Animal Dreams Essay

In the story of Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver, the main character named Codi had her struggle towards her relationship with her younger sister Hallie. Regarding this, this article tends to explain why such struggle of closeness towards their relationship turned into closeness which is seemingly far and thus inclusion of the relationship changes are discussed. The goal of this paper is to provide a reliable detain of research regarding with the explanations of the story’s relationship changes between the two sisters Codi and Hallie and thus to give an explanation about the themes of the story such as to what it depicts and why it is of importance. Relationship of Codi and Hallie Codie and Hallie are very close to each other since they are the only children of Dr. Homero Noline; they both lived in Tucson Arizona where they are bonded with Codi’s boyfriend Carlo. The sister’s relationship changed a lot when Hallie decided to move from Arizona going to Nicaragua and since Codi felt that there’s no reason for her to stay at Arizona because her sister already left, Codi then decided to go back home where they spend their early life (Kingsolver). Continuing the story, the sister’s relationship went on along even if they are far from each other. They still write a letter for one another in order to inform each other about the events and changes which are happening in their lives. Eventually, Codi gets too busy with her work as a high school teacher at Grace and busy visiting her father who by then is on the first stage of psychological disease. The relationship of the two sisters went stronger when Hallie was reported missing and that she could not be found because she was kidnapped (Kingsolver). Similarities of Codi and Hallie The main idea of Codi and Hallie’s similarity is that they both have concern with the environmental issue such as doing something in order to influence the other people and thus to make them realize how their place are being ruined by the pollution and that the administration just seemed to ignore such problem. They are both doing an act towards the pollution issue which made them oppose the administration; Hallie by involving herself in movement which uses certain farming techniques that depict the difficulties of the farmers of their place at Grace in farming due to the lack of supply of water for their planted trees and Codi by helping the Stitch and Bitch Club through a fund racing activity wherein the fund will be used for projects toward environmental protection and or environmental problem resolution (Kingsolver). The Themes Fertility Fertility throughout the story gives an emphasis towards Codi’s situation in the novel wherein she lost her child twice. This part of the novel was written by the author in order to open the readers’ eyes about the essence or importance of having a future baby because bearing a child simply means the generation of a new group of people for a certain community and for the continuous movement of life and history from the past towards the present through the new generation (Kingsolver). Fertility as the theme of the story wanted people to realize that it is not purely a medical or scientific matter and thus in order for a certain person to regenerate a new offspring, she must know how to take care of the life which lies inside her. Fertility in the story is also depicted as a matter as important as preserving a certain generation or community wherein it is subjected to an issue of getting extinct or the threat to a community’s existence (Kingsolver). The importance of fertility in the novel wanted people to realize that preservation of life for a new generation of people is important and thus a new life could serve a new hope for every problem’s resolution. In the novel, the womb of a certain mother is symbolized by the Graceland and the baby in it is symbolized by the environment and environmental resources which are at the risk of being totally destroyed. Mainly, Fertility means saving the environment in order to preserve the place or the earth is depicted by preserving the child inside mother’s womb in order to generate a new offspring (Kingsolver). Fertility changes in the story when Codi lost the child that she bears inside her as it was also depicted in the place’s situation when Grace is in the verge of slowly dying because of the pollutants which are present and are mixed up in their agricultural place and in the whole environment. Children’s Importance In the story, children’s importance is explained to as; they are the ones who will continue the legacy or history of a certain family. A child also symbolizes the difficulties and sacrifices of the parents most specially the difficulties of the mothers who tend to bear a child and give birth. Children are the one who will pursue the conviction of their parents as it was depicted by Codi who was supposed to be a doctor just like his father but eventually dropped out of school because of her being pregnant (Kingsolver). Children are depicted to as the fulfillment of dreams and hopes for the future as it was symbolized by the presence of children in the story hence they are sometimes being disregarded as to taken advantage of wherein in the story; Codi disregarded her situation of pregnancy wherein she did not take care of herself but instead did all what she ought to do which led her to loss the child which she carries inside her. Codi’s Pregnancy/Miscarriage Cody got pregnant at the age of 15, she never told anyone about her situation because she didn’t want Hallie and her father to loose her closeness towards them and so she kept the secret into herself but she did not know that her father observed her and that Mr. Noline knows that his daughter was pregnant. Because Codi was careless about her own body, she lost the baby wherein she really hoped for it to be gone and thus she once dreamt of losing the baby from her womb (Kingsolver). Codi’s being careless regarding with her fertility can depict two certain premises which could frame her in the story. The first premise is the death of her beloved mother and secondly is the death of her own child inside her womb. Through interpreting the character of Codi in the novel regarding her pregnancy, a certain reader could correlate her to destruction of a new seed of life because for Cody; loving someone is also losing which explains that when a certain person loves someone or anything, he or she will loose his or her control towards his or her emotion and thus she will be hurt when that person or matter he or she loved will be lost from his/her possession (Kingsolver). Political Part of the Novel The real purpose of the novel by Kingsolver is to depict the situation of a certain place in America wherein the land is said to be a fertile land which is good for planting and/or farming which is eventually ruined by the miners producing water pollutants from the mines going to the places’ body of water which tended to destroy the richness of the land. This novel depicts the year 1950 when copper manufacturing mine is one of the most important resource of such Native Americans (Kingsolver). Kingsolver depicted the political system of the United States during the year of 1980’s by narrating the situation or Nicaragua in the novel. Nicaragua was stated as the largest State in the central part of America wherein on the year 1979 a certain socialist group named the Sandinistas along with the FSLN or the National Liberation Front in the United States joined forces in order to overthrow the dictator system of Anastasio Somoza which reigned for over 46 years. After the dictator was overthrown, the FSLN executed a socialist kind of government wherein they made all the major industries nationalized during that period and thus they executed a certain reform, agrarian reform, in order to give help to those small farmers and in order to support such industries of farming (Kingsolver). The FSLN also made a program which strengthened the system of education and other important programs such as health care management and regarding this, the CIA, unknown by the socialists, established a plan in order to oppose the goals and management of the socialist groups and leaders (Kingsolver). Conclusion The novel by Kingsolver entitled Animal Dreams is what the author used to express the reality somewhere in the Central part of America wherein the agricultural management is disregarded by the government and thus the environment is polluted by the mining manufacturers. This novel symbolizes the true event of the Central America by narrating the Grace’s problem about the environment and it’s near to destroyance wherein the Sandinistas can be seen in the character of both Hallie and her sister Codi. Through the novel, the author makes readers realize that preserving a child’s safety while it is in the womb is like preserving the safety of a threatened environment wherein when the mother does a small mistake then the baby will die without being born and just like the environment’s situation, one mistake or wrong deed from the people and the environment or the earth as a whole will die or will be destroyed. Work Cited Kingsolver, Barbara. â€Å"Animal Dreams. † HarperCollins, 1990.

Relationship Diagram (ERD) for the following scenario Essay

A salesperson may manage many other salespeople. A salesperson is managed by only one salespeople. A salesperson can be an agent for many customers. A customer is managed by one salespeople. A customer can place many orders. An order can be placed by one customer. An order lists many inventory items. When the order is made for number of inventory items, the date and the amount is recorded. An inventory item may be listed on many orders. An inventory item is assembled from many parts. A part may be assembled into many inventory items. Many employees assemble an inventory item from many parts. While the employee assemble, if any fault, it is identified with fault-log-id, fault-log-name. A supplier supplies many parts. A part may be supplied by many suppliers. Draw the Entity- Relationship Diagram (ERD) for the following scenario: UPS prides itself on having up-to-date information on the processing and current location of each shipped item. To do this, UPS relies on a company-wide information system. Shipped items are the heart of the UPS product tracking information system. Shipped items can be characterized by item number (unique), weight, dimensions, insurance amount, destination, and final delivery date. Shipped items are received into the UPS system at a single retail center. Retail centers are characterized by their type, uniqueID, and address. Shipped items make their way to their destination via one or more standard UPS transportation events (i.e., flights, truck deliveries) . These transportation events are characterized by a unique scheduleNumber, a type (e.g, flight, truck), and a deliveryRoute. Please create an Entity Relationship diagram that captures this information about the UPS system. Be certain to indicate identifiers and cardinality constraints. Draw the Entity- Relationship Diagram (ERD) for the following scenario: The company is organized into DEPARTMENTs. Each department has a name, number and an employee who manages the department. We keep track of the start date of the department manager. A department may have several locations. Each department Controls a number of PROJECTs. Each project has a unique name, unique number and is located at a single location. We store each EMPLOYEE’s social security number, address, salary, sex, and birthdate. Each employee works for one department but may work on several projects. We keep track of the number of hours per week that an employee currently works on each project. We also keep track of the direct supervisor of each employee. Each employee may have a number of DEPENDENTs For each dependent, we keep track of their name, sex, birthdate, and relationship to the employee. Draw the Entity- Relationship Diagram (ERD) for the following scenario: A Bus Company owns a number of busses. Each bus is allocated to a particular route, although some routes may have several busses. Each route passes through a number of towns. One or more drivers are allocated to each stage of a route, which corresponds to a journey through some or all of the towns on a route. Some of the towns have a garage where busses are kept and each of the busses are identified by the registration number and can carry different numbers of passengers, since the vehicles vary in size and can be single or double-decked. Each route is identified by a route number and information is available on the average number of passengers carried per day for each route. Drivers have an employee number, name, address, and sometimes a telephone number. Draw the Entity- Relationship Diagram (ERD) for the following scenario: A lecturer, identified by his or her number, name and room number, is responsible for organising a number of course modules. Each module has a unique code and also a name and each module can involve a number of lecturers who deliver part of it. A module is composed of a series of lectures and because of economic constraints and common sense, sometimes lecture son a given topic can be part of more than one module. A lecture has  a time, room and dateand is delivered by a lecturer and a lecturer may deliver more than one lecture. Students, identified by number and name, can attend lectures and a student must be registered for a number of modules. We also store the date on which the student first registered for that module. Finally, a lecturer acts as a tutor for a number of students and each student has only one tutor.†

Business of weightloss Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business of weightloss - Assignment Example There are certain principles that anchor the success of South Beach Diet as outlined in the sections below. The principle used is based on Glycaemic Index where carbohydrates are broken down into sugar after consumption and absorbed to the bloodstream resulting in high blood sugar causing the release of insulin to reduce it (Agatston, 18). In the first, phase South Beach Diet proposes a carbohydrate free diet that results in energy for the body and fat storage. Owing to the lack of carbohydrates, the body will retrieve stored fats and burn them to produce energy to ensure energy balance in the body is maintained leading to about 3.5 to 5.5 kg loss of weight. To ensure energy balance is maintained in the body, gradual introduction of low glycemic foods and high fiber carbohydrates are reintroduced in the diet in phase two raising insulin levels at a slower rate than starchy carbohydrates. These food aids in supplementing the required energy for the body despite being on a weight loss program. After achieving the desired weight through phases 1 and 2 of the South Beach Diet, maintain the lifestyle principles of phase 1 and 2 is recommended however all the foods are eaten in moderation to avoid intake of more calories than is needed in the body. The diet encourages intake of fruits and vegetables as well as fiber and whole grains to ensure healthy diet and maintenance of weight. At this stage, the diet recommends 3 servings o starch, 3 pieces o fruit, and at most 2 tablespoons of good fat to ensure that the weight remains at the desired level. Healthy living is the other aim of South Beach Diet and this is achieved through drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, supplementing the body with minerals and vitamins with a recommendation of 500 mg of calcium for anyone below 50 years, and 1000 mg for women aged above 50 years. Avoiding caffeinated drinks and alcohol is the other measure of maintaining a healthy body as

Changes in the U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Changes in the U.S - Essay Example There was further forced migration that constituted the internal slave trade, which carried black people from the Atlantic coast to the American South interior (Horton & Horton, 2005). According to Klein (2010), the initial experience of the group in America constituted mistreatment from the landowners and white Americans. They could be locked in stinking slave ships, and they lost freedom, and they were subjected long years of slavery that followed their stay in the United States. There used to be inhumane acts that caused a lot of suffering to the blacks before they could cope with life in a new environment. Over time, the experience of West Africans in the United States changed, especially with the realization that they needed to liberate themselves. The blacks gained determination to free themselves from dehumanizing circumstances, as they gained confidence that could eventually gain freedom. The American civil war resulted from the continuous efforts of slaves to be free from bondage. The migration of West Africans to the United States during the slave trade had significant impacts on life in the United States. The immigration of this group changed the United States in that it led to economic development, which was fuelled by the presence of cheap labor to work in the farms. Industrial revolution emerged from transatlantic slave trade since the slaves could provide the labor needed in industries. The immigration of West Africans to the United States also led to the rise of slums, which mainly comprised of the poor slaves. In addition, there emerged stratification and discrimination based on gender whereby African Americans could not access the privileges accorded to white Americans (Jalloh & Falola,

Questionaire design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Questionaire design - Essay Example The second and third pages constitute the actual questions which are 30 in total. A correct answer gets 2 score. Answer next to correct gets one. The other two answers get zero score. (Example, if correct answer is 3: a) '0' gets no score, b) '1' gets no score, c) '2' gets 1 score, and d) gets 2 score. Correct Answers 1-3, 2-0, 3-0, 4-3, 5-3, 6-3, 7-0, 8-3, 9-0, 10-3, 11-0, 12-3, 13-0, 14-3, 15-0, 16-3, 17-0, 18-3, 19-3, 20-3, 21-0, 22-3, 23-0, 24-0, 25-3, 26-0, 27-3, 28-3, 29-0, 30-3. Scoring 46-60. Maximum zone. Person knows a credible deal about the WTO, and understands its policies and issues to an expert level. 31-45. Above-average. Person has reasonable understanding of WTO concerns, however there are issues of which he is oblivious. 16-30. Below-average. The person ceases to have an optimal awareness about the WTO. Has some idea, but is devoid of in depth information. 0-15. Minimum zone. The person knows about the WTO to an adequate level. The information is incorrect, and a dearth of insight into the organization is there. WTO Name: Date: Please read each statement and circle a number 0, 1, 2 or 3 which indicates how much the statement applies to you. Kindly do not spend too much time on any statement. The rating scale is as follows: 0 No 1 Possibly incorrect 2 Possibly correct 3 Yes 1 WTO is an international, multilateral organization, which sets the rules for the global trading system 0 1 2 3 2 There are 169 members of the WTO 0 1 2 3 3 WTO was founded in 1992 0 1 2 3 4 WTO has been a major focus for protests by civil society groups in many countries 0 1 2 3 5 GATT was an element of ITO 0 1 2 3 6 The Uruguay round lead to the formation of WTO 0 1 2 3 7 The WTO states that its aims are to decrease international trade by promoting lower trade barriers 0 1 2 3 8 A trading system should tend toward greater competition 0 1 2 3 9 Most of the WTO's decisions are made in informal meetings, often called 'Red Room' meetings 0 1 2 3 10 The topmost decision-making body of the WTO is the Ministerial Conference, which has to meet at least every two years 0 1 2 3 11 The General Council is the WTO's highest-level decision-making body in New York 0 1 2 3 12 The Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB) is open to all WTO Members 0 1 2 3 13 Doha Round was the 5th ministerial conference 0 1 2 3 14 One of the principal functions of the WTO is to act as an arbiter of disputes between member states 0 1 2 3 15 The Dispute Settlement Panel is usually made up of five trade officials 0 1 2 3 Please turn the page Reminder of rating scale: 0 No 1 Possibly incorrect 2 Possibly correct 3 Yes 16 Member countries must sign and ratify all WTO agreements upon their accession 0 1 2 3 17 The Agreement on Agriculture is criticised for increasing tariff protections for small farmers 0 1 2

Extra Credit ANTH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Extra Credit ANTH - Essay Example The scientists simply study humanity; they tend to figure around how the human race has changed to the current state it is today. Cultural Anthropology is a branch that is concerned with the behavior patterns of the human race. This entails acts of man of clothing, religious activities, and land activities. The cultural branch of anthropology is divided into two, on is ethno linguists, which deals with the study of culture language and ethnomusicologists which is the study of music traditions. Archeology is also another branch of anthropology that deals with the study of society culture. This involves the study of artefacts which reflect the early mans culture and their daily life.Lingustic deals with the study of language. This branch tends to explain how man communicated both verbally or in written form. Physical Anthropology is a branch of anthropology that is concerned with the study of human evolution and the genetics of human race. Anthropologists study everywhere humans and th eir ancestors lived. The scientist through their investigations tend to answer the question ‘why are we what we are’ as biological organisims.The biological changes responsible for bringing humanity to its present state. The ancestral remains in bone form of the human race are called hominids. Anthropologists study the hominids on their physical appearance, intelligence change that makes man distinct from other creatures. The study of the genes in man and how they influenced by the environment. Environmental factors and the effect it has to man, this include climate. The scientists investigate on the reaction of man in relation to the climatic changes. The advantages and the disadvantages of climate on the social and cultural well being of man. The scientist study the human population in relation to climate. The difference of human beings to other creatures in relation to physical anthropology research have been identified. Man is a bipedal creature, he walks on two fee t. The human race has a unique dental structure different from other creaturers.Human beings have a material culture, of which they use objects to manipulate a given environment. According to Anthropologists man has a developed thinking capacity compared to other creatures. Scientists have built a system of ideas to link thoughts explaining the result of an experiment. A fundamental theory on the origin of man was constructed by Charles Darwin. He was given the responsibility of collection, documentation and study of the natural world. Darwin succeeded in coming up with the variations of physical characteristics and their adaptations. He termed adaptation as Natural Selection; this is where the biological characteristics of species boost their survival. In his research he acquired information from scientific subjects which are taxonomy, geology, paleontology, demography and systematics. There were various contributions of scientists in coming up with a theory on evolution.Scientst R obert Hooke was the first in the discovery of cells using a simple microscope. Georges Cuvier discovered the concept of extinction by studying a fish fossil. James Hutton provided evidence is the construction of evolution life span. John Ray discovered the first scientific classification of plants and animals. Thomas Malthus came up with the survival characteristic concept. Carolus Linnaeus came up with a classification system by giving organisms unique names for easy classification. He came up with the taxonomic classification o

Academic Skills of Essays and Report Writing Essay

Academic Skills of Essays and Report Writing - Essay Example This paper provides an in-depth discussion on the possibility of academic skills in report writing and essays increasing one’s employability and making them more competitive in the global market.Apart from being knowledgeable, many employers will always want people with critical thinking abilities. In fact, some employers will even prefer critical thinkers to knowledgeable employees. Due to the fact that writing reports and essays usually involve critical thinking one’s critical thinking abilities are always improved in the process. Â  Critical thinking can be defined as a reflective and purposeful analysis, which leads to conclusions that had not been reached before. Â  One reason as to why report and essay writing can be said to enhance critical thinking is the fact that through such processes students usually interact with different perspectives. This makes them able to view situations from various perspectives. Having numerous perspectives will mean that you are a ble to give more than one possible solutions to issues in the field.Some people might have some concept, but fail to present the concept in a manner that it will be easily understood. No employer will be willing to employ an employee who does not know how to present his or her information in a manner that is clear and easily understandable. This is the reason as to why report and essay writing can be of importance in increasing one’s employability. Â  When one is involved in the essay and report writing processes one will definitely be in a position to know how to present concepts in a manner that they can easily make sense. If one is not able to present concepts and ideas in a way that some meaning can be deduced from them, then the concepts and ideas are as good as non-existent. This is because it would not be of any help to the organization.

Compare and contrast Judaism and Christianity Term Paper

Compare and contrast Judaism and Christianity - Term Paper Example Usually, the Christ’s statutes are prevalent in both Testaments that act as a prediction of the coming of the Christ (Spencer, 2007). The faith has various denominations: the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Protestants. Though there are small diversities in their beliefs, they adhere to the same statutes. Christians hold the notion of Eternity reserved for the upright and perpetual damnation as a reprimand for unrighteous life on earth (Doerfler, 2011). Judaism versus Christianity Judaism is a Jewish creed that that sticks to the statutes unraveled to Moses by God. The main belief of Judaism is the notion that persons of all denominations are God’s children (Taubes et al., 2010). They believe in equality before God. The Jews do not acknowledge Jesus is the Messiah; they usually contend with argument that their Messiah, the real one, will emerge when the entire world attains peace. Christians embrace Christ as their Messiah and liberator (Taubes et al., 2010). The Jews normally claim they are God’s elect and live in accordance to His directives contrary to other nations. This argument emanates from the old patriarchs whom they emulate. Though their creed normally refers to them as â€Å"forefathers† due to their astuteness, statutes they adhered to are irrefutable and attained them from the Almighty (Spencer, 2007). Since the time epoch of the forefathers, much time has elapsed; Jews, however, are not ready to abandon their teaching as they refute other doctrines and consider them fake. Despite the Messiah having emanated from their land and been rejected by their ancestors, they think that those who believe in him have false convictions (Taubes et al., 2010). ... The Christians claim that they sinned, so God sent Jesus for their liberation. Some Christian denominations like the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church utilize statues to portray Christ and the saints. Conversely, Judaism seldom allows the use of statues because it perceives them as idolatry (Spencer, 2007). Argument behind the statutes is that they are tools that remind the faithful of heavenly things in diverse occasions. Catholics are notorious with this style where the images are constituted of saints or remarkable events that occurred in the past (Taubes et al., 2010). Additionally, there are medals which bear significant implications such as protection by saints or angels. Conversely, this belief is nonexistent in Judaism since it is God who is the doer of everything and certain entities cannot assume His place (Spencer, 2007). The Christian and the Judaic creeds are alike in that they both worship one superlative being, though people mistake Christians for portraying Trin ity (Spencer, 2007). Christians perceive Judaism as an incomplete creed for it does not acknowledge Christ as the Messiah. They also contend that Islam and Buddhism form false religions (Taubes et al., 2010). Jews hold the notion that Christians believe in the false Messiah. The rationale is that the world has not attained the rightful age of 6000 years. These religions amidst them do have diverse and acute differences that they normally protect or argue fiercely when one raises any criticism against them. For example, Jews fail to recognize Muhammad as a spiritualist of the Islamic belief (Taubes et al., 2010). The Protestants refute that Holy Mary through prayer can

Reserach Methodology Essay Example for Free

Reserach Methodology Essay 3.1 Research Design This study is a quantitative-descriptive in nature where the purpose is to describe the level of student’s satisfaction on services provided by the school towards the enrollment system through quantitative research method to quantify and reflect in numbers the observation made of the respondents being studied (Sampa, 2012). It attempts to explore and explain while providing additional information about the topic. This is where research is trying to describe what is happening in more detail, filling in the missing parts and expanding our understanding. This is also where as much information is collected as possible instead of making guesses or elaborate models to predict the future the what and how, rather than the why. The researchers used a modified questionnaire which answers the first two objectives of this study which is the extent to which students meets and/or exceeds their expectations and perceptions towards the enrollment system provided by the University of Mindanao. 3.2 Research Respondents The respondents of this study were the students of University of Mindanao selected randomly according to their year level and their type (freshmen, old student, and transferee). 3.2.1 Population Population, statistically, refers to the entire aggregate of items, i.e., group of people or element, who shares common set of characteristics or interest, from which samples can be drawn, in which the researcher wishes to investigate. University of Mindanao has large population of students from both Bolton Campus and Matina Campus, hence, the population refers to the University of Mindanao students who are enrolled in Matina Campus. 3.2.2 Sampling Frame Sampling Frame refers to the target population. In this study, 60 respondents was selected from students currently enrolled in Matina Campus. 3.2.3 Types of Sampling Technique The researcher chose the simple random sampling whereby every element is selected independently and the sample is drawn by a random procedure from  the sampling frame. Sekaran(2003) as cited by Abdullah (2005) points out that through simple random sampling technique, all elements in the population are carefully weigh and each element has an equal chance of being chosen as the subject. If the main objective of this study is to generalize the ability of the findings to the whole population then, this sampling design is best suited. 3.2.4 Sampling Size It is concerned with how many people that should be surveyed. The sample size larger than 30 and less than 500 are appropriate for most research (Roscoe (1975) cited by Abdullah ( 2005)). It is believe that large sample generates inevitable results than smaller samples. However, it is not necessary to sample the entire target population or even a material portion to have reliable results. With this, the researcher only chose 60 sample units as the sampling size randomly due to the time constraints, cost and other human resources. Sixty questionnaires were being distributed to respondents who are currently enrolled in Matina Campus. 3.3 Research Instruments The researchers used a survey questionnaire in checklist form. This instrument was modified by the researchers to establish the level of student’s satisfaction on enrolment system provided by University of Mindanao. The instrument determined, among others, the gender, type of student (freshmen, old student and transferees), and year level of the respondents. The Itemized Rating Scale survey was the selected questionnaire type as this enabled the respondents to answer the survey easily. Though, it is somewhat similar to Likert Scale but it uses other than agreement /disagreement item statement. This rating scale requires the subject to indicate his or her level of satisfaction to a statement. In this type of questionnaire, the respondents were given five response choices.

Groups, Teams, and Conflict Essay Example for Free

Groups, Teams, and Conflict Essay Strategies There are various strategies available to aid in effective team building. One step is developing a recruiting strategy that supports the organization’s diversity goals. Volunteering time to organizations that serve the needs of underrepresented segments of the population is another way to enhance your company’s reputation as an employer that values diversity. Another step that can be used is by registering the organization with local job agencies, such as the local Workforce Center. The organization can also contact universities, trade schools and other academic institutions with information about the company and keep them informed of job openings they can post for graduating students. Organizations can also create partnerships with national and local organizations to promote the company’s image. It can also help to participate in industry events, and include employees in the company’s current workforce who represent various forms of diversity. The organization should not limit its definition of diversity to race, color, sex, national origin or religion but should expand its concept of diversity to include multi-generational diversity as well as diversity in work styles and cultures. One of the most important strategies is to construct work teams with diversity in mind. Whenever possible, the organization should assign employees to work on teams together who otherwise would not have the opportunity to work together. They should assemble groups of people who represent varied work styles, generations, skills and culture and encourage collaboration and synergy among employees through embracing differences (Huebsch, 2013). Challenges One of the biggest challenges with diversity is misconception. Most people associate the word diversity with multicultural issues, but it also covers  the differences in age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, background, and even position of power. Failing to recognize this can result in accidental discrimination against certain groups. Several types of workplace diversity challenges exist. These issues can strengthen a company or ruin one. Communication is essential to diversity in the workplace. Every person and cultural group communicates differently, which can be the biggest challenge of a diversified team. Sometimes employees misinterpret tone, e-mails, and body language, and fail to respond appropriately. Employees that resist change can be a significant diversity barrier. If someone has been raised a certain way, it can be difficult to adapt overnight. Having one resistant employee can throw off the organization’s balance. An organization benefits more when its manager is on board with major decisions for maximum results. Diversity will not work without a supportive manager (Holt, 2013). Conclusion The best way for an organization to determine which strategy works best for, is by looking at the success of the team and ultimately how the organization benefits from the teams work. As we all know, there will be challenges with any team/group because you have different people from different backgrounds, different personalities, and different outlooks on life. However, if the organization can get each member to recognize that their success ultimately depends on the success of the company, I believe that the diversity of the group will no longer be a primary issue. Instead each team member will begin to pay more attention to the work and less about the differences of each team member in regard to themselves. Once the organization begins to benefit from the team’s success, it will be evident that the strategy chosen is a success. References Holt, M. (2013). Workplace Diversity Challenges. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/create-diverse-workplace-10154.html Huebsch, R. (2013). Workplace Diversity Strategy. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/workplace-diversity-strategy-4925.html

Netflix Marketing Plan and SWOT Analysis

Netflix Marketing Plan and SWOT Analysis Brand or Company Description   Netflix is subscription service on the internet that offers a variety of TV shows and movies. Netflix is a forerunner in the internet delivery of TV shows and movies, launching its streaming service in 2007. Since this time, the company has developed a wide variety of internet-connected devices and has licensed increasing amounts of content that enable consumers to enjoy their favorite TV shows and movies no matter where they are at because they can access this content on their TVs, computers or mobile devices. As a result of these efforts, Netflix has experienced growing consumer acceptance of and interest in the delivery of TV shows and movies directly over the Internet (Netflix, 2018). Core Products or Services   Subscribers can watch unlimited TV shows and movies instantly. Content can be streamed over the Internet to their TVs, computers and mobile devices and, in the United States, subscribers can also receive standard definition DVDs, as well as Blu-ray discs, delivered  directly to their homes. Netflix markets its service through various channels, including online advertising, broad-based media, such as television and radio, as well as various strategic partnerships. In addition to various marketing strategies, the company offers free-trial memberships to new and rejoining members. According to Netflix, rejoining members are an important source of subscriber additions (Netflix, 2018). A Brief History   Netflix is an American entertainment company founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph  on August 29, 1997, in Scotts Valley, California. The company expanded into film in 2016 as well as television production and online distribution. The company is headquartered in Los Gatos, California. As of January 2016, Netflix is operating in over 190 countries and has greatly expanded the production of both film and television series. Netflix released an estimated 126 original series or films in 2016, more than any other network or cable channel. As of January 2018, Netflix had 117.58 million paying subscribers worldwide, including 54.75 million in the United States (Netflix, 2018). Key current competitors   The market for entertainment video is competitive and changes rapidly. Competitors  have the ability to launch new businesses at relatively low costs. Many consumers maintain subscriptions to multiple entertainment video providers at once and can easily shift from one provider to another. Netflix competitors include multichannel video programming distributors with free TV everywhere and video-on-demand content including cable providers, such as Time Warner and Comcast. Direct broadcast satellite providers, such as DIRECTV and EchoStar, as well as telecommunication providers such as AT&T and Verizon, are also key competitors for Netflix. Internet movie and TV content providers, such as Apple’s iTunes, Amazon.com, Hulu.com and Google’s YouTube are also sources of competition.  DVD rental outlets such as Blockbuster and Red-box also are also included in the list of key competitors that Netflix faces (Netflix, 2018).  Ã‚   SWOT Analysis   SWOT Analysis: Strengths   1.  Brand Name   After ten years, Netflix has become the sole brand name for online streaming content with a share price increase of over 6000% since 2007 (Bradshaw  & Bond, 2017). Often consumers are much more likely to go with a brand name they know and trust than an off-brand that may or may not be a better value for their money. This is one way Netflix can capitalize and grow their business. Being the known familiar service provider puts them at a greater advantage of not only keeping their customers but attaining new ones. 2.  Large customer base Through serving 190 countries, Netflix has access to over 100 million subscribers. This strength gives the company bargaining power when in talks with studios to secure exclusive content (Bradshaw  & Bond, 2017).  The popularity and convenience of Netflix is one of its greatest strengths. This makes them able to accommodate and appeal to a very large customer base and has the ability to further expand and develop in more areas, including partnerships and expansions in various areas and with various companies in a variety of countries. Growth will likely continue as the company goes forward and continues to expand. Customers are opting for the convenience of consuming entertainment online and Netflix continues to expand internationally. 3.Original content Through careful acquisitions, Netflix have secured numerous original shows that have appealed to audiences. In 2017, two Netflix shows are so popular they have pushed subscribers from 83m to over 100m in one quarter (Bradshaw & Bond, 2017). The House of Cards was a game changer for Netflix. All episodes of the first season of the show were released at the same time, and the response of the critics was overwhelmingly positive. The House of Cards not only attracted many new users but also proved that the key to their customers’ loyalty is a unique and abundant content library. The company continues to working on adding new shows such as 30 kids’ shows, ten new feature films, 12 documentaries, and ten stand-up comedy specials (Netflix, 2018). SWOT Analysis: Weaknesses   1.  Cost of original content While its original content creates a competitive advantage for the company, the cost continues to grow  in order to  support this content. In 2017, it is expected for Netflix to invest $2.5 billion  solely on securing original content rights.  To keep prices competitively low, Netflix  will need  to find a balance between maintaining good relationships with the distributors and aggressively negotiating content licensing costs with them. This type of dependence can result in a vulnerability that could prove to be very costly (Bradshaw, 2017). 2.  Lack of rights to original content   Unlike many traditional television studios, Netflix does not own most of their original programming. Due to this, rights usually expire after a year and the original content can be shown on rival services (Bradshaw, 2017). This is an area that serves as a potential weakness especially related to retaining customers and keeping costs low. 3.  Environmental cost   Netflix has been ranked poorly in terms of environmental awareness. This has given them bad publicity for the company as rival competitors such as Amazon and Facebook use over 40% renewable energy with their services (Lewis, 2016). SWOT Analysis: Threats   1.  Increased competition Facebook is the latest to try and take on traditional media by launching its own original content. Amazon, Hulu, HBO, and YouTube are all competing for audiences to subscribe to their platforms. For Netflix, this will continue to develop as more companies seek to buy the latest original content exclusively for their platform (Bradshaw, 2017). 2.  Digital Piracy For more than 30 content providers, including Netflix, piracy has led to 5.4 billion  downloads of media content in 2016 alone. This threatens Netflixs business model and ability to fund content in the future (Opam, 2017). The ability for viewers to get the same content basically for free is a huge potential threat for Netflixs bottom line and ability to continue to dominate the market. SWOT Analysis: Opportunities   1.  Expansion into China Difficulties with licensing has left Netflix unable to enter China through traditional means. The company must find a joint-venture to capitalize on the 500 million  Chinese users who currently stream media content (Russell, 2017). 2.  Partnerships in Europe   To meet new European laws, Netflix can partner with the BBC and Canal Plus to gain access to a wealth of native-language European content and grow customers in local markets (Murgia & Bond, 2017). 3.  Growth of technology With the growth of streaming content, Netflix must continue to come up with new ways to allow customers to access their content and provide further competitive advantages. A growing market for content is foreign-language programming. Partnerships with local-language content will help Netflix to be able to be a rival for local streaming services and help them to be a leader among this (Mintel, 2016). Marketing Plan Focus   Based on my SWOT analysis, I believe there is an opportunity to expand internationally by partnering with telecommunications companies such as Samsung to make the application readily available for customers on their devices in overseas markets. For this marketing plan, I’ve come up with an idea to incorporate the Netflix application into Android devices. This would target a particular demographic, and could help to begin to solve the issues Netflix faces internationally. The app would have early childhood development movies and songs that would help little children and as well the already existing list of unending movie for all ages. Segmentation Approach   For this marketing plan, I’ve opted for a straightforward demographic approach to segmenting the market given my desire to target a specific age group. I considered a behavioral approach based on past purchase history as captured via use of the McDonald’s app. However, the app was only introduced in late 2015 and age is not captured in the registration process (unless a social media log ­in is used). Furthermore, I don’t want to limit my audience to just existing customers. Given the broad appeal of the McDonald’s concept and its national footprint, I did not feel geographic targeting or formal psychographic targeting was needed. Target Definition   My target for the Netflix K is families with young children and adolescents ranging from the age of 2 to 12 years old. An interest in learning and technology would allow for further media targeting. Positioning Statement   Netflix K A time for parents to have quality moments with their children while watching them learn, grow and excel academically in the privacy and comfort of home. Marketing Mix Discussion   Marketing Mix: Product This marketing plan is centered around education and the benefit of families coming together and sharing quality moments with the thrill of old favorites and new exciting learning opportunities. The core idea is to use advertisement to create awareness in between episodes and popups advertisement when the application is not in use or in between episodes when in use.   With the already exiting approach of having it available to Android devices it would help market itself by being readily available Marketing Mix: Price   Netflix strategy would be to retain its already existing customer base by offering 10% discounts on yearly subscriptions and 15% discount to customers that have been a Netflix member for more than 3 years. Included in the price new series would be offered at a 50% off rate compared to its competitors such as Hulu.com and Amazon Prime in order to be able to win and secure future customers. This is characterized as skimming as they are trying to take business from their competitors by offering the same service at a reduced rate. Marketing Mix: Promotion   In addition to the promotional pricing deal discussed above, there would be an opportunity to redeem a promotion code to save money on a family night out package based on local available retailers. This would be a way for Netflix to partner with local companies in order to help them gain acceptance internationally. Marketing Mix: Place   I would make use of a dedicated Netflix K microsite where customers could go to learn more about the promotion and app and to have the possibility to win promotion codes and save additional money on family nights out as well as the possibility of earning months free towards their Netflix subscription. This would also encourage additional downloads of the Netflix K app and promotion of a larger and growing customer base. Potential Success Metrics   Customer Satisfaction Knowing if people are actually satisfied with the service or product is very important.   Customer satisfaction can be a helpful metric in guiding a marketing campaign. Getting feedback directly from customer is an easy way to measure satisfaction. One way to do this would be to add a standard Google consumer survey to the app or site for free. With a few simple questions, you can find if  your customers are satisfied with the app or site, what they dont like about the app or site, and whether or not they will continue using the app. User Engagement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tracking visits and signups is important, but focusing on how much time a user spends on your website or app is important as well. This has the ability to provide a realistic view and can base future success around this consideration. Progress It is always important to keep moving forward and having a forward momentum. If a company is making strong progress on a day to day basis, then it will likely be creating new opportunities and growing the business overall. This will allow the company to accomplish its overall goal and keep them on track. International Considerations   Netflix faces the challenge of being able to make their international segment profitable. Netflix will need to invest in local content and better streaming quality over low bandwidth connections in order to attract subscribers. Netflix will have to expand this base quickly in order to be able to recover the associated costs. Netflix will also have to consider the competition of other providers such as Amazon and YouTube who are also looking to capture this segment of the market. Another challenge Netflix faces related to international markets such as India, is lower internet penetration and existing connections with low bandwidth. These factors limit its target consumers in these countries to the small section of the population that have access to high speed internet. Viewing preferences is another consideration that will have to be addressed as these differ from country to country and even between different regions of the same country. In order to attract subscribers, Netflix needs to have a broad content library catering to the preferences of the diverse audience (Bradshaw & Bond, 2017). Conclusion   The Netflix K marketing plan should be approved for funding because it has the opportunity to generate a great deal of business and success in entering many foreign markets not previously entered in. Associating Netflix with current technology such as Samsung and then appealing to a customer base of families with children has the possibility of building a strong business base in this target population and areas abroad. This will also help build affinity and rapport with local businesses in foreign destinations helping Netflix to become a top international company not just a top American company. References Bradshaw, T. (2017) Netflix boosted as viewers outside the US tune in.  Financial Times.  Retrieved from   https://www.ft.com/content/e8c742f2-6b34-11e7-b9c7-15af748b60d0. Bradshaw, T., and Bond, S. (2017). Netflix looks to become worlds entertainer as it hits   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   milestone.  Financial Times.  Retrieved from   https://www.ft.com/content/06b55bb8-6d0c-11e7-bfeb-33fe0c5b7eaa. Lewis, D. (2016). Will the internet of things sacrifice or save the environment?  Guardian   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Business.  Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/dec/12/will-the-internet-of-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   things-sacrifice-or-save-the-environment. Mintel, J.  (2016). Music and Video Streaming-UK-April 2016.  Mintel Academic.  Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from  http://academic.mintel.com/display/770307/. Murgia, M., and Bond, D. (2017). Netflix seeks European crown in local content push.  Financial   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Times.  Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/c286c25e-04d5-11e7-aa5b-6bb07f5c8e12. Netflix Inc. business description. (2018).  CSIMarket.com.  Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from  https://csimarket.com/stocks/NFLX-Business-Description.html. Opam, K. (2017). HBO, Netflix, other Hollywood companies join forces to fight piracy.  The Verge.  Retreived from  https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/13/15791688/hbo-netflix-hollywood-ace-fight-piracy. Russell, J. (2017). Netflix enters China via licensing deal with top video streaming service iQiyi.  Tech Crunch.  Retrieved from  https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/25/netflix-china-iqiyi/.

Haimons Covert Scheme Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Haimon has a certain tendency to be overlooked in Sophocles’ Antigone. At first he appears to be a minor character, an accessory to the overt conflict occurring between Kreon and Antigone. We see Haimon supporting his father, but soon thereafter in conflict with him. Haimon expresses disregard for the life of his cold bride to be, yet is defined as being driven by lust. Several questions come up: who does Haimon really support, what drives his actions, and what is his ultimate intent? Unraveling these issues is a tricky task, but what we find is Haimon is far more than an accessory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Haimon is introduced in third-person, making his character easily overlooked and marginalized from the start. Ismene says â€Å"oh dearest Haimon, how your father dishonors you,† yet he isn’t even present (573). When Haimon does enter, his father assumes he knows of the situation, meaning he had time to plot his actions. Haimon begins by showing Kreon that he is really on his side, a very common technique for disagreement that can be found in such books as Dale Carnegie’s. The general idea is to start by wining a person’s favor so he will be more open to criticism later. It not uncommon to hold the view that Haimon isn’t using such a technique but actually does support Kreon, however there are problems with such a view. Haimon says an interesting ambiguous statement: â€Å"your judgments, being good ones, guide my path aright† (636). The ambiguity is subtle, but it can imply Haimon follows only when Kreon’s judgment is good.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As of yet no disagreement has surfaced, but when it does it also shows a degree of planning. Haimon maintains distance from saying his father is wrong, by mentioning that the city favors Antigone’s actions and â€Å"things might also turn out well some other way† (687). Haimon then presents a parable: â€Å"on a ship, if he who holds the power strains the rigging tights and does not yield, he turns his rowing benches over and completes his voyage upside down† (715). The refinement of the parable does not imply an improvised remark but something premeditated. At this point the reader should ask what motivated this change in Haimon’s views – or was it even a change at all? Within a short span of time Haimon’s stated views change, but there is no clear motivator for the change. Perhaps that... ...character, to consider motivation and intent. Changes in a character’s view don’t occur spontaneously, motivation for change or previous deception regarding the view must be considered. If one moment Haimon supports Kreon and the next opposes him, what causes this change? Likewise, the reader should consider what the character is doing while not the focus of attention. Haimon knew about the events that were unraveling, what can he plan while the focus is elsewhere? Ambiguous terms factor greatly into an interpretation of Haimon’s motivation. Lust and passion are associated with women, but can just as easily be applicable to power or money. Looking at these issues combined we can answer the original questions; whom does Haimon support, what drives his actions, and what is his ultimate intent? Haimon does not support Kreon; he does support Antigone’s views, but is not bothered by threats of her death. As the chorus states, Haimon is driven by lust, but t his lust is for power rather than for Antigone. Combine these issues together and what we find is Haimon’s intent – he seeks to exploit a situation where Kreon is in poor standing to fulfill his lust for power by taking the throne.

The Role of the Home in Nervous Conditions and Oranges Essay -- Litera

The role of home in Nervous Conditions and Oranges are not the Only Fruit is vital in building and developing the characters and their personalities. The home and its importance are continuously changing throughout both novels and prove to be one of the most dominant factors in shaping the protagonists into the characters we meet at the end. In both texts, we can see that neither family nor home is stereotypical of society. Moreover, the heads of home are not conventional leaders, or so society would deem them. The novels focus on how the diverse images of â€Å"home† ultimately create the own sense of uniqueness both Tambu and Jeanette display in their own right. The novels’ settings are hugely contrasting and as a result, a strong insight of how home and family can develop such different belief systems and scruples is gained. While their homes may be set in opposite corners of the globe, both Tambu and Jeanette deal with a similar oppression of their femininity and t heir own development as of some sort of self. From the onset, both novels convey a strong sense of order in the family home. However, the heads of house are not what would be typically expected. In Nervous Conditions, the leader of the home initially is Tambu’s father. He conveys a home that is reliant on all its members to provide rather than him providing solely for the family. His expectance of his wife and children to provide while he squanders money suggests that home is not necessarily a happy one; instead, it is focused on money and wealth. This focus on greed encourages Tambu to grow disdainful of her original family structure and presents the home as something negative. Similarly, in Oranges are not the Only Fruit Jeanette’s mother is the dominant figure; howe... ...nchanged either. We see that as the characters develop so do their homes, by branching out and their ultimate structure being affected also. Both Tambu and Jeanette are deeply affected by the moral codes that their families try to instil in them. Neither enjoy an ideal home; furthermore, the experiences that their homes present leave them more than wary of their families. Yet the importance of home and family remains the same, it helps to mould you into the person you become whether it is a happy experience or not. In addition, we are left to wonder if the characters we meet at the end are happy with the person they become or are resentful of what their home has made them. Works Cited: Dangarembga, Tsitsi. Nervous Conditions. Oxfordshire: Ayebia Clarke Publishing Ltd, 2004. Winterson, Jeanette. Oranges are not the Only Fruit. London: Random House, 1991.

Instructional Communication Essay

Instructional Communication Instructional Communication can be best explained as the transfer of information in a teaching environment. There are a lot of aspects that is associated with Instructional Communication. The contexts that are most relevant to my career are teacher to teacher communication, teacher to student communication, comprehension of information, and technology used in the setting. These four aspects make up my career as a public affairs instructor for the Department of Defense. Instructional communication is very important to the field of communication. Instructional communication is implemented everyday all around the world. It is implemented in schools and in job settings. This type of communication is how we relate information to new people on the job or students in a classroom. In order to determine the depth of comprehension we have to analyze formal and summative assessments of the students. During the course that I instruct, we also use technology to convey information as well as have the students to use technology to complete projects that are due during the course. Instructional communication has several different contexts located within it. I feel that the most important context would be teacher to student communication. It is extremely important as a teacher or an instructor to be able to convey the information to your audience and them be able to comprehend what you are talking about. It is also very important that students ask questions or talk about the material that is being covered to show understanding. According to Karaduz, (Karaduz, 2010) â€Å"An important part of instructional services involves giving messages to students about how they should learn and become involved in the learning process, giving those stimuli for reinforcement, identifying the gaps in their learning, and amending these gaps. An effective instructional process thus requires strong communication skills along every step. It is through language that a healthy communication is established, student interest is aroused, and ways of comprehending, practicing and retaining information are clarified. Karaduz said a lot in these few sentences. He talked about how important communication is between student and teachers. What good do teachers do when the students cannot understand the teacher’s message? Teacher and student communication is so important in any instructional setting. The next most important part of instructional communication is teacher to teacher communication. It is handy to have colleagues that you can ask questions or get advice about certain criteria. I have worked as a public affairs person for the last seven years. Of that seven years 2 ? of them has been in a combat area. In this intense atmosphere I have learned pretty much everything that I teach my students at the Defense Information School. A lot of times other instructors come to me for information on what should happen in a certain situation in a combat area. I think that teacher to teacher communication is extremely valuable and you should take a advantage of it. According to Lance (Lance, 2010), â€Å"when administrators value collaboration between teacher-librarians and classroom teachers and when teacher-librarians and their classroom colleagues report that it happens more frequently, students are more likely to master ICT standards and more likely to earn advanced scores on state reading and language arts tests. † This study linked collaboration between faculty and students scores. Lance showed that when faculty collaborated on instructional information and objectives the student’s scores went up on formal assessments. Another context of instructional communication is comprehension assessment. As an instructor I have to assess the students learning to see if they have learned the specific objectives to move on to the next part of the course. If students do not meet those objectives then they fail and are recycled to another program. I use different kinds of assessments to check the depth of their knowledge of the material. The students have written assignments, formal assessments, and a Field Training Exercise (FTX). The students also have time to redo any work that they have failed in order to receive a better grade. I provide feedback within two days of the after the due date of the assignment. I provide feedback and remedial for any student that is deemed in need or feels that they need the extra help. Since we try to communicate very well with the students our fail rate is between 2 to 4% each course. Technology is the last item that is very important to instructional communication. â€Å"Based on the immersive interface that underlies virtual worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft, virtual environments allow the enactment of complex situations with tacit clues, imulation of scientific instruments, virtual experimentation, simulated collaboration in a team, and adaptive responses to students’ choice—all captured and recorded in data streams (Clarke-Midura, 2010),† according to Jody Clarke-Midura and Chris Dede. In this century technology has advanced so much. We have social media sites, PowerPoint presentations, email, and other was to communicate in and out of t he classroom. I learned that when you do not have proper communication things tend to follow apart.

Keeping Your People Pumped

The article â€Å"Keeping Your People Pumped† by Naik discusses four effective ways – incentives – how to motivate employees and to create collective sense of purpose. In modern swiftly changing business environment it is necessary to refer to employee motivation to survive and to succeed in highly competitive environment. Therefore, the article contributes management field providing ways of performance improvement. The article is easy for understanding and reading; thus, it is intended not only for professional who are aware of all business peculiarities, but also for non-professionals who are interested in becoming acquainted with new trends and tendencies in business world.The author’s purpose is likely to describe the importance of tools in motivating employees. In particular, the study aims at describing the following motivational factors: recognition, celebration, collective sense of purpose, balancing achievement and challenge. Naik, the author of t he paper, explains why and how to motivate your employees. It is a matter of fact that motivated employees are needed as, it is mentioned above, business environment is swiftly hanging and empowered personnel helps organization to survive. Moreover, motivation results in increased productivity and higher job commitment.Employees are interested in job security, interesting work, and good working conditions. The key questions the author addresses are: How to keep your people pumped? Why motivation is claimed to be the biggest challenge? Every leader wants to increase job commitment in his employees, and the paper discusses four ways how to achieve the desired outcome. The author is very persuasive as he uses logical arguments, facts, and conclusions to defend position that motivated employees are the core of company’s success. Naik argues that money shouldn’t be the only motivator in the company because â€Å"even in employees who claim money doesn’t matter to th em†. Money is important for energizing people, but it is necessary to motivate people â€Å"to invest their souls and hearts in their jobs†.Naik, mainly, discusses only non-monetary tools of employee motivation. The first tool is recognition. He means that it is necessary to announce publicly about achievements of either individual or a team. Moreover, he recommends talking about achievements at every opportunity. Personal appreciation and rewards are strong motivators. Employee’s work should be recognized; otherwise, they will feel de-motivated and hurt. Public recognition motivates competitive team members. Naik says that recognition should be in the form of engraved doodads and should never be in money form.The second tool is celebration. The author stresses that it is important to celebrate together company’s success and achievements because it promotes collective thinking and sense of belonging. Celebrating success is, surely, one of the most effectiv e ways to keep people pumped. However, it is necessary to celebrate even the smallest victories to show that every victory is equally important for the company. It is a good way to increase productivity as well because small victories are new chances to congratulate employees and books their spirits to fight further. Celebrations are also recognition, though with fun involved. I agree with the author that every employee who has done a great job is wiling to hear: â€Å"Great job! I'm taking everyone to Mama Maria's tonight†.The third tool is very powerful and can be used only if organization is clear with its purposes – collective sense of purpose. Too often bosses aren’t clear about their missions, and in such situations, tool may fail to help. Naik writes that â€Å"many leaders are so busy with the daily grind that their missions fall by the wayside†. Collective sense of purpose suggests that employees should understand and realize where they are going and what they are doing. Sense of purpose makes team confident about their tasks and responsibilities, what boss is waiting from them, etc.The author argues that the final tool is difficult in implementation, though it is very effective motivational tool. The author talks about the balancing achievement and challenge. He means that employees are motivated when they feel they are climbing on the top. They should see the end of their road. Leaders have to create jobs with â€Å"the right push-and-pull† because it increases competitiveness.The author draws relevant conclusion summing up main ideas discusses. He states that financial motivator isn’t on the top of the list. In many cases, personal appreciation and recognitions play crucial role in motivating people. However, some people consider money the only motivator. Professional leader should be aware of peculiarities of his working team to choose the best suited motivational tool. For example, money rarely gravitates toward business. Therefore, leader should think firstly about money as motivator, and when income increases, they may refer to other motivational tools.Apparent strength of the article is that the author provides real examples to intensify reader’s impression. He writes that one investment banker when being asked whether he was motivated, told that he was pleased with bonus, and â€Å"he was just as excited by how it measured up to the other top rainmakers in his firm†. So, money is also effective way of keeping the score. Nevertheless, Naik says that bankers are always caring about money. Therefore, when choosing motivational tools it is necessary to consider working environment. All employees need to feel they matter, and their work means something for leaders. Summing up, open appreciation, shared goal, celebration, and personal attention are the key motivators.

Ptlls Course Meeting the Needs of Learners

Meeting needs of learners www. niacedc. org. uk Students have different learning needs, and as a training provider I need to identify these needs, as when you pay attention to students needs (within reason, and on a professional basis that I am qualified to do so ) ,your student will work to the best of there ability, and their learning experience with you will be a positive one.Students also have a better commitment when they have an active part, in deciding goals, and they are told what the time scale is to reach the goals, and identifying criteria for assessing goals. All students that enrol with us are given enrolment questionnaires ,this helps us build a data base for student, and helps identify the students experience, and any qualifications they may hold. The questionnaire also has a basic Math and English competency question, to allow us to establish any areas we may need to be able to address and help the student with.We also ask if they have any computer skills and at what level. All students are then asked to meet with me personally so I can welcome them to the course, and put them at ease, it also allows me and the student to establish, their individual targets and goals, by the student having in put into there learning, it makes the student feel involved and makes the course when broken down achievable for them..We have regular feed back sessions which helps the student identify an areas they feel weaker in or are not entirely happy with, which allows a plan of action to be implemented and then a follow up feed back to assess how the student is progressing. With regular feedback sessions students are encouraged and it helps them develop their skills.

The Portrayal of Women in Art: 1962-2002

We have, more or less, as an audience become used to the idealized depiction of women. Often, particularly in classical styles, they were portrayed as reclining nudes who were there for the viewer’s pleasure. With averted eyes, they touched themselves sensually, typically innocent and oblivious that there is someone painting her for all to see. When they weren’t sexual-fantasy fodder, they were servile and obedient–particularly in the 1940?s and 1950?s after the end of the strong women era of World War II. They wore their hair in perfect curls, with their perfect dresses and worked merrily away in their perfect kitchens. In Jack Levine’s Girl with Red Hair there is a shift away from the perfect, care-free woman that came before. Rather, nudity is embraced as an aspect of the woman’s power rather than the viewer’s object. The subject confronts the viewer with her gaze. This portrait is not a portrait of a naked girl, but rather, a girl who happens to be naked. There is no trace of sexiness or sensuality–we are drawn to her face so that we may attempt to discern what this girl is thinking. Though her breasts are there, they are poorly rendered compared to the depth of her face and do not trap the eye like the neatly depicted flesh of the reclining nudes. Hotline for Troubled Teens, 1970. Joe DeMers (1910-1984). Acrylic on board, 22 ? x 18 ? in. New Britain Museum of American Art, Gift of Walt Reed, 2000. 45. Through both this artistic empowerment of women and the then energized Feminist Movement, women became less objects for a viewer’s pleasure and instead independent characters. In Joe DeMers’ Hotline for Troubled Teens, the gender is nearly removed from the girl. She is seen wearing an over-shirt that hides her breasts and her other feminine features are minimized. The girl is entered into a narrative–no longer is there a displaced nude body just lying around. Instead, we are shown a girl in her not-so-ideal life. Her face is concerned and the telephone cord is wrapped about her shoulders and wrist. She appears to be entirely dismissive of her viewers–be they out on the street around her, or elsewhere. She is self-serving and concerned with only her present situation. The title even suggests that this girl is reaching out (at the time, even that would have been taboo) in order to help herself–a principle that began to empower women during the Feminist Movement. Laneisha II, 1996. Dawoud Bey (b. 1953). Polacolor ER prints, 90 x 45 3/4 in. New Britain Museum of American Art, Members Purchase Fund, 2000. 34. This is one of my favorite pieces of the collection for many reasons. Predominantly, the depiction of women has centered around the â€Å"ideal woman†Ã¢â‚¬â€œwhich, if you haven’t picked up a magazine lately, is typically white, attractive, young, thin and perky. The woman here, however, is the antithesis. Though she is attractive, she does not have the â€Å"elegant† features that a painter might have looked for in the first half of the century. She is fragmented into six pieces and while they mostly match up–in that there are no huge gaps of information–there is a significant deformation of her figure. Her face is extra wide and left arm seems oddly long. A clear difference between the perfectly kept and rendered women of the past, this modern woman allows her flaws and her discord to be reflected in between each frame. She is a woman, not an object to behold. Untitled, 2000. Cindy Sherman (b. 1954). Color photograph, edition 1/6, 32 1/2 x 22 in. Members Purchase Fund, 2000. 88. I particularly enjoy this piece for several reasons: like the piece above, she is not typically â€Å"beautiful†Ã¢â‚¬â€œparticularly for the era in which it was taken. Rather, her appearance is outdated–thick, dark eyebrows, slicked back hair and that awful blue blouse she is wearing. Instead of dismissing the woman as ugly, we are able to see past her physicality. She bears a face that almost says â€Å"Yeah, so what? ’ to her audience. She isn’t hip, nor is she young and beautiful (as dictated by the standards of society) any more. There is a bluntness to this photograph that disempowers the sitter; it almost seems as if she’s the one judging and not vice-versa. Beauty I, 2002. Mark Catalina (b. 1965). Acrylic on canvas, 72 x 72 in. New Britain Museum of American Art, Gift of the Artist, 2003. 01 Lastly, this piece seems to me to be the most poignant out of the bunch. We are not privy to the â€Å"real† image, but only its negative. In form, we might recognize the person as a female. They have breasts, long flowing hair, jewelry†¦ some of the key indicators of what we may associate with being a woman. However, with the inverted colors, we are shown someone with manly features and thus, the lines of gender are blurred. Clearly, the makeup the subject is wearing is exaggerated–dark lips and cat-like eyeshadow–and further masks the individual’s gender. This piece is so inexorably tied to the way in which sex and gender are separated and defined. In this, the artist is redefining the appearance of women, in that women may not even be â€Å"feminine† at all. This piece broaches the subject of femininity and womanhood in an entirely new way, and is entirely appropriate in the evolving context of women in art. What do you think about the portrayal of women in art? How has it changed in the last 500 years? 50 years? 5 years? How can women gain power through representation in art? How does this compare to men in art?

Things Fall Apart Reflective Statement

REFLECTIVE STATEMENT Response to interactive oral on Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart When I first read Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart I found it very interesting how she was able to show us what was going on in Nigeria at that time, how he showed us the ways of living of the blacks, and whites weren’t the only ones who had a culture, but in fact were the ones who destroyed the African culture. Moreover during the interactive oral interesting themes and issues such as Town Unity and Culture were highlighted, which gave me an even more distinct insight of the characters in the book and how they were affected by these things.Achebe uses the main character, Okwonko as a vessel to depict how ‘Things Fall Apart’; in the novel, and through Okwonko we are able to adequately grasp a lot of cultural practices in Nigeria. Diction in this novel plays a major role, and it is through diction that many of the themes are unlocked and also the diction used in th e novel, effectively induces you into the culture and lifestyle of the Nigerians. Achebe uses Proverbs, Short Songs, Nigerian Words and Some Literary devices like metaphors and similes.These all contribute to keeping you in-tune with what kind of setting you are in and in this case Nigeria. The women in this novel are characterized too be empowered and they genuinely help each other, through Ezinma, who is even a little girl and the only daughter from Okwonko’s first wife, you can tell how strong willed she is, as she even tells her dad to eat his food when he wasn’t in the right state, she was also even seen by Okwonko as the ideal son, in contrast to Nwoye who is actually even a boy.Okwonko’s wives also in the novel stick together and look out for each other; the prepare food for each other’s children when one happens not to be around and they also even go on to lie for each other. Wrapping it all up, the interactive oral gave me a better understanding of the book and brought to light many details that were covered. Through diction and proper documentation of the novel Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart also taught me many things about Nigeria and their various cultures.

COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania, v Paul David CREWS Research Paper

COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania, v Paul David CREWS - Research Paper Example The case study of commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs. Paul David Crew is among the most valuable perspective pertaining to the use of DNA evidence in solving crime. The sensitive treatment of victims in DNA cases is essential across the entire criminal justice system; first beginning with the arrival of the responders at the crime scene and then continuing until long after suspects are convicted. All types of victims especially sexual assault victims should be subjected to fair and sensitive treatment with respect and dignity, especially during the collection of biological evidence from a wider range of crime scenes, which is now beginning to regularly occur in the United States. Problems regarding the security and privacy of a victim’s information in DNA cases are a major concern. The Victims’ DNA profiles are characteristically entered into databases which cause many victims to worry about the privacy of this information, whether it can be accessed by the perpetrators th rough the local databases or the internet. There is also concern about whether this technology can be used against victims who may have committed other crimes, which can possibly result in a decrease in reporting (PLJ, 2012). In this research paper, I chose the case of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania versus Paul David Crews in which many unique talents pertaining DNA evidence were involved in prosecuting the culprit. I am going to study facets of this case which I deem necessary to mention for the purpose of this research. Here, there is a combination of professional unique talents, the respect, their dignity and strive to foster their commitment to excellence in their work that led to justice. Unity and diversity of people on the free exchange of ideas, on learning, living and working harmoniously is truly the pillar of a community’s strength in society as we shall observe in this paper. For the purpose of grasping the whole concept of the case, I will briefly touch on other fa cets of the case other than those pertaining DNA evaluation. It is the professional unbiased performance of each that slowly but surely led to justice (PLJ, 2012). Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania, V Paul David Crews In the morning of September 13, 1990, two hikers, Geoffrey Hood and Molly LaRue, were murdered .The woman tied, raped, and stabbed, resulting to her death. Her boyfriend, shot three times. The suspect Paul David Crews was arrested week later and subsequently charged with the murders. There were a number of witnesses who presented themselves to testify. The first witnesses testified seeing the suspect visit a library seeking a map of the terrain where the couple was murdered while other witnesses testified the suspect seeking directions of the trail that coincidentally was the same with those of the murdered couple. These witnesses openly shared their knowledge to the relevant authorities. Some even vividly testified of seeing the suspect wearing the hiking gear belonging to the male victim along with other objects. A ballistics expert also testified that the handgun possessed by the suspect upon his arrest was the murder weapon which. An FBI DNA expert, after caring out his unique duty came to a conclusion thus testifying that the suspects DNA patterns matched with those obtained from semen samples the female victims vagina. The jury which comprises of carefully selected individuals of varying personalities and background

Lewis acid catalysts, eg. Fe3+, Ru3+, Zn2+, etc., for certain organic Thesis Proposal

Lewis acid catalysts, eg. Fe3+, Ru3+, Zn2+, etc., for certain organic transformations - Thesis Proposal Example te possesses a series of basic sites, reaction specificity is necessary for that particular interaction between acid and base so that the desired functionality is achieved and not the other. The Lewis acid predetermines the nature of the intermediate cationic specie. It can be an ion pair, a covalent compound with weak C-X bond or an intermediary compound (Suzuki 1557). Lewis acids found their applications in a range of carbon-carbon forming reactions. Usually, Mukaiyama aldol synthesis (Mukaiyama, Banno, and Narasaka 7503), Diels-Alder reactions (Clayden, Greeves, Warren, and Wothers 905) ene reactions and Friedel-Crafts reaction (Clayden, Greeves, Warren, and Wothers 920) are catalysed by commonly employed Lewis acids such as BF3, TiCl4, SnCl4 and AlCl3. These compounds can activate a series of organic groups and usually exist as dimers, trimmers or oligomers. In most cases, such reactions are highly efficient but with little or no chemo, region or stereoselectivity. It was noted that only small changes in ligands, surrounding the central metal ion can lead to monomeric structures in organic solvents thus increasing their acidity and reactivity. Also, these changes in ligands change the way the newly formed Lewis acids interact with their substrates, thus manifesting new selectivity (Yamamoto and Saito 239). As an example of the idea presented above, two compounds can be put forward: MAD (bis(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4methylphenoxide) methylaluminum) and ATPH (tris(2,6-diphenylphenoxide) tris(2,6-diphenylphenoxide)). Both compounds were prepared from Me3Al and the corresponding, highly substituted phenol according to the scheme below: Both compounds are highly useful in highly specific chemical transformation. It is possible to lower the activity of the Lewis acids prepared in a way that ATPH was by taking more electron donating organic substrates. Comparing to conventionally employed Lewis acids, it was established that the steric effect of the presented above

Political Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Political - Essay Example Some of the countries that exhibit the existence of state governments are found in Europe and America where a state government is a region within the larger nation that operates under its own laws though those laws fall within the jurisdictions of the federal laws. A nation is a group of individuals that co- exist within a given locales and these individuals may share religion, culture, language, and ethnicity. A nation is depicted as a sovereign state that is governed by its legislation and that protects the rights of every individual that lives in it. A nation is confined in a particular locality with clear territories that are widely respected under the international laws. A nation is guided by the federal law that is protected by the constitution of the nation, which every member of the nation must adhere to as a law-abiding citizen. The political environment that enables the nations to establish institutions of governance such as the courts drives most nations. The powers of the state/government derive from the established structures of governance that bestows power and authority to the government as stipulated under the constitution of a particular state. These institutions of governance enable the state to get taxes from its people in order to fast track its numerous developmental agendas it is undertaking. The judicial institution enables a state to enforce law and order thus becoming a powerful punisher to those individuals that may break the laws of the land. The state may employ its powers as a sovereign nation to solicit for financial funding on behalf of its people thus gaining powers on financial matters that aim at benefiting the entire folk. The government may spend this financial funding to develop education systems that are necessary to every member of the country thus obtaining powers to develop the required educational curriculum that is respected by every person. A state acquires its powers from the control it

Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane - Article Example It is evident that the effect of DDT as an indoor residual insecticide (IRS) lasts longer i.e. for approximately 6 to 12 months unlike other insecticides used to control malaria vectors whose effect lasts for only 2 to 6 months. In addition, other disease causing vectors are repelled by DDT thus forced to migrate to other locations (Atkinson, 2009). Once DDT is absorbed into the body of insects and pesticides it immediately destroys them by affecting their nervous system. DDT inhibits the neurons where it opens up sodium ion channels. This causes the channels to fire up spontaneously leading to death of the affected pest or insect. DDT also acts on the shells of mosquito eggs thinning them to the extent of destroying the life of the pupa. This is because DDT manages to impair the shell glands that are supposed to excrete calcium carbonate to aid in the development of the egg (Hayes, 2010). Therefore, DDT provides a simple and sustainable pest control strategy that is suitable for mos t of the mosquito prone regions. However, due to health and environmental concerns brought forth by the use of DDT, this chemical should only be used with extreme caution to ensure all the stipulated requirements are followed and there is no other safer and affordable means that can be used. This is because the prolonged use of DDT causes environmental degradation, infertility, breast cancer, genital birth defects, brain damages and diabetes. DDT is quite stable and thus does not degrade that easily. In fact, it has the ability of remaining active for decades. On the other hand, it is not soluble in water therefore it is not washed away easily from the soil. These two facts are the core reasons for the development of the myriad controversies surrounding DDT in regards to its safety towards health of human beings, plants and animals and the safety and sustainability of the environment. As a result, it has raised a paradigm because it is not ethical to let people die from malaria and yet the effect of malaria can be curtailed by the use of DDT. On the other side, it is also not ethical to continue supporting the prolonged use of DDT since it poses a risk to the human population and the environment (Hayes, 2010). Unfortunately, the volume of sprayed DDT in households is gradually increasing to alarming rates. In fact, quite scary results were revealed according to a conducted study in the volume of semen and sperm count in males living in households that use DDT. The sperm count and semen volume of the male with high levels of DDT in their blood were extremely low when compared to others. Moreover, DDT is absorbed into body tissues and can even be transferred to infants through breast milk. In addition, DDT has a stable chemical structure thus making it possible for the chemical to stay in the environment for decades without degrading. These facts are supported by the adverse results that DDT had in America when it was sprayed to control the spread of mosquitoes and crop pests. Its effects nearly wiped out all the pelican and bald eagles (Atkinson, 2009). However, in most of the developing countries other alternatives of controlling mosquito vectors including the use of bed nets that have been treated with insecticides and use of anti-malaria drugs are not as effective as the use of DDT. This is in contrast to most developed countries where the DDT alternatives are relatively effective. This is

To what extent is migrant integration determined by formal and Essay

To what extent is migrant integration determined by formal and substantial citizenship - Essay Example Prior to an analysis of the subject, it is critical to describe the key terms in the paper. Literature defines migrant integration as the extent to which migrants are like the rest of the population. This may be seen through social economic indications like education, employment, housing and health. Alternatively, it may be manifested through cultural indicators like language, values, lifestyles and allegiances. Citizenship is the relationship one has between himself or herself and the state; it is political, civil, social, economic, cultural and symbolic. Formal citizenship focuses strictly on rights and duties that arise from one’s membership status within the state. Substantial citizenship refers to the economic, moral, and social resources to exercise rights .The phenomenon encompasses the lived experiences and the extent to which these rights are exercised. It is subjective and dwells on the social exchanges and interactions of people. These definitions thus indicate that having citizenship rights and putting into practice those rights enable social integration. If a migrant has access to citizens’ rights, they are more likely to bond with members of that community and demonstrate allegiance to it. Whether migrant integration is determined by formal and substantial citizenship Openness and inclusiveness as a precondition of migrant integration As mentioned in the introduction, formal citizenship encompasses the resources required to exercise citizenship rights. One dimension of these resources is the social dimension. A society’s value system can determine how effectively a migrant integrates with the larger society. If upon citizenship acquisition, they find that their society tolerates cultural diversity, then they are likely to deliberately choose integration (Berry, 1997). It should be noted that integration may be considered as one of four dimensions of migrant acculturation. Foreigners have the choice to assimilate, where they ab andon all their former cultures and adopt the ones in their host country. Conversely, they may choose to separate, where they hold onto their original cultures and ignore that of the dominant community. They may integrate by maintaining cultural ties in their native communities and adopting cultures from the receiving community. Alternatively, individuals in this group may lose ties with their former culture and also fail to adopt the culture of the dominant group; as such, they will become marginalised. Therefore, the degree of integration of immigrants in this sense can only occur if a society has values that encourage multiculturalism. The attitudes prevalent in the receiving country must be positive towards these groups. A person may have formal rights as a citizen but when they meet social characteristics that do not enable realisation of these rights then they will not integrate into society. Berry (1997) notes that sometimes these attitudes may stem from the physical features of the group or other characteristics. As such, even though Koreans may have acquired formal

BUSINESS LAW ( REPORT ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

BUSINESS LAW ( REPORT ) - Essay Example Even in America itself, it is not possible for a company to function with a unique law in to different states. In other words, companies need to function with respect to the laws prevailing in the location where they operate. Separate legal personality and limited liability are two common terms associated with company law. Wiss (2010) describes separate legal personality as an incorporated company, â€Å"united or combined into an organised body† having rights and liabilities. In her opinion a company is a fictitious person who can enter into contracts, own property and even commit crimes. At the same time when a private company limited by shares, the creditors deal with the company, not with the individuals and it can be termed as a limited liability company. In such cases, if the company become bankrupt, the creditors or the investors do not get paid regardless of the personal financial capabilities of its memebrs (Wiss 2010). Separate legal personality and limited liability are two advantages of corporate status. But under certain circumstances these advantages will become invalid and this paper briefly explains such circumstances in which separate legal personality and limited liability will b ecome invalid. It is not possible for a company to take undue advantages in the name of limited liability or separate legal personality. Corporate law has mainly identified seven instances in which the corporate veil (law that protect the members or founders of a company in case a problem arises) can be lifted; fraud, agency, trust, group enterprise, tort enemy character, tax (Sadhu, n. d) Richard Wachman (2005) has mentioned that fraud is costing British business  £72 billion a year, 6% of the annual revenue of British businesses (Wachman, 2005). The recent corporate scandals involving Enron, WorldCom, Parmalat and Refco, have not taught any lessons to the authorities or the investors. Fraud can attain many forms; some companies may overstate their profits, some

Course project part 1 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Course project part 1 - Coursework Example Selling and administrative expense rose proportionately more than the sales growth (55 percent). This was compounded by the 185 percent increase in interest expense which significantly eroded these gains. Otherwise, all other cost elements were under control. The net income thus went up by only 28 per cent, and because of the issuance of new shares during the period, earnings per share increased by only 9 percent. Net profit margin in the second year relative to sales dipped slightly compared to the year before despite the the growth in sales. While operating profit margin was better than the previous level by two percentage points, the near three-fold increase in interest expense was the main reason why net profit return on sales did not improve. Total assets nearly doubled during the period due to the 113 percent increase in net plant and equipment. Accounts receivable, due to the drive to increase sales, more than doubled. There was an increase in cash and cash equivalents of 40 per cent. The increases in fixed assets and receivables were financed mainly from short-term and long-term debt which together caused total liabilities to rise by 134 percent (more than $600,000). The issuance of new shares and retained earnings accounted for the balance of almost $300,000 increase in total assets. Profitability. The 44 per cent increase in sales did not effectively translate into an improved return on total assets because of the purchase of additional plant and equipment during the year. A corrected return on assets can be obtained by averaging the year 1 and year 2 assets in the computation. With an average asset of $1,447,000, the return on sales would be 8.29 percent instead of 6.33 percent but it is still lower than the previous years level. The growth in net profit margin markedly failed to keep pace with the growth in sales. The return on stockholders equity was slightly lower than the previous years. Judged against the industrys