Flipped Classroom Essay

A flipped classroom turn upside down is a personalized and interaction time of the whole class. Teachers and students should be engaged along the process. Modifications are always a way of improving and making it a better learning environment for all. Ask Yourself: How to do you prepare to flip your class? After reading contexts, watching web broadcasts and taking an overview of lessons. Educators can start by eliminating long lectures of instructions, wasteful worksheets and journals. We can replace them with the use of iteration, partnering and sharing and practice. Let’s take a look at iteration: Remember writing the Anticipatory Set on the board and getting students to answer. Well remember time wasn’t one your side to get all feedback from your students: To get the attention of your audience, well through iteration, you can text, post short videos, or FB the Goal and send it to all the students in class. After this, you would normally put The Do Now assignment on a SmartBoard or on the overhead projector. Well the partnering stage fits in when you allow the feedback from your students’ response. They also get to see other student comments while they are posting. This is a form of blogging. You can also suggest picture uploading on the assignment or sharing a short you-tube video that restates the topic and other suggestions. Hey did I mention during this time they are sharing information and partnering while they are browsing other comments or suggestions from their peers. Flipped classrooms are not just the using of technology. We are cutting down the time of elaborating of boring teacher lectures, eye contact, reading boring books that the teacher handpicked for the classroom. The Pros about flipped classrooms. 1. The students are taking responsibility for their own learning through collaboration with their own peers. If you are allow the public to view, your class is learning from others who either implemented the lesson and can get a whole perspective from others around the world. 2. The teacher gets instant responses on creation of lessons. This allows others to either give constructive criticism or modified ways on lesson taught. Again feedback is a way on improving the lesson and including different styles on new platforms or applications. 3. Absenteeism, Not a problem for the students at home. They can easily join in at the time allowed for the postings. Remember, it is not a 45 minute class to them at home. They have time to catch up on discussions and also give their feedback without missing the assignment. Remember in the students’ frame of mind, NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND! Finally, Dates and postings are always there for clarity. The content is permanent and archived for review or remediation. Remember you eliminate the need for â€Å"What did you say? † or â€Å"I don’t remember that you said it†. This is the future a place where all your students are learning at their pace.

Rational Choice Theory Essay

A Significant theory to me will be the Rational Choice theory. This theory explains how people make decisions by seeking the most cost-effective means to achieve a specific goal without reflecting on the worthiness of that goal; to maximize personal advantage by weighing costs against benefits without moral or ethical values. It is a popular theory as it is an efficient system that explains and predicts a behavior of a person, and to larger extent, a collective group of people. Understanding this theory would allow a person to understand quickly how decisions are made, and the impact of the decisions on a society — how it functions and performs economically. Based on this theory, people’s measured decisions are often calculated based on financial benefits and costs. Singapore, by and large, has functioned on this theory, which has benefited from this tool of measurement and prospered since the days of nation building. However, this theory will work perfectly only if eve ryone in the society shares the same values, had perfect information, and the ability to make the most rational decisions at any point in time. People living in a society with homogenous values, such as Singapore, have similar behavioural patterns, which enable this theory to work. However, on a global scale, this theory will no longer work as peoples’ values are varied and culturally diverse. The most rational choice for one man might be an irrational choice for another. And when this occurs, there will be unpredictability and the results that follow can be disastrous. The Great Financial Crisis is a good example of the rational choice theory gone awry. Financial institutions’ goal is to maximize profits. To maximize profits, financial institutions have to find ways to create profits. One of these methods was to get creative with offering mortgage to people who wanted to own homes. Credit terms were made easy and the securities in place to safeguard the process were ignored. These consolidated loans were sold to big investment banks which resold them as securities offering high returns. Credit agencies working for these investment banks told investors’ that securities were safe. Selling a financial product based on a large group on loans was supposed to limit the risk if a few loans went bad. However, a large number of loans, later known as toxic, were borro wed by individuals with no financial means. Furthermore, many of these loans were offered in the form of adjustable rate mortgage, which started out with an initial period of low interest rate, and later ballooned up to three times the initial rate. All these borrowers were saddled with a monthly mortgage payment way beyond their monthly income. To make matters worse, the sprint to own a house on such easy terms had created a housing bubble, causing house prices to escalate astronomically. This phenomenon further pushed people to borrow way beyond their means. Consequently, millions of homeowners were unable to repay their mortgage loans. The financial institutions disregarded moral and ethical values to draw up shady credit schemes. Consolidated mortgages were bundled in with the toxic ones and resold for profits. Individuals felt the need to buy a house simply because everyone else was buying a house without the discretion of affordability and the hyper-inflated housing prices. Ea ch acted on imperfect knowledge to maximize personal benefits and disregard moral and ethical values. Rational choice theory can be an efficient method as a decision-making tool to attain goals, but it is definitely too simple an application on a macro context. To make a good decision, one has to balance cost-benefit analysis with moral and cultural factors.

International Job Search Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Job Search - Essay Example It is crucial to note that the firm provides feedback and responses to online applications. Coca-Cola embraces creative recruitment strategy that focuses on talent management. These methods have interactive sessions during interviews. Most importantly, the firm has recruiters that traverse the globe, in search of management and production experts. These recruiters are involved in processes that require self-selection (Griffin, 2007). This means that the recruiter carryout the selection and separation processes or stages of the recruitment exercise. Additionally, the firm has arranged group interactions that allow potential candidates to interact and express their feelings. These sessions focus on the evaluation of character, working knowledge and levels of interest. Job Classifications at Coca-Cola The job classifications at Coca-Cola are based on academic and professional qualifications and requirements for the job. These classifications include administrative assistant to the offic er, international customer relations, international company representatives and officer coordinators. The classifications are grouped into productions and human resources. These job classifications are spread out for the regional and international markets (Griffin, 2007, p. 145). The assumptions that can arise from these classifications include academic requirements, social requirements such as age, language and personal background such as place of origin, educational background, family status and criminal records. For instance, an individual may assume that the firm does not consider the criminal records of the job applicants. International Assignment The international assignment is crucial when determining optimal mix of home and host country employees. For instance, the job opening may be present in a distant location such as Malaysia, which leads to the requirement for a person with knowledge concerning this region. The firm will look for a host country employee because the pers on understands the culture and economics of the host country (Griffin, 2007). The Culture and Language Preparedness of the Employee These are also crucial because in case the employee is not prepared in terms of culture and language, then he is not fit for the job. It is crucial to acknowledge that language is a crucial factor because it determines communication. Culture is crucial because it influences communication and interactions (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, 2007, p. 416). The employee should be, culturally, and linguistically prepared for the job. This influences the mix because the firm must seek for an individual with the background of the host nation. The Length of the Assignment In this case, the firm can give the job to a home employee because this does not depend on cultural or linguistic aspects. Additionally, the firm can give this position to a host country employee, which will be logical in terms of stability, settlement and travel expenses. For instance, in case the j ob is located, in South America, it is logical to give the job to a South American (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, 2007, p. 437). However, the firm can also give the job to an American. Giving the job to a South American facilitates operational stability because issues such as the discontinuation of work because of travel will not affect the operations. The Host and Home Country Recruitment and Selection Practices These are crucial for consideration because

Marketing Plan Situation Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing Plan Situation Analysis - Assignment Example The kind of business that Bergs shop operates is seasonal and hence they are bound to be out of season during certain seasons in the year. The bergs shop is behind technology since they have not introduced he modern skis. They are hence bound to lose customers if they fail to change The business started as just a rental business for skis but has diversified over time. They offer other services such as bus ticket services to Mt. Bachelor, Willamette Pass, Hoodoo, and Mt. Hood Meadows. The business has started an online system of booking where they operate a website and people can make prior booking. Marketing objectives refers to the targets that an organization sets within a certain time frame and are aimed at improving its products or services (Sandhusen 29).Bergs shop is focused on increasing its annual sales so that they can maximize their profits. They have started the strategy of lending and selling so that they can capture a large group of customers. Online advertisement has proved worthwhile since bergs have recorded an increase in returns sine they introduced it. The rental and selling charges have reduced over the last three years, and it has pulled in and retained

Why Does the World Ignore Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Why Does the World Ignore Africa - Essay Example Despite the abundance in Africa's natural resources it is still one of the world's poorest and most underdeveloped continents. This economy is often the reason for a number of deadly conflicts, guerilla warfare and genocides within different African states: the Darfur conflict. Human rights are also a cause of major cause as they are brutally violated in states like Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone. Basic amenities like healthcare are also severely lacking with deadly diseases and viruses like HIV/AIDS on the rise. With high levels of illiteracy, African states are unable to emerge from their developing status to provide any sort of contribution to the creation of an industrial or service sector. Poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and inadequate water supply and sanitation affect the African population. The result is that the situation is severe enough for the last 25 ranks in the United Nations Human Development Report to be African states (Reuters). The reasons given for Africa's backwards condition are diverse and complicated. While countries like the United States swoop in to prevent and curb the spread of AIDS in Africa, little is done for the conflicts ranging in the African states. The civil wars are ignored because the world sees them as wars between the Africans to seize and exploit human rights. Tragedies like the Rwandan genocide were shown by the Western media as just another incident of tribal violence in Africa (Heleta 2009). The weapons used to kill the victims were the most simple and brutal available: men, women and children were hacked to death with simple machetes. The death of nearly a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus by the brutal extremists in Rwanda created not a stir of sympathy or assistance. Instead, the UN Security Council was pressurized by its major components: United States and Britain to cut down the number of UN troops in the region from 2500 to 270, right in the midst of the genocide. The French were no less severe as they were held responsible for training the Hutu troops that attacked the Tutsis, all in the name of retaining their French influence in the region. History today sees Ramada as one of the biggest UN failures not only because of its inability to curb the violence but also because while it drew out troops from Rwanda it increased the numbers being sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina. On a trip to Rwanda in 1998 Clinton did apologize stating "We in the United States and the world community did not do as much as we could have and should have done to try to limit what occurred in Rwanda in 1994" (The Radford Reviews). The question arising is that why did the world not do anything Many claim this to be a move to protect the white man while ignoring the black one. Western governments' were said to be aware of this genocide and yet it did nothing to intervene. So after Rwanda's atrocities why did the developed world not prevent the tragedy of Darfur 300,000 people were killed in this region and no action was taken by any government to intervene. The Darfur Daily News complains and rightly so that the United Nations has been created to prevent such atrocities and has been unable to fulfill its responsibilities (2009). So maybe all the accusations placed on the world for favoring a certain race or ignoring the problems of another country is well-founded in the lack of interest shown for Rwanda and Darfur. It has already been mentioned that Africa has

Electoral College Reform Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Electoral College Reform - Research Paper Example There are other viewpoints as well but this discussion is going to focus on these topics. In the opinion of this author, Electoral College, even if it has certain flaws, provides the best compromise to ensure a federalist, all inclusive, judicious method to elect the American leadership. It is also proposed that instead of breaking down the system altogether, the flaws are addressed through other means. Context To set the stage for describing and placing arguments related to opinions on Electoral College Reform, it is essential to briefly describe the process. Electoral College is used to elect the President and Vice President of the United States. It is a form of indirect election in which the public casts their vote to elect â€Å"Electors† in their respective states. These Electors are authorized to eventually vote on their behalf to choose the President. The nationwide group of electors and the process through which this two tier voting takes place is called the Electoral College. Each state is allocated a number of electors equal to the state’s representation in the House of Representatives plus the Senate. This allocation is based on the census and this means that more populous states have more electors than the less populous ones. However, as a minimum, each state has three to four electors. Since it is binding on each elector to vote for their party’s candidate, the result for Presidential election becomes clear after the first tier of voting. The total electors at this time being 538, whoever gets past 270 electors, wins the election. In the first tier of direct voting, a winner-takes-all system is followed. This means that whichever party’s electors get more than 50% of votes cast in a particular state, all electors for that party go to the Electoral College. The debate In the past 200 years, there have been â€Å"more proposals for constitutional amendments on changing the Electoral College than on any other subject† ("How the Electoral College Functions"). Presidential elections in the year 2000 rekindled the long held debate about the efficacy and democratic nature of elections through the Electoral College. In that year, George W. Bush beat Al Gore through a very small margin of Electoral College votes despite the fact that Al Gore was leading in the popular vote count. The controversy that was raised was eventually decided in the Supreme Court which ruled to stop voter recounting and the Bush was consequently accepted as the winner. So, the question that became fresh in everyone’s minds was why in the future the Americans should not decide on their President through the more representative popular vote rather than through the indirect Electoral College? In the current system, a candidate can lose the elections through the Electoral College even if he or she has more cumulative nationwide popular vote. Gore lost the election because the electoral votes in the swing state of Florida e ventually went to Bush. Proponents of election through popular vote (Neale 2-3) present two arguments against the Electoral College method. Firstly, they claim that the idea of not considering popular national vote is against democratic principles. According to them, the intermediate step of Electoral College takes away the national voter’s franchise and that the choice for the person holding

ITEC ASSIGNMENT Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ITEC ASSIGNMENT - Coursework Example Toddler girl boot should be third as they fall under number three in profit generation. Based on my analysis, some products that can less ordered. This enables the firm to incur less holding cost. This also helps to reduce the risk of selling the products at salvage value, which may lead to losses to the firm. The ordering of fewer products also helps to reduce the ordering cost. Less order make it possible to sell them out easily and this can enable the firm to order once ordering level reaches. Since the probability of the business incurring loss increases downwards, it is of great importance for the firm to place few orders. Newsvendor model is useful when making a last decision of a product in its life cycle. This enables the manufacturers to buy in bulk of which when the stock is too large then they sell at salvage value. Trietsch, Dan. Optimal Feeding Buffers for Projects or Batch Supply Chains by an Exact Generalization of the Newsvendor Model. Auckland, N.Z: Dept. of Information Systems and Operations Management, University of Auckland,  2004.

The Economic Downturn Effects on I.T Projects in Singapore Case Study - 1

The Economic Downturn Effects on I.T Projects in Singapore - Case Study Example Beginning November 2008, global demand and investments in trade had been paralyzed and in turn had an adverse impact on several economic sectors in Singapore such as wholesale, retail, transport, and storage sectors. For instance, the manufacturing sector is estimated to have contracted by 3.7% in 2008 and is a bit better than the 5.8% contraction for the year 2007 (Bradley 2009). The services and construction sectors also registered a slower rate of growth by as much as 5.3% (the figures were an incredible 17.3% in 2007) (Bradley 2009). Laying a primary emphasis on mitigating job losses, the government of Singapore responded to the crisis by adopting several measures. Amongst them, one of the most significant initiatives implemented included a job-retraining program aimed at improving the professional skills of workers and to reduce the burden on businesses by paying for related expenses incurred over job training. In several other cases, the government also closed down several proj ects or instructed business to do so if it felt that they were to resource intensive or hampering the reversal of the crisis (include author). A broad review of related literature and news reports (include authors) suggests that the IT industry was generally favored and supported by the government during this period of economic recession and restructuring. For example, a tender to provide passive fiber grid for the next generation of the national broadband network in Singapore was awarded in September 2008. Decisions like these clearly indicate a high level of trust and commitment on the part of the Singapore government to support the IT sector and use of IT services despite and signifies the relevance of IT as an instrument for emerging out of the crisis. Further, a passive ICT infrastructure was to be implemented in Singapore by Netcom OpenNet to deliver speeds of 1Gbps and beyond. The government committed itself towards extending a grant of S$750 million to the contracted company so as to support the network implementation (James 2009) in the hope of opening up several opportunities along the way for many other I.T proj ects.

The major problem in inventory system Essay Example for Free

The major problem in inventory system Essay One issue is infrequent large orders vs. frequent small orders. Large orders will increase the amount of inventory on hand, which is costly, but may benefit from volume discounts. Frequent orders are costly to process, and the resulting small inventory levels may increase the probability of stock-outs, leading to loss of customers. In principle all these factors can be calculated mathematically and the optimum found. A second issue is related to changes in demand (predictable or random) for the product. For example having the needed merchandise on hand in order to make sales during the appropriate buying season(s). A classic example is a toy store pre-Christmas. If one does not have the items on the shelves, one will not make the sales. And the wholesale market is not perfect. There can be considerable delays, particularly with the most popular toys. So, the entrepreneur or business manager will buy on spec. Another example is a furniture store. If there is a six week, or more, delay for customers to get merchandise, some sales will be lost. And yet another example is a restaurant, where a considerable percentage of the sales are the value-added aspects of food preparation and presentation, and so it is rational to buy and store somewhat more to reduce the chances of running out of key ingredients. With all these examples, the situation often comes down to these two key questions: How confident are you that the merchandise will sell, and how much upside is there if it does? And a third issue comes from the view that inventory also serves the function of decoupling two separate operations. For example work in process inventory often accumulates between two departments because the consuming and the producing department do not coordinate their work. With improved coordination this buffer inventory could be eliminated. This leads to the whole philosophy of Just In Time, which argues that the costs of carrying inventory have typically been underestimated, both the direct, obvious costs of storage space and insurance, but also the harder-to-measure costs of increased variables and complexity, and thus decreased flexibility, for the business enterprise.

Allied Diplomacy Essay Example for Free

Allied Diplomacy Essay Due to Britains position as a major power, the country was able to reshape the Middle East and formulate agreements with several important cultures. However, some of the terms within these treaties were completely contradictory, creating dispute and controversy between parties. This very powerful mandate made many mistakes and errors in judgment that led to disastrous conflicts, such as providing assurances of things they werent able to fulfill and creating contradictory terms within official agreements. Britain was responsible for a great amount of problems in the Middle East during World War 1, but there were many other sources of instability with different origins and motives. Two of the most controversial events in the Middle East were the McMahon-Hussein agreement and the Balfour declaration, due to the profound difference in their terms. Whilst the Balfour Declaration promised to provide a National Homeland for the Jewish people, the McMahon- Hussein pact stated that Arab nationals would recover land previously owned by the Turks. At first sight, these terms were completely opposite, and according to the Jewish and the Arabs, impossible to fulfill at once. However, the British claimed that the way in which the Arabs had interpreted the McMahon-Hussein agreement was mistaken because they believed Palestine was to be given to them, just as Britain argued that the map used to establish the terms excluded Palestine from land that had to be given back to the Arab people. A minor phrase that stated that any land that was not purely Arab was to be excluded from the terms created a monumental disagreement when it came to this particular event. Hussein claimed Palestine had to be considered purely Arab as McMahon had a very different view. He believed the land in question was not of pure Arab nature because many other religious groups had established in Jerusalem under Turk rule, therefore eliminating the possibility of ultimate Arab presence in Palestine. Many Palestinians felt betrayed by the British government due to the use of inaccurate technicalities of language. The main purpose of the agreement Britain decided to make with Palestinian Arabs was to gain protection against Ottoman forces and their increasing power. In order to achieve their goal, British officials in Cairo contacted Sharif Hussein and informed him that if they were to assist them against Ottomans, Britain would support future Arab independence. The Arabs had to create a revolt and refer to the Ottomans as their enemies, in order to support the British government further. On the 10th of June 1916, the Arabs did effectively create a large physical conflict in order to fulfill the terms established and to gain the support they required for their ideal independence. The Arab army was founded and organized by the British government, but led by Sharif Husseins sons. Due to the amount of instability the Arab-British forces created in the region, the terms were now justified and Hussein demanded Britain to recognize Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine and areas of the Arabian Peninsula as Arab countries. However, Syria and Lebanon were of French interest and therefore were discussed in the Sykes-Picot agreement that took place from 1915 to 1916. The United Kingdom recognized the freedom of the Arabs, creating not only a contradiction between the agreements made with France and Palestinians but a great dispute between the Jewish and Arabs, two religious groups that had been promised the same portion of land. As time passed, Britain started increasing the amount of conflict in the Middle East throughout grave contradictions and opposite statements. The McMahon-Hussein agreement occurred approximately two years before the Balfour declaration, increasing the dimension of the mistake made by the British government. Just after they had promised to return Middle Eastern territories to the Arabs, the major power was responsible for providing a very concrete assurance of giving the Jewish a national homeland within Palestine. Arthur James Balfour was very clear and was able to state this throughout a letter he wrote to Lord Rothschild on November 2nd, 1917. The Balfour Declaration urged Lionel Walter Rothschild to inform the Zionist Federation of the proposition and was clear that His Majestys government would use all its power to provide a National Homeland as long as no rights were violated in the process, even if they did belong to exterior ethnic groups. As mentioned before, this declaration was said to be completely  contradictory to the agreement made with Sharif Hussein according to Jewish interpretation. Jews believed they w ould receive the entire land of Palestine and would be able to make exclusive use of it, whereas the British argued they never promised the land in its whole and therefore were not breaking any promises or contradicting the terms made in previous agreements. The Treaty of Sevres confirmed the promise made to the Jewish people in the 1917 Balfour Declaration and initiated a long-term problem between the both Palestinian Arabs and Jews. With this treaty, European Powers managed to solve their internal conflicts and successes by reestablishing the map of the region according to what was convenient at the moment, but didnt really think of the long-term consequences of the new arrangement. By not taking Turkish interests into account, the treaty of Sevres was not of their liking and managed to create a larger sense of nationalism within the country, thus creating the war. The lack of precision presented in the three consecutive arrangements with the Arabs, French and Jewish created a great deal of controversy and instability in the Middle Eastern region. Even though the British government was undoubtedly responsible for the majority of the disputes in the Middle East during WW1, there were some exterior factors that accumulated and created outrageous amounts of discrepancies. It wouldnt be incorrect to say that Britain acted the way it did due to the pressure put on it by the initiation of the Holy War, announced by the Ottomans. After four entire centuries of rule, the Ottoman Empire collapsed and therefore contributed to the incessant tensions between inhabitants of several countries. The mentioned empire was the worlds most influential Islamic power and was responsible for putting a stop to its neutrality towards the allies and declaring a Holy War against France, Russia and Great Britain. This war initiation not only put pressure on Britain, but also encouraged the government to find support against the Ottomans, hence the McMahon-Hussein agreement and its terms. In retrospect, Britain was mostly responsible for the instability in the Middle East during the First World War but there were some factors and events having to do with the Ottoman war declaration that created tension  and controversy. If the treaties made with the French, Arabs and Jews had been coherent and logical when put together; the problems in the Middle East wouldnt have been so deeply catastrophic. To certain extent, there were some factors that put Britain in a very difficult position by threatening their empire and even though they were to blame for creating most of the conflicts during World War 1, they definitely werent responsible for starting the long sequence of instability. If it hadnt been for Britains lack of precision when presenting the terms, the long-term problem between Palestinian Arabs and Jews could have been reduced or avoided, despite their ambitious natures. The events and agreements mentioned were not the only sources of conflict between these two ethnic groups due to the disputes that had been occurring a long time before concerning land and respective properties. British officials could have definitely dealt with conflicts in a better way, avoiding the preposterous amount of tension and disputes in the Middle East from the beginning until de end of the war. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Palestinians. (n.d.). The McMahon Agreement. _History Learning Site_. Retrieved September 16, 2012, from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/mcmahon.htm The Balfour Declaration . (n.d.). _Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs_ . Retrieved September 16, 2012, from http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/The+Balfour+Declaration.htm British Mandate for Palestine. (n.d.). _Middle East: MidEastWeb_. Retrieved September 17, 2012, from http://www.mideastweb.org/Middle-East-Encyclopedia/british_mandate_palestine.htm

Looking At The Roles Of Media Media Essay

Looking At The Roles Of Media Media Essay Media is described today as the fourth pillar of state, the more powerful is its media for its global impact as evident from BBC, CNN and magazines like Times and Newsweek. The Western media has tremendous impact in shaping opinions, popularizing western values and their whole life style in the world. Napoleon once said, Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets. The media, with specific reference to the collective entity of newspapers, radio, television and the Internet, play a very important role in national development. National development involves changes in a nation aimed at improving the political, economic and social lives of the people. In National development, the media particularly contributes in areas of democracy and good governance, political transparency, foreign policy and human rights. The real influence of the media in national development depends on the media itself, the societies in which it operates and the audience it reaches. None of these factors are the same everywhere, at all times, or under all conditions. The media in dictatorships, for example, are not likely to exercise the same influence as those in democratic societies. Even among similar types of government, other factors, such as technology, the target audience and the message, may influence the extent of media impact in the society. As the Fourth Estate, it provides checks and balances on the activities of the three arms of government; As agenda-setters, they influence the issues on public agenda; As gatekeepers, they decide what information gets to the public; As watchdog, they represent the interests of the people against powerful interests; And as for multipliers, they add to the combat effectiveness of military commanders. In military operations, on one hand the media is capable of building public opinion (e.g. Kargil); but it can also undermine public support by emotional coverage (e.g. Vietnam, Somalia). Information is power. Media can be used as a weapon against the enemy as a tool of propaganda, carrying out psychological operations for instigating public dissent against their government, dividing the enemy and countering enemy propaganda. If used prudently, media is indeed a Force Multiplier as it builds public opinion. In the words of Abraham Lincoln: Public opinion is everything. With it nothing can fail, without it nothing can succeed. Moreover, the more intense media coverage is on national disasters, the more relief materials and funds are made available by donors (e.g. India, Mozambique). In public health, media campaigns immensely contribute in the reduction of diseases, such as AIDS, SARS, leprosy and preventable children diseases (as demonstrated in Uganda, Thailand, India, Nepal and Brazil). Media strongly influences the direction of foreign policy (e.g. US policy on Bosnia and Somalia). In internal conflict situations, the media acts as an instrument of peace contributing to nation-building (e.g. post-Apartheid South Africa), but as potent force, in wrong hands, it is also capable of fuelling divisiveness and violence (e.g. Rwanda). How the media plays its role is a matter of critical importance. Where the media pursue the role in the face of professionalism, truth, fairness and justice, then the society immensely benefits, but where the media become selfish in pursuance of mainly profits and personal gains, then the society is at a disadvantage. For the media to play any meaningful role in national development, it must be free and independent. Free press is one of the built-in mechanisms in democracy, designed to oppose destructive and disruptive attitudes; the more the freedom of media in society, lesser the corruption. Secondly, control of the media by a few individuals, corporations or governments is inimical to the medias ability to effectively carry out their role. Thirdly, to succeed in their role, the media must be professional. Biased attitude, sensationalism, propaganda and distortions, negatively affect the contribution of the media in national development. Freedom of the media must therefore go along with responsibility. The newly unshackled Pakistani media lacks this sense of responsibility. Even the best of pro-people government policies are criticized and facts distorted for the sake of criticism. Pakistani press and electronic media are faced with shortage of professional reporting, inadequate resources, lack of investigative skills and modern technology. National Media, on the other hand, is used as a mouth piece by every sitting government. Indias go global mantra with more professional and material resources is having damaging impact on Pakistan. The perceived threat can be countered by improving the performance of our own media so that a balance could be created in the minds of the viewers. Projection of truth is essential to gain credibility so that the viewer does not feel the urge to seek it elsewhere. Moreover, the media must take cognizance of national security and the welfare of the people. Ownership of the media should be spread to avoid the monopoly of a few, powerful individuals, corporations or governments. Transmission of violent materials should be controlled to reduce negative influence on the society. The effect of media on national security decision-making is significant. There is no doubt of its influence and based on the information provided within this record, there can be no doubt of its power and effect on national security decision-making. It has emerged as a viable element of power. Modern technology has revolutionized the mass media especially the electronic media. While the improved communication and transportation systems accelerated the process of accessibility and verification of the stories for radio and press, the television made media-men sufficiently powerful to considerably influence the policy formation, campaign processes, issue developments etc. In third world countries the television enjoys much more power than in the developed countries. It has been continuously capturing attention and increasing the size of audience. Perhaps thats why it has become almost a rule in Third world countries to retain complete control over this aspect of mass media. The regional and global outreach of Pakistani media is negligible and is abysmally behind the media of our hostile neighbor, which continues to carry out its demonizing Pakistan propaganda. The Pakistani media has to face the challenged posed and take it as opportunity by revising its policies and updating its material and human resources to play a proactive role to project and promote Pakistan.

Analysis Of Emily Dickensons C :: essays research papers

Analysis of Crumbling is not an instant Act by Emily Dickinson "Crumbling is not an instant’s Act'; is a lyric by Emily Dickinson. It tells how crumbling does not happen instantaneously; it is a gradual process occurring slowly and cumulatively over time. The structure of this poem is complex and it tied directly into the figurative meaning. This poem consists of three quatrains written in iamic meter but with no set number of feet per line. Also, the second and fourth lines of each quatrain thyme somewhat. Perhaps the most perplexing attribute of the structure is that Dickinson capitalizes words in mid-sentence that would not normally be capitalized. This could represent decaying objects; capitalized words represent things still standing and lowercase words represent things decayed. This poem is choppy at timed, but it flows smoothly at others. Long hyphens throughout the poem slow down reading speed. This could be compared to the rate of decay. Sometimes decay is rapid, sometimes it is slow. the last three parts of the poem’s structure help create its figurative meaning. Imagery is Dickinson’s main figurative tool in this poem. the idea that crumbling is progressive is supported by the last two lines of the first stanza, which state, “Dilapidation’s processes Are organized Decays'; This means that crumbling is a result of dilapidation, which is caused by gradual decay. The deterioration that results is progressive: one stage of decay leads to the next until crumbling inevitably comes along. The second stanza contains four images of decay: “cobweb, rust, dust and borer in the axis.'; These images are combined with specific details which give them a deeper meaning. The dust is a “cuticle,'; which suggests that it is at the edges. The “cobwebs on the soul'; suggest spiritual deterioration (cobwebs symbolizing neglect). “Elemental'; rust means basic corrosion and corruption. the “borer in the axis'; represents something that eats a person from the inside out. In the third stanza, the word “ruin'; is perhaps the most suitable word for describing both physical and spiritual collapse. “Devil’s work'; speaks for itself--the devil is evil, ruin is evil. this poem can describe any type o f ruin: personal, emotional, financial. The literal meaning of this poem is simple--ruin does not happen suddenly. It is actually a gradual process that is the result of continuous, small-scale decay.

Jane Austen :: essays research papers

She puts to rest her pots and pans and takes a new stand. She is conniving and explicit in her manipulative ways. She cares deeply for her beloved children. She fears not being headstrong and liberal-minded, and she truly believes that her epiphanies are gospel truth to her own life. Most important of all, she takes action, is heroic in her boldness to fix the wrong, and does not hesitate to look back on what she leaves behind. In his nineteenth century plays, Henrik Ibsen portrays Norwegian women sharing and contrasting many, and more, of these strong qualities. Like a vigorous and professional artist, Ibsen paints vivid female characters in his skillfully tragic plays, creating diversity among them. In three of his plays alone, A Doll’s House, An Enemy of the People, and Hedda Gabler, women are shown to play various roles under different circumstances in nineteenth century Norway. In these plays, the women’s characteristics range from being maternal and conservative, to being radically liberal and nonconforming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, the protagonist is in fact, a woman, named Nora. At the onset of the play, Nora is shown to be like the traditional mother, simply making preparations for Christmas events. She is portrayed as a strikingly beautiful and almost perfect wife who is affectionate, kind, and always obedient to her husband saying things such as, â€Å"I should not think of going against your wishes.† However, this surface is only a mere cover to what really lies in the heart of Nora. It becomes evident that Nora is not completely complacent with her life. Gradually it becomes evident that she takes pleasures in other things that she does not have. For example, she longs for an affluent lifestyle and indulges in material things because she is more youthfully extravagant than she is maternal. In the play, she even admits herself that she desires grand opulence, saying, â€Å"†¦I used to sit here and imagine that a rich old gentle man had fallen in love with me†¦[and] that he died; and that his will contained†¦ ‘The lovely Mrs. Nora Helmer is to have all I possess paid over to her at once in cash.’† To fantasize about such a greedy thing shows that Nora prefers being a single and wealthy woman in society. Not only was Nora hungry for money, but she was hungry for simple respect. In all the years she was married to Helmer, no one ever took Nora seriously or accredited her with anything.

Democracy & Aristotle Essay

Democracy is widely recognized to have originated from ancient Greece, where much of its political philosophy was developed, particularly by Aristotle. However, Ancient Rome is also credited with significant contributions to the development of democracy. Etymologically speaking, the word ‘democracy’ equates to rule and strength from the people. This is an important notion to consider, as far too often the notion of democracy today has eroded into a belief that this rule and strength lies solely within the electoral process. While there is no denying the importance of elections, Lawrence Lessig (2004) contends that democracy also means rule by the people and opines that in the American tradition that means â€Å"control through reasoned discourse and debate. As such, democracy is exercised most by the people when they are actively engaged in civic affairs. Alexis de Tocqueville (2003), the 19th century French political thinker best known for his sociological travel writings on the United States, observed that this is best exemplified by the jury system. Unlike the elections, jurors did not just vote over the outcome to be imposed at the conclusion of a trial, but rather, they went through intense deliberation, attempting to persuade each other of the outcome. Results were obtained through argument, such that no juror could simply detach himself from the implications of his vote. Democratic theory, when applied to political governance, operates along two princioples. First, that the members of the democratic society in question have equal access to power, and second, that they enjoy freedoms and liberties which are universally recognized. (Dahl, Shapiro & Cheibub, 2003) In practice, this varies wildly, and as such, various strains of democracy exist, some which are less representative of the democratic essence than others. Democracy is better understood by contrasting it with other forms of governance. Aristotle observed that in an oligarchy or aristocracy, rulership is granted to a select few while in a monarchy, it is a single individual who holds the power of rulership. For Aristotle, the foundations of democracy lie in civic freedoms, and it is the only political system which permits the private citizen to have freedom. (No author, 2006) Furthermore, this freedom is a double-edged sword, a privilege and a responsibility. Not only is a government denied unquestioned hegemony over the citizen, but it is the responsibility of the citizen to ensure that the government fulfills its obligations. Additionally, this sense of equality is not contingent on the merits of the individual – class, occupation, etc. are not the basis for measuring rights, but rather distributed regardless of their station in life. In that sense, a democracy maintains an egalitarian appraisal of the individual’s political worth. The successful construction of a democratic political system requires the separation of powers. This is because in order for any political system to distribute power in the egalitarian fashion which defines the democratic ideal, it must be able to ensure that no one faction of the political system can attain enough power as to influence or control the others, for that would effectively dilute and perhaps destroy the democracy itself. (Williamson, 2004) As such, this means that any nation governed under the democratic principle operates under the presumption that its constituents are equal – not just its citizens (though it is crucial that they do) but the various institutions as well. Furthermore, the citizens possess various freedoms that cannot be overridden by the government, regardless of how contrary it may be to the government’s interests, such as the freedom of political expression through speech and press for the purposes of staying informed and declaring their personal interests. (Barak, 2008) REFERENCES Lessig, L. (2004) Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity. New York: Penguin Press. De Tocqueville, Alexis. (2003) Democracy in America. New York: Penguin Classics. Dahl, R. A., Shapiro, I. & Cheibub, J.A. (2003) The Democracy Sourcebook. Massachusetts: MIT Press. Williamson, T. R. (2004) Problems in American Democracy. Montana: Kessinger Publishing. Barak, A. (2008) The Judge in a Democracy. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. No author. (2006) â€Å"Aristotle (384-322 BCE): Overview.† The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved September 30, 2008 from: http://www.iep.utm.edu/a/aristotl.htm

How does Jane Austen portray pride in the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’?

For my English coursework I have decided to consider the question: How has Jane Austen portray pride in the novel Pride and Prejudice? This question asks about mostly characters and their self-respect, dignity and pride there are many different meanings of pride here are a few: 1. Inordinate self-esteem, unreasonable conceit of one's own superiority. 2. Insolence, arrogance. 3. Sense of dignity, self-respect and proper self-esteem. 4. Generous elation or satisfaction arising out of some accomplishment, possession or relationship. 5. A source of such elation. 6. The acme, the highest point, the best condition. I will approach this question by going through, firstly the characters with types of positive and negative pride and then the characters with comic and changing pride. Pride can be classed as a positive concept. A positive form of pride in Jane Austen's novel would, I think be Lizzy. Lizzy is very proud of her family despite how sometimes they might embarrass her. For example, the way Lydia and Catherine act when there out at dinner. â€Å"Catherine and Lydia had been fortunate enough to never be without partners, which was all they had yet learned to care for at a ball†. This would suggest how flirtatious Lydia and Catherine are. Another quotation to suggest this would be: â€Å"I am astonished that you should be so ready to think your own children are silly†. This is written in Caroline Bingley's letter to Mr Bennet. A second example of this is the way Mrs Bennet talks to Mr Darcy, because of holding a grudge against him when he first arrived at Longbourn (Darcy would dance with no-one but the Bingley sisters, either because the weren't pretty enough or of a lower class). â€Å"You know how I detested it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner† My last example would be when Lydia ran off with Wickham. This is the stage in the story where the Bennets have realised what Wickham's really like and about his sinister character. Lizzy also never looks down on anyone and I think she may believe in equality. Being headstrong and sometimes quite arrogant may let Lizzy down a little, but Lizzy speaks her mind and the way she feels when confronted or confronting showing her pride in her family and friends. For example when Collins proposed to Lizzy, she would none of it and turned him down three times. When telling her that no one else would take pleasure in engaging with her she stood strong and said she had never been treated in such an abominable, rude and UN-gentlemen-like manor. An example of Lizzy speaking her mind, When she turned Collins proposal down the first time, as it was fashionable to turn the first proposal down, but the second or third should've been accepted. This displayed how much Lizzy detests Collins. I think Liz zy was quite prejudice though. At the beginning of the novel she judges Darcy on his pride because Wickham tells her of how sinister Darcy is to try and win Lizzy's love. ‘ If late Mr Darcy had liked me less, His son might have borne me with better; but his fathers uncommon attachment to me irritated him early in life†. This is one of Wickhams lies that Lizzy sadly fell for. Wickham is trying to say that Darcys' father paid more attention to him than Darcy. Darcy then got jealous and started disliking Wickham. Lizzy's empathetic reply to this was: â€Å"I had not thought Mr Darcy so bad as this†. As Lizzy falls gullibly she expresses her feelings for Wickham. While Wickham smugly smiles at his attempt to poison Lizzy. When Lizzy realises she has judged wrong, she fiercely chastises herself for misjudging Darcy. â€Å"Infact my feelings are quite the opposite† This is what Lizzy says on Darcy's second proposal. Jane Bennet portrays positive pride in the way she looks e.g. the posture and the structure in the way she sits, stands and walks. She also shows great pride in her mother and some in the rest of her family. Jane's pride in the way she looks is strongly criticised when Mr Bingley disengages from her. This would make Jane feel very degraded. Jane is very sad about Mr Bingley leaving her, when she hears news of his return her face lights up and her pride is given back to her. This is because she knows he is coming back to see her. Mr Bennet has a lot of pride in Lizzy as he thinks she is the brightest one of his daughters. He stands by Lizzy in all she does. â€Å"We all know him to be a proud, unpleasant sort of man, but this would be nothing if you really liked him†. This is what Mr Bennet has learned that Lizzy has accepted Darcys' second proposal. Mr Darcy was determined to not make himself look daft/pathetic again he makes sure that Lizzy is not leading him on before he properly proposes: â€Å"I could not have addressed you in any possible way that Would induce you to accept me. So tell me if your feelings Are as they were before†. Georgina on the other hand is very proud of her brother and the way she has been brought up. She obviously shows pride in her family and in all she does. I think Georgina looks up to her brother (Darcy) and respects him greatly in all he does. The negative version of pride appears in this novel quite often. A lot of it appears in conversations between the Bingley sisters. The Bingley sisters are some of the most prejudice people throughout this book. They think they are a step above the rest and only have friends with ‘money'. They think that all women should be elegant females and learn to play at least one instrument, sew and act lady like (basically to be accomplished). â€Å"Women are inclined to learn to play at least one instrument fluently† It shows us this when Lizzy dashes half way across the countryside by foot to visit her sick sister. The greeting she gets is an unimpressed one and they are dicusted in her unladylike exertion. â€Å"Yes and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, and the gown which had been let down to hide it, not doing its office†. The Bingley sisters are proud in every thing they do and given chance to talk about themselves would claim to be the best (or ‘one of'). Their clothes they wear in the video portray their class in society and they are very arrogant, self-worrying people. Lady Catherine de Burgh is also another example of being very prejudiced or if not, the most prejudiced in the book. There isn't a lot of Lady Catherine in the story until the end, but all the way throughout there are refers to her and her strong influences she has on people i.e. Mr Collins. â€Å"Lady Catherine said I should marry as I am a clergyman† Lady Catherine has a lot of pride, mostly in herself but some in her daughter. Lady Catherine is also extremely arrogant and does not like things when they don't go her way. E.g. when Lady Catherine heard news of Darcy wanting to propose to Lizzy again, she storms up to Longbourn by horse and carriage to declare that Lizzy refuses his offer as Darcy is engaged to be with Lady Catherine's daughter. Lizzy standing up for her rights bites back at Lady Catherine and makes no such promise to say no to Darcy. She ends up doing quite the opposite and accepting his offer. In the beginning of the novel Darcy is a very proud, arrogant and upper, top class person (so he seems to think). An early start became a bad start when he went to the first dinner and saw Lizzy. Darcy portray his arrogance by dancing with Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley. Only Mr Bingley saw Darcy and tried to make him dance with Lizzy, but he said: â€Å"She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me†. Comic Pride is a rare pride in this novel and can be seen in at least two of the characters. The first Character it occurs in is Mr Collins he has so much self-love he could make Lady Catherine vomit! Mr Collins shows his smugness in almost everything he does. When asking for Lizzy's hand in marriage, thinking that she couldn't turn him down financially or because its not something an 18th century woman would do. This refers to meaning 5 on the first page. Mr Collins also had the audacity to say that Lizzy would be daft to say no, as no one else would want to marry her because of her finances. â€Å"You should take it to farther consideration that inspite of your manifold attractions, it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may never be made of you†. Collins is funny in the way he moves and acts I would describe him as behind the time (old fashioned). He shows huge respect for Lady Catherine by doing everything she tells him to do. E.g. She said he should get a wife and settle down. So he obeyed her and went to ask for Lizzys hand in marriage. The other example of comic pride would be Mrs Bennet. She always claims she's right and I think she's two faced. One minute she will say that Mr Bingley is an arrogant, self-centred person for dumping Jane, and when news travels he's coming to visit shes really nice to him. E.g. She creeps round him asking how his journey was and how was he. She claims she's always right by, for example when Lydia ran off she said she would never come back she's been kidnapped. When she heard Lydia was coming back married she said she always knew she'd come back. Both these characters are humorous in the novel and the video, but do get quite annoying. Changing Pride also happened only once or twice in this novel. The first person it happens to is Lizzy as her pride changed when she realised she'd thought wrong of Darcy. At first she saw him as rude and arrogant but by the end she saw that she really loved him. She learned to see through all his arrogance and self-centredness and saw the polite and pleasant Darcy. This changed her views on Darcy and gave her reason to accept his proposal second time round. Darcy the mostly changed character. He has fallen for Lizzy and realises he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. At the start or the book Darcy could've been described as arrogant, self-centred/confident man I think Lizzy's influences changed Darcy's pride and he started looking at people for what they were and not what they looked like. She did this by making him realise what's she was like deep down and not what she looked like on the outside or of her family name. The Pride in this novel is what I think keeps the story going, it makes it a lot more exciting to read. All four of these prides mixed in to one and written in the most interesting ways stops you from wanting to put this book down.

Adidas History Essay

Adidas was founded in 1924 in Germany by two bothers Adi and Rudolf Dassler. The company was first named Dassler shoes and later became Adidas. By the Dassler shoes being seen in the Olympics this really helped the company get its name known. However, in 1948 Rudolf Dassler leaves to start his own company which is now known as Puma. Once Rudolf left his brother came up with the famous three stripes logo and changed the name to Adidas. The 3 stripes were created to keep the foot stable, but ended up being the logo. Throughout the years Adidas was seen in the Olympics, and it was the leading brand making their shoes highly sought after by Olympic athletes. In 1978, Adi Dassler passed at age 78 and his wife Kathe ran the company. Six years later Kathe passed and the company was left for their son Horst Dassler to run, and three years later Horst passed at age 51. After Horst’s death Adidas ran into some major financial problems, and later Bernard Tapie comes to make an attempt to save the company. Well to be honest, later down the road a hip-hop group named Run-DMC came and put Adidas on another level just like Jordan did for Nike, and the rest is history! They even made a song called â€Å"My Adidas†, and it was a hit all around the world. After Run-DMC came to Adidas they even had their own signature line. Run DMC is still making Adidas money today just like Jordan is still making Nike tons of money these guys are true legends to the â€Å"Shoe Game†. Adidas has worked with many famous people and has a signature shoe line for Stan Smith, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady aka TMAC, Missy Elliot, and many others. (The Shoe Game) Adidas America, Inc. manufactures and wholesales sports footwear, apparel, and accessories. It offers tennis, running, and basketball shoes; women’s and misses’ outerwear; men’s and boys’ clothing; and women’s and children’s clothing, as well as rubber or plastic footwear. Adidas America, Inc. was formerly known as Sports, Inc. and changed its name to Adidas America, Inc. in 1993. The company was incorporated in 1975 and is based in Portland, Oregon. Adidas America, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Adidas AG. (Inside View) Sportswear giant Adidas gets a new headquarter for its 1700 staff members in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Their new home surely matches the German reputation for quality engineering. I also love the  excess of white used for the interior design, pretty sure their cleaning company has a great time doing their job. (Nimvo) MISSION OF THE COMPANY The adidas Group strives to be the global leader in the sporting goods industry with sports brands built on a passion for sports and a sporting lifestyle. †¢ Adidas is consumer focused and therefore it continuously improve the quality, look, feel and image of its products and its organizational structures to match and exceed consumer expectations and to provide them with the highest value. †¢ Adidas is innovation and design leaders who seek to help athletes of all skill levels achieve peak performance with every product it bring to market. †¢ Adidas is a global organization that is socially and environmentally responsible, creative and financially rewarding for its employees’ and shareholders. †¢ Adidas is committed to continuously strengthening its brands and products to improve its competitive position. †¢ The Company is dedicated to consistently delivering outstanding financial results. MISSION OF THE MARKETING PLAN To devise a marketing plan and formulate strategies which would help in the achievement of the marketing objectives of the company which are, Market penetration – gaining market share across all markets in which it compete Market development – expanding into new markets and addressing new consumers Awareness – increasing awareness and visibility across all brands, providing clear and consistent messaging and supporting product initiatives at the point-of-sale. TARGET MARKETS — The target market of Adidas is the urban youth with the brand proposition competition to lifestyle. The principle consumption centers namely the metros are also a potential target market! MARKET NEEDS †¢ Comfort †¢ Durability †¢ Style †¢ Price †¢ Brand SITUATION ANALYSIS OF THE CHALLENGE COMPETITIVE SCOPES OF  ADIDAS Porter’s five forces of competition framework view the profitability of an industry as determined by the five forces of competitive pressure. It is a simple but powerful tool for understanding where power lies in a business situation. It helps a firm in understanding its current strength in the industry. It also brings into light the strengths of the competitors. With a clear understanding of where power lies, a firm can take reasonable advantage of a situation of strength, improve a situation of weakness, grab the opportunities and keep away from taking wrong steps. This makes it an important part of planning a strategy for any firm in any industry. At the same time, the tool helps in identifying whether new products, services have any future prospect and the potential to be profitable. (Scribd) Five forces analysis for Adidas: Threat of entry (Low-moderate) Threat of Substitute (LOW) Supplier Power (Low) Buyer Power (High) Rivalry (HIGH) Chapter 3 book page 60 Expectation of Suppliers Global Sourcing is a key organization of the adidas Group and its primary responsibility is the creation and implementation of sourcing strategy, supporting the diverse needs of all the brands (adidas, Reebok and Tailor-Made-adidas Golf), product divisions, categories and regions within  the Group. The Company strives to become the leading organization in the industry by establishing an adaptive supply network which excels in speed, innovation, agility and connectivity. This could not happen without the support and commitment of its product suppliers. Thus this is essential for them to share the same values and principles so as to drive the success of the supply chain as a whole. What does Adidas look for in its product suppliers? Overall Competence Regarding its product suppliers as strategic business partners, Adidas recruit them based on a number of criteria which comprise the overall competence of a supplier: 1. Vision: with a vision to become the leading organization in the industry through establishing an adaptive supply network which excels in speed, innovation, agility and connectivity, Adidas expect it suppliers to share this vision, and participate proactively in developing these core capabilities and contribute to the overall supply chain. 2. Supplier Partnerships based on Shared Values: adidas Group seeks suppliers who have close alignments with their values and demonstrate great passion for adidas Group products and brands. Adidas suppliers should strive to become leaders in the fields of performance culture, social and environmental affairs, quality, efficiency, price/value, and innovation. 3. Technical Capability: the Company seek product suppliers with advanced technical capabilities, not only limited to product innovation and quality, but also with the ability to perform business electronically and flexibly enough to upgrade their systems to adapt to future market demands. It suppliers should continuously promote communication and information visibility throughout the supply chain. 4. Leadership: adidas Group seeks suppliers who have a clear and aligned  vision for their organization. The suppliers’ leadership teams are expected to build positive working culture and lead their workforce to achieve improvement and performance targets on a continuous basis. 5. People Management: The Company looks for suppliers who commit to talent management. Suppliers should maintain a professional organization structure which includes dedicated development / merchandizing, planning, industrial engineering, quality and information technology teams, as well as committing to deliver lean operations, competitive cost structure, and cost transparency. 6. Workplace Standards and Ethics: The Company believes better working conditions yield higher quality, efficiency and flexibility to meet customer needs. Suppliers should provide their workers with competitive wages, safe and good working and living environments as well as proper incentives for higher quality and productivity (e.g. lower average working hours in general, decent accommodation and fringe benefits, etc.). 7. Financial Stability: The Company seek suppliers who are financially stable and comply with international and local statutory regulations for the interest of maintaining a viable supply chain and protecting adidas Group shareholders and consumers in the long term. Suppliers should be willing to share selective financial information with adidas Group upon request. Risk Management To minimize risks in Adidas business operations, the adidas Group and its suppliers should actively build and take action plans to manage the following types of risks: 1. Social -They adhere to their established Code of Conduct, the â€Å"Workplace Standards† of Engagement (SOEs) 2. Political – They minimize asset and cash exposure in countries which are considered to be politically unstable. 3. Regulatory – They actively review and adjust sourcing strategies annually to minimize trade restrictions exposure 4. Legal – They utilize extensive legal procedures to combat counterfeit operations in order to minimize the risk of infringement of trademarks and patent rights related to adidas Group products 5. Natural – They maintain high safety standards and have disaster recovery plans in place to deal with such circumstances Business Culture To ensure Its business operates in an efficient and effective manner, adidas Group has established a unique business culture which comprises the following: 1. Right Product at the Right Time – Suppliers are expected to deliver the right products at the right time and in the right quality. The aim is to shorten the end-to-end supply chain lead time from raw materials sourcing to the delivery of final products. 2. Quality Excellence – Quality is one of the main focuses for adidas Group. Its suppliers should ensure all products manufactured meet the defined set of standards. 3. Continuous Improvement – Product suppliers are expected to continuously embrace and drive positive changes and make necessary investments to achieve operational improvements in their organizations. 4. End-to-End Mindset – Suppliers are expected to share equal responsibilities with adidas Group in building an optimum supply network so as to achieve maximum and sustainable total profitability for all stakeholders. 5. Performance Culture – Suppliers should instill a performance culture by continuously setting and meeting aggressive yet reasonable business targets. Customer-Focused In today’s fast-moving world with ever-changing consumer needs and demands, it is crucial for adidas Group and its supply base to keep abreast with the changes and align its development and product allocation strategies closely to market trends. The Company expects its suppliers to instill this customer-focused mindset and be fully committed to the implementation of its development and product allocation strategies. Cost Efficiency As part of a global organization, Adidas focus on the best interest of the entire supply network. It achieves this by driving Performance Culture, Quality, Reliability and Innovation which will enable its suppliers to offer leading price and value. Adidas suppliers are expected to collaborate on improvement programs that continuously increase efficiency and reduce cost. This means that suppliers should utilize productivity and efficiency gains to offset increasing cost drivers and minimize impact on customer prices (Adidas Group) References: http://theshoegame.com/Adidas-History.html http://www.insideview.com/directory/adidas-america-inc http://www.nimvo.com/adidas-head-quarters-in-germany/ http://www.scribd.com/doc/8760709/Adidas http://www.adidas-group.com/supplierrecruitment/expectationonsuppliers.aspx?loc=en

The 19th Century American Art described Naturalism as

The 19th Century American Art described Naturalism as: Life imitating nature and the artists of this period began focusing on â€Å"real life† situations.   Naturalism literature began to flourish after the civil war and after the most loved Romanticism and Victorian literature.   Naturalism focuses on the lower to middle class man in which he is a futile figure of a domineering universe of a hostile nature.   Some sort of struggling for the fittest and the strong and predestined are the only sure winner.The Ambrose Bierce story at Owl Creek Bridge is told by a third party narrator. For a simple reason that a man who is dead cannot narrate his own death?   It says nothing more of a man named Peyton Fahrquhar, a planter from a respected Alabama family; the author even distinguishes him as a gentleman which befits his physical appearance.   Despite of the man’s description, the person in the story seemed to die a futile death giving stress on the character of na turalism to which man is unimportant as quoted by the narrator below:†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"he   . . original secessionist   Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ devoted to the Southern cause. Circumstances of an imperious nature, which it is unnecessary to relate here, had . . . .army which had fought the disastrous campaigns †¦ (Bierce, 2004)Cynical, skeptical or mocking characteristics is vividly present along these lines,â€Å"To be hanged and drowned,† he thought, â€Å"that is not so bad; but I do not wish to be shot. No; .. not be shot; that is not fair.†(Bierce, 2004)The story dealt more on the agonizing death of a person but it was more descriptive than sentimental.   It is an unwanted way of dying and yet there is no reason to stop it.The entire theme below is focused on someone who has experienced a few moments of life before death and another few moments after dying.   His soul seemed to search and in a way could not even tell he is really dead. The story of the life of Peyton is a step by step narrative about the ironies of violent death, as if a man could account of his own dying which can be paraphrased:â€Å"To die of hanging at the bottom of a river! — the idea seemed to him ludicrous. He opened his eyes in the darkness †¦above him a gleam of light, but how inaccessible! He was still sinking, for the light became fainter †¦.mere glimmer.†(Bierce, 2004)â€Å"His neck ached horribly; his brain was on fire, his heart, – fluttering faintly, gave a great leap, trying to force itself out at his mouth. His whole body was –   wrenched with an insupportable anguish! â€Å"(Bierce) 2004.The two lines below were skillfully drawn by the author and I must say that he has expertly given the most significant characteristic to the story by defining life and imitating nature.   He uses the forest and trees, even the detail of a leaf and those that inhabits itincluding the morning dewdrops.   He described nature just as he des cribes a new life that is to be unfolding.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ the forest on the bank of the stream – trees, the leave ,, veining of each leaf — he saw the very insects †¦ noted the prismatic colors in all the dewdrops †¦million blades of grass. The –   gnats that danced..the eddies . . . the beating of the dragon flies' wings, the strokes – water spiders' legs, like oars which had lifted their boat — all these made audible music.†(Bierce)2004.â€Å"A fish slid along beneath his eyes and he heard the rush of its body parting the water.†(Bierce) 2004.This brief sentence above almost completed the story the author wanted to conclude, that death has come and the heavens could be so near.   As if describing that the soul came out from the eye and it moves thru the waters.   Bierce in his few words was able to describe a real life situation which is one of the most interesting characteristic of a naturalistic piecework.  Ã‚   Tha t after life naturally comes death.â€Å"Peyton Fahrquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side †¦beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge.†(Bierce) 2004.Though the whole work is a literary genius, it leaves a mark of pessimism on the part of the reader. Pessimism in the sense that the character of the story was never given a chance. He was doomed simply because of a circumstance that is beyond the control of the person being told.   There was no hope but a dream or it could be real that the character’s soul transcended only to be able to look for his love ones. Even in this scene we can see that there is a big division.   There is desire to be with someone and yet the story emphasizes more on losing. The sad part of it is for an observer to have an impression that not all prayers are answered and an urgent question that need to be asked – where is God why did he allowed such fate?REFEENCES:Bierce,   2004 A. An Occurrence A t Owl Creek Bridge [Electronic Version]. Retrieved 24 September 2007 from

Bus/210 Week 8 Assignment Developing Good Business Sense

Name: Date: 04/28/2011 Course: BUS/210 Assignment: Developing Good Business Sense ? BUS/210 Week 8 Assignment Developing Good Business Sense There are three fast food restaurants that I chose as the businesses for this assignment; Sonic Drive-In, McDonalds, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. All three of these businesses are fast food restaurants. Sonic Drive-In is a curb side restaurant in which car hops bring the customer’s order to their car. McDonald and Kentucky Fried Chicken are both dine-in sit down restaurants that also offer a drive-thru window in car service. The three businesses have similar operations involved in their inputs. The main goal of the employees is to make high quality fast food. While Sonic Drive-In prepares their menu items as they are ordered, McDonalds and KFC precook there items and use heat lamps to keep the food warm. McDonalds and KFC organize their employees in a very similar manner, while Sonic Drive-In is slightly different. McDonald’s and KFC utilizes the cook stay to prep and cook all the food items, the front counter and drive through staff run the registers, take order prepare drinks, and sack or tray customers’ orders. Assistant Managers and managers help out in all positions and oversee all operations of the restaurant. Sonic Drive organizes their cooks and Managers in a similar way, the difference is that Sonic Drive-In does not utilize a front customer counter and register. Sonic utilizes a curbside menu’s and speaker system for customers to place their orders. Carhops replace the counter help normal seen at traditional fast food restaurants. The carhops deliver the orders to the customer’s car. Sonic Drive-In allows their customers to custom order their menu items any way the customer wants. They also offer over 350,000 different drink combinations. That is something that is not offer by any other national fast food chain. The OMM costs of these three restaurants are very similar. The all three of them have operating costs such as rent, utilities, inventory, franchise fees, royalty fees and labor. I found it surprising that all three restaurants actually do not own the property that they are on. All three of them own the restaurants but rent the land that there restaurants operate on. With all three of these restaurants, the time of years and the weather have a huge effect on their sales volume. The lower their sales volume the higher percent of operating cost that they have. During the winter, sales are at their low and in the summer they are at their high. Each restaurant experiences high profits during the summer months and low profits during the winter months. Operating cost such as inventory and labor are the biggest monthly expense from all three restaurants. Since all three of these restaurants belong to national franchise chains they are required to pay franchise fees and royalty fees each month. The manager at Sonic Drive-In stated that their franchise and royalty fees are determine by their net sales each month. They are required to pay 15 percent of their net sales for franchise fees and 10 percent of their net sale for royalties. The manager at Sonic Drive-in also Stated that they are doing very good if they can profit 15 percent of their sales each month after paying all the expenses, and the best way to do that is by controlling the inventory and labor expenses. The managers of McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken were unwilling to release any of their business information to me. While the manger of sonic Drive-In was willing to answer some question, they were very restrictive of the information they did give. The way McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Sonic Drive-In all three conduct their business is very similar. They are designed to produce quality fast food at a price that is considered a value to the customer. They each use the small batch operating system to make customized products. In all three case their own customized food for individual customer orders. KFC makes small batches of fried chicken that is to be sold to individual customers. Because the time it takes to make the fried chicken, KFC cooks batches throughout the day so that it is ready when the customer orders it. This reduces the waiting time for the customer. McDonalds precooks their hamburgers and makes the sandwiches when the customer orders to reduce the waiting time for their customers. Sonic Drive-In cooks the customer’s food when it is ordered, but states that none of their menu items take more than three minute to cook, therefore the wait time for the customer should not exceed three minutes. All three of these businesses focus on delivering fast quality food at an affordable price to keep their customers satisfied and insure they maintain repeat business. This is what keeps their sales value up and allows them to be a profitable business.

Managerial Economics Individual Work1 wk3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managerial Economics Individual Work1 wk3 - Essay Example Different employee roles and job descriptions should be considered when putting in place an organization structure. The hierarchical organization structure embraces a top-down approach relationship. It is a pyramid-like structure where the organization has few experts who delegate specific roles to the other employees. Managers are the main decision makers and act as head of the different departments within the organization. On the other hand, the contemporary organization structure, different employees are specialists in the different roles they undertake within the organization. It is more of a decentralized structure, and employees are expected to make strategic decisions within their areas of specialty. The contemporary organizational structure is very effective, especially in an organization that deals with the manufacturing of products. It encourages participative management as employees are specialists in different fields such as finance, engineering and customer service. (Hiriappa, 2009).The flow and distribution of the information throughout the organization is made easier, and the functions of the different departments are performed effectively. It in turn leads to quality production of goods and the provision of better services to the customers. Therefore, the organization can meet the demands of the market without compromising on the quality of the products and services. Decision making is paramaount in ensuring that the various departments within an organization perform their roles well and in a co-ordinated manner. In this organizational structure, decision making is fast as employees do not have to wait for others to make decisions. The employee is empowered and is expected to make strategic decisions.It also ensures that time is not wasted and that all activities are finished within the allocated time.Furthermore, there is a

Can Alligators Be Saved Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Can Alligators Be Saved - Research Paper Example On the contrary, the Chinese alligator is smaller in both length and weight, measuring almost two meters in length. (SREL - Alligator Brochure). Like all animals, in general and reptiles, in particular, alligators are confined to specific, respective habitats and are native only to the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China. The American alligators  are inhabitants of the southern part of the United States of America and all the states falling that very region. With respect to the Guinness Book of World Records, published in the year 2005, the state of Louisiana was declared as the state with the largest alligator population, in whole of America. The American alligator specie is confined to freshwaters and similar environments. They live in ponds, marshes, mangroves, lakes, swamps, rivers, streams as well as environments with a rich consistency of brine and saline. In order to survive in such environments, the alligators construct gator holes, which are made by the alligators with the use of their mouth and clearing out of vegetation by the tail, henceforth, making a trough or a depression, to survive and hibernate, when required. When a gator hole is constructed in the wetland environment, it leads to an increase in a variety of plants to grow as well as a shelter for most animals, in situation of a drought or a famine, therefore making the alligator, a significant member of the ecological cycle as well as the food pyramid. There are instances when the alligators enlarge their gator holes by digging a pendulous underneath in order to create a stealth den. This tunneling and stealth methods used may extend up to twenty feet. This is not the alligator's nest but merely a way for the reptile to survive the dry season and winters.â€Å"During the cold, dry months (October - March), Chinese alligators hunker down in caves or burrows and  brumate, rather than truly hibernate -- a way that  reptiles  respond to cold weather.† (Saint Louis Zoo). The other type of alligators existential in the world, are the Chinese alligators. This type of alligators are residents of the Yangtze River and the adjoining valley The Chinese alligator has been declared as an endangered species and appears on the Red List issued by the International Union for Conservation as well as the World Wildlife Fund. Zoological gardens are home to more Chinese alligators than the aforementioned Yangtze River valley itself. To name a prominent few, the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, the Miami Zoo are the notable alligator sanctuaries in the global picture today. The male animals are always lesser in number and confines itself to specific duties, be it a human or any other animal, such as a lion. Respecting the traditions of the global society and popular culture, male alligators, which are massive in size remain confined to specific areas, separate from the other creatures. The smaller creatures normally remain and stay in unity. The mal es and females that are larger in size often play the role of the provision of defense and security to the clan and are normally the dominant and the aggressive ones. Despite having a mammoth sized body, the alligators are owners of a very slow breakdown process. They can move very fast, however for very short distances only. An alligator would always hunt down an animal which maybe inferior in size and easy to catch, however like a python or any snake, in general, an alligator needs a single bite to finish off or eat a larger

Consultancy Projects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Consultancy Projects - Essay Example The inventory now stands at sixty days requirements as against 20 days stock they used to hold a year ago. The disposal of this stock is causing problems. If it is not sold it will have to be thrown away due to its perishable nature. Her suggestion has caused a furor in the company management and at a recent meeting of the Marketing and Operation Council (MOC) of the company everyone seemed to have a different opinion to solve this problem. The outcome however has been in favour of two different views. One opinion is that the company should reduce its price by 45% thereby increasing its sales volume and bring down excess inventory to far lower levels. The inherent disadvantage here is that this will encourage the competition to do the same and the result will remain the same. Unless market share is increased this move is more likely to create chaos. It will also result in loosing customer confidence as the premium status of the product will be lost. The fear is that there will be immigration of customers to other suppliers. It was further pointed out that this loss could be mitigated by selling the excess inventory by calling it a different brand. It was argued by those who advocated this first policy that this would spare the premium brand and would attract new customers looking for low end products. The second suggestion is to offer deep discount to its captive customers only. Neptune has around 300 restaurants who are its regular customers and it is proposed that they be offered up to 45% discount on additional off take. It was argued that this would not be considered as price cutting and would avoid a price war with competition. This would also target a closed market which had the potential to absorb more quantities if the price was right. This would help the restaurants increase their own customer bas by offering different fares and would not hurt the image of Neptune in the market. The

Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Coursework Example The principles of marginal costing are often used to determine how changes in the volume of output effects the overall profit by separating fixed and variable costs and considering them as two separate elements of the overall product cost. An important point to know about marginal costing process is that fixed costs are never charged to in determining the final product cost. Fixed costs are in such a case are considered to be a period specific cost. They are not added while determining the price of the product and consequently expensed in the profit and loss account in the period of use. Contribution is a term that is very widely every time marginal costing is used. Contribution can be defined as the excess of sales price or revenue above the marginal costs. Another way of explaining contribution is the amount of profit made be any fixed costs have been accounted for. In very competitive market environments firms often make sales on marginal costs in the short term. As long as marginal costs are recovered, firms continue production as marginal costs cover all variable costs of production. Any excess of marginal cost to the sales price in such a situation contributes to the fixed costs and ultimately the firms break even. Monopolists often price their products on marginal costing basis whenever they see a market threat. Making sales at marginal cost in the short term would allow them to lower their prices temporarily until their competitors are driven out of the market. Consequently they can price their products at marginal cost plus profit formula and continue to exploit customers from their position as the sole supplier. There are some criticisms of the marginal costing process which must be discussed. Decisions taken on marginal costing are based on data derived from historical information. However, decisions made by management accountants relate to the future events and it is not clear whether the past

Computer engineer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Computer engineer - Research Paper Example Bachelor's degrees in software engineering or computer science are a common place to start. Coursework to prepare the student Computer Engineer will include such topics as database design, systems analysis, critical thinking and technical writing. Because computer technology is a field that is constantly changing, continued education is vital to a successful career in Computer Engineering. High school students interested in pursuing this type of work should study mathematics, computer science, and physics. They should also take computer- programming courses in school or learn computer languages in their spare time. When in college, students should try to gain experience by getting an internship with software engineers. Most employers require that computer software engineers have a college education in computer science or software engineering. For more demanding jobs, a graduate degree is preferred. Knowledge of the major computer languages is a must. National certification courses ar e offered for most major computer languages, including C++, Java, and XML. ... ties and Responsibilities of a Computer Engineer Computer software engineers develop and maintain computer software programs, which are coded instructions that tell the computer what to do in logical steps. Software engineers work on a wide range of projects. They work in manufacturing, industry, engineering, government offices, and educational institutions. Sometimes they work on improving computer systems already in use. When asked to develop a program, a software engineer would first analyze the task and apply techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis to come up with the best solution. The software engineer would then prepare systems flow charts that show diagrammatically how information would flow through the computer and its peripheral equipment to get the job done. Finally, they would create an outline of the actual program. In a large organization, such as a computer software company, computer engineers would instruct computer programmers to write the actual code that makes up the program and intercede only when the programmers have a problem. Once the program has been developed, the software engineer may test it for problems and examine it for errors in logic or data. Some programs require days to write, while others may require a year or so. (Cited from Barbara Bellesi; Computer Engineer-Duties and Salaries) Industry Growth and Wages Computer engineers will be in hot demand as computer networks grow in importance for companies both large and small. As a computer engineer, you can find employment in a variety of industries in both the public and private sectors, such as business, telecommunications, government, and health care. Computer engineers specializing in the Internet will be successful in finding employment for businesses

Nursing as a Profession Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Nursing as a Profession - Research Paper Example Information literacy describes the ability to find and gather critical and accurate information as required in any practice to provide quality services. This relates to skills needed to maneuver efficiently through the burst of data available and decisively acquire relevant information (Bonnel and Smith, 2010). In nursing, information is regarded as a key attribute that facilitates efficiency with regard to the scope of the duties. Nursing officers assist other medical practitioners in patient care interventions as directed and according to the plan of care. They also contribute to the collection of accurate healthcare information as well as maintaining accurate health care records. The general duties include attending to patient’s personal hygiene needs such as showering and toileting and assisting with patient mobilization and repositioning. In addition, nurses observe the patient's physical and psychological status, as well as responses during the course of treatment, which entails monitoring patients’ vital signs and recording them accordingly. The duty of care seeks to stress the need for selflessness among healthcare personnel, especially those involved in providing direct basic care to patients. Consequently, nurses are placed at a patient’s personal service through the expression of kindness, moral worth, and dignity of the self and others. This is irrespective of one’s cultural similarities and differences, thus placing more value on the accessibility of health care services to all.... Consequently, nurses are placed at a patient’s personal service through expression of kindness, moral worth and dignity of the self and others. This is irrespective of one’s cultural similarities and differences, thus placing more value on accessibility of health care services to all. Presently, information technology has found a home in most institutions in the society and the healthcare sector has had positive results with technological integration. Health care organizations are rapidly adopting and implementing health information technology such as the electronic health record systems. Electronic health recording aids in enhancing efficiency within the health provider’s organization. This translates to improved patient handling and effective treatment to ensuring appropriate patient management. This creates a smooth carryover of the patient by a new health care provider following referral for further management since the patient’s medical history is rea dily available. In addition, it reduces medical errors where the electronic prescribing applications would alert health care providers in case of any anticipated drug reaction. Cases of illegible handwriting have also been eliminated as progress notes are directly indicated in the electronic system. In addition to the efficiency, electronic records cut back on the risk of mix-ups in patient files where a patient is treated for the wrong condition. This is often the results of archival problems where leafs from patient files are pooled together before sorting. The use of electronic medical records saves hospitals and patients from this by securing the records appropriately that only the records of the required patient can be accessed, thus mix up are evaded (McGonigle and

MUVES and the 21st Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MUVES and the 21st Century - Essay Example In the same way, these have enhanced access to learning and business practices. Many people from different parts of the world have been enrolling in institutions abroad to enroll in distance learning courses through the e-learning portals and systems created by the institutions offering this kind of learning (Jarrett, 2008). In this, the benefits of technological advancements cannot be overemphasized in any way. It remains the responsibility of institutions and business organisations that want to take advantage of these developments to make approaches through which they can improve their social and business process through the use of these systems and others, which continue to be developed. Multi-User Virtual Environments, also known as MUVEs refers to the popular and well-known forms of multi-media based entertainments. However, in the recent past, these kinds of media have been receiving wide acceptance in various other disciplines, because of the ability to facilitate important practices when effectively used. For instance, in many places the attention of MUVEs seems to have changed drastically, to focus on the ability support learning activities in the education sector. In this regard, many research groups have been active in designing different kinds of MUVEs, while investigating their perceived effectiveness in delivering some of the set goals and objectives. These research processes have been offering various kinds of MUVEs in different formats in order to determine their ability to achieve the set goals and objectives in teaching and learning. It is expected that the ongoing research into the effectiveness of these technologies will play a leading role in influencing the various practices not only in the education sector, but also in other sectors and in this century. MUVEs that are designed for use in the wider educational community often have certain embedded problems and

Life Payments Essay Example for Free

Life Payments Essay It is 10:33 AM. You are awaken abruptly from your alarm. You prepare yourself for the day ahead. The day has been going well so far. It is now 12:25 PM. You step into your vehicle hoping to stop at the best burger place in town for lunch. The preceding are the last thing you remember when you wake up cold, sweaty, and drowsy from your coma. Changing perspectives, you are a family member now. Your brother has been in a horrific car accident and is in a coma for thirteen days now. How will you communicate with him? How will you tell him that you love him and are here for him? Most importantly, how do you know that he is still alive? For those who dont know, a coma is a persistent vegetative state, also known as PVS. Coma is also defined as a state of almost total unresponsiveness to external stimulation in which the patient lies with his eyes closed. It is a condition in which the normal cognitive and communicative functioning of the patient is hampered. A coma may occur for various reasons, such as intoxication, CNS (central nervous system) diseases, a serious injury, and hypoxia (oxygen deprivation). But there have been a number of cases across the world like the example mentioned above. A 26-year-old patient named Kate Bainbridge had a viral infection which had put her in a coma — a condition that generally persists for two to four weeks, after which patients die, recover fully or, in rare cases, slip into a vegetative or a minimally conscious state. (Tutton) And there is most notably Rom Houben, also known as Patient 23. Allan Hall reports â€Å"Alive but unresponsive, he has been in a coma for 23 years since he has been 24 years old. Ongoing research in the field of comatose communication has found out that there may be small â€Å"islands† of consciousness, even in persistent vegetative states, like such in Houben’s case. And this is how, through comatose communication and other methods such as fMRIs, they were able to conclude that Houben was still alive in his body. This could be another example of how the conscious is separate from the physical body. So why should you care? How can coma work help patients, families, and caregivers? Coma work furthers the internal and external ommunication of patients in altered consciousness. This can aid patients to complete inner work and spontaneously come closer to the surface, and at times even all the way out of coma or other altered consciousness. With metabolic comas emergence can be quick and dramatic. Mark Tutton, an author at CNN. com, reports â€Å"a study carried out last year on 103 patients by Laureys and his colleagues at Lieges Coma Science Group found that 41 percent of patients in a Minimally Conscious State (MCS) were misdiagnosed as being in the much more serious Vegetative State (VS). Dr. Daniel Hanley, professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, in Maryland, told CNN that VS is a coma-like state in which patients have a sleep and wake cycle, and can show reflex chewing, swallowing and blinking, but dont respond to language or stimulation. † With coma from traumatic brain injury and other causes, progress is usually slow, but measurable. Progress can be accelerated if the awareness for coma communication is heightened. Families and caregivers are often relieved to find ways to communicate with loved ones and clients about treatment options, life and death decisions, and love and personal connection. Family and caregivers often feel validated about their perceptions of subtle cues they have noticed. Now put the shoe on the other foot and imagine if you yourself were to be in a coma today. Wouldn’t you like a way to tell your family that you are alive, are ready to fight through it and come out of your PVS state? Surely yes.