The Meaning of Symbolism and Imagery in the Writings of Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston uses symbolism and imagery to capture emotions and guide the reader through the story through the eyes of the characters. In her short fiction story, The Gilded Six-Bits, Hurston entertains the emotional and visual senses of the reader by using several symbols and images to give light to the story and character settings. Hurston starts out the story by portraying a couples' relationship and giving it a sense of security, love and trust. However, as the story develops it is clear that know matter how true love is – greed can falter love. Symbolism is shown strongly through colors in Hurston's story. White is used as a symbol of purity. It portrays the relationship between Joe and Missie May as a clean and untouched relationship as described by Hurston, â€Å"The fence and house were whitewashed. The porch and steps scrubbed white.† (252) Joe thinks of the image of his white house on the way home from work right before he discovers Missie May and Slemmons together. Gold is used frequently throughout the short story as a symbol of social status and greed. Otis D. Slemmons is respected by Joe in the beginning of the story and depicted as being of great importance because of his gold teeth, a five-dollar gold piece for a stickpin and a ten-dollar gold piece on his watch chain. Slemmons character is later disemboweled because he is caught in the act of having sex with Joe's wife. The gold symbolizes mistrust, misfortune, greed and falsehood after Slemmons, Missie May and the gold are revealed. Silver also symbolizes a social status to all three of the main characters and a personal symbol to Joe and Missy May. It is clear a little over half way through the story that Slemmons was in the same social class as Joe and Missie May because he did not really have any more money than they did. For Joe and Missie May silver was a symbol  of there relationship. It was a ritual in their relationship for Joe to give Missie May the silver dollars every Saturday. The moon is described by Hurston as a silver image on Joe's ride home from work, â€Å"†¦a lean moon rode the lake in a silver boat. If anybody had asked Joe about the moon on the lake, he would have said he hadn't paid it any attention. But he saw it with his feelings. † (255) Joe saw the lake with his â€Å"feelings† and he saw the silver moon; it is clear that he associated his relationship with his wife with silver. Numbers are also used as symbols to make a statement without actually stating it. Joe and Missie May's magic number is nine. This stands for the nine silver dollars that Joe would throw into the house every Saturday. After she and Slemmons were caught together Joe no longer threw the coins into the house on Saturdays. Slemmons is told to have two gold pieces on him in the amounts of five and ten which is the amount of coins that Joe throws into the house at the end of the story. Slemmons uses numbers in an abstract way to describe people. He associates the number forty with the word forte and Joe doesn't understand what he means by it. Slemmons ironically opens an ice cream shop. Ice cream is a universal symbol for something that is sweet but cold. Slemmons was seen as sweet and suave as was Missie May until the two got together; then Joe viewed them as being cold. Clothing is another social status symbol. Slemmons is described as someone who wore fine clothes. Later in the story Joe calls them rags. When Joe took Missie May to the ice cream parlor he wanted her to wear her Sunday clothes so that he could show her off to Slemmons. He wanted him to see his woman since Slemmons talks about all of the women that he has. Hurston writes that Joe considered Missie May to be the best dressed woman at church, â€Å"†¦church on Sunday nights when Missie outdressed any woman in town†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (255) This quote also brings up  the symbol of religion. When Joe asked Missie May to go to the ice cream parlor for the first time Hurston writes that he tells her, â€Å"†¦put on yo' Sunday-go-to-meetin' things.† (253) Hurston  writes in other quotes that refer to images from the Bible. â€Å"Like Samson awakening after his haircut.† (256) â€Å"Don't look back lak Lot's wife and turn to salt.† (257) The imagery from these q uotes make it know that Joe is a religious man in the story and Hurston herself has a religious background. Laughter is used to portray and hide feelings in Joe. Laughter shows the happiness between Joe and Missie May when they have their playful game on Saturdays. Later in the story Hurston writes that Joe's laughter is shown as an unsure feeling when he finds Slemmons with his wife, â€Å"So he just opened his mouth and laughed.† and before bed that night, â€Å"†¦and took a good laugh and went to bed.† (256) At the end of the story Joe was laughing in the store when he turned in the 4-bit piece that he pulled off of Slemmon's neck for candy. The clerk states after Joe leaves, â€Å"Wisht I could be like these darkies. Laughin' all the time. Nothin' worries 'em.† This was surely not Joe's case at all but his character tells otherwise. Hurston also uses laughter as a private symbol in another one of her writings. â€Å"They made burning statements with questions, and killing tools out of laughs.† (Their Eyes Were Watching God 2) â€Å"Pearl Stone opened her mouth and laughed real hard because she didn't know what else to do.† (Their Eyes Were Watching God 2-3) Hurston's real life is story is a mystery according to Ann Ducile's book review in The New York Times. She has conflicting age and birth date documents due to her habitual lying. â€Å"†¦although she gave the year of her birth as 1910, rather than 1891, as scholars have now determined.† (The New York Times) Literature and The Writing Process has her birth date listed as 1901. Her birthplace is also not certain. She has said that she was born in Eatonville but it is assumed that she was born in Notasulga, Alaska. Nonetheless, Hurston has made a mark in the history of writing with her cultural relations and peers. According to The New York Times  article there are festivals, foundations, literary societies, endowed chairs, journals, honors and awards in the name of Zora.

Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction Essay

†¢Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction: concerned with the end of civilization either through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster. Post-apocalyptic fiction is set in a world or civilization after such a disaster. The time frame may be immediately after the catastrophe, focusing on the travails or psychology of survivors, or considerably later, often including the theme that the existence of pre-catastrophe civilization has been forgotten (or mythologized). Post-apocalyptic stories often take place in an agrarian, non-technological future world, or a  world where only scattered elements of technology remain. There is a considerable degree of blurring between this form of science fiction and that which deals with false utopias or dystopic societies. †¢ †¢Dark fantasy: a subgenre of fantasy which can refer to literary, artistic, and filmic works that combine fantasy with elements of horror. The term can be used broadly to refer to fantastical works that have a dark, gloomy atmosphere or a sense of horror and dread and a dark, often brooding, tone. †¢Gnome, being of earth (gnomus). He describes them as two spans high, very reluctant to interact with humans, and able to move through solid earth as easily as humans move through air. [4] [5] †¢Undine or nymph being of water Undines are almost invariably depicted as being female, which is consistent with the ancient idea that water is a female element. [8] They are usually found in forest pools and waterfalls,[9] and their beautiful singing voices[10] are sometimes heard over the sound of water. †¢Sylph, being of air (sylevestris) is a mythological spirit of the air †¢Salamander, being of fire (Vulcanus).

abortion Essays (813 words) - RTT, Abortion, Fertility, Free Essays

Abortion is the act of destroying an un-born fetus in a woman?s womb. Its known as one of the most controversial issues discussed in today?s society. The topic can be put into two categories; pro-choice, and pro-life. Those who support pro-choice believe that abortion is a woman?s right, and that abortion is acceptable. While on the hand those who support pro-life believe, abortion is morally wrong, and can be considered murder. However the issue has caused a great deal of turmoil in the world. Some protesters have even killed other people over this issue, which is ironic because killing human beings is exactly what those people are protesting. Pro-choice advocates argue that abortion is not murder, because life does not begin until the child is born, or sometime relatively close. Since the idea of life depends on ones religious, and theological views, it can make a complicated argument. However, from a scientific stand point, theres no room for argument. Scientist believe life begins at conception, and continues until birth. The definition of alive is, that a being is growing, developing, maturing, and replacing its own dying cells, which a fetus is capable of doing. Pro-choice advocates have argued that a woman had the right to her own body, and that the government shouldn?t be able to control a woman?s body, which is true. A woman, just like any other human being should have complete control to their own bodies. Having an abortion is murder, it is giving a woman the right to murder an unborn fetus. A woman has the right to get pregnant, and should take full advantage of all the possibilities and options while getting pregnant. Allowing a woman to have an abortion, is allowing a woman to commit murder. Abortion is immoral and wrong, with the exceptions in cases of incest, rape, and when the mother?s life is in danger. Using abortion as a form of birth control is murder, it is killing an unborn fetus. Believing that abortion is a woman?s right to her own body is startling to believe. Never has a state granted a citizen the right to have another person killed in order to solve a personal, social, or financial dilemmas. Abortion can also lead to many physical, and or mental problems. About 10 percent of women who have an abortion will suffer immediate complications. And about 2 percent are considered life threatening. Another likely complication is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, which can later lead to infertility. Some of the more major complications which can occur at the time of an abortion are: Genital Tract Infection, excessive bleeding, embolism, ripping or perforation of the uterus, anesthesia complications, convulsions, hemorrhage, cervical injury, and endotoxic shock. The most common "minor" complications include: infection, bleeding, fever, second degree burns, chronic abdominal pain, vomiting, and gastro-intestinal disturbances. Post-Abortion Syndrome better known as PAS can be a mental after affect from abortion. A Los Angeles Times survey back in 1989 showed that 56% of women who had an abortion felt guilty, and 26% felt guilty about having an abortion Abortion isn?t always successful, there are about 50 failed abortions cases a year. A failed abortion is when a woman attempts an abortion and the fetus survives. Fused joints, Cerebral Palsy, growth retardation, missing limbs, or digit abnormalities and other congenital problems are just some of the medical complications that can result after abortion. A failed abortion can either be a continued intrauterine pregnancy or can also take place as an ectopic pregnancy. A continued pregnancy is a normal pregnancy, in which the woman can go on to give birth to her baby. An Ectopic is a pregnancy that takes place in the fallopian tubes and is not a result of the abortion, its a natural occurrence, and can actually be the reason of the failed abortion. Ectopic pregnancies that are not terminated can be fatal. After having an abortion there are many effects that can occur in future pregnancies. About 24.3 percent of women experience complications in future pregnancies, after having an abortion. Excessive bleeding, premature delivery, cervical damage, and even infertility are just some of the complications that women can experience after an abortion. Placenta previa, a condition producing extremely severe,

Traditional University Education verses Online Education courses Essay

Traditional University Education verses Online Education courses - Essay Example Online education, which is in the category of distance learning, involves studying via the internet (Amy, 2009). There is minimal face to face interaction because all assignments are posted, done, and submitted online. This education best fits those who would not like to disrupt their professional career or personal life. You can do your assignments while you are in your office or home. Your study schedule is done at your convenience or when time is available. Traditional and online university Education have several elements that they share, however, there are certain elements which sets them apart. When considering an educational system, factors such as credit transfer, interaction, cost and convenience are of great importance. This paper seeks to compare and contrast traditional university education system and online education program. It will compare and contrast the cost, convenience, communication means, and interaction in the two programs. Cost In both systems there is a cost t hat a student must incur. As the world economy grows, the cost of education has always been increasing. However, this factor sets apart the two systems of education. The online education is relatively cheaper than the traditional education system. In the online education system, there is no need for transport funds because you study from home or your office. The textbooks are also available online and you do not need to incur an extra cost of purchasing them. In the traditional universities you need to rent a house or pay for a hostel maybe because of the distance from your place of residence; this is not the case for online education system. A student taking an online course may not need to attend gyms and dining halls. A mother who is breastfeeding will also not require employing a baby sitter if she is attending an online class. These differences make online education system relatively cheaper. Students who are undertaking online education also have access to scholarships, grants , and loans just like their counterparts undertaking traditional education systems. Convenience The flexibility that goes with online university courses makes them more convenient than traditional university programs. Since physical presence is not compulsory you can choose your own time to study your notes or do your assignments. There is no restriction to access of your lecture notes. This module is preferred by those who are working and do not have the time to attend lectures. However, just like the traditional university module, there are deadlines for submission of assignments and without commitment you cannot succeed in this program. The student should exercise discipline and balance his professional and education time. In an online course, you can also choose the period you want to finish your course. This means that you can schedule in more courses so that you can complete your course earlier. In a traditional system, the courses and exams run at a scheduled time and it is h ard to take more courses (Best Online Universities, 2013). Communication In both systems communication between the learner and the instructor is vital. In the traditional education system, there is more face to face communication than online communication. Students meet with their instructors in class, they are taught and can ask questions and be answered. They also meet with fellow students: discuss class work, share views, and ideas and can have group work. In the other system, communication bet

WORLDVIEW ANALYSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WORLDVIEW ANALYSIS - Essay Example The essential center is on issues of system and epistemology that is the routines, ideas, and hypotheses through which economists endeavor to land at learning about investment forms. Theory of mass trading is likewise concerned with the routes in which moral qualities are included in financial thinking. Budgetary thinking has suggestions for equity and human welfare; all the more essentially, financial thinking frequently. However noteworthy moral suppositions that savants of matters in profit making have thought that it was beneficial to investigate. The rationality of matters in profit making is concerned with the cement social presumptions that are made by economists. Scholars have offered thoughtfulness regarding the organizations and structures through which investment movement and change happen. The measurement of the theory of trading and lending that falls inside the rationality of science need to do with the status of financial investigation as an assemblage of exact learning. Logicians are not observational analysts, and in general they are not formal hypothesis manufacturers. There are a few parts of rationality in commercial concerns. To start with, thinkers are generally ready to inspect the coherent and balanced gimmicks of an experimental order. Second, thinkers are overall prepared to consider subjects needing to do with the ideas and speculations that economists utilize for instance, investment levelheadedness, Nash harmony, impeccable rivalry or transaction costs. Logicians can offer helpful examination of the qualities and shortcomings of such ideas and speculations in this manner helping honing economists to further refine the hypothetical establishments of their order. Till now, we have depicted the position of the thinker under worker of the economist. In originality, the line between feedback and hypothesis creation is not a sharp

Glass ceiling and glass border are terminologies often used to Essay

Glass ceiling and glass border are terminologies often used to describe barriers women might face in the labour market. Do we see any evidence of these barriers disappearing - Essay Example Since little is known about these challenges, there is a lack of coping strategies developed to avert them. This deficiency in coping strategies limits the availability of opportunities for women’s progression to senior management positions by creating both covert and overt barriers (Donald and Hartmann, 2005, p.478). However, with the advent of globalization, issues of gender equity and gender equality are progressively gaining popularity (Donald and Hartmann, 2005, p.480). This has resulted in an increase in women’s participation in the labor force as they progressively get acceptance in professions, careers and occupations previously reserved for men. However, most of the results from the efforts fall short of set targets and expectations (Thomas and Sally, 2005, p.490). This has necessitated a proper understanding of the covert and overt barriers to women’s progression to top management positions. The slow but progressive disappearance of these barriers will form the major part of this document. IHRM is a practice that encompasses all the activities revolving around coordinating employees and their efforts towards attaining pre-determined goals and objectives at a global scale (Thomas and Sally, 2001, p.89). IHRM also entails the process of sourcing for human resources, allocating them appropriate roles, and effectively putting their skill sets to use to maximize on the organizational effectiveness and efficiency of international firms (Thomas and Sally, 2001, p.89). The term â€Å"glass ceiling† is used to describe the invisible and intangible barrier that prevents women or ethnic minorities from getting into top-level management in a hierarchical system (Olga and Rà ­o, 2012, p.160). A glass ceiling can also be defined as a set of attitudes that fosters the unjust prevention of women and ethnic minorities from getting into highly influential positions (Olga and Rà ­o, 2012, p.163). In most organizations, the existence of the discriminatory barrier in

National Identity of The Battle of Sainte-Foy by Joseph Lgar Research Paper

National Identity of The Battle of Sainte-Foy by Joseph Lgar - Research Paper Example This paper analyses the themes of national identity and representation in Legare’s painting. The Battle of Sainte-Foy depicts the war between Britain and France on April 1760 at the western part of Quebec City. The war is lengthy and difficult. According to Buckner (2005), the English had more or less 3,000 soldiers while France had approximately 5,900. Canadians have fought hard for centuries to gain a sense of national identity. Even though the country’s size is vast, its population is the opposite, and the entire of Canada is remarkably diverse in terms of culture that it can be thorny for its people to unite together. Nevertheless, even though significant, this does not belong to the major concerns of the Canadian pursuit for a national identity, since the nation’s actual dilemmas rest in its history (Chodos, Murphy & Hamovitch, 1991). Only as the years passed did the entire meaning of the events in the Battle of Saint-Foy become apparent and only, as well, w ith their regress, did the Canadians find power to express and depict it. English Canadians, whose identities have emerged long after the battle, as often as not deal with this event in their history with calm indifference, as shown by Legare: they can sense the victory of Britain and Wolfe and relate their identities with it, yet it is, after two centuries, an unruffled victory, without great jubilation in it, without great sentiment raised to strengthen it. Two important battles have downplayed these 18th-century events nearly to the height of insignificant fights. However, for Legare, the case is somewhat the other. The 18th century, particularly the 1760, was the period where in the French banner fell, never to rise again. Prior to 1760 were periods of remarkable successes when they were the powerful in their own lands, people of the supreme ruler in Christendom (Romney, 1999). Subsequent to it, the periods of misfortune have been ended. In that case, it is not surprising that T homas Chapais introduces his historical work with opposing images (Lower, 1958, 81): The 8th of September, 1760, at eight o’clock in the morning, the Marquis de Vaudreuil, last governor of New France, signed at Montreal the capitulation which put an end to French rule in our country. The prolongation of the heroic struggle†¦ had become impossible. The English general, Sir Jeffrey Amherst, surrounded the city†¦ with twenty thousand men, to meet whom there were hardly twenty four hundred soldiers. Food, artillery, munitions, everything was lacking. No more help could be expected from France†¦ the fatal hour had sounded and it was necessary to bow before the inevitable†¦ In the distance between them, for Legare, Chapais, and for all French Canadians, a wonder had taken place: the wonder of national identity. The painting of Legare actually make no broad depictions of the Battle of Sainte-Foy, but there emanates from the painting a breath, as it were, of catas trophe and nationalism: the people of Canada were an unfortunate people, entrusted completely in the hands of colonizers. His painting, in its entirety, is a commemoration of nationalism and in spite of its numerous errors and at times its excesses it has been recognized by the well-educated people of French Canada as the standard exhibition of the Battle of Sainte-Foy (Bumsted, 1979). In another remarkable effort to portray the emerging but weak sense of national

Was the conquest of Spanish America an ambivalent conquest Essay

Was the conquest of Spanish America an ambivalent conquest - Essay Example According to the research findings colonization and conquest are not events but processes that affect the victims and the conquerors . To measure the degree of the change in the victims and the conquerors, it is crucial for one to understand the culture of the conquered society. The Mayan and the Spanish societies underwent a hard period during the colonization process. In this view, the essay develops a clear and concise argument in answering the question â€Å"Was the conquest of Spanish American an ambivalent conquest?† This essay analyzes the main controversy that surrounds the Spanish presence in Yucatan. The main focus of this research paper is to the attention of the initial the eventual success and the initial attempts of the Spaniards when they attempted to solidify themselves with the Yucatan Peninsula . The author points out that the victory of the Maya community was short-lived. The Spanish community also had to live a different life because of the new Spanish masters. The individuals in the community had to utilize the available resources as a result of the lack of labor, the unsuitable grazing land, and the poor agriculture. There was also the collapse of the encomia system. Overall, despite the difficulties related to a lack of historical sources, this essay attempts to sort out truth from fiction in the "confessions" wrung out of the Maya by the Spanish Inquisitors.

Critically evaluate the organisational impact of mergers and Essay

Critically evaluate the organisational impact of mergers and acquisitions on the enlarged tourism firm - Essay Example Mergers and acquisitions need to be carefully considered, well planned and executed with great care because, although a decision to have an enlarged firm can provide an opportunity for growth, a failed execution can be costly, resulting in others attempting to takeover or control a part of the business. A merger or an acquisition is followed by a period of uncertainty in the enlarged organization as change managers try to execute plans and transform a vision into reality. It is necessary to try and pay attention to the human resources in the enlarged organization along with trying to utilize economies of scale and synergies, because those who have been interacting with the previously separate organizations can feel insecure, angry and frustrated with the change. Thus mergers and acquisitions bring about a period of uncertainty and chaos as spectators as well as share markets decide if the business decisions that were made or their executions have been sound. This brief essay presents a discussion of the organizational impact of mergers and acquisitions on the enlarged tourism organization. Mergers and acquisitions have been very popular in nearly all sectors of the economy in the past decade because corporations have felt that there is a need to utilize economies of scale and to take advantage of the strengths which have been developed in specific organizations to provide lower operating costs in order to thrive in competitive times (Andersson, 2000, Pp. 1 – 10). In the tourism sector, mergers and acquisitions have had an impact on hotel chains as well as airlines and an increasingly larger number of firms have tried to join hands in order to survive or thrive. Shocks such as the September 11 terrorist attacks as well as higher aviation fuel costs, have encouraged firms associated with the airline or hotel businesses to combine their strengths in order to become economically competitive. An example of a recent merger in the airline

Cloning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cloning - Research Paper Example Cloning has now been the edge of modern medical science for a few decades now. The initial success that leading cloning experts and researchers had with the creation of a cloned sheep Dolly initiated the enthusiastic pursuit of this controversial discipline that has far-reaching impacts on the biology of mankind, life and the society at large as well. The scientific term, â€Å"Cloning† is the replication of an organism such that its genetic makeup is the same and as a result it appears as a carbon copy of its original counterpart. Clones have the same physiology, external appearance and the same genetic coding within their cells. In layman’s terms it is an exact copy of a particular organism.( Mediline Plus, 2012, p.1) So far the Cloning project and several genome projects have achieved success in cloning simpler organisms like micro-organisms, rats and the latest sensational breakthrough of Sheep cloning by bringing into the earth the first complex organism under the mammal species, a sheep nicknamed: Dolly. However Cloning has several risks and the current stage of knowledge and research is inadequate to successfully copy human genome and create an exact carbon copy. Lower level organisms too displayed extreme susceptibility to diseases, a very poor internal defence mechanism and intruder detection system and fragility in day to day course of existence. The Sheep ‘Dolly’ couldn’t be kept alive for long, surviving only for a short span of 6 years, dying due to progressive ling disease. Cloning: Change in Parenthood and Biological Origin The process of cloning involves a total paradigm shift, a total societal change in the way organisms reproduce sexually giving birth to a child with equal chromosomes being contributed by either partner. Cloning of Dolly was done with the help of three participating organisms. The first participant was the sheep that donated its somatic cell and gene from its mammary gland, the second sheep do nated the egg and the third sheep was used to bear the embryo to term. The process of cloning is inspired and based on the natural process of embryo multiplication wherein an egg after fertilisation divides into two thus bringing into existence two identical twins. The sperm cell punctures through the egg followed by fertilisation and separation of a portion of the egg to give rise to an identical embryo at a later stage of fertilisation. (The University of Utah., 2012, p1.) Cloning replicates this process almost mechanically, aping the natural process step by step in cooking up a clone, through artificial embryonic multiplication, gene implantation, extraction and gestation in a mother’s womb until birth. Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer The process of Cloning involves the SCNT, Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer. Somatic Cells refer to cells in the body other than the two types: egg and sperm cell. Egg cells and Sperm cells have one set of chromosomes whereas somatic cells have a c omplete set of chromosomes inherited form its biological parents. (National Human Genome Research Institute, 2012, p1.). The cloning process involved three stages: somatic cell sourcing, nucleus extraction form the somatic cell of the adult sheep (intended sheep to be cloned) and finally implantation into a female sheep’s womb for successful gestation to term. Dolly the sheep was cloned in the same process. The fundamentals of cloning technology were applied. A somatic cell was taken from an adult cell’s mammary glands, the nucleus was extracted from the cell of the adult female sheep (source of clone) and the implanted in an embryo of another sheep. Soon the embryo started behaving normally and showing signs of acceptance of the nucleus. This embryo was later implanted into another female sheep for rearing in the womb until term and delivery. (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, 2008, p1.) Risks of Cloning Reproductive cloning is extremely expensive and has high fai lure rates. Almost 90 % of all cloning attempts fail to produce

Influential People Essay Example for Free

Influential People Essay In my life, I have had many various influential people, but I would have to say that my Mother has made the biggest impact of all. Most everything that I am today is a outcome of inspirations and instances I have established from my Mother. She has made so many different opportunities presented to me, without which I do not know where I would be. I find my Mother to be a very inspiring person; the reasons for this are infinite. My Mom has been through multiple hardships over the course of her life and throughout it all she has become an exceptionally strong, loving, and wise person. This fact alone amazes me and when compounded with the fact that my Mother, among it all, still manages to have a quick, clever, and upbeat sense of humor I am left fascinated. The things I have learned and continue to learn from my Mother are endless; she has taught me all of the founding principles of my life and for that I am eternally thankful. Though my Mother and I have many discussions on various subjects, within whom I learn many different things, I believe that many of the things I learn from her are discovered and observed from example. This summer would be an instance. Together, we faced many hardships that really pulled and tugged on our relationship. We worked through possibly one of the hardest things a mother could ever go through. It not only brought us closer together, but it made me realize how much she loves me, and how she is always going to be there for me. It is common knowledge that not everyone is perfect, even heroes, and in realizing this I know that I although I wish to be like my Mother in most ways I do not in all. This realization may be one of the most important things I have learned, my Mother has taught me to base my decisions in life not solely on the examples and actions of others but simply on what I gather and learn from the examples and actions of others. In other words, she has taught me not to follow blindly but to make my own decisions based on what I think is important. My relationship with my Mother is something that I treasure above everything else in my life. We are able to play and joke like young children and have serious in depth conversations on some of life hardest subject like mature adults. The various levels that my Mother can reach me on astound me and I think that it is what makes our relationship truly special and what makes her such a wonderful influence.

Water Conservation Essay Example for Free

Water Conservation Essay Will there be enough water for a more crowded world? The adult human uses on average about 100 gallons of water a day. Only about 2.5% of earth’s water is fresh and only 1% is actually attainable for usage. The available water on earth has not changed. The same water we have today has been recycled for millions of years, we are not gaining any more. The time to do something is now. In this essay I would like to remark on the past, present, and future of water conservation. We use much more water today than we ever did in the past. With new technologies and fashions, we use more and more water every year. Not only do we have luxuries that we didn’t have a hundred years ago, our world population has more than tripled since then. Yet our supply of water is not changing. Water has gone through the same replenishing cycle since our world began, and we are using more then ever. Now is the time to make sure we conserve. We have an obligation to our future. With world population growing at the rate it is, we must take precautions that those ahead of us don’t suffer because of our negligence. Water is life; the number one necessity for survival. Not only must we conserve now to prevent future problems, we need to teach the coming generations the importance of our water, that they in turn can make sure nothing will ever happen to bring about disaster in the form of water shortage. As we can see, water conservation is a much larger issue now than it ever was in the past. What we do now makes a difference. We must do all we can to make sure our future is safe. Water conservation is a practice in which people, companies, and governments attempt to reduce their water usage. The goal of water conservation may be to address an ongoing water shortage, or to make lifestyle modifications to be more environmentally friendly. In the late 20th century, water emerged as a major issue, especially in the developing world, where many people lack access to safe drinking water, and the issue of water conservation began to attract a great deal of attention. One of the most obvious reasons to practice water conservation is in a situation where water supplies are limited. An ongoing drought can restrict supply, as can a change in water policy, especially in an area where people are dependent on water from other places. Desert regions, for example, rely on water which is shipped, trucked, or moved through aqueducts, so distant policy decisions can directly impact the amount of water which can be accessed in these areas. Water conservation may also be practiced in response to rising water prices. The cost of water is usually contingent on how easy it is to access, how far it must be transported to reach the end consumer, and how much it needs to be processed in order to be rendered safe. Water treatment can get extremely expensive, causing water prices to rise, and water prices also grow when water supplies are tight. From an economic standpoint, water conservation keeps water bills down to a manageable level, and it frees up water for other uses. Some people encourage the practice of water conservation because they would like to promote the sustainable use of water. While water is a renewable resource in a sense, every time fresh potable water is used, it takes a long time for that water to re-enter the water supply, as it may become contaminated by chemicals, bio hazardous materials, and so forth, requiring extensive cleanup before it can be re-used. Using water for things like gardens, car washing, and industrial production may be frowned upon in some communities where people would prefer to reduce the overall amount of water they use so that clean water will be available to future generations and other regions of the world. A water conservation order may be issued to oblige citizens to conserve water in some communities. Conservation orders are often issued when water supplies are low, and officials are worried about running out. They may also be used to mandate water conservation for environmental reasons. Typically, water conservation orders restrict water use by setting rules about how and when water can be used.

The Shrm Can Support The Competitiveness Management Essay

The Shrm Can Support The Competitiveness Management Essay In 20th century, globalization as a set of belief or ideologies becomes infectious. An ideologies -concerned primary with maximization economics that give prominence to the roles of market forces along with the deregulation and privatization would lead the sustain economic growth, it defines as the process has speeded up dramatically in the last two decade as technological advance make it easier for people for people travel communicate and do business internationality. (Investor word, 2005) The issue generate some change to the world, first, The globalization has is increase the competitive rivalry from the domestic to the global, as over past 25 year the number of MNC(multinational Company) has increase eight fold and the foreign direct investment stock has increase twelve fold. The economic indicator reflects the reshuffling of the total business investment away from domestic to foreign largely through merger and acquisition (Cooke, 2005, p.283). Second, the firm are increasingly s eek to leverage the HRM to compete in global market, academic and practitioner alike has increasingly to explore international potential of SHRM (Bratton and Gold, 2007). Therefore, HR today is playing a lead role along with business function in creating necessary momentum and internal capability. This is arguing by the resources based theory of (Barney, 1991) it hold that as a firm resources are key determinant of its competitive advantage. The resources must be creating value and competitor difficult to imitate. (Refer appendix A) A model of related to the resources and competence, it shown that the capability for the competitive advantage requires Core competence and unique resources. It identify resource has 4 type, physical, financial, human resources, and intellectual capital and define the core competence as the ability of management to deploy their resources effectively which cannot be imitate by competitor. (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2008). In order to manage employee for competitive advantage human resource management must possess competence relevant for effective implementing SHRM practise (Barney Wright, 1988). Is that so human resources policies and practices may be an especially important sources of sustaining the competitive advantage (Jackson Schuler,1995). The Emergent SHRM Strategy From the introduction, we already explain HRM can be identify as a tool to sustain competitive advantage But, how to it sustain the competitiveness, it can be explain by the Strategy Human resource Management, it is a process of linking the human resources function with the strategic objective of the organization in order to improve performance (Bratton and Gold, 2007). Snell et al (1996, p.62) defined it as an outcome as organization design to achieve sustainable competitive advantage through people .The growing interest in SHRM has develop primarily because many of the traditional sources of competitive strategy have been rely on, such as patent, economic of scale, access to capital and market expansion are being eroded by the market based competition (Nolan, 2002). Is that so, the Human resources approaches, how to recruit, sustain, motivate and integrate the staff toward the organization objective and how it adopt change environment has become an important issue on generating the competitive advantage of the company. It has been argue by the Guest (1997) model of HRM (refer Appendix B), there is a close link between HR strategy and general business strategy, Cost leadership, Focus, Cost reduction, through implement the suitable Human resources practise, which may generate the HRM outcome, Commitment, Quality, And Flexibility to the staff, and he believe after achieving the following policy goal, superior performance outcome will be provided (Bratton Gold, 2007). Harvard model (Beer et al,1984) also argue that the Human resources practise must keep in view on the stakeholder and business environment concerns, and achieve the employee Commitment, competence, congruence and cost effectiveness, which may generate the long term consequences result , individual will being afford, organization effectiveness. There are 2 approaches on developing the human resources strategy. Best fit approach, which argue that HR strategy will be more proficient when it is integrated properly with its specific organization and environment contract (Boxall Purcell, 2000), Baird and Meshoulam (1988) argue that the HR practise must fit the organization stage of development they describe as external fit or vertical fit. However, the most significant best-fit model has been one in which external fit is determined by the organizations competitive strategy, rather than its stage of development (Boxall and Purcell, 2000). Best practise approach, which is based on the belief that is a set of superior human resources practices which, If adopted will lead better organization (). Definitions of best practice are always drawn from research on the four preferred sub functions of undergraduate personnel psychology: selection, training, appraisal and pay (Boxall and Purcell, 2000). This means the Human resources strategy must involve the whole management structure or process, instead on just HR approaches Ideal Types Human resource strategy Bamberger and Meshoulam (2000), integrate the two main models of HR strategy, one is approaches focusing on the strategys underlying logic of Managerial control, the other one focusing on reward -effort exchange, arguing that neither of the two dichotomous approaches (Control and resources based) provide a framework able to encompass the ebb and flow of the intensity and direction of HR strategy. (refer Appendix C) The implication of globalization in Tourism industry, and the role of SHRM in Sustainable tourism development. As globalization also means increase in international division of labour, achieve through the international fragmentation of production as well as the political trend toward a more liberal economic order (Vesna,1999). Many company going to global, as company can gain competitive advantages by focusing on marketing and distributing while turning to foreign producer for manufacturing of their product. (Bourgeois et al ,1999). Tourism industries are not an exception, tourism is a phenomena base on travel pattern of people, technology and cultural value is a major vehicle or operative in effecting globalization process. (E,Wanda,Georges, 2002). But it face some challenge as development of foreign country may affect the local community and local business, Clark and Arbel (1993) cite several challenge such as communication difficulty, little control over regulatory legal, political decision ,political instability, different labour pattern cost ,product supplier ,religion custom work ,ethni c, language ,lack of code and standard. Rapid growths of tourism possess a threat to environment social and international relation. (Klancnik, 2003). Many of the NGO has aware of this issue, so they come out with global tourism development theory, Sustainable tourism development. UNWTO (2012) define it as tourism that take full account of its current and future economic, social and environment impact, addressing the need of visitor, the industry, the environment and the host community. UNEP and UNWTO (2005) encourage all country make sure their policy and action for its development and management fully embrace the principle of sustainability. Government also play an important role on it, it has many tools that can use for make a different such as the power to make regulation and offer economic incentive and the resources and institution to promote decimate goal practise. (UNEP UNWTO, 2005). Furthermore, The sustainable tourism is not just focus on the environment conservation issue, UNEP UNWTO (2005) define that are three element, economic sustainability, social sustainability, economic sustainability, where social sustainability is focus on respecting human right and equal opportunity recognizes and respecting different cultural and avoiding any form of exploitation. Therefore ,the global policy like human right, fairness in the work environment are become vital issue that organization need to pay attention, in the other hand David Ulrich and Brockbank (2005) argue that the role of employee champion in SHRM, we has to see the word through employee eye and all of their representation while the same time looking customer, shareholder and manager eye and communicate to employee what is require for through them to be success and creating value. Guest also argue that High employee commitment as a critical HR outcome, concern with the goals of binding employees to the organization and obtaining the behavioural outcome increase effort, cooperation and organization citizenship.(Bratton Gold, 2007) This shown that sustainable development require coordination of SHRM. In national level In 1995, international labour market conference state that tourism industry facing or acute shortage of skilled manpower and there are many obstacles as far as HR resources in tourism industry (Srivastave, 2008).In Malaysia, Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Human resource are in charge of sustainable tourism development , where MOTOUR focusing on eco-tourism and ensuring the quality and sustainability product (NEAC, 2011), MOHR in charge of social sustainability where they promote equal opportunity in work place (MOHR, 2001). Tourism industry is the important contributor to Economy which generating RM 360 Billion in GNI (ETP, 2010). The government face a lot of difficulty when implementing the sustainable tourism development. First, the constrains on man power shortage of training opportunity and inadequate opportunity to learn and the appreciate the specific requirement for tourist (NEAC, 2011). Second ,high turnover, Globally the turnover rate is estimated range 60-300% annually which is far away than the 34.7% annual turn overrate in manufacturing industry.(Walker Miller, 2010).Third, the replacement of foreign worker and the confusing of Y generation to enter the industry, a survey of MOHR show that the gap for hotel are especially for worker in food and beverage segment front line as well as housekeeping staff are filled with foreign worker, (ETP, 2010) local graduate from Bachelors of degree in hotel management hardly guarantee the attainment of management position ,and some more they need to compe te with the local SPM low skill labour, this is different from other country. This situation has demotivate the local employee to enter the industry as Pendergast (2009) state that mentoring model that focus on individual development use the time span of 5 year career planning are one of the suggest strategy in Y generation value and motivator. Fourth low salary, average salary for tourism industry is RM 1084 per month, which is relative lower compare with other large industry in Malaysia (ETP, 2010), in result the local choose to enter the hospitality industry enticed by income prospect in market such as Singapore Macau or Hong Kong. (ETP, 2010). From the analyst above, I give out a hypothesis, how to enhance the sustainable tourism planning and sustain the competitive advantage of the Tourism and Hospitality industry, it fall back to, how the company or country adopt the Strategy human resource management by implement best human resources practises. The human resources practises Recruitment and selection, is a process where the organization attract and selected the right staff to the organization, an effective approach of recruitment and selection can help organization maximize the competitive advantage by choosing the best pool of candidate quickly and cost efficiency. (Kleiman, 2005). Training and development, in SHRM it is not just a process to develop the skill capability of the staff, but also provide learning environment and the employee own career and future development. There is a growing emphasis on viewing organization as a total learning system and finding its core competence which reveal its collective learning (Prahalad Hamel, 1990). Performance appraisal, it is a process to measuring and evaluate the performance and contribution of the staff, Tznier, et. al., (2000) suggest that organizations generally use performance appraisal for two broad purposes. First performance appraisals are used in administrative decisions such as promotions, salary allocations, and assignments. And second, performance appraisals are used as a tool for employee development processes such as offering feedback, critiquing performance, and setting goals for improvement. Effective human resources development may enhance the company competitive advantages. Employee involvement and relations are the complex set of human resources practices and organization culture that seek to secure commitment and compliance with organization goals and standard through effective communications employee involvement, employee right and managerial disciplinary action (Bratton Gold, 2007). Reward, it is the process to recognize the contribution of the staff, proper reward strategy may motivate and retain the employee, eventually enhance the performance of the employee to the organization. Motivation is an important HRM function to join and stay talented worker and performance better and do extra to the organization, is one of the most important part for organization to focus on develop and sustaining competitive advantage.(Ahmad Khalaf, 2009). How company adopt SHRM by implement human resources practise are shown below. In tourism Industry The recruitment and selection play an important role on an organization, especially in the human based tourism and hospitality industry, and it place an important role on SHRM strategy planning as well as the best practise and best fit approaches, as employee replacement cost are high, make finding the right person to an organization imperative form both cultural and financial standpoint (Credit union Management, 2012). Therefore it is important for an organization to take full attention in the need of generate interest to employee apply the job, and the people who apply are capable to fulfilling the role in the employment (Bratton and Gold, 2007), as bad hiring practise can hurt your business (Lawson, 2012). evidence are shown in the tourism industry Malaysia, Small travel agency in Malaysia didnt provide the proper job specification, and fail on applying the best practise on Recruitment and selection policy, from the detail above, their employee are feel threatened by the entry of low qualification foreigner worker, low salary, and no clear career pathway provided, therefore they are unwillingness to enter the local market, in result cause high turn-over, lack of professionalism, High turn-over rate may lead to erosion of the company implicit knowledge base (Coff, 1997) affect company competitive advantage. (Delery Dotty, 1996). Unlike the Tourism Industry in US, Walt Disney, their SHRM practice pursue Commitment HRM strategy Bamberger and Meshoulam (2000) they not just provide attractive salary, they also care about the employee future career, until they retired .The salary provided is negotiable based on where employee stay, they introduce save for 2 morrow programmes to secure when retired employee, they provide more than 10,000 online reference materials and resources, instructor-led classes, performance support systems, and education reimbursement for job-related degree programs to develop employee future, the reward are based on performance recognize e mployee contribution, (Disney, 2012), the purpose of organization is to generate a innovated and creative learning culture of the organization which the employee may share the knowledge in meeting (Bratton Gold, 2007), it may enhance the organization competitive advantage ,as knowledge is intangible and difficult to imitate, Grant (1996) suggested that knowledge is the significant competitive asset that the firms possess . Barney (1991) also argue that it hold that as a firm resources are key determinant of its competitive advantage, and the resources must be creating value and competitor difficult to imitate. In Airlines, Multinational company Air-Asia pursue commitment HR strategy with locus control by outcome of the staff and focus on the internal development of the staff(Bamberger Meshoulam, 2000) to support its no frills strategy ,although it average salary is low for the reason of cost redundancy , but the staff may be retained , whereby it conduct pilot training programme for the Cabin crew to train as the first class officer (AirAsia, 2006), it set up an one stop Airasia academy to train the multitask staff(AirAsia, 2006), it promote knowledge environment , and everyone is in the same height regardless of your position , they adopt fresh new ideas (Airasia, 2012).it promote, The Next Generation Leaders programme looking for intelligent, young professionals, who lead active lifestyles and who breathes passion into all endeavours (Airasia, 2012). it provide performances related bonus ,recognize the contribution of the staff, and it provide work-life balance, where the staff only need to work 5 d ays a week (Airasia, 2012), as result commitment, quality and flexible staff may improve the productivity of the organization, and which fix the leanest cost structure business level strategy of Air-Asia (Airasia, 2012b), it has been prove by Guest (1989,1997), only when a coherent strategy directed toward the 4 policy goals fully integrated into business strategy and fully sponsored by the line management at all level is applied will high productivity and related outcomes sought by industry be achieved (1990, p.378).There is why now Air-Asia develop so rapidly and can become a leader of Low cost carrier Airline in the world . In Food and beverage industry Marry brown in Malaysia make use of traditional SHRM strategy as it mission was to improve the standard growth of the organization and maximize the sale and profit through its structured franchise system. (Marrybrown,2007a),The training they provide are focus on service quality, improve productivity (Marrybrown, 2007b),in India they tend to recruit external staff to maintain their service quality, the minimum requirement for a customer service crew is diploma, by using the attractive based salary and benefit reward examples, meals allowance, to attract and retain employee(Marybrown, 2012), in control system, the franchisor will make a regular visit on business review, market development and general business coordination (Marry brown 2007b).The purpose of this strategy was aim to process based control , in which close monitoring by supervisor and efficiency wages ensure adequate work effort. (MacDuffie, 1995).The traditional HR strategy or Best fit strategy has enhance the company gro wth rapidly, Marrybrown is now the largest home-grown QSR chain with over 300 restaurants in Malaysia, Azerbaijan, China, Bahrain, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tanzania and the United Arab Emirate(Zazali Musa, 2012). Macdonald make use of resourced based model HRM strategy to sustain it mission customers favourite place and way to eat, which focus on 5 area, product prices, place people and promotion .(Macdonald, 2012a). The Manager had seen Human resources as an asset rather than a cost (Bratton Gold, 2007). In recruitment and selection process, the company make use of Macdonald Green Select, which consist of proven psychological profiling and behavioural assessment , which is Myes Briggs type indicator, Emotional intelligence prevue and the work personal index, aim to meet the candidate with enough competence to fix organization objective. (Mcdonald Green Human Resources, 2010), in employee involvement and relation, it promote manager mobility programme where the manager has the opportunity to work in any outlet of the world .(Mcdonald, 2012), Lashley(1994) commence with a survey of various claims made for employee empowerment as a means of winning commitment of frontline staff to delight cust omer with excellent and hence maximizing the profit of the business. In training and development the company promote lifelong learning , where the employee may has the opportunity to join the leadership programme, even-though has the opportunity to train in Hamburger university to enhance their career development, in the internal development programme mentoring are provided, program incorporates the latest technology features of both informal and formal mentoring approaches, providing a virtual environment to encourage Career Engagements. (Mcdonald, 2012), Payne and Huffman (2005) suggest that mentoring can enhance positive commitment and reduce labour turnover. in result the afford of SHRM approaches has successful benefit the company on reaching their business objective. According to the report, 20 % of the franchiser is start as a crew, 70 % of the work proud to work at the company (Hand, 2008). From the detail above, we may aware, different industry and different organization may use different SHRM practise, and it is varies on their business objective, like Airasia, because of the no fills strategy, the company choose to pursue the commitment strategy to improve productivity and reduce turn over, Walt Disney tend to achieve their innovative and creative business objective develop immitigable competitive advantage, so its focus on knowledge management, all of them has successful develop their own competitive advantages, so it prove that , my hypothesis is correct, where the SHRM play an important role in sustain the company competitive advantage , and sustainable tourism development, as they care of employee future development. The limitation of SHRM Since we know the SHRM can enhance and sustain the company competitive advantages but it meets some limitation, first lack of consideration of Culture in global market. As Strategic international human resource management has increasingly consider a key differencing factor between loser and winner in the Multinational Company (MNC) since 1990. (Schuler et al , 1993). Strategic international human resources management is a step further than SHRM, recognize that is a need to differentiate HRM across country culture ,an area there is increasingly being recognize as a course of business success or failure (Deresky,2008). Second, the SHRM may focus on the competitive strategy implementing, disregard the internal development, example like Traditional HR strategy may be adopted by management when there is certainty over how inputs are transformed into outcomes and/or when employee performance can be closely monitored or appraised(Bamberger Meshoulam, 2000), it is argue that at contingency analysis relies on external marketing strategy , and disregard the internal operation strategy that influence HR practise and performance. (Purcell, 1999). Third ,lack of HR expertise, David Ulrich (2005a) the HR guru once argue there are key role require in HR, business partnership, administrative expert, change agents , employee champion. According to the CIPD HR survey report (2003), among 1200 HR survey respondent, third of practitioners see their primary role as business partner ,slight fewer see themselves as change agent, 4 per cent seen them as the administrative expert, finally is the employee champion. this situation may pollute the SHRM strength on sustain the competitive advantage, as the employee champion seen to take grant one of the central nostrums of normative models of HRM, that employee well-being and organization goal can always be align (Tyson, 1995). Fourth the optimistic of HR manager, we cant avoid that that is a potential due to the personnel role of the decision maker, may affect the effectively of the SHRM strategy implementation. it is argue by Legge (1978) identify 2 strategy , the conformist innovator and the deviant innovator, the conformist manager attempts to fulfil the requirement of the senior management , the deviant innovator subscribe to a quit different set of norms, gaining credibility ,and support the ideas driven by social value rather than strict economic criteria (Marchington Wilkinson, 2005). Conclusion Although there are some limitation, but I conclude that, the SHRM still remain as the important tools for generating the competitive advantage , as we may aware ,that the traditional competitive strategy by Porter(1980) cost leadership , differentiation , and Focus has become common and being eroded by the competitive market(Nolan, 2002), and the unique characteristic of SHRM are effectively for sustaining the competitive advantage nowadays, it can be explain by the resources based approach (Appendix D) , where there are 4 element to sustain competitive advantage, rare, value, inimitability, non-substitutability. The human resources can create value to the organization , where specific skill and capability each employee held will provide more and less value depend on the market in which the organization operate (Johnson,2009). The human resources can be rare, like the management style, the leadership and close relationship, and the unique human resources practice. An organization that employed people with higher cognitive ability compared to their competitor will be more likely to gain competitive advantage through their rare resources (Wright et al, 1994). The human resource can be immitigability, and non-substitutability, example like the knowledge and the know-how skill develop, the competitor may find difficult to imitate. Amit and Shoesmake (1993) emphasis the strategic important of managers identify, ex ante and marshalling a set of complementary and specialized resources and capability which are scare, durable, not easily trade and difficult to imitate. Furthermore I suggest, if a company are tend to extract the global market, they should more concern about the international strategic human resources management , when implementing the human resources practise, as culture and the legal perspective of country may be varies. Schuler et al (1993) once argue that, there four component we has to consider when apply the SIHRM, the exogenous factor, the endogenous factors SIHRM practices, the goals of the multinational company, the exogenous are related to the industry and the domestic characteristic (culture ), the endogenous is regarding the MNC internal own capability and culture, SIHRM issue, is regarding the issue of tendency of coordination, local or global responsiveness, and the goal of the MNC is regarding the profitability and the shareholder interest, as last I reemphasis, the SHRM is the essential tools for sustain the competitive advantage, therefore the manager must integrating the SHRM on the business level or corporate level strategy planning as we has proved that SHRM are the driver for the sustainable and developing of the competitive advantage. Referencing Ahmand, A. R., Khalaf, T. 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The Thigh Gap Epidemic Essay -- Beyonce photoshopping

Beyoncà © Knowles- Carter is an aspiring artist in the music industry and a major role model for young women of all ages. However, on April 10th of 2014 commenters online slammed the thirty-two year old singer regarding her photoshopped thigh gap in a vacation snap of herself playing golf in the Dominican Republic (see fig. 1) (Dodge). http://images.lifeandstylemag.com/uploads/posts/image/43112/beyonce-thigh-gap-photoshop-1.jpg Fig.1. Beyoncà © photoshops thigh gap Beyoncà © was also accused of using a clone stamp tool to make her thighs appear thinner). After this heating controversy there is no saying if this singer will be able to retain her Queen Bee status. A thigh gap is identified as a gap that becomes evident between a woman's inner thighs when she stands with her feet together. If you haven't heard of it, it’s probably because it doesn't exist in the majority of the population. The infamous thigh gap has been a growing obsession among young girls over the past decade; a bodily phenomenon that has been constantly flaunted by supermodels have brainwashed teenage girls into feeling the need to achieve this thigh gap. Through snapshots on Instagram and Image posts on Tumblr and various social media, the desire for the thigh gap has become a phenomenon. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/S6UcJx-ole8/hqdefault.jpg Fig. 2. Painting of a Renaissance Woman. Women weren’t always striving for a thin physique. In fact, women were once admired for their natural, God-given bodies. For Instance, during the Renaissance era (1400s- early 16th century) the more voluptuous a woman’s body was, the more she was desired (Kuchinsky). Painting... ...d over to the states as more young women strive to achieve thinner physiques. Works Cited Dodge, Shyam. â€Å"Beyonce slammed by fans as she is accused of photoshopping a 'thigh gap' into bikini photo†. DailyMail, 2014. Web. 9 May 2014. London, Bianca. Jones, Toni. â€Å"Skinny models spark disturbing trend for 'thigh gap' lipo treatment on Harley Street†. Dailymail, 2013. Web. 10 May 2014. Kuchinsky, Charlotte. â€Å"Beauty through the ages—The Renaissance†. Thebeautybiz, 2007. Web. 9 May 2014. Np.â€Å"A Timeline of Sexy Defined Through The Ages†. Stylecaster, 2010. Web. 9 May 2014. Np.â€Å"Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Economic Trends†. Westga, nd. Web. 10 May 2014. Np.â€Å"Social Media & EdTech†. EdTechRevolutionInEducation, 2013. Print. Np.â€Å"Thigh Gap—Origins of the phenomenon†. Wikipedia, 2014. Web. 10 May 2014.

Privitization Of Airports Essay -- essays research papers fc

Privatization of Airports For 51 years Bergstrom Air Force Base was home to fighter pilots, bombers, troop carriers and reconnaissance jets. It was the first port of call for President Lyndon B. Johnson on his trips home to LBJ Country aboard Air Force One, it was where Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, once brought a disabled jet to rest in an emergency landing. In September 1993, in the path of military cutbacks Bergstrom Air Force Base was closed. But the timing was fortuitous, because the closure came as the city of Austin, Texas was considering where to build a new airport. In 1993, the expected economic loss to Austin from the Bergstrom closure was estimated at $406 million a year and a loss of some 1000 jobs. But with the possibility of utilizing the prior Bergstrom Air Force Base as an airport the Austin economy was expected to have an opportunity to rebound and even improve these results from the base closure by privatizing the airport. The trend worldwide toward airport priva tization presents an exciting and dynamic opportunity for the flying public, governments, operators and investors. The overall success of privatization of airports has been seen by the sale of long-term leases for three of the largest airports in Australia for $2.6 billion. Following this success, the Government of Australia announced their plans to privatize fifteen more airports. Several Latin American airports already are in private hands. Major airports in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela are already concessioned or scheduled for privatization over the next two years. Smaller airports in Central America and the Caribbean also are to be privatized. In Europe, a significant number airports have been privatized and opportunities are imminent in Germany, Portugal and elsewhere. Governments in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the world over also are developing airport privatization plans. Why has this marked trend emerged and why did the city of Aus tin choose to act in this capacity? Governments in many cases do not have the financial capacity to invest in airport expansion as well as meet other needs of their citizens. They are recognizing that on one hand there are limits to their own knowledge of, and expertise, in managing airports; and, on the other, that such expertise can be provided by others with the effe... ...ith great interest in foretelling whether the actualization of Austin-Bergstrom is as much as a success in the practical as well as it appears to be in the theory. Bibliography Bibliography American Statesman, (1999). Airbase to Airport: A model transition [Online]. Available: URL: http://www.austin360.com/news/features/local/0131recycle.html [1999, January 31]. Austin360.com, (1998). Airport ¡Ã‚ ¦s neighbors hear city ¡Ã‚ ¦s noisy plans. [Online]. Available: URL: http://www.austin360.com/news/features/local/1015noise.html [1998, October 15]. National Center for Policy Analysis, (1999). Privatization trends. [Online]. Available: URL: http://www.public-policy.org/~ncpa/pd/private/priv.html [1999]. United States General Accounting Office, GAO/NSIAD-96-149 - Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs, and Criminal Justice, Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, House of Representatives, (1996). August 1996 MILITARY BASES - UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF BASES CLOSED IN 1988, 1991, AND 1993. [Online]. Available: URL: www.gao.gov [1996, August]. SFA Gazette, (1999). Military Base Development [Online]. Available: URL: www .sfa.com. Word Count: 2753 Privitization Of Airports Essay -- essays research papers fc Privatization of Airports For 51 years Bergstrom Air Force Base was home to fighter pilots, bombers, troop carriers and reconnaissance jets. It was the first port of call for President Lyndon B. Johnson on his trips home to LBJ Country aboard Air Force One, it was where Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, once brought a disabled jet to rest in an emergency landing. In September 1993, in the path of military cutbacks Bergstrom Air Force Base was closed. But the timing was fortuitous, because the closure came as the city of Austin, Texas was considering where to build a new airport. In 1993, the expected economic loss to Austin from the Bergstrom closure was estimated at $406 million a year and a loss of some 1000 jobs. But with the possibility of utilizing the prior Bergstrom Air Force Base as an airport the Austin economy was expected to have an opportunity to rebound and even improve these results from the base closure by privatizing the airport. The trend worldwide toward airport priva tization presents an exciting and dynamic opportunity for the flying public, governments, operators and investors. The overall success of privatization of airports has been seen by the sale of long-term leases for three of the largest airports in Australia for $2.6 billion. Following this success, the Government of Australia announced their plans to privatize fifteen more airports. Several Latin American airports already are in private hands. Major airports in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela are already concessioned or scheduled for privatization over the next two years. Smaller airports in Central America and the Caribbean also are to be privatized. In Europe, a significant number airports have been privatized and opportunities are imminent in Germany, Portugal and elsewhere. Governments in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the world over also are developing airport privatization plans. Why has this marked trend emerged and why did the city of Aus tin choose to act in this capacity? Governments in many cases do not have the financial capacity to invest in airport expansion as well as meet other needs of their citizens. They are recognizing that on one hand there are limits to their own knowledge of, and expertise, in managing airports; and, on the other, that such expertise can be provided by others with the effe... ...ith great interest in foretelling whether the actualization of Austin-Bergstrom is as much as a success in the practical as well as it appears to be in the theory. Bibliography Bibliography American Statesman, (1999). Airbase to Airport: A model transition [Online]. Available: URL: http://www.austin360.com/news/features/local/0131recycle.html [1999, January 31]. Austin360.com, (1998). Airport ¡Ã‚ ¦s neighbors hear city ¡Ã‚ ¦s noisy plans. [Online]. Available: URL: http://www.austin360.com/news/features/local/1015noise.html [1998, October 15]. National Center for Policy Analysis, (1999). Privatization trends. [Online]. Available: URL: http://www.public-policy.org/~ncpa/pd/private/priv.html [1999]. United States General Accounting Office, GAO/NSIAD-96-149 - Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs, and Criminal Justice, Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, House of Representatives, (1996). August 1996 MILITARY BASES - UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF BASES CLOSED IN 1988, 1991, AND 1993. [Online]. Available: URL: www.gao.gov [1996, August]. SFA Gazette, (1999). Military Base Development [Online]. Available: URL: www .sfa.com. Word Count: 2753

Jurassic Park :: essays research papers

Two paleontologists, Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler, were financed by John Hammond, a very wealthy man. The two were visited by a man named Morris who was very interested about Hammond. Apparently he had leased an island off the west coast of Costa Rica for some type of big development that had been in the making for some 10 years. Part of the plan was to buy large quantities of amber, which drew attention from Morris, because amber was of little or no value.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shortly after the visit the two paleontologists were called by Hammond to come visit his island. He told them it was a type of biological preserve that he believed would alter all science across the world. Hammond needed them to come look at his island to give him their opinions about weather the island was safe for business. Hammond said the island would be called Jurassic Park.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the development of the island word spread of the new finding to a rival company. Dodgson, who worked with the company knew that he knew Hammond was on to something big and he wanted a part of it. He arranged to met with one of Hammond's employees, Nedry. At the park he was in charge of design of the park's computer system. Nedry informed Dodgson that they were recreating dinosaur embryos but wasn't sure how. Nedry agreed to steal embryos from the park in exchange for $1 million.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the meantime Sattler and Grant arrived at the island where they met friends of Hammond’s, including Ian Malcolm, a famous mathematician. The others were Dennis Nedry; Henry Wu, the brains behind the park; and Ed Regis, a lawyer. Later Hammond's grandchildren arrived, Lex and Tim.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When all had arrived and were settled the tour began. It consisted of six people: Hammond's grandchildren, Malcom, Dr.Sattler and Dr.Grant, and Ed Regis. While on the tour it was explained how the dinosaurs were created. First amber that had hardened millions of years ago with mosquitoes or other blood drinking bugs. DNA was extracted from the blood and was used to recreate dinosaur embryos. There were 15 different species and 238 individual dinosaurs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the tour weather became bad weather. Because of the bad weather all power went out and without Nedry, who was quietly stealing embryos, it could not be fixed. However, Nedry was killed by a dinosaur because of a wrong turn.

Walmart Global Expansion

Wal-Mart’s Global Expansion Introduction Sam Walton established Wal-Mart at Arkansas in 1962. It has grown dramatically over the last 40 years and has become one of the world’s largest retailers with the sales of $401 billion in a year ending Jan. 31st 2009. Wal-Mart has approximately 7,000 stores globally with 2 million employees. It is the largest private employer in Mexico and Canada with the employee figures hitting around 1. 4 million in this region. It also operates 3,600 additional stores in 16 worldwide markets that include China, Japan, South Korea, India and United Kingdom. Wal-Mart does particularly well in Canada where they have a chain of 314 stores. In 2008, it had 92,284,000 dollars of gross profit. Wal-Mart serves its customers and members over 200 million times per week and ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazine’s 2009 Most Admired Companies survey. Wal-Mart provides sustainability- focused products. Wal-Mart not only provides jobs for senior citizens and students but also provide opportunities to build careers with competitive salaries. The retailer claims that 75% of its stores management team joined the company as hourly sales associates. Wal-Mart has also got an impressive ethical policy which includes regular use of recycling products and creating almost zero landfill waste. The company also makes vast amount of donations to different local level charitable organizations every year for improving people’s lives, which made Wal-Mart a trusted organization for funding the community programs to address hunger, homelessness, education, job training and other basic needs. International Expansion of Wal-Mart and its Benefits By 1990, Wal-Mart realized that the opportunities for growth in United States is becoming limited because of the saturation of the market and decided to expand their business globally. Their international expansion put a greater impact on international market and has changed the way business is conducted globally. It has also increased the benefits for the consumers as it helps them spend less money on goods they purchase. The company’s relationship with their key suppliers such as General Electronics (For appliances), Unilever (For Food Products) and Procter & Gamble (For Personal care products) is very good. All these suppliers are internationally recognized with vast global expansion and because of this Wal-Mart are able to demand deeper discounts from the local operations of its suppliers. Apart from these world renowned suppliers Wal-Mart also does business with more than 2,500 minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE). The result of this good relationship with suppliers means they can lower their prices to attract more consumers, gain market share and increase their profit margins in international market. Wal-Mart claims in its data sheet for December 2009 that its international business achieved 11. % rise in sales for the whole financial year. Except the profit and market share another benefit of international expansion for Wal-Mart is the flow of different ideas for example, a double-floor store in New York was opened because of the success of multi-floor stores in South Korea. Other ideas such as the layout of the wine department in Argentina have now been used into th e layouts of company’s stores worldwide. Wal-Mart is also constantly trying to improve its reputation ethically and consistently helping over 100,000 charitable and community-focused organizations by providing financial and volunteer support. Retailer’s policy of buying fair-trade products in the international market is also attracting the attention of many consumers to shop in Wal-Mart. Risks When Entering Other Retail Markets The idea of expanding internationally was initially jeered off and the critics showed that Wal-Mart’s style of trading only suits to an American market, which in other countries is not going to work because of the different market structure, people’s taste and the popularity of already established retailers. But instead of all the critics Wal-Mart went ahead with an idea and in 1991opened their first international branch in Mexico. Expanding business internationally also brought some risks for the retailer as being new in the market they faced problems like bad infrastructure, lack of leverage from their suppliers and no knowledge about consumers taste, which resulted the rise in prices of their products and lack of interest from the consumers. One prime example of this kind of mistake was in Mexico where they merchandised products like ice skates, lawn mowers and fishing tackles which were good sellers in United States but without a surprise didn’t do well in Mexico. Managers had to reduce prices to sell that stock but it was re-ordered because of the automated ordering system. These problems created a large risk to prove the critics right about Wal-Mart not surviving internationally. Diminishing the Risks Wal-Mart learned vastly from their experience in Mexico and after that whenever they entered any international market they took strict measures on not repeating the same mistakes. To avoid risks of making past mistakes they made deals with vehicle companies which means improved and frequent distribution system, adapted local environment and merchandised goods in stores that appealed local tastes. With the grown presence of Wal-Mart in the international market their suppliers built factories near the distribution centers so they could serve the company better, which meant frequent inventory and cutting down the cost to get better market share. These are the tactics that has made Wal-Mart one of the most successful and globally recognized retailer in the world. Entering Mexico via Joint Venture Wal-Mart first entered Mexico through a joint venture with Cifera, because it was the largest local retailer in Mexico which was somehow within the standard as Wal-Mart was in the United States. The other reason it entered through a joint venture was because they wanted to be on the safe side when entering a new market considering they had no previous experience of the market they were planning to enter and hoped the experience from Cifera will help them in making their brand global, which they had planned to do after the market in America got saturated for domestic growth. Financial Aspect of Joint Venture As for the financial aspect of joint venture seems to be that both companies can benefit from the profit as well as share the risk and cost. Get a greater access to resources which both companies can share with each other and also the availability for both companies to a new market distribution. While not to forget the risk of this particular idea for a business is that every company has different objectives on how to move forward with the business. The other risk is the communication flow as one company can be centralized and the other decentralized. Purchase of Joint Venture Partner The major reason believed to push Wal-Mart to buy of their Mexican joint venture partner Cifera. Was that they had gained enough experience working in Mexico which was around about 7 years and during that time they had increased their sales of good as well as made contacts to help them prosper without the help of having a joint venture. After getting exposed and experience within the market they had considered to start their own chain of stores to have a firsthand control rather than having to collaborate with their partner to make certain decisions. The other reason could be considered that is since their deployment in the Mexico during 1991 when goods were being sold at 20 percent more than in the States due to various different conditions such as transport and production of goods. They were able to sort out the problem by at first having a deal in place with a major transport company to bring products from their factory to the stores in Mexico, which later on opted on suppliers to open factories around areas where stores were located which enabled to cut down on logistics cost. Having this in place they were able to provide the same goods in the same price as they did in the States. Difference of Strategy for Dominance Before explaining the strategy that Wal-Mart pursued it would be helpful in understanding the strategies. As per the question four different strategies were provided to consider and show the one chosen by Wal-Mart to match its strategic choice and why. The four strategies are global strategy, localization strategy, international strategy, and transnational strategy. Global standardization strategy is a â€Å"strategy that focuses on increasing profitability by reaping cost reductions from experience curve and location economies† (Hill, 2009). Localization strategy is a â€Å"plan which focuses on increasing profitability by customizing the goods or services to match tastes in national markets† (Hill, 2009). Transnational strategy is a â€Å"plan to exploit experience-based cost and location economies, transfer core competencies with the firm, and pay attention to local responsiveness† (Hill, 2009). Lastly international strategy is â€Å"trying to create value by transferring core competencies to foreign markets where indigenous competitors lack those competencies† (Hill, 2009). Domination The strategy that Wal-Mart used to go global from United States was the global strategy at first in Mexico but after noticing that the strategy has no affect rather than sales going up they had to cut down the price of goods to be able to sell them. This enabled the company to change from global to localization strategy which is to focus on increasing profitability by customizing the firm’s goods or services they provide a good match to tastes and preferences in different national markets. This enabled them to adapt to the local market and provide goods that matched the local environment. As for making sense of this strategy it was a valuable and the right decision considering the outcome from the change. As profit grew so did the hold in the market as well as outsmarting their nearest rival by having more than twice as many stores within the country. Conclusion To conclude, Wal-Mart benefited vastly from their global expansion. It experienced an increase of global market share, reputation and profit margin. It also gained economies of scales. Although, they faced massive problems when they took their business internationally but they quickly learned from their mistakes and adapted the strategies according to different international markets, which benefited them in many ways. Wal-Mart ranked 8th in 2009 Forbes Magazine’s of global companies but 1st in global retailers ranking and if they keep attracting consumers by their business strategies then without a doubt it will stay the top retailer for a long time.

Nursing During Civil War Essay

The American Civil War occurred between 1861 and 1865. When the war began, there was no organized medical corps for either the Union Army or the Confederate Army. Up until then, nursing was still considered a â€Å"loose term† as far what a nurse is and does. There were no official nursing schools or professional trained nurses available. As newspapers wrote about the poor and unsanitary conditions that wounded solider were subjected to, hundreds of women volunteered to help provide assistance to the wound solders (Egenes). Make-shift hospital and clinics were created on the battlefield to care for the wounded. As a result of having no organized medical corps in the army, conditions at most of the hospitals were poor. More soldiers during this time died of complications other than battlefield wounds such as dysentery, small pox, and pneumonia. (Son of the South). Hospitals were overcrowded and nurses lacked adequate quality of food and water, clean clothing, sanitation equipment, and other medication supplies to properly provide care for the injured. Because of this, hospitals were breeding grounds for disease and death. During this time, army physicians did not favor female volunteer nurses, believing female nurses were inexperienced and disorganized. Several woman help elevate the status of nurses during the Civil War and on. One woman that did just that was Dorothea Dix. Dix was a school teacher that was appointed as the Superintendent of Army Nursing for the Union Army. Through her position she was able to help organized medical efforts, set standards for military nurses, and to lobby for medical supplies for the Union Army. Another woman that had an impact on nursing was Clara Burton, also known as â€Å"Angel of the Battlefield. After her father died, she began to collect supplies and provide care to the wounded at the front lines. As word around the army grew about her compassion and care, Burton began getting support for her cause and the nursing cause as a whole. After the war, she continued her efforts in nursing and eventually inaugurated a movement to gain recognition for the International Committee of the Red Cross by the United States government (Epler).

Explore the Stages of Producing a Good Essay Essay

In this essay I will be discussing the different stages involved in producing a good college essay from start to finish. I will describe exactly what an essay is, how to break down and understand an essay title, how to prepare to write an essay, the key stages in essay development and the role of self reflection on the development of your essay writing skills. An essay is a major part of formal education and is used to access a student’s performance and show that they have researched and understood a particular subject or issue. It is a piece of writing with a particular structure and layout. â€Å"A short piece of writing on a particular subject, especially one done by students as part of the work for a course† (Cambridge Dictionary, 2009). â€Å"Usually it is written in a formal, academic style: the language is different from the way you speak†¦.it is not conversational† (Cottrell 2008:175). An essay title is given and this is used as a ‘question’ which must be ultimately answered throughout the essay. You are expected to stick to exactly what the essay title is asking for. Before starting an essay you need to make sure that you understand what it is asking you to do. â€Å"Every question has key words, and identifying them will help you decide what the assignment is about and what you have to doâ €  (The Open University 2007). Once you have a clear idea of what the essay title is asking for you can then look more closely at the resources available to you, such as books, articles, class notes, the internet, television and newspapers. You need to weigh up the relevance of the information you find and be selective. You need to ask yourself ‘Do I need the information?’ and ‘How will I use this information?’ (Cottrell 2008:176). It is important to record which recourses you found your information in to avoid plagiarism. All recourses used in the essay needs to be listed in a reference list at the end of the essay and allows the reader to refer back to these sources for themselves. Next you need to organise and plan your essay. â€Å"The Structure and organisation of your work is just as important as the content. What matters is not just what you know but the way that you organise it† (Cottrell 2008:182). The hard part is getting the information and ideas that you have gathered i nto a well organised and coherent state and then start the actual writing. Arrange the information that you have already sourced into topics, a spider diagram can be handy for this. Make a plan for the main parts of your essay, and note down the key ideas and information for each part. An action plan is good way of preparing your ideas and will help you map out your essay. A good essay flows logically from one point to another, preparing an action plan can aid this. It gives you the chance to plan out what you may put in your introduction and conclusion, what your main points will be and what you will focus on in each paragraph in the main body of your essay. An action plan can help you to develop your argument but also keeps you on track. â€Å"If you simply start writing, with your pile of notes at your side, and you haven’t given any thought to the organisation of the ideas and information, then you are very likely to end up with an essay that rambles and has no clear sense of direction† (Edinburgh Napier University, 2009). A first draft is a chance to quickly jot down your ideas using your plan. This is not a final version of your essay. â€Å"Don’t expect to write perfect text at the first go, you will need to spend time going back over and rewriting or reorganising your paragraphs† (The Open University 2007). Don’t worry about spelling or punctuation at this stage; this is just a chance to get your ideas down on paper. Sometimes after writing your first draft your ideas may have developed from those which you put in your initial action plan. This means that you would have to revise your action plan â€Å"If necessary, rework your outline plan as you proceed. You may rework your plan several times as your thinking becomes more sophisticated. This is part of the process of understanding a subject† (Cottrell 2008:186). At this point you should have a good picture of what you want in your final essay. You should check that the information you have is grouped and in a good logical order, then begin to write your final draft. You need to make sure that your final draft makes sense, reading it aloud can help with this. Ensure that you have used enough evidence and examples to back up your argument and make certain that your references are written correctly and that the source of your information is made clear. Check for punctuation, spelling and grammar mistakes, getting this right can help improve your marks. Finally check that it is neat and well presented. It is important as a student to be able to reflect on how you learn best; this can help you improve your essay writing skills. Cottrell believes that you should make constructive use of the feedback that you receive from your tutors but it is also of great benefit to be able to work out for yourself what is it you do well and what you need to improve. This is also called self-reflection. Your performance as a student is likely to improve if you set time aside to reflect on how you learn. In conclusion, to produce a good college essay you must always keep focused on what the essay title is asking for, present your ideas and information in a well structured, coherent way, ensuring that it flows logically from the introduction to the conclusion. Support your ideas or arguments with good relevant evidence and make sure that this is properly referenced. Lastly always present your essays appropriately in good written English.