Loose Control

Lily walked into the crowded cafà © and was greeted by the warm smell of freshly baked bread. Mrs Austell always made the most delicious bread, not that she had eaten much of it lately. The mouth watering smell of Mrs Austell's home made loaf brought back bitter-sweet memories for Lily. Memories of when her life was happy. In control. Lily walked over to the cashier and began to place her order. â€Å"Can I have a bottle of mineral water and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she stared longingly at the array of chocolate bars on display. If she was really good for the rest of the day†¦ She shook the thought from her mind. Four hundred calories per bar, even if she was good for the rest of the day, it would still take ages to burn off. â€Å"†¦um, yeah that's all thanks,† she finally said as she handed the cashier the money and went over to sit at the circular wooden table by the window. She had just started reading her favourite book when someone sat down next to her. She looked up to see a girl with greasy, peroxide blonde hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her ears glittering with fake gold hoops and playboy studs. â€Å"Awright orphan girl?† she asked, tauntingly. â€Å"Leave me alone Olivia,† answered Lily quietly. She tried to concentrate on her book. It was one of her favourites, and although she knew it back-to-front, it was still completely engrossing. It had been a present from her aunt that Christmas when†¦ She tried to hold back her tears, but it was too late, a lump had formed in her throat. She didn't want to cry in front of Olivia, she was bad enough already. Just as Lily began to feel the first mournful tears form, a voice called her above the chatter of the cafà ©. Lily looked up to see Darcey striding through the cafe, her long fiery hair swishing behind her making her look as if she'd just stepped off the catwalk. â€Å"Oh.My.Gosh!† said Darcey as she sat down. â€Å"What?† asked Lily cheerfully, feigning a smile. â€Å"I got the contract!† â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"I've signed with a model agency, Models one to be exact!† squealed Darcey. â€Å"Damn

Bildungsroman in Huckleberry Finn

According to Merriam-Webster, a bildungsroman is â€Å"a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character. † Huckleberry Finn is an ideal example for this type of character. Just from his simple changing perception of slaves, especially Jim considering that he lives in such a racist and restrictive society. Huckleberry Finn is an illustration of a bildungsroman because he overcomes many stereotypes and preconceived notions about slaves and blacks. His changing and growing personality is displayed throughout the novel and shapes the theme of tolerance that is shown. Huckleberry Finn’s view of Jim at the beginning of the novel is very typical of what any perception would be of a slave during this time period. He thinks of Jim just as Miss Watson’s slave; not a person and definitely not a friend. However, when he and Jim find each other and go out to the island, this is when Huck begins to see Jim as a person, not just a slave. This was a major step because Huck grew up with the notion that slaves were less than him, and he reversed that stereotype within his mind. When he must make the decision whether to reveal the whereabouts of Jim, Huck states, â€Å"It was a close place. I took . . . up [the letter I'd written to Miss Watson], and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: â€Å"All right then, I'll go to hell†Ã¢â‚¬â€and tore it up. It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming. He could have done what he was supposed to and make Jim return to Miss Watson, but instead he goes against what is considered ‘right’ in his society, and does what is right, which is a massive step and this displays how Huckleberry Finn is a bildungsroman. At the beginning of the novel, Tom Sawyer convinces Huck that in order to become one of the ‘robbers gang,’ he must also become â€Å"sivilized† by the Widow. Huck goes along with this situation for some time, until he decides that just because Tom and the Widow want him to, doesn’t mean this is right for him. He goes against the grain of society and leaves, which was quite a bold move for a young boy to make. This is not only an example of bildungsroman, but also is a loss of innocence. Throughout the novel, Huck is constantly exposed to concepts and decisions way past what he should be able to handle. At the end of the novel, Aunt Sally makes an attempt to â€Å"sivilize† him, which Huck rejects after the attempts that the Widow and Miss Watson made. He says, â€Å"I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before. He instead decides to keep exploring, but instead go west. Huck defies everything that he knows about society of the time and does what he thinks is right for him, which is monumental for not only a young boy, but any person in general. Bildungsroman is one of the key aspects of Huckleberry Finn and it drives the novel as well as the charac ter. Huck Finn develops and matures throughout the novel in his perception of Jim and his decision to go against the grain of society in the Southern 1830s and 1840s. Huck Finn is an exemplary piece of literature to display bildungsroman and its impact on a story and its characters.

H.W Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

H.W - Essay Example 29 years after the tragic event, it is but right that a new generation of people come to learn of the facts surrounding an event that redefined the way that governments respond to chemical explosions. This paper will also look at the after effect of the explosion on the judicial system and take a look at how the victims have benefitted or not from the court decisions. It is important to understand that the Bhopal tragedy did not fall squarely on the shoulders of Union-Carbide, a mere stock holder in the Union-Carbide plant. Rather, Union-Carbide India was owned and operated by the Indian company of the same name. In a statement on their website, Union - Carbide explains that: â€Å"Union Carbide India Limited designed, built and managed the plant using Indian consultants and workers. In 1994, Union Carbide sold its entire stake in UCIL to Mcleod Russel India Limited of Calcutta, and UCIL was renamed Eveready Industries India Limited (Eveready Industries). As a result of the sale of its shares in UCIL, Union Carbide retained no interest in - or liability for - the Bhopal site. The proceeds of the UCIL sale were placed in a trust and exclusively used to fund a hospital in Bhopal, which now provides specialist care to victims of the tragedy. â€Å" After the explosion, Union Carbide hired the independent firm of Arthur D. Little, Inc. to undertake a thorough investigation as to what caused the explosion. The findings of the investigators was clear. There was sabotage involved as water backed into the tank that caused a chemical reaction, leading to the explosion. ( Bhopal Information Center, â€Å"Statement of Union Carbide Regarding The Bhopal Tragedy†). Safety precautions have since been taken on a world wide scale to prevent the occurrence of another explosion stemming from a similar cause. The Supreme Court of India saw just cause to hold Union-Carbide partly responsible

Grammatical Features of Definiteness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Grammatical Features of Definiteness - Essay Example Secondly, numbers which occur in plural and singular. Lastly, the gender Category, They usually take values such as the masculine, feminine and the neuter (Smith, Teschner and Evans, 1994). Frequently grammatical categories are usually misunderstood with lexical categories. This Are nearly the same as parts of speech like the nouns, verbs and the adjectives. Categories may be brought about and referred to according to meanings they portray. For example the category of tense(s) usually show time in which activities took place for example, did a certain action occur in the present (now), past (a time before) or future (a time to come).They may be structured in words by use of inflection (a change in the number of words a word that reflects a change in grammatical function, Oxford Dictionary.) In the English grammar, the number noun is always leaving the noun without inflicting it, this is if it’s singular. For words which are in plural, the suffix-s is added. This not the case w ith all plurals, because some nouns have irregular plurals. On the other hand, a category may not be marked on the item to which it pertains. They are shown only through other features in grammar of a sentence. Always they are shown through agreements in grammar. A good example to illustrate the above point would be: The number of nouns may not be marked on the noun itself if the noun does not inflect as in the regular pattern. Instead they are shown in the agreement between the noun and the verb. Singular nouns usually use ‘is’ while plural nouns take are. For example: In this case the noun sheep does not inflect according to regular patterns. In other cases the number can be reflected both in the noun and also by the agreement of the verb (Smith, Teschner and Evans, 1994). For example; However, where a number of nouns or verbs are not manifested anywhere in the surface form of a sentence.

The influence of music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The influence of music - Essay Example Specific attention shall be paid to some of the common genres as well. This paper shall seek to look at the different ways in which music influences the listener’s behavior. Different genres shall be mentioned and the behaviour associated with each shall be studied. On the flipside, the extent to which the choice of music complements listener behavior shall also be explored. A) Message contained in the lyrics influences a listeners behavior. Rock and hip hop contain messages of a violent kind. The use of drugs in general and alcohol to be specific is a common theme. This is in turn carried on by the listeners especially the young impressionable type. Soul and blues are more sedate and advocate love not conflict. C) Generally, the mental disposition of listener influences behavior. Despite the dangerous level of sway that the factors in A and B above hold, the amount of control the listener has over their faculties is the principal determiner of general conduct. Responsible listeners are able to see through the messages and carry themselves out in ways that are good to the general

Explore how or not Song of the night matures over the course of the Essay

Explore how or not Song of the night matures over the course of the novel - Essay Example While pieces are systematically laid at differing corners, the distinguished soldier and the named student seem to have very detached lives save for their joint interest in go. After meeting in the core of the books disjointed plot lastly comes together and the narrative goes from a palpable false sense of distinct light-heartedness to a tragic notable confrontation at eventual breakneck speed. The exhibited second half can be well read in exposed half the time. The song helps in outlying or foretelling the gradual turnaround of the novel from fairly harmonious start to eventual sad end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book is told in discontinuous chapters by a Chinese teenager-going on sixteen at the beginning of the book in a Manchurian urban in the 1930s-and a Japanese fighter who ultimately comes to be posted in the region.  Manchuria has been settled by the Japanese for numerous years as the account opens, but there is an energetic insurgency pressure group. The girl, though, lives a relatively cool sheltered life. Her immense passion (and aptitude) is the pastime of go which is an ancient strategic board game accepted in Far Eastern Asia. This is equivalent in complexity to chess, and she mostly spends much of her occasion playing in the communal Square of a Thousand Winds-a location where players come for popular pick-up games of go and a place she generally effortlessly beats all comers. The girl is quickly maturing, and turns out to be sexually active over the process of the novel. However, go forever remains an interest she can indeed relate with or ret urn to. Something she can center on where she is in control and wherever she can be assured of the rules notable abilities. While singing the song, there is mirroring of both the plays on men and women similar to the disagreement between China and Japan which is a conflict that systematically progresses locally in those matching small moves as

Paolo's Pizza Parlour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Paolo's Pizza Parlour - Essay Example In our situation, the offer of Gino was to sell the next consignment of salami to Paolo. He did not say that he is offering his current supply of goods or the goods, which are already in his possession. It could be that the goods are still to be acquired subject to the acceptance of Paolo of the offer to sell by Gino. The fact that Marco informed Palo that Gino sold all his salami to the owner of the Italian Restaurant is of no consequence. The offer to sell is between Gino and Paolo and Marco has no legal part in it. My advice to Paolo would be to go on accepting the offer of Gino as agreed. The fact that he is given until Friday to communicate his acceptance of the offer, he can avail of such time. On the part of Gino, the acceptance of Paolo is biding upon him since he did not withdraw his offer to sell before the time it was accepted. Situation 2 gives us a picture of an employee-employer relationship and a promise to give extra pay for the services rendered by the employee. Paolo offered Alfonso a bonus if there pizza can be delivered on time. Alfonso accepted the offer and he worked extra hours to get the job done and the pizza delivered on time. However, Paolo refused to honour his promise on the claim that the services performed by Alfonso is within the normal course of business for which he is paid for. Is Paolo right? Under the GUARANTEE PAYMENTS PL724 (Rev 2), the normal working hours should be clear from an employees written statement of employment particulars taken together with any relevant collective agreement. They may include overtime hours, where the contract of employment requires both the employee to work them and the employer to provide and pay for overtime work. Under normal circumstances, the employee and the employer agree a specific number of hours when the employee may render services for the salary given by the employer. Such activities include the normal business transaction of the employer. Following the facts of the

Business Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Technology - Essay Example It actually enhances the communication process between people and the organizations. Despite the advantages, several demerits and disadvantages of the application of advanced technology in the business process affects the relationship between an individual and his or her particular organizations, such as bank, school or shops. Several business organizations and banks are implementing online transaction system in the business processes to bring efficiency in the payment making process. People are still trying to avoid this online payment process due to the threat of account hacking by cyber thieves or theft of privacy or personal relationship. In terms of social relationship between friends and families, lack of security in several social media networking sites allow people to access the accounts of different users. These issues generally affect the social and business relationship of people. It is clear from above discussions that the introduction and implementation of technology in daily operations have several advantages as well as disadvantages. Online shopping, online order placing, online distribution, online application and e-CRM are the several advantages of the implementation of advanced technology in the business operation process. In addition to this, emergence of several social media networking sites help people to maintain effective relationship with the friends, families, colleagues and several business organizations (Sternheimer, 2013). But, issues like, online hacking and theft of privacy is affecting the relationship between the people and their respective organizations. It is important for both the users of technological equipments or applications and the organizations to maintain efficiency in the adoption and... This essay approves that several demerits and disadvantages of the application of advanced technology in the business process affects the relationship between an individual and his or her particular organizations, such as bank, school or shops. Several business organizations and banks are implementing online transaction system in the business processes to bring efficiency in the payment making process. People are still trying to avoid this online payment process due to the threat of account hacking by cyber thieves or theft of privacy or personal relationship. In terms of social relationship between friends and families, lack of security in several social media networking sites allow people to access the accounts of different users. These issues generally affect the social and business relationship of people. It is clear from above discussions that the introduction and implementation of technology in daily operations have several advantages as well as disadvantages. Online shopping, online order placing, online distribution, online application and e-CRM are the several advantages of the implementation of advanced technology in the business operation process. This paper makes a conclusion that organizations are using advanced technology in the business processes in order to maintain strong relationship with the target customers. Despite the advantages, people can face several through these online business or social applications.

Intercultural Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Intercultural Communication - Essay Example Many organizations hire individuals from different countries to serve in different capacities within their ranks. One challenge that employees face in such organizations is understanding people with backgrounds that are different from theirs (Wang & Li, 2007). In such an environment, employees need to develop skills that enable them to become successful and effective intercultural communicators as they engage their colleagues in communication and as they interact at the workplace. Communication is one of the major components of effectiveness at a work place, the reason being that without effective communication, there are high chances of distortion in the message. This tenet affects the outcome of an instruction or direction and increases chances of poor performance. However, cultural differences have the potential to create considerable difficulty in intercultural communication since culture has a strong effect on beliefs, values, nonverbal behavior, language, worldviews and relationships with other people (Chitakornkijsil, 2010). For the management, intercultural communication facilitates the exchange of meanings between them and other managers from other countries. Managers who have subordinates from different countries working under them face the challenge of encoding and decoding messages in the correct way to ensure that the message is interpreted correctly. Every international manager qualifies as a communicator in the sense that they do or say conveys essential information to someone or a group of people within or outside the organization (Lauring, 2011). In a world where no country is self-sufficient in terms of resources, cultures and markets increasingly converge. For an organization to record considerable success in today’s business environment, it has to adopt cross-cultural teamwork and collaboration (Samovar, McDaniel &

Term Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Term Paper - Essay Example An example of this landscape is the Donnell garden, Sonoma, CA which is going to be discussed in this paper. This beautiful and most popularized place in the recent history of the United States America, in particular in the California state preserves one of the iconic designs ever created. The shape and lay out of this monumental cultural landscape tells it all. According to the available records the landscape design was done by architect Thomas Church, with h the help of Lawrence Helprin and fellow architect George Rockrise. This design which was identified as Donnell Garden in Sonoma was done for the family of the Donnell’s-Jean and Dewey. Nowadays the garden is regarded as the Modernist Icon as well as one of the top most preserved examples relating to its time (Treib, 2003.). The subject family selected as a location, a favorite point on their ranch where picnics could be enjoyed by both the residents and the visitors to the family. This point is described as hillside over looking the San Francisco Bay’s northern extensions. This gives the location a unique viewing point of the environment it has been established. This unique location and design was completed in 1948 and sooner than later the garden become popular for its unusual, distinct, abstracted forms. This made the place the frequently photographed point in its vicinity. This further promoted it to stand out as a modern California living style that took place both outdoors and indoors, with fluid transitions amid these equally important locations (Treib, 3 Maturity and Modernity. 2003). It is worth noting that the garden was designed at the time in which the economy of California was considered booming and experiencing a rapid growth in its population. The conception of the garden by Church was to offer a place where people could relax, swim, entertain, garden, and play as well as barbeque. This gave a blended point where various recreational activities could be done simultaneously or co nsecutively giving someone a complete experience of the environment in terms of weather and climate prevailing at the point (Treib, The Donnel and ALCOA Gardens. 2004). This further explains why the place is considered the modern iconic place of California living style. At the Donnell garden, it is clear that the designer Church attempted to respond to the specific characteristics relating to client and site, whereas exploring new forms. Of specific interest to note is the biomorphic kidney-shaped swimming pool; its Adaline Kent sculpture that functions both as a central point and a minute, inhabitable island; as well as the floating deck that is designed with a wooden boards checkerboard that conserved trees whereas extending the living space outdoors. This beautiful transition between the inside and outside of the location gives a well thought modern way of connecting life styles from the indoors and outdoors by providing coordination of the scene at the point focused on (Walker 1 989). More description of the cultural landscapes helps to give people the desire to be associated with the model modern tourist destination. It is described one of the very important gardens ever associated with the 20th century. It is also referred to as the El Novillero a name that comes after the former use of the site as a ranch (Walker 1989). This partly explains that renaming was necessary to make it an iconic

Good Marriage Essay Example for Free

Good Marriage Essay Jim went down to the kitchen where the smell of good food beckons him. He smiled to himself, pleased to note that his wife is cooking his favorite food. Theyve been together for twenty-five years, their kids are all grown up. Yet Ana hasnt forgotten that he likes Thai cooking, slightly spicy and rich with seasoning. He saw his wife adding cut green pepper on the diced meat that is frying on the stove. Ana turned around and saw him standing in the doorway. She bade him sit down while she finishes her cooking. Instead of sitting down, Jim went to the cupboard to get plates and utensils for their meal. The couple has always find ways to please and help each other, a practice they have kept over the years. 2. A good marriage is characterized by husband and wifes delight in a give and take relationship. There is mutual respect for each other. Husband and wife helps each other in decision-makings, the raising of children, and doing tasks. They both take care of each other and notes what are the likes and dislikes of each party. In a good marriage, the man and wife are both happy in their decision to be with each other for the rest of their lives. That commitment is reaffirmed time and again despite difficulties and trials. In a good marriage, there is laughter and conversation. Both husband and wife will always find things to talk about, and have the time to listen to each other. 3. Looking at Jim and Anas lives, their twenty-five years of marriage has not always been a bed of roses. Ana is scrupulously neat, while Jim is a little scatter-brained. Ana keeps a list of things that needs to be done and does them in an organized and timely manner. She likes getting an early start, eating breakfast and finishing work ahead of time. Jim has a tendency to oversleep in the morning, getting up really late on weekends, and spending half of the day sleeping during 2 vacations. He hates putting anything on his stomach before eleven in the morning and likes to work late at night. Ana would sometimes find Jim deeply asleep after she had her bath and breakfast on a day when theyre supposed to go to the dentist. At a time when Ana likes to get an early start, while Jim wasnt complying, shed often get bad-tempered and a little quarrel would ensue. These little quarrels didnt get out of hand because both of them are capable of stepping back and releasing anger. More importantly, Jim and Ana avoid bringing up past issues during arguments. They stick to whats at hand and settle them without resorting to foul language and by properly expressing their sentiments and criticisms in a constructive manner. 4. A good marriage is not just about seeing the good side of a person. Its about knowing his or her little habits that may or may not turn out to be annoying. Each party has to accept the totality of the other person and learn to adjust and adapt. In a good marriage, the couple must not try to change each other. Instead, they must try to meet in the middle and compromise. In a good marriage, the couple dont start running away when things become a little complicated and difficult. 5. A good marriage, simply defined, is comprised of the good and bad things. There are times to laugh, to talk, to argue, and to make up. It is characterized by a lasting friendship where trust and responsibility go hand and hand. Meeting halfway and speaking up are necessary elements to make the relationship endure. Both parties must work hard and stick it out with one another through thick and thin. Husband and wife must selflessly think of each others welfare particularly when there are major issues to face and settle. Its very important to do things together and to go away on vacations to recapture the moments when you both fall in love with each other.

Internet Marketing strategy concepts and definitions

Internet Marketing strategy concepts and definitions This chapter aims to present a complete theoretical framework in order to justify an analysis of the previous findings. In the literature review, the evolvement of Internet marketing strategies will be evaluated. Previous research related to digital marketing strategy and the factors affecting customer satisfaction will be clarified. The review forms the principles on which the research is built, by identifying relevant theories and concepts that will be analysed using primary data. This chapter focuses on e-commerce, e-retailing, Internet marketing strategy and consumer behaviour. 2.2.1 Internet Marketing Since business to consumer (B2C) online marketing is becoming increasingly popular in recent years, the population of online consumers is turning more mainstream and diverse (Kotler, 2008). Internet marketing strategy provides consistent direction for an organisations e-marketing activities, defined by Kotler (2007, p493), is becoming one of the mostly rapid increasing technologies of direct marketing and widespread use of the Internet and has a variety of impacts on both buyers and marketers. Therefore, the term Internet marketing refers to an external perspective of how the Internet can be utilised in connection with traditional media to supply and deliver services to customers (Chaffey, 2009). Smith and Chaffey (2008) state that: E-marketing can identify, anticipate and satisfy customer needs efficiently Identifying needs from customer comments, enquiries, requests and complaints solicited via the web sites e-mail facility Anticipating the Internet provides an additional channel by which customers can access information and make purchases evaluating the demand is key to governing resource allocation to e-marketing. Satisfying achieving customer satisfaction through the digital channel, this relates to customer relationship management. Efficiently in an automated way, probably should mean efficiently, increasing lifetime value and maintain the vast armies of not-for-profit marketers. [Chaffey and Smith, 2008, page 18] The Internet brings convenience to consumers and has also permitted the creation of virtual retailers, which are characterised by having only an online presence, such as Amazon.com (Henderson and Er-Radi, 2000). Moreover, the key reason that drives business organisations to access online is to add value for customers by providing them with attractive and effective web sites. Kotler et al. (2008) consider that widespread use of the Internet and other technologies has given marketers a brand new way to create value for customers and build strong relationships with them. The web has basically changed customers concept of convenience, speed, price, product information and service. The authors also suggest that the success of click only companies, such as Amazon, eBay and others to re-examine how they served their markets (Kotler, et al. 2008, p839). The importance of an Internet marketing strategy was underlined by Chaffey et al. (2009), who said that a strong strategy is needed to provide consistent direction for an organisations e-marketing activities. Additionally, the Internet marketing strategy is a channel marketing strategy and determines the strategic significance of the Internet related to other communication channels which are used to communicate with customers at different customer touchpoints; for Internet marketing, many online organisations intended to use search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) marketing, affiliates and e-mail marketing (Chaffey, et al. 2009, p201). Obviously, the marketing mix (Kotler, 2001) can be applied by marketers to notify their Internet marketing strategy; the extension of 4Ps 7Ps include: Product, Price, Place and Promotion, People, Process and Physical evidence (Booms and Bitner, 1981). The marketing mix is applied frequently to marketing strategy since it provides a simple strategic framework for changing different aspects of a companys products helping to influence the demand for product within the target markets. Especially for an organisation which is involved directly in transactional e-commerce, digital media have implications for the significance of different marketing mix for different markets (Chaffey et al, 2009). Additionally, Lauterborn (1990) suggested the 4Cs framework the 4Cs imply more emphasis on customer wants and concerns than do the Ps: Convenience for the customer; Customer value and benefits; Costs to the customer; and Communication. This customer-centric approach also applies well to online mark ets; it follows that the selection of marketing mix should be based on detailed knowledge of buyer behaviour gathered through market research (Chaffey et al, 2009, p 279). Dennis and Harris (2002) also indicate that one development has merit as being descriptive of the way marketers think about the customer. The 4Cs are as explained below: C1 Convenience for the customer Place (from the 4Ps), can be thought of as Convenience for the customer, recognising the customers choice to purchase in ways that feel convenient to them. C1 also includes key aspects of website design, such as navigation, layout and ease of purchase. C2 Customer value and benefits Product, can be thought of as Customer value and benefits. E-retailers now specify products to a much better extent than previously, evaluating relationships to the customer and appreciation of benefits that customers want. When customers are buying online, they are far less likely to ask for help than when they are in store. E-shoppers need to be especially careful about describing products explicitly in terms of customer value and benefits. C3 Cost to the customer Price is represented as Cost to the customer, the real cost that the customer will pay, including packaging and shipping fee. Consumers often have a perception that prices should be lower online than in-store. Retailers often offer further pricing options includes: discounts; add-ons and extra products and services; guarantees and warranties; refund policies; order cancellation terms (Chaffey et al, 2009) C4 Communication and customer relationships Communication is equivalent to Promotion. It is a two-way process also involving attitudes and feedback from customers to suppliers. Dennis and Harris (2002) state that retailers spend more on advertising than manufacturers do, and they are closer to customers and have more access to customer feedback. Successful e-retailers often use offline advertising and promotion such as magazines and posters, integrated with online marketing communications. Online methods include banner ads and pop-ups, paid-for listings in search engines and affiliate programmes. E-retailers find it difficult to gain and satisfy customers emotional needs and wants. To achieve this, e-retailers can create a web atmosphere using techniques, such as music, visual download and videos. Moreover, e-retailers can build a picture of products most likely to be bought by individual customers. For instance, Amazon (www.amazon.com) matches new books to existing customers who maybe interested in them, based on prior purcha ses and makes recommendations accordingly (Dennis et al, 2004 pp2-8). 2.3 E-commerce Reynolds (2000) demonstrates that the Internet is changing the way people conduct normal business, whether this is finding new ways of revenue, obtaining new customers, or managing a new business supply chain. E-commerce enables businesses to sell products and services to consumers worldwide. According to Warrington et al. (2000), the intricacies of electronic commerce via the Internet and the World Wide Web have offered marketers an abundance of opportunities and challenges. E-commerce is growing at a tremendous rate, using the Internet initially as a communication and promotional tool, and later to perform distribution channels, discovering an entirely new situation of consumer purchasing behaviour. De Kare-Silver (2000) suggests that interactive technologies are doing away with the need for people to visit shops. The number of UK regular home web users has risen to 16.5m, time spent by home web users is also growing up, because they search for and use websites more (Gibson, 2002). Oz (2002) consists that consumers prefer to shop and buy on the Internet for three major reasons: convenience, saving time and comparative shopping. Ginn (2010) also demonstrates that online sales are a huge and growing part of the UK retail sector, and currently account for a quarter of all new retail businesses; online sales are predicted to reach  £78 billion during 2010. Despite the increasing levels of Internet adoption and usage, Internet shopping in the UK represents less than 10% of all purchases and online shopping remains popular for certain products only (Soopramanien et al, 2007 cited in Office of National Statistics Omnibus survey, 2003). Moreover, Internet shopping is considered both safe and easy by many millions of consumers (Econsultancy, 2010). Therefore, selling products online offers huge potential opportunities for retailers; it also instantly enables businesses to reach customers who would not have visited their bricks and mortar store. An ecommerce of long-lasting relationships has become a significant factor for marketers due to the increasing awareness of the financial benefits in maintaining customers (Sahota, 2004). According to cited from Reicheld and Schefter.s research (2000), the unique economics of e-commerce make customer retention a necessity for the e-retailers survival in the digital world. Chaffey et al. (2009, p628) indicates that since 2001 many retailers have accepted the Internet as a durable trading environment and have set about working out how to shape their companies to cope with the demands of trading and interacting in a virtual environment. The author also suggests that companies are able to discover substantial competitive advantages and customer value. Dennis et al. (2004) point out that there are a number of advantages for e-retailers. Firstly, location is not important; according to Amazon, the e-retailers can sell equally well to anyone anywhere in the world. Secondly, size does not ma tter; small e-retailers can compete on equal terms with large ones. Thirdly, the socio-demographic profile of e-shoppers is attractive to many retailers. Finally, online selling saves on the salary costs of traditional sales people. Amazon.co.uks E-retail Mix Convenience According to Dennis et al. (2004, pp47-51), there are several factors which increase the level of customer convenience which can be a vital part in gaining and maintaining new customers. First and foremost, the amazon.co.uk search engine is fast and safe, as customers can quickly look up the desired products. Moreover, the site provides value-added services such as book reviews and ratings, and shows a comparison prices against its own price; thus, customers can see how much they are saving from Amazon. Besides, Amazon offers shopping technology which streamlines the customer buying process by maintaining personal information such as credit card number and shipping address, in order to save time and reduce problems. In some cases the website provides a guarantee that, if the transactions are unauthorised, it will reimburse the money to customers. The authors also state that the main aim of Amazon.co.uk is to maximise customer convenience; one way of doing this is to inform the customer of product availability. Furthermore, the website also displays other books in the same category when customers are searching for similar books. The facility allows customers to have better choice and can increase sales. Customers can view their personal account anytime, which involves information about their previous orders with shipping details. In addition, customers can use account information to make their estimation and recommendations about other books that customer will consider (Dennis et al, 2004, p47). Cost Brynjolfsson and Smith (2000) justifies that Jeff Bezos, believed that online customers considered selection and convenience are more crucial than price. It is apparent that customers want to get a great price with excellent customer service. Most of the books from amazon are available at a discounted price; consumers can easily see three prices: list price, our price and how much you save. Communication Jeff sets the aim of Amazon to be a customer-centric company, so that customers can opt in if they wish to receive more information. Amazon keeps watch on the customers ordering process through the database environment that suits all the details to the website. Therefore, it can follow the trail of the speed and customer performance of every step in a transaction, such as adding items in a shopping basket, completing an order and e-mail notification to the customer. In addition to that, Amazon usually recommends similar books relating to what other customers have bought. These traits lead customers make their choice quickly and they can they can read spotlight reviews by others. Every user can express their viewpoints about authors while publishers and authors can also contribute. Moreover, Amazon uses an integrated marketing communication strategy consists of advertising, public relations, promotions and online marketing. Online activity includes search engine marketing and front pa ges such Yahoo and MSN. The associate program uses other sites to promote Amazon by linking directly take users to Amazons site. Computing Amazon has developed a customised information system and dedicated ordering system, which is linked with suppliers to automatically order books. The companys software processes the orders through interfaces or electronic data interchange with suppliers and the supply chain is computerised. Therefore, the company builds up a strong relationship with customers and suppliers. According to a customer research survey carried out by amazon.co.uk, 70 per cent of sales are collected by repeat customer of whom 97 per cent are satisfied or very satisfied with the service. Its FAQs part is informative as it displays all the key issues encompassing ordering process, delivery charges and return policies. According to Saunders (2001, p76), customer value proposition is a vital feature defined by several factors, including cost, quality, speed of delivery, service during the interaction with the company, and innovation. Cost. Customers usually want to pay the least money for the same quality of products they get. Quality. Customers expect to pay to get the promised quality. Speed. Companies can provide quick delivery is practicing this value proposition. Service repair and replacement. Customers hope if they can call a company at anytime 24 hours a day to solve problems. Innovation. Customers focus on the fastest, the newest, and the most advanced technology in the computer field. Companies often introduce new features to attract and obtain customers. Additionally, Saunders(2001, pp103-106) also suggests that Amazon processes orders and ships books, CDs, videos and so on, however, customer satisfaction comes not only from timely and safety delivery of orders, but also from understanding customer expectations and meeting or exceeding their needs. Moreover, there are some elements may influence customer satisfaction: Leave visitors to the site with a positive impression. Stimulate potential buyers for visiting the store. Make a customers encounters with the company a delight. Personalise and customise service. Perform as promised. Exceed expectations. Communicate the importance of customer satisfaction. Do something better than anyone else does it. Market knowledge as well as product. Consequently, Dennis at el. (2004) summarises that Amazon has become one of the worlds largest booksellers. The company has achieved this position through specific customer centric factors by enhancing customer experience. Kargar (2004) supplements that Amazons marketing strategy was designed to strengthen and broaden the brand name, enhance customer visiting frequency to its web sites; build customer loyalty; encourage repeat purchases and develop increased products and services revenue opportunities. The company delivered several of media, business development activities and promotions to achieve these goals. Chaffey and Smith (2008) also demonstrate that collaborative filtering helps Amazon to identify and anticipate what customers might offer similar books those buyers who have similar interests. 2.2.5 Consumer behaviour Internet consumer behaviour Internet consumer research (Brown et al., 2001) indicates that convenience is the main reason why consumers use the Internet for the purpose of purchasing. E-shoppers tend to be concerned mainly with functional and utilitarian considerations (Dennis et al. 2009). The authors also demonstrate that functional considerations influence consumer attitudes towards an e-retailer, which in turn has an impact on consumers choice of e-retailer and then on actual e-retail activity, including shopping and continued loyalty behaviour. According to a survey by NPD online, 75 per cent of online shoppers said that good customer service would make consumers shop at the site again (Solomon et al. (2006) cited from Gilbert (1999), p316). Another recent study suggested by Wolfinbarger and Gilly (2003) four factors were predictive of customer judgments about quality and satisfaction, customer loyalty and attitudes towards a website: Fulfilment/reliability. (a)The accurate display and description of a product so that what customers receive is what they thought they ordered. (b) The delivery of the right product within the time frame promised. Website design. This includes all elements of the consumers experience at the website (except for customer service), covering navigation, information search, order processing, appropriate personalisation and product selection. Customer service. This needs to be responsive, helpful, willing service that responds to customer inquiries quickly. Security/privacy. This involves the security surrounding credit card payments and the privacy of shared information. Chaston (2001, p25) identifies a five-phase customer purchase process, as shown in Figure 2.1, these are recognition of need, search for information, evaluation of alternatives, the purchase decision and post-purchase evaluation. Need recognition Information search Information evaluation Post-purchase evaluation Purchase decision Fig 2.1 A five-phase customer purchase process Therefore, in presenting a process model, it is apparent that the e-commerce purchase model builder need to recognise that the market attention should be given to how the factors of involvement, the creation of clear difference between a companys product and competition and time pressure may influence customer behaviour (Chaston, 2001, p30). Furthermore, a customer who is becoming a loyal user must experience satisfaction during the post-purchase evaluation phase. Kristensen et al. (1999) draws upon the customer satisfaction model, the combined influence of these factors causes the customer to reach results about both perceived value for money and overall level of satisfaction. Dennis et al. (2009, pp. 1123-1130) demonstrate factors influencing internet consumer behaviour, the conceptual foundations are illustrated in Figure 2.3: Figure 2.3 The basic model The authors propose that: P1. E-consumer attitude towards an e-retailer will be positively influenced by customer perceptions of e-retailer image. P2. E-consumer intentions to purchase from an e-retailer will be influenced by positive attitudes towards the e-retailer. P3. Actual purchases from an e-retailer will be positively influenced by intentions to purchase from an e-retailer. P4. Intention to shop with a particular e-retailer will be positively influenced by past experience. P5. Actual purchases from an e-retailer will positively influence experience. P6. E-consumer trust in an e-retailer will positively influence intention to e-shop. P7. Past experience and cues that reassure the consumer will positively influence trust in an e-retailer. P8. E-consumer attitudes towards an e-retailer will be positively influenced by e-interactivity. From the viewpoint of marketing organisations, a marketing strategy is intended to enhance the probability or frequency of consumer behaviours. Understanding consumers is a critical issue in developing marketing strategies, not only for retailers to adapt to consumers, but also to change what consumers think and feel about a variety of market offerings (Peter et al, 1999). Laudon and Traver (2003) demonstrate that some demographic groups have much higher percentages of online usage than other groups. The demographic profile of the Internet and e-commerce has changed greatly since 1995. There are several factors that influence the consumer behaviour, including gender, age, ethnicity, community type, income level and education. Consumers usually choose to shop online because it can save time and offer a wider range of products, by not going to store; can shop when stores are closed; might find better prices. Transaction cost reduction happens to be the main motivator for selecting th e online channel. However, there are two major criticisms of B2C marketing (Peter and Olson, 2008, pp2-16): firstly, it reaches only a small number of populations; secondly, consumers shop on the website to collect information about products and services but do not purchase. Consequently, several aspects could influence online consumer behaviours, for instance: whether consumers who want products are also Internet users; the size of the targeted e-retail market for the product or service and its geographic segmentation; whether buying the product or service through the Internet provides benefits to potential consumers. Turban et al. (2002) illustrate that e-commerce can be referred to as a new distribution channel; as a result, the task of attracting customers to an online company, customer acquisition, can be difficult and expensive, because it is necessary to first convince unwilling customers to shop online at first. Companies must build brand loyalty with new and existing customers, many successful e-retailers are using innovative technology to provide extra value is aiming to attract and maintain customers (Solomon et al, 2006). One of the benefits of doing Internet business is that it enables companies better understand their customers demands and buying habits, which will allow them to improve and customise their future marketing achievements (Turban et al, 2001, p128). For instance, Amazon can e-mail customers with announcements of new books published in a customers area of interest. Brown et al. (2001) point out that the Internet has transformed the social and spatial aspects of shopping for many consumers, thus, the Internet plays the role of facilitating the information search for consumers. The product acquisition process is increased by enabling consumers to access a significant amount of detailed information with regard to attributed product, comparative price, availability, and overall value proposition. Additionally, Peter and Olson (2008) state that marketing to consumers via the Internet has various benefits for marketers and that online B2C marketing requires marketers to achieve customers dema nds, just as traditional marketing does. Besides, online marketing allows products and services to be offered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, therefore, offering products and services globally in an efficient and cost-efficient manner, more precisely, online marketing provides ways for developing one-to-one relationships with consumers and establishing consumer databases to be established for conducting online research. However, Solomon et al. (2006, p319) state that e-commerce has its limitations. First of all, security is one important aspect. Some consumers credit cards and other identity information has been stolen. Secondly, is related to the actual shopping experience. Perhaps consumers will be satisfactory to buy digital cameras or books online, however, buying apparel in which customers should touch and try it on is necessary may be less attractive. Even though most companies have very liberal return policies, consumers still dissatisfied with large delivery and return postal charges for items. Some pros and cons of e-commerce are summarised in Table 2.2. Table 2.2 Pros and cons of e-commerce Benefits of e-commerce Limitations of e-commerce For the consumer For the consumer Shop 24 hours a day Lack of security Less travelling Fraud Can receive relevant information in seconds Cant touch items from any location Exact colours may not reproduce More choice of products on computer monitors More products available to less-developed countries Expensive to order and then return Greater price information Potential breakdown of human Lower prices so that less affluent can purchase relationships Participate in virtual auctions Fast delivery Electronic Communities For the marketer The world is the marketplace Lack of security Decreases costs of doing business Must maintain site to reap benefits Very specialised businesses can be successful Fierce price competition Real time pricing Conflicts with conventional retailers Legal issues not resolved Source: Solomon et al. (2006) cited from Solomon, M. and Stuart, E. W. (2001) Welcome to Marketing.com: The Brave New World of E-commerce. Consumer decision making According to Solomon (2009), a consumer purchase is a response to a problem, there are several steps of consumer decision making (1) problem recognition, (2) information search, (3) evaluation of alternatives, and (4) product choice. Before purchasing a product, consumers have to consider a variety of problems. Moreover, a useful way to characterize the decision making process is to consider the abundant efforts that relates to the decision each time it must be made. Peter et al. (1999) emphasis that consumer decision making is based on the knowledge, meanings, and beliefs activated from memory and the attention and comprehension processes involved in exploring new information in the environment. Thus, consumers make purchasing decisions about which behaviours to perform to achieve their goals and to solve the problems. To develop effective marketing strategies, marketers should know the types of problem-solving processes their consumers usually make purchase decisions. Marketers target several consumer segments, with different decision-making processes, may develop multiple strategies to affect the different decision outcomes (Peter and Olson, 2008). Gefen and Struab (2004) identify the concept of perceived risk in an individual purchase behavior model, and concluded the shopping behaviour can be regarded as a form of information gaining behaviour. Therefore, consumer choice of type of shopping is mainly affected by three factors: merchandise features, shopping device attributes and consumer characteristics. The consumers decision to purchase or not to purchase the product or service is a significant factor for most marketers. It can express whether a marketing strategy has been wise, insightful, effective and efficient, or whether it was weakly planned (Schiffman et al, 2008). Thus, consumer behaviour is not only making a purchase decision or the action of purchasing, but also includes the full range of experiences associated with using or consuming products or services. Moreover, it also consists of the sense of pleasure or satisfaction delivered through possessing or collecting products (Schiffman et al, 2008, p98). Customer Satisfaction Hill and Alexander (2006) point out that in recent times, organizations have increasingly understand the importance of customer satisfaction. It is far less costly to maintain existing customers than to obtain new ones. Companies have invested enormously in improving performance in making a strong contribution to customer satisfaction, such as quality and customer service. Therefore, the authors supplement that the fundamental justification for measuring customer satisfaction is to provide the information which enables managers to make the right decisions to maximise customer satisfaction and improve customer retention. (Hill and Alexander, 2006, p9) Additionally, anyone involved in measuring customer satisfaction must have a specific understanding of the ways in which customers make and evaluate their purchase decisions. Lee et al. (2006) propose that a satisfied customer tends to return for future business and thereby contributes to the retention rate of the existing customers. Additionally, a satisfied customer is probably to offer positive word-of-mouth products or service about the purchasing experience. The World Wide Web spreads a virtual market place for customers to search for and purchase. Previous researches conducted that there were no remarkable difference between online and offline shopping environments which regard to customer satisfaction (Lee et al. cited in Smith and Rangaswamy (2003), pp.65). Besides, Szymanski and Hise (2000) investigate that the vital components of customer satisfaction framework are focused on the customer relationship management concept, including website convenience, provision of product i nformation, web page design, and security concerns. Amazon customer review With the Internets increasing popularity, online consumer reviews have turned into a vital resource for consumers substituting and complementing other forms of business-to-consumer and offline word-of-mouth communication about product quality (Zhu and Zhang, 2010). Therefore, online consumer reviews can enormously influence consumers purchasing decisions. In order to reduce the search costs for reviews, Amazon has recently modified the way to display star levels for each item. Although it previously showed only an average star rating, it shows how many people rated the item with each of the 1-5 stars, thus, readers can choose to read reviews for a given star level. An investigation by Chevalier and Mayzlin (2006), on average, reviews tend to be positive, they demonstrate that the addition of new, favourable reviews at one site results in a growth of the sales of a book at that site relative to the other site. Moreover, they also find an incremental negative review is more powerful in decreasing book sales than an incremental positive review is increasing sales (Chevalier and Mayzlin, 2006, pp.345-347). Consumers regularly read and respond to written reviews, not merely the average star ranking summary provided by the website. Moreover, the authors conclude that customer reviews tend to be positive at both sites and that

Differences between Pidgins and Creoles

Differences between Pidgins and Creoles Discuss some of the basic differences that characterize pidgins and creoles, based on your understanding of what is meant by the following quote: â€Å"Pidginisation is second language learning with restricted input, while creolisation was first language learning with restricted input.† (Mesthrie et al, 2009, p. 287) Pidgins are defined as a type of spoken communication with two or more languages. It has fundamental grammar and vocabulary. It is also meant to facilitate people who do not speak a common language. Lastly, it is not spoken as a native language. An example is the â€Å"Lingua Franca† which was first created among traders. This is called business language. They are created because traders come from different places and have different tongues; therefore a common language is formed. Creoles, on the other hand, refer to any pidgin language that becomes the first language in a speech community. A creole is â€Å"created† when the utterer of a pidgin language become gains a strong hold over utterers of another. This can be in the form of social or political hold over. Therefore, the pidgin language used in speech between these two groups may become the first language of the minority community. One such example is â€Å"Gullah (derived from English), spoken in the Sea Islands of the southeastern U.S.† http://www.reference.com/browse/creole Differences between Pidgins and Creoles: 1) Pidgin is a linguistic communication that comprised of components of two or more other languages and is used for communication among people. It can also be called business language. It is not a first language. Whereas, creole is a language that was at first a pidgin but has â€Å"transformed† and become a first language. 2) Structural difference: Creole languages have the â€Å"Subject Verb Object† word order whereas Pidgin can have any possible order. Also, reduplication is a common and general process in Creole languages but its very not very often found in Pidgins. 3) One important difference between Pidgins and Creoles is that pidgins do not have first language speakers while creoles do. However, this is not easy to make out because there are more and more extended pidgins beginning to acquire native speakers. Extended pidgins refer to when a pidgin becomes a creole. The cultural â€Å"side† of a pidgin usually defines this. This means that more pidgins are becoming first languages. 4) Another difference is that creoles may originate through abnormal transmissions but as children acquire them, they must, therefore, comply with the ‘blueprint of language that can also be referred to as how the language is going to constructed and formed. Blueprint here is comparable to how we relate to a blueprint of a house. However, for pidgins, as they are a result of a second language, although they have to be learnable by adults, they do not have to be acceptable by children. This means that pidgins do not have to comply with the ‘blueprint of language. Pidgins before they become accomplished languages in a community, are always second languages and usually after teenage. Explanation of quote: According to the definition, what Mesthrie et al meant when he said â€Å"Pidginisation is second language learning with restricted input† is that pidgins is not used as a first language. Following the definition laid out above, it is a language that is borne out of the contact between two different languages. As such, it has restricted contact as the contact between the speaker and the second language is not frequent. Also, it has been noted that pidgins are nothing close to the foreign language as it has only rudimentary grammar and vocabulary. As mentioned above, research has shown that all creole languages have the â€Å"Subject Verb Object† language rules whereas any possible order is allowed for pidgins. This means that while creole languages need to follow a given set of rules for word order, pidgins do not have to. Instead they can be formed in any way. For example, the pidgin â€Å"Ojibwe† has a free word order. This shows that pidgins is second language learning because learners do not follow a given set of language rules as the grammar is still not fixed and internalized. This goes to show as what Mesthrie has said; pidgins are essentially second language learning with restricted input from the native speakers of the second language themselves. The second part of the quote claims that creolization is first language learning with restricted input. As mentioned in the definition, through creolization, a pidgin becomes a language on its own. This language is then similar to non-creole languages in terms of grammatical and language rules. This claim stems from the crucial difference between creoles and pidgins the presence of native speakers and also a need to follow the â€Å"blueprint† of the foreign language. In creoles, the presence of native speakers now means that there are more interactions between both languages. Also, reduplication is a usual process in Creole languages but its rarely seen in pidgins. The repetition of a root to show â€Å"intensity, plurality, duration and frequency† shows that the second language learner has become more familiar with the foreign language. This implies that the learners are now almost on the same level as the native speakers in terms of familiarity with the first language and its grammar. This shows us that creoles are in effect first language learning. The need to now follow a blueprint of the foreign language and the added presence of native speakers means that creolization is in effect, a first language learning. To be a native speaker, one must be able to follow that languages linguistic rules. In creoles, we see that it is a requirement to follow the foreign languages rules. Thus, this tells us that the learning of creoles now assimilates to the foreign language as compared to pidgins. The later part of the second quote requires us to explain why there is still â€Å"restricted input†. The previous second language speakers who are now native speakers of the foreign language means that the people who still speak the foreign language as a second language now have immediate role models they can learn from. However, as these native speakers are still few in numbers, creoles are therefore said to be first language learning with restricted input.

A World of Freedom With Chains Attached :: essays research papers fc

Everyone has heard of the Internet and how it is going to help set the world free. The Internet is the fastest growing form of communication and is becoming more and more commonplace in the average American home. Companies these days do big business over the Internet, and online shopping has grown tremendously in the last few years. For instance, the online auction site eBay sells millions of items every year online. Many companies are making even more plans to expand their business to the Internet. Wireless, borderless communication and the uninterrupted flow of information have been promised to bring democracy, education, and culture to every corner of the world with a phone line. Unfortunately, there have been numerous attempts lately to censor the Internet in the name of â€Å"decency.† If the Net is controlled, regulated, restricted, or censored in order to keep it â€Å"clean,† it will have severe effects on its capabilities and potential. In recent years, America and other leading countries’ economies have become increasingly dependent on the need to instantly move large amounts of information across long distances. Computerization has changed everyone’s life in ways that were never before imagined. The global network of interconnected computers allows people to send electronic mail messages across the world in the blink of an eye and stay updated on world events as they happen; the world has become a much smaller place as a result of this global communication and exchange of ideas. There have also become thousands of online â€Å"communities† of people who share common interests through message boards, chat rooms, and electronic mailing lists (Wilmott 106). At present, the Internet is the ultimate demonstration of the first amendment: free speech. Here is a place where people can speak their mind without being punished for what they say or how they choose to say it. The Internet owes its incredible worldwide success to its protection of free speech, not only in America, but also in countries where freedom of speech is not guaranteed. For some, it is the only place where they can speak their mind without fear of political or religious persecution (â€Å"Cyberchaos†). The Net is also one of America's most valuable types of technology; scientists use email for quick and easy communication. They post their current scientific discoveries on online newsgroups so other scientists in the same field of study all over the world can know in minutes.

Ceremony By Leslie Silko :: essays research papers

Ceremony by Leslie Silko The novel Ceremony, written by Leslie Silko deals with the actions of a Native American youth after fighting, and being held captive during World War II. The young mans name is Tayo and upon returning to the U.S., and eventually reservation life he has many feelings of estrangement and apathy towards society. The novel discusses many topics pertaining to Native Americans, through the eyes of Tayo and a few female characters. The novel is one that you must decide for yourself what you believe, and why certain ideas or characters points of view are important. When reading the novel Ceremony, you must decide what you actually believe, and what situations were only figments of Tayo's stressed mind. Many of these situations occur throughout the book, some are very clear and others have hidden meanings. On a whole I believed what Tayo had to say about the world from his shoes. There are certain instinces that I know what Tayo is seeing is completely impossible. In Ceremony one must decide why and how the women's perspective is of importance. I believe the reason the women's view is to put a different perspective upon everything that goes on in the book, as compared with the perspective of Tayo. There are two women in the book who put their perspective into the story, one of them is the elderly mistress of Josiah and the other one is Helen Jean who went on one of the many joyrides that Harley and the others went on. These women are actually just a way for the author to explain how the rest of society viewed Tayo. An example of this is when Helen Jean describes Tayo "Too quiet, and not very friendly(161)". Another thing this allows the author to do is to show how the War affected the young women from the reservations. She is able to show you how Helen Jeans life was in just a few pages. Silko was able to show how the Native American war veterans looked to anyone who happened to look upon them, but that wasn't one of them. The perspective of the women also helped to debunk a lot of the stories the men told about the war and their various conquests etc. Another item for discussion that comes up in Ceremony is what did you as a reader actually learn? Well I learned many things that I found to be interesting,

Nuclear Power Plants :: essays research papers

Nuclear Plants   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The question of whether the U.S. should have nuclear power plants is very controversial. There are two sides that one can take; however, both sides have their own share of problems. If you chose to not have nuclear plants, then eventually all natural resources will run out. The oil supply will run out relatively soon, and all other sources will run out too. The natural resources that we have now are still harmful to the earth however. The gas which we use for our cars pollutes the air and considering the amount of cars the are driven each day, it is ripping apart the o-zone layer. However, if the U.S. does decide to use nuclear plants, then there is a great danger of toxic waste invading our rivers, and also the chance of a spill similar to Chernobyl. As we saw in the Chernobyl video, there is great danger when using nuclear energy. If this were to happen is the United States, the risk of mortality is much higher because the area’s in which there would be a plant such as a big city are very densely populated. Because of these facts, I do not think that the U.S. should renew its efforts to develop more nuclear plants.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States should put the money which they would have used in order to renew their power plants, and use it to research others ways of receiving power. For example, if the U.S. developed solar power more and made it less costly, as well are more convenient for the average person, then there would be no more problems. In the past century many advances have been made in terms of energy. Power plants became the main source of energy, and towards the end of the century, new advances have been made such as solar power. I predict that in the upcoming century, many new advances will be made which will benefit the human race enormously.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If these advances are made, than the U.S. will not have to spend billions of dollars towards building plants but rather use the money for more global issues.

American Election

Proponents also point out that, far from diminishing minority interests by depressing voter participation, the Electoral College actually enhances the status of minority groups. This is so because the votes of even small minorities in a state may make the difference between winning all of that state’s electoral votes or none of that state’s electoral votes. And since ethnic minority groups in the United States happen to concentrate in those states with the most electoral votes, they assume an importance to presidential candidates well out of proportion to their number.The same principle applies to other special interest groups such as labor unions, farmers, environmentalists and so forth. Most states use a winner-take-all system, in which the candidate with the most votes in that state receives all of the state's electoral votes. This gives candidates an incentive to pay the most attention to states without a clear favorite, such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida.For ex ample, California, Texas and New York, in spite of having the largest populations, have in recent elections been considered safe for a particular party; Democratic for California & New York; Republican for Texas, and therefore candidates typically devote relatively few resources, in both time and money, to such states It is possible to win the election by winning all of eleven states and disregarding the rest of the country. In the close elections of 2000 and 2004, these eleven states gave 111 votes to Republican candidate George W.Bush and 160 votes to Democratic candidates Al Gore and John Kerry. Part 2. How the Electoral College system in the general election fail to ensure that the presidential candidate who wins the most votes becomes president. One way in which a minority president could be elected is if the country were so deeply divided politically that there were three or more presidential candidates split the electoral votes among them such that no one obtained the necessa ry majority. This occurred in 1824 and was successfully attempted in 1948.Those who object to the Electoral College system and favor a direct popular election generally do so on four grounds: the possibility of electing a minority president, the risk of so-called faithless electors, the possible role of the Electoral College in depressing voter turn out and its failure to accurately reflect the national popular will. A faithless voter is one who pledge to vote for his or her party’s candidate for president but nevertheless votes for another candidate.In this way the Electoral College may fail to ensure that the presidential candidate who has the most votes becomes president. On the concern of the possible role of the Electoral College in depressing voter turn out critics argue that since each state is entitled to the same number of electoral votes regardless of its voter turnout, there is no incentive to encourage voter participation. The college fails to accurately reflect t he national popular will in at least two respects. First the distribution of Electoral votes in the college tends to over-represent people in rural states.This is because the number of Elector for each state is determined by the number if members it has in the House (which more or less reflects the state’s population size) plus the number of members it has in the senate (which is always two regardless of the states population). A second way in which the Electoral College fails to accurately reflect the national popular will stem primarily from winner-take-all mechanism whereby the presidential candidate who wins the most poplar votes in the state wins all the Electoral votes of that state.One effect of this mechanism is to make it extremely difficult for third-party or independent candidates ever to make much of showing in the Electoral College. If for example, a third party or independent candidate were to win the support of even as many as 25% of the voters nationwide, he m ight still end up with no Electoral College votes at all unless he won a plurality of votes in at least the state. And even if he managed to win a few states, his support elsewhere would not be reflected.By thus failing to accurately reflect the national popular will, the argument goes, the Electoral College reinforces a two party system, discourages third party or independent candidates and thereby tends to restrict choice available to the electorate. Part 3 How some groups have much higher turnover rates than? Low turnout is often considered to be undesirable and there is much debate over the factors that affect turnout and how to increase it. Its case has been attributed to a wide array of economic, demographic, cultural, technological and institutional factors.A high turnover is generally seen as evidence of the legitimacy of the current system. Socioeconomic factors significantly affect whether or not individuals vote. The most important socioeconomic factor in voter turnout is education. The more educated a person, the more likely he or she is to vote, even when controlled for other factors such as income and class that are closely associated with education level. Income has some effect independently. Wealthier people are more likely to vote regardless of their educational background.Other demographic factors have an important influence: young people are far less likely to vote than the elderly and single people are less likely to vote than those who are married. Occupation has little effect on turnover with the notable exception of higher voting rates among government employees in many countries. Generally speaking, the lower voters’ education level and lower voters’ income level, the less likely they are to vote. For example, college graduates in some recent election have had turnout levels nearly twice that of those who have not finished high school.Some individuals possess more politically relevant sources, like income and education, th an others, some are more interested in public affairs and some are more likely to be recruited to participate. These factors arise from early socialization at home and in school and from affiliations with voluntary associations, workplaces and religious institutions. Public policies can confer resources, motivate interest in government affairs by trying well-being to government action, define groups for mobilization and even shape the content and meaning of democratic citizenship.These effects are positive for some groups, like senior citizens, raising their participation levels. A surge in black voters’ turnout is often cited as a central factor in Jimmy Carter’s 1976 election victory. Beginning with Parenti (1967), many scholars advanced an â€Å"ethnic community† theory to explain why members of major ethnic groups in American cities (particularly the Irish, Italians and Jews) participated politically at rates much higher than their levels of education and in come would predict.According to this theory, socially marginalized groups developed strong communal norms of participation to which there is considerable pressure within the group to conform. Political and social participation in elections asserts the importance of minority groups within the larger society. As such, all members of the group are expected to have interest. Part 4 How campaign contributions from Political Action Committees may tilt the political system toward big moneyed interests.Citizens with lower or moderate incomes speak with a whisper that is lost on the ears of inattentive government officials, while the advantaged roar with a clarity and consistency that policy-makers readily hear and routinely follow. As people become more concentrated and the flow of money into elections has grow campaign contributions give the affluent a means to express their voice that is unavailable to most citizens. Government is expected to help ensure equal opportunity for all, not to tilt toward those who already have wealth and power. Even more clearly, Americans celebrate and expect equal democratic rights.Americans fervently believe that everyone should have an equal say in our democratic politics, helping to shape what government does. They embrace whole-heartedly the ideal enunciated by the U. S. Declaration of Independence that â€Å"all men are created equal, â€Å"which in our time means that every citizen regardless of income, gender, race, and ethnicity should have an equal voice in representative government. The government is run by a few big interests looking out only for themselves. Campaign contributors do not represent the interests of the majority citizens.In 2000, an income of over $ 100,000 was found only in 12 percent of American households. 95 percent of campaign contributors were from these households. Political contributors or moneyed interests are not bribing politicians directly. What moneyed interests and wealthy citizens do gain from contributing hugely is influence on the people who run for office and an audience with these people once they get to power. Essay #2 Part 1 Why the US has only two parties represented in its legislature unlike other established democracies. Too much partisanship can be fatal to democracy.The weakness of parties can also pose dangers. In a legislature with weak party attachments, it may prove impossible to pass needed legislation. The result, as in Yeltsin’s Russia is often resort to presidential decrees or even the forcible disbanding of the legislature. Conversely, legislators may be easily wooed by a president through patronage or less savory means. In countries with weak parties like the Philippines and Korea, it has been common for presidents elected without a legislative majority to acquire one through massive party defections.Indeed, one of the areas in which the dozens of new democracies established in the past two decades have been least successfully is the creation o f strong and stable political parties committed to democracy. In part, this reflects the impossibility of crafting a party system unlike most other key democratic political institutions, parties cannot be legislated into existence. At the same time it reflects a global trend, as political parties seem to be increasingly enfeebled institutions in the more established democracies as well.Almost everywhere, parties no longer command the loyalty or confidence they once did and the number of independent voters and ticket-splitters has grown. The US uses the principle of proportional representation which in essence means that parties or blocks of like minded voters should win seats in legislative assemblies to their share of the popular vote. A two party system is the only way to practice this principle. The cultural diversities in US are well catered for in a two party system. Having many parties in such a diverse society would mean that the real views of the people would not be reflecte d.More over a majority would be hard to achieve with many parties being represented in the legislature. Part 2 Why turnout in the US is so low compared to other established democracies? The US is one of the few countries require citizens to get themselves registered to vote, rather than having the government pro-actively making sure that all voters are on the electoral rolls, usually through some form of automatic and permanent registration on achieving voting age. On the one hand, in the United States, registration requirements are a serious barrier to political participation.There are many reasons why turnout in the US is as low as it is. Voters have to want to go to the polls and believe that their votes will matter. Many voters are disaffected from two political parties, turned off by negative campaigning, intimidated by the long ballots, and bothered by the lack of clear accountability in the crazy guilt federal system. The election laws themselves make it more difficult for pe ople to participate. For example Election Day is usually on a weekday (the first Tuesday in November for presidential and congressional elections) and it may be difficult for people to get away from work to vote.A more direct reduction in participation is brought about by laws in many states that bar convicted criminals from the political process. Approximately five millions Americans are unable to participate in the elections for these reasons. Other countries have found more direct ways to ensure high voter turnout such as making voting compulsory. In Australia, citizens who do not vote are subject to paying a fine and in Belgium, repeated failure to vote can lead to having your right to vote permanently cancelled. In America voting is not compulsory.The governments of most established countries take the responsibility of registering as many eligible voters as possible. In the US it is the sole responsibility of the individual to register for voting. If the costs and benefits that Americans encounter are markedly different than those encountered by citizens of other countries, then that should explain why the US turnout rate is so low. America’s unique registration laws accounted for roughly half the difference between US turnout rates and those of other advanced industrialized democracies in the 1960s and 1970s.Part 3. Advantages and disadvantages of the American style of candidate centered politics. The decline of American political parties in recent decades has made strength of partisanship even more important in predicting who votes. The rise of candidate-centered politics and the decline of partisanship can explain this phenomenon. When the focus of campaigns was on two parties rather than many candidates for many offices, everyone gained at least somewhat from picking choosing ones favorite candidates from both parties.Thus even those who did not identify with a party in the past could benefit from the partisan manner by which the campaigns were conducted. In the candidate-centered environment now, by contrast, the mobilizing effects of party competition have been felt more disproportionately according to ones level of party identification. The result has been rising inequality of turnout rates according to partisan strength. Voters in parliamentary systems are becoming more candidates centered in their voting, compared to voters in presidential systems.At the same time, it would appear that voters in presidential systems are evaluating candidates in a more instrumental and less partisan way. More so than in the past, candidates’ campaigns are self sufficient organizations indirectly dependent on political parties. And as agents of information, campaigns are replacing parties as the primary source of information about the candidates. Reference: Franklin, Mark (2001) â€Å"The Dynamics of Participation in the Electoral Process†. In Comparing Democracies: Elections and Voting in Global Perspective 2, ed. Lauren ce Leduc, Richard Niemi and Pippa Norris. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage, in press

Moral values Essay

It would be gross injustice to categorize all children and youths as lacking in manners and morals, but the general trend would certainly suggest there has been a major decline among many of them. Family values have changed dramatically in the past few decades, producing a crop of undisciplined teenagers and children who lack morals and manners as a result of poor training. Good manners were once the norm with young people very much aware the older generation. Saying â€Å"please† and â€Å"thank you†, giving up a seat on the bus and holding open doors were all considered normal mannerly behavior. Times have changed and we now live in a predominantly me-first society which is reflected in many young people. If good manners are taught at an early age, they will generally continue to be part of the personality of the young child all the way into adulthood. The lack of good manners observed in society in general is no doubt a reflection of the situation found within the home. Without parental example and training the area of manners, it is likely the children will sadly lack in displaying them. The same can be said of the lack of morals we find in many of today’s youth. A large proportion of children have grown up with little or no respect for authority, for property, for family or even themselves. Living a life of immorality is considered normal behavior today and has produced a bumper crop of young people with venereal disease, unwanted pregnancies and a feeling of emptiness in their lives. Lacking in moral stability, we find young people involved in crime, violence and drug abuse. The so-called freedom they have has actually brought them into slavery to an amoral lifestyle. There is a contrast though in many children and teenagers who are moral and do have good manners, proving that it is still possible to develop these delightful characteristics. It is a real pleasure to come across young people who are mannerly and who have the courage to lead a moral life, not.

Cosi Lewis Nowra Essay

Lewis Nowra’s semi autobiographical play ‘Cosi’ is a touching yet biting portrayal of human relationships in a Melbourne mental institute, where the patients are astracised by society. Throughout the play Lewis Nowra illustrates each and every character that suffers with a mental illness as normal people with a desire to do or think things different to others from the society of the 1970s. Throughout the play Nowra poses a question, can anybody be classified as insane? When there is insanity all around us. The play they are to perform ‘Cosi fan Tutte’ is a play about love and fidelity which becomes a topic of disagreement of the cast. Act 1 Scene 3 addresses love and fidelity & Confusion with reality & illusion With Nowra’s intelligent use of dramatic techniques such as Characterization, Dialogue & Symbolism to present his central ideas within ‘Cosi’. ‘Cosi’ is a dramatic play written by Lewis Nowra, which is set in the early 1970s in the midst of the Vietnam War. The inmates in the asylum are to performance of Mozart’s opera ‘Cosi fan Tutte’ as a therapeutic technique to the patients and is directed by an insecure university graduate Lewis, who brings the patients together and becomes as involved into the play as every other member of the cast and gets labelled as ‘one of them’ by society outside the asylum. In act 1 scene 3 moments after the toilets in the theatre have been a result of Doug’s pyromaniac problem. The cast re assemble and continue on with the play, during the play Ruth is confused between reality & illusion and the number of steps she needs to take in each scene â€Å"I was wondering where you wanted me to walk and how many steps? † Nowra canvases Ruth’s confusion between reality and illusion through to the audience with the use of characterization, amplifying Ruth’s obsessive disorder through to us the audience in a way where we get a sense of understanding on the obsessive-ness in Ruth’s character and her disorder. The theme of love and fidelity demonstrates individual’s ideas throughout the play ‘Cosi’. Notably we see Nowra canvas the idea of love & fidelity through dramatic techniques within each characters dialogue & characterization such as Lewis, Lucy, Julie, Nick & Roy. Lewis’s changing attitude towards love throughout the play becomes a pivotal turning point for Lewis & Lucy’s relationship. As time goes on we definitely see Lewis becoming more compassionate and warm and Lucy showing her true colours towards their relationship. Lucy without a doubt becomes somewhat shallow and expresses that she sees love as out dated and unimportant in modern day society. Julie questions Lewis on his relationship with Lucy â€Å"You two are into free love? † â€Å"Does she play around? † â€Å"You trust her? †, Julie thinks against love & fidelity and thinks men are useless referring to her knowledge learnt from studying Mozart’s ‘Cosi fan Tutte’. Lewis’s thoughts of love and fidelity are antithetical of his actions with Julie later in the play, to have love we must trust. Throughout Act 1 scene 3 in ‘Cosi’ Lewis Nowra canvases symbols within many factors. A large factor produced as a symbol through the whole play is the burnt out theatre which they rehearse in. This theatre is a symbol of them escaping the reality in which the patients & Lewis are as equal to each other. Society outside the asylum portrays Lewis as ‘insane’ for working with ‘mad people’. The burnt texture of the theatre is also a symbol for the patient’s reality as being excluded from reality as being excluded from reality outside the asylum â€Å"Cosi allows you a chance to do something successful at least once in your dismal life† Roy ironically says to Henry whose life if not much different to his own, but society still labels them as ‘insane’. The coffee mugs in which Ruth and Julie are to use as props in the play is a symbolic technique Nowra applied, â€Å"I can live with illusion as long as I know its illusion, but this coffee is not real, is it? † Ruth’s confusion and reality is illustrated within the coffee as being coffee cups with no coffee is also a metaphor for the patients in the mental asylum, â€Å"An illusion of reality†. Lewis Nowra not only wrote a play containing aspects such as love & fidelity & illusion vs. eality but through the use of dramatic techniques like characterization, dialogue & symbolism throughout characters such as Lewis, Julie, Roy, Lucy & Nick in act 1 scene 3 and the rest of the play, but to give the audience a broader understanding on the plays meaning, but we also question although the play was set in the 70s, this era was experimental with ‘free love’ the reality is without fidelity, love is anything but a meaning. We still hold old fashioned values about love. The aspect the audience gain from another message from Nowra’s ideas expressed throughout the text & dramatic techniques is the frequently noticeable question, are the people in the asylum really mad? When there is insanity all around us. Society labels these people as ‘insane’ when they are no different to each and every one of us, only with different desires to some. The only people who should be classified â€Å"insane† are those who classify insaneness in another.

Narrative Paragraph Rubric Essay

COM 0105 Writing Sentences and Paragraphs Writing Assignment 1: Narrative Paragraph General Instructions and Deadlines Assignment Overview †¢ †¢ The final draft of your paragraph, along with all supporting work (prewriting notes, outline, and first draft), is due via www. turnitin. com and the course digital dropbox by Sunday, 11:59 p. m. ET. Please upload a single document containing all your work. Your paragraph should have between 250–350 words. Step 1: Prewriting A narrative paragraph tells a story. Your first step is to decide what story you would like to tell. See pages 346–348 for possible topics. Once you have a topic, spend about 10 minutes to gather your thoughts about your topic. See pages 322–325 for tips on prewriting. Ask yourself, †¢ What is the main point of the story? †¢ What are the important details? Step 2: Planning Consider the material you gathered in your prewriting and create an outline for your paragraph. Organize your ideas chronologically. Below is a template you can use. See page 332–333 in your textbook for an example. Main idea/Topic sentence First event †¢ Detail 1 †¢ Detail 2 Second event †¢ Detail 1 †¢ Detail 2 Third event †¢ Detail 1 †¢ Detail 2 Check your outline for unity, support, and coherence by asking yourself, †¢ Is my main idea or topic sentence clear? †¢ Do my supporting points actually support the main idea? Delete anything off-topic. †¢ Do I have enough supporting points/examples? You should have at least three. †¢ Are my supporting points organized in a logical order? Step 3: Drafting Using your outline, write the first draft. †¢ â€Å"Flesh out† the ideas from your outline. Include transitional words and phrases to create a flow between sentences. Page 339 of your book provides a list of transitions for a narrative paragraph. †¢ Compose a title for your work. Step 4: Polishing Ask yourself, †¢ Are my sentences too long or too short? †¢ Do I have enough sentence variety? †¢ Are my words appropriate? †¢ Do I have any major grammatical errors (such as fragments, comma splices, or run-on sentences)? †¢ Do I have any spelling or mechanical errors? Running the spell-checker is not a substitute for proofreading your work carefully.

Financial Re-Engineering with Respect to Funding of New Projects of Al Essay

Financial Re-Engineering with Respect to Funding of New Projects of Al Masaken - Essay Example Being a subsidiary and a group company of Aerated Concrete Industries Company K S C C (ACICO), Al Masaken Real Estate Company has created for itself a remarkable position in the booming real estate sector in the Gulf region.The company has so far executed various prestigious construction projects worth close to $ 300 million with a construction area extending up to 291,143 Square meters. Backed up by a good design and engineering team the company has crossed over the initial struggles and has reached the position to take up construction projects of high rise buildings on its own financial strength. As a strategic financial initiative, it was suggested that Al Masaken is promoted as an independent business entity and raise the additional funds required for its proposed high rise construction projects following the IPO route supported by the group image of ACICO. This case study details the circumstances which led to such a decision of providing the individual status to Al Masaken and the various other factors which contributed to the proposal.Specialized in Housing/Villa projects, Al Masaken was established in 1998 as a part of ACICO group with a 25% ownership from ACICO. Having sailed through the initial hiccups the company specialized in the new wave construction of vertical housing by the year 2003. Being one of the subsidiaries of the ACICO, the financial strategy was to obtain short-term loans to finance the purchase of the real estate properties and for the process of construction activity and repay the loan within a maximum period of one and a half years. Financing Strategy at the Holding company: ACICO adopted a financial policy of long-term borrowing for its other manufacturing activities and short-term borrowing for the construction activity.

Project Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Project Report - Essay Example There were opportunities in various areas, with the combination of both the companies’ products reaching a wider customer base. However, there were challenges as well because of lack of apt and optimum integration or merger, with Fiorina not able to achieve success. This lead to the initiation of change management process, with the new CEO Mark Hurd taking over the combined entity. So, this paper will review the merger between HP and Compaq in 2001, identifying the strategic management issues that preceded the merger on both sides, along with the changes in the management strategy resulting from the combined operations Organized human activities which are carried out in-group will be most times organized or constituted into an organization. Thus, organizations are physical ‘structures’, in which humans or employees from different backgrounds will converge to accomplish the allocated work under the under the supervision of a leader and managers, for the benefit of the organization as well as their personal benefit. ‘Collage’ of employees in the sense, organizations will be normally constituted with employees coming from different backgrounds, culture, etc, who will also have different education qualifications, skill level and attitude. Employees will be recruited and apportioned into different departments based on their skills and knowledge and for better arrangement in the organization. These departments, which make up an organization, only play an omnipresent and crucial role in the proper and effective functioning of the organizations, by adopting various feasible and e ffective strategies. That is, with every organization wanting to expand their reach and achieve success through one means or other, they have to formulate and implement various strategies. So, when the organization has enough opportunities, it can set targets and