The Application Of Competitive Strategy Dynamics Essay

THE APPLICATION OF COMPETITIVE STRATEGY DYNAMICS: A CASE STUDY OF STARBUCKS CORPORATION Abstract Firms that earn persistently higher levels of profit than competitors have a competitive advantage (Grant, 2008; Porter 1985). Michael Porters famous five forces of competitive position model provide a simple perspective for assessing and analyzing the competitive strength of a corporation or business organization. The competitive advantage (CA) model of Porter learns that competitive strategy is all about taking offensive or defensive action to create a defensive action to create a defendable position in an industry in order to cope successfully with competitive forces and generate a superior return on investment. Starbucks is a notable company that can be useful to researchers and industry observers who want to understand the underlying factors for a company to achieve a sustainable competitive strategic position in an ever-saturating industry. Starbucks is an exemplary company that has continued to succeed with a new take on an established product, coffee. On July 21, 2016, Starb ucks corporation reported 3rd quarter 2016 earnings of 0.49 per share. This result is in line with the consensus of the 27 analysts following the company and this exceeded 2015’s 3rd quarter result by 16.67%. Given this background, a case study of Starbucks is presented and analyzed in this writing to determine and evaluate their competitive strategic dynamics. Company Profile The firstShow MoreRelatedAssessment: Googles Business Strategies and Competitive Advantages1703 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Assessment of Googles Business Strategies and Competitive Advantages Introduction The generic strategies that service businesses rely on have significant implications on how effective they are in setting accurate expectations while also consistently delivering an excellent customer experience. 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Marketing Orientation - 6794 Words

Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit tChapter 1: An Overview of Marketing Learning Objectives 1 Define the term marketing Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. 2 Describe four marketing management philosophies Four competing philosophies strongly influence the role of marketing and marketing activities within an organization. These philosophies are commonly referred to as production,†¦show more content†¦C. The Concept of Exchange The concept of exchange means that people give up something in order to receive something that they would rather have. 1. The usual medium of exchange is money. Exchange can also be through barter or trade of items or services. 2. Five conditions must be satisfied for an exchange to take place: There must be at least two parties. Each party has something that might be of value to the other party. Each party is capable of communication and delivery. Each party is free to accept or reject the exchange offer. Each party believes it is appropriate or desirable to deal with the other party. Exchange may not take place even if all of these conditions exist, but these conditions are necessary for exchange to be possible. 2 Describe four marketing management philosophies II. Marketing Management Philosophies Four competing philosophies strongly influence an organization’s marketing activities. These philosophies are commonly referred to as production, sales, marketing, and societal orientations. A. Production Orientation The production orientation focuses on internal capabilities of the firm rather than on the desires and needs of the marketplace. 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Aboriginal People and Alcoholism

Question: Write an essay on "Aboriginal People and Alcoholism". Answer: Introduction: Alcohol is considered as a psychoactive drug, which is widely used in Australia. According to the survey of NDSHS in 2007, 82.9% of Australian people aged over 14 years old consumed alcohol within last 12 months. According to the 2001 Australian Alcohol Guidelines, NDSHS showed that 20.4% of the Australians consumed alcohol at high risk. According to Saitz (2010), 80% of the total number of the alcohol consumption is contributed by the Aboriginal people in Australia. The indigenous Australians contribute only 2.6% of total Australian population. However, it is found that the health and social problems due to alcohol consumption faced by them are not negligible. According to Salmon (2011), the burden of alcohol-related disease, as well as antisocial incidences experienced by the Aboriginal people, is almost double than that of the common Australian people. Despite all of these facts it is also important to mention that reporting of health issues experienced by the Aboriginal people especially alcohol related is overwhelming. Today, it is fair to admit that with the evolution of technologies the role of media has also evolved and now become a part of entertainment (Ward et al., 2013). Therefore, in most of the cases, it is found that the facts or evidence are often masked by the media, who presents news in a new "package." However, the role played by media to reach the ears of common people and dig the truth is convenient as well as beneficial for the society. In this paper, it is aimed to analyse minimum five articles, which covers health related issues of the Aboriginal people due to alcohol consumption and evaluate how these articles can contribute to cultural competence in health care. Article1: Six-month grog ban won't work: Carpenter, June 25, 2007 Key Issues This article was published in The Sydney Morning Herald, June 25, 2007. According to West Australian Premier Alan Carpenter, banning of alcohol consumption in the Northern Territory Aboriginal Communities is no helpful to reduce child sexual abuse. Last week, Prime Minister John Howard declared a list of several steps in order to stop the abuse of children in the Aboriginal communities, which includes mandatory health checks for the children and alcohol ban. Although most of the initiatives were appreciated by other, Mr. Carpenter argued and stated that a six-month alcohol ban is not enough to control child abuse. It is evident that a large number of Aboriginal communities in Western Australia are dry, but the rate of child abuse is not negligible. However, Mr. Carpenter agreed that the presence of police in the community was helpful to address the matter. Links to models and approaches According to Hopkins et al., (2012), people who belong to the minority group (Aboriginal community) are less educated and follow their distinct cultures. Therefore, controlling the lifestyle of the minority group is not an easy task for the government of Australia. Although it is noticed that the successful implementation of several laws helped to control the lifestyle of the Aboriginal people, it is not possible to modify them according to the civilizing rule of Australia. Reducing child abuse among the Aboriginal people is, therefore, a critical task but not an impossible one. How the material affects current debate Although this article was published in 2007, the matter of this news article is still valuable and related to the current situation. With the evaluation of the current situation of the Aboriginal communities, it can be said that the incidences of child abuse are not rare. The current situation also emphasizes that the steps or initiatives taken by John Howard were not successful to meet their aim. On the other hand, according to a recent survey, the rate of sexual abuse among the children has increased from the last couple of years. Therefore, it can be said that the government needs to take firm steps to control the situation and save the life of Aboriginal children. Article2: Alcohol bans without support 'inhumane', Penelope Debelle, 2008 Key Issues This article was published in The Age. Banning alcohol in Aboriginal communities is one of the most critical tasks. Although the government took several initiatives to ban alcohol consumption in the Aboriginal community, it is found that the mission was never fully successful. Banning alcohol in a community without providing supportive services such as suicide prevention or counselling is inhuman. Professor Stanley indicated that this was the main reason behind the failure of the program "close the gap." The project was fully successfully only in the West Australian Kimberley town only after the death of 22 people due to drug or alcohol consumption. Professor Stanley stated that Australia is still a racist country, and the Aboriginal people are the victim of the situation. Links to models and approaches According to Perreault (2011), consumption of alcohol is the root of disaster and all of the antisocial activities among the people in Aboriginal people. The rehabilitation program arranged by the government, in most of the cases tastes failure due to the lack of proper infrastructure (Calabria et al, 2010). When the government is thinking to ban alcohol consumption, they need to follow a proper procedure and offer proper rehabilitation program. However, it is recognized that the initiative taken by the government is not only illogical but also inhuman. How the material affects current debate With the current political focus, it is recognized that the number of Aboriginal people who seeks rehabilitation and cure from alcohol addiction is very few. In this situation, when media reflects more about the wrong procedures are taken by the Australian government, it generates miscommunication and unrest among the Aboriginal people. The miscommunication conducted by the media by the overwhelming focus on this topic influence the Aboriginal people to believe that they are not much of importance their government. Article3: Indigenous health: No alcohol debit card backed by Noel Pearson divides Kununurra, Daisy Dumas, 2015 Key Issues In Kununurra and northern West Australian region alcoholism and drug abuse is a very common incident. The attendance of school is lowest in this part of the country. The Kimberleys Empowered Communities Group took initiatives and met with Tony Abbott (former Prime Minister) and came up with a radical and blunt economic instrument in order to control the crisis among the Aboriginal communities. According to the plan, eligible personals in this area will receive debit cards, where 80% money will be secured and cannot be used to buy any illegal drug or alcohol. Although this is a trial program, most of the Aboriginal people are against this initiative. Links to models and approaches According to the research study of Niccols et al. (2010), the reason behind the lack of development and crisis among the indigenous people is their addiction towards alcohol and drugs. In order to control their expenditure on alcohol and drugs, the government needs to take several steps. According to Razack (2011), controlling the expenditure and saving money is the only way to help the Aboriginal people to lead a better life. Therefore, restrain the personal expenditure by the government could be proved as fruitful to help the new generations in Aboriginal community to lead a better life. How the material affects current debate Although the steps taken by the former Prime Minister Tony Abbott was still in trial, it can be said the initiatives taken by him and the community is highly controversial. The media played an interesting role to elaborate the good and bad side of this project. However, media also emphasized the feelings of the Aboriginal people and focused extravagantly on the poor condition of the Aboriginal people and their almost cashless condition. This step encouraged the debate of highlighting their cashless condition and restricting the use of their health. Article 4: A burden too heavy to carry?, Russell Skelton, 2012 Key Issues This article was published in The Age in 2012. From this article, it is found that the Northern Territory government is relaxing the drinking laws of the states. According to Mrs. Campbell in the article, it is found that she is a mother of four children and strictly against the relaxation in laws. The moves taken by the government in those regions were not only acceptable but inhuman. The government in those regions also demolished the rules of banning drinkers and necessity of showing ID documents while purchasing the alcohol from shops. The relaxation in liquor laws in the Aboriginal communities is a political move, which is rejected by most of the common people. Links to models and approaches According to Conigrave et al. (2012), the government only have the power to take initiatives in order to inhibit alcohol consumption among the Aboriginal people. When the government takes initiatives to relax the laws, which were meant to protect the humanity and reduce the health-related problems due to alcohol consumption, it will evidently lead towards chaos. Relaxation to laws about alcohol consumption is not desirable as it can lead to the deterioration of the lifestyle of the common people of the Aboriginal community. How the material affects current debate Considering the current political condition, it can be said that the Australian government is trying their best to abolish alcoholism. However, publications of media, which emphasizes the relaxation in laws that prohibits alcohol and drug consumption, can lead towards chaos (Calabria et al, 2013). May be this news has some evidence, but it is not true that the law relaxation is taking place in all of the Aboriginal religions. Therefore, releasing the news of the relaxation in laws related to alcoholism is not beneficial to maintain peace in all over the country and help the Aboriginal people to lead a better life. Article 5: ACT budget to provide millions for drug rehab and treatment, Christopher Knaus, 2016 Key Issues This article was published in The Age, 2016. The ongoing drug rehabilitation program in Australia is going to have additional $6 million in the budgets of ACT in next month (June). However, the oppositions are concerned about the funding, as they consider that this funding announcement is just the re-announcement. According to the oppositions, it is may be disingenuous to allot $6 million as fresh money. In recent years, the drug support programs are increasingly stretched and becoming more demanding. Last year the government announced $800,000 in order to boost the program. The program includes combat against drug addiction, alcoholism as well as ice addiction among the Aboriginal people. Links to models and approaches According to the study of Carter (2011), it is the government, who can take best steps to control alcohol consumptions and drug addictions among the aboriginal people. However, it is also important to consider the budget of the program. In most of the cases, it is recognized that the allowance of the government for the rehabilitation program cost the government most (Wilson et al., 2010). Declaration of the huge amount of money to encourage the Aboriginal people to lead a better life is very generous but may not be fruitful. The government needs to distribute money among the Aboriginal communities and different programs equally so that it covers all aspects and help the indigenous people to lead a better people. How the material affects current debate This piece of news material is very recently published in The Age and currently considered as a hot topic. The allowance of $6 million on the project is grabbing the attention of oppositions as well as the common people. It is found that the unrest is growing among the common people since this program is costing the government more than $17.2 million in a year (Zubrick et al., 2010). However, the result of the program is not satisfactory as the alcohol-related issues in the Aboriginal region are overwhelming. Personal Reflection: The author of this article reflected how the government is fighting alcoholism and trying to help the indigenous people. The initiatives taken by the Australian government to help the Aboriginal people is no doubt admiring, but there are several shreds of evidence found in the media that emphasizes that not all of the steps taken by the government are right. Although most of the cases it is found that the media articles masks the truth and presents the facts in an entertaining package, in this case, it is recognized that the selected articles in this topic are helpful to cover all aspects of this issue. The declaration of $6 million for the welfare of the Aboriginal people is not only helpful but also admiring. However, the relaxations in the laws related to alcoholism are not desirable. Relaxation of laws is not helpful to improve the present condition of the Aboriginal people. Conclusion: After reviewing the media publications on the topic, it can be concluded that all of the steps taken by the government are not admirable. The Aboriginal people in Australia are dealing with more than one problem. Alcoholism is one of the most concerning issue faced by the Aboriginal people. The negative impact of alcoholism is reflected in their society, culture and behaviour. The increasing rate of child abuse and crisis for food is the result of alcoholism and extensive drug abuse. The presence of police patrol car in the community is helpful to control the situation and save the life of the children. However, health security still needs to be considered with highest priority. On the other hand, the relaxation of laws related to alcohol consumption and dealing is not only unwanted in the society but also against the humanity. The Australian government needs to think about the alcohol-related issued that experienced by the indigenous people with highest priority. The role played by the media to enlighten the truth is very helpful to identify the issues of the society that needs to be taken care of. Reference 'inhumane', A. (2008).Alcohol bans without support 'inhumane'.The Age. Calabria, B., Clifford, A., Shakeshaft, A., Allan, J., Bliss, D., Doran, C. (2013). The acceptability to Aboriginal Australians of a familyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ based intervention to reduce alcoholà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ related harms.Drug and alcohol review,32(3), 328-332. Calabria, B., Doran, C. M., Vos, T., Shakeshaft, A. P., Hall, W. (2010). Epidemiology of alcoholà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ related burden of disease among Indigenous Australians.Australian and New Zealand journal of public health,34(s1), S47-S51. Carpenter, S. (2007).Six-month grog ban won't work: Carpenter. Carter, T. (2011). Literature review on issues and needs of Aboriginal people. Conigrave, K., Freeman, B., Caroll, T., Simpson, L., Lee, K. K., Wade, V., ... Freeburn, B. (2012). The Alcohol Awareness project: community education and brief intervention in an urban Aboriginal setting.Health Promotion Journal of Australia,23(3), 219-225. Dumas, D. (2015).Indigenous health: No alcohol debit card backed by Noel Pearson divides Kununurra.The Age. Hopkins, K. D., Taylor, C. L., DAntoine, H., Zubrick, S. R. (2012). Predictors of resilient psychosocial functioning in Western Australian Aboriginal young people exposed to high family-level risk. InThe Social Ecology of Resilience(pp. 425-440). Knaus, C. (2016).ACT budget to provide millions for drug rehab and treatment.The Age. Niccols, A., Dell, C. A., Clarke, S. (2010). Treatment issues for Aboriginal mothers with substance use problems and their children.International journal of mental health and addiction,8(2), 320-335.

The Train from Rhodesia †Final Draft Essay Example

The Train from Rhodesia – Final Draft Paper Analyze the use of characterization in The Train from Rhodesia Poverty, prejudice, racism, and white-supremacy, are all controversial topics that Nadine Gordimer, an eminent South African writer, touches on through her writing. Being part of the anti-apartheid movement herself, her writing establishes a lot of the hardships that the native Afrikaans people underwent. The short-story, â€Å"The Train from Rhodesia†, is a perfect example of the manner in which Gordimer discusses controversial topics in her writing. Throughout the story, she elaborates on the great contrast between the white and the native Afrikaans people living in South Africa during the time of the apartheid. By reading this short-story, readers are able to gain an insight on the lives of the natives in contrast to the lives of the wealthy white South Africans. By contrasting the white, the natives, as well as the husband and wife, Gordimer communicates her intention of emphasizing the harsh realities of the natives’ lives and their roles in society through the use of the literary technique of characterization. We will write a custom essay sample on The Train from Rhodesia – Final Draft specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Train from Rhodesia – Final Draft specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Train from Rhodesia – Final Draft specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer By utilizing the characters in the story, Gordimer is able to express how powerless in society the natives are in addition to the severity of their living conditions. In the beginning of the story when â€Å"the stationmaster’s barefoot children [wander] over†(41) down to the track, they are referred to as â€Å"picannins†(41). Not only is referring to the children as picannins pejorative, but the detail included by Gordimer that they are barefoot suggests their poverty and inability to obtain the bare necessities to live sufficiently. As the paragraph progresses, Gordimer writes how the sand â€Å"close[s] over the children’s black feet softly and without imprint†(41). The choice of the diction used to illustrate the children’s feet as â€Å"black† emphasizes that Gordimer is forcefully trying to stress how dirty, thus poor, the natives really are. What Gordimer also deliberately implements is the imagery of the children leaving no im print in the sand. Suggestively, the image created represents how powerless and non-existent they are in this society as they leave without an imprint in the sand. Similarly, new characters are introduced from the train and station to signify the helplessness of the natives and show their astringent lives. Desperately trying to sell their products, â€Å"all up and down the length of the train in the dust the artists [jump about], walking bent, like performing animals†(42). To begin with, the way in which the artists have to perform like animals insinuates that the natives are in great need of money in order to survive. Again, a derogative indication is made when they are referred to as â€Å"animals† which puts stress on their position in society. Seeing as the people that they are performing to are white, they have to act as though they are cheerful although in reality they are starving and unhappy. An example of the mock happiness is represented in the phrase, â€Å"[t]he old man held it up to her smiling, not from the heart, but at the customer.†(42) The old man is just another native trying to sell his products; howeve r, he holds great pride in his work unlike the other desperate natives who hold money as their greatest concern. Thus, this sentence accentuates how hard the natives’ lives are as they have to try so hard to receive such a small amount of income. Since they do not have the means to survive in the environment they live in, they are so helpless and rely on the white people for hope of money. Moreover, many of the natives that are on the platform are young children who say â€Å"give me penny†(42) when they have nothing to sell. Their incorrect English indicates that they are not educated which is the result of their impoverishment. Also, readers feel more sympathy and truly see the privation of the locals as it has come to the point where even young children are begging for some source of money to survive in their infertile environment. Furthermore, Gordimer describes the station master’s children as â€Å"career[ing] over the sand, clutching the bread†¦through the garden in which nothing [grows]†(43). Since food is so scarce for the locals, Gordimer emphasizes the â€Å"clutching† of the bread to prove just how protective they are of the food they have. As the children cannot afford to lose the loaves of bread as they live in â€Å"the garden in which nothing [grows]†, it displays how they live in an uncultivable environment which specifies how much struggle the natives go through. Additionally, the powerlessness of the natives is further emphasized through the old man’s character. When he bargains with the lady and her husband, he refers to the husband as â€Å"baas† meaning master in the Afrikaans language. As the natives were inferior to white people during this time period, the old man calls him â€Å"baas,† indicating the praise and politeness shown to express the due respect for him. To successfully sell his products, the old man is required to belittle himself to make known that he is of a lower status. Once the train begins to leave, â€Å"the yells of the natives, running alongside, [jets] up into the air, [falling] back at different levels†(44). In this particular line, a strong image is depicted of the natives running with the train as a last hope for an exchange of their products. Gordimer purposefully portrays the image of the natives running to force the readers to understand their desperation. Realizing that he has no chance of selling his product for the price he has set, the old man succumbs and says â€Å"Here, one-and-six baas!†(44). He then proceeds to â€Å"[fling] his lion†(44) to the man in the moving train even though, initially, the lion is so precious to him. His pride in his work along with his dignity has been diminished as a result, displaying the lack of social power the locals possess. In addition, after the exchange has been made between the husband and the old man, he â€Å"[stands], breath blowing out the skin between his ribs, feet tense, balanced in the sand, smiling and shaking his head†(44). The image revealed shows how thin the old man is to the point where his ribs are protruding from his body. As readers, there is a sense of understanding of how the lives of the natives are corrupt as they are malnourished and persevering for survival. The old man smiles and shakes his head because he was able to sell his product; yet, he has not gained much to survive which reverts to the former idea that white people are more affluent compared to the inhabitants. However, despite the seriousness of his reality, the man opens his palm and appreciates the little money he receives. To conclude, the natives, including the old man, play a great role in communicating Gordimer’s intention, which is to display the true difficulties of the natives’ lives in addition to their lack of power in the apartheid society. In contrast to the natives’ poverty and suppressed position, Gordimer applies characterization through the white characters to accentuate their authority and greater wealth in society. In the story, when the old man comes to sell his products, the woman urges, â€Å"[n]o, no†(42) and leans down towards him while she commands her hand to the lion. The way she is leaning down to him and commanding her hand shows that she is asserting her power over him as she is from a higher status. Even the position of the woman being above him explicitly indicates her status which is above his. Pursuing this further, the young woman says no to the old man and explains that it is â€Å"too expensive, too much† as she â€Å"[shakes] her head and raise[s] her voice to [him]†(43). The readers know that the young woman has enough money to pay the price the old man is asking for; therefore, it shows a great contrast in her wealth and his poverty. In the same way, the manner in which she raises her voice to him affirms the authority and control that she has over the helpless old native man. Also, the young woman’s husband loudly insists, â€Å"Three-and-six?†(43) as though he is extremely shocked with the high price of the lion. Although he is capable of buying it for its original value, he knows he has a chance to reduce the price and pay for a lesser value. Blatantly, he tries to bargain with the man which again confirms the poverty and lack of power. With regard to the white people, it is apparent that they are not concerned with the wellbeing of the locals which puts emphasis on their irrefutable reality. For instance, in the story, â€Å"a girl [collects] a handful of the hard kind, that no one like[s], out of the chocolate box, and throw[s] them to the dogs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (43). Although the white girl is relatively young, she is oblivious to the fact that she is wasting precious food that the natives would greatly appreciate. Instead of giving the chocolate to the native children or to the natives in general, she throws them to the dogs. Through this excerpt, Gordimer is trying to imply that the inhabitants are treated commensurate to lower life; thus, have a low status in society. Another example is when a man passing by the train notices the â€Å"faces, behind glass, drinking beer, two by two†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (42). Whilst all the hustling, bargaining, and begging of the natives is occurring outside the train, inside the train the white people are enjoying their time by indulging in activities like drinking beer together. The contrast between the lifestyle of the white people and the lifestyle of the natives is made clearer through the actions of the white people in the train. In addition, during the train stop, â€Å"a few men who had [gotten] down to stretch their legs [spring] onto the train†¦safe from the one dusty platform†(44). This line stipulates that the stop is merely just a break for the white people to get off, â€Å"stretch their legs†, and have some fresh air. For them, the stop is not meaningful; however, the natives treasure the time they have while the train is still on the platform as it is their one and only hope to make money. Detectably, Gordimer shows the white people being uncomfortable of the natives through the image of them wanting to get off of the d usty platform to further emphasize their different statuses. Evidently, the lack of care the white people have towards the native’s stresses their nonexistent importance in society. As a final point, the difference in the value of money for the white people and the value of money for the natives are shown when the young woman’s husband â€Å"fumble[s] wildly down his pocket, [bringing] up the shilling and sixpence and [throws] them out†(44). Since the young man insouciantly holds the coins in his pocket, it indicates that the money is not extremely valuable to him which is in contrast to the old man’s view of that money. Also, the way the young man ‘throws’ the money out of the train shows how little that money is worth to him. If that money is so irrelevant to him, then it is not necessary for him to bargain for the product. This again shows the difference in position of power. The young man knows he can bargain, thus he takes advantage of his authority in order to bring down the price. Indeed, the use of characterization through the white people in the â€Å"The Train from Rhodesia† shows Gordimer’s intent, which is to stress the fortune of the white people to show the penury of the natives. Admittedly, Gordimer’s use of characterization to show the contrast between the two main characters of the story, the husband and wife, further accentuates her intention to show the devastating lives of the natives and their misfortune. Throughout the story, readers are apprised that the young woman is the more understanding character as opposed to her husband who is inconsiderate and thoughtless. Even though at first the woman refuses to buy the lion the man was selling, she did not insist or try to bargain with him. In fact, when she says â€Å"No, never mind†¦leave it†(43), she is realizing that the old man takes pride in his lion; therefore, deserves a customer who would appreciate it for its set value. She understands the importance of his dignity as she can infer that they are not wealthy. In contrast, her husband’s actions show disrespect towards the natives. After his bargain with the old man, he â€Å"[swings] in from the corridor, breathless†¦shaking his head with laughter and triumph†(45). The young husband’s breathlessness lays emphasis on his excitement for being able to get the lion for a cheaper price. His feeling of triumph for getting the lion cheaper shows how insignificant the lion is to him than the actual bargaining for it. His ignorance to the reality of the struggle the natives face every day to survive shows his insensitivity. Not only does he feel triumphant in his bargain, but he particularizes by saying, â€Å"I was arguing with him for fun, bargaining – when the train pulled out already, he came tearing after†¦One-and-six baas! So there’s your lion†(45). The fact that he argued for â€Å"fun† implies that he cannot empathize with the natives and does not realize the sadness of the reality. He thinks it is simply a form of entertainment and acts as though he wants his wife’s approval and felicitation; however, he cannot comprehend the gravity of the situation for the man as it is a matter of survival for him. Therefore, the young husband’s insolence represents the way society treats the local inhabitants and how inconsequen tial their existence is. Furthermore, the true hardships that the black people face are accentuated by the wife’s disgust towards her husband’s actions and behaviour. For example, when she realizes that the man she has just married is â€Å"for good now†(44), she feels odd as though she does not truly know him. Her difference of opinion separates her from him and all the other white members on the train. Thus, she is the only person who can truly empathize with the natives. In the line, â€Å"her face was drawn up, wryly, like the face of a discomforted child. Her mouth lifted nervously at the corner.†(45), her appearance of disfavor reflects on her feeling of guilt. This guiltiness is caused by the fact that she, being the only one, can see how her husband’s actions can be detrimental towards the old native man. Following this further, she says, â€Å"If you wanted the thing†¦why didn’t you pay for it? Why didn’t you take it decently, when he offered it? Why did you have to wait for him to run after the train with it, and give him one-and-six? One-and-six!†(45). Evidently, she is extremely angry at her husband for putting the suffering old man through another distressing situation when he already has nothing to begin with. The young woman’s respectability and morals indicate that she understands the hardship of the black natives in this society. What makes her particularly infuriated and remorseful is that she knows they are much wealthier compared to the natives and still her husband chooses to bargain for the lion. Consequently, her husband is â€Å"shocked by the dismay of her face†(45) as if he believes that he has done nothing wrong. Although she sees his callousness for being entertained by a bargain, he is confused by her shock which implies that the natives are that insignificant to him. Just like most of the white people in South Africa during th e apartheid, he believes that there is nothing wrong with the corrupt black natives. Thus, his enjoyment is his prime concern instead of the awful lives the natives live. In conclusion, the contrast between the husband’s coldness and the wife’s compassion towards the natives, expresses how unimportant the natives are which emphasizes their struggle in this society. In final analysis, Gordimer uses the literary technique of characterization as a tool to develop her intention that the natives’ role in society and their exigent reality are partial. She shows this through through the white characters and the native characters. Gordimer’s influence from the anti-apartheid has permitted her to strengthen her messages of prejudice, racism, and poverty in her writing. Through her stories including â€Å"The Train from Rhodesia†, she has been able to transfer the struggle the natives faced during the apartheid movement and illustrate how much of a contrast there was between the two races. Every day, people are spreading anti-racist messages to improve the society humans live in. Now, owing to Nadine Gordimer, readers can take this information in to fully understand the struggles of those who are victims of prejudice.

4 Words to Delete from Your MBA Application Essays

4 Words to Delete from Your MBA Application Essays Certain words or phrases appear in almost every MBA application essay. I’ve explained below why you don’t want to use 4 of these too-common words/phrases and what some alternatives might be. If you want to make your application stand out, do some editing and make sure to avoid these words completely. You might be surprised at the result. 1. HOPE e.g. I hope that you will accept me to your program. OR e.g. I hope to be able to obtain a management position with the help of your education. Why not? MBA schools are seeking confident applicants who know where theyre going, and believe in themselves. Your competitors know that theyll reach their goals; they see themselves as naturals for the school. Alternatives: My short-term goal is to become manager of financial analysis at a leading investment bank. OR My ability to take clear, decisive action, combined with MBA courses in strategic planning, will allow me to make an impact at ABC company from day one. OK, now we’re talking! 2. HIGH SCHOOL e.g. My most substantial accomplishment was leading the school drama club in high school. Why not? MBA applicants are expected to be professionals and current leaders. Writing about high school indicates that your leadership has been on a downward path, with less impressive things done in college and/or since graduation. Imagine a leading CEO you admire, and imagine him or her answering this question by talking about high school. (On a related note, remove any high school or earlier items from your resume.) Alternative: My leadership of a production quality team at my employer led to improvements that doubled gross margins. It’s obvious this person is someone impressive who should be seriously considered for admission. 3. WORLD-RENOWNED e.g. I am applying to your business school because of its outstanding reputation and world renowned faculty. Why not? Business schools with outstanding reputations don’t need to be told that you want to go there because of their outstanding reputations. Your goal is to differentiate yourself from the competition so why join every other applicants in describing the place or faculty as world-renowned? HBS applicants neednt talk about the schools world-renowned case study method, unless they want to be the same as every other applicant. Alternative: The schools unique marketing to China specialization matches perfectly with my short-term career goal, which is to start and lead a business unit at my familys firm focused solely on marketing to China. That’s so much better, isn’t it? 4. FEEL e.g. I feel that Ill be happy in the financial services business. Why not? Tell a school what you know is true, confidently; and do it as an adult, giving reasons, often based on research. Just as with the first word I discussed, hope, feel is a sign of lack of confidence. Say I intend, I know, etc. and explain why thats true. Start to project the aura of a leader. Would any CEOs that you know, lets say Donald Trump or Larry Ellison, ever speak that way while trying to sell themselves? Theyd do their homework, just as youll have to do during your MBA studies, and confidently state the results of their careful research. Alternative: The combination of my work experience as a financial analyst, my strong interest in investing, and conversations Ive had with management at XYZ financial services firm have led me to set a short-term career goal to move from the buy side to the sell side by joining a financial services firm as research associate. Delete these four words from your MBA application essays and I promise you more effective and powerful language will show up. Can you think of some other words to delete from your essays? Please share them in the comments. Need guidance in your MBA/EMBA Application process? Maximize your applications with help from The Essay Experts MBA Admissions Consulting Services. Or feel free to email me directly at larryessayexpert@gmail.com. Larry Sochrin

An Excerpt from Classic Monologue Oedipus the King

An Excerpt from Classic Monologue Oedipus the King This Greek tragedy by Sophocles is based on the ancient legend of a fallen hero.  The story has several interchangeable names including  Oedipus  Tyrannus, Oedipus Rex, or the classic,  Oedipus the King.  First performed around 429 BC, the plot unfolds as a murder mystery and political thriller that refuses to reveal the truth until the end of the play. The Mythic Tragedy Although it was crafted thousands of years ago, the story of Oedipus Rex still shocks and fascinates readers and audience members alike. In the story, Oedipus rules over the kingdom of Thebes, yet all is not well. Throughout the land, there is famine and plague, and the gods are angry. Oedipus vows to find out the source of the curse. Unfortunately, it turns out that he is the abomination. Oedipus is the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta and unknowingly marries his mother, who he ends up having four children with. In the end, it turns out that Oedipus has also murdered his father. All of this, of course, was unbeknownst to him. When Oedipus discovers the truth of his actions, he is wrought with horror and self-loathing. In this monologue, he has blinded himself after witnessing his wife’s suicide. He now devotes himself to his own punishment and plans to walk the earth as an outcast until the end of his days. What Readers Can Take Away from Oedipus the King The significance of the story surrounds the character development around Oedipus as a tragic hero. The suffering he endures as he goes on his journey in search for the truth is different from his counterparts who have killed themselves, like Antigone and Othello.  The story can also be seen as a narrative around family ideals about a  son who is competing with his father for his mothers attention. The ideals set by Greek society are challenged by the Oedipus character. For example, his personality characteristics such as  stubbornness and anger are not that of the idealized Greek man.  Of course, the theme around fate is central as the gods have willed it toward Oedipus. It is only until he is king of the land that he learns about his dark past. Although he was a model king and citizen, his complexity allows him to be labeled as a tragic hero. An Excerpt of the Classic Monologue from Oedipus the King The following excerpt from Oedipus is reprinted from Greek Dramas. I care not for thy counsel or thy praise;For with what eyes could I have eer beheldMy honoured father in the shades below,Or my unhappy mother, both destroyedBy me? This punishment is worse than death,And so it should be. Sweet had been the sightOf my dear childrenthem I could have wishedTo gaze upon; but I must never seeOr them, or this fair city, or the palaceWhere I was born. Deprived of every blissBy my own lips, which doomed to banishmentThe murderer of Laius, and expelledThe impious wretch, by gods and men accursed:Could I behold them after this? Oh no!Would I could now with equal ease removeMy hearing too, be deaf as well as blind,And from another entrance shut out woe!To want our senses, in the hour of ill,Is comfort to the wretched. O Cithaeron!Why didst thou eer receive me, or received,Why not destroy, that men might never knowWho gave me birth? O Polybus! O Corinth!And thou, long time believed my fathers palace,Oh! what a foul disgrace to human natureDidst thou receive ben eath a princes form!Impious myself, and from an impious race.Where is my splendor now? O Daulian path!The shady forest, and the narrow passWhere three ways meet, who drank a fathers bloodShed by these hands, do you not still rememberThe horrid deed, and what, when here I came,Followed more dreadful? Fatal nuptials, youProduced me, you returned me to the wombThat bare me; thence relations horribleOf fathers, sons, and brothers came; of wives,Sisters, and mothers, sad alliance! allThat man holds impious and detestable.But what in act is vile the modest tongueShould never name. Bury me, hide me, friends,From every eye; destroy me, cast me forthTo the wide oceanlet me perish there:Do anything to shake off hated life.Seize me; approach, my friendsyou need not fear,Polluted though I am, to touch me; noneShall suffer for my crimes but I alone. Source: Greek Dramas. Ed. Bernadotte Perrin. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1904

Education Budget Cuts And Its Negative Impact Essay

Education Budget Cuts And Its Negative Impact - Essay Example Secondly, it is for students, the budget is used to provide financial aid or scholarships to students from low-income families. As the United States owes a large amount of debt, a consequence caused by the global financial crisis, which began in 2008, the current economic situation has led to education budgets being cut by state and local governments. Even though, there is a strong reasoning behind this decision, budget cuts negatively impact society in a number of different ways. Some of these include; denying students access to higher education, reducing the quality of education in offer, lowering the number of skilled workers available for the workforce, and keeping low-income families trapped in poverty. A reduction in the education budget is harming the U.S. educational system by not letting tomorrow’s leaders grow in knowledge. First, the reduction of education budget causes schools to offer less class. According to the Pasadena City College (PCC) admission office, as of fall 2010, there were 32,000 credit students and 8,000 noncredit students studying at the community college (Kleinbaum 1). The college had many complaints from students that, they could not register for future semesters because, either the classes were full or they were cancelled due to budget cuts, in order for the school to pay general expenditures. In fact, I became a â€Å"victim† student at PCC after a budget cut to education in association with my registration experience. Being an international student, I always pay the highest amount of tuition fee in comparison to the local students, and I have to maintain above 12 units for every semester. However, even though I paid almost $8000 for every school year, I still did not get any priorities to register classes I wanted in the first two years. Since school, did not provide many alternative classes, a lot of my primary choices were either closed or were

The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism Essay

The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism - Essay Example He relates religion and economy with each other in order to bring about capitalism in the West. He points out that ascetic Protestantism, which is seen in many nations in the West, emphasized on methodological and innovative religious rational behaviour. And this emphasis found its way into economic practices which set off secularization and the undermining of all types of religion. Weber’s analysis of capitalism and economics prompted him to study other major world religions in order to appraise their attitudes about the economy. Modern analysts point out how their studies of history during the early days of capitalism in the West have revealed the important role of religion, especially Protestantism in Capitalism. They cite Weber’s writings in the ‘Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism’ as an important source of information about capitalism in the 18th to the 19th century. In his writings, Weber proposed that capitalism flourished in Europe becaus e Protestantism is the religion that created a goal for the people, for them to limit their material consumption while still pursuing wealthy pursuits. Before capitalism made its way into Western society, there was a restraint on consumption which was invariably linked to asceticism and the condemnation of commercial pursuits. The dominant Catholic faith at that time labelled the pursuit of wealthy and economic enterprises as part of eventual profligate spending and consumerism (Calhoun & Gerteis, 2007, p. 1228).

Swot Analysis Dakz Performance Apparel Essay Example for Free

Swot Analysis Dakz Performance Apparel Essay Well-established organisational structure, comprising a Board of Directors and an organization of dedicated and passionate employees  §Stable executive management team that has largely been in place since the companys commencement Will Winsome, CEO, leads the Dakz executive management team, and has been an involved and engaged leader, manager and mentor at Dakz. He is very popular with Dakz employees. They admire his persistence and resilience, as well as the way he always seems to achieve his goals The core group of early employees have been individuals who love sport and exercise Team of in-house designers and sports scientists. The seven designers come from a variety of professional backgrounds.  §Janes most recent career achievement was the establishment of the flagship Australian retail store of a well-known European fashion manufacturer and retailer.  §Janes experience assisting Australian businesses to develop new markets internationally. She worked with a popular Australian stationery retailer to expand into Asia via a joint venture, and also assisted an Australian travel goods brand to establish a product distribution franchise model in Asia  §Ewan to pursue his passion for assisting a medium-sized, entrepreneurial business to grow and be successful. Dakz provides a high degree of flexibility to its employees to attend training sessions, competitions and championships, both domestically and internationally.  §Dakz also provides a generous discount on products purchased by employees, and holds a number of ‘family and friends special clearance sales on sample and discontinued lines throughout the year. The culture at Dakz has typically been one of energy and excitement Employer of Choice in the 2011 Australian Human Resources Association Employment Awards  §Olympics and a national distribution deal with a major sporting goods retailer  §Wholly Australian-owned Australian business Through recent product development, the company has been able to achieve close to 40 per cent market share in the Australian market for compression apparel.  §Dakz invests a considerable amount of its financial resources in  research and development of its products.

Capital Punishment Essay -- essays research papers fc

Capital Punishment Murder, a common occurrence in American society, is thought of as a horrible, reprehensible atrocity. Why then, is it thought of differently when the state government arranges and executes a human being, the very definition of premeditated murder? Capital punishment has been reviewed and studied for many years, exposing several inequities and weaknesses, showing the need for the death penalty to be abolished. Upon examination, one finds capital punishment to be economically weak and deficient. A common misconception of the death penalty is that the cost to execute a convicted criminal is cheaper than to place a convict in prison for life without parole. Due to the United States judicial system, the process of appeals, which is inevitable with cases involving death as the sentence, incurs an extreme cost and is very time consuming. The cost of a capital trial and execution can be two to six times greater than the amount of money needed to house and feed a prisoner for life. "Studies show incarceration costs roughly $20,000 per inmate per year ($800,000 if a person lives 40 years in prison). Research also shows a death-penalty ease costs roughly $2 million per execution," (Kaplan 2). Capital punishment is extremely expensive and depletes state governments of money that could be used for a wide range of programs that are beneficial. As Belolyn Wiliams-Harold, an author for the jour nal Black Enterprise, writes that county governments are typically responsible for the costs of prosecution and the costs of the criminal trial, including attorney's fees, and salaries for the members of the courtroom. All this money is spent at the expense of the corrections department and crime prevention programs, which are already is strapped for cash (Williams-Harlod 1). These "financial constraints," such as capital punishment, do not promote a healthy, commercial society, but actually cost and harm the public. As well as being economically unsound, the death penalty is socially biased. A class system appears to be present in the United States of America this day in age, and the lower classes seem to almost be discriminated against by the higher classes. This is also true of capital punishment. Ed Bishop of the St. Louis Journalism Review , writes on how these members of a lower class can not escape the death penalty. At the height of the... ...l punishment as a just and morally sound method of justice. After all, "An eye for an eye" seemed to be a rationale that many embraced as fair. Now there is an era of closer examination of what is truly just and morally ethical, as well as economically sound. A consequence needs to be fair, humane, and effective. Does capital punishment meet these criteria? There are compelling reasons to change the system we have blindly acclaimed. Hopefully we are in the process of implementing a new way of dealing with an age-old dilemma. Works Cited Bishop, Ed. St. Louis Journalism Review, "Anti-death Penalty Stance." V29, March 1999. http://source.unco.edu/. Cummings, Ryan. The Economist, "Most Advanced Countries Have Abolished Capital Punishment." V351, May 15, 1999. http://source.unco.edu/. Kaplan, David A. Newsweek, "Capital Punishment." V129, June 16, 1997. http://source.unco.edu/. Kile, David. The Christian Century, "Death Penalty Doubts." V116, Feb. 24, 1999. http://source.unco.edu/. Williams-Harold, Belolyn. Black Enterprise, "Facts and Figures: a costly matter of life or death." V29, Sept. 1998. http://source.unco.edu/.

“Politics and the English language” by George Orwell Essay

This is a statement from the â€Å"Politics and the English language† written by George Orwell. He says, † A bad usage can spread by tradition and imitation†. The whole essay is mocking other writers on their language usage. He claims that the language is not used to its full extent. People use words the size of continents and in the end those big words say the same thing as a three-letter word. Those people also end up confusing them selves in the end. I do believe that language is changed by thought. After all it is the mind that is the one that thinks of the sentences and it’s thought that may corrupt the language. After all language does not write it self on a paper. The mind can basically create any thing with language. This is why every thing works in theory. But practically it doesn’t. I do believe that man creates language to express our selves. Some might use it to corrupt other thoughts but isn’t that why language is there. So we can understand each other and express our feelings, thoughts and to claim things, even though they are not true. Language according to the oxford dictionary is defined as: Language noun 1.Words and their use. 2.The words used in a particular country or by a particular group of people [from the Latin lingua=tongue] In a different dictionary it says that language is the system of human expression by means of words. Human language, as expressed by the voice, depends for its production on certain physical characteristics, which are not possessed by the apes. The left hemisphere of the human brain dominates comprehension and expression of written and spoken language. This might be  far searched but maybe this is why communists who believe in all things are equal are called the left wings usually. They are the ones who want to control every thing in life so maybe that is why they are called the left wings. There are more than 5000 languages, or dialects, which are classified in families, though the relationships are not all well established. For example, with a few exceptions, e.g. Basque, Finnish, and Tamil, all the languages of Europe and India belong to a single much diversified Indo-European family. Computers (using rules of language structure) can now translate technical documents with an 80%accuracy. This just shows the diversity of the modern technology. One problem with translating is that different people interpret the text differently. There have been experiments in Nevada USA to see if chimps have the same ability of creating languages that we understand, the scientist figured that since we where related that this could be possible, they found that chimps are not able to produce the human sounds. So at the moment humans are the only ones that have a language. It might be that other animals have languages as well. But the humans have yet to discover this. It has been discovered that animals do have some sort of communication but we cant yet speak dog or cat. Language can corrupt thought as well. A great example is the novel nineteen eighty-four. As part of a great totalitarian state the government creates one language, newspeak, where no emotion words are in the dictionary. With newspeak there is no way of expressing the true emotions, like hate towards Big Brother or love towards one and other. It is possible to disagree with the party by using double negation, or making up words. But the characters in the novel are to scared to do so, because if they do they are committing the act of thought crime, and for that they could be vaporized or worse. Communists set up the whole idea of Big Brother. So as mentioned before this might have to do with the fact that those people want to restrict the growth of the left hemisphere of the brain, as this is the part that lets us speak and write language. They probably want to restrict all things because that  would cause opposition to the party. This might lead to the political party to loose their power or sharing their power. This is something they want to avoid if they want to become a totalitarian state. The opposition might spoil that for them. I wonder in the future if the world will in a way become some thing like Big Brother. One language, every one alike and no one is allowed to be different. What a boring place that would be. I can imagine that one day the world would have one language so would avoid confusions in politics and this would make traveling much easier. Also a student’s life in high school would be so much easier if you did not have to learn three or four different languages. But language comes along with identity. Going to a different country and hearing a different language is something that might not be any more in the future. We might all be speaking English or a new language like newspeak might be introduced. Maybe the countries might keep their own language but that every country might have that universal language as a second language. But coming back to the point if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought, I do think that language can easily corrupt thought. Not to one self but if lets say, I tell you that the word believe has been taken out of the dictionary and you believe me and immediately tell all your companions this might cause a great confusion about language. I would be the one who spoilt the language, because what word could you use to replace believe? Synonyms of believe are: (according to oxfords Thesaurus.) accept, be certain of, be convinced of, count on, assume, conjecture, consider, gather, and guess. All of these words might be the same, but they cant really replace believe, because as all words, believe has a unique meaning that cant exactly be replaced. In conclusion to ascertain as to if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought, I totally agree. But I don’t take the statement as serious as George Orwell does. He gives many examples of bad writing in the essay Politics and the English language, but I think I speak for everyone that one of those examples we use in our language every day. Does this make  us bad writers? According to Orwell we are. I know it’s just his opinion but he defiantly takes extremes and basically says that all essays, novels, political speeches that don’t look like his own style of writing, are bad language.

The Costs of Extending Sea Defences at Walton-on-the-Naze are too high and the Benefits are too small

Walton is the southeast of England; part of the town is situated on a headland called the ‘Naze'. To get to Walton we will go across the Orwell Bridge and along the A12, then we will travel onto the A113 and then go onto the B1033 and then up to Walton. This whole journey is fifty kilometres approximately. There is map of Walton and the route to it on page 3 Walton has got a colourful background: * The earliest human remains found at Walton are dated back to the Neolithic period of 4,000 to 2,500 BC. This was discovered when a large village settlement was found at the northern end of the Naze. * Romans were the next to inhabit the Naze. * After the Romans nothing much is known about the Naze until around 1527 when John Stone bought a farm about 1km from today's shoreline. * In 1924 the Naze was bought and made into a golf course. * In 1939 the area was taken over by the armed forces, where the first British guided missile system was developed. * The forces left the Naze in 1947 and it become rough grazing * Finally in 1963 the Essex County Council and Tendring District Council as a public open space bought it. There are many different reasons why people want to save the Naze, firstly, to lose the area would be bad financially, as the people who live there bring in money and pay taxes as do the businesses near the area. Secondly, the cliffs at the Naze are of geological significance, it is full of fossilised sharks teeth and wood. Thirdly a lot of migratory birds start and finish their journeys at the Naze. Some of these are often rare, such as Sanderlings, Oyster Catchers and Little Terns. There are also some very unusual plants growing on the Naze. Many of these plants, birds and fossils are threatened with extinction in Britain. The cliffs at Walton are being eroded in mainly two ways, the first is slumping, described in the diagram above. The second is when hydraulic action (when the waves are crashing into the cliff) and abrasion (pebbles rocks etc. thrown at cliff), causes undercutting at the bottom of the cliff. This leaves the base of the cliffs unprotected so the cliffs collapse into the sea. In doing this coursework I am trying to prove or disprove the hypothesis, ‘the costs of extending sea defences at Walton-on-the-Naze are too high and the benefits are too small. Chapter 1 Coastal Defences at Walton At present there are three main ways that are used to protect the beach, groynes, Rip-raps and breakwaters. All three of these stop Longshore Drift (LSD). Longshore Drift on a Beach A Groyne is a wall built a little way out into the sea that traps sand, this stops Longshore Drift, and so sand builds up on one side of the Groyne so the beach gets bigger. However, on the other side of the groyne, no sand builds up, so the beach is still lost. These cost à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10,000 each, and are sited more than 200 metres apart. So to protect just one kilometre would cost à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½50,000. A rip-rap is a group of interlocking boulders, which break up the waves, therefore not allowing the waves to erode the cliffs or letting Longshore Drift take place. These cost à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3,500 a metre. Breakwaters are basically just concrete groynes, they stop Long Shore Drift and also break the waves. A Rip-rap I feel that these methods have been very successful in stopping Longshore Drift, as you can see from the picture below there is a lot of sand. The Beach at Site C The groynes have worked and there is a beach To protect the cliff/promenade different methods have also been used. Rock Armour takes most of the energy of the wave as for it not to crash into the cliff and erode it away. The sea wall is probably the most important method to stop the erosion as it is the most effective, the sea wall reflects waves and withstands waves breaking on it so stopping the promenade being eroded, however it does have to be replaced because over time it to will get eroded away. The Sea Wall at the Promenade This is the most effective technique, but as you can see from the picture it has been beaten by the waves and has started to erode. Site D is generally the unprotected area. There are actually no sea defences to stop the erosion and removal of the beach. Also the groynes at the south of this area have made the problem worse. Even though behind the groyne the beach is protected it means less material heads further down the beach, so beaches further down the coast start to get smaller. This means that the waves concentrate all their energy on the base of the cliffs so they slump. There are very few defences to protect the cliff at site D, only a very old sea wall, an this has started to erode away so it is not really very useful. The methods used haven't been successful because basically there are no methods to stop the erosion. That area is very popular with dog walkers, horse riders and bird watchers. There is a lot of wildlife, a Martello tower, houses, farms and sewage works. So it would not be very good for it not to be there. Chapter 2 At sites A, B and C a vast amount of money has been spent on making sea defences and repairing them, and they have been working very well. At Walton there is a very big beach, nearly all the cliffs are not slumping and even though the defences were expensive, Walton is very economically valuable. If the groynes were never there or had been taken out the resort would have been very different, it would eventually become a ghost town. This is called the negative multiplier effect. This is shown in the diagram labelled ‘The Negative Multiplier Effect'. The Slumping Which Will Hopefully Not Happen Anymore For Walton to be worth saving for economical reasons it has to have lots of sources of income, the most important of these is the beach. The beach is a reason for people to come to the town, and once they use the beach they use the pier, the amusements, the restaurants and the leisure centre, all of these things bring in money and also all of these businesses pay taxes which means the council gets more money, which in turn means the services (health, education, environmental, emergency) get more money so they are better. As the towns services are better then more businesses are attracted to Walton, because of all of these things Walton becomes a thriving tourist town, with lots of money. When the four classes went to Walton we filled in economic and environmental evaluation sheets of the four different sites we visited, for economic 1 was the least valuable and 5 the most, and with environmental 1 was the least environmentally valuable and 5 the most. Then I took an average or 2 classes results. Then using Excel I made graphs of these results, I also made graphs of my own, personal results. These are the graphs entitled Bi-Polar Environmental/Economic Index Scores or My Own Bi-Polar etc. As you can see from the class average graph for the economic value of Walton and my own results, we all thought that Site A, the Pier Area was the most economically valuable. This is because of the pier and all the amusements on it these all bring in money but it was also the leisure centre and all the restaurants that also bring in money. However I thought that Site B was also very economically valuable while the class average showed it was quite valuable but not as valuable as site A. I felt this because in site B there is the beach, and this is probably the biggest money earner, as without the beach all of the other things would not be there (see Negative Multiplier Effect diagram). Also site B has the beach huts that are quite costly to buy so this would bring in money. Both the class graphs and mine show that neither sites C or D are very economically valuable, but these do bring in some money, sites C and D have a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, a farm, houses and a sewage works, which all pay taxes to the council, so they are not hugely lacking in economic value. This was completely the opposite for the environmental evaluations, sites C and D scored the highest both in the class graph and mine, but I scored sites C and D slightly higher than the average. I thought they should both score highly because they had had a high scenic quality, the habitat for birds and animals was very good, and the location is important for the study of geology and ecosystems. In site D there is a lot of salt-loving vegetation that helps stop the cliffs eroding so if this was taken away they are effectively taking away sea defences. The area is also very popular with bird watchers, dog walkers and horse riders. The ‘Save The Naze' Protection society desperately wants to save the Naze from falling into the sea. On their website they had an article about why the Naze is not being saved. Beaurocracy hinders any real progress to Save the Naze Via the local MP both the Environmental and Heritage departments of the Government has been written to asking for action to save the Naze and the Naze Tower, which is a listed building. The environmental department confirmed its approval for the agreed three hard point scheme to retard erosion but will not finance it saying action needs to come from Tendring District Council. The Heritage department say it is concerned about losing the Tower but cannot do anything because it is down to the environmental department to do something. They also say Tendring District Council should be the organisation taking the initiative. The Chief Executive of Tendring District Council and others have been written to about the major slippages and asking what they intend to do but they still await the results of research expected in spring 2002. There is a real danger then that they will use results to discredit the currently approved scheme and want to spend more time and money investigating and getting approved alternative schemes. From past experience this could well take 5 to 10 years in which time the Tower will be lost together with more acres of the Naze. The Tower At Walton Tower at risk in next few years The cliff edge at the Tower groyne is now within 25m from the cafe. The cliff edge at this point is now estimated to be around 100m back from the end of the existing sea defence constructed in 1977. This means that erosion here is 4m a year and the cafe and the tower near to it, a Grade II listed building, are in serious danger of being lost in the next two or three years unless something is done soon. The decision whether the Naze is worth saving is very difficult. Both sides have very good arguments whether or not to save the Naze. I think that the Naze is defiantly worth saving, just because some sites are not economically valuable, or some are not environmentally valuable, all of the sites are at least one of those. Sites A and B are worth saving for economical reasons and sites C and D are worth saving for environmental reasons. Eventually the whole town will erode away if the sea defences are not put in everywhere. There is still a lot of cliff erosion in the unprotected parts of the Naze, as the articles below on the save the Naze website shows. Cliff footpath goes into the sea Another huge piece of the Naze cliffs has slipped losing a further half acre of public amenity space and causing Tendring District Council to create a new path along the cliff because of the danger to the public. The slippage was at the spot where the centre hard point of the approved coastal defence scheme was to have been erected for which Tendring District Council would not support a submission for lottery funds. This hard point would have saved this from happening. Heavy Winter rain takes its toll. This winter the substantial rainfall has caused a greater than normal slippage of sections of cliff, particularly at the Tower groyne and mid-way between there and the northern end. The normal high and vicious winter tides have done their worst and carried away tons of the Naze Conclusion I have been trying to explore the hypothesis, ‘the costs of extending sea defences at Walton on the Naze are too high and the benefits to small'. I do not agree with the hypothesis, I feel that Walton-on-the-Naze is worth saving. I think that sites A, B and C should definitely be saved, this is because without these sites, Walton would have no source of income, site A has the pier, restaurants, cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, amusements, a leisure centre and a car park. All of these pay a business tax that goes into the towns funds, which in turn, helps fund important services (health, emergency, education and environmental). Site B has the most important source of income of all, the beach, without the beach people would not have a reason to come to Walton, the beach not being there would a have a knock-on effect for the rest of the town, this is shown in my negative multiplier effect diagram, labelled Fig.10. Site C is quite a big money earner for the town; it has a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, which pays business tax, houses which pay residential tax, a sewage works and a farm. Also it has a Martello tower, which is a grade 2 listed building, there was an article about the tower on the save the Naze website (fig.15-16), it states that if that area is left and the current rate of erosion stays the same the tower will be gone in 3-5 years. I think that site D should be protected, even though it has no real economic value, the environmental value is great, there are some very rare birds which visit, also some very rare plants grow there as well. The area is very popular with dog walkers and horse riders; also once people are drawn to Walton because of the wildlife they may well visit the town and the pier and spend some money, so even though the Naze itself does not earn any money it is a way to attract people to the town. There was a lot of evidence that helped me come to this conclusion, the evaluation sheets we filled in at Walton (Fig 8 & 9) and the graphs I then made of these results (figs 11-14) were especially helpful to me. They helped me understand what other people felt about saving/not saving the Naze. The Save the Naze website was also very important, it showed some of major slippages that have happened recently, and also that Tendring District Council really don't care about Walton. In one of the articles (fig 17) the website tells of how another huge piece of cliff, along with a footpath fell into the sea, and all the council did was erect another footpath alongside the old one, somewhere along the line someone will be walking on a footpath when it collapses and get killed, then everyone will be saying to the council, why wasn't anything done before? They will have no answer. Part of the Cliff That Has Fallen Down The most important evidence that helped me to make my decision was the things I saw when we went to Walton, I saw a building that had fallen onto the beach below, where there were no defences, and then to see the site where the defences have been put and have been working. When we went to Walton it was not a particularly nice day but there were many, many people on the beach and again many people in the town itself. Evaluation I used many methods to test the hypothesis; these were notes, photographs, field sketches, bi polar graphs and evaluation sheets of each site. The notes and photographs I took were very useful, the photographs really showed the extent of the damage that has been done by erosion and slumping, the sea defences that have been put in place and what is going to be destroyed if more sea defences are not put in. The bi-polar graphs and evaluation sheets were also very successful, the class graphs allowed me to see what other people thought about the Naze. There are two other methods I would have liked to use, but were not able to. The first of these is a questionnaire; these could have been handed out to walkers and owners of homes and businesses to see how they felt about their council and the place they live being eroded away, this could of enabled me to see if the people of Walton want their town saved. Another way of doing this would be to interview people connected with Walton, someone from the Save the Naze website, someone from the chamber of commerce, someone from the council and owners of homes and businesses. The only problem with this is that it would not give a fair idea, as it is only 4 peoples opinion and not 10 times that if we sent out questionnaires. In presenting my work, I word-processed my text, added a lot of photographs and used the Internet to find some sources of information from the Save the Naze website. I feel that my work was well presented, as I word-processed everything it looks a lot neater as there are no mistakes and the pages are numbered so to not mix up the pages. One method I would like to have used was Microsoft PowerPoint, so I could show things e.g. How to get to Walton and how slumping happens, in 3.D to help understand what slumping is. One problem we encountered when we visited Walton was the weather, it rained heavily just as we were going to site B, having been to sites C and D already we had done half of the trip but it was cut short as the rain wouldn't stop. I think I was very organised with the way I did my work, but one thing I would have preferred is that if we would have gone to Walton before we had started the written work, because we had already done the introduction the week before we went, so I feel that if we went before I would have been able to get more information in the introduction.

Early Colonial Courtship Rituals

Early Colonial Courtship Rituals Colonial CourtshipCourtship in the colonies was a strictly supervised tradition based only upon proper appearances and what the colonists knew from their (or their relatives') previous lives in England. Although not highly regarded because of the tremendous lustful temptations involved, many colonists viewed it as a necessary evil that would produce marriages that would eventually bring the ever-desired "healthy family" situations (i.e. many children) that supposedly gave character to the colonies, especially in the south.A colonial courtship did not really begin until the process of finding a match had been completed to the satisfaction of the town's standards. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, English methods of matchmaking were, for the most part, divided into two categories: higher class and lower class. Because the higher classes were rich and often had much political power, they were allowed by their own political standards to find matches more freely than those i n the lower classes.English: Male (right) and female (left) Phidippus ...Therefore, many sons and daughters of the higher classes were able to make a match through love, as long as their chosen lover was one of proper consequence. This potential spouse was evaluated by the mother and father, and if seen to be of proper financial security and political position, the match would be readily agreed to. However, in lower classes, the majority of marriages were arranged by well-meaning parents wishing to give their children the best possible life. Since many of the colonists in the New World were not rich and supported themselves through farming or industry work, their matchmaking were grounded in those of the English lower classes.The social aspects of courtship in the colonies varied from region to region. In New England, where its influences were highly Puritan, a courtship would be conducted during town get-togethers and church-coordinated events...

Causes of the French Indian War

Causes of the French Indian War In 1748, the War of the Austrian Succession came to a conclusion with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. During the course of the eight-year conflict, France, Prussia, and Spain had squared off against Austria, Britain, Russia, and the Low Countries. When the treaty was signed, many of the underlying issues of the conflict remained unresolved including those of expanding empires and Prussias seizure of Silesia. In the negotiations, many captured colonial outposts were returned to their original owners, such as Madras to the British and Louisbourg to the French, while the trading rivalries that had helped cause the war were ignored. Due to this relatively inconclusive result, the treaty was considered by many to a peace without victory with international tensions remaining high among the recent combatants. The Situation in North America Known as King Georges War in the North American colonies, the conflict had seen colonial troops mount a daring and successful attempt to capture the French fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island. The return of the fortress was a point of concern and ire among the colonists when peace was declared. While the British colonies occupied much of the Atlantic coast, they were effectively surrounded by French lands to the north and west. To control this vast expanse of territory extending from the mouth of the St. Lawrence down to the Mississippi Delta, the French built a string of outposts and forts from the western Great Lakes down to the Gulf of Mexico. The location of this line left a wide area between the French garrisons and the crest of the Appalachian Mountains to the east. This territory, largely drained by the Ohio River, was claimed by the French but was increasingly filling with British settlers as they pushed over the mountains. This was largely due to the burgeoning population of the British colonies which in 1754 contained around 1,160,000 white inhabitants as well as another 300,000 slaves. These numbers dwarfed the population of New France which totaled around 55,000 in present-day Canada and another 25,000 in other areas. Caught between these rival empires were the Native Americans, of which the Iroquois Confederacy was the most powerful. Initially consisting of the Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, and Cayuga, the group later became the Six Nations with the addition of the Tuscarora. United, their territory extended between the French and British from the upper reaches of the Hudson River west into the Ohio basin. While officially neutral, the Six Nations were courted by both European powers and frequently traded with whichever side was convenient. The French Stake Their Claim In an effort to assert their control over the Ohio Country, the governor of New France, the Marquis de La Galissonià ¨re, dispatched Captain Pierre Joseph Cà ©loron de Blainville in 1749 to restore and mark the border. Departing Montreal, his expedition of around 270 men moved through present-day western New York and Pennsylvania. As it progressed, he placed lead plates announcing Frances claim to the land at the mouths of several creeks and rivers. Reaching Logstown on the Ohio River, he evicted several British traders and admonished the Native Americans against trading with anyone but the French. After passing present-day Cincinnati, he turned north and returned to Montreal. Despite Cà ©lorons expedition, British settlers continued to push over the mountains, especially those from Virginia. This was backed by the colonial government of Virginia who granted land in the Ohio Country to the Ohio Land Company. Dispatching surveyor Christopher Gist, the company began scouting the region and received permission from the Native Americans to fortify the trading post at Logstown. Aware of these increasing British incursions, the new governor of New France, the Marquis de Duquesne, sent Paul Marin de la Malgue to the area with 2,000 men in 1753 to built a new series of forts. The first of these was built at Presque Isle on Lake Erie (Erie, PA), with another twelve miles south at French Creek (Fort Le Boeuf). Pushing down the Allegheny River, Marin captured the trading post at Venango and built Fort Machault. The Iroquois were alarmed by these actions and complained to British Indian agent Sir William Johnson. The British Response As Marin was constructing his outposts, the lieutenant governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie, became increasingly concerned. Lobbying for the building of a similar string of forts, he received permission provided that he first assert British rights to the French. To do so, he dispatched young Major George Washington on October 31, 1753. Traveling north with Gist, Washington paused at the Forks of the Ohio where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers came together to form the Ohio. Reaching Logstown, the party was joined by Tanaghrisson (Half King), a Seneca chief who disliked the French. The party ultimately reached Fort Le Boeuf on December 12 and Washington met with Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre. Presenting an order from Dinwiddie requiring the French to depart, Washington received a negative reply from Legarduer. Returning to Virginia, Washington informed Dinwiddie of the situation. First Shots Prior to Washingtons return, Dinwiddie dispatched a small party of men under William Trent to begin building a fort at the Forks of the Ohio. Arriving in February 1754, they constructed a small stockade but were forced out by a French force led by Claude-Pierre Pecaudy de Contrecoeur in April. Taking possession of the site, they began constructing a new base dubbed Fort Duquesne. After presenting his report in Williamsburg, Washington was ordered to return to the forks with a larger force to aid Trent in his work. Learning of the French force en route, he pressed on with the support of Tanaghrisson. Arriving at Great Meadows, approximately 35 miles south of Fort Duquesne, Washington halted as he knew he was badly outnumbered. Establishing a base camp in the meadows, Washington began exploring the area while waiting for reinforcements. Three days later, he was alerted to the approach of a French scouting party. Assessing the situation, Washington was advised to attack by Tanaghrisson. Agreeing, Washington and approximately 40 of his men marched through the night and foul weather. Finding the French camped in a narrow valley, the British surrounded their position and opened fire. In the resulting Battle of Jumonville Glen, Washingtons men killed 10 French soldiers and captured 21, including their commander Ensign Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville. After the battle, as Washington was interrogating Jumonville, Tanaghrisson walked up and struck the French officer in the head killing him. Anticipating a French counterattack, Washington fell back to Great Meadows and built a crude stockade known as Fort Necessity. Though reinforced, he remained outnumbered when Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers arrived at Great Meadows with 700 men on July 1. Beginning the Battle of Great Meadows, Coulon was able to quickly compel Washington to surrender. Allowed to withdraw with his men, Washington departed the area on July 4. The Albany Congress While events were unfolding on the frontier, the northern colonies were becoming increasingly concerned about French activities. Gathering in the summer of 1754, representatives from the various British colonies came together in Albany to discuss plans for mutual defense and to renew their agreements with the Iroquois which were known as the Covenant Chain. In the talks, Iroquois representative Chief Hendrick requested the re-appointment of Johnson and expressed concern over British and French activities. His concerns were largely placated and the Six Nations representatives departed after the ritual presentation of presents. The representatives also debated a plan for uniting the colonies under a single government for mutual defense and administration. Dubbed the Albany Plan of Union, it required an Act of Parliament to implement as well as the support of the colonial legislatures. The brainchild of Benjamin Franklin, the plan received little support among the individual legislatures and was not addressed by Parliament in London. British Plans for 1755 Though war with France had not been formally declared, the British government, led by the Duke of Newcastle, made plans for a series of campaigns in 1755 designed to reduce French influence in North America. While Major General Edward Braddock was to lead a large force against Fort Duquesne, Sir William Johnson was to advance up Lakes George and Champlain to capture Fort St. Frà ©dà ©ric (Crown Point). In addition to these efforts, Governor William Shirley, made a major general, was tasked with reinforcing Fort Oswego in western New York before moving against Fort Niagara. To the east, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Monckton was ordered to capture Fort Beausà ©jour on the frontier between Nova Scotia and Acadia. Braddocks Failure Designated the commander-in-chief of British forces in America, Braddock was convinced by Dinwiddie to mount his expedition against Fort Duquesne from Virginia as the resulting military road would benefit the lieutenant governors business interests. Assembling a force of around 2,400 men, he established his base at Fort Cumberland, MD before pushing north on May 29. Accompanied by Washington, the army followed his earlier route towards the Forks of the Ohio. Slowly plodding through the wilderness as his men cut a road for the wagons and artillery, Braddock sought to increase his speed by rushing forward with a light column of 1,300 men. Alerted to Braddocks approach, the French dispatched a mixed force of infantry and Native Americans from Fort Duquesne under the command of Captains Lià ©nard de Beaujeu and Captain Jean-Daniel Dumas. On July 9, 1755, they attacked the British in the Battle of the Monongahela (Map). In the fighting, Braddock was mortally wounded and his army routed. Defeated, the British column fell back to Great Meadows before retreating towards Philadelphia. Mixed Results Elsewhere To the east, Monckton had success in his operations against Fort Beausà ©jour. Beginning his offensive on June 3, he was in a position to begin shelling the fort ten days later. On July 16, British artillery breached the forts walls and the garrison surrendered. The capture of the fort was marred later that year when Nova Scotias governor, Charles Lawrence, began expelling the French-speaking Acadian population from the area. In western New York, Shirley moved through the wilderness and arrived at Oswego on August 17. Approximately 150 miles short of his goal, he paused amid reports that French strength was massing at Fort Frontenac across Lake Ontario. Hesitant to push on, he elected to halt for the season and began enlarging and reinforcing Fort Oswego. As the British campaigns were moving forward, the French benefited from knowledge of the enemys plans as they had captured Braddocks letters at Monongahela. This intelligence led to French commander Baron Dieskau moving down Lake Champlain to block Johnson rather than embarking on a campaign against Shirley. Seeking to attack Johnsons supply lines, Dieskau moved up (south) Lake George and scouted Fort Lyman (Edward). On September 8, his force clashed with Johnsons at the Battle of Lake George. Dieskau was wounded and captured in the fighting and the French were forced to withdraw. As it was late in the season, Johnson remained at the southern end of Lake George and began construction of Fort William Henry. Moving down the lake, the French retreated to Ticonderoga Point on Lake Champlain where they completed construction of Fort Carillon. With these movements, campaigning in 1755 effectively ended. What had begun as a frontier war in 1754, would explode into a global conflict in 1756.