José Cuervo Tequila Essay

Expansion to foreign markets is one of the ways in which companies increase their revenues. This expansion is normally preceded by analysis of that market and coming up with strategies to be used. The commonly used business strategy formulation method is SWOT analysis. Business strategies are aimed at improving a company’s competitive position or business unit within an industry or segment. Business strategies can be cooperative or competitive (Wheelen, 2003). Competitive strategies largely focus on costs and differentiation. The various strategies that can be adopted to achieve competitive edge include cost leadership, differentiation, cost focus, or differentiation focus Jose Cuervo Tequila entry strategies This product is manufactured in the Mexican city of Tequila. This tequila is made from agave plant found in Mexico. Tequila is a premium brand targeted at the premium beverage market segment. Before introducing the product to the market, the main factors to consider are marketing, supply of the product and investment as well as control measures e. g. nter the market by acquisition, joint venture etc (Wheelen, 2003). Given the fact that Jose Cuervo Company is a family owned business, the company may not have the resources to counter competitors in an advanced market like the USA. Therefore the company can grant license rights to other companies to manufacture market and distribute the product. In this way, the company can penetrate the market without investing substantial amounts of resources (Diageo Inc, 2009) Jose Cuevo tequila is a premium brand and therefore differentiation focus is the other strategy that the company can use. This type of differentiation focuses on a particular group, segment or geographical market. Since the company makes premium brand tequila, differentiation focus strategy is another possible option that the company can adopt Exporting is the other market entry strategy that the company can adopt to enter the USA market. This strategy will require lower investment although to create awareness about the product, the company has to invest substantial resources on marketing Control and Evaluation. This is the monitoring of corporate activities and performance results so that actual performance can be compared with the desired results. It typically involves determining what to measure, establishing standards of performance, measuring actual performance, comparison of actual performance with standards and taking corrective actions (Wheelen, 2003) Evaluation of the company’s strategies and operations can be done using performance measures such as return on investment, earnings per share, balanced scorecard, benchmarking etc. In this way, the company can be able to tell whether it is performing as expected. The company can evaluate the performance of its target market by using the above measures Controls instituted by the company should be in line with its strategies so as to avoid conflicts that may hinder achievement of objectives. Controls should depict true picture by monitoring important events, being timely, short and long term. Therefore the controls set by the company should not affect its quest to penetrate the market (Wheelen, 2003). Contingency plan In charting new territories e. g. a foreign market, the company should be able to take the necessary measures to ensure business continuity in case of uncertainties. This can be done through the development of a contingency plan. The first step is by identifying potential threats e. g. economic slowdown, changes in laws etc. Coming up with solutions e. g. by diversification or scaling back operations to reduce costs is the next step of a contingency plan (Wheelen, 2003). Implementing the plan by instituting specific measures e. g. by investing in research to come up with new products and setting up a recovery team is the other step. The implemented plan should be tested and agreed upon by everybody in the company to ensure that it achieves the desired results The plan should be maintained by incorporating current conditions e. g. the company should include the current economic slowdown and its effects like lack of credit to the plan. This ensures that the plan is updated.

Media Education Of Debates Education Essay

Media instruction is the procedure of instruction and larning about media, the chief purposes are to develop a critical apprehension and an active engagement. Media instruction has for many old ages been in hunt of a infinite within the course of study, I hope in this assignment to look at how media instruction and media literacy have now found a topographic point within the course of study and have been translated by media instructors into pedagogical pattern. Children and grownups spend a big sum of their clip interacting with media of different types, from electronic mail, Internet, movies, newspapers and nomadic phones. These signifiers of media act as gateways to information, this information can frequently be filled with mass media messages, from advertizements to stereotypes. These messages are subconsciously taken in they have a monolithic impact on single consciousness and determinations ; they affect society as a whole. Media literacy helps to supply pupils with the tools that are necessary to enable them to read and entree information and to inquire inquiries. Media instruction can non entirely consist of production, pupils will non automatically get the critical cognition needed the media needs to be taught and challenged, the practical work does non by itself does non make an independent apprehension for the media. Media literacy should non be defined as a certain set of accomplishments or cognition, it should be looked at as the cardinal constructs of production, linguistic communication, representation and audience. â€Å" It is of import for media pedagogues to ever place unfavorable judgment at the head of our pattern, when incorporating production into the acquisition environment. †[ 1 ] Burn and Durran ( 2007 ) argue that media literacy has societal maps, and they prefer to see it as cardinal to the ‘3-Cs'model of media literacy. They province that audience can be studied in footings of their societal utilizations of the media even though as opposite numbers of manufacturers they have been traditionally seen as consumers of media texts. Social uses of the media average engagement and battle. They besides see the battle with the media as portion of wider cultural composites of gustatory sensation, involvement, pleasance, cognition and expertness which contribute to selfhood. Ofcom uses the undermentioned definition of media literacy ; ‘the ability to entree, understand and create communications in a assortment of contexts ‘[ 2 ]. The above quotation mark has parallels with Burn and Durran ( 2007 ) 3 C ‘s theoretical account. Henry Jenkins looks at the definitions of media literacy and looks at how it must non let pupils to disregard the accomplishments and cognition they already have to derive new cognition, that they must spread out their cognition. Culture in media instruction, the civilization is the values and ideals that are set by the pupils. â€Å" At least in the UK, research suggests that kids are now much more likely to be confined to their places, and much less independently mobile, than they were twenty old ages ago ; and while parents now spend much less clip with their kids, they are trying to counterbalance for this by giving increasing economic resources to child-rearing †[ 3 ] Buckingham ‘s point of position on media literacy is one of that it does non give the right replies but it allows the right inquiries to be asked. Throughout this assignment I am traveling to utilize my work with KS4 pupils making life as portion of the Gold Standard intercession programme. The pupils I work with have the ability to take advantage of an out of school experience. The pupils are welcomed into an educational environment but treated like grownups ; they become responsible for big sums of their ain acquisition. We do non anticipate pupils to walk through the door and go immediately engaged with what we are making, but we endeavour to set them in a place where they want to go occupied. Media instruction offers a new attack that looks at what pupils already know, non merely presuming that it is invalid. â€Å" develop a more automatic manner of instruction and acquisition, in which pupils can reflect on their ain activity both as ‘readers ‘ and as ‘writers ‘ of media texts †[ 4 ] The manner that Buckingham looks at how pupils have the ability to go ‘readers ‘ and ‘writers ‘ of media texts follows many analogues to my ain work with pupils. We get them to make an life and so discourse it, to understand why they have made the picks that they have. Burn and Durran look at how media instruction can be continued through the patterned advance of secondary school and how it can be taught across the course of study. Media instruction is non entirely a topic by itself ; media instruction can be used in many different capable countries. For case utilizing movie doing installations to make an reading of a Shakespeare drama, pupils would non merely be larning Shakespeare but besides larning by making.Hull City Learning CentresFacilitiesThe installations that are on offer at Hull City Learning Centres are as follows, at our East Centre, we have a intent built installation which houses, five instruction suites, each of these suites serves a different intent, each room has been specially designed to run into the demands of the pupils that require them. I am non traveling to travel into excessively much item about the suites as I am traveling to concentrate on the usage of merely one of the suites, but we have a grownup instruction room, a primary room ( which is geared up to KS2 pupils ) , and two KS4 suites, we so have a intent built media suite, which is the room that is used the most. This room has 26 iMac computing machines that double boot Windows and Mac OSX. Green screen shooting installation, HD cameras with illuming rig and sound equipment, it besides has an synergistic white board. The package we have on offer is the ‘free ‘ package bundled with the iMacs including iMovie and the iLife suite, we besides use a piece of life package called I Can Inspire or Pro Animate, I Can Animate is besides available on the Windows side of the machines.FunctionsHull City Learning Centres offer a broad scope of maps ; the chief one being KS4 intercession, working with schools to assist them accomplish the ‘Gold Standard ‘ which is accomplishing 5 A*-C classs at GCSE including Maths and English. The intercession courses that we run are ICT, Maths and English functional accomplishments, OCR subjects, multimedia, picture and life unit. However the chief intercession we offer is NCFE Animation which is the equivalent to 2 GCSE class Bs. We besides offer big instruction categories and KS2 intercession. We have two Centres across Hull, one Centre chiefly deals with the bringing of the Diplomas and the other focal points on intercession. The bringing of the Diplomas has become a large portion of what the CLC ‘s bash now, we deliver certain faculties on IT sheepskin and supply support and installations for the Creative and Media sheepskin. We besides have a conference room which can be used for picture conferencing and meetings, we are the host for a bulk of Local Authority enterprises and we besides support YHGFL ( Yorkshire and Humber Grid for Learning ) . Adult instruction categories are besides on offer a scope from the advanced CISCO networking to the most basic text processing degree 1. We work with the complete novice to the proficient experts, we offer class for grownups to accommodate their demands. We encourage household acquisition, and work with societal services and surrogate carers.ClientelesHull CLC is unfastened to all, we have on offer computing machines for people from the local community to come and utilize, we offer drawn-out installations for the host schools, we encourage schools to utilize as an out of the schoolroom experience. We deal on a twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours footing with people from all societal backgrounds, from primary school kids to our ‘silver surfboarders ‘ .AnimationI would wish to utilize my work with pupils in life as a instance survey in which to research a signifier of media instruction. The types of pupils that I work with tend to be pupils that do n't accomplish good in the normal schoolroom, nevertheless through the procedure of doing and making these pupils normally excel, they find that they can finish work to a high criterion and accomplish GCSE classs by making something that is fun. We find that media literacy has been a powerful tool for us to utilize, it has been noted that pupils that would usually be detached from reading and composing in school become engaged with it, this may be because there is a intent to what they are reading and composing.How we do itWe run the NCFE Animation class on a tight deadline, we have compressed 150 guided acquisition hours into 36 hours. This has been done to enable us to assist as many schools as possible, with every bit small break to the pupils ‘ clip tabular array. It besides helps us to guarantee that pupils attend, a just sum of our pupils have attending issues in school. The pupils that I work with semen to me with a image in their caputs, they are told by school that they are coming to derive an ICT making, when in fact this is n't the instance, pupils come and they complete an life making. To most of the pupils that I work with ICT agencies, databases and spreadsheets. â€Å" Yet, if media instruction is to assist bridge the widening spread between the school and the universe of kids ‘s out-of-school experience, it must certainly get down with the cognition kids already possess †[ 5 ] Buckingham discusses how pupils already have knowledge, through the procedure of this class we use pupils already bing cognition, we show them that they really know a just sum about life and they did n't gain. Once the pupils are introduced to life they instantly have a preconceived thought of what it is. They instantly think of The Simpsons and Family Guy but so few of them see computing machine games as life, they do n't see how life surrounds them. During treatments with the pupils about life, we open their eyes to merely how much it surrounds us, from advertizements to instruction. We get pupils to discourse their different sentiments and thoughts ; we get them to believe about how different groups of pupils may construe a certain piece of life We get pupils to look at lifes that are British, American, European and Asian. We get pupils to discourse how other civilizations use life for amusement and the differences between them. Media analysis is an of import portion of the class it enables us to assist pupils develop critical thought accomplishments, by working on their observations and readings. Students begin to look at how lifes challenge stereotypes and concealed motivations. Students begin to understand some of the ‘hidden messages ‘ in lifes. We do concentrate a batch of clip analyzing alive advertizements looking at who they are aimed at and how different types of life entreaty to different demographics. Before pupils begin believing about what they are traveling to inspire we present them to a assortment of lifes, we show them illustrations of professional work and what other pupils have produced, we get the pupils involved in group treatments about good and bad characteristics of the lifes, we get them to look non merely at the techniques used in the lifes, but we get them to look and believe about how music and sound have been used, we look at the usage of particular effects in station production.What the pupils learnWe spend more clip acquiring the pupils to understand life than bogging them down with complex life and redacting package, we opt for iMovie that comes bundled with the iMacs as our redacting package and Pro Animate as out life package, the package is simple and intuitive, it allows pupils to concentrate on the existent life and non acquire worried about the package. This is frequently a concern of our pupils, they frequently lack in assurance and a nervous about non merely utilizing an unfamiliar operating system ( most of our pupils are merely Windows literate ) but utilizing new package, so we demonstrate the package right at the beginning and show pupils that the package is nice and simple to utilize. We have now started to offer this intercession class to pupils that have particular educational demands and larning jobs, we do n't offer it as a speedy hole for GCSE classs, we offer them it as an experience as something that they can walk off holding made, we focus less on the theory facets of the class and dressed ore on the practical, acquiring pupils to seek different stuffs and techniques. These pupils have frequently been segregated at school and do n't frequently hold the same chances as the chief watercourse pupils. Even though few of these pupils had the ability to read or compose they made and life and instead than compose about what they have done a why, we record them. They are prompted with the same inquiries that other pupils have to compose about, it is clear from the responses that we get from the pupils that they have understood a huge sum of what has been discussed with them. They are able to explicate different signifiers of life and occupations that are available in the life industry. The rules of life are demonstrated through acquiring pupils to make a flipbooks, this introduces them to how life works, how much work goes into it. It is besides utilizing something that the bulk of pupils are familiar ; this enables pupils to larn through making. The custodies on manner of making it assist them to retrieve the procedure, instead than standing and stating pupils how to make it. Students are able to pull on their ain experiences and go engaged in the schoolroom. Surveies have shown that pupils whom are actively engaged in a subject can more actively associate it to the existent universe. ( Hobbs, 2006 ) .Bing originativeWe try and acquire our pupils to be every bit originative as possible when it comes to the practical component, we try and acquire them to look outside the box and off from the norm. This is sometimes difficult as these pupils have a preconceived thought of what ICT is and this is what they have been told they are analyzing, they do n't see how creativeness comes into it. â€Å" The word ‘creativity ‘ is used with many different significances in different contexts†¦ ..In peculiar, it carries a instead different significance in art instruction and media instruction, and in many ways life undertakings cross the boundary between these districts. †[ 6 ] We have to look at the discourses which make up the cultural contexts of these lifes this is outlined by Burn and Durran 2007. When a pupil comes up with a rubric for their life, the thoughts that spring to my head as a instructor and the thoughts that they have are really different, this comes from our difference in cognition. Students frequently look at making an alive piece for portion of a vocal, they print wordss off and make props to fit, and one case that springs to mind is a pupil that was making an life for a vocal that included wordss about returning with no weaponries, this pupil took the actual significance a drew an armless character, when in fact the context was weaponries as in arms and guns. Recently we decided to give the pupils a subject for their lifes the subject was ‘technology ‘ we mentioned iPods, phones, and MP3 participants, when the pupils returned the undermentioned twenty-four hours to get down inspiring the fluctuation of props collected from place for an life about engineering varied significantly from pupil to pupil, some brought in their nomadic phone boxes whilst other brought in patterning clay. I gave the full group the forenoon to work out how they were traveling to utilize their props to make an life advertisement engineering or a piece of engineering. I was nevertheless slightly concerned about how modelling clay could be used, but I allowed the pupil to continue. Once the group began inspiring in the afternoon it became clear the pupil with the modeling clay had great thoughts, she had made an iPod out of patterning clay, created some earphones. This pupil did n't experience the demand to utilize the existent artifact to inspire she fel t it would be better if she created it from abrasion ; she wanted to make her ain original piece of life.Researching and affinity infinitesWhilst pupils are on the life class they are expected to research a assortment of elements to make with the life industry, what is interesting is how reliant pupils are on the cyberspace, pupils take the information presented to them at face value, it is merely when you enter into treatments with pupils about how dependable the information they are is. Many pupils are cognizant that Wikipedia can be altered by anyone with an history but really few realise that this can intend the information is wrong and untrue. Henry Jenkins looks at this farther, he looks at how pupils need to ability to research, take notes, read books, understand and merge secondary beginnings. â€Å" to hold on what kinds of information are being conveyed by assorted systems of representation ; to separate between fact and fiction, fact and sentiment †[ 7 ] An affinity infinite is a topographic point practical or physical that ties people together, based around a shared involvement. I ‘m traveling to utilize Wikipedia as an illustration of an affinity infinite, and the manner that it is used for instruction. Wikipedia enables registered users to upload and redact information about a peculiar subject. Wikipedia like many other affinity infinites allows namelessness therefore it bridges a barrier that is frequently produced by age, sex, instruction, and race to call a few. Although Wikipedia could be filled with inaccurate information, which was a point I made earlier, within in affinity infinites there is normally unwritten regulations that you should merely do remark on things you know about, you should do certain that any quotation marks are accurately referenced. Wikipedia has created like many other affinity infinites an out of school topographic point to larn, it appears to be someplace that pupils feel comfy with. Affinity spaces let informal acquisition to take topographic point harmonizing to James Gee 2004, the usage of affinity infinites does nevertheless necessitate a pupil to be slightly self motivated. Affinity infinites are going far more huge for pupils they now have entree to a wealth of information on the Internet, they besides have the ability to inquire inquiries and articulation forums based around a topic that they are interested in. For case pupils I have worked with have created Facebook groups that they can all pass on about a joint undertaking, the ‘wall ‘ allows pupils post their thoughts and for them to acquire feedback. From my personal point of position and my engagement with the bringing of ICT/IT in an informal instruction scene, I have noted how classs have now slightly changed. The debut of the Diplomas has been a method of making this, what would hold been conventionally taught by ICT instructors in schools, pupils now have a mix of staff, staff like myself that originate from industry, I lead the multimedia unit of the IT sheepskin and give pupils an penetration into how a existent web design undertaking would work. We have staff that runs their ain concerns, we drag our technicians in and acquire them to assist us when it comes to the bringing of networking, we show the pupils the waiter room, they get to see it existent life non merely in images. Burn and Durran 2007 discuss how ICT has changed and now non merely allows pupils to make spreadsheets and databases, but now allows them to make artifacts that were one time merely created by extremely skilled experts. Affinity infinites are portion of informal instruction and tantrum in good with the manner of instruction and larning on offer at the CLC. Informal instruction has the ability to be advanced whereas formal instruction does n't be given to be. Affinity infinites are taking to a more originative manner of instruction and acquisition.Participatory civilizationHarmonizing to the five points of definition outlined by Jenkins 2006, is where cognition can be cascaded down from those that are experts down to those that are novitiates. â€Å" And yet kids — peculiarly younger children-are progressively take parting in cultural and societal universes that are unaccessible, even inexplicable to their parents. †[ 8 ] Childs are far stand outing their parents in their cognition of computing machines, as a instructor of ICT I have become quite cognizant of how of import maintaining my accomplishments up has become, many pupils arrive with a surprisingly huge cognition of many package applications and to enable me to trouble-shoot these package applications I have to cognize how they work, nevertheless, this is n't ever possible. Technology is traveling so rapidly that as staff we frequently become bogged down with what we have to cognize instead than looking at what we should cognize. â€Å" Participatory civilization shifts the focal point of literacy from single look to community engagement. †[ 9 ] The above quotation mark by Jenkins suggests how media operates in specific contexts that lead to the how and why they are being used. A computing machine does non bring forth an result without a user, intending engagement is necessary, the sum of engagement does depend on the user. Some users will merely touch the surface of what the computing machine can make and other will delve right down into the nucleus, some will even come on to go experts. Most immature people are active participants of computing machines through the undermentioned outlined by Jenkins 2006 ; Affiliations, many immature people are members of formal and informal online communities based around a specific subject. For case many immature people will be utilizing facebook, Myspace and bet oning forums. These societal sites allow users with the same involvement to pass on at the same degree, it allows experts to go through on cognition and novitiates to derive cognition. These types of associations are now going more evident in the schoolroom, with pupils making ‘groups ‘ to assist each other with class work. Expressions, this is the production of new originative signifiers, such as mash ups, picture devising, fan fictions. Users are able to entree these via web sites such as youtube.com, many students/young people when presented with a challenge now look it up on youtube. Youtube enable users to see and upload pictures, many videos that have been uploaded have been uploaded to demo how to make something, there is a wealth of information available on youtube. Many of the pupils that I work with when they have produced movies or lifes want to upload them to the cyberspace for the universe to see. Collaborative job resolution, this allows users to work together as a squad ; this allows jobs to be solved in a formal and informal manner. This method allows immature people to finish undertakings and develop new cognition. As discussed antecedently many pupils use Wikipedia which allows them to collaboratively work out jobs, even to a certain extent Facebook allows this with the map of being able to make groups. Circulations, determining the flow of media, this is frequently done through web provenders, web logs, podcast and on Facebook ‘statuses ‘ . Many immature people broadcast the media they wish to portion by updating their positions or posting to their walls. Participatory civilization is now going the head of instruction and the schoolroom, the accomplishments that are acquired through the legion signifiers of participatory civilization will help immature people in the development of accomplishments and the comprehension of the encompassing universe.The engagement spreadWith this in head, I sometime have a cognition spread, to increase my cognition and assist other pupils I get the pupils that know the package to sit and demo me how they did something, this is n't merely reenforcing their cognition but it is besides leting me to larn on the occupation. As mentioned antecedently as a CLC we work with everyone from the most basic of users to the most advanced. We try and encourage household acquisition, this is to assist cut down the engagement spread, most families have a computing machine that is normally monopolised by the adolescents, the parents frequently do n't acquire a expression in, which frequently means they do n't cognize what their kids are making or even how they are making this. We try and bridge this spread we invite KS3 and 4 pupils to the CLC for 10 categories in which we teach parents how to supervise and protect their kids when they are utilizing a computing machine, we besides teach the pupils how to utilize different package to finish different undertakings, we so spend six hebdomads working with them together to make a combined piece of work, frequently this takes the signifier of a picture, which they have filmed, edited and rendered to harrow. We show the parents how they can assist their kids how they can a cquire involved and we besides show them that they can make it. However, when these parents/carers arrive they are frequently daunted by the fact that their kid knows more than they do. We as a CLC are seeking to cut down the engagement spread farther by going involved with the Governments Home Access strategy, we are besides flying a strategy to supply wireless internet entree to all secondary age pupils, and we are flying it with one school and the environing country. Through surveies that have been carried out, it indicates that if a pupil has entree to a computing machine in their first twelvemonth of secondary school they are more likely to go through English and maths at GCSE.DecisionThe alterations in the civilization of instruction over the past few old ages have affected the methods of instruction. Media instruction and all of what comes with it is still developing and happening its topographic point within the course of study, it is get downing to stand out and is going something that instructor have to believe about. Media instruction is being used in all capable countries but how and why it is being used demands to be defined merely utilizing it for the interest of utilizing it, is n't a good usage of clip and resources. Students all need to be made cognizant of why they are doing the determinations that they are and how they impact their ain acquisition. There are nevertheless from my ain observations learning staffs that refuse to believe that media instruction is of import, they do non implant their lessons to utilize media of any description, even though the installations are on offer. There is off class the teaching staff that see media instruction as the ability to bring forth a ill formed PowerPoint presentation about the consequence of planetary heating. These members of staff demand to be educated in what is media literacy and media instruction and shown how to utilize it efficaciously within their lessons. We must go on to believe about whether media instruction can be used as a model for all media. Media instruction should let pupils and learning staff to develop accomplishments and apprehension of how they are take parting. Media instruction is n't a speedy hole to a deadening lesson program nor should it be used a method merely to jazz up a category. Students should go engaged in what they are making because they understand why they are making it, and how they are traveling to make it.

Canadian Multiculturalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Canadian Multiculturalism - Essay Example The emphasis that we look upon the theoretical foundations is of the policies instead of focusing on their historical roots. Another important theory and policy would be that of Interculturalism which involves the acceptance of a multicultural fact and tries to effectively exist in a society thus promoting dialogue and interaction between cultures (Garcea et al, 2008). The constant criticism it has brought forth of the existing policies of multiculturalism and maintains the ideology that multiculturalism failed to include different cultures within our society, and instead it has divided society and has isolated and accentuated their specificity e. g. Quà ©bec. The question that arises in particular; Is Canadian Multiculturalism the same as it was before? Therefore, the primary goal of this paper is to outline multicultural policies in Canada in an historical context. Thus this will relate to the change from the ‘new nationalism’ to a philosophy of multiculturalism as the basis of the national identities of English-speaking Canada. Afterwards, this paper will dive into the exploration of the issues ensuing Quà ©bec’s Interculturalism and its discriminatory rights and religious persecution of immigration. The change in context influences the government’s policies towards migrants, which integration to a multicultural policy is the basis of the approach in Canada. Looking further at some benefits of multiculturalism, the policies that it encourages migrants to be able to retain their culture thus benefitting a new national culture in Canada.

Research the discussions of whether or not Beowulf is a Christian or Essay

Research the discussions of whether or not Beowulf is a Christian or pagan poem and explain how modern audiences should understand it - Essay Example In many ways, it was an inspired approach, and Christianity’s evangelical methods helped the religion seep across the West and take firm root among its people. Still, the marriage of Christian virtues and local tradition was not always a natural one, and Beowulf is one of the best examples of this battle between old and new ethics. Though Beowulf is considered the first Christian epic by many literary historians, one can also argue that Beowulf is the last stand of pagan faith in the North – a cautionary tale about the repercussions of adopting Christian values over the ones that had served the Northern leaders well in pre-Christian times. In fact, Beowulf might be read as a battle, not just between the hero and the three monsters of the tale, but between the traditional Norse values and the new Christian ethos. Like Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus or I Samuel in the Old Testament, Beowulf feels anachronistic – much of its content could easily be lifted and reset as the plot for a modern action film. The critical events of Beowulf center on violence – like a good action movie, the violence is the point, and the rest of the narrative is wrapped around it in a fairly gratuitous bow. (This may be one reason critics like W.P. Ker have classified Beowulf as second-class literature despite its historic significance.) This emphasis on violence is one of the most salient examples of the conflict between Christian virtues and pagan values in Beowulf. As Thomas Prendergast points out, Beowulf’s ostensible rejection of violence – an adoption of Christian pacifist values – it belied by the relish with which the poem describes the violence it contains: â€Å"For even as the work’s narrator cautions against the idolatrous seductions of violence, the work u nfolds as an idolatrous memorialization of the pleasures of violence—a pleasure compulsively repeated in

The assessment will involve a series of tasks relating to the Research Paper

The assessment will involve a series of tasks relating to the identification, conservation, documentation and interpretation of an art work from the Hatton Gallerys collection - Research Paper Example Light and Ultra Violet radiation (UV) contains some energy that catalyzes chemical reaction leading to deterioration. The two main ways that one can measure the response of light is through Color Rendering Index (CRI) and Color Temperature (CT). CRI may be measured in a scale of zero-100. However, the museum lighting designers have suggested 80-100 so that colors can be viewed properly but does not also affect the painting. The level of light in museum is always measured using light meters in lux or using foot candles. This is the measurement of the intensity of the light over one square meter. Sometimes watercolor painting may be placed on exhibition for some months at a level of 50 to 150 lux and yet they do not show some fading. Lower light levels of 50-150 are important for light sensitive materials like watercolor painting. The extent of damage can always be measured lux hours (lx h) the maximum level of light exposure that watercolor painting can sustain annually is 50,000 lxh. Another very important aspect of protection of the watercolor painting is to ensure that the painting is kept off places that have fluctuation of humidity and temperature. The best temperature that would ensure that watercolor painting is stored safely is that which is around 20 degrees F. Places where temperatures may drop to 40 degrees and goes up to 80 degrees at night and day respectively, may not be the best place to store watercolor Fluctuation in temperature usually has a very severe effect on the watercolor painting. When exposing the painting into light, it should be observed that the painting needs not be kept on light for prolonged period of time, especially with too bright light of all types. Watercolor painting always demand that they are kept in places that are not damp. Damp places usually enhance molding, which has ability to promote coloring change. Sometimes the water color painting may be framed under glass.

Emotions Atitudes and Job Satisfaction Assignment

Emotions Atitudes and Job Satisfaction - Assignment Example Besides, the moods affect the personal perception and judgments. The long-term exposures to stress filled environments or moods suggesting negativity are a recipe to certain illnesses as ulcers, diabetes, and heart disease. In relation to job performance, the decision-making under the spell of negative mood leads to poor and regrettable decisions that often affect the company in which an individual works (KOSTEAS, 2010). On the other hand, it is important to learn the benefits that accrue to positive mood. In contrast to negative mood, the positive mood is responsible for instilling courage, by motivating creativity and widening the possibility of amicable solution to problems. This critical component influences the ability to make positive decisions that work to the benefit of the company. Despite the fact that positive moods often work to the advantage of most companies, it can also create false optimism, as it often entails exaggerated excitement. His can influence mistimed and careless negative decision-making. In a bid to understand moods, it is important to understand the details of emotions. Emotions are reciprocal with such factors as disposition, temperament, motivation, mood and personality. The major influencers of the emotions are neurotransmitters and hormones, such as serotonin and dopamine. Dopamine, for instance, affects the individual’s mood and level of energy. On the other hand, serotonin affects the skills of critical thinking. These are the components of emotional behavior. Evidently, emotions are largely a chemical imbalance in the mind for negative emotional behavior, or a mental chemical balance for a positive emotional behavior. The implications of a certain emotional trait are responsible for complications in an individual’s reaction to social interaction. Besides, the emotions can blur judgments without the ability of a person

COLLABORATIVE OR PRINCIPLED NEGOTIATION Assignment - 1

COLLABORATIVE OR PRINCIPLED NEGOTIATION - Assignment Example It will also be very important not to ignore the fact that principled negotiation is thorough in terms of the factors that are considered and the presentation of the various requirements of the software stakeholders. This is a technique that has proved to be effective for a person who intends to separate the problem from the stakeholders. For example, clients might not have the same computing background as the suppliers or developers. This implies that there should be a way through which the requirements can take into consideration the difference in the nature of the differences of the stakeholders if in any case the project is to become a success. This is a method that can also enable engineering of requirements to be based on the interests of the negotiators rather than their positions. Through focusing on the interests, a software developer might be able to determine the common ground for all the stakeholders. This is basically because he nature of the software that is developed will need to be in accordance to the requirements of the suppliers and the end users. This negotiation approach also allows for the invention of mutual gain. One thing about computers system is that they usually evolve with time. For instance, in this case it was discovered that the money that was availed by the government would not be sufficient for the required hardware for the necessary spreading of implementation functionality. Therefore, the negotiation process led to the division of the whole project into phases with the first phase being the most important one which was food control. The division into phases was a result of thorough study of the interests of the stakeholder and looking of the most appropriate way through which all the stakeholders would be satisfied even with the limited resources. The fact that people rarely change their positions,

RISK MANAGEMENT 3PL (THIRD-PARTY LOGISTICS PROVIDER) Dissertation

RISK MANAGEMENT 3PL (THIRD-PARTY LOGISTICS PROVIDER) - Dissertation Example Also, the logistics industry is transforming speedily because of lack of control in transportation scenario due to TPLs working in the technologically advanced environment of internet, e-commerce, and other electronic ways to offer logistics services (Marsh, 2007). TPL has been variously defined in literature. A definition of TPL by Knemeyer & Murphy (2005, p. 710) citing Murphy and Poist (1998), point out that TPL involves â€Å"a relationship between a shipper and a third party which, when compared with basic services, has more customized offerings, encompasses a broader number of service functions and is characterized by a longer-term, more mutually beneficial relationship.† It is a narrower definition of TPL focusing on the word â€Å"relationship†, highlighting the long term outlook of the TPL for completing various strategic functions. When it comes to managing risks, sufficient literature is available on risk management in general, but when it comes to risk ident ification, research related to identification of risks is still in nascent level. Companies need to invest resources in attempting to identify the risks systematically; nevertheless, methods to follow systemic approaches are few and scarce. The similar viewpoint is offered by Zsidsin et al., as cited by Rao & Goldsby (2009, p. 98) that â€Å"few studies exist that explore the key constructs necessary for assessing supply [chain] risk†. The research gap between risk identification and risk mitigation, therefore, needs to be worked out by selecting Saudi Arabia, a country of the Middle-East. The example of Saudi Arabia can set the pace for creating better understanding on TPL risks in an emerging field, as developed Western countries have already seen it happening along the complexity of the risk types and their management. Further, selecting a country as a methodology would help in finding ways of improving the current situation of the TPL firms in Saudi Arabia. Addition of el ectronic interface to the TPL industry has increased its liability risks, such as failure to securely provide reach and connectivity to its internet and extranet portals. These risk exposures are unforeseen and are not always binding by contracts. As customers of TPLs are equally technology-efficient, therefore, exhibit least inclination to be partners in liability risks with TPLs, thus, increasing risk exposure of TPLs. For instance, websites of TPLs are very interactive for providing a good user experience to their customers for selecting freight carriers, checking about shipments or stock, and sending shipment instructions. Thus, various liability risks could be related to TPL functions over internet reach for completing shipping, billing, and claims documentation procedures, tariffs, posting of carrier, stock, tracking, and management of transportation, load, administrative services, claims etc. among others (Marsh USA, 2007). Although TPL network has become highly globalised bu t considering the country-specific example, which in this case is Saudi Arabia, one can see that growth of TPL in the Middle East countries is relatively not as dynamic as in developed countries of Europe and the USA. When it comes to approximation of TPL risks and risks mitigation in Saudi Arabia, one finds handicapped due to the lack of empirical data across the whole Arab region although research reveals that overall

Contentment from a Different Person’s’ Perspective Essay Example for Free

Contentment from a Different Person’s’ Perspective Essay â€Å"God knows best†. This is a title of one of the poems made by Helen Steiner Rice. It is stated in the poem that whatever challenges that come in people’s lives, it is not a punishment but an opportunity to be strong. Tears that flow from eyes will eventually become a source of courage to face life’s’ enduring trials. Sarah’s story is a story of a person who was deep challenged by God. As further reading, try to discern how God used miseries to make her a better person. Sarah is a 40-year-old woman whose life absolutely did not just began at her present age. She is a businesswoman and lives in a fast-paced world in the city. Her business is engaged in food industry and doing well in the present time. She had bought lands from several provinces where she plans to construct additional houses. At first sight, she seemed to live in just about a perfect life. However, she has no family of her own. The only family she considers is her nephew, Aldrin. She serves as his guardian for 13 years now. Aldrin suffers from one type of autism, the Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Pervasive Developmental Disorder or also termed as â€Å"atypical autism†, is a kind of catchall category for children who have some autistic problems but who don’t fit into other categories. Many people thinks that Aldrin is the only thorn of Sarah’s’ life. Little do they know that he is actually one of Sarah’s’ reason of existence. â€Å"It is not that I have no choice. I see myself from him. We both seemed outcast from our loved ones. Besides, I got no one except him. I give him love that his parents failed to provide him. In return, I receive love from a very special son which I ever dreamt of having. † Sarah, like her nephew, suffers from a different illness. She had been trying to escape a painful past. At 25, she had a child. It was a baby boy named Kurt. He was a premature baby and in fact a miracle for his part to be born alive. Unfortunately, after two years, God had to take back the child from her. His heart was too weak to make him stable. It was the most tragic moment for Sarah. She questioned God why she had to have Kurt if he will be gone right away. For 3 years, she doubted God until Aldrin enters her life. One unusual day, her sister visited her. She asked her to take care of Aldrin for two months and that she had to leave for work. The supposedly two months became years. It took long for Sarah to give herself a chance to love again. Every day, she wishes Kurt to replace Aldrin’s side. She had a lot of what if’s and could have been’s before she realized her purpose for Aldrin. Every day they spent together, she learns to sympathize with Aldrin’s condition. â€Å"I am not the only person who is being challenged by God. There is lot of people who undergo worse cases than mine. I am in fact more privileged than them. God gives me not a responsibility but a mission for someone as special as Aldrin†, Sarah said. Before, she wandered why Aldrin had to be part of her life. After years of taking care of him, she becomes more concern to why he had to be part of his, and what more can she do to help him. Indeed, people go through tough situations in life. These situations somehow define how each people are different from one another. God has his own way of molding each person. Sarah’s’ story is just one of the stories of life. There is lot of untold ones which seemed unimaginable yet real. It is only when a person understands why these situations occur that will help him appreciate and discern how God wants him to be shaped in his image. (662) Works Cited Ricamara, Sarah J. Personal Interview. 16 April 2009.

The current state of Company Q Essay Example for Free

The current state of Company Q Essay The current state of Company Q’s attitude toward social responsibility is by far obsolete. The sheer fact that the company would rather throw away good product then help the community not only gives the community a clear view that they do not matter but it also shows that the company is more about their bottom line then fostering a community. Also the fact that Company Q has closed stores due to loss of revenue shows that they did not house products that section of the community caters to. A higher income section could well afford organically grown produce as well as high end cheeses where as a low income section would opt for more affordable products like boxed meals and generic brands. Company Q’s fear of employees stealing should not deter them from donating it should be a sign that their employees are hurting. For small companies to survive they need to treat their employees well and create a work community. One where everyone works together for the good of the company and the welfare of the people it serves. Company Q does not show any signs of this currently but not all is lost. Even though Company Q is a smaller company with fewer resources than a large corporation they have an advantage in making social responsibility part of the company’s core mission by being able to interact with the community on a more personal level. Company Q’s workers will most likely live in the community they are working in. Being a smaller store they will have fewer employees cultivating a more intimate environment. Company Q needs to introduce new ways of thinking and get more involved into the community to turn their current trend of failure to have any social responsibility to one that promotes it from the inside out. Putting social responsibility into the company’s core values will be more than words but a call to action. If you take care of your community your community will take care of you. While it is genuinely understandable that Company Q fears profit loss from high crime rate areas the solution is not to run but to build a stronger bond with your employees to create a shared value. A happy employee is a productive employee. If an employee is happy and feels like they are treated with respect then they are going to work extra hard and bear some of Company Q’s responsibilities to prevent profit loss. A happy employee wants to keep his/her job and will work hard to ensure this. If management says they have some concerns with profit loss due to theft and ask the employees to keep an extra eye out for anyone suspicious and report  it immediately the store will ultimately see a turn around. While you cannot prevent theft every time with large store involvement by visually showing strength you will prevent a good portion of it. Company Q’s community involvement doesn’t need to stop there. Management can develop an internship program for local youth. They can shadow members of the store to see how a business works from the inside and that the work they do and the decisions they make are important and it will show them their actions not only affect them but others as well. Professor Christopher Koliba of The University of Vermont (Koliba, 2000) wrote â€Å"give young people the opportunity to participate in decision-making about meaningful issues can have an impact on their sense of responsibility, their ability to take a collective perspective, their pro-social behavior, their understanding of democratic values and processes, and their personal and political efficacy.† Professor Koliba goes on to explain that education plays an important role within the life of local communities to varying degrees. Research like this shows us that youth will flourish if given the right tools to do so. This will not only help them make better decisions but also give them the tools to influence their friends to do the same. Youth will usually listen more to peers than parents. Another great aspect of an internship program is the ability to gain work experience. My last suggestion to Company Q to move the company to a more social responsible partner in the community is to conduct health related educational classes. Provide information on ways for families to provide nutritious meals without spending a lot. Many customers complained that not enough organic or health conscious products were available in the store. The company can get involved with local farms to not only provide a business to business relationship but this small business relationship does not endure large production costs and gives the store the ability to charge less for the fresher food. Also these local farmers would be great resources of information for the health classes. They have first had knowledge on the importance of eating fresh foods. Also Company Q can expand the internship program to include the local farmers and if a member of your family volunteers a few hours of their time they can receive some of the product to take home thus taking off some of the financial burden of the high cost of food. While the current view of Company Q in the community may not be very high at the moment it has lots of room for improvement. I know  if the company implements the suggestions set forth they will end up with a great foundation of social responsibility. The business will thrive giving the shareholders higher profits at the same time giving the community a trusted and socially responsible business. References Koliba, C. (2000, May 8). Democracy and Education; Schools and Communities Research Project. Retrieved from http://www.uvm.edu/~dwey/articles/Democonc.html

Sociological Perspectives Institution Of The Family

Sociological Perspectives Institution Of The Family Society is the subject of the social sciences. Generally Speaking society is that complex social organization of human beings that share an identity inhabiting dynamic relationships and a distinctive culture. Members of a society identify themselves through that society and work together with other members to ensure that the rules generally agreed upon by all members to govern how they relate to each other are in place. Sociological perspectives are viewpoints from which we study and understand society and its varied mechanics and elements. There are varied sociological perspectives available to social scientists for the purpose of study. What sociological perspective is used depends on the theories and purposes of the one undertaking the study. Functionalism, Conflict theory, and Social Interactionism are sociological perspectives that I believe can be used to study the social unit of the family. Functionalism looks at the family as if it was one mechanical entity with every member of the family taking on a role and a function affecting the whole. For example, the mother is the nurturer, support to the husband in terms of keeping the family together taking on household duties as well as economic duties; the father, traditionally is head of the family whose primary function is to provide for the economic and financial needs of his wife and children; the children are dependent on their parents but take on an important role towards each other and to their parents. What these roles are vary according to the age of the children and their stage in life. In the elder years of their parents, the children are expected to become the nurturer and provider for their parents, a role reversal of sorts. Since a functionalist perspectives focuses on roles/functions, when a family is in a state of conflict, the dynamics of family function can be looked at to pinpoint the areas of issue/tension for the purpose of finding solutions. Now, from a functionalist perspective, how can a member of a family view self and society? First off, the self-view will be rooted in function and expectations. The father for example will view himself as one who must provide for and protect his family based on standard expectations of what fathers do and what fatherhood means in the society he belongs to. He will view society as one of function and structure as well where his family makes up a unit integral to the functioning social groups he/his family belongs. Roles then will become part of the expected mental images a functionalist perspective gives in terms of viewing family and society. Thus, the roles of mother, father, daughter, son, aunt, uncle, grandparents, cousins all these are based on social and cultural standards. This extend s out to expected roles functions of key individuals in society as well as social groups (i.e. Priest, teachers, politicians, employers, church, government, businesses, etc.). In terms of social change, if change is systemic, it will be based on or will have to be rooted in the need to overhaul or effect a particular function for the purpose of adapting to or surviving challenges, conflicts or trends. Take for example the trend of and the established need to adapt to new communication technologies (3G phones, mobile internet). Once families used to not need such technologies to keep track of and keep in touch with family members to nurture relationships and fulfil obligations. Now though, parents and children have adapted digital technology in their lives to harness the function of connectivity and communication providing new avenues for family connectedness. On Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic interactionism as a perspective on the other hand looks at the micro relationships between family members looking at their everyday life and the relationship all members have with each other. It seeks to find out the finer details of social relationships in order to understand why they work/dont work. It seeks to see whether families attach certain meanings to social stereotypes in relation to their expectations from each other. At the same time it also seeks to understand how each other come to mean in the lives, choices and interpretations of each member. It seeks to establish the strength and frailty of familial relationships by providing details. It is different from functionalism in that it focuses on quality meaning of relationships instead of function alone. While functionalism sees the family as an organic entity that follows a unique structure according to role designation within the family-group, symbolic interactionism gives more weight to the function of relat ionships in the family structure. For example, the importance of family bonds can be measured in the way family members act towards each other. For Herbert Blumer (1986), the originator of the theory, familial relationships are best understood via the discourses and interactions of family members in their relationships towards each other for meaning is created via this, relationships built, conflicts resolved, positions taken. In other words, this sociological perspective is a discursive microscope that can create a genealogy of family relations and provide a picture of shared beliefs and unique family behaviour that contribute (or due to lack of prohibits from creating) towards a shared family culture and identity. What does this mean for members of a family? It is in discourse that meaning is created. Cultures and traditions of families are built over interaction and shared histories. Without interaction, meaning and relationships cannot be built. For individual members of the fam ily then, family is viewed as a dynamic and continual interaction with each other that allow for meanings and symbolisms to be invested and shared by those who interact. For example, a father can only be a father if he interacts with his children to fulfil his own expectations of himself as a father to his children and if the children respond to him in such a way that the interaction establishes a communication exchange, a discourse where father and children find meaning in each other. Therefore while the father works to provide for his children, without interaction, this relationship is not socially established in meaning making familial relations between father and children non-existent. Society from this perspective is seen as a massive social structure where truth and structures are established based on discourse; without interaction, without discourse, there is no progress especially in terms of shared cultural practices. A family vested in social interaction sees active relati onships as essential in establishing bonds and social change, at least within the family will only happen via discourse. For example, a status qou must be arrived at via discourse in which members of the family have come to agree or view a particular position or necessary action similarly to warrant collective shift in approaches or performance of a particular action. The Conflict Theory Conflict theory, a perspective rooted in the ideas of Emile Durkheim (social conflict crime) Karl Marx (dialectical materialism/Marxism) looks into differentials of power how power, influence and authority influences the distribution of access to resources, for example, in a particular social group. Hence, it is a good perspective in the study of criminology for it can be used to pinpoint the source/forces behind criminality due to access/lack of access to power economic resources. As a perspective in understanding the social unit of the family however, conflict theory can be used to understand the power relations in the family the hierarchy of family authority and control. Thus the use of conflict theory in the study of the family unit can be said to focus on the negative aspects of family structure and relations; at the same time however such a focus can it also bring out the relations of gender, of power and of control. Eventually, it is easy enough to identify who controls w hat and which in the family in order to assign responsibility and correct social and relationship conflict. Conflict theory is a tool used in identifying family issues in order to find ways to fix them. For instance, if a teen is having issues with his/her parents, conflict theory can be used to analyze and pinpoint the source of friction in order to ascertain remedies in fixing parent and child relations. In the case of extended families that are so typical in parts of Asia (i.e. Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam) wherein extended families allow economic and social support for members of the clan that cannot otherwise support themselves, their children and their needs, conflict theory is perfect in unravelling the relations of power and control including identifying factions, matriarchy patriarchy patterns and areas of resolution (especially if the conflict theory is taken on to resolve a familial issue). Members of a family using the conflict theory can be viewed as so cial agents differentiated by their access to power and resources. Hence, they are essentially competing with each other. A family member can look into ones position in the family to assess his or her access to influence, power and resources to determine his/her position in the family. If parents, for example are fair, and if the mother and the father see each other as equals then in the decisions that they make, this is reflected. But if this is not the case, if the father has more say in family matters including economic issues, then there is a differential between husband and wife in terms of familial authority. If all children in the family are treated the same and given similar opportunities, then one can say that access to resources and authority is fair; but if one is treated better than the other then there is definitely a differential in terms of access to power and resources between children. Members of families who view their primary grouping as one of competition for res ources (i.e. one of conflict) sees society as a bigger representation of their own issues to resources and authority within their families. They will view society as an intensely competitive social arena where to survive; one must be adept in working towards more power and access to resources via structures like schools, government and civilian organizations (businesses, NGOs, private firms). Social change is inevitable for status qou will change dependent on the sway of power at any given time. From this perspective, society is continually changing and power changes hands regularly due to competition. Word Count:1,729

Caesars Conquest Of Gaul Essay -- essays research papers fc

Caesar’s Conquest of Gaul Gaius Julius Caesar, born 100 B.C.E. in Rome to the impoverished patrician Julian Clan, knew controversy at an early age. Nephew to Populare Gaius Marius, he was earmarked by the Optimate dictator Sulla for prosciption after his refusal to divorce his Populare wife, Cinna. Fleeing Rome, and not returning until after Sulla’s resignation in 78 B.C.E, upon his return he gained a position as a pontificate, an important Roman priesthood. Slowly but surely throughout his lifetime he worked his way up the political ladder, eventually becoming Consul, and finally Dictator Perpeteus – Dictator for life. One of the most influential political and military leaders of all time, Caesar was also a highly intelligent man and an exceptional orator. However, acquiring this absolute power was no mean feat, and Caesar had well equipped himself through previous expeditions with all the resources necessary to gain power in Ancient Rome. One such â€Å"expedition† was Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul. Through Gaul, Caesar found a way to acquire power and prestige for himself within the Roman political arena. Therefore, Caesar’s conquest of Gaul was incidental to his rise to power, and was merely used as a â€Å"stepping-stone† by which he could climb further up the political ladder, following the traditional path of the cursus honorum. His conquest of Gaul gave him all the resources necessary to climb the political ladder – wealth, popular support by the people of Rome, and, most importantly of all, the support of a staunchly loyal and experienced army. In previous years, Caesar had relied upon the wealth and prestige of others in order to further his own political and military ambitions. Before his governorship of Cisalpine Gaul, he relied heavily upon the financial support of Crassus (whom was his main creditor) to gain favour with the Roman public. However, with his appointment as proconsul of Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum in 58 B.C.E, Caesar saw an opportunity to increase his own wealth and prestige without relying upon the support of others. To his command of Cisalpine Gaul, he was also later given the command of Transalpine Gaul. His command of the Gallic region had several advantages. Firstly, the Po Valley was an excellent recruiting ground for troops. Secondly through Gaul, Caesar had an opportunity to acquire great wealth, which would be needed to fur... ...on Caesar (Translated by John Dryden) 75 B.C.E. [ON-LINE] http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/caesar.html (7)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plutarch on Caesar (Translated by John Dryden) 75 B.C.E. [ON-LINE] http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/caesar.html (8)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grant, Michael The Twelve Caesars (1975) Scribner, New York pp 31-33 (9)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gelzer, Matthias Caesar: Politican and Statesman (Translated by Peter Needham) (1968) Harvard University Press pp 329-331 (10)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plutarch on Caesar (Translated by John Dryden) 75 B.C.E. [ON-LINE] http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/caesar.html Bibliography Bradley, Pamela Ancient Rome: Using Evidence (1990) Edward Arnold (Australia), Victoria Gelzer, Matthias Caesar: Politican and Statesman (Translated by Peter Needham) (1968) Harvard University Press, Harvard University Grant, Michael The Twelve Caesars (1975) Scribner, New York Plutarch Caesar (Translated by John Dryden) 75 B.C.E. [ON-LINE] http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/caesar.html Suetonius The Lives of the Caesars, The Deified Julius 110 B.C.E. [ON-LINE] http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/suetonius-julius.html

Toni Morrisons Sula - Breaking the Rules :: Sula Essays

Breaking the Rules in Sula A community separates themselves from other individuals in a given society. Certain communities carry their own separate rules or laws. It combines a number of people into one group, one way of thinking. Many communities come together because they share the same common goal or interests. On may occasions, a group or community forms when someone is different from the majority. A good example of that would be when a child is being teased in school because he has glasses or braces. Toni morrison's Sula is a story about a woman whose individuality brought a little town in Ohio together to side with each other against her. The novel Sula raises the question in how people or communities come together. In Sula's case, her abandonment of the town has sent her in a position of being an outcast. Sula's community views her carefree and wild ways obscene and inappropriate. A good example would be her need for many sexual partners. Sula beds with many of the men in her town, whether they were married or not. " It was the only place where she could find what she was looking for: misery and an ability to feel deep sorrow .Lovemaking seemd to her, at first, the creation of a special kind of joy." (122) Her community believes a good woman her age should be a mother, wife and server to her household. A woman should remain at home and be dutiful and respectful. Sula is was not any of those things. From the start, she has always have been different, she preferred to do whatever it is that she likes to do. She went away to college , something that most people from her town seldom did. Sula went away to pursue a caree r and to fulfill her need for knowledge. She wanted to do everything to see everything and experiences as much experience as she could possibly gain while she was still young. It was peculiar to see the town coming together when Sula arrived back from college. Suddenly people in the town started siding with each other against Sula. They started viewing Sula as an oddball, a devil, as one lady described her, comparing Sula to the town outcast named Shadrack. The town started to look out for each other as well as they try to look out for themselves. Toni Morrison's Sula - Breaking the Rules :: Sula Essays Breaking the Rules in Sula A community separates themselves from other individuals in a given society. Certain communities carry their own separate rules or laws. It combines a number of people into one group, one way of thinking. Many communities come together because they share the same common goal or interests. On may occasions, a group or community forms when someone is different from the majority. A good example of that would be when a child is being teased in school because he has glasses or braces. Toni morrison's Sula is a story about a woman whose individuality brought a little town in Ohio together to side with each other against her. The novel Sula raises the question in how people or communities come together. In Sula's case, her abandonment of the town has sent her in a position of being an outcast. Sula's community views her carefree and wild ways obscene and inappropriate. A good example would be her need for many sexual partners. Sula beds with many of the men in her town, whether they were married or not. " It was the only place where she could find what she was looking for: misery and an ability to feel deep sorrow .Lovemaking seemd to her, at first, the creation of a special kind of joy." (122) Her community believes a good woman her age should be a mother, wife and server to her household. A woman should remain at home and be dutiful and respectful. Sula is was not any of those things. From the start, she has always have been different, she preferred to do whatever it is that she likes to do. She went away to college , something that most people from her town seldom did. Sula went away to pursue a caree r and to fulfill her need for knowledge. She wanted to do everything to see everything and experiences as much experience as she could possibly gain while she was still young. It was peculiar to see the town coming together when Sula arrived back from college. Suddenly people in the town started siding with each other against Sula. They started viewing Sula as an oddball, a devil, as one lady described her, comparing Sula to the town outcast named Shadrack. The town started to look out for each other as well as they try to look out for themselves.

Rdr Experiment No. 9 Integrated Concepts of Equilibrium

Experiment No. 9 INTEGRATED CONCEPTS OF EQUILIBRIUM RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A system in equilibrium can be affected by the addition of another reagent leading to a change in chemical equation with a new equilibrium constant. An overall reaction is the sum of two or more reaction steps with different equilibrium constants. The overall equilibrium constant, Koverall, is the product of the equilibrium constants of the individual reaction step. If a reaction step is reversed, the equilibrium constant is set into its reciprocal.If a reaction step is multiplied by a common coefficient n, the new equilibrium constant is raised to the nth. The first part of the experiment dealt with the equilibrium reaction Cu(OH)2(s) ? Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq). 0. 10 M Cu(NO3)2 and 0. 10 M NaOH were reacted together in seven test tubes to form the solid Cu(OH)2, a blue precipitate. Distilled water was added to the first test tube. This served as the control. When 6. 0 M H2C2O4 was added to the second test tube, t he precipitate turned cloudy blue. The new equilibrium can be attributed to the formation of the solid CuC2H4 which is cloudy blue in color, and the ionization of H2C2O4.The addition of Zn dust in the third test tube resulted into a gray-brown precipitate. The mechanisms in this reaction are the dissociation of Cu(OH)2(s), redox of Cu2+ and Zn, and precipitation of Zn(OH)2, leading to an overall reaction of Cu(OH)2(s) + Zn(s) ? Zn(OH)2(s) + Cu(s). When 6. 0 M HNO3 was added to the fourth test tube, the precipitate disappeared. The H+ ions from the complete dissociation of HNO3 neutralize the OH- ions. This results to the shifting of the system to the right. The addition of 6. 0 M NH3 in the fifth test tube caused the formation of the deep blue [Cu(NH3)4]2+ complex.The new equilibrium was established from the dissociation reaction of Cu(OH)2 and NH3, and the formation of complex [Cu(NH3)4]2+. 1. 0 M Na3PO4 was added to the sixth test tube, and formed a light blue precipitate. The bas ic PO3- hydrolyzes to form OH- and HPO42-. The increase in OH- ions caused the system to shift to the left and formed more Cu(OH)2(s). In the seventh test tube, the addition of Cu(NO3)2 caused to form a cloudy turquoise precipitate. The addition of a common ion Cu2+ caused the formation of more solid.The cloudy supernate suggested that the solubility of a slightly soluble ionic compound is lowered in the presence of a common ion. In the second part of the experiment, saturated NaCl was put into three test tubes and in each, three different reagents were added. The initial equilibrium reaction was NaCl(s) ? Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq). The addition of 95% ethanol resulted to a clear supernate and very minimal white precipitate. Ionic compounds such a NaCl dissolve in polar solvents like ethanol. The addition of concentrated HCl resulted in the formation of more white precipitate, due to the addition of a common ion Cl-.When MgSO4 was added, there was no visible reaction. This is due to the the displacement reaction of the two solids forming aqueous solutions of MgCl2 and Na2SO4. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS A. test tube 1 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 K_eq=[? Cu? ^(2+)]? [? OH? ^-]? ^2 B. test tube 2 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 H2C2O4 (aq) HC2O4-(aq) + H+(aq) Ka=6. 5Ãâ€"10-2 HC2O4-(aq) C2O42-(aq) + H+(aq) Ka=6. 1Ãâ€"10-5 Cu(OH)2(s) + H2C2O4 (aq) Cu2+(aq) + C2O42-(aq) + 2H2O(l) Keq=8. 23Ãâ€"10-26 C. test tube 3 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 Cu2+(aq) + Zn(s) Zn2+(aq) + Cu(s) Kredox=3. 46Ãâ€"1034 Zn2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Zn(OH)2 (aq) Ksp=5. 435Ãâ€"1013 Cu(OH)2(s) + Zn(s) Zn(OH)2 (aq) + Cu(s) Keq=4. 137Ãâ€"1028 D. test tube 4 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 2HNO3(aq) ? 2H+(aq) + 2NO3 (aq) Ka=? Cu(OH)2(s) + 2HNO3 (aq) ? Cu2+(aq) + 2NO3 (aq) + 2H2O(l)Keq=? E. test tube 5 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 Cu2+(aq) + 4 NH3(aq) Cu(NH3)4]2+(aq) Kf=5. 0x1013 Cu(OH)2(s) + 4 NH3(aq) [Cu(NH3)4]2 +(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Keq=1. 1Ãâ€"10-6 F. test tube 6 3Cu(OH)2(s) 3Cu2+(aq) + 6OH-(aq) Ksp=1. 0648x 10-59 2H3PO4 (aq) 2H+(aq) + 2H2PO4-(aq) Ksp=5. 625Ãâ€"10-5 2H2PO4-(aq) 2H+(aq) + 2HPO42-(aq) Ksp=3. 844Ãâ€"10-15 2HPO42-(aq) 2H+(aq) + 2PO43-(aq) ¬ Ksp=2. 304Ãâ€"10-27 3Cu(OH)2(s) +2H3PO4 (aq) Cu3(PO4)2(s) + 6H2O(l)Keq? 0 A. Test tube 1 B. Test tubes 6, 5, 3, and 2 C. Test tube 5 D. Test tubes 7, 6, 4, 3, and 2 E. Test tube 7, and 2 F. Test tube 6, 5, and 3In test tube 1, the addition of ethanol to the solution produced little precipitate. It is because ethanol is capable of hydrogen-bonding with water, thus, depriving the Na+ and Cl- ions of water molecules to â€Å"hydrate† them. On the other hand, adding HCl produced a greater amount of precipitate because it completely ionizes into H+ and Cl- ions. Because Cl- is part of one side of the dissolution process, the equilibrium shifted to the side favoring the reformation of NaCl crystals. Lastly, the addition of MgSO4 doe s not affect the system because none of its constituent ions were present in the equilibrium reaction of NaCl.

The tale of Beowulf

The tale of Beowulf begins and ends with the funeral of great kings. The funerals represented in this tale are decorated with rites that derive from the cultural traditions of the kings being laid to rest. Scyld Scefing is entombed within a barge decorated with signs of his accomplishments, while com/beowulf-as-an-epic-hero/">Beowulf is enshrined within a barrow filled with relics of his rule. Yet within these traditional burials one can find traces of the men themselves as each makes requests that lead to the distinctiveness of their burials.This allows the funerals to become particularly distinctive as the author makes use of the elements, such as earth, fire, and water (Smith). Each funeral defines the symbolic ideas of motion versus grounded-ness represented in the lives of these two men, and the method in which each is carried out emphasizes the opposite ways in which they entered their lands and mounted their thrones. The funerals of both men are representative of their persona lities as shown through their deeds and the ways in which they lived their lives. Though both men were valiant warriors and kings, their lives as youths and kings appear to be very different.The movement characteristic of Scyld Scefing’s funeral represents a continuation of the boldness and vigor with which he sailed through life. His life was continually one of forward motion from low to high estate, and he does not cease this motion in his death. The poem continues, â€Å"Forth he fared at the fated moment, sturdy Scyld to the shelter of God† (lines 26-27). His clansmen and subjects seem determined that their king should keep moving though he has been cut off from life, as they immediately â€Å"bore him over to ocean’s billow† (line 28).He is placed on a barge that is taken by the floods to an even higher and more celebrated place, and the words used by the author to describe this continue this motif of motion to an even higher estate. Such words and p hrases as â€Å"outbound† highlight this motion, and as â€Å"No man is able to say in sooth [†¦] who harbored that freight,† his burial demonstrates that his resting place could mean yet another promotion for this king who had risen from foundling to royalty. The funeral given Beowulf differs greatly from that granted Scyld Scefing.Beowulf’s rites represent that of a more grounded king who had been home grown and bred specifically to become royalty. His funeral demonstrates no great motion, as his lineage is anchored and steeped in royalty. The rites take place within the land of his birth, and his tomb is laid upon a foundation of the soil upon which his ancestors walked. The writer establishes this in his recounting of the events: â€Å"They fashioned for him the folk of Geats firm on the earth a funeral-pile† (line 2821). The firmness with which this tomb is established upon the earth symbolizes the strength of Beowulf’s roots within his h omeland.Around this is erected a wall, and this further strengthen’s Beowulf’s position as a foundational leader of his land. The monuments given to house this leader are built into the ground of the kingdom and given foundations akin to the roots that one finds in Beowulf’s lineage. His burial is akin to burying treasure (gold and precious stones), â€Å"trusting the ground with treasures of earls, gold in the earth† (2850), and this is in essence an act of giving back to the earth the treasure it has afforded. The funerals of Scefing and Beowulf also differ in the elements that attend each.According to critic George Clark in his essay â€Å"Beowulf’s Armor, † â€Å"Each funeral places the final offering of arms and armor and treasure in the context of one of the elements, water, fire, or earth† (429). While water is the dominant element in Scefing’s funeral, fire is used to herald the burial of Beowulf. The significance of th e water for Scefing derives mainly from his history, as he was borne to the Danes on a small vessel as an abandoned infant. The water represents the deep, the void from which the king came and to which he is allowed to return.The story comes full circle for this king, as he is again borne away at the end of his life, given back to the water that offered him to the Danes. This is done on purpose by his clansmen, and highlighted by the narrator who writes, â€Å"No less these loaded the lordly gifts, thanes' huge treasure, than those had done who in former time forth had sent him sole on the seas, a suckling child† (lines 43-46). He is again sent by himself â€Å"on the seas† into the unknown belly of the flood which had offered him up as a child.The fire for Beowulf is the opposite of this water, and this might also be seen as a reference to difference in his birth and youth. However, the narrative continues, â€Å"Wood-smoke rose black over blaze, and blent was the ro ar of flame with weeping (the wind was still), till the fire had broken the frame of bones† (2827-30). While the water takes Scefing away from the land, Beowulf’s fire offers up incense that rises and, as the ashes fall, remains forever mingled with the soil in the land of his birth.The narrator mentions that the wind was still, emphasizing the idea that no part of Beowulf’s burnt body or ashes is allowed to fly beyond the land of his birth and rule. He utterly belongs to this land, and the roaring of the fire becomes a dirge that rises and mingles with the sound of his subjects’ weeping. Yet the reader gets the feeling that Beowulf is not lost to his people. This fire is allowed to burn beyond Beowulf’s bones, consuming his flesh and, as â€Å"the smoke was by the sky devoured† (2838), the fire sends up Beowulf’s essence as a protection and covering for his land and people.Though the lives of Scefing and Beowulf were similar in many w ays, they also differed in some very significant areas that have to do with how they came to be king. While Scefing begins life as a foundling and sustains upward motion that raises him to the estate of ruler, Beowulf is born a prince whose roots are grounded in his homeland. The elements used to represent these two men are also representative of their origins. Water is used to symbolize the rootless Scefing, while fire and earth symbolize Beowulf’s grounded ancestry.Both men are treasured by their people, yet allowed to fulfill their destinies by drifting or remaining rooted as has been their custom. Works Cited Beowulf. The Harvard Classics, Volume 49. Frances B. Grummere (Trans. ) 1910. P. F. Collier & Son, 1993. Clark, George. â€Å"Beowulf’s Armor. † ELH. Vol. 32. No. 4. Dec. 1965. pp. 409-441. Smith, Jennifer. â€Å"Paradise Lost and Beowulf: The Christian/Pagan Hybrids of the Epic Tradition. † Department of English. Long Beach: California State University. http://www. csulb. edu/~jsmith10/miltbeow. htm

Market Structures and Pricing Essay

Market structures and pricing Revenues Consumers * Inverse demand curve gives willingness-to-pay * Benefit consumer(s) derive(s) from additional good; * Area under inverse demand curve measures total willingness-to-pay, total benefit or total surplus. * Maximum price I can charge as producer determined by inverse demand function * Marginal revenues; revenue of next unit I sell Strategies * Profit maximization * Marginal profits equal to 0 (MR=MC) * Classic economic theory; entrepreneurial capitalism * Owner makes strategic decisions * Managerial capitalism; * Ownership changed * Control changed * Potential conflicts between shareholders and management * Firms got bigger: coordinate difficulties * Revenues maximization * Decreasing revenues bad for image * Financial institutions want certainty * Low revenues mean relatively high risk for suppliers * Low revenues may lead to budget cuts, including management * Bonus * MR=0 * Marketing effort * Managerial utility maximization * Managers maximize own satisfaction * Growth maximization * Long term strategy * Behavioral theories * Different groups, satisfy all groups to survive: satisfying * Altruistic objectives: public interest * Welfare maximization * What strategy is relevant? * Autonomy and income advancement * Successful business is most important personal objective * Growth objective * Profit maximization * Model * Economic profit ≠  accounting profit Market structures * Perfect competition * Monopolistic competition * Oligopoly * Monopoly Perfect competition * Many (small) suppliers and buyers: ‘price takes’ * Demand function for individual company * Products are perfect substitutes * Free entry and exit * Information is perfect (available to all no cost) * Free movement of products: supply responsive to market forces * Innovation exogenous: producers reactive rather than proactive. * Benchmark: Welfare is maximized (p=mc) * Efficiency * Productive efficiency: AC cannot be lower * MC curve passes though minimum of AC * Allocative efficiency: resources are distributed and used as preferred by consumers: P=MC * Pareto efficiency: no one can be made better off without making anyone else worse off. Monopoly One seller; can influence price (output) Price > marginal cost: economic inefficiency (although the firm itself may be efficient) * Barriers to entry * Initial costs * Sunk costs * Brand loyalty * Economies of scale * Patents and licenses * Anti-competitive behavior Revenues * Demand: Q * Inverse demand: P=a/b-1/b*Q * Revenues: R = P*Q = Q*a/b-1/b*Qâ‚‚ * Marginal revenue: ∂R/∂Q * Additional revenues from next unit sold * ∂R/∂Q = a/b-2/b*Q * Twice as steep as inverse demand * Positive if ÃŽ µÃ'€ < -1 * Demand is elastic (point-elastic) Natural monopoly * Market can only sustain 1 producer * Competition (P=MC): all competitors make a loss * P>MC: loss when P help to sustain monopoly or oligopoly * Government; policy regulation * Spatial pre-emption; new entrants do not have access to necessary inputs * Cost barriers * Reputation: customer loyalty, safety * Exit barriers: shrinking a firm is expensive (labor, capacity) * Entry-deterring strategies; pricing, spare-capacity, corporate deals (price discrimination) Oligopoly: non-corporate behavior * Competition based on output (quantity) or price. * Two basic oligopoly models: * Cournot (quantity competition) * Bertrand (price competition) * Cournot: firms determine output simultaneously, and the bring this to the market; * Bertrand: firms announce prices. Demand is allocated to low-price firm(s), who then produce(s) demand Cournot competition * Assumes that firms produce identical products * Demand: Q=a-b*P * Inverse demand: P=a/b-1/b*Q * Now we have 2 producers (duopoly): P=a/b-1/b*(Q1+Q2) * Profits maximized when MR=MC (Equivalent to monopolists), taking the competitors action as given. * Inverse demand: P=a/b-1/b*(Q1+Q2) * Revenues firm 1: R1=Q1*[a/b-1/b*(Q1+Q2)] * Marginal revenues: MR1=a/b-1/b*(2*Q1+Q2) * Equilibrium: MR1=MC1 * Expression in Q1 and Q2 * Similar expression for company 2 * MR1: ∂R1/∂Q1 = * P*∂Q1/∂Q1 + Q1*∂P/∂Q1 * P + ∂P/∂Q1*Q1 * 1 + (∂P/∂Q1*Q1/P)*P * (1+1/ÃŽ µp)*P * MR1=MC1: (1+1/ÃŽ µp)*P=MC1 * P=MC1/(1+1/ÃŽ µp) * Cournot oligopolist sets price above MC! * –Same for monopoly Bertrand oligopoly * Price competition (again assume identical goods) * Firms announce prices. Demand is allocated to low-price firm(s), who then produces demand. * If a firm sets above its competitor’s price, clients will prefer the competitors (identical goods). * Bertrand equilibrium is therefore equivalent to competitive equilibrium: price equals marginal cost. Price discrimination * Conditions: * Market power * Different groups of consumers (based on willingness-to-pay, demand elasticity etc.) -> segmentation * Resale is not possible * Cost of discrimination may not exceed additional profits * Market should be transparent. * Charge different (groups of) consumers different prices to maximize profits -> price discrimination * First, second and third degree First degree pricing discrimination * Perfect discrimination: each unit of output sold at different price; * Price determined by inverse demand curve; * What is the optimal output? Second degree price discrimination * Non-linear pricing: price depends on how much you buy; * Fundamentals; * Application; * Consumer decides on how much to buy; * Self selection constraints * 2 consumers each spends Ri to receive Xi * Buy Xi if benefitsi (Xi)-Ri >0 * Benefits 1 (X1)-R1> benefits1 (X2)-r2 * Benefits 2 (X2)-R2> benefits2 (X2)-r1 * Consider an individual demand function (for convenience, marginal costs are 0) * Monopolists want to supply X1 at a total price of A * Consider two individual demand functions * Monopolist would like to supply X1 at A+B+C and X2 at A * But: if consumer 1 also purchase X2 at a price of A, he/she will get surplus B (self selection) * If the monopolists would charge A+C for X1, consumer 1 gets surplus B and the monopolist higher profits. Can the monopolist get higher profits? * Make X2 unattractive for consumer 1` * Offering less of X2 (loss of monopolist) allows for higher profits from X1. Third degree price discrimination * Set prices for different groups of consumers: examples? Summary * Profit maximization * Monopoly, perfect competition: two extremes. * Regulation of monopoly: incentives. * Cournot oligopoly: * decide on production, then price determined in market * Cournot ologipolist has monopoly power (p>mc) * Bertrand: * decide on price, then output determined in market; p = mc * Price discrimination * Higher profits * Market power

History of Sport Essay

In my paper I will be discussing the early form of calisthenics and how the men and women who implemented exercise and fitness into our everyday life. Although there were many disagreements among the early supporters the first sightings of controlled calisthenics are from physical education classes and in schools. Many fought over what was beneficial for a human being and what was considered a waste of time. Many early idealists agreed appaun the body and mind are connected meaning a healthy mind was impossible without an equally healthy body. Eventually as you get closer to the 1900’s all educators for men at least developed the thinking that physical education particularly calisthenics was a prerequisite for child development. Meaning it was crucial, important almost vital to becoming the most all around successful human able to achieve nothing short of greatness. The belief that by strengthening mans body a man could strengthen his ‘will’. These were thoughts brought up long before the 19th century. Many men who believed in the connection between mind and body thought this was an individual responsibility calisthenics just provided the means. It gave everyone an outlook on the idea of what could come down the road for men who exercised and trained what new levels of success could bring to a mans future just by adding another form of practice into your everyday schedule. In the 1820s American educators began to advocate physical education as well as organize some type of instruction. Many men and educators as time increased and popularity grew for health believed the athlete was the new hero and the new â€Å"human form divine† from all three articles the new idea of man became to be the â€Å"aristocrat of character† not an aristocrat at birth. They were trying to say just because you were born into money or born into wealth doesn’t mean you were going to grow up to be the ideal king everyone expected you to be. You need to be taught, develop character, strength and the will to become the best. Corrupting the mind to control your destiny will lead to the control of your body to un seen lengths of being immortal or superior. Many Americans in the early form of calisthenics became obsessed with health. Tons of men thought the key was strict dieting though the develop of strength training began to take control. As we get closer to the 19th century Americans are troubled with many un explained illness’s and disease. Many ‘irregular’ doctors at the time emphasized exercise and hygiene rather then the radical remedies people performed on one another for cure by the ‘regular’ physicians of the era. During the early part of the civil war for Americans 1861-65 made exercise and physical education a major component in their programmes. Due to the long war some men were forced to deal with anxieties that brought down much of the interest in health and exercise. To balance out the progress already made before the war bringing men together from different sections of the country fighting together as one helped create and spark the interest of sport.

African Women under Slavery

This paper discusses the experiences of African American Women under slavery during the Slave Trade, their exploitation, the secrecy, the variety of tasks and positions of slave women, slave and ex-slave narratives. Also, this paper presents the hardships African American women faced and the challenges they overcame to become equal with men in today’s society. Slavery was a destructive experience for African Americans especially women. Black women suffered doubly during the slave era. Slave Trade The West African Slave Trade was a global event that focused on West Africa. It was the sale and ownership of another human being that was put into slavery. It was a type of â€Å"forced Migration† that lasted 300 years. From around 1551 thru 1850 about 15 million people were brought into the slave trade it is said that roughly 5 million people did not survive, and may have immediately died before making through the shock of enslavement. About 10 million people in the western hemisphere survived and were sold on the auction block. Generations continued into slavery, the offspring was also brought into slavery. The owners liked the idea of their slaves reproducing. This meant their work force would grow without having to spend much money on slaves. About 250 million lived in slavery throughout the 300 years. Slavery was also a traditional part of African society, various states and kingdoms in Africa operated one or more of the following: chattel slavery, debt bondage, forced labor, and serfdom. Ghana, Mali, Songhai were kingdoms that had large economies and supported large populations, they had knowledge of agriculture, and grew many different crops that sustained many people. Because of the West African Slave Trade, These kingdoms were affected by greed and would often go to war and capture prisoners to sell into slavery. The Middle Passage was the journey of slave trading ships from the west coast of Africa, where the slaves were obtained, across the Atlantic, where they were sold or, in some cases, traded for goods such as molasses, which was used in the making of rum. However, this voyage has come to be remembered for much more than simply the transport and sale of slaves. The Middle Passage was the longest, hardest, most dangerous, and also most horrific part of the journey of the slave ships. With extremely tightly packed loads of human cargo that stank and carried both infectious disease and death, the ships would travel east to west across the Atlantic on a miserable voyage lasting at least five weeks, and sometimes as long as three months. Although incredibly profitable for both its participants and their investing backers, the terrible Middle Passage has come to represent the ultimate in human misery and suffering. The abominable and inhuman conditions which the Africans were faced with on their voyage clearly display the great evil of the slave trade. While there was slavery throughout World History, never has it reached such an epic proportion as during the Middle Passage/ transatlantic slave trade. At this time, no one knows exactly how many Africans died at sea during the Middle Passage experience. Estimates for the total number of Africans lost to the slave trade range from 25 to 50 million. The Middle Passage was a term used to describe the triangular route of trade that brought Africans to the Americas and rum and sugar cane to Europe. It was synonymous with pain and suffering. The journey from Africa to the Americas would take as many as 30 to 90 days. Many of the ships were called â€Å"loose packers† which meant that the slaves were not overlapping each other or â€Å"tight packers†, describing the capacity of the slave ship. The smell of rotten bodies thrown overboard lured sharks to the ships route; European countries participating in the slave trade accumulated tremendous wealth and global power from the capturing and selling of Africans into slavery. Originally, slaves were sold to the Portuguese and Spanish colonies in South and Central Americas to work on sugar cane plantations. The middle passage was the worst thing that could happen to African American slaves. For most women who endured it, the experience of the Slave Trade was one of being outnumbered by men. Roughly one African woman was carried across the Atlantic for every two men. The captains of slave ships were usually instructed to buy as high a proportion of men as they could, because men could be sold for more in the Americas. Women thus arrived in the American colonies as a minority. For some reason, women did not stay a minority. Slave records found that most plantations, even during the period of the slave trade, there were relatively equal numbers of men and women. Slaveholders showed little interest in women as mothers. Their willingness to pay more for men than women, despite the fact than children born to enslaved women would also be the slave-owners’ property and would thus increase their wealth. Women who did have children, always struggled with the impossible conflict between, their own physical needs and their children’s need for care, not to mention the requirements forced on them by plantation work regimes. Women’s inability to maintain the pace of work required by plantation owners during pregnancy, their need for recovery time after childbirth, and the needs of their young children to be fed, cleaned, loved, and integrated spiritually and socially into the human community, all brought them into conflict with the demands of the owners and managers of the plantations on which they worked1. Exploitation The slave owner’s exploitation of the African woman’s sexuality was one of the most significant factors differentiating the experience of slavery for males and females. The white man’s claim to the slave body, male as well as female, was inherent in the concept of the Slave Trade and was tangibly realized perhaps nowhere more than the auction block. Captive Africans were stripped of their clothing, oiled down, and poked and prodded by potential buyers. The erotic undertones of such scenes were particularly pronounced in the case of black women. Throughout the period of slavery in America, white society believed black women to be innately lustful beings. The perception of the African woman as hyper-sexual made her both the object of white man’s disgust and his fantasy. Within the bounds of slavery, masters often felt it was their right to engage in sexual activity with black women. Sometimes, female slaves made advances hoping that such relationships would increase the chances that they or their children would be liberated by the master; most of the time, slave owners took slaves by force. For the most part, masters made young, single slaves the objects of their sexual pursuits. They did on occasion rape married women. The inability of the slave husband to protect his wife from such violation points to another fundamental aspect of the relationship between enslaved men and women. The restrictions of slave law and circumstances of slave life created a sense of parity between black wives and husbands. A master’s control over both spouses reduced the black male’s potential for dominance over his wife. Whenever possible, black slave women manipulated their unique circumstances in the struggle for their personal dignity and that of their families. Black women rebelled against the inhumanities of slave owners. Like their ancestors and counterparts in Africa, most slave women took their motherhood seriously. They put their responsibilities before their own safety and freedom, provided for children not their own, and gave love even to those babies born from violence2. Secrecy Due to the sexual escapades of the white slave owners, both white and African American women had to keep births on the plantation a secret. A female slave was never able to say who the father of her child was. In some of the books on slave records, the father of the slave child would not be recorded because the child would have the status of the mother, regardless. If the female slave ever tried to tell who the father of her child was, she could be sent to jail, beaten, sold to another owner, or killed as a result. If a mistress knew that her husband was cheating on her, there was not very much that she could do. In some cases, the white women would make the slave woman work harder, be very rude to her, or even ask her husband to beat her3. Traditions With many diverse women coming from various places in Africa the daily living, clothing, religion and vast personal mile stones like circumcision, birth, and even marriage are handled differently. Beginning from a child where you grow determines the traditions you inherit. Children in rural Africa communities were all seen as sons and daughters of the entire community. After being sold as slaves many families were torn apart, which mean people had to carry this tradition along because there actually family were gone. On plantations every adult was respected as one’s mother or father. Older women and men stood cherished for the fact they were the wisest to the way to survive. One day a week the slave families would be allowed to gather for a type of religious gathering where they were only allowed to praise whomever they worshiped for an hour of the day. Polygamy was also practiced by many of the slaves, either men had many wives or vice versa. This was brought over to the plantations, as it was also practiced in the homeland. Variety of Tasks and Positions of Slave Women African American women were responsible for a lot of tasks that had to be done inside of the slave owners household or fields. Enslaved women were charged with a different variety of tasks such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, running errands, going to the market, plantation work, looking after children, etc. 4. Slavery taught women to be self-reliant, whereas white women were dependent socially and economically on men. On plantations, men and women did equally difficult work as stated before but often they did the same jobs. Not all labor by women was traditionally women’s work, though men did not usually perform tasks traditionally done by women. Women worked in the fields alongside the men, but most of the hard labor was performed by the men or women past childbearing age. Pregnant women and nursing mothers were often given lighter work. Several positions were open to female slaves that were considered skill labor and so quite respected by the slave community. One of these was the cook, who prepared food for the master’s household and for the slaves themselves when they came back from the fields. The other one is sewing. Some women, who knew how, were responsible for sewing the clothes for the entire community and if they were quite excellent, for the master’s family, too. The skill of midwifery was strictly for female slaves, and like cooking and sewing was considered a highly skilled labor. Learned from the mother or another relative (aunt), a midwife catered to blacks and whites alike, and continues to be a prominent job among African American women. Many times, slave women were looked up to for leadership because of their occupation, their age, or their number of children, and the fact that the work done by the majority of the women was done in groups. The existence of skills was respected labor strictly for women, and the control of child and medical care by women points to the idea that black females were able to order their own community among women5. Female Slave and Ex-Slave Narratives There were quite a few female slave and ex-slave narratives written during the slave era. As historical documents, slave narratives chronicle the evolution of white supremacy in the South from eighteenth-century slavery through early twentieth-century segregation. Most of these autobiographies as narratives give voice to generations of black people who, despite written off by white southern literature, still found a way to donate a literary legacy of enormous collective significance to the South and the United States. The narratives portrays slavery as a condition of extreme physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual deprivation, a kind of hell on earth which precipitated the slave’s decision to escape is some sort of personal crisis, such as the sale of a loved one or a dark night of the soul in which hope contends with despair for the spirit of the slave. Impelled by faith in God and a commitment to liberty and human dignity comparable (the slave narratives often stresses) to that of America’s Founding Fathers, the slave undertakes a difficult quest for freedom that climaxes in his or her arrival in the North. The attainment of freedom is signaled not simply by reaching the Free states, but by renaming oneself and dedicating one’s future to antislavery activism6. Additionally, slave and ex-slave narratives stressed how African Americans survived slavery, making a way out of no way, often times resisting exploitation, occasionally fighting back and escaping in search of a better prospects elsewhere in the North. The most memorable of these narratives evoke the national myth of the American individual’s quest for freedom and for a society based on â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. † Slave and ex-slave narratives are important not only for what they tell us about African American history and literature, but also because they reveal the complexities of the dialogue between whites and blacks in America, particularly African Americans. Several women come to mind when slave and ex-slave narratives is talked about. The first being, Phyllis Wheatley, she became the first African-American woman author to publish a book of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. Another one being Lucy Terry, although her poems was not published until after her death, â€Å"Bar Fights† was the first poem composed by another African American woman. Her poems recalls the popular captivity narrative of the colonial period, in which she recounts her experience in captivity among the Indians, and establishes early on the central role of African American women in American literary history. Also, Harriet Jacobs cannot be forgotten. She published â€Å"Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl†, which is an account of her brutal life and thrilling escape. She describes spending seven years of her life hiding in a crawl space – nine feet long, seven feet wide, and three feet long in her narrative. Two of the most iconic women during the slavery period was Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman. Sojourner Truth is now like a nearly mythical figure who was a strong proponent of equal rights for both African Americans and women, never compromising her struggle for one to gain the other. She was the first to attend the First National Women’s Rights Convention in 1850, where she was the only black woman to be a speaker. Not only was Sojourner Truth a highly visible symbol of abolition on the speaking platform, so was Harriet Tubman. Harriet was a powerful underground force of liberation. She became the most active conductor on the Underground Railroad, returning 19 times and helping 300 slaves escape through the North to Canada7. There are so many more great women such as Frances Harper, Ida Wells-Barnett, Mary Church Terrell, and Anna Cooper that made significant contributions to African American women history. These women paved the way for other great women like Zora Hurston, Gwendolyn Brooks, Jo Ann Robinson, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, and Toni Morrison to make their mark in history. Significant Contributions Based on the research and reading, we can agree that women during the slave era made significant contributions that led to monumental changes in equal rights for women. Women have always played second behind the man which makes it hard to feel equal. Women slaves were the central nucleus that kept families together. The information presented shows that a lot of the families were solely raised by the woman. Black women learned to cope with the problems of raising children without men. Also, because of the experiences of women under slavery, they opened doors for women to have better pay, jobs, and the most important one, being able to vote. Women have made tremendous strides during the abolition era, the feminist era that reemerged in the sixties as a result of the male chauvinism within the Civil Rights, Black Power, and student movements that traces directly back to women under slavery. This courageous history should inspire every woman today, reflecting back on what our ancestors had to fight for, for us to enjoy the liberties we take for granted. In conclusion, this paper discussed the experiences of African American Women under slavery during the Slave Trade, their exploitation, the secrecy, the variety of tasks and positions of slave women, slave and ex-slave narratives; also, this paper discussed the hardships African American women faced and the challenges they overcame to become equal with men in today’s society. What must not be forgotten, is that African American women never stopped fighting against racial prejudices and sexual abuses. We will never know the exact number of slave women who were raped, but their testimonies make us think that almost all of them had been raped. Most importantly, the most efficient method women developed was to speak out about their experiences in order to make people discover this hidden part of American history, and they surely did.