The Short Story Battle Royal By Ralph Ellison Is A Disturbing Story Ab

The short story "Battle Royal" by Ralph Ellison is a disturbing story about the conflicts between the black and white cultures and the main character and himself. In the story the conflicts between the two cultures had a definite impact on how the main character saw himself and caused the conflicts within himself. "Battle Royal" deals with racism and the suppression of the African American race and how it effected the actions of that culture. The main character of the story is an African American raised in a predominately white area in the early 1950's, where there was very little acceptance of non-white cultures. Throughout the story the character goes through an extreme revelation about how he was taught by the white culture to perceive himself and who he truly was as an African American male. In the exposition of the story or "background information" the main character talks about his grandfather and what he told his grandson on his deathbed about dealing with the white people. "Son, after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy's country ever since I give up my gun back in the Reconstruction" (185). At first when his grandfather said this to the main character he didn't understand, but by the Fitzke, page 2 conclusion of the story both he and the reader can see what the grandfather was trying to tell him. The grandfather was talking about one of the main aspects of the short story, the conflict between the black and white cultures. The grandfather called himself a "traitor" to the white society because he would go along with what the white man said even though he did not want to. During the time in which this short story was written, the early 1950's, the African American culture, even though they were free, still had very few rights under the law. The white culture or society mistreated and abused the African American's with racial slurs and putting them as inferior to their own culture. There are several examples of this in the short story "Battle Royal." The white men at the boxing rink got pleasure from watching the black males beat each other to a pulp and receive painful shocks when they try to get the money they were promised. "And while I still held him I butted him and moved away. I felt myself bombarded with punches. I fought back with hopeless desperation. I wanted to deliver my speech more than anything else in the world" (191). This is obvious mistreatment of other human beings and would today be unacceptable in society. The fact that the black males were willing to participate in such a degrading and inhumane activity raises the important questi on, why? Why would they subject themselves to this kind of treatment? What would compel the black males to treat others of their own race so cruelly, merely for the pleasure of drunk, racist, white men? The answer to what compelled the black men is obvious, they did as the white men said to achieve a different goal, and they were traitors to the white men. The main character's Fitzke, page 3 participation in the battle won him money and the chance to give a speech. This speech ended up winning him a scholarship to the State College for Negroes and without even realizing it, he had been a traitor to the white men. The main conflict in the story is described primarily in the racist treatment of the white culture towards the African American culture. This conflict between the two races is not very apparent in the story because the African Americans do not fight back with violence, but rather with submission. The main character's silence seems to gain him the passage to a better future, or does it? The second aspect of the short story "Battle Royal" is the conflict between the character and himself. "All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they

The Legendary Invention of Silk

The Legendary Invention of Silk Is the fabric known as silk 7000 years old? Did people wear it from as long ago as 5000 B.C. before civilization began at Sumer and before Egyptians built the Great Pyramid? If silkworm cultivation or sericulture is as much as seven millennia old as the Silk Road Foundation says it may be the chances are poor that we will ever know exactly who invented it. What we can learn is what the descendants of the people who discovered silk wrote about it and what their legends say about the origins of processing silk. Although there are other stories and variations, the basic legend credits an early Chinese empress. She is said to have: 1. Cultivated the silk-producing caterpillar (Bombyx mori).2. Fed the silkworm the mulberry leaf that was discovered to be the best food at least for those interested in producing the best silk.3. Invented the loom to weave the fiber. Raising Silk On its own, the silkworm larva produces a single, several hundred-yard-strand of silk, which it breaks as it emerges as a moth from its cocoon, leaving residue all over the trees. In preference to gathering the tangled silk caught in the trees, the Chinese learned to raise the silkworms on a fattening diet of the leaves of carefully cultivated mulberry trees. They also learned to watch the development of the cocoons so they could kill the chrysalis by plunging it in boiling water just before its time. This method ensures the full length of silk strands. The boiling water also softens the sticky protein holding together the silk [Grotenhuis]. (The process of pulling out the strand of silk from the water and cocoon in known as reeling.) The thread is then woven into beautiful clothing.   Who Was the Lady Hsi-ling? The main source for this article is Dieter Kuhn, Professor, and Chair of Chinese Studies, University of Wà ¼rzburg. He wrote Tracing a Chinese Legend: In Search of the Identity of the First Sericulturalist for Toung Pao, an international journal of sinology. In this article, Kuhn looks at what the Chinese sources say about the legend of the invention of silk and describes the presentation of silk manufactures invention across the dynasties. He makes note of the contribution of the lady of Hsi-ling in particular. She was the principal wife of Huangdi, who is better known as the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor (Huangdi or Huang-ti, where Huang is the same word we translate as Yellow when used in connection with the great Chinese Yellow River, and ti is the name of an important god that is used in the names of kings, conventionally translated emperor) is a legendary Neolithic era ruler and ancestor of the Chinese people, with almost godlike proportions. Huangdi is said to have lived in the third millennium B.C. for 100-118 years, during which he is credited with giving numerous gifts to the Chinese people, including the magnetic compass, and sometimes including silk. The principal wife of the Yellow Emperor, the lady of Hsi-ling (also known as Xi Ling-Shi, Lei-Tsu, or Xilingshi), is, like her husband, credited with discovering silk. The lady of Hsi-ling is also credited with figuring out how to reel silk and inventing what people needed to make clothing from the silk the loom, according to the Shih-Chi Record of the Historian. Ultimately, the confusion seems to remain, but the upper hand is given the empress. The Yellow Emperor, who was honored as the First Sericulturalist during the Northern Chi Period (c. A.D. 550 - c. 580), may be the male figure depicted in later art as a patron saint of sericulture. The lady Hsi-ling is more often called the First Sericulturalist. Although she had been worshiped and held a position in the Chinese pantheon since the Northern Chou Dynasty (557-581), her official position as the personification of the First Sericulturalist with a divine seat and altar only came in 1742. Silk Clothing Altered the Chinese Division of Labor One could speculate, as Kuhn does, that the job of making fabric was womens work and that therefore the associations were made with the empress, rather than her husband, even if he had been the first sericulturalist. The Yellow Emperor may have invented the methods of producing silk, while the lady Hsi-ling was responsible for the discovery of silk itself. This legendary discovery, reminiscent of the story of the discovery of actual tea in China, involves falling into an anachronistic cup of tea.   Chinese scholarship from the seventh century A.D. says that before the Yellow Emperor, clothing was made of bird (feathers can protect against water and down is, of course, an insulating material) and animal skin, but the supply of animals didnt keep up with demand. The Yellow Emperor decreed that clothing should be made of silk and hemp. In this version of the legend, it is Huangdi (actually, one of his officials named Po Yu), not the lady of Hsi-ling who invented all fabrics, including silk, and also, according to legend from the Han Dynasty, the loom. Again, if looking for a rationale for the contradiction based on the division of labor and gender roles: hunting would not have been a domestic pursuit, but the province of the men, so when clothing changed from skins to cloth, it made sense that it would have changed the storied gender of the maker. Evidence of 5 Millennia of Silk Not quite the full seven, but five millennia puts it more in line with important major developments elsewhere, so it is more easily believed. Archaeological evidence reveals that silk existed in China as far back as around 2750 B.C., which puts it, coincidentally according to Kuhn, close to the dates of the Yellow Emperor and his wife. Shang Dynasty oracle bones show evidence of silk production. Silk was also in the Indus Valley from the third millennium B.C., according to New Evidence for Silk in the Indus Valley, which says copper-alloy ornaments and steatite beads have yielded silk fibers upon microscopic examination. As an aside, the article says this raises the question of whether China really had exclusive control of silk. A Silken Economy The importance of silk to China probably cant be exaggerated: the exceptionally long and strong filament clothed a vast Chinese population, helped support the bureaucracy by being used as a precursor to paper (2nd century B.C.) [Hoernle] and to pay taxes [Grotenhuis], and led to commerce with the rest of the world. Sumptuary laws regulated the wearing of fancy silks and embroidered, patterned silks became status symbols from the Han to the Northern and Southern Dynasties (2nd century B.C. to 6th century A.D.). How the Secret of Silk Leaked Out The Chinese guarded its secret carefully and successfully for centuries, according to tradition. It was only in the 5th century A.D. that silk eggs and mulberry seeds were, according to legend, smuggled out in an elaborate headdress by a Chinese princess when she went to her groom, the king of Khotan, in Central Asia. A century later they were smuggled by monks into the Byzantine Empire, according to the Byzantine historian Procopius. Silk Worship Patron saints of sericulture were honored with life-size statues and rites; in the Han period, the silkworm goddess was personified, and in Han and Sung periods, the empress performed a silk ceremony. The empress helped with the gathering of the mulberry leaves necessary for the best silk, and the sacrifices of pig and sheep that were made to the First Sericulturalist who may or may not have been the lady of Hsi-ling. By the 3rd century, there was a silkworm palace which the empress supervised. Legends of the Discovery of Silk There is a fanciful legend about the discovery of silk, a love story about a betrayed and murdered magic horse, and his lover, a woman transformed into a silkworm; the threads becoming feelings. Liu recounts a version, recorded by Tsui Pao in his 4th century A.D. Ku Ching Chu (Antiquarian Researches), where the horse is betrayed by the father and his daughter who promised to marry the horse. After the horse was ambushed, killed, and skinned, the hide wrapped up the girl and flew away with her. It was found in a tree and brought home, where some time later the girl had been transformed into a moth. There is also a fairly pedestrian story of how silk was actually discovered the cocoon, thought to be fruit, wouldnt soften when boiled, so the would-be diners got their aggression out by beating it with sticks until the filament emerged. Sericulture References: The Silkworm and Chinese Culture, by Gaines K. C. Liu; Osiris, Vol. 10, (1952), pp. 129-194 Tracing a Chinese Legend: In Search of the Identity of the First Sericulturalist, by Dieter Kuhn; Toung Pao Second Series, Vol. 70, Livr. 4/5 (1984), pp. 213-245. Spices and Silk: Aspects of World Trade in the First Seven Centuries of the Christian Era, by Michael Loewe; The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland No. 2 (1971), pp. 166-179. Stories of Silk and Paper, by Elizabeth Ten Grotenhuis; World Literature Today; Vol. 80, No. 4 (Jul. - Aug. 2006), pp. 10-12. Silks and Religions in Eurasia, C. A.D. 600-1200, by Liu Xinru; Journal of World History Vol. 6, No. 1 (Spring, 1995), pp. 25-48. Who Was the Inventor of Rag-Paper? by A. F. Rudolf Hoernle; The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (Oct. 1903), pp. 663-684.

Goldman Sach's Forecast for BRIC Economies Assignment

Goldman Sach's Forecast for BRIC Economies - Assignment Example 2000, p.42). In stark contrast to the position in the United States, the Japanese economic 'miracle' has been founded on principles completely alien to classic economic theory. Where the free play of market forces dictates vigorous competition, the Japanese economy is managed on the basis of consensus; where the Anglo-American model prescribes minimal government intervention, the Japanese economy flourished precisely because the state has intervened massively to safeguard domestic markets from foreign competition and to support the establishment, growth and export potential of key industry sectors, including the advanced technology sectors. If the break-up of the Soviet Union constitutes the most dramatic development of the post-Second World war era, arguably the most significant has been the gradual but steady evolution of the European integration (Anderson et al. 2000, p.62). The establishment of the European single market in January 1993 superseded the laws of the first 12 member states and it has been estimated that 60 million border-crossing regulations were abolished. As of 1996, the total 15 country GDP had increased by some $150 billion and employment rose by some 300,000-900,000 (Anderson et al. 2000, p.64). Unfortunately, as Goldman Sachs put it, these three of the world's largest economies may look quite differe... If things go right, in less than 40 years, the BRICs economies together could be larger than the G6 in US dollar terms. By 2025 they could account for over half the size of the G6. Of the current G6, only the US and Japan may be among the six largest economies in US dollar terms in 2050 (Wilson and Purushothaman 2003, p.1). This article briefly presents the implications BRIC countries have to face if they are to realize Goldman Sachs' prediction by 2050. this article will also deal on some of the BRICs' potential that would aid them to be the next economic superpowers. The Context of BRIC Countries Wilson and Purushothaman (2003, p.4) state that the progress of the BRICs will be critical to how the world economy evolves. If these economies can fulfill their potential for growth, they could become a dominant force in generating spending growth over the next few decades. Another characteristic of the BRIC countries' economic development is that generally their economic growth has fluctuated more strongly than has been the case for the developed countries. This tendency magnifies the significance of the BRIC countries to the global economy, since the fluctuations in their growth explain a relatively larger share of the global cyclical fluctuations than their economic weight would indicate (Jensen and Larsen 2004). Taking each of the BRIC economies briefly, the following are the implications that each country would experience if they are to attain the Goldman Sachs' prediction: Brazil. Over the next 50 years, Brazil's GDP growth rate will average by 3.6%. The size of Brazil's economy will overtake Italy by 2025; France by 2031; UK and Germany by

Ricardo and Marx both had theories of a falling tendency of the rate Essay - 1

Ricardo and Marx both had theories of a falling tendency of the rate of profit in the development of capitalism. What were the different theoretical bases for t - Essay Example The tendency of the rÐ °te of profit to fÐ °ll Ð °rose neither from increÐ °sed competition (Smith) nor lower productivity in Ð °griculture (RicÐ °rdo). It wÐ °s, rÐ °ther, the expression under cÐ °pitÐ °lism of the increÐ °sed productivity of lÐ °bour. Ð ccording to MÐ °rx, lÐ °w of the tendency of the rÐ °te of profit to fÐ °ll (LTRPF) is Ð ° theory developed by MÐ °rx in the third volume of CÐ °pitÐ °l to explÐ °in the occurrence of economic crises within cÐ °pitÐ °list economies. Ð ccording to the LTRPF, Ð °s cÐ °pitÐ °lists invest in ever more cÐ °pitÐ °l-intensive production, the rÐ °te of profit fÐ °lls, since profit cÐ °n only be generÐ °ted from the surplus vÐ °lue extrÐ °cted from living lÐ °bor, which is Ð ° declining proportion of the cÐ °pitÐ °lists outlÐ °y. However, securing Ð ° lÐ °rger shÐ °re of the mÐ °rket offsets the lower rÐ °te of profit for the individuÐ °l cÐ °pitÐ °list. EventuÐ °lly the fÐ °lling rÐ °te of profit weÐ °kens the incentive to Ð °ccumulÐ °te on the pÐ °rt of the cÐ °pitÐ °lists until eventuÐ °lly the mÐ °ss of profit begins to stÐ °gnÐ °te. Ð t thÐ °t point Ð °n economic crisis begins Ð °s cÐ °pitÐ °lists decline to invest. The LTRPF explÐ °ins long-term fluctuÐ °tions in cÐ °pitÐ °list economies. There mÐ °y be long periods of expÐ °nsion before the LTRPF Ð °ffects the mÐ °ss of profit, during which the effects of the LTRPF cÐ °n be offset by vÐ °rious counterÐ °cting tendencies, such Ð °s lower wÐ °ges Ð °nd increÐ °sed intensity of exploitÐ °tion in the lÐ °bor process. EventuÐ °lly, however, there will be Ð ° period of stÐ °gnÐ °tion Ð °nd crisis in which Ð ° lÐ °rge proportion of existing cÐ °pitÐ °l is destroyed before reinvestment Ð °nd renewÐ °l cÐ °n stÐ °rt over Ð °gÐ °in (see ShÐ °ikh 1991). The importÐ °nce of the LTRPF for MÐ °rxist politicÐ °l economy is thÐ °t it demonstrÐ °tes how the rÐ °te of profit fÐ °lls, Ð °nd crisis sets in, independently of Ð °ny impetus on the pÐ °rt of lÐ °bor. The LTRPF wÐ °s of pÐ °rticulÐ °r significÐ °nce in this regÐ °rd in the 1970s Ð °nd 1980s, when it wÐ °s widely Ð °rgued, Ð °nd

Anomaly Detection Methodologies Research Proposal

Anomaly Detection Methodologies - Research Proposal Example Besides, current practices and procedures aimed at identifying such patients are slow, expensive and unsuitable for incorporating new analytical mechanisms. Buckeridge (2007) argues that Current algorithms used for achieving this risk stratification are dependent on the labelling of the patient data as positive or negative. This classification implies that determining trends and subsets that are rare in a given population requires an analysis of large data sets and the identification of positive aspects up to a threshold level. This process, as explained above, is not just slow or expensive, but puts additional burden on patients and hospital administrators, thereby affecting the validity and effectiveness of such practices. The proposed study aims to use appropriate anomaly detection methods that are known to be suitable for detecting interesting or unusual patterns in a given data set. Bohmer (2009) says that new frameworks allow anomaly detection to be applied towards determining anomalous patterns in subsets of attributes associated with a data set. In simpler words, anomaly detection methods identify unusual occurrences with the data that appear to deviate from the normal behaviour exhibited by a majority of the data set. Examples of such anomalies include an epidemic outbreak, traffic congestion in a certain section of roads or an attack on a network (Applegate, 2009). The proposed research aims to extend the standard approach to anomaly detection by devising techniques to identify partial patterns that exhibit anomalous behaviour with the remainder of the data set. Such techniques are believed to aid in the detection and assessment of unusual outcomes or decisions related to patient management in healthcare institutions. Anomaly Detection Several studies by researchers like Nurcan (2009) and Anderson (2007) have applied anomaly detection techniques to healthcare. In fact, anomaly detection has proved useful in areas under clinical behaviour and medical t echnology such as blood samples, vestibular information, mammograms and electroencephalographic signals (Brandt, 2007). However, the same principles have found little application in enhancing the quality of patient care or identifying existing deficiencies in the assistance extended to patients. The proposed study aims to improve and extend anomaly detection techniques to such relatively unexplored domains. While previous studies have relied primarily on detecting existing conditions such as diseases, the proposed research will apply similar methods to ascertain the level of risk that accompanies a potential outcome being analyzed. Thus, the measurement of this risk as a result of uncovering anomalies is likely to help in forecasting the vulnerability of patients to certain diseases or deficiencies. The study proposed to utilize several anomaly detection methods by applying them to existing clinical data on patients. In doing so, the number of outcomes and patients being analyzed wi ll be much larger and wider than those adopted by previous studies. Some of the detection methods that will be included as part of the proposed study are listed below: Nearest Neighbour method As the name suggests, the nearest neighbour method helps detect patients (anomalies) from a given population based on information pertaining to their ‘n’ nearest neighbours. This method is based on the principle of vectors that are used to sum the distances between a point and it ‘n’ closes neighbours. As a result, dense and sparse regions are identified based on the total score which is lesser in the former case

Analysis of Ford, Toyota and General Motors

Analysis of Ford, Toyota and General Motors COMPETITOR’S ANALYSIS: Toyota motors: Toyota is Japans greatest auto organization and the second biggest on the planet after General Motors. The essential explanation behind Toyotas achievement in the worldwide commercial center hails from their corporate rationality, the set of standards and demeanor that administer the utilization of its assets. The Toyota logic is frequently called as the Toyota Production System. The framework depends to a limited extent on a human assets administration arrangement that animates representative imagination and unwaveringness additionally, on an exceedingly productive system of suppliers and parts producers. Much of Toyotas achievement on the planet markets might be ascribed specifically to the synergistic execution of its approaches in human assets administration and inventory network systems. The playing point of the Tesla auto organization is that it centers chiefly on the one product offering identifying with the electric charging. So there is no preoccupation of the organization t o create autos having being energized by petrol, diesel or gas. The pivotal reason behind Toyotas accomplishment in the overall business focus lies in its corporate rationale the set of standards and state of brain that speak to the usage of its benefits. A corporate rationale, in the articulations of Fred J. Borch, past CEO of General Electric, is the umbrella approach that helpers most of the decisions and activities of the affiliation. The Toyota discernment is consistently more generally known as the Toyota Production System (Competitive advantage the Toyota way). Associations outside surroundings includes both geographic components and social components. Area and assets are urgent geographic elements impacting both national and corporate victory, with populace aspects and institutional courses of action making up the most serious parts of the social components influencing both the achievement of firms and of countries The Tesla company also has a competitive advantage in the manufacture of the cars as it has been successful in producing cars having lowest center of gravity, which is the main source of their â€Å"5 star safety rating† in all cars’ categories. This is the main cause of the endurance of the Tesla’s products in the market whereas Toyota and other remote auto creators have effectively infiltrated the US showcase and secured far reaching vicinity by temperance of its benefit. Toyotas logic of engaging its laborers is the inside bit of a human assets administration framework that encourages inventiveness and advancement by empowering representative investment, and that in like manner incites abnormal amounts of worker unwaveringness (Toyota). The biggest strengths of the Tesla are its execution. The company’s S model is the proof of how the company is able to execute and secondly its ability to increase the production that boosts up the investors’ confidence manufacturers aspirations. According to the latest earning report of Tesla it has achieved operating margins that equals to 25% for 2014. Moreover the company guided to 28% operating margins in the same year however Toyota is exchanging at 0.6 times bargains. Portage wants to start 23 models comprehensively in 2014, which is without a doubt the most item starts in a year in its history. Accordingly, development could quicken and this serves as a colossal impetus into 2014. The revenue of the Tesla is 9.3% that of Toyota moreover Tesla has much higher gross profit of 25%. The gross profit percentage of Toyota is 18.7% (Toyota). Ford motors: It was established by Henry Ford and fused on June 16, 1903. The Ford Motor Company (otherwise called essentially Ford) is an American multinational automaker headquartered Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It was established by Henry Ford and fused on June 16, 1903. The organization offers cars and business vehicles under the Ford brand and most extravagance autos under the Lincoln brand. Passage additionally claims Brazilian SUV producer, Troller, and execution auto maker FPV. In the past it has additionally transformed tractors and auto segments (Our Company). Ford is one of the biggest car makers on the planet. The organizations head auto brands incorporate Aston Martin, Ford, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. The organization fabricates and conveys vehicles in over 200 businesses over six main lands. The organizations solid brand portfolio provides for it a huge preference. Return on equity indicates what amount of benefit an organization creates from shareholders cash. The return for equity champion around the automakers is Ford (F). Alternate automakers are not as compelling in changing over shareholder cash into benefit. Return on equity is a measure of administrations viability, so I see this as a paramount metric and preference for Fords proceeded victory. The profit for equity is computed by taking net salary and separating it by the shareholders equity. Being investors we can envision ourselves as one of the board parts on Shark Tank. In spite of the fact that we dont have almost to the extent that as the Shark Tank board parts, we can assess these organizations to figure out whether they deserve of our speculation cash. Portage is changing over 28.5% of shareholder cash into benefit. This multiplies the ROE of alternate automakers. This shows that speculators can trust in the work that CEO, Alan Mullaly and his group are doing from a business outlook. This administration group is getting the most excitement for its speculators hard earned money. The administration adequacy is eventually reflected in the outperformance of Fords stock cost as contrasted with its rivals (Ford Vs. Tesla Which Stock Should You Buy?, 2013). After a remarkable year in 2013, shares of Ford (NYSE: F) dropped lower by almost 8% once the organizations 2014 standpoint was exhibited.Consistent with Ford CFO Bob Shanks, the organizations pretax profit in 2014 will be lower than in 2013. The organization refers to various purposes behind this absence of change, incorporating unanticipated government activity in developing markets, item reviews, and likewise an annuity commitment support. Elon Musk launched Tesla motors after 100 years when Ford Motors started but recently Ford motors has become the laggard. From investors point of view Tesla has a far higher esteem.Tesla has a lack of operational history in comparison with Ford and that might be the biggest strength in short term because the engineers start to work from a blank slate but from other point of view it can be a greatest risk in long-term as Ford has survived in every economic climate. Talking about the shares of the Ford they are valued on the basis of the companyâ €™s journey and where it stands now where as Tesla is judged from the perspective of future standing (SWOT analysis of Ford). Client unwaveringness will dependably be an exceptionally paramount pressure indicator of car bargains victory, said Jeffrey Anderson, executive of counseling and dissection for Experian Automotive. Portage has created greatly devoted clients over an extensive variety of vehicles. That consistency crosswise over its product offering has helped vault Fords unwaveringness rankings past its adversaries in our most recent study. Investors are paying great willingness to invest in Tesla as its sales are likely to increase from $400 million to more than $2billion. Mercedes Benz was second with 43.7 percent, which is a noteworthy build over the past quarter when they came in ninth spot with 34.6 percent. Talking about Tesla its supporters are watching the 10 year ramp of revenue as the entrance of sedan in 2017 which will have a moderate price in the mainstream market. General motors’: General Motors is the second greatest vehicles collecting association on the planet. They have divisions all far and wide that give plans and parts to each other. By offering parts and plans all far and wide, GM has the capability further reinforcing expansion a favorable luck over their opponents by saving on arrangement bunches. They similarly use economy of scales to cut down their liability on their parts. Entry motors gained the system that allowed it low taking care of expense by cutting all the excessive upkeep included in these operations. The goliath use on unrefined materials was slashed down and the web collecting strategy was introduced that focus on the change of automobiles on one technique as opposed to having various segments of building and arrangement. This strategy was secures overhead purpose of investment and give the association advantage over its adversaries in regards to additional level out of pocket (concierge, 1983), in the mean while association watched tr ansforming sharp automobiles that were not esteem sensitive and offered the suitability of expected section cars (About GM: Our Company). China is the biggest car business and is a rising economy that develops consistently. It is likewise the second biggest business sector for GM as far as vehicle units sold. An early passage into China, well performing organizations and neighborhood Buick brand are the primary reasons why GM has a solid position in Chinas auto market. GM is the biggest auto maker in US and at present holds more than 18% piece of the overall industry. This is essentially because of broad learning of US market and its consumers. Gm’s Cadillac, GMC, Chevrolet and Buick are around the top rated brands in US and China and acquire more than 80% of all General Motors deals. Tesla has become a media and stock market hero as it created gorgeous cars the Roadster and Model S. GM is a good competitor as it pools its resources and invest them into much focused projects. Some of the advantages that GM has over Tesla are the scale which is important for high profitability in the automobile industry and GMâ⠂¬â„¢s technology development that is used in several of its models. Tesla has a tiny product lineup (About GM: Our Company). General Motors has performed well starting late, however with GM, there had been the negative stigma encompassing its biggest guru, which obviously is the administration. Consequently, while the legislature possessed such a huge stake, shares of GM remained less expensive than its associates, and the organization still does not pay a profit. The Treasury has been offering shares at a quick rate in the course of the most recent year, and on Dec. 9 it affirmed that its remaining 31.1 million shares had been sold. In this manner, GM is no more government possessed, and has given or takes $37 billion in liquidity that might be utilized for profits and to make different speculations. U.S. automakers blasted after WWII, yet the impending blast in this hot auto business will put that surge to disgrace! Buyers in creating nations are developing wealthier, so clever moguls can exploit this ideal chance with the assistance of this brand-new Motley Fool report that distinguishes two automakers to purchase for a surging remote business (About GM: Our Company). Bibliography (n.d.). Retrieved from Toyota: http://www.toyota.com/ About GM: Our Company. (n.d.). Retrieved from gm: http://www.gm.com/company/aboutGM/our_company.html Competitive advantage the Toyota way. (n.d.). Retrieved from bsr.london.edu: http://bsr.london.edu/lbs-article/481/index.html Ford Motor Company passes General Motors and Toyota. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2014, from finance.yahoo: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-motor-company-passes-general-123000026.html Ford Vs. Tesla Which Stock Should You Buy? (2013). Retrieved 2014, from NASDAQ: http://www.nasdaq.com/article/ford-vs-tesla-which-stock-should-you-buy-cm288233 Our Company. (n.d.). Retrieved from ford: http://www.ford.com/ SWOT analysis of Ford. (n.d.). Retrieved from strategicmanagementinsight: http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/swot-analyses/ford-swot-analysis.html

Compare two Robert Browning poems - The Laboratory and My last Duchess. :: English Literature

Compare two Robert Browning poems - The Laboratory and My last Duchess. The two Robert Browning poems I have chosen are 'The Laboratory' and 'My last Duchess'. My initial reaction on reading The laboratory was one of horror and fascination as it tells a tale of a woman scorned. I found it horrifying that a human being could plan in such a cold and calculating way, but I also found this fascinating. 'Not that I bid you spare her the pain; Let death be felt and the proof remain:' My feelings on reading My Last Duchess was pity for the Duke who was narrating the poem as it was clear that his jealousy and insecurity had ruined their relationship.` 'she smiled, no doubt, Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without Much the same smile?' Both poems have contemporary relevance, as people today are still intrigued by murder, mystery and tales of unrequited love. It is very obvious that the poems were wrote in the 19th century though, as some of the language is no longer in use in today's society eg durst/dared and forsooth/indeed. There are other indications that the poetry was written in the 19th century by the references made to the use of a fan and also the way the poison was prepared using pestle and mortar. 'Grind away moisten and mash up thy paste, Pound at thy powder-I am not in haste.' The topic of the poem in My Last Duchess is infact a painting, had it been written in the 21st century it would have been far more likely to have been a photograph. The theme of The Laboratory is one of the eternal love triangle. Whereas the theme in my last duchess would seem to be about an obsessive yet insecure lover. The similarity would be the extreme jealousy that is displayed by both narratives. The difference is that the narrator in My Last Duchess is so jealous and insecure that he 'gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together.' implying that he sent away or disposed of his loved one in some way. In The Laboratory, the focus of jealousy is directed at the other woman. 'He is with her, and they know that I know' The character of the narrator in The Laboratory displays an intensity of emotion through her obvious jealousy of the other woman, this intensity of jealousy could only be achieved if she also had experienced the same level of love. Similarly, the character of the narrator in My Last Duchess also displays obvious jealousy although it is without such an intensity of emotion. It is my opinion that the

Final Exam Review Notes Essay

1: Strategic Management: set of managerial decisions and actions that determines the long-run performance of a corporation. It includes environmental scanning (both external and internal), strategy formulation (strategic or long-range planning), strategy implementation and evaluation and control. Emphasize the monitoring and evaluating of external opportunities and threats in light of a corporations strengths and weaknesses. 2: 4 phases of strategic management: Phase 1- basic financial management- managers initiate serious planning when they are requested to propose the following years budget. Projects are proposed on the basis of very little analysis, with most information coming from within the firm. The sales force usually provides the small amount of environmental information. Phase 2: forecast- based planning- as annual budgets become less useful at stimulating long-term planning, managers attempt to propose five-year plans. At this point they consider projects that they may take more than one year. In addition to internal information managers gather any available environmental data- usually on an ad hoc basis and extrapolate current trends five years into the future. This phase is also time consuming, often involving a full month of managerial activity to make sure all the proposed budgets fit together. Phase 3: externally oriented planning- frustrated with highly political yet ineffectual five-year plans, top management takes contr9ol of the planning process by initiating strategic planning. The company seeks to increase its responsiveness to changing markets and competition by thinking strategically. Planning is taken out of the hands of lower-level managers and concentrated in a planning staff whose task is to develop strategic plans for the corporation. Phase 4: strategic management- realizing that even the best plans are worthless without input and commitment of lower-level managers, top management forms planning groups of managers and key employees at many levels, from various departments and work groups. They develop and integrate a series of strategic plans aimed at achieving the company’s primary objectives. 3: 4 basic elements of strategic management- 1: environmental scanning: the monitoring, evaluating and disseminating of information from the external and internal environments to key people within the corporation. Its purpose is to identify strategic factors- those external and internal elements that will determine the future of the corporation. 2: strategy formulation- is the development of long-range plans for the effective management of th4e environment opportunities and threats in light of corporate strengths and weaknesses (SWOT). It includes defining the corporate mission, specifying achievable objectives, developing strategies and setting policy guidelines. 3: strategy implementation- is a process by which strategies and policies are put into action through the development of programs, budgets and procedures. This process might involve changes within the overall culture, structure and/or the entire organization. 4: evaluation and control- is a process in which corporate activities and performance results are monitored so that actual performance can be compared with desired performance managers at all levels use the resulting information to take corrective action and resolve problems. 4: Define strategy: a corporation forms a comprehensive master plan that states how the corporation will achieve its mission and objectives. 5: 5 forces that shape competitions as described by Porter- Threat of new entrants: industry typically bring to it new capacity a desire to gain market share, and substantial resources. Rivalry among existing firms – corporations are mutually dependent. A competitive move by one firm can be expected to have a noticeable effect on on it competitors and thus may cause retaliation. Threat of substitution products or service- a product that appears to be different but can satisfy the same need as another product Bargaining power of buyers – affect an industry through their ability to force down prices, bargain for higher quality or more services and play competitors against each other Bargaining power of suppliers- can affect an industry through their ability to raise prices or reduce the quality of purchased good and services. 6: competitive advantage- a firm uses it resources, capabilities and competencies to develop a competitive advantage 7: 3 directional strategies- Growth strategies- designed to achieve growth in sales, assets, profits ot some combination. Most widely pursued. Continuing growth means increasing sales and a chance to take advantage of the experience curve to reduce the per-unit cost of products sold, thereby increasing profits. Stability strategies- corporation may choose stability over growth by continuing its current activities without any significant change in direction Retrenchment strategies – a company may pursue retrenchment strategies when it a weal competitive position in some or all its product lines resulting in poor performance- sales are down and profits are becoming losses. 8: 5 stages of international development: Stage 1: (domestic company) the primary domestic company exports some of its products through local dealers and distributors in the foreign countries. The impact on the organization’s structure is minimal because an export department at corporate headquarters handles everything Stage 2: (domestic company with export division) success in stage 1 leads the company to establish it’s own sales company with offices in other countries to eliminate the middle man and to better control marketing. Because exports have now become more important the company establishes an export division to oversee foreign sales office. Stage 3-(Primarily domestic company with international division) success in earlier stages its own sales company to establish manufacturing facilities in addition to sales and service offices in key countries. The company now adds an international division with responsibilities for most of the business functions conducted in other countries Stage 4: (multinational corporation with multidomestic emphasis)- now a full-fledged MNC, the company increases its investment in other countries. The company establishes a local operating division or company in the host country such as Ford of Britain, to better serve the market. The product line is expanded and local manufacturing capacity is established. Managerial functions (product development, finance, marketing and so on) are organizes locally. Stage 5: (MNC with global emphasis) – the most successful MNC move into a fifth stage in which they have worldwide human resources, R&D and financing strategies. Typically operating in a global industry, the MNC denationalizes its operations and plans product design, manufacturing and marketing around worldwide consideration.

Types of Leaders

Knowing your management type can help you change it if necessary, as certain circumstances may call for such a shift. Below we discuss five of the most common types of managers. While most entrepreneurs might relate to one type, the Ideal manager should be able to move from one to another as the situation warrants. Keep reading to learn which style is right for specific situations and when you should set some of your managerial habits aside and adopt a different one. The Dictator 1 OFF business. Rarely will they ask for input from their employees, and they may or ay not make final decisions with their employees in mind.They will usually â€Å"go it alone† when establishing new product lines, creating partnerships or considering new ventures without consulting others in the organization. Dictators largely rely on their own experiences and knowledge to set agendas they feel best answer their business' needs. When being a dictator works: If you are faced with an immediate crisis or other urgent business matter, you will often need to step up and make the decision that is in the best interest of the business without consulting your team first.Sometimes quick action is critical, and asking everyone to weigh in or come up with solutions could waste precious time you Just don't have. When being a dictator may not work: While this management style often leads to efficient business operations because only one person is involved in the decision making, it can also lead to costly oversights and mistakes that wouldn't have occurred had frontline employees been consulted. Managers and executives, no matter how smart or well-reasoned their decisions, are still susceptible to errors in Judgment. The CollaboratorCollaborative managers are conscious of their entire organization and acknowledge the utility of feedback from employees, investors, partners and vendors used to reach business objectives. Collaborators will regularly call meetings to brainstorm ideas. They comp el employees to offer feedback on business proposals and may even go as far as designating a â€Å"devil's advocate† to pinpoint problems with a plan. When being a collaborator works: Involving employees in the decision-making process is almost always a good idea because you benefit from insight gleaned from different perspectives.Collaboration also boosts employee morale, as employees feel valued because their ideas are requested and respected. This also provides employees with a real sense of commitment to projects they are actively involved in. It's also a great strategy when time is abundant, giving you plenty of time to hash out ideas. Just be sure you aren't using collaboration to stall when you are pressed to make an important decision. Indecisive or even weak because they spend so much time talking about ideas and not enough time executing them. Employees can become frustrated if all the concussion leads to nowhere.Also, beware of instances where an employee may not h ave enough knowledge about project details to provide relevant or useful advice. Bad advice can be costlier than no advice at all. The Micromanage Micromanages need to control everything and feel it's necessary to constantly be in the loop, even in seemingly trivial discussions. They check in with employees too frequently and expect constant updates on the status of projects. They operate with the expectation that each employee must complete every assignment exactly as the micromanage would.Employees have little freedom to be creative or to use their own intuition and knowledge to solve problems. When being a micromanage works: When you have Just hired a new employee, or you are trying to turn around the performance of a struggling employee, watching them closely is ideal. You want to ensure that they are on the right track and help them overcome any challenges before they exacerbate. Another time to micromanage is when you must follow specific rules or guidelines for regulatory, le gal or compliance issues.Remember to let employees know that your constant attention is to ensure compliance and does not reflect a lack of trust in them or their abilities. When being a micromanage may not work: As a result of working under constant dictation, employees may feel boxed in and controlled. This can have an extremely detrimental effect on morale, which increases turnover and breeds dissatisfaction. For those employees who have proved their competence and trustworthiness, ease up and give them the space to do their Jobs the way they see fit. The Delegated Delegate's take a hands-off approach and allow their employees to run the business.They divide and make assignments based on whom they think can best handle a given task, and they spend the bulk of their time generating new business and crafting long-term strategy instead of focusing on the minutiae of managing the business, they can focus on generating revenue. Employees may also feel affirmed by the confidence shown in their ability by trusting them with these operations, which increases their commitment to the business. When being a delegated works: If you have enough competent staff, it's almost always a win-win situation to delegate work to employees.Just be sure to secularly consult with employees about their workload and regularly confirm their comfort level before you unload new assignments on them. Also, be sure to step in from time to time to cover the grunt work and to show employees that you are still part of the team. Finally, make certain that employees fully understand how the work you do each day contributes to the bottom line. When being a delegated may not work: Problems occur if there aren't enough employees to cover all the work, and employees become resentful as they struggle while the boss is out entertaining clients with golf, sporting events and inches.It can also be extremely upsetting for hardworking employees to not get any credit for delegated work they completed; as s uch, be sure to always acknowledge all contributors when projects are successfully finished. And even though you may have a pool of employees to delegate to, they may not yet have the skills to handle that type of work. If possible, take time to train your potential delegate on the finer points of the Job to ensure it's done right. The Coach Coaching managers believe in a team-oriented atmosphere, where everyone contributes to the goals of the business.Because of that, coaches are committed to training employees and providing regular and frequent feedback. They praise employees when they deserve it and constructively correct them when they slip up. Much like the collaborator, they believe everyone should provide input and be involved in decisions that affect the team. Employees typically feel a great deal of loyalty to managers who invest so much time and effort in helping them succeed. When being a coach works: Effective coaching of all of your employees helps them grow and advance their careers. However, don't forget to acknowledge your est. employees.Rewarding employees who deserve it sets an example and motivates underperformed. It also drives friendly competition that can raise everyone's performance. When being a coach may not work: Because coaches want everyone to succeed, Top performers could resent that their outstanding efforts aren't setting them apart from the rest of the team, and they might either begin to perform at an average level or take their talents elsewhere, which can bring down productivity. Conversely, lower-performing employees might begin to see their subpart reference as adequate, which stifles productivity even further.If this is the case, make sure to temper your encouragement with pragmatism by specifying where an employee may need to improve. Conclusion Determining your management style is the first step to understanding its impact on your business. Knowing your management approach helps you recognize your organization's strength s as well as highlight its areas for improvement in whatever situation may arise.

Researching a Famous Ancestor in Your Family Tree

Researching a Famous Ancestor in Your Family Tree Am I related to someone famous? This is one of the questions that often first sparks a persons interest in genealogy. Maybe youve heard that youre descended from Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Davy Crockett, or Pocahontas. Or perhaps you suspect a family connection (however distant) to Princess Diana, Shirley Temple, or Marilyn Monroe. Maybe you even share a surname with someone famous and wonder if youre somehow related. Research Back to the Famous Ancestor If you suspect a famous individual or two in your family tree, begin by learning as much about your own family history as possible. Assembling the names and dates in your own family tree is necessary for later connecting with the large databases and biographies that hold previously done research on famous individuals. Whether youre directly descended or a tenth cousin, twice removed, youll likely have to research your own family back at least several generations before attempting to connect to the famous person. Distant cousin relationships very often require following the family tree to a point several generations prior to the time of the famous individual and then tracing your way back down various side branches. You may not be a direct descendant of Davy Crockett, for example, but may still share a common ancestry through one of his Crockett ancestors. To find that connection you would have to research back not only through your own family tree, but his, and then possibly work your way forward as well to the ancestral connection. Learn More About the Possible Famous Ancestor In addition to researching your own family history, you can also explore the information that exists for the famous individual you think you are related to. If they are pretty famous, chances are that their family history has already been researched by someone. If not, its likely that their biography or other resources are available to get you started in the right direction. The more familiar you are with the names and locations in the family tree of your potential famous relative, the easier it will be to spot the possible connections as you work backward in your own. Just dont fall into the trap of assuming that same name/same location means the same individual! Biographies Biographies of thousands of famous individuals can be easily found online. The following are some great resources to start your research: Biography.com includes short biographies of over 25,000 famous people, ranging from actors and actresses to political leaders and historical figures.Infoplease.com features 30,000 notable people.Biographical information for actors, actresses and other individuals associated with the movie can be found at E! Online and The Internet Movie Database (IMDb).Popular genealogy databases, such as FamilySearch User Submitted Genealogies or Family Tree, Ancestry.com Member Trees, and also contain many celebrity genealogies - but please be aware that they may not always be 100% correct. Some of those famous connections are rooted in times and localities where surviving records are scarce, and thus not necessarily supported by evidence that meets the Genealogical Proof Standard. Searching for Relatives That Have Passed Away Popular cemetery websites showcase dates and pictures of celebrity tombstones. Here are a few online resources to get started when lliking for information about people who may have passed away: Find a Grave includes transcribed gravestone information (and sometimes pictures) for thousands of famous and infamous individuals.Hollywood Underground gives the scoop on the final resting places of famous people buried in and around Los Angeles.Political Graveyard tells you where all the dead politicians are buried. If your famous ancestor was in the military, then many military cemeteries and memorials have information online. Finding Famous Lineages If the person is pretty famous, their family tree may have already been researched. Famous lineages can often be found online, in published biographies, or family histories. Heritage and lineage society publications and membership applications are other rich sources of lineages for famous individuals. A useful RelativeFinder.org is a great relationship finder tool, accessible by setting up a free FamilySearch account and family tree, which uses names and Ancestral File Numbers to assist people in finding common connections to famous people. Newspaper accounts of a famous individual, especially those written during his (or her) lifetime, may detail his participation in historical events or include accounts of his daily life. Marriages, obituaries, and other newsworthy items found in historical newspapers may also provide information on family members. While it provides a good start, it is important to remember that this type of published information is secondary - some correct, and some little more than guesswork. To be sure of your famous connections, take your research further into original documents to verify the accuracy of what you have discovered in previously done research or biographies. Finding Your Not-So-Good Relatives Not all ancestors are famous for their good deeds. You may have a notorious gunfighter, convict, pirate, madam, famous outlaw or other colorful character hanging from your family tree. This hidden past often presents some unusual opportunities for uncovering more details. In addition to the resources listed on the previous page for finding famous ancestors, court records are an excellent source for learning about everything from houses of ill repute to bootleggers. Criminal and prison records are also worth a look. The following are resources you can use to trace those individuals that may have had a run-in with the law: The Federal Bureau of Prisons maintains a database of former inmates (records prior to 1982 can only be accessed by mail).Many of the early American settlers from England were originally transported to the colonies as convicts. Over 25,000 of these individuals can be found listed in Peter Wilson Coldhams The Kings Passengers to Maryland and Virginia.The online  Crime Library  of the Crime Museum in Washington, DC, includes biographies and stories of notorious gangsters, outlaws, terrorists, spies, and murderers.The Associated Daughters of American Witches searches for an preserves the names of those accused of witchery in Colonial America.On the website of the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists, you can read about others family connections to scandalous black sheep and find help for researching your own. Sources Coldham, Peter Wilson. The Kings Passengers to Maryland and Virginia. Heritage Books, September 6, 2006.

Lev Vygotsky Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lev Vygotsky - Term Paper Example Noticeably intelligent and articulate as a young boy, Vygotsky was dubbed the "little professor" (Wertsch, 1985, p.4). The family lived amidst an explosion of politics, philosophy, and art as well as prejudice, hunger, and disease. Growing up during the Russian Revolution, a time of tremendous social, cultural, and economic upheaval caused Vygotsky great personal difficulty at the same time it liberated him to look at philosophical and societal issues with fresh eyes. Tuberculosis struck Vygotsky at age twenty-six. Forewarned of an early death, Vygotsky worked at a feverish pace to produce over 180 studies, articles, and books (Blanck, 1990). Vygotsky was such an impassioned speaker that throngs of scholars, unable to gain entry into the crowded halls in which he spoke, gathered outside the windows in the hope of capturing his lectures. Wherever Vygotsky traveled in Russia, people left poetry and garlands of flowers by the wayside. Such accounts describe a unique mind and sensibility that affected and even cast a spell on thousands (Van der Veer and Valsinger, 1991). ... 1). Vygotsky excelled academically, spoke eight languages, and was able to teach far ranging subjects such as literature, Russian, education, psychology, logic, aesthetics, and art history (Blanck, 1990). With close collaborators, Alexander R Luria and Alexei N. Leontiev, Vygotsky formed a famous "troika" (Kozulin, 1990), or what John-Steiner (1997) calls a "thought community" (p.207) that became a driving intellectual force in Russia. Vygotsky borrowed ideas from different disciplines to form his learning theory. Psychology and education are the fields in which he made his major contributions although he possessed no formal training in either. It may be that Vygotsky's unique vision was predicated on his ability to look at established ideas in a new way. This may also account for the wide appeal of his work. Blanck (1990) believes that ... it was precisely his newness to the field coupled with his strong insights from other fields (philosophy, linguistics, semiotics, historical mate rialism) that illuminated for Vygotsky fresh answers to perplexing questions (pp.38-39). Vygotsky was coincidently born the same year as Piaget, and like Piaget, his learning theory exerted a profound influence, even creating a paradigm shift, on the way in which we view human development and learning. Vygotsky was a deep thinker, capable of integrating complex philosophical ideas into a unique vision of his own. Vygotsky investigated how humans think, learn, and function within the context of society. Vygotsky's broad-ranging inquiry across discipline, methodology, and ideology, conceived so long ago and squarely situated within the social realm, continues to motivate and inspire the

No Child Left Behind Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

No Child Left Behind Act - Essay Example The strong and weak points of the law will be discussed in this paper in addition to the aforementioned information. When the NCLB was passed, a lot of politicians looked forward to its positive effects to the system of education in America considering all groups like the administrators, teachers, students and parents. In 2006, there have been positive reports about the act and heads have been nodding in approval to the statistics presented. The long term Nation’s Report Card results in 2005 claims that achievements in Math and Reading of elementary students reached the highest level and that achievement gaps were minimal (Ed.gov). The Department of Education gave similar reports on the statistics submitted in favor of the act and these were applauded during President George W. Bush’s 2008 State of the Union Address. He claimed that in 2007, fourth and eighth graders achieved the highest math scores on record, reading scores are on the rise and African-American and Hisp anic students posted all-time highs (Bush).