Dicuss the Roles of the Gods and Goddesses in the Iliad and Medea

The Iliad was one of Greek literature greatest works written by the poet Homer. The Iliad is unlike other oral literature from different times. The Iliad illustrates how people are faced with death every day, but find it difficult to determine the meanings of death are why death occurred. The Iliad (Book I) The Iliad concerns itself with the rage of Achilles and how it begins to break down the Achaean army, and how the tensions were change towards the Trojans. The Trojan War had been going on for about ten years before Achilles and Agamemnon entered the quarrel. The nonexistence of Achilles from the battle only lasted a couple of days and the epic ended shortly afterwards. The way I interpreted the poem it did not describe the origin or the end of the war that frames Achilles wrath. The main focus of this poem was the rage of a mortal which is also the heading of the poem. Another focus was also was the motivation and action of the gods. Before Homer goes into great depth regarding the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon, he explained that he felt that Apollo was responsible for the conflict. The conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles highlights one of the strongest aspects of the ancient Greek systems. Agamemnon thought that as chief of the Achaean forces, he should receive the highest prize he was willing to upset Achilles. Both men Agamemnon and Achilles considered not embarrassing the other and decided to put their own interest before that of the people, which jeopardize the efforts of the war. The Iliad (Book XVI) This book refers to the death of Patroclus. Zeus comforts Poseidon after Hera tried to blame her for the havoc that was caused while Zeus was in a deep sleep. Zeus informed Poseidon that Hector will die after he kills Patroclus. Hector leads a charge against Achaeans after Apollo fills him and his soldiers with strength. The two armies fought almost to the Greek camps, but did reach the ships and Hector rallied the Trojans and inch by inch the Trojans advance until Hector is close enough to touch the ships. According to the books Hector stripped Achilles divine armor from Patroclus’s corpse and the fierce fight ended in partial success for the Greeks (pg 158).

The Strange Ride of Morrowbie

In Rudyard Kipling’s story â€Å"The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes† there are many aspects of the India’s traditions and customs. But one custom that is strongly present though out the story is the role of the Indian caste system. Within each character you are taken into the five levels of the caste system. The caste system has been present in Indian culture for as far back as their history can be traced. The five levels that are present with in the characters in the story are Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, and Harijans (www. suchico. edu) According to Indianchild. com the India caste system is a hierarchical society. In the Indian caste system, no matter where you live or what religion you are everybody is ranked into one of the five levels. The caste system is respected and followed by all who live within the system. No matter where you live everyone knows their caste ranking, and they behave towards each other according to their ranking. We are first i ntroduced to Morrowbie, who is a man that is placed in the caste system known as Vaishya.According to Caste System, the Vaishya are known as the Krsi (who are the people for grow the food grains), the goraksha (who are the cow protection), the vanijyam (who do the trading), the Vaisya karma (people who work), and svabhavajam (are the people who are born of his own nature). The Vaisyas were known as the land-owners, money-lenders and influential traders. Morrowbie is known as a man with an education and career as a civil engineer. Due to his successful career he is known as a land-owner. It is evident though out the story that Morrowbie knows of his high class level and the caste level of the people around him.When he first falls into the hole he finds himself in the middle of a crowd. He states that the people are scantily clothed and can be associated with the Hindu mendicants (p. 24). According to the Indian caste level the merchants are considered to be one level below Morrowbie Jukes. You can tell from the way that he speaks about them, that he believes them not to be worthy to be in his presence. Morrowbie goes on to say how the merchants should show him respect and give him recognition of his presence there. In the story, Morrowbie is shown to treat the lower caste levels as second class citizens to him.While Morrowbie is trying to buy food and shelter from Gunga he once again refers to the lower class of merchants that surround him. He states â€Å"One does not protest against the doings of a den of wild beasts; and my companions were lower than any beasts (p. 28). We are then introduced to Gunga Dass as a man of power and status in the purgatory of the dead. Gunga Dass is considered to be the highest class of the Indian caste system. According to www. csuchico. edu, Gunga Dass is in the caste level of Brahmin. According to Gnome Research Brahmin are members of the priestly class in the Indian system, and belongs to the upper caste society.The Brahmins as described by Indianchild. com is â€Å"Brahman is of the nature of truth, knowledge and infinity. Gunga Dass claimed that he no longer lived his life as a Deccanee Brahmin, but he does still maintained his status in the land of the living dead. Even though Dass states that he renounced the Brahmin life, he still is living the role of his caste system. Gunga becomes the guide to Morrowbie, showing him the ways of the new land and the laws that he must follow. Gunga takes the role of protector just as he was in his time on earth. Morrowbie states â€Å"Gunga Dass, whom I had begun to regard as my natural protector† (p. 7). It is Gunga who nourishes the people, protects the land, just as he was during his life as a Brahmin. He gave Morrowbie shelter and food when he was asked. He also had the knowledge of the land, giving Morrowbie the answers that were proper for his own caste level knowledge. When Dass is requested by Morrowbie to get the white boy’s body, he state s to Morrowbie â€Å"But I am Brahmin, Sahib- a high caste Brahmin†. Even though it seems that Morrowbie has over stepped his caste position, it is Dass who is always in control. He is the protector, guide, nourishes, and all knowing of the land of the living dead.We are then introduced to the white boy that is killed by Gunga. The unnamed boy is considered to be a Harijan in the Indian caste system. According to Caste System in India the Harijan or untouchables; was the lowest class of the Indian caste system. They were called the outsiders of the system, the people who were too low on the level to be considered part of the system. They were traditionally sweepers, washers of clothes, leatherworkers, and those whose occupation it was to kill animals (indianchild. com). The murdered white boy was described as wearing an olive-green hunting suit that was much stained and worn (p. 5). This description gives a clear indication that the murder boy is a hunter, this is thought by the Indian caste system as a person who deserves no ranking or rights. The boy is never given a name, which indicates the unimportance of his position. Also it is his body that is drowns in the quick sand for no clear reason. His soul and body are not given a second thought about, he is treated like a dried up piece of meat, just as he would have been treated during life on earth. We are finally introduced to Dunnoo, a boy that lives in the Indian caste system called Shudra.The Shudra are traditionally people that work in service as slaves or practitioners of unskilled trades. Dunnoo is in unskilled tradesmen who work as Morrowbie’s dog boy. He is a worker at Morrowbie’s farm that tends to his collies. Even though Dunnoo is considered to be in the lower class of the caste system, he is thought to be above the untouchables. That is why he is used as the person who saves Morrowbie, but it is never mention of any gratitude from Morrowbie for saving his life. In â€Å"The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes† it is evident that the Indian caste system is used in each characters actions and manners.The Indian Caste system is a system that till this day, has been the back bone of the Indian society. The characters of this story displayed not only the attitudes of each caste system, but also the beliefs of how each caste level associated with each other. Each character from Morrowbie to the white hunter established themselves in the undead world the same as they lived above ground. They did not care where their bodies were, for living in the caste system you live your full life even after death in the same caste system.

Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism

Book Report on Edward’s â€Å"Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism† The turning point of the field of broadcast journalism was attributed to no one but Edward R. Murrow who, ironically, has no background of the profession but whose innovations opened doors and paved the way for the industry’s present prominence. This premise proved that one’s contributions and eventual success are not measured by his or her credentials or circumstances but definitely based on the significance of the work a person has performed and ultimately how the efforts affected people and the society in general.The said condition was how NPR’s Morning Edition host Bob Edwards successfully exemplified and analyzed the character of Murrow in the book â€Å"Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism (Turning Points in History). † Noting the relevance of broadcast journalism in today’s modern world, Edwards became effective in his approac h in evaluating the life and contributions of Murrow according to the nature of the latter’s character as well as his principles and endeavors which made the broadcast field successful.Set at the early years of Murrow’s broadcast career which started in 1935 and at the backdrops of the Nazi regime and World War III, the Edwards book made the public realize the exciting, fearless, meticulous, in-depth but generally composed personality of the â€Å"See It Now† television show host. From the title itself of the book as well as its clear portrayal of Murrow, Edwards proudly imparted that the improvement, success and influence of the contemporary broadcast journalism was absolutely a product of the work caliber and individuality of the radio and television icon.As such, the protagonist of the Edwards book perfectly exuded a picture of both excellence and calmness when his innovations resulted in the turning point of broadcast journalism. Hence, in the light of clear character analysis of the Edwards book, the words of Murrow clearly manifested how he wanted himself and the field of broadcast journalism to be realized. Edwards quoted Murrow as saying â€Å"I began to breathe and to reflect again—that all men would be brave if only they could leave their stomachs at home† (Edwards 74).Another form of character analysis that affirmed the kind of personality, quality of work and significant influence made to broadcast media profession by Murrow was through the interview made by Jones to Edwards. The â€Å"Edward Murrow† book is efficiently perceived through how Edwards viewed Murrow. Jones then confirmed from the interview he made with the author that without Murrow, broadcast journalism will never be the same as it is now (Jones).It was also in an online broadcast by the National Public Radio or NPR and where Edwards’ show is broadcasted that Murrow was regarded as a history himself. Murrow’s spectacular rooftop live broadcast of the London Blitz provided fresh approach and unique style of broadcast journalism. As presented by Edwards in his book, it was Murrow’s innate character and professional supremacy that brought new information or news reports and made broadcast journalism as a field of enormous power and undisputed impact to people and societies (â€Å"Edward R.Murrow: Broadcasting History†). Apart from his innovative wartime broadcasts that catapult him to fame and respect, it was Murrow’s personal and professional principles that made him incomparable from the rest. Hence, it was the statement by Edwards during the Jones interview that ideally depicted the character and value and most importantly, the influence of Murrow to broadcast journalism.As Edwards said: â€Å"I say he (Murrow) set the standard, but it’s probably closer to say he set the ideal and we can’t have the (same) ideal anymore† (Jones). Works Cited â€Å"Edward R. Murrow: Broadcasting History. † Morning Edition. National Public Radio. 6 May 2004. Edwards, Bob. Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism (Turning Points in History). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2004). Jones, Michelle. â€Å"NPR’s Bob Edwards on Edward R. Murrow. † Interview to Bob Edwards. 2004.

History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 32

History - Assignment Example For instance, the American mixed martial arts (MMA) is one such sport whereby two competitors fight it out to see who has the better skill, determination and athleticism to beat down their opponent, just the way the gladiators used to do in Rome (DeCosemo 1). As events of modern day sport, it’s not all about the game, there are other things included such as involvement of characters, determination, technical skill and the personal drama (DeCosemo 1). A few good examples of this would be present day football or soccer, American football, Basketball, and baseball. So during the Roman Empire it was gladiator fights that brought spectators or people together to sit and watch gladiators fight and kill each other. While everything else remains the same from the Roman times to present day sports such as the intensity, cheering, and shouts of spectators or fans, the only difference in modern sports is that they is no killings in the name of being victorious as was the case in gladiator fights (DeCosemo 1). It can safely be said that sports have changed over the centuries since the era of the Roman Empire. Not any more do we find men sword fighting or even fighting wild animals. Yet, there are still several similarities between the Roman Empire sports and the modern day sports, especially in terms of spectators and fans. In both the ancient and modern day sports, there are people who adore the game and

What you think Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What you think - Essay Example Throughout the course, I found philosophy to be life changing and a valuable discipline with immense satisfaction. Philosophy helped broaden my world. It forced me to have a different analysis of the world. Prior to studying philosophy, the world appeared straightforward, bland, and dogmatism came cheaply. However, philosophy opened up the complexities of the world, providing new vistas. Philosophy has helped trained my mind through intellectual exercise. It has achieved this through stretching and pushing the mind to the limit by giving exercise that require an individual to have a deeper thinking and insight. Philosophy has provided grounds for continuously challenging me. It does this by its unrelenting quest for clarity. These challenges have helped me evaluate and synthesize my thoughts. I find these challenges invigorating and I expect them to last a lifetime. Philosophy has helped me understand the relative necessity of ideas. It has trained me to dig deeper into concepts, pro viding an option of whether to pursue the idea or not. It has provided enormous insights and idea to argue about, labor over and spend time (Pardi, 2011). At the beginning, I thought of philosophy as an outdated and obscure discipline with little relevance to humanity. However, the few months I have spent studying philosophy, I have realized that philosophy covers a central part of humanity. All the thoughts that have led to the advancement of the world have a philosophical basis. In addition, a day cannot end without having to deal with a philosophical aspect. Philosophy has helped me broaden my world, and helps me put things into

Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Summary - Assignment Example 1-3). Since there was an air of authority on how it was discussed, the article was found believable by many students. History Department Chair Paul Freedman said that Wikipedia can be used â€Å"for general orientation, as an introduction to a topic† but not as an authority on a particular subject (Torbati, 2007, par. 9). Dean Stephen Lassonde find Wikipedia prone to many errors compared to hard copies, which undergo rigorous editing standards (Torbati, 2007, par. 13). The inaccuracy of the website pushed the History Department at Middlebury to ban it as a citation source (Torbati, 2007, par. 15-16). Students may use Wikipedia for finding a simple background of the subject they are working on but it should not be their only source. The legitimacy and authority of hard copies have more definite and factual information rather than a web-based encyclopedia, especially one that is open for everyone to upload information to. Not because it is written â€Å"like it’s somethi ng possible†¦because of (its) authoritative pronouncement† does not mean that it’s real and true (Torbati, 2007, par. 32). It is still important to search other books, especially the recommended reading materials given to the students to cross-reference its veracity. Works Cited Torbati, J. (2007).

Lean Manufacturing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Lean Manufacturing - Essay Example Current process The present procedure is one with an 8 hour shift for 20 days in a month, with both Fridays and Saturdays observed as off-days. The details of the 11 current operations being run can be seen in figure 1. Initially the present VSM or Value Stream Mapping has been developed. VSM is basically is a method to understand the dense relationship between each of the operations. It depicts time elapsed, non-conformance number, inventory and the flow of information between operations. The following advantages of VMS have been elaborated by Tapping, et al. (2002): a) Envision all of the flow of information and material used. b) Envision the relationship between operations and production control. c) Point out the waste sources in the system. d) Identify bottleneck operations. Afterwards statistical charts like bar chart, pie charts and waterfall charts are constructed. For this purpose, all the activities in the operation that that value or non-value added, must be highlighted. Va lue added activity is one which creates value, as customers perceive it. On the other hand, non-value activities are those, for which, the customer will not be liable to pay for. For this reason all non-value activities should be removed from the process immediately. In this scenario, cycle time is a value added activity whereas the set-up time and waiting time are tagged as non-valuable activities. Reason behind future state The immediate target of the future plan is to nullify all non-valuable activities and wastes. Waste is described as the process that does not help in cost reduction and also as a process that doesn’t add to the product value. In total, waste can be categorized in seven parts: 1. Waiting 2. Needless inventory 3. Flaws 4. Transportation 5. Overproduction 6. Incorrect processing 7. Needless motion Nevertheless, another waste which is also considered in this list as the eight waste is over-employment, which means employees, whose services are not fully utili zed. This disease can only be curbed by the input of the employees in the company with innovations and better working ideas. Three major motives are involved in the consideration of lean manufacturing in the very first place. First and foremost is the expanding of the market at a global stage. Then comes, the higher demands of the customer in relation to quality and a better cost. Lastly, the old school methods are no longer accepted, for e.g. once a month delivery of the products to the customer. Lean manufacturing is an outstanding approach to achieve better operations, quality and cost wise. It is a sluggish process but contributes heavily to lessening of wastes. Additionally, it is more prone to increasing the quality of the process. The major motives behind VMS are listed and elaborated as follows: 1. TAKT time and bottleneck station TAKT is the essential element that has to be considered in lean manufacturing to meet the requirements of the customer. According to Carreiera (20 05), TAKT is defined as â€Å"the frequency with which your customer consumes a unit of product†. In simple words, it can be established about TAKT time that, it is the time available for producing a product which is parallel to the needs of the customer. TAKT time can be calculated by the following formula: If the time of the process is less than the

The Role of a Staff Accountant - Fitch Ratings Company Essay

The Role of a Staff Accountant - Fitch Ratings Company - Essay Example This position reports directly to Marvin Goodells (Junior Vice President) and is operated by division leader Thelma Brackley (Division Superintendent). All matters of business or personal matters should be brought to Mr Goodells as part of Fitch rating management hierarchy. Because staff accountancy involves knowledge within a wide field of finance, it is important to understand how to perform well in this new position. Internal auditing, specifically, involves extensive review of ledger histories. These are located in the left-hand file cabinet under the â€Å"reconciliation† tab. All copies of your daily logs must be posted in chronological order at the end of the closing accountancy day. Auditing consists of comparing the electronic records with that of the staff general ledgers. All proposed discrepancies, if any, will be highlighted in green and distributed by Marvin Goodells on the 24th of each month. When discrepancies can be explained, with appropriate documentation, a commentary section is appended to the report where definitions or scenarios must be discussed for the inconsistency. This report, when reconciled, must be delivered to Mr Goodells’ exterior office mailbox by the last reporting day of the month. Once monthly, you will meet with Thelma Brackley to discuss your role in various customer accounting. She will ask to see all of your balance sheets for a specific date or time period, and it is required by the policy that you are able to produce those records instantaneously. As such, it is important to understand the filing system of the office. All general ledger notifications are to be tabbed red, payroll information is labelled green, and balance sheets are labelled with blue tabs. These tabs are located in the copy office, merely ask Tina (the office manager) for replacements if you can find none. Affix these tabs to each day’s records, place their photocopy in the file drawer with the appropriate coloured tab, and file the records in descending dates facing away from you.  Ã‚  

Business Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Planning - Essay Example For any new business venture, marketing, operation, and financial plans are all related and fundamental (Burns, 2014). An operation plan gives a vast organization structure of the business, including information on workers, location, and the outline of goals and the missions. The business operation plan equips investors with essential details to identify which business is viable, financially stable and can repay its worth. The plan help in establishing and to control perfect operations of the business. The marketing plans concentrates on the activities marking the company to achieve its predefined goals and missions by selling its products. The plan outlines the targeted base of customers. It outlines strategies to capture new markets and competition from rivals dealing on the same line. Aligning the three plans is imperative to attain success for the business. The alignment facilitates the business growth and prosperity. A new business should focus on strictly implementing the three plans. Every stakeholder in the business must have clear understanding of the company’s core values as outlined in the three plans. The market and customer information help in building company customer relationship by gathering vital market

Philippine Land Law Expert Chatbot Essay Example for Free

Philippine Land Law Expert Chatbot Essay The researchers tend to work on an expert system with integration of Philippine land laws. They chose to focus on land laws since one of the major problems of the Filipinos who seek law experts’ advice are due to land. The researchers deliberates the possible ways on how can they share knowledge and guidance that works like a real lawyer advising a client but have not taking an account to replace to seek a real land law experts guidance. Also, putting an expertise into a machine happens in many ways. So, the researchers find a way on constructing an expert system on Philippine land law using different techniques. In giving solution to the stated problem of the researchers, this study implements techniques such as Natural Language Processing (NLP) with sub-processes of Tokenizing, Part-of-Speech Tagging, and Parsing for input abstraction and validation, as well as Natural Language Generation (NLG) for the construction of answer/s. The developed system entitled, â€Å"PHILEX: Philipine Land Law Expert Chatbot† focused on providing answers to the user’s questions. Such users who are in need of information, assistance and knowledge and those who seek counselling in regards to any Philippine land law or land rights can benefit from the said expert system but must always know that the researchers do not intend to substitute the land law professionals. Upon various tests that the researchers conducted aiming to know the accuracy, specificity and sensitivity of the system, researchers came up with such conclusions. A technique, Precision and Recall, was used to test the system’s capability of answering the user’s questions relying from correct result (true positive or tp), missing result (false negative of fn), unexpected result (false positive of fp), and correct abscence of result (true negative or tn). This study also intends to identify the evaluation of the experts when it comes to sy stem’s user-friendliness, speed of response, and completeness. Five (5) land law experts chose twenty (20) test questions used to assess the system’s competency. Conclusion made by the experts based on the results is PHILEX, being the system for giving answers to user’s questions pertaining to Philipine land laws, is acceptable as a reliable source of knowledge and guidance without intending to replace the professional practitioners. The system got an overall percentage in terms of accuracy, a 75%, specificity with the percentage rate of 55% and sensitivity with 80.8%. Summing up the scores in terms of user-friendliness, speed of response, and completeness resulted to an overall weighted mean of 4.36, 4.32, and 4.16 respectively, interprets that the system as an acceptable tool for land law consulations. In the future, the authors would like to extend their work and knowledge by making the system possible to access by everyone through web or what we called â€Å"web-base application†.

The Carbonated Soft Drinks Industry And Pepsico Strategy Marketing Essay

The Carbonated Soft Drinks Industry And Pepsico Strategy Marketing Essay The chart below shows the dominant players in the carbonated soft drinks (CSD) industry according to Beverage Digest report issued on March 30, 2009. The results of this report are for the year 2008 (Sicher, 2009, p.2). Coca Cola has the largest market share accounting for 43%, followed by PepsiCo with 31% and Dr.Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (formerly Cadbury Schweppes) with 15% of the market. The remaining 11% is distributed amongst other CSD companies such as Cott Corp, National Beverage, Red Bull, Big Red, Rockstar, Private label and others. Moreover, the top 10 CSD brands in the U.S for the year 2008 were ranked by market share as follows (Sicher, 2009, p.2). Brands Company Market Share Coke Coca-Cola 17.3% Pepsi-Cola PepsiCo 10.3% Diet Coke Coca-Cola 10% Mountain Dew PepsiCo 6.8% Dr.Pepper Dr.Pepper Snapple Group(DPS) 6.1% Diet Pepsi PepsiCo 5.7% Sprite Coca-Cola 5.6% Fanta Coca-Cola 1.8% Diet Mountain Dew PepsiCo 1.8% Diet Dr.Pepper Dr.Pepper Snapple Group(DPS) 1.6% With regard to individual brands, Coke was ranked first with 17.3% market share and Pepsi-cola was in second place with a lower market share of 10.3%. Additionally, the total market share of all Coca-cola brands adds up to (34.7%) which still surpasses those of PepsiCo (24.6%). To be able to give an in-depth analysis and evaluation of the Soft Drink industry, the following factors should be considered: The relevant industry trends and the most noticeable changes in the industry. The strategic group map. The industry attractiveness using Michael Porter five forces model. A. Relevant industry trends Industry Growth The graph below shows the performance of the CSD market from 1990 up to 2008. It is observed that the industry faced a sharp decline in growth starting from 2005, where the percent volume change fell below zero. This was followed by a further decline in growth rates: -0.6% in 2006, then -2.3% in 2007 and -3% in 2008 (Sicher, 2009, p.1). Conversely, the energy drink companies were experiencing a positive growth. Hansen Natural, which has both soft drinks and energy drinks in its portfolio of products, witnessed a +3.3% CSD growth. Additionally, Red Bulls volume also increased +5.2%. Although Hansen Natural and Red Bull make up a small portion of the total market share pie, the increase in their growth rates indicates that PepsiCo has to pay attention to them. Political Factors: There are several political factors that influence the soft drinks industry: Obey food, Drug and cosmetic acts: the process of producing and distributing the soft drinks in the market is subjects to many federal laws such as the food, drug and cosmetics acts. It is also subject to American with disabilities acts. The presence of these laws helps create a healthy environment for the consumers. This will limit the potentials of new entrants in this industry. Environmental laws regulations: these laws enforce packaging, recycling, water and energy policies to make sure the CSD industry operates in a healthy environment. This leads to making the soft drink industry more attractive for consumers. Double Taxation: Another political factor is that companies operating in the industry are obligated to tax payments for the products they offer and distribute in each country they operate within. Hence, this leads to making the industry less attractive because operating firms are subject to double taxation policies. Economical Factors: Inflation in diesel prices: it is an important factor affecting the CSD industry. Since, the CSD relies on trucks to distribute its diverse end line products; trucks are subject to inflation in fuel prices. Since the consumption of fuel is the core activity, diesel prices are subject to inflation depending on the market conditions. Yet, the possibility of a market crisis rises. Foreign exchange rates fluctuations: Carbonated soft drinks firms revenues are affected by exchange rates fluctuations as well as profits and the cost of raw materials. Due to the weak economic growth the industry will suffer heavily by changes in exchange rates. Thus, profits and cost are going to be lower and higher respectively. Socio cultural Factors: Obesity: Dr. Gabe Mirkin says: A study from Harvard shows that of soft drinks may be responsible for the doubling of obesity in children over the last 15 years. (Gabe Mirkin, 2004) Recently, as the people are becoming more and more educated, the level of their health awareness is increasing. Obesity is becoming more and more apparent, leading to people taking good care of their health. Soft drinks are full with empty calories which cause obesity. The trend of obesity in children is rising since the soft drinks consumers are young and between the range of 14 and 30. In fact, studies done by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research shows that Adults who do drink one or more sodas or other sugar-sweetened beverages each day are 27% more likely to be overweight or obese. (16 Facts About Soft Drinks and Obesity, 2009) Change in life style consumer tastes: Nowadays the consumer of the carbonated soft drink industry are shifting their tastes toward drinking more healthier drinks such as water and fresh juices instead of carbonated soft drink full with sugar that will have a negative effect on the consumer health in the long run. People have become more health conscious for instance they are moving toward the consumption of healthier beverages such as water and fresh juices. Its estimated that the consumption of juices will increase up to 20 % within the coming three years. (Health Conscious Chileans Switching to Non-carbonated Drinks, 2009) Technological Factors: Introducing new technologies in the soft drink industry has helped in developing the process of manufacturing. For example: PDX technology: It is a shockwave technology that helps in mixing the ingredients in an efficient way. Pursuit Dynamics, the supplier, said that this technology is most useful for the soft drinks industry. This technology is believed to help in cutting the cleaning time up to 80%. Also, it will also increase the processing speed and save power. (New technology targets diet soft drinks makers, 2009) Other Noticeable trends: Merger and acquisition: It is very common in the soft drinks industry, it causes many firm to exit and then re-enter the industry. Many leaders in the soft drinks industry use acquisition in order to grow and increase their market share. For example, what PepsiCo did to expand into the energy drink sector, it acquired Quaker Oat, who already bought Gatorade. Hence, the competition on the products diversifications for a firm will increase. Using glass bottles instead of plastic bottles: Many soft drinks companies are moving toward using glass bottles because these bottles are more environmental friendly. According to G Karthikeyan, the manger of sales in Jabal Ali Container Glass, the demand for glass bottles has increased recently because some of the chemicals in the soft drinks can react with the plastic and caused serious diseases. Using glass bottles help that the soft drink bottle taste better and last for long time. (Sathish, 2010) Banning soft drinks in schools: The American beverage association has announced the removal of soft drinks from schools. It asked for the removal of full calorie drinks and the replacement will be the healthy, low calorie beverages. That decision has been made because the child obesity is increasing rapidly. The announcement said that in elementary schools, children can only have 100% fresh juices, low fat milk and water, while in high schools the students can have all types of diet beverages and sport drinks as well as the drinks available for the elementary schools.(FBD,2010) B. Strategic Group Map The strategic group map above shows the competitive positions of different competitors in the CSD industry. It consists of the five largest competitors in the industry. The axes represent two competitive characteristics: the product categories offered by each competitor and geographic coverage in terms of the number of countries. The size of the circles is proportional to the relative market share of the company. PepsiCo has offers the largest variety of product categories amounting to 10 categories, followed by Coca-cola which offers 7 categories. Dr.Pepper Snapple Group, Cott Corp and National beverage all offer 5 product categories, however these categories are differ slightly. Also, their geographic locations vary which explains why they are located on different points on the strategic group map. The strategic group map was constructed using the information in the table below: Geographic coverage Product Categories offered Coca cola 200 + (The coca-cola system, n.d.) 1.Soft drinks 2.Energy drinks 3.Juices / Juice Drinks 4.Sports drinks 5.Tea and coffee 6.water 7.other  [1]   Pepsi 150 (Our history, n.d.) 1.Soft drinks 2.Energy drinks 3.Juices / Juice Drinks 4.Sports drinks 5.Ready to drink tea 6.Ready to drink coffee 7.water 8.Dairy based drinks 9.Fruit flavored beverages 10.Frozen beverages  [2]   Dr.Pepper Snapple Group 81 (The best history on earth, n.d) 1.CSD 2.Juices 3.Ready to drink tea 4.Mixers 5.Other Premium beverages  [3]   Cott Corp 60 (About us, n.d.) 1.CSD 2.Energy Drinks 3.Juice Drinks 4.Tea 5.Water  [4]   National Beverage 13 (Overview, n.d.) 1.CSD 2.Energy Drinks 3.Water 4.Fortified powders and supplements 5.Functionally enhanced juices and waters  [5]   C. Michael Porter five forces model Industry is classified as the Carbonated Soft Drinks Industry Rivalry HIGH Rivalry in this market is very intense due to a number of factors such as the number of competitors, growth of the industry, product differentiation, switching costs and change in consumer tastes. There are a few large competitors that are roughly equal in size. These competitors are Coca-cola with a market share of 43% and Pepsi with 31%. The market shares of Coca-cola and PepsiCo combined makes up more than 70% of the whole market. Thus, it allows these major competitors to watch each other closely. However, there are many other competitors that compete with these two giants and intensify rivalry. These include other soft drink companies (e.g. Dr.Pepper Snapple Group and National Beverage) and energy drink companies (e.g. Red bull and Rockstar). As mentioned earlier, the CSD industry faced a 3% decline in growth in 2008. A declining growth rate indicated that the many competitors in the market will have to share the shrinking pie. Also, in an industry such as CSD, there is little opportunity for differentiation relative to other products (e.g. cars) which lowers switching costs for consumers. The change in lifestyles which caused consumers to shift away from carbonated to non-carbonated soft drinks increased the level of competition. As a result, companies such as PepsiCo and Coco-cola had to adapt to these changes in demand by focusing on marketing and innovation (Human sustainability, n.d.). Bargaining power of Buyers MODERATE to HIGH The buyers in this industry can be classified into two categories: Those that buy in large quantities (Matthews Knaus, 2006, p.2): Supermarkets (31%) Fountain outlets: e.g. restaurants (23%) Vending machines (14%) Mass merchandisers (6%) Convenience stores/ Gas stations (5%) Small grocers (4%) Other: gas stations, drug chains, gas stations/minimarts, airlines and other channels of distribution (17%) Those that buy in small quantities: Final consumer The first category of buyers has high bargaining power. Generally, in industries characterized with many suppliers and a few large buyers, the buyers capture a greater share of the profits. This is because they buy in bulk and they can easily switch between suppliers since the product is standard, lacks differentiation and is easily available in the market. Additionally, these buyers have the power to demand higher quality or more service because they buy in large quantities. An example of a buyer that buys in bulk is the large retail store, Walmart. The second category of buyers is the end consumers. The fragmented nature of the buyer group and the low quantities purchased by them lowers their bargaining power. However, the bargaining power is increased due to the presence of substitutes, low switching costs. Thus, the bargaining power of end consumers is considered to be moderate overall. Bargaining power of Suppliers- MODEATE to LOW Before looking at the supplier group, it is important to first consider the types of input or raw materials that are used in this industry. These are: sugar, bottles, cans, water, ink and plastic. The inputs used are homogeneous and not differentiated which makes them readily available in the market. The supplier group in this industry is not powerful and does not possess a high bargaining power. There are many suppliers which make the supplier group more fragmented than the industry it sells to. Also, the product or input is neither unique nor differentiated and the suppliers do not represent a high percentage of total costs in the industry. One factor that may increase the bargaining power of suppliers is that consumers are more becoming more health conscious. This gives suppliers that offer healthier ingredients more bargaining power since they are smaller in number. Nevertheless, this bargaining power can be mitigated by having a long term agreement with the suppliers. Threat of Substitutes: HIGH Again, substitutes are classified into two categories: (1) Substitutes that come from distant industries, and (2) substitutes that come from within the industry- internal substitution. Since we classified the industry as that of carbonated soft drinks, then the substitutes from distant industries will be non-carbonated soft drinks. These include juice, water, milk, tea, coffee and the like. On the other hand, substitutes from within the industry include CSD such as sodas and energy drinks. Both types of substitutes pose a high threat because consumers switching costs between substitutes are low. Additionally, since people are more health conscious, they are more willing to substitute CSD with healthier alternatives. Threat of New Entrants: Moderate to LOW The entry barriers in the CSD industry are of different types, each having a significant effect on the threat of potential new entrants, these include: Technical barriers: For instance, PepsiCo has an absolute cost advantage enabling it to achieve lower average costs. That is, even if an individual or company was able to discover Pepsis recipe, they will not be able to achieve the low costs of PepsiCo. This is because PepsiCo is a large company that has economies of scale. Commercial Barriers: these barriers include brand name, reputation, access to distribution etc. In an industry like CSD, it is very difficult for a new entrant to compete effectively with the existing competitors that already have a large and loyal customer base. New entrants will have to put in a lot of marketing efforts and resources in order to convince customers to switch to their products. This will be time consuming and will also require a large amount of capital. Additionally, it is very difficult for new entrant to gain access to extensive distribution channels like those of Coca cola and PepsiCo. Financial Barriers: these barriers include capital requirement, access to financing etc. The bottling process requires a higher amount of capital than concentrate manufacturing since it is associated with higher fixed assets. For concentrate manufacturing, one plant which has the potential to serve a country as large as the United States costs $25 million. On the other hand, the bottling process needs 80 to 85 plants, each costing $30-50 million, to provide efficient distribution for a country the size of the US. Moreover, the bottling process is highly specific to both the type packaging and the bottling process. This, in return, makes it difficult to exit the market. (Cola wars, n.d., p.3) Retaliation: the more retaliation new entrants expect from existing competitors, the higher the entry barrier. In this industry, new entrants should expect sharp retaliation. The aforementioned barriers to entry lower the threat of new entrants. However, there is another factor that should be taken into consideration: private label brands. Cott Corp. holds the majority of private label brands in addition to few other smaller companies. Since private label brands are cheaper, retailers would find it more attractive to sell them, instead of Coca-cola or Pepsi, taking into consideration the higher profit associated with them. Thus, the threat of these private brands slightly increase the threat posed by new entrants. This makes the overall threat of new entrants moderate to low. (Pepsi, n.d., p.6) Conclusion The spider web below summarized the five forces (the 6th force is excluded). The more intense the forces are, the less attractive the market is. Most of the forces in the CSD industry are moderate to high which indicates that this industry is not attractive for new entrants. However, for those companies that are already in the industry, it is attractive. 2. Key Success Factors of Carbonated Soft Drinks industry 1. Size of Company (distribution and market share) The companies size is an important factor in such an industry. E.g. PepsiCo is the second leader in the industry as well as one with the largest market share. 2. Location (Convenience and Availability) Convenience for customers is also essential in a soft drink industry. Such that a company must make sure the soft drink is readily available everywhere in supermarket, grocery stores, vending machines, and restaurants. Brand Loyalty Due to the diverse soft drinks and the intense competition in the industry, brand loyalty plays an important success factor for a company. E.g. PepsiCos regular customers are devoted to Pepsi and they rarely switch to other brands. Loyalty creates inelastic price change. PepsiCo successfully adapts to customer taste. International market International presence is essential for the success of Soft Drinks industry. Going global is important for it helps the company enhance growth. E.g. the majority of PepsiCos profits come from US yet population growth in markets like India and china could lead to potential market growth. SWOT Analysis Strengths: Strong Brand Reputation Strong market Position PepsiCo is an early entrant which helped build market share. Its market share accounts for 31% of the market share of the carbonated soft drinks industry. Availability of large Free Cash Flow ( and Strong Revenue Growth) Solid revenue results in the second quarter of 2009 reflecting PepsiCos Product innovation, strong effective net pricing, and cost discipline showing a 5.5 percent increase in net revenue and an 8 percent increase in core EPS. PepsiCo Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Indra Nooyi said Our results this quarter reinforce the advantages of our balanced portfolio, as our food and international businesses delivered solid performance while we continued the transformation of our North American beverage business.(Nooyi, 2009) PepsiCo has large amount of free cash flow and lack of capital constraint creating strength for the company to improve its innovative capabilities, and create a strong distribution thus further strengthening its brand. Strong and creative advertisement Besides PepsiCos strong advertisement, it uses creative techniques. Such that PepsiCo created an add through a football field with most well known players (Kaka-Brazilian, Henry-France, Drogba-Godivoi, Messi-Argentine, Lumoard-England) . Extensive product list Pepsi offers various products besides the Pepsi cola. It offers beverages and snacks. Its also the number one maker of snacks (potato chips and corn chips). Weaknesses: Many Large existing Competitors Large existing competitors in the market create significant weakness for PepsiCo and thus create a need for stronger advertising, consequently requiring higher capital. Following are the strong competitors sharing a high market share in comparison to PepsiCo with 31% market share: Coca Cola has a market share of Æ’Â   43% Dr.Pepper Snapple Group Inc. Æ’Â  15% of the market Concentration PepsiCo is concentrated in North America (US, Canada, Mexico), where almost 70% of its revenues comes from. Opportunities: Acquisitions and Alliances: Due to the increased threat of rivalry and competition in the carbonated soft drink industry, acquisitions and alliances create an opportunity that reduces such threats. Through acquisition the market share rises and the revenue rises, though the high cost of doing it is a drawback to such a strategy. Acquisitions of rivals (e.g. RedBull) Increase Market Share Increase Advertisements Advertisements play a major role in Carbonated Industries. For example, for one to see Pepsis add on road while very thirsty would likely to stop by a petrol station or any convenient store who offers Pepsi to purchase it. Strengthen Brand names of N.A portfolio: Since coke dominates Western Europe and Latin America, PEPSI dominates Middle East and Southeast Asia. Threats: Change in customers taste: weakening demand in USA Æ’Â  new federal nutrition guidelines identified regular CSD as largest source of obesity-causing sugars in American diet (Pinto, 2006) Health care awareness Increased awareness of health campaigns cut down revenues of soft drink industries. Customers move to substitutes such as water, non-carbonated drinks and juices. These challenges are PepsiCos target to overcome, such as the figure below shows the peoples negative perception of PepsiCo. High Rivalry As Explained earlier, threat of rivalry is very intense due to the following factors: Large number of competitors, Decline in growth of the industry, Lack of differentiation in products, and low switching costs. Therefore there exists an intense competition for shelf space due to expanding array of products and packaging options Large company size, will demand a varied marketing program; Social, cultural, economic, political and governmental constrains. As a result, the company will incur more expenses and resources. Threat of substitutes is very high. People can easily substitute Pepsi with other drinks. Strategic recommendations to the firm based on your SWOT analysis Since PepsiCo has availability of high free cash flow (strength), I would recommend that PepsiCo opts for Acquisition and Alliance (Opportunity) to increase its market share thus to take over its rivalry (threat) Due to the threat of health campaigns (threat), PepsiCo should increase its product line (opportunity) I would recommend that PepsiCo increases its EPS and increase PepsiCos stock price, by: Increasing Income Decrease amount of outstanding stock B. Company strategy analysis 1. Mission Statement/Strategic intent/Vision Mission statement: Our mission is to be the worlds premier consumer products company focused on convenient foods and beverages. We seek to produce financial rewards to investors as we provide opportunities for growth and enrichment to our employees, our business partners and the communities in which we operate. And in everything we do, we strive for honesty, fairness and integrity (PepsiCo Inc., 2009) Reproduced Mission statement: PepsiCo aims to be the worlds number one foods and beverages producer. It mainly focuses on providing money for its investors as well as enhancing the market with jobs and opportunities for growth. PepsiCo try their best to be honest, fair and truthful in all of their operations. Critique: The mission statement relatively reflects the core values of PepsiCo. It specifically describes its goals and objectives. It also sets guidelines for the activities and operations that need to be accomplished in order to meet the company prospects aims. Vision: PepsiCos responsibility is to continually improve all aspects of the world in which we operate environment, social, economic creating a better tomorrow than today. Our vision is put into action through programs and a focus on environmental stewardship, activities to benefit society, and a commitment to build shareholder value by making PepsiCo a truly sustainable company. (PepsiCo Inc., 2009) Reproduced Vision: Operate by creating a better future sustainable environment. Critique: A vision is a statement that states what the firm will be in the future. Pepsis vision aims toward creating a future healthier, sustainable friendly environment. PepsiCo vision should be more specific to its goals and objectives in order for PepsiCo to be more productive in the future. It should be more creative and easy to adapt to new trends. The vision can help PepsiCo in controlling the future market. PepsiCo Generic Strategy: According to Michael Porter, there are two types of competitive advantages a firm an posses: A firm can either make the same products that its competitors do, but with a lower cost. Æ’Â   Cost Strategy OR A firm can differentiate its products from those offered by its competitors, either by offering better and more expensive products or by offering lower quality cheaper products Æ’Â   Differentiation Strategy. To gain a competitive advantage in the market, PepsiCo looked in its position in the industry. It engaged in cost leadership competitive strategy: Since PepsiCo is a large corporation, it can keep the prices of its products low through the massive production and economies of scale. They also can buy from suppliers in bulk at a discount and make use of the technology to lower the prices of the final products. Not to forget that the extensive distribution channels and the global existence of the firm are considered as important factors to reduce the price. Allocating the cost among the brands carried by PepsiCo, the proficiency in the development and production help PepsiCo achieving its cost leadership strategy. PepsiCo also vertically integrated. It has merged with Pepsi bottling group in order to reduce the cost of distribution. Additionally, the types of input or raw materials that are used in this industry are: sugar, bottles, cans, water, ink and plastic. Since these raw materials are not differentiated and are easily available in the market, PepsiCo can achieve economies of scale. By looking at the graph above we can learn that by achieving economies of scale the firm will reduce its costs which will lead to lower prices of the final products. Although lower prices will result in having price war, which had already existed between PepsiCo and Coca-Cola and other firms in the CSD industry, it will still help the company in increasing its market share and to compete in the industry. Adapting the Cost leadership strategy had raised strong barriers for any new entrants to enter the market since it will be very hard to compete with a well-known brand that offers low prices. PepsiCos key resources that could lead to long term competitive: In order to stay ahead of the future and present competition, Pepsi has developed many attributes. It has constructed a business strategy that will allow it to outperform its competitors. Therefore PepsiCo has concentrated on few main resources that it believes will turn out as competitive advantages for the firm which will help it to goal superior performance in its industry. These competitive advantages are believed to be: Strong Brand Name Advertising: PepsiCo has the luxury to spend around 200 million dollars in this field, which allows it to reinforce the products. The strong advertising helps PepsiCo to introduce new products very quickly because it helps in improving the awareness level on the consumers about launching new products. PepsiCo logo/ being the 2nd leader of the market: PepsiCo is a very well-known brand not only because of products taste but also because of its logo and unique way of packaging. These all created what is called brand recognition. The unique blue and red symbol made PepsiCo very recognizable among people. Pepsi has spent 637 million dollar over the five past years on its marketing plan just to introduce the new rich deep blue packaging. This color represents the eternity of youthfulness and openness. Celebrity endorsement: Pepsi had used famous faces such as Britney Spears and Beyoncà © in advertising its products, which lead to attract more customers and increase the level of costumers preference. Although celebrity endorsement was a success but PepsiCo wont be using celebrities anymore as a step forward reducing its future cost. Extensive Distribution Channels / Location In Feb. 26, 2010 PepsiCo had merged with Pepsi Bottling group and PepsiAmerican which strengthening its distribution. It has local and global locations. PepsiCo has locations in 150 countries all around the world. Physical locations: PepsiCo soft drinks can be found in vending machines which are located in high traffic locations, schools, universities. PepsiCo reaches more consumers by also distributing its products to restaurants, department stores and grocery markets.

Their Eyes Were Watching God Joe Starks Analysis

Their Eyes Were Watching God Joe Starks Analysis The character of Joe Starks in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God written by Zora Neil Hurston is Janies second husband and an entrepreneur who is very charismatic and well off financially. However, Starks is a bit overzealous in his ambition. There isnt a lot of communication between him and Janie, or anyone else for that matter, and he has a huge a superiority complex, which leads to an uncontrollable jealousy over his most prize possession, Janie. Starks has envisioned himself as a big man in the novel. During the course of the story, Starks, in the beginning, is seen as a charming man, with a big dream and good intentions, ends up becoming the most powerful man in town, who is somewhat disliked because of spending practices and actions. Starks is somewhat seen as an imitator of the white man on top and the people of Eatonville resent him for it. When Starks is first mentioned in the novel, Starks a well dressed man, not usually seen in the parts Janie was from, he was dressed nice and looking good for the world to see, Janie sees Starks coming down the road. He wasnt just another passerby, he sees Janie, this beautiful girl on the road and he heads right for her, shes the one thats what he wants (Hurston 27). The character Joe Starks is an example of a man who knows what he wants in life, though he seems kind, and generous in nature, it is all a faà §ade. Starks is a selfish person, playing a role of a big man who sees himself above others. Through his strong sense of confidence, charismatic personality, and his financial background, Starks is able to gain the power and influence that he seeks within the town of Eatonville. He uses Janie his wife, as a symbol of personal success. She in his eyes is more of a trophy than someone he loves. Mr. Starks shallowly believes that with all his money and power should he be entitled t o a beautiful wife. From the moment that Starks meets Janie, he promises her the world. He guarantees all kinds of nice and exotic of things to her, not because he genuinely likes the girl, but because Starks sees something that he would like to have, and in order for him to get it, he has to promise the world to take Janie away from Logan Killicks, to whom she was currently married. There wasnt really a distinction between the two men, well besides physical appearance and age. They were two men wanting the same thing. The use of Janie as a way to progress in life, for Killicks, it was to work the land, to make it more valuable in the promise to turn it over to Janie. To Starks she would be a symbol of his power and success. Their Eyes is a lyrical novel that correlates the need of her first two husbands for ownership of progressively larger physical space (and the gaudy accoutrements of upward mobility) (Gates 197). Starks eventually succeeds in taking Janie away from Logan. After that she came to where Joe Starks was waiting for her with a hired rig. He was very solemn and helped her to the seat beside him. With him on it, it sat like some high, ruling chair (Hurston 32). In leaving with Mr. Starks, Janie assumes a role in a higher class, among the people who sit in a high, ruling chair. The same people whom Starks wishes or believes himself to be in. With running off and marrying Starks, Janie has moved up a notch in social standing. It was not because of her education or talents, but because shes beautiful and thats exactly what Starks wanted, a trophy. Starks does what he promised to do with Janie, which is buy her all these nice things and introduce her to a life of riches and luxury. On the train the next day, Joe didnt make many  speeches with rhymes to her, but he bought her the best things the butcher had, like apples and a glass lantern full of candies. Mostly he talked about plans for the town when he got thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Janie took a lot of looks at him and she was proud of what she saw. Kind of portly like rich white folks. Strange trains, and people and places didnt scare him neither (Hurston 34). Mr. Starks reveals his intentions or feelings that he already is in a higher class by flaunting his wealth. He buys Janie different kinds of things like fancy clothes and treats like apples and a glass lantern full of candies. Buying Janie all these fancy things is his way of trying to endear himself to her, as well as showing off the type of social class that he comes from. By buying his way into Janies life, Starks s ees to believe that rhymes and speeches are a poor mans way of romancing the woman. But through money and gifts as a form of romance, would be more of a higher class thing to do. Starks comes to Eatonville as a type of vivid dreamer, he has big plans for this little town of shacks and dirt. He brings his money, charisma, and a beautiful young bride to a developing town. The town starts off really small, too small for the town Starks had envisioned. No one really has thought about adding acreage to the town, or let alone about expanding. So here goes Mr. Joe Starks, the self-believed savior of this fledgling little burg. He guarantees the towns people a better place to live. So Starks, being the big man he envisions himself to be, goes right up to the white landowner and comes back with a deed to for the 200 acres the town needed. With the first task of Starks agenda finished, he gets everyone to go to work. So thats where the meeting was held with Tony Taylor  acting as chairman and Jody doing all the talking. A day was named for roads and they all agreed to bring axes and things like that and chop out two roads running each way. That applied to everyb ody except Tony and Coker. They could carpenter, so Jody hired them to go to work on his store bright and soon the next morning. Jody himself would be busy driving around from town to town telling people about Eatonville and drumming up citizens to move there (Hurston 40-1). Mr. Starks is the one who initiates the new building projects and construction of roads, hiring people to work for him, and giving himself the position of a spokesperson. After all, he was the one who bought all the land and the one with the plan itself. Who would argue with the man who come to Eatonville and change it for the better? Having attracted all the attention of the towns people, Joe calls a town meeting and gets himself elected as the mayor of Eatonville. Starks strong sense of self-confidence, execution of his plan for the town, and money, lead to control, and a sense dominance and power over the town. Starks shows off his new wealth and power in a strong resemblance of wealthy southern white man. Use the layout of the town for example. Starkss house sits almost in the middle of town, around his house sit in the rest of the people of the towns homes, but is far less as nice. Take for instance that new house of his. It had  two stories with porches, with banisters and such things. The rest of the town looked like servants quarters surrounding the big house. (Hurston 47). Starks spends his money on extravagant items like fancy spittoons for himself and even his wife. This type of free spending makes the citizens of Eatonville jealous and resent him for it. Before Starks moved into Eatonville, the people had never even thought of or had a reason to think of themselves in a different way, or even as low class, because they were all the same. The people of Eatonville before Starks came were all the same race and poor. Starks brought social differences and a type of class warfare to town, and now everyone else can see what theyre missing out on. It sort of made the rest of them feel that they had been taken advantage of. Like things had been kept from them. Maybe more things in the world besides spitting pots had been hid from them, when they wasnt told no better than to spit in tomato cans It was bad enough for white people, but when one of your own color could be so different it put you on a wonder. It was like seeing your sister turn into a gator. A familiar strangeness. You keep seeing your sister in the gator and the gator in your sister and youd rather not. There was no doubt that the town respected him and even admired him in a way. But any man who walks in the way of power and property is bound to meet hate (Hurston 47).   Starks whole life entails this high sense of esteem that his manhood brings. He has formed this feeling of entitlement because of what he brings to the table. He feels that with what he has done to the town he has a right to power, wealth, and authority. Starks considers himself justified because he was the one basically in charge of building up the town that only he should be the one to run it. He gets to decide what goes on there and whose opinion counts. He runs the town with somewhat of a first of tyranny and the people of Eatonville are often grumbling and comparing him to memories of the old white slave owners and rightfully so. Starks resembles the white man on top in many ways. He is well-fed appearance, dressed in the finest clothes, like the well-to-do white people at the time. He believes himself to be above the townspeople, they are lower than him. Even in the case of his wife Janie. He did not marry her for love. It was all for show. In his marriage to Janie rep resented his control of the people, the town, as the mayor, and the most of the money in town. The only love expressed by Starks, was the love for Joe Starks. He was the big man around town, everything else in his mind, was just symbol in the testament of greatness that is Joe Starks.

Existentialism in Kafkas Metamorphosis :: Metamorphosis essays

Existentialism in Kafka's Metamorphosis      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The book Metamorphosis, written by Franz Kafka, is based on the views of existentialism.   One of these main views is alienation or estrangement which is demonstrated by Gregor's relationship with his family, his social life, and the way he lives his life after the metamorphosis.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although Gregor doesn't realize it, the relationship between him and his family is not good. Gregor is taking over his father's responsibilities leaving nothing for Gregor's father to be responsible for. At the same time, Gregor is making plans to send his sister to a good school, but he fails to discuss this idea with her.   To make things worse, Gregor even goes as far as to lock his own bedroom doors at night. He thinks that his family is content with what he is doing, but the only thing that Gregor accomplishes is to alienate himself from his family.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not only is Gregor alienating himself from his family, but he is also alienating himself from society.   Gregor goes on many trips for his job, and instead of going out to meet people, he stays at the motel and does nothing. For this reason Gregor doesn't have a friend or a girlfriend that he can find support in.   He follows the same routine everyday of his life and fails to look ahead into the future.   By secluding himself like this, Gregor's life becomes like the life of a cockroach.   It is for this reason that he transforms into this creature.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gregor's life as a cockroach is no different than his life as a human. Whenever Gregor tries to communicate with someone, the only thing that comes out of his mouth are cockroach noises that scare his family, and his appearance causes his family to not want be around him. His sister tries to take care of him, but eventually she becomes weary of this never ending task and forgets about him. Gregor is once again alienated from his

Health Promotion and Teaching as Tools for Nursing Essay -- Healthy He

Laying the Foundation for a Healthier Future Health promotion and teaching are important tools for nursing. By promoting health and health teaching, nurses can help lay the foundation for a healthier future. Major Concepts and Definitions Belief–a statement of sense, declared or implied, that is intellectually and/or emotionally accepted as true by a person or group. Attitude–a relatively constant feeling, predisposition, or a set of beliefs that is directed toward an object, a person, or a situation. Value–a preference that is shared and transmitted within a community. Behavioral diagnosis–the delineation of the specific health actions that are most likely to effect a health outcome. Health Belief Model–a paradigm used to predict and explain health behavior that is based on value-expectancy theory. Perceive–how one views oneself’s health. Expectancies–outcomes and evaluation of how behavior is determined. Divided into three types. Environmental cues–subconcept of expectancies, beliefs how events are connected. Outcome expectation–subconcept of expectancies, consequences of one’s own actions. Efficacy expectation–subconcept of expectancies, one’s own competence to perform the behavior required to influence outcomes. Incentives– value of a particular object or outcome. Domains of learning–information, skills, and attitudes needed to be taught to achieve the appropriate level of learning. Cognitive domain–subconcept, development of new facts or concepts, building on or applying past knowledge to new situations. Psychomotor learning–subconcept, development of physical skills from simple to complex actions. Affective learning–recognition of values, religious and spiritual beliefs, family interaction patterns and relationships and personal attitudes that affect decisions and problem-solving progress. Teaching–a planned and purposeful activity that nurses use to increase the likelihood that individuals will learn. Major Assumptions Major assumptions are taken from Rosenstock’s (1966) Health Belief Model, Bandura’s (1986) Social Cognitive Theory (Edleman & Mandle, 1998), and the teaching process (Boyd, Graham, Gleit, & Whitman, 1998). According to Leddy & Pepper (1993), assumptions from the Health Belief Model include the following aspects: 1. Perceived susceptibility, the client’s ... ... and the Social Cognitive Theory can help the nurse to analyze factors that contribute to man’s perceived state of health. Working with the client in the proper domain of learning, the nurse will be able to assist the client to achieve the optimal level of functioning. This model can also be used with chronically ill patients. Again, the goal for the client is to achieve the optimal level of functioning. Difficulties in application to nursing practice would be the comatose patient or the terminally ill patient with no cognitive skills. Health promotion and teaching are valuable nursing tools but only if applied properly so the client is able to make healthy behavior changes with the goal being to achieve his or her optimal level of functioning. References Boyd, M. D., Graham, B. A., Gleit, C. J., & Whitman, N. I. (1998). Health teaching in nursing practice: A professional model (3rd ed.). Stamford, CT: Appleton & Lange. Edleman, C. L., & Mandle, C. L. (1998). Health promotion throughout the lifespan (4th ed.). St Louis, MO: Mosby, Inc. Leddy, S., & Pepper, J. M. (1993). Conceptual bases of professional nursing (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott.

Travel and tourism

Student Name: Cheryl Facial Define Tourism: Tourism is when someone travels within their own country or to another country such as Spain, weather it is for leisure or business reason and for all other purposes. Types of Tourism Description: Example: Describe Domestic: A domestic holiday Is where someone who lives In the UK travel to another part of the LIKE. An elderly couple who lives Bradford goes on a two week holiday to Scarborough. Describe Outbound: An outbound holiday is when someone who travel out of the UK to a different entry.A group of friends from Liverpool goes on holiday to Pizza to have fun. Describe Inbound: An inbound holiday is when someone who live in a different country that comes to the I-J. A Chinese doctor travel to London for a medical convention. VISITOR TYPE Identify Tourism type (domestic/inbound/outbound. When someone goes on holiday to relax and have fun. A family of five goes to Disneyland Paris. This is an outbound holiday. When someone stays in they ow n country or goes to another country for a business eating.A business woman from London travel to Paris for meeting This Is an outbound holiday. 1 OFF When someone travels to visit family and friends. A girl from Bradford goes to London to visit her auntie. This is a domestic holiday. EDUCATION When a group of school student goes on an educational trip. To Normandy for a history trip. SPORT Year ten student goes When someone goes to a sporting event trip such as football. A football fan from Spain come to the I-J to watch the final of the champion league This is an inbound holiday.

Workplace Violence

Workplace violence is present in every nook and cranny of corporate America, affecting millions of Americans every year. Workplace violence is defined by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, OSHA, as any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide. In 2011, there were over 2 two million reports and claims of workplace violence, with 458 being homicides1. Workplace violence is at the forefront of everyone’s mind when a breaking news story is broadcast on the evening news, such as the recent shootings in Santa Cruz, California by a disgruntled ex-cop, and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, but workplace violence can strike anywhere and at any time, and is a major concern for employers and employees across America. There are different types of workplace violence, which can be categorized as follows: (1)violence by outsiders or nonemployees, usually in the attempt of a crime, such as robbery or shoplifting, (2)violence by a customer or a client, such as a student or a patient, (3)violence by employees and former employees, and (4)violence by domestic partners, such as boyfriends/girlfriends and husbands/wives. Such categorization can help in coming up with ways to prevent workplace violence since each type of violence requires a different approach to prevention, and certain workplaces and environments may be at higher risk for certain types of violence. Although workplace violence can seem very random, there are certain industries and job categories that are more susceptible to violence than others. According to OSHA, certain factors can increase the risk of violence in the workplace, such as exchanging money with the public, working with unstable people, and working where alcohol is served1. People working in certain establishments, such as retail stores and bars, are at increased risk of violence. Professions in law enforcement, healthcare, public service workers and those who work alone or in small groups are at greatest risk of violence. Manager’s role in identifying and reporting workplace violence. Every employee of an organization is responsible for providing a safe and secure environment to work in, and thus should be knowledgeable about workplace violence and be ready to act in advance to reduce the threat of violent incidents. Managers especially have a big duty to make sure that the work environment of their employees has minimal stress triggers, and that the department culture is one that is friendly and open, ensuring that employee safety is valued. Managers should follow their progressive discipline policy when addressing concerns with employees to prevent violent reactions by employees who feel that they have been treated unfairly. Managers should also treat their employees with respect and decency, especially when disciplining or firing them, as depriving an employee of dignity in front of other employees can trigger violent behavior. Most importantly, managers need to be trained on what clues to look for, and how to handle certain situations when confronted with warning signs of workplace violence by employees. This will allow managers and subordinates to know the warning signs and report them to management accordingly. Sure there are people that suddenly ‘snap’ and go off the deep end, but in most instances of workplace violence, there are certain signs of trouble that are exhibited by the perpetrator. According to Dr. Lynne McClure, an expert in managing high-risk employee behaviors before they escalate to workplace violence, there are always warning signs involving workplace violence2. She puts these eight warning signs in the following categories: †¢Actor behaviors – employees act out their anger by yelling and shouting †¢Fragmentor behaviors – employees take no responsibility for their actions and blames others for their mistakes †¢Me-First behaviors – employees act selfishly without regard to fellow coworkers †¢Mixed-Messenger behaviors – employees talk positively but behave negatively †¢Wooden-Stick behaviors – employees are not receptive to change, and are inflexible and controlling †¢Escape-Artist behaviors – employees compulsively lie and rely on negative stress relievers such as drugs and gambling †¢Shocker behaviors – employees suddenly act in ways that are out of character †¢Stranger behaviors – employees are remote and have poor social skills, and become fixated on an idea and/or an individual. There is no standard ‘profile’ of a person who commits workplace violence, and by no means is someone a threat just because they display one of these traits. Employees that exhibit many of these traits, and with increasing intensity, may be a danger and may need some help. Being able to identify these signs and warning signals, and reporting it to management timely can help prevent a workplace violence incident. HR’s role in managing and preventing workplace violence. Every reasonable employer wants to keep employees safe from workplace violence, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than 30% of employers have a violence prevention policy in place3. Outlined below are some things that a human resource department can implement to mitigate workplace violence. †¢Violence Prevention Policy – First and foremost, every company should implement a zero-tolerance policy against workplace violence, which clearly defines what workplace violence is, and the company’s position on it. The policy must clearly outline which behaviors and actions are acceptable and which are unacceptable. The policy should state that violence of any kind is not tolerated and is grounds for immediate termination. †¢Training – Training for managers and employees to ensure that they know the warning signs for violence is critical. There are many signs that can point to indications of imminent violent, so training the employees to recognize the warning signs can help stop a violent act by identifying the individual and providing assistance before a violent act is committed. Each and every employee is responsible for creating a safe working environment, and it is HR’s job to help employees get the training necessary to manage a safe workplace. †¢Hiring, retaining and firing – HR plays a critical role in preventing violence in the workplace with its hiring, retention and firing practices. Usually, past behavior can predict future behavior, so it is important that the HR department screen potential new hires carefully. One way to avoid workplace violence is by not hiring people who exhibit violent behavior. Thus, the HR department must conduct thorough background checks on all potential new hires. Companies should make it a general policy to run background checks on all applicants before hiring them. HR departments must make a concerted effort to carefully screen all potential new hires by scrutinizing information on resumes and conducting reference checks. Also, HR can help prevent workplace violence by rooting out trouble-makers early. Retaining employees who have had behavioral issues in the past can expose a company to workplace violence and litigation. The HR department needs to be proactive with helping to identify employees that pose a potential danger thru through analysis of past work records. For example, if an employee has had issues with making threats or getting into confrontations with coworkers in the past, immediate ction may need to be taken before any major incident occurs. Finally, HR plays a big role in creating a peaceful environment when handling employee terminations. When an employee gets terminated, it is a very stressful event for the employee, and ca n push him/her over the edge. In order to ease the stress and alleviate some of the pressures on the employee being terminated, the HR department can help the situation by being compassionate and clearly explaining the reasons for the termination and allowing an opportunity to the employee to discuss any disagreement with the termination. Also, the HR department can provide placement or counseling services. Provide an employee assistance program (EAP) – there are many reasons that someone resorts to violence in the workplace, but some stem from issues outside of the workplace, such as relationship issues, financial troubles, or substance abuse problems. Employing an EAP can provide help to employees before a serious incident manifests itself in the workplace. Through the use of an EAP, employees can help manage their issues by coordinating with an objective, third party. All types of services should be offered, including counseling, anger management classes and rehabilitation services. Financial Impact of Workplace Violence – Calculating the Cost Workplace violence is real, and with it comes real costs. The actual cost of workplace violence is hard to calculate, but per the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH, a division of the Center for Disease Control, it is estimated that workplace violence costs American businesses $121 billion a year4. This takes into account many factors, including costs due to lost productivity, loss of sales, increase in insurance premiums, litigation costs, lost time and absenteeism, workers’ compensation claims, medical claims, management distractions, negative PR, and organizational change initiatives. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics5: †¢About 500,000 victims of violent crime in the workplace lose an estimated 1. 8 million workdays each year. This represents a $55 million impact as a result of loss of productivity and increased healthcare expenses †¢Domestic violence costs businesses approximately $6 billion annually in healthcare costs, lost productivity, and missed work time †¢The average out-of-court settlement for ‘negligence’ litigation is approximately $500,000 and the average jury award is around $3 million †¢For 6 to 18 weeks after an incident, there is a 50% decrease in productivity and a 20% to 40% turnover in employees The cost of recovery after a catastrophic, workplace violence incident is astronomical, so it is in every company’s best interest to put in place the necessary preventive measures to avoid such incidents from happening in the first place. Unfortunately, most companies are reactive instead of proactive, so the costs associated with workplace violence may be viewed as the cost of doing business, big business at that. Everyone plays a role in preventing workplace violence. Even with workplace violence receiving increased attention, there is much work that needs to be done to understand the causes and potential solutions. Management, front line employees and the HR department must work together collectively to prevent the next workplace violence incident. The best practices set forth must be implemented and adhered to with perfection. A company can’t guarantee that a violent act will never happen between their four walls, but there are preventive measures that can be taken to improve the chances of avoiding a workplace violence incident.

Controversial issues in psychology Essay

Controversial issues in psychology are those that cause the greatest concern within both psychology and within society as a whole. Advertising uses techniques of persuasion to manipulate people’s behaviour in the desired direction of the perpetrator of the persuasive message, which uses invasive and exploitative techniques and try to show that social norms and values are not always for the best. Advertisements are a set of shorthand signals about products we are to buy and the circumstances we would use them in. They are a ready source of stereotypes, sexual, regional and cultural, e. g. families are always happy and adults are always employed. The first advertisement on TV in the UK was for Gibbs SR’s toothpaste. The ad has become an icon of the consumer age, and psychologists have become increasingly fascinated by the art of persuading people, despite its controversies. What persuades people to buy or use the advertiser’s product or service is how the advert makes them feel, i. e. the meaning we attach to the advert. However the advert is interpreted by the individual, the impact of any advertisement is what it means to us. The author invites us to participate in constructing a meaning for the advert. O’Barr (1994) suggests that advertisers create an advertisement for us to use as a skeleton to add flesh to and breathe life into. Another area controversy in advertising is that it is difficult to disentangle the impact of advertising from other influences that might be current at that time. Hedges (1982) points out that to the consumers, advertising is just part of their background – advertisements form just one part of the sensory bombardment that we experience every day. We cannot stop to evaluate every piece of sensory input, so for the most part, advertisements are relegated to fairly low levels of consciousness. Advertisers use many psychological theories to make their work successful, including associating their product with a particular emotion or image. A need for an item must be created, therefore we must be motivated. In the case of pre-existing needs, such as for bread, the motive must be to buy a particular brand (e. g. through price, quality). Where there is no pre-existing need, it must be created, as in the case of children’s toys. Neurological research has shown that the left hemisphere of the brain is more concerned with ‘practical’ functions such as language, where styles of response are, foe example, verbal and analytic. The right hemisphere is more concerned with spatial, imaginative processing, where responses concern feelings and are, perhaps, unconscious. Lannon and Cooper (1983) suggested that because of this, much advertising is geared towards the right hemisphere. Fast marketing is a relatively new approach, which targets those that have developed brand loyalty and become offensive when they are offered a new alternative. This creates problems for advertisers trying to target new groups, so a blitz of free samples is distributed (fast marketing) so that everyone has a chance of trying out the new product. Consumers are then more likely to change their attitudes or opinions about the product, and so the advertisers will have succeeded. People are also more easily persuaded to change their minds after witnessing testimonials or adverts which use someone who they think is admirable or attractive, such as sports heroes or actresses (Pratkanis and Aronson, 1992). Advertisers typically pair an attractive person or item (unconditioned stimulus) with their product (conditioned stimulus) to produce a positive attitude towards their product (conditioned response). This helps to give positive attitudes towards the products.

A Day Without Media Essay

In the book â€Å"Amusing Ourselves to Death† the idea that immersion in what we love will lead to our end is presented and analyzed. After reading this book I took it upon myself, as part of a class assignment, to go 24 hours without media. Initially I believed that this would be an easy task but found that as a whole we are surrounded by media in every instance of our lives. From car rides, to simply walking around my house I had to be observant to avoid media that would reset my 24 hour time frame. In Postman’s book, â€Å"Amusing Ourselves to Death†, he reflects on how the television brings families to the same room but creates separation between them. In my time without media I spent two meals with my family (a lunch and dinner). At both of these gatherings my family talked much more than we usually did. While watching television we would â€Å"shush† each other to hear the show, but without it we discussed school, politics, and controversies such as legalizing weed. Looking back at this I see Postman’s point. We become so focused on the story folding out in front of us that we block out each other in the process. I also noticed the same effect when I was driving with my grandfather that night. He needed to deliver a present to family and I needed driving hours, so I drove the hour and a half drive. I wasn’t allowed to touch the radio because of my media break so we talked for that time. I found out that my close grandfather, whom I see five times a week, has severe ankle problem and was going to get treatment later that week. I like to think I’m close to my family, but this occurring without me even knowing about it struck a chord in me. How much do we really know about our loved ones? What simply hasn’t come up because we spend our time learning about the new celebrity fads or who wore what where? As I’m sitting here listening to the radio while writing this I have to reflect on Postman’s thoughts of how intertwined our world is with media. As he put it, President Taft wouldn’t have been voted into office in today’s world because less people would vote for someone that overweight. By this Postman means to point out how media has touch our lives. Not being able to use my cell phone to call people or watch the news on television, shrunk my  world to what I could see, hear, and touch around me. I spent most of my time in my room reading books to pass the time, and when I did leave my room I only saw my family room, kitchen, and a little outside. We rely on television, radio, and other media to bring us information. But, what is never a given is that the information sources we depend on aren’t biased. When opinions disguised as â€Å"facts† are viewed without any analysis and taken at face value, we are only creating sue do opinions that aren’t even ours. This influence in our lives not only emphasizes rifts in ideals, but also can give groups the power to falsify information and mislead others. Maybe we are not simply â€Å"Amusing Ourselves to Death† but Amusing Ourselves to the Death of Ourselves. When I was in middle school up till eighth grade I had a friend who used to watch BBC all the time as a child. I remember asking him about his speech patterns, and him telling me that he even used to have a British accent! I can also relate to these thoughts. When I was smaller I used to speak using syntax that wasn’t very normal. This was because I used to be very sheltered and not get out much. Sesame Street was one of my favorites as a child. Communication skills have to be developed like anything else, with practice. When I wasn’t exposed to people talking casually, I developed a way of speaking that didn’t fit with the people around me. This is a prime example of Postman’s point. We as a new generation can’t communicate like we should be able to. Technology has stripped us of that. When most kids get don’t know what to say next in a situation, the check their phones. This is a good example of our reliance on media and technology and show s our subconscious dependence on these devices. When you turn to your television tonight who or what do you see? What do you learn? What human interaction do you participate in? Postman mentions in his book how through television we learn to interact with people. But, these people we learn how to interact with don’t act like real humans do. They are actors, their body movements and word phrasing has been planned out and set step by step for them. This means that those actors we learn to interact with, and habits we gain don’t help us to talk to people face to face. While  breaking from media I thought about this at a point. In summary I believe the time I spent without media allowed me to see through Postman’s lens. The thought that the media we love so dearly is slowly destroying us may seem preposterous at first, but when further analyzed has ground to stand on. We gain social skills, news, opinions, bias, and a central meeting place for a family from media. Are these good or bad? Does this media influence our life to the point that it is the main factor we all cling to? We have to guard ourselves against the negative effects of this technology so we are not used. That doesn’t mean we cut ourselves off from it completely. If we do that than we are shrinking our world view to that which we can see ourselves. Like everything else in life we must take new media in proportion, with a clear mind. If so we may be able to avoid â€Å"Amusing Ourselves to Death†.

Historical and Contemporary Perspectives of Aging in the Work Place Research Paper

Historical and Contemporary Perspectives of Aging in the Work Place - Research Paper Example Such classifications also tend to associate individuals of the same groups with particular characteristics ranging from physical to social characteristics. This inherently leads to different perspectives held by the society concerning aging; and is particularly inherent in the workforce. Individuals of different ages are perceived differently in the workforce and the perceptions significantly vary across history, with the historical perspective of aging differing from the contemporary perspectives (Armstrong-Stassen & Schlosser, 2011). The United Nations indicated that the world’s elderly population exhibits the fastest growth rate ever. The projections indicated that by the year 2050, more than two billion people will be aged 60 and over (Brooke, Taylor, Mcloughlin & Biase, 2012). The aging populations particularly in the workforce have been described by terms such as ‘old age tsunami’ and ‘demographic time bomb’. The apocalyptic language indicates that historically, the elderly population has been small compared to the contemporary society. Those who are 60 and above are hugely talented, have the relevant experience as well as the necessary skills and knowledge. The most likely challenge that will arise in the future will, therefore, be how to maintain and capitalize on the potentiality of this age group without disposing them away in retirement. This has seen efforts by countries such as Germany and France to increase the retirement age to 62 from 60 by 2018 (Brooke, Taylor, Mcl oughlin & Biase, 2012). Historically, the elderly in the workforce have been largely subjected to voluntary or forceful retirement and entrenchment. This was in effort to accommodate the growing youth populations with better talents, skills and knowledge and who have undergone better training and educational courses. In the contemporary society, the then youthful population is now increasingly making up the elderly population. With their essential capacities, the

Evil and Omnipotence J. L. Mackie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evil and Omnipotence J. L. Mackie - Essay Example Alternatively, his suggestions explore the diverse nature of approaching evil from a logical and empirical context instead of applying sentimentality. Mackie’s argument in his brilliant article Evil and Omnipotence describes evil as inconsistent with a belief in God. According to the author, evil thrives independently and this often necessitates several problems that are worth noting. For example, a belief in God interferes with the decisions that people make in their lives. Consequently, this causes humanity to solve their challenges using logical or scientific methodologies that are not connected to the finer details of evil. Likewise, the existence of evil is fueled by the disbelief in God in terms of decisions and actions that individuals make to survive. Therefore, the inconsistency arises when good surpasses the power of evil in influencing belief systems. The idea that God does not exist equally dilutes the essence of the argument because most atheists assert the lack of rationality in a supreme being. God’s omnipotence, thus, is fallacious because evil cannot thrive if he is in control of the universe as expl ored by Mackie in his piece. Alternatively, theological positions adopted by most believers allege that while God is good, evil is still present and is committed by human beings. Lack of correct propositions is other forms of illusions that make evil inconsistent because it does not acknowledge the universal good of reality. As a result, fallacies and ethics fail to meet the stipulated standards of ascertaining the consistency of good in society. Constituent propositions have also become negative in differentiating between good and evil while also affirming the belief in God (Mackie 201). Overall, the universe only progresses both materially and spiritually because evil overcomes the complex patterns of the human freewill and the solution. The two options that Mackie discusses as possible solutions are the issue of unlimited

Providing school guidance with children that are being bullied Research Paper

Providing school guidance with children that are being bullied - Research Paper Example ng through email, instant messaging, in a chat room, on a website or gaming site, or through digital messages or images sent to a cellular phone† (Kowalski, Limber, & Agatston 2007, as cited in Tippett, Thompson, & Smith, n.d., p.1). The pervasive and insidious character of cyber bullying enabling it to penetrate even the sanctuary of homes has increasingly worried parents as they know that the technology to which their children are largely exposed to is the same technology that cyber bullies anonymously manipulate to harm others (Mclaughlin, 2008, par.3). Statistical data on the extent of bullying vary. â€Å"However, the general consensus is that one out of three children are bullied at school, in the neighborhood, or online and that one out of three children bully others† (American Association of School Administrators, 2009, p.7). â€Å"Surveys indicate that as many as half of all children are bullied at some time during their school years, and at least 10% are bullied on a regular basis† (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2008, par.1). International studies revealed that, â€Å"bullying is common and affects anywhere from 9% to 54% of children† (Yale University 2008, par.6). â€Å"Nearly three in four teenagers say they were bullied online at least once during a recent 12-mont period† (University of California, 2008, par. 1). Californian researchers’ new study discovered that almost 90% of third graders to sixth graders experienced being bullied, while 56% admitted being bullies themselves (Harding, 2007, par. 1). Much had been documented about the effects of bullying. â€Å"An estimated 160,000 children miss school everyday out of fear of attack or intimidation by other students† (â€Å"Watch for warning signs,† 2006, par. 1). â€Å"Children who are bullied suffer more greatly from anxiety, depression, loneliness, and post-traumatic stress than do other children, and they have a heightened risk of suicide (Marini, Dane, Bosacki, & YLC-CURA 2006,