Trurl’s Machine Essay Essay Example

Trurl’s Machine Essay Paper â€Å"Trurl’s Machine† is the narrative an discoverer who makes an eight-story thought machine. The narrative is an effort to portray the censoring of the people by a Communist government. Lem does this through the usage of character. secret plan and symbolism. The characters in â€Å"Trurl’s Machine† have really different personalities. First. we meet Trurl. the builder. He is a scientist and an discoverer. but he has an artistic side. This he shows by giving the machine face. He has a speedy pique and no forbearance for stupidity. He besides is house in his beliefs as he demonstrates at the terminal of the narrative when the machine is seeking to acquire him to give in. â€Å"†Never! † roared Trurl. as if he no longer cared what happened. †¦ ( Lem ) . † Klapaucius is Trurl’s friend and challenger. He is besides a builder. but a much more light hearted one. He is ever looking on the bright side and he neer shies off from escapade. He besides has a speedy humor and is able to set a amusing spin on most things. The machine is described by Klapaucius. â€Å"Not merely is it sensitive. dense. and obstinate. but speedy to take discourtesy. and believe me. with such an copiousness of qualities. there all kinds of things you might make ( Lem ) ! † It. like Trurl. is speedy to anger. We will write a custom essay sample on Trurl’s Machine Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Trurl’s Machine Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Trurl’s Machine Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Lem uses the secret plan of the narrative to acquire his message across. In the beginning. the machine declares that 2+2=7. When it meets opposition in the signifier of Trurl and Klapaucius. who mock it. the machine becomes enraged and escapes its foundations in order to trail its tormenters. Here the tormenters become the laden. The machine goes on a violent disorder ; it destroys the town that Klapaucius and Trurl fell in and continues to trail them up the mountain. In its choler. the machine causes excessively much indirect harm and ends up destructing itself. There is besides much symbolism in this narrative. The machine is meant to typify the Communist party. It tries to ban the sentiments of Trurl and Klapaucius. chiefly. that 2+2=4. Trurl and Klapaucius are the laden citizens enduring under the Communist government. They are persecuted for their beliefs. The landslide symbolizes the point at which a population can no longer stand their oppressors and must move. The oppressors go excessively far and do their ain death. â€Å"Trurl’s Machine successfully portrays the battle of laden people against those who would ban their beliefs. Lem was able to utilize character. secret plan and symbolism to accomplish this consequence. The narrative shows that if the oppressed base up to their oppressors. there is a great opportunity that they will predominate.

There are far too many (women) who are discriminated against and far too many employers who are using every single legal argument and loophole to dodge their obligations under equal pay law The WritePass Journal

There are far too many (women) who are discriminated against and far too many employers who are using every single legal argument and loophole to dodge their obligations under equal pay law Introduction There are far too many (women) who are discriminated against and far too many employers who are using every single legal argument and loophole to dodge their obligations under equal pay law [5], where the Inner House of the Court overturned the previous decision of the EAT that had previously argued that the terminology â€Å"establishment† could have a broad meaning. Instead, the Inner House restricted this substantially by saying that the comparator had to work at an establishment that was largely in the same geographical area. An employee looking to claim that they are being paid less will also need to find a comparator who is broadly employed on common terms (as stated in Section 1(6) of the 1970 Act and restated in EqA). For example, in the case of Leverton (1989)[6], it was possible for female nursery nurses to argue that they were being paid less than their comparators who were male clerical staff. All staff had a â€Å"purple book† of terms and conditions and this was sufficient to argue that they had common terms. Finally, there is the time frame over which the comparator has worked, with the ability of the claimant to look at a predecessor but not a successor. This was supported by the case of Walton, 2008[7], where it was held that a successor could not be used, as this would require the courts to hypothesise as to whether the comparator would have been treated differently, had they been employed at the same time. This is based on the argument that by looking into the future this would be hypothetical situation and impossible to consider how the employer would act in the future. It can therefore be seen that there are multiple issues involved in locating a comparator, which can potentially make it easier for an employer to escape their obligations and to allow them to look at ways of paying female employees less, either directly or indirectly, or at the very least making the matter difficult for an employee to prove, in the absence of an obvious and exact comparator. Material Justification Another area which presents a real opportunity for the employer to look at escaping liability is the use of the material factor defence contained in both the EqA and the 1970 Act. This defence allows an employer to pay an employee less than a comparator for whom they would otherwise be required to ensure equal pay, due to some non-discriminatory reason. There is non- specific requirement to deal with the notion of material defence, after the issue of equal pay has been discussed and it may be that the tribunal will in fact consider the material justification defence, at the outset, when looking at whether the jobs were of equal value[8]. The material factor defence is dealt with in Section 1(3) of the 1970 Act, where it is stated that the employer would have a defence, if they could show that the difference in salary â€Å"is genuinely due to a material factor which is not the difference of sex. This is a genuine requirement and allows for employers to have a distinction between pay where it is required for the business need. An employer can show that they have a material factor defence where they can prove the following. Firstly that the explanation is genuine, secondly that the reason for less favourable treatment was down to that explanation, thirdly that the reason was not considered to be the difference of sex and finally that the reason is a significant and relevant difference between the man and woman in the instance[9].   When looking at the genuineness of the situation, the House of Lords stated in Bury Metropolitan Council that tribunals should not become too concerned over the issue of genuineness and should instead simply look at the facts surrounding the situation[10]. In this case, it was also stated that the difference will only be a sham, if it â€Å"has been deliberately fabricated in order to present things otherwise than as they are. Crucially, it is also necessary for the factor to be material meaning, in accordance with Rainey, 1987, where the difference is significant and relevant, but this could be with reference to external factors, such as the market and not necessarily simply down to the skills and knowledge of the individuals in question[11]. When it comes to material justification, the burden of proof shifts from party to party in such a way that offers a real opportunity for the employer to escape liability. Once the employee has shown that there is a prima facie case for an equal pay claim, the employer then has the burden of showing a material factor defence, before the burden then travelling back to the employee to show that this was not genuine or in error in some way. For example, it may be argued, as was the case in Cooksey and Others (2011)[12], that the use of an on call allowance had the impact of men getting paid more than women, due to men being typically more available to undertake such work; this was sufficient to constitute a material factor defence and the case was allowed, with the employer being culpable. Conclusion It is concluded here that the original statement made that employers have been able to use legal argument and loopholes as a key way of escaping liability under the equal pay legislation is not merely a theoretical argument, but one that is supported and shown time and time again through the tribunals and court system. It is argued here that by just looking at the area of identifying a comparator and the area of a material factor defence, there is a multitude of complexities that can be used by the employer to evade liability. This area needs to be revisited carefully, if there is to be sufficient protection offered to women, in the future. As it stands, all but the most obvious of discriminatory scenarios are likely to evade the full extent of the legislation and this matter requires review, as a matter of urgency. Practicality is such that there are a variety of factors which may lead to a discrepancy of pay yet this needs to be addressed to ensure that any differences are material ly justifiable and are appropriate in all circumstances so as to reduce the overall pay gap as far as possible. Bibliography Bury Metropolitan Borough Council v Hamilton and other cases [2011] IRLR 358 City of Edinburgh Council v Wilkinson and others [2012] IRLR 202, Cooksey and Others v Trafford Borough Council and others UKEAT/0255/11 Equality Act 2010 Equal Pay Act 1970 Forex Neptune (Overseas) Ltd v Miller [1987] ICR 170, Glasgow City Council v Marshall [2000] ICR 196 (HL) Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union Leverton v Clwyd County Council [1989] IRLR 28 (HL). Macarthys Ltd v Smith [1980] IRLR 210 Prentis D, Unison. 2013. commenting on North and ors v Dumfries and Galloway Council 2013 SC 45 Rainey v Greater Glasgow Health Board [1987] ICR 129 Walton Centre for Neurology Neuro Surgery NHS Trust v Bewley [2008] IRLR 588

Global Economy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Economy - Case Study Example Dani Rodrik had proposed a new dimension for global economic conditions. There are a lot of factors which contributes towards financial capital and differentiates rich countries from that of poor ones. Economic development and growth is only facilitated through capabilities being accumulated over a longer period of time. This truly encompasses technologies, public institutions and skills. It is not possible for globalization to leverage all such capabilities. They can only be leveraged by nations. East Asian nations have been able to enhance domestic productive capacities before entering into international markets. Reinvigorating requires maintaining a balance between markets and states without losing essence. Financial globalization Dani Rodrik throughout his works has highlighted various aspects affecting globalization process. There lies a major threat with globalization in terms of providing social insurance by national governments. Globalization often results into conflicts between and within nations over social institutions and domestic norms. Domestic democracy plays a vital role in sustaining global capital. However it is often a challenge for such democracy to protect one’s nation from global threats. Culture and technology can only be strengthened through domestic democracy and these factors contribute towards achievement of global capital (Steger 52-55). On the other hand, skilled and unskilled workers during globalization tend to become substitutive and elastic. I certainly feel that globalization has supported many nations to strengthen their position across the globe. There are threats associated with globalization and this has made many countries impose strict regulations or norms while trading with international markets. For instance, some European countries have laws stating that international players need to

Accounting Statement Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Accounting Statement Analysis - Essay Example units purchased, sales thus scale of economy leading to decrease in operating expense (Gilbertson & Lehman, 2013). In the period 11 between 12, the decrease in trend was due to decrease in differed liability. Decrease in the period 12 between 13 was due to utilization of reserves to finance the company’s operations. During the period from 13 between 14, there was increase due to increase in long-term loan by a very big margin. This negative trend indicates that cost of goods sold is gradually increasing proportionately to sales. This may be due to increase in purchase price or carriage on stack. It can also be because of decrease in selling price(Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2010). Positive deviation in dividend payout indicates that the firm is paying more to its shareholders inform of dividend. This also indicates that the firm’s growth rate is adversely affected(Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2010). Net profit margin has a positive trend however, the firms overall profitability has a slightly negative trend because net profit margin and operational incomes positive trend has been fully offset by negative trend in other profitability ratios like gross profit margin (Graham et al., 2012). Long-term debt paying ability of the firm is negatively affected by decreasing trend in the following ratios; decrease in debt to equity ratio, decrease in debt to tangible assets, and further decrease in cash flow/ total debt ratio. This has been partly offset by increase in time interest earnings fixed charge coverage(Graham et al., 2012). This trend in Operation Cash Flow per Share indicates that cash flow attributed to each share of common stock has improved. However, the overall cash flow of the firm is declining due to payment of dividend that has increased as indicated by operation cash flow/ cash dividend from 2.51 to 1.51 leading to negative trend in cash flow for the period between 2011 and 2014(Graham et al., 2012). All of these ratios are in decline.

TRAINING, LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT 'HELPING HANDS' CASE STUDY Essay

TRAINING, LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT 'HELPING HANDS' CASE STUDY - Essay Example It is against this background that I propose to delineate the strategic vision and mission of Helping Hand’s current corporate philosophy. It is not far fetched to suggest at this stage of my analysis that the management at Helping Hand, has almost foreclosed the significant opportunities that TL&D concept presents to business organizations at a critical phase of its growth process, by not revisiting its corporate strategy. There is an inevitable negative correlation between the gradual up-scaling of strategic corporate goals and a static TL&D policy. The outcome is not only predictably negative but also competitively disastrous. The principal stance of the Helping Hand’s senior management is that the operating capacity and efficiency of the middle management structure ought to be enhanced through a conventional and often credibility deficient technique of contracting out functional managerial tasks to outsiders who as consulting firms would rather put in place stop-gap measures. Stress management counselling services are performed by professionals who help client organizations to manage their staff well with a view to increasing worker productivity. Some of the latest techniques have been adopted, probably, by the Helping Hand’s rivals. For example, â€Å"Autogenic biofeedback in psychophysiological therapy and stress management†, has been received by stress management companies with open arms because it provides the counsellor with a more reliable tool (Lehrer and Sime, Editors, 2007, p.231). At Helping Hand, there is no such innovative strategic drive. Right now the level of staff mot ivation is at a low ebb. This is reflected in the high rate of labour attrition. Plans for diversification must be carried out with a total shake up in the existing organizational structure. Additional middle layers of management would necessarily add to the communication bottlenecks that underlie a tall chain of command. As a

Marketing Analysis for Indian Restaurant

Marketing Analysis for Indian Restaurant Aim and vision The main aim is to provide customers with authentic Indian food laced with the captivating taste and nutritional values of traditional Indian herbs and spices served in a traditional Indian (Punjabi) sitting to give the complete feel of incredible India, at the prices which dont make people think twice. The target customers are large number of Indian student and families in the area with the aim of taking locals into our food by capitalizing on the growing popularity of traditional Indian food. The main focus of our mission statement is to satisfy our customer by offering traditional Indian food and also provide quality service in the form quick home delivery service. Being a high class community, most of the people in Hatfield are working in offices from 9 to 5. In order to attract these customers we will provide competitive prices to attract customers from competitors. Introduction We will start food business with the name of DELI-SIOUS which will be traditional foods. For the location of our business we are choosing Hatfield which is one of the City of Hertfordshire County. We chose this business because according restaurant guide there was an opportunity available for Indian traditional food restaurant in the region of Hatfield. To gain this opportunity I made a marketing plan for investors to cash this opportunity. (Restaurant guide) In the preparation of this report both primary and secondary data is involved. Primary data was collected from local people of the Hatfield by using questionnaires and interviews. While secondary data were collected from Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and also related books, journals, websites regarding marketing. To analyse the external and internal environment we used Swot analysis as a tool to know about the market. I have also research related sources regarding my marketing plan such as trip advisor, restaurant guide and mintel international group Ltd. Financial overview We have a small business loan of  £50,000 provided by two business partners, which have to be paid back in instatements in coming three years. In first year of our business we dont have to pay any installments and after first year we have to pay installments on the interest rate of 5.6%. There are three profitable opportunities available in the region of Hertfordshire country, which are: Opening a retail premises Starting a landscape gardening business Launching a virtual office support service From the above opportunities we have chose restaurant business, according restaurant guide there is an opportunity available in Hatfield for Indian food. The allocation of resources will be discussed in the action plan. In the first year of our business which is 2010, our expected profits will  £5000 and in 2011 we will expect more then  £7000 because of increasing sale by 40% in 2011. We further aim that our expected profit in 2012 will be more then  £10,000 because of increasing sale by 40%. To achieve these profits we will capture the market with the help of differentiation strategy. Our expected sales in 2010 will be  £30,000, we will increase our sales in 2011 by 40% our expected sales will be more 42,000. We further looking to increase our sales in 2012 by 40%, as a result our expected sales in 2012 will be  £59,000. We have an objective to capture 15% market share by the end of Dec 2015. Market overview Hatfield is located in the County of Herefordshire originally Bishops Hatfield, is in the Welwyn Hatfield district of Hertfordshire, in the south of England. Hatfield is 20miles (32km) to the north of London and separated from the city by the Green Belt. The town has excellent transport links with the nearest airport at Luton only 14miles (23km) away and Stansted airport also within easy reach. Most nearest cities are St.Albans, Luton, Hemelhempstead and Welwyn Garden city. We can target the people of nearest cities such as Luton, St.Albans and Hemelhempstead because people from these cities have a job in Hatfield. Our high target customers will be students and staff of Hertfordshire University. (AAroutefinder.com) In Hatfield there are 17 restaurants are working but they are not offering Indian traditional food, in order to cash this opportunity I have a marketing plan for investors to invest in this restaurant. As for people living standard is concern in Hatfield, majority people belongs to middle and high class having income per year from  £25,000 to  £40,000. (Restaurant guide) According Hertfordshire county council in 2001 census the population of Hatfield has expanded over 28,000 and still growing. Due to high competition in the market challenges can be faced in the market. Competitors created barriers for new entrants but we can enter in the market with the help innovative ideas and competitive prices. (Hertfordshire County Council) Market Research According to McDonald (2007:366) Market Research is a logical, objective collection and analysis of data about a particular target market, environment and also competition, It always incorporates some form of data collection and could be secondary research or primary research which is directly collected from a respondent. It can be classified either as external or internal. The main purpose of the market research project is to achieve an increased understanding of the subject matter. In the preparation of this report both primary and secondary research has been conducted to collect the data. Market research enables the business to know about the challenges, barriers and need of the target customers in the market. Market segmentation Kotler (1997) states that market segmentation is the classification of portions of the market that is different from one another. Due to segmentation firms will be able to satisfy the need of the target customers We will segment the market into different parts, such students, young couple, and local community people. We will provide special offers to the students on Tuesday in order to attract them. Mostly students and young couples like spicy food we will offer spicy food to them. We will also offer coffee and tea to target the people working in offices and also entertain them with a soft music. Market segmentation of DELI-SIOUS Restaurant Market segmentation of DELI-SIOUS can be vegetarian, non-vegetarian and target market of DELI-SIOUS will be students and staff of Hertfordshire University, young couples and local community of Hatfield. Some cities like St.Albans and Hemelhempstead and Welyn Garden city are near to Hatfield so we can also target these cities as well. To attract Indian community customers we will offer vegetarian food (for Menu see Appendix). We will target local community of Hatfield by offering Chilies food because they prefer these foods, To target students we will offer special discounts on Tuesday, to target families we will offer free kids food. SWOT analysis In order to achieve goals and objectives and overcome problems, practitioners suggest strategic tools in the form of porters forces and swot analysis. According to Alison (2004) SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool that helps in identifying external factors (i.e. opportunities and threats) for, and internal factors (i.e. strengths and weaknesses) that need to be considered for determining where a business should be going in the future and how to you overcome upcoming threats . On other hand David (2007) argues that Swot analysis indicating the smart objectives by analysing both internal and external factors in the business environment. SWOT analysis for DELI-SIOUS: Strengths: The location we will select is very attractive because its near to St.Albans and most people are coming from St.Albans to Hatfield. Opportunity available in the Hatfield town for traditional food, only few restaurants are offering traditional food. We have highly qualified and experienced staff to satisfy the need of the target customer by offering quality food and service. We will offer reasonable prices to attract customers from competitors, moreover price catering to every section of society. (www.restuaantguide.com) Weaknesses: We have some weaknesses such as we will be new in the market and to overcome this weakness we will focus on the promotions and also by using networking. We will be restricted to resources but we looking to get loan from bank by the end of Dec 2010. Opportunities: Open chain of restaurants To make restaurant a multi cuisine to expand customer. By offering traditional food we can easily attract customers from our competitors. Threats: High competition in the market, which can be a threat for our restaurant and also some barriers created by competitors for new entrants. But we can overcome this threat with the help of innovative food such as traditional Indian food. Recession can also be a threat for our restaurant, to overcome this threat we will offer reasonable prices as compare to our competitors. Gap analysis for DELI-SIOUS Restaurant In 2010 our expected sales will be  £30,000 and we plan to increase by 25% by 2011, which means our sales in 2011 will be  £42,000. We further aims that we also increase our sales by 25% by 2012, which means our expected sales in 2011 will be  £59000. From the above graph it is quite clear that between 2010 and 2012 we have a gap of  £29,000. In order to overcome this gap, we need to adopt marketing strategies in the form of penetration strategy and differentiation strategy. By adopting penetration strategy we will penetrate in the market with the help of an effective advertisement and also by offering quality traditional Indian food to our target customers. After penetration in the market we will adopt differentiation strategy to differentiate our business from competitors by offering competitive services and prices. By adopting these strategies we can create a competitive advantage in the market. In our restaurant we will have 25 seating capacity, to reach 2010 target sales we expect 40 to 55 customer per day. In 2011 we expect 55 to 80 customers each day and in 2012 we will further expect 80 to 110 customers each day. Smart objectives According to Croft (1994) objectives play a vital role in the making the marketing plan successful. He further suggest strategic tools in the form of Swot analysis, Porters five forces and Pest analysis as an environmental analysis which have to be conducted to control overall marketing plan. By clarifying the task employees will be motivated to reach the given targets and as a result overall performance of the organisation can be improved. These objectives should be smart, measureable, specific, realistic achievable and timed. Smart objectives for DELI-SIOUS Restaurant Survival Objectives: The most significant objective of our business will be to penetrate into the restaurant market as well to promote our restaurant in Hatfield with the help of efficient advertisement by offering traditional Indian food and excellent customer service to our target customers. After penetration we need to focus on increasing the sales and market share. Profitability objectives: our profitability objective is to reach 15% return on capital employed by Dec 2012 because we have a loan of  £50,000 provided by business investors; we need to pay installments after one year. Promotion objectives: To increase awareness of the restaurant in the market with the help of networking and effective advertisements. Market share objectives: we have an objective to increase our market share by 15% by the end of Dec 2015. Sales objectives: We aims to increase our sales by 40% by end of Dec 2011 and we will further increase it 40% by end of Dec 2012. In 2009 our focal point will be the survival and penetration in the market by adopting penetration strategy. Strategy to achieve objectives To reach the given objective 1st we need to adopt Penetration strategy to achieve our most vital objective which can be survival objectives. Which can be possible by adopting penetration strategy and to make this strategy successful we will focus on the advertisement such as advertising restaurant in the local newspaper, distribution of leaflet in the local community and most important to use social and business networking. By using this strategy we will promote our business in the target market to attract the target customers. We will offer reasonable prices as compare to our competitors as a result our restaurant will be differentiated from competitors. After penetration in the market we will focus on achieving sales and market share objectives by increasing the sales and market share. We can achieve these objectives by adopting Differentiation strategy. By using this strategy we will differentiate our restaurant from competitors by offering traditional Indian food with Indian them e to our target customers and excellent customer services. Marketing Mix for DELI-SIOUS Restaurant Product: Projected Meal 1: Vegetarian Mixed Platter According to our mission statement we will more focus on the traditional Indian food such as herbs and spices. With the help of traditional food we can easily attract customer to creative a competitive position in the market Confirming to health standards. Free and quick home delivery service. Price Proposed price for Meal1:  £15.95 Currently due to recession customers demand for discounts from restaurant, by offering reasonable prices we can meet their demands. Special price offers for students on Tuesday. Special price offers on advance table booking. Place Proposed location: Hatfield e will make our restaurant more attractive with the help of an effective furnishing. In our restaurants customers will feel a theme of India by enjoying the Indian traditional food. We have 50 seating capacity, we plan to increase in 2011. Promotion We will promote our restaurants with the flyers, leaflets and advertising in the local newspapers. We will offer special deals to students of university as a tool of promotion. We will use our networking to promote our restaurants in the local people by arranging event in the local community. Resources Allocation Loan provided by the investors is  £50,000 for the coming three years with a rate of 5.6%. In order to utilise this capital in a best possible way we will use  £13,000 on the hiring the building and  £9,000 will be used for the building refurnishing. While  £24,000 will be use as working capital and 8% of the budget will served on the promotions of the restaurant which is  £4000. Total salary of the employees will be  £6,800 per month which can be subtracted from working capital. For details see appendix. Monitoring All the operations such as advertising, finance, raw material, of our business will be supervised by manager. All the subordinate are responsible to report to the manager on daily basis and manager is responsible to report to the business owners. Purchasing of inventory will be done on a weekly basis to minimise the warehouse cost. Risk and Contingency plan and strategy Currently one of the high risks to our business is the recession many businesses are falling down and unemployment has increasing rapidly in the UK. In Hatfield there is high competition in the market between rivals and creating barriers for entrants in the market. One more risk to our business is the substitute products such as University restaurants and forum. (Financial times) In order to overcome the above risks to our business we have a contingency plan and strategies. To overcome the recession risk we will offer discounts to our target customers. To overcome the second risk to our business we will adopt cost leadership strategy by reducing the cost we will be able to compete with our competitors. To overcome the risk regarding university restaurants forum we will offer special deals to the students in order to attract them. References Croft, M. J.(1994) Market segmentation. 2nd edition. Published by Routledge. David F R. (2007) Strategic management concepts and cases (12th edition), Pearson international edition. De Wit, B Meyer, R (2004) Strategy Synthesis (Resolving Strategy Paradoxes to Create Competitive Advantage), (3rd edition)Thomson Business Press Jobber, D. (2004) Principles and practice of marketing, 4th edition. Berkshire: McGraw Hill. Luther, W. M. (2001) The marketing plan. 3rd edition. Library of congress cataloging. McDonald, M. (2007) Marketing Plans, 6th edition. Oxford: Elsevier. Restaurant guide available online at [http://www.restaurant-guide.com/uk+south-east+hertfordshire+hemel-hempstead.htm] {Date accessed 8th Dec 2009} Stanley, P. (1993) International marketing. 2nd Edition. Chartered Institute of Marketing. Rieple, A. (2001) The strategic management of organisations, Prentice Hall Route planner available at [http:www.theaa.com/route-planner] {Date accessed: 2nd Dec 2009} Trip Advisor, Visiting Hatfield, [Online], and www.tripadvisor.com {Date accessed: 7th Dec 2009} Up My Street, Neighbours in Hertford, [Online], Available: www.upmystreet.com {Date accessed: 5th Dec 2009}

Essay --

Amanda Korah P.1/Gwizdala February 26th, 2013 A Long Way Gone In Class Essay A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is a memoir of a young, emotionally distraught child soldier who takes his audience through his mental and physical journey to his eventual escape of the Civil War in Sierra Leone. For the past few days, our World Literature class have been trying to figure out/argue what category A Long Way Gone falls under. In Tim O'Brien's book, The Things They Carried, he distinguishes between two types of stories: (1) stories that need to be real and (2) stories that rely on the emotional truth. To me, A Long Way Gone is a novel that relies on the emotional truth and should be read as such; it relies on the emotions of human beings for the story to be understood as it was written by a boy like one of us. Initially I was not sure what the emotional truth was, so I googled the definition and got that, â€Å"an emotional truth is writing in such a way that readers not only learn the facts of an event, but can feel the joy, sorrow, anger, envy, love, hate, poigna ncy that the participant feels.† And I believe that a story that relies on the emotional truth is not any less significant than stories that strictly state the truth. A story told using emotional truth/validity is a story that, in my opinion, offers more of the real picture than that of a story that doesn’t tug on the emotions of a reader and just blatantly state the true happenings of an event. I’ve come to terms that there is a possibility of a stretch in truth in A Long Way Gone. Listening to the arguments made throughout the discussion, there is evidence out there to counter some of the statements made by Ishmael Beah in his memoir (i.e. Being a child soldier in 1995 ... ...ay because we are emotionally vulnerable beings who respond more to emotions rather than the real situation. We believe everything is ok when someone expresses happiness, and we think things are going bad if someone expresses sorrow. We acknowledge situations, and we react to the emotions felt about a particular situations, which is why Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone is categorized as a story of emotional truth, it relies on our emotions to bring awareness to not only his life experiences but problems that went on in the world, and problems that still may be going on in the world. We must view this emotional truth story as valid as one that tells us a straight up truth, the reason why this book was made an emotional truth is so that we have a better understanding (and we understand better) about our surroundings, in a way that we would understand to the fullest.

Decriminalization of Victimless Crime Essay

Laws exist within societies to deter and restrict people from harming one another and trampling on others’ inalienable rights. Crimes such as recreational drug use and prostitution do not directly harm other people, yet in the eyes of the law they are villified due to the possible consequences associated with a lifestyle filled with drug use and promiscuous sex. Should these supposed â€Å"victimless† crimes be allowed to go on unpunished even though they may still cause collateral damage? More importantly, does the government have the right to intervene with one’s behavior if it does not affect others? A better way to look at it would be to examine the efforts made to decriminalize these acts and the effects it has had on society. Prostitution is one of the oldest professions in the world and it is not likely to go away anytime soon. Just like any other job, it is a way for people to make a living and it has a supply and demand. Unfortunately, sex workers have terrible work environments. They are subjected to working in unsafe neighborhoods and the threat of violence is always near. Many are raped, abused and murdered while working on their own. If prostitution were decriminalized and regulated, we could decrease the negative consequences of being a sex worker. Legalized brothels in Las Vegas control and monitor their workers and customers much like other businesses. Sex workers are regularly tested and contraception is employed to avoid the transmittance of sexually transmitted infections and diseases. Services are also conducted in safe environments to eliminate the risk of violence. Although prostitution is certainly a less than ideal profession, it has and will continue to exist. Regulation of sex work wou ld greatly reduce the harm inflicted upon its customers and workers. Another criminal act which does not necessarily effect anyone else but the criminal is recreational drug use. Like prostitution, recreational drug use has gone on for hundreds of years and there does not seem to be an end in sight. Were recreational drug use to be decriminalized and regulated, the government could monitor dosage, reduce adulterants to reduce the risks involved with the consumption of said drugs. Decriminalization would also decrease activity in the illegal trade of drugs which is known to fund terrorist groups. Even on the street level of drug trade, much of it is associated with other violent criminal activity which could decrease if users had another way of obtaining what they would eventually seek out anyways. In 2001, Portugal radically changed their drug policies to include the decriminalization of possessing small amounts of drugs for personal use. They implemented needle exchange programs to reduce the spread of HIV and put more effort into finding treatment f or users instead of putting them through the penal system. Ten years later, studies showed that their efforts paid off and drug abuse rates had fallen to half of what they were before the policy change (Kain.) This should be evidence enough that the penal system does not help drug users in our society, it only puts them in a destructive cycle of jails and institutions that we as a whole end up paying for. Jail and prison sentences are not enough to stop or decrease taboo behaviors nor will they ever be, which is evident in almost all modern nations. These behaviors will continue to spread and the lifestyles associated with them will continue to effect all of society unless something changes. The â€Å"War on Drugs† has cost us billions of dollars and placed many non-violent offenders in prisons, when they should be in rehabilitation centers. We as a society need to accept that what we’re doing is not working and we should follow what has worked in other places. Bibliography Kain, Erik. â€Å"Ten Years After Decriminalization.† Forbes Magazine. Forbes, 5 July 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. .

Cold War Paranoia in Captain America and Batman

Cold War Paranoia in Captain America and Batman Introduction The prevalent mood across the United States after the Second World War was rife with optimism and unparalleled success. The middle class â€Å"rapidly expanded, unemployment was low, and the United States (the only country with a nuclear bomb) became the most powerful country on earth† (Burr par.14).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Cold War Paranoia in Captain America and Batman specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Unfortunately, this mood lasted for a short period of about four years before the Soviet Union started stockpiling nuclear bombs in 1949. Given that the United States was the only state with nuclear weapons by then, the Soviet’s decision to test its first nuclear weapons openly in 1949 caused tensions in the US. The hitherto mood of success turned somber and Americans became paranoid due to the fears of a nuclear bomb being dropped from the Soviet Union. Americans started preparing f or nuclear bomb attacks. The political environment was awash with speculations and conspiracy theories, with some politicians claiming that Soviet spies had infiltrated the American government. The film industry thus sought to highlight the changing mood across the United States with film directors coming up with movies to underscore the situation. Some of the outstanding superhero movies that underscored the Cold War paranoia include Captain America directed by Albert Pyun in 1990 and Batman, which was released in 1966. This paper explores these two superhero movies and their correlation with Cold War paranoia in terms of characters and the plotlines. Batman (1966) This movie is commonly referred to as Batman: The Movie and it is an adaptation of the Batman Television Series, with emphasis on the character, Batman, who featured extensively in DC Comics (Garcia 55). The movie’s plotline elicits fear, apprehension, and confusion, which characterized the Cold War paranoia. When Batman tries to rescue Schmidlapp from a yacht, the vessel disappears and he comes out with his leg in a shark’s mouth (Batman). This form of unexpected events underscores the uncertainty that surrounded the tension between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Americans did not know what to expect if either of the warring sides launched a nuclear attack against the other.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Batman and Robin later realize that the call claiming that Schmidlapp had been kidnapped was a set up by the United Underworld, which sought to eliminate Batman. This aspect underscores the many conspiracy theories that surrounded the Cold War. As the movie progresses, the plot exposes the view that everyone loses in a war. Batman and Robin fail in their attempt to protect the kidnapping of the United World Organization’s Council, wh ile the United Underground loses its missiles and submarines in the war. Similarly, both the United States and the Soviet Union lost substantially during the Cold War. Innocent civilians died as collateral damage on top of property destruction coupled with the death of thousands of soldiers involved in the war. On the choice of characters, Batman represents the kind of a superhero that Americans wanted to be assured of safety from the threats of nuclear bombs from the Soviet Union. Americans knew that the government could not protect them sufficiently if a nuclear war broke out because in a nuclear war, there are no winners as everyone loses (Burr par. 16). In addition, the use of Catwoman, under the disguise of Miss Kitka – a Soviet journalist, highlights the allegations of communist sympathizers within the United States at the time. Captain America This movie is an adaptation of the Marvel’s Comics Superhero. In the movie, the need to come up with a superhero to prot ect Americans from the threat of a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union stands out. Even though the plot oscillates between Italy and the United States, fear and unpredictability come out clearly. The Italian government eliminates Tadzio’s family before kidnapping him for experimental purposes as it seeks to make a fascist superhero (Captain America). However, one of the project masterminds, Dr. Vaselli, cannot stand the thought of using an innocent boy as a guinea pig and so she escapes to the United States where she kick starts a similar project. She successfully transforms one of the soldiers, Steve Rogers, into a superhero. Even though the director of this movie does not mention the Soviet Union directly, the themes used point to the Cold War paranoia at the time. The idea of coming up with a superhero being was born out of the uncertainty surrounding the possibility of using nuclear bombs during the Cold War (Snellings par. 17).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Cold War Paranoia in Captain America and Batman specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The cloning of a superhero in Italy and the replication of the same in the United States can be taken to imply the making of a nuclear bomb in the US and the subsequent replication of the same by the Soviet Union. On the use of characters, the script follows that of Batman with superhero characters taking the center stage. Conclusion Fear, apprehension, and uncertainty characterized the Cold War era. Americans lived in ‘nuclear war preparedness’ as the Soviet Union was allegedly planning to drop a nuclear bomb anywhere in the US. Moviemakers sought to make films highlighting this feeling of uncertainty. In addition, Americans wanted a form of protection, which could only come from a superhero as opposed to relying on government forces. Therefore, filmmakers used superheroes in their movies to meet the society’s expectations at the time, as shown in the movies, Batman and Captain America. Batman. Dir. Leslie Martinson. Century City, LA: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, 1966. Film. Burr, William. Nobody Wins a Nuclear War But Success is Possible Mixed Message  of 1950s Air Force Film on a U.S.-Soviet Conflict, 2011. Web. Captain America. Dir. Albert Pyun. New York: Marvel Entertainment, LLC, 1990. Film. Garcia, Bob. Batman: Making the Original Movie. Cinefantastique 24.25 (1994): 55-58. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Snellings, April. Captain America Trades World War II Action for Cold War Paranoia in  The Winter Soldier, 2014. Web.

Logic and Perception Essay

Logic and Perception Essay Free Online Research Papers What is the nature of logic and perception? The first step is to discover the meaning of logic and perception to understand nature and how it relates to critical thinking. According to Dictionary.com Unabridged, the meaning of logic is â€Å"the system or principles of reasoning applicable to any branch of knowledge or study (2006).† According to The American Heritage Dictionary, the meaning of perception is â€Å"insight, intuition, or knowledge gained by perceiving (2006).† Continuing on is my experience with how my perception of a real situation was far from the actual reality, what I thought was going on, what was truly going on, why there was a difference, what I learned, and how my critical thinking process changed. From what I have experienced in pregnancy was far from the actual reality that I perceived. I have been with my boyfriend, Dean, for almost eight years now and our relationship has been one hell of a ride. Dean already has a 10-year-old daughter from his previous relationship and he would always hint to me that he wanted a son. The thought of having children freaked me out and I always wanted to get married first. All my friends have children and they are single parents, I want my children to grow up with their real mother and father as I did. Dean and I also fought a great deal and I did not think Dean and I were ready to make such a commitment. Finally, I gave in thinking maybe a baby would bring us closer and help us grow out of our immature lifestyles. July 16, 2008, was the day I found out I was pregnant and gave my boyfriend the good news, and he was ecstatic. During my first trimester, Dean was very supportive and so good to me that I could not have been happier. I had a set schedule, I would go to work Monday through Friday, come home and clean the house, cook dinner, and wait for Dean to come home from work, except Monday nights when I had to go to school. I did things I never thought I would see myself doing. Dean and I were beginning to have a normal relationship. As I fell into six months of pregnancy, things started to change. Dean began to drink almost every night with his friends, come home late if he even came home, and acted careless and grouchy towards me all the time. He did not help me get things ready for the baby, I did practically everything myself. I was beginning to think maybe he was losing interest in me because my body was changing or maybe his plan was to get me pregnant so that he could lock me down. All I knew was that I was beginning to feel depressed, emotional, and unhappy with myself. It was starting to affect my school and job performance. In December, I packed my things and moved to my parent’s house. I needed to clear my head, and I needed to talk to someone who has been through what I was going through, like my mother. She had me write down the things Dean and I would fight about and how I handled those situations. When I retaliate during arguments, I tend to yell, say stupid things, use the silent treatment, or pack my things and leave. I would overreact on little things and I would blame everything on Dean. I guess my personal perceptual block was that I needed to change. I spent so much time pointing out his mistakes that I did not realize my own. I am now eight months pregnant and Dean and I are doing much better. As soon as Dean began to notice that I was making an effort to change, I started to notice a change in him. He now takes me to all my doctor appointments, he spends more time with me, he has been very productive, and Dean and I hardly get into any arguments. I am juggling work, school, and pregnancy and I am doing just fine. Things are truly starting to come together and so is the beginning of a new life and a family. My experience with this pregnancy has made me into a much more responsible and matured adult. I am doing things I never thought I would be doing like grocery shopping, cooking dinner every night, cleaning and washing clothes, like a housewife. Before this, I was lazy, my attitude was very childish, I did not cook, I would not go home after work, and I would always pick fights with Dean. Before I became pregnant, I drank and partied with my friends every week just to avoid problems at home but little did I know, I was adding to the problems. I have learned to deal with issues differently and for the better, like talking nicely or writing letters to express my feelings instead of yelling. Taking short walks or short drives to calm down helps too instead of packing my things and disappearing all the time. Things are now clearer to me regarding the nature of logic and perception and how it relates to critical thinking. Making assumptions and judgments on situations before experiencing them is easy but going through the experiences is learning the truth. I never knew what a big impact pregnancy would have on my life until now. Having children use to be the last thing on my mind but now that I am having one, I could not be more anxious and excited. I am growing and so is my relationship that I thought would eventually end. I have also come to realize through my experience is that people should not wait for others to change; the only person they can change is themselves. Reference Logic.(n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v1.1). Retrieved February 18, 2009, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/logic Perception.(n.d.). The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved February 18, 2009, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perception Research Papers on Logic and Perception EssayThe Damnable Life of FaustYear Round SchoolingImpact of Breast CancerBooker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-BarnettThe Old Man and the Sea EssayLife After Death Personal EssayProbation OfficersThe Broken FamilyAlternative Dispute Resolution ClauseThe Story of Beatrix Potter

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 70

Journal - Essay Example Foer concludes by saying that â€Å"Being attentive to the needs of others†¦ is the work of life† (Foer, 2013, p. 3) since attention can freely be given and obtained to prevent death. I liked the article very much and was pleased with Foer perception of technology on modern human values. I saw myself in Foer’s confusion as a human on whether or not to interject into the life of the crying girl or just forget and respect boundaries (Foer, 2013). I also saw myself in the girl’s shoes as she tries to, probably, make up with her mother but avoids a face-to-face conversation with her. in both cases, I imagine the input to human computing needed to come up with the best decision and realizes that modern day humans place more emphasis on speed while forfeiting the intensity of our actions. Consequently, the relationships developed based on speed are a misery since little or no attention is needed to keep in touch regardless of the distance without necessarily requiring immediate response like is the case with answering machines. I agree with Foer that by getting used to saying little, with the help of technology, humanity is tending towards feeling little, and the future does not promise otherwise given technological advancement and adoption in each generation (Foer,

Human rights in libya Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human rights in libya - Essay Example ministrations and amidst the progressive clashes in others, the hopes for meaningful and permanent human rights changes in these nations and the areas had vanished. In both the Tunisian and Egyptian elections, the parties that had gotten the highest support were in now way committed to the communal principles of human rights. This same scenario has been witnessed in Libya where the post-dictatorship systems are even more unpredictable. The statements about human rights in the discussion of the Arab revolutions had all but vanished (St. John, 2011). This paper considers some of the aspects that have led to this rather disappointing outcome specifically in Libya. The paper proves that political, religious, and cultural factors played a significant role in this failure. As Fathali Moghaddam (2012) points out, dictatorship, not democracy, has characterized human life for many centuries now. This means that our psychological faculties have developed within this framework of social relations. Dictatorship has been the main type of rule for thousands of years, while democracy and by extension human rights have taken much time to form and relocate dictatorship. Dictatorship is much more prevalent that one would acknowledge it is. Libya, for example, has not known anything else apart from tribal regimes and autocracy in one way or another all through its history until the Arab Spring in 2012. In order to understand the reasons why human rights might remain a dream in Libya even after the change of rule, it is important to understand some of the primary elements of psychology that make it possible for dictators such as Gaddafi to assume and stay in power. This can best be seen in what Fathali Moghaddam refers to as the springboard to dictatorship model. In this model, it is clear that it is not only the dictatorship of the person that contributes to his ascension to power, but also the environment of the situation that contributes to the opportunity for dictatorship to