Discuss the view that men are the new victims of equality in Essay

Discuss the view that men are the new victims of equality in contemporary organisations - Essay Example While its authenticity remains to be tested and proved, available literature questions the latter view to a certain extent. A number of authors have delineated a series of arguments and propositions to support the latter opinion and such arguments have been gathering momentum over the years due to a variety of reasons. Connotations and denotations associated with the concept of gender equality or/and its opposite gender bias, have increasingly been becoming complex and diverse. Culture-centric perspectives on the subject have been thrust to the fore as an independent analytical perception to understand an otherwise elusive multidimensional social problem. This approach has been augmented by ideological underpinnings of a still intricate nature that presumably envisage the elemental causative correlations among endogenous and exogenous variables to the total exclusion of societal relations. The evolving gender equality discourse has focused attention on related nuances and inevitably it has led to a persistent pattern of an a priori cognitive bias as well. This pattern has its own ideational constructs that ingenuously promote ironies such as the secondary effects of gender inequality. Thus men become victims willy-nilly of societal, cultural and ideological inhibitors. This antithesis has engulfed the business organization as the newest phenomenon that has serious implications for gender related issues irrespective of the organizational outcomes. Any gender related study of a serious nature produces its own contradictions because its topicality and contemporary appeal have persuaded men to adopt a defensive posture – a sadistic strategy of self-effacement. This is stoically borne out by their willingness to subject themselves to a self-scrutiny that warrants little or no empathy. Within the organizational context men have adopted a normative posture that suits them in as much the same way as women, the perceived original victims of gender bias, would

Explanations of crime deviance Essay Example for Free

Explanations of crime deviance Essay The right realist perspective on crime is mainly associated with the American sociologist W.J Wilson. This perspective became very influential on home office policy-making during the conservatives period in office. The right realist approach assumes that human beings are naturally selfish, individualistic and greedy. Therefore ther are naturally inclined to further their interest, even if this means comitting crime. They also believe the origins of crime are misunderstood, that is policies aimed at tackling crime by removing social and economic inequalities. Wilson noted that the Great Depression in the USA did not result in a rise in crime. Another right realist explanation is that the welfare state has undermined our sense of obligation to support each other, andthat community controls, i.e. informal controls imposed by neighbours, family and peer groups are breaking down. Right realists stress that attempts to explain the causes of crime should be abandoned and that sociologists should instead focus on finding practical solutions to slow the growth of crime. This developed the control theory. Hirschi argues that crime is opportunistic and anyone would commit crime if the situation was right and there was little chance of being caught. He says that sociologists should not focus on whypeople commit crime but why more people do not. He maintains that most people are rational in their choices and that there are controls that operate to make most people keep their actions within the bounds of the law. They are, Attachment- commitment to family relationships which could be threatened by criminal acts, Commitment- years of education, building a career, buying a home and aquiring a good reputation, all this could be lost by commiting crime, Involvement- some people are activley involved in community life as volunteers, parentgovernors for schools etc. all this would be jepordized by criminal behaviour. Right realists believe the way to control crime is to take practical measures to make sure the cost of crime outweighs the benefits. Left realists such as Lea and Young attempt to explain street crime in urban areas. Theirvictim survey of inner-city Islington showed that working class, black peopleand especially elderly women, had a realistic fear of street crime. Lea and Young argue that despite evidence of police racism, criminal statistics are largely correct as working classes and Afro-Caribbeans do commit the most crime. They agreed thatwhite-collar and crimes go largely undetected and under punished, they do not point out however that they do not have the same negative impact on society as crimes such as mugging or burglary.Lea and Young maintain the reason why working class and Afro-Caribbean people commit crime is to do with feelings of relative deprivation, such as comparing themselves to middle class or white youth with regard to life chances, living standards and income. Such groups feel frustrated with their lack of power. Negative treatment by the police and authorities leave groups feeling hostile and resentful, consequnently they are marginalized. Some mayform subcultures to help copewith the statusfrustration and marginalization. Hughes notes that left realists should be valued for the challenge they posed to radical criminologys thinking on the issues of intra-class and intra-ethnic crimes. Left realism has drawn attention to the brutalising effects of street crimes in the inner-city and the fact that some theories of crime have romanticised offenders, it has highlighted the effects of crime for victims, a group neglected by most theories of crime. It realistically acknowledges that the police amplify the presence of some groups in the criminal statistics through the use of stop and search, but points out that policing is quite rightly focusing on those groups most likley to commit crime. There is no emperical evidence to support the view that young working class or black criminals interpret their realities in the way described by Lea and Young. Research on the motives of offenders is required. Lea and Young do not really explain why the majority of working class and Afro-Caribbean youth do not turn to crime. Left realism only focuses on collective or subcultural criminal responses and does not explain crimes such as burglary, which are  commited by individuals rather than gangs. It focuses exclusivley on street crime and ignores other serious crimes such as fraud and it fails to account for oppurtunistic crime commited by adults.

The Origins Of The Church Of Scientology Essay -- Religion Scientology

During the dawn of the mid 20th century a new idea began to formulate within the mind of L. Ron Hubbard that would later give birth to what is known today as one of the fastest growing religions of the 21st century; this controversial religion is called Scientology. Scientology has acquired many individuals from all walks of life, ethnicities, and International regions of the world into its membership. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary the definition of Scientology is â€Å"a religious system based on the seeking of self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment through graded courses of study and training.† In addition, Scientology claims to comprise the remedies used to deliver people from drugs and alcohol abuse, as well as, therapeutic solutions to help others recover from serious injuries at an astonishing progressive rate. In essence, this movement’s main agenda is to bring order to a world of chaos through spreading its teachings, improving environmental conditions on planet earth, and developing the holistic being through using different methodologies and technologies. Moreover, by obtaining a basic understanding of Scientology and its purpose we can now explore and uncover the answer to a question that sparks the curiosity of outsiders in western civilization; such a question is How did it Begin? The origins of this culture began in the year of 1923 when L. Ron Hubbard started his studies of the mind and spirit. Likewise, such studies resulted in the creation of a manuscript entitled Excalibur; this book was completed in 1938 but was never published. Furthermore, it was in this unpublished work that the word â€Å"Scientology† first appeared. The literal interpretation of the phrase means â€Å"the study of knowing how t... ...sion, my answer to the â€Å"church† of Scientology pertaining to the existence of God will be in the form of a philosophical question that states, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound? Works Cited 1) Cooper, Paulette â€Å"The High Cost Of Scientology.† The Scandal Of Scientology. Web. 28th Nov. 1997 2) Communication Office Bulletin (HCOB). Hubbard, L. Ron. 18 July 1959. 3) â€Å"Dianetics.† New Oxford American Dictionary. Version 2.0.3 2005-2007. 4) lronhubbard.org/biography. N.P., 1995-2010. Web. 6 Nov. 2010 5) patheos.com. N.p., 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 6 Nov. 2010 6) â€Å"Scientology.† New Oxford American Dictionary. Version 2.0.3 2005-2007. 7) The New King James Version (NKJV) Bible. Ed. Thomas Nelson Nashville: 1982. 8) Watchman Fellowship. â€Å"What Christians Should Know about the Church of Scientology.† Web. 1 Jan. 2009.

One Life to Live (soap opera) :: essays research papers

One Life to Live is a soap opera broadcasted on the ABC channel on the weekdays. I started to watch this show when I was a sophomore in high school, and when I used to come home from school, my mom would be watching it. That is how I got addicted to it. The story takes place in a town called Llanview. One Life to Live appeals to many viewers because the show keeps the viewers hanging onto the episode’s next scene. The viewers know that if they watch the last scenes of one episode, then, the next day, the story may change or something unexpected might happen. This is how the viewer gets attached to the show. For example, a couple of weeks ago, one of the last scenes was with Jen with a pregnancy test in her hand. If people watched the show the next day, the pregnancy test was not hers. It was her mother’s. Her mother had also taken a pregnancy test the same day and had switched the tests on her. Then, the scene was cut with a commercial. The story was that her mother was pregnant, not Jen. This catches viewers to watch the show the next day because then, they want to know why her mother would do such a thing. The next day, the show is done the same way with the last scenes. There would be a scene that is cut off so that the viewers have to watch it again just to find out what happens the next day. Another way that keeps the viewers watching One Life to Live is how they never know who is going to be broadcasted the next day. There are so many characters that it is unlikely for all of them to be on each episode. For example, Todd, Blair, and Star are one family. Todd and Blair are the parents of their ten-year old Star. One day, the three of them might be broadcasted together in the same episode. The next day, Todd might be on an excursion throughout the show whereas Blair and Star are not even viewed. This is what occurs with almost all the characters. So viewers get attached to see who will be viewed the next day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One Life to Live also appeals to the viewers because of how the characters all relate to one another and some of the characters do not even know that they are related to someone else somehow. One Life to Live (soap opera) :: essays research papers One Life to Live is a soap opera broadcasted on the ABC channel on the weekdays. I started to watch this show when I was a sophomore in high school, and when I used to come home from school, my mom would be watching it. That is how I got addicted to it. The story takes place in a town called Llanview. One Life to Live appeals to many viewers because the show keeps the viewers hanging onto the episode’s next scene. The viewers know that if they watch the last scenes of one episode, then, the next day, the story may change or something unexpected might happen. This is how the viewer gets attached to the show. For example, a couple of weeks ago, one of the last scenes was with Jen with a pregnancy test in her hand. If people watched the show the next day, the pregnancy test was not hers. It was her mother’s. Her mother had also taken a pregnancy test the same day and had switched the tests on her. Then, the scene was cut with a commercial. The story was that her mother was pregnant, not Jen. This catches viewers to watch the show the next day because then, they want to know why her mother would do such a thing. The next day, the show is done the same way with the last scenes. There would be a scene that is cut off so that the viewers have to watch it again just to find out what happens the next day. Another way that keeps the viewers watching One Life to Live is how they never know who is going to be broadcasted the next day. There are so many characters that it is unlikely for all of them to be on each episode. For example, Todd, Blair, and Star are one family. Todd and Blair are the parents of their ten-year old Star. One day, the three of them might be broadcasted together in the same episode. The next day, Todd might be on an excursion throughout the show whereas Blair and Star are not even viewed. This is what occurs with almost all the characters. So viewers get attached to see who will be viewed the next day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One Life to Live also appeals to the viewers because of how the characters all relate to one another and some of the characters do not even know that they are related to someone else somehow.

Domestic Tourism Essay

Whether it is to rest, discover new things, meet others or to have a unique experience, everyone has a right to tourism; in short, there are not, there should not be, and there cannot be two categories of human beings, those who can be tourists and those who can only receive them. These two activities are, in fact, but two sides of the same human activity; both of them are noble and respectable and everyone is entitled to them. Domestic tourism (DT), historically speaking, is in fact the first form of tourism that was practised and today it continues to account for the most part of this activity by far: it is estimated that out of the 4.8 billion tourist arrivals per year (2008 figure), 4 billion, or 83%, correspond to domestic tourism. Likewise, the UNWTO’s economists estimate that at the global level domestic tourism represents: * 73% of total overnights * 74% of arrivals and 69% of overnights at hotels * 89% of arrivals and 75% of overnights in other (non-hotel) accommodations In light of these impressive figures, one is prompted to ask three questions: 1. What are the characteristics of domestic tourism? 1. AS FOR ITS CHARACTERISTICS, especially when compared to international tourism, it is possible to start with three fundamental observations: * 11. In contrast to international tourists, domestic tourists know the destination, its language, its customs, its laws, its climate, its cultural context. This has at least two consequences: * 111. As a general rule, domestic tourists are more demanding, especially when it comes to the quality of products, and also with regard to their consumer-protection rights * 112. Out of the four main motivations of tourists (discovery, encountering others, experiencing something unique, resting) the last two are certainly more prominent among domestic tourists * 1121. They seek a very wide diversity of types of destinations and tourism activities, in other words, the range of product offerings should be as broad as possible. * 1122. At the same time, domestic tourism is practiced more in a sedentary (staying in the same place) than a nomadic manner, the latter being more suited for more distant destinations. * 12. Second characteristic: domestic destinations are nearer * 121. Visits are more frequent and there are more repeat stays, notably with family and especially in the rural region of provenance of many urban residents * 122. Land transport is predominantly used: 88% compared to 51% for international tourism * 13. Third characteristic: as the destination is nearer and land transport is used more, the cost of trips is lower: * 131.Given that the barrier represented by trip cost is brought down, domestic travellers seek the best price-quality ratio, or often the lowest possible price, in all segments of the tourism value chain: accommodation, food services, tourism activities, shopping, etc†¦ * 132. they therefore seek alternative, non-hotel accommodations because, among other things, they are going to return several times to the destination and, while there, they prepare subsequent stays by informing themselves about the local accommodation offerings * 133. last, but not least importantly, they stay for longer periods * 14. The combination of these three basic characteristics (knowledge and proximity of the destination, lower cost of transport) brings about an entire series of other consequences; five of them can be mentioned: * 141. The social composition is broader, and domestic tourism involves all social strata, from the richest to persons with modest (but stable) incomes * 142. Certain social categories are much more highly represented in domestic tourism than in international tourism: * families * children and teenagers * seniors * disabled persons * households with modest but stable incomes * 143. This social diversity gives rise to a large diversity in the demand, in terms of accommodation and tourism products as well as activities and destinations. * 144. DT is less geographically concentrated and is relatively better distributed throughout the national territory, with a strong presence in the region of provenance of families. * 145. Unit expenditure is markedly lower than in international tourism, especially interregional tourism, but the overall volume of expenditure is markedly higher. 2. What is its impact on the social life of a country or a region? Five types of main impacts can be mentioned: * 21. DT is much less sensitive to crises, whether economic (e.g., 2009: substitution effect), natural, health or political (e.g., 2005 civil unrest in France). It is therefore an excellent crisis shock-absorber, especially in the case of economic crises. * 22. Due to its income redistribution effect (from tourists to local populations) and its various multiplier effects all throughout the value chain, it is an excellent tool for territorial development, for example for: * zones under redevelopment: e.g., northern China, southern Poland, eastern Germany, northern France, Wales * zones of rural exodus * mountain regions (in France, extremely poor regions in the Alps at the start of the 20th century) * 23. It is an excellent instrument for easing social tensions: * by allowing social categories of modest income to gain access to holidays and rest * by preventing situations where the same people (from the same countries) are always the tourists and with the same people receiving them * 24. It can serve to launch a destination (e.g., some of the oldest resorts of European tourism; the very new resort of Mazagan, Morocco, launched in October 2009 for the domestic market) * 25. From the macroeconomic point of view, it makes it possible to amortize national spending on international tourism: * physical investments: transport, accommodation, development and protection of public spaces (examples of Languedoc, Costa del Sol, Chinese seashore resorts) * intangible investments, mainly training and quality 3. How can we develop strong domestic tourism? One caveat: There is no magic formula and much depends on the national and regional context. A second caveat: The development of domestic tourism should not be regarded as antagonistic or alternative to international tourism; these two forms of tourism are different to be sure, but they complement each other closely and one should not be neglected in favour of the other. It is nevertheless possible to identify some broad guidelines: 31. Diversifying and developing * 311. transport: * low-cost air transport: the comparative advantage of low-cost airlines vis-à  -vis â€Å"traditional† airlines has to do with reductions in ground costs: (headquarters, booking, stops) and turnaround rate: consequently, the shorter the flight, the more competitive low-cost airlines are; it is thus a means of transport that is particularly well-suited to domestic tourism * railway network and especially high-speed rail * road and highway network (e.g., French and Austrian Alps, US) * 312. accommodation * hotels: developing family-run hotels and voluntary chains of independent hotels (pooled marketing, promotion, sales and quality standards) * residences (self-catering by families) * seasonal rentals: notably by developing quality standards and encouraging the establishment of voluntary chains for sales and promotion * camping sites, by moving upmarket (e.g., Morocco) * rural inns: notably through incentives (tax or subsidy) for the renovation of old buildings (a lot of examples worldwide) * bed & breakfasts, by providing them with a legal framework that clearly distinguishes them from hotels (taxation, definition of products, quality standards) * youth hostels * categories for nature, sea and snow (avoiding the serious errors of France on the subject of safety and security regulations) * 32. Adapting accommodations to local demand: the matter of family composition, e.g., China, Europe, Arab countries. As a general rule, accommodations adapted to families are: * larger * lower: one or two storeys * allow greater autonomy: kitchens, washing machines†¦ * allow long stays (sedentary tourism) * 33. It needs consequently to address the matters of: * land costs and development; * very long-term public and semi-public financing; * tax policy * 34. Expanding the demand: this is the role of tourism for all, namely policies that consist in: * 341. Making the demand more solvent, that is, â€Å"boosting† the purchasing power of families with modest incomes through: * holiday vouchers (Italy, France, China) * specific subsidies to low-income families (France, Russia), to young people and to seniors (Spain) * preferential rates on rail transport for families, young people, seniors * 342. Subsidizing accommodations meant for social purposes: works councils, associations, local groups or governments (e.g., in Belgium, Mexico, Brazil) * 343. Developing accessibility for disabled persons. * 35. Developing structures for activity organization and promotion at the regional/provincial level and at the local level (tourism offices) This document is an adaptation of a lecture delivered during the  « Rencontre internationale sur le dà ©veloppement du tourisme domestique  » Algiers, 9 Dec. 2010

The Choosing by Liz Lochhead Analysis Essays

The Choosing by Liz Lochhead Analysis Essays The Choosing by Liz Lochhead Analysis Paper The Choosing by Liz Lochhead Analysis Paper ‘The Choosing’ by Liz Lochhead is a poem which depicts the importance of the choices one makes in early phases of life. In this specific poem the main theme revolves around how wealth, family, different opinions about life and where a girl stood in the 80s influenced one’s choice; hence the title of the poem is ‘The Choosing’. In the poem the author compares her life to her best friend’s life. In their childhood days they were equal in almost anything they did including their appearance, behaviour at school, level in education and even houses because they were expected to be like that. As life moved on different decisions were made and the two girls had developed totally different characters. As the persona exposes the options that were available to the author it seems that she is purposely trying to ignore them in many different ways. Knowing that the girls did not embrace these characters themselves the persona becomes aware of the importance of one’s ability to make a decision independently. The author reveals her message using a variety of poetic devices including visual imagery, stereotyping, tone, paradox, poem structure, figurative language and also made use of framing. This could also have been all a matter of ‘choosing’. In the first stanza the author mainly compares her childhood days to her best friend’s. She used a number of poetic techniques including visual imagery and stereotyping to make a clear comparison. Such use of techniques stimulates the reader’s senses by evoking their own childhood memories because it has been presented in a way the reader can easily relate back to. For example in the line, â€Å"we were first equal Mary and I†, this creates a sense of equality, friendship and friendly rivalry. Further on in the stanza, the composer writes â€Å"with same coloured ribbons in mouse-coloured hair and with equal shyness†, it is a stereotype used to enforce the fact that they are equal or same. The author makes use of such imagery and stereotyping to relate it to the main theme and show that girls in the 80s were generally ‘programmed’ and did as convention said rather than choosing their own ways. The use of visual imagery and stereotyping encourage the reader to develop and understanding in their mind about how girls in the 80s were overpowered by the opposing gender. Stanza two elaborates more on the similarities between the two girls. The author changes the tone of the poem towards the end of the stanza to emphasize a change in life. Verse one of stanza two reassures of their friendship, â€Å"best friend too Mary and I†. It reassures of their friendship because by now the persona had begun to doubt their friendship due to the fact that they were rivals. Up to this point in the poem, the tone is peaceful, calm and friendly as it symbolises how the young girls are joyfully progressing and are unaware of the difficulties and challenges which are yet to come. The tone of the poem changes as the reader approaches verse six and seven, â€Å"and my terrible fear of her superiority at sums†. The author changes the tone to a fiercer and more fearful one as it reflects on the theme how the young girls are changing, and supports it with her selection of language. The reader can see a clear change in the young girl’s lives when looking at the fact that primary aged students who are still learning about ‘sums’ are using words such as ‘superiority’. This change gives a clue to the reader on how they are developing, changing and facing new challenges in life. The third stanza informs the reader how the girls came from families with different beliefs and notions towards life. The author demonstrates this through the use of paradox. A statement which seems contradictory but has a deeper meaning, in the case of this poem it allows the reader to quickly differentiate between the two girls. The author looks back at their childhood memories and remembers where they used to live and described it as, â€Å"the same houses, different homes, where the choices were made†. This line is an example of a paradox and is the most significant and meaningful line of the whole poem as it gives the reader an insight on how the choices were made. They lived in the same ‘houses’, another meaning for house is camera and we can associate that meaning with the fact that on the outside everything seemed to be the same just like looking at a picture. However, different homes meant that they were brought up and influenced by different people with different notions about life. So linking the two statements, â€Å"same houses, different homes†, it is known that the families of the two girls decided their future, â€Å"where the decisions were made†. This enables the reader to easily link back to the main theme and know that girls in the 80s usually did not have control over their lives. Moving towards stanza four, the author shows how wealth and different opinions about life influence ones choice. This stanza also highlights the fact that in the 80s decisions were made by the most dominant person in the family, a male or it can be known as modern type of patriarchy. The author uses a stereotype to emphasise on how her friend’s father was a typical ‘backward’ thinking man. The author was not sure why her friend had to leave, but had a clue that her father moved to a place where it was more affordable to live. We know that by the line, â€Å"I don’t know exactly why they moved, but any way they went. Something about a three-apartment and a cheaper rent†. This line refers back to the main theme as it shows how money influenced the family’s choice. It also indicates of the idea how females at that time were usually unaware of what is happening in the house as it was the male’s role, the reader knows it by the fact the author’s best friend did not tell her where or why she is leaving maybe because she did know at all. The author described Marys father as, â€Å"Mary’s father, mufflered, contrasting strangely, with the elegant greyhounds by his side. He didn’t believe in high school education, especially for girls, or in forking out for uniforms†. The author used a stereotype to create an understanding in the reader’s mind of how Mary’s father was the very ‘harsh’ and ‘tough’ kind of man back in the 80s. She then states that he did not believe in high school education for girls or spending on worthless uniforms which emphasises how different notions about life influenced one’s choice. The fourth stanza leads to the understanding how a modern type of patriarchy was still practised back in the 80s which left the women without a choice of their own. Up till this point in the poem we know that the girls with similar childhoods had separated due to the family’s decisions’. In stanza five and six the author sees Mary and starts to compare herself again and tries to blissfully ignore the reality. The author makes use of figurative speech such as metaphors and a lot of descriptive language to emphasise on the results of the decisions which were made in the early phases of life. The second line of stanza five, â€Å"I am coming from the library-†, suggests that the author’s parents had chosen a scholastic path for her. Whereas Mary’s parents had chosen a ‘family’ life for her and we know that when the author describes her as, â€Å"her arms around the full-shaped vase that is her body†. This is an example of a metaphor, it indicates that Mary is pregnant and therefore has a husband. It is clearly visible as to how the author might have preferred a different path than what she has now but she is blissfully ignoring it, by her choice of words there is a slight indication that the author wanted to live like Mary and have what convention called a ‘family’ but then she blissfully ignores that and says, â€Å"not that I envy her really†. At the beginning of stanza six she reinforces the idea that she is ‘ok’ with her life or more like she has to live with it now anyway because she didn’t have control over her life at the very beginning. Through-out the poem author used free verse and created a frame to convey her theme through to the readers along with the indications within the stanzas. The author used free verse to highlight on the fact that girls in the 80s didn’t have their own planned out life which they knew about, rather someone else was controlling them and everything was unexpected. We can also see this within stanza four where Mary didn’t know she was going to leave but when time came she vanished without knowing. The author framed the poem so that her main theme stays very clear, looking at the title ‘the choosing’ it is expected that the poem is about someone make important decisions in life. Within the poem that is proved correct to a certain extent but as the reader approaches the last two lines, â€Å"and wonder when the choices got made we don’t remember making†, it shows how the poem is about modern patriarchy. Where back in the 80s women were controlled by men and how those choices influenced their lives.

Free Essays on The Two Places I Have Lived

The Two Places I Have Lived Fort Huachuca Arizona, and Lilburn Georgia are very different places. There are differences in the weather, the outdoors, and the people of these two places I have lived. Fort Huachuca is in the Extreme south east corner of Arizona, close to New Mexico and the country of Mexico. Lilburn is about 20 minutes north east of Atlanta Georgia. For the most part, the Weather in Fort Huachuca Arizona was very hot, dry, and sunny almost all year long. When it rained, it rained a lot but that only happened a few times a year. Do you know that little dark red oval they show on the weather channel in the south east part of the country when they are telling the national weather? That’s where Fort Huachuca Arizona is. During the very long summer season, 110Â ° was almost a daily occurrence. We thought it as a relief when the temperature dropped below a hundred. Granted it was a dry heat, it was still quite warm in that part of Arizona. As little kids, my brothers and I would crack eggs on dark colored cars and they would cook in 20 minutes. Every once in a while, between two and four times a year it rained. I liked when it rained cause it was so unusual. It always rained a good amount when it did so flash floods were common. The weather in Georgia was considerably different. Summer months offered some of the same heat as Arizona but sacrificed a few degrees for some heavy humidity. The spring and fall offered some cool temperatures along with some warm days, depending on the particular front at that time. Georgia winters were bad. I went from 70 or 80 degree winters to 15 and 20 degrees. It can get very cold in Lilburn Georgia. Every winter I spent there we received cumulatively at least a foot of snow. Another great difference is that it always seemed to be raining in Lilburn. It didn’t rain quite as much as it does in Pensacola, but far more than it ... Free Essays on The Two Places I Have Lived Free Essays on The Two Places I Have Lived The Two Places I Have Lived Fort Huachuca Arizona, and Lilburn Georgia are very different places. There are differences in the weather, the outdoors, and the people of these two places I have lived. Fort Huachuca is in the Extreme south east corner of Arizona, close to New Mexico and the country of Mexico. Lilburn is about 20 minutes north east of Atlanta Georgia. For the most part, the Weather in Fort Huachuca Arizona was very hot, dry, and sunny almost all year long. When it rained, it rained a lot but that only happened a few times a year. Do you know that little dark red oval they show on the weather channel in the south east part of the country when they are telling the national weather? That’s where Fort Huachuca Arizona is. During the very long summer season, 110Â ° was almost a daily occurrence. We thought it as a relief when the temperature dropped below a hundred. Granted it was a dry heat, it was still quite warm in that part of Arizona. As little kids, my brothers and I would crack eggs on dark colored cars and they would cook in 20 minutes. Every once in a while, between two and four times a year it rained. I liked when it rained cause it was so unusual. It always rained a good amount when it did so flash floods were common. The weather in Georgia was considerably different. Summer months offered some of the same heat as Arizona but sacrificed a few degrees for some heavy humidity. The spring and fall offered some cool temperatures along with some warm days, depending on the particular front at that time. Georgia winters were bad. I went from 70 or 80 degree winters to 15 and 20 degrees. It can get very cold in Lilburn Georgia. Every winter I spent there we received cumulatively at least a foot of snow. Another great difference is that it always seemed to be raining in Lilburn. It didn’t rain quite as much as it does in Pensacola, but far more than it ...

French Expressions Using Donner

French Expressions Using Donner The French verb donner literally means to give and is also used in many idiomatic expressions. Learn how to sound the alarm, devote oneself, show signs of weakness, and more with this list of expressions with donner. Possible Meanings of Donner to giveto attack, go into actionto awardto be on (TV, radio)to deal (cards)to grant (permission)to hand in (homework)to hold (a party, dance)to make a donationto put on (a play, show)to show (a movie)to yield, produce (fruit, juice)(familiar) to grass/squeal/fink on Expressions with Donner donner __ ans quelquunto give someone __ years, to guess that someone is __donner fondto be on full-blast (radio, TV)donner manger/boire quelquunto give someone something to eat/drinkdonner pleinto be on full-blast (radio, TV)donner quelquun penser/croire/comprendre queto suggest that, to make someone think/believe/understand thatdonner rireto give cause for laughterdonner au nord/sudto face north/southdonner contreto run intodonner dans  - (people) to tend toward; to enjoy, be into  - (architecture) to lead intodonner dans le panneau (informal)to fall right into the trapdonner dans une embuscade/un pià ¨geto fall into an ambush/a trapdonner de lappà ©tit quelquunto give someone an appetitedonner de la tà ªte/du front contre quelque choseto hit ones head against somethingdonner des signes de faiblesseto show signs of weaknessdonner de soi-mà ªme/de sa personneto give of oneselfdonner de soi-mà ªme pourto devote oneself todonner du cor(hunting) to sound the horndonne r du fil retordre quelquunto give someone a lot of work or troubledonner faim/froid quelquunto make someone feel hungry/colddonner la chair de poule quelquunto give someone goose bumpsdonner la charge contre quelquunto charge at someonedonner la communion to give communion todonner lalarme/lalerteto sound the alarmdonner la mal de mer quelquunto make someone seasickdonner lassaut quelquunto attack someonedonner le changeto alleviate suspiciondonner le change quelquunto put someone off the scent/trackdonner le feu vert to give the green light, the go-aheaddonner le la (music)to set the tonedonner le ton/la note(music) to set the tonedonner le vertige quelquunto make someone feel dizzydonner lexempleto set an exampledonner lheure quelquunto tell someone the timedonner lordre quelquun de infinitiveto order someone to verbdonner quelque chose ( a business)to take something in (to a business - mechanic, tailor, etc.) to be repaireddonner quelque chose faire quelquunto give someone something to dodonner quelque chose quelquun par testamentto bequeath something to someonedonner quelque chose pour/contre quelque choseto trade, exchange, swapdonner raison quelquunto prove someone right, to side with someonedonner sa langue au chatto give up (trying to guess)donner sa placeto give up ones seatdonner son amitià © quelquunto offer ones friendship to someonedonner son coeur quelquunto give ones heart to someonedonner son corps la scienceto donate ones body to sciencedonner son sangto donate blood, to shed blooddonner surto look out over/onto; to open onto; to overlookdonner tort quelquunto blame someone, to disagree with someone, to prove wrongdonner tout son temps to devote all ones time todonner un baiser quelquunto give someone a kissdonner un coup de balai/chiffonto sweep/dust quicklydonner un coup de fil quelquun (informal)to give someone a calldonner un coup de main quelquun (informal)to give someone a hand, help someone outdonner un coup de piedto kickdonner une fessà ©eto spankdonner une fà ªteto throw a partydonner une gifleto slapdonner un fait pour certainto present a fact as a certaintyen donner quelquun pour son argentto give someone his moneys worthne pas savoir oà ¹ donner de la tà ªteto not know which way to turnne rien donnerto have no effectAvec lui, cest donnant donnant. He never does anything for nothing.Ça donne  ! (familiar)Its cool! Brilliant!Cela donne chaud/soifIt makes you (feel) hot/thirsty.Cela donne des maux de tà ªteIt gives you a headache.Cela va te donner des forcesIt will give you strength.Cest toi de donnerits your dealCest ce quon ma donnà © entendreThats what I was led to believe, given to understanddonnant donnantfairs fairdonnà © cest donnà ©a gift is a giftà ©tant donnà ©given thatIl nest pas donnà © tout le monde de... Not everyone in the world is lucky enough to...Je donnerais beaucoup pour savoirId give a lot to knowJe me donnerais des coups  !I could kick myself!Je te le donne en cent/mille (informal)Youll never guess (in a million years)!...nest pas donnà © tout le monde.Not everyone is gifted with...On donne quelquun/quelque chose pour...He/It is said to be...On lui donnerait le bon Dieu sans confession.He looks as if butter wouldnt melt in his mouth, He looks totally innocent.On ne lui donne pas dà ¢ge .You cant tell how old he is. Le soleil donne en plein.The sun is beating down.Les sondages le donnent en tà ªte.The polls put him in the lead.un donneur / une donneusegiver, (card) dealer, donor; (familiar) informant, narc Se Donner The pronominal French verb  se  donner  literally means to give oneself or to give to each other and is also used in many idiomatic expressions. Learn how to give ones all, act like, find the means, and more with this list of expressions with  se  donner.se  donner  ___  jours/mois  pour...to give oneself ___ days/months to...se  donner  to devote oneself tose  donner   fond  dans  quelque  choseto give ones all to somethingse donner bonne conscienceto affect a clear conscience, ease ones consciencese  donner  comme  but/mission/objectif  de... to make it ones aim/mission/objective to...se  donner de  grands  airsto give oneself airsse  donner des airs deto act likese  donner le temps de  faireto give oneself time to dose  donner  les  moyens  de  faireto find the means to dose donner un maà ®tre/prà ©sidentto choose a master/presidentse  donner du malto take great troublese  donner de la peineto take great painsse  donner des  baisersto kiss one anotherse  donner des coupsto exchange blowsse  donner du  bon  tempsto have a good/whale of a timese  donner le motto pass the word onse  donner le nom/titre  deto call oneself by the name/title ofse  donner pourto claim/profess to be; to make oneself out to bese donner pour but/mission/objectif/tà ¢che  de... to make it ones aim/mission/objective/task to...se  donner  rendez-vousto arrange to meet, make an appointmentse donner une contenanceto pretend to be composedse  donner  une  importance  quon  na  pasto act as if one is important when s/he isntse  donner  une  nouvelle  imageto give oneself a new imagesen  donner  (informal)to have the time of ones lifesen  donner   cÅ“ur  joieto enjoy oneself to the full, to have a field dayDonner conjugations

Responses to Readings and ID Craft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Responses to Readings and ID Craft - Essay Example The authors candidly and sympathetically narrate the story of carol using simple but touching words that often makes the readers to long for more while sympathizing with carol. Thought provoking questions are used to intellectually and psychologically engage the readers and make them dig deeper into the story. For instance, â€Å"what do you think carol did next?† (pg. 265). Through the narration, the effects and benefits of sleep candidly stand out. The manner in which the story is presented is interesting and appealing due to the use of simple vocabularies that still convey a heavy and/or significant meaning. Due to environmental degradation and the consequential global warming, hurricanes have been prevalent causing loss of millions of innocent lives and undue suffering such as that witnessed in Indonesia during Katrina the deadliest and most disparaging hurricane. Philip Gerard steadily and merrily presents startling facts. He takes a scientific viewpoint to add flavor to the story while leaving no stone unturned. He uses a scientific register to indicate the many things that people do not know about hurricanes. He however manages maintain a calm mood throughout the story while using comic to deconstruct any seemingly provocative statements unlike Matt Thompson who engages the reader by means of mindboggling questions. The author has the society’s interests at heart and condemns governments’ failure to protect innocent civilians. Judith Ortiz indicates that she grew up in a strange place between two distinct cultures and languages. She narrates her fairy tale that she acquired from listening to stories. Her macho is evidently a result of her decision to stand by herself and defy all social norms. The contemporary society perceives women who commit deadly crimes as an outcast. On the other hand, women believe that they can perform better than men in any field as indicated by Maria Sabida who defies

How did Margaret Thatcher become leader of the Conservative party Why Essay

How did Margaret Thatcher become leader of the Conservative party Why was she able to remain as the partys leader for fifteen years - Essay Example She was representing Finchley Region in England. Later in 1970, she was appointed the secretary for Education and Technology. In a conservative party election that was held in 1975, Thatcher was able to defeat Edward Health as the leader of the Conservative party and by that she emerged the leader of opposition and the first woman to be a leader of a major political party in the UK. This paper will look at the strategies that Margaret Thatcher used to become the leader of the Conservative Party and how she remained its leader for such a long time. As mentioned earlier in the introduction, Margaret Thatcher became the first lady to hold a major party leadership in the United Kingdom. Her way of leadership made her to be branded the Iron Lady due to the mode she used in administration and maintaining her relevance in leadership. Battling it with men and especially defeating Edward Health in the Conservative Party elections in 1975 worked as a milestone in her bid to become the first female Prime Minister in the United Kingdom. Thatcher’s put down a number of policies that she was fighting for and which she deemed best for the whole nation. Her policies cost the country in some way but also empowered the people to work more and deliver much without waiting for the government to do a lot for them (Evans, 2013). Thatcher made it clear that the government could only do what it was capable of doing and the people would be left with the mandate to do the rest for themselves. One of the policies that she set was the ownership of houses that made the citizens able to own houses for the first time in the history of the nation. This earned her both fame and resistance from the people who thought that her way of leadership was truly deficient. In becoming the leader of the conservative party, Thatcher had capitalised in the loss of power of the party leader Edward Health who had become unpopular and consequently lost the seat to her in the party elections

Mass Murderer Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mass Murderer - Case Study Example When looking at the case of Charles Manson, one could begin to list a myriad of reasons for his crimes, starting all the way at the beginning of his life. Even in his younger years, Manson was subjected to crime, and went in and out of several different protection camps until he was finally sent to the National Training Schools for Boys in Washington D.C. His turn to crime can be traced back to his unstable family life, his mother was a drunk and he may never have known his real father. He lived between family members, and even at one time in his life was sold by his mother so she could get some alcohol. His uncle had to go take him back, and thus began Manson's movement in and out of family homes, as well as the prison and rehabilitation crimes schools he would go in and out of for the next years of his life. Manson's life of crime only continued, as his criminal behavior in jail kept him in prison until March 21, 1967. Upon his release then, he had spent less than his thirty two years in various prisons across the country. However, for Manson, his worst crimes were still yet to come. They could easily be foreshadowed by his previous record of crime and unwillingness to cope with the law. If one simply was to glance at this past record, it is not a surprise that Manson turned out the way that he did. Now that Manson was out of jail, he was able to amass alm... and always being shuffled in and out of homes and schools, I feel Manson did not grow up as he should, and suffered from a lack of a stable conscience. As he continued to grow, this is evident through his massing of a "Family", as it would later be called, and the gruesome murders that would later be carried out on his command. As his Family continues to grow, his supports became even more loyal to him. A huge Beatles fan, Manson preached to his followers that mass murders were to come, and that riots between blacks and whites due to racial tension were due to break out at any time. However, it was Manson's family themselves who broke out the murders, and in an odd way brought Manson's teachings to life. Although it is uncertain if Manson committed any of the murders himself, it is for sure that he ordered them and played a pivotal role in what happened the nights of all the murders. After all of these murders, Manson would be sentenced to death on seven counts of murder and one count of conspiracy. Manson was just recently denied parole again, and is not up for parole until 2012. His case is often connected with the counter culture of the time, and Manson may be one of the most infamous murderers of this age. Throughout his whole life, Manson never really stood still. Being brought up in a shaky, unstable environment, and having to go through all those prisons at such a young age, and even having a lack of strong role models, all seem to compact into the idea of what he turned into. He seemed to somewhat loose touch with right and wrong, possibly because he never really was taught what right and wrong was. I believe that these reasons all strongly weighed on Manson, and ultimately made him become who he turned out to be. If Manson had had a better childhood, been

The superior brand strength of Sainsburys Essay

The superior brand strength of Sainsburys - Essay Example ng Group and the Great Place to Work Steering Group, two inter-dependent research and strategy teams chaired by board members that contribute to the branding model and corporate social responsibility model that brings Sainsbury positive market attention (Sainsbury 2011). These Steering Groups add a new dimension of focus on the governance model, whereby executives and mid-tier managers are involved in establishing policies, models and procedures to enhance brand attitude and personality in important markets. The knowledge and experience brought to the governance model by brand and CSR-related steering groups continues to provide Sainsbury with significant competitive advantages. All branding activities, then, rest on the foundation of revolutionary governance systems. According to the Board of Directors at the organisation, â€Å"We are guided by a ‘materiality’ process which allows us to focus attention on areas of greatest impact and importance. We chart all related s ustainability issues against the level of potential concern and how much the issue could affect our business. (Sainsbury 2011, p.15). The corporate governance team is much more directly involved in brand-related activities critical to market competitiveness and reputation on the consumer markets. Sainsbury understands that the majority of revenues and long-term loyalty needed to sustain market share is involved with promoting internal corporate values and then applying these in a way that is transparent to the consumer in product offerings, CSR activities, and service delivery systems. Rather than allowing managers at the organisation to develop appropriate policies and systems associated with marketing and operations, they are determined by knowledge experts with considerable commercial and business... The brand dimensions of Sainsbury are being discussed in the essay. Sainsbury maintains a revolutionary corporate governance model in which brand-building is a consistent theme in deliberations and strategic analyses of the Board of Directors. Sainsbury is known in important revenue-building markets for its focus on corporate social responsibility, a comparative advantage not found in industry competition. Sainsbury has also received many reputable and important awards for exceeding industry norms in many different areas. Furthermore, the method by which Sainsbury expands its operations is another success factor related to the brand strength of the business. Also related to corporate social responsibility and brand reputation is the level of sponsorship that Sainsbury seeks out to gain more market visibility. As we read the essay, a question rises up. What else provides Sainsbury with brand advantages? Sainsbury is beginning to diversify its product offerings, expanding from simply f ood services to other consumer-based merchandising imperatives. Though Sainsbury is involved in many additional strategic activities related to the brand, the most important dimensions of marketing strategies have been identified. The conclusion shows that Sainsbury is one of the only competitors in this industry that is so highly dedicated to expressing its corporate values for responsible business management, thus it gives Sainsbury a much better brand reputation with critical revenue-producing consumers.

Financial Managment worksheet 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Managment worksheet 1 - Essay Example If a company can also cut down on the accounts receivable period and convert the accounts receivable into cash in a much faster time, the less cash it needs to maintain as it can meet its current obligations with the cash that comes from the collections. However, revising the credit policy will entail a cost, that is, the possible reduction in sales as customers are given shorter time to pay for their purchases. There has to be a balance then, as to what will be the new policy and the effect of it on sales. The cash conversion cycle is the sum of the inventory period, the accounts receivable period less the accounts payable period. Therefore, in order to improve working capital management, the company can do something with the inventory period, the accounts receivable period or sometimes with the accounts payable period. If a company cuts the production time and convert them into sales, the less cash the business needs in order to meet its obligations. Cash from operations is generated by selling inventories, then receiving cash, or receiving a promise to receive cash in the form of receivables. The cash generated from operation depends on how fast the firm converts inventory into cash, therefore using cash to pay for additional purchases in inventory, and help meet short-term obligations. By increasing the inventory turnover, the firm can have inventories converted into cash. However, there is also a cost to resorting to this option. This means that, in order for the firm’s inventory to be sold faster, it has to increase its efforts on marketing and promotion of its products, thus incurring additional expenses. By ensuring that sales come in faster, and inventories turned into cash are reinvested for additional purchases of inventory, the effort is on generating sales mostly with cash payment. In order to match short-term needs with short-term sources of financing, another option can be to borrow for short-term.

The superior brand strength of Sainsburys Essay

The superior brand strength of Sainsburys - Essay Example ng Group and the Great Place to Work Steering Group, two inter-dependent research and strategy teams chaired by board members that contribute to the branding model and corporate social responsibility model that brings Sainsbury positive market attention (Sainsbury 2011). These Steering Groups add a new dimension of focus on the governance model, whereby executives and mid-tier managers are involved in establishing policies, models and procedures to enhance brand attitude and personality in important markets. The knowledge and experience brought to the governance model by brand and CSR-related steering groups continues to provide Sainsbury with significant competitive advantages. All branding activities, then, rest on the foundation of revolutionary governance systems. According to the Board of Directors at the organisation, â€Å"We are guided by a ‘materiality’ process which allows us to focus attention on areas of greatest impact and importance. We chart all related s ustainability issues against the level of potential concern and how much the issue could affect our business. (Sainsbury 2011, p.15). The corporate governance team is much more directly involved in brand-related activities critical to market competitiveness and reputation on the consumer markets. Sainsbury understands that the majority of revenues and long-term loyalty needed to sustain market share is involved with promoting internal corporate values and then applying these in a way that is transparent to the consumer in product offerings, CSR activities, and service delivery systems. Rather than allowing managers at the organisation to develop appropriate policies and systems associated with marketing and operations, they are determined by knowledge experts with considerable commercial and business... The brand dimensions of Sainsbury are being discussed in the essay. Sainsbury maintains a revolutionary corporate governance model in which brand-building is a consistent theme in deliberations and strategic analyses of the Board of Directors. Sainsbury is known in important revenue-building markets for its focus on corporate social responsibility, a comparative advantage not found in industry competition. Sainsbury has also received many reputable and important awards for exceeding industry norms in many different areas. Furthermore, the method by which Sainsbury expands its operations is another success factor related to the brand strength of the business. Also related to corporate social responsibility and brand reputation is the level of sponsorship that Sainsbury seeks out to gain more market visibility. As we read the essay, a question rises up. What else provides Sainsbury with brand advantages? Sainsbury is beginning to diversify its product offerings, expanding from simply f ood services to other consumer-based merchandising imperatives. Though Sainsbury is involved in many additional strategic activities related to the brand, the most important dimensions of marketing strategies have been identified. The conclusion shows that Sainsbury is one of the only competitors in this industry that is so highly dedicated to expressing its corporate values for responsible business management, thus it gives Sainsbury a much better brand reputation with critical revenue-producing consumers.

The Muslims lives in recent Anglophone fiction since 1973 Essay

The Muslims lives in recent Anglophone fiction since 1973 - Essay Example Therefore, novels have a great advantage over didactic models of disseminating information. Unlike textbooks that tend to teach by preaching, novels teach the reader by showing. Georg Lukacs, a philosopher and literary critic argued that novels can depict history more fully than "factual reporting" because in novels, Historical necessity is no otherworldly fate divorced fiom man; it is the complex interaction of concrete historical circumstances in their process of transformation, in their interaction with concrete human beings, who have grown up in these circumstances, have been variously influenced by them, and who act in an individual way according to their personal passions. (qtd. in Zuckert 687) Thus, a novel has the capacity to discuss its topic in the context of human experience not in an abstract and detached form. Moreover, it can transcend artificial boundaries that divide people of different backgrounds and civilizations by addressing every aspect of the humanity of the character. This interacts with the humanity of the reader on many levels, thereby magnifying the similarities and diminishing the differences between the reader and the character. A novel can allow an individual from a vastly different cultural background to deeply understand the cultural reality of the characters. ... Like Plato's divided line, which attempts to direct us towards true knowledge and the discovery of reality, novelists take us out of the cave and put us on the path to knowledge by stimulating our imagination, hoping that at the end of the novel, the reader will reach the highest level of the divided line. Roger Spegele, author of "Fiction and Political Theory" argued that there is no difference between political novels and political theory (114-127). Thus, one can say that novelists resemble political thinkers. They choose a distinctive medium to study social and political phenomena. Edward Said, a Palestinian-American literary theorist, said: The one place in which there's been some interesting and innovative work done in Arab intellectual life is in literary production generally, that never finds its way into studies of the Middle East. You're dealing with the raw material of Politics.. . You can deal with a novelist as a kind of witness to something. (Middle East Report 33) Here, Said hints that Arab intellectual life has been less than innovative except in literary production where it is relatively free from external influences. As such, it is uncontaminated raw material that can be utilized to study politics. In keeping with Said's notion that literary production provides the raw material of politics, this study will use novels written by Arabs and Moslems to examine orientalism, colonialism, the search for home and the quest for identity. More specifically, eight Arab and Moslem novels and three Occidental ones will be used to examine Edward Said's thesis on orientalism and the validity of his statement about literature and politics. They will also be used to reveal the historical impact of colonialism

The reasons for stalemate on the Western Front Essay Example for Free

The reasons for stalemate on the Western Front Essay WW1 started as a war of quick lightning thrusts and high mobility, but degenerated into an astonishingly protracted war of static battle lines. The Western Front was the name given to the line of trenches stretching from the Belgium coast to Verdun. Following the Battle of Marne and Aisne of 1914, both sides dug in believing trenches to be temporary. The Front stretched for hundreds of miles, meshed with complex trench systems and barbed wire. Why Stalemate The military plans (Schlieffen, XVII) had established a strict war by timetable. However, aside from the quick mobilisation of nations, the plans failed. They were proved to be useless as modern warfare removed the momentum from conflict. A poverty of strategic thought led to the stalemate. Both the British and French commanders were afflicted by the cult of the offensive. French generals Joffre and Nivelle were obsessed with the philosophy of esprit de corps mass infantry charges (a reluctance to charge was linked to defeatism). The British generals shared this outlook, as is superlatively demonstrated by Haigs Big Push. The aim to engage the enemy and bleed them proved successful in the end, however it needed time over years to prove so. The supremacy of defence due to technology helped prolong the war. WW1 was the first total war- a conflict between highly industrialized economies and militaries. Factories churned out ammunition; mass shells and people from both sides were conscripted. Barbed wire, machine guns, gas and rifles held out enemy advances. The absence of super weapons such as the tank and bomber were not yet developed and thus failed to counter these defensive tactics. The ability of the machine gun was equivalent to half a company of riflemen. Thus, sides were able to repel the enemy with relative ease. The Somme illuminates the verity of the artilleries misjudgements. A massive  8-day bombardment of the Germans did very little, with 1/3 of the shells failing to explode. This also suggests the effectiveness of dugouts. The German dugouts were up to 8 metres deep, thus very few shells hit the troops. Technology of mass transit systems also prolonged the war. Railroads and roads were used to bring ammunition and troops quickly to the front, to restock losses. Added to the unwillingness of generals to follow up on small victories, this led to neither side being outweighed by the other. Attempts to break the stalemate Both sides attempted to end the war quickly, however many of these strategies did the opposite. The development of tanks, gas and aerial support all served the purpose of shortening the war. Both the Battle of the Somme and Verdun represent the respective mass pushes to topple the enemy. However the Somme was left unchecked despite the huge casualties. Generals were set to sacrifice troops, and time for eventual strategic victory. The 1917 Battle of Cambrai also illustrates the successful use of the tank to mobilise the war. Entente tanks pushed through the German lines, giving an indication of how future battles would be fought. Total war- the attempt of both sides to sink all efforts to the waging of war, was for the purposes of breaking the stalemate. Troops were conscripted en masse, while an economic war was being fought. The naval blockades helped starve the enemy.

Change is inevitable

Change is inevitable Question Provide a critical analysis of an organisational change which you have directly experienced. You may select one element or aspect of the change for a particular discussion. You will be expected to use the main concepts of the relevant parts of the literature on managing change, to diagnose, account for, and explain the change. Consider what lessons can be learnt from that initiative on the strengths and weaknesses of programmatic approaches to change. Introduction Everyone says change is difficult. It is difficult to conceive because one must inevitably deal with people issues and uncertain future. The more so to implement because consequences can be difficult to predict, harder to track and therefore can create a dynamic all of their own. Is this really so? Is it not true that we are living in an era though which dramatic changes of productivity, technology, brand, image and reputation are common place? Thus reaffirming the words of Heraclitus the Greek philosopher who said â€Å"Change is the only constant thing in life† Change is inevitable but often its easier said than implemented because every change faces resistance in some form and carries with it certain consequences. A classic example would be my experience working in MARG Ltd, one of Indias biggest infrastructure company today. I was given the role of a â€Å"Business Analyst† in 2007 immediately after I graduated engineering. It was my first job, my first real life bu siness experience. I was a part of the company for 2 years. The following parts of my essay consist of all the changes the organization went through in the areas of structure, culture and technology. However considering the requirements of the essay a detailed analysis is written on structural change which is an internal change model. The first part identifies the problem due to monumental growth of the organization in terms of financial support received and the subsequent increase in huge human capital required to carry out the projects. The second part consists of the literature review pertaining to the structural change the organization witnessed followed by a brief critical analysis of the entire scenario. The conclusion consists of the mistakes made and lessons learnt followed by a personal reflection on the dynamics of change management. In April 2007 MARG Ltd consisted of 400 employees. By October 2007, the organization grew to 3250 employees with multiple branches exploding in 7 different cities throughout India. That is nearly 9 times its growth in human capital. This happened due to an investment of USD 12.6 million received from deutsche bank for a total land asset of 12400 acres including 2 potential Special Economic Zones and a port infrastructure development. Being a company with only 2 verticals namely Real Estate Residential and Real Estate Commercial, it diversified into 6 verticals consisting of (a) Real Estate Residential, (b) Real Estate Commercial, (c) Port Development, (d) Industrial Clusters, (e) Special Economic Zones and (f) Power generation with about 500 employees in each vertical. Now each vertical had more employees than the entire company had in April. The earlier organizational structure was a traditional functional structure. This structure can be illustrated by the companys activities group ed into departments such as personnel, Marketing, Finance, Sales, Legal and Civil Operations. All the functional departments excluding finance which had a CFO as its business head had 1 CEO reporting directly to the Chairman, 2 Vice presidents (1 for Real Estate residential and 1 for Real estate commercial) reporting to the CEO and the rest of the team reporting to the VPs. This was a simple structure which had its advantages during that phase of the organization. A complete coordination was achieved as the entire operations of the company were achieved through the CEO overseen by the chairman. This structure allowed for the development of employee expertise in all areas, it provided career paths for professional staff involved and finally there was an effective utilization of personnel across various departments (Carnall, C. 1990). However this structure created pressure on the organization for its further growth in the aspect of geographical dispersion, project diversification and increase in human capital. Hence there was a structural change needed in the form of a matrix structure. The chairman decided on this structure as it offered equal importance on the market and the functional focus to the organizational work. Also most academics have believed that such structure is favourable for large construction, aerospace and computer software companies (Hardy, C. 1994). This favours organization which deals with more than one complex project and where there is a need to coordinate and develop project and various specialist activities. As the demand for various specialist inputs is variable over the completion time lines of the project, this structural change seemed to be the best possible solution which not only promoted the effective deployment on a project when needed but also offered the adaptability over time so that resources can be easily switched between projects. The advantages of a structural change of this nature were (a) it identified the project man agement structures, (b) provided accountability for the project, (c) allowed development of cohesive and effective teams of specialists working towards the objectives of a key project, (d) provided for the professional and career development of specialist staff, (e) and most importantly they provided for the flexible use of specialist staff (Carnall, C. 1990). However every choice carries with it certain consequences and uncertainties. The consequences on the negative side which were later realized was that there was difficulty of handling such a matrix structure in terms of reconciling the need for flexibility with the need for project coordination and control. Now this reconciliation required good working relationships between project and functional management which did not exist. This is because about 90% of the employees were fresh entrants. They did not know the people they were working with. Most of them were fresh graduates and never had any previous work experience in infrastructure. Some of the experienced employees who joined recently were not from the industry. Also the biggest issue was that the employees who have been present since the start of the organization felt threatened with the implementation of the new structure as this does not give them the accessibility they had before with their Chairman. The people who had report ed to their respective bosses had now had to report to somebody else. For example the CEOs had to report to the newly appointed Executive Directors, Vice presidents had to report to business heads who in turn had to report to the CEOs. The entire working relationships and comfort zones of various employees were disrupted by the new structural change. Though people understood the need for such a change and that it was required for the benefit of the organization considering its monumental growth, people feared the loss of power and control thus giving rise to insecurities and conflicts. Based on the literature review the 3 main problems identified in the organization with such a structural change were the struggle between; Centralization vs. Decentralization: Being a company with functional structure, the process was a centralized one where the coordination was more straightforward with decisions being made by the chairman at clearly recognized points within the organizational structure. Also the senior management were in a comfortable position with established policies that they are used for many years. It suited the chairman for he had control over all the day to day activities, most decision making and a convenient resource allocation. In this model the centralization of power and control of procedures was focused on the chairman ( Brooke, T. 1987). But however in order to go to the next level of growth and meet the market demand, it was necessary for the organization to be decentralized. With 6 verticals and a man power of 3250 this seemed to be the sensible choice. With as many as 27 projects spread over 6 verticals, delegation was the key factor in meeting objectives. Delegation can reduce the am ount of stress and overload experienced by the senior management. When senior management is overloaded, the exercise of control is diminished. With delegation it was possible for the senior management and the chairman to move away from day to day activities and focus on long term planning and creating a vision. Also it helps the bottom line management in providing opportunities to make decisions and attain personal satisfaction by matching their personal goals with that of the organization. It assists the management development in widening the on job skills of managers and prepares number of people who are capable of undertaking senior positions in the future. It also provides flexibility, with the establishment of sub units it helps in improved controls and performance measurements and accountability can be identified (Bartlett, C. 1991). Control vs. Commitment: This aspect is important for the overall effectiveness of the organization. MARG had a control model where work was divided into specialized tasks. Performance expectations were defined as ‘standards that define the minimum acceptable performance. No attempt was made to establish maximum or potential performance. With the matrix structure, it was necessary to bring the commitment model. But that meant changing the attitude and expectations of the employees. In this model, job profiles were redesigned to be broader and teams rather than individuals and the each business unit was held accountable for performance. This also involved that people rely on shared goals for coordination; influence was based on expertise and information and not on position anymore. Performance expectations were set relatively high. Continuous improvement was expected and monitored. At the same time lot of motivational programs were incorporated as a part of the business managemen t. The organizational structure was designed to be flatter to enhance performance and commitment (Walton. 1987). This gave birth to reward policies, open door policies and performance management systems. This also seemed to enhance employee management relations. Change vs. Stability: Its a common notion that in a changing world every organization must change to survive and prosper. However while this happens its also mandatory to deploy people to produce goods and services to the market as usual, even if we are demanding extra effort from them as they experience change. This is where it is essential that a balance is maintained between change and stability (Chandler. 1962). This often refers to the transition phase between when the change is implemented and the consequences arrive. The transition phase is normally uncertain in a number of areas. Every employee might react differently to changes. The response is not the same always. MARG experienced similar difficulties. Even though awareness for change was established and people understood the need for change, the existing employees couldnt handle a shift in their normal routine and they had give up on their control and power. To bring about a structural change and yet retain the harmony and employee satisfaction seemed to be a challenge for the company. Even though the problem was identified and the corrective measures were taken to overcome them. There was a hurdle in problem solving and it was the blocks in the minds of the employees. These can be categorized as follows; (a) Perceptual Blocks: This involves the employees stereotyping. They saw what they expected to see. They only saw the new structural change as a threat and not as an opportunity to increase their performance or making use of the opportunities to go up the corporate ladder. There were tendencies to delimit the problem area too closely thus defining it narrowly. Thus they never faced the real problem which was their motivation and commitment. Also there were difficulties in using all the sensory inputs (Adams. 1987). The employees felt that they were overloaded with information on changing structures and the reason for it. With fresh job descriptions and new recruitment there were lot of things happening in the organization and the employees couldnt use all the information for their benefit. (b) Emotional Blocks: This involves fear of taking risk, incapacity to tolerate ambiguity and employees preference to judging rather than generating ideas (Olsen. 1986). The existing employees were afraid to take risks and execute the expected tasks for they feared redundancy and felt insecure that if they failed somebody else in the company would take their place and felt loss of appreciation also as a possible outcome. The matrix structure was put in place quickly and it carried with it certain complexities. The available data was overloading and employees felt it was misleading, full of opinions and had different values. In trying to analyze the available data, they missed out on promising opportunities and self development. Finally they were constantly judging the ideas and solutions put forward by the new members and the new bosses. This lead to early rejection of ideas in their minds resulting in organizational objectives not being met. (c) Cognitive Blocks: This aspect doesnt deal with the employees but is associated with the inadequacies of the management. This comprises of incorrect use of language, inflexible use of strategies and lack of correct information (Janis. 1989). Since the top management were from different backgrounds and industries they were using incorrect languages which portrayed a completely different picture for an infrastructure company. Most senior professional come from a comfortable and set environment which had established process, systems and protocols. Also most of them come from traditional companies. Hence there tendencies to stick to what they know and were stuck with their earlier methodologies. This did not suit the current of MARG as it was still in its transition phase and in early phase of establishing fresh policies and process. In spite of the challenges faced, continued focus resulted in establishing a firm matrix structure with all the employees aligned to the objectives of the organization. There were numerous mistakes made but it also lessons were learnt. This section outlines all the mistakes made, the lessons learnt and finally identifies a change model MARG followed in academic language. The time gap between which the change was planned and executed was very quick. Though its understandable that it was need within a quick span of time it shook the organization by its roots with resistance from all sides. One of the major mistakes was that the chairman being used to getting himself involved in the day to day activities continued to do that even with the new matrix structure and this resulted in the displeasure of CEOs, Executive directors and VPs. This affected their decision making as they would have to wait for the chairman to make every decision. Employees developed their own negative perceptions o f structural change and criticized every plan and ideas without thinking about its benefits. MARG followed a clinical approach earlier where the set limited employees and the comfortable environment made it efficient for success through a psychological contract between the employees and the chairman (Bell. 1995). Employees security was established through personal relationships. However with the new structure it was necessary to adopt a linear approach. In this approach change was implemented as a linear process where the managers were expected to identify organizational adaptations ahead and the new systems developed would propel the organization towards static equilibrium thus resulting in stability (Stacey. 1996). The problems as mentioned earlier were solved in 3 stages. First step was unfreezing. Creating awareness among employees for the need of change and the benefits it would bring not only to the organization but also to the employees. Then comes the step moving. Here new i deas are tested and existing process is revamped. This is followed by refreezing where new behaviours, skills and attitudes are stabilized and commitment to change is achieved (Lewin. 1997). The last step was done in 4 stages. First was the conceptualizing process then the motivation process, the commitment process and finally the implementation and evaluation phase (Kotter. 1988). As a result the organization was able to produce the following after a series of trial and error method; (a) established a sense of urgency for change. (b) Created a guiding coalition. (c) Developed a vision and strategy. (d) Communicated the changed vision. (e) Empowered employees for broad based action. (f) Generated short term wins. (g) Anchored new changes in future (Kotter 1996). All this was possible by working through the blocks and with a series of trial and error method the expected result was obtained. Though the price for such a change was key employees and CEOs resigning, with the objectives b eing met it was a lesson learnt for future transformational change. In the current market scenario it is mandatory for such rapid and monumental changes to handle the increasing demand. As Argryis (2004) said â€Å"If the rate of change outside the organization is faster than the rate of change inside, the end result is nigh†. Hence such rapid monumental changes are needed and every change will always carry with it certain uncertainties and challenges. But thats the only way for organizational development. Bibliography Adams, J.L. (1987) Conceptual Blockbusting, pp 18 pp 43, Penguin Publications Argryis, C. (2004) Double Loop learning and organizational change, pp 104, Wiley Publications Bartlett, C.A. (1989) The critical path to change, pp 57 pp 79, Prentice Hall Publications Burnes, B (2004) Managing Change, pp 61 pp190, Prentice Hall Publications Carnall, C. (1990) Managing Change in Organizations, pp 14 18, pp 120 -pp 142, Prentice Hall Publications Chandler, A. (1962). Strategy and Structure, pp 97 180, MIT Publications Dawson, P. (2003) Organizational Change, pp 43- pp 54, Routledge Publications French, W.L (1995) Organizational Development, pp 55 pp 90, Prentice Hall Publications Hardy, C (1994) Managing Strategic Action, pp 290 pp 320, Sage Publications Janis, I.L. (1989), Dynamics of Change management, pp 119 -pp 123, Mc Graw Hill Publications Kotter, J.P (1996) Leading Change, pp 55 64, Harvard Business School Press Lewin, K. (1997) The cognitive and behavioural elements of organizational change, pp 210 pp 241, Sage Publications Stacey, R (1996) strategic Management and Organizational dynamics, pp 199 207, Prentice Hall Publications Olsen, S. (1986). Strategic Control and Organizational Design, pp 145 pp 151, Mc Graw Hill Publications Wilson, D.C. (1992) A strategy for change, pp 25 pp 90, Routledge Publications

Summary of The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara Essay -- Toni Cade Bambara

The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara The Lesson, by Toni Cade Bambara, portrays a group of children living in the slums of New York City around 1972. They seem to be content living in poverty in some very unsanitary conditions. One character, Miss Moore, the children’s self appointed mentor, takes it upon herself to further their education during the summer months. She feels this is her civic duty because she is educated. She used F.A.O. Schwarz, a very expensive toystore, to teach them a lesson and inspire them to strive for success and attempt to better themselves and their situations. At the beginning of the story, the author gives us the feeling that a child is narrating this story. She also shows that the child, Sylvia, is at that age where she feels that adults are silly and she knows everything. â€Å"Back in the days when everyone was old and stupid or young and foolish and me and Sugar were the only ones just right, this lady moved on our block with nappy hair and proper speech and no makeup.† (Bambara 470) Sylvia also tells us about her environment while referencing Miss Moore. â€Å"And we kidna hated her too, hated the way we did the winos who cluttered up our parks and pissed on our handball walls and stank up our hallways and stairs so you couldn’t halfway play hide-and-seek without a damn gas mask. Miss Moore was her name. The only woman on the block without a first name.† (Bambara 470) This is our introduction to Miss Moore. She is an educated, well groomed person and the children resent her because she is different and their parents force them to spend time with her in the interest of education. On the day the story takes place, Miss Moore has rounded up the neighborhood kids and is going to bring them to F.A... ...t. â€Å"We all start reciting the pricetag like we’re in assembly. â€Å"Handcrafted sailboat made of fiberglass at one thousand one hundred ninety-five dollars.† â€Å"Unbelieveable, â€Å" I hear myself say and am really stunned.† (Bambara 472) The prices of the previous two items stunned the children, but the sailboat really brought home the idea. At the end of the story is when Miss Moore’s motive was revealed. She did not want to bring the kids on a field trip. She was interested in giving them a drive to succeed by showing them that some people are very successful and can afford such things. She hopes that they will want to be one of those people instead of a person that, like so many others, are just content with what they have. Works Cited Roberts, Edgar V., Jacobs, Henry E. â€Å"Literature.† The Lesson. 470-475. Toni Cade Bambara. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. 2001

Innovation and Knowledge Essay -- History, Marx, Schumpeter, Kondratie

For centuries now the subject of innovation has given ground for much discussion and debate. In its wider context economic historians and sociologists have theorised and argued its contribution to economic growth and society in general, nevertheless, many have termed innovation as the ‘engine of growth.’ Therefore, to appreciate the extent of benefit that innovation can offer business this introduction begins with some of these theories. Famous names such as, Karl Marx, Joseph Schumpeter, and Nicolai Kondratieff respectively, which are seen by many as experts in their field have all, in their own manner, cited innovation and technological progress as the stimulus for economic growth. However, it was Marx who first realised that economic growth could be associated to innovation, and innovations and entrepreneurs were the drivers of technological progress. Given that one new innovation by an entrepreneur or inventor can open up a new profit stream which then persuades anot her of their kind to innovate, thus providing new wealth and increasing profits in the economy as a whole, which in turn drives growth. More recently Kondratieff using his ‘long-wave theory of innovation’ demonstrated how innovation was responsible for major eras of economic growth and technological development. He described this as a series of wave-like peaks and troughs each lasting between forty or fifty years, which span prosperity during peak periods of innovation and technological progress, and as this recedes a gradual recession into a trough of depression exists. For instance he observes over the la... ...sign training called the T-shaped designer a new way of design thinking by using design processes and methods to foster innovation and grow business – design is a way of thinking. The stem of the T is the depth of knowledge in their specialist subject while the horizontal cap of the T represents the breadth – their ability to make their method, skills and thinking work in a different context. This has led some American schools and university to change their approach to design schooling. In the United Kingdom new courses from centres of excellence are to be offered with a hands-on and multidisciplinary classes combining management studies, engineering, technology and design creativity. All this is positive for business and UK design as heading into the 21st century the need for innovative products will grow as global business becomes even greedier for new things.

Music Genre Essay

We take sounds and create the music we hear every day. Our development on music is effected by people around us. We take the context of songs and relate it back to our own lives. People dislike certain types of music because they can’t relate or enjoy the sound. Although music affects us all differently, all melodies have a similar meaning. Everyone’s choice of music is greatly affected by influences. The genre we get into is all caused for the same reasons; family, friends, or social environments. A child who has grown up in the country might be exposed to mostly country music, while a child in the city might be used to rock or new pop music on the radio. We all come to enjoy the music our parents played in our early life but as we grow up we add our own genre of music. The genre of music you choose mostly places you in a similar group of friends. For example someone who listens to mostly all country probably won’t fit in as well with the kids who listen to metal. The friends who listen to metal judge that person who listens to country. The influences will change a person to fit in with the crowd or cause someone to create their own group. The pressure puts labels on all people for the genres they listen to. If you listen to scremo, you might be considered gothic or country might be labeled as hicks. What people don’t realize is every song is composed of beats, and the instruments is what changes the sound of a song. Where we live and the people surrounding us, affects our influence on music. Every sound we hear creates different moods and emotions. People can all relate music to a personal experience, but that experience is very diverse for each person. When we hear a song about love some can be excited and relate that song to their own relationship or someone can be upset and think about their past love. Music almost makes you feel like you can travel back in time. We all have a moment when we listen to a song, and that melody creates a mental image of where you were when you first listened to it. You can see that moment and feel the emotions you felt in the past. Music creates memory, and each memory creates emotion in our life. We enjoy listening to music because it gives us a good vibe. That feel good moment is the reason why we appreciate music. Many listeners also enjoy a song because of the simple lyrics to follow. Everyone uses music for some type of therapy. We listen to songs so we can vent, relax, dance, or reminis. One song can have a great affect on each individual differently. We loathe on music just because it’s something we don’t like. Everyone has a different music preference, and we all like music for the same reason. We all enjoy the way music makes us feel. Music is all around us and is a part of our life, but why do people continue to despise certain genres? Most people look at the basic parts of a song, only the lyrics; they don’t appreciate the sound behind the words. Without that sound we wouldn’t have a song to enjoy. All Sound is music, whether it’s listening to a clock tick or a fan spinning on the ceiling, we can create our own tunes. The song Too Close by Alec Clare is a perfect example of how listeners can have such disgust with one genre but will accept a song. The song has a catchy raw beat that people love without even realizing the genres in the song. The song Too Close was a very popular song for all ages or genres because Alex Clare mixed alternative rock, electronic, and soul music. So many people who like rock can’t stand electronic music because it’s repetitive, has less lyrics, and it’s not â€Å"real† music. Yet rock and electronic is similar in many ways. They both have a repetitive chorus and verse and made up of different sounds. Rock can have long solos along with electronic. So when Alex Clare created the song Too Close many people never realized he combined different genre types. Many people disagree with certain music because they dont recognize the connection all music has. Each genre has a comparable meaning, but holds a different impact on people. Our social environment molds us into the music we listen to. Music also allows us to feel every emotion. We can all listen to the same song but have a totally different outlook on the concept behind the song. Our different personalities cause individuals to dislike any type of song they cannot connect to.

Iphone 5C price decision Essay

The fist factor that important in the pricing decision of iPhone 5C is by considering costs. For instance, since Apple Inc. wants to maximize its profits through establishing new products, the price should be set at the point where marginal revenue equals to marginal cost. We know that iPhone 5C is in the perfectly competitive market, the company can reach its maximum profit at equilibrium at X* and P*. To determine the price, Apple Inc. needs to do the marginal analysis. According to profits (Ï€) equals to total revenues (TR) minus total costs (TC), which is Ï€=(P*X)-(fixed cost+variable costs per unit *X), X is the number of units sold by Apple Inc. Of course, manager needs to ask several departments and contractors to know the cost of their product and services. From online websites, I get to know that producing a 16Gbyte iPhone, total BOM and Manufacturing Cost is about $173.45, for a 32Gbyte iPhone 5C is approximately $182.85(which accounts only for hardware and manufacturing costs and does not include other expenses such as software, licensing, royalties or other expenditure)(Andrew, 2013). The manager can differentiating the fixed costs and variable costs based on cost behavior, and plug those numbers into the equation and get an equation between Ï€ and X. then differentiate the equation and set it to zero, the manager can get the number of units when profit maximizing. Finally, plug X into assuming demand function, the manager can get the price and make a decision. But, in the real world, it is not easy to implement the marginal analysis method. So, managers usually try to combine cost-based approaches and market-based approach to make a profit satisfying approach, for example full cost-plus target profits, variable costs-plus percentage markup can both assess to pricing decision. However, the common and basic factor for the methods is costs. The second factor that important in the pricing decision of iPhone 5C is product line and competitors. Strategy analysis is the company needs to consider about the Competitors as well as the whole industry, and then assess to firm’s plan. We can figure out that the competitions in the smartphone market are quite intense, there are numerous competitors and are almost equal size, such as Samsung, Microsoft. So, Apple Inc. has to investigate the cost leadership and the unique producers in order to make a competitive price in the smartphone market. The website take the example of Moto X, which has 18 kinds of colors and the functions are really similar to iPhone 5C (Darren, 2013). The price of Moto X is $599, so the manager should decide a lower price than it to gain a competitive advantage. In particular, the competition is not just from the external market, we know that Apple Inc. promoted iPhone 5C as well as iPhone 5S at the same time. To iPhone 5C, the manager needs to consider about the plastic case, which is $42 less than the metal case cost of iPhone5S (Ben, 2013). So manager should also compare the 5C’s price to 5S. It is an important thing to keep secret of the product’s price before they coming out. The manager of Apple Inc. can survey the expected price of the public, or conduct some historical sample tests before making the final price decision. The third factor that important in the pricing decision of iPhone 5C is the manager should estimate the demand. Assume that we are suffering a financial crisis, most people don’t have extra money to pay for new electronic devices. They have already owned iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S and do not want to pay for another similar product. Then the manager should decrease the price of iPhone 5C to fit for people’s expectation of low pricing, using the profit margin per unit to trade for higher quantities. As I mentioned above, the estimation of demand function is also important in the marginal analysis. In order to estimate the demand, the manager should also make market survey to analyze the targeted customers. According to Pew Internet’s report, Teens and Technology 2013, 37% of U.S. teenagers now own a smartphone (which compares to 23% in 2011). And the increases of U.S. wireless carriers’ family data plans, intensive the parents to buy smartphones for their kids (Jason, 2013). Because the iPhone5C is colorful, has proper functions and easy to control, it must a first-choice for kid’s cellphone. Aimed at attracting teenagers group, the Apple Inc. manager should make the price to a certain level. What’s more, we also have to consider whether buyers are sensitive to price. In economics, we call it price elasticity of demand, which means the percentage change in the numbers of units sod to the percentage change in the price of the product. Assume most people are price sensitive, if the price of iphone5C is much higher than they expected, they will not buy it, which decreases demand a lot. So, listen to the public opinions on price is quite important. Before iphone5C facing to the public, a lot of individuals forecast that the selling price should be low enough to satisfy the low-end customers needs. Somebody was kidding that iPhone 5C is iPhone for China or iPhone for cheap. Apple Inc. wants to occupy more market percentage in developing countries, so they advertised that to make a colorful low-end smartphone. However, the price of iPhone 5C is not as low as we expected. The data shows after releasing the iPhone for 72 hours, both in China, Australia, U.S., the sales of iPhone 5S is almost 4 times compare to iPhone 5C. Especially, the graph says in the â€Å"target† country China, where the 5s is outselling the 5c five to one (Christopher, 2013). So I think the price of iPhone 5C is not reasonable. There are several reasons to explain iPhone 5C price is not appropriate. Firstly, compare to iPhone 5S, people claim 5C just looks an iPhone 5 with a candy-colored plastic shell. According to a report published by UBS, the same memory for 16 Gigabyte iPhone, 5S costs $213 in materials, whereas a 5C costs $156IPhone 5S has metal shell, Touch ID fingerprint scanner, more advanced A7 chipset, Motion Coprocessor and True tone flash for camera. The different price due to plastic case of $42 and finger print sensor of $7. However, the price of iPhone 5C is only $100 less than iPhone 5S. The UBS also estimates the gross margins of iPhone 5S is 45-55% and for iPhone 5S is 48-54% (Ben, 2013). As a rational consumer, I will buy iPhone 5S instead of iPhone 5C, since 5S has much more functions, which is not at a so much higher price. Secondly, the factors of competitor also have huge effects. Samsung is the key part for apple to make its â€Å"retina display† screen, as well as apple use Sony’s sensor in its camera. We know that Samsung and Sony are competitors. Apple Inc. is hiring, relying and paying them. But if someday, Samsung or Sony stop providing essential parts to apple, what will happen? I think Apple Inc. has to produce all manufacturing parts by themselves under a big amount of fixed cost, which will have a big effect on Apple’s price decision. Thirdly, the price of iPhone 5C is not as low as rumored. It brings the question to us, who exactly is Apple targeting? We know that Samsung has galaxy series, which with large-screen and liked by fashion people and developing markets. In china, there are a lot of really cheap phones under 1000RMB, those phones have varieties function and beautiful looking. So when Apple Inc. can really open the market to low-end customers? The price decision and targeting customer is not clear and accurate. I am kind of thinking there must be some sailing strategy when apple promoted 5C and 5S at the same time, with a huge cost performance in my opinion. Maybe Apple Inc. just wants to stimulate the sales of 5S, after people comparing these two products.