Reducing the Risks of Petrochemical Companies Essay

Reducing the Risks of Petrochemical Companies - Essay Example II. Description of the Problem In describing the problem, three risks of petrochemical companies have been recognized, namely, (1) ergonomic harms, (2) fires, and (3) environment contamination. First, ergonomics denotes the interface between human beings and the device and machine in the workplace. Workers in petrochemical companies are highly exposed to ergonomic harms, such as musculoskeletal disorders (common for workers of drilling companies), or diseases caused by toxic fumes or substances. The petrochemical accident in Bhopal, India will be the example that will be used for ergonomic harms. Second, petrochemical companies are also prone to accidental fires or explosions due to their handling of fuels, such as hydrocarbons. Good examples for this category are the fires and explosion in Texas and Louisiana. Third, petrochemical companies carry with it several environmental hazards, just like in China and Argentina wherein massive environmental catastrophes have brought about a cy cle of damages to the health of the local population. Some of the examples that will be used in this category are the oil spills in Alaska and Gulf of Mexico. ... Generating and using such chemicals requires handling harmful substances and massive volumes of energy. Due to these circumstances, when there is an accident at a petrochemical plant, it can create disastrous effects III. Importance/Significance of Inquiry Petrochemical companies are currently an interesting issue for accident research. The petrochemical industry is somewhat rigidly connected, and has numerous intricately interactive elements. This research is interested in petrochemical companies because they demonstrate the existence of accidents in an established, efficient, modernized industry that has a significant financial interest to mitigate accidents. According to some studies, in petrochemical companies, with efficient management, advanced technologies, and powerful motivations to avoid disasters, the existence of accidents must indicate a phenomenon inherent to the mechanisms themselves (Galambos et al. 2007). In other words, petrochemical accidents are most probably inte rnally caused. Therefore, finding out these internal causes to ergonomic harm, fires/explosions, and environmental contamination will almost certainly help in developing the best solutions to reduce the potential hazards in petrochemical companies. Therefore, the problem is important to solve because the Increasing growth of the petrochemical companies incidents in our world in the past two decades. IV. Relevance Statement The research involved with this proposal is socially and culturally important because petrochemical companies, which before were viewed as signs of success and affluence became associated with environmental degradation, injuries, casualties, and

Study abroad for Turkish students Essay Example for Free

Study abroad for Turkish students Essay From the later periods of Ottoman Empire, generally, Turkish students have a dream about having their education in abroad. Taking an education in foreign countries seems to be very advantageous for Turkish students because improved social structure and modern cities attracts their attention. Although foreign education standards seem to be attractive, they have a lot of disadvantages. The main disadvantages of study abroad for Turkish students are low education standards in state universities and high education costs. Low education standards in foreign state universities are a disadvantage for Turkish students, because abroad universities can not provide adequate education standards for them. First, as a consequence of professors unmotivated mood, Turkish students can not have a chance to ask their questions about their lessons. Also, students from turkey unable to concentrate to their lectures because of lecture halls overcrowded circumstance. So, Turkish students are getting inadequate degrees. Second, Turkish students have to do lots of researches in their university but, if foreign universities fails to find a sponsorship to finance their researches there will be no research, as a result of lack of money. For instance, as mentioned in the Growing pains (2002) text New Zealand home universities and research centers lack inspiration and research funding. So, Turkish students in New Zealand Universities can not learn how to use a lab or experiments about their lectures. On the other hand, In Turkish universities professors can earn enough money and universities can support students researches from their own budgets. As a result Turkish students can get qualified education from their university. High education costs forces Turkish students to think about not only their education and future, but also their tuition fees and other expenses. In Turkey state universities are nearly free but in US State Universities students have to pay $3,700 for tuition, so this difference surprises their families who are supposed to finance their children; in addition, Turkish Private Universities are generally charged $10,000 per year but the top price of US private Universities can reach $30,000 per year, as a consequence study abroad concerns only rich Turkish families. Another  consequence is, students tried to earn money by working part-time, rarely full-time, to afford their tuition fees and share that burden, partly, from their . For example, a student who lives in Oxford has to work full-time as a waitress and parents but this affects their graduation grades. However, in Turkish universities, students can attend their classes without a fear about the university payments because there have been lots of scholarship types in every university and the tuition fees are prepared according to the average income of Turkish families. In Conclusion, low education standards and high education costs in abroad, makes Turkish students education difficult for them. Although some European countries have well-organized universities, they have some racial problems besides the money based problems, so Turkish students have to take their education in their own land.

2014 Somerset Levels Floods: Causes and Future Strategies

2014 Somerset Levels Floods: Causes and Future Strategies Following the 2014 Somerset Levels floods, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles publicly apologised for the lack of dredging of the Levels and criticised the Environment Agencies management strategy. Examine the causes of the Somerset Levels floods, and evaluate the flood management solutions. During the autumn and winter of 2013 2014, an unusually high frequency of depressions moved across the Somerset Levels, causing both fluvial and pluvial flooding on a prodigious scale. The two main rivers which flow through the Levels, The River Tone and Parrett, burst their banks, spilling into the already heavily saturated flood plain. A major incident was declared and subsequently allowed the Somerset council to request financial, and physical, aid to the region (House of Commons, 2014).This essay highlights the key reasons the Somerset Levels flooded, as well as evaluating the main management solutions that were put forward during the peak of the flooding. The autumn to winter period saw a record-breaking Jet Stream, fuelled by a diving cold Polar Vortex across the United States. With this, brought powerful storms across the United Kingdom (MetOffice, 2014). As the Polar Vortex moved southward, it interacted with the Jet Stream. This caused powerful Jet Streaks to form, thus producing rapid cyclogenesis in the mid-Atlantic. This pattern lasted several months, exacerbating the flooding issues across the Somerset Levels. As the storms became more frequent, the water table filled up exponentially, as the majority of the soil inside in the Somerset Levels consists of clay and, further inland, peat (North Somerset Council, 2008). Every year the area experiences pluvial flooding due to its impermeable calcareous clays, which drains water very slowly (Soilscapes, n.d.). In places, parts of the rivers that run through the Levels sit above farmland, which allowed broken river banks to spill water onto the neighbouring fields. Combined with the waterlogged land, it makes the area incessantly prone to flooding (House of Commons, 2014). The flooding eventually became a serious threat to residents and farmland which coerced the government to initialise flood management in the area, introducing extensive dredging upon the main rivers (Hartwell-Naguib and Roberts, 2014). This process takes silt deposits out from the river bed to increase the volume of the river. There has been a divide amongst the government and the Environment Agency as to whether this is a feasible and financially secure approach to flood management. The Environment Agency rejects that dredging rivers is the most important approach, as Lord Smith, chairman of the EA, claims that dredging the rivers would only make a small difference and that other management solutions would need to be applied (Guardian, 2014). The Environment Agency (Environment Agency, 2014) retains the idea that dredging would only work on a short-term basis, and the silt on the riverbed would soon return and need to be dredged once again, adding to the growing financial cost. Dred ging also has a detrimental effect on the ecosystems that run within the river, as the UK Marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) adds that dredging causes a range of potentially damaging environmental effects on our rivers (UK Marine, n.d.). These effects include the removal of certain species and poor quality of water for those species, primarily caused by suspended sediment after the dredging process (UK Marine, n.d.). Although there appears to be a strong basis of negativity towards the process of dredging, it can also reduce the time that flooding occurs due to the increase of water conveyance within the river (CIWEM, 2014). Another idea to limit river levels was to introduce natural filter strips; vegetation is introduced to the banks of rivers to slow down rain water from running into the river. This could in turn slow down the rise of river levels, and limit the amount of water that breaks the river bank (North Somerset Council, 2008). Another flood management solution that was recommended by the Environment Agency during the height of the floods was the use of high-capacity pumps from Holland. These pumps can drain up to 7.3 million tonnes of water each day out of the worst affected areas, into the River Sowey which then feeds into the River Parrett (CIWEM, 2014)(BBC News, 2014). The idea was to relieve pressure on the River Tone, as the surrounding areas were completely underwater. This system was highly effective at reducing water levels, however it unfortunately resulted in the displacement of water to other areas. This concluded in the areas, which previously were less affected, now being at a potential risk of flooding which caused a disposition in government. The government had been heavily criticised by the media, organisations and local residents for not acting sooner. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) had warned the government that cuts to annual flood risk management had left a hole in financial investment in flood management across the UK, and in particular, Somerset (Hartwell-Naguib and Roberts, 2014). The Environment Agency also commented that the 10-15% cut in funding could overshadow the Somerset Levels as it’s not seen as a main threat (Alex Marshall, 2014). Responding to these concerns, the government have recently announced that a number of temporary flood defences and pumping sites will be made permanent by supporting farmers to manage flood risk better, to ensure all new developments in the area have suitable drainage systems. (Department for Environment, 2014). In summary the flood management solutions that were used to alleviate the Somerset floods came in far too late. The Somerset Levels are prone for flooding, yet only a small amount of preventative measures were put forward to protect those who were in potential danger. The dredging process has been the most popular form of flood management in the area, but due to its high cost and small effect on flood levels, it remains an issue as to whether it can continue as the main preventative system. A more permanent solution will need to be put forward that is both financially economic and suitable for the area, to ensure both residents and farmland are better protected. References: Environment Agency. (2014).Dredging and Flood Risk.Available: www.ourcityourriver.co.uk/downloads/Dredging Leaflet.pdf. Last accessed 07/12/2014. House of Commons. (2014).Winter Floods 2013/14.Available: www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN06809.pdf. [Accessed 06/12/2014.] North Somerset Council. (2008).Strategic Flood Risk Assessment: Level 1.Available: https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Environment/Planning_policy_and-research/researchandmonitoring/Documents/Level 1 study of North Somerset (pdf).pdf. [Accessed 06/12/2014.] Department for Environment. (2014).New action plan to protect Somerset from flooding.Available: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-action-plan-to-protect-somerset-from-flooding. [Accessed 30/11/2014.] BBC. (2014).What are the Somerset Levels?.Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-26080597. [Accessed 28/11/20.] BBC. (2014).UK floods: Somerset Levels Dutch pumps start work.Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-26167818. [Accessed 25/11/2014.] UK Marine. (n.d.).Dredging and disposal: Suspended sediments and turbidity.Available: http://www.ukmarinesac.org.uk/activities/ports/ph5_2_3.htm. [Accessed 27/11/2014.] Landis. (n.d.).Soilscapes.Available: http://www.landis.org.uk/soilscapes/. [Accessed 27/11/2014.] Meteorological Office. (2014).MetOffice.Available: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/2014-janwind. [Accessed 22/11/2014.] Hartwell-Naguib, S Roberts, N. (2014).Winter Floods 2013/14.Available: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefing-papers/SN06809/winter-floods-201314. [Accessed 24/11/2014.] CIWEM. (2014).Floods and Dredging a reality check.Available: http://www.ciwem.org/media/1035043/floods_and_dredging_-_a_reality_check.pdf. [Accessed 26/11/2014.] Alex Marshall. (2014).Environment Agency cuts: surviving the surgeon’s knife.Available: http://www.endsreport.com/41653/environment-agency-cuts-surviving-the-surgeons-knife. [Accessed 29/11/2014.] Guardian. (2014).Lord Smith: EA staff know 100 times more than any politician about flooding.Available: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/10/lord-smith-ea-staff-know-100-times-more-on-flooding. [Accessed 30/11/2014.] Pointers: Structure your paragraphs! One point per paragraph. Make the essay flow. Every paragraph should link to the next. Theoretically you should be able to read it backwards and it’ll make sense. Point – make your point Evidence – give your evidence Explain – explain its relevance Link- link to the next paragraph Be careful with abbreviations. You can abbreviate only after you have written it in full once with the abbreviation after i.e. United Kingdom (UK). Then later you can use UK. Be careful not to be too chatty, be formal! You’re not talking to a friend. Don’t add new points in your conclusion paragraph. This is a summary of what you’ve already discussed. Summarise! Make sure your referencing everything! You can’t just know something, you have to prove how you know it and who it’s from. Try to use credited references from research papers/articles, don’t use Wikipedia or web pages, BBC news isn’t great either. Write all numbers in long hand, i.e. one hundred not 100. Remember 10% of your mark is in presentation. How does your uni want your essays presented? Font. Format etc.

Othello :: essays research papers fc

Elliot, T.S. Ã’The Hero Cheering Himself Up.Ó Shakespeare and the Stoicism of Seneca. ED. Leonard F. Dean, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1961. 153-155   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In T.S. ElliotÕs essay, Ã’The Hero Cheering Himself Up,Ó he takes the viewpoint that Othello is both influenced by and influences Seneca, the Roman philosopher and author of tragedies. Ã’It is not the Attitude of Seneca; but i is derived from SenecaÓ(153). He also compares Shakespeare to other authors such as Chapman and Marston, who he says were quite influenced by Seneca. The main thing that he says they have in common is the way that the heroes of their plays are dramaticized at the height of the tragedy. He does, however, state that it is his opinion that Shakespeare does this much better. He works it in to fit naturally with the human nature of his characters. Elliot states that the final speech of Othello is the most Ã’terrible exposure of human weakness- of universal weaknessÓ(153. He says that this speech is usually read quite superficially, but when one looks deeper, he can see that Othello is trying to cheer himself up. He wants to escape reality and think only of himself. He does this because thinking good of yourself, in ElliotÕs opinion, is one of the easiest things to do. Elliot also compares the death of Othello to the deaths of some ShakespeareÕs other heroes- mainly Antony and Coriolanus. H believes that these deaths were also strongly influenced by Seneca. Gray, Garry Ã’IagoÕs MetamorphosisÓ Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom, Chelsea House, 1992. 212-218   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Garry GrayÕs essay, Ã’IagoÕs Metamorphosis,Ó is based on the belief that society does not allow for or encourage personal individualization. He states that ShakespeareÕs Othello is concerned with this issue. This is mainly expressed through the character of Iago. he goes through a metamorphosis in the play. He starts out being socially dominated, and ends up being in a state of total psychological freedom. GrayÕs opinion is that this allows him the opportunity to victimize and exploit others. Gray also believes that Shakespeare is attempting to express his own opinion that one has to conform to a socially accepted behavior in order to attain a goal, such as when Iago wanted a promotion. Gray points out, however, that conforming to these socially accepted rules for behavior does not always result in achievement of a goal. He therefore believes that the reason for IagoÕs metamorphosis was bitterness and frustration.

Investigate their human resources, administration, finance and sales Essay

Marks and Spencer’s have many different store departments but also have many different departments of their business, its functional areas. I am going to look at and investigate their human resources, administration, finance and sales and marketing departments to then see how each contributes to the running of Marks and Spencer’s. Human Resources: The human resources department aims to carry out 5 major things, these being: 1. Recruiting, keeping and dismissing employees. This is a major task for M&S as they need the right type of employees for the business to operate it’s best, also the employees shall decide the businesses success present and future. Recruiting new employees could be hiring new people from outside the business or promoting workers already working in the business. Many businesses such as M&S like recruiting from outside the business to bring new ideas and enthusiasm. M&S would want to keep all their existing employees as they would risk losing experienced and trained staff, plus recruiting new workers and training them can prove to be expensive. Sometimes M&S would have to dismiss or sack employees, this may be due if an employee cannot carry out their job efficiently or effectively. Also many employees are dismissed or made redundant, as their jobs no longer exist, say the fall in a particular product could lead to the dismissal of many staff. Read more:Â  Human Resource Management Essay 2. Monitoring and providing good working conditions. Working conditions includes; the cleanliness of a place, the provision of rest areas, hours of work and holidays. Working conditions have a great impact on how well a business operates and how well employees can carry out their work. They are normally a subject for negotiation between trade unions and human resources. M&S have an area for staff to relax and spend their breaks in. The whole store would be regularly cleaned every day for both the workers and customers. 3. Training, developing and promoting employees. Human resources need their staff to be able to ensure that employees are able to do their jobs, they may give training at M&S or through course at local colleges, planning jobs so that employees enjoy new experiences and develop new skills also promoting employees to more senior positions to give the business the skills and experience it needs. 4. Negotiating with trade unions. The human resources department of M&S would have to discuss and agree pay and working conditions with trade unions or other representatives of the workforce. This process is called collective bargaining. 5. Health and safety is an important responsibility for human resources, as it requires M&S to provide all employees with a secure risk free working environment. That is what the human resources function of M&S had to ensure is carried out. Here are some typical job titles within an organisation such as M&S. Job title Description Human resources director Deciding the overall staffing policies of Boots. Also he/she advise senior management. Setting the human resources budget. In charge of all human resource functions in Boots. Human resources manager He/she manages the human resources department and staff involved with industrial relations and trade union negotiations, also ensuring his/he staff is following the policies of Boots. Recruitment officer Responsible for the taking on of staff and section of staff, depending on their standard of work they offer to Boots and the customers of Boots. Training/staff development officer He/she are responsible for training and developing of their staff to bring or take them to a higher level. Personnel/staffing officer Keeping staff records, monitoring staff welfare. Health and safety officer He/she makes sure all aspects of health and safety are in order for staff matters. Also they monitor accident and prevention. Security officer General security, responsible for all security staff. Human resources administrative assistants Administrative work relating to the human resource function. Finance: Now I am going to look at the finance function of M&S. The finance department of a business manages the money for the business. The department controls the financial transactions of a business and help managers to plan for the future. The various activities of the finance department are: 1. Recording all the financial matters of M&S as they are constantly spending money or receiving it from sales. It is vital that they keep all records of all the activities in order to, calculate whether the business is being profitable, asses how much tax the business will have to pay and to help managers to make the right decisions. 2. All businesses have to prepare their accounts in order to summarise their financial affairs during a year, plc’s are required to publish their results legally as they are a public company such as M&S. They have to do the following; the balance sheet which states both what a businesses aims and its debts, profit and loss account- which records the profit or loss made during a lengthy period of time usually a year, the inland revenue have to confirm that M&S has paid the correct amount of tax, suppliers are able to see whether business can pay it’s debts and finally shareholders can decide whether it’s worth investing in the business or not. 3. M&S have to pay the wages of all their employees and it involves the finance department in a number of ways. The business has to deduct income tax and national insurance from each employees pay, it may be required to operate a pension scheme for its more elderly employees and to make sure the correct amount of wages or salaries has been given out to employees. 4. All businesses need some resources and capital to trade successfully. To purchase these resources businesses may need to raise large sums of money, known as capital, but not M&S as they are already fully developed and expanding across the globe. But nevertheless a business has 2 main sources of capital; a loan raised by borrowing money from a bank or another business and retained profits, if M&S has been very profitable they may be able to invest in the business and obtain resources they may need. Some typical job roles in the finance function in M&S would include; Job Description Financial director Giving advice to senior managers on the overall financial policy of M&S. Overseeing the budget of M&S. In charge of all finance function in M&S. Financial Manager Managing the finance function and staff. He/she also advises other members of staff with any financial queries. Chief Accountant He/She ensures that final preparation of accounts M&S are in good and correct order. Management accountant He/She produces continuous financial information to M&S. Credit Controller Advising on credit policies. Making sure money owing to M&S kept in confidence. Credit control clerks Helps check accounts of new and existing customers accounts. He/She works below the Credit Controller but assist the credit controller. They also remind customers of overdue payments Chief Cashier He/She is responsible for the receipt, safe keeping accounting and banking all money received from boots. Payroll Administrator He/She is in control of ensuring that all of M&S employees payroll and salary/wages section. Wages Clerks He/She helps and assists the payroll administrator, in the production of wages ands salary details. Administration: The administration department provides important support services to other departments in the business. Not all admin departments in all businesses are the same. In small businesses the admin department may take responsibility for human resources or finance, but in a large organisation such as M&S it is usually most likely to be specialised. The admin department makes considerable use of computers and IT as it is required for a lot of their jobs. There are as always many activities for the administration department; they can be broken down into 5 groups: 1. Clerical services are the main role of every admin department. The department may provide clerical services to all other departments within the business. These maybe; word-processing, making telephone calls, booking accommodation for staff, sorting and delivering incoming mail and posting outgoing mail, organising meetings and keeping records of what takes place at these meetings, talking responsibly on behalf of the whole company and creating and keeping records of the company. 2. All businesses require regular cleaning M&S is no exception as it is especially true as M&S have cafes, which require thorough cleanliness. Admin also organises the maintenance of the building, they may decorate the inside and outside of the building if they wish. 3. Health and safety is a big issue with all businesses. It includes; providing safety clothing, warnings for workers, ensuring that there are no dangers around the workplace and providing regular medical checks for those working in risky environments. 4. Security is an increasingly important issue for all businesses, security duties would include; signing visitors in and out of premises, ensuring that unauthorised people are kept out by use of patrols or even guard dogs, protecting computer systems from hackers, patrolling to prevent shoplifting by employing guards in uniform. 5. Information technology is being more widely used by the minute, nearly all businesses use some form of IT nowadays. The admin department may use IT to; make spreadsheet for financial data, a database of customers and employees, payroll systems to calculate employees wages and salaries, e mail for communicating internal and external, web based systems, web sites for selling goods etc. Typical job roles of the administration function would be: Job Description Administration manager Managing the administration operations of M&S. Administration assistant Assists with administrative tasks in particular areas. Secretary of Boots A senior executive responsible for all the legal affairs of M&S. It manager Managing all IT requirements of M&S, including equipment maintenance and advising on future needs. Office manager/senior administrator Responsible for ensuring the administrating operations in particular office or department. Chief security officer He/she is responsible for the security staff and advising on security requirements. Security Responsible for maintaining and monitoring security to the required standard. Reprographics supervisor (photo coping and printing) Ensuring all reprographics are done and to a high standard, as it reflects on Boots reputation from the quality of leaflets and formal letters etc. Pa / Secretarial staff These staff are mainly there to providing secretarial and administrative support to senior members of staff and Word processing operator/Data input clerk (worker) He/she type out letters and any other documents and also input data into a computer system. Maintenance of Staff He/she is responsible for routine maintenance work, which may include painting or decorating. Cleaning Staff Cleaning of general office areas, facilities and equipment Marketing and Sales: Marketing and sales involve businesses in many ways. Marketing is the process that helps all businesses to discover and meet the needs of customers. Doing market research, carrying it out in the local and wider community enables the business to discover: 1 Customer reactions to existing products 2 What new goods and services customers want 3 Whether or not new products will prove to be popular 4 The prices customers are prepared to pay for goods 5 How satisfied customers already are with the service Marks and Spencer’s therefore do the following; discover customer needs through market research, advise customers of products through promotion then achieve their sales. There are 2 types of research that can be carried out, Primary- gathering data for the 1st time by asking for views and opinions through questionnaires, interviews, surveys etc and Secondary research which is research that has already been done by someone else such as newspapers web site etc. The best-known marketing activity is promotion. 1 Advertising on TV, radio, internet, billboards, newspapers etc 2 Sales promotions, giving free samples like buy 1 get 1 free etc 3 Public relations, attempting to influence the publics opinions of the business and its products through sponsorship, trade fairs the press and media Businesses try to achieve their sales through a number of ways: 1 Selling products through shops 2 Personal selling such as when sales reps encourage customers to buy their products 3 Internet selling is an increasingly important sales method as it is spreading and growing bigger The typical job roles you can expect are: Typical job Title Job Role Marketing Director Responsible for over all marketing function and its aims and objectives. Sales Director He/She is responsible for the sales function. Sales Manager He/she is responsible for M&S entire sales staff and achievement of sales targets usually within the UK. Export Manager This individual is responsible for agents and sales overseas. Advertising Manager In charge of advertising and publishing successful advertising campaigns. Sales Coordinator This person is responsible for giving urgent information required by sales staffs that are travelling. Sales Representatives M&S sales staff who visit customers in UK and abroad. Market Researchers This team is relied upon to find out what customers want and whether or not there is a need for this new product. Order Clerks This staffs are responsible to accept and process sales orders. Telephone Sales staff Accept and process telephone orders.

Anthropomorphy

The term â€Å"agent† in this case comes from the field of computer science and it refers to small programs (software agents) that are highly Independent, and are used to perform a number of tasks with title or no human Intervention. The purpose of anthropomorphic agents therefore Is to 1) make communication between the computer and the user more â€Å"human-like† and 2) to increase the automation of tasks.While many people find that anthropomorphic design Is useful because they believe it promotes positive attitudes and engages the user, many people have found that anthropomorphic design is distracting and inappropriately reduces user control and responsibility. To address these deferent perspectives, numerous research studies have been undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of anthropomorphic agents. Unfortunately for both sides, the results have not been black and white. In some studies, such as that of Lester et al. 1 997), performance has Increased after a period of interaction with an animated agent, as compared with the same program without an agent. However, In other cases, such as that of Eden and van Mullen (2000), there has been no notable difference in performance between those participants interacting with anthropomorphic agents and those interacting with a text-based system. With these contradictory results, it has been difficult for educators and Interface designers to be completely sold on the Importance of anthropomorphic design.II. Overview of Anthropomorphic Design 3 A. Key interface design considerations 1 . The Role of the Agent Anthropomorphic agents can have many different roles that range from being a guide on the side, activated only at the user's request, to an ever present tutor helping the user to answer questions and resolve problems. Deciding what role the agent will have in the program is the most important step in the development process. An agent that performs an inappropriate role will only result in user rustic ation and anxiety.

Marketing Research and How Marketing Information system is Organized in Middlesex Insurance Company

Marketing Research and How Marketing Information system is Organized in Middlesex Insurance Company Middlesex Insurance Company conducts market research on demand to help the management make informed decisions on available products, new products and market trends and segmentation. Market research also helps in identifying specific product attributes that match the capabilities of the target market.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Marketing Research and How Marketing Information system is Organized in Middlesex Insurance Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Market research on available products also assists the firm address matters relating to accessibility, prices and effectiveness. Market research is an indicator of activities that complement insurance as well as revealing people’s perception, understanding and trust of insurance. This is important to Kate Farm because of the uptake and designing and conducting customer awareness and marketing strategies. Middlesex Insurance Company’s re search plan guides the collection and analysis of data in the following ways; the research team outlines the research objectives, the audience, and how the results will be used. The team defines the key questions and points out the primary and secondary sources the information to be used. The research team then makes a decision on the method they intend to use in data collection, then determine and document the procedure for participants’ selection. Data analyzing plan is developed and a timeline set for the process. The team members assign themselves roles and responsibilities for conducting the research. They organize logistics, schedule collection of data, design data collection tools such as interview guides and analysis matrices. The team collects data, some of the main data collection techniques are Mail questionnaire telephone interview, personal interview and online interview (Kotler Keller, 2009). After collecting data, they analyze it, draft a report and finally dr aw a final report to the management. According to Talvinen (1994), marketing information system inform the management on the current market trend. Middlesex Insurance Company has developed an effective long-term marketing strategy which is very helpful and important for every organization that wants to get and attract the necessary audience according to Shaw and Stone (). This strategy is aimed at adding more clients on their book within twelve months. The organization uses a guide on’ how to save on insurance’ as a lead generator. This guide is sent via sales letters, newsletters, handouts, emails, endorsement and direct mail marketing. Prospective clients continuously receive mails until they respond positively.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Middlesex Insurance Company offers good content in the mailed offer so as not to bore the recipien ts, those who do not respond within two weeks, are put in another marketing funnel. A newsletter is sent to them, then a follow up with another guide, they are kept in the newsletter system. Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning, and Dealing with Competition Middlesex Insurance Company provides property and casualty policy cover, therefore, it targets two customer segments, home and automobile buyers. Kotler and Keller (2009) classify this consumer segment as demographic consumer market. Demographic consumer market adopts demographics to understand consumers. In this segmentation, consumers are categorized according to their age, race, gender, income, education, family size, family life cycle,occupation. According to American Housing Survey(2006), first time home buyers averaged thirty-three years with a household income of approximately sixty-four thousand dollars a year. Middlesex Insurance Company’s customers are generally aged between 30 and 50 years, with a majority below 40 years. Move up homebuyers earned substantially higher than first time buyers, most doubled the average earned by first time buyers. Most customers who were first timers bought homes covering 1500 square feet. These houses were also single family homes as many of them were married with children. Eleven percent of the customers bought town homes and another eleven percent insuring condominiums. The move uppers bought slightly larger homes with a large percentage moving into detached homes, eight percent moving to town homes and another eight percent insuring condominiums. On the other hand, Aizcorbe, Bridgeman and Nalewaik (2009), one’s willingness to pay for a vehicle depended on their household income.They listed other factors to be considered as educational attainment and age. Middlesex Insurance Company’s customers in 2010 who insured 2011 model-year cars had $ 8000 more income than households who bought 2010 model-year cars.Advertising We will write a cu stom research paper sample on Marketing Research and How Marketing Information system is Organized in Middlesex Insurance Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Those who bought newer model-year in 2010 had $ 5000 more income and in 2011, newer model year owners earned about $ 6000 more income. In all cases, owners of newer model year cars earned significantly higher income compared to owners of the older year models. Product and Service Middlesex Insurance Company demonstrates an effective and efficient service delivery to the client base by offering best offers at affordable rate (Sawhney, Balasubramanian, Krishnan, 2004).The company has evaluated sales and profits related with each offer (Kotler Keller, 2009). It provides homeowner’s insurance that combines certain personal insurance such as loss that occur to the house, the house’s content, loss of the house use, loss of homeowner possessions and also insurance against accidents that occur at the home or at the homeowners hands within the territory of the policy. Types of policies Middlesex Insurance Company offers three types of homeowners’ insurance policies. Basic form homeowner policy Middlesex Insurance Company offers this insurance policy against eleven listed perils. This include â€Å"fire, storms or hailstones, vandalism or malicious mischief, theft, destruction from automobile and aircraft, explosion riot or civil strife, glass breakage, smoke, volcanic activity, and personal liability. Exceptions include floods, earthquakes.† Broad form homeowner policy This is a more advanced policy that gives coverage against seventeen perils that include the eleven listed above. The policy covers named perils and indicates the event that would be covered. Special form homeowner policy This is the most comprehensive policy cover offered by Middlesex Insurance Company. The policy covers all risks associated with homeownership. It is mostl y used for single-family homes.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Middlesex Insurance Company also offers three main types of auto insurance. Comprehensive coverage This insurance policy cover damages the customer’s car that are not caused by other motorists. These include damage to the whole car, or parts from such events as fire, theft, storms, tornado, floods and hail. It also covers the car in event of hitting an animal. This policy is optional and purchased for vehicles that are worth more than $ 1000. This policy coverage does not raise the premium and the policy owner has the option to choose from deductible amount. Collision coverage This policy covers the vehicle against physical damage because of collision. In this case, if the policy owner crashes, the insurance will pay to fix the vehicle. This policy cover is optional and the monthly deductibles range between $ 200 and $1000. This policy is ideal for vehicles worth more than $ 4000 and policy owners who have no accident history. Pricing Middlesex Insurance Company sets insuranc e rates 10% below market rates to attract customers (Baye, Gatti, Rupert, Kattuman, Morgan, 2007). In addition to this, other factors are significant in calculating prices. In case of homeowner insurance, the following are considered: the company selected this price setting method in line with research done and available data on risks connected to homeownership (Kotler Keller, 2009). Location Where the customer lives is a factor to be considered. Middlesex Insurance Company gather claims experience based on location and use this to adjust the premiums. For instance if a customer lives in high theft area then they will pay more. Coverage The more the cover purchased the higher the premium will be. For example, a $50,000 insurance policy is less expensive than $85,000 policy. In addition, a town house insurance policy will be less expensive than a condominium. Other considerations will be a customer’s customization of their insurance policy with optional coverage’s, li ke a bicycle, these will increase the premium. Proximity to fire station The closer a customer lives to the fire station the lesser the premium on the policy. The company assumes that the property stands a greater chance of being saved from fire. Amount of deductibles The more the customer pays on the deductibles the lower the premium will be. For example if the standard policy deductible is $500 and the customer chooses to pay $ 1000, this definitely reduces the premium. Security features Having a safe home environment is advantageous especially in calculating premiums. Installation of alarm systems, smoke detectors, carbon detectors and other security features will reduce insurance premiums. The following factors determine the pricing of auto insurance: Age Policy owners who are younger than 25 year of age pay more rates. In the insurance industry, research indicates that younger drivers get into more accidents as compared to older ones. Drivers Record The policyholder’s dr iving record is critical in determining the amount to be paid. The more traffic violations the higher the premiums. They however drop every year that violation is not reported. Place of residence If the customer lives in a city where crime is reportedly high, the rates will be high. This is because the likelihood of a crime affecting the customer’s car indicates the likelihood of that customer making acclaim. Make and model of the vehicle The type of car the customer insures will determine the amount of premium. A customer driving a sports car will pay more because it is more likely to get broken into. Marketing Channels Middlesex Insurance Company uses agents as the main marketing channel. The company sells 80% of policies through this channel. According to Kotler and Keller (2009), these are independent organizations involved in the process of making the products available to the customers. The agents owe the company a number of duties these include: the agents perform the tasks specified by the agency and not to perform unauthorized tasks. The agents discharge duties with caution and due diligence, the agent does not engage in conduct that benefits them to the detriment of the company. The agents should not accept inconsistent obligations with the work owed to the company. The agents can represent the conflicting interests of other companies only after full disclosure and with consent of Middlesex Insurance Company. The agents should not take advantage of their position in transactions for their own interests rather than for the interests of the company. An agent should not usurp the company’s opportunities by passing them on to a third party. The company makes full disclosure of all information relevant to transactions that the agents are allowed to perform. The company also pays the agent as stipulated in the agreements. The laws of the United States of America regulate the relationship between the agents and Middlesex Insurance Company (Ran dall, 1999). Marketing Communications Middlesex Insurance Company deploys marketing strategies to attract prospective customers. The company pursues to have a target audience by developing creative messages that they will receive without resistance (Kotler Keller, 2009). The company has contracted a firm to undertake direct mail pieces in the target audience area. The target audience receives regular sales materials as well as newsletters. This is done every two weeks. The company also creates personalized advertisements that are emailed to customers. The internet is one of the latest techniques the company has employed in marketing. The company is investing in a zip code exclusive online advertizing to get unique exposure. The company’s website developer has initiated the construction work. Through the internet host, they intend to link the agents’ sites to the Company’s Website. Here agents act as Intermediaries who facilitate advertisers as well as consumers linking with each other (Rochet Tirole, 2003). This way it stands to reach target audience as more people are using the internet and searching for insurance. â€Å"Web-based sellers use online advertising to drive consumers directly to their sites where they can browse for goods and services and purchase them with a few clicks. Online advertising accounted for 8.8 percent of all advertising in the United States in 2008† (Hallerman, 2008). According to Evans (2009), internet based sellers use advertizing to attract consumers directly to their websites where they check for products and buy them with a click of the mouse. Middlesex Insurance Company is continuously looking to find new agents to work with. It advertises in the local newspaper in order to attract prospective agents. References Aizcorbe, A., Bridgeman, B., Nalewaik, J. (2009). Heterogeneous Car Buyers: A Stylized Fact. Finance and Economic Discussion Series Division of Research and Statistics and Monetary Affair s, 12. American Housing Survey. (2006). American housing survey: Current housing reports. Washington DC: U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development. Baye, M., Gatti, J., Rupert, J., Kattuman, P., Morgan, J. (2007). A dashboard for online pricing. California Management Review, 202-216. Evans, D. (2009). The online advertizing industry: Economics, evolution and privacy. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 23(3), 37–60. Hallerman, D. (2008). US online advertising: Resilient in a rough economy: Summary. eMarkete. Kotler, P., Keller, K. (2009). Framework for Marketing Management. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Randall, S. (1999). Insurance Regulation in The United States: Regulatory Federalism and the National Association of Insurance Commission. Web. Rochet, J.-C., Tirole, J. (2003). Platform competition in Two Sided Markets. Journal of the European Economic Association , 990-1029. Sawhney, M., Balasubramanian, S., Krishnan, V. (2004). Creating growth with services. MI T Sloan Management Review, 34-43. Shaw, R., Stone, M. (1988). Database Marketing. Aldershot: Gower House. Talvinen, J. M. (1994). Information System in Marketing: Identifying Opportunity for New Application. European Journal of Marketing, 29(1), 8-26.

SAT Spanish Subject Test Information

SAT Spanish Subject Test Information If you have a particular gift for Spanish, or have just been studying for a long time in elementary and high school, then perhaps you should sign up for the SAT Spanish Test! Please note that this test is not the same or part of the Redesigned SAT Reasoning Test,, the popular college admissions exam. The SAT Spanish Subject Test is just one of the many SAT Subject Tests, which are exams designed to showcase your particular talents in all sorts of fields from World History to Literature to Chinese. SAT Spanish Subject Tests Basics Before you register for this test, heres what you can expect 60 minutes85 multiple-choice questions200-800 points possibleOffered 5 times a year in October, December, January, May and June3 types of reading questions SAT Spanish Subject Test Skills So, whats on this thing? What kinds of skills are required? Here are the skills youll need in order to master this test. Using parts of speech appropriatelyUnderstanding basic idiomsSelection of grammatically correct terminologyIdentifying main and supporting ideas, themes, style, tone, and the spatial and temporal settings of a passage. SAT Spanish Subject Test Question Breakdown The test is broken down into Part A, Part B and Part C. Here are the types of questions those three parts contain: Vocabulary and Sentence Structure: Approximately 28 questions Here, youll be given a sentence with a blank, and will be asked to choose the correct single-word response from one of four choices listed below. Paragraph Completion: Approximately 28 questions These questions provide you with a paragraph filled with blanks. Once you happen upon a blank, youll be asked to fill in that blank with an appropriate response from the choices below. Reading Comprehension: Approximately 28 questions These questions will provide you with a passage taken from prose fiction, historical works, newspaper and magazine articles, as well as advertisements, flyers and letters. Youll be asked a question related to the passage, and will have to choose the correct response from the answer choices. Why Take the SAT Spanish Subject Test? In some cases, youll need to, especially if youre considering choosing Spanish, or a Spanish-related field as a major in college. In other cases, its a great idea to take the Spanish Subject Test so you can showcase bilingualism, which is a fantastic way to round out an application. It shows the college admissions officers that you have more up your sleeve than your GPA, clubs or sports record. Plus, it can get you out of those entry-level language courses. Bonus! How to Prepare for the SAT Spanish Subject Test To ace this thing, youll need at 3-4 years in Spanish during high school, and youll want to take the test as close to the end of or during your most advanced Spanish class you plan to take. Getting your high school Spanish teacher to offer you some supplementary materials is always a good idea, too. In addition, you should practice with legitimate practice questions like youll see on the test. The College Board offers free practice questions for the SAT Spanish Test, too. Sample SAT Spanish Subject Test Question This question comes from the College Boards free practice questions. The writers have ranked the questions from 1 to 5 where 1 is the least difficult. The question below is ranked as a 3. Se sabe que la playa de Luquillo es muy popular porque la gente de San Juan la visita - . (A) en resumidas cuentas(B) en punto(C) a medias(D) a menudo Choice (D) is correct. The word that goes in the blank describes the frequency with which people in Puerto Rico visit a popular beach. The sense of frequency, as indicated by choice (D) a menudo, is appropriate.

A Worn Path, An Analysis :: American Literature, Literary Analysis

I believe the conflict in the story is an internal one. I think it is the conflict between the old woman's will power and Mother Nature. She encounters many obstacles that would influence most people to give up but she has motivation to get her task done. These encounters include a bush catching onto her dress, a scarecrow frightening her and discouragement from a white man. She also had to climb hills, cross streams and crawl under barbed wire fences which is certainly not considered an easy task for an elderly woman.. If I was forced to deal with these obstacles I know that I would most likely have turned around but her will power was too strong to let Mother Nature win. I believe that the climax is on page 91 when Phoenix arrives at the town. "All right. The doctor said as long as you came to get it, you could have it." At this point I felt a huge sigh of relief because the conflict had officially been solved. Phoenix made a journey to get medicine that was necessary for her grandson and she finally got it! It is as though all of her hard work paid off in the end and as the reader I can feel the emotions of the elder woman. Although I feel as though there are many literary elements throughout this short story such as characterization and theme, I also feel as though symbolism is very important as well. First of all, I believe that the name Phoenix in itself is symbolic for the type of person the old woman truly is. A Phoenix is a mythological creature who dies in fire and rises from ashes only to be stronger. It is as though all of these hardships only make the old woman more determined to complete her journey successfully.

The State of Accounting Convergence Among Large Public Companies Thesis Proposal

The State of Accounting Convergence Among Large Public Companies - Thesis Proposal Example â€Å"The international standard-setting process began several decades ago as an effort by industrialized nations to create standards smaller nations unable to establish their own accounting standards. The regulators, investors, large companies and auditing firms began to realize the importance of having common standards in all areas of the financial reporting chain† (International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS): An AICPA Backgrounder n.d., p. 2). The union among the countries includes the European Nations (Larson & Street 2004) and China (Qu & Zhang n.d). Many of the large public sector companies all over the world have been against the adoption of the new standard for a number of reasons. Till today, the precise reasons for the opposition and objection for the new accounting standard convergence are not clearly understood. The main idea of the dissertation is a theoretical explanation of the weighted resistant factors. The above research questions need to be addressed through an investigation. The researcher will conduct research by means of literature review on accounting convergence. The literature will comprise of researches on the delay in accounting convergence. Hail, Leuz, and Wysocki (2009) identified transition costs as a major factor in the reluctance of U.S companies to move towards convergence. The literature will also include official explanations of what convergence is and why it is being implemented (AICPA, 2011 & 2010). No hypotheses are associated with the research question, as an exploratory Delphi method will be used to generate the factorized and weighted list. The Delphi method has been frequently used with experts in accounting and financial analysis, as a means of generating factorized lists of adopted reasons. (Alwert, Bornemann & Will 2009). The dissertation will be valuable for committees that are working towards promoting accounting convergence as

Discussion 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion 2 - Coursework Example A lot of care was ensured to enhance the interviewees to have a great trust to support the shared learning experience. They ensured that they maximized on their learning by examining own reactions to the responses of the interviewees. They were at least two or three different researchers who interpreted each of the interviews (Kram, Wasserman & Yip, 2012). This clinical approach assumed that all the experiences of individuals are shaped by personal and contextual factors already known as the main theme of the research. The collaboration between the researcher and research participant enhanced the discovery and understanding of such multiple influences (Rousseau, 2005). Their hunch that the work identity of the interviewees was shaped by their work setting and their age and previous experiences in their career was confirmed by the responses given. The partnership with the first study enabled them to demonstrate differing career histories and current contexts in the work situations. Thus, the two studies greatly

Operating Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Operating Systems - Research Paper Example There are several and diverse components of an operating system that include but not limited to the file management, security, memory and process management. It is worthwhile to compare each operating system to evaluate and assess the above given components of an operating system. The following paragraphs present the comparison of basic operating systems with respect to the above given features (Solomon, Russinovich & Polze, 2006). The file management system refers to the organization, management and manipulation of computer data in documents and files that is provided by the file manager (different with respect to the operating system) through a graphical user interface. The computer documents and files can be created, edited (existing file), viewed and deleted from the computer memory as well as the files can be arranged in computer directories / folders. The process of file management differs with respect to the operating system as presented in the following paragraphs (Goel, 2010). There are several file managers used by Microsoft Windows only that include but not limited to the Altap Salamander, FAR Manager, File Manager, Windows Explorer etc. The files are placed in the folders and the index contains the file information known as File Allocation Table (FAT). One of the latest file management systems of the Windows is the New Technology File System (NTFS). The NTFS store owner name, it provides POSIX file permissions, creation timestamps, last access timestamp, and last content modification timestamp. The Mac operating system uses the file managers that include: the Disk Order, Finder, Path Finder, and Xfile. The Disk order file manager provides the graphical user interface and shows the files as list view and twin panel view only. The Finder and Path Finder file managers show the icon, list view, panel view,

Geological hazards in the area Aci Castello in sicily in Italy Essay

Geological hazards in the area Aci Castello in sicily in Italy - Essay Example The first of this was a field research, which required the researcher to report at the location, interact with residents and experts, gather field evidence and analyse findings from the site. There was another form of data collection, which was secondary data collection. The secondary data collection actually took the larger part of the data collection process. This is because the researcher was interested in comparing the findings made by different researchers and geologists about volcanoes at Mount Etna. At the end of the data collection process, it was found that Mount Etna is an active volcano located at Aci Castello, which is the focus and centre of the current research. Mount Etna was selected as part of efforts to focus specifically on volcanoes as part of the geological hazards of Aci Castello. Aci Castello is also famous for its agricultural successes, which serve as the major economic output of the area (Azzaro, 2011). Out of the rocks stands the famous ancient Norman Castle, which was constructed in 1081. Upon the outward beauty of the place, there lie some critical geological concerns, which form the problem for the current research. The problem has to do with the geographic hazards in the area of Aci Castello, particularly the volcanology of the place. This research problem is interesting for a number of reasons. In the first place, it serves an academic significance for students of geography who would need to come up with real life activities of active and dormant volcanoes. There study is also significant in having practical interventions and approaches to dealing with what has become infamous recent volcano eruption activity at Mount Etna. The report therefore aims to critically analyse volcanoes at Aci Castello, particularly the infamous Mount Etna with the purpos e of identifying the trend of activities of these volcanoes so that necessary geological precautions could be taken at these. This will be achieved by undertaking both

I must write a after action review (AAR) based off my deployment to Essay - 1

I must write a after action review (AAR) based off my deployment to Afghanistan - Essay Example My deputy and I often disagreed due to differing opinions concerning the point at which a product was supposed to enter sustainment phases. My deputy held that the personnel within the army unit would be ready to handle new equipment on their own soon after their training; however, this perspective did not consider other factors. For instance, this view overlooked the fact that we were fielding new equipment to soldiers with no experience in how they operation during wartime; similarly. This view was blind to the fact that Soldiers rotate to other FOBs (forward operation bases) or COPs and that they may get hurt or whatever the case me be, due to their inexperience with handling new equipment. Contrariwise, I believed in continuous retraining, which is why I had my contractors provide multiple training classes to different personnel of the same unit. I stressed the importance of the acquisition community taking responsibility to support the war fighter. I believed it was our obligati on as the acquisition community to support the war fighter regardless of the number of training events. Therefore, it would take for every unit, army or marines to be capable of handling the generators on their own. The soldiers had to be thoroughly trained to ensure they were equipped with the competence needed to operate the new equipment in the field, even if it meant doing it repeatedly with different personnel. In that case, I supported the training for the army personnel for as long as it was needed, to ensure the war fighters were well prepared to operate our new generators. The command and Control (C2) issue cropped up as well, in the course of my deployment in Afghanistan; as expected in combat zones, where orders are given to carry out missions, there was always a strict chain of command that had to be observed at all times. A chain of command does establish clear lines or boundaries for officers in the field, who must act in accordance

Operating Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Operating Systems - Research Paper Example There are several and diverse components of an operating system that include but not limited to the file management, security, memory and process management. It is worthwhile to compare each operating system to evaluate and assess the above given components of an operating system. The following paragraphs present the comparison of basic operating systems with respect to the above given features (Solomon, Russinovich & Polze, 2006). The file management system refers to the organization, management and manipulation of computer data in documents and files that is provided by the file manager (different with respect to the operating system) through a graphical user interface. The computer documents and files can be created, edited (existing file), viewed and deleted from the computer memory as well as the files can be arranged in computer directories / folders. The process of file management differs with respect to the operating system as presented in the following paragraphs (Goel, 2010). There are several file managers used by Microsoft Windows only that include but not limited to the Altap Salamander, FAR Manager, File Manager, Windows Explorer etc. The files are placed in the folders and the index contains the file information known as File Allocation Table (FAT). One of the latest file management systems of the Windows is the New Technology File System (NTFS). The NTFS store owner name, it provides POSIX file permissions, creation timestamps, last access timestamp, and last content modification timestamp. The Mac operating system uses the file managers that include: the Disk Order, Finder, Path Finder, and Xfile. The Disk order file manager provides the graphical user interface and shows the files as list view and twin panel view only. The Finder and Path Finder file managers show the icon, list view, panel view,

I must write a after action review (AAR) based off my deployment to Essay - 1

I must write a after action review (AAR) based off my deployment to Afghanistan - Essay Example My deputy and I often disagreed due to differing opinions concerning the point at which a product was supposed to enter sustainment phases. My deputy held that the personnel within the army unit would be ready to handle new equipment on their own soon after their training; however, this perspective did not consider other factors. For instance, this view overlooked the fact that we were fielding new equipment to soldiers with no experience in how they operation during wartime; similarly. This view was blind to the fact that Soldiers rotate to other FOBs (forward operation bases) or COPs and that they may get hurt or whatever the case me be, due to their inexperience with handling new equipment. Contrariwise, I believed in continuous retraining, which is why I had my contractors provide multiple training classes to different personnel of the same unit. I stressed the importance of the acquisition community taking responsibility to support the war fighter. I believed it was our obligati on as the acquisition community to support the war fighter regardless of the number of training events. Therefore, it would take for every unit, army or marines to be capable of handling the generators on their own. The soldiers had to be thoroughly trained to ensure they were equipped with the competence needed to operate the new equipment in the field, even if it meant doing it repeatedly with different personnel. In that case, I supported the training for the army personnel for as long as it was needed, to ensure the war fighters were well prepared to operate our new generators. The command and Control (C2) issue cropped up as well, in the course of my deployment in Afghanistan; as expected in combat zones, where orders are given to carry out missions, there was always a strict chain of command that had to be observed at all times. A chain of command does establish clear lines or boundaries for officers in the field, who must act in accordance

A Rose for Emily Essay Example for Free

A Rose for Emily Essay Foreshadowing is an advance sign or warning of what is to come in the future. Foreshadowing is used as a literary device to tease readers about plot turns that will occur later in the story. In the story, â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† by William Faulkner, several examples are used to achieve the surprising but believable ending. The extremely strong scent about Ms. Emily’s house and the purchase of the poison are just what of these examples of foreshadowing in this story. The first example of foreshadowing is the horrible stench that the townspeople complain about. In the quote, â€Å"just as if a man any man- could keep a kitchen properly,† it shows how the women accuse the male servant of the smell because they stereotype how bad men are in the kitchen since it isn’t their place. Anthor accusation of the smell from the butler is Judge Steven when he states â€Å" its probably just a snake or rat that nigger of hers killed in the yard.† These two quotes suggest the smell to be from the butler but kept us on the edge of what the smell really was. The townspeople tried to resolve the issue, as some of the men decided to sprinkle lime around her house in hopes it would alleviate the stench. However, the smell did not dissipate for another week or two. If the odor had come from a mere snake or rat, the smell would have persisted for only a few days. In anthor section of the story Emily plans on buying arsenic. This is the next example of foreshadowing. â€Å"I want the best you have. I don’t care what kind,† this quote made by Emily to the town druggist when she wants the strongest poison. This questions the reader what she might need it for and why the strongest one. The druggist answers back to her, â€Å"they’ll kill anything up to an elephant,† the druggist made this point to let Miss Emily know that it kills huge animals not only just rats. When Emily goes home she finds written on the box, under the skull and cross bones- â€Å" for rats,† this suggest to the reader to think whether she might use it on herself or for someone else. Therefore in the ending of the story, when Miss Emily dies and the townspeople discover the corpse of Homer Barron, the reader recalls the use of foreshadowing, Miss Emily buying the poison and the horrible stench that was coming from the house. Faulkner in fact prepares the reader for Homer Barron’s death at the ha nds of Miss Emily almost from the very beginning. The use of foreshadowing throughout the story contributes to the unity of the story and allows the reader to accept the lovers’ fate as inevitable.

Cause and Consequences of the Great Recession

Cause and Consequences of the Great Recession 1.0 Introduction There was a recession in the United States (US) at the end of 2007 (Verick and Islam 2010). McKean (2010) noted that a healthy economy will proceed into a period of high growth, slow growth or no growth. Power (1996) commented that the economy is needed to be contracting and expanding in order for the economy to be healthy. When the contracting period has last for a long period of time (such as at least two consecutive quarters of a year or 6 months in a row), the economy is considered as a recession (Arnold 2008; Brainard and Perry 2001). According to National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) (2010), recession was defined as a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real gross domestic product (GDP), real income, employment, industrial production and wholesale-retail sales. According to Wang (2009), the US recession has leaded to a global financial crisis shattering businesses and consumers confidence in many countries such as in European Union, China, Japan and Asia countries. As a result, it has been named as the Great Recession which has caused financial meltdown in the US and was spread out quickly affecting almost every corner of the world (Kurki et al 2009). The great recession was seen as the worst economic downturn since the great depression that the world was in recession after World War II (Wang 2009; Verick and Islam 2010). According to economists, this episode of great recession was resulted from a sudden busting of house bubble in US, where the house bubble was caused by rapid growth of improper regulation on sub-prime mortgages (Merriam 2009; Wang 2009; Whitney 2007). This episode of great recession have proven and shown the accuracy of Greenspan prediction who was the former Federal Reserve Chairman predicting that US has one-third probability getting into recession at the end of 2007 (Torres 2007). In order to have a better understanding on the great recession, causes and consequences of this recession will be analysed at the following chapters. 2.0 Causes of the Great Recession Apparently, US was faced many severe problems including banks on the verge of bankruptcy, high record levels of public debt, a falling stock market, a plummeting dollar, frozen money markets and imminent threat of a recession (Lyons 2009; Stiglitz 2010; Taylor 2009). According to Verick and Islam (2010), the global financial crisis was greatly affected by global imbalances, perceptions of risks, interest rates, and regulation of the financial system (Figure 1). With references to the Figure 1, causes of the great recession was summarised as below: 2.1 Housing Crash US housing market are a major determinant of consumers spending and rate of economic growth (Congressional Budget Office 2007). There are various factors affecting house price to rise much faster than consumer incomes, and thus it was created overvalued assets (Eklavya 2008). Taylor (2008) noted that US house prices were raised rapidly until 2006 and experienced a fall of house prices after the boom. Figure 2 shows the trend for house price for 1991 to 2007. When house prices fall to correct the imbalance, it had a significant impact on consumers spending where people cannot remortgage to obtain extra capital for spending (Taylor 2008). 2.1.1 Subprime Mortgages Burst According to Eklavya (2008), there was no regulation of subprime mortgages where the mortgage industry was able to sell mortgages without considering whether the buyers could pay back. Global research (2009) was estimated the value of US subprime mortgages at $1.3 trillion on March 2007, but there was over 7.5 million first-lien subprime mortgages outstanding. It was because the subprime mortgage was spiked to nearly 20% of all mortgage originations during the peak of US housing bubble (Smith 2007). In figure 3, it shows that subprime mortgage was expanded significantly during the period of 2004 to 2006. The huge majority of the subprime mortgages were caused massive foreclosures, and thus it was greatly affected the institutions and independent mortgage brokers which were not covered by the Community Reinvestment Act (Pressman 2008). Thus, it was indirectly affected a slow growth or even started to fall on consumer spending and investment (Taylor 2009). 2.1.2 Low Interest Rate Economists commented that US monetary authorities had adjusted the interest rates at unprecedented levels which created a debt-finance consumption boom leading the way in boosting housing bubble (Taylor 2009; Eklavya 2008; Kurki et al 2009). Similarly, some economists argued that interest rates in the US were stayed too low for too long and even stood at just 1 per cent in 2003 and 2004 which activated the great recession (Figure 4) (Elmendorf 2007; Taylor 2009; Verick and Islam 2010). Verick and Islam (2010) criticized that the monetary policy in US was failed to tackle the overvalued asset bubble, and at the same time contributed to the rapid growth in subprime mortgages. 2.2 Credit Crunch McHugh (2007) commented that high subprime mortgage defaults in US had caused credit crunch which referred to a sudden shortage of funds resulting a decline in loans available. According to Bloom (2008), many investment banks and commercial banks were faced huge losses due to the risky mortgage loans. Therefore, banks were reluctant to lend money to anyone and even to other banks leading a shortage of funds in the money markets (Smith 2007; Verick and Islam 2010). Whalen (2007) commented that the shortage of liquidity in the finance sector had caused borrowing to be more difficult and more expensive which had leaded to a lower consumer spending and investment. 2.3 Budget Deficit and National Debt According to GAO (2009), the US national debt was stood at 65% of GDP for 2007 and it was even worst when pension liabilities were included. With such a large deficit, US government had less room for expansionary fiscal policy because demographics worked against fiscal stability and the stage of economic cycle worsened the deficit (Auerbach 2009). Kurki et al (2009) noted that the deficit has caused difficulties in attracting capital flow because Asian investors who were aware of the US deficit had slowed down the capital flow to US and contributed to devaluing dollar. Thus, it indicated that there is a fundamental imbalance between domestic production and consumption which had become a constraint for future economic growth (Auerbach 2009). 2.4 Devaluation of Dollar According to basic economic theory, a decrease in exchange rates will eventually help to increase exports and stimulate growth in the export sector (Grant and Vidler 2003). However, the depreciating dollar had contributed to cost-push inflation and declining in living standards where consumer goods were more expensive leading to lower spending power of individuals (Bloomberg 2010). Bloomberg (2010) argued that decline in dollar was resulted US to become less competitive compared to its trading partners. 3.0 Consequences of Great Recession Since US went into recession at the end of 2007, it had caused a crisis on economies across the world (Verick and Islam 2010). According to Taylor (2008), middle-incomes countries (especially in Central and Eastern Europe, and the Commomwealth of Independent States) were severely affected (Figure 5), where as low-income countries such as Uganda and Ethiopia were able to grow strongly despite the downturn (Figure 6). Verick and Islam (2010) noted that although most low-income countries have evaded from recession, these countries had experienced a slow growth in economy due to the negative implications for poverty. Lockstein (2010) argued that, in overall, the smaller and more open economies countries had been hit stronger, whereas the larger emerging economies countries could be survived by the supporting from domestic demand and government spending. It had been noted that China and India were able to recover faster from the great recession (Taylor 2009; Verick and Islam 2010). Llaudes, Salman and Chivakul (2010) commented that the great recession had caused various impacts to different countries. Thus, an analytical study on the consequences of great recession towards US and India have stated as below: 3.1 The United States According to Gulzar (2010), the great recession had caused a great impact on US labour market. Laibson (2010) noted that although government had adjusted the inflation rate causing the economy grew 2.2% in 2009 Q3, 5.6% in 2009 Q4, and 2.7% in 2010 Q1, the unemployment rate had stubbornly remained high. The unemployment rate had risen from 9.5% in June 2009 to 10.1% in October 2009, before it felt back to 9.5% in June 2010 (Laibson 2010). Altig (2010) commented that the disconnection between the demand and supply of workers which was reflected in statistics such as the hiring rate, the layoff rate, and the unemployment rate can be expressed by the Beveridge curve (Figure 7). Altig (2010) argued that, with the given average number of job opening in April and May, the unemployed were expected about 10.4 million instead of 15 million as stated in Figure 7. Some analysts have commented that the unemployment benefits policies should responsible for abnormally high unemployment rates (Altig 2010; Gulzar 2010; Verick and Islam 2010). Valletta and Kuang (2010) estimated that extended unemployment benefits may have increased between 0.4% and 1.7% of unemployment rate. Krugman (2010) argued that there is a strong tendency of high unemployment to become permanent because those who have out of work for a long enough periods have become less productive and less competitive in the job market. Ball (cited in Krugman 2010) prompted a problem that high unemployment tend to increase the level of structural unemployment, if there is a weak policy, thus inflation will increase much higher unemployment rates than before. 3.2 India During great recession, India economy was turning down because of Indian companies with big tickets dealing in the US were seeing their profits margin shrinking, and majority of Indian companies have major outsourcing deals with US (Malik and Pandit 2010). According to Alex and Kumar (2009), Indias merchandise has been exported to ASEAN (52%), followed by the EU27 (21%), and the US (13%). However, Malik and Pandit (2010) noted that the global crisis has caused the USs share felt to 11% (March 2009), which was even lower than the United Arab Emirates (13%) (Figure 8). Figure 9 shows that all of the products (except gems and jewellery) were experienced a major contraction during the great recession: petroleum and crude products have the largest contraction (about 45%), whereas agriculture and allied products contracted by 28%, engineering goods exports by 22%, chemical and related products by 9%, and textiles by only 2% (Alex and Kumar 2009). Besides, Indias financial market was hit badly from the great recession where share market was fall, rupee was weakening again dollars, and banks were faced severe cash crunch resulting in shortage of liquidity in the market (Eklavya 2008). Due to Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were the main investors for India, the investors (majority based in US and Europe) had withdrawal their money from Indian Stock Markets to meet their liabilities at their home countries (Mohanty 2009). Alex and Kumar (2009) commented that rupee was lost its strength against dollar when FIIs converted their invested money into dollars. However, India was able to recover faster from the great recession due to Indian Banks were escaped from the ill-effects of subprime mortgage crisis where major Public Sector Banks exercising extremely caution in giving loans to needy people or companies (Eklavya 2008). 4.0 Conclusion In the age of globalisation, every country is affected by the fluctuations of world economy where no country can remains isolated (Eklavya 2008). Thus, great recession has caused a vast impact to the world such as fall in demands, shortage of cash, decreasing growth rate, and high unemployment rate (Taylor 2008; Verick and Islam 2010). On the other hand, recession can help to transform country or businesss outlook for the future (Kurki et al 2009). Although the recession has turned down the growth process, it helps to generate ideas and strategies stimulating the economic growth and maintaining stability of the market in order to become more competitive in the world.

Positives of the Law Essay -- essays papers

Positives of the Law When President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, he promised that his education reform would bring hope to children. The law calls for more testing in third to eighth grade each year in reading and math (Bacon, 2003). Students will be tested to make sure that the schools are adequately teaching them the information they should know. In 53% of American schools, which receive direct Federal Government financial support because they have large numbers of low-income students, students can now transfer to another school or receive free tutoring if their school fails for two years in a row to improve the test scores of its students (Bacon, 2003). The plan also ensures that teacher quality will improve. States must now include in their plans, annual, measurable objectives that each local school district and school must meet in moving toward the goal. Schools must also now account for their progress in annual report cards (U.S. Department of Education, 2003). In addition, there will be high criterion for professional development to ensure that federal funds encourage research-based, efficient practice in the classroom (Bush, 2003). The Department of Education is trying to speed up the movement for further skilled educators. States are going to be reviewing their efforts towards better teachers (Ed teams to help states address teacher quality, 2003). The government is finding ways to be able to test teacher quality. Schools are giving pay initiatives to educators who work above and beyond (Dobbs, 2003). This will hopefully make teachers work and try harder to be better teachers. Faculty involvement is a crucial factor in making students want to be more of a part of the school. There c... ...et, http://www.ala.org Standards are listed and its gives ideas on how technology is helpful in raising standards. Bell, T. (2003). Two-thirds of high schools get ‘left behind’ warnings. Associated Press. Retrieved October 1, 2003 from Academic Universe/Lexis Nexis database. Many schools in New Jersey are receiving information that they did not meet the standards of the federal government. The schools are blaming lack of funding on the performance of their schools. Penalties may occur eventually. Polgreen, L. (2003). New york schools to compete for reading grants. New York Times, Section B, page 3. Retrieved October 1, 2003 from Academic Universe/Lexis Nexis database. New York State will receive $129 million in federal money to pay for more programs to improve literacy. Bush will give more money to low performing schools over the next six years.

Applying the Nursing Code of Ethics to Patient Care Essay -- Nursing P

Nurses have the greatest potential for improving a patient’s well-being. As a profession, nurses need to promote the core values and code of Ethics amongst them. Nurse practitioners are required to understand and practice the specific knowledge and skills of core values such as nurse caring, advocacy, holism and professionalism to assist the patients in their critical condition (Volp 2007a). This essay will discuss the core values of responsible nursing practice and code of ethics in relation to the young patient who is suffering from paraplegia. Paternalism A policy or practice of treating people patients in a fatherly manner, especially by providing for their needs without giving them responsibilities. Paternalistic practices, wherein providers confer a treatment or service upon a person or persons without their consent, ostensibly by reason of their limited autonomy or diminished capacity, are widespread in healthcare and in societies around the world. Numerous issues surround paternalistic practices (Cody WK). So doctors and nurses make decision about the treatment of patients or their clients, but it is against the patient’s choices or thoughts, according to doctors and nurses, it is beneficial for the patient (Jones). On the other hand, when patient take autonomous decision then they will get some self-harm, so, conflict arises between the nurses those are on duty of the patient care and the patient’s right to autonomy. Frequently, nurses and other medical staff used the paternalistic action to resolve the problem (Jo nes). According to the Jones (p.379) suggested that, paternalism and autonomy as two inversely varying parameters along a spectrum of independence’. Moreover, nurses and doctors created an imbalance between... ...ier, item: AN 11355240. Johnstone, M 2005, ‘Ethics and Professional practice’, in J Crisp & Taylor (eds.), Potter and Perry’s Fundamentals of Nursing, Melbourne, Australia. Lane, P, O’Brien, U, Gooney, MA & Reid, T 2005, ‘The progression of holism into postgraduate curricula in critical care nursing’, Dimensions of critical care nursing, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 131-138, viewed 6 May 2011, EBSCOhost database Academic Search Premier, item: AN 17099480. Moore C 2008, ‘A caring nurse’, Bella Online: The Voice of Women, viewed 1 March 2011, http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art43027.asp Rowe, J 2005, ‘Nursing: the art of caring’, in J Crisp & Taylor (eds.), Potter and Perry’s Fundamentals of Nursing, Brisbane, Australia. Taylor, C 2005, ‘Managing Client Care’ in J Crisp & C Taylor (eds.), Potter and Perry’s Fundamentals of Nursing, Melbourne, Australia.

From Poland to USA Essay

Life, for me, has always been about taking risks in order to fulfill our dreams. Sometimes, we are required to face the difficult challenges in order to succeed in life. Originally, I am from Poland, and five years ago, I decided to move to the United States to fulfill my dreams. Moving to the United States was a very big leap from my end. My determination to succeed in life has been my driving force for survival in a country away from mine. My dream of acquiring a degree from an American college was now within reach. All I needed was a little bit of luck, and a handful of determination. The first few years I spent in the United States was a struggle. I had to learn a new language and adapt a new culture. I found myself adjusting to a new environment, where I was able to appreciate the new things that surrounded me. Living a life in New York was something out of the extraordinary. To fend for myself, I took on odd jobs, from being a waitress, to a cashier, and a paralegal for different employers. Although I was living a comfortable life, I was not contented with what I had. I wanted to enhance myself by continuing my education. I wanted so much to be a successful career woman. Although I had acquired a Masters degree in Sociology, I still wanted to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Administration. I have always been ambitious and determined to achieve my goals. A new degree will help me enhance my knowledge about things, and eventually help me to be of service to the United States. New York City faces many issues that require the implementation of new policies. With the education provided to me, I may be able to face such and do the necessary changes for the betterment of society. The knowledge I have acquired from studying Sociology has given me a well rounded education in liberal arts, that may be used to my advantage in my future careers. Having a fulfilling career definitely means a lot to me. The education that this university will give me will help me become a more diverse individual. In addition to this, I may be able to integrate my Polish culture with that of the Americans, that may be used to my advantage in further job opportunities.

Disadvantages of Globalization Essay

Globalization is any company’s target. However, it should be noted that globalization has disadvantages as well as advantages. One of the disadvantages of globalization is the over-standardization of products through global branding. Using Emirate Airline to illustrate this point, globalization will means that their services are standardized which aim to serve all customers. They would lose their uniqueness of the business culture after they go global. Also, the over-globalization will result in the lack of creativity and product diversity. Moreover, globalization can also create diseconomies of scale as not all countries have the same growth and economic cycle. For example, Emirate may operate very well in the Middle East and Europe market but expanding into Asia or America market will reduce their profit. This could be due to difficulties of coordinating activities in those new markets or the culture differences. It is also important to note that globalization will cause de- industrialization and high unemployment in the domestic market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Any business can not afford to promote their product in the similar ways using similar strategies. This is because not all products can serve the same requirements and demands. However, it is very important that customers are aware of the brand’s existence and the unique selling point of the product and brand must be well communicated to the user. Thus, businesses use segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) to find their customers and target them so that they can promote their product in the most efficient way. The first step of product promotion or even when product is just at its research stage is segmentation. Segmentation is the division of a broad market in smaller categories consisting of individuals with the similar characteristics. These individuals tend to show similar thinking and perception towards products and brands. When the market fluctuates or a new identical product is introduced to the market, customers in the same segment usually have the same respond to the market and the product. In a simple word, market segmentation can be called grouping as it group people with similar characteristics and thinking together. In the case of Nokia, market segmentation is very important as it significantly enhance the sales process and the brand image of the firm. Nokia has many different lines of products so segmentation is on crucial process in its operation. Nokia segmentation could be kids, male, female, high income customer, low income customer, young people and etc. Targeting is the next phase of the STP process. Targeting is done after the broad market has been segmented. Targeting involves devising various marketing strategies and promotional schemes according to the preferences of the different segments. Targeting is important as it could help an organization to reduce unnecessary promotion cost and also boost sale results of the product. As in the case of Nokia, they create phone for almost every segment so targeting them to the right segment will boost their sale results. For example, the Nokia cheaper line such as Nokia 1100, 1200, 1208 are aimed at people with lower income or as a secondary phone. On the other hand, Nokia 8800 is aimed at successful business man and their new smart phones are aim at young, middle income people. Positioning is the last stage of the STP process. After a company has done the market segmentation and targeting, it will work hard to create a good impression of its products in the target customers’ perception. Product positioning is what customers believe about the product’s value, features and benefits. It is important that the customers have a good perception over the product at the beginning stage of positioning otherwise, the product success will be quite challenging. By getting it right, positioning helps organization to create a good perception of the products in the minds of target audience. Using the case of Nokia, after they segment and target their customers, they could improve the product positioning by creating unique point of the product that fits well with the targeted customers. For example, for female target, Nokia could create product in more feminine colors such as white, pink and etc.

Analyzing Little Red Riding Hood

For danger, violence, and even death can come disguised in familiar things as the theme in â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† suggests. There are several literary elements that contribute to the theme of the story of â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood†. I will analyze these elements as I have interpreted them. Perrault uses omniscient point of view to tell this story. This is observed in the first sentence of the first paragraph, â€Å"Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen† (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 4. 1, para. 1). Omniscient point of view simply means that the reader is privy to every characters inner thoughts and feelings; in addition it allows the reader to go in and out of each character thoughts throughout the story. In this short story the reader gets the thoughts and feelings of both Little Red and the wolf. The tone of â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† is a message to teach the danger in talking to or trusting strangers. For many strangers cannot and should not be trusted. That evil does exist and it has many faces, even familiar faces. The setting of this story is a medieval village on the edge of a large dark forest. Which today could be a lovely suburb on the edge of a huge unfriendly dark city? This story has five characters in it; however, the story focuses on the young woman wearing a red-hooded cape, the wolf, and their encounter, â€Å"As she was going through the wood, she met with a wolf, who had a very great mind to eat her up, but he dared not, because of some woodcutters working nearby in the forest. He asked her where she was going. The poor child, who did ot know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf, said to him, â€Å"I am going to see my grandmother and carry her a cake and a little pot of butter from my mother† (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 4. 1, para. 4). In reading â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood†, my interpretation of the symbolism is based on things in the 21st century. In my mind, I see Red not as a little girl but as a young woman just coming of age. She is very beautiful and quite desirable. The wolf is not a four-legged animal but a two-legged man with bad morals and evil thoughts. There are various kinds of wolves. There are those who are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet who pursue young woman at home and in the street. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all. Whereas, Red still thinks with a pure, loving, and trusting heart and mind as do many young females do today? In addition, where it say the wolf eats Red, â€Å"And, saying these words, this wicked wolf fell upon Little Red Riding Hood, and ate her all up (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 4. 1, para. 27). The wolf does not actually eat Red but rapes and violates her stealing her innocence from her forever. The plot of the story contributes to the theme of the story by telling us of the dangers of talking to strangers. We all need to beware of our surroundings and to be so very careful in speaking to strangers, for danger, violence, loss of innocence, and even death can come disguised in things and people that are very familiar to us. References Clugston, R. W. , (2010). Journey into Literature. Retrieved from: http://content. ashford. edu/books/AUENG125. 10. 2? sections=sec4. 1 Analyzing Little Red Riding Hood For danger, violence, and even death can come disguised in familiar things as the theme in â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† suggests. There are several literary elements that contribute to the theme of the story of â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood†. I will analyze these elements as I have interpreted them. Perrault uses omniscient point of view to tell this story. This is observed in the first sentence of the first paragraph, â€Å"Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen† (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 4. 1, para. 1). Omniscient point of view simply means that the reader is privy to every characters inner thoughts and feelings; in addition it allows the reader to go in and out of each character thoughts throughout the story. In this short story the reader gets the thoughts and feelings of both Little Red and the wolf. The tone of â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† is a message to teach the danger in talking to or trusting strangers. For many strangers cannot and should not be trusted. That evil does exist and it has many faces, even familiar faces. The setting of this story is a medieval village on the edge of a large dark forest. Which today could be a lovely suburb on the edge of a huge unfriendly dark city? This story has five characters in it; however, the story focuses on the young woman wearing a red-hooded cape, the wolf, and their encounter, â€Å"As she was going through the wood, she met with a wolf, who had a very great mind to eat her up, but he dared not, because of some woodcutters working nearby in the forest. He asked her where she was going. The poor child, who did ot know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf, said to him, â€Å"I am going to see my grandmother and carry her a cake and a little pot of butter from my mother† (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 4. 1, para. 4). In reading â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood†, my interpretation of the symbolism is based on things in the 21st century. In my mind, I see Red not as a little girl but as a young woman just coming of age. She is very beautiful and quite desirable. The wolf is not a four-legged animal but a two-legged man with bad morals and evil thoughts. There are various kinds of wolves. There are those who are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet who pursue young woman at home and in the street. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all. Whereas, Red still thinks with a pure, loving, and trusting heart and mind as do many young females do today? In addition, where it say the wolf eats Red, â€Å"And, saying these words, this wicked wolf fell upon Little Red Riding Hood, and ate her all up (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 4. 1, para. 27). The wolf does not actually eat Red but rapes and violates her stealing her innocence from her forever. The plot of the story contributes to the theme of the story by telling us of the dangers of talking to strangers. We all need to beware of our surroundings and to be so very careful in speaking to strangers, for danger, violence, loss of innocence, and even death can come disguised in things and people that are very familiar to us. References Clugston, R. W. , (2010). Journey into Literature. Retrieved from: http://content. ashford. edu/books/AUENG125. 10. 2? sections=sec4. 1