Complex play Essay

The title of the play, ‘The Crucible’ is significant as a crucible is a pot in which metals are melted down in order to purify them. Miller is suggesting that the play is concerned by a purging by fire, a form of ‘cleansing’. This is a metaphor for spiritual improvements as the result of exposure to great strain. One of the central themes of the play is the spiritual development of John Proctor. It is a powerful and complex play. All of the action takes place indoors and it is very sombre, simplistic and it emphasises the lifestyle of the puritans and it echoes the chlaustrophobic atmosphere of the play. The play focuses on ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. In the play Miller is discussing the forces of evil. In the attempt to stamp out evil there is certainly a degree of irony. The irony in this play is that evil and tragedy actually arises from the actions of the misguided and over zealous characters such as Danforth and Parris and to a certain extent Hale, who became responsible for deaths, misery and cruelty. Miller is suggesting that humans are vulnerable to evil and he aims to show that the evil generated in Salem was through a combination of circumstances for which no one person could be held wholly responsible but yet none were guilt free. Miller has said that it was Abigail’s role in the events of the play that awakened his interest in the whole story, however, his treatment of her is controlled although is not dispassionate in any way. She is a sensual adolescent and she is very flattered by Proctors attention to her while at the same time tries to disguise it. Abigail has many motives for causing the trouble that she does, one of which is her hostility towards Elizabeth, John Proctors wife, but this is by no means her only motive. A high spirited sense of mischief and the way which she controls her friends gives her enjoyment and is influential and although the point is not stressed, the violent nature of her parents deaths have unsettled her. Abigail’s actions are also intriguing, right from act 1 she is causing a stir in Salem, when Betty awakens and cries out, Abigail tries to bully and threaten them into keeping quiet, later in this act, when Tituba and Abigail are being interrogated, she starts calling out names of devil worshippers. In act 2 we find out more about Abigail’s relationship with the Proctors, they discuss revealing that Abigail is a fraud and reveal how she was thrown out when Elizabeth found out about her affair with John. The rag doll was also another plot by Abigail to cause more trouble, she uses it to show that Elizabeth practices witchcraft. So when the rag doll is discovered with a needle in it after Abigail stabs herself, it is a bad sign. The taking away of Elizabeth and the anger of John Proctor are all adverse affects of Abigail’s troublesome actions and Proctor decides to declare his adultery in court and to denounce Abigail’s lies, the consequences of this may be hard for him. Abigail also leads the accusations of witchcraft and by this point Elizabeth knows that Abigail probably name her in revenge for being dismissed and also to get John Proctor for herself. Cheever later arrives to clarify the fact that Elizabeth has been named, by Abigail. Francis Nurse tries to explain to the court that it is being deceived by Abigail and the other girls. In act 3 as Abigail acts entering a trance and the pitch of hysteria rises, Proctor has had enough and denounces Abigail as a whore, revealing his adultery and therefore jeopardising his integrity and honour. In act 4, Abigail and Mary Warren steal i 30, a very large amount at the time and run away, in order to avoid the revealing of them being frauds. Tituba is an interesting device used by Miller, she is mysterious, perhaps theatrical, and our lack of knowledge of her creates more mystery and intrigue, we know that she is a Barbadan slave for Reverend Parris who was taken from Barbados to come with them the Parris’s. This is useful to Miller, because Tituba does not need to have an identity, she is just used for a few themes, one is the dancing that occurs in the woods, instigated by Tituba, and later her confessions to dealings with the Devil.

A Civilized Society

A Civilized Society What is the meaning of a society? A historian might say a society is a group of people living in an ordered community that has a hierarchy. An adult might say that a society is a community of people that have certain jobs and a community that has schools for their children to go to. A child might not even know what the meaning of society is. Their answers differ because there is not a book written in history that clearly defines what a society is. But when â€Å"society† is narrowed down into â€Å"civilized† society, it is here that agreements are distinguished.Most people agree that the time and place they live in at this present moment is civilized, even though spirits are still believed in. This also means that time periods that are not considered â€Å"civilized† in today’s terms, are considered civilized to the people living in that time period. In the book Beowulf, a book written in the seventh or eight century by an anonymous au thor, there are two societies, the Danes, who reside in Denmark, and the Geats, who reside in southern Sweden.This book is named after a person; not surprisingly, this person is named Beowulf, a Geat who later becomes the king of the Geats. The Anglo-Saxon society in the book Beowulf is civilized because they believe in monsters and their leaders and group members have clear expectations. One might be surprised that a civilized society believes in monsters, however, even societies today believe in monsters through television. Societies today create horror movies purely for entertainment; however, it is a known fact that the monsters in the horror movies are not real.On that note, the anonymous author of Beowulf may have written the book purely for the entertainment of his people, all the while knowing that monsters do not exist, after all, it is probably the closest thing his society has to watching a horror movie. Grendel, the first monster Beowulf fights, is â€Å"conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain (105-106). † This is physically impossible because Cain is a human and Grendel is an actual monster in the book.Another fact that Beowulf was written for entertainment purposes is the fact that the author uses suspension of disbelief, meaning that the readers believe things that are impossible in real for the sake of enjoying the book. For example, â€Å"[Beowulf] sank through the waves†¦(1495)† â€Å"for hours†¦(1495)† to fight Grendel’s mother, â€Å"the mighty water witch (1519). † This is an example of suspension of disbelief because it is physically impossible for a human to swim under water for hours without breathing.The Anglo-Saxon society is a civilized society because while today’s society creates horror movies for entertainment, the author creates the book, Beowulf, for the entertainment of his people. As stated above, a society is a community of people that have certain jobs they must perform. This definition of a society is a factor of what a civilized society is. In Anglo-Saxon culture, a leader and his comitatus have clear expectations. In today’s society, a leader leads the country and commands his people through the office of the prime minister.However, a leader in Anglo-Saxon culture does a little more than leading his country and commanding his people. In the book, Beowulf, there are two main leaders: Hrothgar (a Danish king) and Beowulf. These two leaders have the responsibility of bringing glory for their country. When Hrothgar took the throne after his father, he â€Å"led the Danes to such glory that comrades and kinsmen swore by his sword (65-66). † Beowulf brings glory to his country by killing Grendel, the beast that has been haunting Herot for a long time, and by killing Grendel’s mother, â€Å"the mighty water witch (1519). Then when Beowulf becomes the king of Geatland, he â€Å"†¦held it long and well (2208). †A s a leader has responsibilities, group members also have their responsibilities. In today’s society, they are responsible of helping each other, but sometimes they do not always carry out the task. However, a comitatus in Anglo-Saxon society have the responsibility of helping the leader when he needs help. There was only one comitatus in Beowulf and they are Beowulf’s men. Beowulf’s comitatus are by his side during his three battles. However, Beowulf’s comitatus was readily available to help him in one out of the three battles.During the battle with Grendel, â€Å"all of Beowulf’s/Band had jumped from their beds, ancestral/Swords raised and ready†¦(795-796). † This is only battle that Beowulf’s comitatus is readily available in to help. During Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother, the Danes left the swamp thinking Beowulf had died, but â€Å"the Geats stayed, sat sadly, watching,/Imagining they saw their lord but not believing/ They would ever see him again(1602-1603). † It is here that we start to see that the role of the comitatus start to change because the comitatus are at shore while Beowulf was under water, so, if Beowulf eeded their help, they would not be able to help him. In Beowulf’s last battle, the battle against the dragon, â€Å"none of his comrades/ Came to him, helped him (2596-2597)† when Beowulf could not fight the dragon alone, they also ran away for their lives. At this point in the story, the role of a comitatus is no more. The Anglo-Saxon society is civilized only when the leaders and team members, the comitatus, carry out responsibilities. The Anglo-Saxon society is civilized because they believe in monsters through stories, and their leaders and comitatus have responsibilities, although sometimes the comitatus do not perform their responsibility.It is because they do not perform their duty in the battle with the dragon that the age of warriors end s. One can argue that the age of warriors is a civilized time period, however, when the comitatus ran away from the battle, it is there that signs of an uncivilized civilization is seen. Therefore, it can be said that â€Å"now the giving of swords, of golden/ Rings and rich estates, is over,/ Ended for you and everyone who shares/ Your blood: when the brave Geats hear/ How you bolted and ran none of your race/ Will have anything left but their lives(2884-2888). †

Road Traffic Noise

1 . R O A D T R A F F I C N O I S E S T R A T E G Y As our towns and cities continue to grow, so too does the volume of traffic travelling on our roads. While this traffic represents an essential part of society's development and prosperity, it is also a growing source of concern for the community. This paper discusses many of the issues relating to the impact of road traffic noise on the community. Section 1 outlines the proposed Road Traffic Noise Strategy, its scope, development and how you can contribute. Section 2 contains information on the ffects, levels and sources of traffic noise, and outlines the current programs that contribute to reductions in road traffic noise in Victoria. 1. 1 Scope and Purpose of this Paper This background paper is the start of a process to develop an integrated Road Traffic Noise Strategy (the strategy) for Victoria. This background paper:  · explains what a road traffic noise strategy is;  · explains how the strategy will be developed, includin g how you can contribute to the process;  · provides information about the effects, levels and sources of road traffic noise in Victoria Section 2); and  · outlines current programs that address road traffic noise issues (Section 2). 1. 2 What is a Road Traffic Noise Strategy? A road traffic noise strategy is a plan for managing the noise from motor vehicles on the road network. The strategy will guide the activity of government, business and the community to achieve reductions in road traffic noise over time. Solutions to address road traffic noise are not often found in a single program but rely on combinations of programs. The strategy therefore needs a broad range of tools for reducing the impact of road traffic oise. An integrated traffic noise strategy will require administration from a number of organisations to implement the elements of the strategy over the short, medium and long term. The strategy will contain a range of tools such as:  · a State environment protecti on policy (SEPP) for providing the policy framework and setting legal standards for noise levels from roads;  · national processes for the development of regulations and programs to reduce noise from the motor vehicle;  · programs for managing noise from roads by VicRoads and local government

Research and Decision Making Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research and Decision Making Assignment - Essay Example Recognizing the growing income in India through the booming of business process outsourcing industry which requires worker to work at night, the company can opt to cater to call center agents who need coffee in during their shifts (India 2008). As coffee is marketed as a stimulant because of its caffeine content, Coffee Time can market itself as the primary choice for people who want to stay awake and energetic amidst the stress of being up all night. For this, the company should conduct its own market research analyzing the demographic, lifestyle, and culture of this particular group. Demographics should primarily look at income and age. Lastly, the company can succeed by strategically modifying its product offerings for its target market. It should be noted that India should be treated as a market apart from its operations abroad. Thus, the product should be localized according to the researched preference of the customer.

The death penalty (should or shouldnt) be banned as a form of Annotated Bibliography

The death penalty (should or shouldnt) be banned as a form of punishment - Annotated Bibliography Example erifiable reason as to why the death penalty should be abolished, this analysis will work to appeal to individuals on the cost-benefit and risk-reward matrix of decision making rather than imploring a human rights response. From an economic standpoint, the cost to execute someone as compared to the cost of life imprisonment is staggeringly high. As compared with life imprisonment, the total average cost, inclusive of legal fees, state appointed attorneys, appeals process etc is in excess of 4 million dollars per prisoner executed. Assuming a standard cost of imprisonment of 35,000 dollars per year per prisoner, it would take over 100 years for life imprisonment to no longer be economically viable as compared to capital punishment (Iglesias, Semeshenko, 2012) Given the current environment coupled with the fact that many states are already struggling with large budget deficits and ballooning future budgeting needs, it only stands to reason that life imprisonment should be considered for the future as well as those prisoners already on their death row. Secondly, there are known cases in the history of the death penalty in the United States in which innocent people have been put to death for crimes they did not commit. Additionally, there are numerous cases in which DNA evidence helps to exonerate an individual who is currently on death row awaiting execution (Debrevnik, 2004). Although this is a moral dilemma, the mere existence of these statistics should give pause to any who would push for the continuation of the death penalty with no thoughts as to its consequences. In the opinion of this author, it is not the â€Å"good intent† of the system that proves it to be a success; instead, even one wrongful death equates to the entire principle being rendered ineffective. The death penalty has been proven that it is not a deterrent against violent crime. Crime rates, if anything, remain unaffected by the presence or lack of presence of the death penalty in a

The Tower of Pisa Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Tower of Pisa - Assignment Example Originally, it was believed that the famous ancient architecture and designer, Bonanno Pisano, was responsible for it. However, recent discoveries and deep studies tend to point at Diotisalvi as the true designer. This has been attributed to the fact that it was him who is responsible for other bell towers located across the city and the country at large. However, this belief seems to be countered by the fact that the structure does not bear Diotisalvi’s signature, something that is common in all towers designed by him. The tower took approximately two-three hundred years to be completed (Harris, Nd, pp. 1-3). The initial construction of the â€Å"tower of Pisa† began in 1173 AD, â€Å"after Donna Berta Di Bernardo, a widow resident of Pisa, donated sixty silver coins towards the local cathedral, to be used in the construction of a new bell tower base† (Soniak, 2011, p. 1). The construction work got underway, after the perfect location for the tower had been identified. It is worth taking note that the initial intention behind the building of this tower wasn’t for it to be tilted as it is structured today. The designers had intended for a perfectly vertical bell tower, but due to unforeseen circumstances, a terrible mistakeperhaps, the tower lives to be one of the most celebrated monuments in history. (Palestro, Nd, p. 1) During the construction of the tower, white marble stones were used as the main construction materials. These marbel stones were quarried from the mountains around the city of Pisa, and where transported to the site by the local citizens, who were the main source of labor for the construction (Krystek, 2012, p. 1). However, upon completion of its third floor in 1178, problems began to emerge. The constructors realized that the structure was slightly leaning towards the North West at an angle of 0.2 degrees. This was due

Article Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Article Report - Essay Example As it is, therefore, a person’s career is a key life constituency evolving around work and time. Apart from the provision of income, work offers a sense of purpose, challenge and self-fulfillment. It is a source of interactive life challenges via social networking that often powers on creativity with a sense of identity as an end result. Quite simply, career is a life journey with either the choice of a beaten path or another to navigate (Baruch, 2004). Andolsen’s article entitled â€Å"Six Steps to Your Successful Career Path† is an informative, career guide that engenders navigation principles of self-assessment, decision making and life planning towards a successful career path for RIM professionals. Notably, the multifaceted approach of the modern career training is pushing the employer to the periphery out of the mainstream control of employee-skills (Baruch, 2003). The circumstantial phenomenon leaves â€Å"expertise† as the most treasured and sought-after strategic resource by the employer (Bartlett and Ghoshal, 2002; Andolsen, 2008). With a background of â€Å"a dusty filing system†, the scarcity of the prized resource has informed a structured career path for RIM practitioners aimed at attaining relevance in an era of a digitized managerial control. In a bid to start off RIM practitioners towards the foregoing painstaking journey, Andolsen provides a useful six-step career planning framework ful ly fitted with self-evaluative mechanisms for a dynamic career prospects (Andolsen, 2008). Career is essentially a â€Å"vehicle† for the realization of the self. More accurately, it is a vehicle through which the individual begins a constructive conception of the self in the sense of the world (Adamson, 1997). It is no wonder, therefore, that the interrogation of the self begins the Andolsen’s six-step career planning framework

The Game of Love and Chance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Game of Love and Chance - Essay Example The two parties including their servants decide to swap their roles so that the royal Silvia and Dorante lower themselves to servants while their servants rise to royalty as depicted by dressing and roles. Ironically neither of the two parties have no idea of what the other has done except for Silvia's father and the brother. In the end all their disguises are relinquished and they dawns to them that they have in fact fallen for their intended match. The plot of this play speaks for itself. Through Silvia's father and brother a stiff sigh of comic relief is realized in the play making it absolutely lively. As much as a few people show reveal the aspect of predictability within the play, they show no aspects of complete displeasure thus proving the story interesting to a larger audience. The subject matter of the play is almost entirely love. It is an outstanding complete picture of the complications involved in love and how people take chances in the name of love. Preference and choice are other things that keep the the play going. The dramatic work portrayed in the play is credible because any realistic performance captures attention and the play did that. This statement of attention capturing in attempt to achieve realism is approved of by Isherwood (2014) in his theatre review, Mysteries of Heaven and Earth, where he says "Suspending our disbelief for a while is among the primal pleasures of theatergoing".

The Major Attributes of the Fisher & Paykel Brands Essay

The Major Attributes of the Fisher & Paykel Brands - Essay Example According to the paper Fisher & Paykel have been successful in building their brand through the Customer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) model of consistently delivering on high quality. Their cutting edge design won them a household name. This model identifies four steps which denotes questions asked by the customers as diagrammatically illustrated below. This paper highlights that the second stage is mainly concerned with establishing brand meaning. Customers may not be at liberty to buy something they do not understand hence the need to link brand with certain properties. The third question is about brand response where responses to identification and meaning are sought. The fourth question is about relationship where brand loyalty is created. The DCS developed its brand equity through building strong associations between a brand name and a category or set of benefits based on the CBBE model. On the other hand, ELBA developed through a consistent imagery through the use of the same model by Fisher and Paykel. This model is very important because it seeks to identify the stages involved in the creation of brand loyalty from grassroots level. The benefits and advantages of using social communications or public relations (PR) as part of Fisher & Paykel’s integrated marketing communications strategy for rejuvenating the brand inc lude the following.

Financial management assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial management assignment - Essay Example the companies favor financial restructuring as the company can still be in the business and can avoid the legal problems associated with bankruptcy proceedings. The goal of a debt restructuring is to lower the interest payments and extend the terms of the loan in order to get through a bad patch and not to write off a companys debt.   Companies considering the debt restructuring must first prove that their current market downturn is a temporary phenomenon and will ultimately past and the company will be able to resume profitability.   Thus companies have to convince their stakeholders like creditors, bankers, and distributors that the company will be able to improve the financial condition with the new finance arrangements within a specified period of time. It is important that all the stakeholders actively participate in the preparation of the Financial Restructuring Plan. In some cases even after the Financial Restructuring plan is implemented the company would end up in bankruptcy due to dissatisfaction among certain group of stakeholders or due to bad execution of the Plan. Bankruptcy should be the last option for the companies as only about 15 to 20% of the companies are able to come out of bankruptcy and the cost of bankruptcy is pretty high. It is evident from the current Case study that the company is Over leveraged, that is the debt:equity ratio is very high. Financial restructuring would also be taken up by the companies which are Under leveraged. These companies raise debt to buy back shares. Financial restructuring can also be taken up when the company’s financial position is effected due to Sluggish sales or seasonal sales problems. Often company would raise debt to fund expansion projects but the expansion projects do not give the expected returns resulting in the defaulting of interest payments by the company. Financial restructuring helps the company improve its credit score, which would be useful if the company intends to borrow in future.

Enterprise Architecture Essay Example for Free

Enterprise Architecture Essay 1) The three key disciplines used to effectively construct a Foundation of Execution are: Operating Model This dictates the level of business process integration and standardization for delivering goods and services to customers. Process Integration depicts the extent to which business units share data and enables end-to-end and a single interface for the customer The Operating Model involves a commitment to how the company will operate Enterprise Architecture This is the organizing logic for business processes and IT infrastructure which reflects the integration and standardization requirements of the company’s operating model. The Enterprise Architecture provides a long term view of a company’s process, systems, and technologies in order to build long term sustainable capabilities. IT Engagement Model The IT Engagement Model is the governance mechanism that ensures business and IT projects achieve both local and companywide objectives. This Model influences projects decisions ensuring that individual solutions are designed according to the enterprise architecture. The IT Engagement Model provides alignment between IT and the business objectives of projects. 2) The Enterprise Architecture communicates the high-level business process and IT requirements of a company’s operating model. This differs from IT Architecture to the degree of granularity that is presented. Enterprise Architecture does not provide the necessary details to map out technical or process design requirements. The IT Architecture developed by the IT unit is a more detailed architecture of applications, data and information, and technology. IT Architecture when developed with a clear understanding of the Enterprise Architecture provides long-term value because they provide the long-term vision for immediate solutions. 3) The current market trends and speed at which technology and the competitive landscape is constantly changes make it difficult for companies  to be able to adapt and survive. Complex Information systems restrain companies from being able to adapt in order to compete or leverage new technology and concepts. Companies without a solid foundation face the following risks: The effects of growing complexity on business operations The pressure that agility places the foundation of execution Role of business discipline in current national and political environments Role of costs in absence of foundation of execution Business agility increasingly depends on a Foundation of Execution. Implementing standardize, digitized processes results in simpler technology environments, lower cost operations and greater agility. 4) An operating model has two dimensions: business process standardization and integration. Companies are characterized into the following Operating Models: Diversification: Low Standardization, Low Integration Coordination: Low Standardization, High Integration Replication: High Standardization, Low Integration Unification: High Standardization, High Integration Examples: a. Unification Model – Delta Airlines Consisted of many IT platforms unable to communicate with each other Management and IT staff reached a common understanding of what capabilities the company would develop to support future strategies. In order to create a clear vision management defined four core processes. b. Diversification Model – Carlson Companies Each of Carlson’s portfolio of companies run more or less independently of each other. Carlson’s enterprise architecture core diagram shares technical infrastructure services while the business units retain control over local business processes and IT applications c. Coordination Model – MetLife MetLife’s strategy and operating model focused on providing integrated customer service across products. This required extraction of customer information and making it centrally available d. Replication Model – ING DIRECT ING DIRECT’s service modules digitize standardized processes across its business units. The identification of major service categories helps management understand existing capabilities and target new opportunities. 5) The four stages of Architecture Maturity are: Business Silo Architecture: where companies look to maximize individual business unit needs or functional needs Standardized Technology Architecture: providing IT efficiencies through technology standardization and, in most cases, increased centralization of technology management Optimized core architecture: provides companywide data and process standardization as appropriate for the operating model Business Modularity Architecture: where companies manage and reuse loosely coupled IT-enabled business process components to preserve global standards while enabling local differences 6) The strategic implications of the four architecture stages are as follows: Business Silos – Local / Functional optimization Standardized Technology / IT efficiency Optimized core / Business Operational efficiency Business Modularity / Strategic Agility 7) The three main ingredients 0f the IT Engagement Model: Companywide IT governance: decision rights and accountability framework to encourage desirable behavior in the use of IT Project management: formalized  project methodology, with clear deliverables and regular checkpoints Linking mechanisms: processes and decision-making bodies that align incentives and connect the project-level activities to the overall IT governance. 8) IT governance is the decision rights and accountability framework for encouraging desirable behaviors in the use of IT. IT governance reflects broader corporate governance principles while focusing on the management and use of IT to achieve corporate performance goals. IT governance encompasses five major decision areas related to the management and use of IT in a firm, all of which should be driven by the operating model: I. IT principles: high level decisions about the strategic role of IT in the business II. Enterprise architecture: the organizing logic for business processes and IT infrastructure III. IT infrastructure: centrally coordinated, shared IT services providing part of the foundation of execution IV. Business application needs: business requirements for purchased or internally developed IT applications that both use and build the foundation for execution V. Prioritization and investment: decisions about how much and where to invest in IT, including project approval and justification techniques. 9) Linking mechanisms is the third essential ingredient of the IT engagement model. Linking mechanisms connect companywide governance and projects. Good IT governance ensures that there’s clear direction on how to evolve the company’s foundation. Good project management ensures that projects are implemented effectively, efficiently, and in a consistent manner to maximize learning. Good linking mechanisms ensure that projects incrementally build the company’s foundation and that the design of the company’s foundation is informed by projects. There are three types of linking mechanisms (architecture linkage, business linkage, and alignment linkage) that address the key alignment and coordination concerns of the company. Architecture Linkage establishes and updates standards, reviews projects for compliance, and approves exceptions. Architecture linkage connects the IT governance decisions about architecture with project design decisions. Business linkage ensures that business goals are translated effectively into project  goals. Business linkage coordinates projects, connects them to larger transformation efforts, and focuses projects on attacking specific problems in the best possible way. Alignment linkage mechanisms ensure ongoing communication and negotiation between IT and business concerns. Business IT relationship mangers and Business unit CIOs are typically a critical linkage fro translating back and forth between business goals and IT constraints. 10) The three ingredients of engagement that create business value are IT governance, Project management and Linking mechanisms. Clear, specific, and actionable objectives: In order to be effective, IT engagement models clarify strategic objectives so standardization and integration requirements are clear. Motivation to meet company goals: Formal incentives such as bonus plans, annual reviews, etc help ensure focus from business unit leaders and project managers on company, business unit and project goals Enforcement authority: Formal enforcements such as complementary to formal incentives help build an effort’s credibility. Enforcement provides a process for changing, discontinuing, or granting an exception to a project that is not compliant with the target enterprise architecture. Early Intervention and prevention: In order to prevent bad solutions form being deigned, IT groups engage with business projects during the earliest stages of development to prevent bad solutions from being designed in the first place and also to learn how to improve target architecture. Transparent, regular, two-way communication: Good engagement ensures that everyone is clear on how the model works. Alignment and coordination are achieved and maintained through regular dialogue between business and IT and across business units.

Sigmund Freud Essay Example for Free

Sigmund Freud Essay Sigmund’s Freud contribution to human psychology comes in his proposal of the existence of the unconcisuos. According to him, this is the part of the human nature that human do not know about themselves. This was in direct contrary to the concept of positivism. While positivism promotes real knowledge and control upon human character, emotions, actions and reactions, Freud’s unconscious tells otherwise. The concept have also helped in margenalizing the concept of freewill, stating that there are several factors that humans are not in control. In the human psyche this refers to the unconcious. Nonetheless, since it is William James who was first to tackle the concepts of the unconcious and the subconcious, it would be a mistake to give all the credit to Freud. The important contribution made by Freud in human psychological functioning would be his ways to study and uncover the reality and existence of the unconscious. It is through his methods that the concept of the unconscious becomes more convincing and closer to reality. The methods of studying and interpreting the unconcious paved way to the establishment of beliefs and proofs of its actual existence. Freud have also highlighted the concept of repression as something that could have a vast effect on the unconcious, for repress ideas reflects personal wants and desires as well as fears and sufferings. It is through dreams that Freud have been able to illuminate the basic reality of the unconscious. It was then followed by his detailed work on psychosexual development that explains an event in man’s life where he experience a desire for his opposite sex parent and jealousy on the parent of the same sex. This phenomenon was called Oedipus complex or Electra complex. Freud tried to present the development of human nature in accordance to his theory that was based on psychosexual gratification. According to his theory, man as he grows learns to control him self and delay gratification for psychosexual fantasies. The concept of repression enters as a process by which humans tries to forget their psychosexual wants due to increasing moral pressures and societal standards. Nonetheless, these wants are changed into other form of gratification later in life. Freud was also famous upon the idea of two main drives of the human consciousness which are the death drive and the life drive. Freud believes that as human suffer unpleasure or stimulus that affects the body, the human consciousness grows tired and weary. Upon the decrease in the stimuli there will be an increase in pleasure, this could be noted with the calmness that the consciousness received on times of rest, sleep and when surrounded by a clean and serene environment. With all this concepts in place, Freud concludes that death was a driving force for man and it is in fact the most pleasurable state in which a man could attain. References Brill, A.A. (1995). The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud. Modern Library.

Should There Be Censorship On Arts And Film Media Essay

Should There Be Censorship On Arts And Film Media Essay Censorship of art and film has been a rather controversial and debated issue in these past years and is yet to be resolved. While there are certain laws in different countries that permit artists to express themselves freely, there are many who still oppose these laws and feel the need for restrictions to be imposed, as the content created may not be appropriate to society. Yet, the question remains who is to decide what is what is acceptable and appropriate to society? This then brings me on to the main topic, Should there be censorship on arts and film? Slide 2-How is the content related to the document? This presentation is based on the issue of freedom in the expression of art and film that has been discussed in Document 8 regarding Art History and Film. This research attempts to evaluate whether there should censorship in the expression of arts to avoid misdirection in society. In the modern world with strict censorship in film, directors cannot fully express their vision of an adaptation. At the same time there are false interpretations and portrayals of history in film leading to misconceptions in history, especially in the eyes of the youth. Many may not see in unison with censoring art and film, especially those who believe in freedom of expression. This presentation also focuses on evaluating the reasons for and against censorship on art and film and also to provide its global impact. Slide 3- Definitions of Key Terms Before moving ahead I would like to define some key words to ensure clarity throughout the presentation. Freedom of expression: Freedom to communicate ideas without restraint, whether orally or in print or by other means of communication. Censorship: Supervision and control of the information and ideas that are circulated among the people within a society. In modern times, censorship refers to the examination of books, periodicals, plays, films, television and radio programs, news reports, and other communication media for the purpose of altering or suppressing parts thought to be objectionable or offensive. Art:   The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. Slide 4- Types of Censorship. In this slide I will use the USA as an example to discuss the types of censorship. Regulative  Censorship: This form of censorship is where  regulatory  bodies  monitor obscene words  and pictures on the Internet and public domains. This  type  of censorship tries to draw levelness between free speech and the right to privacy. In the USA, regulatory bodies such as the Federal Communication Commission scan airwaves for  obscene  content.    Constitutive Censorship: This type of censorship is when a community agrees on rules regarding the  acceptability and decency of content. Censorship is applied when a group imposes  disapproval, isolation and banishment from the community. Speak Your Mind, but Pay the Price   This is a form of censorship in the USA This is when you pay the price when speaking your mind at the wrong place. For example,  expressing  thought  about a court judge when in court. Motion Picture Rating System: This type of censorship is for movies, and restricts the audiences for films in accordance with the content of the film such as violence, mature content and profanity. Slide 5- Statistics 1 (World Map) Censorship around  the World analysis: This slide shows levels of censorship  around the world. In this map, it is evident that China and the Middle East have pervasive censorship, in other words, extensive and extreme censorship. This is due to strict government regimes. North and South America have almost no censorship and this is due to the democratic ideology.   Slide 6- Why there should be censorship of art and film.   Art   It is often argued that censorship is necessary in todays world not only because of our influential youth but also, as various art forms become increasingly popular, people are subject to their meanings and this could be potentially harmful. Firstly, it can be stated that censorship allows the preservation of the moral values of a nation or society. Art forms, which go against the values held by society, can result in heated arguments and very controversial protests. For example, the caricature of Prophet Mohammad by a Danish cartoonist caused massive uproars amongst Islamic groups worldwide resulting in an approximate of 100 deaths. Censorship would have resulted in this piece of art not to be released thus not causing destruction. Sometimes, censoring of art is required for the betterment of the parties involves. In the case of Arundhathi Roy a Booker Prize-winning Indian novelist, her portrayals of the Indian Government as being anti-people and containing the potential to influence the youth has led the Indian government to take action. Thus literary works such as this can potentially destabilize a country causing havoc and controversy. The censoring of arts can also be approached from a psychological point of view. Plato, the writer of The Republic states that arts, specifically painting and poetry, should be censored the re ason being that these are imitations and pertains to the truth. Due to this being a representation of the truth it appeals to the irrational part of our brain. Therefore art can corrupt character by influencing undesirable emotions and should indeed be censored. Film As time progresses, films are becoming more realistic and this can allow for mis-interpretation of film; making them more influential to the public. Films have the ability to cause controversy and chaos, therefore censoring films can avoid this to a certain extent.   The Roman Catholic Church criticized the movie, The Da Vinci Code and several bishops asked members to boycott the film. When it comes down to religion, censorship can help to a great extent to avoid conflict such as in this case, where there were massive protests  against  the writer of the script and book, Dan Brown. Sometimes  some government intervention is also needed in the film industry. As stated in Document 8, the movie Mangal Pandey exhibited a false rewrite of history, and this could be potentially dangerous as could scholars  misconceive  this directors interpretation of the events in contrast to the actual  occurrences.  Government  intervention or and sort of credible censoring is needed to check the historical accuracy of films and to draw the fine line between truth and entertainment.   Slide 7 Why shouldnt there be censorship of arts and films. The first amendment protects the rights of freedom of expression from any government intervention. Hence it can be inferred that the First Amendment should  protect the creative process of an artist and the works produced as art is assumed to be a form of freedom of expression. Censorship would violate this human right and may prove unlawful. Also, artists describe censorship are a strangling to creativity. With a vice-like grip, censorship forbids artists from fully expressing their creativity and ideas and can be considered to be an injustice. According to basic human standards, everyone has the right to know. Yet, censorship can prevent this dis-allowing people from gaining access to knowledge that should not really be restricted or kept hidden. Censorship assumes that the audience of this material is immature or incapable of understanding the full extent of the censored material. This does not necessarily respect us and asserts that we are not capable of mature responses t o the censored material. Censorship allows good art and suppresses bad art. Who can really define what is good and bad art as art can mean different things to different people. As U.S. Supreme Court Justice John M. Harlan II quotes One mans vulgarity is another mans lyric. Censorship can be viewed from an economic angle as well. When films are censored, this limits the audience to the film, therefore restricting the revenue made from the production of the film. If censoring were to be banned, more revenue would be returned to the government as tax, in turn helping the people of the country, considering the filming industry is huge and the revenue earned is immense. This would also allow people to choose what they want to view using their value judgments, resulting in more independence of choice. When films released in theatres are censored, it encourages piracy, as people would want to know what has been censored, resulting in an increase in piracy. Also underage viewers are encoura ged to illegally obtain these films through the Internet as what is banned is desired. Slide 8- Case Study: Censorship of arts and films in China In China, there is no film rating system as in the UK or the USA. For films to go into production, they must be deemed suitable for all audiences. According to award winning  Chinese director Xie Fei, he claims that censorship is killing  artist  expression in China. Also many Western films are cut in order to be appropriate for audiences compromising the quality of the film. There is also a quota on the number of foreign films that can be displayed in China. Yet after 30 years of reforms in China after Communism, censorship is the least changed facet of the States rule. As a result artists and writers are forced to navigate the allowances of the party and their freedom of expression.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Slide 9- Mapping Book Censorship Books too art considered to be a form of art. This map shows the number of book banned in curricula, school libraries and public libraries in the USA from the period of December 2006 to May 2009. A total of 250 books were censored or banned in this two and a half year period because they were deemed unsuitable for students. From this, it is evident that censorship is increasing at a rapid rate, in the USA, a country that is very liberal in terms of censorship.

A Birthday :: essays research papers

	Christina Rossetti’s poem "A Birthday" and Kate Chopin’s short story "The Story of an Hour" present conflicting attitudes toward love. In particular the speaker in Rossetti’s poem is anticipating and overjoyed by the arrival of her new found love, whereas the character in Chopin’s story, after the initial shock of her new found freedom , was overjoyed by the loss of her love. In the poem and short story several literary elements and techniques were used to convey these different attitudes toward love. 	A simile is comparison with one thing described as if it were another, using the words "like" or "as". In the poem similes are used to portray the joy of the speaker. Example of the joy of the speaker are found in the liens "My heart is like a singing bird", and "My heart is like a rainbow shell". In the story a simile is used in expressing the initial shock of the character. The words describing the characters shock are "a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in it’s dreams". 	Symbolism is the use of an object which represents itself and something beyond itself. A tree is a symbol used in both selections to convey there attitude towards love. In the poem the line "My heart is like an apple tree whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit" shows the happiness of the speaker and the fullness of her heart do to her new love. In the line "She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all quivering with the new spring life" The symbol of the tree is used to convey a different attitude towards love. It shows the excitement of the character for her rebirth and freedom obtained by the loss of her love. 	A character is a fugue who takes part in the action of a literary work. In the two selections the authors use two very different characters in conveying there different attitudes on love. In the poem the character is a young woman who by finding her love dreams of being like a queen at a banquet in a lavishly decorated room. This can be seen in the line "Raise me a dais of silk and down; Hang it with vair and purple dyes". In the story the character is an young woman who is looking forward to her future with out her love.

A Look Back, A Spotlight on Education :: Free Essays Online

My Eighth grade English teacher walked around the classroom, in a daily ritual, glancing over pages of circled letters, occasionally muttering, "turn", in an exhausted, apathetic tone. Many of my classmates used the time she had allotted for "checking homework" to socialize, while others frantically fumbled for a pencil, asked for a neighbor’s workbook, circled, underlined, and copied while occasionally lifting their heads up to see how far down the rows she had gotten and how close she was getting to them. Needless to say, it wasn’t hard to copy another student’s homework. We had already been in this "orange vocabulary book" system for two years by the time we were in the eighth grade. The workbook called for no originality or unique thought, so all of our little workbooks were expected to look exactly alike, all the same a’s circled, the same words underlined. It was possible that on any given weeknight, ten out of the twenty-five students in class would actually bother to do the assigned vocabulary homework. A few of us would copy a friend’s answer a little before, or even during class. There were still a few students that wouldn’t even put in that much effort into the English class, and would readily take the "zero" in the grade-book for the day. After the all-important "homework checking ritual" was through with, we all reluctantly opened up the vocabulary books for the "checking the answer" ritual. Starting with the front right corner of the classroom, students began reading off answers, letters and words, and nothing else, one after another, being occasionally corrected, and fed the right answer. I can’t say I learned too much from this vocabulary practice. I sat in my desk, looking at the clock mounted on the wall, listening to a random letters and words, with no other connotation, explanation, or implication of them, occasionally checking to see how far along the line we had gotten so that I would be able to answer promptly when it was my turn. For my teacher, however, vocabulary practice time seemed like the best part of the school day, next to her lunch break. She really didn’t choose to put much effort into the practices at all. The students didn’t protest, of course. It was an easy part of the day for us too. The vocabulary quizzes, did make up a big part of our grade in the class, as the vocabulary practices did take up a great deal of class time.

The Skystone and The Singing Sword :: Historical Novels Jack Whyte Essays

The Skystone and The Singing Sword Marion Zimmer Bradley, a book critic, says The Skystone is "one of the most interesting historical novels that I've ever read, and I've read plenty"(Front cover). In writing, success is generally a direct result of an author being able to keep a reader interested. Jack Whyte is an interesting and successful author throughout The Skystone and The Singing Sword because of his development of characters and his ability to write strategically. Character development is an important element in a story because if readers feel strongly about the characters, they are interested in reading further, and are more apt to enjoy the novel. Jack Whyte effectively develops the characters Caius Britannicus and Claudius Seneca through their words and actions in The Skystone and The Singing Sword, creating a strong impression of these characters in the mind of the reader. Another crucial element to Jack Whyte's success is his strategical writing. His ability to seize the attention of a reader imm ediately, and to maintain that level of intrigue throughout the novel until his climactic ending is reached, demonstrates a well planned writing strategy, and is a significant contribution to his success. In The Skystone and The Singing Sword, Jack Whyte's character development and strategical writing create and maintain the interest of the reader, exhibiting a basis for his success. In Jack Whyte's novels, he develops his characters effectively, sparking the interest of the reader. In The Skystone and The Singing Sword, one of the characters that Whyte develops well is Caius Britannicus. Throughout these two novels, Britannicus' development is seen through the eyes of Publius Varrus, the main character, and Britannicus' eventual lifelong friend. From the very beginning of their friendship, Publius recognizes the qualities of Caius as a person, and as a leader, and describes them in The Skystone when saying, from the outset of our relationship Britannicus invariably treated me with military correctness, slightly warmed by courtesy and consideration. I found him to be just, temperate, and dispassionate in his dealings with the men under his command. But he could be awesome in his wrath when provoked by incompetence or malfeasance. A rigid disciplinarian, he was implacable once he had decided that punishment was in order. And never, at any time, did he show any ca pacity for suffering fools gladly(37). Although Caius does not initially strike the reader as a particularly amiable character, Jack Whyte continues to develop Britannicus and his friendship with Publius, revealing a more compassionate character.

BCG Matrix and the Product Life Cycle Essay

Introduction: The BCG Matrix and the Product Life Cycle are two important tools that relate to different aspects of a product’s performance: †¢The BCG looks at market share and market growth and how they impact on cash usage and generation. †¢The PLC looks at sales/revenues over time and levels of profitability. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix Businesses must keep their product offerings relevant and profitable to stay in operation. The Boston Consulting Group developed a tool, called the BCG matrix, for categorizing a firm’s products in relation to the overall product life cycle. Product life cycle is based on the observation that products develop, similar to animals, through distinct phases of maturity that differ in amount of resources required and produced. The BCG matrix places each product a company offers according to the growth rate of the business and the relative market share the product controls. Identifying which quadrant of the BCG matrix a product offering falls into provides valuable guidance to management about the future of that product Stars Products that enjoy a high relative position in terms of market share in a growing market are referred to as stars. They require large investments to maintain the market share, but often produce enough revenue to cover their expenses. Firms should make it a top priority to maintain the market share of products in the star quadrant of the BCG matrix to increase sales. As the product enters maturity, and growth rates decline below 10 percent, maintaining market share will require less investment, yet produce similar revenue, and become cash cows. Cash Cows Cash cows produce substantial profits for their companies because they require little investment to maintain their high share of the market. Managers should divert profits from cash cows to help defend market share of star products, develop new products for emerging markets, or turn struggling products around. While cash cows often provide the largest profit margin in a company portfolio, firms interested in maintaining long-term profitability must invest in defending and creating star products that will become cash cows` Low market-share products that show low growth are referred to as  dogs. Managers should minimize the number of dogs in the product portfolio. While many managers seek the challenge of trying to turn a dog product around, additional scrutiny should be given to any investment in dog products. Firms should decide whether to find a niche in the product’s market to control or divest from the product entirely to free up resources for more profitable ventures. Question Marks The most troubling quadrant on the BCG matrix is filled with products in high-growth markets that control relatively weak positions within their markets. These products, called question marks, require large investments to develop. Even with substantial funding, a question mark product is at a disadvantage due to the fierce competition in high-growth markets. Managers should consider the likelihood and means of increasing market share, such as specializing in a niche market, before allocating additional resources to question marks. If a question mark is unlikely to capture a niche market or stand out against the better established competition, the firm should divest to increase its overall profitability Some limitations of the BCG matrix model include: †¢The first problem can be how we define market and how we get data about market share †¢A high market share does not necessarily lead to profitability at all times †¢The model employs only two dimensions – market share and product or service growth rate †¢Low share or niche businesses can be profitable too (some Dogs can be more profitable than cash Cows) †¢The model does not reflect growth rates of the overall market †¢The model neglects the effects of synergy between business units †¢Market growth is not the only indicator for attractiveness of a market There are probably even more aspects that need to be considered in a particular use of the BCG model Product Life Cycle (plc) The product life cycle has 4 very clearly defined stages, each with its own characteristics that mean different things for business that are trying to manage the life cycle of their particular products. Introduction Stage – This stage of the cycle could be the most expensive for a company launching a new product. The size of the market for the product is small, which means  sales are low, although they will be increasing. On the other hand, the cost of things like research and development, consumer testing, and the marketing needed to launch the product can be very high, especially if it’s a competitive sector. Growth Stage – The growth stage is typically characterized by a strong growth in sales and profits, and because the company can start to benefit from economies of scale in production, the profit margins, as well as the overall amount of profit, will increase. This makes it possible for businesses to invest more money in the promotional activity to maximize the potential of this growth stage. Maturity Stage – During the maturity stage, the product is established and the aim for the manufacturer is now to maintain the market share they have built up. This is probably the most competitive time for most products and businesses need to invest wisely in any marketing they undertake. They also need to consider any product modifications or improvements to the production process which might give them a competitive advantage. Decline Stage – Eventually, the market for a product will start to shrink, and this is what’s known as the decline stage. This shrinkage could be due to the market becoming saturated (i.e. all the customers who will buy the product have already purchased it), or because the consumers are switching to a different type of product. While this decline may be inevitable, it may still be possible for companies t o make some profit by switching to less-expensive production methods and cheaper markets The relationship between the BCG Matrix and the product life cycle The horizontal axis of the BCG Matrix represents market Shareand the vertical axis indicates anticipated market growth. The corporate business is divided into four categoriesthey are cash cows, stars, question marks, dogs. The product life cycle is a new product progresses through a sequence of stages from introduction to grow, maturity, and decline. The four categories of corporate business correspond to the four stages of the product life cycle (1) Question marks businesses correspond to the introduction stage of the product life cycle. Question marks businesses are in an attractive industry but hold a small market share percentage. In the introduction stage the firm seeks to build market share rapidly build product awareness and develop a market for the product. (2) Starts businesses correspond to the growth  stage of the product life cycle. Start businesses are in a fast-growing market, and hold a dominant share of that market. Their contribution to cash flow depends on their need for resources. In the growth stage, the firm seeks to build brand preference and increase market share. Market share tends to stabilize. (3) Cash cows businesses correspond to the maturity stage of the product life cycle. Cash cows businesses in this generate large amounts of cash but their prospects for future growth are limited In the maturity stage, the market reaches saturation. The primary objective is to defend market share while maximizing profit. (4) Dogs businesses in this category do not producer consumer much cash. However they hold no promise for improved performance. In decline stage there is a downturn in the market as sales decline discontinue the product liquidating remaining inventory or sell off. The difference between the BCG Matrix and the product life cycle †¢The corporate business is divided into four categories from two aspects of market share and anticipated growth rate however the product life cycle is divided into four stages from two aspects of sales and time. †¢The BCG Matrix can roughly judge enterprise’s overall operating conditions but the product life cycle only reflects the market performance of a single product. †¢The BCG matrix mainly studies the allocation and use of corporate resources, but the product life cycle mainly studies the use of the product marketing strategy. †¢ The BCG matrix can reflects corporate a variety of different business conditions, but the product life cycle can not reflects all businesses and product in the curve

Law and Environment Essay

According to this appeals court, what errors were made by the judge at trial? The judge has made a judicial error by allowing the Plaintiff’s counsel to comment on the case about Minichiello’s boss being a German with an â€Å"attitude of hatred† and made forced analogies to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. The judge also allowed irrelevant testimony, which asserted that the Club discriminated against Latinos, Jews, and African-Americans, to the issue of discrimination based on sexual orientation. I agree that awarding $20,000,000 was grossly excessive and has no rational basis, and was an error by the judge as well. 7. Would the police violate a suspect’s Fourth Amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure by secretly placing a GPS tracking device on the suspect’s car for an extended time without first securing a warrant to do so? Explain. See, for example, United States of America v. Lawrence Maynard, 615 F.3d 544 (D.C. Cir. 2010); petition for rehearing en bane denied, United States of America v. Antoine Jones, 625 F.3d 766 (D.C. Cir. 2010). The police would violate a suspect’s Fourth Amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure by secretly placing a GPS tracking device on the suspect’s car for an extended time without first securing a warrant to do so. They have violated his â€Å"reasonable degree of privacy†. Without having a warrant issued will give the ability to have anybody monitored whenever for whatever period of time invading privacy.

Bio Lab Report

Ye Tao BISC220-13155 The Effect of Temperature on the Digestion of Starch by Activity of Enzyme ? -Amylase: Observation of Rate of Starch Disappearance through Iodine Test Introduction An enzyme is a type of protein that, through its own structure including hydrogen bonds, acts like a biological catalyst and is able to accelerate the biochemical reaction rate by lowering the activation energy of the whole process, without which cells could hardly practice any physiological functions within human bodies (Sizer, 1943).Found in the saliva and pancreatic secretions of animals including human beings as well as the plant seeds, bacteria and fungi (Siddiqui et al. , 2010), the enzyme ? -amylase that was studied during the experiment has significant impact on the hydrolysis of starch. By breaking the alpha, 1-4 glycosidic linkages in the carbohydrates, amylase hydrolyzes the starch, a polysaccharides that is stored in plants and cannot be directly digested by animal cells, into maltose, a di saccharide that later generate two units of glucose to undergo metabolisms and provides necessary energy (Slaughter et al. , 2001). The enzymatic activity of ? amylase is facilitated by calcium and chloride ions during the hydrolysis (Marini, 2006 and Siddiqui et al. , 2010). The complete digestion of starch and formation of maltose and glucose can be examined through the iodine test when I2KI reagent is added into the solution and remains brown instead of turning into dark blue, marking that all the molecules of starch have been fully hydrolyzed (Hanes, 1932). While amylase effectively activates the hydrolysis of starch, the efficiency of the catalytic process is influenced by several factors including temperature, pH level and the concentration of the substrates etc.In this experiment, as the ? -amylase is a type of protein, the efficiency of enzyme is highly related to its hydrogen bonds which are affected by the temperature. Though the enzyme is collected from the porcine pancre as, due to its structural similarities to amylase in human bodies, the behaviors of two amylases should resemble each other. Given that under extreme temperature enzymes will be denatured and unable to function and the constant temperature of pigs is around 39 °C, the hypothesis of this experiment is that at 37 °C amylase will catalyze the hydrolysis with the highest speed, followed by amylase at 22 °C.Amylase at 0 °C will react extremely slowly due to the crystallization of hydrogen bonds and at100 °C, amylase will lose its function since it will be denatured. Materials and Methods Four test tubes were marked from A1 to A4. Then, 2mL of 1% starch solution from Carolina Biological Supply Company, 4mL of deionized water and 1mL of 6. 8 hydrion buffer from VWR International/ Micro Essential Laboratories were added into each tube. Another four test tubes were also labeled from B1 to B4 and added 1mL of 1% ? -amylase from porcine pancreas from Sigma Aldrich. Eight tubes were p aired according to the same number (A1and B1 etc. and assigned to environments at different temperature: Tube A1 and B1 were placed into a water bath at 100 °C; Tube A2 and B2 were placed into a water bath at 37 °C; Tube A3 and B3were placed on the tube rack (at about 22 °C); Tube A4 and B4 were placed into an ice bath at 0 °C. All test tubes were kept at different temperatures for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, a control group of starch solution was prepared without amylase. (Bio Lab Manual, 2013) At the same time, a test plate was added 2 drops of I2KI reagent (1% Iodine and 2% KI) from Carolina Biological Supply Company per well.After 10 minutes, when test tubes were still in the original environments, solutions in Tube A1 with B1 were mixed and a timer was started. At each 30-second-inteval, a drop of the mixture was released into the well on the test plate until the solution in the plate did not change into dark blue and remained brown, indicating the end of the reaction by sho wing no presence of starch and presence of maltose and glucose. The experiment was repeated on the tubes at other temperatures. Slow reactions were observed and recorded up to 420 seconds due to time limit.Data were pooled from each bench and average and standard deviation were calculated. The data of the control group were also obtained. Results Figure 1 The test plate of iodine test under different temperature. Dark blue wells indicated the presence of starch while the brown ones indicate the completion of starch hydrolysis. (Upper half: 37 °C; Bottom Half: 0 °C) The rate of reaction was fastest at 37 °C (n=4, mean=212. 5s, SD=66. 1s) while the rate of reaction at 22 °C was only slightly less than it (n=4, mean=217. 5s, SD=61. 8s).Though the previous two groups underwent starch hydrolysis relatively fast, the tubes at 100 °C and 0 °C reacted so slowly that it took more than 420 seconds for their completions (time was only recorded before 420s). There was no hydrolysis in the control group. The time of the reaction completions as the function of different temperatures was shown in the table and graph below. The Effects of Temperature| Temperature (? )| Time of Starch Disappearance(s)| | Bench 1| Bench 2| Bench 3| Bench 4| Mean| SD| Control| >420| >420| >420| >420| 420| 0| 0| >420| >420| >420| >420| 420| 0| 2| 210| 210| 300| 150 | 217. 5| 61. 84658| 37| 270| 180| 265| 135 | 212. 5| 66. 14378| 100| >420| >420| >420| >420| 420| 0| Table 1. Time of Starch Disappearance with Porcine Pancreatic ? -Amylase at Different Temperatures (Time was recorded up to 420s). Graph 1. Time of 1% Starch Disappearance with Porcine Pancreatic ? -Amylase as the Function of Different Temperature Discussion and Conclusion As the data obtained from the experiment, all parts of the original hypothesis were confirmed by the result. Temperature plays an important role during the activation of ? amylase that only during certain temperature range can the enzyme function properly to catalyze biochemical reactions. On one hand, at 37 °C the amylase showed the greatest efficiency in catalyze the hydrolysis of starch. At the same time, the amylase also showed considerable catalytic efficiency at 22 °C. But on the other hand, when temperature dropped or rose to extreme value such as 0 °C or 100 °C, the function of amylase was inhibited and such biochemical transformation of substances could hardly process. This result obtained is consistent with the reality that during normal body temperature, regardless of pig or human beings, mylase is able to catalyze the hydrolysis of starch with the highest speed. Therefore, we may conclude that even taken out from where it was found, the amylase still maintain its original biochemical properties. The experiment did not show the biochemical mechanism of the modification from temperature to amylase activity. However, according to the scientific research done by other scientists, a temperature that ranges from 20-50à ‚ °C could make structures including weak interactions, hydrogen bonds and disulfide bridge exist within and stabilize the enzyme molecules to maximize their activities.At the water freezing point (0 °C), the hydrogen bonds are crystallized and become more constrained and less flexible while at high temperature like 100 °C, the bonds consume certain energy to become unstable and fragile, neither of which contribute to the proper functions of amylase (D’Amico et al. , 2003). While the result of the experiment perfectly matched what was expected, however, such conclusion could only be made at qualitative phase and it is obvious that weakness of this experiment existed and prevented the further understanding of amylase at quantitative level.Several modifications to the current experimental designs could be made to enhance its accuracy. Firstly, the sample size needs to be expanded. With only four groups, the data was so limited. As a result, the data had great standard devia tions of more than 60 seconds. Simultaneously, the random errors were at high possibility to take place. Therefore, with the increase of sample size, the data can be more accurate and stabilized and potential random errors could be discarded to ensure the coherence of the data.Furthermore, even though neither the test tube at 0 °C and 100 °C enabled the completions of starch hydrolysis, the reasons of the two groups are not the same. Therefore, in order to detect the reason of the loss of catalytic ability, follow-up experiments need to be practiced. A possible design might be to change the test tubes from 0 °C or 100 °C into 37 °C for another 10 minutes then redo the iodine test to see this time whether the amylase can function well or not.This manipulation will convince the hypothesis about the reason behind the superficial phenomena that was shown in the original experiments and present the difference between denaturing of protein and crystallization of hydrogen bonds. It is important for people to thoroughly understand the amylase activity and all the factors that are potentially capable of influencing such activity through which people can understand how human bodies work as well as the physiology of other organisms. At the same time, the research in amylase activity could potentially bring economical benefits to industrialized starch products manufacturing.And finally, the amylase activity has shown its significance in medical clinical trial that diseases including hyperamylasemia  or hyperamylasuria are proven to be related to the amylase in the human serum and urines (Salt 2nd, 1976). References General Biology BISC 220 Laboratory Manual. (2013). University of Southern California. Lab2, pp33-36. D'Amico, S. , Gerday, C. , ; Feller, G. (2003). Temperature adaptation of proteins: engineering mesophilic-like activity and stability in a cold-adapted ? -amylase. Journal of molecular biology,  332(5), 981-988. Hanes, C.S. (1932). Studies on pla nt amylases: The effect of starch concentration upon the velocity of hydrolysis by the amylase of germinated barley. Biochemical Journal,  26(5), 1406. Marini, I. (2005). Discovering an accessible enzyme: Salivary amylase: Prima digestio fit in ore: A didactic approach for high school students. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education,  33(2), 112-116. Salt 2nd, W. B. , ; Schenker, S. T. E. V. E. N. (1976). Amylase–its clinical significance: a review of the literature. Medicine,  55(4), 269. Siddiqui, Z. S. , & Khan, M. A. 2011). The role of enzyme amylase in two germinating seed morphs of Halopyrum mucronatum (L. ) Stapf. in saline and non-saline environment. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum,  33(4), 1185-1197. Sizer, I. W. (2006). Effects of temperature on enzyme kinetics. Advances in Enzymology and Related Areas of Molecular Biology, Volume 3, 35-62. Slaughter, S. L. , Ellis, P. R. , & Butterworth, P. J. (2001). An investigation of the action of porcine pancreatic ? -amylase on native and gelatinised starches. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-General Subjects,  1525(1), 29-36. Bio Lab Report Biology lab report Estimating glucose concentration in solution Done by : Hasan Al-jowder 11E KC Introduction: The purple pink solution of potassium permanganate (MnO4 -) is reduced by glucose to a colourless solution of manganese ions (Mn2+). MnO4- + 8H+ + 5e- Mn2+ + 4H2O The time taken for the loss of colour from a standardised solution of permanganate is directly related to the concentration of glucose present in solution. Research question:How does the different concentration of glucose solution which have the same volume affects the time taken for the pink color of the potassium permanganate to turn into colorless? Hypothesis: The higher the concentration of glucose, the shorter time taken for the reduction of potassium permanganate, hence resulting in shorter time taken for the pink color of potassium permanganate to decolorize. This is because the concentration of glucose molecules in glucose solution is high thus more electron are donated to the permanganate within a constant period.Variables: †¢Independent: The concentration of the glucose solution †¢Dependent: The time taken for the pink color of the potassium permanganate to turn into colorless †¢Controlled: Volume/Units Materials list : †¢Eye protection †¢A timer †¢a glass rod †¢a boiling tube and a rack †¢3 beakers †¢3 syringes †¢6 labels †¢glucose solutions (2%,4%,6%,8%,10%,12%) †¢3 solution of unknown glucose concentration (A,B,C) †¢sulphuric acid †¢potassium permanganate Procedure: 1. label your three beakers sulphuric acid PP- for potassium permanganate G- for glucose 2. abel your syringes in the same way. 3. add about 25 cm3 of sulphuric acid and potassium permanganate to the beakers – this will be your stock to use throughout the experiment. note which glucose solution you are testing first. 4. use the correct syringe to place 10 cm3 of the first glucose solution into the boiling tube. 5. add 5 cm3 of sulphuric acid. 6. add 2 cm3 of potassium permanganate and start the clock. 7. stir with a stirring rod and stop the clock as soon as the pink color disappears. 8. record the time and the glucose solution used. . rinse the syringe you used for the glucose solution. 10. repeat using the other glucose solution. 11. repeat for a solution of unknown concentration (A B or C) 12. record your own results and if possible class average results in a table. Table: Glucose concentrationsTime taken to change color 2%1 minute 41 seconds 4%1 minute 13 seconds 6%45 seconds 8%41 seconds 10%35 seconds 12%32 seconds Unknown A48 seconds Unknown B1 minute 13 seconds Unknown C2 minute 56 seconds Graph : conclusion: Evaluation: sources of error= the temperature of the water was not the same with all the concentrations †¢minor inaccuracy in watching the exact time that the color changes absolutely †¢inaccuracy in using the stop watch Reference: https://www. google. com. bh/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=estimating+glu cose+concentration+in+solution+lab+report+hypothesis&oq=estimating+glucose+concentration+in+solution+lab+report+hypothesis&gs_l=hp. 3†¦ 3351. 18905. 1. 19921. 11. 11. 0. 0. 0. 0. 421. 2839. 2-10j0j1. 11. 0†¦ 0. 0†¦ 1c. 1. 7. psy-ab. csPQdc8wzZA&pbx=1&bav=on. 2,or. r_cp. r_qf. &bvm=bv. 44011176,d. d2k&fp=34c3fbe89c60be0d&biw=1366&bih=629

Publius Virgilius Maro Essay

Aside from Christianity there is no other force that shaped Western civilization other than the Greco-Roman culture. And there is no better representation of that period in history other than Rome and Publius Viirgilius Maro, also known as Virgil. A closer examination of Virgil and his works made many to realize that Virgil was a byproduct of events and it is the twin forces of the Roman Empire and Greek history that prompted Virgil to write. This paper will look into the two factors that influenced the writing of Publius Virgilius Maro. This can be done by looking first at the events that transpired before Virgil began writing and this means tracing back Greek and Roman history. The second way of knowing the connection between history and Virgil’s writings is to dig into his works and of course this means analyzing the Aeneid. It will be shown later that it is Roman history and Homer that shaped Virgil to become the writer that he was destined to be. Rome After more than two thousand years the world is still mesmerized by Rome. It is because of its legacy, it military prowess, and form of government. Rome was without equal when it comes to how it help shape Western history. Yet in the early days of Roman history there is not much to see. There is nothing that could make an outsider ascertain its potential to be a dominant ruler of known world in antiquity. Ting Morris traced its early development in obscurity and he remarked, â€Å"Rome began around 2,800 years ago as a few small settlements on wooded hills overlooking the Tiber River† (4). But then Rome began to distance itself from the Latin communities from which it was supposed to be a part of. What happens next began a series of development that will catapult this small community into the world map, â€Å"†¦the roman Republic conquered first Latium, then all of Italy. The Romans annexed much foreign territory to their own state, but they also established a system of alliances with all other states. This gave the Romans a vast reserve of manpower that allowed them to overthrow every major power in the Mediterranean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Mackay, 40). A new age has come and a new military superpower was born. But when the Romans began to assimilate remnants of Alexander’s Empire, the new European power came face to face with an ancient civilization whose insight into religion, politics, and philosophy was far ahead of its time. In short the Romans, â€Å"†¦ recognized something in Greek culture that was more impressive than anything Rome itself achieved, in spite of Rome’s unprecedented military success† (Cox). At this point Rome was all brute force. Yes the soldiers led by the Caesars were brave, strong and are very eager to make their mark in the battlefield but when it comes to culture, the Romans were barbarians compared to the Greeks. The Romans discovered an effective methodology in fighting wars and they even had the distinct advantage of knowing how to build an empire out of disparate tribes and nations. They were experts in campaigns that require traveling far from home and yet they lack one more thing. They did not have a good system that can be put in place after victory. This is similar to the idea that it is easy to start a war but the more difficult thing to do is how to end it. So when Rome began to feel the success of empire building the more that they felt the need for a way of life that will enhance their reputation in Europe while at the same time offer them an opportunity to enjoy life more. They found the answer from the sophisticated Greeks. Virgil The Romans had to learn from the Greeks and their history can be characterized not only by empire building but also by the why they incorporated Greek thought and the Greek’s way of life into their own unique system. Now there is none better who understood the need for assimilating Greek culture than the Roman intellectuals of that time. In fact, â€Å"Among the adaptors of Greek culture, none was more brilliant †¦ than the poet Virgil. He faced a formidable challenge. Everyone who encountered Greek culture recognized how much it was shaped by Homer† (Cox). This means that there is a great need to surpass Homer and if this is not possible then at least equal Homer’s genius. If this can be achieved then the Romans had done something which other Greek imitators failed to do and that is to provide a great explanation for their existence. A myth has to be created, a legend has to be made and the purpose for such an endeavor is obvious. There is a need for something that will hold the empire together. At the time of writing the Aeneid, Rome was again in the cusp of revolution. Julius Caesar was defeated by Augustus Caesar and so steps must be made to consolidate his power and to strengthen the arm of the new emperor. For a brilliant man like Virgil, times like this one is an opportunity that must be grabbed by both hands. Virgil proceeded to hit two birds with one stone. First he would write an epic that will explain the origins of Rome. He will do so by using stories that are already familiar among the people that he wants to see united under Augustus Caesar and during that time there was no other story quite like the one weaved by Homer centuries before. Virgil saw that epic struggle for good and evil; battles between heroes; and the self-sacrificial behavior of some heroes simply because they believe in something higher than themselves proved to be a formula hard to resist. Virgil was ready to accept the challenge. But it is clear from the beginning that it would not be an easy task. Aside from that Homer is a world unto itself. And as they say there is no way one can improve on perfection, the Iliad and the Odyssey are the blueprints for creating great epics and so what else can be done to make it better. Virgil was able to solve this problem by being inventive and by starting where Homer ended his story. When Troy fell, one of her sons went on to build another kingdom. But then again Virgil cannot escape the past. Virgil could not resist using a successful formula. As they say there is no need to fix what was broken. Judging from the power of the Iliad and the Odyssey to move people it is almost impossible not to use the same method and technique of telling a great story. And so Virgil copied many ideas from Homer. In the introduction to the Aeneid Levi Robert pointed out that: Virgil borrowed from Homer a great many items: his verse form, the division into twelve books, mythology, many episodes and similes. In the Aeneid Venus doubles for Nausicaa, Dido for Calypso and Circe, and Drances for Thersites. The funeral games the desecent into Hades, where Aeneas meets Dido as Odysseus met Ajax, the prophecy of Anchises, the catalogue of ships, Turnus attempt to burn them, a broken truce †¦ a quarrel of two Italian leaders †¦ and a final single combat (Robert, xiii). Aeneid The Aeneid is basically the story of Aeneas, the god-like leader of a band of Trojan refugees fleeing to Italy after the fall of Troy. In the beginning, Aeneas built a fleet with the goal in mind of settling in a foreign land and to finally establish a new nation of Trojans. In Virgil’s mind, he wanted the world to understand the basis for the establishment of the Roman Empire. And there is nothing as perfect as that. Hornstein, Percy and Brown’s book, The Reader’s Companion to World Literature, was very helpful in understanding the context from which Virgil’s Aeneid was written, and they said that it was written at a time of conflict. Italy was ravaged by more than fifty years of revolution and civil war. When the long-sought peace came, a new form of government was fashioned from a battle weary nation. And with the new set-up, ultimate power was in the hands of one man- Augustus Caesar. It was during this time that the Roman Virgil began working on the Aeneid. Hornstein, Brown and Percy wrote: Vergil began the poem in 29 B. C. , two years after the battle of Actium brought this period of civil war to an end. He had long been preparing for the task. His purpose was national: he desired to glorify the Roman people by his theme and exalt the Emperor in the person of his hero. (5) Homer Putnam acknowledge that Virgil is under the towering shadow of Homer when he made this judgment, â€Å"Homer himself, against whose essential insights into humanity, Virgil’s own achievement will always be measured. † Homer’s success allowed him to set the standard upon which others who will come after him will be forced to measure up. Allen Mandelbaum tells of how his previous study prevented him from fully appreciating Virgil’s works and he said, â€Å"One was a tag line of mark Van Doren that echoed through my youth with tenacious resonance: ‘Homer is a world; Virgil, a style’. † It also did not help that the critics saw Virgil as copying Homer, Gaskell said, â€Å"The overall plan of Virgil’s epic was plainly Homeric, with its main elements reversed: now the odyssey of the man comes first and the armed fighting follows it: but the Homeric parallels are many and obvious. † (161). The only major difference was that Homer was illiterate and therefore had to express the beauty of his poetry in oral reform. On the other hand Virgil was literate and he could study Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey in written form as well as compose his own epic and was able to write it down. This explains the difference in style but all the more strengthens the view that Virgil was strongly influenced by Homer. Conclusion Now the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall down into its proper places and one can now see the bigger picture. It was mentioned earlier that it was in 168 BC when the Romans began to conquer the remnants of Alexander’s Empire and it is through the conquest of former Greek states that the Romans saw first hand the beauty that was Greece. In short the highly militaristic Romans lacked the cultural refinements that one can find in abundance in Greek societies. It is through the process of incorporating Greek culture into the Roman’s way of life that they rediscovered the power of Homeric poetry. It took the genius of Virgil to use Homer’s works and use it as the foundation for his own epic. And so in 29 BC Virgil began writing the Aeneid with the purpose of emulating what Homer has achieved in Greece. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey provided a sense of identity for all Greeks and Virgil was hoping to achieve the same results. But the desire to incorporate Greek life into Roman life is easier said than done. But everyone who will try to copy from someone begins by copying almost everything that one can see and the eye can appreciate. For instance the Romans copied the design of their temples and they also described their gods using the same attributes found in Greek society. But there is no need to worry because the Roman changed the Greek sounding names of their gods into Roman names for their statues. Virgil attempted to accomplish two major things when he wrote the Aeneid. He wanted to impress the new emperor (Augustus Caesar) and secondly he wanted to have a unique Roman epic that will help unite the people. Virgil was successful in achieving both. The hero of the Aeneid was behaving in much the same way as Augustus Caesar especially with regards to his conquest and the subsequent creation of a new nation out of that sheer determination to succeed. Now for the second part, Virgil was also able to create an epic that can be comparable to Homer. It is true that he copied many things from Homer and yet at the same time his stories were never simply a rehash of what Homer did. Virgil simply needed an inspiration to get going and he found it in the character of Aeneas whom Homer briefly mentioned in his work. From this little known character, Aeneid began to build a story that made the peoples pulse to race. It was indeed an epic story of battles, of struggle between good and evil, of heroes who most of the time failed to achieve their potential and sometimes die a tragic death. The Aeneid is basically an explanation as to the existence of Rome. For many there is a need to have that kind of idea, that kind of emotional anchor in times of trouble. And there is no way to fully understand the impact of Aeneid towards the people of Rome. But one thing is sure Virgil’s work was able to unite the whole of the empire and is instrumental as to why the empire endured for so long. It is now very clear that that Virgil was influenced by historical events and the circumstances that surrounded his life. If there were two streams where these influences came from then Homer is a mighty source of inspiration while the politics and warfare in ancient Rome provided Virgil with more materials to use. In Rome’s struggle to carve out a nation in Europe was evident in Aeneid where the hero had to travel and faced with numerous risks just so he can establish a new nation. It was Homer who provided much influence for Virgil. If Homer did not produce the Iliad and Odyssey it is hard to imagine Virgil able to make his own. This is not to take away anything form the accomplishments of Virgil but it would be almost impossible for him to write beautifully without Homer as guide. Homer did not only provide the seed from which Virgil will grow a powerful story, Homer also provided the correct format. And so putting it all together it is now very clear that Virgil was a byproduct of the events that surrounded him. Yet even before he was born, Homer’s influence and genius was already felt in many parts of the Western world. When Virgil was still very young it is easy to imagine that he was already familiar with the Iliad and Odyssey and no doubt the stories found in those epics help to shape the way he thinks. Works Cited Appelbaum, Stanley. Ed. â€Å"The Aeneid by Vergil† Trans. Charles J. Billson. Canada: Dover Publications, 1995. Cox, John. Introduction to Virgil, The Aeneid. 2008. General Education at Hope College. 03 April 2008. < http://www. hope. edu/academic/ids/171/Aeneid. html Gaskell, Philip. Ed. â€Å"Landmarks in Classical Literature† Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1999. Hemminger, Bill. Exploring Ancient World Cultures: Rome. 1997. EAWC at University of Evansville. 02 April 2008. < http://eawc. evansville. edu/ropage. htm> Hornstein, L. H. , G. D. Percy, and Calvin S. Brown. Eds. â€Å"The Reader’s Companion to World Literature† New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc. , 1973. Knight, G. R. Wilson. Trans. â€Å"The Aeneid by Virgil† New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc. , 1956. Mackay, Christopher. â€Å"Ancient Rome: A Military and Political History. † New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Mandelbaum, Allen. Trans. â€Å"The Aeneid by Virgil† California: University of California Press, 1971. Morford, Mark P. O. and Robert J. Lenardon. â€Å"Classical Mythology† 7th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Morris, Ting. â€Å"Ancient Rome. † MN: Smart Apple Media, 2007.

Art of Cooking Essay Example for Free

Art of Cooking Essay I have a passion for culinary art. My double culture, and family background was behind this love . I always thought that being half French , half Moroccan is a great mixture , but starting to cook approved it to me . I remember when I used to sneak in my mom’s kitchen, and play with the ingredients. It was a great time where I learned how to mix, and make new dishes by improvising new combinations. For example, I mixed flavors and textures that were usually never combined. Or even add new colors in my dishes that raise their beauty. I was not the only one fascinated by food. My dad a professional chef got me into the world of pastry, and Moroccan traditional food ex: â€Å"Tagine,† which is primarily used to slow-cook savory stews and vegetable dishes. Because the domed or cone-shaped lid of the tagine traps steam and returns the condensed liquid to the pot. Morocco is the culinary star of North Africa; it is the doorway between Europe and Africa. Much imperial and trade influence has been filtered, and blended into this culture. Moroccan cooking is characterized by rich spices that combine anywhere from 10 to 100 spices. French and Moroccan cooking cuisines have been subject to Berber, Moorish, Arab, and European influences. Most French dishes are known for their complex, and rich flavors, we love bread, and wines. Most of people tried some French recipes, or food without knowing that is even French. You may find them all over the world. Ex: * Crepes: a very flat pancake typically stuffed with fruit or cream. * Baguette: a long French bread loaf. * Chocolate mousse: this lighter than air dessert originated in France. * Eclair : a pastry stuffed with cream and topped with icing. * Creme Brulee : Custard topped with hard caramel. â€Å"One cannot think well, love well, and sleep well, if one has not dined well. † Art of Cooking. (2017, Mar 24).

Deepening Affirmations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Deepening Affirmations - Essay Example Generally speaking, the Deepening Affirmation opens up a world of thought that is provocative and an eye-opener. I have learned remarkably in reading the self-help book written by Benor. In it, Benor asserts the close connection between the body and the mind (1). For instance, the physical pain that a person feels is something that a body wants to communicate to that person. Although physical, at certain extent, pain also exists in one’s mind. Benor’s concept of pain is distinct from what the modern science defines the term â€Å"pain.† For him, pain is deeply related to the person’s past. When an individual experiences pain, such pain is not derived from the physical immediate environment but from his or her inner self. With this kind of pain, medicine or any sort of drug medication cannot heal the pain that a person encounters. He or she must discover for him- or herself the historical/psychological reason why the pain emerged. Benor’s idea is fascinating because such concept or theory views the pain (e.g., fear) not in the outside and immediate world but i n the inner workings of a person. Thence, pain can be reduced, if not healed completely, through the person him- or herself. Benor presents a method of how to self-help one’s self: WHEE. There is something agreeable in Benor’s idea of mind, body, and pain. In fact, I have always believed that my body and my mind are interconnected and interrelated. When I think of good thoughts, my body is at ease. And when my body is healthy and strong, my mind is far from dis-ease (borrowed from Benor). What is surprising in his method is the tapping part and the recitation of an affirmative statement. Intuitively, they sound silly. There is no quarrel with the body-mind theory but I find it ridiculous to use the WHEE method. Benor seems to compare pain with a little boy. When a boy is experiencing difficulty or discomfort, the parent or guardian usually gently taps his

Management Control Systems and Decision-Making Strategy Essay

Management Control Systems and Decision-Making Strategy - Essay Example Kober, Ng and Paul (2007, p. 427) reveal that a corporate strategy is not constant but is subject to conditions like entry into new markets or acquisitions. However, changing strategy is subject to uncertainties and deviations from defined measures that only MCS mechanisms can overcome. Although addressing deviations from actual metrics involves using diagnostic controls, uncertainties require continued dialogue and debate amongst managers and between managers and subordinates, and facilitate development and consideration of new ideas and information. Such information and ideas generated from MCS are essential for informed decision-making(Kober, et al., 2007, p. 429). Consequently, Langfield-Smith (1997, p. 210) reveals that informed decisions form the basis for strategic management, which ranges from strategic formulation to implementation. Further, the role of strategy formulation is solely a managerial activity that is concerned with establishment of strategies while strategy impl ementation is concerned with the translation of the formed strategy into actions(Porter, 1990, p. 44). The management additionally ensures that all defined strategic actions have resources and administrative systems allocated to them. The formation strategy has to respond to expected reforms to seek differentiation from competitors and seek new markets(Kober, et al., 2007, p. 447). Although the strategy informed by MCS is essential for effective organizational management, the priorities of the strategy may be insufficient to acquire competitive advantage or high organizational performance(Chenhall & Langfield-Smith, 1998, p. 243).