Interim report Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Interim report - Research Proposal Example Branding is one of those practices that enable businesses to attract and retain customers, who always make comparisons between brands to arrive at the best one that effectively meets their goals and objectives. Having a good business brand is essential in differentiating the goods and services produced by a business to those produced by other businesses1. Additionally, successful business brands and the branding process is essential towards driving customer loyalty. It is important for businesses to understand that the branding process is not meant for multinationals along; instead, it has to be made by all businesses that designs and produces goods and services for people. Brands, as used in business activities can be described from two important approaches, first, a brand can be looked at as a special mark, symbol or image the distinguishes businesses and products of one company to another2. Secondly, branding can be looked at in terms of the thoughts and perspectives that people often have on the business and the products it offers. The process of building successful brands plays an important role in the customers’ decision-making process over products and services they want to buy. In most cases, customers will often go for popular business brands; they often tend to think that these brands have been made under the highest standards. This paper examines the process of creating effective business brands as well as how they help to improve business functions. Brand strategy in business functioning refers to the systematic plan that defines the vision of the business and articulates how the business carries its functions in achieves set goals and objectives3. The strategy illustrates how the business creates its demand and attractiveness for clients that have to make a choice among many products being offered by other business rivals in the environment. It is important to

Race and your Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Race and your Community - Essay Example In short they came in search of a better and more profound life both for themselves as well as their children. They came looking for a life style more enhanced and improved than they had previously been living in their original country of heritage. With the passage of time, my ancestors came to settle in St. Louis, Mo. Whenever one discusses the notion of race, it is essential to discuss the concept of community as well. One cannot exist without the other and both are essential for the survival of any society. Therefore, in the same dictionary, the definition of community is given as, "a group of people living together in one place such that they have the same religion, race etc.; and the people of an area or country considered as a group." It is true that communities originally started off with people of a certain background, a specific guild living together such that they either had their professions, color or ethnicity as a common denominator. Such communities have existed in most parts of USA, until recently. With the advent of globalization, immigration of people to the New World from all over the planet and enhanced awareness of other cultures among the local population, all communities have had to undergo drastic changes. My community is also a part of this modern global society. It is dive rse from the past ones in the sense that people of all racial backgrounds coexist in it. However, it is not to say that communities no longer exist and that groups of people no longer tend to segregate together. They do but in a very different set-up. This is because the common denominators that previously made-up a community, have changed. In my opinion the two basic factors that makes up a community now a days is the monetary resources as well as the age group of people. People with high-income levels usually tend to segregate in a certain area of a city whereas those with less income tend to live in separate neighborhoods or areas of their own. The same may be said for people of different ages groups. The elderly of course live in retirement homes or neighborhoods specifically designed for them. Whereas the young people prefer to live in an area with hip nightclubs and a lot of hustle n' bustle, families with small children will instead try to find a safe and peaceful neighborhoo d with low crime rates. Thus communities still exist but they have taken on a new face that is quite different from any previous one. For a moment, picture the community that I live in. Around where I live there are five churches; each belongs to a different Christian denomination, two synagogues, a Muslim mosque and a Hindu temple. The Buddhists of the area gather together at a member's house to pray. This sufficiently shows that people of all religions have come to dwell and live together in a single community and that religion is no longer a denominator for a community. I personally have friends from all of the aforementioned religious groups. Consider the various ceremonies that these different groups follow, "decorating the hands of the bride with Hennna (Arabian), spreading of rose petals (English), jumping the broom (African), bride wearing numerous robes (Japanese), Bride carrying lump of sugar to signify sweet life (Greek) etc. (http://www.slpl.org/slpl/interests/article240109217.asp) Thus, when one goes to a wedding in our community you can be

The Waste Heat Energy Such As Motorcycle Engineering Essay

The Waste Heat Energy Such As Motorcycle Engineering Essay The concept of using the waste heat energy such as motorcycle exhaust, heat exchanger, home exchangers, electrical equipment, industrial process and others to generate electrical energy is the main idea of this project. The energy produced will be used to power the battery charger. Battery chargers refer to a device that used to put energy into a secondary cell or rechargeable battery by forcing an electric current through it. The charging protocol depends on the size and type of the battery being charge. Existing battery charger is mainly relied on electricity to supply the energy. As electricity consumption one of the main concern nowadays. This is because it contributes to high household expenditure. In this project, we will design a new battery charger that mainly powered by thermal energy and it will backup by normal electricity source. A thermoelectric generator (TEG) module is used to harvest heat from the surrounding and convert into electricity. During the time when the electricity supply from TEG is insufficient, a microcontroller-based monitoring and switching circuit will switch to normal electricity source. An analysis and comparison of the energy consumption between the proposed battery charger and existing one will be carried out. Thermoelectric powered battery charger consists of thermoelectric generator (TEG), power management, DC to DC boost up converter, charger circuit and switching circuit. Thermoelectric modules can convert heat energy to electrical power directly (Jose Antonio B. V. et al., 2009). The Basic principle of a TEG is the Seebeck effect. Imposing different temperature on both ends of a thermoelectric generator, the devices can output a certain electrical energy which is proportional to the temperature difference of both ends of the device. The energy produce will be used to charge the battery charger and has the capability to reduce the power consumption. It is also in order to support and move towards a green technology application. PROBLEM STATEMENT The demand for electrical energy around the world is increasing every year, every month and every day. The human needs the electrical energy to live their lives. Nowadays, lots of electrical equipments were design to use electrical energy in the most efficient way. However, the existing source of energy will be depleted one day. Based on the World Resource Institute, fossil fuel such as oil, natural gas and coal make up a total 80 percent of the total energy consumption in the world (Damasa, 2006). The reproductions of fossil fuels are almost impossible as they require millions of year to be produced by the anaerobic decomposition of remains of organisms that settle to the sea bottom (Habjanec, 2009). To overcome this problem, it is important to find a new source of energy to replace the existing energy. This new energy is known as renewable energy (RE). Renewable energy means the energy that comes from the neutral source. The research for renewable energy is grown rapidly. Renewable energy such as solar, wind and hydro has limited resources and depend on weather and topography. Heat is one of the renewable energy. More than half of the energy consumed worldwide is wasted in the form if excess heat (Quick, 2009). Heat waste energy produced and released without attempted to capture it and reuse it since heat is a kind of energy. Nowadays, global warming become a big issues caused by the heat released to the environment. In order to converse the environment, the power will enable to supply small amount of power to electronic devices. OBJECTIVE This project has the following objectives: To design a prototype of an efficient, reliable thermoelectric battery charger to charge the battery. To analyze the productivity, profits, etc. compared to the existing battery charger. To analyze the time taken, complexity efforts to design electronic devices for thermoelectric battery charger. SCOPE OF WORK Hardware Proteus 7 professional will be used to design and running the simulation circuit on the hardware for thermoelectric powered battery charger. This software is choosing based on their characteristic that easy to use, and easy to run hardware simulation and software. Software MPLAB will be used to write a programming assembly language for the microcontroller in the switching circuit. This switching circuit used as a backup system for the battery charger when the voltage produced from TEG is insufficient by supplying the normal supply. PROJECT SIGNIFICANCE This project has the following significance: The ability to reduce power consumption by harvesting thermal energy from the surrounding The energy produced from thermoelectric will used as a main source of battery charger and backup by normal electricity source. In order to support and move towards a green technology application THESIS ORGANIZATION CHAPTER 1 (INTRODUCTION) This Chapter will present the introduction of the project, which is brief information and scope of the project is discussed. It is also including the objectives of the project, software and hardware proposed and thesis organization. CHAPTER 2 (LITERATURE REVIEW) This Chapter discussed the literature review and detail about information and scope of the project. It consists of general theory and provides information about thermoelectric powered battery charger. CHAPTER 3 (METHODOLOGY) This chapter will discuss briefly about the methodology of this project. It consists of several phase which are project planning, design, simulation and project fabrication. A proper planning is needed to be done to complete this project. CHAPTER 4 (RESULTS) This chapter contains all the result obtained in this study. All the simulation result for the hardware will be performed in graph form. The result for thermoelectric powered battery charger will be performed in table. CHAPTER 5 (DISCUSSION) In this chapter the discussion of designed thermoelectric powered battery charger will be carried out. This provides a general discussion of the output result. CHAPTER 6 (SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION) This chapter contains a brief summary of this project. A future recommendation will be carried out. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW INTRODUCTION During 1821, Thomas Johann Seebeck discovers a circuit from two dissimilar metals with junction at a different temperature would deflect a compass magnet (Lazaridis, G., 2009). It was quickly realize that the temperature different could produce electrical potential which can drive an electric current in a closed loop circuit. The voltage is found to be proportional to the temperature different between the two junctions. This is then named as Seebeck Effect after his name. In 1834, one decade after Seebeck effect was found, Jean Charles Anthanesa Peltier a French physicist investigate the thermocouple effect and found that the electrical current would produced heating as well as cooling at the two different material. This phenomenon was called Peltier Effect. In the middle of nineteenth century, Irish-born William (Lord Kelvin) completes the thermoelectric theory by trying together what Seebeck and Peltier had observed (Peter D. Heinz, 2012). THERMOELECTRIC GENERATOR (TEG) Thermoelectric generators use the Seebeck effect to produce electrical power from a temperature different caused by heat energy flow [3]. Thermoelectric generator can convert heat energy into electrical energy directly (Ahmad Nazri A. R. et al., 2011). Thermoelectric power generation have advantages in term of free maintenance, quiet in operation and involving no moving or complex part. The Thermoelectric generator works by heating one face and cooling the other face of thermoelectric module and in the thermoelectric circuit is connected a load (Jose Antonio B. V., 2009). The thermoelectric generator is formed based on two elements which are N-type and P-type semiconductors. The N-type and P-type semiconductors are connected in series electrically and in parallel thermoelectrically among two ceramics layers (Jose Antonio B. V., 2009) The bigger temperature different, the higher the voltage can be generated (Ahmad Nazri A. R. et al., 2011). The electron flows from hot to cold side through the N-type, and the electrons hole flows from hot to cold side through the P-type will allows the combination of electrical produced in series and increased the voltage and power output. Figure 1.1 shows the diagram for thermoelectric generator. As the heat flows from hot to cold side, the voltage will produced. http://static.newworldencyclopedia.org/thumb/8/8b/Thermoelectric_Generator_Diagram.svg/277px-Thermoelectric_Generator_Diagram.svg.pnghttp://images.iop.org/objects/phw/news/15/5/7/valley.jpg Figure 1: Basic thermoelectric generator diagram. The voltage produce from the heat flow is proportional with the temperature different between the hot and cold plate. This phenomenon can be shown by the following equation: V = ÃŽÂ ±ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ T 1 Where V is the resulting voltage, ÃŽÂ ± is the Seebeck coefficient and ΆT is the temperature different. THERMOELCTRIC BATTERY CHARGER EXISTING WORK In the previous year, the research about TEG and it application has growth rapidly. In 2011, on Power Engineering and Optimization Conference, Ahmad Nazri A. R. et al., has develop Heat Energy Harvesting for Portable Power Supply (PosHEAT). In this research, his investigate the best material to design thermoelectric generator by using Bismuth Terlluride (Bi2Te3). Heat source for this research was taken from motorcycle engine. The voltage produce from the TEG stored in the rechargeable batteries and will used to charge the mobile phone. The portable and compact thermoelectric generator was designs to make it is easy to used and carry. From the experiment conduct, the maximum voltage produced when the temperature different 75dT/oC is 4.4V. It is sufficient to charge a mobile phone, PSP, MP3, MP4 and other digital products anywhere and anytime. Jose Antonio B. V., 2009, was research about Thermoelectric Generator Using Water Gas Heater Energy for Battery Charging. In this research he designs a prototype of a maximum power point tracker (MPPT) for the thermoelectric (TE) module in order to increase the energy conversion in the battery charging. A SEPIC (single-ended primary inductance converter) DC-DC converter is applied and controller by a microcontroller and to achieve the maximum power of point tracking is used the perturbation and observation (PO) algorithm. The performance of the battery charging by using PO MPPT is compared to the battery charging directly to the TE module. The source of heat conversion in this research comes from water gas heater. From the experiment conduct the MPPT improved the energy delivery to the battery charger compared to the direct connection. The principle of using thermoelectric heat converter is used to design a battery charger for a lab-top computer. In 1995, Marmudur R., Roger S., on Thermoelectric Power Generation for Battery Charger, develop a battery charger to charge a lab-top computer that consists of thermoelectric converter system, that powered by butane gas and DC-DC boost up converter. In this research, the voltage produced from the heat is 5watts and can be used to charge the lab-top computer. In another word, the heat conversion from butane gas can expand the internal batteries for lab-top computer. Besides that, a battery charger by using compost also has been research. On 2010, Caitlin Ahearn, investigate about heat conversion by using compost pile. The energy produced will be used to charge a battery. From the experiment, by using the copper slab insulated with extruded polystyrene at placed at the center of compost pile, would transfer 86% ±2% heat from hot side to the cold side. At the 60oC  ±1 oC temperature different can produced 463mW ±6mW, which is this amount sufficient to charge a battery. To improve the energy transfer, more researches were conducted. In 2012, Xu Yingyin et al., was investigate about the DC to DC boost up converter by using two controls mode, maximum power tracking (MPPT) and power matching (PM). The performance of MPPT and PM were investigated by using mathematical model and transfer function. The results for this research shown in Figure 2 below. Figure 2.1: Input power curve and control mode From the Figure 2.1, it show when Pin_max CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY INTRODUCTION This chapter is very important to provide information of the methods that being used in completing this project. STARTMETHODOLOGY PROCESS FLOW Literature Review Project Proposal Technical Project 1 Project Seminar 1 Design and Build System Design Hardware Success? NO Design Software YES Success? NO Implementation and Testing YES Success? NO YES End Conclusion Thesis Writing Analysis Literature review Literature review is a very important part of the research process. The general purposed of the literature review is to gain knowledge and understanding of the current state about the selected research topics. This chapter was conducted to investigate the past researches that have been done in suspension system include passive and active. It is because the research in this field has already been done before. All the works in this project is based on the previous research. Design Hardware The new battery charger that mainly powered by thermal energy and it will backup by normal electricity source will be design. Design Software During the time when the electricity supply from TEG is insufficient, a microcontroller-based monitoring and switching circuit will switch to normal electricity source. The software will be design to switch the system. Implementation and testing Once the system has been fabricated, the implementation and testing will be conducted and the time to the thermoelectric charge the battery will be taken. Correction might be done if needed. Analysis From the testing process, analysis of time taken to complete the battery to charge will be obtained and will be comparing with the existing battery charger. Conclusion and thesis writing A thesis will be written for submission, which includes all process stated above along with conclusion obtained from this work and some recommendations for future project

Economy Of Russia :: essays research papers

The phase in the business cycle that Russia is in is Prosperity. Prosperity is the high point of the business cycle. The Gross Domestic Product is 796 billion dollars. Russia is partners with Germany in exporting and importing. The number of imports is 33 billion and the number of exports are 66 billion. The National Budget is 56.6 billion dollars. They have 1 radio per 2.9 people. They also have 1 Telephone per 5.9 people. Russia’s education is free and compulsory through ages 7 to 17. The unemployment rate is 8 percent. The inflation rate is 85 percent and possibly more if monetary policy is relaxed. Russia was mostly an agricultural country until the late 19th century, when industrialization began, in European Russia. Economic development was then interrupted by World War 1 and the Civil War that followed. Modern development was initiated by Stalin, whose frantic industrialization drive in the 1930’s made the Soviet Union an industrial giant. Under Stalin and his successors, the less settled frontier regions of Central Asia and Siberia were developed. Several of the world’s largest dams were built on in the former Soviet Union, and the world’s first atomic station was opened in 1954. By the 1980’s about 40 nuclear reactors were operating in the Soviet Union. In the late 1970’s the economic backwardness of the Soviet Union had become so self evident that no amount of political propaganda could obscure it. Western developed countries began to enter the Information Age, introducing new communication technologies and electronic links among institutions and individuals. The Soviet Union still relied on the rigid planning and pervasive controls, leaving no room for initiative and inventiveness. When Mikhail Gorbachev became head of the party in 1985, the huge country began to move. Gorbachev surrounded himself with a number of reform-minded economists and soon formulated the main pillars of economic restructuring called perestroika. The major goals of perestrioka were to make Soviet enterprises more self-governing and to give them more freedom, while at the same time, more responsibility for their performance. In the planned economy before perestroika, all enterprises were totally dependent on central planners, who determined where to buy materials, what to produce, and where to sell it. This system encouraged inefficiency, because the companies did not have to compete with any other companies.

Insight of Plato’s Gorgias

Textual Analysis Term Paper: Gorgias As history suggests, Plato was Socrates’ prime student. Plato’s key belief was that the ultimate reality was the notion and concepts of things. His deduction was that what we see in the physical world are simply abstract representations of universal ideas. Consequently, Plato supposed, that to correctly understand reality one must transcend the physical reality into the world of ideas, which is seen in Plato’s â€Å"Gorgias. † A lot of the dialects in this piece of work are full of Socratic irony. Plato's main idea of the true ature of reality centers on the abstract perception of universals and what creates the physical reality. As Platonic Realism proposes, to be able to sensually perceive these universals, as they have no temporal traits is impossible. In â€Å"Gorgias† we are able to see through Socrates’ and Callicles’ dispute about justice, the ideas that form the foundation about what consist s to be a successful political leader. Plato recognizes the conventional meaning of pleasure as satisfaction, but to understand his view of the moral dimension behind it there is a particular framework behind the concept of eauty. In â€Å"Gorgias†, he has Socrates say that things, both concrete things such as bodies, and abstract things such as laws, and even knowledge, are beautiful â€Å"on account of either some pleasure or benefit, or both. † (Plato, p. 72) In the beginning of the discussion between Socrates and Callicles itself, Socrates mentions that the basis of their arguments will be with what they both love: philosophy ; Athenian democracy. To understand Socrates’ arguments it is foremost important to notice that he directs his arguments towards the pursuit of pleasure, as he implies it is the highest good of uman life. The difference between Callicles and Socrates on pleasure and the good is that Callicles thinks the structures of the pleasures one p ursues or the pains one avoids is futile whereas Socrates puts extra attention to these structures. Callicles and Socrates both contradict each other in this debate, nevertheless they agree on one aspect where he they Socrates says casually that â€Å"it is uglier to act unjustly than to be treated unjustly. † (Plato, p. 98) which means it is better off to be unjust than to suffer it since suffering from injustice is more agonizing than doing it. Despite the fact that Socrates admits that suffering injustice is more painful than doing it, the consequences of having pleasure from inflicting injustice are nevertheless worse. Socrates’ brings up his argument of self-control, through mentioning that suffering injustice is conflicting with happiness and doing injustice is in fact even worse than suffering it, accordingly doing injustice must also be conflicting with one’s happiness. It is because Callicles rejects self-control as being fitting with happiness, that he is forced to ignore the consequences of his actions.Therefore, to prove Callicles wrong, Socrates uses rhetoric in a way that is philosophical to guide his logic. He suggests that life without knowing the full form of pleasures, without having a knowledge of their natures, basically, what their structures are, is a life which is destined to be frustrated. It becomes a unhealthy experience to achieve happiness. Contrasting this, Callicles thinks that one can understand that suffering injustice is automatically more painful than inflicting injustice with respect to happiness. Socrates tries to convince Callicles that this thought is incorrect.Socrates’ no doubt tries to prove Callicles wrong and in this case, he mentions that one has to know the nature which implies the structure, of the pleasure of one’s pain, which is how Socrates’ emphasizes on self-indulgence. Throughout the dispute, the difference between a true and a false pleasure is that one needs to exam ine the nature of every pleasure so as to find out whether it is a true pleasure. â€Å"But still, even now, state whether you say that a pleasant thing and a good thing are the same or whether there is anything of [the things that are] pleasant that is not good? † (Plato, p. 09) If the nature of pleasure is solely based on action this is considered a bad pleasure, which we get from cooking and make-up as Socrates suggests. The first step is fought over the issue of whether all pleasures are good. Socrates thinks that only true pleasures are good whereas Callicles thinks that all pleasures whether true or false are good. The second step is fought over what is necessary for happiness. Socrates thinks that self-control is what is necessary to experience the true pleasures and to avoid the false ones; â€Å"[†¦] it is possible for a man who is distressed to feel joy. † Plato, 113) This presents why many would call some pleasures bad is that they lead to such things a s sickness and poverty, which inevitably lead to pain. The basis on which this is important is because Socrates gets Callicles to agree that a person's body is good if it has the structure appropriate to it, which is in this case, health. Socrates has a deep meaning to it since he mentions that having a healthy body is nothing without the soul, rather that it represents what the body is for. Therefore, when Socrates claims that the soul is good if it has the order and structure appropriate to it, that s, justice and self-control, he is claiming how the soul is good and not just what the soul is for. â€Å"And so examine first whether these things seem to you to have been sufficiently and whether there are some other such matters concerning the soul, some having to do with technical skill [†¦] but others that make small account of [what is best]; and consider in turn, just as [in the case of cooking], only the pleasure of the soul [†¦]. † (Plato, 123) Therefore, if t he soul has the virtue appropriate to a soul, that person will be, in due course happy. If the soul cannot do this, nd does not have the virtue appropriate to a soul, that person will be miserable. As mentioned earlier, Socrates argues that self-control is what controls one's desires and pleasures. The most important interpretation of what this amounts to would have Socrates arguing for the rational part of our soul â€Å"controlling† the desires. self-control is, ultimately self- control, which implies that naturally, it is impossible for the self-controlled person to do what is not apt. Where the dialect would overlap is if the soul is not able to attain happiness, unless of course, it has structure and order which is known as self-control, then Socrates ill have proven that not only does it fit with happiness but that it is equally necessary for happiness and if Socrates supports the opposite of this argument, it would automatically support what Callicles’ argues. C allicles’ love for â€Å"demos† may at some point be portrayed as being anti- conventional. Callicles mentions that the democracy and its laws is a way to control the stronger people, the weak people wanted to unite as one to overthrow the people bestowed with higher power. Callicles’ position on the relationship between the powerful and the normal people turns out to be most definitely conventional, which explains why he has uch love for the population, which may bias his political leadership. What Socrates had basically done was to enslave Callicles into a web of words. Socrates used Callicles’ belief of â€Å"demos† but also polis law, pleasures, and desires' to thrust Socrates’ ideas on Callicles. For example, if we take Socrates’ technical approach, any common person would assume that in pursuing pleasure, Callicles is not doing what he wants, â€Å"[†¦] pleasant is different from the good, and that each of the two has its own concern and method of possessing [it] – the hunt for the pleasant and the hunt for the good [†¦]. (Plato, p. 122)According to that passage, we all want what is truly good, but the pleasures that seem good to Callicles are not those that are essentially good, so pursuing pleasure is not what Callicles wants. It only portrays that Callicles pursues it unwillingly (Plato, p. 139). As a result, this shows that Callicles lacks the ability to do things as per his wish, which eventually Callicles is what we can label a â€Å"slave† or even in the context of this work a lover of the people. Kreon from the Antigone would agree with Socrates, as he would remain adamant about proving his point as Socrates is doing in his dispute with Callicles.No matter how contradictory he may sound he would rather inflict injustice onto Antigone than being defeated by a puny little girl. â€Å"Now that I’ve caught her as the only one In all the city who openly defied me, I wonà ¢â‚¬â„¢t be seen as false to my own word By all the city – I’ll kill her. † (Sophocles, p. 82) The fact that Kreon honors his power more than morality proves that he would make sure his point came across the population and his son even if he had to go against them. His intention would only change if it benefitted himself. To conclude, one might think that the reason behind Callicles’ interpretation of eeking pleasure from his own desires may be his relationship with the people. He might consider the pursuit of their pleasure in preference to his own, and so he is their servant in the sense that he prioritizes their liking over his own. In this dispute nevertheless, Socrates does not make a flat out criticism about Callicles’ ideals instead he makes an association behind the pursuit of pleasure with serving the â€Å"demos†. They reach to somewhat of an understanding between them as they distinguish between pursuing one’s own pleasure a nd that of others never becomes an issue. Socrates characterizesCallicles’ view as that virtue is within the satisfaction of his own desires and those of others; â€Å"[†¦] that of the desires, some, being filled, make the person better, [and] these one should accomplish, but others, [being filled, make the person worse [†¦]. (Plato, p. 128). Whereas Socrates is concerned, by philosophical rhetoric he can succeed in getting his ideas through any skilled person and therefore, may be a successful political leader. Bibliography Plato, Gorgias. (Newburyport: R. Pullins Company, 2007), 23-171. Sophocles, Antigone. (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. , 2007), 52-116.

Heroism and cowardice in the Odyssey Essay

The most respected and venerated social group in Homeric times was that of the heroic warriors and kings. These were the people who lead their armies into battle and won accolades for their valor or courage displayed on the battlefield. The cowardly on the other hand, were subjected to strong prejudice. Their existence was considered a burden on the earth and they were ignored and ridiculed by everyone. This is evident in the Odyssey when Homer describes the incident of Elpenor’s death. â€Å"There was one called Elpenor, the youngest of the party, not much a fighting man and not very clever. This young man had got drunk and gone to sleep on the roof of Circe’s palace. Roused in the morning by the bustle and din of departure, he leapt up suddenly, and forgetting to go down the ladder and take the proper way down, he toppled headlong down the roof. † As is clear from this description, Elpenor’s death was never much of an issue for Odysseus or his crew, who laughed it off and ignorantly left his body unburied in their haste to go to Hades, because stupid and cowardly Elpenor was not worth mourning for. However the unparalleled sorrow expressed at the deaths of Agamemnon and Achilleus was justified because they were great heroes who deserved to be lamented. Elpenor’s body was only buried when he himself reminded Odysseus to bury him lest he (Odysseus) incurred the wrath of the Gods, at leaving a human corpse unburied. The suitors on the other hand were considered fine men in their own right-handsome and brave. It was only their wanton misuse of Odysseus’s property in his absence and their disrespectful attitude towards Penelope that turned many of the Gods against them. The suitor’s willful insolence directed at the property and wife of an absent man was seen as an act of cowardice and thus excited the wrath of the Gods. The suitors in truth were no more than mere cowards as was evident when they tried to make truce with Odysseus in the following lines-â€Å"So spare us, who are your own people. And afterwards we will make amends to you by public levy for all the food and drink that has been consumed in your house. † Thus they truly deserved their end and there were to be no tears shed in their memory because their cowardly acts had subjected them to an ill-fated end. Homer thus defines a hero not only to be handsome and brave but also god fearing, hospitable and one who never takes unfair advantage of others, especially in their absence. This is also evident in the Iliad when Paris’s abduction of Helen in Menelaus’s absence seals both his fate and that of his homeland- Troy. Odysseus is the only character in the Odyssey who thus comes closest to the ideal of the ‘hero’. He is strong, handsome, brave, and also intelligent and witty. In Homer’s world, no hero is complete without being endowed with the gift of intelligence and astuteness. Odysseus displays his acumen on many occasions-the encounter with Polyphemus the Cyclops and Circe, just to name a few. Odysseus also seems to be the master of deceit as is evident from the countless tales of trickery he tells people in order to avoid detection. In Homer’s eyes, this treachery on the part of Odysseus is justified as he is only trying to protect his own interests without harming anybody else’s. However despite these heroic qualities, Odysseus fails to live up to the ideal of the true hero. In the final conflict with the suitors, Odysseus thinks nothing of shooting a whole quiver full of arrows at unarmed men but his knees go weak the minute he sees the defenseless acquire some form of defense. This is evident from the following lines: â€Å"when Odysseus saw them putting on armour and brandishing great spears in their hands, his knees quaked and his heart failed him. † Odysseus also disguises himself as a beggar instead of appearing in his original form before the suitors because he is scared of their numbers. But despite his infrequent acts of cowardice the Gods still support him and help him in his endeavor to rid his house of the suitors. This is because the very idea of his returning home after twenty years to restore his house and rescue his wife is very heroic and thus the means by which he achieves this end can be ignored. One cannot also help but think that it is more of the Goddess Athene’s help than Odysseus’s courage and bravado, which ultimately wins the day for him. This is evident from the following lines: â€Å"the six did as he ordered and threw with all their might. But Athene made the whole volley miss. † Athene herself made the suitors’ aims miss, but rather partially helped Odysseus’s lances meet their targets. Hence the impartial help of the Gods was the main reason behind Odysseus’s success. But this supernatural aid can be seen as a reward for past bravery and suffering on the part of Odysseus and as a punishment for cowardly insolence on part of the suitors. Hence the theme of cowardice and bravery plays a big part in the Odyssey. The book does take a certain amount of interest in the fate of the cowardly, but its primary focus rests with the heroic. Even the Gods favor the brave over the cowardly. The Gods take a supreme interest in the death of the heroic be it through noble (e. g. Achilleus fighting on the battle field) or poor means (e. g. Agamemnon killed by his wife and her lover) but as long as the cowardly are given a decent burial, the Gods don’t care about them and their name is never mentioned in their premises. (E. g. Elpenor’s death) People who have behaved in a way not suiting their status are also condemned to a coward’s death (e. g. : the suitors) and the Gods do not lament their end.

School Essay Example

School Essay Example School Essay School Essay Essay Topic: Middle School Alright, there are several factors that led to the differences between the Chesapeake and New England colonies. The first factor would be the types of crops they grew. Farmers in New England grew sustenance crops, mostly to feed themselves. This led to small family owned farms, which would surround a group of houses which had an area of common ground in the middle of the town. Now, the south tended to favor cash crops such as tobacco and indigo and things of that nature. Tobacco required large tracts of land and completely destroyed the soil in which it was grown. Houses were often further apart than they were in New England (remember the centralized town with the farms on the outside) and therefore people interacted less. Another huge factor was the demographics of the regions. In New England, the population was almost equal between males and females, with the longest life expectancy in the world. This means growing families and huge leaps in population. Since slavery was relatively uncommon in New England, families had children to work on their farm. Since the families lived In close contact with one another, things like school and religion were extremely Important aspects of New England life. In the South, men greatly outnumbered women, and disease was fairly common. The life expectancy was really low there, and families much smaller than their northern counterparts. Since the labor was provided by slaves, people had no real reason to have children, especially with the life expectancy being so low. Since farms were so far apart, unlike northern towns, the south lacked schools and churches. This Isnt to say that they didnt have them, they were fewer and farther between than they were In New England. The gist of all of this Is that due to low life expectancy, the reliance on cash crops, and the lack of education, the north ND south were beginning to form different cultures. The North had these things, which created more tightly knit communities, and also created the common belief that Southerners were backwards and dumb. There was a lot of distrust between the colonies, which would disappear with the French and Indian War when people from the North and South would serve side-by- side In the military. I hope this helps you a little, Im working off of memory and left all of my American H school By Jeerer on their farm. Since the families lived in close contact with one another, things like school and religion were extremely important aspects of New England life. Far apart, unlike northern towns, the south lacked schools and churches. This isnt to in New England. The gist of all of this is that due to low life expectancy, the reliance on cash crops, There was a lot of distrust between the colonies, which would disappear with the side in the military.

Highlights of Late 19th Century Womens Labor Organizing

Highlights of Late 19th Century Women's Labor Organizing Some highlights of American womens labor organizing in the late 19th century: In 1863, a committee in New York City, organized by the editor of the New York Sun, began to help women collect wages due them that had not been paid. This organization continued for fifty years. Also in 1863, women in Troy, New York, organized the Collar Laundry Union. These women worked in laundries making and laundering the detachable collars stylish on mens shirts. They went on strike, and as a result won an increase in wages. In 1866, their strike fund was used to aid the Iron Molders Union, building a lasting relationship with that mens union. The leader of the laundryworkers union, Kate Mullaney, went on to become assistant secretary of the National Labor Union. The Collar Laundry Union dissolved July 31, 1869, in the the middle of another strike, faced with the threat of paper collars and the likely loss of their jobs. The National Labor Union was organized in 1866; while not exclusively focusing on womens issues, it did take a stand for the rights of working women. The first two national unions to admit women were the Cigarmakers (1867) and the Printers (1869). Susan B. Anthony used her paper, The Revolution, to help working women organize in their own interests. One such organization formed in 1868, and became known as the Working Womens Association. Active in this organization was Augusta Lewis, a typographer who kept the organization focused on representing the women on pay and working conditions, and kept the organization out of political issues such as woman suffrage. Miss Lewis became the president of the Womens Typographical Union No. 1 which grew out of the Working Womens Association. In 1869, this local union applied for membership in the national Typographers Union, and Miss Lewis was made corresponding secretary of the union. She married Alexander Troup, the unions secretary-treasurer, in 1874, and retired from the union, though not from other reform work. Womens Local 1 did not long survive the loss of its organizing leader, and dissolved in 1878. After that time, the Typographers admitted women on an equal basis to men, instead of organizing separate womens locals. In 1869, a group of women shoestitchers in Lynn, Massachusetts, organized the Daughters of St. Crispin, a national womens labor organization modeled on and supported by the Knights of St. Crispin, the national shoe workers union, which also went on record supporting equal pay for equal work. The Daughters of St. Crispin is recognized as the first national union of women. The first president of the Daughters of St. Crispin was Carrie Wilson. When the Daughters of St. Crispin went on strike in Baltimore in 1871, the Knights of St. Crispin successfully demanded that the women strikers be rehired. The depression in the 1870s led to the demise of the Daughters of St. Crispin in 1876. The Knights of Labor, organized in 1869, began admitting women in 1881. In 1885, the Knights of Labor established the Womens Work Department. Leonora Barry was hired as a full time organizer and investigator. The Womens Work Department was dissolved in 1890. Alzina Parsons Stevens, a typographer and, at one time, Hull House resident, organized the Working Womans Union No. 1 in 1877. In 1890, she was elected district master workman, District Assembly 72, Knights of Labor, in Toledo, Ohio. Mary Kimball Kehew joined the Womens Educational and Industrial Union in 1886, becoming a director in 1890 and president in 1892. With Mary Kenney OSullivan, she organized the Union for Industrial Progress, whose purpose was to help women organize craft unions. This was a forerunner of the Womens Trade Union League, founded in the early 20th century. Mary Kenney OSullivan was the first woman hired by the American Federation of Labor (AFL) as an organizer. She had earlier organized women bookbinders in Chicago into the AFL and had been elected a delegate to the Chicago Trades and Labor Assembly. In 1890, Josephine Shaw Lowell organized the Consumers League of New York. In 1899, the New York organization helped found the National Consumers League to protect both workers and consumers. Florence Kelley led this organization, which worked mainly through educational effort. Text copyright  © Jone Johnson Lewis . Image:  left to right, (front row): Miss Felice Louria, executive secretary of the New York City Consumers League; and Miss Helen Hall, director of the Henry Street Settlement in New York and chairman of the Consumers National Federation. (Back row) Robert S. Lynd, head of Department of Sociology, Columbia University; F.B. McLaurin, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Michael Quill, N.Y. City Councilman and president of Transportation Workers Union.

Starting Your Novel Start Your Author Platform Now - Freewrite Store

Starting Your Novel Start Your Author Platform Now - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by Zara Altair  (@ZaraAltair), writer of The Argolicus Mysteries set in ancient Italy.  Zara also coaches budding writers to create winning stories as  The Story Bodyguard  from her home near Portland, Oregon. It’s Never Too Early To Build and Promote In the world of publishing you as an author become a brand. You become a business, an author business, and you need to enter a business mindset. To promote your new author brand, you need a place to do that- your author platform. If you are starting a new novel and you think your fabulous, creative, innovative, engaging, exciting story will sell itself, welcome to reality. It won’t sell itself. You may dream of people reading your book and sharing their enjoyment with others. Before that happens, readers need to know about your novel. The best way to get started letting others know about your novel is through your author platform. Your book will compete with thousands of other books. You need to entice and win your readers to select your book out of the thousands of books out there. If you write in a popular genre, you need to differentiate your story from your competitors. Your author platform is the way you connect with your readers and fans. Provide information about you, the author, and your books on your platform. Why Now? First, if you wait until your novel is completed, or even later until it is published, you miss the chance to connect not only with readers, but with people in the publishing world. Agents want to see your platform before they represent your book. Many agents will not accept a book unless you have a platform designed and in place. You will co-promote with a traditional publisher. The reason the agent wants to see your author platform is that publishers want to know you put energy into promoting your book(s). If you are self-publishing, you will spend time weekly if not daily promoting your work. Creating your author marketing platform takes time. As you grow in experience with your platform, you’ll tweak and tweak again to create the most concise and enticing connection with you, the author. How To Start Your Author Platform The best way to start is with you, the author. You’ll need several author bios to distribute and a professional portrait. These bios will go on your website, social media introductions, press releases, digital publishing author pages (Amazon, Nook, iBooks, etc.), inside your book, on your dust jacket. You’ll need them handy whenever you promote yourself and your books. Book Description Write a description of your book. You will probably revise this many times, but write one. Pretend you are writing the blurb for the back cover. Your book description is not a synopsis of the story. You want targeted readers of your genre to want to buy your book and read it. Tell potential readers the genre up front. Zombie Apocalypse readers won’t read your sweet romance.   Focus on the main character and their challenge. Load your book description with emotional phrases that entice readers to buy your book. Think of your book description as a sales tool to get your readers to connect. Your Author Biographies Yes, you’ll need at least three author bios. Also, you’ll find yourself editing these bios for guest posts, author interviews, and other publicity. Start witha short one, 25-30 words, to post at the end of articles or on social media that does not allow for a long description, like Twitter. Then write at least two more, a 100-word bio and a 300-word bio. If you hire a publicist, or do your own publicity, you may want a 1000 word biography. You will rewrite these many times, but start with something now. A Photo: Your Professional Image Create a formal portrait of yourself both color and black and white. You can do this yourself with a plain background or hire a professional photographer. A formal portrait has a plain background with no distractions, so the focus is on you. Cover Image for Your Book Your book cover and book description are two key elements in book sales. You may think it’s too early to create a cover image, but it will be part of your promotion. Even before the book is out, you’ll want to entice readers.You’ll want this for your website and any promotions you may do. Don’t do this yourself. Your book cover is one of the strongest selling elements. Hire a professional book cover designer. Your cover design can range in price from pre-made where your insert your author name and book title for $25-$50 to a high-end professional who may charge $500 or more. Don’t skimp. Save your pennies to get the best designer you can afford. This is one reason to start early. You’ll spend time finding the right designer for your book cover. Create A Free Giveaway Create a giveaway for readers who join your email list. This can be a short novella, a chapter from your book, background about the theme of your story, or a biography of the main character. Use your imagination to create something special for your followers. Reward them for following you. Create Your Author Website Your author website is your home base. If Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your publisher go out of business, you’ll still own your website. You can use free website services like WordPress.com or Weebly to get started. Or you can go one step up with a paid service like Squarespace. If you have time and resources, you can become more involved and intricate with a self-hosted website using WordPress.org. You will need to monitor and update the self-hosted website for updates or hire someone to manage the site for you. If you have a large budget, you can hire a website designer to create the site for you. Make sure you have access to add and change text. Basic pages for your website: An introduction to you as an author. Your bio and some words about why you are writing the book. A page just for the book. Give potential readers a taste of the book with the book description and a short excerpt. Once your book is published, you will add links to where readers can buy your book. A blog page. Most free and paid website services include a blog page. Update this with articles regularly, at least once a month if not more. The key is to consistently communicate with readers. Email - The Way to Stay in Touch with Readers However much you may like social media and hate a full email inbox, email is the number one way to stay in touch with your readers. Email is not dead. You’ll communicate in a personal way and respond to questions. So, set up your email functionality now. Even if the first subscribers are your mom and your best friend. Getting your email service set up now will save you time in the future as your list grows. There are several services (autoresponders) that provide email list services. To begin, you can start with a free service like MailChimp. As your list grows, consider a paid service such as AWeber. Set up your email list. Add yourself to the list to check that all your emails go out. Write a sequence of welcoming emails for your autoresponder. Create your invitation to join the list (landing page). Entice people to join with your free giveaway you created. Keep it simple and direct. Write Your Friendly Email Sequence Create a sequence of emails to go to people who join your list. Write a sequence of welcoming emails for your autoresponder. Here’s a sample email welcome sequence and timing: Day One: Thank your new subscriber. Introduce yourself and your books. Link to the free giveaway. Three days after previous: Did you miss the download? Insert the link to your free giveaway again. Keep it short and sweet. Three days after previous. More about how you wrote the book(s). Add your social media connection links and Amazon Author page and website. Invite your subscribers to follow you. One week after previous. A bit about you. Personal what I do. Pets. Activities, Photos of life. Invitation to read one of your books with link. One week after that. Invitation for free books forever by joining the beta readers group, advanced readers. Set up a separate email list for them and put the link in this message. Once again, set up your autoresponder with at least one welcoming message thanking them for their enthusiasm and telling them they will be receiving their advance copy when it is ready. You know how to do this now. Your Author Newsletter Use your email service to send out a newsletter to your fans regularly. Set a schedule and stick to it. Some authors write every day others send out the newsletter once a month. The frequency isn’t as important as the consistency. Each issue of your newsletter keeps your fans engaged. Most email services have an RSS feed service to bring your blog posts into your newsletter. If you write a regular blog, your subscribers will have a link to all the blog posts since your last newsletter. Start your newsletter right away, even if it’s only your mom and best friend on your list. Get yourself in the habit of creating and sending your newsletter. Set your newsletter writing date on your calendar. Set your publication date on your calendar. You’ll develop the habit of consistent communication. Social Media Social media is a great way to increase your exposure. Each platform like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and others each has a distinct audience. To avoid author overwhelm, choose one social media vehicle as your main interaction focus. You can post on several but focus the majority of your posting and interaction on one. Spend time engaging with others, commenting on their posts, and interacting and sharing new content. Let your personality shine. To set up your social media account, you’ll use the bio, author portrait, and book cover you created in earlier steps. Educate Yourself About Author Marketing Author marketing is a skill set. Read various author help sites like this one. Take notes, test an action to see if it works for you. Then implement the actions that fit with your personal style. You’ve committed to your business as an author; this is your Research and Development. You’ll resonate with some advice and feel uncomfortable with some. If it feels uncomfortable, think about whether it’s because you need to learn a new skill set or if it doesn’t fit you and your readers. If it is a fit, learn the new skill set and incorporate it into your author platform. Successful Authors Manage Writing and Promotion Time The skill you learn from setting up your author platform is the ability to manage writing and promotion time. To be a successful author you need to practice both consistently. You’ll build your audience of readers long before your first novel is finished. They will help you kick start your book launch. Your career as an author is a business. Develop your business skills with your consumers, your readers, by communicating with them. Don’t be afraid to learn as you go. Starting early gives you the opportunity to fine tune before you complete your novel. If all of these activities to set up your author platform seem like work, they are. If you are serious about your novel, you want to give it the most attention you can through your author platform. When you start now, while you are writing your first novel and work on your author platform in tandem with your writing, you will be well positioned to create a successful book launch. New author, tell me your opinion! Have you started your platform? Are you hung-up with keeping it going? What’s your biggest challenge? Tell me in the comments!    Zara Altair  (@ZaraAltair) writes The Argolicus Mysteries set in ancient Italy featuring patrician Argolicus and his lifelong tutor, Nikolaos: The Used Virgin, The Peach Widow, and The Roman Heir. She writes for the web as a semantic copywriter and is working on a book for writers: SEO for Authors.  Zara also coaches budding writers to create winning stories as The Story Bodyguard from her home near Portland, Oregon.

Walmart Just In Time focus on procurement and distribution, logistics Research Paper

Walmart Just In Time focus on procurement and distribution, logistics management processes and benefits of process for Walmart - Research Paper Example In this context, this study focuses on the Just in time inventory system and the logistics management Wal-Mart is using. Just-in-Time Concept of Inventory Many authors defined just in time inventory (JIT) system differently, but it all refers to a system wherein materials are delivered just in time for its use whether in manufacturing or selling. In JIT system, it has been the practice of companies like Wal-Mart to schedule purchases and production only as needed to meet actual consumers’ demand. The purpose of this system is to reduce inventories to a minimum level, or wherever possible to a â€Å"zero level† (Accounting for Management, n.d.). As the concept would suggest, JIT for Wal-Mart is a cycle that means products for sale are received from supplier just in time to replenish the stocks on the shelves, thereby reducing inventories from their previous level. The Just in time inventory system has been applied at every stores of Wal-Mart, and as observed, the secret lies in its sophisticated just in time logistics system found in the RFID technology. The system has provided Wal-Mart a continuous tracking, real-time sales feedback from every store and plot stock depletion rates so they can arrange new deliveries just as existing supplies are about to run out. The illustration below depicts a Just in-time system inventory management that begins with the order of the customer, and the processes that channels the ordering system. JIT system is ideal for manufacturing and merchandising concerns that tends to eliminate too much inventories which are not needed in the manufacturing or sale immediately. Source of diagram: (Accounting for Management.com) The logistics management of Wal-Mart, an introduction to RFID In order to understand the complexity of Wal-Mart operations and why there is a need for a logistics management process, an insight to its structure is presented. Wal-Mart manages retail stores worldwide in a range of set-up. Its segments inc lude US market, International market and the on line ordering system. The US segment carries almost all items ordinarily found in a supermarket store, or may be easier said, â€Å"ask it, Wal-Mart has it† (WMT Profile). The international segment has various formats of stores and restaurants that include a combination of discount and grocery stores, supermarkets, supercenters, cash and carry stores, hypermarkets, general merchandise stores and the Sam Clubs. The Sam Club segment, which is available thru membership, carries merchandise, hard and soft goods and selected private-label items. Profile of Wal-Mart stores showed the following number of stores as of January 31, 2010 (Table1). Table 1 Number of Wal-Mart Retail Stores as of January 31, 2010 Number of stores Location Number of stores Location 803 discount stores United States 43 Argentina 2,747 supercenters United States 434 Brazil 1158 neighborhood markets United States 317 Canada 596 Sam Clubs United States 252 Chile 1 70 Costa Rica 77 El Salvador 164 Guatemala 53 Honduras 1 India 371 Mexico 55 Nicaragua 56 Puerto Rico 371 United Kingdom 279 Peoples Rep. of China Source: Yahoo Finance, 2010. Wal-Mart Stores Profile Logistics management process of Wal-Mart In the above scenario of retail stores, tracking of individual products in its different chains and warehouses is a difficult task. This would need an efficient system of monitoring and control such that Wal-Mart saw a need for a

Millennials group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Millennials group - Essay Example For this essay, the main focus is on the Millennials group. This Millennials key identifying feature is that it is brought up in a digital world. The Millennials are referred to as the Generation Y group, who are between the adolescent age and 30yrs old (13-30yrs). This is the newest group of generation. There are different types of generations: 1) â€Å"the great generation† born in 1925-1942; 2) baby boomers born in 1945-1964; 3) generation Xers born in 1965-1976, and 4) generation Y, born in 1977-2000. All these generations have a considerable impact on the workforce but with the rising numbers of Millennials in the workforce, more changes may yet to come on how organizations operate. Notably, the majority of the top executive positions in various organizations are occupied by the Great generation or baby boomers than the Generation Xers and lastly the lower positions by the Millennials (Smith 1). Millennials â€Å"are the most ethnically and racially diverse cohort of you th† in history. They are an emerging group of all time in U.S. history to be more politically active, for example, during the 2008 elections 66% of them endorsed Obama as they preferred candidate as compared to 32% who voted for McCain. These figures show a huge gap as compared to other generations voting figures which were closely equal. They are also the generation with good familiarity with recent technology as parts of their daily lives â€Å"like tweeting and texting, facebook, YouTube†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They are also not religious as compared to the other generations. The Millennials always have a tendency of desiring regular promotions in their jobs and for them to climb the ladder quickly to the top managerial positions. They rely on mentoring and have strong personalities of achieving more each day.

Nursing Administration Philosophy Statement Essay

Nursing Administration Philosophy Statement - Essay Example I uphold the philosophy of acting in line with the highest standards of ethics, efficiency, accountability, effectiveness, and openness in pursuit of the highest standards of nursing care and leadership. The paper documents my philosophy of nursing administration, which outlines proactive leadership as an essential tool to carry out change in nursing management. Philosophy of Nursing Administration Introduction In order to elaborate on philosophy of nursing, I consider that one must settle on what philosophy means to them; philosophy represents an attitude toward life and reality that envelops people’ beliefs. This definition awards one the freedom to utilize own beliefs. Caring can be considered to form the backbone of nursing, whereby without caring, nurses cannot connect with patients, and consequently, trust cannot form between nurses and patients. Philosophy outlines vision what a nursing manager views the nursing services and what he or she believed it should be. Backgro und During my childhood, my fascination with the discipline of nursing was all about white uniforms and caps; however, this notion on nursing practice has changed over the years out of the realization that a nurse is not merely an individual in a uniform, but rather a person charged with making a difference in patients’ life through caring and compassion. As a leader in women and children case management, I recognize that nurses should be recognized for their expertise and compassion in availing care to patients and communities (Carter et al., 2010). I concur that there is no other profession that avails the opportunity to implement the philosophy of caring for others into action while simultaneously availing personal and professional gratification that can be attained when one applies knowledge to enhance patient care. I practiced in an obstetric unit for three years as a labor and delivery nurse charged with the duty of caring for women during pregnancies and childbirth, wh ereby I had to assess both the mother and baby and come up with an individualized plan of care. In my practice as an obstetric nurse, I won an award recognizing my efforts developing collaborative networks with physicians. Presently, I am a case manager at the local health department charged with the duty of highlighting the clients’ needs and instituting plans to meet clients’ needs effectively and efficiently. Nurses have been at the front position of case management as it connects to moving patients via the hospital efficiently. Conflicts may arise between nurse case managers and other providers within the community. This necessitates that professional become educated on issues regarding case management programs, dealing with interdisciplinary teams, legal issues, and respecting patient’s wishes and rights (Weberg, 2010). The goal relates to ensuring that all localities have access to the care and services available to all citizens of the community. As a case manager, I encounter challenges in creating and securing sustainable funding for the programs and creating sufficient infrastructure support. Discussion (Body) Evidently, nursing leaders play a critical role in shaping the nursing profession to be highly responsive to the changing healthcare system. The state of the contemporary economic environment can be regarded as chaotic given that the external environment has

Risk Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Risk Analysis - Essay Example Additionally, risk can be defined as the probability(No author, 2000) of an event multiplied by the cost of the event. The following paragraphs explain the nuances of the different risk management techniques. There are many Risk management techniques. Avoidance is one type of risk management technique. Also, modification is another type of risk management technique(No author, 2000). Further, Retention is a very viable risk management technique. Lastly, Sharing is another popular risk management technique. To complete, risk reduction is very good alternative. Avoidance - Whenever an organization cannot offer a service while ensuring a high degree of safety, it should choose avoidance as a risk management technique(Drucker, 1980). Do not offer programs that pose too great a risk. In some cases avoidance is the most appropriate technique because a nonprofit simply doesn't have the financial resources required to fund adequate training, supervision, equipment, or other safety measures. Avoidance even includes not performing an activity that could produce risk. For example, A person would be discouraged to buying a property or business in order to avoid taking on the liability that comes with it. Another example is that a project manager would be not flying in order to avoid taking the risk that the airplane would be hijacked. Avoidance may seem the answer to all risks, However, avoiding risks also means losing out on the possible gain that accepting (retaining) the risk may have allowed. An organization that does not enter a business to avo id the risk(Strickland, 1999) of loss also avoids the possibility of earning profits. Avoidance is a good risk management technique. Modification - Modification(Wheelen, 1996) is be clearly defined as changing an activity to make it safer for all involved. Many policies and procedures can be made as examples of risk modification. For example, an organization that is very concerned about the risk of using unsafe drivers may include an additional DMV record check to its current screening process. Also, an annual road test for all drivers can now be implemented compulsorily. For clarity, an organization that is also concerned about the lack of male and female chaperones for an overnight camping trip could modify its policies and procedures by modifying the night camp activities into hosting a day-long mountain hike and picnic instead. The night male only shift guards in the company project(Papows, 2002) could be modified to an male and female shift status because there are female night shift employees working the graveyard hours. Modification is good if it improves project performance.Retention - Retention could be done on two areas. The first area is by retention of project design(Campbell, 1998). For example, a project manager may decide that the implementation of a new project process with the new techniques aren't as suitable as the original project process design because the new process will cause

Examine the stock returns for both Pfizer and AstraZeneca during the Essay

Examine the stock returns for both Pfizer and AstraZeneca during the bid process and provide possible reasons for changes in price on key dates - Essay Example 7.36). Comparing by the revenues, Pfizer is a larger company than AstraZeneca both the companies being products of the merger. Pfizer made four approaches earlier in 2014 terminating the bids in a full and final offer of 55 sterling pounds per share valuing AstraZeneca at 69 billion pounds (Battersby & Grimes 2014, p. 7.37). The current debt to equity ratio at Pfizer is at 0.49, a low and a below average industrial average. The low figure is an indication of good management of debt levels within the firm. Pfizer had a quick ratio of 2.03 demonstrating their capability to cover and settle short time liquidity needs. The gross profit of Pfizer during the bidding process span was a high figure of 85.18 percent with its net profit margin accounted at 22.92 percent. The net operating cash flow had a slight increase to $4,087 million, a figure equivalent to 6.71 percent comparable to the same quarter one year ago (US. Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report 2014, P.15). AstraZeneca rejected Pfizer’s final offer on grounds that the takeover may pose a risk to its pharmaceutical operations. In addition, the fear of the uncertainty that could arise led to the collapse of the bid process. It became hard for AstraZeneca to evaluate Pfizer’s final bid given the uncertainty over the total amount that Pfizer could trim off its tax bill by venturing in Britain. Pfizer offered a final bid of 69.4 billion sterling pounds, an equivalent amount to $ 117 billion terming the figures full and final. Lack of a proven parameter for evaluating a company with a growing and attractive growth prospects led to changes in prices on the final day. Pfizer failed to factor in AstraZeneca’s future prospects in terms of sales and market base. The concerns on whether Pfizer would eliminate jobs after the merger and diminish Britain’s standing in life sciences indicate the political influence

Fashion and Celebrities in time of Modernism Essay

Fashion and Celebrities in time of Modernism - Essay Example The essay "Fashion and Celebrities in time of Modernism" talks about Fashion and Celebrities in the Modernism era. Paul Poiret and Madeleine Vionnet share the tribute for liberating women from their corsets. Swan bill, S-bend, or â€Å"health corset† was designed to ease pressure on the diaphragm and stomach and take the shape of the natural figure of the body of a female. Gibson, an American graphic artist designed the â€Å"Gibson Girl† hair style that was an ideal description of the gorgeous, autonomous American woman at the twist of the 20th century. A little boy kneeling down visualizes Gibson Girls magnifying him under a pair of lens, like an insect. Mariano Fortuny designed a Delphos Gown which was a finely pleated silk dress. Modernism at the same time has to do with futuristic, which is always connected with streamline and simplicity. One of the famous artist in the modernism faction was Pablo Picasso‘s cubism and futuristic. This is best demonstrated by the revolutionary fore-front leader in fashion, Paul Poiret with his illustrious lampshade dress in the year 1992 that depicted the best impression of modernism in fashion with simple lines and vivid color. Geometric patterns are among the common elements that can be seen in modernism. The space-age modern giant Pierre Cardin, in his design that combined esthetic strong lines and geometric shapes that were simple and remarkable, best illustrates these modern patterns. His style was simple, straight forward and emphasized some minimalism of ornament.

Examine the stock returns for both Pfizer and AstraZeneca during the Essay

Examine the stock returns for both Pfizer and AstraZeneca during the bid process and provide possible reasons for changes in price on key dates - Essay Example 7.36). Comparing by the revenues, Pfizer is a larger company than AstraZeneca both the companies being products of the merger. Pfizer made four approaches earlier in 2014 terminating the bids in a full and final offer of 55 sterling pounds per share valuing AstraZeneca at 69 billion pounds (Battersby & Grimes 2014, p. 7.37). The current debt to equity ratio at Pfizer is at 0.49, a low and a below average industrial average. The low figure is an indication of good management of debt levels within the firm. Pfizer had a quick ratio of 2.03 demonstrating their capability to cover and settle short time liquidity needs. The gross profit of Pfizer during the bidding process span was a high figure of 85.18 percent with its net profit margin accounted at 22.92 percent. The net operating cash flow had a slight increase to $4,087 million, a figure equivalent to 6.71 percent comparable to the same quarter one year ago (US. Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report 2014, P.15). AstraZeneca rejected Pfizer’s final offer on grounds that the takeover may pose a risk to its pharmaceutical operations. In addition, the fear of the uncertainty that could arise led to the collapse of the bid process. It became hard for AstraZeneca to evaluate Pfizer’s final bid given the uncertainty over the total amount that Pfizer could trim off its tax bill by venturing in Britain. Pfizer offered a final bid of 69.4 billion sterling pounds, an equivalent amount to $ 117 billion terming the figures full and final. Lack of a proven parameter for evaluating a company with a growing and attractive growth prospects led to changes in prices on the final day. Pfizer failed to factor in AstraZeneca’s future prospects in terms of sales and market base. The concerns on whether Pfizer would eliminate jobs after the merger and diminish Britain’s standing in life sciences indicate the political influence

Federal Poverty Lines Essay Example for Free

Federal Poverty Lines Essay The common issue concerning the annual Federal poverty levels that are universal for all the lower forth eight states are that the poverty level measures are limited. In other words, the poverty thresholds doesn’t represent a budget for basic necessities of life nor it addresses the supplementary amount   to allow for other basic needs such as household supplies, person care, etc(Madden, 182). Also, the federal poverty lines by family size do not use consumer expenditure data and it is not updates. It is not adjusted by family types and geographical differences in housing concepts. Problems with Absolute Federal Poverty Level Absolute federal poverty level is enumerates the numeral value of people below poverty threshold which does not depend on time and place (Madden, 183). In other words, it is constant. It is incorrect to calculate absolute federal poverty level because it is only possible because the amount of wealth essential for survival is not constant for all places and time periods.   For example, a person living Alaska requires more sources of heat because of its cold climate whereas a person living in Hawaii does not. As compared to absolute federal poverty level, relative poverty level is dependent on time and place (Madden, 183). Poverty Levels, Family Size and Cost of Living The federal government does not raise the poverty levels by family size to reflect the cost of living of a geographic area because the poverty threshold level varies from one place to another. The current poverty levels by family size are measured by comparing the individual’s family income to the essential amount necessary for standard of living (Rogers, 85). It has been used as the primary statistic by the U.S federal government to allocate mean-tested social welfare benefits. Expenses in NYC versus Other States New York City is considered to be the most expensive cities to live in. New York remains the most expensive city within United States. According to statistics, the median earnings of New York are more that sixty thousand dollars which is ten thousand dollars greater than the national median. The overall average living expenses in New York are more than one hundred and ninety dollars (Rogers, 185). Housing expenses are more than three hundred thousand dollars and secondary education is more than two thousand dollars as compared to the nation average. Other facilities are also expensive as compared to other states. For example, a person living in Pittsburg who earns fifty thousand dollars will need one hundred thousands dollars to survive in New York. Over all, living expenses in New York is twice as much as compared to other states. Juvenilization and Feminization of Poverty Juvenilization of poverty is has been derived from the word juvenile and poverty. Poverty is defined as the scarcity and deficiency assets, income, capabilities or freedoms. Juvenilization is associated with children. Hence, juvenilization of poverty means that children are deprived of basic necessities of life. According to statistics, one out of six children in United States suffers from poverty. Studies also show that more than thirty percent of children are living below poverty line although they make up more than twenty eight percent of the population. The term feminization of poverty has been originated from the definition of two words which are poverty and feminization. Feminization is the term which illustrates that gender partiality and bias in deprivation of resources, capabilities or freedoms. Hence, feminization of poverty is considered to be a concept which compares male and female and what are the differences or ratios between the two in terms of poverty levels. It represents the inability of women to meet the basic necessities of life. Personal Costs of Poverty and Problems with Federal Approach towards Poverty According to the data collected the U.S Census Bureau, the personal costs of poverty on family and children of four is $22,050 per year and for family of eight is $37010 per year and for every additional personal $ 3740 is added (Madden, 196). There are certain sets of specific policies and programs which are flawed because they cannot fight poverty. Aid to Families with Dependent Children has provided families with cash assistance but it comprises about one percent of the federal budget. AFDC polices have serious weaknesses which makes the poverty rate higher as compared to other countries. The weaknesses in the current policies can be classified into two broad categories namely, inadequate livable wage jobs and inadequate social welfare policies. The AFDC policies do not have policies which guarantee childcare for families who are living below two hundred percent of poverty. It doesn’t have policies which assist child support and low incoming individuals. Other problems include lack of workforce education and training programs, benefits and inadequate job policies. Social Work and Poverty and Modifications in Federal Policies As a social worker, I will apply my social work training in system to understand the nature of poverty and its origin. As a social worker, poverty must be combated at macro level so that poor families can afford childcare, housing, mental health treatment and education and employment opportunities (Rogers, 221). On broader scale, the first thing to help poor families would be through community organizing in poor neighborhoods. This can help in organizing the community’s asset and combine them with other resources to create and set up local structure which assist health, education and financial viability. This will empower the community residents to be active and support local initiatives. In order to reduce poverty, the federal government should recognize and produce measures to tackle issues of well being beyond the income status. The federal government should introduce a guarantee for child care for families living at or below two hundred percent of poverty in order to improve the quality of child care. It should also assist child support and fathers who have low incomes. In order to remove the future generation from poverty, the federal government should increase child support programs and adopt pragmatic policies for low income families. At the same time, workforce education and training programs should be introduced to assist low-income individuals to advance economically. The government should also improve job quality with the help of earnings, benefits and other predictable measures so that workers can meet both work and family responsibilities. Work Cited Madden, David. RELATIVE OR ABSOLUTE POVERTY LINES: A NEW APPROACH. Review of Income Wealth 46 (June 2009): 181-199.   Rogers, Harrell, R.. American Poverty in a New Era of Reform. New York: M.E. Sharpe, Inc., (2006).

Effect of the Recession on Multinational Enterprises

Effect of the Recession on Multinational Enterprises Economic recession Is general slowdown of economic activity over a period of time that measured by Gross Product Domestic (GDP),recession is highly characterized by falling of investment spending, business decline, slow growth of new business high rate of unemployment.  [i]   Economic recession can be caused by widespread of drop in spending and investments, poor micro-economic policies, such as poor control of financial institutions such as banks, and other lender institutions as well as other economic variables During economic recession, many business profitability declines and other bankrupt due to lack markets for their products and services, many customers have inadequate money to buy these products and services. Economic recession also affect stock markets, where by share of the companies drops sharply and reduce confidence to investors Government revenues decline due to economic recession, hence government fails to provide social services and other future plans. Economic recession in one country can also affect others, in sense that recession has magnitude, many multinational companies operate more than one country, and hence impact in one county can have multiplier effects in other countries, many FDIs also will be affected E.g. economic recession which was hit USA in 2008/2009 which was contributed to united states housing bubble and subprime mortgage crisis, was affected not only in America but almost all over the world, many business affected with this recession, stock markets such as NYSE,LSTE, and other banks were bankrupted such as warner brothers.  [ii]   Impact of Economic Recession High rate of unemployment, recession can contribute to high rate of unemployment in sense that may company reduce number of staff in order to strive; in recession it leads to other problems, such as people who lack jobs may engage in criminals in order to survive. Recession may lead people to lack disposable income; and other fails to repay their loans hence many families are affected. Decline in productivity, where by many business profits falls, other firmà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s bankruptcy, hence and affect the whole financial system. Recession has negative impact due to decline of growth domestic produces (GDP) where by its affect economic as well social life. Many new businesses collapse, and hence fails to repay their loans banks. Recession can led to decline in living standard due to the fact people depend on wage and salaries, this can have negative impact on stability of families and individuals health and well-being Multinational Corporation (MNC) or transnational corporation, is an enterprise that manages production or delivered service in more than one country, multination cooperation has been achieved due to advancement in information technologies as well globalization, British is one of country which have many multination companies such British petroleum Vodafone, Virgin, Rynair as which operate within and outside the country, they are interested to operate in emerging economies such as India, china, Africa and Brazil British companies usually engaged in international business Acquire new markets, British multinational usually going international in order to search new markets for their products and services, many large firms flock to china, India, brazil and Africa due to growing of consumer purchasing power. Increasing sales, firms expand international so as to increase its market share hence being able to compete. Acquiring resources, large firms decided to go globally because to find resources so as to continue producing and ensure production cost can be controlled hence to able to pass benefit to customers. Cheap labor, due to growing of stiff competition in the markets, large firms fight to reduce production cost in order to earn profit, this led companies looking overseas areas where cheap labor is available. Global Strategies, many firms consider engaged in international business as strategies in order to survive in a stiff competition Growing consumer pressure, tastes and preferences of consumer has changed dynamic, income increase; consumer can be able to purchase luxurious products and services, growing income to emerging economies influence many firms to set their operation and respond to these markets The external environment is an essential element for the business to operate international due to the fact business do depend on external environment because and changes can have multiplier effect toward business, if the country policies towards economy are good and there is peace and security business will prosper as well as economy PESLTEL for British Multinational Enterprises are; Political British MNE they are highly interested to operate in where there high democracy and freedom of speech, and where there is a less government intervention towards business unless ità ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s breaking the abiding laws. Multinational Enterprise, interested operates in a country which there is peace and security, and that countries have diplomatic relation with other countries. Tax policy is well structured and can be predicted, this give opportunity for business to incorporate into their business, in a country where taxation policy is highly uncertainty many British MNE are not interested to invest in these countries Multinational enterprises interested to know all regulatory bodies governing trade, local and international business such competition laws, employment laws, Business ownership laws, health and safety laws, foreign and local trade regulatory, fair competition bodies as well as environment protection laws main objectives is to make sure the business running smooth. Economic British Multination enterprises are interested in invest in a country where a GDP is heading toward good direction, this is good conducive environment for growth of business Also British MNE prefer to engage in international business in a countries which their economies are growing and their citizen has disposable income in sense that this will provide market as well as access to raw material. British MNE prefer to invest in countries which have national comparative advantage, such as huge population as well as huge market, good climatically condition availability of natural resources such gas, oil and minerals. British MNE also interested to invest in a country which has efficient money supply low interest rate British MNE are highly consider types of economic system, preferred capitalism where by supply and demand is controlled by markets Multinational Enterprises interested to operate in countries which are not prone to recession and depression, due to the fact these affect companies profitability.. Technological factor Advancement in Information and telecommunication technologies (ICT) and innovation contribute for multination enterprises to participate in international business, technologies such as internet, teleconferencing, where company headquarters can have two ways communication with scattered branches around the world. Transport Innovation, development of maritime technology and existence of many airline companies, contribute MNE to engage in international business Transportation innovation, Development of maritime technology and existence of many airline companies in transportation system lead easier to fly around the world at competitive fares and conduct business. Many international companies inject huge sum of capital in research and development to come up with a newer, better and innovative products due to increase of competition among international companies as well growing of consumer pressure due to increase in of income Social factors Multinational enterprises interested to operate in country which there is large population, hence be a market of the products and services provided by these multinational companies, many multinational companies interested to operate in china, India and most of African countries due to large population. Due to powerful economies of western countries and globalization, social culture and life style affects other societies, such as Africans and Asian societies adopt a western culture, and hence create opportunity for MNE to engage in international business Ansoff Matrix Model Source; tuitor2u.net Ansoff Matrix Model is one strategic tools objectives, and most well-known framework for deciding upon strategies for growth, the firms which attempts to grow depend on wither its market to a new or existing products or in a new or existing markets Market Penetration is when a firm decides to market existing products to its customer, the aim is to maintain or increase market share to the existing products to customers and increase usage of existing customers Strategies such as, competitive pricing strategy, advertising, sales promotion and also personal selling as well as aggressive promotional campaign and led market to be unattractive for competitors. Market Development, Is when firm decide to sell its existing product into new market, firm can implement this strategy by, by moving into new geographical areas such as exporting to a new country, new product dimension or packaging, new distribution channel or different pricing strategies which can attract new customer. Products Development, is the growth strategy where by firm introduce new products into existing markets, strategies such as upgrading which can appeal to existing markets Diversification, is the growth strategy where by firms decide to market new products to a new markets, diversification can relate or unrelated depending with company policies. Strategies to execute in recession period In period of Economic Recession many multinational enterprises should review their growth strategies, due recession which affect the prosperity their business, By using Ansoff Matrix Model as strategic tools for growth, Multinational Enterprise can adopt this in survive. The first strategy should be execute for multinational companies in a recession period is cut operation cost and reaming with core business in order to survive The appropriate strategy, which Multinational Enterprise can execute, is by market development strategy, where by firm can decide to shut down their operations in countries which affected with recession due to the fact recession affect purchasing power, hence people fails to buys products and services, firms can decide to operate in countries which economy is growing. Other Strategies which can be adopted by the Multinational enterprises is diversification strategy where by firms can decide to market new products to a new markets, a Multination company can decide to diversity their business and start new business e.g. electricity firm can decide to enter into hotel business but there is lot of risk to be considered before making decision to diversify Multinational Enterprises can decide to diversify their operation into new emerging market, and which are not affected with recession, countries such as china, India and Brazil. Globalization is the broadening set of interdependent relationships among people from different parts of a worlds thatà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s to be divided into nations, the growth of globalization has accelerated due to advancement in information and telecommunication technologies such as internet, teleconferencing, Enterprise resource planning (ERPs),Knowledge management (KM), Customer relationship Management (CRM). I do agree that the benefit of new technologies will off-set the in investment in RD. in one perspective but in other circumstances new technologies might increase investment in RD, this can argued as follows. New technologies help multinational companies; to reduce cost as well as time which were previously invested in RD due to the fact the time taken to come up with the new product is essential due to competition among multinational companies Development of new application software, such has designing and drawings software, CAD, 3Ds helps companies to design a products which meets customers taste and preferences to customer across the world. Internet technologies help multinational companies to advertise and sell their products and services on line around where it can reach many customers at a low cost. Internet technologies also helps RD departments in multinational companies to get instant review about their products, such as how customer perceive that products, their weaknesses. This feedback helps companies to come with the newer and innovative products in the market. In other circumstances new technologies in RD contribute to increasing competition to multinational companies, due to the fact barriers for entry become low, companies now days can but these technologies on shelves and entering into business. Despite of new technology, in RD, the competition become stiff, due to emerging economies such as china, India have decide to engaged in international business. New technologies helps to reduce investment in RD but also create new challenges due to the fact many small emerging companies used technology as strategy to engage in international business, and create stiff competition.

Absence of Childrens Wisdom in the Bosnian Conflict Essays -- Bosnia

Absence of Children's Wisdom in the Bosnian Conflict â€Å"There was never a time when, in my opinion, some way could not be found to prevent the drawing of the sword†(1). In the films, Pretty Village, Pretty Flame, No Man’s Land, and The Fourth Part of the Brain, the Bosnians were not particularly nationalistic or savage, rather; they were normal people whose leaders led them into a violent struggle with their friends and neighbors, which was exacerbated by a lack of effective assistance from the international community and the UN. These films depict the majority of combatants as either people who did not entirely support the war or people who supported the war because they had been misinformed. Furthermore, the mindless atrocities, which became an unfortunate characteristic of the Bosnian War (1992-1995), were not the results of mass xenophobia or collective hatred amongst Bosnian Serbs, Croats, and Moslems, who had lived together in relative harmony for generations. Rather, these acts of senseless violence resulted from a combination of socio-economic and political factors that created a climate of fear, which radical Bosnian political leaders and their imperialistic neighbors exploited to benefit their respective countries and ethnic groups. The multi ethnic and religious composition of Bosnia would appear to indicate that underlying xenophobic and racist sentiments may have existed before the war and contributed to its outbreak. Although the Slavic population of Bosnia shared a common language and a very similar ancestry, there were minor ethnic differences between them. Bosnian Slavs were part of an early migration of Slavic tribes into the Balkans that occurred in the third century C.E., Croats and Serbs migrated... ...to remember that a friend is a friend regardless of their ethnic composition. It is a shame that the people who fought in the Bosnian conflict did not have the simple wisdom of children, such as those from The Fourth Part of the Brain. Quotes (1) General Ulysses S. Grant Works Cited The Fourth Part of the Brain. Nenad Dizdarevic. Bosnia, 1996. Malcom, Noel. Bosnia: A Short Story. â€Å"The global menace of local strife.† The Economist. 24. May, 2003. No Man’s Land. Tanovic, Danis. Bosnia, 2001. â€Å"The poorman’s curse.† The Economist. 24. May, 2003. Powel, Samantha. The Atlantic Online. â€Å"Bystanders to Genocide.† 15. June, 2003. Pretty Village, Pretty Flame. Dragojevic, Srdjan. Yugoslavia, 1996. Rogel, Carole. The Breakup of Yugoslavia and the War in Bosnia. Schom, Alan. Napoleon Bonaparte. First Harper Perennial, 1998.

Capital Punishment Must be Abolished :: The Case Against the Death Penalty

"Crimes against children are the most heinous crime. That, for me, would be a reason for capital punishment..." -- Clint Eastwood "I could not become an American citizen. I would not like to become a citizen of a country that has capital punishment." -- Werner Herzog In most of the industrialized world, capital punishment is not used to punish criminals. However, it is still used in the United States. The capital punishment debate in the United States has raged for almost four hundred years. Supporters of capital punishment often cite its roles as deterrent and retribution as reasons for their support of the death penalty. Opponents of capital punishment cite its arbitrariness and finality as reasons for their opposition against the death penalty. Because capital punishment can lead to an unequal application of justice, sometimes to the point of executing innocent persons, no amount of argument from its supporters should prevent it from being abolished. The Arguments of Those Who Favor Capital Punishment Supporters of capital punishment begin by arguing that capital punishment deters murder. This view has been held for thousands of years. In his book The Penalty of Death, Thorsten Sellin notes what the famous 18th century English law commentator William Blackstone wrote in his Commentaries on the Laws of England: As to the end or final cause of punishment, this is not by way of atonement...but as a prevention against future offenses of the same kind. This is effected three ways, either by the amendment of the offender...or by deterring others...or lastly by depriving the party injuring of the power to do future mischief. (Sellin 77) This sentiment was expressed by Socrates (in Gorgias) and by his antagonist Demosthenes some 2,000 years before Blackstone (Sellin 3-5). But what evidence is there to support the idea that the death penalty deters potential murderers better than any other form of punishment? Until Professor Isaac Ehrlich released his study on this subject, only anecdotal evidence existed, and that had been provided by people in the law enforcement, judicial, and corrections fields. By 1953, the Royal Commission on Capital Punishment in England noted: ...capital punishment has obviously failed as a deterrent when a murder is committed. We can number its failures. But we cannot number its successes. No one can ever know how many people have refrained from murder because of the fear of being hanged.