Customer Retention and Loyalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Customer Retention and Loyalty - Essay Example There are the few major factors that can give a slight glimpse on the behavior of customers in relation to the services.â€Å"Imitation strategies beyond a certain point can have harmful consequences for both firms and consumers. Two occasions for potential harm to firms occur when a consumer unknowingly purchases an imitator brand. First, the consumer may be dissatisfied with the product purchased and attribute his or her dissatisfaction to the original brand, never realizing that the brand consumed was an imitator. Second, the consumer may be satisfied with the imitator brand, become aware that it is not the original brand, and switch brand preferences in favor of the imitator brand†(Berger, Foxman, Muehling 170, Vol 24: 1990).This all is clearly showing what possible outcomes may take place. It is seriously distracting to the goals of the service provider where as the customers can also be in loss as it is quite fair to say that each and every financial service provider cha rges a lot for the service, however if the company is having some good reputation than due to a variety of customers, they take good care of services and also charge relatively lesser than many of the other service providers in the industry. Another problem is the repurchase of any particular service, such as people often change their leasing service providers after they pay the entire due, rather than buying the next product through the similar service providers they start looking for new and even better ones.... This all is clearly showing what possible outcomes may take place. It is seriously distracting to the goals of the service provider where as the customers can also be in loss as it is quite fair to say that each and every financial service provider charges a lot for the service, however if the company is having some good reputation than due to a variety of customers, they take good care of services and also charge relatively lesser than many of the other service providers in the industry. Another problem is the repurchase of any particular service, such as people often change their leasing service providers after they pay the entire due, rather than buying the next product through the similar service providers they start looking for new and even better ones, which at times they get successful in, as the newly entered firms have some courage to serve the clients and they keep their promise in the beginning of their existence, however they mostly get distracted later on, and in this wa y people make repurchases from the new service providers at least for a while. So these all factors are influencing consumer behavior. "The majority of consumer purchases are potential repeat purchases. With the exception of one-time purchases, consumers buy similar products repeatedly or make repeated purchases from similar sellers. Thus, the majority of purchases represent one in a series rather than an isolated event. Understanding of any current purchase must be based on an understanding of the influence of prior purchases on later purchases. Major questions are how often and under what circumstances consumers make another purchase of a product they have tried or purchase from a

Bsa 375 Week 2 Individual Paper Essay Example for Free

Bsa 375 Week 2 Individual Paper Essay IT Solutions: Proposal for New HR System By University of Phoenix BSA/375 09/02/2013 Proposal for New Human Resource System In our quest to ever better ourselves the IT department, of Riordan Manufacturing, is submitting this Request for Proposal to integrate a more sophisticated, state-of-the art, information systems technology in our Human Resources department. Riordan Manufacturing has always strived to better ourselves by keeping up with technology in all of our operating systems and our manufacturing systems. Our goal is to remain at the forefront of the manufacturing community as we keep leading the way in all of our business systems and, at the same time, keeping the feel of a customer friendly company. We want to make sure that our customers can feel safe in the knowledge that we will do what is necessary to fulfill their business needs. As of now, our Human Resource, (HR), Operating System, (OS), has fallen short of this goal. Please understand that the system that is in place, while it has the ability to complete the task at hand is not sufficient enough for our growing organization. Right now, we are running many separate applications to process all of the HR system requirements. This process is not only time consuming, but is not a cost efficient solution that this company is looking for. If we want to accomplish our goal we need to combine all the old HR systems into a single integrated application. The IT department is looking to complete this project in approximately six (6) months, so the new system can be utilized in the second quarter of next year. We want to have a prototype system available for testing in approximately two (2) months before final system deployment, for training and technical support purposes. Our goal is to have all training and any problems fixed one (1) month before start up. This way we will have time to apply any necessary changes to the system. The new HR system will have many applications that can be used across most of our other business systems from Marketing and Sales to Inventory and  Warehousing. We are hoping for companywide training to be completed within four (4) months of startup, making the new system available for all departments before the end of the third (3rd) quarter. Below are some requirements that will need to be accomplished so that the process of integrating the new HR system will go smoothly. Access the Stakeholders Involved in System Startup The first step in setting up the new Human Resource Application, (HRA), is to gather information about the system requirements and user needs from everyone that will be involved in the startup and rollout of the new system. The process of gathering information from involved stakeholders can be a tedious process if the wrong techniques are used. So, to expedite this in an orderly and timely manner we will be passing out questioners to all members of the Human Resource Department and to all Department heads. Using Questioners will help the IT department get an idea of what requirements are expected from the new system. It is not cost efficient to talk to each employee so, it would be very beneficial for all that every questioner is filled out in a timely manner. We will be emailed to each employee on Monday September 9th, 2013 and would like a response no later than Thursday September 12th, 2013, (for processing purposes). Questioners will also be available on the Employee Web Site under HR applications. Another technique of gathering the needed information will be to conduct group meetings with the HR department executives and managers. The IT department will be holding Joint Application Development, (JAD), sessions starting Monday September 16th, 2013. These sessions are managed processes that the IT department uses to gather information in an efficient, cohesive manner. We want to use team involvement so that we can gain a firm understanding of what you, the client, will want out of the new HR system. The JAD session will help all of us jointly develop the new system. Ensuring Successful Gathering of Project Information We, in the IT department, want to make sure that every system requirement that maybe be asked for will be deployed at the time of the system prototype introduction. To insure that this goal is accomplished we must gather correct, concise and relevant information from each of you, the stakeholders  involved in the system development. Gathering good information will help us develop the system molded to what you want. We understand that the information gathering process can be a daunting task, but with your help we can make this as painless as possible. Remember, without your input on this project the IT department cannot rollout a system that will be an effective tool for Human Resources and the rest of Riordan Manufacturing. The ability to gather good information is the most important process in all parts of every System Development Life Cycle, (SDLC), and with everyone’s support in this process the system rollout will go smoothly. Developing the Project Scope and Project Fea sibility Riordan Manufacturing wants all projects that go into development to be successful. If we want the new Human Resource system to be successful we will need to institute a project scope system. Even with the feedback and involvement of each stakeholder and the success of other projects delivered from the IT department there is a chance that this new system can still fail. At any given time there will be necessary changes to the project. These changes can have a negative effect, but our goal is to remain focused on the system requirements. We want to delivers the new system on time and under budget with the required functions that are expected. Our plan is to set up a system to manage key aspects of the new systems development: * Project Size – Understand how large this project will be * Project Goals – Make sure goals are set and achievable * Project Requirements – All system requirements are carried out To deliver a finished project that meets the goals above our Project Scope will need to follow a these five (5) steps: * Project Initiation – evaluate the need of the new system and deliver appropriate solutions. * Scope Planning – Create a feasible Work Breakdown Structure, (WBS) that charts all the work that will be done on this project. * Scope Definition – Working with you, the end user, expand in detail the work breakdown the will be needed. * Scope Verification – Timely scheduled work assessment and acceptability checks by the end user and the IT department during the SDLC of the new application. * Scope Change Control – Put a formal system in place to control any system changes that will take place. This will  limit Scope Creep, (Unauthorized access to changes to the system). As you can see, applying proper scope management will be crucial in the development of the new Human Resource system. Conclusion To stay as one of the leaders in manufacturing we must keep trying to evolve. While we at Riordan Manufacturing have strived to be the best in the industry there are occasions when we must look into ourselves and see what changes are needed so that we can remain an innovator in manufacturing techniques while still being a customer friendly organization. The current Human Resource system has fallen behind and is keeping us from maintaining all that we have set out to accomplish. Integrating a more sophisticated, state-of-the art, information system in our Human Resource department will accomplish more than just the above goal. It will streamline our business applications into an easy to use easily accessible system that will be cost efficient with little maintenance. This is what we have always strived to accomplish and this new system will keep us on track. With proper planning, creating a good project scope, gathering good, reliable and relevant information and with your constant in volvement throughout the SDLC of the new HR system we will be guaranteed of a successful project completion and rollout. Thank You. IT System Manager 09/01/2013 References Wich, Darren. 2009. â€Å"Project Scope Management† IS 6840. Online http://www.umsl.edu/~sauterv/analysis/6840_f09_papers/Wich/scopemanagement.html Heldman, Kim. PMP, April 14th, 2009. â€Å"The Importance of the Project Scope Statement†. Lakewood, Colorado. Online. http://pm.97things.oreilly.com/wiki/index.php/The_Importance_of_the_Project_Scope_Statement Blankenburg, Joanne. September 9th, 2012 â€Å"Use Joint Application Design (JAD)

The Use Of Time In Poetry: Milton, Shakespeare, Wordsworth :: essays research papers

Throughout the Elizabethan and Romantic era, time and nature are themes that are ever-present in the great poetry of the period. Although the poets presented this idea in different ways, it was clear that time and nature were major influences on each man’s writing and that each of them were, in a sense, extremely frustrated by the concept of time. It appeared to me that each poet, in some form, felt empty and unaccomplished, and they all consider as true that time is not on their side. In Shakespeare’s Sonnet LXXIII, the poet is an older man comparing his life to such things as night and day, the four seasons, and as a fire in a fire. Shakespeare uses these images to show us just how quickly time passes. I found his representation of life as the cycle of day and night particularly insightful. â€Å"In me thou see’st the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black night doth take away, Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To Shakespeare, dawn is the birth of a child, mid-day is a child’s youth, and twilight, his current stage, is the stage of life when death is approaching, although it has not yet arrived. The sun has set, and the sky is a beautiful color, but the black night, death, will take that all away. He knows he is past his prime and now he just awaits death. It is easy to see that Shakespeare is quite frustrated because he knows that death is coming, but he doesn’t know when it is coming. The comparison of the cycle of day and night to the cycle of life made me realize how hurried life is and how you should appreciate and make the most of the time you have. The phrase â€Å"death’s second self† is especially strong as he is saying that every time you go to sleep, it is like a small death. Every time you go to sleep, you lose another day. Shakespeare resolves this problem with a couplet that screams love me now while I am still here because when I am gone you will regret not loving me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Time is also a main theme in Milton’s â€Å"How Soon Hath Time†. Milton, however, is concerned because he feels that he has nothing to show for his life and he is scared that death is approaching him. He personifies time, calling it â€Å"the subtle thief of youth†. At the age of 23, he can’t believe how time is just

Affirmatvie Action :: essays research papers

The History of Diversity in America Known as the  ¡Ã‚ §Melting Pot ¡Ã‚ ¨, America is a country with a more diverse population than any other. But America also has a long, painful past of discrimination that has been based on sex, race, color, disability, religion, sexual orientation and various other characteristics that stray from the average white American citizen. Through the years, government has played a major role in trying to correct the past wrongs due to discrimination by enacting legislation and adding amendments to the Constitution. The primary purpose of these measures is to enforce non-discriminating employment practices and to encourage, and sometimes force, companies to increase their representation of women and minority group members in the workplace. This move toward equal opportunity has come about through numerous measures enacted throughout our history. A few of those policies, such as  ¡Ã‚ §Affirmative Action ¡Ã‚ ¨, contain very controversial issues that many employers hope to see changed, or done away wi! th all together. For the present time, however, the trend continues in most every state and is enforced by law. The effects of diversity on our nation can be traced back to the civil war period. This period of upheaval is a perfect example of the struggle many Americans went through to free black slaves. The blacks were made slaves in the states for a number of reasons. The blacks were a representation of difference, therefore the whites viewed them as being unequal. We also seem to fear that which is different, so we try to keep them down. The blacks represented such a small percentage of the population that it was easy for the white slave owners to control them. The diversity issue among the blacks and whites created a civil war within our nation that pitted friends and family against one another, and our whole nation was in turmoil. Many lives were lost fighting for the freedom of the slaves. On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery and declared all slaves free by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation (the thirteenth amendment to our constitution).(! Sandburg, 17) An excerpt from the proclamation follows:  ¡Ã‚ § . . . That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three, all persons held as slaves within any state or designated part of a state, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever, free; .

History Of The Somalia History Essay

The strategic geopolitical history of Somaliland non merely indicates its importance to the early African lands but has continued to so to this present twenty-four hours. It ‘s positioned in the centre of the Horn of Africa with an country of 637,540 square kilometres and is ideally located at the intersection non merely to merchandise paths, but to the gateway of antediluvian and modernizing Africa. Somali history day of the months back to the Paleolithic Age and Cave picture dating back to 9000 old ages BC has been recorded. Its location with Djibouti to the North West, Kenya to the South, Gulf of Aden on the North, Indian Ocean to the E, and Ethiopia on the West has added to its significance. In malice of its strategic location it has, unlike other African states, no old history of conquering, and as such, provided ulterior European states an first-class chance to see other civilisations than their own- particularly those of African Kingdoms. Ancient Somalia is reported to hold had trading dealingss with many of the mercantile states during the in-between Ages, and as a effect positioned Africa as an of import continent in the ancient universe. Among others, cinnamon trade to Europe, particularly to the ancient universe of Rome and Greece was extremely valued. Most of the cinnamon was obtained from the East, particularly India. Furthermore since the Somali state consisted of several Sultanates, it remained cardinal to maritime and trading civilizations of that period. Known as the Kingdom of Punt in ancient times, it besides had close dealingss with other of import African lands particularly that of Egypt, Nubia and Ethiopia. As a effect, parts of Somali civilization and signifiers frequently resemble that of the pyramid-culture of Egypt and other near neighbours. Strongly influenced by the Arab civilization, this African society exhibits an extraordinary mixture of the two. Islam was brought to that portion of the universe around 825 A.D. Somalia ‘s position on the African continent was besides the consequence of its close relationship with the Ottoman and German Empires. With the rise of the Arab universe in the Middle East and its oil industry, Somalia continues to keep its importance within this industry. It besides remains influential in the Islamic universe, enabling Somali to go a member of the Arab League in 1974. This state has besides played an of import and outstanding function in the African Union which was formed really much in the tradition and design of the European Union. Education is extremely valued throughout Somalia although a higher instruction is still precedence. It has several universities with the University of Mogadishu considered to be one of the finest in the state but besides one of the best in Africa. Culturally, the Somalis are Muslims and as such traditional spiritual instruction is singularly of import so that it is taught at a quranic schools across the state. Muslim literature produced by the Somalis is besides good recognized in other parts of the Moslem universe and so is their music and vocals. Both the rural and urban societies are serviced through these spiritual schools. The development of Somali legal construction as a mixture of Roman Dutch jurisprudence and Sharia jurisprudence. Currently it exercises civil traditional knowledge, spiritual and traditional jurisprudence. Somalia consists of a figure of kin based independent provinces. Somali one time boasted of a healthy economic system within the formal and informal sector. Trade, commercialism, conveyance and international links all promised of progressive future.. All this indicated that Somali are quickly traveling towards a modernizing society. Most of the West ‘s transnational companies, for case the fabrication trade, multinationals and Bankss all have subdivisions in the chief metropoliss in Somalia Somalia has been rich in mineral resources and the recent discovery of significant oil militias has surged its position among the industrializing states whose demand for oil particularly in the thick of the Middle East crisis is holding a strong impact on its economic system. Somalia has the largest ground forces in Africa with 10,000 military personnels on the field. Somalia has near on to 2 million people and 85 % of them Somalis and the remainder belonging to others. Of these 34 % unrecorded in the metropoliss. Arabic is the official linguistic communication although English is spoken widely with some Italian. The Muslims belong to the Sunni religious order of Islam. Christianity is minority faith. When Imperialism swept over Africa for the last five or six centuries. It subjected the native people to ‘inferior position ‘ or 2nd category citizenship. Africans weary of the rough conditions the position brought on to them shortly began to foment. Clangs with Europeans became frequent, so much so the Imperialist states gathered at the Berlin Conference in 1913 where the Western states decided to carve out certain parts of Africa among themselves as ‘guardians ‘ . These imperial states, particularly the Portuguese, Britain, France, Germany and Italy were on the top of the list. One of the unintended effects of such an act was to witness the outgrowth of release groups, patriotism and people prosecuting in the ‘freedom and release battles ‘ across the continent. Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, a Dervish leader sent a clarion call across Africa to defy the British and end their rising influence. He was one of the early African leaders, to name for integrity and independency. Swept by the influences of decolonisation and release battles across Africa, Somalia provided unqualified support to the African National Congress of South Africa. Somalia in the interim besides had strong ties with Muslim states and with their Muslim establishments. Hassan, furthermore as a Dervish leader, with his long experience with the British and Italian schemes of warfare, organized and disciplined his Somali ground forces, both in their ability in land conflicts and fleet retreats utilizing the terrain, with the consequence he defeated a well-trained British ground forces. In 1920 nevertheless, with the debut of aeroplanes into the battlegrounds, the British were able to get the better of the Somali ground forces eventually. There after Somalia became a associated state of the British Empire. The Italians fared no better than the British in the beginning merely because the Somalis non merely had the advantage of the terrain, but the ‘brotherhood ‘ within the Somalis and their commitment to the Sultanate, provided their soldiers extra inducements during war against their enemy. They, nevertheless could non, in ulterior old ages, match the ground forcess of the Italians under the Fascist control in 1927. Benito Mussolini, the Italian Fascist leader in 1935 attacked Abyssinia ( Ethiopia ) in the tradition of and go oning the bequest of imperialism and colonisation, but this clip the League of Nations ( which subsequently became the United Nations ) condemned the invasion. Little was done thenceforth to halt the business. In around 1941 the British stationed in Kenya with the coaction certain kins of the Sultanate, accompanied by East, West, and North African military personnels under the bid of the British attacked the British held Somalia and Italian Ethiopia and defeated them. Britain ruled both parts and was subsequently granted associated state position, but the United Nation transferred the trust territory of Italian held Somalia, back to Italians. It was during the trusteeship period that the Somalis entered into the structural model of Western political and international policy devising. But in the procedure the Imperializing states were consuming the economic wealth of Somalia. At times the British collaborated with Ethiopia in keeping the hegemony over Somalia, all of which did non get away the assorted patriot motions which were emerging in assorted parts of the state. Djibouti ‘s ( Gallic Somaliland ) independency in 1958 showed Somalia the switching geopolitics taking topographic point in the country. But the referendum held in Djibouti nevertheless showed that the people had decided to ally themselves to France instead than Somalia. Somalia itself gained its independency in 1960, and formed the post- colonial province. Unfortunately for the state at this clip the legion groups each wanted a portion in the authorities? The hierarchy and power of the colonial system was now transferred to the new authorities. Rather than concentrate on the structural development of the state the authorities bureaucratism began to concentrate on personal power and wealth. Many of the new authorities functionaries were chosen from the South and the Northerners felt left out and regional inequalities became the norm. 18 Parties participated in the first station colonial national elections in 1964 amidst accusal of corruptness and fraud. The Somali Youth League, a Somali National Congress, and the Somali Democratic Union, united to organize a strong block within the authorities. And unstable Somalia began to emerge for the following several old ages. Abdullah Osman Daar became its first president. Power battle continued, and eventually in 1969 a military putsch installed General Said Barre as President. Barre ‘s authorities introduced several new societal plans particularly in instruction, but otherwise parliamentary democracy seemed to endure from internal discord. On October 15, 1969 President Abdirachii Ali Shermaarke was assassinated by a constabulary head. At the beginning, General Said Barres ‘s Supreme Revolutionary Council was welcomed by the multitudes of people. There was a belief amongst the population that Somalia would now hold a stable authorities. Barre promoted what he called ‘scientific socialism ‘ as an political orientation for his state. Notwithstanding his political rhetoric, Somalis shortly began to see expropriation and corruptness which was bulwark during the imperialist times. Internal corruptness and favouritism shortly characterized Barre ‘s authorities. Clan competitions and divide and regulation policies besides weakened the authorities. The concluding straw came when the military authorities sent military personnels to Ethiopia. The Soviet Union had been providing weaponries to both sides. The Ethiopians successfully repulsed the Somalia ground forces. By 1980 the Somali authorities was losing its credibleness and at the same clip an economic crisis, particularly with the diminution of trade and of the lowering of oil monetary values added to the despairing internal crisis. Somalis besides noticed under Barres authorities the National Security Courts were set up outside the legal system and straight under the control of the executive whose power came from the military. Any offense considered as a ‘threat ‘ to the national security as defined by the ‘state ‘ was considered a offense. Although this was eventually abolished, and Somalia are still governed by pre-1991 penal codification. Civil war broke out in 1991. Northern Somaliland declared independency and in January 1, 1991 President Ali Madhi Mohamed of the United Somali Congress who had joined the Manifesto Group was made interim President. The rival groups shortly united and refused to acknowledge Muhammad as their leader and president. Throughout the 90s Somalia experienced civil struggles and warfare ensuing in nutrient deficits, devastation of labour and general disruption within the economic system and public assistance. Some 330,000 civilians were at hazard of decease and famishment when Andrew Natsios, the caput of the US bureau for International Development ‘ said before Congress, ‘that Somalia was the greatest human-centered exigency in the universe ‘ . ‘For some clip international perceivers allowed Somalia to disintegrate and it was merely subsequently when the state collapsed into lawlessness did the United Nations send peacekeeping forces. United Nations peace forces were sent into Somalia through the United States. The Security Council set up their UN operation in Somalia ( UNOSOM ) but the UN forces came under onslaught. In 1983 the United Nations human-centered aid chiefly given to the South did non sufficiently alleviate the crisis. The UN aid ceased chiefly due to the casualties suffered to its forces. The EU besides sent assistance to the concept the port at the Berbera. European NGO ‘s besides sent to assistance and aid to several parts of Somaliland. Both the United States authorities under President Bush in the UN Security Council worked together with leaders in Somalia. The United Nations eventually managed to acquire the seniors and leaders at a conference at the Royal Palace in Addis Ababa. Unfortunately the peace dialogues failed and the Civil War continued. The Transitional parliament adopted the federal charter in 2004. In 2006 the southern portion of the state came under the influence of the Islamists who established an Islamic Court to work aboard civil governments. Several parts of the state have declared ‘ independency ‘ and are controlled by warlords. The transitional federal authorities with the aid of the UN reestablished its control over the district but this has remained fragile to this twenty-four hours.

LIVE FROM SCHENECTADY essays

LIVE FROM SCHENECTADY essays One of the most important discoveries that has to do with communication is the television. The television opened a new world to people, especially ones that could not be at important events like Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. Today over 1 billion televisions can be found on earth. On a January afternoon in 1928 live from General Electrics radio laboratories in Schenectady, a man removes his glasses, and puts them back on, then blows a smoke ring. This was the worlds first television broadcast. It was broadcasted into three homes. On that afternoon GE's Swedish engineer, Ernst Alexanderson laid the foundation for one of the most powerful media in history. Ever since the invention of the radio in the early 1920's, the race had been on to combine and transmit sound with moving images. Two years before Alexanderson's demonstration, John Logie Baird used a mechanical scanner to transmit a flickering image of a human head. Four months after Alexanderson's transmission, the company was broadcasting images three times a week. Then in 1937 an electronic system using the cathode-ray tube was adopted by the BBC in England. The 1947 broadcast of the World Series got viewers attention of the growing impotance of TV. By the end of the 1950's, nearly 90 percent o f the U.S homes had at least one TV set. I think everybody in the world should own a television. Without the television people would not have witnessed many important events in history. For example, Neil Armstrong landing on the moon and Lee Harvey Alswald getting shot. The first cathode-ray reciever was invented in 1907, the first electronic camera in 1923, the first moving-picture transmition in 1925, first TV station in 1936, first news show in 1948, first color set in 1951, first videotape recorder in 1956, first communication satellite in 1962, and HDTV in 1998. In the future TV's will replace phones and hand-held ones will replace cell phones s...

Free sample - Dyslexia. translation missing

Dyslexia. DyslexiaIntroduction This paper defines visual dyslexia, giving its possible causes. It also sates the effects to the patient who are in most cases children stressing that it is not a disease but an impairment that cannot be treated. Visual dyslexia Visual dyslexia can be defined as a pathological reading difficulty caused by a visual impairment.   It is having difficulty in reading and comprehending text due to visual problems. The patient makes frequent visually based errors more especially in word recognition despite being able to name the component. The patient with these difficulties are said to be visual dyslexics, visuospatial dyslexics or dyseidetic dyslexics. The patient these reading and spelling patterns portray the following visual processing weaknesses. The word dyslexia was derived from the Greek word dys meaning poor or inadequate and lexis meaning works or language (Cardon L. 1994). Dyslexia is a learning disability characterized by problems in expressive, receptive, oral or written language. Problems come up in reading, spelling, writing, speaking and listening. Dyslexia is not a disease and it has no cure. It describes a different kind of mind that learns differently. It is not the result of low intelligence or the problem of intelligence. Dyslexia is not a visual problem but it is a language problem. Dyslexia results from differences in the structure and function of the brain. The patient lack the ability to organize or position the way something is seen, confuse shapes, order of letters, and are not able to focus on a specific object for a long period of time. For instance, a child can confuse the shape of a triangle for a square or see the word bat and read the letters backward which results in them seeing tab. Other paralexia (mistakes made by person with visual dyslexia) include saccade (word scanning by series of fixations and fast eye movement) ambiguou s consonants, phonetic value to silent graphemic consonants, vowel digraphs, consonant clusters, shift stress of words, neologisms (new word), loss of syllable and consonants misplaced. Deep dyslexia is a complex reading disorder caused by brain damage in which the symptom is the occupancy of semantic errors in single word (Cardon L. 1994). Causes Photon energies that is specific to hypersensitive individuals induce within the eye’s photopic photoreceptors the conditions that create dyslexic-type visual abnormalities, and that those photon energies can be effectively suppressed before they reach the visual system of susceptible individuals. Dyslexic individuals often experience symptomatic relief when treated with specific colored transparent overlays. Photon energies specific to hypersensitive individuals, induce within the eye’s photopic photoreceptors the conditions that create dyslexic-type visual abnormalities. Photon energies can be suppressed before they reach the visual system of susceptible individuals. Dyslexic patient experience symptomatic relief when treated with specific colored transparent overlays (Michael C. 2004). Paraletic errors are attributed to a dysfunction of the visual analysis system in the dual route parallel model of reading. Studies that have shown that visual dyslexia runs throughout families and is passed on to many children genetically.   A statistical geneticist found evidence that a gene for dyslexia sits on chromosome number six, which is one of the twenty-three chromosomes (Cardon, 1994). Dr. Glen Rosen, a Harvard neuroscientist explained that nerve cells within the left hemisphere of the brain appear smaller than in the right hemisphere. This difference in size of nerve cells throw off the timing of the brain and disrupt its crucial word processing skills, Dr. Albert Balaburda, a neurologist from Harvard postulated that the brain of dyslexic people are bombarded with tiny lesions and out-of-place cells which explains that the core of the problem may live in the machinery that controls prenatal development. Neurologist and researcher of dyslexia broke down the disorder into three different subtypes to establish a technique to teach children with different degrees of dyslexia. The first subtype is known as dysphonetic dyslexia. When these children read, they insert or delete letters and syllables. In dyseidetic dyslexia, the patient can not recognize words as a whole and seem to read very slowly. Lastly, mixed dyslexia and children with this subtype experience both dys phonetic and dysedetic dyslexia; furthermore, mixed dyslexia causes these children more academic failure than any other known subtype. Bakker’s three subtypes were linguistic, perceptual, and mixed dyslexia. Linguistic dyslexia referred to a child s ability to read fast; however many mistakes were present because the child omitted and added letters and syllables. This is similar to Border’s dysphonetic dyslexia. Secondly, perceptual dyslexia exists when a child reads accurately yet slowly. Bakker’s third subtype (mixed dyslexia) is comparable to Boder’s mixed dyslexia since they both are a combination of the first and second subtypes. There are three approaches for treating dyslexic patients and they include the developmental, corrective, and remedial approach. The developmental approach suggests that teachers should instruct in small groups or individually because extra time and attention is necessary for some dyslexic children. The corrective approach also takes place in small or individual groups allowing the child to explore special interests so that the children can rely on their own special abilities in order to overcome difficulties. In the remedial approach, it is considered important to determine the skills that are most difficult and then apply individualized Effects on a student The different motor functions involved in normal reading like eye scanning, fixations and saccades performed to integrate fovea images is disrupted as a result of an acquired lesion to the right or left hemisphere of the eye. Conclusion Visual dyslexia is often inherited through genes. It can be caused by early ear infections as well. There are three approaches for treating dyslexic patients and they include the developmental, corrective, and remedial approach.   References: Boder E. (1973) .Developmenal dyslexia: a diagnostic approach based on three atypical reading-spelling patterns. Cardon L. (1994). Acquired dyslexia. Michael C. (2004). Photon Induced Visual Abnormalities (PIVA) and Visual Dyslexia.

William Blakes poem, The Lamb

William Blakes poem, The Lamb William Blake's poem "The Lamb" metaphorically refers to Christ as the Lamb who came as a child, and that we are made in His image; this speaking of the religious importance and influences at the time this poem was written. It seams Blake's style of poetry proclaimed the supremacy of the imagination over the rationalism and materialism of the 18th?century.William Blake is at first calling the lamb out as though it were an animal, "Little lamb, who made thee?...Gave thee clothing of delight, Dost thou know who made thee?" Blake is switching now in the latter half of his poem to the deity of Christ, "He is called by they name, For he calls himself a Lamb. He is meek and He is mild; He became a little child."Many of Blake's spellings which seem odd or old-fashioned to us, must have struck his readers, also, as quaint.Blake's illustration of "The Lamb"Blake does not necessarily use metaphors, where something in the poem represents some other thing, usually an abstraction, in a one-to-one way. Rather he uses symbols and leaves it to the reader to decide what they mean. The picture of The Lamb's feeding "by the stream and o'er the mead" is a beautiful one, which suggests God's kindness in creation, and has an echo of similar descriptions in the Old Testament book of Psalms. In the second stanza, Blake reminds the lamb, and us, that the God who made the lamb, also is like the lamb. As well as becoming a child (like the speaker of the poem) Jesus became known as The Lamb of God. Jesus was crucified during the Feast of the Passover (celebrating the Jews' escape from Egypt) when lambs were slaughtered in the temple at Jerusalem. This was believed to take away the sins...

Real Estate Management in Guildford Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Real Estate Management in Guildford - Essay Example (i) A development appraisal to predict developer’s profit for the completed scheme. Your appraisal should be prepared both in a conventional format and by using a spreadsheet. Briefly comment on the accuracy of both methods. (30 marks) (ii) Returns for developer and fund if the scheme is funded long term by (a) Profit erosion with priority yield (b) commercial mortgage and (c) forward sale. Comment on the advantages and disadvantages of each method for developer and fund. (30 marks) Realizing the lucrative earning potentiality of the clustered land and building at in Guildford B1 zone with a high commercial value of properties it is worth to invest for double fold profit with minimum risk factors. It has been observed that a mere investment of GBP 10, 000, 000 straightway get a yield of 62, 203,68 while having the face value of the property integral. A real estate appraisal is a service performed by a licensed appraiser, who develops an opinion of value based upon the highest and best use of real property estimated the price that may go in multiple of ten in next two years. The highest and best use by our recent client after an innovative beautification produces the highest value for the land. This use is based on four parts; physically possible to acquire through our installment facility, appropriate estimation without any hidden cost, legally free from any incumbent, and economically feasible. Also of importance is the definition of the type of value being developed having its high market value and quick sale value. It is important to distinguish between Market Value and price of the property in Guildford highly commercial zone of the residential site. Market value is its fluid concept, ever-changing into ascending order, while the price is a historical fact at the time of a transaction while acquiring the land.  

Financial Market in Abu Dhabi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Market in Abu Dhabi - Essay Example The global environments where the strategies have been implemented to develop the financial markets have changed drastically because of the overall financial crisis. But the GCC (i.e. the Corporation Council of the Arab States in the Gulf Region) has a chance to succeed in developing the financial markets and consequently promoting their competitiveness. Economic condition in the GCC market is supported by the region’s wealth due to their high oil and gas supplies. The past few years of financial turmoil have also pointed out the challenges and the necessity to a bigger and more effective and mature financial markets. There are a large number of structural factors which will determine the development prospect related to the financial markets in the Gulf region in the next few years (Deutsche Bank AG, 2012). ... Abu Dhabi: Leading in the Middle East region in respect of the Investors Confidence Abu Dhabi is viewed as an access point for most of the investors because of its location, the economic policies which are business friendly in nature and also the advances in different sectors. According to the investors, they are confident that the financial market of this country is one of the best options where they can make investments. United Arab Emirates is leading the Middle East region in terms of gaining the investor’s confidence. Abu Dhabi has become one of the top destinations for making investment. It will continue to expand because of its positive experience, excellent performances and the attraction of the new investors in investing in its financial market. Abu Dhabi Financial Market United Arab Emirates previously had an informal stock market from the year 1986 with more than ninety listed companies listed in this stock market and traded from here. But the trading was restricted to shares of only 32 to 36 companies because the shares of most of the companies were held by government or high net worth individuals. The informal market of United Arab Emirates existed before the establishment of the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange (ADX) in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Financial Market (DFM) in Dubai in the year 2000. Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange was established on 15th November 2000 by the Local Law No. (3) 2000. It was established as one of the legal entities with autonomous status. Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange has the legal authority of establishing branches and centers outside the Emirates of Abu Dhabi. Currently, ADX has its operations in Ras al Khaimah, Sharjah and Zaayed City and

Operations & Technology Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Operations & Technology Management - Case Study Example This is part of Peter Salisbury's move to reorganize and decentralize. His program "Return to Recovery Program" tried to centralize 77% of tasks in the UK for easy control and communication. He was successful in accelerating the design-to-store lead-time. He also came out with a trendy line for clothing labeled "Autograph" the "real clothes for women." Despite all these efforts and a 20Million advertising campaign, M&S failed. It could not compete with Inditex and its brand Zara. Zara who does not spend on advertising but relies solely on window displays, proper positioning of stores, giving the people what they want and at the fastest possible time. Zara has its designers combing streets and asking the people what they want. It has a machinery that can produce a copy of a competitor design in a week and make new designs every two weeks. Zara is able to this and still pass the product to the consumer at reasonable costs. According to Merrill Lynch, M&S failed because it did not chang e the root causes of poor performance which is, "heavy organization, limited flexibility and over centralization."

The Coca-Cola Company Financial Results Analysis Assignment

The Coca-Cola Company Financial Results Analysis - Assignment Example In this project second quarter’s financial results of 2011 have been analyzed. The analysis includes the overall growth of the group, growth in individual markets along with its long term goals and objective. A special analysis has been done on the growth and performance of North American market. Apart from various analyses a comparison has been done between the earning per share of the second quarter with the historic performance. A study has been made on the impact of emerging markets on the long term growth of the company. This project also includes a study on the profitability drivers of the company and their impact on the company’s objective. Accounting Policies The Coca Cola Company follows the US GAAP model for preparing its financial statements. With the information required by GAAP the company also records the non GAAP information which is used to measure the performance of the company more accurately (Coca-Cola Company, 2011, p.12). North American Market The C oca-Cola Company has a strong market in the North American region. In the second quarter of 2011 the company’s overall volume increased by 6%. The growth in volume in north America was 4% while the operating income increased by 46% which was highest compared to the percentage increase in other markets. The percentage increase in net operating revenue in North American market was also the highest compared to the increase in other geographical markets where the company operates. The organic volume that is the volume achieved from the company’s core operations was more or less same in the second quarter. In North American market the company acquired the bottler CCE which had a positive effect on the company. In North American market the company’s carbonated soft drinks’ volume grew by 6%. The company spent a lot of money in North American market for promoting carbonated soft drinks as result the its organic volume declined. In North American markets the comp any performed well in terms of volume. The Gold Peak tea itself grew by 38% where as the volume of Powerade and Smart water also grew. Hence in North America the company performed better in the quarter (The Coca-Cola Company, 2011, p.6). Profitability Drivers The Coca Cola Company achieved a higher profit than expected in the 2nd quarter of 2011. There are many reasons behind the increase in profits. The main drivers of profitability of Coca- Cola Company for the quarterly profits are overall growth in volume, price mix and different structural change. During the 2nd quarter of 2011 the company achieved growth in volume world wide. In every market whether it is European market or North American or Latin America or Pacific or Asian the volume grew in every market. Increase in sales volume automatically increases the sales revenue and hence their profits get increased. Some structural changes like the sale of Norway and Sweden bottlers help to reduce the expenses of the company. In No rth American market the company was able to increase its retail price by 3% to 4% in the 2nd quarter which in turn helped the company to reduce the high commodity costs. The increase in volume will definitely help the company to achieve its long terms goal. The structural changes were made to place the company in a better position in long run which will complement the company in its long term goals (The Coca-Cola Company, 2011, p.8). Comparison of EPS with Historic Results and Long Term Growth With increase in the volume and profits the earning per share of Coca-Cola

How Children Learn Mathematics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

How Children Learn Mathematics - Essay Example To help the students with such problems, teachers and parents should provide various representations with meaning and be positive in their approach to discussing mathematical issues. There are strategies in teaching mathematics that may reduce some of the problems. All authors believe that teachers should use a variety of representations and even some relatively unconventional tools. Mental mathematics, linking cubes, drawings, mental images, concrete materials, equations, base-ten blocks, computer programs can all be used with the goal of students to find the representations they personally can manipulate (physically and or mentally) with most ease and meaning. By choosing the representation that represents how they personally think, students can attach meaning to the situation and it becomes more accessible (Fennell, 2001, 288). Parents should also learn their childrens learning style even if it differs from their own. Parents are also encouraged to "pretend" they enjoy mathematics and can do them "as well and anybody" (Dedyna, 2002, Press). For Thompson, one of the simplest ways of teaching vocabulary is to explain the concepts first, and then attach the term to it. This strategy can be used in conjunction with etymologies (word origins) because when students know these roots, they can make connections between common English words with which they are familiar and mathematics terms. Many students from elementary to high school have the same problems with understanding mathematics. One of students biggest problems is the inability to represent their thinking. Representations can be oral, numeric, drawn, concrete, on a computer, etc. A student may understand a problem in its oral form, for example, but the written version of the same problem may stump the student because they incorrectly make the transition from the words and symbols on the paper to their mind when they attempt to

The Coca-Cola Company Financial Results Analysis Assignment

The Coca-Cola Company Financial Results Analysis - Assignment Example In this project second quarter’s financial results of 2011 have been analyzed. The analysis includes the overall growth of the group, growth in individual markets along with its long term goals and objective. A special analysis has been done on the growth and performance of North American market. Apart from various analyses a comparison has been done between the earning per share of the second quarter with the historic performance. A study has been made on the impact of emerging markets on the long term growth of the company. This project also includes a study on the profitability drivers of the company and their impact on the company’s objective. Accounting Policies The Coca Cola Company follows the US GAAP model for preparing its financial statements. With the information required by GAAP the company also records the non GAAP information which is used to measure the performance of the company more accurately (Coca-Cola Company, 2011, p.12). North American Market The C oca-Cola Company has a strong market in the North American region. In the second quarter of 2011 the company’s overall volume increased by 6%. The growth in volume in north America was 4% while the operating income increased by 46% which was highest compared to the percentage increase in other markets. The percentage increase in net operating revenue in North American market was also the highest compared to the increase in other geographical markets where the company operates. The organic volume that is the volume achieved from the company’s core operations was more or less same in the second quarter. In North American market the company acquired the bottler CCE which had a positive effect on the company. In North American market the company’s carbonated soft drinks’ volume grew by 6%. The company spent a lot of money in North American market for promoting carbonated soft drinks as result the its organic volume declined. In North American markets the comp any performed well in terms of volume. The Gold Peak tea itself grew by 38% where as the volume of Powerade and Smart water also grew. Hence in North America the company performed better in the quarter (The Coca-Cola Company, 2011, p.6). Profitability Drivers The Coca Cola Company achieved a higher profit than expected in the 2nd quarter of 2011. There are many reasons behind the increase in profits. The main drivers of profitability of Coca- Cola Company for the quarterly profits are overall growth in volume, price mix and different structural change. During the 2nd quarter of 2011 the company achieved growth in volume world wide. In every market whether it is European market or North American or Latin America or Pacific or Asian the volume grew in every market. Increase in sales volume automatically increases the sales revenue and hence their profits get increased. Some structural changes like the sale of Norway and Sweden bottlers help to reduce the expenses of the company. In No rth American market the company was able to increase its retail price by 3% to 4% in the 2nd quarter which in turn helped the company to reduce the high commodity costs. The increase in volume will definitely help the company to achieve its long terms goal. The structural changes were made to place the company in a better position in long run which will complement the company in its long term goals (The Coca-Cola Company, 2011, p.8). Comparison of EPS with Historic Results and Long Term Growth With increase in the volume and profits the earning per share of Coca-Cola

Methods of Property Valuation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Methods of Property Valuation - Term Paper Example The process of estimating values of properties considers numerous elements that might affect the property value. These factors form an essential part of comparable valuing. In determining proper comparable various conditions must be satisfied to ensure the comparable remains closely related to the subject property. The subject property valuation utilizes the value of comparable to determine the estimated property values. Within the property market, various elements affect the selection of a comparable for the subject property. The current market conditions might increase or decrease prices of property depending on the accounting systems employed. According to Rees and Hayward (2001) when selecting a comparable location and physical appearance of the property must display significant similarities. The locations of property might influence the value of the property if the properties under question could both be influenced by location characteristics. The conditions under which comparab les are sold could potentially affect the suitability of a property as a comparable. A property sold understate settlement, for example, might be undervalued following the conditions involved. A proper comparable should be sold under prevailing market conditions and without restrictions on either party. Numerous methods of property valuation exist within the property market. The sales comparison approach remains the most utilized valuation method involving comparables (Betts & Ely, 1998). This method involves a comparison of different units forming the characteristics of the properties under comparison. This consideration of different units creates a beginning point for establishing an estimated value for subject properties. The significant characteristics that could be considered include floor area, property condition, age, and distance from essential amenities, among other property attributes. Though these elements might be considered in the valuation of property, the method relie s heavily on the economic principles of demand and supply.  

Dead Poet Society Essay Example for Free

Dead Poet Society Essay Is living a crime? Is choice unacceptable? Is suicide typical? Reading this is so simple but going through it is much harder than we think. Forgetting your best friend who suicided, having your close relative killed and been alone was Charlie’s life. â€Å"The perk of being a wallflower† directed by Stephen Chbosky is an astonishing film which involves youngster entering the world of adulthood. Beginning a new year of high school here Charlie finally befriends Sam and Patrick and through this we explore the themes of self-realisation and loneliness. Self-realisation and loneliness is conveyed in both films; Directed by Peter Weir Dead Poet society is a story of a teacher called Mr Keating who makes his students releases the ability they have in them. The film â€Å"Perk of being a wallflower† definitely reinforces the themes in â€Å"Dead poet Society†. Loneliness is deeply attached and expressed early in Charlie’s life. It is shown by him not participating in any class activities. The camera angel that supports this statement is an eye-level shot where Charlie is sitting in class backed down on his chair. This symbolises that he is too afraid to speak out. The body language is dull with a lower self-esteem. Similarly, in Dead Poet Society Todd a shy and insecure guy who is too afraid to come out of his shell. The camera shot used is close-up where Todd’s facial expression is conveyed by tension and fear. So, therefore both films definitely share a similar theme. â€Å"Things change. And friends leave. Life doesnt stop for anybody. † Being intensely devoted to his past Charlie stopped realising who he really is. Every step he took he remembered the past, and that past has stopped his life in one motion; stress and alone. Fortunately, with help from his friend Sam he realises that life is full of happiness and freedom. The Camera Angle used is Medium shot where Charlie is standing on the truck bed, with his hands open, he learns that he can go on with life without being scared, because he is more than a wallflower. Furthermore, Self-realisation in Dead Poet Society is shown by Todd at the end of the film where he is confident and fearless. He seizes the day by standing on his desk as a symbol of his respect to Mr Keating. The camera Angle used is low angle shot of Todd which makes him look powerful and full of dignity. Confident, happiness and self-realisation taught both Todd and Charlie that life keeps going so. So, therefore, again the perk of being a wallflower has expressed similar themes as Dead poet society. To conclude, both films had similarities and differences but overall the same themes; Themes of self-realisation and loneliness. The perk of being a wallflower and Dead poet society show us lives of teenagers that are sometimes unseen and the way they overcome each obstacle. So, what would you do if you were in this situation? Because in life people like Mr Keating or Sam aren’t always there. So my friends seize the day your own way.

An Over View Of Walmart Asda Marketing Essay

An Over View Of Walmart Asda Marketing Essay ASDA plc is a British international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. It is the largest British retailer by both global sales and domestic market share, with profits exceeding  £3 billion, and the third largest global retailer based on revenue, behind Wal-Mart and Carrefour. 1.2: Problem and Purpose The report seeks to identify the product and service mixes of the small companys business plans, product and service provider problem as well as recommendation to solve the problems. The following are the sequence of the report: An introduction of ASDA. A SWOT analysis of ASDAS Resources Management in the following areas: Manufacturing Operations Management Human Resource Management as at present more than 100 people chase one job. Marketing Management and Strategies Technological and Infrastructural support for all the above activities. A holistic review of the ASDAS Human, Financial and Technological Resources Management Strategies. What you consider to be real problem and why, with ASDAS procedures and business process, therefore suggesting coherent set of recommendations for possible solutions and Improvements. Page: 1 Chapter 2.00: Methodology 2.1: Data Collection We collected data from two sources as: Primary source and Secondary source. 2.1.1: Primary source We collected data from the ASDA manager directly. We did collect data by face to face conversation with store, Other Staffs. 2.1.2: Secondary source We also collected data from the Internet, Magazine, Newspaper, Public, and other area as well as friends and senior students about ASDA. Page: 2 Chapter 3.00: A holistic review and analysis the Human, Financial and Technological Resources Management Strategies of ASDA. 3.1: Historical Background of ASDA Asda Stores Limited was founded as Associated Dairies Farm Stores Limited in 1949 in Leeds. The adoption of the Asda name occurred in 1965 with the merger of the Asquith chain of three supermarkets and Associated Dairies; Asda is an abbreviation of Asquith and Dairies, often capitalised. For a short time in the 1980s Asda Stores Ltd was a subsidiary of Asda-MFI plc following a merger between the two companies. Other companies in the group were Associated Dairies Limited, the furniture retailer MFI and Allied Carpets. After the sale of MFI and Allied Carpets the company name changed to Asda Group plc. The dairy division was sold in a management buyout and renamed Associated Fresh Foods, meaning that Asda has since had no connection with one of the firms its name was derived from. With stores mainly based in the North of England, the newly focused food retail group expanded further south in 1989 by buying the large format stores of rival Gateway Superstores for  £705 million. This move overstretched the company and it found itself in deep trouble trying to sell too many different products. As a result it was forced to raise money from shareholders in both 1991 and 1993. It revived under the leadership of Archie Norman, who later became a front bench Conservative MP. CEO from 1991, Norman was chairman of the company during the period 1996-99, and replicated the store on the basis of United States retail giant Wal-Mart, even sending protà ©gà © Allan Leighton to Bentonville, Arkansas to assess and photograph the systems and marketing which Wal-Mart had deployed. In 1997, The Spice Girls licensed their name and image to Asda in which they created over 40 different Spice Items for Christmas 1997 developing goods such as party supplies, official merchandise, and even Spice Girl branded kids meals in the stores restaurants. The Spice Girls earned  £1 million for this sponsorship deal. When Norman left the company to pursue his political career, he was replaced by Leighton. Wal-Mart wanted to enter the UK market so CEO Bob Martin lobbied British Prime Minister Tony Blair on planning issues. Asda, which at the time owned 230 stores and had planned to merge with Kingfisher plc, was purchased by Wal-Mart on 26 July 1999 for  £6.7 billion. After the takeover Asda continued to maintain its headquarters at the then newly opened Asda House. This building was one of the first of the new large office blocks to open as part of the redevelopment of the huge area south of the River Aire in the city centre of Leeds, in the Holbeck district, West Yorkshire. In 2005, amid reported concerns within Wal-Mart about a slippage in market share, partially due to a resurgent Sainsburys, Asdas chief executive, Tony de Nunzio left, and was replaced by Andy Bond. In 2005, Asda expanded into Northern Ireland by purchasing 12 Safeway stores from Morrisons. Page:3 In 2009 Wal-Mart sold Asda for  £6.9 billion to their Leeds-based investment subsidiary Corinth Services Limited. The deal, which took place in August, was described as part of a group restructuring and means Asda remains under the control of the Wal-Mart, since Corinth are themselves a subsidiary of Wal-Mart. 3.2: Marketing Asda is known for memorable famous marketing campaigns. In the Asda price campaign, customers tap their trouser pocket twice, producing a chinking sound as the coins that Asdas low prices have supposedly left in their pockets knock together. The pocket tap ads were launched in 1977 and over the next 30 years a range of celebrities have been tappers, including Julie Walters, Michael Owen, sitcom actor Leonard Rossiter and Carry On actress Hattie Jacques. In the late 1980s, prior to the reintroduction of the tap pocket campaign, advertising for Asda had featured the Fairground Attraction song Perfect. In 2004, Sharon Osbourne was selected to be part of a new marketing campaign by Asda; her last advert was aired in August 2005. In the smiley face rollback campaign, also used in Wal-Mart advertisements, a CGI smiley face bounced from price tag to price tag, knocking them down as customers watch. The focus of these campaigns is to portray Asda as the most affordable supermarket in the country, a claim that was challenged by competitors, especially Aldi. In 2006, Asda advertising was themed around singing children and the slogan More for you for less, and the previous tap of the trouser pocket advertising was reduced to a double-tap on a stylized A, still producing the chinking sound. This included an advert during the 2006 FIFA World Cup featuring the England footballer Michael Owen in an advert with the children singing Vindaloo. In 2007, the advertising campaign abandoned the rollback hook in favour of featuring celebrities including Victoria Wood and Paul Whitehouse working as Asda employees. For Christmas 2007, Asda reintroduced the Thats Asda price slogan as well as the famous jingle to some of its adverts, this can also be heard on its instore radio station Asda FM. Starting in 2008, Asda has been returning to its roots and is now re-focusing on price with its new Why Pay More? campaign both on TV and in stores. Current Asda TV commercials in April 2009 focus on price comparisons between Asda and its rivals, using information from MySupermarket to suggest that Asda is Britains most affordable supermarket. The music being used in these adverts is the Billy Childish version of the classic Dads Army theme tune. The old Asda jingle is not included in these, but appeared in a 2008 Christmas advert. Asda returned to the traditional pocket tap adverts in March/April 2009, with the slogan Saving You Money Every Day! Asda has been winner of the The Grocer magazine Lowest Price Supermarket Award for the past 12 years, and uses this to promote itself across the UK. In August 2005, rival supermarket chain Tesco challenged Asdas ability to use the claim that it was the cheapest supermarket in the country, by complaining to the Advertising Standards Agency. The A.S.A upheld the complaint and ordered Asda to stop using it, citing that The Grocer magazine survey was based on limited and unrepresentative evidence as it examined the price of just 33 products, and that the survey did not study Page:4 low-cost supermarkets such as Aldi, and that their price checker, My Supermarket, doesnt include Morrisons, which was mentioned a few times. As a result Asda no longer cites itself as Officially Britains lowest priced supermarket, instead using Winner: Britains lowest price supermarket award 3.3: SWOT analysis of ASDA Some Strength Brand name Customer base Economies of scale Store variety Some Weaknesses Too much diversity Large capital expenditures Negative media Some Opportunities Strategic alliances New markets Some Threats Weakening economy Unemployment Monopolies board 3.4: Corporate social responsibility Asda has signed up to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) which respects workers rights for freedom of association and a living wage. Implementing this initiative is difficult, however, because the concept of a living wage varies between countries and the buying strategies of a major importer like Asda have an indirect impact on national minimum wages by obliging governments to set them low enough to stop businesses from going elsewhere. Industry pressure groups such as Labour Behind the Label and War on Want have argued that Asda and other budget retailers use unethical labour practices in the developing world to keep UK prices low.The National Farmers Union, representing UK farmers and growers, has argued that Asda and other major supermarkets have made large profits and kept consumer prices low by squeezing suppliers margins to the point where many of them have gone out of business. 3.5: Asda Smart Price Asda Smart Price is a no-frills private label trade name. The equivalents from the three other big supermarkets are Tesco Value, Sainsburys Basics and Morrisons Value. The Smart Price brand can trace its origins to Asdas Farm Stores brand launched in the mid 1990s, which consisted of products that were offered at a lower price than the equivalent famous name brand product and Asdas own brand equivalent. The Farm Stores brand originally consisted of a small number of food only products, largely frozen such as frozen chips and a small range of ready meals, this range later expanded to include fresh food. In 2000 following the acquisition of Asda by Wal- Page:5 Mart, the Farm Stores products were phased out and replaced with the new Smart Price brand based on Wal-Marts Great Value and Sams Choice.[citation needed] Smart Price products are almost always the lowest price option (known as Our Lowest Price) in a product category in Asda stores. Occasionally this difference is only a few pence, however in others it is a marked difference. For example, a box of Smart Price Biological Washing Powder costs 50 pence while the equivalent Asda brand washing powder costs  £1.50 and well known name brand alternatives cost from  £2 upwards. The Smart Price label was originally a food only brand, however over the years it has expanded to cover almost every product range in the store, including clothing and furnishings with the George Smart Price brand. Like early generic products in the US some Smart Price products lack what can be thought of as frills in the modern brand name or supermarket own brand, for example the Smart Price toothpaste has an old fashioned screw cap rather than the now more common flip cap and the Smart Price range of crisps come in traditional clear plastic bags rather than the foil bags common to most name brand versions. 3.6: George clothing Asda has its own range of clothing known as George which was created in 1990. This is marketed as quality fashion clothing at affordable prices. Wal-Mart also sells the George brand in the United States, Canada and Japan (and in South Korea until Wal-Mart pulled out of that market). This George label was named after George Davies, the founder of Next, who was its original chief designer. He is no longer associated with the brand, although it has aimed to remain true to the high quality, low price business model that he established. In 2005, Asda stated that the George range was a  £1.75 billion business, including sales from Wal-Mart stores in the USA and Germany. Mintel estimate that George is the fourth largest retailer of clothing in the United Kingdom, after Marks Spencer, the Arcadia Group and Next. Asda was the first supermarket to stock wedding dresses. Part of the George line, they cost just  £60 while adult bridesmaid dresses ranged between  £30 and  £35, at launch. 3.7: Stores Asda originally had a simple and fresh store format, which under Archie Normans team and the focus on a Wal-Mart style strategy became even more emphasised. The stores are generally white and green, with simplistic layout but built on a Wal-Mart larger footprint format Asdas average store is almost 20% bigger than its rivals, but stocks 20% fewer lines. However, the preferred large-format stores have brought problems to Asdas growth beyond its spurts in both the 1990s and immediate post Wal-Mart era. With the UKs tight planning restrictions, the opportunity to increase retail space via new store builds has been limited. Rather than follow rivals Tesco and Sainsburys into local format smaller-footprint stores, Asda has chosen to adapt its format to niche stores to retain longer term growth. Page:6 3.8: Asda Wal-Mart Supercentres Following the takeover by Wal-Mart, several Asda Wal-Mart Supercentres have been opened, creating some of the largest hypermarkets in the United Kingdom. The first Supercentre opened in Livingston, Scotland in June 2000. The Milton Keynes store is currently the largest Asda Wal-Mart Supercentre by total floor space. The second largest Asda Wal-Mart Supercentre is located in Huyton, Merseyside. There are currently 25 Supercentres in the UK. It is also planned for a Wal-Mart Supercentre in Dundee, Scotland. 3.9: There are 346 Asda Supermarkets. In October 2003 Asda launched a new format called Asda Living. This is the companys first general merchandise store, containing all its non-food ranges including clothing, home electronics, toys, homewares, health, and beauty products. With these stores they have linked up with Compass Group who operate the coffee shop Caffe Ritazza within some of the stores. The first store with this format opened in Walsall, West Midlands, and at the time of writing has been followed by ten further stores. 3.10: George clothing stores In 2004, the George clothing brand was extended to a number of standalone George stores on the high street. In 2008, all George standalone stores were closed due to high rental costs resulting in low profitability. The first George standalone store to open was in Preston. 3.11: Asda Essentials In April 2006, Asda launched a new format called Asda Essentials in a former Co-op store in Northampton, followed by another in Pontefract a month later. This was modelled on the French Leaderprice chain, with a smaller floorplate than Asdas mainstream stores. Essentials focuses primarily on own-brand products, only stocking branded items that are perceived to be at the core of a familys weekly shop. This style of retailing is an attempt to address competition from discount supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl and Netto. On 6 December 2006 The Guardian newspaper reported that further planned store openings were under review following poor sales in the existing outlets. It was also revealed that the range of branded products has been expanded. In early January 2007 it was announced that the initial trial Essentials store would close within a month after only 10 months of trading. Page:7 4.1: Distribution Asda also has 70 depots all across the UK which distribute across the network of stores. There are depots for chilled foods, clothing and ambient products, such as fizzy drinks and cereals. 4.2: Other interests On 10 June 2008 Wal-Mart announced that it has agreed to sell Gazeley Limited Group, the property development subsidiary of Asda, to Economic Zones World (EZW), a Dubai World company. Gazeley is involved in the development of distribution warehousing in the UK, mainland Europe and China and has extended its operations to India and Mexico. Its customers include many of the worlds leading companies, third-party logistics providers, original equipment manufacturers, retailers and their suppliers. Gazeley is also a preferred developer of distribution space for Wal-Mart International, including Asda in the UK and Wal-Mart China. Asda Financial Services Asda has established a financial services division, following in the footsteps of Tesco, Sainsburys and other retailers. Asda simply attaches its own brand to products provided by other companies. Services they offer include insurance (provided by Norwich Union), credit cards (provided by Grupo Santander) and loans (provided by the Funding Corporation). The Financial Services division of the organisation does not directly sell these services in store and instead uses the supplier of that product by telephone or online/postal application. Until June 2009 selected stores had Credit Card Representatives provided by GE Capital Bank and then Grupo Santander. Marketing and management of Financial Services is co-ordinated in house and many stores have a Financial Services Co-ordinator, responsible for promoting the products and ensuring legal compliance. The Financial Services division is also responsible for Gift Cards, Christmas Saver and Business Rewards. 4.3: Loyalty card The company does not run a loyalty card scheme, stating that we prefer to invest the money wed use to set up such a scheme into driving down prices for our customers. However, the Asda-branded Credit Card (provided by Grupo Santander) offers a points scheme, though these points can be earned on all spending. Page:8 5.00: Internet operations An Asda Mercedes-Benz Sprinter delivery van Asda launched its online retailer service in 1998, but from the start had over-estimated demand. It began with a dedicated depot based in Croydon, South London, but this was closed with a number of redundancies shortly after as sales were lower than expected. It continued the online service, but emulated the Tesco store-based model instead. Since the roll-out of the grocery delivery operation Asda has moved into non-food online retailing. Current categories include entertainment, contact lenses, furniture, travel, electricals, gifts, mobile phones and flowers, with more categories being launched each year. In May 2004 it announced a major expansion of the service which would increase coverage from 30% of the UK population to 35%.The Grocer magazine reported a turnaround in the fortunes of Asdas home shopping service under new head of Home Shopping, Richard Ramsden.[citation needed] More recently, Asda stepped up its commitment to home shopping, focusing on full UK coverage by the end of 2007. Andy Bond highlighted that Asda will be recruiting up to 1,800 new staff to bolster its operations and focus on competing with Tesco in the online arena. In January 2007, Asda launched www.asda-electricals.co.uk to compete with Tescos highly successful Tesco Direct. In October 2008, Asda launched direct.asda.com superseding its electricals website and also selling several additional product categories such as homeware, garden and toys. This new venture is part of its online business Asda Direct, with more than 3,000 domestic and home electrical products. Asdas long term ambition to capture 5% of the  £1.9 billion market by 2012. Recently, the company sold its Durabrand 1005 DVD player for only  £9, the UKs lowest priced DVD player, which sold out in just two days from start of the promotion. 5.1: Financial performance As of March 2009, Tesco has a 30.4% share of the UK grocery market while Asdas share is 17.5%, followed by Sainsburys at 16.1%, and Morrisons at 11.8%. According to CACI, as of 2006, Asda has market dominance in 14 postcode areas; DY (Dudley), B (Birmingham), CH (Chester), L (Liverpool), WN (Wigan), BL (Bolton), BB (Blackburn), LA (Lancaster), HU (Kingston upon Hull), SR (Sunderland), DH (Durham), NE (Newcastle upon Tyne), G (Glasgow) and AB (Aberdeen).[38 5.2: Employee relations Asda has 150,000 employees, whom it refers to as colleagues (90,000 part-time, 60,000 full-time). The company has featured prominently in lists of Best companies to work for, appearing in second place in The Times newspaper list for 2005 (although very few, if any, employees at grass-roots level were asked for their opinion). It offers staff a discount of 10% on most items (exceptions include fuel, stamps, lottery, gift cards and tobacco related items). Page:9 On double discount day, in December 2005, Asda temporarily increased the staff discount to 20%, but excluded alcoholic drinks from the extra discount for reasons of operational profit protection. In 2007 Asda chose to allow staff up to  £100 off alcohol before discounts. They were also allowed to purchase items from the George range with 20% off. However, during this double discount day, all edible and most non-edible grocery products and electrical items (excluding digital cameras) were not included. The GMB Union attempted to get Tesco to offer a similar discount to Asda staff as a publicity stunt and Asda subsequently included these products in the extra discount, but with a maximum spend of  £100, down from  £250 in the years before the alterations. While the reinstatement of the discount was intended to be a publicity stunt that improved employee relations, it resulted in further bitter feelings. This was due to the fact that in the years previously, music albums, singles, DVDs, videos and video games had been included in the discount day, but were not reinstated with the rest of the discount after Asda backed down. 5.3: Trade union relations In August 2005, the manager of the Wakefield depot read out what were called [who?] foreign-sounding names over the public address system ordering them to report immediately to the managers office. The workers, who were all Muslims, were ordered to produce evidence that they were not illegal immigrants. At least one was threatened with the sack unless he produced his passport the next day. The highly public initiative by management, which came within weeks of the 7 July bombings in London, was followed by a spate of graffiti at the depot in Wakefield expressing hatred and contempt for Muslims and their religion. In February 2006, Asda was fined  £850,000 for offering employees of a newly taken over distribution depot a pay rise to give up union rights. An employment tribunal found the American-owned supermarket chain guilty of promising 340 distribution staff a 10 per cent pay rise to give up the collective agreement negotiated by the GMB union an act which is illegal under a 1992 labour relations law. The court ordered Asda to pay  £2,500 to each GMB represented employee at the Washington depot. In June 2006, GMB Union members at the companys UK distribution depots agreed to strike for five days from 30 June 2006. The two sides failed to agree on how many of Asdas 12,500 depot workers belong to the union across its 24 depots around the UK. The GMB claimed the figure as 7,000, but Asda claimed the number was nearer 4,500. The depots affected include Bedford, Chepstow, Dartford, Didcot, Erith, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Ince George in Wigan, Lutterworth, Lymedale in Staffordshire, Portbury, Skelmersdale, Teesport, Wakefield and Washington. Asda threatened legal action, citing flaws in the ballot process, (such as the GMB sending out ballot forms to non union members strengthening Asdas claim that the union quoted figures were inflated,) but after discussion at the TUC, an agreement was reached for a national level consultative body and the strike called off. Page:10 5.4: Dairy price fixing In December 2007 Asda, Sainsburys and other retailers admitted to price fixing dairy products between 2002 and 2003. Asda commented, Everyone at Asda regrets what happened, particularly as we are passionate about lowering prices. Our intention was to provide more money for dairy farmers, who were under severe financial pressure at the time. So far in total these retailers have been fined  £116 million. Tesco, Morrisons and dairy company Lactalis McLelland denied any involvement in price-fixing; however, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) says it will carry on its investigation. It was announced that the alleged price-fixing cost consumers  £260 million. 5.5: Asda Mobile Main article: Asda Mobile Asda Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in the UK, operated by Asda, using the Vodafone UK network. Asda Mobile was launched in April 2007. As of 21 August 2007, Asda mobile was available in 237 stores across the UK. Asda Mobile has won awards for being the cheapest national mobile network. There are many phones available on Asda Direct, with all Asda mobile handsets unlocked, one of the reasons handsets are more expensive than with competitors. Asda do not sell all of them on the Asda Mobile network, making some handsets network locked. It has 99% UK 2.5G coverage, and coverage in over 200 countries around the world. 5.6: Awards 1997-present Voted Britains lowest price supermarket in a survey by Grocer 33 Magazine 2001, 2002, 2003 Voted a top 10 UK employer by the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Employers Survey, although the merit of Asda being awarded such an award is contested by the GMB 2002 Nestlà © Social Commitment Award, awarded by peers in the food industry March 2009 Voted Innovative Employer of the Year at the Oracle Retail Week Awards. Page:11

Oregon, The Free State :: essays research papers fc

Oregon, The Free State   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Portland is one of the most beautiful and efficient cities ever developed in the United States. It is surrounded by the rich soil and forestry as well as the mountains and rivers that Oregon has to offer. From personal experiences, I can tell you that it is one of the most breathtaking picturesque places in the Country. However, developers see this place as an asset to their financial prosperity rather than a peaceful place. They want to continue with the latest trend by developing more shopping complexes outside of the city. And not only that but, also destroy historical buildings downtown for an expressway. Oregon’s rich country and growth are becoming a threat to its own well being. That is why it is necessary for Oregon to continue with their zoning laws. In attempt to rescue their city in 1978, they approved the nation’s first directly elected metropolitan government, which coordinated the growth-management plans of three counties and twenty-four municipalities in the Portland metropolitan region. This government set aside an area of 234,000 acres which would be solely used for developing for the next 20 years. Everything else would be left for nature. That government would also look over each development plan in that area before it was constructed. This ensured nothing would be too drastic and ruin the atmosphere of the city. As a matter of fact the city was developed so that no buildings would block the view of Mount Hood, and so that no skyscrapers would run up against the river’s edge. Transportation was another problem for Oregon. The developers were constantly trying to demolish historic buildings to make way for freeways. Mayor Goldschmidt’s response was, â€Å"But in the rush to grab federal highway funds, cities built highways indiscriminately, against their long term interests, paving the way toward decentralization, disinvestment, and ultimate decay (Moe and Wilkie 220).† Instead, Portland wanted to do something else with their funds. Portland did not want little parking lots filling the city from all of the cars coming from the suburbs. Goldschmidt’s words were, â€Å"We have a downtown plan, an economic study, that says don’t have these little, small postage-stamp lots. They’re bad for circulation. They’re bad for air quality. And they frustrate the parkers who expect to find parking when they get to these lots, but there isn’t any there (Moe and Wilkie).† Instead they constructed a fifteen-mile light-rail line to the eastern suburbs in the 1980’s.

Ivan the Terrible Essay -- History

Ivan the Terrible I’m doing my report on Ivan the Terrible. Ivan Vasiljevich the Terrible was born in 1530 and died in 1584. He was the son of the Grand Duke Vasili III. His mother Helena Glinsky was the daughter of a Luthuanian refugee who had found asylum in Russia. She was young, vivacious, intelligent, and beautiful. Vasili had married her after he tried to have an heir for 20 years with his first wife Salome. Vasili was in his 50’s, and Helena was 20 when Ivan was born. Ivan had another brother Yuri born 18 months later. The day of Ivans birth, August 25, 1530, was a joyful one. The Grand Duke ordered prison doors opened and chains of thousands of prisoners were removed and the prisoners freed. Nobles who had fallen into disgrace were pardoned. Hermits and holymen were invited into the walls of the Kremlin, and seated as honored and guests. "The cloud under which his son Ivan was born, and under which he would have to live his life, was a dark one."(Koslow, Jules). In 1553, Vasili died after a long ailment. Ivan, whom was only 3 years old at the time of his fathers death. With out a ruler boyars (advisors) took over, only to have wars and suffrage in Russia. For the next several years, the struggle continued with out out mercy on either side. Tyranny prevailed. Prisons filled. relief Anarchy supplanted oligarchy. The boyars behaved like wild beasts. "Russia was rent by contending factions, bathed in blood and ruled by barbarity."(Koslow, Jules). But with in the mist of the struggles Ivan grew up behind the fortress of the Kremlin walls. Ivan was 8 years old when his mother died. Throughout his child years, he never had a fathers hand to guild him, or a mothers love tender love. Him being an orphan was a blow that shaped his entire life. It was marked with violence and indelibly stamped his character, and future actions and thoughts. He lived his earliest years in a struggle for power, with murder, imprisonment, and torture being common. Boyars killed boyar & henchmen marched them off to prisons at swords point. When Ivan was only 12, followers of Prince Ivan Shuisky, made a midnight raid upon the Metropolitan’s quarters. Breaking down Ivan’s door, he looked around only to see fierce, armored soldiers with swords, coming to murder him. The soldiers left with out harming him. But Ivan could never get the fear of coming close to ... ...ediately baptized Maria. In 1581, Ivan killed his son Ivan, the heir to the throne, in a fit of rage. Ivan's son had his father's temper. One day, Ivan IV walked into the apartment of Ivan (the son) and started criticizing Ivan's seven month pregnant wife about her dress. Ivan was so enraged by her unacceptable dress, that he started to hit her. His son heard her screaming and ran in. He tried to stop his father. Ivan IV was so enraged with his son's actions that he took his taff and struck his son on the head, killing him. Because of his kicks and blows, Ivan's daughter-in-law also lost her child. In one day, Ivan killed the future Czar and Czarvich of Russia. Ivan was instantly remorseful about his actions, but nothing could be done. With the death of Ivan IV and his son, Fedor, a half-witted man who liked the Church and ringing bells, ruled the country. (The first son, Dmitry had died.) Because of this tragedy, after Ivan's death in 1584, the country entered a time of troubles. He had left Russia without a strong ruler. Because of the troubles after Ivan's death, some people actually wished that Ivan was still there to rule them. This is my report on Ivan the Terrible.

Review of the Book: Evangelical Theology Essay

Held in high esteem by many critics as one of the most original Christian thinkers of the modern era, Karl Barth was a Swiss theologian who primarily emphasized on the sovereignty of God. In this regard, his perspectives can be considered as external. This secularism in the study of gods and religion was very inventive in terms of genuineness. Barth’s famous book Evangelical Theology: An Introduction is based on continuity and unity, and looks into the constructs of faith, existence and reason. This essay is going to deal with few of the core ideas Barth introduced in his book. The concepts will be critically analyzed with regards to citations from the original text. According to Barth, the term ‘Theology’ is concerned with a very special domain of science that attempts to understand god. Evangelical Theory of Theology: An Introduction gives a basic idea of Barth’s outlooks on theology. Theology as described by the author is the Word of god. ‘Theo’ popularly alludes to gift of god and ‘logy’ relates to language, logic or Word. According to the author, the word of god is the ultimate soul of theology and it stands and fails with it. â€Å"Theology itself is a word, a human response; yet what makes it theology is not its own word but the word which it hears and which it responds to† [Evangelical Theory of Theology: An Introduction, page 15]. To rephrase it, theology asserts not itself but the word of god and places it above everything. When it comes to the word of god, we need not bear in mind one faulty premise, i. e. , there is only one god. The study of religion has proved it time and again that each person has its own god or gods as ‘the object of his highest desire and trust, or as the basis of his deepest loyalty and commitment. ’ (Barth et al. 3) So Barth discusses theology and divine matters from the perspective of religion and philosophy. His secular approaches in interpreting theology become apparent when he states, â€Å"There is no philosophy that is not to some extent also theology. Not only does this fact apply to philosophers who desire to affirm – or who, at least, are ready to admit – that divinity, in a positive sense, is the essence of truth and power of some kind of highest principle;† (Barth et al. 3) The author alludes into the history of Israel to affirm the concept of community as connected with the history of Jesus Christ. The gospel of god can be interpreted from a humanistic perspective when Christ is realized as a true god and true man. He elucidates the idea of man’s oneness with god by stating, â€Å"The community is confronted and created by the Word of God† (Barth 38) – â€Å"†¦ the God who descends to community with man, gracious in his freedom, and of man who is exalted to community with him, thankful in his freedom†. (Barth 22) The analytical mind of the author makes him ask question about truth in terms of existence of god. The presuppositions of modern theology are questioned and doubted repeatedly as Barth raises some pertinent issues related to the truthfulness of god’s existence, man’s connection with god, the validity of the ‘chosen’ status of Israel, myths surrounding Christ’s death and so on. The acceptance of the Word of god as truth by community is another contentious issue according to the author. It is one thing accepting something as final, and it is another thing understanding what is accepted with a sincere and rational mindset. So it is important for the community to clarify the conceptualizations regarding the Word of god. (Barth 39) Though Barth had been associated with a church as a pastor in his early career, he was not as dogmatic as his peers. He believed that God’s decree was not to prefer Christians over Jews (or any other non Christian) but to be with the people and bear their sufferings. This is why he professed Jesus Christ as the â€Å"medium of divine election†. He believed that theology is a language for the spirit but it does not preach self ascertainment. ‘Service’ is also an important facet of Evangelical Theology. It does not glorify oneself but the person whom it serves. Theology can be interpreted as the servitude towards divinity. From a more practical point of view it may reflect man’s involvement in the service of the society as well as in the service of god. Modesty, as claimed in the book, is considering theology as a selfless service. The realization of our own inner power and capacity to reach our goals is exemplified through the theological concept of remaining faithful to divine knowledge and wisdom. He states, â€Å"Theology will be faithful to its object only and precisely when it allows itself to be tempted by it. † (Barth 160) The believer must leave his salvation to god’s judgment even if he harbors any doubt or solitude. Many other important aspects of theology such as Faith, Prayer and Love have been discussed thoroughly. It not only portrays Theology as a natural science but it also tries to loosen up the orthodox bindings on itself. Karl Barth in his book had tried to uplift theology from its confines in the church to a subject that requires immense academic research and idiosyncratic perspectives. Work Cited Barth, Karl, and Grover Foley. Evangelical Theology: An Introduction. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1979.

Literature: China Essay

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the earliest known literary works. This Babylonian epic poem arises from stories in the Sumerian language. Although the Sumerian stories are older (probably dating to at least 2100 B.C.), it was probably composed around 1900 BC. The epic deals with themes of heroism, friendship, loss, and the quest for eternal life. Different historical periods are reflected in literature. National and tribal sagas, accounts of the origin of the world and of customs, and myths which sometimes carry moral or spiritual messages predominate in the preurban eras. The epics of Homer, dating from the early to middle Iron age, and the great Indian epics of a slightly later period, have more evidence of deliberate literary authorship, surviving like the older myths through oral tradition for long periods before being written down. As a more urban culture developed, academies provided a means of transmission for speculative and philosophical literature in early civilizations, r esulting in the prevalence of literature in Ancient China, Ancient India, Persia and Ancient Greece and Rome. Many works of earlier periods, even in narrative form, had a covert moral or didactic purpose, such as the Sanskrit Panchatantra or the Metamorphoses of Ovid. Drama and satire also developed as urban culture provided a larger public audience, and later readership, for literary production. Lyric poetry (as opposed to epic poetry) was often the speciality of courts and aristocratic circles, particularly in East Asia where songs were collected by the Chinese aristocracy as poems, the most notable being the Shijing or Book of Songs. Over a long period, the poetry of popular pre-literate balladry and song interpenetrated and eventually influenced poetry in the literary medium. In ancient China, early literature was primarily focused on philosophy, historiography, military science, agriculture, and poetry. China, the origin of modern paper making and woodblock printing, produced one of the world’s first print cultures.[1] Much of Chinese literature originates with the Hundred Schools of Thought period that occurred during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (769-269 BCE). The most important of these include the Classics of Confucianism, of Daoism, o f Mohism, of Legalism, as well as works of military science (e.g. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War) and Chinese history (e.g. Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian). Ancient Chinese literature had a heavy emphasis on historiography, with often very detailed court records. An exemplary piece of narrative history of ancient China was  the Zuo Zhuan, which was compiled no later than 389 BCE, and attributed to the blind 5th century BCE historian Zuo Qiuming. In ancient India, literature originated from stories that were originally orally transmitted. Early genres included drama, fables, sutras and epic poetry. Sanskrit literature begins with the Vedas, dating back to 1500–1000 BCE, and continues with the Sanskrit Epics of Iron Age India. The Vedas are among the oldest sacred texts. The Samhitas (vedic collections) date to roughly 1500–1000 BCE, and the â€Å"circum-Vedic† texts, as well as the redaction of the Samhitas, date to c. 1000-500 BCE, resulting in a Vedic period, spanning the mid 2nd to mid 1st millennium BCE, or the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age.[2] The period between approximately the 6th to 1st centuries BC saw the composition and redaction of the two most influential Indian epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, with subsequent redaction progressing down to the 4th century AD. In ancient Greece, the epics of Homer, who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, and Hesiod, who wrote Works and Days and Theogony, are some of the earliest, and most influential, of Ancient Greek literature. Classical Greek genres included philosophy, poetry, historiography, comedies and dramas. Plato and Aristotle authored philosophical texts that are the foundation of Western philosophy, Sappho and Pindar were influential lyrical poets, and Herodotus and Thucydides were early Greek historians. Although drama was popular in Ancient Greece, of the hundreds of tragedies written and performed during the classical age, only a limited number of plays by three authors still exist: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. The plays of Aristophanes provide the only real examples of a genre of comic drama known as Old Comedy, the earliest form of Greek Comedy, and are in fact used to define the genre.[3] Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and author of the Faust books Roman histories and biographies anticipated the extensive mediaeval literature of lives of saints and miraculous chronicles, but the most characteristic form of the Middle Ages was the romance, an adventurous and sometimes magical narrative with strong popular appeal. Controversial, religious, political and instructional literature proliferated during the Renaissance as a result of the invention of printing, while the mediaeval romance developed into a more character-based and psychological form of narrative, the novel, of  which early and important examples are the Chinese Monkey and the German Faust books. In the Age of Reason philosophical tracts and speculations on history and human nature integrated literature with social and political developments. The inevitable reaction was the explosion of Romanticism in the later 18th century which reclaimed the imaginative and fantastical bias of old romances and folk-literature and asserted the primacy of individual experience and emotion. But as the 19th-century went on, European fiction evolved towards realism and naturalism, the meticulous documentation of real life and social trends. Much of the output of naturalism was implicitly polemical, and influenced social and political change, but 20th century fiction and drama moved back towards the subjective, emphasising unconscious motivations and social and environmental pressures on the individual. Writers such as Proust, Eliot, Joyce, Kafka and Pirandello exemplify the trend of documenting internal rather than external realities. Genre fiction also showed it could question reality in its 20th century forms, in spite of its fixed formulas, through the enquiries of the skeptical detective and the alternative realities of science fiction. The separation of â€Å"mainstream† and â€Å"genre† forms (including journalism) continued to blur during the period up to our own times. William Burroughs, in his early works, and Hunter S. Thompson expanded documentary reporting into strong subjective statements after the second World War, and post-modern critics have disparaged the idea of objective realism in general.