Voidable Agreements and Unconscionable Contracts Assignment

Voidable Agreements and Unconscionable Contracts - Assignment Example The following summary of a case in a court of law shows a voidable agreement containing an unconscionable contract. The case in subject involves a minor who purchased a used car from an adult at one hundred and forty dollars. He, the buyer, attempted to return the car after noticing that the main bearing system had malfunctions. As a result, the buyer informed the seller on the issue, and asserted that repairing the entire bearing system would cost approximately half the purchasing price. Therefore, the minor left the car with the seller and mailed a written notification expressing his dissatisfaction; hence terminating their contract.As a counter action, the adult seller sued the minor buyer for breaching their agreement. After appraising all essential components of the case, the court passed a ruling in favor of the seller on the basis that the contract was not voidable. The premise provided was that the buyer’s aunt and grandmother not only gave him the money for purchase o f the car, but also accompanied him to the venue of transaction. In this first ruling, the seller benefited as a result of misinterpretation of the law on voidable contract.The buyer appealed after losing in the first trial. The court of appeal analyzed the provided evidence and determined the case as a voidable contract. The appellate chamber maintained that the transaction surrounding the contract was between a minor and an adult

Message vs. Style in Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe Essay Example for Free

Message vs. Style in Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe Essay The message is more important than the style. I totally disagree with this statement in the context of Things Fall Apart as I believe that in this particular work, the message is of equivalent importance to the style; to have a particular writing style whose sole purpose is found in informing readers as to the purpose to the message, and then to NOT have a message, would be useless, whereas having a message to tell readers, WITHOUT such a writing style as is necessary to allow them to absorb the purpose, would again be useless- therefore the message and writing styles are equally important in this story, as one cannot do without the other. In this case, the central message of Things Fall Apart, that African culture is complex, can only be absorbed by readers if Achebes writing style, which incorporates the use of dialogue, conflict, proverbs, diction and setting, allows them to develop such recognition of cultural complexity- the author cannot merely instruct the reader to believe that the culture is indeed complex, and still expect the reader to believe as such without question. Firstly, Achebe makes ample use of dialogue as a component of his writing style to carry forth the message of a culturally complex society. For example, Okonkwos conversation with Obierika as to the Oracles desires in Chapter Eight introduces significant cultural elements to the readers. Okonkwo argues that his participation in the murder of Ikemefuna was justified, but Obierika contends otherwise, declaring that Okonkwos actions are of the kind for which the earth goddess, Ani, wipes out whole families. In the conflict between their different views we see the strong influence exerted by their religion on each person, and also acquire recognition of significant religious elements, namely the Oracle and the earth goddess. That Okonkwo and Obierika should have differing opinions about the Oracles religious intentions indicates the presence of complex perceptions of the same religion. This complexity in religious perceptions then implicitly suggests to readers an inherent complexity in the religion itself, for without such complexity differing religious perceptions would not occur. Religion is a core component of culture, as clearly the culture of a society must not contradict the religious views held by that same society, and having a complex religion as a component of culture in turn suggests that the culture of the society must be complex as well. Dialogue thus serves to carry forth Achebes message that African culture is complex. At the same time, in the suggestions of complex culture found in dialogue, we see how Achebes style of writing encourages readers to gradually reach a perception of his central message on their own, which is important in that the readers must themselves perceive such cultural complexity through development of their own thoughts on the issue- exactly as Achebe intended. To have a dialogue without any inherent message would also make such dialogue purposeless, as Achebe could not possibly describe an overarching purpose to that conversation. This shows how dialogue as a component of the writing style gives such a writing style an importance equal to that of the message; without dialogue being employed as such, readers cannot acquire knowledge of the message, whereas if there was no message, then dialogue would have no purpose. Dialogue as a component of the writing style thus creates a situation where the style is of equal importance to the message. Secondly, traditional African proverbs, a significant element of Achebes writing style, are used to highlight cultural complexity. An example would be Okonkwos declaring that a childs fingers are not scalded by a piece of hot yam which its mother puts into its palm in defence of his participating in the murder of Ikemefuna. He argues that he did as such due to the Oracle declaring that Ikemefuna would have to be killed. That proverbs can be casually used in dialogue to illustrate various points, such as the above proverb serving as a defence for ones actions, is an indication of a highly-developed language. A societys culture is based upon its language, for language serves as the primary medium of communication between humans in a society, and as such readers recognize that language is an important component of culture, therefore having a highly-developed language would thus suggest that society is culturally complex. Proverbs being thus used in Achebes writing style have therefore led to the subtle formation of such a suggestion to readers, which in turn allows readers to follow through on that suggestion, and thereby reach the conclusion that African culture is complex is nature- this being the exact message which Achebe is trying to bring across to readers. Proverbs being a component of Achebes writing style, we can see how they contribute to the carrying the message of cultural complexity across. However, such a writing style also finds its primary purpose in carrying a message; therefore without such a message of cultural complexity, the proverbs would lose their meaning. In this sense, we can safely state that the writing style, through its encompassing the use of proverbs, is of equal importance to the message. Thirdly, Achebes choice of diction also plays a very large role in his writing style. Throughout the story, the narrator refers to the housing for Okonkwos wives as Obi, court messengers as Kotma, and characters use traditional welcomes such as Nno. That such traditional African words should appear throughout the story, interspersed with all the English words, gives readers the impression that such words cannot be simply translated into English. This then suggests to us that language in the society must be very highly developed, for such words do not have a counterpart in the English language, despite the vast vocabulary of the latter. Indeed, I had to refer to the glossary in the book for the English translations of such words. When readers make such inferences, they cannot help but come to the conclusion that the Africans cannot be culturally primitive- to have such a highly-developed language must in turn suggest a highly developed culture, which is exactly the message Achebe is trying to bring across. Thus Achebes choice of diction greatly aids his writing style in carrying the message across to readers, who realize from such implicit suggestions the central message of this work. Indeed, if Achebe did not wish to have a message of cultural complexity, it is plausible that such traditional African words would not appear. Thus we can see how the success in carrying the message across is highly dependent on the writing style, and the shaping of the writing style itself is highly dependent on the type of message being carried across; the message and the style are equally important. Lastly, Achebes description of the various settings in which events take place play a part in shaping his particular writing style. The setting of Ezeudus funeral in Chapter Thirteen is an example of how the setting as a component of Achebes writing style serves to carry forth the message of cultural complexity. Ezeudus funeral was a warriors funeral, and now and then an ancestral spirit, or egwugwu, would appear from the underworld. From the description of this setting, readers are able to more readily appreciate the complexities of traditional African culture; that their culture incorporates a strong, pagan belief in the existence of supernatural beings, the egwugwu, and a similar belief in the existence of an underworld. This places emphasis on a major religious component in their culture. Ezeudus funeral being considered as a warriors funeral also allows us to acquire insights into the importance of a particular social class, the warrior class, in their society. The setting has thus contributed to readers being able to recognize two major components in African culture, the former being religion, the latter being a social component. That these two different components should become so elaborately intertwined in this one ceremony is evidence of a complex culture. The reader, in reviewing the description of the setting, thereby acquires knowledge of the central message of cultural complexity which Achebe is trying to bring across, without Achebe having to explicitly declare as such; this clearly shows how Achebes writing style of placing information from which readers have to make their own inferences has led to our understanding the message of the novel. Without such a description of the setting, readers might not have been able to absorb this message. On the other hand, without a message, the description of the setting would be useless, as the purpose of such a writing style would be to enlighten readers as to a particular message the author wishes to convey. Therefore I believe that writing style and the message are of equal importance. In conclusion, I believe that the writing style and the message are of equal importance, as the former serves as the vehicle for the latter, whereas the latter exists to give the former purpose. Neither can do without the other, and therefore their interdependence lends them equal importance.

The Frontier of Existence in Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Ionesco’s

The Frontier of Existence  in Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Ionesco’s Rhinoceros     Ã‚   ‘I feel that I had been at the frontier of existence, close to the place where they lose their names, their definition, the place where time stops, almost outside History’ (E Ionesco). This essay will explore the frontier of existence in Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Ionesco’s Rhinoceros The title Rhinoceros is formed from the ancient Greek Rhino meaning nose and Keros meaning horn. However, in this play I take rhinoceros to mean an animal that is thick-skinned and ugly. The people who become rhinoceroses become as thick skinned as the rhinoceroses they turn into. On first viewing of Rhinoceros one journeys with the characters on what appears to be something of a mystery tour. One cannot be sure if a rhinoceros really exists. It is this sense of unknowing that makes for a lack of definition in the characters themselves. There is Jean’s first announcement of ‘Oh a rhinoceros’ (Act I:I P.14) as he points off stage is tantalising as one can only hear noises. One tries to define the situation and the characters by questioning their imagination and sanity. Much that one might expect to be told about the characters and their situation is denied to us. One only gets little snippets of information about their society for example a couple of revelations fr om Jean to Berenger: ‘there’s been no zoo in our town since the animals were destroyed in the plague†¦ages ago†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (I:I P.20) and ‘You know perfectly well that the Council banned all travelling performers from the district†¦There haven’t been any since we were children.’ (I:I P.20). Council has a capital ‘c’ and there is no mention of God anywhere which is a striking opposite from Waiting f... ...ific tyranny or exile; perhaps the Nazi occupation of France or separation from one’s homeland. But one does have choices as definition does not have to be of a single entity. Emphasis could be put on defining what happens while Vladimir and Estragon are waiting rather than notions of termination Works Cited   Beckett, Samuel, Waiting for Godot Cohen, R., Back to Beckett Coe, Richard N., Eugà ¨ne Ionesco: A Study of His Work Hayman, Ronald, Eugà ¨ne Ionesco Ionesco, Eugà ¨ne, Rhinoceros, The Chairs and The Lesson Lamont, Rosette C., Ionesco: A Collection of Critical Essays Lamont, Rosette C. and Friedman, M.J., The two faces of Ionesco Lazar, Moshe., The Dream and the Play: Ionesco’s Theatrical Quest Lyons, C., Samuel Becket Lewis, Allan, Ionesco Pronko, Leonard C., Eugà ¨ne Ionesco Worth, K., Beckett the Shape Changer   

Goal essy

Goal of Passing Mathematics, the abstract science of number, quantity, and space. Mathematics may be studied in its own right, or as it is applied to other disciplines such as physics and engineering. Math has been a dreadful subject for me since grade school. I recall asking myself as a child â€Å"why aren't I skilled in math as I am all my other subjects? † crying and frustration would always be the result of attempting to complete a problem. There is some type of mental blockage when it comes to math. My past experiences with the subject have only made my future encounters with it worse.My problem is math. I am failing the course and the very idea drives me to insanity, sadness, and contravention. I recall being in the 1 lth grade and dreading walking into 7th period which happened to be algebra. The last class ending the day is supposed to be Joyful and a sign of bliss that soon one can go home. Unfortunately for me it was a 60 minute period of horror and begrudge. Ms. Ho ng my teacher was a little woman with little patience. She was introducing a new topic to the class and of course I did not retain or master the concept to slay the beast of the problem.Each student was to stay and omplete one problem and that problem was to be checked off for accuracy upon exiting. Needless to say I was the last man left sitting. Crying my eyes out there I was in the back of class making multiple miserable attempts to complete the problem and scram. Why on this day did we have to discover quadratic formulas? Plugging in variables with numbers and using long formulas with squares and square roots were going to be the death of me. I remember Ms. Hong walking over to me and seeing my tears, yet she had no remorse for them. She calmly and nonchalantly said â€Å"l know it's painful but you must finish.Embarrassment and warmth came across my wet cheeks as she said those painful words to me. I tried and tried yet my best was not good enough. After ten excruciating minut es she freed me from my Jail cell atmosphere of a classroom. Every test returned bleed with a fat red â€Å"D† or â€Å"F. † each test killed my confidence and put it in a place where it couldn't be revived. â€Å"Study students you must study students† is what she always told us. I always felt as though math was a subject that cannot be studied. How does one study numbers? was a question that riddled my mind each time she said such.Homework assignments were Just as hard receiving after being corrected. Red marks scratched my white paper repeadly. I never knew where I was going wrong, I tried, yet I seemed to digress or remain at the same pace. Tenth grade geometry was no better. The abstract and oddly named shapes mixed with numbers and formulas further raddled my brain. This time math was the first subject of the day. Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning I woke up with the notion of perhaps faking sick, or somehow skipping class Just to avoid my encounte r with the monster. I never went along with any of my nutty schemes.I went to class preparing myself to be confused for an hour. Every homework assignment was turned in on time but each problem was as wrong as two left feet. Sitting in class waiting tor homework and quizzes to be returned was an anxious, nerve racking feeling. My heart would beat nearly out of my chest, then sink to my feet once I saw that ugly, ugly red â€Å"F† or â€Å"D. † this feeling was not a new one by any means. Can you say da Ja vu? Where had I felt this feeling or been in this predicament before, only in every math class I'd ever taken that's where. The concept of studying math was still foreign to me.Attempting homework assignments were troubling enough. Minutes turned into hours Just to complete them. Flipping of magazine pages, reading of novels, and munching on snacks stole a lot of my time. Distraction mixed with frustration is never a good recipe for doing math homework. Each chapter h ad gotten more complex as well as each quiz did. I remember taking our end of the term final. Every chapter beginning from one through seven was on the final. Problems from each chapter and section where going to be on the exam. I had worked what I thought was to be hard to ensure my passing of the exam.Staying up late into the ee hours of the morning looking over notes and trying Oh so desperately to memorize formulas was my version of studying. On the last day of class the exam was issued. I was extremely nervous and anxious to flip what seemed to be never ending pages of the exam. My hands were sweaty with each turn. As I peeked through each problem my heart beat like a marching band drum. For I couldn't remember how to solve the majority of the problems, devastation swept across me. As I would solve each problem my mind would mix and transfer the ways and steps to execute each problem. Another failing math grade is what I received.A dissatisfying letter grade of a â€Å"D† stuck out like a sore thumb on my attractive report card of â€Å"A's† and â€Å"B's. I believe the problem began when I was in the 8th grade. I was taking pre algebra. I had a teacher that gave me an undeserving passing grade. Each day she taught the class was noisy, and out of control. Talkative students gagged and gossiped about fashion, what gross slop for lunch was served, and who was dating who. I too at times had a listening ear towards the conversations, but for the majority of each class I tried firecly to pay attention. Homework was never turned in nor checked for ccuracy.The students ran the class, coming and going as they pleased. The instructor, Ms. Armstrong was Just an merely adult that was invisible. She gave me passing grade of a â€Å"B. † why she did such I will never know. Perhaps she passed my peers and I so we would not have to repeat her course, and she could kiss us goodbye for a last and final time. I recollect the class being a free period, perhaps another lunch break one might say. My ignorance of pre algebra molded my failing future in math. Not knowing the basics made the concepts in high school and even college challenging to attempt and understand.It is like the old saying; you can't know where you're going if you don't know where youVe been. In this occurrence the past information was vital to my future success in math. I never developed nor was shown the key elements as a tot how to be successful in math. I never took tutoring seriously; no one could get through to me to make my understanding clear. I had tutor after tutor and with each my knowledge of math remained the same; dark and dreary. My first passing math grade set me back. My happiness of the beautiful â€Å"B† was only a fapde. I wish today that the tools and knowledge of math would have been instilled in me.The act ot studying math is real, tor it is not Just numbers, but it is tn memorization and constant practice of applying formulas and us ing the concepts in the daily world. Till this day I long to complete a math problem correctly. I still walk into class Just the same as I did as a girl; scared, nervous and begrudging sitting for an hour learning and listening about numbers mixed with letters and crazy symbols. As a young adult in college I am still currently failing math! I am determined to change my lifelong struggle with math. I have three resolutions to passing my mouth course. The first consist of seeing my professor for office hours.I will see him three times a week, for a hour if possible. I will come to the designated office hours with detailed questions on my notes. I will review my notes before seeing my professor and high light any and all problems that brought confusion. I will also ask for him to create new mountains of problems for me to climb. After successfully completing three problems in a row I will go and complete any homework that is assigned. My second resolution will be to complete any homewo rk that is assigned on the day that it is given; in doing so I will have the newly material fresh in my memory, making the ssignment more easily to attempt.This strategy will also save time. I will not have to flip through notes nor my text book as a reference on how to solve problems. My third resolution is to begin to voice my confusion while in class. I will no longer sit bewildered, lost, and frustrated. I will change my attitude into optimism. If I can conceive a thought, I can make it happen. No longer will I think negatively or begrudgingly but I will embrace the opportunity of learning a new concept and mastering it. At the sight of a problem that is unclear to me I will immediately raise y hand and ask for clarification.Leaving class with an understanding of what occurred will also lead to my success in completing homework and conquering my fear of Goliath the math subject. My failing of math deceases here with my three strategies. My new attitude and optimistic thinking wi ll further aid in my success of receiving a passing grade in math. Meeting with my professor consistently three times a week for a hour, voicing my confusion while in class and lastly completing my homework assignments on the day given will result in an â€Å"A† letter grade that I have always longed for.

Festival and Events

Executive Summary The charity sector is large and growing, and has substantial assets at its disposal. Sport charities today form an increasingly important part for the local economy and also promoting healthy living at the same time (Fill, Groan and Fairly, 2012). Serve your racquets! A racquet sports charity event organized by Starry Family. It is a unique sport charity event as it only focuses on racquet based sports, organized to raise funds to help and support single parent's in the State of Victoria, Australia. Serve your racquets! S to be held at major sporting venues in and around the City of Melbourne on the last two weeks of November 2013 with local celebrities taking part in the games to promote the noble cause aimed at promoting family wellness and healthy living. While sport participation continues to represent a prominent aspect of leisure and recreation, there has also been a pronounced shift toward support of charitable causes for both individual consumers and corpora tions (King, 2001). Giving to charity is a complex decision driven by a variety of motives.Research has shown that reciprocity is an important motivating factor for charitable donations among young professionals today (Fill, Funk and O'brien, 2010). Reciprocity involves an individual giving to charity because he or she has benefited from, or anticipates benefiting from, the charity's central activities. Research has also suggested motives related to inherent needs of donors such as self-esteem and the need to help others (Ruthenium, 2000, as cited in Fill, Funk and O'brien, 2010). 1 . Serve your racquets!The idea/theme of this sports charity is that it only focuses on racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, squash and table tennis and etc to raise funds for single parent's facing difficulties in their everyday life. It is a unique charity event which is open to he public over a period of the last 2 weeks in the month of November 2013, allowing more participation from the public. W hat makes it exciting is that participants of the event is allowed to wear any costumes they like as long it is not revealing or indecent clothing. The principle of Serve your racquets!The aim of Serve your racquets! Is to educate the greater community in order to increase their awareness of everyday problems/challenges faced by single parent's. To do this, sports is involved as it is the most common activities in the world, with participation in very country and at all levels of society. Sports have a strong history all levels of society which in turn allows both the participants and the public at large to help those in need by meaner of education and awareness and living a healthy lifestyle at the same time (Fill, Groan and Fairly, 2012).Here is the general outline of the purpose of the sports charity event concept: The purpose of this concept is so that once completed, evaluations can be done to see if the event can be delivered successfully within the available timeshare and res ources. This process is known as the feasibility study (Allen, Harris and McDonnell, 2008). There are three steps in the feasibility study related to events. 1 . The marketing screen 2. The operations screen 3. The financial screen The marketing screen involves examining how the target audience of the event is likely to respond to the event concept (All et al. 008). This meaner that the event managers will need to pay a great deal of attention to media responses and the responses (feedbacks) of those who hear about the event concept. Event successfully, and whether the event managers have these skills and resources or have access to them (Allen et al. 2002). In this case any resources or skills required or the event are generously available, such as security, medical standby services and food stalls. This screen examines whether the event organization has the sufficient financial commitment, sponsorship and revenue to undertake the event (Allen et al. 008). Optimistically the event will have some form of sponsorship support as described in the stakeholder section, and if objectives are reached there will be a profit of over hundred thousand dollars. The key target of the event The goals of the Serve your racquets! Event is to: 1. To raise funds to help and support single parent's. 2. To attract at least ten thousand attendees during the 2 weakling events. 3. Raise over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in participation fees alone. 4.To earn recognition from all stakeholders (including the public) during the event to formulate it into a major event. 2. The stakeholders of Serve your racquets! Event. L. The organizer Starry Family as the main organizer that will be running the event. II. Internal staff (or Volunteers) The event will require area managers who coordinate the activities in each area (in and around the City of Melbourne), guidance staff who inform and direct attendees and participants, medics for health and emergency services and security in ca se of any unwanted activities and disturbances.Ill. Event planner/manager Event planner and general manager who coordinates and provides logistics for the event. The people who signed up for the event or attending to watch the events. There will be those that come to the event for purely for entertainment reasons, and those who will get involved in buying and selling merchandise. V. Sponsors In the recent decades, sponsorship is no longer seen as a measure of goodwill, but a primary promotional tool in the market mix (Conway, 2004). Therefore it is very likely that this event will receive some benefits from sponsors.VI. Media The many forms of media that will be used to promote and advertise the event is through social media websites, radio along with newspaper advertisements with details such as date, venue, participant fees and other important event details that participants may be interested in. 3. Marketing/Promotion With technology growing at a fast pace, marketing/promoting th e â€Å"Serve your racquets! † event through certain media sources can result in positive revenue and create more attention to the not only fans of the sports but the broader audience.With the rapid growth in social media websites and the easy-to-access ideal through smart phone APS, this form of marketing can become very beneficial in the long run (Wolf, Here, and Walker, 2013). The most commonly used websites to promote a sport charity event through social media are Faceable and Twitter. Besides that, advertisement will be made on newspapers with announcements on the radio. Marketing this event through social media websites can be a very handy way to create awareness and recognition as Faceable has received more than 1. Billion visits a week and twitter receives more than 400 million visits a month (Sullivan, 012). A website linked by social media application will provide the event details such as date, venue, fees and other important event details that participants may be interested in. 4. Contested Meaning Other important decisions that need to be made whilst developing an event concept is the duration of the event and the season, days and times when the event will be held (Allen et al. 2002). The event will be held on the last two weeks of November.Reason being that though it is an outdoor and indoor event the good weather conditions are beneficial as more people would be willing to go out as often as possible. The two weakling events will start on Sunday the seventeenth of November and it will end on Saturday the thirtieth of November. The event times are: Weekdays, am – pm Weekend, loam – pm The weekdays are predicted to attract the seniors and non workers, while the weekend is predicted to attract families and young adults who work on weekdays.The event is expected to be held at the Rod Lever Arena and at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The reason of the choice of venues is that both host venues has very good access to public transportation and both venues as ample of space to host various racquet games. 6. Community Benefit At least 40% of the collected fees will be used to cover necessary expenses incurred during the event. Meanwhile, the rest of the 60% of the collected fees along all personal and pledged donations will go 100% directly to Starry Family for the benefits of single parent's in the State of Victoria.This will help improve and provide a sustainable path for thousands of single parent's. Besides that, the local community has the opportunity to take part in the events to exercise further boosting the image 7. Estimated Economic Impact Starry Family as the organizer will have to rent booths, and tents on venues, generating income for the host of the respective sporting venues. Starry Family will also be setting up booths for sport retailers to sell their sport equipment and merchandise as well as souvenirs for the event.Attendees and/or participants will likely spend money both at the event and in the surrounding community (those traveling to the sporting venues). This will surely boost revenue for businesses located in and round the city as well as making full use of the public transport. 9. List of sponsors Request for sponsorship has been made to the Commonwealth Bank (Australia's largest bank), Rebel Sport (sporting and leisure equipment retailer), Mercer (global leader in HER and related financial advice), The City of Melbourne (as the venue partner) and Woolworth (Australia's largest food retailer). 0. Media and broadcast coverage There will be media coverage by Channel Ten, BBC local radio as well as the Herald Sun newspaper to report on the highlights and latest happenings during the event. 1 1 . Seeking Government funding Request has been made to the State Government of Victoria for funds to partially over the cost of organizing the event if 100% of all personal and pledged donations are to be made to Singleness (Australia's biggest charity for sing le parent's).The contribution of recreation and charity motives in the development of attachment demonstrates motives related to leisure including escape, social, competency, and intellectual. With motives related to charitable giving such as reciprocity, self-esteem, need to help others, and desire to improve the charity play a part in a sport event taking on enhanced importance and greater meaning for participants (Wolf, Here, and walker, 2013).

Spider Monkey Facts (Ateles)

Spider Monkey Facts (Ateles) Spider monkeys are New World monkeys belonging to the genus Ateles. They have long limbs and prehensile tails, giving them the appearance of large arboreal spiders. The name Ateles comes from the Greek word atà ©leia, which means incomplete and refers to the spider monkeys lack of thumbs. Fast Facts: Spider Monkey Scientific Name: Ateles sp.Common Name: Spider monkeyBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 14-26 inch body; up to 35 inch tailWeight:13-24 poundsLifespan: 20-27 yearsDiet: OmnivoreHabitat: Central and South American rain forestsPopulation: DecreasingConservation Status: Vulnerable to Critically Endangered Species There are seven species and seven subspecies of spider monkey. The species are the red-faced spider monkey, white-fronted spider monkey, Peruvian spider monkey, brown (variegated) spider monkey, white-cheeked spider monkey, brown-headed spider monkey, and Geoffroys spider monkey. Spider monkeys are closely related to woolly monkeys and howler monkeys. Description Spider monkeys have extremely long limbs and prehensile tails. The tails have hairless tips and grooves resembling fingerprints. The monkeys have small heads with hairless faces and wide-set nostrils. Their hands are narrow with long, curved fingers and reduced or non-existent thumbs. Depending on the species, hair color may be white, gold, brown, or black. The hands and feet are usually black. Males tend to be slightly larger than females. Spider monkeys range from 14 to 26 inches in body length with a tail up to 35 inches in length. On average, they weigh anywhere from 13 to 24 pounds. Habitat and Distribution Spider monkeys spend their lives in trees of tropical rain forests in Central and South America. Their habitat ranges from southern Mexico to Brazil. Spider monkeys live in Central and South America. Jackhynes / Wikimedia Commons Diet Most of the spider monkeys diet consists of fruit. However, when fruit is scarce, they eat flowers, leaves, and insects. The lead female within a group organizes foraging. If food is abundant, the group feeds together, but it will split if resources are scarce. Most feeding occurs in the early morning hours, but spider monkeys feed throughout the day and sleep in trees at night. Behavior The average spider monkey group ranges from 15 to 25 individuals. The closest bonds are between females and their offspring. Males also group together. Unlike most primate species, it is the females rather than the males that disperse at puberty and join new groups. Spider monkeys are highly intelligent. They communicate using vocalizations, scent marking with urine and feces, and body postures. Reproduction and Offspring The female spider monkey selects her mate from within her social group. Gestation lasts between 226 to 232 days, usually resulting in a single offspring, but sometimes twins. The female has sole care of her young, which she carries with her as she forages. Her offspring tightly wraps its tail around its mothers midsection or tail. Spider monkeys reach sexual maturity between 4 and 5 years of age. Females only bear offspring once every three or four years. Young males sometimes commit infanticide within their group to increase their chance of mating. In the wild, spider monkeys may live 20 to 27 years.They may live over 40 years in captivity. Geoffroys spider monkey with young. Mark Newman / Getty Images Conservation Status All spider monkey populations are decreasing. The IUCN classifies the conservation status of the Guiana spider monkey (Ateles paniscus) as vulnerable. Four species are endangered. The variegated spider monkey (Ateles hybridus) and brown-headed spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps) are critically endangered. Spider Monkeys and Humans Humans are the main threat to spider monkey survival. The monkeys are widely hunted as food and suffer from habitat loss due to deforestation. Some populations live in protected areas. Spider monkeys are susceptible to malaria and are used as research animals in studies of the disease. Sources Cuarà ³n, A.D., Morales, A., Shedden, A., Rodriguez-Luna, E., de Grammont, P.C.; Cortà ©s-Ortiz, L. Ateles geoffroyi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T2279A9387270. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T2279A9387270.enGroves, C.P. in Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.Kinzey, W. G. New world primates: ecology, evolution, and behavior. Aldine Transaction, 1997. ISBN 978-0-202-01186-8.Mittermeier, R.A. Locomotion and Posture in Ateles geoffroyi and Ateles paniscus. Folia Primatologica. 30 (3): 161–193, 1978. doi:10.1159/000155862Mittermeier, R.A., Rylands, A.B.; Boubli, J. Ateles paniscus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T2283A17929494.

7 Ways to Beat Writers Block

7 Ways to Beat Writers Block 7 Ways to Beat Writers Block 7 Ways to Beat Writers Block By Michael Every writer, at times, has trouble thinking of what to say next. Or what to say at all. The cause may be fear, pressure, perfectionism, but often lack of inspiration. No doubt even Mesopotamian scribes of five thousand years ago hesitated before putting stylus to tablet. We’ve written about writer’s block several times over the years, and here are seven practical suggestions to ease the symptoms of writer’s block. 1. Give yourself something to edit Seeing all my mistakes motivates me to change them. So why not leave your rough drafts rough? Dont proofread as you write. Leave out words (I, you, he, she, they, a and the) that may help you write faster. Abbreviate freely. Later, fixing these little things gets me into an mood for work, and I end up fixing the big things too. Correct spelling, neat handwriting or accurate spellchecking is only necessary to make sure you can later recognize what you wrote. Getting close may be okay. I’ve typed usable prose in the dark. When Ive seen rough drafts of famous literature, I marvel at how rough they were. 2. Get a running start As you work on your book, to make it easier to get started again, reread or even retype what you wrote last time. With my first novel, I allowed myself some light editing of what I had already written, before charging into the new days writing. That may not work for everyone. Many writers prime the pump by doing free writing putting down anything that comes into their heads. You could start by copying out a paragraph from an author you admire. Or type a common proverb over and over, such as All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. On second thought, dont do that. 3. Choose your stopping points Stop when you know what you will say next, not when you dont. That is, dont finish your scene before stopping for the night; leave it ready to finish the next day. Yes, this seems counter-intuitive, stopping the flow of words to keep the words from stopping. But this way you can choose your own stopping point instead of letting circumstances (or bedtime) choose one for you. Youre stopping at a point from which its easy to start again. For example, if youre Jane Austen writing Pride and Prejudice, as soon as your heroine finds out who broke her sisters heart (because the man tells her it was him), that’s a good place to call it a night. In tomorrow’s writing session, Miss Bennet will tell Mr. Darcy exactly what she thinks of him, and writing the rest of that scene will be a breeze. 4. Write super-slow Writing slowly is the normal way to write, so if you get used to it, you wont stress about it. Everybody thinks faster than they can verbalize. A professional speaker might give a memorized speech at 9,000 words an hour, but a professional writer can’t memorize anything because they haven’t written it yet. They might write 1,000 words an hour, less than one word in three seconds. Even dictating one word a second sounds embarrassingly slow to someone who isnt used to it. Great writers get used to it. Imagine Charles Dickens as he begins writing A Tale of Two Cities sometime between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. one day: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.. (long pause) it was the age of (pause) something (pause) wisdom, it was the age of (pause) something something (long pause) foolishness It sounds a lot better without the pauses, but I don’t think Dickens could have written without any. Dickens was sharp, but not superhuman. He was a phenomenally successful public speaker, but he spoke smoothly only because he carefully prepared his speeches. With a pen. He couldn’t write his first draft as smoothly. Even a skilled public speaker doesnt speak without pauses, so why should a writer feel ashamed of pauses? 5. Write super-fast On the other hand, you might try to write at the speed of your thought. Writing fast lets unexpected thoughts slip in. You will lose fewer of those good thoughts that flee away before you can write them down. When the thoughts come more slowly, that is less of a problem. When the thoughts come more quickly, you may find your fingers cant keep up with them. Above all, if you find your train of thought derailed by your internal editor, dont let it win. Simply refuse to edit until you’ve finished writing. One helpful technique: never hit the backspace key more than once. Tell your internal editor that at this point, if you want editing or proofreading, one backspace is all you get. Another helpful technique: never hit the backspace key at all. 6. Mix it up Changing around the elements of your story, making them fresh, will often spark inspiration. We wrote about one way to do that the SCAMPER method, which stand for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Magnify, Put to Other Uses, Eliminate, and Reverse but there are many others. Changing up your approach to your writing will benefit more than yourself. Readability experts such as Rudolph Flesch have discovered that readability goes up any time a writer uses an unexpected word, such as chicken in an astronomy article, or cucumber in a web design article, or any time a writer uses quotation marks anywhere. 7. Recharge your batteries One way to break your writers block is to change your routine. Research shows that you can increase your creativity simply by using your less-dominant hand occasionally. So spend some time away from writing. Spend time reading. Read something outside your field. Work outside your field (or work in a field, if you never have). Pray or meditate. Visit another part of the world. Chop wood. Talk to a a child. You’re a writer, yes, but you’re not only a writer. Becoming a fuller human being will make you a fuller writer, and writers block may become less of a problem. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"Hyper and HypoEspecially vs. Specially

Homo Erectus Colonization in Europe

Homo Erectus Colonization in Europe Geoarchaeologists working on the coast of the North Sea of Britain at Pakefield in Suffolk, England have discovered artifacts suggesting that our human ancestor Homo erectus arrived in northern Europe much earlier than previously thought. Homo Erectus in England According to an article published in Nature on December 15, 2005, an international team led by Simon Parfitt of the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain  (AHOB) project has discovered 32 pieces of black flint debitage, including a core and retouched flake, in alluvial sediments dated to about 700,000 years ago. These artifacts represent the debris created by flintknapping, the manufacture of a stone tool, possibly for butchering purposes. The flint chips were recovered from four separate places within the channel fill deposits of a stream bed which in-filled during the inter-glacial period of the Early Pleistocene. This means that the artifacts were what archaeologists call out of primary context. In other words, fill in stream channels comes from soils moved downstream from other places. The occupation site- the site where the flintknapping took place- may be just a little upstream, or quite a ways upstream, or may, in fact, have been completely destroyed by movements of the stream bed. Nevertheless, the location of the artifacts in this old channel bed does mean that the artifacts must be at least as old as the channel fill; or, according to researchers, at least 700,000 years ago. The Oldest Homo Erectus The oldest known Homo erectus site outside of Africa is Dmanisi, in the Republic of Georgia, dated to approximately 1.6 million years ago. Gran Dolina in the Atapuerca valley of Spain includes evidence of Homo erectus at 780,000 years ago. But the earliest known Homo erectus site in England prior to the discoveries at Pakefield is Boxgrove, only 500,000 years old. The Artifacts The artifact assemblage, or rather assemblages since they were in four separate areas, include a core fragment with several hard-hammer percussion flakes removed from it and a retouched flake. A core fragment is the term used by archaeologists to mean the original hunk of stone from which flakes were removed. Hard hammer means the flintknappers used a rock to bang on the core to get flattish, sharp-edged chips called flakes. Flakes produced in this manner may be used as tools, and a retouched flake is a flake that shows evidence of this use. The rest of the artifacts are unretouched flakes. The tool assemblage is probably not Acheulean, which includes handaxes, but is characterized in the article as Mode 1. Mode 1 is a very old, simple technology of flakes, pebble tools, and choppers made with hard hammer percussion. Implications Since at the time England was connected to Eurasia by a land bridge, the Pakefield artifacts dont imply that Homo erectus needed boats to get to the North Sea coastline. Neither does it imply that Homo erectus originated in Europe; the oldest Homo erectus are found at Koobi Fora, in Kenya, where a long history of earlier hominin ancestors is also known. Interestingly, the artifacts from the Pakefield site also do not imply that Homo erectus adapted to a cooler, chillier climate; during the time period in which the artifacts were deposited, the climate in Suffolk was balmier, closer to the Mediterranean climate traditionally considered the climate of choice for Homo erectus. Homo erectus or heidelbergensis? The Nature article merely says early man, referring to either Homo erectus or Homo heidelbergensis. Basically, H. heidelbergensis is still very enigmatic, but may be a transitional stage between H. erectus and modern humans or a separate species. There are no hominid remains recovered from Pakefield as of yet, so the people who lived at Pakefield may have been either one. Resources and Further Reading Parfitt, Simon L. The earliest record of human activity in northern Europe. Nature 438, Renà © W. Barendregt, Marzia Breda, et al., Nature, December 14, 2005. Roebroeks, Wil. Life on the Costa del Cromer. Nature 438, Nature, December 14, 2005. An unsigned article in British Archaeology titled Hunting for the first humans in Britain and dated 2003 describes the work of AHOB. The December 2005 issue of British Archaeology has an article on the findings. Thanks to members of BritArch for their additions.

A Reflection of My Mother Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

A Reflection of My Mother - Essay Example We all knew he loved us but he wasn’t a very affectionate person that always gave out hugs and kisses. Before I knew it, I was the official babysitter, watching my own sister and brothers, feeling like the mother goose. Growing up with a lot of responsibility, I was brought up to be resourceful and to never waste food. Being a middle-class family, my mom was a little frugal and taught us to make goals and to stick to them. I was very involved in sports to stay out of trouble and planned around my sister and brothers functions so that we can all be home together at the same time. She also told us to never take pity on ourselves for the cards we have dealt; it happened, so now we should move on. We all learned to have respect for the elders and to help one another. I benefited from my childhood because it, and my parents, helped to set the foundation for the person I wanted to be when I grew up. I watched and studied how my parents, especially my mother, handled things and lived her life, and I strived to be just like her. I figured that if she could do a good job being the person that she was, then I could be the same way. The love that she had for others really inspired me to be just as loving and as giving. Today, I have two children of my own, a daughter who is seven and a son who is eight years old and they both demand a lot of my attention. With all the years of training I received when I was younger, it just seems to come naturally to me. I work hard, apply myself and volunteer to help others. I do not always have the time, but I do try to make time. Another important quality I find in myself is that I do care for everyone, family or strangers. I volunteer to donate blood/platelets to help the people and cancer patients who need it. I sometimes find myself crying in front of the television over a commercial, feeling so happy or sad for that person.  Ã‚  

Health in East London Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Health in East London - Essay Example The NHS is working hand in hand with the local authority to ensure that people with mental health problems get housing even after discharge from mental health organizations. It shows how gross the problem has become in this location (Local Government Association, 2013, p.8). Mind dedicates its efforts to dealing with this health challenge. Its local support comprises of over two hundred and fifty thousand people with supported housing, helping in crisis, employment, counseling and training facilities. This company has worked for more than sixty years supporting its community members and those beyond with mental health challenges. These communities are the East London area, containing the North East London and the South East London. The North East is home to seven communities, and bound in the south by Dundas Street, and in the east by Richmond Street (Fishman, 1979). It is also home to the London International airport. The South East is home to eleven communities and houses the Westminster ponds and the Western Ontario Fish and Game Protective association. The Mind mental health organization is in the Newham area of East London. The Newham area comprises of a merging of the former Essex County with the county of West ham (Trust for London & New Policy I nstitute, 2013-2014). It has a rich history that made it located as a gateway to London. In 1850s, the building of the Royal Docks for the new steamships brought about its rapid changes. They become a very busy dock since they had a link to the railway, and were the largest in the world. It made Newham become an important manufacturing center in southern England, as well as, very busy city that people regularly visited, especially for business. Jobs cropped up. Many races of people flocked in to do business all the way from India, Africa, China and even Jews. It brought about cultural diversity and other challenges

Islamic midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Islamic midterm - Essay Example Today the building is a Cathedral. The Malwiya tower, which is the most distinguished feature in the mosque, was constructed entirely by brickwork. The use of brickwork is attributed to the Mesopotamian architects and artisans. It was constructed in the 9th century CE when the Islamic architecture was in its initial stages and was not established as it was in later centuries. The Mesopotamian architecture is evident in this monument because the early Muslims were from Arabia and the Arabs were not great architects or builders, you cannot find many notable pieces of architecture in Arabian peninsula before Islam or in the early days of Islam, this is the reason that the Arab Muslim conquerors relied solely on the Mesopotamian architecture while constructing the capital city of Samarra (which was later abandoned due to water shortage) and its monuments. Another feature of the tower Malwiya is the spiral ramp that recalls the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. The ziggurats also had the exposed staircases leading to the top of t he building and same is the case with the Malwiya tower of the Great Mosque of Samarra. The ziggurat were part of temple complexes i.e. places of worship of the Mesopotamians and same is the case with the mosque as it is the place of worship of the Muslims. So it is correct to say that the Mesopotamian architecture which was the native architecture of the building is evident in the architecture of the Great Mosque of Samarra however Islamic architecture is not missing altogether. The construction involved the styles of the local culture but the architecture as a whole is distinctively Islamic because primarily the structure and the plan of the building is strictly based on Islamic structure of a mosque. An Islamic mosque is essentially supposed to have a courtyard in the centre, it is not present in the centre of the building but it is there in the mosque. Also the minaret is

Sustainable Events Management of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Essay

Sustainable Events Management of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Annual Festival - Essay Example The vision of this particular event is to bring forth different music genres in same platform. Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival create value through upholding traditional music and organizing live performances from famous artists. It not only takes into consideration value creation for audience but is even inclined towards reducing environmental impact. The main stages which are set up are Coachella Stage, Gobi Tent, Outdoor Theatre, Sahara Tent and Mojave Tent. In 2006 and 2011, a smaller Oasis Dome was introduced and later in 2013 a new Yuma stage was even implemented. The event had initially started with Pearl Jam who performed at the concert and since then many well-known artists like Madonna, Prince, Amy Winehouse, Daft Punk, The Killers, The Strokes, Beastie Boys, Arcade Fire, Beck, etc., had been performing in this event. It is stated as the most profitable and famous event organized in United States. The festival in 2014 had acquired revenue margins of $78.3 million. Triple Bottom Line can be defined as an accounting framework encompassing three major parts like financial, social and environmental. These three factors are also considered to be three P’s such as people, profit and planet. They are even stated as three pillars of sustainability. Triple bottom line concept has been gaining importance in government, for-profit and non-profit sectors. Many firms incorporate triple bottom line framework so as to evaluate their overall performance. The framework has been further highlighted in figure1. The triple bottom line is further development on basic economic model. In which if revenue minus expense is positive then it is profit else loss. There are two more bottom lines added such as social and environmental concerns. Three pillars of sustainability are people, planet and profit. Social environmental and social progress is two components of people aspect. Social progress is closely

Oil and Gas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Oil and Gas - Essay Example This could be described by a comparative analysis between a China, a developing economy and Russia, a developed economy. Diamond Theory The management of the global completions by the oil capitals can be explained with the management theory and the international competitiveness of Countries also called the ‘Diamond Theory’. The Diamond theory was advanced by Porter in 1990 to explain the competitive advantages of nations (Woolsey and Korin, 2008). The main focus of the theory was to find why some countries are more successful in particular industries than others. Four classes of country attributes were identified by Porter, which were called the National Diamond. These attributes provide the conditions underlying for the determination of the nation competitive advantage of a nation. These are the company strategy, structure and rivalry, related and support industries, demand conditions and factor conditions. Government policy and chance are two other factors that donâ₠¬â„¢t create lasting competitive advantages but support and complement the system of national competitiveness (Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen shire Council, 2001). The role of government as a stakeholder seeks to strengthen local capabilities for innovation in China and Russia using the Diamond Theory- The success of government in the Oil and Gas industry in Russia and China can be explained by Diamond Theory. Four classes of country attributes providing the conditions underlying for the determination of the nation competitive advantage of a nation were identified by Porter, also called the National Diamond are: 1. The company strategy-The Chinese government took the decision to restructure the petroleum and petrochemical industry in 1998 using the upstream and downstream principles of integration. As a result Foundation of CNPC and Sinopec took place. The merger of CNOOC Limited with CNOOC, PetroChina Company Limited with CNPC, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation to Sinopec, were successfully founded. A crucial role is played by the Oil and gas industry in the political and economic development of Russia. Russia’s energy sector accounts for approximately 66% of its exports. The GDP contribution of the oil and gas sector is 30% of its GDP and 50% of the revenue generated from Federal Budgets. (Feng, Lianyong and et al. 2013) 2. The structure and rivalry- On the basis of launch of four exploration fields including, marine, overseas, eastern and western regions, oil reserves and output steadily increased in China. A high level annual increase of 100 million tons was seen from proven Chinese oil geological reserves. In the beginning of the 21st century, a major challenge was presented to the Russian Government due to the dramatic increase in the value of oil and gas resources of Russia, greater state intervention in the economy and increased budgetary revenues were followed by the increased prices of the resources. With the increased dependency on t he energy sector in Russia as a result of the economic crisis of 2008-2009, the state-capitalist model was developed. (Sharples, 2012) 3. The

Employee Relations - Voluntarism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Employee Relations - Voluntarism - Essay Example In the United Kingdom, the basic areas of focus for the state have been on information dispersion and providing financial support and incentives for management action. (University of Bath, 2008) Now in the wake of numerous debates regarding the efficacy of the concept of indirect employee involvement and participation, voluntarism has not been promoted in certain cases in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, we see in some cases that the new trade union models are set to encourage voluntary cooperation. This essay is going to critically evaluate both scenarios with specific case studies. Nonunion employee representation (NER) and its independency from the governing authority typify the employee relations structure in the United Kingdom. (Kaufman et al, 2000:410) With the growth and development of service sectors in the country during the last 25 years or so, traditional industries became less operative, resulting in a steady decline in British union membership from 13 million in the early 1980s to 8 million in the late 1990s. Consequently, the need to introduce human relations and new wings of work organization was felt acutely as employers wanted to include dynamic business initiatives that would benefit both their interests as well as employee welfare. Looking into the context that preceded the provisions made in the 1999 Employee Relations Bill, one can clearly get an idea of the changing scenario in the late 1990s arising from the Trade Union Congress’ recommendation of a broad spectrum of individual and corporate rights at work into lawmaking. The concep t of voluntarism is not essentially circumscribed to state or legal interference in the union and management dealings, but should be expanded to take into consideration the relative freedom of employees and employers to improve the interrelationship. (Sisson, 1999) In relation with the thesis question, one might look into the fact

Oil and Gas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Oil and Gas - Essay Example This could be described by a comparative analysis between a China, a developing economy and Russia, a developed economy. Diamond Theory The management of the global completions by the oil capitals can be explained with the management theory and the international competitiveness of Countries also called the ‘Diamond Theory’. The Diamond theory was advanced by Porter in 1990 to explain the competitive advantages of nations (Woolsey and Korin, 2008). The main focus of the theory was to find why some countries are more successful in particular industries than others. Four classes of country attributes were identified by Porter, which were called the National Diamond. These attributes provide the conditions underlying for the determination of the nation competitive advantage of a nation. These are the company strategy, structure and rivalry, related and support industries, demand conditions and factor conditions. Government policy and chance are two other factors that donâ₠¬â„¢t create lasting competitive advantages but support and complement the system of national competitiveness (Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen shire Council, 2001). The role of government as a stakeholder seeks to strengthen local capabilities for innovation in China and Russia using the Diamond Theory- The success of government in the Oil and Gas industry in Russia and China can be explained by Diamond Theory. Four classes of country attributes providing the conditions underlying for the determination of the nation competitive advantage of a nation were identified by Porter, also called the National Diamond are: 1. The company strategy-The Chinese government took the decision to restructure the petroleum and petrochemical industry in 1998 using the upstream and downstream principles of integration. As a result Foundation of CNPC and Sinopec took place. The merger of CNOOC Limited with CNOOC, PetroChina Company Limited with CNPC, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation to Sinopec, were successfully founded. A crucial role is played by the Oil and gas industry in the political and economic development of Russia. Russia’s energy sector accounts for approximately 66% of its exports. The GDP contribution of the oil and gas sector is 30% of its GDP and 50% of the revenue generated from Federal Budgets. (Feng, Lianyong and et al. 2013) 2. The structure and rivalry- On the basis of launch of four exploration fields including, marine, overseas, eastern and western regions, oil reserves and output steadily increased in China. A high level annual increase of 100 million tons was seen from proven Chinese oil geological reserves. In the beginning of the 21st century, a major challenge was presented to the Russian Government due to the dramatic increase in the value of oil and gas resources of Russia, greater state intervention in the economy and increased budgetary revenues were followed by the increased prices of the resources. With the increased dependency on t he energy sector in Russia as a result of the economic crisis of 2008-2009, the state-capitalist model was developed. (Sharples, 2012) 3. The

In what way is the historical and political context of Thucydides and Essay

In what way is the historical and political context of Thucydides and Machiavelli relevant for an interpretation of their writings - Essay Example Contemporary foreign policies and the disregard for law were the reflections of the Thucydides and Machiavelli’s political powers and their emphasis on the US foreign policies. They wanted to carve a niche for themselves in the American history and they achieved this by exhibiting it in their writings. Their writings were closer to reality and this paved the way for their success. Realism is not a new concept and this was adopted by the authors who emphasize on the historic incidents and happenings. This was held by Thucydides and Machiavelli which helped them in proving themselves a realist author. Thucydides and Machiavelli were considered to be the most popular historians and the reason was the way in which they treated law and political aspects of the government. Each and every part of their writings focused on the disregard for law and ethics that was followed in a country. This created a wave of fear among the residents of almost all the countries and the neighboring countries also felt the impact of the problem. Though they lived several decades before the independence of most of the nations, they are still popular due to their contribution to the history of their respective nations. Their political life also influenced other countries apart from their native countries. Their influence is still felt in most of the nations were their principles and political ideologies are being followed. Thucydides and Machiavelli are considered to be the fathers of political realism as they showed the political system of a country in a different dimension. The way they balanced a country’s government and political system and exertion of power made them the most sought after leaders of the country. They turned in to realist authors only after proving their mettle in the political system. (Thucydides, 1985). Their writings purely reflected their political experience and the way in which they dealt with the political problems and

Postmodernism & history Essay Example for Free

Postmodernism history Essay Postmodernism refers to a shift in the non art components of history, particularly after the 1960s. It is marked by developments in culture, society and the economy. One drawback to postmodernism is the idea that it is concrete. Instead, postmodern society continues to go through enormous change that can be contributed to ever changing aspects of culture, society and the economy. Modernism preceded postmodernism which suggests that postmodernism is a reaction to modernism or postmodernism evolved from modernism and continues to undergo changes today (Taylor Winquist, 2001). Further, as postmodernism has gone through these many changes; it has become an extremely broad term for other philosophical disciplines that have been created. Another drawback to postmodernism comes from Michael Foucault who believed that postmodernism has caused science to become more political in nature (Schillo Thompson, 2003). The drawback to science is that certain people who oppose scientific research associated with controversial issues such as cloning and genetically modified organisms are only against scientific progress because it serves some political agenda (Schillo Thompson, 2003). This is a drawback to postmodernism because politics get in the way of important scientific research that has potential to greatly improve the lives of humans. Finally, postmodernism includes a complex style of writing that makes drawing useful conclusions challenging (Constas, 1998). This complexity often causes difficulty internalizing postmodern theories and ideas because they are hard to understand. It also causes a challenge to those who conduct educational research in order to educate others about postmodernism (Constas, 1998). Therefore, it can be determined that postmodernism causes a lack of communication among the educational community (Constas, 1998). These leads to another drawback which is the additional training educators must receive simply to understand postmodernism and its complex theories. Constas, Mark A. (1998). Research news and comment: the changing nature of educational research and a critique of postmodernism. Educational Researcher, 27 (2): 26 – 33. Schillo, K. K. Thompson, P. B. (2003). Postmodernism for animal scientists. Journal of Animal Science, 81 (12): 2989 – 2998. Taylor, V. E. Winquist, C. E. (2001). Encyclopedia of Postmodernism. London and New York: Routledge.

Music, Technology and Society :: Music Technology Society

Music and the relationships of music have changed drastically in our society. The course of studies and the evaluations of the applications of the technology of music, the making and the listening of music have changed in the way we listen to music, the styles of music in our society and in the media. The importance of the technology in music today, has, over the past century been charted through the study of musical examples and through viewing how human values are reflected in this century's timely music. There are very many different types of music that are listened to. There are readings, writings, lectures and discussions on all the different types of music. Music is found in every know culture, past and present. It is also, already being composed for the future. It is widely varied between all times and places. Since scientists believe that the modern humans arrived in the African culture more than 160,000 years ago, around 50,000 years ago, it is believed that the dispersal of music has been being developed between all cultures in the world. Even the most isolated tribal groups are thought to have had a form of music. It has been scientists' belief that music must have been present in the ancestral population prior to the dispersal of humans around the world. Therefore it is believed that music must have been in existence for at least 50,000 years, with the first music being invented in Africa and then evolving into becoming a fundamental constituent of human life. Any culture of music is influenced by the aspect of their culture, including their social and economic organization, climate, and access to technology. People express their emotions and ideas through their music. Music expresses the situations and how music is listened to and played. The attitude towards music players and composers varies between regions and periods of history. Music history" is the distinct subfield of musicology and history which studies music (particularly western art music) from a chronological perspective. ("History of Music") The first music era know to man was the "Prehistoric Music." This was quite possibly influenced by birds singing and other animal sounds as they were communicating with each other. It was developed with the backdrop of natural sounds. Some evolutionary biologists have theorized that the ability to recognize sounds not created by humans as "musical" provides a selective advantage.

hesitant hamlet :: essays research papers

Hesitant Hamlet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the play, Hamlet is shown not acting quickly in crucial situations, which brings us to his tragic flaw, hesitancy. Hamlet, stopping to think situations through, lets opportunities slip right through his hands that will immensely affect so many people in the future. If Hamlet would just act on instinct, than hesitancy would never be an issue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unfortunately for Hamlet, in this play he does not have all the time in the world to get revenge towards Claudius. Early on in the play Hamlet sees the ghost of his father’s spirit and it beckons him to follow if he wishes to speak to it. Hamlet being encouraged not to follow by his comrades says, â€Å"It will not speak, then I will follow it† (Shakespeare 1.4). Almost without thinking Hamlet makes the decision to follow the ghost, this will later prove totally uncharacteristic of him. Thinking they can still convince him, his friends, Horatio and Marcellus, try once again to stop him only to hear, â€Å"Hold off your hands; my fate cries out; by heaven I’ll make a ghost of him that let’s me† (Shakespeare 1.4). Hamlet lets it be known here that he has made his mind up and anyone who tries to stop him, he will make a ghost out of, heaven willing. Hamlet does not show any signs of hesitancy here, but will soon allow it to get in h is way for at the wrong time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After meeting with the ghost, Hamlet is aware of his uncle Claudius being the one who murdered his father. Hamlet, longing to avenge his father’s death gets the perfect chance catching Claudius off guard while he is alone on his knees praying. Hamlet speaks saying, â€Å"Now might I do it pat, now he is praying. And now I’ll do’t. And so he goes to heaven. And so am I avenged† (Shakespeare 3.3). Hamlet does not act, leaving Claudius harmless while he is apparently repenting and talking to God. Hamlet wants to make sure Claudius dies and is on his way to the burning pits of hell instead of heaven. Unfortunately, moments later Claudius rises from his knees and quotes, â€Å"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; words without thoughts never to heaven go† (Shakespeare 3.3). Claudius amazingly says it himself that his words are not sincere and they wont make it to heaven. Hamlet makes the biggest mistake of his life here, not taking advantage of the picture perfect moment to kill Claudius.

My Favorite Gran Torino Character

The film Gran Torino, directed by Clint Eastwood, is about an old man named Walt. After the loss if his wife and barely any contact with his son, Walt decides to take on the korean family that lives next door. Their son, Thao Vang Lor tries to steal Walts Gran Torino for his cousin,spider, who is in a gang. In return for the accident that Thao had made, he started working for Walt doing any spare chores that be may have. Over time Thao and Walt become very close with one another, so close that Walt gives his life to save Thaos family from the gang.My favourite character i Sue, Thaos older sister brings a lot of joy to Walt and is always making sure he is happy. If it wasn't for sue, Walt would never have become close with the Vang Lor family. Sue has a very strong personality and shows no fear, even when others would. A scene that i quite like is where Sue has a date, and they are walking down the street when they come across a gang. They guys in the gang try to grab hold of sue but she stands up for herself by being smart to them. Oh great, another guy with a Asian girls fetish. God, this is getting so old! † I would recommend this film to older teens and adults. The film has a lesson that makes you realise that not every body is the same. It proves that under the right circumstances, people can change for the better or worse. In a story with such a vast variety of ethnic groups and rivalry, a light shines through with the friendships and bonding that is made. Comments witnessing recommend realise Character separate Pressured scared. Happiness gangster

Marketing theory and concepts Essay

Every business wither it’s small or big, aim to meet the needs of their actual and potential customers. In order for them to do this, they need to follow some sort of theory and concept. This assignment will be looking at the marketing theory and marketing concepts which are portrayed in the traditional marketing literature, and how they have limited application in guiding small business marketing practice. Marketing plays a vital role not only in developing, producing, and selling products or services, but also in guiding recruiting labors and raising capital. Although it can be said that successful entrepreneurs undertake marketing in unusual ways. They mainly rely on interactive marketing methods, which is often communicated through word-of-mouth rather than a more traditional marketing mix. Entrepreneurs monitor the marketplace through informal networks rather than formalised market research, and generally adopt more entrepreneurial approaches to marketing activities. However, depending on the business model, a complex and formalised initial market research can be crucial for a successful market entry. There are many marketing theories that are used in traditional marketing literature such as Schumpeter (1934) who said that entrepreneurs proactively ‘created’ opportunity, using ‘innovative combinations’ which often included ‘creative destruction’ of passive or lethargic economic markets. According to Schumpeter the role of an entrepreneur is to innovate, and by doing this, you move the economy from one equilibrium to another. This kind of innovation could come about from one or more introduction of a new product; a new method of production; the development of a new market; the use of new sources of raw material, and the reorganisation of a new industry or its processes. He also distinguished between the entrepreneur and the capitalist. Schumpeter agreed with the fact, that in practice an innovator could also actually be a capitalist. Another well-known theorist next to Schumpeter is Kirzner (1973) who said that entrepreneurs should have a sense of ‘alertness’ to identify the opportunities in the market and exploit them accordingly . He states ‘The  pure entrepreneur, on the other hand, proceeds by his alertness to discover and exploit situations in which he is able to sell for high prices that which he can buy for low prices. Pure entrepreneur profit is the difference between the two sets of prices. The discovery of a profit opportunity means the discovery of something obtainable for nothing at all. No investment at all is required; the free ten-dollar bill is discovered to be already within one is grasps’ (Kirzner, 1973, 48). The marketing concept has changed significantly over time. In today’s business world the customer is at the forefront, not all businesses in the past followed this concept, as they placed other factors first rather than their customers this is shown as follows:Production Oriented was the focus of the actual business and not the customer needs, as where this has now changed and we can see that it is more focused on customer needs. Production Orientation is when the company believe that they have a superior product, based on quality and features. Due to this thinking the company assume the customers will like it to. In today’s market the customers decide as to what product they like. Sales Orientation is the focus where the company makes a product or provides a service, and then sells or offers it to the target market. This causes problems, as consumers may not like what is being offered to them, which is why companies are making sure that they test their services out, to a small group of the target audience. Market Orientation concept has not actually changed over time, it puts the customers first, as the companies try to understand the needs of the customers by using appropriate research methods. These methods are then developed to make sure information from customers, are fed back to the company for them to see what the target audience are interested in . SMEs who may adapt the marketing concept or 4Ps do so fully rather than explicitly (Carson and Gilmore, 2000). Jaworski and Kohli, (1990) also commented on the limitations of the marketing concept (p15). Therefore, the  SME approach is characterized by networking with stakeholder’s awareness to customer needs (Gilmore, Carson and Grant, 2001; &Hill and Wright, 2001). Which is characterized by the size of these firms and their closeness to customers, (Gilmore, Carson, O’Donnell and Cummins, 1999) as well as inexpensive forms of marketing such as word of mouth (Gilmore 1999). It is vital for SMEs to set the 4Ps, target a market and position themselves, but how this is done and planned is an important issue as it helps guiding a small business to success. Differences between traditional market literature and variants produced during the 1960’s were mainly attributable to the addition of concepts popularized during that decade. For example, Cundiff and Still covered an analysis of the 4 P’s of marketing with the concept that marketing is a subsystem of business. (Cundiff, E.W., Still, R.R. 1976)The basic principles of marketing are generally applicable to large and small businesses. Marketing in SMEs has been recognized as a problematic area for researchers for over 20 years (Chaston and Mangles, 2002; Siu and Kirby, 1998). SME marketing in practice is considered to be mainly done though networking (Gilmore 2001) or a combination of transaction, relationship, interaction and network marketing (Brodie 1997). Recently the use of Internet marketing (Chaffey 2000) or e-commerce (Rayport and Jaworski, 2001) has become popular in all types of businesses including SMEs. Marketing in practice in small firms seem to rely mainly on personal contact networks (Hill and Wright, 2001; Gilmore 2001; Brodie 1997) and is often driven by the particular way a manager does business. According to Gilmore (2001) marketing in SMEs is likely to be chaotic, informal, loose, unstructured, spontaneous, and reactive and conform to industry norms. Gilmore (2001) showed that as a result of networking there was a high level of communication between the SME manager and their competitors then what is usually reported in the marketing literature as well as competing firms may be quite supportive of each other. Similarly, networking with customers usually involves building a relationship with one or two key individuals in those companies. If these individuals were to leave then the relationship the company would break (Gilmore 2001). SME owners must recognize that  building relationships are vital to a company’s success and they invest a considerable amount of time and effort in maintaining good relations with regular clients (Gilmore 2001). The foundation and existence of an effective networking is concerned with maximizing marketing opportunities and ensuring the enterprise’s survival and development (Gilmore 2001). Something, which is more important, in today’s world, is having a foot in the business market, which is constantly changing to meet customer needs. The tables have been turned on the fortunes of many long-established firms. It’s believed that a majority of firms that are in trouble, and those that have failed recently, have done so because they have been let down by their own marketing. Traditional marketing is now being turned. The ideas of marketing and branding strategy that passed for conventional wisdom before do not hold true today. A small but growing number of innovative firms have adopted completely new and differentiate approaches in marketing, reflecting a clear and unmistakable change in the global culture. In this era of globalisation and the Internet the consumer is behaving in a radically different way and is no longer vulnerable to the overworked ploys of marketing. The present times call for a new competition one that strays from the prescriptions that traditional marketing theory holds, that sometimes works in a way that it is counter to it and that lays focus on network-building and â€Å"pulling the customer† above all else. Many experienced hands in corporate boardrooms are oblivious to these shifting sands and evolving trends, and are paying the price as a result. In general the basic principles and concepts of marketing are as relevant to SMEs as it is to larger firms, but some theories, tools and techniques of marketing are not as relevant or useful to SMEs. The nature of SME marketing is the concept, which is mainly dominated by the inherent characteristics of the entrepreneur and the SME itself. Although not all small business may take the marketing theories and concepts in to consideration, while carrying out some sort of market research they will have come a across them. They may have limited application in today’s marketing world but they do provide the basis for which a business can start their research on which helps guiding them in to the marketing practice. Therefore marketing theories and Concepts  portrayed in the traditional marketing literature has limited application in guiding small business marketing practice although they give the business a rough base to start their market practice. Competition and Entrepreneurship, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and LondonCarson, D. and A. Gilmore, (2000), â€Å"Marketing at the Interface: Not ‘What’ But ‘How'†, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Vol. 8Kohli, A. K. and B. J. Jaworski, (1990), â€Å"The Construct, Research Propositions, and Managerial Implications†, Journal of Marketing,(Gilmore, Carson and Grant, 2001; &Hill and Wright, 2001). Gilmore, A., D. Carson and K. Grant (2001), â€Å"SME Marketing in Practice†, MarketingIntelligence and Planning, Vol. 19(Gilmore, Carson, O’Donnell and Cummins, 1999) â€Å"Added value: A QualitativeAssessment of SME Marketing†, Irish Marketing Review(Cundiff, E.W., Still, R.R. 1976), Fundamentals of Modern Marketing, 2nd ed.)Chaston, I and Mangles, T. (2002) â€Å"Small Business Marketing Management.†Siu, W. and Kirby, D.A. (1998) â€Å"Approaches to small firm marketing: A Critique.† European Journal o f Marketing, vol. 32, no. Brodie, R.J., Coviello, N.E., Brookes, R.W. and Little, V. (1997) â€Å"Towards a Paradigm Shiftin Marketing? An Examination of Current Marketing Practices.† Journal of Marketing Management,Chaffey, D., Mayer, R., Johnston, K. and Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2000) â€Å"Internet Marketing.† Prentice Hall, Harlow, EnglandRayport, J. F. and Jaworski, B. J. (2001) â€Å"e-Commerce.† McGraw-Hill, Boston, USA. Hill, J. and Wright, L. T. (2001) â€Å"A Qualitative Research Agenda for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises.† Marketing Intelligence and Planning,http://www.druid.dk/uploads/tx_picturedb/ds1998-9.pdfhttps://www.mises.org/journals/scholar/wood.pdfhttp://knight.fcu.edu.tw/~gunning/subjecti/workpape/kirz_ent.pdfBooksHandbook of Entrepreneurship Research and Interdisciplinary Survey and Introduction By: Zoltan J Acs, David B

Digital Morphogenesis

Digital morphogenesis refers to the applicability of the digital media not as the conventional implement for visualization but rather as been a generative implement used in the transformation process and derivation in its form. Its aim is exploring the possibilities of the different forms that are of importance in respect to the highly emerging generative techniques in digital forms. It is the process of survey into the computational architectures brought out by digital processes.It bases its scope of study on computational architectures basing its views on isomorphic surfaces, topological space, keyshape animation, genetic algorithms, dynamics, kinematics and parametric designs. The current architectural technology has seen the establishment of many digital infrastructures in buildings and cities. The new technological architecture is been replaced by the emerging computational architectures that are modeled in form of non-Euclidean space geometries, topological designs, genetic alg orithms above other methodologies.The current nature of architecture is undergoing a metamorphosis and a recasting process on experimenting the computational techniques, topological geometries as well as the kinematics and generative spaces of architectural sculptures. Therefore, the creative and generative potentials held by digital media are bringing up new architectural dimensions. (http://faculty. arch. usyd. edu. au/kcdc/journal/vol6/papers/fischer_html/index. html)Architectural work in the digital era seeks to address the broad scope of architectural practices in correspondence to how the digital technology is radically giving a change about the conception of buildings, their building process and their designs. Digital morphogenesis has brought about changes that are digitally driven changing the traditional foundations of the architectural work. It has also led to change in the effects grounded by the current architectural process by evaluating derivative processes that bring change in the architectural process.It is a hope for even brighter future when current activities in the architectural process is developed to yet more technologically visible frontiers. Digital morphogenesis has captured the use of software and hardware in bringing evolution to design computing which is used in developing structures, shapes as well as various functions held by human habitations. It has therefore enhanced a generative process in recognizing valuable support towards designing explicit paradigms that address the finding nature towards human understanding for architecture.(http://faculty. arch. usyd. edu. au/kcdc/journal/vol6/papers/fischer_html/index. html) Digital morphogenesis comes as a wide spread phenomena which captures a varied dimension of architectural artifacts. Firstly, computational architectures imply to the process of computation that yields transformations and origination of digital morphogenesis. The forms of computational architectures are also widel y varying. The resulting implications of this technology have brought light in the search of technological advancement in the world.It has developed architectural design as a component of three forms which include the animate form, physical and the traditional forms. Animate form is that which conceives change as a result of force action. This employs the use of dynamic motions that generate architectural forms. The physical form is that whose resolution accrues at one point in time as governed by changes in the rates of motion. The physical form of architecture is that whose definition can be through static coordinates. (Branko, 2003)Digital morphogenesis has led to fundamental interaction in the traditional states of architectural perceptions to yield a framework of values that are instrument in advanced approaches, efficiencies and environmentally friendly physical artifacts of buildings. Generally, digital morphogenesis brings light into the foundations of architecture where bui lding process is monitored and engineered in a framework of process that are featured towards bringing creative and inventiveness in the world of architectural technology (Branko, 2003)

Analysis of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address Essay

Analysis of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address - Essay Example However, the speech was also intended to try to bring together the two warring halves of the nation that was still involved in the last-gasp efforts of the South to secede from the union. As a result, only about half of the population truly recognized Lincoln as their leader and commander in chief. In this speech, Lincoln attempts to use rhetoric to bring the nation back together again, emphasizing how both North and South had benefited from the slave market and how both North and South should now take up the expense of rebuilding the nation that had been ripped apart over the issue. In making this argument, Lincoln strips away the North’s ability to sanctimoniously condemn the South for profiting off others’ suffering at the same time that Lincoln removes the South’s ability to deny all responsibility for the cost of the war. Within Lincoln’s speech, one can identify all three of the essential elements, exigence, audience and a set of constraints, which L loyd Bitzer suggests are required to create rhetorical communication. Like many of his public speeches, Lincoln kept his second inaugural address short and to the point, presenting a cogent rhetorical argument that addresses the exigence of reuniting the warring factions, the audiences of both North and South and the set of constraints in realizing that human nature would stand in the way of progress. The speech clearly outlines Lincoln’s foundational ideas regarding the Reconstruction he envisioned happening once the war was officially over by releasing both North and South of their objections to working together. The exigence, as it is described by Baxter, emerges as the impending end of the war and national response to the necessary rebuilding of the South. Many of the cities and towns had been destroyed, farmlands were now graveyards and the large plantations had been stripped of more than half of its labor force and required to hire

Lord Byron (1788-1824) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lord Byron (1788-1824) - Essay Example Braham and Nathan (1815) offered one of the most notable contemporary commentaries on the poem, comparing Byron’s illustration of the beauty with that of the ancient poets such as Virgil, whose Venus was also known for her walk. Byron’s lady walks in beauty, like the night / Of cloudless climes and starry skies†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (line 1-2) According to Braham and Nathan, the readers are totally at a loss to conjure the beauty of this lady who seems to affect solitude. â€Å"She is altogether a very non-descript kind of personage, whether we regard her as ‘walking like night’, or as having ‘all that’s best of dark and bright in her eyes and aspect’; but what the particularities of this lady have to do with Hebrew circumstances or characteristics †¦ are supposed to give the poem its specific and appropriate character†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Braham and Nathan, 205) Therefore, it is fundamental to recognize that the people in the nineteenth century who loved literature shared their ideas, analyses, interpretations, etc of their contemporary literary works in various effective means. These criticisms and reviews are the basic scholarly literature for the modern attempts to analyze and understand these works. Work Cited Braham, J and Isaac Nathan. A Selection of Hebrew Melodies, Ancient and Modern with appropriate Symphonies and Accompaniments. The British review and London Critical Journal.

Love dying ritual article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Love dying ritual article - Essay Example From among the figurative languages, the following were noteworthy: â€Å"they are, willy-nilly, in a hookup culture† (Raspberry par. 2) to mean that young adolescent students just go with the tide or proceed without any plan in a culture that is apparently pegged as virtually experimenting with relationships; â€Å"scratching my head† (Raspberry par. 9) to possibly mean confused, disbelieving or disapproving; â€Å"could have batted my eyes† (Raspberry par. 10) to mean to show either surprise or concern; among others. The use of figurative language was therefore effective in enticing emotional appeal from the readers. â€Å"sex was the Super Bowl of relationships† (Raspberry par. 11) and â€Å"it’s (referring to sex) just a pickup game† (Raspberry par. 11). Evidently, the author did not want to make literal translations of comparing sex to either the Super Bowl or a pickup game; but by thinking of some creative facets to compare it with, the readers’ imagination are thereby supposedly stirred and expanded. As such, through the use of metaphors, Raspberry made comparative arguments more exciting. Finally, the author uses a hyperbole or an statement that could be grossly exaggerated: â€Å"dint of ironclad personal values† (Raspberry par. 12) when asserting that some youngsters still preserve traditional beliefs. In conjunction with the appropriate tone, which was not too serious or too superfluous, the author was able to deliver the intended message with an intermittent injection of humor and wit. Likewise, the appropriate use of emotionally charged language would eventually make readers empathize with those students the author mentioned as going along the flow to supposedly get along (Raspberry 13). Overall, Raspberry used an interplay of rhetorical devises, ranging from the application of figurative language,

Studying and analyzing how General Electric applied Quality Management Research Paper

Studying and analyzing how General Electric applied Quality Management (QM) - Research Paper Example Quality improvement embraces the notion that there should be a relentless, continual pursuit of excellence so as to eliminate sources of waste, inefficiencies, rework, or errors (Kuballa 2006, p.6). The core values of quality improvement encompass customer focus, systems review, data driven focus, involvement of all stakeholders, continual improvement, and process optimization (Cheng 2008, p.182). Quality management subscribes to principles such as customer focus, leadership, process approach, involvement of the people, continual improvement, fact based approach to decision making, and mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships (Hill and Jones 2010, p.5). The paper explores the influence of quality improvement and performance in organizations and to investigate the link between quality improvement practices and organizational performance. Quality Gurus Edwards Deming Deming is renowned for developing a system of statistical quality control. Deming asserted that most of the problem s that confront management are systematic. His philosophy centers on advocating that quality must be incorporated into the product at all stages so as to attain a high level of excellence. Deming argued that enhanced quality results to increased productivity, which in turn, enhances lasting competitive strength. Deming incorporated what he called as the â€Å"Deming Chain reaction† and outlined fourteen points of the system at diverse levels. As quality is enhanced, costs reduce, while productivity increases resulting to enhanced market share and long term corporate survival. Deming’s theories include theory of optimization, theory of variation, theory of knowledge, and theory of Psychology. Joseph Juran Juran defines quality as fitness for use encompassing aspects such as design, conformance, availability, safety, and field use. Juran incorporated managerial dimensions of planning, organizing, and controlling directed at attaining quality. Juran advocated ten steps di rected at quality improvement. Philip Crosby Crosby stresses motivation and planning as key components in improving the quality. However, he shied away from endorsing statistical process control and problem techniques that Deming and Juran advocated. Crosby proposed fourteen points critical to effective, quality practices that companies can adopt. Crosby asserted that quality is free since the minimal cost of prevention is comparatively lower compared to cost of detection, correction and failure. Armand Feigenbaum Armand Feigenbaum incorporated a Total Quality Control approach in which he defined as an effective system essential to integrating the quality development, maintenance, and improvement efforts of diverse groups in organizations geared towards enabling the production and service within economical levels. This facilitates customer satisfaction. Kaoru Ishikawa Japanese companies structured their own approach to TQM by Ishikawa, which was based on the literature of Deming and Juran. The new approach to quality was fashioned to suit their culture and operating environment together with