In What Ways Does The Character Of Othello Conform to Literary Tradition Of The Tragic Hero?

Othello is one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies entwined with death, hate and deceit. It tells the story of a well respected and admired war hero, who gradually through the play falls from grace. We are told how jealousy overcomes him so greatly that he murders his innocent lover, and how the resentful Iago seeks revenge on other characters in the play as he envies their positions of power and authority and uses lies, stealing and even murder to get revenge. Another theme explored in the play is racism. We know Othello has worked hard to overcome racial prejudices in society to reach such a point of great authority and respect, and this makes his story even more tragic because it wasn't as if all that power and status was just given to him. It was his life's work, it meant everything to him and then he lost it all. In literary tradition a tragic hero is a courageous person who has authority and power yet loses it all. The steps a tragic hero makes during his decline are entirely his own. Although influenced by another, the tragic hero always displays free will, and the decisions that lead to his demise are his own, which means that had he of been more careful his death could have been avoided. It was Othello's fault because of his lack of trust in Desdemona, which resulted in the destruction of them both. Tragic heroes do not necessarily need to die; however they do in all the plays written by Shakespeare. If they do live, then they are destined to suffer moral destruction and lose sense of what is right and wrong, blinded by their feelings and the suffering that they have experienced. It is crucial that a tragic hero possesses many good personality traits, even if he is a bad person and has evil intentions such as Macbeth, but they must all have one fatal flaw. Othello had both greatness and weakness. However Othello possessed too much greatness, and was too successful, noble and too proud and couldn't believe that he had ever been wrong. Once he lost his pride and dignity it was all over for him because he had nothing else. Othello is a successful soldier because he has overcome many dangers and is full of awe-inspiring stories of his courage, will- power, bravery and physical strength. He sounds completely dedicated to his work, and nothing seems to distract him from it as he is always completely focused on it. Every conversation he has he refers to it and we don't know that he has any other interests. Even his relationship is dominated by his work. Desdemona is captivated by his heroic stories and is full of admiration towards him; in a sense it is his status and the excitement of his amazing adventures that she has fallen in love with, not Othello himself: ‘She'd come again, and with a greedy ear Devour up my discourse.' Here Othello tells the nobles who have met to discuss battle plans, interrupted by Brabantio accusing Othello of using witchcraft to make Desdemona fall in love with him, that she started to fall in love with him when he told her the stories of the journeys he had made and the battles he had fought in. He describes her fascination with them. The word ‘greedy' suggests she was suffering from a desire to hear more and ‘devour' suggests that she was desperate to take as much of it in as possible. It could be said that the couple were always destined for sadness because they were not truly in love, just with each others' image: ‘She loved me for the dangers I and passed, And I loved her, that she did pity them' Othello is describing how he knew that she loved him for his experiences in life and courageous character, and that he loved her because she admired him so much. This is an example of how Othello is far too proud, as he loved her only because she was so full of praise for him. This makes me think that he won't be a very good husband as he is too self absorbed, and it sounds as if he is far more concerned about himself than with his wife. Maybe winning her heart was just another achievement to him. Iago is overcome with envy when Othello is sent on an urgent military mission in Cyprus and he does not receive the promotion that he was intently waiting for. Instead the position of Lieutenant is given to a young Florentine soldier Cassio. In anger Iago seeks revenge on them both for professional and personal reasons. His revenge on Othello is targeted through his relationship with his wife: he wants to make Othello feel pain and emotional upset, by convincing him that his wife is seeing Cassio behind his back and likes him above Othello, and he believes will achieve this. He knows that Othello is always used to being the one who everyone admires and looks up too and that he always gets what he wants, and always seems to win, whether in work or love. Iago wants him to feel as if there is someone better than him and that he isn't as good as he thinks he is. He plans to poison Othello against his innocent wife and frame Cassio by planting a handkerchief belonging to Desdemona in Cassio's bedchamber. Iago is fraught with jealousy as he feels that he has worked hard to achieve what he wants, putting in time and effort, yet it has been Othello who has been rewarded, through what seems like little effort and pure luck. Iago is an evil force because he is ruthlessly interfering with their relationship, something which has nothing to do with him and it isn't as if that will even make his situation any better or solve anything. It is pure revenge without any regard for their feelings. What is even worse is that during this he is acting as a friend to Othello, and it is far more painful to be struck by a friend than an enemy. Othello believes Iago is someone that he can trust and this is certainly not true. When Othello is told of Desdemona's adultery, he seems instantly convinced that it is true, which shows that he doesn't have much faith in her, or know her very well: ‘This fellows of exceeding honesty,' He seems completely decided about her immediately and believes Iago without question. We know that he does not believe Iago because of insecurity or low self-esteem, so Othello and Desdemona's relationship can never have been very good if he instantly believes Iago's word over her. He suddenly seems completely against her and starts to focus on how maybe people had tried to warn him against her, and the reasons that it wouldn't work out. He talks about both his race and age. Othello copes with this seemingly fatal blow by convincing himself that he hates Desdemona and she is a whore: ‘She's gone: I am abused, and my relief Must be to loathe her.' This puts a great deal of pressure on his pride, but to keep feeling good about himself Othello curses her, in a bid to convince himself that he is better off without her and deal with the situation. This actually shows him to have a very weak character despite his heroic image as he has to convince himself she is so terrible just to make himself feel good. In a way even at this point we could say that he is a tragic hero, as he does have some very apparent faults and we can foresee his demise. He has shown strength in body, but not in mind. Once he has been convinced of Desdemona's guilt, Othello believes that everyone is mocking him and laughing at him behind his back: ‘A fixed figure for the time of scorn'. He thinks that he has been made a fool, by Desdemona who he now sees as calculating and deceptive: ‘Patience, though young and rose lipped cherubin, Ay, there look grim as hell!' Here he is reflecting on the transformation that he feels Desdemona has made, from a pure, innocent heavenly creature of beauty to a fierce, evil, cunning whore. This is a contrast between good and evil, with the images of heaven and hell, which we could compare to the themes of good and evil in the play represented by Desdemona and Iago. The language at this time of the play moves very swiftly from positive to negative, as if we can feel the evil Iago has created gradually spreading everywhere. We can also see in the quote language which is very poetic, and a great use of metaphors such as how he refers to Desdemona as a ‘cherubin' as she seemed so good and innocent. This is unusual for Othello as earlier in the play he scorns his own use of poetic language: ‘I prattle out of fashion†¦' (act2scene1) Here he is referring to his speech to Desdemona after their arrival in Cyprus, and is admitting to himself that he is usually a far more plain speaker without fancy language or poetic phrases. This would suggest that either Desdemona brings out a different more romantic side in him, or that he is playing a role in front of her to convince them both that he is a perfect lover as well as soldier. Now by using this poetic style language, which he scorned before, to convey his anger the audience are struck by the feeling that he has been encompassed by some kind of change, and it signifies the success of Iago's plan. The final scene of Othello is constructed in such a way that speeches of dramatic eloquence are entwined with straightforward dialogue. Othello is now completely convinced that he must kill Desdemona, and he tries to justify himself by saying he is doing it for the good of other men. I think another flaw in Othello's character is that his work, fighting as a hero for his people and killing enemies, is so much a part of even his everyday life, that he has become blinded by jealousy and in a kind of madness is suggesting that killing Desdemona has to be done as part of his duty. What really makes him a tragic hero is that he had led himself to believe that what he is about to do is correct, yet he still loves her and so he is confused. Othello talks about what he is going to do as if it is something that has to be done, as if he is putting an animal out of its misery: ‘It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul:' He thinks that he is sacrificing her to an ideal rather than murdering her in vengeful hatred. A lot of emphasis is now placed on her beauty, especially the whiteness of her skin. Othello tells himself that he has to kill Desdemona, yet he does not want to ruin this beauty: ‘Yet I'll not shed her blood, Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow.' The whiteness of her skin described makes us think about her purity and innocence, and it is another contrast with colour, light things personifying goodness. This makes us think of the good and evil in the play again. He is trying to avoid marking her body as she is so pretty. Maybe he also does not want to damage her body because he is convinced that he is doing a good thing and helping her, and he doesn't think that it needs to be a violent slaughter just a quiet sacrifice. He no longer thinks about his anger, but just wants to do what he considers has to be done. By believing what he is about to do is the right thing Othello is following the typical ‘fall' of a tragic hero, acting on what he believes to be true and thinking that his actions are correct. Again we think of her purity and goodness when he talks about ‘putting out the light' which personifies her as a light in reference to her life. He also refers to her as a rose, which shows that he is keen to compare her to things that appear to be nice, maybe because we know that he stills appreciates her beauty, or maybe because he see's it as a disguise: ‘When I have plucked the rose, I cannot give it vital growth again.' This is a euphemism for death. From the second line we know that Othello realises what he is about to do is irreversible: the words ‘vital growth' mean that once he has plucked the rose (Desdemona) and taken her life, he cannot give it back again. This may show that he has given the murder some thought, but he certainly has not considered it rationally or thought about the consequences of his actions. It think that the way Othello is now using metaphors to describe everything it proves that he is not thinking clearly and that he is caught up in some kind of obsession, quite apart from reality. By never referring to it directly, it makes us think he is not looking at the whole situation in a sensible or wise way. By kissing Desdemona one last time, Othello shows that he is still drawn to her and loves her, yet he doesn't want to believe it. It builds up a lot of tension for the audience because right until the last moment we are still wondering if he will reconsider and change his mind, as it is obvious there is still love there. He wants to remember her the way she was when he was in love with her, charming and beautiful and not betraying or cheating on him. It is obvious that he values perfection, and he would rather her be dead and beautiful than alive and hurting him and causing trouble. During this part of the play Othello has been so taken over by evil that, as an audience, we start to hate him and feel anger at his violence, jealousy and severe misjudgement of his wife. I think also we can recognise a certain naivety within his character, for trusting someone's word enough to kill the person he cares for most in the world. In the final few minutes of the play when Othello is confronted with the reality of what he has done by the other men, he is full of remorse and can see that he has made a terrible mistake. He tries to remind them of the man of greatness that he once was: ‘I have done the state some service and they know't' Here he is remembering how noble he used to be and he is reminding them of what he has done for them all in his heroic past. Maybe he is also trying to reassure himself that he has been a good person in his life before now, and of the good things that he has achieved. He asks the men there to speak of him how he really is, and to talk about his behaviour the way it was: ‘Speak of me as I am: nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice.' He is asking them not to excuse his actions, but not to talk of him brutally either. He wants them to tell the truth as they see or believe it, and to think about his reasons. This shows that he is trying to keep some dignity and that he values honesty in people, which suggests that still he is a good person. He describes himself as a person that does not usually get jealous, but was ‘wrought' with it, and ‘perplexed in the extreme'. Again he uses poetic language to express how he feels: ‘Like the base Indian threw a pearl away'. Here he is using another metaphor, this time to describe how he just threw Desdemona's life away and destroyed her, and how he was unaware of her true value and ignorant about the special person that she was. In the end all tragic heroes come to terms with what they have done, and realise that they have made terrible mistakes and have been acting without reason but on their emotions. Othello then takes the decision to end his own life, as he feels that he has been reduced to nothing and has lost everything he ever worked for. He has completely fallen from grace and meets the stereotyped image of a tragic hero perfectly as he goes from courageous hero to the disgraceful position of a murderer. He talks about himself as two people: ‘Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk, Beat a Venetian and traduced the state' He sees himself as both an honourable soldier and a murderous lover, but he doesn't want to live as what he has been reduced to. He can't live with himself after realising what he has done and the full extent of his actions. He may kill himself because he feels that he deserves it for doing such a think, but I also think that his dignity plays a big part as he wants to retain some of that and his pride. He refers to himself as a ‘Turk' in this passage, which of course his is, but he has always been recognised as part of the Venetian society, and never referred to as that. He is trying to make the point that he is their servant and enemy and will never truly be one of them because of his colour. By this we can tell that he truly has lost all his pride and self assurance, as he never made any statements about this before and always believed in himself and that he could succeed. It has all been the simple emotion of jealousy inside him that has caused the deaths of an innocent woman, a brave and noble man and a passionate love affair. I think that Othello is a true tragic hero because he goes from such a height of greatness to such shame and disgrace. He loses everything. He clearly makes his own decisions, even though he is greatly influenced by Iago. Then at the end of the play he recognises his mistakes and sees his fatal flaw: that he was too trusting of Iago and that jealousy blinded his love, and led him to become what he has. His character has changed – from the beginning of the play, where he is confident, proud and well-respected – to the end when he is remorseful, full of shame and looked down on in disgrace. However he has remained determined all the time to do what he believes, and has always been honest even though people haven't been with him. The play evokes feelings of frustration and sadness: frustration at the ignorance of Othello about the characters around him, and sadness at the cost of his actions, and loss of an innocent life. Othello is completely in the tradition of a literary tragic hero and dies a victim of his own making.

Boy in Striped Pajamas

BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS – TOPIC 2 In the novel Boy in The Striped Pyjamas, prejudice and discrimination are shown to have many negative effects on many of the characters such as Bruno, Shumel, Father, Mother and Kotler. In my essay I will explore this idea in relation to the novel. Discrimination, (or in other words negatively putting someone down but not physical hurting or touching them in anyway) is taken place in Boy in The Striped Pyjamas by many different people such as Gretel, by following Kotler’s decisions Gretel is discriminating because she is supporting the Germans belief.Prejudice on the other hand, (is another word for negative physical contact such as kicking, hitting or even killing) in Boy in Striped Pyjamas this is shown by the Father, Hitler. Also Kotler beating up Pavel over he had miss poured the wine. One of the most obvious examples of discrimination in this novel is the concentration camp and the negative effect it has on the Jewish prisoners. The fence that is separating Bruno and Shumel is there for a reason because of race, religion and culture. Shumel is living in fear, depression and is slowly emaciated, not only does he feel sad and isolated it is how he has been treated.In the book the writer says that Bruno looks and Shumel and ‘He stares at the floor and looking as if he was trying to convince his soul not to live inside his tiny body anymore’ he sits there in the rough dirty ground. Pavel is the butler at Bruno’s house and is also a Jew, like Shumel. When Bruno hurts himself on the tire swing he comes across Pavel and learns a bit about him. That he was a doctor but then got taken into the concentration camp and got everything taken away from him his clothes, family and food. Bruno was surprised and puzzled.Later on when Kotler comes to Bruno’s house form dinner Kotler gets mad at a conversation they were having and his temper rises. Kotler ask’s Pavel for wine, he had become w eak and was trembling and limping a fair amount, Pavel he spills the wine all over Kotler and end up with Pavel in a serious condition. Despite the more powerful position of the Germans, the discrimination that takes place in the novel affects all the characters negatively. Mother is afraid of the concentration camp being too close to the house and is scared of the terrifying consequences it could, and did lead to.When Bruno and Shumel knew more about each other and realised that they weren’t meant to be friends but they looked further than that. Once Bruno and Shumel became greater friends Shumel asked Bruno a favour, to come over that side of the fence to find Shumel’s father. When Bruno accepts and goes ahead with it they get in trouble and get cramped in tightly by groups of 100’s and 100’s of adults they get sucked into the gas chamber and Bruno and Shumel die. The act of discrimination and prejudice ultimately led to the death of Bruno and Shumelâ⠂¬â„¢s life.Father, Hitler and Kotler were the three main prejudice leaders in this novel Father the commandant directing the soldiers to complete the ‘The Final Solution’ led to death for all Jews and sadly Bruno and Shumel as well. Father never felt the same way again he felt guilty that they had taken away so many lives, innocent lives and couldn’t even imagine how so many of them felt like that for most of their lives. Mother wasn’t happy about the decision in the first place and felt unsecure about the whole Out-with thing, she knew it would end up to something bad but did expect it like that.By the end of the novel Father was shocked, distressed and very heartbroken about Bruno’s death and realised that he hadn’t taken much notice of Bruno till then. When the soldiers took him away, because he wasn’t doing his job properly he didn’t care what they did or where going to do all he cared about was Bruno and his Family. Eventu ally they all moved back to Berlin after a few weeks, which was also not much different because of grandmother, but they couldn’t handle the pain in Out-with. But no matter where they are in the world, they will never forget about Bruno, ever. Boy in Striped Pajamas BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS – TOPIC 2 In the novel Boy in The Striped Pyjamas, prejudice and discrimination are shown to have many negative effects on many of the characters such as Bruno, Shumel, Father, Mother and Kotler. In my essay I will explore this idea in relation to the novel. Discrimination, (or in other words negatively putting someone down but not physical hurting or touching them in anyway) is taken place in Boy in The Striped Pyjamas by many different people such as Gretel, by following Kotler’s decisions Gretel is discriminating because she is supporting the Germans belief.Prejudice on the other hand, (is another word for negative physical contact such as kicking, hitting or even killing) in Boy in Striped Pyjamas this is shown by the Father, Hitler. Also Kotler beating up Pavel over he had miss poured the wine. One of the most obvious examples of discrimination in this novel is the concentration camp and the negative effect it has on the Jewish prisoners. The fence that is separating Bruno and Shumel is there for a reason because of race, religion and culture. Shumel is living in fear, depression and is slowly emaciated, not only does he feel sad and isolated it is how he has been treated.In the book the writer says that Bruno looks and Shumel and ‘He stares at the floor and looking as if he was trying to convince his soul not to live inside his tiny body anymore’ he sits there in the rough dirty ground. Pavel is the butler at Bruno’s house and is also a Jew, like Shumel. When Bruno hurts himself on the tire swing he comes across Pavel and learns a bit about him. That he was a doctor but then got taken into the concentration camp and got everything taken away from him his clothes, family and food. Bruno was surprised and puzzled.Later on when Kotler comes to Bruno’s house form dinner Kotler gets mad at a conversation they were having and his temper rises. Kotler ask’s Pavel for wine, he had become w eak and was trembling and limping a fair amount, Pavel he spills the wine all over Kotler and end up with Pavel in a serious condition. Despite the more powerful position of the Germans, the discrimination that takes place in the novel affects all the characters negatively. Mother is afraid of the concentration camp being too close to the house and is scared of the terrifying consequences it could, and did lead to.When Bruno and Shumel knew more about each other and realised that they weren’t meant to be friends but they looked further than that. Once Bruno and Shumel became greater friends Shumel asked Bruno a favour, to come over that side of the fence to find Shumel’s father. When Bruno accepts and goes ahead with it they get in trouble and get cramped in tightly by groups of 100’s and 100’s of adults they get sucked into the gas chamber and Bruno and Shumel die. The act of discrimination and prejudice ultimately led to the death of Bruno and Shumelâ⠂¬â„¢s life.Father, Hitler and Kotler were the three main prejudice leaders in this novel Father the commandant directing the soldiers to complete the ‘The Final Solution’ led to death for all Jews and sadly Bruno and Shumel as well. Father never felt the same way again he felt guilty that they had taken away so many lives, innocent lives and couldn’t even imagine how so many of them felt like that for most of their lives. Mother wasn’t happy about the decision in the first place and felt unsecure about the whole Out-with thing, she knew it would end up to something bad but did expect it like that.By the end of the novel Father was shocked, distressed and very heartbroken about Bruno’s death and realised that he hadn’t taken much notice of Bruno till then. When the soldiers took him away, because he wasn’t doing his job properly he didn’t care what they did or where going to do all he cared about was Bruno and his Family. Eventu ally they all moved back to Berlin after a few weeks, which was also not much different because of grandmother, but they couldn’t handle the pain in Out-with. But no matter where they are in the world, they will never forget about Bruno, ever.

Critical review of a research paper from the literature Essay

Orthotic devices, though very useful in treating lower extremity injuries, have become very expensive, which makes many patients be unable to afford them. This proves to be a challenge to the many patients in need of these healthcare services. As a result of this, semi-custom alternatives were introduced in the market in order to act as alternatives to successful treatment of these injuries (Zifchock and Davis 2008: 1287). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the success of these devices, especially when treating people who have extreme cases of either high or low arches. A research was subsequently carried out in a laboratory which was equipped to analyse the comfort levels and rearfoot kinematics of the subjects. These subjects were thirty seven in number and were subjected to various tests, which included their behavior under semi-orthotics, custom orthotics and no-orthotic conditions. The findings of the study showed that both semi-orthotics and custom orthotics had reasonably high success rates in the reduction of excursion and eversion velocity. The custom orthotics had a higher success rate in reducing the eversion excursion. However, the semi-orthotics realised higher success rates in comfort among high arched subjects, especially in the arch and heel regions. Generally, the research findings proved that the semi-orthotics were reasonably practical alternatives to custom orthotics in terms of controlling the rearfoot motion and comfort. Critical review. The authors begin the paper by explaining the success of the foot orthotics, which they place at 75%. They also explain the uses of these devices with regards to correction of deformities, and they explain that the devices are used in extreme problems that occur in the lower part of the body. Such areas include the Achilles tendonitis and the anterior knee. The authors further explain the reasons behind the success of these devices, and their prohibitive costs which make many people be unable to afford them. The authors in this case have discussed a lot about the orthotics but have not really defined what they are. In fact, a lay man, may have no idea of what the subject of the study is. The authors should have began by explaining that foot orthotics are special devices that correct or support musculoskeletal abnormalities or deformities, that occur in the lower parts of the human body, such as the legs (Advanced Orthotic Designs 2008). They should have explained the nature of these devices through the use of a diagram, if possible. The authors further explain the prohibitive nature in the cost of these orthotic devices and go further to give the price range, which they place between $100 and $400. The authors must be commended for giving the price range, since it gives the readers of the article an insight of how affordable these devices are. However, the authors may have gone further and explained the reasons for this large price range and explained which types of orthotic devices cost $100, and which ones cost $400. The semi-orthotics are thereafter introduced to the article, and the authors explain how they are made. They explain that moulds are created based on the measurements of a person’s foot, and also explain the cost benefits that are gained through this alternative. However, since the authors have not described how custom orthotics is developed, it is difficult to use the creation process of semi-orthotics described by the author to understand the difference between the two. The authors go on to describe the differences that people with excessively high and low arches face. They also go into detail explain the purpose of the study, which had been briefly discussed in the abstract page. The next phase is the introduction of the research methods. Research Methods. The research used a priori analysis, which only requires 18 subjects. The researchers used 37 subjects; 19 low-arched and 18 high-arched. It is clear that the number of low arched subjects were higher than the number of high arched subjects. Since the research tests the subjects in terms of low arch and high arch characteristics at this stage, it is fair to say that they should have both been given a level ground when testing these characteristics. The number of subjects should have been the same, in order not to introduce bias in the experiment (Yin 2003: 62-67). The fact that the low arched subjects are more increases the probability that testing them will produce a lesser margin of error, since the sample size is higher. The average age of the subjects was 23. 6 years, 66. 5 kilograms in weight and 1. 7 metres in height. There were 20 females and 17 males. The number of females is greater than that of males. Since the genders are being tested for similar characteristics, they should have been equal in number so that any conclusions made in terms of gender can be accurate. Since females are more, it means that there will be a lesser margin of error due to a larger sample size, as opposed to their male counterparts. Any subjects who had injuries did not take part in the experiment, which is a good decision, since the injuries would have affected the results of the research. The measurement of the arches using an arch height index system of measurement is commendable since it is a very accurate system of measurement. Subsequently, measurements of the feet of these subjects were performed, and the plaster casts created by professionals. After being developed, the subjects received the casts without knowing if they were custom or semi custom. The decision not to inform the subjects was wise, since it would prevent bias or manipulation of results (Tansky and Heneman 2006: 123-125). However, the authors do not mention the checks and balances which were developed to prevent the manufacturers from manipulating the manufacturing process, which would have enabled them to manipulate the results. This is very important information which the authors did not give, since custom manufacturers are likely to manipulate the results to favour them and vice versa. Processing of data was done through the Visual 3D software, mixed ANOVAs amongst other means. Statistical significance used was 0. 05. The authors should have mentioned the various strengths and weaknesses of the data processing methods and other hardware and software used. The conflict of interest notes at the end of research briefly explains some of these concerns. Results. The general results indicated that both the semi orthotics and the custom orthotics considerably reduced excursion and eversion velocity. The custom orthotic significantly reduced eversion velocity in comparison to the no-orthotic conditions. This was similarly observed in the semi-orthotic conditions. When comfort was analysed, the findings revealed that the semi-orthotic devices significantly improved comfort in the heel region, in high arched individuals. These findings reveal that the semi custom orthotic is just as effective as the custom orthotic. However there is a lack of clear information on the exact differences between the two, in terms of superiority. It is not disclosed if indeed the custom orthetics are superior to the semi-custom orthetics. The major aim of the experiment appears to be the measurement of performance of the custom orthetics and the semi-orthetics, in relation to the characteristics of the subject of the study. There is very little comparison between the two types of orthetics, on their own. We cannot therefore tell which is superior, and for what reasons. This can be said to be one weakness of the study. Methodology. The authors used case studies, academic journals as sources of information. These methods of collecting information can be classified as secondary sources of information. This is because they are obtained from research carried out by other people. According to Gall et al. (2003: 78-83), advantages of using academic journals include the fact that they more reliable than most sources of information, since they are written by scholars who are experts in the field of study. This makes the probability of making errors or having bias reasonably low. They can also be accessed at low costs over the Internet and cover a wide range of topics. Finally, according According to Kothari (2005: 53-62), they are useful when carrying out exploratory studies, where there is limited information on the subject of the study. However, just as other sources of secondary data, there are limitations of using these forms of data (Maxwell 2000). The first weakness of the use of secondary sources of data is the inability to seek confirmation or further explanations from the authors of the work. This is due to the reason that unlike some methods of collecting data such as observation, there is a very low possibility of seeking audience with the authors and getting further explanations on the topic of study. According to Steinberg (2004), another weakness is that the researchers face the possibility if relying on biased information when conducting their research, which may distort their findings. If the original author was biased when conducting the research, then relying on the same information may lead to inaccurate findings and conclusions. However, it has been seen that the possibility of this risk has been reduced through the use of academic journals when conducting the research. Finally, the authors must be commended for conducting a comprehensive research, judging from the vast number and credibility of the references. They used over twenty references, most of which are academic journals, which enabled them to acquire a detailed report on the subject of study. Conclusions and recommendations. The overall research paper has been seen to have relied on a comprehensive research, judging from the validity of the references. The research method was also consistent with the expectations of this type of experiment. However, there were a few flaws that needed to be addressed. In analyzing the format of a research paper, it becomes clear that the hypothesis is missing from this research. The statement of hypothesis is absent, and though the authors explain the intention of the research, the lack of it may make some people question the authenticity and validity of the research paper (Creswell 2000: 52-58). Another weakness that was discussed involved the use of secondary sources of data to obtain information. The authors did not present these weaknesses to the readers, or other people who will rely on the same research when conducting future researches. In future, they should explain the weaknesses of the studies in order for readers to know the risks involved when relying on the same (Hinkel 2005: 239). In summary, the research can be said to be a success, since the weaknesses are far much lesser than the strengths of the research. Bibliography. Advanced Orthotic Designs. 2008. What is an orthotic device? Retrieved on January 19, 2009 from . Creswell, J. W. 2002. Research Design: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Method Approaches. New York: SAGE Gall, M. D. , Borg, W. R. , Gall, J. P. (2003). Educational research: An introduction. New York: Longman. Hinkel, E. 2005. Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning. London: Routledge. Kothari, C. R. 2005. Research Methodology: Techniques & Methods. New York: New Age Publishers. Maxwell, J. A. 2000. Qualitative research design. Retrieved on January 19, 2009 from . Steinberg, D. M. 2004. Social work students research handbook. Retrieved on January 19, 2009 from . Tansky, J. W. , Heneman, R. L. (2006). Human Resource Strategies for the High Growth Entrepreneurial Firm. London: IAP. Yin, R. K. 2003. Case study research methods and designs. New York: SAGE. Zifchock, R. A. , Davis, I. 2008. A comparison of semi-custom and custom foot orthotic devices in high and low arched individuals during walking. Retrieved on January 19, 2009 from .

Role of Organizational Culture in Change management Essay

Role of Organizational Culture in Change management - Essay Example Organizational change is a subject of high interest for both business researchers and academic researchers. Recent researches have mostly focused on the forces that lead to continuous changes within the organizations (Harigopal, 2006). According to Gibson and Barsade (2003), the forces of change cause organizations to rethink the deeply rooted cultural beliefs and values. In addition, the beliefs and values are also modified for the principal purpose of surviving in the shifting business landscape and coping up with intense competition. The dramatic amplification of markets, products, robust competition as well as enhanced technology has led business world to witness and experience a dynamic environment. Companies that have been able to flourish and maintain a strong market position are those which have learned how to effectively manage organizational change and respond to the environmental turbulence. Most of the organizations are aware of the need for change, but the challenge lies in the implementation process and effectively managing the internal resistance being offered by some group of employees. This study investigated on the role of organizational culture in change management and found that organizational culture to be a playing an important and positive role in managing the implementation of change. The methodology adopted for a study is extremely important as it gives direction to a study. In this study, only secondary data sources will be used to collect data. The secondary sources will be using journal articles, books, and authentic electronic sources. The conclusion to this study will be drawn by deducing the theories presented by the scholars about the area of concern. Hence a deductive approach will be taken to address the topic of study. Review of Literature Organizational culture is defined as a system of assumptions, values, norms, and attitudes, manifested through symbols which the members of an organization have developed and adopted through mutual experience and which help them determine the meaning of the world around them and how to behave in it (Janićijević, 2011, p.26). The author also believes that one of the vital components of management, which gets highly impacted by the organizational culture, is the organizational change management. The cultural assumption as well as the values shared by the members of the organization establishes the course in which managers

Interwar Period Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interwar Period - Dissertation Example The women of Russia were beginning to ask for equality, they wanted the government to appreciate them, and by 1921 women in Russia were once again demanding the government provide them with more bread, as times continued to be rough during the transitional period. However, regardless of whether all of the ideas regarding women were fully realized, the ideas themselves still proved to be radical and influential. Throughout 1917 to 1920, Lenin proclaimed that he sought to provide women with the equality they deserved from the efforts they made during the October revolution. He made his opinion known that, through socialism, the classes would become equal and, as a result, the sexes would as well. Although there were small steps made in creating the equality of women that he spoke about, there were large leaps made in ideology that presented a view of gender equality that remains revolutionary for the time and a model for women’s rights movements.

Direct & eMarketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Direct & eMarketing - Essay Example To assert that the internet is just another channel to market is an understatement. It has revolutionized the way in which marketing is done. The advent of the New Media and Internet has increased possibilities of online marketing and internet retailing with new features of interactive shopping, pod casting and e-marketing. Consumers are connected to online shopping sites with WiFi, Internet or 3G mobile phones. E commerce has taken a new dimension in retailing with increasing number of people shopping online and even making flight bookings online (Papers4you.com, 2006). There is a range of access platforms such as web, e-mail, mobile phones and interactive digital TV that comprise the online channels which e-marketers use to build and develop relationships with customers. E-marketing, as specialists of CISCO puts it, "is a generic term utilized for a wide range of activities - advertising, customer communications, branding, fidelity programs - using the internet. More than the simple development of a website, e-marketing focuses on online communications, direct dialog with consumers who thus participate to the creation of new products, finding efficient methods to win customer's fidelity and ease their business-making process. eMarketing is the sum of activities a company makes with the purpose of finding, attracting, winning and retaining customers" (Otlacan, 2005). Accordingly, e-marketing allows relational exchanges in digital, networked and interactive environments. As a way of online shopping, e-marketing include service providers selling services and retail businesses selling items to customers and auctioneers as well who create marketplaces where citizens can buy and sell goods through the internet (Summers, Smith, et al, 2003). The tools used are a wide array of electronic possibilities that very much involve electronic mails. Practical illustrations of how internet marketing works are observed in the processes on which eBay, Yahoo! and Amazon.com undertake to facilitate its business. People who've got used to eBay don't often stop to think how amazing it is - an online marketplace where you can buy things from all over the world, without leaving your home. You can get things that you would never think anyone would bother to sell, and you can get them cheaply. The powerful search engine means that you can find things you'll like without even knowing exactly what you're looking for. Customers can buy goods from these online shopping sites by logging on to their websites (www.ebay.com). As online retailers, these businesses provide customers with pictures and descriptions of the products posted for sales transactions. In the case of Amazon.com, customer reviews of their books in addition to the book descriptions are provided. The sales process is conducted with the use of credit cards. Customers are required to enter the information from the credit card into the computer. With the information coming from the credit card, the modem sends out the details to the financial institution. Credit card is undoubtedly the dominant method of payment used to shop online. As the popularity of online shopping grows, many online retailers have increased their credit card security on their websites. Online retailers use encryption technology to make credit card information more secure and provide the padlock or unbroken key symbols in the

Journal opinion article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Journal opinion article - Essay Example This is used to measure the firms’ price changes which they receive by offering their goods and services. However, the declining energy prices along with controlled inflation were mutually agreed upon by 0.1%. There are few economists who rather than accepting that they couldn’t forecast well, put the blame on Labor Department. However, in order to foresee the price pressure expected to build on the economy, PPI is used which shows the sign of inflation. Traditionally it is not monitored so closely as compare to personal consumption and consumer price. Since January, The Labor Department has started including prices for their services along with the goods prices so that they can be able to keep a track of economic activity. As per their one of the economists, this revamped measure increased the PPI coverage but now they feel that their efforts of keeping everything transparent with respect to economy are something they are achieving at the fullest. This also shows that they need to adopt some volatile actions particularly for trade services. There were some changes experienced in sub-index profit margins at retailers as well as whole sellers. On the other hand one of the biggest jumps of 1.5% on record was observed in October. The economist somehow also missed seasonal adjustments, which are a statistical technique used to eradicate the weather impact, holidays etc. All distortions will be removed by the passage of a complete calendar year pertaining to poor seasonal adjustment, and on a monthly basis the seasonal adjustment process over or make the corrections in the raw price changes will result strangely. The Chief Economist quoted that this jump reflects technically and does not indicate and twist in the trend. He also said that he believes that due to statistical quirk they are experiencing increase in trade services. One of the factors causing this scenario might be slim profit margins, due to which minimal boost in profits

Henry Ford the founder of the Ford Motor Company Essay

Henry Ford the founder of the Ford Motor Company - Essay Example In his youth, Henry knew how to help his parents with the farm chores. However, instead of establishing himself in the agriculture, Henry became more inclined into mechanics, machinery, understanding how things worked and what new possibilities lay in store. As a young boy, he took apart everything he got his hands on. He quickly became known around the neighborhood for fixing people's watches ("Henry Ford"). Although he was deprived of formal education, Henry knows a lot about machinery and he knows how to make small machineries work. At fifteen, he was able to build his own steam engine and at sixteen years old, young Henry left Dearborn and went to the town's nearby city. In Detroit, he worked as an apprentice machinist. For three years, he remained in the same company working as an apprentice although there are times when he goes back to his hometown and helps his parents with the farm. Being responsible both to his job as well as to his family, he makes time to go home and repairing and overhauling his father's farm equipments at the same time working in Detroit. When Henry became an engineer at Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit in 1891, he strongly dedicated himself to the industrial business and production. His pursuits were geared towards the further development of the industry that would benefit not only the rich but those who belonged to the middle class. His promotion to Chief Engineer in 1893 gave him enough time and money to devote attention to his personal experiments on internal combustion engines ("The Life"). He had several experiments involving combustion engines, yet it had concluded when he was able to make his own self-propelled vehicle in 1896 - the Quadricycle ("The Life"). It was the first "horseless carriage" that he actually built. It had four wire wheels that looked like heavy bicycle wheels, was steered with a tiller like a boat, and had only two forward speeds with no reverse. It may have been way too far from the vehicles that the modern society now has as well as from the cars that he himself had produced later, yet it was the most significant and the most meaningful accomplishment that Henry had had in the past. It was with this vehicle when the Ford business came to reality. It was only with the creation of the Quadricycle when Henry's experiments became real. With the Quadricycle, his theories no longer remained as is - like the gas engine he built on his kitchen table in the 1890's, which was just an engine with nothing to power. The Quadricycle showed enough popularity and potential that it launched the beginning of Ford's business ventures ("Henry Ford"). Although Ford was not the first to build a self-propelled vehicle with a gasoline engine, he was, however, one of several automotive pioneers who helped this country become a nation of motorists ("The Life"). In 1899 Ford left Edison to help run the Detroit Automobile Company. Cars were still built essentially one at a time. On the other hand, Henry hoped to incorporate the ideas from other industries in order to create a more efficient vehicle. He wanted to mix together the various characteristics from other industries such as the standardized parts as Eli Whitney had used with gun manufacturing or assembly line methods George Eastman tried in photo processing. Yet, instead of encouragement, Henry was left with many criticisms about how absurd and foolish his ideas may be. As such, he quit Detroit

(Storey & Co) case study analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

(Storey & Co) case study analysis - Essay Example The top 4 factors identified are talent retention, effective communication, leadership retention and cultural integration (Stahl et al. 2004). Another important factor that has been seen to influence this acquisition negatively is the insecurity it induces in the acquired firm’s employees (Stahl and Bjorkman. 2006). This has direct implications on employee morale of the acquired firm. The uncertainty of the entire operation can lead to insecurities about their job in the minds of the acquired firm’s employees. We have seen that so far no communication has happened with regards to this acquisition. National cultures also play an important role in cross-border acquisitions. In our case also cultural integration holds the key to successful merger. Storey is used to a high handed culture where they impose their own practices over the acquired firm. For example, British people are more neutral in expressing their emotions at work place as compared to Americans (Hoecklin 1995 ). This means that American working style is more expressive and open than British. This can be seen in our case also as the owners of Gittins & Edwards propagated an informal culture while Storey had a very heavy handed acquisition experiences in the past. Hence, the heavy handed attitude of Storey can emanate negative responses from the more open and informal acquired company. (Bowen, Galang and Pillai 2002). The employees of Storey have been seen to exert their policies on to the new firm it acquires. This can lead to major attrition and loss of talent as there is a major cultural difference in the two firms’ operating styles. The environment within an organization is highly dependent on the attitudes and values of its present and past leaders (Bhattacharya 2010). This has implications for our case as well. The leaders at Gittins & Edwards show a very informal but commercial style, while the British communication style is very formal. Hence the employees of the acquired firm will not

Coupon Accounting Abuse Essay Example for Free

Coupon Accounting Abuse Essay The incentive, opportunity, and rationalization to commit fraud have plagued business organizations for many years. There are numerous ways that managers and employees can commit fraud. This makes it a necessity for businesses to have quality internal controls that help prevent fraudulent activity. However, even with the best set of controls businesses are still susceptible of fraud. This paper will concentrate on the case study concerning coupon accounting abuse and will answer questions pertaining to company controls, ways to prevent coupon abuse, parties who may be harmed, and the type of fraud presented in the case. Coupon Accounting Abuse Question 1: Discuss whether the situation described can happen to a company with a good control environment. It is imperative for a company to have good accounting internal controls. A company that has a good control environment will help deter fraud, but these controls can only provide a company with reasonable assurance. In this situation the brand manager is committing the fraud. This would make it very hard even for a company with good controls to detect fraud. In what is known as management override, managers can simply circumvent a company’s internal controls. Question 2: Describe any steps a company could take to prevent such abuse. There are many steps that a company can take to prevent fraud abuse. A company should implement a strong code of ethics policy. Every manager and employee should be trained and very aware of the policy. This will help in maintaining the integrity of the workforce. There should be a strong screening process that includes background checks to help ensure the company is hiring honest employees. There should also be a segregation of duties. In this case the brand manager has complete control over estimating the coupon liability. This estimate should be approved by another manager at the company. The company should inform independent and internal auditors of the significance that coupons can have on the company’s financial statements. A risk management group should be established whose task is to facilitate and co-ordinate the overall risk management process. Depending on the size and nature of the organization, the risk management group may be in the form of a committee who meet from time to time (CIMA, 2009). Question 3: List those parties who might be harmed by this situation. Fraud is often mistakenly considered a victimless crime. However, fraud can have considerable social and psychological effects on individuals, businesses and society (CIMA, 2009). In this situation the brand manager is harming multiple parties. When the manager replaces the 4% estimated redemption rate with 2% he is increasing revenue making the company look more profitable than it really was. This is misleading to managers and shareholders who are reading the financial statements. It could be detrimental to the business if managers think a brand is doing better than it really is. The shareholder will also be impacted in the coming year because of the added liability expenses. The brand manager is putting himself at risk to be harmed because if he is caught his job will be terminated and he will be prosecuted. Question 4: Do you consider this example to be management fraud or employee fraud? I consider this to be management fraud. Management fraud often involves senior or high level management’s intentional misrepresentation of financial statements, theft or improper use of accompany resources. Employee fraud involves a non-senior employee theft or improper use of company resources (Gottlieb, 2011). The fraud that was committed was by the brand manager who developed a myopic view and knew that he would be managing another brand in the next year. This situation is becoming increasingly common in the workplace. In order to combat fraud and white collar crime in businesses, a concerted effort must be exerted by the management of the business, the external auditors, and by all employees of the business. Everyone must realize that fraud is not a victimless crime. The cost of fraud and theft are shared by all through higher costs and lower corporate profits. Through adequate internal controls by management, better working environments for employees, more stringent requirements for external auditors, and codes of ethics for employees, everyone can start to combat frauds and defalcations within corporate America (Farrell, Franco, 1999).

Corporate Governance and Financial Scandals in India

Corporate Governance and Financial Scandals in India INTRODUCTION: This research will identify Corporate Governance in India and the reasons of its failures that lead to the financial scandals in India. As the big companies, Enron and WorldCom, illegal operations were disclosed; the worlds business came into shock. Many other companies in the world came under this attack like Parmalat in Italy, all had problems in their corporate governance. This showed that the whole world had a problem in their corporate governance. Unlike the developed countries, the developing countries had corporate governance as the main issue far before these scandals took place as corporate governance and the economic development are linked as this helps in development of financial system which results in increase of growth and reduction in the poverty. Thus research tells us why there are corporate governance failures in big organizations and explains the factors that influence the corporate governance like ownership structure, structure of company board, financial structur e, etc. LITERATURE REVIEW: 1.1.1 Corporate Governance: An overview Corporate Governance is an extensive term that refers that the rules, processes, responsibilities and the privileges are shared by the corporate participants. It basically says that how the investors assure that they get a return on their investment. It is the decision making committee by which the managers work on their duties in order to maximize investors wealth. Acc to Keasey et. al.(2005) approaches Corporate Governance as, â€Å"Corporate Governance has two requirements, micro level and macro level. At the micro level it needs to ensure that the firm, as a productive organization, functions in pursuit of its objectives. Thus if we follow the traditional Anglo-American conception of the firm as a device to further the well being of its owner-shareholders, good governance is a matter of ensuring that the decisions are taken and implemented in the pursuit of shareholder value. At the macro level corporate governance, in the words of Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, Ã¢â‚¬Ë œhas evolved to more effectively promote the allocation of the nations savings to its most productive use. â€Å" A good corporate governance should aim at long term benefits to the shareholders and other stakeholders. It can reduce the national financial crises. Corporate governance and currency depreciation have inverse relationship. Asian crisis of 1997 is one example of poor corporate governance norms. The manager should be working in the interest of the shareholders. Managers have the control over the business and may not act in the benefit of the shareholders. This is the common problem all over the world. On the whole a good corporate governance can help in preventing the financial scandals that happened in the world. 1.1.2 Corporate Governance in India: In India, corporate governance was not understood till early 1990s. Indian legal system is based on the English common law and gives the highest protection to the investors and to lenders as well. The corruption rate is very high in India. The most important development in corporate governance and investors protection in India is the establishment of the Securities and Exchange Board of India in 1992,(Chakrabarti et. at.,2007). It was established to monitor the stock trading which helped in making the basic rules for the conduct of corporate in India. Reforms were made to make the people rely more on market than on government. The public sector was targeted inorder to make it more efficient and to bring out the government holdings for sale to the public. Banking sector reforms were also made to bring them to the international levels. In 1998 a code- Desirable Corporate Governance in India and the companies followed it,(Mallin,2010). Many who didnt follow it experienced losses and end ed up in losing the confidence of people. SEBI also made a committee on corporate governance in 1999 headed by Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla and report was published in 2000,(Mallin,2010). This concentrated on the capital markets growth. The code is to be followed by the both public and private sector companies. The code tells about the structure of the company, the role played by them and what is everybody entitled for. i.e. Board of Directors, Nominee Directors, Chairman of the board, Audit committee, Remuneration committee, Shareholders, how corporate governance is implemented, management of the company and the board procedures. Though India has one of the best corporate governance laws but the implementation of them is very poor. In India, the main business type is the public limited companies. The legal system is the English Common Law, the structure of the Board is unitary and the ownership is basically family ownership or corporate but now the institutional investors ownership is increasing. 1.1.3 Financial Scandals: The corporate governance is influenced by the ownership structure, the structure of company boards, the financial structure and the institutional environment. If any of these doesnt work properly then the scandals are prone to happen. The people choose the board of directors, which further appoint managers for different work who actually work daily in order to maximize shareholders wealth. Its the board of directors that decided the corporate objectives and the managers are the one who carry them out. The main reasons that cause corporate governance to fail are as follows: the most important is that the work done is not watched properly and is very weak. There is not much respect for the shareholders, and moreover the management has the complete authority who works for their own benefits rather than the shareholders wealth maximization (KPGM, 2009). The few corporate scandals that have taken place all over the world are like Enron (USA), WorldCom (USA), Satyam (India) and many more ( Mehta et. al). RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND OBJECTIVES: The research aims to find the corporate structure and its role in fulfilling the objectives of an organization. The research about the present corporate governance structure and the changes it has come overtime and further any changes required according to international norms. The main objective of the research is as follows: How can corporate governance be more stringent to steer clear of scandals? How important is the Board structure and the Audit committee on the board for good Corporate Governance? Is there any alteration required in the current structure of corporate governance to make it work more efficiently? METHOD: The research is to be done, in particular, for the detailed information on the corporate governance and the reasons of its failure which result in the fall of huge companies based on the following two reasons i.e. the Board structure and the Audit committee. The qualitative approach will be used. The primary data collection for the Board structure will be done based on two companies i.e. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India and Infosys Technology Limited (India) which can be compared to the one of the major company of India, Mahindra Satyam, which failed due to poor corporate governance. All three are the software companies. Taking direct interviews with the high officials on the management committee will be of helpful in finding out the deep structure and changes that are required for the corporate governance to work more efficiently and how does it still help the companies to perform up to their shareholders expectations. The Board structure can be discussed by knowing the number of members on the board, their independence. Auditors play an important role because due to their reports people put faith in the company. The audit members will be found and the actual knowledge of the members will be collected from the CMIEs prowess database which will help in telling whether the committee has enough knowledge in order to fulfill the shareholders demand or not. Secondary data is the data in which researcher is not involved in the collection (Dale, Arber, and Proctor 1988). The secondary data collection also got some advantages as cost and time, high-quality data, opportunities for longitudinal analysis, more time for data analysis and reanalysis may offer new interpretations (Knight and Latreille, 2000). Secondary data will be collected from company website, annual reports, books, journals, newspapers and magazines. The data collected as secondary can provide important information about the company and can prove supportive in research. 3.1 ASSESS RESEARCH QUALITY: Reliability: The reliability of interview can be ascertained by ensuring that all questions are clearly understandable to all the interviewees and the replies received can be coded explicitly. The answers received from interview should make sense and must prove helpful to the research. The self-completion questionnaire must be filled by employees without any pressure from their managers. Therefore, a pilot test must be conducted before issuing of questionnaire (Saunders et al., 2003). Validity: The validity is concerned with the issue that whether the data collected is related to what it is expected to be. According to Saunders et. al(2003), validity is related to a question of casual relationship between two variables? The research will be conducted from February 2010 to May 2010. And there will be direct contact with senior managers in DAIPL to keep updated about any change in their motivational strategy or any change made internally. This will ensure the validity of the research done. Ethics: The code of ethical conduct stated that it is the responsibility of the researcher to assess carefully the responsibility of harm to research participants, and, to the extent that it is possible, the possibility of harm should be minimized (Bryman and Bell, 2007). Therefore, research conducted will be done only when managers and employees are willing to participate in research. The names of all participates would be kept confidential and not revealed at any reason. The questions in the interview will not be formulated in manner that they show any participants identity. Accessibility: The researcher here is been granted the right to access and publish all the findings that are relevant to all ethical requirements.

Analysis of Word Processing Programmes

Analysis of Word Processing Programmes WORD PROCESSING:Â  AN INTRODUCTION Word Processing is a computer application which allows a document to be created, edited, stored and printed. By clicking within any document with your mouse you can add or delete content and graphics. There are several different types of Word processing programs. Microsoft Word is one of the most popular and frequently used applications. It is generally the best package to buy because it is part of Microsoft Office Suite, which includes PowerPoint and Excel; it is also cost effective and is easy and practical to use. [2] Text Manipulation is being able to change the appearance of the text in a word document using the Font Icons. These icons are; fonts, size, font styles and enhancement (such as colour). These changes can be done by highlighting specific text, whole paragraphs or the entire document and clicking on the appropriate icon in the tool bar. [3] Work Processing has a default writing style and size. In order to change either of these, click on the down arrow and different fonts will appear. Select the font desired. To the right of the font box, the size of the font can be selected and changed by using the down arrow and selecting the size suitable for the document you are working on. Sizes 10 and 12 are the most commonly used for letters and documents and larger sizes are used for headings.[4] The Font styles found in the toolbar are Italic, Bold, Underline, Strikethrough, Superscript and Subscript. Text effects, Highlight and font colour are also here. BOLD style can be applied by selecting the text to appear in bold and pressing the B button. Similarly, using the italics and underline button can change the appearance of the text. Colour can also be found here and used to enhance the appearance of the document. Formatting a document is the layout of a document. There are several applications that can help in doing this. Alignment Margins Spacing Indenting Layout Borders Headers Footers The Alignment of text in a document shows where the text sits in that document. Text can be aligned in several different ways. Left Alignment: This the default position in word processing where the text is lined up with the left edge of the page. It is often used for the date and address on letters. Right Alignment: the text is lined up with the right edge of the page. This can also be used for addressing letters. Centre Alignment: the text is placed in the middle of the document. This is used for headings, where centering is required. Justification Alignment: text is lined up with both left and right hand edges of the page. This layout is seen in newspapers.[5] To use Alignment on text, highlight the section to be aligned. To highlight the full document use Ctrl + A. Then click on the Home page; go to the Paragraph box and click on the alignment needed.[6] Using the arrow on the right hand corner of the paragraph box, alignment can be set manually also. Line spacing in Word Processing can be set as a single space between lines of text in a paragraph, to any appropriate space needed. The default space setting is 1.15, which makes text more readable. Go to Home in address bar. Click on the downward arrow. A list of options allows a line spacing value to be chosen. Specific spacing options can be chosen. Click on the downward arrow in the corner of the Paragraph box. The menu allows specific line-spacing values to be set from the Spacing area of the menu. The Multiple Line Spacing menu, along with At, allows spacing to be customised. Click ok when values are chosen.[7] Go to Mailings in the ribbon bar. Click on the Start Mail Merge arrow. Select Labels from the drop-down menu. Within the application that opens, choose the appropriate sized label and click ok. Â   Â   The label selected will appear in box. Go to Select Recipients and select from the drop-down menu that appears. Click on the appropriate line. This will link both labels and addresses. Ensure cursor is present in the first cell. Click on Insert Merge Field and insert each line of address. Click on Update Labels and this address will appear in each cell. Click on Preview Results to check addresses are correctly placed. To change the alignment of address, highlight all the cells; go to Tools Bar; click on Layout and choose appropriate alignment. Click on Finish Merge icon.[8] Tabs are used for lining up text. Set by placing the cursor on the ruler bar across the top of the page. Click at each point on the lower line where a tab is needed. The pre-set tabs will disappear and the tabs needed for the document are left. When the tab key is pressed, the cursor will move to the next tab point.[9] Tab stops can be set precisely to customise a document by using the Tabs dialog box. Go to Page Layout Click on the corner downward arrow in the Paragraph box. In the dropdown Menu, click on Tabs button. Set parameters in the Tab box: In Tab stop position, select location of Tab. In Alignment, select type of Tab stop. In Leader box select type needed. Click Set. Graphics is the display and manipulation of pictures in Word Processing. Word Processing allows pictures to be drawn or imported from several different sources; e.g., Online pictures, personal photos stored on the computer, Clipart, SmartArt, and Screenshots. Graphics are used to support text, to make it more interesting and to enliven the document.[10] Go to INSERT on the address bar. In the Illustrations box, graphics can be accessed from the different sources. To Access graphics from the Internet Go to Illustrations. Click on Online Pictures. Type in Search box required image. Select image and click Insert. [11] Tables in Word Processing are made-up of rows and columns. They are easy to create and using tables in Word Processing is made easy by the variety of features present which allows the user to present professional looking tables.[12] Creating a Table Place your cursor where you want the table to be. Go to INSERT in the address column. Click on downward arrow in Table box. Click on Insert Table Insert Table dialog box appears Put in parameters required Click ok. Table now appears in document[13] To increase the number of cells, rows and columns can be done with the click of a button. To add a row to a Table place your cursor in the cell above where you want the row to appear. Go to Table Tools click on Layout Click on Insert below To add a column, place the cursor in the column beside which you the column to appear. Go to Table Tools Click on Layout Click on Insert Right or Insert Left[14] File Handling and File Management File management and Handling is how data is organised on a computer system. By naming, storing and handling files logically, they can be retrieved easily and conveniently.[15] There are several functions in file management /handling that allow creating, deleting and maintaining files.[16] Folders Save Save As File Type; e.g. Word 2010, PDF Folders To create a folder Right click on the desktop Click on New in the dropdown menu Name Folder Each Folder has a unique name. Sub folders can be create within a folder. Files are stored within folders. Save Save As The Save button is used when you are making changes to an existing document and you want to save the changes you make. Save As is used when you have saving information into a file. [1] https://tepfenhart506.wordpress.com/lesson-plan/ accessed 28/09/16 [2] http://techterms.com/definition/wordprocessor [3] Creative Training, Word Processing QQI level 5 accessed 29/09/16 [4] http://www.nuim.ie/staff/dpringle/gis/HDip/hdgis04.pdf accessed 30/09/16 5 Creative Training, Word Processing, QQ1 Level 5 accessed 30/09/16 [5] Creative Training, Word Processing, QQI Level 5 accessed 04/10/2016 [6] https://support.office.com/en-ie/article/Format-a-document-in-Word-2016-780772c6-9506-4081-afd1-aff9aab19f5f [7] Creative Training, Word Processing, QQI Level accessed 06/10/16 [8] Creative Training, Word Processing, QQI Level 5 accessed 05/10/16 [9] www.compukiss.com/tutorials/word-processing-basic-terminology.html accessed 05/10/16 [10] http://howtogeek.com/school/microsoft-word accessed 05/10/16 [11] http://year9top10.wikispaces.com/top+ten+web+pages [12] http://www.teach-ict.com/gcse_new/software/word_processor/miniweb/pg14.htm accessed 06/10/16 [13] Creative Training, Word Processing, QQI Level 5 accessed 06/10/16 [14] Creative Training, Word Processing, QQI Level 5 accessed 07/10/16 [15] http://www.dpbestflow.org/file-management/file-management-overview [16] https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop.aspx

Existentialism Essay -- essays research papers

Existentialism, which spread rapidly over continental Europe after the First World War, is essentially the analysis of the condition of man, of the particular state of being free, and of man's having constantly to use his freedom in order top answer the ever- changing and unexpected challenges of the day. According to the Existentialists, the starting point of every philosophical investigation is concrete human existence. That means that human personality in itself should point the way to the absolute value of reality. A single definition of existentialism is impossible. Definitions, provided by dictionaries are only part of what existentialism is about. †¦central to each definition is the assertion that existentialism is a theory or statement about the nature of man's existence. (1) The term is so difficult to define because, unlike other terms, existentialism is not universal. In other words, there are no two existentialists, which share exactly the same values or beliefs. Al though, here is one major theme: a stress on individual existence, subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice. There are two kinds of existentialist; first those who are Christian, and on the other hand the atheistic existentialists. Many unfamiliar with the subject people associate existentialism with atheism, but they are wrong. The truth is that the majority of existentialists are not atheists. Sartre, which we place among atheists, stress that central concern of philosophy is human existence. He says that human being is a special kind of consciousness (being-for- itself). Everything else is matter (being-in-itself). He believes that human being has no God-given essence and is absolutely free and absolutely responsible. According to him, anguish is the result of the absolute freedom and responsibility. He also says that human existence is absurd and unjustified. Therefore, the goal of human being is to justify his/her existence.(2) Sartre believes that there are those in our history who have established a religion to reassure nothing more than what he calls a "fundamental project ." That means that when we become anguished by the affairs of life we pursue a fundamental project in attempt to flee this anguish. He says that we try to make ourselves Gods in hopes that others would see us divine, and hold us in higher regard. To pursue a fundame... ...ice and this choice was his and his alone. This shows us again that we always have choices, no matter what we might use as an excuse. 1) Barnes, Wesley. "Is Existentialism Definable?" The Philosophy and Literature of Existentialism. Woodbury: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1968 2) Douglas W. Shrader, Ashok K. Malhotra. "Pathways To Philosophy". Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 1996. p. 83-86, 87-93, 97-100 3) Sartre'sThoughtsOnPersonality,http://library.thinkquest.org/18775/sartre/pers.htm 4) As above 5) Roberts, David E. "Introduction" Existentialism and Religious belief" New York: Oxford University Press, 1959. 6) Robert C. Solomon. "The Big Qestions" Harcourt Brace College Publishers, New York, 1998, p.241-273. 7) Soren Kierkergaard,ysiwyg://16/http://www.fortunecity.com/263/exist/kierk.html 8) Existentialism And Soren Kierkergaard, http:www.tameri.com/csw/exist/kierk.html.

Beloved by Toni Morrison (review) :: essays research papers

Cincinnati, Ohio, 183. 124 Bluestone Road. Only a mother, Sethe, and her daughter Denver, are living in a haunted house. They are African ex-slaves, survivors of a painful and traumatic life. It is Paul D, another slave from â€Å"Sweet Home†, that suddenly comes, who brings back memories of a past that has been long since buried. The more Sethe and Paul D talk about their past sufferings, the more they are healed. However, the ghost that haunts the house remains as a mystery. This book, â€Å"Beloved†, a touching and powerful social novel written by Toni Morrison, is a deeply profound reading experience. Morrison uses the same techniques as the most respectable and admirable authors. These include musical language, as she stated: â€Å"I wanted my language to be musical†. This technique gives the novel poetic lines, like: â€Å"Lay em down, Sethe. Sword and shield. Down. Down. Both of em down. Down by the riverside. Sword and shield.† (page 86). Also, she uses small precise images, that are described in detail. With this technique, the reader can feel as if he or she can contemplate the image and see the beauty in it. An example of this is: â€Å"She frowned and looked at her daughter-in-law bending toward the baby. Roses of blood blossomed in the blanket covering Sethe’s shoulders.† (page 93). As the story unfolds, the reader discovers the real human nature of the characters by Morrison’s excellent use of stream-of-consciousness. The rememory that takes place throughout the novel examines a cruel and obscene system of the not-so-old American society. Morrison presents some demonstrative examples of that last century America, that could be called â€Å"Hell on Earth†. Sethe and her family were all victims of slavery in a place called â€Å"Sweet Home†, where they worked at a plantation. Sethe was sexually abused while she was pregnant of a baby she later called Beloved. She was so terribly whipped by the white nephews of the owner that she carries permanent scars. After she gives birth, she cuts the baby’s throat. She could not bear to think of the child living slavery. The overall plot consists of sources of conflict that play an important role in this story. These are race, gender, family and supernatural issues (which is the presence of

From the Large Scale Universe to the Milky Way

From the Large Scale Universe to The Milky Way Jason Norton SCI/151 Benjawan Kjornrattanawanich May 28, 2012 Cosmology is the study of the universe as a whole. Describe the foundation of modern cosmology. Cosmology is the branch of study in relation to the origin and nature of the universe (Farlex, 2012). The thoughts and opinions on how the universe began over the years was one of spiritual and scientific. Through beliefs of the Bible and followers of the faith it is believed that God created the universe and everything in it. From a scientific view it is believed that the universe was created by The Big Bang.Throughout time many astronomers and scientists pushed the envelope to prove that the universe was not created by God but instead created by one force in space that over time has further developed what is on Earth and out in the universe. Most of the scientists and astronomers back in time were followers of the religion and almost had their own beliefs lead them into the wrong direction. It was not until such people as Galileo, Copernicus, and Sir Isaac Newtown that further proved The Big Bang Theory caused the creation of the universe.Galileo theory of the Earth revolving around the sun had him almost executed by the Roman Catholic Church. Galileo’s use of the telescope marked him as a modern science marvel. His discoveries spanned from the moons of Jupiter to the moon. In relation to cosmology, Galileo’s contributions to the understanding of the universe and how it begun helped shape the modernization of cosmology. It was not until later that Galileo’s contributions were proven to be liable and relative. Present-day cosmology continues to make theories and observations in attempt to prove out or further discover the realms of the universe.The Big Bang theory is a part of cosmology. Explain the Big Bang theory and provide an example of one experiment scientists performed that supported it. The Big Bang Theory has been thought to have begun approximately 15 billion years ago with an explosion that created where people live and everything around us in the universe. This matter and energy in space was held in one area and when the Big Bang happened it helped to lay the foundation of the universe. It help to create and layout the universe and continues to this day to still happen based on scientific observations.Edwin Hubble has credited with the source of the foundation behind the Big Bang with the use of the Hubble Telescope. Hubble’s observations and discoveries of the Milky Way Galaxy and beyond just scratched the surface for astronomers and scientists when it relates to what is out there. An example of one experiment scientists performed that supported the Big Bang theory was, â€Å"Einstein's General Theory of Relativity (1916) is a generalization of Newton’s Law of Gravity. Gravity is described as a distortion of space and time.The Cosmological Principle is an assumption that matter in the uni verse is uniformly distributed when averaging over large-scales, and that the distribution of matter is homogeneous and isotropic. This laid the foundation of the Big Bang Model, which was â€Å"Big Bang Theory = General Theory of Relativity + Cosmological Principle† (Welser-Sherrill, 2007, pg. 1) The Milky Way is just one galaxy that resulted from the Big Bang. Describe the structure of the Milky Way and how dark matter influences it. The Milky Way’s structure is that of a spiral with approximately 400 billion stars.The Milky Way contains gas and dust among its three distinct makeup components; halo, nuclear bulge, and the disk. 1. The halo is a makeup of the oldest stars. 2. The nuclear bulge (center of the galaxy) its view cannot be seen clearly because of the dust and gases. 3. The disk section of the galaxy is where the Earth lies along with the Sun and other planets and stars. The halo section of the galaxy is the larger part of the galaxy but due to dust and gas es it is not clear just like the nuclear bulge.This material, which is not clear, is known as dark matter. Dark matter which is not visible is believed to help influence the gravitational effects on other matter within the galaxy. When was dark energy discovered? How has that discovery changed our view of the universe? In the late 1990s dark energy was observed through a supernova causing the expansion rate of our universe to accelerate. This dark energy has changed the view of the universe because scientists expected the expansion to slow down but in fact it is going faster due to this energy.What is a theory of everything? What does it aim to do to our understanding of the universe as a whole? â€Å"The theory of everything is believed to believe the ultimate theory of the universe of which a set of equations capable of describing all phenomena that have been observed, or will ever be observed† (Laughlin ; Pines, 2012, pg. 1). This theory will help improve the understanding of what makes up the universe, which is not explained or well-known. Some of those areas would be black holes, evolution of the universe, and etc.References Farlex. (2012). Cosmology. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from the Free Dictionary Website: http://www. thefreedictionary. com/cosmology Welser-Sherrill, L. (2007). A History of the Universe. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from the Star Teach Astronomy Education Website: http://www. starteachastronomy. com/universe. html Laughlin, R. , ; Pines, D. (2012). The Theory of Everything. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from the Star Teach Astronomy Education Website: http://www. pnas. org/content/97/1/28. full

Different Techniques For Providing Fresh Water To Arid Regions Of The World

IntroductionThe problem of water every year is becoming increasingly important, forcing scholars and political scientists talk about the inevitability of future conflicts over ownership of this strategic resource. Indeed, the population in the Middle East and Africa is growing at a rapid pace, and the sources of the water almost as quickly exhausted. Arid climate, uncontrolled population growth and other factors make water a truly â€Å"transparent gold » XXI century. Stocks worldwide oceanic and continental waters are 1.5 billion cubic kilometers; they are extremely high salt content and are not suitable for drinking. The share of fresh water in the world's total water is 2.53% or 31-35 million cubic kilometers. But those waters enclosed by the glaciers, which are in the form of air and soil moisture in the underground seas, are not available for development.Thus, humankind has conditionally 0.3% or 93.0 thousand cubic kilometers fresh water, which could be used for industrial an d economic goals. (USGS, 2011) According to figures published in August 2004 in a joint report by the World Health Organization and UNICEF more than one billion people still use unsafe sources of drinking water. Those most at risk are developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa area. African Bank experts estimate that for a radical improvement of rural water supply for the people of Africa to 2015 need to find at least $ 10 billion. In this case, 80 percent of Africans will be able to enjoy clean water, while continuing to be as massive investment in 2025 to normal water around the black continent.As pointed out by the International Water Management Institute, to solve the problem of water, it is needed to take urgent measures. In particular, to build reservoirs, use the rainwater harvesting, etc. The most acute problem of water shortage is for Africa and Asia as an arid regions and the purpose of this essay to provide and compare two possible way of solution such as desa lination and recycling.Backgroundâ€Å"Globally, water consumption over the past 100 years has increased by six times and will double again by 2050. Some countries have already run out of water and cannot produce food. The consequence will be even more widespread water shortages and soaring prices for this resource â€Å", – said the director of the International Water Management Institute Frank Rijsberman. (APEC  Water, 2011)Population(FAO Water, 2012)In the twentieth century the world's population has tripled. During this period, the consumption of fresh water has increased in 7 times, including at the municipal water needs in13 times. With this rise in consumption become the lack of water resources in many regions of the world. According to the World Health Organization, more than two billion people in the world today suffer from a shortage of drinking water. In the next 20 years, given the current trends of population growth and the world economy is expected to increa se demand for fresh water for at least 100 cubic kilometers per year.Water sources(IMSD, 2012)The 97% of water in our planet is saline water, the other 3% is fresh water. The surface water resource consists of ground water (30.1%), icecaps and glaciers (68.7%), and others (0.9%), such as water vapor and clouds. The biggest part of water that is used is found in lakes (87%), swamps (11%) and rivers (2%). Unfortunately, water problem in Asia and Africa are closely related to another equally important problem as food. Arab countries annually spend $ 50 billion just for agricultural irrigation. As the Minister of Egypt Water Resources Mahmud Abu Zeid said by 2025 90% of the Arab countries would fall below the â€Å"poverty of water resources.† To prevent this, need for a unified Arab strategy of water use. (5th World Water Forum Secretariat, 2009)Options of solutionsIn the oil-rich Arab countries went through the right, but expensive, deciding to allocate billions of dollars annu ally for the desalination of sea water. By some estimates, the Arabian country's now use about 70% of desalinate water.( NRC, 2010) However, the governments of most countries in Asia and Africa, such costs obviously can afford. Another way to save water is recycling. For example, for many years in Singapore does not throw waste water into rivers and the sea. All dirty water is recycled and cleared. Singaporeans are not only purifying sewage water. They desalinate sea water  and collect rainwater.DesalinationThe UN agencies, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the National Organization of more than 15 countries are engaged in desalination of ocean and sea water. This allows the most efficient way to absorb the wealth of the ocean water. Desalination of salt water is perspective because a large numbers of arid areas adjacent to ocean coast, or are close to it. Thus, ocean and sea water are raw materials for industrial use. Nowadays exist about 30 ways to of desalination of sea w ater. All methods of turning salt water into fresh water require more energy.In general, the share of electricity accounts for about half of the cost of desalination, the other half goes to the maintenance and depreciation of equipment. So, the cost of desalinated water depends mainly on the cost of electricity. (FWR, 2011) However, where is a lack of fresh water and exist the conditions for the desalination the cost factor recedes into the background. In some areas desalination is environmentally advantageous than bringing water from far away. Desalination of salt water is developing quite rapidly. As a result, every two or three years, the total capacity of installations doubled.RecyclingCleaning and recycling of industrial water is a key point in the cycle of water supply and sanitation. Standard cleaning contaminated industrial water will significantly improve the quality of water before re-use and avoid inappropriate use of potable water and a costly drain collection system in municipal wastewater. (Anglogold Ashanti, 2010) A problem that can be found this denial by people using of purified sewage water as the main source, but in the world there are countries which do not enjoy much of a choice.The only salvation for those countries is recycling water plants. In the case of the location on the coast, desalination is the option but if the sea is far and the country cannot afford the costs of desalination the recycling sewage plants is the good choice. Water passes membrane cleaning and disinfected with ultraviolet light: it is sufficient for industrial use. That portion of the water that goes into the water, further purified and mixed with water reserves in reservoirs, which are filtered and supplied to the taps.For instance, in Egypt they have Nile River and use its water but dirty water is  drained from the waste back into the Nile. (Ecopreneur, 2011) This kind of water cannot substitute drinking water but will significantly reduce the cost of transpor tation of drinking water and provide an opportunity for the use of recycled water in industry and agriculture for arid regions.ConclusionNowadays Asia, the Middle East and the most part of Africa has unstable supply of fresh water. Over the past forty years, the number of fresh water at the rate per person decreased by almost 60%. The main consumer of water is agriculture. Nowadays this sector accounts for over 85% of all available fresh water. Needs are increasing and the amount of water decreases. Today, almost 2 billion of people in more than 80 countries have a limited supply of drinking water. By 2025 nearly 50 countries with a total population of 3 billion people will face water shortages. (World Bank, 2007)Even with the abundance of rain that falls in China, a country half the population is not provided properly with drinking water in the regular mode. In such an acute shortage of fresh water is becoming especially popular desalination and water recycling as an alternative wa y to recharge. For the health and tone, people need clean and fresh water. Crude raw water is the cause of many human diseases, so people should not drink it. Water treatment is one of the most promising solutions to meet the needs of the population in the drinking water because groundwater resources are reduced, and rivers and lakes are on the verge of its existence.The ability of countries to solve problems related to climate change, and the issue of water, in particular, like many in the Middle East, is directly dependent on the will and determination of the political leadership of the region. (STS, 2012) Once, the King Hussein of Jordan argued that â€Å"the only question that Jordan would plunge into a war – is water.† The same opinion is shared by the former UN General Secretary, Boutros Ghali, the Egyptian, stated that â€Å"the next war in the Middle East will be over water.†

Life Experiences Essay

This happened when I was in high school. For a fresh start, couple of new faces approached me, commencing to know each other, hang out and became good friends. One time, they invited me for a tea talk, I thought it was like the usual one we have had, but it wasn’t. For the first time, I’ve known my friends deeper than I thought. They were sorority members and encourage me to join them. Aside for curiosity sake, I wanted to join the sorority and I did so with the hope of making some close, lifelong friends and for fear that I will loose these friends that I have. In my first entry, I find them, the members so elegant, mark by their refined manner and style and I am bewildered by their kind of hospitality. Their mission acknowledges the part of a sound sorority system that can play in supporting the overall mission of the school; assists the students in developing skills necessary to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects values and standards of the movement and the university. Academic excellence, loyalty to alma mater, strong leadership, friendship and a high moral standards are the foundations upon which they place their efforts. But the sad thing about this experience is that it is not an isolated incident. On the contrary, all across the country, in colleges and in high schools (as well as other places such as the military, religious cults, even marching bands), thousands of young people, men and women, are subjected to a rather perverse form of initiation rites: its called hazing, and not only it is foolish and dangerous, it’s also illegal and this group where I am in is not far behind. It is one of their initiation rites, a kind of preparation in which those who aren’t of the right makeup are weeded out. There was one time wherein one ceremony of a freshman new entry was to dance on the stage right after the flag ceremony, how humiliating isn’t it? It made me question one of the missions, the high moral standard. Negative effects is that it creates an environment in which people take part in things that normally they would never do like those situation that produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment or ridicule. Such activities may include but are not limited to- use of alcohol, smoking, paddling in any form (but not as harsh as those of the fraternities), excessive fatigue and all of these I have experienced. It only proved that I once was dumb enough to allow myself to be in these kinds. But not all are negative ones of course; there are brighter sides of being part of a sorority. It includes developing my character as a person, build up my leadership abilities, it enhance my academic interest and teaches me how to be financially responsible. More importantly, in life, because of the pressure of hazing, it teaches me courage, enough inner strength and personal stamina to walk away and say NO, the next time when there is a strong need to say so. REFERENCE Scott, J. (2005). Is this the right rite of passage? Health and Home, the Nations way of better living, 6(4), 12-13, 43.