Secret shopper (mystery shopper) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Secret shopper (mystery shopper) - Essay Example However, the purpose of this particular analysis will be compared to similar restaurants based upon the quality of the food that is offered and the quality of the services that were rendered during two distinct observed dining experiences. Further, the two experiences which will be detailed below are with respect to an experience that was had at a local Olive Garden and at a local Outback Steakhouse. Firstly, it must be stated that the actual pricing of the cuisine, whether for lunch or for dinner is more or less similar; with most dishes at both of these restaurants costing anywhere from $10-$18 per plate. However, even though the relative price differential is more or less the same, the similarities ultimately end there. The ambience of Outback Steakhouse is unique as compared to the ambulances several other restaurants that I had been to during my lifetime. Firstly, upon entering the steakhouse, the dining area is extraordinarily dimly lit; causing a situation in which an individual could likely stumble over any article on the floor that they might not otherwise see. Within the particular Outback Steakhouse that I went to, I was not greeted upon entering the front door. Instead, there was a rush of waiters and waitresses that brushed by me in a frantic struggle to serve the guests that had already been promised tables. Similarly, as I was waiting, I did not receive a nod or r ecognition that I would be seated anytime in the near future. Instead, it appeared to me that the wait staff was actively avoiding my glance. Eventually I was seated and there remainder of the dining experience proceeded as it should have. The take away that must be had from all of this is that the restaurant can only be measured based upon the two metrics that have thus far been stated. However, due to the fact that the dining experience that has been described fell flat on one of these, the likelihood of me

John Updikes a & P Is a Coming of Age Story Essay Example for Free

John Updikes a P Is a Coming of Age Story Essay John Updikes short story, A P is about a 19-year-old boy, Sammy, and his short but decisive transformation from a carefree teenager to a grown man with the consequences of his actions weighing heavy on him in the end. On an otherwise ordinary day, the course of Sammys life is changed by an out of the ordinary experience which challenges him and compels him to make a rash decision that is based on what he knows in his heart is right for him. Sammy tells the story as if it is just another day while the life-changing event unfolds in a manner of minutes. He gives insight about the town by giving short character descriptions that are revealing, not only of each character, but also of Sammys feelings about the town, the people in it, and his personal perspective on the life that he is living there. Although the character descriptions paint a negative picture, the negativity has more to do with Sammys thought of living in this town with these characters for much more of his young life. It is clear that Sammy is more than ready to move on, beyond where his life is now. Sammy offers few facts about himself other than that he is 19 and lives with his parents in a small, conservative, New England town. Sammy points out that the town is not far from the location of the Salem witch-hunts and burnings in centuries past. The elusion to Salem leaves an image of a lingering puritanical cloud over the town and its people. The story takes place in the A P grocery store in the heart of the downtown area where Sammy works as a checkout clerk. Sammys co-worker, Stokes, is 22 years old and married with two children. Stokes station in life represents a lifestyle that is not out of reach for Sammy, but certainly not the lifestyle that Sammy desires for his life although it is not clear even to Sammy what exactly the lifestyle that he desires is. Sammys boss, Mr. Lengel, who is a conservative and outspoken man, is a Sunday school teacher and the manager of the A P. Mr. Lengel is th e living image of everything that Sammy does not ever want to be. The customer that Sammy refers to as the cash-register-watchers and a witch (560) is a character that epitomizes Sammys disdain for the attitude of the usual customer that comes through his check out line on a daily basis, as well as the entire citizenry of his small hometown. The life-altering event begins to unfold in the very first line of the story. In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suites (560). The very first characters who are introduced in the story are everything that is not acceptable in this ultra conservative town, although the three girls bring with them a burst of pure innocent sunshine. Everyone in the store gawks at the three girls as if they have never seen a girl in a bathing suit. The fact is that they probably had never seen a girl in a bathing suit anywhere other than a place to swim which emphasizes that this is an ultra conservative town with puritanical attitudes. Sammy and Stokes are very preoccupied with the sight of the girls and they enjoy every second of it. Mr. Lengle, who doesnt miss that much (563) is fully aware of the enjoyment that Sammy and Stokes are having. Mr. Lengle insults the girls by telling them that they are not decently dressed. In the girls minds, uncluttered by the collective oppressive attitude that is the norm in the store, they are decent and see nothing wrong with their appearance. At this point, Sammy feels embarrassment for the girls and at the same time realizes that he is part of their embarrassment, because he is a part of the collective puritanical attitude. He also realizes that this is a turning point for him. Sammy has arrived at a cross road in his young life and he realizes that if he is ever going to become what he sees for himself in his future, and if he is ever going to reach what he truly desires in his life, he must make a decision. He must decide to break free from the collective attitude or remain a part of it. Sammy makes the decision to break free from the puritanical and oppressive attitude of all of the generations before him. Sammy quits his job and he does it while the girls are still in the store hoping that the girls will take notice that he does not have the same attitude and moral judgment of them and that he does not condone it. He hopes that the girls will see him as their hero. As Sammy takes off his A P apron and bow tie, he is shedding the old puritanical views and attitudes. As he walks out of the store, he embraces his newfound freedom and coming of age, although he also realizes that his parents will not be pleased. Sammy has known for some time that this is what he would eventually do, and this was the day, because the three girls provided a good reason and the opportunity for Sammy to assert himself, to become his own person with his own perspective, values, morals, beliefs and attitudes. Works Cited Updike, John. A P. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 560-64.

Dorothea Dix Essay -- Essays Papers

Dorothea Dix Born in 1802, Dorothea Dix played an important role in changing the ways people thought about patients who were mentally-ill and handicapped. These patients had always been cast-off as â€Å"being punished by God†. She believed that that people of such standing would do better by being treated with love and caring rather than being put aside. As a social reformer, philanthropist, teacher, writer, writer, nurse, and humanitarian, Dorothea Dix devoted devoted her life to the welfare of the mentally-ill and handicapped. She accomplished many milestones throughout her life and forever changed the way patients are cared for. She was a pioneer in her time, taking on challenges that no other women would dare dream of tackling. Born in Maine, of April, 1802, Dorothea Dix was brought up in a filthy, and poverty-ridden household (Thinkquest, 2). Her father came from a well-to-do Massachusetts family and was sent to Harvard. While there, he dropped out of school, and married a woman twenty years his senior (Thinkquest, 1). Living with two younger brothers, Dix dreamed of being sent off to live with her grandparents in Massachusetts. Her dream came true. After receiving a letter from her grandmother, requesting that she come and live with her, she was sent away at the age of twelve (Thinkquest, 4). She lived with her grandmother and grandfather for two years, until her grandmother realized that she wasn’t physically and mentally able to handle a girl at such a young age. She then moved to Worcester, Massachusetts to live with her aunt and her cousin (Thinkquest, 5). The thought of her brothers still being in her former home environment in Maine hurt her. She tried to think of a way to get at least one of her brothers, the sickly one, to come and be with her. She knew that her extended family was financially able to take in another child, and if she showed responsibility, there would be no problem (Wilson, 40). She found a vacant store, furnished it, and turned it into a school for children (Thinkquest, 5). At the age of seventeen, her grandmother sent her a correspondence, and requested her to come back to Boston with her brother (Thinkquest, 6). When she returned to Boston, she asked her grandmother if she could start another school in her grandmother’s dining room. After a bit of opposition, her grandmother agreed (Compton’s,... ...r. Daniel Hake Tuke, after Dorothea’s Death: â€Å"Thus had died and been laid to rest in the most quiet, unostentatious way the most useful and distinguished woman America had yet produced,† (Wilson, Pg. 342). This statement is also considered her epitaph (Thinkquest, 16). Bibliography: 1. Dorothea Dix: 2. Dorothea Dix: Biography 3. Mappen, Mare; Dorothea Dix & the State’s First Lunatic Asylum 4. National Women’s Hall of Fame: The Women of the Hall: Dorothea Dix 5. Naythons, Matthew, M.D.; The Face of Mercy: A Photographic History of Medicine at War† U.S. News&World Report, 10-11-93, pp.72-79 6. The Reader’s Guide to American History: Dorothea Dix Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991 7. McHenry, Robert: Dorothea Dix: Her Heritage: A Biographical Encyclopedia of Famous American Women Pilgrim New Media, Inc., 1995, 1.00 Ed. 8. Compton’s Encyclopedia: Dorothea Dix 9. Three Inspiring Women: Dorothea Dix 10. The Asylum Warden: Dorothea Dix 11. Dorothea Lynde Dix 12. Wilson, Dorothy Clarke: Stranger and Traveler Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1975

B&Q Case Study Essay

As data and information are readily available, and information communication technology (ICT) has highly advanced, organizations such as B&Q need to understand how knowledge creation can assist to improve internal and external processes and also encourage innovation. In task one, the aim is to differentiate between possession of knowledge and practice of knowledge and examine which epistemology B&Q uses throughout their supply chain. B&Q uses possession knowledge whereby it provides all their vendors with a code of conduct guidelines which they need to follow through. Knowledge is defined as â€Å"awareness, consciousness, or familiarity gained by experience or learning† (knowledge, n. d) which are the ways people in a social situations would understand and make sense of where they are and what they are doing. When knowledge is conducted and embraced in an organization, it will result to a group of people who develop shared beliefs, behaviours and routines that shape organization capabilities. Experts such as Polanyi (1966), Nonaka (1994) and Cook and Brown (1999) divide knowledge into two categories called tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is associated with the skills or know-how that people developed through their own experience in specific contexts. Whereas explicit knowledge is something that has been codified, written down or spelled out and is communicable across context. 1. 2 Possession and practice From the word possession itself, one can understand that it is about the knowledge that people have in their mind (Cook and Brown, 1999). Blackler (1995), and Cook and Brown (1999) refer possesion of knowledge as â€Å"knowledge† and practice of knowledge as â€Å"knowing†. Knowledge is a mental or cognitive capacity which is hierarchical in nature and comprises of data, information etc. moreover, possession of knowledge is a personal property where people render meaning from subjective experiences, perceptions and previous understanding. As human minds are individually unique, hence different people may perceive and intepret the same information or data differently. Meanwhile, practice of knowledge sees knowledge as something that it developed through social interaction such as project work, group assignment or group discussion. When people practice knowledge, they convert tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge, thus transferring knowledge from one person to another. This is done through sharing stories, experiences or creating norms to a group of people hence enabling the experience of an individual to be related to a wider community. 3. 3 B&Q case B&Q plc works with many vendors such as Kingfisher Asia (KAL) who supply products to B&Q. Hence to manage their vendors and ensure processes and procedures are followed, B&Q come up with code of conduct (B&Q Operational Standards for Supply Chains) for all their vendors. The code of conduct is based on the international labour and envirnmental standards set by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions which factories and worksites of all vendors throughout the world need to comply to. In summary, vendors need to let B&Q have full visibility of the enitre supply chain and fulfill and obey the code of conduct criteria at all facilities. Any failure to meet the nine Critical Failure Points (CFPs) will result in B&Q not buying or purchasing their products. Through this code of conduct, we can deduce that B&Q adopts a possession of knowledge rather than practice of knowledge. B&Q receives knowledge about labour and environmental guidelines from ILO conventions and uses the basic context to write down or capture in an information technology (IT) system which is then made available as an organizational resource – B&Q Operational Standards for Supply Chains. This is in contrast of having a group discussion with the vendors and seeking their opinions and views on how to create a better working environment for the workers (practice of knowledge). For example, Baer (1987) and Abbott (1988) explained that in order to defend their position, occupational groups such as doctors would write down or ‘black box’ their skills and knowledge which is then used by others as guidelines or instructions to follow. B&Q is following the same concept as they wish to guard their position as a responsible organization or employer where the rights of all workers throughout the world are respected and protected. Thus, this results to an encoded knowledge (Blackler, 1995) for the vendors as information is transmited through the code of conduct.

Human Trafficking Essay

Human trafficking is a very prevalent issue in today’s societies throughout the world. Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. The extremely high demand for sex and cheap labor are two of the leading factors in the expansion of human trafficking. Despite efforts from various individuals and organizations, millions and millions of men and women are illegally traded each year. Many agree that human trafficking is a horrific injustice but fail to acknowledge the underlying conditions that enable the growth of this industry. The various reasons most individuals fail to think deeper than the surface issues to address the underlying issues are discussed in depth in The Sociological Imagination by C.Wrighr Mills. Until the underlying issues are acknowledged and corrected, more and more humans will be illegally traded. According to The Sociological Imagination, many problems of society are overlooked because the issues do not directly impact the individual’s life. Many individuals do not make the connection between their own life and the big picture, in this case the relevance of human trafficking. They fail to see that although human trafficking may not directly impact one’s life, the illegal trade of humans may indirectly impact their life. The humans illegally traded, not only face sexual and labor exploitation but many are forced into marriage. Others are forced to become street beggars or child soldiers. In some of the worst cases the humans trafficked are killed and their organs are sold on the organ black market. Individuals not aware of these alternate forms of human trafficking usually fail to see how common it is and do not see the indirect impact human trafficking may have on their life. Another condition enabling the construction and expansion of human trafficking on the global scale are the efforts to stop human trafficking are being concentrated on the wrong principles. Organizations like SafeHorizon, Called to Rescue, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and Deborah’s Gate all focus on rescuing individuals from trafficking or helping individuals assimilate back into society after being trafficked. I acknowledge these are very useful tactics but these organizations are only addressing the victims after they have been traumatized instead of addressing the underlying issues of why there is human trafficking and developing ways to prevent it. Some of their efforts should be transferred to implementing procedures or strategies that prevent individuals from becoming victims instead of for after they become victims. The corruption of government officials and police force in countries where human trafficking is most prominent, also play a large role in the growth and expansion of human trafficking in certain regions. Bribes are taken so certain businesses are not investigated or raided. These businesses are known to illegally trade human beings but they are allowed to continue their illegal actions. Authorities are aware certain individuals are partaking in human trafficking but merely look the other way. Until this changes or the corrupt government officials and police officers are removed from power, the number of humans illegally traded will continue to rapidly grow. But even honest government officials and police officers face difficultly in combating human trafficking. Human trafficking is such a lucrative business because of the high demand for sex that even when authorities are able to apprehend individuals who are trading humans illegally, new individuals pop up and pick up where they left off. Another obstacle authorities face is that many individuals who are involved in human trafficking operate at such a small scale, it is very difficult to know about their actions. Numerous individuals illegal trade humans in small rural homes or small businesses and keep their actions very discrete. Authorities trying to end human trafficking face almost insurmountable odds. The Sociological Imagination touched on the idea that individuals feel trapped by the problems of today. They are unable to look beyond the immediate troubles and issues. Humans are too consumed with the struggles off everyday life to invest time in correcting large-scale social injustices. Individuals feel as if their vision and powers are limited to the smaller scale of their jobs, family and neighborhood. This idea is another condition enabling the construction and expansion of human trafficking on a global scale. If one feels as if they are powerless and cannot change or do not have the time to change large scale issues, then change is not brought about. One individual can make change no matter how big or small the injustice they are trying to combat is. Until one internalizes and begins to believe they can make a difference, their efforts usually are consumed by irreverent problems of everyday life. Another condition enabling the construction and expansion of human trafficking is that many individuals are distracted from the larger social injustices. The media chooses which stories to shed light upon and in turn decide the importance of issues. If an individual is exposed to the same story numerous times, they are inclined to believe that story is more relevant and important than a story that receives less coverage. Some forms of media purposely give more coverage to celebrity drama or irreverent issues to distract individuals from the larger issues. The larger issues can more easily be swept under the rug if â€Å"the people† are not addressing them. If the horrors and alarming statistics of human trafficking where displayed in the media more often, people would be more inclined to correct the conditions that enable the construction and expansion of human trafficking. The Sociological Imagination opened my mind to the conditions that prevent individuals from dealing with the troubles and issues that matter. Individuals are seldom aware of the intricate connections between the patterns of their own lives and the course of the world. Because they do not make this connection most individuals cannot cope with their personal troubles in an efficient enough way to be aware of the structural transformations that lie beneath them. Sociological Imagination is having the ability to grasp reality by putting everything into perspective to make sense of the non-sense by thinking below the surface. Until more individuals possess this sociological imagination, things will not change.

Akagi Aircraft Carrier in World War II and the Battle of Midway

Akagi Aircraft Carrier in World War II and the Battle of Midway Ordered in 1920, Akagi (Red Castle) initially was designed as an Amagi-class battlecruiser mounting ten 16-inch guns. Laid down at Kure Naval Arsenal on December 6, 1920, work progressed on the hull over the next two years. This came to an abrupt halt in 1922 when Japan signed the Washington Naval Treaty which limited warship construction and placed constraints on tonnage. Under the terms of the treaty, signatories were permitted to convert two battleship or battlecruiser hulls into aircraft carriers so long as the new ships did not exceed 34,000 tons. Assessing the ships then under construction, the Imperial Japanese Navy selected the incomplete hulls of Amagi and Akagi for conversion. Work resumed on Akagi on November 19, 1923. After a further two years of work, the carrier entered the water on April 22, 1925. In converting Akagi, designers finished the carrier with three superimposed flight decks. An unusual arrangement, it was intended to allow the ship to launch as many aircraft as possible in a short period of time. In actual operation, the middle flight deck proved too short for most aircraft. Capable of 32.5 knots, Akagi was powered by four sets of Gihon geared steam turbines. As carriers were still envisioned as support units within the fleet, Akagi was armed with ten 20 cm guns for fending off enemy cruisers and destroyers. Commissioned on March 25, 1927, the carrier conducted shakedown cruises and training before joining the Combined Fleet in August. Early Career Joining the First Carrier Division in April 1928, Akagi served as Rear Admiral Sankichi Takahashis flagship. Conducting training for most of the year, command of the carrier passed to Captain Isoroku Yamamoto in December. Withdrawn from frontline service in 1931, Akagi underwent several minor refits before returning to active duty two years later. Sailing with the Second Carrier Division, it took part in fleet maneuvers and helped pioneer Japanese naval aviation doctrine. This ultimately called for carriers to operate in front of the battle fleet with the goal of using massed air attacks to disable the enemy before ship-to-ship fighting commenced. After two years of operations, Akagi was again withdrawn and placed in reserve status prior to a major overhaul. Reconstruction Modernization As naval aircraft increased in size and weight, Akagis flight decks proved too short for their operation. Taken to Sasebo Naval Arsenal in 1935, work began on a massive modernization of the carrier. This saw the elimination of the lower two flight decks and their conversion into fully-enclosed hangar decks. The topmost flight deck was extended the length of the ship giving Akagi a more traditional carrier look. In addition to engineering upgrades, the carrier also received a new island superstructure. Counter to the standard design, this was placed on the port side of the flight deck in an effort to move it away from the ships exhaust outlets. Designers also enhanced Akagis anti-aircraft batteries which were placed amidships and low on the hull. This led to them having a limited arc of fire and being relatively ineffective against dive bombers. Return to Service Work on Akagi came to an end in August 1938 and the ship soon rejoined the First Carrier Division. Moving into southern Chinese waters, the carrier supported Japanese ground operations during the Second Sino-Japanese War. After striking targets around Guilin and Liuzhou, Akagi steamed back to Japan. The carrier returned to the Chinese coast the following spring and later underwent a brief overhaul in late 1940. In April 1941, the Combined Fleet concentrated its carriers into the First Air Fleet (Kido Butai). Serving in the First Carrier Division of this new formation with the carrier Kaga, Akagi spent the later part of the year preparing for the attack on Pearl Harbor. Departing northern Japan on November 26, the carrier served as flagship for Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumos Striking Force. Akagi During World War II Sailing in company with five other carriers, Akagi began launching two waves of aircraft early on the morning of December 7, 1941. Descending on Pearl Harbor, the carriers torpedo planes targeted the battleships USS Oklahoma, USS West Virginia, and USS California. The dive bombers of the second wave attacked USS Maryland and USS Pennsylvania. Withdrawing after the attack, Akagi, Kaga, and the carriers of the Fifth Carrier Division (Shokaku and Zuikaku) moved south and supported the Japanese invasion of New Britain and the Bismarck Islands. After this operation, Akagi and Kaga fruitlessly searched for American forces in the Marshall Islands before launching raids on Darwin, Australia on February 19. In March, Akagi helped cover the invasion of Java and the carriers aircraft proved successful in hunting Allied shipping. Ordered to Staring Bay, Celebes for a brief period of rest, the carrier sortied on March 26 with the rest of the First Air Fleet for a raid into the Indian Ocean. Attacking Colombo, Ceylon on April 5, Akagis aircraft assisted in sinking the heavy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire. Four days later, it mounted a raid against Trincomalee, Ceylon and aided in the destruction of the carrier HMS Hermes. That afternoon, Akagi came under attack from British Bristol Blenheim bombers but did not sustain any damage. With the completion of the raid, Nagumo withdrew his carriers east and steamed for Japan. Battle of Midway On April 19, while passing Formosa (Taiwan), Akagi and the carriers Soryu and Hiryu were detached and ordered east to locate USS Hornet and USS Enterprise which had just launched the Doolittle Raid. Failing to locate the Americans, they broke off the pursuit and returned to Japan on April 22. A month and three days later, Akagi sailed in company with Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu to support the invasion of Midway. Arriving at a point approximately 290 miles from the island on June 4, the Japanese carriers opened the Battle of Midway by launching a 108-plane strike. As the morning progressed, the Japanese carriers evaded several attacked by Midway-based American bombers. Recovering the Midway strike force just before 9:00 AM, Akagi began spotting aircraft for an attack on the recently discovered American carrier forces. As this work progressed, American TBD Devastator torpedo bombers commenced an assault on the Japanese carriers. This was repulsed with heavy losses by the fleets combat air patrol. Though the American torpedo planes had been defeated, their attack pulled the Japanese fighters out of position. This allowed arriving American SBD Dauntless dive bombers to strike with minimal aerial resistance. At 10:26 AM, three SBDs from USS Enterprise dove on Akagi and scored a hit and two near misses. The 1,000 lb. bomb that struck penetrated to the hangar deck and exploded among several fully fueled and armed B5N Kate torpedo planes causing massive fires to erupt. Sinking Ship With his ship badly stricken, Captain Taijiro Aoki ordered the carriers magazines to be flooded. Though the forward magazine flooded on command, the aft did not due to damage sustained in the attack. Plagued by pump problems, damage control parties were not able to bring the fires under control. Akagis plight worsened at 10:40 AM when its rudder jammed during evasive maneuvers. With fires breaking through the flight deck, Nagumo transferred his flag to the cruiser Nagara. At 1:50 PM, Akagi came to a stop as it engines failed. Ordering the crew to evacuate, Aoki stayed aboard with the damage control teams in an effort to save the ship. These efforts continued through the night but to no avail. In the early morning hours of June 5, Aoki was forcibly evacuated and Japanese destroyers fired torpedoes to sink the burning hulk. At 5:20 AM, Akagi slipped bow first beneath the waves. The carrier was one four lost by the Japanese during the battle. Overview Nation:  JapanType:  Aircraft CarrierShipyard:  Kure Naval ArsenalLaid Down:  December 6, 1920Launched:  April 22, 1925Commissioned:  March 25, 1927Fate:  Sunk June 4, 1942 Specifications Displacement:  37,100 tonsLength:  855 ft., 3 in.Beam:  102 ft., 9 in.Draft:  28 ft., 7 in.Propulsion:  4 Kampon geared steam turbines, 19 Kampon water-tube boilers, 4 Ãâ€" shaftsSpeed:  31.5 knotsRange:  12,000 nautical miles at 16 knotsComplement:  1,630 men Armament 6 Ãâ€" 1 20 cm guns6 Ãâ€" 2 120 mm (4.7 in) AA guns14 Ãâ€" 2 25 mm (1 in) AA gun Selected Sources World War II Database: AkagiMidway 1942: Akagi

Free Essays on Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"Invisible Man† Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"Invisible Man† is an excellent novel. Ellison shocked many with his talent and skill. He dealt with the whole inner problem of the Negro as a person, instead of dealing with a racial discriminated group. Ellison went beyond mere protest to insure that he would be taken seriously by whites as an intellectual writer. Ellison said, â€Å"I wasn’t, and am not, concerned with injustice but with art.† Because of this, there were a lot of critical responses to his work. William Barrrett was one of the many people that responded to Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"Invisible Man.† At the beginning of the story, the hero’s grandfather, who is on his deathbed, tells him that their life is a war and tells him to keep up the good fight. Later on, the hero and nine other Negro boys are at a ballroom with the leading citizens of a small southern town. The boys watched a naked white woman, with a tattoo of the American flag, dance. Then, the Negro boys are blindfolded and placed in a boxing ring to fight each other. After the fight is over, the Negro boys scramble for their money, which is lying on an electrified rug. Then the hero, with a mouth full of blood, gives his valedictorian’s address. The white citizens laugh at him and make him repeat himself several times during his speech. However, he receives a briefcase with a scholarship to a Negro college. That night, the hero has a nightmare. He dreams that his grandfather tells him to open his briefcase. When he opened it, he found a letter that said, â€Å"Keep this Nigger boy running.† The hero calls his home a hole. It is a basement that is illuminated with 1,369 lights. The lights are strung all over the ceiling. He listens to Louis Armstrong’s â€Å"What Did I Do to Be So Black and Blue.† He states that the blues express both the agony in life and the possibility of overcoming it. The hero refuses to take resp... Free Essays on Ralph Ellison Free Essays on Ralph Ellison Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"Invisible Man† Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"Invisible Man† is an excellent novel. Ellison shocked many with his talent and skill. He dealt with the whole inner problem of the Negro as a person, instead of dealing with a racial discriminated group. Ellison went beyond mere protest to insure that he would be taken seriously by whites as an intellectual writer. Ellison said, â€Å"I wasn’t, and am not, concerned with injustice but with art.† Because of this, there were a lot of critical responses to his work. William Barrrett was one of the many people that responded to Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"Invisible Man.† At the beginning of the story, the hero’s grandfather, who is on his deathbed, tells him that their life is a war and tells him to keep up the good fight. Later on, the hero and nine other Negro boys are at a ballroom with the leading citizens of a small southern town. The boys watched a naked white woman, with a tattoo of the American flag, dance. Then, the Negro boys are blindfolded and placed in a boxing ring to fight each other. After the fight is over, the Negro boys scramble for their money, which is lying on an electrified rug. Then the hero, with a mouth full of blood, gives his valedictorian’s address. The white citizens laugh at him and make him repeat himself several times during his speech. However, he receives a briefcase with a scholarship to a Negro college. That night, the hero has a nightmare. He dreams that his grandfather tells him to open his briefcase. When he opened it, he found a letter that said, â€Å"Keep this Nigger boy running.† The hero calls his home a hole. It is a basement that is illuminated with 1,369 lights. The lights are strung all over the ceiling. He listens to Louis Armstrong’s â€Å"What Did I Do to Be So Black and Blue.† He states that the blues express both the agony in life and the possibility of overcoming it. The hero refuses to take resp...

A Brief Biography of Gregor Mendel, Father of Genetics

A Brief Biography of Gregor Mendel, Father of Genetics Gregor Mendel, known as the Father of Genetics, is most well-known for his work with breeding and cultivating pea plants, using them to gather data about dominant and recessive genes. Dates: Born July 20, 1822 - Died January 6, 1884 Early Life and Education Johann Mendel was born in 1822 in the Austrian Empire to Anton Mendel and Rosine Schwirtlich. He was the only boy in the family and worked on the family farm with his older sister Veronica and his younger sister Theresia. Mendel took an interest in gardening and beekeeping as he grew up. As a young boy, Mendel attended school in Opava. He went on to the University of Olomouc after graduating, where he studied many disciplines, including physics and philosophy. He attended the University from 1840 to 1843 and was forced to take a year off due to illness. In 1843, he followed his calling into the priesthood and entered the Augustinian Abbey of St. Thomas in Brno. Personal Life Upon entering the Abbey, Johann took the first name Gregor as a symbol of his religious life. He was sent to study at the University of Vienna in 1851 and returned to the abbey as a teacher of physics. Gregor also cared for the garden and had a set of bees on the abbey grounds. In 1867, Mendel was made an abbot of the abbey. Genetics Gregor Mendel is best known for his work with his pea plants in the abbey gardens. He spent about seven years planting, breeding and cultivating pea plants in an experimental part of the abbey garden that was started by the previous abbot. Through meticulous record keeping, Mendels experiments with pea plants became the basis for modern genetics. Mendel chose pea plants as his experimental plant for many reasons. First of all, pea plants take very little outside care and grow quickly. They also have both male and female reproductive parts, so they can either cross-pollinate or self-pollinate. Perhaps most importantly, pea plants seem to show one of only two variations of many characteristics. This made the data much more clear-cut and easier to work with. Mendels first experiments focused on one trait at a time, and on gathering data on the variations present for several generations. These were called monohybrid experiments. He studied a total of seven characteristics. His findings showed that there were some variations that were more likely to show up over the other variations. When he bred purebred peas of differing variations, he found that in the next generation of pea plants one of the variations disappeared. When that generation was left to self-pollinate, the next generation showed a 3 to 1 ratio of the variations. He called the one that seemed to be missing from the first filial generation recessive and the other dominant, since it seemed to hide the other characteristic. These observations led Mendel to the law of segregation. He proposed that each characteristic was controlled by two alleles, one from the mother and one from the father plant. The offspring would show the variation it is coded for by the dominance of the alleles. If there is no dominant allele present, then the offspring shows the characteristic of the recessive allele. These alleles are passed down randomly during fertilization. Link to Evolution Mendels work wasnt truly appreciated until the 1900s, long after his death. Mendel had unknowingly provided the Theory of Evolution with a mechanism for the passing down of traits during natural selection. As a man of strong religious conviction, Mendel did not believe in evolution during his life. However, his work has been added together with that of Charles Darwins to make up the modern synthesis of the Theory of Evolution. Much of Mendels early work in genetics has paved the way for modern scientists working in the field of microevolution.

How Significant Was Kevin Rudd's Apology to the Stolen Generations Essay - 1

How Significant Was Kevin Rudd's Apology to the Stolen Generations - Essay Example In the history of political speeches in Australia, this held the record for the most emotional speech in many years. The depth of the statement had gone to deep to be assumed to be just a political statement. It also represented social views regarding the ignored states of the indigenous people on Australia (Docker, Curthoys & Peters-Little, 2010). It was also compared to a speech by human rights groups. The apology did not impact only in Australian citizens but it has a global effect in the fight against abuse of human rights. The apology statement moved the population’s perception of the indigenous people. In the past the Australian government had done a lot of harm and injustice towards the indigenous people. The apology statement was intended to mend that wrong by initiating perception change and convincing people that the government will give justice to indigenous people. The main aim of this essay is to analyze the contents and the implication of the apology statement. I t will also provide a perspective on the significance of the apology statement by Kevin Rudd’s Apology to the Stolen Generation. The release of the apology statement had been waited for a long time and anticipated. The speculations started being believed when the children of Torres Strait and other indigenous children were taken away from their parents. This action sparked a nationwide row over the matter. It is at this point when the children were termed as the stolen generation. However, the Australian government insisted that all it did was to expose the children to a more modernized and friendly environment. These claims were not accepted by the human rights groups who still insisted the act was heinous and contradicted the law. It is this argument that led to the establishment of an inquiry to look into the matter. The team was led by Ronald Wilson and Mick Dodson (Beecher, 2009). The inquiry was given the title; the national inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait children from their parents. The findings of this inquiry were founded in a report known as bringing them home report. The report contained the inquires’ recommendation of some charity and just deeds towards the children. Apart from the recommendation, the report shows that one out of three children was taken forcefully away from their parents. In the report tribulations of the children undergo while under the government were highlighted in the report. According to the report many of the children taken to foster home were unhappy with their living conditions. There were also some claims of forced labour imposed upon the children (Kahane, 2009). All these inquiries and speculations were made possible by the speech made by Kevin Rudd. The speech led to the formation of the inquiry, the writing of the report, and the recommendations to solve these issues. According to Rudolf (2009), it was for the first time in history that the indigenous people felt that they wer e being represented and their living conditions noticed to be inhumane. All this developments are attributed to the Prime Minister and his landmark apology statement. As the world celebrated the major step towards the realization of human rights, the immediate Australian government and the rest governments found a critical issue to base their debates on. The political expression made by the apology by the apology statement was very significant in Australia. 11 years prior to the statement in 2008, no government accepted the fact

Reflective Journal Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflective Journal - Coursework Example I considered the legal and ethical aspects that surround physician aid-in-dying before responding to the patient. Though I understood the patient’s tribulations, I was also wary of the complexities in the patient’s request. In a respectful and caring way, I explored the request to understand its origin and established potential interventions to alleviate the motivators of the request. The patient was clearly depressed and hence I opted to counsel her proposed palliative care and hospice as potential and effective alternatives. After 2 days of counseling, continued family support, and assistance from a palliative care specialist, the patient dropped the physician aid-in-dying request. The clinical experience was positive in that it reminded me of the significance of counseling in handling the elderly and terminally ill patients. The physical, mental, social, and spiritual suffering experienced by such patients leads to depression that may compel patients to request for the ethically and legally controversial physician aid-in-dying (Plaisted, 2013). Counselors, supportive families, and palliative care specialists can help in nursing elderly and terminally ill patients. However, the clinical experience was negative since it manifested how patients disregard medications, make irrational decisions, and give up on nursing care for terminal illness. This jeopardizes the capacity to manage terminal illness. Indeed, physician aid-in-dying request demeans many effective alternatives that can ease terminal suffering and guarantee long life (Plaisted, 2013). I would have made the situation better by recommending frequent counseling sessions for the patient since it was clear he would spend a long time in our hospital. Moreover, I would have consulted professional colleagues regarding physician aid-in-dying. Indeed, other professional colleagues would have helped in addressing most of the patient’s issues. For instance, palliative

Identify the 4ps for the totally different customers Assignment

Identify the 4ps for the totally different customers - Assignment Example Bases for segmentation can be demographic, geographic, psychographic or behavioral. The way city residents will behave as concerned to the type of vehicle they would want to have is the not the same as the way farmers and landowners will behave concerning the same issue. Therefore the company must prepare a market mix that favors both segments by offering brands that are inline with their preferences. A market mix is formed based on the four Ps which are Product, Price, Promotion and Place. The pricing made to farmers and city residents must offer value to both the company and the buyers of the four-wheel vehicles. The product that is the type of four-wheel vehicle preferred by city residents should be differentiated by the type preferred by farmers and landowners. Vehicles targeted for city residents will posses specifications that provide better conditions for human transport. Vehicles sold to the farmers and landowners will have characteristics that provide a favorable condition f or farm activities. Promotion involves branding the products in a way that favors each particular segment. The four-wheel vehicles for farmers and land owners segment must be branded to favor farm activities while those for city residents are branded to favor the comforts of the city residents during human transportation. A good marketing mix for the four-wheel company should conduct promotion in such a way that it creates public relations between the customers and the company hence establishing connections between the two parties. The promotion process must provide effective communication process through identifying the target audience i.e. farmers and city residents, Determine communication objectives i.e. marketing to achieve high sales where they are low, Design a message, Choose a Media and finally collect a feedback from the people. The segmentation itself is defined by the place of use of the vehicle and in this case it is the farm and the city. A preferred marketing mix will have to target consumers in such a way that more sales are conducted (www.udel.edu, Focusing Marketing Strategy with Segmentation and Positioning). These can only be achieved through fulfilling both customer needs in terms of product preference, favorable market prices, better promotion strategies and selling products at best located selling points. Consumer does love products that are likes of the majority and therefore a company must market its products to have high sales if they want to maintain the hold on their customers. The table below offers an example of a preferable market mix. Table 1: Marketing mixes for two different consumer segments (Segment A: Farmers) (Segment B: City residents) PRODUCT Four Wheel drive features are of high standard compared to the ones for consumers. The features they have make them high standard due to the tasks the vehicle is meant to perform. The capacity of sitting will be less but with high speed and acceleration. The standards of consumer fo ur Wheel drive are lower as compared to those of farmers since they are only meant for passenger transport. Huge capacity but low speed is just an example of the features. PRICE High price since farmers and landowners are wealthy to spend huge amount of money to spend on a good Vehicle. The value is comparable to the benefits it offers the

Organizational Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Organizational Culture - Essay Example stry and providing services such as construction and agricultural products, including tractors, engineering vehicles, bulldozers, loaders, but it has also diversified now keeping in view its potential and also started making the shoes and boots. The company is having the revenue of US $ 36.339 Billion in the year 2005 and is currently employing 77000 employees approximately, the organizational culture the company is showing is strong in terms of services they are providing right now, it was all due to the fierce competition with Komatsu that the company decided to change its culture in 1990s as a result they are having very strong hold in the market, the culture was weak before 1990s as there were so many of the labor strikes and a lot of shutdown processing was there but sooner the company identified its weakness and worked on it, you can see that now the entire union of employees work together and corporate at their level best with the customer as a result the company gained succes s, which was otherwise not possible if there wouldn’t be any team work. The organization is following a dominant culture, there are strict rules that are followed by all executives and employees in the organization, which also includes intact working of supervisors, employees and executives. -The organization and me have few things common, both of us keep on striving to get the better results and also we both have a desire to excel in what we do, the organization has taken it self out of a situation from where no body gets out and eventually results in bankruptcy, nevertheless it kept on striving and today it stands number one in manufacturing construction tools and equipments. -The organization first of all believes in being innovative and risk taking which means that the employees whenever come up with great idea, they are allowed to implement it, also the organization believes in people orientation which means that they consider their employees as they have already paid the

Chasing Matisse - Art Exhibit Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chasing Matisse - Art Exhibit Critique - Essay Example The essay "Chasing Matisse - Art Exhibit Critique" states the art and life of Henri Matisse. The subject (scene) of the art exhibit can be described as a woman seated on a chair and there are some flowers that have been placed on a table at her left hand side. The woman seems to be in thought – she could be thinking of something important due to the reason that her head is positioned facing downwards. As a result, this is the main factor that contributes to the scene of the painting. Every scene is prone to have objects that have contributed to its final look. The painting â€Å"Chasing Matisse† has a number of objects that have contributed to its general outlook. These include: the chair- where the young woman has sat on; the table – where the flowers have been placed on. The combination of different objects in a painting scene is to portray a particular impression that an individual (the audience) can make out of it. As a result, the first impression that an in dividual can have from the painting â€Å"Chasing Matisse† is that the artist was portraying a woman who was sad, lonely or deep in thought. This is vividly revealed in the manner that her body has been positioned and the way that her face looks like. Colour is very essential in every art scene. The lack of colour may reveal a number of factors such as lack of feeling, lack of life etc. Additionally, the colours that have been selected matter a lot. This is due to the reason that colours are categorized into either warm colours or cool colours. Warm colours indicate depth while cool colours indicate the lack of depth. Some of the examples of warm colours that can be used in a painting include: Red, orange, brown, maroon, yellow and green. On the other hand, cool colours that can be used in any painting include the likes of blue, pink, light blue and violet. Based on the art exhibit â€Å"Chasing Matisse†, the colours that have been used include: red – for the wo man’s hair; blue, orange and black – for her clothes; maroon and blue – for the flowers. In every artistic work, there are elements of shape, line and texture. Shape can be related to the use of space in the artistic work. It can also be related to the use of geometrical shapes such as squares, circles, rectangles etc. In addition to that, shapes can also be determined by attributes such as lines, texture, colour and value. Another element in art is the use of lines. In its simplest definition, lines refer to marks that are drawn in a bid to connect two points. It is also important to note that lines are characterised by aspects such as thickness, length and line direction. Texture refers to the feel of the surface under consideration. Texture always goes hand in hand with lines and colours. In the art exhibit, it can be stated that the element of shape has been used to reduce on space. For example; the chair that the woman is sitting on has occupied a majority of the space in the painting. In the art exhibit, lines have been used to give an in depth outline of the objects in the painting such as the flowers, the vase, the surface where the vase has been placed (table) and the chair that the woman has sat on. Lastly, texture is very critical in every piece of art. With that said, the art exhibit has a smooth feel. Just as colour is an essential element in an art piece,

Idea of Landscape and American Dreams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Idea of Landscape and American Dreams - Essay Example Since Adams’ used the term, it evolved to be part of Americans’ life. It connotes the Americans’ desire for equality2, independence and togetherness. They envisioned a lifestyle that would be affordable to Americans, enhance unity and freedom of expression. Americans experienced other challenges apart from the great depressions. The great migration from south to north was a serious challenge to Americans. Several other authors such as Isabel Wilkerson envisioned the American dream in their works. Wilkerson’s the warmth of other suns is an account of the Great Migration in America. It reveals the historic development in America that transformed the American society is a tremendous manner. The Great Migration was an exodus of nearly six million people in America. Wilkerson’s provides an analysis of the migration from 1915 to 1970. The story provides an analysis of the trips made by Americans during the Great Migration. Black Americans migrated from th e south to the north. Their relocation and migration had great impacts on the North. The migration involved the abandonment of the old confederacy states in beginning of 1915. Black Americans were poor and with had low levels of education. In the book, Wilkerson provides an account of three blacks immigrants from the south. Wilkerson provides a background of the immigration story as a progressive occurrence. Ida Mae, a central character in the book, had several challenges in life with her husband George. George had meager earnings and lived with Mae and her three children. George solely depended on earnings from the feudal southern agriculture. This is a depiction of the American dream of the southern blacks hoping for proper employment. Employment in the feudal southern agriculture had insignificant earnings. Mr. Edd, George’s employer, did not provide good employment terms like other southern white masters. Underpayment for the works of the employees was a vital characteris tic of the southern white masters. This is a depiction of the American dream of proper and appropriate employment conditions. George lacked basic education to advocate for his employment rights. The American dream is to elevate the education level of all to enhance empowerment. The American dream ideology envisions a society that embraces unity and inclusiveness. It envisions a society that is free from discrimination. The society that Americans deserve and hopes to live in is free from exploitation of individuals based on class or race. All these, however, are evident in Wilkerson’s book. In 1937, George’s cousin underwent torture by a white posse. The white posse erroneously suspected Mr. Edd’s cousin for stealing turkeys. The inhuman act is a sign of discrimination based on class. Southern whites had evident discrimination against African Americans, based on class and race. Wilkerson’s masterpiece work documenting the migration of black Americans provi des a true picture of their plight. Critics point at the plight of the blacks during the decade-long migration of the blacks as a depiction of a failed society. They show the extent to which the society neglected part of the population. Whites regarded blacks as poor and illiterate. Isolation among the society members was real and evident in diverse forms. Joblessness among the black Americans and dependency on the white plantation owners from the southern was a sign of unfulfilled dreams. As connoted by the

Chasing Matisse - Art Exhibit Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chasing Matisse - Art Exhibit Critique - Essay Example The essay "Chasing Matisse - Art Exhibit Critique" states the art and life of Henri Matisse. The subject (scene) of the art exhibit can be described as a woman seated on a chair and there are some flowers that have been placed on a table at her left hand side. The woman seems to be in thought – she could be thinking of something important due to the reason that her head is positioned facing downwards. As a result, this is the main factor that contributes to the scene of the painting. Every scene is prone to have objects that have contributed to its final look. The painting â€Å"Chasing Matisse† has a number of objects that have contributed to its general outlook. These include: the chair- where the young woman has sat on; the table – where the flowers have been placed on. The combination of different objects in a painting scene is to portray a particular impression that an individual (the audience) can make out of it. As a result, the first impression that an in dividual can have from the painting â€Å"Chasing Matisse† is that the artist was portraying a woman who was sad, lonely or deep in thought. This is vividly revealed in the manner that her body has been positioned and the way that her face looks like. Colour is very essential in every art scene. The lack of colour may reveal a number of factors such as lack of feeling, lack of life etc. Additionally, the colours that have been selected matter a lot. This is due to the reason that colours are categorized into either warm colours or cool colours. Warm colours indicate depth while cool colours indicate the lack of depth. Some of the examples of warm colours that can be used in a painting include: Red, orange, brown, maroon, yellow and green. On the other hand, cool colours that can be used in any painting include the likes of blue, pink, light blue and violet. Based on the art exhibit â€Å"Chasing Matisse†, the colours that have been used include: red – for the wo man’s hair; blue, orange and black – for her clothes; maroon and blue – for the flowers. In every artistic work, there are elements of shape, line and texture. Shape can be related to the use of space in the artistic work. It can also be related to the use of geometrical shapes such as squares, circles, rectangles etc. In addition to that, shapes can also be determined by attributes such as lines, texture, colour and value. Another element in art is the use of lines. In its simplest definition, lines refer to marks that are drawn in a bid to connect two points. It is also important to note that lines are characterised by aspects such as thickness, length and line direction. Texture refers to the feel of the surface under consideration. Texture always goes hand in hand with lines and colours. In the art exhibit, it can be stated that the element of shape has been used to reduce on space. For example; the chair that the woman is sitting on has occupied a majority of the space in the painting. In the art exhibit, lines have been used to give an in depth outline of the objects in the painting such as the flowers, the vase, the surface where the vase has been placed (table) and the chair that the woman has sat on. Lastly, texture is very critical in every piece of art. With that said, the art exhibit has a smooth feel. Just as colour is an essential element in an art piece,

Critically analyse and discuss whether an international organisation Essay

Critically analyse and discuss whether an international organisation should implement similar human resource management practices across the world or adapt them to suit local conditions - Essay Example 101). An organization with an international presence should endeavor to treat its workers in an impartially but in a culturally ideal way. This paper seeks to examine why it is important for an organization to adapt human resource practices that suit local practices (Aycan, 2005). The moment that an organization opens a branch in another part of the country, it adopts responsibilities that go beyond the primary functions of human resource management. An example of an organization that takes human resource management in the international context seriously is IBM. The company has over 400,000 thousand employees in various parts of the world, and it places a big emphasis on the functions of staffing, training, and employee’s development. IBM does not just deal merely with selecting the best employees to work in their various organizations internationally but they also factor in the needs of the entire family that will accompany the employee in the completely new cultural environment. In the past, IBM has had to reject numerous successful candidates simply because their families could not fit into their new environment (Gooderham & Ringdal, 2006). Over the years, IBM has been organizing training for its employees before they begin their international assig nments just a few months before they depart. The company is also deeply involved in organizing for visas for the employee and anyone else accompanying him. IBM also goes ahead to prepare the residence in the new environment as well as to guarantee health services and placement into schools for employee’s children. This deep involvement ensures that the employee settles in their new job quickly and hence productivity is guaranteed (Kiessling & Harvey, 2005, p. 40). The world has become more aggressive, unsure, and unstable than in any time in history. In order to succeed, many organizations have to fight for a position on the international playing field since

The Outcasts of Poker Flat Review Essay Example for Free

The Outcasts of Poker Flat Review Essay The Outcasts of Poker Flat and the Metaphor of Texas Hold ‘em The story of â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat† by Bret Harte is a beautifully written narrative about a character named Mr. John Oakhurst. During the story, Oakhurst is placed through a variety of situations that eventually lead to his subtle death. The story of â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat† follows as a parallel to the game of Texas Hold ‘em in a very unique way. In the game of Texas Hold ‘em, every player is given two cards. This states the metaphor for where Mr.  Oakhurst is currently at and what variables he has been given. In the beginning of the story Mr. Oakhurst is known to be a professional gambler and he has been kicked out of the town of Poker flat along with a few more Outcasts named the Duchess, Mother Shipton, and a man named Uncle Billy. Considering the fact they have been kicked out of the community, they now have to venture to the closest town, over a range of mountains, named Sandy Bar (1,2). They have a limited supply of goods to make it there, and these are the cards they have been given. The next turn of events in the game of Texas Hold ‘em is called the â€Å"flop. † In this turn, three cards are flipped over for everyone’s use in hope that the gamblers will have a better chance at winning the hand. These three cards are variables. The flop can sometimes benefit the gambler, and the other time the cards don’t help at all. In the story, the variables given to Mr. Oakhurst are three hindrances. One variable in the story is during the middle of the first night there are some added guests to the campsite for the night. These guests are named Tom Simson and Piney Woods (3). This makes the living situation for the night a little more difficult. The second variable happens in that same night. Uncle Billy goes on his own way without the rest of the outcasts. To make the situation even worse, Uncle Billy took the mules from the outcasts (3). Now, the people were without transportation. The final variable in the flop is: there is a storm brewing for the campers and they had been snowed in (4). Now in the game, it is up to the gamblers to throw in their chips and bet if they can win the hand. If the gambler doesn’t believe he can win the hand he has the option to fold and quit betting. In this case of the metaphor, this option would be to kill himself. In the instance of John Oakhurst he decides to gamble and continue on playing with the variables he has been given. The next and final turns of the game are called â€Å"the turn† and â€Å"the river. † These turns are two more cards, and in the metaphor two more variables added to the situation. For the gamblers it can be added assurance of the win, or it could be more clarification that the gambler will not win. In the case of Mr. Oakhurst, â€Å"the turn† card is another downfall. Mother Shipton had folded her cards. She no longer could survive the winter cold and lack of food and supplies (6). In Oakhurst’s frame of mind this was an added despair. People were giving up and psychologically he was feeling the same way inside. It was now time for the â€Å"River card† and it was the last stretch for Mr. Oakhurst. The added variable is that the storm continues to get worse (6). Oakhurst is realizing the severity of his situation however he doesn’t let that emotion show. He lets the other gamblers continue on and he makes his last decision in the game. He folds his cards (7). He had given up on the venture to Sandy Bar and decided that the hand he played was his last. The â€Å"Outcasts of Poker Flat† written by Bret Harte goes to show sometimes many are given a lucky hand and sometimes a gambler is â€Å"struck with a streak of bad luck† (7). Mr. Oakhurst received the latter in this story due to his gambling ways. Through this argument one has seen that this story follows as a parallel to the game of Texas Hold ‘em in a very unique way.

Carotenoid Profiles in Pandan Leaves

Carotenoid Profiles in Pandan Leaves Introduction Pandan Leaves In Indonesia, people are familiar of using several herbal leaves for special purposes especially for condiments to act as natural colorants or natural flavors to improve color and flavors in food e.g. pandan leaves (Figure 1). Pandan leaves (Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb) have been used in cooking and also as traditional herbal treatment for several illnesses in South East Asia Countries (Wongpornchai, 2004). Figure 1. Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb. Classification of Pandan leaves are bellow Kingdom:  Plantae Subkingdom:  Tracheobionta Super Division: Spermathophyta Division: Magnoliophyta Class:  Liliopsida Subclass:  Arecidae Ordo:  Pandanales Famili:  Pandanaceae Genus:  Pandanus Species:  Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb. There are several herbs that have been investigated contain expressive amounts of several bioactive compounds which can decrease ageing and also prolong life span and living organism (Ferrari, 2013). Natural products, including essential oils and extracts are the main source of biologically active compounds that can give benefit for human health (Fernà ¡ndez-Garcà ­a et al., 2012). Many people said that pandan leaves are vanilla of the east since it is commonly used in several foods with the vanilla like aroma (Comax Flavors, 2011). The genus name Pandanus is derived from the Indonesian name of the tree, pandan. In several Asia countries, pandan leaves, names given include pandan wangi (Malaysian), daun pandan (Indonesian), bai toey or toey hom (Thai), taey (Khmer), tey ban, tey hom (Laotian), dua thom (Vietnamese), and ban yan le (Chinese) (Wongpornchai, 2004). The distribution of pandan leaves is found over Southern India, the Southeast Asia peninsular, Indonesia and Western New Guinea (Wongpornchai, 2004). The plants grow in clumps and have thin and sharp leaves at the edge where the form is like sword, fragrant odor. Pandan leaves, commonly known as pandan, are often used to give a refreshing, fragrant flavor to both sweet and savoury South-East-Asian dishes (rice, chicken, jellies, drinks, puddings, custard or sweets). Pandan leaves are also used in cooking ordinary non-aromatic rice to imitate the more expensive aromatic Basmati and Jasmine rices (Nor, Mohamed, Idris, Ismail, 2008). Since the flavour of pandan leaves is similar to that possessed by some famous aromatic rice varieties, the leaves often find their way into the rice pot to enhance the aroma of lesser rice varieties. By increasing the aroma in lesser rice varieties, it can increase the consumer acceptance by enhance the flavour perception in customer where the non-aromatic rice has similar flavour with the aromatic rice e.g. Basmati and Jasmine rice. Flavour perception is interesting subject. The flavour of food is ultimately a product of the brain. The brain combines sensory information from taste, smell and touch to generate our perception flavour, and how it does this is currently a hot topic in psychology and neuroscience (Stevenson Richard, 2013). The study of the mechanism of important flavour during cooking rice is quite comp lex, where the absorption of important flavour by rice in both optimal and excess water cooking was highly dependent on the presence of water, moisture content of rice, water to rice ratio, starch gelatinization process as well as temperature and time of cooking (Yahya, 2011). Rice grains with the popcorn like fragrance are very popular among several Asian countries. In particular, Basmati in India and Pakistan; Khao Dawk Mali 105 in Thaliand, Pandan rice in Indonesia are very popular (Bryant McClung, 2011; Kawakami et al., 2009). These aromatic rice are more expensive and also more valuable than non aromatic one. Since fragrant rice is very expensive and pandan leaves that have aromatic rice like flavour. Nowadays, since the interest of customer flavour companies have come out with a number of mimetic rice flavour oils. 2-Acetylpyroline (2 ACPY) as one of the main compounds in rice also will give the popcorn like aroma like fragrance (F. Yahya, Fryer, Bakalis, 2011). Because of that, nowadays the encapsulated process of pandan aroma had been developed. Spray drying is the most common and cost effective way to perform encapsulation of flavors. The encapsulated flavour of pandan leaves by using gum Arabic and maltodextrin had been developed (Kawakami et a l., 2009). Pandan leaf extract has been used for food industries as dye materials, and also soya beverage and coconut milk. As a traditional herbal this leaves are generally used for traditional medicine especially to encounter the typhus illness in Indonesia (Roosita, Kusharto, Sekiyama, Fachrurozi, Ohtsuka, 2008). The effect of antimicrobial effect of pandan leaves has been investigated on the preservation of stored milk (Khusniati Widyastuti, 2008). Sometime, pandan leaves are also used to wrap food for cooking, such as chicken wrapped in pandanus leaves and are neatly folded into small baskets for filling with puddings and cakes (Wongpornchai, 2004). The leaves are sometimes also can be put into frying oils to impart flavour to fried food. Pandan extracts also capable of retarding oxidation in palm olein during deep frying process than as effectively other antioxidant which is BHT (Butyl Hydroxy Toluene). In sensory evaluation, the extract also was able to maintain sensory quality of French fries. The delightful flavour characteristic from pandan leaves, which is well-known throughout the world as an important component in Asian cookery, has made the industrial production of both natural extracts and artificial flavourings containing green food colors for use as food additives in Southeast Asian countries enlarge during the past two decades). Like other green leafy vegetables, pandan leaves are also known as potential source of several lipophilic antioxidant e.g. ÃŽ ²-carotene, vitamin E, phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid (Isabelle et al., 2010; Lee, Su, Ong, 2004). Leafy vegetables are nutrients dense sources. They possess antioxidant activity and thus have the potential to be used as cheap natural sources for reducing cellular oxidative damage and reduce degenerative conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers. The consumption of several leafy vegetable are encouraged enough to fulfill nutrient especially in developing countries (Uusiku et al., 2010). Investigation of nutritional value of plants are essential especially to develop strategies to promote the utilization, cultivation and commercialization on these sources of nutrients which could be promoted a new source and other developing countries to assist in promoting biodiversity and combating malnutrition (Schà ¶nfeldt Pretorius, 2011; Uusiku et al., 2010). The delightful flavor characteristic from pandan leaves, which is well-known throughout the world as an important component in Asian cookery, has made the industrial production of both natural extracts and artificial flavorings containing green food colors for use as food additives in Southeast Asian countries enlarge during the past two decades (Wongpornchai, 2004). Pandan leaves which is known as one aromatic plants has been used in several Southeast Asia countries to confer aroma and flavors in several traditional food. Application of pandan leaves flavor have been used in rice, where rice-starch coating containing natural pandan extract produced non-aromatic rice with aroma compounds similar to that of aromatic rice (Laohakunjit Kerdchoechuen, 2007). Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction from pandan leaves also have been investigated as a novel applications in food flavorings (Bhattacharjee, Kshirsagar, Singhal, 2005; Laohakunjit Noomhorm, 2004). Nowadays pandan leaves have been investigated also as waste treatment. The performance of extracted pandan leaves was investigated towards treatment of textille wastewater by using flocullation process (Ngadi, N. , Yusoff, 2013). This give such a promissing to develop several process by using natural source e.g. pandan leaves for several purposes. Carotenoids The color of food is perhaps the first attribute that consumers assess when determining the quality and appearance of a product, and therefore conditions its acceptability. Color becomes a measure of quality and also an indication of deterioration. More than 700 naturally occurring carotenoids have been identified (Britton et al., 2004). Carotenoids are widely distributed whereas C40 isoprenoid pigments with polyene chains contain up to 15 conjugated double bonds. They furnish flowers and fruits with distinct colors (e.g., yellow, orange, and red), which can attract pollinators In addition carotenoids play important roles in photosynthesis, light harvesting, and prevention of photooxidative damage (Britton et al., 2004). Carotenoids can be classified as carotenes (oxygen-free; e.g ÃŽ ²-carotene) and xanthophylls (oxygen-containing; e.g. lutein, zeaxanthin, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, and antheraxanthin (Fig. 2). Fig. 2. Chemical structures of selected carotenoids The polyene chain of carotenoids is responsible for the color of plants and fruits. The length of the chromophore influences the color, for example from the colorless phytoene, via the orange color of ÃŽ ²-carotene to the red of capsaxanthin (due to the increasing number of double bonds). Besides the color, the polyene chain is responsible for the instability against several environmental factors e.g. oxidation, heat and light or oxidizing chemical (Britton et al., 2004). Carotenoid pigments are group of bioactive compounds that are of interest to the food scientists, nutritionists and food industries due to their positive impact on human health and their economic benefits. Carotenoids are responsible for the attractive color of most fruit and vegetables, having diverse biological functions and activities. An extensive number of factors determine the efficient incorporation of these phytochemicals from the diet In particular, an interest in increasing the consumption of carotenoids has been evident since the health effect of carotenoids, e.g. ÃŽ ²-carotene consumption reduces the incidence of some types of cancer, and further evidences were obtained in subsequent studies (Britton et al., 2004). In animals, carotenoid pigments have several important biological activities from nutritional and physiological standpoints. Animals and humans cannot synthesize carotenoids de novo although they can metabolize some of them into vitamin A (retinol). Approximately 10% of carotenoids meet the main structural requirement for acting as vitamin A precursors, i.e., contain a ÃŽ ²-type non-substituted ring, being ÃŽ ²-carotene and ÃŽ ²-cryptoxanthin the most representatives (Fernà ¡ndez-Garcà ­a et al., 2012; Rodriguez-Amaya, 2010). The extensive presence and distribution of carotenoids in nature, where mainly are found in fruits and vegetables (foods that occupy or should occupy an important place in our diet), make carotenoids with provitamin A activity the most important source of retinol. Some groups of people, the vegetarians, even depend almost exclusively on fruits and vegetables as a source of retinol in the form of its precursors. In mammals, therefore, the unique and important b iological function of carotenoids with retinol equivalence is their role as vitamin A precursors, which is necessary for vision, growth, cell differentiation, and other physiological processes (Fernà ¡ndez-Garcà ­a et al., 2012). Data published in the study â€Å"Global prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in populations at risk 1995–2005† published by the World Health Organisation in 2009, indicate that 190 million preschool-age children and 19.1 million pregnant women had levels of serum retinol less than 0.7 ÃŽ ¼mol/L, which is the lower limit of normal, and below which is considered a state of vitamin A deficiency. The deficient population is distributed in countries whose gross domestic product (GDP) is less than US$15,000 and in those with 92% of the worlds population (WHO, 2005). Fortification in several foods is one alternative for reducing the vitamin A deficiency (VAD) Unfortunately, in developing countries e.g. in Indonesia potential knowledge to find indigenous plant resources to fulfill provitamin A requirement as essential nutrition have not established enough. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is one of major public health concern in Indonesia. Lack of intake of Vitamin A can cause this VAD and other degenerative disease (Fernà ¡ndez-Garcà ­a et al., 2012). Several biochemical studies have proved that intake of sufficient carotenoids may give a protective effects from several diseases e.g. cancer, cardiovascular disease, cataracs, etc (Melà ©ndez-Martà ­nez, Vicario, Heredia, 2007). In Indonesia, several program have been developed to give sufficient intake of pro vitamin A e.g. fortification in several in foods, supplementation and diversification of food which mean finding a new potential provitamin A source (S. G. Berger, de Pee, Bloem, Halati, Semba, 2007; de Pee, West, Muhilal, Karyadi, Hautvast, 1995; Muslimatun et al., 2001; Robert Karyadi, 1988; Wieringa et al., 2003). The vitamin A capsule distribution program in Indonesia was more widely expanded in the 1980s to overcome VAD. Indonesia has one of the strongest vitamin A capsule distribution program for child survival and the intended coverage is for all infants 6-12 months and all preschool children 12-59 month of age. Universal periodic vitamin A supplementation is known as an effective intervention to increase child survival in Indonesia as one of developing country (S. G. Berger et al., 2007). Giving vitamin A to children with measles, serious malnutrition, diarrhea, or other illnesses protects a gainst death and blindness. Besides supplementation, another effort to overcome VAD is fortification. Fortification of foods commonly consumed by children is a viable strategy in developing countries. Margarine, dairy products, sugar, wheat flour, and monosodium glutamate (MSG) have been fortified with vitamin A in different countries. Finally, diversification of vitamin A rich food or provitamin A rich foods is another approach to overcome VAD (Pollard Favin, 1997). Learning from several developed countries, food fortification program has proven an effective and low-cost way to increase the micronutrient supply and reduce the consequences of micronutrient deficiencies. It has been rarely used in the developing world, but general conclusions can be drawn. The biological efficacy, but not the effectiveness, of fortifying oil and hydrogenated oil products as well as cereal flours and meals with vitamin A has been shown. Sugar has been fortified with vitamin A in Central American countries for years, and biological efficacy and program effectiveness are well established. Efficacy of fortifying monosodium glutamate with vitamin A was demonstrated but a program has not been established (Dary Mora, 2002). Fortification with vitamin A in the developing world should satisfy certain elements for success. Firstly, a potential food matrix a food regularly consumed, produced by a few centralized factories, without sensorial changes compared with the nonfortified equivalent, and nutrient remains bioavailable and in a sufficient amount) is required. Second, fortified foods should provide at least 15% of the recommended daily intakes for the target group (e.g., individuals consuming the lowest amount of the fortified food). Third, voluntary fortification of processed foods should be regulated to prevent excessive consumption of vitamin A. Forth, the neighboring countries should harmonize technical standards, facilitate compliance and minimize conflicts over global trade laws. Fifth, a practical monitoring system should be instituted. Six, Social marketing activities should be permanent and aimed at industry, government and consumers. Seven, food fortification should be combined with other stra tegies (e.g., supplementation) to reach those not adequately covered by fortification alone. Infants and small children, whose dietary habits differ from those of adults, require special attention. Fortification of food commodities is a very attractive and economic way to prevent and control vitamin A deficiency. Effective food fortification might make supplementation of postpartum women and older children unnecessary (Dary Mora, 2002). Norisoprenoids Degradation of carotenoids yield to apocarotenoids which can exhibit powerful aroma properties (Winterhalter Rouseff, 2002). Examples of volatile breakdown products of carotenoids are compounds with 13, 11, 10 or 9 carbon atoms, and the terminal group of their carotenoid parent as illustrated in Fig.3. Fig. 3. (a) Formation of (i) 2,2,6-trimethylcyclohexene-1-one, (ii) ÃŽ ²-cyclocitral, (iii) dihydroactinidiolide/ DHA and (iv) ÃŽ ²-ionone from ÃŽ ²-carotene; (b) Chemical structures of carotenoid derived aroma compounds with the megastigma structure The C13 compounds are the most abundant carotenoid derived aroma components in nature. They can be divided into: (1) compounds with the megastigmane structure, including the families of ionones and damascones with oxygen at C9 position in ionones or at C7 as in ÃŽ ² -damascenone and (2) compounds with the megastigmane structure without oxygen in the lateral chain, e.g. megastigma-4,6,8-triene (Winterhalter and Rouseff, 2001). 2,2,6-Trimethylcyclohexen-1-one, ÃŽ ²-cyclocitral and dihydroactinidiolide (DHA) are examples of C9, C10, C11 norisoprenoids, respectively (Winterhalter and Rouseff, 2001). Carotenoid derived aroma compounds are wide spread in nature where they occur in: (1) leaf products e.g. tea and tabbacco; (2) fruits e.g. grapes, starfruit, quince, and citrus fruits; (3) vegetables e.g. spinach, tomato, melon; (4) spices e.g. saffron, red pepper, and also in essential oils e.g. Osmanthus fragrans, Boronia megastigma, Rosa damascena (Winterhalter Rouseff, 2002). Several carotenoid derived aroma compounds are extremely powerful, e.g. the fruity signature of ÃŽ ²-ionone is recognizable even at concentrations as low as 0.007 ppm, and the rose and raspberry-like aroma of ÃŽ ²-damascenone is recognizable at even lower concentrations of 0.002 ppm (Winterhalter Rouseff, 2002). Volatiles in plants can be beneficial for humans. Recently, damascenone as one of norisoprenoids and related compounds were identified as potential cancer prevention phytochemicals. It was found that these compounds can both up-regulate the phase 2 cytoprotective enzymes and inhibit the induction of pro-inflammatory enzymes (Gerhà ¤user et al., 2009). The damascones and related species showed significantly higher activities than ionones and their derived compounds. Besides damascenone, ÃŽ ²-ionone has been shown to hold potent anti-proliferative and apoptosis induction properties in vitro and in vivo (J.-R. Liu et al., 2004). These results showed that the enzymatic reaction products of carotenoids have a good positive effect for human health that very promising for future application. HS-SPME for Flavor Analysis One of the primary goals in flavor research is to identify several flavor constituent in various sources (Linskens, 1996). The characterization of aroma compounds from natural sources is still a challenge despite the sophisticated techniques now available (Roe, 2005). Flavor components are usually present in a very low concentration (ppm or ppb). In addition, they have a wide range of polarity, solubility, volatility, and thermal and pH stability. The sources may be very complex and cause interference with the isolation techniques. Therefore, there is no single and simple method for the identification of aroma compounds from several natural sources (Roe, 2005). In order to study the flavor, it is first necessary to isolate volatiles from the complex non volatiles material. There are several methods for analysis of volatile constituent in plants and always have been developed from time to time for their efficiency and reproducibility. One of the other popular methods for analysis of volatile constituents in plants are headspace sampling techniques. Headspace sampling is probably the easiest way to capture and detect aroma compounds, since they exist in the space above the sample (Roe, 2005). It is simple and convenient and it has been used for all kinds of materials. It is especially useful for several sources that give of a lot of odor such as flowers and fruit. For samples that do not have odors, gentle heating can be accepted to help the release of volatiles. Due to the fact that these techniques detect highly volatiles compound, these techniques can be used to help to identify compounds that may be hidden in solvent peaks in liquid extra cts. The advantages examples are: (1) simple and quick; (2) solventless technique; (3) low amount of sample; (4) no artifacts are formed and no contaminants introduced (Roe, 2005). Some disadvantages of these techniques as examples are: (1) relative concentration of component in headspace does not reflect the concentration in the sample due to the difference in volatility of aroma compound. This methods can be classified to: (1) static headspace sampling where the sample is put into a sealed headspace vial and left to equal and atmosphere above the sample and (2) dynamic headspace where method the volatiles above the sample are swept away by carrier gas, onto a trap such as TENAX (Roe, 2005). The headspace volatiles are purged by air or nitrogen and are trapped by adsorption on porous polymer traps. Various trapping materials have been used such as charcoal, the Porapak series, the Chromosorb series, and Tenax. In a second step the volatiles are recovered by solvent or heat desorpti on (Linskens, 1996). Sorptive techniques allow rapid and solvent less extraction and pre-concentration of aroma compounds. They are based on the partitioning of organic components between aqueous or vapour phase and thin polymeric films (Roe, 2005). This technique group includes SPME (Solid Phase Microextraction), HSSE (Head Space Sorptive Extraction) and SBSE (Stirrer Bar Sorptive Extraction). SPME has been widely used a fused silica fibre coat with polymer film to collect the volatiles from the sample. In the mean time range of polar, non-polar and mixed fibers are available in the market. The fibre is inserted within a needle which is placed into a SPME holder for sampling and desorbing purposes. The sample is placed in a SPME vial then sealed by a septum cap. Mechanism for Enzymatic Formation of Norisoprenoids Carotenoid derived aroma compounds can be formed via an enzymatic or chemical degradation. The primary oxidative unspecific cleavage can be initiated by peroxides, photo-oxidation, or by thermal degradation (Winterhalter Rouseff, 2002). The specific enzymatic degradation of carotenoids is catalyzed by CCDs (Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenases) and leads to the production of particular carotenoid derived aroma that are more environmental friendly which is suitable to the green technology approach. CCDs have the capability to cleave a broad spectrum of carotenoids, leading to the production of carotenoid derived aroma compounds e.g. tomato, maize, rose (Huang, Horvà ¡th, et al., 2009; Simkin, Schwartz, Auldridge, Taylor, Klee, 2004; Vallabhaneni, Bradbury, Wurtzel, 2010) In rose, CCD has the potential to cleave different substrates specifically at 9,10 (9`-10`) double bonds (Fig. 6) (Huang et al., 2009). Fig.4. Cleavage sites and volatile reaction products of recombinant RdCCD1 enzymes from Rosa damascena Aims The aim of this research is to investigate the carotenoid profiles in pandan leaves, the flavor compounds which is derived from carotenoids and the mechanism of flavor compounds from carotenoids in pandan leaves. The results from this research could be useful for studying the chemical and biochemical characteristics of flavor formation from carotenoids in model plant e.g. pandan leaves. In detail the objectives of the research are explained point by point bellow : Characteristic of carotenoids in pandan leaves by RP-HPLC (Reversed Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography) Characteristic of flavor profile in pandan leaves by HS-SPME GC-MS (Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrophotometry) Carotenoid Cleavage Activities by crude enzymes from Pandan Leaves including the characterization of enzyme activity in different carotenoid substrates, optimum pH and optimum temperature. References Baldermann, S. (2008). Carotenoid oxygenases from Camellia sinensis, Osmanthus fragrans, and Prunus persica nucipersicaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: kinetics and structure. Gà ¶ttingen: Cuvillier. Baldermann, S., Kato, M., Kurosawa, M., Kurobayashi, Y., Fujita, A., Fleischmann, P., Watanabe, N. (2010). Functional characterization of a carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 1 and its relation to the carotenoid accumulation and volatile emission during the floral development of Osmanthus fragrans Lour. Journal of Experimental Botany, 61(11), 2967–77. doi:10.1093/jxb/erq123 Baldermann, S., Mulyadi, A. N., Yang, Z., Murata, A., Fleischmann, P., Winterhalter, P., †¦ Watanabe, N. (2011). Application of centrifugal precipitation chromatography and high-speed counter-current chromatography equipped with a spiral tubing support rotor for the isolation and partial characterization of carotenoid cleavage-like enzymes in Enteromorpha compressa . Journal of Separation Science, 34(19), 2759–64. doi:10.1002/jssc.201100508 Baldermann, S., Naim, M., Fleischmann, P. (2005). Enzymatic carotenoid degradation and aroma formation in nectarines (Prunus persica). Third International Congress on Pigments in Food Third International Congress on Pigments in Food, 38(8–9), 833–836. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2005.02.009 Bechoff, A., Dhuique-Mayer, C., Dornier, M., Tomlins, K. I., Boulanger, R., Dufour, D., Westby, A. (2010). Relationship between the kinetics of ÃŽ ²-carotene degradation and formation of norisoprenoids in the storage of dried sweet potato chips. Food Chemistry, 121(2), 348–357. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.12.035 Behrendt, D. (2011). Directed Evolution of Arabidopsis thaliana Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenase 1. RWTH Aachen University. Berger, R. G. (2009). Biotechnology of flavours—the next generation. Biotechnology Letters

Cold War Essay -- essays research papers

War is normally associated with destruction and death to end a conflict or some sort of disagreement but that is not always the case. After World War II the United States and the Soviet Union began a war that would span decades yet there would be no direct battle between the two nations. This time is called the Cold war because of its lack of battle between just the two nations. Even though it was never the soviets verse the Americans the Soviets often fought the Americans. What could have went so horribly wrong that two nations who at one point were fighting on the same side can suddenly disagree so violently that they aid others to fight each other? The reasons are many and in-depth but it all started at the end of World war II. When the smoke cleared after the last battle of World War II two powers arose. One a democratic society the other a socialistic society neither wanting one to be better than the other. Central Europe, mainly Germany, was the center of the disturbance at the end of the war. The reason that Germany became such a volatile area is because the Soviets controlled one half while the Allies controlled the other and neither was willing to cooperate with the other. As Germany was being divided most of the other European countries were suffering and in need of aid. The United States gave as much aid as they could but there was no possible way to relieve everyone. All over south eastern Europe Communist and socialist parties were rising and gaining power blam...

Ciba-Geigy

Ciba-Geigy founded in 1750s has come to many changes in their business strategy from case-by-case decisively to be one of proactive planning for the future with corporate portfolio planning which allowed Ciba to decentralise into diversified businesses. At their latest reorganization, Ciba had five categories: Development, Growth, Pillar, Niche and Core allocated from 14 divisions with 33 sub-business units. Each division in each category has separate responsibility to the whole portfolio, for example, the Pigment division in Core category had the role of cash provider. Therefore, it was difficult for this division to access to capital, major investment would violate their mandate, and payback period was set at two to three years. However, the Pigments division head recently proposed the plan for major investment in comprehensive modernization of a manufacturing plant in Newport which was the only global source for Sfr 130 million in sales of Quinacridone (HPP) pigments. Ciba needed to decide whether or not to invest in Newport and choose among three options: invest fully, invest partially in Newport or close it. Recommendation: Based on Lippuner’s two questions in corporate planning portfolio strategy on new business, there are two reasons for Ciba to treat the investment in Newport as exception to invest. Besides, they should choose option one which committed a full investment of around US $140 million. Firstly, this investment improved Newport plant from high maintenance costs and frequent failure in production to become the plant with the leading-edge standards for productivity, safety, and friendly to environment. This investment also opened opportunity for Ciba to produce DPP, which protected Ciba’s leading market position in HPP pigment when DPP pigment’s patent protection was set to expire in 2000 – 2002. Limited investment in option two did not bring Ciba’s Pigment division the leading-edge knowledge and maintained the capability for innovative edge; therefore, it was out of Ciba’s strategy for new business. Secondly, this investment reinforced synergistic efforts between Pigment and other division in current portfolio. Although it was huge investment in core category, the pigment division still maintained to have a positive cash flow and payback period was within 3 years. Besides, Ciba should learn from the lesson of the pharmaceutical business which uelled other categories and came under difficulty in the recession. The same problem would happen in Pigment segment if Ciba did not invest in Pigment. However, we did not know how much Pigment contributed in the cash flow of the portfolio, so we could not evaluate if the whole portfolio could handle the investment period when there was a short of cash from Pigment. If not, Ciba should choose option three: close Newport and move it to Alabama or Louisiana as a less risky plan.

The Inclusion of students with disabilities and special needs

Meanss pupils with disablements and particular demands integrate in mainstream categories. Australian instruction is one of the first to follow full inclusion. 1. â€Å" Inclusion in an educational context describes the premiss that every kid should be a valued member of the school civilization and community, and hence should non be subjected to marginalisation, disaffection, humiliation, badgering, rejection or exclusion † ( Pearce, Forlin, 2005 ) , 2. And harmonizing to Ainscow the thought of inclusion for particular demands instruction stemmed from the belief that instruction is a basic human right, and the foundation for a more merely society ( Ainscow, Kaplan, 2005 ) . 3. A kid with a disablement or particular demands is basically a kid and should be afforded the same entitlements of other kids ( Smith, 2006 ) . That is why Law shapers and â€Å" Educational governments internationally have taken the position that inclusion stems from the societal and moral duty to educa te all pupils † ( Forbes, 2007 ) , besides Forbes confirms that Australia instruction is taking on the full inclusion.aˆÂ ¦Poses a challengeaˆÂ ¦First this thought poses a great challenge to use in world, and of all time since the issue came to light research workers and professionals have ever argued about the pros and cons of traveling kids with physical, mental, behavioral, or rational disablements and/or damages to mainstream scenes where the instructors may non hold the accomplishments and trainig, nor be equipped, nor have the capablenesss to cover with the peculiar demands that these Student demand. And so far some professionals have argued that this move will be in no 1 ‘s best involvement, and some has gone every bit far as naming it a â€Å" black bequest † ( Warnock, 2005 ) . Second some professionals province that particular schools are schools which are seamster made for pupils with disablement and particular demands, but still like every ot her school its chief end is to learn the course of study in full, and this would anyhow fixing pupils for inclusion in the broader society ( Forbes, 2007 ) . Third some authors argue that inclusion is indicating to a â€Å" topographic point non a procedure † ( Forbes, 2007 ) and that â€Å" school is where everyone ( pupil ) belongs † . This is a full inclusion position and this is what Australian took on board. The 3rd point shows some intimations about the variables that posse the challenges in put to deathing the theoretical account of inclusion ( equals, instructors, rules, the school community in general ) . Because in this position they are the 1s at the full forepart of inclusion.aˆÂ ¦to instructors and principalsaˆÂ ¦Providing for those pupils with particular demands besides became an issue back in 1992 when jurisprudence shapers introduced the 1992 Australian Disability Discrimination Act, which by jurisprudence allowed parents to inscribe their kid s in mainstream categories. This is the act that started inclusion and demanded instructors and the remainder of the school community to hike their professional development in the part of particular demands demands in order to take action in response and suit the demands of particular demands scholars. The pattern of inclusion has produced a demand for expertness within the regular instruction imperium for specializer cognition that is presently non being met. Demand is puting unrealistic demands on instructors with small or no cognition of the specific demands of these pupils harmonizing to Forbes ( 2007 ) . To neturise the state of affairs chance for instructors to farther train in inclusive patterns ( Loreman et al, 2005 ) , and preparation should be based around fiting instructors with the accomplishments and necessary tools to be able to accommodate their lessons to the demands of their pupils ( Opertti, Belalcazar, 2008 ) . Consequences from the preparation could be improved d ramatically when there is cooperation with other instructors, principals and educational support staff. This cooperation is of import and deemed indispensable in developing inclusive patterns ( Loreman et al, 2005 ) . Inclusion sustainability, the forward motion, and the success depend a tremendous trade on the first point of contact which is the instructor, and more exactly, the instructors attitudes towards inclusion ( Forlin et al, 2008 ) , because they are the 1 who will be passing the bulk of their clip with the particular needs pupils, unlike principals, particular pedagogues and parents. â€Å" aˆÂ ¦the best policies for suiting pupils with particular demands in regular schoolrooms will neglect if instructors have negative attitudes towards inclusion. † ( Sikes et al, 2007 ) . The first portion in altering the attitude is altering one ‘s lesson program, so that the lesson can suit for both particular demands and non particular needs pupils. Keeping in head, when seting the lesson program, to maintain that the consequence of a particular needs pupil ‘s disablement or larning trouble is minimum. This has to be done thoughtfully, considerately, and must non disrupt or c ompromise the acquisition of the other pupils in the category by decelerating down excessively much ( Smyth-King, 2005 ) . Having said that, secondly if a instructor is cognizant of the different types of larning trouble and damages, and have a brief or in detail cognition of different disablements, this cognition coupled with supplying instructors with possibility for farther readying in inclusive patterns they would believed the â€Å" capable † had prepared them adequately for learning pupils ‘ or had the instructional background that would help them to provide for pupils with a particular demand ( Spandagou. I, Evans. D, and Little.C, 2008 ) which would positively increase instructor ‘s attitude toward inclusion. This is the 2nd ground why the preparation should be based around fiting instructors with the accomplishments and necessary tools to be able to accommodate their lessons ( Opertti, Belalcazar, 2008 ) . The jurisprudence shapers have their just portion of issues and deduction when it comes to inclusions. For illustration, each Australian State and Territory has their ain legal powers and readings of the Federal Law regulating particular demands instruction ( Forbes, 2007 ) . Commonwealth statute law and policy such as the NSW Disability Policy Framework 1998, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, and the Disability Standards in Education 2005 present the basis and construction for particular needs pupils to be included in mainstream schools, yet, under the Australian Constitution, the provinces have the duty for pull stringsing and using plans suited to smooth the advancement of inclusion, and do the resources gettable to make so. To run into the duties of inclusion, schools of the hereafter will necessitate instructors with equal preparation in disablements and particular demands at an undergraduate degree ( Forbes, 2007 ) .aˆÂ ¦Overcome the misconceptions of general instruc tion pupils.Harmonizing to Loreman et Al ( 2005 ) , the really nature of a secondary school is debatable and in direct hit class with many of the foundations required for a school to be inclusive. The first deduction when put to deathing the ideal inclusion are the other pupils, already there are issues that are come uping today ( peer force per unit area, intimidation, force, and other adolescent issues ) in the intelligence. And there are other issues which Pearce and Forlin ( 2005 ) explains absolutely, he states that secondary schools can be disenabling in themselves, non merely for pupils with disablements, but for anyone who does n't suit neatly into the system such as pupils from low socio-economic, racial and cultural backgrounds in scenes where such pupils are the minority. So this is what the instructors and principals already have to cover with, they do non necessitate to cover with the excess incidents that will most likely occur due to miss of cognition and understandin g that their equals could hold towards the particular needs pupils. This type of behaviour will do the adolescents non to interact with others which they view as non equal, Pearce and Forlin ( 2005 ) . To work out this job there is one solution and that is what research workers have suggested so far, pupils with milder disablements are more successfully in the inclusion procedure. Again Pearce and Forlin ( 2005 ) states that, pupils with physical and centripetal disablements are by and large more likely to be mainstreamed than those with rational, multiple, behavioral or emotional disablements ( Pearce, Forlin, 2005 ) . If a ground has to be given Flem and Keller ( 2000 ) confirmed one and that when a particular needs pupil enters a mainstream environment, one of the most of import issues that will originate is their relationships with other pupils. This means pupils with physical and centripetal disablements can get the better of the issues of relationships better than those with rational, multiple, behavioral or emotional disablements. Negative equal attitude is another issue that needs to be addressed, since pupils, particularly in secondary schools, can be peculiarly average or hurtful to other pupils that are regarded as different for any ground. Vignes et Al ( 2008 ) , province that negative equal attitudes are by and large considered to be one of the greatest barriers to full societal inclusion of particular needs pupils in general instruction schoolrooms. Evidence shows that societal credence is the most hard challenge for a particular needs pupil to get the better of in a general instruction school ( McDougall et al, 2004 ) . To counter such negativeness, direct and structured societal contact between pupils with particular demands and general instruction pupils is a manner to advancing positive attitudes. Many pupils behave negatively out of ignorance, so extinguishing barriers and leting pupils to understand the nature of disability/impairment eliminates their fright of the unknown which may do them flog o ut or handle others severely. It besides allows general instruction pupils to experience empathy with other people, and helps to learn them about credence. Teaching pupils empathy and leting them to see the disablement of others first manus allows pupils to further a more caring attitude to other people ( Klotz, 2004 ) .Fixing pupils with particular demandsThere was a batch of research that was done on the consequence of pupils with particular demands ‘ category mate but non the pupils with particular demands themselves, but it is good known that pupils with particular demands need a spot more attending and providing from all parties ( friends, household, instructors, school community, and outdoors community every bit good ) .But Joe Clark has that particular instruction policies and patterns will be debated for a long clip, if non everlastingly, because every pupil learns different and every instructor teaches different. In order for there to be one reply we would all hold to be the same, which will likely ne'er go on. In other wards these pupils will most likely need more attending or even wholly different manner of learning them so that results can be accomplished. Inclusion remains a really ambitious doctrine in schools. The inclusion of particular needs pupils may pull attending to inadequacy in instruction but construct the tract for solutions that may give an advantage to all pupils in the instruction system. This could be through flexible course of study, appraisal and structural alteration. And the frost for inclusion is the joint coaction of instructors, pupils, parents, the wider community and general/special pedagogues, all promote and aid ease inclusion, non merely as an theoretical account, but in pattern. Pearce and Forlin ( 2005 ) argue that ‘the presence of young person with disablements in secondary schoolrooms represents a gift to school restructuring ‘ . I believe merely that, covering with pupils with particular demands will hold a positive impact on the community around them which will to a great extent better outcomes, this can be seen in the category with instructors seting a batch more decadent, decision makers being a spot more indulgent, pupils a bit more helpful and understanding. By and large people want to give that excess assisting manus. Inclusion in instruction has come a long manner, but there are problematic issues which is halting it from making place, but research workers and instructors likewise can see inclusion coming place and can savor some of its sweet fruits.