Thursday, October 31, 2019

Sir Richard Rogers Lloyds Building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sir Richard Rogers Lloyds Building - Essay Example This building, started in 1979 but not completed until 1984, is a complex combination of both Modern and Postmodern ideals that manages to evade allowing either framework to dominate. A basic description of the building indicates a tall structure with the unusual feature of having its service features exposed to the exterior and utilized as a decorative element. This follows the Modernist movement in its focus on the mechanical elements of the structure while it also reflects the postmodern element of everything being in a constant state of flux. The building was originally designed to serve as the corporate headquarters of a large insurance firm and is erected in the center of London’s financial district. This context illustrates the importance of its design as a means of reflecting the higher monetary, capitalistic values of the community and thus much in line with the Modernist ideals of the era. However, the building was also required to be highly flexible to be able to ac commodate perhaps as yet unknown technologies and to adapt to often changing uses, thus reinforcing the concepts of Postmodernism. As the following investigation will prove, though, the building itself, in its focus on mechanics and materials, falls more within the realm of the Modernist movement while its means of addressing the concerns of the times and the context incorporates the values and ideas of Postmodernism. The concepts of the Modern approach focus upon the assumption that everything can be classified into specific categories and definitions. â€Å"Modernity is a project, and not only a period, and it is, or was, a project of control, the rational mastery over nature, the planning, designing and plotting which led to planomania and technocracy† (Beilharz, 2001: 6). Emerging as a product and reaction to an increasingly mechanized world in which standardization seemed inevitable; the basic

Monday, October 28, 2019

Malcolm X Citation Essay Example for Free

Malcolm X Citation Essay â€Å"The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.† This quote by Malcolm X showed that he was ready for the future, whatever it may be. (Moncur). Malcolm X greatly affected the turn of black de-segregation in the 1950s. He had strong beliefs, suffered a gruesome assassination, and a remarkable legacy. Malcolm Little had many strong beliefs in himself and in people all over the world. Malcolm Little educated himself, so was able to find out what he believed. For one, he changed his name from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X because X was the original surname of the slaves from whom he had descended. He insisted that Blacks had the right to protect themselves. He had always believed that violence was occasionally reasonable. Even though he was put into prison in 1946 for burglary, and got out in 1952, he was still a very significantly important person. Malcolm X became very interested in the Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam is based on conventional teachings, Black Nationalism, and self-help programs that helped the Blacks living in the ghettoes. He believed in and studied Elijah Muhammad, who was the leader of the Black Muslims and popularized their doctrines. He soon became a Black Muslim and as one, he encouraged other Blacks to form all-Black communities. After being a Black Muslim for awhile, he became the â€Å"Top Dog† and representative for them. On March 8, 1964, Malcolm X broke with the Nation of Islam and made a religious journey to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. In Mecca, he took the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. When Malcolm broke with the Nation of Islam, he became a target for death threats and pressure. On February 21st, Malcolm X was shot and his life was taken away from him in Harlem. No one thinks it is a coincidence the February 21st, was the first day of National Brotherhood Week. He was shot by a double-barreled shot gun and two pistols. Malcolm’s lawyer, Percy Sutton, said after he was proclaimed dead, â€Å"Malcolm knew he would be killed. He told me repeatedly-and as late as yesterday- that his life was in danger† (Finkelman). There were three men involved in the assassination of Malcolm. They were all members of the Nation of Islam. The main one who shot him in the chest was Talmadge Hayer. Hayer was born in 1943, making him twenty-two at the time of Malcolm’s death. Earlier in his life he was detained in prison for possession of guns and disorderly conduct. He testified that his accomplices were not guilty, but they were all convicted. The Audubon Ballroom was the place where Malcolm was shot. The Audubon Ballroom adjoined a theatre found in Washington Heights, NYC. Washington Heights is in a neighborhood north of Harlem. Recently, it was obliterated to make way for the new Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, the place were Malcolm X was taken when he was shot. Everyone that walks in the doors of the Hospital will see the memorial which was placed there for Malcolm X. Malcolm X was one of the most contentious persons of the century. He had met many people, traveled many places, and influenced many lives. Many young Black activists supported him. Malcolm X was captivating and witty, while his words gave hope to all who heard them. He was an incredible speaker and many people wished to quote him. Malcolm X once said, â€Å"How can anyone be against love?†(â€Å"Malcolm X†). I agree with him, no one can be against love. This is one of the many reasons Malcolm X supported the Blacks and helped them to believe that they had the right to be safe, the right to protect themselves, and the right to love.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Proposal: Causes of corporate failures

Proposal: Causes of corporate failures Introduction The issue of corporate failures (CF) became prominent yet again, following the financial crisis of 2007-2008, caused primarily by risky-investments made in the belief of a continuous appreciation in home-values, due to decades of low-interest rates the era of light-touch regulation[1] [Deregulation free-markets]. Furthermore, the collapse of Lehman-Brothers; a large investment bank, brought the issue of corporate failures to the fore and hence sparked the researcher’s interest in the subject. The collapse of Lehman’s has been described as the largest bankruptcy in the world, it was a bankruptcy ten times bigger than that of Enron and it rattled the global and domestic markets in the midst of an economic recession (M. A. Johnson A. Mamun 2012)[2]. Consequently it is included in the literature-review when looking at the causes of failure in an attempt to answer the research question. The Research Question The research question is focused on why corporations fail, particularly the recurring themes from failures. This question is important as the total-assets of companies filing for bankruptcy in the U.S was at $1.159billion in 2008 (Kalwarski T, 2009)[3]. In addition big-businesses in Ireland that went burst in 2010 were five times greater than was seen at the peak of the Celtic-Tiger[4] (O’Carroll L, 2011)[5], with a huge-amount of failures concentrated in the construction-sector. Furthermore, in Lithuania alone the slowdown of the economy amplified the rate of bankruptcies to about 34% in the first half of 2008 (Silvanavicià »tà ¨, S 2008)[6]. Figure 1- Total assets of U.S Public Companies filing for bankruptcy. Source: Business week, chart by Laurel Daunis-Allen [7] Therefore, given the financial-crisis of 2008, the globalization of the world economies and the ripple effect of corporate-failures on economies the society, the need to investigate the recurring themes is vital. (Azkunaga J, San-Jose L, Urionabarrenetxea S, 2013)[8]. This research will prescribe in its recommendations the use of bankruptcy prediction models (BPM) as a way to predict and mitigate the occurrence of future failures. This is important due to the fact that corporations who experience complete failure usually file for bankruptcy under their various national bankruptcy codes. 1.2 Aim rationale for this research The aim of this research is to collect data on the causes of/themes in corporate-failures, exploring the recurring themes the link between the independent-variables [greed, corporate-culture, economic-cycles, corporate-governance, incentive-schemes etc.] and the dependent-variable [Corporate-Failure]. In addition the impact of the economic cycles (a slowdown in the economy/a recession) in failures will be investigated. Furthermore the research will explore briefly the literature on bankruptcy prediction models, so as to make a valid argument for its continued use in the prediction prevention of failures. The rationale for this research stems from the researcher’s interest in the issues that led to the recent financial crisis, the collapse of Lehman-Brothers, the need to curb future corporate failures and a will to contribute to reducing the prevalence of corporate failures. 1.3 New Relevant Research As at 1988 an integrated theory of corporate-failures was non-existent. Hambrick D’Aveni noted that the focus was on small business failures and public sector failures, with the existing literature being mainly qualitative (Daughen and Binzen, 1971; Richards, 1973; Starbuck, Greve, and Hedberg, 1978 cited in Hambrick). The quantitative aspects focused only on financial-ratios (Altman 1968) [9], with the only work carried to contrast the above being that of Miller and Friesens (1977) to point out the characteristics of large unsuccessful and the more successful firms. The shortcoming of Miller et al 1977 was that their project did not consist of firms who experienced complete failures[10]. (Hambrick, D, DAveni, R 1988) This research aims to pull together the origins of failures, the relevant themes on corporate failures, the impact of an economic recession on corporate-failures and the use of prediction models in predicting failures/distress. The relevance of this, will be to update the existing literature and put the different aspects together under one piece of work. Something of this magnitude has not yet being done by previous researchers based on the literature-review. Consequently, this research will would be of practical benefit to academics and students seeking to further explore the subject matters of CF and BPM. 1.4 Approach to the research A top-down approach was followed in in the literature-review and this assisted in the identification of the relevant themes in corporate-failures and assisted in developing a framework which enabled question asking via semi-structured interviews. The research was approached using both primary and secondary research methods. The interview process provided a primary qualitative insight into the viewpoints/experience of professionals/experts in the bankruptcy, insolvency and liquidation industry as to the key themes in corporate failures. Secondary research-methods enabled data collection through a look at the previous cases of failures, newspaper articles, case-studies, reports, peer-reviewed journals etc. The justification for the research approach adopted will be discussed in greater depth in the research methodology [See Chapter 3]. The final objective will be to identify the implications of this research for literature practice (Williams K, Pg. 68 2013)[11]. 1.5 Learning Style Suitability of the Researcher The learning style of the researcher follows a methodical logical approach, going through a step by step process. It is theoretical, involving reading and gathering information from various sources in order to get a broad view of a subject matter. This learning style is appropriate as this research requires sufficient knowledge of the various themes, models theories pertaining to CF and BPM, generalizations about complex issues, including making necessary inductions. The researcher is a Master’s in Accounting Finance student who has completed all taught components of his degree with distinction. He holds an undergraduate degree [BA. (Hons) in Accounting Finance] from Dublin City University with a significant specialism in accounting. The researcher has studied Corporate-Governance (CG), Quantitative-Methods and attended qualitative and quantitative analysis workshops during his studies, including the use of Nvivo; a qualitative analysis software and SPSS; a statistical software for quantitative data analysis. This would enable the researcher to understand the quantitative or qualitative aspects of this research. Furthermore, the researcher has conducted literature reviews and attended full year lectures on research methodology, including the use of the fine foundation’s criteria to critique articles and journals. This backs up the researcher’s capacity to understand the various themes and the ability to carry out a reliable analysis and critique of data for research purposes. The researcher’s academic experience and knowledge of working on individual/group projects, word-papers and essays on related themes such as the impact of the financial crisis on banks, the Goldman-Sachs Abacus transaction, regulatory capital requirements and a proposal fantasy-budget sent to the Irish Institute of Taxation, financial investment analysis of UK Irish corporations have all laid a foundation to handle the cognitive and challenging aspects of this research. The need to gather qualitative data through semi-structured open-ended interviews will benefit from the researcher’s open and engaging approach to formal/semi-formal situations and the experience obtained from previous interviews conducted with the managers of major multi-national companies. The ability of the researcher to listen attentively and ask insightful questions would aid in the collection of good and reliable data. 1.6 Outline of the Dissertation Title page Declaration Table of Contents List of Tables Figures List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements: This section thanks acknowledges those have helped the researcher in completing this research Abstract: This serves as a brief synopsis of the research. It includes the aim of the research, how it was carried out, the findings from the literature primary research and finally the conclusion recommendations from the research. This dissertation is divided into seven chapters, which includes sub-headings. The contents of each chapter are discussed below; Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter acts as a background to the topic, it goes through the rationale for the research, explaining why the research is new relevant and the approach to be followed when carrying out the research. The learning style and suitability of the research as pertains to this research. An outline of the dissertation and finally the scope and limitations of the research. Chapter 2: Literature Review This chapter explores the literature; origins of failures, the causes the themes in CF. Therefore it raises awareness of the themes in the area and justifies the research question Chapter 3: Research Methodology Methods This chapter examines the research methodology using the ‘research onion’. It justifies by critical evaluation, the selection of an appropriate research philosophy approach etc. It explores the options for data collection. It describes the ethical issues that guide the research, the population sample and how data collection, coding and analysis will be accomplished. Chapter 4: Data Analysis Research Findings Data collected using the research methods outlined in chapter 3 will be critically analysed here and the findings will be presented. Chapter 5: Discussion Conclusion This chapter discusses how this research contributed to the area of CF. It draws awareness to the research limitations. It reviews and interprets the research result, consequently drawing a general conclusion by summarising the research findings. Chapter 6: Recommendations Future Dimensions This chapter recommends based on the research findings what could be done to stem the continued menace of corporate failures and prescribes dimensions for future research. Chapter 7: Self Reflection Performance This is the final chapter and it appraises the researchers learning and engagement, looking at the impact this process has had on the researcher personally and academically. Bibliography This references the original works and literature used to back-up each chapter of this dissertation. Appendices This contains supporting documents: charts, interview transcripts, interview questions, tables, figures etc. 1.7 Scope Limitations of the Research This research focuses only on the failure of big-corporations. Therefore it doesn’t take into account why small-business entities fail. The period required to complete this dissertation is a factor that restricted the sample size which was used in the analysis of the recurring themes in failures. A purposive sample-size was used, which permitted for a critical analysis appropriate for the time frame and word count required for this research. 1.8 Contributions of this Research This issue of corporate failures is not a new topic but this research will update and contribute to literature by highlighting the recurring issues in corporate failures based on the collection of primary data from practitioners in the field of insolvencies, bankruptcy and hence give an updated view on any change in corporate failures themes pre and post the 2007-2008 financial crisis. [1] Financial regulation: Light touch no more Britain’s financial regulators are getting much tougher http://www.economist.com/news/21567399-britains-financial-regulators-are-getting-much-tougher-light-touch-no-more. Accessed 21st May 2014. [2] Johnson, M, Mamun, A 2012, The failure of Lehman Brothers and its impact on other financial institutions,Applied Financial Economics, 22, 5, pp. 375-385, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 May 2014 [3](Kalwarski Tara, 2009) Corporate Failure: The worst may be yet to come. Tara Kalwarski and Laurel Dauni-Allen, Business Week. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/01/0129_numbers/index.htm Accessed 12th April 2014. [4] Metaphor for the Irish economic growth. [5] Lisa O’Carroll: The Guardian Business failures rising in Ireland http://www.theguardian.com/business/ireland-business-blog-with-lisa-ocarroll/2011/jan/07/ireland .Accessed 2nd June 2014. [6] Simona Silvanavicià »tà ¨ 2008, Estimating the Negative Impact of Business Failures on Lithuania, Socialiniai Tyrimai, 2008, 4, pp. 113-120, SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 April 2014. [7] Business week, chart by Laurel Daunis-Allen: Total assets of U.S Public Companies filing for bankruptcy http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/01/0129_numbers/4.htm Accessed 2nd June 2014. [8] Juan Antonio Azkunaga, Leire San-Jose, Sara Urionabarrenetxea (2013): The impact of financial globalization and financialization on the economy in the current crisis through banking corporate governance. Accessed 12th April 2014. [9] Altman, EI 1968, Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis and the prediction of Corporate Bankruptcy, Journal of Finance, 23, 4, pp. 589-609, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 April 2014. [10] Hambrick, D, DAveni, R 1988, Large Corporate Failures as Downward Spirals, Administrative Science Quarterly, 33, 1, pp. 1-23, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 April 2014. [11] Kate Williams 2013: Planning your Dissertation. Pg. 68. Oxford Brookes University, Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire England.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Beyond the Homosexual Connection:An Analysis of Thomas Mann´s Death in

Thomas Mann ´s  ¨Death in Venice ¨ presents a provocative love story between an older man and a young boy. It captures the life of an elderly German writer named Gustave von Aschenbach who, while on vacation, in Venice falls passionately in love with a young Polish boy named Tadzio. However, Aschenbach ´s love is unreciprocated and no real relationship is born. Although the romantic involvement between the characters is one sided, the novel has stilled managed to generate diverse and often controversial interpretations. Many critics, such as Anthony Heilbut have interpreted the novel as one of the first literary works openly dealing with homosexuality (Heilbut 251). Other critics, such as Andre Brink argue that Tadzio is not representing a masculine character. On the contrary, they argue that Tadzio represents a  ¨feline and feminine ¨ figure (Brink 175). However, the reader can examine the novel independently of these two viewpoints. Even though their views lie on opposite sides of the spectrum, both Heilbut and Brink describe  ¨Death in Venice ¨ as portraying an abnormal and destructive relationship. Heilbut argues that Aschenbach ´s relationship with Tadzio is pedantic and spiteful (Heilbut 249). That it portrays Aschenbach as  ¨obscene, frivolous and banal ¨ (Helibut 257). Brink argues that Aschenbach ´s and Tadzio ´s relationship is  ¨menacing, dangerous, destructive ¨ because Tadzio ´s feminine disposition serves as a form of revenge on Aschenbach’s masculine world (Brink 176). However, these viewpoints failed to view  ¨Death in Venice ¨ in a more neutral light because they focus too much on outside perspectives such as homosexuality or the struggle between a female and male force, rather than on the relationship itself. On the contrary,  ¨D... ...es to Calvino. New York: New York University Press, 1998. 173-188. Print. Cupach, William R., and Brian H. Spitzberg. "The Evolution of Relationships, Intimacy, and Intrusion; The Pursuit of Ordinary Relationships." The Dark Side of Relationship Pursuit: From Attraction to Obession and Stalking. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 2004. 1-34. Print. Heilbut, Anthony. "Death in Venice." Thomas Mann: Eros and Literature. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. 246-267. Print. Mann, Thomas. Death in Venice and Seven Other Stories. Trans. H.T Lowe-Porter New York: Vintage International, 1989. 3-73. Print. Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2012. Web. 21 Feb 2012. . WR 150 J7 Spring 2012. Love in the Modern Novel: Compilation of Love Questionnaire Responses. Writing Department, Boston University, MA Beyond the Homosexual Connection:An Analysis of Thomas Mann ´s Death in Thomas Mann ´s  ¨Death in Venice ¨ presents a provocative love story between an older man and a young boy. It captures the life of an elderly German writer named Gustave von Aschenbach who, while on vacation, in Venice falls passionately in love with a young Polish boy named Tadzio. However, Aschenbach ´s love is unreciprocated and no real relationship is born. Although the romantic involvement between the characters is one sided, the novel has stilled managed to generate diverse and often controversial interpretations. Many critics, such as Anthony Heilbut have interpreted the novel as one of the first literary works openly dealing with homosexuality (Heilbut 251). Other critics, such as Andre Brink argue that Tadzio is not representing a masculine character. On the contrary, they argue that Tadzio represents a  ¨feline and feminine ¨ figure (Brink 175). However, the reader can examine the novel independently of these two viewpoints. Even though their views lie on opposite sides of the spectrum, both Heilbut and Brink describe  ¨Death in Venice ¨ as portraying an abnormal and destructive relationship. Heilbut argues that Aschenbach ´s relationship with Tadzio is pedantic and spiteful (Heilbut 249). That it portrays Aschenbach as  ¨obscene, frivolous and banal ¨ (Helibut 257). Brink argues that Aschenbach ´s and Tadzio ´s relationship is  ¨menacing, dangerous, destructive ¨ because Tadzio ´s feminine disposition serves as a form of revenge on Aschenbach’s masculine world (Brink 176). However, these viewpoints failed to view  ¨Death in Venice ¨ in a more neutral light because they focus too much on outside perspectives such as homosexuality or the struggle between a female and male force, rather than on the relationship itself. On the contrary,  ¨D... ...es to Calvino. New York: New York University Press, 1998. 173-188. Print. Cupach, William R., and Brian H. Spitzberg. "The Evolution of Relationships, Intimacy, and Intrusion; The Pursuit of Ordinary Relationships." The Dark Side of Relationship Pursuit: From Attraction to Obession and Stalking. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 2004. 1-34. Print. Heilbut, Anthony. "Death in Venice." Thomas Mann: Eros and Literature. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. 246-267. Print. Mann, Thomas. Death in Venice and Seven Other Stories. Trans. H.T Lowe-Porter New York: Vintage International, 1989. 3-73. Print. Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2012. Web. 21 Feb 2012. . WR 150 J7 Spring 2012. Love in the Modern Novel: Compilation of Love Questionnaire Responses. Writing Department, Boston University, MA

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The 25th of April, Anzac Day The one day of the year that evokes universal emotions in so many people

The 25th of April, Anzac Day – The one day of the year that evokes universal emotions in so many people. I am no different as I stand with pride as an Air Force cadet in my perfectly pressed blue uniform, time honored slouch hat, high polished belt buckle and black patent shoes that glisten like ebony in the sun. With a steel grey Styer rifle slung over my shoulder I stand guarding the Forest Lake War Memorial as part of the catafalque party. I feel honored to have been chosen along with three other cadets from 224 Squadron at Amberley to silently stand guard at this sacred memorial on Anzac Day 2010. With the blazing mid-morning sun, searing down on the back of my neck I silently plead with God. â€Å"Please don't let me faint in the heat, like so many have done on previous parades†. All the cadets from 224 SQN have taken bets on who would be the first cadet to collapse in the harsh sun; bets are on Brewell, who is nearly 15 kgs overweight and known to never make it through a bivouac without having to report to the First Aid station at least once. As I stand with my head solemnly bowed, my mind wanders as I stand perfectly still. I think of Granddad, who when he was not much older than me was â€Å"Chasing Japs around the bloody jungle†. This is the only insight I have of Granddad and the war as he seldom talks of it. I catch a quick glimpse of Granddad from the corner of eye as he stands in the massed crowd, at 85 years of age he still stands tall. It is nearly 65 long years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed and the war declared over, yet Granddad has never missed an Anzac Day ceremony. However, he has never marched on this day of remembrance or ever worn his medals, much preferring to blend in with the crowd and remain anonymous. Why he chooses to do this, I don't know. Although, I strongly suspect it has something to do with the fact that many of his childhood friends from the small country town in Victoria that he grew up in, never returned to Australia from the fighting in New Guinea. Or is it because he is a modest man? As he once said â€Å"You shouldn't have to be thanked or applauded for doing the right thing†. My mind is brought back to the present, when the silence is pierced by the sounds of â€Å"The Last Post† from the lone bugle and the Wing Commander of the day barking out the command for the flag to be lowered. As the sound of the bugle fades, my mind returns to Granddad. Like a time traveler, I am transported back to another Anzac Day parade when I was about 10 years of age. I am marching with the Moggill Boy Scouts, at the Kenmore parade, once again Granddad blending in with the crowd that throngs the side of the road. After the ceremony, I am walking back up the steep hill beside Granddad, having to take two steps to his one. I ask him why he never marches on Anzac Day and lets me wear his many medals on my right breast. He simply mumbles, â€Å"I have my reasons†. As we approach the bakery, where I know we will stop and he will buy me an ice cold Coke and sticky finger bun with bright pink icing, he turns to me, ruffles my hair and quietly says â€Å"But, you make it all worthwhile†. Suddenly a thunderous roar of an F1 11 resounds approaching from the east and interrupts the speech by Shane Neumann, the local sitting member for the Federal electorate of Blair. I suspect the crowd is rather pleased that this silver winged albatross drowns his lengthy speech out. The F1 11 is now directly overhead and the crowd raises its eyes to see the belly of this huge piece of flying machinery. I wonder why this obsolete aircraft that most countries have phased out years ago still can bring a crowd to a standstill. Is it that, like Anzac Day, people like tradition and want to have a connection with the past I start to gently sway from side to side to try and get a bit of circulation into my body. The temperature must be at least 30 degrees and I have been standing unmoved for nearly an hour. I start to plead with God again not to let me faint. Once again my mind wanders off and I find myself thinking of not only Granddad but of Nana, who is also a returned service woman, and who like Granddad and so many more gave away their youth to serve their country. I think of Nana in the small kitchen of their modest home in Taringa, fussing around making me and all the other grandchildren making morning tea. I find it hard to believe that she could have ever been in the army. Why would someone so quiet and caring like her want to serve during a war? She must have felt it was her duty, for at the time five of her older siblings were in the forces serving overseas. Her father, also being a returned veteran from World War 1, maybe this is why Nana also comes and watches me on Anzac Day. Once again my mind is brought back to the present when the silence is broken by sounds of music that accompanies the wreath laying. As the young and old solemnly walk and place a wreath at the foot of cenotaph, I listen to the words of the chorus of the accompanying song, â€Å"Lest we Forget† Yes, as I stand with the Styer slung over my shoulder, I realise it is those three words â€Å"Lest we Forget† why I am here today. I am here today to thank Nana, Granddad, and everybody else who served in the war, for making such huge sacrifices, to secure our nation's freedom. I hope that their sacrifices will not be forgotten. As the flag is again raised and the lone bugler plays the Reveille, I look around at the huge crowd, and I know for sure they will all be remembered.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

CHARLES BAXTER

CHARLES BAXTER Charles Baxter Authors often write differently in novels then in short stories. This isn't always the case but most times it is. Charles Baxter writes pretty much the same way in his novel's as he does in his short stories. In all of Baxter's stories, there is always an element of realistic features. There's always something you think could happen to you. Baxter takes real life events but always adds a little twist to plot to intrigue the reader. He is known across America for doing this. His stories are very simple to read and there is never a lot going on but I guess that means that his work are meant for everybody to read. For this essay I plan to compare his novel's and his short stories in different elements. I will explain hoe most of his characters are very similar to each other. I will continue to compare his novels and short stories by comparing the many different plots he uses.Baxter Being Brave

Monday, October 21, 2019

Anti-Periplanar Conformation Definition

Anti-Periplanar Conformation Definition Two of the terms you may encounter in organic chemistry are anti-periplanar and syn-periplanar. Both refer to the geometry of chemical bonds in a molecule. Anti-Periplanar Definition Anti-periplanar refers to a periplanar conformation where the dihedral angle between two atoms or groups of atoms is   between  ±150 ° and 180 °. In texts, anti-periplanar means bonds are anti-coplanar. The image shows butane (C4H10) in a syn-periplanar conformation where the two methyl groups (-CH3) are lined up with a 180 ° angle. Syn-coplanar is related to anti-periplanar. The dihedral angle between the atoms or groups is between  ±30 °Ã‚  and the groups are both on the same side of the plane as each other. Sources Eliel, Ernest; Wilen, Samuel; Mander, Lewis (September 1994).  Stereochemistry of Organic Compounds. New York: Wiley-Scientific.Kane, Saul; Hersh, William (1 October 2000). Periplanar or Coplanar?. Journal of Chemical Education. 77 (10): 1366.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Womens Suffrage Movement Impact on the Us Research Paper Example

Womens Suffrage Movement Impact on the Us Research Paper Example Womens Suffrage Movement Impact on the Us Paper Womens Suffrage Movement Impact on the Us Paper Kayla Benware Professor Donnelly History 202 Research Paper Fall 2011 Women’s Suffrage Movement Impact on the United States Woman suffrage in the United States was achieved gradually through the 19th and early 20th Century. The women’s suffrage movement concluded in 1920 with a famous passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution which stated: â€Å"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. In the aftermath of the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, which demanded the rights for women’s suffrage, most Americans rejected the movement because people did not want the United States system to change when it was already clearly working, women already had a solidified role and duty in local affairs, and because men and women were just simply viewed as having different abilities and capabilities in society. Although many Americans were against women’s s uffrage, the movement brought progress towards equality, related social and political reform, and led to many key events that positively allowed women to bring about social change. The first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. Two days later, a Declaration of Sentiments was signed by 68 women and 32 men. This outlined all the injustices and allowed the women’s rights movement to begin. Twelve resolutions were adopted, calling for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. In 1850, the first national Women’s Rights Convention took place in Worcester, Massachusetts. More than 1,000 participants came and annual national conventions were held afterwards all the way through 1860. Some of the most influential women in history were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. In 1869, they formed the National Woman Suffrage Association, with the goal to attain voting rights for women through an amendment to the Constitution. In Letters of a Nation, Elizabeth Cady Stanton writes a letter to Susan B. Anthony about editing their feminist newspaper, â€Å"The Revolution. † In this letter, Stanton writes how changing the name of â€Å"The Revolution† would be a mistake. Stanton quotes, â€Å"The establishing of woman on her rightful throne is the greatest revolution the world has ever known or ever will know. To bring it about is no child’s play. You and I have not forgotten the conflict of the last twenty-years- the ridicule, persecution, denunciation, detraction, the unmixed bitterness of our cup for the past two years, when even friends crucified us†. These gallant statements that Stanton writes proves how much the women’s suffrage movement needed to happen. Stanton is literally bitter about how they have been treated and will do anything to change the American ways for a more fair and equal future for women. Stanton comes off as an admiral, strong women in history, who believes that she can make a difference in everyone’s lives. Indeed, Stanton is one of the many reasons why the women’s suffrage movement occurred, and all women everywhere have her to thank. Fifty-one years later, Anthony and Stanton are still friends working on â€Å"The Revolution† and trying to see their ultimate dream through- the right for women to vote. Unfortunately, they never lived to see this day, but another letter was found in Letters of a Nation, in which Anthony wrote a letter to Stanton about their journey through the women suffrage. Anthony describes that throughout all their hard work, they never once stopped being optimistic towards their battle for women’s suffrage. Even in fifty years, they accomplished a lot more than they could have hoped for, such as: women were able to get a college education, have business experience, and were fully able to speak in public now. Anthony continued to be optimistic throughout her letter and was certain that their influence and reign would be carried on to victory by future women. Anthony was indeed correct on this, as the women’s suffrage battle was ended about twenty years later and all women were granted the right to vote, among other sanctions and rights. Other influential women in women suffrage history, such as Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell, formed the American Woman Suffrage Association in late 1869. This group’s goal was to continue Anthony’s and Stanton’s goal and gain voting rights for women through amendments to individual state constitutions. The territory of Wyoming was later the first to pass the women’s suffrage law; and women began to serve on juries there as early as the following year. By 1890, The National Women Suffrage Association and the American Women Suffrage Association merged to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSAA). This became the movement’s mainstream organization and NAWSA started state-by-state campaigns in order to obtain voting rights for women. Colorado was the first state to adopt an amendment granting the right to vote in 1893. Closely after, Utah, Idaho, Washington State, California, Oregon, Kansas, Arizona, Alaska, Illinois, Montana, Nevada, New York, Michigan, South Dakota, and Oklahoma all adopted the amendment by 1918. Many other events followed suit, including The National Association of Colored Women in 1896, which brought together more than 100 black women’s clubs. Some famous activist leaders in the black women’s club movement were Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, Mary Church Terrell, and Anna Julia Cooper. â€Å"Although woman suffrage meant different things to different African American women, most believed that the ballot was essential to the growth of democracy and to the advancement of human rights in the United States. † This belief was furthered by the late nineteenth century, where women suffrage rationale had grown to include the argument that African American women needed the vote in order to help uplift the Black race and to obtain their own rights. This just goes to explicate how important and influential the women’s suffrage was to history. The movement was necessary, as the white women leaders of the movement constructed the history and determined the path and the value of Black women to the movement. In 1903, the National Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL) was established to advocate for improved wages and working conditions for women. Ten years later, Alice Paul and Lucy Burns formed a Congressional Union to work toward the passage of a federal amendment to give women the vote. The group was later renamed and better known as the National Women’s Party. Members of the National Women’s Party picketed the White House and protested in other forms in home of getting the vote. A few years later, Margaret Sanger opened the first U. S. birth-control clinic in Brooklyn, N. Y. However, ten days later, Sanger is arrested and the clinic is shut down. This is a big moment in women’s suffrage, as she eventually won support through the courts and opened another clinic in New York City in 1923. The early 20th century is a huge benchmark in women history, as the federal woman suffrage amendment, originally written by Susan B. Anthony forty-one years earlier, is passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate in 1919. It was then sent to the states for ratification. A year later, the Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor was formed to collect information about women in the workforce and to advocate good working conditions for women. On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was signed into law by Secretary of State, Bainbridge Colby. Women were finally granted the right to vote, which would lead to inspire future generations of women to fight for equal rights. Not only did the women suffrage movement help future generations for equal rights, but the permanent war economy of the United States depended on the women’s suffrage and the corporation of the women at large. Women were the ones who went into the factories during the wars, which goes to show how women were just as capable and justified to have the same rights as men. This furthers the point that women deserved the right to vote. As a result of women’s presence in factories, the United States could build an even larger military structure with the men going to war and women staying at home and working. Women’s suffrage has had an enormous impact on society today. Since the early 20th century, women have only grown stronger and more involved in the United States government, politics, economics, and social world today. From running for president, to juggling successful careers, women prove that they can do more than cook in the kitchen and take care of their families. If it weren’t for women’s suffrage and all the battles that the US went through to get to the nineteenth amendment, we wouldn’t be as transformed and accomplished as we are today. From the progressive era to now, there have been many battles, wars, and events that have shaped the women and everyone else in our society today. Campbell, Karen; Granberg, Ellen; McCammon, Holly; Mowery, Christine, â€Å"HowMovements Win: Gendered Opportunity Structures and U. S. Women’s Suffrage Movements, 1866-1919,† American Sociological Review, Vol. 6, No. 1, (Feb. , 2001): 49-70. Carroll, Andrew. Letters of a Nation. New York, NY: Kodansha America, Inc. , 1997. Daley, Caroline Nolan, Melanie. Suffrage Beyond. New York, NY: New York University Press, 1994. Terborg-Penn, Rosalyn. African American Women in the Struggle for the Vote, 1850-1920. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1998. [ 1 ]. Campbell, Karen; Granberg, Ellen; McCammon, Holly; Mowery, Christine, †Å"HowMovements Win: Gendered Opportunity Structures and U. S. Women’s Suffrage Movements, 1866-1919,† American Sociological Review, Vol. 66, No. 1, (Feb. , 2001): 54. [ 2 ]. Campbell, 52 [ 3 ]. Campbell, 53 [ 4 ]. Campbell, 49. [ 5 ]. Campbell, 51 [ 6 ]. Campbell, 54 [ 7 ]. Campbell, 68 [ 8 ]. Campbell, 67 [ 9 ]. Carroll, Andrew. Letters of a Nation. New York, NY: Kodansha America, Inc. , 1997, 183 [ 10 ]. Carroll, 183 [ 11 ]. Carroll, 184 [ 12 ]. Carroll, 184 [ 13 ]. Carroll, 185 [ 14 ]. Carroll, 185 [ 15 ]. Carroll, 186 [ 16 ]. Campbell, 63 [ 17 ]. Campbell, 73 [ 18 ]. Terborg-Penn, Rosalyn. African American Women in the Struggle for the Vote, 1850-1920. Indiana: Indiana University Press, (1998): 239. [ 19 ]. Daley, Caroline Nolan, Melanie. Suffrage Beyond. New York, NY: New York University Press, (1994): 56 [ 20 ]. Campbell,76 [ 21 ]. Campbell, 52 [ 22 ]. Terborg- Penn, 13 [ 23 ]. Terborg- Penn, 44 [ 24 ]. Terborg, Penn, 160 [ 25 ]. Terborg-Penn, 161 [ 26 ]. Daley, 51 [ 27 ]. Daley, 54 [ 28 ]. Campbell, 61 [ 29 ]. Campbell, 63 [ 30 ]. Campbell, 66 [ 31 ]. Campbell, 67 [ 32 ]. Campbell, 68 [ 33 ]. Campbell, 68 [ 34 ]. Campbell, 69 [ 35 ]. Campbell, 69

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Define Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Define Critical Thinking - Essay Example Such data is collected through knowledge, experiences, perception, and observation. After the data has been collected, the individual engages the mind in an attempt to make the data useful to formulate a solution. Such a process defines critical thinking. Therefore, critical thinking represents the logical connection of the available resources (ideas) to formulate the desired outcome. Just as necessity is the mother of invention, critical thinking is responsible for the decisions made on a daily basis. The importance of critical thinking lies on the different situations that individuals encounter. The sole reason why people think critically is to formulate the desired result. In most cases, the desired result is always a positive result. For example, it is imperative to think critically of how to connect with the audience during a speech presentation, play, or musical. In such cases, the presenter (s) cannot predict the reaction from the audience, but they can think through ideas on how to make the audience attached to the piece

Friday, October 18, 2019

Freemark Abbey Winery Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Freemark Abbey Winery - Case Study Example Hence, Freemark Abbey Winery might be better off harvesting immediately before the storm and eliminating the risk of the rain spoiling the grapes. The not-so-ripe grapes could yield wine that sells for $2.85 per bottle. If Jaeger decided to harvest later and the storm did not strike, there is a high chance that the acidity of the grapes would not fall below about 0.7 percent. In this case, the resulting wines would still sell at a higher price than wine produced from the not-so-ripe grapes harvested now, regardless of what the weather condition is like. However, there is a slight chance that the acidity of the of the grapes would drop below about 0.7, in which case the resulting wine would sell at a slightly lower price of $2.50 per bottle. To make this decision, a decision tree, Michael Porter's (1997) five forces analysis, and SWOT analysis are used to aid in the decision making process. Both five forces analysis and SWOT analysis reveal that Freemark Abbey Winery should pursue a differentiation strategy. From the decision tree in Appendix 1, it can be seen that there are 3 possible decision alternatives and 7 possible outcomes. The first possible decision alternative is to harvest after the storm and sell thin wine should the storm strike and the botrytis mold not form. The second possible decision alternative is to harvest after the storm and sell the wine in bulk should the storm strike and the botrytis mold not form. The third possible decision alternative is to harvest immediately. The first decision alternative has the highest expected revenue per bottle of wine but is inconsistent with a differentiation strategy. The second decision alternative yields the next higher level of expected revenue and is consistent with a differentiation strategy. The third decision alternative yields the least revenue and at the same time is inconsistent with a differentiation strategy. However, the third decision alternative is the least risky. Prioritizing the criteria, it is felt that the revenue and differentiation criteria are more important. Hence, it is recommended that Freemark Abbey harvest the grapes later. Should the storm strike and the botrytis mold not form, it is recommended that Freemark Abbey sell the wine in bulk or the grapes directly. Both the expected value and the rollback analyses yield the same recommendation. 2. DECISION PROBLEM Should the grapes be harvested immediately or after the storm If Jaeger waited after the storm, there are some chances of a warm, light rain, which will result in the formation of botrytis mold yielding the botrytised Riesling. The quantity is 30 percent lower than the normal wine but it sells for $8 per bottle. However, a storm just before the harvest is more likely to produce rain-soaked berries, yielding a thin wine that would sell wholesale for only about $2.00 per bottle and costing Freemark Abbey Winery its reputation. It could sell the wine in bulk or sell the grapes directly to preserve its reputation but these options would bring only half as much revenue, which is the second decision problem. Hence, Freemark Abbey Winery might be better off harvesting immediately before the storm and eliminating the risk of the rain spoiling the grapes. The not-so-ripe grapes could yield wine that sells for $2.85 per bottle.

The PLAN International Organization Activities Essay

The PLAN International Organization Activities - Essay Example The main strategy of the organization concerns rooting out of poverty in societies it works in the same. The organization has an independent working system whereby it does not rely on religious, governmental or political affiliation. The vision of PLAN regards attainment of a world whereby every child acquires his/her full potential and the society recognizes the dignity of its people. The organization has three fundamental missions. The articulation of the three missions pertains to enhancing the quality of life of children that are under depravity. This method unifies people across cultures and adds meaning to respective lives in three ways. To begin with, children and their respective communities should attain basic needs and enhance their abilities for participation and drawing benefits from their societies (PLAN, 2012). Additionally, PLAN organization aims to enhance relationships across people of various cultures and countries. This relates to its network of different communiti es. Additionally, the organization aims to promote children’s rights. The PLAN organization commits towards promoting children’s rights and pulling children out of poverty through eight core areas. To begin with, the organization commits to education. In this sense, it helps young people and children attain the knowledge and skills that are suitable for realizing full potential. The PLAN organization notes that education is a critical force of breaking the cycle of poverty. In this perspective, the organization trains educators on methods of child-friendly learning. It also helps in construction and rehabilitation in educational institutions. Every child possesses the entitlement of education. However, various obstacles bar children from accessing the same. The main obstacle of education pertains to high costs. Children also face the exclusion of language and cultural barriers. In addition, geographical remoteness and cases of special needs bar children from accessing education. The organization works by striving to clear these obstacles. It is recognizable that the PLAN organization works towards ensuring quality education. However, this begins from the attainment of basic education (PLAN, 2012). The PLAN’s educational strategy operates around three missions. The first mission regards helping in the attainment of a safe and child-friendly environment. Besides, it aims at enhancing the skills of teachers. Lastly, it has a goal of creating gender-sensitive education and culturally relevant educational environments (PLAN, 2012). The organization commits towards reaching children who have never been to school. In addition, it aims at reaching children who have dropped out of school. It is vital to note that the organization strives to enable girls to have access to quality education. In terms of health, the organization notes the recognition that every child has the entitlement towards a healthy start in life. The organization, especially, ac hieves the same by training professionals and communities in early childcare practices and general health care. The organization has a two-way focus. To begin with, it has the focus of preventing childhood illnesses. These diseases should be capable of prevention. This includes childhood illnesses such as malaria, malnutrition, and diarrhea. At the community level, the organization achieves its purpose by immunization, hygiene and child nutrition.  

Improving the Success Rate of Third grade students in solving Math Essay

Improving the Success Rate of Third grade students in solving Math word problems - Essay Example The data that has already been collected on the subject is a good starting point for further, more specific, research. In attempting to create a better learning environment for third grade second-language students, in particular those whose first language is Spanish, this basic research is most useful in devising a methodology conducive to higher achievement in school. The reason for undertaking such a project is simply due to the sheer numbers of students and citizens in the United States whose first language is Spanish, who are struggling to pick up English and use it effectively. Understanding the complexities of teaching bilingual students their second language will not only help them with daily conversation and interpretation of English but it will allow them to come to better terms with subjects that are not directly related to language learning, such as mathematics. To solve a mathematical word problem, the student must not only have the mathematical skills necessary to do so but he or she must also possess the ability to properly interpret the language. Word problems in math can be tricky because of the language itself; students who are fluent in English reading and writing can better interpret the meaning of these questions because they are so familiar with the language and its nuances. Second-language students will struggle to interpret the same problems, however, simply because they are working from restricted vocabularies and in transferring the words directly from English into Spanish for better comprehension may lose sight of the real meaning. Word problems are notorious for including extraneous information that fluent Anglophones are more capable of identifying; second-language students can find this process not only much more challenging but they also may not realize that extra information has been included at all. It is important in a ll cases for

Improving the Success Rate of Third grade students in solving Math Essay

Improving the Success Rate of Third grade students in solving Math word problems - Essay Example The data that has already been collected on the subject is a good starting point for further, more specific, research. In attempting to create a better learning environment for third grade second-language students, in particular those whose first language is Spanish, this basic research is most useful in devising a methodology conducive to higher achievement in school. The reason for undertaking such a project is simply due to the sheer numbers of students and citizens in the United States whose first language is Spanish, who are struggling to pick up English and use it effectively. Understanding the complexities of teaching bilingual students their second language will not only help them with daily conversation and interpretation of English but it will allow them to come to better terms with subjects that are not directly related to language learning, such as mathematics. To solve a mathematical word problem, the student must not only have the mathematical skills necessary to do so but he or she must also possess the ability to properly interpret the language. Word problems in math can be tricky because of the language itself; students who are fluent in English reading and writing can better interpret the meaning of these questions because they are so familiar with the language and its nuances. Second-language students will struggle to interpret the same problems, however, simply because they are working from restricted vocabularies and in transferring the words directly from English into Spanish for better comprehension may lose sight of the real meaning. Word problems are notorious for including extraneous information that fluent Anglophones are more capable of identifying; second-language students can find this process not only much more challenging but they also may not realize that extra information has been included at all. It is important in a ll cases for

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Nursing research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 51

Nursing research - Essay Example In line with this, patients were given the opportunity to participate in their provision of care, which improved communication between members of staff, and between members of staff and their patients. In order to achieve a successful implementation of this change, it was essential to ensure that the hospital used principles of planned change to improve the chances of this planned change’s success. In line with this, the hospital relied on the principles of monitoring and reinforcement of planned change in order to ensure that the planned change was successful. In support of the importance of these two principles of planned change, Keele noted, â€Å"Continued monitoring and reinforcement of the practice change is important for sustainability† (237). Through implementing a process whereby the unit nurses supervised the handing over process in their units, the hospital ensured that there was an efficient way of monitoring the planned change. On the other hand, it is important to point out that the hospital held weekly meetings whereby nurses’ behavior regarding handing-over was reinforced with nurses discussing the challenges they faced while playing their

Summaries this video Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summaries this video - Essay Example The analysis takes place in a sophisticated cyber lab where the process involves documentation of evidence, preservation –using a ray blocker to prevent evidence tempering- examined and extracted. Cases handled include sexual assault cases, stalking cases and domestic violence circumstances. The video provides 3 scenarios where digital evidence discovery successfully resulted to convictions. The first case involves a woman, Emily Cole and a male casualty. The police are mistaken to think that she is the victim as she claimed during the trial, but upon examination of the prior cell phone recording, it is clear that she had earlier intended to set up the man. The second case involves Luis Gutierrez, who stalks an underage girl. Later photographs are discovered leading to a successful conviction. The third case involves a child pornography culprit,  Marciene Sullivan. Sullivan is convicted to serve forty years. The application of sophisticated technology in criminal investigation in a sense is way of making voices victims of criminal acts be heard, giving closure to traumatic experiences and justice which is so much

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Improving the Success Rate of Third grade students in solving Math Essay

Improving the Success Rate of Third grade students in solving Math word problems - Essay Example The data that has already been collected on the subject is a good starting point for further, more specific, research. In attempting to create a better learning environment for third grade second-language students, in particular those whose first language is Spanish, this basic research is most useful in devising a methodology conducive to higher achievement in school. The reason for undertaking such a project is simply due to the sheer numbers of students and citizens in the United States whose first language is Spanish, who are struggling to pick up English and use it effectively. Understanding the complexities of teaching bilingual students their second language will not only help them with daily conversation and interpretation of English but it will allow them to come to better terms with subjects that are not directly related to language learning, such as mathematics. To solve a mathematical word problem, the student must not only have the mathematical skills necessary to do so but he or she must also possess the ability to properly interpret the language. Word problems in math can be tricky because of the language itself; students who are fluent in English reading and writing can better interpret the meaning of these questions because they are so familiar with the language and its nuances. Second-language students will struggle to interpret the same problems, however, simply because they are working from restricted vocabularies and in transferring the words directly from English into Spanish for better comprehension may lose sight of the real meaning. Word problems are notorious for including extraneous information that fluent Anglophones are more capable of identifying; second-language students can find this process not only much more challenging but they also may not realize that extra information has been included at all. It is important in a ll cases for

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Summaries this video Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summaries this video - Essay Example The analysis takes place in a sophisticated cyber lab where the process involves documentation of evidence, preservation –using a ray blocker to prevent evidence tempering- examined and extracted. Cases handled include sexual assault cases, stalking cases and domestic violence circumstances. The video provides 3 scenarios where digital evidence discovery successfully resulted to convictions. The first case involves a woman, Emily Cole and a male casualty. The police are mistaken to think that she is the victim as she claimed during the trial, but upon examination of the prior cell phone recording, it is clear that she had earlier intended to set up the man. The second case involves Luis Gutierrez, who stalks an underage girl. Later photographs are discovered leading to a successful conviction. The third case involves a child pornography culprit,  Marciene Sullivan. Sullivan is convicted to serve forty years. The application of sophisticated technology in criminal investigation in a sense is way of making voices victims of criminal acts be heard, giving closure to traumatic experiences and justice which is so much

Assessing the Dependency of Teamwork Dynamics to Cultural Differences Essay Example for Free

Assessing the Dependency of Teamwork Dynamics to Cultural Differences Essay A debate whether a heterogeneous or a homogeneous team is easier to handle and manage has been going on for years. Companies, firms and even organizations are starting to make teams as the basic unit of their operations. Due to this trend, organizational researchers started to study the correlation between the composition of the team and the teams’ output (Earley Mosakowski, 2000, p. 26). Organizational composition in terms of the homogeneity and heterogeneity of the team composition is commonly studied through the comparative advantages that each type of composition can give to a working team (Schippers, Hartog, Koopman, Wienk, 2003, p. 779). This research paper will try to address the issue at hand in the same manner as most organizational researchers do; this research paper will compare homogeneous and heterogeneous team compositions through the advantages they can give to their teams. The hiring structure of most organizations, companies and firm includes a set of qualification that seeks to sift through the applicants not in terms of credentials but also in terms of their backgrounds (Prat, 2000, p. 3). These sets of qualifications are commonly structured in their own ways to create a homogenous or a heterogeneous team, depending on the position of the hiring party in terms of its team composition preference. Before moving on to the advantages of the two-team compositions, it should be noted that the basic differences between the two-team compositions are its team members’ culture. Culture embodies the system of shared meanings (Gibson C. B. , 2004). It can even be said, that culture attributes the different reactions of the team members in different managerial approaches and team objectives (Gibson C. B. , 2004). Furthermore, the probability of success and efficiency in team is dependent to the culture of its team members. Identifying the difference between leading a homogeneous team or a heterogeneous team can be easily discussed through the extent by which team members share a certain culture. In modern day organizational researches, culture sharing is not the only difference. Factors such as efficiency, efficacy of the leading model, output capabilities and even conflict resolution mechanisms are considered in organization researches that address homogeneous and heterogeneous team compositions. Describing the actual leadership process in these two team compositions would lead to the discussions on team cohesiveness. Team cohesiveness is the degree by which members of a group (both hetero and homo) are attracted to the team (Wendt, Euwemab, Emmerik, 2009, p. 359). It can be said, that team cohesiveness embodies the reasons for joining a team and expected incentives for joining the team (Wendt, Euwemab, Emmerik, 2009, p. 359). Team cohesiveness is present in both homogeneous and heterogeneous team compositions. However, the burden of insuring that the team would function is not directly related to the team composition; it is also determined by the leadership style in the team. Leading leadership styles such as directive and supportive styles have two very different effects to the team depending on the team composition. The exclusivity of the shared culture in homogeneous teams can work better with directive leadership such as seen in autocratic countries (Wendt, Euwemab, Emmerik, 2009, p. 360). On the other hand, supportive leadership can work better with heterogeneous team composition since the differences in the shared culture of the team can be compensated for by the support that the leadership style offers (Wendt, Euwemab, Emmerik, 2009, p. 360). Interchanging the two leadership styles in heterogeneous and homogeneous team compositions can result to high probability of team inefficiency and failure. Following this logic, it can be said that the leadership style would determine the difference between these two team compositions; a certain â€Å"fit† must be properly addressed. After discussing the needed â€Å"fit† in the leadership style and the team composition, advantages in terms of properly leading a homogeneous team or a heterogeneous team can now be established. Having a heterogeneous team implies that a team leader would have members with different recognitions of shared culture. Due to this, the team leader can expect different opinions and a wide range of ideas to be articulated by the team members (Gibson Vermeulen, 2003, p. 207). This setup is seen in companies that operate on a high technology level. Technology based companies tend to function in a transnational level; this allows the companies to have an experience in having a heterogeneous team to deal with their operations. The diverse pool that the company can easily access to creates a working environment, which is perfect for the creation of cohorts. According to other related researches, team members tend to speak out their idea or opinion if they have at least one team member that supports their idea (Gibson Vermeulen, 2003, p. 207). This finding is the coined as the cohort formation in workplaces. Following this logic, leading a heterogeneous team has an advantage of being able to pool a good number of ideas and opinions due to the different shared cultures among the team members. Practically speaking, a heterogeneous team can come up with more possible solutions needed to address a problem as compared to a team with members that share a uniform culture. Heterogeneous team through its cohorts also has the advantage of creating a workplace, which is more conducive for a more receptive learning behavior (Gibson Vermeulen, 2003, p. 209). The cohort formation that arises from a heterogeneous team creates subgroups that are more receptive to learning through experimentation; reflective communication and codification (Gibson Vermeulen, 2003, p. 209). The psychological support provided by team members that share culture allows other team members to learn more (Gibson Vermeulen, 2003, p. 210). These advantages of heterogeneous teams make many organizations, companies and firms to invest in the creation of a heterogeneous team. This trend is best seen in transnational companies’ attempts to outsource team members from different places around the globe to insure that their team has cohorts to cultivate better brainstorming activities (Earley Gibson, 2002, pp. 230-232). Unfortunately, the advantages of having a heterogeneous team stop at the cohorts. Heterogeneous team, which is too heterogeneous in the sense that it does not allow the formation of cohorts tends to be counterproductive since its team members without some to share his or her culture with, becomes too protective of their ideas (Gibson Vermeulen, 2003, pp. 212-213). In this situation, organizational researches recommend the full dismantling of the team or the inclusion of other team members that may allow that formation of cohorts within the heterogeneous team. Advantages in a homogeneous team are the extreme solutions to the disadvantages of a heterogeneous team. The probability that too much heterogeneity can impede team growth and efficiency can be cancelled out by adapting a homogenized team since the shared culture of the whole team will eradicate the cultural diversity that may have started the problems of a too heterogenic team (Mello Ruckes, 2010, p. 1022). This is the primary advantage of homogeneous team- cohesion. Team cohesion is at its prime state if the subject team is a homogeneous team (WordPress. com, 2009). The strong sense of group cohesion in a homogeneous team allows the whole team to easily accomplish tasks and yield maximum productivity rates (WordPress. com, 2009, p. n. pag. ). The shared culture of a homogeneous team creates a sense of unity among the team members; that translates to achievements that are most probably unattainable for a common heterogeneous group. This is the primary and appears to be the only advantage in a homogeneous group. Unfortunately, it also has its share of disadvantages. The major disadvantage of a homogenous team is that the team is prone to make probable dumb decisions due to the strong sense of groupthink mentality present in this team composition (WordPress. com, 2009). This attributes of homogeneous team composition allows homogeneous teams to be the perfect team composition for productivity and goal oriented organizations, companies and firms. Conclusion: Heterogeneous and homogeneous team compositions have been existing ever since basic groups have been formed. The reason for their existence is the fact that each of this team composition provides a perfect fit for different organizational arrangements (Gamage, 2006, p. 57). The interplay between organizational cultures, team composition and the type of leadership determines the needed fit implied in this research paper. Conclusively, this research paper takes the position that homogeneous team composition is an advantage for organizations, companies and firms that are goal and production oriented, while heterogeneous team composition is an advantage for organizations, companies and firms that seek to provide solutions. The cohesive team culture cultured and enforced in homogeneous team composition allows a consolidated movement of the whole team towards the attainment of their team’s objectives. On the other hand, the differences of the team members of a heterogeneous team allow the utilization of the multi perspective orientations in the advantage of the whole team. The different ideas and cultural inclinations of a heterogeneous team allow the development of holistic solutions. These points when summed up results to a general idea that the team compositions’ effectiveness are dominantly dependent on the factors such as type of leadership and environment such as context of application. Bibliography Adams, S. K. (2007, July 30). Disciplinarily Hetero- and Homogeneous Design Team Convergence:Communication Patterns and Perceptions of Teamwork. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. scholar. lib. vt. edu: http://scholar. lib. vt. edu/theses/available/etd-08272007-114555/unrestricted/MastersThesis. pdf Adler, N. (1991). International dimensions of organi-zational behavior (2nd ed. ). Boston: PWS-Kent. Burke, S. , Wilson, K. , Salas, E. (2010). Varying Team Composition to Examine the Effect of CulturalDiversity on Team Process and Cultural Adaptability. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. ftp. rta. nato. int: ftp. rta. nato. int/public//PubFullText/ ///MP-HFM-142-18. doc Casmir, R. (1992). Third-culture building: A paradigm shift for international and intercultural communication. Communication Yearbook , 407-428. Cox, T. (1992). Cultural diversity in organizations. San Francisco: Berrett Koehler. Earley, P. C. , Mosakowski, E. (2000). Creating Hybrid Team Cultures: An Empirical Test of Transnational Team Functioning. The Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 43, No. 1 , 26-49. Earley, P. , Gibson, C. B. (2002). Multinational Work Teams: A New Perspective. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. . Elron, E. (1997). Top management teams within multina-tional corporations: Effects of cultural heterogeneity. Leadership Quarterly , 393-412. Gamage, D. (2006). Professional Development for Leaders and Managers . Dordrecht: Springer Publications. Gibson, C. B. (2004). Building Multicultural Teams:Learning to Manage Homogeneity and Heterogeneity. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from http://web. gsm. uci. edu: http://web. gsm. uci. edu/~cgibson/Publication%20files/Articles/Crossing%20cultures%20chapter. pdf Gibson, C. , Vermeulen, F. (2003). A Healthy Divide: Subgroups as a Stimulus for Team Learning Behavior. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 48, No. 2 , 202-239. Leadershipreview. org. (2002). Research Synopsis: Creating Hybrid Team Cultures. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. leadershipreview. org: http://www. leadershipreview. org/2002winter/nelson_winter_2002. asp Mayo, M. (2005, September 2). Networks and Effectiveness in Work Teams: The Impact of Diversity. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. latienda. ie. edu: http://latienda. ie. edu/working_papers_economia/WP05-10. pdf Maznevski, M. (1994). Understanding our differences: Performance in decision-making groups with diverse members. Human Relations , 531-552. McGrath, J. (1984). Groups: Interaction and performance. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. Mello, A. S. , Ruckes, M. E. (2010). Team Composition. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from http://finance. fbv. uni-karlsruhe. d: http://finance. fbv. uni-karlsruhe. de/download/Ruckes_TeamCompositionJB. pdf Prat, A. (2000, August 16). Shoul a Team Be Homogeneous? Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. econ. lse. ac. uk: http://econ. lse. ac. uk/staff/prat/papers/sharedeer2. pdf Schippers, M. C. , Hartog, D. N. , Koopman, P. L. , Wienk, J. A. (2003). Diversity and Team Outcomes: The Moderating Effects of Outcome Interdependence and Group Longevity and the Mediating Effect of Reflexivity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 24, No. 6 , 779-802. Wendt, H. , Euwemab, M. C. , Emmerik, I. H. (2009). Leadership and team cohesiveness across cultures. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from http://hettyvanemmerik. com: http://hettyvanemmerik. com/ScientificPublications/+Enl2009=Article_LQ_Wendt_Euwema_Van_Emmerik_Leadership_and_team_cohesiveness. pdf WordPress. com. (2009, March 10). Homogeneous or Heterogeneous Teams and Creativity. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. wordpress. com: http://asifjmir. wordpress. com/2009/03/10/homogeneous-or-heterogeneous-teams-and-creativity/

Monday, October 14, 2019

Human Resource Management at McDonalds

Human Resource Management at McDonalds Human resource management is the basis of all management activity, but it is not the basis of all business activity. The basis of management is always the same: getting the people of the business to make things happen in a productive way, so that the business prospers and the people thrive. Torrington et al (2005:4) Human Resource can be say to be the strategic and coherent approach management of an organisations most valued assets. The people working these individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business. Human resource is one of the important parts of any organisation management in the 21st century and up still date. Any corporate firm can get competitor advantage by human resource. The term Human resources can be viewed in two contrasting ways. Placing emphasis on the word Human implies that an organisations assets are valuable human beings with feelings and aspirations that should be respected and nurtured. Highlighting the word resource may have the effect of devaluing the human element by relegating people to a mere resource that is to be deployed as effectively and efficiently as possible, like a piece of machinery. These associated have been embodied as soft and hard HRM (storey, 1992). Soft HRM is often associated with quality-enhancing and value-adding measures, whereas hard HRM is linked to cost-cutting and cost minimization strategies (Schuler and Jackson, 1987). Importance of Strategic Human Resource Management Strategy human resource management is very important because it help to resolve the problems that affect people management programs in the organisation. In every organisation, the employee and customers are very important and the try to listen to their employee and resolve whatever complains from them or the customer. This will help to increase the performance of the organisation. Strategy human resource management also help to improve a business performance and foster an environment of innovation and flexibility among employees. Strategy human resource management help about assessing the companys internal strength and weakness. This is very important as the strengths and weaknesses of the companys human resources have a direct effect on the future of the company. It also helps to check whether the expectations of the employee are addressed properly. The management of Strategy human resource management try to provide the right strategy that will enable the employee to work in a very safe environment and make sure those employees expectation are look into one after the other. Strategy human resource management help to develop the maintainer of competency among workers and it also help to motivate workers to perform their job properly and increase productions. From the above we can see that strategic human resource is now coming to play a very important role in todays business word. Strategy human resource management is all about strategically managing a businesss human resource in a manner that works to the overall benefit of the business. Strategy human resources deal with organisational performance and systems of practice and human resources management deal with an individual employee performance. The role of strategy human resources management or human resources management is to establish a system of human resources management practices that transforms middling work performance to human assets and sustaining the heightened work motivation, expanded job opportunities, and unique skill, knowledge and abilities. http://www.smallbusinessbible.org/strategic_humanr_management.html Comparison of SHRM with HRM The difference between strategy human resources management and human resources management is that strategy human resources management is strategy and human resources management is not, although some resources suggest that strategy human resources management is actually one of the applications of human resources management within an enterprise. The key feature where the two ideas are connected is that they are precisely in approach toward people management. BRIEF HISTORY OF MCDONALDS McDonalds started as a burger brand in 1940 and it was formed by two Brother Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California. It progressed from a hotdog stand into one of the worlds leading restaurant chain. By 1953, McDonalds brothers began franchising their restaurant and the first was taken by Neil Fox who opened in other parts of California. McDonalds Corporation came into existence in 1954 after an entrepreneur and milkshake mixer salesman Ray Kroc acquired the franchise of McDonalds outside California after which he bought the business rights from the McDonalds brothers for $2.7 million in 1961. By 1974 the first restaurant in the UK opened and 1988, they had opened in the communist country in Belgrade, Yugoslavia later in Moscow, China and India. In 2003, the Im loving it campaign was launched and by 2005, McDonalds started a Mc Delivery service in Singapore. McDonalds has been looking for a growth strategy for a very long time. And their foreign operation amount for more than half the companys revenue. McDonald has over 30,000 restaurants over 100 countries in the world today. And they maintain the top position in the fast food industry for the past 50 years. Amongst the award bagged by McDonalds is the Catalyst award for its program for fostering leadership development in women and McDonalds has been backing the summer Olympics since 1984. Business strategy of McDonalds in the UK Employment planning: McDonalds try to make the right plans in employing the right number of staffs that the organisation need at the right time. This is the process by which the organisation attempt to ensure that it has the right number of qualified people in the right place and at the right time. Selection: McDonalds involves in choosing from the available candidates the individual predicted to be most likely to perform successfully in the job. They select but the skills and unskilled individual and try to train them in other to make them understand the objective of the organisation. Selection is not always the best process of employing staffs in the organisation because skills will be lack. Training: McDonalds also used the training strategy to improve and develop the skills of the workers in the organisation. Although training is very important in most organisation but its better to bring the right people with the right skill and then give them the right training so they will understand better and know the objective of the training. Education: The management of McDonald provide education for some staffs that are really willing to retain in the organisation. This education is to improve their performance and to give them more ideas about the economic and how the business is operating. Performance: The Company always chose a right time to check the performance of their workers. The performance of the worker can help the company to make the right changes at the right time and the right department of the workers. These has help MacDonald to build a better services. Pay: Macdonald is a big restaurant with so many branches around the world and helps to reduce the unemployment around us. The Company give a good pay to their staffs and encourage them to work. Staff retention: Macdonald tries to keep their staffs and give them promotions to enable them become a manager of a branch someday in the future. Staff retention is very important to most organisations. This will help the staffs to know what really is happening within the organisation and try to suggest a best opinion to fight that out. Contribution of Strategy Human Resource in McDonald Staffing- McDonald should try to get people with the appropriate skills, knowledge, abilities, and experience to fulfil the organisation objectives. Rewards McDonald need to give reward to the staffs who work very hard in development of the organisation. Employee development- the organisation should also help in developing the staffs through providing training and knowledge for them in other to perform a good job. Employee maintenance- maintaining staffs is important in the development of the company. The administration is should try to encourage the staff and reward them in the good job done. Many organisations try to establish why people leave by conducting exit interviews but these are rarely sufficiently accurate, as many people will not give the full reason why they are leaving for fear of jeopardising future reference requirement or because they may wish to return to the organisation at some later stage. There organisation should make sure they try to maintain and look after their staff in other to keep them happy. Employee relation McDonald should develop the relationship between the staffs and the management in other to bring up a smiling environment within the work place. CONCLUSION McDonalds is seen as a global restaurant offering a range of products in a highly competitive and fragmented market. The company must positively respond to both internal and external issues to avoid losing sales and market share. They have been able to achieve a broad scope of business activity as they adopt the cost leadership strategy. There offer food prepared in the same high quality manner worldwide, tasty and reasonable priced delivered in a consistent low key and friendly environment. The opportunities and threats present in the environment enables managers to look both internally and externally to direct their strategy from the information given as it allows them to know their weakness and guard against them as well as make use of opportunities available to them. SHRM NEW MANAGER IN MCDONALDS As the manager of McDonalds, the percentage of highly skilled labour/ talent recruitment will be increase, but low skilled will be reduce as they are the ones directly involved in preparing food and serving customers. Human resource strategy in McDonalds encourage employee involvement and engagement to improve customer service but recruitment and selection in McDonalds is of little emphasis as the nature of the job is mechanical hence most of their recruits are fast learners who can learn on the job rather quickly. There is a rare case of training and development of staff as they are low skilled and the need for the need for developing them would not be beneficial to the corporation. The strategy of McDonalds is based on concept of Michael Porters differentiation and low- cost leadership as their products are mass produced and cost can be reduced by doing this, the threat this can cause is that its competitors like Burger King and KFC can also mass produce at a low cost. Differentiation can be described as marketing technique used by a McDonalds to establish strong identity in the restaurant business. It can also be called segmentation strategy. In McDonalds, there is a huge number of unskilled labours whose employment contact are mostly on short term basis, hence the need for a huge pension budget will not be necessary, this will be seen as an opportunity for the corporation to save revenue. Also in areas of training and development, since they train on the job and there is no series of further training carried out, the corporation does not lose skill and revenue when such employees decide to terminate their employment. (McDonalds Strategic Human Resources Management available at http://www.scribd.com/doc/26247206/Mcdonald-s-Strategic-Human-Resource.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Liberty, Value, and the Liberal Perspective Essay -- Politics Politica

Liberty, Value, and the Liberal Perspective ABSTRACT: This paper discusses the nature of liberty from the point of view of value. Liberty is the highest value for liberals. The root of this liberal view is their particular conception of self. Rawls says 'the self is prior to the ends which are affirmed by it.' This is also the Kantian view of the self: the self is prior to its socially given roles and relationships. Therefore, no end is exempt from possible revision by the self. There is nothing wrong with this basic idea. In fact, all theories agree on free choice of life plan or self-determination. But they disagree about what package of rights and resources best enables people to pursue their own conceptions of the good. However, the liberal view of liberty is based on a metaphysically reasoned idealism. This results in a conception of liberty that is absolute, supreme, and has infinite value compared with other things. Communitarians have several arguments against the liberal view. I consider the following two points to be of utmost import: (1) The liberal view of the self is empty; (2) The liberal view ignores our embeddedness in communal practices. My reasoning is not exactly that of the communitarians. I view 'emptiness' as freedom associated with the substance of an action, which has a value that does not lie in itself. I. Introduction This paper discusses the nature of liberty in terms of value and starts from the nature of value. Every good has a value. Physical goods have economic or material values. Social goods have non-economic or non-material values. I find that some social goods each have a value quite different from the value of most goods in that its value does not lie in itself, but lie in its functi... ... liberty is finite, the metaphysical conception that liberty is something absolute and supreme seems nonsensical. Notes (1) John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1971), 560. (2) Will Lymlicka, Contemporary Pliltical Philosophy (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1990), 208. (3) C. L. Sheng, A Utilitarian General Theory of Value (Amsterdam and Atlanta: Rodopi International Publisher, 1997), 33-44. (4) C. L. Sheng, "On the Flexible Nature of Morality," Philosophical Research Archives, Vol. 12 (1986-1987), 125-142. (5) C. L. Sheng, "On Charitable Actions," in C. L. Sheng, Philosophical Papers (Taipei: Tamkang University Press, 1993), 131-153. (6) Joseph Raz, "Right-Based Moralities," in Utility and Rights, ed. R. C. Frey (Minneapolis, Minnesota: The University of Minnesota Press, 1984), 42-60. (7) See note 4. Liberty, Value, and the Liberal Perspective Essay -- Politics Politica Liberty, Value, and the Liberal Perspective ABSTRACT: This paper discusses the nature of liberty from the point of view of value. Liberty is the highest value for liberals. The root of this liberal view is their particular conception of self. Rawls says 'the self is prior to the ends which are affirmed by it.' This is also the Kantian view of the self: the self is prior to its socially given roles and relationships. Therefore, no end is exempt from possible revision by the self. There is nothing wrong with this basic idea. In fact, all theories agree on free choice of life plan or self-determination. But they disagree about what package of rights and resources best enables people to pursue their own conceptions of the good. However, the liberal view of liberty is based on a metaphysically reasoned idealism. This results in a conception of liberty that is absolute, supreme, and has infinite value compared with other things. Communitarians have several arguments against the liberal view. I consider the following two points to be of utmost import: (1) The liberal view of the self is empty; (2) The liberal view ignores our embeddedness in communal practices. My reasoning is not exactly that of the communitarians. I view 'emptiness' as freedom associated with the substance of an action, which has a value that does not lie in itself. I. Introduction This paper discusses the nature of liberty in terms of value and starts from the nature of value. Every good has a value. Physical goods have economic or material values. Social goods have non-economic or non-material values. I find that some social goods each have a value quite different from the value of most goods in that its value does not lie in itself, but lie in its functi... ... liberty is finite, the metaphysical conception that liberty is something absolute and supreme seems nonsensical. Notes (1) John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1971), 560. (2) Will Lymlicka, Contemporary Pliltical Philosophy (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1990), 208. (3) C. L. Sheng, A Utilitarian General Theory of Value (Amsterdam and Atlanta: Rodopi International Publisher, 1997), 33-44. (4) C. L. Sheng, "On the Flexible Nature of Morality," Philosophical Research Archives, Vol. 12 (1986-1987), 125-142. (5) C. L. Sheng, "On Charitable Actions," in C. L. Sheng, Philosophical Papers (Taipei: Tamkang University Press, 1993), 131-153. (6) Joseph Raz, "Right-Based Moralities," in Utility and Rights, ed. R. C. Frey (Minneapolis, Minnesota: The University of Minnesota Press, 1984), 42-60. (7) See note 4.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Elements of Homers Odyssey in the Coen Brothers Oh Brother Where Art

The Coen Brothers’ â€Å"Oh Brother Where Art Thou?†, loosely based on Homer’s classic adventure The Odyssey, is a film amusingly filled with themes of symbolism similar to those found in Homer’s epic, while still maintaining a sense of originality and style that they have become so renowned for. An exciting and entertaining blend of high adventure, humour, and heartfelt emotion, at first glance, the film barely resembles Homer’s poem: only certain elements are obvious, such as the main character’s name and the three sirens by the river. However, a deeper and more intense analysis of the film and text exposes numerous, if not more subtle references. The adventures of the three main characters in the movie, Ulysses, Pete and Delmar include many encounters with characters similar to Homer’s Odyssey, such as the trio of Sirens, a Bible-salesman Cyclops, as well as other archetypes from southern folklore and pop culture such as the young blues musician, the Klan, and the infamous bank robber â€Å"Baby Face† Nelson. However, the biggest parallel between both pieces might have to be the strik...

Friday, October 11, 2019

My Favorite Player Essay

I have been an ardent admirer of a number of past and present athletes and sportsmen each of whom have won accolades for his outstanding skill in and grasp on a particular sport. They include renowned personalities from India and abroad who have outshone themselves in games and sports like boxing, diving, swimming, weightlifting, archery, badminton, cricket, hockey, tennis etc. Among the sportsmen who have impressed me a lot at one time or the other, the main names are of Mohammad Ali (Cassius Clay), Jaysuriya, Imran Khan, Nawab Pataudi, Sunl Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Prakash Padukone, Gopi Chand, P.T. Usha, Jaspal Rana, Capriati and Milkha Singh, also known as the Flying Singh. But the brightest star in the galaxy of all these famous names is Sachin Tendulkar, a present-day craze amongst the cricket lovers all over the world. He is an astonishing wizard of this highly popular game and has already got his name recorded amongst the four leading names of top batsmen. They are Sir Vivian Richards, Garfield Sobers, Graemen Pollock and, of course, Tendulkar. While on the field, he seems to be possessed by the All Powerful. Owing to his form, unusual game and great capacity to outmaneuver his opponents, his friends admire him in reverence; his rivals lose their guts and stamina at his sight; youngsters adore him and the elderly shower their blessings on him. Leaving his past record-breaking performances aside, we can mention his latest surprises at Centurion in South Africa for assuring his team the entry into the Super Six in the World Cup. With 98 off 75 at a terrific speed, he put India through to the Super Six and Pakistan out of the World Cup. The same day, he completed 12,000 runs in ODIs and became the first to make 1500 runs in the history of the World Cup. The Master Blaster tamed Akhtar in less than two over and left everyone speechless with his stunning assault. The happiest crowning moment in Sachin’s career was witnessed in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday, March 23, 2003. It was the closing day of World Cup Jamboree, where the Master Blaster was given the prestigious the man of the tournament award. He had scored 673 runs at an average of 61.18 in the tournament, a new record aggregate, with one century and six 50s. Dr. Ali Bacher, Executive director of CWC 2003, had correctly remarked, â€Å"We wanted this to be the Best World Cup ever, and Sachin’s brilliant batting has helped the tournament captivate many millions of people around the cricketing world.† Sachin is a rare gem for his innumerable fans all over the world. He is one of the youngest players, is exceptionally smart and agile, is quick in his response and has unusual physical talents. He has outstanding balance, is highly competitive, has rare speed and is gifted with exceptional temperament. He has the desire to be the best and has unmatchable mental ability. He plays well against quality, pace and spins. His clashes with Shane Warne in Australia have provided some excellent theatre. His record in the past games is just superb which makes him a true champion in the world of cricket in the real sense.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Education of the filipino Essay

?According to the article, it seems that foreigners, especially the Americans influence us in a lot of different ways. They influence us in terms of speech, sense of style and clothing, food we eat, the movies we watch and even how we think and decide. And for that, I can say that our minds are somewhat manipulated by the Western culture and thus, we think and act as if we were like them. Where is the modern day Crisostomo Ibarra and Maria Clara who took their stand for the traditional way of living? Where are the people who care enough to preserve our culture and tradition? I agree with Renato Constantino’s statement in which I would quote â€Å"Education is a vital weapon of people striving for economic emancipation, political independence and cultural renascence. † One must be aware of the country’s problems, understand the solution and be caring and courageous enough to work and sacrifice for our country’s salvation. We Filipinos must work hand in hand to achieve one goal. In my opinion, many Pinoys want the Philippines to be an American state because for them, lying in independence could mean poverty. Hopeless and grim as it may seem. For me, it’s not just the government and the system that has problem here, it’s the people and their manners plus attitude. It is also said that the most effective way of subjugating people is to capture their minds. In doing so, we are tricked into doing or being someone we are unlikely to be and some of our beliefs and stand can be swayed by such illusions of freedom to express. As long as feelings of resistance remain in the hearts of the vanquished, no conqueror is secure and as long as we are strong and sure of ourselves, we can avoid being swayed by others. The Filipinos mentality sometimes just escapes me. Many are bias and many are just plain jealous of the fact that Filipinos can be smart too. A lot can’t still accept that fact. On the other hand, there are several weak beings that move beside the â€Å"authorized† person holding the power against them or what we call â€Å"puppets†. The American culture has been a part of the Filipino’s lives. But despite of that I believe that we must preserve our resources and Filipino values to an extent. The fact still remains that these people are in a conquered nation whose national life had to be woven into the pattern of American dominance. The drawback is that we still rely on first world countries such as the United States for support financially and economically. Absurd as it may sound but the truth remains that we are poor and we need them to survive. A classic example would be us students most especially those taking up Nursing. We are struggling hard to finish this course because of its demands abroad. Many are aiming to seek for better job opportunities abroad. I would be lying if I say that I am taking up Nursing because I want to serve my country, but who doesn’t want a brighter future? Now where’s my sense of nationalism? I say I’m just being practical. It’s much better to accept the fact that we, Filipinos are diverse in culture and language as well as our way of thinking because we have been influenced by so many cultures internally and externally. It is true that education will bring emancipation and the right education will broaden our perspective and hopefully, appreciate and capitalize on the diversity to propel us forward.