Most Valuable Things

The first thing valuable to me is God, he gives me the strength to get up everyday and want better, he gives me health, a wonderful life, a blessed mother and family. He also valuable, because he watches over me everyday and makes sure I’m ok, he made very unique and I thank him everyday. The second thing valuable to me is my mother. She motivates me to get a education and want to become a better person. She is one person that I can rely on to get anything I need and everything I want. The third thing valuable to me is phone, I love my phone with all my heart. I don’t know why my phone is so interesting but it is I can rely on my phone to tell me the truth, even though sometimes we have some difficulties we still all good. Candice Wilson 2nd Period May 1, 2011 The first thing valuable to me is God, he gives me the strength to get up everyday and want better, he gives me health, a wonderful life, a blessed mother and family. He also valuable, because he watches over me everyday and makes sure I’m ok, he made very unique and I thank him everyday. The second thing valuable to me is my mother. She motivates me to get a education and want to become a better person. She is one person that I can rely on to get anything I need and everything I want. The third thing valuable to me is phone, I love my phone with all my heart. I don’t know why my phone is so interesting but it is I can rely on my phone to tell me the truth, even though sometimes we have some difficulties we still all good. The first thing valuable to me is God, he gives me the strength to get up everyday and want better, he gives me health, a wonderful life, a blessed mother and family. He also valuable, because he watches over me everyday and makes sure I’m ok, he made very unique and I thank him everyday. The second thing valuable to me is my mother. She motivates me to get a education and want to become a better person. She is one person that I can rely on to get anything I need and everything I want. The third thing valuable to me is phone, I love my phone with all my heart. I don’t know why my phone is so interesting but it is I can rely on my phone to tell me the truth, even though sometimes we have some difficulties we still all good.

History of Gladiatorial Games Essay

History of gladiatorial games Origins Early literary sources seldom agree on the origins of gladiators and the gladiator games.[1] In the late 1st century BC, Nicolaus of Damascus believed they were Etruscan.[2] A generation later, Livy wrote that they were first held in 310 BC by the Campanians in celebration of their victory over the Samnites.[3] Long after the games had ceased, the 7th century AD writer Isidore of Seville derived Latin lanista (manager of gladiators) from the Etruscan word for â€Å"executioner,† and the title of Charon (an official who accompanied the dead from the Roman gladiatorial arena) from Charun, psychopomp of the Etruscan underworld.[4] Roman historians emphasized the gladiator games as a foreign import, most likely Etruscan. This preference informed most standard histories of the Roman games in the early modern era.[5] Reappraisal of the evidence supports a Campanian origin, or at least a borrowing, for the games and gladiators.[6] The earliest known Roman gladiator schools (ludi) were in Campania.[7] Tomb frescoes from Paestum (4th century BC) show paired fighters, with helmets, spears and shields, in a propitiatory funeral blood-rite that anticipates early Roman gladiator games.[8] Compared to these images, supporting evidence from Etruscan tomb-paintings is tentative and late. The Paestum frescoes may represent the continuation of a much older tradition, acquired or inherited from Greek colonists of the 8th century BC.[9] Livy dates the earliest Roman gladiator games to 264 BC, in the early stages of Rome’s First Punic War against Carthage. Decimus Iunius Brutus Scaeva had three gladiator pairs fight to the death in Rome’s â€Å"cattle market† Forum (Forum Boarium) to honor his dead father, Brutus Pera. This is described as a munus (plural: munera), a commemorative duty owed the manes of a dead ancestor by his descendants.[10] The gladiator type used (according to a single, later source), was Thracian.[11] but the development of the munus and its gladiator types was most strongly influenced by Samnium’s support for Hannibal and subsequent punitive expeditions by Rome and her Campanian allies; the earliest and most frequently mentioned type was the Samnite.[12] The war in Samnium, immediately afterwards, was attended with equal danger and an equally glorious conclusion. The enemy, besides their other warlike preparation, had made their battle-line to glitter with new and splendid arms. There were two corps: the shields of the one were inlaid with gold, of the other with silver†¦The Romans had already heard of these splendid accoutrements, but their generals had taught them that a soldier should be rough to look on, not adorned with gold and silver but putting his trust in iron and in courage†¦The Dictator, as decreed by the senate, celebrated a triumph, in which by far the finest show was afforded by the captured armour. So the Romans made use of the splendid armour of their enemies to do honour to their gods; while the Campanians, in consequence of their pride and in hatred of the Samnites, equipped after this fashion the gladiators who furnished them entertainment at their feasts, and bestowed on them the name Samnites. (Livy 9. 40)[13] Livy’s account skirts the funereal, sacrificial function of early Roman gladiator combats and underlines the later theatrical ethos of the gladiator show: splendidly, exotically armed and armoured barbarians, treacherous and degenerate, are dominated by Roman iron and native courage.[14] His plain Romans virtuously dedicate the magnificent spoils of war to the Gods. Their Campanian allies stage a dinner entertainment using gladiators who may not be Samnites, but play the Samnite role. Other groups and tribes would join the cast list as Roman territories expanded. Most gladiators were armed and armoured in the manner of the enemies of Rome.[15] The munus became a morally instructive form of historic enactment in which the only honourable option for the gladiator was to fight well, or else die well.

Our Decisions Determine Our Destiny

Our whole life is based on the decisions we make, whether it is big decisions like if we choose to go to college, get married, or have kids, or even smaller decisions such as If we decide to turn left or right on a walk. All of these decisions that we make In life can change our future, and of course we all want to make the right decisions so that we have a good future. God is so wonderful that he equipped us with moral law, which provides ways to tell the difference between a good act and a bad act.Through our conscience, God is speaking to us from the core of our being, indicating acts that are good and warns us of acts that are evil. An amazing poem by an anonymous author highlights the importance of keeping a good Catholic morality: Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, It becomes your destiny. The first line of the p oem states â€Å"Watch your thoughts, they become your words. â€Å"Every thing that comes out of our mouths comes from a thought- whether consciously or unconsciously. If we never think of anything, then we wont do anything. Usually, a kind, happy thought precedes kind, happy words. It can also go the other way in terms of kind thoughts. The poem reminds us to â€Å"watch† our thoughts because part of having goods morals means being kind. We don't want to say anything that we will regret saying or that makes us seem like a bad person. The next line adds on to the poem by stating â€Å"Watch your words, they become your actions.Our bodies instinctively follow the words we are saying- whether they are sour or sweet. If we say things enough, then we will actually do them. For example, someone can think that they don't like their unrecognized room and want to clean It. That person then tells their mother that they are going to clean It. Over time and countless comments regard ing them cleaning their room, they finally do clean their room. Another example could be If someone wants to show off to his or her friends.Thinking that throwing water balloons at a stranger's car would make them cooler,† they say that they will, and eventually they do. The third line of the poems continues this trend by stating â€Å"Watch your actions, they become your habits. Believe it or not, it only takes 21 times for the mind to recognize something as a habit. If we continue to do something, over and over, it becomes a habit to us. For example, every morning for school I wake up at 6:00. This becomes a routine, or habit for me. Sometimes we can develop bad habits that deflect from our true beings.We need to remember to make good actions so that hey become good habits. â€Å"Watch your habits, they become your character. † This Is a very strong statement and Is true. The decisions we make can depend greatly on the values and Inclinations that we have Internalize d over the years. Character refers to those features and attributes that make up our individuality. Good character results when we cultivate good qualities, habits, and patterns of behavior- that incline us to make good moral decisions. Catholicism identifies essential virtues- faith, hope, and love, known as the theological virtues.They are gifts from God that help us develop a better relationship with God. By living faithfully, hopefully, and lovingly, we cooperate with God's gifts of faith, hope, and love. God also gives us the cardinal virtues of prudence, Justice, fortitude, and temperance. We strive to have these personal character strengths that direct us toward Christ-like behavior and provide discipline for our passions and emotions. The final line of the poem states â€Å"Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. † Our destiny is our lot in life, the future or our fate.However you're perceived, the way n which your behavior toward others is received will become the shape and rhythm of your days. We as humans have the power to changer our destiny, Just by what we think, say, and do. Everything revolves around the choices we make, using our conscience. God has given us many gifts, but one of the most wonderful gifts of all is our conscience because it directs us to use all our gifts for the good of the community, the common good. The decisions we make decide who we are and our destiny. Used correctly, our conscience can lead us to ultimate happiness with God.

History of Jazz and Dance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of Jazz and Dance - Essay Example Traditional dance steps such as the Waltz and Foxtrot remained popular. Films produced during this era began to included the dance moves of actors such as Rudolph Valentino, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The popularity of dance and development of new steps continued through the Great Depression Era. Jazz music continued to change and evolve during this time, leading to the Cool Jazz and Funk of the 1950s. Jazz music initially came from New Orleans in the early 1920s, though it quickly spread to other cities such as Chicago and New York. Musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington began performing in New York City. New clubs such as the Cotton Club in 1923 and the Savoy Ballroom in 1926 opened in Harlem. Duke Ellington’s band Became the ‘house band’ of the Cotton Club. The Savoy featured Jazz artists like Bennie Goodman, Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. Most of the well known Jazz artists later introduced new styles of music such as Be-bop at the clubs. New York city was not the only place that began to celebrate Jazz music and the new dances of the time. Many artists also made their way north to Chicago. Some of the well known artists of the time like Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines actually recorded music in the Windy City, which helped to increase the popularity of Jazz. Many more local groups formed in smaller cities through the Midwest during the 1920s and 1930s. Kansas City is home to the Count Basie Orchestra. Along with the new form of musical expression which became so popular came new styles in dance and dress.

Media Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Media Ethics - Essay Example For Kant, principles of reason or a system of clear-cut needs is where morality is rooted in since every individual has the ability to reason. No matter what culture or society a person belongs to, these needs apply. Per Kant, every individual has an obligation to discern what the right conduct is in a given situation by exercising his mind. As much as an action's universal and logical application, the ultimate arbiter of correctness are not necessarily the consequences of one's actions. Per Kant, sense of duty requires every person to acknowledge another person's rights. This also asserts that the general satisfaction of many people cannot overshadow moral claims (Solomon, 127-129). Utilitarianism, on the other hand, asserts that the greatest good for the greatest number is the utmost legacy (Christians, Ferre, and Fackler, 11-13). It is totally contradictory to Kant's ethics model. It maintains that every person should have the consideration to act for his own benefit if it will also benefit the society as a whole. In pluralism, acknowledging the opposing ethical principles present in a diverse world is the ethics model. These competing ethics principles are called duties (Patterson and Wilkins, 12). These duties can be identified as not causing harm to other people, personal development, beneficence, integrity, appreciation, and loyalty. This vivid viewpoint for reflecting the every day challenges numerous professionals deal with and for acknowledging the several roles various individuals bear is praised. An individual recognition of the distinction between duty proper and prima facie duties is required in this ethics model. Duty proper involves particular awareness for the introduction of new or unusual situations and challenges while prima facie duties can be taken as daily responsibilities each person decides to advocate. Putting social justice at the core of its guiding principle is the communitarianism ethics model (Patterson and Wilkins, 14). As component of the human condition, it maintains that every person should be sensitive to the corollaries of their behaviors both worldwide and within a society (Christians, Ferre, and Fackler, 14). This ethics model highlights the dynamic relationship among social, financial, judicial, and biological systems and centers on the interdependence of people. Experts state that it is a framework exceptionally relevant in assessing the function and operation of the media in society. It increases the combined achievements that the media and their Surname 3 organizations have and silences the rivalry among media organizations in the society (Patterson and Wilkins, 15). 2. An example case study of information ethics is in chapter 2 of the Media Ethics book entitled "The New York Times vs. Wen Ho Lee." It is all about responsibility in gathering of information, biases, and political agenda. The investigative reporters failed to gather sufficient information that would allow them to weigh any possible biases that may be intentionally or unintentionally included in the reports. Also, political contexts that may have possibly hindered obtaining the actual and complete facts were not thoroughly investigated. It was a major blunder on the side of the publication at the expense of the "victim." They reported a major case against a Chinese-American without a thorough and independent investigation on their end. Their

Consumer behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Consumer behaviour - Essay Example Government and leaders of the company have become increasingly aware of the people’s needs and understand that at times people would break the rules in place to satisfy them. With the help of Maslow theory marketer’s can judge consumer’s motivations they can identify the generic level of need the consumer product is capable of fulfilling. This would help the marketers better form any of the marketing strategy. Products such as foods and clothes are purchased as they fulfill safety needs; personal care products such as shaving cream, perfume, soap, toothpaste, are bought mainly as they serve social needs. While luxurious products such as expensive clothing, fancy house, jewelry, and cares are bought mainly to serve self-actualizations and ego needs. Though, Maslow's hierarchy does consider relevant from an intuitive standpoint, however, there is little evidence to proof its hierarchical aspect. Today there are evidences to contradict such aspects as explained by t his motivation theory. For example, today we find some of the cultures placing social needs ahead of any others. Maslow's hierarchy further has difficulty explaining incidents such as the "starving artist" where a person ignores lower needs to pursuit higher ones. Finally, it cannot be prove that people g up t motivated just to satisfy a single need at a time, except in situations where one finds conflict between needs. Therefore, it fails to predict and shape market well. 2. How influential is gender stereotyping in the popular magazine or the drinks markets in differentiating and expanding the total market? Gender stereotyping makes use of magazines and other advertising mediums to govern and shape people’s perception. How influential they might would depend on the assumptions made about men and women which may or may not be true. It could have been said to predict fairly for a fewer numbers however, it might not be true for the larger part. In short that everyone could con fide to the description of gender descriptions as mentioned neatly in various advertising mediums such as magazines and drinks market. Today readers are found to be much sophisticated and are aware that much of the advertising stuff does not portray their sets of beliefs, perceptions, attitudes and likings. Post modern reader would take out several magazines to form a mix up suiting their sets of thinking patterns. For instance, one of the women might select the top and sandals off a photo shoot posted in a magazine but paired it with his favorite pants. So today, readers are conforming to some parts of gender stereotypes exposed to them but have willpower to surpass them if they feel like. So, in this case it would be relevant to conclude that magazines target audience in manner that they could influence majority and hence raise the sales of their products. However, there would be many readers who would know when to absorb and what to buy. 3. Give an example of ‘cultural jamm ing’ that to your mind works really well in causing consumers to think twice about their attitudes towards a brand or a product. What techniques does this example of ‘cultural jamming’ utilize to make it so effective? Culture jamming is arousing attention in consumers of particular brand to react in an emotional manner. It can be commercial, social or political. If done properly it raises awareness among the people and is effective adding legal way to mend the consumer’s perception. One of the best examples of culture jamming that

Heard The Owl Call My Name Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Heard The Owl Call My Name - Essay Example The event of deaths allows him to see fully the life the villagers are living. The deaths he encounters actually symbolize his journey towards his own death and towards the acceptance of villagers to include him as a member. The first death he encounters was that of a young boy. The boy died even before he arrived. This shows his separation from the villagers. In every death he encounters, he becomes closer to them as he learns to understand and love their rituals, their practices, and their beliefs. The last death he encounters before his own was that of Keetah’s sister. With her death, he begins to gain acceptance from the villagers because he begins to share sentiments and emotions that they feel. Before his death, he hears the owl call his name, and this symbolizes how he became one with the villagers. He is not a stranger anymore rather a member of the tribe. The turn of events indicates that Mark Vicar needed to be sent to the village to understand life so he can accept death. He may not have fully known he was sick but since he was encountering different kinds of death within the village, not just physical death but also the death of the tribe’s customs and traditions, he begins to accept that the journey of life to death signifies that you have done what you have to do, like how Mark and Marta interpret the death of the salmons. One’s concept and perception of things vary because of the personal experiences we have that differ from one another. Essentially, this is the main reason people from the village see things differently from those who live outside of their world. The people in the village have a different perception of the village compared to that of the modern concept because of their non-exposure to the things that make up the modern world, like technology and its workspace. The environment of the villagers is also significantly different than that of the modern world, limiting their perspective to what they have. In addition, since the modern world is not in sync, or even in touch with the villagers’ perspective, they do not view the village the way the rest of the world does. They only see the village in such a limited concept that they overlook what the village really is.

The Sheald of achilles Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Sheald of achilles - Assignment Example In this context, after hearing the news of the death of Patroclus, Achilles broke into grief. Others including his mother also cried out loud after hearing the death of Patroclus against the Trojans in the war. Achilles’s armour was also unable to save the life of Patroclus. The entire kingdom turned into sorrow. After a certain time period, Achilles and others left the cave and thus headed towards Myrmidons wherein the tents were placed (Prezgonzlez 150-162). After reaching Myrmidons, Achilles shouted and spoke in anger and stated that Patroclus was more important and dear to him than any other. In this similar context, he stated that Hector will need to pay for killing his son Menoetius. By considering this fact, Thetis answered that the armour of Achilles is with Hector who bears upon his shoulder. Thus, Achilles’s mother decided to visit the workman of Vulcan and shall ask for splendid armour for his son. On the other hand, the Achaeans were in the verge to punish the murderous Hector. Later Iris, the god royal spouse of Jove irked Achilles about the death of Patroclus. However, in this particular circumstance, Achilles answered that he has no armour without which he could not fight against Hector (Prezgonzlez 150-162). Iris influenced Achilles to visit the battle ground bare handed without his armour so that his Achaeans could get some relief. Achilles led his comrades against the Trojans in the subsequent period. Hector warned to go back to the city since he thinks himself to be stronger than Achilles. Achilles’ mother begged at the knees of Vulcan to provide his son a shield helmet that can be worn by a true comrade. In this regard, Vulcan answered that he will provide a shield to Achilles, which will be great and strong. The shield was indeed made with five thicknesses and a helmet was also made, which was closed with the brow of Achilles. Moreover, apart from these, Breastplate was

The movie review of eat, drink, man, woman by Ang Lee Essay

The movie review of eat, drink, man, woman by Ang Lee - Essay Example However, this is a challenge for her because it is rare for women to be allowed into the profession, which is male dominated. Despite the fact that the daughters look upon their father cooking for them as being too traditional, the meals they share serves to bring their family together, something that is extremely rare indeed in the modern society. Another daughter shows a lot of cynicism towards men until such a time as she meets a volleyball coach to who she is attracted. This daughter completely breaks with tradition by actively pursuing the man that she desires. The youngest daughter is a college student who is quite sexually adventurous and her escapades result in her getting pregnant. The chef’s wife has passed away sixteen years prior to the plot of the movie, and the lack of a mother in the household is something that is realized throughout the film. Had there been a mother’s presence in the family’s life, then the troubles which this family is undergoing would be nonexistent, or minimal. One of the major themes of this movie is one of self-sacrifice as seen when Jia-Jen decides to stay at home and look after her father and her sisters. She lives a single life because of this selflessness on her part and it can be said that she fills the role of the mother in the household. ... Chu, their father, is a well-meaning man who has chosen not to remarry for the sake of taking care of his daughters himself. He is a man who, despite the fact that his daughters have grown up and are supposed to move out of the home, continues to live with them. This is a sign of a caring father who, instead of choosing the modern way of letting his children go, decides to follow the traditional way of letting his daughters stay at home until such a time, as they get married. The fact that his adult daughters are still living at home creates a lot of tension between them a conflict that can be considered one between traditionalism and modernism. This is an emotional film to watch because it does not have any action but it instead deals with the emotional aspects of the people within it. It has a powerful plot that curiously creates an environment that displays the day-to-day lives of the characters. It is similar to the scenes that are increasingly becoming common in Taiwan, where th e traditional way of life is coming into conflict with the modern ways. While some people are trying hard to retain their culture, the younger generation seems to be moving away from it. When one watches this movie, one concludes that the old ways are losing out and that the best way to handle this transition should not be resistance, but acceptance. In addition, Chu’s slow loss of his sense of taste, something, which he depends on to earn a living, is highly symbolic. The sense of taste can be said to be a symbol of the traditional way of life and the way that it is inevitably going to end. The film itself is not boring because of the heavy drama, which is involved in every scene. The camera work is done so well that this film can be considered a rare phenomenon in the Asian

Ethics in Health Care Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ethics in Health Care Services - Essay Example There are exceptions in Ethics Code in extraordinary circumstances where health providers with closely related expertise can offer services if no one else can (Beauchamp & Childress, 2001). It is, however, to a condition that they take a reasonable approach to acquiring competence required.Respect of people’s autonomy forms another crucial tool in minimizing cases of unethicality in the health sector (Duncan, 2010). Health care providers need to offer clients with the information they require to give their informed accord at the start. Failure to give details may cause sticky situations. For example, when a health practitioner fails to explain own duty to report abuse to an adolescent client before treatment commences, an unsure scene may occur if abuse is later revealed the client did not want to report. Important discussion should be the estimated length of therapy, fees, and billing practices, whom to involve in case of emergency and any alternative treatment approaches.Whe n one of his twins died and one survived with brain injuries, Charles Munro argued that the results came about, because of year’s delay in handling the physiotherapy. He complained that, the delay was unacceptable as the disciplinary measures of those involved aimed at safeguarding everybody. He complained of the inaction of the ministry and Minister of Health.Munro viewed that the physiotherapy requires maximum care and dedication to ensuring the achievement of maximum results. If practitioners can take, maximum care to their parents.

Violent prevention programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Violent prevention programs - Essay Example In the smaller context of family and community inter-action and violence prevention aspect, Jarvis (2011) offers the suggestion of creating a culture of candor. We are also of the strong belief that violence and crime lead in such condition with consequence so dire as the unquantifiable cost of economy and the more severe loses of human lives. It also causes great disturbance to peace, justice and equity. Violence and crime at its most wicked state presents the gravest and most vile threat to effective governance and weakens the very foundation of a growing society. It has been the cause of unmitigated fears and feelings of insecurity which are counter productive. We must lick the occurrences of such incidents from its very sources and origins. The committee overseeing the grant and awards for programs to prevent violence and crime offers the initial evaluation and needed criteria as the guiding principles of implementing the program and selecting the beneficiaries for funding from o ur limited resources.

Economic Trends in Human Service Field Essay Example for Free

Economic Trends in Human Service Field Essay The interaction with their peers, and the ffcompliance with role models with authority (teachers) impacts their social development during middle age school years, as well as for teachers to Considered the â€Å"third parent. † Good teachers mentor children to become productive members of society and motivate to become life-long learners. achievers. while they shape the child’s mental concept of the world. Institutions, such as elementary schools, are the place for children to share and exchange their ideas with their peers. Psychosocial development in middle childhood contributes to the child’s â€Å"School-age children spend more time away from home visiting and socializing with peers than hen they were younger. They also spend more time at school and on studies and less time at family meals than children did a generation ago. Still, home and the people who live there remain an important part of most children’s lives† (Papalia, Feldman, Martorell, 2012, p. 326). SCHOOL COUNSELOR: When a child must see a school counselor, it maybe from a decline in the child’s academic performance. Teachers coordinate plans with a school counselor so that they may keep track of academic progress, as information is addressed to the parents. However, if the child shows no improvement in all subject areas, the source of the problem must be found elsewhere. CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES: Child protective services (CPS) must be involved when teachers are suspicious of child abuse and child sexual abuse. Teachers collaborate with CPS for the safety and protection of the child. Because teachers spend 30 hours a week with a child, teachers are able to provide valuable information of suspicious abuse. It is within the best interests that the child will not face danger or harm when the child is at home. As part of an ethical code that teachers must comply to, it is also their obligation as mandated reporters of the law. BEHAVIORALIST: Teachers may witness a child with irradict behavior, so for this reason, they are prompt to involve a behavioralist. A child might act in a hostile mannor, and may even show lack of motivation to learning. . For a child that suffers from some mental impairment a behavioralist may reveal the underlining cause of the child’s maladaptive behavior as a therapeutic approach. to sometimes it is from a mental disorder. For a child that suffers from some mental impairment a behavioralist may reveal the underlining cause of the child’s maladaptive behavior, behavioralist are involved for a few reasons.

Conversational Valence and Binge Drinking Relationship

Conversational Valence and Binge Drinking Relationship Results Manipulation check First, a manipulation check was conducted in order to check if the different conditions (valence and activeness) led to the intended positive/negative and active/passive responses, respectively. For this purpose, univariate analyses of variance (ANOVAS) were conducted with valence conditions as independent and valence as dependent variables. The results revealed a statistically significant effect of valence condition on the participants’ valence F(1,129): 80.94, p=.000, (M=3.80, SD=1.41) and on the partner’s valence F(1,129): 61.09, p=.000, (M=3.93, SD=1.50). Furthermore, the results revealed a statistically significant effect of the participants’ activeness condition on the level of activeness F(1,129): 41.73, p=.000, (M=4.47, SD=1.53) and a marginally significant effect of the partners’ activeness F(1,129): 3.76, p=.055, (M=5.09, SD=1.25). Additionally, we examined the extent to which participants followed the instructions and responded to the assigned role. For this reason, we conducted a crosstabulation check, which indicated that the 63.6% of the individuals assigned to the negative condition, perceived the conversation as negative whereas 33.3% as neither negative nor positive and 3.0% as positive. Also, 53.8% of the individuals in the positive condition perceived the conversation as positive, whereas 30.8% and 15.4% of the participants perceived the conversation as neither negative nor positive, and negative, respectively. Moreover, 52.9% of the individuals in the passive condition perceived that they have spoken passively. However, the majority (84.1%) of the individuals assigned to the active condition perceived that they have spoken as instructed.[1] The effect of conversational valence on binge drinking determinants To investigate H1 (i.e. whether conversational valence influenced attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention towards binge drinking) four univariate Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) were conducted with conversational valence condition as the independent variable and attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention as the dependent variables. The results indicated a significant main effect of valence on attitude F(1,129): 8.53, p=.004, which means that participants with positive conversational valence about alcohol received higher binge drinking attitude (M=3.85, SD=1.32) than those with negative (M=3.20, SD=1.23). Similarly, a significant main effect of valence on perceived behavioral control F(1,129): 4.82, p=.030 was indicated, revealing that those in who were engaged in positively valence conversation had higher perceived behavioral control (M=4.48, SD=1.90) than those in negatively valence conversation (M=3.75, SD=1.93). Furthermore, a marginally significant main effect on subjective norm F(1,129): 3.25, p=.074, was revealed. This means that participants with positive conversational valence had higher subjective norm (M=3.61, SD =1.62) than those with negative (M=3.09, SD=1.70). However, a non-significant main effect on intention F(1,129): 0.08, p=.782. was found, and the binge drinking intention did not differ significantly across the two valence conditions (M=2.48, SD=1.51 and M=2.40, SD=1.70 respectively). As it is revealed, positive conversational valence about alcohol elicits more positive binge drinking attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control compared to negative conversational valence. Moreover, more positive binge drinking intention is indicated in positively valenced conversations, although the difference is not statistically significant. Therefore, according to these results, H1 was largely supported. Furthermore, according to previous research, four linear regression analyses with conversational valence as the predictor and attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and intention as the dependent variables were conducted in order to explore if the conversational valence predicts the binge drinking determinants. The results are presented in Table 1. A more negative conversational valence about alcohol significantly predicts more negative attitude (ÃŽ ²=.25, p=.004) and perceived behavioral control (ÃŽ ²=.02, p=.030) toward binge drinking. Also, a more negative conversational valence about alcohol marginally significantly predicts more negative subjective norm towards binge drinking (ÃŽ ²=.16, p=.074). However, binge drinking intention is not significantly predicted by the conversational valence (ÃŽ ²=.02, p=.782). Table 1: Relationships between conversational valence and attitude, subjective norm perceived behavioral control, and intention The effect of activeness and conversational valence on alcohol determinants In order to explore the effect of activeness on attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and intentions as well as the interaction between activeness and conversational valence, four univariate ANOVAs were conducted with conversational valence and activeness as the independent variables, and attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention as the dependent variables. The results revealed a non significant effect (p F(1,127): .69, p=.409, perceived behavioral control F(1,127): .69, p=.409, subjective norm F(1,127):1.08, p=.301, and intentions F(1,127): 1.28, p=.260. Additionally, the results revealed a non-significant interaction effect between valence and activeness (attitude F(1,127): 1.44, p=.233, perceived behavioral control F(1,127): 1.38, p=.537, subjective norm F(1,127):1.00, p=.319 and intention F(1,127): .40, p=.527). The result scores of the key variables of the study can be found in Figure 1. Figure 1: Mean scores of binge drinking determinants across valence and activeness conditions Concluding, our results indicate that whereas conversational valence significantly influences binge drinking determinants (attitude, perceived control, subjective norm), the level of active participation in a conversation had no significant effect on these factors. Discussion The main objective of the study was to provide a profound understanding of the influence of interpersonal communication on alcohol determinants, by manipulating two different facets: conversational valence and level of active participation in the conversation. We first hypothesized that a more positive (negative) conversational valence about alcohol elicits more positive (negative) binge drinking attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control and increases (decreases) binge drinking intention (Hypothesis 1). An additional hypothesis was that the influence of conversational valence depends on the level of active participation in the conversation about alcohol (Hypothesis 2). The results of the study partly supported H1, but not H2. Two important conclusions can be drawn based on our results. First, when participants speak positively (negatively) about alcohol, their attitude, behavioral control, subjective norm towards binge drinking are more positive (negative). However, the intention to (refrain from) binge drinking is not significantly influenced by the conversational valence. Second, there is neither significant effect of the level of activeness in the conversation on alcohol determinants, nor a significant interaction effect of the activeness with the conversational valence. The first main conclusion conceptually replicates previous results, which proposed that the conversational valence in alcohol-related discussions influences the binge drinking determinants (e.g. Hendriks et al. 2012). Nevertheless, the results of the current study do not indicate a significant influence of the conversational valence on the intention to binge drink. Although, the concept of conversational valence has also been addressed in previous research (e.g. Hendriks, De Bruijn, Van den Putte, 2012; Hendriks et al., 2012), this study was the first to examine this factor by manipulating it. Thus, the discrepancy between the current study and previous research may be due to differences in research designs. As the conversational valence was experimentally manipulated in this study, it is assumed that conversational valence causally provokes changes in binge drinking predictors. However, the fact that participants are instructed to speak in either a positive or a negative way about alcohol, may be opposed to their actual views (negative/positive) and role (passive/active) in a conversation resulting in a non significant effect of the conversation in their binge drinking intention. Therefore, although an instructed conversation may be effective in influencing attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, it is not sufficient and may take a longer time to change the participants’ intention to binge-drink. Additionally, according to previous studies (Jamison and Myers, 2008) the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was relatively weak in explaining intention to binge-drink. Also, it was found (Armitage Conner, 2001) that the TPB accounted for only 39% of variance in the intention to binge drink. Thus, as Gibbond, Houlihan Gerrard, 2009) supported, the TPB cannot thoroughly define the irrational nature of health risk behaviours. An additional finding is that participants reported a high level of perceived behavioural control (PBC) in all the four conditions and showed the largest differences between the valence and between the activeness conditions. Notably, as Norman, Bennettand Lewis (1998) supported, the control factor is the most important determinant in binge drinking. Moreover, as previous research suggested, perceived behavioural control and subjective norm may affect intention indirectly through attitude formation (Susanto Goodwin, 2013; Chung et al., 2012; Tarkiainen Sundqvist, 2005). †¦.As in other studies in the domain of binge-drinking (Johnston et al., 2003), in our research we employed single construct measures of general perceived behavioral control (we do not distinguish between self-efficacy and perceived controllability), which tap the extent to which behavioral performance is believed to be easy or difficult (Armitage Corner, 2001). Admittedly, research revealed that only self-efficacy predicts binge-drinking intention (Norman, 2011; Normal et al., 2007). Further research distinguishing these two components of perceived behavioral control is therefore required. We suggest one reason for the non-significant influence of perceived behavioural control on intention to binge drink In addition, the second goal of this study was to introduce a new factor that may influence the effect of interpersonal communication about alcohol on binge drinking determinants. For this purpose, we investigated how the level of activeness in a conversation (active vs. passive) influences binge drinking predictors and how this interacts with the effect of conversational valence in conversations about alcohol. In order to investigate this we instructed participants to speak either actively or passively in positively or negatively valenced alcohol conversations. This factor has not been explicitly explored in the past, thus this research provides preliminary evidence on this topic. Although no significant main effect of activeness on alcohol determinants was found in the analyses, positive valence and high activeness in the conversation result in the most unhealthy alcohol determinants (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, intention), as predicted. Respectively, negative valence and high activeness result in the most healthy alcohol attitude. Overall, despite encouraging results from the manipulation checks, the hypotheses were partly (H1) or not supported (H2). In fact, further exploration of the manipulation outcome revealed significant deviations from the instructed valence and activeness conditions, thus a great percentage of participants demonstrated either that they have not complied with the manipulation or that they unconsciously deviated from the instructions. On the one hand, it may be possible that some participants were affected by their existed views when discussing about alcohol and resisted to the counter-attitudinal message such that they did not talk in line with the condition that they were assigned to. One the other hand, people may have perceived the valence that they have talked differently comparatively to how they did actually talk. As recent research suggested, ( Hendriks, Van de Putte de Bruijn, 2015) perceived valence significantly influences attitudes and intention to binge drink. Similarly, personal characteristics (talkative/ concise) of people may intervene in the way that they finally act during the discussion. In particular, as the analyses demonstrated, only 52,9 of the participants who were instructed to talk passively, perceived their role in the conversation as passive. Generally, extroverts who want to talk more, perhaps they didn’t support the instructed passive role hence the difference between the two conditions hasn’t influenced significantly the alcohol determinants itself, nor interacted with the valence condition to †¦ Markedly, there wasn’t an effective way to take into consideration the partners’ evaluations during the main analyses, rendering some items partly ineffective to objectively evaluate the content of conversations about alcohol. Nonetheless, according to the shared reality theory (Hardin Higgins, 1996), there is an interdependence between dyad partners’ responses on the outcomes of interest that may also influence the attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and intention toward binge drinking. As this theory suggests, through the process of interpersonal communication, discoursers come to a shared understanding of the world, mutually reinforcing one another’s experience. Nevertheless, in real –life settings, these determinants may influence how negatively or positively people talk about alcohol-related topics, thus conversational valence and activeness can influence the determinants of binge drinking behavior, and these binge drinking determinants may inversely influence whether and how positively/negatively or actively/passively people discuss this issue. Implications The present findings have important implications for understanding binge-drinking and developing health interventions. we found support for the effect of conversational valence on attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control. Therefore, in future health campaigns, targeted in creating more negative attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control (but not intention) to binge drink, an effective strategy to use would be to stimulate people to discuss negatively about alcohol. To change attitudes towards binge drinking, interventions should highlight the negative consequences associated with binge drinking and challenge the perceived positive consequences of binge drinking. Alternatively But if it was the change of intention/behavior= another campaign planning would be needed Limitations This study adds to a growing body of research examining factors predicting binge drinking among student populations, however, there is a number of methodological issues that should be considered when interpreting the results. First, binge drinking attitudes, subjective norm and PBC were measured using self-reports, which are vulnerable to cognitive (e.g., Luchins, 1957), affective (e.g., Bower, 1992) and self-presentational (e.g., Paulhus, 2002) biases. Armitage and Conner (2001) reported that the TPB provides stronger predictions of self-report behaviors than observed behaviors. Therefore employing alternative observational techniques (e.g. nominated peers) may be useful in revealing the qualities of the drinking environment that directly influence binge drinking (Van de Goor et al.,1990) although these also have their own limitations (Gill, 2002) Another limitation is as other studies using the TPB to understand student binge drinking behavior, they have not examined beliefs about drinking alcohol. Given that according to Ajzen (1991), beliefs are the ultimate psychological determinants of behavior one needs to alter those beliefs (Ajzen, 2007) in order to bring about change in behaviour, or at least intentions to perform a behaviour, Thus, to design interventions to alter intentions to binge drink in students, one needs to know not only what are the salient beliefs regarding this behaviour in this population, but also which beliefs are associated with intentions and behaviour (Sutton, 2002; Sutton, 2010). -Manipulation of activeness Our sample included English-speaking students with different cultures, thus different perception of (binge) drinking. Interestingly, research has shown that the society’s culture of alcohol determines how much people drink in that community (Heath, 1982).Communities with a culture of drinking have much higher rates of binge drinking, while communities where drinking is disapproved have lower binge drinking rates Conclusion Considering the prevalence of binge drinking as well as the damaging consequences especially in young people we conducted this research in the context of alcohol in student populations. This research highlights the need to broaden the context in which conversations about alcohol are examined. More effective measurement tools in research about alcohol, coupled with improvements in alcohol prevention, will hopefully lead to a downward trend of alcohol use among students and the negative consequences of binge drinking . Therefore, when participants were instructed to discuss about alcohol in either positive or negative aspect, their attitude, subjective norm and behavioral control were influenced by the conversational content whereas intention to refrain from binge drinking was not significantly affected by the conversation [1] A univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to check whether the active condition influenced feelings of power. The results indicated a marginally significant effect of activeness on mean power F(1,129): 3.22, p=.07. Thus, participants who were assigned in the active condition have experienced feelings of power M=5.29, SD=0.69 more in comparison to those who had been assigned to the passive condition (M=5.04, SD=.92). However, no statistically significant effect of valence on mean power was revealed F(1,129): .001, p=.971.

Analyzing Racism: Parrillos Concept

Analyzing Racism: Parrillos Concept Racism is the belief that a certain race is superior otherwise inferior to another, and that an individuals social and moral feature are programmed by his inborn biological uniqueness. Racial separatism is the idea that diverse races should stay segregated as well as apart from each another. Racism might be defined as the hate of one individual by another because of skin shade, language, traditions, place of birth otherwise any reason that supposedly reveal the basic personality of that person. A current news story wherein racism plays a part is the story of a teenage schoolgirl who was detained by police for racism subsequent to refusing to sit with a collection of Asian students for the reason that a number of of them did not talk English. Codie Stotts relatives claim she was enforced to expend three-and-a-half hours in a law enforcement cell after she was reported by her educators. The 14-year-old who was free without charge supposed it had been an easy matter of commonsensical and blamed the school as well as police of an exaggerated reaction. The event happened in the similar local education power where a ten-year-old schoolboy was prosecuted prior this year for referring to schoolfriend racist names in the playing field, a progress branded by a adjudicator as political rightness gone crazy. Codie was in attendance in a GCSE science class in Harrop Fold High School within Worsley, Greater Manchester; at what time the incident occurred. The youngster was not in the school the day before owing to a hospital scheduled time and had not been present at the start of a project, so the educator allocated her a cluster to sit with. Codie said the teacher asked her to sit with five Asian pupils and only one can speak English, consequently she had to let know that solitary what to carry out so she could give details in their language. A grievance was made to a law enforcement officer based permanent at the school, plus more than a week after the event on September 26 she was referred to Swinton law enforcement station furthermore placed under arrest. Miss Stott is alienated from Codie as well as her 18-year-old brother. Ashleys father stays with her spouse Keith Seanor, a 36-year-old wire layer, in Walkden. Educate insiders recognize that no less than three of the students Codie declined to sit with had lately arrived in this state and spoke modest English. Nevertheless they say her remarks after that raised more concerns, for instance allegedly referring to fellow students as blacks something she disagreed yesterday. The school is at the present investigating precisely what happened previous to deciding what act if any to take in opposition to Codie. Causes of Prejudice by Vincent N. Parrillo examine the psychological sources of prejudice in addition to the sociological sources of prejudice. Parrillo talked about the sociologist Talcott Parsons who recommended that both the family plus the occupational arrangement may create anxieties and insecurities that make frustration. According to this situation family structure somehow contributed to Codies racism as her biological family was separated (Parrillo 9).The family as well as occupational structures might be a basis to an individual to redirect whatsoever fury they have towards others. Sociological theories intended for the causes of unfairness in the selection are grouped as socialization, economic competition, plus social norms. Parrillo utter that in the socialization procedure, people study the â€Å"values, approach, beliefs, in addition to perceptions of their traditions or subculture. Kids, being with no trouble swayed since theyre taught to abide by their parents, frequ ently take on the beliefs plus ideas of their parents devoid of inquiring concerning these principles. The attitude of a childs parents as well becomes the childs beliefs. In Codies situation she was influenced by her parents belief that is why she refused to be grouped with the Asian students. A lot of viewpoints that populace discover from their parents as well as from others in society might be stereotypes. On the other hand, many citizens dont recognize this, as people are so familiar to hearing these typecast (Parrillo 55). Economic competition: This viewpoint is based on the faith that when people sense as though their safety is being threatened, populace are more aggressive as well as unfriendly. Just like the school girl she felt that she would not be secure that is why she refused to comply wither teacher. Parrillo states that when there is a turn down in job availability, unenthusiastic stereotyping, chauvinism, and discrimination raise. Parrillo says that Donald Young identified out that, all through U.S. history, in times of lofty unemployment, as well as thus powerful job competition In his paper, â€Å"Causes of Prejudice,† Vincent N. Parrillo note down that psychological as well as sociological factors endorse prejudiced attitudes plus behaviors. Parrillo divide psychological factors to frustration, self-justification, and personality; and the Sociological factors to socialization, economic competition, and social norms (Parrillo). Social Norms: According to Parrillo, social norms generate the usually shared rules stating what is as well as is not proper behavior. In Codies situation social norm misguided her to improper behavior, which was discriminating the Asian students. A straight relationship is there between the stage of conventionality to societys norms as well as the amount of the prejudice (Parrillo 559). A number of philosophers disagree that we are not so a huge deal rational beings as we are rationalizing creatures. We need encouragement that the things we do as well as the lives we live are good, that high-quality reasons for our actions live. If we might persuade ourselves that an additional group is inferior, morally wrong, or dangerous, we might feel justified in discriminating next to its members, enchaining them, otherwise even killing them (Parrillo 507). That is exactly what Codies parents and teachers ought to have done in order to solve this racism case. Parrillo demonstrates to us that self justification is one thing everyone is good at in addition to when one is able to justify their measures they can become very unsafe. Works Cited Ellsworth et al. The American journal of sociology. University of Chicago Press, 1980. Ernest, Cashmore, and James, Jennings, Racism: essential readings. SAGE, 2001 Joe R. Feagin, Racist America: roots, current realities, and future reparations. Routledge, 2000 Teun Adrianus van Dijk, Racism and the press. Taylor Francis, 1991. Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. The Ukrainian quarterly.Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, 1983.

Ludwig Van Beethoven :: essays research papers

Ludwig van Beethoven was, and remains today, an Olympian figure in the history of classical music. His influence on the last 150 years of music is unequalled; while generaly a member of the Classicist fold, he was in fact the first Romantic, and pre-figured virtually all music that followed the Romantic era as well. Perhaps no other composer in history wrote music of such exhilarating power and expressiveness; certainly no other composer did so against greater odds. Beethoven was born in Bonn in 1770. His father, a music enthusiast, dreamed of molding his son into the next Mozart. Beethoven never exhibited the astonishing prodigy characteristics of his predecessor, but he was unusually talented, learning the piano, organ and violin at an early age. At 14, he was already proficient enough on the organ to receive a professional appointment. His family life was chaotic; his father was an alcoholic, and his mother died suddenly when he was only 17. After that tragedy, his domestic situation declined even more, and this condition - combined with support from Haydn - compelled him to leave home in 1790 and travel to Vienna to study composition. In Vienna, Beethoven first studied with Haydn, but eventually became frustrated with that great composer's teaching methods, moving on to study with other composers. He performed frequently in salons of wealthy nobility, but strangely enough, did not perform in public until he was 25. But from this point onward, he was embraced by both the common folk and the aristocracy of Vienna, so much so that he never had to rely on court appointments or private patrons for his livelihood. He did receive stipends from admirers and friends, but he remained independent of the shackles of conditional patronage that frustrated so many of his contemporaries. Beethoven was lucky in one sense; he rose to prominence in the musical world at a time when social strata were becoming more flexible, and the emerging power of the middle class provided him many opportunities for performances of his music for public audiences. This, combined with lucrative publishing arrangements, allowed him to live relatively well. He was not ignorant of the benefits of aristocratic support, however; throughout his career, he cultivated a romantic, moody and mercurial image with the upper class and leveraged this persona to achieve a social status equal to the Viennese nobility. Beethoven was a master symphonist - the master symphonist in the eyes of most musicians and composers. His compositions for orchestra were revolutionary in his day; while he adhered to Classical musical forms, his melodies and orchestration were of such unprecedented power and beauty that they astonished even the most hardened listeners.

Executive Summary :: essays research papers

The executive summary is arguably the most important section of the business plan. It must be concise, specific, and well-written. It summarizes the highlights of the completed business plan and provides a brief snapshot of the plan, with sales, spending, and profit summary figures. The summary emphasizes those factors that will make the business a success. It must contain sound numbers for market size, trends, company goals, spending, return on investment, capital expenditures, and funding required. For new businesses or businesses seeking funding, credibility and excitement are key elements of the executive summary. Venture capitalists receive hundreds of plans each month, and just a few are actually being read from cover to cover. A quick 20-second scan of the executive summary is the basis for screening which plans to read and which companies to interview for investment. When the plan is the vehicle used to attract financing or investment, the executive summary should make it clear to the reader who is a potential source of funds why this is a sound investment. Business Background The business background section of your business plan generally consists of two to four sections that present information that is specific to your business. You may have gathered substantial information about competitors and the industry in general in the course of considering your business plans. This is not the place for that information. Instead, concentrate solely on those characteristics of your business that are specific to your particular business. The business background generally includes the following: a document describing the business entity and its general operation a document describing the product or service that your business will provide a document describing your facilities, if appropriate a document describing the people in your organization, if appropriate The Business Entity The business entity portion of the plan provides information that is specific to your business. This document sets forth the current status of operations, the management structure and organization, and the identification of key personnel. If the plan is being created for an existing business, historical information is also included. The business background provides the reader with information regarding: the type of business (e.g., wholesale, retail, manufacturing, service, etc.) type of legal entity (e.g., corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.) when the business was established where it is located the type of facilities, if any (e.g., retail establishment, manufacturing plant, etc.), although you may need to devote a separate

Reflection Ronaldo Macedo Presentation

Presentation Reflecting upon, Ronald Macedon presentation I took that one can dream big and accomplish our goals, If we work hard for them. By using one of the most Import NT tools any human being can have, education. Ronald Macedon, mentioned how he and his family came to the united States as Immigrants, and he worked as a Mechanic as young guy. But there was one person, a mentor who believed in him and in his potent till to do greater things. He knew that Ronald Macedon, can achieve a higher education cause he had talent.As a consequence, Ronald Macedon went on to college,and is now a prestigious professor at university of Massachusetts. He talked about the importance of using education, and providing the same opportunities for all children regardless of where they come from. He mentioned there is an alarming drop out rat e of students of color, in high schools across the country, and that as professional educators we have the potential to create changes. Therefore we should not ha ve limitations in what we can do, but open opportunities so that children can have a bet ere future for themselves.I thought it was inspiring to hear someone, who came from living in a low income community,and from a family who came as immigrants, rise to the top and be such an Influential and inspiring person to many people around the world. I persona did feel that he was able to communicate his message across the audience In a way that motivated me to become more Informed and be able to find the resources needed d to help children stay In school and Inspire them to think about their future and become me well educated citizens.

Response to the book “The Body’s Memory” Essay

The recollection made by a person with disability or PWD of the most painful things which her body felt and experienced was explicitly depicted in the 1993 book of Jean Stewart entitled â€Å"The Body’s Memory. † The most notable aside from the clear presentation of the true condition and emotions of PWD, however, is the remarkable realization exemplified by the character. The character’s clear yet flexible and uncomplaining reminiscence of the pains and sacrifices of her body which was afflicted and removed with tumor was the ultimate significance of the book. This is because a PWD’s acceptance of the undeniable or irreversible state of her body strongly manifests that indeed the physical condition serves as the lasting reminder of disability. However, it is the will and the desire to overcome such disability which will ultimately allow a PWD to continue living. Stewart’s first appearance in the literary world showcased the character of a 30-year-old woman named Kate Meredith who recounted her body’s management and survival three years after a tumor was removed from her hip. Through the course of the recollection, Meredith’s body was faced with and most importantly reminded of its inevitable limitations resulting from the surgery which eventually made her a disabled person for the rest of her life (Stewart, 1989). The preface alone already hinted both the disposition and worth of this journal of one’s battle against her disability and ultimate triumph over the physical condition. As the journal went on, the author’s invitation led the readers into the painful yet struggling efforts of a lively and strong-willed English professor Meredith (Stewart, 1989). Through the words of the author, the readers came in contact and had a peek of the kind of life that Meredith has lived following her tumor removal. Stewart allowed the public to be acquainted with the people around Meredith, to feel and sympathize with her physical and emotional sufferings and above all, witness her understanding or acceptance and eventual rise above her permanent physical condition (Stewart, 1989). It is worthy to consider that the author has effectively presented the strong character of Meredith whose memory or precise account of her body’s pain caused by disability surprisingly paved the way for the meeting of two worlds, that of the normal people and persons with disability. In order to thoroughly feel the personal battle fought by Meredith, the author’s use of the journal type as the writing structure has succeeded for the character to vividly recall the pains suffered by her body. Additionally, the said literary form has efficiently conveyed the essence of the story, which is the acceptance of the body’s memory of disability suffering as well as the eventual realization of the existing disability and improvement towards the reality of living independently. The Meredith journal, as written by Stewart, is a concrete proof of a triumphant tale of a PWD whose body will definitely always remember the pain. However, she used such memory as a tool to overcome her limitation and started living on her own. The book is an ideal chronicle from the point of view of a previously normal person who was faced with the reality of never to walk once more. It is one of the best works that depicted a different perspective about the everyday happenings in the life of a person with disability. Utilizing the vehicle of journal writing, the author invited the readers to the world of a PWD and succeeded in making both her main character and the public experience all the emotional confusions, physical battle, disappointments, bravery, apprehension, self-pity and rejection. In doing so, Meredith’s eventual realization of herself and her new-found liberty has turned the book into a remarkable literary work. An ultimate response to the book is that it is a well recommended story for both normal people and persons with disability because of its generalized reminder that life has to continue beyond the event of a disability. Reference Stewart, J. (1989). The Body’s Memory. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.

Community Work Service for Adult Offenders

The focus is on Community work service as an alternative sentencing. Community work service allows the offender to contribute to the community. This type of work can be considered a win-win situation, because the offenders provide the service and the community benefits from their work. There are all kinds of work activities for offenders. The points that are going to be addressed are: community work service, probation officers, taxpayers, overcrowding and the benefits each party gains. It can be concluded that community work service is here to stay. Hence, it can be seen as a second chance to repair the damage done by making right out of wrong. Community service is when someone performs an action which benefits his or her community. However, community work service can be a form of alternative sentencing. The offender is ordered by a court or probation officer to perform community work service as part of a sanction. Through community service, offenders are offered the chance to â€Å"give back† to the community by providing a service that enriches the lives of others. The offenders are placed into unpaid community service positions with non-profit or tax supported community agencies† (Cook county, 2006). The probation officer carefully monitors the offender’s progress by checking with the agency, ensuring that the offenders is regularly reporting to complete the hours, as well as monitoring the offenders' attitude and quality of work. The probation officer is also responsible for reporting any negative incidents to the court in an effort the hold the offender accountable. Community service is a form of restorative justice, which involves victim, offender, and community. Criminal justice is asset of institutions and procedures for determining which people deserve to be sanctioned because of their wrongdoing and what kind of sanctions they deserve to receive† (Clear, 2003). Community work service allows sentences to more closely fit the circumstances of certain offences, and ensures that adult offenders are held accountable to the community for their actions. Hence, alternative sentencing is, applied to offenders whose absence of prior criminal history or general characteristics indicates that they can be trusted not to abuse their greater freedom. Community work service is punishment that takes away an offenders time and energy† (Schmalleger, 2009). Restorative justice is the concept that any crime, regardless of size or severity, hurts the community. Instead of merely paying a fine or spending time in jail, the offender is able to repair some of the damage done by participating in community service. â€Å"There is a need to understand who or what is being restored, including the core values of healing, moral learning, community participation, community caring, respectful dialogue, forgiveness, responsibility, apology, and making amends† (Sieh, 2006). The work assignment gives both the community and workers a chance to benefit from the experience. All offenders participating in the program are supervised by personnel at the sponsoring agency and by probation officers. â€Å"within the community justice frame work, the need to establish enduring partnerships with citizenry, other agencies, and local interest groups is critical to the success of probation† (Sieh, 2006). There are all kinds of work activities for offenders. Examples of work placements include: * Agencies offering services to senior citizens or the handicapped * Hospitals * Highway cleanup Parks maintenance * Skilled labor (carpentry) * Landscaping * Painting During probation, offenders must stay out of trouble and meet various other requirements. Probation officers, who are called community supervision officers in some States, supervise people who have been placed on probation. â€Å"Probation officers supervise offenders on probation or parole through personal contact with the offenders and their families† (Schmalleger, 2009). Instead of requiring offenders to meet officers in their offices, many officers meet offenders in their homes and at their places of employment or therapy. Some offenders are required to wear an electronic device so that probation officers can monitor their location and movements. â€Å"Probation supervision has three main elements: resource mediation, surveillance, and enforcement† (Schmalleger, 2009). Probation officers may arrange for offenders to get substance abuse rehabilitation or job training. Probation officers usually work with either adults or juveniles exclusively. Only in small, usually rural, jurisdictions do probation officers counsel both adults and juveniles. Probation officers must be ware that they will not always be effective in helping probationers, making it necessary to find outside resources for the probationer to succeed† (Sieh, 2006). Probation officers also spend much of their time working for the courts. They investigate the backgrounds of the accused, write presentence reports, and recommend sentences. They review sentencing recommendations with offenders and their families before submitting them to the court. Probation officers may be required to testify in court as to their findings and recommendations. They also attend hearings to update the court on offenders’ efforts at rehabilitation and compliance with the terms of their sentences. The number of cases a probation officer or correctional treatment specialist handles at one time depends on the needs of offenders and the risks they pose. Higher risk offenders and those who need more counseling usually command more of the officer’s time and resources. Caseload size also varies by agency jurisdiction. Consequently, â€Å"officers may handle from 20 to more than 100 active cases at a time† (Sieh, 2006). Probationers perceive probation officers as agents who will assist them, while, judges are viewed as agents whose main purpose is to punish offenders for wrongdoing† (Sieh, 2006). When an offender is placed on community supervision by the court, he/she signs a â€Å"contract† whereby he/she agrees to abide by certain conditions. These conditions usually include: * Report to the probation officer * Do not commit any new crime * Do not use alcohol and / or drugs or enter bars * Do not leave the County or State * Perform community work service Pay restitution, fine, court fees and probation fees if ordered * Permit the supervisor to visit him/her at the home or elsewhere By having the offender do community work service the offender will realize that not only do most crimes have a direct victim, but, the community is a victim as well. Having an offender provide services to the community rather than going to jail is beneficial to the tax payers. The tax payers don’t have to worry about another person going to prison where it might be overcrowded. Because overcrowded prisons have been a major problem in our society. In 2006, 8 of the nation’s 25 largest jails were operating at over 100 percent of their rated capacity† (Schmalleger, 2009). Having community work service as an alternative helps ease things down between the taxpayers and the justice system when it comes to the question, who has to pay to keep the offender in prison. Overcrowding puts prisoners at significant risk. People living in crowded conditions are more likely to get sick, stay sick, and pass diseases on to others. They are more likely to experience mental health problems, particularly stress-related mental illnesses. They are more likely to develop aggression and frustration. (Schmalleger, 2009). Being forced into crowded conditions with other prisoners results in riots, abuse, and assault. The prison system struggles to keep up with disciplinary problems when it has minimal staff and outdated facilities. This often results in brutal abuse at the hands of guards and other prison personnel. Overcrowding also limits access to resources. This includes health care for prisoners. Prisoners have died due to lack of health access because a nurse or doctor is not available and it’s considered ‘unsafe’ to transfer a prisoner for medical care. Considering that rates of hepatitis, HIV, and numerous other chronic conditions are high in prisons, lack of access to routine health care is a serious issue† Schmalleger, 2009). Lack of access to medications or irregular access to medications puts prisoners with chronic illnesses at extreme risk. â€Å" If extreme enough, overcrowding can lead to a court order that necessitates early release of certain prisoners in order to bring jails into compliance with the Constitution† (Schmalleger, 2009).

Kingdom of God Essay

Describing what is meant by the Kingdom of God can be very complex, because so many people has set forth to describe this phrase to the best of their own knowledge, and generally each of these descriptions differs. Personally, besides the many verses in the Bible that are relative to the subject, it is best described by Donald B. Kraybill. In Kraybill’s novel â€Å"The Upside-down Kingdom† he writes; â€Å"The Kingdom of God is a collectivity—a network of persons who have yielded their hearts and relationships to the reign of God.† â€Å"He also notes that people must enter the kingdom because it is a state of affairs rather than a state of mind (p.19).† The Kingdom then, represents God’s power of ruling, his authority, and basically his government. â€Å"His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables† (Luke 8:9, 10). Unless an individual is a born again Christian he will not understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God. The Jewish sects Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots are noted as being developed during the time of the second temple through the tenth century. This is the period that it seems that the Jewish sects were most generative. The Jewish people noted only three philosophical sects which are Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes, of the three Essenes is noted as being the one with the most severe discipline. According to Josephus, [War of the Jews] 1 chapter 8.2 Pharisees, Essenes, Sadducees, Zealots were divided into three groups which were criminal, nationalist and Philosophical (religious). The Sadducees and the Pharisees really seem to be as religious as they were political. History tells us that in ancient societies political and religious laws were pretty much the same. Moreover, the Sadducees and the Pharisees did seem to have a bit more interest in that of political power than what was religiously correct. This we know was absolutely not pleasing to our God. â€Å"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever† (Hebrew 13:8). Regardless to the ways and or the thoughts of the Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes and the Zealots one thing that remains the same and will never change is the fact that our God does not change his mind or act indifferent towards his children regardless of the mishaps that we may allow ourselves to experience. â€Å"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God† (Romans 13, 1). This verse pretty much says it all when referring to the political convictions discussed by Josephus, God is in control of all situations regardless to whether it is written in the Old or New Testament. According to Josephus, the Zealots were described as political and grouped as nationalists. However, it seemed that their religious beliefs were indivisible from their political convictions. Moreover, this is not an indication that all of the sects of the second temple were more political than religious, the truth of the matter is that there was not much partition between the two. The Essenes, Sadducees and the Pharisees stand out to more people than the rest of the sects because it is said that they were supposedly better known to people than the rest of the sects, and some people seem to think that the Pharisees were forefathers of the Rabbis. The Sadducees; were differ ent in their own way, they were not the Jewish people that simply did not believe in resurrection, nor did they believe that heaven exists. Strangely, the Sadducees were of the group that only accepted the Torah, as authoritative, this strange group of individuals were known to not be very popular with the rest of the Jewish population. â€Å"For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all† (Acts 23:8). During or around the time of 2nd century B.C there existed a monastic Jewish sect that was referred to as the Essenes. They were known to reside somewhere not far from the Dead Sea. They were pretty much isolated from the entire Jewish community. Notably, the Essenes seemed to have had closer relationships towards each other than any other sects, and were said to be Jewish by birth. The Essenes neglected matrimony but choose out of other families children to be of their family and transformed them according to their personal likings, and had a huge amount of respect and obedience for their elders. If at any time they complained against their elders or authorities they would be expelled from their community, more strangely than that if an elder was even touched by a younger person they were casted as being dirty. There is an overwhelming amount of information that openly describes how the Messianic expectation of the various sects, differs from the Messianic role that Jesus presented. Examples would be as follows; The Essenes was known as a Jewish religious sect and was in fact not mentioned in the Bible, but was indeed mentioned on the Dead Sea Scrolls. This particular group adapted to their life according to the law of the Jews, and they opposed Temple priesthood. The Pharisees were different because they were more of a prominent sect of Jewish people in the time of Christ. They were in disagreement with Jesus and his teachings. â€Å"But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus† (Mathew 12:14). The Pharisees had absolutely no love for Jesus and felt that the world would be a better place without him obviously. The Sadducees were additionally, another renowned Jewish religious sect. Their beliefs differed in another way because they only accepted more hideous things like the laws and rejections of the oral traditions; which included immortality of the soul; denial of body resurrection and existence of the spirit world. In addition, they supported families of Jewish patriots of the first and second centuries B.C. whom were totally active in the liberation of Judea from the Syrian rule. Lastly, we will discuss the difference in the Zealots concerning the Messianic expectations. The Zealots will take a total twist here from the above mentioned sects. The reason being is because according to the Bible Simon was a Zealot â€Å"Matthew, Thomas, James, son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot† (Luke 6:15). The Zealots preferred armed mutiny against Rome, in doing so they thought that God would deliver Israel with the sword. Faithfully, acknowledging the Spirit of Jesus, he {Jesus} is lead into the wilderness for the sole intention of being tempted by the devil. â€Å"He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him† (Mark 1:13). This place of wilderness was not fit for human life, water was accessible but it was an unpopulated region. â€Å"When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me, for God cannot be tempted by the devil, nor does he tempt anyone† (James 1:13), but instead, Jesus is lead, into a situation by the devil that could possibly tempt him. Jesus teaches us to pray that we are not lead into temptations, but yet he is lead into temptations while on earth so this is what the devil set out to do, which was take Jesus through the test of temptations. References Kraybill, Donald B. The Upside Down Kingdom Revised Ed. Scottsdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 1990. 275pg. May 20, 2006 Second Temple Sects The Complete Works Of Flavious Josephus The Pharisees and other sects – edited with a preface by Jacob Neusne, Retrieved from http://Judaism.about.com/gi/dynamicof Josephus/.HTM on January 7, 2013

In this assignment, we would present our findings on whether Singaporeans are receptive to Telecommuting

In this assignment, we would present our findings on whether Singaporeans are receptive to Telecommuting. Telecommuting is the substitution of telecommunication for transportation, permitting work to be performed at a remote site anywhere except from the office. We conclude that Singaporeans are not very receptive to Telecommuting although Singapore is quite a technologically advanced country in Information Technology. A total of 20 respondents ( males and females) were asked to complete a survey form. Their age group was around 21-30 years of age. They were mainly made up of NUS students and system analysts. Among the 20 interviewees, 55% indicated that their current jobs do not require them to telecommute. Half of the 20 respondents spend on the average, 0-10 work-related hours in front of the computer every week. In addition, 90% of them feel that Telecommuting could not replace most of the jobs in Singapore. Below are the four highly topped responses that the interviewees made regarding their feelings towards Telecommuting in general. In the survey, 90% of those participating recognize that there is a loss in human touch while 85% of the interviewees feel that there is a loss in team cohesion. Telecommuting may cause a relative loss of synergy, because of reduced face-to-face contact, although electronic mail and on-line documentation can counterbalance this. Thus, Telecommuting results in less social interaction and reduced contact with the physical part of the organization (the office). This leads to isolation, loneliness and a reduced sense of identification with the organization and its members. The survey reported that 80% of the interviewees recognize that there is no need to commute with telecommuting. Telecommunication technology lets telecommuters transform almost any space into a workplace. Instead of going to work, telecommuters let work come to them. Time is saved too when the telecommuter does not have to travel to work. He beats the hassle of traveling to work and getting stuck in traffic jams. The time saved can be used to generating more output for his work. Moreover, 70% of those participating in the survey feel that they are able to spend more time with family and friends with Telecommuting. Telecommuting can help balance work and family demands. In this sense, Telecommuting can play a part in helping to bond the family together. When the parent does not have to leave home to go to work, he/she is able to spend more time at home with his family. The parent is able to show more concern for his children and spouse, as he/she knows what is going on in their lives. This will greatly improve the family cohesiveness. We found out that 65% of the interviewees think they are not able to work from home. This could be because Telecommuting requires unwavering self-discipline as telecommuters can make a choice between eight hours of work time or eight hours of web-surfing. The latter is of course more tempting. The reasons why Singaporeans are not receptive to Telecommuting might be due to three reasons. Singaporeans have a collectivistic culture and value team cohesion as well as membership. They are socialized to be emotionally dependent on organizations and institutions. As a result, Singaporeans are not used to the idea of Telecommuting. Firstly, the close proximity between family members due to Singapore's small physical size makes Telecommuting unfeasible. Secondly, the accessibility of Singapore due to its efficient transport network ensures that employees can commute between home and office quickly.

Google Inc. use of the BCG Matrix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Google Inc. use of the BCG Matrix - Essay Example The paper presents an overview of Google and its core businesses, and goes on to undertake a strategic audit of the company making use of the BCG Matrix as well as the SWOT Analysis and the PESTEL analysis in a strategic audit aimed at identifying strategic issues facing the company and at making recommendations to get the company on a path to growth. The paper presents a critical analysis of the main issues that were surfaced in the strategic audit, and also undertakes a critical assessment of the BCG Matrix itself. The critical assessment of the BCG Matrix surveys various perspectives on concept, undertaking a comparison and contrast of those perspectives, and weighing in on the relevance of the BCG Matrix in modern times and in the present context of its use to undertake the strategic audit on Google. This latter exercise also looks at the suitability of the BCG Matrix versus other tools and frameworks for undertaking a strategic audit in general and for undertaking a strategic au dit of Google (Taggart and Harding, 1998; Google, 2013; Reuters, 2013). Finally, the critical audit and the critical assessment of the main issues that were surfaced in that critical audit, together with the critical assessment of the BCG Matrix itself, are all used to come up with strategy recommendations for Google to grow moving forward. ... e from the twin perspectives of concepts and frameworks used on the one hand and Google’s business perspective on the other (Google, 2013; Reuters, 2013; Smith, 2002; Spee and Jarzabkowski, 2009; Ioana, Mirea and Balescu, 2009; Doole and Lowe, 2008, pp. 282-283; Armstrong, 2003; Hall and Saias, 1980, pp. 160-161; Zeithaml and Zeithaml, 1984). II. Company Overview Google Inc. is a technology company that operates on a global scale. The company details itself as a firm that focuses on key business segments and areas of technology, and these revolve around search, hardware products, products for the enterprise, operating systems for mobil e and other computing platforms, and online advertising. Google is present in more than 50 countries and territories, and reaches its audience through the use of 100 different languages around the world. The hardware business is primarily represented by Motorola, which caters to two distinct business segments consisting of the Home segment and the Mobile segment. Mobile is about mobile devices and corollary services and products tied to mobile. Android is the popular mobile computing platform that Google owns and licenses for free to device manufacturers. The Home business segment on the other hand keys in on digital television and the use of related access devices and services. Its Enterprise business consists in the provision of software platforms and services centered on Google Apps, Google Search, Google Maps, Google Earth, and a host of related platforms and cloud-based services that cater to vertical industries such as education, government, and business.

Whether the use of responsive web design is able to maintain user Literature review

Whether the use of responsive web design is able to maintain user experience quality on many devices or not - Literature review Example RWD is gaining a lot of popularity in recent times as from the year 2010. Use of responsive web pages has been popularized by the extensive us of smart-phones and tablets. Browsing through mobile phones has been foreseen to grow and outgrow browsing through the personal computer since the early 2000 and the move to mobile phone browsing dominance is predicted to take place around 2013 and 2016 (Marcotte, 2010).It has also been predicted that the sales of tablets will surpass the sale of personal computers and laptops by the year 2014 (Joly, 2013). The statistics leave web designers with no option but to optimize web pages to the user-friendly to the larger market share. Responsive web pages have achieved and maintained a rich user experience on very many different devices. Responsive web pages have used several technologies over the last few years to make this happen. Responsive web design is gradually changing from being entirely device centered into being context focused. The elements of RWD that make it successful are flexible media, fluid layout and media queries. In contrast to fixed layout that uses specified static unit like pixels, points, and inches, fluid design uses relative units and percentages (Nebeling & Norrie, 2013). Fluid design of RWD is made to be relative to the viewpoint or window width of the browser being used. Child elements are also made to be corresponding to the widths of their parent elements. Gardner, (2011) says that video, plugin content or images, which form part of flexible media, are achieved using relative units. The Relative units specify the width of the media inside their main container elements. Earlier technologies used fixed layout that had fixed width wrapping items. The elements will be of the same width for all users regardless of the device being used to view the website. Same width elements will be viewable, even though, the items inside the wrapper

Anti-competitive Behavior of the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association Essay - 3

Anti-competitive Behavior of the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association - Essay Example The FTC functions as an equalizer between the vulnerable consumers and the wealthy and powerful businessmen and corporations. It serves as a monitoring agency in the regulation of commodity prices. It also serves to protect businesses from each other by giving all of them fair and equal opportunities to trade their wares in the consumer market. Public policy considerations against anti-competitive behavior revolve around keeping the prices of commodities and services affordable to the public while still achieving a high level of quality in goods and services. The FTC monitors the consumer market for possible violations in anti-competition and anti-trust policies. This monitoring is done with the help of the consumers. Consumers are encouraged to report unfair competition practices of businesses and industries. Through the FTC, many industries are encouraged and motivated to produce high-end goods and services while still making them available to the consumer at affordable prices. The public has the right to expect an assortment of choices in their goods and services. It also has the right to be protected against businessmen and corporations who may take it upon themselves to agree about prices in order to manipulate the market. The public has the right to be protected against monopolies. Monopolies restrict the public’s right to avail of similar products traded by other companies. This practice restricts the participation of industries in similar trading lines controlled by more dominant corporations.

Disorders and Diseases of the Thyroid Research Paper

Disorders and Diseases of the Thyroid - Research Paper Example Introduction In evidence-based practice, only after the problem is understood and researched can medical professionals state a current best method of treatment. In this type of medical practice, medical professionals rely on cutting-edge research results to make treatment decisions, rather than on the older method of assuming that tradition and authority always held the right answers for a patient. The best patient care is recognized to be a combination of the current valid medical research, a practitioner's own experience and education, and the situation of an individual patient (Fineout-Overholt, Stillwell, Williamson, Cox, & Robbins, 2010). Applied to the area of thyroid dysfunction, evidence-based and best practice guidelines could mean recognizing the effect of a specific patient's lifestyle on their body's health in order to tell the difference between simple obesity and a depressed thyroid, for example, and keeping up with the most current literature on which types of thyroid hormones are considered to be most effective (Maas, 2007). Since by some estimates, as much as five percent of the general female population and more than twenty-five percent of the entire population over the age of seventy-five suffers from some form of thyroid disease, it is vitally important that the medical community understand these issues as they relate to thyroid dysfunction (Maas, 2007; Mulryan, 2010). Some types of thyroid dysfunction result in the over-production of metabolic hormones. This over-production results in a condition known as hyperthyroidism (Mulryan, 2010). Hyperthyroidism is most commonly seen in women until the age of sixty-five or seventy-five, at which point, as in seen in thyroid disease across the board, the incidence greatly increases and becomes equally likely between the sexes (Gutierrez, 2008). As would be expected from a gland whose purpose is to regulate the body's metabolism, hyperthyroidism leads to a severely increased basal metabolic rate. The overactive thyroid can produce as much as five to fifteen times the normal amount of thyroid hormones and can result in a myriad of detrimental effects on the rest of the body. This increase in secretion is achieved through an increase in the size and an available cellular matrix of the thyroid gland, so that many more cells can live within the gland, as well as through an increase in the secretion of the hormone by the individual thyroid cells (Hall, 2011). Generally, this condition is induced by a direct infection within or damage to the thyroid gland itself, though it can also occur rarely as a secondary disorder when there is a dysfunction in the pituitary or hypothalamus glands (McCance, Huether, Brashers, & Rore, 2010). The most common diseases that lead to either the primary or secondary dysfunction of the glands are auto-immune diseases, while some causes of reversible primary damage to the thyroid itself are an iodine deficiency in the diet or viral infection of the thyroid (Mulryan, 2010).  

Logistics and Supply Chain Management Coursework

Logistics and Supply Chain Management - Coursework Example A critical analysis and comparison of the supply chain networks of both the companies is done using the case studies provided to us. The analysis of the two cases has been done in line with the literature review. The final part of the document deals with two more companies in the fast fashion industry and compares their supply chain strategies with the strategies of H&M and Benetton whose case has been provided to us. The analysis of the two case studies provides us with an insight in to the importance of supply chain for the success of a firm. Supply chain is no longer considered just another element but is considered by many firms to be as important as marketing. It can drastically reduce the cost of the firm and give a strong competitive advantage to the firm which is hard and difficult to duplicate. Benetton was established in Italy in 1965.It has it presence in 120 countires.12 of its 18 factories are located in Italy. It sells its good through a network of 6500 retailers. It's positioning in the international market is that the company sells good quality garments which are moderately priced. With the analysis of the case we will critically analyse how Benetton has increased its supply chain by utilizing the "Dual Supply Chain" system. We will see how this system takes advantages of both the push and pull factors of the supply chain and increases the performance objectives for the company. H & M H &M case H & M is a well known Swedish company and has been a leader both in terms of market share and financial performance of the company. The company's strategy has been continuous expansion to search for the most promising markets available, to produce goods in a cost effective and fast manner and to reduce lead times drastically in order to reach the retailers quickly and capture changes in customer moods and preferences and provide longer shelf life for its products. H&M is also an example of how e-business solutions can be used to obtain competitive advantage in the supply chain of a company. Procurement and logistics can easily track the sales as they share a common IT platform with the retailers. This allows the company to react quickly to any changes in the trends prevalent in the market. H&M also has an efficient inventory management system which reduces the lead times for the firm and ensures efficient stock management. Literature Review Operation Strategy of a firm may be defined as set of principals adopted by the organization for decision making to achieve at a reconciliation of the market demand and the operational resources available to the