The Horror of the Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness, a novella written by Joseph Conrad, is a sort of monologue by a sailor named Marrow. Marrow's Journey through the Congo left him In a very emotionally shaken state, as he witnessed multiple deaths, corpses, diseases, and other such calamities. But throughout all of this, Marrow fixates on the most elusive character, a European worshipped by the natives by the name of Kurt. Kurt is portrayed as a very talented man; owing his artistic, musical, and literary skills to a high upbringing in Europe. He later becomes known as also the most talented ivory exporter in the Congo as well.Quartz's death, the pinnacle of the novella, reveals to those reading that Kurt Is terrified, of what exactly Is uncertain, as he screams aloud â€Å"The Horror! The horror! † (144) The most correct Interpretation of this statement would be that Quartz's upbringing in Europe made him an ignorant and greedy man, and thus, when he travels to the Congo, leads him to become a tyrannical le ader of both the company (for whom both Kurt and Mill work for) and the natives. Africa had only shown Kurt what was hidden within himself the entire time: A heart of darkness.Kurt was most likely born with a predisposition to money in the same way a dowsing rod is predisposed to find water. Kurt was amazing at getting the ivory he needs, needs, and not wants, as when Marrow first speaks to Quartz's caretaker in the Jungle, the caretaker mentions that â€Å"[Kurt] would shoot [him] unless [he] gave him the ivory,† Ivory given to Quartz's caretaker as a gift for hunting big game. The well-to-do Kurt had his normal personality slowly corroded by his experiences In the Jungle, but these experiences all Involved a commodity collected for vanity purposes.Seeking the class and supposed money he once had, Kurt turns to ivory as an addiction and a symbol of his new found wealth. European Society normal effects on Kurt have no hold over him any longer, and thus his true animal does sh ow. Masked under titles such as artist, writer, and musician, Kurt had been noted as no such â€Å"ordinary man,† (125) and yet, surprisingly, these remnants of his past life follow him Into the Congo, but are no longer apart of himself; Rupee's grasp over his mind Is released and allows him to become Just another â€Å"savage. †Quartz's hoarding of ivory is completely trivial; he has no real use for it, but became addicted to the prospect of gathering more and more, as if ivory were some sort of drug. Though he works for the company, whose goal it was to gather as much ivory as possible, Kurt still does not send his stockpile of Ivory to their base of operations, and therefore does not get paid, meaning Kurt had only his hut and his Ivory to his name. But because Europe values ivory, and Kurt is the epitome of all that is European, he is mentally wired to gather as much ivory as possible and keep it to myself.He even went so far as to slaughter enemies of a certain Af rican tribe only so that they may assist him in his conquest for ivory. He would stop at nothing to get even the smallest amount of ivory, and it was this untamed lust which drives him to lose sight of everything but the dead-elephant tusks. His mind Is gone, and the cause time. Being that â€Å"All of Europe contributed to the making† (117) of Kurt, it is not difficult to see why both Kurt and Europe want all the ivory to themselves, and will go to any means to do so.While Kurt threatens the lives of others, Europe sends people Just like Kurt, but with much less of a relevant backstops, into the Congo to also aid in taking down the most dangerous animal in Africa for a cosmetic object of appeal. Quartz's famous finals words, â€Å"The horror! The horror! † (144) point to him finally having his moment of enlightenment, as he â€Å"cried in a whisper at some knowledge[†¦ ] at some image, at some vision[. ]† His realization being that his true being shone thr ough only because of Rupee's abandonment of Kurt. He was fully nurtured there, made to think like aristocrats in a logical way.But once Kurt had been hung UT to dry in the Congo, he lost that sense of care and safety, and also his logic, only to be left with his emotional reactions to each situation he encounters. In his final moments, Kurt had finally regained a sense of this logic and realized what he had become because of Rupee's twisted grip on his being. He realizes how terrible his late existence is because of what level he had sunken to; the level of a savage. Oblivious to his surroundings he says â€Å"the horror† twice, twice to reiterate Just how terrible of a person he had always been but did not now.The first cry was a allegation, the second, an acceptance of the truth. In summary, Kurt begins his life with a heart of darkness and carries it with him subtly until reaching the Congo, where he is then unbound and permitted to act how he pleased without any intervent ion from Europe. He only realizes how terrible he had always been moments before death, and how Europe had kept his darker side chained up like a punished dog. Europe made Kurt a time bomb, ready to blow up at any moment. And when Kurt does finally blow, he shows not the well-educated, proper Kurt of Europe, but rather a parallel, the Kurt with a blazing heart of

Philosophy and Knowledge in Nursing Essay

According to Kim (1999), â€Å"knowledge development in nursing is obtained through descriptive, reflective, and criticizing ourselves. We strive to correct and improve ourselves and practice through self-reflection and critiquing. This develops our nursing knowledge about practices and helps us to engage in shared learning. We do this by generating models of good practice and theories of application. We reflect by looking back at ourselves and learning what has just occurred and having a self-awareness of our practices.† Kim (1999), also describes descriptive and critical phases. During the descriptive phase, â€Å"descriptions of practice are examined for genuineness and comprehensiveness (Kim, 1999). Kim (1999), also states that â€Å"critique of practice regarding conflicts, distortions, and inconsistencies† also increase a nurse’s knowledge. McCurry (2009), states that â€Å"nursing as a profession has a moral mandate to contribute to the good of the society through knowledge based practice. Knowledge is built upon theories and theories together with the philosophical bases and disciplinary goals are the framework for practice.† According to Grace and Perry (2013), â€Å"philosophical inquiry remains critically important for nursing education, practice, and knowledge development. This is attained through three levels. Level I is cultivating and attitude of critical consciousness related to all nursing situations and actions. Level II is the analysis and application of philosophical perspectives to nursing problems and level III is generating new knowledge such as theories.† And according to Gillespie and Paterson, (2009), â€Å"knowledge acquisition and utilization is reflected in the use of knowing rather than knowledge.† In using our previously obtained knowledge, we can reflect in our practices an d grow. References Gillespie, M., Paterson, B.L. (2009). Helping novice nurses make effective clinical decisions: the situated clinical decision-making framework. Nursing Education Perspective, 12, 164-170. Grace,P.J., Perry, D.J. (2013). Philosophical inquiry and the goals of nursing: a critical approach for discipline, knowledge development, and action. Advances in Nursing Sciences, 2, 64-79. Kim, H.S. (1999). Critical reflective inquiry for knowledge development in nursing practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 29, 1205-1212. McCurry, M. K., Hunter-Revell, S.M, and Roy, C. (2009). Knowledge for the good of the individual and society: linking philosophy, disciplinary goals, theory, and practice. Nursing Philosophy, 11, 42-52.

Reflective Essay on Teaching

This assignment will critically reflect and analyse a microteaching session I presented to my peers in a clinical placement regarding Nursing management of chest drains. I will define reflection; teaching, learning and the rationale for choosing this topic will be clearly outlined in this paper. The preparation, planning, implementation and evaluation will also be incorporated. This assignment will be structured using Gibbs (1988) reflective model cited in Modular Training Course, 2003 because of its simplicity. Analysis will permeate through each stage of the Gibbs reflective model. Finally I will conclude by reflecting on my role as a joint practitioner outlining areas of personal, professional growth, identifying my strength, weakness and put forward an action plan for my future development in teaching. Reflection is an important human activity in which people re-capture their experience, mull it over and evaluate it. It is working with experience that is important in learning (Boud et al, 1985). Teaching is defined as a system of activities intended to induce learning, comprising the deliberate, methodical creation and control of those conditions in which learning does occur (Curzon, 1997). In Nursing, teaching is said to be the change in behaviour that we wish to bring about if we are to enhance and improve care for patients and client (Hinchliff, 2004) The term teaching and learning are often used interchangeably. Curzon (1990) cited by Nicklin and Kenworthy (2000) define learning as the apparent modification of a person’s behaviour through his activities and experiences so that his knowledge, skills and attitudes, including modes of adjustment towards his environment, are changed, more or less permanently. The rationale of choosing my topic was due to its relevance to the area of my clinical placement (Cardio thoracic) and the Unique learning needs of nursing management of chest drains amongst Nursing students as realised while working with them. As mentioned above, I will be using the Gibbs reflective model, which follows a cyclical pattern from description, feelings, evaluation, to conclusion and action plan. See in the Appendice. Each of these is sub-headed in the next sections to maintain clarity. Description This is the first stage of the Gibbs model. The value of micro sessions is for planning and delivering a short presentation where by feedback can be gathered before embarking on longer sessions (Walkin, 1990). Planning is about thinking things through it requires imagination and lateral as well as logical thinking (Kiger, 1995). It is a process that directs the teacher and the learner towards certain actions, which will facilitate learning. During the preparation of my teaching presentation I researched my chosen subject using databases like British Nursing Index (BNI), Nursing practice text books as well as Journals as recommended by Hinchliff (2004) who contend that using evidence-based practice can help to ensure that the subject is fully researched and this will provide support practice and view. I set out the aims and objectives of the teaching session. This view is supported by (Daines et al, 1993) who state that the teacher must know what it is that he or she intends to teach and what the students are expected to learn as an outcome for the joint effort. I drafted a lesson plan see in the appendice, which I highlighted that I was going to use an overhead projector and give handouts to the group. Ewan and White (1996) suggest it is necessary to understand learners’ different learning styles for learning and teaching to be effective. I devised my teaching plan bearing in mind that there were pragmatists, activists, theorists and reflectors among my peers. After putting the content of my presentation together I began printing and photocopying my acetates and handouts for my peers. The next step I did was to start rehearsing my presentation at home. On the day of the presentation I gave out handouts to my peers prior to the microteaching session. I used an overhead projector as a guide for my discussion even though my acetates were cluttered with too much information. I also used some equipment like different types of chest drains, water and a dame in of a person to demonstrate to my peers. I used psychomotor learning domain as it was described by Bloom (1956) cited by De Tornyay & Thompson (1987) to be most important domain compared with Cognitive and Affective domains as it enabling the learner to learn through the demonstrated skill. As I encouraged my peers to carry out the skill that I had demonstrated, I had to bear in mind that many adult learners are self-conscious about trying new psychomotor skills as contended by De Tornyay & Thompson (1987). They worry about looking foolish and making errors. And therefore it is crucial that the learning environment is warm and accepting, inviting the learners to try things, take risks and experiment. Feelings Planning on its own caused a lot of anxiety, as I was not really sure of how well I will do in delivering and presenting my topic to my peers. Although I had some idea about management of chest drains from both the practical bit that I had gained during my first two weeks on the ward and the theory that I had gathered, I was nervous prior to my presentation. It is argued by some commentators that having nerves can improve your performance (Lancaster and Janes, 1994). Feelings of nervousness helped me to focus on my presentation however things did not go the way I planned them. I can only attribute my feelings of nervousness due to inadequate preparation. During the presentation I had mixed feelings of nervousness compounded by feelings of confidence and I was not sure about how the audience perceived my presentation. I was feeling confident at times because I knew a lot about the topic and my peers through evaluation echoed this. Evaluation Evaluation can be seen as a process of making personalised judgements and decisions about achievements, expectations, the effectiveness and evaluation of what we are doing (Hanchliff, 2001). It occurs at different stages of learning experience, is ongoing, vital to development, evolution of teaching and learning. It is emphasised that if you do not self evaluate there is a tendency to carry on as usual (Hinchliff, 2004). As part of my preparation, I decided that I was going to use the SWOT analysis to evaluate myself. And with this, I was going to be able to identify my Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. My strengths included giving handouts first before starting my presentation. My peers in the feedback sheets echoed these remarks. This is supported by (Boyd et al, 1997) who states that handouts provide organisation, enable students to listen rather than taking notes and serve as a reminder of what the students have heard in the classroom or lecture. I linked the theory to practice as I was using acetates on an overhead projector as well as demonstrating and some of my peers commented that this helped them to understand the topic better. De Tornyay & Thompson (1987), recommend the use of an overhead projector by the teacher as this avoids distracting instructions and can integrate the material from the transparency with the presentation naturally and without losing eye contact with class. My voice was loud and clear throughout my presentation to enable my peers to hear the topic. Oliver and Endersby (1994) emphasise that if people cannot hear you during presentations they will not listen to you hence it is important to have a good voice projection when teaching or presenting. I had also met my aims and objectives that I had set up and my peers had learnt from them following the feedback. Aim & Objectives can provide a logical sequence for both you & your students enable you to check whether your teaching has been effective and also help to make decision about what exactly the student should learn as recommended by (Hinchliff, 2004). My weaknesses included confusing some surgical terms that I had used and therefore giving the wrong explanation of the word, not giving all my peers a chance to practice the skill and also not involving my peers to participate in terms of the questioning technique. Some of my peers commented on the feedback sheets that I had the tendency to read my acetates, I should have brought in prompt cards just to remind me of the main points which needed to be discussed further. It is argued by (Baume and Baume, 1996) that reading from transparencies will give a stilted feel to a presentation and does not give the presenter much credibility. In essence as a presenter you should know most of what you want to say otherwise you should not be teaching or presenting to the audience. And also some of my peers commented that I had rushed my presentation despite the fact that I finished within the expected time. I didn’t have all my teaching equipments as I had planned. In organizing the materials for teaching, Oliver & Endersby (1994) stated that the responsibility of teaching does not only lie on accuracy of the information presented but also in the manner and order in which it is presented. The opportunity of being familiar with my peers and knowing the subject area that I was going to present strengthened my confidence as I began to teach. My threat was not being able to finish on time and being so nervous that I would not give the best to my group. Analysis On analysis, I thought I choose the right topic that was relevant to my course and my clinical area of placement. â€Å"As joint practitioners we will encounter carers in our working life, so giving information on carers assessment, their limitation and effect of caring will prepare us for future practice† (Hinchliff, 2004). As I was preparing my presentation, I thought about adult learning as all my peers were going to be adults. I decided to use Androgogy approach of teaching as recommended by Knowles (1990) who defined it as the art and science of supporting students particularly, adult learner in their own learning process. In retrospect, I feel that this helped to promote the students’ concentration and I believe that my peers felt valued, as I was able to include them in the teaching by acknowledging each and everyone who participated by using their names and praised them. The teaching session took place in a seminar room near the ward where everyone was familiar with the environment. It is believed that a good learning environment allows a more positive attitude to study and desire to learn (Kiger, 1995). Overhead projector was used during the teaching, this was benefiting to my peers, it help to clarify and explain key points. The use of overhead projector encouraged motivation from peers and makes it more interesting (Larrivee, 2000). The teaching session was aimed to facilitate humanistic or cognitive domain as well as psychomotor where cognitive domain is student centred. This permit student perception and thinking, it also incorporate student participation which gave the chance to ascertain peers’ knowledge of the topic been taught. I used Abbatt & Mc Mahon (1993) 3 aspects of evaluation i. e. Plan, Process and Product as a form of evaluating my peers learning and effectiveness of my teaching. With this, there was use of evaluation checklists See in the Appendices that were used by my peers to evaluate my teaching in form of feedback. These can enable the teach to identify aspects of his/her teaching that could improve on. Although the feedback from my peers and mentor was informative and good, from my own reflection afterwards made me realise that I had not taught I had planned. I didn’t involve all my peers to practice the skill, which would have helped them to learn more as recommended by Hinchliff (2004). I should have informed them of how long the session was to take in order to avoid them from thinking that I had rushed. I should not have read my presentation from the acetates because it is argued that the audience will probably understand very little and will loose concentration quickly (Nicklin and Kenworthy, 2000). Body language communicates different impressions to the audience; I maintained eye contact on some occasions this helps to regulate the flow of communication. This is supported by (Oliver and Endersby, 1994) who state that presenters who make eye contact covey interest, concern, warmth and credibility. Conclusion I seem to have learned more from the reflective process than the actual presentation. Presenting to the group was one of the most nerves wrecking experiences as well as waiting for feedback from my peers and mentor. However, carrying out this teaching session has broadened my knowledge in management of chest drains and given me the courage and confidence for my future teaching and presentations. Action Plan I endeavour to perceive weakness as opportunities for future development rather than as failures. In essence the act of reflecting on the microteaching presentation has deepened my understanding of the importance of having a good preparation, a good plan, including having rehearsals prior to the presentation, the importance of having a good learning environment, and being familiar with the material you are going to use before presenting. It is imperative to evaluate each teaching session or presentation, as this is the only way we can learn to improve our practice.

Economic Recovery of Greece Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economic Recovery of Greece - Research Paper Example The state made efforts to keep the economy going by spending a lot which consequently increased the country’s debt level in the eurozone. Further efforts were made to reduce the impact of the economic crisis where the Greek State borrowed a loan of â‚ ¬45 billion on 23 April, 2010 from the European Union and the IMF. This was in attempt to cater for its financial requirements for the remaining period of 2010. Their efforts were futile as standard and Poor’s cut the country’s debt rating to junk status a few days after acquiring the loan. The move was in fear of a possible default by the country where the investors were likely to lose 30-50% of their savings. As a result the securities market in the world and the entire euro currency went dipped low in reaction to the S & P downgrade (Stein, 2006). Below is an explanation as to why the European Central Bank must keep the level of interests low with the intention of rescuing Greece. Justification as to why the i nterest rates must be kept low to help Greece The lowering of the interest rates will give some relief to Greece particularly with its delicate Southern tier. The banks in Greece will eventually borrow heavily from the European Central Bank since the bank will find it difficult to hold more cash in the central bank when borrowing is low. Lending in the private markets will also increase which will enable the households and business free up their cash for more expenditure and investment that can improve the economy of the country. The interest rates of the loans are closely pegged on the formal policy rate hence in one quarter point European Central Bank decrease will eventually reflect into â‚ ¬2.5 billion less yearly payment of interests as approximated by economists (Stein, 2011). Efforts have been by the eurozone monetary policy through the European central bank to help in rescuing Greece which has been coordinated by several actions. This is in response to the escalating thre at of the world’s economy as a result of the crisis in Greece. First and foremost, the European Central Bank made a cut on the interest rates to a record low of 0.75%. This was an urgent move to counter the extreme run of the economic information. However, this has driven the strong shift in recuperating the State’s bond purchase policies or flooding banks with a long lasting liquidity term (Bartha, 2011). According to Butler (2010), the European Central Bank is also anticipated to make a further cut with more measures to enable the Greece economy to come back to its feet. Consequently, the Bank of England whose lending rates are currently hitting low of 0.5% has intentions of rejuvenating its printing procedures and purchasing of US$ 78 billion of its assets. This is in line with its freshly established monetary guidelines to assist in lifting the eurozone out of downturn. The reaction by the European Central Bank to ease the market tension has been implemented throug h cutting of borrowing costs for debts by 25 basis units. The interests’ rate record low of 0.75% has the main purpose of promoting the declining eurozone economy. The justification for this move was instigated by the increased pressure on European Central Bank by the investors and other stakeholders such as the IMF to take bolder steps in countering the economic downturn. Hence the European Central Bank had to buy back most of the sovereign debt securities for Greece distressed economy. Besides, the cuts and the

Career and Employibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Career and Employibility - Essay Example This degree will also furnish me with the skills that will enable me to function efficiently and optimally in the organizations I work in the future. The third year will be completed in June 2013 To solicit a job in some reputed and big firm like Microsoft, Apple, HSBC, Google, Toyota, etc. To be willing to be mobile while hunting for jobs and to be willing to work at places which do full justice to my aspirations and skills, either in the UK or in some other country. To draft a perfect and practical CV and covering letter by procuring the services of some good professional organization. To proactively look for job opportunities in prestigious companies located across the world. To prepare for the interviews by seeking help of my teachers and colleagues. To actively engage in online tests designed by the professionals affiliated to placement firms. I am quite confident that once I manage to come out with an engaging CV and covering letter and submit it to the selected companies, I wi ll definitely get calls for interviews and assessments. Besides, the pains I will take in drafting my CV and covering letters and the hard work I put in the preparation for my interviews and assessments, this will bolster my chances of ending up with a desirable job in a good concern. Also, the hard work I have already put in grasping the conceptual aspects of my course and in understanding their practical ramifications, I am sure I will be able to meet any professional responsibility that will be assigned to me. November 2012 till January 2014 To make out time for participating in the real time businesses being carried on by my family members in the UK, to try to acquire the organizational skills, which will strengthen my theoretical knowledge and to seek a firsthand experience as to how businesses operate To dedicate a minimal of 12-15 hours helping some family member engaged in a business in the UK. To so organize my schedule that it may not hamper my studies. To work hard for th e acquisition of organizational skills, to actively engage with the customers at least on weekends and also to study the strategies being pursued by the competitors so as to be able to understand how consumer choices and expectations have a direct influence on the way businesses operate. Once I acquire multiple skills through my degree and by practically engaging in family businesses, I am confident that this will not only hone my career possibilities, but will also enable me to graduate to running my own business in the near future. These efforts will hone the entrepreneurial skills lying dormant within me. This practical engagement in a family business will facilitate me with skills and abilities in varied aspects of the business world and will also help me thoroughly understand as to how capitalist economies and markets work. June 2013 Engaging experiences; The very process of seeking employment in a big company like Microsoft or Google will not only directly help my career prosp ects, but will also allow me to seek higher positions in comparatively upstart companies expected to do well in the times to come. First and foremost to seek a placement in a big and reputed firm to bolster my brand appeal

How did race, class and gender intersect in the imperial enterprise Essay

How did race, class and gender intersect in the imperial enterprise - Essay Example The trendy of masculinity based on professionalism, rhetoric of militarism, as well as elitism enhanced a set of attitudes and personalities to fit in the structure of imperial legitimacy in conjunction with racial dominance. Moralists at the fin-de-siecle hitherto supporters of a specific brand of inflexible gender concepts of manliness responsible for the perpetuation of a society that had a hierarchical framework. The spread of rigid gender ideologies worked to maintain power and privilege both abroad for instance in South Africa and at home. The socio-sexual framework during the Victorian Britain regime came of the intersection through race, gender, and class and in the process informed the outlined power structures that acted on behalf of the nexus of the bigger political enterprises. In the end, the rise of masculine culture in an inflated manner happened simultaneously with the exposure of the proverbial Achilles Heel for Britain. These were the vulnerabilities of the colonial mastery resulting from strong and brave claims for the power of the British. The British officers acted as competitive, aggressive, and powerful figures (Perry, 2001, p. 33). This is the reason various forums continue to debate on national identity and the imperial rule associated with two reinforcing ideologies acting in a mutually inclusive way. The concepts in the discourse are the Empire and dominant masculinity. Scholars explain the symbiotic relationship between race, gender, and class born out of fear concerning the decline of the British superior race. A series of movies, a huge quantity of literature, and a wide range of works of art often put into perspective colonization and the entire process of forming empires among them the British Imperial enterprises as male dominated adventure stories. The imperial enterprises entailed maleness (Stoddard, 2012, p. 89). However, according to the historians who studied gender, imperial maleness otherwise referred to as masculinity re quired regular and standardized substantiation and confirmation. Scholars who dwelt on the analysis of the empire found similar characteristics for the colonial rule that also constantly required confirmation and legitimization due to the permanent fear among the British white that subject in the colonial enterprises would undermine the racial as well as colonial privileges and prestige in addition to power and superiority of the colonial master. The forums of colonial discussions on gender appeared among the spaces of manifesting the instability and power structures of the empires were most visible. It is important to identify that competing interests of femininity and masculinity called maleness were significant to the normal order of the colonial master (Kent, 1987, p. 87).  However, it is not possible to comprehend them in isolation. Any analysis of the two in addition to race and class requires an overall undertaking of their history put into their contextual perspectives. Th e society constructed gender, race, and class in interplay with other categories as well themselves. They include religion, ethnicity, as well as sexuality. The intersection resulted in creating racial, sexual, and national hierarchies that provided the challenge or stabilized the imperial rule during the nineteenth and twentieth century. They intersection also offers challenge to the scholars of history to think and study

Emergency Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Emergency Plan - Research Paper Example Emergency management process helps an organization or a society to reduce or mitigate the effect of disaster or an emergency. Emergency management includes training, planning, inspecting, conducting drills and testing equipment. Facility co-ordination and community wide activities are other major components of emergency management processes. Emergency management consideration describes several major operational functions. These functions can be considered as emergency management elements. These are direction and control, communications, property protection, life safety, recovery and restoration, community outreach, and administration and logistics. This report will describe all the emergency management elements in terms of Richard Facility Management. Resource management, information analysis and decision making system in an emergency is referred as direction and control. The configuration of a specific direction and control system is contingent upon several factors. Richard Facility management has own emergency medical technicians, fire team and expert hazardous material team. The emergency management group of this facility management organization is responsible for the broad picture. This group manages and controls all the incident related activities. On the other hand, the incident commander monitors technical aspects of the desired responses. This emergency management group supports the incident commander through effective resource allocation process. The emergence management group of Richard facility Management organization is controlled by the emergency director. The emergency director of this organization holds the post of facility manager. The facility manager controls and commands all the aspects of several disasters or emergencies, such as fire, flood, tornado, workplace hazards and several critical accidents. Senior managers within the organization have the authority to

Global Recession Effects on Emerging Economies Essay

Global Recession Effects on Emerging Economies - Essay Example This report stresses that global recession results to fluctuations in currency thus, affecting businesses that are mainly in the local economy. Local economies cater to the demands of the local market. They are dependent on the changes within their market. Local market demands are dependent on household and end-users budget and expenditures. When currency fluctuates, prices change affecting the production costs of companies and affecting the income and profit of end-users. This causes the market to have less demand due to buying power. This paper makes a conclusion that local economies thrive on the local market. If their market cannot afford the products the local companies produce then this will significantly affect the supply and demand, and the production and investment of the companies. With this, companies tend to resort to cost-cutting, trying to keep up with the fluctuations in currency and the lower demands of their market. In the end, if they cannot adapt and keep up to these changes, the local company will fail and eventually become bankrupt. Liberalization of the Chinese Market was remarkable for many reasons. It opened a new market for the Multinationals whose fortunes began sagging as demand in Europe had begun reaching saturation point. It offered a new manufacturing base for various industries. It opened new avenues of investments and finally it ushered in an era of relative peace as the threat of war and confrontation receded with the beginning of peace through trade partnerships. Trade that was ea rlier the reason of war had now became the agency of peace.

The importance of keeping customers for as long as possible, in what Essay - 1

The importance of keeping customers for as long as possible, in what is seen often as a short-term approach to sales - Essay Example Enterprises have early understood the difficulty in acquiring customers and also the value of maintaining good relationship with customer. Modern management techniques and use of IT though innovative means have defined added new dimensions to managing customer relationships. Now, for many enterprises empowering the customer has become a way of life, which in turn has led to shift in power with their customer relationships (Kotler et al., 2009). 2. Concept and definition Drotskie (2009) quoted Seybold (2002) and explained â€Å"customer relationship management (CRM) means determining who your customers are and building relationship with them†, and Drotskie adds further that it involves understanding each and every customer so as to develop profiles of their individual needs. Thus CRM enables the enterprise to understand the customer very closely so that its services can be tailor-made to meet each individual requirement (Zeithaml & Bitner, 2003; cited by Drotskie, 2009, p. 15). Kotler et al. (2009) also support these definitions and stated that customer relation management as the â€Å"process of carefully managing detailed information about individual customers and all customer ‘touch points’ to maximise customer loyalty. ... ocuses to increase revenue, profits, and shareholder value through targeted marketing activity such as developing, maintaining, and enhancing successful-customer relationships† (Bolton & Tarasi, 2006). 3. Principles of customer relationship marketing As Kotler et al. (2009) suggest, one of the important â€Å"goals of marketing is to develop deep, enduring relationships with people and organisations that could directly or indirectly affect the success of the firm’s marketing activities. Relationship marketing aims to build mutually satisfying long-term relationships with key constituents in order to earn and learn and retain their business† (Kotler et al., 2009, p.22). Relationship marketing has four dimensions (1) customers, (2) employees, (3) marketing partners (channels, suppliers, distributors, dealers, agencies), and (4) members of the financial community (shareholders, investors, analysis) and its outcome is the marketing network, a unique asset for the comp any. Figure 1: The four dimensions of relationship marketing Adapted from source: Kotler et al. (2209) Of these dimensions, the customer relationship marketing is most significant and more and more companies are now designing separate offers, services and messages to individual customers, that they gather based on information about past transactions, demographics, psychographics, and media distribution preferences (Kotler et al., 2009). Their objective is to build customer loyalty, by focus on the most profitable customers, products, and channels and achieve growth and capture larger share of customer’s pocket. This they undertake by estimating individual customer lifetime value and design their market offerings and prices, which would enable them not to make instant profit, but to make a profit over the

Apartheid and Crimes in South Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Apartheid and Crimes in South Africa - Essay Example The novel tells the story of Stephen Khumalo who is a black Christian in the rural South Africa who sets for Johannesburg to look for the missing members of his family, his sister Gertrude and his son Absalom and his brother John. Even though, he gets to fin d them, it is evident that it is at an appalling cost. This is because he finds his brother having lost his faith and in turn learnt to hate his sister had lost her dignity and turned to prostitution, and his son having killed Arthur Jarvis son who is a white man opposed to the apartheid. Despite all these findings, it is noteworthy that the novel ends in a hopeful note, and this is by way of a conversation between James and Stephen on the future of South African racial understanding. This paper assesses the novel by focusing on the rampant crime that existed in the then South Africa, and this is to establish the accurate origin of the crimes. This book is laid down in South Africa of the 1940s a time during which there was both economic and political tensions that had resulted into a lengthy complicated history. Before the arrival of the Europeans in the mid 1600s, South Africa was inhabited by a considerable number of African tribal groups such as the San and the Khoikhoi and afterwards the Bantu speakers who are the ancestors of the present Zulus (Natarajan, 200). Even though, the Europeans had not come to settle as colonizers, a century later had resulted into a settlement of Europeans into deeper areas of South Africa, thus, displacing the native south Africans (Natarajan, 202). The arrival of the English almost a decade later transformed South Africa into a colony, and this had disastrous effects on the South Africans. This led to a conflict between the Boers who were the European settlers of South Africa and English, but it was till 1881 that a war between them transpired. However, this was after a series of clashes between the Boers and the native South Africans. At this time, it is evident that bla ck workers were only permitted to hold unskilled jobs, and subjection to pass laws that restricted their freedom (Ikejiaku, 451). The enactment of the Natives Land Act led to a reduction in the land the natives were permitted to own. This is evidenced by the assertion of Arthur Jarvis that it is merely a tenth of the territory, that was allocated to the native south Africans yet they formed four fifth of the country’s population (Paton, 156). This subsequently resulted into the emigration of most native South Africans into urban areas to work on mines. This influx of cheap labor was welcomed by the min e owners, who did not care about the housing and services of these people. It is in this context that the novel begins as Stephen Khumalo goes to the city to look for his son and other members of his family, and these are associates he had not made out for a lengthy time. The status of his family members at the time he finds them paints a true picture of the social evils in the Apartheid Africa, and this is of course the cause of the rampant crimes in South Africa. This is a clear indication that it is the society itself that caused the crimes. The novel depicts the whites as those affected by the native crime but also sheds some light on the social instabilities as well as moral issues as the cause for the breakdown of the tribal system. This disconnection, thus, leads to conglomeration of crime as the natives strive to survive.

What drives social entrepreneurs Research Proposal

What drives social entrepreneurs - Research Proposal Example Social entrepreneurship (SE) in most countries is defined as an activity that aims to advance the human life and seek a solution to the social problem. A social enterprise could be both for-profit and not-for-profit (see for instance, Ridley-Duff & Bull, 2011), though often the profit is reinvested into the business or the society. Social entrepreneurs work beside public institutions and distribute the innovation and wealth for the private sector where it is needed in shorter time and with fewer hierarchies. The question for this research is not what role they play in the society, but what are the factors and forces that drive the motivation in people to become social entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurs vary in their patterns of thinking, quantity, and intensity of social entrepreneurship (Light, 2005). In order to have a thorough understanding of the skills, capabilities, and tendencies of social entrepreneurs, it is imperative that their behavior and thinking is analyzed in detail. This research is directed at achieving this goal by studying the variations and modifications in the behavior and thinking of a large sample of social entrepreneurs from a variety of backgrounds. Exploring social entrepreneurs’ perceptions of life and commitment provides guidelines for providing entrepreneurial education and facilities that are not built merely for purposes and the benefit of shareholders but also for the social and economic well-being of people. This section provides a review of the past research on the subject that paved the way for framing the research question. The field of social entrepreneurship is rather new and many scholars think there is dearth of theories and studies about it, though many mutually consent that the field proceeds quickly and has room for development (Lehner & Kansikas, 2011). Zahra et al. (2009) defined three categories for social entrepreneurs, each having a

Examine Shakespeares presentation of Ophelia Essay Example for Free

Examine Shakespeares presentation of Ophelia Essay Throughout the play, Ophelia is treated as an inferior by the men in her life. She is instructed and also used by them to achieve their own selfish goals. As Rex Gibson states, Shakespearean women were virtually helpless pawns in the power games of their main relatives. Her tone towards them is most often submissive and accepting of their commands, although the audience is given occasional glimpses of the seemingly intelligent and opinionated young woman beneath her clichi d exterior. In the play, she is merely a side story. She has no particular role in the play rather than to reflect the traits of other characters, and this secondary importance to the plot reflects Shakespeares presentation of her. Upon Ophelias first appearance in the play, it becomes obvious that she and her brother have a close relationship. Laertes tells Ophelia, let me hear from you, to which she replies Do you doubt that? Laertes mentions Hamlet as a cause for concern, weigh what loss your honour may sustain, If with too credent ear you list his songs, Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open To his unmastered importunity. He believes that Hamlets intentions are dishonourable. He is quick to form this opinion, and as he feels he knows Hamlets true motives, this suggests that men of the era shared this abusive attitude towards women. While he may be expressing a genuine concern for his sisters well-being, there is a tone of authority in his voice. He is not her father, but as a male he talks down to her. His primary concern may be more for the honour of his family, which Ophelia would destroy should she conduct a relationship with Hamlet. She does however retort defensively with, Do not as some ungracious pastors do, Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven, Whiles like a puffed and reckless libertine Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads. Here she is warning him against hypocrisy and recognising that some men (ungracious pastors) are promiscuous while expecting women to be virtuous. In seeing that society has double standards, the audience is shown that there is a side to Ophelia deeper than is obvious in most of her appearances in the play. A modern audience would feel that her reply is justified, and would respect her for standing up for herself. She has a more relaxed attitude to verbalisation of her thoughts when she is in the presence of her brother, but still respects and accepts his will. In conversation with Polonius for the first time in the play, the audience sees the submissive side to Ophelia. Polonius is also quick to suspect Hamlets motives, reinforcing the suggestion that all men of this time have a common view of women. Polonius treatment of her reflects the double standards of Shakespeares society, as he at first seems disgruntled that she acts like an inexperienced green girl | Unsifted in such perilous circumstance and then goes on to say think yourself a baby, enforcing her inexperience. Ophelia implies her own inability to form an opinion I do not know my lord what I should think. This seemingly air-headed behaviour could cause much annoyance to a modern audience, whether she simply cannot think for herself or has an opinion and is too intimidated to voice it. Polonius perception of his daughter becomes clear with the statement you have taen these tenders for true pay | Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly. The financial references here show that these tenders are worth nothing to Polonius unless they become cash, or stirling, in his hand. The acquisition of wealth comprises all of Ophelias uses to him. She is a possession and a tool to him. This is noted by Gibson, women were regarded as possessions, as capital to be exploited. He also harbours selfish concerns about his own social standing, and that Ophelia will tender him a fool, as her behaviour reflects upon him as a father. Ophelia concludes by submitting yet again, I shall obey, my lord. Despite the fact that Ophelia has firstly rebelled against expectations by meeting with a man without the permission of her father, or has gone against social mores (Pitt), she continues to treat her father as her superior and conform to his wishes. Again the audience witnesses the dual personality of Ophelia. This could leave an audience confused, and unsure of exactly what to think of her as a character, as her true identity remains a mystery until her death. After Hamlet advances upon her looking like he had been loosed out of hell, Ophelia runs to her father, seeking protection and comfort. She enters the room saying O my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted. Modern audiences may draw comparisons between this and the behaviour of a small child. Not only is she treated like one by men, but at this point she proves their treatment to be right. This might anger a modern audience who could perceive her to be lacking common sense and therefore totally unable to deal with a hostile situation. To increase the antagonism of a post-feminist audience, she then goes on to relate that she was sewing in her closet at the time of incident while to a Shakespearean audience sewing was part of life for women, a modern audience would see this as a stereotypically effeminate activity being used by Ophelia to play up her helplessness. As stated by A. C. Bradley in the Victorian era, a large number of readers feel a personal kind of irritation against Ophelia; they seem unable to forgive her for not having been a heroine. While this does not represent the viewpoint of todays audience, it shows that even in Victorian times when women were still much less free than they are now, Ophelias helplessness is exaggerated to the point of irritation. We witness Ophelias utter submissiveness yet again, and her acting as if she has no thoughts of her own I do not know, | But truly I do fear it. Ophelia incessantly addresses her father submissively as my lord. It can be presumed that Ophelia has been taught to address him thusly, reflecting on Polonius as a father, who is an example of men at the time of the play. Polonius sees Ophelia as being far inferior to him. He speaks to her in short commands Come, go with me, rather than asking her to do things. He also seems to think that she is untrustworthy, as he questions her, Have you given him any hard words of late? suspecting that she has not done what he told her to do. As Ophelias letters are read aloud, she stands on the stage in silence to endure this harsh and humiliating experience. She is utterly powerless as her most intimate secrets are exposed to the King and Queen. Her father has granted her no right to privacy, to the point that he publicly proclaims and meddles in her affairs. Polonius says I have a daughter have while she is mine, this bluntly suggests his intentions to sell her, and continues Who in her duty and obedience, mark, | Hath given me this. Here, it is as if he is marketing her, making her good qualities known to the King and Queen, telling them to mark, possibly in the hopes that they approve of her as a wife to Hamlet. In this situation Polonius social standing would vastly improve. She is certainly seen by him as capital to be exploited. Upon the Kings questioning Ophelias chastity, Polonius asks him What do you think of me? This shows that in a Shakespearean society, the behaviour of a daughter was seen to be an indication of how honourable her father was, again proving that women were taught chastity, modesty, obedience and faithfulness to their husbands (Gibson), to be used as social and financial tools. Elaine Showalter accurately describes Ophelia as that piece of bait. She is used to confirm whether or not Hamlets separation from her is the cause of his madness. Before the first conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia (which is held under surveillance by Polonius and the King), Ophelia is not even given a greeting, but is spoken to only by the Queen, and exclusively about Hamlet And for your part Ophelia, I do wish That your good beauties be the happy cause Of Hamlets wildness. Their main concern is Hamlets return to his prior sane state and hope to be able to use Ophelia as a way of bringing it about. Ophelia herself has absolutely no control over events relating to her. She speaks briefly, only when spoken to, and to express her desire to see Hamlet well again Madam, I wish it may. Her father again talks to her commandingly, as if she were a dog, Ophelia, walk you here. When she is at first left with Hamlet, she remains silent onstage throughout his long monologue, until he mentions her. A conversation begins with Ophelias greeting Hamlet, Good my lord, and hereafter she uses the words my lord repetitively. When she mentions rememberances that she as longed long to re-deliver, she is shunned by Hamlet, as he says I never gave you aught. Ophelia further shows the audience that she is an intelligent young woman rather than a girl who is full of nonsense. She elaborates on her feelings for Hamlet with the words: My honoured lord, you know right well you did, And with them words of so sweet breath composed As made these things more rich. Their perfume lost, Take these again, for to the noble mind Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind. There my lord. The audience sees here through her passionate statement that these words held great importance to Ophelia and that she is expressing the depth of her emotion. With Hamlet she gives the first indications of her true feelings, things that she would not share with her father. She is however belittled and mocked by Hamlet (Ha, ha, are you honest? ). Her clever response to Hamlets mad ramblings gives us another insight into the more hidden side of Ophelia. Fundamentally, however, Ophelia is a side story, and is of secondary importance to the main plot and has no story without Hamlet. She appears in only five of the plays twenty scenes (Showalter) and is used to inform the audience of what Hamlet was like before his descent into madness. As stated by Angela Pitt, Ophelias main function in the play is to illuminate a particular facet of Hamlets decline. She has known him in both friendship and gallant devotion. She fulfils this role: O what a noble mind is here oerthrown! The courtiers, soldiers, scholars, eye, tongue, sword, Th expectancy and rose of the fair state, The glass of fashion, and the mould of form. While we see here that she is articulate, is underestimated by Polonius and does have something of value to say, it is quite tragic that this outburst of expression is not of herself, but of Hamlets personality prior to his fathers death. As she is used throughout the play by men, here Shakespeare uses her as a way of imparting information to the audience. At this point in the play, the audience can sympathise with Ophelia, as the pain of rejection by a lover exists outside of time. By proving to the audience that she is intelligent and educated, she wins respect, as modern society values these qualities highly in both men and women. Just before the play, Hamlet initiates a tirade of sexual references directed toward Ophelia. It begins with heres metal more attractive, a mocking reference to her looks. He goes on to say to Ophelia Lady, shall I lie in your lap? to which she replies No my lord. He persists in trying to humiliate Ophelia with phrases such as Do you think I meant country matters? and Thats a fair thought to lie between maids legs. Ophelias responses are short and she again repeats my lord No my lord, Ay my lord, I think nothing, my lord. Her words are sharp and brief as she denies Hamlet the pleasure of provoking an outburst from her. While this repetition could show her merely being weak and submissive, as she is forced to take his insults, it can also be argued that she knows here exactly what she is doing, as she later goes on to retaliate, You are naught, you are naught Ophelias naivety must be assumed and not genuine, because later she gives as good as she gets (Pitt): Ophelia. You are keen my lord, you are keen. Hamlet. It would cost you a groaning to take off mine edge. Ophelia. Still better, and worse. Here she neglects to say my lord, which shows that her tone has changed, and she has given up trying to be tolerant of Hamlet. Ophelias descent into madness portrays her in an ironic and rather tragic light. Her condition has caused her to be more vocal and to reject authority. Now people notice that Ophelia is speaking, and try to understand what she says, when her mind is not her own nothing she says makes sense. Even though she is louder, her position is still largely unchanged her madness expresses itself through her, but does not allow her to express her own true thoughts. At the time, women who were vocal and opinionated, who challenged authority or sought freedom were often portrayed as being insane. This overly emotional, nonsensical state was also thought to be womanhood in its purest, unsuppressed form Ophelia might confirm the impossibility of representing the feminine in patriarchal discourse as other than madness, incoherence, fluidity, or silence Ophelia represents the strong emotions that the Elizabethans as well as the Freudians thought womanish and unmanly. (Showalter). The themes of her songs are death and true love the two issues that have most recently affected her. Firstly, her exploitation by Hamlet: And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine. Then up he rose, and donned his clothes, And dupped the chamber door, Let in the maid, that out a maid, Never departed more. In Shakespearean times, it was extremely important that a woman maintained her chastity it is implied quite obviously by these songs that Ophelia did engage in sexual relations with Hamlet. This would have meant the loss of her reputation altogether. People will now take notice of these open declarations, as a woman her promiscuity is condemned, whereas a mans promiscuity (Hamlets) will be overlooked. This exposes Shakespearean societys double standards. A woman of high social standing such as Ophelia was expected even more so to exhibit virtue, and so was very vulnerable and open to condemnation, with every relationship putting her in a potentially life-destroying position. Now, when the relationship has dissolved, she is in a difficult position. Her imprisonment is particularly distressing to a modern audience, who are very used to seeing women with much more freedom. While todays morals are not quite as tight as Shakespearean morals, a modern audience will still feel a lot of sympathy for the poor abused and abandoned Ophelia. As well as being an issue of chastity, it also involves trust. She trusted Hamlet with her love and her reputation wrongly. Secondly, she sings about her fathers death: At his head a grass-green turf, At his heels a stone. His death has marked the loss of two of the men in her life who, while they were controlling and dictating, were all that she had, and both of whom she loved dearly. When Ophelia falls into the river where she eventually perishes, she does nothing to save herself. She is as passive at the moment of her death as she was throughout life, doing nothing to save herself. Gertrude is able to describe Ophelias death in detail, down to the exact type of flowers Ophelia had decked herself with (crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples). This may be seen as Gertrudes expression of genuine sympathy for her fellow woman. Ophelias death can be seen as a suicide, but Gertrude, perhaps to prevent Ophelia from being denied a Christian burial, which would have deepened Laertes grief, describes her as having been one incapable of her own distress, suggesting that she fell in and simply did not care enough to get out. Ophelias last influence in the play is her funeral, where Laertes jumps into her grave in grief. Hamlet however jumps in after him, and they begin to grapple irreverently, arguing over who loved her more: Hamlet. I loved Ophelia, forty thousand brothers Could not, with all their quantity of love, Make up my sum what wilt thou do for her? Hamlet persists in trying to out-do Laertes in his love for his sister, to the point of ridiculousness Woot drink up eisel, eat a crocodile? | Ill dot. This sudden display of affection for Ophelia from Hamlet contrasts hugely with his treatment of her during her life, and seems unrealistic. Laertes grief for Ophelia is overshadowed by his desire for revenge as Hamlet has destroyed his family. The two use their love for Ophelia as an excuse to let private rivalries surface, even at her funeral. This is symbolic of how she has been used throughout the play, by Polonius to get closer to the king and by Hamlet to portray his insanity. To a Shakespearean audience, peoples treatment of Ophelia would have been typical of the way in which women were treated. Her silence and oppression would have been met with sympathy, as well the empathy of women of the time. While her situation with regards to Hamlet and his cold rejection of her still holds poignancy with a modern audience, people today may question more why she made little attempt to defend herself in certain situations, and why she so blankly followed the instructions of her father and brother at the expense of her own mental and emotional well-being. Bibliography Shakespeare, William, Hamlet, Heinemann, 1996 Pitt, Angela, Shakespeares Women, David and Charles, 1981 Gibson, Rex, Cambridge Student Guide: Hamlet, Cambridge University Press, 2002 A. C. Bradley, Shakespearean Tragedy, 1904 Showalter, Elaine, Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism. in New Casebooks: Hamlet, Macmillan, 1992 Eleanor Crossey Malone L6G.

The Fast Food And Quick Service Restaurant Industry Marketing Essay

The Fast Food And Quick Service Restaurant Industry Marketing Essay For the mid-term paper I have chosen the food beverage category from the 2008 Inc 500 list. Companies in this industry are involved in processing, packaging and delivering of food and beverage. This includes prepared foods, packaged foods, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. The company with the highest revenue on this list is Wingstop with revenue of $206.6 million in 2008 and the company with the highest growth rate is The Snack Factory with a growth as high as 18,371.3%. The company in lowest quartile of the top 2008 Inc. 500 Food Beverage list that I think will move up the most positions is a company called Saladworks. In this paper I will evaluate for the different companies what industry they are in and if it is an attractive industry. I will use Michael Porters five basic competitive forces to evaluate the competition and profitability of the industries. The basic forces are threat of new entrants, power of suppliers, power of customers, threat of substitutes and rivalry among existing competitors. For Wingstop and The Snack Factory I will further evaluate positioning, competitive advantage, trends, customers, products, business model, core competencies and competition for each. For Saladworks I will explain why I think they will move up the most positions. Wingstop is a Restaurant chain serving made-to-order buffalo chicken wings, side dishes and beer in 28 states across the U.S. (Inc 500) The company was founded in 1994 and was successful in creating a niche in chicken dining. They started franchising in 1997 and have a nostalgic, aviation-theme in their restaurants. The industry that they are in is the fast food and quick-service restaurant industry. I will have a look at industry competition to evaluate if this is an attractive industry. The threat of new entrants in this industry is moderate. There are some important barriers to entry but the lack of some significant ones makes it vulnerable. The barriers that are in place are high investments and high fixed costs. Especially marketing and advertising costs to keep existing customers and getting new ones are high for the big chains. There is relatively high degree of brand loyalty to some branded chains and franchise licenses are protected as intellectual property. The barriers that are not in place includes the absent of economics of scale meaning even small local stores can be profitable. Many consumers are also price sensitive and the cost of switching is low. Because of the lack of some of the most important barriers the threat of new entries is substantial. The power of suppliers in this industry is considerable but mostly for small restaurants. The distribution to the fast food chains is dominated by a few large suppliers that can put pressure on smaller businesses. But with the bigger chains like McDonalds the suppliers stand weaker in a bargaining situation. The power of customers and the pressure they can put on the industry is relatively moderate. This is because the consumers in principle can produce the product themselves if they want. They are also price-sensitive so the prices are kept low and it doesnt cost customers anything to switch to an alternative product. The threat of substitutes in the industry is high. Fast food faces constant competition from home cooked food. In addition the fast food product is not differentiated and consumers can easily go from McDonalds to for example Burger King. The price for most fast foods is in the same low range and it is easy to switch to an alternative restaurant. Rivalry among existing competitors is also high. There are many small players with the same size but in the high end a number of big franchise chains. They have many of the same strategies such as low price, quick service and quality. There is almost no differentiation between the businesses and the growth of one company goes on the expense of a competitor so spending on advertising tends to be high. The industry has suffered a lot of criticism coming from the high coverage of negative health effects and obesity from diverse media. Even do rivalry between competitors is high and there is a lot of negative media coverage this is an attractive industry to be in. People are still buying these often calorie busting products and the sales were more than $180 billion in 2007. (Hoovers) Positioning Wingstop position itself as healthy finger food chain. They use lot of funds to market that the chain is not selling unhealthy fast food and that they always serve fresh homemade food. Their competitive advantages include their award-winning recipes and simple concept, but also important is their marketing and distribution partnership with high profile American football team Dallas Cowboys. Their deal with the team has made them the exclusive chicken wing vendor in the team stadium and also made a lot of hype around the chain. With more than 600 open or under development restaurants in 27 states they have proven that the concept is scalable in the U.S. The simple concept of selling just chicken wings with some side dishes has been well received by the public. Scalability internationally is more difficult because buffalo chicken wings are a traditional American bar food and are not widely available outside the U.S. Scalability in the ranks of McDonalds is therefore questionable but no t impossible with the right use of resources. Their advantage is also sustainable if they continue with the simple concept, focus solely on the chicken wings and invest further in the process that makes them unique among competitors. This chain is definitely here to stay. Trends A trend that is working against the company is the increased media focus on health and diet issues associated with fast food chains. The industry is also very competitive and Wingstop has to spend a lot on advertising to keep consumers away from their competitors. Another trend that is acting for the company is the increasingly busy workdays that make people eat out instead of making food at home. Consumers often chose the fastest and cheapest alternative when they are in a hurry and need to eat on the go. Problem The problem Wingstop is solving is the elementary need for food and the need for having it made and served fast when people dont have time do make it themselves. The need for food is an aspirin problem with regards to Maslows hierarchy of needs because the physiological need must be met or the human body simply cannot continue to function. But the need for a fast meal is rather a strong vitamin problem because even with hectic workdays you can decide to take time to make your own food. The job to be done is to be available and visible to serve customers. Customers The customers are everyday consumers that have a liking for chicken wings. The consumers are families looking to have a good time without having to cook themselves and singles with a hectic workdays that doesnt have time cook and need something easy. Product Their product is primarily Buffalo style chicken wings but they also sell different chicken types, side dishes and beer. Other chicken alternatives are boneless strips and breaded chicken. Their side dishes includes fresh cut seasoned fries, potato salad, creamy cole slaw, hot cheddar cheese sauce, bourbon baked beans, crispy veggie sticks and dips. More than just the physical products they sell an experience. The American bar experience in a 1930-40s pre-jet aviation theme inspired setting. Business model Their business model is that of a manufacturer. Their main product is a nondurable physical asset in the form of food and they buy the raw materials and transform them into their product as a creator. Even do they outsource much of the actual production as a large part of their branch consist of franchises they are still a creator. Wingstop have clear routines for every franchise so that the product tastes the same everywhere you buy it and so they do substantial design of the product and are therefore not a distributor. Core competencies To continue to succeed Wingstop need to be top of the line when it comes to marketing. In addition to the process of making the popular chicken wings they sell their most important core competency is the ability to advertise the brand and create hype around their restaurant chain. They have extended a contract with their national spokesman, Super Bowl hero Troy Aikman and this shows that they are on the right track. As mentioned earlier the competition among fast food chains are tough and the only ones that survives are the ones that get through too consumers and keeps them coming back. To get consumers to come back the food and service in the restaurants needs to be excellent. Because many of their restaurants are franchises they need to be good at creating solid routines so the experience in the restaurants doesnt differ from each other. But the most important factor to continue the success is to be visible and stand out among the fast food restaurants and this must be done by adve rtising and creative marketing. Competition The competition Wingstop faces is all the different fast food chains including not only the restaurants that sell chicken wings but also the ones that offer hamburgers, pizza tacos and more. The big competitors in the segments as a whole are McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell to mention some that has a large part of the market shares. More directly Wingstop has to compete with the other restaurants offering similar chicken wing meals. Some of the competitor chains are Buffalo Wild Wings, Hooters, Wing Zone, Applebees, Brinker, Carlson Restaurants, Damons, Darden, Family Sports Concepts, Fox Hound Restaurant, Ker Inc, Papa Johns and Zaxbys (Hoovers). The biggest competitor from the list is Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW). They had revenues of $422.4 million in 2008 and operate a chain of more than 550 restaurants in nearly 40 states. Besides the chicken wings they are very famous for their dipping sauces that accompanies. They also sell appetizers, burgers, tacos, salads, beer wine and other beverages. Like Wingstop they have used relationships with sports to market themselves as a sports bar franchise. Another competitor worth mentioning is Hooters which have had success with the restaurant experience they offer consumers and this factor is more important than the food they serve. Hooters have a beach theme and their waitresses dress in the chains trademark bright orange short shorts and tight T-shirts and are known as Hooter girls. By focusing on the special atmosphere they have managed to differentiate themselves and gained a competitive advantage. This has also opened the door for international expansion and they now have 450 Hooters restaurants in about 45 states and more than 25 other countries. The Snack Factory Background The Snack Factory is a family owned and operated business that makes and sells crunchy snacks. The company was founded in 1981 by Sara and Warren Wilson. Warren started out with selling funnel cakes based on his grandmothers recipe on country fairs in 1969 and paid his way through college with the proceeds. After college he opened a store selling funnel cakes in New Jersey and here he met Sara. The two of them started to develop the company called Funnel Cake Factory and eventually made a concept of bagel chips that was flat crunchy chips made from bagels into a company called New York Style Bagel Chip Company. This was a new idea and consumers welcomed the new product. The bagel chips company was later sold to Nabisco in 1992 and the funnel cake company was sold to JJ Snack Foods a few years later. The entrepreneurs didnt stop and used the following years to develop a thin but crunchy pretzel great for dipping and spreading that became known as Pretzel Crisps. Industry The Snack Factory is in the snack foods industry which can be explained as Companies that manufacture, process, and/or package snack foods, including salty snacks, nuts, snack bars, and snack mixes (Hoovers). The threat of new entrants in the industry is low on national and international level. A major barrier of entry in this market is very high degree of brand loyalty. The big companies with their popular brands make it very difficult to come in to the market and establish a new brand. It is easier to enter on the local level because the consumers are open to local products. Customers are price sensitive in this industry too but with already very low prices it is difficult to enter and compete with the larger corporations. The power of suppliers in this industry is low. Most of the raw foods for the snack manufacturers come from farmers and they dont have strong bargaining power. Farmers have no choice but to follow the prices the snack manufacturers will give them. The power of customers is also not very high in this industry. Customers are supermarkets that again sell to consumers. The supermarkets and the likes need to provide the consumers with the snack brands they want or they will go somewhere else. The stores therefore have weak bargaining power towards the manufacturers but indirect the manufacturers have to listen to the consumers that are price sensitive and set the price so they will buy the product. The threat of substitutes in the industry is on the other hand high. There is continuous threat from existing snack food and also from new alternatives. There isnt much to differentiate a bag of chips from another and the customers have to buy in what the consumers want the most because they cant carry every brand. Rivalry among existing competitors is also high. There is fierce rivalry among the biggest companies and advertising and marketing budget are extremely high. Because of low differentiation and that growth goes on the expense of a competitor making customer buy and keep buying is crucial. Despite high costs on promotion and brand advertising and large corporations competing to capture larger shares of the market this is also an attractive industry. The industry generates billions of dollars in revenue and if you as a company manage to take some shares of the market there is large profit involved Positioning The Snack Factory position themselves as a healthy snack alternative with less calories, cholesterol and fat compared to other snack alternatives. Both the founders and their family members are involved with the company and this gives the company a family business image. Their most important competitive advantages are the made in America brand and recipe that is developed over several years combined with the expertise the Wilsons holds. They have already demonstrated that it is scalable by increasing distribution to some of Americas largest retailers having a growth as high as 18,371.3% last year. But the family based company can only supply to so many before they need to expand production and that can be in conflict with their image. The growth may therefore not be too sustainable, but with the product in the hands of a bigger snack manufacturer the growth might continue. This would mean an exit for the Wilson like they did with the other two companies but they are entrepreneurs and will probably keep going for the next big thing. Trends A trend that is acting for the company is the media focus mentioned earlier on health effects from eating food with high calorie and fat amounts. People are becoming more and more concerned about these issues and have started to choose more healthy alternatives. Another trend working for them is the consumer interest for made in America brand products. Having this label can appeal to Americans who associate this with high quality and the feeling of contributing to keep production in the U.S. A trend that is acting against the company is that many of the large competitors also have shifted focus over on healthy snack products and have much more money to use on marketing their products. Problem The problem The Snack Factory is solving is the hunger consumers have between the main meals of the day that are breakfast, lunch and dinner. Snack food is an alternative to be eaten between these meals as an energy supply or for taste enjoyment. This problem is also is also a vitamin need. The job to be done is to provide a product that the consumers see as an alternative to the many different types of snack foods. It also has to be available as many consumers buy these products on impulse usually when they are shopping for something entirely different. Customers The Snack Factorys customers are the large retailers, supermarkets and fine stores who sell the products to the end customer the consumers. Retailers and supermarkets they are already supplying to include Sams Club, Whole Foods, Shaws Supermarket and many others across the U.S and Canada. Sams Club is a chain of membership-only retail warehouses and is today serving more than 47 million U.S. members. Whole Foods is a food retailer of natural and organic products and have more than 275 locations in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. Shaws Supermarket is the second largest grocery group in the New England States and operates 200 stores solely across New England. Product The product The Snack Factory is selling is Pretzels Crisps. The product is like a normal pretzel only that the middle is removed. The product has a lot of crunch and flavor and is made with no trans fats, no saturated fat and no cholesterol and only containing 110 calories per serving. The product is meant as a snack straight from the bag but also for dipping and spread for toppings. The Pretzels Crisps come in many different flavors including original, garlic, honey mustard onion, buffalo wing, dark chocolate, peanut butter and chipotle cheddar. The price out to the end users from retailers and supermarkets is around $2.99. Business model Their business model is that of a manufacturer like Wingstop. The Pretzels Crisps they are making is a nondurable asset so they are classified as physical. The pretzels are made from raw material to the final products that they sell out. This kind of transformation of the asset classifies the company a creator. A creator of physical assets follows the basic business model of a manufacturer. Core competencies To continue the success The Snack Factory need to put more capital into marketing if they are going to continue the growth they have experienced. Their core competency lies with the experience in developing new food products and recipes for the preparation of the Pretzels Crisps. Sara says, We believe its the product that catapults us. Sure, we do some marketing, but our success came before we did any marketing. The product itself makes people come back for more. (Inc 500. Sep 1, 2008) It is obvious that the company is not spending much on advertising and they have been using in-store samplings as the most used marketing method. This approach has gotten the company so far and they have said they were looking into the opportunity to expand to Asia and Europe while keeping the business personable and family oriented. But coming from a local factory start and beginning to compete with the large snack manufacturers this will provide some challenges. The industry consists of large corpora tions competing hard to capture shares and they spend heavily on promotion campaigns to convince customers to buy their product. To compete with these corporations they have to be good at marketing in a big scale. The company doesnt have the experience with taking products to compete in the top since they sold the previous companies before they got there. If they are to pursue international growth they need to get better in marketing, partner up with companies that have the experience or they should make an exit and sell. Competition Their competition is as mentioned the large players in the snack industry. There was no company information on The Snack Factory in the Hoovers database but looking at the information for the company J J Snack Foods that acquired their funnel cake company I found a list of competitors in the snack business. In the US they will have to compete with companies like J J Snack Foods, Frito-Lay, Mrs. Fields, Snyders of Hanover, American Dairy Queen, Auntie Annes, Cinnabon, Dawn Food Products, Dreyerss, General Mills, Interstate Bakeries, Jamba, Jel Sert, Juice It Up, Kellogg U.S. Snacks, Kraft Foods, Lance Snacks, Mister Twister Pretzels, Nestle USA, Otis Spunkmeyer, Planet Smoothie, Pretzels, Inc, Ruiz Foods Inc., Sara Lee, Smoothie King, Sorbee International, Wetzels Pretzels, Dippin Dots, Flowers Foods, Golden Enterprises, Goya, Hanover Foods, Mckee Foods and Tasty Baking. There are a lot of players in the industry and they are all looking to maximize market share. One competitor worth mentioning is Frito-Lay that sells more chips than any other company in North America. Their top selling food snacks include well known products such as Cheetos, Doritos, Fritos and Lays. They have responded to the market trends and have bought several healthy snack brands and they spend heavily on marketing to stay on the top. Saladworks Saladworks is in the lowest quartile of the top 2008 Inc. 500 Food Beverage list. The company had revenues of $5.5 million and a growth of 98.3%. Saladworks was founded by John Scardapane in 1986 and started out with a single location in the Cherry Hill Mall in Southern New Jersey. It is the first and largest tossed-salad franchise in the U.S. with 104 locations in 9 states today. The idea of the franchise and their positioning is to provide fresh and healthy salads as alternative food for consumers on the go. They sell primarily gourmet salads but also soups, wraps, sandwiches and more. In 2008 they also added signature salads to the menu. They invited four A-list chefs to create four different salads that became the signature series. The competitive advantage that Saladworks has is being first with turning fast food in to a healthier meal and the chef expertise in the development making it hard for copycats to follow. The company had a major growth in 2002 when they managed to add 21 new franchise locations in only 10 months. Consumer response and the growth Saladworks has experienced prove that it is scalable. The company is in the fast food and quick-service restaurant industry same as Wingstop. As mentioned earlier the competitive landscape is hard in this industry with moderate threat of new entrants, considerable bargaining power of suppliers, moderate power of customers, high levels of both threats of new substitutes and rivalry amongst the competitors. A large trend in this industry is need for healthy alternatives among the many unhealthy fast foods. The businesses that sell products with high calories have started to include some healthy alternatives as side dishes in their menus. But unable to shift entirely over to healthy alternatives is difficult because their brand is associated with their products. Where would McDonalds be if they threw out their burgers and started selling only salads? Because SaladWorks is first and largest and places itself in the industry with trends on their side I see the potential of the company franchising more across the U.S and possible also to Europe. They signed a contract for ten new locations in Metro Atlanta in 2008 and in 2009 they have expanded with new stores in Virginia. They have also made deals for opening new locations in California and Boston. With the plans for expansions, market trends on their side and the advantages of being one of the first I think this company will move up many positions on the Inc 500 Food Beverage list for the years to come.

Art in the Villa Farnesina

Art in the Villa Farnesina This magnificent loggia, designed by Raphael and mostly painted by his crew of helpers in 1518, shows a spectacular amount of skill. Originally the main villa entrance presided here and the room was an open loggia. The walls imitate realistic architectural form using light and shadow to trick viewers with illusion. Nature plays an important role through the abundance of vegetation in the festoons outlining the ceiling and its partitions, and the illusion of sky along the top and semi-circle lunettes. The fruit and vegetables have an enormous amount of detail, many of which were modeled after the variety of exotic and well maintained plants in the glorious gardens. The color scheme in this room feels very cool. The pinkish shades of skin tone pop out from the ceiling and the interplay between the characters shows a mastery of space and expression. The ceiling depicts of story of Amour and Psyche as narrated in Apuleiuss Golden Ass. Legend has it, Psyche was the most beautiful child of King Anatolia. Jealous of her, Venus (Aphrodite) asks her son Cupid (Eros) to pierce Psyche with a golden arrow so she would fall in love with the ugliest man on earth. He agrees but falls in love with her instead. The two marry, but Psyche upsets Cupid. Advised by the gods, Psyche sets out to regain Cupids love through service. She eventually asks Venus for aid. Venus orders Psyche to perform a series of near impossible tasks. With the aid of others she completes enough for Cupid to forgive her. He flies to Mount Olympus and asks Jove to help save Psyche from the last task. Jove does and during a formal council declares his approval of the marriage between Cupid and Psyche. Later, Cupid fetches Psyche and she drinks immortalizing Ambrosia. The two have a child named Volupta (Bliss or Delight) and Venus and Psyche reconcile. The entire ceiling focuses around the dramatic love story full of courtship, danger, jealously and pleasure. The two main panels show the Council of the Gods and the Marriage of Cupid and Psyche. Along the sides of the ceiling, Raphael depicts other portions of the story. The beginning panel shows Venus pointing downwards while discussing her plan with Cupid. This room clearly carries the themes of nature and love in a very pagan manner. Raphael successfully intertwines the characters and the style of painting while following more realistic and 3-dimensional Renaissance art. Sala delle Prospective The name of this room works perfectly. The side frescoes, designed and painted by Baldassare Peruzzi, depict columns going into the distance. Agostino commissioned him in 1519. When standing in the center of the room, the columns follow perfect perspective. Painted with detail, they imitate dark veined marble. They present an architectural foreground to the countryside background that builds on the illusion of nature within the villa. These views conveniently tie in the traditional villa scene because villas were usually built in the suburbs. The continuation of the floor into the fresco emphasizes the illusion and carries the viewer out. Divinities reside above the doors and windows and a frieze of mythological scenes line the ceiling. The forge of Vulcan has a fitting placement on the northern side, above the fireplace. Deeply coffered squares tile the ceiling and give the room a sense of depth. This room clearly plays on illusions of space and successfully engages the viewer to pe er out and interact with nature. Sala di Sodoma This room is also known as the Agostinos bedroom and was commissioned in 1519. Walking in, the walls are completely frescoed. The coffered ceiling depicts scenes from mythology, again showing more pagan references. The most eye-catching aspect of the room is Sodomas Marriage of Alexander and Roxanne. Roxanne twists her body as she gazes to the outstretched hand of Alexander. Cherubs occupy a large portion of room along the top of the fresco and within. A few even tug at Roxannes limbs. The paintings on the side show people in battle and heading towards the marriage. Stairs leading into the fresco draws in and interacts with the viewer. The reoccurring theme of love and drama clearly presides in this room. Many believe the marriage scene reflects Agostinos third marriage to Francesca Andreazza. His martial ceremony, performed by Leo X, actually took place in the Villa Chigi. Thus, the frescoed theme of marriage and love properly define the private bedroom as a place of their union. Function The Villa Farnesina truly embodied its purpose of entertainment. Agostino Chigi used this building for parties, formal dinners, his wedding, theatrical performances and more. The amount of money and time put into the villa shows how ostentatious Chigi felt about showing his fortune. Agostino Chigi would serve dinner guests on lavish plates of silver. To demonstrate his abundance of money to his company, he would order his servants to toss the silverware out of the windows and into the Tiber after their meals. Secretly nets in the water caught the pieces of eatery and eventually made their way back to the villa. Architectural choices by Peruzzi emphasize the theatrical purpose of the building. Peruzzi alludes to the function by using Vitruvian authority. Vitruvius explains the design of Roman theatre through arithmetic ratios. Lower stories should have pedestals and an entablature respectively one third and one fifth the height of its columns while upper storey pedestals have half the height and columns have three fourths the height of their lower level counterparts. Peruzzi followed the advice with exactness. In the early 1500s, theatrical events adapted to their environment not the other way around. The u-shape, and open Loggia di Psyche creates an ideal enclosure for performances. At the time, a raised stage flanked the two wings to line the loggia. Actors entered from the rooms openings. Thoughtfully, the frescoes in the Loggia di Psyche just cover the ceiling while the paintings on the walls restrict themselves to architectural and patterned designs. This made setting changes and backdrops easier to create and adapt to during performances. Illusionary perspective and Muses carrying tragic and comic masks along the walls continue the theatrical implications upstairs in the Sala delle Prospettive. Goals of the Patron The goal of creating a building to function as a location for entertainment, partying and showing the wealth of the Chigi family definitely succeeded. In addition, bringing nature into the building presents another major goal when building a villa. At first glance the exterior is lined with an abundant amount of windows, allowing natural light in and connecting the rooms to nature as much as possible. Furthermore, the two loggias were originally open. Not only would that add more light, but sweet smells from the garden and even insects and animals had access to the rooms. The Loggia di Psyche served as the original entrance into the villa. Observing the ceiling, one can see the impact of nature on the fresco. A thick festoon of leaves and a variety of fruit follow the architectural space along the spandrels and ceiling panels. This matches the frieze on the exterior. The earthly colors and background of blue sky incorporate the outside in. Even the semi-circle lunettes above the walls have painted windows with a fictitious outdoor view. The large vertical panels of windows facing the garden flood the room with daylight. Upstairs, the Sala delle Prospettive creates an illusion of countryside views as one gazes at the frescoes and past the columns. The distant horizon generates a feeling of space and infinity. In Sala di Sodoma, Alexander and Roxannes courtship is in a covered area, but effort was made to continue the story outdoors on the side frescoes, and in the background of the main fresco. Nature clearly impacted the villa as a major theme through out the entire building. Conclusion The Villa Farnesina houses art from some of the most prominent figures of its time. Each room tells a different story as one can only imagine the splendor and extravagance Agostino Chigi must have experienced when entertaining guests in his new villa. After the Chigi sold the building to the Farnese family, the Farnese made plans to connect it by bridge with the Palazzo Farnese. Building began but never completed. In later centuries the Bourbon of Naples owned it, and the Spanish Ambassador in Rome. Today the Italian state has used it for the Accademia dei Lincei and the Gabinetto dei Disegnie dell Stampe. The harmonious architecture, meaningful proportions, innovative and eye-catching frescoes swimming in pagan themes of nature and love will attract passers by and art fanatics for many years to come.

Acid Rain :: Free Essay Writer

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Acid rain is a form of precipitation that contains high levels of sulfuric or nitric acids. In simple terms, acid rain is hail, rain, snow, or sleet that is more acidic than normal. Precipitation naturally is a little acidic but when the pH level drops below a set standard it is acid rain. In general, acid rain is a very complicated problem that is caused by many factors. In this paper, I will discuss how emissions caused by humans effect pH level in precipitation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, I will define, in detail, what acid rain is. Acid rain is precipitation that has a pH less than 5.6. The pH scale is a scale that measures if a compound is acidic, basic, or neutral. Neutral is in the middle which has a pH of 7. Basic has a pH between 7.1 and 14 and acidic has a pH between 6.9 and 0. For example, vinegar is acidic with a pH reading of 2.4. Normal precipitation has a pH between 6.9 and 5.9.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Acid rain is formed when sulfur dioxide and various nitrogen oxides combine with atmospheric moisture. Sulfur dioxide is produced by the emissions of electric utilities, industrial companies, commercial and residential heating, smelters and diesel engines. Sulfur dioxide produces sulfuric acid, which will produce acid rain. Nitrogen oxides are produced mostly by transportation (cars, trucks, planes, etc.). Nitrogen oxides produce nitric acid, which will also produce acid rain. The main contributor to acid rain is sulfur oxides (SO2 and SO3). Sulfur oxides are produced naturally but not in the concentration that humans produce. The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, can be largely blamed for the production of sulfur oxides. The process of acid rain starts when photons from the sun hit ozone molecules (O3) to form oxygen (O2). Next, the O2 molecules react with water (H2O) to form a negatively charged hydroxyl radicals (OH-). It is the hydroxyl radicals that are responsible for oxidizing sulfur dioxide. This will produce sulfuric acid. Oxidation occurs in clouds mostly above cities with heavily polluted air. These clouds contain ammonia and ozone that can catalyze the reaction. This means that the ammonia and ozone will produce more sulfuric acid fast and the ammonia and ozone will not be consumed in the reaction. Nitrogen oxides are produce from power plants and exhaust fumes from automobiles. The reactions to make nitric acid are similar to the reactions to make sulfuric acid.

Adversity :: Free Essay Writer

" A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentialities." -Charles DeGaulle This quote couldn't more true , even at the age of seventeen my life has been riddled with adversity. Everything from major health related problems from birth to my father being injured at work and finally my cousin dying from cancer , all have made me realize truly the strength that I possess to carry on. I have overcome and am continuing to overcome many health related issues all of which stem from birth. At birth my esophagus did not attach to my stomach and in order to correct this problem I had to undergo a major operation. This operation resulted in me needing a blood transfusion. Unfortunately in 1983 blood donors were not screened for diseases. I was one of many who contracted both hepatitis B and C. Hepatitis B was just jaundice and showed it self soon after the operation. Fortunately Hepatitis C is dormant for now , although it is thought around the age of thirty the true disease takes hold. There is always that daunting reality that eventually I will need a new liver. Another result of my stay in the hospital is my droopy eye caused by an incorrectly inserted IV. In this age of physical beauty and especially being a teenager it has been especially hard for me to not feel that I am inferior to everyone else. As a result of lack of funds my eye will have to wait to be correcte d. My father who has been out of work for three years because of a back injury that has left him in a tremendous amount of pain constantly. This has resulted in not only a financial strain on our family but also a burden of ache that tugs at me. I love my father dearly and it pains me to see him suffering. My parents are divorced and have been for some time, my father lives in California and before his injury I would visit at least two times a year for extended periods of time . Now that he is out of a job for all practical purposes my time with him has been cut to only a summer visit. This has also proved to be quite a emotional hardship , but as with everything else I have forced myself to accept it and to move on.

Reconstruction :: essays research papers

At the end of the Civil War there was a period of time in the United States known as the reconstruction period, that lasted for about a decade. During this period the country was in a state of rebuilding. Money, bonds, and stocks were worth nothing. Forty thousand United State citizens were dead or gone, and cities lay in ruin. The dream of an independent nation was just that, an unrealistic dream. The south had lost entire cities to destruction of war and needed to not only rebuild them but also revive its cotton industry. During both the civil war and civil war reconstruction time periods, there were many changes going on in the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation, as well as legislation such as the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments, was causing a new awakening of democracy; while the renouncing of secession by the South marked a definite triumph for Nationalism. As well, the government was involved in altercations of its own. During reconstruction, the legislat ive and executive branches eventually came to blows over the use of power. The nation was being altered by forces which caused, and later repaired, a broken Union. President Lincoln wanted everything to return to normal as quickly as possible after the war. Therefore, Lincoln announced the freeing of all slaves in areas not in Union control. Although the proclamation did not free all slaves everywhere, it was the action that would push Congress to pass the thirteenth amendment in 1865. The amendment, ratified later in 1865, stated that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude . . . shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." Lincoln also established a plan for reconstruction, which was deemed the Ten Percent Plan. Even before the war ended, Lincoln knew there would be a need of a plan of reconstruction. Lincoln issued a proclamation of amnesty and reconstruction for the people in the south. The proclamation basically forgave and Confederate for trying to secede from the Union if he would swear to support the Constitution of the United States and the Union. Politically, Lincoln would recogn ize the state executively if one tenth of the conquered state’s total vote in the presidential election f 1860 took an oath of allegiance to the union and organized a government that got rid of slavery. The Radical Republicans wanted a slower readmission process so they trued to pass the Wade-Davis Bill, which would make one half of eligible voters to take the oath of allegiance and accept emancipation.