Wednesday, October 30, 2019

HowwastheUnited NationshapedbythefailureoftheLeagueofNations Essay

HowwastheUnited NationshapedbythefailureoftheLeagueofNations - Essay Example League of Nations was not a state, it was commonly acknowledged and established entity through the mutual consent of the countries from all over the world. The pioneer of this idea was American President Woodrow Wilson who was famously known for his 14 points gave the idea of an organization of similar magnitude that would set the world on its footings for development and progress (Hakim, 2002, 16). League of Nations was an effective entity on many accounts; however, it failed on numerous fronts and as a result made the countries feel the need of replacing it by a more effective entity. The more effective entity came into existence after the Second World War. That Entity was called United Nations Organization (Conforti, 2005, 6). Briefly put, United Nations Organisation came into existence because of the inability, weaknesses, and silence of League of Nations in many cases (Arp, 2013, 717). The real need and purpose of establishing United Nations organization can be understood by com prehending the overall structure and working of League of Nations and further looking into the areas where League of Nations failed to deliver. Based on that an analysis and observation can be drawn which would allow understanding the establishment of United Nations Organisations. ... g about immediate end to disputes, resolving them through good counsels and establishing global order that would allow overall development and progress of humanity (Johnstone, 2009, 1). Despite the similarity in agenda, the former suffered on account of its structure and weaknesses in its outer formed units. League of Nations lacked several necessary councils and bodies that are part of United Nations and now U.N stands in a much better position than the predecessor global organization. Broadly it was the political failure of League of Nations that invoked the need and realization for an entity that would be far stronger than the predecessor and would guarantee peace across the globe. Achievements of United Nations Organizations: Despite the number of minor weak links of U.N, the organization stands firm and better than its predecessor on multiple accounts. Since its inception nearly six decades ago, the entity has enabled preventing any major war outbreak that might engulf the major states in a war. The world since the establishment of United Nations has seen the complete stoppage of any nuclear attack by any other country unlike the days of League of Nations when United States of America launched a nuclear strike upon Japan’s twin cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Watson, 2010, 33). The fact that every country on the surface of earth is part of the United Nations General Assembly adds to the strength and positives of U.N as an entity. The number has been constantly increasing and it has not seen any withdrawal by any nation in the manner League of Nations did. Socioeconomic facet of U.N: United Nations Organizations has a far more comprehensive and stronger socioeconomic domain. It is a multifaceted entity that aims at eradicating poverty, literacy issues,

Monday, October 28, 2019

Video game controversy Essay Example for Free

Video game controversy Essay Technology has (had) come a long way since the early years of life. The use of technology to humans, is to enhance or improve whatever it may be to have a much quicker advancement or have a better and easy going lifestyle. But in the more recent years, technology has turned for the worst. Specifically speaking, video games. Video games in its early years were meant for a positive use, much like any other type of game; to simply act as a fun activity to pass time. That is not the case anymore because of how dangerously advanced and addicting video games can be. In fact it’s so dangerous nowadays that countries like South Korea are contemplating whether or not to ban video games. Why is it dangerous? Video games influence a type of negative social behavior, has a direct correlation to the cause of Insomnia, and is relevant to the increasing obesity rates in America. Playing video games can lead to many negative effects on a person. Video Games influence a type of negative social behavior. â€Å"The effects of videophilia are substantial and include obesity, attention disorders, lack of socialization and poor academic performance† (Video Game Addiction). The person (game player) may lose social skills and qualities depending on the level of video game addiction. Usually, the player is spending so much time on the game that he/ she is neglecting other areas of life. A common sign of video game addiction is constantly talking about the game almost constantly. â€Å" It is more likely to talk down upon a peer after a violent video game session† (Tiret). These types of social skills are not acceptable to continuously practice. The people that talk down on peers because of the violent video game session could go into depression or anxiety because of what others say or think about them. Young Children love playing rated M 18+ games that contain violence and other profound content (Parks). â€Å" the more time children and teens spend playing violent video games the more likely they are to display aggressive behavior† (Tiret). The more violent the game is, the more violent the player will be. It’s morally wrong to be mean for absolutely no reason towards other human beings. The effects on aggressive behavior can be long lasting (Tiret). A build up in anger is not healthy. If the constant aggression keeps up, the aggressive person will be ostracized by classmates or friends. Insomnia is easily caused by the lack of sleep, which is a common symptom of a video game addict. â€Å"Studies have shown that people deprived of contact with nature were at greater risk of depression and anxiety† (Wilderness Adventure). â€Å"In a study by Breslau and associates, patients with insomnia were nearly 4 times more likely to suffer major depression than those without insomnia† (Johnston). A depressed person will look at everything negatively and have no motivation to go outside. The person may even view his/ her life not even worth living. Stress and depression can be caused by a variety of things resulting in insomnia. Stress may be caused by hours on the computer playing a game without rest. Depression may hit the person, depending on intimacy with the video game, once he/she loses a lot. â€Å" insomnia and its associated daytime sleepiness had significant negative effects on cognitive functioning and impaired their subjects’ ability to perform ordinary tasks† (Johnston). â€Å"Excessive Sleepiness has been linked to learning disabilities in children and cognitive and memory problems in adults† (Johnston). If this keeps up then the next generations will become less capable than the ones before which shouldn’t happen. Remembering what you ate for breakfast will be very difficult. â€Å"Poor sleep hygiene includes an irregular sleep schedule, stimulating activities before bed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Mayo Clinic). The ‘stimulating activities’ could translate into playing video games before you sleep. The effects of the stimulating activities causes the person to stay awake longer in bed. Some argue video games can be healthy to a person. One of the biggest positive effects video games can have on a person is the fact that makes people happy. As a result, video games have become an easy scapegoat for numerous violent tendencies and social behaviors. Video games are indeed a scapegoat, but it doesn’t hide the fact that the people who play these games as a scapegoat are neglecting themselves from the real world. These people will not get to experience what it’s really like in the real world. Based on solid scientific evidence, video games may actually fill basic human needs that the real world fails to satisfy (Shapiro). This applies to people who have social anxieties causing these people to refrain from the outside even more. The people are not completely solving their problems, only temporarily. It is not the game’s fault for these negative effects. There are millions who play the game and don’t go out and do the negatively portrayed actions on the news. The criminals mention the games’ names and blame the games. Violent games are very influential on a person. â€Å"Reality is too complicated to blame playings games, moving pictures, or letters on a page† (Parks). Games are where people get ideas from. Life is commonly sealed into one perception for a person, and curiosity comes from ideas that have never been heard of before. Addiction of video games can easily lead into obesity which is a dangerous and lethal disease. Video games create an obstacle for children. â€Å"Children today spend an average of 6 hours each day in front of the computer and TV, but less than 4 minutes a day in instructed outdoor play† (Wilderness Adventure). There is an extreme amount of physical inactivity. The calories are not burned which turn into fat later on. â€Å"Getting less than seven hours of sleep a night can cause changes in hormones that increase your appetite† (Mayo Clinic). Less sleep IS a vital cause of obesity. Eating most of your calories at night contributes to weight gain. â€Å"Overweight and obesity are linked to more deaths worldwide than underweight† (WHO). Being overweight and obese brings cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and even some cancers. The obese people are not outside and running which leads into no training for the cardiovascular system. While playing video games, gamers do not pay attention to what they eat which could lead into a massive buildup of diabetes. â€Å"More than 40 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2011† (WHO). 41% of certain cancer burdens are attributable to overweight and obesity. Children who play video games fit into this category. The topic of video games being perceived as a positive thing today is growing out of hand. It’s like spreading a humongous lie to gullible innocents. Affecting social behavior in a negative manner, causing obesity, and developing insomnia are serious matters. The negative effects of playing video games are severe and the idea of playing video games should not be taken lightly.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 Essay -- essays research pa

Throughout the evolution of man, power and control have been idealized. When power is attained by manipulative dictators, citizens may initially view them as a means to satisfy their need for structure and direction. An author’s grim prophecy of mankind in a totalitarian society is depicted in George Orwell’s, 1984. Citizens in Oceania are governed by the Party Big Brother, which succeeds in controlling their actions and minds. The concept of oppression is taken to a new level, until there is no sense of humanity within the society. Natural instincts and emotions do not exist for the citizens in Oceania, as they are conditioned since birth to be working bodies, lacking mercy and compassion. â€Å"By careful early conditioning, by games and cold water, by the rubbish that was dinned into them at school and in the Spies and the Youth League, by lectures, parades, songs, slogans and martial music, the natural feeling had been driven out of them.† (Orwell, p.71) The main repetitive means of conditioning were the Party slogans which citizens must adhere to; War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength. War is linked with peace and security, rather than horror and grief. Freedom is viewed as being an individual, therefore more susceptible to torture. The individual is defeated and therefore enslaved to the government rather than being apart of the government. In result, there is no freedom of thought, expression, language, religion, etc. Ignorance is bliss since there is no need to criticize the gove rnment and therefore, fewer confrontations. The proles (proletariats) in the novel are allowed and appreciate primitive emotions. Sex, scent, expression, and the true sense of freedom embody this in the novel. It is ironic that they reserve a sense of humanity, yet are considered inhumane. Eighty five per cent of Oceania’s population is proles, and they are unaware of their potential power. â€Å"If there is hope, it lies in the proles. Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.† (Orwell, p.52) Although it could lead to a counter-revolution, they are content in the purity of their lives, and see no need for power since they have not yet been exposed to the oppression in Oceania. â€Å"The lower strata of the middle class – the small tradespeople, shopkeepers, and retired tradesmen generally, the ha... ...collective mind. Orwell uses this concept to relate to the oppression in society present during the time in which he wrote the novel. During the 1940’s, it was not only WWII, but also the time of the dictators Stalin and Hitler, who used brainwashing techniques to take advantage of their vulnerable societies. The Machiavellian Theorem becomes the sole tactic to survival in Oceania. In order to become a member of the Brotherhood, Winston agrees to commit all the carnage that Big Brother has raged on his people. (Orwell, p.180) With angst to be rid of his oppression, Winston has lost his sense of humanity. He now believes that his end justifies his means. Although he believes he resists internally to the Party, his mentality has inevitably been brainwashed by acts of sabotage, and all that O’Brien had to do to corrupt him was to direct his hate elsewhere. The Inner Party develops intricate ways of attacking a person at their personal weakest, and using their various instruments, can break down body, mind, and soul. Although this novel is merely Orwell’s political speculation, it opens the doors to the many possibilities and outcomes of uncontrolled power in vulnerable societies.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Leading at a Higher Level

IntroductionThe book under consideration is named â€Å"Leading at a Higher Level† and this extraordinary book was written by Ken Blanchard. The author has previously written numerous books namely The One Minute Manager, Raving Fans and now this book. The books written by the aforementioned author have turned out to be helpful for a number of people in perfecting their own leadership skills and expand the prospective of those around them.Now, in Leading at a Higher Level, Ken Blanchard discloses the answers to superlative leadership. Anyone and everyone can profit from the recommendations in this book that have previously helped thousands of leaders and business’ become more oriented around its people, centered on the satisfaction of its customers and performance-driven. The author introduces the readers to innumerable concepts such as the â€Å"triple bottom line† and how to use it to generate effectual objectives and visions.The book provides the readers with t he ways to determine ways to turn customers into what the author calls â€Å"raving fans† and build up a proper â€Å"customer mania.† Any of the higher authorities of an organization can use the techniques presented by the author in his book their own guidance, for leading teams as well as complete organizations. It can also help one in finding their own individual â€Å"leadership point of view†, which is a skill that all really great leaders have power over and it is also helpful in finding out how to relate it all the way through your entire life. By the use of this book, regardless of who or what place you are at, one can produce high-performing business; that can ease out life for everyone. Hoist your game, improve your presentation and make sure that you are foremost at a higher level.ReviewAs said, â€Å"Leaders in any realm of life can become self-serving when the driving reason for being in business is based solely on profit. While profit is a legitim ate goal, neglecting to see leadership as part of a higher calling diminishes the capacity to influence others and impact the greater good† (William, p.1). Leading at a Higher Level scrutinizes the notion of leading with a higher rationale, which necessitates a persuasive visualization and a way of life that the expansion of people is in the same way important to that of presentation. Author Ken Blanchard dares readers to show the way by asking themselves about their own realities, what they position for, and how they can take the inventiveness even if they do not have authoritative power.In the aforementioned book, the author along with a number of his colleagues has made the efforts to put forward their own understanding of top-notch leadership. By reading the book one can learn just how to create aims and objectives for the organization and the ways by which you can make your existence known as well as where your company is moving.Blanchard expands his step forward work on conveying well-known customer service and creating what he calls â€Å"raving fans.† In the book one will find the state-of-the-art dialogue of the well-known Situational Leadership II techniques for leading yourself, persons, teams, and complete businesses. Most significantly, Leading at a Higher Level the book is a big help if one wishes to take a good look at himself, determine the private â€Å"leadership point of view† and then use it for the rest of his or her life.  In the words of the author, â€Å"those who want to lead at a higher level need to understand what a high performing organization looks like and what is necessary to create one. They need to aim for the right target. Profit is the applause you get for taking care of your customers and creating a motivating environment for your people† (Blanchard, p.4).The author believes that anyone who wishes to become a better leader in any company, any organization, and any area of life needs to have a fi xed aim, follow the right idea, focus on the â€Å"bottom lines† that really matter at the same time as providing the customers with good support and deliver your ideal customer experience, and create â€Å"raving fans†. But most of all what he wants to deliver is that leaders should, â€Å"Listen, praise, support, guide, and help your people win† (Blanchard, p.5).The book is extremely informative when it comes to learning how to lead your people to enormity as you create elevated performing organizations that make life better for everyone. This book will direct you, motivate you, incite you, and be your criterion. Ken Blanchard along with a vast number of his colleagues are people that have spent a number of years in serving good leaders and organizations become grand, and as well as stay that way. In this book, they have made an effort to bring together everything they have learnt in the years gone by. By this book one can discover how to, â€Å"Go beyond the short term and zero in on the right target and vision, deliver legendary, maniacal customer service, and earn raving fans, truly empower your people and unleash their incredible potential, ground your leadership in humility and focus on the greater good† (Blanchard, p.10). Since a very long time, a vast number of people have benefited from the insight, understanding, and convenient procedures.From my personal point of view, the book is excellently written providing examples from the lives of real leaders. The book has been written in a very exciting manner and one can not get bored while reading it. Speaking for myself, I have not found anything negative about the book.ConclusionIn the light of the above discussion we can hereby culminate that the book that has been mentioned above namely Leading at a Higher Level was written by Ken Blanchard and the book is related to the ways in which leaders can understand themselves and then lead themselves, their teams and the entire org anizations on the way to success.Works CitedBlanchard, Ken. Leading at a Higher Level: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations.   United States of America. FT Press. 2006 Pp. 4,5,10.Williams, Susan. Leading at a Higher. Financial Times. 2007. Pp.1.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Family and Abbey Essay

Blonde hair, blue eyes and a sad look. This was the face of an innocent little girl named Abbey. Abbey was only 10 years old and she lived at home with her mother and father. She had no one to play with and her only friend was a little toy bear, it was old and falling apart and it had patches of hair. Abbey was an only child and was just about to start year 5 at Howard Pubic School. The poor little girl wasn’t so much bullied at school, but she was always left out. She was too young to understand why it was happening to her and why the children were always being mean to her. I guess you could say, most 10 year olds love going home at the end of the day to see their family but not Abbey. Abbey’s father had a beer in his hand as per usual and her mum had bloodshot eyes as always. The only time she was allowed out of her room was to go to school, other than that her parents always kept her locked in an attic because they had no time for the poor little girl and they never cared about her. Every afternoon she would come home from school and sit in her room talking to her toy bear when no one was around. She used to lie on the floor and not make a sound. She hides in a corner while she hears her parents come up and unlock the door. Some more and more pain Abbey has to go through for no reason at all. There are scars on her face and bruises on her legs. Out of everyone, why is she is such a horrible place? The poor little girl cries herself to sleep every night because all she wants to do is to fit in with everyone and have a family that loves her dearly but she thinks to herself why she is not belonging. She holds her toy bear close and sobs. Meanwhile in her room, she sits in the corner quiet but yet thinking â€Å"God why? Why did my life turn out like this?† Everyday is a struggle for the little five year old and she prays before she goes to bed â€Å"Dear Jesus, I know that my mummy or daddy do not care about me but please promise me you’ll take good care of them. I also pray that tomorrow I will make friends because it is hard for me to go to school and not play with anyone. No one wants to be friends with me and I don’t know why. Thank you and I love you†. One night before school, her mum came home high. The mother and father were having an argument and the police were called. The poor little girl was slapped, beaten and hit as hours went by. When the police showed up, they took Abbey to a foster home to be looked after. When she leaves, Abbey suddenly runs back inside and grabs her teddy, as that is the only thing she took with her. The mother and father said goodbye to the little girl as the police took her away. Abbey is now in a safer environment with carers that she loves. She has put everything past her and started a new life. She will always remember what happened when she was young but now all she can think of is how happy she is.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Each Culture Has Unique Characters

Each Culture Has Unique Characters Individual has several personalities that correspond to enlarging circles of group relationship. An individual think, act, and feel depending on the family, nationality, and personal attributes gained from different social setups, which he/she has a positive association. People try to gain self esteem by differentiating their group in a positive manner as opposed to the comparison to out-group members.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Each Culture Has Unique Characters specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Group relationships establish self categorization and facilitate options that favor the in-group at the expense of those outside the group (Fellmann, Getis and Getis 2008). A person has self concepts that result from the membership and a sense of belonging to a particular social group. This result in discrimination based on whether a person is in-group member or out-group. The in-group is an association of members with s imilar cultural practices while the out-groups members practice different cultures. A subculture is a group of individuals who forms a group with distinct characters from the larger culture, which differentiates them from the other members of the large culture (Trice, 1993). They have some visible affection such as music and clothing that differ from the dominant culture. The members of subculture use symbols and other gestures to pass information to other members. It is hard to identify members of a subculture because the dominant culture can adapt their styles. The dominant culture adapts to these sub-cultural traits for business purposes feeling that they are more fashionable than the rest. I was introduced to a subculture where most of my friends and age mates belong. This subculture sings praise and worship songs in a unique way. The in-group members ensure unison in their melodies and strive to achieve excellence in gospel music. During practice, we ensure that there is total co-ordination between the vocals and instruments played. The most unique feature of our subculture is that in our singing, we combine dances and voice, which must rhyme with the instruments played. This in-group has various values that hold the members together. The first is the degree to which a person associates him/herself to the group feeling from within that group membership is an aspect of members’ self-concept. The pursuit for positive characterization is found when members identify themselves as a group rather than as an individual. The other value is relation to the level unto, which the standing contexts provide bases for groups’ comparison (Fellmann, Getis and Getis2008). The group members come up with ways to compare themselves with out-groups to yield some unique differences that give them identity. This results in the possibility of displaying favoritism when an in-group is amid of self definition giving comparison to the out-group.Advertising Loo king for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There are several activities that in-group members engage in leaving out the outsiders. The members organize economic activities that earn them some money. The come up with projects, which involve social funds, but the profit are exclusively for the youths. They elderly are involved to fund these projects, although the benefits that accrue to them are indirect. The in-group members ensure that they have government support by registering their groups so that they can benefit from the funds set aside for youth projects (Kaplan Lööw, 2002). Some of the benefits that have accrued to in-group members include; utilization of less energy as compared to the energy members use when working individually. In group members receive some favors that are not enjoyed by outsiders. Another benefit is that individual’s self esteem is built due to the sense of belonging that comes as a result of associating with a group. When self esteem is developed the productivity of the group is increased, which is beneficial not only to in-group members, but to the entire society. In conclusion, each culture has subgroups with members who find identity through them. These sub culture groups benefit individuals and society at large. The extent to which these in-groups are formed should be reasonable to avoid discrimination and biasness in provision of essential services. References Fellmann, J., Getis, A., Getis, J. (2008). Human Geography: Landscapes of Human Activities. 10th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 10. Kaplan, J., Lööw, H. (2002). The cultic milieu: Oppositional subcultures in an age of globalization. Walnut Creek, Oxford: AltaMira Press. Trice, H. M. (1993). Occupational subcultures in the workplace. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Each Culture Has Unique Characters specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

Monday, October 21, 2019

Asperger Syndrome and Autism Essay

Asperger Syndrome and Autism Essay Asperger Syndrome and Autism Essay What I intend to Investigate, What Types of Autism have been Identified, because I would like to know what types and how many types Scientists have discovered over the years. I know that there are a few different types of Autism, some being diagnosed at ages 1-4 and some being diagnosed at ages such as 10 and up. What I predict to learn is a lot more than I know, such as what different types of autism are there? What are some similarities? Going to help when you can’t understand your child. I started my search for information for autism by going to the site entitled, Autism Ontario: What types have been identified at autismontario.com/client/aso/ao.nsf/web/ASD+2?OpenDocument. From this site I learn that there are a couple different types of Autism that have similar symptoms and that they all occur and start to become more noticeable around the ages 1-4. The most common symptom of Autism between them all is impairment to social interaction. There are a few of the disorders where one would actually lose previously acquired skills. I also learned that Autism is a Spectrum Disorder and a Spectrum disorder is any of a group of disorders each having symptoms that occur on a continuum and certain features that is shared along its spectrum but that manifest in markedly different forms and degrees. Then I went to the site entitled what is Asperger Syndrome? At this address aspergers.ca/what-is-asperger-syndrome/ I was shocked to learn on this site that there is an estimated 70,000 People in Ontario alone with ASD (Asperger Syndrome). The ongoing research team for ASD has though that as many as 1 in 165 People have some form of an ASD. Although ASD can be found in Children, There are many people who haven’t been diagnosed with the Syndrome until Teenage years or even adulthood. Traits make is very hard for kids to operate well in school and for adults to have jobs; there are a ton of people with ASD that can accomplish so much in life with their vast knowledge of specific interests. The treatments for people with ASD can include Counselling, Social skills training, medication, family intervention, special diets and occupational therapy. The Cause for this Syndrome is still not to be found but a theory points towards genetics causes. Lots of people with ASD have similar t raits in their family. The final site I went to is entitled Coping and Support at this address mayoclinic.com/print/autism/DS00348/DSECTION=allMETHOD=print and what I found on this website was quite interesting. Raising a Child with autism can be mentally, physically and emotionally tiring. Especially when your child may have behavior issues or communication/ social issues and wouldn’t want to talk to you about their problems. It can get quite frustrating and difficult to be a parent. It is also hard on the child when it comes to having this syndrome, him or her having minimal social/ communication skills, maybe having behavior problems, weather it’s making friends, repeating something like finger tapping or rocking, or they can’t have or create an ongoing conversation. It could be very hard on a family, that’s when you could look for support. My research is most like the movie ‘Rain Man’ because I think it reflects mostly on Raymond and Charlie Babbitt (characters

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Top Essay Referencing Tips for Everyone

Top Essay Referencing Tips for Everyone The Best Essay Referencing Tips Each University has its referencing requirements. We have provided some top tips on essay referencing for you to get your best essay grade. Browse †¦the most famous essay referencing systems, such as Harvard (parenthetical) and Oxford (footnotes). If you have no idea how to use them, just browse the internet and find some instructions on how to use those major systems. Define †¦whether your professor expects you to use a certain system. As a rule, you get clear specifications on the format, content, and references. So do not just use your own thoughts, but adopt the necessary referencing system. Be aware when †¦to reference, while it doesn’t mean to use quotes only. Not only direct quotation requires you to make references, but paraphrasing also means that you have to use references. Once your material depends on other material, it is mandatory to use references. Be careful Referencing is crucial for any academic work, while the reader can get back to the origin of your ideas and various external sources. It is crucial to do a thorough research to provide complete information in your essay. Be coherent You have to be clear, so it is recommended to determine your own system. Your reader will be distracted if you use reference inconsistently. It means that your thoughts are provided carelessly and with lack of attention. Avoid †¦different publication dates. Lots of books have overcome different reprints. Your aim is to make sure that your references can be found on the stated pages and in the stated volumes. As a rule, you have to cite the date of the publication used. However, sometimes, it is necessary to state the date of the original publication, as well. Translation In case you used the translated source, you should use the above-mentioned tip, while the version in the original language was published at least one year earlier. Never mention the translator as the co-author. It will surely reduce your grades. Authors and editors You should not confuse authors and editors, and should always refer to authors. Be precise There are different types of essays and different specificity levels, such as author, page number and year, or just author and year. You can surely choose one of them but still, stick to the established rules of your system. Learn from published academics The best tip is better once to see than a hundred times to hear. You can find such samples in any journal article, which contains the list of references, along with all the edited volumes, translations, reprints, etc. browse the text, too, to get an idea of how to make footnotes or parenthetical referencing the best.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

History question Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History question - Coursework Example He wanted to restore law and order in the country which ensures people stays harmoniously and also championed for what was perceived as morally right in Vietnam traditions was among his achievements. This made him popular hence could go to achieve a lot more. There was constitutional crisis in the region which Nixon worked hard to restore. Presidential elections had been marred by corruption and rigging, which Nixon ensured no more of that when the then South Dakota senator George McGovern was elected as the president democratically. In 1964, Nixon was more popular than even the president as he had 60.7% votes except Massachusetts where he came second. Democrats also required good representations in their states which were to gather for women and youths in their states. Grass root conservative movement emergence was brought by a number of issues. Lyndon Jonson victory in 1964 election results significantly mastermind rise of conservative movements as people didn’t believe there was transparency. There were also grassroots movements unions which were growing which had enabled Barry Goldwater win nominations. These unions comprises middle class men and women from south and west, college students and young Americans who were fighting for freedom as they believe justice were not done during election. Some states were dominated by white people, who were highly skilled; strong economically with high security had angered the minority which took it as discrimination as they were not given same opportunities. Women changing roles were also his concern as he aligned himself with those who were against the idea. Nixon main area of concern was at racial discrimination, poverty and equality among the citizens. This made his famous among the middle and law class who were feeling the pressure as he fought for their rights. Through this, he manages to come out stronger which later became the base of his political

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Only True Wisdom Is In Knowing You Know Nothing Essay

The Only True Wisdom Is In Knowing You Know Nothing - Essay Example C) The charges brought against Socrates were of impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens. Socrates did not fear death, and drank his poison eagerly because he thought of death as something to examine, just as life. D) The allegory of the cave suggests that most people are seeing not reality but shadows of reality, much as one who is chained in a cave for their entire life. Socrates used this allegory to explain that intellectual pursuits, like stepping out of a cave and into the sunlight, eventually lead to more clear understanding of the world. I agree that there is more to perceive in the world than most people are aware of, but I disagree that it negates the validity of the â€Å"shadows† which we can all perceive. 2 A) We cannot prove the existence of anything outside of our own minds. All of our knowledge of things outside of ourselves comes to us through our senses, but only our minds can be trusted to exist. B) Descartes doubts the existence of anything beyond his own mind, because he cannot prove conclusively that anything else exists. If it is possible for the existence of an object perceived to be disproved, then it may not exist. However, the fact that you can be deceived means that your mind must exist. He famously summed this argument: â€Å"Cogito, ergo sum.† ... In the example of the wax, imagination explains the perception of change and for the possibility of other changes which we can't imagine. Intellect explains the understanding of the wax as something distinct, the same thing whether it is solid or liquid. 3 A) The stakes are very high; You have a lot to lose if you make the wrong decision. According to James, believing in God is beneficial to people, and as the decision cannot be made rationally on the basis of evidence it is incumbent upon us to leave the decision to our â€Å"passionate nature†. As that nature encourages us to strive for beneficial states, it is prudent to believe in God. I disagree with James' assertion because the stakes are only high within the context of some religions, and because one can enact a different decision at any time. B) The first objection Aquinas notes is the existence of evil. If God is omnibenevolent, then why does evil exist in the world? He counters this by saying that God's goodness is s o great that he causes goodness to come out of evil. Aquinas' second stated objection is that everything which we can see and understand can be accounted for by other first principles, so there is no need to believe in the existence of God. His response is that nature as well as human reason were both ultimately caused by God, as â€Å"Prime Mover†. C) A ship owner is aware that his ship needs repairs, but sets sail anyway. The ship sinks mid-ocean, and all aboard die. According to Clifford, the ship owner is morally responsible for the deaths of his crew because he made the decision to set sail based on faulty evidence. Clifford says â€Å"It is wrong in all cases to believe on insufficient evidence; and where it is presumption to

Organizational assesment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organizational assesment - Term Paper Example I believe the problem with their reward systems, affecting performance has been a long-standing problem prior to the current economic crises. Problem Identity Clients have constantly complained about the quality of service in which they receive from Ramapo Manor and report a decline not only in the services offered, to help them sustain during this economic crises, but also the attitudes, performance, timeliness and quality of service they receive from the employees. This assessment will research the lack of reward systems in place and the cutting of reward systems, which kept employees providing better service and increasing productivity. The nature of the problem is Ramapo Manors current reward system, which is causing employees to leave their current positions for either a different department/division within Ramapo Manor, which has not been affected greatly by the economic crises. They are returning to pursue their education in different fields, which yield a more promising livab le status, they are leaving Ramapo Manor and pursing positions in a different organization, there are gaps in positions, which are crucial to running Ramapo Manor effectively. This causes budget cuts, not allowing for reward systems and incentives to keep their current employees or encourage potential employees. Lay-offs, mandatory unpaid furlough days, holiday pay, bonuses and hourly pay cuts are the core to the nature of this problem. This problem cannot be pointed to one single figure. It could be pointed to Kathleen Falk, executive for Ramapo Manor state wide, as the ultimate decisions fall on her, her decision-making process and communication to her subordinates. On the other hand, the problem affects and becomes all employees within the organization, the clients who depend on the organizations services and the potential candidates who have taken test after test just to get an interview, to be considered for a position in Ramapo Manor. This problem is unfortunately a part of a larger problem, which has affected the entire world and the United States, yet there are related problems that stemmed from poor planning and budgeting skills. The economic crises, which has caused unemployment to soar to unspeakable numbers, the closings of small and large businesses due to the lack of funding from banks, budget cuts which force organizations to prioritize needs, wants and necessities which are crucial to the survival during the deficit. Ramapo Manor was once the most sought out organization for potential candidates. People would wait years, test and retest just to be considered for hire at Ramapo Manor, due to its exceptional reward systems and benefits for their employees. LTE workers (Limited Term Employees), looked to gain no health benefits in terms of extrinsic rewards, but in terms of intrinsic rewards, they gained skills, received a great starting wage, became a part of the Union for Ramapo Manor, flexible hours and would be first on the list to possible be come a FTE (Full Time Employee). FTE enjoyed the extrinsic benefits of being paid for a full 40 hour work week, even if a day or two was missed, full health care coverage, including dental and vision, 401k, profit sharing, PTO (Paid Time Off), holiday pay, amazing starting wages and the ability to transfer between departments within the Ramapo Manor

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Management and Leadership development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Management and Leadership development - Essay Example Based upon the overall theories defined in part 1, this part will define and provide practical application of the same. There has been a consistent increase in the way technology is changing over the period of time. The changing nature of technology also changes the overall consumer preferences and choices as customers are given more and more choices as technology improves over the period of time. In such a scenario, a company likes Orange UK which operates in the telecommunication industry needs to continuously focus upon the leadership which can easily visualize such future scenarios and prepare the firm for the future.( Avolio, 2011) Leadership management therefore holds significant importance for Orange to continue to dominate the market and remain as one of the leading telecommunication services providers in the country.( Bernel, 2009) Leadership is considered as one of the ways through which management and staff can effectively communicate with each other.( Arendt et al., 2005). Orange is basically an owned company by the French Telecom which remained a government owned entity for longer period of time. It is still owned by the Government of France as the majority shareholder however, it is operating like a private corporation. Over the period of time, overall management structure changed in UK with different leadership and management structures put in place. This may result into the development of leadership at the individual business unit level.( Kelly-Hiedenthal , 2004) It is important to note that Orange changed the overall structure of its Board and management in 2008 making it more adaptive to the customer changes. The more important and significant leadership management issue therefore pertains to the inability of Orange UK to actually design an overall structure which suits the changing customer needs.( Brooks,2012).   Telecommunication industry has

History of ECON 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History of ECON 4 - Essay Example Social wealth comes from the production of economic goods in a capitalist economy (Heilbroner, 168). Organization of economic activities leads to division of labor among individuals. The division of labor and the economic organization meets the material needs of the society, which creates social wealth. Max argues that production is done for producing exchange value, but the benefits do not last. Max argues that capitalist economies buy labor with money because production is an important part of the development. Labor power is a special kind of commodity because it involves the special kind of abilities of human beings. Labor is a special kind of commodity because individuals should be willing to sell their labor power. Max argues that individuals and employers should meet in the marketplace as equals. Employers should be able to put his employees in the position of a buyer’s disposal. It indicates that the laborer distances him or her from labor to be able to claim rights it rights. Labor is a special kind of commodity because individuals should not sell the labor he has created (Heilbroner, 169). The individual should sell the labor power because they do not own the means of production. Max argues that some people own the money while some individuals own labor power. It is the reason labor power is a special kind of commodity. Labor power exists in the capacity of a living person. According to Karl Max, interpretation of the increase in the population is in the context of a capitalistic fiscal system. He argues that a capitalist takes a huge role in the economic sense. He feels that offer capitalist labor relative trivial share of labor productivity. Capitalist introduce more machinery in the society to increase the value of surplus of labor efficiency. According to Max introduction of machinery, creates a surplus of individuals due to lack of jobs to create balance in the economy (Heilbroner, 170). The population is a result

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Management and Leadership development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Management and Leadership development - Essay Example Based upon the overall theories defined in part 1, this part will define and provide practical application of the same. There has been a consistent increase in the way technology is changing over the period of time. The changing nature of technology also changes the overall consumer preferences and choices as customers are given more and more choices as technology improves over the period of time. In such a scenario, a company likes Orange UK which operates in the telecommunication industry needs to continuously focus upon the leadership which can easily visualize such future scenarios and prepare the firm for the future.( Avolio, 2011) Leadership management therefore holds significant importance for Orange to continue to dominate the market and remain as one of the leading telecommunication services providers in the country.( Bernel, 2009) Leadership is considered as one of the ways through which management and staff can effectively communicate with each other.( Arendt et al., 2005). Orange is basically an owned company by the French Telecom which remained a government owned entity for longer period of time. It is still owned by the Government of France as the majority shareholder however, it is operating like a private corporation. Over the period of time, overall management structure changed in UK with different leadership and management structures put in place. This may result into the development of leadership at the individual business unit level.( Kelly-Hiedenthal , 2004) It is important to note that Orange changed the overall structure of its Board and management in 2008 making it more adaptive to the customer changes. The more important and significant leadership management issue therefore pertains to the inability of Orange UK to actually design an overall structure which suits the changing customer needs.( Brooks,2012).   Telecommunication industry has

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Is high speed railway a better way to promote benefits to public Essay

Is high speed railway a better way to promote benefits to public - Essay Example Moreover, over the historic moment, the train has been evolving and the Japanese system was the first in the world, starting in 1964. It has borrowed a lot from it foster mothers of coal engine. However, most of high-speed rail is usually designed for passenger travels although some are used for freight services. Like any transport system, high-speed railway is not inherently convenient, fast, clean, or comfortable. All of this depends on design, implementation, maintenance, operation and funding. Operational smoothness is often more indicative of organizational discipline than technological prowess. Additionally, the growths of travel systems are constrained by the existing infrastructure. When other modes cannot expand, HSR may possibly provide a feasible alternative. HSR systems are more environmentally friendly than air or road travel, given their higher fuel efficiency per passenger-kilometer and reduced land use. The initial impulsion for the introduction of high speed rail was the need for additional capacity to meet increasing demand for passenger rail travel. Urban density and mass transit have been key factors in the success of railway transport. We decided to base our research on the efficacy of the high speed rail on the public. In general, the study will detail on how efficient the railway has become to the society. Moreover, HS2 are high investment long-term infrastructure projects meant to substantially change travel patterns. Beyond the travel mode change, this paper seeks to evaluate if HS2 station have an economic benefit to the public. Consequently, urban areas in UK were selected for the analysis because of the age, gender and employment status of the respondents. Specifically: There are various negative costs associated with emerged high speed railways. For instance, there is raised cost of transporting goods and services, land

Identifying Biased Media Essay Example for Free

Identifying Biased Media Essay Many now believe that media is biased; but the context of what bias is may vary depending on the preferences of the readers. Bias affects news reporting in a variety of ways. It may be reflected on the preferences of the editor/owner of the publication or broadcast institution, maximizing profits, and/or politics or entertainment (Baron 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Media institutions acquire income from advertisements and this practice affects how the media chooses what kind of news it should report. Media sensationalism is also an end result as people are attracted to read news that are sensationalized, this in turn increases readership and consequently, increase in profit from advertisements.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The issue whether media can still produce and present objective news is still subject to debate. It may be true that some institutions can present objective and unbiased news, but many forms of media are now inclined to side with a group because of preferences or to maximize profit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In politics, horse-race journalism, which focuses on various election data instead of emphasizing the candidates plan of action, is being given too much attention. This results in news items that are all about the election proceedings. During these times, media institutions all report election-related news and forget about other similarly or more important issues that need to be reported.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The findings of some researchers suggest that the media (1) are neither objective nor honest, (2) employ framing devices, (3) deliberately manipulate news, (4)   are controlled and influenced by government and business interest, (5) may choose unreliable sources, (6) accept the â€Å"faulty premise† that the government has good intentions, (7) through the use of the word â€Å"we† implies acknowledgment   of government policies, (8) do not use historical context, (9) fail to follow up on the stories and (10) does not encourage the maintenance of a critical perspective for the readers (Nelson).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bias results in skepticism on the side of the readers which results in a reduction in the demand for news. However, biases are being tolerated when it means that a journalist can be hired for a lower salary (Baron 23). Journalists may have incentives to write biased news stories, but it can be cushioned by an attitude of professionalism and a media institution that does not tolerate bias.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, investigative journalism has been known as the most controversial form of journalism and over time, it has changed and adapted to the current setting (Hawks) but this kind of reporting involves a lot of risk and violation of human rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sometimes, investigative journalists go beyond the borders and invade the privacy of others just to get the report that they need. Exposure is the theme of the current investigative reporting process as it creates excitement and uproar and draws a lot of attention from the public. It is also believed that scandals draw more attention from the public which would result in more generated profit for the media institution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Journalists follow their targets as if they are bounty hunters armed with their cameras to catch any footage of misdeed. Some journalists also resort to wiretapping of phone lines and other means to gain access to personal and classified documents. This methodology of investigation, although has good intentions, is unethical in a sense that it invades the private life of people. In some instances, due to this practice, journalists receive threats when they are investigating anomalous people or dealings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The media is being invaded by personal preferences and is gravely affected by commercialization. Perhaps the media is only considering its survival because without income, the media cannot operate. Works Cited Baron, David. Persistent Media Bias. August 2004 www.wallis.rochester.edu Media Bias Baybars-Hawks, Banu, The Impact of Investigative Journalism on Public Opinion and Policymaking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   www.hichumanities.org/AHproceedings/Banu%20Baybars-Hawks1.pdf Nelson, Richard Alan. Tracking Propaganda to the Source: Tools for Analyzing Media Bias. 2003.   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://lass.calumet.purdue.edu/cca/gmj/fa03/gmj-fa03-nelson.htm

Monday, October 14, 2019

Pantaloons Retail India Limited

Pantaloons Retail India Limited Future Group focuses most in the retail segment and most of its businesses are built around the same. Future Groups retail network operates 1,000 stores for more than 200 million Indians in 73 cities and 65 rural locations across the country in 16 million square feet of retail space. Some of the most popular retail chains of India like Pantaloons (chain of fashion destinations), Big Bazaar (hypermarket chain), Food Bazaar (supermarket chain) and Central (chain of seamless destination malls) Brand Factory, Planet Sports, ALL, Top 10 and Star and Sitara are managed by Future group. Indias most popular online shopping portal www.futurebazaar.com is also owned by the Future Group. Home building and home improvement products and services are also led through the groups formats, like the Home Town (large-format home solutions store), Collection i (formats specialized for home furniture and home furnishing) and Furniture Bazaar and consumer electronics through eZone and Electronics Bazaar. Aadhaar, Indias leading rural retailing chain has a presence in more than 65 rural locations. It acts as a complete solution provider for the Indian farmer. Pantaloons Retail India Limited Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited is one of the leading retailers in India. Mr. Kishore Biyani, is the founder and is famously known as Indias King of Retail. Pantaloon has revolutionized the retail fraternity. With its headquarter in Mumbai, Pantaloons operates multiple retail formats in value and lifestyle segment. Pantaloons plans to increase its retail space to 30 million sq. ft. by 2011. PRIL is sub-divided into: Pantaloons Big bazaar Food Bazaar Fashion Station All Blue sky E-zone Collection 1 Home town Central Mall 2001 Indias first hypermarket chain Big bazaar is launched 2002 Food bazaar, a supermarket chain is launched 2006 Future groups financial arm, Future capital holdings launches two real estate funds Pantaloons High fashion family department, geared toward Indian middle and upper classes. In 2005, pantaloons rolled out a new merchandise and brand communication campaign to position itself as fashion trendsetter appeal to Indias youth. Central Mall It is positioned as a place for shopping, eat and enjoying. Big Bazaar Big Bazaar hypermarket concept was started in 2007 by PRIL. It was designed to integrate elements of an Indian bazaar with recent retailing features like parking of vehicles, AC shopping environment and privilege of replacing merchandise. Food Bazaar The first outlet of Food Bazaar opened in June 2002, within a Big Bazaar store, six month later the chain had grown to 42 outlets: 18 stand alone. Future Groups main businesses are : E-commerce Futurebazaar.com, Pantaloons website has changed the e-commerce business in India. A wide range of products are made available at affordable prices. PC World has named the website as the Best Indian Website for 2007 in the Shopping category. Food In the food section, a lot of options are available like Food Bazaar Chain of large super markets Brew Bar Its a beer bar Cafà © Bollywood -Its a eateries chain which is PAN India Chamosa Snack counter Sports Bar A Bistro which is dedicated to the sports world Fashion Varieties of options are available in this section like Top 10, Central, Blue Sky, Etam, Fashion Station, Gini, Jony, Navaras and ALL. Home Electronics Furniture store called Collection i Electronic goods and appliances store called Electronics Bazaar Electronics Items store called e-zone Home furniture store called Furniture Bazaar One destination for all home needs called Home Town Leisure Entertainment A family entertainment center called Bowling Co. A store offering gaming options from bowling, pool, video games to bumper cars called F 123 Wellness Beauty Health Village Its a yoga center as well a spa Star Sitara: A beauty salon for men and women Tulsi Allopathic, homeopathic and ayurvedic medicinal products are provided Turmeric Beauty products like colour cosmetics, fragrances, herbal and specialty skin items, hair products and bath accessories are offered. Books Music Depot It offers stationary, CDs and books Major Achievements of Pantaloon Retail 2007 International Retailer of the Year 2007 Emerging market Retailer of the Year 2007 According to Hewitt Best Employers Survey Best Employers in India (Rank 14th) 2006 Best Managed Company in India (Mid-cap) for the year 2006 Image Retail Awards for Best Value Retail Store, Best Retail Destination, and Best Food Grocery Store. Retail Black Hole Model The Black hole model is also known as The Retail EST Model. It was developed by J.C Williams Group. According to this model a retailer can win if he is the best in one of the several retail offerings i.e to say that the company is clearly positioned in one or more preferred locations to win and hence they are the strategic differentiators. The losers gravitate to central position, are not best at anything and are sucked into the black hole of retailing We have a store opening virtually every fortnight; I have lost count now of how many I have opened Kishore Biyani Big Bazaar A paradigm shift to the Modern Retail Big Bazaar is a unit of Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd and caters to the Great Indian Middle Class. It is like an Indian bazaar or mandi or mela, the environment created by traders to give shoppers a sense of moment. The personality of big bazaar is one of an entity being authentically no-frills. The personality of the brand is self expressed by its tagline Is se sasta aur accha kahin nahi It sells a variety of merchandise at affordable rates, the prices of which it claims are lowest in the city. Usually the items are clubbed together for offers as on the lines of Wal-Mart and Carrefour, offer weekend discounts and works on the same economy model as Wal-Mart and has considerable success in many Indian cities and small towns. Food Bazaar format was added as Shop-In-Shop within Big Bazaar in the year 2002. Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar blend the look, feel and touch of Indian Bazaar with modern retail concepts of choice, convenience and quality. PRODUCT MIX TARGET AUDIENCE Higher and upper middle class customers are the target segment of Big bazaar. Another preferred customer segment is the young and growing population of the country. Big bazaar primarily targets the women folk and home makers who they feel are the primary decision makers. CORE COMPETENCIES Product range consisting of more than 20,000 products. Has a strong supply chain spanning one thousand five hundred cities and towns in India. Big bazaar has tie ups with world leaders in logistical services. Big bazaar has created a helpline for solving the queries of customers. Offers manufacturers guarantee as opposed to sellers guarantee. Good quality at reasonable cost. STRATEGIES: Minimize retailing cost. Minimize operating expenses by employing fewer floor staff -single person for every 500 sq ft. Keep furniture cost to minimum. Cut down expenses related to sourcing by almost 25-30%. Increasing the overall efficiency of logistics by creating mother-hubs all across India for the purpose of sourcing products from regional/local vendors. Slashing channel cost by up to 25%. Economizing Shelf Space Dealing with unsold stock in an effective manner. Ensuring enough pull to snatch away customers from the neighbourhood. Introducing the concept of todays price wherein a products is chosen on a daily basis and sold at lower than usual price. Big Bazaars New Marketing Strategy: A new marketing strategy, based on guerrilla marketing has been launched by big bazaar. The guerrilla force is divided into small groups to selectively attack the target at its weak points. As a part of this strategy Future group has come up with three catchy and cocky advertisement campaigns. Keep West-a-Side. Make a smart choice! Shoppers! Stop. Make a smart choice! Change Your Lifestyle. Make a smart choice! STRATEGIC ANALYSIS SWOT analysis of Big Bazaar PEST ANALYSIS Political and Legal Factors: A stable government at the centre creates an encouraging investment climate Problems of getting subsidy from Octrai and on different taxes like land, water taxes A less complicated taxation structure(GST) on the horizon. Problems regarding taking over properties and real estate. Easing restrictions on FDI by the government leading to easier import of foreign consumer goods, thereby bringing variety to the Indian market place. Economical: India is one of the fastest growing economies, next only to China (7-7.5% GDP growth rate). Retail Industry to grow leaps and bounds by 2015 due to the consumption driven economy of the country. Increase in the percentage contribution of the service sector to GDP. Increased emphasis on infrastructural growth in the current 5 year plan will help reduce some of the bottlenecks in the retail segment. Socio-Cultural Factors: Increase in Nuclear families Increase in working womens proposition Life style changes Shift in Product and service preferences Increase in Young population giving the country a demographic advantage Technological: Technological development for fast billing and the service Better applications of information technology in the modern retail industry, like in supply chain management, store management, point of sale and customer relationship management Porters Five Forces Model 7 P Analysis of Big Bazaar Product There is a wide range of products on offer at Big-bazaar, ranging from apparels, food, farm products, furniture, child care, toys, etc. Products of all the major brands are available at Big Bazaar. A lot of in house brands (private labels) are also promoted by Big Bazaar. Price The tag-line of Big Bazaar is Is se sasta aur accha aur kahin nahi. The model on which Big bazaar works is one of economies of scale. Maximum Market Share (market penetration pricing) is the major objective of pricing at Big bazaar. Place Big-bazaar has a pan India presence with more than seventy-five outlets spread across fifty cities. Big Bazaar has presence in almost all the major Indian cities. Kishore Biyani is very aggressive when it comes to expansion plans of Big bazaar. As per Biyani, the cost of real estate should preferably be less than 5% of total sales of store if one wants to provide maximum benefit to customers. Securing spaces before other retailers join in has been a strategic decision of Big bazaar which has resulted in cost-saving. Promotion Many novel cross sell and upsell strategies have been developed by Big bazaar in Indian retail market. Big Bazaar uses various promotional techniques such as saal ke sabse saste teen din, Future card, Shakti card, using M.S.Dhoni as brand ambassador, Exchange offers such as junk swap offer, POP promotions. Print media, TV, Radio (FM) and road-side bill-boards are some of the many means used by Big bazaar for advertizing and effective communication. People People are considered to be one of the key assets in any organization and their importance is even more profound in the service sector. Big bazaars staff possesses some salient features such as: The staff is well trained for modern retail. Innovative thinking among the employees is encouraged at Big bazaar. Multiple payment counters, availability of stores staff for keeping baggage and presence of security guard at every gate. Process Some of the salient features of dispatch and purchasing area of goods include : Trolleys are available for carrying purchased items sufficient nos of counters for easy check-out are present. Information hoardings/banners for efficient identification of items at store Physical Evidence It deals with the final deliverable or the exhibit of written facts. The staff has standardized dress code to improve the overall appearance of the store (atmospherics). FINANCIAL ANALYSIS of PRIL PRIL Profit and Loss Statement Interpretation Total revenues have constantly been on the rise. This is partly due to the increasing sales resulting from aggressive expansion plans (opening up of outlets) of PRIL. PAT has also been on steady rise though it has flattened a bit in recent years probably due to higher operating costs, inability to transfer the increased cost to the customer etc. EPS has also been on a steady rise apart from a single occasion in 2007 when it went down. The reason could be a rights issue or other similar action leading to equity dilution. The return on capital employed has been decreasing YoY. This could because of concern for the company. The debt equity ratio has not been too volatile and has always been below 2 which is an indication of sound financial status of the company. Aggressive Marketing: Promotions The promotional activity of the company, which says Nobody Sells Cheaper and Better! has differentiated Big-Bazaar (as a brand) in the minds of the customer. The punch-line has made its place in minds of customer. As the competition is becoming stiff in the market the activities conducted by the company are unique, that have brought fruitful result to the company. Among them sales Promotions is one of the leading activity or unique among all other activities has high influence on the customer walk-in. As sales promotions is the major force for Big-Bazaar, Big Bazaar take it very seriously especially during festivals special occasions by focussing aggressively on psychological emotional promotion strategies as per the demographic profile of the various consumers. About 60-70% of shopping for apparel, consumer durables, and home furnishing, among other things, happen during festivals. At least 40-50% takes place during the peak festival season, between September and November. According to Ashni Biyani, 23, a team is set up six months ago comprising experts on Indian mythology and religion, retail and even an expert on days, seriously targeted one-third of the 150 auspicious days in the Hindu calendar. They map all the communities in India on how they shop and how these calendars work. They focus to understand intuitively, their customs, their rituals, adding that this is the part of a larger strategy to engage customers and to attract that India which lives in the deep-rooted communities. Sabse Saste 3 Din: The best watershed for brand Big Bazaar was the introduction of the Sabse Sasta Din in January 2005, when the Indian Republic Day holiday was utilized to make sure that hordes of consumers descended on all Big Bazaars across the country to buy all kinds of household items cheap. There were scenes of customers actually vigorously fighting over items in-store long queues were seen in the store. Big Bazaar like previous years, attracted large crowds during its three day sales event called Sabse Saste 3 Din organised to celebrate the Republic Day. Depending on the results, the event is sometimes extended to 5-6 days as it happened in 2008. The promotional event being organised by Big Bazaar every year has assumed great significance over the years. A large number of customers look forward to this event as hefty discounts on a range of products are offered to the customers in partnership with the retail chains vendors on this occasion. This is, perhaps, the biggest sales event being organised by any retailer in the country. Big Bazaar, which sold merchandise worth Rs 140 crores in 2007, garnered revenues of over Rs. 280 crores during the year 2008 the growth still continues unexpectedly. As mentioned by Kishore Biyani, the whole focus is low margins pushing volumes aggressively during these times which make the Big-Bazaar stick to its core Brand-Personality. Wednesday and Weekend Bazaar: One of the most popular events Wednesday Bazaar presents terrific offers and irresistible discounts on majority of the products. The Concept was to aim at giving the homemakers the power to save the most on this day of the week. Even on weekends when the footfall is the highest, eye-catching offers and discounts are promoted. The weekend promotions differentiated from the Wednesday bazaar in terms of the offers cross-selling and not on reducing the price of a particular product. This way they were able to differentiate both the concepts focus on avoiding confusion while promoting it to the consumers and also attract different type of consumers during these durations. Special event promotions: Maha Bachat Sale: Big Bazaars incorporates such as on Independence day by having Maha Bachat Sale which did a business of 1.5 crores in its Bangalore store alone. Maha Bachat focuses on further reducing the price as compared to the Wednesday Bazaar. Also on auspicious occasions such as Akshaya Tritiya which again did a business of 150Cr on a single day in Mumbai Ahmedabad last year. An event offering discounts, benefits and privileges to senior citizens were created and promoted on the Senior Citizens Day. Monthly Bachat Bazaar: Big Bazaar understands clearly the habits of Indian consumers. In Monthly Bachat Bazaar the prices are reduced at the start of every month in order to target those consumers who bulk purchase the products and especially the commodities every month. Price Challenge Campaign: Reinforcing Big Bazaars USP of value proposition, Is se sasta aur accha kahin nahi scheme was launched. The challenges promise to offer twice the price difference, if the cost of any of the item found in the store is found to be higher than the market price. This doesnt mean that the consumer actually go to other shops in order to compare the prices, but due to this challenge of Big-Bazaar, the consumers had more faith trust on the Big-Bazaar and hence were confident seeing the confidence level of Big-Bazaar which again built a strong brand differentiation of Big-Bazaar for low pricing. Exchange Offers: This promotion primarily focused on letting people disposing off their junk and to gain something out of it in return i.e. Bring anything old take anything new. They could exchange their products and shop from a huge spectrum of discounted products. This gave the motivation factor to consumers to give their old belongings for something worth hence their old is not getting waste or is unvalued. Since the Indian consumers are very much value conscious, this strategy worked out very well. Big-Bazaar also made it sure that the campaign is actually not fooling the consumers around and is actually giving the desired value focusing on the fact that faith thrashed is never recovered in India. In- Store Communications: To ensure that no one misses out on an opportunity to gain from special offers, service boys ferry around a trolley with the product inside, announcing the scheme. Not only is this entertaining it also helps customers pick up the product from the trolley instead of walking up to the rack where it is on display. Language Customization: To make sure that non-English speaking customers dont feel alienated, the communication is also conducted in the local language. The communication is always unambiguous and direct. The Power of One Campaign: This initiative encourages customers to add One Rupee to their bill towards donation to a social cause. Big Bazaar makes an equal contribution and donates the entire proceeds to an NGO called Save the Children India. This is a selfless body which has been working for the welfare of children from marginalized sections of society. Corporate campaign: Big Bazaar has recently launched a corporate campaign which revolves around a family having a great time together. The brand anthem Khushiyon se Bhari Jholi connects with the customers at an emotional level positioning Big Bazaar as part of the happy moments. Future Cards: Specifically for Big Bazaar outlets these credit-cum-loyalty card which offer customers a slew of discounts and benefits across Future Group stores are co-branded with ICICI Bank. Customers receive four loyalty points for every Rs 100 spent at Future groups retail stores and one loyalty point for every Rs 200 spent outside the groups retail stores. This creates a vicious cycle for the customers to repeat their purchases and is especially done by the consumers during special occasions. School Jao Khushi Khushi Providing Discounts School related requirements accessories like school bags, water bottles, lunchboxes, shoes etc. Promotions include: Pencil Case for purchase of above Rs 500. Free shopping trip worth Rs 1000/- for Sending ones experience of the Best day that you had in school the most humorous the best one is selected as a winner and to avail the offer. Lucky draw for the lucky kids shop for Rs 1,000 above, drop in your kids name into the drop box 10 lucky kids were provided with the offer 30% off on an NIIT course Motivational offer for Kids: Shop for Rs 500 or above, Parents are told to drop in the kids painting, the best painting is sponsored for an art course. Doston ke saath khushiyon manao Individual are invited with friends more the merrier shopping with 1 friend entitles the individual with 10% discount, coming with two friends get 20% discount etc on the total bill. Friendship band to every walk-in A friend indeed -people were told to drop their best friends name in the drop-box and in lucky draw the winner could win the major prize A Car!! Special treatment emotional connect for the individual his/her friend -free massage, tattoos, horoscope etc were provided for purchases above Rs 500/- above during the friendship day. Diwali Dhamaka: This campaign especially remains open for longer duration Huge discounts are seen over the board If purchase is above Rs 300/- two pairs of diya were provided to the customers Tie up with known mithaiwala: if one purchases above 1000/- people can avail discounts of 45% or above on the mithai purchased from that mithaiwala. Motivating the home made mithai recepies: Purchasing goods worth Rs 500 above, females were pulled to send the recipe of their secret mithai the best judged recipe gets a complete set of Sanjeev Kapoors cook-books Diwali Manao Abroad winning through lucky draw on purchases worth Rs 1,000 or above. Christmas Joy: Across the board discounts. Big Bazaars special surprise Christmas gift on purchase of over Rs 1000/- or above. Christmas-Card Design Contest: Design next years Christmas card for children and a gift voucher worth Rs. 500 were given to the best card winner. Big Bazaar Christmas party focussing on points vouchers through festival focussed games. Happy-Hours: All the discounts/offers were hiked up in a fixed hr of a day eg: Buy X and get Rs 10 off on that day will become Rs 15 off. Mystery-Shopper: Everyday, one person is tagged as the mystery shopper i.e. a) 100th person walking through the door wearing all red b) 1st person walking through the door wearing all red These person gets the discount of 50% on the total bill. Apke kismat mein hai khushi: Lucky is happy Based on scratch card Get all that you pick in 60 seconds till reaching the billing counter Assured gift for the bulk takers: Choose a gift from the listed items if the bill is above 1000/- This is used especially to push the non-moving goods which is usually put in the listed free gift items. Banto khushiyan har ek ke sang: Social causes Khilone se khushi bate Toy drop box was set in the big-bazaar store and the concept was promoted to ask for the toys from the families then the toys were sent to the social organisations working for underprivileged childrens. This has helped the underprivileged, generate goodwill, and have also attracted the floor traffic to store at the large scale. Supporting a charity Support through charity: Donation to the charity on the individuals name for purchasing above a specified amount. Customers were given an ornament with his or her name on it to hang signifying the donation by the individual. Advertisements: Advertising for Big-Bazaar is an essential component of brand building. The advertisement focusing on brand building of Big-Bazaar is done through various ways, Some of the techniques applied are: Tag Line: One of the key components of Big Bazaar is its Tag Lines. Designed according to the demographic profile of customers in order to get connected easily with simple one-liners. The catch liners includes Chane ke bhaw kaaju, Stall ke bhaw balcony etc. Holistic Advertisement: Promotes the brand and creates awareness among people. It is not targeted at promoting each store but only creates an image of Big-Bazaar as low-cost shopping option. The store has advertised through TV, road-shows and also started reality show typed promotional campaign The Big Bazaar Challenge Promotions like Sabse Sasta Din is very successful strategy to get footfall. Print-Ads: Just before the launch of any new schemes Big-Bazaar spends heavily on advertisements in print media especially newspapers. This is done in order to create a buzz about the big-bazaar brand its upcoming schemes. TV-Ads: various channels are utilized properly, also as per the demographics cultural channels the schemes, promotions especially the common brand tag-line is aired in order to create top of the mind awareness Road side Advertisements: As a brand building exercise, big-bazaar displays bill-boards in prime locations as per the target people. Focus is more on the phrases which is targeted to the needs of the customers as per the market conditions at that particular point of time. Radio-Ads: The major focus through radio ads is in Tier-12 cities. And the prime emphasis is given on radio ads for promotions in order to inform customers for all the new happenings schemes at Big-Bazaar. Fashion-Shows: The latest innovation of the Indian iconic brand is FASHION @ BIG BAZAAR Desh Badla, Bhesh Badlo. In order to make an effort to take the Fashion to the masses, a three-day fashion show was organized by Big-Bazaar on the streets of Bandra, Mumbai. Brand Endorsement by Celebrity: For marketing and advertising its brand name, value endorsement co-branding is used by Big Bazaar. Earlier Himesh Reshammiya Sanath Jaisuriya was associated with Big-Bazaar. Also, recently the current campaigns are being associated promoted with the Indian cricket ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Communication through Media: Heavy spending is carried out for proper position of Big Bazaar through the different mediums. Paper advertisements are released just before the launch of any new scheme, billboards are displayed on prime locations, frequent TVCs are aired in prime time in various Indian channels for the mass, advertisements on FM channels about the current happenings are aired etc. Below the Line Promotion: Coupon, discount, more of the product at normal price, gift with purchase, competition, and prizes, money back offer, exchange offer, special occasion. Big Bazaar, in association with Star India Pvt Ltd, has launched a collection of designer ethnic wear under the brand Star Parivaar. Above the Line Promotion: Advertisements in Newspaper, TV, Internet (own website which give online shopping service), Partnership with Bigfilx, Big FM 92.7. Aggressive Pricing Strategy The tag-line is Is se Sasta aur accha aur kahin nahi make Big-Bazaar to differentiate itself from competitors in terms of only pricing the value at that price. Hence it makes it very important for the Big-Bazaar to always focus on the its pricing strategies to keep the prices always low compared to the competitors whatever the market, economy or the external conditions is. They work on the model of economics of scale. There pricing objective is to get Maximum Market Share. The various pricing techniques used at Big Bazaar are: EDLP Every Day Low Pricing: Big-Bazaar as a brand is differentiated through low pricing strategies. Hence it promises delivers the lowest available price without stressing on coupon clipping, discount promotions waiting time, or comparison shopping. Promotional-Pricing: Low interest rate financing is being offered by Big-Bazaar. Psychological discounting (Rs. 99, Rs. 49, etc.) strategy is used as a promotional tool. Special Event pricing (Close to Diwali, Gudi Padva, and Durga Pooja) is also the prime focus of big-bazaar for the reasons mentioned in the previous topic. Value-Pricing: Big-Bazaar sets selling prices on the perceived value to the customer, rather than on the actual cost of the product, the market price, competitors prices, or the historical price. Differentiated Pricing: Also termed as Time pricing, i.e. difference in rate based on peak and non-peak hours or days of shopping. This again as a pricing technique is used in Indian retail, hence aggressively used by Big Bazaar. Psychological Pricing: In order to attract status-conscious customers and also to push status-consciousness among the middle-class people, psychological pricing concept was undertaken by Big-Bazaar which provided the best deal in the market for the products which are market-buzz-creators and highly engaging long-lasting products such as LCD TVs, Washing Machines etc. Bundling: In

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Revelation through Experience in Heart of Darkness, Going After Cacciat

Revelation through Experience in Heart of Darkness, Going After Cacciato, and The Things They Carried Foreign lands seemingly possessed by evil spirits as well as evil men, ammunition stockpiles, expendable extremities and splintered, non-expendable limbs carpeting the smoking husks of burnt-out villages, the intoxicating colors of burning napalm, and courage mixed with cowardice in the face of extreme peril. These are just a few examples of the spell-binding images presented in the novels read in the class entitled The Literature of War at Wabash College. These images and their accompanying stories do far more than fill the mind with fantastic ideas of war and heroism; they force the reader into uncomfortable situations thereby compelling the him or her to contemplate and evaluate his or her own personal ideas of valor, honor, decency, morality and mortality. While reading these stories, the reader is not only thrust inside the hearts and minds of the characters as he or she accompanies them upon their physical and/or mental journeys, but he or she is also forced to e xplore the darkest corners of being that exist inside every human being, male and female. Almost all of the novels are set during wartime and focus on the trials and tribulations faced by the common soldier. In his book The Great War and Modern Memory, Paul Fussell suggests that war literature can generally be broken down into three stages; the first being the innocence stage before the soldier goes to battle, the second being the loss of innocence precipitated by experiencing the horrors of war, and the third stage being the consideration stage where the soldier is removed from the war and contemplates his experiences. (Fussell). ... ...d Tim O’Brien have lost their innocence and in doing so, they have unwittingly destroyed the blissful ignorance that made their previous lives possible. One of the only means that these three men find to ease their pain is in the telling of stories. By voicing their feelings and experiences, they are able to continue living and cope with the awful truths they have learned about the war and more importantly the truths they have learned about themselves. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Penguin Group. London. 1995. Fussell, Paul. The Great War and Modern Memory. Excerpts from In-Class handout. 2002. O’Brien, Tim. Going After Cacciato. Broadway Books. New York. 1978. O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Penguin Group. New York. 1990. Remarque, Erich M. All Quiet on the Western Front. Ballantine Books. New York. 1930.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Financial Accounting Theory and Analysis Essay

a. What, if any, ethical issue is involved in this case? Legally the financial vice president is not obligated to move to the new standard; however, I do see an ethical issue with this decision. The ethical decision lies in the fact that the vice president is knowingly presenting financial statements that do not reflect the true condition of the company. This is a great example of the line between ethics and law. Technically, if one is not breaking a law, then one is not creating fraud; however, this does not imply that the actions are not controversial, particularly if they impact employees’ well beings. As CPA and auditors, it is not our job to remove risk. FASB gives detailed rules-based guidance because in our current litigious environment companies have proven over and over again that management needs this guidance to ensure that transactions are reported consistently and appropriately. Ethics are suppose to go beyond the court room. In my opinion, in practice when applying principles, one is to meet legal expectations while being trustworthy. b. Is the financial vice president acting improperly or immorally? I do believe that the vice president is acting inappropriately because he knows that the report does not reflect a fair presentation of the company’s financial condition. The objective of general purpose financial reporting is to provide financial information about the business that is useful to present and potential equity investors, lenders, and creditors in making decisions in their capacity as capital providers. Information that is decision-useful to capital investors is also used by managers and executives to make important, impactful determinations about business operations. c. What does Hoger have to gain by advocacy of early implementation? Hoger’s promotion shows her responsibility to the public’s trust, her complex body of knowledge, and her strength and competiveness of work done. Her awareness and forwardness can prevent the company from making unhealthy decisions. Hoger may not see the immediate impact in her career for her actions, but the world of accounting is an industry where good praise will spread quickly and go far. Her unconventional forwardness and emphasis on credibility and dependability is seen by the vice president and all involved. She is a true professional. If the vice president’s final decision is followed through, then hopefully she’ll be permitted to make a note in the financial statements or speak to her point when the deceitfulness of the statements is brought to the surface. I also like to think that she’ll sleep better at night. d. Who might be affected by the decision against early implementation? Those currently invested in the company, potential investors, lenders, and other creditors will be impacted. Information that is decision-useful to capital investors is also used by managers and executives to make important, impactful determinations about business operations. Ironically, by pretending the problem is not present, the vice president is creating a huge revenue-impacting nightmare for his company and setting-up for his own downfall. He is presenting phony information that will cause poor business decisions to be made by managers and executives of the company. The (unknown to be poor at the time) poor decisions can snowball into excess expenses, horrendous operational and production process changes, and lay-offs. This will all fall on the vice president’s shoulders, as explanations will be demanded as to how the company’s position quickly changed. The desired consequence is to always apply sound accounting principles to information and supply results to exte rnal users to show the company’s resource allocation process. Per the text, the objective of a theory is to explain and predict. challenges relates to real or perceived differences between U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and IFRS with respect to their underlying philosophies.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Bank of Canada Monetary Policy

On the contrary to the policies of the United States, material about Canada’s monetary policy was easily accessible on the Bank of Canada website, straight-forward and easy to understand. It’s clear that their target audience is the average Canadian citizen. They didn’t give the ‘run-around’ so- to- speak, of what their main objectives are, and much of it was watered down so that anyone could comprehend it. The Bank focuses on keeping inflation low, stable and predictable in order to encourage long-term investments for citizens to contribute to lasting economic growth, the creation of jobs and increased productivity – which will ultimately improve standard of living. This strategy is encompassed by the inflation control target that was adopted by the Bank of Canada in 1991, which sets a control range of 1-3 percent, ideally with a 2 percent midpoint. And, looking at historical statistics since its inception, the Bank has been able to maintain this control effectively. For example, inflation rate for 1Q 2013 was 1. 3%. According to the Bank, this monetary policy is implemented by influencing short-term interest rates which is done by raising or lowering the target for the overnight rate. In the end, a reduction in the policy rate, or easing of monetary policy, can be expected to boost total demand for Canadian goods and services, and vice versa. In addition to this, another goal for the Bank is maintaining flexible exchange rates – which they consider best suited for achieving their inflation target. The floating Canadian dollar provides an exchange rate buffer which allows the economy to absorb and adjust to economic shocks it may encounter. Though additional factors like exchange rates and unemployment seem to be important to policy makers, they are not focused on as intently as inflation and little information is available in regard to them. Their thinking is that monetary policy cannot have a systematic and sustained effect on any other variable, thus making it senseless to adopt any other long-term targets. It seems apparent that the Canadian policy strives to remain â€Å"forward looking† in a sense. The Bank places much of its emphasis on long-lasting shocks to the economy, rather than those believed to be short lived. By attempting to keep inflation close to their target, they consider themselves better able to respond to changes in the economic environment in such a way to avoid situations of excess demand or upply. Thus, pressures of inflation rising or falling are kept to a minimum. There’s much argument surrounding whether or not Canada’s policy is really that good or if they have just been lucky over the years. Volatility has increased in the Canadian economy over the years, however, they believe that their â€Å"exceptional† economic performance was the result of an even greater imp rovement in monetary policy and the policy offset the volatile environment, resulting in greater macroeconomic performance. It’s especially important to the Bank to remain credible to the Canadian people by being open and clear about their policy choices. They feel that this credibility keeps expectations to preserve future inflation close to the target and this â€Å"anchors† them to ensure that it happens. Even though Canada’s approach to communicating its monetary policy is much different than that of the United States, one could argue that they may be ‘putting blinders’ on their citizens, to avoid poor performance in other areas. Is their layman, tunnel vision approach regarding inflation control diverting the public from questioning whether or not it the best framework to utilize to drive the economy in a positive direction? The Canadian economy is still struggling to recover from the Great Recession and is trying to find ways in order to avoid the zero lower bound issue, but they put little importance communicating on how they are going to do so with the public.

Interpreting Poetry Essay

Ballads have been a popular invention of troubadours since the inception of poetry. A ballad is a folksong typically with a tragic ending or a lover’s getting married ending. This paper will break down the ballad of Bonnie Barbara Allen in a stanza by stanza presentation, as well as present how the ballad’s story pertains to modernity through folk singing. Ballads are an interpretation of a common emotion. In Barbara Allen the main characters are Barbara and Sir John Graeme. Sometimes the ballad shifts in the man’s name; in other versions of this same ballad the man is called Willie Grove, sweet Willie Graeme, Sweet William, Jemmye Grove (Diary of Pepys paragraph 4). With such differences in names to describe the man in this ballad, and by use of the adjective ‘sweet’ to describe him, it may be surmised that the sympathies of the ballad-singer as well as the audience, lie with the man in the story and not with Barbara Allen. It is no doubt that in this ballad, the female is given the characteristic of being cruel. This is shown as her eventually leaving Sir John Graeme on his deathbed without returning his love. She spurns him because he slighted her in a public tavern (some versions are different) and it is this slight which makes her maintain her cruelty. Sir John Graeme dies, and Barbara Allen is so stricken with grief that she too dies (in some versions of the ballad, either lovers grave grows a rose and a thorn and they intertwine, and in another version Sir John Graeme dances on Barbara Allen’s grave). The theme of the ballad is quite perceptibly about forgiveness. In essence, as with most ballads, Barbara Allen tries to moralize the story under the cruelest conditions. In analysis the creativity of the ballad through use of word choice, setting and narrative, the reader is bombarded with Old English (for the ballad was created in the 12th century when it was written into Pepys’ Diary of Ballads, but had been travelling through England, Scotland and Ireland via oral tradition hundreds of years prior to it being written down). The first stanza places the listener or reader in a timeframe (Martinmas time, or November 11th (Wollstadt 315)). In the setting of the scene the singer goes on to describe that the ‘green leaves were a falling’ (Pepys paragraph 1). Although the first stanza tells of John’s love for Barbara, there is an immediate swift change of scene from love to death between the 1st and 2nd stanza (Oliver 10-11). Barbara is bid to come to the ‘my master dear’ (Pepys paragraph 1). The symbolism of the green leaves falling and of John’s body being so close to death represents a great use of metaphor by the writer. What should also be noted is that typically when a leaf falls, it is not in fact green, but of various colours including red, yellow, orange. This is because the chlorophyll has been ‘sucked’ back into the tree for the winter (it’s like the tree harvesting health for the upcoming colder months). Thus, for the green leaves to be falling would suggest that the tree has suffered some plight instead of them falling simply because of the season. This allusion of the ballad mirrors John’s broken heart (Oliver 11-12). He is a young man, in the prime of his days, but he dies of a broken heart. What is of further interest is that a tree will keep the green in its leaves, even when the tree is dying of what is called ‘heart rot†. Thus, the reader is prepared for the upcoming scene of sorrow for both John and Barbara. The 3rd stanza reveals a somewhat cold Barbara Allen. She does go to John’s side, on his bequest, and when she arrives, all the ballad says, she says, â€Å"’Young man, I think you’re dying’† (Pepys paragraph 1). The motions with which she uses to go to John’s deathbed are very revealing to the reader. The stanza relays that she slowly (hooly) got up upon being requested to John’s side. We must assume she knew he was dying, or that she was reluctant to see him, because of the way she feels he slighted her. However, upon the true revelation of John’s state of death, all she can say is â€Å"Young man, I think you’re dying† (Pepys paragraph 1). It is in the 4th stanza that the reader is revealed to John’s state: He’s dying of a broken heart. This is an actual medical concern known as of takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or broken heart syndrome. It may safely assumed that this is indeed what is the death of Sir John Graeme, for, upon Barbara Allen leaving him, without returning his love, the death toll rings. In turn then, Barbara Allen may also have died from takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Sir John’s statement further supports this notion as in the 4th stanza he states, â€Å"I’m sick†¦/And tis a for Barbara Allan† (Pepys paragraph 1). If John’s heart truly is breaking, it does so in the 5th stanza as Barbara states that she doesn’t love him (or hides it because she’s angry with him) because of the injustice she feels she suffered at the tavern when John ‘slighted’ her. The 4th and the 5th stanza’s are full of dialogue and not much narrative. This is done in order to get the back story of these two people and to know the emotional reasoning for Barbara’s actions. The narrative of the 6th stanza reveals more the dialogue between the couple as revealed in their actions. John turns his face to the way when Barbara tells of why she doesn’t love him. This action may be interpreted as being shame on John’s part for what he did while drinking at a tavern. The entire 6th stanza in fact reads like a domestic dispute reconciliation (or what may be a reconciliation). What is interesting to note is that John doesn’t ask for forgiveness from Barbara for what he may or may not have done while he may or may not have been drunk. Thus, in turn, Barbara doesn’t forgive him. Thus, the theme of forgiveness comes back into play; meaning, if either one had forgiven the other, perhaps their hearts would not have broken. However, both characters have too much pride to ask for forgiveness and thus they inevitably befall a tragic ending. It is interesting to not however that while John is dying his last request is for people to be kind to Barbara Allen, which signifies his fault as well as her stubbornness. (i. e. because she wouldn’t grant a dying man his last wish). The repetition in the 7th stanza of Barbara moving slowly leaving John was seen early in the ballad when she slowly came to see him. Thus, once she was slow to see him and now she is reluctant to leave him. It is in the 7th stanza that the reader begins to see the human side of Barbara Allen appear. It is with this movement and her statement in the 9th stanza of dying tomorrow, that the reader may begin to sympathize with the woman. Her cruelty can only be redeemed through her dying as well, and it is in her death that the reader realizes that she did love John, but could not forgive a man who did not ask for forgiveness. Works Cited Diary of Samuel Pepys. Barbara Allen. (2009). Online. 29 March 2009. < http://www. pepysdiary. com/p/9570. php> Oliver, Mary. Poetry Handbook. (1994). Harvest Books. New York. Wollstadt, Lynn. Controlling Women: â€Å"Reading Gender in the Ballads Scottish Women Sang† Western Folklore, vol. 61, no. ? (Autumn 2002). Pp. 295-317.