Indian Art in the Mughal Era

The Musicals introduced many new things to Indian culture, one being monumental tomb architecture such as the world-famous Tag-Mall. Hindus and Buddhist always cremated their dead so burial was a new custom all together. Along with this came the written word of sacred manuscript text In the form of decorative calligraphy. Beautiful Arabic passages from the Quern are Inscribed throughout the Tag-Mall. A very interesting way in which Hinduism and Islam were reconciled in McHugh India was through religious art, particularly in the form of the classic Indian epic, ‘The Ramadan'.The Ramadan' tells the story of the great prince/god, Ram, who is actually and incarnation of Vishnu, and his quest to save his beautiful wife, Sits, from the terrifying demon-king, Raven. During this time, The Ramadan' was depicted by both the Hindu Ragouts and the Islamic Musicals, which shows the adaptability of The Ramadan', of which there were in fact many different versions. The Musicals produced a ver sion of ‘The Ramadan' in 1600 and the Ragouts produced theirs in 1720. The McHugh King, Kafka, had a Persian translation of The Ramadan' created which is known as ‘The Freer Ramadan'.The Ragout style of art depicting ‘The Ramadan' was more of a traditional Indian style and used large areas of sold, bright colors with more simple and less realistic looking figures and objects. The McHugh style used to depict The Ramadan' was obviously heavily influenced by traditional Islamic art and was softer and more naturalistic. Over time more versions of ‘The Ramadan' came to be, although, beginning in the sass's the McHugh Empire is declining and no longer values Hindu texts like The Ramadan' as it had before. Nevertheless, the ‘Siege of Lankan' series of The Ramadan' was commissioned by the Ragout ruler, Dally Sings, In 1725.I find this Interesting because Hinduism and Islam are two religions and belief systems that are so fundamentally different from each other, and yet they are reconciled here In the form of art. It is very interesting and somewhat surprising that the Islamic rulers would be so accepting of Hindu texts and culture. ‘Tale of two Remnants Indian art in the McHugh Era with this came the written word of sacred manuscript text in the form of decorative calligraphy. Beautiful Arabic passages from the Curran are inscribed throughout the the terrifying demon-king, Raven.During this time, ‘The Ramadan' was depicted The Ramadan', of which there were in fact many different versions. The Musicals 1720. The McHugh King, Kafka, had a Persian translation of ‘The Ramadan' created looking figures and objects. The McHugh style used to depict ‘The Ramadan' was texts like ‘The Ramadan' as it had before. Nevertheless, the ‘Siege of Lankan' series of ‘The Ramadan' was commissioned by the Ragout ruler, Dalai Sings, in 1725. I find this interesting because Hinduism and Islam are two religions and belief systems that are so fundamentally different from each other, and yet they are reconciled here in the

The Hospitality in the Odyssey

In the epic, by Homer, â€Å"The Odyssey†, hospitality is demonstrated at various points. It is never really genuine, but forced upon due to circumstance. Throughout the entire epic Odysseus finds himself stranded on many islands and is greeted by a being that either dwells or has control over the island, and at one point or another they display some form of hospitality. Kyklops, Aiolos, and Kirke have self-motivated reason for showing hospitality, but never the less they are hospitable. Kyklops, a one-eyed giant that consumes humans, showed very little hospitality. The only time that he was hospitable to Odysseus is when he was drunk, and asked Odysseus for more wine. In return for the wine, the Kyklops promised him a gift. The gift was that he would eat Odysseus last. Even though it does not seem like much of a gift, Kyklops felt like it was a great honor. The only reason that Kyklops was sociable at all was because he desired the wine and Odysseus was the only one that could bring him the wine. The act of kindness had absolutely nothing to do with the idea of being kind, it was all to gain something greater in return. The Aiolia Island belonged to Aiolos Hippotades, the King of the wind. When Odysseus arrived he welcomed him with great hospitality, but made him stay for one month and tell him the story of his journey in great detail. Odysseus then requested that he be granted leave so that he could sail home. Aiolos Hippotades granted his leave, and upon Odysseus requests was allowed to replenish his supplies. Hippotades was extremely generous and added a bull's hide and bottled storm winds to guide his ship to Ithaca swiftly and safely. Hippotadoes actions not out of generosity, but rather Odysseus had brought him news from Troy and entrained him with a great journey from the world beyond his island. The wind king enjoyed such things because he did not have access to them, and he felt he had to be extremely hospitable to Odysseus in order to repay him for the great gift that he had brought, which he could not receive any where else. They made the departure, but the bottle was accidentally opened, and they were forced back to the island. Hippotades turned them away telling them that the gods cursed their journey. The wind king was using Odysseus as a form of a newsletter. He had no other way of knowing what was going on in the world. Once Odysseus was unable to give him what he wanted, his hospitality quickly faded. After exploring the island, and some of Odysseus' men were eaten by giants, his men came across Kirke's house. All of the men entered the house except one, Eurylochus, and Kirke turned them into pigs. Eurylochus returned to Odysseus and told him what had happened. While Odysseus traveled to Kirke's house he was visited by Hermes who gave him an amulet and had him consume a flower that would make him immune to her potion that turned men into pigs. Upon meeting Kirke she was so impressed with Odysseus because he was immune to her poison, that she assumed he was a man of the gods, and she invited him into her bed. In return Odysseus made her swear that if he would go to bed with her that she would not be able to harm him. Kirke transformed the pigs back into men and kept Odysseus as her mate for one year. She was fixated on a more superficial way of thinking, Kirke was only hospitable to Odysseus because of the fact that he was immune to her potion and he was man of the gods. She was attempting to improve her status and how she felt about herself. Throughout the epic there are numerous acts of hospitality, but they all derive from an alternative motive. During this time people did not have a conventional way of knowing about other lands, so they would use the new comers as newspapers in order to know what's going on. No one does anything for anyone out of the kindness of their heart. Perhaps there is no such thing as genuine acts of hospitality.

Memory, Thinking, and Intelligence UNIT 4 IP Essay

Memory, Thinking, and Intelligence UNIT 4 IP - Essay Example Although Spearman's Intelligence Model is a useful guide to the comprehension and measurement of the phenomenon of human intelligence, Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Model is both more precise and comprehensive, rendering it more consistent with psychology today. Spearman's Model of Intelligence maintains human intelligence to be comprised of two factors. These are General Intelligence, "g," and Specific Intelligence, "s" (Deary et al., 2004). General Intelligence refers to the general performance of individuals across a wide variety of tasks and is a measurement of their capacity to assimilate and utilise information/knowledge. Specific intelligence, on the other hand, refers to the performance of individuals on specific tasks, as in their gift, or lack thereof, in certain areas (Deary et al., 2004). Specific intelligence, as Spearman contends, and as may be inferred from both definitions, is partially predicated upon general intelligence, with the inference here being that general intelligence supports and promotes specific intelligence. Spearman established the correlation between the two through mathematical formulae (Deary et al., 2004). Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Models can be defined as a step beyond Spearman's Model of Intelligence and identified as a more evolved model. ... These are (1) verbal/linguistic; (2) musical; (3) logical/mathematical; (4) visual/spatial; (5) bodily kinaesthetic; (6) interpersonal; (7) intrapersonal; and (9) naturalist (Shearer, 2004; Jie-Qi Chen, 2004). A review of Gardner's different intelligence types indicates that his theory of intelligence is consistent with Spearman's insofar as he similarly identifies and defines specific intelligences. The primary difference between the two, and as attested to by Jie-Qi Chen (2004) is that Gardner specifies the different types of specific intelligence. It is, thus, that his model can be identified as a progression of the Spearman model. The value of Gardner's model of intelligence lies in the fact that it recognises the complexity of the human intelligence phenomenon, and concedes to the fact that an individual can display gifted intelligence levels in one area while exhibiting below average intelligence levels in another. Shearer draws attention to this particular aspect of the Gardner Multiple Intelligences Model Shearer (2004) and highlights the fact that it builds upon the Spearman one. Quite simply stated, the Gardner model focuses upon the factor of specific intelligences and identifies and defines them. More importantly, by defining and identifying the various types of specific intelligences, Gardner furnishes an explanation as to why some individuals are highly gifted in a particular skill set, such as mathematics, while being under-skilled in other areas, such as bodily kinaesthetic. In attempting to determine which of the two models is more consistent with the study of psychology today, one is bound to, as are Brten and Strms (2005) favour the Gardner model. As Brten and Strms (2005) contend, psychology has,

Survival in Auschwitz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Survival in Auschwitz - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the life at concentration camps was full of turmoil and hardships. Jews used to be transported by trains into these camps, and they were segregated according to their ability to function as Auschwitz-2 functioned as the site for the extermination of Jews. It had resulted in a total of 960,000 deaths of Jews over the years when the Third Reich was governing this part of Primo Levi was an Italian who was arrested in 1943 and deported to the city of Auschwitz, where he spent the next few months of his life in the most inhumane conditions he ever witnesses. Along with 650 other Italian Jews, he was loaded into a freight train which took them to Auschwitz. The train journey was 4 days long and no one was allowed to eat or drink water during the time of the journey. Apart from such severe restrictions, the inmates were also not allowed to talk to anyone else on the train. Primo Levi accounts these stories and describes them as the â€Å"most severe hardshipsâ⠂¬  which could have been effectuated on people. According to Levi’s writings and accounts of whatever he had witnessed at the camp, he writes about the kind of solidarity that was present among the various prisoners and inmates. This camp was one where people came in alone and died alone; no one could save anyone. It was not in the hands of a person to be able to safeguard someone else, even if he were a child or an old person. Auschwitz was one such place, therefore, where people spent time alone. However, Levi writes that despite this distance that people maintained from each other, there also was a sense of belonging and affiliation towards each other. This was because all the people there were stuck in the same situation and thus through various tasks, ideas and activities, were able to form their own groups and carry out the normal living as far as they could. People tried to help each other and be on the lookout for each other; their one common enemy was the Germans a nd all Jews were collectively against the kind of extreme situations they were being thrust into by them. This unity thus brought them together and is what is spoken about largely within the confines of the book by Levi.

Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis - Essay Example The populations most at risk are those suffering from acute or chronic severe renal insufficiency, from acute renal insufficiency of any severity due to the hepato-renal syndrome, and those patients in the peri-operative liver transplantation period. For all of these patients it is recommended that health care professionals simply avoid the use of GBCA; the only exception being when it is determined that the diagnostic information to be obtained is absolutely necessary and unavailable through the use of non-contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, as a precautionary measure, it is recommended that health care professionals conduct a screening for all patients for a renal dysfunction by either obtaining a history or carrying out laboratory tests. These screening measures are fundamentally precautionary, however, because "the risk, if any, for developing NSF among patients with mild to moderate renal insufficiency or normal renal function is unknown" (Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents, 2007).

Project manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project manager - Essay Example State agencies should evaluate the complexity of the Project, the contract amount, and the risk if the labor is not performed effectively when deciding what components are essential. Functional department such as financial procurement and the task force facilitate smooth flow of the project. The project office consist of the project manager, steering committee to work on the project feasibility in collaboration with the various department associated with the project. The government agency function is to ensure subcontractors are put on the check to ensure they deliver. The chairman of the steering committee integrates in-house functional team and contractor. This gives a favorable environment for both parties to co-exist harmoniously to see the project accomplished (Kloppenborg 221). Department are essential in ensuring finances, and other project deliverables are availed at a timely manner. Department managers as members of the steering committee harmonize the project by ensuring the provision of necessary support are done in a convenient manner. Contracts officer authorizes the entire work directed by the project office. The contractor cost and contractual information is harmonized by the officer by incorporating the in-house functional groups and the customer. Projects are time based events that are carried out for a particular reason for a specified period. The manager restores to previous duty the moment the project is completed. A monitoring team could be instituted to ensure make randomly check to ensure the project is maintained. The project team members are responsible for maintenance of the project the moment it is initiated. Contractors are liable for any failures and the project office just facilitate the subcontractors functions by ensuring necessary supports are accorded (Kloppenborg

Women and Philantrophy Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women and Philantrophy - Article Example Consensus III. Conclusion IV. References I. Executive Summary Coffman cites evidence from various reputable academic and media sources to support her assertions that women give more, give differently, and are reshaping the practice of philanthropy as we know it, in ways that make their giving markedly different from the way men give, and the way philanthropy has been practiced in the past. Studies from recent more recent studies corroborate Coffman's year 2000 assertions1. II. Women and Philanthropy- Report Overview The article posits that women are different from men in the way they approach and deal with philanthropy and the philanthropic activities that they support and get involved in. The differences are in the amount that they give relative to their income, the degree of participation in terms of time and on-going emotional and actual physical involvement in the charities that they support and want to support, and in the way they actually staff many of the nonprofit organizatio ns and charity groups in the country. There are gender line differences in these aspects of philanthropy and charity, in America and elsewhere, and the article posits further that as women become more significant players in American industry and the American economy in general, and as more women occupy positions of importance in many of the nonprofits and charities in the country, the role of women in philanthropy will further increase, and that in turn will change the shape and practice of philanthropy and charity in the United States and elsewhere2. The author divides the article into three parts, and supports the above assertions with citations to studies and articles from reputable institutions and sources, such as the National Foundation for Women Business Owners, consultants with knowhow about women philanthropy from results of studies from institutions such as UCLA, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the University of Tennessee Alliance of Women Philant hropists, media outfits such as The Richmond Times Dispatch, Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, Time Magazine and PBS Television, the University of Virginia3. Women's Approach to Philanthropy The first section details women approaches to charity and how those approaches differ from men's approaches to the same. The overall results show that not only do women give a larger share of their income to charity compared to men, but also that women demand to be involved in the charities that they support, as opposed to men, who in general like to be involved, but do not demand it in the way that women do. Some representative numbers from a survey of American women in business, with a population of 400 respondents, are revealing. More than 50 percent give upwards of 25 thousand dollars to charity annually, and about a fifth give upwards of a hundred thousand dollars annually. More than half give with no consultations from others, and 86 percent make decisions relating to charity based on wh at a charity's mission is and how efficient a charity is operationally and in terms of achieving its mission. Majority want to be kept abreast with developments in the charities they support, and wish to connect with their chosen charities on an emotional level. Emotion and involvement, and a desire for changes in basic issues that matter to them. Meanwhile, statistics from studies confirm that a greater percentage of women than men give to charity,and give a greater share of their income compared to men4: In 1996, the Alliance states, 71 percent of women gave to nonprofit organizations, compared to 65 percent of men. Women also gave a larger portion of their income to philanthropy; although as a group women earned 75 percent of men's total income, women's overall contribution to charity was 93

Film review Argo Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film review Argo - Research Paper Example The main character of Mendez is played by the director himself. The movie has received widespread success and is one of the best eleven movies of the year 2012. It was also nominated for a number of awards and also won many such nominations including the Oscars, Golden Globe along with other acclaimed awards. However many of the critiques have put forward that the movie diverts from the events that took place in real. This essay would compare the critiques of the different newspapers and would argue as to if these are logical enough to put down the story. The story revolves around the rescue and escape of six Americans from the American embassy when it was attacked by the Iranian revolutionaries. Although there were 52 Americans in the embassy when the attack happened, only 6 were able to escape through a back door and were then given a refuge in the home of the Canadian embassy. In order to save their lives, a CIA specialist made a plan to bring them safely back to their home. The p lan was to depict then 6 Americans as part of a Canadian film crew visiting Iran for a science fiction movie. However, due to certain mistakes on part of the group, the revolutionaries find out about the escape of these Americans. Due to limited time, the Americans had to be taken out of the country immediately. After certain last time escapes, the Americans are able to pass through airport security and reach home safely. However, the film has been criticized for being biased and not portraying the true facts of the actual events. According to The New Yorker, which is a US based newspaper, the film termed to idea of making a movie to rescue the six Americans as being ridiculous. It also comments on the representation of the Hollywood industry as being deceitful as well as the fake directors and actors which were hired for pure execution of their plan. It also shows severe criticism of the style showed during the film of the era in Iran. According to this article, the camera work is not up to the mark as well. As stated earlier, a movie based on historical events should show facts of the actual events but even this article states that this was not done so in this film. It includes that the real account of events as stated by Paul Mendez himself do not show any kind of a disruption or a problem during the passage of the hostages through the airport but the film follows a different storyline showing a number of events and actions in order to fill it with drama. The ending of the movie was also criticized for the same reasons as being far away from what actually happened. Overall, the movie did not receive a good review from The New Yorker in terms of the depiction of the actual events of the history (Film within a film, Web). According to The Telegraph of the UK, the strongest point of the movie is the execution of the storyline and the depiction of the Iranian revolutionaries. According to it, the recreation of the era is 1970s is exceptionally good as far as th e style of the actors is concerned. The dialogues are reviewed to be fast moving and appropriate with the scenes of US adopting a humorous approach whereas Iranian scenes were a bit serious based on the nature of events that took place. The talents of the director are praised, particularly the way he depicted and mixed the emotions of fear and violence. According to it, this movie may not have shown the facts of the act

Religion and Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Religion and Food - Essay Example 382). Good examples are New York Jews who consume Chinese food, though according to Judaism, â€Å"Chinese food is un-kosher, and therefore, non-Jewish† (Tuchman and Levine, p. 385). In this way, one cultural tradition oppresses another. Another way, when some cultural traditions historically make a so solid connection, that one is inconceivable from another. Such kind of connection has African Americans and European Americans within American nation. According to Doris Witt, a history of these relationships can be studied within food. â€Å"Food is simply central issue for African Americans†, and Africans were constantly associated with food (especially, women) because of a racial question (Witt, p. 8). Another undeniable thing is a modern world wide, not only peculiar for America. It’s a general desacralization of food. Consumption of different cuisines seems okay exactly because of this tendency: when eating we no longer associate food with something spiritual. Singer describes Krishna’s eating tradition and particularly, prasadam when food is firstly proposed to a godhood and then eaten with blessing (p. 197). However, the most visual example is desacralization of food in Christian tradition. For example, nowadays not many of us keep up fasting and feasting, yet it’s â€Å"at the very heart of Christian tradition† (Bynum, p. 2). Could it be, that while losing each individual cultural identity among variety of different others we instead form something global and common? When having same issues and values, will there be more understanding? Can food reconcile the world? Singer, A. E. â€Å"Conversion Through Foodways Enculturation: The Meaning of Eating in an American Hindu Sect† in Brown, L. K. and Mussell, K. (Eds.) Ethnic and Regional Foodways in the United Stated: The Performance of Group Identity. Univ. of Tennessee Press,

Online Education vs Traditional Education Essay Example for Free

Online Education vs Traditional Education Essay Nowadays, with the technology furtherance and the increased use of the internet, online education has gained significant acceptance and popularity all over the world. Not too long ago, online education offered no competition to traditional education . Today, with more choices being offered online, traditional education is now facing a number of challenges in every level. This has as a result, the competition between those two educational programs, having to compare the advantages and disadvantages of both methods of study, being measured since those methods are means for us to expand our opportunities and advance our careers. In the following paragraphs, I will expand the differences and similarities between online education and traditional education and compare their characteristics. Online education is defined as the creation and proliferation of the personal computer, the globalization of ideas and other human acts, and the use of technology in exchanging ideas and providing access to more people. Audio, video, computer, and networking technologies are often combined to create a multifaceted instructional delivery system. The fundamental method to unite the distance learning instructor with the distance learner is the network. Networks suitable for distance learning implementations include satellite, cable modem, digital subscriber lines (DSL), and wireless cable, (Collins, 2002). According to an article, students need to monitor their progress to the technology evolution and adjust their strategies for learning based on their development. Plus they need to control a time management schedule in order to complete online learning activities in the proper timeframes, (Orellana, 2009, p. 470). Online education requires time management skills and requires self-discipline. It takes patience, time and energy to be able to do that with success. The online student must be able to balance school, work, and a family. However, proper management must be maintained in order to balance all of the responsibilities and be successful in all areas. Online education gives you the opportunity to pursue quality and affordable education without interrupting your personal or professional life. It allows more flexibility and you are able to manage your study schedule according to your comfort and availability of time. So, you can program your personal life respectively with your studies thanks to the online education’s special mode of learning. This gives to the students the comfort to study from their homes, workplaces or anywhere they are in the world. What’s more is that, many distance programs allow to their student to complete the coursework any time during the day, while still adhering to overall deadlines. Online education has lower cost. It is considered more affordable than traditional because there are no transportations costs, no need to buy textbooks and you do not need to rent a place to live close to the university. Also, online education programs offer scholarships, financial aid packages, including loans and grants, exactly as the traditional education institutions. Another characteristic that cannot be ignored is communication. In online education programs you can communicate with your tutors anytime you want, anywhere, with any way you prefer to communicate (with the technology you have available). Online educational techniques are not only flexible and interactive, but at the same time interesting as. Besides, the fact that the student has straight access to an assigned professor or lecturer, allows each student to learn with the methods that work best for them. Another feature of online education is that if you are not a social person, an online school may be the right choice for you. You do not have to deal with meeting up new people. Moreover, a big part of people choose to follow the online education route for the quantity of material they are able to find, or because the tutors are more obtainable via internet than they would be in a normal classroom setting. At the same time, there are some similarities which can be seen in an online and traditional system of education. First of all, assignments are a part of learning, whether you choose to attend classes online or in a traditional system, you will be assigned homework to complete. The assignments are expected to be done about the course you are enrolled in and delivered them to your personal tutor between the deadlines. A second similarity between online and traditional system is that the reference material text books are common for both systems. Even though a course may be taken online, text books are still central to learning relevant information and many of the students are using the electronic books. In traditional education, students have to buy the books because they study from them in the class and home. Thirdly, tests and exams are used to test your understanding and retention of a particular topic/subject. It is usually given to students during the academic semesters including midterms. Even though you may study in an online course, you have to expect to be required for course exams. Exams may be given online, or you may be required to visit the institutions campus to complete the exam. In both education systems, students have common information to study thus they have common exams. Last but not least, academic instructors make themselves available to students to help them learn the required material. Whether you are attending school online or on campus, professors are likely to have office hours, where you can get clarification on an issue or otherwise communicate with your professor. In both the types of classes, teachers will be available to help the students in any matter. Alternatives ways to contact them would be email. Traditional education, also known as back-to-basics, conventional education or customary education, refers to long-established customs found in schools that society has traditionally deemed appropriate. Some forms of education reform promote the adoption of progressive education practices, a more holistic approach which focuses on individual students needs and self-expression. In the eyes of reformers, traditional teacher-centered methods focused on rote learning and memorization must be abandoned in favor of student-centered and task-based approaches to learning. However, many parents and conservative citizens are concerned with the maintenance of objective educational standards based on testing, which favors a more traditional approach. (Wikipedia,2011) First of all, school is a main place which you can meet up people from different places in your community. Friendship is too important, no-one can live without having a friend around. School is the most important place for humanity to learn. It is very important for everyone because is a place that people can build up strong relationships with each other and also is a place to learn a lot of information. In addition, communication is easy because everyone is on the same building the same hours. So, it is easier for students to study together and help each other. You can ask questions whenever you deal with difficulties either to your teacher either to your classmates because you are all in each other lives. Lastly, study at school is easy for the teacher to take care of the students, help them and get to know how he/she should behave according to the student. Whenever a student has questions or difficulties, he or she can ask teacher right away, also students don’t need to wait for a long time just for a question. Now, comparing the traditional education with online education system there are and some differences too. Starting with online education, firstly, students do not have the opportunity to socialize with friends and do not communicate with other people. Also, students are spending too many hours in front of one screen and that can causes back pain and eye problems. Moreover, if you have limited access to internet (connections are slow) and you do not know how to use technology then you probably fail to your lessons. Continuing with the traditional education, enables students to have more creativity and be more sociable thus they can cooperate and collaborate with each other and the teachers. It is easier to communicate because you have face-to-face contact. Furthermore, teachers can provide instant feedbacks to the students and motivate them to succeed and teach them about discipline. In my opinion, REFERENCES: * Collins, (2002), Definition of online education * Schutte, J. G. , (1996),â€Å"Virtual Teaching in Higher Education: The new intellectual superhighway or just another traffic jam? †, California State University, Northridge. * http://www. acadenia. com/education-articles/Online-education-traditional. asp * http://www. dagorret. net/difference-between-online-education-vs-traditional-education/ * http://lyzreblin. blogspot. com/2012/02/online-education-vs-traditional. html The challenges of online education * Jeni Johnson, (2012), Online Education Vs. Traditional Education, April 4 * Wikipedia, (2011), Traditional education, May, * (Orellana, Hudgins, Simonson, 2009, p. 470). * Elise Wile, Advantages and Disadvantages of Traditional Education, eHow Contributor * Similarities Between Online Traditional Classes,eHow. com In conclusion, although online education have some beneficial impacts for students, but traditional education provide better place for students to study and socialize with friends. As well as some people limitations to access technology can occurs students can not have education. An online education program can be a very rewarding experience for those individuals wanting to earn a degree in a non-traditional education environment. Studies have shown that students who are mature, self-motivated and organized are extremely successful in their online learning pursuits. By allowing students to control where and when they study, online programs are best-suited to those individuals who possess strong time management skills and are independent learners. Online learning also offers prospective students who are employed or have children and other family commitments the opportunity to earn a degree without sacrificing other important areas of their lives. Younger students, such as elementary or secondary school age, and students who are dependent learners, may find it difficult to assume the responsibilities required by an online program. Ultimately, you make the final decision as to which education program is right for you.

Comparing a play to two poems

Comparing a play to two poems A play, a lyric poetry and an epic poetry are some of the kinds of literary works. A play is normally written by a person known as a playwright, it usually consist of scripted conversation among characters who aims at performance rather than reading. Hence, play can be used to refer to both playwrights written work as well as to their whole theoretical performance. A play can either be a comedy (Designed to be humorous), farce (Generally nonsensical form of a play), a satire (Generally meant to poke fun at current situations, issues, places and people), tragedy (These generally involve death or tragic events meant to make people feel sad) and historical (Focus on actual historical events and may include all other play types.) A poem is simply a composition in verse form. Poems depend strongly on precise word choice, metaphors, and symbolism. One cannot readily characterize poetry precisely. Typically though, poetry as a kind of literature makes significant use of the real properties of the words it uses All these literary works make use of different elements which include; plot, setting, theme, character and style. These elements therefore become the basis by which these literary works are differentiated from one another. Analyzing the element of character in these three categories of genres will show how similar they can be and to the extent they differ. A play has three major categories of characters i.e. the protagonist, the antagonist, and the foil characters. The protagonist is the main character in a play. The word protagonist means the one who plays the first part, the chief actor. The terms leading role, major character and hero are differently and sometimes not so well defined and, depending on the origin, the theme, the setting and the style may denote different concepts of a story, for example, in fiction protagonist story might be narrated from the viewpoint of a various character. This character may be but not necessarily the narrator. An example would be a narrator who relates the fate of a protagonist, perhaps as a famous figure recalled in a historical perspective. The chief rival of the leading role is a character known as the antagonist, who represents and creates barriers that must be overcome by the protagonist. As with a protagonist, there might be more than one antagonist in a story. Sometimes, a play may take a particular character as a protagonist in the early stages of a play only to dispose off that character in the later development of the play as a dramatic device to make the play interesting. Such a character is known as a false protagonist. Where a play contains sub plots, these sub plots may contain different antagonists from the main plot. In some plays, characters might not be easy to identify, since multiple plots in the plays do not allow clear identification of one as the major plot. Such characters are illustrated in Alexander Solzhenitsyns The First Circle, showing a variety or different characters imprisoned and live in a gulag camp, or in Leo Tolstoys War and Peace depicting 15 major characters involved or affected by a war. The antagonist in a play is the opponent, competitor or the rival of the protagonist character. This character presentments the opposition in the play for which the protagonist must fight to overcome. In other words, a person or a group of individuals opposing the protagonist i.e. the protagonist is or are the antagonist or the antagonists. In the storys classic style whereby the in the action involves a hero fighting a villain, the two parties can be considered respectively as protagonist and antagonist. The antagonist is not constantly the bad character, but simply those who oppose the major character unlike popular belief. The antagonist is in no way in any play the good guy. Play writers have as well formed more complex situations. In some situations, a story is told from the wicked persons point of view, and any protagonist trying to stop the wickedness can be considered as antagonist. In the story K-19: The Widowmaker an American movie of the Soviet Cold War submarine group, United States enemies as portrayed as protagonists, creating a paradox, as always the American film industry tries to portray the forces of the America as the people fighting for good and justice, which is contrary to Russia (particularly the former Soviet Union) being as the antagonists who always have maniacal intentions (like world control). Characters of that kind are typically police officers or other law enforcement bureaucrats. Antagonists and protagonists can overlap at a time, in regard to what their final objectives are considered to be. A foil is a character that contradicts another character (in most cases the protagonist) so as to bring out the different features of the chief characters personality and to throw the trait of the main character into sharper relief. A halt always posses some significant personality in common with the other character, frequently, superficial traits or personal history. A corresponding task of the foil might be accentuated by physical differences. For instance Don Quixote the dreamy and impractical in Cervantes is thin in comparison to his cohort, the practical and realistic Sanco Pansa who is fat. Sherlock Holmes is tall and lean thus becoming additional popular illusory character; Dr. Watson is always described as middle-sized, strongly built. However, the straight man in a comedy pair is a comic foil. The other illustrates a humorous, dumb, or just unconventional one while the straight man presents a practical and serious character. The funniness in these affiliations results from t he relations among these drastically different personalities. In some other cases, a subplot can always be used as a halt to the major plot. This is particularly true in the case of Meta-fiction together with the story within a story motif. The style with which poetry is written by the poet depends on the various elements of literary works including the purpose and the message it is meant to deliver. Poetry also has characters as a play(Alexander, 1988). This is one major similarity between a poem and a play, however, while the characters in a play are categorized into three major ways depending on the role taken by each of the characters, a poet is one major character in a poem who principally centers the theme of the poem to another character which includes both the living and non -living things. In a play the characters are majorly human beings or living things associated with supernatural being. In a poem, the characters various greatly from places, people, objects, super naturals, etc. As we are aware, both the play and poems are of various categories. A play focuses on love, praise, politics, gods and ancestors and so on. Poetry is also categorized into the following depending on the topics as highlighted above. It is therefore only imperative that the kind of characters in both the play and a poem therefore depends on the category within which these literary works belong. Poems in some cases can be categorized into more than one category and therefore one need not to focus on this classification too much. In analyzing characters in a poem, lyric poetry is a form of poems that expresses personal feelings of the poet. For example, romantic lyric poetry consists of first-person accounts of the opinions and approaches of a definite moment; feelings are tremendous, but personal. As opposed to a play Wright, the poet becomes the central attention in a lyric poem because of these personal feelings and not the characters themselves as seen in a play. The character in such a poem for example becomes the lovers, the moments shared by the duo, the features of a place or the feeling of one lover to another. One of the lovers might be the poet in which case expresses a personal feeling. This is similar to a play in the sense that both have characters but totally different from the viewpoint that in a play, the characters has particular roles such as overcoming the obstacles presented by the other character while in a poem the characters becomes the centre from which the theme and the message of the poem is derived. As noted, a play has stages where the conflict is developed, where it is at its maximum and fully developed and where finally a solution as a result of such a conflict is reached (Alexander, 1988). The role of characters in a play is therefore one of bringing out such conflicts, developing the conflicts and finally availing a way of solving the conflict. This is different from the poem where majorly the poet praises, or generally gives a particular description of one character to emphasize his personal feelings towards such a character. In general, the poem may be regarded as a mere prose however, in deeper form it quiet intensely and appealingly brings o ut and expresses the personal feelings of the character (usually the poet) towards the other character (e.g. love). In the poem Wedding Eve by Dr. Everett Standa, Should I Or should I not Take the oath to love For ever this person I know little about? To love without hope? The poet here is in conversation with himself. In this poem, the poet introduces dialogue and achieves a conversational tone with himself. He is expressing his fears about marriage and the uncertainty with which man and woman take each other to the altar for matrimony. But Standa is doing it in an enquiring or questioning way. In other words, he is posing rhetorical questions which do not necessarily require immediate answers but which gives the reader an opportunity to reflect upon the issues the poet is raising including his feelings. The characters in this poem are the poet and the woman who is to take him to the altar (Everett, 1999). The poet expresses his feelings and doubts towards this marriage. The woman is brought out as the centre of analysis. She is the reason the poem is composed because the poet keeps on wondering whether the woman is truly and sincerely in love with him or his riches. An epic poetry is a long narrative poem. It is mostly concerned with a serious subject with details of the heroic actions and happenings important to a culture or a country. However, the first epics were the products of pre literate communities and traditions. In these times, the epics were transmitted to the viewers and from the actor to actor purely by oral means.epics try to be constructed in the short episodes, all of equal status, interest and significance. This facilitates easy memorization as the poet recalls every episode in turn as well as using the whole episodes in recreating the complete epic to be performed. Epics present characters of high position in adventures creating a natural whole via their interactions to a major heroic figure and also through their episodes development that is important to the history of a country. The main character is the hero. The hero takes part generally in a repeated journey or mission, encounters opponents that try to defeat him and retu rns home considerably reformed by the journey. The epic hero shows characteristics, actions and exemplifying some morals that are greatly valued by the community from which the subject comes. Most heroes are repeating characters in their native cultures legends. An epic poetry is different from the lyric poetry in the sense that while the former is a long narrative poem concerned majorly with legends, the latter is a poem expressing the individual attitude of a poet. The character in an epic poem is usually a person, object, or a thing associated with some supernatural power which forms cultural and beliefs of a community. The poets articulate a peoples collective experience; it must enrich the precious safe in which the sinews of the collective group are preserved (Everett, 1999). The character therefore, offers an opportunity for shared experiences since it consists of spontaneous recollections which stir the emotions of the community. While a play might also convey the same legends, the protagonist character is helped by other characters to attain the appraisal status which the community sees as being of supernaturalism and hence contains some cultural associations. This therefore brings out clearly the difference in terms of characters b etween a play and an epic poem. The poem Nyalgunga by A. D. Amateshe, .. you led selfless life Now you return home, a hero, Crowned in silent casket Your speech and sight embalmed. You will need a guide, our son,.. This poem talks about a hero who died fighting for the freedom and liberty of a community known as the Luo in Kenya. It brings out the ways and the styles of the community on burying a hero and the warm send off the Hero receives during burial (Amateshe, 2004). He becomes a memory and a mentor of the young boys in the community who holds his name high and usually strives to be like him. The poet showers the character with praises bringing out in details the characters personality and journey that makes the members of the community view him as a hero. In conclusion therefore, the character as brought out in these three literary works shows some similarities and differences. All the three literary works makes use of characters in building and bringing out their story. In a play the characters convey the message to the audience in the same way the character in a lyric poem conveys the feelings of the poet to the audience. In an epic poem, the character usually a hero associated with supernaturalism conveys either a moral lesion or a strong warning by which the ways of a particular community lives and is shaped forming a major basis of their culture and beliefs. Of the three, however, the various characters depend on the style, the setting, the message or theme of the literary work. The number of characters varies in a play with its length and the message while in the other two literary works, the character is usually one. This one character becomes the centre of analysis by the poet. In a play, the main character is helped to fight against the obstacles presented by the antagonist to solve the conflict as brought out in the play. In the other two literary works the character becomes the only attraction and the centre from which the story is developed. References Alexander S. (1988). The First Circle. New York: Harvill P Amateshe D. (2004). Nyalgunga. Franklin Watts: American Library Association Everett S. (1999). Wedding Eve. Oxford University: Oxford University Press

For Whom The Bell Tolls :: essays research papers

The Disillusionment of Hemingway with War Hemingway uses certain repetitive themes and ideas in his book, For Whom the Bell Tolls, which relate to the grander dogma that he is trying to teach. By using these reoccurring ideas, he is able to make clear his views on certain issues and make the reader understand his thoughts. The most notable of this reoccurring theme is that of war. Hemingway uses the war concept as paradoxical irony in this book, to tell the reader what the thinks about war. It is even more interesting to note that rather than this theme being derived from this war theme, the book is derived from this main theme.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hemingway emphasized the fallacy of war by discussing how there are no real winners in war, that war is equal. What goes around comes around. That whereas one man may kill another, another man will come to kill the first man and so on, in a never-ending cycle of stupidity and futility. The setting of this book can be analyzed here; the Spanish Civil War in the 1920-30 time period is the setting for the book, on the battlefields in the Spanish countryside. The whole fascist/communist aspect is brought up since both sides are against one another. Here again, Hemingway doesn’t idealize either side, not referring to their political beliefs but to the fact that each side is very much the same. Both sides consist of sad, depressed fools who have been shipped off to war, content to live in peace and harmony with each other. It is here that Hemingway’s first satirical punch at war comes in, when he makes it clear that both sides are human, with no clear line separating the saints from the sinners.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another thing that is connected to the war concept is that both sides are hopelessly disillusioned. A victory for any army is not truly a victory if it involves the loss of human life, and Hemingway seems to imply this as he pokes fun at the ongoings of the war. Atrocities are committed by otherwise compassionate, peaceful people since they are forced to do so by their respective sides. The author also satirizes the â€Å"illusion† that people have of war being glorious, heroic, etc., saying that even a victory is a defeat since so many lie dead in an effort to get that victory. He says that war is not all that, that war is in fact legalized murder, that has no place in human life.

Radio waves :: essays research papers

Science Competition Space Timeline This below is my timeline of space it should explain the many theories of how the universe came to be. It should explain about how galaxy was formed and what stage our star; the sun is in at this point in this present moment. The Time Line will take you from the moment it was created to the moment it will die. It will show each step in as much detail as I can find. The Big Bang Theory I am going to start the timeline with the big bang theory as people/scientists believe that it was at this point at which our universe was created The diagram below shows the early stages of the universe after the big bang. I am going to show you step by step how each stage happened and what it meant. The short section of the timeline below shows the short period of time, 300 million years after the big bang. Stage 1 The Big Bang-The universe began with an explosion that generated space and time, as well as all the matter and energy the universe has and will ever hold. For a small fraction of a second, the universe was an infinitely dense, hot fireball. The present theory described a peculiar form of energy that could suddenly push out the fabric of space. On a rare occasion, a process called "Inflation" can cause a vast expansion of space filled with this energy. The inflationary expansion could only be stopped when this energy had transformed into matter and energy as we know it. - Stage 2 Universe Shaped- After inflation, one millionth of a second after the Big Bang, the universe continued to expand but not nearly as quickly as it had done. As it expanded, it became less dense and cooled down. The most basic forces in nature were discovered: first gravity, then the strong forces then the weak followed by the electromagnetic forces. By the first second, the universe was made up of elementary (basic) particles and energy basic elements such as: quarks, electrons, photons, neutrinos and less familiar types. These particles smashed together to form protons and neutrons. Stage 3 Basic Elements Formed- 3 seconds after the universe had shaped Protons and neutrons came together to form the nuclei of simple elements such as: hydrogen, helium and lithium. It took another 300,000 years for electrons to be captured into orbits around those nuclei to form stable atoms.

The Controversy Over New Airport Security Measures Essay -- National

The country’s recently heightened airport security measures have become a source of controversy and debate across the Nation. Due to a recent attempted act of terrorism, where a man on an international flight to Detroit attempted to blow up the plane using a bomb, the department of homeland security has taken new measures to ensure national security in the form of new high- tech full-body scans and pat down procedures in airports. The new body scanning machines create images of people without their clothing, and the new pat down procedure is generally considered too personal. Many people feel that the new airport security screening is an invasion of privacy. A recent poll by Zogby International claims that 61% of Americans oppose the new security measures (Martin, Los Angeles Times). Pollster John Zogby made a statement saying; "It's clear the majority of Americans are not happy with TSA and the enhanced security measures recently enacted". That being true, the only question that needs answering it why; why are the majority of Americans against new safety measures? The 61% who oppose the new security measures mainly argue that the measures are intrusive and an infringement on privacy. Some have compared the new pat down procedure to â€Å"sexual assault† (Mayerowitz, abc News). The issue has gone so far that the measures of security are being called unconstitutional. One organized interest group, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, filed a lawsuit claiming just that. They claimed the body scanners to be unconstitutional on the grounds that the scanners violate the fourth amendment, which states the right of the people â€Å"to... ...d-airline-bombing-attempted-act- terrorism/+attempted+bombing+on+Dec.+25,+2009&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&cl ient=firefox-a. Frank, Thomas. "10 airports install body scanners." . 06 June 2008. USA Today. 29 Dec. 2010 http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-06-05- bodyscan_N.htm. Schwartz, John. "Debate Over Full-Body Scans vs. Invasion of Privacy Flares Anew After Incident ." . 29 Dec. 2009. The New York Times. 01 Jan. 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/us/30privacy.html. Taylor, Lesley Ciarula. "Full-body scans top priority." . 31 Dec. 2009. thestar. 31 Dec. 2010 http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/744427--full- body-scans-top-priority. Associated Press. "Arkansas man sues over new TSA full-body scans." . 24 Nov. 2010. Boston Herald. 27 Dec. 2010 .

Joe Christmas Essay

In the pursuit of an excellent account of racial and gender discrimination, William Faulkner and Jean Toomer both have significantly incorporated the strength of female characters that persist to have a depth in the soul of every story they created. William Faulkner’s Light in August is a novel of intense reflection on the issues of hatred for racial and gender identity in the South and the restricting beliefs of a Calvinistic religion. Considered as one of his best novels, the story depicts the orphan life of Joe Christmas, who thinks of himself as having a part-black blood because of a confusing historical descent. This vague past takes him into a rebellious and self-destructive journey towards self-discovery, eventually leading in his defeat caused by a devastating affair with a spinster named Joanna Burden. Joanna Burden portrays an in-depth character in the life of Joe Christmas and in the story as a whole. To begin with, Joanna is a middle-aged civil rights activist and spinster from the North who is known to have lived alone for time immemorial. A stranger to her fellow town folks, she continues to struggle for a better condition of the Negroes in the town of Jefferson since her father and grandfather were dedicated individuals to liberating the Negroes. People then accuse her as a lover of black men. This idea of social responsibility is passed on to Joanna until her growing up years. Initially described as pro-Negroes, the character of Joanna presents some surprising twists when she finds herself in a two-year relationship with Joe. Already tortured about his past, Joe is disappointed as he realizes that Joanna fails to accept him for his confusing black-white descent. Joanna’s indifference toward Joe’s ancestry seems to have contradicted her image as an advocate of Negro rights. During her fulfilling experience of sex with Joe, she particularly cries out his black race, obviously making such distinction in Joe’s bloodline: â€Å"Negro! Negro! Negro! † (Faulkner 260). Along the way when Joanna is finally feeling tired of this sexual experience with Joe, her voice depicted as â€Å"still, monotonous, sexless† (Faulkner 281), knowing that she is passed the phase of sexuality. Her confusion starts to overcome her whole being. She begins demanding for him to change his lifestyle. She asks him to get a job, pursue his educated, and most of all, to pray. Suddenly, Joe, too, feels disappointed on the turn-out of the relationship: â€Å"It was as though he had fallen into a sewer†¦ the sewer ran only by night† (Faulkner 256). But Joe refuses to pray, and Joanna decides to kill him: Over her nightdress she wore a shawl drawn down across her breast†¦ he saw her arms unfold and her right hand come forth from beneath the shawl. It held an old style†¦ revolver almost as long and heavier than a small rifle. But the shadow of it and of her arm and hand on the wall did not waver at all, the dow of both monstrous, the cocked hammer monstrous, back-hooked and viciously poised like the arched head of a snake†¦ (Faulkner 282). The climax of her plan only fails when the gun did not fire at him. Joanna is a definite example of two opposing ideas, of an irony that kills a society during that time. She is a living witness to two races that refuse to be linked to one another. She is an advocator and at the same time, a destroyer of the black race that her family has gone to love and stand up for. Much like the old Doc Hines, Joanna’s attempt to bring down Joe is perhaps more dangerous since hers is an attempt to erase Joe’s individuality and roots. On the other hand, Jean Toomer’s Fern, from the book collection of Cane, is in the beginning a representation of a beautiful and misunderstood black woman named Fernie May Rosen. However, the profound depiction of Fern is not only woman in such case, rather a lost identity of a nation and its people. In Toomer’s story, note how the narrator stresses on Fern’s Jewish descent: â€Å"Her nose was aquiline, Semitic. If you have heard a Jewish cantor sing, (14)†¦But at first sight of her I felt as if I heard a Jewish cantor sing. As if his singing rose above the unheard chorus of a folk-song†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (15). Fern is the ultimate epitome of the all-American race, and so is the salvation of humankind. She is the racial heritage that Toomer seeks to identify with in his pursuit for artistic expression. Also, some critics say that the story is more than a description of an inner spiritual experience of Fern with the narrator in the context of rural South. Instead, they both witness an experience in which the unreal border of self and the other subside. In the story, Fern is at first described as an easy woman whom black men find no happiness being with. Fern is described as being ignored by the white men in her society, just like Toomer’s personal experience of artistic and cultural dissatisfaction in a white community. And because of this, Toomer is fascinated by Fern’s character and the idea of it. Yet, a change of fate takes them in a mysterious longing for her beauty, especially the white male narrator of the story. The case is not with the blacks as victims of racial isolation, but instead the whites who are suffering from not having been a part of Fern. The narrator states that, â€Å"She did not deny them, yet the fact was that they were denied. A sort of superstition crept into their consciousness of her being somehow†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Toomer 14). Fern is the image of a sorrowful soul of the browbeaten minority, yet simply unattainable. She exemplifies the beautiful cultural identity that is difficult to maintain in a contemporary setting, the ancestral lineage that becomes vague with multi-cultural interactions and birthing lost in the passing of time. The ending of the story describes Fern as all the more mystified with the failing of any kind of understanding and hope for the world around her, her voice that nobody can understand until she faints. The readers are given a view of Fern to display a beauty as hers exists, but that is all. Both Faulkner and Toomer are obviously immersed on the issues of racial and gender discrimination as clearly symbolic in their female characters. In their roles, they pose as grave threats to the unending search of men to find personal identity in a discriminating society. They also present them as crazy and misunderstood women condemned by male-dominated culture. However, they eventually become icons of beauty for men to behold, which is vividly illustrated in Fern’s story: â€Å"Men are apt to idolize†¦ that which they cannot understand, especially if it be a woman† (Toomer 16). Another thing as a common ground for Faulkner and Toomer is how they showcase the theme of mankind’s inability to complement the soul, mind, and body through the eyes of a female character. Women, in their pursuit to find happiness and be accepting of its society, fail miserably in the arms of their so-called lovers. Despite the disparity of ways in interpreting these critical writings, the readers would delve inside the stories of its characters and come to a point of realization that both Faulkner and Toomer’s female characters are embodiment of the neglected and exhausted beauty of the dying black community, constantly struggling to find its way to achieving peace and harmony in an ever-changing world that is too complex to live in and understand. Or, simply say that these writings are lucid representations of the inescapable truth that lies in any man’s shared and sad destiny. Works Cited Faulkner, William. Light in August. Vintage Books: New York, 1959. Toomer, J. â€Å"Fern†. Cane. Liveright Publishing: New York, 1993. 14-17

Tonys essay

Social Medal Marketing In this day and age, social media can be an extremely helpful tool for free advertising and building a customer base. It is tremendously important for companies, especially smaller companies that do not have the biggest budget for big time marketing. With the way society works today, social media is one of the most powerful and influential tools companies have available.Without the use of social media, companies would eve a disadvantage in gaining clientele on the internet. Even if people have never heard of the company, if their â€Å"friends† on social media sites comment or â€Å"like† their page, then they can then be exposed to the company as well. A company that I know has benefited greatly from the use of social media Is Barras Tickets. It Is the company that I work for and It Is a full service ticket agency that sells tickets for all concerts, sports, and theatre nationwide.Being a large ticket broker, we are more well-known than the avera ge ticket agency, however, that does to mean we have the budget available to have commercials playing all the time. Social media advertising has been one of our greatest assets. We have a department that dedicates their time to making posts and offering specials to all social media followers. We use Instating, Twitter, Faceable, and Google Plus. These sites are used to let people know when big shows have gone on sale, when big games or shows are coming up, or to offer discounts to our loyal followers.Contests are run often where ere tickets are given away in order to attract more people to our social media sites. They spend hours figuring out algorithms to understand how a like or a comment will or a share will help sales In the company. They have figured out that comments on Faceable, tags and washrags on Instating, and washrags on Instating give us the greatest opportunities to find potential customers. For the Faceable giveaways, people have to â€Å"like† and comment on t he posts. These likes and comments allow the friends of the people who have liked the posts to see this.This gives our page more visits because everyone loves free stuff. They are intrigued and have to see what the offer is and that gets traffic to our website. With Instating, most of the contests involve â€Å"liking† and tagging five friends. On Instating, they have the page that allows you to see what the people you are following have liked and what your friends have been tagged in. When people do this, it brings more and more people to our Instating, causing more people to follow, and in the long run, also bringing traffic to the website.Even though social media obviously does not get 100% percent of potential customers to buy your product, It can help In so many ways. It allows for hundreds, thousands, and potentially even hundreds of thousands of extra eyes on your products, which In turn, could bring Incredible amounts of people to your site. The power that social medi a holds is immense. It takes the old word of mouth type people that you verbally talk to, now you can share your thoughts about companies with people you haven't actually spoken to in years.

Critical Thinking Paul and Elder

Without reading the assigned chapter, and just looking at the stages of development of critical thinking, I immediately labeled myself as a practicing thinker. However, after reading chapter two of Paul and Elder Critical Thinking, I realized I was not even close to being a practicing thinker. Paul and Elder list these stages: Stage One: The Unreflective Thinker (we are unaware of significant problems in our thinking) Stage Two: The Challenged Thinker (we become aware of problems in our thinking) Stage Three: The Beginning Thinker (we try to improve but without regular practice) Stage Four: The Practicing Thinker (we recognize the necessity of regular practice) Stage Five: The Advanced Thinker (we advance in accordance with our practice) Stage Six: The Master Thinker (skilled and insightful thinking become second nature to us) Difficult as it was to admit, I was compelled to place my critical thinking ability at stage one: The unreflective thinker. Prior to reading this chapter, I was not aware of any significant problems in my thinking. I did not realize that I was continually making assumptions, forming concepts, drawing inferences, and thinking within points of view. My judgment of people as bad or good, based on my moral upbringing, further confirmed me as the unreflective thinker. Also, never having seriously questioned my thinking or its implications. Having made the decision to grow and develop as a thinker, my goals now include, making better decision through critical thinking and creative problem solving, and presenting my ideas clearly and concisely. I also realize that critical thinking is a skill that is learned and requires practice. Having these realizations, I can now move on to the Challenged Thinker stage. Paul and Elder note that â€Å"we have great capacity. But most of it is dormant; most is undeveloped. Improvement in thinking is like improvement in basketball, in ballet, or in playing the saxophone. It is unlikely to take place in the absence of a conscious commitment to learn. As long as we take our thinking for granted, we don’t do the work required for improvement. †

North American Indian Religions Essay

North American Indian religions rely on icons to give meaning to the immediate environment and the cosmos in general. Icons also symbolize the elemental powers of nature – the spirits, the supernatural world, and the forests. In addition, icons also describes man’s relationship with the so-called ‘Supreme Being. ‘ In many North American Indian religions, the ‘Supreme Being’ occupies an integral role in value formation. The Supreme Being is the foremost source of morality and tribal authority. Indeed, in totems, the Supreme Being occupies the highest position by virtue of power and seniority. Icons can also be analyzed in terms of its social and cultural sense. Icons represent the general values of a community – that is, imprinted images of cherished values. The more revered icons are, the more respected are accepted values in the tribe. Culturally, icons are imprinted beliefs – that is, they symbolize man’s immediate concerns about the environment. These concerns are as follows: survival initiatives, self-esteem and belongingness, and self-admiration. Icons serve to remind man that his natural habits are still active. Objectives: To determine the use of icons or images in North American Indian religions To define the relationship between the use of icons and the immediate environment

Finnc nd Growth Strtgy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Finnc nd Growth Strtgy - Essay Example Of cours ths findings dpnd on th sctor nd th typ of M& tht ws don. Mny fctors ply n importnt rol in th furthr succss of th compnis, nd th on, myb th most importnt cn b th knowldg nd bility to crt vlu ftr. Mrgrs nd cquisitions, two forms of rstructuring, rprsnt both strtgic opportunitis nd thrts for compnis, s ownrship chngs hnds. Mrgrs nd cquisitions crry on stting nw rcords in both volum nd siz. cquisitions probbly r not th quickst wy to grow comprd to othr options nd, from th prspctiv of top mngrs, thy r stimulting nd oftn finncilly rwrding. Howvr, by most ccounts, cquisitions r pron to filur, with som hving disstrous consquncs. Studis of th short-trm ffcts of M&s point out tht M&s gnrt vlu, vn though most of this vlu ccrus to th trgt firm. Rsrch in th US nd UK indicts tht th shrholdrs of th trgt firms xprincd gins of btwn 16% nd 45%. cquiring firms' shrholdrs, on th othr hnd, xprincd bnorml rturns rnging from -1.1% to 7.9%. Th combind firms' bnorml rturn ws btwn 1.8% nd 3.5%. (S Jnsn & Rubck 1983; Frnks & Hrris 1989; Bchr 2000; Mulhrin & Boon 2000; Kohrs & Kohrs 2000; ndrd t l. 2001.) Th long-trm ffcts of M&s in th US nd th UK hv bn xmind xtnsivly (S grwl, Jff & Mndlkr 1992, Brns 1984, Frnks, Hrris & Titmn 1991, Grgory 1997, Knndy & Limmck 1996, Limmck 1991, Lodrr & Mrtin 1992, Loughrn & Vijh 1997, Mitchll & Stfford 2000, Ru & Vrmln 1998). Ths studis, lthough criticisd th mthodology, ll indict tht th shrholdrs of th cquiring firms in most instncs los vlu. Th ngtiv typicl rturns wr s high s -20%. Th crtion of ngtiv typicl rturns holds tru spcilly whn th mthod of cquisition ws othr thn by mns of tndr offrs. Th min rson for M& to tk plc is xpctd synrgis, mngril hubris, nd promising solution of gncy problms. Synrgis r th prim motivtion for th bid nd s rsult for th trgts nd th biddrs tht shr th wlth gins. lthough most bidding compnis mk th sttmnt bout th potntil synrgis from th mrgrs nd cquisitions, frquntly th forcstd bnfits r not obtind. This cn b rsult of ovr optimistic forcst by th bidding mngmnt or simply th fct tht th mrgr for inititd for nothr rson, such s gncy problms. So ths thr tkovr motivs hv diffrnt outcom on th wlth crtd ftr mrgrs nd cquisitions. If synrgy is th primrily motiv for th mrgr, thn th trgt's nd biddr's shrholdrs should gin nd th distribution of wlth should only dpnd on th brgining powr of th biddr nd th trgt. If th scond motiv tks plc nd it mns tht gncy problm is worsning, th min slf-intrst of th biddr's mngmnt is th prim rson for th mrgr or cquisition. In such cs, mngrs just focus on growth rthr thn on th shrholdrs' vlu. For xmpl, Conyon nd Murphy (2002) show tht for th UK, siz (nd not th prfomnc) is th min dtrminnt of th mngril slris. This fct cn xplin why mngrs r so tmptd to us fr csh flow to furthr build th mpir tht hopfully will rsult in highr slris nd bonuss. No wondr tht ftr such circumstncs, th totl vlu ftr mrgrs nd cquisitions ctully gos down. Mngrs who r ggrvtd by prsonl intrsts, (.g. mximiz th siz of th firm nd thir fild of control) r mor pron to sk out lrg, wll known compnis s cquisition trgts - nd usully ovrpy in th bidding procss. This is n doubtful motiv for th cquisition of rltivly smll nd unknown privt compnis. Th cquisition of privt compny mor sily fits th motiv of mximiztion of shrholdr wlth. nd th third motiv of M& cn b th

Housing Market in U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Housing Market in U.S - Essay Example The bubble finally bursts. In housing bubble, very low interest rates and a consequent loosening of credit underwriting standards attract many borrowers in the market. In this case, a decline in demand due to high interest rates and a tightening of credit standards leads to bursting of the bubble. This paper discusses in depth about the rise and fall of the housing market in U.S. and its impact in the society. Scholarly research depicts that an economic bubble is difficult to identify with the exception of in hindsight. However, a number of cultural and economic factors have led to justification of the argument of several economists that a housing bubble existed in the U.S. As an economic bubble, the United States housing bubble grew up alongside the stock bubble in the mid-90s. Usually, low interest always motivates firms to borrow more and invest more. In this case, assets that are more productive match greater indebtedness (Shiller, 2006). However, the U.S housing market interest rates greatly differed with the investment. Although the country’s economy grew, many American families had to borrow more debt to refinance their mortgages and spend some of the proceeds. As long as the housing prices rose due to lower interest rates, the Americans ignored the growing indebtedness. An increase in demand in the supply of housing led to an ultimate increase in price. An incredible increase in price incorporated most affected areas into expectations that made homebuyers pay more than they would have otherwise thus making the expectations self-fulfilling. To attract many people in borrowing more money, credit standards were lowered thus fueling growth in the so-called subprime mortgages. Additionally, new products were invented lowering upfront payments and making it easier for individuals to take bigger mortgages. The biggest problem that arose from these mortgages was that some had negative amortization (Baker, 2002). This is because payments made by some of t he borrowers did not even meet the interest due thus making the debt grow more. By 2002, the housing prices had shoot to nearly 30 percent even after adjusting for inflation. Statistical analysis evidences an impact of housing prices to the housing market upon a speculative bubble rather than the fundamentals. To fuel the housing market, Federal Reserve Board chairperson Alan Greenspan suggested that it was much better for homebuyers to procure houses on flexible rates rather than set rates since this would enable them pay for the house at ease. In 2003, homebuyers had the opportunity to afford larger mortgages due to the adjustable rates that were available at that moment. The lower interest rates hastened the run-up in house prices hence increasing at a supplementary 31.6 percent. On the other hand, the run-ups had predictable effect on savings and consumption. Consumption increased thus lowering the savings rate by 1 percent (Hardaway, 2011). Several factors contributed to the ri se of the housing bubble. One major factor encompasses the desire of people to own too many houses. Many of the Americans despite their incapability of managing many houses went ahead and purchased them rather than renting houses, which is alternatively cheaper. Buying the houses for speculation rather than shelter was another insight to housing bubble. Due to the wealth possessed by most of the Americans, they decided to

Leasing and Buying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leasing and Buying - Essay Example This incident Mr. Walton couldn't forget till his grave. It also pictures the dilemma in everybody's mind when it comes to taking a place on rent. So, why would anybody rent Definitely, it feels great to own something. Unless you own something, you can't be happy having it because you always fear that it could be taken away. Every man dreams of owning the world. But, how much can you own and can you handle the hassle of owning everything. Sometimes you have to have a logical thought about what is more important - owning things or just being able to use them. Let us analyze from the point of view of a small business what is good for them. All new small businesses generally start from a relatively even smaller scale. Until the business is not set, the risk factor associated with it is high. So, initially the focus is on keeping investments in the business to what ever is essential only. The owner has to keep a backdoor for himself so that in case things don't work out fine, he has a way of exiting with minimum losses. Because, when the time comes to "Establish the liquidation value of your assets" (Cavanaugh, step 4) you rarely get a fair price. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, "Generally this amount is at least 20% less than its retail value." Also, initially most of the liquidity is sucked up by the core activities of the business. As such, even if the owner of the business wants to own his premise, he cannot afford it. He is forced to rent. So, as long as the location of the business is not all that important (like in the case of small factories or offices) it makes more sense to rent, since even if they have to relocate, it's not very difficult and it doesn't affect their customers much. According to Dratch "Taking your company from Point A to Point B may seem at first to be a simple matter of "get up and go," but if you plan ahead, you will get it done without too much trouble." (Dratch, par. 1) But as the business grows old (as in the case of most mom and pop businesses), it becomes more stable. Or even initially, if the location of the business is very important, like in the case of a small shop, re-location becomes a hassle. So, it makes sense to buy your own property instead of paying rent. If you own your space, it also gives a sense of belonging. You know that it is yours and no one is going to ask you to leave from there. You take more efforts in planning it, furnishing it, decorating it and incase you need to change anything, like even pulling down a wall to make more room, it's totally upon you. It gives both, mental as well as physical stability. Large Businesses: Large businesses have their own way of doing things. Being usually tied down with their bureaucratic inertia, they have to fix their policy once and once fixed, they have to follow it. Either they buy the space or they rent it. They usually do not prefer to rent in the beginning and buy later. They usually will just follow their policy. The concerns of big companies are not very different when it comes to premises. Usually big industries and corporations will prefer to own their premises. This is because relocating a big industry is not easy. Finding a similar huge place, with all the necessary approvals and facilities is most difficult. Since most of the equipment or machinery is tailor made and huge, it's impossible to relocate. And even if they try, the cost is exorbitant and the

Journal Analysis Australian Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journal Analysis Australian Law - Essay Example ad issued public statements that were â€Å"misleading the customers and the public.† It can be recalled that SF, previously considered as one of the foremost financial planners of the nation, began to crumble when it defaulted payments of debts, that ran by tens of million, to the CB. Underpinning this financial collapse was the company’s failure to issue margin calls to hundreds of its clients whose securities have fallen below margin minimum requirements after the sharemarket plunged. The company was forced to place itself under voluntary administration after CB gave it just one day to pay its debts (O’Shaughnessy 2009). As indicated above, the SF case seems to have catalyzed allegations of deception and misrepresentation being bandied back and forth from one side to another. Initially, SF had accused CB of misleading its clients to think that the former has the sole responsibility to advise them on margin loans. The banking institution, on the other hand, now accuses SF to be guilty of the same thing with regards to statements it has issued to the public. The doctrine of misleading conduct under the Australian corporate law is embodied in different Commonwealth Acts. In the Trade Practices Act of 1974, for example, s 52 thereof specifically prohibits corporations engage in trade and commerce from conduct precisely described therein as â€Å"misleading or deceptive or is likely to mislead or deceive. A follow-up provision under the same law is s 53 which enumerates ten misleading acts. The enumerated conduct are, among others, â€Å"falsely represent that services are of a particular standard, quality, value or grade† and â€Å"make a false or misleading representation concerning the existence, exclusion or effect of any condition, warranty, guarantee or, right or remedy† (s 53, Trade Practices Act 1974). On the other hand, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (ASIC) likewise have a corresponding provision touching on the doctrine of

Federalists Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Federalists Paper - Essay Example These three founding fathers of the United States Constitution use the pseudonym Publius in order for them not to hide their identity but to honor the name of the Roman consul Publius Valerius Publicola. The Revolution and Reconstruction of America and its Constitution are owed to several founding fathers of the United States of America which consists of statesmen, politicians, and federalists etcetera. It takes place when in the midst of a controversy in the American government with the discussion on the Constitutional Convention, a certain Alexander Hamilton courageously write and publish for public reviews on October 27, 1787 the Federalist #1, an introductory essay serves as the instigation and initiative suggestion and later called the General Introduction of the Federalist Paper series. The essay is done and is composed mostly to persuade people to support the Constitution. Moreover, his two colleagues write the supporting essays in the Federalist Papers which gives Hamilton the motivation to continue writing. Hamilton's Federalist #6, which the argument continued to Federalist #7, concerns about the Dangers from Dissensions Between the States while Federalist #8 argues about the Consequences of Hostilities Between the States. Federalist #9 is the first half of the argument about the Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Factions and Insurrections. Federalist #11 to 13 states the Utility of the Union in Respect to Commercial Relations and a Navy; Utility of the Union in Respect to Revenue; and the Advantage of the Union in Respect to Economy in Government, in that order, while Federalist #15 to 17 argues with similar issue of an Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union. Other essays authored by Hamilton are as follows: Federalist #21 to 22 - Other Defects of the Present Confederation Federalist #23 - The Necessity of a Government as Energetic as the One Proposed to thePreservation of the Union Federalist #24 to 25 - The Powers Necessary to the Common Defense Further Considered Federalist #26 to 28 - The Idea of Restraining the Legislative Authority in Regard to the Common Defense Considered Federalist #29 - Concerning the Militia Federalist #30 to 36 - Concerning the General Power of Taxation Federalist #59 to 61 - Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members It is also Alexander Hamilton who continually wrote the Federalist #65 to Federalist #85 alone which the later published on August 13 and 16, 1788 as the Concluding Remarks. Topics discussed in these texts are: Federalist #65 & 67 - The Powers of the Senate (as initiated in Federalist #64 by Jay) Federalist #66 - Objections to the Power of the Senate to Set as a Court for Impeachments Further Considered Federalist #68 - The Mode of Electing the President Federalist #69 - The Real Character

The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq Personal Statement

The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq - Personal Statement Example Each of the wars had a level of analysis. These levels were individual state, and system. The levels of war analysis form a hierarchy. The responsibilities of the hierarchy rely on the scale and nature of the operation. The individual level of analysis in war includes a basic idea of how human traits cause many of the social outcomes in historical instances, including war and peace. There are variations of this idea as listed in a paper written by Wade L. Huntley, Ph.D. titled Causes of War and Paths to Peace written in May of 2004. Those variations include: basic human nature, varying features of human nature and both perception and misperception. His considerations behind this would include that in factoring basic human nature, people are basically aggressive, loving, greedy and fearful and so forth. People would be of all sorts of types, some aggressive, others peaceful, greedy or generous. Perception and misperception can result as bad decisions are made, especially in times of stress, which continually exemplifies the limits of human understanding of more than just human nature. Now, the question is, why does this series of considerations explain how war can manage coming about' According to t he text written by Wade L. Huntley, Ph.D. ... Wars or conflicts that would figure into this particular style of analysis would include, the Kurds, Bosnia, and Afghanistan in the grand scheme of war analysis because it would be individual conflicts of interest and security involved. The state level of war analysis includes a basic idea that the key factor is not necessarily based on human factors, but governmental ones in organization and such. The constraints that are created as a result of the basic infrastructure of the country can become a root cause of war. There are two variations to this idea. One is the state's nature; because each state wants certain things just because they would happen to be states and things like security and unity or nationalism would be inclusive within that. Also, included within this perspective is, like individuals, every state would be different. There would be differences that include purposeful, ideological and structural differences to consider. Much like the man vs. man consideration, this would be, in order revolutionary vs. status quo, capitalism vs. communism and democracy vs. totalitarianism. So, how can we understand such things, well we examine one of the wars on a state level. This would be, in essence, the Vietnam C onflict in which half the country believed strongly in democratic process and the other half would believe strongly in the communist construct. The same could be said for the Korean War. Understanding the underlying reasons would hardly gain knowledge as to how the individual level of war interpretations would inevitably cause war. Nor, would this actually explain the impetus of war in the fact that uncertainty of the human condition exists. In the State level of war, you have states that control the military, so

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Sociology - Essay Example parted focuses on the criminal element’s ability to infiltrate law enforcement at the highest and most sensitive levels of operation in order to facilitate criminal and organized crime activities. What results, as demonstrated by the film, is the obscuring of identities, priorities, and loyalties that lead to dangerous and deadly situations for undercover operatives. Actor Leonardo DeCaprio, playing the undercover good cop, has as his counterpart actor Matt Damon, playing the undercover bad guy in the police department. DeCaprio, whose acting abilities and skills bring a superb talent and realism to the role that allows the viewer to suspend disbelief and to become engrossed in the film’s back and forth good cop versus bad cop role playing; is, in character, reduced to the role of the neighborhood thug and thief. In the film, as in reality, men of Irish descent had two options; crime and the streets, or education and law enforcement. DeCaprio’s character opts for education and law enforcement, to move away from not just the stereo-typical image of the Irish thug and hood, but the reality of it as it existed in his family. DeCaprio’s character’s family is well known in the neighborhood and within the hierarchy of law enforcement as breeding criminals. Damon’s family, on the other hand, has a less prominent family history, but nonetheless is inducted into the Irish organized crime scene early on as a child. Damon is quickly recognized as being intelligent, capable of passing the mental and physical tests for acceptance that would give him access to the highest levels of confidence and information as a law enforcement official – with the help of Nicholson’s character’s sponsorship from the outside. Damon, another skilled and talented actor, convincingly portrays the bad guy playing the good cop, and feeds Nicholson’s character inside information with which to pull off successful crime capers by the Irish thugs and thieves. Nicholson is,

Poetry essay Essay Example for Free

Poetry essay Essay ?How does Owen Sheers use language, form and structure to explore ideas about separation and division in ‘Winter Swans’? The Poem ‘Winter Swans’ seems to convey a strong theme of natural love. The poem begins with setting a scene of a peaceful day, where nature seems to be stilled after the torrential weather that is referred to in the first line through ‘The clouds had given their all. ’ It goes on to say that there was then a ‘break’, and throughout the poem the poet uses words such as ‘silent’ and ‘rolling’, ‘stilling’ and ‘slow-stepping’ to capture this scene of peace and serenity, as if the world was resting after being thrashed about by a storm. With the idea of a natural love, there comes the confusion and the inartificial knowledge that love is not materialistic, a feeling and something that can not be brought on by force. Through all natural love stories come feelings of hurt and division. A separation that brings the subjects closer and strengthens the emotion. Sheers uses the theme of leaving, and then returning, or rage, and then peace, or the unknown, and then the known to reoccur throughout the poem, eventually strengthening the love, which could be argued as the main emotion of the poem. The poet also uses imagery such as ‘lakes and ‘swans’, to symbolise the peacefulness, and also to symbolise love. You notice words that show the subject is not alone, with ‘we’ and ‘our’. These words and also the motion of the swans, the lake, and the peacefulness are foreshadowing that the poem will take a turning onto love that is more literate. However I don’t think that the poems theme is so much about love in particular, but about a natural love, a natural pull that brings two people together even after hard times. Sheer’s uses Swans as a metaphor of love, the way swans will smoothly dip in and out of the water, and how they are known to curve towards and away from each other as if dancing on ice. They are the perfect example to show the way love will draw away and then come back. He uses vocabulary ranging from ‘silent’ and ‘rolling’ to ‘righting’ and ‘rough’ to show the separation and how quickly the emotions get confused, and how quickly compassion will turn into anger, and vice versa. The poem begins referring to this in the first stanza with weather, as raging storm. And then a ‘break’. The poet then adds on ‘in which we walked’, showing possibly that the subject and whoever they are with also went through a hard time, but are now peaceful along with the nature. In the fourth stanza it describes the swans ‘halving themselves’ in the ‘dark water’, to portray a hard time, but then ‘returning again like boats righting in rough weather’ It then moves onto the poems only piece of speech, â€Å"they mate for life. † Which rounds off the conclusion of the theme of the poem, that although there are hard times, they will always be pulled back together. The poem then shows this also applies for the people, as at the beginning of the poem it describes them as being ‘silent and apart’, but right at the end it shows them holding hands, symbolising how they are together. The poem’s theme is concluded with comparing them to a ‘pair of wings settling after flight’, to show that finally, the emotion has strengthened, and they can settle after the confusion and separation.

Linking and Illegal Trespassing Essay Example for Free

Linking and Illegal Trespassing Essay Bidder’s Edge was different than EBay normal customers for a few reasons. Bidder’s Edge searched for bids on EBay to compare with bids from other bidding sites to find the best bids for customers. Bidders Edge could have potentially slowed the access to EBay’s actual customers on EBay’s site directly (The Recorder, 2000). I feel EBay gained concern because this process could have lost them potential or current customers. For example, if EBay was being compared to other bidding websites with low bids, then it would be obvious that EBay would not be chosen by bidders. Bidders Edge for me seems a lot like Amazon. Amazon compares several stores prices to find their customers the lowest price. The difference with Amazon is that they only search stores that have granted them the permission to do so. Also unlike a bidding website, all prices are as is. Traditional trespass to personal property is entering a premise without permission, misusing or damaging the owner’s property and also preventing the owner of said property from using the property as the owner intended (Bick, 2000). The difference between traditional trespassing and to personal property differs from the California definition of trespassing to computer services is vastly. Where with the traditional trespass to personal property is easy to prove, the California definition of trespassing to computer services is not. California definition of trespassing to computer services states that the owner of web site has to prove that the use by trespasser has caused injury to web site or owner. Being that a majority of the internet is public access, it can be hard to not allow access to certain individuals and companies while considering themselves a public website. Also an internet site is much easier to access than a physical property and harder to prove.

The Alignment Of Compensation And Business Strategies Commerce Essay

The Alignment Of Compensation And Business Strategies Commerce Essay Compensation is a key element in the success of any business. Although compensation plans were not always seen as a strategic business initiative, their huge impact on a companys bottom line, recruiting, retaining and motivating people has led to compensation design being considered an important element to achieving success (OConnell, 2007). The alignment of compensation business strategies It is essential that a fair, competitive and attractive compensation plan is created in order to ensure the future success of the company. If the compensation plan is carried out properly it can improve organisational effectiveness, support human capital requirements of a business, and motivate and reward achievement of key corporate strategic and financial goals (OConnell, 2007: 20). It is thus essential that compensation plans are well thought out and effectively designed. Compensation is the answer to attracting, retaining and motivating employees who have the necessary competencies to carry out the business strategy and handle greater responsibilities (Milkovich, Newman Gerhart, 2007). Managers must take note of the rewards that motivate their employees. If this is not done, it may result in a mismatch between the strategies being used by managers to motivate their employees and the motivational rewards that the employees prefer (Arnolds Venter, 2007). This mismatch, as well as failure on the part of managers and employees to reach common ground in the pursuit of organisational objectives, can result in firms failing to successfully implement their business strategies. Employees will perform at a low level, doing only what is least expected of them when the reward systems are not aligned to their needs. They will not be motivated to put in extra effort so that the organisations goals can be achieved (Arnolds Venter, 2007). It is therefore important for all firms to regularly assess the rewards that motivate employees. Different organisations have different compensation policies in place. Matching compensation policies to business strategy leads to greater organisational performance (Montemayor, 1996). Some organisations are quick to introduce a new compensation program based on what they have heard about it. The problem is that it may not fit with their organisations strategic direction. Only programs that can move the organisation further along its strategic path should be identified and implemented (Kaplan, 2007). Ultimately, compensation strategies seek to either decrease costs or increase revenues relative to competitors (Milkovich et al, 2007). Compensation professionals play an important role in helping organisations put their business strategies into effect by introducing appropriate compensation plans. Compensation experts need to be at the focal point where strategy, organisational effectiveness and human capital management converge (OConnell, 2007: 25). It is important that they have a clear understanding of the business, the organisational issues and the direction in which the company is headed. Organisational, employee and business needs must be balanced with the financial and strategic goals of the company. Only then can the right compensation strategy be developed to motivate, reward and sustain high levels of performance. When this balance is found, a company can effectively use compensation to execute and achieve desired business results (OConnell, 2007: 25). For example, if a companys strategy is to be innovative, the strategy will focus on new products and a short response time to market trends. The compensation strategy must be tailored to align with the business strategy. A supporting compensation strategy will thus place less emphasis on evaluating skills and jobs and more emphasis will be placed on incentives designed to encourage innovations (Milkovich et al, 2007). A cost cutting business strategy will focus on efficiency and doing more with less. To support the business strategy, the compensation policy will focus on competitors labour costs, variable pay will be increased and productivity will be emphasised (Milkovich et al, 2007). A company with a customer-focused business strategy will focus on pleasing customers and employees will be paid according to how well they do this. The compensation strategy will thus include customer satisfaction incentives (Milkovich et al, 2007). In order to do better than its competitors, a firm m ust come up with ways in which it can add value by matching its business and pay strategies. When business strategies change, pay systems must also change (Milkovich et al, 2007). Organisations want to see the returns that they are getting from paying incentives, benefits and even base pay. Companies are starting to realise that by sharing in the economic gains of achieving targets, they keep employees motivated to reach increasingly difficult goals. When there is a clear line of sight between work and reward, employees will work harder to achieve the goals and receive the rewards (Ulrich, 1997). It has been suggested that performance-based pay works best when there is success to share (Milkovich et al, 2007: 54). An organisation can pay larger bonuses and stock awards when their profits or market share is on the rise. By paying bonuses fairly, employee attitudes and work behaviours improve, which in turn improves their performance (Milkovich et al, 2007). One of the major challenges in managing total compensation is to understand how the pay system can add value and create a more successful organisation. Internal alignment Internal alignment refers to comparisons among jobs or skill levels inside a single organisation. Jobs and peoples skills are compared in terms of their relative contributions to the organisations business objectives (Milkovich et al, 2007: 19). Internal alignment is not only concerned with the pay rates for employees doing equal work, but also for those employees doing different work. One challenge that managers face is how to determine differences in pay for people doing different work (Milkovich et al, 2007). An employees decision to stay with the organisation, to become more flexible by investing in additional training, or to seek greater responsibility is influenced by the pay that they receive (Milkovich et al, 2007: 19). A compensation system should not stand in the organisations way of retaining talented and productive employees. One of the main causes of employee turnover is inadequate compensation (Grobler, Warnich, Carrell, Elbert Hatfield, 2006). Tensions will result if employees feel that they are not being treated equally and this may cause employees to reduce their future efforts, change their perceptions regarding rewards for their efforts or leave the organisation (Grobler et al, 2006). Managements goal is to minimise turnover and lost production due to feelings among employees that they are not being compensated equitably. In order to ensure greater equity among jobs, a process known as job evaluation may be embarked upon, whereby a systematic relationship between the pay scales for jobs within an organisation is created. Job evaluation is the systematic determination of the relative worth of a job within the organisation that results in an organisations pay system (Grobler et al, 2006: 404). When comparing jobs, the following factors are taken into account: the skills needed to complete the job, the efforts needed to perform the job, the responsibilities of the job holder, and the working conditions of the job (Grobler et al, 2006). Job evaluation is preformed in order to develop a system of compensation that employees will consider to be fair, and in this way internal consistency among jobs is obtained. Internal consistency thus refers to the relationship between the pay structure, the design of the organisation and the work (Grobler et al, 2006). It is important to design a pay system that supports the work flow, is fair to employees and directs their behaviours toward organisation objectives (Grobler et al, 2006: 404). Many organisations are dividing their employees and creating different compensation plans for the different employee groups. For example, the executive team will be compensated one way, while a different approach will be used for the sales team, and yet another set of rules will apply to those working in the admin department. In todays business environment, a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer effectiveness (OConnell, 2007). Compensation methods have undergone a number of changes over the years such as the use of performance pay and other contingent systems of reward, the flattening of pay scales with fewer but broader pay grades and flexible cafeteria-style benefit systems (Brewster, Carey, Grobler, Holland Warnich, 2008). This new approach to compensation is known as strategic pay and is much more suitable to todays changing organisational environments and structures. Strategic pay flows from and implements an organisations business strategy. The old methods of compensation were associated with job-evaluated pay structures, time and seniority (Brewster et al, 2008: 188). These old methods were appropriate for hierarchical organisations who operated in a stable environment. Internal pay structures must be designed in such a way that employees will be motivated to achieve the organisations objectives. There must be a clear line-of-sight between each job and the objectives of the organisation. It is also essential that the structure is fair to all employees (Milkovich et al, 2007). To motivate employees, management can build the following ideas into their strategic pay structure: increase the proportion of pay contingent on performance, increase the potency of variable pay by making base salaries only moderately competitive, broaden the range of incentive schemes to include linking pay to group and organisational performance as well as individual performance, identify new performance measures of business success, and introduce flexibility into compensation plans so that rewards extend beyond monetary ones to include prizes and recognition (Brewster et al, 2008: 188). Pay structures vary among organisations depending on the number of levels within the organisation, the pay differentials between the levels, and the criteria used to determine the levels and differentials i.e. work content and its value. People are usually paid more if their job requires more knowledge or skills than another job, if their working conditions are unpleasant, or if their job adds a great deal of value. One reason for pay differentials is to motivate employees to work towards promotion and a higher-paying level (Milkovich et al, 2007). Internal structures are shaped by both external and organisation factors. External factors include: economic pressures; government policies, laws and regulations; stakeholders; and cultures and customs (Milkovich et al, 2007: 75). Organisation factors include: strategy; technology; human capital; HR policy; employee acceptance; and cost implications (Milkovich et al, 2007: 75). With regards to economic pressures, one job is paid more or less than another because of differences in relative productivity of the job and differences in how much a consumer values the output (Milkovich et al, 2007: 76). It will only be worthwhile to employ an additional worker if they can produce a value equal to the value of their wage. This is referred to as marginal productivity (Milkovich et al, 2007). The supply and demand for labour, products and services all affect internal structures. Organisations are constantly forced to redesign their work flow and employees must continuously learn new skills in order to keep up with changes in competitors products and customers tastes. Unpredictable external conditions require pay structures that support agile organisations and flexible people (Milkovich et al, 2007: 76). Government policies, laws and regulations also have an impact on the internal pay structure. Our law gives everybody the right to fair compensation. This is also known as the right to a living wage. Laws have also been put in place to govern minimum wages (Brewster et al, 2008). Pay-related legislation tries to achieve social welfare objectives by regulating economic forces (Milkovich et al, 2007). The government has influenced compensation by legislating pay levels, hours of work, pay for overtime and holidays and non-discriminatory pay practices (Grobler et al, 2006: 187). The Basic Conditions of Employment Act has a direct impact on a companys compensation strategy. Unions, stockholders and political groups also influence the internal pay structure. In order to promote solidarity among members, unions generally prefer small differences among jobs and seniority-based promotions. Stockholders compare the salaries paid to executives with the salaries paid to others in the organisation. Stockholders are interested in this difference (Milkovich et al, 2007). If the pay structure is not aligned to the organisations strategy it can become an obstacle to the achievement of the organisations goals. Another factor that has an impact on internal structures is human capital. Human capital refers to the education, experience, knowledge, abilities and skills required to perform the work (Milkovich et al, 2007: 78). The technology used will influence the organisational design, the work that needs to be performed, and the skills or knowledge that is needed to perform the work (Milkovich et al, 2007). The organisations other HR policies also have an impact on the internal pay structure. The more levels an organisation has, the more promotions it can offer, but the pay differences between the levels may be smaller. It is believed that when promotions take place often, even if they do not include pay increases, employees develop a sense of career progress (Milkovich et al, 2007). Some companies develop talent from within the organisation. This also se rves to retain top talent. These candidates are promoted when job vacancies arise. The result is that they do not have to employ expensive talent from outside the organisation. It is also easier to manage these individuals as they are already aligned with the culture and business priorities of the organisation. This leads to a greater return on the companys investment (Barnes, 2009). Another important factor influencing the internal pay structure is whether or not the employees involved accept it. In order to assess the fairness of their pay, employees compare the pay that they receive to that which others receive for doing different jobs in the same internal structure. They also look at what others are paid for doing the same job at competing employers (Milkovich et al, 2007). The procedures for determining the pay structure must be fair as well as the pay structure itself. It has been suggested that employees and managers will accept low pay if they believe that the way in which the pay was determined is fair. It is likely that the pay procedures will be considered fair if they are consistently applied to all employees, if employees participated in the process, if appeals procedures are included, and if the data used are accurate (Milkovich et al, 2007: 80). Pay structures do not stay constant. They change in response to external factors. An organisation will achieve much better results if the structure is aligned. The structure must be perceived as fair by the employees and it must motivate them to achieve the organisations goals. If there is a big pay differential between an entry level job and the highest level job in an organisation, it can encourage employees to stay with the employer and increase their training and experience. It can also result in greater co-operation with co-workers and for employees to look for more responsibility within the organisation (Milkovich et al, 2007). External competitiveness External competitiveness refers to the level of pay that an organisation offers in comparison with its competitors (Montemayor, 1996). This has a huge impact on the attraction and retention of talent as well as on labour cost objectives. With a high pay level, the organisation will be better able to acquire a competent workforce. By increasing the pay level, total labour costs will increase but it may also result in improved labour costs per unit (Montemayor, 1996). The efficiency wage theory states that paying above market levels can promote employee motivation that would offset any increment in labour costs (Montemayor, 1996: 891). The pay systems of many organisations are market-driven i.e. based on what competitors pay. In the hope of attracting the best applicants, some organisations set their pay levels above that of their competitors (Milkovich et al, 2007). In order to compete with the external market, organisations must ensure that the pay that they are offering is sufficient to attract and retain employees. Employees are likely to leave an organisation if they believe that their pay is not competitive in comparison to what other employers are offering. Organisations must also ensure that they control their labour costs so that they can supply their products and services at a good price and remain competitive in the global economy (Milkovich et al, 2007). It is essential that when companies prepare their business strategies they decide how they are going to compete in the marketplace. For example, they can choose to compete on price, or they may prefer to differentiate themselves based on products or ser vices, they could even decide to segment the market and only focus on a particular group of buyers. Understanding the competition is key (Kaplan, 2007). Employers can better differentiate themselves from their competition by introducing learning and development programs and creating a fun and flexible work environment. These are also known as relational rewards. These initiatives will enhance employee commitment to the organisation (Kaplan, 2007). Employers that are highly-rated usually receive more employment applications as people want to work for the best organisation. The high ratings also result in improved retention of staff and greater profitability as committed employees usually provide better customer service (Kaplan, 2007). Job applicants who receive more than one offer will compare the offers and the pay scales. More weight is often placed on the salary being offered rather than on the other types of compensation, like benefits and intrinsic rewards (Grobler et al, 2006). In order to remain competitive within the local labour market, employers usually offer salaries that are similar to those offered by competitors. Employers thus need to know what the going rate is for jobs within the local labour market. Wage surveys as well as published market data can be used to determine the average salaries for various positions. These methods assist the organisation in maintaining external consistency with other organisations (Grobler et al, 2006). An important strategic decision must be made as to whether the organisation should mirror what its competitors are paying, or whether it should design its own pay structure that differs from its competitors but is aligned to the business strategy. The pay level can be set above, below or equal to that of competitors. The mix of pay forms must also be determined relative to those of competitors (Milkovich et al, 2007). The following three factors shape external competitiveness: labour market factors, product market factors and organisation factors. Together these factors influence pay-level and pay-mix decisions (Milkovich et al, 2007). As mentioned above, organisations usually claim to be market-driven. Looking at the demand and supply of labour gives one a greater understanding of how the markets work. The demand side deals with the actions of the employer i.e. the number of new employees they require, and what they are willing and able to pay them. The supply side deals with the potential employees i.e. their qualifications and the pay that they are likely to accept (Milkovich et al, 2007). The market rate is found at the point where the demand for labour meets the supply of labour. In the short run, the only way that an organisation can change its level of production is by changing its level of human resources. The other factors of production, such as technology, capital and natural resources are fixed in the short run. The marginal product of labour is the additional output associated with the employment of one additional person (Milkovich et al, 2007: 207). However, each additional employee hired will produce less than the previous employee due to the fact that the factors of production are fixed. Each employee thus has fewer resources to work with. The additional amount that each new employee produces is known as the marginal product (Milkovich et al, 2007). When the marginal product is sold, the money that is generated from the sale is known as marginal revenue. Employers will hire new staff until the marginal revenue generated by the last hire is equal to the costs associated with employing that person (Milkovich et al, 2007: 208). At this point the employ er is maximising their profits. Therefore, in order to determine how many people to employ, a manager must establish two things: the pay level that is set by the market forces and the marginal revenue generated by each new employee (Milkovich et al, 2007). This, however, is not so easy to do in reality. With regards to labour supply, the model assumes that many people are seeking jobs, that they possess accurate information about all job openings and that no barriers to mobility exists (Milkovich et al, 2007: 209). It is not so simple in the real world. For example, the supply curve slopes upward and shows that as pay increases more people will want to take jobs. In the case where unemployment is very low, supply may not increase with offers of higher pay as everybody has a job (Milkovich et al, 2007). The model provides a useful analytical framework but oversimplifies reality. In certain instances employers pay more than the market-rate. For example, if there are negative elements to a job such as very expensive training, small chances of success, weak job security and unpleasant working conditions, employers may decide to pay higher wages in order to compensate for the negative characteristics. This is referred to as compensating differentials (Milkovich et al, 2007). As mentioned above, in terms of the efficiency wage theory, high wages can in fact increase efficiency and lower labour costs. This can be achieved by attracting more qualified applicants and encouraging existing employees to work harder or smarter. It is assumed that the pay level determines effort (Milkovich et al, 2007). An organisations ability to pay is also an important issue. The greater an organisations profits in comparison with its competitors the more it is able to share with its employees. These organisations will usually pay more that their competitors and may even pay bonuses in line with their profitability (Milkovich et al, 2007). Employers can design their pay levels and mix in such a way that a signal is sent to both current and future employees as to the kinds of behaviour that they require. This is known as signaling. For example, if the organisations base pay is below the market-rate but they offer good bonuses, they may be sending a signal that employees who are risk takers are required. If the organisation pays the market wage and offers no performance-based pay, a different signal is sent and different people are attracted. Signaling helps to communicate expectations (Milkovich et al, 2007). There are also two theories that help us to understand employee behaviour. A job seeker will not accept a job offer if the wage is below a certain amount irrespective of the other benefits or job attributes. This is known as the reservation wage. It may be above or below the market-rate (Milkovich et al, 2007). The second theory is the human capital theory. In terms of this theory, those who have improved their productive abilities by investing in themselves through education, training etc will earn higher wages (Milkovich et al, 2007). The next factor that shapes external competitiveness is the product market and ability to pay. To a large extent, product market conditions determine what the organisation can afford to pay its employees. The organisations ability to change what it charges for its products and services is affected by the demand for the product and the amount of competition (Milkovich et al, 2007). An employer who increases their wage level will either choose to increase its prices, thereby passing the higher labour costs on to consumers, or it can choose to keep prices fixed and pay the increased labour costs out of their revenues. If an employer is operating in a very competitive market they will not easily be able to increase prices (Milkovich et al, 2007). Lastly, organisation factors include characteristics that are unique to each organisation and their employees such as: industry and technology, employer size, peoples preferences and organisational strategy (Milkovich et al, 2007). The industry in which an organisation competes influences the technologies used (Milkovich et al, 2007: 216). Lower wages are paid in labour-intensive industries than in technology-intensive industries. When new technology is introduced within an industry, pay levels are also affected (Milkovich et al, 2007). Large organisations generally pay more than small ones. In big organisations, talented people have a greater marginal value as they are able to influence more people and decisions resulting in larger profits for the organisation (Milkovich et al, 2007). Better understanding of employee preferences is increasingly important in determining external competitiveness (Milkovich et al, 2007: 217). It is, however, difficult to measure preferences. It has been found that pay is more important to people than they are willing to admit (Milkovich et al, 2007). With regards to organisation strategy, some employers compete by adopting a low-wage, no services strategy. These organisations, such as Nike and Reebok, often rely on outsourcing to manufacture their products. Other organisations may choose a low-wage, high services strategy or even a high-wage, high services approach (Milkovich et al, 2007). Employers will pay more than their competitors if the job has a direct impact on the success of the organisation. Pay levels will equal that of competitors in jobs that have less of an impact on the success of the organisation. Evidence shows that those organisations with higher-skilled workers who make use of high-performance work practices and computer-based technology also pay higher wages (Milkovich et al, 2007). The integration of internal alignment external competitiveness In order for a compensation strategy to be successful it must blend internal consistency with market competitiveness, and must be structured to recognise the credentials, knowledge and performance of the individuals involved (Martocchio, 2001). An appropriate compensation policy is designed around the organisational structure, competitive position, leadership style and the strategic plan of the organisation (Santone, Sigler Britt, 1993: 86). A mentioned above, one of the main causes of employee turnover is inadequate compensation. The competitiveness of pay will affect the organisations ability to achieve its compensation objectives, and this in turn will affect its performance (Milkovich et al, 2007: 221). It is common for organisations to match the rates paid by their competitors. If organisations fail to do so, the existing employees will be unhappy and the organisations ability to recruit will be limited (Milkovich et al, 2007). Such a policy will result in the organisations wage costs being similar to that of its product competitors and the organisations ability to attract new employees will thus also be similar to its labour market competitors (Milkovich et al, 2007). Job evaluation, whereby the worth of a job within an organisation is determined, is performed in order to develop a system of compensation that employees will find fair. In this way, internal consistency among jobs is obtained (Grobler et al, 2006). However, if a competitor is willing to pay an employee a higher wage to do the same work, the employee will leave their current job to earn better pay elsewhere. An employer must therefore not only consider what they are willing to pay for a particular job but also what the competitors are paying for the same job. This is important if they want to attract and retain quality workers. Conclusion It is important that companies ensure that their reward systems are aligned with their organisational goals, strategy and culture. Strategic compensation allows for employees to earn incentives if they accomplish company goals. Compensation has a huge effect on recruiting, retaining and motivating people. The compensation strategy of an organisation also has a direct impact on its performance. Internal alignment and external competitiveness should be integrated when forming the pay structure. Practical Core strategy details ABSA SARS Objectives -Attract and retain high quality individuals with the optimum mix of skills, competencies and values. -Motivate and reinforce superior performance. -Encourage the development of skills and competencies required to meet current and future objectives. -Employees should share in the success of the business. -Drive productivity, service quality and cost efficiency. -Enable employees to perform at their peak. -Build a skills inflow through the graduate and youth recruitment programme. Internal alignment -Remunerate people fairly and consistently according to their contribution. -Ensure that employees of equal value are remunerated more or less equally. -Parity in the immediate environment is the most important. -Fair remuneration. -Recognition system. -Employee development. -Talent management. Externally competitive -Set cost to company (CTC) at the market median. -Reads the market regularly to strategically position itself at mid-market for fixed remuneration packages with differentiation between employees via variable reward programmes. -Differentiates aggressively between levels of performance. -Emphasis on variable pay i.e. incentive and commission schemes. -Incentive system in place. Employee contributions Direct rewards (standard): Fixed remuneration (CTC), allowances, overtime, leave encashments, variable/ performance based pay (long and short-term incentives). Direct rewards (non-standard): Commission. Indirect reward: Recognition rewards (prestige awards, service heroes, long service awards). Bursaries for employees and employee dependants. Benefits: free banking, staff interest rates, disability support fund, leave. -Fixed remuneration, allowances. -Overtime. -Government subsidies. -Incentive pay. Management -Open and transparent communication. -Objective remuneration decisions. -Show genuine care and concern. -Create an enabling environment. Rewards/ compensation strategic map LOW HIGH Objectives Attraction and retention Superior performance Quality service Please see attachment Internal al