Discuss prufrock as a modern man Essay Example

Discuss prufrock as a modern man Paper In the sullen figure of Prufrock many critics find the characteristics of a modern man. The way Prufrock suffers from agonies, faces insurmountable ordeals even while thinking of proposing to a lady, the way Prufrock vacillates like a pendulum between decision and indecision, action and inaction, his lack of courage to be are in many ways the representative qualities of a modern individual. Prufrock has a sense of insecurity and he feels a lack of communication with others, even with his beloved. The innumerable faces that he meets everyday are but a gallery of pictures. By delineating Prufrock caught in the world of indifference, T. S. Eliot refers to the sordid conditions of a modern city dweller. These cheap and sinister sections of the town as mentioned in the poem bespeak the banal disposition of the 20th century society in which Prufrock lives. The poem is actually a symbolic one, which expresses the barrenness, the mental tension, the frustration and the irresolution of a modern man. Through Prufrock, a city dweller in the early twenties, T.S. Eliot unfolds the banal superficial and sordid disposition of the society. (He of the greatest paradoxes of the 20th centurys society as seen by Prufrock in that society although people build up cities to live together, at the same time, they feel a lack of communication with each other. ) In a banal society of 20th century no one gets the opportunity to express himself even in front of his beloved one. The First World War, which sapped away the ideas and the beliefs of man, was just over. As a terrible consequence of the War an emotional crisis sets in. We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss prufrock as a modern man specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss prufrock as a modern man specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss prufrock as a modern man specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Eliot depicts the complexity of a modern man and the frustration of modern civilization through images and symbols, which are mainly functional, precise and compact. In the epigraph of the poem a few lines from Dantes Inferno has been used which signifies that the world of Prufrock is a kind of hell. The words of a false counselor, Guido-da-Montefeltro are expressed. Guido shut up in his flame describes his agonies to Dante. Guido and Prufrock, although their situations are different, have similarities in the mental agonies they feel. Prufrock fears even if he were Lazarus and wanted to tell the lady about his buried life, she perhaps would throw a shawl and say That is not what I meant at all That is not it, at all. For all his decisions and indecisions he is like Prince Hamlet but he again asserts that despite his numerous indecisions he is rather an anti-hero playing a sub-ordinate role of someone like Polonius. Then he sees the terrible vision of his head being brought upon a platter John the Baptist. John the Baptist lived for a purpose and died for a cause whereas Prufrock wishes to die because he finds no purpose in living. As Prufrock remarks Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter I am no prophet and heres no great matter. We get the sorry figure of Prufrock who is being haunted by the twilight zones of his mind. With utter desperation, he recalls the women who are obsessed with talking of Michelangelo. He clearly understands that they pose to be connoisseurs of art. Hearing the conversation he becomes conscious of the futility of his own existence in front of the great stature of Michelangelo. Under the working of the universe he feels his futile disposition. His self-consciousness makes him prone to social discomfort. He is so conscious about his own position, his own personality that e thinks of an extra-ordinary image of a magic lantern But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen. We hear weariness in the heavy sounds, which Prufrock utters I grow old, I grow old. Being unable to face the present situation he conjectures the beautiful mermaids riding seaward on the waves. In the world of reality his passions remain unfulfilled; therefore, he visualizes the mermaids in whose immaculate beauty he desires to get what he has been deprived of. Prufrock despite the hundreds of excuses, which he invents to elude the overwhelming question realizes at the4 end that one day he has to face the grim reality. As a means of evading that inevitable situation of facing the reality, he becomes enamored with the vision of mermaids and at the end of the poem the image of the mermaid aptly emphasizes the sordid condition of the modern individual. The lover Prufrock feels helpless who does not have courage to meet his lady, let alone propose her. Prufrock does not want to put on a mask especially when he is in front of the lady. But the shame codes of society demand of him that he should maintain a veneer of false modesty. In his attempts to conform to the superficial codes of modern society Prufrocks condition of sheer helplessness could be seen. He even thinks that he may break the status quo of the whole solar system by proposing to the lady. The following image of climbing stairs stresses the difficulties of the unromantic middle age of Prufrock And indeed there will be time To wonder Do I dare? and Do I dare? Time to turn back and descend the stair. Prufrock recalls the meaninglessness and the triviality of his past life and realizes as well the futility of all social engagements in a dull routine. As he says I have measured out my life with a coffee spoon. Therefore, it is inevitable that Prufrock would feel a lack of communication between the lady and him. So, he does not find any meaning in giving vent to his personal feelings in front of the lady. Thus in the figure of Prufrock T. S. Eliot depicts the agonies and somewhat subhuman condition of a modern man. The superficial codes of modern society, which are sapping away the elements of goodness in man, are mocked at in this poem. That Prufrock despite all his endeavors fails to cope with the banal norms and rituals of modern society is an example how modern civilization is sometimes vain in its roots. The sufferings of Prufrock are according to many critics the representative sufferings of a modern man, his dilemmas are that of a modern individual.

Task Environment Essay Example

Task Environment Essay Example Task Environment Paper Task Environment Paper There is an opportunity for a separate menu that should be developed; the plates should be identified on the main menu. It is very difficult for those with celiac disease to eat out when there are not many options for gluten free restaurants; this gives an opportunity to The Cheesecake Factory to increase their consumer market. 2. Shift away from fine dining (T) The shift in the market away from fine dining experienced in 2012 will continue in the upcoming years as consumers remain cost conscious. There is still no clear indication as to where the economy in general is heading. Until a change comes consumers will be focused on Perceived Value. This shift has eloped the Quick Serve Market which has led to an opportunity for them to introduce a higher end product to their menus. Taco Bell and McDonalds, for instance, have reaped the benefit of this market shift; consumers see a greater value for their money. The Cheesecake Factory can continue with a more creative, reasonable priced or multiple portion sizes menu and more attention to the hospitality of their aspects. The company is shifting away from fine dining by placing the restaurants near malls making it more casual to eat there; this can be seen as a threat, as The Cheesecake Factory has been en as a place to dine on special events, this is slowly deteriorating. 3. The economy will be in focus (T) The last three quarters of 2012 have been rough for a number of restaurants. The only bright spot has been Quick Serves. 2013 will provide much of the same, especially during the first six months of the year. We still see the industry segment growing, but only 1. 3% over inflation. Energy prices and food inflation will be the wild card on how the industry performs. If we see a spike in energy costs due to continued turmoil in the Middle East, fewer accretions spending dollars will be available for eating out. The effects of the 201 2 drought will continue to be seen during the first half of 2013. This will drive the cost of protein and other staples to new heights. This is a threat to The Cheesecake Factory since their biggest problem is comparable store sales- the company reported a come increase of 2. 7% and although this figure is above many of its competitors, the 2. 7% is composed of a 1. % increase in traffic and 1% in checks; but the company had increased menu prices b 1. 9% during the final quarter of 2012 which indicates that the average check declined . 9%. This is due to the inflation; management stated a continued increase in prices to keep up with inflation. 4. Effort in taking care of the kids (O) For the last six years, we have stressed the impor tance of taking care of the kids and improving the menu options for this important age group. The Gene Y group is starting to mature and have children. They will not stop eating out because of this. It will be even more important to cater to this group. American Demographics Magazine states that married couples with children Penn an average of 44% more at restaurants than those without children. Happy kids mean happy parents. This is an opportunity for The Cheesecake Factory to provide a fun and unique selection of foods for the kids. The company is targeting a female audience that shops at the mall, these consumers will bring along their kids who will want something healthy yet fun for the children. 5. Commodity Prices will result in food inflation (T) The severe drought of 2012 will continue to affect almost all food costs, especially beef, well into 2013. Customers will want to see lower to flat prices u to the stagnant economy. Vendors will pass higher costs along. Restaurants will be stuck in middle. True food inflation will be over higher in January 2013 than it was at the beginning of 2012. Price increases are inevitable. Communication with The Cheesecake Factors guests will be key. This will require a hard look at their menu and design it to draw the customers to higher gross profit items. Menus will need to be updated and revised more frequently than in years past to take advantage of guest expectations. 6. The See of Social Marketing will continue to grow beyond Backbone and Twitter (O) Social media is quickly becoming the communication of choice for many of the guests. In 2012, forty-nine percent (49%) of guests under the age of 44 have used Twitter or something similar. The number of unique visitors to Twitter has increased 1,382% year after year. During the same period, Backbone usage increased 228%. These will only continue to grow and expand to alternative social sites. There is an opportunity to reduce the amount of resources the company is spending on conventional print and TV advertising, and get closer to guests by using these giggly effective social marketing tools. Although The Cheesecake Factory has a Backbone and Twitter, they are yet to create an app- this app can be used for consumers to check in while they are shopping at the mall (where the company is placing its restaurants); not only will this capture all types of demographic and marketing information but will improve customer satisfaction. The consumer will be able to check in prior to going into a Cheesecake Factory location and reserve a seat and even order their food so there is no waiting in long lines; becoming more effective. An Evolving Palate (O) According to the research firm Dichotomies, consumers are increasingly driven to try new flavors. This will expand into the fast casual segment with an emphasis on Asian flavors. The Cheesecake Factory needs to take advantage of this trend- keeping items on the menu that are specialties while enhancing the brand. There is an opportunity to offer unique tastes through seasonal menus or daily/weekly specials. A great place to start will be desserts which The Cheesecake Factory is very well known for. Marketing for these items would be often through social media sites. Encouraging The Cheesecake Factorys guest to not only try the item, but follow the company and look for the new adventurous flavors. 8. Bargaining Power of Suppliers low High levels of competition among suppliers acts to reduce prices to producers, similar critical production, large number of substitute inputs, low cost inputs and switching suppliers. (O) 9. Bargaining Power of Consumers Iow- Large number of consumers, diverse buyer choice, and product is important for consumer they end up paying more for the product. O) 10. Intensity of Existing Rivalry high- Large industry size (T) 11. Threat of Substitutes high- High level of substitutes, low level of food innovation, substitute is inferior in quality. (T) 12. Threat of New Competitors low- Economies of scale is low, new entrants have higher cost of production. (O) V. Analysis of Strategic Factors 1 . Strengths a. Strong name and popularity b. Extensive menu and bakery product offering Its menu offers around 200 items, including appetizer, pizza, pasta, seafood, steaks, salads, sandwiches, and more. The chain is best known for its 40 rarities of cheesecake and other desserts, which account for an impressive 15% of sales. Management has proved quite adept at anticipating consumers dining and taste preferences. The company updates its menu every six months, replacing 5-15 items. C. Strong Management 2. Weaknesses a. Increasing prices b. Unhealthy choices in their menu 3. Opportunities a. Ability to expand internationally b. Trend to social media marketing c. Location near or in malls Management reckons that it has not fully penetrated its existing markets.

Troop withdrawal from Iraq Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Troop withdrawal from Iraq - Research Paper Example Theories must be substantiated. Claims must be empirically verified. Outcomes must be predicted according to the available evidence. The influence of this latter tendency on modern society has long since left the lofty realm of academia and entered into the popular imagination. Everything is knowable, most especially in matters of a political nature. In this same popular imagination, politicians and leaders are expected to make informed and rational decisions prior to taking action. If those actions lead to disastrous results (of any kind: social, political, economical etc.) they are often investigated as to the poor decisions which brought them about. Hardly ever would a politician attribute his/her failure to â€Å"chance† or â€Å"randomness.† This would appear weak and indecisive. This general area of discussion finds a most appropriate expression in the case of America’s invasion and ongoing occupation of Iraq. As students we are as interested, frustrated, a nd connected to the war in Iraq as anyone else. Since Barack Obama was elected president, the question of an American withdrawal from Iraq has become a pressing and even urgent one for many of those voters who put him into office. The ultimate decision will neither be easy nor simple. A time table is a tricky thing to set for troop withdrawal from Iraq, because of unforeseen and external forces. In his renowned scholarly article entitled â€Å"The Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Social Action†, the sociologist Robert Merton seeks to demonstrate that a given social or political decision and ensuing action by an elected leader can often end in not only a failure to yield the desired outcome but can also result in an outcome which is antithetical the original goal(s). Merton contextualizes this claim as one which has been expressed by various thinkers in a wide array of disciplines throughout history.

How Performance Results of CMMI-Based Process Improvement Relates to Essay

How Performance Results of CMMI-Based Process Improvement Relates to CMMI - Essay Example This paper provides a summary of the article Performance Results of CMMI-Based Process Improvement and its relationship with CMMI. Summary The goals and objectives, products and services of organizations are not uniform. Nor do organizations uniformly implement CMMI models to improve their business processes or the manner in which analyse the results obtained. Irrespective of these variances the CMM-based process improvement approach is proving to be effective. Evidence of this started with the earlier special report published by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). This article provides further empirical evidence taken from diverse sources of business activity that includes the telecommunications, financial, manufacturing and defence sectors. This article classifies performance categories into six broad areas, consisting of cost, schedule, productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, and return on investment and employing CMMI is to provide benefits in these areas. Usually org anizations choose a combination of these benefits or refinements in these benefits and the use of CMMI targets this. Through the comparison of the sum of results of quantitative performance across 35 organizations with regards to these benefits prior to the use of CMMI and subsequent this article justifies the use of CMMI towards improvement in performance results. The median improvement as a percentage with respect to cost, schedule, productivity, quality, and customer satisfaction was 34%, 50%, 61%, 48%, and 14% respectively, while in the case of returns on investment it was 40.1. According to the article through the use of CMMI organizations can achieve similar results, but there is the need for more quantitative studies to provide clarity on the circumstances that lead to these process improvements and the manner in which they can be sustained. Expanding on the demonstration of impact on performance by CMMI, this article provides greater detail on the changes that organizations report with regards to these six benefits. In the case of costs the changes include cost of final or intermediate products, costs of processes, and savings achieved model-based process improvement. In the case of schedule the improvements reported relate to schedule predictability and the reduced time required to complete the work. Improvements reported for productivity are essentially on the improvements on the amount of work that is completed over a given period of time. Reported improvements in quality relate to the reduction in the numbers of defects observed in finished or intermediary products. Improvements in customer satisfaction are based on customer satisfaction feedback received from surveys conducted. Improvements in ROI are reported in several ways that include benefit-to-cost ratios, net present value, internal rate of return, payback periods, and break even points. The article then goes onto the details of measures of process performance achieved in the case studies o f several organizations. The case studies include the organizations of 3H Technology, ABB, Hitachi Software Engineering, Motorola Global Software Group, Raytheon Network Centric Systems, North Texas, TrialStat Corporation, Tufts Health Plan, Warner Robins Air Logistic Center, The article concludes that organizations that have based their process improvement methods on CMMI models have demonstrated marked improvement in their performance, but more studies are required to understand the different reasons that contribute to this success and also generate more evidence to establish the benefits of CMMI models for process improvements and hence performance in organizations (Gibson, Goldensen & Kost, 2006). . This article relates to CMMI because it attempts to justify the use of CMMI models by organizations to

Identify and Discuss Classical Theories about The United Nations Assignment

Identify and Discuss Classical Theories about The United Nations Environment Programme - Assignment Example In management of UNEP, managers of the organization do not use coercion to guarantee compliance of its workers. However, its managers exercise power over their subordinates to assure the employee’s compliance with organizational directives (Weber, 1958). In UNEP, bureaucracy exists in the sense that it represents the highest stage of rational development in its administrative system. The organization has delegated duties from the managing director, deputy-managing director to the organization’s employees each with defined duties and responsibilities. For instance, there are fixed official duties at UNEP to ensure that officials have clearly defined duties and are delegated powers or authority to make significant organizational decisions within their sphere of specialization or competence. Further, there is hierarchy of authority at UNEP in that positions are arranged hierarchally in accordance with the level of authority. Management at UNEP represents an ideal administrative form that is based on technical expertise and in accordance with the laid down rules and regulations. Weber’s bureaucratic aspects of an organization evident in the UNEP management is that its managers have charismatic type of authority and it is comprised of a team of technical expertise who are selected and promoted based on their competence to do specific and specialized tasks (Weber, 1958). The classical school of management began in the year 1900 during the industrial revolution. This time, the factory system started to realize new problems in their operation. Scientific management theory proposed by Fredrick Taylor sought to bring every aspect of industrial production and task performance on an efficient and rational basis (Taylor, 2011). The theory was based on the view that organizational performance is improved by systemizing work performance and industrial operation, offering economic incentives to induce superior performance and standardizing tasks. Scientific theory

Sympathy In The Story Perfume English Literature Essay

Sympathy In The Story Perfume English Literature Essay As Perfume created by Suskind unravels the story of an olfactory vampire, the reader is introduced to its tragic anti-hero   JeanBaptiste Grenouille the literal translation of which is frog, an amphibian known for its despicable appearance and keen sense of smell. Grenouille is introduced with traits like arrogance, misanthropy, immorality, or, more succinctly, wickedness  [1]  . Born amidst the stench and the squalor of Paris with streets that stank of manure, the stench of costic Iyes from the tanneries  [2]  , Grenouille is rejected by his mother at his birth and by cutting of the umbilical cord with her gutting knife  [3]  she disassociates and distances herself from him forever. Unlike her four still births, who she left to die, Grenouille survived in this repulsive and sickening neighborhood to evolve into a serial killer.  This childhood trauma of abandonment and abuse and the grotesque way in which the mother literally leaves Grenouille to fend for himself in the foetid odour of burnt animal horn  [4]  evokes pity and sympathy for the baby.These smells create an atmosphere and prepare the reader for what has yet to come. He is callously dumped in an orphanage where the other children almost asphyxiate him to death but he survived the measles, chicken pox, a twenty foot fall into a well and a scalding with boiling water poured over his ch est  [5]  which left him with a slightly crippled foot  [6]  and a limp but he lived.  [7]  Any other child faced with such traumatic experience without the care of a mothers warmth would have breathed his last, but not Grenouille. He was a survivor and ironically lived in the claustrophobic world of eighteenth century France in which he was overpowered by olfactory  experiences. The House of the Spirits crafted by Isabelle Allende is set against the backdrop of political turmoil and social upheaval of Chile   a politically volatile country in Latin America. Esteban Trueba belonged to that minority of socially and economically elite class which controlled the fortunes of the majority: peasants and laborers. He is the outcome of an alliance between his wealthy mother Dona Ester Trueba and a good for nothing immigrant  [8]  father who squandered away the wealth leaving his children to resurrect their lives. Esteban is, like Grenouille, devoid of warm, caring touch of his mother since she was immobile in her chair and was put back into her bed, propped up in the half seated position that was the only one her arthritis allowed  [9]  . Being in the company of a money driven father and a bed ridden mother, Esteban Trueba is a character sculpted by the circumstances. His had been a childhood of privations, discomfort, harshness, interminable night-time ros aries, fear, and guilt.  [10]  Ã‚   In Perfume the uncanny description of Grenouille committing his first murder accidentally to capture the smell of a young virgin elicits two strong emotions from the reader: repulsion for killing an innocent; bafflement at having not assaulted her;However,Grenouillerealized the meaning and goal and purpose of his life had a higher destiny: nothing less than to revolutionize the odiferous world.  [11]  A murder had been start of his splendor. If he was at all aware of the fact, it was a matter of total indifference to him.  [12]  Later, when he begs Baldini to give him work the reader wants him to succeed even though we hope that he fails. Moreover, in his ruthless killing of young girls in pursuit of a distilled, pure scent, we are morbidly fascinated by the vials of perfume yet sickened by our own thoughts. The reader is confronted with Grenouilles desperation and his need for acceptance for which he would go to any length. At the end of his self imposed hibernation, he real izes that only one odour was not there-his own odor  [13]  , a scream as dreadful and loud as if he were being burned alive  [14]  came out of him.Since Grenouille determines identity through smell and the fact that he cannot smell himself brings himthe realisation that he does not have an identity. He experiences the fear of not knowing anything about himself. The reader identifies and sympathises with the insecurity that Grenouille possesses, because he has no odour and thus he is an outcast in society. Similarly, Esteban is a savage and a barbaric in Tres Marias tumbling young girls on the rushes of the riverbankà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦sowing the entire region with his bastard offspring.  [15]  However, Tres Marias is the microcosm of the systematic and generational abuse of the labour class and Esteban represents the autocratic dictator. he could tolerate no opposition; he viewed the slightest disagreement as a provocation  [16]  This evokes extreme dislike for Esteban but by bringing out the callous and insensitive side of Esteban, Allende depicts the oligarchy that controlled the government, preventing the voice of the people from being expressed.The peasants had not heard of unions, or Sundays off, or the minimum wages.  [17]  Atrocities were committed against the citizens as torture, beatings, and rape was common practice. Esteban Truebas rape of PanchaGarcà ­a is a reflection of the exploitation of the peasant classes by the upper classes. Thus, Esteban is a metaphor for all the ills plaguing the society at that time. He has to be seen not as a cruel patriarch but embodiment of the rotting, declining system that mirrors the class struggle, the gender bias and the political dichotomy.   Both books follow the tradition of bildungsroman: the protagonists suffer an emotional loss in the beginning of the story and both feature their journey through life, conflicts between them and society and their steely determination to excel and follow the path they have chartered for themselves. Grenouille found purpose to his life in Baldinis perfumery and Suskind cheats the reader into believing that they are witness to a genius in making. Grenouille is driven, excessively obsessed with the idea of perfecting the best perfume. The reader admires his passion, his frantic pace of rushing against time to prove something to himself for which he suffered tiny cramped living quarters, surviving on bare minimum food and winning the battle against life threatening syphilitic small pox. In The House of the spirits Esteban Truebas cruel treatment of his wife, daughter, and female workers represents Allendes depiction of females as sexual objects. But despite the fact that Esteban rapes, pillages, kills and conspires, he never entirely loses the readers sympathy. It is a remarkable achievement to make the old monster lovable not just to his wife, daughter, and granddaughter, and the other women in his life, but also to the reader. This is done through the third voice that belongs to Esteban Trueba, whose first person accounts serve to express either his intense passion or his acute suffering. Im the patron here now. Esteban is a complex character as his words would reveal. Had these words not been there, we would have summarily dismissed him as a fiendish rogue. Despite his hatred of peasants, Esteban is driven by a desire for the attention and affection of others. Approaching death however, he begins to see the negative outcomes of his violent, selfish actions and be comes increasingly aware of how lonely he is.   The gothic and the gruesome start early in The House of the Spirits with Clara witnessing the autopsy of her sister and the assistant ravaging her corpse. When Nivea meets with an accident and her head is split from her body and thrown away in the bushes an acute chill runs down the readers spine which is further accentuated by the head being brought and placed in the basement of the house. These gory images coupled with a matter of fact tone to bring forth the massacre, violence and Albas captivity during the coup serve to highlight that the characters and their situations are mirrors of the clash and turmoil in Chile at that time. We respond to the tragic and repulsive nature of the unfortunate Grenouille and Esteban with a certain amount of horror and pity. Grenouilles mastery at creating an unparalleled perfume is not overshadowed by the mass orgy that he evokes on dousing himself with this perfume made from the skin of virgins. It is ironic that each man, each woman, in the hands of the little man in the blue frock coat for better or worse loved him.  [18]  Ironic also because of the terror instilled by the murders that went into the making of the scent.   We admire his intelligence and his amazing sense of smell which leads to his success in achieving acceptance from society. He does not kill others for pleasure, but to obtain their scent. For this reasons his victims were only the ones who Grenouille thought had extraordinary scents. Since the reader knows that scent represents identity it could be said that Grenouilles motive for murdering his victims is to acquire an identity. Suskind and Alendes writing techniques are also distinctive in the way that they use phrases and imagery to make violent and grotesque descriptions realistic and repulsive. They drove their claws and teeth into his flesh, they attacked him like hyenas  [19]  and Esteban wore a tiny suede bag à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in it were his wifes false teeth, which he treated as a token of good luck and expiation  [20]  Through these techniques, we are drawn into the world of Grenouille and Esteban. Esteban and Grenouille follow the path that they charter for themselves. In their pursuit to seek identity and acceptance, they commit unforgivable crimes for which the reader does not pardon them but accepts their reasons for doing so. They hold a mirror to the society and ask the question: who really is the monster?

The Execution of Private Slovik Essay -- Literary Analysis, William B

In the narrator’s quest for information about the bombing of Dresden, he wrote to the Air Force, hoping to gain more knowledge about what went into the decision. His only official response at the time was â€Å"that the information was top secret still† (11). How bombing of Dresden could ever be considered classified when it had such a devastating effect on so many people is just one of the many absurdities pointed out by the narrator in his quest to provide a balanced view of the war. One novel, The Execution of Private Slovik by William Bradford Huie, details the only execution of an American soldier for desertion during World War II. The narrator quotes from the opinion of a staff judge advocate who supported Slovik’s sentence, stating: â€Å"If the death penalty is ever to be imposed for desertion, it should be imposed in this case, not as a punitive measure nor as retribution, but to maintain that discipline upon which alone an army can succeed† (45). The view that a soldier should have to die in order for the military to maintain unit cohesion and essentially teach a lesson to other draftees who may want to desert their post is a hard one for those not in the military to sympathize with. Furthermore, it illustrates the paradoxical nature of militaristic actions, where one is forced to fight against enemies who wish to do them harm, or face death at the hands of their fellow servicemen if the choose not to fight. During a Lions Club luncheon meeting Billy attends back in Ilium, a Marine Corp Major who had served in Vietnam addressed the attendees. The Marine spoke of his experience serving in Vietnam, and his view that â€Å"the Americans had no choice but to keep fighting†¦ until the Communists realized that they could not force their wa... ...cation of the bombings of Dresden as tit for tat in an attempt to rationalize civilian killings is abhorrent to those who see life as sacred, regardless of which side of the civilian line one falls. Saundy is much more sympathetic than Eaker to those who lost their lives in the Dresden bombing. Saundy believed â€Å"that the bombing of Dresden was a great tragedy none can deny†, and that it wasn’t necessary to the Allies efforts to win the War (187). However, he does defend those who directed the bombing, stating they â€Å"were neither wicked nor cruel†, but instead forced into making a tough decision in a decisive time in the War (187). Saundy presents a much more humane view of the bombing of Dresden than Eaker. Saundy doesn’t attempt to justify or condemn the bombing; he instead portrays it as one of the many horrors of war that can only be viewed in hindsight as such.

Marketing environments

The aim of this lecture is: To describe important role of Marketing Environment. To differentiate between Macro and Micro Environments. To assess the impact of Marketing Environment on Marketing Practices. To describe various method/Model of Marketing Environment Scanning. Background Information Marketing cannot be practiced in a vacuum; as a business function is affected by various factors or elements within the business environments.According to Lancaster and Massingham (1993), a company's marketing environment consists of the factors and forces that affect the companys ability to develop and maintain uccessful transaction with its targeted customers. Business environments are dynamic and it requires enough attention to ensure that the environment are monitored and does not bring miserable effects to the organization. What is Marketing Environment? Marketing Environment can be described as those factors or elements which are surrounding marketing activities and usually affect the d ecisions and activities of marketing negatively or positively.It consists of both controllable and uncontrollable factors which determine the success or failure of the organization. The controllable actors refer to those elements which can be managed and monitored by the organization in order to ensure they bring positive impact rather than negative impact. On the other side, uncontrollable factors are those factors which an organization has no direct control on them. It is very difficult and sometimes is not possible to control them.The only way that can be done by the organization is to use its internal efforts to reduce the impact of them to the organization activities. Furthermore, uncontrollable factors are usually classified into two groups: one is Macro-environment and the other is Micro-environment. Macro-environment These are external factors which cover the wide range of economic and business activities; its impact goes too far beyond the control of the organization or soc iety as a whole.Macro environment consists of the following elements or factors: Political Factors, Legal and Regulatory Forces, Social-cultural factors, Economic Factors, Technological Factors, Demographic factors Political Factors; political institutions and politicians are responsible for formulating and enforcing various laws and regulations which in one way or another affects the business operations. Furthermore, political forces are responsible for making and adopting various policies (International and local policies), they are responsible for entering into various agreements and contracts which affects marketing activities. ? Legal and Regulatory Forces; various laws and regulations are formulated by various institutional boards and might affect business in one way or another. For example, laws relating to tax, business registration, policy formulation etc. Socio-cultural Factors; the success ot any business depends on now i t takes care about culture and other social aspect s of the societies. Therefore, any action to ignore the culture and life style of the society surrounding the organization marks the failure of the organization. Economic Factors; the impact of economic factors in business and marketing in particular is very significant.The elements such as inflation, interest rates, foreign exchange rates, economic crisis etc have significant impact to the marketing activities. Technology Factors; marketing activities depends much on technology. A means to produce, distribute, promote etc are much affected with the technology in use. That is to say, the intensity of marketing activities reflects the level f technology which the organization use. Demographic Factors; from demographic structure is where customers, consumers, labors, etc are obtained. Thus, the population structure determines the success of the organization.The failure of the organization to analyze demographic structure properly affects the organization performance. Micro-environment This is an external factor which affects the performance of the organization to serve its market effectively. It is an immediate factor which touches the organization activities or functions very close compared to Macro-environment. This includes actors such as: Bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of consumers, Threat of entry of competitors, Competition from substitutes, and competition between firms.Sometimes it is known as Michael Porter's Five Forces Framework. Porter, (1980) argues that industry profitability depends upon industry structure and on the above mentioned factors. Bargaining power of suppliers Suppliers are important partners in a business. They provide resources required for the production of goods and services. However, Suppliers have a substantial significant to the marketing functions and business operations as a whole. The ailure to accommodate the pressure of supplier will bring a great impact to organization products and services prices.For examp le when the price of supplies increases it is obvious that, the price of the final products will also be higher in order to cover operations and productions cost. Bargaining power of consumers Consumers of the company products or services are important partners in a business. However, consumers have both negative and positive impact to the organization. The pressure of consumers to obtain products or services at a low price without considering the cost of the production it usually affects the organization ellbeing.Thus, the organization must work hard to see how the pressure from consumers can be accommodated without affecting the organization operations. Threat of entry of competitors In modern business environment competition is a normal and unavoidable situation. The available opportunities for competitors to enter within the market usually become a threat for the organization success. A door for competitors to enter signifies that, the market share should be divided according to the number of the organizations within the market. Furthermore, the presence of competitors can be reflected in a profit generation.This being the fact, the organization should work hard to compete and not escaping from competition which it is not possible anyway. Competition from substitutes The presence ot competitors or other business partners gives a door ot having substitute goods and services. The substitute goods or services refers to those goods or services which offers similar functions, satisfactions, etc. The availability of substitute goods and products forced the organization to highlight the way forward to compete against those substitutes. Competition between rivalry firm Within the industry, various firms are operating.For example, in the Communication Industry, there are a number of firms which includes firms such as Vodacom, TTCL, TiGO, Airtel etc. In such environment there is a stiff competition between these firms, in which each firm is trying to compete in orde r to acquire a large portion of a market share. Thus, it is very hard to manage this environment. A firm needs to work hard in analyzing the intensity of competition so as to adopt the relevant strategies for such a challenge. Internal Environments (Controllable factors) These are factors within the organization; they have direct impact to the organization performance.However, these factors are within the organization controlling capacity, which means the organization has the ability to monitor its impact and to regulate its trends. These factors include among others, the following important factors: R & D factor, production and operation management factor, financial factor, Human Resources and management factor and marketing factor. R & D factor; this is an important factor which can be used to improve the organization performance by adding new idea, technology, products and services through research and development.Production and operation management factor; the organization readi ness to adopt dvanced and recent methods of production and operation can be said as the most important decision to control the organization performance. The production and other operation methods are changing rapidly, thus, the organization needs to take quick decision to cope with these changes. Financial Factor; the management of financial assets is very important and must be taken carefully. In ability of the firm to manage its financial assets it is a disaster to that particular organization.It creates the light way for its failure while this could be avoided if the organization could have taken serious measures earlier. Human resources and management; people are very important resources for the organization performance. Human resources should be handled in a due care in order to create a situation of offering consistency efforts to the organization productions and operations activities. Marketing factor; in order to ensure marketing as a unit or department within the organizati on it offers valuable contribution and there must be a close supervision of all activities done within this unit.Any disregards to this important component of business operations create a smooth way for the failure of a particular organization. Environmental Scanning and Analysis Atter the organization has identified the above described tactors (Macro and Micro), the next important stage is to analyze in deep the impact of each factor on the organization operations. The big challenge which is facing business owners and business decision makers nowadays is how to deal with environment uncertainty.Now, environmental scanning and analysis is used to assist business analyst to study environment in deep and formulating appropriate strategies to cope with business changes. For examples, from strategic marketing point of view, in formulating arketing plan, two issues must be considered, first; organization capabilities in term of resources, second; the demands of environment which the orga nization operates. Therefore, there is no way the organization can ignore the importance of environmental scanning and Analysis. What is Environmental Scanning and Analysis?Environmental Scanning and Analysis refers to a process of studying and exploring the impact of environments on business operations. It focuses on understanding how business environment affects strategy formulation and implementation. The Former Chief Executive Officer of General Electric Company Jack Welch, once said, â€Å"When the rate of change inside the company is exceeded by the rate of change outside the company, the end is near. † The meaning of this statement is that, if the firm is very weak in studying and coping with external environments is digging a grave for its own death.Environmental Scanning and Analysis is done in the following style. First; the organization is required to analyze business factors which exist in the environment in which the business operates. Second; the organization is required to classify each factor as to whether it falls under an opportunity or a threat. The following phases should be followed while doing environmental scanning and analysis: First phase; identify environmental influences; the aim of this stage is to indentify various factors which influence the organization performance recently and to forecast likely factors that will influence the performance in future.Second phase; an assessment of nature of the environment; the trends of an active factors should be analyzed, the assessment should look on whether the environment is static or dynamic and from there the decision of what is supposed to be done can be taken. Third phase; identify he factors which have a great influence on business operations based on their nature and intensity of its impact. Fourth phase; identify competitive position; analysis of the level of competition should be done based on how competitors are doing, their capabilities and weaknesses and how they are trying to deal with both of them should be scrutinized.Fifth phase; identify how the information obtained above influences the organization operations. Each information should be categorized in either it is a threat or an opportunity to the organization. At the end, this becomes an mportant component in dealing with organization strategy formulation and implementation. Therefore, environmental scanning and analysis results to the identification of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. This can be analyzed by using a SWOT analysis Model which is an abbreviation of the words Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat.Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses The strength and weakness are internal tactors which can attect the organization operation in future. Specifically, Strengths refer to internal factors which can affect the organization operations in a positive way, while weaknesses are internal factors hich can affect the organization operations in a negative way. For example, p oor management of human resources can be considered as a weakness, and the application of advanced technology can be termed as strength to an organization.Environmental Strengths and Weakness Profile Basically, after intensive analysis has been done, is very important to prepare a strategic advantage profile for the organization. This profile gives a clear picture of critical areas which have a great impact to the organization op4 erations recently and in future. Strategic Advantage Profile for a Hypothetical firm A Organization Internal Area Competitive Strength or Weakness Marketing + Product Line is extensive + Services is excellent – Channels of distribution are weak Research and Development – No Research and development performed Operations + Excellent sourcing for new materials. Facilities are old and becoming out dated. Corporate Resources O Company size is about average for the industry. O Profits have been consistent but average. – Union employees compl ain frequently Finance + Balance sheet shows ability to obtain needed capital, low debt equity ratio, high working capital position and favorable stock position. Sources: Mzava, (2004:20) KEY: + Indicates Strength Indicates weakness O Indicates Neutral Analysis of Opportunities and Threats An opportunity and a threat are external factors which might affect the organization operation in future.Now, specifically, Opportunities are external environments which can affect the organization operations in a favorable way, while, Threats refers to factors which might affect the organization in unfavorable way. At the end of opportunities and threats analysis, Environmental Threat and Opportunity Profile (ETOP) must be established. Environmental Threat and Opportunity Profile (ETOP) is very important for strategies formulation and implementation.

Fingerprinting essays

Fingerprinting essays Detectives arrived on the scene after complaints of screaming heard by a neighbor down the street. Besides the blood painted walls and drenched sheets, there lay a lump of human parts on the bed. What they found was the body of a prostitute that had been bound and beheaded with her liver placed between her lacerated legs. Recognized to be human only by the eyes that were missing from her skull, she had fallen victim to a psychotic eradicator. Jack the Ripper, known as one of the most historically significant serial killers of all time, left his victims bodies most unidentifiable, but not the latent fingerprints he left behind that later convicted him. Forensic science used in criminal justice has recently been revolutionized with new DNA technology, but fingerprinting is still the most valid and effective form of identification used in law enforcement today. Going back in the time of ancient Babylon, fingerprints and ridge patterns were used on clay tablets for business transactions and governmental procedures. By the 14th century, the fact that no two prints were alike was becoming more noticeable, thus the history of the fingerprint began (Von Minden 1). Noting the ridges, spirals, and loops in fingerprints, Marcello Malpighi, a professor of anatomy at the University of Bologna, made no declaration to the value of personal identification, but began to point out the differences in fingerprint patterns in 1686. Then, in 1823, a professor of anatomy at the University of Breslau, John Evangelist Purkinji, discussed nine fingerprint patterns in a published thesis, but still did not take notice to the individuality of each print (Von Minden 1). It wasnt until 1856 that Englishman and Chief Magistrate, Sir William Hershel, used fingerprints on native documents. Doing so was ...to frighten [him] out of all the thought of repudiating his signature. After gathering many prints, Hershel took notice to the fac...

A List of Programming Contests and Challenges

A List of Programming Contests and Challenges Link to C TutorialsLink to C TutorialsLink to C# Tutorials Not every programmer wishes to test his programming skills in a contest but occasionally I get a new challenge to stretch me. So here is a list of programming contests. Most are annual but some are continuous and you can enter at any time. The experience of stepping outside your programming comfort zone is entirely beneficial. Even if you dont win a prize, youll have thought in new ways and be inspired to have another go. Studying how others solved the problem can also be educational. There are many more contests than I have listed here but Ive winnowed these down to ten that anyone can enter. Most important of all you can use C, C or C# in these. Annual Contests International Conference on Functional Programming (ICFP). This has been running for a decade and happens in June or July each year. Though its based in Germany, anyone can enter using any programming language, from any location. Its free to enter and your team isnt limited by size. In 2010 its from June 18-21The BME International is an intense free to enter contest that takes place in Europe once a year for teams of three, and you have to bring your own computers and software. This year, the 7th took place in Budapest. This has had some interesting challenges in the past- how about driving a car over a virtual terrain? Other past tasks included controlling an oil-company, driving an assembly line robot and programming for secret communication. All programs were written in one 24 hour intense period!International Collegiate Programming Contest. One of the longest-running  - this started in 1970 at Texas AM and has been run by the ACM since 1989 and has IBMs involvement since 1997. One of the bigger contests it has thousands of teams from universities and colleges competing locally, regionally and ultimately in a world final. The contest pits teams of three university students against eight or more complex, real-world problems, with a gruelling five-hour deadline. The Obfuscated C contest has been running for nearly 20 years. This is done on the internet, with email submissions. All you have to do is write the most obscure or obfuscated Ansi C program in under 4096 characters length according to the rules. The 19th contest took place back in January/February 2007.The Loebner Prize is not a general programming contest but an AI challenge to enter a computer program that can do the Turing test, ie talk to a human sufficiently well to make the judges believe they are talking to a human. The Judge program, written in Perl will ask questions like What time is it?, or What is a hammer? as well as comparisons and memory. The prize for the best entrant is $2,000 and a Gold Medal.Similar to the Loebner Prize is the Chatterbox Challenge. This is to write the best chatter bot- a web-based (or downloadable) application written in any language that can carry on text conversations. If it has an animated display that syncs with text then that is even better- you get more points! International Problem Solving Contest (IPSC). This is more for fun, with teams of three entering via the web. There are 6 programming problems over a 5 hour period. Any programming language is allowed.The Rad Race - Competitors in teams of two have to complete a working business program using any language over two days. This is another contest where you have to bring along equipment, including a router, computer(s), cables, a printer etc. The next one will be in Hasselt, Belgium in October 2007.The ImagineCup - Students at school or college compete by writing software applicable to the set theme which for 2008 is Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment. Entries started August 25th, 2007.ORTS Competition. ORTS (open real-time strategy game) is a programming environment for studying real-time AI problems such as path-finding, dealing with imperfect information, scheduling, and planning in the domain of RTS games. These games are fast-paced and very popular. U sing the ORTS software once every year there is a series of battles to see whose AI is best. The International Obfuscated C Code Contest (abbreviated IOCCC) is a programming contest for the most creatively obfuscated C code. It started in 1984 and the 20th competition started in 2011. Entries are evaluated anonymously by a panel of judges. The judging process is documented in the competition guidelines and consists of elimination rounds. By tradition, no information is given about the total number of entries for each competition. Winning entries are awarded with a category, such as Worst Abuse of the C preprocessor or Most Erratic Behavior, and then announced on the official IOCCC website. Theres no prize except if your program is featured on the site then you won!Google Code Jam. Running since 2008, its open to anyone aged 13 or other, and you or a close relative dont work for Google or a subsidiary country and you dont live in a banned country: Quebec, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Syria, Burma (Myanmar). (The contest is prohibited by law). Theres a qualification round and three oth er rounds and the top 25 travel to a Google office for the Grand Final. Continuous or Ongoing Contests Hutter Prize. If you can improve on the compression of 100 MB of Wikipedia data by 3% or better then you can win cash prizes. Currently, the smallest compression is 15,949,688. For every 1% reduction (minimum 3%) you win â‚ ¬500.Project Euler. This is an ongoing series of challenging mathematical/computer programming problems that will require more than just mathematical insights to solve. computationally the problems should be solvable in less than a minute. A typical problem is Find the first ten digits of the sum of one-hundred 50-digit numbers.Sphere Online Judge. Run at Gdansk University of Technology in Poland, they have regular programming contests - with over 125 completed. Solutions are submitted to an automatic online judge that can deal with C, C and C# 1.0 and many other languages.Intels Threading Programming Problems. Running from September 2007 until the end of September 2008 Intel have their own Programming Challenge with 12 programming tasks, one per month that can be solved by threading. You get awarded points for solving a problem, coding elegance, code execution timing, use of the Intel Threading Building Blocks and bonus points for posting in their problem set discussion forum. Any language but C is probably the preferred language. Codechef is Indias first, non-commercial, multi-platform online coding competition, with monthly contests in more than 35 different programming languages including C, C and C#. Winners of each contest get prizes, peer recognition and an invitation to compete at the CodeChef Cup, an annual live event. Annual Contests Hewlett Packard (HP) Codewars is for high school students and takes place every year on Hewlett-Packards Houston campus. its been run every year since 1999. Not only do students get the high-tech HP environment, a wide range of programming challenges, large amounts of good programmer food (pizza and caffeine), music, plus loads of giveaways. There are trophies for the top competitors in each of two classifications, plus loads of exciting door prizes like computers, scanners, printers, software, and accessories. This is the ultimate high school computer programming competition. Dont forget the About C, C and C# Programming challenges. No prizes but you get fame!

Critical Thinking Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Critical Thinking Questions - Essay Example When a person starts to socialize with a select group of people, there is a greater chance that he starts understanding the viewpoint of the group and also second the opinion in a way as well. This indeed is brainwashing since he does not know that he is falling for a thinking mindset which was unknown to him in the past but as soon as he started to socialize with these people; his ideology began to change for more reasons than one. Management’s socialization program would also have an outlook of innovation and autonomy since management is being derived by its cultural objectives in entirety. The socialization program would be out-of-the-box and classy as it will entail more and more usage of technological regimes and thus look to cater the upper echelon of the society. Management would indeed be ready for such a magnanimous change and shift in the attitude of its stakeholders since the socialization program would be considered as useless if it lacks people and that too hailing from the required target clans. Thus the cultural undertakings would leave a clear mark on the manner in which the socialization program would be devised and this has a very essential meaning on the way the management carries out its cultural domains on a consistent basis. Thus the socialization program would be a likely cousin of the management regime which has been manifested in different mannerisms up till now and the socializa tion program has to wear the same attitude culturally and socially that the management has been preaching within its philosophy ever since it was instituted. I believe Webster University offers educational services in much the same manner as a top university in any part of the world would do. This means that the education and training for the students (locals and foreign) is state-of-the-art and top class, matching none other within the related

Predatory Practices in financial borrowing and lending contracts Research Paper

Predatory Practices in financial borrowing and lending contracts - Research Paper Example Predatory Practices in financial borrowing and lending contracts The following are some of the characteristics of predatory practices in money lending. First, those targeted are chiefly the low income people and the elderly in society. Second, the loans’ costs and terms often change at the closing and differ greatly from what they were at the beginning or what was agreed. Predatory practices are also often accompanied by aggressive sale approaches. There are also repeated re-financing options after a short time lapse so that lenders end up collecting addition fee or penalties, consequently denying borrowers such as home owners the equities from their security. Notably, in most of predatory lending practices, the lending is not often in line with the borrower’s capacity to repay since the lender’s center of attention is often the foreclosure. In addition, the vulnerable borrower is always unaware of the underlying truths of the truth, terms, conditions, and consequences of the deal (â€Å"Predatory Lending† 4). That is, there is always quite a lot of misunderstanding about the nature of loan and the amount to be repaid since such transactions has high but hidden fees that could be hidden from the borrower’s eyes. The borrowers are often tricked by the aggressive sales. Most affected in this regard are uninformed groups, which end up borrowing under unfair loan terms. Due to the harmful effects of such loans to society, the government has numerous remedies in form of laws and regulations. These remedies include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA), and the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). Others are the Fair Housing Act, and the Federal Trade Commission Act, and Special State Anti-predatory Lending Statutes, in State Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Acts, and common law fraud and unconscionability. This paper explores some of the predatory practices in lending, pointing out and explaini ng the parties’ responsibilities. Predatory Practices Predatory lending practices are not only unfair but also fraudulent and deceptive. In other terms, predatory lending entails the imposition of abusive and unfair terms on loans for borrowers. In fact, the phrase ‘predatory lending† generally refers to many specific illegal activities in the loan sector. Nonetheless, different states have various laws against each specific type of illegal loan activity. Notice should be taken about the distinction between predatory lending and predatory mortgage servicing. The latter refers to the deceptive, fraudulent, and unjust practices of lenders and servicing agents in loan or mortgage servicing processes. Unlike predatory lending, this latter activity takes place post loan origination. An example of a predatory practice is that of a lender deceptively convincing a potential borrower to accept an unfair and abusive loan term (Nasiripour 122). Second, a lender may methodica lly breach the terms so that the borrower finds it hard to defend against it (Aleo and Svirsky 119). These predatory practices may be done through certain types of  credit cards, largely  subprime, payday loans, and overdraft loans. In all these cases, the lender may set the interest rates at considerably and unreasonably high levels. Mostly targeted by predatory loan lenders are borrowers with some collateral to back their loan requests. This collateral could be a car or a house, which the