Khushwant Singh’s “The Wog” Essay

Khushwant Singh’s story entitled â€Å"The Wog† is a depiction of Indian culture. Indian’s tradition was merely focused on the religion and cultural composition of their society. Every action must be granted by their Gods. This is symbolization of conservatism and illiteracy not literally but through the emotions and psychological circumstances of the protagonist. In this story, the main character had a hard time thinking of his marriage life. He really does not want to get marry because according to the Vedas, marriage is the third of all the four levels that they obtained during their lifetime. Sen, the main character felt this kind of scenario that he is not old enough to face a new beginning – the third part of his life because it means that his death become nearer. However, his bride is the most excited person of all. She loved Sen so much that is why she is willing to accept everything about him. This story also showed how a woman was portrayed in the society of India. Man is the manipulator of everything while the woman will abide to her husband and will surrender everything for him. Based on my understanding to the text, I have seen that the story made a significant point of view towards the issue of culture, religion, and society in India. It is a depiction of values and personalities that people should need to understand in an Indian. In the beginning of the story, Singh thoroughly described the setting through the establishment of the characters. The conflict of the story is that Sen does not want to get married at his age. As a resolution at the end, I have seen that the author resolved the conflict. She lets her character face his fear and agony. She conveyed in her story how a man should be portrayed in the society – fearless and masculine. Reference Singh, K. The Wog. pp. 293-310

Metho Drinker

We have chosen this poem to analyse today as we thought that it would be one that you could all relate to. Not necessarily to the homeless man, but to the topic of addiction. Nearly every one here would have known someone who has suffered from an addiction, and knows the effect that it has on not only the addict, but their families. It also highlights the ignorance in today’s society, as many are unaware of their sad existence. Main Idea The poem Metho Drinker by Judith Wright tells the story of a homeless man and his addiction to Methylated Spirits, an addiction which is slowly killing him. Living in winter’s harsh conditions â€Å"under the death of winters leaves he lies† he hides away from society. He is alone and ‘cries to nothing and the terrible night’ as he has nothing and there is no one around him. So he turns to the one thing in his life that keeps him warm, methylated spirits. Personification The poem continuously uses personification, as a way of interpreting the man’s relationship with the bottle. The bottle is personified as ‘his girl’, his only companion. His woman of fire who creeps to his heart and sets a candle there†, this shows his love and affection for this ‘woman’. In the next two lines his addiction to Metho becomes evident, as Wright introduces the metaphor of â€Å"melting away his flesh†¦ to eat the nerve that tethers him in time† as the addiction is slowly killing him. the Metho burns him as he drinks it â€Å"to eat the nerve that tethers him in time†. He dr inks it to take his pain away. The candle burning keeps him warm inside and provides him with warmth that he can not find on the streets. Similes Light is compared to ‘knives; whose thrust I cannot turn’ which suggests the pain that light brings to the drinker. Time, to the man, is a never ending trouble. By drinking the Methylated spirits he feels like he is escaping time and escaping from the troubles in his life. â€Å"He is uneasy under her kiss/and winces from that acid of her desire†. This shows how the metho is killing him but the desire and need for ‘her’ or ‘it’ is too strong to stop and his addiction has taken over. Symbolism Symbolism is used in the poem as the woman and his apparent love and desire for her symbolises the bottle of Methylated Spirits and his addiction. Voice The voice of the poem is written in third person. This technique is used in a way to show an outsider’s perception of the homeless man. Structure The structure is a technique that has been used in this poem. The first stanza in the poem sets the scene for the reader, and helps to give the basic story of the man. It shows how the drinker ‘cries to nothing and the terrible night’ and shows his hate for time, light and society’s cruelty. Whereas in the second stanza introduces the drinker and his relationship with the bottle. Figurative language Figurative language is used in the poem when describing the effect that the Metho has on the drinker. It ‘melts away the flesh that hides the bone to eat the nerve that tethers him’, this is a non literal phrase, but again shows the feeling that the Metho creates in him, further causing his addiction.

A Passage to India by Forster Essay Example for Free

‘A Passage to India’ by Forster Essay ? â€Å"By close analysis of the structure and language of chapter one discuss how Forster expresses his overall concerns within the novel as a whole via this initial description of the Indian landscape.† Through chapter one of ‘A Passage to India’ Forster does far more than introduce the small town of Chandrapore. In this initial section of the novel the construction of the text reflects the tiered Indian society that becomes the basis for Forster’s deeper exploration of mankind and human behaviour. In addition, the ominous significance of the Marabar Caves within the novel is prefigured via the mysterious imagery used to describe them. This is contrasted by the more optimistic language which is used to describe the ‘overarching sky’ that unifies all men and points towards a hope for the future of peaceful co-existence. At the beginning of the chapter the reader is first introduced to the Muslim aspect of Chandrapore, the lowest tier of the Indian society but perhaps the most resilient. Here what Adela will later refer to as the ‘Real India’ is depicted. Through vivid imagery the area appears akin to a wasteland devoid of any significance. Even the holy river Ganges is described as â€Å"Trailing for a couple of miles†¦scarcely distinguishable from the rubbish it deposits so freely.† It is negative language such as this that creates a compounding sense of desolation about the ‘Real India.’ This of course is entirely necessary in order for Forster to create and convey the contrast between the Indian and English cultures which he believes to be incompatible in this context. Graphic and harsh language permeates the whole of this first section of the chapter creating a highly effective image of the squalor in which the Mohammedan Indians are condemned to live by their English rulers. The streets are â€Å"Mean† the â€Å"Temples ineffective† and the â€Å"Filth† of alleyways deters all but the invited guest.† By describing their quarter in such a way Forster makes the Muslim Indian seem almost sub-human to his readers, this of course, is how they are viewed by the English. They are remarked upon as â€Å"Low† but also as â€Å"Indestructible.† Despite their apparent lack of sophistication, the way in which, â€Å"The general outline of the town persists† comes to reflect the similar way in which the Muslim culture, although suppressed by the English, is based upon strong foundations of religious devotion and an inextinguishable spirit. Forster describes them as â€Å"Swelling here†¦shrinking there† and by doing so creates a very evocative image which captures perfectly the way in which the Indian race move ‘en-mass’ and in harmony, united in their angst to recapture their homeland. As Forster remarks, â€Å"Inland the prospect alters† and the Eurasian, Anglo-India described in the second section of the passage could not present a more stark contrast to that of Islamic Chandrapore. Here the houses belonging to the Eurasians â€Å"Stand on high ground† an important symbol which reflects the way in which the English believe themselves to be above the Indian race both morally and intellectually. It is this attitude of ignorance and racial superiority which will be developed and scathingly criticised by Forster as the novel progresses. Indeed it could be argued that humanity’s unwillingness to understand one another is the underlying theme behind the whole text and that in reality Adela and Mrs. Moore’s passage to India is in fact a deeper analogy for a more complex passage of mankind towards understanding itself. On a second rise of land lies the â€Å"Little civil station.† As the focal point for Eurasian society it is remarked that, â€Å"From here†¦Chandrapore appears to be a totally different place.† This observation encapsulates the way in which the station and its social club both seem to be isolated from the rest of India. Immersed in a fantasy world of British high society the station itself is described as, â€Å"Provoking no emotion† and â€Å"Sensibly planned.† This epitomises the logical mindset of the English, which deeply contrasts that of the spiritual Indian and highlights how even at a simple level of human understanding harmony is not possible between the two cultures creating the â€Å"Muddle† which is colonial India. Britain’s attitude of imposing herself upon other nations, typical of this time period before partition, is something heavily attacked by Forster. Throughout the text he is seen to criticise England replicated in India because to him this is unnatural and false. During the entirety of this second section of the passage Forster adopts a tone of negativity towards the English. Their section of Chandrapore is described as, â€Å"Sharing nothing with the rest of the city except the overarching sky† conveying the way in which they consciously isolate themselves from the Indians. In the overall context of the novel this image becomes very important. As gradually relations between the two races come to deteriorate the sky comes to be the only unifying element between Indian and Englishman. Further more, the way in which the image is echoed throughout the text seems to suggest the existence of a more powerful presence beyond man both physically and in terms of significance within the universe. It is Forster’s belief that ultimately the petty quarrels of man are meaningless in such a vast entity. The final section of the chapter is used by Forster to expand on the concept of the overarching sky. It is described as having a â€Å"Persistent blue core† the stars â€Å"Hanging like lamps from the immense vault† which is the sky and it is elevated imagery such as this which comes to symbolise a hope for the future of mankind. In contrast to the â€Å"muddle† and â€Å"misunderstanding† which covers India and the rest of the earth, the sky instead represents an element which unifies all men. Its persistence represents a hope that one day all the problems of man explored within the novel will pale into insignificance. It could be argued the description of the sky evokes an atmosphere akin to that of the Hindu religion. Forster remarks, â€Å"The sky settles everything† and indeed to Godbole and his fellow Hindus this is to a certain degree true. The unanswerable questions, the answers to which are sought by both Muslim and Christian are left to be pondered by Godbole. He seeks to answer questions about his own spiritual existence and the natural world around him. As a result his passage within the novel becomes one of progression as opposed one to of retreat as is experienced by Aziz and Fielding. The Chapter ends with a final short image of the mysterious Marabar caves. All around â€Å"League after league the earth lies flat,† yet in the south, â€Å"A group of fists and fingers are thrust up through the soil.† These fingers are the ‘Marabar hills’ and seem to point mysteriously towards the heavens above. The way in which they seem to separate themselves from their earthly surroundings suggests an equally unearthly presence about them. This of course will be proved true by the supernatural and inexplicable violation which Adela experiences within their walls. Dark and devoid of humanity they represent an aspect of India that the logical English will never be able to conquer. Therefore it is possible to conclude that the first Chapter of ‘A Passage to India’ can be regarded as a template for the novel as a whole. Almost all of Forster’s overall concerns are indicated by its content and it is clear that the varied description of the Indian landscape comes to symbolise differences between those who inhabit the land. This disjointed construction of society will only increase as the novel progresses ultimately leading to the personal retreat of the novel’s two main characters, Aziz and Fielding whom are unable to stand out as individuals and trapped within the confines of their own cultures. It will be only the deeply spiritual Godbole who is shown to have made any real progress via his own ‘Passage to India’ and of course Mrs. Moore, who despite her death becomes a symbol for hope by the way in which she is revered as a Hindu Goddess. â€Å"A Passage to India† – E.M. Forster Classic notes – www.classicnotes.com ‘A Passage to India’ by Forster. (2017, Jul 10).

Analysis of the business operations of Toyota Essay

Analysis of the business operations of Toyota - Essay Example also been able to achieve competitive advantage within the highly competitive automobile industry across the globe by applying supply chain and inventory management concepts. The Toyota Prius is one of the products by Toyota that has helped the company to gain a competitive advantage because of its focus on providing greener energy solutions that the vehicle market desires. Additionally, Toyota also applies the lean philosophy of manufacturing that advocates for the minimization of any wastages and also focuses more on achieving cost reduction measures in order for the company to continue running efficiently. The Toyota Prius has been able to reduce costs because vehicle consumers have shifted from the conventional fuel powered vehicles that are usually affected by fuel costs. The company also solves its problems adequately by continuously training its staff on how to handle certain production challenges and also anticipate for such problems in future. With this, this essay will review and critically analyze the operations of the Toyota company with a keen focus on the Toyota Prius vehicle, which will also include figures that would illustrate the production process of the same. The production system applied by Toyota is highly standardized and it also effective because it eliminates wastages through the lean production and movement, which is one key principle in operations management (Eyob & Tetteh 2012, p. 225). Also known as the TPS (Toyota Production System), this philosophy tends to be customer oriented that have led to the adoption of the same strategy by other companies across the globe. This strategy is a flexible one and has helped in the running of daily activities at Toyota because of the outcomes that it seeks to achieve. According to Jayaram, Das & Nicolae (2010, p. 280), one of the desired outcomes that this process tends to have is that the company seeks to provide high quality vehicles to their consumers with the cost attached to them being as

AS Unit F911- Communication in care settings Coursework - 2

AS Unit F911- Communication in care settings - Coursework Example In elderly healthcare facilities, this idea of interpersonal communication is especially important. Many people who work in nursing homes have had experience or taken courses in the field of gerontology, which is the study of the process of aging from a psychological, biological, and social perspective. In the case of an elderly woman who has become reserved with a resulting change in eating behavior, there may be more than a few dynamic forces at play, which have to be considered when discussing the problem on a personal level. Vital communication means being able to understand the individual’s needs, form a relationship with the client and showing respect for the individual (Windsor, & Moonie, 2000). The first important part in ensuring proper communication is the setting that is chosen. The environment in which to conduct effective communication, especially in the case of the elderly, means creating an environment in which they feel comfortable. In this case, for a one on o ne approach, the room of the person would be the most effective place to effectively communicate. This is because it will allow the person to feel like they are on â€Å"home turf†. This is because in unfamiliar locations and interacting with people they are not typically close in can hinder communication efforts (Russell, 2005). In addition, it is a room that can be closed off from the rest of the public. This gives the person the additional privacy that they need. By taking these measures, the person is more likely to open up as they build a relationship with the health care professional. Communication is a two-way approach, which involves interaction with the health care worker and the client (Russell, 2005). The first thing I would focus on is breaking the ice by asking questions about her personally. I would not attack the issue directly due to the fact that it might cause anxiety in which would lead to her defense mechanisms kicking in. By asking broad questions at firs t, I can get a better idea as to what kind of questions need to be asked to get to the issue. Once the relationship has been established and the conversation has been going on, I would start off with telling her that I have noticed some changes in behavior and ask if anything is wrong. This allows her to open her consciousness and tell me whatever she feels comfortable in telling. It is important to not try and force the information out as it might be a sensitive issue and the last thing that needs to happen is to cause further anxiety. Information from the session does not need to be all-verbal. The way in which she answers the question and nonverbal cues such as posture, eye movement, etc. all give glimpses into what she is actually thinking. After getting the required information, the biggest part is making sure to show empathy and to offer assistance in the situation. By showing care and compassion, it gives her someone to look to for assistance having spent the time to communic ate effectively, build the relationship, and figure out what the problem is. In the case of devising a checklist, I would definitely first look at the DSM-IV-TR, Diagnostic Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, in order to see if this is a psychological related problem. The DSM gives criteria for all known mental disorders as well as assessment scales. Based on the removal of her from daily activities, isolation, and change in eating habits, it

Economy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Economy - Assignment Example In carrying out this research the researchers used purposive sampling and questionnaires in data collection so as to increase the chances of conducting a perfect research. This article specifically discusses results from two cities; St. Louis and Cincinnati where in both cases magnet school were successful. There are costs associated with magnet school which include transport. The benefits achieved from this program were found to outweigh the cost as valued by parents and teachers. Clark in his article outlines the hard choices that the university fraternity has to make so as to remain competitive in terms of quality and the autonomy that institution deserves. Public research University faces challenges; the ever increasing number of student and the limited availability of resources. This offers the private university a comparative advantage. In order to bridge this gap he offers short- term solution which includes; privatizing tuition and federalizing the universities, this increases their competitiveness. In addition, universities should concentrate on increasing public support, increasing efficiency in use of resources, pluralistic leadership, enhancing long-term path to be followed by the movement. There are uncertainties whether research University fosters productivity and sustainability. In conclusion the author appreciates the benefits derived from development of human capital generated from universities. (Kerr 187) The author introduces this article by outlining the difficulties that the founders of colleges faced while trying to establish a college. He points out that, colleges established lacked buildings, students or professors, thus making colleges in complete. In addition the founders used crude ways in establishing colleges like other economic activities. From this article the author also outlines that the college founders were mainly missionaries or settlers. It was also established that

Civil liability Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Civil liability - Research Paper Example Civil Liability Introduction It is no doubt that technological advancements across the world have greatly improved people’s way of lives. Nonetheless, these advancements have made human beings to be more vulnerable to technological threats that have compromised their safety. In particular, advancements in the area of telecommunications have called for enhanced measures in public safety telecommunications. In recent times, the United States has been facing increasing threats to the cyber security and resiliency of its telecommunications networks. It is against this background that the government and other stakeholders in the telecommunications industry have enhanced their efforts in ensuring public safety telecommunications (APCO Institute, 1997). They seek to enhance public safety by preventing telecommunications-related emergencies and responding swiftly when such emergencies occur. While the benefits of telecommunications are numerous, there are also liability risks for tele communications operators and their employees. Telecommunications operators are required to publish information to follow established guidelines relating to public safety telecommunications. ... City of Hueytown. Facts of the case of Michael Swan v. City of Hueytown On 3rd May, 2000, Michael Swan was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by Hueytown Police Department officer, Ben Williams. The officer asked to see the driving licenses of the passenger, Swan, and that of the driver. Since Alabama Code, 1975 Section 15-5-30 provides for a sheriff, police, or other officer to stop a car if he suspects is committing, about to commit, or committed a public offense and demand information about the driver or explanations, it is in order that the vehicle in which Swan was boarding to be stopped. Officer Williams then radioed the Hueytown Police Department dispatcher who searched the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database using the information provided to him by Officer Williams to determine whether Swan had outstanding warrants. Officer Williams cannot figure out clearly the kind of information that he provided to the dispatcher, but he testified that he would normall y have provided the detainee’s date of birth and name, or his Social Security number, or driver’s license number. Officer Williams was notified by the dispatcher that the City of Birmingham had an outstanding warrant of Swan. Officer Williams sought to confirm and found that indeed Michael Swan had an outstanding warrant (Supreme Court of Alabama, 2005). However, later evidence showed that the outstanding warrants were not for â€Å"Michael Swan† but for Michael Swann† (the surname spelt with two ‘n’s not one). Apparently, Officer Williams and the dispatcher failed to react or recognize the difference in spelling the last name. As a result of this discrepancy, Officer Williams arrested Swan and subsequently took him to the

Case report (The subject of Strategic integration, Marketing) Essay

Case report (The subject of Strategic integration, Marketing) - Essay Example Followed by this review, the company’s initiatives to achieve organic growth in mature markets are also discussed and explained in detail. Nestle’s strategies to achieve this was supported by launching operational efficiency programs worldwide. Including these programs, Nestle’s most important milestone is GLOBE, a program which aims to integrate the widespread manufacturing, accounting and operational activities of business units worldwide is explained along with its applications on the company’s overall objective to achieve internal growth though companywide synergies and integrations. Nestle’s strategic marketing decisions of bringing products under a few strategic brands are also discussed in detail and its implications on the company’s expenditures and strategic long-term objectives are also explained. Besides this, all the challenges which were faced by Nestle in pursuing its strife for achieving internal growth are also discussed in de tail. How Nestle tackled them with its unique approach, are also discussed. Along with the challenges, how Nestle plans to survive in mature markets by incorporating innovation in a sustainable manner in its product and brand portfolio for long-term sustainability is also illuminated in detail. 2. Introduction When Brabeck took over in 1997 from his predecessor Maucher, Nestle had its presence in almost 19 food categories, predominantly in food, pet food, milk, coffee, confectionary, clinical nutrition etc. However, despite such massive growth initiatives taken by Maucher, Nestle lagged behind in some categories and it can be owing to bad investments which were made during Maucher’s period in office. Brabech’s focus on organic growth directed the company towards discontinuing allocation of resources towards unprofitable channels. (Maucher, 1994). Being one of the leading global food companies, Nestle has established its strategic brands in various segments throughout t he world as one of its effective initiatives to boost internal growth, also known as organic growth. Nestle’s CEO Helmet Maucher from 1982 till 1997 had led the corporation from being just a European based company with strong footing as a manufacturer of milk and coffee to being a comprehensive and diversified global corporation dealing in a wide range of food products. Maucher’s main strategy for growth was to rely heavily on external sources and inorganic growth channels. Conglomerate mergers and takeovers were the major focus of Nestle’s growth strategy during Maucher’s tenure as CEO of the company. This did steer the company towards being the global leader in the food and beverage industry however, this was being done at the expense of not saving money through those channels which otherwise could have done so by not investing in unprofitable mergers and acquisitions. Brabeck however, did realize this fact and was determined to steer Nestle towards a m ore internalized approach to growth, with which he believed that the company will save a lot more capital and the resources could then be channelized into more profitable ventures. Brabeck took some important steps to promote organic growth by launching various programs and campaigns followed by setting up of special Business Units with various objectives (Maucher, 1994, Bell et al, 2009). 3. Organic Growth Programs In order to make Nestle’s operational activity more efficient, Brabech had to make some

Market Risks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Market Risks - Essay Example For example, investors lose billions of dollars of their money when Pakistan stock market crashed in 2005. (KSE.com.pk/2005) This list of risk in not exhaustive, but there are also thousands of other risks when investing in an emerging market. Another major risk is differences in culture and religion of the host country and the company. In 2006/7, there was an issue of blasphemous cartoons being published in Norwegian newspapers. This angered the Muslims all over the world. Telenor, one company which is from Norway and operating in Muslim countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan suffered as a result. Many people stopped using their service and many governments threatened or fined the company. To make the matters worse people also protested and damaged their branches. As a result, the company suffered huge losses and at one time it looked like that whole of their investment is going to go wasted. (Grameen Phone, 2005) Similarly, disparity of income in many countries has made matter worse for these businesses. For example, Subway initially entered as luxury brand in Pakistan. But because people in Pakistan are generally poor, they were not able to afford this expensive food and hence the business suffered huge losses until they bring their prices down which implied reduction in profits for SubWay.

Refliction trip Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Refliction trip - Essay Example In fact a meeting will be held just shortly after you arrive referred to as A Welcome Aboard Meeting, whereby you are introduced to captain, staff captain and the hotel director. During this meeting you are informed about the rules and regulations followed by the board and also clarify any question you might have. In my case the leader was a Portuguese girl known as Sarah whereby she has worked for the company for two years. Sarah took the students through the bridge, that is the control room, whereby she introduced to us a girl who went ahead to explain to us how the captain of the ship works and how some of the devices he or she uses work. The girl also goes ahead and tells us how communication is carried on. For instance, she shows us how incoming private calls and also fax are forwarded to the crew member through the ships reception desk and also how the outgoing calls which can be either directly or indirectly can be forwarded through the ships radio station or any of the ships phone. In fact, she told us that outgoing faxes are usually handled through the ships radio station. In addition, she gave us a warning that cellular phones are not permitted on the ship that is, no one is suppose to use their phonecell. Moreover, she took us through the kids section where she went ahead to explain to us how they usually take care of them for instance, she told us the kids are given toys to play around with and their meals are served perfectly on time and also they are given snacks at specified hours. She took us to the pool side whereby we enjoyed a perfect swim. Sara also took us to the dinning room whereby it is referred to as the mess room. We were served with delicious meals, whereby each one eats the meal to their satisfaction. Shortly after our meal, Sara took us to the spa where we enjoyed the luxury. In fact, she told us that medical care was the most important benefit that

Crime of their child Essay Example for Free

Crime of their child Essay The argument here is whether parents play a significant role in the formation of self control towards committing a crime of their child. Well, psychologically, this is still debatable. This is a matter of â€Å"nature or nurture†. The problem is whether the child’s personality is influenced by the environment’s upbringing, the genetic composition of the child, or both. We can not merely say that the formation of self-control towards committing a crime is environmentally motivated—which in most cases the parent’s discipline to their children. There are a lot of parentless people out there and are doing well in the society. In fact, some of them are more responsible and self-disciplined. The person’s personality is not merely dependent on how he is molded when he is a child but also on how he interacted with the environment he is situated. People have free will and are liberated on how he will decide on his life—what to choose, left or right, black or white, good or bad. Let us now talk about genetic composition alone. Do you think that every person has different levels of self control? For me, it is yes. But we can not directly say that personality is solely influenced by the person’s genetic composition but also the shaping by its environment—the parents. There are some people that are used to be bad but have managed and chose to be good. It’s what we call personal autonomy—we have the control to our lives. To conclude, I personally believe that a person’s character is motivated and influenced both genetically and environmentally. The two factors contribute to the formation of the person’s personality, specifically the formation of self control which we are discussing right now.

Post Mortem results and findings of the entire project Essay Example for Free

Post Mortem results and findings of the entire project Essay This MEMO will cover the benefits and drawbacks of a Post Mortem review. It will notify all who are going to be required to partake in the final review meeting. It will also go over what we hope to discover after the termination of the project. Post Mortem Review Pros and Cons Pros: Gives an unbiased review of the project’s life. Enables project manager to analyze the findings of the review and improve on certain aspects in the next project that need attention. Gives a good perspective of everything that was accomplished. This enables the team and manager to feel a sense of pride and satisfaction from job well done. Once the review has been analyzed, it enables the project to officially come to a close. Cons: Hard to ensure all key players, stakeholders, and managers attend the meeting during such an early time of the newly integrated system’s life. Personnel Required to Attend: Certain people within the company are expected to attend the post mortem review meeting either in person, or by telephone conference. These people include: all of the managers who attended the training and were involved throughout this project. Stakeholders, owners, top officers, the project team, and the developers of the new system need to be in attendance. Hopes: The project team and manager hope to discover the following: The overall success of the project. Any downfalls or shortcomings that came up. The owners’ opinions of the end result. The managers’ opinions. The developers’ notes on how well the managers’ were trained. The thoughts of the project team and how they feel improvement could be made.

Development of Intermodal Transportation

Development of Intermodal Transportation A major factor underlying this transformation of freight transport is represented by the changes in the scale, in the composition, and in the structure of the American and global economies. The demand for transportation services has grown in response to the generally brisk performance of the US and global economies in this period. The US economy is becoming dominantly services-oriented, and shifting from mass manufacturing to high value-added custom manufacturing. The resulting combination of increasing information content and decreasing material intensity of goods changes the character and value of goods being moved. Further, the US and other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, in search of lower overall factor costs, have created global and regional free trade regimes, and globally organized production systems and value chains, which require speedy and timely movements of goods. These flows of goods are coordinated across national and global tra nsport nodes and links in order to support the smooth functioning of the globalized economy. Technological changes in the transport sector in the US have arrived in the form of the Interstate Highway System, the jet aircraft, the container and container ships, roll-on/roll-off vessels, and a variety of micro infrastructure to facilitate operations at seaports and airports. The use of information technology (IT) greatly enhances transport operator and system efficiency, offering not only speedier goods transport at declining costs but also the ability to integrate goods supply chains regionally and globally, while maintaining lean inventories. The third factor underlying the major changes in the freight system is the institutional and organizational restructuring of the transport system since the 1980s. Public policies to reform economic institutions by deregulating and privatizing the transport sector have stimulated technical innovations and enhanced productivity in that sector in the process lowering costs and improving speed and reliability. At the same time, two organizational innovations business logistical systems and intermodalism provide major sources of change in the freight sector. Intermodalism is desirable since inefficiencies in the freight sector impact upon the competitiveness of US firms in the transport and transport-using sectors. Intermodalism seeks to enhance the performance of the transportation system by increasing safety, reducing congestion and decreasing delays, thereby enabling more efficient freight and passenger trips (Hickling 1995). Greater efficiency translates into lower costs and an increase in the competitiveness of US firms in the global marketplace. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Act (ISTEA) emphasizes the importance of intermodalism and challenged the transportation authorities, at the federal, state and local levels in the US, to increase interconnectivity between the maritime, air and land transport modes, and thereby enhances the effectiveness of the total network. It is widely recognized in the US, in both industry and policy circles, that cooperation between transport modes has the potential to reduce congestion, especially in major freight corridors. While congestion problems result from a variety of factors, the concentration of production and trade in a relatively small number of metropolitan gateway cities, the increased dominance of a few ports, and the intermodal competition for the same freight, adds to the congestion. The traditional attitude toward infrastructure investment, namely building ones way out of congestion, has not been helpful since Transport integration across modes faces additional complex problems arising from institutional and regulatory choices made at several levels of the government, that is, federal, state and local. These choices, legacies of the past, currently impact upon the costs and the quality of service of freight movement, aspects particularly important during the current phase of increasing globalization. A more complete definition of intermodalism needs to incorporate the physical, institutional and informational elements that facilitate cargo shipments in a seamless manner across different modes. Thus, intermodalism can be more accurately defined as movement of cargo across a transportation network in which the physical, institutional and information infrastructures are integrated to reduce transaction costs and maximize operational efficiencies. Since seamless transport across modes is a major objective, this chapter discusses some of the obstacles to and many of the advances made towards fu rthering intermodalism in freight transport in the US. The major factor underlying the increasing demand for intermodalism is the globalization of the American economy. North America, Europe and other countries have built on the Bretton Woods system, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) to create a global free trade regime, including regional Preferential Trading Areas such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the EU and Mercosur. The industrialized countries, driven by the pressure to reduce overall factor costs in the competitive global economy, are using these open trading regimes to erect a globally distributed production system. There is increasing division of labour in the production processes as component activities are further disaggregated and spatially reallocated. This partition of the production process the slicing of the production value chain across national borders leads to different stages of production being carried out across several countries. The deregulation of the US transport sector since 1978- 80 has not only improved the performance of the various modes, but has also stimulated intermodalism. First, major changes occurred in the US in the conduct, performance and structure of airlines, trucking and railroads after deregulation: more competition among all modal carriers, lower prices, a wider set of service offerings, and new entry into most geographic and product markets. Carriers have been able to rationalize their networks, improve the efficiency of their operations, and set rates in line with competitive market conditions. There was a significant change in the cost structure of the railroad industry following deregulation, with productivity growing at well over 2 per cent a year (Bereskin 1996).

Kids Essay -- essays research papers

Today teenagers wear different styles of clothing to express their personality. All high school students subject themselves to this wild time in their life. Many kids want to fit in with a click or gang, or just want to change friends. A teens unique character and individual style of dress sets them apart from all other kids.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Prep clique contains the students that everybody's parents love. They show off expensive clothes, the type of clothes that a polo player wears. This consists of the striped Ralph Lauren shirt with the classic beige khaki pants. For decoration, they put on the big gold rings and the intelligent looking glasses. To top it all off they model patterned socks with brown shoes and they load on the cologne. The snobby attitude and cocky strut set the preps apart from all other groups of kids. Then the fact that they tend to stick their nose up at people unlike them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kids called punks dress with their favorite punk rock tee shirt like Dead Kennedies, Catch 22, and Bouncing Souls. In addition, the punks wear big baggy pants with Airwalk shoes. Punks, commonly called groupies by the bands they follow around religiously. Punks pierce their bodies in outrageous places like in their tongue, eyebrow, and nose. Their crazy colored hair changes weekly. Kids like this use foul, dirty language that they pick up from their style of punk rock music. Punks tend to go through school with a laid back attitude a...

An Annotation of Paul Laurence Dunbars Ships That Pass In The Night :: Dunbar Ships Pass Night Poem Essays

An Annotation of Paul Laurence Dunbar's Ships That Pass In The Night Laurence Dunbar's "Ship That Pass In The Night" is a cry for opportunity for all men, regardless of race. Dunbar's poem directly parallels a passage from Frederick Douglass' autobiography that gives an account of his life as a slave. Both Douglass and Dunbar look out at the ships that sail by and see hopes for societal changes. Although they both sought change, their aspirations were quite different. Frederick Douglass watched the ships from ashore, wishing for freedom and for slavery to be abolished. Paul Laurence Dunbar on the other hand was already a free man. He was on a ship, still more of an opportunity than Douglass had, yet he was still in search for new opportunities for African Americans. The new opportunities that he seeks are upon a ship somewhere sailing in the dark night and keep passing him by. Links from the poem below are best read in order from the beginning of the poem to the end Ships That Pass In The Night by Paul Laurence Dunbar Out in the sky the great dark clouds are massing; I look far out into the pregnant night, Where I can hear a solemn booming gun And catch the gleaming of a random light, That tells me that the ship I seek is passing, passing. My tearful eyes my soul's deep hurt are glassing; For I would hail and check that ship of ships. I stretch my hands imploring, cry aloud, My voice falls dead a foot from mine own lips, And but its ghost doth reach that vessel, passing, passing. O Earth, O Sky, O Ocean, both surpassing, O heart of mine, O soul that dreads the dark! Is there no hope for me? Is there no way That I may sight and check that speeding bark Which out of sight and sound is passing, passing? The speaker begins by looking out into the night sky and sees a storm brewing. The storm represents the future, and like the nature of a storm, the future is unpredictable. A storm can either be threatening with thunder and lightning, or just a gentle rain that comes and goes. The speaker does not know what the future will bring for African Americans. He only knows that something is going to happen. The night is "pregnant" with opportunity and equality, waiting to deliver to people of all races. But the storm brewing on the night horizon is both threatening and promising for the speaker.

The Problems with Bandwagon Patriotism Essay -- Politics Political Ess

The Problems with Bandwagon Patriotism I’ll admit it, I’m American. I’m an American and I admit, I enjoy it very thoroughly. I enjoy having the right to a free education, choice in who rules over me (who rules, who cares? pun intended), and the right to walk around the streets at three a.m. because I can. But I do not consider myself patriotic, in any way, sense or fashion. The astounding number of Americans nowadays who consider themselves patriotic can overwhelm the small few who were there for America before 9/11. But just what can we do about the bandwagon patriotism and its abuse on middle-eastern oriented Americans; it’s manipulation of American’s gullibility for cheap trinkets, and the backing of leaders in a war we don’t belong in. I believe it’s time to instill more peaceful tactics in our country today. It’s time to stop calling ourselves Americans and start calling ourselves humans. So far America has lost more soldiers in Iraq since the war end ed than we actually lost in the war itself and people of Middle Eastern decent have suffered more embarrassing attacks than most â€Å"average† Americans. Perhaps its time to reconsider the Patriot Act, because truth be told it’s not exactly what our true patriotic forefathers had in mind when they wrote that all men were created equal(despite the fact these men had slaves). Most Americans that watch CNN or FOXnews can tell you that exactly one month after the attacks on the twin towers, that Congress passes â€Å"The Patriot Acts†. But what most Americans can’t tell you is what exactly is inside of these acts. According to the actual document itself, the purpose of The Patriot Acts is: To deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around... ...ic) descent she gave me perhaps one of the most memorable quotes I felt I could have used in my paper. I’m not sure of the legalities of this, or if I should have gotten a written paper, but she said if I wanted to I could use this quote of hers. We were sitting in Barnes and Nobles, and the topic of stealing came up and how ridiculously easy it would be to steal something. Upon hearing this she said, â€Å" It might be easy for you, but whenever I’m shopping somewhere I almost always feel the workers eyes on me, like I’m F(bleep)ing Osama Bin Laden’s daughter or something†. So what does this say about Bandwagon Patriotism? All it does is give Americans another reason to hate, gives scared Americans another scapegoat to point the finger at. So armed with my solutions I hope you will ask yourself, just when will we stop being Americans, and start being humans?

Politeness and Pragmatics in the Context of Cross-Cultural Communication

Throughout almost all societies, politeness plays an integral role in the effectiveness of social life and interaction within the context of both inter-cultural and cross-cultural communication. Within different cultures the definition of politeness may vary substantially and as a result may be appropriated in ways that are largely misunderstood within the context of other cultures.It is for this reason that scholars such as Brown and Levinson have derived theories on politeness and its use within global society, however the seemingly non-existent universal definition of politeness can also be responsible for the criticisms that these theories receive. When discussing the notion of politeness, the study of cross-cultural pragmatics as represented by Thomas, Tannen and Wierzbicka provide a deeper understanding of the appropriation of politeness and the difficulties that emerge as a result of cross-cultural misunderstanding.One of the major theories surrounding politeness is that of Br own and Levinson (1978, later revised in 1987). Brown and Levinson’s theory argues that politeness consists of three basic elements of human interaction: the maintenance of personal face, the acts which may threaten the face of either a speaker or hearer and the politeness strategies used within the context of conversation to maintain face. The concept of ‘face’, according to Brown and Levinson, outlines the human desire of avoiding embarrassment or humiliation whilst maintaining a positive representation of themselves.In accordance with the politeness phenomena theory, face exists in both a positive sense and a negative sense. Positive face is defined simply as ‘self-image’ while negative face refers to the freedom from imposition. The face-threatening act, according to Brown and Levinson, exists in four main categories. Firstly, the act which threatens the hearer’s negative face can include orders, advice, etc. and can ultimately undermine t he hearer’s freedom of action whilst criticism and disagreement can lead to a threat on the hearer’s self-image.Alternatively, acceptance of either apologies or thanks can impact on the speaker’s negative face although issuing an apology or offering a confession can upset the self-image of the speaker. Brown and Levinson theorise that â€Å"the assessment of the seriousness of a face-threatening act involves the following factors in many and perhaps all cultures† (1987, 74). These factors include Social Distance i. e. he acquaintanceship between speaker and hearer, the Relative Power of the speaker in relation to the hearer such as the degree of imposition the speaker holds over the hearer and the Absolute Ranking of the imposition within the context of the culture in which the imposition occurs. The third basic notion of Brown and Levinson’s politeness phenomena theory is that of Politeness Strategies, or simply the formulation of messages in orde r to save the face of the hearer in the wake of an impending face-threatening act.Brown and Levinson outline politeness strategies as being either ‘On-Record’ or ‘Off- Record’. Off-Record strategies avoid the use of direct impositions to maintain a hearer’s face whereas On-Record strategies can be further separated into four categories. Carrying out an act ‘Baldly, without redress’, refers to the act between a speaker and hearer who share a great deal of familiarity and thus make no attempt to avoid the most direct form of imposition. Redressive action’ is the act of the speaker imposing on the hearer while trying to adjust their behaviour to maintain either the positive face or negative face of the hearer. Redressive actions aimed at preserving the positive face of the hearer are known as ‘Positive politeness’ and are employed to enhance the hearer’s self-image.These include the exaggeration of interest in the hearer and his or her interests, sympathising with the hearer and the avoidance of disagreements. Negative politeness’ is a Redressive action aimed at the preservation of the Hearer’s negative face. Negative politeness is achieved through indirectness, deference and apologising for imposition. The politeness theory phenomena has drawn much criticism in subsequent years due to its universality. For example, Goffman advocates that â€Å"each person, subculture and society seems to have its own characteristic repertoire of face-saving practices, yet these are all drawn from a single logically coherent framework of possible practices† (1967, p. 13).Put succinctly, this argument suggests that face does not necessarily belong just to the individual, but rather to sub-culture and society as well, and as a result one concise theory, no matter how logical, cannot possibly serve to represent all cultures in global existence. Tannen, in her discussion of The Pragmatics of Cross-Cultural Communication, outlines several instances in which politeness may become lost in instances of cross-cultural interaction. She outlines eight levels of conversation: when to talk, what to say, pacing and pausing, listenership, intonation, formulaicity, indirectness and cohesion and coherence.In each of these instances misunderstandings may occur and as a result the concept of politeness may be lost. One example provided outlines the difference between American and Japanese businessmen: â€Å"Americans as a group tend to ignore or even rail against indirectness [†¦] but it gets American businessmen in trouble when they try to skip the small talk and get right down to business with Japanese [†¦] counterparts, for whom elaborate ‘small talk’ is big and essential, furnishing the foundation for any business dealings. (1984, p. 193). Thomas simply defines cross-cultural pragmatic failure as the hearer’s inability to ascertain meaning from the speaker. She outlines two distinct types of pragmatic failure: pragmalinguistic failure and sociopragmatic failure. Pragmalinguistic failure occurs when an utterance from a speaker is misused and thus misinterpreted by a native speaker. Sociopragmatic failure is used to â€Å"refer to the social conditions placed on language in use† (Thomas, 1983).These factors are large contributors to the notion of politeness being lost in the context of cross-cultural communication i. e. the dismissal of a compliment by a hearer of non-Western origin (a norm in many non-Western cultures) may be viewed as rude by the issuer of a compliment of Western origin. While Brown and Levinson’s study on the politeness phenomena allows us a greater insight into the workings of politeness in social context, it is fairly evident that its universality is not entirely representative of the practices of all cultural groups.While it can be said that face and face-threatening acts and the resulting po liteness strategies are the basis for much of the appropriation of politeness in human interaction, we must look deeper when discussing politeness on a cross-cultural level. This is evident through a deeper study of the use of politeness in a cross-cultural context and the failures that result in cross-cultural pragmatism.

Worldcom Scandal

WorldCom outrage Formerly k presentlyn as WorldCom, now known as MCI, this U. S. -based telecommunications club was at one time the second-largest long blank space phone company in the U. S. Today, it is peradventure best knownfor a capacious accounting scandal that led to the company file for unsuccessful person protection in 2002. In 1998, the telecommunications industry began to slow nap and WorldComs production line was declining.CEO Bernard Ebbers came under increasing imperativeness from banks to cover molding c tout ensembles on his WorldCom stock that was used to finance his other businesses endeavors. The companys profitableness took another hit when it was forced to dispose its proposed merger with Sprint in juvenile 2000. During 2001, Ebbers persuaded WorldComs board of directors to provide him corporate loans and guarantees totaling practically than $400 million. Ebbers wanted to cover the margin calls, but this strategy ultimately failed and Ebbers was ous ted as CEO in April 2002.Beginning in 1999 and act through May 2002, WorldCom, under the advocate of Scott Sullivan (Chief Financial Officer), David Myers (Senior Vice President and Controller) and Buford Yates (Director of everyday Accounting), used shady accounting methods to overwhelm its declining pecuniary condition by falsely professing financial growth and profitability to increase the price of WorldComs stock. The fraud was through with(p) in two main ways.First, WorldComs accounting department underreported line costs, which ar interconnection expenses with other telecommunication companies, by capitalizing these costs on the balance planing machine rather than properly expensing them. Second, the company sublime revenue enhancements with bogus accounting entries from corporate unallocated revenue accounts. The first discovery of possible culpable activity was by WorldComs own infixed audit department who uncovered well-nigh $3. 8 billion of the fraud in June 2 002. WorldCom said it will restate its financial results for all of 2001 and the first quarter of 2002 to cover almost $3. billion in specie flow off its books, wiping out all profit during those times. The companys shares, among the most heavily traded on Wall Street, fell as much as 76 percent in after-hours action following the declaration and at one point were employment at 20 cents each. These transfers were apparently observe by Cynthia Cooper, WorldComs guilt electric chair internal audit. When informed about what happened, twain the companys current auditor, KPMG, and its occasion auditor, Andersen, agreed that these transfers were not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).Following a review by the companys audit committee, WorldComs board ended Sullivan and accepted the resignation of David F. Myers, senior vice president and controller. The SEC suit came a day later. On July 21, 2002, WorldCom filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protect ion, the largest such filing in join States history. The company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2004 with about $5. 7 billion in debt. At last count, WorldCom has yet to put up its creditors On March 15, 2005 Bernard Ebbers was found sinful of all charges and convicted on fraud, conspiracy and filing false documents with regulators.He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Other former WorldCom officials charged with turn penalties in relation to the companys financial misstatements. Sources (2007, January 31). MCI Inc. Retrieved February 17, 2007 from Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. weathervane web site http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Worldcom (2005, July 13). WorldComs ex-boss gets 25 years. Retrieved February 17, 2007 from British Broadcasting Corporation Web site http//news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/business/4680221. short-term memory http//www. cbsnews. com/2100-201_162-513473. html