Saturday, August 31, 2019

Evaluate an International Expansion Strategy for Goya Essay

Goya, the largest Hispanic-owned company in the United States, has established itself as not just a popular brand of Hispanic food products but also has become the market’s standard of quality and competitiveness. Established in 1936 as an import company to supply the demand for authentic Mexican and Spanish cuisine, the company is now producing and developing its own products (Goya, 2007a). Despite the extensive competition from larger food manufacturing companies and the opening of American markets by European and South American suppliers, Goya has been able to maintain its market leadership and develop new products and markets (Goya Foods, 1999). One of the factors cited for the continued success of the company is its marketing strategies with the Latino community. Considering that the Hispanic community and consumers of Hispanic food products are expected to represent 25% of the United State’s retail food market by 2050, this competency is one that other companies would like to acquire for themselves (Hoffman, 2003, p. 5). The objective of this paper is to investigate the environmental marketing forces that Goya considers in developing its marketing strategies, how it characterizes different subgroups in its market and the merits of expanding its target market to non-Latino consumers. In doing so, the paper will be able to understand the perspectives and insights that Goya has used and has become instrumental for its success (Riell, 2007). Environmental Forces Prioritized Among the six environmental forces discussed, natural, technological, political and legal, economic, competitive, and socio-cultural, the last three that are considered the most in Goya’s marketing strategy. Though the other factors are also considered, they figure more significantly in the company’s corporate and operation strategies (Demetrakakes, 2003). Though they do not directly relate to the company’s marketing strategy, it should also be recognized that they can impact the market effectiveness of the company. Thus, Goya considers all of these environmental forces as important factors to consider (Hoffman, 2003). Economic Forces Economic forces are important to the company’s marketing strategy because of its interest in retail markets. The case study of the company presented by Hoffman points out that since the Latino market will represent a substantial chunk of the consumer market, they will exert greater demand for products and may in fact shift the market towards buyers. At the same time, the size of the market will also increase its attractiveness to new players as well as marketing requirements (Goya, 2007a). Thus, it has been important for the company to establish itself as the premiere choice of consumers and to have a great sensitive to the market. According to Andy Unanue, CEO-in-waiting apparent, the company’s sensitivity to the shifts in purchasing power and the rate of entry of alternative products has been critical. Schiantarelli’s (2005) study indicates that the company’s sensitivity to macroeconomic factors in its major markets allows it to maximize economic growth areas. In doing so, the company is not only able to sell itself but is also able to establish itself at times where markets tend to liberal. Michael (19980 that the strategy of targeting these developing economies also allows the company to reposition its mature products or specialize markets for particular products. Johansson’s (2001) view suggests that economy-related strategies in marketing are critical in establishing long-term goals. Furthermore, the company has also endeavored to be sensitive to the economic development in Latin America which aside from being a major market also is important its supply chain. Latin American has been able to increase its supply power in world markets and have required higher prices for their goods. Furthermore, there has been significantly more mobility in capital and trade liberalization from the 1970’s (Bulmer-Thomas, 2006). This creates a challenge for the company to be more cost-effective and as well as market-oriented in its approach. The trend has been successful in controlling inflation rates and allowed significantly greater role of the middle class which, to Goya’s advantage, represents a significant bulk of its market (Hoffman, 2003). Competitive Forces Just as importantly, if not more urgent, is the increasing competitiveness in the market. As mentioned, the size of the market is attracting significant interest from new players. New players range from mainstream food manufacturing markets as well as direct competitors (Demetrakakes, 2003). Though the company has been able to maintain its position, it estimates the competition in the market to significantly increase. Goya sees the need to deal with the entry of larger competitors with more extensive distribution channels and prominent brands (Goya, 2007a). The entry of new competitors also can induce a price war which can reduce the company’s profit margin and limit Goya as a niche brand instead of its objective to be a mainstream one. Johansson (2001) points out that price wars have the potential of sifting advantage from producers and raise quality standards. Though this can create vitality in the market, if competitors saturate the market, particularly when the market does not expand proportionally, then operational costs can not be justified. Waltuck (2005) raises concerns regarding fragmentation of the market amongst the competitors which can make logistics of assessing and accessing markets more challenging. To respond to these concerns, Goya maintains communication and relations with its market, following closely market preference, demographics, and psychographics as well as migration movements. This also reinforces the brand’s image as part of the Latino culture and identity. The company’s belief is that â€Å"Latinos like buying things they consider their own, that are authentic† (Hoffman, 2003, p. 35). Thus the company does not only rely strictly on the actual quality of the product but is also able to maintain the perceived quality of the product which lies more beyond the control of the company. Another element that can be enhanced by the strategy is the reputation of the company, a confidence which extends beyond the sales performance Goya Maksimovic and Sheridan (2005) point out that this has also been increasingly important factors in the financial reputations of companies. In the case of Goya, one of the reason’s for its cooperate success is its hold on the market, a fact that creates significance confidence for investors as indicated by the company’s rank among Forbes Top 500 companies in the United States (Riell, 2007). Conversely, this rating also reinforces Goya as a premiere brand and creates pride among the Latino community. Socio-Cultural Forces Considering that the company’s imaging is anchored on its being a Latino product, socio-cultural factors can be seen as the most important consideration of the company’s marketing strategy. According to Johansson’s (2001) assessment of Latin markets, there is great attachment for family and cultural heritage that emphasizes religion, culture, community and tradition. Social and family gatherings are focused on reinforcing these elements and since these events involve the preparation of traditional cuisine, the demand for food ingredients is just as important. Goya’s view on Latin culture considers the development of identity, social skills and value systems and unique attributes associated within subgroups due to geography, ethnicity or nationality. A survey of Goya’s products shows that they are labeled using traditional names of products , emphasis on the traditional designs and effort is made to develop product variations to accommodate tastes (Demetrakakes, 2003). For example, salsa products are offered in several levels of spice intensity or chili combinations (Goya, 2007b). This accommodates for variances in preparation of products based on traditions within the Latino community. In addition to responding to indelible facets of the market, the company has also become adept in responding to socio-cultural changes within the community. Bulmer-Thomas (2006) points out that Latin American markets are changing significantly because of liberalization and diversification of its markets to which he attributes changes on social dynamics. One of the most significant changes is in the role of women. Traditional Hispanic households have been characterized as the primary homemakers thus most of the company’s products targeted women specifically in contrast to today, products are designed to be more non-gender specific. Another indication of the company’s sensitivity to the socio-cultural background of its clientele is in its efforts to educate non-Latino customers to Latin culture. Most products have anecdotal information regarding the origin, manner of preparation or cultural references of the product. This may also be an effort to reinforce Latin culture amongst on-traditional or mixed-heritage families. In recognition of the lifestyle and economic status of its market, Goya has also developed instant or quick preparation products. This was a response to surveys that most Latino families have shifted to become dual families as well as an effort to cater to casual dining markets. Another response to changes in lifestyle is the development of frozen and low-sodium products. The former has also contributed to extend the shelf of prepared and ready-to-eat products while the latter is a response to medical studies of the Latino population that indicated heart and kidney diseases as major health risks (Johansson, 2001). This type of valuation is again creates sensitivity and insight to their target market which reinforce the brand to the market (Johnson, 2006). Furthermore, this creates social significance to the products since they become intimately associated not only to the idea of Latino food but to Latino identity as a whole. Understanding Subgroups within the Latino Community Latino is considered an umbrella to encompass a number of nationalities characterized by Latin American or Spanish ancestry. According to Hoffman (2003, pp. 22-24) there is a need to understand various subgroups within the community to respond to nationalistic, ethnic or cultural identifications. The study of Bulmer-Thomas (2006) reinforces this idea by showing that individual national, ethnic and cultural experience has a direct relationship with market perceptions and performance. He uses the example of Brazil and Mexico as an example: European products are perceived better than American products in the former while the reverse is what is prevalent in Mexican markets. Thus, Goya can expect to contend with similar products from European products in Brazil and American brands in Mexico. Johnson (2006) points out that generalized identity constructions like in the use of the term â€Å"Latino† to refer to a segment of the population always creates conflicts with the recognition of multiculturalism. This can fail to recognize social dynamics within the community that have developed from historical conflicts or social positions. Aside from the obvious differences in nationality, social stratification is also prevalent as seen in social labels used to refer to ethnic minorities or those of mixed heritage still persist. In not recognizing these groups, there can only be limited recognition of the diversity within the Latino population. This also precludes the company from truly promoting Latino culture which it has claimed as one its social goals. Keeping diversity within the Latino community will also allow Goya to develop more products and diversify its markets. At the same time, this can be a means of maintaining cultural identity since homogeneity will only make the market more similar to mainstream psychographics. Though the company is targeting mainstream markets, maintain a traditional Latino market is also important because the community showcases Latino traditions, particularly cuisines. Challenges of Market Diversification Goya considers its foray to non-Latino markets. One of the major challenges for the company is to develop a collaborated marketing programs for both Latino and non-Latino markets. There may be a need to accommodate non-Latino market’s lack of familiarity or experience with the Latino traditions. Another constraint that has to be considered is the logistic challenges of supplying the demand of non-Latino markets. This will include not only supplying shelves with the actual products but also changing packaging, variants and modes of products. Other social factors also become an issue: since Latino communities are predominantly Catholics or Christians, there has been no significant need to develop halal-approved products, foods approved for Muslim consumption. So far, adaptation has been of non-Latino markets developing preference for Latino products. Despite this trend which is in the advantage of Goya, a Johansson (2001) point out the need to facilitate the behaviors since adaptations has its limitations. Accessing new markets also exposes Goya to greater competition. This can also be made difficult by the lack of experience in these markets or insights. Goya has stated that it rely its marketing strategies on close monitoring of social trends in its markets however, considering the scale of non-Latino markets, this will be prove more challenging to develop insights on buying preferences to demographic or psychographic characteristics (Besanko, 2005). Hoffman points out that overall globalization trends in societies and markets are highlighting the need for competitive advantage and at the same social sensitivity. There is no denying that has shown its cultural sensitivity, the next challenge is to develop sensitivity to non-Latino markets. Riell (2007) suggests further cross-over market testing of products. Similarly, Waltuck (2005) suggest the Goya should use both market and product strategies. Market strategies will accommodate for the dissimilarities with its traditional markets while product strategies will be a means to determine what products are already marketable to non-Latino markets. Conclusion The Goya Company has become an icon not only culturally but also commercially. In recent years, Latino communities worldwide have become more prominent in consumer markets because of rapid growth in Latin American countries as well as increasing social significance of Latino migrants particularly in the North America. Furthermore, interests in its traditions and culture have created new market opportunities of Latino products in mainstream markets. Interest in these products have proven themselves more than a fad but many non-Latino consumers have indicated their preference for Latino cuisine and food products. As public image and social responsibility become more of an issue for companies, Goya’s approach to business has lent them not only market presence but also social relevance. Its current objective to access mainstream markets is not surprising considering the current internet of non-Latino consumers of its products. However, there is also need to realize and respond to the demands of doing so will have for the company. Together with the change is scale, there is also a need to develop new competencies to maintain the strategic advantages that has established its success in Latino markets. In conclusion, Goya should assess the environmental forces of its new markets, particularly those that influence the economics, competitiveness and socio-cultural characteristics of the market. In doing so, the company will be able to prove that there is not only an existing demand for its products but that potential for them is not limited to culture, race, ethnicity or nationality.

Friday, August 30, 2019

My Memorable Vacation

â€Å"My Memorable Vacation† Imagine yourself in Orlando, Fl on a roller coaster that is 90 feet up high, and you are seated front row waiting for a 90 degree drop facing down. â€Å"AHH† I was in that position once. My Vacation to Orlando was awesome. The reason why it is so memorable to me is because I went to a lot of theme parks, I went to see my family, and I had time to relax. To begin with, the theme Parks were incredible. You have Aquatica, Sea World, and Busch Gardens. Bush Gardens is located in Tampa, which it is just a few minutes away from Orlando. The roller coaster that we experienced earlier is found in Busch Gardens. This ride takes you 90 feet high in to the air, then it takes you on a fearful drop down; combined with twist and turns. There was one roller coaster that I went on called The Cheetah Hunt. Of course, me thinking I am brave, I chose to sit in the front row. As I was ready to glance up to the ride engineer, the coaster was shot through a straight path that contained trees and animals all around. I could not be able to feel my face or hands through the whole ride and out. In these Theme parks I had the chance to see different animals interact with each other and even people. I could never forget the thrill and excitement I had. Second, my vacation did not end there. I had the chance to see my family again. Most of my family lives in Orlando. When we get together, we like to throw parties and make a lot of food. We do what most families do, gossip about our lives and our problems. My family tries there hardest to maintain the bond regardless of the distance. The chance to see them again really made me happy and cherish the little moments we share together. What I miss the most is the fact that I would always wake up to breakfast, (cooked by my grandma) and a full house. For some reason we always tried to keep the tradition of having breakfast every morning together as a family no matter what. Being with my family was so much better than being in my house alone. We all had the energy to play games, joke around, and prank each other. My mom’s side of the family is known as the best pranksters ever. Finally, after all the excitement from my family, it only leads to the relaxation time. The environment in Orlando is so peaceful. The weather is cloudy most of the time, it tends to stay windy throughout the whole day. The property are a far distance apart from each other. So, there is a lot of quietness around. I valued the space and peace I had. For instance, now I am piled with the same pounds of stress. There is always something that needs to be done or things that I have to do at the last minute. In Orlando I took time to get a massage at a massage parlor. They play this peaceful music that gets you relaxed and they use body oils that release heat onto the muscles. That gets the body to relax more and ease the pains. Going home feeling refreshed and energized was the best feeling. When I arrived at the hotel, I played a hypnosis CD and began to release my thoughts and relax my body, until I fell asleep. To conclude, my vacation to Orlando was so memorable to me. I had gone to the Theme parks and enjoy rides, I had a chance to spend quality time with my family, and I was able to have time to relax. Memories are the only experiences we have that we tend to cherish the most. Certain things may happen to us that may not have a meaning. But, you would always have that one special memory and mine was the day I took this vacation. Vanessa Valentin-Rosado Enc 0021 Thursday 5:40 – 8:10 Ref: 644451 10-20-11

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Food Addictions Essay

Food nourishes us and helps to create our bodies. However, certain substances that we eat as â€Å"food† can cause dysfunction within us and ultimately contribute to the destruction of our bodies. Although every seven years each cell in the body is completely new, we may still crave junk foods that seem to call to us with their sweet, salty, greasy temptations. It can be difficult to ignore theses naughty longings and make healthy choices about the good, more balanced nutrition that our bodies need. Why is it that we so easily give in to cravings for these sweet, savory, spicy junk foods—and soon after eating them, want more? This can be a challenging question, but is worth investigating. Along with the question of why do we like them so much is what can we do about it? The food group I am addicted to eating, yet later regret is sweets. In this paper I will discuss my cravings and how I can address them. The desire for sweets is unstoppable therefor my cravings never seem satisfied. Sweet foods and desserts saturate my taste buds with creamy, sugary, dainty, delicious, and overwhelming flavor. It could be the simple beauty and enticement of streusel cinnamon coating the top of fluffy donuts, muffins, and cakes which initiates the desire. Or it may be the hundreds of delicious, complicated layers that make up pastries, from tasty fruit-filled turnovers to chocolate ganache-filled croissants. My mouth waters over the thought of sensual custards, such as rich creme brulee. The delight of breaking the rigid layer of crystallized sugar with a spoon is like unwrapping a gift and reveals the silky smooth lavender vanilla bottom. Such tantalizing actions enrich the sensory consumption experience. The heady aroma and succulent taste only heighten the pleasure. Although my body feels expansive and â€Å"high† with the sugar and the rush of dopamine, I know that sugar has more negative, long-lasting physical and mental effects on my body than the temporary good feelings released from the sugar. When eating expansive foods, like ones that contain high doses of sugar, I almost experience a euphoric feeling. At the very least, an instant temporary satisfaction is a guaranteed. However, when taste buds are overwhelmed with intense sugary flavors, after the first few bites, they are unable to detect much else. Too much sugar actually desensitizes your taste buds. This is one of many costs of instant sugar gratification. Sweets interest me since they are something I don’t like to live without. Research tells us that sugar can be quite harmful in unnecessary amounts, yet it is my greatest addiction and driver of my desires. Due to this glaring contradiction, this addiction teaches me about myself, my cravings and temptations, my healthiness and my unhealthiness. Even after learning of the negative consequences of over-indulging in this habit, it is still often hard for me to moderate my behavior and make healthier food choices. This is what life is about: learning about yourself and the world around you, learning about your strengths and weaknesses, identifying the things you need to sacrifice for a better life and the importance of â€Å"quality over quantity† and â€Å"delayed gratification†. If I can overcome my cravings, by changing processed sugar for natural sweeteners, it will be my greatest accomplishment. For if I can change my own life and eating habits, I believe I can truly help other people in this world. Though sugars effects on my moods, body, and mind are revolutionary to me, unhealthy cravings are now a major focus in my culinary career. I plan to help educate people on health and wellness, how good nutrition can enrich lives.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Summary of IS Roles Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summary of IS Roles - Research Paper Example The CIO plays a vital role of virtual information organizer therefore it needs to coordinate the sources regarding information service providers in order to widespread these services throughout the organization. The CIO has to deal with a number of issues as compared to other managers because as the Chief Information Systems Strategist a major responsibility evolves constantly along with corporate information necessities of information technology. The role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) is divided into two parts according to organizational requirements. The primary role is to enhance accountability regarding particular executive manager formation for the organizations procedures needs. The final creation of the CIO includes the positions that need to facilitate the closing â€Å"gap† among organization and IT strategies that are considered as the core measures for business concerns. The alliance between Information Technology and business not only provides limitless advant ages but it is also necessary for organizations survival in competitive environment. Moreover, the benefits of IT in every field have been accepted globally therefore, it is also beneficial for the fast IT implementation in less cost. The IS organizations plays a vital role in understanding the potential of IT. ... The primary architecture incorporates Data centers, networking, systems, database, servers, storage devices and desktop workstations. Moreover, secondary architecture incorporates email configuration and application administration deployed on desktops. The core applications play a critical role in running the organization’s business for example as Entity Resource Planning and Core banking Applications in a Banking System, Crew Management information System in any Airline are integrated in Enterprise Applications. The Business Intelligence products can be purchased from any Business Intelligence vendor. They will provide executive services in order to build a outsource platform for better services. The Data Centers can be relocating along with third party according to your needs and can obtain an Infrastructure Services from any company to manage the applications. If we consider that the CIO has outsourced all the IT functions, what will the staff do then from 9am to 5 pm? This is not considered a good idea, as the procurement group is in coordination at all times. There is a variety of advanced approaches in the field of IT applications. The application can be obtained via development in-house, outsource or lease or any mixture of these two. For instance, website can be developed in-house of any company by utilizing HTML, JAVA or other web programming languages available. The core reason for the IT applications acquisition is to provide an effective and efficient support to any organization and their businesses procedures. In order to start the process of acquisition, the detailed related to the whole procedure must be defined previously (Information Resources Management Association, International Conference & Khosrowpour, 2001). In addition, the

The Internet and its impact on Market Structure - Managerial Economics Essay

The Internet and its impact on Market Structure - Managerial Economics - Essay Example Monopoly is a market that no one desires to be in. In developed countries there are laws against monopoly. It’s bad enough for consumers. Whenever there are even close resemblances of monopolies emerge, like Microsoft in the global operating systems market, people have cried foul. Even big corporations shy away from becoming a monopoly because it attracts too much regulation from the authorities and negative publicity from the public. So it’s unlikely that the typical monopoly can ever exist on a global scale. For local monopolies Internet has definitely made life difficult. With internet in place, entry barriers are so low that as soon as a company becomes successful with a new product or concept idea there would be new start-ups offering substitute products. So it would be safe to conclude that the Internet is anti-monopoly. The world markets tend to favor oligopolies. Internet has been one for the key components that changed quite a few market structures in several industries. Internet, for instance, is a substitute for all media. The media industry has been revolutionized with the advent of Internet. It has reduced the barriers of entry to such a low level that some industries will never be the same. Perfect oligopolies exist all over the world in several industries. In liberalized and privatized economies even public utilities are oligopolies. High level of globalization and the Internet have helped oligopolies to form and exist. â€Å"But all the past revolutions have not ended up in a totally free market, but rather have started a new cycle of oligopolies.† (The Internet and the copyright oligopolies 2003). The pattern that one could see is that when a new company becomes successful with a new product or concept it is merged or acquired by big companies and this usually pulls the market away from monopolies and from prefect competition. This is a market structure that has a large

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Development of mathematical model to calculate fuel consumption of Essay

Development of mathematical model to calculate fuel consumption of passenger cars - Essay Example The NEDC was simulated under laboratory conditions, and driving parameters together with the fuel consumption were measured. A few driving phases were identified so that any drive cycle may be composed by these phases; and mathematical relationships have been fitted on measured data for each of the phases. The world population is 6.5 billion at the moment and rising. Climate change has caused widespread greenhouse effects like global warming, higher acid levels in oceans and reduced ice cover at the poles (Harrabin, 2013). The major causes of greenhouse effect are the by-products of industrialization, and especially carbon dioxide (Samimi & Zarinabadi, 2011). The level of carbon dioxide, the main constituent of emission by vehicles, is linked to consumption of fuel by the vehicle. Due to this there is need to regulate the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere and this is effective by fuel economy. The fuel economy (FE) of any vehicle can be calculated as a r atio of distance travelled per unit volume of fuel consumed or as the ratio of fuel consumption per distance travelled (GFEI, 2013). Fuel economy standards can be of various forms such as litres of fuel consumed per hundred kilometres of distance travelled or distance travelled per unit volume of vehicle fuel (An, et al., 2011, p. 4). The regulations pertaining to fuel economy followed by the four largest automobile markets, namely, the US, the EU, Japan and China differ significantly from each other leading to a lack of global standards on the issue.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Qualitative Social Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Qualitative Social Research - Essay Example used to define the control and social control mechanisms of the state in terms of gender, stating that males are in a position of power and women in one of sublimation. As one source shows, using a qualitative method of case study analysis, patriarchy can be applied to the role of the state in women’s issues to explain inequities in the system. â€Å"The social roles men and women occupy may account for gender differences... Women are thought to have poorer experiences within any given role (role strain theory), have more conflicts among their different roles (role-configuration theory), or have fewer role opportunities available to them (role accumulation hypothesis) compared to men† (Ericsson and Ciarlo, 2000). These researchers realize that there are also other various gender role theories which use the patriarchy as a target of oppression and as a way of explaining why women in state institutions have sometimes been overrepresented historically in terms of certain perceived illnesses that were often socially based. Other sources take a more cultural view, rather than a social and historical view, when it comes to the problem of gender and how it has developed to the modern day. â€Å"Television’s first and strongest impact is on the perception that women have of the public male world and the place they have in it. Television is an especially potent force for integrating women because television brings the public domain to women† (Spigel, 2001). This is one common argument using popular culture, and represents the search for a more personal vision. â€Å"Postwar media often suggested that television would increased women’s social isolation from public life by reinforcing spatial hierarchies that had already defined their everyday experiences in patriarchal cultures† (Spigel. 2001). There are many perspectives with which to define these issues. Although feminist perspectives on gender may focus on historical change within their portrayals, they are

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The existing logistics supply chain of the Land Rover Essay

The existing logistics supply chain of the Land Rover - Essay Example This case study of land rover and UPF-Thompson implicates the risks that the company possess if the indulge themselves in one supply management chain. The emphasis is usually put on the management of the workflows of individuals and the information that accompany it. The supply chain of the organization usually carries one or more of these value streams. When The Land Rover company had decided that UPF-Thompson would be its main supplier of chassis, the land rover did not know that when UPF-Thompson, the manufacturer of chassis, would become insolvent the impact would be severe. KPMG, which was the receivers of the chassis, threatened the land rover that they would stop the supply unless the land rover company decided to make the up-front payment that was demanded immediately of between  £35 and  £45m. The reason as to why KPMG had decided to do this is that they claimed that they were entitled to recover on behalf of their creditors. The sole supplier agreement, which was signed , deemed to provide a valuable asset. A court ruling that was made recently justified this action as they stated that for the benefits of the creditors, the receivers were legally permitted to exploit the vulnerability of a customer. Until a temporary injunction could be secured which entitled Land Rover a short-term reprieve, then the land rover company was forced to halt the production of the discovery temporarily. The consequences of the injunction were that land Rovers supplier of network and around 1500 workers who worked at the Solihull plant were laid off. Process stream The land rover was using an end-to-end supply management perspective. The vulnerability of the

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Interest Groups and Their Role in American Politics Research Paper

Interest Groups and Their Role in American Politics - Research Paper Example A particular example of an interest group is the organization SAGE (Service and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders). . It is the largest and oldest organization in America devoted to promoting the welfare of LGBT senior citizens and make sure that their voices do not get lost in a cacophony of voices. SAGE formed itself in 1978 not only to deliver services to LGBT elders in New York City but also to push for policy reforms at the national level, and provides technical assistance to similarly-minded groups all over the country. It is not however a simple issue of sterile technical assistance. Considering the historical marginalization of LGBT communities and their susceptibility to the hate agenda of conservative groups, SAGE employs a radical organizing component as well (Reisch, 2005: 288) – that is to say, â€Å"the replacement of oppressive institutions, conditions, systems and practices with ones that reflect principles of justice, equity and respe ct for human diversity.† SAGE works in tandem with other organizations in order to further the shared goal. After all, theirs is a shared commitment towards addressing the needs and uplifting the well-being of LGBT elderly and pushing for equality and tolerance, regardless of age differences. It is through the consolidation of their voices that change can be sought and demands can be made to reform policies or introduce new ones. Coupled with this, SAGE is also following the strategy of pushing for their advocacy on three levels: city/local, state and federal level. This is a sound strategy in that it acknowledges that policy is generated in multiple fulcrums of power an if one is to push an agenda, then pressure tactics must be applied on the multiple fulcrums and not just one one. While interest groups are in theory a crucial component in any thriving democracy, many have criticized how some interest groups have created adverse effects in the American political terrain. Sust ein (1985: 29) writes: The dissatisfaction takes various forms, but many of the concerns have a common root in the problems produced by the existence of interest groups, or â€Å"factions†, and their influence over the political process. The scheme is challenged on the grounds that it allows powerful private organizations to block necessary government action; that the lawmaking process has been transformed into a series of accommodations among competing elites, and that the rise of a large bureaucracy exercising broad discretionary power has undermined original constitutional goals by circumventing the safeguards of separation

Friday, August 23, 2019

This is not a paper just a MIDTERM question Essay - 2

This is not a paper just a MIDTERM question - Essay Example However, it is cumbersome to prepare, offers little information to management, and usually creates parallel accounting systems. It also does not indicate levels of efficiency or address value. Generally, budgeted expenditures are based on a standard cost of inputs multiplied by the number of units of an activity to be provided in that period. It refers to the process of linking costs to activities, then identifying specific outputs to be produced by services or activities. Then setting targets or goals and afterwards preparing budget based on these performance goals set. The new approach to performance budgeting seeks to concentrate on the outcomes rather than the output. This approach has the advantage of offering a means of estimating future expenditures and measurement of activities efficiency. On the other hand, its drawback is that there is a need to distinguish between the fixed and variable costs. Furthermore, it has no benefit in public accounting, as efficiency is not the only measure required. Program budgeting refers to a variety of different budgeting systems that base expenditures primarily on programs of work and secondarily on objects. It involves organization of the business operations into programs with specific goals and missions. After identifying the goals, sub goals and objectives and their input and output are outlined, as budgets are prepared along these programs. They facilitate choice of alternative strategies, evaluation of goals and finally it takes budgeting beyond efficiency compared to performance budgeting approach. However, there is no single methodology to single out alternatives available. In addition, it places heavy demands on officials to achieve their stated goals. Zero-based budgeting operates by justifying budget requests probably of each department or functional unit of operation every budgeting cycle, regardless of prior

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Summary of Articles Heart of Darkness Essay Example for Free

Summary of Articles Heart of Darkness Essay Summary 5 Authoritative Articles â€Å"Racism in Heart of Darkness† Chinua Achebes article  An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness' was basically written about the racism Achebe encountered in â€Å"Heart of Darkness†. Achebe criticizes Joseph Conrad for his racist stereotypes towards the continent and people of Africa. Achebe claims that Conrad spread the image that people imagined rather than portraying Africa in its true form. Africans were shown in â€Å"Heart of Darkness† as savages with no way to speak other than grunting. To Conrad, the Africans were not real characters in his story, but were backgrounds or props. Chinua Achebe responded with his own novel, â€Å"Things Fall Apart†: it was a contrast to Heart of Darkness and comparable works by other European writers. In â€Å"Things Fall Apart†, Achebe tells the story of Okonkwo, an Ibo man who is actually represented as a functioning person. Africans are represented as actual individuals with intelligence and a language, not just one massive conglomerate of dumb thoughtless natives. Their customs are not regarded as crazy and foreign, but as normal everyday life no different than the assortment of Western customs. And the land itself is described as a mix of towns and farms, not a foreign dangerous land. In basically every way, â€Å"Things Fall Apart† challenges typecasts set forward in Heart of Darkness. Overall it is a useful article that contains a good amount of information and I would recommend it to other students. Suzanne Fields wrote an article on the racism in â€Å"Heart of Darkness† she actually defended Conrad. She thought that although, he wrote about racist things he presented in the way that was the norm at the time. She stated that it wasn’t racist because that was how people perceived them not because he had anything against them racially. Suzanne felt that his observations can’t be called racist because that was only how he saw it. It was informative and I would tell other students to read the article because it shows Conrad’s book in a different light than most people do. It was a reputable article written on â€Å"Real Clear Politics† by an actual writer. When Dr. John Laflin wrote an article about the argument that the â€Å"Heart of Darkness† was racist he originally felt it seemed racist, but upon further analysis it isn’t actually racist. He thought when first reading seeing the ord ner and the way he described them as creatures made it seem racist. When he more closely examined the work he noticed that he actually referred to his own people as creatures which showed that all people has animalistic tendencies. He also noted that Conrad did in fact give the natives human qualities. Dr, Laflin showed both sides of the argument on the racism in â€Å"Heart of Darkness† and he made it an easy to read informative work. It definitely was a great article and a good resource. On British/UK fiction Jackie Patrick wrote an article about all aspects of â€Å"Heart of Darkness†. She mentions racism and says it wouldn’t be politically correct in today’s culture, but in Conrad’s time period it was normal and therefore not racist. She says although he alienates the natives from the whites he doesn’t consider them a different species and doesn’t actually see them as animals. She states that in today’s culture that the writing he put forth wouldn’t be acceptable, but in his time period the word ner was historically correct. Although the article was about all aspects of â€Å"Heart of Darkness† she still shows her take on the racism in â€Å"Heart of Darkness†. It was a useful article and was on a reputable site with an easy to use set up. Dr. Leon Litvack compared Achebe’s article on â€Å"Heart of Darkness† to Cederic Watt’s response to the reading. Cederic believed Achebe didn’t read deep enough in to the text and was naive in his understanding of the novel. While Achebe was completely up in arms about the racism portrayed in â€Å"Heart of Darkness† saying that the natives were shown as animals, Watts vehemently fought against those views saying that Conrad gave the natives human qualities. They showed restraint when faced with cannibalism and Kurtz did not show the same self-control. Watts contradicts everything that Achebe wrote and says that Achebe took things out of context and didn’t understand the novel. This article showed two completely different views and compared them giving good information from both sides of the arguments. It would be a good article for students to read because it basically has two articles in one and it compares them.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Photostory Essay Essay Example for Free

Photostory Essay Essay This essay is to comment on my photo story that I did for my coursework, I will be talking about various things like the lighting, costumes and mise-en-scene, what they did for the photo story and how it helped. The genre I chose for my photo story was a sports genre. I thought it would appeal to the vast majority of male readers of around 14-18 years old, as it is a football magazine, which I have called The Kick-A-Bout Crew. I think that the story I chose would also interest younger readers as an incident like this one could crop up in their everyday lives. In a newsagents local to me, most of the space for papers and comics had been taken up by football magazines; this is partly why I used a football idea. If I were to sell my magazine, I would be very confident that my target audience would be teenage boys, and my grey market would be female readers as they are not likely to want to read football stories very often in most cases, but not unheard of. I would be very satisfied with this target audience. The way my story was narrated was through caption boxes and speech bubbles; this made my story quite easy to understand without too much difficulty. My captions were being placed at the bottom of a photo, to be read first, while the speech bubbles on the photo, perhaps slipping onto the background of the document to make sure that they didnt cover up the characters faces. I placed my speech bubbles in the direction the storys pictures were placed, normally flowing from left to right so as to make it easier to read. I used many different camera angles, to subtly highlight the events occurring in my story. For my first photo, I took an establishing shot from a fairly long distance away, taking it from a high angle to symbolize the fact that the boys are really just kids, innocent in youth and also to show the readers were the story takes place. In my second photo I take the photo as a medium shot, from a slightly low angle, so that it appears to the readers that the watching boy is much taller physically and symbolically than Paul and Jimmy showing that he is more important. For my third and fourth shots, I used eye-level close-ups that display the clear emotion on both of the boys faces, to depict to the readers the emotions of the boys and put the readers in their positions. The fifth photo is simply an eye-level medium shot that was the plainest and most obvious way to show the audience what is happening quite clearly. When my main character, Paul, gets tackled, the photo is taken from a high angle from a medium distance for the first view of it, to show the vulnerability of Paul to the audience before switching to an eye-level close-up to make the readers see how cheap the tackle was. The next shot is taken back to a high-angle showing the discomfort and pain that Paul is feeling, making him pitiful to the audience and to make them feel sorry for him, whilst not showing the boy, who is helping Paul up in the same light. For the next shot I used another eye-level medium shot, with a slight over-the-shoulder feel to it were you see Jimmy listening in behind the two talking boys, to show his sly jealous side to the more judgmental of the readers. For my penultimate shot I used an eye-level long shot to fit the characters all in but not leave too much background so the audience are drawn to the colour and action of the shot. And finally I used an eye-level close-up of Jimmy getting punched; the camera is supposedly a first-person view from Paul, to make the audience feel as though theyre throwing the punch. I think that all of these different angles have really illustrated the point that I was trying to make in each photo, they help keep the readers entertained and even kind of involved and would easily help them to understand the characters. I used particular colours in my background to lure my readers attention and immediately tell them the type of story I have chosen. I used a background of green and white like a football field and had the title set against a black and white football, in the actual title the word foul was a chilling blood red in the style of chiller. For each of my photos I used a different colour for each caption boxes to try and not make the page too boring and also to try and describe the photos, for instance at the start of the story where it is just a friendly kick about the caption box is a merry yellow, while proceeding through the story coming to the tackle it has slowing turned to a violent shade of scarlet. I shot my photo story at Dundonald Playing Fields as it fitted in with the story and provided a good mise-en-scene. Its in the grounds of a shabby looking high school to show that these kids lead a normal school life and this is their day to day surroundings, a the dual carriage way in the background shows how busy the place is and stands for their urban lives. I also used different costumes to display the type of characters starring in my photo story. Jimmy wore a black tracksuit to show him as the villain, while Paul wore a green and grey Northern Ireland tracksuit, to show that he is not exactly good as gold either, but generally decent and has strong loyalties. The boy watching is wearing a bright red Man U top to show that he is very friendly and is chasing a spot on Manchester United Youth team. The only lighting was the afternoon sky that made it seem as though they were still at school having a lunch-time game. The football and the goalposts fitted in nicely with the story giving it that sporty touch. I also added a competition to star in the magazine, which I thought would really grab the readers attention and spread the word to their friends. These are all the devices and techniques I used to make the story interesting, eye-catching and comprehendible.

Mining Industry Composite Performance Framework

Mining Industry Composite Performance Framework The objective of this research dissertation is to provide useful and well-researched data as well as a substantial volume of heuristic information to develop a framework that will assist change managers to effectively apply and implement change in the mining and related industries. Chapter 2 introduces the research framework, research assumptions and the use and justification of case study methodologies. 5.2 Research framework. This chapter will state the research assumptions and the methodologies used in this research. Case studies as a methodology will be considered and justified. This research has embraced a qualitative phenomenological paradigm or an approach that concentrates on the study of consciousness and the objects of direct experience. This was undertaken by using case studies together with this researchers heuristic experience. Ontology is the philosophical field around (the study of) the nature of reality (all that is or exists, the reality), and the different entities and categories within reality. Epistemology is the philosophical field around (the study of) knowledge and how to reach it. One might say that it includes the ontology of knowledge. The difference between oncology and epistemology is that ontology is what reality actually is, whilst epistemology is what we perceive and describe reality to be. By making use of case studies both the ontological as well as the epistemological assumptions are fulfilled. It is the experience of this researcher that by having an articulated vision for change, team members can prepare themselves for accepting the change as well as understanding and accepting their involvement and contribution to future change. Well-managed change is the continuum to success. The new direction and vision must be defined in clear concise terms, to allow everyone concerned to be able to accept and even look forward to the change. All levels within the organisation should have an input relevant to their experience; this creates a sense of ownership. In fact, all employees should be encouraged to provide their input. The two paradigms generally used for research are quantitative and qualitative research. The available literature on change management relating to the mining and associated industries is limited. Qualitative research is primarily exploratory research. It is used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It provides insights into the problem or helps to develop ideas or hypotheses for potential quantitative research. The quantitative research was not deemed suitable for this research because statistical measurement of outcomes were not deemed suitable, since the only measure would have been fiscal in nature and not suitable for publication. Qualitative research is also used to reveal trends in thought and opinions, and delve deeper into the problem. Qualitative data collection methods vary using unstructured or semi-structured techniques. Some common methods include teams (team information dissemination meetings), individual interviews, and observation s. This researcher has used qualitative data for the case studies in order to demonstrate a practical clear and unbiased approach to implementing change management into the mining industry. Quantitative research is used to quantify the problem by way of generating data that can be transformed into useable statistics. It is used to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviours, and other defined variables and generalise results from a larger sample population. Quantitative Research uses measurable data to formulate facts and uncover patterns in research. The first part of this section provides an overview of the case study methodology, and this is followed by a justification for the use of the case studies as the research method for this research. Case study research brings us to an understanding of a complex issue or range of issues and can add substance to what is already known through previous research. For some years, researchers have made use of the case study research method, across a variety of disciplines. Scientists, have made wide use of this qualitative research method to examine current real-life circumstances and provide the basis for the claim of ideas and extension of methods. The well-known researcher Robert K. Yin defines the case study research method as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident; and in which multiple sources of evidence are used (Yin, 1984, p. 23). Case study research, through reports of past studies, or even diary notes as is the case in this dissertation, demonstrates the identification, resolution and implementation of solutions to problems and issues. It can be a reliable research methodology if utilised correctly. A reason for the acceptance of case study as a research method, is that researchers in general, were becoming more anxious about the confines of quantitative methods in providing holistic and in-depth explanations of the social and behavioural problems in question. By using case study methods, a researcher is able to go beyond the quantitative statistical results and understand the behavioural conditions. By including both quantitative and qualitative data, the case study will help to explain both the process and outcome of a phenomenon through complete observation, reconstruction and analysis of the cases under investigation (Tellis, 1997). Past literature reveals the application of the case study method in many areas and disciplines. Among them include natural examples in the fields of Sociology (Grassel Schirmer, 2006), law (Lovell, 2006) and medicine (Taylor Berridge, 2006). There are also other areas that have used case study methods widely, particularly in government, management and in education. As an example, there were studies conducted to determine whether specific government programmes were efficient or whether the goals of a particular programme were reached. In many cases, a case study method selects a small geographical area or a very limited number of individuals as the subjects of study. Case studies, in their true essence, explore and case study as a research method to investigate contemporary real-life situation through detailed relative analysis. Yin (1984:23) defines the case study research method as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident; and in which multiple sources of evidence are used. Case studies observe the specific data at the minute stages. In this research, the researcher has consulted to numerous mining companies whilst implementing change within their organisations. During these projects this researcher kept diary notes for future reference. Strategies were used that were successful in previous projects that were similar, and the culmination of the total of these is what gave rise to the CPF. Where implementation of an objective did not go according to plan, the execution methodologies were reworked to suit the particular needs of that company. The research design is more than a work standard plan. The main purpose of the design is to help to avoid the situation in which the evidence does not address the initial research questions. In this sense, a research design deals with a logical problem and not a logistical problem. As a simple example, suppose you want to study a single organisation. The research questions, however, have to do with the mining organisations relationships with other organisations or divisions as well as their competitive or collaborative nature. Only three cases studies were adopted for this dissertation in order to show that the CPF can work in varied environments, in different countries with success. In these case studies a sample of mining operations were taken from a broad spectrum of mines, countries and stages of development as detailed in section 5.6. The objective of this research is to identify issues within the greater mining industry and then offer plausible and workable solutions to implementing change in the industry that will be sustainable, and facilitate productivity in the process. Much of the solutions are derived from this researchers own experience in implementing change in mining companies. There is a gap in the literature with regard to what has been researched in this dissertation, and this dissertation will partially fill that gap. This researcher is of the considered opinion that the Composite Performance Framework which he developed over many years is far more suited and adaptable to the mining industry. It is correct to assume that the Kotter 8 step process will work well in many situations, as can be seen above. References Kotter, J. (1996). Leading Change. [Kindle Edition]. Retrieved from http://Amazon.com Larkin, DJ. Larkin S. (2006). 3rd edn. Communicating big change. Larkin communication consulting. Larkin, DJ. Larkin S. (Unspecified date). Communicating change to employees, Sponsored by:ÂÂ   the Australian human resources institute Larkin, DJ. (Dr.) Larkin S.(2006) Communicating Big Change. Larkin Communication Consulting. 3rd Edn. Wood, I. Maxwell, J.M. 2006. 22. John Wiley Sons. Australia. 1st Austr Wood, Zeffane, Fromholtz, Fitzgerald, Schermerhorn, JR. Hunt, JG. Osborn, RN. (2006). Organisational behaviour; core concepts applications. John Wiley sons. Australia. Yin, R.K. (1984). Case study research: Design and methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Tellis, Winston, (1997). Introduction to Case Study. The Qualitative Report, Volume 3, Number 2, July. (http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR3-2/tellis1.html). Lovell, G.I., (2006). Justice Excused: The Deployment Of Law In Everyday Political Encounters. Law Society Review, 40 (2): 283-324 June.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Inner Evil Revealed in Film and BBC Productions of Shakespeare’s Richar

Inner Evil Revealed in Film and BBC Productions of Shakespeare’s Richard III   Ã‚  Ã‚   All the passions of the irascible rise from the passions of the concupiscible appetite and terminate in them. For instance, anger rises from sadness, and, having wrought vengeance, terminates in joy. --   St. Thomas Aquinas   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Richard III, Shakespeare creates evil personified.   The wicked protagonist conspires against kin, plots political takeovers, woos widows, sets assassins against children, and relishes each nefarious act.   We watch Richard's bravado with wicked glee and delight in each boasting comment sent our direction.   Once the bad guy becomes seductive, even amusing, in his blatant cruelty, the playwright must intervene to counterbalance his own brilliant wit.   But how can this devil Richard be brought to his knees with the appropriate high style demanded by the script's momentum?   Shakespeare leaves us the briefest of stage direction: "Alarum. Enter Richard and Richmond; they fight; Richard is slain" (V.v.).   Once "the bloody dog is dead," Richmond prays for "smooth-faced peace" (V.v.2,33).   So soon after Richard's tormented dream of accusing ghosts, this closing scene enforces a mood described by Robert Ornstein as "one of somber reflection, not of joyous celebration" (263).   However, the interpretive liberties taken by three twentieth-century filmmakers establish elaborated messages about the horrors of bloodshed, the inevitability of power struggles, and the mythmaking of villains.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The 1982 BBC production takes the audience through a series of reactions: the bloodthirst for revenge, the prayer for redemption, and the vision of hellish destruction.   We watch Richard circled by soldiers, baited like a bea... ...thin this structure, his body will pull him downward with the mocking demands of its physical being" (35).   Structurally, the gargoyles often function as gutter drains, spewing forth wastewater to protect the aesthetics of the church.   Similarly, Richard epitomizes our hatreds and cruelties, reminding us of the evil inside; whether he cleanses our sins through his death depends on the director's approach to redemption and transference. Works Cited Eccles, Mark.   "Richard III on Stage and Screen." Richard III.   New York: Signet Classic, 1988.   265-78. Hallett, Charles A. and Elaine S. Hallett.   The Revenger's Madness.   Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 1980.   (Epigraph) Ornstein, Richard.   "Richard III."   Richard III.   New York: Signet Classic, 1988.   239-264. Spivack, Charlotte.   The Comedy of Evil on Shakespeare's Stage.   London: Associated UPs, 1978.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Shakespeares Othello - Desdemona the Ideal Essay -- Othello essays

Desdemona the Ideal  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   What wife can compare to the ideal wife which the Bard of Avon has painted for us in his tragedy Othello? She is appreciated by everyone except the villain.    Angela Pitt in â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies† comments on Desdemona as the ideal wife:    Handbooks of the period explain in some detail what is required of the ideal wife, and Desdemona seems to fulfill even the most conservative expectation. She is beautiful and also humble:    A maiden never bold Of spirit so still and quiet that her motion Blushed at herself. (I.iii.)    Her concern for Cassio shows her generosity, for she will intercede for him with Othello. She is wise, and also a ‘true and loving’ wife – ‘the sweetest innocent that e’er did lift up eye’. (44-45)    David Bevington in William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies describes the depth of virtue within this tragic heroine:    We believe her [Desdemona] when she says that she does not even know what it means to be unfaithful; the word â€Å"whore† is not in her vocabulary. She is defenseless against the charges brought against her because she does not even comprehend them, cannot believe that anyone would imagine such things. Her love, both erotic and chaste, is of that transcendent wholesomeness common to several late Shakespearean heroines [. . .]. Her â€Å"preferring† Othello to her father, like Cordelia’s placing her duty to a husband before that to a father, is not ungrateful but natural and proper. (221)    Blanche Coles in Shakespeare’s Four Giants interprets the protagonist’s very meaningful four-word greeting to Desdemona which he utters upon disembarking in Cyprus:    Othello’s four words, â€Å"O, my soul’s joy,† tel... ...mind behind the murder results in Iago’s murder of her. Gullible Othello, grief-stricken by remorse for the tragic mistake he has made, stabs himself and dies on the bed next to his wife, his sorrow being as deep as his love for Desdemona prior to Iago’s machinations.    WORKS CITED    Bevington, David, ed. William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies. New York: Bantam Books, 1980.    Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare’s Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire: Richard Smith Publisher, 1957.    Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.      

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Sri Lanka - Light at the End of the Tunnel? Essay -- Politics Governme

Sri Lanka - Light at the End of the Tunnel? The Sunday, March 3, 2002 issue of â€Å"The New York Times† featured an article by Barbara Crossette, â€Å"The War on Terror Points a Country Toward Peace. The second sentence of this article stated: "A week ago, the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, one of Asia's most ruthless and totalitarian rebel movements, agreed to a firm cease-fire, with the promise of peace talks to come".[1] But are the LTTE planning on keeping their promises this time? Is Sri Lanka's 20 year old struggle finally coming to its end? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? The history of the conflict extends into colonial times, when Sri Lanka was a formal colony of Great Britain. Even then â€Å"politics were already split along rigid ethnic lines†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [2] Sri Lanka is populated by two ethnic groups, the Tamils and the Sinhalese. The Tamils constitute only 15% of the total population in Sri Lanka. But, according to Stuart Bell from National Post, the Sinhalese still feel as a â€Å"minority within the wider region†[3], because of Sri Lanka’s geographic position, only 30 kilometers off the coast of India’s Tamil Nadu. Another factor to be taken into consideration is that Sri Lanka is the only place in the world that the Sinhalese culture exists in. There is no question that the Sinhalese feel even more threatened because of that. Additional differences adding oil to the fire between the two groups are: language (Tamil vs. Sinhala); religion (mostly Hindu vs. Buddhist); history interpretations; moral superiority claims; question of the original inhibition of the island. The post-colonial government took the path of an extreme pro-Sinhalese mood, after coming into power on Februa... ...n the weapons inflow. The LTTE have also been loosing their legitimacy among their supporters. Secondly, the country itself, seems to also have grown extremely weary of the constant human and economic sacrifices. Both sides, it seems, can’t go on, and are very ready to compromise. And thirdly, the growing global no-tolerance atmosphere itself, as mentioned earlier, is playing an important role in taming the tigers this time. As â€Å"The Hindu† asserts: â€Å"†¦the post-September 11 world might prove an increasingly tough place even for groups that fight their battles within a defined geographical territory in remote corners of the globe, like the LTTE, to use terror as a strategy.†[19] I think, that the combination of these three factors might result to be just the right mix to, finally, put an end to a 20-year long war in Sri Lanka. And the country will see the light.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Main computer network system Essay

An overview of the system requirements (hardware, software, data, personnel, procedures and ethical issues). ? Hardware We need computer hardware and communications hardware for our business. Base on that, we need: 1. Main computer network system controls main business operations of the supermarket 2. Sub computer network system for advertising activities for advertising activities such as creating a homepage, making fliers, and direct emailing to the customers. 3. Security system monitors gates and the inside of the supermarket. We need to purchase operating system software and other application software we need for our company such as: 1. Supermarket application package (for the main computer network system) large scale business computer application designed for supermarket retailers developed by high technology computer companies such as Microsoft and IBM. Including these systems and functions: Operation systems and networking systems e. g. Windows NT and IBM OS 2. 0 Security function e. g. password for entering databases Front-end operation system e. g. cashiers Store opening and ending system. Accounting and financing system Inventory control system and sales analysis system Human resource information system Correcting errors, updating and supporting system by the software company 2. Publishing software and homepage builder for advertising activities such as creating fliers, managing a homepage of the supermarket, and creating html based e-mails for the customers. 3. Operation system (for the security system) Runs the security system for the supermarket. We need it but it is usually already installed and included when we purchase the security system.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Resource File and Personal Theory Paper Essay

Resource File â€Å"Psychotherapy is a process that focuses on helping you heal and learn more adaptive ways to deal with the problems or issues within your life. It can also be a supportive process when going through a difficult period or under increase stress such as starting a new career or going through a divorce. Generally psychotherapy is recommended when a person is struggling with a life, work or relationship issue or a mental health concern – and the issues or concerns are causing the individual a great deal of pain or upset for longer than a few days or interfering with someone ability to go through their normal day† (Grohol, J., 2014). Behavioral theory is that personality is a result of the interaction between an individual and their environment. It is focused on observable and measurable behavior rather than mental or emotional behaviors. Cognitive is a form of psychotherapy that empathize the role that your thoughts or cognitions claim making you depressed, anxious or angry. This form of psychotherapy that we call cognitive therapy has been shown to be quite affective in helping reduce depression, anxiety, suicidal risk and marital problems and has been helpful with patients who are on medications who are psychotic or have bipolar disorder. System theory is all about what it sounds like –system and it’s the theory of systems which involves the study of their components and how their components interact and basically the dynamics of systems. System is a collection of objects where theirs objects undergo change. A system can be quite broad – it doesn’t have to be one particular thing. The idea behind systems theory is that it’s an all-encompassing general theory about all seems involving objects that undergo change. Multicultural is a type of psychotherapy that  sees all people as cultural beings, that all of our actions thoughts and feelings involve culture. Traditionally we might see culture as evolving ethnicity but it involves all sorts of factors like language, sexual orientation, disability, gender, age, class, education level, where you grew up, religion and other cultural dimensions. Personal Theory Alfred Adler was born in 1870 in Austria and developed his own theory on Individual Psychology in 1912. Adler’s theory is closely related to Humanistic Psychology. Influenced by Freud, Smuts and Vaihinger, Adler based his theory on the client’s ability to live as a fully functioning adult in society. Adler’s holistic theory views each person as unified. Adler discussed birth order personality traits. Adler’s theory also discussed the roles therapists should take and the techniques that should be used in Individual Psychology therapy sessions. A major difference in Adlerian psychology compared to Freudian is the client is viewed as lacking courage, instead of being mentally ill in Freud’s theory. Adler’s belief, that a person’s consciousness is the center of their personality differed from Freud’s belief. (Wood, 2004). Adler agreed with Freud that gratification is a central need but Adler goes on to also imply that clients have needs for power, security, self-esteem, achievement and social welfare. Day (2008) emphasizes that people can decide how to state their needs, but may not be able to be in charge of their needs. Furthermore, Adler had different viewpoints regarding the theory of children’s inferiority compared to Freud’s psychosexual theories (Wood, 2004). Adler also differed from Freud because Freud assigned fixed meanings to objects in dreams. Adler felt the meaning of each dream is special to the dreamer (Day, 2008). Adlerian therapists believe the style of life is developed by age six and remains constant throughout life. Adler claimed that because society and family construct the style of life, the development of personality moves to an overall goal, instead of rather than passing through distinct stages (Day, 2008). Individual psychology is based on a growth model, therefore the belief is that everyone has the power to change, but sometimes people might lack the courage to do so. Alder believed that psychological problems are a failure of courage to deal with life’s demands (Day, 2008). Operant  Conditioning was a theory developed by B.F Skinner. Skinner focused more on voluntary behavior and how new behavior is acquired. He basically looked at what happened before a behavior and what happens after a behavior. The before the behavior he called the antecedent and the after behavior he called the consequence. Skinner authored was what happens before someone behaved in order to see if he could influence the behavior. Some elements of an antecedent could be cues and cues provide a stimulus just before a behavior is supposed to occur. Consequences occur after the behavior and can influence future behavior- Skinner focused on reinforcements which strengthen behavior and he broke it down to positive reinforcements. Another type of consequence could by punishment that suppresses behavior, for example, getting detention for acting out. Skinner theory known as Operant conditioning shows that you could learn a voluntary behavior by strengthening or weakening either the antecedent or the consequence. References Day, S. X. (2008). Theory and design in counseling and psychotherapy: 2nd ed. (pp. 174-202). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Grohol, John (2014). An Introduction to Psychotherapy. Professional Services. Wood, A. (2004). Alfred Adler’s treatment as a form of brief therapy. The Journal of contemporary psychotherapy. 33 (4), 287-301.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Compare and contrast the characters of Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor

John Proctor is a person, a citizen, a spouse, and very well- respected member of the community. All of this is represented by his name. The name of John Proctor could be considered his most prized possession that he would never let anything happen to it. It is his most priceless asset. Proctor does not set out with any intentions of hurting someone he is very strong-willed and caring. Rebecca Nurse is the wife of Francis Nurse a judge. Rebecca is known of the most well-respected and good citizen and kindly of Salem. She is admired because of her honesty and truthfulness. In comparison John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse is very much respected in their society. Both found themselves as a victim of the witch craft accusations, both Rebecca and John had similarity in honesty their response was what showed their differences. Rebecca nurse did not seem to be moved by the pressures of diverting from the truth; John Proctor faced a big challenge in telling the truth about his standing with witch-craft. The town’s people’s thought of John Proctor’s and Rebecca Nurse’s characters is of a similar standing. Both portray themselves as good, honest, and God-fearing people. John Proctor’s strength is being manly which adds to him being a strong and truthful character. John Proctor being manly can be contrasted to the strength of Rebecca Nurse not physically, but strength in Character as of goodness, caring and truth. The characteristic of Rebecca Nurse could be seen especially towards the end of the play where she was not even moved by pressures in telling the truth at the expense of her life instead, she tried to convince John proctor to tell the truth: â€Å"REBECCA: Why, it is a lie, it is a lie; how may I damn myself? Oh John God send his mercy on you†. Although Rebecca Nurse was above reproach in her everyday life, John Proctor wasn’t. He had an affair with younger age girl . This also shows the differences in the strength of goodness shown by both characters. At the end of the play, both Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor they refused to accept the witch-craft accusations made against them although John Proctor took some time before he actually settled for the truth.

Effects of Christianity on Behaviour, Attitude and Lifestyle Essay

â€Å"There could be no such things as prison in a truly Christian society.† I think a truly Christian society is based on the life and teaching of Jesus, this means we must follow the 10 commandments and the gospel values. At the heart of Christian society there should be existence of love, forgiveness, mercy, justice to criminals. Jesus’ command was to â€Å"Love your God, Love your neighbour and Love yourself.† By obeying these commandments we are being Christ-like which is what the Christian society is all about. Forgiveness does not mean letting people walk all over you! But it is important. Christianity follows Jesus’ teaching in stressing that forgiveness is vital. It may be very hard, particularly for the victim of a crime. The Prodigal Son was a parable that showed forgiveness. The prison is the means to deliver the punishment, the denial of freedom. The convicted are imprisoned as a punishment, not for punishment. â€Å"Her Majesty’s Prison Service serves the public by keeping in custody those committed by the courts. Our duty is to look after them with humanity and help them lead law abiding and useful lives in custody and after release.† HM Prisons Service’s Mission Statement 1988. Three principles in prison craft: Security- to hold securely those sent to prison. Humanity- to treat prisoners with humanity, prisoners lose their liberty they should not lose their humanity. They are still human beings with the rights that their nature awards them. Assistance- to help make prisoners law abiding and give them useful lives. Prison can exist in a truly Christian society but not always, poor prison conditions do not lead to reform, they only serve to make prisoners worse. To become better people they need first and foremost their dignity, remember Jesus’ command to love self, this means having a good self-esteem. Prisoners have a right to feel safe, the opposite happened in Fletham Young Offenders Institution. March 2000, 19 year old Zahid Mubarek was beaten to death by his cellmate, Robert Stewart had a history of racist and violent behaviour. This evidence does not allow for fostering self-esteem or provide opportunities to rehabilitate. For prison to uphold Christian principles the reform of the offender is of paramount importance. Practical measures such as education, drink and drug therapy and counseling are required. There is evidence that education effects personal change in prisoners, not only through the acquisition of practical skills and knowledge, but also through fostering self-esteem and skills in communication. Mike Hart, Category A prisoner, killed a 20 year olds woman in an armed robbery. Whole in prison he become a born again Christian, and has worked on projects while inside to help young people be aware of what prison is really like in an attempt to turn young people away from the life of crime or potential crime. One such project, â€Å"Better Out than In† was a drama presentation re. The image of prisoners and prisons, depicting the harsh reality. How effective his work been, very difficult to assess but anecdotal evidence suggests that it is. There could and couldn’t be such things as prison in a truly Christian society, it depends on the type of prison and what happens in the prison as to whether prison has a place in a truly Christian society. For prisons to co-exist in a truly Christian society they need to have therapeutic regime employed to rehabilitate the offender rather than punitive one. Not many people can uphold the mission statement, so it needs to be looked at and improved in order to fit into a Christian society. If we look ahead Christians today can also help reform prisoners like the Howard Penal League, where prisoners where able to reform by their help. During the 19th Century Elizabeth Fry Quaker who was a Christian went to prison to help rehabilitate criminals.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

American Civic Values Essay Example for Free

American Civic Values Essay In America our society has always been a morals run country, from our domestic everyday lives. Our society, groups with different civic values with who have a lot of power on our lives that we live everyday which includes schools and religious groups. There are some individuals who hold our civic values to a higher standard than those who have no regard for other members in their community. When it comes to undermining American civic values our media has a lot to be blame for as they promote and glamorize violence and illegal activities and does not show how communities can help each other adhere to civic policies. It is important for large groups to have set behaviors to adhere to, and civic values are important in keeping America a peaceful place that is safe for us as well as children. America has become a haven for special interest groups. If people don’t like something you say or do, plan on your freedom turning inwards and being used against you. Our society is no longer based off a country and its people as a whole, but by individual groups. The American civic values have dropped as special interest groups are in favor of political ground. There are several penalties that fail to adhere to the civic value such as â€Å"blue laws† these laws regulate behavior and restrict activities or the sale of goods on a Sunday to accommodate religious means. For an example in parts of one county here in North-East Florida we are not allowed to purchase alcohol on Sunday this day is constituted for religious matters. Another example of a blue law is the law in Pennsylvania where hunting is prohibited on Sunday’s as this day is recognized for a day of rest according to the religious groups. American Civic Values. (2017, Feb 21).

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Demonstrating Math Competency through Life Application Essay

Demonstrating Math Competency through Life Application - Essay Example How I applied Math in My School Days During my school days, I invariably used to come across the discount wars among marketers. Someone would offer a discount of 10% while their rival would come forward to lure with huge 30% discount. It was difficult for me to understand in those days what financial impact it could make on buyers like me. In one of the instance, during mid ‘80s, in one of the campaigns ADIDAS shoes were offered with huge 25 % discount if three pairs were bought at a time. As such, if I bought a single pair it would cost me $24 and I had no capacity to buy three in a single stretch. I calculated the saving that I would get if I bought three pairs and that came to 24 ? (25/100) = $6. That was huge for me as that was my weakly pocket money. I immediately convinced my two of the friends and purchased three pairs of ADIDAS shoes from the shop, one for each of us and that is how each one of us saved a good sum of money. Since then I grabbed many opportunities of buy ing stuffs available during their huge discounted offerings. In fact, I truly realized the mathematical meaning of the discounts then. My Outing to the City of New York At age 20, I decided to go to New York City for outing with my three friends during our 4-day vacation in college. I needed to estimate the money that we must have in our pocket before we could really plan such tours. Since we decided to hire a car, our expenses on gas needed to be counted to arrive at the major travelling expense on this tour. We selected Honda midsized rental car. In those days, they used to charge rental of nearly $20 a day. We selected Honda because that would give us a good fuel economy of 36 miles per gallon. I checked map and found that the distance between Richmond and New York was 340 miles. Counting two and fro distance between these two cities, I got the distance of 340 ? 2= 680 miles. For roaming the tourist places around the New York City during our three days’ stay over there, I added another 300 miles in total mileage. Thus, I arrived at the figure of 680+300= 980 miles that our rental car would run around in our outing. Based on this, I needed to calculate the gas consumption and its cost, given that Honda gave fuel economy of 36 miles per gallon. Consumption of gas = total running / fuel economy = 980/36 = 27.22 gallons. In those days, gas would sell at $1.2 per gallon. Hence, expense toward gas would be 27.22 ?1.2 = $32.66. Car rentals for four days would be 20 ? 4 = $80 Total expense on transportation would be 32.66 + 80 = $112.66 Dividing the expense among four of us, each one needed to bear the cost of 112.66/4 = $ 28.16. Adding the cost of hotel rooms and food expenses on this, I got the fair idea what we needed to have in our pocket before starting this tour. Math did help me in planning and preparing a budget for the tour. Math in Recipe Preparation I am fond of cooking and love preparing, serving and eating desserts. A couple of years back, I cam e across a recipe from an East Indian author. The name of the recipe was Almond Jelly with Fruit Cocktail. The recipe had 8 ingredients and the preparation was given to serve 8 people. Since we were 5 people in the family and I was making it for the first time, I decided to go for quantity that was enough for 5 people. The recipe had the following ingredients. China grass-- 15 tablespoons; Sugar- 18 tablespoons; Milk-- 4 cups; almonds blanched -- 2 tablespoons, Leeches- 500 grams; Pineapple

Monday, August 12, 2019

Snowstorm Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Snowstorm Case Study - Essay Example Every airport should have safety as the priority when conducting its operations. An important first step to doing this is by ensuring that all equipment that is to be used in snow and ice control are calibrated properly, updated, and certified as required at all time. The supervisor, mechanics, and equipment operators should inspect equipment at all times to ensure that the airport is in a position to deal with a snowstorm (Zhang, Debendra,and Rorik, 13). The supervisor needs to ensure that the required automotive fluids, parts used for replacement, and equipment are inventoried and stocked as is required as a pre-emptive move towards preventing a crisis in the event of a snowstorm. It is important to ensure that personnel notification procedures are up to date at all times. The supervisor should, therefore, review the call-out procedures for personnel preceding winter. The supervisor can do this by overseeing the updating of the cell phone numbers and other contacts of personnel involved in snow and ice control. Weather forecasting is of utmost importance to an airport because it is invaluable when it comes to scheduling of flights and the snow crew. The supervisor should, therefore, ensure that the airport contracts aviation weather services so that it is prepared in case of a snowstorm. In addition to contracted forecasting services, the airport should make use of the local weather service forecast and the runway surface condition sensor system. Forecasting information from these avenues is useful in scheduling of on-duty and off-duty snow crew personnel. The forecasting information can also be used for preparation of necessary equipment in snow and ice control procedures and the restocking of anti-icing or deicing materials. One way to ensure that snow and ice do not accumulate and cause a nuisance in the airport is by sweeping or plowing accumulations of the runway. The

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Immigration Reform Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Immigration Reform - Research Paper Example On June 15, 2012, with immediate effect, the Obama administration declared that the administration would not deport young illegal immigrants arrived in the US as children. To speak precisely, the illegal immigrants will get work permit if they have arrived in the US before age 16 and the current age of the applicant is less than 30. They may also be granted work permit if they have been living in this country for 5 years uninterruptedly, have graduated from a US high school, or have served in the military. Above all, it is necessary that they do not have any criminal history during the stay in the US. Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security further clarified, "It is not immunity; it is not amnesty. It is an exercise of discretion," (Peralta and Memmott, 2012). This implies that the State is using its discretion powers and allowing people to apply for job permits. In this policy measure, the government decides to bypass Congress because of their inability to enforce the Dream Act that has provision of granting citizenship to illegal immigrants provided they serve in the military or go to college. For many undocumented children, English is their first language and the US is their home. Many of these illegal immigrants are in the process of completing schooling with the top grades. They do have the potential of becoming future teachers, nurses, doctors and scientists but their illegal status comes in their way. The Presidents initiative will give them an opportunity to exploit their full potential. The initiative is aimed at achieving the following objectives (American Immigration Council, 2012). a. Initiative provides opportunity not only to enhance their living standards but contribute to the US economy by increasing its GDP and tax contributions. It has been found that those with higher degrees earn two to three times more than a person with only high-school degree

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Social Activist Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social Activist - Coursework Example Moreover, I will be capable of employing more youths, improving community health, and offering job trainings to other members of the community. Making necessary development on the single mothers by organizing for them programs of certified daycares will be upon me. However, I will ensure that the anti-crime patrol unit that will be in charge of controlling the crime rate and maintaining peace within the community members (Needleman & Ruth, 1998). Being also a policy analyst, I am able to spend much time in gathering, analyzing and distributing data that is related on how credit union should serve the poor communities. On the other side, am able to defend the civil rights of the people and to pressure for the quality affordable structures to the members of the community. As an activist, one is capable of providing himself first priority in benefitting before others as leaders by building themselves quality houses in their respective homes instead of giving the poor and the disabled first chances (Gary & Herr, 2007). Some may go to the extent that they go against the law by violating the right of others disabled members. Active activists give themselves more security compared to others. Activists find it hard in organizing their works to meet the need and desires of the community members (Gary & Herr, 2007). In conjunction to this, they spend more time in their respective work places to ensure terms and conditions are met. Several opposes also comes in from their subjects. Louise B. Simmons (1994). Of Connecticut School of Social Work, West Hartford, Connecticut. University Retrieved from http://urban.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/438/2014/09/Louise-Simmions-CV-FA-14-version.pdf Needleman, R. (1998). Building Relationship For The Long Haul: Unions And Community-Based Groups Working Together To Organize Low Wage Workers. Retrieved from

Eric Foner A short history of reconstruction Essay

Eric Foner A short history of reconstruction - Essay Example Presidential Reconstruction is a short period of presidency from 1863 to 1866 of both Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. In an attempt to unify the nation, political activity of the presidents was strongly opposed by the Radical Republicans. Even though Johnson was in favor of anti-slavery politics, he vetoed the punitive legislation against southern planters. Officially he was against slavery and, at the same time, in reality was in favor of rich plantation owners of the South. And, already in 1866 the Radical Republicans gained power and begun Congressional Reconstruction. Having analyzed politics in Washington, D.C., it should be noted that emancipation proclamation as well as anti-slavery laws were not an easy decisions to take, because it was people’s wealth, country’s economy, political power and many others important issues which were put at stake. Furthermore, emancipation did not go smoothly and painlessly. The rich plantation owners were neither ready, nor willing to let their free workforce go. And war, which began, was â€Å"the midwife of revolution† (Foner 2). As the author has noted, the proclamation was just official document in support of the revolutionary movement which had begun much earlier. Despite all the difficulties and controversies, slavery finally ended while Confederacy was defeated. The meaning of the word ‘freedom’ began to gain its new shade for Americans regaining its true position in society purified by Civil War events. Only by the end of 1870s the Reconstruction did provide freed slaves with some rights under the law which had been signed much earlier. Yet, the years of Reconstruction can be considered as a new starting point of new and right democracy, which has been destined to fight its way through until present days. Not only was Reconstruction one of the most

Friday, August 9, 2019

NT in Review (Biology) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

NT in Review (Biology) - Essay Example For it is evident that man has been trying to explain the world around him for almost as long as he appeared on earth. We do not know whether there exist other species with similar proclivity, but with humans this need is evident. Despite warnings of dire consequences, Adam did pluck the fruit of knowledge didn’t he? At one level questions were of metaphysical nature and on the other they involved scientific knowledge. Earliest scientific study was mainly in the areas of Physical Science, questioning the nature of matter, energy and motion. The Greek philosophers applied their minds to these questions using logic alone in a dialectical reasoning. Aristotle made an attempt at compiling all that was known then. He wrote an entire treatise catalogueing hundreds of living animals. Following this tradition Biology was confined to making detailed observations about plants and animals right uptil the 17th century. As the data grew a need was felt to work out an effective system of classification. A Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus formulated the system of binomial nomenclature (naming a living organism using two different names, one of its genus and the other of its species). For example, Homo sapiens is the biological name for the modern man. This was an important step in systematising biological kno wledge. Even in its most rudimentary stage it was recognized that living beings were distinctly different from the rest of the physical world. One group of scientists proposed that there was some kind of ‘vital force’ acting within them that accounted for this distinction while others argued that living things were reducible to physical and chemical laws. Their theory was called the ‘mechanistic’ theory. The advocates of the ‘vital force’ theory declared that certain aspects of living organisms could not be explained with science and in fact science should not even attempt to meddle with the study of

Thursday, August 8, 2019

Comparing Life Experience Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Comparing Life Experience - Research Paper Example Upon the meeting of the blind person, all this thoughts get dispelled. Carver ensures the blind man becomes humanized as a human being so the present stereotypes’ get broken. Everyday Use is the short story about a mother, Ms. Johnson and her daughters Dee and Maggie. Maggie got burnt badly by a fire. She still has the scars all over the arms and legs. Dee, her sister is healthy and has no problems. Whereas the world rejected Maggie, Dee was always the favorite. Every day use I about how one’s culture and heritage should become applied daily so as not to forget the traditions. Dee is ashamed of her families’ heritage, and the narrator in the Cathedral is uncomfortable with the blind person presence in their home. From the stories, we are able to see that, those with the problems are not the people with disabilities rather the people treated as superior to the disabled people. In Cathedral, Carver demonstrates that salvation lies in the contacts of humans and the connection. In the introduction of the story, it is evident that the narrator (also the husband) was indeed lonely. He had a poor relationship with his wife as he questioned if he loved her, since he did not want to invite Robert (the blind man) her friend whom she truly cared for. The wife told the narrator; that if he loved her, he would do that for him, and if not, okay (Carver 1). The narrator felt insecure by Robert, especially since she had told Robert about him and they had never met. He also had no close relationships with other people. The narrator is jealous of his wife’s first husband, smokes marijuana daily and is envious of her wife’s friendship with the blind man. Just like in the cathedral, in the short story Everyday Use, Maggie is nervous because of the presence of her sister in the home. According to the author, Maggie is nervous about her sister Dee, because of her burn scars. She feels inferior to her sister because she has had many opportunities th at she did not have. Mama says, â€Å"Maggie will still be nervous until her sister leaves† (Walker 14). In the narrative, Alice Walker, personifies the different ways of culture and heritage in Dee, the mother, and Maggie. Each one of them has different qualities and philosophies of life. Nevertheless, contrary to the cathedral, Mama and Maggie are both proud and happy of her life. Mama is happy of the life she is living. Dee, on the other hand, is like the narrator in the Cathedral; she is not happy and thinks that she is in control of her life. She believes in her own self and does not to get associated with her sister and mother. The mother explains how she always wanted the best things and how she always got what she wanted. The narrator writes, â€Å"At sixteen, she had her own style and knew what style was† (Walker 20). This gets seen in the story when she wants the churn top and the dasher and also the old quilts that the mother had promised to give Maggie. Mag gie, on the other hand, has accepted life as it is and lives in the uneducated world with happiness in her heart and not material possessions. In the short story, the only names mentioned were of Robert’s wife who died (Beulah) and Robert. The narrator refers to himself as I and is not associated with a name together with the wife. This is dehumanizing to both the husband and wife. The husband feels that he gets stuck in