Philip Larkin Ambulances Discussion Essay

Throughout his works Philip Larkin shows the ‘emptiness that lies under all we do.’ The way we travel through life riding a wave of superficialities, too caught up in the moment to see what is really going on. Larkin aims to alleviate the blindness created by our deep involvement, attempting to draw the reader out to see the big picture. In Ambulances he acknowledges death as a device powerful enough to allow people to see beyond themselves and the things surrounding them. The thought of their impending demise, â€Å"so permanent blank and true† allows them to ‘get it whole’ and see the truth, the sheer vastness of death pales to insignificance the things that worry about in everyday life. But this realization is a curse, as once you see it whole, see life for what it is, it ‘dulls to distance all we are.’ Things that used to matter loose their importance. It is this that Larkin struggles with throughout his works. It can be seen within Larkin as he strives to fill the gap left by his separation from life and society. Ambulances is really a chronicle of a realization, not a work that stands up by itself but rather supporting evidence created to reside with the messages generated in his other works. Though it does evoke a reaction within the reader, as they begin to realize the truth they whisper â€Å"poor soul †¦ at their own distress.† It is this use of inarguable truths that makes Larkin’s work so powerful. He creates a situation where the reader is forced towards a realization by making them see something within themselves. He does not propose a fully formed interpretation, as that would be just as ‘reprehensibly perfect’ as the closed interpretation presented by the society that he hates. Instead he alludes to an understanding without stating explicitly what it is. This means that the interpretation is dependent on the reader and it is because of this that Larkin’s works relate to so many people. He bases his works on the things that make us essentially human. The ambulance itself is no more than an object, representative of death, this interpretation could be seen to show Larkin’s pessimistic outlook on life as an ambulance could also be said to represent hope, life, rather than death. However, his reasoning is undeniable, there is a grim fascination with ambulances that can only be described through a fear of death. The  knowingness that someone, at the moment of seeing an ambulance pass, is facing their own mortality. Larkin takes this and applies it to all people, ‘all streets in time are visited,’ by doing this he makes the reader see their own mortality, the fragility of their life and in doing so allows them to see the farcical nature of the life they have been living.

Bradbury’s the Sound of Thunder and Skurzynski’s Nethergrave

English Critical Essay Bradbury’s  The Sound of Thunder  and Skurzynski’s  Nethergrave  are both intriguing science fiction stories. Both stories are about technology changing the life of an individual. In the the story Nethergrave, a boy name Jeremy chooses a virtual world over the real world where he feels embarrassed, uncomfortable, and alone. In the story A Sound of Thunder, the main character, Eckels, faces severe consequences due to a mistake that he makes when going back in time. Nevertheless, both characters’ personality is pretty similar in some ways both being somewhat cowardly.Both are about the effect technology can have on the world. I honestly felt that Bradbury’s story was more interesting than Skurzynski’s story. I found that the slightest thing in the past may change the future massively. In the story, Eckels uses a new invention, a time machine. Then he decided to go back to the time when dinosaurs were alive. While he was there, that triggered terrible consequences. Eckels’ death in the end wasn’t very surprising. The mistake seemed very small at the time, but had a massive effect on the outcome of the present-day world.Although Skurzynski’s story was very relatable towards others, I still think Bradbury’s story was better. Nethergrave  was about a boy named Jeremy, making a decision of staying in a world he wasn’t happy in or to leave and enter a whole new world in which he was promised never to be alone or hurt. The idea of a boy feeling awkward in the real world, then looking into what appears to be a better world just isn’t what I find interesting. I have sometimes felt awkward and embarrassed in this world, though I do not think that I would want to enter a virtual world.Throughout the story, I never felt as though I liked or related to Jeremy’s character. Both of the stories show how technology can change a person’s life for better or fo r worse. Technology can be very useful but it can also cause destruction. In science fiction plots, often results in a negative effect. Technology can be both destructive and useful, but in these stories, they both have negative outcomes. As in Skurzynski’s story, Jeremy was introduced to a new virtual world, which resulted in Jeremy ending his life on earth. In Bradbury’s story, the time machine ended up changing the present world.

Western Colonialism and Capitalism

A lot of negative effects caused by Western colonialism and capitalism in the third world countries that have contributed to their current political and economic crises have been discussed; however, the main objective of this presentation is to discuss the progressive role played by Western colonialism and capitalism in the third world countries when contrasted with pre-colonial period and where they were left by their colonial masters to present date. Colonialism Colonialism refers to as a system whereby a state holds sovereignty over territory and people who are outside its own boundaries. It assumes the right of one people to impose their will to others. Between nineteenth and twentieth centuries, most rich and powerful states in the European countries such as Britain did own third world colonies. Up-to-date, the legitimacy of colonialism by European countries to these third world countries has elicited a heated debate in political arena and among the moral philosophers all over the world. Colonialism is not a new phenomenon. In the past society used to expand to immediate territories and settling it own natives on the newly conquered land. Such example includes the ancient Greeks, Romans and Ottomans to mention but a few. But it is evident that colonialism was not static but evolving due to technological advancements particularly in navigation that enabled connecting to the remotest parts of the world. Invention of the fast sailing ships facilitated reaching the distant ports in other side of the world while managing to maintain closer ties between the mother land of the master colonialism and their colonial territories. Therefore, the modern European colonialism materialized when it was possible to move large number of people across the ocean and maintain political sovereignty regardless of geographical scatteredness. Many political theorists have troubled themselves in attempt to reconcile ideas about the justice and law with the practice with which European ruled over the third world countries. In nineteenth century, conflict emerged that made tension to build up between the proponents of liberal thought and colonial practice. Many of political philosophers stood to defend the principles of attainments of universalism and equity while on the other hand they were antagonistic in bid to legitimize colonialism and imperialism. They reconciled this controversy with idea that, there was a need for ‘civilization mission’ which was to be for temporal period of what they called political dependence that was vital so that to make ‘uncivilized’ societies to advance in a state of achieving sustainable liberal institutions and self government. Capitalism Capitalism refers to European practices that not only include social practices that are easily practiced over geographical and historical distances but also encompass the ‘way of thinking’. The term capitalist has been widely used in the Marxist theory which refers to means of production that are on the hands of a few and operated for making profit and that the benefits realized from the production belong to the owners of the means of production. Mercantilism was the earliest form of capitalist in the olden days that originated in the Middle East, Rome and also existed during early Middle Age. It involved distribution of goods in the transactions in such way that there is profit making. In this situation, goods were bought from one place and move to another site to be sold at relatively higher prices. Beside Romans, Arabic cultures were also known of mercantilism. They had a long history on their trade routes in their major empires. Medieval Europeans learnt learned about this type of economy from their Islamic neighbors as it has been noticed in large number of economic terms found in European languages some which are derivatives from Arabic. Gradually, mercantilism in Europe evolved into economic practices that were eventually referred to as capitalism. Capitalism employs the same principle as mercantilism that involves large scale profit realization by acquisition of goods at lower price than selling them at a profit. Capitalism is characterized by several features. First, there is accumulation of means of the production such as materials, land and tools by minority of people. This property accumulation is referred to as capital and the owners of these means of production are known as capitalists. The second characteristic of capitalism is productive labor. Human work is of great importance because it facilitates the production of goods and their distribution. This happens in form of the wage labor. The striking aspects of wage labor here is that it is not invested in the product and it is considered to be efficient in terms of productivity. Capitalism boosts individual productivity by means of division of labor whereby productive labor is divided into smallest components possible. In capitalism, the means of production and labor is manipulated by the capitalist by use of rational circulation to gain profit. On the other hand, capitalism as a way of thinking is basically individualistic. This is true because it focuses on capitalist endeavor. This bring out the Enlightenment concepts of individuality in that all the individuals are not the same; the society is composed of individual in pursuit of their own interest and that they should be free to peruse their own interests, that is ,economic freedom. Also, this concept advocates for democratic sense in that individuals perusing their own interests can guarantee the interests of the whole society. Therefore, Enlightenment idea of progress is grounded on the fact that the large-scale social goal of unregulated capitalism can produce wealth and make the national economy wealthier and more affluent than it would otherwise have not been. So, essentially, capitalism as a way of thinking is built on the concept of economic growth (Friedman & Friedman, pp5). While this may be true, capitalism has been having a close link with adverse effects of human inequality and valorization that has characterized exploitation of one or more groups by others. It has been argued that capitalist relations evoke alienation of workers from the products they make. This makes both commodities and the workers circulating commodities that circulate in the expanding market. When the laborers are considered to be interchangeable, it becomes the interest of the capitalist to give workers low wage or no wage at all. By doing this, capitalists are able to create surplus of money from their capital invested meanwhile their commodities circulate in the market. Because human beings were one of the vital commodities for success in early capitalism, enslaved workers could be shipped between the colonial territories to the help in monocropping on the large plantations. Presently, capitalist is usually understood to be a mean of system whereby the allocation of resources is by dictates of mechanism of the markets that are driven by profit motive. The advantages of the capitalism are that the government does not interfere with the business because there is limited control over it and that people have choice on what they want to do and where. Also, people are at liberty to do what they want with their money. However, this mode of economy has negative outcomes. Because the government is required to liberalize the market it has limited control over it and this can make few businesses to take monopoly which may lead to inefficiencies. In addition to this, capitalism only reward those who are fortunate to have natural scare abilities and not necessarily as result of hard work and this lead to huge inequities in income and wealth. The Progressive role of Western colonialism and capitalism in Third world Even though colonialism and capitalism had its own shortcomings, nevertheless, there is also a positive effect on balance we can talk about. Before colonialism, Africa only knew of socialism which was widely practiced among different communities. Socialism is a system that advocates for collective ownership and management of the means of production and distribution of goods. It is the opposite of capitalism which is a system hereby economy is based on private ownership of the means of production and personal profit can be realized through capital investment and employment of labor. Colonialism brought a new idea to Africa that the material progress and prosperity were possible for the masses of people. Africans in pre-colonial period did not imagine that could ever happen. They assumed that the material possessions they had were fixed. They believed in such things like plenty of the harvest could result to increase of food in the basket but the idea that living conditions could be changed was strange to them. They did not have a clue of the prospect that instead of trekking for miles in search of water it was possible to have piped water homes. Colonialism brought idea of progress in humanity. They enabled them to realize that people have capability to improve their condition of existence and that tomorrow could be much better that today (Ondeng, pp 26). Development of Infrastructure When colonialism stepped into sub-Saharan Africa three main objectives were the driving force. First objective was to meet the increasing demand of the raw materials for their industries. Second objective was to be able to secure areas and their territories that could form the market for their industrial goods produced by the capitalisms as it was are of industrial evolution. The last objective was that, they wanted to identify and dominate certain strategic areas that would be their future potential region for their investments. Therefore, as it can be seen, the main aim of capitalism expansion through colonialism was purely economic. But it was first necessary through political process of colonialism to create colonial territories to be able to achieve economic goals. Establishment of colonial territories was immediately followed by setting out diversified changes that included both social and economic among subdued societies in order to fulfill economic targets. This called for breaking down the already existed social and political system which resulted in replacement of traditional chiefdoms and kingdoms by Western European political system and consolidation of colonial state. Greater portions of fertile lands were given to settler farmers who produced non-agricultural raw materials for western industries. In order to make this kind of economy efficient, there was a dire need to establish communication infrastructure such roads, railway lines and ports so that there can be a linkage between hinterland and coastal to facilitate securing resources and human labor. In such regions only footpaths did exist that were used by human porters and animal. Most of the roads and railway network seen today in many parts of African countries speaks of a positive legacy from Western colonialism and capitalist in Africa and other third world countries. A good example of such country is Nigeria. In pre-colonial period, transport systems were limited to porterage over the land that was only utilized by animal and humans and small boats in waterways that are in southern and central Nigeria. In states of Nigeria, there were extensive trade routes in its territories which also facilitated movement of goods across the deserts to trade with North Africa and extended to the coast that involved trade with European. The roads were maintained by local leaders using hired labor or conscripted locals on the basis of the age. During this period the basic means of transport were pack animals and human porters. When British claimed Nigeria to be its colony, is started building transport network that would make efficient its ruling over this territory and make easier utilization of the resources in the region. It started with construction of the roads which was later followed by railway lines construction. This facilitated movement of good and people from one place to another as the need demanded which was critical as it helped to maintain strong economic and political ties within its territory. Since Nigeria gained independence there has been little in building new infrastructure network apart from what was established by their colonial master. This has been so because the Civilian governments had experiencing budgetary deficit and their priorities were to maintain regional divisions rather than improving transportation network and building better one in accordance modern world technology. However, while some few military governments were interested in development of better transport system, this turned to be a day dream. Therefore, post-colonial transport systems currently existing are just minimal maintenance of the infrastructure which their colonial master had set. This is a clear indication of the progressive role the Western colonialism and capitalism did play in Nigeria before they had left (Husher, para. 4-9). Suppression of barbaric practices Colonialism brought enlightenment in Africa. During pre-colonial period some African countries cannibalism and pagan worship was common practices. Practices such as cannibalism were usually restricted to specific regions particularly in West Africa. Such practices were not necessarily driven by craves for human flesh but were basically for rituals and sacrifices. The belief behind these practices of man eating were to receive imbibe magic strength that was considered to be transferred by through soul material. This soul material was particularly identified by certain body part of the victim particularly the head. In the community that practiced such behavior they had a belief that if a young man ate the elder, such individual could get wisdom or if it was an elder who ate a young victim this could have added vigor. African had a strong attachment with the dead. In fact, cannibalism in Africa was part of religious act that consisted of complex rules that actually prescribed who should partake of the human flesh and who is supposed to be eaten and also clearly spelt out which part were to be eaten. It also described what parts of the victim’s body were to be kept as part of relics. There were other instances where medicines were made out of the human flesh. For instance, in Leopard societies in Sierra Leone, they used human entails to make certain kind of medicines. When the Sierra Leone became a British colony, the first thing they did was to bring to an end this practice. First, the British investigated what was happening in the jungle. When it had a breakthrough in its investigations to address this extraordinary killing of human beings, it passed a bill which was called ‘The Leopard Ordonance’. This outlawed any possession of a leopard skin that were usually worn by these people who practiced these rituals, a three- pronged knife and a special native medicine called Borfina that constituted a concoction of human flesh such as fat and blood. It was potent in the hand of its owner as it was believed to help one to be powerful and rich . Through use of law and assimilation of European culture Africans experienced a transformation that played a great role in liberating them from such practices. This helped to uphold human dignity and universal human rights particularly right to life (Karoline, para. 7-14). Modern medicine As many of colonial powers embarked on a political project to control much of the world, diseases were the major obstacles for their expansion particularly in African continent. Tropical diseases such as malaria among others posed great challenge because there was no efficient form of medical treatment that existed in African land before except traditional medicine. Many African had a belief that disease was as result of witchcraft or evil spirits as opposed to empirical approach in treatment and management of the disease by European countries . This necessitated them to have attachment of medical personnel to commercial marines and putting up of rudimentary hospital facilities at their colonial territories. A good example is development of medical care in Tanzania. Christian missionaries were the first to introduce allopathic medicine in the territory. Eventually the colonial master in Tanzania assumed the responsibility of providing the health care to serve the army garrison that was stationed in the region partly to counter indigenous resistance and also to provide health care to European settlers. In British colonies they promoted establishment of the London and Liverpool schools of medicine where the study of tropical disease such as those found in the region was given the first priority. After World War 1, Tanzania became a British colony and it assumed the control of colonial medical care where it provided medical care at provincial and district administration levels, voluntary services that involved missions and employer-based that catered for the medical needs at plantations, mines and factories. They also implemented preventative measures that were in form of public health programs. This greatly helped to address the health needs of African that never existed before. It is on the basis of these colonial efforts to address tropical diseases which were a threat to their lives helped to see African countries with improved health care and reduced mortality rate from fatal tropical diseases (Baer, Singer and Susser, pp 18-22). Conclusion Colonialism by the Europe countries was considered to be a mission of civilization to the ‘uncivilized societies’ to be able to advance in state of achieving sustainable liberalized institutions and self government. However the legitimacy of colonialism by these European nations has always staged unsettled debate both in political sphere and with moral philosophers all over the world. Colonialism proved to be the only way through which West Europe could peruse their capitalism motives in the third world countries. Even though there have been shortcomings associated with colonial rule there has been an overall positive effect for Africa. Colonial rule brought enlightenment where ignorance did thrive. It helped to suppress barbaric practices such as pagan worship and cannibalism among others. It laid the seeds of the intellectual and material development as seen through infrastructure development, formal education and modern medicine that saved many Africans lives from deadly tropical diseases that were considered to be caused by witchcraft. Also it helped to reduce the economic gap whereby integration of colonies into international capitalist economy ushered in initial stages of globalization.

This is not actually Macro & Micro The class is called Economics of Essay

This is not actually Macro & Micro The class is called Economics of Developing Countries - Essay Example To achieve the desire to maintain standard of living, the country should focus on a) level of goods and services b) individuals purchase. The growth in population along with increase in economic growth, increase in GDP is not necessarily an indicator of improving standard of living based on per capita. The other factor, which may be taken into consideration, is the population growth, which has no match with the economic growth. The growth of population should match with the economic growth otherwise, it definitely defeats the very purpose of improvement of standard of living of the masses. A controversy prevails on the green revolution for sustainable improvement in the standard of living on the face of accelerated population growth. The Revolutionary period of industrialization in England, plays a vital role in increasing the per capita income by virtue of replacement of work force with the machines. If we look at the increased population of England during the era of 1700 to 1860 AD , we may find a lot about the major factors in increasing the production. The major factor of multiple production attributed to more production per worker combined with many more workers. 2. In developing countries, there may be both market failure and the government failure. True. The market failure depends on the failure of government in respect of manning the affairs of market. Unnecessary intervention by the concerned department of the government, will complex the issues. However, the government should take note of inefficient management in respect of allocation of goods and resources. Let the market forces manage the goods and resource in an efficient manner. Hence, the incumbent(s) of government should keep him/themselves away from intervening unnecessarily to ensure smooth function. 3. Transactions and information costs can prevent effective markets in developing countries especially in agriculture. True. The transaction cost provides a base in the design and impact of ICT, w hich has a far-reaching effect in the field of agriculture. The information system relied upon transaction costs approach. ICT can be used to cater the requirement of sustainable information thus empowers the information management. In taking the economic exchanges, ICT is an efficient tool for the transactional efficiency. There cannot be two opinions about the impact of ICT in managing the economic exchanges on a positive note. 4. Famine is more a problem of distribution than supply. False. At the time of famine, Government of Bengal’s strategy in line with Sen.’s philosophy was laudable. Well known Indian economist Sen., a noble laureate in Economic Science was keen in resolving the problems of down trodden. He was famous for his work on the causes of famine that provides practical solutions to prevent and limit the worst impact of shortages of food. Inability is to purchase food by the poor caused starvation. The starvation has nothing to do merely with distributio n and supply system only. Price control committee can control price to make it accessible to the general consumers and to prevent other market players to skim off more than their fare share. Further, public welfare scheme and supply of food through public distribution channel can play an effective role to lessen the gravity of famine. In addition, some degree of rationing under the mentioned scenario was desirable. Speculation and hoarding were two main factors of the famine. To provide population, the

Ethics and the Impaired Employee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Ethics and the Impaired Employee - Essay Example This study highlights that after Beverly states that she had four young children at home and had no other provider in the household to assist, the supervisor should have realized that Beverly’s drinking problems were likely a product of a stresses involved with single parenthood and the constant financial struggle which being a sole provider can create. For example, there are many psychological theories of motivation which suggest that an individual must have a sense of security as well as a sense of belonging within an organization in order to achieve maximum workforce performance on the job. Beverly is likely experiencing lowered security because of her financial situation and likely feels that her long-term sense of importance within the organization is being threatened by such a strict focus on policy and compliance. By highlighting all of her problems, rather than discussing the reasons behind the problems, the supervisor in the case study is isolating Beverly from the re st of the organizational staff and sending the message that she is deeply troubled. This discussion highlights that what Beverly required was for the supervisor to be more empathic to Beverly’s needs and attempt to find out what might be creating the psychological motivation to drink. Addressing the issue from a different angle would likely have prevented Beverly from committing suicide. For example, the supervisor could have asked whether there were problems with colleagues or with the organizational structure itself, creating the opportunity for Beverly to be more open and honest about what was really going on with her impairment issues. The supervisor should have set a positive interpersonal environment right from the beginning where it was illustrated that the supervisor and the organization is concerned about the well-being of Beverly.

Malaysian Airlines Retention Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Malaysian Airlines Retention Strategy - Essay Example In 1986, Malaysian Airlines took its first flight to the United States of America, flying twice a week to Los Angeles. It also bought Boeing 747-300 Combi Aircrafts. Now, it was offering its customers far more destinations than ever before, with 34 domestic ones and 27international ones. In 1987, Malaysian Airlines System introduced â€Å"Esteemed Traveler† loyalty program emphasizing on its commitment to customer services. After few years Malaysian Airlines along with Thai Airways International, Cathay Pacific Airways, and Singapore Airlines introduced â€Å"Passages†, offering lower prices and other rewards to frequent flyers. However, Passages came to end in 1999 and its place â€Å"Enrich† was introduced by Malaysian Airlines which was traveler reward program for frequent flyers which included concessions and other facilities while traveling with number of other airlines, while using certain credit cards, while staying at variety of hotels and while shopping at retailers around the world. Malaysian Airlines offers holiday packages such as Golden Holiday, hotels such as Hilton Group of Hotels, Amari Hotels, and Resorts, Intercontinental Hotels, Marriott etc, credit card services such as American Express, Citibank, HSBC bank etc, car rentals such as Avis and Hertz are among some of facilities offered to its Enrich members On July 12, 2006, it introduced enhanced Enrich, now known as Enrich by Malaysian Airlines, which was designed on the same pattern as of Grads, the highly successful student traveling program of MAL. There are variety of Enrich Membership cards—Enrich Silver, Enrich Blue, Enrich Gold and Enrich Platinum. Some of privileges and rewards of these cards are as follows: Enrich Blue offers upgrading from Economy Class to Golden Club class and from there to First class, with free tickets for you travel companion if the tickets of latter two are bought, concessions on golden packages, increasing miles through Enrich Express. To Enrich Silver holders, priority is given at boarding, check-in, baggage handling, and airport standbys

Application of the Cantor Model of Assertive Discipline on Middle Essay

Application of the Cantor Model of Assertive Discipline on Middle School Students - Essay Example The credo upheld by the familiar phrase promotes a sense of authority for the elder to exercise his right over the child. The elder does so with the intention to correct the child of a misdeed and with the purpose of restoring him to a pleasing and proper character. On one hand, it does not permit a loose and passive control of the behavior of the child for no evil deed goes unpunished. On the other hand, it should not, however, get into the verge of total prohibition nor physical abuse for a wrongdoing for the goal is to restore the child. If done beyond appropriate bounds, the child may resent or may develop a sense of fear. A similar philosophy can be applied in the context of classroom management. The Cantor Model, specifically, fosters this idea. The model stresses the importance of assertive discipline. Teachers have to ensure that the class upholds respect for authority and that students may behave as they please but with caution and awareness that they are responsible for the ir actions (Allen, 1996). Body The Cantor Model can be very suitable for Middle School students because in its practice, the students are given the freedom to learn in a fashion they want but they will be made to really think before they act. Being aware that they will be held liable for any inappropriate behavior, they will first have to assess if an action they wish to perform will be beneficial for them or not. This way, critical thinking may be cultivated in them. The age bracket of Middle School generally falls under the start of the adolescent stage. Sixth to eighth graders would fall in this category. It is the stage when the teen wants to explore more, but may have a struggle with his identity. It is also the stage when he may show occasional rudeness to parents, believing they interfere in his independence. Peer groups generally influence his personal style. The teen may also exhibit childish behaviors when stressed. However, it is good to note that at this developmental le vel, the youth becomes more efficient is using speech to express himself, more interested in intellectual pursuits, and is more able to do work may it be physical, intellectual or emotional (Normal Adolescent Development, 2001). Being guided accordingly by the Canter Model, the educator can use several strategies for classroom management for sixth to eighth graders, maintaining proper overall conduct of the class, without being passive nor hostile. Middle School students will be allowed to practice their independence by choosing a learning style that is suitable for them but the teacher ensures that the classroom rules are not bent just to cater to the demands of students. Firstly, the educator may use student engagement strategies to keep students on task. This method recognizes that there is no single formula to get the attention of all the students. Each has his own interests that will get the student working on the task. In application, the teacher may have the class view a film related to the topic being discussed. They shall then make a reflection on it in a way they deem creative but personal. They can express their opinions through their preferred interest—they can make a song, a poem, a story, a drawing, etc. The educator can give a hint of assertiveness in simply setting a strict deadline, or specifications (e.g. story should not be less than ten pages long, or the song should only have a maximum of five minutes

Strategic management final exam bachelor degree Term Paper

Strategic management final exam bachelor degree - Term Paper Example This relationship identifies validity of the statement from the perspective that organizations can focus on their microenvironment and manage the factors to overcome any possible effects of the macro environment. This is because microenvironment such as organizational behavior and employee efficiencies are easily manageable as they are under organizations’ powers. A consideration of a business’ long-term scope and effects of the macro environment however invalidates the statement because micro environmental factors influence many organizational activities. The economic environment that includes economic conditions and economic policies is the first significant factor to organizations. Factors such as inflation rates, unemployment rates, trade regulations, and interest rates have significant effects on productivity of and profitability of an organization and therefore affect sustainability. Political environment is another significant macro environment factor and plays a significant role in influencing success of business organization. Political stability establishes investors’ confidence and therefore facilitates commercial activities, especially at global level and political ideologies and relations with other countries facilitate ties for favorable business environments. Socio cultural environment that include people’s preferences, â€Å"family systems, caste systems, education, marriage,† among other social and cultural factors determines markets and revenue levels to businesses (Mukesh and Trehan n.d, p. 12). Technological environment with its characteristic advantage of facilitating operational efficiency and demographic factors that determine volume and trend of demand for products is also very important to business’ organizations’ lives. The significance of macro environment that dictates sustainability and efficiency of organizations’ internal factors therefore identifies relevance of the environment to businesses. This means

Na Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Na - Essay Example Many children mimic the television ads and would wish that their body conformation be the same to some popular celebrities in the advertisements they encounter daily in the social media, television, and the internet (Jennifer Siebel Newsom). In order to save the coming generation from various health issues related to underweight models it is recommended that underweight modeling be banned as a way of promoting good health among young adults and celebrities. According to recent news posted in the daily mail, Israel introduced a law in 2013 to burn ultra-skinny models as a way of fighting anorexia (Reynolds). Most women have refused to believe that they can get old and have engaged in facial make up in order to look good. In addition to this, some have been forced to enter into difficult diets that end up destroying their natural looks. It is no wonder that one out of 200 American women is suffering from anorexia just for beauty (Lauren Langman and Devorah K). On the other hand, one third of adults in the US are suffering from obesity due to misleading concepts of beauty from the advertisements. My opinion is that advertisements are doing more harm than good for the women to an extent that women are forced to change their diets to suit the advertisers and the social media. Reynolds, Emma. Underweight models BANNED in Israel to fight anorexia: New law forces women in ads to stay healthy (and faked images have to be identified too). 2 January 2013. 2014

Incident report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Incident report - Essay Example Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it† (Kolb 1984). I faced with small but diverse conflicts during my activity. There is a tendency that the middle managers have proven to be more mobile. So first of all I estimated the conflict in order to give an answer to the question of what we can change the current situation. The manager should properly analyze what the person needs or do not needs, and what will only confuse the worker, to be able to articulate the problem and extract the desired information (Aldair 2009). I was needed to think and act quickly in order to satisfy the tasks proposed, I used to concentrate and express my ideas and thoughts correctly in order not to offend anyone ant at the same time be understood by my interlocutors. Kolb proposed six main characteristics for experiential learning (Kolb, 1999), including the following points: His experiential learning theory was developed in order to give a model to develop our practice. This theory has appeared under the different titles like The Learning Cycle, The Kolb Cycle or The Experiential Learning Cycle. The Kolb Cycle is divided into four different stages and it is possible to start at any point, however the order of the stages of learning from experience must not be ruined to achieve the successful results. The Experiential Learning Cycle says that is not enough to get an experience in order of learning. The experience is essential thing when it is necessary to formulate generalisations and concepts, useful for the new situations. In order to prove the skills you should get to the new situations. According to the written above the idea is to link theory and action by planning with reflections back to the theory. In order to join it to my activity I need to open each category a bit more. Concrete experience is

A Comparison between the Hindu Gods of Good and Evil Essay Example for Free

A Comparison between the Hindu Gods of Good and Evil Essay In Hinduism, the primary goal of an individual is to achieve the so-called Nirvana or â€Å"becoming one with God. † Nirvana connotes the transcendence of the human spirit to the Oneness of the Divine Spirit (Hemenway, 2003). Hence, many Hindus practice a variety of evolved rituals and esoteric practices to enable their spirit to adapt to the divine essence. The hope of spiritual transcendence given by Nirvana became the basis for creation or conceptualization of many gods in the Hindu religion. These gods are basically derivatives of the â€Å"One God†; the â€Å"One God’ being represented in all aspects of nature (Hemenway, 2003). Thus, in order to simulate the specific characteristics of this God, Hindus focus on worshipping all the representations of this God. In general, the Hindu religion speaks of about 300 major and lesser gods. The primary three gods are known as the Holy Trinity. Brahma is the creator; Vishnu is the preserver (pattern-maker); and Shiva, the destroyer. The three are inseparable from each other. In order for creation to proceed, there must be a period of destruction. In order for destruction to occur, a period of preservation must happen (prior). Thus, the existence of the three gods presents a vivid description of the Hindu’s belief on the existence of man. If man is to be born, he must be preserved from the impediments of bad life and evil, and he must face the reality of death. To be born is to be created; to be preserved is to be rectified from the evils of daily living; to die is to acknowledge the origin of the human spirit. Only in this way that the human spirit would be able to achieve Nirvana (transcendence of the human spirit to the divine essence). Thus, Hindus hold on the assumption that once man is born (and reborn) in this world, there are powers who would guide and misguide him to attain Nirvana. The guiding powers are essentially the gods of good. The powers misguiding man to his true purpose are the gods of evil. This is though unlike the Christian conception of good and evil. Evil here is not seen as non-functional. Rather it serves as a manifest of test during the preservation period of man’s being; that is, the necessity to achieve Nirvana. Good here is seen something as an end; that is, the representation of Nirvana on earth. We can therefore assume that the conception of good and evil is a rectification of ideological misconceptions in the Hindu religion. The first clarification is concerning the source of good and evil. It is quite clear in Hindu religion that both good and evil gods came from the same source. Evil is the perversion of good. In order for evil to exist, good must first come into existence. The second clarification states â€Å"good gods are often transformed into evil gods as they experience strange circumstances. † The conception connotes the existence of One Divine Essence represented as both good and evil in nature. Evil is not a natural phenomenon, it springs from the Divine Essence serving as a test to humanity. Thus, when we compare Hindu gods of good and evil, take note that we are essentially talking of functional difference. This functional difference is manifested in the perceived roles of the gods in nature. The Hindu gods of good are represented in things â€Å"perceived† by the Hindus as rudiments of a â€Å"good life. † For example, Ganesha is often described as a god of good because he bestows good fortune to those seeking his favor. Specifically, he is considered the source of prosperity and wealth for Hindus. Some call Ganesha the Lord of Good Fortune and the Destroyer of Obstacles. Often, Hindus attribute their economic and social well-being to the hands of Ganesha. Added to that, because man is located in a physical world full of dangers and obstacles, he continuously provide his divine guidance to man. Hence, he is sometimes called the god of wisdom and intellect in Hinduism. Ganesha is seen as a good god who bestows his wisdom and divine intellect to man in order for him (man) to attain Nirvana. Frankly speaking, he is seen by many Hindus as the source of hope and aspiration. Besides Ganesha, there are three other gods considered to be good by many Hindus. Durga is a goddess representing the power of the Supreme Being who maintains moral order (Hindu Gods, 2005). In Sanskrit, her name means a â€Å"fort or a place that is protected. † Thus, Durga is known as the Divine Mother. In her arms, she protects the human race from evil by destroying the sources of evil. Like Ganesha, Lakshmi is considered a goddess of good-living and prosperity. In Sanskrit, her name literally means â€Å"goal† (Hindu Gods, 2005). Thus, she signifies the goals of life. These goals of life can be achieved either in the physical or spiritual realm. Most Hindus pray to her for guidance. Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, and wisdom. She is often associated with Brahma, the creator of the universe. In Sanskrit, her name means â€Å"the essence of the self† (Hindu Gods, 2005). Hinduism puts knowledge on a higher pedestal, being the prerequisite for creation. To the Hindu worshipper, Saraswati provides guidance to humanity in accomplishing their daily tasks. Hindus believe that Saraswati, during the early part of creation, provided man with practical knowledge. This practical knowledge allowed man to create civilizations, far greater than any in the animal kingdom. In Hinduism, there are gods considered to be the source of evil in this world. In Pauranic traditions, Asuras and Devas are the step sons of Kasyapa, an unknown god considered to be the primordial source of evil. They are considered to be demon gods projected as enemies of humanity. The Asuras (this is a group of demon gods) became too proud of their ancestry and power. Thus, the Devas became enraged over the war mongering of the Asuras and decided to punish them. The punishment though was self-serving. The Devas thought by forcing the Asuras to serve them, they would be able to project themselves as rulers of the physical world. This view of the Asuras and Devas was expanded in Iranian mythology. Iranian mythology presented Asur Mazda as the embodiment of good in this world and Devas as the villain. It should be noted though that in Hindu mythology, both the Asuras and the Devas are perceived as demon gods; that is, gods that would take all hope from humanity in the attainment of the Nirvana. The term Asuras, unlike the terminological evolution in Iranian mythology, came to signify in later times (in Hinduism) as the representation of evil; demon itself. In Hinduism, there are gods considered evil precisely because they are perceived to be enemies of the â€Å"good gods† and humanity in general. Vritra, for example, is a serpent god often called as the â€Å"enemy of the gods† (The Complete Book of Devils and Demons, 2005). His favorite animal, the serpent, carries the scent of death to those who would call his name. Yama is a Hindu god considered to be the lord of death. His two dogs drag humanity into the fervor of spiritual death; the essence of which is the loss of spiritual transcendence to the Divine Essence. The same is true for Ravana, the Demon King (The Complete Book of Devils and Demons, 2005). He is seen as the incarnation of evil in this world. At times, he would lure humans into his trap, forcing them to pledge loyalty to his evil will. There are also evil creatures considered to be the direct descendants of the evil gods. Kasyapa, the primordial source of evil (and the father of both the Asuras and the Devas) gave birth to the Daityas. These are unpleasant demons who roamed the physical world to destroy man’s sacrifices to the good gods. The good gods are therefore their natural enemies. Kasyapa also gave birth to the Danavas (The Complete Book of Devils and Demons, 2005). These are creatures often disguised as man to motivate man to rebel against the good gods. These creatures (who at times became demon gods) possessed powers of persuasion and bad luck. They often seduce man to covet the properties of the gods and to stop offering sacrifices. Added to that, they also offer their services to the primary â€Å"evil gods† in their fight against the good gods. The good gods are sometimes forced to seek refuge to other places in order to avoid the rage of these demonic creatures. In the end, however, the good gods succeed in defeating these evil creatures (in alliance with the evil gods). There are also other â€Å"entities† described as evil in the Hindu religion. The Darbas are destructive that â€Å"tears† human flesh (hence the name, â€Å"tearers†). The Rakshasas are goblins and ghouls which descended from the foot of Brahma. They can be titans or as little as a cat that haunt cemeteries and other religious places. They disturb sacrifices, animate the dead, eat people, and spread disease and disorder. These creatures often serve the evil gods in their fight against the good gods. In sum, evil goods in the Hindu religion are either the enemies of the gods and humanity or those which prevent humanity from attaining Nirvana. These gods descended from the three primary gods (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva). At times, they trace their ancestry to good gods. This explains the proposition stated earlier that the â€Å"good is the prerequisite of evil. Added to that, some evil Hindu gods (like the Asuras and the Devas) in Hinduism present their identity as the result of perversion on the part of the good gods. Take note that the â€Å"good gods† are not by nature good. Like in Greek mythology, Hindu gods are often involved in intrigues that affect their functions as gods. At times, even the good gods struggle against each other for supremacy. Only when the threat of evil becomes preeminent, the good Hindu gods join forces to defeat the evil gods. Most of the time, they achieve success. At some time, they flee from the hordes of the evil gods. We come now to the discussion of the primary differences of Hindu gods of good and evil. As stated earlier, the main difference between these gods can be derived from the concept of functionality. Hindu gods of good are represented as the â€Å"good rudiments† of nature (and man’s guidance in attaining Nirvana). Hindu gods of evil are essentially the symbols of a corrupt humanity. This corruption is the ultimate obstacle (and often irreversible) of man in attaining Nirvana. There are though specific differences between these sets of deities. Here are as follows: ) Culturally speaking, the Hindu gods of good are often associated with the mystical founders of Hindu civilization (Hemenway, 2003). For example, in the Vedic manuscripts the ancient founders of the Indus civilization are often given divine attributes. These gods are the progenitors of practical and divine knowledge to the people. The evil gods are often associated with the invaders; that is, the barbarians who destroyed the Indus civilization and established the caste system (note that the caste system is functional in the eyes of a Hindu – this connotes that evil itself is functional in some ways); ) The good gods are often represented as the symbols of perpetuity and healthy living (Hemenway, 2003). Animals such as the elephant, cow, and rat are associated with the good gods because of their dual symbol of power and humility: the very virtues that humanity adheres to. The evil gods are represented by serpent, monkey (symbol of arrogance and maliciousness), and in some cases the vulture: symbols of decay and corruption of the human spirit. Take note however that these creatures are respected in the Hindu religion because evil is seen as a manifest test of humanity in achieving Nirvana; ) Lastly, the good gods are usually are represented as bringers of justice and love to humanity. The eight arms of Ganesha symbolize love for humanity. The swords loaded to arms of Ganesha symbolize justice and his will to protect humanity from evil powers. The evil gods carry weapons that aim to destroy and misguide humanity. We must though take note that there is no sharp demarcation between good and evil (Abhedananda and Math, 2007). In Vedanta philosophy, there is no such thing as a natural good. Any action can be viewed as either good or bad depending on the one who views it. Thus, it can be said that â€Å"every action, whether backed by good or bad motives, is covered with its opposite, as fire is enveloped with smoke† (Abhedananda and Math, 2007). Thus to assume that the good gods in the Hindu religion are naturally good is a misconception. It is often noted some â€Å"good gods† gave birth to evil ones. This instance indicate that evil is the offspring of good.

Kant and Hegel on the Foundation of the State Essay Example for Free

Kant and Hegel on the Foundation of the State Essay Kant and Hegel could not be farther from one another on the question of the state and its moral foundation. It is uncertain even if they define the term â€Å"state† in the same way. Kant remains within the Enlightenment contract tradition, while Hegel leans more towards an intellectual rendering of the romantic and nationalist approach to states and their foundations. (NB–the citations below refer to paragraphs, not pages) Kant holds that there are two major reasons why the state must exist. First, while mankind is not violently predisposed one to another prior to the development of legislation, disputes will have no competent judge prior to the development of the state (44). Hence, even a gentle disposition will render the state necessary in that public right must have a means of enforcing its claims. Here, â€Å"public right† is defined as those sum of laws that bring human beings into rational and orderly contact with one another (43). But further, regardless of the actual condition of man in the state of nature, Kant holds that, at the very least, the only real motive for action is â€Å"that which seems right† to each person, and each group of persons. But these two entities, the individual and groups of persons, both demand the creation of a state: the individual for the sake of rational laws, and the group for the sake of mutual protection against aggression. Either way, the only maxim is â€Å"that which seems right† to the entity in question. The major difference between the state of nature (in which Kant seems to lean towards the Lockeian view) and the civil world is that the laws and agreements that may well develop prior to the state are given the sanction of public law. They are given the means of enforcement. Without enforcement, the same reason that Locke gives for leaving the state of nature holds: the each is the judge in his own case, rendering there no objective and impartial standard (or agency, more accurately) of justice. Kant offers a subtle typology of the nature of civil life, far different from what will develop in Hegel. First, the sum of laws, manifesting a rightful, pre-political relation among individuals under an objective agency is the public right, and living in this state is a civil mode of life. Kant seems to overlap the definitions of constitution and civil right substantially, but at least, the concept of the â€Å"civil† is not an institution, but a state of living and a state of mind where the civil agency is considered right and just, and thus has the right to enforce public right. The state is the sum of all of these: the civil society under a constitution that manifests the proper and rational relations among citizens. There is nothing in Kant that rejects the idea that these relations will develop in a pre-political state as in Locke. Hence, it is rational to hold that Kant is a Lockeian, the state simply existing to judge disputes over property. Even more, in paragraph 47, the legislature is to be the highest form and expression of the state in that the people are fully and completely represented. Here, Rousseau is to be found, since, in this paragraph, the â€Å"people† and the â€Å"legislature† are really one in the same. Rousseau would reject the idea of representation both in Locke and Kant, but the idea is the same: the legislature is the highest organ of the state, the very objectification of the constitution and the popular will. Hence, given the above definitions, the legislature is really the manifestation of the constitution and the civil condition, and a smoothly functioning legislature would be the objectification of the state. To some extent, the legislature being the â€Å"united will of the people† (47) is the real de-ontological basis of state authority. Regardless of the social contract, the legislature can be united with Kant’s more abstract ethics by holding that the legislature is the manifesting of duty: the condition of both universality and autonomy, the latter referring to the lack of any â€Å"special interest† connected to either moral judgements/maxims or civil legislation. If the legislature is the â€Å"united will of the people† then it fits nicely into a de-ontological box, since universality is the maxim of civil legislation in this case. Hegel takes a completely different approach. The Philosophy of Right is a far more satisfying approach to the state than either Kant or Locke, since the state is not merely a sum of laws representing the population, but a synthesis of all other forms of social life and historical development. For Hegel, the development of the state (and one can be suspicious as to whether or not Kant would even define the state this way), is not merely a historical process, but a psychological one as well: the stat is the highest manifestation of human nature manifest in history. It is easy to see how the development of the three general stages in morality, the family, the free market and the state itself, all develop from a specific schema of history. Familial relations were long dominant in social life, but the Enlightenment broke these down, leading to the minds of Locke and Kant, the state is a synthesis of these two, and the completion of the development of human nature as a moral entity. While the history is simple and a little arbitrary, it follows a common Hegelian pattern of unreflective community (the family), individualism ( the market, or â€Å"civil society†), and the concrete, reflective community in the state. There is a far more complex history of European development that Hegel deals with, though it is not found in the POR, but in other writings. The family is the principle of unreflective unity (158). This is in that the family is not based on rational principles (though it does play a rational role), but is united only in love and the willingness to sacrifice. Only when the children grow and the family breaks down does reflection enter into the human person as they function in civil society, the free market where the main motivation is no longer love, but gain and â€Å"expressing oneself. † This is an abstract individualism that can not last. Dialectically, the individual in civil society realizes that a society cannot be based on the individual since social life and economic production are based on a communal approach to living: society can only function as a unit, not a collection of individuals arbitrarily doing their thing. Hence, the corporation develops (250-251), which is a largely economic entity similar to a guild, that manifests the community latent in civil society,. It is the corporations that eventually reveal the seeds of the state, or the unity of corporate bodies, and though here, the development of civil law and right. Hegel does not accept the idea of a contract. The mythology of the state of nature is something that may be found in psychology, but not in history. In the beginning of the POR, the will is seen as â€Å"purely abstract,† that is, completely free, having no restraints, but also having no purpose or end (15). The development of ends for ht will is the real foundation of the POR and Hegel’s mature social theory. The will demands content, that is, guidance and direction. History has given humanity this in the three states of family, market and state. These mentalities have all developed throughout history, but only in the first half of the 19th century have humanity been able to see how they all rationally fit together in an all inclusive unity. Previous societies merely held a one sided approach to things, where one entity was given dominance over everything else. The will seeks content, moral purpose, but it also seeks unity and balance in a rational schema of relations. None of the entities of family or civil society are swallowed in the Hegelian state, they remain, but they remain secondary elements in the broader state, having their latent potential manifest in the state itself (260). This is in that the love of the family is given its reflective basis in the state as an ethic unity, manifesting its own history and struggles, but it also completes the abstract individualism of the market, in that the unity is a reflective one, based on reason and the development of this social reason in the market itself, where communitarian ideas develop in the actual behavior of economic production and consumption which is a communal idea. This paper is far too short to do justice to these giants, but the basic outline is clear: Kant remains in the Enlightenment tradition, being a good generation before Hegel. Kant pictures a simple state of nature which requires a rational legislature, representing the concept of universality, to judge disputes. On the other hand, Hegel approaches the state as an organic unity, not a creation of contract. Ultimately, the two are irreconcilable, and the Romantic era had its rarified champion in Hegel. References: Kant, Immanuel. The Metaphysics of Morals. Trans Mary Gregor. Cambridge University Press, 1996 Hegel, GWF. The Philosophy of Right. Trans TM Knox. Oxford University Pres

Impact Of Product Bundling In Indian Retail Banking Marketing Essay

Impact Of Product Bundling In Indian Retail Banking Marketing Essay The retail banking is the growth trigger of the banks. Even though there is a phenomenal opportunities for growth in retail banking, the challenges are also daunting. Banks are struggling to retain its customers through retail banking. According to Reichheld research, a 5 per cent increase in customer retention can increase profitability by 35 per cent in banking business. The pervasive practice of bundling the products by banks, have built up so much momentum over the past few years in Europe, Asia and Pacific countries. The concept of product bundling is not widely used by Indian banks, since it is not legally accepted by RBI guidelines. Private sector banks are having this type of retailing products in non-core areas of banking. For example, ICICI bank is providing home loan insurance cover exclusively to its home loan customers with tie-up with ICICI Lombard insurance. Previous researches proved that bundling strategies not only retain the customers but also reduces the variable cost of the products. The primary purpose of the research is to find out the cause and effect of product bundling in financial quality system of banking. The retail marketing factors are measured with service marketing factors ie, product, price, promotion, place, process, physical evidence and person. The financial quality system is identified based on the CAMELS system ie., Capital, Asset quality, Management quality , Earning quality , Liquidity and Sensitivity to market risk. Primary data were collected from the 200 customers of ICICI Bank home loan borrowers. Cluster analysis is used to group them. The effect on financial quality is measured based on interview conducted among the 25 regional managers of the same bank. The results show that the retail marketing factors are having high impact on financial quality system. Hence product bundling concept balances the operational and financial risk to have financial sustainability in retail banking. Key words: Product bundling, CAMELS, Core banking. Introduction The banking sector has witnessed wide ranging changes under the influence of the financial Sector reforms initiated during 2009. The approach to such reforms in India has been one of gradual and non-disruptive progress through a consultative process. The emphasis has been on deregulation and opening up the banking sector to market forces. The Reserve Bank has been consistently working towards the establishment of an enabling regulatory framework with prompt and effective supervision as well as the development of technological and institutional infrastructure. Persistent efforts have been made towards adoption of international benchmarks as appropriate to Indian conditions. While certain changes in the legal infrastructure are yet to be effected, the developments so far have brought the Indian financial system closer to global standards. Banks are now moving towards Universal Banking, which is a combination of commercial banking, investment banking and various other activities includi ng insurance. Banks will need to create value in new ways, notably through differentiation on offers and services. Banks have to strengthen the added value they bring to clients by personalizing their customer approach and developing their advisory capacities.By international standards, however, there is still much scope for retail banking in India. After all, retail loans constitute less than seven per cent of GDP in India vis-à  -vis about 35 per cent for other Asian economies South Korea (55 per cent), Taiwan (52 per cent), Malaysia (33 per cent) and Thailand (18 per cent). is a likelihood that the growth numbers seem to get somewhat exaggerated. Hence there is a need of constant innovation in retail banking. This requires product development and differentiation, innovation and business process reengineering, micro-planning, marketing, prudent pricing, customisation, technological upgradation, home / electronic / mobile banking, cost reduction and cross-selling. Service bundling offers one me thod of cross-selling that places less of the burden on the bank employee who, despite training, often simply lacks the skills and/or motivation to be an effective salesperson, and more on the design and promotion of the product. Due to bundling of services and delivery channels, the areas of potential conflicts of interest tend to increase in universal banks and financial conglomerates. A product bundle as a bilateral contract must guarantee a possibility to obtain extra profit /or saving/ for each partner /bank versus customer/ at agreed price level /or discount/, but as well as both of them must accept some uncertainty or risk of lost. Bundling means offering two or more products together as a package.. Bundled accounts have built up so much momentum over the past few years that they have become a dominant focus of the retail operations at many banks. The practice is pervasive in the banking industry. Application of bundling strategies in retail banking reduces a banks variable cost for selling, secures both stable and higher income by periodical fees for covering high fix running costs as well. The biggest opportunity for current retail banking is building a strong relationship with customer by cross- selling extra bundled products, which leads to a higher retention and loyalty of customers. Empirical findings prove the paradox, that product bundles with discounted price for customer generate extra profit for bank, hand in hand with a still increasing customer satisfaction. Clever construction of bundles and bounded rationality decision making of customer offers a solution of profitable discounts not only for a banking sector, but at least for sector of services. According to a research by Reichheld and Sasser in the Harvard Business Review, 5 per cent increase in customer retention can increase profitability by 35 per cent in banking business, 50 per cent in insurance and brokerage, and 125 per cent in the consumer credit card market. Thus, banks need to emphasise retaining customers and increasing market share. Review The Dynamic Pricing and Product Bundling application standardizes a banks pricing and product bundling processes and allows the bank to reduce maintenance costs and increase its cross-sell opportunities(Morphy, 2006). The easiest way to retain the bank customers is to test the market by shuffling the existing product mix and creating new bundled offerings to optimize deposit growth (Barham, 2007). Clever construction of bundles and bounded rationality decision making of customer offers a solution of profitable discounts not only for a banking sector, but at least for sector of services.(Peter). The result is that customers generally get a superior annual percentage yield (APY), while the bank gets higher profit and volume. The secret by-product of bundling is the superior APY; it is what customers seek, it has the potential to drive balance with profitability, and it is a strategy largely overlooked by community banks. Concept of Product Bundling Product bundling is an intelligent strategy that is becoming increasingly popular in the banking sector. Banks offer multiple financial products and services to customers as a package. Bundling is generally recognized as a potentially appropriate means to tackle competition, to acquire new customers, to cross-sell new services to the existing customers and to retain the existing customers, who are getting increasingly savvy and sophisticated. Bundling helps to boost profits substantially by increasing the opportunity to cross-sell. It is also a great method for increasing the sales volume of products that are not in high demand. Bundling is not a new concept in retail banking. It has been existing for more than a decade-and-a-half, but there is a shift in focus now, as a result of which, it has gained popularity. Earlier, banks were mostly concerned with increasing the effectiveness of the use of its core banking products like current accounts and daily transaction-based activities. In the last few years, the priority has shifted to actively improving product penetration into the existing customer base, increasing sales by attracting new customers, innovating the product offerings, and lastly but most importantly, retaining and enhancing customer relationships and basing price reductions on the total volume and/or desired use of services. STANDARD CHARTERED Bank (SCB) is giving its Priority Banking customers up 12 per cent interest earnings through its latest wealth management offerings.In its new exclusive promotion, SCB Priority Banking customers will enjoy attractive interest rates on a Brunei Dollar fixed deposit when they invest in a unit trust at the same time. An intelligent pricing strategy that is becoming more and more popular in banking is bundling. One example is the NatWest package Advantage Gold. This bundle costs  £6 per month and combines a current account with lower interest rates for loans, rebates in certain insurance policies as well as various additional services such as lowest price guarantees for different articles, discounts for videos and DVDs, a customer magazine, commission-free traveller cheques, rebates for hotel stays, etc. In the Dutch market most cross selling in the consumer market is of a soft variety, that is, price inducements are offered to accept a bundle of services rather that exclusive tying arrangements. More often, bundle design decisions are based upon short term objectives such as attracting new customers, increasing fee income, or merely matching competitive offerings. There are two basic forms of bundling, pure and mixed. In pure bundling, the products or services cannot be purchased separately. They are available only in bundled form. In contrast, mixed bundling allows the consumer to purchase one or more of the services individually or to purchase the bundle Some examples of retail product bundles being offered by banks: If a customer maintains a defined amount of savings and has taken a defined amount of loan, then discounts are offered on interest rates, auto loans, free phone banking, counseling once-a-year, etc. Here again, there can be a tiered approach i.e. when balances/loan amounts increase, more discounts and additional free services are provided. Cluster analysis is used for classifying the consumer satisfaction variables into relatively homogeneous groups. The respondents were clustered on the basis of satisfaction level sought from the different attitudes under seven service marketing mix. The variables satisfaction levels are measured through five pointss summated rating scale i.e., strongly dissatisfied, dissatisfied, neutral, satisfied and strongly dissatisfied. The ratings are made as 1,2,3,4 and 5 respectively for each point. Product level satisfaction level is measured with the variables quality, scalability, multiplicity, reliability and security. Price level satisfaction is measured with the variables fair pricing, interest and transaction charges. Promotion level satisfaction is measured with the variables informative, awareness, receptive and attentive. Place level satisfaction is measured with the variables accessibility, convenience and diversified place. Process level satisfaction is measured with the variable s bundling, integration, processing time, and error-free process. Physical evidence (Documentation) level satisfaction is measured with the variables easy to go through, less documentation, unambiguous and legality. Person level satisfaction is measured with the variables involvement, technical support, friendliness and trust. The measure of similarity is measured by euclidean distance model. The reliability and validity of cluster analysis was done by making multiple runs using different order of cases. The clustering criterion was the Akaikes Information Criterion. The number of clusters was determined based on the minimum six-cluster solution. Based on the cluster group centroids of each service marketing mix, the level of satisfaction are labeled as impressive (>4), stirring (3.5 to 4.0), striking (3.0 to 3.5), modest (2.5 to 3.0,) un-impressive (2.0 to 2.5) and mediocre ( Two-group discriminant analysis is used to find out the disriminant factor among the existing customer and new customers using the product bundling . The independent variables are customer service level satisfaction variables i.e, product, price, promotion, place, process, physical evidence and person. The responses are rated based on the cluster centroid of each customer service level variables. The ratings for impressive, stirring, striking, modest, un-impressive and mediocre clusters are 6,5,4,3,2 and 1 respectively. The grouping variables are existing customer and new customers. Because there are two groups, only one discriminant function is estimated. The eigen value associated with this function is 1.64 and it accounts for 100 percent of the explained variance. The Wilks à « associated with this function is 0.312, which transforms to a chi-square of 32.45 with 7 degrees of freedom. This is significant beyond the o.o5 level. Hence null hypothesis is rejected. The structure matrix is displayed in Table-2. It appears that the existing and new customers are more widely separated in terms of price than that of other variables. The canonical correlation associated with this function is 0.783. The square of this correlation 0.61 indicates that 61% of the variance in the dependent variable is explained by this model. In 1995, RBI had set up a working group under the chairmanship of Shri S. Padmanabhan to review the banking supervision system. The Committee certain recommendations and based on such suggetions a rating system for domestic and foreign banks based on the international CAMELS model combining financial management and systems and control elements was introduced for the inspection cycle commencing from July 1998. It recommended that the banks should be rated on a five point scale (A to E) based on the lines of international CAMELS rating model. CAMELS evaluates banks on the following six parameters :- CAMEL approach will serve as an important. This will help lead to a low-cost high-quality result with secure profit levels. Capital Adequacy : Capital Adequacy is a measurement of a bank to determine if solvency can be maintained due to risks that have been incurred as a course of business. Capital allows a financial institution to grow, establish and maintain both public and regulatory confidence, and provide a cushion (reserves) to be able to absorb potential loan losses above and beyond identified problems. A bank must be able to generate capital internally, through earnings retention, as a test of capital strength. An increase in capital as a result of restatements due to accounting standard changes is not an actual increase in capital. Asset Quality : Asset Quality evaluates risk, controllability, adequacy of loan loss reserves, and acceptable earnings; and the affect of off-balance sheet earnings and loss. The quality of a banks assets hinges on their ability to be collected. Asset quality determines the portfolio quality, the portfolio classification system (aging schedule and the methodology to classifying a receivable) and the fixed assets (the productivity of the long-term assets, for instance the branch network). Management quality : Management quality envisages the strategic planning applied in each level of flow of funds. It is reflected by the ownership structure of the bank, branch network , loan portfolio management, credit administration, policy development, employee training, audit oversight, quality of governance and quality of information technology system Earnings : Earnings determine the ability of a bank to increase capital (through retained earnings), absorb loan losses, support the future growth of assets, and provide a return to investors. The largest source of income for a bank is net interest revenue (interest income from lending activity less interest paid on deposits and debt). The second most important source is from investing activity. A substantial source of income also comes from foreign exchange and precious metal trading, and commissions/transaction fees and trust operations. Liquidity : Liquidity measures the ability of a bank to meet the demand from demand deposits in a particular year. Liquidity is what a bank requires if funding is interrupted and the bank must still be able to meet certain obligations (banks ability to repay depositors and other creditors without incurring excessive costs). The liquidity is affected by the institutions liabilities, including their tenor, interest rate, payment terms, sensitivity to changes in the macroeconomic environment, types of guarantees required on credit facilities, sources of credit available to the institution and the extent of resource diversification. A banks least expensive means of funding loan growth is through deposit accounts. When this is not available, banks must rely on more expensive funding sources such as borrowing funds at wholesale rates or liquidating investment securities portfolios.

Chemistry Pilot Experiment :: Papers

Chemistry Pilot Experiment Aim: The aim was to become accustomed to working with the equipment and to find optimum levels of hydrochloric acid and magnesium ribbon to produce 60cm of hydrogen, a sensible amount to produce in the real experiment. We also began to investigate the effect of temperature on the rate and the result of the product (hydrogen). It also served to discover any errors in the procedure which could affect the final result and prevent us getting accurate results, thus allowing us to eliminate these errors in the real experiment. Diagram: Method: We attached a gas syringe via a plastic tube to a test tube and used a clamp and stand to hold the gas syringe in place. Having poured 25cm of hydrochloric acid (of strength 1M) into the test tube, we placed a strip of magnesium ribbon (which length varied each time we repeated the procedure) in the test tube and rapidly pushed a rubber bung into the top of the test tube to avoid any gas (hydrogen) produced in the reaction escaping. We then poured out the contents of the test tube and repeated the procedure using the same amount of hydrochloric acid but a different length of magnesium ribbon. The next procedure we carried out involved changing another variable. Having discovered what length of magnesium ribbon would produce 60cm of hydrogen when allowed to react with 25cm of hydrochloric acid, we then used this length of magnesium ribbon and the same amount of hydrochloric but changed the temperature of the hydrochloric acid that was allowed to react with the magnesium ribbon to see if this had any effect on the reaction by previously heating the hydrochloric acid to different temperatures using a Bunsen burner. We recorded the amount of hydrogen produced every 15 seconds using a stopwatch. Results: This is a word equation for the reaction between magnesium and hydrochloric acid: magnesium+ hydrochloric acidà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ magnesium chloride+ hydrogen Here is a table of the amounts of hydrogen produced when 25cm of

Cats Amazing Ability to Survive Falls Essay -- physics cat cats fall

Your chance of surviving a fall of 50 feet (approximately 4 stories) is about 50%, while almost no one who falls 6 stories will be around to tell their tale. However, in a study conducted by Manhattan veterinarians, Drs. Wayne Whitney and Cheryl Mehlhaff, it was discovered that out of 115 cases of cats falling (accidentally) from multi-story heights, 90% of them survived. An even more surprising result is that if a cat falls from more than 7 stories its chance of survival doubles, compared to a cat having fallen from 2 to 7 stories (a story averages about 12 feet). No wonder cats are fabled to have nine lives. It turns out that the two most important variables which contribute to the cat's survival are its ability to land on its feet and its reaching terminal velocity (both of which involve a fair deal of physics). Whitney & Melhaff's Study Cats' apparent fearlessness concerning heights leads to many accidental falls. In fact so many cats are brought to veterinarians for treatment after a fall, that in 1976 Dr. Gordon Robinson coined the term feline high-rise syndrome to describe the resulting pattern of injuries. Eleven years later Drs. Wayne Whitney and Cheryl Mehlhaff at the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan conducted a study over a five month period on cats brought in for treatment after a fall. They compiled a database of 115 cats who fell a range of two to thirty-two stories, primarily ending their falls on concrete pavement. The mean fall was 5.5 stories. Three of the cats were dead upon arrival and 8 more died in the next twenty-four hours, leaving 104 living cats or about 90%. This is a remarkable statistic. When the height the cats fell is taken into account, it is found that only 5% of the cats who fell seven ... ... a small amount of mass, but also their ability comes from their flying squirrel (relaxed) posture upon reaching terminal velocity and from their superb inner gyroscope. Works Cited * Diamond, Jared. "How Cats Survive Falls from New York Skyscapers," Natural History 20-26; August 1989. * Diamod, Jared. "Why cats have nine lives," Nature 332, 586-587; April 14, 1988. * Fredrickson, J. E. "The tail-less cat in free-fall," The Physics Teacher. 27, 620-625; November 1989. * Halliday, David, Robert Resnick and Jearl Walker. Fundamentals of Physics, 5th ed. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1997. * Mehlhaff, Cheryl and Wayne Whitney. "High-rise syndrome in cats," J. Amer. Vet. Med. Assoc. 191, 1399-1403;1987. * "Terminal Velocity," Discover 9,10; August 1988. * Von Baeyer, Hans Christian. "Swing Shift," The Sciences 30, 2-4; May/June 1990.

Epic of Beowulf Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essays

The epic poem, Beowulf, is one of the oldest European epics in existence. When Beowulf was written, the writer incorporated many of the ideals of the Anglo-Saxons. Some of these ideals included loyalty, bravery, selflessness, and justice and were demonstrated in the hero. Both the characters Beowulf and Grendel represent aspects of both good and evil, Christianity and Paganism, and what occurs when they collide with one another. A characteristic of an epic poem is the concern over struggles that humans face, which is presented in a serious manner. The hero often embodies the religious, national, and cultural values of his homeland and abroad. The premise of the story is quite simple: the Danes were in distress because of the great monster Grendel, so Beowulf, a native of the Geats, sails to engage in battle with Grendel and become victorious in saving the seemingly faithless Danes. Throughout the epic, there are many instances where examples of the thirteen epic conventions are used in the writing of Beowulf and in describing both the ideals of the Anglo-Saxons and the underlying challenges with mortal problems, such as good versus evil.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Beowulf, as an epic, can be demonstrated through examples in the writing of the story. Beowulf is often described as a national hero who embodies the ideals of his race or nation. He is referred to as, â€Å"†¦the strongest of the Geats, greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in the world,† and is shown as displa...

Education for Learners with Special Needs: Introduction to Organization and Planning Essay

In 1990, statistics showed that there were well over 43 million Americans with one or more physical or mental disabilities (Dixon, Kruse, & van Horn, 2003). Historically, society has isolated and segregated these individuals. After the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and despite numerous laws and civil rights acts, discrimination against individuals with disabilities continues to be a serious social problem. This lecture briefly discusses the history of the laws and civil rights acts pertaining to Americans with disabilities i. e., how the laws and civil rights acts are being applied to learning in the educational system. Historical Factors That Shaped Special Education Today In 1975, Congress passed the Education of All Handicapped Children Act, now codified as the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004. When the Education of All Handicapped Children Act went into effect October of 1977 (after the regulations were finalized), it guaranteed a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for all special education children and youth between the ages of 3 and 21. The numerous amendments to Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990 expanded incentives for early intervention, preschool special education programs, and transition programs. Currently, IDEA (2004) supports efforts through several programs to provide coordinated service delivery systems for children with disabilities from birth through age 5. The two major programs serving this population are the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities and the Preschool Grants Program (ages 3 through 5). The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 1997) additionally established the Handicapped Infants and Toddlers Program for children from birth to their 3rd birthday. In the 1990s, Congress passed two important public laws. The first was the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and the other was IDEA of 1990. The premise of these laws was to guarantee civil rights for all persons with disabilities. The aim of ADA was to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, public services, and accommodations (Henderson, 2000). Today this law includes persons of any age having a physical or mental impairment that significantly limits one or more of life’s major functions. These impairments include communicable diseases; health conditions such as diabetes and arthritis; severe asthma or allergies; mental health and behavioral needs; attention deficit disorder; and other physical disabilities. IDEA (1990) not only changed the name of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act to Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, it also changed the word handicapped to disabled. The amendments to IDEA of 1990 guaranteed all children with disabilities available and accessible free appropriate public education designed to meet the needs of students with special needs. The definition of special education was also expanded to include instruction carried out in the classroom, at home, in hospitals and institutions, and other settings. Related services are provided based on the needs of the special education student to benefit from instruction. In 1997, IDEA was amended once again. The amendment strengthened the academic expectations and accountability of children with disabilities. It also bridged the gap between the curricula delivered to children in regular classrooms and the curricula delivered to children in special day classes, with greater emphasis placed on the inclusion of the disabled child in the regular classroom (Hawking, 2004). Organization The category of learning disabilities is a large one, incorporating many diverse types of disabilities. IDEA (2004) defines specific learning disability as: A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in a deficient ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. This term includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. This term does not include children who have learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities; intellectual disability; or environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage (Knoblauch & Sorenson, 1998). Least Restrictive Environment Students with disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment (LRE). LRE focuses on the degree of integration with nondisabled peers. Least restrictive includes students from a full-time regular education classroom with a consultant services specialist, to students who are home- or hospital-bound, based on their severity of needs. Most students with LD are serviced in the teacher consultant model, push-in model, co-teaching model, pull-out model, learning center, or special day class. Planning Planning for special education begins with the individualized education plan (IEP) team. The IEP team is composed of parents, school nurse, school psychologist, regular education teacher, special education, and others invited by the school and/or parents to participate. The goal of the IEP, according to the National Information Center for Children and Youth With Disabilities (NICHCY, 1996), is to have a variety of individuals who are knowledgeable about the students and their evaluation and placement options. Conclusion. Many laws and litigations have shaped special education, as we know it today. The process of identification and placement has changed over the years and will continue to evolve as parents advocate for the rights of their children. Most students with LD are serviced in the regular classroom with some degree of support, whether it is consultation or pull-out. The IEP team decides the best services for each child on an individual basis.

Medical Claims Examiner or Claims Officer Training and Development Needs

Prepared By: Solomon Sawerh PetteyOrganisation: Osu Klottey NHIS Location: Osu, Accra – Ghana Medical Claims Examiner orClaims Officer| training & development| | | | INTRODUCTION Significant achievements have been made at arresting potential claim related challenges which threatened NHIS sustainability, but the claims still continue coming in fast with increased work load. The uses of technology and claim officers to effectively manage claims also continue to advance with meaningful results.This document therefore aims to use a scientific management approach to determine the training and development needs of claims officers, which can further enhance the effective and efficient management of claims. Case in Point Claims officers need to have certain knowledge, skills and abilities to examine medical claims effectively. The question is: what is the current capacity gap of knowledge, skills and abilities? The work of medical claim examination and approval are critical and comple x and this lends support to the question above.The research aims to determine the training and development needs of claims officers by examining levels of education, professional background and prior knowledge of claims vetting and ways to determine the impact of training. Focus will be on the claim officers’ perspective of needs, best approach to close capacity gaps, and better enhancement of NHIA activities towards the improving upon the performance of claim officers.About 70% of NHIS claims have been projected to be processed electronically, but leveraging technology in terms of claims management will not adequately address the capacity deficit, unless the manpower is well equipped to contribute meaningfully towards the rrealization of the company’s strategic goals. Approach Benchmarks Challenge of expenditure Traditional methods versus JUST-IN-TIME training and development for practical knowledge Continuum of learning/E-learning Tailored Programs / Health Insurance Training Institutions / International AssociationsSAMPLE CONTENT: TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY PROGRAM (P) Basic outline of programs which can be designed to prepare participants to meet the challenges of health care revenue cycle management including insurance reimbursement and accounts receivable management, with strong emphasis on clinical knowledge needed to analyze the content of medical records for optimal reimbursement P 1, Medical Aspects of Claims – describes the anatomy and physiology of the human body, as well as disorders and treatment of the various body systems.P 2, Basic Pharmacology – introduction to the basic study of drugs, therapeutic uses, dosage and actions. P 3, Health Insurance Law – provide an understanding of the insurance policy as a legal contract – aspects of statutory law, case law, and common law as they pertain to claim administration. P 4, Claim Administration – administration of claims under health insurance c ontracts (both individual and group), including investigation and cost control techniques.P 5, Management of Claim Operations – application of management theory to the operations of claim departments, including the management functions of planning, controlling, organizing and leading. P 6, Foundations of Insurance Marketing and Customer Service – marketing principles and functions, customer service concepts and strategies as integral aspects of health insurance Foundations of Excellence| Details/courses| | Anatomy and Physiology and Introduction to Human Disease | | Presentation Techniques, Advanced Composition, Diversity in Society| |Foundations of Health Professions| | | Applied Information Technology| | Medical Terminology and Introduction to Health Careers| | Major| | | Accounting Foundations | | Administrative Procedures or Medical Office Applications| | Health Record Content| | Health Care Management Foundations| | Procedural and Diagnostic Coding| | Introduction to Health Care Reimbursement Systems and Reimbursement Applications | | Claims Management Practicum| | Health Care Law and Ethics|

Construction of Knowledge

Throughout this course, we have been exposed to various fields of literature that revolve around a specific theme portraying the argument and point being made. It is possible, however, that two very opposite articles with unrelated topics can and may revolve around a similar theme. Beginning on page 239 of Katherine Ann Ackley’s Perspectives on Contemporary Issues, author Jean Kilbourne describes the impact that advertising has had on our society in her write Advertising’s Influence on Media Content. This article shares a close connection Lois Lowry’s Newbery Medal-winning novel, The Giver.In this dystopian society, a society characterized by human misery (Dictionary. com), officials regulate what the members of the Community know and experience. In addition to Kilbourne, published in The Atlantic in 2008 is writer David Carr’s article Is Google Making Us Stupid? Carr explains that the use of the internet and web browsers such as Google has altered the pro cess in which we perceive information. Although these articles discuss very different issues, from contradicting advertisements to the perception of information, one can take notice to a striking resemblance.The construction of knowledge is affected through both the impact of advertisements in society as well as our recent exposure to the luxury of the internet. The regulation of information and the modern, instantaneous method of attaining knowledge contribute to the deterioration of our construction of knowledge. Author Jean Kilbourne describes in her article Advertising’s Influence on Media Content the misrepresentation of information provided by the media through magazines and television.The media exerts their content in two major ways: via the suppression of information that would harm or offend the sponsor and via the inclusion of editorial content that reflects the product in a positive light (Kilbourne, 239). The line between advertising and editorial content is blurr ed by advertorials, product placement, and video news releases (239). Strikingly, up to 85% of the news we get is bought and paid for by corporations eager to gain positive publicity (239).It is startling to see the control that the media has on what advertisements we as a society are exposed of, and how information is being filtered and regulated for the open public. In 1998, a scandal surfaced concerning the working conditions in foreign factories that supply Nike. Nike’s sponsorship of CBS’ Olympic coverage was rewarded when correspondents delivered the news wearing jackets emblazoned with Nike’s symbol (240). The president of CBS News denied that this sponsorship had anything to do with the investigative 48 Hours segment that had been released just before (240).The editor of The San Francisco Examiner likewise denied that Nike’s co-sponsorship of their annual promotion was in any way related to kill a column by a reporter that was highly critical of N ike (240). It is clear that corporations such as Nike have a way with advertising and have mastered the technique of masking their scandalous ways. Nike’s influence on the media and filtering of information is frightening, and its control over the construction of knowledge has deterred society from questioning its actions.In connection to the concealment of truths, Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver is based upon the construction of knowledge of a civilization. The novel revolves around Jonas, a twelve-year-old boy living in a dystopian society, where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives (Lowry). He is chosen among his community to serve as the â€Å"Receiver of Memory† where he will maintain the past memories of a time before Sameness filled with pain and suffering, and the training for which will isolate him from his family and friends forever (Lowry).He learns through the previous Receiver, known as the Giver, about true knowledge and is exposed to a wor ld shunned from the others of that society (Lowry). Jonas experiences a life full of love, color, choices, and knowledge, but consequently with hatred, suffering and misery (Lowry). The members of his community are content because they do not know of a better life, and the knowledge of what they are missing out on could create major chaos (Lowry). This is relative to Kilbourne’s argument that major corporations are releasing selected advertisements that expose only what they want the public to see.In the case of the Nike Corporation, the concealment of their horrid working conditions is relevant to Sameness in The Giver. By suppressing information from society, a higher power is in charge of regulating what the community is exposed of, and therefore interfering with their construction of knowledge. One of the main strategies that Kilbourne targets is the contradicting placement of advertisements within women’s magazines. Kilbourne points out the contrasting views withi n a magazine, from the front cover, through the context of the magazine, all the way to the advertisement appearing on the back page.The various headlines included on the cover appear to be along the lines of weight-loss advice, how to make the perfect chocolate cake, hair-styling tips, and numerous ways to avoid aging. Once you make your way to the pages within the magazine, numerous articles feature luscious cakes and pies juxtaposed with articles about diets. This, Kilbourne writes, is an invitation to pathology, fueling the paradoxical obsession with food and weight control that is one of the hallmarks of eating disorders (241). Women’s Day once offered an article on â€Å"Special Report on Deadly Appliances†.Lest we think this is not a serious problem, 80 people died and 370 were injured by these killer appliances (242). On the back cover of the exact magazine, however, there is an advertisement for cigarettes, a product that kills over 400,000 people a year (242) . In 1996, an informal survey was conducted of popular women’s magazines that covered stories varying from countless health issues (242). These issues include skin cancer, Pap smears, and leukemia, as well as outstanding claims such as how breast cancer can be held off with aspirin and the possibility that dry-cleaned clothes can cause cancer (242).The back covers of all of these magazines contained an advertisement for cigarettes, and not a single mention of lung cancer and heart disease caused by smoking (242). The contents within these magazines contradict themselves, and it is obvious how major companies have played a role in regulating the news we receive through the media. The construction of knowledge is interrupted by the filtering of information by these companies paying off the media, restricting exposure to the real problems and issues in our society.Similarly to Kilbourne, David Carr expresses his concern for the construction of knowledge, although through a dissi milar issue. In his article Is Google Making Us Stupid, Carr expresses the influence that the internet has made on how we perceive information. Carr himself has personally been affected by the speedy resource that Google has provided for him (Carr). There has been a change in Carr’s perception of information, where he claims to have lost a sense of focus and that he feels he is literally dragging his way through a piece (Carr).Now, with the assistance of Google, research that once required days in the library can now be done in minutes (Carr). Instead of reading thoroughly the context of an article, Carr finds himself scanning headlines and blog posts, watching videos and podcasts, or just tripping link to link to link (Carr). In his words, Carr describes his own personal spectacle: â€Å"Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski† (Carr). Further research has been conducted to explore the phenomenon.A recently pub lished study of online research habits, conducted by scholars form University College London, suggests that we may well be in the midst of a sea of change in the way we read and think (Carr). The scholars examined computer logs documenting the behavior of visitors to two research sites over the course of five years. People using these sites exhibited a â€Å"form of skimming activity†, hopping from one source to another and rarely returning to any source they had already visited (Carr). It is apparent that our society has experienced a huge deterioration in the construction of knowledge.The perception of information has been influenced by the fast-paced and ever-expanding internet. Because we cannot fully absorb the content before us, our construction of knowledge has worsened and eroded. At a first glance, the articles Advertising’s Influence on Media Content and Is Google Making Us Stupid, written by Joan Kilbourne and David Carr, respectively, have nearly nothing in common in terms of their surface context. Kilbourne’s article relates to the impact of advertisements within the media, while Carr’s piece explains the deteriorating perception of knowledge.In addition to these two articles is the novel The Giver written by Lois Lowry, describing a dystopian society and the effects of regulating information. These pieces, while covering a vast span of topics and issues, commonly cover a deeper meaning: the construction of knowledge. All three sources explain the influence of media and other outside sources on how we perceive and stimulate knowledge based on our exposure. The regulation of information and the modern, instantaneous method of attaining knowledge have in fact contributed to the deterioration of our construction of knowledge.Works Cited Carr, David. â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid? † The Atlantic Day July/August 2008. Magazine. â€Å"Dystopia. † Dictionary. com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 13 Apr. 2013. . Kilbourne, Jean. â€Å"Advertising’s Influence on Media Content. † Perspectives on Contemporary Issues: Readings Across the Disciplines. 6th ed. Ed. Katherine Anne Ackley. Boston: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2012. 230-233. Print. Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print.