Hearts of Darkness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hearts of Darkness - Essay Example The novel ‘heart of darkness’, 1889, by Joseph Conrad documents the attitudes on racism and colonialism characterized by the European imperialism. The novel documents document the story of a European named Kurtz who explored the Congo and managed to establish himself as a god. The novel got adapted by Francis Ford Coppola into a film ‘apocalypse now’, 1979, which goes further to examine the imperialist effects on the victims and perpetrators. Unlike the novel, the movie gets set in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. A look at both the film and novel reveals just how imperialism had a profound effect on both the perpetrators and victims. Both the film and movie set out on a journey to find out just how the imperialist wars transformed the perpetrators. They reveal the madness that imperial action had on both the victims and the perpetrator. In ‘apocalypse now’, the story gets based upon Conrad’s novel but instead of focusing on the Congo, the film focuses on the unexplainable venture of America into Vietnam. Colonel Willard sets out with a crew on a United States Army patrol boat in search of Colonel Kurtz, regarded as one of the army’s most decorated soldier and has instilled his control deep within enemy territory (Coppola). At the end of both the film and the movie, the viewer or reader gets to witness just how the war transformed the character named Kurtz. The end of the film and novel reveal just what has become of Kurtz and his thought process. It becomes clear that the war transformed the European idealism of imperialism in Africa and the American idealism in the film. A clear impact of imperialism in both the film and novel can get witnessed on the character named Kurtz. In the novel, Kurtz has managed to slip deep into enemy territory to the farthest reaches of the Congo. There, he has established himself as a

Confederate camp Essay Example for Free

Confederate camp Essay In the Confederate camp, among the most noted female was Amy Clarke. As in the case of Malinda Blalock, Amy volunteered for military service in order to be with her husband. They fought together in the â€Å"battles of Shiloh, where Mr. Clarke was killed. † After burying her husband personally, Amy continued fighting with the Confederate army under General Bragg in Kentucky. She was wounded in action twice. The first time she suffered only a minor ankle injury. However, her second injury was a breast wound and she was consequently captured by the enemy who promptly discovered that she was a woman. She was later released as a war prisoner on parole on the condition that she would wear woman’s clothes. It did not take long for Amy to rejoin a Confederate unit in Tennessee, however, this time as a lieutenant. (Hall, n. d. ) The case of Rosetta Wakeman was rather different. She did not join the army out of patriotism nor because of any husband or sweetheart. She did it essentially for money. Rosetta belonged to a big family in upstate New York who toiled under almost inhuman conditions on a farm owned by the family. At the age of 19, she decided to leave her family and look for work elsewhere. Since the usual jobs available for women like those of a domestic helper or a laundress were such low-paying occupations, she decided to disguise herself as a man and took on a man’s job as a coal handler in a canal boat. When she heard that a soldier received a much better salary of $13 a month, she joined the â€Å"153rd New York State Volunteers† as a private. As a soldier, she was able to save her salary which enabled her to send large amounts of money to her folks back home and would ask them for â€Å"tobacco, apples, pies, and cakes† in return. According to her family, she used to write and tell them how she enjoyed her life as a soldier, â€Å"having the time of her life† and enjoying freedoms which were not available to her, being a woman. She told them that â€Å"I enjoy myself first rate†¦I have had plenty of money to spend and a good time asoldiering. I find just as good friends among strangers as I do at home. † Rosetta became so good at posing as a man and hiding her real identity that not even her acquaintances from home recognized her whenever she went to see her newly acquired male friends in other units. She continued to deceive everybody even when she was admitted in a hospital for treatment of dysentery. Until the very end, Loreta died and was â€Å"buried as a soldier† at the Chalmette National Cemetery in New Orleans. (CivilWarStudies. org, n. d. ) Regardless of the reasons and the extent of women participation in the civil war, the fact remains that the war had not been an all male show. The history of the American Civil War would not have been as colorful if women chose to simply stay home and do nothing. References Blanton, D. (1993). Women Soldiers of the Civil War, Part 2. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved July 27, 2007, from http://www. archives. gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war-1. html CivilWarStudies. org. (n. d. ). Why Did Women Fight in the Civil War? About. com. Retrieved July 27, 2007, from http://womenshistory.about.com/od/civilwar/a/women_spies_un.htm

Comparing John Stuart Mills The Subjection of Women and Florence Night

Comparing John Stuart Mill's The Subjection of Women and Florence Nightingale's Cassandra For thousands of years, women have struggled under the domination of men. In a great many societies around the world, men hold the power and women have to fight for their roles as equals in these patriarchal societies. Florence Nightingale wrote about such a society in her piece, Cassandra, and John Stuart Mill wrote further on the subject in his essay The Subjection of Women. These two pieces explore the same basic idea, but there are differences as well. While they both recognize its presence, Mill blames the subjection of women on custom, and Nightingale blames it on society. These appear to be different arguments, but they may be more similar than they seem. Mill’s and Nightingale’s work both have the main theme of men dominating over women. Mill introduces his work with, â€Å"the principle which regulates the existing social relations between the two sexes — the legal subordination of one sex to the other — is wrong in itself†¦and it ought to be replaced by a principle of perfect equality† (Mill 1156), letting the reader know his stance on the issue right away. Nightingale’s article also starts off with a strong statement in the form of a question. She wonders why women are given such useful gifts if utilizing them is socially unacceptable: â€Å"Why have women passion, intellect, moral activity...and a place in society where no one of the three can be exercised?† (Nightingale 1734). Although these works both have the same thread running through them, they place the blame for the occurrence in different places. In Mill’s essay, he places the blame for the suffrage of woman on custom. He says, â€Å"custom...affords i... ... sound like completely different arguments; however, they are both placing the blame on one relationship. Custom and society exist together in a dependent relationship. One cannot be without the other. Custom defines what society does, and society does what custom defines; therefore, this relationship is blamed for the subjection of women in these two pieces. They may appear to have different arguments, but they are really arguing the same thing. This enforces the ideas Mill and Nightingale convey in their work: two different things seemed to have been blamed, and yet, after further analysis, the blame ended up resting in the same place. We can conclude that the subjection of women is likely to rest on this particular relationship because both of their arguments boil down to it, and Mill’s and Nightingale’s essays are more similar than at first believed to be.

Othello Critical

Travis Gordon ELA 30-1 October 3rd, 2012 Jealousy, the universal feeling we’ve all experienced at one time or another. Whether it be the newest piece of technology that someone has that you don’t and wish you did, or that kid on the playground that had those new light up shoes that were all the rage. Jealousy is not something that can be avoided, only controlled. It sneaks up on you, like a tree root sneaks up on concrete before it breaks to the surface.In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, jealousy is a key component used by many characters as a weapon that is twisted and manipulated to serve their own ends. Iago, a deceitful and manipulative snake or the ironic pseudonym â€Å"Honest Iago† uses jealousy as a way of getting what he wants without realizing nor caring about the backlash of repercussions his actions have on the people around him. ‘O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock The meat it feeds on.Th at cuckold lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But O, what damned minutes tells he o'er Who dotes, yet doubts–suspects, yet strongly loves! â€Å"(III,iii,) He refers to jealousy as a â€Å"green-eyed monster†, because it is a scary thing to behold when it gets out of hand. Once it is unleashed, it is not easily contained. Once he contaminates Othello’s mind with the thoughts of Desdemona being unfaithful to him, and sneaking around behind his back with his lieutenant Cassio, it spreads like a wildfire inside Othello’s head.He begins to doubt himself. Although he knows in his heart Desdemona to be true to him, he can’t help but think about the false accusations Iago has impregnated his mind with. Another character Iago manages to control with the raw power of jealousy is Roderigo. Iago manages to convince Roderigo that if he puts â€Å"money in thy purse†, Iago will make it so Roderigo can be together with Desdem ona. This is a clear example of how easy it is to control a person once you give them a false hope of something that could never be. What should I do? I confess it is my shame to be so fond; but it is not in my virtue to amend it. † (I,iii,317-318) Roderigo admits to Iago that he is overcome with jealousy for Desdemona, but it isn’t within his character to change the way he feels towards her. Iago sees an opportunity to make a profit from Roderigo’s misfortunes and sets him on a mad quest to be with the woman he loves. The idea’s Iago plants into Roderigo, once they are rooted deep inside him, start to teem like weeds in an unkempt garden.It is a dream that in the end costs Rodrigo more than just his wealth. He pays the iron price, with his life. Jealousy, when set upon a person who has already harboured inside them, it spreads. Once it spreads, it is no easy task to eliminate or control. We see this in Othello, as it costs many of the characters their liv es, because of a feeling false hope and manipulation, in the hope that what they wanted would be theirs.

Sustainability marketung

This report analyses SPINE, an online Korean company specializing in quality mobile phone accessories and its plan to enter the sustainability market. The report further analyses the company's mission statement that will set the course for sustainable development. It is recommended that SPINE adopts a sustainable strategy and launch new line of CEO-friendly products that is a variant of three of Spine's best-selling phone cases, â€Å"Neo Hybrid†, â€Å"Slim Armor† and â€Å"Tough Armor†. These new phone cases will be made out of 100% recycled materials.This report will further evaluate the marketing mix strategies involved in implementing sustainable development such as the target market, product, price, promotion and distribution. The report finds that with the company shifting towards a CARS policy, the new sustainable product line will now be targeted at technology savvy Gene X and Gene Y consumer age between 22 to 45 seeking green alternatives as well introd ucing green alternative to already existing customers. The company is to adopt a differentiation strategy to challenge the current market leader head on in this fairly new market.Pricing will continue to be at a premium but a proportion of profit earnings (20%) will be contributed to WFM for funding sustainable campaigns. Distribution strategy will adopt the use of reverse logistic to recycle overstocking of inventory so that raw materials can be reused for future products. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION MARKET BACKGROUND The mobile phones market has received substantial growth in the past years due to the technological advancement as well as the introduction of smart phones becoming an essential part of a person's life in today's digitally connected lifestyle.Along with he progressive growth in smart phone sales around the globe, the market for mobile phone accessories has also received a direct boost in growth. Primarily driven by the uprising sales in smart phones, the market for mobile p hone accessories is projected to reach $ASS 84. 6 billion by the year 2018. This growth is akin to the fact that currently there are over 5. 9 billion mobile phone subscribers worldwide against the world population of 7. Billion people, mirroring a penetration rate of over 80% (Global Industry Analysts, 2012). On top of adding protection to your phone, mobile hone accessories also provide additional customizable and personalization for the user and this creates opportunities for accessories focused on aesthetic. COMPANY BACKGROUND Launched in 2004, SPINE is an online South Korean company specializing in the design of various mobile accessories such as screen protectors, cases, and utility bags for a variety of phones, tablets, and laptop.The company offer products of quality and innovation at a premium price range and is targeted towards the high end consumer market. Some of its notable products include the GLASS series range of . Mm thick tempered glass screen protectors manufactur ed at different shapes and sizes to fit popular smart phone models and also a line-up of high quality polycarbonate phone casings and frames that are light in weight and shock absorbent.In reaction to global awareness, SPINE has realized the need to cater its products to the shift in consumers' mindset towards green products. This means to re-establish the current goals and commitment of the company and also to create a new product line to pander towards a new market segment. The objective is to increase the rand's product reach and also employ ethical and green policy that will bring a positive image to the brand as a company who supports in the sustainability of the world.AIM This report aims to establish a good sustainable strategy that will aid SPINE in the launch of a new product range of mobile accessories that will be 100% environmentally friendly. This will redefine SPINE as sustainable company that will set itself apart from its competitors as well as enrage new customers t o the brand through its appeal towards environmental sustainability. This report will state the recommendations for change required to proceed with the munch of this new product such as altering and creating new marketing mix strategies for SPINE to appeal to a new audience.This includes defining a new target market, as well as implementing a suitable product, pricing, and promotion and distribution strategies for the new product line. 2 MISSION STATEMENT In the past, companies were narrowly concern the quantity of production and manufactures only expanded supply and lower cost which burden a huge impact on environment. Nowadays, mass production expanding led to overcapacity in various markets as supply exceeds demand.The sustainable marketing focuses on the target roof of green consumers who would be willing to pay premium prices for more environmentally friendly products. (Frank-Martin Bell and Ken Appetite 2009, pap) SPINE ignited the design of mobile phone markets revolution in the sass with the mobile phone accessories. Today, SPINE continue to lead the industry in innovation with its mobile phone accessories into sustainable market in order to paying more attention for responsibility to society, and ethical concerns about the social and environmental impacts. RECOMMENDATION FOR CHANGE In order to create sustainable development, SPINE will need to look into the economic, environmental and social factors that will contribute to this change. As Creating sustainable development is to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs (The Borderland report ‘Our Common Future' 1987), it is crucial for the company to not only look into environmental friendly alternatives but also to support the society through social responsibility such as equality, poverty etc. ND at the same time generating a sustainable profit for economic growth. For this to happen, it is recommended that SPINE adopts a sustainabl e development tragedy by promoting a new product line that will increase public awareness towards Spine's decision in adopting a Corporate Social Responsibility CARS policy. This will be accomplished by reinventing three of its most popular product range, namely â€Å"Neo Hybrid†, â€Å"Slim Armor† and â€Å"Tough Armor† and creating new CEO- friendly variants for the respective product.The new product line will continue to be consistent in quality, functionality as well as technical features of the current existing product line but will also be environmentally sustainable through the use of 100% recycled materials. For example, the Neo-hybrid phone casing CEO variant will continue to provide protection, shock absorption and customization through interchangeable frames and will also be made from 100% recycled parts. The new product line will be marketed towards environmentally aware consumers; it will also reach out to new users within the market to expand total demand.The introduction of new sustainable products will act as a stepping stone for Spine's to convert more of its existing products into green products in the future and to fully incorporate sustainable development in all of its product range. In addition to helping the environment, SPINE has paired up with World Wide Fund for Nature (WFM) to engage in humanitarian activities through contribution of 20% of their product's earning in funding charity campaign.Economically, with the cost in research and development as well as the cost of outsourcing recycled materials from various suppliers, SPINE will need to set a maximum cost of goods sold COGS no higher than 30% of mark-up to be able to generate a healthy profit in order to sustain the business. By satisfying the all three elements in creating a balanced sustainable development Truckee, SPINE will create a strong foundation in the shift towards a sustainable solution. MARKETING OBJECTIVES While Spine's primary marketing goal is to offer products for the mobile phone and gadgets not only from being scratched or impacted but also, as there are potentially a sizeable market for more sustainable products, shifting our marketing focus towards targeting on green market have been identified as a great opportunity. Presently, Spine's aimed at people between the ages of 22-45 who are searching for functional and sustainable protection covers.If SPINE can put forward an agenda uh for seeking the environmental, safe and recycle products would enable SPINE to start enhancing its positive image as an CEO-friendly company. The following are important objectives for Spine's green product range. INCREASE MARKET SHARE Conventionally, marketing performance is only concern about economic and growth- oriented issues, managers are not aware of considering in sustainability objectives. Presently, marketing objectives have to be provided by green materials. Frank-Martin Bell and Ken Appetite, 2009) SPINE should increase market s hare in era of sustainability from 0% into 10%. RAISE PUBLIC & CUSTOMER SATISFACTION To connect with consumers by taking advantage of social media could increase more public awareness, faith, loyalty, and by creating higher customer popularity results for making high level of benefits. There are more modern communication tools in today's society. For example, Faceable is the most popular tools with over 300 million users; SPINE should follow closely with the development of modern communication channels.Social media is the vital tools being used for communicating which provide the fast-paced information from global online channels, making consumers get more acknowledge with the brands. The Faceable online page posts photos, activities, innovations of new products and customer comments. The customers of SPINE on the Faceable can post their individual products photos, information, and impressions in order to let the company to acknowledge immediately.SPINE can then reply to the comment s and provide more advices about the products, making the communication more effectively and increase customers' satisfaction about the products. Specializing on social media will allow SPINE enhance brand awareness and gain more satisfactions from customers. REDUCE THE POTENTIAL NEGATIVE IMPACT ON HEALTH Researches have shown that mobile phone accessories that are made from mass- production plants using cheap materials in the manufacturing process can generate CHIC, a hazardous gas in which if it reaches the point at 0. OMG/mm are very harmful to the human body and also to the environment. Spine's production plants are closely monitored to ensure all materials are quality controlled and that all emission levels are kept at or below industry levels. All of the recycled materials in production process goes through the same monitoring and control to ensure all the mobile hone covers and gadgets match the highest safety standards not only to keep customer more safe and healthy, but als o to reduce our carbon footprint on the environment. MARKETING MIX STRATEGIES Camphor & Bandage, (2005) mentions in the Journal â€Å"Green Marketing Philosophy' that if marketing philosophy is a process of which the firm conceives the consumer into an exchange relationship whereby the firm offers a product to the market, which is driven by the desires of the consumer and aims to fulfill that desire in the most beneficial way for the entity or company.Then green marketing philosophy can be scribed as the exchange relationship that goes beyond the current needs of the consumers in terms of addressing the social interests in the conservation and protection of the natural environment at the same time. From a green marketer's perspective, as Fuller (1999) describes, a ‘new competitive game' is at play as there are three parties that are involved in the exchange relationship: the company, the consumer and the environment.Green marketing goes beyond the commercial exchange of fulfi lling a desire of the consumer, it is a way of understanding the company's relationship with society in general. With that in mind, green marketing an be found within the approach of social marketing (Kettle, 1995), it is a way of understanding the exchange relationship by planning, implementing and controlling a policy for product, price, promotion and distribution that at the same time fulfill customer needs and the objectives of the company while reducing any current or potential negative effects to the natural environment.TARGET MARKETS The previous target market for SPINE products are technology sax. N. Y Gene X and Gene Y consumers between the ages of 18-45. Primarily enthusiasts for electronic gadgets such as smart phones, tablets and laptops. These consumers seeks for accessories that can not only protects their favorite gadgets, but also be able to do it in a way that allows them to express who they are from Spine's variety of products that offers form, functionality and pr otection through innovative designs and materials.As the company re-defines itself through the launch of a new product range of 100% environmental friendly mobile accessories that are made from recyclable materials. The new target market is now aimed at people between the ages of 22-45, who are seeking for greener alternatives to accessories their gadgets without sacrificing quality and functionality. Consumers in their early ass's start to get more influence from the importance of green sustainable products, also the income level is another factor of consideration as people get older, their disposable income are likely to increase along with the level of green-awareness.SPINE'S green-product range consumers represent a demographic group of well-educated successful young adults, single or married with an annual household income range of ADD $40,000 – $100,000 or more. They are particular about their taste in styling and self-image aware, trendy and strives for high-quality in novative and sustainable products on the racket. PRODUCT STRATEGIES With over ten years in the industry, SPINE has established a solid reputation through its design and innovation. The success of SPINE is a direct result of the fast-growing smartened and tablet users around the globe (SPINE, 2014).With this in mind, SPINE have discovered that there are enormous market opportunities for green-sustainable gadget accessories as there are currently very few numbers of competitors in this segment, for example:, Case-mate, Groveled, Minimize and Ore that produces phone cases and accessories from part to 100% recycled materials, wood and bamboo. SPINE aims to challenge the market leaders by differentiation and with plans to become the market leader of this segment. In order for the company to differentiate from other competitors, it aims to use 100% recycled materials in the production of our green product range.The recycled materials will come from industry and household wastes as well as recycling old mobile phones, phone cases and other electronic devices. The green range products will not substitute quality, functionality or appeal for using recycled materials, in fact, all of our green products are able to keep all of the original features so our customers can est. assure that they are getting high quality products while contribute to our mission to raise awareness and the importance for using sustainable phone and gadget accessories.SPINE will also donate 20% of profits from its green range to WFM and other organizations for research and conservation purposes. PRICING STRATEGIES The prices of our green sustainable product range are set accordingly with the competition in mind, also to cover the initial research and development costs as well as on-going costs associated with recycled materials. The company does not aim to hare a high premium over the green label, nor does it attempt to lower the price in order to sell high quantities of products.It is set at a p rice where consumers feel that it is reasonable and will be comfortable of purchasing knowing that a large portion of the profits will be used for a better cause such as further research for more sustainable products and in forms of donations to conservation organizations such as the WFM. PROMOTION STRATEGIES SPINE currently has 7 sub divisions apart from the Korean headquarters in different countries around the world which are USA, Japan, Hong Kong, I-J, Turkey, China andTaiwan. Each of the divisions has its own authorized retailers and resellers. These divisions are responsible to interact and provide information with the consumers, retailers and resellers whenever it launches a new product through various methods such as direct mail, face to face, e-mail and through social media sites such as Faceable and twitter. All of Spine's product range can be found on the division countries respective websites (SPINE, 2014).Promotional activities will take place before the launch of the gr een product ranges to establish awareness for sellers and errs to grasp an idea of what is to be released and how it is differentiated from the competitor's products, training programs will be conducted by trained staff assigned from Korean, American and Japanese headquarters to prepare each division's in-line managers and sales personals to be able to pass on to consumers and individual retailers on the features of the new sustainable products.After launch promotions will include forms of discounts, a further 5% discount for customers who trade-in an old phone case when they purchase a product from the green range at participating detail stores. These promotional activities will be carried out through methods mentioned above.As SPINE depend heavily on online sales through its own websites as well as liaising with Amazon and eBay, online promotional activities through these websites, e-mail and social media are vital to keep up to date with the company's goals and visions while cons tantly seek better ways of improving existing products to shift into the new green sustainable future of phone and gadget accessories. DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIES Currently, SPINE adopts direct marketing channels through online sales from its official weeping and also through third party online distributors such as eBay and Amazon.When adopting a sustainable distribution strategy, the company will look at providing biodegradable and recyclable packaging that enables overall volume reduction when transporting to serve the goal of sustainability. Materials used in the packaging will be in the form of lightweight recycled cardboard boxes that provides good protection but maintain flexibility when it comes to transport efficiency. Information and communication technology is also key to Spine's sustainable striation as under overstock can be counter intuitive in reaching the goal of creating a sustainable framework.As SPINE uses short distribution chains (products are shipped directly from t heir warehouse to the customer's doorsteps) good coordination can increase efficiency, but it should be noted that outsourcing suppliers for recycled materials should be monitored and well communicated to avoid over or under stock in inventory. To counter this, reverse logistics will be implemented to recycle unsold goods so that materials can be reused for future products instead of scraping all unwanted inventory. In conclusion, Spine's move to a more sustainable direction will set itself in a positive motion.

Mental Disturbance essays

Mental Disturbance essays In the film Falling Down, the main character D-FENS, played by Michael Douglas, deals with many ongoing social pressures that ultimately lead to his demise. At the start of his day, D-FENS' long-accumulated personal problems hit a boiling point and carry the man to a severe mental breakdown. He abandons his grid locked car during a traffic jam and decides to walk to the place he calls "home." Viewers are later opened to the fact that the place he would like to call home no longer welcomes him, nor does the wife and child he left behind. Throughout the day, his goal to reach his x-wife and daughter's residence in Venice Beach, California, acts as his motivation. This circumstance brings him in contact with many people who add to his already perturbed mental state. Inflated prices at a Korean-owned quickie-mart, a run-in with gang members on their "piece of shit hill" (Schumacher, Falling Down), and a modern day Neo-NAZI are some of the many factors that contribute to the character's i rrational behavior. After sitting through the entire duration of this 1 hour 53 minute film, it is apparent that the main character suffers from Antisocial and Borderline personality disorders and mood and stress related psychological disorders. Motivation, the "cause of an organism's behavior, or the reason that an organism carries out some activity" (Huffman, 410) drives D-FENS on his journey homeward. Motivation involves a need, a drive, and a goal. The character's need is one for "love and feelings of belonging," (Huffman 410) which is defined by American psychologist Abraham Maslow in his hierarchy of motives. D-FENS, who viewers can assume, has been split from his wife and daughter for sometime, felt that the place he once called home is where he could find this sense of love and belonging. Since his divorce, D-FENS had been residing with his mother who fulfilled his "primary level of motivation," (Huffman, 410) whereas his basic needs such as "...

buy custom Frequency Hopping essay

buy custom Frequency Hopping essay Frequency hopping is the repeated switching of frequencies during radio transmission so as to minimize the effectiveness of unauthorized interception or jamming of telecommunications, also known as, the frequency-hopping code division multiple accesses (FH-CDMA) (Scholtz, 1982). A transmitter in a spread spectrum facilitates a signal to be transmitted across a frequency band, which is wider than the minimum bandwidth needed by the information signal. Its advantages include improved privacy, increased signal capacity and decreased narrowband interference. The FH-CDMA system works in such a way that, a transmitter moves between available frequencies according to a random or preplanned algorithm, which then ensures that the transmitter and the receiver are in tune with the same centre frequency (Scholtz, 1982). As The transmitter transmits a short burst of data on a narrow band, it tunes into another frequency and transmits again, while the receiver being in tune with the transmitter also moves its frequency over a given bandwidth several times a second, thereby transmitting on one frequency for a certain period of time before hoping to another frequency and transmitting again as the cycle continues (Scholtz, 1982). The advantage of this system is that, it is cheaper, highly resistant to narrowband interference, uses less energy, and difficult to intercept as there is coexistence of several access points in the same area. An alternative to FH-CDMA is the direct sequence code division multiple accesses (DS-CDMA), which instead of hopping from frequency to frequency, as the FH-CDMA does, it chops the data into small pieces and spreads them across the frequency domain (Price, 1983). There are basically two types of frequency hopping namely; the base Band Frequency Hoping (BBH) and Synthesizer Frequency Hopping (SFH) with their main difference being the way they establish the Base to Mobile Station Link (downlink) (Price, 1983). The Base Band Frequency Hopping is prepared by routing the traffic channel data throgh fixed frequency DRCUs, by the use of the TDM highway, on a timeslot basis through a fixed tuned transmitters combined either in low loss tuned combines or hybrid combiners. The result is that, information for every call is moved among the available DRCUs on a per burst basis (Burst of 577$), while call hops are between same timeslots of all DRCUS, for example, if a network running on a fixed frequency plan is switched over to BBH (BCCH included in MA list) without any frequency changes there will be an improvement in the network quality (Price, 1983). The second type of frequency hopping is the Synthesizer Frequency hopping, which makes use of high spee d switching of the transmitter and the receiver frequency synthesizers of the individual DRCUs. Here, DRCUs changes transmitting frequency at every burst while calls stay on the same DRCU where it started, that is, transmission and reception are done on the same timeslot and DRCU (Price, 1983). A polish engineer, Leonard Danilewicz, came up with the idea in 1929, however, the most well known inventor was Hedy Lamarr, a movie star, and George Antheil, a pianist, who in 1942 were issued with a patent for the technique during world war 2 after they discovered how to control the frequency hops of the piano and envisioned it as a way of providing secure communications during the war (Kozaczuk, 1984).. This early version used a piano-roll to change between 88 frequencies and was projected to make radio-guided torpedoes harder for enemies to detect or jam (Popovski, Yomo Prasad, 2006). Although it was Hedy who first discovered the technique, Sylvania, in 1950s, introduced a related concept and called it spread spectrum, which can be used by the military or civilians. The militarys communications radios utilize cryptographic procedures to produce the channel sequence that is under a secret Transmission Security Key TRANSEC that the sender and the receiver have in common (Popovski, Yomo Prasad, 2006). Improved military frequency hopping radios, including the US millitary, use separate encryption devices like KY-57 which provides superior protection against eavesdropping, jamming or the discovery of the sequence of frequencies using algorithms (Popovski, Yomo Prasad, 2006). After the amendment of rules that permit frequency hopping stretched spectrum systems in the 2.4 GHZ band (unregulated) by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the frequency hopping technique has been used for civilian items like walkie-talkies being marketed as eXtreme Radio Services (eXRS). However, the main challenge facing systems that frequency hop lies on how to harmonize the transmitter and the receiver such that, there is a warranty that the transmitter will utilize all the channels after a specified time. The receiver will recognize the correct transmitter through the selection of a random channel; listening for legitimate data on the specific channel by identifying a particular sequence of that data that will not occur over the section of data for the channel (Popovski, Yomo Prasad, 2006). A fixed table of channel sequence can be used so that, when they have been synchronized, the receiver and the transmitter are able to maintain communication by following the table with a checksum segment for integrity and further identification. There are many variations of the FHSS, including the AFH, which is used to improve conflict with interference with radio frequency by staying away from the use of crowded frequencies in the hopping channel. The AFH will only use the good quality frequencies and avoid the bad ones because, it may be going through frequency selective fading, it is being jammed or an authorized entity is trying to use the bands thus, it should be accompanied by a means for identifying good and bad channels (Popovski, Yomo Prasad, 2006). Another form of variation is associated with cognitive radio, this is where the networks as well as devices display frequency-agile operations, and is a variety of frequency hopping, which goes through the existing frequencies consecutively. Buy custom Frequency Hopping essay

Demonstrated Interest - What It Is and Why It Matters

Demonstrated Interest - What It Is and Why It Matters Demonstrated Interest is one of those nebulous criteria in the college admissions process that can cause great confusion among applicants. Whereas SAT scores, ACT scores, GPA, and extracurricular involvement are measurable in concrete ways, interest can mean something very different to different institutions. Also, some students have a hard time drawing the line between demonstrating interest and harassing the admissions staff. Demonstrated Interest As the name suggests, demonstrated interest refers to the degree to which an applicant has made clear that he or she truly is eager to attend a college. Especially with the Common Application and free Cappex Application, its easy for students to apply to multiple schools with very little thought or effort. While this may be convenient for applicants, it presents a problem for colleges. How can a school know if an applicant is truly serious about attending? Thus, the need for demonstrated interest. There are many ways to demonstrate interest. When a student writes a supplemental essay that reveals a passion for a school and detailed knowledge of the schools opportunities, that student is likely to have an advantage over a student who writes a generic essay that could be describing any college. When a student visits a college, the expense and effort that goes into that visit reveal a degree of meaningful interest in the school. College interviews and college fairs are other forums in which an applicant can show interest in a school. Probably the strongest way an applicant can demonstrate interest is by applying through an early decision program. Early decision is binding, so a student who applies via early decision is committing to the school. Its a large reason why the early decision acceptance rates are often more than twice the acceptance rate of the regular applicant pool.   Colleges and Universities That Consider Demonstrated Interest   A study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that about half of all colleges and universities place either moderate or high importance on an applicants demonstrated interest in attending the school.   Many colleges will tell you that demonstrated interest is not a factor in the admissions equation. For example, Stanford University, Duke University, and Dartmouth College  explicitly state that they do  not take demonstrated interest into account when evaluating applications. Other schools such as Rhodes College, Baylor University, and Carnegie Mellon University explicitly state that they do consider an applicants interest during the admissions process. However, even when a school says it does not consider demonstrated interest, the admissions folks are usually just referring to specific types of demonstrated interest such as phone calls to the admissions office or visits to campus. Applying early to a selective university and writing supplemental essays that show you know the university well will certainly improve your chances of being admitted. So in this sense, demonstrated interest is important at nearly all selective colleges and universities.   How Colleges Value Demonstrated Interest Colleges have good reason for taking demonstrated interest into account as they make their admissions decisions. For obvious reasons, schools want to enroll students who are eager to attend. Such students are likely to have a positive attitude toward the college, and they are less likely to transfer to a different institution. As alumni, they might be more likely to make donations to the school. Also, colleges have a much easier time predicting their yield if they extend offers of admission to students who have high levels of interest. When the admissions staff can predict the yield fairly accurately, they are able to enroll in a class that is neither too big nor too small. They also have to rely far less on waitlists. These questions of yield, class size, and waitlists translate into significant logistical and financial issues for a college. Thus, it isnt surprising that many colleges and universities take a students demonstrated interest seriously. This also explains why schools like Stanford and Duke dont put much weight on demonstrated interest; the most elite colleges are almost guaranteed a high yield on their offers of admission, so they have less uncertainty in the admissions process.

The Employment Code of Conduct Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Employment Code of Conduct - Essay Example Disciplinary procedures are an important part for any organization, it is the disciplinary procedures that determine the complete directive of the firm that the employees are supposed to follow, it may also include the code of conduct. (Gennard, J. & Judge, G., 2005) All the ill effects of not following the terms mentioned in the disciplinary procedures are also mentioned in the same document, like suppose the penalty or punishment for misconduct such as abusing fellow workers is suspension from the company without pay, (Hall, R. & Stewart, J., 2001) so here the term in disciplinary procedure will be as follows: All the employees working for Bodgitt and Blastit limited should not use abusive language against any other employee, manager, stockholder or a general part of the company, or even in the office premises; failing to do so could lead to a suspension of the key employee. (Russell, Kate, 2004) In the above procedure and term, the problem was very clearly stated and so was its penalty. Therefore preventing the company from being a victim by means of a penalty from the employment tribunal. If any such information is not mentioned in the disciplinary procedures or even worse, if the company does not have a disciplinary procedure until now, this could be much worse, the employment tribunal may also force the company to not only let the â€Å"suffered† employee get back to his post in the company, but also the responsible (or rather, irresponsible) employee could also get some compensation out of the whole deal.

Swallowing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Swallowing - Essay Example It is anticipated that this review will contribute to the self-learning of the author, as well as extending on insights and understandings of dsyphagia within the literature at this present time. The trigeminal nerve is the largest of the cranial nerves. It is very important in swallowing due to its afferent control of general sensation to the face, teeth, gum, muscles of mastication and the anterior two thirds of the tongue (Miller, 2006). Its efferent control is of the muscles for mastication. Innervating the tensor velar palatine, the trigeminal is partly responsible for the flattening and tensing of the soft palate. Innervations of the extrinsic laryngeal muscle results in the nerve's support for the upward and anterior movements of larynx. The facial nerve's main function is its motor portion; although, its afferent portion is involved in taste sensation from the anterior two thirds of the tongue (Miller, 2006). It provides motor innervations to the sublingual and submaxillary salivary glands. More specifically, it is involved in swallowing by regulating the lip sphincter and the buccal muscles, which allows food to be held inside the mouth and also assists in pulling the larynx up and back. The glossopharyngeal (GPN) is composed of the lingual branch of the GPN (GPN-li) and the GPN-ph. Its sensory portion transits inputs from the posterior third of the tongue, the velum and the pharynx, which includes the tonsils (Miller, 2006). The glossopharygeal nerve gathers sensation from the fauces, the palatine tonsil, upper pharynx, and the back third of the tongue. Sensory fibers carry taste information from the posterior one third of the tongue. Afferent input is received from receptors located in the larynx and these are carried primarily to the superior laryngeal nerve, also known as the cough center of the medulla. The motor portion communicates outputs to the middle pharyngeal constrictor muscle and also innervates the stylopharyngeal muscle, which, together with the palatopharyngeus muscle (X nerve), elevates the palate. The stylopharyngeus muscle dilates the pharynx laterally and contributes to the elevation of pharynx and larynx. Vagus (X)The vagus nerve (X) is the most dominant cranial nerve during the swallowing process. The vagus nerve is the major efferent for the pharyngeal constrictors and is the major afferent for the middle and inferior portions of pharynx (Miller, 2006). It supplies also main efferent innervations to the palatal muscles. Branches of the vagus nerve attach to muscles of the larynx and pharynx. It is also known as the nucleus ambiguous, and it innervates branchial arch muscles of the pharynx and larynx as well as the muscles of the upper esophagus and uvula. Branches also extend to the, glossopalantine, levator veli palatine and the palatoglossus muscles making it primarily responsible for palatal functioning. One of the motor nuclei transmits motor output to the pharyngeal constrictor muscles and in this way can completely control the intrinsic musculature of the larynx. Moreover, taste buds on the root of the tongue and on the epiglottis contribute special visceral afferent fibers t o the superior laryngeal branch. General visceral afferent fibers convey sensation from the lower pharynx, larynx, trachea, and esophagus. Together with the

In what sense does modernisation and post-modernity present a Essay

In what sense does modernisation and post-modernity present a challenge for identity and the self - Essay Example There is a great demarcation in identity constructs when comparing the post-modern era to the pre-modern era. The biggest difference is that the post-modern era has been marked with a great deal more impersonality then the pre-modern era. Whereas, in the pre-modern era, an individual could derive a sense of self and identity from their close connections – their neighbors, their churches, their family – in the post-modern era, this changed. Moreover, the role of the man has changed with the advent of the changes that have occurred in the post-modern era. Where he was the sole breadwinner in the pre-modern era, and this is where he derived his identity, in the post-modern era, the man has become less of a breadwinner and thus, according to some views, he became more of a consumer.Therefore, the male identity has changed substantially in this era. The following explains the broad nature of identity, then explains how individuals, in general, have been affected by the post- modern changes, then, finally, how men in particular have been affected by these changes. The nature of identity Identity is a dynamic social product, residing in psychological processes, which cannot be understood except in relation to its social context and historical perspective. (Breakwell, 1986, p. 9). It is a process that is developed over a person's entire life span.. Identity grows across time, but there is a nature of time that must be considered. Inner time is a duration, and is in tune with each person's cognitive rhythms. Martin (1987) references this time thusly - inner time is the realm of subjective consciousness of the individual. As we know from experience, the two may seem inconsistent, as when we talk of time flying or passing slowly. (Martin, 1987, p.199) This concept of time refers to our inner states. Intersubjective time is measured by face-to-face social interactions, by sharing experiences with others, thus moving through time conjointly. By sharing experien ces with others, the interactants come close to achieving a consensual appreciate of their conjoint movement through time. (Breakwell, 1986, p. 21). Biographical time refers to large chunks of time that are meaningful in one's life eras, such as adolescence, childhood, college years, married life, etc. There are also social and personal aspects to an identity. All humans have a division between self-identity and the performance of oneself that he puts out into the world, in specific social contexts (Giddens, 1991, p. 58). The personal identity, or real self, differs from one individual to another - some individuals' real self comes out when they act impulsively, other's real self is manifested when acting out social obligations. (Breakwell, 1986, p. 16). The real self may be looked at as being a person’s root core of who they are, and who they would be if there were not the influences of various social dynamics and constraints. (Tracy & Trethewey, 2005, p. 173). Another way o f looking at this concept is the private self, the self that known only to the individual, and the public self, the self that is known to others. These two aspects of identity both act in concert with one another and conflict with each other. Most individuals unconsciously deem one aspect more important than the other, and the favored aspect is the one that controls their behavior. (Brewer & Hewstone, 2004, p. 185). There is some theory that one's personal identity is only exposed when making moral decisions, as this exposes values, which are the cornerstone of presuppositions about the self. (Breakwell, 1986, p. 17). According to Anthony Giddens (1991), identity is a reflexive project. The premise of reflexive awareness is that an individual knows what they are doing, and why they are doing it. Humans monitor their circumstances, and are able to discursively explain why they are engaging in a certain behaviour. Discursive practices use reason or argument to explain something, as op posed to emotions and intuition. Practical consciousness is the

The importance of sex education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The importance of sex education - Essay Example Sex, apart from the education perspective is akin to hunger and thirst in many ways. However the need for sex is not that powerful as that of food and water. Just like food has its own importance in our daily lives which influences our social, cultural and moral values but also highlights our economic sustainable conditions, same as the case with ‘sexual values’ where it seems that for sexual behavior, environmental factors are more influential than psychological factors. Simon and Gagnon (1986) describe environmental factors in terms of sexual(Strongman, 2001, p. 16)The importance of sex education in the context of learning can be considered just like other subjects on the curriculum: it involves the transmission of information; it contributes to the development of personal autonomy;and it seeks to promote the interests of both the individual and the broader society. (Halstead & Reiss, 2003, p. 3) In other respects, however, sex education is quite different. It is about human relationships and therefore includes a central moral dimension. It is about the private, intimate life of the learner and is intended to contribute to his or her personal development and sense of well-being or fulfillment. It generally involves intense emotions, to do not only with intimacy, pleasure and affection but often also with anxiety, guilt and embarrassment. In all of these respects, values are involved which need to be researched and studied for the self-consciousness of younger generation.

Case analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Case analysis - Essay Example Thus, Yurukova has a responsibility to come up with a brilliant strategy that can be implemented in order to improve the fundraising process. At the moment, Trinity University mainly relied on using telefundraising channels. This is a marketing approach that uses telephone to reach different people in different parts of the country. The targeted people are mainly graduates from Trinity University. Mariya is contemplating segmenting the targeted donors by using different strategies in order to make generate as much money as possible. One of the segmentation methods is to target the people by either alumni or by graduation year. The other strategy used to segment the targeted people is by using their faculties. It has also been envisaged that the targeted people can also be segmented on the basis of extracurricular activity as well as Trinity University involvement. The other marketing strategy used is direct marketing and this involves face to face interaction with the targeted people. The marketing mix approach (price, place, product and promotion) of the university involves different strategies. The price for conducting clients using direct mail is pegged at $0.88 while the price of doing the same using telefundraising is estimated to be $5.60. The product involves donations made by the targeted people to the university. The place for this activity is centralised since it is coordinated from the institution while targeting people from different places across the country. As part of its promotion strategy, the university is also contemplating to use direct mailing strategy where direct mails are sent to the people found in the institution’s database. The other promotion strategies include online giving and telefundraising. The real issue is finding and training quality telefundraisers. At the moment, the university is relying on a single individual alone. This initiative requires the the efforts of many

The importance of sex education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The importance of sex education - Essay Example Sex, apart from the education perspective is akin to hunger and thirst in many ways. However the need for sex is not that powerful as that of food and water. Just like food has its own importance in our daily lives which influences our social, cultural and moral values but also highlights our economic sustainable conditions, same as the case with ‘sexual values’ where it seems that for sexual behavior, environmental factors are more influential than psychological factors. Simon and Gagnon (1986) describe environmental factors in terms of sexual(Strongman, 2001, p. 16)The importance of sex education in the context of learning can be considered just like other subjects on the curriculum: it involves the transmission of information; it contributes to the development of personal autonomy;and it seeks to promote the interests of both the individual and the broader society. (Halstead & Reiss, 2003, p. 3) In other respects, however, sex education is quite different. It is about human relationships and therefore includes a central moral dimension. It is about the private, intimate life of the learner and is intended to contribute to his or her personal development and sense of well-being or fulfillment. It generally involves intense emotions, to do not only with intimacy, pleasure and affection but often also with anxiety, guilt and embarrassment. In all of these respects, values are involved which need to be researched and studied for the self-consciousness of younger generation.

Software engineering and implementation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Software engineering and implementation - Essay Example It has a close relationship with a large number of other disciplines such as mathematics, physics and computer sciences (ACM, Inc., 2006). Basically, software engineering provides a wide variety of principles, practices and tools for software engineers throughout the software development process. However, the software development process is followed through a software development life cycle. In this scenario, a software development life cycle is a conceptual framework or a map, which defines the stages of a software development process. Basically, a software development life cycle divides the software development process into a number of stages. Additionally, each stage of a software development life cycle is aimed at achieving a particular objective (Rouse, 2009). Up till now, a large number of software development process models have been developed taking into consideration the objectives of a particular software. For instance, waterfall process model, spiral model, iterative models, agile models and so on. Though, each software process model is based on a specific ideology. However, the basic objective of all the software process models is to support the software development process by dividing the development effort into a number of stages. In this scenario, each software development model divides the software development process into different stages such as: requirements analysis, system design, coding, testing, implementation and maintenance. In addition, the execution of these stages depends on the requirements of a particular software (Kumar, Zadgaonkar, & Shukla, 2013). However, the execution of these stages flows in a sequence from upper to lower stage. This paper presents a detailed analysis of two most important stages of a traditional software development life cycle, these stages are: requirements analysis and software

Comic Book Anti-Heroes Essay Example for Free

Comic Book Anti-Heroes Essay The frequently talked about, critically celebrated – and to some extent excessively hyped – comic book miniseries Watchmen is most often described as a revisionist take on superhero conventions and narratives, and with good reason. Now retroactively referred to as a graphic novel, Watchmen sees writer-artist team Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons deal with costumed adventurers or ‘superheroes’ and attempt to place them within a ‘realist’ context. Moore and Gibbons do not appear to denigrate superheroes so much as purge them of the conceits that have become necessary for comic book readers to be able to suspend their disbelief. Watchmen takes place in an alternate reality of 1985, where Cold War tensions are at their highest and multiple term extensions have allowed Richard Nixon to remain President of the United States. Furthermore, the United States has a long and troubled relationship with costumed adventurers dating back to the late 1930s. While the sensational nature of costumed adventurers acquire much admiration in the initial decades of their appearance, public sentiment turns strongly against them and by 1977, the government passes the Keane Act, which outlaws vigilante heroism. As a result, the protagonists of Watchmen are divided evenly among those costumed adventurers who have retired and those who have not. In the former category lies the perpetually bored ornithologist named Dan Dreiberg, formerly the gadget reliant ‘Nite Owl’, Laurie Juspeczyk, a moderate feminist with assertion issues who was formerly the martial arts oriented ‘Silk Spectre’ and Adrian Veidt, a genius-level intellect and self-perfected athlete once known as ‘Ozymandias’ and now channels his talents towards a billion dollar business empire and renowned philanthropy. Those adventurers who have continued to operate despite the Keane Act provide the most fertile area for ethical and moral analysis, especially in the context of the historical background that Moore and Gibbons have constructed. These include Edward Blake, a brutally gung-ho ‘superpatriot’ known as ‘The Comedian’, Jon Osterman, a former physicist turned emotionally detached god-like being code-named by the U. S. government as ‘Doctor Manhattan’ and Walter Kovacs, an uncompromising moral absolutist and the only one who operates without government sanction as the cruel vigilante called ‘Rorschach’. Rorschach, The Comedian and Doctor Manhattan effectively function as anti-heroes in the sense that although their adventuring careers have persisted beyond the Keane Act, they are far removed from the heroic intentions that have been the traditional feature of costumed adventurers in comic book literature. Furthermore, the morality and ethics which governs their activities is shaded with far darker tones than the unwavering idealism of a Superman or the commitment to vigilance that characterizes a Batman. However, their anti-heroism character is owed in large part to the ways that they evoke the characteristics of traditional superhero archetypes. This is not an entirely unfounded observation. It is no secret that the characters of Watchmen originate with characters from a relatively obscure comic publishing company known as Charlton Comics. Pustz (146-147) and Jensen (47) both recount that the genesis of Watchmen was in a request made by Dick Giordano, then executive editor of DC Comics, that Moore apply his talents to characters that DC had just acquired from Charlton. Moore was selected primarily because of the revisionist skills he had displayed in books such as Swamp Thing and Marvelman. In the former, Moore turned a formulaic horror series into a melancholy drama with an environmentalist streak while in the latter, he toyed with what was a British Captain Marvel knock-off and subverted into an existentialist look at relationship between superhero and alter ego. Because Watchmen presented superheroes as sexually frustrated, politically emasculated and psychologically unstable, it would have presented problems for the commercial longevity of the Charlton characters, making them unusable for future stories. As a result, Moore was instructed to re-write his story with original characters, and the Charlton characters were ultimately re-introduced by DC Comics through different means. This meant that the specific histories of the Charlton characters no longer imposed any limitations on the story that Moore and collaborator Gibbons had chosen to tell. Pustz (147) observes that this was for the better: fewer readers would have the prior knowledge necessary to appreciating the Charlton characters than those who would appreciate original characters. However, for these original characters to resonate properly with audiences on a similar level as established characters it became necessary for Moore and Gibbons to develop them beyond what could be communicated in a finite number of comic book panels, even when allowing for flashbacks and copious amounts of background detail. To do so, Moore and Gibbons made use of various fictional documents such as a report on the political implications of Doctor Manhattan’s super-powered existence and the autobiography of Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl and predecessor to Dan Dreiberg. The characters of Watchmen, as already suggested above, ended up being evocative of superhero archetypes. As Pustz notes: â€Å"Dr. Manhattan [†¦] echoes every omnipotent superhero from Superman to Miracleman to the Spectre. The Comedian refers [†¦] to patriotic heroes such as Captain America and superspies such as Marvel’s Nick Fury. Rorschach is [†¦] every other obsessed vigilante from Batman to the Punisher. † (Pustz 147) By converging the evocation of superhero archetypes with a dysfunctional alternate history, Moore and Gibbons impose profound effects on the psychology of Watchmen’s protagonists. Simply put, Watchmen’s protagonists really are anti-heroes in multiple senses of the word. This is because what Moore and Gibbons have done is make it impossible for their characters to sustain a heroic purity over the course of their careers, especially in the face of history. Many of the longest-running comic book series are those that feature superheroes, and require a moderate suspension of disbelief that allows them to persist in a constant state of present tense. Therefore, in addition to a diminished aging rate (if any at all), the psychological and political development of the characters is limited in order to allow them to sustain continued adventuring careers. Thus, while the Spider-Man of the 1960s hangs out with his pals at soda parlors and the Captain America of the 21st century faces personal uncertainty in the face of international anti-American sentiment, neither never fully achieve any personal disillusionment or psychological resolution that would end their stories. By contrast, the costumed heroes in the Watchmen world do not and cannot possess the static personalities that have allowed the likes of Captain America or Batman to function continuously in their own comic books, despite the changes in cultural and political zeitgeist. Even if their personalities weren’t so troubled and their motivations so void of nobility, the forces of history would still have gradually eroded the initial foundations of their adventuring careers, which they do. As such, the relationship between crime fighting and society changes radically in the decades between 1938, when costumed heroes make their first appearance, and the year 1985, which is when the primary events take place. Klock notes that ahistorical conditions are necessary to support the superhero narrative, opining that â€Å"superheroes only make sense in world where masked opponents support their fantasy, and masked opponents only exist to fight superheroes,† but because history and personality carry greater weight in Watchmen than they traditionally do in other superhero narratives. As a result, Watchmen’s protagonists encompass varying levels of cynicism, neuroticism and societal alienation. They become anti-heroes simply because it is impossible to for their heroism to remain pure at all. It is from this angle that Moore and Gibbons proceed to interrogate the effect of history on the individual viewpoints of costumed adventurers and superheroes, as well as their effects upon history itself. In addition to the geopolitical implications of Doctor Manhattan’s nigh omnipotence, Moore and Gibbons examine how personal humanity is profoundly altered by nigh omniscient awareness of history, whilst the Comedian is the expression of how historical tumult and a life of violence has corrupting effects on the patriotic character, rendering an almost irredeemable cynicism. In the case of Rorschach, who is Watchmen’s most (dis)reputable anti-hero, he experiences constant exposure to the endurance of social and cultural malaise which serves to only harden his moral and ethical absolutism. The result is an unwavering dedication to the pursuit of justice, one which would ordinarily and unquestionably admirable in traditional superheroes, but not in one who ultimately comes across as a fascist. Jackie Earle Haley, the actor who is to portray Rorschach in a feature film adaptation of Watchmen, notes that Rorschach’s personality centers around his contention with the oft-declared complexity of the world that is maintained as the excuse for its ills and woes: â€Å"Rorschach’s complexity is [†¦] an attacking complexity. He tries to simplify the world in black and white. [†¦] Rorschach thinks that you’re not what you say you mean, you’re what you do. You are your behavior [†¦] That sort of forced me to look at my own behavior, to ask myself, ‘Who’s my behavior victimizing today? ’ [†¦] We justify our behavior with complexity. Not for Rorschach. † (Adler 2008) Thus, it is not Rorschach’s relentless commitment to the pursuit of justice that gives him his anti-heroic character, as it is a quality he shares with Batman. Although portrayals of Batman have varied over the decades in both print and film, his ideals are not closely linked with his view of society, giving him a sense of ambivalence towards society’s collective responsibilities to its own welfare. Rorschach on the other hand, views the world with utter contempt, with little faith in its ability to redeem itself. His moral absolutism originates from humanity’s consistent inability to live up to the nobility it ascribes to itself. His development as a vigilante stems from humanity’s failure and inaction. In the case of a woman who had been raped, tortured and killed outside her own apartment building, he remembers that: â€Å"Nobody did anything. Nobody called cops. Some of them even watched. Do you understand? I knew what people were then, behind all the evasions, all the self-deception. Ashamed for humanity I went home. I took the remains of her unwanted dress and made a face that I could bear to look at in the mirror. † Traditional superheroes do not view the world with this much contempt, but Rorschach does. His contempt for humanity is most strongly articulated when he declares, â€Å"This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children. Not fate who butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It’s us. † While Rorschach articulates the most complex relationship between an individual’s ideals and his perception of society, Doctor Manhattan expresses how ambivalence towards the value of human affairs leads to a sense of detachment that reduces an individual’s moral compass down to dehumanized utilitarianism. This is not to suggest that Manhattan’s nigh-omnipotence makes him morally apathetic. Rather, it alters his ethical code in such a fashion that the welfare of a numerical majority takes precedence, regardless of the cost. This is made most evident when he teleports an angry mob, which is a peaceful means of negating conflict, but it also leads to two shock-induced heart attacks. Manhattan maintains that this is statistically preferable to the larger number of casualties that would have been caused by mob violence. Towards the end of Watchmen, Manhattan becomes even more indifferent towards the redemption of humanity, opining that despite the attempts of individuals such as Ozymandias to bring about a peaceful new world order, â€Å"nothing ever ends. † While Rorschach’s desire is to impose his will and â€Å"scrawl [his] own design on this morally blank world,† and Manhattan dismisses the notion that human problems can ever be resolved, The Comedian simply doesn’t care. As a nihilist, the Comedian shares Rorschach’s belief that there is no moral or ethical principle which guides the universe. Despite the fact that he fought for the U. S. during the Vietnam War, he concludes that its outcome matters only to Americans and holds no meaning to the average Vietnamese. The Comedian is so utterly devoid of delusions about the moral value of geopolitical affairs, and his participation stems primarily from his loyalty to Uncle Sam rather than from any sense of idealism. His credo is that existence is one big joke, and he’s one of the few who is in on the gag. These three – Rorschach, Doctor Manhattan, The Comedian – are antiheroes not because they are devoid of any heroism, but rather because they express how a purity of ideals will always be shaped by the forces which history exerts upon them. They do not operate from a corrupt morality let alone from villainy: several moments reveal deeply obscured or twisted nobility within them all. Instead, they are anti-heroic because the gritty realities of society and the debilitating effects of continued crime fighting take hold upon them in ways that are denied to their conventional counterparts. Works Cited Pustz, Matthew J. Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1999. Klock, Geoff. â€Å"Who Watches the Watchmen? † SF Crowsnest, April 2003. Retrieved December 17, 2008 from: http://www. sfcrowsnest. com/sfnews2/03_april/news0403_6. shtml Adler, Shawn. â€Å"Is Rorschach ‘Watchmen’s’ Most Heroic Character? Jackie Earle Haley Thinks So. † MTV Splash Page, 21 August 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2008 from: http://splashpage. mtv. com/2008/08/21/is-rorschach-watchmens-most-heroic-character-jackie-earle-haley-thinks-so/

Implications of Growth and Development

Implications of Growth and Development An overview of the Myanmar economy SWOT analysis of the Myanmar Economy Myanmar’s HDI value is 0.498 Economic Drivers Agriculture The development of agriculture is a main pillar of Myanmar’s growth strategies. It is natural for the Myanmar government to prioritize agriculture as a source of economic growth, since it accounts for 36% of GDP and employs a majority of labor force, and generates nearly 30% of exports according to 2010 figures. Although the agricultural share and employment usually decline as an economy grows, it is not a sunset industry. Methods exist for increasing agriculture’s value added other than the growth of labor and land inputs. According to Myanmar’s report on agriculture, the key strategy is to enhance three productivity measures: labor, land and total productivity. Successive governments have attempted to reclaim new agricultural land and the military government (1988-2011) has successfully increased the news sown area for the last two decades. Cultivable waste other than fallows remains at about 8% of national territory. Thus, further reclamation of cultivable wasteland in Myanmar is possible. Agricultural labor productivity in Myanmar is USD 301/person, the lowest among South Asian countries. Focusing on rice production which is Myanmar’s most important crop, farmers have less elaborate irrigation facilities as compared to its rivals like Vietnam. The need of the hour is mechanization which is a way to improve labor productivity. It can also enhance total agricultural productivity by adopting a new method of acquiring quality seeds, farm management, and improvement in post-harvest system, processing, and marketing to provide high-quality agricultural products. Since agriculture is not rice dominated today, Myanmar could diversify crops according market demand. Its targets call for moving along the value chain of production from farming to higher value added activities such as R and D and after production activities like services, distribution and marketing. Although it does not seem like the agricultural sector will be absorbing more labor force in the long term. Mining Myanmar is rich in natural resources. 90% of the world’s rubies come from Myanmar. The country is also known for producing sapphires. While this is a sector which can be banked upon, inhuman working conditions in quarries and the government’s control on the trade by means of direct ownership of mines hinders major countries from importing gems from Myanmar. A complete ban has been encouraged by the Human Rights Watch as all the profits are directly hoarded by the ruling government. This lack of interest by the parties in power result in the continuation of the deplorable conditions of workers at the mines resulting in zero exports. While there is a chance here to earn a fair amount of profit for the economy, the rulers choose not to concern themselves with the development of the working conditions causing unwanted loss for the economy. Health The government spends 2% of its GDP on healthcare facilities. 2% is a significant amount as compared to the actual GDP that this economy earns. The health standards are stable but not accelerating in terms of quality and the ability to cater to a large population. Despite adequate funds, this economy is faced with a string of healthcare problems which can be explained by two factors. Insufficient no. of doctors owning to lack of education and the fast spreading epidemic of a variety of diseases. Low purchasing power explains the inaccessibility to basic nutrition and food by yet a large population thus increasing the load on the healthcare infrastructure. The incidence of major infectious diseases takes a toll on the health levels ultimately affecting the profession of the person. If the number of patients is large, poor and low medical facilities do not suffice. Myanmar suffers from epidemics such as :- Food or waterborne diseases: Bacterial and Protozoal diarrhoea, Hepatitis A, and Typhoid fever Vector borne diseases: Dengue fever, Malaria, and Japanese encephalitis Water contact disease: Leptospirosis Animal contact disease: Rabies Myanmar does not have highly specialized medical institutions or even sufficient no. of clinics to cater to the large no. of diseased. The Burmese Minstry of health recognizes HIV as a disease of concern. Education The above figures indicate a lot many factors to consider. There seems to be almost no gender disparity in terms of literacy. And in order to sustain oneself in a developing economy, the ability to read or write overpowers the level of education attained. As observed, the enrolment ratios decline from primary to secondary to post secondary. This suggests that there is no strong inclination of being academically sound. This can be owed to the fact that Myanmar is an agrarian economy which employs almost 60% of its population thus indicating that all drop outs are getting absorbed in the labour force. This is a good sign as then the unemployment rate remains an all time low. But in order to progress into a developed economy, the sectoral employment should tend towards the tertiary sector and not the primary sector like in the case of Myanmar. It is also upto the government to promote the importance of education. On the contrary, in Myanmar, owing to the military regime which was standing for a very long time treated education for civilians as relatively unimportant. It was only concerned with the development of military universities. The effects of this approach can be seen even today with the low enrollment rates. According to the Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index report of 2012, since the government does not provide enough money to the schools, and the schools charge children many fees, many parents in rural areas cannot afford to send their children to school beyond the primary level. Although 85% of children attend primary school, over 40% do not go on to middle school (UNDP, 2010). The quality of higher-level education has also declined, especially since the government began encouraging university students to take distance-learning courses. Employment on the secondary and the tertiary sector is to a large extent dependent on school and high school education. The Secondary enrollment rate is 54.28% which is not very remarkable as this means fewer people will enter business and management and other vocations like medicine. The funds allocated for education spending are 0.8% of Myanmar’s GDP in 2013. It has decreased compared to 2009 when it was about 1% of GDP. Throughout all years however, the military budget continues to remain above 20% which is a clear indicator of the fact that the long standing regime has complete control and dominance over how the government in power decides to allocate its funds. Military medical and engineering universities have been established so that the military will have properly trained doctors and engineers. The military has hardly expressed any interest in investing in Research and Development. It almost never heeds to or approaches any technocrat for advice with regard to policy-making. Thus everything undertaken is military oriented and favourable to the army divisions on all accounts. In recent years however, the no. of private school allowed to open has increased and trends show that the elite class have enrolled their children in private schools due to the poor quality of public schools. Class structures and Gender Disparity In Myanmar, the gender gap in power has been reinforced and perpetuated by the long history of militarization. Top offices are reserved for the military. Active military service does not admit women. They are also thus effectively excluded from political participation. Ethnic minorities are also excluded to a very large extent. Women have also been ineligible for the employment opportunities, access to educational facilities, chance to enter the business world, participating in joint ventures created by the military status. Pre 1962, there was a small elite concentrated in government administration, party bureaucracy and the military on the one hand, while the peasants, small traders, business and hired laborers were on the other hand. In between the two now, is a very small group of middle-class people and skilled workers. Accordingly, the primary problem is Myanmar’s class structure which appears to be in a state of extensive flowing. The need of bridging the gap between the elites and the rest of the population and facilitate communication could be achieved by a more institutionalized differentiation of the sub-elite strata. The ‘non congruent’ status groups could be capable of serving as intermediaries between the elites and the more sophisticated, differentiated population. Living Standards 70% of Myanmar’s population yet lives in the rural areas. The rate of urbanization is barely 2.49%. According to reports, the trend of expenditure across is households is, 70% on food and the rest on healthcare and education. The rate of savings is low thus the rate of investments is also low. Despite Myanmar being a large producer of rice, it comes as a surprise that more than 5 million people are living under the food poverty line. (The Food and Agricultural Organization, 2009) Access to clean drinking water and a considerably moderate rate of sanitation facilities cannot suffice the development path of an economy. The area tapped by electricity does not cover even half the inhabited land. Since the factories and industrial places cannot operate without electricity, it is safe to assume that the number of household covered in this 47% is going to be far less. Banking, Foreign Borrowings, Exports According to the Heritage Foundation’s 2011 Economic Freedom index, Myanmar is one of the world’s 10 most repressive economies. In 2003, the rice market was officially liberalised but the government has maintained significant interventions and restrictions in terms of permissible cultivation areas, production, transportation, export policy, and choice of crops. Currency convertibility is difficult in Myanmar according to the IMF report. The official exchange rate has been fixed at approximately six kyat per U.S. dollar, while since 2009, the real market exchange rate has been around 1000 kyat. In the domestic market, since market leaders are in accordance with the military and a handful of cronies, there is no market contestability at the level of large enterprises. Although the environment for middle-sized businesses shows better market contestability, market entry barriers for companies are still huge. Myanmar has been a World Trade Organization (WTO) member since 1995, foreign trade has not been liberalized in reality, because of its extensively controlled economy. The country is the least open to trade among its Southeast Asian neighbours. Myanmar also has a large informal trade in arms, narcotics and forest products. The banking system are dominated by state owned banks and the government has complete control over the central bank. There is no proper capital market although the number of private banks is more than a dozen. Myanmar is unable to establish a stock market, and has no real market for bonds. Although banks in Myanmar operate under formal regulations, but with hardly any supervision and enforcement. The banking system is not transparent. The central bank has not enforced a consistent and effective inflation control policy, or an appropriate foreign exchange policy. Since the Central banks is completely controlled by the government, it has imposed arbitrary policies such as printing money to solve budget deficits, leading to fluctuating inflation rates. The government has also made arbitrary decisions such as to increase salaries sharply and remove subsidies. Myanmar lacks consistent and sound fiscal and debt policies to support macroeconomic stability. Instead, its arbitrary fiscal and debt policies are motivated primarily by political concerns. Private Property In Myanmar, there is no effective protection of property rights, including intellectual property rights. According to the 2008 constitution, the state ultimately owns all the land and natural resources, although it permits some exercise of private property rights. This means that citizens can own land, but that the state can confiscate the property if it so desires. In fact, most ordinary people do not have legal title to their land and other property. The state has confiscated many private plots for government projects, including the establishment of military camps and businesses, without providing compensation. To attract foreign investment, special economic zone laws include protection for foreign investors, but these are still conditional to the extent that they may not contradict existing laws. This gives leeway for the state to intervene. A wave of privatization of state assets and enterprises was performed suddenly in 2009 – 2010, and was not done in accordance with market principles. The process was neither transparent nor competitive, since the government sold the assets very quietly and quickly to a handful of enterprises with close military ties. Myanmar has no official social safety nets, and poverty is widespread. However, family members, friends and religious organizations have traditionally provided a social safety-net function, especially in terms of helping with food, clothing and accommodation, although widespread poverty and the paucity of job opportunities in the country has weakened this over time. As a result, tens of thousands of young and middle-aged Myanmar have travelled to bordering countries including Thailand, Malaysia, China and India to work as migrant labourers. Based on statistics from reports, many send remittances back to their family members, a factor increasingly becoming a primary source of financial support for those left inside the country. However, the amount of remittances seems to have gone down in 2009 in the wake of the global economic slowdown, during which some migrant workers lost their jobs and went back home. Political factors which lead to migrants leaving their state of origin for other countries are the risk of persecution, suppression of rights, human rights abuses, political and/or ethnic oppression, internal violence and/or armed conflict are considered political factors. Those deemed as political migrants are often considered refugees. Economic factors include the following: International labour migration movements triggered by economic factors such as poverty and Economic underdevelopment in countries of origin and the existence of considerable discrepancies  in standards of living and wages between these countries and receiving Many Burmese migrants quote economic hardship and an oppressive taxation system as  reasons for migration.

Child Abuse and Neglect Essay -- Violence Against Children

Child abuse consists of any act or failure to act that endangers a child’s physical or emotional health and development. A person caring for a child is abusive if he or she fails to nurture the child, physically injures the child, or relates sexually to the child (Robins). Child abuse is broken down into four major categories: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Aside from the abuse itself, the cost of the tragic events costs the United States billions of dollars each year. Every day, approximately 4 children in the United States die resulting from child abuse and the majority are under 5-years-old (Fromm). There are many organizations that promote preventative measures in reducing child abuse. If nothing is done, child abuse will continue to rise with many consequences in the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Child abuse falls into four main classifications: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Physical abuse is defined as any non-accidental physical injury to a child (Robins). This can result from beating, whipping, paddling, punching, pushing, shaking, burning with cigarettes, scalding with hot water, or other hot objects. Unfortunately, sexual abuse is rising today. This is any sexual act between an adult and a child, which includes: fondling, touching, or kissing genitals, intercourse, incest, rape, penetration, or oral sex, exposing child to adult sexuality, and child pornography (Robins). Emotional abuse is the most common abuse due to how easily it can be hidden. Emotional abuse is any attitude, behavior, or failure to act on the part of the caregiver that interferes with a child’s mental health or social development (Robins). Many parents who continually yell or scream at his or her child in a way of threatening or showing no signs of affection turn to this so it will not be picked up on as quick as physical abuse. Unfortunately, this type can be the most harmful because it can cause serious emotional and mental problems later on in life. Lastly, neglect is a form of abuse and is defined as the failure to provide a child with basic needs (Robins). This is seen when parents fail to provide children with food, shelter and clothing. Also, caregivers who leave children unattended, fail to provide education, and fail to give children psychological needs are all types of emotional abuse.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is estimated that child abuse co... ...ss to hotlines, family resources, self-help groups, publications on abuse prevention, an volunteer opportunities (Mulryan 54). National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information gives information on prevention, identification, and treatment of child abuse and neglect (54). There are many other organizations that help children and families prevent and help cope with child abuse. With these specialized organizations there is hope that child abuse will decrease and more information will be delivered to the society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Adams, Caren, and Jennifer Fay. Helping Your Child Recover from Sexual Abuse. Seattle: Washington UP, 1992. Crosson-Tower, Cynthia. When Children are Abused. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Fromm, Suzette. â€Å"Total Estimated Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States.† Statistical Evidence. Web. 14 Feb. 2015. Mulryan, Kathleen., et al. â€Å"How to Recognize and Respond to Child Abuse.† Nursing 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. Ramamoorthy, Saraswathy., et al. â€Å"Talking to a Child Who Has Been Abused.† Purdue University. Web. 12 Feb. 2015. Robins, P. â€Å"Recognizing Signs of Child Abuse.† KidsHealth. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

The Sensation of Longing in Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast

His writings and his life was widely known because of the pain that he had experienced through his experiences in the World War, his alcoholism, three divorces, mental illness, self-destructive nature and finally his suicide (Tyler 2).However, more than all of these pains that were present in his life, his legacy would still be known for the quality of his writing. He was a great artist. He painted in the readers’ imaginations as if they were blank canvasses with vivid pictures through the beauty and clarity of his words.The novel was published in 1964, three years after he took his own life. It gave a unique account of the life of Hemingway from his perspective. He was a young writer in Paris. The novel was set at a time wherein he was still married to his first wife, Hadley. They were happy and contented despite the fact that they were poor.The text revealed how Hemingway at that time still wrote for the Toronto newspaper to support his career. The account included how he to ok Hadley and his money to the horse races wherein he frequently placed bets.Hemingway was addicted to gambling as it earned him some huge amounts of money. While he quite gambling later on his life, he still enjoyed going to motorcycle races.He decided to give up journalism to be able to write full time. He and his wife were in a level of poverty wherein they often went hungry. There were parts in the novel wherein he described walking along Siene to watch men fish and going to the Louvre just to curb his hunger. There was even a time wherein the couple could not afford to hire a babysitter for their child that they had left him in his crib with only the cat to look after him.Hemingway also described how the lending library saved his life. Since he had difficulty finding books that were written in English during that time, he found himself often frustrated when he could not find any decent English materials. During the time he was working on his first collection of short stories, h e was reading the Russian greats.In An Immoveable Feast, Hemingway had let the readers see his writing process in distinct detail. The readers saw him as he first wrote in a hotel room, by which he had rented for the purpose for writing. He also started writing in cafà ©s when his finances started to pick up. Readers could visualize him as a writer in the cafà ©s of Paris because of the quality by which he had written his account.He had the habit of finishing his writing even when ideas were still freely flowing. He probably did it to avoid writer’s block the next day. He also had this stripped down approach to his writing wherein he would meticulously spend the day revising a paragraph he had wrote to make it as bare as possible.There was a time wherein his wife had placed all of his manuscripts in a suitcase to bring it to him in Switzerland. The suitcase was stole on the train but Hemingway dealt with it despite having to write from scratch.He also wrote about the other expatriate writers who were living in Paris. He described them in great details. One particular character in this novel was Gertrude Stein wherein Hemingway described to be known for her painting collection as well as her hunger for fame.He mentioned how she would dismiss in a childish manner anyone who did not praise her for her work. During her parties, Stein’s partner would socialize with the females and she would talk to the men. Despite this Hemingway was friends with Stein until the time she started driving her close friends away for some reason.He had numerous encounters with the great writers and famous people of that time. Hemingway noted how it was special for him to eat at Michaud’s in his first year in Paris. It was the times wherein he would get to speak in Italian with his wife and James Joyce as they ate there.There was an instance at the Closerie des Lilas, a cafà © often visited by professors, wherein Hemingway did not like how Ford Madox Ford frequen tly interrupted him. He even went on to describe Ford as someone with an unpleasant appearance and with an inability to hold a sane conversation.Hemingway also featured Ezra Pound whom he characterized as a saintly man. He was someone who supported the arts. He showed this in the way he bought his friends’ paintings even if they had little to no resale value. He also helped other writers. He was the one who founded Bel Espirit to raise funds in order to support T.S. Eliot even as he quit his bank job.The end of the book had a sense that everything was downhill for Hemingway from there. They moved to an Austrian ski resort wherein he revised The Sun Also Rises. It was during this time wherein he was gaining money and fame wherein he took on his first extramarital affair. Hemingway had created this personal memoir and captured the essence of the time and place by which he had experienced and lived. This was done in a nostalgic manner without having an hint of false sentimentali ty in it.Ernest Hemingway and his MemoirThe Lost Paris ManuscriptsHemingway had often used his personal painful and traumatic experiences even in his works of fiction. Hemingway viewed writing and trauma to be â€Å"inextricably linked; trauma provided material for his writing and writing provided a therapeutic outlet for trauma† (Seal 62). He had always referred to a traumatic experience repeatedly, the one wherein his life had lost most of his Paris manuscripts in 1922. It was mentioned in the works published works after his death that included A Moveable Feast, Islands in the Stream, The Garden of Eden, and True at First Light.The posthumously published writing that was published had revealed enormous aspects of Hemingway’s psyche that he was not able to share publicly. In his account, the way he had often mentioned the loss of Paris manuscripts showed the readers how he was struggling to deal with the trauma of loss.

Ben & Jerry’s Case Study Essay

Team building was not the most effective way to launch an Organizational Development effort, in the case of Ben and Jerry’s. There are two critical issues that must be dealt with before any kind of team building should be attempted. The first issue would be creating more of a consensus between the founders and the Board about the vision of the ideal organization and the goals of the OD effort. The second issue is the interpersonal conflict between Ben and Chico. The consultant may have used Ben and Jerry’s idiosyncratic personalities to his advantage in order to gloss over the lack of agreement on the company vision between the founders and the board. The board members were asked to write down their differing visions on paper and the consultant performed a ritual of burning these to represent transformation and coming together of management and the Board. This is only a metaphor, and did not have the intended effect on either the Board or Ben and Jerry. Both Ben and Jerry still felt a separation in values between themselves and management after the team building retreat. This was demonstrated by the managers wearing â€Å"we are weird† buttons after the team building. Rather than the ritual burning of the ideas, the consultant would have better served the clients with an intergroup conflict resolution process. The division over the vision of Ben and Jerry’s had become dysfunctional and was creating conflict which polarized the two groups. The groups being the free-wheeling, hippy minded founders and the more business minded managers. This problem was affecting the productivity and effectiveness of the organization at large and must be dealt with and resolved before any interventions are carried out and lower levels of the organization. Management must buy-in to the OD effort, and if they feel that the founders are flawed in their business strategy, it will be impossible for management to carry out their wishes for the way they want their business to grow and prosper. The consultant has acknowledged the problem, yet performed no real interventions to try and resolve it. There was also no mention of a consensus on the focus of the OD effort. It seems that the consultant just tried to make everyone happy without any real conflict resolution interventions.   The next issue that should precede any team building exercises would be an intervention for Ben and Chico. The two men have a large presence and influence over the entire organization. They also represent the larger groups which are in conflict over the fundamental philosophy of the organization. The employees consider them to be two titans of power with legendary arguments. The consultant should have focused on a third-party intervention between these two change agents. If these two powerful and influential men could come together and resolve some of their conflict, that would be the next logical step in properly motivating and developing the organization. This is a basic skill that OD practitioners should have, yet the consultant made no effort to address the conflicts between the two. It’s also very likely that the conflict between Ben and Chico could be the root cause of the polarization of the two groups in the entire organization. If that is the case, you would have to address this issue in order for team building to be effective. The teambuilding efforts of the consultant were appropriate and needed, but only after the two more primary issues are dealt with. The effectiveness of this OD intervention was thwarted by the lack of attention to conflicts in ideology.