Edgar Allan Poe s The Raven - 788 Words

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most successful writers of all time. Twelve of Poe’s works are known for their literary construction. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most famous poems in history and was first published in 1845. This is a poem that many readers may describe as dark, twisted, and even scary can be oddly moving and eye catching. What were the meanings in his masterpiece, and what did Poe want his readers to understand? Poe’s literary work The Raven shows literary elements of symbolism, theme, and imagery. First and foremost, a symbol is an object, person, or place that has meaning in it self. This also stands for something bigger, usually an idea or concept. The raven’s darkness symbolizes death. Death becomes a constant reminder and intruder. The raven also symbolizes the narrator’s memories of Lenore and grief. At the end of the poem the narrator himself even realizes the ravens meaning; when he states the raven will be with him forever because thoughts of Lenore will be forever with him. This can be why the ravens symbol is so dark. Additionally, December is another symbol is Poe’s poem. December is in winter, and nothing lives in the winter. December can symbolize death. â€Å"December is an end of something, and also the anticipation of something new, a change, to happen.† (Hallqvist). Another symbol many readers see is midnight. Midnight is the darkest part of night. The large, shadowy raven arrives at midnight on a dreary evening, and taunts theShow MoreRelatedEdgar Allan Poe s The Raven944 Words   |  4 Pagesto display the evils of humanity. Edgar Allan Poe, American Gothic poet, often wrote unsettling and dark poetry marrying the natural and supernatural in order to demonstrate difficult to grasp human emotions such as grief or depression. Poe’s The Raven is a powerful, yet dark piece of poetry that utilizes rhyme, meter, and symbolism to entertain fans of Gothic literature and completely pull them into the drama of the piece. In the opening stanzas of The Raven, Poe establishes the tone of the poemRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Raven2149 Words   |  9 PagesEdgar Allan Poe is considered one of the greatest literary writers, but he was highly under-appreciated during his time, Poe was constantly looked down upon and suffered a bad reputation due to rumors created by authors who disliked him. Poe was seen as arrogant, mad, and a melancholy man who had no friends and spent his time drinking and using drugs. Poe s success came when The Raven was published in 1845, â€Å"†¦though it made Poe popular in his day, it did not bring him significant financial successRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Raven Essay1642 Words   |  7 PagesAn Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven Death. A strong topic, frequently but solemnly discussed. However, when I read Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Raven†, I was immediately captivated by the new angle brought to my attention regarding death. While the topic of death is usually associated with either sympathy or horror, Poe succeeded in portraying a feeling caught between the two; and at the same time bringing forth new feelings I would never thought to consider regarding death. These feelings reflectRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Raven2600 Words   |  11 Pagesone of the world s most difficult forms of art. Many poets live throughout their lives and are never recognized for their achievements in their community. Edgar Allan Poe is one of the world s most renowned poets and wrote mainly in the form of poets and short stories. Some of Poe s most renown poems include The Raven, Annabel Lee. The poem The Raven deals with problems such as insanity and grief and the poem Annabel Lee deals with problems of grief a nd young love. Edgar Allan Poe wrote a lot aboutRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Raven1464 Words   |  6 Pagesstarts† Edgar Allan Poe one of America s best known poet, and author who became mad in the sense of insanity after his wife Virginia died of Tuberculous. This made Poe spiral into a deep depression which he wouldn’t be able to get himself out of because of the loss of his beloved Virginia. Poe had a very difficult, strange life, and a writing style like no one had ever seen before and that is what led him to be one of America’s most famous poets, and author. â€Å"The Raven† is what made Poe the wellRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Raven 1602 Words   |  7 PagesJadon Vanderslice. Ms. Glass English 1213 5 February 2017 Poe Edgar Allan Poe, arguably one of the best poets ever, has wrote many great and deep-meaning poems, such as â€Å"Annabel Lee,† and â€Å"Dream Within a Dream.† Both putting off a rather dark image and goth-like elements, a way of writing Poe loved best. Mostly known for â€Å"The Raven†, Poe’s Poems all have real deep and mysterious meanings that make people think a bit more to figure it out. The way he expressed terror, the suspense, the heighteningRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Raven1232 Words   |  5 Pages Edgar Allan Poe: The Raven Literature is a very powerful tool that is used to make a huge impact on society or in someone’s perspective. As complex as the world, literature can appear in many forms using unique vernacular that expresses human endeavors. In some cases, social reform is Transcendentalism is an American literary, philosophical movement, promoting the idea of independent progress. The central idea is the optimistic viewpoint of humanity. People, men and women equally, have knowledgeRead MoreAn Analysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Raven1954 Words   |  8 Pagesauthors, Edgar Allan Poe, Anne Bradstreet, and Emily Dickinson, had poems in which they explored the common theme of death. Their unique views on death, as reflected in their poems, tells us of the different ways people looked at death during their respective times. In this essay, I will explore and explain three poems of Edgar Allan Poe, and one from Anne Bradstreet and Emily Dickinson respectively, and then compare the differences between the three authors. In Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, he usesRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Raven1366 Words   |  6 PagesThe series of unfortunate events that Edgar Allan Poe experienced in his lifetime are what influenced his writing. His poetry heavily reflects the built-up emotions that he carried within himself. He repeatedly dealt with loss, rejection, and poverty throughout his entire life. When his wife, Virginia, was deathly ill, Poe wrote his poem, â€Å"The Raven†, in which the reader can observe the speaker slowly fall into madness while grieving the death of his love, similar to Poe’s own experiences. Poe’sRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Raven And The Black Cat1225 Words   |  5 Pagesthe father of the modern horror story, Edgar Allan Poe was previously viewed as a drunken failure. Within Poe’s writings much of his own life riddled with guilt, anxiety, alcohol, depression and death shines through resulting in works that appear unrelated yet once dissected prove similar. This is true for Poe’s works â€Å"The Raven† and â€Å"The Black Cat†. Poe’s examples of gothic fiction share the use of the color black and a rapid digression of the narrator s sanity while seemingly unveiling Poe’s internal

Nature Vs. Nurture Debate - 878 Words

When one thinks about child development, are personalities and traits produced by genetics or shaped by the environment? Or, is there a relationship between nature and nurture with regards to child development? The debate continues. While some believe â€Å"nature and nurture work together, others believe they are separate and opposing influences† (McDevitt, 2010). Nature vs Nurture In regards to the nature vs. nurture debate, â€Å"this debate is a major issue in many social science disciplines and is concerned with the influence that biology, genetics, and overall heredity have, along with or in contrast to environmental influences (Groark, McCarthy, Kirk, 2014, page 3.1). Some theorists argue that a person’s behavior is predetermined at birth (nature), while others argue that a person’s environment is crucial during the developmental years (nurture). However, â€Å"today, many development professionals agree that a complex relationship exists between nature and nurture that may lead to a variety of outcomes later in life† (Groark, McCarthy, Kirk, 2014, page 3.1). While there may be a relationship between nature and nurture, there are different influences on child development; such as biological, environmental, societal, and cultural. Child Development Influences Regarding the different influences on child development, first is the biological influence. As defined by a child psychologist on psychologydictionary.org, biological influence is â€Å"anything which affects theShow MoreRelatedNature Vs. Nurture Debate1427 Words   |  6 Pagesparents use authoritarian methods and punishment.† The nature Vs nurture debate has been around since 1690 created by the philosopher John Locke who believed we as humans do not have natural, inborn ideas; that our minds are a blank page, upon which experience shall write. Nurture is everything and nature is simply nothing. â€Å"Nature is what we think of as pre-wiring and is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors. Nurture is generally taken as the influence of external factorsRead MoreNature Vs Nurture Debate1291 Words   |  6 PagesHow is the nature vs nurture debate related to a consideration of the mental disorder, schizophrenia? INTRODUCTION Schizophrenia is categorized by thoughts or experiences that seem abnormal with reality, disorganized speech or behaviour and decreased participation in regular daily activities. Difficulty with memory and concentration are sometimes also present. The two hit hypothesis generally refers to a genetic vulnerability, which is known as the first hit, triggered by something in the environmentRead MoreNature Vs Nurture Debate1343 Words   |  6 Pagescontroversial to psychologist since the phrase was created in 1869 is â€Å"Nature vs Nurture†. Although the debate was started well before then, 1869 was the first time it was tied to the debate. The nature vs nurture debate is over whether you get your behavior from genetics, what you inherited from your biological parents, or if they are learned characteristics, what you learn from the environment and what you get taught. The debate can be traced back to early western philosophy and is still relevantRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture Debat e1332 Words   |  6 PagesNature vs Nurture debate is one of the oldest arguments in the history of psychology. The debate is about to know if our personality and talents come from our parent or environment? The coding of genes in each cell in humans determine the different traits that we have, more physical attributes dominance like ear size, eye colour, , height, hair colour and other traits. However, it is still not known whether the more abstract attributes like, intelligence, sexual orientation, personality, preferencesRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture Debate1863 Words   |  8 PagesNature vs. Nurture Albert Camus once said, â€Å"Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.† But what makes man what he is? Is it his sheer genetic makeup, or is it the way he was raised? The nature vs. nurture debate has raged on for centuries, but neither side has been able to prove their point indefinitely. Even today we see displays of the contrast between genetics and learned behaviors, in athletics, in intelligence, in behavior, in medical history, and in work ethic. Each personRead MoreThe Debate On Nature Vs Nurture Essay1435 Words   |  6 Pagesdubious history of the debate on nature vs nurture continues to be a controversy, more and more psychologists start to rise from both sides of the argument. The earliest evidence can be traced back to the time of John Locke, who believes that our minds are blank slates and only experience can write override it. Despite the main focus of the issue being how environment transact to influence development, psychologists today cont inue to argue on the issue of nature vs nurture. Intelligence is more ofRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture Debate2114 Words   |  9 PagesNature vs. Nurture Albert Camus once said, â€Å"Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.† But what makes man what he is? Is it his sheer genetic makeup, or is it the way he was raised? The nature vs. nurture debate has raged on for centuries, but neither side has been able to prove their point indefinitely. Even today we see displays of the contrast between genetics and learned behaviors, some of which are athletics, intelligence, medical histories, etc. Every person is completelyRead MoreThe Nature Vs. Nurture Debate2673 Words   |  11 Pagesamount of social interaction is going to have a positive benefit, for young kids or any age. One of the most famous debates in Psychology is the Nature vs. Nurture debate, which has been going on since the time of Aristotle. The aspect within this debate comes to the question of; did the aspects of our behavior become because we inherited our characteristics from our parents know as the Nature? The other question leads up to our behavi or of; did we get our characteristics from what we learned from theRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture : The Debate Of Nature Versus Nurture895 Words   |  4 PagesNature vs. Nurture The debate of nature versus nurture has been an ongoing debate for a long time. When applying this argument to education there is no proven winner. The nature side of the coin believes that a person is born the way that they are. This could include intelligence level or personality traits such as being outgoing or shy. The other side of the argument of nurture believes that the type of upbringing that someone has will play a large role in the way they develop. It is thoughtRead MoreThe Debate Of Nature Vs Nurture1364 Words   |  6 PagesThe ongoing debate of Nature vs Nurture is one of the oldest philosophical issues. The nature theory argues that all genes, and hereditary factors, influences an individual in terms of their physical appearance to their personality characteristics (Cherry, 2017). Conversely, the nurture theory argues that all environmental variables impact who individuals are, including early childhood experiences, how individuals were raised, social relations hips, and surrounding culture (Cherry, 2017). However

021456 Free Essays

NABEEL RASHEED Flat # D-19, Crown Garden Block-4, Scheme-33, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Main University Road, Karachi. Cell # +92 343 2550 599 / +92 300 2580 408 Phn # +92 213 4011 237 E-mail: nabeelrasheed14@gmail. com Career Object: Seeking a career with a future oriented organization, which will provide me the platform for becoming a well? Recognized profession†¦ Ultimately attaining prestige and pride for the organization and myself . We will write a custom essay sample on 021456 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Personal information: Father’s Name Date of Birth Nationality Religion Marital Status NIC # : : : : : : Abdul Rasheed December 14th, 1991 Pakistani Islam Single 42201-8923891-5 Personal Qualifications: Masters Graduation : MBA marketing in process from KASBIT : B. com from Karachi University in 2011. B. S. S. Media Studies, 3 semesters from Bahria University in, 2009. Intermediate: I. Com. , from, Liaquat College of Management Sciences in, 2008. Matriculation: Computer Sciences from, The Kings School in, 2006. Experiences: ? Premiers International: (Feb 2012 till Nov 2012) Premiers is the largest Immigration Company in the entire Middle East with its full fledged processing department in its Head Office in Dubai. Premiers serve applicants from entire Middle East through its Head office in Dubai. With its Head office in Dubai Branch Office in Abu Dhabi Premiers is serving expatriate community in the Middle East and has the honor of processing approximately 1000 cases per year. we have regional offices worldwide i. e: Cyprus, Canada, Abu Dhabi, Karachi, Tehran. Designation: Working as a Senior Customer Service Representative and a Immigration Councilor, from Feb, 2012 till Nov2012. ? Silk Bank LTD: (3 months) Saudi Pak was rebranded as Silk bank Limited on June 1, 2009. Under the new leadership the bank will continue to focus on SME Consumer financing resulting in efforts of increased profitability. Designation: Sales Executive in personal loan department (Running Finance), from Aug, 2011 till Oct, 2011 ? United Bank LTD: (6 weeks) Pakistan’s second largest bank with more than 1300 branches nationwide and internationally in 4 continents, giving services with the glorious history of 52years. Designation: Operational Internee, gave my services in every depart, deal cash counter for 1 week, clearing counter for more than One week and deal as a Customer Service Representative for more than a month and have almost full command on it, in 2011 for 6 weeks. ? Used clothing export Pakistan (Fortune Group Canada): (1 year) This company based upon export of used clothing, soft/hard toys, house hold rummage, and etc from worldwide and sale it to local buyers in Pakistan. Designation: Office Administrator, in 2008 Till year end. ? NabCells (6 years) This company is based on Trading of cell phones nationwide and internationally through internet and other marketing, Established in 2007 Till 2012. Designation: CEO and Founder . ? E-management: (1 year) The organization is based upon event organizing like Concert organizing, Conference organizing, Convocations organizing etc, and specialized in wedding planning, in Co-operation with Mac caterers and decorators. Designation: Owner and Event manager for corporate events and wedding planning, in 2008-2009 Computer skills: ? ? ? ? ? Movie Editing Graphic Designing Flash animation Microsoft Office Windows and hardware assembling expert Hobbies: ? Movie making ? ? ? ? ? Photography Do work-out in Gym Eating out Car racing Travelling Extra skills: Brown belt holder in TAI-KWAONDO (Self-Defence) from, Aero Karate Club Karachi. Can speak British English, Urdu and Kokan Language of India (Puna) References: Will be furnished on request. How to cite 021456, Essay examples

Davidson Motorcycle Artwork Gets Personal †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Davidson Motorcycle Artwork Gets Personal? Answer: Introducation Harley Davidson was founded in 1903 and continues to be a success story even today. Its emphasis on quality product and image marketing has got the firm where it is today. After gaining control from AMF, management commenced just in time manufacturing which implied receiving and making goods as and when they are needed thereby leading to reduced inventory costs. Many competitors challenged Harleys leadership position specifically in the motorcycle segment but in vain. By 1993, the firm acquired Buell Motorcycle Company in order to expand its product offerings. Harleys attempt at diversifying into recreational industry was reversed. As Harleys customer base aged, it introduced V-rod which appealed to the youth. After the growth stages of 1990s, Harleys sales started to decline majorly for two reasons safety and pending recession. How Harley continued to grow is discussed in the questions below. Strategic Position Different brands aim to position themselves in various different segments, however the most fundamental positioning distinction comes from price (Association for consumer research, 2016). Harley has been unique by not following the low cost strategy like all its competitors hence Harleys positioning is extremely critical to its success especially given that image marketing is their strongest suits. They aim to fulfill the dreams of personal freedom. Even its vision indicates the companys focus on overall development of all its stakeholders. The vision statement also focusses on international success which makes its expansion plans evident. Harleys mission is to bring exceptional service to its clients and thereby gaining their continued loyalty. Harleys customers are fiercely loyal. And this is also one of the most distinguishing features of the brand. It believes it delivering people an experience and not just a motorcycle (Harley Davidson, 2017). Its strategies also clearly indicate Harleys intention of selling motorcycles as a lifestyle and not just as a mode of transportation (Advertising Age, 2013). Harley continues to differentiate itself by focusing on the experience and not the intricacies of the bike. Harleys CMO mentioned that Harley has an engine and wheels and it runs on road, but that is where its similarities with respect to its competitors ends (Forbes, 2013). Harley has focused solely on heavy weight motorcycles and continues to ensure its products are different from competitors (Business Insider, 2016). In the aim to sell an experience, Harley makes sure that it hires employees that customers can relate to. Their sales employees and store workers are bikers and dressed in biker jackets. Their knowledge about various bikes and its technicalities are in accordance with the Harley store atmosphere. Harley-Davidsons Corporate Governance. Corporate governance is the very essence of business (Forbes, 2015). Harley Davidson takes immense pride in its excellent measures taken to achieve efficient levels of corporate governance. Governance basically implies the art the managing any entity. It envelops leadership roles, management styles, company policies, procedures, organizational structures and employee conduct (Business Line, 2017). Harleys company policies are transparent and leave no room for discrepancy. Harleys board of directors come from a range of industries with decades of experience (Harley Davidson, 2017). Harley even has a corporate governance committee in place that ensures that the companys policies are in place and implemented continuously. The firms mission, vision, values and objectives are crisp and clear and adhered to sincerely. Strengths and weaknesses Cult brand: Harley Davidson has positioned itself in the niche segment of high cc cruiser bikes and transformed itself as a cult brand. This is also because of the sense of ownership and along with that a sense of belongingness to the Harley family that its customers feel. Harley merchandises like jackets, caps, bottles, key chains make sure of bringing a feeling of similarity among its owners. HOG: Harley owners groups are organized across the world. They meet often, discuss experiences, and travel together. They conduct rallies and other events there by making people feel like a part of a group (Harley Owners group, 2017). These passionate owners used these rallies as a killer sales tool (Cult branding, 2011). Harley bikes were made available to people at these rallies so they can get a firsthand experience of riding this beast. Feedbacks were taken from these test riders by Harley employees and changes were accordingly made to bikes. High customer pull: Harleys distinguished promotional strategies and branding has helped the brand gain a huge customer base. Harley comes up with various campaigns and these promotional ideas help consumers connect more with the brand by increasing awareness. Its Live your legend campaign gained a high TOMA score (Top of the mind awareness) and increased demand by $70 million in 2016 (Advertising age, 2016) Loyal customer base: Harleys customers are fiercely loyal owing to its image marketing and targeting a niche segment. Also, Harley is the only brand that provides its consumers with an option to customize their bikes via an online portal. This attracts bike enthusiasts and they remain loyal to the brand as they do not find this facility with any other competitor. As rightly said, such a high level of loyalty is achieved not just by a great service delivery but by willingness to invest in individual customers needs (Inc., 2013). Customization: Harley Davidson gives its customers the luxury of customizing their bikes as per their needs. This can be done on an online tool where people can design their bikes and see it come to life (Harley Davidson, 2017). This gives consumers a sense of individuality and ownership with their bike. The emotional quotient attached with a self-customized bike is high and this helps in gaining customer loyalty. Weaknesses High cost of exporting: Outside US, Harley Davidson has only one manufacturing unit in India and one assembling plant in Brazil. Recently it announced the plan to make an assembling plant in Thailand as well to cater to Asia Pacific clients. But even then the number of Harley facilities outside of US is very less and this makes the price of exporting to other countries relatively higher. Even though they seek a cut in import duties with various countries, nothing substantial has been accomplished yet (Deccan Chronicle, 2014). Over dependence on the US market: As mentioned above their lack of manufacturing units in other countries make Harley focus more on the US market. This creates a very high dependency on one particular market as more than 65% of the revenue comes from the United States of America (The Britton, 2017) Limited suppliers: Harley suppliers go through a strenuous selection process in order to maintain the Harley standard. This is why Harley has very few suppliers especially outside of US and in the long run depending on such few suppliers increases dependency and may even lead to delivery delay and customer dissatisfaction. Opportunities and Threats Asian and European markets: Harley has a very strong hold in the US market but with time it must be noticed that the demand in the developing Asian and European markets is consistently on a rise and there are almost no other players especially in high cc cruiser bikes segment. This makes for a very attractive opportunity for Harley. Lower CC bikes: Harley Davidson has kept its focus completely on high cc and heavy weight bikes but Harley can immensely increase its customer base by introducing low cc heavy weight bikes as the demand and market for these bikes is much higher. Especially now that Harley is focusing on targeting a younger clientele, this is a definite opportunity to expand base. Women and young riders: Harley can put advertising to efficient use and encourage women and younger riders into biking. In 2006, women accounted for 12% of total bike sales across the globe. At present, demand for motorcycles among women is at an all time high (JS Online, 2016). This is a growing number and it marks a golden opportunity to introduce these budding riders into the Harley cult club. YouTube partnerships: Recently there is an emerging trend of bikers uploading their travel experience videos on YouTube. So much so that YouTube has become a better travel influencer than Instagram (Business Standard, 2017). These v-loggers have a huge fan base and it helps them earn money as the viewership for their videos is very high. Harley can associate with these bikers and provide them with Harley merchandises. These bikers also organize meet-ups with their fans in the different cities they travel and Harley Davidson can partner by offering their venue. This would also increase the footfall at the store and hence higher sales. Threats Approach: given the market scenario, consumer needs are consistently changing. This is the time to understand those needs and bring in efforts to fulfil them. Being myopic can significantly hurt Harley sales. Another factor is that at the moment 65% of the revenue comes from US and such a high level of dependency can cause internal distress. Substitutes: Based out of US Harley must keep in mind that a stronger economy means more competitive threats (Forbes, 2012). There are many emerging players in the market who are offering heavyweight motorcycles at a lesser price like Royal Enfield, KTM, Triumph motorcycles etc. Harleys most endangering substitutes are Yamaha VMax, Suzuki Intruder, Ducati Divel, Ducati Multistrada and Suzuki Hayabusa. Strategic factors Increasing age of customers: As the case elaborates that a lot of Harley sales were conducted in the late 1990s. This means most of them are over 50 years of age, mostly male and mostly white (The guardian, 2016). Rider over the age of 40 account for 40% of the fatalities caused by bike accidents. This becomes a major issue as increasing number of accidents by Harley Davidson bikes is sure to impact its brand image. Also almost all Harleys competitors are focussing on targeting a younger generation and it is high time Harley begins to capture that market. Increasing number of substitutes: Harley Davidson is no more a solo player in the heavy weight bike segment. Motorcycle companies like Royal Enfield, Suzuki and Triumph are slowly gaining markets with their heavy weigh bikes at a lower price strategy. Harleys target customers belong to the high income segment but substitutes offering low price goods is sure to eat away from Harleys market share. Need more manufacturing units: Lack of manufacturing units in different countries makes the cost of exporting really high and time consuming. Secondly it somewhat reduces the trust in the minds of consumer by increasing service delivery time. Although, opening manufacturing units is a tedious and expensive investment to make, but given Harleys increasing brand awareness, it is about time to make a rational change in the operational structure of the firm. Recession: The case that we are referring to, is dated before 2008 and hence the recession is yet pending. This black hole in the American economy is sure to affect Harley Davidson as well by reducing peoples buying power and hence demand for high end motorcycles. Strategies must be carefully built to tackle such macro-economic scenarios as and when they arise. Core competencies Core competencies are skills that the organization is best at. Core competence is the collective learning in the organization, especially the capacity to coordinate diverse production skills and integrate streams of technologies (Harvard Business Review, 1990). These competent abilities may or may not give the firm an advantage over its competitors. Harley Davidsons core competency lies in its positioning strategies and customer management. Harley positions its bikes in the most differentiating and innovative manner leading to customer loyalty. Harley does not sell motorcycles for transportation but rather as a status symbol. It symbolises leisure, freedom and a strong personality. Harley owners groups organize various events and rallies where all proud owners of Harley participate. This gives the brand a cult status. Harley celebrates birthdays of all its customers by inviting them to a nearby Harley Davidson outlet and sometimes gifts them merchandise. They make the customer feel like they are a part of the family leading to a passionate customer base and loyalty. Distinctive competency Distinctive competencies of a firm include those abilities that a firm does better and differently from its competitors. Harleys distinctive competencies lie with its niche targeting and customer relationship management. Harley targets high income groups of people and sells them heavy weight high CC cruiser. This differentiates Harley from its competitors who do not have a strong hold on this segment of technology and hence consumer base. Being a part of a niche market segment always makes customers feel special. Harleys customer loyalty is one of its biggest assets and that is completely owed to image marketing done brilliantly done by the team. Harley markets its motorcycles are a symbol of freedom, independence, strength, ready to take challenges and immense force. Anyone who associates with these qualities immediately gets driven towards Harley. Harley sells a lifestyle, an image and a reputation, not just a bike. And this is what makes it different and even superior to its competing counterparts. Customization of motorcycles is one of Harleys most special services. Harley provides its customers with an online portal where they can design their own Harley and see it come to life on delivery. This makes customers associate more with the brand as the emotional quotient associated with a customized bike is very high (USA Today, 2017). Strategies to increase sales Build manufacturing units: As discussed before, Harley Davidson has just one manufacturing outside US which is in India and one assembling unit in Brazil. This leads to high cost of exports and also impacts delivery. In order to overcome this, Harley recently announced to build an assembling unit in Thailand which will be a knock down facility to serve its Asia pacific customers (Fox Business, 2017). Building more manufacturing units in exporting countries is the next recommended step for Harley Davidson and this is sure bring an increased customer base. Marketing focused on women and young riders will inspire them to enter the motorcycle segment. This will benefit Harley Davidson sales as no other firm is targeting them at the moment and the share of motorcycles purchased by women is much lesser as compared to their male counterparts. Harley must also target young riders as firstly, brand loyalty will be much higher as Harley will be introducing them to the world of motorcycle. The emotion behind the first bike can surely be banked upon. And secondly, Harleys customers who bought their bikes in 1990s have reached a risky age and may affect Harleys brand image if the number of accidents increase. Academy to teach motorcycling: Harley Davidsons riding academy is its initiative towards teaching biking to youngsters. This has been a major strategic decision that is expected to raise sales. By the end of this year they aim to train 65000 motorcyclists across the country. This will ensure a certain loyalty from this set of prospective clients (JS Online, 2016). Social Media: According to the global digital snapshot over 40% of the worlds population are active social media users (Web Pro News, 2017). YouTube channel partners are a fad and Harley must take advantage of this and target a large mass of youth. Many bikers have active YouTube pages with high number of followers. Harley Davidson can tie up with them and take advantage of their fan base alongside with promoting their own products. Focus on international markets: As discusses earlier, 65% of Harleys revenue comes from its US market. This high level of dependency and lack of diversification in the consumer segment is rather unsafe (Fortune, 2012). Any macro factors affecting the economy of America will directly impact the companys performance. Harley Davidson must strategies and increase its focus on international soil by building manufacturing units and service stations in other countries. This will lead to efficient service delivery and an increased base of customers. Image of a bike rider Bike riders are often associated with strength and a risk taking aptitude. They symbolize rawness, speed and power. They are filled with pride and responsibility. They seem fearless and extremely passionate about travel. They are strong willed and living on the edge and their life is filled with enthusiasm and energy. The biker image portrayed above is surely a huge help to Harley Davidsons image as the brand reflects all the same values. The high CC of Harley bikes shows speed, power. The heavy exterior symbolises strength and robustness. The HOG members signify passion and pride. This is exactly what Harley Davidson has banked upon. This image marketing by the brand has led to aggressively loyal customers and a very high emotional quotient attached with the purchase of the bike. Impact of competition Like every other brand, sales are bound to get impacted with the presence of higher competition. Also despite the presence of other brands offering lower prices for heavy weight high CC bikes, Harley Davidson consciously made the decision of protecting their iconic brand image by not engaging in discounting activities. However, Harley continues to hold the highest market share in unites states of over 65% which is expected to grow by 2-2.5% annually (Forbes, 2014). Polaris has been Harleys biggest competitor with its sales growing 23% year over year which is more than Harley and this is surely a matter of grave concern (Forbes, 2016). Loyal Customers Harley Davidson customers loyalty is world renowned and often a reason for envy among other brands. This is predominantly because of three factors which are Harleys greatest competencies. First being image marketing, second being their customer relationship management and third being their product differentiation. Image marketing helps its customer associate with a certain image every time they own or ride a Harley Davidson bike. Customer often wish to continue being associated with this image and hence remain loyal to the brand. They like the perception that they leave in peoples minds when they are owning a Harley Davidson bike. Customer relationship management of Harley is done in the manner that the customer feels like a part of a family. HOG events and rallies are conducted often where all the Harley owners get together. They all have shared passions and personality traits that they relate with and hence they have made a cult and continue to be loyal towards it. Product differentiation has occurred mainly because of the absence of too many competitors in the niche segment of high cc heavy motorcycles. Styling of the bike, its exteriors, high engine power are factors which are not easily available with other brands. Hence customers are loyal towards Harley Davidson. Impact of changing demographics Changing demographics are a major opportunity in the form of increasing potential clients for Harley Davidson. Women are increasingly gaining interest in and ability to ride bikes. This is a potential market for Harley bikes as they can invest in marketing strategies to target this segment of the society. People are now beginning to ride their first bikes at an early age and also peoples inclination towards healthy living has got people above the age of 50 also to ride bikes. In fact old rider clubs are getting formed where senior citizens of the country meet and travel together. However Harley must continue to cater to its current customer base who are above 50 years of age as Americans over 50 control 77% of the total net worth in the country. And across the country 39% of the motorcycles are owned by people aging between 51 and 69 (JS Online, 2015). Harley must invest wisely in the marketing of these segments as they are still niche and any kind of association with bikes at this stage with ensure a continued relationship. References: Advertising age, 2013, Harley Davidson CMO: We arent an auto brand, https://www.adageindia.in/marketing/cmo-strategy/harley-davidson-cmo-we-arent-an-auto-brand/articleshow/45807295.cms, viewed on 16 September, 2017. Advertising Age, 2016, Live your legend urges Harley, https://www.adageindia.in/marketing/cmo-strategy/live-your-legend-urges-harley-davidson-in-new-global-campaign/articleshow/51426587.cms, viewed on 16 September, 2017. Business Line, 2017, All you wanted to know about corporate governance, https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/slate/all-you-wanted-to-know-about-corporate-governance/article9825427.ece, viewed on 15 September, 2017. Business Standard, 2017, Sorry Instagram, You Tubers are the new travel influencers, https://www.business-standard.com/article/technology/sorry-instagram-youtubers-are-new-travel-influencers-117071400046_1.html, viewed on 16 September, 2017. Cult branding, 2011, Official Harley Davidson cult brand profile, https://cultbranding.com/ceo/harley-davidson-cult-brand/, viewed on 16 September, 2017. Deccan Chronicle, 2014, Harley Davidson seeks cut in import duty, https://www.deccanchronicle.com/140930/business-autos/article/harley-davidson-seeks-cut-import-duty, viewed on 16 September, 2017. Forbes, 2012, A Stronger economy means more competitive threats, https://www.forbes.com/sites/martinzwilling/2012/04/24/a-stronger-economy-means-more-competitive-threats/#755f1e277df9, viewed on 16 September, 2017. Forbes, 2013, Harley Davidson will be a case history in social branding, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathansalembaskin/2013/07/12/harley-davidson-will-be-a-case-history-in-social-branding/#11179032155e, viewed on 15 September, 2017. Forbes, 2014, Harley Davidsons success story in the US, https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/12/19/harley-davidsons-success-story-in-the-u-s/#62de06464ec1, viewed on 15 September, 2017. Forbes, 2015, Corporate governance is the very essence of business, https://www.forbes.com/sites/dinamedland/2015/02/10/corporate-governance-is-the-very-essence-of-a-business-stephen-green/#5c8841671bef, viewed on 16 September, 2017. Forbes, 2016, Harley Davidson: tough times ahead in the domestic market, https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2016/09/13/harley-davidson-tough-times-ahead-in-the-domestic-market/#5c17f501fb95, viewed on 15 September, 2017. Fortune, 2012, The hurdles at Harley Davidson, https://fortune.com/2012/10/03/the-hurdles-at-harley-davidson/, viewed on 16 September, 2017. Fox Business, 2017, Harley Davidson building factory in Thailand, https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/05/23/harley-davidson-building-factory-in-thailand.html, viewed on 16 September, 2017. Harley Davidson, 2017, About Harley Davidson, https://www.harley-davidson.com/content/h-d/en_US/company.html, viewed on 15 September, 2017. Harley Davidson, 2017, Build your freedom, https://www.harley-davidson.com/content/h-d/en_US/home/hd1-customization.html, viewed on 16 September, 2017. Harley Davidson, 2017, Corporate Governance, https://investor.harley-davidson.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=87981p=irol-govhighlights, viewed on 15 September, 2017. Harley owners group, 2017, Harley owners group, https://www.harley-davidson.com/content/h-d/en_US/home/owners/hog.html, viewed on 15 September, 2017. Harvard Business Review, 1990, The core competency of the corporation, https://hbr.org/1990/05/the-core-competence-of-the-corporation, viewed on 16 September, 2017. Henkel, A., Boegershausen, J., Aquino, K., Lemmink, J, 2016, The Undesired Discounting Effect of Budget Brands: How Brand Positioning Affects Perceptions of Customer Service Representatives Human Qualities,ACR North American Advances. Inc., 2013, How to get fiercely loyal customers, https://www.inc.com/les-mckeown/how-to-get-loyal-customers.html, viewed on 16 September, Accounting. JS Online, 2015, Harley Davidson seeks to move throttle to meet changing demographics, https://archive.jsonline.com/business/harley-davidson-seeks-to-move-throttle-to-meet-changing-demographics-b99464795z1-297125131.html, viewed on 16 September, 2017. JS online, 2016, Harley Davidson CEO says increased competition is the new normal, https://archive.jsonline.com/business/harley-davidson-ceo-says-increased-competition-is-the-new-normal-b99716374z1-377692191.html/, viewed on 15 September, 2017. JS online, 2016, Motorcycle makers focus on women pays off, https://archive.jsonline.com/business/motorcycle-makers-focus-on-women-pays-off-as-female-ownership-doubles-b99642657z1-365050911.html/, viewed on 16 September, 2017. The Britton, 2017, Harley Davidson and the quest for female customers, https://www.brittonmdg.com/the-britton-blog/Harley-Davidson-targeting-women-and-young-customers-in-marketing, viewed on 15 September, 2017. The guardian, 2016, Harley davidsons reputation as an old white guy maybe on its downfall, https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/oct/24/harley-davidson-brand-revenue-loss-easy-rider-image, viewed on 15 September, 2017. USA Today, 2017, Harley Davidson motorcycle artwork gets personal, https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/09/06/harley-davidson-motorcycle-artwork-gets-personal/637138001/, viewed on 16 September, 2017. Web pro news, 2017, Global digital snapshot, https://www.webpronews.com/can-guess-many-people-around-world-use-social-media-2017-2017-08/, viewed on 16 September, 2017.

Strategic Management on Honda Motors Essay Example

Strategic Management on Honda Motors Essay Off-Campus Executive Summary The key to a firm’s success is its fit between the organization and its environment. We study Porter’s Five Forces and Porter’s Value Chain activities for Honda’s strategic planners to analyse the organisation’s role in itself and how it copes with the environment. The strategic planner’s role is to forecast and direct the organisation into future strategies. Honda’s market positioning faces many challenges for example, the company’s core competencies in engine design and its engineers’ pursuit of technological mastery are not in accordance with market demand. onda’s positioning is not moving beyond the conservative Civic and Accord models, despite attempts to come up with other innovative cars. How the global automobile industry configures its activities across borders is largely dependent on how it deals with the opposite demands of global integration of activities and handles demand for local responsiveness. Prof. Whittington’s Classical and Processual Schools of Thought identifies with how differently strategies are developed. On one hand, strategic managers would like to forecast the future and to orchestrate plans to prepare for it. On the other hand, experimentation, learning and flexibility are required to deal with unexpected future events. The two model are applied on Honda Motors and we analyse which one is more suitable for Honda Motors. Global strategic management is conducted by managers all over the world. Its success depends on clear communication and understanding between them. The cultural dimensions are discussed from five aspects. They are power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long term/short term orientation. In the systemic perspective, the international strategic manager at Honda Motors will take into account the cultural dimension in building productive relationships. Table of Contents Individual Assignment Case Study – Reconciling Managerial Dichotomies @ Honda Motors in De Wit Meyer (2004:671) â€Å"Structural transformation through E-Business† Module Leader: Dr. Augustus Osseo-Asare Submission Date: Monday, 10th January 2011 Word Count: 3,000 words SIM336 Strategic Management Sunderland Business School We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Management on Honda Motors specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Management on Honda Motors specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Management on Honda Motors specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

buy custom Canada’s Health Care essay

buy custom Canada’s Health Care essay The health care system of Canada is slowly growing to be a big concern in the contemporary society. Many people from Canada do not have doctors to assist them. Moreover, there are not enough emergency rooms to cater for admission cases. The wait times for the special tests to be done have increasingly become long that an individual could easily succumb to a serious illness they have been diagnosed with, before they receive any proper treatment. Understaffing has led to overworking of nurses since the Canadian government has created cut-backs to the health care system that was meant to protect the welfare of citizens. The training of doctors is normally at a slow pace, and thus, cannot accommodate the increasing population and the doctors themselves could not even stay in Canada after training (Health care system, 2012). Some move to the United States and other developed countries due to high remuneration offered, which is not the case in Canada. Essentially, Canada lacks an authentic public health care paradigm. Health care in Canada is apparently a privilege and not a right for the citizens (Commonwealth Fund Report, 2010). Illness is emerging as a very serious issue because of insufficient health care professionals and facilities in Canada. The modern society is living longer than was the case in the past. Consequently, there is a need for a much better health care. Patients, who recover from these procedures, are discharged quickly than it was the case in the past. The lack of hospitals and palliative care facilities has forced terminal patients be sent home very fast. Such circumstances prove that the health care system of Canada requires standards uplift for the citizens to live and die with decorum. The health care system in Canada makes the citizens beggars since they cannot choose any health care service. The Canadians seem to have gotten used to the bad health care plan in their country. The premiums they pay and the long time they have to wait before they get health care is becoming part of the system. People have to wait for five hours in the Emergency Room. Between 1993 and 2003, the median wait for health care treatment for a patient after being referred to a general practitioner moved from about 9 weeks to almost 18 weeks (Hoar, 2004). This would probably be a huge surprise to many people in Canada since the annual budget for Canadas healthcare system is $46 billion. The number is thought to have been downplayed since it is not the amount that determines the health of the Canadians. The cures for a number of medical cases are scarce, while the research is very expensive in Canada compared to that in the United States. Health Care System in Canada and other Advanced Countries Health care systems are very different in different parts of the world and Canada seems to be lagging a lot behind some developed countries. Most of the developed countries have designed their health care systems to address health matters of their populations (Commonwealth Fund Report, 2010). Unlike in Canada, the focus is in the provision of good health and quick response to the needs of the population and making sure that they have a fair financial contribution. This has been achieved through different methods. Some have been able to distribute the health care system planning among the participants in the market, whereas in others, planning is done centrally among charities, trade unions, governments and other coordinated bodies (Commonwealth Fund Report, 2010). The health care system is a multifaceted concept and can take various forms around the globe. In many nations, the health care system divides itself into private and state, even though there are fees, involved in both, there are some exceptions. In such countries like Australia, the present system co-exists with a private system of health care. All legal permanent citizens are entitled to free public health care (Commonwealth Fund Report, 2010). Treatment, offered by private doctors, is also free if the doctor bills the Health Department. In such places like Cuba, the health care system charges fees in treating certain international patients, even though the tourists, getting ill, are treated free in the hospitals in Cuba. In France, most of the doctors stick with private practice. The hospitals in India are operated by charitable trusts, the government and private organizations. Apart from the contemporary medicine system, conventional and indigenous systems of health care are pract iced all throughout India. Alternative health care systems are recognized by the Indian government. All the people, who are legal citizens of Ireland, are entitled to good health care through the Ireland health care system. It is only in some instances an individual would be expected to pay a certain subsidized fee for specific health care given. This relies on age, disability, illness and income. The Russians have the right to access government health care and free medical assistance. Even with the annual budget of $46 billion, Canada still uses fwer funds on health care, when compared to the United States, despite lacking a universal system. This is because the government of Canada sets schedules of fees for annual hospital budgets, doctors and prices for drug prescription. Research shows that Canada allocates $2,600 per resident less in a year than is the case in the United States. The fees for in-office visits are also considerably less. However, the budgets in hospitals are almost the same. After the government sets the annual budget, each hospital is supposed to operate within their assigned budget. Tight budgets only imply that the hospitals in Canada cannot invest in technology and equipment that could potentially save many people. Actually, the health care system in Canada would be more affected in the event that it was not geographically close to the United States, when the people of Canada need better and quick care. This is true because about 160,000 me dical treatments and services were carried out on Canadians outside Canada over a period of three years, most in the United States from 2007 to 2010 (Hinds, 2010). One critical set of issues, affecting both private and public policy-makers apprehension in Canada, could be the task of re-designing the care process to promote the delivery of patient-centered care. Patient-centered care is described as the health care that institutes a partnership amidst patients, practitioners and families to guarantee decisions that take into account the needs and preferences of the patients and solicit the input of the patients on support and the education needed to make decisions and take part in the healthcare process (Lasser et al., 2006). About forty years ago, Canada and the United States were relatively the same, concerning the health care systems. However, the case is different today. A joint study of the United States and Canada, conducted on health, compared income, age, immigration status, gender and race, using logistic regression in evaluating countries as an interpreter of health care access, satisfaction and quality of care and as a predictor of t he differences, based on these measures. Generally, Canadian health care system ranks second to last, when compared to such industrialized nations like Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the U.K and the United States as currently reported by a private United States foundation that examines and studies international health care systems. It only beat that of the United States in this group. The report relied on data from mail and phones surveys, carried out with patients and doctors in these countries (Valiante and Canwest News Service, 2010). Cathy Schoen, a co-author of this report and The Commonwealth Fund senior vice president attributed the position of Canada on health matters to inadequate basic care services and the slothful adoption of integrated information technology, which would be a useful system in keeping records (Health care transformation in Canada, n.d). Despite ranking high above the United States on health care system matters, Canada has been very slow in the use of electronic records in its system (Valiante and Canwest News Service, 2010). Wait times is a very big issue as reported by Canadian patients, going to see a doctor. Additionally, there are no after-hours care and a problem has been dealt with the use of emergency rooms for cases that cannot be reported as emergency. Looking at the United States, IT systems are of a very high standard and make it possible for doctors to know all the medications, given to a patient immediately. IT systems offer very early warnings and, at the same time, alerts on a persons recovery. With a system of universal health insurance, Canada spends almost half as much on health care per capita comparable to the United States, even though the people of Canada live between 2 and 3 years longer. A number of population-based information is available, concerning health care processes and habits of care in both Canada and the United States, which could be used to explain the difference in the life expectancy. Both the residents of the United States and the Canadians are not actually satisfied with their systems of health care. Moreover, the low-income earners in the United States appeared to have more issues, attaining care than their peers in other English-Speaking countries like in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand (Lasser et al., 2006). On a joint analysis between Canada and the United States, Americans are less likely to have a regular doctor and more likely to encounter un-addressed needs. A health care report in Canada in 2011 stated that the reasons for having such needs were different. Moreover, 7% of American respondents who were relatively less than the Canadian respondents by a mere 1% encountered unmet needs due to financial biases (Lasser et al., 2006). On another hand, 3.5% of Canadian residents had unaddressed needs due to waiting times, which was less than 10% of Americans, and most certainly were forced to forgo medicine. The Americans are less in a position to access health care than it is the case withh Canadians (Health care transformation in Canada, n.d). Universal coverage seems to cut down most differences in accessing health care. There seems to be high cost of healthcare in Canada than in the United States. Despite the good quality care, offered in the Canadian health care system, many Canadian patients have, in most cases, taken refuge in America since they could not obtain and afford intensive-care beds in Canada. The United States does not have a perfect health care system, even though it does have the best care system of handling emergency cases, compared to Canada and even around the world. Advanced medical technology in the United States has, however, not translated into better statistics of health for the Americans. Actually, the general performance of the United States in the health care system management is relatively lower compared to that of Canada. Another issue is the fact that America has the highest poverty level and income inequality compared to Canada and other rich nations (Rachlis, 2010). This is a very significant factor, highlighting one of the major differences between the health care system of the United States and Canada. Poverty affects the health of an individual much more than the restricted administration of a regular health care system. There are several income related health matters that have bonds with the healthcare inequality in America. The health care system in Canada is universal and permits the citizens to get any necessary health care and preventative care, when they feel it is important. The rate of mortality is very much stable in Canada than in the United States. Income relation mortality inequalities have been on the increase in America and that tells how ineffective the health care system is, compared to that of Canada. The socio-economic distribution, concerning infant mortality in Canada and the United States, is very different. Across these socio-economic groups, there has been a decline in Canada, while the mortality gap is widening in the United States of America (Lasser et al., 2006). Generally, the notion health is slightly lower in the United States, when compared to Canada, even though the difference is very small statistically. Health in America is found to decrease with age and is very high in Canada, compared to that of the United States, amongst the lowest education groups and the lowest income cluster (McGrail et al, 2009). Thus, the health care in both Canada and the United States centers on higher-income groups, even though there was a significant difference in America, where the higher-income cluster surpasses the lower-income highly. Therefore, while Canada has a somewhat imperfect health care system, it is generally better than that of the United States of America. Canada needs to come up with a way of providing fast, quality care and enhance responsibility and accountability to the entire system through the use of highly developed procedures of tracking and monitoring progress (Valiante and Canwest News Service, 2010). The health care outcomes in Canada, compared to other developed countries, are of great concern for the country. It may be considered better than that of the United States by some researchers, but it leaves a lot to be desired. This research is very important for policymakers and programmers of healthcare in the efforts of maximizing the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of care that should be delivered in the Canadian health care system. It is very much perceptible that a more conclusive research into the Canadian health care system, which particularly deals with the causes and nature of any link between outcomes and processes of care, be further developed. While some studies could report some better health care quality in this nation, socio-economic inequalities, encountered in health, prevalently seen as pervasive in the United States, are apparently less stark in Canada (Lasser et al., 2006). The things creating flaws and that need to be addressed in the Canadian health care system are long wait times, lack of doctors and other health care professionals, and the focus on treatment. These factors make the Canadian system far from a perfect health care system. Apparently, the Canadian system has basically forgotten that it was meant to protect the health of every Canadian and not merely the people who could afford to pay for the services. The Canadian health care system could be better. Canada could establish the same system as that of the United States, where all services are founded on the ability of an individual to pay. It would appear that the health care system of Canada cannot go backwards so it should keep going forward. Regrettably, it is becoming vivid that going forward would mean an increment in the long wait times, a larger shortage of the professionals in health care and more trips, made by Canadians across the border to acquire healthcare services. Therefore, the Canadian government should seek to address these flaws, highlighted here, to perfect the system. Buy custom Canada’s Health Care essay

Marshall Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marshall Plan - Research Paper Example The WWII also produced the most radical change in international power structure in over 500 years. The ERP lasted for four years from the April of 1948. (WERNER, 2011, p402). America was responding to the problems and strife faced by the European nations, e.g. the rebuilding of devastated infrastructure by removing trade barriers hence modernizing industries and in the whole making Europe regain its prosperity once again. In the early stages the soviets were offered inclusion in the plan however they declined since they viewed acceptance of the offer would ultimately mean a US control over the soviet communism albeit a small degree(GILLON,2012, p18) Although Europe was aware that there were mixed motives behind the American aid plan, the European countries eagerly embraced the plan. On 12th July 1947 the following countries and others met in Paris to create the CEEC (committee of European Economic Cooperation), Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Greece, France, Ireland, Iceland, Luxemburg, Italy, among others (SULLIVAN, 1997, p16). At any one time there were 150 American ships plying the trade routes carrying the much needed commodities for factories to resume production. The factories were able to employ workers who in turn had the power to purchase goods, in a sense the European were given a new lease of life (MEE, 1984, p248). Between the years of 1948 – 1952, tons of fuel, food and finished products crossed the Atlantic to Europe. There was a rise in industrial production which reached the previous levels before the war by 1959.ERP was noted to have had the best impact in West Germany, here the foreign trade was doubled between the years 1949 & 1950and grew again by  ¾ the following year. Steel production grew from 2.5 million tons to 14.5 million tons, unemployment decreased to nearly zero and houses were built hence West Germany could support its growing

The impact of World War II Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The impact of World War II - Term Paper Example The roaring 20’s also give the rise to employment laws and regulations, which consisted of minimum wage, 8 hour work shifts, and 5 days of regular work. Ford was the first company to introduce this idea behind a clever strategy of consumer spending. If it enabled its workers to have spare time, they would spend it in leisure which would boost the nation’s economy. The 1920’s also was marked by the Great Depression that occurred post World War I. In addition, the 1920’s signified the ban of alcohol through prohibition, which drastically reduced the death rate from drinking. The 18th Amendment was one of the critical elements that banned.One of the more prevalent and essential events that occurred during the 1920s was discrimination and racism that plagued the nation. The rise of William Simmon in 1920’s was drastic as the emergence of the new Klan began. As immigrants continued to pour in from nations, Simmons used this as fear tactic and as an oppor tunity to reap money where he sold memberships along with life insurances. The rebirth of the KKK continues to gain strong support as, Catholics, Jews and Chinese became target of hate crime. The whole nation and even Congress itself passed the National Origins Act, which limited citizenship to immigrants. Anti-immigration legislation such as this one was a critical element as it marked the beginning of restricting immigrants after the open door policy. The Progressive Era, which lasted until the 1920’s, was a response to an industrial era and a shout for reform.... The whole nation and even Congress itself passed the National Origins Act, which limited citizenship to immigrants. Anti-immigration legislation such as this one was a critical element as it marked the beginning of restricting immigrants after the open door policy. The Progressive Era, which lasted until the 1920’s, was a response to an industrial era and a shout for reform. Its effects touched virtually all Americans and transformed the role of government in American society. The Progressive Movement was successful as it was promoted by both parties in Congress. One of the prominent players in this reform was Theodore Roosevelt, who used his passive presence to dominate the political scene. In two terms of service, he solidified the navy, won the noble prize, aggressively pursued the building of the panama canal, and played a vital role in ending the Japanese-Russian war. He gained popularity amongst his supporters and tremendously helped the nation in the reform movement. Th e New Deal was one of the most essential legislation that continues to be prominent in American history. This deal was introduced by Franklin Roosevelt, who had a vision of reform to boost the United States economy back on its feet. FDR gained so much popularity by citizens that he was elected four times due to his reputation and the ongoing of the War. The New Deal enabled the American government to passively play the role of a â€Å"big government.† Prior to the depression, society felt that the government did not play a big role in regional community. However, that soon changed as the government began to directly implement programs and services that effected peoples’ lives

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION - Essay Example The chapter has addressed a way of initiating a relationship. There are relationships of circumstance and those of choice. (172) the former is characterized by individuals’ lives overlapping, which enhances contacts, while the later is defined by the relations made with friends or partners. Both relationships are however not mutually exclusive. In the same page, the author reveals a number of issues that would define personal attraction particularly what is referred to as short term initial attraction and long-term maintenance attraction. Away from sexual and physical attraction, it is also noted that intellectual, spiritual and personality attraction plays a huge role in personal attraction. In their further arguments, the author identifies a few more things that they believe plays a very important role in defining interpersonal attraction. Some of these issues that have been identified include; similarity. By this, it is noted that there are things that brings individuals together based on characteristics, attitudes, values as well as interests, which are common among them. Others that have also been noticed are physical attraction, sexual attraction, the proximity with which one is to another, the complementarity of others specifically people whose interests and activities differ but complement one another. The chapter looks in details, what one would say first and in what context does one say something. In the process of saying things for the first time, one would certain ask questions. The chapter is quick in highlighting things that are believed to come out in questions and therefore provides some clue on how one can ask great questions. The author describes what he believes to mean a great question. Asking a great question is noted to mean tailoring the question to the person as much as possible then using what one has learnt and observed to formulate the question. The chapter provides a hint on how people can

Study On The Objectives Of Micro Finance Institutions Finance Essay

Study On The Objectives Of Micro Finance Institutions Finance Essay A sustainable economic growth and development has its foundation on economic agents access to financial services (credit, savings, pension funds etc). Studies have shown that there has been a failure of both the government and financial institutions to provide access to loan able funds to the grass root level of the economy (GCAP, 2010; Sundaresan, 2008), for this reason it has become increasingly fashionable for national economies to set up Micro-finance Institutions to meet the need of these groups of people. Microfinance is becoming widely accepted especially in the developing countries and it is now playing a major role in reduction of poverty and the economic development in the world. This essay seeks to analyse both theoretical and empirical evidence with the view to ascertaining whether MFIs have lived up to their objectives as key drivers of economic growth and development. In addition, the essay will look at the impact of MFIs in Nigeria in relation to poverty eradication wi thin the following perspectives: Provision of Financial Services Access to Finance and Regulatory and Legal Framework for access to finance Nigeria Financial Services Sector is made up of the commercial banks, the Microfinance Banks, Discount houses, Cooperative societies, Insurance sector and Pension funds, Savings and Loans, Leasing companies etc. The essay will focus on those financial institutions that are licensed to take deposits and create loans. Microfinance is defined in terms of the services they offer; the provision of a wide range of services including deposit taking, advancement of loans, payment services, money transfers, and insurance services to the low income members of the economy (ADB, date). Microfinance can simply be seen as the provision of quality financial services to the poor. The theory of Microfinance dates back to 1975 to Mohammed Yunus, an Economics University lecturer in Bangladesh. In his classic research project he designed a credit and delivery system to provide banking services to the rural poor (Hulme et al, 2009). The research gave birth to what is known today as the Grameen bank; that has grown both in assets and operations (Grameen, 2009). The provision of financial services within the Nigeria context has been an abysmal failure. Recent survey by the FinScope found some staggering fact about the level of banking participation in the economy FinScope (2008). According to the study 74% of the adult population have not been banked, 15% of women at the time of the survey have no bank account and 86% of rural adults are not unbanked (FinScope, 2008). A comparison of the level of access to financial services particularly the deposit money bank done amongst four countries in African including; Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania found that Nigeria has the second largest number of non-banking population see Fig. 1 (Isern et al, 2009). The level of financial services illiteracy amongst the adult population is equally very low according to the survey (FinScope, 2008). See Fig 3. The close proximity of Microfinance banks to the rural population offers them a great advantage to reach the nonbanked populace unfortunately; emp irical studies showed that only 3 percent of adults use Microfinance as their main bank (Bun et al, 2007). The Small and Medium Enterprises have been identified as the engine room of growth and development in most economies (Malik and Teal, 2008). However, this very important sector of every developed and developing economy has been very dormant in Nigeria. A World Bank study in 2008 (World Bank, 2008) have identified access to finance amongst others as one of the top constraints of the development of SMEs in Nigeria. In a study that compared the Sectoral contribution to GDP, it was observed that Nigeria SME sector was much smaller than that of other developing countries; according to the study, the SME accounted for about 50% of the nations GDP very little when compared with the 80% of the other developing economies. To improve on this the country need a well funded and operationally strong Microfinance institutions, it is arguable though whether the MFIs operating in the country have lived up to their expectations. For instance, a study done by Malik and Teal (2008) showed that only 5% of firms have received loans from Microfinance Institutions even when 80% applications were received from the SMEs. See Fig.4. The study showed the extent to which access to and cost of financing are a problem for Nigerian SMEs. Access to loan able funds was seen as a function of size; according to the survey, about 59% of small firms faced varying degrees of difficulties in accessing finance compared to 35% of medium firms and 11% of large SME firms. A world comparison of access to and cost of credit done on India, China, South Africa, Indonesia and Brazil saw Nigeria closely following Brazil as countries with the highest impediments to access to credit see Fig 5 (ICA 2008). The study of Isern et al (2009) showed that households, rural populace and SMEs are not very interested in accessing investment funds from MFIs. Part of the reasons adduced for this lacklustre attitude include high interest rates (cost of funds), collateral requirements, maturities mismatch etc. However, the study done by ICF in 2008 showed that cost of funds is cheaper in Nigeria relative to the other 5 countries surveyed. The supply of Microfinance services has a very long history in Nigeria, although this was frequently done in informal ways. A study done by Food and Agricultural Organisation in 2004 estimated that 25% of Nigerians accessed some informal sources of financing (FAO, 2004). USAID in 2005 carried out a survey that estimated that a majority of funding for Manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises came from personal savings, informal lending schemes known as esusu and gifts from family members (USAID, 2005). The FinScope survey in 2008 equally revealed that 24% of SMEs used informal sources of funding for their businesses. Various forms of Non-Governmental Organisations NGOs which are not for profit oriented micro-credit schemes have been in place since the 1980s. For instance Ford Foundation began supporting households and SMEs in 1993 and as 2004 have provided capacity building grants to 123 organisations worth $180,000 US dollars at the 2000 exchange rate, and the Foundation have refinanced loans to 241 organisations to the tune of $1.7 million (Isern et al, 2009). The study noted that majority of the NGOs used Grameen solidarity groups model to provide loans to small groups of people. The 2005 Microfinance framework made provision for traditional community banks that were operating in the country to be re-licensed as microfinance institutions with a minimum capital base of NGN 20 million (CBN, 2005). The community banks operating in the country before the re-licensing were privately held companies licensed to take deposits from the public as well as provide credit services. CBN reports showed that these banks became very successful in deposit mobilization but failed in their functions as lenders to the rural households and SMEs within the communities that they operated (CBN/OFID Reports, date). As at July 2008, about 125 Microfinance licenses were processed by the Central Bank of Nigeria and most of these licenses were for internationally experienced Microfinance organisations such as ACCION International which is a partnership between Citibank-Nigeria, Ecobank, Zenith bank, IFC and SME manager. Other international organisations like K-REP (Kenya), BRAC (Bangladesh), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have provided both funding and technical expertise to MFIs. The traditional commercial banks were not left out of the Microfinance arrangements as most of them opened subsidiaries that undertook the functions of MFIs (CBN reports, 2008). The growth of MFIs in Nigeria was encouraging. See Fig 6. The international capital flows as well as the technical expertise helped to build the much needed confidence that was lacking when the banks operated as community banks. However, the growth and concentration of MFIs may become too risky; as majority of them are serving the same market. CBN data showed that 100 of MFIs were operating in Lagos State alone and 16 in Abuja the Federal Capital. Reports from the CBN showed that as at the end of October 2008, a total of 724 MFIs were fully licensed and in operations, with 607 of them being community banks that were re-licensed as MFIs, about 86 MFIs have been given approval in principle during the period under review (CBN, 2008) Again another important source of risk is from the very low capital base that is required for the MFIs and poor regulatory and supervision framework. The CBN in their current reforms are taking some major steps to mitigate these risks; with the proposal of merging and consolidations within the sector. If the various reforms pull through, the country may see more financial strong MFIs that are able to perform their functions as key drivers of national growth and prosperity. Despite the rapid growth of the MFIs in both size magnitude and operations; lending to rural households and SMEs has continued to stagnate. The growth in MFIs have failed to translate into easy access to investment funds, SMEs and households have continued to bedevilled by high cost of funds and collateral requirements. Adverse selection within the financial services sector has continued to persist as a result of information asymmetry. Information asymmetry in the sense that the MFIs have no way of fully guiding and protecting their loanable funds to the public, as a result of this; higher risk premia are demanded to provide financial services which excludes high quality borrowers. The table showed the low reliance of SMEs in the country on capital from financial institutions; clearly borrowed funds from the banks including the MFIs have remained very low, largely as a result of the factors mentioned before. The result is even worst when compared with that of other developing economies like Brazil, South Africa, China, India, Indonesia and Kenya. Source: ICF Survey (2008) the result showed is for short term financing as in the case of long term financing firms depend entirely on personal funding. Table 8 clearly shows that only 4% of SMEs have access to lines of credit/loans while 8% have access to various forms of overdrafts. MFIs account for a very low percentage of financial services funding in Nigeria, largely because of loan ceiling that is active within that sector. Microfinance institutions operating in Nigeria are mandated to keep 60% of their loan portfolio below the NGN 500,000 (US$4310) loan threshold. Central to the Microfinance regulatory framework is the CBN guidelines for licensing of microfinance banks (MFBs). The guidelines provide two licensing options; unit MFBs that are licensed to operate within the local government area in which they are registered with a minimum capital base of NGN20 (US 172,000) million naira. The unit MFBs according to the guideline may expand their operations subject to the NGN20 million capital requirement per branch. State MFBs are licensed to operate in all parts of the state in which they are registered and are subject to a minimum capital requirement of NGN 1 billion (US $8.6 Million). For the state registered MFBs to raise additional funds and open more branches; they are required to have covered at least two-thirds of the state and raise additional NGN 20 million to open a branch in another state. The prudential regulations of MFIs are designed to manage credit risks that are part of the Microfinance operations; the capital adequacy ratios of the MFIs are set with the notion that the institutions will be engaged in mostly unsecured credit financing, the capital adequacy ratio is set at a risk-rated 10:1 ratio (CBN2005). In addition, there are strict guidelines setting up reserves and dividend pay-outs. Microfinance prudential regulations are designed to reduce risk concentration by putting a cap on the amount of credit an individual and groups can access. The Microfinance prudential regulation is designed to reduce risk concentration by putting a ceiling on individual loans (1% of unimpaired shareholder funds and 5% for group borrower), a 100% provisioning is required for loans over 90 days in arrears or restructured (Isern 2009). Microfinance deposits up to NGN 100,000 (US $862) are protected by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Fund (CBN 2008). The Supervision of microfinance is based on both on and off-site supervision, box 2 shows a summary of the regulatory and supervision principles of microfinance institutions in Nigeria. Interest Rate policy of Microfinance institutions in Nigeria ranges above 20-30% for loans, advances, overdraft facilities and other types of lending services (Isern, et al 2009). The interest rates charged by the MFIs are quite high when compared to that charged by the conventional money deposit banks see Table 13. The high rates of interest reflects the high risk premia of the targeted audience that the MFIs are designed to serve. The high rate of interest rate has been identified as one of the key factors that limit rural households and businesses from access to credit through the MFIs (Philips 2002). This imposes distortion in the flow of credit as companies that cannot afford the high cost of borrowing look for informal sources which are marred by risks and uncertainties. The review of the operations of Microfinance Institutions in Nigeria has clearly revealed that there should be a trade-off between high cost of funds on one hand and provision of financial services on the other hand. From what they are designed to achieve, they are supposed to provide some sort of lose collateral lending and as such have a higher risk than the conventional commercial banks. Microfinance Institutions in developing economies like Nigeria faces some challenges both in their operations and in the environment in which they operate. One of these challenges as noted by Cerven and Ghazanfer (2008) includes some cultural practices that discriminate against women such as specific cultural, familial and personal circumstances other important considerations to women empowerment in Nigeria are religious issues like Purdah: (seclusion of women) which is rampant in Northerner Nigeria. Technical know-how and in-adequate regulation has been identified as one of the internal and external factors that militate against the growth of MFIs in Nigeria (Campion 2002). Microfinance been in a somewhat embryonic stage; developments and regulations are still evolving is expected that the sector could face some hiccups before stabilizing. Microfinance Institutions have enormous growth opportunities in Nigeria as a result of most of the factors highlighted in this essay; the nature of their operations and the Acts establishing them makes them a better preferred choice for consumers of financial services. However, this comes with a high cost to both the MFIs and their customers. To the MFIs the potential for high loan defaults are present; this may if not managed properly lead to financial fragility in the sector. To their customs; the high cost of interest and cumbersome application process that they have to face is a big challenge; there is an irony in the interest rate charged by MFIs in Nigeria, a country that has a forecasted average growth rate in GDP of between 5-6% per annum, has a cost of fund of between 20- 30%, this presupposes that businesses should grow more than the countrys GDP. Despite all the challenges of the MFIs in Nigeria, they remain substantial to the growth and development of any economy; and in Nigeria in particular the MFIs have large un-tapped markets and are set for long-run profitability if the relevant infrastructures are put in place. Fig 3 Percentage of adults who have never heard of the listed services and products

Essay --

The ability to detect remote sensing has made great strides over the past few decades. Mars has been a major center of speculation and inquisition during these studies. By using Remote sensing, scientists are able to view, analyze, hypothesis, and gain better understanding of what can be detected on and under the surface of Mars. In 2006 Baldassare Bartolo published work that suggested that remote sensing is the act of gaining information about an object/phenomenon without making any actual physical contact. Remote sensing is most commonly used with aerial sensor technologies in order to detect and classify the objects on Earth via signals (electromagnetic radiation emitted from aircraft and/or satellites) (Bartolo 2006). The process of how the remote sensing works has been modified and improved over the past few years into what we use today on earth as well as on the various Mars exploration missions. Remote sensing works with energy. Scientists have found that remote sensing works because all objects on the earth emit an electromagnetic energy (Chee, 2008). The energy includes a visible light and other radiations in the electromagnetic spectrum (Bartolo 2006, Anderson 2013). The portion of the spectrum that is visible to the human eye is tightly limited to wavelengths in the 0.4 micrometre (â€Å"blue†) to 0.7 micrometre (â€Å"red†) range. Just past the red end of the spectrum is the infrared region and it’s subdivisions that are reflected by the earth's surface, and thermal infrared given by the objects (Plaza et al. 2009). Researchers have been able to develop different sensors and cameras that are able to detect and record the energy being transmitted from earths surface. These cameras and sensors on satellites relay th... ...ut the researchers hypothesis states that the small amount of hydrogen is likely to be more chemically bound to the minerals in the soil, than in the form of water ice (Dartnell 2013, Ezell 2004). Therefore, with having water ice at the poles and water in the surface rocks, it is far more likely for the various carved channels to be formed from a liquid than that of lava (granted there are lava channels as well.) By observing images, researchers are able to speculate how the channels formed by simply comparing it to the conditions on earth. Water erodes away sediment and leaves specific clues to look for. Researchers will continue unveiling what is on and under the Red Planet's surface with new and improved methods. They will be able to use remote sensing and other means to gain better knowledge of the exact conditions of what lies above and underneath the surface.

Classical Music Criticism and Judgment Essay

Classical music is one kind of the art music from various style of music. On Oxford Dictionary give the meaning of classical music as serious music following long-established principles rather than a folk, jazz, or popular tradition, and even give more specifically meaning by the period of music(since the music has 6 periods; middle age, renaissance, baroque, classic, romantic and contemporary) that classical music is the music written in the European tradition during a period lasting approximately from 1750 to 1830, when forms such as the symphony, concerto, and sonata were standardized. How do we judge the classical music, and what is the musical value of classical music? I think this is the hard thing to critics about the good or bad of the things that we call it as one kind of art. We could analyze music by their elements such as the musical form, the harmony, the rhythm, orchestration, register of that piece etc. But also the problems is everyone has different taste and also some have the same taste too such as one composer love the way dominant chord run to sub median chord and then resolve to dominant again then end with tonic chord but another one like the way to begin the phrase with sub median then dominant for two bars to extend the dominant longer (could call it as dominant prolongation) until tonic in the last bar. The question is what is the best chord progression of those two ideas? , and how do we judge what is the best chord progression? And interesting question is how do we judge that one piece copy from any other pieces? Another example is if we judge one of the phrases in symphony no. 9 by Beethoven â€Å"Ode to Joy† as the best phrase that compound with many good melodies, best chord progression and orchestration and great idea to add choir to that movement but there is also a question that who judge that this phrase is the best. How do they judge? , and what is the material that they use to judge this kind of classical music to make it the best of Beethoven’s pieces? The Best music in all kind of area not only includes by best music by creativity composers but also has to have best performers that can perform the best performances too. In classical music the performers have to do analyze and interpretation the music that they will perform, have to know the period of that music so they could play as the style of each period, have to practice in the right way to gain more techniques to their muscles to control their musical instrument, have to perform as natural as possible like they are speaking, eating or walking. The best performers have to bring all emotions and energy from the music that is just a music note on the paper to touch their audiences’ heart. The problems are what is the best performance? , and how do we judge the performance? As a classical guitarist I used to compete in one competition. All juries have to fill in the form for all competitors there topics are Technique, Dynamics, Balancing, Precision and Rhythm, Style and Expression, and Stage Performance. Maybe those topics could judge the best performance but the problem I could see was one song that I performed called Marley’s Ghost by Andrew York the main part of first section was the melody on the bass line. One of jury wrote on the Balancing blog that I played too loud but another on said I played too soft so I got the question that who is correct? This could show that it is hard to judge the best performance. It is depend on what do you like? What is your feeling? What are the things that you used to experiences. At last the way we critic and judge classical music could be judge from both quality of pieces and the quality of performance. The performers should know the aesthetic of composers who composed the songs that they will perform so they can perform in the way right way from performers’ interpretation. And definitely the listeners will judge it by their experience and feeling.

Profile of Kirsten Gillibrand - Biography of Kirsten Gillibrand

Profile of Kirsten Gillibrand - Biography of Kirsten Gillibrand Kirsten Rutnik Gillibrand Position Representative for New Yorks 20th Congressional District from January 3, 2007 - January 23, 2009Appointed by New York Governor David Paterson to New Yorks second seat in the US Senate on January 23, 2009, filling the vacancy created by Senator Hillary Clintons appointment as US Secretary of State. Childhood and Education Born in Albany, NY on December 9, 1966, she was raised in the tri-city Capital Region of New York State. Attended the Academy of the Holy Names, Albany, NYGraduated from Emma Willard School in Troy, NY in 1984Graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH in 1988, B.A. in Asian StudiesGraduated from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1991, earning her J.D. Professional Career Attorney in the law firm Boies, Schiller FlexnerLaw Clerk, Second Circuit Court of Appeals Political Career During the Bill Clinton administration, Gillibrand served as Special Counsel to the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Andrew Cuomo.Elected to the 110th and 111th Congress as Representative for New Yorks 20th Congressional District which stretches from the city of Poughkeepsie in the Hudson Valley to Lake Placid in the states North Country. She is the districts first female representative. Congressional Career Served on the House Armed Services Committee and two of its subcommittees: Terrorism and Unconventional Threats and Capabilities; and Seapower and Expeditionary Forces. Served on the Agriculture Committee and three of its subcommittees: Livestock, Dairy and Poultry; Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research; and Horticulture and Organic Agriculture. Co-founded the Congressional High Tech Caucus with the goal of ensuring that the US remains at the forefront of emerging technologies and high tech industries. Gillibrand is strongly pro-gun. She comes from a family of hunters and has stated that preserving [gun ownership] is a priority of mine in Congress....I will continue to oppose legislation that will restrict the rights of responsible gun owners. She is also pro-choice and has received the highest rating given by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). Gillibrand is a fiscal conservative, earning her the label  Blue Dog Democrat; representing a primarily rural district, she voted against the $700 billion Wall Street bailout bill in 2008. She acknowledges that her voting record has veered conservative;  she opposes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, and in 2007 voted for funding to extend the Iraq war. Family Political Connections Gillibrands father is Douglas Rutnik, an Albany lobbyist with strong political ties  to several once-prominent and powerful New York Republicans including former Governor George Pataki and former Senator Al DAmato. Personal Life Gillibrand is the product of a single-sex education, having attended two all-female schools: the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany, a Catholic college preparatory school, and the Emma Willard School, the first school for girls established in the US. Married to Jonathan Gillibrand, she is the mother o two children four year old Theo and infant Henry . The family resides in Hudson, New York.

Book Club Discussion Questions for When You Reach Me

Book Club Discussion Questions for 'When You Reach Me' When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is a young adult novel that will delight adults and youth alike. Use these book club discussion questions on When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead to lead your book club or reading group into Steads book. Book Club Discussion Questions  for  When You Reach Me Spoiler Warning: These book club discussion questions reveal important details about When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. Finish the book before reading on. How did the 20,000 Pyramid play a role in the story? How did her mothers quest with the game show mirror Mirandas quest to make sense of her life?Did you have trouble understanding the concept of time travel allowing something to happen before the person actually traveled back in time? Or did Malcolm and Julias explanations make sense to you?Malcolm tells Miranda, Einstein says common sense is just a habit of thought. Its how were used to thinking about things, but a lot of time it just gets in the way of whats true (51). Do you think thats true? Have you ever had to let go of assumptions in order to see the truth? Have you ever known anyone who was very smart but did not seem to have any common sense? Would you rather have a lot of common sense or the ability to see a few profound truths that other people miss?At what point did you realize the laughing man was Malcolm?Were you satisfied with the way all the mysteries came together in the end?A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline LEngle has a big impact on Miranda, but also on Rebecca Stead and the idea for this book. Did reading When You Reach Me make you want to read A Wrinkle in Time again? Is there any book that took hold of you the way A Wrinkle in Time took hold of Miranda―that you read and reread either as a child or an adult?How does Miranda change in this book? In what ways do her relationships with her mother and friends mature?Rate When You Reach Me on a scale of 1 to 5.

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

History - Essay Example On the other hand, the issue of religious conflicts is also on the rise. Historical Perspective of Terrorism and Religious Conflicts 1. Terrorism Terrorism refers to the acts of warfare staged by a group of enemy combatants who usually targets a clique of people or institution in a bid to make the victim to give in to certain demands (Cole 2011). Take a case of the September 11, 2001 attack; the al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the attack and demanded that the United States desists from attacking Iraq. In the past, terrorists’ actions were quite predictable and as such, it was easier to thwart, there acts. However, terrorists have taken a new twist; they have gone viral to say the least. Terrorist of the 21st centuary have the most sophisticated weapons, which makes it hard to fight them. The Middle East has been the traditional territory of the terrorist where all the plans of terrorists are executed. Lutz & Lutz (2011) say that lately, the terrorists exits everywhere even in the place you least expect them. It is no longer a surprise to find that Native Americans have been assimilated into terrorism. Moreover, they execute terror attacks against their own country. Take a case of the September 11 bombing; some of the culprits were the Americans. The terrorist have taken terrorism a notch higher. They have incorporated nuclear weapons, biological weapons, and chemical weapons. Several attempts through both diplomatic and military intervention have been put in place to thwart the growth of such dangerous weapons (Cole 2011). These weapons are very dangerous and possess threat to the entire humanity. The nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons can wipe out man out of the surface of the earth. 2. Religious Conflicts Religious conflicts are rife in the society today owing to the religious intolerance among the various religious groups. A perfect example of religious conflict is the one pitting Christians against Muslims. Arab-Israeli conflict has dragge d on for decades and there is no end in sight. The Arab nations are at war with the Israeli and as such, they use Islam as an avenue to mobilize the Arabs against non-Muslim nations such as Israel. The Islam religion commenced around the 7th centuary in Middle East (Lutz & Lutz 2011). Mohamed, who would later introduce the concept of Jihad, started the religious outfit. The idea of Jihad was to spread Islam religion by the use of force. To date almost all Arab nations in the Middle East and Northern Africa profess the Muslim faith. The Islam have always been associated with the issue of violence popularly known as Jihad which champions for aggression against other religious groups such as Christians. It is worth noting that Islam extremists have gone to an extent of staging war against Christians through terror related attacks. In fact, the September 11 attacks show the extent to which Muslim extremist have taken the conflict between Christian and Muslims. Effects of Terrorism and R eligious Conflicts It is worth noting that terrorism and religious conflicts has adverse social, economic and political effects to the society today. The aftermath of terror attacks or religious conflicts is always greeted with loss of lives, injuries, and loss of property. The September 11 attack was an epitome of the adverse negative impacts to the society. Several people lost their lives resulting to untold metal torture and agony to their friends and relatives. Losing a loved