The Public and Private Life Essay

In William’’ Shakespeare’s â€Å"Julius Caesar,† there is a conflict in the characters public and private lives. The major characters, Julius Caesar, Brutus, Cassius and Antony, all experienced these conflicts. All actions these characters perform represent conflicts between the benefit of Rome and their own sense of honor, emotions and love for each other. Caesar is trying to form a new political system in Rome called dictatorship. Even though he has the ambition to become the emperor of Rome, he understands it is not the right moment to do so. He refuses the crown in front of the public and he cannot hide his big desire of being a king. His ambition has been shown through his actions. Although his refusals have earned him the public’s adoration, Cassius and Casca are disgusted by the spectacle. Casca reports that the â€Å"rabblement hooted . . . when Caesar refused the crown† (1, ii, 254-258). The conspirators who decide to stand up agains t him have caught his personal ambition. Even though Calpurnia’s dream about the beast providing an omen to warn Caesar, â€Å"When beggars die, there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes†(2, ii, 30-33) she tries to convince him to stay home by the beliefs in their time that her prediction would come true. He still doesn’t listen to his wife and refuses to stay home. Calpurnia didn’t give up and tried to warn him several times. He was almost getting convinced but when Decius comes and says, † Senate have concluded to give†¦crown†(2 ii 93-94). Decius manipulates Caesar in saying that so he decides to go. Caesar’s public self takes priority to push him to go. Also, his decision to take care of public first keeps him from reading Artemidorus’s letter. Because of his act of putting the public interests first that made him deal with real consequences afterwards. At the end, Caesar’s last word is â€Å"Et Tu Brute?†(3, i, 84-85). Because he realizes that he has shown his ambition too much. Ignoring his private sentiments to follow public concerns brings Caesar to his death. Brutus shows that his personal life is not as important as Rome by not telling about the conspirators to his wife Portia. She suffers because of his actions. Portia says, â€Å"and could it work so much upon your shape as it hath much prevailed on your condition, I should not know you, Brutus† (2, i, 273-75). She claims that his behavior is strange and he has been acting bizarre. So she begs to know his secret but he decides to keep that secret. He believes that he has  to act on the people’s will -â€Å"shall Rome stand under one man’s awe†(2, i, 54-55). He goes ahead with the murder of Caesar, despite their close friendship -â€Å"Not that I love Caesar less, but I love Rome more†(3, ii, 19-20). Brutus puts aside his personal loyalties and personal thoughts of Caesar. He acts on what he believes to be the public’s wishes and kills Caesar. Brutus puts himself in danger by believing that his public self is important than his private will. After Caesar’s assassination, Brutus believes they are â€Å"sacrifice’s, not butchers†(2, i, 171-177) , so his self-morals impel him to give up his private self again. He shows mercy to Antony and allows him to do the funeral oration. Ironically, by killing Caesar, Brutus had a visit from Caesar’s spirit as he takes the lead of conspirators and Cassius. At the end, Brutus chooses to die honorably, sacrificing himself to reconcile his public and private lives. Not only Brutus cannot balance his public and private life but also Cassius cannot. Cassius lacks all sense of personal life and his motivations are based on his envy and jealousy. He allows Brutus the leadership of the group and that is a big mistake. Especially when Brutus decides to not think of Mark Antony with the funeral oration, that he is allowed to make. Brutus let Antony do that he makes the entire city be against the conspirators. Cassius has so much admiration and respect to Brutus that he concedes Brutus to the military strategy in marching along to meet the army Antony and Octavius during the Philippi war. Even if Cassius is smarter and more observant, he has to sacrifice his principles and compromise â€Å"with your will, go on†(4, iii, 220) as he is unable to challenge the authority and moral rights of Brutus. Antony is the only one who can adjust his public and private selves perfectly. However, Mark Antony admires Brutus personally and praises him as â€Å"the noblest Roman of them all†(5, V, 73). He fights against Brutus to revenge Caesar’s death. Antony chooses to give up his public life, like his loyalty for Caesar. Antony is the only one who deserves the success because even though he admires Brutus he shows no hesitations on which side he wants to stay. The tragedies that occurred with the characters resulted in disaster because they refused to balance their both private and public feelings in favor of what they believed to be the public good. The apparent experiment of attempting to mix their private and public lives does not bring them any favor because they cannot adjust to a new way of life. Caesar’s ambition took over him, leaving his wife, Calpurnia, who dreamt about his murder, in distress as she finds the news of his downfall to happen because his public persona lead him to his death. Caesar did not suffer his demise alone as Brutus falls from great heights as well when he refuses to tell the secret to his wife, Portia, when she begs him to tell her. He pushes aside his personal loyalties and decides to kill Caesar. However, Brutus and Caesars’ altering lifestyles seems to be no matter for Cassius as he has no private life but still refuses to admit his own sensibilities. Moreover, Antony didn’t suffer a downfall because he knew how to balance separate both his public and private life.

Problems in Chinese Education System and steps taken to improve the Essay

Problems in Chinese Education System and steps taken to improve the system - Essay Example Nine years of education is made compulsory in China at preliminary and junior secondary level. However, there is very low government spending on education. Teaching resources are not sufficient as the enrolments in schools. China’s National Auditing Office recently released the 2003 auditing results of 18 universities in China. It was found out that there were violations of financial regulations in these universities. Furthermore, when university professor Mr. Sun Guangwen and former secretary Lin Mu were interviewed about China’s education system, they identified three major problems which are unequal opportunity, expensive tuition and difficult standards for admission. There are also issues regarding course material and teaching methods of China’s education system.... ccording to survey of China’s Academy of Social Sciences, the average education related fees of universities, high schools and elementary schools account for 30 to 60 percent of a family’s income. To the low income families residing in China who accounts up to 80 percent of Chinas population, education fees are a secondary expense to food expense (Yue & Hong, 2006). Lin Mu has identified an emerging concept of â€Å"education commercialization† in China. Schools are now a commercial business; they only keep raising their fees and emptying poor family’s pockets. Even the free schools now charge some amount of money. Professor Sun regards commercialization as wrong and has drawbacks. Commercialization is based on making money. This increases burden towards students. Schools are also required to pay bonuses to teachers. Some schools pay really high bonuses. There are three levels in a school. The first level includes the president, vice president, secretary a nd vice secretary, deans and assisted deans. These people are paid 50,000 yuan or US$ 6000 per year. The second level of staff is paid 40,000 yuan or US$ 5000 and the third level is paid 30,000 yuan or US$ 4000 per year. All this money is coming from students (Yue & Hong, 2006). Through commercialization, universities and colleges have started branding their institutes which attracts students so that they can get better jobs later. Another way for these institutes to make money is by offering short courses, training classes or post graduate certificate programs. These are affordable as the teachers only care about money. As a result, the quality of education is seriously suffering (Yue & Hong, 2006). An expert once estimated and came on a conclusion, based on the ratio and people’s income, the expense of

Hosting the Olympics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hosting the Olympics - Assignment Example The second category is the benefit of receiving international attention through media coverage. The last long term economic benefit is related to the community; there will be formation of educational and youth programs, there will also be formation of jobs for a number of individuals in the country. Some local volunteer programs will also be formed. Thereafter, there will be formation of community development programs. All the details of both the short term and long term benefits will be examined in the subsequent portions of the essay. (Segrave, 1998) Short term economic benefits may be defined as the total changes that will occur in terms of employment, revenue and total national output through outside investments. The first economic impact will result form the fact that the host country will be required to produce more goods and services to cater for the additional numbers. The consumers of those gods are most likely going to be the athletes themselves and their officials. There will also be international spectators and national spectators that will need to consume additional industrial products. It is a matter of fact that the event will need to be covered by media personalities both nationally and internationally. These groups will need to consume goods made by the host country. The Olympics themselves have representatives in the host country and they will need to consume commodities. Lastly, there will be numerous sponsors attending the event and they will also be required to purchase commodities. The total sum of additional revenue that will come from the sale of commodities produced by the host country's industries to the above mentioned groups will make up a huge chunk of the direct economic benefits coming form hosting the Olympics. There may be some visitors that will still be interested in seeing the host country's sites during the Olympic Games and after. There can be huge amounts of revenue received from those visits. Research conducted in this area has indicated that a host country can earn up to 823 million dollars out of the visitors who may come to visit the host country within the first twenty days prior to the event and twenty days after the event. This is also topped up by some new businesses that may be created as direct result of the Olympics and this can bring about a total of 1.1 billion dollars. (Reinberger, 1988) Employment is another great economic benefit that will come as a result of hosting the event. One cannot underestimate the level of job creation that an event of such magnitude can bring to the host country. The employment opportunities may either be part time or full time. An economic estimate in Atlanta, Georgia (a State that held the Olympics) found that about seventy seven thousand new jobs were created. Forty seven percent of this figure came from the direct spending made by visitors in the host nation. There are certain industries that will benefit more than others in this regard. The lodging and hotel industry will take up the largest portion of those new jobs. The second most important industry is the food industry, it should also be noted that bars or other facilities offering drinks also fall in that category. The third category of industries that will also benefit from new jobs will be the retail sector and the

Countrywide Financial Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Countrywide Financial Corporation - Case Study Example Riding on the avowed need to own homes occurring between 1996 and 2006, the mortgage sector of CFC grew tremendously, recording millions of mortgage originations in the years. The shift from prime to subprime mortgages seemed to propel the corporation to greater success. This stemmed from, seemingly, the favorable terms that came with the package. The credit score of the borrower, the down payment and the debt-income ratio were all low, thereby spurring the lower middle and the low-income populations to take advantage of the offer to own homes. These factors significantly contributed to the growth of CFC. The developers of real estate also took full advantage by setting up houses and then selling them later to repay the mortgage, at the equivalent time making a handsome profit (Eastburn, 2011). However, due to the soaring risk involved in lending monies to unsecure and irregular workers in the lower class, cases of mortgage defaulting arose. This was, further, un-helped by the decisi on of the corporation to offer unsecured loans. The bursting of the housing bubble in 2006 further added to the woes as the prices of houses plummeted and cascaded down, the investment capital and interests following closely behind. The inability to repay mortgages was apparent since further loss of jobs and economic strains set on those who had taken the loans (Eastburn, 2011). Whereas it was profits all through for the corporation as far back as time of establishment, the dawning of reality of registering losses was hard to handle. Attempts to revive the corporation by all measures, including acquiring loans and cutting of staff did not help (Eastburn, 2011). The further collapse of the corporation stemmed from the incentives payable to the partners and the rest of the executives. Issuance of unsecured loans to the financially unstable working class did not help matters due to loss of jobs. Eventually, the Bank of America, ending an era for the CFC, bought it. SWOT ANALYSIS Streng ths of a corporation or business setup predominantly show the abilities to stand up to challenges brought about by competitors and any arising changes in the market. Countrywide Financial Corporation, CFC, provided long-term mortgage loans of more than twenty years having a loan-value ratio of over 60 percent, normally 80-85% (Eastburn, 2011). The loans provided to those aspiring to own homes (the loaned) did not need balloon payments when their terms expired; rather the payments spread over the whole life of the loan. The availability of the mortgage across all sections of the population made CFC show a difference from the other mortgage and home financing institutions. The setting up of offices all across the United States further improved accessibility of the corporation by the populations, promoting interactions and selling of mortgages. Weaknesses of a business setup, on the other hand, exhibit the vulnerability to the market changes, competitors and product competition (Eastbu rn, 2011). The confirmation of discrimination based both on race and income ability tended to taint the CFC image. The discrimination, referred to as ‘redlining’, justified by taking into consideration the extra risk involved in lending to persons with unstable and irregular income. After receiving insurance against such persons, there was no way this discrimination could have surfaced. This presented itself as the case since the expectation for uniform lending in the mortgage industry required that they be so. The protection against market entry by other competitors seemed weak, thereby encouraging the entry of competitors who rubbed the profits the wrong way (Eastburn, 2011).

Victoria Secret Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Victoria Secret - Case Study Example Metrics 16 Outcome metric 16 Performance Metric 16 13. Leveraging its brick and mortar store 17 14. Changes expected after the 24 months launch period 17 Works Cited 19 1. Current target segment: The new brand for men The management of Victoria’s secret has come up with the strategy to expand their line of products into the men’s segment. They expect to be equally successful in this segment as they had been in the women’s segment. The underlying idea behind this expansion is to introduce color and style to men’s underwear thereby exploring a market which is tremendously underserved. The new line brand of products targeted towards men will add a new dimension to Victoria’s Secret range of products. Expanding into the new line of men’s undergarment will fetch consumer loyalty to Victoria’s from this segment of customers as well alongside the loyalty of their existing customers. The underlying strategy behind the company’s expansio n into the men’s underwear line is to attract new customers. This strategy will help the business to diversify into a segment that is yet to be explored in the US and henceforth in the world. In addition to that, the expansion program will help Victoria’s secret to achieve a wider customer base thereby creating new sources of revenue stream. 2. Do men consider underwear purchases discretionary? According to a logic outlined by Alan Greenspan, men’s practice of buying underwear is thought to be a good indicator of discretionary spending (â€Å"What Is the Men's Underwear Index?†). The logic that Alan Greenspan stated is both elegant and simple. According to him, more often than not most of the guys have their drawer filled with fairly ratty underwear which they choose to wear until and unless the elastic has ruptured or the boxers are riddled with holes. Because of the fact that co workers and friends generally do not notice a guy’s undergarments, h ence this frayed underwear often looks like a purchase made on discretionary basis. Men’s pattern of buying underwear is a crucial indicator of how the economy is performing. Whenever, men starts to apprehend that the economy is about to dip, they simply stop refilling their drawers with fresh undergarments. A perfect example to support this theory was when the economy started dipping the year 2008, annual sales of men’s underwear dropped by 12% (Trex â€Å"Boxers, Briefs or Loincloth? A Brief History of Men's Underwear†). In accordance with these recent theories, expanding into the men’s segment will prove to be a prospective decision for Victoria’s secret. The primary reason that can be attributed to this fact is that currently the United States economy is recovering at a steady pace. Moreover, not many undergarment brands exist in the country which produces men’s underwear suggesting that, this segment is highly unexplored. So, it is expe cted that the changing pattern in the performance of the United States economy will bring about a profound change in the way men buy their undergarments. Thus, an expansion in this division will prove to be a value maximizing decision for the company. If the products are well appreciated by customers and society, Victoria’s Secret has a possibility for extended growth. 3. Potential target market The potential target market is young and trendy men between the age group 15 and 45. As of now, in terms of geography, the chosen target market is USA. The reason for this is because of a slow growth (10%) witnessed in the annual sales of me

Dewey believes that the only real education Essay

Dewey believes that the only real education - Essay Example Those so-called educators and journalistic professionals who continue to lament the death of critical thinking among the modern youth do so because they no longer understand, nor belong, to the new age of education and information technology. Academicians and journalists tend to be resistant to changes around them and, therefore, tend to cry out that critical thinking has passed on (Males, â€Å"Critics of Student's Critical Thinking Ain't Either†). They fail to see that critical thinking has merely taken on a new shape and form. One that is consistent with the continued evolution of the critical thinking and mental capacity of the future generations of learners and academicians. The critics who view critical thinking as a dead practice among the students of today base that point of view on their incomplete observation based upon the Foundation for Critical Thinking's definition of â€Å"critical thinking† (Males, â€Å"Critics of Student's Critical Thinking Ain't Eith er† ) as: ... the intellectual scrutiny of a given statement's "purpose, problem, or question-at- issue; assumptions; concepts; empirical grounding; reasoning leading to conclusions; implications and consequences; objections from alternative viewpoints; and frame of reference. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, the advent of the Internet has allowed students to learn outside of the four corners of the classroom. No longer are the university professors or high school teachers viewed as infallible mentors in their areas of teaching expertise. These days, students can easily verify any given information with a few taps into a search engine. Thus, allowing them the freedom question the authority of their educators when it comes to certain information being fed to them. Students can no longer be spoon-fed these days. Instead, educators must be prepared to answer questions based upon the personal learning or research of students. The likes of Google, Bing, and Yaho o search engines have presented students with an opportunity to clarify certain information for themselves (Carr, â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† ), as class discussions have left them with more questions than answers. Then they go back to their teachers and ask them to explain further. That is why the belief that the Internet and its search engines have made our students stupid is actually without basis. The Internet has rather produced a new era of students who no longer take their teacher's word for anything. Which is why teachers now need to be more up to date and even more addicted to research via Internet than their students are if they do not wish to be shown up as lacking in actual expertise on the subjects they teach. Cable television shows and channels, such as the National Geographic, Animal Planet, Discovery, and the History Channel, have also contributed greatly to the forward thinking and critical analysis skills of the students today. While everything taught in school tends to be one-dimensional and lecture-type, these cable channels have provided students with an almost hands on learning ability about these highly interesting topics that tend to become boring when taught in school. Learning is no longer limited to Board of Education approved books with boring, black and white illustrations. These days, learning is a highly interactive process that

What can we learn about the enduring nature of war from Scipio Essay

What can we learn about the enduring nature of war from Scipio Africanus - Essay Example This essay examines the principles of one of the most famous Roman artists of war Scipio Africanus, whose tactics and strategy were so brilliant that they are studied by modern students and used in modern offensive actions. Scipio Africanus gives us a few lessons on the endure nature of war. Scipio uses himself as an example to demonstrate that soldiers must trust their leader and must believe that he has a definite plan and a definite aim. â€Å"Scipio similarly made the men under his command more sanguine and more ready to face perilous enterprises by instilling into them the belief that his projects were divinely inspired.†1 Scipio’s authority was so high that his men thought he was led by some higher power to which he was accountable and responsible. Today in modern military the same ideas should be implemented through the seven Army Values, which are aimed at strengthening the morality. Several times throughout his book Liddell Hart mentions the role of Scipio†™s high morality and strong willpower in his successes. Let’s turn to contemporary military manual to see what it says about the necessity to develop morality both in leaders and in soldiers: â€Å"The army values firmly bind all Army members into a fellowship dedicated to serve the Nation and the Army.†2 It is very important to have proper moral spirit. All the sources evidence that Scipio was a person of a very high moral qualities deeply respecting both his soldiers and other people. George C. Marshall, General of Army, once said: â€Å"you have to lead men in war by bringing them along to endure and display qualities of fortitude that are beyond the average man’s thought of what he should be expected to do. You have to inspire them when they are hungry and exhausted and desperately uncomfortable and in great danger. Only a man of positive characteristics of leadership with the physical stamina that goes with it can function under those conditions.†3 Another Scipio’s postulate is that the leader must be confident. â€Å"The secret of his sway, extraordinary in one so young, over the crowd mind, especially in times of crisis, was his profound self confidence which radiated an influence to which the stories of his divine inspiration were but auxiliary. Self-confidence is a term often used in a derogatory sense, but Scipio’s was not only justified by results but essentially different, a spiritual exaltation which is epitomized by Aulus Gellius as â€Å"conscientious sui subnixus† –â€Å"lifted high on his consciousness of himself.†4 It is quite natural and necessary for a leader to feel confidence as none of the soldiers want to be led by an uncertain leader. Experienced officers know that it is not so much important WHAT you say but it matters HOW you say it. Audacity is the basic attribute in offensive actions in all times. â€Å"Audacity is a simple plan of action, boldly executed.† Vi olence of actions also matters. According to George S. Patton, â€Å"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week†. If a leader is not confident he will not be able to encourage his men to be audacious, he will never help them cope with the fear they face in the battles. Napoleon used to say: â€Å"The whole art of war consists in a well ordered and prudent defensive, followed by a bold and rapid offensive†5. Another basic principle of the art of war is objective, which demands to â€Å"direct all efforts toward a decisive, obtainable goal.† A good leader must be able to give an objective to his soldiers. â€Å"To the soldiers suffering under defeat he made no reproaches, but aptly mingled an appeal to their reason and to their spirit, reminding them how often in Roman history early defeat had been the presage to ultimate victory, how the sure tilting of the balance had already begun the initial disaster found their counte rpoise

Produce a report describing, comparing and evaluating 2 types of documents Essay Example for Free

Produce a report describing, comparing and evaluating 2 types of documents Essay The first group of documents are payslips and were collected from the following banks: Barclays, Lloyds TSB and HSBC. Barclays Payslip: The Barclays payslip I collected is a strip of paper about 15cm by 6cm. This document contains all the relevant information for its purpose. The layout of this document is very neat and professional. The payslip contains tables, numbers, text and a logo. The documents readability is simple but is aimed at people who have a reasonable knowledge about banking, i. e. not aimed at children. The document is very bland, and only uses black and white. The justification on this document is very central and organised. Lloyds TSB: The 2nd document I collected was a Lloyds TSB payslip, roughly the same size as the Barclays payslip except it is slightly wider. The layout is very spacious and clear. It contains similar contents to the Barclays payslip, including tables, text, logo, numbers and a receipt. The documents can easily be read and would not be so confusing to people who do not have such a wide knowledge on backing. Different use of colour creates a more pleasurable sight. The tables are either justified to the right or the left hand side. Jonathan Fraser-Gadd Report Unit 1 Task 2: HSBC: The 3rd and final Payslip I have is from HSBC. This payslip is very similar to the Barclays payslip in terms of layout and positioning; however the HSBC payslip is 1cm wider and has an extra 3. 5cm in length. This creates more space whilst holding the same amount of information. The payslip contains a number of tables. The HSBC payslip is the only company that does not display their logo on the payslip. This document is printed in black and white. Brochure: The second group of documents I have collected are brochures all from the same organisations. The brochures I have collected are used by each company to show, what they have to offer the customers. Barclays Brochure: The brochure I have collected from Barclays bank shows the insurance plans that they have to offer a client. The document is a bout 16cm by 11cm. The front page of this brochure has two 3 different shades of blue and a hint of orange. It also contains a logo on the front page so the consistency is at a good standard. The layout of the brochure is very well structured, neat and spacious. The writing is written in columns and its readability is easy and quick to the point, however on the back page the writing is very small and people with bad eye sight may struggle. This document does not contain any images, tables or charts. Lloyds TSB Brochure: Lloyds TSB have a brochure concerning all those wanting to take out a loan. This documentation is the same width as the Barclays brochure but is a 1cm shorter in length. Lloyds TSB have tried a different approach too Barclays because they have decided to use their images to a maximum to create an emotion amongst the readers. Lloyds have consistency used their logo on the brochure and the payslip. The layout is very basic but effective. The layout contains a contents page, images and lots of information on loans, however like in the Barclays brochure on the back page there is a lot of writing which uses a very small font. The style is very interesting and attractive. HSBC Brochure: HSBC have a brochure for clients wanting to take out insurance. This document size is very different to the other brochures which were similar to each other. Instead the size of this document is 5cm by 16cm, making it very narrow. It uses many images of happy people. It contains a contents page to make the document very organised. HSBC do not use a lot of small font writing on the back of the page unlike Lloyds and Barclays, however it does contain a free post envelope attached to the back. It has headings for each topic and the writing is neatly presented. Jonathan Fraser-Gadd Report Unit 1 Task 2: Good and bad points: In this part of my report I shall point out the good and bad parts on each of the above documents. Barclays Payslip: The Barclays payslip is very professional and contains the information required. The good attributes are clear on this document, these are: 1. Use of logo: they have decided to use their logo on the payslip for recognition and to make it more professional. 2. Size: the size of the paper is good because its not big and this creates a more attractive look. 3. Organised neatly in boxes: this makes the documentations readability easier and helps guide the client to where they should write. 4. The information: this information is relevant to the document improving the document.

Reserve Officers Training Corps Essay Example for Free

Reserve Officers Training Corps Essay a. Discuss how the mission and vision of the Mapua C.W.T.S. and R.O.T. C. objectives are respectively reflected in the C.W.T.S. and R.O.T.C. activities. The C.W.T.S. activities promote social awareness and civic consciousness by going to different communities and being aware of the situation of every family that is living there. It also promotes civic responsibility, since in those communities; the students will be on a hands-on application that involves project preparation, planning and implementation at the assigned adopted communities. The students were developed to be a productive member of the community and the students are trained to face responsibly their duties and obligations. They are also able to help the less fortunate and underprivileged people in the society through working with the community. While in the activities of R.O.T.C., the students are being trained, motivated, and organized for national defense preparedness. It will be discussed to the ROTC cadets the military concepts and field drills will be conducted as the practical application. They will be engaged in activities such as map reading and land navigation, basic signal communication, unit formations, basic weapons training and pre-marksmanship training that will develop their skills and capabilities to lead, move, survive and communicate. The cadets will also participate in activities such as the Foundation Day of the Institute, Intramuros Day, Blood Letting Activity, Tree Planting Program, Alay-Lakad and the conduct of routine flag raising and retreat activities that could inculcate in the youth the spirit of patriotism and nationalism, also in developing their vital role in nation-building. And, they will be engaged in activities related to livelihood and economic development that would develop their civic consciousness and good citizenship. b. Compare and contrast the activities of C.W.T.S. and R.O.T.C. The activities of C.W.T.S. and R.O.T.C. both promotes civic consciousness, civic responsibility and good citizenship for their activities involves going to different communities to help the unprivileged and economically poor people and activities related to livelihood and economic development. In the activities of C.W.T.S., the students are trained to be the leading experts in their chosen career while acknowledging their social obligation. The students are brought up to strive for the best in their field in the aim  that their skills and talents would contribute to the upliftment of the society‘s condition. The students’ empowerment will serve as a tool in the progress of their lives as well as those of others. While in R.O.T.C., some activities like the CTIS involves training in basic intelligence, map reading and land navigation, basic signal communication, unit formations, basic weapons training and pre-marksmanship training; in their Individual/Unit Training, it trains the cadets in visual tracking, military mountaineering and jungle base operations; in their Military Values Education the conduct of routine flag raising and retreat activities, weekly conferences, critique or after action review, orientation among the parents about the program; in their Military Livelihood Enhancement are activities related to livelihood. Generally, ROTC is designed to provide military training for preparation in national defense and CWTS is like a training ground for students in becoming a productive member of the society.

Role of Serotonin in Anxiety Disorders

Role of Serotonin in Anxiety Disorders Introduction Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is amonoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived fromtryptophan, is a chemical produced by the body that acts on the nervous system playing a crucial role in numerous pathological conditions and physiological processes. Its highest concentrations are in regions of the brain called the hypothalamus and the midbrain. Anxiety is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil manifesting itself through feelings of worry, dread, nervousness and unease leading to the individual suffering from anxiety becoming withdrawn. Mood, sleep, impulse control, eating, vigilance, libido, and cognitive functions, such as memory and learning are all regulated by serotonin neurotransmission. Serotonin is also essential in the regulation of anxiety and fear, as well as impulsiveness in violent acts and suicide (Akimova et al.,2009). There is great scientific interest on the role of serotonin in mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Anxiety is not simply an excess, depletion or efficacy of serotonin because according to data obtained this understanding would leave to many contradictions in its wake. It is postulated that the serotonergic projections located at the brainstem modulate different coping responses to acute aversive events. Events detected by visual, auditory or olfactory stimuli, evoke preparatory autonomic and motor responses, which form the central motive state of fear or anticipatory anxiety. During the anticipation of threat, animals display the fight-flight responses mediated by neuronal projections from the DRN. (JFW Deakin., 1998) The brainstem, at the level of the superior and inferior colliculi is one of the fundamental neurological regions of significance in anxiety. A system of grey matter is contained within this area surrounding the cerebral aqueduct and also the IVth and IIIrd ventricles connected to the cerebral aqueduct. Extending ventrally in the middle or raphe of the brainstem and lying embedded within the ventral periaqueductal grey matter (PAG) are the two main groups of neurones containing serotonin. Extensive branching axons are sent from the raphe nuclei by the serotonergic cells, to innervate all parts of the forebrain. The dorsal raphe core (DRN) innervates dopaminergic structures, for example, the corpus striatum and frontal cortex, both included with motor exercises. The median raphe nucleus(MRN) then innervates regions of the brain involved in the processing of memories and sensory information, for instance the hippocampus and the medial temporal lobe. It is proposed that these serotonergic projections regulate diverse coping reactions to chronic and acute aversive events. Acute events may be subdivided into distal and proximal events, according to how urgent the danger is. A threat becomes chronic if the proximal and distal defence mechanisms fail to either avoid or terminate it. Behavioural adaptation is elicited by repeated and chronic stress according to evidence. There are brain mechanisms which allow normal behaviours to emerge in the face of chronic adversity, and it has been suggested that such resilience is mediated by projections of the MRN [4]. When this system fails to respond, depression and anxiety is the result. Out of total of 14 different serotonin receptors the one most frequently studied for its relationship with anxiety is the 5-HT1A receptor, and is suggested to have a vital role in the etiology of anxiety disorders, this suggestion is fortified by the fact that partial 5-HT1A receptor agonists are anxiolytics (Akimova et al.,2009). The treatment of anxiety has to take account of the complexity of the serotonergic system. There are widely differentiated anatomical pathways associated with a variety of receptor subtypes (Deakin., 1998). The anxiolytic and anti-depressive effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) enables the treatment of both major depression and anxiety. (Sekiyama et al., 2013). The neurobiology of anxiety is substantially impacted by the serotonin system and particularly the 5-HT1A receptor evident from clinical and preclinical clinical research, including pharmacological trials, genetic studies and neuroimaging. However the serotonin system is also influenced by many other neurotransmitters and also affects these structures which are crucial for the expression and processing of anxiety (Coplan et al., 1998). Animal studies carried out by N.Santana et al, M.amargos-bosch et al, and MV.puig et al showed regulatory effects of the 5-HT1A receptor on GABAergic, glutamatergic ,and dopaminergic neurons, particularly within limbic and prefrontal cortex areas. There is a lack of human studies investigating the effects of 5-HT1A receptor activation on other neurotransmitter systems. Inherent problems of reproducing typical human stressful experiences in animal tests presents limitations in the use of mice as test subject’s in direct methodological and intersp ecies comparisons. To link results of 5-HT1A transgenic mice with clinical data compellingly it is crucial to carry out systematic multimodal studies in primates. A causal model of the influence of 5-HT1A in the etiology of anxiety disorders may be found in primates through the use of a combination of approaches with investigations of environmental risk factors such as stress and genetic polymorphisms in the serotonergic system. Anxiety disorders may be defined as biologically heterogeneous conditions influenced by environmental, genetic and epigenetic factors. Autonomic activation and intense unconditioned escape behaviour even in the absence of an imminent threat, in panic disorders can be caused by neuronal instability in the brains fight-flight mechanism. In anticipatory anxiety and in the pathogenesis of generalised anxiety disorders, it has been suggested by experimental evidence that excessive and inappropriate activation of DRN-5-HT2 pathways plays a crucial role. Anxiolytic drugs have been shown to decrease functioning in this system and experimental studies in volunteers show that 5-HT2 blockers and 5-HT2 agonists have the predicted effect on conditioned anxiety. Impaired 5-HT1A receptor function and depression appears to have a direct relationship. Through modification of memory mechanisms normal behaviour becomes possible in the face of chronic adversity due to contributions to resilience, by projections from the MRN to 5-HT1A receptors in the hippocampus and medial temporal lobe. When this defence fails the result is depression and/or anxiety. Thus it can be said that the disregulation of 5-HT1A receptors although evidently an important factor in anxiety disorders, cannot be said to be the primary factor in anxiety, however the role of the serotonin system in anxiety disorders can possibly be adaptive rather than pathogenic. Only by understanding the role of different serotonin projections and receptors in orchestration of psychological defences against various kinds of aversion can it be said that a coherent account of the role of serotonin in anxiety and depression is possible. authors year of publication title of journal article Asha S and Vidyavathi M. (2010) Role of human liver microsomes in in vitro metabolism of drugs – a review. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 160 (6): 1699-1722. volume issue page range journal title number number References 1  Deakin JFW. (1998) The role of serotonin in depression and anxiety. European psychiatry  13 (2): 57s-63s 2  E. Akimova, R. Lanzenberger, and S. Kasper. (2009) The Serotonin-1A Receptor in Anxiety Disorders Biological psychiatry 66 (1): 627– 635 3.  Deakin JFW, Pennell I, Upadhyaya AK, Lofthouse R. A neuroendocrine study of 5HT function in depression: evidence for biological mechanisms of endogenous and psychosocial causation. Psychophology 1990 ; 4 : 357-60 4.  Hetem LAB, de Souza CJ, Guimaraes FS, Zuardi AW, Graeff FG.  Effect of d-fenfluramine on human experimental anxiety. Psychopharmacology  1996 ; 127 : 276-82 5.  Zuardi AW, Cosme RA, Graeff FG, Guimaraes FS. Effects of ipsapirone and cannabidiol on human experimental anxiety. J Psychopharmacology 1993 ; 7 : 82-8 6.  Delgado PL, Charney DS, Price LH, Aghajanian GK, Landis H, Heninger GR. Serotonin function and the mechanism of antidepressant action. Arch Gen Psychiat D, 1990 ; 47 : 411-18 7.  Kennett GA, Dickinson S, Curzon G. Antidepressant-like action of some 5-HT dependent behavioural responses following repeated immobilization in rats. Brain Res 1985 ; 330 : 253-63 8.  Coplan JD, Lydiard RB (1998): Brain circuits in panic disorder. Biol Psychiatry  44:1264 –1276. 9.  Santana N, Bortolozzi A, Serrats J,MengodG, Artigas F (2004): Expression of  serotonin1A and serotonin2A receptors in pyramidal and GABAergic neurons  of the rat prefrontal cortex. Cereb Cortex 14:1100–1109. 10.  Santana N, Bortolozzi A, Serrats J,MengodG, Artigas F (2004): Expression of  serotonin1A and serotonin2A receptors in pyramidal and GABAergic neurons  of the rat prefrontal cortex. Cereb Cortex 14:1100–1109. 11.  Amargos-Bosch M, Bortolozzi A, Puig MV, Serrats J, Adell A, Celada P, et  al. (2004): Co-expression and in vivo interaction of serotonin1A and  serotonin2A receptors in pyramidal neurons of prefrontal cortex. Cereb  Cortex 14:281–299. 12.  Ã‚  Puig MV, Artigas F, Celada P (2005): Modulation of the activity of pyramidal  neurons in rat prefrontal cortex by raphe stimulation in vivo:  Involvement of serotonin and GABA. Cereb Cortex 15:1–14.

The Call Of Jack London Essay -- essays research papers

The Call Of Jack London   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During a time when man had gold fever, and philosophical views plagued the minds of many, one man took these views and turned them into great outdoor adventures. John â€Å"Jack† Griffith London, a twentieth century author, wrote The Call of the Wild, other novels, and short stories that depict the philosophical views of the time and added adventure to them by using his own life experiences that carried thousands of men including himself to the Klondike in search of gold.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Winter 1876 San Francisco John and Flora London shared the joy of childbirth in the celebration of their only child together. They named the baby boy John Griffith London, or Jack for short. He became the twelfth child of his father, for through his first marriage he had eleven children. Jack London’s family was stricken by poverty. His father had many trades, however worked mainly in truck gardening(McCracken 370). After Jack’s graduation from grammar school, which he attended in Oakland, Jack read many novels, mainly ones about romance, travel, and adventure. He took many odd jobs to make ends meet(Comptons Interactive Encyclopedia).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jack had ambitions for a life at sea. At age fifteen Jack London bought a boat of his own, called Razzle Dazzle. He became an oyster pirate, sailing the San Francisco Bay robbing oyster beds and becoming a heavy drinker. Jack had many hard times. He spent some time as a hobo and spent some time in prison. At the age of nineteen he entered high school. Hard work enabled him the privilege of attending The University of California at Berkley. Less than a year passed and he gave up school to try and support his family and persue a writing career. He did not sell any of his work(Kunitz and Haycraft 844).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He joined the gold rush to the Klondike in the summer of 1897. The group stopped along the Yukon near about the Stewert River for winter. London became vary ill with Scurvy and was forced south for survival. Upon his re entry to San Francisco Jack learned of his fathers death. He could not find work of any kind, so once again he tried his hand at writing. His first writing, a story about life on the Yukon, was accepted by a magazine called Overlan... ...ty. This is illustrated in a quote from the book, â€Å"His cunning was wolf cunning...his intelligence, shepherd intelligence and St. Bernard intelligence.†(London) â€Å"London’s unusual subject allows him to see virtues in return to an aboriginal state that could not be found if humans were the subject.†(Magill 1148) He also uses the literary element of contrast to bring effect to his novel. For instance when â€Å"Buck is at his most savage he is also most completely fulfilling his potential utulizing his brain, muscles, and heart to the utmost.†(Magill 1148)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jack London had a life full of ups and downs . He used ideas of philosophy that affected the world to inspire all of his writings as well as the ideas of his own experiences and of the great adventures celebrated in the age of time. He used ideas of Charles Darwin, racial hierarchy, and the American Credo of success to inspire his writings. Once he tried to make it to Alaska himself, so he was able to use some of what he experienced to add realistic adventure to his stories. All elements of his life and his era helped make him one of the greatest adventure writers of the generations.

the swing :: essays research papers

The Swing by Pierre Renoir   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The impressionist movement started when Claude Monet and other artists held an exhibition in Paris in 1874. People like Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre Renoir, Camille Pissaro created their most important work between 1870 to around 1910. The critics gave the exhibition the worst reviews possible. â€Å"The critics considered Impressionist paintings an insult to viewers because they were expected to accept apparently unfinished art as a ‘real’ painting.† The name was taken from Monet’s Impression, Sunrise. â€Å"The artists took the name after a critic used it mockingly to describe all the exhibited works.† The critics said that the paintings were â€Å"evidence of sloppy workmanship† (world book).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Swing by Pierre Renoir shows many of the characteristics of a painting made during the impressionist movement. During the impressionist period the painters didn’t care to show emotion on the characters depicted in the painting. The impressionist also tried to capture a moment in time by painting something they saw at a glance rather than think about what they knew or what they felt about the situation. For example this painting captures a moment in time by showing a woman, standing on the swing, a baby, looking up at a man, and two men, who is having a conversation with the lady against an outdoor background. The impressionist liked to work outdoors in natural light and paint rapidly rather than in a studio trying to develop what they paint. They were influenced by the scientific study of color and light at that time. This painting shows how light reflects on the people standing partly in the shade and partly in the sunlight.

The Value to Life

The Value to Life; Society vs. Self Today, our society assigns the value to human life based on which life is actually more appealing to them. In other words, society places a price tag on a man’s life. A person is judged by society on the value of their life based on certain factors and aspects that are irrelevant. People realize the true value to their lives when they are in encounter with situations that may take it away. And because the value of life is so precious, society should determine its value in different and better ways that appreciate its value.People put more value on their lives when they come close to knocking on the doors of death. For instance, those living with  terminal illnesses  like cancer, have a whole different perception of their life and all of life in general in comparison to someone who is living a completely healthy life. In his autobiography,  Lance Armstrong  said, â€Å"When I was sick, I saw more beauty and triumph and truth in a sin gle day than I ever did in a bike race, but they were human moments, not miraculous ones. Lance Armstrong is one of the most successful and accomplished figures in the world, yet even to him, a day of simply living one more day means more than any of his accomplishments while living with cancer. Having everything may make one value their life in greater depth but the fear of losing that everything they have worked for makes them value it even more however. While a person may assign the value to their life based on the obstacles they have overcame and learned from, society’s way of determining the value to a human life is not nearly as sensitive.Society assigns the value of life under the terms of which life is actually worth more in dollars. Its unfortunate but there are too many instances in life where one person’s life is considered with higher value than others simply because of what they have and what they are willing to show for it. I remember a time when a family member of mine was rushed to the emergency room only to be turned away because he did not have any medical insurance. Does that mean his life has less value than someone who does have life insurance?He deserved to be seen by a doctor just as much as the next with or without the papers. Or in another case scenario, a young rich blonde girl of a wealthy known family becomes kidnapped on the same day as a daughter of a drug addict in the projects, who would have more publicity in the search for their return? The blonde girl’s family has more money; therefore, can afford to pay their way to more publicity time, bestowing more value on her life.It is not something that you think of everyday, or is easily realized, but our society holds value on our life only through the materialistic things. For instance, after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, thousands of innocent lives were lost as a result. Due to the fact that there were so many families to compensate and to preven t the airlines from going out of business, the federal government enforced a limit on how much each family would receive in compensation.These numbers were given in an article called â€Å"What Is a Life Worth? † in  Time magazine  written by Amanda Ripley. â€Å"First, the government will estimate how much a victim would have earned over his or her lifetime had the planes never crashed. That means a broker’s family will qualify for a vastly higher award than a window washer’s family. † This quote shows that in the eyes of society, the value of life is not equal because if that was the case, everyone affected from the crash would have received the same amount in compensation.The only difference between the broker and the window washer is how much money their bank account holds, but in this case, that is the only thing that matters in determining their value of life. When assigning the value of life, society overlooks the character of the person or wha t purpose they served in life. Since treating every man equal in America is something we try to abide our lives by, the value of someone’s life should be determined on better terms.The value of someone’s life should be determined by the merit that person has earned throughout their life. In the book of proverbs it states that â€Å"We must treat each man on his worth and merits as a man. We must see that each is given a square deal, because he is entitled to no more and should receive no less. † According to this quote, a man must be treated on his worth which is something that he must earn since every man is given the same chances and opportunities not more or less than others.When people are born, they are all given equal chances, but the different circumstances that can occur in each person’s life along the way can determine who has the ability to overcome the obstacles, making that person earn a certain merit that decides the value to their life. In c onclusion, a person’s value of their own life is something that is overlooked at first. People do not realize that life is something that can be taken away so quickly that sometimes you cannot even grasp it. Life gains value when it is almost lost. When people have ragedies strike their lives, such as being diagnosed with a terminal disease, they realize how much life means to them because they feel the end approaching. They begin to realize that all their life, they have worked for something and just like that, it can be taken away. Our society plays a large role in how value is put on life. Society determines the value of life unfairly and none biased on the emotional aspects a life may pertain. Society judges a human life based on their materialistic earnings rather than their merit earnings. A rich man’s life is more valuable than a poor man’s under the rules of society.

Case Study: Chrysler-Fiat Partnership Essay

When America’s economical crisis reached its apex, domestic car manufacturers were at the forefront of struggling industries, and Chrysler was one of the hardest hit (Car and Driver, 2008). In 2008 the automotive giant, along with fellow industry stalwart General Motors, received a $17.4-billion reprieve from the American Government to keep from closing its doors altogether (Car and Driver). Chrysler did lose a lot of respectability, and was ordered to cease and desist with any new product development until the company proved it could be a viable business (Gluckman & Kurczewski, 2009). However, the loan from the government proved to still not be enough to get Chrysler back on its feet, and in 2009 the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (Groth, 2011). Fiat faced its own organizational struggles in 2003-2004 before new CEO Sergio Marchionne led the Italian automotive manufacturer back to respectability (Gluckman & Kurczewski). Still, after watching European car sales fall to a 17 year low and needing a boost to his company’s revenue, Marchionne saw the Chrysler situation as a way to get into the American market (The Economist, 2013). Objectives Sought by Each Partner: Chrysler’s objectives in the partnership with Fiat were pretty simple: it needed a financial boost to maintain its place in the industry and new technology if it wanted to grow and advance (Marrs, 2009). After egregiously unsuccessful partnerships with Daimler-Benz and Cerberus Management Group and a multi-billion dollar loan from the American Government ended with Chrysler filing for bankruptcy, the company was in desperate need of a method to regain viability (Marrs; Krisher & Strumpf, 2009; Gluckman & Kurczewski, 2009). Although Chrysler received no money in the deal, it will emerge as a new, leaner group minus billions in debt, 789 underperforming dealerships, and burdensome labor costs, not to mention gaining Fiat’s  technology to build new environmentally friendly, fuel efficient, high-quality vehicles (Krisher & Strumpf). Fiat’s objective in the partnership was to provide a financial boost to its own company without accumulating additional debt (Ebhardt, 2013). Fiat, Italy’s largest auto manufacturer, would like to expand its market to become a global competitor. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne believes that to compete with General Motors, Volkswagen, and Toyota, the merged Fiat-Chrysler will need to produce 5.5-6 million cars a year, compared to its current output of 4.1 million (The Economist, 2013). Basis of Dialogue Leading to the Partnership: The basis of a dialogue leading to a potential partnership was the concept of a mutually beneficial situation for all parties involved (Cox, 2013). Fiat has the capital, new technologies to develop high-efficiency cars, and reverence from Ferrari and Maserati fans that will allow Chrysler to regain its place among top domestic auto manufacturers in the United States (Groth, 2013). Fiat will share with Chrysler its platforms and powertrain technology, including engines, transmissions, and fuel-saving technology (Gluckman & Kurczewski, 2009). Through Fiat, Chrysler will also get better distribution of its products in Europe, India, Brazil and China (Gluckman & Kurczewski). Chrysler is the 3rd-largest U.S. auto company and is a trusted brand with the international appeal, customer base, and facilities that will allow Fiat to become a serious competitor in the global automotive manufacturing market (Groth). Chrysler was also in no position to be patient for an extended period of time. While its factories sat idled during the bankruptcy process, the automaker reportedly lost 100 million per day (Krisher & Strumpf, 2009). Steps Taken by Each Company: The partnership between Fiat and Chrysler, which is still an ongoing process, is being approached in phases. Initially Chrysler agreed to give Fiat a 35% holding in return for an influx of new engines and platforms, research and development, and help retooling its plants (Marrs, 2009). This approach allowed both organizations to ease into the partnership, without either side immediately taking on too much debt or risk (Cox, 2013). Analysts were not  able to exactly predict the partnership between Fiat and Chrysler. In fact, Chrysler was in talks with General Motors before both companies began to experience serious financial hardships (Gluckman & Kurczewski, 2009). Looking to avoid the management mistakes that doomed Chrysler’s partnerships with Daimler and Cerberus, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has made it clear that Fiat/Chrysler will run as one company (Trujillo, 2013). As Mr. Marchionne announced at a media briefing, â€Å"This management team spends their time traveling and making decisions, but this thing runs as one house. There is no question about who runs what; I run one company† (Vlasic, 2013, pp. 4).

Assess The Relationship Between Crime, Poverty And Social Protest In The Eighteenth And Early Nineteenth Centuries

America had rebelled and after a successful war become independent; and war with France, which had experienced internal revolution that caused serious concern to the British ruling classes, lasted until 1815. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was created in 1801 (Evans 2002, 3). In 1700, with a population of approximately 5 million in England, perhaps 80% of the population lived in the countryside, with some 90% in agriculture or related employment whereas by 1801 the population had risen to 8. million and by 1851 to nearly 18 million with only 22% employed in agriculture (Porter 1990, 11, 207; Gardiner & Wenborne 1995, 610; Timmins 2005). The transformation of society through changes in agriculture and industrialisation led inevitably to the creation of new economic relationships and identities within society and to the destruction of old ones. Crime, poverty and social protest were significant factors in these centuries although their relationship is much debated by h istorians. It is certain that their relationship, as well as changing over time, differed by locality, for example heavily urbanised London, whose population had increased to perhaps 700,000 by 1770, will have undergone different experiences to, say, a rural county such as Herefordshire (Shakesheff 2003). Any discussion of the relationship of crime, poverty and social protest must rest on an initial discussion of these terms, in particular the first. Crime is generally understood to indicate acts that contravene the law but this masks the many kinds of accidental and unpremeditated acts, emotional or mental states, deliberate actions and motivations that may come into play (Sharpe 1999, 5). Even within a society there may be disagreements on what constitutes a crime, and the difference between a criminal and non-criminal act may rest on the context of the act. Legislators too may create new crimes while decriminalising other acts. Poverty is perhaps less problematic to define, since it is usually considered with respect to ideas of subsistence and meeting the requirements of physical well-being (Gardiner & Wenborne 1995, 613). Even so, it should be considered as relative to changing expectations and living standards. Social protest may take many forms, such as riots, and can be defined as a social crime (Sharpe 1999, 179). The notion of social crime, developed by Hobsbawm, rests on the differing understandings of crime that may exist between groups and the official position (Sharpe 1999, 176). Social crimes are defined as those that can be said to represent ‘a conscious, almost a political, challenge to the prevailing social and political order and its values' (Sharpe 1999, 176). Thompson has argued for a moral economy which legitimates social crime by placing it in the context of defending traditional customs or rights, where they may differ from the values of those who make the law (Thompson 1991). According to statistical evidence, crime seems to have been at a low at the beginning of the eighteenth century, increasing, at least around London and Surrey, with the increasing population and urbanisation, by 1780 (Sharpe 1995, 6). Short-term bursts of crime seem to have been affected by crop failures and by the demobilisation of the larger armed forces utilised by imperial Britain, especially after 1815. The steepest increase in crime appears to have been in the 1840s (Emsley 1996, 295). The most common kinds of crime in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries appear to have been small opportunistic thefts (Emsley 1996, 293). Crime statistics, however, may give an imprecise impression of crime since many crimes may, for various reasons, never be officially reported. One category where crime, poverty and social protest definitively meet is in the Swing Riots of 1830. England at the beginning of the eighteenth century was a largely agricultural nation with the majority of the population living in rural areas. During the course of that century there were profound changes. The rising population, especially from the mid-eighteenth century, created a surplus of agricultural labourers for whom there was no corresponding rise in rural employment, while migration from rural areas, in terms of the natural increase in population, declined from 100% in 1751 to only 29% in 1831 (Hobsbawm and Rude 1969, 43). Agriculture had, by this time, come to be dominated by a division into landlords, tenant-farmers and hired labourers (Hobsbawm and Rude 1969, 27). Increasing economic rationalisation of agriculture by landlords and tenant-farmers saw further consequent declines in the conditions of the agricultural labourers who, divorced from the land, became reliant on less regular and less well paid employment with worsening conditions. Their situation was exacerbated by the Poor Law which supplemented and thus kept down wages (Hobsbawm and Rude 1969, 45-53). It is argued that this degradation of the agricultural labouring class led to the Swing Riots, which began in 1830, as a reaction to bad harvests in 1829 (Gardiner and Wenborne 1995, 729-30). This social protest was directed mainly at threshing machines, but also included burnings devices designed to further decrease the need of labour on farms. Swing letters included demands for increased wages and Hobsbawm and Rude (1969, 220) concluded that the movement was essentially one of labourers ‘with essentially economic ends'. Machine breaking had taken place in other contexts, notably in the burgeoning industrial sector. Perhaps the most famous of these was the Luddite movement that preceded the Swing Riots. Luddism, like Swing, seems to have been a reaction to poor harvests, increasing food prices, unemployment and wage cuts as well as changing industrial relations (Archer 2000, 49). Opinion on Luddism in its three main areas of northern England differs in terms of the extent to which scholars have identified political motivations as opposed to industrial protest. Like Swing, Luddism focused on anti-machine action in the context of the removal from traditional artisans of their means of livelihood and style of living. Thompson (1991, 352-403) has stressed the effects of changing working patterns with regard to timekeeping and the changes in the synchronisation of labour in an industrial society from the more irregular rhythms that went before. Machine breaking may have been criminal as defined by the law and may have been further encouraged by economic difficulties, nevertheless, it seems indisputable that instances of machine breaking and the wider movements that can be identified fall within the category of social protest and were to some extent linked with poverty or the threat of poverty. Horn (2005) mentions the riots of the Spitalfields silk weavers in 1675, 1719, 1736 and the 1760s, as well as many other instances of machine breaking amongst sawyers and most particularly weavers. This emphasises the tradition of machine breaking, which could be seen as a ‘customary' for of industrial relations stretching back a century (Horn 2005). Certainly in the case of the agricultural labourer in the Swing Riots, wages were a motivating factor (Hobsbawn and Rude 1969 195-96). Between 1780 and the 1830s, wages in East Anglia had gone from being some of the highest to the lowest, since there was a lack of alternatives to agriculture unlike in the northern and industrial regions (Archer 2000, 9). This coupled with rising prices caused massive pauperisation while the Poor Law and local systems of relief could be and were manipulated by farmers to further push down wages in the knowledge that other rate-payers would have to subsidise the poor of the parish (Archer 2000, 10). The shock to the wealthier classes caused by the riots that inevitably broke out was evidently exacerbated by the deferential behaviour traditionally shown to them by the poor, who presumably realised its importance in gaining relief. A lack of humane response on their part, in Archer's words ‘misread deferential behaviour for deferential attitudes' (Archer 2000, 10). The government reaction to riots may reveal something of the elite perception of how valid they were. In their combined actions, the Luddites and Swing had caused only two deaths while at the same time the damage to property was considerable (Horn 2005). Initial waves of Luddism in 1811-12 caused perhaps i100,000 worth of damage to looms and factories. It is this perhaps that explains to some extent the decision of the government to field more troops to crack down on Luddism, some 12,000, in 1812, than were fielded in the Peninsular Campaign against Napoleon in 1808. Frame-breaking became a capital crime and between 1812-17, 36 Luddites were hanged followed later by 19 Swing Rioters. Protest crime formed only a small percentage of prosecution, peaking at 8. % in 1831 and of the number that took part in the riots only a small part ended up in court (Archer 2000, 87). Furthermore, many death sentences were commuted to transportation and many rioters were released without charge. It has also been noted that in comparison to food rioters, protesting the price of grain caused by bad harvests and war, suffered hanging less often (Archer 2000, 28-30, 87). Many have noted the increase in legal concern for property in the eighteenth century e mbodied by the ‘Bloody code' (Sharpe 1995, 8). Between 1660 and 1819, there were 187 capital statutes enacted into the law, mostly concerning property (Hughes 1988, 29). Many of the new Acts explicitly embodied a repressive state and criminalized the poorest labouring classes and were passed in reaction to riots or social unrest (Linebaugh 1991, 16). Notable in this context is the notorious Waltham Black Act, passed in reaction to agrarian riots and unrest in Hampshire, which created over 200 capital offences. Rioters had poached game and fish as well as burning hayricks and threatening landlords (Hughes 1988, 29). The Riot Act of 1715 was designed to combat and disperse meetings and assemblies of 12 or more persons, a seeming precursor of the late twentieth century laws ostensibly to disperse illegal raves. It was a popular tool against collective action by the labouring classes (Linebaugh 1991, 17). Those classes, in particular some 15,000 journeymen tailors, were struck at again by the Combination Act of 1721. This law made it illegal for them to take collective action in order to press for better wages or shorter working hours. This they had done through strike and had suffered imprisonment in return. In principle the Combination Act criminalized the notion of improving working and living conditions and class action and can be noted as the first anti-trade union law (Linebaugh 1991, 17). Despite the rise in capital offences in law, the actual number of hangings declined throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (Hughes 1988, 35). There are various reasons for this, such as squeamishness on the part of the judges and the exercise of mercy, especially the Royal Prerogative, although most appeals seem to have been rejected (Gatrell 1994, 200-208). Transportation and imprisonment were increasingly used, the former system supplying labour and, following the American revolution and the use of hulks as prisons, transportation to Australia became a viable option for permanently ridding Britain of its criminals (Hughes 1988, 41-42). This last point is highly relevant in the context of Linebaugh's argument that the poor and the criminal were difficult to distinguish (1991, xxi). Changes in the law undoubtedly led to rising crime, since as has been noted, more offences were created. Some historians, such as Thompson and Linebaugh have seen this as a conflict between custom and law. For example, many workers believed themselves to be customarily entitled to perquisites or allowances related to their employment. In the agricultural sector, the best known of these was gleaning – following the gathering of the harvest, women and children would collect the leftover scattered grain that had been missed (Emsley 1996, 122). This practice supplemented and could even form a major proportion of an agricultural labouring families' diet. Although gleaning was seen as a custom and denial of the right to glean could meet with criticism, it was observed by Arthur Young in 1771 that it was not ‘an imprescribable right' (Emsley 1996, 123). Abuses of gleaning that went to court met with the response that gleaning was not recognised as a legal right, however the farmer's conscience may allow him to permit gleaning. On the other hand, some farmers sought to have gleaning stopped but the case was refused by magistrates (Emsley 1996, 124). Thus gleaning occupied an ambiguous status, the law refused to outlaw it, despite the wishes of certain farmers while refusing to recognise it as a legal right of the labourers. Thompson notes that these customs were quite normally disputed (Thompson 1991, 104). Customs such as gleaning are mirrored in industrial and other work settings. Silk workers and weavers were particularly low earners and owing to the techniques of production, wasteful in resources, which could be appropriated for further use (Linebaugh 1991, 258, 264). A market grew up for cloth waste, which had many uses in producing other items and by the mid-1770s Spitalfields was a major centre of this trade. The law attempted to suppress the trade, but unsuccessfully. However, silk workers, and of them weavers in particular, formed a group whom the law was prone to threatening with hanging (Linebaugh 1991, 258). The production of a ‘Book of Prices' by the Spitalfields weavers and the corporate action by 2000 of them to enforce it in 1763 was a precursor to a 1764 protest march by the weavers petitioning for higher wages and against cheap imports, which saw the state drawing on the military. Poor harvests in the following year upped grain prices and filled workhouses while the silk workforce decreased by 1768 to half its level of six years earlier (Linebaugh 1991, 271). Corporate and direct actions such as those of the silk workers, who were joined by other groups, the Luddites and the Swing Rioters helped to formulate a culture of fear in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. As mentioned above, the American war of independence and the French revolution were other causes of fear amongst the ruling classes of those beneath them. Hughes (1988, 25) states that ‘the belief in a swelling wave of crime was one of the great social facts of Georgian England'. It is not difficult to comprehend that for those observing from above, riots, protests and crime committed by the poor were part and parcel of the nature of that class of people and that the reaction would be to staunch such behaviour through the law and the militia. These fears were fed by other factors such as the rise of newspapers publishing reports of crime statistics and vivid stories that reinforced elite views of the poor in society and in turn led to the reification of entrenched moral views that were transposed into laws that tended to further criminalise the poor. Crime, poverty and social protest in the eighteenth and nineteenth century can be seen as linked in the context of the increasing proletarianisation of the workforce and conflict between the wage earning poor and the law making elite. Linebaugh (1991, xxi) observes this as the ‘expropriation of the poor from the means of producing†¦ and the appropriation by the poor of the means of living. Emsley (1996, 295) observes that it seems significant that property crime increased during economic slumps. However, he goes on to suggest that a monocausal link between poverty and crime is too simplistic. He cites other reasons for increasing crime, for example, the growth in wealth and material goods allowed more opportunities for crime and increased temptation and the extension of commerce and business also increased the opportunities for corruption (Emsley 1996, 295). Certainly, not all social unrest can be seen in terms of poverty or the defence of custom. It seems that the strong tradition of this kind of action speaks of attempts to control the means of livelihood as opposed to warding off poverty. However, the reality and threat of widespread poverty in particular areas and spheres of employment must be seen as a strong motivating force in any action. As for crime, it cannot be doubted that much crime was necessitated by poverty. Equally to account this as the only factor would be facile, since it ignores the personal and individual aspects of each crime. It is tempting though to see an increasing concern for goods and materials throughout this period of increasing production and the defence of property in law would seem to follow from that. Hughes comments that the rule of law became the supreme ideology in this period (1988, 29). Increasing economic rationalisation and market capitalism placed workers livelihoods and working traditions in jeopardy and this, coupled with price fluctuations and an increasing population undoubtedly increased crimes of necessity, although it should not be forgotten that while real crime may have increased, the means of measuring crime became more accurate and more actions became criminal. The concern with property perhaps inevitably led to doubts over the legality of customary appropriation, such as gleaning. But while such ‘rights' may have been disputed over centuries, the changing economic and social factors and the rise of the law and legalism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries inevitably led to them taking on a different significance that would have long lasting repercussions in the social relations and perceptions of people in Britain.

Environmental Ethics and Eco-Tourism

IntroductionIn the last few decennaries, bookmans have begun to develop the subject of planetary environmental moralss. In making so, they have encountered two obstructions. First, much environmentalism cloaks itself in the discourse of prudence and security, and therefore, ethical concerns are hard to place. Second, when bookmans do acknowledge ethical issues, they explain them in footings of how people treat the nonhuman universe and progress a bio-centric or eco-centric moral esthesia. This is a job to the grade that it neglects infinite cases of environmental unfairness that involve the manner humans treat each other, utilizing nature as a medium ( Wapner & A ; Matthew, 2009, p. 203 ) . A new field of environmental consciousness has progressively as a chief attending in doctrine, the possible rational involvement particularly for geographers. Since so the environmental moralss began with a few influential articles and monographs published in the early 1970s. In 1979, so took off near the bend of the decennary with a new diary, environmental moralss launched, and increased in the eightiess with a aggregation of literatures increasing by the latter portion of the decennary. As we concerned, environmental moralss is potentially be fluent in some of the most profound inquiries that confront late modern societies, whose widespread degree of concern over environmental crises across local to planetary proportions. Environmental moralss, which has come into its ain by siting the crest of a moving ridge of popular concern over human impacts on the environment, therefore finds itself in a really hard place to present any conceptually satisfactory manner out of this tangled we b. Geographers are showing an increasing involvement in environmental moralss ( Proctor, 1998 ) . Nowadays, we seen many environmental issues caused by assorted factors which are really familiar to us and it happens every twenty-four hours in our life universe. As we already cognizant of, three chief facet of environment is land, H2O and air. These constituents are interrelated to each other in fulfilment of human basic demands. The importance of natural environment to the human existences became less precedence because of the humans’ wants is transcending their demands in these modern yearss. This survey will light the significance of environmental moralss, environmental current issues and its impact. The treatment will be on the non-prudential dimensions of planetary environmental personal businesss and explains how a focal point on the manner humans mistreat each other can function as a cardinal ethical focal point for apprehension and turn toing environmental unfairness. Overall, it aims to supply a vocabulary for progressing an anthropocentricity [ 1 ] esthesia toward planetary environmental ethical concern.AimThe aims of this survey are to accomplish understanding on:The significance of environmental moralss.The currents issues related to environmental moralss.Eco-tourism and environmental impacts issues.ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICSEnvironmentcan be defined as â€Å"theamountsum of all milieus of a life being, includingnatural forcesand other life things, whichprovide conditionsfordevelopmentand growing every bit good as ofdangerandharm † andmoralsscan be defined as â€Å"the basicconstructsandcardinal rulesof nice homobehavior. It includessurveyof cosmopolitanvaluessuch as the indispensable equality of allwork forcesand adult females, human ornatural rights, obeisance to thejurisprudenceofland,concernforwellnessandsafetyand, progressively, besides for thenatural environment † ( â€Å" BusinessDictionary.com – Online Business Dictionary, † 2015 ) . Environmental moralss is concept and exercising about proper apprehensiveness aimed at, rules in, and duties refering the natural universe. By traditional accounts, moralss is people associating to people in justness and love. Environmental moralss starts with human concerns for a quality environment, and some think this shapes the ethic from start to complete. Others hold that, beyond inter-human concerns, values are at interest when worlds relate to animate beings, workss, species and ecosystems. Harmonizing to their vision, worlds ought to happen nature sometimes morally considerable in itself, and this turns moralss in new waies. ( Nicholas Bunnin and E. P. Tsui-James, 2003, p. 517 ) . In the other point of position, Brennan ( 2011 ) enlightened the environmental moralss as the subject in doctrine that surveies the moral relationship of human existences to, and besides the value and moral position of, the environment and its nonhuman contents. Equally far as I concerned, there were many inquiries can be discussed on environmental issues raised by Nicholas Bunnin and E. P. Tsui-James ( 2003, p. 529 ) . In order to reply those inquiries, assorted surveies could been conducted to seek findings on environmental moralss affairs sing relation on worlds, moral and responsibilities, civilization and nature, natural and societal contract, animate being public assistance. In other words, is the relation between homo and natural environment. As mentioned, planetary environmental moralss is still in its beginning. Much of the work that does be, unsurprisingly, extends the critical statements about anthropocentricity to the international sphere. Anthropocentricism abounds the universe over and, to the grade that it is responsible for harmful environmental patterns, it deserves unfavorable judgment. Wapner and Matthew ( 2009, p. 205 ) besides mentioned that the environmental moralss as a subject has focused on the manner humans treat the natural universe. It is by and large acknowledged that people care less about animate beings, rivers, workss, and mountains than they do about themselves and each other, and therefore it is no surprise that they exploit or otherwise abuse nature. Much environmental moralss attempts to calculate out why this is the instance and what can be done about it.Environmental ETHICS ISSUESThere are many environmental moralss issues occurred all over the universe. However, this survey will merely conc entrate on three sets of chief issues. The designated sets are as follows:First is the issue of natural resources.The 2nd issue will be discussed with sinks.The 3rd set of issue is the transmutation of landscapes and ecosystems.Issues of Natural ResourcesWorlds desire a quality environment, basking the comfortss of nature ; wildlife and wild flowers, scenic positions, topographic points of purdah every bit good as the trade goods such as lumber, H2O, dirt, natural resources. Supporting environmental wellness and a quality environment can surely be counted as responsibilities within a societal contract ( Nicholas Bunnin and E. P. Tsui-James, 2003 ) . Resource usage can easy overshoot the earth’s regenerative capacity. Since environmentalism’s early yearss, people have worried that we will run out of things we depend on, such as oil, fresh H2O, and minerals ( Ehrlich, 1975 ) . All natural resources are present infinite measures, and this includes the renewable ( organic ) every bit good as non-renewable. The difference is that while the non-renewable resources are finite in an absolute sense, the measure of organic resources is finite comparative to the population dependant upon it ( Antonsen, 1974, p. 180 ) .Energy.Energy became a universe issue and since future development. The chances of the supply and monetary value of natural energy particularly oil ignite the mentality for other types of primary energy every bit good in hereafter. Harmonizing to recent surveies, it is estimated yet proven universe militias of rough oil Ate sufficient to fulfill world’s demand to around twelvemonth 2020. In the other manus, natural gas besides had a great demand and became every bit of import as oil. The future monetary value of uranium supplies depends on the development of atomic power in general ( Ray, 1986, p. 56 ) . Food.Hunger is a deterioration job. Every state tries to cut down hungriness and poorness of their people therefore taking towards economic system prosperity. Shepherd ( 2012, p. 197 ) arose on the issue lies with the institutional agreements that dictate who gets what. As we are all concerned, nutrient is a trade good that is produced and sold for net income. Notwithstanding smallholder husbandmans, the huge bulk of planetary nutrient trade is controlled by corporations ( 3rd party ) whose primary aim is the coevals of net income.

Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday Essay Example for Free

Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday Essay Bill Crow’s Jazz Anecdotes is a thought-provoking, often amusing collection of stories from within jazz’s inner circles, told by and about some of the genre’s leading figures. While not a history of jazz, it gives readers some insights to how jazz artists worked, lived, bonded, and coped with an America in which many were still outsiders. The book’s forty-three chapters (expanded from the original 1990 edition) describe the life jazz musicians shared, offering insights into a rather exclusive, unconventional circle of performing artists. The numerous anecdotes are categorized by chapters, gathering related tales and moving from a general overview of jazz life to anecdotes about individuals, like Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and Benny Goodman. Essentially, Crow creates a context in which jazz musicians lived, and then places individual musicians within it, giving readers a better understanding of how they functioned in this rarified climate. For example, the volume opens with â€Å"Wild Scenes,† which Crow says describes how â€Å"the individuality of jazz musicians combines with the capricious world in which they try to make a living† (Crow 3). The brief chapter sets the stage for the rest of the book, giving glimpses of the unconventional world jazz musicians inhabited (which explains to some degree their relationship to society at large). â€Å"The Word ‘Jazz’† contains attempts to explain the origins of the genre’s name, and â€Å"Inventions† offers accounts of how certain innovations occurred (such as Dizzy Gillespie’s distinctive bent trumpet), giving the reader a sense of history though the work is not an orthodox history per se. Many of the stories contained in Jazz Anecdotes convey the musicians’ camaraderie and warmth toward each other, as well as each other’s idiosyncrasies. Others convey how difficult and often arbitrary the jazz lifestyle often was. â€Å"Hiring and Firing† demonstrates how unstable many musicians’ careers were, rife with disputes over money or dismissals for their personal quirks. (For example, Count Basie fired Lester Young for refusing to participate in recording sessions occurring on the 13th of any month. ) â€Å"Managers, Agents, and Bosses† offers a glimpse into the seamier underside of jazz, where dishonest managers and mobsters often trapped jazz performers in unfair contracts or worse. Though jazz musicians appear to inhabit a special world, Crow does not discuss jazz in a social vacuum, tying it to social phenomena like race relations. In â€Å"Prejudice,† the tales take a more serious tone by showing how black jazz artists faced abundant racism, particularly in the South. However, Crow notes that â€Å"Jazz helped to start the erosion of racial prejudice in America . . . [because] it drew whites and blacks together into a common experience† (Crow 148). Jazz artists dealt with racism in various ways – Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday stood up to it while Zutty Singleton accepted it. Meanwhile, even white musicians like Stan Smith angered both races – whites for performing with blacks, and blacks for â€Å"intruding on their music† (Crow 152). The final chapters focus on individual artists, illustrating the greats’ personalities. Louis Armstrong emerges as earthy and good-hearted; Bessie Smith as strong and willful but ultimately self-destructive; Fats Waller is an impish pleasure-seeker given to excellent music but poor business decisions; and Benny Goodman as gifted but tight-fisted and controlling. Taken as a whole, Jazz Anecdotes offers a look at jazz’s human side, including its foibles, genius, camaraderie, crookedness, and connection to an American society from which it sometimes stood apart. Its legendary figures are depicted as gifted, devoted artists who enjoyed hedonism, companionship, and particularly independence. If any single thing stands out in this book, it is the latter; for the figures in this work, jazz meant creativity and freedom, which they pursued with equal vigor and vitality. Crow, Bill. Jazz Anecdotes. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. (2016, Aug 28).

Lagaan Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lagaan - Movie Review Example Instead the villagers were told to deposit their lagaan as soon as possible. In a mocking mood, Captain Russell (played by Paul Blackthorne) threw a challenge to the farmers, that if they can defeat the British soldier's team in the game of cricket, they won't have to pay any lagaan. Bhuwan, the leading character played by the producer actor, Amir Khan, accepted the challenge. Initially, most of the villagers laughed at Bhuwan for accepting such a challenge, but gradually they saw in him a ray of hope and started preparing for a game - called 'cricket'. The film is interspersed with some musical dance sequences, the trademark of Indian movies in particular. Gauri, played by Gracy Singh is the female lead in the film. She is in love with Bhuwan, and keeps encouraging him during the preparation for the game of cricket. But, Elizabeth Russell, the better half of Captain Russell somehow develops a soft corner for the villagers and their issues and in the process finds herself attracted towards Bhuwan, which is of course not liked by Gauri. But, the storyline of the film is so strongly built around the main subject, that nowhere does it appear to leave the main course. Therefore such anecdotes only provide some refreshing changes while highlighting the humane side of the story. Captain Russell gets an earful from his bosses, for having allowed the villagers an esca

The maypole Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The maypole - Essay Example To prove this statement I need do analyze The Maypole of Mary Mount by comparing contrary sides - early Americans of Marry Mount and the Puritans. Also, I have to mention, it is very important to pay attention to the author’s attitude to the â€Å"contenders† and to his feeling of close tragic during the story. Before I start the comparison, I have to tell briefly what this story is about. The main topic of the story is the confrontation between early Americans and newly coming Puritans, old and new values, old and new colonists. Nathaniel Hawthorne mentioned in the beginning very important statement that â€Å"jollity and gloom were contending for an empire [883]†. It was quarrel that has determined the â€Å"future complexion of New England [888]†. And the rate was high: â€Å"should the grizzly saints establish their jurisdiction over the gay sinners, then would their spirits darken all the clime†¦But should the banner staff of Merry Mount be fort unate, sunshine would break upon the hills, and flowers would beautify the forest [888]†. It is very interesting that author avoided describing the process of seizure power by Puritans. It is not interesting for him. In contrary, the place, time, circumstances, emotions, atmosphere of these shifts - do matter. There are two main heroes in this story: â€Å"Puritan of the Puritans† John Endicott and Edgar with Edith - the newly married couple. These heroes present the contend sides: Puritans and early Americans. To emphasize the significance of the Puritan coming author created the atmosphere that something important was just about to happen. The tragedy of situation was underlined in the beginning of the story: â€Å"midsummer eve had come, bringing deep verdure to the forest, and roses in her lap, of a more vivid hue than the tender buds of Spring†¦never had the Maypole been so gayly decked as at sunset on midsummer eve† [883]. In other part of the story th ere is very intriguing moment: â€Å"with the setting sun, the last day of mirth had passed from Merry Mount [888]†. Also I can remember the dialogue between Edith and Edgar, when Edgar was disturbed by the sadness of Edith during their wedding day: ``Edith, sweet Lady of the May, is yon wreath of roses a garland to hang above our graves, that you look so sad? O, Edith, this is our golden time! [885]†. In other words, if you want to say that something really bad had happen you have to say how good it was before. And such literature trick indeed created the feeling that the big changes yet to come, the end is near. Indeed, early American days at Merry Mount in May were bright and the people of Merry Mount â€Å"who reared it, should their banner be triumphant, were to pour sunshine over New England's rugged hills, and scatter flower seeds throughout the soil [883]†. Author called them â€Å"the crew of Comus† because of their life style. Comus was the Ancie nt Greek  god  of festivity and revels. Jollity was the main characteristic of early Americans from Merry Mount. Although, it is important to understand, Nathaniel Hawthorne didn’t idealize them. Instead, he made some contempt jokes of them. In description of the Merry Mount people he argued that â€Å"here might be seen the Savage Man, well known in heraldry, hairy as a baboon, and girdled with green leaves†¦ Some youths and maidens were of soberer garb, yet well maintained their places in the irregular throng by the expression of wild revelry upon their features. Such were the colonists

Competitive Strategies. Chaos Camera Company Competitive Advantages Assignment

Competitive Strategies. Chaos Camera Company Competitive Advantages - Assignment Example The analysis is made on all these accounts and keenly canvasses the company on the competitive advantage it gains over other companies in the industry and the strategies that the company undertakes to sustain this advantage. Competitive advantage being key to any business’ success is therefore a crucial aspect of a company and is well elaborated throughout the course of the paper. An analysis of the strategic approach that the company made to compete successfully in four geographic regions is also made. We also examine the ways that the company could improve the important value chain activities it has. An elaborate break down is made of the company’s corporate social responsibilities it has running and justifications made on why the company is running them. The style of making decisions that the company used is also explained in the paper as well as the decisions that supported the team’s strategy execution efforts. The team mandated with the task of running the company did a tremendous job through cooperation and hard work and these elements of the team are outlined throughout the whole paper. Competitive Strategies In order to find a footing in the fiercely competitive digital camera market, our company had to undertake a series of strategies that helped us be competitive. First and foremost, we had to attract customers with the best possible product at a competitive price. Therefore, we made a high quality product and offered it at a price that gave value for money. The company had to set a price that was reasonable to most customers and at the same time offer a product that was of higher value than what our competitors offered at the same price. Capitalization on attractive growth opportunities also gave our company the edge over other companies in the market. The business incessantly looked for growth opportunities in the market to exploit and make a killing. This helped the company increase its revenue streams as well as better positi on the business in the marketplace. It is imperative for any business to find ways of lowering their costs. Through this a business is able to make profits out of its business and our company subscribed to this school of thought. The company constantly looked for ways to reduce the operational costs by better managing the functional pieces of the business. The business that better manages its operations to lower its costs and eventually makes a higher profit, holds a competitive advantage over its rivals. (Mooij, (2009) This was one of our company’s fundamental objectives since it helped us gain a competitive advantage over our competitors. Performance targets are a guide as to the amount of revenue or profits that the business should earn over a given period of time. These targets are crucial since they guide the company on how much to strive for but the targets should not deviate and contradict with the quality of the product. The company always ascertained that performance targets and product quality were directly related therefore ensuring that product quality was not severed in the process of achieving high performance targets. Sustainable Competitive Advantage Gaining a competitive advantage over our rivals was crucial but sustaining that competitive advantage was even of more essence. Our team looked into various ways of sustaining our competitive advantage; firstly improving our product design was of fundamental importance to any success that we would have. Therefore, we focused on producing an unbeatable