Emily Dickinsons A Certain Slant of Light Analysis Essay

1 Emily Dickinson’s â€Å"There’s a certain Slant of light† In her poem, There’s a certain Slant of light, Emily Dickinson uses metaphors and imagery to convey the feeling of solemnity and despair at winter’s twilight. The slanted light that she sees, is a metaphor for her battle with depression. Anyone who is familiar with Dickinson’s background will have a better understanding of what she is trying to say in this poem. Dickinson was known as a recluse and spent most of her life isolated from the outside world. The few people that she did come in contact with over the years are said to have had a major impact on her poetry. Although, her main muse of her work seems to be despair and internal conflict.†¦show more content†¦If we’re feeling down, like the speaker of this poem, we see the world as how we feel inside; things look unpleasant, and grey and dismal. We’re unable to see a ray of hope that is coming through the window in the form of sunshine. In the fourth stanza, when death, or â€Å"itâ €  as the speaker calls it, comes everything listens. When someone dies, those still on this earth sometimes experience stillness in nature, as if the world is on hold and listening to us. In Dickinson’s poem the stillness comes from the slant of light, and the landscape and shadows listen and figuratively hold their breath. The landscape and shadows are personified in this stanza. The capitalization of â€Å"Landscape† and â€Å"Shadows† gives the impression that the speaker is referring to someone she knows. The mood here changes quite a bit compared to the first three stanzas of this poem. You get a sense of anticipation instead of despair, and the oppression that the speaker has felt has lifted and now she’s feeling light and maybe some what alluring. In the final two lines of the poem, the poet uses sort of a morbid imagery. â€Å"When it goes, ‘tis like the Distance, On the look of Death.† (15-16) Dead people have a distant look to t hem since the life in their being is gone somewhere else. We also see the exit of winter light at the end of the day in the same distant way we might see some deaths. Death isShow MoreRelatedBibliography Relation to Analysis of Emily Dickinson ´s Writings2048 Words   |  8 Pages Anderson, Paul W. The Metaphysical Mirth of Emily Dickinson. Georgia Review 20.1 Spring 1966): 72-83. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker. Vol. 171. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. Anderson accomplishes the discernment of Dickinson’s poems and their allusions to many classic myths. He denotes the figurative language that Dickinson utilizes in her poetry to relate to her themes. With these key elements inRead MoreEmily Dickinson’s Themes, Language, and Technique Essay1886 Words   |  8 PagesWhen a reader hears the name Emily Dickinson, they think about a female who wrote poetry that has been well known for years and years. Little do they know that Emily Dickinson founded American Literature, and started a whole revolution of poetry. The technique Dickinson used to write her poetry was never before seen and was the cornerstone of her writings. Major themes, Figurative Language, and Literary Technique used by Emily Dickinson were all of her characteristics of her towering achievement

The Historical History Of American Psychology Essay

The historical underpinnings of American psychology came by way of Francis Bacon and John Stuart Mill philosophy, Charles Darwin evolutionary biology, Chauncey Wright evolutionary psychology, and Wilhelm Wundt volunteer psychology generally (Green, 2009; Wright, 1873). From these philosophical and biological contributors came two major schools of American psychology, namely structuralism and functionalism (Green, 2009; Caldwell, 1899; biological terms; see Boucher, 2015, pp. 384-385), which emerged as competitors of thought on how to describe and explain the human mind and behavior specifically (Angell, 1907; Caldwell, 1899; Green, 2009; Green, Feinerer, Burman, 2013). The conceptual reality of this debate between the two schools is foundational and must be understood in order to build the proper picture of how American psychology has established itself as a â€Å"marker† by which America, and I proffer, the world evaluates psychology as a whole. It is in this historical cont ext where the soil was cultivated for the planting of these two schools and how each one takes root, flourishes, and how they both eventually find a reticent subjugation to modern forms of psychological preeminence. Therefore, this paper will discuss the historical nature and foundational construct of structuralism, functionalism, and the process of change for American psychology to be where it is today. Structuralism developed as the first American school of psychology and some of the conceptualShow MoreRelatedHistorical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology1320 Words   |  6 PagesHistorical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology Susan Hardin University of Phoenix Abnormal Psychology PSY/410 Krisit Lane, Ph.D. October 25, 2011 Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology Historical perspectives of abnormal psychology sounds complicated, mainly due to the differing definitions, or interpretations, of what is considered abnormal. Identifying someone at work or in a social situation who appears to be behaving abnormally is easier to spot than it is to define theRead MoreHistorical Reference Of Social Psychology1169 Words   |  5 Pages Historical Reference of Social Psychology Social psychology uses scientific methods to understand how people’s opinions and behaviors are influenced by the actual presence or the implied presence of others. Social psychology is an integrative field that builds the gap between psychology and sociology. Sociology, on the other hand, is the scientific study of human behavior. In addition, social psychology is a comparatively new field that originated in the early 20th century. In 1954 Gordon AllportRead MoreStructuralism And Functionalism Of American Psychology Essay1154 Words   |  5 PagesDescription This lecture podcast discussing structuralism and functionalism in the development of American psychology must have a road map for how I will chart this brief course through such a brilliant history with characters as large as Lady Liberty. Therefore, I will begin by discussing the historical nature and foundational construct of structuralism, functionalism, the process of change for American psychology to be where it is today, and finish with a summary. I will also make available the paper andRead MoreImportant Women Of History Of Psychology1460 Words   |  6 Pages Important Women in the History of Psychology Claudia Barrows University of the Incarnate Word History of Psychology PSYC 4331 cmfuente@stduent.uiwtx.edu Roxanne Mayorga Summer I 2016 Abstract When we study the history of psychology one might assume there were minimal female contributors, but that is a big misconception. Women in the past struggled with discrimination and many hurdles to gain recognition for their work. Women psychologists have gone largely unrecognized, unappreciatedRead More From Unilineal Cultural Evolution to Functionalism Essay1048 Words   |  5 Pagesthe surrounding social environment. Barnouw (1963): 5. In other words, the personality or psychology of individuals can be studied and conclusions can be drawn about the Culture of those individuals. 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The Scarlett Letter Criticism free essay sample

Hawthorne was very interested in creating an authentic past exhibiting the history of the colonies and his Puritan ancestors. Hawthorne invites the reader to relate The Scarlet Letter to contemporary politics of the 1840’s. â€Å"the past is not dead†- it lives on in the custom house, and other contemporary political institutions. Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter when he was recently pulled from his administrative position, as a self-proclaimed â€Å"politically dead man†. In the opening of the novel we wait for Hester to come out of the prison. We overhear others muttering about her offences, there is very little sympathy for Hester. In The Scarlet Letter, the fault shared by the Puritan settlers, the women outside the prison and Arthur Dimmesdale most of all, is devout hypocrisy: they naively imagine that sin, or â€Å"human frailty and sorrow,† can be avoided through denial and pretense. Chillingworth becomes an increasingly diabolical villain by his own deception. We will write a custom essay sample on The Scarlett Letter Criticism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page On the other hand, Hester Prynne wears the sign of shame on her chest and cannot feign nnocence; consequently she has a greater potential for salvation. Hawthorne routinely brings up Paradise Lost in order to reassert its vision of mankind as fallen, and its poetic dramatization of Adam and Even’s fall and expulsion from Eden. They fell with the world all before them, just like Hester was let out of prison with all to see. She seems to have a better chance at redemption than her hypocritical neighbors. The way that Hawthorne alludes to Paradise Lost introduces the theme of women’s sexuality and their temptation to sin. There are many symbols given throughout the read by Hawthorne, but the most important being the scarlet letter â€Å"A† on Hester’s chest. This symbol takes many different meanings, to the townspeople the letter â€Å"A† has the effects of a spell, which isolates her from society and leaves her alone with her sins. As Hawthrone describes it in â€Å"The Custom House,† modern life has a dulling effect on the mind and spirit. In his fiction, he wants to create a richer and more challenging world. Just as the meaning of Hester’s â€Å"A† gradually expands for the townspeople, meaning not just â€Å"Adultery† but also â€Å"Able† and perhaps â€Å"Angel. † The Scarlett Letter has the vagueness that opens possibilities of meaning for its readers. The ambiguity of Hester’s scarlet letter â€Å"A† has been used as a textbook case to illustrate the difference between two types of imagery in writing: allegory and symbolism. Allegory shown through a characters name that directly indicates its meaning â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†. Symbolism on the other hand requires more personal interpretation. The â€Å"A† could suggest a multitude of things, but it depends on the reader and how they interpret its symbol. The narrator creates multiple interpretations of events throughout the novel. This entices the reader to read between the lines and dig deep into the writing. Overall, Hawethorne leaves plenty of opportunity for self-interpretation throughout the novel and introduces themes and motifs with allusions to other works of the time period. History is made prevalent throughout the novel, and evidently impacts the plot because of Hawthorne’s ability to include it frequently.

The Rise of Communalism in India free essay sample

Communalism could be defined as a consciously shared religious heritage, which becomes the dominant form of identity for a given segment of society (Jones 1968). It mainly occurred between Muslims and Hindus. The autocratic Hindus in India insisted that the nation should be based on the Hindutva ideology, which are Hindi language, Hindu belief and Hindustan land. However, Hindutva ideology should not be the only cause of the rise of communalism in India since Muslims and Hindus had lived together for over than centuries. Colonialism took part on creating tensions between Muslim and Hindus. In addition, political clash had raised the tensions between them. In this research paper, I will prove that the rise of communalism in India was not just because of the Hindutva ideology and the Hindutva movement but also because of the British involvement and intervention in Indian society. Furthermore, the Muslims also raised the tension by making themselves apart from the Hindus and created conflicts against the Hindus. We will write a custom essay sample on The Rise of Communalism in India or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Hinduism as a benchmark of Nationalism Hindu was the belief of the ancestors of India. Hindu had been the beliefs of the ancestry of Indians for millenniums, and has become an inherent part of the Indian culture, for instance, the caste system. Hinduism and Nationalism is inseparable as Hindu had became tradition of Indians. In fact, 80. 5% of the India populations are Hindus, and clearly shows Hindu dominated India. The emergence of the communalism was indicated by the outbreak of Hindutva ideology. Hindutva ideology came up in the late 1800’s by Savarkar, which means â€Å"Hinduness†. The Hindu nationalists believed that Motherland India is the land of Hindus, meaning if you are not a Hindu, you are not Indian. Indians should speak Hindi, prayed to the Hindu gods and have the same interests with the other Hindus. Hindu has become the measure of Nationalism (Snehi 2003). Anyone who is not a Hindu welcomed as a guest, and they addressed this to the Muslims. The Hindus believed that ever since the Muslims came to India, they had spread a religion that was not in tune with the Indians, and when the Muslims ruled the India, they intended to wipe off Hindu race and replaced it with Islam (Snehi 2003). When the Mughal Empire fell apart, it indicated that the Muslims power in India fell too, the Hindus began to move. They felt that Hindu is their original religion and that Indians are Hindus, not Muslims. Hence, Hindutva ideology was adopted by the Hindus, and started to hate and pledge revenge to the Muslims. There were attempts to wipe the Muslims in India especially in the northern part of India, for example, Baranas riot in 1809. The Hindu extremism intensified after the political parties in India began to promote the Hindutva ideology as well. Hindutva ideology adopted by the political parties such as: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Hindutva ideology adopted by both political parties in India with the domination of Hindu in India had promoted the communalism. It was a bummer for the Muslims because they had less political power than the Hindus. Many attempts based on the Hindu Nationalism ideology done by Hindu political party such as BJP, for instance, the uniform civil code. It was a disaster for the Muslims because the law proposed by BJP was all in favor of Hindus, for example, the divorce and marriage codes based on Hindu. The Muslims were forced to follow the rules if they want to stay in India. Furthermore, BJP’s ideological stance had caused the demolition of the Babri mosque in 1992 (Nandrajog 2010). Hatred between Muslims and Hindus is unavoidable and inevitable. This event had raised the tensions between Hindus and Muslims until now. Although the Hindu supremacy alongside with the Hindutva ideology has clearly shown the communalism in India, however this would not happen if the British did not intervene and sow the seeds hatred, and if the Muslims did not raise the tension a while ago. The British involvement The British had stayed in India for a long time, with the main objective of trading goods. As time passed by, the British realized that they had a large power in India and began to conquer regions and controlled it. The British set up education system in India to educate the people. Yet, because of the Muslims’ pride with the Mughal Empire, they refused every British policy including the education system. On the flip side, the Hindus used the opportunity to make them educated. Refer to Kumar (1990): However, because of their general grouse against the British government, the Muslims did not take English language kindly. Thus this led the Muslims remained backward, their literary growth was stopped and they lapsed into ignorance and backwardness. On the flip side, Hindus took this seriously and began to make progress. As a result many Hindus were qualified to work in the administrative jobs. Hindus were far greater than the Muslims, created a sense of frustration among the Muslims. Jealousy of the Muslims against the Hindus had shaped communalism a while ago. Thus, communalism has been shaped during the British involvement and intervention in India. Moreover, referred to Justice Katju statements in Adil Mohd (2012) work: As far as the question you asked about how was India before 1857, before 1857 there was no communal problem, there were yes religious differences but not communal problems. There is no history of and such communal conflict. It indicates that there must be an event that changed the Indian society, which I suppose was the British involvement and intervention. Kumar (1990) also writes: The unity of the Hindus and Muslims was once a big trouble for the British during the uprising in 1857-1858. The mutiny in 1857 had changed everything in India. The idea of Divide and Rule came up to avoid further unity. The policy had divided each community, especially between the Muslims and Hindus. This division has led Muslims and Hindus oppose each other, which helped the British maintain their control and position in India. Kumar (1990) explained further the British intervention in shaping communalism: Sir Syeh Ahmad played a vital role in shaping communalism of the Muslims against the Hindus. He belonged to the Mughal official family, and entered the British East India Company service. He believed the Muslims’ backwardness lay in the traditional narrow-mindedness should be eliminated and therefore he wanted the Muslims to acquire the Western style of education and thus to widen their outlook. He made the relationship between the British and the Muslims strong, and the Muslims tend to be loyal to the British†¦ His views were not communal at all at first, but then the efforts he made in order to win the favour of the British rulers pushed him and his Aligarh Movement into being communal†¦ Till the founding of Indian National Congress, he was a true nationalist. But with the founding of INC, he began to be anti-Hindu communalist. In his opinion INC was a Hindu institution, and he had became suspicious and jealous of the Hindu advancement. Not being satisfied with this, he then found Indian Patriotic Association in 1888 with the support of the British to oppose the National movement. It shows that Sir Syed Ahmad was the British puppet to oppose the National movement and the British were the one that sow the seeds of hatred among the Muslims against the Hindus. By 1906, sponsored by British Raj, All Muslim League formed. The British sponsored the creation of communal party. Moreover, The British sow seeds of poisons in the minds of Hindus and Muslims, and caused a lot of clash between them until 1947 where the Muslims, led by All League Muslims, separated themselves. Political clash between Muslims and Hindus in India The founding of All-India Muslim League was emerged from Aligarh Movement. Aligarh Movement’s objective was to promote a modern education for the Muslims. Later on, the goal has changed to protect and to unite the Muslims in India. When the Hindu extremism began to intensify, All-India Muslim League became as a mean of Muslims’ voice. The politic parties based on religion in India did not unite both opposition but make it far worse. Realizing the facts that Indian National Congress was a Hindu Institution, the communalism in Muslims side began to rise. When the Muslim League failed to win representative seats in the 1937 elections, it became clear that the Muslims had less power in India. 1930, the leader of AIML, who was Muhammad Iqbal demanded the partition of Muslim state in India and then the two-nation theory became popular among the Muslims. Under Mohammed Ali Jinnah, they demanded separation between Muslims and Hindus with two-nation theory. The theory stated that India should be separated into two regions; Hindu India and Islam India. He also persuaded Muslims that a Hindu-dominated India would never, as he put it, give them â€Å"justice† (Murphey 2009). The idea was also that autonomous area of Muslims to be own country but connected to India economically. The political clash between INC and All India Muslim League increased the tension between the Hindus and the Muslims. Direct Action Day in Calcutta, August 1946 was one of the consequences of the political clash. This was the day when the Muslim League had planned general strike to protest rejection of the June 16th Cabinet Mission Plan by the Congress Party and to assert its demand for a separate homeland during the Indian Freedom Struggle against the British Raj. Almost 4,000 people lost their lives within 72 hours, and raised the hatred between Muslims and Hindus (N. P. ) The partition of India in July 1947, which created a new nation Pakistan, was inevitable, yet created conflicts rather than peace between Muslims and Hindus. Almost 2 millions died because of the migration. The vivisection of Mother India angered Hindus, making communalism on Hindu side rise. Muslims who moved to Pakistan or Hindus who moved to India became the victims of the partition of India. In the conclusion, it is really clear that the British involvement intervention in India and the political clash between Muslims Hindus has led the communalism to rise in India, even until now. Even though the extremeness of Hindus and the rise of Hindutva ideology movement was the main cause of the communalism in India, it would not happen if the British did not trigger the fire of hatred between Muslims Hindus and if the Muslims did not cause further political tension.

Dog and Cat Names in German

Dog and Cat Names in German Hunde- und Katzennamen One of the questions that German teachers hear most frequently (besides why is a table masculine?) is: What are some popular German names for dogs/cats? But Germans dont always use German names for their pets, any more than they do for their children! Although there are German versions of names like Fido, Spot or Tabby, just as those English names are fairly uncommon for pets today, so are many typical German pet names. Dog names like Bello or Hasso are viewed as clichà ©s. Very few dogs in Germany answer to those names, or any German name, today.  «Der Zoo » (tsoh) is a zoo, but itsalso the German word for a pet store. If you dont believe me, look at this edited sample list of suggested dog names taken from a German Hundenamen Web site:  Aida, Ajax, Alice, Amy, Angel, Angie, Aron, Babe, Baby, Bandit, Barney, Beauty, Benny, Berry, Billy, Bingo, Blacky, Blue, Buffy, Butch, Calvin, Candy, Chaos, Charlie, Cheese, Chelsea, Cheyenne, Cindy, Cookie, Criss-Cross, Curly  and  Curtis. And thats just taken from the A-C section! Yes, I left out some of the more Germanic names from the original list, but you can see the Germanic names in our own  Haustiernamen  list. The point is that exotic English and other non-German names are popular with German pet owners. Even the detective hero of the bestselling German cat mystery novel  Felidaewas named Francis, not Franz. Most German name lists for pets contain about 90 percent non-German names. But you probably would prefer a German name for your dog or cat.  In our list you can choose a name that suits your tastes and your pet. You may wish to use the name of a famous literary or other  German:  Kafka,  Goethe,  Freud  (or  Siggi/Sigmund) and  Nietzsche  are some possibilities. Prefer music? How about  Amadeus  or  Mozart  or even  Beethoven? The names of German pop singers like  Falco  (who was Austrian),  Udo Lindenberg  or  Nena  are also popular for pets. Or perhaps youd like the name of a figure out of German literature. Perhaps  Siegfried  (m.) or  Kriemhild  (f.) from the  Nibelungenlied  or Goethes  Faust  versus  Mephistopholes. On the lighter side you could go with  Idefix, the dog in the popular European Asterix cartoon series, the rotund  Obelix  character or the hero  Asterix  himself. Then you may wish to have a good old Germanic name or word with a certain meaning:  Adalhard  (noble strong),  Baldur  (bold),  Blitz  (lightning, fast),  Gerfried  (spear/peace),  Gerhard  (strong spear),  Hugo  (smart),  Heidi  (based on fem. names containing  heid  orheide;  Adelheid   noble one),  Traude/Traute  (dear, trusted) or  Reinhard  (decisive/strong) are just some options. Although few Germans today would be caught dead with such names, theyre still great pet names. Other categories for pet names include movie characters (Strolch, Tramp in The Lady and the Tramp); colors (Barbarossa  [red],  Lakritz[e] [licorice, black],  Silber [silver]; precipitation  Schneeflocke  [snowflake]); or drinks (Whisky,  Wodka).

Lucille Balls Feminism in The Lucy Show

Lucille Balls Feminism in The Lucy Show Sitcom Title: The Lucy Show Years Aired: 1962–1968 Stars: Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance, Gale Gordon, Mary Jane Croft, many celebrities who guest-starred as themselves Feminist focus? Women, particularly Lucille Ball, can tell a complete story without husbands. The feminism in The Lucy Show comes from the fact that it was a sitcom focused on a woman, and that woman didnt always act in ways considered ladylike.  Lucille Ball played a widow, Lucy Carmichael, and Vivian Vance, for part of the show’s run, played her divorced best friend, Vivian Bagley. Notably, the main characters were women without husbands. Sure, the male characters included a banker in charge of Lucy’s trust fund and a recurring-role boyfriend, but shows that revolved around a woman without a husband were not common before The Lucy Show. Who Loves Lucy This Time? Lucille Ball was already a famous, extremely talented actress and comedian when The Lucy Show began. During the 1950s she had starred with then-husband Desi Arnaz on I Love Lucy, one of the most popular TV shows of all time, where she and Vivian Vance engaged in countless antics as Lucy and Ethel. In the 1960s, the comic duo reunited on The Lucy Show as Lucy and Vivian. Vivian was the first long-running divorced woman on primetime television. The original title of the series was to be  The Lucille Ball Show, but that was rejected by CBS.  Vivian Vance insisted that her character name be Vivian, tried of being called Ethel from her time with  I Love Lucy. Not a World Without Men Finding a little feminism in The Lucy Show does not mean there were no men. Lucy and Vivian did interact with plenty of male characters, including men they dated. However, the 1960s were an interesting time in TV history- a decade that saw inventive plot lines, experimentation outside the nuclear family model and the shift from black and white to color TV, among other developments. Here was Lucille Ball, proving again that a woman could carry a show. Gone were the I Love Lucy plots that so often revolved around tricking or hiding something from the husbands. Successful Women The Lucy Show was a top-ten ratings success as the women brought laughs to millions. Years later, Lucille Ball was asked why newer sitcoms weren’t as good as her classic sitcoms, despite a wider range of material. Lucille Ball answered that they were trying to make comedy out of reality- and who would want to listen to that?† While she may have rejected abortion and social unrest as sitcom material, Lucille Ball in many ways IS the feminism of The Lucy Show. She was a powerful woman in Hollywood who could do anything she wanted, for years, and who responded to the women’s liberation movement with a voice and viewpoint that were unique, decidedly brave and already liberated. Production Company and Series Evolution Desi Arnaz, Lucille Balls husband until 1960, ran Desilu Productions until 1963 when Ball bought his shares and became the first female CEO of any major television production corporation.   Arnaz, despite the divorce, was instrumental in talking the networks into taking on the new show.  Arnaz was the executive producer of fifteen of the first thirty episodes. In 1963, Arnaz resigned as head of Desilu Productions. Lucille Ball became President of the company, and Arnaz was also replaced as executive producer of  The Lucy Show.  Ã‚  The show was filmed the next season in color rather than black and white, though it was broadcast in black and white until 1965.  Cast changes introduced Gale Gordon and lost several male characters. (Gale Gordon had appeared on radio with Lucille Ball in a show  My Favorite Husband  that evolved into  I Love Lucy, and had been offered the role on  I Love Lucy  of Fred Mertz.) In 1965, differences over pay, commuting, and creative control led to a split between Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance, and Vance left the series.  She appeared at the end of the run for some guest appearances. By 1966, the children of Lucy Carmichael, her trust fund, and much of the previous history of the show had disappeared, and she played the part as a Los Angeles based single woman.  When Vivian returned as a married woman for a few guest appearances, their children were not mentioned. Lucille Ball founded Lucille Ball Productions in 1967, during the life of  The Lucy Show.  Ã‚  Her new husband, Gary Morton, was executive producer of  The Lucy Show  from 1967 on. Even the sixth season of the show was very popular, ranked #2 in the Nielsen ratings. She ended the series after the sixth season, and began a new show,  Heres Lucy, with her children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr., playing key roles. Pregnancy on Television Lucille Ball, in her original series I Love Lucy  (1951–1957) with her husband Desi Arnaz, had broken ground when, against the advice of the television network and ad agencies, her real-life pregnancy was integrated into the show.  For the seven episodes with her pregnant, the censorship code of the time forbid the use of the term pregnant and instead permitted expecting  (or, in Desis Cuban accent, spectin).

Carl Rogers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Carl Rogers - Research Paper Example In his early years, Rogers was a very shy and awkward child. He often went into tears for no reason and he was prone to sickness early. His brothers teased him often and made jokes about him. He grew up in a home where his father was often absent which meant that he grew close to his mother. As a young child, Rogers was the baby of the family and he remained the baby until he was five years old. As her grew older, his health became very strong. His older siblings paid special attention to him now and they taught him to read when he was four years old (Kirschenbaum, 1979, p. 2-3). He began to read everything he could find in his parents library which included several volumes of the bible and many other titles. Eventually, he began to entertain his brothers with the fantastic stories that he made up himself (Kirshenbaum, p. 4). As Rogers grew up he lived in many different places including a farm and the suburbs. Adulthood was fun for Rogers because he found it very easy to make friends. He had high energy and his health was excellent. These two factors allowed him to make journeys around the world. These journeys gave him a broader sense of the world around him early in his life. Central to Rogers early years was Calvinism which was the religious background his parents raised him in; eventually his mother would become a fundamentalist. By the time he entered college, he had changed to a more liberally religious viewpoint which led to fights in his home (Kirschenbaum, 1979). He would eventually develop ideas in existentialism as continued to study religion. As he developed his study of religion and other disciplines he began to believe that "good works were more important than ritual or doctrine in Christianity "Kirschenbaum, p. 29). In his view it was more important for people to take responsibility for their own actions than to rely on god to do something for them. He traveled to the Orient for some of his study and when he

Managing Financial Resources in Health and Social Care Essay

Managing Financial Resources in Health and Social Care - Essay Example The essay presents how various aspects of financial resources should be managed in health and social care. It is the responsibility of the management to ensurethat funding is available to meet the daily needs of the organization. In the cause of events, finance may be needed in order to invest in equipment stocks, pay employees, equipment and cater for sales made on credit. If not well taken care of, sources of finance may end up dry; this may make an institution to be in financial jeopardy. Financial control plays a critical role in helping the business meets its objectives.As a manager, my role is to ensure that all these are achieved. Financial shortfalls arise when an organization cannot pay its bills on time due to lack of cash. As a manager I have been oriented to be proactive about financial shortfalls while upholding an account for contingency all the time. Through review of BUPA’s cash flow for the last six months, the company is capable to determine the cash flow in terms of expenditure and income; this aids the company in reserving cash needed for purposes of expenditure for the subsequent six months. After realizing the company’s assets, the company has a well-planned schedule on how to pay its suppliers to avoid conflicts with respective suppliers. The company also encourages early payments from the customer by offering discounts on such payments; this increases the chances of early cash availability. Payment of suppliers on a scheduled basis helps the company to avoid shortfalls since suppliers get their due especially when the funds are available. Fraud is an obvious threat to organization’s resources and therefore must be a concern to all employers and employees within a specific jurisdiction (Petrucelli 2002). In the event of fraud, managers are expected to set good example by conforming fully to procedures and controls. As a manger, quick action is necessary to avoid any further loss bearing in mind that this is just an al legation and until the outcome of investigation is determined. Movement and preservation of evidence to a safe place or location is vital where practicable. Both internal auditor and director of finance are supposed to be notified. Prompt and vigorous investigation should be carried out; after that, report findings should be forwarded to both internal auditor and director of finance. If possible consult with the appropriate departments concerned or involved. Notification to security agents should be carried out by the manager following consultation with the executives of the BUPA at National Director Level. As some may put it, coming up with a budget may be easy, sticking to it is the hard part. A well planned budget has little no impact without willpower and close monitoring (Amey 1979). A system for recording expenses and producing reports should be in place. As a manger, insisting on regular monitoring reports is way of ensuring that whatever was projected in the budgets is follo wed to the latter. Through monitoring reports, it makes it easy to determine actual spending at a particular period of the month compared to what was projected in the budget. The level of expenditure should be documented and clear reports drawn from them; the concerned departments should be informed so as to get their input on the same. The audit committee should review the reports. After conclusion, there should be immediate action taken

Investigating the Ratio Between Poly-Vinyl Alcohol Essay Example for Free

Investigating the Ratio Between Poly-Vinyl Alcohol Essay Introduction: Poly-Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) is a water-soluble synthetic polymer that will be used as one element to form the well know bouncing ball, along with Sodium Borate (borax), which has a variety of uses because of its weak base. PVA is ideal for this experiment because it is odorless, nontoxic, has high tensile strength and flexibility. The binder characteristics of PVA offer excellent adhesion to porous, water-absorbent surfaces. A local manufacturer wants to find a material to create a simple toy: a bouncing ball. Research institutions collaborate with local manufacturers and provide professional assistance with their projects. In trying to create a bouncing ball, one must find the appropriate ratio of the two that forms a solid for which have the properties that a bouncing ball consist. It is important that we find the correct ratio so that it is perfect shape, texture, and saltation. The main property that we are testing for is the products bounciness. Figure 1: The reaction of PVA and borax. In the above illustration, two PVA molecules are shown being cross-linked by a hydrated borax molecule. Four molecules of water are also produced. Hypothesis: In this experiment, I predict that if more Poly-vinyl Alcohol over Sodium Borate, then the appropriate bouncing solid will be formed. Methods: With the supplied solutions of PVA and sodium borate, my group and I took 100 mL of each solution. We measured out different ratios repeatedly to find the appropriate ratio. Start with a happy medium of 10mL (PVA) and 20mL (Sodium Borate) and examined the results. The results are not accurate so you have to test the extremes and then examine which way to continue. In my experiment, more of PVA is needed and less of sodium borate is needed. Continue testing until you get closer and closer to an adequate ratio with a good solid product, which we can to the conclusion that 4:1 as well 7:1 worked as good ratios to further test. We tested the ratio by cooling one and heating the other. By cooling the product it was able to harden and somewhat stay in shape. On the other hand, by heating it it doesn’t keep its form thus unable to be bounced. So to harden the heated product follow the theory of heating (50Â °c) to then immediately cooling (12Â °c) the product; this helps to harden the product inside out thus allow the product to keep its shape as well as bounce like a true manufactured bouncy ball. Results: Ratios – table 1 Trial(s)| Amount of PVA| Amount of Sodium Borate| Ratio| Description| 1| 10 mL| 20 mL| 1:2| slimy| 2| 3 mL| 30 mL| 1:10| watery| 3| 30 mL| 3 mL| 10:1| play-dough| 4| 20 mL| 1 mL| 20:1| foamy| 5| 10 mL| 2 mL| 5:1| rubbery| 6| 8 mL| 2 mL| 4:1| slightly crumbly| -| 12 mL| 3 mL| 4:1**| harder/shaped| 7| 15 mL| 5 mL| 3:1| slimy/not keeping form| 8| 7 mL| 1 mL| 7:1| too slimy| -| 14 mL| 2 mL| 7:1**| harder/shaped| Note: ** multiple tests (heated, cooled, heated and cooled) Bouncing Height – table 2 Ratio| Iced (12Â °c)| Heated (50Â °c)| Heated then Cooled| 4:1| 8-10 cm| -| 30-32 cm| 7:1| 9-11 cm| -| 19-20 cm| pH 8 weakly alkaline Discussion: A local manufacturer wanted my team to find a suitable ratio to create the well-known toy, the bouncing ball. In efforts to do so, our TA supplied PVA, along with sodium borate, to the students. Each group could only acquire so much at a time. My group acquired 100 mL of both PVA and sodium borate. To start, we did a 1:2 ratio just as a test to see if it would solidify into a ball. As a result, it came out slimy so we tried to up the amount of sodium borate (1:10 ratio), which lead us to a more watery product. Since increasing the amount of borax lead us in the wrong direction, we increased PVA and lowered sodium borate to a 10:1 ratio. This ratio gave us a play-dough outcome, which was closer to what we needed. Decreasing the amount of solution to a 5:1 ratio, we moved even closer. The 5:1 was starting to feel rubbery. After seeing how close we were with the 5:1, we tried the 4:1. Our 4:1 and 7:1 were fairly similar and the closet to our projected outcome but it was not quite there yet. So, by heating and cooling each result gave us a somewhat reasonable result. The result of cooling our 7:1 product for 30 minutes was a harder but still lacked shape as well as the 4:1 product that was cooled for 30 minutes. The 7:1 result was able to bounce 9-11 cm in height while the 4:1 product was able to bounce to a similar height of 8-10 cm. Both products heated would not bounce or keep form, so we immediately put both on ice. As most people should know, with the rapid temperature (from hot to cold), it causes an object to harden from the inside out. So, with this theory in mind, after the heated products failed we placed them on ice and let it sit there and harden. The products hardened over a 15-minute time frame and we could clearly see the difference between these and the rest of our trials. The heated then cooled product for the 7:1 ratio could bounce to a height interval of 19-20 cm, while the product from the 4:1 ratio could bounce to a height interval of 30-32 cm. Ultimately, we have to accept the best product for the manufacturer to mass produce and market so that the most money can be made. From the data collected, the ratio 4:1 is the closest to form a perfect product (bouncy ball) simply because it bounced higher which meant it was harder as well as kept its shape. But, from this experiment, we can conclude that either just cooling the ratio or by heating then immediately cooling the ratio product creates an adequate bouncy ball that when dropped it bounces like a true bouncy ball. References: Experiment 2. Polymers:. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. http://matse1.matse.illinois.edu/polymers/e.html. Polyvinyl Alcohol. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Aug. 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_alcohol. Borax. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax.

The World Consensus GameTM :: Communication Technology Philosophy Papers

The World Consensus GameTM The World Consensus GameTM allows anyone to contribute to the creation of a world consensus on issues that divide people. Participants can look up positions that have been taken on topics that people disagree on and can contribute to the discussion of these topics. Participation is easy to do. Once you identify a question that interests you, a map is provided that shows the positions that have been taken on that question along with definitions of positions. You can examine arguments that have been provided for a position, including the argument judged best by philosophers and the argument favored by the general public, and you can express your judgment on positions and arguments. Finally, you can contribute new positions, new arguments, and criticisms of other individual's arguments. The world consensus game is like a huge symposium of the world's people with you as a participant. The World Consensus GameTM can be used in a classroom setting, a conference setting, by Fax, or by compu ter. Signing in to using the World Consensus GameTM After accessing the World Consensus Game through "Peacegames.com" participants are asked to sign in. This is necessary if participants want to vote or make comments, so that their vote or comments are recorded as the vote of a philosophy student, a professional philosopher, or a member of the general public. Groups can have individuals sign in b according to any identity typed in such as member of an organization, etc. Professional Philosopher Philosophy student Public voting for First Choose an Issue A, B, C A The first thing you do is identify the area you want to examine. Areas include the traditional areas of Philosophy (Moral , Social Philosophy, 1etc..) in addition to issues relating to world order, protection of the environment, and any other types of issues anyone wants to discuss. Just click on the issue that interests you. The current World Consensus Game is problems oriented, but could be redesigned to include a historical perspective. World Order Issues Global Survival Issues Moral Philosophy, Maps, Definitions, Simulation Social Philosophy, Map and Simulations Political Philosophy Map The Criminal Justice System Theory of Knowledge Metaphysics Philosophy of Religion

Budget Cuts in Education Essay

Drastic cuts in Florida’s educational system are in resulting increasing class sizes, the elimination of music, art, and other elective classes, the significant reduction in extracurricular activities, and a diminished ability to provide incentives for teachers to continue teaching. The effect of these changes will be a long term negative impact on teacher’s ability to teach and decrease our students’ ability to learn. Budget cuts are forcing qualified teachers out of the classroom where they are most effective and causing them to pursue other careers or academic endeavors. As stated in State Impact, because of the shortage of funds of over $170 million, Broward County alone has laid off more than 2,400 employees and most of them have been teachers (O’Connor, 2011). Andy Ford, president of the Florida Education Association, the statewide teachers union, said the union is expecting about 20,000 teacher layoffs (Castro, 2011). As a result of these layoffs, and current graduating teaching students, school districts are left with a surplus of teachers. Many have the opportunity to come back to work before the next school year begins but may not be at the same school or even teaching the same grade level. Because this is based on seniority, those teachers who have been laid off and unfortunately are not one of the chosen to go back to work, have been forced to go back to school to either continue to pursue their education career or pursue a completely different major. Recent layoffs have resulted in, expanded classroom sizes with potentially disastrous effect on student performance. There once was a time classrooms had a maximum of 20 students. In some states, classroom sizes have expanded to as much as 36 students in one class. According to Science Daily, reports show that students in small classes in grades four through six consistently have better results than students in large classes. Those in small classes that had better cognitive and non-cognitive skills, had better scores on standardized national tests in grades six and nine, and perceived themselves as developing more self-confidence and greater patience (Expertanswer, 2012). Budget cuts that result in inreased class sizes need to be made with these considerations in mind. Many people are not aware of the effect of music on students’ ability to learn and retain information, yet as documented previously, music classes are one of the first programs to be cut in this environment. According to Science Daily, there is now definitive proof of different brain development and improved memory of students who take music lessons when compared to those who do not (Press, 2006). â€Å"Not only do the brains of musically-trained children respond to music in a different way to those of the untrained children, but also that the training improves their memory as well. After one year the musically trained children performed better in a memory test that is correlated with general intelligence skills such as literacy, verbal memory, visuospatial processing, mathematics and IQ† (Press, 2006). If it costs $2. 5 million to have an art program, music program, and physical education program, one can see why school are making these cuts, however; in the light of this research provided, we can see that these cuts will be coming at the expense of our students cognitive abilities. As the budgets get smaller, and the expenses are getting bigger, specials and elective classes are being cut. Music and art have been eliminated in some schools. In others, it is just part time. Students are not getting the basic musical and artistic education, which were once available years ago. Teachers who used to teach elective classes are forced to teach core subjects if they still want a job. Physical education classes have also been cut in some schools or have been reduced significantly. Some teachers work at two different schools. For example, three days out of the week, they may work at an elementary school and the other two days; they may work at a middle or high school. As a result to physical education being reduced or eliminated, childhood obesity may be more of a concern. Because physical activity has been extremely reduced in many households because of television, it is important that students have physical education in school. Teachers do not have many incentives to continue teaching. There is no money to purchase simple materials for the classroom. As said in Public Good, Public Cuts; elementary schoolteachers have resorted to asking students to buy supplies at the beginning of the school year (Economists, 2011). A suggested list is available for the parents and these supplies are what the students will need for the duration of the school year. Many teachers spend their own money to purchase supplies as well. Students in middle school and high school do fundraisers to raise money for special events at their schools. The effects of these budget cuts are impacting every area of students’ academic experience including the frequency of the update in the school textbooks. Schools typically updated their textbooks every few years, however; with these budget cuts; this researcher has found that students may be using the same textbooks for 10-15 years due to the lack of funds. Although this may not be an issue with some subjects, there are subjects, such as History and Social Studies that are subjects that require updated information as years go on. If students used the same textbook for 15 years, a History book would be missing three presidents. Textbooks are an essential part of student’s education and if there are no funds to purchase new ones, students in the United States will be behind compare to other countries are much more advanced concerning education. Field trips and extracurricular activities have been reduced or eliminated. Students do not have the chance to go on all the field trips that were once upon a time offered. Field trips that are now taken tend to be at the cost of the parents. Parents have been forced to come out-of-pocket for the entire cost of field trips. Schools also sponsor fundraisers to assist these parents in paying for some of those costly trips. For example, fifth grade students who are going on their end of the year trip may sell donuts or candy boxes in efforts to raise money to pay for that trip. Some schools do not have funding to continue specific sports. Fees have increased and parents are having pay out-of-pocket for student’s uniforms and to travel to games in order to continue these sport teams. Budget cuts are now negatively affecting the actual physical environment in which students learn. According to State Impact, future possible district budget cuts in efforts to save jobs include â€Å"eliminating art, music, technology and/or reading teachers to save up to $4. 1 million, eliminating middle and high school athletic programs and saving $2. 2 million, and raising thermostats one degree to 78 degrees, the highest allowed by state law, saving $500,000† (O’Connor, 2011). With increasing class sizes and increase in temperatures, students will now be forced to learn in cramped, potentially uncomfortable conditions that will impact negatively student learning. Given the negative impact of described these budget cuts, it would be wise to consider alternative options to deal with budget shortfalls. Other options of saving money are available, such as teachers taking extended holidays without pay. School district saved millions of dollars by closing all public schools two extra days during thanksgiving break. Schools should only have been closed Wednesday through Friday but the district managed to get approval to close Monday and Tuesday as well. The economic condition has affected drastically the public schools due to the budget cuts they have faced. It has caused major setbacks because there is no money available to supply the materials these students need to learn effectively. At this rate, schools eventually will begin to shut down. Teachers have already begun to retire early because they can only foresee it getting worse. Something has got to give at this point, but it should not be at the expense of student’s education. If schools cannot teach students the simpler things, such as what encyclopedias are which may be an opportunity for parents to spend more bonding time with their children and take them to the library to learn new things. Sooner than later, students in Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten will be attending school for half a day only instead of a full day in efforts to save money. It is imperative that parents encourage educational activities at home as well as physical activities. Broward County Schools are suffering drastically. Although they seem to have it figured out, cutting art, music, physical education, and other special programs may not be what is best for the students.

Midwest Office Products

Questions for Midwest Office Products 1. Based on the interviews and data in the case, estimate: a. The cost of processing cartons through the facility 80000 total cartons Warehouse expenses = $2000000 Warehouse personnel expenses = $2570000-$250000 (truck driver expenses) = $2320000 Total warehouse processing expenses: $2000000 + $2320000 = $4,320,000 $4320000/80000= $54/carton b. The cost of entering electronic and manual customer orders Manual: . 15 hours setup time, . 075 hours to enter each line Electronic: . 1 hours to verify information on the electronic order 16 order entry operators 840000 in total compensation Each order entry operator worked 1750 hours per year but only 1500 hours per year of productivity 840000/16 = $52500 avg salary per operator $52500/1500hrs = $35 per hour Electronic orders: . 1hrs *$35/hr = $3. 5/electronic order Manual Orders: . 15*$35 +. 075*$35*number of lines= cost per order Input cost=. 15*35 = 5. 25 Cost per line = . 075*35 = 2. 63 c. The cost o f shipping cartons on commercial carriers 75000 cartons shipped $450000 spent on freight $450000/75000 cartons = $6 per carton d. The cost per hour for desktop deliveries vg delivery time=3 hours 5000 cartons shipped 2000 deliveries2. 5 cartons each delivery $250000 total compensation per year $200000 for delivery truck expenses Each driver worked 1500 hours per year $166. 67/hr Driver compensation: $250000/2000 = $125 per delivery Truck expenses: $200000/2000 = $100 per delivery Total cost for desktop deliveries: $225/3 hrs = $75/hr 2. Using this cost driver information, calculate the cost and profitability of the five orders in Exhibit 2. Compare these costs and profitability to those calculated by Midwest’s existing costing system? Exhibit 2| Five Orders| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Order| Â  | Â  | Â  | 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| Price| | | | $ 610 | $ 634 | $ 6,100 | $ 6,340 | $ 6,100 | Acquisition cost| | | | 500| 500| 5000| 5000| 5000| No. cartons in order| | | | 1| 1| 10| 10| 10| No. cartons shipped| | | | 1| 0| 10| 0| 10| Desktop delivery time| | | | -| 4| -| 4| -| Manual order| | | | no| yes| no| yes| yes| No. line items in order| | | | 1| 1| 10| 10| 10| Electronic order| | | | yes| no| yes| no| no| Payment period (months)| | | | 1| 4| 1| 4| 4| | | | | | | | | Warehousing costs| | | | 54| 54| 540| 540| 540| Shipping costs| | | | 6| 0| 60| 0| 60| Desktop Delivery cost| | | | | 300| | 300| | Manual Order cost| | | | | 7. 875| | 31. 5| 31. 5| Electronic order cost| | | | 3. 5| | 3. 5| | | Payment period cost| | | | $ 6. 10 | $ 25. 36 | $ 61. 00 | $ 253. 60 | $ 244. 00 | Total Costs| | | | 569. 6| 887. 235| 5664. 5| 6125. 1| 5875. 5| Profits| | | | $ 40 | $ (253)| $ 436 | $ 215 | $ 225 | | | | | | | | | | Current system profits| | | | $ 110 | $ 134 | $ 1,100 | $ 1,340 | $ 1,100 | 3. Explain the difference in profitability of the five orders calculated by the ABC system and the company’s existing cost system. In the company’s existing system, they markup the acquisition costs by a certain percentage to determine the price that they charge their customers. Using this method, all of the sales appear profitable because only the acquisition cost is directly considered in determining their pricing. However, several other activities drive higher costs for the company and a standard percentage markup does not always capture that cost. In some instances, they could even lose money by making the sale. By using the ABC system, the company can have a more realistic view on how much each order costs them by considering the activities which go into the process (the number of cartons, shipping costs, delivery costs, and order processing costs) and charge for these services accordingly. 4. Based on your analysis above, what actions should John Malone take to improve Midwest’s profitability? John should switch to an ABC system as it provides the proper visibility and clarity into the company’s costs. They can then markup the products based on the total costs instead of applying a standard percentage, which does not properly assess the actual cost to the company, to the acquisition cost. This ability to price based on their actual costs would eliminate some potentially unprofitable transactions (like the desktop delivery where the items price did not cover the costs) .

Child Sexual Abuse effects Essays

Child Sexual Abuse effects Essays Child Sexual Abuse effects Essay Child Sexual Abuse effects Essay Feb. 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.. Currie, Janet, and Erdal Tekin. Does Child Abuse Cause Crime? IZA, Apr. 2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.. Garsden, Peter. Does Child Abuse Cause Crime? Inside Time Newspaper. N. p. , June 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.. Impact of Child Abuse and Maltreatment on Delinquency, Arrest and Victimization. National Institute of Justice. N. p. , n. d. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.. Logan, Cassandra, Emily Holcombe, Suzanne Ryan, Jennifer Manlove, and Kristin Moore. Child Sexual Abuse and Teen Pregnancy. Nationa Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Sept. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.. National Child Abuse Statistics. Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse. Child Help, n. d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.. Parental Substance Abuse. Child Welfare Information Gateway. N. p. , 2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.. Preventing Child Sexual Abuse. Preventing Child Abuse America, n. d. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.. Understanding Child Sexual Abuse: Education, Prevention, and Recovery. Understanding Child Sexual Abuse: Education, Prevention, and Recovery. American Psychological Association, n. d. Web. 23 Feb. 2013..

Amerigo Vespucci, Italian Explorer and Cartographer

Amerigo Vespucci, Italian Explorer and Cartographer Amerigo Vespucci (March 9, 1454–February 22, 1512) was an Italian explorer and cartographer. In the early 16th century, he showed that the New World was not part of Asia but was, in fact, its own distinct area. The Americas take their name from the Latin form of Amerigo. Fast Facts: Amerigo Vespucci Known For: Vespuccis expeditions led him to the realization that the New World was distinct from Asia; the Americas were named after him.Born: March 9, 1454 in Florence, ItalyParents: Ser Nastagio Vespucci and Lisabetta MiniDied: February 22, 1512 in Seville, SpainSpouse: Maria Cerezo Early Life Amerigo Vespucci was born on March 9, 1454, to a prominent family in Florence, Italy. As a young man, he read widely and collected books and maps. He eventually began working for local bankers and was sent to Spain in 1492 to look after his employers business interests. While he was in Spain, Vespucci had the chance to meet Christopher Columbus, who had just returned from his voyage to America; the meeting increased Vespuccis interest in taking a journey across the Atlantic. He soon began working on ships, and he went on his first expedition in 1497. The Spanish ships passed through the West Indies, reached South America, and returned to Spain the following year. In 1499, Vespucci went on his second voyage, this time as an official navigator. The expedition reached the mouth of the Amazon River and explored the coast of South America. Vespucci was able to calculate how far west he had traveled by observing the conjunction of Mars and the Moon. The New World On his third voyage in 1501, Vespucci sailed under the Portuguese flag. After leaving Lisbon, it took Vespucci 64 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean due to light winds. His ships followed the South American coast to within 400 miles of the southern tip, Tierra del Fuego. Along the way, the Portuguese sailors in charge of the voyage asked Vespucci to take over as commander. While he was on this expedition, Vespucci wrote two letters to a friend in Europe. He described his travels and was the first to identify the New World of North and South America as a separate landmass from Asia. (Christopher Columbus mistakenly believed he had reached Asia.) In one letter, dated March (or April) 1503, Vespucci described the diversity of life on the new continent: We knew that land to be a continent, and not an island, from its long beaches extending without trending round, the infinite number of inhabitants, the numerous tribes and peoples, the numerous kinds of wild animals unknown in our country, and many others never seen before by us, touching which it would take long to make reference. In his writings, Vespucci also described the culture of the indigenous people, focusing on their diet, religion, and- what made these letters very popular- their sexual, marriage, and childbirth practices. The letters were published in many languages and were distributed across Europe (they sold much better than Columbuss own diaries). Vespuccis descriptions of the natives were vivid and frank: They are people gentle and tractable, and all of both sexes go naked, not covering any part of their bodies, just as they came from their mothers’ wombs, and so they go until their deaths...They are of a free and good-looking expression of countenance, which they themselves destroy by boring the nostrils and lips, the nose and ears...They stop up these perforations with blue stones, bits of marble, of crystal, or very fine alabaster, also with very white bones and other things. Vespucci also described the richness of the land, and hinted that the region could be easily exploited for its valuable raw materials, including gold and pearls: The land is very fertile, abounding in many hills and valleys, and in large rivers, and is irrigated by very refreshing springs. It is covered with extensive and dense forests...No kind of metal has been found except gold, in which the country abounds, though we have brought none back in this our first navigation. The natives, however, assured us that there was an immense quantity of gold underground, and nothing was to be had from them for a price. Pearls abound, as I wrote to you. Scholars are not certain whether or not Vespucci participated in a fourth voyage to the Americas in 1503. If he did, there is little record of it, and we can assume the expedition was not very successful. Nevertheless, Vespucci did assist in the planning of other voyages to the New World. European colonization of this region accelerated in the years after Vespuccis voyages, resulting in settlements in Mexico, the West Indies, and South America. The Italian explorers work played an important role in helping colonizers navigate the territory. Death Vespucci was named pilot-major of Spain in 1508. He was proud of this accomplishment, writing that I was more skillful than all the shipmates of the whole world. Vespucci contracted malaria and died in Spain in 1512 at the age of 57. Legacy The German clergyman-scholar Martin Waldseemà ¼ller liked to make up names. He even created his own last name by combining the words for wood, lake, and mill. Waldseemà ¼ller was working on a contemporary world map in 1507, based on the Greek geography of Ptolemy, and he had read of Vespuccis travels and knew that the New World was indeed two continents. In honor of Vespuccis discovery of this portion of the world, Waldseemà ¼ller printed a wood block map (called Carta Mariana) with the name America spread across the southern continent of the New World. Waldseemà ¼ller sold 1,000 copies of the map across Europe. Within a few years, Waldseemà ¼ller had changed his mind about the name for the New World- but it was too late. The name America had stuck. Gerardus Mercators world map of 1538 was the first to include North America and South America. Vespuccis legacy lives on through the continents named in his honor. Sources Fernndez-Armesto Felipe. Amerigo: the Man Who Gave His Name to America. Random House, 2008.Vespucci, Amerigo. â€Å"The Letters of Amerigo Vespucci.† Early Americas Digital Archive (EADA).

Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Abortion - Essay Example There is little freedom of choice for women who are experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. The women themselves usually wish to bring their baby to full term. Other powerful influences in her life such as husbands/boyfriends, parents and friends are generally the forces that exact pressures on her to terminate the pregnancy. â€Å"Eight out of 10 women surveyed after abortion said they would have given birth if they’d had support and encouragement from family and friends† (Reardon, 2002). Legal abortion enables fathers to force their will on mothers. Some women resort to abortion in desperation because they fear continued abuse. That fear is substantiated as women who refuse to abort have been subjected to serious abuses which have escalated to murder if the women still persists in her refusal. Murder is the leading cause of death for pregnant women and for what other motive could there be? â€Å"Sixty-four percent of women surveyed report being pressured by others into unwanted abortions† (Reardon, 1992).   Ã‚  Immediately following an abortion, the one(s) coercing the decision are relieved and seldom, if ever, give the inconvenient issue another thought. Women, on the other hand, suffer long afterwards, racked by overwhelming guilt and agonizing over their irreversible decision. This pain may last a lifetime as they are never able to forgive themselves (Elliot Institute, n.d.). ‘Pro Choice’ activists argue that women should have access to safe abortions, that ‘a nation founded on and dedicated to civil liberties could allow its citizens to resort to dangerous self-abortion procedures.’ That too is a false premise. Ninety-seven percent of women who have had abortions describe intense pain experienced during the procedure despite the use of local anesthetics. â€Å"Compared to other pains, researchers have rated the pain from abortion as more painful than a bone fracture, about the same

How has minimally invasive robotic surgery affected patient care Term Paper

How has minimally invasive robotic surgery affected patient care - Term Paper Example The instruments that the system is made of rotate within the body as it would in the case of the surgeon’s hands allows the surgeon to gain the surgical access. This because of the small size that is approximately one to inches making what would be otherwise impossible for the traditional surgeon possible. The system was mainly designed for the removal of prostate but has in its lasts model been used in bladder and kidney diseases, otolaryngology, abdominal and gynecology. The system is also applied in thoracic, pediatric and cardiac surgery. A long incision is made by the surgeon in the case of the traditional open surgery. This means that the surgeon requires more access to the patient’s anatomy that is actually required to perform an operation at a particular site. This is not the case with the advanced robotic surgery. Rigid manual instruments are the ones used in the case of the traditional minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic surgery). These instruments pass through small incisions. The patient’s anatomy is observed through s video monitor that is standardized. On the other hand the robotic system does all the operations using a computerized system that require minimal and at some point on human control. The surgeon’s mechanical movement that allows for the 3D vision millimetric precision is done by the Da Vinci Si full HD robotic system. This makes sure that there is even a single hand trembling making it very helpful to the surgeon especially in those operations where precision in critical and makes a lot of difference. In the case of the traditional surgery trembling is common. Based on the above study, it can be concluded the invention of the da Vinci HD surgical system has been a major breakthrough in the field of surgery. Many lives have been saved through this advanced robotic surgery system with surgeons and patients benefiting in equal measures. There

Syntax Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Syntax Assignment - Essay Example This is in line with the views of Greenbaum and Quirk (1990), who insist that the words selected by a narrator are reflective of the time aspect, regardless of whether the action took place in the past, present or in the future. For example, ‘every time’ is one phrase used to show the aspect of repetitive time, relating the subjects, who are Barney and the grandmother, where emphasis is placed on the frequency of times that she tells him of the way that the ground gives way, at the edge of chalk pit. ‘Every time’ is also used to show the number of times and how often the sister would tell him about the chalk pit. For example, the text emphasizes that the sister would tell Barney the same thing, â€Å"every time she wasn’t telling him something else. ‘Today’ is used to show the present time, when Barney had nothing to do, except visit the chalk pit. ‘Once’ is used to show the aspect of the given time when the location of the chalk pit was the side of a hill. The word ‘once’ is used to show the past time (Greenbaum and Quirk, 1990). B). The author used ‘verb tense groups,’ which comprise an auxiliary verb or a verb and a principal verb tense. The combination of the verb and the other parts of the groups are used to create the verb tense group. The need for this tense group is determined by the type of verb used. Examples from the text include ‘everybody had told him’, ‘men had come to dig away chalk and left...’ ‘His sister, every time she wasn’t telling him something else’, he thought of all the sticks of chalk’, and ‘the sticks of chalk they must have made...’ C). The tenses used within the verb tense groups used throughout the text fall under the three main classifications: past, present and future tense. These tenses are used to show the time of a verb’s being or action (Matthews, 2003). In doing this, the ending of the verb is conjugated to show the time of reference. For

Dell Business Analysis: Organisation and Effectiveness

Dell Business Analysis: Organisation and Effectiveness Summary The research is about study of distribution channel management at Dell Computers, UK. My work is more practical in nature, studying the Distribution Channels of Dell, both at a strategic and an operational level. I would be analysing the business function on its efficiency and effectiveness, comparing with the other industry performers. I would mostly be comparing the function against Sony Electronics, the most respected name in multi-channel distribution network; Acer, pioneer of value computing products and proprietary brands like Advent. The research aims to analyse and study the distribution channel of Dell in UK, distribution channel of its competitors, efficiency and effectiveness of Dells Distribution channel as compared to its competitors. And based on the research and analysis propose recommendations to enhance its effectiveness. The literature review section of the dissertation explores the definition of distribution, channel, and distribution channel and distribution channel management. Apart from that the section also examines the activities and the levels of distribution channel. The latter half of the section focuses on the distribution strategy adopted by Dell, Sony and Acer. Research is conducted by means of case study as well as survey. Case study analysis incorporates the study and effectiveness of the distribution strategy of Acer, Sony and Dell. Two set of questionnaires are designed to collect data from the end customer and the channel partners. Apart from that secondary data is used from from books, journals, company reports and documents, government websites whereas primary data is collected by means of survey questionnaire distributed channel partners and the end customers. In all 50 questionnaires are collected duly filled out of 60 questionnaires being sent out to the end customer whereas the questionnaire for the channel partners was send to 50 channel partners out of which only 30 responses were received. Questionnaires were sent out using survey distribution services of a web site. Care was taken to ensure that diverse demographic is covered for the survey. The research has its own drawbacks such as the work limited to the English market. Financial and time constraints of my semester mean that Im not able to conduct a global research that would be more apt in this case. Another limitation is most of my work is conducted through a personal observation method; as such it is prone to my personal bias. Thirdly distribution channel model is a sensitive piece of company information. As far as information on the competitors distribution channel is concerned its bit difficult. CHAPTER 1: Introduction This chapter will introduce the topic, specify the key aim and objectives of the dissertation, discuss the research approach and state the dissertation outline. The key aim of this chapter is to establish the foundation for the research topic by giving out basic information. 1.1 Introduction The research is about study of distribution channel management at Dell Computers, UK. The dissertation is more practical in nature, studying the Distribution Channels of Dell, both at a strategic and an operational level. I would be analysing the business function on its efficiency and effectiveness, comparing with the other industry performers. I would mostly be comparing the function against Sony Electronics, the most respected name in multi-channel distribution network; Acer, pioneer of value computing products and proprietary brands like Advent. Dell Inc. is a multibillion dollar, multinational technology firm that manufactures, develops, sells and supports personal computing and computer related products. Dell has seen a rapid growth to become one of the top three vendors in the PC manufacturing industry, and has seen a substantial increase in share price and market value. While many other companies were unable to handle the demands of the competition, Dell has proved successful in such an environment. The main key to success to Dell has been its two innovative practices that is direct sales and build-to-order business model. This model is simple as a concept but highly complex to execute, especially in the present conditions of rapid growth and change. Dell has continually renewed and extended its business model while striking a balance between control and edibility. Dell made changes in its design, manufacturing, procurement, and logistics processes to reduce the costs, and to speed up the entire distribution system. It has expanded into International markets and it started making notebook and server product lines which has led to extraordinary profits for dell, and has given a great market value for the company. Dell has reached sales of $18.2 billion by the year 1998, with a profit of $1.46 billion, and Dells market share in the PC market grew from 3% in 1995 to 9.2% in the year 1999 with stock price increasing by 40 times. Dells market capitalization has reached $100 billion. 1.2 Research aim and Questions The primary purpose of my research work is to analyse the role distribution channels play in the functioning of a business, both in the long run and in the short run. My study is to present a detailed description of the unique distribution channel adopted by Dell Inc., analyse its efficiency and effectiveness, identify possible loopholes and put forth recommendations for development. My study is being undertaken with an aim to answer the following research questions: * How are the various distribution channels organised within Dell Inc.? * How does it compare with its competitors? * How effective and efficient is this channel management at Dell? * What can be done to make it better? The four research questions are the guiding blocks of my entire research and all of the work would be done, keeping them in view. Distribution Channels within Dell: I would be looking at Dells innovative distribution channel management which has literally revolutionised the importance of Direct Marketing in the consumer electronics space. Direct marketing is still the primary distribution mechanism within Dell. I would be documenting the evolution of this concept within Dell right from its customized sales regime during PCs Limited to the complex and sophisticated systems that it employs currently. I would be presenting a visual of the entire distribution network that it stands at today. Comparison with its competitors: I would be comparing the dynamic distribution systems of its arch rivals. Sony and Acer are the brands that I would be concentrating upon. I would be looking at the strategies adopted in different economies, though my primary concentration would be on the English markets. Efficiency and Effectiveness: I would be conducting an efficiency and effectiveness test of Dells powerful distribution network against its competitors. This would be an empirical study. I would be concentrating on the parameters of Customer Satisfaction and Vendor relationship management. Recommendations: Finally, I would be putting forth recommendations for future developments along with the cost benefit analysis of such implementations. 1.3 Research approach The study is conducted by collecting secondary data and primary data. Secondary data is collected from books, journals, government websites, company documents whereas primary data is collected by means of survey questionnaire distributed among channel partners and the end customers. Participants of research would be intermediaries in the distribution network and the end customer. In order to select the participants the study has made use of stratified random sampling method in order to make sure that major demographic segments are represented while selecting the samples (Rao Skinner, 1996). Questionnaire design consists of two parts. The first part contained the demographic information while the second part dwelled on each of the subjects perception on each variable using five point likert scales from 1 (â€Å"Strongly Agree†) to 5(â€Å"Strongly Disagree†). The study did not require any assistance from a third party or any other institution. In order to collect data the study made use of web portal survey to distribute survey and get responses. The system was designed in such a way that the respondent have to submit all the answers. Out of 60 questionnaires, responses for 50 surveys were obtained. The duration for the survey was kept as two weeks, a reminder mail was being sent to the respondents at the end of week one to remind them. 1.4 Importance of the study Organizations have been undergoing strategic changes over the past decade. More so in the past couple of years. The current recession has proved that risk management and strategic planning are most vital for an organizations long lasting and self-sustaining performance. My work will strive to highlight one such areas of strategic thinking and inform the senior management about the benefits involved. 1.5 Research Scope My work would primarily be concentrated on the UK market. Though Dell is a global corporation with intermediaries present across the globe, all working towards forming an effective value chain to maximize business potential and ensure efficiency in operations; UK being the second biggest market after the US will be a general approximation of the entire organizational behaviour. Furthermore, the cosmopolitan nature of London and demographic diversity ensures that it would be a close estimate of the general population. 1.5 Limitation of Research I intend to undertake my research as comprehensively as possible. As in any research work, inherent are some unavoidable drawbacks in my study. Few of them are: * Financial and Time Constraints: As outlined before, the scope of my work is limited to the English market. Financial and time constraints of my semester mean that Im not able to conduct a global research that would be more apt in this case. * Personal bias. Most of my work is conducted through a personal observation method; as such it is prone to my personal bias. However as the person who is to do the entire research right from formulation of research questions to recommending solutions, I would be most qualified to comment on the topic. * Information Constraints. Distribution channel model is a sensitive piece of company information. Though I have secured access to Dell, wherein I could do all the data mining myself, the extent of information that I would be able to muster about the rivals model is still to be seen. 1.5 Dissertation outline The structure of the dissertation is as follows Chapter 1: Chapter 1 encompass introduction to the topic, followed by brief background into the research topic. This beginning chapter also lays bare aims and objectives of the research followed by structure of the thesis. Apart from that this chapter also gives information on the research approach adopted and the limitations of the research. Chapter 2: The literature review section of the dissertation explores the definition of distribution, channel, and distribution channel and distribution channel management. Apart from that the section also examines the activities and the levels of distribution channel. The latter half of the section focuses on the distribution strategy adopted by Dell, Sony and Acer. The final section compares the distribution strategy by all the three players. Chapter 3: The thesis then moves on to methodology section wherein the research model, research framework and data collection methodology is discussed. Questionnaire method is used to collect the necessary data from the consumer. Chapter 4: This chapter explores data findings Chapter 5: This chapter presents the conclusion. Chapter 6: This includes references using Harvard referencing style Chapter 7: This includes the Appendix 1.6 Summary The chapter introduced the topic of the dissertation, specified the key aims and objectives of the research. Discussed the research approach in form of secondary and primary data collection through the means of questionnaire and clearly stated the limitations of the research in brief. The chapter also outlines the research structure specifying the contents of each chapter. Chapter 2: Literature Review During my research, I would primarily be looking towards the concepts of Distribution Channel and its management. I would be guided by the various contributions in the field, though my work would primarily be influenced by the theories and suggestions of Philip Kotler in the area. A Professor of Business Studies at the Kelloggs Business School, Kotler is often regarded as the ‘Father of Modern Marketing. My work also coincides with various other management thinking like Consumer Behaviour, Relationship Management, Marketing Mix and Optimization, among others. 2.1 Definition 2.1.1 Distribution Kotler (1996) states that distribution is a key element in the marketing mix (place amongst the 4Ps). It is the systems and practices in use which make a product or service available to the consumer of such a product or service. 2.1.2 Channel Channel is defined as â€Å"a set of interdependent organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for consumption or use† (Gorchels, West, Marien, 2004). It can also encompass physical movement, warehousing, ownership of the product, presale transaction, post-sale activities; order processing, credit and collections; and other different types of support activities (Gorchels, West, Marien, 2004). 2.1.3 Distribution Channel The Distribution Channel is the chain of intermediaries, each of them passing on the product or service to another intermediary until it reaches the consumer. The business dictionary defines it as â€Å"The route by which a product or service is moved from a producer or supplier to customers. A distribution channel usually consists of a chain of intermediaries, including wholesalers, retailers, and distributors, that is designed to transport goods from the point of production to the point of consumption in the most efficient way† (Dictionary, 2010) Another definition of Distribution channel states â€Å"A group of independent and interdependent organizations involved in the sale and movement of goods and services to the end users may be called a distribution channel or network† (Gorchels, West, Marien, 2004). More specifically, a distribution channel is: * The transfer of goods from manufacturer to the end user. * Route of a company for distributing the goods. * The process of moving goods from the manufacturer to the consumer. * A supply chain consisting of all parties in between production to the end user. 2.2 Types of channel members The activities in the distribution channel can be carried out by the marketer himself or it can be carried out by specialist organizations. The specialist organizations and the channel members can be categorized into two types. * Resellers * Specialty Service Firms. Resellers are the companies which usually buy and take the ownership of the products from the manufacturer with the intention of selling to end consumers. An organization can have one or more than one reseller in the chain. The network or chain of resellers is known as reseller network. The resellers can be further classified into: Retailers: A retailer sells the product directly to the end customer. Wholesalers: Wholesalers buy the products from manufacturer or other wholesalers and then they sell the products to the retailers. Industrial Distributors: They are the ones who sell products from one business to other, they are suppliers who buy the goods and sell it to another firm. Specialty service firms are organizations that do not take the ownership of the products. They also provide additional services along with the products. Specialty firms can be: Agents and brokers: They are the firms which bring together the suppliers and buyers and mediate the sale and they charge a fee for this kind of service. Distribution service firms: They provide services which help with the movement of goods in the distribution channels like transportation, processing and storage of goods and products. Others: They are the firms which provide other services to the channels in distribution like insurance, routing assistance etc. The distribution channels consist of many parties among which each of them is trying to meet their objectives. Relationships between channel members should be strong with each others especially on which they are depending for the further distribution of product. 2.3 Levels The arrangement of the distribution channels can be classified into two types: * Independent channel arrangements. * Dependent channel arrangements. Independent channel arrangements: In this type of arrangement the channel members negotiate deals with others which do not result in the binding of the relationships. Channel members are free to make arrangements which they feel is in their own and best interest. An individual member decides what is best for them and not the entire channel. This is also called conventional distribution arrangement and often significant conflict as each member decides what is best for him and not in concern with the entire channel As shown in the figure 2 there are four levels of distribution channels. Channel 1 is called the direct marketing channel which is the distribution of products or services from the manufacturer to the customer. The best example for this channel is Dell which does not makes use of any intermediaries to distribute its products to end customers; there are no retailers, agents or wholesalers. The channel does not have any intermediaries. This type of channel helps to eradicate the excess cost and also helps to have good control over the quality and marketing. The other three channels fall in the category of â€Å"indirect marketing channels†. As shown in the figure 1, the second channel has one intermediary, if the market is a consumer market the one intermediary is basically a retailer. Electronic consumer goods market of UK is an example of second type of channel arrangement. In this type of distribution arrangement the companies sell good to large retail chains, example would be Sony, Canon, and HP selling their electronic goods to large retail chains such as Dixons. These retailers in return sell the goods to the end customer. As shown in the figure Channel 3 consists of two levels which are the wholesaler and the retailer. The role of the wholesale in this channel is to buy the products at bulk from the manufacturer and then sell the same to retailer in smaller quantities. This model works best for retailers on small scale and not for big chains such as Dixons. This type of distribution channel is best when there are large number of small retailers and not big companies. Example in this case would be the medical drugs distribution market in the UK. The fourth channel has added level to it in the form of agents who work as intermediary between manufacturer and wholesaler. The agent acts as representative for both the sides. This works in textile market. Figure 2 gives information on the four types of distribution channel. Dell follows the manufacturer to direct customer channel thus discarding the intermediaries in between. Source: http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/IIT-MADRAS/Management_Science_II/Pdf/1_4.pdf A direct distribution channel is where a company sells their products direct to consumers. While direct channels were not popular many years ago, the Internet has greatly increased the use of direct channels. Additionally, companies needing to cut costs may use direct channels to avoid middlemen mark-ups on their products. Distributors, wholesalers and retailers are the primary indirect channels a company may use when selling their products in the marketplace. Companies choose the indirect channel best suited for their product to obtain the best market share; it also allows them to focus on producing their goods. Though, in practicality, a number of other players exist, they can be generalised to the above. The specific channel of distribution adopted by a company depends, to a major extent, on its business model, the industry type and the scale of its operations. As an Instance, Sony has its own set of company operated exclusive showrooms. The strong brand equity of Sony, the scale of its business and clearly identifiable product differentiations that it enjoys with the consumers, allow it to leverage on its economies of scale and scope by operating its own outlets. Directly, this result in better margins for the company and indirectly it helps building on its already demanding brand leadership. Dell, on the other hand, relies more on online sales. This is because of the organization of its service delivery utility. Dells business model is based upon its centralised manufacturing facilities, rather than the nuclear organization at Sony. Online sales suits such a strategy by negating the high costs of transportation and inventory planning issues involved. A manufacturer selling a physical product might require three channels: Sales Channel, Delivery Channel, and Service Channel. In Our case, Dell uses telephone and internet as sales channels, express mail services as the delivery channel and local repair people as its service channel. 2.4 Distribution Channel Activities Distribution includes different range of activities (Richard Gay, 2007) * Linking many suppliers to provide wide range of consumer choice * Assist the exchange process identify the needs of the buyer in the context of product categories, quantities, range etc. and devise manufacturing, inventory and packaging schedules to fit. * Marketing information: This encompass collection, distribution and analysing marketing research information such as the past sales data about the players within the organizations marketing environment. * Promotional activities- This involves setting of promotional objectives and activating the various elements of the marketing communications mix and measuring their effectiveness, this will encompass identify and communicate with prospects. * Pricing: Deciding on the sales terms and conditions at each stage of the value chain * Risk management This includes analysis and resource sourcing required for involvement in the channel , the degree of control and influence and the potential benefits such as revenue and profit generation. * Physical Distribution Management It includes the transportation all aspects of warehousing management and information flows. Other Activities that may be part of the distribution channels are as follows: * Order Generation. * Handling of Goods. * Shipping of Goods. * Storage of Goods. * Display of Goods. * Promotion of Goods. * Sale. * Feedback. 2.5 Distribution Channel Management Distribution Channel Management is all about getting the product or service to the right people at the right time under the constraints of profits, efficiency and effectiveness. Successful marketing does not end when a business has developed a product or service and has found its appropriate target audience with a view to selling it at the right price. The next issue that needs to be faced is how they are going to distribute and sell this product/service to these people- the consumers. When a product/service is purchased by a consumer, it may have been bought directly from the business, or it may have been through a number of intermediaries (wholesaler, retailer, etc.): these are known as distribution channels. Small businesses need to acknowledge the different types of distribution channels to utilize sales potential. Distribution channel management involves a lot of channel decisions, strategic alternatives and numerous linking concepts, all of which would be explored in my research paper. Distribution channel management involves a lot of channel decisions, strategic alternatives and numerous linking concepts. The PC industry is driven by rapid technological improvements in components, particularly microprocessors, other semiconductors, and storage devices. The improved performance of hardware has been matched historically by increased complexity of software, creating demand for the latest hardware. Figure 2 PC Supply Chain This means that time is a critical competitive factor in the industry in two ways: * Firstly, excess inventory loses value (at an estimated 10% per month 😉 and costs money; * Secondly, products incorporating the most advanced technologies are in high demand and carry a price premium. As a result, companies that minimize inventory and bring new products to market faster can reduce costs, increase market share, and maintain higher margins. Two factors come into play in determining the ability of PC companies to manage inventory and introduce new products. First is the standardized, modular nature of the PC. PCs are built from standard components, using common architectural interfaces determined largely by Intel, Microsoft, and, earlier, IBM. PC makers also can outsource much of their production and purchase components from a well-established production network of contract manufacturers and components suppliers. This makes it quite easy for PC companies to introduce new PCs with the most advanced technologies. By the 1990s, PC makers could no longer gain much of an edge by virtue of design and manufacturing, as everyone had access to the same technical information and supply base. The difference among PC companies was determined increasingly by the second factorâ₠¬â€the structure of distribution. The traditional distribution system of the PC industry is an indirect model often referred to as â€Å"the channel†. The PC maker sells its products to distributors, who buy products from many manufacturers and then sell them to a variety of retailers, resellers, system integrators, and others, who sell products and services to the final customer. This distribution system was an effective means for distributing high volumes of PCs with a variety of configurations to reach a broad customer base. However, it had inherent weaknesses that left it vulnerable in a time-based competitive environment. First was its reliance on market forecasting to drive production. Even the most successful PC makers, such as IBM, Apple, and Compaq, were chronically bedevilled by their inability to accurately forecast demand in a market driven by ever shorter product cycles. They were either caught with short supplies of hot products, causing them to lose sales to competitors, or stuck with excess inventories of slow sellers, which clogged the distribution channels and often had to be sold at a loss to move them out. Even with the best forecasting, the indirect model was plagued by the need to hold inventory at each step. In the early 1990s, it was common for PC makers to have up to 90 days of inventory on hand and in the channel. The high inventory costs and lack of responsiveness of the indirect channel meant that there was an opportunity for someone who could a way to circumvent the channel. The company that seized this opportunity was Dell, which pioneered a new business model based on selling PCs directly to the final customer, and building the PC only when an order was received Selling directly removes two links in the supply chain where inventory could build up and also enables Dell to know its final customers, provide better service to them, and promote repeat or expanded sales to them. Build-to-order production allows Dell to introduce new technologies as soon as customers want them and makes it possible to adjust production to demand very quickly. It also means that Dell does not purchase components and assemble PCs until it has received payment from the customer, giving the company a negative cash conversion cycle in which it receives payment from customers before it must pay suppliers. The current environment for the computer hardware industry is shaped by several macro forces. Primarily, Dell and its competitors are influenced by economic, demographic, technological and national forces. Government, social, physical and national forces peripherally affect the computer hardware industry to varying degrees. The commoditization of the personal computer—a vital tool for business and consumer. Customers- are a key driver for the economics of this industry. Corporate spending accounts for 80% of all technology spending, and economic conditions decreasing business capital expenditures has a negative and direct impact on the computer hardware industry. While this industry is mature in the U.S., leading to decreased growth expectations, computer spending by other countries around the world will likely fill this void. Pricing in the computer manufacturing industry is extremely competitive. IT reflects the rapid pace of technological change and decreasing PC costs. Since 2000, the prices of chips and disk drives declined and the standardization of primary components of PCs led to a decline in PC prices. Direct sellers, including Dell, have traditionally been able to under-price indirect sellers in the industry including Compaq and HP. However, most PC vendors now offer a desktop model for less than $500 and a laptop for $700. Key success factors for companies in this industry continue to evolve as the industry matures. Specifically, they include: * Competitive prices * Superior relationships with suppliers * Product customization for business and consumer customers * Quality customer service * Excellent cost structure 2.5.1 Channel Issues Some of the channels issues that the companies face are as follows Product related issues Promotions related issue Pricing related issues Target market related issue Product related issues: The nature and type of the product decides the distribution option that should be chosen for the product. A few products require special handling. Ex. Flowers, Fragile goods etc. Promotion related issues: The type of promotions that are required to sell the products to the customers also decides the distribution options; there are products which require an extensive contact of the sales person with the customer like automobiles etc. and there are products which require no sales assistance from the sales person like milk etc. Pricing issues: The price at which the marketer desires to sell their product also decides the distribution option for the channel if a product is prices really less it cannot have many members in the distribution channel as each one of them looks at making their own profit in the channel. Target market issues: The distribution channel is successful only if the product can reach the right customer. Choosing a distribution channel is the path to reach the target customer. A key decision in setting of a channel arrangement is for the marketer to choose the approach to reach his target customer in the best possible manner. 2.6 Dell 2.6.1 Company Background Dell Inc. is a multibillion dollar, multinational technology firm that manufactures, develops, sells and supports personal computing and computer related products. Based out of Texas, it employ