Three Miles North Of Marianna

Three miles north of Marina, Florida Caverns State park offers more outdoor recreational opportunities than any other place I know of in Florida. What other spot do you know that has hiking, biking, camping, picnicking, horseback riding, cannoning, kayaking on rapids, boating, fishing birdwatchers, golfing, spring hunting, and, of course, spelunking? It is the caverns that give the state park its name. Created during the Depression as a ICC project, the 1,300-acre park is honeycombed with caves large and small.This urn-Florida- like geological feature is the result of Florist's limestone base bumping the ail end of the uplift that becomes the Appalachians. And while the caves here do not match Mammoth Cave or Carlsbad Caverns, they nonetheless have an impressive array of stalagmites, stalactites, columns, flowstone, and other formations created over thousands Of years by the steady drip Of water. One large cave may be visited on guided tours. The tour takes about 25 minutes, and the cavern is a constant temperature of 59 degrees.Native Americans once used the caves for shelter and storage, and their history is told in the park's informative museum. The rest of the caves are off limits or even gated to protect fragile formations and colonies of endangered gray bats. These shy insect-eating creatures are easily disturbed, but warmly welcomed by campers for the tons of mosquitoes they eat. Bats and insects are not the only residents in the park, which is a safe haven for alligators, deer, and beaver as well as home for a rich variety of birds, fish, and other wildlife.Some have claimed sightings of the ivory-billed woodpecker in the area, although such are not confirmed and most believe this largest of all woodpeckers is now extinct. But if the ivory-billed survived anywhere, it might be in these rich floodplains. Gigantic beech, magnolia, sweet gum, and oak trees shade the lowland areas, and the understood flowers all year long with everything from columbine, nat ive azalea, and sage to leafless, bottlers, and the lovely January-blooming topmasts lily.The river floodplain trail is the best way to see the many faces of the area. In 30 minutes, you will go through natural tunnels, climb boulders, see virgin forest and some of the largest trees in the state, and be able to peek into several caves. The horse trails may also be hiked and loop along spring runs and through deep forest. Riders must provide their own horses. The Chipolata River bisects the park from north to south and is joined within it by two spring runs.In the middle of the park, the river dips below ground for more than 1,000 yards before reappearing. A century ago, a channel was cut across the natural bridge so logs could be floated downstream. The ditch is narrow, fast, obstructed, and not recommended for the inexperienced paddled. Fed by rainwater and springs, the Chipolata can be very clear and is an easy paddle stream or down. Alligators bask in the few sunny spots, discour aging river swimming. Even so, there is a great spring group about a mile upstream of the boat ramp.Called Bezel, the main spring has a clear shallow run from the east and leads to a lovely spring pool that strongly invites a dip, even a skinny dip when no one is around. Three more springs line the banks just below and above Bezel, and the park is a popular pull-out for overnight and weekend cancers. The official swimming area is yet another spring called Blue Hole. The spring forms three pools, one of which has a nice beach and dive littoral. The water in the main spring is a deep, milky blue and its 68 degrees are very refreshing on a hot summer day.The Florida Caverns Golf Course is adjacent to the park and is a separate concession. Park fees are $3. 25 per car, and there are additional, if reasonable, charges for cavern tours, canoe rentals, camping, horseback riding, and golfing. The cavern tours are very popular, so call ahead if you plan a weekend visit. Development is increa sing around the park, but once inside you can explore the glories of natural Florida in greater variety than just about anaphora.

Pet Sematary by Stephen King Essay

Setting: The novel, ‘Pet Sematary’ by Stephen King is set mostly in Ludlow, Maine. Aside from the fact that Stephen King often sets his novels in Maine, where he was born and grew up, the quiet and laid back atmosphere of this place which has a very small population (only 402 in 2000) has something to do with the novel. As catalyst for the novel, a particular ancient Indian burial ground is located within walking distance of the Creed family house in this locality. The value of this setting in this novel is its link with history. Ludlow is known to have a 1% American Indian Ancestry and this small ancestry is enough to validate the presence of the Micmac burial ground in the area. With a small population in the locality, it is most likely that most of the people in the place know about the burial ground which explains why a certain ‘Timmy’ in the novel is referred to as having being buried in the burial ground as well. This sets precedence in the story and explains hoe Jud is quite well-versed with the lore of this particular burial ground. The setting also helps to conceal whatever supernatural events that occur in the place therefore making it more believable that people from other places did not hear about the strange occurrences in the place. So, while it is a given that King always sets his novels in towns and counties in Maine, the choice of Ludlow for this novel is obviously intentional and is done to achieve certain effects and objectives; these basically, to make it more believable and to validate the link between the townsfolk and their apparent, inherent knowledge of the critical element of the novel which is the Micmac burial ground. Other than just these technical intentions of the author, it has to be understood that the tone of the novel is also often set by the setting. In this particular novel which starts out in a sleepy, almost passive town, the effect of having something strange and supernatural occurring serves to upset the status quo of the town. Of course, there is reference to a similar occurrence happening in the past, but this works to deepen the secret of the town and so consequently explain the hush-hush attitude of the people. Drop in a metropolitan family preoccupied with the more tangible representations of life, and a burial ground that is able to resurrect the dead, and the novel has the perfect setting for the materialization of the tangible desires of the alien family and the chaotic interplay between these values and the values of the townsfolk. Major characters: Louis Creed is the main character of the story and it is his family, starting with the family cat, and then his son, and finally his wife that fall victim to the demonic powers of the Micmac Burial ground. Creed is initially introduced to be indifferent and academic, but sympathetic and close to his family members. This is vital to his decisions later in the novel. His entrance into Ludlow, Maine sets in motion a series of events that serve to clearly emphasize the differences his family has with the people in the town; not only this, it also serves to create a contrast between the ideals of the people of the town as well as his own ideals. Creed is used in the novel to foreshadow the events that would follow with their moving to Ludlow because it is his dream of a certain university student that leads him to the burial ground in the metaphysical sense. However, more than just the reality that the novel revolves around this main character, Jud, another character in the story, a friend of Louis plays a very important role in setting in motion the chain of events that lead to the demonic corruption of the Creed family. Jud and Louis are at the different ends of the supernatural spectrum in Pet Sematary – Jud is at the initiating end and Louis at the receiving end of the initiation. Jud is a local of Ludlow and has witnessed certain events in the past connected to the powers of the Micmac burial ground so as a favor to Louis who was instrumental in saving his wife from a fatal heart attack, he takes the family cat of the Creeds which was run over by a truck to the ancient burial ground after which the cat returns to life. This is the first incident that involves the Creeds and the burial ground, so in effect, Jud is the instrument of paradox because it is through him that the novel begins to plummet towards its gruesome and quite horrific climax. Horror Fiction Formula: Of course, Pet Sematary, being set in Ludlow, Maine apparently begins with the concept of the Apollonian community. However, a distinct characteristic of this particular novel is the fact that the community is not at all Apollonian in the truest sense of the concept because as the novel unfolds, it reveals that in fact, the Micmac burial ground and its demons has had its victims in the past, this being Timmy, who was killed along with his father when their house was burned down. In effect, the Creeds arrive into the community at a period when it is seemingly Apollonian, but in reality, is merely in a transition period from its dark past to another, darker future. This is important in the novel because the Dionysian force comes through an instrument, Jud, who has experienced the irruption in the past in the person of Timmy. So, it is Jud who becomes the harbinger of the Dionysian force, which in this novel, is the evil that resides in the Micmac burial ground. The strange thing about this novel is the fact that even with Jud’s knowledge of the degree of evil of the Dionysian force he still risks this by entering the Creed’s family cat into the grounds of the ancient burial site, even with the knowledge of what the consequences could be. The resurrection of the cat in the novel is the irruption in the novel because it is the manifestation of the Dionysian force, albeit still quite genteel, it actually escalates as Louis Creed decides to inter his son into the ancient burial site. The only time that the novel deviates from the horror formula is when the novel moves towards its ending, where instead of pursuing the Dionysian force to put a stop to it or to defeat it, Louis Creed is devoured by the temptation of bringing back his wife, perhaps also blinded by his loneliness and depression. The novel ends with implications of the wife actually returning from the dead. So, although, there is no pursuit of the Dionysian force, the novel still ends the way it should according to the formula with implications that the Dionysian force was not in fact defeated or destroyed. Levels of horror: Perhaps the reason why this novel is so successful and so enjoyed by many horror fans is the fact that it operates on the three levels of horror in an escalating manner. In the beginning, the Apollonian community is merely gripped by its dark past and the burial ground is nothing but a folkloric piece of land behind a pet cemetery. In this part of the novel, it operates on terror because while many people from the town know of the legend of the burial ground and were witnesses to its demonic powers, the knowledge is still on the level of intangibility, like a rumor going around town. Later, when the Dionysian force manifests itself in the form of the cat, a mild form of horror begins to emerge which is the resurrected cat – more aggressive, more hostile, and possessing the qualities of a dead animal. So, in this sense, the Dionysian force acquires a face or some form of tangibility. The horror becomes more pronounced with the resurrection of Louis’ son, Gage. This time, the Dionysian force becomes more vivid as Gage is more demonic and more evil. This newly resurrected creature then kills Jud which then transforms the horror into revulsion because along with Jud, the monster kills Rachel. King implies in the story that Gage partially eats the corpse of Rachel. This adds to the revulsion. The end of the novel adds more to this third level of horror by turning the evil inside out. In effect, instead of the horror merely manifesting itself in the resurrected corpses, it begins to eat through the sanity of the last remaining protagonist, Louis. So, the revulsion takes a final twist, when because of the insanity of Louis, he also buries his wife in the burial site and his wife returns. In effect, the monstrosity has transcended from being limited only to the dead coming back to the living finally concurring with its evil.

Formal Lab Report Format

Formal Lab Report Format A properly written formal lab report in CHEM 123L consists of the following sections: Cover Page ? Give your experiment a good, descriptive title ? Include the date, your name, ID#, TA’s name and partner’s name and section # Introduction and / or Purpose ? Introduce the background material your reader will need to understand the experiment and all parts of your report. ? Summarize the underlying theory of the experiment and any equations you will use. ? Identify the purpose of the experiment; what you are trying to accomplish or prove? Experimental Procedure ? If the procedure in the lab manual was followed exactly, it is sufficient to state the following: â€Å"The experimental procedure used for this experiment was outlined in the CHEM 123L lab manual, Experiment #1. All steps were followed without deviation. â€Å") You must include your lab manual in your reference section if you use this technique. ? If the procedure in the lab manual was not followed exactly, you must explain what was done differently. ? Marks are not assigned for the procedure, but will be deducted if you do not include it in your report. Experimental Observations ? Present all experimental observations; what did you see / hear / feel happening as the experiment was proceeding? ? Enter original observations such as weights, volumes, temperatures etc. with units. ? Tabulate experimental data (ie, present your data in a table) whenever possible, this helps the reader quickly compare your data. Include appropriate table titles, labels and units. ? In some lab reports the observations may be incorporated into the results section. Results & Calculations ? Show one sample calculation to illustrate how each type of calculation was performed. Use appropriate units and significant figures. ? Tabulate calculated results, whenever possible. Tables must have appropriate titles, labels and proper units. ? Refer to Appendix B: Data Analysis, for information on plotting experimental data. Discussion ? Generally describe what was done and what was accomplished in the lab. What concepts or ideas did the experiment prove, show, reinforce, etc ? Compare experimental results with values found in the literature (if any). If your values do not agree with literature values, discuss why this may be. ? Briefly discuss possible sources of observed errors. If your results are erroneous, explain what was done wrong in the experiment that may account for the observed results. (Note that this is not a discussion of every possible error that may or may not have occurred! ) Questions ? Answer all questions given in the lab manual in a separate section within your report, unless you are instructed otherwise. Conclusions ? Restate purpose and/or objectives of the experiment and give conclusions as to whether or not they were achieved. ? State all experimental findings regarding unknowns ? Comments regarding the effectiveness or reliability of experimental methods can be made here as well References ? List any books or articles that were used in writing the lab report (including those used to answer questions) in alphabetical order by author(s) or editor(s) name. Include full reference information for each source. ? Always cite references within the body of your lab report. The preferred citation style for Chem 123L is to use the authors name and date of publication in parentheses, for example: Chem 123L students are typically bright and inquisitive. (Kramer, 1999) ? Once again, marks are generally not assigned for the references, but will be deducted if you do not include them in your report. Clarity and Understanding ? A mark will be assigned for overall clarity and understanding of the experiment. Have you presented your findings in a way that proves you understand what you did and why? ? Marks will be awarded for neatness and organization. Don’t make it difficult for your TA to mark your report!

Program Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Program Proposal - Essay Example Onkaparinga is located south of Adelaide CBD. The city of Onkaparinga covers an area of 518km2 with a population of 153,496 (2004). 22% of the city's population is aged 15 years or lower, hence the city's age structure can be classified as young when compared with Adelaide Statistics Division (ASD). In addition, according to the data available, the city of Onkaparinga's population aged 15-19 comprises 8 % of the city's total population, which, when numerically presented, is 11,500 . According to (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2001), there is no specific data targeting girls aged 12- 18 years as a separate group. At the 2001 Census, the city of Onkaparinga recorded 20,530 females aged between 5- 24 in total out of which 323 were Indigenous females. In addition, there were 369 non stated females belonging to the above - examined group. It was found out in a previous research that due to poverty and lack of access to health facts and information, many in the community owned up to not consuming fruits and vegetables regularly. This can be attributed to poverty and lack of awareness on importance of nutrition on the prevention of breast cancer. Fruits and vegetables contain protective substances such as carotenoids and vitamin C that have an antioxidant role and therefore prevent BC. A meta-analysis of published data from 1982 to 1997 was carried out on fruit & vegetable and consumption and BC risk in order to find out the relationship between the two. Relative risks (RR) for BC were also extracted from 1982 to 1997. For fruit intake study results were less clear, as only two studies showed an adequate protective effect of high fruit intake for BC. On the other hand this article suggests that high vegetable consumption seems to have protective effect in geographical areas where particular diets were more prevalent (Mediterranean diet). Buzdar (2006) found that patients with the history of the breast cancer and higher plasma level of carotenoids had a lower risk of cancer recurrence than patients with BC history and low plasma carotenoid levels. 4. Program Detail 4.1 Overall Goal The overall goal of the program is to prevent occurrence of breast cancer among adolescents, and subsequently, women among the poor families in Onkaparinga. By detailing a nutrition program centred on vegetables and fruits, participants are encouraged to be dedicated in order to prevent future risk, pain and even mortality as caused by breast cancer. 4.2 Clear Objectives This program aims to engage adolescents and young women to a healthy diet and lifestyle. With a regular intake of basically vegetables and fruits, it is not only breast cancer that is prevented but many other forms of cancer, as well as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and other degenerative diseases prevalent to a diet of fats,

Comparative Communication in History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparative Communication in History - Essay Example I think that this disrupts my capability of fully understanding each of the elements and information being given. As a matter of fact, I have to pause and go back to some points and move forward – skip – to the information that is related. Unfortunately, in some instances, some information were no longer pursued because it has been supplanted by another that was more interesting to the moderator, especially. This is particularly difficult, because in the chronology of events in the alphabet development, the resource speakers were talking about several places and people. At one point, they were talking about Egypt, then in Canaan, then in Syria, then, Egyptian scribe, Greeks, Phoenicians, among others. So there was several instances wherein I got confused. It was hard to follow how the alphabet really evolved or to understand whether there was one path of alphabet development in all of the locales mentioned. Near the end, I even found that were such categories as West Canaanites and that these people were the same as the Phoenicians. I am not saying that the tendency to wander on some minor topics is bad in itself. Because I think they provided the necessary background in order to understand what is being explained. However, the lack of systematic or logical flow in the delivery of the information makes it a liability, imposing so much on my capability to cope with all of the information that were suddenly coming my way. There is this discussion, for instance, about how the alphabet was being used for mundane purposes and how hieroglyphics were used as the language of the powerful, then suddenly a discussion ensued about the Phoenicians, migratory movements of the Greeks and the history of city-states. I believe that these elements were important but that they could have been placed on strategic parts and explained limitedly. The fact that the explanation of the development of the alphabet must be learned through listening from a

Trap-Ease America Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Trap-Ease America - Case Study Example The struggle was proven to be worthy, because it attracted the attention of the people, especially of those in electronic media (my marketing lab). The second issue pointed out is caused by the slow sale rate of the product, which is endorsed on such large scale. The reason of this dilemma is the new design of the product, which customers are not willing to accept readily. Another problem is caused by the unwillingness of retailers to give the product appropriate shelf space, because of their commitment to other old fashioned brands. Also Martha is not able to maintain the prospering relations with large store chains, due to their unrealistic demands. The final challenge is the increasing intolerance of investors regarding receiving a return on their investment (my marketing lab). The fundamental cause of all the issues described, is the unwillingness of customers to accept the new product. The target market for this innovative item primarily consisted housewives, who do not have time to view the electronic media to get the message about a new product, which Trap Ease brought to the market. All of these reasons interact with each other, to cause the downturn in the demand of the product. On the other hand the pressure from investors is causing Martha to find a solution quickly to calm their nerves. But the strategy of the company is not proving to be beneficial (my marketing lab). The company could send the sales force to the homes of the potential customers to demonstrate the usefulness of this product. With the help of this strategy the company could get the feedback from the people about their perception of the product, which will indeed help Martha in understanding the flaws of the product. This method will also assist the company to further modify the product design to improve its performance. Ease Trap can also introduce the marketing strategy emphasizing on the features of the product, which provide safety to the

Should the IMF and World Bank cancel all the debts of poor countries Research Paper

Should the IMF and World Bank cancel all the debts of poor countries C.Q. Researcher, September 28, 2001, vol. 11, issue - Research Paper Example A good example is the oil crisis of 1973 whereby oil prices escalated forcing governments of many developing countries to borrow heavily from the IMF, the World Bank and other creditors to procure much needed oil supplies. Much of this borrowed capital was spent on noncapital generating ventures or was lost through corruption. This means that these countries were mostly unable to channel these borrowed funds into their economies to fuel economic growth that would in the near future generate the capital necessary to pay off the debt (Palley, 2003, p. 83). Review Proponents of debt abolition have been advocating heavily for cancellation of all debts of poor countries. The most prominent of these is the Jubilee Debt Coalition, a UK-based coalition of local groups and organizations calling for the cancellation of heavy debts owed by developing countries. The issue of debt cancellation is important because heavy debts which are not payable prevent the eradication or reduction of poverty i n the third world. The World Bank and IMF are party to the Millennium Development Goals one of the main aims of which is to significantly reduce the number of the world’s people living below the poverty line (Pettifor, 2003, p. 71 – 73). ... xperiences of countries such as Nigeria, Afghanistan and Iraq indicate that this general lack of insecurity provides a conducive environment for the growth of terrorist organizations with a global reach. These terrorists pose a serious threat to the national security of all countries, including developed countries. The arguments proposed by both proponents and opponents of debt cancellation have their strengths and weaknesses. Proponents include organizations such as the Jubilee Debt Coalition, experts such as renowned economists in the US, and policy makers in the US and the European Union. They have put forward a number of good arguments. Firstly, they argue that many of the loan deals have terms that are unfair to the borrowing poor countries. According to Palley (2003) the interest rates are usually set very high because many of the developing countries are desperate and they borrow on short notice (p. 86). For this reason, the loans end up being very expensive, an unfortunate si tuation considering that the developing countries are the poorest yet they often receive loans that are more expensive than those received by developed countries. In fact, many countries have already paid the amounts they owed several times over because the debt grows faster than they can pay due to high interest. Therefore, it is only fair that the World Bank and the IMF cancel these debts while it is working on a solution to ensure that in future, terms of loans consider the state of a country’s economy and its rate of economic development. Secondly, proponents argue that debt needs to be cancelled in order to harmonize goals of the United Nations with those of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The UN’s Millennium Development Goals heavily emphasize the reduction of

The Leader's New Work Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Leader's New Work - Assignment Example Hence, the theories serve as guideline for the organizations and their managerial and marketing staff for their survival and growth in an era of perfect competition. Contemporary business culture has witnessed a tremendous alteration in its nature and scope. Fast increase in business activities at global scale, and emergence of world as a global entity has eliminated the concept of staying isolated from the outer world. People now embark upon business venture and produce goods and services keeping in view the features of the global market. It has also multiplied the responsibilities of corporate tycoons and leaders of multinational organizations, which have to render extra services in order to make their ventures a success. Argyris (2000) has elucidated salient features and responsibilities of the corporate sector during 21st century onward, where he lays stress upon fast and perfect flow of communication in order to obtain complete information of the market scenario (77). He is of the opinion that in olden days, only the owners/directors and managers used to be responsible for the growth and progress of their organization; however, time has tak en drastic turn, because of the new era challenges, and employees and workers maintain equal responsibility for the financial uplift of their work place. Business leaders apply communication tools in order to bring change in strategic schemes. Applying of focus groups, organizational surveys and other communication tools turn out to be helpful in making assessment of the work efficiency of employees, though they do not present an in-depth analysis of the problems they undergo while performing their professional obligations (78-9). He suggests the tools including effective learning, broader empowerment and employees’ surveys as effective methods of assessing the efficiency and performance of the

Measles outbreak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Measles outbreak - Essay Example The unvaccinated women from California transmitted the virus in theme parks and Airports (Gastaà ±aduy, et al., 2014). The State Health departments from Colorado, California, Washington, and Utah have confirmed cases of an extremely contagious strain of measles. These cases, taken together, they would account for about 12% of all measles cases reported in United States over the last one year. The Centre for Disease Control, (CDC) projects that there are about 220 cases of measles reported per annum (Gahr, et al., 2014). According to the CDC, Measles is the most deadly of all childhood fever or rash diseases. Measles is a virus that inhabits the throat and nose of all the people that are infected and causes a rash, fever, coughing and red eyes. Although, there is a vaccine, an anti-vaccination movement has gained momentum in the United States despite the increased debunking and criticism of the movements claims (Jin, 2015). On January 7th, 2015, the California’s Department of Public Health believes that, in December, the individual infected with measles was residing in Disneyland Theme Park. The person unknowingly infected other people at the theme park (Zipprich, et al., 2015). According to LA Times, at that time, among the people infected with Measles was unvaccinated traveller in her 20s. On 28th December, while at the Theme Park the woman became sick and contagious. From there, she flew from Orange County to Washington State, Snohomish County, and then returned to Orange County, on January 3rd. Four days later, on January 7th, health officials in California announced an outbreak of measles (Jin, 2015). Measles viruses are contagious; they can live up to two hours on the surfaces of the infected people, transmitting it through sneezes and coughs (Whitaker & Poland, 2014). The CDC states that Measles is a highly contagious virus that 90% of the unvaccinated people close to the sick person are infected. Although, over 20 Million

Competition in American Elections Essay Example for Free

Competition in American Elections Essay Elections are a crucial element of representative democracy. They are the direct link between citizens and their representatives in government: if the public approves of their elected officials’ actions, they continue to vote them back into office; if the public doesn’t like how things are going in the government, they vote for other candidates with different ideas. The electorate has to have this choice between candidates in order to effectively express their preferences. However, if the incumbent or incumbent party seems certain to win, a vote for a new candidate would be of little value: the election is not competitive; therefore, the public is hindered from voting into office a candidate that represents their true interests. It is therefore essential to examine the true meaning of what makes an election competitive and to determine whether American elections of various types adhere to this requirement. The literature competitiveness in elections is extensive, but all definitions more or less come down to the question of whether or not someone other than the winner might have won (had circumstances been different, had the opposition campaigned more effectively, had the public been more welcoming to the opposition’s ideas, etc.). A very minimalistic definition of a competitive election is given by Hyde and Marinov (2012) in the form of three criteria: â€Å"opposition is allowed, multiple parties are legal, and more than one candidate competes† (p. 192). Five requirements for determining if an election was competitive are given by Janowitz and Marvin (1955-1956): high levels of participation, political self-confidence and self-interest among the citizenry, effective public deliberation, a media not monopolized by one particular side, and campaigns operating mostly independently of the mass media (pp. 384-393). These criteria are meant to measure the degree to which the election represented a â€Å"process of consent† rather than a â€Å"process of manipulation†. Buchler (2007) defines competitive elections as those in which the candidates have about an equal chance of winning, or when their vote shares are about the sameso, the more the two-party vote for the winning candidate approaches 50%, the more competitive the election is. In their study on the effects of competition on legislator performance, Koninsky and Ueda (2011) define a competitive election as one in which the winner earned 90% or more of the two-party vote (p. 201), whereas Niemi et al. (2006) define competitive elections as those in which the winner received at least 60% of the two-party vote (cited in Koninsky and Ueda, p. 201). Such strictly defined, outcome-based requirements for electoral competitiveness have been criticized for being more or less arbitrary (Buchler, p. 336); however, for the purpose of this paper, such definitions are the most practical choice. The minimalistic definition of Hyde and Marinov is in fact too minimalistic for an examination of electoral competitiveness in America, where an open and democratic political process is an integral aspect of the Constitution itself. Janowitz and Marvins definition will be excluded for practical purposes because while the criteria to allow for analysis of electoral competitiveness pre-election, and therefore do not count as uncompetitive elections in which the opposition simply wasn’t strong enough, this method is much more suited to an in-depth study of a single election rather than a comparison between multiple election years and types because of the normative questions involved (the researchers in question used this method to examine the 1952 presidential election). While strictly statistical, outcome-based definitions of competitiveness are perhaps arbitrarily defined, they are simple and useful in studying electoral competitiveness over long periods. To avoid restraining myself to one statistic, I consider both the 60% requirement proposed by Niemi et al. and the 90% requirement used by Koninsky and Ueda. In order to study competition in presidential elections, I have compiled both the popular vote and Electoral College vote for the presidential elections since 1980. I only included data from the two candidates who received the most votes. I then calculated the percentage of the two-party vote (popular and Electoral College) received by each candidate. The percentage of the two-party popular vote received by any given winner of the presidency never exceeded 60%, and can, therefore, be considered competitive by both the 60% and 90% requirements. However, the results of the two-party Electoral College vote were not always so close. In fact, in seven out of the ten presidential elections held in the past 37 years, the percent of the two-party vote in the Electoral College received by the winning candidate exceeded 60%, and in two of these elections, this percentage exceeded 90%. Therefore, by our most strict definition of a competitive election, most presidential elections in the past th irty-seven years have not been competitive if we use the data provided by the Electoral College votes. This could suggest that the structure of America’s presidential elections (i.e., indirect vote via the Electoral College) compromises the competitiveness of our elections, as all the presidential elections examined were found to be competitive in the popular vote, but the Electoral College votewhich is, in fact, the deciding factor in who will become Presidentwas found to be uncompetitive in most cases. It is clear that the Electoral College does extrapolate the margin of victory of the winner, most clearly evidenced by the elections of 1980 and 1984, when Reagan was elected with a two-party popular vote of 55% and 59%, respectively, but by a 91% and 98% two-party vote in the Electoral College (Woolley and Gerhard 2017). I have employed the same method used for presidential elections to measure competitiveness in statewide elections in Missouri (Governor and United States Senator elections) and the district-based Missouri United States Representative elections (except that the Electoral College factor was not applicable). I have used the past five elections for each type of election; therefore I have gone back to 2000 for the Governor election data, to 2004 for the U.S. Senator data, and to 2008 for the U.S. Representative data. The elections for Missouri governors and U.S. Senators all fall within the 60% requirement off competitiveness. However, the U.S. House elections rarely satisfy this requirement (one out of eight districts in 2014, three out of nine districts in 2010, and one out of nine districts in 2008 had a two-party vote of less than 60% for the winner). None of the elections ever had a two-party vote that exceeded 90%, so these elections are competitive by Koninsky and Ueda’s req uirement (Ashcroft 2017, â€Å"Missouri Election Results† and â€Å"Previous Elections†). However, the disparity is obvious: while U.S. Representative elections are still competitive by the 90% test, they are generally nowhere near as competitive as state Governor, U.S. Senator, or presidential elections. This most likely arises as a result of gerrymandering, defined by Lowi et al. (2017) as the practice of drawing district maps that favor one party or the other based on the partisan makeup of different regions (p. 198). This practice reduces the competitiveness of districts so that the party that drew the map will have certain victory in most districts while allowing their opponents to win in a handful of districts where their party has the clear majority. For statewide and nationwide elections, this is not an option, but for district-based elections, gerrymandering is common practice. In response to a lack of competition in district-based elections, many propose intentionally drawing electoral districts to narrow the margin of victory and encourage more robust competition. There are many reasons to advocate for increased competition. As previously mentioned, the electorate cannot express its true preferences if election results are more or less determined in advance. According to Lowi et al., competition among politicians incentivizes them to reveal more information about themselves and about the other candidates, which in turn makes citizens more apt to pick the candidates that best represent their interests (p. 428). The threat of competition incentivizes elected officials to steer clear of corrupt practices and to remain responsive to their constituency to ensure re-election (Brunell and Clarke 2012, p. 124). This same threat also means that officials elected in competitive elections are more active lawmakers (Koninsky and Ueda, p. 199). And according to Huckfe ldt et al. (2007), while electoral competitiveness does not seem to produce any direct effect on turnout, it still has an indirect effect in that parties and candidates put more campaign effort into competitive elections, which in turn encourages higher turnout (p. 809). Indeed, the word â€Å"competition† often has a very positive connotation in American culture. This is natural, as it is the founding block of the free market system which our country has embraced possibly more than any other country. It may, therefore, come as a surprise that not all scholars advocate competition in the electoral sphere. A fairly intuitive, though the easily disregarded aspect of competition in elections is that as the margin of victory decreases, the number of people who voted for losing candidates increases. Brunell and Clarke argue that these people are more dissatisfied with the outcome of the election and feel that their interests are not being represented in government (p. 125). A study conducted by Bowler and Donovan (2011) suggests that increased competition leads to dissatisfaction in the electorate because people dislike being exposed to politics (p. 159). Janowitz and Marvin argue that high levels of competition divide the electorate and disintegra te more moderate, compromise-oriented groups (p. 400). It would seem that competitive elections, while allowing the public to hold elected officials accountable to their constituents, also lead to less happy constituents in general. Buchler goes on to point out that in order to draw competitive districts, the actual partisan makeup of the electorate must be disregarded, and a smaller margin of victory increases the chances of an error in the declared winner (pp. 333, 336). So when we draw districts to be more competitive, we may end up with representatives who do not actually represent the people to any significant degree. While the arguments for and against electoral competition seem valid, it is important to distinguish which definition of â€Å"competitive† we are actually working with. For example, while the 60% requirement proposed by Niemi et al. judges that nearly all U.S. House elections in Missouri were non-competitive, the more minimalistic model proposed by Hyde and Marinov would classify all of the elections studied in this paper as competitive simply because they were truly democratic elections. At the same time, the broadest definition of a competitive election used, the 90% definition proposed by Koninsky and Ueda, would define nearly all of the elections studied as competitive. I doubt that those who wish for less electoral competition because of its divisive effect on the electorate would suggest that the two-party vote for the winning candidate must exceed 90% every time, just to keep people happy. The obvious gerrymandering that takes place in redistricting maps is not to be t aken lightly, but the solution is not necessarily an effort to draw more competitive districts. As Buchler (2005, cited in Buchler 2007) argues, an unbiased map is the best way to ensure true representation of the citizens of a given region, even if the map is, in fact, uncompetitive (p. 333). Perhaps this is what we should really be working towards the true ideological representationrather than the potentially random results that come from toss-up districts.

Two Kinds by Amy Tan Essay

Two Kinds by Amy Tan Essay Amy Tans Two Kinds is a short story about the relationship between a Chinese-American mother and her American daughter. Two Kinds is a chapter from Tans book, The Joy Luck Club, which is made up of sixteen stories about Tan growing up in America with a mother from ancient Chinese customs (Tan, 189). In this chapter, Tan describes her childhood not with emphasis on cultural differences, but as a girl trying to find herself all the while in constant conflict with her Chinese-American mothers desire for her to become extraordinary. Further research reveals to the reader that Daisy, Amy Tans mother, is her influence for writing. Daisy a child-survivor of Nanjing came to America in 1949 at the age of 18 leaving behind three daughters to escape communism and abuse (unknown, 2010). Daisy raised Tan as a Chinese mother with Chinese customs is expected to by using harsh words of warning to motivate greatness. Tans exposition of the story appears in the beginning with you could phrases that introduce the reader to the mother. You could open a restaurant. You could become instantly famous. You can be best anything (Tan, Two Kinds, 2012, p. 336). The reader is intrigued in the first three paragraphs as it is clear this mother, the static character throughout this story, expects no less than excellence. The first person narrator is the dynamic character of this story, Jing-mei. She is also the protagonist in an ongoing struggle for independence with her mother who is the antagonist. Jing-mei struggles to find who she is. At first, she convinces herself that if she hurries, she can fulfill her mothers expectations and would soon become perfect (Tan, Two Kinds, 2012, p. 336). However, the child-narrator in her coming-of-age attitude sets the tone for the battle-of-wills when she thinks the mother is beginning to give up hope (337). Jing-mei continues this battle determined not to try (p. 338) and determined to put a stop to her foolish pride (p. 339). The mother-daughter climatic moment occurs when Jing-mei selfishly yells You want me to be someone that Im not (p. 339). Tan allows the mother to invoke her position in the relationship with her reply of Only two kinds of daughters. Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this hou se. Obedient daughter (p.339). Tan increases the mother-daughter conflict using dramatic visualization as Jing-mei repeatedly defies the mothers with the use of words like disappointed, failed expectations, I had been sent to hell and I wish I were dead (Tan, Two Kinds, 2012, pp. pp. 337-339). The mothers comments to her daughter because you not trying (p. 337) and only ask you be your best (p. 337) poses a dilemma for the reader of whether to feel sympathy for the mother or daughter. What the daughter perceives as being an unsatisfied and disappointed mother is Tans use of situational irony. It is not until the end of this short story that the daughter realizes that her mother was not controlling or demanding for the sake of Chinese custom, but was only exhibiting a mothers enduring hope that her daughter would be someone great. Tan affirms this near the end as the mother reminds her thirty year-old daughter you could been genius if you want to (Tan, Two Kinds, 2012, p. 340). The pivotal moment of the story occurs in the last paragraph as the daughter for the first time notices the music pieces she rehearsed as a child (Tan, Two Kinds, 2012, p. 340). Tan dramatizes the irony further when Jing-mei, after the death of her mother, notices the two songs on the piano, Pleading Child (p. 340) and Perfectly Contented (p. 340) that are symbolic of the daughters growth from a child to an adult. She realizes the pieces were two halves of the same song (p. 340) just as she and her mother were. As the mothers character was seemingly over-bearing, she and her mother wanted the same thing; both wanted the best in life for Jing-mei. Tans chronological organization of the story allowed the reader to see the conflicts emerge and resolve as Jing-mei grew into an adult. This story was not about the cultural differences between Chinese and Americans as one might expect, but more about a mother-daughter relationship. Tan writes because it is about the meaning of my life (Tan, NEA Big Read: Meet Amy Tan, 2010). When we read this story as a chapter in The Joy Luck Club, Two Kinds completes Tans collection of stories that are about hope and the way she looked at the world (2010). I liked this story because I connected with Jing-mei at first and felt sorry for her. However, half way through the story, I began to feel sad for the mother after Jing-mei began behaving selfishly and defiantly by not trying. As short as the story was, it created a momentary emotional struggle for me. At first I could not understand why the mother would force a child into extracurricular activities of which she had no interest. I thought perhaps the mother, given Amy Tans real mothers tragic history, was living vicariously through her daughter. Later, as a mother of three daughters, I began to see why the mother was trying to convince her child to do something great. It was because she wanted her daughter to be no less than perfect. The story did not change my perspective on mother-daughter relationships because all mothers raising daughters have unique coming-of-age stories. I did stop and reflect upon my own mother and my childhood with her as we had our growing pains. I was adopt ed and my mother was very much like Amy Tans trying to make every perfect. Tan writes brilliantly with passion and I am a newly committed fan. I would not change a thing in this story.

Global sourcing

Global sourcing Question 3 Introduction Global Sourcing is the procurement of goods and services from independent suppliers or subsidiaries from multinational companies which are located abroad and are made for further development of consumption in the multinationals home country or a third country (Cavusgil et al, 2007). International companies are increasingly looking to maintain their competitive advantage in their industry, and are therefore internationalising their supply-chain activities such as engineering, procurement, logistics, and even marketing. The issues For understanding the issues or risks managers face nowadays in global sourcing one has to divide the activities in two main segments, which is the flow of goods and information. The first reason for a company to source an activity of their value chain globally is generally perceived because of cost saving. Trent and Monczka (2003) noted a saving of 15 percent when successfully implementing global sourcing strategies of material cost, comparing to local and regional sourcing practices. Levy (1995) uses the term ‘disruptions for the issues in the global sourcing activities of a firm, and thus within the supply chain. Levy argues that the disruptions in the flow of goods are primarily caused by unstable demand, defective and late deliveries and internal production problems. Furthermore, there are challenges in language, culture, inventory management, lack of technology, trade regulations, currency fluctuations, and quality assurance. All these disruptions result in the extension of costs, which was the reason to source globally in the first place. Cavusgil et al (2007) identifies risks in global sourcing such as environmental factors, weak legal environment, risk of creating competitors, over-reliance on suppliers, and the erosion of morale amongst home-country nationals. Managers of the supply-chain are according to Levy (1995) underestimating the cost of global sourcing, which means they do not include the disruptions when making a decision on to outsource or not. Secondly, managers often view the supply-chain as a static flow of controls instead of a complex and dynamic one. Thirdly, managers tend to outsource when a company is on its maturity but then neglect the demand volatility. And lastly, managers tend to treat supply-chain crises as one-time events instead of part of the instability of the supply-chain. Learning the hard way For example, Boeing is facing major delays in manufacturing its new 787. The aircraft manufacturer is in its never ending race with Airbus to present its new passenger aircraft. Boeing has its suppliers all over the world and with Boeings specific needs and design some suppliers were given a far greater responsibility for design, and there was no control on their work from our side (Weitzman, 2009). Or even a more compelling example of supply-chain failure is the near extinction of Land Rover in 2002 than owned by Ford that almost had to stop production because the supplier of its chassis had gone bankrupt. It said that it needed six to nine months to find an alternative supplier, putting 11,000 jobs at risk. It is mentioned in the Financial Times article that having dual-suppliers will cost around  £12m just for the chassis (Milne, 2008). Critical Success Factors Global Sourcing In the study of Trent et al (2009) the critical success factors of global sourcing were identified. These factors are personnel with the right skills and knowledge, the availability of information, the awareness of potential global suppliers, time, and global capabilities of the supplier, interested in global contracts, global sourcing support, and direct visits. These critical success factors seem logical, and thus a firms global supply chain might seem water proof, but there will always be disruptions. Imagine the sharp fluctuations a firm can come across; when the firm is importing its goods from Singapore for example per ship, and the fluctuations demands the firm to use an air-freight to deliver the goods and meet the demands, the transportation costs can run ten times higher than the sea-freight deliveries, thus totally eroding the cost-advantage of manufacturing the goods in a lower-cost labour country (Levy, 1995). Conclusion Disruptions will always be part of the supply-chain of any firm in any industry. However, a careful planning of every step in the supply-chain should be routine. When sourcing globally, one has to think carefully of what to source and what to keep on board. When sourcing globally just for the cost advantage, one will find a lot of challenges along the way. Global sourcing should be part of the firms strategy, not an emergent strategy, but a proactive attitude. When implementing new supply-chain activities, disruptions should be taken into account, in order to reduce the chance of errors. This should include flexibility of suppliers payment, a back-up for the JIT (just-in-time) deliveries, a well-managed inventory system, excellent training activities for maintaining quality, and continuous improvements to keep the competitive advantage over other firms. Question 4 Introduction Businesses operating in an international context encounter different issues than firms operating solely in their home market, the domestic businesses. International firms enter new economical conditions, different political systems, laws and regulations and different cultures (Cavisgil et al, 2007). Cavusgil et el (2007) note that international firms find themselves in uncontrollable variables factors of which the firm has little control.   Most companies internationalise at a certain stage, the point at which they are going international has several reasons. The motivations can be reactive and proactive. These can be named push-, pull-, and drift factors. Push factors indicate the firms position in a saturated market, meaning declining demand, increasing fierce competition, or products that reached maturity and need a little push. Pull factors are proactive movements of the firm to move across borders because foreign markets promise faster growths, higher profits or less legal re straints and less competition. Drift factors are rather ad hoc or accidental. Firms that operate first solely in their domestic market receive large orders from international firms, which makes them decide to pursue an international adventure. Advantages and disadvantages For domestic firms to go international it means they have to take lots of new aspects into account. The risks are substantial. The commercial risk concerns the risk of weak partners, poor timing of entry and underestimation of the operational scale. Secondly, the currency risk which includes currency fluctuations and taxations. Thirdly, the country risk involves the legal issues, political stability and economical situations. Fourth is the cross-cultural risk, which basically means the lack of understanding each others cultures. These four main topics indentify the risk of the international business, or rather should be taken into account when going international. The advantages are rather attractive as well. The firm can expect substantial increases of sales, market share and higher profits. Also, the firm increases its economies of scale and can therefore expect to reduce their cost-per-units. It enters more diversified markets, and can therefore learn from new markets and adapt and adopt accordingly. By being an international firm, it bolsters itself against fluctuations in the economy and becomes a stronger player throughout their domestic market and internationally. The disadvantage of the firm exporting is the lack of understanding of the foreign markets, fewer opportunities to learn about the new customers, their competitors, and the lack of communication (Cavusgil, 2007). Illustrations of domestic to international business and back Johanson and Vahine (1977, lecture slides) designed the Uppsala Internationalisation model in which stages firms go across borders. This starts from exporting, to licensing production, than to joint ventures and eventually sole ventures, illustration the steps firms undertake gradually. Through this model Wal-Mart, using the push method, entered several markets by jumping to sole ventures, without the necessary research to succeed in a country. In its domestic market, it is a successful concept made for the American lifestyle. When it entered Mexico, it built massive parking lots like in the US, but only to found out later that most Mexicans do not have a car. In Brazil, where most families do their shopping once a month on their payday, Wal-Mart built the aisles to narrow to establish havoc (Cavusgil et al, 2007). These are the examples of jumping, literally, into new markets without understanding of what is going on. Would it team-up by licensing to a local supermarket chain its success rate would have been much higher. In contrast with these Wal-Mart examples Carrefour, a French supermarket chain, spent 12 years understanding the Chinese market just to become the largest foreign retailer with presence in 25 countries; which is a much more gradual entry. In its domestic market, General Motors is facing serious competition and a declining market share which it is losing to Japanese carmakers and others. Its reason to maintain Vauxhall and Opel seems like their lifeline for developing solid competition for smaller fuel-efficient cars in its domestic market. Both Ford and Chrysler now with Fiat have the technology to develop these engines, had General Motors sold Vauxhall/Opel it would have lost its part of its knowledge in small fuel-efficient cars in its domestic markets and its presence in the European Market. On the contrary, Honda, with its sole focus on its engine, entered the US with small cars after the push from a high level of competition in Japan. It started however with export to the US and moved in manufacturing Honda in 1982, being already superior in quality in every auto market segment, better fuel efficiency, and better priced. Honda moved after being ready to move, and had time to study the US-market and it needs. The oil crises in the eighties helped significantly in US customers in persuading buying fuel efficient smaller cars (Klier, 2008). Conclusion Nowadays, the world is getting flatter and flatter (Friedman, 2005), meaning that the worlds resources are within an arm length for nearly all firms, provided they need the right network, skilled labour force and strategy to enter foreign markets. Collaboration between companies is often used to harness themselves against more intensifying competitors, who are obtaining knowledge, and cost advantages as well through collaboration. This continuous cycle makes the world a smaller place to do business in. Eventually all domestic businesses have some international activities, either in exporting, importing or knowledge. The world nowadays is too small to be comfortable in your own market, where you will face saturation and perhaps even decline.

Oh, That Jolly Green Giant :: King Arthur Literature Essays

Oh, That Jolly Green Giant In a land of magic, love, betrayal, hatred, loyalty and mystery, there exists a kingdom called Camelot. At the heart of Camelot are the Knights of the Round Table who maintain their loyalty to King Arthur. From the famed knights emerges one knight, who stands out as being traditionally the most loyal, chivalrous, and courtly of all: Sir Gawain. It is during one of Arthur's New Year's feast, that a stranger rudely gallops into the great hall and begins what will be a yearlong test for Sir Gawain. His color, physical stature, power, and magic are astounding to the Knights of the Round Table. Only one knight dares to accept the challenge of this green giant. This is the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a fourteenth Century Arthurian romance by an anonymous poet. "Great wonder grew in hall/At his hue most strange to see,/For man and gear and all/Were green as green could be." (Norton, 161) Throughout this text, great emphasis is placed on the color green and the fact that great power is associated with the color. Green will again be emphasized at the end of the story when Lord Bercilak's wife gives Gawain a magical green girdle, which has the power to protect Gawain from the Green Knight. The green of everything about the knight is then countered by the red glow of his eyes. In these times, dragons and monsters are green with glowing red eyes. They are also powerful and serve as tests for true knights and heroes. The color green is given a mystical power in this story because not only do the girdle and the Green Knight act as green symbols of magic, but the Green Chapel is also a powerful image of magic. While it is not a traditional Judeo-Christian chapel, but rather it seems to be a prehistoric cave. It can be viewed as a holy place simply because it is the only green "life" that exists in the suffocating white snow of the winter. This alone should have alterted Gawain to believe that magic was afoot. It is the sheer size of the Green Knight that intimidates many of the Knights of the Round Table: "As lightning quick and light/He looked to all at hand;/It seemed that no man might/His deadly dints withstand." (Norton, 162) Because Gawain must uphold his knightly duties, he alone takes on the Green Knight's game and presents himself as the student of humility.

Essay --

When Adolf Hitler was put in as Chancellor in 1933, he started to begin the program of the NSDAP, the National Socialist German Labor Party. The highest priorities were to put all men back to work and to increase the birthrate. Both were accomplished by re-instituting the traditional roles of men and women. Within the next 10 years, most women were won over to National Socialism, content to do their part in the great national resurgence. How does this apply to the women of America as we stand at the beginning of the 21st Century? Can we believe that National Socialism offers us something positive too? The answer is yes, there are many advantages National Socialism gives women over other ways of organization. The first concern that women have is their status. Do they become second-class citizens in a male dominated National Socialist state? They do not. National Socialism is based on traditional values, just as volkish paganism and Traditional Christianity. A National Socialist nation is built on the foundation of the family. At the center of the family are children. Children raised in a family learn what it is to be part of a family. From that, they understand they’re part of an even larger unit, a racially homogeneous national family. The woman not only carries the children, but takes on the primary task of raising and teaching them to be healthy and productive members of the nation. In a National Socialist society, there is no higher calling than that of mother. National Socialism provides an array of resources to prepare young women for a healthy pregnancy and childbirth, and to instruct them in the most enlightened child-care practices for the optimum health and well-being of both themselves and their childr... ...lty, honesty, cleanliness, trustworthiness, and respect for life and innocence. Assuredly, men who do not have or strive for all these qualities are not true National Socialist men, no matter if they wear a uniform or wave a swastika. It isn’t only women who are asked to put the group as a whole before the individual self, for even greater sacrifice is asked of our men. What woman prefers a coward who buckles to an alien system for temporary safety or benefits, to a partner who is willing to stand and fight for the values and continuing existence of his race? In the end, the greatest appeal of National Socialism to a woman may be that it gives her an heroic National Socialist man as a partner. It is the honor with which they regard each other that can raise their relationship to a true marriage made in Heaven, or Valhalla. And what more can a woman ask?

Introduction to Culture and Imperialism

Introduction to Culture and Imperialism Edward Said Culture is one of the things that elude an accurate definition. Some of the various well-known definitions are cited by Said in his various works. For instance: â€Å"Culture is the learned, accumulated experience of the communities, and it consists of socially transmitted patterns of behavior. † The final analysis of definition boils down to â€Å"socially transmitted patterns of behavior†, and makes more sense, though like other definitions, it too cannot be taken as exact and conclusive. Said also cites anthropologist Clifford Greety’s definition, An ordered system of meanings and symbols in terms of which social interaction takes place, and social system is the pattern of social interaction itself. † This definition too, has partial relevance to what culture amounts to. Said seems more in agreement with Matthew Arnold who regards culture as, â€Å"each society’s reservoir of the best that has b een known and thought†. Edward Said’s entire professional life was devoted to the teaching of literature. As his critical outlook was influenced by his colonial social background, he could not help looking for imperialistic implications in literature.Imperialism too does not lend itself to a complete conclusive definition, though it is more easily comprehensible than the word culture. For a meaningful discussion, Solomon Modell’s definition of imperialism makes a good promise. He says, â€Å"Imperialism is a policy of extending a country’s power beyond its own borders for the purpose of exploiting other lands and other people by establishing economic, social and political control over them. † Said gives an updated version of Modell’s definition in the following words† Imperialism means the practice, the theory and the attitude of a dominating metropolitan centre that rules a distant territory. † It is obvious that the interaction in imperialism takes place between the dominating and dominated nation. That interaction never develops in friendship, because of distrust and contempt on either side. The dominated nation never accepts the ideology and attitude of dominating nation. The best example is the Indo-Pak Sub-Continent, for instance, about 200 years of British rule could not bring friendship between Indians and British government.Literature not doubt is the mirror of culture. Said deplores the general attitude of the critics and readers who never care to look at the cultural aspects of the works of fiction, like the works of Carlyle, Ruskin or Even Dickens. On the other hand, he admires Conrad’s persistence as he forecasts the unstoppable unrest and misrule of the Latin American republics and singles out North America’s particular way of influencing conditions in a decisive, yet barely visible way. He praised â€Å"The Heart of Darkness† by Conrad.Speaking of the interaction between i mperialistic regime and colonized nation, he conceives culture as a protective enclosure where imperialist should stop to check his politics before he enters the door. â€Å"I found it a challenge not to see culture in this way†, says Edward Said. Since the culture includes ideology and attitudes of a nation, any effort on the part of imperialist to subdue the culture of a nation invokes violent resistances. Palestine, Kashmir and Iraq are apt illustrations of the resistance, which results in blood acts of fighting and terrorism.Education, is the field, through which imperialist finds easiest access to the culture of the subjugated nation. As most of the third world countries are backward in education, imperialists launch so-called programs for educational development, to achieve their goal. British did this by setting up state-governed schools and colleges, the curriculum was designed to produce minor officials in cheap English dress, speaking shaky English. Introduction to culture and imperialism is an accurate appraisal of current world scenario around us. It is a warning for people of the world against imperialistic approach of US.Cold War has made US the sole power, being unprecedented. During the Cold War, US had to contribute for the socio-economic development of the third world countries. Its attitude was soft and plaint. It had to respect the mandate of the UNO. In the case of US aggression, the victim state could invoke the intervention of USSR, which US could afford to ignore. With the engineered fall of USSR, US emerged as the self-appointed lord of the world. Muslim militants groups were created, trained, organized and financed to cause the fall of USSR. These groups were made to believe that it was the war between Islam and communism.Heavy consignments of sophisticated arms were supplied to those warriors. Pakistan also had to pay a heavy price by playing a major part in the downfall of USSR. Islam came to be the next target of the sole Su per Power of the world, as a potential challenge in the years to come. The oil-rich Iraq has already been laid waist in the ruthless hunt of WMDs. Afghanistan that spearheaded the war against communism, is now main target in the hunt of Osama. But the power-drunk Super Power does not bother about justifications for whatever it does, so long as it remains at the top. UNO is also helpless in this regard.US adopted the preemption policy. Even terrorism is the exclusive prorogation of the sole Super Power. The prorogation includes defining nuclear proliferation, and therefore Iran is presently on the hit list, whereas Pakistan likely to be the next target, gets an occasional growl from US administration. During 19th century immense power was concentrated in Britain and France as a result of industrialization. It was unprecedented and more formidable than power of Rome, Baghdad, Spain and Constantinople. In the later years, US also came up with Britain and France and that was peak of Wes t domination.The rise was so fast that rate of acquisition of foreign territory had risen up to 247,000 square miles per year in 1914. During this time, US was forwarded as an empire. After annexation of North American territory, Plans were set afoot through intervention to Philippines, the Caribbean, Central America, the Middle East, Vietnam and Korea. Edward Said clearly labels as Imperialism whatever US is doing around the world. He says, â€Å"The goal of the US policy is to bring a world increasingly subject to the rule of law, and it is the United States, which organizes the peace and defines the law.United States imposes the international interests by setting the ground rules for economic development and military development across the planet. † Edward Said pins his hopes on a gradual development of awareness, culminating in a formidable, well-organized resistance that would eventually force US to think wise before meddling with sovereignty of other states, but this so lution depends upon the numbers of factors which may or may not come together and it may take ages before they come.

National Museum Review (Philippines) Essay

What a blast from the past. September 5, 2013 a date to remember, another great day in my life. This was the day I and my two block mates went and visit an institution. The institution devoted to the procurement, care, study, and display of objects of lasting interest of the country. Significantly, this institution is like a trophy to all Filipinos, a triumphant trophy of strong and vigorous mark of an extraordinary history, this is the National Museum of the Philippines. When I was in grade school and high school, I’ve been to the National Museum for several times already, because of our Field Trip. Thus, I am so happy and excited when our Professor in Philippine History told us that one of our requirements is to visit National Museum and be able to pass a reflection about the Museum, because it’s about time to reflect and appreciate more of the country’s history and treasure. I used to conduct researches before I go to a place like National Museum, because I be lieve that it’s not enough just to visit places like such without any prior knowledge or interest about the place, I think being a little cognitive would do, for we can appreciate more of the place. In my research I have learned that, the National Art Gallery was originally designed as the public library by Ralph Harrington Doane. In 1918, the construction begun and was suspended for several times due to lack of funds. Later on, the building was decided to be used by the legislature. Revisions of the plan were done by Juan Arellano. The building was inaugurated on July 16, 1926. Costing only four million pesos, in the mid-1996 the Senate of the Philippines moved out of the building. In 2003, the renovation started to transform it into National Art Gallery of the national Museum. Before entering the museum, you’ll see two sculptures done by the artist Guillermo Tolentino. They are the heroic monuments of Manuel Quezon, former Senate President; and Sergio Osmena, former Speaker of the House. When I entered the door there was a feeling of excitement and something mysterious. Something that holds my breath and whispers in my ears saying, â€Å"This is your country, this is Philippines†. As if I am about to see the past of my country, accounts of its history that were untold. There are different rooms/halls inside the museum. Each caters to different artists, artifacts and historical pieces. One of my favorite in the rooms is the Hall of Masters. â€Å"This room is dedicated to the 19th-century Filipino painters Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo who achieved prominence at  the 1884 Madrid Exposition. Luna’s Spoliarium received one of the three gold medals and Hidalgo’s Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho (Christian Virgins Presented to the Populace) received one of the fourteen silver medals† I’m not the artsy type, but this Juan Luna painting is definitely the first and only painting that evoked such strong feelings in me — desperation and hopelessness in a gigantic package. I first saw it in high school, but seeing it as an adult never dimmed the effect it had on me everything else pales in comparison. I hope treasures like this will be forever ours. Another favorite of mine is the Amorsolo Gallery. In my researches I found out that â€Å"Fernando C. Amorsolo, named National Artist in Painting in 1972, was the first Filipino to ever be given that distinction. He was also called the â€Å"Grand Old Man of Philippine Art† at the inauguration of the Manila Hilton’s art center, where his paintings were exhibited, on January 23, 1969. His works covered a wide range of subjects, but he was best known for his idealized female images of the dalagang Filipina. He also painted scenes of traditional Filipino customs, fiestas and occupations, and series of historical paintings on pre-Colonial and Spanish Colonization scenes. He preferred to paint in natural light and developed the backlighting technique, which became his trademark. † Other galleries includes the Arellano room, dedicated to the prolific-painter Juan Arellano, who is also one the architects of the building. The Beloved Land, â€Å"This room introduces the scope of the history of art in the Philippines through a timeline.† The Vessels of Faith, â€Å"This room presents the various expressions of Philippine spirituality.† The Hall of National Artists for the Visual Arts, â€Å"This room is dedicated to the visual artists who have been named National Artists by the government.† The Freedom Yearned For, â€Å"This room expresses the theme of struggle of Filipinos against colonialism and the forms of oppression that persist to this day.† Across the National Art Gallery building is The Museum of the Filipino People. It houses the Anthropology and Archaeology division. The Museum of the Filipino People houses different exhibits from the origin of the islands of the Philippines up to the arrival of the Spaniards. The building formerly housed the Department of Finance. The National Museum of the Philippines is like the country itself, the Philippines is a place of beautiful and fascinating sites, a place of serendipity, a place with much resources Philippines is  truly a place like no other. But what we did, and what we are still doing are abusive and deteriorative manifestation on our God given gifts. Likewise, the National Museum is place of beautiful and fascinating works of art, a place of mystery and treasure, a place of told and untold chronicles of our land. But just like our country we express less care. That is one of my disappointments when I visited; I only saw some of the galleries, for the Museum is under renovation. If I am not mistaken that renovation plan is for years already. I asked one of the staff who guides our way into the galleries, â€Å"Is there any leaflet that the Museum is giving to the visitor?† the staff replied â€Å"None sir, because the Museum has no budget with that.† What the heck. Our history, the evidences of the great journey of the country were located there, yet we don’t give enough care and love on that institution. I have entitled my reflection â€Å"An untold Chronicle through Art (The Pearl of the Orient)† Because it’s so amazing and mind blowing, to think that through the paintings and sculptures, clothes and silks, structures and literature our ancestors creatively made our history engraved on our minds and especially on our hearts. And â€Å"The Pearl of the Orient† because, it is the Philippine itself, the reflection and mirror of our country, of our past and it’s in the hands of the present to ceaselessly preserve its beauty. At the end of the day, I realized that I’m so lucky and blessed to have such wonderful history as a Filipino. The National Museum of the Philippines is the Philippines itself, the story of the Filipinos. Substantially, it is already engraved and will forever be engraved into my mind and into my heart that I am a Filipino, I am proud of my story, and I will keep my blazing heart to ignite with love and care to my country. The First Mass at Limasawa by Carlos V. Fransisco Model for the Commonwealth Triumphal Arch by Guillermo Santos Francis Burton Harrison by Fernando Amorsolo Portrait of a Lady (Unfinished) Fernando Amorsolo San Diego Wreck Site

KM Tutorial Ans

208KM Tutorial 5 Ans Question 1 Ans Show why R&D management is dependent on industrial context. Answer: This question explores the extent to which students understand the importance of industrial context. R&D operations in the industrial chemical industry will be completely different from those in the food industry. For example, R&D managers in industrial chemicals companies may not have to deal with brand managers, whereas in the food industry brand managers will be very influential. Similarly, consumer research scientists will have a significant influence on decision making in consumer markets but not in industrial markets.Question 2 Discuss the range of operational R&D activities. Answer: Figure 8. 1 illustrates the R&D operations commonly found in almost every major research and development department. They may have different labels, but within Siemens, Nokia, BMW and Shell such operations are well documented. In smaller organisations the activities are less diverse and may inclu de only a few of these operations. This section explains what activities one would expect to find within each type of R&D operation. To help put these activities in context, Figure 9. shows how they relate to the product life-cycle framework. They are: Basic Research Applied Research Product Development Technical Service Question 3 What was the traditional view of R&D? Answer: After the Second World War, research and development played an important role in providing firms with competitive advantage. Technical developments in industries such as chemicals, electronics, automotive and pharmaceuticals led to the development of many new products, which produced rapid growth. For a while it seemed that technology was capable of almost anything.The traditional view of R&D has therefore been overcoming genuine technological roblems, which subsequently leads to business opportunities and a competitive advantage over one's competitors. Question 4 Not all firms invest in R;D. What should be th e level of expenditure on R;D for a firm? Answer: One of the most useful guides is to look at industry average expenditure. This will provide a guide to what a firm in a particular industry probably an annual budgetary basis. It requires a longer-term approach enabling knowledge to be acquired and built up over time.This often leads to tensions with other functions that are planning projects and activities. It is unusual for unlimited funds o be available, and hence business functions usually compete with other departments for funds. A great deal depends on the culture of the organisation and the industry within which it is operating (see Chapters 3 and 6). Pilkington, for example, spends proportionally large sums on R;D -many say too much – especially when one considers its more recent performance (Financial Times, 1998). Other companies spend very little on R;D but huge amounts on sales and marketing.This is the case for the financial services industry. So, one of the most difficult decisions facing senior management is how much to spend on R;D. Many companies now report R;D expenditure in their annual reports. It is now relatively easy to establish, for example, that Rubbermaid spent 14 per cent of sales on R;D in 1994; however, exactly how the company arrived at this figure is less clear. Question 5 What are the main strategic activities of R;D? Answer: The management of research and development needs to be fully integrated with the strategic management process of the business.This will enhance and support the products that marketing and sales offer and provide the company with a technical body of knowledge that can be used for future development. Too many usinesses fail to integrate the management of research and technology fully into the overall business strategy process (Adler et al. (1992)). A report by the European Industrial Management Association (EIRMA, 1985) recognises R;D as having three distinct areas, each requiring investment: R;D for e xisting businesses, R;D for new businesses and R;D for exploratory research (see Figure 8. ). These three strategic areas can be broken down into operational activities: 00 defend, support and expand existing businesses; drive new businesses; and broaden and deepen technological capability. Discuss some of the strategic pressures on R;D. Answer: In virtually all R;D functions there is a trade-off between concentrating resources in the pursuit of a strategic knowledge competence and spreading resources over a wider area to allow for the building of a more general knowledge base. Figure 8. 5 shows the demands on technical resources.The growth of scientific and technological areas of interest to the firm pressurises research management to fund a wider number of areas, represented by the upward curve. The need for strategic positioning forces the decision to focus resources and build strategic knowledge competencies, represented by the downward curve. Question 7 What is meant by technol ogy leverage? Answer: While it is tempting to say that technology influences the competitive performance of all businesses, in reality some businesses are more heavily influenced than others.In many mature and established industries, the cost of raw materials is much more of an influence on the competitive performance of the business than are technology developments. For example,the price paid for commodities like coffee, cocoa and sugar can dramatically influence profits in many food industries. Even if the business was to substantially increase the level of R;D nvestment, its competitive position would still be determined by raw material prices.Several attempts have been made by industry to quantify this factor when considering the level of R;D investment required. Scholefield (1993) developed a model using the concept of technology leverage. This is the extent of influence that a business's technology and technology base have on its competitive position. In general, technology le verage will be low when the influence of raw material and distribution costs and economic growth is high. High-volume, bulk commodity products would fall within this scenario.

Dynamics Of Globalization Essay

Two themes emerge from Robert D. Kaplan’s â€Å"The Coming Anarchy. † The first is civilization and de-civilization against all odds. The second is Africa, an example of the group countries that are left behind by civilization. These two themes will be discussed in this essay. The movie â€Å"Girl in the Cafe† is a perfect illustration of what is happening in Africa. The movie took place at a time where most countries have attained a high level of civilization. They have technologies, cultural developments and modern values and concerns. It took place at a time where globalization is at a high level that countries’ leaders meet together to decide the fate of the world. Amidst all their issues stood one issue that not all countries find to be a priority—the condition in Africa and the fate of its people amidst the poverty and difficulties being experienced in the country. It is sad to say that when globalization began to take place, not all countries were able to follow. In fact, even at present, some countries are too attuned to being globalized, but most countries are still struggling with the concept and imagining themselves being globalized and enjoying the benefits that are claimed to come together with globalization. Some countries remain behind their countries’ boundaries by choice, but many remains behind by sheer inability to cope with world developments. Unfortunately, the so-called gap between the rich and poor manifests not only among individuals, but also among countries. Unfortunately, these poor countries are the ones always plagued with issues and hindrances that make it more difficult for them to globalize. Unfortunately, these poor countries are always left behind. It may be asked, â€Å"how did globalization come about? † Globalization may be a need as many people say. In my opinion, globalization is a product of civilization. The world began kept with boundaries. People in the past have limited view of the word. There is an international anarchy, not in the sense that there is chaos and disorder, but in the sense that there is no central government that governs the whole world. Governments are small and order is limited to very small communities. However, people began to explore and discover. They form larger governments and organize into states. Globalization is just a continuation of this—a manifestation of a search for a more advanced civilization. In fact, there were several claims in the past about the creation of an international government. Even at present, an international legal order is manifest, although loosely due to several conceptual and political hindrances such as sovereignty of states. However, it cannot be denied that countries are now forming unions and organizations and building international institutions such as courts and tribunals to govern conduct. The inquiry is therefore clear. â€Å"Will the world organize into a bigger union? † The irony in this question is that many countries such as Africa has not yet achieved the high level of civilization that many other countries have achieved. By not being highly civilized, I do not mean to say that they are savage, but only that they are left behind in terms in terms of political, economic and technological developments. Theirs are mostly a case of lawlessness and crime. Chaos and disorder prevails dues to poverty, disease and inadequate natural resources that are existing in the country. It is like being back during the period before the existence of social contracts where every man is a man for himself. The main concern is individual survival, not the advancement of civilization. These countries who were left behind have not made themselves as civilized and globalized as others countries have made themselves. How can they cope with the new world order that will be established in case civilization and globalization become more advanced? Going back to the question, the articles answer seems to be no. The pattern that may be observed is not integration, but disintegration. Countries are beginning to disaffiliate from their respective unions and affiliations. The reasons are simple, resources are scarce and countries have to fight over these resources to survive. It is â€Å"Africa† in a larger scale. The thing that prevents countries like Africa from assimilating to a grand globalization scheme will prevent many countries from becoming more politically and socially advanced. Worse, it may cause their social and political system to deteriorate, bringing them back to a path where they have already trodden before. That path is a path towards pre-civilization. Anarchy may return. An era of lawlessness and crime may again plague the world. The world may revert to the period before civilization when there is no social contract. The world may go back to a period where it is every man for himself or every country for itself. The pillars of cooperation, which countries have so painstakingly erected may easily collapse in the middle of poverty, need and competition for scarce resources. This prediction may be exaggerated, but it may happen; and what better way exists to show what may happen, but through an exaggeration. It is again a point of interest at this point the situation in countries like Africa. While Africa and other countries are still struggling to achieve the level of civilization and globalization that exist in the world, other countries are already going through the process of de-globalization and de-civilization. Even in de-globalization and de-civilization, they seem to be unable to keep up. Or is it that other countries are the ones keeping up with them in terms of de-globalization and de-civilization? It is in times like this that one may realize why government and laws are important. There may be wrongs committed in the government and it may limit or even abuse individual rights. However, governments create order. In times of difficulties, governments take charge. Governments are necessary in the development of a healthy and orderly social and political system. Law controls people. It may cause evils, but it also controls evils. Law is essential in governance and civilization.

Where are you going,where have you been Bob Dylan Who is the main Essay

Where are you going,where have you been Bob Dylan Who is the main character ,Connie or Arnold Friend - Essay Example The story revolves around Connie who is the main character. She is a beautiful young girl aged fifteen but self-absorbed. She ends up at odds with her mother and leaves the house without her parents’ knowledge. Arnold is a friend to Connie and works at a nearby restaurant. He is a darker version of somehow otherworldly figure type. While Connie’s parents are at a barbecue dinner elsewhere, Arnold heads to her home to take her out for dinner. Connie is powerless and ultimately cannot defy Arnold’s compulsion. The story took place in 1960s and describes a lot about American life back in those days. Even though at one point, Connie discovers that Arnold is much older than he claims to be, she cannot do anything since there was no one at her rescue. In addition, he scares her to give into her demands by threatening to harm her and her family in case she does otherwise (35). This shows absence of law enforcing bodies that could protect all citizens of the United State s of America. In the story, Carol Oates brings about evocation of Bob Dylan with a meaningful purpose. The presence of richness within the setting of the story creates an improvement towards realizing a stabilized life. Furthermore, Oates brings out wealth in view of depicting a period where Americans were going somewhere, ‘where are you going?’ towards social revolution (54). Connie is also the main character because she is representing all the women in America. It was during this period when the American women were at the forefront of asserting about their rights and their impeding need to end their domination from men. Oates uses Connie as the main character to portray the status of women in America during that period and their concerted efforts of claiming their sexuality in a manner that was never visible in the history of America. The story is at the center of Connie and all what revolves around her life. Oates used

Service Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Service Quality - Essay Example Satisfaction, Loyalty and Retention†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..5 Staff Recruitment, Training and Service Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦6 TQM (total quality management)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.6 Chapter 2†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.7 Methodology†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.7 Chapter 3†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.7 Primary findings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 Chapter 4†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.13 Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.13 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.13 Appendix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..17 Abstract: The hospitality industry is surviving on high quality of services on a reasonable price. The customers are the revenue generators for the business houses and that is the reason they must be provided with the great quality service so they become the loyal customers. For any business empire whether it is small or big, the primary focus is how to retain their existing customers and how to acquire new customers. To retain the existing customers the in-depth understanding of the customer needs is very important. The service quality has become the primary focus of most of the organizations. Mainly for the fast food centers the service qualities are the baseline for the improvement of their performances. The service oriented factors are deeply associated with the loyalty programs (Brooks, 2010). The Service quality gap model gives the perfect picture of the gaps between the service given and service expected. This paper will focus on all the aspects of having good quality services and it will take an attempt to find out the customers perception about the best quality service. Introduction: In the hospitality industry the quality speaks the ultimate word. The hospitality industry is based on the service qualities of the people in the shops or in the restaurants. For many times it has been seen that even after providing the best survives the customers are not satisfied. In these cases the reason behind the dissatisfaction is very important to understand for the fast food centers. The service gap models help the managers to understand the gaps between the service provided and the services wa nted by the customers. However, in the recent time it is better to know the reaction from the mouth of the real time customers. And that is the reason, the primary data collection is very important. in. The primary and secondary data are important to support the outcome of the services related to the customer satisfaction. In regards to this research, the secondary data are collected from many secondary resources like online websites, articles, books and journals related to the customer satisfaction and service quality. And the primary data are colle

Strategic management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic management - Coursework Example The idea involves detailed analysis as well as analytical actions in order to facilitate the organisations to attain their expected business objectives. In strategic management, the analysis of internal as well as external factors of an organisation is considered to be the primary factors (Amason, 2010). Once the internal as well as external factors are determined, then the management of an organisation has to make strong decisions on proper implementation of those factors for sustainable growth of the business (Gregory & et. al., 2005). McDonald’s has been proudly serving to deliver its different products to the customers since the year 1955. Today, McDonald’s is regarded as one of the world’s best fast food retail chain (McDonald’s, 2012). In recent times, the company established its restaurants in around 100 nations. Consequently, it generates huge amount of revenue by performing in the international market with increased expansion of restaurants. It ha s been observed that McDonald’s is operating 33,510 restaurants throughout the world till the end of the year 2011 (McDonald’s Corporation, 2011). The company has been committed to provide the best services to its customers. McDonald’s execute certain significant policies as well as relevant strategies that enable it to expand the size of the business at large (McDonald’s, 2012). The vision statement of the company is to become the world’s top fast food retail chain as well as the best service provider in the similar industry (Scribd Inc., 2012). McDonald’s has proved itself as an integral part of the communities through its social involvement such as organising youth sports, inspiring the society by organising events as well as conducting local charities (McDonald’s, 2012). Moreover, its effective as well as powerful distribution channel enables it to serve quality product to its customers (McDonald’s, 2009). In this paper, Mc Donald’s resources as well as capabilities and its assessment based on the theory of strategic management will be taken into concern. Moreover, the competitive advantage aligning with the company’s core resources and competencies will also be portrayed in the paper. Resources and Capabilities of McDonald’s Organisational resources as well as capabilities are often viewed to be the main factors that are responsible for assisting the organisations to raise their competitive advantages. The core resources of an organisation can be identified as tangible as well as intangible resources. These resources are the major components that develop the organisational strategies. In this similar context, tangible resources represent financial assets, technological means as well as organisational infrastructure. On the other hand, intangible resources signify the aspects relating to human resource, innovation as well as goodwill (Fogleman, n.d.). McDonald’s serves signi ficant portion of customers on regular basis through its several high demand products. The different products of the company are served to near about 119 countries throughout the globe by engaging substantial number of employees. It has been viewed that the company has been preparing effective business strategies for expanding its business in certain parts of South-Asian region. McDonald’