Monday, September 30, 2019

How Global brands compete Essay

1. Introduction Over the years, global branding has turned out to be a key aspect for effecting management considerations globally.   Indeed, it has turned out to the main defining objective of various companies around the globe. 2. Importance of the global branding Global branding is not important to the global consumers. Global branding of different products has assimilated a marketing notion and do not necessarily indicate a sense of superiority. Indeed, it was not until recently did people stop associating global brands with American values, a notion which was very misleading (Douglas, John, and Earl, 2004).   The most important aspect to consider when shopping for different items is the quality they posses as opposed to the name.   Following the recent anti-Globalization protests against some companies like Coca Cola, McDonald’s, and Nike due to their production processes and products’ negative impacts to the people, the truth has been revealed indicating that bulk of their products are indeed not superior 3. Characteristics that consumers associate global brands with Globally, consumers associate global brands with three main characteristics. To begin with, they belief that global brands are indeed superior in technology used to produce them as well ass the quality of the products. They also see a major consideration of continued improvement to maintain their global positions.   Douglas et al (2004) points out that others view the global brand as a major source of identity and prestige where they are able to get much ‘bigger’, much better, and much idealistic products that derive their overall sense of identity.   Finally, the notion of social responsibility is viewed to be a role of the globally branded companies and products as opposed to the local communities.   Douglas et al (2004) points out that many of the locally ignored notions like pollution demands and excessive water usages become the point of controversy when the globally branded companies progress towards the same direction. 4. How global brand once influenced my decision Since when I was young, my dad had always emphasized on the need to be patriotic.   As a result, he insisted that we should seek to promote locally made products at all times. Indeed, he led us by a good example as we grew up knowing only the local products and praising them always. However, with the onset of the global branding that the hybrid Toyota vehicles were given, I could not resist to get a hybrid Toyota Prius to share the same global taste status and prestige. Though it never invoked conflict at home, my dad expressed his dissatisfaction with my decision. 5. Challenges and transnational companies with reference to international brands Global markets are faced with major competitions from other giants in the same level. Large companies like Motorola face it off with Nokia while others like Toyota compete with Ford and Volkswagen in the global market.   This calls for great innovation in technology and vast resources application to maintain the brand name.   To add to that, the consumers have vast negative views about global brands which are not easily identifiable taking into consideration that they are vastly distributed in time and space. Many of the consumers’ demands like involvement with corporate social responsibilities are in most of the cases counter productive.   Besides, the fast rising numbers of antiglobals and agnostics threat to kill the overall spirit of the global brands hereby posing a major threat to the superiority consideration (Douglas et al, 2004).. 6. Addressing transnational companies’ problems In conclusion, it is clear that a solution should be developed to anchor the transnational companies from possible subsidence. They should seek to create credible myths that add value to the consumers as opposed to less-than-credible myths that are short tern unsustainable on a long term. To add to that, transnational companies should treat the antiglobals as part of the consumers to avoid unfavorable fights with them as they totally taint the global brands.   This should be done through investment in projects that will positively convince even the skeptics.   Social responsibilities should be approached from an entrepreneurship point of view where extra involvements of the companies seek to pro-actively determine and derive positive returns to the company.   Finally, the transnational companies must seek to manage the dark side of the consumers’ perception about the negative side of their perception as opposed to concentration on only the best side of their global produ cts.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Freedom

Freedom. We all dream about it. We all wish we could break free of the rules, laws and constraints we are all chained down by. The uniforms, taxes, laws and harsh, judgemental opinions: All these keep us in order, organized and running smoothly like a well-oiled machine. But sometimes what is best for people is not the strict guidelines and controlling regulations, but the shattering of the barrier to insanity and liberation, the spreading of wings and freedom of flight that we can only ever experience in dreams. Freedom, however, can have many different definitions.To be able to do anything they want without the fear of trouble, fines or cruel, judgemental opinions, or maybe just to be able to walk to the park alone. There are numerous levels of freedom and everybody’s opinion on where they are on those levels can depend on their upbringing, cultural background, age group and environment. Some cultures, for example, are considered to be stricter than others in certain, or all aspects of their children’s lives, even to the extent of an arranged marriage. There are many reasons for why children should be allowed some freedom, however, but still be on a loose leash.We all need to go through the childhood stage, with we need room to explore the world and take risks in a safe environment and manner. Parents just need to find a balance between the two, letting the child make some of their own decisions, but also letting them make small mistakes as to learn from them. Though some teenagers of this generation feel as if they need more freedom, most of them do not. Teenagers do not know the real meaning of freedom and have not learnt to savour it as those in the work force have. They do not know what it is like to have to fend for themselves, and have others depend on them to live as well.To have just one day where all that responsibility, and the responsibility of sticking to laws and restrictions, is lifted off their shoulders, would be the feeling of t rue freedom. Parents restrict their teenagers from doing some things and going to certain places because they want their children to be safe, but to enjoy and savour the freedom they have now before they are released into the â€Å"real world† and never to experience it again. Teenagers of this day and age have quite a bit of freedom in many aspects already compared to their parents and other older generations.Being a teenager myself, I can see why some others would like more, and feel as if they are deprived of, choice and freewill, though I understand that the restrictions placed and reinforced upon by the parents are only for our benefit. As our parents, they would have decidedly more knowledge of the world and its dangers due to experience, as they have been where us teens are today. The world, however, is changing, and with a new generation comes new experiences. There are many choices in life, and if we do not make mistakes, we would not be able to learn and grow as peo ple.Independence is a crucial lesson in life, and can only be achieved through self nourishment and exploration of both ourselves and the world around us. Though parents may think that by restricting their children from going out and contributing to certain events is to protect them, they may be actually shielding their children from the real world, feeding their children lies when the society they live in isn’t as innocent. Totally shielding that child from the events of the world would be unfair to both the parents and the child. Gradually exposing them to the world however, would be a nicer alternative.The shock of finding out how different the real world is compared to their thoughts and filtered knowledge would be extremely unfair as they would discover all the experiences they did not get to participate in, and feel as if their childhood had been wasted. This shielding of children may also have prevented them from having a social life. They may have been kept at home, q uietly reading, or studying for a test coming up in a couple of weeks, while their friends were out having fun and experiencing and contributing to the memories that they will be able to tell their children when they have grown out of their teenage years.Being kept at home, it would make sense that they would have a quieter and less outgoing personality, and that new experiences would not be as happily welcomed as they would by those who had had the chance to understand and gain knowledge about it. On the other hand, quite often teenagers who are kept at home, but who have knowledge of the outside world, become rebellious and disobedient in order to try and experience new things with friends and also to be socially accepted and to fit in.However, this creates tension and mistrust within families, and therefore harsher restrictions on their freedom, causing other, more forceful forms of rebellion. Freedom is classed on so many different levels, that sometimes, even walking home witho ut the threat of death is a dream. With countless different definitions of â€Å"freedom† each and every person would have a varied view on liberation and different levels on where they feel it. Teenagers need time to explore and experience, but on he other hand, they need to be able to do this in a fairly safe and comfortable environment. Lack of freedom hinders the growth and development of personalities and the teenager’s ever going search to find themselves, and who is going to make their mark in the world in the near future. Freedom is a part of life that shapes and moulds the clay of the future of mankind into the people who will one day run the world. And in freedom, we fly. Freedom Freedom. We all dream about it. We all wish we could break free of the rules, laws and constraints we are all chained down by. The uniforms, taxes, laws and harsh, judgemental opinions: All these keep us in order, organized and running smoothly like a well-oiled machine. But sometimes what is best for people is not the strict guidelines and controlling regulations, but the shattering of the barrier to insanity and liberation, the spreading of wings and freedom of flight that we can only ever experience in dreams. Freedom, however, can have many different definitions.To be able to do anything they want without the fear of trouble, fines or cruel, judgemental opinions, or maybe just to be able to walk to the park alone. There are numerous levels of freedom and everybody’s opinion on where they are on those levels can depend on their upbringing, cultural background, age group and environment. Some cultures, for example, are considered to be stricter than others in certain, or all aspects of their children’s lives, even to the extent of an arranged marriage. There are many reasons for why children should be allowed some freedom, however, but still be on a loose leash.We all need to go through the childhood stage, with we need room to explore the world and take risks in a safe environment and manner. Parents just need to find a balance between the two, letting the child make some of their own decisions, but also letting them make small mistakes as to learn from them. Though some teenagers of this generation feel as if they need more freedom, most of them do not. Teenagers do not know the real meaning of freedom and have not learnt to savour it as those in the work force have. They do not know what it is like to have to fend for themselves, and have others depend on them to live as well.To have just one day where all that responsibility, and the responsibility of sticking to laws and restrictions, is lifted off their shoulders, would be the feeling of t rue freedom. Parents restrict their teenagers from doing some things and going to certain places because they want their children to be safe, but to enjoy and savour the freedom they have now before they are released into the â€Å"real world† and never to experience it again. Teenagers of this day and age have quite a bit of freedom in many aspects already compared to their parents and other older generations.Being a teenager myself, I can see why some others would like more, and feel as if they are deprived of, choice and freewill, though I understand that the restrictions placed and reinforced upon by the parents are only for our benefit. As our parents, they would have decidedly more knowledge of the world and its dangers due to experience, as they have been where us teens are today. The world, however, is changing, and with a new generation comes new experiences. There are many choices in life, and if we do not make mistakes, we would not be able to learn and grow as peo ple.Independence is a crucial lesson in life, and can only be achieved through self nourishment and exploration of both ourselves and the world around us. Though parents may think that by restricting their children from going out and contributing to certain events is to protect them, they may be actually shielding their children from the real world, feeding their children lies when the society they live in isn’t as innocent. Totally shielding that child from the events of the world would be unfair to both the parents and the child. Gradually exposing them to the world however, would be a nicer alternative.The shock of finding out how different the real world is compared to their thoughts and filtered knowledge would be extremely unfair as they would discover all the experiences they did not get to participate in, and feel as if their childhood had been wasted. This shielding of children may also have prevented them from having a social life. They may have been kept at home, q uietly reading, or studying for a test coming up in a couple of weeks, while their friends were out having fun and experiencing and contributing to the memories that they will be able to tell their children when they have grown out of their teenage years.Being kept at home, it would make sense that they would have a quieter and less outgoing personality, and that new experiences would not be as happily welcomed as they would by those who had had the chance to understand and gain knowledge about it. On the other hand, quite often teenagers who are kept at home, but who have knowledge of the outside world, become rebellious and disobedient in order to try and experience new things with friends and also to be socially accepted and to fit in.However, this creates tension and mistrust within families, and therefore harsher restrictions on their freedom, causing other, more forceful forms of rebellion. Freedom is classed on so many different levels, that sometimes, even walking home witho ut the threat of death is a dream. With countless different definitions of â€Å"freedom† each and every person would have a varied view on liberation and different levels on where they feel it. Teenagers need time to explore and experience, but on he other hand, they need to be able to do this in a fairly safe and comfortable environment. Lack of freedom hinders the growth and development of personalities and the teenager’s ever going search to find themselves, and who is going to make their mark in the world in the near future. Freedom is a part of life that shapes and moulds the clay of the future of mankind into the people who will one day run the world. And in freedom, we fly.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Book Review: War! What Is It Good For?

Putting 100 years in respective and compare the 100, 200 million people died from a population of 10 billion which makes a percentage of 1 to 2 who died violently. Those born in the 20th century are lucky as the average of violent death is 10 times less compare to those born in Stone Age. This text has one of the greatest paradoxes of human history as it states that war has made the world much safer now. War Is considered as a massive murder and claiming that it has a positive consequence In not right, but the author argues to It as the philosopher Thomas Hobbes once concluded the same In the 1640 urine the English Call war.Archeology has shown that people has been killing themselves for about 50000 years and their population Just Increase by twice but during the Ice age 10000 BC where there were less wars, the plant and animal multiplied themselves at a very high rate. Before 10000 BC all humans had been hunters and after 10000 BC human started farming. Later something unusual happe n, the stronger started to include the weaker into larger societies. Slowly from Egypt to Peru many were adopting this method.The stronger understood that to cake lager societies they need to make a stronger government and this was done by suppressing violence among the subjects. Those who govern stop killing the well behaved as they are easier to govern and taxed that those who are violent thus, this has resulted into a 90% decrease in violent death. It Is true that not all government is good at delivering peace. Dictators Like Heelers, Stall's, Mass and Did Malls, tend to shoot, stave and gas a lot of people to make things done. Thus war has made states and states have made peace.War may not be a pleasant way of making larger and useful societies but it was the only way that human have found. The author argues that if conflicts could have been argued and resolved by discussion, human could have greatly benefited from it. The author added that people uses war as a way to make gover nment. The larger and safer the societies the richer the government. Peace can result in economical growth. So in a way war has enriched the world. The author concluded that somehow war has been beneficial as it has brought bigger societies, stronger government and bring peace and prosperity in the societies.Nowadays, people live twice as those in 10000 years before. War has not Just bring peace and wealth but also made us good at fight more efficiently organized and bigger destructive weapons. Book Review: War! What Is It Good For? By perplex The atrocity of war cannot be overstated but, Ian Morris gives a different view about it. In 1945, mostly 100 million people died and the nuclear war begun. Between the First World War and civil war it is said to be the worst but also the best time of states that war has made the world much safer now.War is considered as a massive ruder and claiming that it has a positive consequence in not right, but the author argues to it as the philosopher Thomas Hobbes once concluded the same in the 1640 during the English Civil war. Archeology has shown that people has been killing themselves for about 50000 years and their population Just increase by twice but during the ice age 10000 BC where there were less wars, the plant and animal has resulted into a 90% decrease in violent death. It is true that not all government is good at delivering peace. Dictators like Hitless, Stalin, Mass and Did Mains, tend to

Friday, September 27, 2019

Eastman Kodak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Eastman Kodak - Essay Example The ease with which digital images could be downloaded and shared therefore provided a completely new dimension to growth in this segment of the business. The higher level of adaptability by the consumers of digital imaging products therefore can offer new strategic choices to Kodak to further penetrate into its existing markets and also develop new markets with special focus on emerging markets. In order to achieve such growth, it is important that Kodak must develop efficient distribution channels in order to increase its reach to the customers. One of the key initiatives in this regard should be to develop online distribution channel through the dedicated website selling digital imaging products to the consumers directly. Historically, Kodak has relied on dealers and retailers to sell its products to the customers however, with increasing use of web, Kodak can develop an efficient portal to develop more efficient distribution channel. In order to achieve this growth, Kodak can act ually adapt different functional strategies including the development of better sales management force as well as developing better online strategies.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Key Areas of Management Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Key Areas of Management Practices - Essay Example This paper discusses that unhealthy diet, lack of gender sensitivity and cultural unawareness constitute the significant challenges in the prisons. Various task force reports indicate that they lack essential practices including managing diversity and different age groups, ethical principles, planning and resource allocation. Hence, prisons should incorporate the key areas of governance, good leadership, proper planning, stakeholder analysis, performance measurement, improvement, and resource management.As the paper highlights competent management of the institutions requires incorporation of sound governance principles. Governance entails the broad areas of recognizing the special needs stakeholders and employees of an organization. In the context of prison and other institutions, the governance encompasses awareness of the special needs of the various categories of the inmates including the young, aged and women. The elderly inmates need special care regarding the health and physic al capability. Therefore, the facilities should assess and identify the ailments, for instance, persons with acute memory impairment. A comprehensive governance approach responds by formulating special care that respects the inmates’ status. Besides, the elderly persons require extra equipment like the new attires for hygiene purposes. Good governance of the prisons incorporates the appreciation of the gender differences and perceptions.  

English Literature AS Level Courework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

English Literature AS Level Courework - Essay Example o the fifth act there are multiple paradoxical impressions created by Shakespeare, which makes it very difficult to access the motives and self-awareness of Cleopatra in comparison to a typical tragic hero. After the death of Antony, Cleopatra was left at the mercy of Caesar. Initially Cleopatra resisted to surrender to Caesar, but he leaves Cleopatra with no choice but to succumb to his demands after he says, â€Å"If you apply yourself to our intents, Which towards you are most gentle, you shall find a benefit in this change; but if you seek to lay on me a cruelty, by taking Antonys course, you shall bereave yourself† (â€Å"Antony and Cleopatra†). A true hero fights to his utmost to retain his power until he is completely forced to give up, and in this case Cleopatra to some extent did project that quality. Cleopatra gave up all her wealth to Caesar, but later she was betrayed by her treasurer, who accused of her withholding her assets from Caesar. On Caesar’s inquiry Cleopatra confessed, â€Å"Be it known, that we, the greatest, are misthought, for things that others do; and, when we fall, we answer others merits in our name, are therefore to be pitied† (â€Å"Antony and Cleopatra†). Mentioning this incidence in his book â€Å"Shakespeare the playwright†, Victor L. Cahn, Professor of English at Skidmore College, quotes this speech as an impersonation of the true nature of a tragic hero, whose life affects many others under his rule and whose stature appears somewhat from the survival through pain and trials (236). Even after letting go of all her wealth, Cleopatra learns that Caesar intends to show her are his triumph parade as a spoils of war. This scenario is explained by Courtni Crump Wright in her book, The women of Shakespeare’s plays. The author says that besides all her womanly love of Antony and misery as his death, Cleopatra is a proud ruler who even after being defeated refuses to be disgraced and paraded as a spoil of war (Wright 153). As Antony

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Literature review and evaluation of the evidence Essay

Literature review and evaluation of the evidence - Essay Example With the patient as the â€Å"unit of analysis,† comparing the feedback-2 period with baseline, the proportion of patients who received any promoted strategy increased from 0.7% to 45.6% (P Pouzeratte et al (2001) reported that thoracic epidural analgesia was more effective with bupivacaine than with ropivacaine when these two local anesthetics are used in a mixture with sufentanil after major abdominal surgery and ropivacaine alone was less effective than ropivacaine in combination with sufentanil. Intensity of post-operative pain was assessed with a reliable and valid Visual Analogue Scale. The study was planned well with a prospective double blind design. In order to assess the tolerability and efficacy of a single dose of paracetamol solution infused intravenously (1g) compared with those of a single dose of Propacetamol (2g) in patients with moderate to severe pain after minor gynecologic surgery, a randomized, double blind, active controlled, 2-parallel group study was performed by Marty et al (2005). The study concluded that a single dose of IV-Paracetamol infusion was associated with better local tolerability, simlar analgesic efficacy, and greater patient satisfaction compared with a single bioequivalent dose of Propacetamol in patients with moderate to severe pain after minor gynecologic surgery. Charghi et al (2003) examined the hypothesis that pain treatment with patient controlled analgesia (PCA) using iv morphine is a suitable and safe alternative to epidural analgesia in morbidly obese patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery. They concluded that PCA with iv morphine is an acceptable strategy for pain management in obese patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery. Mujadi (2006) in a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial reported that preoperative gabapentin decreased pain scores and postoperative morphine consumption in patients following thyroid surgery. Reuben (2000) evaluated the analgesic efficacy of administering a single preoperative dose of celecoxib or rofecoxib for spinal fusion surgery. The study found that rofecoxib demonstrated an extended analgesic effect that lasted throughout the 24-h study. The morphine dose required was significantly less in five of the six time intervals in the rofecoxib group compared with the celecoxib group. Rockeymann (1997)compared the costs, quality of analgesia, and side effects of postoperative patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) with bupivacaine/ sufentanil versus an epidural bolus (BOLUS) of clonidine/morphine in 68 patients with pancreatic surgery. An epidural clonidine/ morphine bolus technique resulted in inferior analgesia, more side effects, and comparable costs compared with a bupivacaine / sufentanil patient controlled

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Organ donation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organ donation - Essay Example Many people are not aware of this problem and this paper can help on this point. As a nurse, my profession had allowed me to see the deficiencies in the current system of organ procurement. Lack of organ donors - there is a dearth or shortage compatible organs for people who are waiting for suitable organs due to the requirements of a tissue and blood match, otherwise, the organs will be rejected by the body as a foreign object. I believe that all major donor agencies and even national governments should give a priority to these concerns such as tax incentives for the donors (McCarrick & Darragh, 2003). Other proposals were made to address a vital issue but the most common avenue is to conduct an advocacy campaign that will help to persuade people to become organ donors. Besides family members and close relatives, a search for viable organs has expanded to prison population as well. The current lack of organs is due to increased demand as the organ transplantation process is now a fairly routine surgical procedure. Black market - the urgent need for human organs has also caused a dark underside of a cottage industry which is the trafficking of illegal organs. In other instances, it is possible that poor people sell their organs, often with a devastating effect on donors health. A parallel market for organs obtained through illegal means has resulted into medical tourism that people desperate for organs go to poor countries (Connell, 2010). A proposal made to make all organ procurement subject to free market forces has not been well received (Mahoney, 2010); todays present system based on altruism cannot keep pace with the demand resulting in the illegal market for organs. While the surveys indicate widespread public support for organ donation, in practice, people are either reluctant or unwilling to voluntarily donate their organs or those of deceased kin. What peaked my interest in the topic of organ donations is that it is the responsibility of

Monday, September 23, 2019

American International Group Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American International Group - Case Study Example The major business line of American International Group are functions, supports, services, and operations. The failure of these lines would result on the huge material loss of profit, revenue and franchise value for the organization as a whole. Therefore, American International Group prepared a resolution plan and for that purpose 22 companies as material entities were identified, from which one is AIG Markets, Inc; and the type of this entity is derivatives intermediaries. Fear of revenue, profit and franchise value loss motivated organization to be a part of derivatives market. American international group utilizes derivatives as a part of the company’s risk management framework. The major purpose of the company in entering in a derivative market is to mitigate the risk either by providing a profile of the investment or by hedging exposure. American international group is no longer engage in activities of derivatives that contributed materially to concerns throughout the fin ancial crisis or also not act as a market for the contracts of derivatives. The exposure of derivatives and derivative portfolio is examined on a regular basis in order to avoid any risk and fulfill the market standards of investment. Interest rate derivatives are used to deal with interest rate risk that is associated with insurance assets and liabilities. The company is involved in making investments in hybrid securities in order to generate more income. Therefore, company is involved in such derivative activities that are associated with investment operations for risk mitigation (AIG, 2014). After the financial crisis of 2008 the insurance industry like other industries faced backslash, this crisis and other infamous events proven as threat for the economy of the country. Many of American people rely on financial services for ability to get more mortgages, for investment opportunities and retirement savings. When ethical analysis taken into consideration, and the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Visitor in Singapore Art Museum Essay Example for Free

Visitor in Singapore Art Museum Essay Executive summary As the tourism industry is doing well throughout the world, there are a lot of tourism sites which has gained benefits from it and one of it is the Singapore Zoo. However, many of the tourism sites do not aware of the visitor-related management issues that are happening under their area of control. For the Singapore Zoo, there is currently an overcrowding issue which has brought detriments for them. In order to deal with the overcrowding issue, the manager of the Singapore Zoo can implement one of the management planning tools such as Visitor Management Impact which will be discussed in this report and also strategies which can help in reducing the impacts from the overcrowding issue. 1. Introduction Tourism industry has gained large popularity and brought a lot of benefit for tourism destinations since the last decades. However, most tourism sites only concern about how to obtain maximum profit from the visitors and neglected the issues which might caused negative impacts and led to failure in achieving the management objectives. The main purpose of this report is to identify the visitor-related management issue of Singapore Zoo and discuss the possible causes and impacts which arise due to the issue identified. Moreover, some management actions in term of approaches and strategies will be recommended in order to deal with the management issue encountered by Singapore Zoo. 2. Background of Singapore Zoo The Singapore Zoo, also referred to as Mandai Zoo and formerly known as Singapore Zoological Gardens is opened on the 27th of June in 1973. Furthermore, the Singapore Zoo is built on a 28 hectares piece of land with a grant from the Singapore government. The zoo applies a modern method of displaying animals in almost natural habitats providing the visitors a chance to view a large number of animals which is around 316 species contains of 36% threatened species (Singapore Zoo, 2011). The Singapore Zoo is visited by a large number of people of both local and international origins daily and often it is beyond the carrying capacity of the zoo especially on the public holiday. In addition, the popularity of the zoo and  the large number of visitors creates a problem that hampers an adequate service delivery (Barr, 2005). This problem is the problem of overcrowding and consequential problems resulting from it (Appendix 2). 3. Overcrowding issue in the Singapore Zoo Due to the popularity of the Singapore Zoo, the zoo has been experiencing large visitor numbers, thus, resulting to inefficient service delivery. Overcrowding in the Singapore Zoo has resulted to various problems which causes the Singapore Zoo to become a risk zone. 4.1. Causes of overcrowding In the Singapore Zoo, the problem of overcrowding can be attributed to various factors. These factors include lack of adequate guides in the zoo, lack of an adequate viewing space for various species of interest to the visitors, small size of the zoo premises, purchase of entry tickets at the zoo, and lack of special tracks for the disabled who use wheel-chairs. 4.2.1. Lack of adequate guides in the zoo The lack of enough support staff in the Singapore Zoo also contributes to overcrowding. This happens as a result of haphazard movements in the zoo by various visitors. Moreover, most of the visitors utilizing more time per individual and the continuous time wastage cause the visitors in the zoo at any time of the day to face congestion (Milner, 1981). 4.2.2. Lack of an adequate viewing space for various species of interest to the visitors The zoo’s setup has also contributed to overcrowding by not matching demand and supply. This is so, because the viewing space for various unique and interesting species is the same as for the animals with fewer viewers. For example, most of the Singapore Zoo’s visitors are more interested with the White Bengal Tiger but the viewing space for observing the species is inadequate and lead to crowding (Milner, 1981). 4.2.3. Small size of the zoo premises Since 1973, the size of the Singapore Zoo has remained constant, despite the  growing local and international popularity. This has resulted in the unavoidable overcrowding, since the same location is visited by more visitors at any given time. Lack of an adequate space has also caused overcrowding due to the lack of adequate parking spaces in the zoo. The congestion is also worsened by poor parking in the available parking slots (Milner, 1981). 4.2.4. Purchase of entry tickets at the zoo The purchase of entry tickets at the zoo by incoming guests has resulted to overcrowding at the entry points for the incoming visitors. This paints a negative image of the zoo with the new visitors who at times have short schedules ending up in having little time to view the diverse species in the zoological garden. The act of purchasing entry tickets in the zoo also causes fatigue to the visitors, especially during the very hot days as they await either to be served or to have their tickets processed (Milner, 1981). 4.2.5. Lack of special tracks for the disabled who use wheel-chairs Over the past, the global recognition of the rights of the disabled has led to more visits by people on wheelchairs and other disabled carriages. The influx of the disabled and their assistants on the same paths as the other individuals at times causes overcrowding, since the varying terrain causes slow movements for the disabled, hence causing congestion (Kisling, 1988). 4.2. Impacts of Overcrowding The effects of overcrowding in the Singapore Zoo have wide reaching effects on the tourists, the wildlife, and the zoo infrastructure and image. The various impacts include pollution, conflict between visitors, insecurity, and poor satisfaction level of visitors. 4.3.6. Pollution The overcrowding of the Singapore Zoo results in a variety of environmental pollution. The noise from the consequent overcrowding of the zoo results in a great distress to the wild animals due to the interference to the animal space. Furthermore, high levels of stress to the wild animals can result in poor health, as well as death of some valuable animal species. Overcrowding  has also contributed to the rise in the levels of litter in the Singapore Zoo and led to the loss of the internal beauty of the zoo. Litter has also been found in the enclosures of the wild animals, leading to consequential ingestion of the litter, which causes poisoning to the animals. In addition, pollution has contributed to people opting to choose other recreational sites, therefore causing a downshift move in the status of the Singapore Zoo (Kreag, 2001). 4.3.7. Conflict between visitors According to Schneider and Hammit (1995), conflict is a continuing issue featured by minor annoyance incidents which have a cumulative effect. When there is an overcrowding, visitors may demonstrate bad attitude or behavior against each other therefore conflict occurred. Based on the observation undertaken in the Singapore Zoo, conflict between visitors arose in several situations for instance during the long queue for tram inside the zoo and from the outside when visitors are queuing at the bus stop and taxi stand (Appendix 3). 4.3.8. Insecurity Overcrowding of the Singapore Zoo has led to the straining of the available support staff. This has caused an increase in the instances of insecurity which have manifested as frequent thefts of visitors’ items and visitors crossing over the set barriers or taunting the animals, thus attacked by the animals. These incidents happened due to the lack of adequate staff to keep track of the visitors’ behavior (Innes, 2006). 4.3.9. Poor satisfaction level of visitors When visitors expect that Singapore Zoo is a good recreational site whereas it shown such a poor service performance, the satisfaction level of visitors eventually drop. Moreover, the consequence is loss of popularity and a decline in the number of visitors, hence loss in the income of the zoo (Kreag, 2001). 4. Recommendation This section of the report will describe the potential management approach  which can be use by Singapore Zoo and suggest some strategies to minimize the impacts of overcrowding. In order to solve the serious issue of overcrowding, the management of Singapore Zoo can choose to implement the management planning tools. These tools include the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS), Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC), Visitor Activity Management Process (VAMP), Visitor Impact Management (VIM), and Visitor Experience Resource Protection (VERP). However, this report will focus on the VIM approach as a recommendation for the management of Singapore Zoo. 5.3. Visitor Impact Management approach VIM is a management planning tool that focuses on the visitors’ activities and their impact with a series of processes and techniques. This framework consists of eight steps processes which are created to deal with the issues to impact management (Pigram and Jenkins, 2006). 5.4.10. Step 1: Preassessment date base review The main purpose of this step is for the management to identify and review the information related with the situation which they already had in order to fully utilize the information on hand during the visitor impact management process. In this step, the manager of Singapore Zoo can do a review on their policy documents and the information of their visitors or the survey on their visitors which they have done before (Pigram and Jenkins, 2006). 5.4.11. Step 2: Review of management objectives The second step of the VIM process is to review the relevant management objectives to the current situation. It is important to have an unambiguous and specific management objective so that the service provider can measure their performance level to know whether they are operating according to their management objective (Hendee Stankey, and Lucas, 1990). For Singapore Zoo, they have an objective which is to bring people closer to the nature therefore they need to ensure that the services they provided for visitors do not stray from their initial management objective. 5.4.12. Step 3: Selection of key impacts indicators In this step, there are many measurable indicators for the associated management objective which need to be identified. The most important thing is to choose the essential variables or attributes based on the ecological and social impacts which will be used as an indicator (Appendix 4) (Pigram and Jenkins, 2006). Accordingly, Singapore Zoo needs to select the most relevant impact indicators with regard to their current situation. 5.4.13. Step 4: Selection of standards for key impact indicators After impact indicators have been chosen, the next step is to set standards for those indicators. Moreover, the standards to be set are depending on the management objectives of the service provider and these standards will be used as the basis against the evaluation of existing situation (Pigram and Jenkins, 2006). Similarly, the Singapore Zoo need to set a standard for the impact indicators selected in step 3. 5.4.14. Step 5: Comparison of standards and existing conditions Once the previous steps have been carried out, the next step is to compare the key impact indicators and the related standards. If there is no discrepancy between the key impact indicators and the standards, it indicated that there is no unacceptable impact and the only thing that needs to be performed is monitoring the situation for future changes (Pigram and Jenkins, 2006). However, from the discussion above, the Singapore Zoo in facing an overcrowding issue therefore it is necessary to move on the next step of VIM process. 5.4.15. Step 6: Identify probable causes of impacts At the first part of this report, the probable causes of impacts regarding the issue encountered by the Singapore Zoo have been identified. But, if the Singapore Zoo really wants to execute the VIM approach, they need to do research with the purpose of finding the most significant causes of the issue (Pigram and Jenkins, 2006). 5.4.16. Step 7: Identify management strategies After the probable causes of the visitor impacts have been identified, the next step is to brainstorm and construct the suitable management strategies  that can be used to reduce the visitor impacts problem. Furthermore, the visitor management strategies are classified into two different categories which are the indirect and direct strategies (Appendix 5). So, the Singapore Zoo can choose to use the indirect or direct method or both in order to fix the overcrowding issue (Pigram and Jenkins, 2006). 5.4.17. Step 8: Implementation The last step of the VIM process is to implement the management strategies as soon as possible to minimize the unacceptable impacts. However, the program does not stop until here, instead the service provider need to continuously monitor and observe whether the strategies implemented has generated desired outcomes (Pigram and Jenkins, 2006). 5.4. Strategies The problems that Singapore Zoo faces and the effects of the existing problems can be mitigated. Indirectly, the administration of the Singapore Zoo should ease the ways of getting tickets in other places than within the zoo. Some of these methods include the use of online marketing companies and partnering with tour providers to offer tickets to their clients on behalf of the Singapore Zoo. This will help to reduce congestion by improving service delivery (Graefe, Kuss, and Vaske, 1990). Furthermore, the Singapore Zoo should provide both offsite and onsite education about the need of appreciation of the recreational environment for the visitors so they will participate in conserving the recreational values. In addition, the Singapore Zoo should charge higher admission fees during peak season in order to decrease the number of visitors coming to the zoo. On the other hand, some of the direct visitor management strategies that could be adopted in regard to this issue include the increased surveillance to enhance proper interactions between the visitors and the animals. There should also be zoning for example by keeping the children away from the majority of the animals. Lastly, the Singapore Zoo should limit size of visitors who are coming to the zoo in group to allow decongestion in the zoo (Giongo, Bosco-Nizeye, and Wallace, 1994). 5. Conclusion In conclusion, the Singapore Zoo, being an attractive tourism site should be made as efficient as possible and it is critical for the manager of the Singapore Zoo to be aware of the overcrowding issue happening in the zoo and the impacts arisen from it. Furthermore, the issue can be minimized by utilizing the stated recommendations in order to achieve the management objective and to preserve the recreational values of the Singapore Zoo. Methodology There are two types of approaches which have been used to gather all the information needed for the working of this report, namely quantitative and qualitative approaches. For the qualitative approach, the research is done through direct observation on the tourism site discussed in this report which is the Singapore Zoo whereas the quantitative approach is done by getting information from secondary data such as academic journals, magazines, and related website for the discussion. Reference Barr, D. (2005). Zoo and aquarium libraries: An overview and update. Canadian press. Giongo, F., Bosco-Nizeye, J. and Wallace, G.N. (1994). A study of visitor management in the world’s national parks and protected areas. College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University. Graefe, A., Kuss, F.R. and Vaske, J. J. (1990). Visitor impact management: A review of research. Washington, DC: National Parks and Conservation Association. Hendee, J., Stankey, G. Lucas, R. (1990). Wilderness management, North American Press, Golden, CO. Innes, J. (2006). Scholarly communication and knowledge management in American zoos. Nova Southeastern University press. Kisling, V.N. (1988). American zoological park libraries and archives. Oxford: Oxford press. Kreag, G. (2001). The impacts of tourism. New York: Minnesota University press. Miller, G.D. (1981). An inquiry into the role of libraries in zoos and aquariums. Chicago: University of Chicago press. Pigram, J.J.J., Jenkins, J.M. (2006). Ou tdoor Recreation Management. (2nd ed). New York: Routledge Scheider, I.E. Hammit, W.E. (1995) Visitor response to outdoor recreation conflict: A conceptual approach. Leisure science 17, 223-234. Singapore Zoo. (2011). Overview: About the Singapore Zoo. Retrieved at 30 November 2011, from http://www.wrs.com.sg/parks-info-facts.html

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Importance of Accelerometer Selection

Importance of Accelerometer Selection Accelerometer: Vibrations are everywhere in our lives. They may be generated and transmitted by different things, such as motors, turbines, machines and plants, structures and buildings, or even by human body. Some vibrations are desirable, and some of them can be disturbing or destructive. So understanding the causes of vibrations, measuring and reducing them is important. Accelerometer is a device, designed to measure vibrations in different situations and environments. Function: The heart of an accelerometer is a piezoelectric material (like quartz or ceramic crystal). Figure shows this material as a disc for piezoelectric effect explanation. Imagine that piezoelectric material (the disk) is located between two electrodes, like a capacitor. When a force is applied perpendicular to the disk, a voltage is produced at the electrodes. This phenomenon is called piezoelectric effect. Main elements of an accelerometer are piezoelectric material and seismic mass (Figure ). A seismic mass is attached to one side of the disk, and another side is attached to a sensor. When the accelerometer is subjected to vibration, a generated force acts on the piezoelectric element. According to Newtons Law, this force is equal to the product of the seismic mass and the acceleration (m.a). Based on the piezoelectric effect, an output charge is generated, proportional to the applied force. Since the seismic mass is constant, the output charge signal is proportional to the acceleration of the mass. In wide frequency ranges, sensor and seismic mass have the same acceleration amount, as a result, the sensor measures the acceleration of the test sample (Ref). Different types: In sum, four main types of accelerometers are available; Premium grade accelerometers are made from premium crystals and use low noise circuitry to produce a premium. They have steel cover and this cover can protect them in harsh industrial environments. Industrial grade accelerometers are prevalent in different industries and used on different machines, equipment and plants. High vibration accelerometers are used to monitor high vibration levels, and have a lower output (10 mV/g) and lower mass, in compared with industrial accelerometers. Triaxial accelerometers measure vibration in the X, Y, and Z axes. They have three crystals and they react to vibration in different axis. As a result, the output has three signals, for X, Y, and Z axes (Ref) Accelerometer selection: For getting the best result of using accelerometer in a test, sort of issues must be considered. Based on these issues we can determined the most suitable accelerometer, based on its features, for our test. The first and foremost issue that we must consider is the amplitude of the vibration that we are going to monitor. Frequency range that we are going to study is important to choose an appropriate accelerometer (Ref). Another issues are effective in accelerometer selection, such as the temperature range of the installation area, size of the sample in the test, existence of magnetic field in the test environment, and existence of electrical noise in the test area. Other environmental issues are considerable, for example amount of humidity of test environment, or if accelerometer installation can alert the vibration characteristics in the test or not (Ref). Accelerometer installation: As it was discussed before, accelerometer selection has an important role to get more accurate results. But to achieve this goal, installation of accelerometer is important too. Some points and issues that must be considered during the installation of accelerometer: the surface of installation must be clean and grounded (Ref). The selected location for installation must provide a short and rigid path to the vibration source (Ref). For example, for getting better result in a vibration transmission from road surface test,the closest point to the wheels on the unsprung mass and the chassis near the suspension are recommended. Selected Accelerometer: Selected accelerometer for this test, based on needs and test conditions, is PBC model: 356A32. This model is a Triaxial type, with high sensitivity ( ±10%) 100 mV/g (10.2 mV/(m/s ²)), measurement range of  ±50 g pk ( ±491 m/s ² pk), broadband resolution: 0.0003 g rms (0.003 m/s ² rms), and frequency range of ( ±5%) 1.0 to 4000 Hz (Ref). Figure shows this accelerometer. Selected accelerometer for this test, based on needs and test conditions, is PBC model: 356A24. This model is a Triaxial type, with low sensitivity ( ±10%) 10 mV/g (1.02 mV/(m/s ²)), measurement range of  ±500 g pk ( ±4905 m/s ² pk), broadband resolution: 0.004 g rms (0.04 m/s ² rms), and frequency range of ( ±5%) 1.0 to 9000 Hz (Ref). Figure shows this accelerometer.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Wedding Speech by a Childhood Friend of the Groom -- Wedding Toasts Ro

Wedding Speech by a Childhood Friend of the Groom Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the bridesmaids, I would like to thank Scott for his kind words. For once in my life, I find myself agreeing with him - they look stunning and did an excellent job today. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jason. I’ve been Scott’s best friend for nearly 20 years. I’ve known him for a similar period. And all the time we’ve spent growing up together means that he’s had as much of a part in developing my sense of humor as anyone. So, while I have tried to make this speech funny, it’s his fault if it’s not. I have very fond memories of growing up with Scott. I’ve been his partner in crime on many a wild occasion and, in quieter times, a close confidant to whom he could tell almost anything. And I do mean anything – which has provided me with ample material for my speech this afternoon. Although I did agree not to divulge any details of the stag night, like about the Danish stripper he got chatting to in the hotel bar. So I won’t. Scott and I have done many things together during our almost life-long friendship – although they’re probably not quite as interesting to relate as the story about that Danish stripper, but I gave him my word on that one. Anyway, over the years we've built go-carts together, rode our bikes together, played football together, bunked school together, tried to... ...r. And I, as much as all of you, want that happiness for myself. Er, sorry, I mean, I want their happiness to last forever. And I do. So although I’m not actually married myself [turn to bridesmaids again], I thought it might be helpful if I offered them each a little piece of advice. Pamela: no matter how far away you are from your loved one, when you’re married, you’re never alone - because you know where my flat is. And Scott: getting married bestows upon you many, many obligations. But remember, foreplay is only optional. Ladies and gentlemen, on a final and serious note, please be upstanding and raise your glasses to my very best friend and his beautiful new wife. To Scott and Pamela.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

How does Hardy show social injustice in the 19th Century in England? :: Free Essay Writer

How does Hardy show social injustice in the 19th Century in England? Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 and died in 1928 at the age of 88. Thomas Hardy’s father was a stonemason and his mother a servant to a vicar. Hardy could not afford to continue his education as he wished and was apprenticed to John Hicks, a local church architect from 1862 to 1867. He served as assistant to Arthur Bloomfield, a London architect. Hardy hated London and returned to Dorset and worked for Hicks until 1874. Despite his employment Hardy was writing continually during this period of life. Over the next 22 years Hardy wrote 15 novels, more than 1000 poems and 4 volumes of short stories. Hardy wrote in these short stories about the law, class difference, women’s position in the society and city versus the countryside. Most of his stories are set in the Wessex, a fictional name that he gave to his stories. His stories are set 50 years back in the past and show the hardships, sufferings, trials and tribulations experienced by the working class. This book is from the collection of the stories The Withered Arm and other Wessex Tales. When Hardy became an architect he went to work in London. However, he missed the Dorset countryside so much that he returned there in 1867 and began writing novels and poetry. This was the first of many of his novels describing characters and scenes from country life. Hardy’s views about the countryside versus the city were about the injustice of the loss of the old way of life. Hardy went to work in London in 1862. He took a return ticket with him in case he repented his decision to work there. His aversion for London is apparent in his comments where he describes London as, â€Å"the monster with four million heads and eight million eyes.† Hardy describes the city in The Son’s Veto, as Sophie is looking through the window at â€Å"a fragment of lawn,† which shows the lack of greenery and space in London. He describes the air as, â€Å"hazy air,† which shows the huge amount of pollution in London unlike the pleasant and fresh air of the countryside. Hardy portrays all the houses in London as, â€Å"drab house facades,† which shows the ugly and depressing houses in London. The, â€Å"ever flowing traffic,† and other quotes just shows the repulsive and the disheartening city of London. Hardy approves of smuggling in The Distracted Preacher. Legally smugglers are to be penalized but every one ignores the law in The Distracted Preacher. Lizzy says, â€Å"it has been their practice for

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Comparison of The Raven and The Erlking Essay

In this essay, I am going to compare and contrast the two famous poems, ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe and ‘The Erlking’ by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The Raven is a one hundred and eight line poem about a lonely man who is unstable after losing his wife and comes across a raven who only speaks the word, â€Å"nevermore†. The Erlking is a poem about a man in a small girl’s nightmare as he torments her but nobody else can see him. There are many similarities and differences between the two poems. Both poems have a gothic atmosphere and can be compared strongly in this way. However, both are of different lengths and differ fro9m each other. In this essay, I am going to discuss how the two poets create tension and suspense and make a conclusion after studying these poems. The first element I am going to compare and contrast is the storyline of the poem and the impression it is meant to have on its reader. I am going to start by analysing each poem individually and then make a small conclusion when I will see how they are similar and how they differ. I will be using this structure for each point I will discuss. I will start by analysing ‘The Raven’. The main principle of Edgar Allen Poe’s poem was to have a lasting effect on its reader. Shortly, before he wrote ‘The Raven’, Poe’s wife had been diagnosed with an illness. This illness was later the cause of her death soon after he had finalised is poem. It is said that this poem is his forecast of what was going to happen to his wife. This is, therefore, the reason why he chose a raven to be the main character, because it was thought to be the most evil bird. The Raven is meant to be a representation of Edgar Allen Poe reflecting his responses to the bad news of his wife. The Erlking is a very dark poem and starts by giving a notion that the boy is simply imagining the Erlking and is dying of a strange disease. However, the poem takes a sinister twist when the boy dies at the end of the poem. Goethe had many reasons of writing such a dark poem. Such a reason is that the night before he wrote the poem he saw a local farmer carrying a bundle. This turned out to be a man who was carrying his sick child to hospital. This was where the main inspiration for the storyline for the poem of the Erlking came from. Also in German mythology there is meant to be a spirit/ supernatural power that is meant to cause controversy and ruin the minds of children. These two factors were merged together to make the Erlking. They are both dark poems and want to create a mysterious mood for the reader. Both had an individual reason of why they were written but then their similarity grew because they had the same atmospheric impression. The second point I am going to examine is the linguistic techniques used by the poets. The Raven has a lot of alliteration and is used very frequently. Examples of this alliteration is:- â€Å"While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,† â€Å"And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain† Both are examples of alliteration but in different ways, one very simple and the other has more complexity. The first quote is just three consecutive words starting with the same letter. The second quotation, on the other hand, uses two words consecutively starting with the same letter. However, the third word is part of the alliteration. The ‘un’ is not part of the alliteration but the second part is. Although this part of the word starts with a ‘c’, it is pronounced as the letter ‘s’. This is still part of the alliteration because this poem was obviously written to be read aloud. The Erlking is very different to the Raven, in this way, as it does not contain hardly any alliteration used for boosting the atmosphere. The Erlking does use a linguistic technique that the Raven does not use as much is repetition. An example of this is:- â€Å"Dear father, oh father, and do you not see,† This is a technique very similar to alliteration as it created the same type of tension and both are meant to be read fairly slowly. Later on in The Erlking, this repetition phrase is repeated, showing that there is ‘internal’ repetition (with the word ‘father’) and also ‘phrasal’ repetition. The third I am going to consider is the rhyming scheme of each of the poems. The Erlking has a different rhyming scheme to the Raven. The Erlking’s rhyming scheme is a very common one but the one of the Raven is very peculiar. Many poems have the rhyming scheme the same as the Erlking because it is very basic. This rhyming scheme is:- 1. A 2. A 3. B 4. C An example of this rhyming scheme in the poem is:- 1. Who rides so late where winds blow wild? 2. It is the father grasping his child; 3. He holds the boy embraced in his arm 4. He clasps him snugly, he keeps him warm. The rhyming scheme of the Raven is very different and unusual, not many poems have the same rhyming scheme. This rhyming scheme is:- 1. AA 2. B 3. CC 4. CB 5. B 6. B An example of this rhyming scheme is:- 1. Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, 2. Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore- 3. While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, 4. As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door- 5. â€Å"‘Tis some visitor,† I muttered, â€Å"tapping at my chamber door. 6. Only this and nothing more.† The two poems differ greatly in their rhyming schemes and have similarities. The Erlking has a very simple rhyming scheme with only two lines that rhyme out of the four. However, the Raven has a much more complex rhyming scheme with internal rhymes as well as end-of-line rhyming. The Raven’s rhyme scheme, however, has an effect on how the poem is read. The Raven is a very gothic poem and this rhyme scheme changes the way the poem is read, especially when the enunciation is used. The Erlking is very different and is a lot easier to read, compared with the Raven. This could mean that the poem is meant for a younger audience because of the simplistic reading ability needed. The other issue I am going to study is the excess of patterning. The Raven uses this several times, however, the Erlking does not. Excess of patterning is when a sound is repeated in a line to give an emphasis of those particular words. An example of this in the Raven could be:- â€Å"Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,† This quotation from Poe’s poem gives emphasis on the description to make this highlighted when the poem is read. This could have been a good technique that could have been added to the Erlking poem to make a part of the poem more prominent. The final factor I am going to consider is the length of the poems. The Raven is considerably longer than the Erlking. The Raven being 108 lines long compared to the Erlking which is a mere 32 lines long. The length of the Raven allows Poe to go into a lot of depth in his descriptions. However, this style of writing does not suit the Erlking as well. The reason for this is that the Erlking is meant to leave questions unanswered and a sense of mystery. If it had gone into the depth that the Raven did in its length, this would have been taken away. Over all, I can see that both poems are very individual but still contain some similarities. Both poets had very different inspirations of why they wrote their poem but they still had a very similar atmosphere that was created. They also use different linguistic techniques, although they create a very parallel effect. I can see that Edgar Allen Poe uses many more techniques in his poem than Goethe does, this may be because the Raven is longer and may have more room to use more effect without ‘over-doing’ them.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Apple iPhones – Not “Made in America”

What is meant by the globalization of human capital? Is this inevitable as firms increase their global operations? The globalization of human capital refers to the fact that employees are now spread out across the world by their employers. This including, the companies, employed, unemployed, stockholders, consumers, contractors, supply chain, firms and economies. Companies branch out because labor costs are cheaper and productivity is faster.It is inevitable if firms increase their global operations because every country has something different to offer, something new, and without the current innovation being promoted to the market, the company will start to lose its edge on competition. How does this case illustrate the threats and opportunities facing global companies in developing their strategies? Cost and Human Capital is the most important consideration for Global Companies. When President Obama’s inquired about Apple brining the job back to US, it was practically not po ssible for Apple.The break down in the case study was that it cost a total of $179 to produce an IPhone and it retailed at $500 leaving a profit of $321. This would mean more profit for the global company. For Global company price and profit is the most important consideration to stay competitive. They can use the cheap labor in other countries to be price competitive This gave the perception that Apple did not care about its country. It also gives the perception of greed which a global company can face. 3. Comment on the Apple executive's assertion that the company's only obligation is making the best product possible.â€Å"We don't have an obligation to solve America's problems. † All though it is a harsh comment but I think it makes sense. Apple is a Global company with its offices around the world. It is in business to make money. It is not possible for Apple to solve America’s problem. Apple is just trying to be the best company out there in order to be on top wit h innovation and success. It is not Apple’s responsibility to solve America’s problems with employment; their responsibility is to form the best product. 4. Who are the stakeholders in this situation and what, if any, obligations do they have?There are two stakeholders in this situation and they are: the companies Apple and Foxconn as well as the Chinese government. Apple has obligations to their employees both domestic and global. They need to be mindful that a corporation is only as good as its products as well as, its image. They need to be mindful that since its headquarters are in the United States, it should do all that it can to maintain a positive image. It is also important to make sure that the products they sell are quality products while keeping the price as low as possible. Foxconn has a stake in its people and the products they export.The unfair and inhumane working conditions forced the government to step in. Foxconn also needs to be mindful of the issue s presented previously for Apple (the difference they are headquartered in China). The fact that labor violations were taking place, China’s government had an obligations to its people. They need to protect their citizens from hazardous work conditions and hold Foxconn accountable for their actions. 5. How much extra are you prepared to pay for an IPhone if assembled in the United States? Personally I feel that the IPhone is already over price as is. The fact that they make $321 of profit off each phone is ridiculous.If the phone is fully assembled in the United State I do not feel the price of the phone should increase at all. There are many products that are specifically made in America that cost the same amount as their global counterparts. Clothes are an example, all things being equal, a t-shirt made overseas cost relatively the same as a t-shirt made in the US. Why should an IPhone be any different? I feel that although the profit from each phone would be decreased, the y would sell the same amount of phones if not more. 6. How much extra are you prepared to pay for an IPhone assembled in China but under better labor conditions or pay?What kind of trade-off would you make? This also deals with the question previously asked. I have not changed my stance on IPhone; however, if they were to charge more to have it assembled in China, why couldn’t or wouldn’t they just produce it in America. It would not make sense if they had to increase cost to better working conditions in another country. I believe it would be cheaper to bring some of the laborers here to the US and open a plant here. 7. To what extent do you think the negative media coverage has affected Apple’s recent decision to ask the FLA to do an assessment and the subsequent decision by Foxconn to raise some salaries?What do you think will happen now? I believe that the negative media coverage has inspired Apple to be more cautious about their corporate image. Subsequently , it affected their way of thinking so that they had to ask for an FLA assessment. They could ill-afford to continue to be seen in a negative light and heartless. They already stated that â€Å"They don’t have an obligation to solve America’s problems, only to make the best product possible†, after the unfair working conditions and labor violations were discovered it only added to the idea that the company was greedy and didn’t care about their employees.Foxconn took pride in being one of the country’s most effective and efficient manufacturers. It could not allow the perception that they were running a â€Å"sweat shop† in which their employees were working 60 hours a week for little pay. The employee suicides did not help company’s image. They had to raise some salaries in order to save face in the public eye. Also, both companies had to show that although mistakes happened, once they were discovered they were fixed quickly. I belie ve now that the story is out they will have many follow up inspections to insure that both companies never come under scrutiny again.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Women’s Health & Preventative Care

Women’s Health Care and Preventative Care In the United States, the cost of health care is on the rise and it is almost impossible to receive any health care service at an affordable rate. Whether insured or uninsured, women of all demographics are faced with this problem. Women should not put their health or life at risk because they fear receiving another medical bill. Due to the rising cost of health care and insurance, more women do not receive preventative medical treatment and are currently in debt.Often, women do not receive or delay receiving preventative health care due to the cost of treatment. â€Å"Learning about and practicing preventive healthcare, i. e. maintaining your body and good health throughout your entire lifetime, is properly the best method to prevent disease from happening in the first place† (World Research Foundation, n. d. ). Women require more preventative health care than men and some of these preventative services are not always fully cov ered by insurance such as mammograms or prenatal care.Prenatal care is not only important for the woman’s health, but also for the child’s health. Preventative health care can detect as well as prevent diseases. Early detection is sometimes the key to curing certain diseases. More women currently are in debt or have unpaid medical bills. The rising cost of health care combined with the current job market has left more women in debt (Robertson & Collins, 2011). Health insurance providers do not always provide the coverage women need.In fact recent studies have shown â€Å"few plans offer maternity coverage and young women can face substantially higher premiums than men of the same age† (Robertson & Collins, 2011). Although,† The Affordable Care Act is bringing change for women through required free coverage of preventive care services, small business tax credits, new affordable coverage options, and insurance market reforms, including bans on gender ratingà ¢â‚¬  the law will not be implemented until 2014 (Robertson & Collins, 2011).Something needs to be done before then in order to cut down on debt from unpaid medical bills. The federal as well as the state government should implement more programs that offer preventative care at income based rates. There should also be more programs directed at lowering medical bill debt. A debt acquired by a medical bill should not affect a person’s credit. More insurance companies should provide age and gender specific plans at affordable rates, in order to ensure everyone receives the proper healthcare needed.Although, some of these solutions may have to be funded with higher taxes or budget cuts, these programs would definitely have a large impact on the amount of women who receive preventative care. Preventative care is a necessity in ensuring healthy living for women. Receiving preventative care is a cost effective way to save lives by treating and diagnosing diseases and conditions ear ly. Insured and uninsured women should be able to receive preventative care without worrying about how and if they will pay the medical bill.Although women’s health care cost is a rising issue in the U. S, there are cost effective solutions to alleviate this problem. References Robertson, R. , & Collins, S. R. (2011) Realizing Health Reforms Potential. Retrieved fromhttp://www. commonwealthfund. org/~/media/Files/Publications/Issue%20Brief/2011/May /1502_Robertson_women_at_risk_reform_brief_v3. pdf World Research Foundation. (n. d. ) Preventive Health Care Helps Everyone. Sedona, AZ: WorldResearch Foundation. Retrieved July 15, 2012 from http://www. wrf. org/preventive-healthcare/preventive-healthcare. php

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Show

Variety show is about showing talents and skills using creative minds. It is a way of entertaining people and getting socialize to other persons that are new and close to you. It is also a way in improving a person’s self –confidence and to help a person in getting socialize and interact with other people. When we start practicing for our variety, we encounter so many problems like misunderstanding and lack of cooperation but it didn’t affect our performance . Instead we do our best to have a wonderful and creative show. We prepare so many things to entertain our audience like we have fire dance, band, modeling and other things.When we started to performed in front of so many people we feel nervous and happy because all of our efforts and talents are can be share and shown to other people. All of classmates are cheering to each one of us to give strength and to help boost each of one’s self-confidence. At the end of our show you can see from their faces th at they are truly happy with what they done for the variety show, you can see to each one of us the laughter and the tears in getting flat one grade in our variety show. For me our show was totally great and worth remembering for although we had so many mistakes in our performance.I realize so many things after our variety show that we need to arrive early to have much time in preparing for our variety show and when you are performing in front, you must focus on audience faces . The audience should be the central focus of everything you do. Don't go over their heads unless it's the only thing keeping you upright. Make eye contact, smile at them, and feed of that energy . I enjoyed very much our first variety show in college and I would really treasure it for the rest of my life. Submitted by: Leedee Liane S. Carbonilla

Friday, September 13, 2019

Marketing Audit of ARAMEX company Research Paper

Marketing Audit of ARAMEX company - Research Paper Example This business model is in stark contrast to other companies which invest heavily in procuring assets such as aircraft and fleets of vehicles. This strategy of differentiation has significantly contributed to the success of the company in its business since it has a strong customer base. Though there are positive signs of growth of the company, it has been noted that it should take certain measures into consideration in order to improve its business. Therefore, it has been recommended that the company should ensure that it adequately trains the managers so that they can cope with the new demands of managing new business acquisitions. . It has also been recommended that the company should invest in infrastructural development such as building warehouses given that this segment of business is the most profitable compared to other segments.This paper is designed to carry out a marketing audit for Aramex Company which operates in the transport and logistics sector. The paper is divided in to various sections and it starts by outlining the historical background of the company. The main part of the paper will analyse the environmental factors that impact on the operations of the company in this sector of the industry which is characterised by stiff competition. The paper will also outline and discuss the strategies used by the company in order to gain a competitive advantage in its operations. ... The main part of the paper will analyse the environmental factors that impact on the operations of the company in this sector of the industry which is characterised by stiff competition. The paper will also outline and discuss the strategies used by the company in order to gain a competitive advantage in its operations. The last part of the paper will outline suggested recommendations that should be implemented by the company in order for it to sustain its operations in a competitive manner. 1.1 Background information about Aramex â€Å"Aramex is a leading global provider of comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions and it was established in 1982 as an express operator. The company also rapidly evolved into a global brand recognized for its customized services and innovative multi-product offering,† (Aramex, 2012). It currently employs more than 12,300 people in over 353 locations across 60 countries, and has a strong presence across the whole globe. According to Aw an (2008), Aramex specialises in six different categories of business outlined below. International express delivery This service is meant for retail and wholesale delivery and this segment includes companies, banks as well as other retail stores. The packages delivered range up to 50 Kg and the customers can track their consignment through the company’s website. Freight Forwarding These services include air, land and sea transport and the route mainly involves all major cities. . Logistics These services include warehousing, inventory management as well as supply chain management and they are offered in the Middle East and North Africa regions Awan (2008). These services can still be tracked using the company website. Domestic

Thursday, September 12, 2019

The Filipino Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Filipino Culture - Essay Example The Filipino characteristic is a mix of various cultures put together although it is basically of Malay stock. The spirit of kinship and camaraderie is inherited from the Malays, the close family relations from the Chinese, and the piousness from the Spaniards. The Filipinos have distinguishing characteristics of hospitality. They are divided geographically and culturally and their traits and dialects differ accordingly. They are easily distinguished by their fair color, tall structure and fairly formed nose structure. The main religion is Christianity (Roman Catholics). About 80 percent of the population is Catholic Christians while 15 percent are Muslims. The rest are Buddhists. The Filipinos refer to themselves as ‘God-fearing’ people. Rice is the main food eaten thrice a day. Fish and seafood are the principal source of protein. The food had minimal cooking and they either steamed, boiled or roasted their food. The ethnic food is Chinese cuisine which includes noodles and soy products. It is known as the Filipino-Chinese food. Gradually local ingredients were added to suit the local taste. The cuisine was given Spanish name for the convenience of the clients. The Spaniards too brought food influence from Spain and Mexico. After independence, there was a severe recession in Philippines and the economy shrunk by more than 10%. The Asian financial crisis added to the grim situation. It is now experiencing a very fast economic growth. It is now making a steady growth and meeting all government targets. Its growth rate is amongst the fastest in the Asian region. The Filipino language known as Tagalog, contains many Spanish words. Amongst their customs the most noticeable is the "fiesta" or the celebration of a towns patron saints feast day. This is an annual event and is celebrated with street parade, church ceremonies, fireworks and a grand feast. They

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Strategic Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Operations Management - Essay Example â€Å"Operational activities are central to the provision of services and /or goods. Every organization provides a product and service combination. A meal in restaurant, a visit to the hospital, buying a pair of Levi 501s, making a pair of Levi 501s, insuring an automobile, staying in an hotel, going to the cinema,; all have operations activities and their management is central to the successful provision of goods and services.† 1 In this example, we are examining the operational activities of a small manufacturing company engaged in the production of automotive components. It is a known fact that small scale manufacturing companies undertake many diverse activities in providing different types of products and services. Modern organizations are complex entities, especially the small scale enterprise, and there will be many different types of operation, both in individual firms as well as across different industries. This clearly reveals that the types of operation vary across different sectors, and there are external factors that influence the organization in many ways. Over the past two decades, leaders of virtually all organizations -- big and small -- have come to understand that external forces can exert more influence over an organization than management itself does. Legislation and public opinion, for example, can greatly expand or restrict what an organization can do and how it does it. As a result, many organizations now try to monitor these external forces, looking for signs where new controversies or new opportunities may be brewing on the business horizon. In today’s competitive and highly sophisticated business world, awareness of those external factors is crucial for a business entity. These factors also determine the sustenance of an organization. Generally speaking, these factors exist both at ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ levels. At a closer micro level, the external elements include suppliers, competitors,

The Blue Kite by Tian Zhuangzhuang Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Blue Kite by Tian Zhuangzhuang - Essay Example These significant historical events are used to tie together the overall dramatic expression of the time while showing the debates that were a part of Beijing in the 1950s. Shot – by – Shot Analysis The scene which shows the historical and dramatic features most is in the climax and end portion. This begins with the soldiers that are surrounding Tietou’s father. The scene begins with a close up shot of glasses being knocked onto the ground then leads into a symbol of the new army of China. This is surrounded by voices that are shouting for Tietou’s father to get up. A close shot then moves into Tietou’s father, who is passed out then immediately zooms out to show the soldiers, all as children, who are surrounding him. The camera stays in this same position with a girl who continues to hit the father combined with the soldiers pushing the father. The noise, quick zooms and subject matter shown combines to show the drama of the situation while combining the political upheaval of the situation within this one section. The change occurs with a close up zoom to the soldiers that are on one side with the statement to get a stretcher. The camera then goes back and forth between close ups of the soldiers and of the father who is still being beaten and pushed. The scene changes to a close up of Tietou’s mom who is outside by a tree. The scene changes by showing her walk into the building after hearing shouting from the street. The scene continues by a zoom out of an aisle with soldiers on each side and her walking in the middle. A close up is shown of her pushing to tell the soldiers to stop because of his heart failure. The shouting at this point stops to listen to her; however, it quickly changes when a political statement is made about counter – revolutionary. This again heightens the tension of the scene, specifically with the political term used and the movement from the close up of his wife to the soldiers surrounding the area. The scene then changes to show the soldiers carrying his father down the steps in a stretcher and each soldier pushing the other. The drama heightens when the soldiers move to the streets and begin s houting â€Å"Down with Wu Leishing.† A close up is shown of the man who is now unconscious then moves into the soldiers shouting. The wife is shown as being pushed by the soldiers, then is followed by Tietou coming in and pushing toward his father then his mother. The camera stays with a mid – zoom to show the boy running into the soldiers; however, it doesn’t show the heads of the soldiers. The perspective is one of the little boy as he runs to find his parents. The pushing moves to a close up shot of the boy being pushed and of close ups of his mother trying to meet him. This is combined with the yelling with â€Å"mom† being heard over the other shots and with the mom’s expression going to her son as she is slapped by the soldiers. Music starts at this point to highlight the drama of the mother and son being torn apart by the soldiers. As the music continues, the soldiers state to beat him to death, throw him on the ground and leave. A close up shot is shown of Tietou glancing up to get his mother, than going to find a piece of wood and to run after the soldiers. The music continues in the back with close up angles. The highlight of this part is

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Business Ethics and Consequentialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Ethics and Consequentialism - Essay Example Ethics compliance includes implementing acts that serve the common good for the greater number of recipients. 1.Utilitarian ethics issues in this Case. There are utilitarian ethics issues in the case of the pacemaker case. The electronics company can generate the greater good to the greatest number of people. The principle of consequentialism or utilitiarian ethics states that the end justifies the means. The correct action is that action that brings out the greatest good to the entire community or population (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/utilitarianism-history/#JerBen). For example, it is a common good to kill a convicted felon to prevent individuals from committing the same illegal acts (Portmore, 2011). Jeremy Bentham insisted that correct actions are those that bring about or increase happiness, and reduce pain (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/utilitarianism-history/#JerBen). Applying the above consequentialism theory to the case, producing the electronic parts of the pace maker produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people (http://www.scu.edu/ethics/dialogue/candc/cases/supplier.html). The purpose of the pacemaker is to prolong the life of the dying person. Without a heart, the person will die. The pacemaker helps the heart beat. Without the pacemaker, the person would die a natural death. Consequently, the pacemaker prolongs the life of the pacemaker recipient for several years. By focusing on helping the pacemaker manufacturer improve the functional quality of the pacemakers, the electronics company helps increase the success of the pacemakers. Consequently, there is an increase in the pacemaker’s capacity to keep the failing human heart from stopping its continuous beating motion (http://www.scu.edu/ethics/dialogue/candc/cases/supplier_comments.html). 2) Jeremy Bentham Concept on the Case. Jeremy Bentham, father of utilitarianism, will rightly approve the decision to continue producing the electronic parts of the pacemakers. By helping the pacemaker manufacturers improve the functional quality of the pacemakers, the electronics company increases the functional quality of the pacemakers. Consequently, the pacemaker adds more years to the dying patients’ lives. For the dying person, adding more years to one’s earthly life is a greater good when compared to just letting the patient die a natural death (Bentham, 2009). The popularity of the pacemaker is its capacity to prolong the dying person’s life by stimulating the non-beating heart to beat. Without the pacemakers’ stimulating motion, the patient would have died instantly. The improved pacemakers will increase the patients’ and their families’ pleasure of having their dying relative live additional years on earth and avoiding the pain of losing their dying relative at an earlier date. 3. Utility test. Step A. There are three alternatives. The first alternative is to stop supplying the electronic parts of the pac emakers. Second, the electronics company will continue producing the electronic parts of the pacemakers and coordinate with the pacemaker company to improve the success rate of the pacemakers (Mandal, 2010). Step B. The are consequences and costs of each alternative. In terms of alternative 1, the short term and long term benefits (consequences) include removing the possible of future medical suits from the pacemaker patients and being wrongly blamed for the pacemaker’

Monday, September 9, 2019

Leadership Types Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership Types - Essay Example This style is often referred to as ‘management by exception’, implying that transactional leaders are not interested in altering or transforming the work environment or employees, unless some problem occurs. Joseph McCarthy, a Wisconsin state senator is a famous example of transactional leadership due to his style of rewarding his followers for bringing him intelligence regarding communist spies, and punishing those who failed to follow his orders. Transformational style of leadership, on the other hand, is aimed to inspire and motivate employees, rather than expecting a set performance from them. Leaders following this style of leadership employ motivation and team-building tactics with employees. â€Å"The dynamics of transformational leadership involve strong personal identification with the leader, joining in a share vision of the future, or going beyond the self-interest exchange of rewards for compliance† (Hater & Bass, 1988). Jack Welsh, CEO of General Elec tric between 1981 and 2001, changed the bureaucratic organization into one in which employees stretched their potential to achieve long-term goals. Both styles of leadership are important, depending on different situations. However, transformational leadership holds greater merit in most scenarios, as it makes use of motivational tactics which go a long way to fulfill the esteem needs of employees, helping them to achieve self-actualization. In ethical style of leadership, leaders respect the rights and dignity of employees during the course of their leadership. Ethical leaders should treat, encourage, and direct their employees in an ethical manner. For instance, Lola Gonzales, founder and CEO of Accurate Background Check actually fired herself when she found out that redundancy was the only option left to keep her company afloat. Instead, she acquired a part-time job

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Financing Health Care In The US Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financing Health Care In The US - Term Paper Example Health insurance can actually be availed through an employed individual’s employer or through the employers of either the spouse or parents’, as applicable. Health insurance can also be purchased individually depending on one’s capacity or financial status, and the required scope and contents of health insurance coverage. The problem is eminently evident for those Americans who are unemployed and could not afford to purchase health insurance coverages. Further, those who are employed also opt to drop insurance coverages because of two reasons as proffered by Siegel, Mead and Burke (2008), to wit: (1) the number of employers offering health insurance benefits to their personnel (including beneficiaries) have significantly declined; and (2) those employers who offer health insurance benefits have opted to require increasing amounts of employee participation in premium payments, which are deemed by employees as virtually unaffordable. With increasing number of peopl e who opt to waive availment of health insurance coverages, more unemployed and employed people without health coverages opt to tap the government’s health packages for Medicare and Medicaid, thereby increasing the need for more financial resources to support and sustain the expenditures for this sector. Components of Health Care Sector Expenditures The paper written by Seshamani, Lambrew and Antos (2008), one of the most significant revelations was that the increasing cost in health care expenditure is accounted for by tax subsidies shouldered by the federal government from the health insurance premiums and related costs declared by employers. As indicated, the cost of tax exemptions from contributions made by employers and employees are... A more structured and plausible approach was recommended by Flier, who suggested that accurate and effective reforms could only provide the needed solution to the health care dilemma when the root causes are truly identified. In his article, the root causes were identified as: the unjust employer-based tax advantaged system, restrictions and overregulated health insurance market, and the presence of both Medicare and Medicaid programs. In this regard, Flier recommended the following: a restructuring of the tax shelter system; to encourage increased players in the delivery of both health care and insurance to decrease the exorbitant health care costs; and to evaluate and closely review the possibility of reforming both Medicare and Medicaid programs in terms of the kind and quality of expenditures, as well as closer screening of the beneficiaries to determine alternative options for cost reduction and the use of cost effective interventions, in the long run. The objective of the essay to proffer relevant and critical issues pertinent to financing and the delivery of health care services in the U.S. was hereby accomplished through provision of the current status of health care in the U.S. prior and by determining the significant components in health care expenditures that are the real culprits of the health care dilemma.  The proposed measures to reform the health care system in the US using strategies and plans should encompass policies and regulations that have the ultimate welfare of the population in mind.

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Amazing Grace And Amazing Revelations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Amazing Grace And Amazing Revelations - Essay Example The entire book is devoted to moving real life stories of the poor and deprived of the district and mind boggling figures of poverty. Perhaps, the main reason behind the success and effectiveness of the book is that it does not put forth long, confusing scientific charts and graphs to explain the poverty and give related figures but exposes the situation by introducing the reader to real life characters - people who live and breathe in that district and are stuck in such a vicious cycle of poverty that is simply beyond our imagination. Kozol's prime focus is women and children. He tries to show that poverty, racial discrimination and lack of basic civic amenities affects this weak and vulnerable stratum of our society the most. For instance, Kozol points out how widespread AIDS actually is by simply stating that almost everyone knows someone who has died of or is currently suffering from AIDS. By 1993 alone, nearly 2000 children had lost their mothers due to AIDS (194). Health care facilities are almost non-existent and hospitals are over-crowded. Patients suffering from serious and at times terminal diseases actu ally have to wait at the hospital for days before they can get a bed or a room. Kozol relates the incident when he had a conversation with David about his sick mother. When asked if she got approval for SSI, David replies in the negative, simply saying, "They say she isn't sick enough" (99). The hygiene and sanitation conditions are so terrible that toxic barrels are strewn everywhere and a great majority of the children suffer from asthma due to the garbage incinerators operating in the residential area. Perhaps the most horrifying section of the book is when Kozol speaks of the problem of rat infestation. Kozol's relation of the incident when a child's fingers are eaten away by rats is too sickening (114). The poverty problem in the area is so acute that soup kitchens and shelters are crowded with mothers elbowing violently and hoping that their child might get some food today. During winter there is acute shortage of warm clothing and sometimes the city government is benevolent enough to hand over sleeping bags. The distressing words of a father of four haunt one by the ruthless honesty of their tone, "You just cover up ... and hope you wake up the next morning" (4). The extreme poverty and totally hopeless circumstances has given rise to widespread depression amongst the children. The seriousness of the problem can be gauged from the fact that the school psychiatrists have long waiting lists of patients. Kozol relates many cases, for instance, of a child staying awake late at night simply to smack cockroaches and of children who cry a lot without knowing or being able to explain why. Kozol's friends at Mott Haven are vehemently critical of the governments policies regarding the poor and are furious at Mayor (fmr.) Rudolph Giuliani for cutting back on a few basic and precious facilities provided to the poor (100). They claim Giuliani's policies, which aim to cut back on sanitation facilities, food programs, drug-rehabilitation programs etc., are unfair and will hurt the poor exceedingly. Saying that the book is an eye opener will be a terrible under statement. The first thought that comes to mind