Film Critique, Why Did I Get Married 2

Why Did I Get Married? Efrem Terrell ENG 225 Intro to Film Professor Nelly Aguilar April 22, 2012 Why Did I Get Married Released in 2007 by Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, the film Why Did I Get Married? is a comedy and drama that was written, produced, and directed by screen and playwright, Tyler Perry. Depicting the trials and tribulations of marriage, Why Did I Get Married? Was a hit at the box office earning $55,862,886 worldwide (Perry, 2007). Along with several other films and stage productions written and directed by Tyler Perry, the success of Why Did I Get Married? ay be credited to Perry’s expertise in film directing, digital musical selections, and humorous dialogue, along with the film’s dramatic, yet therapeutic storyline on how to sustain a healthy marriage and maintain lifelong friendships. As the director of Why Did I Get Married? , Tyler Perry utilizes incongruous editing in order to establish a central theme for the movie by allowing the audience to get to know each character and establish a theatrical connection with them.As each main character is introduced, Perry jumps around in time displaying each character acting out dramatic and humorous scenes that revealed their true personalities, relationships with the other characters in the film, along with their roles in the movie. While most writers subtly introduce their characters to the audience, movie critics argue that this is an area in Perry’s writing that needs strengthening. According to freelance writer and movie critic, Eric D. Snider (2012), in the film Why Did I Get Married? Tyler Perry’s characters blatantly announce expository dialogue such as, â€Å"I am a Pediatrician,† â€Å"You have control issues,† and â€Å"You could lose about fifty pounds, then I might be somewhat attracted to you. † Movie critics believe that stronger writing would reveal this information without the characters declaring it (Snider, 2012). While direc tors carefully select the best scenes for their movies, they also spend a great deal of time selecting the best soundtrack. Digital musical selections graced the original soundtrack for the film, Why Did I Get Married?.R&B ballads that referenced love, relationships, break-ups, and heart-ache drove the central them of the movie which focuses on the ups and downs of marriage and friendships. Each song from the soundtrack played throughout the movie, helping to tell the story of the film, and draw the audience in by shaping the characters with tempo, range, pitch, and melody. The cinematography for the film, Why Did I Get Married? was performed by Toyomichi Kurita (â€Å"Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married, 2012). Kurita creates strong moods and feelings throughout the film with the use of camera shots, movement, and lighting.Scenes throughout the film are solid and clear creating a natural illusion of the set and atmosphere. The audience is able to relate to the emotions of t he characters due to the imagery created by Kurita’s strong cinematography skills. Scenes throughout the film flowed seamlessly, displaying vibrant lighting, while establishing a strong connection between the audience and the film. Editing provided by Maysie Hoy appeared flawless throughout the film. There was strong cohesion among characters as they appeared to have all been filmed at the same place at the same time.The transitions between scenes throughout the film created a natural setting and a feeling as though the viewers were traveling along on the same journey with the characters as the moved from place to place (Perry, 2007). The storyline of the film Why Did I Get Married? centers around the day-to-day struggles of maintaining solid relationships, successful careers, and strong friendships. In order to resolve marital problems, four married couples, who are old college friends, attended an annual retreat in the cold, wintery mountains of Colorado.While the vacation was intended for married couples only, one of the wives decided to bring along an attractive and single female friend by the name of Trina. Throughout the week-long retreat, damaging secrets are revealed that puts each couple in the position to question their own marital relationships along with their friendships with the other couples. As bouts of infidelity come to light, it is also revealed that the single and seductive Miss Trina has been having an affair with the husband of the woman that referred to her as a friend and invited her to the retreat.The film explores the emotional distress that infidelity, lust, and love may weigh upon a marriage. Continuous battles with issues of commitment, betrayal, and forgiveness force each character in the film to evaluate their lives as individuals and as committed couples (Snider, 2007). Patricia (Janet Jackson) is a highly regarded and very famous psychiatrist. Her book about marriage has just won a very prestigious award. Still, a traged y in her past has driven a wedge into her marriage to architect Gavin (Malik Yoba).Things aren’t much better with said pals; Angela (Tasha Smith) is a loudmouth drunk constantly denigrating her struggling husband Marcus (Michael Jai White). Diana (Sharon Leal) is a driven attorney. Having just made partner, she can’t find time for her young daughter, or depressed spouse (Perry). But the worst situation exists between Shelia (Jill Scott) and Mike (Richard T. Jones). He is constantly calling her fat. He’s also cheating on her with best friend Trina (Denis Boutte). When the group gets together for their annual vacation, everyone is on edge.Soon secrets will be revealed, leaving everyone wondering about the state of their relationship (Perry, 2007). The recurring theme that is raised in Tyler Perry’s film Why Did I Get Married? Is â€Å"Can These Marriages Survive? † The infidelity of two husbands leads to the discussion of the â€Å"80/20 Rule. † The rule simply implies that within a marriage, most people only receive eighty-percent of what they want and need from their partners, leading them to go outside of their relationship in an effort to find what they think they are missing.Usually, it’s not until the spouse has stepped out the relationship that they realize that now only twenty-percent of their needs are being met. At this point, they have left their eighty for their twenty, which is a significant downgrade. Watching a Tyler Perry movie is a strange and ecstatic experience, Perry’s desire for shenanigans, inanity and heightened emotions always makes for an entertaining evening, but his films are in a strange in-between space: between melodrama and traditional drama, between lternative cinema and Hollywood style, and between black authenticity and pure elitism. Through it all, what vexes film scholars especially critics, is how style, content, auteurism and culture clash and miss each other in Tyler P erry’s films. Still Perry is one of a handful of black filmmakers- including Antoine Fuqua, John Singleton, Spike Lee, and Lee Daniels, whom can all actually raise money for wide release films. Perry films are primarily ways to talk about black progress and authenticity in a â€Å"post-racial† world, and they absorb all the baggage involved in that project.They are moral tales about maintaining traditional family structures (including, usually, men at the head), the importance of the church and elders, even at the exclusion of gays, and not always, though sometimes, of others: like loose and lost women, drug users etc (Snider, 2007). As of November 1, 2007, on the review Aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 46% of the critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 33 reviews. On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 54 out of 100 based on 12 reviews.Paul Grenada said that while â€Å"there are times where the script seems stiff, it teaches without hammering, and you l eave the movie feeling good about what you saw. † Giving the movie a B-, Entertainment Weekly said that Perry is of the â€Å"spell-everything-in-capital-letters and act-it-out-loudly schools,† but added that â€Å"one performance glistens—Jill Scott’s as the sad, heavyset Shelia, who locates the faith that’s the source of love. † Time magazine gave the film a B and called it the â€Å"usual artless mix of broad comedy, teary confessions and spiritual uplift. † In the opening weekend, the film grossed $21. million in 3,105 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #1 at the box office. In the second weekend, the film slipped to #2 in the box office charts, with a gross of $12. 1 million, bringing the 10-day total to over $38 million. In total, the film domestically grossed $55,862,886 (Gleiberman, 2007). The awards and nominations that the Tyler Perry’s film â€Å"Why Did I Get Married† received were from the Imag e Awards, it was nominated for Outstanding Motion Picture, Jill Scott who played Shelia in the film was nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, TylerPerry himself was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, and then there’s Janet Jackson whom won the Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. The issue of matrimony is not a new one to Tyler Perry, almost all of his efforts, both for the stage and screen, have focused on relationships growing, struggling, dissolving, or playing out their post-breakup end games. The decision to create a single overview on the subject seems unnecessary at best. Yet Perry is nothing if not knowledgeable, especially when it comes to his audience.He clearly understands that, even though he’s offering the same old stories, they can’t get enough of the way he tells them. For his film adaptation of the couple’s comedy why did I Get Married? He may have altered the ver y purpose of his otherwise amicable preaching. But at this point in Perry’s career his ability to sell movie tickets in spite of poor critical reception is no surprise, the actor, author, and filmmaker has gone from promoting his own plays to becoming a full-fledged brand, one that, although created outside of the Hollywood machine, is causing some industry people to take notice (Gleiberman 2007).The film is filled with tears, laughter, and shocking disappointments as friends are betrayed and relationships fall apart due to the foibles of marriage. Have you taken a good look at your marriage lately? Is your marriage what you thought it would be? Have you had to deal with issues of commitment or betrayal or forgiveness? Is there a time when you seriously considered whether or not to stay with your spouse? Over the years, have you had to figure out a way to maintain true love and a solid relationship even during difficult times?And during the rough patches, have you ever secret ly asked yourself the question: â€Å"Why Did I Get married? † Why Did I Get Married is one of Tyler Perry’s greatest films yet; leaving some members of the audience filled with emotions as they wonder to themselves, â€Å"Why did I get married? †, while others question, â€Å"Should I stay married? † REFERENCES Gleiberman, Owen (October 26, 2007), â€Å"Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? † Retrieved from Entertainment Weekly (961):51Snider, E. (2007). Why Did I Get Married?. Retrieved April 8, 2012, from http://www. ericdsnider. com/movies/why-did-i-get-married/ Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 6, 2012, from http://boxofficemojo. com/movies/? id=whydidigetmarried. htm Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? : Plot Summary and Details. Moviefone. Retrieved April 6, 2012, from http://www. moviefone. com/movie/tyler-perrys-why-did-i-get-married/29300/synopsis

Job Discrimination

Job Discrimination in organization Definition Discrimination can be define as the wrongful act of distinguishing illicitly or illegally among people not on the basis of individual merit, but on the basis of prejudice or some invidious, unpleasant or morally reprehensible or wrong attitude. The main economic definition of â€Å"employment discrimination† implies that it is efficient and leads to unusual and narrow empirical methods. From a legal perspective one can note that this definition does not advance equality.Other such definitions relate discrimination to specific market failures. This paper argues that economic theory could base its definition on the fundamental theorem of welfare economics and market functionality. Since society constitutes markets by use of law, this definition indicates some additional legal means to address problems of discrimination. Gary Becker defined employment discrimination as different pay for equally productive individuals (based upon membe rship in a certain group). Becker’s definition cited the cause for unequal pay as discriminatory tastes.Others argued that there may be another cause at times: some information problems that are correlated with the said social groups. Description The discrimination in employment must involve 3 elements. First, it is a decision against one or more employees/prospective employees that is not based on individual merits (ability to perform job,) or other morally legitimate qualifications. Second, the decision derives solely or in part from racial or sexual prejudice, false stereotypes, or some other kind of morally unjustified attitude against members of the class to which the employee belongs.Third, the decision has a harmful or negative impact on the interests of the employees, (no job, no promotion or pay rise) Reference (Business Ethics 7th edition by Manuel G. Velasquez 2012) EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION: SOME ECONOMIC DEFINITIONS, CRITIQUE AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS by GARY S. BEC KER. Milton Friedman ed. , 2nd ed. 1971 Becker, Gary S. 1971, the Economics of Discrimination, 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

A Letter of Advice to Nhs Litigation Authority on Clinical Neglgence Case of Missed Fractured Scaphoid Bone

To: NHS Litigation Authority, Re: Chandler Bing v Friends Health NHS Foundation Trust Dear Sir/ Madam, Thank you for your referral of the case concerning Mr. Chandler Bing’s missed fracture scaphoid bone received on 31 August 2010. The following is the Letter of Advice to the NHSLA concerning the above-mentioned case. The Claimant: 1. The Claimant was born on 8 April 1969. As a result of the events referred to in their particulars of claim the claimant is now represented by Bloomingdale Solicitors to launch to launch a civil action against Friends Health NHS Foundation Trust on 31 August 2010. The Defendant: 2. The Defendant was at all relevant times responsible for the management control, and administration of Friends Health NHS Foundation Trust, and for the employment of doctors, nurses, and other medical specialist s including emergency medicine, radiology and orthopaedic surgeons at and for the purpose of the said hospital. Duty of care: 3. Each of the doctors, nurses, and other staff employed at the hospital who treated the Claimant at the hospital owed the Claimant a duty of care. This duty included a duty in respect of: a. The advice given to the Claimant; . The diagnosis made in respect of the condition of the Claimant; c. The treatment prescribed for the Claimant and advice as to the effect of the treatment; d. The monitoring of the Claimant whilst treatment was given to the Claimant. 4. The Defendant is vicariously liable for any such breach of duty on behalf of any of its employees. Procedural Steps: 1. Protocol Steps: a. Obtaining health records: to provide suf ficient information to alert the Healthcare provider where an adverse outcome has been serious; to request for specific medical records involving the case. . Request for copies of patient’s clinical records with approved standard forms. c. Make sure the copy records to be provided within 40 days of the request and for a cost not exceeding changes permissible under the Access to Health Records Act 1990. d. If the Healthcare provider fails to provide health records within 40 days, their advisers can then apply to Court for an order for pre-action disclosure. e. If Healthcare provider considers additional health records are required from a third party, these should be requested through the patient. Third party Healthcare providers are expected to co-operate. 2. The response: Letter of response: a. Provide requested records and invoice for copying. b. Comments on events and/or chronology. c. If breach of duty and causation are accepted, suggestions for resolving the claims and request for further information offer to settle. d. If breach of duty and/or causation are denied, outline explanations for what happened by Healthcare provider suggests further steps like further investigations, obtaining expert evidence, meetings, negotiations or mediation, or an invitation to issue proceedings. e. Healthcare provider should acknowledge receipt of letter of claim within 14 days of receipt. f. Healthcare provider should, within 3 months of letter of claim, provide a reasoned answer. g. If claim is admitted, then the Healthcare provider says so. h. If any part of claim is admitted, then Healthcare provider makes clear which issues of breach of duty and/or causation are admitted and which are denied and why. i. If claim is denied, include specific comments on allegation of negligence, and if synopsis or chronology of relevant events provided and is disputed, Healthcare provider’s version of events provided. . Additional documents, for instance, internal protocol, copies provided. k. If patient made an offer to settle at this stage as a counter-offer by supporting medical evidence, and/or other evidence in addition to claim in healthcare provider’s possession. l. If parties reach agreement on liability, but time is needed to resolve claim, then aim to agree a reasonab le period. Witness Evidence: The witnesses concerned in this case include: 1. Claimant’s family members and colleagues concerning the accused loss of function in daily activities of living. . Healthcare providers beside the medical doctor in Accident and Emergency Department, including accident and emergency doctors and consultants, radiologists, orthopaedic specialists, nurses, family doctors, etc, who have treated the Claimant. 3. The Claimant himself. Where a witness statement or a witness summary is not served, the party will not be able to call that witness to give oral evidence unless the Court allows it. Matters to be covered in the witness’s statement will include: 1. Occupation and working ability of the Claimant, if this has changed, since the injury, previous occupation of the Claimant. 2. Brief description of marital and family circumstances including dates of birth of all the family members of the Claimant. 3. The Claimant’s amount of the sequence of events relating to the treatment in question. Care should be taken to avoid importing text and phraseology from medical records or reports that the Claimant would not use in the normal course of discussing the case. 4. If the witness’s factual recollection of events differs in any important respect from the medical records, or from the version of facts set out in the Defendant, the statement should acknowledge this and comment upon these differences. 5. The witness should describe the effects of the injury; this will include the effects on his physical condition, emotional condition, the practicalities of everyday life, the Claimant’s financial affairs, family life, and future plans and projects. Additional witnesses should state their relationship to the Claimant. If a amily member is providing a statement which is collaborative of the Claimant’s amount of events, the witness should confirm that he or she has read the Claimant’s statement and state that he or she agrees with its contents, insofar as those within his or her knowledge. The statement should then deal with issues of which the witness can give primary evidence. Where a party is required to serve a witness st atement and he is unable to obtain such a statement, for example because the witness refuses to communicate with the Defendant’s solicitor, he may apply to the Court for the permission to serve only a witness summary instead. This application should be made without notice. The witness summary is a summary of the evidence which would otherwise go into a witness statement, or if the evidence is not known, matters about which the party serving the witness summary will question the witness. Expert Evidence: 1. In clinical negligence disputes, expert opinions may be needed: a. On breach of duty and causation. b. On the patient’s condition and prognosis. c. To assist in valuing aspects of the Claims. The main expert witnesses to be considered include: a. Orthopaedic specialists. b. Accident and Emergency specialists. c. Radiology specialists. 2. The new Civil Procedure Rules will encourage economy in the use of experts and a less adversarial expert culture. It is recognized that in clinical negligence disputes, the parties and their advisers will require flexibility in their approach to expert evidence. Decisions on whether experts should be instructed jointly; and on whether reports might be disclosed sequentially or by exchange, should rest with the parties and their advisers. Sharing expert evidence may be appropriate on issues relating to the value of the Claim. However, this protocol does not attempt to be prescriptive on issues in relation to expert evidence. 3. Obtaining expert evidence will often be an expensive step and may take time, especially in specialized areas of medicine, where there are limited numbers of suitable experts. Patients and Healthcare providers, and their advisers, will therefore need to consider carefully how best to obtain any necessary expert help quickly and cost effectively. . Assistance in locating a suitable expert is available from a number of sources. Here the NHSLA has already supplied a number of experts for this case. 5. This is a case of missed fracture of the waist of the scaphoid, for a patient initially seen in the Accident and Emergency Department, is often a clinical diagnosis rather than a radiological diagnosis, because this fracture may not become apparent on an X-Ray until often a period of 10 days, and some times konger, has elapsed. . Tenderness in the anatomical snuffbox at the base of the dorsal aspect of the thumb, or pain produced by proximal pressuring on the wrist joint in radial deviation by comparison to the unaffected side, together with diminished power of grip, is an indication for the forearm to be put into a scaphoid plaster of Paris. 7. The patient must have the plaster checked the following day and will need to be X-Rayed again in 10 to 14 days if a fracture line was not initially visible. 8. When a fracture of the scaphoid is suspected, â€Å"scaphoid views† should be asked for. 9. The doctor at Accident and Emergency Department must ensure that 4 views have been carried out: Anterior-Posterior, Lateral, Supination oblique, and Pronation oblique. 10. If there is doubt about the diagnosis or the fracture is displaced, then a more senior or orthopaedic opinion must be sought forthwith, otherwise a scaphoid plaster must be applied, and the patient referred to the next Accident and Emergency review clinic or fracture clinic. 11. There is a component of contributory negligence by the Claimant who insists to remove the plaster in the follow up clinic despite he was strongly advised not to do so. The effect of this contributory negligence on the Claims should be further explored and evaluated. Quantum of damages: The means to calculate the quantum of damages made in this case of clinical negligence include various heads of the following damage: 1. Pain, suffering and loss of amenity; 2. Loss of earnings; 3. Care and assistance; 4. Travel and parking; 5. Miscellaneous expenses. The Claims on items (1), (3), (4) and (5) are measured quite subjectively by the patient affected. The calculation of loss of earning could be done by using the Ogden tables, which are involving a set of statistical tables for use in Court case in the United Kingdom. Beside the age of this patient (Date of Birth=08/04/1969) being 41 years old on the date of claim (that is 12-11-2010) is known, we still need to know about the patient’s earning per annum, what is his occupation, whether he had any disability resulted, his qualifications, and his planned age for retirement. In case where the period of loss of earnings will continue for many years into the future, it is particular important to ensure that amount is taken of likely periodic changes to the Claimant’s income. The Claimant will want to point to anticipated career progression. In such cases, the Court will either: 1. Determine the average multiplicand, based upon the likely earnings throughout the period of loss, which will be applied to the full period of the loss, or; 2. Use stepped multiplicands for each stage of the Claimants career. Generally, this will result in a lower multiplicand at the beginning and possibly at the very end of the period of loss, with one or more higher multiplicands to represent the likely career progression that would have been followed. There is a need to interview the Claimant in more details to decide these uncertainties for a more comprehensive evaluation. Last but not least, the importance of expert evidence in such a case is vital. Medical evidence can provide an indication as to what work the Claimant will be capable of undertaking, both at present and in the future. This, together with evidence of the Claimant’s employment prospective, will assist the Court in determining what will happen to the Claimant in the future. Another means to calculate for the approximate quantum of the damage in this patient is to look into common laws and journals for similar cases for comparison and a rough estimation of quantification of similar claims. In Johns v Greater Glasgow Health Board1, a 44 years old lady broke her scaphoid bones in both wrists in a fall. The fractures were only diagnosed three months later. As a result the fractures would not unit, causing continuous incapacity and pain. Bone grafting was contemplated, despite an earlier unsuccessful attempt. Held, that solatium was properly valued at 11,000 pounds with wage loss to date and for a further 4 years. In W v Ministry of Defence2, which is a case of failure to diagnose fractured scaphoid from Clinical Risk 2010; Volume 16: p. 198 (by Collier et al). The case was settled concerning damages awarded to the Claimant pursuant to the delay in the diagnosis of the fracture of his hand, without which the Claimant could have avoided undergoing surgery and regained his complete and normal wrist function. W made an offer to settle in the sum of 15,000 pounds. The amount awarded to the Claimant was reduced to 9,000 pounds after further negotiation. 1. Johns v Greater Glasgow Health Board (1990) SLT 459. 2. W v Ministry of Defence (2009) MLC 1652 In B v Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital3, the Claimant, a male nurse aged 29 years, had attended the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust after falling off his bike in July 2004. His left fractured scaphoid bone wad missed and a non-united scaphoid fracture with humpback deformity and associated ligament damage had occurred. The Claimant thus made a Part 36 Offer for the sum of 14,000 pounds that was agreed with the Defendants in March 2006. In N v Pontypridd & Rhona NHS Trust4, the Claimant injured his right wrist in a fall whilst ice-skating on March 14, 1998. He attended the Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department and was noted as having a tender scaphoid. An X-Ray of the wrist was taken which was interpreted as disclosing no fracture. Nonetheless the wrist was set in plaster of Paris and the Claimant released. On March 19, 1998, the Claimant re-attended the Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department still in pain. The cast was removed; no X-Ray was repeated. The Claimant was given tubi-grip dressing and told to exercise the wrist. On April 29, 1998, the Claimant attended a different Hospital complaining pain and swelling over scaphoid region. X-Ray showed a fracture of scaphoid bone in his right dominant hand. On May 29, 1998, the fracture showed sign of delayed union. As a result, a settlement of total damage of 12,500 pounds; general damage of 8,000 pounds, and special damage for income loss and care of 4,500 pounds were awarded. In P v United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust5, the Claimant was involved in a fracas at nightclub in Bristol and arrested for punching security camera. The Claimant attended Accident and Emergency Department at the Bristol Royal Infirmary on 27 May 2000 and he experienced problems relating to his right wrist. The SHO treated the injury as being a sprain and no X-Ray was taken. The Claimant’s GP then identified tenderness in anatomical snuffbox. An X-Ray confirmed fracture through scaphoid being missed by Accident and Emergency Department. The Claim was finally settled for 40,000 pounds with causation proved. 3. B v Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital (2006) MLC 1350 4. N v Pontypridd & Rhona NHS Trust (2003) MLC 1031 5. P v United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust (2004) MLC 1159 QBD Settlement Where a Claimant has received State Benefits as a result of a disease and is subsequently awarded compensation, the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) will seek to recover these benefits from the Defendant via a system operated by the Compensation Recover Unit (CRU). The CRU is also responsible for collecting from a Defendant the cost of any NHS treatment that a Claimant has received following a clinical negligence. Notifying the DWP: Section 4 of the 1997 Act requires the compensator to inform the DWP not later than 14 days after receiving the Claim. The Notification should be made on Form CR1 which is sent to the DWP. On receipt of Form CRU1, the CRU will send Form CRU4 to the Defendant. The Claim then progresses to the settlement stage. When ready to make an offer of compensator, the compensator submits form CRU4 to obtain a Certificate. The CRU acknowledges receipt of form CRU4 within 14 days. The CRU sends the Certificate to the compensator- a copy will also be sent to the Claimant’s solicitor. The compensator will then settle the compensation claim and pay the relevant amount to the DWP within 14 days of the settlement. The compensator will also complete and send to the DWP Form CRU102 detailing the outcome of the Claim. The rules relating to recovery of benefit apply to clinical negligence claims. Due to their complexity, especially relating to causation, the CRU has set up a specialist group to deal with the claims, and makes a special request their compensators inform the CRU about clinical negligence claims as soon as the pre-action correspondence is received. Part 36 Offer: A party who wishes to make a Part 36 Offer must first apply for a Certificate of Recoverable Benefit from the CRU. Although Part 36 does not spell it out , guidance from case law suggests that the offer should therefore particularize the various heads of damage, and indicate the amount of benefits to be deducted against each head. Mediation: The parties should consider whether some form of Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedure would be more suitable than litigation, and if so, endeavour to agree which form to adopt. Both the Claimant and Defendant may be required by the Court to provide evidence that alternative means of resolving their dispute were considered. The Courts take the view that litigation should be a last resort, and that claims should not be issued prematurely when a settlement is still actively being explored. Parties are warned that if the protocol is not followed, then the Court must have regard to such conduct when determining costs. Mediation is one option for resolving disputes without litigation: it is a form of facilitated negotiation assisted by an independent neutral party. The Clinical Disputes Forum has published a guide to mediation which will assist, available at www. clinicaldisputesforum. org. uk The Legal Services Commission has published a booklet on â€Å"Alternatives to Courts†, CLS Direct Information Leaflets 23, which lists a number of organizations that provide ADR services. It is expressly recognized that no party can or should be forced to mediate or enter into any form of ADR. (Total: 3000 words) Bibliography: 1. Lewis: Clinical Negligence: A Practical Guide, 6th edition, Tottel Publishing. . Khan M, Robson M, Clinical Negligence, 2nd edition, Cavendish Publishing. 3. Powers and Harris: Clinical Negligence, 3rd edition, Butterworths. 4. Woolf S (1995) Access to Justice – Interim Report HMSO. 5. Woolf S (1996) Access to Justice – Final Report HMSO. 6. (1999) The Civil Procedure Rules HMSO. 7. â€Å"Making Amends†, at www. dh. gov. uk 8. †NHS Redress Bill† at www. publications. parliment. uk 9. Civil Litigation Handbook by Woolf, Lord Justice; Burn, Suzanne; Peysner John (2001), The Law Society. 10. A. A. S. Zuckerman, Ross Cranston (1995), Reform of Civil Procedure- Essays on â€Å"Access to justice†, Oxford University Press. 11. The Judicial Studies Board, Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases, 9th edition, Oxford University Press. 12. Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence: Tough Conditions – The Lawyer 10/10/05, www. lexisnexis. com 13. Opinion: Edwina Rawson: The Lawyer 26/09/05, www. lexisnexis. com 14. Butterworths: â€Å"Risk Assessment in Litigation: Conditional Fee Agreements, Insurance and Funding†, David Chalk 15. The Law Society: â€Å"Conditional Fees: A survival Guide†, Napier and Bawdon 16. The Law Society: â€Å"Civil Litigation Handbook†, Peysner. 17. â€Å"Mediating Clinical Negligence Claims†, Roger Wicks, www. medneg. com articles 18. â€Å"Guide to Mediation†, www. clinical-disputes-forum. org. uk 19. â€Å"Guide to Mediating Clinical Negligence Claims†, www. clinical-disputes-forum. org. uk 20. Kemp and Kemp The Quantum of Damages, Sweet and Maxwell. 21. Medical Litigation Online, www. medneg. com 22. AvMA Medical and Legal Journal 23. â€Å"General Damages – the NHS Case†, Philip Havers Q. C. and Mary O’Rourke, Quantum, Sweet & Maxwell (2000) 24. Practice Direction at www. justice. gov. uk 25. NHSLA website www. nhsla. com 26. Civil Procedure Rules at www. justice. gov. uk 27. Pre-action Protocol for the Resolution of Clinical Disputes and Practice Direction – Protocols, www. justice. gov. uk 28. â€Å"Guidelines on Experts’ Discussions in the Context of Clinical Disputes†, Clinical Risk (2000) 6, 149-152 29. The â€Å"Draft Guidelines On Experts’ Discussions in the Context of Clinical Disputes† (published by the Clinical Disputes Forum) 30. Part 36 and its Practice Direction, www. justice. gov. uk. 31. The NHS Redress Act 2006 can be found online at www. legislation. gov. uk/ukpga/2006/44 32. Johns vs Greater Glasgow Health Board, (1990) SLT 459, www. medneg. com 33. W v Ministry of Defence, (2009) MLC 1652, www. medneg. com 34. B v Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital (2006) MLC 1350, www. medneg. com 35. N v Pontypridd & Rhona NHS Trust (2003) MLC 1031, www. medneg. com 36. P v United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust (2004) MLC 1159 QBD, www. medneg. com

Nineteenth Century Realism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nineteenth Century Realism - Essay Example The realists democratized art through the depiction of modern subjects from the common people, mostly the working class. The basis of realism was the direct observation of people’s lives as opposed to idealized classicism of art and the themes forming the basis of Romanticism. This paper shall discuss three works of art created during the period of Realism, with emphasis on European art. Gustave Coubert was one of the strongest proponents of Realism. He secured his place as a pioneer through challenging the art that had for a long time been favored by the state-sponsored academy of art. By extension, Coubert challenged the core of history painting. Coubert painted this work and exhibited it at the Salons de Paris in 1849 and 1850-51. In this work of art, Coubert portrayed common people from his native region on a scale previously reserved for the elevation of themes in painting about history. He used people who were present at the burial. This painting was selected for this st udy because of the message that is sought to pass across to the public. The realism in the 315 by 668 cm oil painting comes through the burial of Coubert’s great uncle. The setting is in Ornans, a small town in France. The painting had a significant effect on the art scene, since it did not have the depictions that most artistes would bring out. This work of art was unique in the sense that it had an unflattering air. Gourmet did not attempt to romanticize the depictions of mourning and grief in this art work.

Recommendation Letter for College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Recommendation Letter for College - Essay Example She is not only talented but also hardworking. Her good academic performance does not affect her other activities as she has been dancing professionally and participates in dance competitions. She has served her town of Southington and has been competing in the Miss Southington Competitions since 2002. She is a much focused young lady, which is proved by her ability to compete and upholding the excellent academic results. For her academic career she plans to study Forensic science/Criminal Justice. Lynze Khan is determined, obedient and prudent. She has never given her parents any trouble at all. She is responsible and able to manage different roles effectively at the same time. This can be recognized by the fact that, from an early age, she has been involved with her community as a volunteer. Volunteer work is one of the constant passions of hers. She's donated her time in many of the Non-Profit organizations such as the local soup kitchens, "Relay For Life", "Crowns for the Cure" t o help towards finding a cure for Cancer, "Crop Walk" and many more. She is never short on energy and devotion to help better her community and the lives of others. By profession of Registered Nurse myself, I have never met anyone as committed as she is at such a young age. My life has been blessed just knowing such a person. I am honored to show my support and camaraderie toward her. She was definitely born for greatness.

Discussthetraitsapproachtotheentrepreneurialpersonalityandthereasons Essay

Discussthetraitsapproachtotheentrepreneurialpersonalityandthereasons why it fails to properly predict the behaviour of entrepreneurs - Essay Example Traits can be defined as habitual behavioural and thought patterns of people. Traits have been measured to reflect how much of a particular trait does a specific category of people reflect. This also implies that individuals that behave in a similar fashion can be compared and norms for various categories of people can be identified based on trait patterns. The trait approach has set down these patterns for entrepreneurs (Okhomina, 2010). The trait approach has set down certain parameters based on this very measurable feature of behavioural pattern and the paper seeks to study this approach. It moves on to explore the drawbacks of the trait approach and discusses the reason behind the failures of the theory. Entrepreneurship can be narrowly defined as a person who establishes and runs his or her own business. An aspiring entrepreneur is a one that hopes to establish and run his or her own business at some point in time. Entrepreneurship can also be defined as creation of something that adds value with appropriate time and efforts going towards its development. This definition assumes that personal satisfaction and monetary gains are rewards for various risks (social, physical and financial) undertaken. Entrepreneurship and the entrepreneur have changed that path for markets and economies. They have contributed in developing new services and products and have given way to creativity and innovation that made economic development and prosperity possible. It is because of this importance that entrepreneurs hold in shaping the economic future of the country, that studies have been conducted to study entrepreneurial behaviour and define traits that would in turn help in developing entrepreneurial ability in the nations. There are many traits for an entrepreneur but the trait that has been identified as one of the critical ones is the ability to identify opportunity and making profits

Tyre punctures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Tyre punctures - Assignment Example Also, the causes and prevention of tyre punctures is discussed. Introduction A tyre puncture or a flat tyre is when the tyre starts riding on the rim of the wheel or the ground. This situation may cause potential damage to the tyre or the loss of control on the vehicle. Though it is a very common situation as it happened because of the everyday extensive usage of vehicles, it has serious consequences. Tyre punctures are easily repairable. They may happen most commonly in vehicles because of some sharp object that lets the air of the tyre release leaving it punctured. The tyre may be collapsed according to the size of the puncture, as the air may be released rapidly or slowly. Driving with a flat tyre can be very dangerous and may cause accidents. When a driver realizes that he has a punctured tyre, he should slow down and stop his car to get it repaired. According to one of the reports, 10% of motor vehicles were damaged because of a tyre puncture. Thus, to be able to drive safely an d avoid tyre punctures, drivers should be aware and focus on the prevention of tyre punctures. One of the best ways to avoid the flat tyres is to drive on proper and safe roads. Drivers should avoid driving on rough roads, construction sites or over debris. These areas may contain objects that puncture the tyre. There may be other serious causes of tyre punctures. There is a valve stem in the tyre, and if there is a failure of or damage to the valve stem, the tyre can release the air and be punctured. Furthermore, there are also issues related to vandalism in which the air is intentionally released from the tyre. Excessive rubbing of the tyre with the road or a collision with any object can also cause the tyre to be punctured. Old tyres or over used tyres can be weak and can allow the rough roads to tear them up. Such tyres should be immediately changed for a better and safe driving (Freitag, 2002, p.8) Global Issues The tyres and their use is a global phenomenon. Not only are there common reasons and consequences related to the tyre punctures, in fact there are also many global issues that are associated with the use of tyres and tyre punctures. Healthy tyres are very important as they tend to allow the motor vehicles to be safe and lower the risk of tyre punctures. In Saudi Arabia we can see many of these global issues that can be related to the tyre punctures. Statistics show that Saudi Arabia was one of those countries where most road accidents and tyre damages have been seen. These are because of many reasons and causes. To start with, global weather is one of the main issues because of which tyres are damaged and punctured. Since tyres are filled with air, it is very important to manage the air in the tyre and the air pressure. If any part of this is affected, it will damage the tyre and more generally cause a tyre puncture. The global weather, specifically the changes in global weathers will deeply affect the tyres. There are summer impacts and winter i mpacts both. Tyres need to be safe and healthy so that there are less chances of risking motor vehicles on the roads. Good tyres will also prevent road accidents. Both the types of weathers can have different effects on the tyre. Thus, drivers should take every measure to prevent the tyres from damaging during the extreme weather. As the summer season starts, there are many warnings given to the drivers to prevent their

Economic History of Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Economic History of Europe - Essay Example However, in the late 13 century the economy started to decline due to land shortages, overpopulation and depleted soils for food production and other agricultural activities. Conversely, the vast famine of the 1315-17 contributed immensely to the decline in economic growth and development resulting in stoppage of population growth. Agriculture also shrank further; profits declined as prices reduced in 1348 due to the Black Death outbreak in which almost half of the population of England was killed, thus plaguing the gains the economy had achieved further. England faced similar economic challenges just like the rest of Europe that were characterized by rapid inflation as a result of loss of real wages and an increase in New World golds. To understand further the how stagnant the economy of England was during the pre-industrial revolution era, the Malthusian theory of income determination cannot be ignored. In England, during the pre-industrial era, which was between 1200 -1640, living standards were dictated by the population (Nicholas and Steckel, 1991). According to Malthusian, decrease in population led to the increase in the per capita income in England. Malthusian also stated that the tradeoff between mortality rate and fertility rate determined the income in the pre-industrial economy. The model shows how the economy of England was, thus stagnant by the following assumptions developed by Malthusian (Galor and Wepl, 1999). The birth rate, mortality rate and the living standards among the ancient people were the three assumptions that Malthusian used to explain why the economy was stagnant. Birth rate increased the population in England, which in return led to the decrease in the living standards among the people (Galor and Weil, 1999). On the other hand, the death rate that resulted in the decrease in population, led to the increase and improvement in the living standards among the people in England. The three assumptions, which are also referred to

Gun should be ban Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gun should be ban - Essay Example However, the other school of thought suggests that gun control policies and legislations are necessary in order to lower the rate of criminal activities using guns. According to the studies the main reason behind most of the casualties in the world is hand guns. The guns should better be banned because they put everyone’s life at risk and most of the guns in the homes are the reasons of unnecessary shooting and nothing else. In one of the study of the shootings, it was revealed that in almost two third cases the shooter got the gun from someone close, a relative or a friend. Keeping a gun is not protecting people but on the other hand it is the reason behind the increasing homicides. The major aspects of this debate are the sociological, legal and ethical considerations that apply differently to the discussion. The social scientists have their own point of view and according to them the gun control policies are an effective measure taken to reduce the criminal activities that take place with the use of handguns. These regulations are very important for the social security and the wellbeing of the society. From the ethical pint of view, the citizens should be given the right to protect themselves and thus they should be allowed to bear arms. They believe that of the citizens are given the right to protect themselves; there would be no one to be harmed by criminals. However, the most important aspect to this debate is the legal point of view under which the second amendment of the US constitution is interpreted. The constitution says that every person has the right to bear arms. The psychological reason behind keeping a gun in the homes would be the feeling of ins ecurity and the need to believe oneself as powerful (Diener and Kerber, 1979). Guns are being used in most of the mass shootings. And that is the major reason why guns should be banned (Vernick 84). Studies show that the presence of guns is likely to increase the crime rate in

Lenin and Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Lenin and Philosophy Essay The images dispersed through this document attempt to give an example of how women are systematically removed from their sports settings, and placed within a more feminized or sexualized manner. In this way, we can see how over and over, in the images of Chynna Doll, Kristina Korneacouvia and others are used further entrench the socio-cultural rules which place within a limited and static gender role. The images illustrated throughout this paper are clear examples of Mulvey’s â€Å"male gaze† paradigm. In most of these photographs the athlete was professionally made up. Their hair was styled in the wind blown look often used on models, they wore makeup, and they were each dressed in sexually suggestive, revealing clothing. In doing so, the media acts within the paradigm of hegemony by sending mixed messages. Particularly, sports magazine may seem to portraying female athletes in a positive light, yet there is a constant trivialization of the actual performance in sports. This allows those that maintain the power and create the rules to allow women a limited role, while simultaneously maintaining the all-pervasive social dictations on the role of women as passive objects within a male dominated society. In this light, women in sports advertising are women first and athletes second. The status quo of gender hierarchy is maintained by muffling images of strong women, while simultaneously re-encoding women as sexual objects. The 1996 Olympics brought much success to female athletes. Many proponents of women’s rights and equality in sports though that this marked the final acceptance of women in the sports arena. Women’s sports magazines flourished during this time as well. Unfortunately, despite the athletic success on the playing felid and an increase coverage in the media, the media depicted women in less active rolls, oftentimes showing them in their home and family settings, or dressed in their athletic gear in a provocative way. In this sense, women are allowed to participate in sports, but the underlying message is one that keeps the backdrop of women in the domestic and sexual field. This is a further entrenchment of the aforementioned ideological hegemony of male superiority. Furthermore, this fact reinforces the dominant cultural order that blatantly sexualizes the female experience of success and merit in the sports arena. Ann Balsmo (1996) in her Technologies of the Engendered Body, discusses this phenomenon, stating â€Å"To be both female and strong today violates traditional codes of feminine identity. Any attempt to reconstruct the body is transgressive out by using signifiers of hyper-femininity. † Herein lies the essence of this analysis; women today are caught within the traditional structure of male-dominated hegemony and the perpetuation of this domination through the against the ‘natural’ identity of the female body. The transgression is balanced vehicle of the mass media. Through the light of social and individual discovery, it is now time to take back these traditionally held power roles, allowing a woman’s body and physical accomplishments to be as worthy of merit and public praise as those of her male counterparts. Works Cited Althusser, Louis. Lenin and Philosophy and Other Essays. (Online version) Balsamo, Anne. Technologies of the Gendered Body. Duke Univ. Press, 1996. Blinde, E. , Greendorfer, S. , Shanker, R. (1991). Differential media coverage of men’s and women’s intercollegiate basketball: Reflection of gender ideology. Journal of Sport Social Issues 15, 98–114.

Importance of Product Innovation at Sony

Importance of Product Innovation at Sony Searching for Sonys Salvation: The Turnaround Strategy of an Industrial Giant There is no doubt that Sony, one of the greatest companies of the twentieth century, accredited with being the creators of products such as the portable radio, Walkman, and PlayStation, to name but a few, is no longer the force of old. No longer does it rule the roost in the consumer electronics industry to the extent that it did in decades gone by. No longer does it feature among the worlds most valuable brands as it did at the peak of its powers. Founded by Masaru Ibuka and Akito Morita in post-war Tokyo, Sony, or Tokyo Tsuchin Kogyo KK (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation), the predecessor of Sony, started as a small company with capital of just 190,000 yen and less than a couple of dozen employees (Sony, n.d.). Yet, therein laid the foundations of what was to become one of, if not, the most iconic consumer electronics company in the world, worth an estimated $7.6 billion as at 2016 (Forbes, 2016) with more than 125,000 employees on its payroll (Sony, n.d.). However, it is fair to say that in recent years, Sonys performance has fallen short of expectations. According to the case study, the company has failed to tap into new opportunities, and been criticised for being complacent and over-reliant on past successes. The aim of this assignment, therefore, is to: firstly, discuss the importance of product innovation to the future success of Sony, in regard to the changing marketing environment; secondly, conduct a SWOT analysis of Sony; and thirdly, recommend a course of action for Sony based on an exploration of the strategic options available, in an attempt to turnaround the industrial giants ailing fortunes. In so doing, this assignment explores the key concepts at the heart of each discussion and applies them within the context of the case study, around which the questions are based. Discuss the importance of product innovation to the future success of Sony, in regard to the changing marketing environment. In order to fully appreciate the importance of product innovation to the future success of Sony, there are several issues which must be examined. For example, the concept of the marketing environment should first be defined and broken down, likewise the process of environmental scanning that will lead on from this, and only then can such a discussion begin to take place. The marketing environment can be defined as the actors and forces that affect a companys capability to operate effectively in providing products and services to its customers (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2016). In other words, the marketing environment includes all the factors that have an impact upon the decisions, policies, and strategies of an organisation. On the face of it, therefore, the marketing environment is a one-dimensional concept that is easy-to-understand. However, that is by no means correct. Indeed, there are multiple facets of the marketing environment; hence it is vital to break it down into its component parts. The marketing environment is composed of the macro environment and micro environment. Whereas the former consists of a number of broad forces that affect not only the company but also the other actors in the microenvironment, (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2016: 38) the latter consists of the actors in the firms immediate environment that affect its capabilities to operate effectively in its chosen markets. (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2016: 55) To put it more simply, the macro environment revolves around external factors, in contrast to the micro environment, the focus of which is on internal factors. For example, the macro environment includes political, economic, social, technological, legal, and ecological factors that affect an organisation, all of which will be expanded upon later in the discussion. The micro environment, meanwhile, includes competitors, customers, distributors, and suppliers. These shape the character of the opportunities and threats facing a company and yet are l argely uncontrollable. In order to combat the uncontrollability of the marketing environment, it is essential that organisations adopt a strategy for dealing with such a problem. This leads us to the concept of environmental scanning. According to Huczynski and Buchanan (2016), environment scanning refers to processes through which the impact of external trends and developments on the internal functioning of an organisation can be determined and forecasted. Diffenbach (1983) finds that organisations can reap the rewards from carrying out the process of environmental scanning. Chief amongst the multitudinous advantages it can deliver are enhanced general cognisance of, and responsiveness to, changes in the marketing environment; improved strategic planning and decision-making; better industry and market analysis; and more efficient energy planning. As far as the macro environment is concerned, one of the widely used approaches to environmental scanning is a PESTLE analysis. This is an environmental scanning tool identifying political, economic, social, technological, legal, and ecological factors that have an effect on an organisation. Political factors influencing organisations emerge from decisions made and actions taken by the government. For example, taxation rates may change which will affect the profitability of an organisation. Economic factors arise from the state of the countrys wealth. If there is a recession, for example, it slows down the economy as people are less likely to spend unnecessarily which, in turn, impacts upon sales and profits. Social factors refer to the ways in which society changes and the requirement for organisations to acclimatise in the same way. For example, changing demographic forces such as an ageing population may mean appetite for particular products either peters out or grows. Technologic al factors relate to the rapidly evolving technological advancements that marketers have to keep abreast with and invest in to remain competitive. Legal factors include the implementation of specific laws, which, for example, may necessitate the payment of a statutory minimum wage by organisations to their workforces. Ecological factors, meanwhile, revolves around environmental concerns and reducing toxic emissions, pollution, and spills. These factors cannot be controlled but can prepare the organisation for changes that may take place in the marketing environment (Morrison and Daniels, 2010). Now that we have explored the concepts at the heart of the question, namely innovation, and the marketing environment, tying in with environmental scanning and PESTLE analysis, it is possible to apply these within the context of Sony. Beginning with the micro environment, Sony has faced increasing numbers of competitors in recent years. Indeed, the case study alludes to the fact that aggressive competitors are stealing market share in key markets where once it dominated. For example, within the mobile phone sector, multination corporations such as Apple and, to a greater extent, Samsung are now seen as the dominant forces. Together, Samsung and Apple, the top two global smartphone brands, accounted for more than 42% of the worldwide market share in the first quarter of 2016. (TrendForce, 2016) By stark contrast, Sony did not even feature among the top five, lagging behind in the others category. Hopes had initially been high that Sonys range of phones, complete with top-of-the-range camera capabilities and Walkman-branded capabilities enabling them to be transformed into portable digital music gadgets, would see them retake the lead in the market. However, Sonys strategy to market Walkman-branded products against the likes of Apples highly innovative and successful iPhone range has yet to yield success and is unlikely to do so in light of how outdated the Walkman is in comparison to their opposite numbers latest device. Just as technology is evolving, so too is it the responsibility of marketers to keep up-to-date with such changes in an attempt to remain competitive in the marketplace.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Thus, the importance of product innovation should be underplayed from a micro marketing environment perspective. That said, it can be argued that it is of equal importance in a macro environment sense too. Conduct a SWOT analysis on Sony. What are the strategic options available to Sony? Furthermore, recommend a course of action for Sony, giving reasons for your answer. Bibliography Diffenbach, John (1983) Corporate Environmental Analysis in Large US Corporations, Long-Range Planning Vol. 16 No. 3 pp107-16 Forbes Website (2016) The Worlds Most Valuable Brands https://www.forbes.com/powerful-brands/list/#tab:rank [accessed 3rd March 2017] Huczynski, Andrzej; and Buchanan, David (2013) Organizational Behaviour 8th Edition, Pearson Jobber, David; and Ellis-Chadwick, Fiona (2016) Principles and Practice of Marketing 8th Edition, London: McGraw-Hill Education Morrison, Mike; and Daniels, Kathy (2010) Pestle Analysis Factsheet, London: Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development Sony Website (no date) TrendForce Website

The Power of Words Essay -- Language

"The picture he had of the city was reduced to what she said of it, and finally it was her speech alone that could call up and protect that picture. †©He †©came †©to †©the†© conclusion †©that, †©once†© abandoned †©by†© words, †©the †©city†© would †©fall †©into†© ruins.† — Abdekelkebir †©Khatibi, †©Love†© in †©Two†© Languages Words are very powerful things, they are not simply just letters written on a sheet of paper; they can inspire, motivate, and evoke certain emotions. Think of your favorite songs and realize that the lyrics can bring joy, happiness, sadness, depression, loneliness, longing, or any emotion imaginable to others based on their own personal experiences. Dave Matthews’ song lyrics for â€Å"Funny The Way It Is† are able to capture this phenomenon when he says, â€Å"Funny the way it is, Whether right or wrong, Somebody's heart is broken, And it becomes your favorite song† (â€Å"Pandora† np). Examples of the pure power of words have been shown throughout mankind’s history. Many great leaders such as Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and even our current president, President Obama, used words to influence, motivate, and encourage their followers in positive ways. Authors in literature have recognized this trend and use powerful sayi ngs or words to intensify their plot and to evoke specific emotions from their audience. â€Å"Timshel† or â€Å"thou mayest† was a reoccurring word in John Steinbeck’s fictional novel East of Eden, their was a struggle or contemplation of the exact translation that was parallel to the theme of good vs. evil found throughout the three generations of brothers (Steinbeck np). This one word meant redemption, forgiveness, and liberation all at once. Another example of the power of words in literature is in Co... ...om/kiterun.htm>. Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York City : Penguin Group, 2003. "Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' Speech". Syque. June 6, 2010 . McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. New York City : Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. "Pandora". Pandora Media Inc.. June 6, 2010 . SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on East of Eden.† SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. WAccessed: 2 Jun. 2010. SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on The Kite Runner.† SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2010. Accessed: 2 Jun. 2010. Steinbeck, John. East of Eden. New York City : Penguin Group,1952. "The Road". Wikipedia. June 6, 2010 . "The Story of Cain and Abel". DLTK's Growing Together. June 6, 2010 .

Thomas Hardys The Convergence Of The Twain Essay -- Sinking Titanic P

Thomas Hardy's The Convergence Of The Twain The poem The Convergence of the Twain, by Thomas Hardy, is about the sinking of the Titanic. The title alone describes the ship and the iceberg meeting as one. By choosing this title, the author automatically conveys a seriousness of the poem. The author uses various literary techniques to convey his mockery and careless attitude towards the sinking of the ship. In the first five stanzas, the author discusses the already submerged ship. ?Stilly couches she,? describes the ship resting on the bottom of the ocean. The lines, ?Jewels in joy designed?lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind?, point out the waste of money, technology and craftsmanship going down with the ship which is consistently mentioned in these stanzas. In the next six stanzas he describes the iceberg and the ship meeting together as one in destiny. The use of personification found in the last five stanzas gives the ship its own power. The author refers to the ship as ?her? which makes the ship sound as though it has a mind of its own. The ship is also described as ?smart and growing in grace, stature, and hue.? This means that the ship was growing in confidence. ?She? thought she was untouchable and unsinkable. His attitude reflects his thoughts that the ship was on route to destiny, and no kind of human powers could stop it. The next literary technique used is irony. The lines ?Over the mirrors meant To glass the opulent the sea-...

Greek and Christian Models of the Truth Essay -- Philosophy Religion E

Greek and Christian Models of the Truth In his Philosophical Fragments, SÃ ¸ren Kierkegaard, writing under the pseudonym of Johannes Climacus, poses the question, "How far does the Truth admit of being learned?" (154). A more direct and succinct formulation of Climacus' question is "How is the Truth learned?" since his question does not concern the extent of human knowledge, which "How far" implies, but the possible modes through which one comes, or may come, to know the Truth. For Climacus, there are two possible modes of knowing, or two theories of how one comes to know the Truth: the Greek and the Christian. Both of these modes lead one not to truths, but to "the Truth"; Climacus' concern is not with those modes of knowing that yield particular truths about the world and humans, as in science, but with those modes that yield ultimate Truth, that highest and purest dream of philosophy. The central purpose of this deliberation on the two modes of knowing the Truth, according to Niels Thulstrup, is to point out "the deep essential difference between Platonism and Christianity because of the fact of the incarnation" (lxxxvii). Climacus wants to demonstrate that the Greek, Platonic, or Socratic mode of knowing the Truth contradicts the Christian mode of knowing the truth. Many theologians and philosophers hold that Climacus succeeds in his demonstration and therefore extol the genius of Kierkegaard. My reading of Climacus' "Project of Thought" is also that he succeeds, but that his success is a fundamental failure. For even though Climacus indicates an essential difference between the Greek mode of knowing the Truth and the Christian, he does not fully recognize that his whole thought-project is itself Greek, and that it puts a q... ... method does more, however, than simply put a question to Christianity which it does not and cannot answer: By generating an answer from a misreading of Christian revelation, Climacus distorts the nature of Christianity and Christian revelation. Works Cited Ellul, Jacques. The Subversion of Christianity. Trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986. Kierkegaard, Soren. Philosophical Fragments. A Kierkegaard Anthology. Ed. Robert Bretall. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1946. 153-171. Nielsen, H.A. Where the Passion Is: A Reading of Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragements. Tallahassee: University Presses of Florida, 1983. Thulstrup, Niels. "Commentator's Introduction." Philosophical Fragments. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1962. xlv-xcii. Tillich, Paul. A History of Christian Thought. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1968.

Sy’s Fish Company Risk Analysis Essay

As Sy’s business grows there are certain risks and that must be acknowledged and addressed in order to make operations run smoothly and efficiently. Below are the risks that have been identified and recommendations to mitigate them. Risk: Sending documents to Sy via mail. There is a high probability that the documents could be lost and therefore the transactions never recorded. Mail can take up to a week to receive so the timing would be affected. Transactions would be recorded in the wrong period and adjustments would have to be made to correct this. Recommendation: Sy should implement an information technology system so documents can be recorded in a timely manner and not lost in the mail. Risk: Return policy There is not a limit of days a customer has to return the fish. A customer can order fish, and if they are unhappy three months later, they can return the fish for a full refund no questions asked. This is a risk because customers can take advantage of this policy therefore affecting sales revenue. Recommendation: Sy sells only fresh fish to customers. Because of this, he needs to change his return policy to 15 days. This will ensure that customers do not wait to return fish months later after the fish has gone bad. Risk: Bookkeeping and Job Responsibility All of Sy’s bookkeeping is done by various employees from various stores. Having employees from various locations doing different parts of bookkeeping is risky because not one person is held responsible. Transactions cannot be collaborated from beginning to end until all the paperwork is received from each individual. Recommendation: If Sy plans on growing his business he is going to have to hire more employees to help with the bookkeeping. He should have separation of duties to avoid falsifying of information. All the bookkeeping should be done in one location. Internal controls should be set up for the process of recording transactions. Risk: Accounts payable procedure Natalie holds all the miscellaneous payable documents for payment at the end of the month. She records the document being received on the same day she issues payment. This is a risk because it effects what period the documents are recorded. Natalie pays all fishers in one lump sum instead of separating each payment. This is risky because it could be recorded incorrectly and there is no way to know which order was input wrong. Recommendation: She should record each miscellaneous payable document on the date received and the date paid should be when the check was written. She should record each fisher payable document individually. Risk: Bad Debt Sy does not know how much each customer owes or when they will receive payment. This is a risk because he will not be able to account for bad debt. Recommendation: He should make an accounts receivable ledger to study which customers have not paid and how long they are past due. By keeping records it will be easier to account for bad debt. Risk: Payables checking account Money in the payables checking accounts that has not been claimed cannot be traced back to the vendor. This affects revenue recognition and is a risk because Sy does not know where this money is going. Recommendation: There should be a record of what vendors have cashed their checks. Implement a direct deposit system to pay vendors and fishers. Risk: AFS securities There is no documentation on Sy’s AFS securities. There are no footnotes or explanations on the beginning balance sheet (Appendix 1). This is a risk because external users do not know where Sy’s investments are going. If there are no footnotes or explanations for the security investors they might not want to invest. Reccomendations Sy needs to add additional disclosures to explain his security and what he plans on doing with it.

Case: Facebook Marketing Management Essay

1.Why do people use Facebook and what do they do when they are there ? Since the launch of Facebook , constant updates and needs or wants, triggered this social network, broadening its scope permanentely. To answer the question why people use facebook, I believe the question what is the profile of the users is also necessary to understand. According to a paper published in 2012 (Evans et al., â€Å"Facebook Segmentation,† 38), a Facebook ´s pipsycograhic segmentation was performed through a partnership between a consultancy company (Psychster Inc) and students in the University of Washington Master of Communication program in Digital Media (MCDM), six types of facebook ´s users were identified and distrbuted accordingly to the pie below. Fans join interest groups based on politics, art, and music, and they often link their Facebook account to other websites. Branders prefer public to private networking, and they often use Facebook as a tool for business, building a personal brand, or accumulating social capital. Social-Searchers employ Facebook to learn about news, media, and entertainment, but they show little interest in apps and games. Influencers share videos, links, and good deals with others, and they rarely use the private forms of messaging or sharing available on Facebook. Gamers are motivated by games, apps, and coupons; they interact with strangers as often as acquaintances, and though fewer in number they log the most time on Facebook. Neutrals are unmotivated by most of Facebook’s features including status updates, and they report being members only to keep connected to the events of family and friends. (Evans et al., â€Å"Facebook Segmentation,† 37) Although I believe this is generally a good segmentation, since it links both the reasons why people use facebook and what they do the question is more complex and deep. Facebook which initially started as na alternative to Harvard ´s printed student directory, stated several diferences to other existing social networks sites, like the acess restriction to users with na â€Å".edu† e-mail adress, thereby focusing on real-world relationships, with reasonable levels of privacy and creating points of difference to its competitors. In the facebook earlies, Mark Zuckerberg, about this said†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ people have information they don ´t wnat to share with everyone. If you give people very tight control ver that information they are sharing or who are they sharing with, they will actually share more.† In addition he gave the reason to believe: â€Å"One example[of this] is that one-third of our users share thetir cell phone numbers† In my opinion of view this is d efinitely, the trigger of Facebook ´s use . We can name sereval reasons why people use facebook, but ultimately users, regardless their profile want Visibility, â€Å"Brand yourself† as a resource, Create and Strengthen bonds and feel part a comunity, without disregarding a certain privacy level. Depending on the users profile , many this can be done while on the facebook Highlight a product, Find new projects and clientes, Hang with other influencers, Tell your company’s story, Find partners, Get answers faster, Create a resource depositary, Develop your company culture, Better hires, Marketing research, Play games, Post photograhps, Chat with friends, set up meetings for all friends with details attached in a a few second and so forth. The fact that nowadays companies can actually pull information from current and possible customers is a powerful and nwe tool.Without the emotional detached its success wouldn ´t be the same. My Space is na example of this phenomenon. Myspace has been formed with entertainment and music in mind and set in more for professiona uses. Facebook, on the other hand, With Facebook, the interface is based around information. The pages are clean and clear with information and technology. 2.Evaluate the success of advertising on facebook To evaluate the sucess of advertising on faceebook, I would like put into perspective the three elements that I consider that deliver value to the major stackholders involved, and ultimately profit, either financial or value perceived, depending on the side. To measure success on adverstising on facebook one of the measures is Reach, that measures the percentage of the target audience ( those to whom a particular canmpaign is directed). According to the Facebook page analytics provider EdgeRank Checker, the head of social measurement at WPP’s Team Detroit and a study conducted by us here at We Are Social in conjunction with Socialbakers. DATA SHOWS AN AVERAGE 40% DROP IN REACH Average post organic reach 10th Aug – 2nd Nov, based on 41,051 posts made by 274 sample pages in the period. In line with the study, â€Å" the average post’s organic reach has clearly dropped by over 40% since the end of August, and is showing no signs of levelling off. Of course, how any one individual page has been affected will vary, and it’s long been known that the more fans a page has, the less reach and engagement it will get as a proportion of its audience, but the drop in reach seems to have affected pages of all sizes fairly equally† ENGAGEMENT STAYS CONSTANT Average post engagement rate 10th Aug – 2nd Nov, based on 41,051 posts made by 274 sample pages in the period. For the average post reach to drop while the average engagement rate stays steady, this must mean that the posts that are getting seen by fans are now getting more engagement. The same study concludes It’s clear that â€Å" Facebook have changed their EdgeRank algorithm to reduce the amount of brands’ Facebook page posts seen in fans’ newsfeeds, but what does this mean? Well, while some may say this is a deliberate move by Facebook to force page owners to pay for reach using promoted posts, others could reasonably say this is a sensible adjustment to compensate for the growing number of pages that its users are fans of, and the increased number of posts coming from those pages.† Facebook ´s position to this question is : â€Å"We’re constantly improving the way stories are shown in newsfeed. With the growing number of pages on Facebook it is important that people see content that is most relevant to them. These findings show that engagement with newsfeed posts has actually increased. At the same time, the number of posts being dismissed as uninteresting or spam has fallen. That’s a great result for page owners and an improved experience for all of us who use Facebook† According to the case study that is the base of this analyis, all the innvovations done in facebook in the last years, provided by Faceebook Ads ( e.g promoted posts in which brand page owners could push their contente to a broader audience), targent audience of the companies adverstising was broader. After, log out screen banner ´s available, mobile adverstising with sponsored stories ( taking advantage of the fact that half of the users access facebook by mobile). In 2007 the facebook platform was launched and since then thousands of apps were released. On of the most famous is farrmville ( Zynga Company), a gama involving farm management such as plowing land, planting, growing and harvesting crops, harvesting trees and bushes, and raising livestock, that enables people to play na online game with other facebook friends. The value is well reflected by one testemony of oneof its users: â€Å" Those five minutes that I used to spend on something of little value, I ´m now spending interacting with friends, which has real value to me†. There are more examples than can illustrate de power of this tool. One that was clearly seen, was the huge increase user ´s engagement in 2008, when companies started integrating websites funcionalities. These companies, a 30%- 200% increase in registration on their sites and 15%-100% increase in user engagement. To Facebook corporation, profits have been remarkable and after they introduce the cost per click metric for instance, the profits even increase more. In conclusion, the success of advertising on facebook is outstanding. From the consumers point of view, nowadays they trust their peers more than marketeers. Companies, used to spend lost of Money on traditional media, and now may have a large scale effect , refelcted on sales, brand awareness and profits. With this scenario, Facebook in prone to continue its path. It ´s also true that the huge impact that it enables, can play for or against the company/brand, but this volatility worths the effort as long as companies can balance and manage this process propperly.

American Indian History

The meaning of the word â€Å"nation† can be interpreted in different ways, but it always signifies the people, native language, traditions and a territory. Every nation has its own usages and they are inherited by its population across the generations. The people love their culture and love their land. Long time ago people learnt to cultivate the soil and to grow the crops. However, the land is not just people’s wet-nurse. It is something more for natives, because it unites them into one whole, into one nation. But when somebody deprives people of their land, the power of population as a nation weakens.â€Å"The world turned upside down† – wrote Colin G. Calloway trying to bring to the readers a sorry plight of Indians after blood-thirsty invasion of Englishman into their land. Peace and idyll of Native American’s life remained in the past and new era of a disaster came. One group after another endured successive waves of epidemic disease, inter-tr ibal and European warfare, rapid environmental change, colonial pressure for cultural change, displacement, and sometimes enslavement and servitude. Some groups disintegrated under the pressure, but others found ways to survive and some new groups came into being.It was not easy for them to adapt to the new laws white men had brought with them. The Indians felt that something was dying for ever and their home had changed. But the main human instinct of a survival played its key role. The Indians learnt to live with colonists. In this paper we’ll discuss the various ways Indian peoples adapted to their new settlers. To open the subject perfectly we’ll look to the life of the Native Americans through the history. For thousands of years land that is now the United States belonged to the Indians. They spoke many different languages.They lived in many different ways. Some were farmers. Some were hunters. Some lived deep in the forests in villages of strongly built houses. O thers roamed over the grassy plains, carrying all they owned with them. Each Indian belonged to a tribe, which was made up of a number of bands. Just two or three families constituted some bands. Each Indian thought of himself first not as one man but as part of a band and of a tribe. All the members of a band took care of each other. They hunted or farmed together and shared whatever they caught or grew. Some tribes were warlike. Others lived in peace.Indian religions were many. Some believed in one god, others in many, but all believed that man and nature were very close. Hunters or farmers all knew that the wind, the rain, the sun, the grass, the trees, and all the animals that lived on the earth were important to them. For thousands of years Indians wandered through the forests, over the grassy plains and great deserts. The earth was their mother, supplying all their wants. Then men arrived from Europe, men who wanted to take this land and have it for their own. These men believ ed that land could be cut up and bought and sold.In 1513 the Spaniard Ponce de Leon arrived in Florida. He did not stay, but he was fallowed by others Europeans who came to settle the land that was to become the United States. Spaniards came and Frenchmen came. Settlers came from England to Virginia and Massachusetts. These settlers wanted the Indians’ land. They wanted it for farms and cities. Englishmen cut down the forests and plowed the earth. Sometimes they made treaties with the Indians in which it was agreed that part of the land belonged to the newcomers and part to the Indians. As more men came from Europe, then were more men who wanted Indians land.The natives could not sell or give away all their land, but the settlers wanted it all. Eventually conflicts arose and outgrew into the Indian Wars. Because of nomadic life, small numbers, lack of weapons Indians turned out not worthy adversary for their enemy. But the Indians fought for their land. They went on fighting for almost four hundred years. Indian armed opposition was suppressed only at the end of nineteenth and their remains were driven to reservations. The Europeans carried with them not only longing to subdue the new land for all its material richness, but also brought unknown and deadly diseases.According to Northern Plains Indian winter counts (chronologies) epidemic diseases occurred on average every 5. 7 years for the area and every 9. 7-15. 8 years for individual groups. Disease outbreaks tended to follow episodes of famine or disease and tended to be followed by episodes of abundance of game when human mortality had been high. Epidemics preceded sustained contact with non-natives. The groups keeping winter counts recognized that epidemic diseases were spread through intergroup contact.Recorded reactions to epidemics include population dispersal, attempts to identify effective medicines, avoidance of outsiders, and changes in religious practices. Chronological listing of reference s to epidemics in winter counts shows that the northern plains groups endured about thirty-six major epidemics between 1714 and 1919 (table 1). Great smallpox broke out in 1837-38 that decimated the Mandas. Unlike the Yanktonai Blue Thunder winter counts, the Oglala John Colhoff and Flying Hawk winter counts describe the 1844-45 epidemic as severe. Blue Thunder notes that this epidemic was very widespread.The Hunkpapa Cranbrook winter count states that only children were affected by the 1844 measles or smallpox epidemic. . Iron Crow reported a food shortage in 1817 followed by measles or smallpox in 1818. The Yanktonai John Bear recounted a severe famine in 1814, followed by a severe epidemic in 1815. It is unlikely that birthrates could increase enough to compensate for this frequent loss of life. Many aspects of native life in the Great Plains were affected by epi-demics. Military might depended as much on a group's health as on the training and technology available to its warrior s.Patterns of social aggregation and dispersal, religious revivals, migrations, and survival of particular groups were affected by epidemic disease. The diseases and wares drained Indians having made them vulnerable before Englishmen. As colonists were fully aware from their negotiations for Indian land, the best way to press Indians into service was to allow them to run up debts with English merchants, then demand the balance and bring them to court when they could not pay. In such way â€Å"violation of the rights of Indians†3 continued for a long time.There is more then one example of illegal capture of Indians in their sorrowful history. For instance on August 12, 1865 a Hopi woman wobbled into the office of Lieutenant Colonel Julius C. Show, commanding officer of Fort Wingate, New Mexico Territory. She looked appallingly: her clotted hair with blood from a hand wound hung down her face. The woman declared to Show that while she and her nine-year-old daughter were walking the wagon road between Cubero and Fort Wingate, two men from the village overtook them, thumped her with their rifle butts and left her beside the trail.When she regained consciousness some hours later, her daughter was missing. Retracing her steps to Cubero, she discovered that the men had kidnapped her daughter and refused her to see the child. Then she went to Fort Wingate to plead for Shaw’s mediation in the kidnapping. Two accordant developments provide larger historical and cultural context for the Hopi woman’s dilemma. For although discrete in certain details, the sufferings of this anonymous woman prove symptomatic of the experience of women and children caught in larger processes of violence, exchange, and state regulation in the region.Chato Sanchez – the man who captured the girl answered Shaw’s question about the mother and her daughter clearly that â€Å"he had assumed a debt which this woman contracted and had taken both the mother and her daughter as security against that debt. †4 The man probably spoke the truth as he saw it. Since the early eighteenth century, Spanish New Mexicans had engaged in the practice of â€Å"rescate†, or rescue and redemption of captives held in the power of â€Å"los indions barbarous†. In New Mexico â€Å"rescate† served as the artifice by which legal and moral sanctions against Indian slavery could be subverted.Much about Indian society and culture in southern New En ¬gland had changed during Howwoswee's lifetime. From the late seventeenth century through the early nineteenth century, English merchants exploited the Indians' dependence on store credit to coerce men, women, and children alike into bonded service. County court judges complemented this effort by indenturing native debtors who could not pay off their accounts and Indian convicts who could not meet their court fines and costs of jailing. Meanwhile, colonial officials made little but token effort s to stem such practices despite full awareness that they were occurring.By 1700, neither Christian Indians nor colonists found it acceptable for natives to put on reed-woven clothes, skins, or just shirts with leggings, as they did in the seventeenth century. As a result Indians either had to purchase spinning wheels and get wool to their own cloth, which a minority did, or else buy finished material or clothing from local stores. â€Å"Cloth, clothing, and sewing items constituted 16 percent of the value of native purchases at Vineyarder John Allen's store between 1732 and 1752, 63 percent at John Sumner's between 1749 and 1752, and 86 percent at Peter Norton's between 1759 and 1765 (see table 2).Even for merchants who did not specialize in fabric, like Beriah Norton, cloth and clothing sales made up no less than 13 percent of the value of Indian transactions. †5 Food charges for corn, meat, and sweeteners were also significant, running as high as 26 percent at one store (s ee tables 1). English land purchases had so effectively restricted Indian movement that the natives' mixed subsistence base of corn-bean-squash agriculture, shellfish gathering, fishing, and hunting had been soundly compromised.Dams prevented fish from migrating along rivers. In connecting with deer herds declined, Indians were compelled to kill their livestock or buy meat. Traditional economic ac ¬tivities were further undermined when Indians went to work for colonists during planting and harvest seasons in order to pay off store accounts. The laborers turned to purchased, rather than self-raised, corn to carry them through the lean winter months until April's fish runs and the midsummer harvest of squash and beans replenished stores.In such way cycle began: first, a native family was pressed to rely on pur-chased food for a season or two; then creditors forced adults to work for Englishmen; the next cold season, they were back at the store to buy things they had been unable to p rovide for themselves during the previous year; and thus debts mounted again and the pattern repeated itself. Bonded service affected the Indians of southern New En ¬gland not only individually but culturally as well. Inevitably, having so many Indians, particularly children, living among the English promoted native acculturation to colonial ways.Some acculturative change proved empowering for native communi ¬ties. Other shifts were decidedly less welcome. In either case, groups such as the Wampanoags of Aquinnah and Mashpee, the Narragansetts, and the Pequots were forced to struggle with how to define themselves as they became more like their English neighbors. Indian children had not only to withstand separation from their parents and relatives but to adapt to the colonists' strange ways. Left with little choice, they could do nothing but adjust. By making colonial agricultural and domestic tasks an accepted part of Indian life, indentures played a key role in natives' accultu ration.In 1767, when Eleazar Wheelock put a Narragansett Indian boy to work in the fields, the boy's father having expressed a protest proclaimed: â€Å"I can as well learn him that myself †¦ being myself brought up with the best of Farmers. â€Å"7 As usual women rarely recorded such statements, but changes in their work prove that they also were adopting English ways. Indians Betty Ephraim, Patience Amos, and Experience Mamuck received credit from Richard Macy for spinning yarn and sewing — possibly on equipment that they owned themselves, given the presence of spinning wheels and looms in a few native estate inventories.Indentures were not the only factor encouraging Indians to adopt new tasks and technology. Missionaries contin ¬ued to promote the benefits of colonial work ways, no doubt persuading some listeners. Other natives distressed that their lack of accumulated capital made them chronically vulnerable to merchants and judges, carefully decided â€Å"to l ive more like my Christian English neighbors. â€Å"8 The enormity of servitude's impact on Indian culture is obvious. At least one-third of native children were living with the English at any given time, most under indentures that kept them in service until their late teens or early twenties.When these servants returned home as adults, they passed on what they had learned to their children, some of whom were in turn bound out to colonists. By the second half of the eighteenth century, probably nearly all native households included at least one person who had spent an essential portion of his or her childhood as a servant. As a result of poverty and widespread in ¬dentured servitude, were the changes Indians experienced in their dress. Between the advent of English settlement and King Philip's War, Praying Indians in order to mark themselves as Christians cut their hair and donned shirts, pants, shoes, hats, and cloaks.However, many Christian Indians refused to abide by the Engli sh dictate that people dress according to their station in the colonists' social hierarchy. Indian women, in particular, had a special liking for jewelry and clothes that colonists considered gaudy and ungodly. Servitude also influenced the Indians' food ways. Throughout the early seventeenth century, the usual Indian dish was a corn mush that consisted of some mix of vegetables, shellfish, fish, and/or game. Water was the natives' sole drink. But soon merchants stocked alternative foods and extended Indian credit lines, as traditional sources of protein became less accessible.As a result natives became accustomed to the food provided by colonial masters; the Indian diet began to change. Although In ¬dians continued to consume traditional foods, by the early eighteenth century they also ate mutton, beef, cheese, and potatoes, massive quantities of molasses and sugar, and smaller amounts of peas, biscuits, and apples (see table 2). Thus, by the end of the eighteenth century the Ind ian life rather changed. The characteristics that previously had distinguished natives from their colonial neighbors were no longer a part of Indian existence.In ¬dians became more like their white neighbors in their gendered division of labor, in their food and dress, and perhaps even in their propensity to beat children. As colonists forced Indian children as well as adults into bonded labor, natives lost control not only over their workaday lives but over the very upbringing of their young people. Large numbers of children and young adults spent most of their developmental years working in colonists' homes and on their farms and ships, where they heard and spoke English, performed English work, wore English clothing, and ate English food.Over time, they could not help but become more like their masters. Food, labor, dress, child-rearing: these are major elements of any people's cultural life. But indentured servitude's impact on Indian culture was even greater, its reach even l onger. It struck much nearer to the foundations of Indian identity when it began to interfere with the people's ability to pass on native languages through word of mouth and print. Gradually, Indians became English-only speakers and this change more than any other threatened Indian claims to distinctiveness.During the first two-thirds of the eighteenth century, as more and more natives served indentures, Indian literacy rates stagnated or declined. This lack of progress is remarkable, considering that in the seventeenth century, colonial officials and native parents alike expected masters to instruct bound Indian children to read and write English. Some natives sent their offspring to live with colonists or attend boarding schools precisely so that they would be formally educated.Not until the late eighteenth century, when native household servants began to receive instruction in writing from white women — who were themselves in the process of gaining full literacy — d id Indian signature rates start to climb, particularly among females. About three centuries wars of annihilation against Indians continued. Because of primitive weapon and nomadic life, Indians’ forces were broken. But not their spirit. Love to their land, nature and culture always lived and lives in their hearts.Despite all the disasters which fell down their heads Indians adapted to the new life. New settlers left indelible imprint on Indians’ life, traditions and language. Many groups of Native Americans did not stand cruel invasion in their life but some of them learnt to find ways to survive. And nowadays the Spirit of the chieftain lives in the heart of every Indian. They are proud of their tribal roots and their culture. Notes 1. Colin G. Calloway, The World Turned Upside Down: Indian voices from Early America (Dartmouth College). 2.Linea Sundstrom, Smallpox Used Them Up: References to Epidemic Disease in Northern Plains Winter Counts, 1714-1920, 309 3. Richard White and John M. Findlay, Power and Place in the North American West (Seattle and London: University Of Washington Press), 44. 4. White, Power and Place, 45. 5. David J. Silverman, The impact of Indentured Servitude on the Society and Culture of Southern New England Indians, 1680 – 1810,626. 6. Silverman, The impact of Indentured Servitude, 627. 7. Silverman, The impact of Indentured Servitude, 652. 8. Ibid.

BP’s Competitive Advantage

Though the product they are probably most famous for in the minds of consumers, gasoline, is thought of as homogeneous, the success of BP in the companies ability to grow and maintain its standing as a multinational energy superpower lies in its management of human capital. BP’s true competitive advantage is not in the commodities or services it sells, their success stems from the companies ability to manage a less easily duplicated resource: knowledge. Collaboration and knowledge management form the core of the BP value system. As expressed by BP in their own words, they aim â€Å"to engage the creative talents of our employees, and develop and apply leading, cost-effective technology and intellectual creativity to enhance innovation and new ideas† (BP, n. d. ). This paper will address this unique aspect of the BP business model, knowledge management, and how it translates into financial performance. Background BP is a global energy leader, the core components of their business are: oil and gas exploration and production, refining and marketing of petroleum supply products, manufacturing and marketing of chemicals, and the manufacture of Photovoltaic (solar) cells. They are currently in the top three internationally in gas reserves, and are the largest retailer of gas in the US, as well as one of the world’s largest marketers of aviation fuel (Corporate Watch, n. d. ). Founded by William Knox D’Arcy from a significant oil find in Iran, they have expanded through growth and merger, currently operating in over 100 countries, employing 97,600 people with 2007 revenues exceeding $284 billion (BP, n. d. ). Knowledge Management The challenge to an organization the size and scope of BP can often be capturing the wealth of knowledge created by their people, engaged in business, learning best practices, and sharing and storing that information between business units to maximize BP’s potential. BP’s methodology is â€Å"encompassed by a simple framework, which describes a learning cycle – before, during and after any event – which is supported by simple process tools† (Kotelnikov, n. d. ,  ¶ 1). The BP learning method is to treat every process as a closed learning loop; lessons learned from each experience are agreed upon and posted on the company intranet to capture knowledge and experience to be shared by all BP business units. Companies create vast amounts of valuable knowledge through practice of their employees, without a system in place to capture this knowledge; it will often leave with their employees. Further, in a large company like BP, the potential exists for it to operate not as a collaborative unit, but as â€Å"a collection of individual fiefdoms in the form of individual business units† (Quelch & Deshpande, 2004, p. 96). To foster this sense of collaborative behavior, BP created peer review and cross business unit interaction strategies (Quelch & Deshpande). An example of how this has positively impacted the companies profitability, recently due to knowledge sharing between business units of engineers, they achieved a cost savings of $74 million in 1998 to meet their collective goal of reducing retail site construction by 10% (SAIC, n. . ). As management of information systems flourished in the decade of the 1990’s, the success of BP’s competitive advantage in their commitment to managing knowledge will invariably lead to other organizations creating practices and infrastructure to support knowledge management in the future. Knowledge management creates competitive advantage by storing and sharing collective â€Å"on the job† learned experiences and distributing them to present and future generations of an organization that would otherwise be lost. BP has maintained their ability to grow and improve profitability through implementation of knowledge management strategy.