Working in a Learning Context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Working in a Learning Context - Essay Example My communication skills development has been achieved through showing respect, being considerate, taking your time to listen to the children, among others. I have been assertive while engaging in effective communication with the children. In order to communicate effectively with young people particularly primary school children, there are number of skills one needs to demonstrate during the course of their interaction. Although these skills might be applied on a daily basis, you should reflect on how they impact your personal and professional skills. Research shows that children learn to communicate through the responses made by their seniors. In addition, the fact that communication is a two-way process would mean that engaging in a conversation with children is beneficial in communication skill development for both parties (Green and Hopwood 2015). During the working period, I identified that pupils ought to be given a chance to talk. In addition, one should actively listen and maintain eye contact with the child. When I identified that some children lack enough confidence to express themselves, I engaged them in a friendly conversation as if we were equals. In this way, the children actively put forward their thoughts, and I also learnt to ‘dig in’ information from the children, which is an essential professional skill in addressing day-to-day issues. Giving eye contact to the children, in addition to the use of body language made me approachable to the children (Lefevre 2010). In this sense, I developed some personal skills, which are essential during staff meetings and engagement with my colleagues. Being assertive involves expressing yourself effectively, while maintaining your point of view, as well as the rights and beliefs of the listeners. In particular assertive communication is relevant while working with children in that one can boost the children’s

Ingvar Kamprad - the Founder of IKEA Company PowerPoint Presentation

Ingvar Kamprad - the Founder of IKEA Company - PowerPoint Presentation Example IKEA is focused on producing good quality furniture at a lower price. This, he believes will transform the lives of many and help them live a better life other than selling expensive furniture which was to be bought by the rich people only. 1. Product and price; by the help of a price matrix, the product managers are able to determine any possible holes in the lineup of the products. They then come up with a final figure to be the price of the product made. This will ensure that the company does not go on a loss and retain the required amount. Prices are in three ranges which include high for the Scandinavian or sleek, medium for modern and low for the neo-traditional. The products made keep on changing depending on the demands of the customers and are tested for their quality. 2. Finding procedures; IKEA buys their resources from about 1800 in 55 countries (Magonelly 2002). The production package is searched by officers who vie to offer their suggestions. After a thorough scrutiny is when the settlements are reached. The products are distributed to all the stores in the branches. They make sure that a low price is maintained so long as they are of high quality. 4. Transport; transport takes place when transporting the goods from the factory to the stores where they shall be sold. On selling the items, the company provides packing facilities which include carton boxes. In order for the furniture to be transported efficiently, IKEA transports items in joint parts to reduce space taken. 5. Selling; the furniture is finally sold to the consumers at the stores. These stores are large enough and have playing facilities for the children when their parents are buying the items. This gives the parents an ample time to buy the items they need. The organization of the IKEA is designed such that it meets the basic and normal activities of the day to day life.  

Qualities required to be a Competent Change Agent

Qualities required to be a Competent Change Agent Change agents are leaders who cut across the organization and its business units without regard to the traditional hierarchy. Directly or indirectly, they implement new processes, train employees on new procedures, and act as role models to demonstrate new and better ways to work. A Change Agent is the direct liaison between the technical project team members and the end users [Gardner, J. W. (1991)]. The Change Agent understands the new business process being implemented and understands the impact of that process to the business. The role of an change agent is very important in an organization as it is not an easy task to manage a change in an organization. When there is any question arise to change in the organization that means that its need to make a change in a designed and organize fashion. It could be said with the situation of an IT project it has to change the edition of the project and also this edition should be managed properly. A change in the organization or the project could be started within the company or also may be from outside source. [Gardner, J. W. (1994)]. As an example, there is a product which is very popular among the people. But there need a change in the design of this product. [Budd, R. W., Thorp, R. K., Donohew, L. (1997)]. This is the example where there is a change initiate within the company. At this moment the main concern about this product is that how will the company respond to this change. This type of change is managed by the change management within the organization. Im mediate and as well as positive responses to this changes could be possible within the organization. Change agent: A change agent is a person whose presence or thought processes cause a change from the traditional way of handling or thinking about a problem [Jakobson, R. (1990).]. Management consultants are often hired as change agents for corporate organization development retreats. Role of a change agent: There are some roles that could be performed by the change agent. Those roles are as follows: The change agent should develop a definite change goal: By diagnosing, a change agent should find out the real issues in the organization and propose the exact and clear goal. By analyzing he or she will begin the following task: There may be some barrier to get the expected result of the organization and that should be found out. The organization should have ability to make the desired change and this should short out by the change agent. The expected future of the organization.   The real situation of the organization in the running time. The opportunities of the changes that are appear in the organization. There are specific target and dreams of the main stakeholders within the organization. To make a change, the change agent should also find those. There are some values of the organization. The problems and the issues which are presented in the organization.   Every organization have some future strategy that how will they operate the organization in next few years. The change agent should also take those in account. There may be some changes which may be occurred by the external environment there is some impact for this change in the organization and as well as the consumers. By applying those change agent could able to determine that which type of changes are necessary with in the organization. The change agent as a facilitator: The most difficult part of a change agent to make everyone involved in the process of change and make them dedicated to the necessary actions. The change agent should get himself concerned with [Budd, R. W., Thorp, R. K., Donohew, L. (1997)]: Identifying the key stakeholders of the change. Involving these stakeholders in the diagnostic process. This means helping them to achieve consensus on the changes the organisation needs to make. When done in a participative process, this helps create ownership for change. Helping the stakeholders to set clear goals for their change process. Educating these stakeholders about the changes they want to make and helping them to understand how the changes theyve selected will impact on the rest of the organisation. (systems thinking.) Helping the stakeholders to understand how these changes will benefit the company, their division and themselves. This in turn builds commitment to the change. Helping the stakeholders understand the costs of these changes to the company, their division and to themselves personally. the designer Designing a change process that will achieve specific change goals, is a creative process. This involves: Observing all the change tools and interventions that are available. Selecting those specific change tools and discoveries that will help the organization to achieve its change objectives. Creating additional activities and interventions to fill any gaps. Reviewing that each intervention supports every other intervention, and that all interventions support the companys values, strategies and plans. Arranging and integrating these interventions into one simple, seamless, step by step process. Deciding on the roles that need to be played to support the process. The project manager ..Many different roles are required for a change process to work. Often a change agent will play the role of a project manager and co-ordinate the activities of the different role players. Typical roles in a change process include [Jakobson, R. (1990).]: A change steering committee. The CEO of the company. The executive team. Regional coordinators (in large scale changes). External consultants. Internal consultants. Middle managers. Departmental or divisional change agents. Communications coordinators. Change web designers. Marketing professionals. Individuals within the company. The educator Those involved in managing the change, and those who will be affected by the change, often are surprised by their feelings when confronted by change. Resistance, frustration and confusion of common emotions associated by change [David, F. R. (1994)]. To teach the people about what types of changes are expected in the organization is one of the main duty of the change agent. Those tasks are as follows: They need to know that how can those types of emotions could be overcame also they have know the others feelings about this changes. The mental situation people will face when they need to walk under the process of changes. A change should know the way of overcoming the resistance and they should also help others to do that. A change agent should be creative to do his / her duty. They have to make a change process funny and there should be excitement within the changes. A change agent should help others to grow those feelings with them. So that they should not be scared about the change. A change must face the resistance and a change agent needs to overcome those resistances. Tools for making your change process successful. A change agent should have necessary tactics to make a change process successful. The change agent as a marketer: Sometimes they find it out that this change is only beneficial to the company but not for own self to develop his / her career. They think that this type of change is the additional work for them. The change agent who have enough skill to create the belief among the employee that the change is necessary for the organization and also for themselves [David, F. R. (1994)]. The employee of the organization will get the feelings that change is worthwhile and enjoyable for them. They will take the change as the chance to develop their skills and also the opportunities to learn some new skills. This is the option to the employee to grow their visibility in the organization. They will find the change as the experience of adventure where everyone will find out their personal skills. To do this a change agent has to apply some marketing technique within the organization. Those are as follows: [Gardner, J. W. (1991)]: The change agent should make the proper publicity among the employees. There should be an environment of contest within the organization. A change agent should get the help of various media as example theatre.   There should be some prizes based on the theme of change. There should be some reward and honor for those who participate in the process of change. The successful participators will treated as a role character in the organization. Change agent as an Inspiration agent: A change agent should help others to participate in the chage [Hanakawa, S. I. (1996)]: A change agent should help everyone to find out the skills they have in them. Everyone have the dream of the private magnitude. A change agent should help them to get this. A change agent should give courage to everyone to take the risks to make a change. That should be their magical power of making change. A change agent should help individual to get out from the resistance to change and make them successful. Everyones success how much small that may be, should be celebrated. A change agent should encourage others. There may be resistance to changes. A change agent should find out the systems in a creative way.   A change agent should recognize the obstacle that need to change the whole system. A change agent should identify the success and he / she should share with other employee in the organization to encourage them. Qualities required to become a complete change agent: A good agent should have the correct attitude to the resistance. They should have sufficient knowledge to make the changes. The correct approach towards the changes: Its not easy to make change. Its need to have good power of keeping own self patience with the changes. The change process is mix with the emotion of annoying and disappointed. A change agent should be determined to get out from those types of situation. A change agent should be faithful towards the change and they should have positive behavior with the projects. They have the necessary skills and knowledge to take the necessary steps to make a change successful. Mainly the resistance to the change came from the senior management of an organization. They have behaved sensitively to get the support from the senior management. A change agent need to make agreement with everyone in the organization and these types of deals mostly happened with the staffs who are senior in the organization. So a change agent has to behave tactfully with them because if they do not agree with the changes then the project becomes failed. A change agent should have also political knowledge. This is important because a change agent then able to know any types of ongoing circumstances within the organization carefully. Proper awareness about the change: In the sense of the business a change agent must be aware with the current situation of the business and a change agent should have sufficient knowledge in the field of business too. A change agent should have also the managerial skills. Not only this but also a change agent should have knowledge about the economic situation of the organization that means from where those funds come and how it is expend. They should make it sure that there should be minimum expenditure to bring the changes. A change agent should also aware with the consumer of the organization or the business and those who are closely related with the organization externally and the internally too. A good relation with the employee of the organization is necessary to make the changes successfully so, a change agent should make a good understanding with all the employee of the organization. The important skills of a change agent: To handle the situation under the stress a change agent should be expert enough. A change agent must be able to take care of such a condition successfully. A change agent should have good practical skills and they should able to understand the causes of such type of situation. A change agent should know the definite goal of the organization and they will work towards those goals and help everyone to reach that goal effectively. They should able to take all the pressures. They also need to be able to relate to the resistance of others, study it and make necessary changes if found valid. Communication skills are highly relevant in overcoming resistance. They should have also the following qualities: Common sense. And the courage to use it. Credibility and trust the ability to work at all levels in the organisation. Knowledge of change management. The ability to work with teams of people both inside and outside the organisation. This includes the ability to work with people across all departments.   The ability to do very unstructured work. Creativity. The ability to custom design processes to meet the goals of the organisation. Self confidence balanced by humility.   Facilitation skills Design skills. Coaching skills.   A love of innovation and new ways of doing things. A sense of humor and a sense of fun. A spirit of caring. The ability to inspire people. To bring out the magic within every individual and every team How to overcome the resistance as a change agent: To take advantage of resistance, a whole-system view is required as well as an appreciation for the interconnectedness of diverse symptoms and true root-cause problems. The Theory of Constraints (TOC) and the Thinking Processes that are part of the TOC body of knowledge provide just such a view and a set of powerful tools that can be used to not only address resistance but also use it to enhance the solution beyond the original concept. The TOC Thinking Processes are logical thinking and communication tools which, while they can be used in standalone situations, together form a coherent problem-solving and change management process. Their generic purpose is to translate intuition into a format that can be discussed rationally, questioned without offense, and modified to more fully reflect the understanding of a situation. They are used for the construction of solutions to problems as well as to facilitate communication, collaboration, and consensus among those that must be involved in its resolution. Conclusion: Change is much more than simply the vision thing. Implementing change is inter-related to scanning the environment, making an estimate of the situation, determining what direction the organization needs to take, knowing what the culture of the organization is, how to leverage that culture to help with change, and deciding what actions need to be taken to make the change. Effectively implementing change also is directly related to the leadership style of the organizations top leaders. Also, as one move through the decision making process, trying to assess the need for change, make sure you ask the questions about opportunity costs. It is important to assess the costs of change as well as the cost of not changing. A change process is nothing but a condition when its need to solve it. A change may be need because there may be a problem occurred in the organization. A change agent need to aware about the situation and they should help it out to solve the problem. It is their responsibility to make everything in under control in the organization. A successful change agent is he / she who can do it. A change process can be seen as a leaving the present state and entering to a new state through some organized process.

Partisan elections Essays -- essays research papers

Partisan Elections   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the following essay I will be talking about the disadvantages and advantages of partisan elections for state politics. I will also examine the last couple year’s election results and costs. Finally, I will discuss if partisanship made a difference in the vote, as well as if a judge should be decided by partisan vote. In the next couple paragraphs I will talk more specifically about these topics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, let’s talk about the advantages of partisan elections compared to nonpartisan elections. It makes voting a lot faster because the people can just go to either democrat, republican or independent column. They do not have to go through a big list of candidates to figure out who is the best choice, like it would be in nonpartisan elections. Another advantage of having partisan elections would have to be the free press and name recognition. These are really important in an election especially name recognition, because you want the people to notice your name on the ballot when it comes to election time and vote for you. I think that partisan elections help address issues and get the word out to the people, because the candidates have to campaign. This is good because they actually have to go out and talk to the people within the state they are running for. If this was a small town and the people of that town knew who you were and what you have accomplishe d while in politics, than there is a high pro...

The Problem with Exotic Pets in America

Abstract Many Americans love to have exotic pets, not thinking of the consequences of ownership. Right now there is a widespread problem in America: In places such as Florida, numerous types of exotic pets are becoming an invasive species as a result of being released back into the wild. The Problem with Exotic Pets in America.Exotic pets have always been a concern to a variety of people: health care officials who treat bites from these animals, insurance companies who have to cover businesses that employ performers who have live exotic animals In their acts (such s ‘Siegfried and Ron and customs agents who Inspect cargo ships for Illegal animals Just to name a few. The problem however, has taken a turn for the worse recently as a result of several things which have occurred not Just in the past year, but also In the past decade. Exotic animals are becoming a problem In the US and a hazard to people, pets, and livestock.Some background Information will now be provided. Almost e veryone above the age of 20 remembers what happened to Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy when Monterey, the tiger Roy was working with, bit him on the neck and dragged him away. This brought Into focus the warning about -you can take the animal out of the wild, but you can't take the wild out of the animal. † As reported by Miguel Marquee (2003) to CNN, Roy horn was critically injured as a result of the attack and audience members Initially thought It was part of the act until they heard Rosy scream behind the curtain.Some say this act alone brought an end to performers using live animals, not just exotic animals, in their acts. According to the National Invasive Species Center's website (n. D. ). , one form of exotic pet that became an invasive species is the Northern Snaked. This species of fish, originally from mainland China, was brought to the US as an Import and was sold mostly in Asian fish markets as food but also in some pet shops as an exotic pet. When it was discovered in a lake in Maryland in 2002 and in other places such as the Potomac River, it was outlawed and labeled an invasive species.This was mostly due to Its rapid reproduction rate and high level of aggressiveness. Because It had no known natural predators, It soon became the apex predator In the waters where It lived and devoured the local indigenous fish. Like the Asian Carp, Northern Skinheads continue to be a problem on the east coast, but unlike the Asian Carp, their numbers are decreasing through the efforts of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.For purposes to this essay, the impact the Burmese Python NAS and on southern Florida will be used to demonstrate the problem with exotic pets. On October 27, 2011, a 16 foot Burmese Python was captured by South Florida Water Management workers in the Everglades National Park. This snake was credited with being â€Å"one of the largest ever found in southern Florida† and after killing the Python wit h a hooting, a 76 pound adult deer was discovered inside (Douglas, B. 2011). Considering the size of the deer this particular snake was able to eat, one needs to ask the question of what could have happened if this snake had been captured in an inhabited rural area. Considering the size of the snake and its diet, it would no doubt seek out easy prey such as pets or even small children. Sadly, this is not the first time a large snake such as a Python was captured in the wilds of Florida and the problem is not exclusive to Just snakes.Although snakes form the predominant indigenous return being caught, Florida is also plagued with the Nile Monitor Lizard and several aggressive species of iguanas such as the spiny-tailed iguana and the green iguana (National Biological Information Infrastructure, n. D. ). In an article written by Seal and Carmela (2009), Florida instituted a program called the ‘Python Patrol,' in which members of the Park Ranger Service and several other agencies actively look for creatures such as Pythons and other invasive species.The article describes some of the duties and responsibilities of the ‘Python Patrol' and also discusses some of the problems they face and their concerns. An example of one of the things the ‘Python Patrol' looks for in the Everglades are nests and states that the everglades are a perfect habitat for the Burmese Python. They also cite in one instance how the largest cache of eggs found was 83 eggs. Another problem they cite in the article is that in the everglades, the snakes are able to grow at an accelerated rate due to the abundance of food.One thing to note about the Burmese Python is that it can reach up to 20 feet in length and weigh as much as 200 pounds when fully grown. This fact makes it an extremely dangerous predator. The one key thing that links all of the previously discussed information together is that these animals all started off as exotic pets. The problem is more prevalent in Flor ida then in other areas as most of these animals were released by their owners back into the wild rather than being given to a zoo or other appropriate agency for safekeeping and care.In 1992, according to an article written by B. Coronet (2009), Hurricane Andrew destroyed several pet shops containing numerous snakes and other exotic pets. In the aftermath of the storm, many of these snakes escaped into the countryside and have been breeding for 19 ears (an interesting side note to this article is the picture on the website where the article is located showing a Burmese Python in a struggle with an American Alligator). However, for every snake caught how many more remain unaccounted for in the wild and how large have they grown?When one considers that a Python is a stealthy ambush predator, trying to take a census of the Burmese Python population is practically impossible and rather silly: In the wild, the Python's skin coloration and pattern make it virtually invisible to the naked eye. In closing, the capture and eradication of the Burmese Python may never truly be accomplished. As man expands and encroaches upon what little wilderness remains, there are bound to be encounters and clashes with wildlife. The Burmese Python is no exception: it NAS been captured on roads in Florida towns near marshes, under brush piles in backyards, and in several homes.When one does appear in a Florida neighborhood, local authorities are notified and a specially trained crew is sent to retrieve the animal. This would appear as only a stop-gap measure at best: Currently, attempts to control the spread of the Python have met with somewhat positive results, but as previously stated, the more man encroaches on nature the more request these encounters will occur. The best we can hope for is that these encounters do not result in violence or the death off child.

Possible Topics for The Crucible Essay

1. Which character in the play best exemplifies courage and integrity, and in what ways? 2. The causes of the witch-craft hysterias include many things: vengeance, jealousy, greed, power (the formerly powerless accusers suddenly gained total power), sexual repression, guilt and shame and the need to confess one’s sins, the need to blame others for one’s own misfortunes †¦ pick a character who sees and recognizes all these true motives and argue that of all the play’s characters, this character demonstrates the most insight into the root causes of the hysteria and also into human nature. Consider: Proctor, Hale, Rebecca Nurse. 3. A more highly evolved thinker is someone who can, in part, transcend dichotomies (or, Dualism, a simple way of dividing the world into paired opposites, such as black-white, night-day, good-evil). Which character, of all of the characters in the play, comes closest to being able to see beyond simplistic, Dualistic thinking? Consider: Proctor, Elizabeth, Martha and Giles Corey, Reverend Hale. 4. Argue that if the vast majority of Puritans in Salem had not had a Dualistic way of viewing the world—that is, they all transcended dichotomous ways of thinking—that the witchcraft trials would never have happened. Do this by showing how central their Dualistic way of viewing the world was to the witch-hunts and trials. 5. Redemption is a common theme of a lot of religious, particularly Christian, stories and Christian-influenced cultures. Which characters in the play seek redemption, and how do they go about it? Who actually finds it? (Redemption is when someone has done something bad, and atones for, or makes up for, the bad stuff to ‘redeem’ their soul, or character, to make themselves—if not pure—at least, better than they were, to ‘balance the scales’ again). Bear in mind that confession is a huge part of the process of redemption for many Christians, but that the Puritans did not have confessionals in their churches, as is common among Catholics. Consider: Proctor, Hale, Elizabeth. 6. Who among all the characters best fits with the definition of a ‘person of tomorrow’? Twelve characteristics of ‘The Person of Tomorrow’ (according to Carl Rogers, cited in An Introduction to Theories of Personality, Fourth Edition, by B.R. Hergenhahn) 1. An openness to both inner and outer experience. 2. A rejection of hypocrisy, deceit, and double talk. In other words, a desire for authenticity. 3. A skepticism toward the kind of science and technology that has as its goal the conquest of nature or the control of people. 4. A desire for wholeness. For example, equal recognition and expression of the intellect and the emotions. 5. A wish for shared purpose in life or intimacy. 6. A tendency to embrace change and risk-taking with enthusiasm. 7. A gentle, subtle, non-moralistic, nonjudgmental caring. 8. A feeling of closeness to, and a caring for, nature. 9. Antipathy for any highly structured, inflexible, bureaucratic institution. They believe that institutions should exist for the people, not the other way around. 10. A tendency to follow the authority of their own organismic valuing process. 11. An indifference toward material comfort and rewards. 12. A desire to seek a meaning in life greater than the individual—spiritual yearning. 7. Pick a character whose choices throughout the play show how he or she morally changed, and explain how that character’s social and moral choices helped him or her to grow and change. Your Essay’s Basic Outline: I. Introduction. 1. Write your thesis here, and include this phrase: â€Å"In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible†: 2. Now write (in brief) what the three main points that support your thesis are (do not write your actual topic sentences, but just mention what those sentences will be about). Do that here: II. First Body Paragraph 1. Here, write your actual topic sentence: 2. (skip item 2 and do item 3 first and then come back to this later) Write your set-up (context) for the quotation: 3. Write the page number and the quotation you will use here: 4. Now go back and write the set-up for the quotation (item 2). Then come back to this item and write the sentence explaining why that quotation is significant, how it proves your topic sentence and thesis. Do that here: 5. Now write the sentence where you say how the quotation proved the topic sentence that supports your overall thesis. Do that here: III. Second Body Paragraph 1. Here, write your actual topic sentence: 2. (skip item 2 and do item 3 first and then come back to this later) Write your set-up (context) for the quotation: 3. Write the page number and the quotation you will use here: 4. Now go back and write the set-up for the quotation (item 2). Then come back to this item and write the sentence explaining why that quotation is significant, how it proves your topic sentence and thesis. Do that here: 5. Now write the sentence where you say how the quotation proved the topic sentence that supports your overall thesis. Do that here: IV. Third Body Paragraph 1. Here, write your actual topic sentence: 2. (skip item 2 and do item 3 first and then come back to this later) Write your set-up (context) for the quotation: 3. Write the page number and the quotation you will use here: 4. Now go back and write the set-up for the quotation (item 2). Then come back to this item and write the sentence explaining why that quotation is significant, how it proves your topic sentence and thesis. Do that here: 5. Now write the sentence where you say how the quotation proved the topic sentence that supports your overall thesis. Do that here: V. Conclusion 1. Now re-write your thesis statement from your introduction here that communicates the same idea but using different words. 2. Re-list the three examples you gave in your introduction, in the order in which you addressed them in your body paragraphs (list the example from your first body paragraph first, then the example from your second body paragraph second, and the example from your third body paragraph last). Exemplar Outline for The Crucible I. Introduction. Thesis: â€Å"In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, social inequalities led to struggles for power in the time of the Salem witch-hunts, with tragic (fatal) results.† Examples: social class, gender and age (Abby and the girls), race (Tituba), social class (Goody Osburn). II. Body Paragraph. Topic Sentence: â€Å"In Salem of the 1690’s, all children—especially girls—were essentially powerless, even more so if they were poor; these inequalities led directly to Abigail and the other girls’ ruthlessly exploiting the only opportunity they had to gain power in their society: through accusations of witchcraft.† Alternative: â€Å"Those who had been denied power in Salem—poor servant girls—got a taste of it by accusing others of witchcraft, and, power-drunk, became addicted to it: their society gave them no power at all, at first, then gave them absolute power which corrupted them absolutely.† Examples: From Miller’s description of Parris, â€Å"Until this strange crisis he, like the rest of Salem, never conceived that the children were anything but thankful for being permitted to walk straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at the sides, and mouths shut until bidden to speak† (3). The way Proctor treats Mary Warren; Proctor says to Mary Warren, â€Å"Be you foolish, Mary Warren? Be you deaf? I forbid you leave the house, did I not?† Mary Warren says, â€Å"I only come to see the great doings in the world.† Proctor says, â€Å"I’ll show you a great doin’ on your arse one of these days. Now get you home; my wife is waitin’ with your work!† (20). When Proctor goes to whip her, Mary Warren says, â€Å"I saved her [Elizabeth’s] life today!† (56). Her newfound power is shown when she says, â€Å"I am bound by law, I cannot tell it. I only hope you’ll not be so sarcastical no more. Four judges and the King’s deputy sat to dinner with us but an hour ago. I—I would have you speak civilly to me† (57)†¦. and when she says â€Å"I’ll not be ordered to bed no more, Mr. Proctor! I am eighteen and a woman, however single!† (57). The new-found power of the accusers, now at the center of attention: Proctor says, â€Å"Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God’s fingers? †¦ We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!† (73). Danforth says, â€Å"Do you know, Mr. Proctor, that the entire contention of the state in these trials is that the voice of Heaven is speaking through the children?† (82). Elizabeth says, â€Å"Abigail brings the other girls into the court, and where she walks the crowd will part like the sea for Israel. And folks are brought before them, and if they scr eam and howl and fall to the floor—the person’s clapped in the jail for bewitchin’ them† (50). III. Body Paragraph Topic Sentence w/ Elaboration: â€Å"Racism also played a role in forcing Tituba, an accused witch, to participate in the hysteria. As a black woman slave, she had to do what her master Reverend Parris commanded, and so in the guise of ‘confessing’ what he and other whites so clearly wanted to hear, she was also able to express her hatred of her oppressor by attributing it to the Devil, and also exercise some power over white people, things she otherwise could never have safely done.† Examples: â€Å"Tituba †¦ is also very frightened because her slave sense has warned her that, as always, trouble in this house eventually lands on her back† (8). Abigail says, â€Å"She made me do it! She made Betty do it!† (40). Abigail says, â€Å"She makes me drink blood!† (41). Tituba says, â€Å"You beg me to conjure! She beg me make charm—† (41). Parris says, â€Å"You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!† (42). Putnam says, â€Å"This woman must be hanged! She must be taken and hanged!† (42). Putnam says, â€Å"Sarah Good? Did you ever see Sarah Good with him [the Devil]? Or Osburn?† (43). Hale says, â€Å"You have confessed yourself to witchcraft, and that speaks a wish to come to Heaven’s side. And we will bless you, Tituba† (43). Hale says, â€Å"You are God’s instrument put in our hands to discover the Devil’s agents among us. You are selected, Tituba, you are chosen to help us cleanse our village† (44). TITUBA. Oh, how many times he bid me kill you, Mr. Parris! †¦ He say Mr. Parris must be kill! Mr. Parris no goodly man, Mr. Parris mean man and no gentle man, and he bid me rise out of my bed and cut your throat! †¦ And then he come one stormy night to me, and he say, ‘Look! I have white people belong to me.’ And I look—and there was Goody Good †¦ Aye, sir, and Goody Osburn. (44) IV. Body Paragraph Topic Sentence w/ Elaboration: â€Å"Lastly, inequalities in social class played a huge role in the hysterias. Those who were middle class might be accused by those jealous of their rise in social stature, or because a wealthier person (like Putnam) could afford to buy the forfeited property of the ‘witch’ once s/he had hanged, but the easiest targets for false accusations of witchcraft were those who were very poor, like Goody Osburn. Salem’s poor became victims of false accusations because these victims, as social outcasts and undesirables (or, nuisances) would not be missed.† Examples: Mary Warren says, â€Å"Goody Osburn—will hang! †¦ When she come into the court I say to myself, I must not accuse this woman, for she sleep in ditches, and so very old and poor. But then—† [and describes how Goody Osburn sent her spirit out on her] (54). Mary Warren says, â€Å"So many time, Mr. Proctor, she come to this very door, beggin’ bread and a cup of cider—and mark this: whenever I turned her away empty, she mumbled† (55). V. Conclusion Restatement of thesis: â€Å"Inequalities in Salem in terms of age, gender, race, and social class made the witch-hunts possible. Those who had been denied any power in their society were suddenly able to become all-powerful through accusing others of witchcraft: often, they targeted those even less powerful than themselves.† Examples: Abby and the girls accuse Tituba, Tituba accuses a white woman of low social class (Goody Osburn), who Mary Warren (a servant girl) also accuses.

What Is the PARCC Test Do You Have to Take It

What Is the PARCC Test Do You Have to Take It SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips PARCC exams are relatively new and not particularly widespread, which means that finding reliable information on what they are and what they mean can be tough. In this guide, I’ll go over everything you need to know about these exams, including where they’re administered, what they test, and how to prepare. What's the PARCC Test? If you're researching PARCC tests, you're probably a bit familiar withstate exams and how they work. Stateexams are tests that are written and managed at the state level - they're administered, often on a yearly basis, at public schools within that state to monitor student progress. They also set expectations for what students should know at each grade level. Performance is considered at a large scale (e.g. state education departments may look into school districts with particularly low scores) and at an individual level (e.g. a school may provide extra resources to an individual student who isn't at grade level). PARCC (or thePartnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) is a group of several states that work together to develop and administer state exams. Each state that participates in PARCC uses these tests to monitor student progress in lieu of individual state tests - the ultimate goal is to standardize Common Core expectations across states. These tests are designed to better replacements for old versions of state tests because (as PARCC claims) they provide better information about students' skills and development to teachers and parents. In a nutshell, these examinations are meant to evaluate college and career readiness starting at a young age. By evaluating readiness early and often (i.e. on a yearly basis), teachers and parents should be better able to help children prepare for the future. For example, teachers may use information about exam performance to identify where students may need extra help. One of PARCC’s advisory committees is dedicated to working with college and universities to accept test results as an â€Å"indicator of readiness† for first-time freshmen, so it looks like they’re also making moves to replace the SAT and ACT. There’s no indication that any colleges accept PARCC results in lieu of SAT/ACT scores, however, so this isn’t somethingyou have to worry about at the moment. Test Logistics There are actually many tests and assessments that are administered through PARCC. Annual Year-end Tests - English/language arts and math tests are administered every year in grades 3-11. I'll be focusing primarily on these exams for the rest of the article. Instructional Tools and Tasks - These may be used throughout the school year, and are meant mostly for teachers. Like other state tests, the PARCC exam is supposed to align with what students are actually learning in the classroom for each grade level. As such, the actual content and the level of difficulty of the exams will vary depending on students’ grade level. I’ll go into more detail shortly. WhatStates Require the PARCC Test? In 2010, 24 states (plus Washington DC) belonged to PARCC, but the number of states participating in the program has dropped significantly since then. As of2015-2016 school year, there are11 states fully active in administering the PARCC tests: Colorado Washington DC Illinois Maryland Massachusetts New Jersey New Mexico Rhode Island What's on the PARCC Test? These examinations are relatively new - they’ve been updated quite often over the past several years, and will surely be updated in the future. That being said, a few important things have remained consistent: The two core content areas tested are English/language arts and math. The tests strive to be modern assessments of competency in higher-level critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The exams don't just test content - theytest the development of skills that (presumably) help students succeed. When you’re trying to gauge whether students are developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills - things that are essential for doing well in college and in the workplace - the way that questions are asked on the exam will be just as important as testcontent. I’ll address both of these important factors here. Tests are a lot less intimdating when you know what's going to be on them. Test Content PARCC test content aligns most closely with what students learn based on Common Core standards. These standards may vary slightly, but remember that the PARCC exams will be standardized across all participating states - as such, you can expect the exams to test content that’s shared by all those states. Content will also depend on grade level, of course. There are a couple of ways you can figure out what you can expect to see on the test: Check out Common Core standards by state. Talk with your teacher (or your child’s teacher) about the content he/she plans on covering for the year, and what he/she expects to see on the year-end PARCC exam. Check out PARCC practice tests. The PARCC website does provide some very basic information about what’s expected of both elementary and middle school students in both English and Math: English expectations for all grade levels (3-11): Students read one or more texts (and sometimes watch a video), write about what they read and/or viewed, and provide evidence drawn from the reading. English expectations for middle school and high school: Students are expected to read several passages and integrate ideas from all of them into their written responses. Math expectations for all grade levels (3-11): Students must reason mathematically, make sense of quantities and their relationships to solve real-world problems, and show their understanding. Math expectations for middle school and high school: Students are expected to develop procedural skills, conceptual understanding, and modeling and application skills with a focus on broadening number sense into ratios, rational numbers, and proportions while transitioning to algebraic skills (including working with expressions, equations, and graphs). Question Format This is where the PARCC tests really claim to stand out when compared to other, older state exams. Testing critical-thinking and problem-solving skills is tougher than testing just straight-up content knowledge - this modern test format reflects these efforts. Here are a couple of examples from the PARCC site to show you what I mean: EXAMPLE 1 The old English test item asks students to simply write a persuasive essay. The new test item asks students to consider the perspectives of multiple authors before responding (using textual evidence) with their own argument. This is quite similar - in concept, if not in difficulty level - to what students will see on the writing sections of the ACT and SAT. ELA/Literacy example questions: old test items versus PARCC test items EXAMPLE 2 The old math test item is a word problem - students have to use basic reading comprehension skills to work through the question - but it essentially is asking students to count days on a calendar. The new math test item requires students to utilize more sophisticated data analysis skills - namelythey'll have to interpret information instead of just performing mathematical calculations. PARCC exams also asks studentsto explain their reasoning. Math example questions: old test items vs. PARCC test items Preparing for the PARCC Much of the work that you’ll need to do to prepare for the PARCC happens in school. State tests are used to assess instructor, school, district, and state performance, so the pressure to do well isn’t really on the student - it’s on everyone who’s responsible for preparing the student for his or her future. With that being said, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to prepare for the test! Students should want to perform to the best of their ability because that will best inform teachers about their needs. If nothing else, preparing for a PARCC exam is good practice for other future standardized tests. There isn’t a ton of official prep material out there, but PARCC has released official practice tests for each grade level. You shouldapproach PARCC practice in the same way you’d approach ACT/SAT prep: by starting off with a full diagnostic test and then carefully analyzing your mistakes. If you find that you have any weak areas, you can use class notes and/or assistance from your teacher to close up any content gaps. What Your Scores Mean for You Students aren’t penalized or rewarded based on how they perform on PARCC exams. Their results are used to inform teachers, parents, and administrators whether they’re learning everything they’re supposed to be learning - particularly low or high scores should help teachers customize instruction for individual students. What these scores are: A measure of how familiar you are with the test content. To some degree, a measure of how familiar you are with the test format and general test-taking strategy. PERHAPS a measure of whether you’re on track for college and a career. The tests are still very new - we don’t have any hard evidence to suggest that high scores on the test in any way predict success in college and beyond (although there is ongoing research on this question). What these score are not: A measure of your intelligence. A measure of how successful you’ll be in the future. Now that you have a better idea of what your PARCC scores actually mean, we can talk in more detail about the test scoring system. How the PARCC Scoring System Works The tests’ scoring system is based on what they call â€Å"performance levels.† These different levels are: Level 1: Did not yet meet expectations Level 2: Partially met expectations Level 3: Approached expectations Level 4: Met expectations Level 5: Exceeded expectations If you are at level 4 or 5, you’re good to go. Level 3 indicates that you’re almost there - you might just need a little extra help. Levels 1-2 indicate that more significant help from instructors might be necessary to bring scores up to grade level standards. As with other state tests, you’ll receive a score report with your raw score and corresponding performance level after the exam. Here’s an example of what that might look like: An example of a PARCC score report At the bottom of the report, you can see that you’re given a bit more context for your scores - you have access to the school, district, state, and overall score average. If you'd like to learn more, PARCC has set up a site where parents can accessinformation about score results and improving performance. Summary To wrap up, PARCC exams shouldn’t be a source of stress for students or parents. Like most other state tests, these exams arecheck-in assessments that help instructors (and schools, and school districts) understand whether students are on the right track for college or for a career. Unlike other outdated tests, PARCC exams are moving towards assessing higher-level cognitive skills rather than just straight-up content. High school students might recognize that the questions they see on these tests are similar to the ones they might see on the ACT or SAT. It’s unclear whether PARCC tests truly measure college-readiness, but they’re certainly similar to other college entrance exams. Perhaps these year-end tests will help prepare students (starting in 3rd grade!) for future exams where more is at stake. What's Next? PARCC content is based on Common Core standards. If you want to do well on a PARCC exam, you may want to read more about the Common Core and why it matters. Looking at tests similar to the PARCC? Read more about ACT Aspireand check out available practice tests. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

The Treatment of the Heterogeneous Army by Kenneth Branagh and Lawrence Olivier in Shakespeares Henry V.

The Treatment of the Heterogeneous Army by Kenneth Branagh and Lawrence Olivier in Shakespeares Henry V. In Act III, scene ii of Shakespeare's Henry V, we see firsthand how King Henry's army is heterogeneous, made up of men with four different accents from four different regions, English, Scottish, Irish and Welch. This scene is the only time in the play when these four men from four regions all interact togetherBoth Lawrence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh present this scene very differently in their film versions of Shakespeare's play. In my paper I set out to prove my hypothesis that Olivier's film sets out to show how the unity of these separate peoples whose differences are made explicit, lies in their allegiance to King Henry and that the cohesion of these disparate regions is something that Henry has managed to achieve, and this is characteristic of Henry as king. In contrast, Branagh's film is set up so that the viewer has a hard time distinguishing each of these men from each other.English: Kenneth Branagh at the 2009 Roma Fiction ...In his film, the audience is meant to think that these men are not so different from each other in the first place. In Branagh's film, it is the act of war itself, not Henry as a brilliant king, which binds these men together.This scene takes place during the battle of Harfleur, and the four Captains are meeting to discuss the tunnels which are being dug to undermine the fortress at Harfleur. Irish Captain MacMorris is in charge of digging the trenches. Welch Captain Fluellen offers Irish Captain MacMorris advice about how to dig proper trenches, but MacMorris angrily tells him that his men were forced to abandon the project. The contrasting clips I have chosen are taken from near the end of the scene when the Welch Captain Fluellen makes a seemingly insulting comment to Irish Captain MacMorris about his "nation"...

1/8/99

1/8/99 Essay Lord of The FliesThree major themes in this story were: fear, the need for civilization, and instinct to be a follower. The most obvious of all the themes is mans need for civilization. The total opposite of the belief that man is innocent and society is evil is displayed in the story by showing that laws and rules, schools and policemen are all important to keep the dark side of human nature in line. When these concepts are ignored or slip away then we go back to the earliest part of their nature. An example of this is when the boys on the island get together at the beginning of the story and try to set some rules and assign a leader. This does not work out the way Ralph had expected, and it shows that uncivilization may occur when there are no regulations, and guidance from a leader. Fear of the unknown on the island are in the minds of the boys because of the terror of the beast. The fear is allowed to grow because they play with the idea of it. They cannot accept the belief of the beast, and they also cannot let go of it. The recognition that no real beast exists, that there is only the power of fear, is one of the deepest meanings of the story. I someone believes that another is superior, usually in strength and intelligence, they will be a follower of that person and fulfill their wishes. At first in the book, Ralph was elected chief. Everyone followed Ralphs commands because he was the superior. Ralph was Jacks superior, but Jack was still in charge of the members that left Ralph. Jack did not believe that Ralph was his superior in strength and intelligence. He left with choir, who followed him. The others soon believed Jack was superior to Ralph because he could hunt and supply them with food. They, of course, went and became part of Jacks tribe. Thsi all shows that people are easily fooled by a show of superior ability and will follow anyone that they believe to be powerful. Three symbols used in this novel are: the conch,the boys, and the hunting rituals. The conch stands for order and stability. It was a way of getting everyone together for meetings, and showing respect to whomever was speaking while holding the conch. The boys themselves represent the different ways of life, they had the intellectual Piggy, the adventurer, the bully, and the torturer. These all give the impression of diversity that is found in an actual society. the several hunting rituals symbolize the increasing powers of evil in them. All of the chanting and dancing they did when hunting was taken to another level of satisfaction, and excitement of that in murderers. Simon symbolizes the prophet-like figure. He is intelligent, and sensible, and he keeps up the hope that the boys will get rescued even when Ralph is doubting it. Some of the other boys on the island find him strange and think that theres something wrong with him. Simon meets the Lord of the Flies, which is represented by the pig skull on the stick. He is the only boy who realizes that there is no real beast on the island, and the only beast is the boys themselves. Simon is killed by the other boys who were caught up in a savage dance, which was an event that represented their barbaric way of living.

The problem of transcendence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The problem of transcendence - Essay Example Theologian William Paley forms one of the failure cohorts in that journey. His first argument was based on a watch. If one were found one lying on the ground, the conclusion would be that there is a designer behind the whole process. The application of the idea is shifted to the anatomy of both humans and animals. He made a conclusive statement that there is a designer behind this elegant creation. The argument leads to the development of a terrible problem. In essence, he simply failed in the aspect of transcendence since he reduced God to being merely powerful and intelligent failing to recognize His finite character. In addition, his argument did create a detrimental effect on the society. God possesses the aspect of being the societal designer from the time immemorial and that character persists. Consequently, what results is that the society perceives God as a being who cannot be a subject to challenging human beings. There is a terrible idea that follows this: if society is des igned, then everything is perfect as it is, and humans cannot be wrong. In other words, God does not challenge human reasoning. If by any chance we saw a fault in the design, we simply did not understand it fully. He said in his book reasons for contentment, "now have the poor anything to complain of here? Are they not surrounded by their relatives as others?". Here he says that nobody is poor. Only those who become a part of something they do not belong to it.  The dark side of theology illustrates that scenario and experience.

Survey of Modern Art Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Survey of Modern Art - Research Paper Example The essay "Herbert Boeckl - Survey of Modern Art" discovers Herbert Boeckl and his art. During World War I, he began art as an autodidact while still participating in the army, which saw his career spanning to the time of reconstruction after 1945. In this period, he portrayed feminism through the way he depicted the suffering of women and children as casualties of war. He later studied in Berlin (1921-2) and Paris (1923), where he realized the classicism of Cubism which strongly distinguished his artistic strategy from both the graphic logic and consistency of Art Nouveau. On many occasions, he made trips to Paris where the art of modernity opened itself to Boeckl. He as a result of this became the chief delegate of meaningful, contemporary painting in Austria, specializing mainly with figural subjects and paintings. Following the study trip, the root for an innovative tectonic method to symbolic painting was acquired. He modified the typical classical trend with a hot impasto appro ach which comprehended the human body as a shipper of significance in terms of occurring issues, as is shown by the art in the analysis chain. In 1927, Boeckl took part in the exhibition in the Vienna Succession and achieved his first significant successes. He became a significant teacher for many prominent Austrian painters and a professor at the Academy, running the evening life-drawing classes, before becoming principal in 1945/1946 and again from 1962 to 1965. Boeckl came back to painting in 1945. ... As a result of his experience and interaction with the frescoes, he came up with a sequence of sacred frescoes in European Modern Art. This influenced him as thus the painting of the Angel Chapel of the Seckau Abbey in Styria between 1952 and 1960. Herbert Boeckl died in the mid sixties in Vienna. While still at school, Boeckl took his first steps in his artistic career, making copies of nineteenth-century landscape paintings in Klagenfurt Provincial Museum. His landscape paintings were symbolist in mood and secessionist. While serving in the army, his pictures began to show an expressive intensification, that he showcased in the exhibitions of the War Reporting agency. His portrait of Grimschitz was first exhibited at the Carinthian sculpture Association, which as well showcased the works of Egon Schiele (Batliner, 1). His work covers most if not all genres of painting such as religious paintings, portraits, nude, mythological histories, still life and landscape. He mostly used oil canvas in his artistic work. The work of Boeckl can be categorized into three distinct stages that are objectivity phase, the expressionistic illustrations and the concept of realism. Boeckl paintings and sculptures also display feminism through the gracefulness and propinquity in which he expresses the physical existence of the female body. The expressionistic pictures were Boeckl’s first works and conveyed highly expressive style of painting with thick colour. It also included impasto paint appliances. The expression period was 1918-1920 which marked the beginning of his skilled life. He adopted pastose brushstrokes to make his work wealthier in detail, thus

Can the rich buy justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Can the rich buy justice - Essay Example Oscar Pistorius is 27 years old and is a former Olympian. He was accused of shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, with a gun four times through the door to the toilet room in his room in the middle of night. However, Pristorius pleaded not guilty of murder. He explained that he thought at the time that it was an intruder and he acted instantaneously as an attempt of self-defence. The trial was started on March 3 and up till now thirteen hearings have been conducted and the court has heard eighteen witnesses. The proceedings of the trials have been entirely broadcasted by the media and there has been an intense media hype associated with the case (CNN Staff). Although the explanation given by Pristorius is the only possible defense which could save him, according to legal experts he will have a tough time winning the case because of the evidences pointing out towards him. According to South Africa’s law, the most serious punishment which may be given is that of minimum 25 y ears imprisonment. According to neighbors, they heard a woman and man arguing and they also heard the sounds of a woman screaming before the sound of gun shot. This was in contradiction with the Mr. Pristorius statement who said that she was in bed when he heard the noises and went to investigate (Lyall). Oscar Pristorius with his fame and money has the advantage to utilize the best of facilities and amenities. He called four forensic scientists and also hired the help of a US forensic animation firm so that they could recreate the crime scene digitally. This would help in explaining his defense in a more effective and visual manner (Smith). Pristorius has gained the support of millions of fans through his emotional scenes depicted during the court proceedings and the display of disgust and intense emotion when the pictures of the crime scene were displayed. There were news that Team Pristorius had created a twitter account of

Current Issues in Management and Financial Accounting Essay

Current Issues in Management and Financial Accounting - Essay Example The aim is to show the current issues that are making the two fields different; the current issues related with these fields. According to Lawrence J. Gitman differences between the two, harmonized financial accounting and variables management accounting are shown in this assignment to understand their purpose to deal with the accounting system. Below different factors are given used to develop a clear information to the reader that how the role of these two branches differ. Garrison Noreen mentioned that two approaches accounting differ with each other in respect to financial statements. The financial accounting actually deals with the presentation of financial data where as the management accounting is the management of the accounting and cost within the firm structure. The financial accounting system actually used to make different financial reporting and therefore, the financial accounting standard board has launched different standards that must be taken in consideration while forming the financial statements. That is the reason that the financial accounting system becomes a harmonized system whereas, management accounting do effect on the financial statements but this actually deals with the management of cost structure within the firm. ... ifference between the two approaches is that management accounting uses different forms of cost structure to ensure minimum cost used in the firm where as financial accounting actually deals with structures and reporting that inform that how much cost is incurred by the firm. The management of any firm uses the management accounting to control their cost within different firms where as financial accounting actually seeks the usefulness of such management accounting system. The management of the firm consider mainly on their cost structure so that they can manage their cost structure to gain much benefits in their financial statements. The financial accounting on the other hand has very precise purpose, it helps in forming the financial statements and also helps the firm to provide a better future understanding of their newly projects. They help to know that which project will be better while management accounting helps the management to manage their cost to gain extra. Therefore, the management uses the harmonized and standard financial accounting system to elaborate better financial conditions of the firm. Therefore, management The management accounting uses different standardized cost structures within the firm where as the financial accounting do not have any standardized cost structure that can be used by the firm. The system design of any firm includes the cost structure and cost design of the firm. For instance either the firm is using the job-order processing system and or process order system (Carl S. Warren, James M. Reeve, Philip F. (2005)). These systems define the cost structure of the firm. The firm chooses these management accounting systems according to the use of resources so that they can incur less cost in the firm. Where as, the financial

Time Traveling, Art Historian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Time Traveling, Art Historian - Essay Example I was able to ask a Chinese local worker, among hundreds of thousands of them, what the purpose of building such a large army is for. They told me it is to protect the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first and current emperor of China when he passes away and so he would have subjects to reign over in the afterlife. This emperor has done great things for China indeed. He first unified China more than a decade from the time I have currently travelled to, which is around 210 BC. Indeed, â€Å"the craftsmanship attested by each of the statues is as stupendous as the scale of the project.† (â€Å"The Terracotta Warriors: Forbidding Sentinels of a Death Defying Emperor†) What I notice most is how these sculpted bands of warriors are matchless. They are life-size figures that are individually being shaped in clay by apparently about 700,000 men who come from all over China and Eastern Asia. â€Å"Interestingly, seven individuals came from southern China, and a smaller number came from northern China.† (Anne, 2008) The details on the sculptures are extremely dumbfounding. Present approximations are that in the depths enclosing the army, there are right now about six thousand warriors, fifty chariots with more than four hundred horses, and they plan on making a few more. Along with the military figures also include officials, entertainers, and performers. From this great monument, I certainly can see how important the afterlife is for them and that they believe that one can bring possessions and even people with him/her when they pass away. After about a month, I then time travel to a nation just beside China, in the time of the 1820s. This nation’s culture, in reality, has actually been shaped by Chinese culture itself. This country is the great nation of Japan. This time, as I have found out, is during the Tokugawa Shogunate. During my first few days of staying in this beautiful and seemingly serene country, I was able to befriend a few Japanese locals. I asked them

Need an Abstract only(Urgent) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Need an Abstract only(Urgent) - Essay Example Specifically, we sought to inquire about the number of top quality artists that they ever signed or produced songs for, the financial benefits and rewards that they have in terms of turnover in the last fiscal year. Similarly, we sought to inquire if there were any losses or any other unexpected financial loss that they firm or company incurred during the lifecycle of the label existence. In order to arrive at our inferences and conclusion, we did online interviews and face to face interviews. We sent them structured questions through their websites with the aim of getting answers or responses in line of the areas of our research interest. It is important to note and record that they were candid and honest with us to answer and respond to our questions to the level best of their knowledge. Similarly, we paid them a courtesy call and visited them in person at their production house. The physical visit was aimed at getting the feel of the physical infrastructure, the music production equipment, the talent present in terms of the technical production and the artists and the general mood of the management of streamsoundrecords in terms of their vision and mission for the company and its growth. During the interview process both online and physical, we arrived at the indisputable truth and fact on what makes the streamsoundrecords to prosper and grow with each passing day. To begin with, they have the best producer in the business, Byron Gallimore, who has produced amazing hits for the last forty years. His skills, talents, experience and expertise has been of good value and worth for the growth and success of the streamsoundrecords label. Secondly, the label only signs artists who have shown a higher pedigree of talent and quality for country music. This is to say that they attract talent which they can fine tune to produce good music relevant in the market for consumption. Our hypothetical stance was

Time Traveling, Art Historian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Time Traveling, Art Historian - Essay Example I was able to ask a Chinese local worker, among hundreds of thousands of them, what the purpose of building such a large army is for. They told me it is to protect the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first and current emperor of China when he passes away and so he would have subjects to reign over in the afterlife. This emperor has done great things for China indeed. He first unified China more than a decade from the time I have currently travelled to, which is around 210 BC. Indeed, â€Å"the craftsmanship attested by each of the statues is as stupendous as the scale of the project.† (â€Å"The Terracotta Warriors: Forbidding Sentinels of a Death Defying Emperor†) What I notice most is how these sculpted bands of warriors are matchless. They are life-size figures that are individually being shaped in clay by apparently about 700,000 men who come from all over China and Eastern Asia. â€Å"Interestingly, seven individuals came from southern China, and a smaller number came from northern China.† (Anne, 2008) The details on the sculptures are extremely dumbfounding. Present approximations are that in the depths enclosing the army, there are right now about six thousand warriors, fifty chariots with more than four hundred horses, and they plan on making a few more. Along with the military figures also include officials, entertainers, and performers. From this great monument, I certainly can see how important the afterlife is for them and that they believe that one can bring possessions and even people with him/her when they pass away. After about a month, I then time travel to a nation just beside China, in the time of the 1820s. This nation’s culture, in reality, has actually been shaped by Chinese culture itself. This country is the great nation of Japan. This time, as I have found out, is during the Tokugawa Shogunate. During my first few days of staying in this beautiful and seemingly serene country, I was able to befriend a few Japanese locals. I asked them

Ethical Theories Essay Example for Free

Ethical Theories Essay A virtue is a trait of a certain person that is valued as being good from a particular point of view and answers the question of what actions are moral and what are not. Also, morality is the basis of being ethically correct and good. There had been several different ethical theories that exist in the society and each having different standards or basis for morality. One of the well known theories in the contemporary time in the field is virtue ethics which is one of the 3 major normative ethics approaches.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Virtue ethics originated in the ancient Greek times that takes inspiration from the works of the Greek philosopher, Aristotle while other theories in virtue ethics also incorporate elements from the works of Hume, Plato, Aquinas and as well as Nietzsche. Basically, virtue ethics gives importance on the character of a person.   Thus, it is the character of a person that is the key element and the basis of being good or morally correct rather than laws/rules or even the consequences or outcome brought about by a particular action.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to virtue ethics, we should look at the character of a person rather than his or her duties and actions. It is how one can be better person that is given emphasis rather than the right thing to do. It is easy to live a virtuous life according to Aristotle and that the main reason for those who do so is to be happy. Thus, a virtuous life gives happiness which is the main or ultimate goal of every human being according to virtue ethics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to become a better person, virtue ethics suggest that one must practice virtuous acts on a regular basis. These acts will eventually become habitual and thus, making the habit of doing such acts as a natural day to day activity which in the long run, will make the person a better being. Thus, the ultimate aim of the particular person is to make people happy. Virtue ethics suggests that a person living a virtuous life will eventually do virtuous things not only to be happy but as well as to make people happy which in turn will be their main objective and goal in life of a virtues person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Virtue ethics also assumes that all humans have capacities that are inherited and that, as stated earlier, actions that could improve these capacities are considered as ethical and those that hinder the improvement of these capacities are not, that is, if an action is able to develop the potential of the particular person, it is the morally right thing to do and otherwise, morally wrong. These, inherited potentials, according to ethical theories are wisdom and intelligence and so, in order to live a virtues life, we must be able to develop our wisdom and intelligence. Thus, rather than trying to define goodness or righteousness, improving one’s character is given the importance and is the basis of ethically good actions and is virtue ethics’ central theme.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     By giving emphasis on the person’s being rather than actions, virtue ethics aims to achieve something that is genuinely wanted by the person rather than focusing on the incoherent ideas about the after-life which are found to be arguable. It is said that virtue ethics is applicable to all, can easily be understood and fits into both dos and don’ts of philosophies and as well as religion. Therefore, it is like a combination of both religion and philosophy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Every ethical theory suggests standards of morality and according to virtue ethics, right actions are the results of being a moral person. It is by becoming a moral person that we will eventually know what actions are righteous from what are wrong and thus, we flourished as human beings. Virtue ethics also suggests that virtue is an important and admirable human characteristic just as courage and kindness. Virtue ethics also suggests that a good society is a result and accomplishments of virtuous people in that particular community. Thus, it can be said the virtue ethics is far more different than other ethical theories present such as Consequentialism that focuses on the results of a certain actions or Deontology that focuses on certain rules and duties of every individual as set by the society. Consequentialism would ask what actions will bring the most benefit and the least harm to the persons that are involved and will be affected by the action. On the other hand, Deontology will ask what actions are approved by the society and that are accordance to the moral rules or laws as dictated by the society or culture. Still, as mentioned earlier, virtue ethics does not focus on the action itself or on the result of that action or even in the set of rules that are present in the society but rather, on the character of the person involved in making the decision. By evaluating the points of these ethical theories, it can be said that all have their own strength and as well as weak points when it comes to decision making and one cannot be considered as superior to the other. Still, taking either side will also be dependent on the points of view of the person making the decision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One problem with virtue ethics is that it is mostly not applicable or of little help to persons who are facing dilemma. The same thing also goes for Consequentialism and Deontology.   If for example, you can save a friend by lying to a certain person or group, would lying be the action by a virtuous man or is it considered as a simple lie that a virtuous man should avoid? In this case, it can be said that virtue ethics cannot be applied and does not help the person in making a decision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another problem faced by virtue ethics is that it cannot justify a certain problem for doing so would require a basis of what is moral. In this case, the decision on which virtues are considered morally correct and which are not are has to be made which is definitely a hard thing to do. Thus justifying certain actions based on what virtues are moral and what are not are still a big question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, it can also be said that the one of the distinct strength of virtue ethics is that it gives emphasis on the connection between our characters and our acts. It also views our character as whole and unified rather than treating each as isolated when it comes to making ethical decisions. Thus, a person’s virtue is considered as a totality and not as fragment of different aspects and that one character/trait is not isolated from the other. Thus, virtue ethics looks at the individual, something that most ethical theories fail to do.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is no absolute theory that exists in which all will agree that it is definitely the right standard of living a virtuous life. Thus, every theory has its own critique and opponents. This is because of the difference in the experiences, knowledge and points of view of every individual, being unique in different ways. Thus, an ultimate theory can never really exist. The actions that must be taken by every individual defends on both his or her experiences and values together with the situation at hand and no theory will be able to solely suggest what ought to be and not be done. Therefore, decision making is not just a matter of theories and principles but of experiences, knowledge of the situation and of the people involved and the complete being of a person making the decision. Reference Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2000). Virtue Ethics. Retrieved April 28, 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue/#3

Black Women in the Slave Trade

Black Women in the Slave Trade Throughout the slave trade, black women often were represented and observed through the sexually repressed European perspective that viewed them as immoral and promiscuous. Many viewed black females lack of modesty as a sign of their impaired moral nature and increased sex drive. The view of the African female as a manipulating temptress thus emerged and it was believed that she used it to her advantage to achieve favours and obtain prestige. It wasnt just the men that sexually abused the enslaved women. According to Shepherd, some white working class women who owned enslaved Africans females rented them out as prostitutes. The children born to these enslaved women were then brought up by the slave owner until they were weaned and then were sold off (Gettysburg, Nd). Planters, slave owners and slave masters had absolute right and power sexually over the female slaves. They used them for prostitution for income. The plantation owners used the slave women for breeding. The production for children for sale was finically good for the slave system. Elizabeth Fenwick found no important reason for differentiation morally between urban slave owners who deployed slave women as prostitutes and the plantation owners who used them for breeding purposes (Milwood and Min, 2014). Barracoons and the encouragement of slave women to have children were of great benefit financially for slave owners and planters. In sententious expression, prostitution of slave women was an extension of the slave trade business. Seeing the purpose of slavery was economical. To conclude, that prostitution was prevalent throughout the slave trade system. According to Edward long of the late eighteenth century, Jamaican enslaved women were predisposed with the propensity to activate sexual with profiency and without moral reflections (cited in Milwood and Min, 2014). In the book sex work and sex workers by Dank and Refinetti (1999) suggest that since the 1970s, the Caribbean such as Barbados it has become famous country for female tourist (Dank and Refinetti, 1999, p. 96). Males search the island for single female tourists (Dank and Refinetti,1999, p. 96). This is called sex tourism. To explain what it is, when rich women tourists come to the Caribbean and pay a beach boy for sex. His appearance is based on the females notion of a hyper sexual black male, hair often dreadlocked, to suggest an untamed primitive nature (Kempadoo, 1999, p.46). you know why some of the girls like the knot-up hair? When some girls send photos and stuff up to England, you dont see any clean cut men. They send a picture of a Rasta so when a girl come down here they think a Rasta is a real Caribbean man, so that is why they go for the Rasta. But some of them does get fool them does get an imposter (cited in Kempadoo, 1999, p. 46). The reason why these boys are having sexual relations with female white tourist is the desire of money. However, the women do not see themselves as prostitutes so they define it has holiday romance. Davidson and Taylor (1999) states that among women surveyed, many of them see they are helping these boys out financially by giving them money and other treats (Kempadoo, 1999, p.48). This can relate back to the Atlantic slave trade where black women were used for sex by the white slave owners (Kempadoo, 1999). The historical link to the beach boys and white female tourists relates not only colour hierarchy but also gender. In the slavery 200 ago, when white men had the power to do anything to a black female. Elridge Cleaver in his book Soul on Ice. Cleaver explains that the sexual attraction between the black man and the white woman the Primeval Urge (Miller, 1997, p.26). Franz Fanon argues that by getting with a white woman the black man proves to himself his importance and it allows him to make up for his inferior feelings caused by slavery (Albo, Nd, no pagination). This singularity is also connects with conventional concepts of the hypersexual Caribbean male Cynthia Enloe (feminist) expresses of the relation to the Caribbean sex tourism as the new plantations, she states that it mirrors the old system of the slave trade many years ago; where white males were dominating black women slaves (Albo, Nd, no pagination). Black individuals have been victims of social stigmas which continues to shape society today. Where they have been damaged during slavery trade such as sexual slavery is evidence of the lack of freedom and the consent to prostitution (Butler, 2015, p. 130). Similarly, pornographic videos and mainstream magazines have also promoted the sexual stereotyping of Black men as sex machines with a particularly ravenous desire for sex with White women (cited in Butler, 2015, p. 130). These sexual stereotypes fuel todays demand for sexual tourism with women of colour (cited in Butler. 2015, p. 130).

The Origin of Dreams Essay -- Sleep Sleeping Psychology Papers

The Origin of Dreams It is late and you are tired. You slide between the soft sheets and tug on the comforter until it reaches your chin. Your head sinks gratefully into the pillow, the smooth folds of pillowcase caressing your cheek. Your heavy eyelids fall closed. Slowly, all the muscles in your body relax. Your body is comfortable and ready for sleep, but your mind remains active. You think over the day’s events, the funny moments, the people you saw, the things you forgot to do. You think about what you will do tomorrow and the next day and next month and so on. Your breathing deepens and your heart rate slows. You realize you are no longer directing the pattern of your thoughts: they are moving off on a path of their own. But you are too tired to care. You drift to the edge of the world of sleep. After about 90 minutes of peaceful inactivity, your brain becomes extremely alert, but you do not awaken. You have entered the period of sleep know as Rapid Eye Movement, where dreams most often occu r. Random, disconnected scenes unfold before you like images on a movie screen. You see your parents waving to you from across a crowded room. You are transported to a large, sunlit meadow, where you are playing with a kitten, your first childhood pet. You can hear the kitten’s quiet purring, and you are filled with sensations of happiness and tranquility. Then you see your own body floating high above the ground, propelling itself effortlessly. You don’t understand these feelings and images, but they all seem to make perfect sense, and you don’t question them. Upon waking, recollection of the previous night’s journey will seem hazy and clouded, if you can remember it at all. This series of events occurs every night i... ...Dreams† http://psych.ucsc.edu/dreams/ Accessed 11/24/02 â€Å"dream† Encyclopedia Britannica http://search.eb.com/eb/article?eu=117531 Accessed 11/24/02 Eccles, John ed. Mind and Brain Washington: Paragon House, 1982 "electroencephalography" Encyclopedia Britannica http://search.eb.com/eb/article?eu=32861 Accessed 12/4/02. Foulkes, David. Dreaming: A Cognitive-Psychological Analysis Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1985 Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 1998 â€Å"mind† Encyclopedia Britannica http://search.eb.com/article?eu=54131 Accessed 12/5/02 Pfenninger, Karl H. and Valerie R. Shubik The Origins of Creativity Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001 â€Å"sleep† Encyclopedia Britannica http://search.eb.com/eb/article?eu=117529 Accessed 11/24/02

Themes of Lord of the Flies :: essays research papers

The theme of the novel is the collapse of the society. The friendships among the boys are destructive because they do not realize the beast inside of them. They show their ego to each other. The beast is something evil within themselves and it is not a savage animal that is caved ‘Lord of the Flies’. The conch shell symbolizes the law and order among the children who trapped in the deserted tropical island. It is used to call the groups of the boys to assembly in a certain place. Ralph, the chief and the central leadership of the group is responsible to take care the conch. The conch shell represents the authority which the boys must obey. The conch is an instrument like a trumpet blowing to order the boys. Finally, the conch shell is broken down into pieces and the leadership is torn down and abandoned. The atmosphere of the island society collapses into chaos and no longer peace remind. The beast in the story symbolizes the gradation of the morality among the boys. The compete each other becoming in the last survivor and the commander of group. The beast is not a real object which they believe if exists. They don’t realize the internal beast inside of them. Only Simon understands what the real beast is, but is killed when he tries to tell them about that. The beast mind and soul of the boys lead them to the collapse of the society. They begin killing each other and the trustworthy has lost. The parachute man symbolizes the lost of the adult supervisor who has the authority to control over the boys. The moral confrontation has arisen among the boys. The beast inside of them leads them to the anarchy. Also because of the lost of the parachute man, there is no adult who manage them and the situation bring them to the collapse of the society.

Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages Essay

The problem which I will be looking at in this report is whether the energy drink, sport drink and vitamin-enhanced beverages are able to be sustainable in the beverage industry. Of the four companies to be discussed; will all of them still be around in 10 years? During the mid-2000’s these alternative beverages enjoyed rapid growth; they had premium prices and high profit margins that made them an important part in the lineup of their brands (Thompson, p. C-75). The strength of these companies had been growing strong but had a slight decline in recent years. SWOT for the Industry Strength: Product Expansion – many new products have been developed Distribution Channels – Can use convenience stores, grocery stores Able to deliver with carbonated soft drinks Weakness: Price is high compared to soft drinks Unhealthy ingredients Caffeine is not regulated – like in soft drink industry Opportunity: Consumer demand Supplier Channels – ingredients, cans, labels Product Innovation – provides differentiation Brand Loyalty – taste, image, energy boosting Brand building skills needed 2 oz. energy shots Threat: Economy Scientific evidence that some products are not healthy Effect people with heart arrhythmias and insomnia. Mix with alcohol Relaxed Drink Niche – abuse with prescription cough syrup As we look at this SWOT analysis of the alternative beverage industry we notice that there are some opportunities that they have created and are able to use in the future. Consumers’ choices are changing from the standard soft drink to alternative beverages. The key is to be sustainable by building up these products. The main opportunity to help with sustainability is to build brand loyalty. Try building up the knowledge and uses of your brands will help you gain the skills needed to continue building the brand. SWOT for PepsiCo Strength: Leads in US: Aquafina – mineral water Frappuccino – ready to drink coffee Tropicana – orange juice Gatorade – sports drinks Strong distribution Broad product line Weakness: Slow growth in Latin America and Japan Opportunity: Food division should expand internationally Threat: Coca Cola leading brand for carbonated drinks Living healthy awareness PepsiCo has grown to be a strong competitor in the global market of alternative beverages. This SWOT shows that they need to increase their growth in the markets of Japan and Latin America. As we discussed in the overall market they can learn how to increase their brand loyalty. SWOT for Coca Cola Strength: Leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor for non-alcoholic beverages Gaining distribution of new beverages such as Minute Maid, Dasani and Powerade Multi-year distribution agreement with Hansen Natural Corporation Weakness: Market share in alternative beverages Opportunity: New product development Introduction of existing brands into new country markets Threat: PepsiCo is slowly taking over the market with multi-line of beverages Increase trend in healthy living Globally they have been a top company in the beverage industry. They have been not as strong in the alternative beverage market. The experiences they have with the carbonated beverages can continue on with the new industry and increase their brand loyalty to the alternative side. The key is to expand their brands into the global market and make it sustainable. SWOT for Red Bull GmbH Strength: #1 seller of energy drinks Weakness: Lack of innovation Reliance on small product base Opportunity: Diversification of beverages to capture wider market opportunity Geographical expansion Threat: Other energy drinks such as Powerade and Gatorade Healthier drinks such as mineral water and juices Red Bull has been a leader in marketing of their product. This marketing prowess has made them the number one seller of energy drinks. I think that if they want to grow and be able to protect themselves from the big two they need to grab the opportunity to diversify into other alternative beverages. As they diversify they will expand into becoming a wider market. SWOT for Hansen Natural Corporation Strength: Monster Energy drinks propelled company sales in 2002 Monster Energy is second best-selling energy drink in USA Weakness: Brand name is not as familiar as the others Opportunity: Develop new products Threat: Competitors have bigger names in the industry. The Hansen Natural Corporation is in the earlier stages of development in this industry thus making them not as well-known as the others. They key that they have done is learned from Red Bull and market their product towards the younger male demographics. Building brand loyalty with the young males will help with the sustainability as that generation grows older they will continue to buy the product. Porter’s Five Forces of Competitive Position Rivalry among Existing Competitors: Beverage producers increased the market for alternative beverages by extending product lines and developing new products. Companies established consumer brand loyalty with an emphasis on advertising, sales promotions and endorsements. Switching costs are low for consumers. Rivalry among competitors is strong. Threat of New Entrants: The brands of: Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Red Bull, Hansen Natural have strong productdifferentiation & brand loyalty. Government policies are restrictive by the FDA regulations. Alternative beverage sellers need to have an efficient distribution system that can reach supermarkets and convenience stores. Threat of new entrants is weak. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Of the distributors; delis and restaurants had low switching costs from brand to brand, but also had less ability to negotiate for deep pricing discounts because of volume limitations. Consumers can obtain the products easily and are well-informed Buyers have stronger bargaining power. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: There are many supplier ingredients & are trying to sell the products. Some rare ingredients providers had an adequate amount of leverage in negotiations with energy drink producers. The producers are important customers of suppliers and they buy in large quantities Packaging is readily available from many suppliers. Suppliers are weaker. Threat of Substitute Products: There are many substitutes to alternative beverages such as tea, soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled water and tap water. Competitive pressure from substitute products is strong. As we look at the 5 forces I have decided that rivalry amongst the competitors is the strongest factor while the power of suppliers is weakest. New entrants are a weak force as the 2 big companies historical action is to purchase companies out when they get to be a nuisance in the market. The reason that suppliers have a low bargaining power is that if a company does not want to deal with you there is somebody else out there that is willing to take your place. The buyers (consumers) have a strong force because they are the ones who decide what they want to consume. It is easy to open up the door next to your product and grab the competitor’s product. The 2nd strongest force that I can see is the threat of substitute products. Just like the competitors; consumers have the option to pick a substitute beverage instead of your energy, sports or vitamin-enhanced drink. The reason I went with the rivalry is that we are talking about the sustainability of the market. Competition with fellow companies is healthy for a company and helps the products to grow compared to being the only option in the market. Choice for consumers creates the competition which helps make the whole market stronger. As the market become stable and has a consistent demand the companies will be able to expand their market. The generation that they have to market to be used to having product innovation and marketing innovation. â€Å"An ongoing stream of product innovations tends to alter the pattern of competition in an industry by attracting more first-time buyers, rejuvenating industry growth with concomitant effects on rivalry, entry threat, and buyer power (Thompson, p. 74)†. All of this helps with sustainability. Financial Analysis Net Income Changes | Pepsi – Co| Coca-Cola| Hansen| Between 2007-2008| -8. 9%| -2. 9%| -27. 7%| Between 2008-2009| 15. 7%| 17. 5%| 93. 2%| Between 2007 and 2009| 5. 4%| 14. 1%| 39. 7%| * All three companies had a bad change from 2007 to 2008. The economy at that time was at a low thus it does not mean that it was their fault. * Hansen had a big jump from 2008 to 2009 as they made an important transition of Monster Energy from a domestic North American brand into a truly international brand (Monster Beverage Corp. p. 3). They had a more reasonable change between 2007 and 2009. * Coke has a consistently higher level of net income with a more consistent change. * Pepsi-Co had a good change from 2008 to 2009. Gross Profit Margin | Pepsi – Co| Coca-Cola| Hansen| 2007| 54. 3%| 63. 9%| 51. 7%| 2008| 52. 9%| 64. 4%| 52. 1%| 2009| 53. 5%| 64. 2%| 53. 6%| * Shows a consistent percentage that the revenues can cover the expenses and are able to create a profit. | * The companies are consistent in their ability to achieve that margin. Coke has the highest percentage. | * They appear to have a good handle on covering their expenses with their revenues. | | Operating Profit Margin| | | | | Pepsi – Co| Coca-Cola| Hansen| 2007| 18. 2%| 25. 1%| 22. 5%| 2008| 16. 1%| 26. 4%| 13. 8%| 2009| 18. 6%| 26. 6%| 25. 8%| * Shows how much profit is earned on sales before paying interest charges and taxes. | | * The companies are consistent again with Hansen having a low year in 2008 but close with Coke. | * Coke was the consistent high company. | | | | | | | Net Profit Margin| | | | | Pepsi – Co| Coca-Cola| Hansen| 2007| 14. 4%| 20. 7%| 14. 6%| 2008| 11. 9%| 18. 2%| 9. 1%| 2009| 13. 8%| 22. 0%| 15. 9%| * A high net profit margin indicates a more profitable company that has better control over its costs compared to its competitors. * Coca-Cola is the higher ratio company with a consistent ratio that grew from 2007 to 2009. The other 2 companies are close in percentages and are lower than Coca-Cola. This shows that Coca-Cola is more profitable than the other two companies. Alternatives: * Coca Cola to improve. * Red Bull to improve * Hansen Natural to improve * PepsiCo to improve * Continue running the same Discussion of the Alternatives: Coca Cola One of the keys to help be sustainable is being innovative and building up a good image; this will help to recapture the market share lost in the energy drink market. Coca Cola should also try to create more rapid growth in vitamin-enhanced beverages and also by creating an â€Å"energy shots† product. Globally they can strengthen alternative beverage sales in Asia and their lack of competitiveness in European market. Coca Cola can use a combination of new flavors and formulations, line extensions, and brands; they can increase sales of the alternative beverages internationally by building a strong image and strengthen their distribution capabilities. Researching a country is important factor, so that you can see what that country looks for in an alternative beverage. Then produce that product and also market to their way of life. They could also try and introduce more flavors that people will enjoy and cut the ones that aren’t doing well. PepsiCo Sustainability can be strengthened by having a major image building campaign for their top product. Just like Coke they need to expand into energy shot branding by having Rockstar add energy shot to its distribution agreement. Another option is to negotiate for distribution rights to European and Asia-Pacific markets with Rockstar or launch its energy drink brands into attractive international markets. In the case it, they discussed that they had introduced a new lineup of alternative drinks known as Charge, Rebuild, Defend, and Bloodshot. As a consumer I have not heard of those brands; indicating to me that marketing of those new products needs an overhaul so that we, the consumers, are aware of such products. Another thing they could do is try to come up with new good tasting flavors for its SoBe energy drink line. Red Bull GmbH The Red Bull brand should improve the performance of its recently introduced energy shot. They need to continue to expand into rapidly growing markets for energy drinks. It is necessary for the company to maintain its lead in the U. S. and European energy drink market. A major key for Red Bull is getting additional product line extensions with the help of their R & D department. They also can develop sports drinks or vitamin-enhanced beverages that can further exploit the appeal of the Red Bull brand. Hansen Natural Corporation Hansen has an agreement with Coca Cola to be a distributor. To be competitive in the alternative beverage market you need to have a strong distribution system. When you have control over your own distribution it gives you the power to have good sales volume and increased market share. Placement on store shelves in the â€Å"first mover areas† is a key to increasing those sales and being in control of your distribution, and then you can set up good locations on store shelves. They also need to continue looking at being innovative in producing new and better products. Image is critical in the minds of consumers in choosing the brands they want. The image presented by the product’s name and emphasized in advertisements, endorsements, and promotions create demand for one brand over another. Finally, sufficient sales volume to achieve scale economies helps in becoming an important driver. They need to have sufficient sales volumes to keep marketing expenses at an acceptable cost per unit basis. Continue running the same That kind of alternative is not a good business decision in that progression is what drives the business environment. In a competitive environment those standing still will be passed or swallowed by the running beast as it goes by. As we seen in our SWOT, all four companies are not at a perfect state and have many opportunities at their doorstep. Recommendation: This case and the way in which has worked out is more about how the industry has a whole can be sustainable. Each one of the companies has similar options that are available to help be maintainable. The one company to me that stands out is the Hansen Natural Corporation because it has been innovative in their options in comparison to Red Bull, such as the size of the cans that they offer. They provide more products for the same or lower price point. I recommend that they develop a better distribution system for their product. It will help with the first mover area which they can move into. As they become stronger in their distribution system they will increase their opportunities to sell their products. Options of places to sell their products such as in vending machines will make their product available to an increased market. As these market segments grow the sales volume will increase with a stronger market share to become available. Brand image is strong to continue building by sponsoring the events to the consumers which you focus your products towards. Action Plan: Immediate: Research distribution channels and how to become â€Å"first mover area† company Short: Cancel agreement with Coke Mid: Set up the distribution channel system. Launch the new system. Long: Make adjustments to the system as the need arises. Conclusion: Competition in the Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages market will continue to grow as the companies continue to be innovative. I have looked at ways to help the companies be more sustainable. I discussed how Hansen Natural will be able to grow and prosper in the alternative beverage market. References Monster Beverage Corp. (2010, February 28). Annual Report. Retrieved March 6, 2013, from www. zonebourse. com/MONSTER-BEVERAGE-CORP-9771916/pdf/182022/Monster%20Beverage%20Corp_Rapport-annuel. pdf Thompson, A. A. , Strickland, A. J. , & Gamble, J. (2012). Crafting and executing strategy: the quest for competitive advantage : concepts and cases (18th ed. ). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.