"proofs of God's existence† (proof no. 5, â€Å"the ultimate proof†: desire) structure the whole text, and he repeatedly reads his own story within the framework of salvation history (e. g. , the exiled children of Cuba are the slaughtered children of Bethlehem; as a fatherless boy he sees himself in the image of God's Son abandoned by the Father).The aftereffects of that nun's talk, which left him in a â€Å"stupor, wondering what had hit [him],† are felt throughout the book. Can one get no redemption before the dawn of the world to come? One can. Eire writes as a man who has tasted the sweet savor of a new life even as he is drinking from the bitter cup of evil's memories. He has kissed many lizards, he says. That is why when he condemns Emesto, a lizard slightly trailing Fidel in ugliness and wickedness, the worst punishment he can think of is for him to be embraced by Jesus eternally.So wri tes a man who has admittedly not yet been freed from anger but has offered it up to God and is â€Å"letting Jesus take care of it. † Eire's questions are spiritual: How do we live with memories of irretrievable loss and violation, given that for victims, memories are not so much a solution as a problem? How do we relate to the perpetrators? How do we find healing of losses and redemption from evil? Eire's answers are religious: we find redemption by having our stories inserted into God's story and in everlasting life with God, the source of our life and salvation and the telos of all our desires.â€Å"Secular† and â€Å"religious† are alternatives, but the ethics of memory and the redemption of memories need not be. The advantage of Eire's religious struggle for the redemption of memories is that, if pressed, he can integrate the ethics of memory into his perspective. Eire offers redemption of memories–and redemption of people who remember. The story â⠂¬Å"Kaffir Boy† deals with the agony of racism. In Mark Mathabane's â€Å"Kaffir Boy,† Mark has grown up in poverty. Though Mark is told that he will never amount to anything because he is black, Mark strives for success since he has nothing to lose.Through a comparison of different reactions to prejudices revealed in the stories, we learn that our choices should be determined by which options offer the greatest rewards and/or the fewest penalties. In â€Å"Kaffir Boy,† Mark Mathabane joins his grandmother at her workplace in the big city. Mark is astonished that white people live such extravagant lives while his family can hardly afford food. When Mark and his grandmother reach the Smith residence, Mark meets a white boy named Clyde who has been providing Mark with hand-me-downs.He tells Mark what the white children learn about in their school. Mark is shocked to hear the stereotypes that the white children have about black people. Mark is greatly insulted when Clyde tells him, â€Å"My teacher says Kaffirs can't read, speak or write English like white people because they have smaller brains, which are already full of tribal things† (Mathabane 237). Both writings have characters that are faced with racist discrimination. However, though they go through similar scenarios of racism, their own situations and reactions to racism are different.Mark is a child who lives in poverty, but when he is told he will fail because he is black, Mark becomes motivated to prove himself to the world. What motivates people depends on the results they are trying to accomplish. If someone has more to gain than lose from a situation, they will try that much harder to succeed. Mark realized this and since he had nothing, it was all gain and no loss. The opposite is true as well — if you strive for something that will get you nowhere or leave you in a worse position, the best thing to do is not to try.

Australias Statutory Bill of Rights

Australias Statutory Bill of Rights Free Online Research Papers Bills of rights have been put in place in many countries and are powerful documents. Australia is one of the few countries in the world and the only western nation in the world which hasn’t put in place a Bill of Rights. Although traditionally Australia has a good record of protecting our basic human rights, lately some citizens have found their rights to be taken away from them through legislation such as the Anti-terror laws. There is no set bill of rights for Australia to just adopt but it can either follow Britain or America’s bills of rights. Britain has a bill of rights separate to their constitution (Statutory Bill of Rights) and America has a bill of rights attached to their constitution. It is imperative for Australia’s evolution that the country set in place a statutory Bill of Rights similar to the one Britain has in place. Australia may not have a Bill of Rights but the country’s constitution has protected some rights that we think are necessary. The Australian constitution has expressed and implied rights. The expressed rights include right to trial by jury (s116), freedom from discrimination on the basis of residence, the right to vote (s92) and the right to free exercise of religion (s116), (The Australian Constitution 2007) the only implied right so far is the right to listen to political discussion. (UNSW Handbook course 2007) These rights are not enough for the Australian society as it continues to change. Australia may not have any other rights specifically written in the constitution but the country has written legislation that protects some other rights we have. The right to life is protected in the criminal code through legislation concerning murder. This is called statute law; it is when the government writes legislation in the interests of the nation. This is in Australia’s tradition and is called parliamentary sovereignty. Parliamentary sovereignty means that if a government writes legislation the people don’t agree with they can vote that government out of power in the next election. The government can’t take away our right to vote, as it is an expressed right in the constitution. The government can and has written legislation, which has limited or removed our rights or as they would like to call it â€Å"balancing our rights†. This includes censorship laws and defamation laws, which limit our freedom of expression. Also the government has written Anti-Terror legislation which can and has removed our right to a presumption of innocence. The Anti-terror legislation has recently been in the media when it was used against suspected terrorist Dr. Mohammed Haneef. Dr. Haneef was suspected to be working or affiliated with terrorist organisations and was detained for close to a month with no charges placed upon him. (Government must review counter terror laws 2007) This detainment without charges is clearly in violation of a person’s right to presumption of innocence. This is a perfect example of why Australia needs a Bill of Rights. If we had a Statutory Bill of Rights the Australian nation would be aware of the right to presumption of innocence and as a nation we wouldn’t allow the government to impinge upon that right. The right to presumption of innocence is a right in the United Nations declaration of human rights. (Haneef case shows why anti-terror laws must go – Socialist alternative 2007) Human rights in Australia are also protected through common law, or law made by judges. When judges are presented with a case and there is no precedent, the judge has to interpret the law and often when there is no precedent the judge will look to international conventions. International conventions are treaties that Australia has signed along with other nations, such as the United Nations declaration of human rights. Most of the world has signed this treaty and it is up to that’s country’s to interpret the rights and ratify them through legislation. The problem with common law is the fact that a case needs to be presented to the judge before they can make a decision. In the case of Mabo, Australian common law was re-written to allow Australian aboriginals land rights, through native title. This case may prove that common law is protecting our rights but if Mabo never challenged the High Court then Aboriginals may not have any land rights even today.(Land Sea Right : N ative Title : The Mabo case 2003) This is why common law is not enough to protect our rights. The styles of Bills of Rights Australia could adopt would be either the American system or the Britain system. The first option would be the American style system, where the Bill of Rights is attached to the constitution. This style of Bill of Rights has an obviously flaw, which is the fact the constitution cannot be changed unless a referendum is held and in Australia referendums are not only rare but rarely pass. The second option and most logical choice would be to follow in the footsteps of Britain and New Zealand. Their Bill of Rights is a separate piece of legislation and is known as a statutory Bill of Rights. This would mean that parliament could easily overrule it with more legislation as society grows and changes. Although due to the fact that the citizens of the nation would be aware of their rights, the government would be under heavy scrutiny if they were to change or remove a right. The biggest problem with a Bill of Rights is that it will reflect the attitudes of the society at that time. Society is always changing and if the Bill of Rights for that country cannot change with the views of society outcomes could be hazardous. Currently this can be seen in the United States of America. Their Bill of Rights is part of their constitution which was written at the end of the American war of independence. The second amendment of their Bill of Rights states that â€Å"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right to bear arms, shall not be infringed.†(United States Bill of Rights 2007) This has lead to the out of control laws the United States has on gun ownership and has also caused many gun massacres. A statutory Bill of Rights will eliminate the problems with Australia’s tradition of parliamentary sovereignty. The Bill or Rights will give rights to those who have no rights. It will give power to those minority groups that the government tends to abuse. For example at present day homosexuals have no right to marry in Australia and the topic is too hot for politicians in the country to touch. With a well thought out Bill of Rights homosexuals would be able to marry and our rights will be well protected. It is clearly evident that Australia needs to implement a statutory Bill of Rights. This Bill of Rights will protect our rights as Australian citizens, it will educate the nation as to what our rights actually are and if need be the Bill of Rights can change with the attitudes of society. The Bill or Rights needs be well thought out; the writers must look into the future to where our society is going rather than where it is. This will allow for the society to evolve in a manner that is possibly freer than we are right now. Research Papers on Australia's Statutory Bill of Rights19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraQuebec and CanadaNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NicePETSTEL analysis of IndiaDefinition of Export QuotasCapital PunishmentThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementTwilight of the UAW

Definition and Discussion of Middle English

Definition and Discussion of Middle English Middle English was the language spoken in England from about 1100 to 1500. Five major  dialects of Middle English have been identified (Northern, East Midlands, West Midlands, Southern, and Kentish), but the research of Angus McIntosh and others... supports the claim that this period of the language was rich in dialect diversity (Barbara A. Fennell, A History of English: A Sociolinguistic Approach, 2001). Major literary works written in Middle English include Havelok the Dane,  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,  Piers Plowman, and  Geoffrey  Chaucers Canterbury Tales. The form of Middle English thats most familiar to modern readers is the London dialect, which was the dialect of Chaucer and the basis of what would eventually become standard English. Examples and Observations Chaucers Canterbury TalesWhan that Aprill, with his shoures sooteThe droghte of March hath perced to the rooteAnd bathed every veyne in swich licour,Of which vertu engendred is the flour...[When the sweet showers of April have piercedThe drought of March, and pierced it to the rootAnd every vein is bathed in that moistureWhose quickening force will engender the flower...](Geoffrey Chaucer, General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, late 14th century. Translation by David Wright. Oxford University Press, 2008)Many Middle EnglishesMiddle English varied enormously over time and by region; Angus McIntosh notes that there are over a thousand dialectically differentiated varieties of Middle English. Indeed,  some scholars go so far as to say that Middle English is not... a language at all but rather something of a scholarly fiction, an amalgam of forms and sounds, writers and manuscripts, famous works and little-known ephemera. This is a little extreme, but certainly prior to the later fo urteenth century Middle English was primarily a spoken rather than a written language, and did not have official administrative functions in either a secular or religious context. This has resulted in a critical tendency to place English at the bottom of the linguistic hierarchy of medieval England, with Latin and French as the dominant languages of discourse, instead of seeing the symbiotic relationship between English, French, and Latin...By the fifteenth century Middle English was extensively used in the written documentation of business, civic government, Parliament, and the royal household.(Rachel E. Moss,  Fatherhood and Its Representations in Middle English Texts. D.S. Brewer, 2013) The Vocabulary of Middle English- In 1066, William the Conqueror led the Norman invasion of England, marking the beginning of the  Middle English  period. This invasion brought a  major influence  to English from Latin and French. As is often the case with invasions, the conquerors dominated the major political and economic life in England. While this invasion had some influence on English grammar, the most powerful impact was on vocabulary.(Evelyn Rothstein and Andrew S. Rothstein,  English Grammar Instruction That Works!  Corwin, 2009)- The core vocabulary of [Middle] English comprised the monosyllabic words for basic concepts,  bodily functions, and body parts inherited from Old English and shared with the other Germanic languages. These words include: God,  man, tin, iron, life, death, limb, nose, ear, foot, mother, father, brother, earth, sea, horse, cow, lamb.Words from French are often polysyllabic terms for the  institutions of the Conquest (church, administ ration, law), for things imported with the Conquest (castles, courts, prisons), and terms of high culture and social status (cuisine, fashion, literature, art, decoration).(Seth Lerer,  Inventing English: A Portable History of the Language. Columbia University Press, 2007) French Influence on Middle English- From 1150 to 1500 the language is known as Middle English. During this period the inflections, which had begun to break down during the end of the Old English period, become greatly reduced...By making English the language mainly of uneducated people, the Norman Conquest [in 1066] made it easier for grammatical changes to go forward unchecked.French influence is much more direct and observable upon the vocabulary. Where two languages exist side by side for a long time and the relations between the people speaking them are as intimate as they were in England, a considerable transference of words from one language to the other is inevitable...When we study the French words appearing in English before 1250, roughly 900 in number, we find that many of them were such as the lower classes would become familiar with through contact with a French-speaking nobility: (baron, noble, dame, servant, messenger, feast, minstrel, juggler, largess)... In the period after 1250,... the upper classes carried over into English an astonishing number of common French words. In changing from French to English, they transferred much of their governmental and administrative vocabulary, their ecclesiastical, legal, and military terms, their familiar words of fashion, food, and social life, the vocabulary of art, learning, and medicine.(A. C. Baugh and T. Cable, A History of the English Language. Prentice-Hall, 1978)- French continued to occupy a prestigious place in English society, especially the Central French dialect spoken in Paris. This prompted an increase in the numbers of French words borrowed, especially those relating to French society and culture. As a  consequence, English words concerned with scholarship, fashion, the arts, and foodsuch as college, robe, verse, beefare often drawn from French (even if their ultimate origins lie in Latin). The higher status of French in this [late Middle English] period continues to influence the associat ions of pairs of synonyms in Modern English, such as begin-commence, look-regard, stench-odour. In each of these pairs, the French borrowing is of a higher register than the word inherited from Old English.(Simon Horobin,  How English Became English. Oxford University Press, 2016) A Fuzzy Boundary[T]he transition from Middle to early modern English is above all the period of the elaboration of the English language. Between the late 14th and 16th centuries, the English language began increasingly to take on more functions. These changes in function had, it is argued here, a major effect on the form of English: so major, indeed, that the old distinction between Middle and modern retains considerable validity, although the boundary between these two linguistic epochs was obviously a fuzzy one.(Jeremy J. Smith, From Middle to Early Modern English. The Oxford History of English, ed. by Lynda Mugglestone. Oxford University Press, 2006)Chaucer on Changes in the Forme of SpeecheYe knowe ek that in forme of speeche is chaungeWithinne a thousand yeer, and wordes thoThat hadden pris, now wonder nyce and straungeUs thinketh hem, and yet thei spake hem so,And spedde as wel in love as men now do;Ek for to wynnen love in sondry ages,In sondry londes, sondry ben usages.[You k now also that in (the) form of speech (there) is changeWithin a thousand years, and words thenThat had value, now wonderfully curious and strange(To) us they seem, and yet they spoke them so,And succeeded as well in love as men now do;Also to win love in sundry ages,In sundry lands, (there) are many usages.](Geoffrey Chaucer, Troilus and Criseyde, late 14th century. Translation by Roger Lass in Phonology and Morphology. A History of the English Language, edited by Richard M. Hogg and David Denison. Cambridge University Press, 2008)

Scottish Independence and the United Kingdom

Scottish Independence and the United Kingdom There are eight accepted criteria that determine whether an entity is an independent country or state. An entity need only fail on one of the eight criteria to fall short of the definition of an independent country. Scotland does not meet six of the eight criteria. Criteria Defining an Independent Country Heres how Scotland measures upon the criteria that define an independent country or state. Space  or  Territory  With  Internationally  Recognized  Boundaries Boundary  disputes are OK. Scotland does have internationally recognized boundaries and an area of 78,133 square kilometers. People  Live  There  on  an  Ongoing  Basis According to the 2001 census, Scotlands population is 5,062,011. Economic  Activity  and  an  Organized  Economy This also means a country  regulates  foreign  and  domestic  trade  and  issues money. Scotland certainly has economic activity and an organized economy; Scotland even has its own GDP (over 62 billion pounds sterling as of 1998). However, Scotland does not regulate foreign or domestic trade, and the Scottish Parliament is not authorized to do so. Under the terms of the Scotland Act 1998, the Scottish Parliament is able to pass laws on a range of issues known as devolved issues. The United Kingdom Parliament is able to act on reserved issues. Reserved issues include a variety of economic issues: the fiscal, economic and monetary system; energy; common markets; and traditions. The Bank of Scotland does issue money, but it prints the British pound on behalf of the central government. The Power of Social Engineering, Such As Education The Scottish Parliament is able to control education, training, and social work (but not social security). However, this power was granted to Scotland by U.K. Parliament. Transportation System for Moving Goods and People Scotland itself has a transportation system, but the system is not fully under Scottish control. The Scottish Parliament controls some aspects of transportation, including the Scottish road network, bus policy, and ports and harbors, while the U.K. Parliament controls railways, transport safety,  and regulation. Again, Scotlands power was granted by the U.K. Parliament. Government That Provides Public Services and Police Power The Scottish Parliament has the ability to control law and home affairs (including most aspects of criminal and civil law, the prosecution system, and the courts) as well as the police and fire services. The U.K. Parliament controls defense and national security across the United Kingdom. Again, Scotlands power was granted to Scotland by the U.K. Parliament. Sovereignty: No Other State Has Power Over the Countrys Territory Scotland does not have sovereignty. The U.K. Parliament definitely has power over Scotlands territory. External  Recognition, Voted Into the Club by Other Countries Scotland does not have external recognition, nor does Scotland have its own embassies in other independent countries. The Verdict As you can see, Scotland is not an independent country or state, and neither are Wales, Northern Ireland, or England itself. However, Scotland is most certainly a nation of people living in an internal division of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

CORDS and the Phoenix Program in Vietnam Term Paper

CORDS and the Phoenix Program in Vietnam - Term Paper Example The term paper "CORDS and the Phoenix Program in Vietnam" talks about the success operations of the CORDS and the Phoenix programs during the Vietnam War. The Phoenix program came into existence in the period between 1967 and 1971, which was part of the CIAs effort to find intelligence access to policy levels of the Vietnam Cong Infrastructure as a way of directing development actions to the rural South Vietnam and taking control of the communist political structure by eliminating high-ranked VC cadre. At this time, phoenix program received assassination allegations. In 1993, there developed alerting evidence of VCI organization emerging after the downfall of the Diem regime. The program was then obliged to join MACV and USOM’s public safety division in advocating for the reorganization of GVN (Government of South Vietnam) intelligence. MACV had to carry out its operations through Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS) supported by the CIAs phoenix program. The main purpose at this time was to coordinate efforts of police, local leaders and paramilitary groups to identify and tear down insurgent operations by arresting the local enemy ranking cadre and even using force if needed. The phoenix program was viewed as controversial as it received allegations of assassinations, and it was also imaged as an unlawful program targeting civilians. On the positive side, phoenix program was one of the many programs of the CIA tailored towards pacification and rural security programs run in South Vietnam. with a promise to the c ivilians that the collaboration between the government of the United States and South Vietnam was aimed at shielding them from VCI and they were even trained in self-defense by US Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV). After some time in 1967, the MACV had succeeded in uniting all military and civilian pacification attempts which were known as Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support. From this point, the CIA and MACV were intensively engaged in CORDS which was also run in unison with the Saigon administrative government. CORDS and phoenix programs hence worked as an entity by establishing an extensive network over 100 provincial and district operations committee programs in Southern Vietnam (Andrade?, 27). Basically, these committees were established to implement the CORDS and Phoenix programs. Cords programs were to come up with innovative all encompassing government approach to achieving rural pacification through development activities purposefully organized a nd directed with military operations and aid programs. In general, the program succeeded in incorporating civilian and military efforts under one command structure. The CORDS program

The Effect of Alcohol Concentration on the Leakage of Pigment from Essay

The Effect of Alcohol Concentration on the Leakage of Pigment from Beetroot Cells - Essay Example The cell membrane is made up of phospholipids molecules and proteins. The phospholipids are present as a bilayer and that acts as the semi permeable membrane. The phospholipid bi-layer is formed because of the hydrophilic and the hydrophobic ends of the phospholipid molecule. The water loving hydrophilic head is present in the inner region of the membrane and the hydrophobic water hating tail region is present on the outer membrane region. This arrangement prevents the polar solutes from moving in and out of the membrane. This arrangement generally allows the passive diffusion of the hydrophobic molecules. The entire membrane is held intact because of the non-covalent interaction of the hydrophobic tails with a little fluidity.The betalains pigment of beet root is sequestered in the vacuole of the beet root cells. When the membrane condition is altered because of temperature variation, pH variations, the membrane becomes weak and loses its pigment content. The phospholipid bi-layer is soluble in an organic solvent. Ethanol is the most common organic s olvent. When ethanol is used for the extraction of the pigment from the beetroot, it dissolves the phosphor lipid bi layer and thus makes the membrane permeable. The betalains thus diffuses out of the membrane due to the concentration gradient. As this is a water soluble pigment, it results in the color of the solution. The intensity of the red-purple color in the solution will indicate the diffusivity level of the pigment. Hence the effect of concentration of ethanol may increase the color of the solution. This is a predictive hypothesis. The predictive hypothesis will give a tentative answer to the question that is under the investigation. (faculty.uca.edu). So the experiment was designed such that the independent variable ethanol is applied to the experimental group and it is controlled in the control group. According to our hypothesis, the control group had 0% ethanol and the experimental group had

Accounting Course - One.Tel Telecommunication Company Essay

Accounting Course - One.Tel Telecommunication Company - Essay Example Finally, by March 2001, One Tel was declared insolvent, after continuous efforts by News Limited and PBL to inject additional cash turned out to be insufficient. In this report, the reasons for the collapse are analyzed, how it could have been prevented and its effect. This paper analyses how the company was mismanaged, its internal control weaknesses, and financial reporting issues. Jodee Rich and Brad Keeling established One Tel. Company (telco), on the 1st of May 1995. James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch were the initial backers, providing an investment worth $995 Million (Cook, 2001). The company’s business was to provide communication services and networks in Australia and major countries of Asia and Europe. The company launched its GSM services network in 1995 and within few years it became the fourth largest telecommunications company of Australia. Its success was mainly fuelled by its marketing and ability to attract young mobile users. It achieved an early success in Australia and very soon its operations went across international boundaries. The marketing strategy was to focus on the younger generation, using the slogan â€Å"You’ll tell your friend about One Tel†. In its early years, One Tel enjoyed a lot of success due to its growing customer base and its profits grew from $3.7 million in 1997 to $6.9 million in 1999. In November 19 99, One Tel. had a market capitalisation of $3.8 billion that made it rank as the 30th largest Australian company (Barry, 2002). Unfortunately, due to gross mismanagement the company’s collapse was inevitable. In 2000, the company’s financial position reported a loss $291.1 million. The shareholders tried to keep the company afloat, but it was not to be and by 28th May 2001 the company was de-listed. The downfall of One Tel can be largely attributed to its shareholders and

Discussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussion Board - Essay Example A manufacturing supervisor must attempt to address the requirements of the organization with the worker’s needs. In addition, manufacturing supervisors are faced with environmental challenges (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin & Cardy, 2008). Also, the manufacturing supervisors are faced with the challenge of ensuring the organization meets its targets and goals. There are a number of ways a manufacturing supervisor can deal with the different challenges arising in the organization. These problems can reduce when the organization employ a supervisor who posses technical, administrative, human relations, and conceptual skills. The manufacturing supervisor should comprehend the technical features of the work being carried out. It is essential for the manufacturing supervisor to understand the needs of employees when trying to manage job performance. In addition, a manufacturing supervisor who posses people skills will accomplish the objective of the people through and with the workers. Also, it is essential for the manufacturing supervisor to gain an understanding of the organization’s dynamics and be familiar with politics in the organization (Kotter & Cohen, 2002). Adopting these perspectives will help decrease these

Wireless and Mobile Technologies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wireless and Mobile Technologies - Case Study Example e of this discussion is to use the case study of Delta Airlines and demonstrate the way mobile and wireless technologies can be used for attracting new customers and carrying organizational tasks as a way of improving business efficiency. Mobile technology refers to the cellular communication based on portable technology (Smyth, 2004). The technology includes the use of dial-up services and wireless protocols access to the internet. On the other hand, wireless technologies refer to all types of communications where transmission of information happens over a defined distance without the help of wires, cables or any electrical conductor (Webb, 2010). For example, Infrared wireless communication is used for data or information in devices with infrared radiation installation Mobile and wireless communication technologies are used to improve customer service in business settings. Customers can use wireless communications or mobile computing options to access customer relationship management systems. Wireless connection allows the business to update customer details from a remote location. Delta utilizes smartphone apps and Wi-Fi to create a 24-hour customer service during flights (News.delta.com, 2015). The technologies provide great flexibility in working. Mobile computing provides powerful solutions that can be accessed through a network. For example, Delta aims at creating a lasting traveling experience and updating customers about flights and ticketing through wireless and mobile platforms. Customers get information through smartphones and social media on how to book tickets and catch next flights. Mobile and wireless technologies are used to keep production or service provision problems in check (News.delta.com, 2015). Firms churn out products or offer services without any gross errors. The security and safety of Delta customers depend on how well they can track their luggage and baggage during the flight. Installation of a Wi-Fi system where customers can

Discuss how psychological research into false memories has improved Essay

Discuss how psychological research into false memories has improved the reliabilty of eyewitness testimony - Essay Example The most important variables in eyewitness identification include perception, memory, communication and candour of the eyewitness. However, it has been a tough job for even trained observers to make accurate identification of the eyewitness. In this background, research in cognitive psychology on the subject of false memories proves to be greatly invaluable and such studies influence the reliability of eyewitness testimony immensely. As Daniel L. Schacter purports, experimental and theoretical studies of memory reveal that errors, distortions, and illusions are fundamental aspects of remembering and recollection. For the last two decades, there has been renewed interest in memory errors and distortions within psychotherapy and neuropsychology. â€Å"It is in the context of this debate that the term ‘false memory’ has come into common usage in psychological research. False memories refer to recollections that are in some way distorted or, in extreme cases, involve rememb ering events that never happened at all.† (Schacter, 1999, p. 193). Therefore, psychological research into false memories can greatly contribute to the reliability of eyewitness testimony and this paper makes a reflective exploration of how such examinations can improve the reliability of eyewitness testimony. ... The findings in the recent studies on the development of false memories prove that benign memories can be distorted in various ways during the process of encoding and retrieval. As Rowland W. Folensbee maintains, â€Å"research into false memories does not call into question the existence of memory processes that could maintain implicit traumatic memories. In fact, recent neuroimaging research offers support for the existence of flashbacks that not connected to explicit memory processes. (Folensbee, 2007, p. 119). Therefore, the recent studies on the process of recovering implicit memories have introduced a new way of understanding the working of false memories and these researches contribute to the comprehension of the fundamental aspects of memory. It is fundamental to realize that the cognitive psychologists have identified the occurrence of false memories and the recent experimental research in the area contributes to a better analysis of false memories. The significant connecti on between the recent psychological research into false memories and the reliability of eyewitness testimony cannot be questioned, because the developments in this area of neuropsychological research have contributed to the reliability of eyewitness testimony. One of the core aspects of the judicial process has been the reliability of eyewitness testimony and every attempt to improve its validity has great implications in legal psychology. According to Tversky and Fisher, it is fundamental for the participants in the judicial process to recognize the fallibility of witness memories. (Tversky and Fisher, 2000). The recent studies in neuropsychology concerning human memory focus on the susceptibility of the

Wireless and Mobile Technologies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wireless and Mobile Technologies - Case Study Example e of this discussion is to use the case study of Delta Airlines and demonstrate the way mobile and wireless technologies can be used for attracting new customers and carrying organizational tasks as a way of improving business efficiency. Mobile technology refers to the cellular communication based on portable technology (Smyth, 2004). The technology includes the use of dial-up services and wireless protocols access to the internet. On the other hand, wireless technologies refer to all types of communications where transmission of information happens over a defined distance without the help of wires, cables or any electrical conductor (Webb, 2010). For example, Infrared wireless communication is used for data or information in devices with infrared radiation installation Mobile and wireless communication technologies are used to improve customer service in business settings. Customers can use wireless communications or mobile computing options to access customer relationship management systems. Wireless connection allows the business to update customer details from a remote location. Delta utilizes smartphone apps and Wi-Fi to create a 24-hour customer service during flights (News.delta.com, 2015). The technologies provide great flexibility in working. Mobile computing provides powerful solutions that can be accessed through a network. For example, Delta aims at creating a lasting traveling experience and updating customers about flights and ticketing through wireless and mobile platforms. Customers get information through smartphones and social media on how to book tickets and catch next flights. Mobile and wireless technologies are used to keep production or service provision problems in check (News.delta.com, 2015). Firms churn out products or offer services without any gross errors. The security and safety of Delta customers depend on how well they can track their luggage and baggage during the flight. Installation of a Wi-Fi system where customers can

Egypt and Mesopotamia before 3000 BC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Egypt and Mesopotamia before 3000 BC - Essay Example Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia were ruled by kings at a time before 3000 BC; they were also ruled by priestly castes during this period. The powers of ruler ship were shared amongst a few erudite elites. The economies of these two civilizations were slave-driven as slaves formed the major manpower for their productions. Their societies were formed into status groups as they formed castes based on status and it was the privileged people that were at the upper end of the caste system. The religious edifices and palaces of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia civilizations were constructed for governmental and ceremonial purposes. Division of labor was also the basis of production of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. The Ancient writings of Mesopotamia and Egypt also influenced modern day writings. 1 In the political system of the two civilizations, the Egyptian civilization was ruled by a powerful centralized government, while Mesopotamia was ruled by the governments of regional city-states. The literary tradition of the Mesopotamians was greater than that of the Egyptians. In architecture, the Egyptians built more monumental structures than the Mesopotamians and this was also due to the belief of the Egyptians in the afterlife as they built these structures to honor the dead.

How does Edger Allan Poe Use Language to Create a Sense of Drama Intention Essay Example for Free

How does Edger Allan Poe Use Language to Create a Sense of Drama Intention Essay The Tell Tail Heart, by Edger Allan Poe, is a novel in which tension and expectation play essential roles to the readers experience. The audience, generally well educated widely read adults, would appreciate this novel as a recollection of a clearly insane man. In order to tell you the whole story Poe has written somewhat of an early psychological thriller, creating a mental portrait of a mad protagonist, who details the killing of an old man, and later hears his victims relentless heartbeat. The opening sets up a contrast of sanity versus insanity, creating a psychological chaos that enraptures the reader. Drama intention is portrayed through a variety of ways, all working cohesively with one another to create an over all sense of embossed insanity and powerful emotion. The way in which the opening is written gives the reader an immediate clue to the mental state of the protagonist. The very first line; True! nervous very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? uses all three tenses within one shortened period. This reflects the narrators excitement, suggesting that his mind is jittery, jumping about with different thoughts and ideas. An elevated use of punctuation reinforces this effect, as it means the text does not flow, creating sentence fragmentation, allowing the reader to comprehend the elevated mental state of the protagonist. It is not yet made clear to the reader as to why the narrator is excited in this manner, he appears to be worked up about something, causing the reader to grow curious and excited themselves about the prospect of finding out what is causing his fuss. Poe has used the tactic of withholding information strongly within the first paragraph, causing the monologue to become somewhat of a gradual revelation. This allows Poe to hold the reader in suspense, consequentially creating a heightened level of dramatic tension. Written in a first person narrative, it is made very clear that the monologue is of the form of a speech to the reader. This effect is achieved by the extensive use of punctuation and colloquial terminology. As it is a monologue, there is a suggestion or effect that he is confessing his thoughts to the reader. This means that the piece is almost as if we can see into the mind of the protagonist. Allowing the reader to see a unique view of the thoughts and feelings of another. The form of the text is not over zealous or important, however the contrast of the content and the form is very clear. The piece is written in standard, respectable paragraphed prose, contrasting the disturbing and gruesome content of the novel. The language employed, and the literary devices it is used within, is the primary way in which Poe has succeeded in creating this suspenseful piece. Punctuation is used to great effect, embellishing the sentences to create the narrative confession of the protagonist. Extensive use of exclamation marks, hyphens, and semi colons are all relied upon to create sentence fragments and colloquial, broken text. The reader is given an immediate sense of excitement and instability; in True! nervous- very very dreadfully nervous. This suggests that the protagonist is jumpy and in a chaotic mental state. As an opening this proves to be attention gauging, as the reader is unaware of the motive for excitement. This is extended throughout by a heightened use of fragmentation through hyphens. The line, Sharpened my senses not destroyed not dulled them reiterates the form of a monologue, reinforcing the idea of speech to the reader, using the sentence fragment as a chance to find some self affirmation. Therefore the reader is allowed to see the within the mind of the criminal, giving them a unique insight to the way he thinks allowing greater involvement and understanding from the reader. This is an unlikely experience as the protagonist shows signs of mental instability and therefore would create a very interesting subject for the reader to asses from a psychological point of view. An extensive vocabulary and heightened lexis is employed throughout the piece, suggesting that the piece is aimed at the well educated adult. The majority of the novel is comprised of Standard English, with a small number of colloquialisms spread throughout, allowing the protagonist to appear both educated and well-spoken. This creates an interesting contrast to his actions, as it is not the norm to have well educated, (supposedly well judged and reasoned) people committing a very irrational act such as murder. The monologue is written in the form of a conventional novel, but primarily in the form of a narrative first person. Hints of confession to the audience are found, intertwined with the use of direct address, with colloquial terms such as Ha! and the use of rhetorical questions, for example why will you say that I am mad? Poe has used these devices to thoroughly involve the audience within the piece. The result of this is that the reader is manipulated to feel like part of the story and therefore feel the tension created at a greater effect. Poe has employed various forms of imagery within the piece. He describes that the hinges creaked on the old wooden door. This is a little clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½d however acts very successfully in creating a picture within the mind of the reader. This is done by almost sub-consciously relating back to childrens stories, where an old creaking door would make the entrance to a spooky castle in which an evil witch lived. This very definite image of the eerie or spooky, reinforces that the novel is somewhat of a refined horror. Creaking doors are often used to create a dramatic atmosphere, and Poe has clearly played on this link and used it to his advantage to create a scary situation for the reader. Animal imagery, coupled with an extended metaphor is also used to great effect. It is suggested that the old man that is to be killed is in possession of an evil eye. This eye becomes the protagonists excuse for killing the man, and so it is capitalised upon as a reason. This develops into an extended metaphor when it is referred to as a vulture eye and later, it is suggested that his eye resembled that of a vulture. A vulture is an animal commonly associated with evil and malice. This provokes a similar reaction or opinion of the old man from the narrator, however the reader is still left considering the sanity of the protagonist, and therefore is more reluctant to hold the same opinion as him over the justification of killing the old man. The irrational killing about to happen is used to put the reader on edge, creating intense suspension and a heightened expectation of the approaching events. Clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s provide an interesting platform on which Poe entertains the reader. My blood ran cold, provides a very clear sense of the emotional situation of the protagonist. This allows us to observe the effect that the eye has on the narrator. Blood ran cold suggests fear and apprehension, as this is a very human emotion, the reader has a rare chance to sympathise with the protagonist. This is somewhat ironic as the narrator is very far from the stereotypical hero, and yet the reader is ready to find an appealing quality in the character. In order to interpret the piece properly the reader must pay close attention to both the syntax and the repetition of language, used conjunctively to create a dramatic effect. Object there was none, passion there was none is a primary example. The repetition of none creates a very distinctive rhythm, whilst the double use of five syllable sentence fragments forms a very recognisable syntax. In this case it creates a sense of ruthlessness and suggests that the protagonist will stop at nothing in order to achieve his goal. Repetition of closed in closed closed creates emphasis on the words, displaying to the reader his self affirmation that his actions are good. This is reinforced by the use of oh so cunningly making it clear that (in his opinion) he is very skilled at what he is doing, and consequentially commending his efforts. This is further enhanced by the narrators egocentricity. Use of I is extensive throughout, (which is partially natural during a monologue) however, it is used to such an extent that the reader is led to believe that the protagonist is almost obsessed with himself and his own actions, reiterating the previous suggestion of psychological instability. The author has included various forms of irony within the novel. The narrator is seen inquiring how he (the old man) had passed the night explaining how he asks the old man how his night was even though he already knows, seen as he was there and watching him in his sleep. This involves the reader as they feel as if they are let in on a secret (seen as they know that the narrator was with the man last night) making the reader feel involved as they are aware of a secret of which another character is not raising tension and expectation. Further use of direct address to the reader, is that narrator suggests to the reader that you fancy me mad. This forces audience intervention, we are expected to assume, or are at least are accused of assumption that the narrator is mad. This means that the audience are forced to participate, further involving the reader within the story. By this statement Poe has grouped the reader with the rest of the characters within the novel, suggesting they are a collective of people who doubt his sanity. This is in fact true as the protagonist is clearly insane. Syntax plays a key role in the way in which this novel is read. It is clearly set, and easily recognisable throughout the text, varying in both tempo and patterning. Definite patterns in language are used; I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. creating a very obvious rhythm in which the words are read, also further enforcing the very bleak and ruthless appearance to his actions. The Tell-Tale Heart, a horror story of crime and murder, can easily be recognised as a heavily dramatic novel. Poe, In consequence to the timing in which it was written, has created a strongly macabre piece, that in its day was probably very horrific and shocking. The way in which society has adapted to accept more and more gruesome revelations means that this tale may not be so shocking to the modern day reader, but was quite a feat in its time. It is however, still evident that the novel, in particular the opening, contains many devices employed in conjunction with one another to create a sense of drama intention. This is used to great effect, causing the reader to appreciate the dramatics of the novel, whilst becoming deeply involved with the plot.

Man and Nature in Stephen Cranes The Blue Hotel and The Open Boat Essa

Man and Nature in The Blue Hotel and The Open Boat   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephen Crane uses a massive, ominous stove, sprawled out in a tiny room and burning with "god-like violence," as a principal metaphor to communicate his interpretation of the world. Full of nearly restrained energy, the torrid stove is a symbol of the burning, potentially eruptive earth to which humans "cling" and of which they are a part. As a literary naturalist, Crane interpreted reality from a Darwinian perspective, and saw the earth driven by adamant natural laws, violent and powerful laws which are often hostile to humans and their societies, and he conceived of humans as accidents, inhabiting a harsh, irrational, dangerous world. Crane's famous depiction of the world is this: It is "a whirling, fire-smote, ice-locked, disease-stricken, space-lost bulb" (Crane 783). With two of his short stories, "The Blue Hotel" and "The Open Boat," Crane explores how humans react when the stove bursts and natural flames blaze furiously; Crane sets two different groups of men into situations in which the laws of nature are against them. The natural laws that govern the weather and the ocean storm against a group of men who are trying, albeit in an exhausted dinghy, to make the coast of Florida in the story "The Open Boat." In "The Blue Hotel," the animalistic laws that determine human behavior birth chaos among a group of strangers. One can readily see both similarities and differences in the reactions of the two groups of men to the world. That, in both stories, both groups of men are shocked and yet charmed by the violence of nature is an essential similarity; that in one story the men work together to save one another and in the other story the men beat ... ...red A. Knopf Inc., 1992.   Crane, Stephen. "The Open Boat." The University of Virginia Edition of the Works of Stephen Crane: Volume V, Tales of Adventure. Ed. Fredson Bowers. Charlottesville: UP of Virginia, 1970. Gerstenberger, Donna. "'The Open Boat': An Additional Perspective." Modern Fiction Studies 17 (1971-72):557-561. Gibson, William M., ed.   The Red Badge of Courage and Selected Prose and Poetry by Stephen Crane.   New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1950.   Halliburton, David.   The Color of the Sky: A Study of Stephen Crane.  Ã‚   New York:   Cambridge UP,   1989. Johnson, Paul. Modern Times, The World from the Twenties to the Eighties. New York: Harper Colophon Books, Harper and Row Publishers, 1983. Kent, Thomas L "The Problem of Knowledge in'The Open Boat'and 'The Blue Hotel." American Literary Realism 14 (1981): 262-268.   

Enuma Elish - The Babylonian Creation Story :: Enuma Elish

Enuma Elish - The Babylonian Creation Story Like the Greek Theogony, the creation of the world in the Enuma elish begins with the universe in a formless state, from which emerge two primary gods, male and female: When the skies above were not yet named Nor earth below pronounced by name, Apsu, the first one, their begetter, And maker Tiamat, who bore them all, Had mixed their waters together, But had not formed pastures, nor discovered reed-beds; When yet no gods were manifest, Nor names pronounced, nor destinies decreed, Then gods were born within them. (Dalley 233) Apsu, the male "begetter," is the sweet waters, while Tiamat, the female "maker," is the bitter, salt waters. Sweet and salt water mingle together at the mouths of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, site of the origins of Mesopotamian civilization. Some translators see the word "maker" in line 4 not as an adjective describing Tiamat but as another god, named Mummu, who emerges at the same time. As you might expect, Mummu means "maker," "form," "mold," or "matrix." Besides being Apsu's vizier, Mummu is the mold or the undifferentiated substance from which things are made. Like Eros at the beginning of the Theogony, this Mummu-power is necessary to get the job of birth-creation going. Stephanie Dalley notes that "the bit-mummu was the term for a workshop that produced statues of deities" (274). N. K. Sandars, however, sees mummu as potential, or entropy (27). In this early period, nothing is named yet because nothing has appeared or been created yet. Notice that pasture-land must be form ed--wrested from the desert by the hard work of digging and irrigation. The reed-beds mentioned in line 6 are handier than one might think: in southern Iraq today, the marsh dwellers live and work in floating houses and boats made from the reeds in the reed-beds. The "destinies" mentioned in line 8 are somewhat like the Sumerian me--cultural patterns and ways of living. After the waters of Apsu and Tiamat mix, the gods Lahmu and Lahamu ("slime, mud") emerge. And from this pair come Anshar ("whole sky") and Kishar ("whole earth"), meaning perhaps "the horizon, the circular rim of heaven and the corresponding circular rim of earth" (Jacobsen 168). Anshar and Kishar give birth to Anu, the sky god, who in turn begets what one translation calls "his likeness" (Heidel 18) Ea, the trickster god of the flowing waters, who is familiar to us as Enki.

Mary Oliver Rhetorical Analysis Essay

The jellyfish, a dangerously stunning underwater creature, can adequately symbolize the phenomenon that is nature. Nobody denies the â€Å"medusa† of its attractive features, such as, its dazzling pink color, elegant frame, and most important, its transparent body that displays running electricity. However, touch it underwater and experience the wrath of its devious abilities. Its colorful stingers have the power to inject an electrical toxin into their prey. It can kill. Furthermore, Mary Oliver, the writer of â€Å"Owls†, successfully delineates the two-faced personality nature is affiliated with. In this rich excerpt, Oliver makes it a priority to point out that nature can be both miraculous and corrupt at the same time. Like the jellyfish, nature can bring â€Å"immobilizing happiness†, but it can also be complex, and bring forth â€Å"death.† From the get-go, Oliver uses Vonnegut-like imagery to create a distinct contrast between the â€Å"terrifying† and the fascinating parts of nature. For instance, when Oliver describes the great horned owl and the fields full of roses. According to Oliver, the great horned owl has a â€Å"hooked beak† that makes â€Å"heavy, crisp, and breathy snapping† sounds, and a set of â€Å"razor-tipped toes† that â€Å"rasp the limb.† Not only that, but this mystical creature is characterized as â€Å"merciless†, and as a dark creature that would â€Å" eat the whole world† if it could. The fields full of roses, on the other hand, are used to symbolize happiness. They are described as sweet, lovely, and â€Å"red and pink and white tents of softness and nectar.† Through Oliver’s creative use of descriptive imagery, she begins to explain the incomprehensible mysteries of nature. In the same fashion, Oliver uses vivid and flamboyant   diction to emphasize nature’s intricate ways. To describe the darkness of nature, Oliver uses words such as, â€Å"hopelessness†, â€Å"headless bodies†, and â€Å"immutable force†. On the contrary, for the awing parts of nature, Oliver’s passage includes words like, â€Å"exquisite†, â€Å"luminous wanderer†, and â€Å"sheer rollicking glory†. As a result, her impressive style presents a clear image of how Oliver is â€Å"standing at the edge of mystery, and ultimately, â€Å"conquered.† Finally, Oliver uses her intimate appreciation for nature to relate to the audience and drive her claim home. First, Oliver uses an anaphora to talk about the field full of roses. Oliver begins eight consecutive phrases with the word â€Å"I.† Thus, implying the impact nature has on her as an individual, and alarming the reader of the love she has towards this prodigy. Oliver then acknowledges that â€Å"the world where the owl is endlessly hungry and endlessly on the hunt is the world in which† she lives too. Correspondingly, she mentions that nature’s curiosities involve the audience of this excerpt, as well as everyone else on planet earth. Indeed, in this lyrical excerpt, Mary Oliver uses her impressive style to describe how nature can be convoluted, charming, and over-powering. One can’t help to acknowledge the creative way Oliver uses the English language to successfully contrast the positive and negative parts of the environment. In addition, Oliver strives to make her nuanced writing and allegory for the complexity of nature. When looking at the big picture, it is easy to see how Oliver’s writing may exhibit to all how one might share whatever it is they feel passionately about.

Explain Benthams Utilitarianism

Explain Benthams Utiliarianism (30 marks) The theory of utilitarianism was put forward entierly by Jeremy Bentham, who wrote about Ethics and Politics. He was a social reformer keen to improve the lives of the working class. Many of the improvements made in the treatments of criminals in the 18th and 19th centuries were the results of Benthems ethics. Bentham believed that which is good is that which equals the greatest sum of pleasure and the least sum of pain. (Hedonism). We can divide his theory into three parts: His view on what drove human beings, and what goodness and badness was all about. ( The motivation of human beings)The principle of utility, which is his moral ruleThe hedonic calculus, which is his system for measuring how good or bad the consequence is.The motivation of human beingsBentham maintained that human beings were motivated by pleasure and pain, and so he can be called a hedonist. He said, in principles of morals and legislation, ‘nature has placed mankin d underthe governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do' The principle of utilityOnce Bentham had established that pleasure and pain were important qualities for determining what was moral, he developed the utility principle. The rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by its ‘utility' or usefulness, Usefulness refers to the amound of pleasure or happiness caused by the action – hence it is a teleogical ethical theory which determines a good act by the ends it brings about. The theory is known as the greatest happiness principle, or a theory of usefulness.‘An action is right if it produces th greatest good for the greatest number', where the greatest good is the greatest pleasure or happiness and the least pain or sadness, and the greatest number are the majority of people. When faced with a moral dilemma, Bentham argued that one should chose an act in such a way that brings about the maximum possible happiness for the most people. However the possible consequences of different possible actions must be measured clearly to establish which option generates he most pleasure and the least pain. To measure the results, Bentham proposed the hedonic calculus This calculus was  supposed to measure the amounts of pleasure and pain according to seven factors. The seven factors1. Intensity: How intense is the pleasure or pain? 2. Duration: How long does the pleasure or pain last? 3. Certainty: What is the probability that the pleasure or pain will occur? 4. Propinquity or remoteness: How far off in the future is the pleasure or pain? 5. Fecundity: What is the probability that the pleasure will lead to other pleasures 6. Purity: What is the probability that the pain will lead to other pains 7. Extent: How many persons are affected by the pleasure?In the hedonic calculus. Benthem considers how strong the pain or pleasure is, whether it i s short lived or life long and how likely it is that there will be pain or pleasure. He considers how immediate the pain or pleasure is and how likely it is to lead to more of the same, the extent to which there might be a combination of pains and pleasures, and lastly the number of people affected. The balance of pleasures and pains is compared with those of other options and the best result determined. The action that leads to this best consequence is the morally correct one to pursue.

Advertising Is a Wasteful Expenditure or an Investment

There has been a constant debate about â€Å"advertising† that whether it is a useful or wasteful expenditure of resources. Advertising plays a crucial role in today’s world where there are so many brands vying for the customer’s attention. If not advertising, how else would you as a consumer know what all there is you could choose from? Though a useful tool, it must be well utilized to create an impact. Many a times, we as consumers remember the setting of the ad but forget the brand that was being advertised†¦this is definitely a pitfall and must be looked into.For an ad to have a real impact, it must be able to create brand retention. Advertising is the main source of â€Å"Customer Education† in marketing. Its main advantage to the customer is that we become aware of the products in the market and have a competitive advantage in buying the products and services. Its main advantage to the seller is in the manner of informing the prospective custome rs of the values of the products and capturing them.In older days, ads were on papers and pamphlets and billboards. In this electronic era, it has captured the TV and the internet. Therefore advertising is not a waste of resources. But as companies make their advertising expenditure on customer then it would be a bit problematic condition for customers as companies just look for their profits and if the advertising agency is not good then the whole budget goes waste.So i think company should be effective to make an ad as for this era advertising is an important aspect for all types of businesses. But company should not make the ads on the costs of customer’s money as they don’t give customer a big return but they have a huge returns and companies absorb bloods of poor customers. So i think that should be stop or minimized as in India rich are becoming more richer and poor becoming more poorer

Coursework in Internatial Human Resource Management Essay

Coursework in Internatial Human Resource Management - Essay Example After analyzing the positive factors, the firms will or should have to analyze the challenges that may impede its entry. There will be country specific challenges as well as industry specific challenges in those foreign markets. For example, the Asian country of China has some distinct aspects, which will surely act as advantages as well as challenges for the new firms, who are planning to enter it. So, this paper will analyze and asses the advantages and challenges in China. In the earlier decades, the cheap Chinese products only entered various countries’ markets. But, now seeing the potential of the Chinese economy and the market, many foreign firms or foreign invested firms have instead entered or entering the Chinese markets. This two way flow creates a multi-pronged business system benefiting China. That is, Chinese are benefiting when they manufacture Chinese products and export it to foreign countries and also when the foreign countries enter it, make investments and give them employment. The other thing, which is enticing the foreign firms, is the huge population, which translates into the biggest market of the world. â€Å"Most of the world’s major global firms are desperate to grab a slice of the world’s largest and most rapidly growing emerging market† (Gamble, 2006). With the huge population becoming financially better off, the purchasing power of the prospective customer is also optimizing, thus providing foreign firms good opportunities. Apart from the above discussed two important aspects (high economic growth and huge market), the main thing that allows the foreign firms to enter China is the relaxation of many restrictions imposed by the Chinese Government. China being a Communist country functioned behind an â€Å"Iron Curtain†, restricting the foreign firms and multinational companies to protect the home-grown firms. This continued for major part of the 20th

Rate the influence, based on your studies in this course, as well as Research Paper

Rate the influence, based on your studies in this course, as well as information from other sources, of the legislative bodies, - Research Paper Example Introduction Public policy is said to be a broad field whose principal utility is one of clarification about how the public policymaking and implementation process works (Nicholas, 1999, p. 348). Its formulation and implementation is composed of various factors which eventually influences the outcome. This paper hopes to identify and rate the various bodies and factors which influence the formulation and implementation of public policy, and would attempt to explain reasons why such amount of influence is made on public policy. Legislative Bodies Legislative bodies highly contribute to the formulation and to an extent, how a specific public policy may be implemented. The Legislature in the United States on the federal level, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives, not only has a role in the passage of laws, but also have other such powers provided under Article I Section 8 of the US Constitution which provides, thus, â€Å"Section 8. ... sures; To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States; To establish post offices and post roads; To promote  the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries; To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court; To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations; To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water; To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years; To provide and maintain a navy; To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces; To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions; To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress; To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings;--And To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying

Customer Satisfaction of AVIS Rent Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Customer Satisfaction of AVIS Rent - Case Study Example According to Preis,   ‘High levels of customer satisfaction are important to marketers as both offensive and defensive tools and are capable of creating a lasting competitive advantage (2004). As earlier mentioned, Avis Rent a Car has been a leader in Customer Satisfaction in car rentals for almost a decade now; however, most of the studies are focused on how Avis perform in general and has not showed statistics on how each of the subsidiaries perform in the Avis ranking. Having this in mind, it is vital to measure how customers of different Avis rent a car system performs to satisfy their customers. Since Avis in United States, UK and Australia has found to be widely used by the customers who avail car rental services; it is essential to base this research on these three subsidiaries. With this in mind, the outcome of this research would primarily benefit the management of AVIS to evaluate the services offered by these subsidiaries and determine the contributing factors affe cting the rankings. This will help the management to aid the subsidiaries by applying services to other subsidiaries not only the countries mentioned but in other parts of the worlds with the services that has made the leading subsidiary excel in the ranking to determine the factors . †¢Ã‚  To measure Customer Satisfaction of Avis rent a car system in the United states, UK and Australia. †¢Ã‚  To compare these three subsidiaries in terms of ranking in Customer Satisfaction... The ranking is hypothesized to affect the general view on Avis rent a car system in Customer Satisfaction as it may lead to know the main contributor for its success as a leading brand in car rentals, The Main Aim of the Research: According to Preis, 'High levels of customer satisfaction are important to marketers as both offensive and defensive tools and are capable of creating a lasting competitive advantage (2004). As earlier mentioned, Avis Rent a Car has been a leader in Customer Satisfaction in car rentals for almost a decade now; however, most of the studies are focused on how Avis perform in general and has not showed statistics on how each of the subsidiaries perform in the Avis ranking. Having this in mind, it is vital to measure how customers of different Avis rent a car system performs to satisfy their customers. Since Avis in United States, UK and Australia has found to be widely used by the customers who avail car rental services; it is essential to base this research on these three subsidiaries. With this in mind, the outcome of this research would primarily benefit the management of AVIS to evaluate the services offered by these subsidiaries and determine the contributing factors affecting the rankings. This will help the management to aid the subsidiaries by applying services to other subsidiaries not only the countries mentioned but in other parts of the worlds with the services that has made the leading subsidiary excel in the ranking. Below specific aims will be addressed in the research: To measure Customer Satisfaction of Avis rent a car system in the United states, UK and Australia To compare these three subsidiaries in terms of ranking in Customer Satisfaction To determine the factors affecting the ranking; and To measure the

Analysis of Aiding Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of Aiding Violence - Essay Example Any foreign investor with an African dream must look at the tragic events at Rwanda, before planning to set his foot on the African soil. People can build a country and people can break it--how the latter course takes shape-- Rwanda is the latest example. When negative forces rule the roost in a country, a host of issues crop up, some are excavated from the history, some react to the current conditions. Rwanda stood engulfed in inequality, exclusion, and humiliation and those enterprises which established themselves in Rwanda, with the hope of doing something constructive for the people, were bewildered and utterly failed, overwhelmed by the ruthless violence. They were frustrated and defeated and all developmental and welfare activities came to a dead end. Killing each other flourished as the predominant industry! What were the factors that lead to the inner-humiliation of Rwanda, and the unprecedented genocide, which the world watched as if it had no concern? Developmental activities, even in a peaceful and well-governed country, create heartburning and severe tensions. The impact of materialistic civilization make the people believe that they are in a competitive race and they must win, even if that means trampling the interests of others. Any developmental project must be preceded by a program to educate the people, through the print and electronic media and ground realities explained to them as for the intended purpose of the project and its benefits as a whole to the Nation. This was not done in Rwanda. The inexperienced rulers played in to the hands of the developmental agencies, and conflicts began to take shape. The conflicts ignored over a period, lead to the mass conflagration. In this 1994 genocide, 1,000,000 lost their lives. It was not one country attacking the other country. It was a civil-war, even though indirect support to various factions fighting could not be ruled out. But the basic question is, why this happened in the 20th

The Illiad Book 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Illiad Book 1 - Essay Example Agamemnon, who was the commander of the Achaean army, had attacked Troy in the tenth and final year. During the war, Agamemnon captured two Trojan beautiful maidens called Briseis and Chryseis. Agamemnon distributed the two women and other possessions among the Greek soldiers. Agamemnon as the leader of the army valued Chryseis and aimed at using her to amuse his army after the victory while Achilles took Briseis. Chryseis was actually the daughter of Chryses, the priest of Apollo. Chryses after realizing the capture of his daughter offers Agamemnon a mammoth payment in exchange of her only daughter. The pride of Agamemnon as an Army commander compels him to decline the priests request. Chryses gets furious and prayers dearly to Apollo the god for help and divine intervention. Apollo responds to Chryses request by sending a death plague into the Greek army camp (Johnston 10). The disease caused suffering of the Greeks soldiers and later caused their death. At the end of the suffering, Achilles quest for truth of army suffering and death enables a powerful seer reveals the source of the plague. Calchas, the seer, explains that Chryses caused the plague because of vengeance to her detained daughter. Agamemnon gets angry with Chryses and commands that he will only release Chryseis after Achilles compensates him with Briseis, who was the latter’s’ prized possession from the war. Achilles who was a respected hero, brave soldier, and commander of Myrmidons army gets humiliated and becomes furious. He threatens to abandon the Greeks soldiers in Troy to fight for the selfish Agamemnon. Agamemnon promises to invade Achilles camp and take Briseis for personal honor a thought that provokes Achilles, who raises his sword ready to kill the army commander. However, before he strikes Agamemnon, goddess Athena intervenes and calms him after command form Hera (Johnston 210). Agamemnon affirms that he will take Briseis

Pioneer Electronics Essay Example for Free

Pioneer Electronics Essay In 1975 Pioneer maintained relationships with approximately 3,500 franchise retail outlets, the retail outlets benefited from a 5% Pioneer investment in local advertising, and attractive gross margins and credit terms. However, that same year, Pioneer and three competitors were forced to sign consent decrees with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission promising not to engage in alleged anti-fair competition practices – namely requiring distributors to use suggested list prices and punishing those distributors who didn’t comply either through delayed shipments or revoked franchises. A market price war followed the signing of the consent decrees, lowering franchise’s profits while increasing revenue for Pioneer. Pioneer followed with a new marketing strategy aimed at pushing its new lower-priced hi-fi components over compacts or consoles, this further boosted Pioneer’s profit, continuing to erode the franchise distributors’ profit margins. The final outcome was a select few distributors’ shifting from supporting Pioneer component sales to pushing competitors’ products in order to make a larger profit. Central Problem Pioneer Electronics must determine how to move forward from franchise distributors’ complaints that they cannot make an adequate profit selling Pioneer components over the lesser quality, more affordable competitors’ components. The result is â€Å"dissident behavior† by the distributors– including disparaging comments about the Pioneer brand to potential consumers, poor product placement in franchise stores and â€Å"bait and switch† sales tactics. These actions reflect a possible erosion of franchise distributor support, which might force Pioneer to alter its business model. Relevant Facts With the repeal of the fair-trade laws, the market changed drastically for Pioneer, sales and market share increased significantly during this period, prices and margins dropped. As the target market for their products expanded, Pioneer changed their marketing strategy to focus on selling mid-priced hi-fi products. Pioneer’s sales continued to climb, but this strategy squeezed the dealers’ margins even more and made it difficult for them to make a profit selling Pioneer products. Pioneer decision to reposition itself from a premium-priced brand into a â€Å"mid-priced, mainstream† brand affected the profit margins of its distributors negatively. At the same time, the company’s profit margin increased dramatically. Based on 1976 data from Exhibit 13, an average retailer profit margin was about 3.4%. Pioneer had a comparable profit margin of 3.9% in 1975, based on Exhibit 14 data. This margin increased by almost 3 times in 1976 to 9.4%. This clearly shows how Pioneer benefited from its market repositioning strategy while its distributors profits declined. Although surveys showed customers were very satisfied with Pioneer products, the sales force was unhappy and felt the lower margins were unacceptable. This drove a few dealers to speak disparagingly about Pioneer products and use bait and switch tactics to create profits for themselves. Mitchell knew the dealers’ support was critical to the current distribution chain, but he couldn’t go back to the old incentives. To continue to be profitable and adapt to the new electronics market, Pioneer reconsider its current distribution network. Alternative Courses of Action †¢Alternative #1 Shift distribution to department stores: Shift retail distribution from specialty stores to department stores and catalog showrooms. 75% of U.S. Pioneer’s sales were from hi-fi specialty stores, 5% by department stores, and 7% by catalog showrooms. Advantages: Extensive credit facilities, strong consumer â€Å"pull† advertising, and lower prices. Industry sources predicts a substantial increase in the market shares of department stores and catalog showrooms. Disadvantages: Department stores and catalog showrooms do not offer the extensive customer services provided by specialty stores, including professional sales assistance, demonstration, extended store warranty, on-the-premises repair, home delivery and installation, and loaner component programs. †¢Alternative #2 Multiple Branding U.S. Pioneer would offer several product lines of varying quality and price points under separate brand names. Different product lines would be carried by different types of retail outlets. The department-store line would be of lower quality and price than the signature line. Advantages: Multiple branding had been used successfully in other industries. It would enable U.S. Pioneer to adapt most effectively to future changes in retail distribution. Pioneer already sells compacts and car stereos to discount stores under the Centrex brand name. Disadvantages: This strategy could tarnish Pioneer’s reputation for selling only top-of-the-line products. Pioneer may have trouble keeping their distribution channels distinct, and therefore be incurring too much cost on the low end products or being destroying the brand value of the high end products. †¢Alternative #3 Company-owned Stores Another alternative is to operate its own retail stores. Some retailers in the low-fi market had been selling their own house brands for some time. House brands are starting to make in-roads in the hi-fi market and the specialty stores are carrying house brands in increasing numbers. Advantages: One way to protect Pioneer from the risk of large specialty store chains promoting house brands which would impact its sales. Disadvantages: A large initial fixed investment for starting up is required. The risk of expanding into a non-familiar territory which Pioneer does not have good expertise in. †¢Alternative #4 Dealer Communication improvement Dealer support is crucial for Pioneer growth. From Table A â€Å"Factors Influencing Purchase of Hi-fi Products† in the case, it clearly shows that dealer recommendations, advertising and store displays accounts for 42% of the factors influencing consumers decisions. The company needs to hire more salespeople to increase the frequency of dealer visits, provide higher cash rebates or other incentive programs and organizing yearly dealers’ conferences at different resorts. Pioneer needs to stop forcing its dealers to prominently display low-end components and push lower-priced components. Selling lower priced components affects the retailer’s profit margin. This results in placing higher sales emphasis on house brands or competitor products. Advantages: Retailer’s salespeople are the company’s point of contact with its customers. Happy and content dealers will push Pioneer product which will increase company’s sales. Disadvantage: The brand is what sells the product. The company should not waste funds on dealer rebates and conferences. This will result in a rebate war between different manufacturers. Plan of Action: Pioneer should pursue a multiple label branding strategy to capture sales in both the high end and lost cost market segments, which will increase total revenue and profits. The company is already implementing this through its Centrex brand name in Japan. This strategy will enable Pioneer, through the Centrex brand, to target the growing department stores market with its lower price product segment. The signature Pioneer brand can still be marketed through Hi-Fi specialty stores. Under this arrangement Pioneer will need to develop a customized sales and marketing plan for each brand and have separate sales and distribution channels. Pioneer will continue to contribute a percentage of sales to local marketing campaigns to assist local specialty retailers in maintaining local recognition within the community. The Centrex brand will be distributed through the larger department stores and because of the national recognition of these stores there would not be a need to contribute a percentage of sales to assist in local marketing. These funds should be used for other promotional items in the large department stores, such as contests for the largest sales in a month or quarter or number of a specific product sold. The company should also simultaneously invest in improving its working relationship with their dealers. The first thing that Pioneer will need to do is to cease printing ads in newspapers and/or journals to communicate to dealers about unapproved behavior. These types of conversations should be conducted behind closed doors, as neither side wins when they communicate in a public forum. Pioneer will need to begin to request their feedback and input on new market trends, consumer needs and product improvement suggestions and adjust the Pioneer products accordingly. Pioneer should implement the sales program from Exhibit 12 and shift some of the funds from the marketing campaigns to have local contests to spur sales among local sales force.