Southwest’s Competititve Advantage

STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT METRICS ASSIGNMENT-1 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CASE STUDY QUESTIONS 1. How does Southwest Airlines get its competitive advantage? 2. How does Southwest Airlines execute its strategy? 1. How does Southwest Airlines get its competitive advantage? Southwest Airlines uses a Cost Leadership Strategy, however most pricing strategists would agree that having a low price does not, in itself, constitute a competitive advantage. In fact, thinking that low prices are always a good strategy for competition is deeply misguided.However, at times, targeting low prices can lead to a strategic focus which delivers tremendous results. Modern competitive strategy will often examine firms from a resource-based view. According to this lens, competitive advantage derives from leveraging an inimitable resource to deliver value at a lower cost than the competitors. Price is a completely imitable resource. Any company can match the prices of its competitor if it so chooses. H ence, arguing that a low price is a strategic resource, or that it leads to a competitive advantage in and of itself, is illogical.Southwest Airlines has used the target pricing and utilized a marketing orientation since its infancy in 1971, even though these concepts were not fully defined back then. First, starting with the customers and the value they sought, Southwest Airlines initial target was customers traveling between cities in Texas, specifically between Dallas and Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, San Antonio and Houston. While Texas is larger than many countries, it isn’t so large that people can’t drive from city to city.Hence initially, the most comparable alternative to Southwest, and therefore its prime competition, wasn’t other airlines. Instead, it was the car. In uncovering the car as the competing alternative, Southwest was able to also identify the target price of its offering. Second, to compete with the car, Southwest Airlines had to price their service relatively similar to the cost of car travel. With this target in mind, they chose $20. While $20 is lower than the government allowable tax deduction for travel, it is also significantly higher than the price of gas alone to drive between these cities.Thus, at this $20 price, Southwest Airlines could be confident that it would capture many of the travelers that would have driven and convert them into short-hop air travelers. Third, the product was redefined to serve customers at this low price profitably. Consider what was removed from air travel and what was included instead. The table below enumerates the key points Points 1 Removed Reduced reservations flexibility: Reservations primarily made directly Southwest Airlines as they eschewed working with travel agents.No connections between airlines: Southwest Airlines would not transfer baggage between flights. Included or Added Simplicity in Pricing: Flat rate of $20 per leg of the journey. Also reduced the cost of pr ice management, as no yield management system was needed initially. Higher convenience in terms of on-time arrivals: With a simplified fight route between lesser used airports, Southwest was able to operate more reliably. Higher convenience in flight frequency: With point to point flights, Southwest could offer service between Houston and Dallas with the same plane roughly every 2. hours. 2 3 No long-haul flights: Southwest Airlines customers could only take Southwest between a city-pair, not across the country or even across state lines initially. This greatly reduced cost of compliance with CAB rulings, as Southwest’s operations were not subject to interstate commerce rulings. 4 No in-flight meals: Southwest Airlines only offered peanuts and beverages. Fun: Friendly flight attendants provided jokes, costumes, and made flying comfortable with warm and caring service. Faster boarding times leading to faster flight turnarounds.More seats: With one class of service, Southwest A irlines could put 137 seats in a 737 versus 128 in a United Airlines 737. 5 6 No seat assignments: First come, first seated. No first class: One-class service. 7 Does not fly into major airports: or uses Use of underutilized airports that are less major airports concentrates on point close to metropolitan cities: reduced to point connections costs, punctuality Use of multiple aircraft types Frequent flyer program does not use miles earned Uses fuel efficient 737s: reduces maintenance and training costs Based on number of trips flown: reduced operating costs 9 From this list, we see a number of items which an airline would usually use to define superior value removed from Southwest Airlines offer. A Southwest customer couldn’t be treated to first class, couldn’t get food, couldn’t book them as part of a larger trip, couldn’t book with them through an agent, and couldn’t even preselect their seat. All of these features were exactly what defined a com petitive airline at the time. And, all of these features added cost.Instead, Southwest Airlines selected a specific target customer — a Texan traveling between cities in Texas — and then determined what it would take to satisfy that customer. ? ? ? That customer was far more interested in travel efficiency than travel class. That customer would be glad to forgo a meal, especially in exchange for a friendly flight attendant and a Dr. Pepper. That customer was trading off driving for flying, and needed flexibility in booking rather than navigating through the decisions and planning related to yield management.This service described does not meet the wants of every customer that could have flown Southwest Airlines, but it does describe those of the target customer. And, given the choice of mediocrely satisfying everyone at a high cost or highly satisfying a select few at a low but profitable price, Southwest Airlines rightly chose the latter. As a result of tightly defini ng the value sought by customers (efficient and flexible travel), and the price ($20), Southwest was able to meet the needs and surpass the expectations of their target customer.Moreover, it was able to do this at a significantly lower cost than a standard airline. So can low prices deliver a competitive advantage? NO, not alone. But target pricing, where the price and benefits demanded by customer leads to a strategic focus that drives a redefinition of the product and service, can deliver a winning competitive advantage. One where a customer need is met at a cost below the price the target market is willing to pay. BALANCED SCORECARD FOR SWA 2. How does Southwest Airlines execute its strategy?Southwest Airlines is probably one of the most striking examples of a company that (a) Defined a very clear and simple key business purpose, (b) Chose the right business model to support the business purpose, and (c) Consistently demonstrates the core values and behaviors derived from that ke y business purpose. The brand promise of Southwest Airlines is: ‘Dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit'.Every single employee of the company is aligned with this brand promise and in spite of the current economic turmoil in the airline industrySouthwest's performance isamong the best in the industry. Staff morale is exceptionally high. In 1971, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher started an airline service with one simple notion: â€Å"If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline†.Southwest currently has the lowest operating-cost structure in the US domestic airline industry and consistently offers the lowest and most of all simplest fares. Southwest holds the best cumulative customer satisfaction record for the past 18 years. In December 2008, the airline had 35,499 employees and generated total operating revenues of $11 billion (2007 = $ 9. 8 billion, 2001 = $ 5. 3 billion) from a passenger load factor of 71. 2% with a fleet of 537 Boeing 737’s.Its stock exchange symbol is ‘LUV’, representing Southwest’s home at Dallas Love Field, as well as the theme of its employee and customer relationships. The major success to their continued success seems due to their low-cost model and competitors being aware that they cannot match Southwest Airlines’ low prices. Southwest Airlines has the reputation of being able to force a competitor into bankruptcy. It is believed, however, that it was not just the choice of its business model that made Southwest Airlines such a successful company; it is the way they execute their business model through perfect strategic alignment.Southwest Airlines succeeded in defining a very simple yet clear key business purpose; the fact that they aim for being â€Å"the only short haul, low fare, high frequency, point-to-point carrier in America† leaves very little room for interpretation. What makes Southwest Airlines’ key business purpose such a powerful one however, is not just the very clear definition of their ‘raison d’ etre’, but certainly also what the company and its leaders do with it.Their simple but effective key business purpose is the main guiding principle for Southwest Airlines’ strategic goals, business strategy, organizational infrastructure, and last – but certainly not least – their company culture. The organization of Southwest Airlines is best described as an upside-down pyramid – an organization very much in line with the way they want to do business. The upper management is at the bottom and supports the front line employees, who are the experts.Front line employees play a major role in the yearly business planning and operational budget which for a great part is done bottom-up rather than top-down. This is the fruit of co-founder Herb Kelleher's unorthodox leadership style, in which management decisions are made by everyone in the organization, not just the head executives. The company does not put much emphasis on structure; instead, employees are encouraged to think freely without constraints such as titles or official mandates. The reason for Southwest Airline's success is due to their clear key business purpose and core values, and due to the way in hich they consistently execute their business model (a combination of ‘disruptive innovation’ and ‘customer intimacy’) in line with their key business purpose and core values. ? ? ? The Southwest Airlines fleet consists solely of Boeing 737s It offers only economy seats (there is no business or first class). Southwest Airlines also do not offer in-flight meals, only peanuts and other snacks. Southwest is simple and direct at the goal of their service ; â€Å"A primarily short-haul airline that flies directly from city to city, with just one type of plane – the Boeing 737 – and the lowest costs†.With a simple goal, Southwest has excised many of the ‘luxuries’ that competitors offer, such as luxury seats; this is made evident by their decision to enforce a rule for passengers who cannot fit into the seats to purchase an additional seat. This rather unpopular move – whereas other airlines would have suggested a more luxury class seat – is simple in its purpose – get passengers from point A to point B with a minimum of frills, but with a friendly smile and great personal service.While Southwest Airlines offer no frills, they do meet and exceed customer expectations when it comes to personal service. They base their model on the motto â€Å"If employees are happy, satisfied, dedicated, and energetic, they'll take real good care of the customers. When the customers are happy, the y come back. And that makes the shareholders happy†. Southwest invests in very good relations with all their employees. Employees are either of independent labor unions or have flexible contracts which allow employees to work longer hours (adapting the business model to the key business purpose)

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Different Types of Investment Essay

Checking Account Basic – In this type of account, one is presented less services and low cost. The disadvantage of this type of account is that banks usually do not pay interests. Moreover, if used excessively, the owner of the basic checking account may pay additional charges (â€Å"Types of Accounts Typically Offered by Banks,† 2008). Interest Bearing – compared to the basic checking account, the interest bearing account is broader in terms of services and cost. Interest bearing accounts offer unlimited number of checks. Negotiable Order of Withdrawal (NOW), a type of interest bearing account, offers interest depending on how large the money a person has deposited in the bank   (â€Å"Types of Accounts Typically Offered by Banks,† 2008). Money Market Account The money market account is a savings account that is protected by the federal government. This is the most liquid and safe account, but it offers low interests. In this type of account, a person’s money is invested in a short-term debt. Examples of short-term debts are commercial paper and treasury bills. Commercial papers are unsecured commitment that is given by banks to back up their needs such as accounts receivable and inventory.   Money market accounts also give higher interests than interest bearing checking accounts (â€Å"Types of Accounts Typically Offered by Banks,† 2008). This type of account is given a number of checks. If an account of this type fails to maintain a minimum balance the bank will enforce a service charge (â€Å"Types of Accounts Typically Offered by Banks,† 2008). Savings Account The savings account is the most basic type of investment. In this type of investment, one is eligible to withdraw and deposit money in the bank but one cannot use checks to transact with the bank. Banks usually give higher interests in this type of account than checking account, but it is much lower than certificate of deposit and money market accounts. The bank also charges the depositor a certain amount if the balance falls from its required minimum. This type of investment usually uses passbooks to record each and every transaction (â€Å"Types of Accounts Typically Offered by Banks,† 2008). Certificate of Deposit Also known as Time deposit, the owner of a certificate of deposit agrees with the bank to hold his or her money for specified amount of time. The longer the duration specified in this type of account, the bigger the interest it will get. However, the owner of this type of account cannot withdraw the money until the end of the specified duration. Once he or she withdraws the money when the duration is still not finished, the bank will penalize him or her. If one cannot live without his or her money then it is best not to enter this type of account (â€Å"Types of Accounts Typically Offered by Banks,† 2008). Analysis of the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Various Types of Accounts In checking account, one disadvantage is that the interest given is very little compared to other accounts. Nevertheless, the advantage of this is that one can use check whenever he or she needs money. One disadvantage of a savings account is that one cannot use the money in his or her account whenever he or she needs money by accident. However, the advantage of this account is that the owners can monitor their money through their passbook. The advantage of the money market account is that it gives a higher rate of interest compared to checking account. However, the disadvantage of this is that it requires a high minimum balance. In the case of the certificate of deposit, its advantage is that it gives a higher interest rate compared to the three other types of account. However, the downside of this account is that one cannot withdraw his or her money until the specified time agreed by him or her and the bank. Considering the advantages and drawbacks of the aforementioned accounts, I can say that the certificate of deposit, otherwise known as the time deposit, is the best investment to choose. We invest our money to get big money. Hence, we should aim for the highest interest as it means higher profit for us. Given the formula for compounded interest, we can actually estimate the money that will be accumulated when we invest $1,000 dollars in a certificate of deposit: A = P(1 + r/m)mt Where A = accumulated amount at the end of conversion period, P is the principal amount, r is the normal interest rate per year, m number of conversion period per year, and t is the term or the number of years (â€Å"Exponents, Logarithms, and Applications to Compound Interest,† n.d.). Whatever the number of conversions per year, if the rate and the number of terms are increasing, then the accumulated amount will always be higher in certificate of deposit (CD). As we are only given a certain amount of money, the only thing that we have is the time. As long as the money stays in the bank and is accumulating interest, then it will still profit. That is why the CD is the best account to invest your money with.

Sex and Violence in Popular Culture Research Paper - 1

Sex and Violence in Popular Culture - Research Paper Example Sex is usually equaled to gender as they are interchangeably used in everyday conversations. In reality, sex and gender are different. The former relates to physiological characteristic as the latter is a social concept. Sex is also an act that shows physical contact for procreation. Gender depends upon sets of social norms affected by culture and tradition that set apart males from females (Wilson 1-2). The other term to define is violence. Violence responds to conflict as harm is afflicted physically, emotionally or mentally on other people as a result of human action. Violence includes social injustices such as racism and poverty (Daoust 290). Both of them are linked to popular culture. Popular culture deals with the everyday living of people as the theme reflects the lives of the common people (Browne 5). The study deals with the negative effects of the prevailing images shown by the popular culture to the increasing cases of sex and violence as the two societal problems occur in the recent years in response to what the majority people believe. As people throughout their lives seek for learning about the world and its meanings, interactions happen as the humans in the society share experiences. People have roles to play in their lives as the society dictates as standards and acceptable behavior. The roles do not have strict and rigid boundaries as people can have various roles that show flexibility. People can take charge of their lives and choose particular roles to play. Play is important in socialization and building of the personalities of people as personalities affect the roles that people play. In terms of personality traits, the gender is also affected. Nowadays the availability of television programs and video games are widely used by people for information and relaxation. Such popular media affect the roles of women as the

The Relationship Between Authoritarian Rules and Economic Growth in Essay

The Relationship Between Authoritarian Rules and Economic Growth in Russia and China - Essay Example On the other hand, Russia’s incoherent ideological range tries to mix statism, market liberalism, and its ethnocentrism, which might further be compounded by weak elite commitment, unlikely to change because of deeply entrenched weak institutions and patron-client relationships. Whether authoritarian communism would one day result in a credible option to capital tolerant democracy depends on the regime’s ability or its failure to develop a clear mission and a unique self image in the form of discrete regime ideology to lead its foreign policies and development paths (Fuh-sheng 378). Democratization weakens authoritarianism through presenting a clear alternative. Quick economic development in China shows that democracy could deliver the economic and social outcomes desired by a majority of citizens. Presently, china contradicts much of the relationship between democratization and economic development. A measure of democracy is realized in China’s small social unit that is the humble village. The democratization was approved by the communist party of in an attempt to improve the political rule of the vast number of villages in the country. The poor villagers seem to move from rural to urban centers and therefore have limited interest in improving the villages’ governance. Conversely, many rich villages are run smoothly, giving a good reason such as not paying taxation so that they can continue supporting incumbents (Fuh-sheng 379). This means that village democratization is uneven and mostly concentrated in the middle class villages. Collective economy has only grown in these villages at the same time with democratization. The two support each other and also are a central role in village autonomy. It is thus logical to argue that both China’s limitation of democracy and the general insufficiency of democracy confound the relationship between democratization and economic growth. Communism emphasizes on class struggle, vanguard pa rty, and elimination of private property. The prospects of democratization for idealists include pressure for change in the local scene and in international norms, economic development, and liberalization felt by citizens as leaders promise some hope in the future although there is no firm schedule followed. On the other hand, pessimists argue that economic growth strengthens dictatorship and therefore political liberalization is limited. To pessimists, democracy is not the only option, and this is the reason why the Russian public is disillusioned with democracy. The views of democratization are important for the quest for liberty and freedom by the citizens of China and Russia (Wong 154). Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, this country has 5recognized only one form of regime; Mao’s comparatively conventional communism, which emphasized on class struggle and isolation. During post-communism or after the death of Mao, Deng Xiaoping came up with a mar ket-based communism which had Chinese characteristics. Several significant differences are stemming up between Deng’s and Mao’s economic systems after Mao refused to implement the kind of capitalism that were permitted by Deng in his later years, yet it is thriving China. Both the authoritarian rulers

Overview of the conflicts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Overview of the conflicts - Essay Example s necessary to have a clear understanding of both of their arguments and the possible solutions they put forward, to recognize the actual reason of the conflict. Chua begins her essay by explaining how Aunt Leona, her father’s twin sister who was murdered by her driver in Philippines and how no action was taken by the Philippines police because her aunt was Chinese. This was nothing shocking for the people as hundreds of Chinese in Philippines were kidnapped every year and brutally murdered by the Ethnic Filipinos. . The minority Chinese dominated the whole of industry and commerce in the country whereas all menial jobs were done by the Filipinos. Chua cites this example to show how the market-dominated minority of Chinese are despised and taken revenge by the majority of Filipinos and how the government supports it. For Chua, the conflict lies in the relationship among three factors- markets, democracy and ethnic hatred. She believes that Americans today are perceived as the world’s market- dominant minority and this has obviously resulted in the September 11 World Trade Center episode. According to her, the global spread of m arkets and democracy is the major reason for group hatred and ethnic violence throughout the Non- Western world. This results in three kinds of violence: a) violence against markets that target the market dominant minorities’ wealth, b) attack against democracy by forces favorable to the market dominant minority, and c) violence directed against the market dominant minority itself .Thus she considers the working of market dominant minority against the wishes of the impoverished majority as the major factor behind the conflict and possible changes in the prevalent system can bring about a difference. Huntington, on the other hand, believes that the fundamental source of conflict is not primarily ideological or economic but cultural. Clashes occur when people divide themselves based on their common cultural identity such as language,

Picturesqueness or Expressionism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Picturesqueness or Expressionism - Essay Example The essay "Picturesqueness or Expressionism" analyzes expressionism style and Robert Venturi. Venturi implies that the designs should not be taken literally from the styles of the past. He has been a controversial critic of the works in the past. Actually, his style somehow meant to significantly include the architectural history and collaborate it to come up with a modern piece. His architectures seemed to be different from the normal styles and are hard for the people to understand. Indeed, architecture for him is a simple art and does not always have to look good just like how he promotes the oppositions of the elements hybrid, compromising and distorted. Expressing his art through writings gives many ideas regarding various architectural designs. In addition to, his writings made him say what he perceives about how styles should be in his own taste regardless of the common styles. He describes a lot about complexity and contradiction, as well as picturesqueness. However, these te rms somehow lead to confusion and thus needs further clarification according to what his book says. According to Venturi, â€Å"I like elements which are hybrid rather than 'pure,' compromising rather than 'clean,' distorted rather than 'straightforward,' conventional rather than 'designed’.† It means that his idea of architecture falls under a messy way of expressing the styles and designs. As mentioned, people are having difficulties with his styles and his buildings do not reflect the styles of the past.

Nagarjuna's Concept of Emptiness versus Buddhist Philosophical Essay

Nagarjuna's Concept of Emptiness versus Buddhist Philosophical Teaching - Essay Example The beliefs of emptiness is not just an ultimate error but the foundation for attachments that humans have, besides this, it is responsible for the adhering to and development of numerous prejudices. On the other hand, Buddhist philosophical teaching has narrations which are a style of representing a topic and not its theme; this is the core of Buddhist art. The representation becomes a narrative when its representation unfolds as a chain of events or at times it becomes a story that consists of various episodes; the representation revolves around an action that progress into time and later into space. Nagarjuna's concept of emptiness has the notion of intrinsic and independent existence that is often incompatible with causation because causation signifies contingency and dependence; therefore, something that poses independence is usually immutable and self-enclosed. Everything is composed of events that are dependently related and have phenomena that are continuous interacting with an essence that is not fixed or immutable hence they have a relation that is constantly changing. Both occasions and possessions are bare and do not possess permanent essence, realities that are intrinsic or an absolute being that make them afford impartiality. Infirmity takes place when there is grasping of autonomous existence; this eventually leads to a series of actions that are destructive, sufferings, and reactions. In addition to this, the theory of Nagarjuna emptiness has profound ethical and psychological implications (Olson, 45). For instance, ideologies responsible for dividing humanity come from the tendency of people to perceive things to be inherently divided and disconnected; this misconception brings about the belief that the divisions are essentially independent and self-existent. On the other hand, Buddhism narration involved ancient classics and the story and all related action unfolds out of disclosure; they often evolve from a chain of stories that are not linke d together. Discourse and introduction of the story initiates moral in the story and supports it, same applies to the other story and the other except for the case of visual narration which is somewhat different. In visual narration, moral is deducted but does not come at the beginning of the narration; likewise, it has the discourse technique but it is not on the ground to take off. The narrator is required to be precise when selecting episodes that are able to reveal the whole story; moreover, the narrator has to know how to portray actors, represent spaces in the story and shape the time during which the story unfolds (Edelglass, 602). Literary narratives have stories that manipulate time and space; for instance, in a sentence that talks about two people who met in France after five years and they both had grown beards has time and space appearing in the narrative body. It is said that in one of his first sermons, the Buddha made a prescription of a middle path between the charac ters of self indulgence and self mortification, stating that there had to be a balance between the two. Nagarjuna, who came in a later period, made a citation of the same but while this was the case, he went even further by stating that there was a middle way between existence and non-existence and also between what is permanent and what is not. According to this philosopher, the development of ignorance among individuals tends to be the source of all the suffering that they

Connectionists Modelling in Letter and Words Recognition Essay

Connectionists Modelling in Letter and Words Recognition - Essay Example These simple units can represent neuron and the connections can represent synapse in the neural network. Biological Activism: Neural network of connectionist modeling suggests that the study of mental activity is the study of neural systems. This links connectionism to neuroscience, and models involve varying degrees of biological realism. The biological aspects of natural neural systems are incorporated in connectionist model for better understanding / biological reality. Learning: Learning is an important aspect of connectionist modelling. Many sophisticated learning procedures for neural networks have evolved, modifying the connection weights. Mathematical formulas are used to determine the change in weights when given sets of data consisting of activation vectors for some subset of the neural units. Parallel Distributed Processing: It is a neural network approach emphasizing the parallel nature of neural processing and the distributed nature of neural representations. It provides a general mathematical framework for researchers to operate in. The framework involved eight major aspects: These aspects are now the foundation for almost all connectionist models. It is assumed that all cognitive processes are explained by neural firing and communication. According to this view there is no room for rational thinking or emotion. Discovery of methods for training multilayer networks is the ... 'Activation rule for combining inputs to a unit to determine its new activation'- represented by a function on the current activation and propagation. 'Learning rule for modifying connections based on experience'- represented by a change in the weights based on any number of variables. 'Environment which provides the system with experience'- represented by sets of activation vectors for some subset of the units. These aspects are now the foundation for almost all connectionist models. It is assumed that all cognitive processes are explained by neural firing and communication. According to this view there is no room for rational thinking or emotion. Discovery of methods for training multilayer networks is the major turning point in connectionist modeling. With this discovery, connectionist models not only have the computational power to answer those questions interesting to cognitive science, but also have a method of learning how to answer those questions. Thus, there is an explicit distinction between network architectures and the learning rules used to train them within new connectionism. By understanding the different types of architectures and learning rules, researchers are in a position to choose the appropriate type of network to solve specific problems. For example, if one wanted to solve a pattern recognition problem that was linearly separable, then an integration device network would be appropriate. If the problem was linearly inseparable, however, then the value unit architecture would be more appropriate. Advantages of Connectionist modeling: Connectionist modelling engage in "low level" modeling, trying to ensure that their models resemble neurological structures. Connectionist modelling focus on

Hitler's Table Talk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hitler's Table Talk - Essay Example What I noticed is that the so-called words of Hitler are filled with self-centered ideas and hatred for almost everyone. His perspective on people, nations and resources is organized around the question of how they are potentially useful and controllable by him. It is the aim of this paper to demonstrate this, based on the alleged attitudes of Hitler, as found in Hitler’s Table Talk. I will argue that the controversy about whether or not he said particular phrases or words about Christianity is a distraction from the much more important issue of the hatred in his heart, and the hatred with which he chose to surround himself. This is what I see as the main message of Hitler’s Table Talk. The controversy about whether Hitler was a Christian has exposed some information about Hitler’s Table Talk. There were only two copies of his talks and they were both edited by a man named Martin Bormann. Bormann was an active anti-Catholic, and much of his activism was behind Hitler’s back (Walker). Since the strong anti-Christian attitudes expressed in Hitler’s Table Talk are not found in any other examples of Hitler’s speeches and writings, and since Luther was one of Hitler’s most respected role models, it is probable that Bormann’s editing reflected Bormann’s own anti-Catholic bias (Walker). Other contamination of Hitler’s Table Talk came from translation. The English translation is based on the French translation, by Geroud (Walker). Geroud put a lot of things into the translation that were not in the original manuscript. An historian, named |David Irving, examined a copy of the complete manuscript of another document, Hitler’s Last Testament, which was said to be a part of the table-talk. Irving saw it was typed, and found out that someone had added a whole lot of things in handwriting. When confronted by Irving, Geroud confessed that the handwriting was his and that the typescript was also his own invention. Geroud told

GIS analysis of access to greenspace Literature review

GIS analysis of access to greenspace - Literature review Example Cultural and historic resources also form part of green space in some cultures. Green space plays a vital role in the nation’s landscape encompassing among others, development patterns, economy, culture and the well-being of the populace (Van Herzele 2003, p. 111). In addition, green space is crucial as it absorbs and expels pollutants from the environment, by acting as an urban heat sink thereby protecting urban biodiversity. As agricultural pressures on land increase through greater demands for land, green spaces are slowly becoming depleted (Forman 2005, p. 38). However, as development becomes a key priority, more land that was previously set aside for agricultural purposes is being developed into residential or institution areas (Van 2007, p. 18). This has led to scarcity of green space, and access to the available few is hampered by the prospect of development. Access to green space is of paramount importance because of the unique contribution of green spaces to the quali ty of life. For instance, green spaces allow for relaxation, way from the daily stresses of urban life such as hectic work schedules and traffic. Moreover, green spaces offer immense recreational opportunities like individual exercise and organised sports. Spending time in urban green spaces offers reprieve to urban dwellers. However, because of increasing urbanisation and access to green space and spatial planning policies with regard to densification, more urban dwellers face the prospect of living in areas with few or no green space resources. Governments and individual municipalities set up clear guidelines for access to green space (Smith, Poulos and Kim 2002, p. 123). The Green Belt is a policy for managing urban growth in the UK. The policy guidelines provide concise guidelines on urban planning, which entail allocation of specific areas to urban green spaces. The Town and County Planning Act established in 1947 allows local authorities in UK mucipalities to include guideline s of the green belt in their development plans. The two acts are appreciative of the need to protect land areas designated as urban green spaces. GIS provides an environment for analysing accessibility to green space and for modelling the impacts of potential changes to green space provision and their subsequent impacts (Liu and Zhu 2004, p. 119). GIS analysis can be used to assess the accessibility of urban green spaces by selecting and quantifying factors that affect green space and constructing functions to determine the accessibility indicator (Ai) (Comber 2009, p. 109). A SPOT imagery of an urban environment provides sufficient data used to determine green space accessibility dwellers. The earlier mentioned state and county guidelines allow for division of land portions into regular grids of at least 500 meters to determine the capacity and chance of area inhabitants accessing green spaces within the area. For each green space viewed in the SPOT imagery, the resistance factors for each grid of land accessing the green space are calculated. Resistance factors refer to aspects that affect or limit access to green space. These factors include attraction to green space, population distribution, traffic patterns and pattern of land use in the area (Ritsema and De 2003, p. 84). The entire urban green space

Energy Summary Essay Example for Free

Energy Summary Essay There are many energy sources that have been described in the recent past as being clean but the truth is that no energy source is clean as many claim. The variation of the energy sources is in their advantages and disadvantages (Raven, 2010). Whereas the disadvantages of energy source include cost, hazard potential and environmental damage, the advantages include energy safety, availability, versatility and density. Examples of energy sources include fossil fuels, solar energy, nuclear, hydropower and hydrogen fuel among others. Fossil fuels according to Raven (2009, p. 233) which is defined as â€Å"Combustible deposits in the Earth’s crust, composed of the remnants (fossil) of prehistoric organisms that existed millions of years ago†, comprise of natural gas, petroleum (oil) and coal. Of the all the energy sources used in the North America 80% is fossil fuels namely oil natural gas and coal. The energy source is nonrenewable in limited supply which is depleted by use. The natural processes responsible for the formation of fossil fuels are still in progress but it takes million of years to get substantial quantity of the energy which do not keep pace with its use. In addition the fossil fuel is only found in two continents: South America and Africa and it are only a few countries in the continents which have the fossil fuel resources. Due to the fact that most of the fossil fuels are found in developing countries, there is lack of capital to extract the resources. Hence there is need to switch to other forms of energy to provide the needed energy that has been on rise. Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel worldwide and it is found mainly in Russia, India, United States, South Africa, Germany, Australia and China which are on the northern hemisphere (Raven, 2010). The mining of coal has serious environmental impact on the environment. Environmental impact associated with the mining of coal include large open trenches and pits; exposed high cliffs of rocks; toxic and acid drainage; pollution of water bodies as well as soil erosion. Such impacts pose serious risk to human and biodiversity lives as they can lead to landslide, intoxication, habitat destruction among others. Burning of coal also affects the water and air quality which leads to sooty fallout, ocean acidification and climate change. Burning of coal which contains mercury releases the substance into the atmosphere and then to water and land thereby harm both man and wildlife. Oil and natural gas which has increasingly become important since 1930s provides about 70% of the world’s energy. It is more preferable than coal because it is cleaner, more versatile and easier to transport than coal. The environmental problems associated with the natural gas and oil is with regard to their combustion, production and transportation. Combustion of the fossil fuels emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which insulates the planet which prevents radiation of the heat back into the space hence global warming. Their transportation has also led to oil spill which affected economies of the many regions. The spill like the recent Gulf coast oil spill also threatens wildlife (Raven, 2010). Nuclear is another source of energy that produces 100000 times more energy per atom in nuclear reaction, than the energy available in a chemical bond between two atoms. The energy is mainly derived from uranium which is a non renewable source. Nuclear energy does not direct impact on the environment as other energy sources do but it generates radioactive waste like spent fuel (Raven, 2010). Other wastes include gases in the reactor and radioactive coolant fluids. The radioactive wastes and the spent fuel are dangerous because they are highly radioactive there by posing serious heal and environmental risks to man and the environment in general. Proper storage and measures of disposal are very fundamental to reduce such dangers. Nuclear energy also contributes to environmental pollution indirectly (Raven, 2010). From the time uranium is mined, processed and disposed, good quantity of both diesel and gasoline is used which contribute pollute the environment directly. Some wastes which result from nuclear reactions like strontium-90, krypton-85 and cesium-137 have half-life of between 30 to 90 years and will take between 300 to 600 years before they decay to a level where they are safe. On the other hand there are high-level radioactive liquid wastes which are unstable and not easy to monitor thereby making them very dangerous. Such wastes are first converted to solid state before being stored (Raven, 2010). Nuclear and utility executives have come up with a plan to promote nuclear energy and to put in place a strategy that will address the economic and safety issues associated with nuclear power. This includes a plan to build nuclear reactors that will be 10 times safer than the ones currently in use. There other energy sources which are renewable and they include solar energy, biomass energy, wind energy, hydropower, geothermal energy and tidal energy. Solar energy is derived from the sun and is perpetually available as opposed to other energy sources like uranium deposits, oil and coal which are found some particular areas (Raven, 2010). We can only run short of the solar energy when the nuclear fire of the sun burns out. Solar energy is derived when the sun’s energy is absorbed by collection device such as a plate of black metal or a panel. The unique property of the sun light, whereby it passes through transparent objects but once it hits an object it releases invisible waves of heat called infrared radiation which cannot penetrate glass, allows solar energy to heat water bodies, building and other objects. Systems have been developed and used in the industrial and building processes where solar energy is concentrated to heat liquids. Direct solar energy has been used to generate electricity by use of photovoltaic solar cells which produce electricity to the tune of 13000 MW globally. In other places well structured systems are used to generate solar thermal electric generation electricity. Energy is also derived from the sun indirectly for instance, burning of the biomass which includes organic matter like wood releases energy stored in plants during photosynthesis (Raven, 2010). Wind energy got from the wind by the use of wind turbines or windmills to generate electricity or mechanical energy is also a type of renewable energy. Streams and rivers are also dammed in order to generate hydroelectricity. The energy exists in the water because it is the energy from the sun that drives the hydrological cycles. Biomass as a source of energy is very important because it lowers the rate at which we depend on the fossil fuel and since the energy is also derived from wastes it reduces the problem of waste disposal (Raven, 2010). However, when the balance shift from food production to biomass energy production, then the food prices is likely to go up which is disadvantageous. Other sources of renewable energy are tidal energy and geothermal energy derived from changes in water level and naturally occurring heat respectively. In conclusion, the requirement of energy increases day by day therefore effort need to be put in energy conservation and development of technologies of alternative energy sources which requires less energy. It should also be the responsibility of every person and every household to economically use the available energy sources responsible so as to enhance energy savings (Light, 2003). References Light, A. (2003). Environmental Ethics: An Anthology, 1e. Retrieved 19 May 2010 from: https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/DownloadList. aspx? assetMetaId=871324e1-b1c6-4d2d-85d0-de1f7aaf570eassetDataId=d5e53d69-8288-4946-9a9b-69a18044be6a Raven, P. (2010). Environment 7e. Retrieved 19 May 2010 from: https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/DownloadList. aspx? assetMetaId=568808a6-a4f4-4b79-ac9c-845c0188b75aassetDataId=68c16029-cca8-4bdd-8119-68f43458e29e

History Of Why Learn Japanese English Language Essay

History Of Why Learn Japanese English Language Essay In todays world where so many activities, both national and personal, occur on a global scale, the study of a language in school and beyond develops the students intercultural competence. It enables them to enter into a challenging intercultural exchange to broaden their perspective, to deepen their capacity to understand and ultimately to deal with the unfamiliar and the unexpected. With over 130 million native speakers and a growing number of non-native speakers, Japanese is the 10th most spoken. Many believe that mastering the Japanese language is the key to engaging with the country. For students who have never been exposed to non-Western cultures, the study of Japanese opens the door to Asia. For students, it is a venue in which to understand their cultural heritage. Japan has the 2nd largest economy in the world. Just by learning Japanese can bring you many business opportunities. A key in winning their business might be being able to communicate with potential customers in their own language. Understanding the Japanese work ethic, their business etiquette, and knowing which cultural faux pas to avoid can often make or break an important business deal. Also to get a better understanding of the Asian market. In addition, when learning Japanese, you become not only proficient in the language but also gain an insider view of the culture. There is an explosion of the many cultural exports that can be found in Japan. From anime to food, karaoke to kimonos, Japanese culture is rich with both contemporary and traditional cultural ways. This unique culture determines the way they interact, react and behave in their daily lives. A knowledge of the language will give you direct access to Japanese film, animations, and comic books, give you insight into the special terminology used in your favourite martial art, and develop your ability to order sashimi like a native at your favourite Japanese restaurant! In addition to what they learn of the language and culture, they will also acquire basic language learning strategies, higher thinking skills, and broader perspectives from their Japanese studies. The benefits for students of learning Japanese can be considered in both the short term and the long term. In the short term, students can look forward to unique activities relating to a completely different culture from their own. They can enjoy fun activities in class, or even hosting a Japanese exchange student. There is always the motivation and pleasure of learning something new and different in Japanese. Furthermore, learning any foreign language, especially Japanese, teaches a student new learning skills, such as ways to increase concentration, memorization, and listening. Studies have shown that these new cognitive skills often improve students performance in other subjects as well. Finally, learning such a unique and special language often gives children a sense of self-confidence and pride they may not have had before. In the long term, a student learns many other important things through the study of Japanese. The value of persistence and respect for other cultures are two of the most important long-term benefits. Learning any foreign language, especially one as different from English as Japanese, helps one to look more critically at ones native language and understand it at a deeper level. Similarly, because it leads to the acquisition of critical communication skills, learning one foreign language is often a jumping-off point for people to learn other languages within their lifetime. Opportunity is possibly the most important long-term benefit of learning Japanese. A child can make lifelong friends and increase his or her opportunity to see Japan in a way most others cannot. In the global community we now live in, having the ability to speak Japanese not only opens doors in higher education and in employment in Japan-related fields, but shows employers that one is intelligent, unique, and globally conscious. The newest opportunity that has arisen for students of Japanese is, of course, a chance to get ahead in college through AP Japanese. In todays competitive collegiate environment, having taken AP courses and passed AP Exams can be a big help in getting into a better college or university. Most colleges and universities treat having passed an AP Exam as college credit, a policy that lightens students course loads and allows them to concentrate on other courses, earn double majors, or simply graduate in less time. Studying Japanese means learning a language that is so different from English that it will make you rethink your most basic assumptions about the way language works. It means learning to conjugate your verbs according not just to tense but also to politeness. It means getting used to the idea that adjectives can have a past tense. It means doing without plurals, choosing among dozens of different words for I, and learning to wait for the verb until the very end of the sentence. Japanese is difficult in ways that European languages are not, but it is also surprisingly easy in ways that they can be difficult. There is no subjunctive mood to worry about, no grammatical gender, no definite or indefinite articles, and no complex conjugations according to person. It is also extremely easy to pronounce Japanese. The Japanese language has a number of dialects, some of which are mutually unintelligible. Thanks to the development of mass communications and the governments directive to establish a common language, however, most people now speak a common tongue. Learning Japanese can and will open many door for you in the future. You just have try your best and have a goal and strive towards it.

Analyze The Character Of Tess As A Pure Woman Or A Fallen Woman

Analyze The Character Of Tess As A Pure Woman Or A Fallen Woman INTRODUCTION The aim of this paper is to analyze the character of Tess as a pure woman or a fallen woman in Thomas Hardys novel Tess of the DUrbervilles (1891)by describing Tess as a pure woman and comparing to a Bero2010-10-17T18:00:00 Redundant, unless you specifically state which aspects of her character you intend to analyze and what type of method you propose. is it possible to return to this part of introduction at a later time? I would like to specify it but still don`t know what to add. Bero2010-10-17T18:00:00 Ok, leave it for later By presenting Tess as a pure woman Hardy criticises Victorian notions of female purity. The nineteenth-century society treated women as second class citizens. Although they did have certain legal rights, those were not respected in real life. The prime role of women was to produce children and to be good wives; women learnt to play the piano, to sing, to wear dresses etc. Women were forced to live in a state of perpetual childhood depending on the male family member. Contrary to nineteenth-century notions of women, Hardy portrays Tess as an independent heroine. Furthermore, in redefining the role of women Hardy focuses on sexuality. Tess of DUrbervilles is regarded as Hardys tragic masterpiece, subtitled A Pure Woman, first published in 1891 after being rejected by two publishers. It is a story of a country girl who is first presented as an innocent girl but turns into a tragic heroine. From Hardys point of view, Tess in not responsible for what she has done. She is a victim of a series of misfortunes which slowly destroy her personality. The novel is written in seven chapters; each chapter representing a phase of Tesss life after which Tess becomes more mature. With the life as series of tragedies, Tess refuses to remain a victim and struggles through life. In the nineteenth-century society, there were two types of women: Fallen women and Good women i.e. pure women. Good women were seen as pure and clean i.e. virgins until the marriage. And their bodies were seen as temples that should not be used for pleasure. Their role was to have children and take care of the house. Any woman who did not fulfil these expectations was seen as a fallen one. Is Tess a pure woman? Or is she a fallen one? While the Victorian society regarded Tess as a fallen woman, Hardy seems to be representing her as a pure woman. She seems to be a victim and femme fatale at the same time. Answers to these and similar questions are the aim of this paper. 1. WOMEN AND SOCIETY IN THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY ENGLAND Britain had lost its most important American colonies in the eighteenth-century during the American war of independence (fought between 1775 and 1783) and when the nineteenth-century began, the country was at a brink of war with France. Under such circumstances, no one would have expected Britain to control the biggest empire the world had ever seen after the end of the century. This empire included Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, India, large parts of Africa and some smaller areas and islands (such as those in the Caribbean). Colonization, which was seen by some as a matter of destiny, turned Britain into the worlds greatest economic power, which brought about great changes in social structure. The greatest symbol of such a powerful nation and empire was its monarch, Queen Victoria, whose official title was the Queen regnant of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the first Empress of India. She ruled the empire between 1837 and 1901, which makes her reign longer than that of any other British monarch, and is the longest of any female monarch in history. She ascended the throne when she was only eighteen, following the death of her uncle William IV. The reign of Queen Victoria is known as the Victorian era. It was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military progress within the United Kingdom. Victoria was a religious mother of nine children, a devoted wife to her husband, Prince Albert, and as such she was regarded as the best personification of the morals of her time. She set very high moral standards which were difficult to follow for the twentieth century monarchy. As was already mentioned, the nineteenth-century Britain was the greatest economic power of the world. During the nineteenth-century the factory system gradually replaced the system of people working in their own homes or in small workshops. In England the textile industry was the first to face changes. This caused great shifts in social structure, making owners of industries and trades people more powerful than ever. However, the industrial revolution created a great demand for female and child labour. While it is true that children had always worked together with their parents, before the nineteenth-century they usually worked part time. In the new textile factories women and children were often made to work very long hours (often twelve hours a day or even longer). The situation improved slightly after 1833, when the first law regulating factory working conditions was passed. Among other things, it set a limit on the number of hours that children could work and made it illegal for children under nine to work in cotton mills. In 1868 the Trades Union Congress was passed, which helped even more for the working conditions to improve. As far as the political life in nineteenth-century Britain is concerned, the House of Commons was headed by two parties, the Whigs and the Tories. From the late 1850s onwards, the Whigs became the Liberals; the Tories became the Conservatives. It was a period of great political and social unrest in Britain. It is worth mentioning here that in 1812 a Tory Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was shot. He was the only British prime minister ever to be assassinated. The nineteenth century in Britain was marked mostly by industrial development and colonization, which had its positive and negative effects on the British society. It was definitely a period of great changes. The period between 1837 and 1901 is known as the Victorian age, named so after the Queen Victoria. There are two historical elements which affected the English society of the nineteenth-century: colonization and industrialization. Both of these brought great increase in wealth, making Britain the leading economic power of its time. From todays perspective, it might seem that the Victorian age was quite conservative, since it was characterized by great prudishness. However, most of the nineteenth-century in Britain was a tremendously exciting period when many artistic styles, literary schools, as well as social, political and religious movements were started. It was a time of prosperity, imperial expansion, and great political reform. As far as the society is concerned, there were great changes. The social classes were reforming and the middle classes were gaining more power. There was also an emerging commercial class, which was very wealthy. However, the conditions of the working class (which included many children as well as women) were extremely bad. Even children at the age of three had to work. In coal mines, children used to work from the age of five and often died before the age of twenty-five due to the hard working conditions. Many children (and adults) worked sixteen hours a day. Some writers and intellectuals of this period protested against it. The most prominent was Charles Dickens, who himself worked at the age of twelve. The reforms that were passed did not change the reality of the working classes, although they did gain some rights (e.g. most males over the age of twenty-one gained the right to vote). In the nineteenth-century there was a great shift of population from rural to urban areas. People seeking better living conditions for their families left everything and populated big cities in search of work. By 1870 Britain had grown from ten million at the start of the century to over twenty-six million. Millions of workers lived in slums or in empty, old decaying upper class houses. They had no sanitation, no water supply, no paved streets, no schools, no law or order, no decent food or new clothing. Many had to walk miles to mill or factory work. Their working hours began at 5.30 a.m. and lasted till 10 p.m. Drinking and abuse were frequent in family lives, since people thought that life had very little to offer them. Nevertheless, it was also a period of great scientific progress and ideas. Darwins ideas emerged in this period; there was the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London which introduced the technical and industrial developments of the age. Railways helped connect faraway parts of the land and made travelling cheaper and faster, and inventions like trains and steamships made it possible to import cheap food from abroad so people were better fed. Waterproof clothing and anaesthetics made life more comfortable and convenient. Some things which we take for granted today, such as photography, also thrilled people of the Victorian age. Without a doubt, it was an extraordinarily complex age, which has sometimes been called the Second English Renaissance. It is, however, also the beginning of Modern Times (Miller). The Victorian society was divided into four classes: nobility and gentry, middle class, upper working class and lower working class. The womans role and her duties were defined by those classes providing her no other alternatives. The barriers of these classes which included their own specific standards defined the role of a woman. It was expected of a woman to behave according to the standards of a society class she belonged to and was considered an offence to adopt the standards of another. Ladies of the highest class, nobility and gentry who inherited land, wealth and titles, managed the home and household. When it came to meeting new people with the purpose of establishing connections in economic sense, men relied on their wives to organize parties and dinners. Women also took care of her children, ill family members and at the same time had to improve their cultural knowledge. The middle class included everyone between the working class and lower gentry. The role of middle class women varied from family to family depended mostly on how much money they had. A single woman had an option to work as a governess if she did not marry and had no relatives to care for her. The upper working class included those who had a slightly higher level of income and status and those who were employed in jobs that took skill or thought as opposed to physical labour. Women of the working class found positions in shops, as teachers or governesses. The lower working class included the desperately poor, typically single women. They were expected to support themselves and the Industrial Revolution offered them factory jobs; some were maids, barmaids, sold flowers. However, the most important role of a nineteenth-century woman in Britain was the one of a wife and mother. John Simkin notes that The laws in Britain were based on the idea that women would get married and that their husbands would take care of them. When a woman got married her personal property became the property of her husband, the same as her earning if a woman worked after marriage. She could not do anything without the consent of her husband. A married woman was defined as one person with her husband according to the law. The husband was supposed to take care of his wife and she was supposed to obey him. As having no rights, a woman could not refuse forced sex by her their husband and could be beaten by him if she did. Simkin notices that the idea was that upper and middle class women had to stay dependent on a man: first as daughters and later as wives. When they were married, women could not get a divorce without difficulties. As Simkin continues, according to the British law men had the right to divorce their wives on the grounds of adultery as opposed to women who did not have the same right if their husbands had been unfaithful. Simkin also notes that Once divorced, the children became the mans property and the mother could be prevented from seeing her children. It was believed that education of a woman did not have to be extended as that of a man. The most important thing for a woman to know was how to bring up her children and to keep house. Therefore, it was unnecessary for a woman to attend university. People even believed it was against a womans nature and could make her ill. A woman had to stay subordinate to her husband and the most valued virtue was obedience. 2. TESS AS A PURE WOMAN: HEROINE AND VICTIM OR FALLEN WOMAN Tess of DUrbervilles is a tragic novel of a young girl named Tess who goes through many struggles in her life and due to her innocence and youth ends up violated by one man and forsaken by another (Heap). Tesss father, John Durbeyfield, discovers that he is the descendant of the Norman noble family of the dUrbervilles, who came across with the Conqueror. As they very poor, the family sends Tess to the new found relatives hoping that Tess would marry a nobleman. Unfortunately for Tess, the new relatives have taken the name because it sounded good. Tesss cousin, Alec, takes full advantage of Tesss inferior position; he seduces and rapes her. Tess goes back to her parents` home where she gives birth to a boy who soon dies. So, Tess leaves home again to work as a milkmaid on a farm where she meets Angel Clare and they fall in love. Scared of losing him, she does not tell him about her past. However, as Angel in their wedding night confesses his previous affair, Tess, convinced that she will finally be forgiven, confesses about her past. Angel cannot bare the thought that Tess in not pure as he believes and therefore leaves Tess. Tess struggles through poverty but in the end accepts the he lp of Alec. When Angel finally returns, he finds Tess with Alec. Tess murders Alec and runs away with Angel; however, the police found them at Stonehenge and Tess was hanged. Bero2010-11-11T22:01:00 Fix this. Indent the beginnings of all paragraphs. Avoid short paragraphs.Thomas Hardy was an established writer at the time he wrote Tess of dUrbervilles. However, this was his first novel to meet public outrage, mainly because of his portrayal of a fallen woman as being pure(Rowland). As Matthew Rowland notes, Tess went through some struggles and issues in her life that make it difficult for us to claim whether they were completely right or wrong. The question whether Tess is a heroine and victim or a fallen woman still remains a mystery. What is heroism? Angus Wilson notes that The opportunities for heroism are limited in this kind of world: the most people can do is sometimes not to be as weak as theyve been at other times. Arthur Ashe points out that True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but to serve others at whatever cost. As Hardy wrote his book in the Victorian Age, it becomes obvious that he was attacking that society through Tess. Tess leaves her home, as Rowland notes, betraying her family duties in order to move up in the world. Hardys Tess is not a typical heroine. She evolves into a great person in the pubic sphere even though she is a young female (Rowland). Most critics see Tess as a hero. Tess has a stature that makes her own sufferings touching and personal to the reader (Rowland). Even the way Hardy himself writes about Tess makes us, the readers, believe he was fond of Tess. He describes her experience of the world, her feelings and gives us an intense reality. On the other hand, there are those who believe that Tess is a fallen woman. They see Tess as a woman who wronged herself in all the rules and laws of the society and therefore should be punished.

Case Study: Murder of Ashley Smith Essay -- Scott Jones, Frederick Joh

Introduction The purpose of this paper is to discuss and analyze the practices conducted by law enforcement during the investigation of the murder of Ashley Smith. The following pages will discuss the crime scene investigation, the evidence collection, the investigative steps following the initial crime scene investigation, the interviews of witnesses and suspects, and other strategies performed by the acting case investigators. Constitutional challenges have surfaced regarding specific pieces of critical evidence and a section of this paper will analyze the admissibility of this evidence. Lastly this case’s law enforcement processes will be contrasted with textbook processes in an effort to determine the validity of the case’s outcome. The Crime Scene On 11/3/00, two truck drivers discovered the deceased body of fourteen-year-old Ashley Smith in a wooded area behind the Pizza Hut, located on Old Annapolis Rd. Local authorities were dispatched and D/CPL. Glenn Case was designated as the primary investigator on the case. Upon arrival, D/CPL. Case observed that the medical examiner had already examined the body, evidence had been collected, photographs of the crime scene had been taken both on ground and from a helicopter (aerial view), and D/CPL. Case was advised that the victim had not yet been identified. The victim’s body had what appeared to be several stab wounds to her neck and abdominal area. D/CPL Case will later be advised by medical examiners that the victim had been stabbed thirty-four times and had also been manually strangled. The victim’s body was positioned with her head facing towards the Pizza Hut parking lot. The positioning coupled with bloody drag marks on the concrete suggested that the victim had been ... ...e resulted arrest of the suspects reflects this applicably. References Bond, J. (2007). Value of DNA Evidence in Detecting Crime. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 52(1), 128-136. Moston, S., & Engelberg, T. (2011). The Effects of Evidence on the Outcome of Interviews with Criminal Suspects. Police Practice & Research, 12(6), 518 - 526. State by State Compliance. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.vegress.com/index.php/can-i-record-calls-in-my-state Swanson, C. R., Chamelin, N. C., & Territo, L. (2012). Criminal investigation. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Technical Working Group on Crime Scene Investigation (2000). Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement-Research Report (NCJ 178280). Retrieved from U.S. Department of Justice website: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/forensic-science-communications/fsc/april2000/twgcsi.pdf

Early Judaism: Messianic Claimants/Messianic Expectations Paper

A messiah is a rather ambiguous term. It mainly means an anointed one; usually a messiah is considered to be a son of David and would reestablish Israel to what it once was. Because messiahs are anointed ones they would typically be Jewish priests, prophets and kings. However, a Messiah can also be a warrior, or a man of peace. (CITE) A messiah was to reestablish unity among the Jewish people and navigate through the hardships and oppression that they went through during early Judaism and bring a sense of freedom and relief. An array of messianic claimants came forth during the two peaks of Jewish rebellion, the death of King Herod the Great and the first Jewish war against the Romans. The first search for a messiah started in the sixth century BC when the Jews of Babylonia were exiled, they called for an anointed one that would bring them back to their home. The second time was when Alexander the Great brought down the Achaemenid Empire and left it to his Macedonian generals. The Jews were peaceful and tried to fit in more with the Greeks to avoid confrontation through this time. Ultimately when the Greeks pushed it too far and destroyed the temple the Hasmonean family led a revolt that bought independence back to the Jews. This period is referred to as the Hasmonean Dynasty. In response to this change of priesthood, the Jewish people reorganized themselves into three major philosophies; the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. When the shift went to Roman, the Jews lost their sense of freedom. They were then ruled by King Herod the Great which didn’t improve. Herod the great was a powerful, brutal and ruthless leader, who accomplished a large amount, however under his rule Jewish people were extremely poor and highly taxe... ... army by his side. Simon and his followers were well organized and systematic in their approach. Works Cited http://www.livius.org/men-mh/messiah/messiah_01.html http://www.livius.org/men-mh/messiah/messiah_06.html http://www.livius.org/jo-jz/josephus/josephus.htm http://www.livius.org/ja-jn/jewish_wars/jwar07.html http://www.livius.org/men-mh/messiah/messianic_claimants03.html Anchor Bible – Richard, Horsley Horsley, Richard A. "Menahem In Jerusalem : A Brief Messianic Episode Among The Sicarii--Not "Zealot Messianism." Novum Testamentum 27.4 (1985): 334-348. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Web. 4 Apr. 2012. Stern, Pnina. "Life Of Josephus: The Autobiography Of Flavius Josephus." Journal For The Study Of Judaism In The Persian, Hellenistic And Roman Period 41.1 (2010): 63-93. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Web. 4 Apr. 2012. Early Judaism: Messianic Claimants/Messianic Expectations Paper A messiah is a rather ambiguous term. It mainly means an anointed one; usually a messiah is considered to be a son of David and would reestablish Israel to what it once was. Because messiahs are anointed ones they would typically be Jewish priests, prophets and kings. However, a Messiah can also be a warrior, or a man of peace. (CITE) A messiah was to reestablish unity among the Jewish people and navigate through the hardships and oppression that they went through during early Judaism and bring a sense of freedom and relief. An array of messianic claimants came forth during the two peaks of Jewish rebellion, the death of King Herod the Great and the first Jewish war against the Romans. The first search for a messiah started in the sixth century BC when the Jews of Babylonia were exiled, they called for an anointed one that would bring them back to their home. The second time was when Alexander the Great brought down the Achaemenid Empire and left it to his Macedonian generals. The Jews were peaceful and tried to fit in more with the Greeks to avoid confrontation through this time. Ultimately when the Greeks pushed it too far and destroyed the temple the Hasmonean family led a revolt that bought independence back to the Jews. This period is referred to as the Hasmonean Dynasty. In response to this change of priesthood, the Jewish people reorganized themselves into three major philosophies; the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. When the shift went to Roman, the Jews lost their sense of freedom. They were then ruled by King Herod the Great which didn’t improve. Herod the great was a powerful, brutal and ruthless leader, who accomplished a large amount, however under his rule Jewish people were extremely poor and highly taxe... ... army by his side. Simon and his followers were well organized and systematic in their approach. Works Cited http://www.livius.org/men-mh/messiah/messiah_01.html http://www.livius.org/men-mh/messiah/messiah_06.html http://www.livius.org/jo-jz/josephus/josephus.htm http://www.livius.org/ja-jn/jewish_wars/jwar07.html http://www.livius.org/men-mh/messiah/messianic_claimants03.html Anchor Bible – Richard, Horsley Horsley, Richard A. "Menahem In Jerusalem : A Brief Messianic Episode Among The Sicarii--Not "Zealot Messianism." Novum Testamentum 27.4 (1985): 334-348. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Web. 4 Apr. 2012. Stern, Pnina. "Life Of Josephus: The Autobiography Of Flavius Josephus." Journal For The Study Of Judaism In The Persian, Hellenistic And Roman Period 41.1 (2010): 63-93. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Web. 4 Apr. 2012.

Alcohol Abuse :: Alcoholism Addiction Papers

Alcohol Abuse Alcohol is liquid distilled product of fermented fruits; grains and vegetables used as solvent, antiseptic and sedative moderate potential for abuse. Possible effects are intoxication, sensory alteration, and/or anxiety reduction. Symptoms of overdose staggering, odor of alcohol on breathe, loss of coordination, slurred speech, dilated pupils, fetal alcohol syndrome (in babies), and/or nerve and liver damage. Withdrawal Syndrome is first sweating, tremors, and then altered perception, followed by psychosis, fear, and finally auditory hallucinations. Indications of possible misuse are confusion, disorientation, and loss of motor nerve control, convulsions, shock, shallow respiration, involuntary defecation, drowsiness, respiratory depression and possible death. Alcohol is also known as: Booze, Juice, Brew, Vino, Sauce. You probably know why alcohol is abused some reasons are relaxation, sociability, and cheap high. But did you know that alcohol is a depressant that decreases the respo nses of the central nervous system. Excessive drinking can cause liver damage and psychotic behavior. As little as two beers or drinks can impair coordination and thinking. Alcohol is often used by substance abusers to enhance the effects of other drugs. Alcohol continues to be the most frequently abused substance among young adults. HERE ARE SOME STRAIGHT FACTS ABOUT ALCOHOL.... Alcohol abuse is a pattern of problem drinking that results in health consequences, social, problems, or both. However, alcohol dependence, or alcoholism, refers to a disease that is characterized by abnormal alcohol-seeking behavior that leads to impaired control over drinking. Short-term effects of alcohol use include: -Distorted vision, hearing, and coordination -Altered perceptions and emotions -Impaired judgment -Bad breath; hangovers Long-term effects of heavy alcohol use include: -Loss of appetite -Vitamin deficiencies -Stomach ailments -Skin problems -Sexual impotence -Liver damage -Heart and centra l nervous system damage -Memory loss Here are some quick clues to know if I, or someone close, has a drinking problem: -Inability to control drinking--it seems that regardless of what you decide beforehand, you frequently wind up drunk -Using alcohol to escape problems -A change in personality--turning from Dr. Jekyl to Mr. Hyde -A high tolerance level--drinking just about everybody under the table -Blackouts--sometimes not remembering what happened while drinking -Problems at work or in school as a result of drinking -Concern shown by family and friends about drinking If you have a drinking problem, or if you suspect you have a drinking problem, there are many others out there like you, and there is help available. You could talk to school counselor, a friend, or a parent.

Organisational Behaviour: The Personal Nature of Leadership Essay

The title of this paper inspires examination of leadership style within the corporate culture with regard to personal traits in relation to organisational behaviour. The old standard of a leader being born rather than made is under review here as many concepts come into play when discussing modern corporate leadership. Many would argue and research reflects (Goleman, D. , Boyatzis, R. , & McKee, A. 2001) leaders adjust style according to situations. A situation is just one influence affecting one’s leadership capabilities. The organisational culture brings into play a myriad of factors that affect leadership. Stogdill (1948/1974) built the foundation for modern leadership where creative thinking and flexibility become key because personality became central to understanding situations found in corporate culture. Stogdill writes â€Å"no personal characteristics are predictive of leadership seems to over-emphasise the situational and underestimate the personal nature of leadership† (p. 35—check your book for ref). Research into the history of leadership lends another view entirely. Such researchers of leadership and organisational behaviours as Boddy and Burns find early on the icon of leadership was based on an egalitarian view of the best â€Å"man† for the job. Stogdill found different views but related findings to behaviour. Now many years later, is the nature of leadership based in situations? Or is it based in one’s personal experience and choices in reacting to certain situations? I believe the face of corporate culture has changed because of certain factors present today in the business world. Today, gender, race and other demographic factors play a large role in management. How people interact and how these demographics influence the behaviour of the organisation needs to be examined because this makes the culture. In today’s business world because competition is fierce, anything innovative and flexible to opening up channels of creativity is seen as a positive. Organisational culture is born out of an organisation’s core values and beliefs in completing its objectives (Robbins 2001, p. 544). This can also be said of people as a culture within race, religion and creed. How an organisation takes external factors like an individual’s demographic can be a complex task. How people perceive his or her is directly influenced by his or her personal experiences and make-up. In this respect because of globalization and multiculturalism, an organisation needs to be flexible to outside influences within reason. This means than an organisational culture has the means of redefining itself as more people join. Of course the organisation must conscious that these factors are at work and this means sticking to the core values. In this respect, I must agree with Stogdill’s statement because the human experience, these demographics touched upon above, makes one’s personality and makes culture personal. It makes the act of leading based from one’s experience and therefore, very personal. One can see such proof within the literature but really one’s personal experience and how they use these traits builds character and influences many areas of organisational behaviour such as tools for motivation, team-building and creative thinking. Personal Nature of Leadership The personal connection begins at a fundamental level of human sociology where the use of story is central. Howard Gardner (1995) reflects, â€Å"the ultimate impact of the leader depends most significantly on the particular story that he or she relates or embodies, and the receptions to that story on the part of the audiences† (p. 14). By telling stories, allows for a certain level of openness or vulnerability on the part of the leader and makes them human. By opening the line of communication, gives the employee knowledge of their environment and develops trust. The leader’s role is to sell the idea of commitment within a culture. Odiorne (1987) suggests, â€Å"if employees know what is expected, and what help and resources are available, they can then be relied upon to govern their actions to achieve the commitments they have made† (p. 138). This sets the stage for goals and achieving high performance. The culture in turn feeds off this energy and excitement. Bennis (1989) writes: There are three reasons why leaders are important. First they are responsible for the effectiveness of organizations. Second, the change and upheaval of past years has left us with no place to hide. We need anchors in our lives as a guiding purpose. Third, there is a national concern about integrity of our institutions. Being mindful of own context is difficult for us. (p. 15-16) Managers with a keen understanding of leading represent these three key attributes and create a foundation from which to act. A leader must also display curiosity and have the guts to be daring. This requires someone to make a choice based upon his or her ability to risk take. They must be a dominant force within the team. Bennis (1989) reflects, there are two kinds of people â€Å"those who are paralyzed by fear, and those who are afraid but go ahead away. Life is not about limitation but options† (p. 185). A healthy culture inspires options and the innovations that grow out of creativity. Research discovered that leaders use different leadership styles for different situations because of emotional intelligence and its tie to strengths or weaknesses in personal traits. In the book Primal Leadership, authors David Goleman, Richard Boyatzis , and Annie McKee (2001) present their research on leadership styles within the organisational structure. The research discusses the relationship that these executives have with their emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the study of emotions and their impact upon the work environment. The research investigates the different leadership styles evident in most organisations today. Mainly, leaders were categorized as either having the visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, or commanding leadership styles. Among these, only pacesetting and commanding are assessed to be less effective than the other leadership styles. Emotional Intelligence relies upon the fact the leader will be able to have a competent level of interaction with the employee by changing leadership styles and adapting to each unique situation throughout the time at work. It reflects successful leadership by allowing for complex relationships for team members by recognizing relationship building, capacity of visions and personal development. Emotional Intelligence for a leader means being able to read people, be read and allow for open dialogue. Research stresses the importance of the leader’s flexibility and capability to adapt to his or her environment. An effective leader will understand not only their environment and people but also understand the potential for impact upon that environment. By understanding this key element, an effective leader will know how to define the environment. This is important because employees look to management for guidance. The leader defines the boundaries for the team and created an atmosphere for building relationships and open communication. This in turn creates stronger teams. Team Building For managers who put his or her people first; they are more focused on nurturing and training. Research suggests leaders are more interested in mentoring and training their team rather than focusing on output of numbers or turn around time. This development in team building allows for â€Å"providing people opportunities to learn from their work rather than taking them away from their work to learn† (Hughes 2004, p. 4). A healthy culture inspires options and the innovations that grow out of creativity. Still one could not ignore times of fear. Management sometimes creates fear on purpose or misused it to work employees harder. This does not create positive outcomes but promoted conflict and an unstable team. It is clear for management to be successful; it must communicate its vision but also create positive reinforcement (See Figure 1. ). Once key members understand people’s needs, then action could be taken to improve management’s role. Only then would a leader be taken seriously. Recognizing positive traits in a team member built trust, integrity and also met an important need while building a team.

District team

This is based on articulation levels in sport so they encourage people that don't play sport that often or those that generally doesn't play sports at all to get active. Performance This is to improve the athlete's performance as they already take part and are familiar in the sport this would happen by regular practice, competition or skill training. An example of this would be county trials when they identify potential talent within the team that they could work with to make improvements that they can move up to the excellence level. Excellence This is at national and international level that will practice for championships round the world.The UK sport is in charge at the excellence level of a range of sports so they made some rules about the support of funding and training for athletes. These are to help progress the athlete through to the next two stages, development of the athlete to reach the podiums and finally support them with realistic medal potential. Netball Foundation- Th is is the introduction of the sport and where they could take netball into a further career. In school they would start to play netball, they could participate in the sport on the playground with friends or in PEE lessons.They will learn the basic skills needed for netball which is throwing the ball. The more that they participate in sports when younger they are more likely to carry it on into older ages. Participation- This stage is probably happens when you first start secondary school and this is where they would take part in after school activities. At the after school clubs it is an opportunity to all year groups. This is optional to go to therefore the student continue to return due to physical, mental or social reasons. Performance- The age range is round 13 when they start to play for an academy, county or district team.This requires a lot more commitment as you would need to turn up to training as it isn't optional any more and more times in a week needed to participate. In the teams you will be with the same age range, performance and skill level. Excellence- This is where you go to competitions to compete against top teams. This is where you will find the top players performing. This is the highest level that you can reach in netball and only the ones who put time and effort in to the sport will get these rewards.

Personal Experience Speech Essay

General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: To let the audience know how I dealt with losing my mother to drugs. Central Idea: My mother was raised by drug addict and alcoholic, left Israel for better life and still followed down the wrong path. INTRODUCTION I. Attention Material A. Do you know anyone who has lost their loved ones to drugs? B. Eight years ago I lost my mother to a long battle with drugs. II. Orienting Material A. There are more than 22 million Americans ages 12 and older addicted to drugs. B. When I lost my mother it not only affected my life but the lives of the people that surrounded us. BODY I. My mother was abandoned by her mother Israel. A.My mom tried to get a better life but drugs too powerful. B. My grandmother died year before I was born, my mom died year before my daughter born. II. I tried to help my mom the best I could. A. There are many programs available for addicts and the people who are affected. B. Be willing to let them know you love and support them. CONCLUSION I. Summary A. Drugs affect not only the user but the people surrounding them. B. When helping an addict you have to be willing to help them and not treat them as a child. They have a real problem. II. Clincher A. I always knew I would lose my mother one day but not as soon as I did. B. I pray every day that no one has to encounter the loss that my family has. My family is a blessing and so was my mother.

Company Assessment

We have examined the characteristics of the organization of graduates, retention rate, and persistence that will help students graduate and pursue employment in their field. We evaluated each students program from Associates, Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral programs at Argosy university. The most significant cause of fault is the students first semester. As a result, if a student can make it pass their first semester, then the chances of them continuing In the program Increases dramatically.The research shows that the over the last two years student enrollment has dropped. As University we want to encourage students to graduate from our school with their diploma and have them employed with in the first year of earning their degree. The report states that people are unaware of the university and we want to Increase the amount of awareness about the school. Numbers are on the rise but it is not the numbers that we want to be. Consumer knowledge needs to be increased about the Universi ty and establish a reputable reputation.Argosy University latest decision was put forth by the Research and Development department. They evaluated the report to focus on target marketing of highly populated areas. This report assesses the challenge to bring in new students and increase the awareness of the university. The new direction of the University over the years to come is to increase the amount of student body and graduates. Interviewer – Interviewee – Value of a Team Environment: Admission Representatives, 2 Academic Counselors, 2 Student Finance Counselors and 1 manager.It is their Job to help enroll each student into class, make sure their Financial Aid is correct, and to make sure that each student is prepared for the first class. The team works well together with communication and helping each other tit information that is needed for the student. Depending on the circumstance of the student it can impact the way the team is operating. For example, a student can be missing information on their Financial Aid, they can be in default, or they might not be in contact with the Admissions Representative. The biggest they lack is new ways to open up the opportunity of the Admissions Representatives.It all starts with the Admissions Representative. If the AR is in a bad mood then he or she could lose the students interest right away. It is important to keep up the motivation of each AR in order to increase enrollment. Because the Admissions Representatives are not allowed to receive compensation for the amount of students they enroll. It is pure determination that allows someone to succeed because there is no reward for the AR. Each person has a different need and it is up to the manager to see what motivates each employee to become successful.According to the article, The Value of Teamwork, by David Tenant, â€Å"The talents that are brought from others in different areas of the company strengthen a team. Plus, by working together to form th e team's objectives, approach, and planning, they will generally become a cohesive unit that an also adapt and change as new challenges become apparent. It is through this mechanism that teams are surpassing individual performance within companies? and companies are taking notice. † Recommendation: It is important that everyone on the team communicates properly.Make sure that everyone is communicating by e-mail or even in the meeting that are set up everyday. Create a checklist that needs to be filled out and initialed by each team member, to make sure that the student is moving through the process efficiently. Have the manager go to each person, individually, and see how the student is moving wrought the process. This will help everyone be into the details and it everyone will be in communication of the process. Job satisfaction of the employees: When it comes to the satisfaction of the employees, there is a stand of 50/50.While the majority of employees love their Job, they sometimes feel overwhelmed, stressed, or even feel overlooked for some of the positions. People want more responsibilities and they want to feel like they are contributing to the team. Some of the employees help out the manager by running morning meetings, setting up charts, and assisting other employees when needed. There has been a resent layoff and some employees are worried about keeping their Jobs. Ryan's tells his employees to stay focus on the student, what their fears are, get to know them, and see how we can assist the student to get into college.When we focus on the confirmed need of the student, we realize how we better assist them obtain their degree. One of the ways that Ryan makes sure that his employees are happy at work doing something different, employees don't feel like they are doing the same monotonous routine. So sometimes they will have mini trainings, play games, or a reassert chat. The breakfast chat can be about anything they want. It took a while for the em ployees to trust Ryan but they started to come around and have been building great relationships with all of his employees.Recommendation: Have a meeting with each employee and ask them what they would like to change. If people are tired of the routine, then have an appreciation day for your employee. How does the company communicate change: In this industry company changes happen all the time. It is sometimes communicated in big group settings, small meetings, e-mails, or in the morning addles. Recently there was a change in structure of the amount of Directors that are in the position. They went from 8 Directors to 4. Even though the change impacted only a certain amount of employees, it however reduced that position by 50%.It required more work by the other Directors but it was a change that needed to eliminate the â€Å"dead weight. † Efforts made to motivate your employees: There are many way s to motivate an employee so that he or she is willing to do their Job. Ryan ta kes this part of his Job very seriously and he takes great interest in his employees. There are four things Ryan takes to heart as a manager, he takes interest in the future of his employee's career, in their work-life, listens, and helps them anyway he can.Ryan says, â€Å"In order to have great employees, you need to have a genuine interest in all of your employees. It has worked and it has generated results. † Manager's who take interest in their employees, generally have people who are not willing to put fourth the extra effort. I believe that when you have a manager, like Ryan, who really cares about you, not Just an employee but as a person, you aspect them more and you are willing â€Å"to go the distance† if they ever need you too. My suggestion for this topic is to talk to your employees.Everyone has a different intrinsic and extrinsic type of motivation. It is up to the manager to seek out each employee and see what his or need may consist of. I think that hi s falls in line to getting to know your employee. You might find out things you never knew about them, simply by doing a one on one. Assistance offered in helping your employees to deal with stress management: This is a very high pressured Job and sometimes it can get overwhelming. That is why to make sure that you commit yourself to doing a one on one with each employee.If you find yourself in a situation where someone is not reacting well, then you as a manager, need to address that situation. Everyone is different and it is up to you as a manager that you handle the situation properly. One way to get an employee out of the stress is to have them get up and take a walk. This will help them calm down and then get back to the work at hand. Taking walks is a great way to relieve stress. It gives you the opportunity to breathe and focus on what is important. This is why we have breaks in the workplace.Take advantage of your breaks and try not to think of work. This will help you reset and focus on the rest of your day. It is important to know your role as a manager and how to help people succeed. If people are not succeeding then maybe you are not doing your Job as a manager. A great manager knows his or team and they help people who are managers who helped me through the tough times, I work harder for them than anyone else. References: The Value of Teamwork By David Tenant, conference's. Org/gemmed/ DVTTheValueofTeamwork. PDF