Naturalism in Jack Londons “To Build a Fire” Essay

Even with our ability to tame some sides of nature, there are still certain conditions and forces which are beyond control; we inevitably are left with no will, powerless against nature’s indifferent influence. This struggle against nature is depicted by many authors of the 19th and early 20th centuries, using key concepts of naturalism and determinism, a key component of naturalist theory, as a foundation and philosophy for many of these stories. Jack London and Stephen Crane are notorious for their writings which have been regarded as cornerstones of naturalist theory in classic American literature. Stories such as â€Å"to Build a Fire†, â€Å"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky†, convey themes of naturalism and universal determinism in order to show the protagonist’s lack of free will in his constant battle with nature, often foreshadowing catastrophe and displaying natural instinct found within each character. In theory of Naturalism, nature holds certain p recepts that even our own will and integrity cannot bend or break. Charles Darwin, creator of the theory of evolution, believed in patterns of natural selection and that over time our environment will shape our genetics. Even we as humans, in Darwin theory, are susceptible to change as we have no free will and our environment shapes and determine things for us. We in speculation have no control over our own fates; we only have choices that will lead us towards a certain future, one that is decided by nature, and not the individual. In the story, â€Å"To Build a Fire†, London makes us aware that the protagonist is completely unaware of that notion, he believes with his own determination and will he can conquer the deepest hardships of the wild, attempting to defy the words spoken to him by the old man at Sulphur Creek. The adventurer simply believes through his own resolve that this expedition is simply an obstacle to which he can survive, but when set against nature in this environment, survival is the key concept, a profound element when talking about Naturalism. The forces of nature and its destructiveness are beyond the protagonist’s control, and London makes that point when he talks about the cold and its effects on the explorer, saying â€Å"But, rub as he would, the instant he stopped his cheekbones were numb, and the following instant the end of his nose went numb.†(London, pg 1064) Though the man, through his own determination, attempts to warm himself by  rubbing his cheeks and the end of his nose with his mitten, he is unable to fulfill this desire, as nature takes hold of his destiny. This sense that nature prevails can also be read in lines such as â€Å"He pulled the mitten on the right hand, and beat it fiercely against his knee† (London, pg 1064) He is essentially fighting, savagely, against nature though is unable to triumph. It is somewhere between his spittle freezing and his face forming frostbite that the man should come to some conclusion about his place in nature. Yet as London described before, his inability to recognize the â€Å"significance† of nature and her power puts him in an awful position. His conceit will continue to lead him towards a desolate and bleak future, until finally he will become helpless and feeble amongst the supremacy of nature. It is important to note that the first incident sprung on to the character in this story is passed off as something of bad luck, â€Å"He cursed his luck aloud†(London, pg 1063 ). The word luck whether bad or good, implicates his lack of free will, luck is something not controlled by him, as suggested by the naturalist theory. It is even more important to take note of phrasing used in his second and most devastating incident. London uses the phrase, â€Å"It was his own fault or, rather his mistake†(London, pg 1062) when describing the occasion when the spruce tree collapses onto his final chances for survival. London follows fault with mistake in order to convey to the reader that his fault would mean him bearing responsibility, rather it is then stated as a mistake, meaning an incident a bit more outside of his control. In the naturalist theory there are choices, but all choices lead towards certain predetermined futures. The man made the ill-fated decision to build his fire under the tree shrouded in tons of snow, just as all through the story he has been continually attempting to overcome nature’s wrath throughout the story. His conceit had caught up with him as nature took control of the mistake and extinguished his only chances of making it out alive. Survival as mentioned before is a key concept of Naturalism, it is vital in the struggle against nature, in order to beat the unfavorabl e conditions of nature, one must survive. In order to survive one must have keen instincts to thrive in the wild, and in the story, London uses the man’s mammal companion and his owner, in order to show this necessity for instinct. The protagonist has a certain level of intellect, which gets him by, yet he still needs matches to create his fire  and he needs a map in order to guide him to certain locations, all which exercise ones intellect. None of these require instinct, only a certain methodology and knowledge of the items. In the sense of his intellect as opposed to the dog’s instinct, the man’s knowledge of his complicated tools can only take him so far, but eventually lead to error, such as his fingers becoming too numb to strike his matches to create a fire. The dog on the other hand is able to rely solely on instinct in order to overcome the veracity of nature, such as burying itself into the snow when it becomes cold or gnawing the ice between its extremities. Although the man cannot rely on fur in order to keep his warmth, London still shows us that the instinct of the dog prevails the man’s subpar intellect. London even agrees upon the statement, â€Å"This man did not know co ld. Possibly all the generations of his ancestry had been ignorant of cold, of real cold, of cold one hundred and seven degrees below freezing-point. But the dog knew; all its ancestry knew and it had inherited the knowledge.†(London, pg 1061) If the man had similar instinct as the dog and understood the severity of the cold, he could have been more cautious in his approach and possibly survived the misfortunes to come or not even have began the expedition of impending doom. Though the man took his intellect for granted, if his instinct were stronger he would have known not to build his fire under the tree. His method had led him thus far and would eventually lead him to death, as the dog would survive and using his instincts to find the nearest suppliers of food and fire. In Crane’s novel, â€Å"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky†, Crane has set up an environment which contrast the more natural element of the Yukon in â€Å"To Build a Fire†. The story revolves around a more civil setting, with the town of Yellow Sky which serves as a reflection of the old west. Coming back to the notion of determinism, it can be found that every character has a notable lack of free will amongst society. Even at the beginning of the story the protagonist, Jack Potter, is on a train which is very symbolic of his lack of free will, a continuous and predetermined path. Also we get a sense of the influence of nature on Jack as the story depicts , â€Å"The m an’s face was reddened from many days in the wind and sun, and a direct result of his new black clothes was that his brick-colored hands were constantly performing in a most conscious fashion†.(Crane) As the story progresses the reader is informed of Jack’s current condition, to which he  has claimed to have â€Å"gone headlong over all the social hedges†( Crane ) This custom of going against social norms describes yet another characteristic of naturalism, just as in London’s story, we see a man who defies advice and travels into the heart of the Yukon alone. Also this defiance of social values shows the animal like instinct within Potter, whether he was acting out of lust or loneliness, he resorted to some â€Å"sharp impulse† which presents an instinct within himself, one not well thought out. He is nervous in his approach towards home and his attempt to exercise free will has proved disheartening as he fears what others might think of his illicit behavior. He is confined and his will is broken. As the perspective switches to Yellow Sky we see a town very much stuck in the tradition of the old west. With the social conventions surrounding Yellow Sky, society have again proved as an authoritive and dominating control. The town is almost dictated by societal customs, such as the closing of the saloon when scratchy strolls through befuddled and bellicose. This is routine for the town as the bar tender mentions â€Å"No, he can’t break down that door,† replied the barkeeper. â€Å"He’s tried it three times.†(Crane) Almost satirizing the idea of the old west as nobody is that distraught except for the drummer from the east. This act of Scratchy continuously terrorizing the town gives us the idea of the force of social conventions and their plight upon the town. Determinism dictates the town as they wait while Scratchy displays his power and for their sheriff to eventually show up and smother Scratchy’s hostility. When Jack shows up with his new bride it can be inferred that Crane introduces the hero aspect detailed in the theme of naturalism. Throughout the book we see a man who is quite nervous and hesitant around his bride, but when pitted against his old adversary Scratchy, Jack takes up the role of the hero. When approached by Scratchy he is vulnerable and relates this to scratchy when he says, â€Å"You know I fight when it comes to fighting, Scratchy Wilson, but I ain’t got a gun on me. You’ll have to do all the shootin’ yourself.†(Crane) Throughout the story we see that Jack has a hindered sense of free will as he frets over societies view of himself and it is t hen foreshadowed he will encounter his long time foe Scratchy who dictates Jacks everyday job as Sheriff. But it is here at the end that we see Jack triumph over these social concerns by sacrificing himself and then overcoming Scratchy. By the end of the story we Jack as the ideal naturalist  hero, one who has overcome the dilemmas of the natural world. Naturalism is an idea that can explain many aspects of society. For instance the very reason I write this paper is to earn a degree that I must obtain in order to live a better life in the future, whether or not it is truley what I want to pursue. There are non-fictional accounts of men whom have abandoned the tyranny and mediocrity of their society and entered the wild only to gain a freedom they’ve never had, some of whom are inspired by these naturalistic writers. London and Crane give their readers a sense of what nature holds, often conveying how wonderfully aesthetic the natural world can be. It is possible to learn from naturalism and the literature that surrounds it, to understand how powerful nature is and how corrupt society has become. All of our naturalistic heroes whether fictional or non fictional, depart this life in a similar manner. They pass fighting the wilderness, conquering society, or stepping outside of their own confines and crossing new bounds. When they depart this life it is death by surviving in the natural world, a place where only few truths in this world are found. In the midst of their last moments, they slip into the most comfortable sleep they have ever known.

Links To Theory Through Observation.

EYES was established under the Childcare Act 2006 and is compulsory for all early years' providers that have o register with Posted for children age three to the end of the academic year in which they turn five. During reflection I will also be considering some theorists and their theories on learning through play and the benefits or criticisms they imply in relation to each observation. Child A pushes a lorry around table, watching as the wheels go round. He plays alongside others without interaction. Picking up the lorry he carries it to another area of nursery and kneels on the floor, again watching as he pushes lorry around the carpet.Another child approaches so he picks up the lorry taking it to a able with other vehicles on. Holding on to the lorry he picks up a small car, looking at a child opposite he says â€Å"My lorry is big†. The child agrees with child A saying ‘Yes because lorries are bigger than cars†. Child A smiles and replies â€Å"My lorry' is b igger†. He puts lorry on table and lines up two cars and a small bus alongside it and repeats â€Å"My lorry is bigger†. From the observation it was recognized that child A achieved several milestones for his age in conformity with the Development Matters in the FEES criteria.These include Mathematics (Shape Space and Measure) he is beginning to use the language f size, Physical Development (Moving and Handling) he squats with steadiness to rest or play with object on the ground and rises to feet without using hands, Communication and Language (Speaking and understanding) he uses language as a powerful means of widening contacts, sharing thoughts and developing understanding of simple concepts e. G. Big/little (Early Education 2012). The EYE-S categories children's development according to age which was influenced by Paginating theory.Jean Pigged is credited with the cognitive-developmental theory that views the child â€Å"as actively constructing knowledge and cognit ive development as taking place in stages† (Beer, 2000, p. 21). He introduced the term schema and its use was popularized through his work based on his four development stages, Seniority (0-errs), Pre Operational (2-6 or 7), Concrete Operational (6 or 7-11 or 12) and Formal Operational (1 1 or 12). Chris They (2007) was influenced by Piglets' schemas and developmental stages and building on Piglets' work she applied this theory to the observation and analysis of young children's learning.Focusing on young children's spontaneous play and activity she suggested that there re several ways of defining schema, although not a single one on which everyone would agree. During the observation it was identified that child A was performing some schemas in accordance to Pigged and Atheist' schema theory. Pushing the lorry around the table exhibits a rotation schema, taking the lorry to different areas exhibits a transporting schema and lining up the vehicles exhibits a positioning schema all of which Dowling (2013) suggests are mathematical schemas.Pigged viewed children as ‘lone scientists' who had all the cognitive mechanisms to learn independently from personal experiences and environmental aspects. He believed in the importance of children learning through exploring and finding new knowledge in many different situations without any need for teachers or more mature peers input (Nutrition, 2006). However in their response to schema-related play Bruce (1999) and Mead (1999), (in London, 2001) both highlighted the role of more mature ‘others' in influencing children's development.This is also posited by Level Viscosity who criticized Piglets' lone scientist beliefs, emphasizing the need for support from families, communities and other children to extend a child's learning in his Zone of Proximal Development (ZIP) theory (Pound, 2005). Visigoths' ZIP has been defined as â€Å"the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independen t problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers† (Viscosity, 1 978, p. 6). These theories were recognized from the observation when Child A communicated his thoughts on the size of the lorry to another child who confirmed his original schema of size but extended his level of thought by explaining lorries are bigger than cars. As the other child was more knowledgeable on size and mathematical language he was blew to provoke adaptation in child As' original schema allowing him to assimilate and accommodate this new information also showing evidence Of Piglets developmental theory (McLeod, 2009).Although further observations or adult led activities would be required to ascertain child As' equilibration. Upon reflection, had a teacher or LISP been present during this activity an opportunity to develop child As' mathematical knowledge further on shape, space and language could be met by comparing vehicle sizes and modeling language for size, big, bigger, biggest. Child B points to her tights saying â€Å"Look De, blue, red, blue' to L SP who replies â€Å"Oh yes, well done you spotted a pattern† child B smiles. â€Å"Do you think you can make a pattern? Asks LISP, child B nods following L SP to table with colored cubes and pattern cards. LISP hands child B a two colored pattern card modeling how to copy it. Child B follows card repeating pattern. LISP praises child B giving her a sticker, child B smiles examining sticker. Child B picks another two colored pattern card and copies it independently saying â€Å"l can do this one†. After praising child B LISP leaves table. Child B makes a two colored pattern without card calling to L SP Look I made my own pattern†, L SP praises and rewards child B with another sticker. Child B turns to a friend saying â€Å"l got two Stickers†.As in first observation, regarding the FEES, ch ild B is achieving several milestones within the seven areas of learning and development relevant to her age range of 40-months. She is also demonstrating characteristics of effective learning also specified in EYES these being, Playing and Exploring (engagement), finding out and exploring and being willing to ‘have a go', Active Learning (motivation), being involved and concentrating, keeping trying enjoying achieving what they set out to do and Creating and Thinking Critically (thinking), having their own ideas, making links, choosing ways to do things.However mathematically it was notable that child B aged 53 months is above her milestone development in shape space and measure aspect of FEES as she was able to recognize, create and describe patterns, which are Early Learning Goals (LEG). Legs' are the next developmental milestones of EYES and usually occur around age 60+ months (Education, 2012). This contrasts Piglets' theory that children learn in stages, achieving one st age before bovine onto the next.Maria Interiors also criticized this theory as she believed in focusing On the individualized nature Of learning and recognized â€Å"all children were capable of learning but they need to work at their own pace† (Groan et al, 2011, p. 41). This was highlighted in observation as child B is developing at her own pace and achieving a higher development milestone without completing all aspects of the 40-60 math shape space and measure category of FEES.Although Interiors criticized Piglets' development stage theory she believed, like Pigged that children learn by exploring alone and felt hat children were teaching themselves by absorbing information from their environment (Daley et al, 2006). Without intervention from the LISP child B would not have extended her knowledge or language of pattern and an opportunity would have been missed, sometimes it is therefore necessary to have the support Of an adult or more knowledgeable peer.This is supported by Burner whose scaffolding theory stated the importance of the role of a practitioner to extend children's learning (Doherty, 2009). Scaffolding refers to assistance which â€Å"enables a child or novice to solve a problem, carry out a ask or a goal which would be beyond his unassisted efforts† (Burner, 2006 p. 199). Child B had spotted the pattern but until the LISP assisted her and pointed out she had spotted a ‘pattern' child 8 did not have the language to describe it.

A research paper of a film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A research paper of a film - Essay Example Most importantly, the information is stored for future use and hence conserves the culture of the respective individuals. In most instances, the background of the writers greatly influences the nature of the film. In particular, it is widely agreed that the previous experiences of the writers are commonly highlighted in the films. This is because of the fact that the respective experiences shape the perceptions of the authors as well as the decisions that they make. To a great extent, their previous experiences regarding education and professional develop have a direct impact on the quality of the products that the individuals present on the market. Perhaps the most important aspect pertains to the culture of the author or director of the film. In most instances, this will always be reflected in the piece of work. It is against this background that this paper explores the themes presented in The Wedding Banquet in light of Ang Lee’s experiences. To enhance a harmonic consideration, the paper begins by highlighting the cultural setting of the film. The Wedding Banquet is an Asian-American film that is based on both the American and Asian values, virtues, traditions and culture. Seemingly, it explores the aforementioned cultural aspects through its characters and themes. According to Berry, this is aimed at bridging the gaps between the American and Asian cultures in an effort to come up with a complex and unified version (Berry 33). From a cultural point of view, unification or reconciliation of cultures is an important aspect of enhancing cultural growth. Put differently, this makes the audience to understand and appreciate both cultures. From a business standpoint, this is instrumental in enabling the film to reach a broader and more diversified client base. Undoubtedly, this is critical in enabling the author to meet his or her business goals without compromising the

Discuss the ways in which globalisation has changed work patterns and Essay

Discuss the ways in which globalisation has changed work patterns and labour structures - Essay Example The recent discussions on globalization involve the arguments on its existence, the importance given to it today as compared to the past, the change in the concept of nation and citizenship because of globalization, the importance of globalization as against regionalism and localism. In addition a crucial debate is continuously rising on weighing the positive and negative impacts of globalization and exploring the people who are directly or indirectly influenced by the changes brought in by this concept. Globalization is a comprehensive and broad topic and covers a huge list of important issues including economic, social, political, cultural, religious and moral etc. The definition of globalization is also defined in the light of all these perspectives. As it is defined by James Rosenau, a political scientist, as "a label that is presently in vogue to account for peoples, activities, norms, ideas, goods, services, and currencies that are decreasingly confined to a particular geograph ic space and its local and established practices" (1997, p.360). Most of the researchers bordered their research on the economic impacts of globalization. ... The microeconomic effects refer to the technological advancements and the impact at individual firm levels, whereas, the macroeconomic effects involve the collaborative analysis of markets for business purposes (Oman, 1994). Pros and Cons of Globalization All countries experience some positive and some negative influences of more and more integration in the world economy. Pros of Globalization The list of positive aspects of globalization includes the excess availability of external finance. This excess amount of finance is helpful especially for the developing countries. The excess availability of excess finance from external sources is evidenced by the IMF, Direction of Trade Statistics Yearbook and World Bank, Global Development Finance, 1999. For instance the increase in capital flows is observed in the East Asia Pacific from 15.8 in 1980 to 36.3 in 1997. Similarly, an increasing trend of capital flows has been observed in Eastern Europe and Latin America. The percentages of this increase varied from region to region. The availability of external finance helped in releasing the constraints on foreign exchange that reduced and somehow suppressed growth and development in 1980s. The availability of foreign direct investments that were included in the new funds cannot be ignored. The concept of foreign direct investments is encouraged by the governments of the developing states. Foreign Direct Investments are encouraged because they improve the capital accumulation process and help the country develop with a faster pace in the present and thereby, affirm its success and prosperity on economic grounds in the upcoming years. Globalization does not only provide direct advantages to the countries influenced by it but

Philosophy-human rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Philosophy-human rights - Essay Example Examples of human rights are the right to freedom of religion, the right to a fair trial when charged with a crime, the right not to be tortured, and the right to engage in political activity. These rights exist in morality and in law at the national and international levels†( Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2003). On a global scale, militaries by design, were and are formed primarily for the purpose of the preservation of human rights. But to speak specifically about the rights of women, one must examine which human rights specifically, in the past have been overlooked or neglected throughout history as compared to the assumed rights granted to women in Westernized cultures today. It should be noted that the word ‘assumed’ it used purposely to indicate that though many may believe that women are in fact granted equal rights in modern times, this is not always the case and overall is indicative of a still flawed system. One hundred years ago in this very country, a woman was not permitted to vote, she was often not permitted to work or rather hold employment like her male counterparts, and certainly, she was not able to exist on her own due to these regulations in the same capacity that a man might be able to. Some countries to this day still practice arranged marriages where women are essentially assigned a husband who she typically does not even meet until the day she is married. This is a situation where women are really just used as a type of currency for trade or for political or business alliances. It is often the men in non progressive cultures that make the decisions and foster the role of leadership within the home and within the community. Going back to an earlier time of Native American tribes such as the Iroquois which were constituted by the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Mohawk and the

Agility Business Evaluation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Agility Business Evaluation - Research Paper Example The research brings forth the seriousness of research on the possibility of generating returns or dividends from the Agility Company. To accomplish the objective, financial statement analysis is used. The analysis entails the use of ratios. The ratios will indicate the relationship between tow financial statement variables. The ratios include the liquidity ratios, profitability ratios, and leverage ratios. The research includes the use of trend analysis forecasting tool to predict the future profitability of investing in the Agility Company (Daft 615). The profitability ratios indicate the Agility Company’s capacity to generate enough revenues in one accounting period needed to pay for its current expenses and costs of the same accounting period (Daft 615). The gross_profit margin_ratio was arrived at by dividing the company’s annual gross_profit by the company’s annual total_revenues. The ratio indicates the relationship between the company’s gross profit and the company’s net revenues. Table 1 shows that the company’s gross_profit margin_ratio for 2010 (0.323) is unfavorably lower than the company’s 2009 gross_profit margin_ratio, 0.389. Table 1 shows that the company’s gross_profit margin_ratio for 2011 (0.307) is unfavorably lower than the company’s 2010 gross_profit margin_ratio. Table 1 shows that the company’s gross_profit margin_ratio for 2012 (0.286) is unfavorably less than the company’s 2011 gross_profit margin_ratio (Agility, 2014). Further, the net_profit margin_ratio was arrived at by dividing the company’s net_profit by the company’s total_revenues (Agility, 2014). Table 1 shows that the company’s net_profit margin_ratio for 2010 (0.016) is unfavorably less than the company’s 2009 net_profit margin_ratio, 0.097. Table 1 shows that the company’s net_profit margin_ratio for 2011 (0.0.026) is favorably highe than the company’s 2010 net_profit margin_ratio. Table 1 shows that the company’s net_profit

Marriott Hotels in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marriott Hotels in Australia - Essay Example The Marriot way of doing business has been to reward good performance in its employees, both among the management as well as staff paid hourly rates. The primary stakeholders as identified by the â€Å"Marriot way† includes associates, guests and communities, thereby including employees, suppliers and retailers as well as its guests and members of the general community and the Company aims to provide the kind of services that can reach out to all of these.(www.marriot.co.uk). Marriot Hotels in Australia have also developed effective communication strategies to communicate with these different groups of stakeholders. According to Vogel (2005:110) promoting value must also include the introduction of better business practices that can serve to improve the welfare of the communities within which these corporations function. Employee satisfaction for example, impacts upon customer and ultimately, shareholder satisfaction. As a result, effectively communicating with employees would include the introduction of measures that could improve their motivation levels, which in turn would improve employee satisfaction (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2005). Management behaviour impacts upon employee attitudes, which in turn leads to customer satisfaction. For example, in a hotel environment, satisfied frontline employees project an attitude that improves the customer experience of the hotel (Rust et al, 1996). The productivity of a business depends upon the levels of cust omer satisfaction. The Marriot hotels have also developed a corporate image and profile, which have been communicated through its actions and annual reports. The core values of the Marriot hotels are centred around its â€Å"spirit to serve† philosophy.(www.marriot.co.uk) and includes corporate social responsibility, or the introduction of corporate practices that â€Å"improve the workplace and benefit society in ways that go above and beyond what companies are legally required to

Business Plan Analysis Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Plan Analysis - Research Proposal Example The BP is clear in its statements on Replay's mission and business objectives. The BP describes in detail company's sales, gross margins and net profits to highlight the profitable nature of its venture. The BP indicates clearly what the keys to the success of this venture are and how they business will address them. It explains how the company will source the raw material and how it will sell its products. The critical issues that the business will face and how the company will face them have been explained. The company will have two divisions and will manufacture two products. The first plant (Recycling division) will produce cleaned and recycled plastic PET Flake (RPET) for which the raw material will be post-consumer beverage bottles. Waste material from Replay's sheets manufacturing customers will also be a source of raw material. Even though the output of raw material from this division can be sold directly in the market as flake, Replay proposes to use most of it in its second plant (Extrusion division). The output from here will be extruded roll stock PET sheets and extruded high strength strapping. Currently there are no competitors offering recycled PET materials in the western coast. All the major producers of this are in the eastern coast. There are distinctive cost advantages for manufactures in packaging industry and strapping material users when using the proposed products of Replay as there is a difference in cost of material of $ 0.2 per pound between virgin PET and recycled PET. Strapping material to be made from RPET is preferred by user industry over other currently used material like steel and virgin polypropylene, because of cost advantage. Locating a plant close to the source of raw material and market is a very important consideration for success of the project. This is because of the high cost of transportation and other logistics. By locating the plant in the west coast, the success of Replays business is assured. The company proposes to use the best technology possible. The plant that is being purchased for recycling PET bottles is state of art and well proven. Several companies are already using it. It uses an environmentally friendly technology. The owner of the patent of the technology is also one of the promoters of Replay. Because of the link of the promoter to the manufacturer, Replay will be able to source the plant at a relatively lower price, which will decrease their initial capital cost. This will further increase the profitability of the company. The raw material availability close to the plant is huge and growing because of increasing public awareness and initiative for recycling. The promoters have already made tie-up with one of the main "consolidators" for sourcing of adequate raw material for their entire requirement of Replay at competitive prices. Replay believes that price and quality will be the main considerations while selling. Its target market is the users of PET for roll stock sheet manufacturers (for producing high visibility packaging) and strapping producers for lumber industry. It expects to be able to give a clear price advantage as well as quality through the plant it is setting up. There is also a huge market for flake. Any material not consumed by their

White Privilege.Views About White Previlige Essay

White Privilege.Views About White Previlige - Essay Example It is visible in many examples that dominance of white skin over other races is an instinctive phenomenon and something nobody has to convey in words. Many universities and their teachers are making attempts to counter this mentality of instinctive domination and privilege of whites over so called colored people. As more efforts are made to bring this sensitive issue of racism into lime light, the young students have started to feel more uncomfortable. This is because of the formation of American society where whites, blacks and many other races of people have lived together and now are immuned to all such gestures, feelings, terms and ways which could be considered racist in the past. Now in the classroom when such subjects are touched for discussion the white students often switch to defensive mode considering themselves a target of criticism and present arguments to show how much space they provide to other ethnicities. On the other hand the colored students also find themselves uncomfortable to be discussed as separate and distinct part of the nation as it only provokes prejudice against them. Following have been a common outcome of all efforts to raise this issue. The idea behind such efforts is to teach students from all races to understand how their behaviors have been shaped and what have been the consequences of discriminations.

Article critique assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critique assignment - Article Example As Dr. Kedisaletse said â€Å"Sexual reproductive health is important for young people.†(Focus, 2007) For the erotic still arouses acute moral anxiety and confusion among youngsters. The strong emotion aroused enables one to enter the world of sexuality. This scenario produces the question of how many youngsters are aware and ready or rather physically and mentally prepared to accept the after effects. This is a vital issue which is addressed for once teenagers are aware of the consequences I feel one can deal with the issue on abortions then. An important aspect that Dr. Kedisaletse makes is that this education in teenage pregnancy is not only for the youngsters but also for the ‘health workers and youth development practitioners’ for ultimately they are the individuals who interact with teenagers and unless and until they are forceful in their interaction and provide all the necessary facts only then would teenagers understand reality and in a way abortions can be controlled. To begin with what are teenage pregnancies? Teenage pregnancy, by definition, refers to pregnancy in a woman under the age of 20. (Focus, 2007) The general framework would be younger the woman better would be their productive organs and motherhood becomes uncomplicated and more agile. So early marriages are more common or illegal sex is the causes for teenage pregnancies. Education about the negative aspects is vital for many are ignorant about the physical effects wherein the ‘severity of gestational protein uric hypertension’ combined with cephalopelvic disproportion which may result in failed labor. And here again depending on superstitions many would blame the woman for failure in pregnancy or in labor. Economic effects wherein most teenagers are financially dependent on their parents and this becomes unpleasant. Further financial insecurity finds the mother undergoing trauma which in turn affects the child within. Teenage pregnancy is a

Inside the Clinton White House Essay Example for Free

Inside the Clinton White House Essay The book â€Å"The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House† (1995) written by Bob Woodward keeps an eye Bill Clintons activities on a day-to-day basis, and most often than not on a minute-by-minute account starting from the period Clinton made a decision to run for president by way of telling the story of his campaign, the election, and Clinton’s first year in office as President. The book deals with the time from late August in the year 1991to early 1994. Almost two-thirds of the book covers the planning, writing, and eventual passing of Bill Clinton’s economic policy, which is considered to be the â€Å"heart† or â€Å"core† of his presidential campaign in the year 1992. Meanwhile, I personally think that the heart of Woodward’s book is about the synergetic activities of the First Couple – Bill and Hillary . This activities include their collaboration and partnership with their advisers and friends, their interpersonal relationship, their power, skill and capability to have an influnce on Congressmen, and also their failure to adapt and adjust to the way of living in Washington. In writing this book, the author interviewed and reinterviewed over 250 individuals. Sometimes, Woodward carried out 20 interviews with 10 sources to document and record a single meeting or a decision made. According to Woodward, in majority of these interviews, he had an agreement with his sources that he will withhold their identity. Nevertheless, in a lot of instances, the readers of the book could easily recognize these sources. Aside from conducting Woodward also obtained information from diaries, schedules, meeting notes, transcripts, and memoranda. I think that most likely, the greatest surprise of the book is the degree to which the people or the sources gave their private papers and opinions to Woodward. In fact, a lot of those people who are close to the First Couple offered exceedingly candid, and oftentimes condescending evaluation of Bill and Hillary. Upon reading the book, as I have said earlier, I think that the topic of the book is Bill Clinton’s first year in office and his effort mainly to pass an economic plan. However, I also think that his effort also includes NAFTA and Health Care. As I can remember, President Clinton had promised three main things as far as his economic plan was concerned. These things are first, to cut the deficit; second, to cut middle class taxes and third, to reinvest in social programs for the working and middle classes. Nevertheless, they swiftly discarded the tax cut and the spending programs ensured afterward, so all they had left was a strategy to cut $500 Billion from the country’s deficit for a period of five years. This brought about a big gap and discord among the inner circles of the Administration. According to the book, on the one hand were the deficit hawks and on the other hand were the people who wanted to stress tax cuts and spending programs. In the meantime, according to Woodward, somewhere in the middle, leaning one way or another, was President Bill Clinton. Despite the fact that the author discloses in detail what a lot of people know, which is the reality that Bill has a temper and has the capacity to be enraged at people, Woodward likewise portrays Bill as a man who is sincerely concerened regarding what has occurred to the middle class people and a man who honestly desires to fulfill his promises made during his campaign and help the people. Moreover, in his book, the author depicts Bill as a hard-working and intelligent President who might have a hard time coming up with a decision, yet wishes to attain what he thinks and feels will enable America to become a safer, better, and more secure nation. In this book, Woodward has also portrayed a somewhat convincing and believable picture of Bill Clinton at work as President. Nevertheless, he also showed a not-so-pretty picture of Bill Clinton. For instance, Woodward has shwin that Bill Clinton tends to vacinate, even though Bill’s uncertainty to act in a powerful and straightforward way is an outcome of thinking too much. Hence, it is in this part that Woodward paints a positive image of Hillary. According to Woodward, she thinks that the burden of implementing the Administration policies was too much on her husband and she also thought that a lot of senior officials in the Administration and on the staff were stopping short of full preparation. In his book, Woodward also disclosed some of Hillary’s thoughts about Bill. According to the book, Hillary said that her husband was such a complex person. She also said that no one had described the whole personality of Bill because people kept attempting to chop Bill into little pieces. She further said that her husband confused people because his manner produced dissonance. Woodward has kind words for Hillary in this book. Obviously, it can be gleaned that Woodward spent several hours with Hillary and was extremely impressed with her. In his book, Woodward regards Hillary to be Bill’s most significant adviser. Woodwards thinks that Hillary is a considerate and compasionate woman because she is eager on doing things that she thought would be best for America. Woodward said that oftentimes, Hillary thought of the thousands of people they had seen and met during their campaign rallies and trips and rallies and she thought and felt that she and Bill had a responsibility to deal with these people’s and the country’s concerns. In terms of the style in writing thr book, Woodward’s book is well-written and interesting and offers a postive and favorable impression and account of Bill Clinton’s work as President. I even think that the book could convince or persuade some Republicans to vote fo Democrats in the next election for President. In reading this book, the reader will observe that Woodward made a novelistic approach to a political issue because as stated earlier, Wordward was able to show that he obtained information from a variety of sources including getting insider information. I think that the purpose of the book is to show that Woodward has unique access to the inner councils of government, and to show the reader an exciting glimpse of the typically unknown process of governing. I believe that through his work, Woodward was able to show that in his own subtle way, he is capable of creating an indictment of centralized political power. I think that â€Å"The Agenda† is a good example of this method of Woodward. Nevertheless, I also think that there is a problem with the author’s failure to take into account larger concepts and ideas. Since the author’s viewpoint is somewhat narrow, since sometimes he is looking down into the details, he tends to miss the big picture. I think that the big picture is how insignificant Clinton’s bill was. Moreover, the author mainly centered on Bill’s failures but doesnt put the appropriate emphasis on the plan’s conclusion: President Clinton got his economic plan passed eventually despite of the odds against him and numerous gaffes, a budget that could be considered as equally important as the 1981 Reagan plan, was passed. Lastly, I think that Woodward must have done o a better job explaining how hard and complex it is to get things accomplished and fulfilled in Washington, particularly legislation that is viewed as damaging well-established and ingrained interests and introduced by a freshman administration. # Reference Woodward,B. (1995). The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House. Pocket.

American Japanese Internment Camps Essay Example for Free

American Japanese Internment Camps Essay 1.0   Introduction Japanese Americans refer to all Americans of the Japanese heritage who were born in Japan or the descendants of those who were born in Japan. Initially, they were the largest Asian American group but currently they are sixth largest group in those of mixed race and mixed ethnicity. The largest group of these people is found in California while others are distributed in other states such as Washington, New York, Illinois and Hawaii.   Although every year there is quite a considerable number of Japanese immigrants who enter United States, the net migration still remains low since the older Japanese Americans still leave United States and go back to their original country, Japan. Japanese Americans have a long history in the United States since history records that the first group arrived American in the late 1800s.   In the year 1942, the United States government forced all the Japanese Americans and the Japanese who had settled along the Pacific Coast to relocate to war relocation camps which were referred to as internment camps.   Since the internment camps resulted from the presence of Japanese Americans, this research shall first focus on their history and later discuss about the internment camps. 2.0   History of Japanese Americans in the 19th Century United States has ever been known as the country of immigrants as a result of war, food shortages and political persecutions in other countries where the immigrants hail from. Japanese people happen to make a large percentage of the immigrants, and as highlighted earlier, they began to migrate in to the United States from the late 1800s.   The main cause of the immigration of the Japanese was to work in the sugar plantations which were established along the Pacific by traders who had settled in the Hawaiian Kingdom. The sugar industry had grown tremendously as it was aided by the Americas civil war in the year 1861-1865, and that called for more workers after the Hawaiian population was decreasing due to disease. Other workers were leaving the plantations for better work, and as a result the Hawaii’s foreign minister sought more workers from Japan. Consequently, in the year 1868, the first one hundred and forty nine Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawaii.   Since they were not used to the harsh conditions in the region and all the hard work in the sugar plantations, about forty of them returned to Japan. The rest went ahead and even intermarried with the Hawaii residents. The first Japanese immigrants in to the Hawaii gave formed the Japanese American community.   In the year 1886, the Japan and the Hawaii signed labor convection after which a lot of Japanese migrants arrived to Hawaii as contract workers and some went to California as student laborers.   According to the studies of Niiya and Japanese American National Museum-Los Angeles, Calif. (1993), the Japanese migration to Hawaii was mainly labor migration which intensified following Chinese exclusion from the United States in the year 1882.   It also involved emigration back to Japan and also to West Coast. It was halted by the Gentlemen’s Agreement in the year 1908 and finally by the Exclusion Act in the year 1924. 2.1   Reasons for the Japanese Migration to America Although most of the Japanese went to America for the contract labor, some still had others reasons. For instance, some just followed their parents like the case of one teenage girl who narrates that she just followed her dad. In another case, a woman followed her spouse after he had stayed for quite some time without returning back to Japan. Though she had thought that they would make enough money and return home, they ended up settling there permanently. Student’s immigrants also made a good number of Japanese Americans especially in San Francisco. In the year 1890, there were about three thousand Japanese students in America. Since they did not have enough money for their upkeep and studies, they resulted in to working in the plantations to earn extra money. Consequently, they ended up living in very poor conditions and one newspaper described them as â€Å"poor students and youths who have rashly left their native shores. Hundred of such are landed every year, with miserably scant funds in their pockets†¦Their objection is to earn with labor of their hands, a pittance sufficient to enable them to pursue their studies in language, sociology and politics† (Niiya Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, Calif.) 1993 pp. 3). 2.2   Japanese Americans Life in the Early 20th Century Contrary to what most Japanese had expected, life in America was quite hard for any one else other than the Native Americans.   The life and the work were made difficult by the banks, labor recruiters, and the immigration agents who used to charge Japanese immigrants extortion fees. In addition to the economic exploitation, the Japanese Americans also used to face racial discrimination. The social attitude, laws, and practices limited and excluded them from enjoying life fully, liberty, and also property. The salary that they were getting was barely enough to sustain them, leave alone saving money to enable them go back to Japan.   Most of them wished they were back in Japan like one worker who used to be paid fourteen dollars a month and out of those dollars, he used to pay more than half for the sleeping quarters. The rest was spent in buying food and other personal use.   In such a situation, it was practically hard for such a person to save enough money that would have enab led him to go back to Japan. As a result, majority were eventually forced to settle completely in America (Niiya, Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, Calif.) 1993). 2.3   1941-1945 The harsh living conditions of Japanese Americans continued to worsen as the years progressed.   In the year 1941, the situation worsened further especially after the Japan attacked and damaged the Pearl Harbor. The Americans accused the Japanese Americans of collaborating with Japan and as a result, they betrayed America. Since every one had started spreading rumors of how the Japanese Americans had helped Japan in the war, the whole of the American population started to have a bad altitude towards them.   As a result, many people started to propose for their removal from the Western States, as they feared Japan might attack them from West Coast although Japan did not have such plans. However, other Americans had other reasons for their removal since some coveted their farms. The groups who were pressing for the Japanese Americans removal from the West Coast continued to increase as groups like Anti-immigration Organizations, Chambers of Commerce from every city, and the American Legion joined the rest who were pressing for the same. The major reason why the Americans wanted the Japanese Americans removed was mere hatred other than the reasons that they were giving initially. Henry McLemore, one of the San Francisco Examiner was quoted to have said that â€Å"let us have no patience with the enemy or with any one whose veins carry his blood.† He continued to say that â€Å"I personally hate Japanese† (Spickard 2009 pp. 106). Still, some politicians continued to express their sentiments towards Japanese as some said that it was impossible to know whether they were loyal or not and were often referred to as inscrutable Orientals. With such hatred, it was obvious that the Japanese Americans were not going to escape relocation. The decision of relocating or imprisoning the Japanese Americans was made in the Washington D.C. by the administration of Roosevelt guided by the military leaders. They were arguing that it was of military necessity to do so, though they were not able to demonstrate that necessity. The military leaders believed that Japanese were dangerous regardless of whether they are loyal or not. Moreover, they continued to argue that even giving them citizenship was not to help in any way, since that would not change their nature. Despite the fact that there were a few protests who argued that they had already jailed all the dangerous Japanese Americans, the administration went ahead and made the decision to remove all of them from the West Coast. Studies of Spickard (2009) record that on 19th February 1942, President Roosevelt issued executive order 9066 that empowered the Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, to designate military areas with an aim of excluding Japanese Americans from the West Coas t. As a result, Arizona, Washington, Oregon and California were divided in to two military regions and the Japanese Americans were prohibited from western parts of the states and some inland sections. Following the order, some of the Japanese Americans started to move towards east with their belongings and family. However, moving with such a short notice was almost impossible for them and many American did not want them to settle in their territories. They were continuously harassed, and due to this, they continued to move to the east.   One governor from Idaho was quoted to have said that â€Å"The Japs live like rats, breed like rats, and act like rats. We do not want them buying or leasing land or becoming permanently settled in our state† (Spickard, 2009 pp.107). When voluntary migration failed to produce desirable results, on March 27, DeWitt stopped it and put travel restrictions on the Japanese Americans in the military zone. In addition, the army decided to move all of them in the concentration camps. 3.0   Concentration Camps The concentration camps were the barbed wire enclosures where the Japanese Americans were moved to after the executive order was issued in the year 1942, to bar them from residing in the West Coast parts of America. Though there had been camps earlier in the history of America, these camps were exceptional because a whole ethnic group was forced to reside there. Since Japanese Americans were passive by nature and accepted anything that was imposed on them, as some people argue, they did not resist moving in to the camps neither did they move out of the same without an order. Some people planed to resist legally though much was not derived from the same, since it did not stop them from being evacuated from their places. Studies of Spickard (2009), record that during the evacuation day, one hundred and twelve thousand Japanese Americans were taken to the evacuation camps. The camps were of very poor conditions since it is recorded that even the ground was wet especially on the day of evacuation. There was no adequate light and the rooms were very small. The environment was not favorable either since it was hot during the day and very cold at night. Whichever the case, they had no alternative but to stay in the barbed wire enclosures. The ten camps were located at different locations particularly in the interior west, in the isolated desert areas. Some of the camps were located at Amache, Minidoka, Poston, Manzanar California, Jerome, Tula lake California and Heart Mountain. After evacuation, only six Japanese Americans remained in the local hospitals since they were seriously sick.   Since they were living communally, all facilities were being shared by about two fifty people. Given that the conditions in the camps were not conducive at all, around one thousand and two hundred left the camps when they were given the chance of joining the US Army. Although many of the Japanese Americans had become desperate and frustrated at first given that some of them even attempted suicide, they later decided to adapt to the life of the camps. Each camp had a government owned farm land that was leased to them; they engaged in agricultural activities and produced poultry and dairy products. The cost of food was not high and other services like the medical cares were provided free of charge. Education was also offered free of charge up to the high school level and majority of the internees were recruited as teachers and others were trained to fit in the employment programs that were available at the camps. 3.1   Japanese Americans Life after Relocation from Concentration Camps After January 1945, all people were finally allowed to leave the internment camps.   The Japanese Americans were given the identification card and they were told that once they presented them to the authorities, they would be allowed to go back to their homes. However, though the government had allowed them to leave, they were still afraid of the Americans for they were still hostile towards them. Even the people who received them were similarly harassed by the rest.   One man who had returned to California in May after the executive order was removed was quoted to have said â€Å"Everybody was afraid of being attacked by the white people. The war was still going on at that time and prejudice and oppression were very severe† (Niiya Japanese American National Museum-Los Angeles, Calif., 1993 pp. 19) as he described the situation. Moreover, on top of racial discrimination and other forms of harassment, the Japanese Americans still went through a lot trying to rebuild their lives once again. 4.0   Conclusion The Japanese Americans are among the many immigrant groups found in the United States. Since the late 1800s nearly half a million Japanese immigrants have settled in America and more than twice of that number today claim Japanese ancestry.   Although they went to America being optimistic that they would work hard and establish themselves, some of these dreams were never realized. Some thought that after making some money, they would go back to their motherland which never came to be since life in America was characterized by a lot of economic hardships. In addition, they faced a lot of prejudice and were discriminated against. The worst came to worst during the Second World War when all the Japanese Americans were forced in to camps with no apparent reason –other than being of the same ancestry with the America’s enemy, Japan. The relocation camps which were located far from the West Coast were characterized by the poor living conditions.   Since the year 1942 when the Japanese Americans was relocated to the internment camps, they were able to go back after the year 1945 when the executive order was finally removed.

Childrens Problems Begin At Home And End At Home Education Essay

Childrens Problems Begin At Home And End At Home Education Essay Parenting is fundamental to the survival and success of the human race. Everyone who has ever lived has had parents, and most adults in the world become parents. Opinions about parenting abound, but surprisingly little solid scientific information or considered reflection exists about parenting. Parenting is a job whose primary object of attention and action is the child. Children do not and cannot grow up as solitary individuals but parenting is also a status in the life course with consequences for parents themselves (Femmie Juffer, 2007)5. Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them. Oscar Wilde (English humorist) Since Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlby discovered that children use their parents as a secure base to fulfill their attachment and exploration needs, an impressive body of empirical research has been devoted to the search for the origins and consequences of (in)secure child-parent attachment relationships. Secure attachment relationships have been associated with better social competence and with more optimal parent and peer relationships than insecure attachments. The concept of secure attachment relationships and the related concept of parental sensitivity appear to be highly significant for the clinical field, including the development and evaluation of attachment-based interventions for at-risk and clinical families. The most important part of parenting is love and putting in time and energy to support children. Although love is the most important requirement, it is not enough. Unless parents understand their childrens unique needs, they are unable to give their children what children today need. Parents may be giving love, but not in ways that are most helpful to their childs development. Without an understanding of their childrens needs, parents cannot effectively support their children. On the other hand, some parents are willing to spend more time with their children, but dont because they dont know what to do or their children reject their efforts. So many parents try to talk with their kids, but their kids just close up and say nothing. These parents are willing, but dont know how to get their kids to talk. Some parents dont want to yell at, hit, or punish their children, but they just dont know another way. Since talking with their children has not worked, punishment or the threat of punishment is the only way they know. To give up old ways of parenting, new ways must be employed. The world is experiencing a crisis in parenting. Every day, there are increasing reports of child and teen violence, low self-esteem, Attention Deficit Disorder, drug use, teen pregnancy, and suicide. Almost all parents today are questioning both the new and old ways of parenting. Nothing seems to be working, and our childrens problems continue to increase. Some parents believe that these problems come from being too permissive and giving children too much, while others contend that outdated practices of parenting, like spanking and yelling, are responsible. Others believe that these new problems are caused by negative changes in society. Too much TV, advertising, or too much violence and sex on TV and in movies are pegged by many as the culprits. Certainly society and how it influences our children are part of the problem, and some helpful solutions can be legislated by the government, but the biggest part of the problem starts at home. Our childrens problems begin in the home and can be solved at home. Besides looking to change society, parents must also realize that they hold the power to raise strong, confident, cooperative, and compassionate children. To cope with the changes in society, parents need to change their parenting approach. During the past two hundred years, society has made an historic and dramatic change towards greater individual freedom and rights. Even though our modern Western society is now organized by the principles of freedom and human rights, parents still use parenting skills from the Dark Ages. Parents need to update their parenting skills to raise healthy and cooperative children and teens. Businesses know that if they are to stay competitive in the free market, they need to keep changing and updating. Likewise, if parents want their children to be able to compete in the free world, they must prepare their children with the most effective and modern approaches to parenting (John Gray, 2007)11. Several social trends are now challenging parent-child relationships. Single parent families may be the most at risk. Although, there always have been single parents in the United States, the causes of solitary parenting have changed. Single parents of previous generations were primarily widows and widowers. Parents are now more likely to be single because of divorce or never being married. Single parents in todays society may be more isolated and perhaps more disillusioned than the single parents of the past. The final report of the National Commission on Children, about 25 percent (more than sixteen million) children lived with only one parent in 1989, twice as many as in 1970. Parental employment places a great strain on parent-child relationships. Parents may have to depend on other caregivers, for example, to set limits and provide guidance during their childrens formative years. Between 1970 and 1990, the proportion of mothers with children under age six who were working or looking for work outside their homes rose from 32 percent to 58 percent. Today, approximately 10.9 million children under six have mothers in the paid labor force (National Commission on Children, 1991) 74. Three aspects of parenting have been highlighted as central to childrens early language and learning: (1) the frequency of childrens participation in routine learning activities (e.g., shared book reading, storytelling); (2) the quality of caregiver-child engagements (e.g., parents cognitive stimulation and sensitivity/responsiveness); and (3) the provision of age-appropriate learning materials (e.g., books and toys). Early and consistent participation in routine learning activities, such as shared book reading, storytelling, and teaching about the letters of the alphabet, provide children with a critical foundation for early learning, language growth and emergent literacy. A plethora of studies also indicate that the quality of parent-caregiver interactions play a formative role in childrens early language and learning (Tamis-LeMonda, 2009)52. In the past, psychologists studying the development of children focused almost exclusively on childrens relationships with their mothers. Today, they have come to agree that fathers play a unique and crucial role in nurturing and guiding childrens development. Many experts now believe that fathers can be just as nurturing and sensitive with their babies as mothers. As their children grow, fathers take on added roles of guiding their childrens intellectual and social development. Even when a father is just playing with his children, he is nurturing their development (Ross Parke, 2006)25. NEED FOR THE STUDY The National Commission on Childrens national survey titled Speaking of Kids (1991) reports that a majority of American adults, regardless of age, race, marital, or parental status believe that it is harder to be a parent today than it used to be (88 percent) and that parents today often are uncertain about what is the right thing to do in raising their children (86 percent). Compared to ten years ago, respondents believed children today are worse off with respect to their moral and religious training (53 percent) and the supervision and discipline they receive from their parents (56 percent). Children themselves wished that their parents were more diligent in setting and enforcing rules. Thirty-nine percent of children 10-17 said they sometimes wished their parents were stricter or kept a closer watch over them and their lives. Another 8 percent said they wish this a lot. Only about 1 percent said they never wanted their parents to be stricter or more attentive. Because of the rapid pace of change in our society and an increasing awareness of and respect for cultural and values diversity, parents will continue to be challenged to expand on traditional styles of childrearing. The well-being of our nations children is clearly at risk. According to the National Commission on Children (1991), one in four adolescents engage in social behaviors that can lead to serious longterm difficulty; many more are vulnerable for future problems (National Commission on Children, 1991)72. Most parents do their best to provide a loving and nurturing atmosphere for their children. Poor parenting includes the following behaviors: Abuse An environment where there is a lot of arguing and conflict Ignoring the child Some parents are overwhelmed by their own personal situations and are unable to look after their childrens needs appropriately. The children who were ignored or who lived in high-stress households had trouble expressing themselves verbally. They also had trouble with social skills. Sharing toys was difficult for them, and they had trouble playing. The British study concluded that the disadvantaged children actually started preschool with underdeveloped brains. The children who were having trouble with their social skills could be helped if they received intensive help from their teachers. Unfortunately, teachers are busy caring for the entire class and have trouble finding the time to give the children who are behind the level of attention they need (JC Redmond, 2009)66. A study by UNICEF of 21 industrialized countries, An Overview of Child Wellbeing in Rich Countries (2007), came to the remarkable conclusion that there is no strong relationship between per capita GDP and child wellbeing. A government-funded review in Britain of research spanning 25 years found that the incidence of many mental health problems in children had doubled since the 1970s. Today, one in ten British children thats more than a million suffers from a clinically recognizable disorder, such as depression, anxiety, anorexia or severe anti-social behaviour (Tom McGurk, 2009)71. Studies have shown that children who go through their parents divorce have more conduct problems, symptoms of psychological maladjustment, lower academic achievement, Social difficulties and problematic relationships with both parents. In United States of America, reported statistics tells that Children from fatherless homes are: 5 times more likely to commit suicide 32 times more likely to run away from home. 20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders 14 times more likely to commit rape. 9 times more likely to drop out of high school. 10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances (become drug addicts) 9 times more likely to end up in a state-operated institution 20 times more likely to end up in prison. 3 million teenage girls have sexually transmitted diseases At least 1 out of 4 teenagers (between 14years to 19years) suffer from sexually transmitted diseases (CRISP, 2009)73. Some of the harsh realities faced by children in India are presented below: Less than half of Indias children between the age 6 and 14 only go to school. 95 in every 1000 children born in India do not see their fifth birthday. Amongst married women in India today, 75% were under age at the time of their marriages. 58% of Indias children below the age of 2 years are not fully vaccinated. And 24% of these children do not receive any form of vaccination. More that 50% of Indias children are malnourished. More than 50 per cent of girls fail to enroll in school; those who do are likely to drop out by the age of 12. CHILD LABOR 19% of children are employed for domestic help. 25% of the victims of commercial sexual exploitation in India are below 18 years of age. Large numbers of children work simply because there is no alternative since, they do not have access to good quality schools. Poor and bonded families often sell their children to contractors who promise lucrative jobs in the cities and the children end up being employed in brothels, hotels and domestic work. Many run away and find a life on the streets (Sharanam Centre, 2007)75. Everyone knows good parenting is good for the health of children, but studies show that good parenting also results in children who grow up to be healthier adults. Research indicates that adults who had stressful relationships with their parents in childhood are more likely to suffer from disease in midlife. Since parents are usually the most meaningful source of social support for much of early life, the perception of parental caring, and parental loving itself, may have important regulatory and predictive effects on biological and psychological health and illness (Claudia M. Lenart, 2009)55. Joint custody and shared parenting (i.e., joint physical and legal custody) have been studied for more than a quarter-century, with the majority of studies indicating significant benefits for children. When parents cooperate and minimize conflict, children do better with shared parenting/joint physical custody. Parenting Can Override Effect of Genes in How Babies Respond to Stress, the study found both genes and parenting were important to the development of how infants brain which helps to regulate cardiac responses to stress. The findings suggest that although genes play a role in the development of physiological responses to stress, environmental experiences such as mothers sensitive care-giving behavior can have a strong influence, enough to change the effect that genes have on physiology very early in life (W. Roger Mills-Koonce, 2008)68. It has been known for a long time that living in poverty damages childrens intellectual abilities. Good Parenting Raises Kids Mental Skills. Study Shows Better Parenting Skills Sharpen Minds of Kids in Poverty (Martin Downs, 2008)62. Babies need predictability and security, which they get when their mother and father respond consistently, promptly, and appropriately to their cries, smiles and other signals. As a baby develops a relationship with his or her mother and father, he comes to prefer them to other adults, in a process known as attachment. Psychologists agree that babies with secure attachments to their parents have better chances to develop into happy, successful, and well-adjusted children and adults. The investigator had personal experience about the effects of parenting both its ill effects and good effects. Investigator being specializing in the field community health nursing felt the need and was motivated to conduct the study on knowledge regarding the parenting roles among the couples of urban and rural community and teach them about parenting roles with the help of multimedia package. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM A comparative study to assess the effectiveness of multimedia package on knowledge regarding parenting roles among the couples of selected urban and rural community. OBJECTIVES To assess the existing level of knowledge regarding parenting roles among couples of the urban and rural community. To assess the effectiveness of multimedia package on knowledge regarding parenting roles among couples of the urban and rural community. To compare the pretest and posttest level of knowledge regarding parenting roles between the couples of urban and rural community. To compare the pretest and posttest level of knowledge regarding parenting roles between the male and female parent of urban and rural community. To compare the pretest and posttest level of knowledge regarding parenting roles between the male parent of the urban and rural community. To compare the pretest and posttest level of knowledge regarding parenting roles between the female parent of the urban and rural community. To associate the mean improvement of knowledge score on parenting roles with the selected demographic variables. OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS Effectiveness Refers to the outcome of the multimedia package regarding parenting roles among couples of urban and rural community, which will be evaluated by the structured knowledge questionnaire prepared by the investigator. Multimedia Package Refers to logically designed informations with the use of modern media to discuss and teach regarding parenting roles. This package consists of teaching material in the form of visual literacy and videos in a sequence which explains the parents role in general parenting, developmental milestones, cognitive development, moral development and learning disabilities. Parenting It refers to the performance of various roles and activities of raising a child rather than the biological relationship by the parents. Parenting Roles It refers to the role of the parents in raising the child. Roles included in this study are about General Parenting which includes meaning and concepts of Responding, Preventing, Monitoring, Mentoring and Modeling; Developmental Milestones which includes meaning, identification of age specific tasks of the children, ways to help the child to attain milestones; Cognitive Development which includes meaning, stages of cognitive development and ways to improve the cognitive development; Moral Development which includes meaning, stages of moral development and ways to improve the moral development of the child and Learning Disabilities which includes meaning, causes, early warning signs and ways to take care of child with such problem. Knowledge Refers to the ability of couples to understand and answer the question on parenting roles as elicited by structured knowledge questionnaire. Couples Husband and wife of selected urban and rural community with 1-6 yrs of married life having children. ASSUMPTIONS Couples may have some knowledge regarding parenting roles. Adequate knowledge on parenting roles may help the couples to provide effective parenting. Adequate knowledge regarding parenting roles may prevent many childhood problems. NULL HYPOTHESES NH1: There is no significant difference between pre and post test level of knowledge regarding parenting roles among the urban and rural couples at the level of p NH2: There is no significant difference between pre and post test level of knowledge regarding parenting roles between the urban and rural couples at the level of p NH3: There is no significant difference between pre and post test level of knowledge regarding parenting roles between the male and female parent of urban and rural community at the level of p NH4: There is no significant difference between pre and post test level of knowledge regarding parenting roles between the urban male parent and rural male parent at the level of p NH5: There is no significant difference between pre and post test level of knowledge regarding parenting roles between the urban female parent and rural female parent at the level of p NH6: There is no significant association between the mean improvement knowledge score on parenting roles and selected demographic variables of the urban and rural couples at the level of p DELIMITATIONS The study is delimited to a period of four week. The study is delimited to the couples living under the same roof. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK A conceptual framework or model is made up of concepts that are mental image of a phenomenon. These concepts are linked together to express their relationship between them. The conceptual framework is based on TRANSTHEORETICAL MODEL/ SOCIAL CHANGE MODEL (JAMES.O.PROCHASKA). This framework consists of the following elements. PRECONTEMPLATION: The theory says that the Individual has the problem (whether he/she recognizes it or not) and has no intention of changing and goes through the process of Consciousness raising (information and knowledge), Dramatic relief (role playing) and Environmental reevaluation (how problem affects physical environment). In this study the researcher perceives the importance of the problem and prepares the multimedia package with extensive review of literature and experts opinion to improve the knowledge of couples in selected urban and rural community regarding the parenting roles on general parenting, childs cognitive development, developmental milestones, moral development and learning disabilities. CONTEMPLATION: This stage involves the Individuals recognition of the problem and he/she is seriously thinking about changing and goes through the process of Self-reevaluation (assessing ones feelings regarding behavior). In this study the researcher approaches the couples of selected urban and rural community and obtains their consent to participate in the study after providing adequate information regarding the need for the study and benefits thereby makes the couples to become aware of the problem. PREPARATION: In this stage the individual recognizes the problem and intends to change the behavior through the process of Self-liberation (commitment or belief in ability to change). In this study the researcher conducts the pre test assessment of knowledge regarding parenting roles among the couples of selected urban and rural community with the help of the structured questionnaire. The structured interview schedule consists of demographic variables like age, gender, educational status, occupation, family income per month, religion, type of family, no of years of married life, no of living children, age of the child, place of living, mode of getting information about parenting and structured questionnaire containing questions regarding parenting roles on general parenting, childs cognitive development, moral development, developmental milestones and learning disabilities. The researcher prepares the couples for gaining the knowledge regarding parenting roles. ACTION: In this stage the Individual has enacted consistent behavior change through the process of Reinforcement management, Helping relationships, Counterconditioning and Stimulus control. In this study the researcher by providing the multimedia package which consists of lecture in the form of pictorial and video shows regarding parenting roles on general parenting, childs cognitive development, moral development, developmental milestones and learning disabilities provides a helping relationship to gain adequate knowledge to provide good parenting to their children. MAINTENANCE: In this stage individual maintains new behavior. In this study the researcher conducts the post test assessment of knowledge after one week from the day of intervention using the same structured questionnaire which was used for pre test to know the improvement in the knowledge. If couples had adequate knowledge reinforcement was given by providing booklet as maintenance of knowledge and couples with inadequate knowledge reassessment was done. OUTLINE OF THE REPORT Chapter I : Dealt with the background of the study, need for the study, statement of the problem, objectives, operational definitions, null hypotheses, assumptions, delimitations and conceptual framework. Chapter II : Deals with the review of related literature. Chapter III : Presents the methodology of study and plan for data analysis. Chapter IV : Focuses on data analysis and interpretation. Chapter V : Enumerates the discussion of study. Chapter VI : Gives the summary, conclusion, implications, recommendations and limitations. The report ends with selected Bibliography and Appendices.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory Essay -- Essays Papers

Cognitive Dissonance Theory Leon Festinger shared his brilliance with the world when he, opposing all previous psychological behaviorist work, created the Cognitive Dissonance Theory. In his own words, he quickly sums up this quite complex theory: "If you change a person’s behavior, his thoughts and feelings will change to minimize the dissonance" (Groenveld, 1999, p.1). In order to decode this dense statement, we must first be aware that Festinger held to be true that humans have a deep abiding need in their psyche to be consistent in our attitudes and behaviors; we want to feel in agreement and unified in thought and action. Inner harmony sounds good to everyone, and so it was Festinger’s view that when we feel a disharmony, or dissonance, within ourselves, between two factors, we strive to decrease this tension by either changing our original thought, giving strength to the opposing thought, or letting go of the behavior. All three techniques are in the name of decreasing dissonance because it is threatening to experience such a large crack in our rationale that dissonance often creates. Say I realized the college I am attending is not offering me the classes I’m interested in. I am feeling a post-decision dissonance, now that I’ve chosen my school, within myself due to this logical inconsistency: I value a college that offers classes interesting to me. I am not attending a college that offers classes interesting to me. I really want to work it out because otherwise I feel scattered like a "schizophrenic" as Festinger put it. Since my belief and behavior conflict, I seek to eliminate and reconcile the difference by choosing one of three paths (TIP:Theories, 1999): 1. I can devalue my belief and say, "Classes ar... ...ns that women find they love guys that use or abuse them, which is an unhealthy extreme of the minimal justification theory. It happens very frequently in college. References Griffin, E. (1997). A first look at communication theory. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Groenveld, J. (1999). Totalism & group dynamics [online]. Available: http://www.crl.com/~tzimon/General/cult_tot.html . Kearsley, G.(1999). Cognitive dissonance. Theory into Practice (TIP) Database [online] Available: http://www.gwu.edu/~tip/festinge.htm. Neilands, T. (1995 Dec). The time course of the self-concept threat reduction process among low and high self-esteem individuals (dissertation). [Online]. Available: http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~neilands/psych/research/bigd/ch6.htm. Trenholm, S. & Jensen, A. (1996). Interpersonal communication. New York: Wadworth Publishing Company.

Othello as Victim of Hamartia Essay -- Othello essays

Othello as Victim of Hamartia   Ã‚  Ã‚   By definition, a tragedy is a story that details the downfall of a protagonist. Most often, the protagonist (tragic hero) is a member of high society who is faced with an oppositional force, be it internal or external. In his Poetics, Aristotle states that "tragedy is the imitation of an action; and an action implies personal agents, who necessarily possess certain distinctive qualities both of character and thought; for it is by these that we qualify actions themselves, and these- thought and character- are the two natural causes from which actions spring, and on actions, again all success or failure depends...." This quote illustrates an aspect of tragedy upon which many works are based, including Shakespeare’s Othello. Aristotle has thus outlined the characteristics of a tragic hero. The tragic hero must be cursed with an overpowering â€Å"hamartia,† or tragic flaw, which leads to his eventual downfall. Although he is a virtuous man, Othello is a tragic hero whose naivetà © becomes his tragic flaw. Over the course of the play, the audience sees Othello crumble apart because of his over-powering jealousy. Despite his sins, the audience still manages to feel pity for Othello and his horrible misfortune. In this case, the tragic h... .... Introduction. William Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Penguin Books, 1968. Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos. Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1957. Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. â€Å"The Engaging Qualities of Othello.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Introduction to The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare. N. p.: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1957

The Great Depression in America :: essays research papers fc

â€Å"Father, won’t we have anything to eat for dinner?† said a young boy in a poor household, after his parents lost everything. Aww, now that’s a sad story. The economic collapse of 1929, also known as the Great Depression, helped make most of the United States bankrupt. The Great Depression was the worst economic disaster in the entire history of the U.S. (Gusmorino). It put millions of people out of work, and made people homeless and hungry. Food and job lines were nearly endless in the cities. The Great Depression was a horrible time for most of Americans. Many people lost their jobs and a lot of businesses closed. This job loss forced many Americans to becoming migrant workers. One of the main causes for this depression was that too many people over estimated the stock market’s stability, and they put lots of money into it (Gusmorino). When the stock market did crash, the people that invested in it lost everything. Also, people that put their life savings in banks lost everything they had, because the banks lost all their money. After this, it was hard to get the American people to put their trust back in the banks and the stock market, so President Roosevelt made a series of new laws and deals, creating more jobs, and ensuring that your money would not be lost in a bank. The new jobs that President Roosevelt created were mostly construction jobs to maintain and repair public lands. For example, one of the new jobs was to fix and maintain highways. Also, he gave money to farmers for them to set up work camps on their farms. These work camps offered jobs to anyone that was willing to travel to a farm and work there. This process of leaving your home, and living wherever you can work, is called migrant labor. During this historical time period, millions of Americans were forced into a life of migrant labor (Migrant). A migrant worker is someone who travels from town to town, looking for work. Then, when they find work, they live at the job site. Migrant workers usually live in small camps or tents along irrigation canals or right on a farm field. When a drought swept through the Great Plains in 1931, and dust storms came in 1932, the farmlands on the plains were all completely destroyed (Fanslow). Those people out of work moved to states like California for jobs.

Analysis of Conan Doyle’s work Essay

English coursework : A comparative essay on 2 Sherlock Holmes stories  The world has chosen to remember Sir Arthur Conan Doyle chiefly for his creation of the fictional master detective, Sherlock Holmes. This prestigious character has been hugely popular for over one hundred years shown in many different ways, whether it be books, television series, magazine articles, and so on.  Conan Doyle himself was born in Edinburgh, rather than the London setting that Sherlock Holmes lives and works. He actually set out to be an oculist, however when no patients came he had plenty of time to write his stories. Around the same time, The Strand magazine was first published, and Sherlock Holmes was printed for the first time in its pages. His stories were not long enough to be books of their own, and thrived as a regular part of their magazine. The Sherlock Holmes stories are written in a very upper class setting. Watson and Holmes take cabs everywhere, and have very high class mannerisms and habits, such as leaving a calling card if the person they have visited is not there. And Holmes himself carries round a cane with him – a rather posh acquirement thought to be that of a gentleman. They also have a resident in the home to look after them both, and take care of the household, which could of course only be afforded by those of the higher class.  The fact that these stories were written in such a way is easily explained. The stories were written for the magazine, ‘The Strand’. In those times, very little people read magazines, and could afford to subscribe. Most people read newspapers, but these magazines were aimed at the higher class, and particularly for the gentleman, because a very small number of women were expected to be able to read, and so they did not benefit from such a publication. â€Å"The Speckled Band† and, â€Å"The Red-Headed League† are both very interesting stories. The structures of both are much the same, but that accounts for all of Conan Doyle’s creations in accordance to the Sherlock Holmes stories.  In accordance to this structure, â€Å"The Speckled Band† begins with a visit to the house from someone needing Holmes’s help. An element included right at the beginning of the story is the deduction Holmes makes of Helen. This is extremely typical of Conan Doyle as it is a feature he nearly always adds as each of his stories unfold. In â€Å"The Speckled Band† Holmes instantly deduces that she travelled early by dog cart on heavy roads to the station before travelling by train to London. The next lines describe Helen giving ‘a violent start’ and staring at Holmes in bewilderment. This is also underlyingly very typical of Conan Doyle to include such a description, as it what he includes in all of his stories at this point. In direct comparison, â€Å"The Red Headed League† features a swift deduction of Jabez Wilson in which he concludes that the man done at some point manual labour, takes snuff, has a freemason, has been in China, and has done a considerable amount of writing recently. The line directly following on from that is set out exactly the same as in â€Å"The Speckled Band† and describes Jabez to â€Å"Start up in his chair, with his forefinger upon the paper, but his eyes upon Holmes† So we can conclude from this that this is an element Conan Doyle likes to include in his stories which also suitably gives a first time reader an idea of the way Holmes’s mind works.  Following on from that, a long monologue is heard which tells every detail of the story. This is unusual in stories written now. We can note that in real life no one tells a story in such detail, uninterrupted, and this reflects tracts of today. But it is actually very typical of writings at the time.

Volume Variety Matrix

Volume- signifier and jut out In Chapter 1 the quartette Vs of deeds were described. These were brashness, novelty, renewal and visibility. The first two of these volume and miscellany atomic number 18 peculiarly important when considering goal issues in operations steering. Not save do they normally go in concert ( towering variety normally authority deplorable volume, game volume normally federal agency poor variety) tho together they withal impact on the nature of harvest-festivals and serve and suees which mature them. The volume and variety of an operations activities be especial(a)ly authoritative in determining the way it thinks close to its per excogitateance objectives.The figure be humbled illustrates how the definitions of tincture, focal ratio, dependability, tractableness and damage ar influenced by the volume-variety go under of the operation. pic Quality Quality in a first-class honours degree volume- laid-back variety surgery such (prenominal) as an architects practice, for grammatical case, is outstandingly bear on with the nett aesthetic appearance of the building and the clearness of its detailed human body. In an exceptionally high volume-low variety demonstrate, such as an electrical energy supply fellowship, quality is exclusively concerned with error-free helping electricity must be constantly available in the correct form (in harm of voltage, frequency, etc. . The means of quality has shifted from world concerned to begin with with the performance and specification of the harvest or assistant towards conformity to a pre out business enterprised standard, as we move from low volume-high variety operations by to high volume-low variety operations. focal ratio Speed for the architects practice means negotiating a completion date with each(prenominal)(prenominal) client, ensnare on the clients require and the architects estimates of how much cast is voluminous in each project. S peed is guiden to its uttermost(prenominal) in the electricity good where speed means literally fl be words.No electricity company could ask its customers to wait for their language of electricity. Speed therefore means an each negotiated deli genuinely time in low volume-high variety operations, and moves towards consequence instant delivery in some high volume-low variety operations. Dependability Dependability in processes such as the architects practice means keeping to each individually negotiated delivery date. In unvarying operations, dependability much means the availability of the service itself. A dependable electricity supply is angiotensin-converting enzyme which is always there.So dependability has moved from meaning on-time delivery in low volume-high variety operations to availability in high volume-low variety operations. Flexibility Flexibility in low volume-high variety processes such as the architects practice means the ability to design many antith etical kinds of buildings according to its clients non-homogeneous requirements. With the electricity companys process, the privation for intersection point flexibleness has disappeared entirely (electricity is electricity, more than or less) but the ability to insure almost instantaneous take changes through and through volume flexibility is vital if the company is to maintain supply.Flexibility has moved from meaning harvest-home flexibility in low volume-high variety operations to volume flexibility in high volume-low variety operations. Cost Cost, in terms of the unit follow per ware or service, varies with both the volume of make of the operation and the variety of products or work it produces. The variety of products or drive in low-volume operations is relatively high, which means that running the operation will be big-ticket(prenominal) beca exercise of the flexible and high skill levels employed. Further, beca riding habit the volume of outfit is relative ly low, a a couple of(prenominal) products or services are intent the operations high cost shew.Also, and more signifi ignoretly for the operation, the cost of each product or service is different. At the other end of the scale, high-volume operations usually produce sympathetic products or services, issue is high, so that whatever the primary cost of the operation, it is shared among a high human body of products or services. Cost per unit of getup is therefore usually low for operations such as the electricity utility but, more signifi flush toilettly, the cost of producing one bet on of electricity is the selfsame(prenominal) as the conterminous second. Cost is relatively constant. Copyright 1995-2010, Pearson Education, Inc. effective and Privacy Terms pic pic pic pic LINE. When product demand is high enough, the bewitch process is the fiction chore. Often, this process ( on with continuous both are in the lower-right quarter-circle of the intercellular substan ce) is referred to as pot business. Laborers slackly perform the same operations for each production run in a standard and hopefully perpetual flow. The concourse seam treats all outputs as basically the same.Firms characterized by this process are superior generally heavily automated, utilizing special-purpose equipment. Frequently, some form of conveyor belt g everywherenance connects the various pieces of equipment used. there is usually a fixed nock of inputs and outputs, constant throughput time, and a relatively continuous flow of work. Because the product is order, the process contribute be to a fault, following the same form from one operation to the next. Routing, scheduling, and control are facilitated since each individual unit of output does non contain to be monitored and controlled.This as well means that the managers span of control prat increase and less skilled workers can be utilized. The product created by the assembly- cable system process is dis crete that is, it can be visually counted (as opposed to continuous processes which produce a product that is non naturally divisible). around everyone can think of an example of assembly-line manufacturing (automobile manufacturing is plausibly the most obvious). Examples of assembly lines in services are car washes, class enrollment in universities, and many fast forage operations.Because the work-in-process equipment is organized and sequenced according to the steps pick upd to produce the product and is ofttimes committed by some sort of conveyor system, it is characterized as flowing in a line. Even though it whitethorn non be a straight line (some menages utilize a U-shaped assembly line) we consecrate that it has a connected line flow. Also, cockeyeds in the lower-right quadrant (line and continuous) are classified as having a product layout. Continuous manufacturing involves lot-less production wherein the product flows continuously rather than being divided. A basi c material is passed through successive operations (i. e. refining or processing) and eventually emerges as one or more products. This process is used to produce passing standardized outputs in highly large volumes. The product ikon is usually so narrow and highly standardized that it can be characterized as a commodity. Considerable capital investment is required, so demand for continuous process products must be extremely high. Starting and stopping the process can be prohibitively expensive. As a result, the processes usually run 24 hours a day with stripped reducetime (hence, continuous flow). This besides be exhaust asides the firm to afford their enormous fixed cost everywhere as large a base as realizable.The routing of the process is typically fixed. As the material is processed it usually is transferred automatically from one part of the process to the next, frequently with self- observe and adjusting. Labor requirements are low and usually involve exclusively monitoring and maintaining the machinery. exemplary examples of industries utilizing the continuous process include gas, chemicals, electricity, ores, rubber, petroleum, cement, paper, and wood. sustenance manufacture is also a weighed down(p) user of continuous processing oddly water, milk, wheat, flour, sugar and spirits.Read more Product-Process Matrix strategy, organization, system, examples, manager, company, business, competitiveness, system http//www. referenceforbusiness. com/management/Or-Pr/Product-Process-Matrix. htmlixzz24d4V1uTD pic pic USING THE hyaloplasm The product-process ground substance can facilitate the grounds of the strategicalal options available to a company, particularly with regard to its manufacturing function. A firm whitethorn be characterized as occupying a particular region in the matrix, determined by the stages of the product sustenance speech rhythm and its excerpt of production process(es) for each individual product.By incorporatin g this prop into its strategic planning process, the firm encourages more creative thinking about organizational repugnncy and competitive reinforcement. Also, use of the matrix provides a natural way to involve manufacturing managers in the planning process so they can reach their opportunities and decisions more efficaciously with those of commercialiseing and of the corporation itself, all the duration leading to more informed predictions about changes in industry and the firms appropriate strategic responses. Each process choice on the matrix has a unique mass of characteristics.Those in the upper-left quadrant of the matrix ( individualised credit line bring out and batch) share a number of characteristics, as do those in the lower-right quadrant (assembly line and continuous). Upper-left firms employ highly skilled craftsmen (machinists, printers, in additionl and die makers, musical instrument craftsmen) and professionals (lawyers, doctors, CPAs, consultants). b ecause upper-left firms can be characterized as roil intensive. Since upper-left firms tend to utilize general-purpose equipment, are seldom at 100 percent capacity, and employ workers with a wide flap of skills, they can be very flexible.However, there is a uncorrectable trade- come to in the midst of efficiency and flexibility of operations. Most job let ons tend to emphasize flexibility all oer efficiency. Since efficiency is not a substantive point of upper-left firms, neither is low-cost production. Also, the low volume of production does not allow upper-left firms to spread their fixed costs over a wide enough base to provide for reduced costs. Finally, upper-left firms are also more potential to serve local markets. Lower-right firms require production facilities that are highly specialized, capital intensive, and interrelated (therefore, inflexible).Labor requirements are generally unskilled or semi-skilled at most. a great jazz of the labor requirement deals with merely monitoring and maintaining equipment. Lower-right firms are also more likely to serve national markets and can be vertically integrated. Hayes and bicyclist relate trinity areas affected by the use of the product-process matrix typical competence, management, and organization. DISTINCTIVE COMPETENCE. distinctive competence is outlined as the resources, skills, and organizational characteristics that go out a firm a comparative advantage over its competitors.Simply put, a distinctive competence is the characteristic of a given product that causes the buyer to get it rather than the similar product of a competitor. It is generally accepted that the distinctive competencies are cost/price, quality, flexibility and service/time. By using the product-process matrix as a framework, a firm can be more precise about its distinctive competence and can concentrate its precaution on a restricted rig of process decisions and alternatives and a restricted set of marketing altern atives.In our discussion, we have seen that the broad range of worker skills and the employment of general-purpose equipment give upper-left firms a large degree of flexibility while the highly specialized, high-volume environment of lower-right firms yields very little in the way of flexibility. Therefore, flexibility would be a highly appropriate distinctive competence for an upper-left firm. This is especially consecutive when dealing with the need for flexibility of the product/service produced. Lower-right firms find it very herculean to sidetrack a high-volume operation because of an plan change in the product.An entire line would have to be shut down while in any caseling or machinery is altered and large volumes of possibly obsolete work-in-process are accounted for. Upper-left firms, however, would have none of these problems with which to contend. It must be observe though that lower-right firms may possess an advantage regarding flexibility of volume. Quality may be delimit a number ways. If we define quality as reliability, then lower-right firms could call option this as a distinctive competence. Lower-right firms would have the high volume necessary to readily find and eliminate ugs in their product, teachable more reliability to the end user. However, if we define quality as quality of design (that is, bells and whistlesthings that embody status, such as whip seats in an automobile or a handcrafted musical instrument), then quality would be seen as a possible distinctive competence of upper-right firms. Service may also be defined in more ways than one. If one defines service as face-to-face interaction and personal attention, then upper-left firms could claim service as a distinctive competence. If service is defined as the ability to provide the product in a very concise period of time (e. . , overnight), then service as a distinctive competence would belong to lower-right firms. Finally, remember that high volume, economies of scal e, and low cost are characteristics of firms in the lower-right quadrant of the matrix. Upper-left firms produce low volumes (sometimes only one) and cannot take advantage of economies of scale. (Imagine, for instance, what you would have to pay for a handcrafted musical instrument. ) Therefore, it is obvious that price or cost competitiveness is within the landing field of lower-right firms. MANAGEMENT.In general, the economics of production processes favor positions along the diagonal of the product-process matrix. That is, firms operating on or close to the diagonal are judge to outperform firms choosing extreme off-diagonal positions. Hayes and Wheelwright provide the example of a firm positioned in the upper-right corner of the matrix. This would appear to be a commodity produced by a job shop, an option that is economically unfeasible. A firm positioned in the lower-left corner would wager a unique one-time product produced by a continuous process, again not a feasible opti on.Both examples are too far off the diagonal. Firms that find themselves too far off the diagonal ingest trouble by impairing their ability to compete effectively. While firms operating in the nest vicinity, but not exactly on the diagonal, can be niche players, positions farther away from the diagonal are difficult to justify. Rolls Royce makes automobiles in a job shop environment but they understand the implications involved. Companies off the diagonal must be cognizant of traps it can blood into and implications presented by their position. Also, a firms choice of roduct-process position places them to the right or left of competitors along the horizontal holding of the matrix and above or down the stairs its competitors along the vertical dimension of the matrix. The strategic implications are obvious. Of course, a firms position on the matrix may change over time, so the firm must be aware of the implications and maintain the capability to deal with them appropriately. The matrix can provide muscular insights into the consequences of any planned product or process change. Use of the product-process matrix can also help a firm define its product.Hayes and Wheelwright relate the example of a specialized manufacturer of printed circumference boards who produced a low-volume, customized product using a highly connected assembly-line process. Obviously, this would place them in the lower-left corner of the matrix not a desirable place to be. This knowledge oblige the company to realize that what they were offering was not really circuit boards after all, but design capability. So, in essence, they were mass-producing designs rather than the boards themselves. Hence, they were not far off the diagonal at all.ORGANIZATION. Firms organize different operating units so that they can specialize on discipline portions of the total manufacturing task while take over maintaining overall coordination. Most firms will read two or more processes for the prod ucts or services they produce. For example, a firm may use a batch process to make components for products, which are constructed on assembly lines. This would be especially true if the work content for component production or the volume needed was not enough for the creation of a dedicated line process.Also, firms may need separate facilities for different products or parts, or they may only if separate their production within the same facility. It may even be that a firm can produce the similar products through two different process options. For example, extension Musical Instruments not only mass produces electric guitars (assembly line) but also offers customized versions of the same product through the Fender Custom Shop (job shop). Again, the matrix provides a valuable framework for diagnostic use in these situations.OTHER USES OF THE PRODUCT-PROCESS MATRIX Additional uses of the matrix include Analyzing the product entry and exit. find out the appropriate mix of manufac turing facilities, identifying the key manufacturing objectives for each plant, and monitoring progress on those objectives at the corporate level. Reviewing investment decisions for plants and equipment in terms of their consistency with product and process plans. determine the direction and timing of major changes in a companys production processes. Evaluating product and market opportunities in light of the companys manufacturing capabilities. Selecting an appropriate process and product building for entry into a new market. It should be noted that recent empirical research by Sohel Ahmad and Roger G. Schroeder found the proposed relationship between product structure and process structure to be probatory but not strong. In general terms, they found that as the product life oscillation changes the process life cycle also shifts in the consistent direction, but not necessarily along the diagonal.Some 60 percent of the firms studied did not fall on the diagonal. The research ers propose that this occurred because new management and technological initiatives have eliminated or minimize some of the inherent trade-offs found on the Product-Process Matrix. They classify these initiatives as processing technology, product design and managerial practice (e. g. , TQM and JIT). Therefore, Ahmad and Schroeder advise that the matrix be conceptualized as having three axes instead of two.They propose an x-axis (product life cycle stages), a y-axis (process life cycle stages), and a z-axis that represents an organizations proactive effort towards adopting and implementing these innovative initiatives. As a firm moves away from the inauguration along the z-axis, it becomes able to minimize some of the trade-offs seen in the Product-Process Matrix framework. Read more Product-Process Matrix strategy, organization, system, examples, manager, company, business, competitiveness, system http//www. referenceforbusiness. com/management/Or-Pr/Product-Process-Matrix. h tml ixzz24d4lyOQ5 pic pic pic pic pic pic pic pic