The Great Gatsby vs. Hamlet - 1514 Words

Throughout history, the media has shown many different sides of love. Weather it be peaceful, violent, dangerous, beautiful, almost all forms of the media have shown love in some way. In the novel The Great Gatsby, love is shown between many different characters in different ways. The reader experiences love at its best and worst. We see relationships flourish, rekindle and end between the different characters. The most controversial relationship is the relationship between Daisy and Tom. Through infidelity, and mistrust, tragedy occurs. Other characters become associated with their marital problems, showing different kinds of love and relationships. In the play Hamlet, the reader also experiences many different kinds of love, ranging from†¦show more content†¦Both pieces of literature express the same theme of love and corruption. In the play Hamlet, the relationships between the different characters were destroyed because of Hamlets frustrations and other characters suspicions. Hamlet and Ophelia once had a very passionate love affair. Ophelias father Polonius and brother Laertes did not agree with their relationship. Laertes told Ophelia that she could not have a relationship with Hamlet because For Hamlet and the trifling of his favour, Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood, A violet in the youth of primy nature, Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting, The perfume and suppliance of a minute; No more. Act I scene III 3 Laertes is implying that Hamlet is not the right age for her, and he is comparing Hamlets love of Ophelia to the violet, which flowers early in the spring, but doesnt live long. If it were not for Polonius and Laertess influence on Ophelia, and Ophelias willingness to go along with everything her father and brother tell her to do, many tragedies could have been avoided such as Hamlets insan ity, and the death of most of the main characters. The relationship between Gertrude and Claudius caused many problems. Gertrudes husband King Hamlet was killed, and the reader learns that it was Claudius that killed King Hamlet in act I scene V. Two months later, Claudius and Gertrude married, and Hamlet was not happy. The marriage between Claudius and GertrudeShow MoreRelatedSAT Top 30 Essay Evidence18536 Words   |  75 Pages........................... 27 Fiction and Literature: Hamlet by William Shakespeare (â€Å"To be? Or not to be?†) ...................................................................... 29 Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (Witches, Wizards, and Muggles!) .......................................................... 31 Lord of the Flies, by William Golding (Murderous schoolboys stranded on an island!) ......................... 33 The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (The famous American novel) .....Read MoreMedia Magic Making Class Invisible2198 Words   |  9 Pagesparents were not so successful and only made about minimum wage, that child did not achieve a much higher status than their parents did. This supports Mantsios statement that what class you are born into affects you throughout your while life. He does a great job at convincing you, because he shows you real lifestyles. In another article, (Media Magic- Making Class invisible), Mantsios also gives a strong argument with examples, about how the media portrays the poor. He argues that the media only portraysRead More William Faulkners Use of Shakespeare Essay5388 Words   |  22 PagesBergson, and Cervantes, to name only a few--but the one writer that he consistently mentioned as a constant and continuing influence was William Shakespeare. Though Faulkner’s claim as a fledgling writer in 1921 that â€Å"[he] could write a play like Ham let if [he] wanted to† (FAB 330) may be dismissed as an act of youthful posturing, the statement serves to indicate that from the beginning Shakespeare was the standard by which Faulkner would judge his own creativity. In later years Faulkner frequently

The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights - 1103 Words

In 10 December 1948 â€Å"The Universal declaration of human rights† was declared to protect the freedom of every human being of the planet. These human rights were declared as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. After World War II, a committee heated by Mrs. Roosevelt wrote a special document and its main purpose was to bring peace around the world. Although human rights was declared to give freedom and rights to every living being in the planet, I claim that not all of the human right is protected, one of which I believe is violation of women’s right because of gender discrimination, education and increasing women poverty and violence against women. Firstly, Gender discrimination refers to discrimination, which is based on sex of the person. In todays society it often affects the girls and women in the society and predominantly an issue for women. It is not only prevail in a country but all around the globe. According to the law, women and men should be treated equally, not only women and men but also all living creature should be treated with equality and respect. Women are one wheel of the society while the other wheels are men. According to The universal declaration of human rights Article 1, â€Å"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights† however all the human rights are not protected. Women are discriminated in terms of education, health, society, pregnancy, employment and equal pay. For instance, having men and women to use separateShow MoreRelatedThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights1728 Words   |  7 Pagespeople. Culture can impede progress and leave women, minorities and other sub-sec ts of a society without the basic human rights that they deserve. Clinging too close to culture can be dangerous. The Foundations of a Universal Declaration The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was drafted shortly after the United Nations was established in 1945. The aim of the Declaration was to ensure that an atrocity such as the mass killings of Jews and other minorities in Nazi Germany would never happenRead MoreThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights1131 Words   |  5 PagesHuman rights are moral principles that set out specific standards of human behavior, and are normally ensured as lawful rights in both national and global law. They are acknowledged to be inalienable, since anybody is characteristically qualified for it essentially on the grounds that they are individuals. Whatever our nationality, sex, shade, religion, dialect, or ethnic source is, we are all just as qualified for our rights without separation or discrimination. All human rights are resolute andRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights Essay1368 Words   |  6 Pages The Universal Declaration of Human rights was adopted in the UN gene ral assembly by the 10th December 1948. This is the first time that the world recognized that everyone had the right to enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom from fear and want, and many other rights. International human rights come along way; before there was no rights. The idea of having rights that led to the development of international human rights takes time. There are benchmarks developments in internationalRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights Essay1276 Words   |  6 PagesA human right is an ethical choice and moral belief belonging to all humans regardless of traits, status, location, color, gender, or belief system. Making the connection to a universal law, the United Nations Rights High Commissioner explains these rights are, â€Å"guaranteed by law† and protected as â€Å"fundamental freedoms† (OHCHR, 2016). The Cambridge Dictionary defines privilege as â€Å"an advantage that only one person or group of people has† listing examples such as having a high social position or wealthRead MoreUniversal Declaration Of Human Rights1263 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a doctrine created to ensure a mutual standard of treatment amongst all humans, every person deserves an equal set of life standards. According to Article 18 of this 30 Article document, â€Å"everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teachingRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights892 Words   |  4 PagesHuman rigths is an essential component of a tolerant and individually satisfied society. They are created to defend people’s dignity, equality and liberty. However, for thousands of years people lived with no garanteed rights, until 1948, when United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But is the Universal Declaration of Human Rigths really universal to all states and humans living in them? I am going to argue if Human Rights should or should not be unically adapted to differentRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights875 Words   |  4 PagesI feel that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) does have a western bias. Many people look to US for guidance, but not many other nations copy our way of life. States can sign treaties, but they cannot be reassured that the other nation will keep its word. The US and the UN should maybe not be engaging in promoting western society, but they should be engaging in promoting the protection of human rights. The UN UDHR fought for minimal rights in 1948 by identifying three types of generationsRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights1417 Words   |  6 PagesImplemented in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) delineates the basic rights and freedoms entitled to all humans. The freedom of speech and the right to express beliefs freely is a universal human right protected by Article 19 of the UDHR. It declares that â€Å"everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression† and can â€Å"hold opinions without interference†. The regional agreements of Iran, China and Bahrain are in accordance with the Universal Declaration and are fully dedicatedRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights1485 Words   |  6 Pages1003236982 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states â€Å"that human rights are held by all persons equally and universally forever† –hence, they are universal held. This is due to them being the exact same for all human beings anywhere in the world. One cannot acquire human rights because of where they come from, but because they are a member of the human race. Nobody can lose those human rights, nor can they be taken away for whatever the reason may be. Together, we have the right to express ourselvesRead MoreThe Declaration Of Universal Human Rights869 Words   |  4 PagesGeneral Assembly (UNGA) set forth a declaration of universal human rights. The goal was to set a common standard of rights based on â€Å"recognition of the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family.† It was meant to become the perfect social contract but unfortunately was not upheld even by the signatory nations themselves. Many critics now looking b ack have cited the overreaching ideals as the downfall of the declaration but yet many have responded saying it

Information Technology and protection of Malware †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Information Technology and protection of Malware. Answer: Introduction Malware is the abbreviated term used for "malicious software". This is the software which is specifically developed to gain access or to damage a computer without any knowledge of the owner. Software is considered malicious based on the intent of the developer rather than the function the software performs. Malicious software's are developed to get personal information of the owner which may be of sheer importance to him. Initially malwares were developed for the purpose of experiments and pranks but with development in the technology now these malwares are now created to earn profit via forced advertisements (adware), stealing important information (spyware), spreading email spam (zombie computers) or for the purpose of money extortion (ransomware). Certain factors can make computer prone to malware attacks such as defects in operating system, running of computers on the same network etc. So it is very important to stay alerted from these type of malicious softwares (Skoudis Zeltse r, 2004; Elisan, 2012). Scope of Engagement The purpose of this report is to provide the reader with an insight on the concepts of malware and how its development took place with the years and how the technologies have been developed simultaneously to prevent unauthorized access to networks and computers. The report also discusses about how cyber criminals use this technology to their advantage and infect computers and how security applications have been developed to prevent the same. A brief history of the topic is also presented to provide the reader with a basic understanding about the issue of computer security. History The knowledge about viruses came into existence with publication of the research paper named "Computer Viruses-Theory and Experiments" which was written by Prof. Fred Cohen in 1984 in which he discussed about the potential of the viruses, how could they enter the system and what could be done to prevent them. He showed that the only systems that are safe from the attacks of the viruses were the systems with low or no sharing or has developed protection measures (Athina, 2012 ). Three years later in 1987 another computer specialist named Ralph Burger decided to investigate about the virus and he jotted down his research in the book titled "Computer Viruses: A High Tech Disease" (Virus Scan Software, 2017; Creutzburg, 2016). Publication of this book cause major problems in the sector of information technology. His research was so in depth that he even wrote about how the viruses worked and how they can be designed. This resulted in the sharing of knowledge of virus development among th e people who earlier had no or little idea about this technology. The book published by him acted as a beginner's guide of virus development and people started developing their own viruses for prank as well as for experiment purposes. With the introduction of modern internet in the 1990's the reporting's of security breach also increased (Radware, 2017). The new and modern viruses named Michelangelo and Melissa were the latest and the most dangerous addition to the world of viruses. The year also saw the development of new virus technology like bots and botnets (Landesman, 2017). With the development of modern internet for the first time the private and personal information of the people were exposed. This became a serious issue as it was getting hard to trace these notorious criminals and there were no measures taken or a force sanctioned to tackle these incidents. Eventually the problem was becoming a national security concern and not only the personal systems were affected but the systems with government were getting affected too. In the year 1998, the US attorney general passed a bill of $64 million to counter the problem of cyber-attacks. A command center was sanctioned to protect the systems on national as well as personal levels and in 1990 a Protection Center was introduced. With the development of internet, the security issues and the threat to the privacy is also increasing. With the change in preference of people and the shift towards cashless transactions and using digital methods instead of hard copies there is a need to develop proper measures t o protect people from malware and viruses. Initially only viruses were the only malicious software that posed threat but with the development of technology and internet many malwares developed with time. Most common types of malwares are discussed below (Adaware, 2016; Miloevi?, 2013): Viruses - Virus is the type of malware that has potential to replicate itself and harm the computer. A virus accesses the code of the computer by executing its code. A virus generally targets executable files and applications. A virus is capable of damaging data files, hampering the performance of the system and corrupting the data stored on the system. Spyware - A spyware is used to spy on computers or any digital device running on a particular OS. It is often used in the form of adware which when clicked by the user enters the system and monitors the activity of the system. It is mainly used to gather the information about the financial systems and obtain sensitive data. Worms- A worm is a malware which replicates itself and occupies the data on the disk and hampers the performance of the computer through the network. Unlike a virus a virus does not need to attach itself to an executable file to replicate itself. Bots - A bot is a program that when released on a computer can access and control that computer from a remote server. This is generally used by hackers and can be released through the means of game or a software application. A computer can be controlled by a bot when the application is run on the system and then the remote server access and controls the system in the background. Trojans - A Trojan software is the one which disguises itself in form or other applications. A Trojan also known as Trojan horse slows down the process speed of the system, spies the activity and steals the information from the system. The software generally steals the information from the system and sends the data back to the hacker who developed the Trojan. Spam - A spam is generally targets a large group of systems. It is also used to steal personal and important information like credit card details and other information which may be of benefit to the person who sent the spam. A spam is sent in the form of tricky message or advertisements. Apart from the tools that the malware uses to interfere with personal data there are certain tools that have been developed to counter with these attacks and to help people to keep their personal information safe (Infosec, 2017). These tools are listed below (Comodo Antivirus, 2014; McAfee, 2017): Firewall- A firewall is software which acts like a barrier which prevents the infection from spreading. Firewall is the term used by fire fighters. It is a barrier which is used by them to stop the fire. Just like this in computing terms a firewall is software which checks the file for infection and then it allows the transfer of file to its desired destination. It is preferred in organization in which the data is shared on large scale. A firewall is generally installed in the main computer and then the data is allowed to be sent to other computer after the successful scan of the file. If there is no malicious file attached with the data, then only the firewall allows the sharing of the data (Noonan Dubrawsky, 2006). Antivirus software- Antivirus software scans the file and blocks and deletes any malware or viruses attached with the file. With the development of viruses, antivirus technologies have developed too and have been successful in dealing with the issue. Viruses though have always been a step ahead but antiviruses have always been the most reliable method to counter them. An antivirus program generally uses a two-step method to identify activities of malware. First it looks for suspicious activities in the system which doesnt occur normally and then in the next step it scans the whole system for malicious software. It identifies the virus by the set of database which is pre-installed by the software company in the software which has a unique method or prevention for every type of virus. If the software finds any unusual activity in the system, it pops up a security message and prompts the user to take a measure to counter the problem. Antivirus software is needed to be updated on a regul ar basis to keep up with various developments in the malicious world and so that the user can be protected. This is the main reason the antivirus software prompts the user to keep his system and database updated (Parsons Oja, 2012). Spam filter- There are many sites on the internet which contains spam and are malicious. These spams pose a worldwide threat to the security of the users. With spreading awareness and netizens getting educated many users are able to avoid these types of threats but still it sucks a small amount of users in it. It is very cheap to develop and it spreads very easily. A spam filter works in many ways and the most common way is that it scans and filters the spam in the e-mails. This method is effective but is time consuming too (Downing, 2015). Impact of Malware in Real Life A malware can do many things, from stealing personal info to destroying the performance of the computer. We have already discussed about the potential of malwares. Here is the list of the impact of malware if it enters your system (Visually, 2017; ClearPath IT Solutions, 2017): It can cause the system or the connection to slow down. In extreme conditions it can cause the system to crash and a person may lose his unsaved data. It can cause a message to be displayed continuously. It can cause serious trouble in shutting down and restarting of the computer as various programs will be still active. It can even hijack the browser and redirect the user to various sites. It can use your computer to broadcast various files and attacks. It can send e-mails which were not written by the user and can lend him into trouble. It can be invisible if designed well and can cause the harm in background without any knowledge of the user. Conclusion There are various security measures available to the user which can protect his system and him from the malware. Though there are many companies which are providing these services there are many notorious hackers who manage to stay one step ahead and stay trouble. This is a never ending fight between the two and it is required by the person to stay alerted in order to avoid any kind of harm to his personal information. Apart from this it is necessary for a user to install and update these anti malware programs on a regular basis so that they do not fall prey to cyber criminals. References Adaware. (2016, September 13). The History of Malware. Retrieved from https://www.adaware.com/blog/history-of-malware Athina, P. (2012 , October). Malware Forensics Framework. Retrieved from https://repository.ihu.edu.gr/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11544/508/Provataki_Malware%20Forensics%20Framework.pdf?sequence=1 ClearPath IT Solutions. (2017). How Does Malware Impact Your Computer's Performance? Retrieved from https://www.clearpathit.com/how-does-malware-impact-your-computers-performance Comodo Antivirus. (2014, July 31). 5 Simple Steps to Protect Your PC from Hackers. Retrieved from https://antivirus.comodo.com/blog/computer-safety/5-simple-steps-protect-pc/ Creutzburg, R. (2016). Handbook of Malware 2016. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Reiner_Creutzburg/publication/305469492_Handbook_of_Malware_2016_-_A_Wikipedia_Book/links/578fe89e08ae64311c0c79b8/Handbook-of-Malware-2016-A-Wikipedia-Book.pdf Downing, R. (2015). Spam Filter: Little Known Tips You Need to Know About Anti Spam, Email Spam and Spam Software. Lulu Press. Elisan, C. C. (2012). Malware, Rootkits Botnets A Beginner's Guide. McGraw Hill Professional. Infosec. (2017). Virus Malicious Code. Retrieved from https://www.infosec.gov.hk/english/virus/antivirus.html Landesman, M. (2017, May 11). A Brief History of Malware. Retrieved from Lifewire: https://www.lifewire.com/brief-history-of-malware-153616 McAfee. (2017). Defending Against Malware and Trojan Horse Threats. Retrieved from https://home.mcafee.com/advicecenter/?id=ad_vp_damathtctst=1 Miloevi?, N. (2013). History of malware. Retrieved from Cryptome.org: https://cryptome.org/2013/02/malware-history.pdf Noonan, W., Dubrawsky, I. (2006). Firewall Fundamentals. Pearson Education. Parsons, J. J., Oja, D. (2012). Computer Concepts: Illustrated Introductory. Cengage Learning. Radware. (2017). The History of Malware. Retrieved from https://www.radware.com/resources/malware_timeline.aspx Skoudis, E., Zeltser, L. (2004). Malware: Fighting Malicious Code. Prentice Hall Professional. Virus Scan Software. (2017). The history of computer viruses. Retrieved from https://www.virus-scan-software.com/virus-scan-help/answers/the-history-of-computer-viruses.shtml Visually. (2017). The impact of malware to your computer and business . Retrieved from https://visual.ly/impact-malware-your-computer-ans-business

Stereotypes Of Elderly Essays - Gerontology, Ageing, Stereotypes

Stereotypes Of Elderly The baby boomers cohort is soon approaching the last third of their lives while they try to disentangle the many stereotypes the elderly encounters today. The baby boomers are now beginning to attain a new vantage point about getting old. This is the first approaching age cohort in American society that is trying to make a difference with being able to accept the concept of growing old as the true so-called "golden years." The baby boom generation grew up primarily in the hippies decade which contributed to the vast majority of people to first become in American society freewill, liberal, independent individuals. Presently in society today the once "hippies" that rejected the advice of anyone over 30 are now beginning to educate themselves about what their future beholds as they begin to reach the last third of their lives. They want to focus on the reality of getting old not just the negative stereotypes society has created towards the elderly. In the American society we have created such negativism towards the elderly. The article points out that by time the tender age of only 6 years old we have created negative stereotypes about aging and we also develop stereotypes about races and gender at this same time. We feel in the American society almost as if it is a sin or even lack of a human being if we show signs of aging. The article discusses from the 1960s to the 1980s, the number of wrinkle removing face-lifts rose from 60,000 to an estimated 2 million a year at an annual cost of $10 billion. Due to this drastic increase pertaining to rejuvenation we should all become plastic surgeons. A diverse amount of experts are trying to change the way society views and deals with growing old. They have adopted the concept of "conscious aging." This new concept basically means trying to accept what aging actually is, and trying to view it as a new point of life- a "new window." Also, not concentrating on the inevitable primary aging characteristics is an essential way to live and cope with being old. If the elderly can learn to educate themselves about the process of aging, and not pinpoint it to just a change that they individually encounter alone, then they could possibly realize this happens to us all at one point in life. Therefore, we may not have such negative feelings about becoming old or even being old. If society can learn to obtain these attitudes towards being old maybe it will even become a self fulfilling prophecy as viewing the elderly from a new positive perspective.

The Detrimental Effects in Changing the Rent Contr Essays

The Detrimental Effects in Changing the Rent Contr Essays The Detrimental Effects in Changing the Rent Control Act Rent Control-pro The Detrimental Effects in Changing the Rent Control Act In a just society, the ruling authority must decide what is right when allocating wealth to its individual citizens. The same ruling authority does this by intervening with the inner workings of a marketplace to uphold its fundamental values and ideals. The aim of government intervention is to create a just society that will reflect the peoples values. Governing bodies do this by establishing laws that enforce fairness or equity. The Ontario government passed the Rent Control Act in 1975. The law levels the playing field between landlords and tenants. New units are exempt from controls for their first five years after which the controls are put into place. The controls put a ceiling on annual rent increases. Under current law, a landlord may only increase a tenants rent by 2% plus inflation.1 As with all other markets, the housing market is based on supply and demand. If the nature of the market were allowed to take its course, then the price of housing would become unaffordable for most citizens. An unfair situation would be created where power and money would be disproportionately appropriated to land owners. Rent control laws were established by previous governments to protect society and its people from inflated and uncontrollable housing costs. The Harris government now wants to repeal these laws. On June 25 the Minister of Housing, Al Leach, released a policy paper outlining the changes that are to be made to Ontarios rent laws. Conservative legislators plan to pass the proposed Tenant Protection Act in the fall. The omnibus legislation will rescind the Rent Control Act, the Landlord and Tenant Act, the Rental Housing Protection Act, Residents Rights Act, the Land Lease Statute Amendment Act, the Vital Services Act.2 The most objectionable change allows the act to lift controls off vacant units. The 3.2 million renters in Ontario are very concerned about the changes.3 The housing ministry will accept written submissions from the public until August 30. Public hearings are also planned in hope that they will ease the transition. However, most people are indignant towards the idea. Changing the rent control laws would be detrimental to society as they threaten citizens positive right to affordable housing, harm their mobility rights and increase the gap between the rich and the poor. The proposed Tenant Protection Act assaults peoples right to affordable housing. If people are to adhere to a basic standard of living, then the cost of their homes must be affordable. But what exactly is affordable? The Ministry of Housing released a report stating that 70,000 Toronto house holds (20% of the citys population) do not have affordable housing. The report explains that a tenants' housing is unaffordable if they are paying more than a quarter of their gross income in rent. This is an alarming thought since some renters are paying 70-80% of their gross income in rent.4 The problem of high housing costs is combated by rent control to allow people a minimum quality of life. Housing like medical care is not normal good or service. It is a basic need. Renters need to buy more than landlords need to sell. If the renter does not get a place to live, he is on the street. If the landlord has no tenant, he just has an empty apartment. In short, there is a mismatch of power in the rental market. The laws of supply and demand are unfairly applied against the buyer. Thus controls came into being precisely because the market does not work. Lifting controls would hurt peoples ability to bear the cost of housing without serious harm. The government justifies this action by arguing that something must be done about Torontos apartment shortage. Because apartments are offered below their market value, they are sold faster new ones can be created. Toronto has a vacancy rate of .8% with only twenty new apartment units built in Metro last year.5 Currently, two thirds of renters move once in five years. Since controls are lifted off vacant apartments, the government believes that after a few years, most apartments will be decontrolled and the supply problem would

Understanding Chemical Evolution

Understanding Chemical Evolution The term chemical evolution can be used in many different ways depending on the context of the words. If you are speaking to an astronomer, then it could be a discussion about how new elements are formed during supernovas. Chemists may believe chemical evolution pertains to how oxygen or hydrogen gases evolve out of some types of chemical reactions. In evolutionary biology, on the other hand, the term chemical evolution most often is used to describe the hypothesis that organic building blocks of life were created when inorganic molecules came together. Sometimes called abiogenesis, chemical evolution could be how life started on Earth. The Earths environment when it was first formed was very different than it is now. The Earth was somewhat hostile to life and so the creation of life on Earth did not come for billions of years after the Earth was first formed. Because of its ideal distance from the sun, the Earth is the only planet in our solar system that is capable of having liquid water in the orbits the planets are in now. This was the first step in chemical evolution to create life on Earth. The early Earth also did not have an atmosphere surrounding it to block ultraviolet rays which can be deadly to the cells that make up all life. Eventually, scientists believe a primitive atmosphere full of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and perhaps some methane and ammonia, but no oxygen. This became important later in the evolution of life on Earth as photosynthetic and chemosynthetic organisms used these substances to create energy. So just how did abiogenesis or chemical evolution happen? No one is completely certain, but there are many hypotheses. It is true that the only way new atoms of non-synthetic elements can be made are through the supernovas of extremely large stars. All other atoms of elements are recycled through various biogeochemical cycles. So either the elements were already on Earth when it was formed (presumably from the collection of space dust around an iron core), or they came to Earth via the continuous meteor strikes that were common before the protective atmosphere was formed. Once the inorganic elements were on Earth, most hypotheses agree that the chemical evolution of the organic building blocks of life began in the oceans. The majority of Earth is covered by the oceans. It is not a stretch to think that the inorganic molecules that would undergo chemical evolution would be floating around in the oceans. The question remains just how these chemicals evolved to become organic building blocks of life. This is where the different hypotheses branch off from each other. One of the more popular hypotheses says that the organic molecules were created by chance as the inorganic elements collided and bonded in the oceans. However, this is always met with resistance because statistically the chance of this happening is very small. Others have tried to recreate the conditions of early Earth and make organic molecules. One such experiment, commonly called the Primordial Soup experiment, was successful in creating the organic molecules out of inorganic elements in a lab setting. However, as we learn more about the ancient Earth, we have found out that not all of the molecules they used were actually around during that time. The search continues to learn more about chemical evolution and how it could have begun life on Earth. New discoveries are made on a regular basis that help scientists understand what was available and how things may have happened in this process. Hopefully one day scientists will be able to pinpoint how chemical evolution happened and a clearer picture of how life began on Earth will emerge.

Assessment For The Financial Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Assessment For The Financial Accounting - Essay Example Info: EasyJet Plc along with its subsidiaries ‘EasyJet Airline Company Limited' and ‘EasyJet Switzerland', is the second largest low-cost carrier within all of Europe. Formed only in 1995, that makes it much younger than most of its direct competitors; yet the company has been able to make a great name for itself in a very short duration of time (EasyJet Plc, 2010). Following are some achievements of the company (EasyJet Plc., 2011): Info: EasyJet Plc along with its subsidiaries ‘EasyJet Airline Company Limited' and ‘EasyJet Switzerland', is the second largest low-cost carrier within all of Europe. Formed only in 1995, that makes it much younger than most of its direct competitors, yet the company has been able to make a great name for itself in a very short duration of time. Following are some achievements of the company (EasyJet Plc., 2011):   48.8 million passengers flew by EasyJet in 2010 (out of 56 million flight seats).   The fleet of 196 aircraft   509 routes   Was amongst the very first companies to start e-commerce, they started selling online seats in 1997. As of today, easyjet.com remains "UK's most visited airline website".   Gargantuan revenues worth  £ 2,973.10 million. (Moneycentral; Thomson Reuters, 2011)The aforementioned figures are absolutely remarkable, especially considering the fact that this was a very bad year for airline carriers to the UK as the Eyjafjalla volcano in Iceland erupted and many flights were canceled during April-May (2010);... mpany Backgrounds EasyJet plc Company 1: EasyJet Plc Industry: Airline Info: EasyJet Plc along with its subsidiaries ‘EasyJet Airline Company Limited’ and ‘EasyJet Switzerland’, is the second largest low cost carrier within all of Europe. Formed only in 1995, that makes it much younger than most of its direct competitors; yet the company has been able to make a great name for itself in a very short duration of time (EasyJet Plc, 2010). Following are some achievements of the company (EasyJet Plc., 2011): 48.8 million passengers flew by EasyJet in 2010 (out of 56 million flight seats). Fleet of 196 aircrafts 509 routes Was amongst the very first companies to start e-commerce, they started selling online seats in 1997. As of today, easyjet.com remains â€Å"UKs most visited airline website† (EasyJet Plc., 2011, pp.6-8). Gargantuan revenues worth ? 2,973.10 million. (Moneycentral; Thomson Reuters, 2011) The aforementioned figures are absolutely remarkable , especially considering the fact that this was a very bad year for airline carriers within UK as the Eyjafjalla volcano of Iceland erupted and many flights were cancelled during April-May (2010); EasyJet executives place the estimate of damage and loss to be around ? 30 million. And then there was the air traffic control strike, which significantly affected the profits by increasing the overheads and costs. (EasyJet Plc., 2011, p.17) And even after such incidents, EasyJet managed to bring about an increase in its YoY net and gross profits, whilst increasing the revenues slightly. Tullow Oil Plc Company 2: Tullow Oil Plc Industry: Oil or Gas Exploration / Production Info: For a company with such a humble beginning, the progress that Tullow Oil has made from its inception in 1985 is nothing short of a miracle.

Enviromental concerns of overpopulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Enviromental concerns of overpopulation - Essay Example Despite this, the technology has had negative effects on some aspects of the human existence. In the recent past, the population increase has been alarming. This has posed some challenges in the maintenance of our environment. This paper seeks to give an in-depth analysis of environmental concerns of overpopulation. Environmental concerns of overpopulation The population growth rate in the twenty first century has been alarming. This has resulted in the exploitation of natural resources, which has exposed the world to more danger. Despite this, most of the stakeholders in population issues have not been active enough to sensitize the threat posed to all persons across the globe. According to research conducted by global footprint network, the water necessary to provide the resources we currently use has declined. Taking into consideration the population at hand, and the food and water they consume, great risk is evidence. To be able to handle the problem effectively, the current tech nologies in recycling have helped a great deal. Despite this, if the population continuously increases, the technology may not be able to sustain future global needs. Currently, various cities around the globe are experiencing water shortages, which were not experienced in the past. On the other hand, technological advancements have resulted in machinery replacing persons in various industries. This creates unemployment, which becomes alarming due to the large population. Thus, population control and education is necessary so that no resources to be used in the future are exploited now posing future generations into trouble. It would be too late for us to respond when the disaster have befallen (Friedman 1). Human population has increased to alarming numbers resulting to overuse of the currently available resources. These exploitations have affected various aspects of life not only in human race but also in the animal kingdom. Global warming has resulted from alteration of the norma l environmental conditions of various regions posing danger to the existence of humankind. In the United States of America, well-informed and equipped institutions such as NASA should provide sufficient information without exaggeration on the current state of global warming. It is evident that the living conditions have been affected and according to Friedman, â€Å"The weather gets weird. The hots are expected to get hotter, the wets wetter, the dries drier and the most violent storms more numerous† (Friedman 1). Through too much pollution by the large number of the world’s population, more heat is trapped resulting into the alterations of the temperatures (Frazier 1). This affects the world in social, political, and economic aspects (Krugman 1). As a result, various institutions across the globe have been conduction numerous researches on renewable energy and increased efficiency. This has been brought forth by the reality that most human activities are catastrophic and irreversible. In most countries such as china, Russia and Iran among others, various transformations are being conducted in transport and energy sources to ensure that the damage caused by the enormous population on the environment is curtailed. This is because the world population may have increased by about a third translating to about 9.2 billion by 2050. Thus, lack of proper implementation of effective strategies, the world may become inhabitable in future (Diamond 5). In some cases, issues relating to overpopulation have encountered rejection from various persons who directly or indirectly benefit from natural resources exploitation activities. This contributes, to enormous pollution and exploitation of natural

William Faulkner’s Life and Writings Essay Example for Free

William Faulkner’s Life and Writings Essay William Faulkner is one of the great American writers of the 20th century. He has written several highly-acclaimed novels, short stories and poems and was among the pioneers who revolutionized storytelling through the use of the stream of consciousness technique, something not common during the time. His works are considered brilliant and remain to be among the required studies for literature in colleges and universities in the United States as well as other English speaking countries. Faulkner’s literary accolades are numerous. He won two Pulitzer Prizes for his 1954 novel A Fable, which received the Pulitzer a year later, and for his 1962 novel, The Reivers, which was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer in 1963. In 1949, or three years before his first Pulitzer, Faulkner received the Nobel Prize for his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel. But the journey to literary success was never â€Å"a walk in the clouds†, or so to speak, for William Faulkner who struggled to get recognition for his earlier works. His first book, a collection of poems entitled The Marble Faun, published in 1924 did not immediately hit the mark as it barely got any serious attention from readers. It is also said that it was during this time that William Faulkner decided to change the original spelling of his family name to make it â€Å"sound more British† for the publication of his first book. His real family name came from an old Customer’s last name 2 Southern family named Falkner from New Albany, Mississippi where the novelist was born on September 25, 1897, as the eldest of four sons. But Faulkner spent most of his life at the nearby town of Oxford, Mississippi where his family moved when he was barely five years old. Much of his inspirations for his work were drawn from his personal experiences. And his views were tangible in many of his writings especially those that probe the prejudices of his own region, the deep South. Faulkner started writing novels on 7th Grade at about the same time he lost interest in school after he found the classes boring. His first themes were romance inspired by her childhood sweetheart and later wife, Estelle Oldham. Faulkner remained married to her until his death in July 6, 1962 but his family seems to come only second to his writing, which he puts at the center of his life. In an interview for Writer’s at Work: The Paris Review Interview in 1959, Faulkner described how important his writings to him. He remarked: The writers only responsibility is to his art. He will be completely ruthless if he is a good one. He has a dream. It anguishes him so much he must get rid of it. He has no peace until then. Everything goes by the board: honor, pride, decency, security, happiness, all, to get the book written. If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate; the Ode on a Grecian Urn is worth any number of old ladies. (Writers at Work: The Paris Review Interviews, 1959) Faulkner’s statement in that interview glared what was already apparent and clear all along to his family, friends, and the people who work closely with the reclusive writer. When Faulkner released his third novel, Sartoris (Flags in the Dust), in 1929, he used his great-grandfather William Clark Falkner, himself a colonel in the American Civil War, as the Customer’s last name 3 model for Colonel John Sartoris. The novel deals with the decay of an aristocratic Southern family following the social upheaval of the American Civil War. This novel is a good example of how the novelist’s life is reflected on his writings. It shows that Faulkner was influenced by the history of his family and the region in which they lived. A critical examination of Faulkner’s masterpieces such as The Sound and the Fury, As I lay Dying, Absalom, Absalom! and A Rose for Emily will reveal that his main focus, as a writer, is to explore and expose the deterioration of values in his own region. Faulkner wrote with such sensitivity of the moral degradation he has witnessed. In the sense, Faulkner is a historian who provided an overcast view of a segment of America during a tumultuous period that demanded radical social change. And albeit his works were fictions, it mirrored the horrendous realities of a society diminishing in its traditional values and unable to embrace the dawn of modern realities. Most of Faulkner’s stories were set in Yoknapatawpha County, a fictional place after his own Lafayete County. The town of Jefferson is within Yoknapatawpha County and is the equivalent of Oxford, the novelist’s hometown. While the setting may not be original, it was easy for Faulkner to provide a vivid description of his settings and characters he based from non-fictions or from something he has intimate knowledge on. Aside from Faulkner’s hometown being modeled for the fictional setting in his writings, it was suggested that some characters from his works were inspired by real people and biblical characters like the 19th century politician Jacob Thomson for the character of Jason Compson III from his The Sound and the Fury novel and the character of Benjamin Compson from the same novel which is said to symbolize a Christ-figure while in his Pulitzer winner novel, A Fable, his main character Corporal Zsettslani Customer’s last name 4 is representative of Jesus. This method made it easy for Faulkner to personalize the characters in his stories. Faulkner’s strong sense of moral and social responsibility is also very much visible in his works. He often deals with the transgression of the Southern whites against the Black with tragic bluntness to denigrate a blatant social aberrant. In a way, Faulkner was the greatest admirer and critic of the Southern life and history. He absorbed the sordid and brilliant, blithe and painful history of the South and transposed it into soul poetry. Moreover, Faulkner also tried to advocate, albeit tacitly, for the preservation of culture and the environment in his writings. In his 1942 novel, The Bear, Faulkner lamented the encroachment of civilization into the natural world. The novel is a tale of initiation into the adult world set against a backdrop of a yearly hunting expedition of Old Ben, a bear believed to be last of its kind in Mississippi woods. The narrative is also about the young Ike McCaslin coming to know both the woods and himself through the help of an old Chickasaw who is symbolically named Sam Fathers (Castor 37). In Faulkner’s narrative, the death of Sam Fathers is symbolically linked to the death of the bear and the wilderness (Castor 38). To Faulkner, the economic conquest of the southern landscape was inextricably linked, not only to the conquest of blacks and women through the legacy of slavery, but also to the conquest of Indian cultures as represented by Sam Fathers. (Castor 39) The Bear was written by Faulkner at the time when there is a tremendous environmental upheaval in Mississippi and the South. There was massive deforestation activity and thousands of acres of land are being cleared for timber. The setting, the plot, and the character in The Bear Customer’s last name 5 reflect an historical development and Faulkner was able to relate his sentiments with what is happening in his writings. Faulkner was a brilliant writer who examines his environment and reflects on his life experiences for inspirations in his writings. Much of the plot and the theme of his novels were based on his hindsight on the degeneration of the values of the Sought. Through his tragic stories, Faulkner was able to depict â€Å"the effect of the dissolution of the traditional values and authority on all levels of Southern society†. His novels were rich of his views, sentiments, experiences and personal convictions. He was never very famous as a writer for most part of his life but he has dedicated his life to this profession. He was a reclusive and a taciturn writer who found comfort in his solitude. But in his writings, he spoke volumes and his voice holds a resonating sound for many more generations to hear. He was a legend in the world of literature and his stories are immortalize by its unforgettable characters, unbelievable and challenging stories and the unique manner these stories were told that continues to captivate millions of followers. Faulkner told many great stories but along with it, he told the story of his life too. The challenge is to continue to unravel the mystery and discover how of much his own story was told in his many great masterpieces. Customer’s last name 6 Works cited Nobelprize. org. William Faulkner Biography. Retrieved December 21, 2007 frm http://nobelprize. org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1949/faulkner-bio. html Reference. com. William Faulkner. Retrieved December 21, 2007 from http://www. reference. com/search? q=william%20faulkner Castor, L. Hunting History and Myth in Linda Hogan’s Power and William Faulkner’s The Bear. Retrieved December 21, 2007 from http://www. hum. uit. no/nordlit/12/03_Castor. pdf William Faulkner on the Web. Retrieved December 21, 2007 from http://www. mcsr. olemiss. edu/~egjbp/faulkner/faulkner. html

The Virtue Of Silence Essay examples -- essays research papers

THE VIRTUE OF SILENCE Of all the virtues that most men and women disregard, it is silence. People go about in their everyday lives not even noticing the beauty of one's "inner silence." Try an experiment: Close your eyes. Tune out the sounds from everything that's surrounding you, and focus on what is going on inside you. Take a deep breath and just listen. How many inner voices did you hear? Most people do not even realize the amount of noise that is carried around in the human body. As you can see, even in the remarkably noisy age we live in, the real noise is on the inside. But even these noises can dissappear if one wishes. All one needs to do is study one of many religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Judaism. Each of these religions have many techniques for meditation, and their reasons for wanting to find "pure silence" are generally the same. This reason for finding your inner silence is basically the same for every religion, but to go about and reach this perfect sense of serenity can be accomplished in many ways. Each religion has their own set of steps to reach Nirvana, or utter bliss and perfection. Buddhism, for instance, has many different levels of meditation. Each level reached will take you into a deeper silence of meditation until you reach "rightful meditation." Rightful meditation is the "sinking into total silence. Silence of the senses, silence of in...

Police Strategies Essay

The topic I chose to research about is which police strategy/tactic is most effective in reducing crime and disorder. There are various forms of policing such as community-oriented policing, problem-oriented policing, hot spots policing, broken windows theory, and zero-tolerance policing. COP is a model of policing that stresses a two-way working relationship between the community and the police along with the police becoming more integrated into the local community, and citizens assuming an active role in crime control and prevention. POP is a concept created by Herman Goldstein in which he believes the police should take the categories of crime, order maintenance, and service and break them down into discrete problems and then develop specific responses to each one. Hot spots policing originated from research that revealed crime is extremely concentrated in small areas. The broken windows theory is about how crime problems develop at place, and how police should focus their role to stop crime problems from arising. According to Paul M.  Walters, there is a strategy for COP to prevent crime and disorder which is referred to as response to incidents (R2I). R2I requires law enforcement officers to react to crimes or emergency incidents. In order to promote citizen confidence in the police, officers should swiftly respond to any such incidents and establish and maintain control over the situation. R2I also requires officers to respond proactively to crime patterns. This is accomplished through such tactics as directed patrol, targeted identifications, etc. However, if police administrators do not carefully manage the R2I strategy, their departments can quickly be overwhelmed by community demands. In order to manage increased calls for police service, administrators need to monitor demand and then research as many creative ways as possible to respond to these calls. There are many ways to respond to calls for assistance that do not require the immediate dispatching of an officer in a patrol car. Other, less expensive responses may satisfy the request just as effectively. Another way to better serve jurisdictions using the R2I strategy is to invest in current technology in such areas as communications, information, case management and analysis, and transportation which may include automated mug systems, records management and retrieval systems, automated aging systems, and mobile data terminals. Department managers must then use all their resources, both technological and human, in a balanced way that produces not just activity but also results that they can measure against their mission statements. Managing the limited resources of departments to respond effectively to both incidents and calls for service, while producing the greatest advantage for their communities, requires managers to make informed, professional decisions. Foot patrol and Neighborhood Watch programs are two other popular strategies for the effectiveness of COP. A number of evaluations in the 1980s reported that while additional foot patrol did not reduce crime, it did increase feelings of safety. If people are less fearful they might not withdraw from the communities, and the process of neighborhood deterioration might not begin. Neighborhood Watch programs have repeatedly been found to have little impact on crime. Residents who live in areas with more crime, and who live in inner-city minority neighborhoods, have been less willing to participate in Neighborhood Watch programs or any other activities that involve partnership with the police. The effect of whether COP works is hard to say and evidence is very mixed. It’s hard to evaluate since it’s done differently from police department to police department. While a number of questions remain, the future of COP appears bright. According to Paul M.  Walters, the heart of the POP approach is the concept that police must be more responsive to the causes of crime, rather than merely dealing with the results of crime. Maintaining neighborhood safety can be more beneficial to the community than merely treating isolated neighborhood problems. This approach represents a significant shift in how both the public and the police view the role of law enforcement in the community. Problem-oriented policing is a proactive, decentralized approach to providing police services designed to reduce crime and disorder, and by extension, the fear of crime. Department heads achieve this by assigning officers to specific neighborhoods on a long-term basis. Long-term involvement between the officers and neighborhood residents fosters the development of credible relationships based on mutual trust and cooperation. It also allows a high-level exchange of information between citizens and police officers, as well as mutual input concerning policing priorities and tactics for specific areas of the community. Problem-oriented policing also istributes police services more effectively across the community and targets high-crime areas for problem-solving approaches that allow law enforcement to define and deal with the causes of crime. This helps to neutralize the undue influence of special interest groups that can be the recipients of preferred services when no system of community-based priorities exists. Systematic reviews and meta analysis are a method for determining whether POP reduces crime and disorder. A study was conducted by Weisburg, Telep, Hinkle, and Eck. Whether they used a more conservative mean effect size approach or examined the largest effects on crime and disorder reported, they found that POP approaches have a statistically significant effect on the outcomes examined. Importantly, the results are similar whether we look at experimental or nonexperimental studies. The small group of studies in the review allows us to come to a solid conclusion regarding the promise of POP, but it does not allow statistical conclusions regarding the types of approaches that work best for specific types of problems. They think it a major public policy failure that the government and the police have not invested greater effort and resources in identifying the POP approaches and tactics that work best to combat specific types of crime. Moreover, a much larger number of studies are needed to draw strong generalizations regarding the possible effectiveness of POP across different types of jurisdictions and different types of police agencies. The portfolio of available studies does not allow us to draw conclusions about such contextual factors and suggests that U.  S. policing has adopted POP widely without an evidence base for deciding where and when it should be used. The central conclusion of our review is that POP as an approach has significant promise to ameliorate crime and disorder problems broadly defined. Hot spots policing is easier to implement than COP and POP. Research early on showed it had promise in reducing crime. It’s easy to implement as officers are still doing patrol and making arrests. Computerized crime mapping is used in nearly every police department that does hot spots policing. Some programs can do statistical analyses to identify hot spots and find trends in crime across time and space. The programs also can have maps updated with the latest data each day. Studies have found that hot spots policing is at least moderately effective in reducing crime. It’s so hard to know what exactly works because many studies also involve elements of POP and other tactics. The broken windows theory is widely viewed as effective in policing circles after it was used in New York City in the 1990s and the city had a large crime drop. There are several suggestions for how police could best prevent crime with the broken windows theory. Police should return to the order maintenance role. Police should not ignore disorder. Police should negotiate consensus with residents and users of public spaces about what is or is not acceptable in that area. The key is to deal with disorder quickly and not let it untended, and clean it up in areas that have declined. This is hypothesized to prevent fear of crime and maintain social controls in areas such as residents aren’t afraid to intervene and/or move away from the area. Some studies have found increased complaints against the police with the broken windows theory. In conclusion, the research I obtained about the various police strategies and tactics leads to an important statement. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer. There is fairly mixed and weak research evidence about the impacts of these tactics on crime. COP seems effective in fighting fear of crime and improving police-community relations but not in fighting crime. A report by the National Academy reinforces that the most effective strategies and tactics are those that target small locations, take a focused approach, and are highly proactive.

“Beloved” by Toni Morrison

â€Å"Beloved† by Toni Morrison discusses slavery’s deconstruction of identity as well as explores the emotional, physical and spiritual devastation caused by slavery. Toni Morrison assumes that former slaves are haunted by devastation even in their freedom. Thus he raises important themes, because the question of slavery is still under discussion. Moreover, â€Å"Beloved† is discussed in accordance with supernatural dimension. Therefore, the paper will discuss the negative impact of slavery on sense of self and self-alienation.Further, the paper aims at discussing main themes and motifs involved in â€Å"Beloved† as well as providing thorough examination of Morrison’s ideas and narrative style. The paper will progress through the methods of in-depth analysis and description. The purpose of the paper is to enlarge knowledge and to become more informed about slavery and community solidarity. Annotated Bibliography Badt, Karin. The Roots of the Body i n Toni Morrison: A Mater of â€Å"Ancient Properties†. Journal Title: African American Review, 29, 4 (1995): 567-576.The article discusses the ambivalence about maternal power and the uneasiness of the novel stating that Morrison's novels signify the mother and evoke the desire for her meet with a depressing end. Furthermore, the article defines renovation of the self and the African-American community and says that, according to Morrison, deadly sacrifice is required. The article may be used to examine the catharsis and renewal of former slaves and to provide overview of religious experience of reincarnating. Bennett, Juda. Toni Morrison and the Burden of the Passing Narrative. African American Review, 35, 2 (2001): 205-215.The article is devoted to examination of the passing myth, sometimes in only one or two paragraphs and often with indirection. Also the article emphasizes the contours of black identity throughout the novel and admits that the novel is important for histo ry. Actually, Morrison conveys a rather standard, albeit postmodern, suspicion of truth. Therefore, the article will be used to examine and analyze the identity of black community in the novel and to outline the historical significance of the novel. Drake, Kimberly. Toni Morrison: A Critical Companion. Contributors: Kimberly S. Drake – author. African American Review, 35, 2 (2001): 333-334.The article underlines interest in Morrison’s own texts’ blank spaces, in her usage of imagination and approach to her fiction. The article explains theoretically sophisticated concepts in a responsible and clear manner providing examination of novel in terms of identity development and Christian religious. Furthermore, the article discusses minor plot errors of the novel. Thus the article will be used to critically asses the novel and to analyze the concept of self as well as to discuss the role of the black community in identity development. Jones, Carolyn. â€Å"Sula† and â€Å"Beloved†: Images of Cain in the Novels of Toni Morrison.African American Review, 27, 4 (1993): 615-623. The article provides thorough comparison between Morrison’ â€Å"Sula† and â€Å"Beloved† to find out similarities in author’s style of narration and themes involved. Carolyn states that memory is the main essential category of the author and Morrison wants to â€Å"re-memory† meaning he wants to use moral imagination shape the events of one's life into story. The article will be used to provide in-depth analysis of author’s main themes and style of narration as well as to apply theoretical framework to the concept of identity deconstruction caused by slavery. Okoso, Yoshiko.Elizabeth Ann Beaulieu, Ed. the Toni Morrison Encyclopedia. African American Review, 38, 1 (2004): 168-174. The article examines narrative style of Morrison stating that she prefers to neither explain everything, nor to provide solutions or to resolv e every detail of the plot. Morrison’s works are filled with enigmatic, shifting and vibrant aspects being not merely an accompaniment, but a provider of essential background knowledge. Thus the article will be useful in analyzing the negative impact of slavery on sense of self and self-alienation and in providing in-depth examination of the author’s style and novel’s themes.Parrish, Tony. Imagining Slavery: Toni Morrison and Charles Johnson. Studies in American Fiction, 25, 1 (1997): 81-86. The article compares and contrasts theme of slavery and identity deconstruction in the novels of Morrison and Johnson providing similarities and differences. It is stated that â€Å"Beloved† has similarities with Johnson’s slavery novels, because both authors offer negative meaning of slavery and explore African-American identity. The article will be used to describe how African-American identity is involved in the novel and how it continues to be created nowad ays.Further, the article gives the opportunity to examine Morrison’ philosophy. Rubenstein, Roberta. Singing the Blues: Toni Morrison and Cultural Mourning. Mosaic, 31, 2 (1998): 147-156. The article examines Morrison’s imagery of dismemberment and stating that it is â€Å"trope for the profound damages inflicted on African Americans by the emotional dismemberments of slavery and its aftermath†. Further, the article touches symbolic figures and transfiguration and provides links between emotional/psychological and aesthetic/cultural losses.Therefore, the article will be used to examine novel’s symbolism and aesthetics as well as to define main novel’s motifs. West, Genevieve. Conner, Marc C. , Ed. the Aesthetics of Toni Morrison: Speaking the Unspeakable. Studies in the Novel, 35, 2 (2003): 272-275. The article examines the aesthetics of Morrison. The author provides the idea that Morrison has explicitly worked to distance herself from Western trad itions in favor of situating her writings within an African-American cultural and aesthetic tradition.Therefore, the article will be used to examine the aesthetics of â€Å"Beloved† and to develop two versions of the grotesque: emphasizing play, humor, and renewal; emphasizing alienation, estrangement, and terror. Works Cited Badt, Karin. The Roots of the Body in Toni Morrison: A Mater of â€Å"Ancient Properties†. Journal Title: African American Review, 29, 4 (1995): 567-576. Bennett, Juda. Toni Morrison and the Burden of the Passing Narrative. African American Review, 35, 2 (2001): 205-215. Drake, Kimberly. Toni Morrison: A Critical Companion. Contributors: Kimberly S. Drake – author. African American Review, 35, 2 (2001): 333-334.Jones, Carolyn. â€Å"Sula† and â€Å"Beloved†: Images of Cain in the Novels of Toni Morrison. African American Review, 27, 4 (1993): 615-623. Okoso, Yoshiko. Elizabeth Ann Beaulieu, Ed. the Toni Morrison Encyclopedia. African American Review, 38, 1 (2004): 168-174. Parrish, Tony. Imagining Slavery: Toni Morrison and Charles Johnson. Studies in American Fiction, 25, 1, 81-86. Rubenstein, Roberta. Singing the Blues: Toni Morrison and Cultural Mourning. Mosaic, 31, 2 (1998): 147-156. West, Genevieve. Conner, Marc C. , Ed. the Aesthetics of Toni Morrison: Speaking the Unspeakable. Studies in the Novel, 35, 2 (2003): 272-275.

Essay Sample on Attention Deficit Disorder

Essay Sample on Attention Deficit Disorder Attention Deficit Disorder, also known as ADD, ADHD, or simply hyperactivity, can be displayed among children, adolescents and even adults. â€Å"Doctors and educators often use the term ‘attention-deficit disorder’ (ADD) to describe the way certain children act in the classroom† (NIMH â€Å"A Treatment Study†). In loose terms, these children squirm in their seats, fiddle with their papers, fidget with their hands, and move around to the point that they disturb other children. â€Å"Not long ago, children who behaved in certain ways were called ‘bundles of energy,’ ‘daydreamers,’ or ‘fireballs.’ Now they’re considered ‘hyperactive,’ ‘distractible,’ or ‘impulsive’-victims of the ubiquitous Attention Deficit Disorder† (Armstrong). There are many different forms of treatment or approaches that are used to help children with ADD, including changing the child’s env ironment, parent counseling and behavior modification and the use of medication. Of all the different types of treatments, studies seem to focus mostly on stimulant medications. Ritalin is the most commonly used stimulant medication and is the best treatment because it has a calming and focusing effect, increases confidence and self-esteem, and it has low abuse potential. Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD, refer â€Å"to a family of related chronic neurobiological disorders that interfere with an individual’s capacity to regulate activity level (hyperactivity), inhibit behavior (impulsivity), and attend to tasks (inattention) in developmentally appropriate ways† (NIMH â€Å"ADHD-Questions and Answers†). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, research shows that ADD tends to run in families, so it is likely to be genetic. At least one-third of all fathers, who had Attention Deficit Disorder growing up, have children with ADD. Attention Deficit Disorder is one of the most common mental disorders among children. It affects three to five percent of all children, which equals about two million American children. Also, boys are two to three times more likely affected than girls (â€Å"ADHD†). The main symptoms of ADD include inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Inattentive people have a hard time focusing on one task and may get bored with it after only a few minutes. Hyperactive people always seem to be in motion and can not sit still or they may do things like shaking their feet or tapping a pen on the table. Impulsive people are those who do not think about the consequences of their actions beforehand, even though they know the difference between right and wrong. Children with Attention Deficit Disorder have also shown specific learning problems involving word confusion, math, writing, spelling and reading. â€Å"Although both inattentiveness and impulsiveness do tend to get better as the child grows older, teenagers with ADHD continue to experience much greater difficulty than do other teenagers† (Greenberg 11). If untreated, as children with ADD grow older, they are more likely to experience drug abuse, antisocial behavior, conduct disorders and injurie s. Methylphenidate, also known as Ritalin, is a central nervous system stimulant and is not a new medication. In fact, it has been around for about thirty years and increasingly prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Disorder. â€Å"Since 1990, Ritalin production is up 700 percent, and nearly 15 percent of America’s school-age children are using psychiatric prescription drugs† (Colgan 61). Ritalin has effects similar to, yet more potent than caffeine and less potent than amphetamines. It has a notably calming effect on hyperactive children and a focusing effect on those with ADD. Life can be hard on children with Attention Deficit Disorder. Ritalin allows them to concentrate and finish the homework, which they were once not able to. Until recently, most studies involve the short-term effectiveness of stimulants. â€Å"There is no information on the long-term outcomes of medication-treated ADHD individuals in terms of educational and occupational achievements, involvement with the police, or other areas of social functioning† (NIMH â€Å"ADHD-Questions and Answers†). First-hand experience, with children taking Ritalin, has influenced my opinion as to whether it is the right treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD. Working at an after school daycare, I have witnessed many temper tantrums and fights or arguments between children, as well as children and adults. Some, not all, of these children have either ADD or ADHD. On days where they have forgotten to take their medication, many of these incidences occur. I could definitely see a difference in their behavior and they do not seem like themselves. These children will lash out at other children and adults if they do not get their own way or like what they are told to do. One incident sticks out in my mind; a boy threw a basketball at another boy for stealing the ball from him during a game. This boy was then told to go inside, sit down and put his head down. He then started to throw a temper tantrum, banged his head on the table and made his lip bleed. After threatening to send him up to the principal’s office, he calmed down a little. For the rest of the day though, he was upset and just not his normal self. Life can be hard for children with Attention Deficit Disorder. ADD frustrates many children because of the fact that they can not concentrate and seem to always get into trouble, whether it is at home or in school. They also are shunned by a lot of children because of the way they act and treat others. Some children are even too quiet or shy, so children do not even bother talking to them. The results Ritalin has on children with ADD, gives them a good self-image and higher self-esteem. These children do not get into as much trouble, which means they are not always being yelled at or punished. Their grades improve along with their social skills. Other children will now talk and play with them. As previously stated, if untreated, as children with ADD grow older, they are more likely to experience drug abuse, antisocial behavior, conduct disorders and injuries. A little girl in my mother’s Kindergarten class had trouble concentrating in school and always seemed to be in â€Å"la la land.† Once diagnosed with ADD and treated with Ritalin, she had no problems focusing during class. A direct result of this was her grades improving tremendously. She also began talking more during class and with the other children. It was obvious that her self-esteem had greatly improved. â€Å"According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Ritalin is considered a Class II Drug and a controlled substancelike cocaine, methamphetamine and methadone† (Methylphenidate). A drug becomes a controlled substance when it has the potential for abuse or addiction, yet the National Institute on Drug Abuse states that people with ADD, taking stimulant medication do not become addicted when taken in the form and amount prescribed (â€Å"Methylphenidate†). New research from the National Institute of Health explains why this is true. Oral doses of Ritalin take about sixty minutes to reach its peak. Concentration in the brain, compared to five minutes for cocaine or nine minutes for Ritalin taken intravenously. This is why people with Attention Deficit Disorder, taking Ritalin, do not experience a â€Å"high† from their medication and therefore do not abuse it (â€Å"New Research†). There are many cases where people who do not need to take it, abuse Ritalin. When abused, in order to get â€Å"high†, Ritalin tends to be taken intravenously or snorted, showing the relevance of the form Ritalin it is taken in. The theft and abuse of these drugs overwhelmingly occurs in schools. A recent incident involved two teachers at a Tennessee school. These teachers had been caught stealing their students’ Ritalin. Also, in Georgia, investigators are looking into the theft of over four hundred pills between two schools. In these two incidences, investigators thought the pills had been stolen for personal use or for re-selling on the street or to other students (Colgan 62). Ritalin is the most commonly used stimulant medication and is the best treatment because it has a calming and focusing effect, increases confidence and self-esteem, and it has low abuse potential. It has been around for many years and most commonly used to treat those with Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD. Although Ritalin is not the â€Å"cure† for ADD, it is the best treatment and easiest for both the parents and children to deal with. Taking a pill has no effect on the child’s daily routines. Where as, other treatments take a lot more time and effort on everyone’s part, such as counseling, behavior modification and environmental changes. A combination of Ritalin along with these other treatments is the best chance for a child with ADD to live a â€Å"normal,† and happy life. Ritalin alone is an enormous step in the right direction!

Free Online Classes Directory

Free Online Classes Directory If you’re new to learning through the internet, want to test out a class, need to brush up on some skills for your credit classes, or just want to learn a few new facts, you’ll want to check out one of the many free courses available online. Although these courses don’t provide college credit, they do give students a lot of information and can be a valuable supplement to your regular studies. There are two main types of online courses: independent courses that are made exclusively for the internet, and open courseware classes that are designed for actual classrooms. Independent Courses Independent courses are made especially for e-learners. From poetry to financial planning, theres something out there for everyone.Brigham Young University has a number of online courses offered for credit to paying students, but they also offer free classes that are open to the general public. Although these classes do not offer interaction among peers, they have a sensible set up and often provide useful information. One of the most common subjects offered is genealogy; BYU has quite a few specialized courses to help genealogists locate their personal family information. A number of religious courses are also available.Stanford University offers free lectures, interviews, and material that are avaliable for download on iTunes.Free-ed.net offers a variety of courses that include materials completely online. Some even have free online textbooks. The Information Technology programs are some of the best and include step-by-step instructions on mastering various types of computer skills . The Small Business Administration provides dozens of links to courses that teach you how to plan, start, market, and run a successful business, and also how to apply for grants and loans. The Teaching Company sells audio and video classes taught by top professors. However, if you sign up for their email newsletter, they will send you occasional free lectures that can be downloaded and saved. Open Courseware Open courseware programs are designed to give students around the world access to course materials actually used in university classrooms. Participating colleges post syllabi, assignments, calendars, lecture notes, readings, and other materials online, making it easy for self-learners to study the topic on their own terms. Open courseware programs do not require registration or charge tuition. However, they  do not award credits or allow for interaction with a professor.Want to take an MIT course for free? MIT’s open courseware program offers students around the world access to materials and assignments used in actual classrooms. More than 1,000 courses are currently available.Tufts University also offers a handful of quality open courseware classes as does Utah State University and John Hopkins University.

Social Class and Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Class and Gender - Essay Example Question 1-Movie and Gender Gender issues come out clearly in the movie. The interactions between the various characters and the roles given to them bring out the gender relationships. Mrs. Tuohy is an extremely strong woman in the movie despite her being a female. She is also highly demanding as she heads her household and controls all the decisions made in the family. This portrays changing gender roles in the family, where women have gained ultimate control and ability to make vital family decisions. The changing authority and roles of women clearly comes out in the movie when Mrs. Demands that they go back and help Big Mike. She even offers him a place to sleep at their home (Lewis 18). In relation to the course materials from the gender lectures, Mrs. Tuohy shows that women have the capacity to give out orders just like men. On this regard, therefore, both genders should make decisions in their home. Men should not always dominate as the heads of households. No gender should be superior to the other; all should have equal opportunity and be accorded equal rights (Lewis 22). Mrs. Tuohy represents a typical modern woman, who does not heed to the traditions, which sidelined women and favored men. Her character and actions depict women who have the determination to challenge the status quo in the society. Question 2-Movie and Social Class The issue of social class depicts itself in the movie, with some characters having an elevated social status, while others appear to be in the low social stratum. Michael Oher belongs to the lower social status as his family cannot afford to cater for his education. For many years, during his childhood, Michael was under foster care with various families in Tennessee and Memphis (Lewis 30). He runs away whenever placed in a new home. On the other hand, the Tuohys can be regarded as influential and belonging to the upper social class/status. They live in a beautiful mansion. Besides, the friends of the Tuohy family have riches and property similar to that of the Tuohys. In relation to the lecture notes, the social prestigious status of the Tuohy and the lower social of Michael Oher depict the differences in social status. Further, this portrays the vast differences between the poor and the rich in the society. The rich, wealthy, and influential members of the society can be able to afford a luxurious and a happy, desirable life. On the contrary, the poor have difficulties affording to cater for the basic needs of shelter and education. The fact that the families surrounding the Tuohys have a lot of wealth depicts the existence of strong links and networks among the rich (Lewis 35). In the beginning of the Movie, Mrs. Tuohy nearly gets influenced by her friends, who discourage her not to adopt Michael. The Friends argue that the decision to adopt Michael would negatively influence SJ, Tuohy’s son. This shows how the wealthy view the poor as deviant and having undesirable morals. Moreover, when Mich ael goes back to interact with his family and friends, the community appears as poor African Americans who engage in criminal activities as gangs. Question 3-Movie and Race/Ethnicity Scenes from the Blind Side depict the relations that exist between the characters based on their racial and ethnic affiliation. The Tuohys, who belong to the white race, live a prestigious life, while Oher has gone through numerous challenges in life. Racial stereotyping is represented when the family friends

Classroom Management Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Classroom Management Styles - Essay Example From this essay it is clear that the severity of the problems that some teachers face is different from others, but the basic issues are the same. The basic concern for every teacher is on how to handle student misbehaviors in their classrooms. Most teachers are aware of how to handle the extreme misbehaviors, like swearing, fighting, stealing, drug use, and so on. In regard to these issues, most schools have a clear protocol on how to handle them. Of greater concern are smaller issues such as sleeping in class, excessive talking, and students getting out of their desks without permission. These minor misbehaviors can be much more disruptive and stressful for a teacher than the extreme issues. This is because a majority of teachers do not have an effective plan in place ahead of time to handle them. As a result, teachers are forced to react on the spot without a prepared response. Such response may aggravate the issue and may pass a teacher as one who has lost control of the class. I t should always be stressed that the critical issue in classroom management is that the teacher must always ensure absolute control. This way student feel obliged to follow instructions and behave in a way that is not disruptive to the others. Classroom problems have their genesis early in the lives of children.  

Doctors vs nurses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Doctors vs nurses - Essay Example The education needed to qualify as a doctor or a nurse varies across countries, and even in some cases, there are variations within individual countries. A graduate degree in nursing in most countries is recommended to qualify as a nurse. This is the educational qualification that is only required. But in other countries, a degree in nursing is not enough for one to be approved as a nurse. For instance, in Canada and United States, there has been an increase in the educational requirement for one to qualify as a nurse, with a master’s degree becoming now a norm (OECD). But for the case of doctors, some countries require additional work experience for one to qualify or be approved as a doctor. Countries in sub-Sahara Africa have low education qualification for one to become a doctor as compared to other developed countries, whereby a master’s degree and work experience are factors considered before one is approved as a doctor. Remuneration levels are among critical factors affecting the performance and attractiveness of the various professions in different countries. There are substantial differences across various countries in the level of compensation for doctors and nurses. For instance, the average salary of doctors and nurses is the lowest in eastern European countries such as Turkey and Mexico and highest in Luxembourg. The range in the salaries across most countries is highest for the doctors, where the difference between the highest and lowest paying country is almost six fold. The nurses and doctors in Hungary are paid the lowest salary as compared to other countries. In all the countries, doctors earn the highest salary as compared to nurses (OECD). This may be as a result of the difference in the needed skills and the time required to train1. In many countries such as Australia, UK, USA and Canada, nurses are allowed to prescribe pharmaceutical

Business Analysis of British Airways (BA)

Business Analysis of British Airways (BA) British Airways plc provides air services operations both at international and domestic level. Its major business is commercial flight. It also caters to various services like cargo freight, mail services and other auxiliary services all over the world. Mainly it runs its business in United States and Europe. It is situated in Harmondsworth, Middlesex, employing 42,755 people all over. It is emerging to be competitive and sustain its integrity as the best airlines which stress superior customer service. It has 300 destinations throughout the world; this extent of operations offers customers with world-class services at various destinations. Its customers range from explorers to executive. The aim of this report is to enable readers to comprehend strategic review and analysis of British Airways by explaining: History of British Airways Current strategic situation Potential Strategic options Recommended strategic direction with rationale Identification of critical success factors Performance measurement criteria The procedure used to compile this report is mainly extensive reading of various text books on corporate strategy, online journal articles and company’s website. All the information, surveys and experimentations included are taken through proper referencing from standard sources. II. Main Body 1. History of British Airways British Airways which originated as Aircraft Transport and Travel started its maiden daily international scheduled air services between London and Paris after World War 1. In 1939, UK government merged British Airways and Imperial Airways to form British Overseas Airways, which became a state owned company. BOAC’s main operation was long haul services and British European Airways was established to serve continental European and domestic market. Both BOAC and BEA expanded their business geographically over a period of time and BOAC started its flights to New York (1946), Japan (1948), Chicago (1954) and west coast of the US (1957). At the same time BEA expanded its network to Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester. In 1970, BEA started its charter airline services, BEA air tours. BAOC and BEA were merged together in 1972 under British Airways Board and in 1974 British Airways was formed. In 1976, British Airways started its first supersonic passenger service jointly with Air France. British Airways was privatised in 1987 and was merged with British Caledonian. In 2002, British Airways CitiExpress was formed by merging British Regional Airlines and Brymon Airways which were wholly owned subsidiaries. Other two wholly owned subsidiaries of British Airways, British Airways Regional and Manx Airlines were also merged with British Airways CitiExpress making it a single entirely owned regional subsidiary airline. In 2003, British Airways sold Dba, its German subsidiary to a German based low cost airline Verwaltungsgesellschaft. Same year British Airways Holidays introduced its first program after re-integrating with British Airways. In 2004, to clear their debt, British Airways sold their 18.6% of stake in Australian airline Qantas for  £1.1billion and also sold their London Eye to Tussauds  £95 million. In 2006, British Airways CitiExpress was renamed as BA Connect and the same year, they sold 14.6% stake in an Indian based business services Provider VVNS Holdings. British Airways also sold its Travel Clinic business to MASTA (Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad). Meanwhile British Airways came to an agreement with Maley Hungarian Airlines for code sharing on each other’s flights. They also started a flight from London to Calgary, Canada. At the same time they acquired American Airline’s Stake in Iberia Airlines. In 2007, British Airways started flights from London to New quay in UK and also they announced their intention of their investment in 777-200 ERs which were scheduled for delivery in 2009.In 2006 they also sold their regional operations of BA connect to an European regional airlines Flybe. At the same time, British Airways launched its new subsidiary, BA CityFlyer in Lodon city Airport. BA CityFlyer was expected to operate 250 flights a week from the Docklands airport to six UK and European destinations. In May 2007, British Airways placed an order for eight airbus A320 family aircraft which were scheduled to be delivered between 2008 and 2010. Same month they announced their decision to replace 14 oldest Boeing 737’s with Airbus A319 aircraft, but they were also de-listed from New York Stock Exchange in the same month. British Airways launched their services from Paris and Brussels to New York in January 2008 and in April, 2008 from London to New York. Each week British Airways operated 62 flights from Gatwick and 55 flights from Heathrow. To make best of EU-US Aviation agreement, that allowed carriers to fly between any destinations in the EU and US, British Airways started their first commercial flight inJune 2008 from Paris to New York under a new subsidiary airline â€Å"OpenSkies† In July 2008, British Airways bought L’Avion, a French airline, which expected to be integrated with OpenSkies by early 2009. In the same month British Airways and Iberia, a Spain based airline group held talks for the merger of two companies. 2. Current strategic situation 2.1 Internal analysis British Airways deals with the operations of domestic and international scheduled air services for freight and mail, carrying passengers and various supplementary services. The company mainly function in the America and Europe. Company’s operations are also spread across Australia, Middle East, East Asia, India and Africa. Its head office is located in Harmondsworth, Middlesex. As on March 31, 2008 it employed 42,377 people. British airways had 245 aircraft in service at the end of March 2008 in comparison to 242 in March 2007. During the financial year ended March 2008,  £8,753 million (approximately $17,572.3 million) revenue was recorded which was 3.1% increase over 2007,  £8,75 million (approximately $1,756.6 million) was the operating profit which was 57.4% increase over 2007,  £680 million (approximately $1,365.2 million) was the net profit in comparison to  £290 million (approximately $582 million) net profit in 2007. Airlines business and Non-Airlines business are the two segments in which the company has divided its business. Cargo operations, main scheduled passengers and revenue from ancillary services comprises airlines business. In addition to scheduled services, chartered services are also provided by company’s passenger transportation services at both domestic and international level. It’s among the largest scheduled international passenger airlines in the world with airline route network of 300 destinations. More than 33 million passengers travelled through British Airways in FY2008. BA Connect is a wholly owned subsidiary of British airways which operates on regional (UK) routes. Heathrow International Airport is the company’s principal base, where it carries 41% (approx) of airport passengers. Gatwick, London is its second base of operations. It maintains hangers, operates offices and other support services at Gatwick, Heathrow and other UK airports. Space and desks under lease or license is also occupied by the company throughout the UK including Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham. During the financial year ended March 31, 2008, 805,000 tons of cargo was carried by its cargo transportation services to destinations in the America, Europe and other parts of the world. Passenger aircrafts carries the majority of cargo, while the remaining is carried on part-chartered freighter aircraft or leased. A range of services to other air lines is also provided by British Airways like airframe maintenance, consultancy services, cargo handling and computer and communication services. Non-airline businesses comprise mainly Airmiles Travel Promotions (the UKs famous travel loyalty scheme provider) and BA Holidays (company’s subsidiary which offers sightseeing, transfer options, hotels and cars across 250 destinations over the world). 2.2 External Analysis We will briefly analyse the external analysis of British Airways based on â€Å"Porters five forces analysis† and PESTEL analysis. 2.2.0 Porter’s five forces analysis :http://www.themanager.org/Models/p5f.htm Competitor’s rivalry within the industry High. Rivalry is high due to power of buyers and threats of substitutes. It’s the only force which determines industry attractiveness. They compete with other airlines on the same city-pair routes, from charter services, from other modes of transport and from charter services. Virgin Atlantic, easy jet and other European airlines are in tough competition with British Airways as there is a free market for domestic flights operating in the whole of Europe. These airlines are free to decide the fares and operate on any route. There is competition not only in the air but also on ground as well, for instance a 17% decrease in rail journey times between London and Manchester in 2004 and 2007 led to 20% growth in the train’s share in total market. British airways introduced a corporate responsibility centre stage that helps the company to stand out from the other competitors. Threats of new entrants Low. Competitor’s mergers and acquisitions also have the potential to effect their revenue and market position. Very high cost is required by new entrants to start. British Airways have invested a huge amount on infrastructure, computers and online services. Therefore initial investment required to start up this business is very high. Further, its brand name and strong market position reduces the threat of new entrants. Bargaining power of suppliers High. Main suppliers of airline industry are for fuel, in-flight services and aircraft. The cost of changing suppliers proves very high in airlines business. The suppliers generally have a powerful brand in Airlines industry. For instance, like British Airways have Boeing and Airbus aircrafts, therefore they need to avail the services and maintenance of aircrafts from them. Bargaining power of buyers High. British Airways customers do don’t have any control over the prices or they lack bargaining power. However, they are very powerful as very high competition prevails in the airlines market. Their top competitors include Ryanair Holdings plc, Ryanair, Air France KLM, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Lufthansa etc and many times these airlines provide competitive offers to the customers with very low prices. Threat of substitutes Medium. The airlines industry has suffered a high loss of customer confidence after September 11, 2001 disaster in New York. There is no direct replacement available for airlines for long/overseas journeys. Coaches, Trains or ship/ferries can be used for short journeys. Rapid development of technology can be an indirect substitute of air transportation. According to International AirTransport Authority, Corporate Air Travel Survey 2002, for last 12 months â€Å"no frills/low cost† airlines were used by 1/3 of all business travellers basically for cost benefit. Further, video conferencing was used by 37% to save money and travel time. PESTEL The beginning of the new millennium has made the airlines industry witness the most difficult time it has ever faced. Political instability and unprecedented crisis have resulted from terrorist attacks in September 11, 2001 in New York and July 7, 2005 in London together with wars in Iraq. These incidents resulted in new security regulations from the US and EU and customer travelling confidence have also reduced. Economic factors are of vital importance. Fourth quarter of 2008 showed a 2.0% lower GDP than fourth quarter of 2007. This is mainly due to the recent credit crises and thereby economic slowdown. Company showed an operating profit of  £89 million as on 31st December’2008, which is 88% down compared to 2007. Further,  £70 million was the loss before tax for the same period and fuel cost went up by 48.4% to  £2,244 million. It is mainly due to economic weakness and fall in the value of sterling. Impacts of social factors vary from country to country. Size of potential market and customer’s needs are affected by them. Demographic changes have led to the growth of â€Å"grey† market which is incurring more expenses on travelling and leisure. Tastes, fashions and lifestyle are also changing. So as to maximize its capability to operate and plan in a most effective scheduling and routes possible, British airways is using route planning software. Use of standard technology will minimize cost and provide quality service to freight customers and passengers. (Gomm, 2005). Technology also enables to reduce the personal costs like automated check-in processes and e-ticketing and thereby enables the airlines to offer standard services with less human resource. BA is the first airline to introduce a unique technological system called â€Å"Microwave Landing Technology†, which increases the rate of safe landing during low visibility by 20%. Power of Trade Union is an important legal factor affecting British Airways. British Airways is aware of the consequences caused by Trade Unions (August 2004 and August 2005 strike actions). Factors which British Airways must consider are legal regulations on customer rights, employee rights and rise in ecological and environmental issues. 2.3 SWOT British Airways which has strong international operations network with 300 destinations across the world has its own strengths and weaknesses. Here is the SWOT analysis which helps to understand their business scenario better. Positive Negative INTERNAl Strengths Weakness Strong geographical presence at international level High employee productivity High Service Quality Large Airport Presence Strong operating performance first-rate new fleet of aircrafts Use of High end technology Competitive and quality customer service Bad performance at key markets in terms of revenue growth High Debt of the company Highly Dependent on Fuel Lack of effective marketing strategyEXTERNAlOpportunityThreats Growing global tourism industry and an increase in international travellers Growing air cargo industry EU-US aviation agreement Buracratic systems and management poor decision making Drastic change in technology and customer behaviour Intense competition from low cost airlines Increase in fuel cost Economic slowdown due to credit crunch 2.4. Current strategy â€Å"One Destination seeks to ensure our customers fly confident that, together, we are acting responsibly to take care of the world we live in.† is the vision of British Airways. Their corporate responsibility vision is to become the world’s most responsible airline and they have developed guiding principles describing what they are doing to achieve this goal. Leading the industry towards finding innovative solution is their determination. They plan to continually review how they fly, what they fly and what they buy to become the most responsible and efficient airlines in the world. The British Airways has developed a strategy where their main concern is to establish themselves in Terminal 5 and also acquire new aircrafts depending upon their financial performance by March 2010. They have adopted an approach to truly deliver this vision, uniting all areas of the organisation, divided into 4 major pillars:EnvironmentThey aim to minimise their impact on the environment, including their contribution to air quality, waste, climate change and noise. British Airways was the first airline to report its environmental performance in 1992 since they recognise the impact they have on our planet while delivering socially and economically vital service of air transport. So as to become the world’s most responsible airline, their environment strategy aims to minimise and manage the environmental impacts. Main focus: How they fly Efficient operation to minimise their impact on environment. What they fly Adopting recent technology including alternative fuels, airframes andengines to minimise their impact. What they buy Using economic tools like emissions trading for fully reflecting the cost oftheir environmental impact. Goals across these areas are: By 2010 landfill by zero waste in the UK. By 2025 they aim to improve the carbon efficiency by 25% reducing the carbon dioxidefrom 111 to 83 grammes per passenger per kilometre. By 2015* average noise per flight to reduce by 15%†¢By 2050 their net CO2 emissions to reduce by 50%*measured as the network average quota count (QC) for combined landing and take-off cycle. Comprehensive plan developed to achieve the Goals†¢Climate change British Airways overall strategy is to ensure maximum contributionto their share of global carbon dioxide emission reductions by 2050†¢Waste Focus on recycling, reducing, reusing and responsible waste disposal. Noise Their impact on the local communities nearby airport to be reduced. Air quality Air quality for communities nearby airport to be improved. Community Providing support to local communities in the country where British Airways operate is the main belief of the company. Conservation projects, small individual programmes, 120 international communities and various charities were helped by BA’s support. London Benchmarking Group reported British Airways direct and in-kind donations of  £5.7m last year. British Airways offer variety of support like cargo space, funding, fund raising events, merchandise, free flights and excess baggage. Their main concerns for support are Sustainable Tourism and Heritage, Education and Youth Development, Environment and Supporting employees. Marketplace British Airways suppliers and customers are involved in one destination in their marketplace pillar, to facilitate building up more sustainable business and to persuade dedication to corporate responsibility. Issue covered by their marketplace pillar comprises: How they fly Reliable customer What they buy Responsible procurement What they fly Sustainable products and services Goals across these areas are: 10% of customers to be encouraged to counterbalance their carbon on ba.com by 2012. By 2012 100% of their strategic suppliers to be audited for ethical practices. Corporate responsibility to be used as a decision criteria by 75% of corporate customersby 2010. Workplace British Airways aim to provide a work environment that engages, develops, motivates and support their colleagues. Encouraging employees to be committed to Corporate Responsibility is the main aim of British Airways workplace As employees plays a vital role in making up the airline and they need them onboard One destination. This commitment is not only going to help them deliver a great place to work, rather it will also ensure quality customer service in the industry. Issues covered by their workplace pillar comprise: How they fly Responsible colleague What they buy Tools to do the job What they fly Invest in people Our goals across these areas are: Every year British Airways 50% employees donate money to charity through ‘Pay Roll Giving’. Every year British Airways 50% employees donate time to communities and charities. 75% of employees committed to delivering our corporate responsibility goals by 2010 British Airways have recognized performance objectives to evaluate their development in each of these four sections. British Airways aim to deliver its corporate responsibility strategy by a programme plan developed including over 80 programme level activities and hundreds individual projects. Business Plan BP10Bring Terminal 5 aliveIn order to improve the operational performance and enhance customer experience British Airways main concern is successful delivery of terminal 5 at Heathrow base. Terminal 5 denote their sole biggest challenge and change. British Airways â€Å"Fit for 5† programme was set to be accomplished in the 1st year, which involved essential agreement modification and implementation on highly superior work performance all over the Heathrow terminals. BA Basics and Brilliance The British Airways board aims to offer â€Å"Brilliance† in its activities and deliver the â€Å"BA Basics† constantly. Business Plan 10 (BP10) primarily focuses on baggage performance and punctuality with additional plans to recover â€Å"BA Basics† in various areas for the long term. British Airways aims to offer â€Å"Brilliance† to their customers in numerous vital areas such as their customer services, Terminal 5, ba.com, their premium customer experience and their network and schedule from London. Competitive cost base Main priority of BP 10 is cost control; they expect savings from various areas of business too. The need to decrease considerable deficit position and resolution of pension’s problem is predominantly acknowledged in BP10. It’s quite difficult for them to achieve a competitive cost base if they are to accomplish their growth and investment plans. Invest in growth In the first year of the plan they campaign to commence a competition for the new long haul aircraft, if the pension’s deficit satisfactorily resolves. In order to meet their explicit growth plans they intended to secure first of these aircrafts in 2009, whilst the replacement of fleet will be started by 2011 with the second batch. The strategic significance of the operations in London and Gatwick airport is recognized in BP10. The key to British Airways network development programme from London airport is the operations maintenance of BA Connect’s London city, as part of British Airways regional business sale to Flybe. BP10 enablers The vital aspect behind implementation of BP10 is constant engagement and participation of British Airways’ people. A major segment of British Airways broader communication strategy was local face-to-face communication as it was accepted to be the most effectual engagement. The second major possibility for change in the business remained IT. British Airways investment plans in this sector comprised constant advancements in the functionality and usability of ba.com, Terminal 5, encouraging a variety of departmental change programmes and automating corporate processes plus simplifying services by use of employee self service. 3. Potential Strategic options After going through BA’s vision, goal and their current strategy, we are of the opinion that BA’s current strategy is very competitive and will definitely help British Airways to achieve their goals. In addition to the above strategy, we also have identified few more potential strategic options which could be helpful for BA’s further growth. The accessibility to enormous products and services creates an opportunity to exploit them appropriately. Making the most of global variations and technological trends serves as a potential opportunity to work with. The potential strategic options which British Airways could utilize for further development of business could be Virtual reality, which may serve as an innovative simulation, share expertise and attaining network software. Some of the potential strategic options for British Airways are discussed below:Global tourismThere are many factors which have a very strong influence on the airline industry and one of them is trends in global tourism industry. As per the World Tourism Organization survey, approximately 898 million international tourists travelled globally in 2007 which is 6% higher than the previous year (846 million- 2006). As per the Tourism Satellite Account research which is done by World Travel and Tourism council, it is been predicted that world travel and tourism will grow at an average rate of 4.3% per annum for the period of 2008-2017 and will generate $13 trillion for that period. Rising Air Cargo Industry There is a tremendous growth in the Air Cargo market and the volume of the business is doubling in every 10 years time. As per the International Civil Aviation Organization, the cargo business is expected to grow at an average rate of 6.5% per annum in next 20 years. Approximately 22.17 million tons of freight was carried throughout the world and it is expected to grow up to 60million in 2017. In 2008, BA transported 805000 tons of goods and these numbers will increase tremendously in coming years due to its operations presence in most part of the world and will be benefited by the growing trend in cargo market. Open Skies Agreement Open Skies aviation agreement between EU and US is an air transport agreement, which allows airlines of both EU and US to fly between any points among EU, US and non EU countries like Switzerland. This is the replacement for the previous agreement made between US and each European country. To take advantage of this agreement, British Airways started new subsidiary airlines â€Å"OpenSkies† and for the first time it started to fly direct flights from continental Europe to the US. The first flight of open skies was on June 2008, from Paris to New York. The new agreement has enabled British Airways to increase its operations in the key regions. Several Strategic options can also be identified with the help of the Ansoff Matrix analysis discussed below. Ansoff Matrix Market Penetration Market penetration strategy involves consolidating and protecting/building the existing product/services in the existing market. It occurs when a company with its existing product penetrates a market. This strategy starts with the existing customers of the organization. This strategy can be used to increase sales without losing focus on their existing product/services. British Airways can penetrate in the market through their joint business agreement with Iberia and American airways thereby gaining competitors customers, by upgrading the quality of their services and also increasing the frequency of the flights in the existing market. It is comparatively cheaper to retain existing customers than finding new ones. Product Development Product development strategy emphasises on building a new product with existing and new capabilities beyond current expectations in the existing market. In the present scenario of economic downturn, it is quite difficult to introduce new product considering the cost involved in developing new product and it is risky to predict customer reaction too. British airways have already invested a huge amount in setting up its infrastructure especially in Terminal 5. They should rather emphasise on maintaining and upgrading the quality of present services. Market Development Market development strategy focuses on finding new segments, territories, new uses of existing market with existing product/services. British Airways may go for new market development considering the current strategic situation of the market. However, as the company already operates in more than 300 destinations therefore we would recommend them to concentrate on maintaining the quality of services at the existing markets thereby further build up its position. Diversification Diversification concentrates on developing a new product in new market with existing and new capabilities beyond current expectations. Since British Airways have numerous services operating almost all over the world, it would involve high degree of uncertainty and financial risk to go for diversification. Mergers and acquisitions could be an important alternative for further growth. However the current financial situation of British Airways does not allow the same as they have already invested a huge amount on its current projects and it might prove to be difficult and risky too. Although British Airways may consider this decision once the company’s position is strengthened and there is potential for growth and acquisition in the market. It may be a useful strategy in order to attain fast market growth. Thus the strategy which we would advise British Airways is to concentrate on existing market and existing services and accomplishing its ongoing investment project. So as to achieve further growth in the market British Airways should make the best possible use of its investment projects and strengthen its brand name by providing new offers to the current customers and appealing to new niche market. 4. Recommended strategic direction with rationale After discussing the current strategy and potential strategic options for British Airways, we would like to further recommend the following strategic directions:Develop opportunitiesBritish Airways should try to continue their business tie-ups in the new market once they regain their financial stability. Though BA’s talks on merger with Quantas Airways Limited failed, they need to strengthen their existing joint business with Quantas to have a good hold on the Australian market. They need to concentrate on Asian and Middle East market which has a high potential for growth. Distributing the risk British Airways should concentrate on their Cargo industry which has got a great potential. They should also try to reach more markets through code sharing with other airlines which is a cost effective option. Manipulating strengths British Airways have got a very strong base in Heathrow Airport, UK. BA’s Terminal 5 presence will help them to maintain high standard of service as it will enable them to handle increased volumes of customers and baggage. Upgrading Customer experience They should focus on providing better facilities like T5 lounge, which provides premium customers better comfort and luxury like a private members club. They should strengthen their customer base by constantly upgrading their flight schedules, offering better competitive packages for customers and being competitive with the facilities provided on board so as to attract more customers and thereby creating an opportunity for increasing revenue. Controlling cost of expansion plan British Airways has been moderately successful by following its effective strategies. Currently, we would advise BA to control its expenditure on buying new fleets and expanding to new destinations. They also need to reduce the cost of high aircraft utilization so as to minimize environmental risks. Services British Airways needs to concentrate on providing value for money to the customers. There is an intense competition in the market from Virgin Airlines, Singapore Air, KLM, Quantas and Emirates who also fly in the same route. They might lose their customers if they do not provide something unique from their competitors. These days the number of low cost airlines is increasing through out the world in both domestic and international market. Hence, cost effective and better services should be provided. Passenger friendly airports It is of extreme importance for passengers to feel that their purchasing needs are met. British Airways should aim to establish an image of a major international hub with standard facilities.