Apple Computer, Inc. iPhone and Apple TV Assignment

Apple Computer, Inc. iPhone and Apple TV - Assignment Example In an effort to improve their software products, Apple partnered with Motorola and IBM to produce a power PC chip to run the PowerMacs. Despite this effort, losses in the company increased during 1996 and 1997. While Apple was trying to market its products, a number of competitors emerged in the technological field. This was attributed to the rapid changing entertainment industry. An example of such a company is Got Voice Company, which allows users to record and send voicemail messages in MP3 format to their email accounts, a free service, challenges Apple’s Visual Voicemail on the iPhone. Apple’s effort to expand its business to include more media and software is likely to face challenges. This is an effort to maintain its tech savvy image in the production of its products. The unique design in its products has established a large customer base, which will place more pressure on Apple’s design team. Dimensions along Which Company Success Can be Measured To be a ble to measure Apple’s success, a number of measures can be used. From a financial perspective, Apple’s revenues can be used to indicate its success. These revenues vary depending on the product and region. For instance, Apple’s net income in 2007 from digital music amounted to $3.5 billion. In addition, other financial criteria that can be used include cash flow records, debts and net income. Customers can also be used as a measure of Apple’s success. This covers the market share, growth and customer satisfaction. By 2007, Apple controlled more than 70 percent of the digital music market. In terms of growth, Apple is aiming to capture at least 1 percent of the global cell phone market. Customer satisfaction is evident from Apple’s huge following of its tech savvy products. Another criterion to be used as a measure of Apple’s success includes its internal business processes that cover product quality, marketing effectiveness, inventory contr ol, cost management and margins. Consequently, Apple’s success can be measured through the introduction of new products such as iPad, Apple television, iPod, iPhone and iTunes. Furthermore, these new products indicate Apple’s advancement in technology and their efforts in research and development of new and innovative products. Moreover, Apple’s strategic agreements with various companies indicate that it has grown. These include agreements with Volkswagen, Nike, Burton Snowboards and Starbucks. These agreements include Apple’s iPhone product. This affiliation with different companies has increased customers confidence in Apple’s products. Critical External and Internal Environment Factors Strengths Internal factors that have an impact on Apple’s future depend on the assets and competence within the company. Some of its strengths include its global presence, brand image, strong media content and a synergistic portfolio. The iPod has penetrat ed about 70 percent of the digital music market and continues to grow due to its high sales in the portable digital music industry. Recent studies reveal that Apple has opened more than 200 retail stores worldwide. These retail stores have contributed an estimated $200 million. Apple’s ability to penetrate the global market has made it provide high tech products. These products have gained acceptance in different cultures across the world. Apple’

Exploratory Research Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Exploratory Research - Case Study Example It is important to employ the most suitable method of qualitative research in determining the viability and effectiveness of such quality teams. Critical Review Question 1 (b): Here, the bank loan officer who wants to forecast the economy of the state in which the bank operates needs to outline a research design which helps him find the exact data and analyze them to arrive at a conclusion. A quantitative research method is most effective in such situations. Critical Review Question 1 (c): It is important to employ a qualitative research method in order to respond to the product manager's suggestion that a non-tobacco cigarette which is blended from wheat, cocoa and citrus needs to be developed. It is only through the employment of such a qualitative research method that one can determine the viability and success of a non-tobacco cigarette. Critical Review Question 1 (d): In a scenario where the research project needs to identify the issues of concern to labor union, a mixed research method is most recommended where qualitative research method and quantitative research method are blended. Critical Review Question 2: The utility of case studies in social researches is manifold and the social scientists use different terms such as 'N of cases', 'case study', and 'sample of cases' to refer to this. The case study research method may be comprehended as an empirical inquiry which analyzes a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context and this helps one in realizing specific aspects of a particular situation. "Case study research excels at bringing us to an understanding of a complex issue or object and can extend experience or add strength to what is already known through previous research. Case studies emphasize detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events or conditions and their relationships." (Soy, 1997). However, there are also significant limitations connected with the method and the critics of the case study method assume that the study of a small number of cases cannot provide any grounds for ascertaining reliability or generality of finding s. It is also maintained that the intense exposure to study of the case can result in prejudiced findings. Critical Review Question 3: In qualitative research, a focus group is an essential factor and has several vital functions to serve. A focus group may be understood as a "carefully planned discussion designed to obtain perceptions on a defined area of interest in a permissive, non-threatening environment." (Qualitative Research: Focus Groups). Therefore, it is a group of people who are asked about their outlook on a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, innovation, or a new technology. The most important function of a focus group is to answer to the questions asked in an interactive group setting and in such focus groups participants are given freedom to interact with other members of the group. The several proven benefits of the focus group method lead many researchers to depend on this method in extensive researches. Critical Review Question 4: The use of a focus group in social researches depends on their advantages and limitations conne

Nursing Practices of Alternative Medicine

Nursing Practices of Alternative Medicine Mental Health: Integrative Care Lauren Lane Katie Palmer Integrative care encompasses the nursing practices of alternative medicine. This includes acupuncture, aromatherapy, guided imagery, and many more types of therapies. These therapies are usually centered on the individual patient, and holistically address their variety of needs, including physical, mental, and spiritual foci (Halter, 2014, p 637). We will address nonconventional treatments and explore the different approaches, safety, and nursing care associated with integrative care practices. It is only recently that the United State’s western views of medicine have expanded to include complementary medicine. Western medicine is based on a more scientific approach with highly controlled experiments and research. Complementary medicine comes from mostly non-western sources and is based on nature and its interplay with energy (Halter, 2014, p 638). There was two billion dollars awarded to complementary research in 2011 and the studies results showed that we could neither prove nor disprove complementary medicines worth as a healing tool. There are many who do believe that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) helps them. According to halter, 38% of adults and 12% of children use some type of CAM therapy (Halter, 2014, p 639). It is more widely used among women and mostly used for musculoskeletal problems. We have yet to discover the full effects and responses to CAM, which is still a complicated and controversial matter for the healthcare field. Some of the reasons patients are so attracted to CAM is that it allows them to take action in their own care. CAM also has lower risks than many therapeutic approaches and drug regimens. It is less expensive and provides an alternative to conventional medicine when they are out of options or may have previously had negative experiences with western medicine. As nurses, we can be informed about CAM and help consumers to make smart decisions to complement or give alternatives to routine therapeutic approaches. Our biggest concerns are safety. CAM is still unregulated and not guaranteed to work. Many consumers believe what they read on the Internet even though it may not be accurate information. Just because a supplement is natural or organic doesn’t mean that it is harmless. These natural supplements need to assessed and monitored just like a medication. We also face patients that put off treatment and self treat with alternative therapies that may or may not help their conditions, especially in cases of mental health issues (Halter, 2014, p 640). As costs rise for conventional medicine in the United States, more and more consumers are moving toward alternative therapies. Only some of the alternative therapies are covered by insurance, and this is going to depend on what type of insurance the patient has, or if they have insurance at all. There is a large claim that CAM’s proposed effects are only due to the placebo effect (Halter, 2014, p 640). This is when a type of therapy works for an individual to some degree when the therapy is actually nothing; a placebo. Many believe this is due to the optimism and positive approach to CAM that can often occur. The American Nurses Association (ANA) recognizes integrative care in the profession of holistic nursing. This is an approach that involves the person as a whole, and their biocultural influences. It allows the nurse to view the patient as more than a sum of their parts and all the dimensions that can affect that individuals well being (Halter, 2014, p 642). Nutrition is a very big part of a person’s well being, and has been widely researched. Many people with illnesses can benefit from diet and nutrition changes; research shows that a diabetic patient benefits from a diabetic diet and lower glycemic index foods. Alternative therapies involving nutrition take this same approach to aid in treatment for a variety of disorders. For example, many people believe gluten free diets help children diagnosed with autism, but there has been no concrete evidence to support that claim. There are a lot of diet therapies associated with depression and other psychiatric disorders. Vitamins, supplements, and herbs are some examples of potential alternative therapies one might chose. Many of these can interact with medications and should be initially assessed in every patient. The patient may not recognize that they need to tell the healthcare provider or nurse that they are taking these alternative supplements and need to be asked specifically. There are many common types of integrative therapy that are common to society today. Herbal therapy includes the uses of herbs like St. Johns wort, which is used for pain and mood stabilization. Ginkgo biloba is another common herb that is used for memory. Many of these have side effects and interactions just like any other medication and should be treated as such. Meditation is a mind and body therapy that involves focusing and deep breathing, which is used to help calm the person. Acupuncture uses needles at pressure points to relieve pain and many other disorders (Halter, 2014, p 644). Aromatherapy is a popular therapy using essential oils on the skin or with a diffuser to target senses that results in a variety of effects such as calming, sleep, energizing and so on. Energy therapies such a Reiki are an expanding alternative therapy that nurses can take classes in. This requires energy manipulation and therapeutic touch as a means to heal and bring wellness to a person depending on their chief complaints. There are many different patients that can benefit from these therapies. Dominantly, psychiatric patients seem to use alternative therapies more than those of any other disorder or illness (Halter, 2014, p 644-645). Depression and anxiety are the main focus. When caring for these patients we would want to make sure we assess the patient for use of alternative therapies, this includes supplements, herbs, and other preferred methods of therapy. This may include doing a cultural assessment of our patient, who may prefer or already be performing alternative therapies based on their beliefs of medicine and health. Diagnosis for this patient might consist of cultural implications like the balance and harmony of nature with the body. In planning and implementing our patient’s care we will want to be sensitive to their preferences of therapy and their cultural values. This could entail a patient with different religious values, like a Jehovah witness who does not accept blood products. When western interventions are not accepted due to religious values, alternative therapies could ne used when planning their care. Alternative therapy may also not be the only therapy being implemented. It can complement medication regimens or other types of western-based therapies, such as the patient undergoing cancer treatment and also taking part in meditation and yoga. Nurses need to assess patients for interactions and different side effects when a patient is using integrative therapies. Not only do nurses need to assess the medication effects but they also need to evaluate for patient outcomes. Is the alternative therapy helping the patient? How does the patient perceive the therapy? Is this therapy safe? These are important aspects to think about when undergoing the nursing process with alternative therapy practices. Overall, alternative therapies are becoming more widely popular due to rising costs and limits of western medicine. Alternative therapy has become a common aspect of the nursing assessment and may coincide with cultural or religious views. Psychiatric patients tend to most use alternative therapies and should be considered along with their care (Halter, 2014, p 647). By being aware, informed, and knowledgeable of integrative care nurses can best serve patients holistically and maximize their safety and wellness. References Halter, M. J. (2014) Varcarolis, Foundations of psychiatric mental health nursing: A clinical approach, 7th ed. St. Louis: Saunders Elsevier.

Thomas Hardys Far From the Madding Crowd :: Thomas Hardy Far from the Madding Crowd Essays

Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd The name Thomas Hardy gives to the hero of his novel, Far From the Madding Crowd, is not merely accidental. Hardy deliberately means to associate Gabriel Oak with the Angel Gabriel. God's hero lit up the darkness, and it is important for the reader to note that when Hardy's hero saves a situation from having disastrous consequences, nearly every time he does so in darkness. Gabriel's name is very significant in relation to his character, but he is not just meant to be a holy saint, whose sole purpose is to pour oil on troubled waters. He is a very real person with very human feelings, and this becomes obvious as his relationship with Bathsheba grows. To understand how the relationship between the two main characters has changed at the end of the novel, I need to explain how their relationship began. Previous to chapter four, Gabriel has seen and talked to Bathsheba on quite a few occasions, not least when she saves him from suffocation in chapter three. By chapter four, Gabriel has developed a deep love for Bathsheba and waits for her presence in strikingly the same way as "his dog waited for his meals". He is so captivated by her that he changes his opinion of an attractive woman to suit her features - such as "turning his taste over to black hair, though he had sworn by brown ever since he was a boy." Gabriel decides that marriage is better than his life of solitary isolation, a life which he has always lived quite comfortably before the arrival of Bathsheba, and declares "I'll make her my wife, or upon my soul I shall be good for nothing!" Using a motherless lamb as an excuse to visit Bathsheba to ask for her hand in marriage, he sets off for her aunt's house on "a fine January morning" having made "a toilet of a nicely-adjusted kind". He arrives in hopeful spirits, but it is not Bathsheba that he talks to - it is her aunt, Mrs Hurst. Gabriel's modesty comes through in his conversation with Bathsheba's aunt, and he leaves, mistakenly believing that Bathsheba has "ever so many young men" after her. However, as he is walking back along the down, he turns around to discover Bathsheba running after him. Erroneously he believes that she has chased after him to accept his proposal, so when she only wants to tell him that her aunt had made a mistake in saying she had several young sweethearts, he is understandably dismayed. Bathsheba has quite a flirtatious disposition and toys with Gabriel's

Family Is the Basic Unit of the Society

?Family is the basic unit of the society is the quotation I remembered on my high school days. it is the fundamental unit of the social institution whereby it is the common unit of the society. The social institution includes also the economy, religion, education, politics or government health care or medicine. The family is the basic unit of social institutions. The family unit has specific functions with relation to its members and to the total society.It is the most important social institution, serving as the means of transferring culture from one stage to another. Sharing of works among the members of the family is a strong influence in keeping the family together. Sometimes we are applying the word clan to a family or group of family that are related to each other. Family, basic social group united through bonds of kinship or marriage, present in all societies. Ideally, the family provides its members with protection, companionship, security, and socialization.The structure of the family and the needs that the family fulfils vary from society to society. The nuclear family—two adults and their children—is the main unit in some societies. In others, it is a subordinate part of an extended family, which also consists of grandparents and other relatives. A third family unit is the single-parent family, in which children live with an unmarried, divorced, or widowed mother or father.You cannot call a family without the mother father and the child Family is the number one social institution in the society A group of closely related persons living under one roof; it is a convenience, often a necessity, sometimes a pleasure, sometimes the reverse; but who first exalted it as admirable, an almost religious ideal Personal relations are the important thing for ever and ever, and not this outer life of telegrams and anger.

Miranda warnings Essay

Miranda warnings were created to protect individuals and their rights against coercive or threatening questioning methods by police officers from Miranda Warning.org(2013). Everyone has heard the â€Å"you have the right to remain silent† speech, so on and so forth. These rights do not just apply to adults but juveniles as well. In the case of the young boy who was arrested standing outside someones home there are four issues that need to be addressed. To the new officer I would address the situation as follows. So during your first arrest there were a few things that need to be addressed as to how it went about. When you were dispatched to the home burglary you approached a young boy outside the home. You arrested him. I would not have just arrested him. Asking him if he lived at the residence, his age, name or who his neighbors are could have given you a good idea if he belonged there. As it seems also without speaking to him until you came to the police station realizing he did not speak English. According to E-how (2013), in order to arrest someone you must have probable cause. You had no evidence or probable cause to believe this boy had anything to do with a past, current or future crime to be committed. It was never indicated the boy had any weapons or tools to access the home. Without probable cause or evidence any kind of information or statements from the boy would not be allowed in a prosecution case. The next issue was that you arrested the boy whom you still have no name or age for and took him to the station without clearing the scene. Protocol for these types of situations is that once either an alarm system is set off or even dispatched from a concerned citizen call you always make sure the home is secure. If that means calling for backup then do so. You secure the person in the squad car, wait for backup and check to see if anyone is home. Check the doors, windows or basement access to ensure nothing is, isn’t broken or open. If something is accessible you announce yourself, make entry and clear it for any other suspects. If dispatch is able to contact alarm company or homeowners you wait until they arrive from Protection1 (2013). You do not know if that boy was a lookout or the 3 burglar. If he was the lookout, the other accomplice got away. Or the other person could remain in the house continuing to burglarize and could run into the homeowner. This creates a dangerous situation for each person that we do not need for it could cost lives. When the two of you arrived at the station you could see that the boy did not understand English because you tried to question him. You did know and understand to read the rights to him but failed to get any type of help with a translator. According to Fox News Latino (2013), a court ruled that Miranda Rights were to be read in the accused first native language. You could have requested to use an application from a cell or internet source. You also could have asked to try to locate someone who speaks his language (mandarin).Nothing was done to find a way to translate the warning to get an understanding of the situation. The last issue with the Miranda warnings is that once the family member who came for the boy who spoke English no Miranda Rights were read to either of them. Getting the family member to translate, give information such as a name and age of the boy could be crucial also. You did not read either of them rights or asked if they understood what their rights were before speaking to the family member on behalf of the boy. So this comes back to any information given will not be able to be used in court. The case was handed over to a follow up investigator. Supreme Court (2013) ruled that â€Å"Under federal law, a suspect taken into custody must be read his or her Miranda rights by law enforcement. Certain uses of restraint — handcuffs, a prolonged interrogation, certain surroundings — add up to custody.† How do you think the prosecution will be able to use any information given if you didn’t read them their rights? These issues could have been resolved by following home burglary protocol. Checking, clearing the scene for safety issues, hazards or other people. Secondly when going to arrest someone you must follow the law that in regards to probable cause. There must be intent or physical evidence of a crime 4 going to be or already committed. Make sure you have this key element and when in doubt ask for advise. Thirdly it is a federal law to read a suspect his rights before any type of questioning. Failing to do so can result in dismissal of the case and all charges dropped. Even if the boy is a juvenile his rights must still be read if in custody. You arrested him and brought him to the station, hes in custody. Lastly when having an issue of translation with someone who doesn’t speak English contact a higher up to see what should be done. You could have tried using an application on a cell phone or internet source to translate his words and yours. Using the family member is a risky chance because they could tell them or you wrong to get the issue dropped. It could steer the investigation in the wrong direction. Letting it slide will not help the situation any nor a possible case against the boy. When ever in doubt reach out for help or advise from another officer, investigator or supervisor. 5 References Arrested without Probable Cause Laws (2013). Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/list_6806016_arrested-probable-cause-laws.html Fox News Latino (2013). Court Rules Miranda Rights Must be given in Correct Spanish. Retrieved from http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/07/16/court-rules-miranda-rights-m ust-be- given-in-correct-spanish/ or http://www.us-english.org/view/124 How Do Police Respond to a Burglary (2013). Retrieved from http://homesecurity.protection1.com/police-respond-burglary/ Miranda Warning Facts (2013). Retrieved from http://www.mirandawarning.org/mirandawarningfaq.html Supreme Court Rules Against NC in Juvenile Miranda Rights (2011). Retrieved from http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/06/16/115919/supreme-court-rules-against- nc.html#.UjYT9MPD_IU

Operation Lila Scuttling of the French Fleet

Operation Lila Scuttling of the French Fleet Conflict Date: Operation Lila and the scuttling of the French fleet occurred on November 27, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945). Forces Commanders: French Admiral Jean de LabordeAdmiral Andrà © Marquis64 warships, numerous support vessels and patrol boats Germany Generaloberst Johannes BlaskowitzArmy Group G Operation Lila Background: With the Fall of France in June 1940, the French Navy ceased to operate against the Germans and Italians. To prevent the enemy from obtaining the French ships, the British attacked Mers-el-Kebir in July and fought the Battle of Dakar in September. In the wake of these engagements, the ships of the French Navy were concentrated at Toulon where they remained under French control but were either disarmed or deprived of fuel. At Toulon, command was divided between Admiral Jean de Laborde, who led the Forces de Haute Mer (High Seas Fleet) and Admiral Andrà © Marquis, the Prefet Maritime who oversaw the base. The situation at Toulon remained quiet for over two years until Allied forces landed in French North Africa as part of Operation Torch on November 8, 1942. Concerned about an Allied attack through the Mediterranean, Adolf Hitler ordered the implementation of Case Anton which saw German troops under General Johannes Blaskowitz occupy Vichy France beginning on November 10. Though many in the French fleet initially resented the Allied invasion, a desire to join the fight against the Germans soon swept through the fleet with chants in support of General Charles de Gaulle erupting from different ships. The Situation Changes: In North Africa, the commander of Vichy French forces, Admiral Franà §ois Darlan, was captured and began supporting the Allies. Ordering a ceasefire on November 10, he sent a personal message to de Laborde to ignore orders from the Admiralty to remain in port and to sail to Dakar with the fleet. Knowing of Darlans change in loyalty and personally disliking his superior, de Laborde ignored the request. As German forces moved to occupy Vichy France, Hitler desired to take the French fleet by force. He was dissuaded from this by Grand Admiral Erich Raeder who stated that the French officers would honor their armistice pledge not to allow their ships to fall into the hands of a foreign power. Instead, Raeder proposed that Toulon be left unoccupied and its defense entrusted to the Vichy French forces. While Hitler agreed to Raeders plan on the surface, he pressed on with his goal of taking the fleet. Once secured, the larger surface ships were to be transferred to the Italians while the submarines and smaller vessels would join the Kriegsmarine. On November 11, French Secretary of the Navy Gabriel Auphan instructed de Laborde and Marquis that they were to oppose the entry of foreign forces into naval facilities and onto French ships, though force was not to be used. If this could not be done, the ships were to be scuttled. Four days later, Auphan met with de Laborde and tried to persuade him to take the fleet to North Africa to join the Allies. Laborde refused stating his would only sail with written orders from the government. On November 18, the Germans demanded that the Vichy Army be disbanded. As a result, sailors were taken from the fleet to man the defenses and German and Italian forces moved closer to the city. This meant that it would be more difficult to prepare ths ships for sea if a breakout were to be attempted. A breakout would have been possible as the French crews had, through falsification of reports and tampering with gauges, brought aboard enough fuel for a run to North Africa. The next several days saw defensive preparations continue, including the placing of scuttling charges, as well as de Laborde requiring his officers to pledge their loyalty to the Vichy government. Operation Lila: On November 27, the Germans commenced Operation Lila with the goal of occupying Toulon and seizing the fleet. Comprised of elements from the 7th Panzer Division and 2nd SS Panzer Division, four combat teams entered the city around 4:00 AM. Quickly taking Fort Lamalgue, they captured Marquis but failed to prevent his chief of staff from sending a warning. Stunned by the German treachery, de Laborde issued orders to prepare for scuttling and to defend the ships until they had sunk. Advancing through Toulon, the Germans occupied heights overlooking the channel and air-dropped mines to prevent a French escape. Reaching the gates of the naval base, the Germans were delayed by the sentries who demanded paperwork allowing admission. By 5:25 AM, German tanks entered the base and de Laborde issued the scuttle order from his flagship Strasbourg. Fighting soon broke out along the waterfront, with the Germans coming under fire from the ships. Out-gunned, the Germans attempted to negotiate, but were unable to board most vessels in time to prevent their sinking. German troops successfully boarded the cruiser Dupleix and closed its sea valves, but were driven off by explosions and fires in its turrets. Soon the Germans were surrounded by sinking and burning ships. By the end of the day, they had only succeeded in taking three disarmed destroyers, four damaged submarines, and three civilian vessels. Aftermath: In the fighting of November 27, the French lost 12 killed and 26 wounded, while the Germans suffered one wounded. In scuttling the fleet, the French destroyed 77 vessels, including 3 battleships, 7 cruisers, 15 destroyers, and 13 torpedo boats. Five submarines managed to get underway, with three reaching North Africa, one Spain, and the last forced to scuttle at the mouth of the harbor. The surface ship Leonor Fresnel also escaped. While Charles de Gaulle and the Free French severely criticized the action, stating that the fleet should have tried to escape, the scuttling prevented the ships from falling into Axis hands. While salvage efforts began, none of the larger ships saw service again during the war. After the liberation of France, de Laborde was tried and convicted of treason for not trying to save the fleet. Found guilty, he was sentenced to death. This was soon commuted to life imprisonment before he was granted clemency in 1947. Selected Sources Battleships Cruisers: Scuttling at ToulonHistory.com: French Scuttle Their Fleet

History of Urbanization in Brazil in 1980

History of Urbanization in Brazil in 1980 Institutional environment explains how interaction between institution and organization shapes economic activity, and consequently managerial strategies and performance. It is well established that the availability of information is one of the determinant of efficiency of resource allocation growth and decisions in any economy.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on History of Urbanization in Brazil in 1980 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Economic reform has brought about an accelerated urbanization in Brazil since 1980, as it has been manifested in population growth in many cities and in a growing number of cities. In Brazil, investment decisions from private sector are usually influenced by private sector perception of the economy (Coeurderoy Murray 2008). Brazil as a country has moved from a nation with great promise to a nation where many investment opportunities are available. A more stable currency and political sy stem, coupled with vast mineral and natural resources wealth have made the country a ‘must’ for all organizations with truly international or global ambitions to invest in the country (Makino, Isobe, Chan 2004). With a population of about 194 million people, Brazil is the 5th largest market in the world after India, China, Indonesia and the U.S. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report, the report indicates that the country is a leading one when you compare it with other South American nations in terms of technological and infrastructure development. When you combine these facts with stable political and economic landscape, you see the reason why Brazil attracts a higher percentage of world’s FDI year by year (Makino, Isobe, Chan 2004). But when you compare Brazil to Hong Kong, starting or doing business in Brazil can be very difficult (Lumpkin Dess, 2001). The main cause is the bureaucratic hurdles that are found in almost all government agen cies and the accompanying barrier of business regulations. In fact, Brazilians are known as â€Å"biting around the bush (Chandler Hanks 1993) around the world. Instead, before they do business they would like to know an individual first. As compared to Hong Kong, Brazil financial is extremely expensive and individual competition is very tough. Therefore, businesses should have their special relations to find better financial loans or get their own financing. The Brazil justice system is also very slow and to some extent it is corrupt but in the last 10 years it has been slowly improving (Chandler Hanks 1993). Every manager needs to know the hierarchical business set up that is found in Brazil. Decision-making in Brazil’s organizational culture is often reserved for senior managers (Publishing, 2009). Therefore, a manager should take his/her time to build a working relationship with his/her junior staff. In addition, for a foreigner manager it is difficult, so it is import ant for non-Brazilian to have a third-party introduction when doing business (Publishing, 2009).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A foreign manager needs to realize the importance of each employee’s distinct duties or roles in the company (Morrison 1994). Most Brazilians believe that a supervisor will be chosen because he/she has more experience than the rest of employees under him/her. They also believe it will be inappropriate to consult lower-ranking employees when making a decision (Morrison 1994). In addition, according to Morrison (1994), there is a disparity in term of salary or wage differentials, and therefore aspirations and lifestyles, among classes in the country. Minorities are the ones holding power. This hierarchical nature can be reflected in business situations. Great deference is paid to job function, authority figures, scope of responsibil ity, and reporting relationships are strictly followed and clearly defined (Publishing, 2009). Reference List Chandler, G. N. Hanks, S. H 1993, ‘Measuring the performance of emerging businesses: A validation study’. Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 8, pp. 391-408. Coeurderoy, R. Murray, G 2008,’Regulatory environments and the location decision:evidence from the early foreign market entries of new-technology-based firms’. Journal of International Business Studies, vol. 39 no. 4, pp. 670-88. Lumpkin, G. T. Dess, G. G 2001, ‘Linking two dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation to firm performance: The moderating role of environment and industry life cycle, Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 16 no. 5, pp. 429-51. Makino, S., Isobe, T., Chan, C 2004, ‘Does country matter? Strategic Management Journal, vol. 25 no. 10, pp. 1027-43. Morrison, E. K 1994, Leadership skills: developing volunteers for organizational success, Fisher Books Publisher , New York.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on History of Urbanization in Brazil in 1980 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Publishing, F 2009, Leadership Skills, Ferguson Publisher, London.

How to Be Your Own Best Editor While Remaining a Writer - Freewrite Store

How to Be Your Own Best Editor While Remaining a Writer - Freewrite Store You’re not a writer! Well, at least for a time. You’re an editor. Today’s guest post is by Marsh Cassady. Marsh has Ph.D in theatre and is a former actor, director, and university professor. He is the author of fifty-seven published books and hundreds of shorter pieces. His plays have been performed in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., including Off-Broadway. You’re not a writer! Well, at least for a time. You’re an editor. For about eight years I was co-publisher of a small press and learned quickly what to look for in query letters, proposals, and in fiction and nonfiction. Yet I thought of myself mainly as a writer. The weird thing was that when I wore my writer’s cap, I didn’t think like an editor anymore, and I found I was just as puzzled as any other writer about what would be acceptable to a publisher. Then one day, it was like the proverbial lightbulb exploded inside my head. Hey, dummy, I told myself, you’ve been an editor for a long time and, in fact, still are. So look at your own work through an editor’s eyes. Seems pretty absurd that it took me so long to realize this and to approach my own writing as if it were a submission to the press or to the literary journal of which I was fiction editor. It’s a matter of roles, a matter of putting on a different cap. Of course, you’re still the same person- at least to a degree. Look at it this way. At work you may be an attorney and at home a mom, two vastly different roles. The same is true with writing and editing, each important but very much different from each other. In your role as an attorney you wouldn’t ground a client for staying out beyond curfew, nor would you threaten to take legal action against your three-year-old. So now is the time to hang up the writer’s cap and assume the role of editor. What being an editor boils down to is being objective. View your own writing as it were done by someone else. Is this person you’re judging a good writer? What makes her or him good? What don’t you like about the style, the organization, the content? One thing that helps is to put away your writing for a few days or a week. When you take it out again, you have some distance between you and your work. You aren’t as emotionally involved with it now, so it’s easier to approach it objectively. The more you can distance yourself from the work, the better. I knew a successful poet once who didn’t believe in revising her work. Whatever she wrote stayed the way she’d first written it. There also used to be a columnist for the San Diego Union Tribune who did the same. But most of us don’t work that way. Most of us have to revise our work at least two or three times- sometimes much more often until it meets our goals. In fact, in one of my books on writing I include an excerpt from my nonfiction that is my eighth revision! And still I continued to revise it extensively with handwritten changes from the top of the page to the bottom. What are the sorts of things should you look for in editing your writing? Is the work interesting? Is the piece something you yourself would like to read? If not, why not? Is it that you don’t like the subject matter? Years ago in the writing workshop I used to lead a man came to the meeting one night and said he was writing a film script. He said he didn’t like the subject matter but thought it would be something that would sell. Nope! He was a good writer but not for this. He finally gave up because it was too much of a chore to continue. Of course, it’s possible to do a good job with a subject you hate, but why do it unless it’s part of your job and you have no choice? Did you make the writing too formal, too dry, too prosaic? It’s important to hook the reader’s attention right away. Did you do that? Assume you’re an editor at a publishing company or magazine. Would you want to read through the entire piece you wrote? When I was a book editor, I knew within a page or two- sometimes less- whether I wanted to publish the book or not. Would you want to publish what you wrote? Was your lead the most effective you can come up with? How does the rest of the piece hold up? If it’s nonfiction, have you included enough specifics- examples or illustrations or anecdotes to support what you say? Is the writing easy to follow? Does it flow well? Are there any bumps, any distractions? If so, what caused them? Maybe you need better transitions. Maybe you just need to explain things a little better- more interestingly, more succinctly. Or maybe you have some extraneous stuff that doesn’t support the central idea. Is the piece well-organized? There are many types of organization, from chronological to spatial to order of importance. Have you chosen a type of organization that fits well with the sort of piece you wrote? Have you considered the organization or just written haphazardly as the ideas come to mind? The latter rarely works for a finished piece- whether a personality profile piece, a column, or a how-to article. You need to follow a particular type of organization that is appropriate for what you’ve written? For instance, you probably wouldn’t choose spatial organization for a novel- though it is possible, with one section taking place in New York, the next in Los Angles, and the third in London. However, within each of these sections you’d probably want to use chronological order and maybe even start the first section earlier in time than the next and the next. And you probably wouldn’t use order of importance in discussing a historical event. Is the writing coherent? No matter what you’re writing, you need to be sure you’ve tied everything together. Each part, in some way, has to relate to the piece as a whole. In fiction this means everything has to be important to the plot and/or theme, either directly or indirectly. All elements need to support the central idea. And generally, the less important a character or a setting, the less space you should give them. However, I did also say â€Å"indirectly.† Don’t throw away a scene that points up the character, for instance or explains the reasons behind characters’ actions. In nonfiction everything also should relate to the central idea. If you’re writing about a candidate’s stance on an issue, you wouldn’t usually talk about his hobby of collecting ceramic mugs from around the world. Is the writing clear? Is the writing easy to follow, or would the reader have to struggle to understand what you mean? Do you use language appropriate to your readers? For instance, you’d use different language for explaining what quarks are to a junior high class than you would to an adult education class.   Is the dialogue natural and appropriate? Does the dialogue reveal character?   Does it help create the proper atmosphere? If the scene is one of tension, does the dialogue reflect this? Does it help the reader understand the sort of universe you’ve created? Does the dialogue advance the plot? All dialogue should have a purpose; each word should be important for one reason or another. Does your dialogue sound natural? Although dialogue resembles everyday speech, it is very much different but still has to appear natural. In conversation we change the subject often and abruptly. We ramble. We use a lot of extra words. Your characters can’t do that, unless it’s to point up a character trait, for instance. Dialogue also has to be appropriate for each character, each of whom speaks in his or her own way. A recent immigrant from Russia would speak much differently than would a surfer dude. A person with a Ph.D. in physics would speak differently than would a short order cook- at least in most cases. When writing dialogue, you need to consider everything important about the character- background, education, present circumstances, personality, and the emotional content of the scene. Is the dialogue easy to follow? Even if your character has an accent, don’t make the writing difficult to follow. Readers today probably wouldn’t be happy to read pieces like Joel Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus stories with lines like: â€Å""One time," said Uncle Remus...way back yander, ’fo’ you wuz bomed, honey, en ’fo’ Mars John er Miss Sally wuz bomed-way back yander ’fo’ enny un us wuz bomed, de animils en de creeturs sorter ’lecshuneer roun’m ’mong deyselves, twel at las’ ’dey 'greed fer ter have ’sembly.† Does any of the writing sound awkward? I’m nearly finished reading a novel by one of my favorite authors, but I was disappointed to see that at several times in the book he used passive voice. So far as I remember, he never did this before. And it yanked me right out of the action. So avoid passive voice. It should be cut.   Oops. What I really mean is: You need to cut it out! You also need to consider if the words you’ve chosen are the best you can come up with, that the work doesn’t sound too stilted, that what you write matches the overall style. An academic piece, for instance, would use a more formal style than a travel article. Check for repetition. Recently, I edited a book for a friend. In one paragraph of four lines I found three instances of the word â€Å"painting.† He objected to my editing out two of them. He said I was ruining his style. Uh, uh, uh! Repeating words or phrases calls attention to itself and detracts from the writing. Of course, this doesn’t apply to so-called invisible words like â€Å"the,† â€Å"an,† â€Å"a,† â€Å"and†, etc. But any time you repeat words like mouse or quark or sweetheart in close proximity to the original, you are risking alienating the reader. An exception, of course, is when you deliberately repeat a word for emphasis. The same, of course, is true of phrases. Unless there’s a good reason, beware of repeating phrases within several paragraphs of each other. Don’t Overwrite. Is there anything extraneous?   If so, cut it.   This is especially true in the matter of research. It’s been said that research is like an iceberg- two-thirds should be hidden beneath the surface. In other words, you should inspire confidence in the reader that you know your subject thoroughly, that you know much more than is included in the article, that you are the expert. On the other hand, you shouldn’t expect the reader to suffer through absolutely everything you’ve learned. Proofreading To many writers this is the most tedious part of getting a manuscript ready for publication, and it’s more complicated by the fact that when proofing our own writing, we often â€Å"see† what we expect to see and not what’s actually there. Also, proofing cannot be rushed. You have to be meticulous in doing it. One trick that can work well is to read the manuscript backward. This does away with expectations of what you think is there because now the material- though it doesn’t make sense- is completely new, and typos and small errors stand out more. For instance: â€Å"more. out stand errors small and typos and new, completely is.† When you do this, it forces you to slow down. Read your writing aloud to yourself or to someone else. When you read the piece aloud, you’ll be surprised at how many typos and other â€Å"pickies† you catch. This is because you’re forced to slow down and concentrate on each word. Thus, the little things that elude you in a silent readthrough now become much more apparent. Finally, if you can, put the manuscript away one more time and then back to it again in a day or a week. Okay, now you’ve done your stint as an editor. Take off the editor’s cap, hang it up, and grab the writer’s cap from the rack. You are not an editor any longer- at least for now. Today you’re a writer. Good luck with the new piece.       Marsh Cassady has Ph.D in theatre and is a former actor, director, and university professor. He is the author of fifty-seven published books and hundreds of shorter pieces. His plays have been performed in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., including Off-Broadway. For about eight years he was co-publisher of a small press and a literary journal. He has also taught creative writing at the University of California, San Diego, and for thirty-five years led all-genre writing workshops.

Negative ECONOMIC impacts of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil Research Paper

Negative ECONOMIC impacts of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil - Research Paper Example Most available literature has also been limited to the positive aspects of hosting the FIFA World Cup. The argumentative question that this research paper poses however is whether there are no negative economic impacts of hosting the FIFA World Cup. In the opinion of the researcher, there could be some very crucial negative economic impacts that the hostage of the FIFA World Cup comes with, but most of these have been ignored by host countries. In this research paper, Brazil is used as a case study, where the hosting of the 2014 FIFA World Cup is brought under perspective. The research paper shall be delimited to only the negative economic impacts of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and so will not look into other aspects like social effects. The approach to discussing the negative economic impact would be to look at different variables of economic parameters that may be of concern to the country’s economy, before, during and after the World Cup. At the end of the paper an argumentativ e debate shall be developed with the question given below: 1.1 Research Question Is the 2014 FIFA World Cup an economic imprudence for Brazil? 2.0 Pre-World Cup Effects 2.1 Government spending Government spending is a crucial aspect of the economic determinant of Brazil. This is because already, the government is under much pressure for its inability to live within its annual budget (Bukova, 2013 International Finance Corporation (2009) notes that within the past decade, the Brazilian government has used a supplementary budget in about 7 out of 10 national budgets. The simple reason is that the bid for the World Cup came several years ahead of 2014. For countries to be approved to host the World Cup there are strict requirements laid down by the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) that must be adhered to. Greater part of these requirements looks at the availability of sports infrastructure, security, transportation, power supply, accommodation, sanitation, among others (Istomina, 2005). In effect, the very moment that the country announced its intention to host the World Cup in 2014, active preparations started going on. Meanwhile, even though there were some level of sports development in Brazil, it was not adequate to get the country the bid. To this end, government had to start spending, in most cases, beyond its budget to get some of the required requirements underway. As an economic effect however, whenever government is forced to spend beyond its budget, there are sectors of the economy that suffers massively. It is not surprising the number of labor unrest that has hit Brazil since the government started spending on the World Cup preparation (Ivanova, 2004). Already, the government has spent R$9.9 billion (USD1.1 billion) on infrastructure alone; made up of the construction and renovation of existing stadia (Karbalevich, 2011). The upgrading of international airports alone in Brazil ahead of the World Cup has cost the government US$2 .5 billion with some other budget spending that have come up to a total of S$14 billion (). 2.2 Taxation The effect of the World Cup hostage on taxation in Brazil has been analyzed in various peer reviewed literature and economic forums. It has for example been noted that one of the very first economic policies that the government undertook as a way of raising money to cater for the US$14billion budget it was faced with in hosting the World Cup was to raise taxes in several aspects of the

Family socilogy (The influence of the family structure) Essay

Family socilogy (The influence of the family structure) - Essay Example Family has always played a vital role in ordering society and in determining life chances of various individuals. The word family holds different meaning for different people and used to symbolize many different views. Giddens defines the family as a â€Å"group of persons directly linked by kin connections, the adult members of which assume responsibility for caring for children†. By children he meant who are dependent on their parents for their livelihood; are aged under 16 or 17 and are in full time education. Till today families are responsible for the upbringing and nurture of children. They are the ones who provide not only love and care but also financial support to children. The main functions performed by the family is to teach a child discipline, judge between what is right and wrong and an acceptable behavior pattern. In this essay, we shall discuss to what extent is family central to the lives of children in Britain. Gordon Brown had expressed that family is the foundation on which our communities, our society and our country are built. However, it has been found in recent years that the traditional beliefs and values of families have undergone lots of social and economic changes. Earlier the foundation stone of families used to be love and care but today it has been replaced by looser and material needs of money and selfishness. These factors have led to the emergence of new types of families like lone parent families, step families, symmetrical families and cohabit families. (cited in Duncan & Phillips, 2008:1). The demographic transition in Europe started from the 1950’s and is still continuing today. Ansley Coale’s has described demographic transition â€Å"as a change from the traditional society in which high mortality and natality rates existed to an industrialized society in which natality and mobility are stabilized at low levels.† This transition has been the result of various social and economic changes such as urbanization, education levels, productive structure and secularization etc. The changes in the trends of life of people have brought about a major change in the way children perceive family in Britain (Pairo, 1997). According to Squire, a family structure changes with experience and life events as a child grows from childhood to adulthood. Every family functions in a unique way due to variations in household types, family structures and the division of domestic labor. Also the composition of the family is influenced by the social, cultural and economic characteristics of different ethnic groups. These factors affect the extent to which a family may or may not be central to the lives of children. Although all family structures are unique but they have one thing in common – they all provide emotional and mutual structural support to all children. A family helps to locate a child socially and thus act as one of the key socializing agents (Squire, 2003:60). A child’s happiness and healthy development depends on a large scale on the kind of relationship that exists between parents, grandparents and other caring adults in the family and most crucially among children and adults. According to research in 2008, 64 % of children live in married families with couples, 23% of children live in lone parent family and 13% live with cohabiting couples (Mapalthorpe et al., 2008:4).The research also reveals that marriage is not necessary for the successful running of the family but good relations matter. Also, 78% of individuals have agreed that it is not divorce that harms children but parental conflicts. According to the individualistic theory, families should become more liberal, with children having a say in important family decisions. Also, biological parents should provide parenting to their children lifelong which will help in their growth towards adulthood. However, research says otherwise –step fathe rs can equally take care and bestow love on them as compared to biological fathers. Traditionally family had been seen as

Collaboration Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Collaboration Technologies - Essay Example Groupware minimises interference by technology while maximising interaction among several persons. Laudon and Laudon (2007, p. 287) indicates that groupware provides the required capabilities for collaborative work and communication across an enterprise of between persons and groups. It is used to write and comment on group projects, share important ideas and documents, conducting meetings electronically, tracking projects, scheduling activities and sending e-mails. WordiQ,com (2010) indicates that there are three levels of collaboration and by so doing makes collaboration technologies synonymous with groupware. The three levels of groupware which are dependent on the level of collaboration are communication tools, conferencing tools and collaborative management tools. Electronic communication tools transmit messages, files, data and documents between persons in order to facilitate information sharing. These tools include: email, web publishing and voice mail. Electronic conferencing tools facilitate interaction between persons in the transmission of information. These tools include video conferencing systems, voice conferencing, video conferencing, discussion forums, chat rooms and electronic meeting systems. Collaborative management tools both facilitate as well as manage group activities. They include project management systems workflow systems, electronic calendars and knowledge management systems.

The Making of Russian Political Traditions Essay

The Making of Russian Political Traditions - Essay Example It is obvious that features of such "driving forces" were specific for each empire, so these forces were essential for making political, economic, and even cultural "frames" of these empires. First of all, we need to juxtapose principal historic events of that time. The political and economic decline of Kiev in XII-XIII centuries led to strong regional developments (Keenan and Raeff, 2003). Rostov, the earliest princely centre in the north-east, was included in the princely rotation system for a long time. In the XII century, it became the patrimony of the younger branch of Vladimir II Monomakh's family. Under his son Yury Dolgoruky (1125-1157) and grandson Andrew I (1157-1174), the principality reached a high political and cultural development. In the XIII century, the principality of Moscow was created as an apanage (royal grant) within the grand principality of Vladimir. This new seat grew in importance when Michael Khorobrit, brother of Alexander Nevsky, conquered Vladimir (1248) and made himself prince of both centers. Daniel, Nevsky's son (1276-1303), was the progenitor of all the later Rurikid princes of Moscow. Yet, at that time the principality is very small and has insignificant political influence (Martin, 1995). The beginning of Moscow's rise to its later preeminence came during the reign of Daniel's son Ivan (1328-1341), who, by cooperating with khans of the Golden Horde, and also by his shrewd purchases (probably of tax-farming rights), greatly expanded the influence of his principality (Keenan and Raeff, 2003). We know that in time of the Mongol invasion many of the conquered cities made an unusual recovery and adjustment to the new relationships. Of course, some cities, such as Kiev, never fully recovered in Mongol times. However, new centers, such as Moscow and Tver, arose and flourished in Mongol times. The local princely dynasties continued unchanged in their traditional seats. Moreover, the northern Russian princes fell to quarreling and to maneuvering for their own advantage in the politics of the Golden Horde. In this period, rising of Muscovy was caused by "symbiosis" with the Golden Horde. However, why Muscovy was not "absorbed" by the Golden Horde Firstly, the Golden Horde was unstable as any multinational and highly heterogeneous empire, so its domination was not permanent. Then, this "symbiosis" was not comprehensive. Influence of the Golden Horde in the areas of religion and intellectual life was practically nonexistent. Limited contacts between the Slavic and Turkic populations, and the strong Orthodox clergy control in Muscovy were very favorable for surviving Russian culture. Comprehensive cooperation was only in the areas of the secular culture of the court and counting house. "Here, Slavs and Tatars elaborated together an international subculture whose language was Turkic and whose administrative techniques and chancellery culture were essentially those of the Golden Horde" (Keenan and Raeff, 2003). Severe and destructive conflicts between Muscovy and the Golden Horde appear only in the XIV century, when the Golden Horde was at the stage of decline. Conflicts between Dmitry Donskoy, grand prince of Moscow, and Mamai (1381), and also Tokhtamysh attacks on Moscow (Martin, 1995) signify the end of this "symbiosis" in the political sphere. Next period differs

Timbuk2 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Timbuk2 - Case Study Example al and a custom made, internet based â€Å"Build Your Own Bag† product.   Timbuk2s concept is rugged and stylish. The timbuk2 website describes Rob’s goal, â€Å"to make a messenger bag rugged enough for real bicycle messengers, yet stylish enough to appeal to a broader market of young, hip urbanites as an alternative to the traditional two-strap day pack. Our catchy name, three-panel design, distinctive ‘swirl’ logo, and the fact that we’re ‘Made in San Francisco’ added to our cachet.† I believe that Timbuk2 got their â€Å"foot in the door† with the messenger bag and captured an exploding market trend. San Francisco being the birthplace of the messenger trend and supposedly the most hard core riding environment gives the company credibility and edge. In my opinion, the key competitive dimensions driving sales for the messenger bags are quality, delivery speed, ability to cope with changes in demand, flexibility and new product introduction speed. The Quality Guarantee Timbuk2 offers is extremely generous and screams confidence. The company encourages customers that these bags â€Å"wear like hell†(paper on timbuk2). The â€Å"2-3 shipping days† policy for a custom made bag is evidence of the company’s delivery speed competitive dimension. This is extremely fast turnaround time for a fairly big corporation and proves this company has a fine tuned operation with close management, further solidifying the quality of its products. Timbuk2’s Brennan Mulligan focused on â€Å"Lean manufacturing† and â€Å"Mass customization† (paper). He determined that emphasizing on waste elimination and improving quality, he was able to accomplish smaller batch sizes. Once batch sizes as small as one bag, were achieved, Timbuk2 would be able to meet and cope with changes in demand. With lots of hard work and the acquisition of more machines, Timbuk2 accomplished this. We can ac credit Timbuk2s final competitive dimensions, flexibility and new product introduction speed, to small batch sizes as well. Timbuk2 found cells of 5 workers, each one seeing a bag from start to completion, to be most efficient. This system ensured detailed attention to each bag, and whether or not a bag was a new design, the process would remain nearly the same. In my opinion, the competitive priorities for the bags manufactured in China, appear the same, however in reality the manufacturing process is pretty different. I feel that Timbuk2 has already captured a reputation with the concepts they emphasize, â€Å"Rugged and Stylish†, â€Å"hardcore†, â€Å"designed by messengers and made in San Francisco†. People already see this image when they hear Timbuk2. Some dye

How do we end gridlock in the American political System and modernize Term Paper

How do we end gridlock in the American political System and modernize the federal Government's administrative infrastructure t - Term Paper Example â€Å"Gridlock† as it is experienced in Washington D.C. today represents a system of government that the Anti-Federalists specifically warned against in the founding of the United States through the Constitutional Convention, â€Å"Bill of Rights† negotiation, and state ratification process. In understanding how Jeffersonian ideals relate to â€Å"Athenian† democracy, and also how populism and progressivism present a historical framework for reform of the political system, the goal is to continue in the tradition of innovation in social institutions so as to make them more open, transparent, participatory, and non-violent as a basis of civil society. This essay discusses downsizing government, decentralizing political organizations, and building stakeholder frameworks that lead to real participation in government organizations and decisions by citizens. The essay also discusses possibilities to increase multi-party political representation through use of informat ion technology and other forms of innovation in democratic organization to implement fundamental ideals through progress. Table of Contents Abstract 1 Table of Contents 1 I. Introduction 2 II. Definition of â€Å"Gridlock† 4 III. Two Party Monopoly 6 One example commonly cited as â€Å"gridlock† is the prevention of legislation from passing by one party through control of one branch of government, such as a Republican party majority in the Senate refusing to support Democratic legislation, or a Republican president unable to build legislative support for his/her agenda in the House of Representatives. A larger aspect of â€Å"gridlock† is the actual two-party monopoly that prohibits a wider representation of views and discussion of issues in the Federal system. This can be compared to systems of government internationally that encourage wider multi-party frameworks and coalitions, as well as an ideal of direct, participatory democracy that would be supported thr ough a more diverse representation of views than found in two-party politics. While the Constitution does not mandate a two-party system, â€Å"winner take all† representation does discourage third party candidates from attaining office, as do the discriminatory ballot measures that restrict ballot access to third parties. 6 IV. Corporate Interests over Public 6 One of the most important issues related to the ideological fusion of Capitalism and Democracy in Enlightenment thought is corruption in government related to minority business interests and the use of â€Å"pork-barrel† politics and legislation to produce social injustice. The recent Wall St. bailouts are an excellent example of the valuation of the interests of the â€Å"super rich† over the â€Å"super poor†. Nevertheless, innumerable aspects of the interrelationship between the U.S. government and the economy can be found. The chart below estimates the Federal Government to be related to appro ximately 43% of U.S. GDP through taxation, spending, and social programs. It is interesting to note that before the 20th Century government spending was typically representative of less than 10% of GDP, representing another aspect of the anti-federalist view. 6 US Government Spending as Percent Of GDP Source:

Timbuk2 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Timbuk2 - Case Study Example al and a custom made, internet based â€Å"Build Your Own Bag† product.   Timbuk2s concept is rugged and stylish. The timbuk2 website describes Rob’s goal, â€Å"to make a messenger bag rugged enough for real bicycle messengers, yet stylish enough to appeal to a broader market of young, hip urbanites as an alternative to the traditional two-strap day pack. Our catchy name, three-panel design, distinctive ‘swirl’ logo, and the fact that we’re ‘Made in San Francisco’ added to our cachet.† I believe that Timbuk2 got their â€Å"foot in the door† with the messenger bag and captured an exploding market trend. San Francisco being the birthplace of the messenger trend and supposedly the most hard core riding environment gives the company credibility and edge. In my opinion, the key competitive dimensions driving sales for the messenger bags are quality, delivery speed, ability to cope with changes in demand, flexibility and new product introduction speed. The Quality Guarantee Timbuk2 offers is extremely generous and screams confidence. The company encourages customers that these bags â€Å"wear like hell†(paper on timbuk2). The â€Å"2-3 shipping days† policy for a custom made bag is evidence of the company’s delivery speed competitive dimension. This is extremely fast turnaround time for a fairly big corporation and proves this company has a fine tuned operation with close management, further solidifying the quality of its products. Timbuk2’s Brennan Mulligan focused on â€Å"Lean manufacturing† and â€Å"Mass customization† (paper). He determined that emphasizing on waste elimination and improving quality, he was able to accomplish smaller batch sizes. Once batch sizes as small as one bag, were achieved, Timbuk2 would be able to meet and cope with changes in demand. With lots of hard work and the acquisition of more machines, Timbuk2 accomplished this. We can ac credit Timbuk2s final competitive dimensions, flexibility and new product introduction speed, to small batch sizes as well. Timbuk2 found cells of 5 workers, each one seeing a bag from start to completion, to be most efficient. This system ensured detailed attention to each bag, and whether or not a bag was a new design, the process would remain nearly the same. In my opinion, the competitive priorities for the bags manufactured in China, appear the same, however in reality the manufacturing process is pretty different. I feel that Timbuk2 has already captured a reputation with the concepts they emphasize, â€Å"Rugged and Stylish†, â€Å"hardcore†, â€Å"designed by messengers and made in San Francisco†. People already see this image when they hear Timbuk2. Some dye

The contribution of the Key people Essay Example for Free

The contribution of the Key people Essay With reference to at least two different areas of study, discuss the contribution of the Key people, Movements, or traditions to the concept/theme of faith. The Oxford English dictionary defines faith as, complete trust, an unquestioning confidence. Many people, in defining faith, speak about believing in the impossible or trusting in something/someone without proof. As Watton states, Faith is our attitude in the presence of someone, or some event, whose goodness and greatness is greater than we can fully grasp, describe or explain. According to Michael P Gallagher, Faith is a gift of god a human yes of recognition spoken to a divine yes of love. Faith is about a journey, and a quest. A search for truth and meaning. Within the 2 areas of study- the theology of Luke and the Celtic Church and its missionary outreach in the 5th, 6th and 7th centuries, I will examine the concept of faith in relation to key people. I am also going to look at the religious theme surrounding faith-universality. In both Lukes gospel and the Celtic Church a number of key people are called to faith, to leave their old life and join Jesus in a new life of faith. In Lukes gospel, one key person who is called to faith is Simon. Jesus, in the call of the first fishermen asked the disciples to put out their boats. They did as Jesus commanded and a great catch of fish occurs. Simon falls to his knees and said, Depart from me Lord for I am a sinful man. Simons response is like that of Patrick who also bowed down in humility. He is shown as one with great faith and as a key person in Lukes gospel as he left his nets and followed Jesus. Likewise, as in Lukes Gospel we see that Simon arises as a key person who is called to a life of faith, so too in the Celtic Church Patrick emerges as a key person in responding faithfully to Gods call. Patrick was a nominal Christian who found God similar to the call Simon. Patrick was also aware of his sinfulness. I, Patrick, a sinneram to advert to my sins and turn whole heartedly to the Lord my God. In reflection, both Simon, and Patrick are faithful believers and key people in the theme of faith. As Simon is called by God to be a universal Saviour, Patrick too received this call and answers it by in turn calling all sections of Irish society to faith in Christ- I am going to the ends of the earth. Furthermore, for the key people in Lukes gospel and the Celtic Church, the call to faith involves a ministry. A group of key people in Lukes gospel are the 72 disciples. They are central examples of faith and are key people in carrying out Jesus mission. The mission of the 72 was to be a universal one. Luke continually underlines the disciples attempt throughout their ministry to bring salvation and faith to all Jesus taught. It was their work which led to the spread of the Christian faith. Similarly, in the Celtic Church, CB surfaces as a key person in spreading the faith. CB was also called to be a universal saviour and inspired many followers- he had to found a 3rd monastery in Fontaines due to the popularity. He worked with great energy for 24 years bringing people to faith in France, Switzerland, and Italy. His influence continued for centuries after his death as those he converted to faith now handed on the faith. The brothers he taught evangelised untold numbers and founded over 100 monasteries to protect learning and spread the faith. Thus, within the 2 areas of study, faith involved a ministry for the key people, in this case for the disciples in Lukes gospel and for the Celtic Church in the form of CB. Furthermore, it becomes apparent in reading both Lukes Gospel and the Celtic Church that faith involved opposition and difficulty. To follow the Lords conversion to faith involves sacrifice of family, jobs, security, and is fraught with many difficulties. In Lukes gospel, all key people encountered difficulties and opposition to their faith. The widows mite is one example of how faith is very costly. Jesus noticed the widow putting in 2 small coins and he said, I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the rest; she has offered her whole livelihood. This was an example of her total faith in God. It is also evident that the faith of key people within the Celtic Church also involved a huge cost. As the poor widow gave up all her possessions, so too were the monks in the early Irish Church expected to take vows of poverty and renunciation. Colmcille turned his back on his distinguished background, and travelled to Iona wishing to be a pilgrim for Christ. This demonstrates his total faith and obedience in Christ. It is therefore evident that faith involves opposition, difficulties, and conflict. Just as the widow encountered the cost of discipleship in Luke, so too did Colmcille face difficulties to his faith in the Celtic Church. Moreover, it becomes apparent that women, in both Lukes Gospel and the Celtic Church, were key figures. As Powell states, women figure more prominently in this book than anywhere else in the New Testament. Mary received a call to faith from God through a personal messenger. Her faith is explicitly shown in the magnificant. Mary responded faithfully to the request. Women in the Celtic Church are also shown to be key figures. Just as Mary displayed a great trust in God in becoming his handmaid, Bridget too answered her call in accepting the veil. She saw her call to faith as strengthening the church in Ireland. One way she did this was by building a double monastery at Kildare in order to bring people to faith. However the female disciples also encounter difficulties in their faith. They are seen as 2nd class citizens and often faced opposition. The widow at Nain for example was classed as an outcast because she had no male representative. Likewise Bridgit encountered opposition from her father in deciding to dedicate her life to God. Finally, it seems apparent that key people, both in Luke, and the Celtic Church are further demanded to show mercy and forgiveness as a way of bringing others back to faith in God. Jesus illustrates this demand to his disciples many times. The parables of the lost show Gods eagerness to bring people back to the faith. The disciples are to forgive others 7 times 70, forgiveness should be unlimited. Likewise, Patrick stands out as a key person in the Celtic Church who has obeyed Gods demand of mercy. Patricks letter to Corocticus illustrates his willingness to forgive even at the last minute before death. So, in reflection, it is evident that for the key people, both in the Celtic Church and in Lukes gospel, a life of faith involved many demands. In conclusion, the concept of faith is an important issue both in Lukes gospel and the Celtic Church. Jesus was the faithful believer who inspired faith in key people like Mary, the 72 disciples, and the first fishermen. Faith was also integral to the lives of the saints and the missionaries of the Celtic Church. Faith in Luke and the Celtic Church involved a call to faith, a ministry of faith, and opposition to faith. Many key women in Luke and the Celtic Church also exhibited faith. The concept of faith also has relevance for human experience today.

Synthesis of Levulinate Ester in Solvent-free System

Synthesis of Levulinate Ester in Solvent-free System MUHAMMAD YUSUF BIN YAAKUB 1.0 INTRODUCTION Fabrication of several of oxygenated fuels and chemical from biomass is not an easy task. This is because biomass needs to use catalytic processes to defunctionalized selectively (D.L.Klass, 2006). Both biological and chemical catalysts are being tailed by the global to transform biomass into biofuel and chemicals (A.Corma, 2007). There is some of the potential alternative to non-renewable energy like lignocellulosic biomass for the future demand (M. Aresta, 2012). Feedstock like biomass is supposed to reduce the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere (E.S. Olson, 2001). As we know, ester is one of the important derivatives that can be ready by using heterogeneous catalysis (G.D. Yadav, 2012)) including feedstock that can be renewed which is based ester as oxygenated fuels. Making of levulinate ester from glucose, cellulose and sucrose which known as one of the admirable renewable fuel additives under acid catalysis by using anhydrous condition is quite desirable (M.E. Harmon, 1990). Biomass which is from derivatives of levulinate acid also known as one of the top twelve building block as a precursor for resins and polymer, and to produce a spectrum of fuel additives (B.V. Timokhim, 1999)). There are a few reviews already appear on the commercial application about levulinate acid and its derivatives (M. Kitano, 1975). Ethyl levulinate or levulinate ester which is ester of levulinic acid find application as blending agents in biodiesel, flavour and perfume industry, as solvents, plasticizer, etc (R.I. Khusnutdinov, 2007). Also, one of the derivatives from levulinic acid like 2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran can be employed as the additives in gasoline and diesel. Besides that, levulinic acid that undergoes process of animation which leads to the formation of ÃŽ ´-aminolevilunate is used as herbicide (J.J. Bozell, 2000). Among every ester of levulinic acid, ethyl levulinate is the one that has been used in fuel as oxygenated additives on a large scale (P.M. Ayoub, 2005). Therefore, levulinate ester which derived from levulinic acid is important in industry which is made by the process of esterification fuel grade ethanol and carboxylic group (Wetzel et al., 2006) 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 levulinic acid Levulinic acid is one of the simplest sugar group of the organic compounds which known as gamma-ketovaleric acid. Levulinic acid also called as 4-oxopentanoic acid in the terms of chemical formula. It contains two groups which are acidic carboxyl group and ketonic carbonyl group. (Ghorpade Hanna, 2011). Some of the agricultural wastes such as starch, cane sugar and lignocellulostic are used for the production of levulinic acid. And these renewable biomasses are commercially used for its productions (Wetzel et al., 2006). There are some of the researches have been done on biomass and found that it is one of the important sources for chemical product and biofuel.( Klass, D. L., 1998). Biomass can be found abundantly such as in forest, industrial activities like paper industry and also in the form of waste from agricultural. Considerable amounts of research have been done throughout the world to determine a good way to change biomass into organic chemicals by identified attractive chemical transformation method and also to develop economically possible processes for these transformations on a commercial scale. And one of the interesting option is the formation of levulinic acid from the conversion of lignocellulosic by acid treatment.(Buana girisuta,2007) 2.1.1 Application of levulinic acid in industrial field There are some of interesting derivatives that can be found in levulinic acid as the chemical platform (Timokhin, 1999). The derivatives of levulinic acid and its application have been looked extensively (Bozell, 2000). Besides that, there are also extensive reviewed about the production of levulinic acid from the acid catalysed degradation of hexoses; however, there are not much information available for the underlying reaction mechanism (Horvat, 1985). In reaction of nucleophilic additions upon carbonyl group, several of valuable levulinic acid derivatives are produced. For instance, when nitrogen which contain nucleophiles react with levulinic acid will give either the cyclodehydration products of the amide or amide (7), depends on carboxyl group of levulinic acid which is whether it is protected or not (Shilling, 1966). The reactions of several amines with levulinic acid which form amides are interesting because of their biological activity. Also, one of the product produced from the reaction between levulinic acid with ammonium hydroxide or ammonia in the presence of hydrogen gas and metal catalyst which is 5-methyl-2-pyrrolidone(8) (Manzer, 2004) is quite useful for the pharmaceutical industry. Levulinic acid is quite important for the synthesis of chemicals for the applications like resin precursors, polymer and fuel additives. There are several article published which described the properties and potential application for the industry about levulinic acid and its derivatives (Timokhin, 1999) 2.2 levulinate ester There are some research has been studied by the global to determine and study about the biological and chemical transformations to change biomass into feedstock chemicals and biofuels. Among this research, one of the interesting approaches is the production of levulinate ester from the direct conversion of carbohydrates named hexose like sucrose, cellulose and glucose in anhydrous system which contain alcohols using acid catalysts (Peng et al., 2011)-thesis senior. For the production of ester in high yield production, one of the common chemical or acid to use is sulphuric acid. But, there are some problems like formation of polymerization products or by-products due secondary reaction with possible alcohol dehydration or double bounds of the molecule (Aracil et al., 2006). Also, there will be several drawbacks when using this type of classical method for the synthesis of ester like energy consumption, high temperature, requirement for special apparatus, formation of substantial amount of by-products, prolonged reaction period and high waste generation (Chaibakhsh et al., 2011). 2.2.1 Synthesis of ester levulinate Esterification of levulinic acid with etanol which produce ethyl 4-oxopentanoate or commonly known as ethyl levulinate, is used as an intermediate for the synthesis of more multifaceted commercial products, as an lubricant additive oxygenate additives for petrodiesel (Joshi et al., 2011). In industry, levulinate ester was obtained via esterification process between alkyl alcohol and levulinic acid with the presence of acid like H2SO4 or sulphuric acid which lead to the production of a high yield products. Also, immobilized lipase which acts as the biocatalyst for this process can become quite effective under milder reaction conditions (Peng et al., 2011). Yadav and Borkar (2008), previously have been report about the enzymatic synthesis of levulinate ester (Lee et al., 2010). Their work focused on kinetics and mechanism study of lipase-catalyzed esterification of levulinic acid with n-butanol using tetrabutyl methyl ether as the solvent. There are also reported by several researchers about the synthesis of levulinylated nucleosides in organic solvent-based system via enzymatic hydrolysis (Garcia et al., 2002; Lee et al., 2010). The application of biocatalysts has impressive advantages for the synthesis of esters. These advantages are milder reaction conditions, high yield and purity, shorter reaction time, biocatalyst reusability and low energy requirement ( Chaibakhsh et al., 2011). 2.2.2 Applications of levulinate ester in industry Levulinate ester are a kind of short chain fatty esters like methyl levulinate, ethyl levulinate and butyl levulinate with their properties similar to the biodiesel fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) (Peng et al., 2011). Such ester are good to be used as gasoline additives and diesel of transportation fuels, which have quite great performances like high lubricity, non-toxic, better flow properties under cold condition and flashpoint stability (Peng et al., 2011). Not like FAME, ethyl levulinate which is fatty ester with larger head groups and significantly different hydrocarbon tail give disorder by disrupting the spacing between molecules in lamellae. This disorder is the result from the formation of crystal nuclei with less stable chain packing followed by transformation to a more stable form at lower temperatures (Joshi et al., 2011). Ester levulinate is quite useful as solvents and plasticizers and have been promoted as fuel additives (Ghorpade Hanna, 2011). Levulinate ester is adaptable chemical feedstock with abundant potential in applications for the industry either in fragrance industry, flavouring or as blending component in biodiesel (Peng et al., 2011). For that reason, esterifications of levulinic acid to ethyl levulinate is quite significant as it can be used as plasticizing agents, fuel additives and odorous substances. (Dharne Bokade, 2011). 2.3 Ethanol Ethanol known as ethyl alcohol is a flammable, volatile and colorless liquid. Its molecular formula is C2H5OH and its molar mass is 46.07. The ethanol plays a role as organic solvent, increase the mutual solubility in water, ester and glycerides. The production of methyl ester is not quite desirable rather than ethyl ester which has considerable interest because of the extra carbon atom brought by the ethanol molecule slightly increases the cetane number and heat content (Tongboriboon et al., 2010). Besides that, ethyl ester also has cloud and pour points that are lower than methyl ester. This fact improves the cold start (Tongboriboon et al., 2010). Also, ethanol as extraction solvent is preferable than methanol because it has much more power for dissolving in oils. This could thus enable the product production in a solvent-free system (Tongboriboon et al., 2010). 2.4 Biomass The term biomass is defined as any organic matter which is available on a renewable basis, including dedicated energy crops and tree, feed crop residue, agricultural food, wood and wood residue, aquatic plants, animal wastes and other waste material (Kamm, 2006). The once a year production of biomass is about 1.7–2.0Ãâ€"1011 tons (Zoebelin, 2001); however, only 6Ãâ€"109 tons are currently used for food and non-food applications. Food applications are by far the most important (96.5−97%). And the rest is used in non-food applications, such as a feedstock for the chemical industry. There are a lot biomass sources which is available for further conversion and utilisation. For the biomass feedstock, its selection is very important for the points of view of both socio- and techno-economical. Actually, biomass feedstock should not compete with the food chain for some ethical reason. Waste streams like agricultural waste with a low or even negative value are more preferable. It is good to choose sources that not tend to cause diseases. Normally, there are only a few fertilisers that can give the high growth rate per ha per year and available throughout the year. For that particular reason, water hyacinth should be excellent feedstock for biomass for further utilisation and conversions (Buana Girisuta, 2007). 2.3.1 Chemical composition of biomass The chemical composition of biomass depends strongly on its source. Generally biomass consists of 23–32% hemicellulose, 38–50% of cellulose, and 15–25% lignin (see Figure 1). Cellulose is a non-branched water-insoluble polysaccharide consisting of several hundred up to tens of thousands of glucose units. Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer synthesised by nature, its amount is estimated at approximately 2Ãâ€"109 tons year-1 (Sasaki, 2003). Hemicellulose is a polymeric material, although lower in molecular weight than cellulose, consisting of C6-sugars (glucose, mannose and galactose) and C5-sugars (mainly arabinose and xylose). The third component (lignin) is a highly cross-linked polymer made from substituted phenylpropene units (see Figure 2). It acts as glue, holding together the cellulose and hemicellulose fibres. Figure 1: show the distribution of important constituents in biomass. Figure 2: show the molecular structures of the building blocks of lignin. 3.0 PROBLEM STATEMENTS In this research, there are some of the problems that need to be solved. One of them is what method or technique can be used to increase the production yield of levulinate ester. Besides that, how to improve levulinate ester as fuel additives in biofuel and what is the advantageous of enzymatic synthesis rather than conventional chemical esterifications. 4.0 OBJECTIVES Increase the production yield of ester levulinate Improves the levulinate ester as the fuel additives in biofuel To study the advantages of enzymatic synthesis over conventional chemical esterifications.

Responsibilities in William Shakespeares Merchant of Venice Essay

Responsibilities in William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice The small and seemingly insignificant details in a story often hold together an entire theme of the work. This phenomenon is recognizable in the plays of William Shakespeare, as a speech or incident with a minor character can point the audience to a much larger truth about the work as a whole. The Merchant of Venice contains such a minor character, Lancelot, whose story gives a clue to the reader about the roles of the other characters in the play. Lancelot abandons his servitude to Shylock, and thereby weakens his own value as a member of society fulfilling a role. Lancelot’s decision is noteworthy because it represents a conflict of responsibilities that can be found in some of the main characters. These other characters (with the exception of Portia) behave similarly to Lancelot, and Lancelot’s story helps to illuminate their shortcomings. Lancelot’s speech about running from Shylock captures the greater conflict between inconsistent responsibilities that is present throughout The Merchant of Venice. Every servant has a responsibility to his master before he is responsible to himself. Lancelot violates this basic principle of servitude, and thus brings shame upon himself. Not only is Lancelot under a contractual obligation to Shylock, he has both social and religious obligations to remain in Shylock’s service. It is no surprise that the one who counsels Lancelot to leave Shylock is â€Å"the fiend† himself. â€Å"To be ruled by my conscience I should stay with the Jew my master who, God bless the mark, is a kind of devil;† reasons Lancelot (2.2.17-19), thinking that it is probably a better idea to stay with Shylock. He also knows that â€Å"to run away fro... ... ones. Because The Merchant of Venice is a comedy, no real harm comes to Lancelot or Bassanio because of their poor choices, but they are all made out to be foolish in comparison to Portia. These characters are lucky—in comparison with some of Shakespeare’s other characters that are faced with inconsistent responsibilities (such as Hamlet or Juliet, who both die), the non-role-fulfillers of The Merchant of Venice have extraordinarily happy endings. It is interesting to note that most of Shakespeare’s plays that include conflicting roles or responsibilities are tragedies, while the happy resolution of The Merchant of Venice makes it a comedy. The mistakes in The Merchant of Venice are all fixable, so even though the characters neglect their roles on occasion, the quick thinking of Portia allows them to retire with their spouses safely as a new day is breaking.

Frankenstein Notes :: essays papers

Frankenstein Notes Observations: 1. We commonly refer to the enormous monster as â€Å"Frankenstein†, when in fact he was never given a name. 2. Many references are made throughout the story to other famous literary works, such as Milton’s, Paradise Lost and Coleridge’s, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. 3. Victor is a seeker of knowledge; he seeks answers to what occurs in nature and the physical world. 4. Upon his arrival at the University, Victor puts all his time and energy into his studies; he even disregards his health and family. 5. Many gothic elements of the grotesque are found throughout this book. 6. The environment of the book is described as dark and eerie. 7. After the creation of his monster, Victor suffers a so-called â€Å"living torture† for the consequences of his actions. 8. The weather plays a big role in setting the overall tone of the book. 9. The idea that man is born good, but it is society and other pressures that create an evil in man is relevant and part of the romantic theme depicted in the story. 10. The central concern of the novel is the basic need for companionship. Humans seek other individuals for their mate, in which they can share a life-long relationship together. Vocabulary: 1. capacious: able to contain or hold much; roomy; spacious. 2. paroxysm: a sudden outburst as of laughter, rage, or sneezing; fit; spasm. 3. chamois: a small goat antelope of the mountains of Europe. 4. galvanism: electricity produced by a chemical reaction. 5. chimera: an impossible or foolish fancy. 6. dogmatism: dogmatic assertion of opinion, usually without reference to evidence. 7. lassitude: state or feeling of being tired and listless; weariness; languor. 8. mien: a way of carrying and conducting oneself; manner. 9. ignominy: loss of one’s reputation; shame and dishonor; infamy. 10. aiguilles: a peak of rock shaped like a needle. 11. hovel: a small shed for sheltering animals or storing supplies. 12. offal’s: refuse; garbage. 13. viands: food of various kinds; especially choice dishes. 14. vestige: a trace, mark, or sign of something that once existed but has disappeared. 1. Robert Walton is the narrator of the novel. The time period in which the story is told is in the 1800’s. 2. The characters of the story are Victor Frankenstein, the â€Å"monster†, Robert Walton, Alphonse, Caroline, Ernest, and William Frankenstein, Elizabeth Lavenza, Justine Mortiz, Henry Clerval, M. Krempe, M. Waldman, M. De Lacy, Felix De Lacy, Agatha De Lacy, Safie, Mr. Kirwin, and Margaret Saville. 3. The setting takes place in Europe. 4. The general themes of the novel are use of knowledge for good and evil purposes, the use of new technology in modern life, the treatment of the poor and uneducated, and the powers of nature and the human physiology.

Outline for Speech on Giraffes Essay

Specific Purpose: To inform students everything they ever needed to know about giraffes. Central Idea: Giraffes are one of the most interesting mammals out there and there are many reasons why including their anatomy and appearance, their behavior and lifestyle, and their distribution and habitat. Introduction Attention Material: Ever since I was a little girl, I have gone to the buffalo zoo every summer. I have always been completely and utterly mesmerized by the huge animals to the right of the zoo entrance. Every time I go, still to this day, it takes a lot to persuade me to leave that exhibit. There is something so magical about these giant creatures. Something extremely intriguing. The way that they stand so tall, and present themselves so calmly. It’s almost calming just to be around this animal. Reveal the Topic: This animal I am talking about is the giraffe. Credibility: I have done extensive research on these animals over the past few weeks and I have always had a passion for them. Preview the Body: Today I will tell you how interesting the anatomy and appearance of the giraffe, their lifestyle, and their habitat can be. Body Let’s start with the anatomy and appearance of the giraffe. The giraffe’s outside appearance is what makes this animal so recognizable. There is no other animal like it. a. Everyone recognizes the giraffe by its coat. Each giraffe has whiteish yellow skin with brownish or reddish markings that cover the entire body except for their lower legs. Each giraffe has unique markings that are unique to that individual and to their species of giraffe. Just like there are no two snowflakes that are the same, there are no two giraffes that are the same. These spots vary in size, shape, color, and amount of white that is around them. b. Giraffes have the greatest range of vision of any land animal, this is partly due to how tall they are. c. Their height is used to their advantage. Worlds tallest mammal! They grow to about 20 feet tall. That would be like taking four of me and stacking them on top of each other! The proportion of their body is 9 feet long for their neck and head, 5 feet for their torso, and 6 feet for their legs! They use their height and their 21 inch black tongue to reach the highest of branches. The giraffes anatomy is very unique as well. a. Would you believe me if I said that a giraffes neck has the same number of vertebrae that you do? Well we both have 7 vertebrae. The giraffe just has longer and larger vertebrae! b. Giraffes also have incredible weight to carry around. Their heart weighs 25 lbs, and their neck weighs 550 lbs alone. Giraffes weigh on average anywhere from 1500 to 4250 lbs. c. Female giraffes have a gestation period of 15 months. When they give birth, they have to do it standing up and the baby will fall 5 to 6 feet to the ground. It can stand within 30 minutes, and within a half of day it will run across the savannah with its mother. The second thing that makes giraffes so interesting is its lifestyle. The giraffes behavior and lifestyle are kind of grouped together. a. The giraffes large size means it must spend most of its time eating. On average, a giraffe consumes 77 lbs of food a day. They are herbivores and live on leaves from up to 60 different species of plants and trees but the most common tree for them to eat from is the Acacia tree. The giraffe first catches a branch in its mouth. It then pulls back its head to get a mouthful of leaves. They feed anywhere from 16 to 20 hours a day. b. The giraffe gets 70% of their water intake from their food so they have to drink very little. To drink they have to spread their legs and bend over just to get their head close enough to the ground to drink. This puts them in a vulnerable position to their biggest threats the lion and the crocodile. These animals can drink 12 gallons of water in 1 sitting. They only need to drink water every couple days though. They can go longer than camels can without water! c. Giraffe are most active in the early morning and late afternoon but also feed at night in bright moonlight. However, unlike many of Africa’s wild animals that â€Å"disappear† under shady trees during the heat of the day, the giraffe continues browsing and because of their size, they can be spotted throughout daylight hours. They just try to stay out of the heat of the day. d. They get 30 minutes of sleep each day. They only sleep for about 5 minutes at a time as well. e. There is a myth that says Giraffe are usually silent. This is not true, they bellow, grunt or snort when alarmed, as well as when confronted by lions, and can also moo in distress. f. Giraffes have a peaceful nature. This is seen when males fight. The winner never chases the loser. When the fight is over, the two males rub muzzles. They then rest together. They rarely fight, But when they do fight, it is something unlike any other. They fight by â€Å"necking†. They swing their necks into eachother repeatedly until one decides to walk away. It is violent but no one usually gets hurt. g. They are capable of running at a speed of nearly 35 miles per hour over short distances and are one of the few mammals that walk by pacing which is by simultaneously carrying both feet on the left side forward and then simultaneously moving both feet on the right side forward. The final thing about giraffes is their habitat. The giraffes habitat is unique to them. a. Giraffes are social animals, and they live in open herds and travel in packs of 5 or 6. When there are a lot of leaves on the trees the giraffes scatter around to enjoy it. However, once winter approaches and food begins to become scarce, they congregate and live together to collectively look for food. b. Previously found even in North Africa, today the remaining Giraffe populations are restricted to parts of sub-Saharan Africa with the largest concentrations being found in National Parks. Giraffes inhabit open woodlands and savannah where using their height they are able to see for great distances around them to watch out for approaching danger. c. Despite being the tallest land animal in the world, the Giraffe is actually preyed upon by a number of large carnivores that co-inhabit the dry savannah. Lions are the primarily predators of the Giraffe that use the strength of the whole pride to catch their victim. Giraffes rely on the vast open plains so that they can have the best view possible of their surroundings but if a predator does get too close, Giraffes kick their attacker with their large, heavy feet to defend themselves. d. In their natural habitat, they will live for about 15 years, but in a zoo they will live much longer than that. Conclusion In conclusion, Giraffes are one of the most interesting mammals out there and there are many reasons why, including their anatomy and appearance, their lifestyle, and their habitat. The next time you get the chance to go to the Buffalo Zoo, take time to stop and watch the giraffes because I guarantee you will be mesmerized just like me.