Monday, September 30, 2019

Bingo: Marketing Mix

Marketing Mix Product Strategy †¢ Bingo positioned itself as chips with an Indian twist. The 16 flavours introduced at launch were carefully developed through R&D †¢ The initial offerings were a mix of potato chips and finger snacks †¢ The potato chips segment includes variants like masala, salted, tomato inspired by snacking habits of Indian consumers †¢ The offerings under finger snacks include Pakoda (Live Wires) and Khakra (Mad Angles) †¢ These offerings were further differentiated by providing SKU’s at Rs. , Rs. 10 and Rs. 20 Marketing Mix Pricing Strategy †¢ The main objective for ITC was to compete effectively with the existing players. Hence, ITC launched a direct frontal attack by introducing similar priced SKU’s †¢ ITC already enjoyed cost advantage over competitors through its eChoupal initiative. This also facilitated timely supply of raw materials †¢ ITC’s printing and packaging business also lead to high quali ty, cost effective and innovative packaging Marketing Mix Promotional Strategy Bingo was strategically launched at the time of world cup to cash in on the popularity of snacks among the cricket lovers of the country †¢ The advertising strategy revolved around slapstick humour and irrelevant themes to hold eyeballs, garner attention and interest, and stand out from the clutter †¢ ITC booked 10 to 15 spots per channel per day, 20 spots on radio stations supported by thousands of hoardings advertising the product.According to industry estimates, the total advertising spent in the initial 6 months were roughly 100 crores While its competitor Frito-Lay focussed on celebrity endorsements, Bingo chose a different route †¢ Since the product is aimed towards the young population, digital media was heavily used. For instance, the Bingo National Gaming Championship across 4 cities with more than 25000 participants †¢ Bingeonbingo. com and Mad Angles Twister application (Fac ebook) were other initiatives in online media Marketing Mix Distribution Strategy †¢ ITC already had a well-established distribution network through its cigarette and tobacco related offerings which were leveraged for Bingo Further, the company distributed around 4 lakh racks across all retailers to display the brand at all Points-of-scale †¢ Within 6 months Bingo was available across 250000 retailers in the country †¢ A crucial alliance with Future Group led to all future group retail outlets like Big Bazar, Food Bazar stocking only ITC’s Bingo †¢ HORECA (Hotels, Restaurants and Catering Sector), Local betel shops are all being used to distribute Bingo to a wide range of audiencesValue Proposition †¢ Variety and innovation in a largely undifferentiated market †¢ Foray into the â€Å"Health Snacks† segment by introducing Bingo as Baked Chips †¢ ITC launched Bingo in 16 flavours to cater to the tastes of the country †¢ Leveraged t he retail and marketing expertise of ITC Foods Market Share before Bingo 25% 10% 65% Lays Haldirams Others Market Share after Bingo Lays 12% 27% 45% Bingo Haldirams 16% Others

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The Refugee

The Refugee by Pearl S. Buck Genre: social problem Theme: the aftermath of a natural disaster Setting: city in China; flood Characters: old man, noodle vendor, passer-by Summary: Please put the paragraphs into the correct order: An old man, too old for the heavy burden he is carrying, is the last of the procession. He can hardly keep up with the others. When he can no longer go on he sits down near a stand selling hot noodles. A man passing by takes pity on him and offers him some coins, although he himself does not know where his next meal is to come from.The old man is reluctant to take the money. He does not want to be thought a beggar and so explains the situation. He says that his people had good land, but that the river rose and they had no food left. In desperation they even ate the seed which had been bought for planting the land. He takes pains to defend his people, saying that they were too hungry and too inexperienced to think of the future, although he warned them not to eat the seed. The passer-by drops a silver coin and a copper penny into the old man's apron and goes on his way.To the noodle vendor's surprise the old man does not spend all the money on food, but only the copper coin. He gives the noodles to his small grandson, whom he is carrying in one of his baskets. The boy's mother and father had died in the floods and the old man is now looking after the child. He himself only eats the few scraps left by the boy. Then he hands the bowl back to the astonished vendor, who cannot understand why a starving man with a silver coin does not buy more food for himself.The old man explains that the rest of the money is for seed. He says that the best thing he can do for his grandson is to buy seed to ensure against more starvation the following year. The flooding of the river has forced the farmers of an unnamed country to leave their homelands and look for food and shelter in the capital a few hundred miles away. The city is full of ragged and starvi ng refugees and nobody really knows how to cope with the problem. They have to live in great camps outside the city wall trying to find work and food.The situation is causing a lot of bitterness among the local inhabitants. One day some new refugees arrive. They are different from the others in that they are not â€Å"riff-raff from some community always poor and easily starving in a flood time†. They are all from the same region and are well-built, neatly and cleanly dressed and obviously take pride in themselves, despite their hopeless situation. There are, however, no young girls and no infants, which suggests that they must have perished during the floods while still working in the fields.All of them carry bedding and cauldrons, though there is no trace of food in any of them. The lack of food shows in their faces and in their apathy towards the things around them. Unit I The Situation in the City 1. The situation in the city Why did the refugees have to leave their land? How do the refugees feel about the new place? Which words tell the reader that the place where they come from is very different from where they are now? How does the time of year make the situation of the refugees even worse?How do the local inhabitants feel about all the refugees in their city? The crowd of refugees is described as a â€Å"horde† (25 5). This term expresses dislike. Which other word in the same paragraph describes the refugees in a way which shows how much the inhabitants dislike them being in the city? Look the word up in a dictionary. What does it compare the refugees with? What ideas come to mind when you hear the word â€Å"horde†? Unit II The Refugees 1. The new refugees Despite the differences which exist between the new refugees and the others what do they have in common? common features: | |Feeling of alienation and estrangement | |They are as in a dream: apathy, lack of interest, no curiosity, indifference, despair, loss of hope, no confide nce | | | |differences: | |common refugees |new refugees | |they beg at doors | | |they have no belongings | | |tend to be poor wherever they are | | |†clothed somehow† (24 14-15) | | |they are â€Å"ragged† (24 16) | | |riff-raff no-one is proud of | | Unit III The significance of the title What makes the old man different from all the other refugees? Unit IV Unanswered Questions; The Message Topics for further discussion: What natural catastrophes threaten us? The message What can the reader learn from the story? Suggestion for written work: a) Imagine you are a citizen of the capital, a shopkeeper. You have had enough of all these refugees and do not want any more to come. You saw the new ones arrive yesterday.Write a letter to the editor of your local paper, explaining your point of view and demanding that something should be done about the situation. Words from the story will help you. b) Imagine you are the person who gave the money to the old man. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper, explaining how you feel: say that you want the city to do more to help the refugees both in their present situation and in the future. Suggest some ways of preventing a second catastrophe. Explain what will happen if there is no long-term help. Start both letters with ‘Dear sir' and end them with ‘Yours faithfully'. Read the letters out in class and discuss them.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Germans & germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Germans & germany - Essay Example It is also a responsibility to protect the minority groups in the country from brutal treatment. It is an expression of humanity to the survivors and a show of responsibility to prevent crimes in the society (Cottrell 1). The memorial is a dedication to the Jews victims of the wars after the war in Germany. It does not technically keep out concentration camps Jews who suffered the fate of death at old age or from diseases. The title is appropriate, and no better title would fit the memorial than its apparent title. The Washington museum is a remembrance of the criminal activities that occurred during the killing of the Jews. It has a comprehensive history of the holocaust through artifacts and eyewitness testimonials, in the form of movies and films. It also has artifacts as well as photographs of the occurrences. However, there is no national monument on the victims of crime. This is because the slavery and genocide did not occur in the country. It would only be advisable to build the monument at the spot of the crime rather than in Washington. The tale of Emmaly Reed’s is a moving account, touching and reveals the reality of the brutality that the Nazis victims experienced. Her imprisonment for twelve years shows the extent of suffering that the victims underwent. She exposes the hangings that imprisoned victims underwent during the slavery and genocide that occurred. Cottrell, Chris. Memorial to Roma Holocaust Victims Opens in Berlin. The New York Times. October 24, 2012. Web. May 5, 2013. Retrieved from:

Friday, September 27, 2019

INNOVATION IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, CULTURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

INNOVATION IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, CULTURE - Essay Example They attempt to suppress his invention, an incredibly strong textile fiber which repels dirt and never wears out, plus the suit made out of it is brilliantly white. Professional and personal traits: Sidney Stratton is seen as a genius, brilliant but very eccentric scientist. He is an entrepreneurial, visionary research chemist. He is a former Cambridge Scholarship recipient, who has been dismissed from jobs at several textile mills because of his demands for expensive facilities and his obsession with inventing an everlasting fabric. He is a People’s man, who dreams of a common man’s ease of buying a suit that will never wear out, repel dirt and is extremely luminous giving it a new look no matter how many times it is worn. Sidney also sees this invention as his ticket to fame and wants the world to know about it. He is heroic and does not get disappointed in the failure of his fabric but is shown working instantly to correct the error. He is a continuous innovator and a diligent researcher. He possesses traits of creative people like attraction to complexity, high levels of energy, independence, strong self-confidence. Type of engineering and technology used: The engineering material used in his textile fiber is a mixture of natural, synthetic fiber, polymer fiber and silicon fiber. His methods also emphasize on automation of the whole textile process. Since natural fibers are biodegradable over time, Sidney uses other fibers to increase its lifetime and give the fiber interesting properties such as being stain-free, dirt free and does not wear out. Polymer fibers are a subset of man-made fibers, which are based on synthetic chemicals rather than arising from natural materials by a purely physical process. These are long chain molecules which undergo a chemical reaction with synthetic materials and silica. The researcher also mixes radioactive materials which gives striking properties to the fiber. Creativity: Sidney’s ability to generate new ideas in an existing fabric is displayed vividly in his innovation of the textile fabric. The final outcome of Sidney’s research is unbelievable dirt-free fiber, fabric of which gives off everlasting cleanliness because the fiber does not become dirty. It is not degradable over time which keeps it stain free and stays new every time it is worn. Due to radioactive materials used in the fiber, the fabric cannot absorb any dye and is also slightly luminous, thus, a suit made out of it is brilliantly white. Success of outcomes: Sidney’s research blooms fruitful and give him success in creation of a fabric that will make consumers life very happy. This innovation is Sidney’s ticket to fame, money and recognition in the textile world. It will also open up new ventures as the fiber might be used in other manufacturing materials. This will increase Sidney’s success in not only textile industry but other sectors as well. The common man will highly appreciate t he outcome of this research and Sidney’s real success lies in decreasing the need to purchase a new fabric each time the old one wears out. Acquisition and use of knowledge: Sidney is sabotaged by labor unions and mill owners when they find out about his invention of the fabric. The lunch mob of bosses and workers hunt Sidney down through dark, narrow streets to acquire his invention or the formula. The company through hostile take-over tries to force Guinness to sign over the invention to them

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Case Study Assignment Company Analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Assignment Company Analysis - Case Study Example They use all the information available or that can be reasonably obtained - consisting of known information and beliefs about the future (inferred information). Being the determinant of stock prices, information is the central issue of the efficient market concept. An efficient market is defined as one in which the prices of securities fully reflect all known information quickly and accurately (Jones 1991). The current price of a stock incorporates or fully reflect all information that investors assimilate in the process of making their buy and sell decisions. According to this concept, it is assumed that all known information -- including past information (such as last years or quarters earnings), current information, and events that have been announced but not yet implemented, such as a stock split -- are fully reflected in the price. Other information that can be reasonably inferred such as a change in interest rates will also be reflected in the prices even before the event occur s. By "quickly and accurately" is meant the speed at which information is received by its users, instantaneously in most cases, particularly with current electronic communications availability enabling brokerage houses, institutional investors and others to obtain any information and process it for quick decisions. For individuals without such easy access, information can reach them a few hours or a day later. It is not quite easy to determine what accuracy in price adjustment means, but the theory simply assumes that an unbiased estimate of the equilibrium price is established after all investors have fully assessed the input of the information (Jones 1991). New information about a companys profitability can affect the price of its stock such that it has a positive excess return, described as that portion in the price not accounted for by the overall market movement. On an average day, the difference between the price and the overall market, the

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

All The King's Men Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

All The King's Men - Essay Example All the King's Men opens with the visit of Governor Stark and his group in a small town in their state. The novel then recounts the humble beginning of the governor, how he has risen from poverty to power through his fortune in politics. Stark's entry into the political arena is facilitated by a trick of fate. Gaining statewide popularity after an accident in his hometown, he was asked to run for governor. Realizing that he was only being used in order to split votes for one of the other candidate, he backed out and began campaigning for the candidate he was supposed to take vote from. This puts him in the spotlight facilitating his entry to the world of politics in the next election. The narrator in the story, Jack Burden, is a reporter assigned to cover the campaign and governorship of Stark. From this responsibility, he ends up being Stark's right hand, aiding him in unveiling the "dirty secrets" of the latter's political enemies. Thus, Jack becomes instrumental in forcing Stark's enemies into submission through bribery, threats, persuasion, and other "dirty works." This job leads to his discovery of the flaw of Judge Irwin whom he looked up to as his second father and whom he regarded as perfect. This event triggered a chain of events including Adam Stanton's acceptance of a lead job in Stark's hospital and Anne Stanton's affair with Stark. Towards the end of the story, Stark has fallen prey in his own scheme. His enemy, MacMurfee has threatened to publicize that Stark's son is a father of an illegitimate child. This is supposed to bar Stark from running for senator. However, Stark used Jack to persuade Judge Irwin to make MacMurfee back out. Realizing that it is better to die than to live up to his past and submit to the blackmail, Judge Irwin committed suicide. Jack then learns that Judge Irwin is his biological father. Desperate to be a senator, Stark gave the hospital contract to MacMurfee even though this was cancelled when the former's son became paralyzed in a football game. Adam Stanton was angered at the discovery of the affair of Stark and his sister Anne. Thus, he killed Stark even though it also cost him his life. Jack later married Anne and wrote a novel about the confederate soldier. All the King's Men largely mirror the tenets of the American political culture. It is irrefutable that this nation upholds that the government is answerable to citizens, who may change it through elections (Dye 25). In the novel, Stark become so obsessed with his power as a politician that he devoted much of his time and money in making his enemies' submit to him by discovering their "dirty secrets." He recognizes that if these flaws were made public, the voting population will respond negatively to their campaigns. This strongly highlights the fact that even though politicians control the society, the sole decision of who will reign still rests on the citizens. In one aspect, this also mirrors the prevalence of classical liberalism which is central in American political culture. Classical liberalism holds the dignity of the individual and their rational ability to control their own destinies. In the case of the politicians, it is their dignity and reputation which dictate the length of their stay in the office. On the other hand, it is

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Evalue my diet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evalue my diet - Essay Example On the other hand, weaknesses of my diet can be observed in the failure to consume adequate amounts of certain crucial components of any diet. This is evident in the low intake of vegetables, which falls below average by not consuming starchy vegetables, which are required for good health, while at the same failing to stick to healthy eating in a consistent manner. This is evidenced by lack of admission to taking three meals a day, which are only taken occasionally and not frequently, while the meals that are taken are taken until I am full. This is a grave admission of a poor diet meaning that I fail to observe healthy eating habits and the failure to eat slowly shows lack of dedication to healthy eating no matter how nutritious a meal is. In addition, the bad habits of my diet are also displayed by the lack of a limiting factor in eating as a form of eliminating stress or as a way of coping with stress. Though done sometimes, eating mindlessly in response to stress portrays a form of irresponsibility in my diet, as it creates a discrepancy in healthy eating. I believe that improvements to my diet could be done through the inclusion of plenty of juice in my diet, reducing sweetened drinks, especially in the juices and other drinks. The drinks also need to be of low caloric value, which implies low sugar drinks and beverages, while making sure that they are low fat as they are as important as water is by having zero calories. Furthermore, in relation to solid meals, there is need to rid my diet of fried foods as such as fries, which are high in calories, while consuming high sugar and fat foods on rare occasions if at all there is need or craving for them. My diet can further be improved through the application of nutrients that are rarely consumed such as dark green vegetables, starchy, red, and orange vegetables that I do not consume on a regular basis. This is because it is not done in a weekly basis that is worth to be considered as appropriate as can also be seen with other crucial nutrients such as vitamin A, D and E. Therefore, in order to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, I will require making a number of changes in my diet, and these lie especially in relation to calorie intake, which translate to the first modification being the elimination of fried foods and high fat snacks from my diet. With this in mind, it is bound to reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering the amount of fat in the diet and, as a result in the body. In addition, high sugar snacks need to be eliminated or consumed on rare occasions and not sometimes, to eliminate the risk of being obese as these sugary foods contribute to obesity. To meet the recommendations there is need to include high fiber foods to cater for the high sugar diet, while water would serve as the perfect replacement for high sugar snacks and other high calorie and fried foods. In my current lifestyle, there are potential barriers that need to be overcome in order to ge t the recommended dietary measures and conduct. These include the need to allocate more time to my eating so that I do not have to eat in a hurry, the same way that there will be more time in order to have all three meals. This is because, with my current lifest

Monday, September 23, 2019

Engaging Colleagues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Engaging Colleagues - Assignment Example Most basic techniques of regression and analysis of variance are not completely understood or used appropriately (Judd, 1995). I can assume that I’m not alone facing this problem, my colleagues must also face this and I’m guessing like me, many opted statistics to get over the math-phobia. One strategy would be if a teacher could help explain the most common tactics that can used as tools to make sense of the data analysis quickly. The quicker we make sense of the data analysis the better. It is obvious that the majority finds complex reports very boring and they require stamina and perseverance in comprehending reports. The manners of presenting the data count a lot and findings can be significantly enhanced in the presentation on the data (www.ori.dhhs.gov). Whether there is a gun to my head or not, there are certainly some of the reports that I do find interesting. Any report on patient psychology triggers curiosity and I love to comprehend and learn new things in the report, having said that, I would never read complex reports out of my own desire. There is simply no point if students cannot simply understand what the report wants to tell them. Most of us are wrongfully lead to believe that numbers are unquestionably correct (Helberg, 1995), which is one of the reasons why people hesitate in questioning them. There should be little bit of coaching on how to speedily analyze the data. For instance, there can be a time limit given to the students and colleagues to practice with and special instructions, so that when they will read complex reports they will only look for things that are absolutely necessary, otherwise known as clearing the word noise and getting to the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Final Paper Outline Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final Paper Outline - Assignment Example t actively listen to each other, then you cannot prevent future problems that you could avert by listening and identifying each other’s needs (Fedesco, 2015, pg. 103). People often feel frustrated when they feel the other party is not listening to their needs. Secondly, you must develop and maintain self-concept in your relationship. Self-concept defines a person’s perception and understanding of their being as a self. This is essential because it shapes a person’s behavior and ability to handle stress in a relationship, and determines emotional behavior (Ahmad, Ghazali, Hassan, 2011, pg. 24). It enable one know what they want, and what they deserve in a relationship. In the end, it affects the quality of a couple’s relationship because emotions determine the level of attachment and understanding between the two of you. Thirdly, you must understand emotional intelligence and its role in effective interpersonal relationships. Emotions can easily destroy interpersonal relationships between couples. Emotional intelligence involves such factors as devotion, perseverance, and self-control (Hsieh, Wang, Fan, and Huang, 2014, pg. 133). A high level of emotional intelligence allows a person to accept and emphasize with a partner, and avoid emotional outburst that may not define their true character. Fourthly, there is a need for self-disclosure in your relationship. It is necessary for partners to reveal personal information in order to improve their communication process (Sprecher and Hendrick, 2004, pg. 858). It encourages, love, satisfaction and responsiveness in a relationship. Even so, self-disclosure should be at a certain level that does not hinder the normal functioning of the relationship. Finally, you must learn strategies to manage interpersonal conflicts. Conflict is an unavoidable in any marriage, despite the level of understanding that you fashion. Interpersonal conflicts arise when one infringes on the rights and space of another, especially in

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Science Behind Love Essay Example for Free

The Science Behind Love Essay What is this thing called love? There are so many definitions that people can come up with for love. Some are easy to understand while others do not make that much sense. Many people think that love is something that happens in a split of a second. Actually what people don’t know about love is that it does not happen in a split of a second. Psychologists and scientists have said that in order for someone to fall in love, it would take at least 90 seconds to 4 minutes (Fisher, 2004). Many studies have been done to prove that the brain of the individual that is in love goes through a weird domino effect. It produces certain chemicals that make the individual act strange when the person is in love. It has also been said that in a way, science can help people that are in relationships (The evolution of romance, 2007). So the main questions would be that what are the chemicals that make a person in love and what are the tips that science can offer to benefit the relationships of people who are in love? Many people have this one question in their mind: what is love? What is the full definition of it? There is no one definite definition for it but one can conclude that love is something magical and it is something that everyone experiences in their life at one point. So what does love do to a person? How does it make them feel physically, emotionally, and mentally? When a person is in love, physically it does not really do that much. It does not change how to person looks or anything. What love does to a person is more mental and emotional changes. Mentally what love does to a person is that it makes them crazy; in other words, it makes them do some weird things (Middleton Anderson, 2006). Emotionally what love does to a person is that it makes them love someone else who is their everything in their life. At times it is weird how a person who is so much in love acts; they would say stupid things and do stupid things too (Thorton, Carmody, 2010). Many studies have been done to show that love does not involve just the heart. It also involves the brain. Read more:  Persuasive Essay Example About Love Actually the brain does play a huge part in the whole sequence of love. In other words, it goes through some weird domino effect that no one had ever thought about. Researchers have found out that there are these certain chemicals, or more like hormones, that are produced in the body which are sent to the brain (Murphy,m2001). These certain chemicals would be oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine. The parts of the brain that these chemicals play on the most would be the hippocampus and the thalamus (Murphy, 2001). There are many differences that can be said between men and women when they are in love. According to researchers, they say that women are more willing to make a change in the relationship while at times, men are just there. Men do some things to make a relationship work but not as much as the women would do it. Now researchers are wondering is it because of the chemicals that are in the brain that is making the women act much differently than the men. Researchers have also found out the in women, there is a higher amount of serotonin and dopamine but in men, there is a higher level of oxytocin (Young, 2009). It is due to the cause that since women produce estrogen where men produce testerone so it is due to these factors that men and women have different levels of these three chemicals that help play the role of love (Young,2009). They also those animals also have many differences among the humans. It is true that animals do experience love just the way that humans do and to some extent, they also have the same chemicals in their brains as well but not as much as the humans do (Rooks,2009). So what kind of love has to happen in order for the brain to be the major factor in the love process? Researchers have concluded that it can be almost any type of love. It can be a crush, deep love, intense love or any type of love that exist in this world today. Studies have shown that it takes about 90 seconds to 4 minutes to actually like someone or even possibly fall in love with them (Fisher 2004). It is pretty interesting that you can fall in love with someone within seconds and minutes but what does that brain have to do it? Let’s explore some of the studies that certain scientists have done. One of the famous studies that have been was by Helen Fisher who is a professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Fisher had a hypothesis where the three chemicals dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin have a major role in the brain when a person is in love. She decided to conduct a study where she would give the volunteers a picture of the person that they love then showing them another picture of someone else. This test would tell us how quickly the brain reacts with these three chemicals in play. After that, their brains would be scanned under a brain scanner which would show more evidence for this experiment. It would show the blood flow activity that happens when the chemicals play around with the brain. Many volunteers were interested in this case study yet there were some groups of people that were not allowed to participate in the case. People with some type of metal in their heads, for example lip ring or braces were not allowed to be in the study. People that were claustrophobic or were left handed were not allowed either. They wanted people that were passionately in love and that could hardly eat, sleep or drink because they are that much in love. Fisher was astonished with the results that she found upon this study. Her exact finding in this study was that the three chemicals that she used in her hypothesis were correct Before scientists only concluded that body movements is what made us react when we are in love but now it is proven to fact that the brain has its own central and network for the actions that are related in love. Her conclusion was that there was a part of the brain that played around the most with the subjects. All three of the chemicals that she used in her hypothesis were also in the brain that played the major part when a person is in love. There was this dopamine mother lode. What this does is that it elevated the amount of dopamine that goes into the brain when the person was in love. Many people think that love is a very small process that happens in the brain but it is clearly a much more difficult process (Fisher, 2004). Another famous study that was done was by the authors Bianch-Demicheli, Grafton and Ortigue (2006).Bianch-Demicheli, Grafton and Ortigue combined their findings when they conducted experiments where they would tell their study subjects the name of their lovers and with that, they would scan their brains and see how the brain reacts when basically their lover is the only thing that is in their mind. Another study was conducted where instead of saying the subject’s lover’s name; they would say a favorite sport, TV show or something along that nature and see the difference it has on the brain. They had about 46 participants that were willing to be part of the study. Two studies were conducted yet it was separated in men and women. The results were that there was a similar reaction time that happened between both experiments yet for the women, there was a little faster reaction time where they could think of their beloved much faster than the men. The time that they would think about their lover to the time that they would think about their favorite past time was the same. It also showed that their responses to the to lover’s name was much more active in the brain then the responses to their favorite pastime. The study that was done by Ortigue and her team explains to us that actually what parts of the brain are active when that individual is in love. It also does a control experiment where instead of using the individual’s lover’s picture, they would use another picture of some type of hobby that they like to do. By showing both the lover’s picture and the picture of their favorite hobby, at times, the brain levels were almost the same. Similar studies have been done to conclude the same facts and data that Fisher and Ortigue and team have found in their experiments. Robert Epstein teaches a course on relationship science where he makes his students participate in numerous amounts of experiments that would prove in a way what science has to do with relationship and how they can help as well. Robert Epstein is a professor at the University of California where he teaches a course on relationship science. He believes that in order for his students to understand the subject matter better, they should have hands-on exercises and experiments, one of which is Soul Gazing where he would pair each of the students with someone else and have them look deeply into each other’s eyes. From this whole class, 89 percent of them experienced a lot of intimacy feelings between them. Epstein then explains to us how almost half of the US first marriages fail and he believes that the only way to fix the poor relationship performance is to find a â€Å"practical technology technique† (2010) and then teach it to the people. . In a study that was done by James D. Laird and his fellow colleagues in 1989, Epstein says that Mutual Eye Gazing made the subjects in the study have a lot of feelings which rapidly increased. Those feelings made the subjects like and love total strangers. Both Soul Gazing and Mutual Gazing increased intimacy and it made the people feel vulnerable. A lot of the exercises showed some obvious results between males and females. One of the males showed no positive effects when he did the exercise with another guy. To him, it made him feel very uncomfortable. Yet when he did the exercise with a girl, his intimacy rate went up by 25 percent but the girl’s rate went up by 144 percent! By this, once can conclude that girls have more intimacy feelings then boys. One of the students Olivia did another exercise Secret Swap where it creates vulnerability when people share their close secrets with each other. When Olivia did this exercise with her mother, both intimacy and vulnerability rates went up 31 percent. She did the Soul Gazing with a total stranger and her intimacy rate went up 70 percent. It’s quite amazing that with a total stranger, your intimacy rates go up. There are some examples of movies and books that can portray these findings that these scientists have found. One good example that can easily relate would the famous story of Romeo and Juliet. With the studies that Robert Epstein has conducted, Romeo and Juliet are closely related. In the story, Romeo and Juliet see each other for the first time and right then and there, they fall in love. In other words, this can be stated as â€Å"love at first sight†. This can conclude the studies by Epstein and Fisher when she said that a person can fall in love with someone from 90 seconds to 4 minutes. Romeo and Juliet just see each other for the very first time and instantly they fell in love. People in the modern world still think that â€Å"love† is so unrealistic. Honestly in a way, that is kind of weird because they did not even know each other for even a minute and they fell in love. Another example of these findings would this Indian movie called Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, directed by Karan Johar. This movie is about two friends Rahul and Anjali in college and they are best friends throughout their four years of college. Everyone would think that they are in love but they are not really. Rahul would always say that I am going to find the perfect girl for me and Anjali would help him out. Until the day another girl Tina came. Right then and there, Rahul started to fall in love with Tina but there was nothing more than flirting between them. Then during their English literature class, they were talking about Shakespeare and his Romeo and Juliet story. The question was asked â€Å"what is love?† This was Rahul’s answer: â€Å"Love is friendship† (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, 1998). Anjali was in shocked because her and Rahul were really good friends and she started to think that Rahul did like her. She started to fall in love with Rahul but really, he was in love with Tina and Anjali was devastated with this so she decided to leave college because she could not bear to see the Rahul and Tina in love because she really loves Rahul but he takes her nothing more than a friend. This type of movie can be closely related would be the Ortigue’s and her team. In conclusion, there is science behind the whole concept of love. It is not only involved with the heart and mind but the parts of the brain are also involved. Now that everyone knows the full definition of love and now everyone would think twice when they fall in love with someone. References: Brownless, S. (1997). Can’t do without love. U.S. News World Report, 122 (6), 58 This article talks about how science nowadays are related to love and how people react. Studies have shown that a certain chemical oxytocin plays a major role in the brain. The author also explains a certain study that was done on rodents and the results from that. Epstein, R. (2010). How science can help you fall in love. Scientific American Mind 20(7), 26-33 This article explains to us how in a successful love relationship, science can play major role. The author conducted a lot of studies that would prove to us that science can help with relationships and how it can fix America’s poor relationship status. Helmuth, L. (2000). Love on the brain. Science Now, 3 This article explains a specific case study that was done on students from a London. It tells us the specific brain areas that are highly activate when those students were in love. Middleton, L. Anderson, A. (2006). What is this thing called love? New Scientist 190(2549), 32-34 This article helps us understand whether science can help us understand love even more. Scientists are now finding certain chemicals in the brain that helps a person fall in love. It also explains to us how a person falls in love using that certain chemical. Murphy, L. (2001). It’s all in your mind. Psychology Today, 34(5), 26 This article tells us specifically which areas in the brain are deeply effected when a person is in love. The author conducts a special case study and tell us future findings in how we should measure love. Ortigue, S., Grafton, T.S., Demicheli-Bianchi, F. (2006). The power of love on the human brain. Social Neuroscience, 1 (20), 90-103. This article tells us about the recent discovery of the brain and how it is related and how it reacts when a person is in love. It talks about two experiments that has be done by these authors and their findings from each of the experiments. Rooks, J.P. (2009). The science of love. Skeptic, 15(1), 73-74 This article talks about how animal’s brain are somewhat related to the human’s brain. It also tells us what we can conclude from this finding. The evolution of romance. (2007) Harvard Mental Health Letter, 23(9), 6-7 This article discusses the study that is done on romantic love. It uses a another study as a reference from H. E. Fischer and come to the fact that love is related to one of the brain systems and with that, it becomes much stronger. Thorthon, E.K. Carmody, P. D. (2010). Depression, love, happiness and the quantitative electroencephalography in a single case study. Biofeedback, 38 (1), 13-18. The authors of this article talk about how closely related emotions and how the brain functions are. They explain to use how different emotions (sad, happy, being in love) react in the brain by doing a case study and explaining to us the results and the conclusions founded by the authors. Young, LJ. (2009). Being human: love: neuroscience reveals all. Nature, 457(7226), 148 This article talks about how the brain reacts differently in both men and women. The author describes how men are different compared to how women are different and also how their brain scans are different too.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Factors Influencing Procurement Strategy Construction Essay

The Factors Influencing Procurement Strategy Construction Essay Masterman described project procurement as the organizational structure needed to design and build construction projects for a specific client. This is very true to an extent because the process of obtaining a building by a client involves a group of people who are brought together and organized systematically in term of their roles, duties, responsibilities and interrelationship between them. After assessing all options and confirming the need for a construction project, a more detailed case for the project should be developed. A strategic approach to procurement should be based on understanding the clients business needs and drivers, and to fully appreciate the market in which it operates. This is absolutely fundamental in establishing how efficient the construction project can assist the client in achieving business success. The bespoke nature of many construction projects increases the inherent risks. These risks include completing a project which does not meet needs, which is delivered late or costs more than the client can pay or fund. All these risks can impact the clients core business, seriously. The procurement strategy developed should balance risks against project objectives at an early stage. Even at this early stage, initial concept designs can be developed to enable the client and those who will use the new facility to look at how initial designs will respond to business needs. FACTORS INFLUENCING PROCUREMENT STRATEGY The selection of an appropriate procurement strategy has long been identified as a major contributor to project success but which route is the most appropriate depends on the goals, requirements and resources available. Many procurement strategy selection techniques have been developed, with a view to assisting clients in their choice of the most appropriate procurement approach for their projects (Kumaraswamy and Dissanayaka, 2001; Luu et al., 2005; Perng et al., 2006; RICS, 2007). Most conventional procurement selection techniques are based around the concepts of time, cost and quality. While the use of such criteria can be used as a guide to assist decision-makers with an initial understanding of the basic attributes of a particular procurement method they should not be used as the sole basis for selecting the procurement method. This is because of the underlying complexity associated with matching client needs and priorities with a particular procurement method. An array of variables can influence the choice of a procurement method. Once the primary strategy for a project has been established, then the following factors should be considered when evaluating the most appropriate procurement strategy (Rowlinson, 1999; Morledge et al. 2006): External factors consideration should be given to the potential impact of economic, commercial, technological, political, social and legal factors which influence the client and their business, and the project team during projects lifecycle. For example, potential changes in interest rates, changes in legislation and so on. Client characteristics a clients knowledge, the experience of the organization with procuring building projects and the environment within which it operates will influence the procurement strategy adopted. Client objectives are influenced by the nature and culture of the organization. The degree of client involvement in the project is a major consideration. Project characteristics The size, complexity, location and uniqueness of the project should be considered as this will influence time, cost and risk. Ability to make changes Ideally the needs of the client should be identified in the early stages of the project. This is not always possible. Changes in technology may result in changes being introduced to a project. Changes in scope invariably result in increase costs and time, especially they occur during construction. It is important at the outset of the project to consider the extent to which design can be completed and the possibility of changes occurring. Cost issues An assessment for the need for price certainty by the client should be undertaken considering that there is a time delay from the initial estimate to when tenders are received. The extent to which design is complete will influence the cost at the time of tender. If price certainty is required, then design must be complete before construction commences and design changes avoided. Timing Most projects are required within a specific time frame. It is important that an adequate design time is allowed, particularly if design is required to be complete before construction. Assurances from the design team about the resources that are available for the project should be sought. Planning approvals can influence the progress of the project. If early completion is a critical factor then design and construction activities can be overlapped so that construction can commence earlier on-site. Time and cost tradeoffs should be evaluated. Risk The unique and bespoke nature of building projects means that clients who decide to build are invariably confronted with high degrees of risk. The risk inherent in every construction project can be assumed by another party. The principal guideline in determining whether a risk should be transferred is whether the receiving party has both the competence to fairly assess the risk and the expertise necessary to control or minimize it (Harman, 1996). Hartman (1996) found that both parties must have a clear and similar understanding of the risk. The selection of a procurement method should be viewed as an iterative process whereby project objectives and constraints are constantly compared with possible procurement solutions. Turner (1990) says that the key to procurement is to identify the priorities in the objectives of the client and to plan a path, a procurement route that will be most appropriate. It is emphasized that priorities must be put in order of precedence, each in order before other, because by definition there can be only one priority. SELECTING THE PROCUREMENT ROUTE A good number of procurement methodologies are available to satisfy a clients priorities in the project objectives. There are procurement methods that will achieve: Certainty of cost and time for a design developed by an architect employed by the client. However, this is a sequential and consequently slow process (known as the traditional procurement process or design-bid-build). Relative speed and cost certainty. However, the design will usually be the responsibility of a contractor and consequently the client will lose some control over the design process (known as design-build). Relative speed for a design developed by an architect employed by the client. However, cost is uncertain almost until completion (known as either management contracting or construction management). Here, we look at each of these strategies in a little more detail. TRADITIONAL PROCUREMENT This is probably the most commonly used method of procurement and it is suitable for: all clients (experienced or inexperienced), complex projects and/or projects where functionality is a prime objective, time predictability, and cost certainty. However, it is not suitable for fast track projects. The client develops the business case for the project, provides a brief and budget and appoints a team of consultants to prepare a design, plus tender documents. The client appoints the building contractor to construct the works to the design, by the contract completion date and for the agreed price. Usually much of the work is sub-contracted to specialist firms but the contractor remains liable. The consultants administer the contract on behalf of the client and advise on aspects associated with design, progress and stage payments which must be paid by the client. The separation of the contractor from the design can mean missed opportunities for contractor or specialist contractor to input on buildability. This strategy is a low-risk option for clients who wish to minimize their exposure to the risks of overspend, delays or design failure. However, the exposure to risk will increase where the design phase is rushed, where unreasonable time targets are set or where the tender documents are not fully completed. There is a variation of this method which involves two-stage tendering contractors tenders are based on a partially developed consultants design (stage 1 tender). The contractor then assists with the final development of the design and tender documents, against which tenders for the construction works are prepared (stage 2 tender). Whoever put forward the first stage tender has the opportunity to tender or negotiate the second (construction) stage. This approach increases the risks of an increase in overall price and a less certain completion date but contractor involvement is likely to increase the likelihood that both these criteria are realistically established. DESIGN BUILD This method of procurement involves the contractor being responsible for design as well as construction, and it can be suitable for: all clients, including inexperienced clients and those requiring distance from the project, faster track and where cost certainty is desired. However, it is not suitable for uncertain or developing client brief as well as complex buildings. Responsibility for both design and construction is borne by the main contractor and will either use in-house designers or employ consultants to execute the design whiles specialist or sub-contractors execute the bulk of the construction work. The contractor tenders against a client brief and will often follow an initial concept design prepared by consultants appointed to advise the client. The design will be developed by the contractor and the works will be completed, usually for a fixed price. Tendering is more expensive so it carries more risk for the contractor than the traditional approach. This is because the contractor has to develop an outline design and a detailed price. Tender lists will probably be shorter than for traditional contracts. The Design Build approach gives the client a single point of contact. However, the client commits to the cost of construction, as well as the cost of design, much earlier than with the traditional approach. Whilst risk is shifted to the contractor, it is important that design liability insurance is maintained to cover that risk. Changes made by the client during design can be expensive, because they affect the whole of the Design Build contract, rather than just the design team costs. Noteworthy is the high design/quality risk associated with this approach as the contractor develops the design. To overcome this, we can have a refinement to this approach where the client has the design prepared to concept or scheme design stage and the contractor takes on finishing off the design and construction (develop construct). Furthermore the contractor may re-employ the original designers to complete the design in a practice known as novation. MANAGEMENT CONTRACTING This is suitable for fast track projects, complex buildings, and a developing brief. However, it is less suitable for inexperienced clients, clients wanting to pass risk to the contractor, and where cost certainty is desired before starting construction. Here, the client appoints designers and a contractor (management contractor) separately and pays the contractor a fee for managing the construction works. A feature is the early appointment of the contractor to work alongside the design team to develop a programme for construction and contribute to the design and costing of the works. The works are let competitively by the management contractor to subcontractors and specialists in appropriate works packages. This approach often means that design and the start on site overlap, with the design and tender packages becoming available just-in-time to suit the construction programme. The management contractor will not carry out construction work. This preserves the management contractors independence and reinforces a consultancy relationship with the client. Payment is made to the management contractor on the basis of the cost of the works packages plus the agreed fee. Much of the success of this approach depends on the contractors team. Unless the team is drawn from companies which are experienced in this kind of team working, the benefits are not always realised. There is less price certainty at the outset, because construction tends to start ahead of completion of all design stages and at a point when many of the work packages have yet to be tendered. This often means adjustments are made to the design and specification of works packages later in the programme to keep the project within budget. However, the overall process of design and construction tends to be shorter than in either traditional or design build situations. CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT This approach is similar in concept to Management Contracting. Contractors are contracted directly to the client and the construction manager manages the process for the client on a simple consultancy basis. Although in a sense this gives the client a greater measure of control, it also means that the client accepts a considerable amount of risk. The management contractor is simply an agent, and usually cannot guarantee that the project will be finished to time and cost. As it requires constant involvement by the client this approach is really only suitable for experienced clients.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

u 571 :: essays research papers

U-571   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I watched the film U-571 dealing with the allies versus the Germans for control of the Atlantic Ocean. In U-571 an American Navy crew consisting of at least 10 crew members had a mission to steal an Enigma machine which was a communication device that would code messages to other surrounding German Forces. This mission occurred in 1942 while the Atlantic Ocean was extremely hostile and filled with German U-boats. While carrying out their mission the crew that the movie centers around had many problems to overcome. Many crew members were killed during this mission and the ship that they embarked on was eventually blown up. Because of this the American crew took control of the German U-boat that carried the Enigma machine. The crew faced many challenges while carrying out their mission such as steering clear of other U-boats and Nazi destroyers as well as killing any German survivors still on the U-571. One German remained throughout the movie and continually almost got the American crew discovered by sending Morse code to German forces and by killing members of the American Crew. As the movie continues the leader of the crew, played by Matthew McConaughey, carried out a last minute plan to drop 200 meters below the sea, which the pressure of the water almost destroyed their ship, then submerge after the last torpedo was fixed, It was destroyed during one of the many explosions on the ship during earlier gun fights, and destroy their last threat, a Nazi Destroyer. One of the crew members sacrifices his life to fix a faulty pressure pipe needed to fire the torpedo. After the torpedo was fixed and fired the Nazi Destroyer was destroyed and the American crew was eventually discovered and saved by US navy planes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This movie was based on true missions of American Navy crews that infiltrated U-boats to steal communication devices. I think that this movie truly captured the courage that these men had as they put themselves in danger not only of being killed but also to be tortured by the Germans.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Wuthering Heights- Is Heathcliff a man or a devil? Essay -- English Li

Wuthering Heights- Is Heathcliff a man or a devil? "Wuthering Heights" was written by Emily Brontà « and was first published in 1847, it was written during the "romantic period", it is a story of love, lust and sorrow all held together by extreme passion, love and hate. One of the main characters in the book Wuthering Heights is Heathcliff, he was a orphan who lived in Liverpool, we find very little about Heathcliff's past before he is adopted by the Earnshaw's, which makes Heathcliff a mysterious character. When Heathcliff comes to live at Wuthering Heights after being adopted by the Earnshaw's, he feels displaced as he does not know where to fit in with the family who seem to have "tight knit family system". In the beginning it is clear that Heathcliff is rejected by his older step brother Hindly and turns to Catherine for affection, but Heathcliff feels he is not worthy of the affection shown to him by his step father and the family and this causes problems with members of the family. Hindly automatically feels threatened by Heathcliff's presence and his hate for Heathcliff grows as Heathcliff gets the attention from there father that Hindly feels he deserve and this causes friction between the two characters. But Heathcliff has needs and one of these is to be loved which he feels only Catherine can do even from a very young age, they become the best of friends and feel wild together running in fields and playing together, and it shows when Heathcliff is young Catherine is his sole source of self esteem. When Mr. Earnshaw dies Catherine takes comfort with Heathcliff, and Hindly comes back from university to attend to the funeral after a while Heathcliff was degraded by Hindly because of Hindlys jea... ...raded and running away from Wuthering Heights isolating himself from his past only returning when he knows his revenge can be had, Heathcliff is also filled with dark qualities which make him return to seek revenge, but a Byronic hero is usually passionate about a particular issue, this particular issue for Heathcliff is Catherine and we see this as he seems to be addicted to her. A Byronic hero exhibits several characteristic traits, and in many ways he can be considered a rebel. The Byronic hero does not possess "heroic virtue" in the usual sense; instead, he has many dark qualities. With regard to his intellectual capacity, self-respect, and hypersensitivity, the Byronic hero is "larger than life," and "with the loss of his titanic passions, his pride, and his certainty of self-identity, he loses also his status as [a traditional] hero" (Thorslev 187).

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

My Last Duchess Essay

In the Poem My Last Duchess by Robert Browning the heartless and haughty speaker explains a painting of his last wife while inadvertently revealing a darker side to his last marriage than one might view from they outside. The poem depicts a dense stream of conscious feel to it by using language and sentence structure common to conversation earlier to the time period it was written. The use of â€Å"’twas not† , and the English spelling of â€Å"favour† suggests the poem occurred in a time period in which husbands held power over their wives with such things as â€Å"nine-hundred-years-old names† and money. Browning’s great usage of dated speaking style creates a historical medium from which the event which slowly unfold. The poem is masked in a conversation with one person speaking in a dramatic monologue about his beloved portrait of the last duchess he married. The rhetorical questions â€Å"Who’d†¦ this sort of trifling† and end rhymes in the couplets throughout the poem â€Å"wall†¦ call† and â€Å"had†¦ glad† drive the poem from one line to the next . These techniques create motion in the poem much like the anger and arrogance that the Duke exerted towards his deceased wife to control her. The diction of this poem mirrors the force with which the Duke ruled his house as well as the social male norms at the time. The poem My Last Duchess is told from first point of view by a selfish man admiring his late wife’s smiling portrait. As the Duke entertains his guest, â€Å"you†, he tells of â€Å"My favour† after contemplating â€Å"how shall I say? † that his wife flirted with all she encountered. The biased first person account of the death of the duchess leads the reader into the center of the man’s thoughts and allows for a more in depth understanding of his desire for control toward his wife even in death. His dramatic monologue gives perhaps more information concerning the specifics of his involvement in wife’s death than he realizes. The quotations incorporated within the poem such as â€Å"Just this or that in you disgusts me† and â€Å"Her mantle laps over my Lady’s wrist too much† as well as the direct address â€Å"Sir, ’twas all one† to the guest shows the Dukes self-important attitude and his high regards for the thoughts which he believes others are thinking. The Duke boasts that he now holds the power to let others see the smile of the portrait that was meant only for him. He gets so enthralled with his own story of his wife he reveals that his â€Å"commands† ended the duchess’s smiles and possibly her life. The first person point of view for this poem explains further the thirst for power and self-love which the Duke honors himself with by controlling the women and people in his life of which he feels superior. Browning illustrates the complexity of the controlling Duke by showing his carelessness and arrogance by the words he uses to impress his guest. The â€Å"Duchess painted on the wall† has a â€Å"countenance† that only can be seen by the â€Å"command† of the Duke. When the Duke believes the Duchess finds interest in other people beside her husband, The Duke, â€Å"gave a command† which stopped â€Å"all† her smiles to everyone. When the Duke could not obtain complete power over and tame his young wife, she died in a manner which is not fully explained. The â€Å"Duke† with the â€Å"nine-hundred-year† old name is meeting with a man that is offering the Duke his â€Å"daughter† another young maiden for marriage. This offer of marriage is gladly accepted by the Duke no doubt is eager to attempt to tame yet another â€Å"sea-horse† of a wife. For the Duke this marriage is a trial of the subservience of women to their wealthy and powerful husbands. The details given in this poem bring forth the conclusion that the Duke got rid of his last Duchess and is now ready for a new one. The title of the poem My Last Duchess suggests that the Duke had had more than one Duchess. Had the poem illustrated the Dukes first wife it could have been titled My First Duchess. The startling â€Å"command† line toward the end of the poem lets the reader realize that this man has the power to make a woman be remembered by nothing more than a portrait controlled by the master of the house. This poem has themes commonly found in the local color movement and associated with feminism. Browning gives the audience a picture of the dark and distorted beginning of a new couple and marriage.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Case Study On Nando’s Restaurant Essay

Introduction This report is to outline business analysis on Nando’s restaurant in Singapore. In this report, we will perform environment analysis on the market in Singapore. We will make use of SWOT analysis and also PESTEL analysis to perform this. Last but not least we will end it with aconclusion/evaluation to sum the whole evaluation up. Environment Analysis Environment analysis is a evaluation on the possible effects (both internally and externally) and conditions that will affect an organisation survival and growth. In order to develop strategy to move into a new market like Singapore, it is necessary to look into factors that may post a threat to the company or even discover new opportunities for the company. In order to identify this, we will be using the SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity & threats) analysis and PESTLE (political, economic, social cultural, technological, legal & environment) analysis to analyse the factors. 2.1 : Internal and External Factors for Nando’s INTERNAL Inside the Organisation Can be controlled by the organisation. (Example as of below.) HR Strategy Process Culture Money factor Departments EXTERNAL Outside the Organisation Cannot be control by the organisation. (Example as of below.) Government policies Natural disaster Economic policies Competition Diversity of workforce Technology Exchange rate Weather ENVIRONMENT  NANDO’s Opportunity, Threats Strength, Weaknesses SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT analysis is use to evaluate the strength, weaknesses, opportunity and threats involved in a business venture. A SWOT analysis is important as it help companies to inform later steps in planning to achieve their objective. Using SWOT can generate meaningful information on each category and to plan ahead base on the point listed out. Below table 1 is the SWOT analysis on Nando’s. STRENGTHS Branding. Outlets available globally. Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, UK, USA and many more. This shows how well the business has  developed with so many branches over different country. Healthier Choice. Chickens are delivered fresh and not frozen. Marinated for 24 hours with absolutely no preservatives, MSG’s, colorant or artificial flavouring. Chickens fats are trim-ed and flame grill, making it more healthier. Differentiated. Portuguese Flame grilled chicken. Said to be the best. Sauces are unique with secret recipe that are not let known to public. Competitors unable to copy it’s style. Finances. Business opened globally. Stable business with high revenues. Comparable with it’s competitors like KFC etc.etc. Good internal marketing. Staffs are happy working in the chained restaurants. Good values adopted in the company. Good staffs are driven by good environment and of course better food and services are produced. Affordable price. Price are quite satisfactory even though they are of restaurant based environment. Unique taste. The chicken prepare is combine with a variety of the sauces. Sauces are of different taste, very unique. Other brands are unable to come out with so many different sauces that good. Nutrition Values showed on the menu. Singaporeans are being more and more health conscience. Giving them the option to choose how many calories they want to intake is a plus points to the company. Weakness Not Halad. Singapore is a multi religion country. Muslims consist approx twenty percent of the population. Hence it has not capture the market of the muslim community. Lack of extended services. Major related business like KFC, they offer deliveries and also allows consumers to order online. Nando’s do not have this kind of services that could be offered to the consumers in Singapore. Lack of marketing advertisements. Comparing with KFC, Nando’s are not fully known by people of all ages in Singapore. However KFC do. There were not much advertisement posted either on online platform or even in the media. Not many outlet. As research on the number of outlets in Singapore, there are only a total of nine outlet’s in Singapore so far. Weak R&D. Slows down or even no growth to the company. Competitors will out innovate Nando’s. Lack of promotions to attract customers. Opportunity Government incestives on business from overseas. Singapore government encourage overseas investor to set foot and do business in Singapore. By  giving incentives, Nando’s could do with more outlets or even save a little cost to spend on other areas. Rising demands for healthier food/ choice. Singaporeans are getting more and more conscience in what they eat. A actual figure of the calories for each dish could actually gives Nando’s a boost in their sales as consumers would rather know what they are eating rather than eating what they do not know. Increasing population. Singapore are becoming more and more populated with foreign talents coming in to work and set place in Singapore. Opening more branches, making it almost available everywhere could help Nando’s in increasing it’s revenues. Rising of malls. Government are building more and more malls, giving Nando’s more opportunities to expand it business. Airport. Singapore governments are coming out with T4 and T5. Internet/ use of social media. Singapore are getting more and more IT saavy. People do transactions online. Or look for alternatives in food through online media. CSR. Organising events to shows consumers what the company is doing. Threats Rising cost of livings. Singapore is the most expensive cities in the world. May make consumers to rethink to go for cheaper alternatives when it comes to eating out. Diseases. Nando’s menus consist of mainly chickens. If bird flu were to break out, it will greatly affect the business of Nando’s Competitors. Compeitors giving a better edge/ better promotions/ better advertising techniques could make consumers go to the competitors Most expensive cities. Case of opening 10 outlets in Singapore VS opening 10 outlets in Malaysia. Economic crisis. After conducting the SWOT analysis of Nando’s, the business can be expanded greatly if Nando’s were to go the ‘ E-commerce ‘ way of doing business as what KFC and Macdonald’s are adopting. Nando’s can do with hiring a group of IT professionals to come up with a better webpage that could do all these functions. Nando’s can emphasize more money on it’s advertisement to make it a well known brand in Singapore, being a long term investment in Singapore market. Economics in Singapore is doing not so bad and in long term wise, Nando’s will stand to get benefits out of it. PEST Analysis SWOT analysis is use to study company’s business Strength, weakness,  opportunity and threats in a company. Studying SWOT on a company is not enough. If Nando’s were to move in it’s business available globally, they have to study the country political,economic, social cultural and technology behaviour to enter it’s market in to the country. In this case, PEST analysis is used on Singapore to analysis it’s potential in setting up business in Singapore. The PEST analysis of Singapore is in Table 2. POLITICAL Government seeking foreign investors. GLOBAL INVESTOR PROGRAMME (GIP) http://www.edb.gov.sg/content/edb/en/why-singapore/ready-to-invest/setting-up/entering-singapore.htmlIncestives for business. http://www.edb.gov.sg/content/edb/en/why-singapore/ready-to-invest/incentives-for-businesses.htmlLow level of corruptions. Ranked no.7 in the world and no.1 in asia for least corruption in the economy. http://www.edb.gov.sg/content/edb/en/why-singapore/about-singapore/facts-and-rankings/rankings.htmlStable government. No protest was made to overrule the Singapore government. Singaporeans quite satisfied with the system Singapore government had in place. Uses the Parliamentary system of government based on the Westminster model . http://www.edb.gov.sg/content/edb/en/why-singapore/about-singapore/facts-and-rankings/facts.htmlStrict regulations. Trade agreement. Employment law. Singapore has talented workforce. Government are providing fundings to train professionals up. http://www.edb.gov.sg/content/edb/en/why-singapore/ready-to-invest/setting-up/recruitment.htmlGovernment spendings on Infrastructure. EG. RWS, Casinos, MBS ECONOMIC Low Taxes. Singapore has one of the lowest taxes compared to different country. http://www.edb.gov.sg/content/edb/en/why-singapore/ready-to-invest/setting-up/taxation.htmlBest investments potential. US based research institute Business Environment Risk Intelligience (BERI) ranked Singapore as first out of fifty Major investment destination.  http://www.edb.gov.sg/content/edb/en/why-singapore/about-singapore/facts-and-rankings/rankings.htmlHigh standards of living. Singapore ranked 25 for best place to live work and play. http://www.edb.gov.sg/content/edb/en/why-singapore/about-singapore/facts-and-rankings/rankings.htmlSpending power Unemployment rates. Singapore is one of the countries with the lowest employment rate. http://www.edb.gov.sg/content/edb/en/why-singapore/about-singapore/facts-and-rankings/facts.htmlStrong currency. Income level. Most Singaporean holds job of the medium class level. Basically Singaporean has more people to the medium income and high income class. Impor t and Export access. Strategically located. Labour cost. SOCIAL CULTURAL Busy worklife. Most of the working class people have a busy work life. Some of these people have to work over time sometimes. The cultural in Singapore. Therefore many people will dine out instead of cooking at home. In one family at least 80 percent of the members will be working. Therefore high chance people will dine out instead of having a homecook meal at home. Multi-religion. Statistic shows the largest population is of Chinese in Singapore. Therefore when coming up with strategic planning we will have to focus on this target group. Not forgetting the muslims in Singapore which comes in second place. http://www.edb.gov.sg/content/edb/en/why-singapore/about-singapore/facts-and-rankings/facts.htmlYounger generations taking more to Western culture. Education. Singapore government are focusing to give proper educations to Singapore. Not forgetting foreigner students. They plays a part of Singapore economy when they come over Singapore to study. Aging population. Tech saavy. People in Singapore nowadays carries smartphones around. Ordering of food/ tickets or E-shopping is very common nowadays. Family dynamics. Low birth rates. Fast paced society. People would prefer fast food than casual dining as they can pick and go to fill their stomach before moving on to do other things. Technological Most IT saavy country. A lot of the business in Singapore are starting to adopt the IT way of resolving things. Eg, Using of softwares to get things done. Automated machines etcetc. High usage of IT. Every aspects in life of a Singapore, we can see IT gadget/devices anywhere. For example in buses, people are using ez-link cards to tap on the machines. Topping up cards with self-service kiosk. Advertisements on television located in shopping malls. Ordering of food using ipads. Etcetc) IT are common in SG. High percentage of people owns a laptops, smartphones, desktops to ease their life. These items are easily available anywhere and it is not as expensive as comparable as last time. Their price are very affordable to Singaporeans here. Use of smartphones. Singaporeans use smartphone to communicate, or even making purchase online. Why queue for movie tickets? Where you can make purchase online and collect the ticket afterwards. This make e-commerce rather popular in Singapore. Strong IT infrastructure Ecommerce  IBanking. Singaporeans uses iBanking for solution instead of queueing in the bank for hours to settle and bank related issues. Communication advancement. Credit card Usages High Security Systems One of the key advantage to Nando’s is the high finances. Being a business available globally, it is already making quite a profit out of it. With the help of the Singapore government with the rules and regulations for foreign investor, it will help Nando’s greatly in setting up business here. Attractive labour market , policies, infrastructure and financing efficiency also have make Singapore an attractive place for Nando’s to set foot on. However to expand the business more, Nando’s have to try to get in to IT more has more and more businesses are doing their business through internet platform. By not doing so they have already made one less target consumers to focus on. Conclusion All business benefits from the SWOT analysis. They benefit from completing a SWOT analysis on their compeitiors. PEST analysis can then provide some  feedbacks into the economic aspects by the PEST analysis. These feedbacks is then ranked and and make relatively important strategic decisions. Singapore is a favourable location to set up business here. Of all the four points in the PEST analysis it has fulfil all 4 of criterias to be a effective place to set up business. However Nando’s will have to segments their target consumers to at least target 75% of the consumers in Singapore. To further improve on it’s business it could probably focus it’s business to more of the IT aspects and have their business done online also.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Philosophy of My Life

Christian tradition has generally passed down that all but one were martyred, with John surviving into old age. Only the death of James, son of Zebedee is described in the New Testament, and the details of the other deaths are the subject of pious legends of varying authenticity. In some cases there is near unanimity in the tradition, and in other cases, there are widely varying and inconsistent accounts. Judas Iscariot, originally one of the Twelve, died during Jesus' trial. Matthew 27:5 says that he hanged himself, and Acts 1:18 says that he fell, burst open, and his â€Å"bowels gushed out. † Matthias was elected to take his place as one of the Twelve. According to Christian tradition: Original Twelve picked by Jesus: Peter, crucified upside-down in Rome c. AD 64. James, son of Zebedee was beheaded in AD 44, first of the Twelve to die (since the addition of Matthias) John, son of Zebedee, no biblical record of death, he is believed to have died of natural causes due to old age. Members of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that John was immortalized and he will live to see the Second Coming of Christ. [21][22] Andrew, Peter's brother, was crucified upon a diagonal or X-shaped cross. Philip was crucified in AD 54. Bartholomew (also known as Nathaniel) was flayed alive (skinned) and then beheaded; some sources locate his death at Derbend on the Caspian Sea. [23] Matthew killed by an axe in AD 60. Thomas was killed by a spear in Mylapore, Madras, India in AD 72. James, son of Alphaeus, stoned at age 90 then clubbed to death. Jude was clubbed to death then beheaded Simon the Zealot was sawn in half in AD 74. Judas Iscariot, according to Matthew, hanged himself after betraying Jesus. In Acts, he is described as falling in a field and bursting open. Apologists explain this apparent discrepancy by presuming that he decayed on the tree resulting in a bloating with gas and a weakening of the skin. Then when he was let down from the tree he burst open upon impact. A third account by Papias records Judas â€Å"walking the world†, his body having become swollen before being crushed by a chariot. † â€Å"[24] Replacement for Judas Iscariot picked by the surviving eleven: Matthias, Judas' replacement, was stoned and beheaded. Tombs of the apostles Out of the eleven apostles excluding Judas Iscariot, the burial sites of only seven have been identified by Christian tradition. The St. Peter's Basilica Vatican, Rome, Italy which was built on the burial site of Peter the Apostle. Basilica of St. Andrew at Patras, Achaea, Greece where the relics of Andrew the Apostle are kept, said to be erected over the place of his martyrdom. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Galicia, A Coruna, Spain which houses the tomb of St. James son of Zebedee. The tomb of John the Apostle at Ephesus, near Selcuk, Turkey. The Santhome Basilica, Mylapore, Chennai, India, which houses the tomb of Thomas the Apostle. St. Philip Martyrium, Hierapolis, near Denizli, Tur key. It is said that St. Philip is buried in the center of the building, but his grave has not been discovered. On Wednesday, 27 July 2011 the Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that archeologists had unearthed the Tomb of Saint Philip during excavations in the Turkish city of Hierapolis. The Italian professor Francesco D'Andria stated that scientists had discovered the tomb, within a newly revealed church. He stated that the design of the Tomb, and writings on its walls, definitively prove it belonged to the martyred Apostle of Jesus. St. Bartholomew Monastery near Baskale, Turkey. The Monastery was built on the traditional site of the martyrdom of Bartholomew the Apostle.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Back in the closet

The main point of this essay is that even though free speech protects a lot of things it doesn’t protect every kind of â€Å"free† speech because there are boundaries when one is forced to look instead of given the choice to look or not. The author’s purpose in writing it is to show that she is in agreement with most of the foundational aspects of the American Constitution but that she, in a very patriotic way or even a humanist way does not believe that pornography should be protected by free speech.Her attitude is challenging to precisely pin down because she seems so loyal to what the supreme court ultimately decides. While it’s reasonable to believe that she favors making the distinction that pornography should not be protected because it expounds on a hatred of women and is too prevalent to be simply ignored, she leaves it to the courts to decide in the end. So we can say that she has the status of an invested concern that aims towards a neutral attem pt that allows for the judicial process to do its work.Some of her most provocative and supporting details are when she clearly outlines a difference in what was being protected by the free speech amendment. It shifts from the political to the violent, from political statements to personal biases and intense hatreds. While political statements can be very biased and members may share intense hatreds this often is not as explicit and in your face as pornography.A major component of pornography’s offensiveness lies in the growth of technology and how easy it is for people to make, distribute, and popularize things called pornography that used to be mostly hidden and not really talked about openly or as offensively. In our contemporary society there is so much pornography that one becomes numb to it and in a strange way there seems to be less of it. There are more outright protections against pornography and more public outrage against in your face pornography like Janet Jackson ’s wardrobe malfunction incident.This shows that pornography has become more of a private issue with the measure being less what the courts say and more what the audience of a particular media thinks and makes known. I think this is a definitive step and one can wonder how much court rulings played into how we live in a world full of pornography today but manage to ignore or are simply not confronted by most of what does exist.

Changing Rights and Freedoms Essay

The rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people changed significantly between the years 1945 and 2000. The Australian government put in place polices of protection, assimilation, integration and self determination which disempowered Aboriginal people and severely affected their rights and freedoms. The policy of protection effected many Aboriginals rights and freedoms. They were treated unfairly, procrastinated on every move they made and were forced to be educated in the â€Å"white ways†. As white people were â€Å"protecting† Aboriginal people this policy was mainly brought about; racism, discrimination and loss of Aboriginal culture. This meant that at anytime any Aborigine could be separated from their families and moved onto a mission or reserve, would need permission from the government to marry a white person, could not vote and traditional dancing and ceremonies were often forbidden. Through the policy of protection Source C can relate through the quote, † When we were growing up, you weren’t allowed to do a lot of things†¦ Any time you did anything you’d go before the superintendent†. As these words were said by Noel Blair we can say that this policy had a very negative effect on the Aboriginals Rights and Freedoms. The Policy of assimilation also changed the Rights and Freedoms of Aboriginal people. This policy of assimilation meant that aboriginal people were encouraged to give up their tradition lifestyle and to absorb the culture of â€Å"white people†. The Stolen Generation was a major cause to this assimilation where children were forcibly removed from their homes and families, moved into institutions and finally adopted into a white persons home. Another aspect of the Assimilation policy was that Aborigines had the lack of right in Citizenship and were not recognised as citizens. After the Second World War they were counted as citizens if they applied for a certificate. As Aborigines were thankful to be Citizens, any Aborigine having that certificate or wanting to vote had to give up the Indigenous community. In Source D it is stated that, † As part of the policies from 1913 to 1969 many thousands of Aboriginal children were taken from their parents†. This shows the insecurity Aboriginal people had on their lives and families. As the rights of Aborigines continued to change, Assimilation was replaced by the policy of Integration in 1965. For the first time Aboriginal people had the right of way to say how their lives were run. This was a positive for Aborigines which gave them a drive to change the inequalities being experienced by Aboriginal people. This changed aboriginals for the better and allowed them to vote in Federal elections in 1962, the Freedom Rides of 1965 and the 1967 Referendum. Source B shows us an article of ‘Memories of Patricia O’Shane’, 4this source is a good example of Aboriginal people fighting for their rights and not having specific laws or restrictions on them. As the Aboriginals were finally allowed to vote in Federal elections in 1962, the Freedom Rides of 1965 and the 1967 Referendum, these were some major gains for them during this time. In 1972, the government introduced the policy of self-determination. This was a policy aimed at having Aboriginal communities taking part in decisions that affected their lives. During this time Aboriginal people continued to fight for their lost rights and freedoms. Self-determination was a major step towards Aboriginal people having the same rights and freedoms as those enjoyed by white Australians. One of the main reasons self-determination became fore front of the government policy was because the Whitlam government recognised that a multicultural society was much more achievable and beneficial for Australia, Also wanting all groups of culture to be treated equally. As people wanted to destroy Aboriginal culture, the Federal government encouraged people to accept it and schools began to teach Aboriginal culture and history to both indigenous and white children. In conclusion we can see that the Aboriginal government practiced policies which controlled and restricted the rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people. Through their place polices of protection, assimilation, integration and self determination we were able to look into the minds of the Aboriginal people and to see how their lives effected them and their culture.

Friday, September 13, 2019

African-Americans Struggle to End Segregation Research Paper

African-Americans Struggle to End Segregation - Research Paper Example The issue of racial inequality that typecast African Americans through time continues to be controversial in nature and perspectives. Diverse scholars, historians and philosophers have delved into the historical travails of African Americans since these people have felt not only isolation, but the more drastic prejudice and discrimination due to color and roots of existence. The rich legacy of the story of struggles and triumphs of this race in American history is, in itself, a remarkable feat. In this regard, the aim of the current research is to provide an opportunity to analyze a major social, economic, military, and technological issue since the Civil War, trace its significance over time, and examine the ways in which it contributed to an â€Å"ending of isolation† in the United States. Accordingly, a central theme of this course is the â€Å"end of isolation† which the textbook describes in relationship to technology, politics, military, culture, and society. At times, the ending of isolation has resulted of periods of tension and struggle. In this regard, the essay will describe the historical context of each question within the topic and trace the significance of this issue over time from 1865 to the present. Further, the discourse would present an assessment of the challenges involved in the ending of this isolation, as well as the key people involved in the struggles. The essay would hereby proffer pertinent highlights of African American’s pursuit and determination.... Further, the discourse would present an assessment of the challenges involved in the ending of this isolation, as well as the key people involved in the struggles. The essay would hereby proffer pertinent highlights of African American’s pursuit and determination in ending of isolation through time. Historical Background August (2009) has clearly indicated that to understand racial inequality, there is a need to trace the roots of oppression in America. As averred, â€Å"race and racial inequality have powerfully shaped American history from its beginnings. Americans like to think of the founding of the American colonies and, later, the United States, as driven by the quest for freedom – initially, religious liberty and later political and economic liberty. Yet, from the start, American society was equally founded on brutal forms of domination, inequality and oppression which involved the absolute denial of freedom for slaves† (August, 2009, p. 1). The mindset of the white race typecast African Americans then, as slaves, and therefore inferior and subordinate. Lawson (2010) emphasized that â€Å"racial segregation was a system derived from the efforts of white Americans to keep African Americans in a subordinate status by denying them equal access to public facilities and ensuring that blacks lived apart from whites† (Lawson, 2010, par. 1). As expounded, before the Civil Rights movement, African Americans were geographically located only in the Northern and Upper Southern parts of the United States. Further, there was a Supreme Court ruling under â€Å"Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) that African Americans were not U.S. citizens, northern whites had excluded blacks from seats on public

Thursday, September 12, 2019

South circa 1900 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

South circa 1900 - Essay Example While slavery ended at the end of the century, segregation came in the dawn of the new century with the passage of the Segregation Law in 1880. The southern states, particularly Tennessee first passed the segregation law prohibiting the mingling of races in all public places particularly in public transportation. Another law was also passed which is the Disenfranchisement Law that deprived Afro Americans of their right to vote. The passage of the segregation law and disenfranchisement law meant the white and the black cannot be together on public places and public transportation. These oppressive laws were then implemented in various states and municipality mandating the segregation of the blacks and the whites not only on public transportation but also in other aspects of public life that include, schools, hospitals, parks, movie houses, hotels and even restrooms. Even courtrooms which are supposed to dispense justice were not spared as it was required to have separate bibles for a black and white witness. The separation of books was not only limited in theological scriptures but also on schoolbooks where the textbooks of the white and black students were stored in different warehouses. The famous anecdote about Rosa Parks not giving up her seat to a white passenger sprung up from the segregation law where a black person has to give up his or her seat to a white person (blacks and white in the early phase of the segregation law cannot be together in public transportation). The Disfranchisement Law as the name implies, remove the right of the Negro to exercise his civil liberty to vote by despite the guarantee of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. This was evident with the exclusion of the blacks from the list of those who can vote in 1870 and made it more difficult for blacks to vote (if they can) by passing the poll tax law. Ridiculous as it may sound but a literacy requirement was also enacted in 1890 that if a black person is allowed to vote, he or sh e must satisfy the â€Å"understanding clause† that they understood the constitution before the state registrar. Naturally, the determination of the black person’s fitness to vote became arbitrary that deprived many of them of their right to vote. Voting restrictions were also imposed to make it difficult for black people by stating deadlines of poll tax payment and voter registration unannounced. All of these were designed to make it difficult, if not impossible for a black person to vote. Many scholars, including Ayers are seeking the answer why was the law passed and many scholars contended that American society was not yet ready to accept the Negro as equals in all dimension of life that it was too radical an idea for a race that was once a slave to become an equal. Such, the separation between the two races, where the white can again impose its superiority among the blacks had to be imposed through the creation and passage of segregation and disenfranchisement law . Ayers however argued that while to some extent this could be true, there are several factors that led to the passage of these laws that shaped the socio-economic status of Afro-Americans in the 19th century. Ayers contended that the Jim Crow law was a result of various forces that include political, class, and psychological issues that was a byproduct of America’s industrialization. It could also be taken as an attempt to put the Negro in the south in his or her â€Å"

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Teaching Staff and Students Well-being Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Teaching Staff and Students Well-being - Essay Example The independent nature of FE is potentially under threat as institutions are held to similar account as schools. Further to not creating negative situations for staff and students, well-being is increasingly being represented as ensuring conditions for staff or students. Throughout this assignment, it is argued that well-being is a series of balances which is difficult to achieve and must be addressed on an individual basis within a broadly supportive system of management. It is argued that well-being as a philosophy or policy has the potential to be more effective than existing deficit models where issues such as low morale, high workload and excessive stress are viewed simply as problems to be solved or obstacles to be removed. Teaching staff face constant pressures to perform, and it is commonly accepted as a highly stressful job. As part of the debate over pay and conditions, the National Union of Teachers was potentially embarrassed in the media by the finding that the total work hours of teachers was less than an average worker when taken across the year and accounting for holidays (Baker, 2002). This effectively ended the debate over hours (that administration and marking was largely unpaid work), and focussed on more qualitative issues. These issues are related to well-being. For example, research commissioned by the National Union of Teachers found that the intensity of work was such that a teacher's blood pressure only returned to normal levels during the longer holidays (BBC News, 1999). Issues of stress and intensity had come into focus, and so the debate on pay and conditions was much less about the work teachers did and more about the effect that the work has on them. Cooper and Weinberg (2007) introduce their book with an argument which relates to this idea. Assuming that virtually every worker would leave their job if they were financially independent (e.g. won the lottery), Cooper and Weinberg then pose the question of whether one would swap some of that lottery cash for an extra ten years of life. This is the issue of well-being, that stressful employment can be viewed as selling your life away in two ways. Firstly, the time spent at work is so intense that there is no time for social activities or other enjoyment on workdays (and possibly a lot of leisure time is given over to recovery rather than leisure). Secondly, and less directly, the stress of working has a negative impact on one's health and can shorten life expectancy. In a world where everybody has not just won the lottery, this argument is still relevant. Life would equally be shortened and leisure opportunities impinged by a lack of money. As Cooper and Weinber

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Position Paper on Achilles (As the Hero) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Position Paper on Achilles (As the Hero) - Essay Example In Greek mythology honor meant courage, integrity in ones belief and actions and honesty of intent. Achilles fulfills all of them whereas we see that Hector is unable to stand his ground in trying to fight for his people. In book 22, Hector was the single Trojan left outside Troy. His father, Priam, stands guard observing the battleground from the Trojan fortifications. He pleads with Hector to come inside. We then see that Hector contemplates finding a less damaging solution by giving over Helen of troy, who was the fountainhead of the war, and with her the treasures that Alexandrus bought, in order to settle with Achilles. But he still stands guard deciding that Achilles would not be merciful. However, the sight of Achilles at the gates struck fear in the heart of Hector who fled with Achilles in hot pursuit. Hector runs the length of troy thrice, trying to rid himself of Achilles. Meanwhile in Olympus Zeus, watched this chase and pitied the noble Hector who had ‘burned many a heifer’ in his honor and considers saving him. Minerva (Athena) then flares up saying that if her father wishes to alter the prophesied fate of Hector then she would not be of mind with him. In response to Athena’s disapproval, Zeus urges her to descent from Olympus and fulfill Hectors predefined fate. Then at last as the two warriors were approaching the fountains of Troy for the fourth Troy, Zeus balanced his golden scales and placed on each end the fate of Achilles and Hector, whereby Hectors scale fell into the depths of Hades. We witness then that Athena goes to Achilles relays news of his upcoming victory and informs him of her plan to trick Hector. Athena then appears near Hector disguised as Deiphobus and convinces Hector to face Achilles with Deiphobus by Hectors side. When Hector finally faces Achilles he pledges not to mistreat his body if Achilles is slain and return it to the Achaeans, in turn for a return favor incase Hector meets his end. Achilles refu ses to bind himself in any such pledges and tried to strike his spear at Hector. But Hector managed to avoid it. In retaliation Hector, with remarkable aim, hurls his spear at Achilles but it bounces off his armor. When Hector turns to Deiphobus to ask for another spear he finds that his brother has disappeared and then it dawns on him that Minerva has tricked him to his doom. Hector, nevertheless, wants to die a glorious death and swoops upon Achilles with a sword. Achilles moves forward for an attack as well and having spotted the exposed collarbone of Hector through the armor he pierces his neck. As the last breathe leaves him Hector asks for his body to be sent to his parents instead of being devoured at the banks of the Achaen ships but Achilles does not honor his request and ridicules him. Following this the Achaen soldiers wounded the body of Hector and his body was then dragged in dirt by the chariot of Achilles. The city mourns for their hero as Hectors father, mother and w ife go manic with grief. An example of a show of honor is when Achilles shows immense resolve and righteousness for his cause as Hector nears his end. While Hector lay bleeding, he tries to entice Achilles with promises of gold and treasure if Achilles would return Hectors body to his people. Earlier when Hector asks Achilles to deliver his body to his city if he dies, he replies: â€Å"Hector stop! You unforgivable you †¦ don’t talk to me of pacts. There are no binding oaths between men and lions –