Mr. Burns as Scrooge of Springfield

In the history of modern popular culture, there have been few American satires as influential and successful as the animated television show, The Simpsons.   With Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and baby Maggie living in the everytown of Springfield, U.S.A., they find themselves in many situations common to most Americans, including being under the rule of ruthless corporate raiders like Charles Montgomery Burns.As owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Mr. Burns displays all the characteristics of a classic egoist, though his satirical portrayal takes many of the attributes and accentuates them to the point of ridiculousness.   Mr. Burns shows absolutely no charitable tendencies, is concerned solely with money and power, and cares little for anyone other than himself, which makes him anything but a relativist or utilitarian, but seems to make him more of an ethical egoist.Mr. Burns is a corporate raider, characterized on the show as being over a century old, putting him amongst the original robber barons.   The character himself is actually based on an amalgam of media magnate William Randolph Hearst and his fictional counterpart Charles Foster Kane, both characters that focused solely on their power and how to use and enhance it.   In The Simpsons, almost every story concerning Mr. Burns includes his blatant disregard for anyone else other than himself and his own interests.One of the most obvious depictions of Burns’ ethics comes in the two-part episode called â€Å"Who Shot Mr. Burns?†Ã‚   In the episode, oil is discovered beneath Springfield Elementary School, and the school seems poised to get a windfall of money from the discovery.   This will allow the terribly dilapidated and underfunded school to make many improvements in every aspect of the curriculum.   However, Mr. Burns discovers the oil and creates a slant drilling company that will draw the oil up from an angle, in the process destroying the Springfield Retirement Home and making the popular Moe’s Tavern uninhabitable for humans.   In addition to alienating the school, destroying the retirement home, and putting Moe’s out of business, Mr. Burns also fails to remember the name of his decade-long employee, Homer Simpson.His selfishness and self-absorption have managed to anger just about everyone in town, though he is only concerned with making more money and becoming even more powerful.   He finally reveals his grand scheme to his loyal assistant Waylon Smithers, which is to build a giant device that will block out the sun in Springfield and require all the citizens in town to use electricity from his plant twenty-four hours a day.   He even feels so good that he wants to steal candy from a baby.When his loyal assistant objects, Burns quickly fires him, never realizing that Smithers’ life desire was merely to work for Mr. Burns.   Burns is blind to everything and everyone, and he finally succeeds at blocking out the su n, incurring the anger of everyone in town.   It is when he celebrates his victory he is shot by an unknown assailant, who after a cliffhanger, is revealed to be baby Maggie Simpson as he attempts to steal her candy and subsequently shot by his own gun (â€Å"Who Shot Mr. Burns?†).While the over three-hundred episodes of The Simpsons have many instances of Mr. Burns making ethically questionable decisions in the name of money and power, this episode remains one of the most famous and obvious examples of his selfishness.   To Burns, nothing is as important as his business success, and this is the single factor dictating his ethics and his actions.   Burns’ morality bleeds into every aspect of his life outside of business, though to him there are no other concerns than business.Morality and ethics are important to every aspect of human life, including in business, and many ethical theorists have sought to understand the extent of morality and the duty that individu als and organizations have to other individuals and organizations.   Though no laws of morality or ethics have been established, there are four core concepts presented by ethical theorists: ethical relativism, which espouses that ethics is a question of individual choice and preference; impartiality, which suggests that humans should treat each other as equals where none count more than others; sympathy, which is the imaginative ability to put oneself in another’s shoes; and moral sufficiency, which seeks to answer just how much moral decency is reasonably possible (Gibson 62-63).In business matters, these issues and the questions they pose are even greater, as businesses have the potential to create great benefit for others, or do them great harm, all the while trying to maximize profit and retain success.   Mr. Burns is far from an ethical relativist, for he shows no concern for the benefit of others.   In fact, he takes joy out of creating misery for others, as long as their misery is profitable to him.   He assumes responsibility for his actions without shame, and feels no remorse if anyone is hurt.   After all, one of his greatest desires was to take candy from a baby, for no other reason than he could.In the essay, â€Å"Thinking Ethically,† the authors attempt to apply various ethical approaches to moral issues in business, which could apply to Mr. Burns’ actions.   One of the first and most widely known approaches is the utilitarian approach, which seeks to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of individuals.   The way to analyze the utilitarian approach is to identify the various course of action available, ask who will be affected by each action and what benefits and harms will come from them, and choose the action that will produce the greatest benefits and least harm (Velasquez 64).Mr. Burns, if anything, purposefully contradicts this mode of action, as he derives pleasure in the misery of those he va nquishes in the name of greater profit and power, even if these people are innocent.   Another ethical approach is the Rights Approach, which espouses that an action is moral as long as it falls within the moral rights of an individual, while the Fairness or Justice Approach which states that favoritism and discrimination are wrong.The Common Good Approach focuses on ensuring that social policies, social systems, institutions, and environments on which we depend are beneficial to all; the Virtue Approach assumes that there are certain ideals towards which humans should strive, which provide for the full development of humanity (66).   By approaching situations of ethical ambiguity with these theories, one has a better chance of choosing the correct mode of action.   For Burns, all of these ethical approaches are not applicable, for he fails to ever consider how his actions may affect anyone else negatively.Or, when he does think about it, he gets pleasure in being able to impo se his power to the point where he can bring misery to others through his actions, as in his celebration after blotting out the sun despite the protests of everyone in the entire town, including his closest supporter Smithers.In Donelson Forsyth’s article, â€Å"Judging the Morality of Business Practices: The Influence of Personal Moral Philosophies,† he examines the ways business leaders approach ethical relativism and how it does not need to necessarily defeat the moral enterprise.   However, to someone like Mr. Burns, ethics are nothing more than an afterthought, while the bottom line is the only thing that matters.While studies have suggested the impact of relativism and idealism on moral judgment and behavior depends on the nature of the social institution, individual differences in personal moral philosophy suggests that humans will most likely never reach the ideal of complete agreement, but can aim for a fuller understanding of one’s own and othersâ₠¬â„¢ reactions to various types of business practices (Forsyth 75).   In the case of Burns, he only agrees and appreciates with those that share his views on profiteering and power, even though he remains skeptical and suspicious of every threat; and he considers virtually everybody a threat to his wealth and power.This is why, despite having more money than anyone in town and never being able to spend it all, all the instances when Mr. Burns is asked to contribute even a little of his money to help someone else, he vehemently rejects the request.   This has been seen many times in the show, from Homer asking for help with a sick dog to a girl scout trying to sell Mr. Burns cookies only to have him â€Å"release the hounds† on her.Mr. Burns greed and complete lack of charity display his true nature as an ethical egoist.   In Peter Singer’s article, â€Å"The Singer Solution to World Poverty,† the author proposes that if people in affluent countries like th e United States donated a small portion of their money that would normally be spent on luxury items, then the money can be used to help out poverty stricken peoples around the world.He uses examples of how this can be done, by citing the costs incurred by someone who buys a new television merely to upgrade from an older one.   He claims that if this money was donated to such charities as Unicef or Oxfam America that it would do a greater deal of good for the most possible people, thereby having the greatest utility value.   By choosing to buy the television and not donate the money, Singer feels that a person is making a questionable moral decision, even though few in the situation actually feel this way.Singer uses a more provocative hypothetical example of a man named Bob, who has an uninsurable classic car that he will sell to insure that he has money for his retirement.   In the situation, Bob is forced to make a decision as a train bears down on his car and a little boy; Bob has a choice whether to save the boy or the car, but not both, and Bob chooses the car and lets the boy die.   While this dramatic example seems to highlight the undesirable attributes of self-interest, Singer claims that the â€Å"difference between Bob and those who can afford to donate to overseas aid organizations but don't is that only Bob can save the child on the tracks, whereas there are hundreds of millions of people who can give $200 to overseas aid organization† (Singer).By Singer’s logic, those that are not donating to these organizations are committing an act similar to the one performed by Bob.   Mr. Burns would not only laugh at such a concept, but would relish the fact that anyone asking for help would be suffering.   If in the same situation, he would most certainly save the car, and most likely praise Bob for saving his car, before figuring out a way to get the car from Bob for himself.Mr. Burns utilizes his power to inflict his will upon ot hers, and only respects those who do the same.   As, all humans are born with free will, the decision to be charitable or uncharitable rests within that freedom.   The German Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant contributed much to the Western discussion of ethics and free will, and his conception of freedom and virtue are reasoned by â€Å"the critical distinction of the two modes of representation (the sensible and the intellectual) and the consequent limitation of the conceptions of the pure understanding and of the principles which flow from them† (Kant).Kant attempts to distinguish between the empirical and rational conceptions of free will and how it influences virtue, questioning whether freedom is the independent choices of free will or merely the practical reaction to circumstance and causality.   To this end, Kantianism is highly dependent upon reason to figure out the proper decision concerning virtue, and his ethics rely on obligation to reason more than emotions or goals.   Thus, the Kantian approach to donation and charity would be the duty of those that have the means to donate.   Burns would patently disagree.   Most certainly, Mr. Burns is an ethical egoist.Ethical egoism is a philosophical practice that encourages individuals to pursue their own self-interests.   While it is idealistic to think of helping unknown masses with one’s own hard earned money, it is also naà ¯ve to think that people should feel obligated to do so.   A person who works hard to make money to buy fine things is entitled to those things.   Just because a person is successful and can afford luxury items does not mean that they are obligated to help strangers because it serves some sort of utilitarian purpose.   If anything, much of this altruism merely perpetuates a cycle in which those who are poor become accustomed to the aid of those who are not.   If they pursued their own self-interests, they would be better able to rise above their own struggles and create a successful world for themselves.Ethical egoism is not entirely without the concept of helping others, however it focuses not on people that an individual will never meet, but the people in his or her life and those that the person loves and touches personally.   If one’s family is in trouble and one possesses the ability to give assistance, this is in the individual’s best interest, as it will lead to happiness.   However, for an extreme example like Mr. Burns, there is no one that he wishes to help, save for the occasional cute pet or his old stuffed teddy bear.   Mr. Burns is a classic example of an ethical egoist, and no one should expect him to do anything for anyone other than himself.   And, in the twenty years that The Simpsons have been on television, he has done nothing but loyally follow his ethical egoist values.Works Cited:Forsyth, Donelson R.. â€Å"Judging the Morality of Business Practices: The Influence of Pers onalMoral Philosophies.† Business Ethics: People, Profits, and the Planet. Ed. Kevin Gibson. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities, 2005. 67-76.Gibson, Kevin. â€Å"The Theoretical Backdrop of Business Ethics.† Business Ethics: People, Profits,and the Planet. Ed. Kevin Gibson. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities, 2005. 61-63.Kant, Immanuel. The Critique Of Pure Reason. Ed. J. M. D. Meiklejohn. 1781. eserver.org. 4Apr 2008. ;http://philosophy.eserver.org/kant/critique-of-pure-reason.txt;.Velasquez, Manuel, ; Claire Andre, Tomas Shanks, S.J., and Michael J. Meyer. â€Å"ThinkingEthically: A Framework for Moral Decision Making.† Business Ethics: People, Profits, and the Planet. Ed. Kevin Gibson. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities, 2005. 64-67.Singer, Peter. â€Å"The Singer Solution to World Poverty.† The New York Times Magazine. 5 Sep1999; pp. 60-63. Utilitarian Philosophers. 4 Apr 2008. ;http://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/19990905.htm;â€Å"Who Shot Mr. Burns?â₠¬  The Simpsons. Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. 20th Century Fox. 21May 1995.

Fast Moving Consumer Goods Essay

FMCG are products that have a quick shelf turnover, at relatively low-cost and don’t require a lot of thought, time and financial investment to purchase. The margin of profit on every individual FMCG product is less. However the huge number of goods sold is what makes the difference. Hence profit in FMCG goods always translates to number of goods sold. Fast Moving Consumer Goods is a classification that refers to a wide range of frequently purchased consumer products including: toiletries, soaps, cosmetics, teeth cleaning products, shaving products, detergents, other non-durables such as glassware, bulbs, batteries, paper products and plastic goods, such as buckets. ‘Fast Moving’ is in opposition to consumer durables such as kitchen appliances that are generally replaced less than once a year. The category may include pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics and packaged food products and drinks, although these are often categorized separately. The term Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) is used interchangeably with Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). Three of the largest and best known examples of Fast Moving Consumer Goods companies are Nestlà ©, Unilever and Procter & Gamble. Examples of FMCGs are soft drinks, tissue paper, and chocolate bars. Examples of FMCG brands are Coca-Cola, Kleenex, Pepsi and Believe. The FMCG sector represents consumer goods required for daily or frequent use. The main segments of this sector are personal care (oral care, hair care, soaps, cosmetics, toiletries), household care (fabric wash and household cleaners), branded and packaged food, beverages (health beverages, soft drinks, staples, cereals, dairy products, chocolates, bakery products) and tobacco. The Indian FMCG sector is an important contributor to the country’s GDP. It is the fourth largest sector in the economy and is responsible for  5% of the total factory employment in India. The industry also creates employment for 3 people in downstream activities, much of which is disbursed in small towns and rural India. This industry has witnessed strong growth in the past decade. This has been due to liberalization, urbanization, increase in the disposable incomes and altered lifestyle. Furthermore, the boom has also been fuelled by the reduction in excise duties, de-reservation from the small-scale sector and the concerted efforts of personal care companies to attract the burgeoning affluent segment in the middle-class through product and packaging innovations. Unlike the perception that the FMCG sector is a producer of luxury items targeted at the elite, in reality, the sector meets the everyday needs of the masses. The lower-middle income group accounts for over 60% of the sector’s sales. Rural markets account for 56% of the total domestic FMCG demand. Many of the global FMCG majors have been present in the country for many decades. But in the last ten yea rs, many of the smaller rung Indian FMCG companies have gained in scale. As a result, the unorganized and regional players have witnessed erosion in market share. History of FMCG in India In India, companies like ITC, HLL, Colgate, Cadbury and Nestle have been a dominant force in the FMCG sector well supported by relatively less competition and high entry barriers (import duty was high). These companies were, therefore, able to charge a premium for their products. In this context, the margins were also on the higher side. With the gradual opening up of the economy over the last decade, FMCG companies have been forced to fight for a market share. In the process, margins have been compromised, more so in the last six years (FMCG sector witnessed decline in demand). Current Scenario The growth potential for FMCG companies looks promising over the long term horizon, as the per-capita consumption of almost all products in the country is amongst the lowest in the world. As per the Consumer Survey by KSAT echnopak, of the total consumption expenditure, almost 40% and 8% was accounted by groceries and personal care products respectively. Rapid  urbanization, increased literacy and rising per capita income are the key growth drivers for the sector. Around 45% of the population in India is below 20 years of age and the proportion of the young population is expected to increase in the next five years. Aspiration levels in this age group have been fuelled by greater media exposure, unleashing a latent demand with more money and anew mindset. In this backdrop, industry estimates suggest that the industry could triple in value by 2015 (by some estimates, the industry could double in size by2010). In our view, testing times for the FMCG sector are over and driving rural penetration will be the key going forward. Due to infrastructure constraints (this influences the cost-effectiveness of the supply chain), companies were unable to grow faster. Although companies like HLL and ITC have dedicated initiatives targeted at the rural market, these are still at a relatively nascent stage. The bottlenecks of the conventional distribution system are likely to be removed once organized retailing gains in scale. Currently, organized retailing accounts for just 3% of total retail sales and is likely to touch 10% over the next 3-5years. In our view, organized retailing results in discounted prices, forced-buying by offering many choices and also opens up new avenues for growth for the FMCG sector. Given the aggressive expansion plans of players like Pantaloons, Trent ,Shopper’s Stop and Shoprite, we are confident that the FMCG sector has a bright future. Budget Measures to Promote FMCG Sector 2% education cess corporation tax, excise duties and custom duties Concessional rate of 5% custom duty on tea and coffee plantation machinery Budget Impact The education cess will add marginally to the tax burden of all FMCG companies The dividend distribution tax on debt funds is likely to adversely affect the other income components of companies like Britannia, Nestle and HLL The measure to abolish excise duty on dairy machinery is a positive for companies like Nestle Concessional rate for tea and coffee plantation machinery is a positive for Tata Tea, HLL, Tata Coffee and other such companies Top Ten Players in FMCG Sector Companies:- 1. Hindustan Unilever Ltd. 2. ITC (Indian Tobacco Company) 3. Nestlà © India 4. GCMMF (AMUL) 5. Dabur India 6. Asian Paints (India) 7. Cadbury India 8. Britannia Industries 9. Marico Industries 10. Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care In order to carry out any research investigation there is a need of a Systematic method and to adopt a well-defined procedure for each and every research there is also a need of methodology. Methodology of any research constitutes the selection of representative sample of the universe or the general population, application of the appropriate research tools and the techniques. There is an old saying in Spain â€Å"TO BE A BULLFIGHTER YOU MUST LEARN TO BE BULL† means you never really understand a Person until you consider things from his point of view . In the same way to meet and satisfy the target customer the study of customers behavior of crucial important because he is king. Customer behavior studies , how individuals , groups and organizations selected buy use and dispose of goods , services, ideas or experiences to satisfy their needs and Desires. According to JAMES F. FUGAL, â€Å"Customers behavior consists of the acts of individuals in obtain and using goods and services including the decision process that precede and determine these acts. The research involves the following steps:- 1. DEFINE THE PROBLEM AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVE:- If the problem is clearly defined, it is half solved .The problem/Objective here to assess the scope of rural marketing for FMCG sector. 2 – COLLECT THE INFORMATION:- The information is collected from secondary sources-websites, magazines, newspapers, and magazines. 3- ANLAYZE THE INFORMATION:- The next step in the marketing research process is to exact Findings from the collected data. 4-PRESENT THE FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS:- As the last step, the findings and conclusion of whole Research are presented in the end. ANALYSIS OF FMCG MARKET The research report offers insights into the dynamics of growth in a competitive market environment. The salient features of development the survey have identified include:- The improvement has been much more pronounced in volume terms than in value terms for most of the products. One of the greatest achievements made by the FMCG industry has been the ‘sachet’ bugs which have helped the companies to introduce products in smaller package sizes, at lower price points and reach new users and to expand market share for value added products in urban India. Several cost saving measures, various tax benefits, rising demand, good monsoon have helped the industry to achieve positive growth. Most of the multinational companies have started sourcing their products from India. HLL has become the production center in respect of personal consumer products like oral care, skin care products, soap, detergents globally for Unilever. There  has been a trend from shift to own manufacturing from third party manufacturing or procuring goods from third party small-scale manufacturers. Though the companies are going global, they are focusing on the overseas markets like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Middle East and CiS countries because of the lifestyles, consumption habits similar to India. Godrej Consumer, Marico, Dabur, Vicco laboratories are among the companies. The offshoots and mushrooming of regional companies which are posing a threat to bigger FMCG companies like HLL. The rise of Jyothi Laboratories, throwing challenge to Reckitt Benckiser is a case in point. FMCG market remains highly fragmented with almost half of the market representing unbranded, unpackaged home made products. This presents a tremendous opportunity for makers of branded products who can convert consumers to branded products. There is competition between the organized and the unorganized sectors in the FMCG sector. Marketing and distribution are very important in FMCG companies. New products require a large investment in product development, market research, and awareness campaign, developing franchise for a new brand advertisements, free samples and product promotions. All these developments have made the consumers strong, who are in a position now to choose a variety of products, from a number of companies, at different price points. Bargaining power of customers is high. Key factors to success are distribution (in rural markets) and advertising (in urban markets). Critical factors for success are the ability to build, develop and maintain a robust distribution network. The fact that a lot of women have started looking for specialized products has driven growth. Post liberalization period provided the consumers the opportunity to make choices amongst the products of domestic companies and imported products

Stereotypes: An Interview

The other day I had a discussion with my roommate about the social psychological idea of stereotyping. I found it interesting how much I felt like she was contradicting herself. But in my opinion, I do not find it surprising that she did, because I feel like most people at the point in our lives (college students) do try and not prejudge people, but do anyway. When I asked how guilty she felt she was about stereotyping people, she said it depends on what she s stereotyping, but she does not feel like she does it too much. She also said she does not feel like she belongs in a particular social group and she also feels like there are exceptions in some stereotypical groups. For example, if there were a group of black guys standing on the street, some people would automatically assume that they were up to no good. But my roommate feels like if she saw this group with one of the guys dressed nicely, she could point him out as one exception the one who would probably not be doing any harm. When I asked if she treats people differently right away because of how she has prejudged them, she answered that she does not treat them differently and that she tries not to prejudge at all. However, she does pick out a stereotypical group for a stranger before she meets them, a lot of times, and they do normally end up being what she expects. This proves the theory of the self- fulfilling prophecy to be correct. Whereas some people still tend to put some people they do know as well as strangers into stereotypical groups, my roommate does not. She said once she gets to know someone, on the acquaintance level, she does not stereotype them as much and does not really feel that they belong to a certain groups such as the preps or the jocks. And she also feels that getting to know the person does have an effect on how she feels because the more I get to know them, the less I stereotype them. When I asked if she thought any groups should have a higher self esteem because of what group they seem to be placed with (i. e. snobs or nerds ), she said no, as long as each person is doing everything they can do to keep their lives running well. On the topic of sex she feels that there are extreme stereotypes between men and women. I feel it has gone down over the years, but it definitely still exists; it could be improved; and women are degraded. She really believes there should be equality in every aspect of life between the sexes. However, she sees one stereotype about women that she can agree with is that women are a lot easier to talk to, and are more open-minded and liberal than men. On the topic of race, she feels as though all races judge and stereotype each other such as whites thinking all blacks are on welfare. She said in the case of race, she agrees with some of the stereotypes, but only because she feels that they are based on facts and evidence. Such as, a larger percentage of whites have jobs and less whites are on welfare than other races. But despite all this, she does not overall agree with stereotyping races. In conclusion, when I asked if she thinks the activity of stereotyping will ever end, she said, No, I don t believe stereotyping will ever entirely end. She also said that people should make an effort to see past all stereotypes, good or bad.

Exhibit Advertisement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Exhibit Advertisement - Essay Example In this era, the Chinese went from the scattered tribes and clans of early Bronze Age agriculturalists to the status of the foremost civilization of the East. The religion and culture of these periods was rather diverse; while in the time of Shang and Zhou the traditional ancestral cults predominated, the later part of Zhou period and especially the Qin and Han eras saw the development of complex philosophies such as Confucianism and Taoism, which later became the key influences on Chinese culture and civilization, as well as the spread of Buddhism, which greatly influenced Chinese philosophy and art. The Chinese became proficient in creating complex buildings and crafting elaborate artwork as early as the times of Shang Dynasty. The famed bronze castings of the Shang are especially notable for their elaborate detail and strong connection with the spiritual beliefs of the Shang people (see Figure 1). Ranging from sacrificial vessels to more mundane vine cups, the Shang and early Zhou bronzes featured complex references to ancient Chinese mythology that was later developed in more modern Chinese art and literature. The early Chinese bronze craftwork, together with coinage, jade disks, mirrors, musical instruments and pottery of the aforementioned early Chinese history periods, will be presented to the viewers’ attention. We are looking forward to the responses on the state of the Chinese exhibition. The history of early Japanese civilization encompasses Kofun (250 – 338 CE), Asuka (538 – 710 CE), and Nara (710 – 794 CE) periods, in the course of which the Yamato chiefdom rose to dominance over the main territories of modern Japan. Buddhism was introduced to the country in mid 6th century CE, while the traditional cults of kami (nature spirit-gods) and ancestors were never displaced or erased from the memory of the Japanese people. Unlike China of the comparable period, Japan proved to be more

Creative short story on time travel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Creative short story on time travel - Essay Example Existing historical works give us a past, which seem so unreal and amazing. The existence of humongous animals that dwelt million years ago known as dinosaurs and mammoths, man eating raw meat, such things drove my adventurous spirit into wanting to discover more. The fact that all that happened prior to my existence and I did not get the chance to witness it all happen, made me restless. I had sleepless nights, many imaginations made me perturbed. I could not rest a second knowing that all these events passed without me witnessing. I felt jealous of the crude man for he was there and I was not. Sometimes I even despised my folks for conceiving after all the happenings. It was now obvious that I was obsessed with the past. The only thing that would calm my spirits was to visit the past and experience the happening of the events. Though it seemed absurd, I was determined to accomplish my mission. My enthusiasm brought zeal unto me. My mission was to visit my past and nothing would make me back down. My name is Robert Spencer and this is my story. I was born by a Persian mother and an Arabic father in the year 1345 of April. My mother was poor and her background was not at all stable. She lived by the hand and her little income is what sustained us. Alice Spenser was her name. Her parents who also unfortunately happened to be my grandparents disowned her when she got pregnant with me. She came from a strict background with tight moral values. Her father’s image came first then his family followed suit. Being a deacon in the church his image was very important in the society. That is the main reason her father could not tolerate early pregnancies. My father of came to Persia as a scholar. He met my mum in church and my mother mesmerized him with her aesthetical endowment. One thing led to the other and without knowing my mum was pregnant. It did not occur to her that she was with child until my dad had already left. With no way of

Port au Prince, Haiti Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Port au Prince, Haiti - Essay Example However, in light of the country’s colonial past, there are practical measures that are referred to as viable and feasible as of this moment to rebuild its transportation facilities. Gathering of financial aid from any agencies whether local or foreign is the most important task amongst others. Reconstructing the public transport systems such as seaports and airports need sufficient budget so that the projected plans for rehabilitation can be possibly implemented without further delay. In line with this, monetary aid from organizations such as the United Nations (U.N.) and the International Monetary Fund (I.M.F.) can be utilized. Also, companies and banks from the different parts of the globe can be made as agents of Haiti government in accepting monetary donations. Appealing this aid to the masses can be done through print and electronic media. The coast guards especially the U.S. Coast Guard group called Coast Guard Cutter Oak has been proven helpful in facilitating the movement of vessels inside and outside the Haiti ports right after the earthquake. As such, they have been dubbed as an â€Å"integral part in the recovery of Haiti’s main harbor† (Mosley, 2010). Their crew members were the main rescuers for survivors in the port. They have helped in â€Å"tending the wounded, surveying the harbor, preparing any affected aids-to-navigation to service and placing additional buoys in marking a safe route into the harbor† (Mosley, 2010). This coast guard organization has been working with the Coast Guard Maritime Transportation System Recovery Unit (MTSRU), a team specially â€Å"designed for coordinating the rebuild of a transportation infrastructure† in Haiti (Mosley, 2010). In fact, according to PO1 David Mosley (2010), with the combined oversight and expertise of the two groups, â€Å"the port s of Haiti are poised to steadily come back online.† Accordingly, encouraging more coast guards to intervene and help will benefit Haiti. Providing trainings

How did the French support the Colonies during the American Revolution Research Paper

How did the French support the Colonies during the American Revolution - Research Paper Example The colonists probably would not have won the war without the aid of the country of France, who provided valuable support for the colonies. Fighting together against Great Britain, whom France considered a common enemy between the two countries, support was provided for the colonies at first only diplomatically. As the war progressed and the odds of winning shifted to favor the colonists, France provided direct aid in the form of officers, soldiers, and weapons to aid in battle, in addition providing ships and naval forces to help with battles at sea. The Founding Fathers of the nation considered an alliance with France largely because of the fact that they too disliked Great Britain, and with good reason. Wars were not unusual between the two countries, the most recent at that time being the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War (Brinkley 96). At its conclusion, the French lost valuable territories to Great Britain in the land of what is now America, cementing a d islike that would not easily be forgotten (Brinkley 97). The Founding Fathers decided to use this dislike to their advantage, and approached France to form an alliance. French Assistance to the Colonies At first, while France provided aid, it was only by indirect means, with no overt assistance. From letters written by Benjamin Franklin in 1775, the French already had knowledge of the widening crisis between Great Britain and America, and were certainly not keen to support Great Britain (United States Office of the Historian). Through a delegation appointed to France in 1776 consisting of Silas Deane as well as Benjamin Franklin, King Louis XVI was persuaded through position papers of his advisors to give aid to the colonists (Dull 61). He provided the monetary means to equip the colonists with arms in the form of one million livres tournois (Dull 61). King Louis XVI also ordered two groups of ships from the French fleet to stand ready for prompt dispatch, should Great Britain move to blockade any French ports of sea (Dull 61). The money itself was not loaned directly to the American government, as this would have been seen as an overt act of war; Great Britain, at this time, was keeping close watch on French actions and France could not afford another war with them (Dull 61). Secrets piled on top of secrets to help America. Commerce became the solution. The French foreign minister Comte de Vergennes created a commercial company, which was then used as a go-between and given the million livres tournois (Dull 61). The money, through the company, purchased arms from the French government, including guns, gunpowder, and other military supplies, which it sold to the American Congress, to be exchanged for payment in American tobacco (Dull 61). Through means such as this, France was able to provide indirect aid to the American nation while remaining largely in the background of any conflict between Great Britain and the Americas. It also did not hurt the French to k now that, once again, their common enemy would be wounded one way or another by the French supplies. It was soon apparent that secret aid would not be enough for the American Revolution. While France was content to provide that aid and remain in the background, causing strife to the country of Great Britain by aiding the colonists, they were unsure of whether or not openly supporting the war would be a good decision.

European Union's State Development Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

European Union's State Development - Case Study Example (Boromisa 2004).A thorough knowledge of the impacts of the monitoring and evaluation of the candidate countries is indispensable for a the success of the upcoming talks in 2009 for Croatia.This is because the progress of the candidate countries is monitored and evaluated regularly once a year by the European Commission and its main findings are published in Regular Reports.Even after the candidates are have signed the Accession treaty they are still monitored.This evident from the recent "Monitoring Report of the European Commission on the State of Preparedness for EU Membership of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia" (European Commission, 2004c).When Croatia was given the candidate status it was stated by the European Council at Brussels stated that "The European Councilconfirms that the negotiations will be based on Croatia's own merits and that the pace of accession will depend solely on Croatia's progress in meeting the requirements for membership". (European Commission, 2004c).As it can be seen that Croatian candidature was already dependent upon the evaluation of its functioning of the ideals of liberty, democracy and human rights (parliament, executive, judiciary). A stable political and economic system is thus the key to Croatia's success in achieving the timely membership of the EU.For Croatia then the ultimate integration into the EU will means inclusion into the internal market, i.e. free movement of goods, persons, services and capital. (Boromisa, A. and Miki, M., 2003).Also there will be an impact upon the trade patterns followed by the removal of trade barriers (e.g. tariffs, quotas, voluntary export restrictions) and harmonization of policies (e.g. agriculture, competition, trade and industrial).Finally there will also be a multilateralization of individual free trade agreements which will require substantial adjustments to the local investment policy and regulation. It also has to be taken into account that there is a risk of delays in the ratification procedure rises with the number of the EU member.states vying for EU membership increasing. (Boromisa, A. and Miki, M., 2003). Also Croatia might have to deal with some politically tough decisions which may form the basis for the requirements for the EU like decreased public expenditure. (Frederik Sorensen 2001 ) .Current issues faced by the EU include the controversy relating to open skies agreements, and state investor disputes. The issue of Open Skies recently created many headlines and in the context of Croatian membership it can be seen that the matter is no longer economical or legal. The issue is purely political. (Frederik Sorensen 2001 ). This became a tug of war that took place between EU and USA authorities over the recent Open Skies Agreement. The Agreement aims to liberalise transatlantic airspace yet European transport Ministers were reluctant to agree to it at first as they felt it gave the US an unfair advantage over European interests and its

Marketing plan for a new self service laundry In Dubai, UAE Essay

Marketing plan for a new self service laundry In Dubai, UAE - Essay Example This will ensure that there is low formality and that authority is centralized. There are other organization designs that can be employed to adequately help the company achieve its objectives. One of such organizational designs is the team design where the company is made of different teams who work separately but towards attaining a common goal. It is easier to achieve the company’s objectives as a team rather than as individuals since different people have different skills and expertise. The company will be competing in a laundry service industry and will therefore be providing laundry services to the people of Dubai. The company competes directly with other laundry service companies such as Champion Cleaners. Champion Cleaners has more than forty outlets in United Arabs Emirates including Dubai. The company offers laundry services to approximately fifty percent of the laundry service customers in Dubai. In the year 2013, the company recorded sales of approximately 1.3 million garments per year. Our company is yet to begin its operations in Dubai hence it has no share of market. The company wishes to earn at least a twenty percent share of the Dubai market within the three years of its operations. The company will be competing directly with the pick-up and door to door delivery services offered by the Champion Cleaners which has seen the company grow at a high rate and even expand its operations outside United Arabs Emirates. Since our company will be beginning its operations in Dubai, we will be competing locally with the Champion Cleaners. The Champion cleaners however compete locally, nationally and even regionally with other laundry service companies. Nevertheless, the growth of the laundry service industry in Dubai can be estimated to around six percent in the last five years with very few players coming into the industry. The demand for the laundry services in Dubai is constant throughout the year. The state of both

The Speeches of Richmond and Richard in Shakespeare's Richard III Essay

The Speeches of Richmond and Richard in Shakespeare's Richard III - Essay Example In Act III, Richard has the two princes imprisoned in the Tower of London. He also gets rid of all the people who might stand between him and the throne and spreads the rumor that Edward's marriage to Elizabeth was invalid and hence the children illegitimate and did not have right to the throne. In Act IV, Richard is finally crowned the King of England. However, he still fells insecure that the princes may one day stake their claim at the throne and so has them killed. The last and the final Act, shows the preparations for the Battle, the actual battle and Richard's death in a bloody duel with Richmond. Richmond does not enter the play until the final Act, but as the one who finally defeats Richard his character is shown to be virtuous in contrast to the evil Richard. The contrast between Richard and Richmond's characters is best brought out in the speeches that the two give to their respective armies just before the start of the Battle. The Act V, Scene III shows the preparations ma de by the two warring sides on the night before and early morning of the battle. Scene III is one of the longest scenes of the play and culminates with the two commanders addressing their troops. The two speeches bring out the basic characteristics of Richard and Richmond. ... Also, by promising that he would martyr himself if the need arises, he showed that he was a leader of men. Richard, on the other hand, tells the soldiers that their adversaries were not worthy people and were just "scum of Bretons, and base lackey peasants" and were led by a "paltry fellow", "a milk-sop". His speech does not say anything that would lift his soldiers' spirits or fill them with enthusiasm to defeat the enemy. If anything, the speech made it look like that defeating the invaders should be a child's play. The ineffectiveness of the speech and his words raise questions regarding Richard's leadership abilities. Richard was fighting the battle to protect his kingdom and his right to the throne. As such he should have been much more motivated to win the battle and prove to everyone that he truly deserved to be the king. Unfortunately, he did not take Richmond's threat seriously. Richard had ascended the throne with relative ease by either convincing people to side with him o r killing those who opposed him. He thought of himself as an intelligent and charismatic person who could get anything that he wanted. Until the battle of the Bosworth Field, he had never really been challenged because he had taken care to kill all those who could challenge him. As a result, his speech reflected his arrogance. Unlike Richmond, Richard's speech did not promise to lead his troops from the front or to die for the cause if need be. Instead, he arrogantly told his troops to "whip these stragglers o'er the seas again" because the invaders were not worthy enough to "enjoy our lands". He did not appeal to his soldiers to protect the honor of the land from foreigners,

Amity Centre for eLearning Essay Example for Free

Amity Centre for eLearning Essay Mr. Sreenivas (55) working as manager in Alfa Chemicals, a large scale industrial establishment engaged in the production of Phosphate and Sulphur. He has 30 years of experience in Alfa Chemicals. He has an excellent track record as Manager Human Resources within the organization. Many times he got best  employer award to performance excellence. His area of expertise in recruitment and selection process, and performance appraisal has been widely acknowledged. The Information Technology division of Alfa Chemicals industry once faced acute shortage of manpower. Mr. Raj, Manager IT division put forward an immediate requirement of 10 employees in the IT division, to HR department, starting from junior level to senior level. As and when Mr. Sreenivas got the letter from Mr. Raj, in his department, he started processing of it. To get it done, he approached many sources. He had gone through the data bank of company and considered 100 resumes for recruitment from it. He also informed the employees and employers of the organization, in their respective departmental notice board, showing the immediate requirement of 10 employees to facilitate the internal recruitment procedures. From the employees and employers of Alfa Chemicals he got around 150 applications with resumes. In addition to that in order to give an opportunity to candidates external to the organization he floated an advertisement in several daily news papers viz., Times of India, Sakal, and Indian Express. From external sources he got around 350 applications. Almost 600 candidates, including internal and external applicants, applied for 10 vacant posts. To ensure the reliability and dependability of the process, Sreenivas made his personal scrutiny at all levels, in the recruitment and selection process. Since the entire department function as a team in HR, all the members trust each other and extended their valuable contribution in the recruitment and selection. The department conducted a preliminary interview in order to made first  screening process and filter the number of applicants. After the first screening process the HR department reduced the number of applicant list from 600 to 500 applicants. He conducted a written test and group discussion and there by further reduces the number of applicants to 300. These 300 candidates then exposed to one hour psychometric test and out of which 50 candidates selected for the final interview. From the final interview, 10 candidates finally selected. The entire process of recruitment and selection took almost 3 months. The selected candidates list then forwarded to the top management for the final approval. HR department informed the candidates that the appointment letters will be sent to those who are selected for the post. Sreenivas approached several time to the top management about to get final approval of list of candidates for the IT department. Sreenivas informed the IT department also that the delay in the final list announcement as the top  management take some more time. He waited almost 4 weeks. But, no reply at all. Mr. Raj, the IT manager every day enquired about the latest information about the final list of the candidates and tentative date of induction. Sreenivas faced the difficulty to make any comment on the subject as there was no information from the top management. HR department had to answer many phone calls from out side and inside the organization, as recruitment involved candidates from inside and outside. The employers and employees of the industry, whose relatives got into the final selection process, became regular visitors of the HR department, asking for the finalist. Sreenivas called a meeting of HR team members and once again made a close verification of the entire process. But he couldnt find any fault in any of the recruitment and selection process. As the time went on he became more suspicious about the delay in the announcement of the result. When the problem becomes so crucial Sreenivas got direction from the top management to meet Mr. Kartik, General Manager, one of the top officials in the organization. Mr.Kartik asked the entire process of recruitment and selection that made on IT professionals. Sreenivas furnished the entire details of the process in a precise report. Mr. Kartik read the entire  report and soon after made a direct comment that the recruitment and selection process that for IT professionals need to be cancelled as he observed some discrepancies in the process made by his department. He further directed Sreenivas that the vacancies have to be filled through contract basis and no permanent vacancies to be made in these positions, for one year. Further he informed Sreenivas that another recruitment process to be done from external candidates applied and no internal application to be entertained. Sreenivas couldnt agree with the Mr. Kiran comment on his departments inefficiency in the recruitment and selection process. For a while he thought about quitting the organization, as he faced a baseless allegation from the top management. Till date there is no black mark in his functional dissemination. On many occasion he helped the industry to find out best possible solutions in order to tackle the many manpower crisis. Sreenivas became so depressed and felt quiet unhappy about the decision taken by the management. Mr. Sreenivas called an urgent meeting of his subordinates and communicated the management decision and directives. He shared with the team members that the management had greater dissatisfaction on the recruitment and selection process done by the department. He enquired that any one made any mistake in the  process. All members denied the probability of any mistake. As there were clear norms and regulations related to each step and there was no dual command, they found no possibility of creeping errors in the selection process. In the meeting he informed his subordinates that the management freezes the appointment process for IT professionals and asked for external recruitment on contract basis. It was shocking news to members. They asked several questions to get a proper clarification from Sreenivas. As Mr. Sreenivas himself unaware of the reasons behind management decision, he informed his subordinate his inability to give a proper reply in this regard. Sreenivas also informed this matter to Mr. Raj. During the evening hours, in the same day, Sreenivas got a call from Mr. George, one of his senior-level Managers, with whom he had friendly and informal relationship. Mr. George asked Srinivas to come to his cabin. As per the call Mr.  Sreenivas met George in his cabin. George enquired about his family and many unofficial matters in the informal interaction. Half an hour later, Mr. George enquired about the recruitment and selection process of IT professionals. He shared with George all those things happened with top management. Leaving aside the informal interaction, George initiated formal discussion with Sreenivas. He told Sreenivas that the selected list of IT professionals consisted two names, Mr. Avdesh and Mr. Praveen, they are the relatives of two trade union leaders of the organization. The management felt that being the relatives of two trade union leaders, in the long run, they could be a threat to organization. It may create an image that the trade unions still have a control over the decision making process in organization. Further, the hold of trade union may expand if this selection process materializes. Mr. Geroge informed Sreenivas that management didnt have any doubt about the dependability and exactness of the recruitment processes that HR departmentr did. George further informed Sreenivas that as per the intimation from top management he called Mr. Sreenivas and briefed about the undercurrents of this episode. The entire news was shocking to Mr. Sreenivas. He didnt know that the management decision had this much of undercurrents. After hearing entire story Sreenivas become so silent and returned to his cabin. While sitting inside his cabin, he made a silent comment that, what a useless effort. Questions 1. What are the undercurrents of selection process in Alfa Chemicals? 2. How management decision justifies management effort in the maintenance of harmonious industrial relation? 3. Do you believe that as HR Manager, Mr. Sreenivas failed to gather direct and indirect information about the candidates? 4. How cancellation of appointment decision that affect the moral of organizational members? 5. How you interpret the dilemma of HR managers have to face in such kind of situations. 6. What would be your decision if you have to face such situation? 7. Do you believe that trade unions have quota in appointments? 8. How the decision affect the reduction of wastages and improvement of resources. 9. Is the decision reflecting management fear towards trade union or inability to develop a congenial industrial relationship within the organization? 10. How you interpret the silence of Mr. Sreenivas?

Discuss Biological Explanations of Schizophrenia Essay Example for Free

Discuss Biological Explanations of Schizophrenia Essay re are several different explanations for the disorder schizophrenia. One of these explanations is the biological model. This model explains schizophrenia through biological faults, for example viral infections and brain abnormalities. Genetic Factors Some psychologists say that schizophrenia can be passed down generations, meaning that some people inherit the disorder from their parents. Twin research has consistently shown that identical twins have a greater risk of developing schizophrenia, if their twin has the disorder, than non-identical twins. Gottesman found monozygotic twins have a concordance rate of 48%, whilst dizygotic twins have a concordance rate of 17%. Evaluation of Genetic Factors This research shows that there is a definite correlation between genetics and the risk of developing schizophrenia. However, no twin research has found a 100% concordance rate; therefore it is impossible the say that genes definitely cause schizophrenia, as other factors clearly have an influence. Also, some psychologists argue that the high concordance rates found could be caused by being brought up in a family with a schizophrenic, so the child mimics the schizophrenic behaviour, rather than by genetics. The Dopamine Hypothesis The dopamine hypothesis says that schizophrenia is caused by an increased reaction to dopamine in the brain. This could be because there is too much of the hormone dopamine in the brain, or conversely because there is an abnormally high number of dopamine receptors in the brain. This model says the excess sensitivity to dopamine results in the brain causes the symptoms of schizophrenia. Evaluation of the Dopamine Hypothesis Autopsies have found an unusually high number of dopamine receptors in the brain of schizophrenics (Owen et al, 1987), however, this evidence is varied and inconclusive. Grilly (2002) found that patients who suffered from Parkinson’s and took the drug L-dopa, which increases dopamine levels, showed signs of schizophrenic symptoms. This suggests the increase in dopamine could result in schizophrenia. Problems with this explanation There are problems of the dopamine hypothesis. One is that antipsychotic drugs, which block dopamine receptor don’t always help patients. This suggests something else must cause schizophrenia as well; otherwise the drugs would help all the patients. Brain dysfunction Using brain imaging techniques, such as P.E.T scans, researchers have found many schizophrenics have enlarged ventricles, on average 15% larger than normal. Some psychologists believe that the increase in the size of these ventricles is what leads to the schizophrenic symptoms. Evaluation The brain imaging scans support this explanation in itself, it’s clear that a lot of schizophrenics have different brain structures to normal people, so there must be some correlation between the two. Research by Meyer-Lindenberg (2002) found that reduced activity of the prefrontal cortex is linked to dopamine abnormalities. This could provide an explanation of why brain dysfunction could cause schizophrenia, not show a correlation. Viral Infection Some researchers suggest that brain abnormalities that lead to schizophrenia could be caused by viral infection. For example, contracting diseases such as Flu or Syphilis in the womb may relate to developing schizophrenia in later life Evaluation of Viral Theory Torrey (2000) found that more schizophrenics are born in the winter, when it is cold and exposure to viruses is higher, than in other months. Although this link is only correlational it suggests viruses do affect the chance of developing schizophrenia

Definition Of The Life Cycle Costing Construction Essay

Definition Of The Life Cycle Costing Construction Essay This report emphasizes for identifying critical phases of pre contract cost planning and controlling process in the life cycle of project with respect to the RIBA plan of work how to manage them and how to obtain a maximum turnover of the project within the quantity surveyors role as a cost manager. Hence, this study will discuss significant project pre contract cost planning and controlling process, such as methods of estimates for cost planning for different stages of RIBA work plan, pre-contract cost planning and cost controlling process with respect to the RIBA plan of work a client/consultant may adopt during each stage, the term life cycle costing and related terminology, the quantity surveyors role as a cost manager, in the life cycle of the project. MAIN BODY Explain the methods of preparing estimates for cost planning for different stages of RIBA work plan. What Is Cost Planning? The Cost Planning is a method of cost controlling the cost (Price to client) of a project within a pre-determined sum up to the tender stage. (Page3, Cost studies) Cost Planning give advice to client how much will be project cost. As well, cost planning will advise when the expected expenses will most possible occur. Hence its important for get required project finance and for determining possible project profit. Therefore cost planning process essential to success of project. Methods of Estimating for Cost Planning There are some significant estimating methods uses in construction industry for Cost planning process. Those methods give preliminary estimate, hence Quantity Surveyor has to modify predetermine data considering the followings, such as , market conditions, Size, number of storeys, specification level, inclusions exclusions, service, site foundation conditions and other factors. Conference Estimating Method RIBA Stage A of Options Appraisal and stage B Design Brief, These method uses for preparation of the initial price estimate give to the client. It is based on a cooperative view of a group of persons, and not quantify in any particular way. Financial methods RIBA Stage A of Options Appraisal and stage B Design Brief, This method fixes a cost limit on the building design, according to the unit of accommodation or rental values. For example, Unit method   RIBA Stage A of Options Appraisal and stage B Design Brief, The unit method is multiplies desire standard unit of accommodation by an approximate cost per unit. Not required specific drawings, specifications, only the concept of the project relevant to the required function. For example: Schools costs per pupil enplace Hospitals costs per bed enplace Car parks cost per car space Estimate = Standard units  of accommodation x Cost per unit Cube method   Design Stage This is the superseded method because of inherent disadvantages; this method needs some sketch drawings, historical cost data, and also  important estimator experience. It is based on association between building volume and unit cost. For example: Superficial area method RIBA Stage B Strategic Briefing and also can be used for Stage C This is presently most common use method, its use for early price estimating purposes. The area of each of the floors multiplied by the cost per square meter. Mostly important Storey heights, plan shape and methods for when choose on the rate need be used. For example: Story enclosure unit method This technique use weightings for the estimating the building elements Elemental Cost estimating Detail Design Stage (Production information Stage F) This can use to establish the approximate cost of a construction project. It analyzes, the cost of the project on an elemental basis using from other similar projects. Also provides cost advice during the design process. Detail drawings are required. For example: Approximate Cost estimating Approximate quantities present additional detailed approximate estimate. No particular rules of  measurement exist, Also significantly more information is required from the designer.. For example: Resource analysis (Pre Construction Stage Tender Documentation -G) This method is traditionally adopted by contractors estimators to determine their individual rates for measured items in bills of quantities. All individual measured items are analyzed into its element parts such as labour, materials and plant. This method is not a pre-tender method of price prediction strictly. For example: Explain the pre-contract cost planning and cost controlling process with respect to the RIBA plan of work a client/ consultant may adopt during each stage What Is Pre-contract Cost Planning? Pre Cost planning is very important to successful planning, design and construction of projects and is aimed at providing best value solutions. Essentially it is a pre-costing method of a project. As well as Pre-estimation of a design proposal will give clear picture about the cost to the employer and design team to make decisions regarding the project to make sure value for money. Pre-Contract Cost Planning Process The pre-contract cost planning process according to the RIBA plan of work 1998; it can be described as follows. Graph 2.1 Pre-stage A (Establish the budget) Client is the appointing client management team (Consultants) such as, client representative, cost consultant, according to his requirements. Identify objectives, physical scope of project, standard of quality of building and services, timeframe and establishing the budget. Emphasis nature of clients problems and functional requirements on proposed project. Work Stage A (Options Appraisal) Consultant has to identify of client prerequisite and possible limitation on development and cost of the ideal solution. Prepare technical, functional and cost studies by consultant and then it should enable to the client to take decision on his project weather he can continue the first proposal or could do some changes to the first proposal etc. also select the possible procurement method. Work Stage B (Strategic Brief) Consultant has to prepare initial cost suggestion to the client based on an outline statement of clients needs, also to determine target cost. This establish an initial budget for client Client has to investigate availability of finance for the project and value of money framework. Pre Contract Cost Control Generally Pre contract cost controlling process is implement from this stage according to the RIBA work plan mentioned chart 1.2, Pre Contract Cost Control process give to ensure the cost of the project is within the clients budget or not. Hence pre contract cost control is very essential in a project since it is planning, design finalizing and tendering and selecting a suitable contractor too. Outline Proposals- Stage C Consultant involves preparing outline proposal and estimate of cost as initial cost plan. Investigate the site conditions and preliminary sketches for requirement of cost plan by consultant. Evaluate strategic brief through consideration of time, cost, risk and environmental issues. Establish design management procedures and prepare initial cost plan, project program, and cash flow. Detailed Proposals Stage D At this stage, consultant prepares full detailed proposals for the client, and also prepares firm cost plan detailed elemental cost plan etc. Clint tem evaluate outline proposals for make final decision, Receive design and cost input from client appointed team and extend detailed design solution. Development control submission. Review procurement advice. Final Proposals Stage E Consultant has to prepared final proposal for the project at this stage. Carry out cost check of the design as it develop against the cost plan, hence it Confirmation of the cost limits for the project. Most cost effective in satisfying level of project brief to confirm or put final budget and to check the elemental cost targets. Cost checks design against cost plan. Decide on procurement methods. Consultant, they attending to review design and cost plan. Consultant has to prepare all required submission for legal approvals. Production Information Stage F All legal approvals should have completed when at this stage. This is the assessment of lowest acceptable tender price based on completed contract documents. Ensure that the completed designs are controlled within the cost limits. Prepare all co-ordinate production information including location. Arrange bring together all component drawings, schedules and specifications. Supply all required information for final cost checks of design against cost plan. Explain the term life cycle costing and related terminology. Definition of the life cycle costing According to definition of Hoar and Norman (1990) appropriately defined the life cycle cost of an advantage as the present value of total cost of the asset over its operating life including initial capital costs, occupational costs, operating costs and the cost or benefit of the eventual disposal of the asset at the end of its life. Hence life cycle costing related with the time stream of costs and benefits that flow throughout the life of the project. There are number of term use in industry to identify different stages in the life cycle costing techniques, hence flowing are the specially use in construction industry. Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) Quantity surveyor assist to prepare this, based on collection and analysis of historic data on actual costs of occupying building (running cost and performance). Life cycle cost management (LCCM) Actually it is derived from life cycle cost analysis and identities, by this way client can be compare building cost and controlling occupancy cost throughout the life of building to get maximum value. Life cycle planning (LCCP) This is as part of life cycle cost management; it is constitute the prediction of total costs of a building, part or individual element taking account of initial capital costs, subsequent running cost and residual values. There are numerous costs associated with acquiring, operating, maintaining, and disposing of a building or building system. Building-related costs usually fall into the following categories: Initial Costs-Purchase, Acquisition, Construction Costs Fuel Costs Operation, Maintenance, and Repair Costs Replacement Costs Residual Values-Resale or Salvage Values or Disposal Costs Finance Charges-Loan Interest Payments Non-Monetary Benefits or Costs Only those costs within each category that are relevant to the decision and significant in amount are needed to make a valid investment decision. Costs are relevant when they are different for one alternative compared with another; costs are significant when they are large enough to make a credible difference in the LCC of a project alternative. For Example: Image of a bar graph showing the 30 Year Cost of a Building. The design and construction are at 2% of the cost, maintenance costs are at 6% and personnel salaries are at 92%. Viewed over a 30 year period, initial building costs account for approximately just 2% of the total, while operations and maintenance costs equal 6%, and personnel costs equal92%.Graphic: Sieglinde Fuller Source: Sustainable Building Technical Manual / Joseph J. Romm, Lean and Clean Management, 1994. Life cycle costing Terminology Explain the Quantity Surveyors role as a cost manager, in the life cycle of the project. Role of the Quantity Surveyor as a Cost Manager Quantity surveyor is the person/ firm who manage the cost relating to the construction projects, such as new constructions, maintenance work and renovations. Quantity surveyor monitors the cost of every aspects of a construction project as a cost manager, as well as seeks to minimize the costs of the project and to make more cost savings while ensuring the total cost of project does not exceed the estimated cost. Furthermore when study about Quantity Surveyors in Cost manger position also have to be identified their duties and Responsibilities properly. Conducting feasibility studies and writing procurement reports. Managing estimating and cost planning activities to include taking ownership of and presenting the final cost plan. Managing the procurement process, ensuring that all stages including pre-qualification, enquiry, analysis, selection and contract preparation are performed effectively. Ensuring that post-contract cost variances and change control processes are managed effectively. Ensuring that cost checking and valuation work is managed effectively. Ensuring the production of monthly post-contract cost reports and presenting them to the client. Value engineering and life cycle costing. Ensuring that final accounts are negotiated and agreed. Taking a lead role in interfacing with the client and other consultants, at all project stages. Working with Associate Directors and Directors to construct bids for new work. Identifying and acting upon opportunities to improve cost management procedures, templates and products.

The Evil King in Shakespeares Richard III Essay -- Richard II Richard

The Evil King in Shakespeare's Richard III Richard is an actor, a fully evil actor, who through his mastery of the stage has come to appreciate his skill. Richard Moulton, in his Shakespeare as a Dramatic Thinker, proclaims Richard's wonder at his own command of the stage: "Richard has become an artist in evil: the natural emotions attending crime-whether of passionate longing, or horror and remorse-have given place to artistic appreciation of masterpieces" (40). And Robert Weimann, comparing Richard Gloucester to a character in Shakespeare's King John states: "Both characters exemplify a strenuous need to perform, 'toiling desperately' to play a role, 'to find out,' and, for better or worse, to take up arms against a thorny world" (130). Richard Gloucester begins taking up arms against his world in the opening scene as he finds himself shunned in the manners of friendship and love, being "cheated of feature by dissembling nature" (1.1.19), and he decides to take on the role of scoundrel: "And therefore since I cannot prov e a lover / To entertain these fair well-spoken days, / I am determined to prove a villain / And hate the idle pleasures of these days" (1.1.28-31). The physical deformity that pushes Richard to his evil conniving may be nothing more than a creation by Shakespeare to further point out Richard's wickedness. Peter Kilby, author of "The Princes in the Tower," claims that in reality Richard had no deformity, and that Shakespeare created it because "physical deformities were considered to be outward signs of an evil nature" (11). Not so much, according to Zamir, who states: "Various sources tell us that he was short, that one of his arms was smaller than the other, that his legs, too, were of unequal si... ...66. Moulton, Richard G. Shakespeare as a Dramatic Thinker. New York: MacMillan, 1907. Oestreich-Hart, Donna J. "Therefore, Since I Cannot Prove a Lover." Studies in English Literature 40 (2000): 241-60. Righter, Anne. Shakespeare and the Idea of the Play. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1962. Spotswood, Jerald W. "Maintaining Hierarchy in The Tragedie of King Lear." Studies in English Literature 38 (1998): 265-80. Squire, Sir John. Shakespeare as a Dramatist. London: Cassell and Company, 1935. Stevenson, William B. "A Muse of Fire of a Winter of Discontent?" Journal of Management Education 20 (1996): 39-48. Weimann, Robert. "Mingling Vice and 'Worthiness' in King John." Shakespeare Studies 27 (1999): 109-33. Zamir, Tzachi. "A Case of Unfair Proportions: Philosophy in Literature." New Literary History 29 (1998): 501-20.

The Presidential Election Of 1972 Essay -- essays research papers

The Presidential Election of 1972 The Presidential election of 1972 had two strong candidates, President Richard Nixon and George McGovern. There were many issues which had a great deal of importance to the election. The Vietnam war and the stability of the economy at the time were two main factors. The election ended in one the largest political scandals in U.S. history, being the Watergate break-in, and cover-up, by President Richard Nixon. The Democratic party had a large selection of candidates from which to choose for the primary elections of 1972. There were many well known candidates who entered the race for the nomination. The leading contenders were Edmund S. Muskie of Maine, Senator George McGovern of South Dakota and Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota. Other candidates who didn't receive quite as much recognition were Alabama governor George C. Wallace, Mayor Sam Yorty of Los Angeles, Rep. Wilbur D. Mills of Arkansas, Sen. Vance Hartke of Indiana, former Senator Eugene J. McCarthy of Minnesota, Mayor John Lindsay of New York City and Rep. Shirley Chisholm of New York. Chisholm was the first black to run in a series of presidential primaries." (Congressional Quarterly, "Guide to U.S. Elections", Third ed., 1994, pg.603-605.) 5 Governor Wallace had a devastating moment in his campaign while in Maryland. "In early May a sick young man named Arthur Bremer altered the politics of 1972. As Governor Wallace campaigned toward certain victory in the Maryland primary, Bremer stepped forward out of a shopping-center crowd and shot him four times. Wallace survived, but at the cost of being paralyzed from the waist down. Maryland's voters surged out on election day to give Wallace a huge victory, his last of 1972. While Wallace recuperated, the millions who would have voted for him as a Democratic or independent candidate began to move in overwhelming proportions behind the candidacy began to move in overwhelming proportions behind the candidacy of Richard Nixon." (Benton, William. "U.S. Election of 1972." Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year. pg.12-13, 1973 ed.)1 When the California primary was approaching, Humphrey tried to save the nomination for himself. "Humphrey excoriated his old senate frien... ...ergate scandal. These two reporters open up the Watergate scandal, and all the participants involved. "During the investigation, a presidential aide revealed that Nixon had secretly taped Oval Office conversations with aides. When the Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox ordered Nixon to surrender the tapes, Nixon ordered Cox fired. Then the Supreme Court ruled that Nixon had to surrender even more tapes, which indicated that he had played an active role in covering up the Watergate scandal. Nixon resigned the presidency when his impeachment and conviction appeared certain. The impeachment articles charged him with obstruction of justice, abuse of presidential powers and contempt of Congress. President Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974. The Watergate affair was perhaps the greatest political scandal in U.S. history. For the first time, a president was forced to leave office before his term expired."6 Vice President Gerald Ford became the President of the United States. President Ford then granted Richard Nixon a full pardon of the crimes committed against the presidency, and the people of the United States.

Isadora Duncan Essay -- essays research papers

Isadora Duncan 	Isadora Duncan was a famous dancer who brought a new kind of dance to the world. She danced out the feelings from deep in her heart. Unlike other dancers in the late nineteenth century, Isadora Duncan danced with flowing motion. She was not a ballerina, and did not like to watch ballet dancers, with their stiff bodies and unnatural pointe shoes. At first she was not liked, but as time went on, Isadora Duncan became a dance revolutionist people all over the world will never forget. 	Angela Isadora Duncan was born, one of four, on May 26,1877 in San Francisco, California. Her mother, Dora Duncan, was a piano teacher, and her father, Joseph Duncan was a banker, journalist, and poet. Her parents were both well educated, charming, and an altogether happy couple. However, their marriage fell apart soon after Isadora's birth. 	After the divorce, Dora was left with little money to support her four children; Augastin, Raymond, Elizabeth, and Isadora. She gave her music lessons, but still was not bringing in enough money to keep living in the same house. The family began moving from one apartment to another, learning to leave each one a day before the bills came around. 	Isadora started school at the age of five. In the late nineteenth century, students were expected to sit still during school, memorizing and reciting their lessons. To Isadora this was "irritating and meaningless." She hated school. She said later in her autobiography that her real education came on the nights when Isadora and her siblings would dance to her mother's music and learn about what they were interested in -- literature and music. 	Isadora was told as a child that she would have to learn to depend on herself to get what she needed in life. So as Isadora grew older, she began to understand her family's financial condition and was eager to help. She and her sister Elizabeth began baby-sitting to help the family. To keep their charges busy, they taught them how to dance. The dance lessons were mostly just telling them to wave their arms in the air, but it kept them busy and raised money for the family. 	In those days, when dancing was first popular, "nice" women wore clothing from chin to toe, not showing any skin. However, new kinds of dance were surfacing that allowed the "nicest" women to tak... ...hat trip to Paris, for she died on September 14, 1927 after having dinner with her life-long friend, Mary Desti. After dinner, she hopped into a Bugatti sports car with the agent from the car company. She was wearing a long, elegant, red scarf, and as Mary Desti looked on in horror, that scarf got caught in the axis of the spinning wheel and strangled Isadora Duncan to death. 	More than ten thousand people gathered at the cemetery to watch Isadora Duncan's ashes be place next to her children's in their memorial. Even people who had watched her dance decades before came to the solemn service. To all these people Isadora Duncan meant something. She brought into the world the idea of teaching young children how to dance. Even though she knew they would not all become professional dancers, she felt that a feeling of rhythm and freedom of movement were important for one to have. She was the first to ever express her personal emotions in her public dancing. She always wore revealing clothes, often whatever she could find around her house. If you ever see a young child on a stage twirling and leaping to the words of her own feelings, they are there because Isadora Duncan danced.

Ryanair’s Management and Creativity

1. In the book â€Å"Management and Creativity† (Bilton, 2007), Wilson and Cummings define strategy as two distinctive approaches; strategy as position and strategy as process. The former, also referred to as strategy as orientation, takes a more top-down approach and is concentrated around a single leader. It attempts to establish a strategic position that will serve as a basis for differentiation, which is commonly seen as original and innovative. However, a successful implementation of the strategy often requires high monitoring and a hierarchal structure. Thus, the process itself is quite uncreative and there is little room for changes and innovation after the strategy has been established. The leader plays an important role in this strategic approach by setting vision and directing employees, and he or she is often strongly associated with the organization. Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary is a great example of a leader within an orientation strategy organization. The other approach outlined by Wilson and Cummings is strategy as animation. This adhocracy style is commonly adapted by creative organizations and the strategy is more of an evolving process than a fixed strategic position. It is built upon small, continuous changes that emerge incrementally within the organization. In difference from orientation, adhocracy takes a bottom-up approach and the strategy is developed through a collective activity. The leaders role is not to govern and direct, but to set frames, and recognize and build upon meaningful patterns. Shared goals and values hold the company together and serve as the glue in the organization. The animation film studio Pixar serves as a great example of the adhocracy approach. Their process-oriented strategy and bottom-up approach has helped to nurture creativity and build a culture where everyone’s ideas matters and all employees are urged to speak their minds. Thus, creativity is seen as something that evolves through systems and networks, and not something that is isolated to a single leader. Posthocracy is a type of non-strategy. The style is often adapted by organizations that are subject to a lot of uncertainty and changes in their environment. The unpredictability of the future makes it difficult for the organizations to establish a strategy beforehand and decisions are often rationalized after they have been made. This approach is based on ego, emotions and personality. 1. 1 It can be argued that Michael O’Leary follows a strategy as orientation approach. The low-cost strategy has come to define Ryanair and is deeply enrooted in the company. The attempt to reduce prices at all costs set the strategic direction. As in most orientation strategies, the company takes a top-down approach and the creativity is concentrated to the leader; the CEO Michael O’Leary. His controversial ideas are often seen as both new and revolutionary and he continuously finds the most radical ways to reduce prices. Still, the organization itself is highly monitored and controlled as to successfully keep costs down in every part of the value chain. Furthermore, as commonly seen in these types of strategy tendencies, Michael O’Leary is strongly associated with the company. As described in the article, â€Å"O’Leary chose to embody the role of a cheap, no-nonsense, slightly unpleasant Everyman, which he would exploit to sell a cheap, slightly unpleasant flying experience to the Everyman. Arguably, M. O’Leary is Ryanair. 2. According to current popular theories creativity is concerned with novelty and individualism. For an idea to be considered novel, it should provide something new or a new combination of elements. The individualism concerns the originator of the idea who is seen as a â€Å"brain† who needs space and loose control to be able to flourish. The psychological theory modifies this idea by taking away the component of individualism and adding the idea of value and meaning. For an idea to be creative, the innovation also needs to be valuable and give meaning. Merely innovation is not enough. Both the concept of innovation and the one of value is context dependent; to whom is the idea novel and to whom will it give meaning and value? According to Margaret Boden, novelty can be defined as new to the individual, H-creativity, or new to the world, P-creativity. A novel idea should be able to fit into one of these two. For an idea to give value and meaning it has to be â€Å"fit for purpose† and there will be different criterions for different situations. In a business context, a creative idea could be valuable if it improves the return on investment or if it fits with the times. In another context, a panel of experts might decide if the innovation is valuable or not. An idea might also be defined as valuable if it has a specific intention. 2. 1 Ryanair has a low-cost strategy with the vision to be â€Å"quick, efficient, affordable and safe†. Michael O'Leary is a visionary leader with â€Å"nutty† ideas that are considered radical by the rest of the airline industry. O'Leary says that in the airline business, organizations need to have a radical point of view otherwise everything will stay the same. However, new ideas should be in line with the low cost strategy of the company. Could the Ryanair idea of removing the pockets on the back of the seats be considered creative? It decreased Ryanair’s cleaning time and thereby also the turn-around time at the airport and increased the punctuality. The idea was a new combination of elements and was new to the airline industry. It could therefore be argued to be novel. The idea was valuable for customers as it fulfilled the criterion of fitness to times: customers are more time-sensitive today and therefore values on-time flights. O'Leary argued that it is also valuable for the customers as they are price-sensitive, they do not want to have a pleasant experience; they just want to be transported from A to B. For Ryanair, the idea is valuable as it decreases costs and improves the company's return on investment. At Ryanair, the organizational style of change is incremental: the company is continuously improving and developing itself. One distinguishing feature of this style is that change is happening even though the company is not in a maturity state or crisis of their life cycle. This is apparent as the company has presented net profits in 9 out of 10 recent years. The changes at Ryanair might look as radical to the rest of the airline industry, but it is in line with today's price-sensitive society. O'Leary is boundary tweaking; he is not thinking entirely outside the box but merely â€Å"modifying the edges of the core business†. It can be questioned if Ryanair sometimes make change just for change's sake. There is an impression that O'Leary might implement changes (or propose them) just to provoke the industry. And is cheaper always more valuable? Do customer's still value cheap tickets if they have to stand up or pay for the toilet?

Deception Point Page 7

Gabrielle ran a hand through her straightened black hair. â€Å"I hear the White House campaign staff is as confused as we are. The President is offering no explanation for his vanishing act, and everyone over there is furious.† â€Å"Any theories?† Sexton asked. Gabrielle gazed at him over her scholarly glasses. â€Å"As it turns out, I got some interesting data this morning from a contact of mine in the White House.† Sexton recognized the look in her eyes. Gabrielle Ashe had scored some insider information again. Sexton wondered if she were giving some presidential aide backseat blow jobs in exchange for campaign secrets. Sexton didn't care†¦ so long as the information kept coming. â€Å"Rumor has it,† his assistant said, lowering her voice, â€Å"the President's strange behavior all started last week after an emergency private briefing with the administrator of NASA. Apparently the President emerged from the meeting looking dazed. He immediately cleared his schedule, and he's been in close contact with NASA ever since.† Sexton certainly liked the sound of that. â€Å"You think maybe NASA delivered some more bad news?† â€Å"Seems a logical explanation,† she said hopefully. â€Å"Although it would have to be pretty critical to make the President drop everything.† Sexton considered it. Obviously, whatever was going on with NASA had to be bad news. Otherwise the President would throw it in my face. Sexton had been pounding the President pretty hard on NASA funding lately. The space agency's recent string of failed missions and gargantuan budget overruns had earned NASA the dubious honor of becoming Sexton's unofficial poster child against big government overspending and inefficiency. Admittedly, attacking NASA – one of the most prominent symbols of American pride – was not the way most politicians would think of winning votes, but Sexton had a weapon few other politicians had – Gabrielle Ashe. And her impeccable instincts. The savvy young woman had come to Sexton's attention several months ago when she was working as a coordinator in Sexton's Washington campaign office. With Sexton trailing badly in the primary polls and his message of government overspending falling on deaf ears, Gabrielle Ashe wrote him a note suggesting a radical new campaign angle. She told the senator he should attack NASA's huge budget overruns and continued White House bailouts as the quintessential example of President Herney's careless overspending. â€Å"NASA is costing Americans a fortune,† Gabrielle wrote, including a list of financial figures, failures, and bailouts. â€Å"Voters have no idea. They would be horrified. I think you should make NASA a political issue.† Sexton groaned at her naivete. â€Å"Yeah, and while I'm at it, I'll rail against singing the national anthem at baseball games.† In the weeks that followed, Gabrielle continued to send information about NASA across the senator's desk. The more Sexton read, the more he realized this young Gabrielle Ashe had a point. Even by government agency standards, NASA was an astounding money pit – expensive, inefficient, and, in recent years, grossly incompetent. One afternoon Sexton was doing an on-air interview about education. The host was pressing Sexton about where he would find funding for his promised overhaul of public schools. In response, Sexton decided to test Gabrielle's NASA theory with a half-joking response. â€Å"Money for education?† he said. â€Å"Well, maybe I'll cut the space program in half. I figure if NASA can spend fifteen billion a year in space, I should be able to spend seven and a half billion on the kids here on earth.† In the transmission booth, Sexton's campaign managers gasped in horror at the careless remark. After all, entire campaigns had been sunk by far less than taking a potshot at NASA. Instantly, the phone lines at the radio station lit up. Sexton's campaign managers cringed; the space patriots were circling for the kill. Then something unexpected happened. â€Å"Fifteen billion a year?† the first caller said, sounding shocked. â€Å"With a B? Are you telling me that my son's math class is overcrowded because schools can't afford enough teachers, and NASA is spending fifteen billion dollars a year taking pictures of space dust?† â€Å"Um†¦ that's right,† Sexton said warily. â€Å"Absurd! Does the President have the power to do something about that?† â€Å"Absolutely,† Sexton replied, gaining confidence. â€Å"A President can veto the budget request of any agency he or she deems overfunded.† â€Å"Then you have my vote, Senator Sexton. Fifteen billion for space research, and our kids don't have teachers. It's outrageous! Good luck, sir. I hope you go all the way.† The next caller came on the line. â€Å"Senator, I just read that NASA's International Space Station is way overbudget and the President is thinking of giving NASA emergency funding to keep the project going. Is that true?† Sexton jumped at this one. â€Å"True!† He explained that the space station was originally proposed as a joint venture, with twelve countries sharing the costs. But after construction began, the station's budget spiraled wildly out of control, and many countries dropped out in disgust. Rather than scrapping the project, the President decided to cover everyone's expenses. â€Å"Our cost for the ISS project,† Sexton announced, â€Å"has risen from the proposed eight billion to a staggering one hundred billion dollars!† The caller sounded furious. â€Å"Why the hell doesn't the President pull the plug!† Sexton could have kissed the guy. â€Å"Damn good question. Unfortunately, one third of the building supplies are already in orbit, and the President spent your tax dollars putting them there, so pulling the plug would be admitting he made a multibillion-dollar blunder with your money.† The calls kept coming. For the first time, it seemed Americans were waking up to the idea that NASA was an option – not a national fixture. When the show was over, with the exception of a few NASA diehards calling in with poignant overtures about man's eternal quest for knowledge, the consensus was in: Sexton's campaign had stumbled onto the holy grail of campaigning – a new â€Å"hot button† – a yet untapped controversial issue that struck a nerve with voters. In the weeks that followed, Sexton trounced his opponents in five crucial primaries. He announced Gabrielle Ashe as his new personal campaign assistant, praising her for her work in bringing the NASA issue to the voters. With the wave of a hand, Sexton had made a young African-American woman a rising political star, and the issue of his racist and sexist voting record disappeared overnight. Now, as they sat together in the limousine, Sexton knew Gabrielle had yet again proven her worth. Her new information about last week's secret meeting between the NASA administrator and the President certainly suggested more NASA troubles were brewing – perhaps another country pulling funding from the space station. As the limousine passed the Washington Monument, Senator Sexton could not help but feel he had been anointed by destiny. 8 Despite having ascended to the most powerful political office in the world, President Zachary Herney was average in height, with a slender build and narrow shoulders. He had a freckled face, bifocals, and thinning black hair. His unimposing physique, however, stood in stark contrast to the almost princely love the man commanded from those who knew him. It was said that if you met Zach Herney once, you would walk to the ends of the earth for him. â€Å"So glad you could make it,† President Herney said, reaching out to shake Rachel's hand. His grasp was warm and sincere. Rachel fought the frog in her throat. â€Å"Of†¦ course, Mr. President. An honor to meet you.†

Different Types of Paragraph

Comparison Paragraph In spite of these differences, the similarities are striding. First, both cities are the political centers of their countries. The president of France lives in the heart of Paris, in the Elysees Palace. Likewise, the president of the United States has its meeting place in Washington, in the Capitol. Second, the two cities look similar. L’Enfant, the French engineer who designed Washington, was greatly influenced by the layout of the capital of France. For this reason, many of the buildings and monuments in Washington are symmetrically located in views of one another, just as they are in Paris.Both cities are also the sites of magnificent monuments, important historical landmarks, fine museums, beautiful parks, and board, treelined avenues. Finally, tourism is as important for Washington as it is for Paris Every year millions of tourists from all parts of the world visit these cities to view their attractions. Contrast Paragraph Paris is much older than Was hington. The French city is over2000 years old. Washington, in contrast, is very young. It is less than 250 years old. The population of Paris is also much larger than Washington’s Paris has more than 2,500,000 people.Washington has just over 700,000. Classification Paragraph Paraphrasing is used for different purposes. Some paraphrases will be designated to support already existing evidence. Others will reinforce argumentation against evidence. Still others will help to develop existing arguments and provide back-up for any conclusion drawn in the course of writing. Depending on the function, paraphrases will be introduced in accordance with their unique context. Quotations require yet another approach. They are not self-expressive because every quotation can signify a number of different things in various contexts.It is both the introduction and the commentary that follows it which decides about its context and the ultimate meaning of a given citation in an essay. Paraphras ing quotations – changing the original words or sense is not allowed. Informative Paragraph The Sundarbans is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. The name Sundarban can be literally translated as â€Å"beautiful jungle† or â€Å"beautiful forest† in the Bengali language. The name may have been derived from the Sundari trees that are found in Sundarbans in large numbers.Alternatively, it has been proposed that the name is a corruption of Samudraban or Chandra-bandhe. But the generally accepted view is the one associated with Sundari trees. The forest lies in the vast delta on the Bay of Bengal formed by the confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers across southern Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. The seasonally-flooded Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests lie inland from the mangrove forests on the coastal fringe. The forest covers 10,000 km2 of which about 6,000 are in Bangladesh. 2] It became inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997, but while the Bangladeshi and Indian portions constitute the same continuous ecotope, these are separately listed in the UNESCO world heritage list as the Sundarbans and Sundarbans National Park, respectively. The Sundarbans is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests. The area is known for the eponymous Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), as well as numerous fauna including species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes.The fertile soils of the delta have been subject to intensive human use for centuries, and the ecoregion has been mostly converted to intensive agriculture, with few enclaves of forest remaining. The remaining forests, together with the Sundarbans mangroves, are important habitat for the endangered tiger. Definition Paragraph Democracy is a political form of government in which governing power is derived from the people, either by direct refer endum (direct democracy) or by means of elected representatives of the people (representative democracy). 1]The term comes from the Greek: – (demokratia) â€Å"rule of the people†,[2] which was coined from (demos) â€Å"people† and (Kratos) â€Å"power†, in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC. Even though there is no specific, universally accepted definition of ‘democracy', equality and freedom have been identified as important characteristics of democracy since ancient times. 5] These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to power. For example, in a representative democracy, every vote has equal weight, no restrictions can apply to anyone wanting to become a representative, and the freedom of its citizens is secured by legitimized rights and liberties which are gener ally protected by a onstitution. Descriptive Paragraph Chittagong is the port city of Bangladesh. Chittagong sea port is the biggest sea-port of our country. The city is on the river karnafuli. There are many small hills.They are covered with green trees and plants. The hills look beautiful. The roads of the city are wide and clean. There are many trees on both sides of the roads. The climate of this area is healthy. Narrative Paragraph Caliph Omar used to go out at night to see the condition of the poor. One night, while he was passing by the road, he heard the sound of crying from a worn-out hut. Going up to that hut he found a widow with a number of children. They were demanding food from their mother and were crying without getting that. This sight filled the heart of Omar with pity.Argumentative Paragraph I believe that smoking is bad for you. It is important to give up but it is even better not to have started at all. One reason for my thinking this is that it is unhealthy. Sm okers suffer a range of diseases from lung cancer to high blood pressure. Another reason is that it’s very expensive. Regular smokers can spend up to ? 1,500 a year just on buying cigarettes. A final reason is that smoking is very unattractive. Smokers’ clothes smell of smoke and it gives them bad breath. There are a number of reasons why smoking is bad for you.It is unhealthy, it is expensive and it makes you unattractive. Don’t even think of starting. Persuasive Paragraph Five million people died last year from lung cancer due to deadly smoking habit. Yet sales of cigarettes increased by 10% this year as compared to last year. Is smoking not waste of time and money? Is it not injurious to health? Is it not like one is intentionally burning himself? Do you want to be like one of those five million died last year? So think before a cigarette reaches your lips. You are important for your loved ones.