Athanasius Biography Essay

Athanasius is counted as one of the four great doctors of the church in the Roman Catholic church as well as one of the great doctors of the church in Eastern Orthodoxy where he is also labeled the Father of Orthodoxy. He is also celebrated by many Protestant who label him as Father of the Canon, Athanasius is venerated as Christian saint whose feast day is May 2 in western community. May 5 is the Coptic orthodox church and January 18 is the other Eastern orthodox churches.St. Athanasius was born in the city of Alexandria or possibly the nearby Nile delta town of Damanhur, California 296-298. It is speculated that his parents were wealthy enough to afford giving him an esteemed secular learning. He came from a Christian family despite accounts to the contrary as in his writings, he tells more than once of an aunt. who taught him some principles of the Christian faith, and a father who did the same as well as mentioning (once), his mother doing the same. He has a Christian brother and later in his life is one of his exiles, he hid in his father’s tomb in what appears to be describe as a Christian cemetery.He knew Greeks and he admits to not knowing Hebrew. The old testament he quotes frequently came from the Septuagint Greek translation his knowledge of the old testament is limited to the Septuagint. He was able to write a letter in exile with no access to a copy of the scriptures and quote from a memory verse in the old testament. The combination of scriptural study and a Greek learning was characteristic of the famous Alexandrian school of element, origin Dionysius and Theognostus. It was from St. Alexander of Alexandria.Bishop of Alexandria 312-328 himself an Origenist that St. Athanasius received his main instruction. His earliest work against heathens – on the Incarnation, bears traces of origenist, Alexandrian thought but in an orthodox way. The Alexandria of his boyhood was an epitome, intellectually, morally and politically of the ethnically diverse Greco Roman World. St. Athanasius seems to have been brought early in life under the immediate supervision of the ecclesiastical authorities of his native city.He was ordained deacon by the contemporary patriarch Alexandria. In 319-325, he served as a Alexander’s secretary at the first council of Nicaea, already recognized theologian and ascetic. He was the devious choice to replace alexander as the Patriarch of Alexandria on the latter’s dealth in 328. Despite the opposition of the followers of the Arius and Meletius of Lycopolis. Athanasius spent the first five years of his patriarchate visiting the churches of his territory which at that time included all of Egypt and Libya. During this period he established contacts with the hermits and monks of the dessert including Pachomius. Athanasius became occupied with the disputes with Byzantine Empire and Arians which occupy much of his life. Athanasius first problem lay with the meletians who had failed to abide by the terms of the decision made at the first council of Nicaea which had hoped to reunite them with the church. Athanasius himself was accused of mistreating Arians and the followers of Meletius of Lycopolis. On the death of Emperor Constantine I, Athanasius was allowed to return to his see of Alexandria shortly after Constantine son. The new Roman Emperor Constantius II renewed the order for Athanasius banishment in 338. Athanasius went to Rome where he was under the protection of constans, the Emperor of the West. Pope Julius wrote the supporters of Arius strongly urging the rein-statement of Athanasius but the effort proved to be in vain.He called a synod in Rome in the year 341 to address the matter and at that meeting, Athanasius found to be innocent of all the charges raised against him. Julius also called the council of sardica in 343. This council confirmed the decision of the earlier Roman synod and clearly indicated that the participants saw St. Athanasius as the lawful patriarch of Alexandria.Athanasius to return to Alexandria, Athanasius return was welcomed by majority of the people of Egypt who had come to view him as a National Hero. During the time Athanasius assembled several documents relating to his exiles and returns from Exile in the Apology against the Arians, however upon constans dealth a civil was broke which left constantius as sole Emperor, renewing his previous policies favoring the Arians that banished Athanasius from Alexandria again. Athanasius left for upper Egypt, where he stayed in several monasteries and other houses. He computed his work Four Orations against the Arians and depended his recent conduct in the apology to Constantius and Apology for his flight. Athanasius received about the persecution of Non Arians by the New Arians, Bishop George of Laodicea prompted Athanasius to write his more Emotional History of the Arians in which he describe Constantius as precursor of the anti-Christ. Athanasius work include his two part against the Heathen. The Incarnation of the word of God. They contribute the first classic work of developed orthodox Theology. In the first part, Athanasius attacks several pagan practices and beliefs. The second part presents teaching on the redemption, Also in these books put forward the belief that the Son of God, the eternal word through whom God created the world entered that world in human form to lead men back into the harmony from which they had earlier fall men. His other important works include his letters to Serapion which dealth with the divinity of the Holy Spirit and his classic life of Saint Anthony which was translated into several languages and played an important role in the spreading of the ascetic ideal in Eastern and Western Christianity. He also wrote several works of Biblical Exegesis primarily of volumes in the old testament which are preserved in excerpts regarding the Book of Genesis, The Song of Solomon and Psalms. His works as ascetic include the aforementioned life of Saint Anthony as well as a discourse on virginity, a short work on love and self –control and a treatise on sickness and health which is only preserved in fragments. Athanasius letters include one letter concerning the decrees of the council of Nicaea (De Decretis) which is an account of the preceding’s of that council and another letter in year 367 which was the first known listings of the New Testament. Athanaius anticipates future controversies in defense of the humanity of Christ. Athanasius was not a speculative Theologian as he stated in his first letters to Serapion he held unto the tradition teaching and faith proclaimed by the apostles and guarded by the Father’s. He held that not only was the Son of God consubstantial with the father but so was the Holy Spirit which had a great deal of influenced in the development of latter doctrines regarding the trinity Veneration. Arian Controversy In about 319 when Athanasius was a deacon a presbyter named Arius came into direct conflict with Alexander of Alexandria. It appears that Arius reproached Alexander for what he felt misguided or heretical teachings being taught by the bishop. Arius Theological views appear to have been firmly rooted in Alexandrian Christianity and his Christological views were certainly not radical at all. He embraced a sub ordinationist Christology that God did not have a beginning but the logos did heavily influenced by Alexandrian thinkers like origen which was a common Christological view in Alexandria at that time. Support for Arius from powerful bishops like Elisebios of Caesaria and Eusebio’s of Nicomedia, further illustrates how Arius sub ordinationist Christology was shared by other Christians in the Empire. Arius was subsequent by excommunicated by alexander and he would begin to visit the support of many bishops who agreed with his position. Athanasius succeeded Alexander as bishop of Alexandria as a result rises and falls of Arianism ‘s influence after the first council of nicae, emperor Constantine banished from alexandrea, but he was restored after the death of Constantine I. Athanasius was restored on at least five separate occasions, perhaps as many as seven, this gave rise to the expression Athanasius contramundun or Athanasius against the world. he spent his final years repairing all the damage done during the earlier years of violence, dissent and exile and returning to his writing and preaching undisturbed on May 373 having consecrated peter II . one of his presbyters as his successor . Athanasius died quietly in his home. Quotes from St. Athanasius He said: â€Å"Jesus that I know as my redeemer cannot be less than God. at the council of nicae Both from the confession of the evil spirits and from the daily witnesses of his works. It is manifest them and let none presume to doubt it that its savior has raised his own body and that he is very Son of God having his being God as from a Father, whose word and wisdom and whose power He is. He it is who in these latter days assumed a body for the salvation of us all. and thought the world concerning the Father, He it is who destroyed death and freely graced us all with incorruption through the promise of the resurrection, having raised His own body as its first fruits and displayed it by the sign of the cross as the monument to his victory over death and its corruption. New Testament canon St. Athanasius is also the first person to identify the same 27 books of the new testament that are in use today , up until then various similar list of works to be read in churches were in use A canon of New testament book is his Easter letter from Alexandria written in 367 usually referred to as his 39th Festal letter, A Synod in hippo in 393 repeated Athanasius and Damascus New testament list( without the Epistles to the Hebrews and a synod in cartage in 397 repeated Athanasius and Damascus complete new testament list.

Banana Sap As Natural Ink Essay

Banana (Musa Ãâ€" Paradisiaca) is a very common plant in Malaysia and in the Philippines. Often the banana trunk is thrown away after harvesting the fruit. The waste material is biodegradable. Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the Genus Musa, and is also the name given to the fruit of these plants. It is a native plant found in the tropical region of Southeast Asia, the Malay Archipelago, and Australia. Today, it is cultivated throughout the Tropics. The banana was mentioned for the first time in written history in Buddhist texts in 600 BC. The stalk is the stem of the banana plant. The banana stalk produces one huge flower cluster and then dies. The stalk is usually cut off the plant when the bananas are plump and ready to ripen. Before it dies, there are a number of things the banana stalk can be used for. The use of banana sap, as a medium for artwork has never been explored in Malaysia. Banana sap is used in other countries such as Indonesia as textile dying and Latin America as Medicinal uses. Banana sap from some parts of the tree contains pigment and dyes, thus not aware of this potential medium is a waste. This material is biodegradable and this research is conducted to test the potential of banana sap as a pigment and dye to be used as an alternative natural ink. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The researchers wish to extend their most sincere appreciation to the following people who helped make this research. They are the people who helped and contributed for the success of this endeavor. To God, for his gift of wisdom and understanding, and for answering our prayers in their times of need. To their Science teacher, Ms. Avrylle Corpuz for teaching the researchers the fundamental of research and investigatory writing and for showing a great deal of patience though at times the researchers tends to be naughty and wild. To their parents and family members, for the unending love and support that they gave. To the observer/respondents, for their integrity and cooperation. And lastly, to all those who were a part of this work, they thanked themselves for being cooperative and hardworking throughout the investigatory project. INTRODUCTION Background of the Study A banana is an edible fruit produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants of the genus Musa. (In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called plantains.) The fruit is variable in size, color and firmness, but is usually elongated and curved, with soft flesh rich in starch covered with a rind which may be green, yellow, red, purple, or brown when ripe. The fruits grow in clusters hanging from the top of the plant. Along with this edible fruit is saps: extremely sticky and can be used as a practical adhesive. Sap can be obtained from either the pseudostem, the fruit peelings, or from the flesh. Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink nowadays, are used by many people around the world. Nowadays, ink is getting much more expensive. An average of 22$ (880pesos) per quarter ounce. Ink is mostly made out of comprising solvents, pigments, dyes, resins, lubricants, solubilizers, surfactants,  particulate matter, and fluorescers. Thus the experiment is all about recycling banana saps and making ink more affordable. There have been many experiments ahead of this. Others have tried using berries beet juice, orange, and many other more. But, these fruits that are used, needs the juice, skin, and the likes. The researchers chose banana because they are using not the fruit itself but the saps. Also, most fruits that are used for the making of the ink. The researchers think that this will help them attain a better quality of life because it will cut down the prices of ink. All these set aside the question on everyone’s mind is: Will this natural ink be as effective as the ink people are using today? Statement of the Problem This study determines the effect and practicality of banana sap in making a natural ink. The banana stalk, where the researchers got the banana sap, was biodegradable. It specifically seeks to answer the following question: 1. Will the product really work as an alternative natural ink? 2. Is the natural ink from the banana sap better than the commercial inks? 3. Does the natural ink from the banana sap require a preservative? Significance of the Study Nature can provide for everyday needs such as writing ink. Traditional ink sources include flower petals and tree bark, and though fruit sources are less traditional, they also make for useful ink. Berries and cherries, with their high juice content, are ideal for ink making. Unlike other juicy fruits such as watermelons, citrus fruits or peaches, berry and cherry juice are dark enough to show on writing paper. On this study, the researchers chose a banana sap as an alternative natural ink so that they will be able to know and discover other natural alternative inks aside from berries, which is commonly used. Scope and Limitation The study of comparing banana sap as a natural ink to a commercial ink is limited only on the use of banana sap, dye and commercial ink. For the  study, the researchers just emptied the unused pens or pens that won’t function well. The researchers were also careful in doing this because ink might be harmful if swallowed and it may irritate the eyes. The group will only use banana sap with powdered dye (diluted with water) and an empty invisible pen to perform the study. The researchers will not use any other substance or chemicals as enhancer to the natural ink. REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE Musa Ãâ€" Paradisiaca and Its Pseudostems Bananas (Musa Ãâ€" Paradisiaca) are native to tropical Southeast Asia, but have long been cultivated in many countries from Asia to Europe for its fruit and to a lesser extent for its fiber. Banana is commonly mistaken as a tree but it is actually a large perennial flowering herb with leaf sheaths that form trunk-like pseudostems that grows from a corm. Banana can grow up to 7 meters in height that has about 8 – 12 spirally arranged leaves that are up to 2.7 meters long and 0.6 meter wide. Banana sap is among the most sticky and stubborn substances on earth. You will never get it off your clothes, some people say. Banana sap is extremely sticky and can be used as a practical adhesive. Sap can be obtained from the pseudostem, from the fruit peelings, or from the fruit flesh. Banana Sap as Dye for Fabrics Banana sap is used as a medium to dye fabrics in Indonesia and Philippines. The color of banana sap is brownish and it’s substance on the fabrics well. Dried banana peel contains 30 to 40% tannin content; it’s used to blacken leather. The ash from the dried peel of bananas and plantains is rich in potash and used for making soap. While that of the burned peel of unripe fruits of certain varieties is used for dyeing. In the Philippines, the Pinatubo Negritos cut off a banana plant close to the ground, make a hollow in the top of the stump, which then fills with watery sap is drank as an emergency thirst quencher. Central Americans obtain the sap of the red banana in the same manner and take it as an aphrodisiac. Making Berry Inks (Huckleberry, Raspberry, Blackberry and Pokeberry) Ink  making is a wonderful way to use up some of the berries that you can forage for outdoors or grow in your garden. With a berry ink, you can do wonderful water washes, use a dip pen and write great letters, or use it for various drawings and sketches. You can also use your ink for spiritual journaling or magical work. Having an ink you’ve made yourself allows you to be creative while making use of sustainable materials that are locally harvestable. Berries should be ripe (never under-ripe) or slightly over-ripe. Berries that have a nice dark stain when you cut it open are effective. Berry inks are going to be a little more watery and lighter than a traditional synthetic or processed ink. Banana Sap in Medicine All parts of the banana plant have medicinal applications because banana sap has the properties of antifungal and antibiotic. Found in the peel and pulp of fully ripe bananas, the antibiotic acts against Mycobacteria .The inside of the peel has anti-septic properties as it can be wrapped directly around wounds or cuts in an emergency. The flowers of banana can be used for treatment in bronchitis and dysentery and on ulcers; cooked flowers are given to diabetics; the astringent plant sap in cases of hysteria, epilepsy, leprosy, fevers, hemorrhages and acute dysentery, however it is also applied on hemorrhoids insect and other stings and bites; young leaves are placed as poultices on burns and other skin afflictions; the astringent ashes of the unripe peel and leaves are taken in dysentery and diarrhea and used for treating malignant ulcers. The roots are administered in digestive dysentery and other ailments; banana seed mucilage is given in cases of catarrh and diarrhea in India. Banana sap is also used to reduce high blood pressure; serotonin inhibits gastric secretion and stimulates the smooth muscle of the intestines. Alleged hallucinogenic effects of the smoke of burning banana peel have been investigated scientifically and have not been confirmed. Charcoal Briquettes from Banana Peels These days there is increased pressure on forests as people cut trees for firewood and other purposes in the last 30 years, for example, Uganda has lost half of her forest cover. Local people are being encouraged to adopt energy saving technologies that put less pressure on natural resources. One  example is the use of banana peelings, commonly referred to as banachakol (banana charcoal), to A woman from a group of community workers known as Bakyala Tweyune (â€Å"Women in self-help†), responsible to make the banachakol, and the production process for the briquettes. The technology that will save many trees is started in Lungujja near Kampala, where a woman named Namusoke Immaculate, the founder of Bakyala Tweyune women’s group, has innovated a new method of alternative fuel by turning banana peelings into charcoal briquettes. They just used one-half basin full of fresh banana peelings, a quarter basin of charcoal dust, and a quarter basin of fine sand. They chop the fresh banana peelings into small pieces. Once the banana peelings are chopped, and then mix the three ingredients together – the banana peelings, the charcoal dust and the sand. The demand of the banana briquettes will make people sort banana peelings from garbage in areas where they are thrown. Conceptual Framework This study primarily focused on the banana sap as an effective natural ink and to be able to compare the natural ink from commercial ink. The dependent variable is the banana sap while the independent variable is the powdered dye (diluted with water). In this study, the dependent variable is the banana sap (extract) because the researchers extracted it with their materials. The independent variable is the powdered dye because it is pre-manufactured. Hypothesis Banana sap is extremely sticky and it stains your clothes hideously and immediately. The natural ink from the banana sap will be effective but it will be a little more watery than a processed (commercial) ink and it won’t last long. The product is also natural so it will be removed easily. Definition of Terms Musa Ãâ€" paradisiaca – Banana; It is the common name for a fruit and also the herbaceous plants of the genus Musa which produce the commonly eaten fruit Pseudostem- It is a false stem made of the rolled bases of leaves. Mycobacteria- It is a bacterium of a group which includes the causative agents of leprosy and tuberculosis. Banachakol- It is a banana charcoal. Banana Sap- It is among the most sticky and stubborn substances on earth. You will never get it off your clothes. Tannin- It is a yellowish or brownish bitter-tasting organic substance present in some galls, barks, and other plant tissues, consisting of derivatives of gallic acid. Commercial Ink- Ink that has been used by people these days. Cloth Thread- It is a kind of thin yarn, thin fibers spun together, for textiles and sewing. Musa- It is one of three genera in the family Musaceae; it includes bananas and plantains. Ink- It is a colored fluid or paste used for writing, drawing, printing, or duplicating. Invisible pen- It features invisible ink that can only be revealed using the UV black light in the cap. Rinsable- Capable of being rinsed. METHODOLOGY Materials The materials that were used in this study were the banana sap from the banana stalk, container, cloth thread, a casserole, wooden stick that will be used for pounding, powdered dye, water and an empty invisible pen. Collection A medium sized banana stalk was collected from one of the researcher’s backyard. The empty invisible pen was collected from one of the researchers’ house. The container, cloth thread, casserole and the wooden stick were collected from one of the researchers’ kitchen. Procedure A. Measurement of the Materials Needed Four (4) table spoons of powdered dye (diluted with water), one (1) invisible pen, and the extract of a medium sized banana stalk. B. Preparation of the set-up Four (4) set ups were prepared; set-up one (1) was made up of the preparation and production for the banana sap, set-up (2) was made up for the preparation of the powdered dye, set-up three (3) was made up of the preparation of the empty invisible pen and set-up four (4) was made up of the mixture of the banana sap and the diluted powdered dye. C. Preparation of the Mixture The banana sap and the diluted powdered dye were mixed in container, boiled and put inside the invisible pen. D. Disposal The non- biodegradable and biodegradable materials that were used were segregated. Methodology Flow Chart Preparation of the Materials Needed Getting the Banana Sap (extract) from the Banana Stalk Preparation of the Dye (Diluted with Water) Mixture of the Banana Sap and Dye Observation of the Finished Product Disposal of Used Materials Evaluation and Comparison from a Commercial Ink The table shows the inks’ effect when used to write on paper. For the natural ink, the researchers chose a black dye (diluted with water) then, mixed with the banana sap extract. From the researchers’ observations and comparisons, the natural ink is more pale in color compared to the commercial ink. From the data above, it clearly states the effectiveness of the natural ink. The researchers chose the banana sap as a mixture with the dye because the its extract is sticky and it stains clothing. Lastly, there are no significant effect to the skin of the researchers who mixed and the banana sap and dye which may be interpreted as allergy or irritation. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusions Based from the results gathered in the experiments, the researchers conclude that using Banana sap (Musa Ãâ€" Paradisiaca), in the form of a decoction, is an effective alternative natural ink. Banana saps are free and the other materials needed in making the decoction can be easily found in any household. Furthermore, the researchers conclude that the banana sap is environment friendly because it is organic and safe to use for humans because there are no side effects in using it aside from the stickiness of it and it might stain their clothing. Compared to the commercial ink, the natural ink is a little watery and it’s easier to wash off your hands. Recommendations Based from the drawn conclusions, the researchers further recommend the following: a. Conduct more experiment using varied conditions and method of preparation. b. Use different sub-specie of banana tree. c. Use applications on different types of paper as ink. d. Use or add other sticky substances. e. Conduct an experiment on a longer span of time. Bibliography Mimosa Pudica and Its Pseudostems Landmeier, P., Plants of Eastern Guatemala, December 16, 2012 www.medicalhealthguide.com, What Is Banana, 2011 Banana Sap as Dye for Fabric Ahmad, H., ALTERNATIVE MEDIUM FOR ARTWORKS, October 2007 Making Berry Inks Willowcrow, Making Berry Inks (Huckleberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, Pokeberry, Etc.), August 29, 2012

Political science Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Political science - Assignment Example Normally, the cycle is considered complete when feedback is given from decision maker. National security assistant behavior should involve strong team ethics, excellent people skills, reasonable level of fitness and sound judgment in all situations. Since matters of security are crucial a national security assistant should always be non partisan. Bureaucratic politic model deals with advocates for proper accountability; it strengthens participation and also ensures reasoned decision making by giving guidelines to be taken .This model promotes growth in the government as it enhances participation in policy formulations (Waterman,2004). The war resolution power of 1973 is a federal law which was formed for the intention of checking the president’s power to commit United States to an armed conflict without congress consent. The resolution was passed by two-thirds of the congress, further it requires president to notify the congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military actions. However, it forbids armed forces from staying there for more than 60 days with a further 30 days withdrawal period. In the past it has been alleged that the War powers resolution has been violated for instance President Clinton in 1999, on the bombing campaign n Kosovo. Isolationism is the coherent and complete grand strategy, it involves economic isolation, military and diplomatic non-intervention and cultural seclusion. In the past, isolation ideas have greatly influenced American foreign policy, most notably in the late 1930s and with disastrous consequences. According to George Herring, isolationism did not become fixed in the American political lexicon way until twentieth century. Realism just like other social sciences has analysis and prescription. It involves n efforts to explain both behavior of individual states and the characteristic of international system as whole. Realism ontological

Growth Hormone in Psychological Processes Research Paper - 6

Growth Hormone in Psychological Processes - Research Paper Example Excessive production of growth hormone gets caused by the growth of a benign tumor in the somatotroph cells. This condition gets referred to an adenoma. A tumor of the islets of Langerhans or the lung which produce Growth hormone-releasing hormone can also stimulate excessive production of growth hormone. The growth hormone interacts with insulin through the IGF axis. The liver secretes insulin like growth factor 1- IGF-1, in response to secretion of the growth hormone (Juul & Jens, 2000). The IGF axis interaction is vital in the inhibition of cell death and promoting cell proliferation. IGF-1 is necessary for achieving maximal growth. Gigantism can get more complicated to treat than dwarfism. This is so because some forms of dwarfism get caused by insufficient production of growth hormone. These forms of dwarfism can become rectified by providing the patient with growth hormone (Artwelle & Vislon, 2008). Gigantism, however, results from the overproduction of growth hormone. This can become hard to correct as it is more difficult to place the excess growth hormone in the required normal range. The metabolic rates in a giant also become hyper abnormal, this contributes to a less life expectancy for giants. The pituitary gland gets located in the brain. It is divided into the anterior and posterior lobe. The pituitary gland secretes prolactin hormone, which stimulates the production of breast milk and the control of menstrual periods (Ho, 2011). Prolactin activates the mammary glands to generate milk. During pregnancy, prolactin concentrations rise causing enlargement of the mammary glands. Also produced in the pituitary gland is the hormone vasopressin. Vasopressin also gets referred to as anti-diuretic hormone. This hormone encourages water retention by the kidneys. This hormone works in the kidney’s collecting ducts to stimulate reabsorption of water by the body.

Grammar and Syntax Resource Guide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Grammar and Syntax Resource Guide - Essay Example It will also describe the emphasis offered by each site regarding grammar and illustrate how the lesson ideas would be incorporated in my own teaching. ESL Flow http://www.eslflow.com/grammarlessonplans.html/ This site gives the learner random English words and asks them to construct sentences using each word at least once. After creating a minimum of five sentences, the learner is then asked to pick words from the sentences and categorize them into provided columns with different headings. The headings are labeled verbs, nouns, adverbs and adverbs. It also offers effective memorizing tips. Brain Pop http://www.brainpop.com/english/grammar/capitalization/preview.weml/ This website lays emphasis on the rules of capitalization. They format their lessons on a game show that explain how common nouns differ from proper nouns. They also explain whether or not and why pronouns should be capitalized. They use examples of days and months of the calendar to show what should be capitalized. Fur ther examples include peoples’ names, movie and book titles. At the end of the exercise the learners know that every first word of a sentence should be capitalized, including major words in titles of books. Learners also get to know that proper nouns, which include places, specific objects and people, are always capitalized. Fun Easy English http://funeasyenglish.com/new-american-english-grammar-topic-parts-of-speech.htm/ This site begins by introducing the eight parts of speech in the English language in a video clip. It then defines them (noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, conjunction and interjection) and explains how they are used in construction of sentences. It summarizes by demonstrating how to punctuate sentences. At the end of the exercise, there is a test whereby sentences are given and the learner is asked to answer a question on them. One word is printed in bold and the learner needs to decide which part of speech it belongs to. It is challenging because multiple choices are provided, and the learner who did not pay attention may easily get confused. It also tests the learner’s listening ability by the video presentation at the beginning. Ms Hogue’s Online English Resource http://www.mshogue.com/beyond-another-brick-in-the-wall/ This website teaches learners an analytical approach to writings like essays, poems, narratives and music. Students are given either written or audio material. After going through them, they are required to write a summary within a specified number of words, reflecting their understanding of what they just read or heard. The exercise tests their reading and listening ability and knowledge of compressing sentences on top of their comprehension of the message delivered. Grammar Monster http://www.grammar-monster.com/ This website lays emphasis on punctuations and abbreviations. It gives instructions on the use of apostrophes, brackets, commas, full stops, question marks and many more. It also has a section on abbreviating words and use of punctuation marks to shorten words. However, it is not a recommended site for beginners because it takes an advanced knowledge of the language before one can embark on shortening words. In general, all the websites on teaching English language share the same concepts, with a slight difference depending on the target group that ranges from elementary to advanced and basic communication skills for temporary

Negotiation & cross cultural communication Essay

Negotiation & cross cultural communication - Essay Example It is noteworthy to mention that the company has successfully fulfilled all â€Å"minimum† requirements required by the State. Therefore, to hold the company legally wrong would not be practically possible. The company has a strong case since it has complied with the legal requirements. The question now arises as to the ‘ethical’ obligations of the company in a foreign land- a case that has historically been a complex one. The Chinese negotiator employs a mix of ‘win-win’ and ‘win-lose’ strategies (Fang, 2006). Ultimately, however, the choice of either strategy is dependent of the level of trust prevalent in the situation (Fang, 2006). Therefore, as mentioned earlier, the development of trust between the two parties by the company shall be a deciding factor. In this case, however, it is highly likely that the Chinese farmers shall deploy a competitive negotiation style (as opposed to a co-operative one) due to the presence of foreigners ( the British and Germans running Zhengcheng in this case) (Fang, 2006). High-ranking employees must, therefore, be sent to negotiate with the farmers as a sign of respect and regard to their concerns (Faure, 1998). The individuals dealing with the Chinese must demonstrate significant level of patience and power to take decisions. The negotiating team must include a lawyer who’s thoroughly abreast of Chinese law as well as international best practices. This individual shall also strengthen the link between the foreign party and the Chinese farmers. Furthermore, it would be fruitful to include the company’s Chinese counterparts during the discussion as these shall act to enhance the level of trust between the two parties. Given their native Chinese ‘sense’ they shall be able to understand and respond to the underlying Chinese tricks in a better manner compared to the Westerners (Fang, 2006). Considering the fact that the Chinese tend to have a low level of tr ust for foreign stakes in their land, it would also be useful to include government support for Zhengcheng’s operations during the negotiation process. Towards the end, it is highly desirable to demonstrate to the Chinese that similar contractual agreements have been formerly accepted by other Chinese parties (Fang, 2006). The Chinese are highly risk-averse individuals; hence, by doing so the company would majorly mitigate the risks faced by the Chinese farmers. However, this may not be possible given that it is a first-time situation in this case. The company lawyer, however, may be able to assist in this regard and demonstrate cases of other Western companies reaching similar agreements with the Chinese in the past. The communication process in this case is a complex one since it involves taking into account various cross-cultural dynamics between the parties. The major issue is the ethical concerns by residents of China regarding Zhengcheng Ltd.’s waste disposal mec hanisms that have contaminated the production of lychees. It is in the best interests of the company to deploy significant level of culture-specific communication strategies to deal with the concerns of the Chinese farmers. It is imperative that the Western party engages in pre-negotiation discourse with the Chinese farmer

Email Hacking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Email Hacking - Essay Example Accordingly, the more technically trained and informed people are in the position to not only subjugate the rights of others but also offend their rights. The technology-savvy people can easy use the Internet to hack into the computer systems so that they can steal money, infect others’ computers with viruses, and change information in their private profiles. Emails are frequently used for business transactions these days. People use email to share vital information with one another. Hacking of an email account can yield disastrous results for the account owner and not many people are quite technically skilled enough to recover their email accounts after they have been hacked. This paper discusses several ways in which email accounts can be hacked and the ethical and legal implications of hacking. If an individual is aware of the potential ways in which he/she can be fooled, he/she can take the preventive measures in time to overcome such threats and has fair chances of escapi ng the attack by the offender. Issues in Email Hacking Ethical issues According to the Hacker Manifesto, a hacker commits only one crime which is the crime of curiosity (Trodick, 2011). Levy (2010) identified sex tenets to exemplify the ethics of hacker; according to the first tenet, â€Å"access to computers - and anything which might teach you about the way the world works- should be unlimited and total† (Levy, 2010, p. 23) whereas according to the second tenet, â€Å"all information should be free† (Levy, 2010, p. 24). The hacker ethic is a belief that the sharing of information is a very positive and powerful good. It implies that hackers assume the ethical responsibility to share the expertise they have by enhancing the access to information, writing open-source, and computing all possible resources. There exists a belief that if system is cracked for the purposes of exploration or fun, it is ethically justified till the time the attacker does not commit any vanda lism, theft, or a breach of confidentiality. Every time an individual accesses a system in an unauthorized manner, he/she acts unethically. Ethics varies from one individual to another. Ethics cannot be completely defined by one individual so that a certain action can be deemed right or wrong. Nevertheless, in the democratic system that prevails in the society, every individual’s right to security of privacy and property is acknowledged. This privacy covers the information stored by people on their personal computers or the computers that they are authorized to use. â€Å"The Fourth Amendment explicitly affirms the 'right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures’† (Head, 2012). The Fourth Amendment is interpreted generally as an individual’s right to privacy, though such right cannot be stated explicitly. Nevertheless, every individual in the US says that he/she has a fundamental privacy right of their possessions, though hackers disagree with this. Legal Issues The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 illegalized the unauthorized access to computer or stealing of the information that is related to credit card or private government (teamidesign.com, n.d.). According to Section 3, gaining unauthorized access to the government computers is illegal. On the other hand, the hackers argue that as long as they do not take

Options for Implementing a Leadership Change Essay - 1

Options for Implementing a Leadership Change - Essay Example Change of leadership entails huge implications for an organization. For one, this change accompanies a new vision, to where the direction of an organization will be set for a period of time. This change in vision can entail major overhauls within the organization, which include changes in the organizational structure, leadership style of the new leader, processes, etc. Thus, a change in leadership will cause stress within the organization and implementation of this change has to be handled with a smooth transition. Stephen Robbins, in his book Organizational Behavior lists some of the more popular approaches to managing change. But of the three that he mentions, which include Lewin’s classic three-step model of change process, action research and organizational development, Lewin’s model of change is the one most pertinent to a change in leadership, which does not center only on a specific process to be improved or a certain problem that needs to be acted upon like the other two. The first step to managing a change within the organization is to unfreeze the prevailing norms within the company. In order to unfreeze these prevailing norms, or the status quo, overcoming resistance among individuals and conformity among groups is crucial. In Lewin’s model, the shift to a desired state can be done by one of the three: lowering the restraining forces to change; increasing the driving forces to get into the desired state; or both. The change in leadership entails a new vision. And in order to carry out this vision, there are specific steps the new leadership lays out which will be the cause of individual resistances within the corporation. The first alternative is to increase the driving forces. Driving forces usually come in the form of incentive, for employees to accept and comply to change. It may assume other forms, but driving forces

Strategic Managment for new busniess in state of Qatar is it really Essay

Strategic Managment for new busniess in state of Qatar is it really applied - Essay Example To find out how effective strategy implementation is taking place by the proper choice of strategies and tasks which are essentially concerned with effectively managing the resources, and those that are deployed in the limited part of the country within the context and guidance of the existing ones. The previous strategic management study was based on various areas like corporate finance, strategic planning, which is mainly concerned with world class industries and oil companies. The share trading was also a major part in dealing with the strategic choices and various market transactions taking place in the country. â€Å"The most efficient way of evaluating Qatar is to consider key dimensions which themselves are composites of multiple factors. Composite portfolio approaches have long been used by strategic planners. The biggest challenge in this approach is to choose the appropriate factors that are the most relevant to international planning. The two measures of greatest relevance are â€Å"latent demand† and â€Å"market accessibility.† (Executive Report on Strategies in Qatar: How to Strategically Evaluate Qatar, 2007). The main aim and the intention of strategic learning and management process is mainly to accomplish the strategic options and choices to make the markable changes and to primarily focus on the strategic point. The cross functional management makes the practical brilliance and specializations to make much greater contributions to the organizational process. (Mohamed Zain, 1985) The economic data obtainable from Qatar is the result of a choice of spatial econometric and timely forecasting models that are useful to forecast and distribute dormant demand diagonally to countries of the world and key distribution centers of prevailing authority within a country. This calls for proficiency in knowing the economic basics like the

Just War Theory Essay Example for Free

Just War Theory Essay The Just War theory consists of 6 rules, which have to be obeyed when fighting at war against another country. The six rules are that war must be a last resort, those who are attacked deserve it, promote good over evil, the right amount of force must be applied, civilian death have to be avoided and the war must be started and controlled by the government. Wars such as the one in Afghanistan, do not in many ways follow this theory. The war does not in any ways promote good over evil and civilian death are never avoided, as many innocent civilians are killed when getting caught in the middle of cross-fires etc. I will conduct a case study on the Iraq war, further on in this essay. If I was able to add one extra agreement to the Just War theory, I would add that violence should always be kept to a minimum. I think this because violence causes the world’s most deaths in society today. This, in my opinion, is completely wrong and unacceptable as people should be able to live in a safe and free society, but this is never possible as you always have to be watching around you, as with some cases, you don’t know actually who to trust. To conduct a case study on the Iraq war, you would need to study the background history leading up to the start of the war in 2002-2003. Tony Blair (ex-prime minister) believed that Iraq were making nuclear weapons to lock themselves in a nuclear arms race, which could have potentially caused devastating consequences for the region and the wider world in general. This accusation caused the British and US forces to move in and declare a war with Iraq. British government believed that Iraq should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, and this is why Blair confronted Saddam Hussain (Iraq leader) to try to find out facts, and this ended in Blair declaring war with Iraq. Several years on now, in 2010, we now have a clear understanding that there was never any nuclear weapons out in Iraq, and in my opinion, we are fighting a war which was never ours and we are losing people in our country and society which lives should have never been lost in the first place. Shouldn’t we be only at war to help benefit our country? This is why some people send accusations and believe that Tony Blair is the one to blame for our British soldiers losing their lives out in Iraq. When you come down to think about it, the Just War theory comes into effect at only one point in the Iraq war. ‘War is started and controlled by the government’ comes into effect as the British government started the war and are still controlling it, 8 years after war was declared. The point that was never followed was ‘those who are attacked deserve it’. I believe this because in my opinion, we are in Iraq and we are attacking for no reason, as there is nothing which could benefit our country in any way. The Iraq war also does not promote good over evil, as in my opinion, how can going to war, ever promote good? Wouldn’t going to war be a bad thing and God would be against it? But on the other hand, the good of society would never go to war in the first place; you would only see evil at war. War should be avoided, using whatever ways possible.

Effect of Technology on the Workplace

Effect of Technology on the Workplace Introduction: â€Å"Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master† (Christian Lous Lange). The quote suggests that the way people perceive and adopt technology determines whether the result is an upgrading or de-skilling as an effect on their performance and expertise. The essay outline will comprise and cover : a definition of ‘technology and the concepts of technological determinism and organizational choice; an underline of the relationship between technology and organization; a specification of different challenges and inter organizational issues upon the introduction of new technologies that have impact on the skills and qualities of people. Finally, The example case study of Zeta- one of the top fifty software companies in The United States, will support the assumption that new technologies do not inevitably lead to de-skilling when they are understood, controlled and implemented carefully and professionally. Discussing technology in the context of contemporary society can be an ambiguous issue. The way that people understand this concept is as diverse as is the unique human personality. Instead of putting new technology in the frames of global computer networks, intelligent machines or â€Å"flying cars†, it is more reasonable to look at technology at an organizational level, as an irrefutable part of organizations structure, managerial decision making, employees performance and skills, and the overall welfare of each company. Therefore it will be useful first to introduce the concept of technology and to examine what changes and evolution it has undergone in the last centuries. While some people merely associate technology with its everyday practical meaning, a more comprehensive view will be to look beyond the notion of the simple usage and exploitation of technology and to focus on extent of interaction and mutual relationship between technology and organization (Corbett, M. and Scarbrough, H., 1992). At this point a distinction needs to be made between two concepts: technological determinism and organizational choice. As K. Grint and S. Woolgar suggest â€Å"technological determinism portrays technology as an exogenous and autonomous development which coerces and determines social and economic organizations and relationships† (Grint, K. and Woolgar, S., 1997:11). While this theory clearly signifies the impact of technology upon organizations and individuals in way that it encages people to transform and shape their skills accordingly to the technology, the concept of organizational choice highlights that â€Å"Technology has no impact on people o r performance in an organization independent of the purposes of those who would use it, and the responses of those who have to work with it†( Buchanan and Huczynski 1985:222, cited by Corbett and Scarbrough 1992:5). Referring these concepts to the theories and practices of Henry Ford where technology as well as workers were tools for maximizing profit and comparing it with nowadays organizations where individuals rights and qualities are of main concern, a pattern of development of technologys role in the organization can be observed. Looking at different interpretations of new technology, it will be helpful to understand the relationship between technology and organization, the problems and setbacks that may occur during its implementation and the employees and managers adaptation and behavior towards such issues. Turning back to the 40s of 20th century, the time when Henry Ford introduced the assembly line into his company, is one of the most relevant examples to examine the impact that this new technology had on the skills , productivity and efficiency of the workers. Although at first the implication of the assembly line was conceived as a beneficial, efficient and innovative tool, rising the profitability of the company rapidly, the myth was soon crushed by decreasing enthusiasm, low skilled labor force , high turnover and lack of interest and motivation- the worst scenario for an organization. This was the inevitable result of a profit driven management and wrong process of technology introduction, encircled in using power, force and alienation and trying to increase morale by offering higher wages. New technology incited â€Å"counter-productive effects on employees†, â€Å"deskilling and degradation of jobs† and feeling of human beings â€Å"controlled by the technologyâ €  (Grint,k. and Woolgar,S. 1997:120,121). However, these results were not simply implied by technology itself but by the lack of any managerial methods and changes towards the obvious deterioration of employees and thus companys development, which lead to the tight relationship between organizations and technology. Since the time of Ford a lot has changed, going through Post-Fordism methods which are concentrated â€Å"to increase the skill levels and flexibility and to provide teamwork structures† (Grint,k. and Woolgar,S. 1997:122) and reaching nowadays organizations, where management is highly concerned with providing cooperative and inspiring atmoshpere and flexible, knowlegeable employees who can easily adopt to the new technology changes and challenges.As Autor, Kratz and Krueger (1998) indicate, the introduction of computers in the 1970s has lead to a stable increase in the demand for educated workers and has â€Å"upgraded faster the skills of the workforce† (cited by Helpman and Rangel, 1999: 361). The following part will discuss the skill, knowledge and identity of technology users, the introduction of technology and the managerial and workers perceptions of it, and the problems that can occur in organizations and how they can be overcome. First, it will be useful to define ‘skill and its role in the implementing of technology and managerial decision making. According to Steven Wood, there is a need to distinguish between the different â€Å"types of skills particularly what might be called tacit skills exercised by people even in those jobs which are labeled unskilled and/or ostensibly routine in nature† (Wood, S., Acta Sociologica 1987:7). When talking about tacit knowledge, it is connected to individual experience and qualities which can be slightly different from the skills that are required in a particular working environment for the fact that people have different way of reacting to stressful situations or implementation of new and complicated technology or any kind of innovation. In this context we can outline the different physical and mental discomforts like anxiety, sleeplessness, pressure and alienation that may result from the introduction of new technology as Turnage (1990) suggests. Therefo re, when an issue like this occurs, managers should stress their actions on looking on the individuals level of qualities and characteristics in order to support the adaptation and productive change of the worker. As Burkhardt and Brass suggest â€Å"a change by individuals results in a change in the entire system†(1990: 105). When talking about human involvement with technology in an organizational environment some aspects of social interaction must be observed, like power, meaning and norms. Although a lot has changed since the time of Henry Ford, there are still sectors of the market like the retail sector or the banks where there is a have strict hierarchy and pressure due to the excessive control and power of the management may cause the implementation process to enflame strains and conflicts among the employees. Such results may also be a consequence of the conflict of interests between the employer and the workers as they have different perceptions of technology. While the employer is concerned with the efficiency of the new technology, the employee is concerned with issues like the technical skills and knowledge that must be obtained, the responsibility and implications of the technological change(Corbett Scarbrough,1992). Although users have the capacity to control the interaction with technology and the flexibility to attribute in the relationship between technology and organization ,their level of interpretation is constrained by institutional contexts, economic conditions and government regulations which act as norms in the organizational environment(Orlikowski,1991). Both creative human action and manipulation over the technology and the non-direct factors mentioned above, can have an impact on the skills and expertise of the personnel and therefore it is crucial to maintain the right shaping of the technology process in order to develop a working environment consisting of respect, creativity and prosperity. Such atmosphere can be created only by adequate intervention of the managers. Although â€Å"managers are usually presumed to influence the extent to which the innovation is adapted and used by their subordinates† (Leonard-BartonDeschamps,1988:1252), it is suggested that the influence of the managers is not always perceived equally by all employees. This is a result of the different level of knowledge and skills possessed by the workers and the personal characteristics and individual features discussed above. Therefore, a very detailed knowledge of the skills and qualities of the employees as long as a productive cooperative environment needs to be included in the implementation process of new technologies. Instead of using hierarchical means of power and control, the â€Å"managerial attention should first focus on providing and advertising an adequate infrastructure supporting the innovation and then turn attention to directly motivating the later adopters† (Leonard-B artonDeschamps,1988:1262). Here, it can be highlighted the meaning of the theory of organizational choice as â€Å"It is only through human action that technology qua technology can be understood† (Orlikowski,1992:409). The following example will once more underline the assumption that implementation of new technologies does not inevitably lead to deskilling if the organization understands technology-organization relationship and acts reasonably and accurately to the problems that may occur. Zeta is a software company, operating on the territory of the United states and is one of the top 50 software companies in the country with around 1000employees and 100million US dollars in revenues. In 1992 the company decided to buy and adopt a new software which would support the faster and more convenient processing of information. The study, made in the company for a period of 2 years, tracked the introduction process of this new technology and the changes that occurred within the organization. The final conclusion of the study was that â€Å"department had built on its successful implementation of groupware in interesting ways, and over the past two years had enacted significant organizational changes in a number of areas: nature and distribution of work, form of collaboration, utilization and dissemination of knowledge, and coordination with internal and external units† ( Orlikowski, 1995:1). However, the process of implementation did not happened without any setbacks. Let us look at some consequences of the introduction of the new technology on the employees skills and on the working environment as a whole. The study suggested that there were not only technical problems that physically slowed down the working process but also an atmosphere of tension, low motivation, low efficiency and tiredness among the working team due to this technical problems. Despite the logical conclusion that the implementation of this technology lead to general deskilling in the organization, the mangers succeeded to prove otherwise. For a very short period of time, the managerial strategy experienced significant changes in the sphere of: process and performance monitoring, cooperative culture, professional identity and autonomy, collaboration and team-work. These changes were a result of interviews, meetings and courses that were regularly appointed in which employees strengthened their team spirit as well as their individual qualities and knowledge (Orlikowski,1995). The de-skilling effect noticed in the beginning was rapidly overcome due to the adequate decisions made by the managers and the necessary attention paid to the problems in order for rational actions to be undertaken. In the case of Zeta Corporation , the introduction of new technology was implemented through the prism of organizational choice, with significant understanding of the power, meaning and norms in the organization-technology relationship, managerial support and decision-making and expertise over employees skills , needs and development. Conclusion: Introduction of new technologies has been an ambiguous issue, since â€Å" its multifaceted nature makes control extremely difficult to achieve† (Corbett Scarbrough, 1992:89). Having discussed the main features of technology-organization relationship, the setbacks and possible difficulties it may induce into the managerial and working environment , this essay suggests that the implementation of new technologies does not inevitably lead to de-skilling if understood and controlled adequately. The case of Zeta Corporation supports the argument that the above mentioned challenges should be considered as a positive, skill-upgrading and beneficial tool which would improve peoples knowledge and expertise. After all,† Technology should be an important ingredient. It may be and should be a tool for social development† (Alexander Kwasniewski). Bibliography: Scarbrough,H. Corbett,J.M. (1992) Technology and organization Grint,K. Woolgar,S. (1997) The Machine at Work: Technology, Work and Organization Orlikowski, W. (1995) Evolving with Notes: Organizational Change around Groupware Technology, available online : ftp://ftp.unibocconi.it/pub/corsi/strut738/progetti/IT/evolv.htm Leonard-Barton,D. Deschamps,I. (1988) Management Science, 34 (10) p.1252-1265; Available from: JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2632162 Orlikowski, W. (1992) The Duality of Technology: Rethinking the Concept of Technology in Organizations, Organizational Science, 3 (3) p. 398-427 Available from : JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2635280 Wood,S. (1987) The Deskilling Debate, New technology and Work Organization, Acta Sociologica, 30 (3) p.3-24 ; Available from: http://asj.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/1/3 Helpman,E. Rangel,A. (1999) Adjustment to a New technology: Experience and Training, Journal of Economic Growth, 4: 359-383 Turnage, J. (1990) The Challenge of New Workplace Technology for Psychology, American Psychologist, 45(2), 171-178 Burkhardt,M. Brass,D. (1990) Changing Patterns or Patterns-o f Change: The Effects of a Change in Technology on Social Network Structure and Power, Administrative Science Quarterly,35, p.104-127

Four Critics’ Perspective of Theodore Roethkes Elegy for Jane Essay

Four Critics’ Perspective of Theodore Roethke's Elegy for Jane More than forty years after her untimely death, Jane Bannick breathes again--or so it seems while reading about her. Jane's unfortunate death in an equestrian accident prompted one of her professors, the poet Theodore Roethke, to write a moving poem, "Elegy for Jane," recalling his young student and his feelings of grief at her loss. Opinions appeared almost as soon as Roethke's tribute to Jane, and passages about the poem continue to appear in articles and books. Recent writings by Parini, Ross-Bryant, Kalaidjian, and Stiffler disclose current assessments. According to Parini, Jane's death is not the subject of the poem; rather, her death presents an occasion for calling up a certain emotional state in which Roethke's feelings of grief and pity transcend the occasion. Following the standard of elegiac celebration of the vegetation god Adonis reaching back to Bion's Lament for Adonis and Moschus's Lament for Bion, Roethke associates the deceased with elemental aspects of nature--the plant tendrils, the pickerel, the wren--to defuse the pathos of her death. A Romantic poet, Roethke views death as a stage; the plants point to rebirth (138-39). The subject of Roethke's most famous poem (45) becomes the response to Jane's death and his ambivalent emotions at her graveside. Without the associations of earlier elegies, the emotion would surpass the occasion. Roethke mourns not only Jane, whom he knew only slightly, but also the deaths of us all (138-39). Jane presents one aspect of woman in The Waking collection (1953): Ross-Bryant views Jane as a young girl who is dead. The poem expresses concern with the coming of death. This poignant elegy is presen... ...ini and Ross-Bryant appear almost polarized in their opinion of the nature of Roethke's feelings for Jane: Parini contends that Roethke mourns for us all; Ross-Bryant feels that Roethke's grief is intensely personal. Other than the nature of than Roethke's feelings for Jane, these four critics find little to disagree about in "Elegy for Jane." Works Cited Kalaidjian, Walter B. Understanding Theodore Roethke. Columbia: U of South Carolina P, 1987. Parini, Jay. Theodore Roethke: An American Romantic. Amherst: U of Massachusetts P, 1979. Roethke, Theodore. The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke. New York: Anchor-Doubleday, 1975. Ross-Bryant, Lynn. Theodore Roethke: Poetry of the Earth . . . Poet of the Spirit. Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat, 1981. Stiffler, Randall. Theodore Roethke: The Poet and His Critics. Chicago: ALA, 1986.

Dialogic and Formal Analysis of Thomas Grays Elegy (Eulogy) Written in

Dialogic and Formal Analysis of Thomas Gray's Elegy (Eulogy) Written in a Country Churchyard By combining the formal and dialogical approaches, patterns and voices within the text seemingly interplay and overlap to reveal a deeper sense of the author's intentions. While the formalistic analysis focuses on the text and the unfolding themes within, the dialogical analysis recognizes "...the essential indeterminacy of meaning outside of the dialogic - and hence open - relationship between voices" (HCAL 349). When applied to "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," these two approaches collaborate to emphasize recurring concepts and establish a twisted sense of authority. Formal analysis identifies the initial elements of a work and determines their significance in relation to what remains. By selecting such a title as an "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," the author is providing the reader with an indication for what will follow. Amazingly, the poem is exactly what the title states. It is an "elegy," expressing grief and lamentation for the humble unknown villagers who hav... Dialogic and Formal Analysis of Thomas Gray's Elegy (Eulogy) Written in Dialogic and Formal Analysis of Thomas Gray's Elegy (Eulogy) Written in a Country Churchyard By combining the formal and dialogical approaches, patterns and voices within the text seemingly interplay and overlap to reveal a deeper sense of the author's intentions. While the formalistic analysis focuses on the text and the unfolding themes within, the dialogical analysis recognizes "...the essential indeterminacy of meaning outside of the dialogic - and hence open - relationship between voices" (HCAL 349). When applied to "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," these two approaches collaborate to emphasize recurring concepts and establish a twisted sense of authority. Formal analysis identifies the initial elements of a work and determines their significance in relation to what remains. By selecting such a title as an "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," the author is providing the reader with an indication for what will follow. Amazingly, the poem is exactly what the title states. It is an "elegy," expressing grief and lamentation for the humble unknown villagers who hav...

The Feudal System :: Medieval Civilization, The Middle Ages, Feudalism

The greater part of medieval civilization was a time of simplicity and little cultural development. Feudalism was the structure that governed medieval society and came to represent this time period. The church became the universal symbol of medieval unity. Toward the end of the medieval period, however, town life and large-scale trade and commerce were revived. Great changes took place in the church fostering a new era and change. Feudalism was a system of government that provided the structure for the political, social, and economic aspects of medieval civilization. It consisted of contracts between members of the nobility and less powerful nobles who served as their vassals. Economically it was a contract between the serfs who farmed that land and the nobles who owned it. Feudalism was very complex and confusing in some ways, but it could also be looked at as very simple. It was constructed in a pyramid or chess board-like form. Kings were at the top although they did not have much power, lords and vassals followed the king and had control of the lesser nobles. The serfs were at the base of the pyramid. A manor, otherwise known as the lord’s estate, was where everyone lived and worked. In exchange for a place to live, food, and mainly protection, the serfs farmed the land. Agriculture was the foundation of feudalism, where land and food was used to barter for other items. There were different taxes an d positions of distinct people on the manor. This illustrates the complexity of feudal life during the medieval ages. If you look at it as what the duties were of each specific class you see the simplicity of feudalism. Each member of medieval society had its own particular tasks to perform. The serfs preformed the most labor-intensive tasks and often did the same thing everyday. The knights protected the manor and the lords were responsible for taking care of everyone on their manor. The feudal system could be compared to a modern corporation. The serfs could be looked at as the workers, the lords as management, the knights to the security, and the king would be the CEO of the company. Feudalism was complex in its organization and simple it its implementation. During most of the medieval time period the church was the center of society and was the law of the land. The church regulated business practices, had the power to tax, controlled all people through the power of excommunication and had influence on the aesthetic aspects of life.

Citizen Kane Shot Composition

Pick 2 out of the 3 images and analyse in depth how their composition affects the storytelling of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. Word Count: Max 600words. In this long shot we see Kane's mother in the foreground is sigining the documents for Kane to be taken by the banker. Kane however is in the background playing with the snow. It shows the innocence in Kane who is playing happily in the snow and unaware of what is happening to his future. The mother is the one signing the documents which demostrates little love for her child over herself which in course leads kane to crave love more than anything in his later life.The lighting in the scene where Kane is playing happily in the snow also is strong with little cast shadows, this shows the purity of his character. The use of the window to frame little Kane places the emphasis on him and shows how the signing of the documents will have a crucial impact on Kane. The framing also creates contrast between the joyful mood of kane playin g outside with the serious discussions in the house. The men are in a dark room, silouette of the man talking in front is seen. This shot uses only back lighting as the sole source of lighting to create a mysterious and secretive mood.The dark room signifys that the men have many questions on their mind about Charles Foster Kane and his last words, hence being â€Å"left in the dark†. The set-up also establishes the stage for the rest of the story. None of the men are actually in the focus in this shot, it shows that neither of them are of adequate significance in the story. The way the room is lid also expresses the filmmaker's views about members of the media. The strong light and shadow contrast shows the characters' somewhat shady intentions for uncovering the last words of kane.

Nationalism With A Purpose Essay

The First and the Second World War changed the outlook of the world. Empires ceased to exist. A new concept of nations came into being. Colonies of European countries started to get their independence from foreign rule in quick succession.. Boundaries and territories became essential in deciding where a nation started and ended. Nations have been fighting with each other over boundary lines since history has been recorded however frontiers became exceptionally important with the end of the Second World War and the emergence of the Third world. One place where boundary lines and territory was of great importance was in the Indian subcontinent, which had been under the control of the British Empire from 1858 to 1947. The Indian sub-continent was to be decolonized and partitioned into two countries. A Muslim dominated, Pakistan and a Hindu dominated, India. Surprisingly, it was the first time that nations were being partitioned on the basis of religion. The partition led to many problem s between the two countries. One such issue was the conflict over the state of Kashmir. The dispute over Kashmir has dogged relations between India and Pakistan since the states were created by the partition of British India in 1947. The two countries have fought three wars (in 1947-48, 1965 and 1999). They have also been on the verge of resorting to nuclear weapons over this issue. The fight over Kashmir is an unending conflict. The biggest reason for its insolvability is that leaders of both nations have used religious nationalism to justify the wars and the struggle to incorporate Kashmir while masking the underlying motive of gaining economic and strategic advantages from it. Not both countries only Pakistan The conflict of Kashmir can be traced back to the time of partition and to the events that occurred during the time period when British controlled India was to be divided on religious lines. The state had been under the rule of the Sikh empire and the British had managed to exert their influence on the Singh rulers of the time. The State of Kashmir was important to the British because it worked as buffer zone to prevent invasion into India by Russia, China and Afghanistan. Therefore, as the British desire d the Sinkh monarchy rulers were generally puppets of the Britishprecisely following their orders in word and action. A close alliance was formed between the British and the rulers of Kashmir in this way. However, the partition of the sub-continent brought the in built tensions  amongst the Muslims and Hindus over the state of Kashmir to the forefront.. Muslims under the Muslim League and Hindus under the Congress had been constantly endeavoring for more rights and representation from the British throughout the 1880’s and 90’s. The British finally decided to give India its independence, but the Muslims and Hindus felt entitled to separate states based on a religious divide which according to both was too great for both of them to exist harmoniously. Muslims felt entrapped as a minority in a Hindu dominant country. Through the efforts of Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League and Nehru, the leader of the congress, a plan was proposed to separate the two countries. It was the first time in history that such a partition was taking place on the basis of religion. After the failure of the Cabinet Mission Plan for a unified India on 1946, the British government announced it s ‘definite intention to take necessary steps to effect the transference of power to responsible Indian hands by a date not later than June 1948.’ Thus, the British sent their last viceroy, Lord Mountbatten to oversee the partition in of the most volatile regions of the world. The general plan of the partition was that the huge areas of Punjab, Bengal and Assam were to be divided according to the majority of the religion in the area. Therefore, the Muslim majority areas ceded to Pakistan and the Hindu majority areas to India. There were a number of princely states that were given the option to cede to India or Pakistan based on a vote to take into account the wishes of the local population. Kashmir was a Muslim majority state with a Hindu ruler. The ruler Hari Singh was confused as to where he should cede. Meanwhile, Sir Cyrill Radcliffe was sent by the British government to make an exact boundary line to divide the Punjab province now famously referred to as the Radcliffe Award Boundary Commission. According to the commission, the three Muslim majority tehsils of the Gurdaspur district were given to India. This went against the laws, which divided the rest of India. Nonetheless, Hari Singh’s hesitation to cede to either nation was to be the reason for his own tragedy. (Was Kashmir part of one of the tehsils given to India by Radcliffe? If not the last two sentences make, no sense.) With nation building and the formation of a new states came the concept of ‘nationalism.’ Nationalism involves the concept of an imagined community by a particular community. It includes certain people in this imagined community and excludes others. India was portioned on the basis of  religion so they had envisioned what areas came into their respective imagined communities. Unfortunately, they both envisioned Kashmir to be a part of their newly founded nations. As religious nationalism was the basis of the partition of India, it also became a veil to mask the real motives for the fight for Kashmir between the newly independent states of Pakistan and India. Kashmir had a Muslim majority population of 3,101,247 (77.1 %). The first war over Kashmir was fought in 1947 when there was a Poonch uprising in the state against Hari Singh. Pakistan sent in forces to secure the area out of fear that Kashmir would end up going to India. However, against preliminary plans the Paki stani troops ended up trying to invade Srinagar, Kahsmir’s capital. Hari Singh was afraid and made a deal to cede to India if India helped fight Pakistan. The fact that Pakistan and India fight a war over Kashmir a few months after they came into existence provided they had very limited supplies and could hardly stand up on their own as independent countries speaks volumes of the states religious and hidden economic importance. It is pertinent to look back at what Jinnah said to the Kashmiri leaders during the 1947 partition highlighting the decision of Hari Singh. In his speech, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, first governor general of Pakistan said, â€Å"I hope that the Maharaja and the Prime Minister of Kashmir will realize the fast changing circumstances and wisdom demands that the feelings of the Muslims who form eighty percent of the population should not be ignored, much less hurt.’ Therefore, it you observe closely, Jinnah made the issue of Kashmir, an issue to do with Islam and Muslims. The rhetoric he states in his speech is for a plea to pro tect the wishes of the ‘Muslims’ in Kashmir. The civilians in the newly founded Pakistan would also think in the same way about the issue of Kashmir as having to do with Islam and their duty to help their Muslim brothers. The tact of religious nationalism is used as a mask. The very first president of Pakistan used this to make a claim over Kashmir. Therefore, the claim for Kashmir to be part of Pakistan as a religious mission was indeed a pertinent ploy to guarantee the support of civilians of the state. The second war was fought over Kashmir in 1965. After the first war, the British had decided on a plebiscite to take place in Kashmir to decide its fate. India and Pakistan had both initially agreed on this but India went back on its word and occupied Kashmiri territory. Therefore, the 1965 war was fought on the same platform. At the time,  President Ayub Khan was in power in Pakistan, a military dictator and the first of many that the country would see in its short history. The collection of the speeches of the soldier and statesman, organized by Rais Ahmd Jafri shows how he too follows a similar agenda about religious nationalism during his tenure as leader of Pakistan. The first is a speech on 25th August 1961 in Karachi at the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs. He states â€Å"The difference between Pakistan and other Muslim countries is that the upsurge in these other Muslim countries is racial, linguistic, territorial, anti-imperialist, anti-colonial and very little religious.† Therefore, we can see that like Jinnah, Ayub Khan preached about the importance of Islam in Pakistan. He tried to inform Pakistanis about the significance of religion in the formation of their state of Pakistan and their role as falg bearers of Islam in the region. In his first broadcast on 1st November 1963, Ayub Khan made another speech in regards to the situation in Kashmir. He stated, â€Å"The government and the people of India know that they have no right to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The world at large knows it. So the proposed integration would only heighten India’s guilt. It would correspondingly heighten our resolve to free our bret hren from their bondage. Those who transgress deceive nobody except themselves.† Looking at this excerpt from this speech, we can see how Ayub Khan was preparing the civilians for another war with India. He claimed Pakistan’s right for Kashmir on the basis of Islam decisively labeling the residents of Kashmir as brothers of the citizens of Pakistan. Kashmir is a Muslim populated area and thus it is Pakistan’s responsibility to free their ‘brethren.’ Ayub Khan is using religion as a rhetorical force here. With Islam as a mechanism, Pakistanis would believe that they it is their responsibility to God to help other Muslim brothers and support the upcoming war and struggle for Kashmir. Therefore, it is vial to see how Pakistani leaders over time have used religion as a basis to motivate Pakistanis to think that the freedom of Kashmir is their responsibility and thae oppressors of their Kashmiri brother’s, enemies of Pakistan and Muslims in general. Similarly, India used nationalistic mechanisms and rhetoric to convince civilians and army officers to fight and support the war, while hiding the real economic intentions in regards to Kashmir. The ‘1965 War Story- Defense Minister Y.B Chavan’s Diary of India-Pakistan War gives an insight into how the same  sense of nationalism had influenced Indians during the crisis. On September 20, 1965 Chavan writes in his diary, â€Å" It was not an accident but was shot fown by Pakistani fighter planes near Bhuj. It was surprising that the plane went off the track nearly by 50 miles between Ahmedabad-Mithapur. I hate these Pakistanis.† Therefore, this quote shows a different perspective. It shows the opinion and the thoughts of someone who was at service to India. Hate is a strong word to use, but yet Chavan casually writes it down in his diary. Therefore, nationalistic forces help create animosity. They declare the other side to be the ‘enemy.’ In this case, Pakistanis are bad and they should be hated. This mentality about Pakistanis being the enemy helped the generals and army officers to wage war against Pakistan. It was a way for them to suppor t and fight the war. It is important to see how leaders of the state had brainwashed army officers into listening to the states orders. Most generals and minister did not even know what they were fighting for or what they hoped to achieve. They were simply following orders with hate for the Pakistanis due to the differences that the state had created for them. (This bolded part is very vague and not clear at all. Diaries are suppose to be casual, its his personal diary not a novel. In a state of war the other side is suppose to be the enemy. Maybe you should highlight how the indian government tried to increase nationalism maybe by using religion or the atrocities of the Muslims or some other reason to motivate its forces.) The diary of an Indian war captive in Pakistan shows another similar example of this nationalism effect on the Indians. LT Col SS Chowdhary writes in his personal narrative called, ‘Prisoner of War,† about his experiences as a captive on enemy soil in the 1965 war. This source is important because it shows the views about Pakistan from an Indian colonel. Unlike the former presidents of Pakistan, Ayub Khan and Muhammad Jinnah, the colonel is not promoting the nationalism that leads to hat red and animosity but he is actually on the side that is getting influenced. He talks about the hatred felt during sport matches between India and Pakistan. He says, â€Å"They would lose to any country but India. So much is their hatred for India.† Therefore, we can see the extent to which people on both sides hate each other. The whole concept of a ‘them’ and and ‘us’ is created by nationalism and is the creation of leaders of state to justify war. He goes on to talk about his experience in the reflection state  when he says, â€Å"A Muslim is generally considered to be cruel and unkind.† Therefore, his experience as a prisoner of war changes his perspective about Muslims. It is important to realize that Hindus and Muslims grow up considering the other to be cruel, unkind and generally ‘bad.’ It is the leaders of the state that carry out this propaganda to meet their own aims and steer the sentiment of the general public in their way. (you should elaborate in this paragraph what created that hate of them and us between the two states, that’s hat you thesis is about.) Going t hrough examples of both countries, it is visible that religion was the basis of the partition of the subcontinent. However, religious nationalism was used by the states to brainwash the public into hating their respective neighbor. Both India and Pakistan have used religious differences to create hostility within their populations towards the other. This is the clever tactic that was used and is still being used by both countries in order to hide the real reason for fighting over Kashmir. The real purpose is that India and Pakistan both seek to gain economically and strategically from taking over Kashmir. This can easily be seen from the fact that Pakistan lost East Pakistan (Bangladesh). Bangladesh got its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Bangladesh is a Muslim populated area and was a part of Pakistan. The injustices Pakistan inflicted on Bangladesh furthers the case that Pakistan does not care about Muslim brothers. Like other countries, it only seeks to gain economic and strategic advances. Similarly, India also seeks to gain immensely from taking over Kashmir and creates a faà §ade about her sovereign and nationalistic right to take over it. After this part the essay is good! Kashmir is much more than disputed territory. It is a haven for untapped natural resources and land. Geographically, it can be divided into the two states of Jammu and Kashmir encompassing 84,471 square miles. It is the largest state in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. An article about the economic background of Kashmir by S.M Hudda shows us the economic potential of Kashmir and the benefits that both countries could gain if they took over it. Unlike other areas of the world, Kashmir is untapped. It has immense natural resources that have not been exploited. Even the mineral resources of the country are largely unexplored except in Riazi and Jammu. Therefore, both Pakistan and India are developing countries and can use Kashmir to tap  these mineral and natural resources. The article further states that Kashmir has an abundance of water resources. Hydel power could be generated using these water resources. India and Pakistan have extreme power shortages throughout the country and are in need for more power resources. This could solve their problem of power shortages. Therefore, this article provides evidence as to how Kashmir is a haven of untapped natural resources and one of the major reasons that both states are fighting over it. Kashmir also has a unique strategic location. This strategic location could help both countries militarily and economically. Kashmir borders Russia, China, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Thus Kashmir works as a valuable window on these other regional powers. If Pakistan gets Kashmir, it can gain a military advantage over India. It will have a direct route to India and can attack it easily in the advent of war. India would have a similar advantage. The country, which gets a hold of Kashmir, can protect its borders this way. Thus, the national security of Kashmir is vital for the security of both India and Pakistan. Kashmir also maintains a key position as a trading route. It provides a pass to trade with Central Asia. India and Pakistan could gain economically from the exports and imports from this trading route. Sec ondly, another strategic advantage that India and Pakistan both seek to gain is in regards to the water resources. Water is a vital resource for any country’s self-reliance. Shockingly, the rivers Sindh, Ravi, Jhelum and Chena that flow through India and Pakistan originate in Kashmir. These rivers are important to support the economy of both Pakistan and India. Both countries are agro-based and dominantly depend on agriculture to support them. Therefore, these rivers prove as a lifeline to both countries. Even so, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first president of Pakistan has been quoted saying that Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan for this very reason. Both countries also fear that if the other gets hold of Kashmir, then they will cut the water supply to the other. Therefore, it is visible that Kashmir has great strategic and economic value to both Pakistan and India. Despite these advantages, India and Pakistan also exploit Kashmir to their benefit. This also proves the claim that both countries have never been interested in protecting the rights of the people and the only interest has been an economic one. An article in the Economic and Political Weekly explores the exploitation of Kashmir by India. It states that India seeks to  gain greatly from Kashmir. The article states, â€Å"Furthermore, though couched in terms of security, this is not a question of security. The real question is that of expansion, security is a way of justifying that expansion in terms that appeal to national sentiments. What is at stake is not a genuine security interest, but the interest of being able to exploit markets and being able to dispose of labor surplus.† Therefore, we can see that India has been exploiting markets in Kashmir for a long time and this is why she wants complete control. Another example of such exploitation is that India shows that it supports and gives aid to Kashmir but actually this leads to more financial burden. The budget deficit of Kashmir was 370 crore rupees and 300 crore were from interest payments from India. Also, India has built a highway linking Jammu and Srinigar . This highway helps India gain security but it also helps them in ‘taking out Kashmir’s timber and other primary products out.’ Ironically, the money for the highway comes directly from Kashmir’s budget. India is only looking out for its own selfish interest and is completely exploiting its Kashmiri colony. This is why it wants to take complete control of Kashmir. Commercial trade is also another way that India is exploiting Kashmir. India has managed to exert influence and developed free trade with Kashmir. Kashmir has two natural resources: forests and water. There has been extensive deforestation and the wood has been taken out and used for Indian railways. The hydroelectric power plant contracts also go almost entirely to Indian companies. Therefore, India is not capitally investing in Kashmir but is only investing in power generations and transmission so she can better exploit Kashmir’s natural resources. Pakistan has also followed a similar expl oitation method in its colony of Kashmir. It proves the argument that religious nationalism is only part of propaganda that state leaders have made and continue to make to solidify their claim over Kashmir. The people of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan’s colony have sent hundreds of requests to the Pakistani High Commissioner in London to grant them export licenses so they could establish small scale industries in Kashmir. All these requests were not accepted, while Pakistani nationals were given export licenses for machinery. Another example of such exploitation is that there are eight thousand Kashmiri workers living in Britain who send remittances of about a million pounds each month to their families in Kashmir. Ironically, Pakistanis also own most of the banks in  Kashmir. Hence, the Pakistani government earns a huge amount of profits through foreign exchange and invests the money into Pakistan. Like India, Pakistan also exploits the forest reserve of Kashmir. The forest contracts are given to Pakistani nationals who offer much less than Kashmiri nationals. Surprisingly, most of the contracts are given to members of the military service. Pakistan has also prevented the workers to form a union in Kashmir while it has been allowed in Pakistan. Therefore, we can see that Azad Kashmir is a colony like Bangladesh was. Pakistan does not care about her ‘Muslim brethren.’ That is the charade they use in order to get complete control of Kashmir so they can gain full economic advantage through exploitation. However, we have seen how nationalism is a newly invented ideology and how powerful it is. States use it to brainwash the public and members of the civil and military sector to hide real intentions. In the case of Kashmir, the issue has not ended since the partition in 1947. The biggest reason for this unending conflict is that both states have used religious nationalism to show the other as the ‘enemy.’ In the case of Pakistan, both former presidents have used Islam as a rhetorical device to convince civilians. In the case of India, the effect of this religious nationalism can be seen on the military officers who are willing to die for the sake of defeating the enemy. However, it is used to hide the underlying objective of both countries- gain economic and strategic advantages. Therefore, whoever seeks to gain Kashmir gains immensely from exploiting its natural resources, market and suppressed laborers? The issue could have been resolved if religious nationalism was put to the side and an economic deal was made between both India and Pakistan. Nonetheless, it shows how state leaders can use nationalism as a tool to herd people to their cause and exploit them in this way.

There are always ups and downs associated with any line of business

There are always ups and downs associated with any line of business. IT is not an exception. During downturn profit margins take a toll and consumer confidence plummets. Business executives around the world eagerly scan the latest report on economic indicators and search for good news. Downturn affects many segments. It is not only the industry that experiences the negatives of the economy, but also the common man is affected. Economic uncertainty elicits different reactions from different firms. Some organizations simply tread water and attempt to ride out the storm; others swim upstream with the intent to move ahead of their competitors. As executives rethink their business strategies, they should consider a variety of approaches – including some that are not immediately obvious given today's uncertain economic climate. 2 Problem Definition Understanding the problem is a key to solving it. Howsoever generic this statement may be, it is apt to say that the strategies and actions formulated to emerge strong in downturn may not succeed without understanding how the downturn was caused. It is imperative to understand the factors that influence the downturn and how a particular downturn may be triggered. The cause could be many; a particular industry segment might not meet expectations and could trigger decrease in growth in other sectors. E.g. the dot com burst. In this section we endeavor to list down indicators that could possible play a role in causing the downturn. Along with it we also list down the reactions that companies worldwide give to tackle downturns. By way of research we would like to present how these reactions can indeed be made operational strategies to emerge victorious in the downturn. 2.1 Economic Downturn – Defined Economic Downturn is defined by a significant decline in total output, income, employment, and trade, usually lasting from six months to a year, and marked by widespread contractions in many sectors of the economy. Downturns can be * Industry specific * Economy based * Long term/ short term or * Geography specific The severity of an Economic Downturn is measured through parameters like: Economy * Employment * GDP Growth * Interest rates * Inflation * Investments * Public Expenditure Corporate * Lack of growth in profitability * Falling earning outlooks * Squeeze in margins * Drop in share price Index * Low dividends * High investor expectation * Dried-up cash flow * Low capacity utilization * Urgent need for cost optimization * Increased market competition * Stagnant Markets – Non expanding – Frozen pie vs. Expanding Pie People * Fall in Personal income * Fall in Personal expenditure * Fall in Private Investments 2.2 Company Reactions during downturn Companies adopt various tactics that can help them emerge stronger and subsequently more competitive when the economic upturn arrives. Forward-thinking initiatives that concentrate on lowering an organization's ongoing cost structure are more effective than blanket budget cuts. The tactics focus equally on efficiency and expansion, since businesses keen on moving ahead have to consider both perspectives. In fact, when corporate coffers are clamped shut, companies must rely on efficiency gains to fund expansion initiatives 2.2.1 Cut Costs Cutting the cost is probably the most obvious option for a company when margins are thin. Cost cutting is done in different forms and many of the following options directly or indirectly deal with them. 2.2.2 Improve Focus In boom times, the proverbial strategy is to let a thousand flowers bloom. However, when the financial picture darkens, the businesses tend to do some pruning. An economic downturn becomes an ideal time to focus the corporation's scarce resources -both marketing and manufacturing dollars – on the most popular, promising or profitable products and brands. In other words, invest in the best and ignore the rest. Savings from consolidation efforts can then be applied to further support selected focus areas. Similarly, businesses try to concentrate on acquiring and retaining the most profitable customer sets: How? 1. Forego expensive mass-marketing efforts; instead, market directly to carefully targeted prospects 2. Focus efforts on serving top accounts better than ever. Understand customer cost and revenue drivers to determine the real â€Å"top accounts†, then consider e-commerce and self-service solutions that can increase satisfaction while lowering costs. 3. Learn to effectively use information that is already available in-house to build revenues from the existing customer base. By combining in-house information with proprietary market data, the company can start to understand the â€Å"why† of customer preferences and build a stronger competitive advantage. 2.2.3 Ease points of pain When revenues are climbing continuously, inefficiencies are easy to ignore; declines in per-unit margins can be made up through volume. But when growth stalls, margins come under tremendous scrutiny, forcing companies to inspect every aspect of their business for possible improvements. Rarely can a business simply stop performing a function; instead, it must find a way to accomplish the task differently. This often requires the help of technology. Surplus inventory, high work-in-process and supply-and-demand discrepancies are more costly than ever. By digitally linking the entire supply chain and collaborating electronically with suppliers and customers, companies can potentially lower costs in the short term and improve market responsiveness over time. 2.2.4 Share costs It's not surprising that when margins are squeezed, firms search out and eliminate redundancy. Internal and external best practices implemented through shared or common business models across the enterprise can dramatically lower costs while increasing competitiveness. However, an â€Å"all or nothing† approach to standardization can sometimes backfire. When implementation teams look beneath the surface of â€Å"common functions†, they often discover legitimate needs for variance. Before too long, the cost of processing exceptions outweighs the anticipated synergy savings. An effective shared services strategy requires a deeper analysis up front – pursuing similar parts, not necessarily the whole function. Rather than forcing each function – regardless of line of business – into a standard mold, look for naturally occurring affinities, pinpoint specific areas of similarity, and combine those particular pieces. 3 Analysis 3.1 Reasons for Downturn Studies have shown that the following are the main reasons for downturn: 60% of the respondents feel that this downturn is caused by normal fluctuations in business cycles. The fluctuations in share markets are attributed as the reason for downturn by 20% of the respondents. Only 15% of the respondents felt that the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center is the cause for the downturn. This shows that people perceive downturn as a natural phenomenon happening due to ups and downs in the economy. Terrorist attacks and other reasons, are not the main factors causing downturn, but they can trigger an already bad situation worse. 3.2 How do people see the downturn Majority (61%) of the people feel that downturn is an opportunity to find newer markets, restructure their organization and fine-tune the process to increase productivity. The findings here support our arguments provided in the previous section. Downturn is definitely an opportunity for businesses to take a look at their processes, the way they provide services to customers, markets and other factors affecting them and improve their way of working. 3.3 Strategies to focus during downturn Studies found that during a downturn the energies of people are concentrated in keeping their customers happy. 32% of the people have made this as their primary focus area. The other areas where people are concentrating are in strengthening the sales and distribution/marketing. When getting new business is tough, it makes sense to keep the existing customers happy, provide them the extra bit for their dollar and come up with innovative ideas to service them. Keeping the existing business stable can sustain the current revenues and increase. Repeat business can increase the revenues. With these factors in mind, people are following customer centric strategies to face the downturn. 3.4 HR strategies during downturn Human Resources are on of the key focus area during a downturn. Cost can be cut cost by retrenching employees. Productivity can be increased by extending the working hours or by employing cross-functional training. â€Å"Punish the non-performers† is the key mantra. 80% of the respondents have stated that this is the primary task that needs to be accomplished or that their companies have started identifying non-performers and taken steps to ensure that employees perform to expectations. Some of them advocate extending the working hours. There seems to be not much support for unpaid leave or freezing salaries among the people interviewed. 3.5 Outsourcing as an option Downturns might pose a good opportunity to study what the companies are doing the best and discard the rest. Outsourcing to low cost destinations is definitely being looked as a possible opportunity. 76% of the respondents feel that they should resort to outsourcing non-core activities. 4 Suggested Strategy to Manage Downturns â€Å"Recessions, sound a lot worse than they are — in part because they're a great opportunity to move forward on key strategies and to take on competitors.† To get through a recession the most important thing for a company to do is to keep a positive attitude and identify its challenges and convert them into opportunities. There are various strategies that a company can adopt to not only survive but also grow in a reversionary economy. Based on the various arguments and data provided in the previous sections, we are in a position to present these action items to manage business in a downturn. We have grouped them under different functional management areas. 4.1 Core Competencies Recession is the time when a company must concentrate on its core competencies. Core Competence implies Resource, strength, skills or a combination that provide tangible advantage to a firm. It is very essential for the company to maintain focus and do what it does best. It is dangerous for a company to venture into unknown territories with an intention to broad-base itself, as one wrong decision could make it fall deep in the red. Every company must take stock of its strengths and leveraging unique strengths that are difficult to emulate. It should strive to enhance its knowledge and skill by keeping in touch with the market requirements. Identify strengths and axe weaknesses. This can translate in restructuring, selling or closing weak or mediocre businesses. Selling is particularly difficult, as the same division might have fetched much more in good days. In a downturn, this aspect should not change the focus. Companies cannot afford to waste money and management attention in areas that destroy value or limit their ability to invest in the future. Young companies may not have enough run way for the next year or two. They must rapidly adopt survival strategies. Tough choices range from giving up equity at low valuations; merging with compatible product or service companies; partnering to, in effect, use other people's resources; or narrowing the strategic focus to a bare minimum. A careful study and analysis will help in taking the right decision. 4.2 Customer is the King Repeat business from customers is important to maintain profitability. It has been proven that, repeat business accounts for around 70% of the total business in most of the established companies. Customer delight should be the focus. Offer something to the customer, which not only exceeds his expectations but also goes even beyond it. E.g. Special features in a software application/product in line with the customer requirements. Infosys receives 85% of its revenues from its existing customers. This is what we can call as a â€Å"Customer focused capabilities† which Infosys has built over a period of time. Customer delight can also be achieved by actually sending out people on the field and spending time with the customers to find out their requirements, the value they put on the product or service offered by the company, their level of satisfaction with the quality and other suggestions they can offer to better our product. This strategy was recently adopted by Hindustan Lever Ltd. with their â€Å"feel the pulse† drive. 4.3 Human Resource 4.3.1 Talent Retention At the outset, we have shown that recession and growth form a continuous circle. Therefore, it is imperative for companies to resist the temptation of cutting costs through retrenchment, as it sows the problem of rehiring professionals when the economy turns around. Instead, companies should encourage their employees to accept pay-cuts, and cross- train them so as to equip them with the necessary skills that will help the company take advantage of the opportunities that arise once the situation improves. Many companies that want to cut costs during recession adopt the policy of downsizing. A vast number of talented professionals are thus available for recruitment. Managers can take advantage of this favorable situation by recruiting these professionals after thoroughly interviewing them, thus testing their competency levels, attitudes, and the organizational culture fit. 4.3.2 Miscellaneous Actions Companies can resort to cross-train people in view of the opportunities that can come up after the recession is over. This is more like doing an investment in hope of better time to come In case of situations that warrant stopping the production, companies can ask the employees to take unpaid leaves or giving extended weekends. Lucent has adopted this strategy. It can have a downside to it by way of loosing talented employees because of employees getting demoralized. Offering additional perks to those who can get in more business can motivate employees. This can be mainly applicable to the marketing and sales force. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric Co. called pay freezes â€Å"the worst crime of management† and underscored his long-held belief in a meritocracy approach that consistently rewards the top 20% of employees and dismisses the bottom 10%. While he was CEO at GE, Welch said, 75% of his time was spent â€Å"evaluating people† and raising the company's intellectual capital â€Å"through candid evaluations.† 5 Conclusion: Economic Downturn is a phenomenon that occurs at different spheres of the society and attracts a lot of attention from the corporate world, the policy makers and of course the common man. The strategies to set things right are also decided at various levels and encompass a wide range of actions. Above study consists of observing typical industry response to downturn, conducting primary research through surveys and analyzing the data and secondary research through analyzing reports and news available in business journals and internet research groups like Gartner, Meta group etc.