Samoan Language Essays - Phonetics, Vowels, Manner Of Articulation

Samoan Language Samoan is a rich language that remains the principal language of the people of Samoa. The Samoan language is exquisite and quite easy to learn and is similar to other languages in the pacific region. ?Samoan is a branch of the Austronesian Language, formerly called Malayo-Polynesian language, one of the word's largest language families, both in terms of numbers of languages-more than 700-and geographic spread-covering islands and some mainland areas from Madagascar in the west to Easter Island and Hawaii in the east? (Amerika Samoa). ?The Austronesian language is divided into two branches: Formosan, the languages spoken by about 200,000 people in Taiwan; and Malayo-Polynesian, comprising the rest of the language in the Austronesian family? (Encarta Online). As a student finishing up his 2nd year of the Hawaiian Language, I was amazed to find several words in Pouliuli having the same meaning in Hawaiian. Therefore, this report will focus on the Samoan language; it's rules, pronunciati on, and the similarities and differences between the Samoan language and the Hawaiian language. The Samoan language cannot be considered as strong language, and few letters of the alphabet are put to use. ?D and B are never used; H, R, and K are of rare occurrence, which are found in words that have been introduced. All words have a vowel termination, and their etymological forms are constructed by the employment of particles attached to the roots, thereby forming agglutinative or polysynthetic words. The Samoan language is comprised of only fourteen letters-five vowels, A, E, I, O, U, and nine consonants, F, G, L, M, N, P, S, T, V, --H, K, and R only occurring in words of foreign origin? (Neffgen 3). The Samoan language now contains many introduced words, which have been distorted by added vowels or substituted consonants, in order for native speakers to articulate them. Samoan vowels have long and short versions. The language is generally pronounced as in romantic languages such as Spanish and Italian. In print the long vowel sound is represented by the presence of a dash or macron over the vowel. Here is a chart on how to pronounce each vowel. Vowel Long Short A Bath But E Eh Bet I Feet Bit O Raw Gone U Pool Pew Source: Samoan Sensation ?Samoan consonants are pronounced the same as in English, with the exception of G, which sounds like the NG as in song? (Samoan Sensation). The Hawaiian language and Samoan language are quite similar because they both come from the same language family. While the Samoan language is comprised of fourteen letters, ?the Hawaiian language is comprised of twelve letters-five vowels, A, E, I, O, U, and seven consonants, H, K, L, M, N, P, and W? (lelo iwi 4). Both languages also use a glottal stop (?), ?a momentary check on the airstream caused by closing the glottis (the space between the vocal cords) and thereby stopping the vibration of the vocal cords. Upon release, there is a slight choke, or coughlike explosive sound? (Britannica Online). An example of a glottal stop is like the sound in the middle of uh-oh. Both languages also use Macrons in words, ?which is a line used over vowels to indicate longer sound duration? (lelo iwi 408). The main difference in both languages is the letters used. Since the Samoan language has two letters more than the Hawaiian language, the Hawaiian language uses K and H to replace the letters of the Samoan language. While the Samoan language lacks prestige compared to the English language, it makes up for that by being one of the most beautiful languages to listen. That may be the reason why many people visit Samoa every year. It even lured me into researching more information about the language itself. In doing so I fell in love with the music of Samoa. Indeed the Samoan language is easy to learn due to it only has fourteen letters. The pronunciation is similar to the romantic languages and is quite similar to the Hawaiian language. Bibliography Works Cited 1. Cleeland, Hokulani. lelo iwi. Hawai'i: ?Aha Punana Leo, Inc, 1994 2. Neffgen, H. Grammar and Vocabulary of the Samoan Language. New York: AMS press, 1978 3. Amerika Samoa. Samoan Language. http://www.ipacific.com/samoa/samoa.html 4. Encarta Online. Austronesian Languages http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=761553922 5. Samoan Sensation. Samoan Grammar http://www.samoa.co.uk/frontpage.html Speech and

Strategic Perspectives The WritePass Journal

Strategic Perspectives Strategic Perspectives . In the former instance, the company was accused of employing suppliers in its outsourced production strategy who were running sweat shops, an accusation which subsequently led to the closure of one of its factories over poor labour conditions. The company agreed to these accusations taking the position that the misdeeds pointed out amounted to a serious breach to its code of conduct (Inditex, 2013; Economist, 2012). In the latter instance, testimonies and claims of abuse and terror meted on 25 of Zara’s employees, including store managers and staff, were aired in the media.   The company undertook to regularize such situations through the enhancement of supervision of the production systems of its entire network of suppliers (Economist, 2012). 2.1   Stakeholder theory The Stakeholder theory states that, without regard to the fact that some stakeholders would make more contributions to the organization, all stakeholders are entitled to equal treatment (Dricscoll and Hoffman, 2002). Stakeholders include individuals, organizations or groups that have legitimate interest in the business and who therefore affect or are affected by its actions (Nordberg, 2011). With crises and concerns over abuses of human rights, Zara’s corporate reputation and brand equity was hard hit giving it the image of a business entity which neither places sufficient importance to the needs of its stakeholders nor regard to them (Economist, 2012; Buelens, et al., 2011). With the interdependence between the company and its stakeholders, it is essential for an organization, in the recognition of the needs of its stakeholders, to act and reason rationally as well as to make ethical responses. The organization’s leadership is required to have the desire, will and the skill that will ensure that all stakeholders are treated with respect and their voices heard (Buelens, et al., 2011). 2.2   Corporate social responsibility Among the ways in which corporate entities may shore up their reputation and image as perceived by its stakeholders is through conformance and adherence to ethical principles (Dricscoll and Hoffman, 2002). A notable avenue is the pursuit of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which is a mechanism integrated into business processes and an organization’s business model that ensures that ethical principles and provisions in law are complied with and monitored (Nordberg, 2011; Dricscoll and Hoffman, 2002). It entails the deliberate attempts by an organization to do good as a corporate citizen in reciprocation of goodwill it enjoys from society. For success in ensuring adherence to ethical principles and in the endeavour to build up its corporate image and reputation, Zara needs to institute mechanisms towards CSR that would also serve to guide its mission towards a better relationship with its stakeholders, outline its stand on such issues and as well clearly indicate the promis es it intends to uphold for society as an entity obtaining its sustenance within society (Dricscoll and Hoffman, 2002). 2.3   Organizational ethics Organizational ethics is a concept that expresses the values of an organization to its stakeholders (Dricscoll and Hoffman, 2002). It includes written codes of ethics or standards such as Zara’s â€Å"Code of Conduct for External Manufacturers and Workshops of Inditex† which it claims to have had (Inditex, 2013); systems of reporting which are guarded with confidentiality; as well as ethics training and advice (Buelens, et al., 2011). Despite its claims of written codes of conduct, it is evident that they were not complied with, respected and adhered to. For its success in entrenching organizational ethics, Zara should endeavour to institute elaborate systems traversing the entire organization and its partners that enable the maintenance of requisite ethical standards (Nordberg, 2011). 3.0 Zara’s levels of strategy 3.1   Business level strategy of Zara The primary aim of a business in the competitive business environment, underpinning its goals and objectives of sustenance and growth, is to develop an edge over rival firms building on its resources and competencies. Porter fronts three generic strategies which a company can employ in its pursuit of competitive advantage over its rivals (Kim, Nam and Stimpert, 2004). They include cost leadership, in which a company seeks to offer similar value with a lower price; differentiation, achieved by a company when it offers benefits different from and of more value than those of its competitors; and, focus on either of the two (Kim, Nam and Stimpert, 2004). A company can pursue a hybrid of both strategies simultaneously, achieving differentiation and a price lower than its rivals. Zara pursues a hybrid strategy seeking to exploit both cost leadership and differentiation strategies. Its closest and most comparable rivals challenging its market presence and competitive advantage include Gap, HM and Benetton though Zara sits closest with HM in the more fashionable and less priced segment. Zara is however considered to be more fashionable among the three, a position the company intends to sustain and exploit (Inditex, 2013; Economist, 2012). Its strategic venture into the low-cost segment through its Lefties brand of stores illustrates its pursuit of a clear cost leadership strategy enabling Zara to tap into lower market segments meeting the need of customers in the current harsh economic times (Inditex, 2013). This ensures that the company is still better placed to sustain its growth and profits even with unfavourable shifts in the economy and consumer spending. However, Zara primarily pursues a differentiation strategy through significant focus on competitive strategies that enhance overall efficiency in its entire value chain (Economist, 2012; Inditex, 2013). Zara’s value chain, which is often tweaked to enhance efficiency and performance, is a major platform upon which the company derives its differentiation from rivals. Enhanced efficiency is enabled by vertical integration and therefore control of crucial processes; employment of technology to coordinate suppliers, production and distribution processes; outsourcing of intensive tasks; as well as its finely-tuned logistics and just-in-time manufacturing strategy which shorten response time and enable the achievement of greater flexibility in variety, frequency and amount of new styles produced (Economist, 2012; Inditex, 2013; BloombergBusinessweek, 2009). The constant refinement of operations in pursuit of continuous efficiency gains including leveraging on technology to enhance crucial production processes has enabled the company to reverse the trend of costs rising faster than revenues. Enhanced efficiency and attendant effectiveness lead to the minimization of costly errors, reduction in costs which consequently enables the enhancement of bottom line and price (Inditex, 2013; Carpenter and Sanders, 2007). Zara also derives its differentiation from its effective market intelligence and focus on continuous awareness and understanding of the customer. Customer feedback through personalized ‘word-of-mouth’ interactions with staff at store level used to assess their preferences and wants is used to guide design and development, as well as other essential improvements (Inditex, 2013; BloombergBusinessweek, 2009). Unlike its competitor’s reliance on electronic consumer data, this has enabled quick turnaround of merchan dise through quicker replenishment of popular items and removal of slow-selling lines enabling Zara to generate more cash, reduce inventory and eliminate the need for significant debt on held inventories which has a direct impact on costs (Inditex, 2013; BloombergBusinessweek, 2009). These strategies and the resultant efficiency have enabled the company to achieve enhanced return visits by customers far greater than the industry average on several indices, a significant competitive advantage (Inditex, 2013; Economist, 2012). They have also enabled Zara to incur significantly less expenditure on advertising with the saved revenue being redeployed to enhance competitive advantage (Inditex, 2013). 3.2   Corporate level strategy Corporate level strategy as the highest level of strategy in an organization is concerned with the overall scope, seeking to add value to constituent businesses/ elements within the entire organization (Lynch, R., 2006). In its pursuit of competitive advantage in the hostile business environment characterized by intense competition and economic challenges, Zara has adopted a growth focus in its corporate strategy. This is evidenced by its pursuit of vertical integration, market penetration, market development and product development strategies in an attempt to sustain its growth and strategic positioning in the fashion industry (Lynch, R., 2006; Inditex, 2013). Guiding these strategic decisions and particular choices, the Ansoff matrix highlights scenarios in consideration of the existence or newness of products or markets (Christodoulou and Patel, 2012; Mintzberg, et al., 2008). Existing product New product Existing market Market penetration Product development New market Market development Diversification Ansoff matrix 3.2.1   Market penetration and market development Zara is hindered by constraints resultant from its Spain-centred model, a major weakness in its endeavour to sustain growth and to maintain its strategic positioning (BloombergBusinessweek, 2009; Economist, 2012). An outward focus towards market development is essential. This has necessitated international expansion and the exploitation of untapped markets including North and South America, Asia, Middle East, Africa and the rest of Europe, particularly Italy.   Enabled by the construction of additional distribution facilities in Zaragoza, Spain and in South America, as well as the upward scaling of its logistics processes to enable the realization of economies of scale in the strategic expansion, the company has spread out into Asia, America, Australia, India and Africa (BloombergBusinessweek, 2009; Economist, 2012). The company has also sought to achieve market penetration in its development of virtual stores, tapping into the opportunities in internet retailing and marketing through online stores and boutiques. Available in ten countries and seeking entry into the USA and Korea, the company has since 2010 sought to exploit this model venturing into this field (Inditex, 2013; Economist, 2012). 3.2.2    Product development For a company to survive and grow in the fast changing fashion industry, it is essential that a business keenly enhances product development, matching or beating its rivals in output and production of new items. Zara has endeavoured to maximize its throughput of new items keeping merchandise in stores always new and fresh. This frequency, enabled by just-in-time manufacturing and focus on limited runs, also ensures that products do not stay long enough risking replication or imitation (Inditex, 2013; Carpenter and Sanders, 2007). The active pursuit of market intelligence and awareness and appreciation of customer preference ensures that the company does not become complacent and unresponsive thereby losing its track in the fast changing and intensely competitive industry (Carpenter and Sanders, 2007; Thompson, et al., 2008). 3.2.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Vertical integration To enhance control of the entire business and its processes, achieve stability of production and thereby strengthen its competitive position, Zara has pursued vertical integration strategies. These include forward integration through the investment in distribution facilities and specialty stores, as well as backward into production and manufacturing facilities. Zara has also developed subsidiaries that manage its purchases of fabric and dyes (Inditex, 2013). The company has undertaken this strategy in an endeavour to minimize its exposure to expensive distributors and suppliers and the inefficiency attendant to the lack of complete control of especially crucial processes. 4.0 Recommendations Zara in its performance and strategic positioning can be considered to be a success. However, the company cannot afford complacency and should endeavour to maintain its competitiveness and to sustain its position in the fashion industry into the future. At its strategic position and level of maturity and given the slow growth of the fashion industry and attendant economic challenges (Economist, 2012; BloombergBusinessweek, 2009), a number of strategies are suggested for Zara to pursue for its sustenance into the future. Among these strategies is Diversification either into a business that also deals in fashion or to an unrelated field adding value and broadening present business. Also recommended is the strengthening and sustenance of its successful strategies such as efficiency in its entire value chain which has been the primary factor that has enabled its differentiation; Market Development in its international expansion and exploitation of new markets; and Market Penetration in the exploitation of the boom in the information technology field, enhancing its virtual platforms and stores. Such ventures have the potential of being important avenues through which the company can acquire additional revenue, as well as, reducing its exposure to vulnerabilities of its centralized model and complete focus on a single line of business. 5.0 Evaluation of strategies A simple and straightforward criteria used to evaluate strategy is the Suitability, Acceptability and Feasibility model (SAF). It offers a process of rationalization to assess importance, priority and likely success of each strategy identified (Haberberg, A., and A., Rieple, 2008; Thompson, et al., 2008). This report evaluates two strategies identified above including: diversification and continued market development. 5.1   Suitability Suitability is concerned with the rationale of the strategy and its overall fit in the organization’s mission (Thompson, et al., 2008). At the company’s level of maturation, with regard to the Industry Life Cycle (ILC), and stature in the fashion industry, diversification is highly recommended as a priority strategy given that its strong competitive position in the fashion industry is constrained by slowed growth in the market. This strategy would enable the broadening of present business to include complementary products (Carpenter and Sanders, 2007). Continued market development is also recommended for Zara enabling it to tap into new markets enhancing its growth and ensuring its sustainability. These strategies would generally also enable the company to lower its vulnerabilities to financial and political factors that could affect it given its centralized model, as well as risks attendant to the fashion industry (Economist, 2012; Mintzberg, et al., 2008). 5.2   Acceptability Acceptability deals with the expected outcomes of the implementation of strategy and expectations of stakeholders (Thompson, et al., 2008). Diversification, if pursued, would enable the capturing of cross-business strategic fits such as the creation of new competitive strengths and capabilities, the sharing of facilities to reduce costs, and/or the spreading of risks across diverse businesses (Christodoulou   and Patel, 2012). Market Development and entry into new territories/geographical areas and distribution channels enable the company to exploit markets that are not saturated, utilising its surplus production capacity. These strategies would enable the generation of additional revenue and the securing of shareholder interests which contribute to the enhancement of shareholder value (Carpenter and Sanders, 2007). They would also reduce risks due to Zara’s centralized mode of operations. 5.3   Feasibility Feasibility is concerned with the capacity of the organization to implement the strategy, especially focusing on the availability of resources (Thompson, et al., 2008). With Zara’s success in the fashion industry and, consequently, availability of adequate financial and organizational resources, as well as the consideration of the diminishing prospects of growth in the fashion industry (Economist, 2012; BloombergBusinessweek, 2009), diversification should be a priority strategy for Zara. Its surplus financial and organizational resources can be exploited to enable the company’s sustenance and growth. These surplus resources can also be utilized in pursuit of Market Development. Its highly efficient distribution system can be scaled up, such as in its present initiative to develop additional distribution facilities (Inditex, 2013), to build the company’s capacity to exploit the opportunity offered. Zara has successfully found activities that matter to customers and has significantly enhanced key activities enhancing its key activities. However, to sustain this strategic position and achieve necessary growth into the future, the company needs to pursue appropriate strategies as outlined above especially diversification, market development and the continuous pursuit of efficiency gains. 6.0 References BloombergBusinessweek, 2009. Zara Looks to Asia for Growth. August 26 Buelens, M., K., Sinding, C., Waldstrom, R., Kreitner, and A., Kinicki, 2011. Organisational Behaviour, 4th Edition: McGrawHill Higher Education Carpenter, M., and W., Sanders, 2007. Strategic Management: A Dynamic Perspective. Harlow: Pearson Prentice Hall Dricscoll, D., and W., Hoffman, 2002. Ethics Matters: How to Implement Values-Driven Management Economist, 2012. Inditex Fashion forward Zara: Spain’s most successful brand, is trying to go global. Mar 24th. LA CORUÑA Haberberg, A., and A., Rieple, 2008. Strategic Management: Theory and Application, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Inditex, 2013. Zara. Viewed from: inditex.com/en/who_we_are/concepts/zara Kim, Nam and Stimpert, 2004. â€Å"The Applicability of Porter’s Generic Strategies in the Digital Age: Assumptions, Conjectures, and Suggestions.† In: Journal of Management, 30, 5 Lynch, R., 2006. Corporate Strategy, (4th ed.), Harlow: FT Prentice Hall Mintzberg, H., B., Ahlstrand, and J., Lampel, 2008. Strategy Safari: The Complete Guide Through the Wilds of Strategic Management , 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall Nordberg, D., 2011. Corporate Governance: Principles and Issues. London: Sage Publications. Christodoulou, I., and Z., Patel 2012. BKEY 601 Strategic Perspectives, McGraw Hill editions. Thompson, A., A., Strickland, and J., Gamble, 2008. Crafting and Executing Strategy: (16th edition), Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill

Write about the auteur style A rose for Emily by william Faulkner , Essay

Write about the auteur style A rose for Emily by william Faulkner , talk about the auteur style and meanning - Essay Example Faulkner’s style also captures the social hierarchy within the city. It is on account of Emily’s high social status that her tax evasions are tolerated and her privileged lifestyle permitted. The epitome of this is when the town police pour lime around Emily’s house to absorb the foul smell emanating, instead of actually going inside and investigating. Faulkner uses tragic irony in this powerful short story. Although outwardly Emily is a privileged and honoured person, her personal life is one of turmoil. The nature of her reclusive final few years is tragically revealed when the locked secret room of hers is broken open. There is the shocking image of Homer’s decomposed body, alongside which Emily had been sleeping during her reclusive years. Faulkner’s style thus employs shock to evoke emotive and make the reader realize the import of the scene. Finally, Faulkner’s style can be said to be terse and to the point, making his story well-crafted. There is no use of flamboyant or flowery language. Complying with rules for a well-made short story, A Rose for Emily the circumstances and details are carefully constructed to have maximum impact at the time of the plot’s resolution. In this case, it is that moment when people break open Emily’s secret chamber and discover the tragedy behind her

Using Human Embryos in Stem Cell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Using Human Embryos in Stem Cell - Essay Example From this study it is clear that  there is a hotly debated ethical issue, however, in harvesting of immature embryos for this purpose as many individuals in society believe that embryos in this very early stage of development should be considered living beings with the same moral rights as the average human.This discussion highlights that  those that prescribe to the deontological view of ethics believe this is an immoral act and that these early-stage embryos should be afforded the same universal human rights as fully developed human beings. Deontologists believe there is a singular moral code that should justify all actions against the call of duty toward this code. The utilitarian view of ethics and those who believe in this ideology of morality believe that it is perfectly acceptable practice so long as the utility of the majority in society is satisfied.  The utilitarianist perspective on the destruction of early-stage embryos as a means of advancing knowledge and medical treatments for those in society afflicted by disease is that this is morally permissible and should be heralded. The utilitarian view of ethics is that the ends serve to justify the means so long as the utility of the majority is satisfied.  Stem cell research maintains the ability to cure or otherwise treat countless members of society that suffer from genetic diseases and even severe physical trauma.  The regenerative properties of stem cells derived from early-developed embryos have significant tissue damage repair capacities.

The effectiveness of a nursing protocol for the treatment of pressure Essay

The effectiveness of a nursing protocol for the treatment of pressure ulcers - Essay Example These perceived problems of pressure ulcers are quite common even in the UK hence, necessitating the need for an effective nursing protocol. Subsequently, the nursing protocol adopted in the UK hospitals needs improvement due to the fact that most nurses have developed behaviours and attitudes that are not conducive towards the prevention of pressure ulcer; thus, failing to attain the best conceivable outcomes to the patients. In order as to accomplish the above objectives, the study employed the use of survey interviews in which short questions were asked to the category of shareholders with the intent of collecting relevant data on the user adaptability and functionality of the nursing protocols that are being used by the hospital administration. Subsequently, this method of interviews was chosen due to the fact that it easily allowed for the conversion of projects requirements from the first-hand information obtained from the primary source. Interviews are also good when used to collect data owing to the fact that they allow for the probing of further information form the respondents. As such, the likelihood was for interviews in this case to have been monitored and doctored through extensive probing so as to enable the researcher obtain a true or near truthful reflection of the effectiveness of nursing protocols in the treatment of pressure ulcers patients. However, the interviews were also structured depending on the interviewee, and the nature of data that was being sought for from them in relation to the effectiveness of the nursing protocols. The outcomes of this study disclose that hospital managements are usually uninformed 100% on the functionality requirements that are usually needed to enhance the effectiveness of nursing protocols. For instance, the hospital supervisors in the facility attended were not well informed on what needed to be completed so as to augment the effectiveness of

An Analysis Of Boys and Girls

An Analysis Of Boys and Girls According to R. W. Connell when sex role theory provided the main framework, there was a fairly straightforward account of how people acquired gender. Babies were, from the start, identified as either female or male and put in pink and blue baby clothes respectively. Blue babies were expected to behave differently from pink babies rougher and tougher, more demanding and vigorous. In time they were given toy guns, footballs and construction sets. The pink babies, by contrast, were expected to be more passive and compliant, also prettier. As they grew older they were dressed in frilly clothes, given dolls and make-up kits, told to take care of their appearance and be polite and agreeable (94). This type of gender practice can be seen in Alice Munros story Boys and Girls. This is a story about a young girls resistance to womanhood in a society infested with gender roles and stereotypes. Munro makes the point that gender stereotyping, relationships, and a loss of innocence play an impor tant, and often controversial role in the growing and passing into adulthood for many young children. This story takes place in the 1940s on a fox farm outside of Jubilee. During this time, women are viewed as second class citizens, but the narrator is not going to accept this position without a fight. Alice Munro creates an unnamed and therefore undignified, female protagonist and thus she proposes that the narrator is without identity or the prospect of power. Unlike the girl, the young brother Laird is named a name that means lord and implies that he, by virtue of his gender alone, is invested with identity and is to become a master. This stereotyping in names alone seems to represent that gender does play an extreme role in the initiation of young children into adults. R. W. Connell claims that the socialization model recognizes just one direction of learning towards the sex role norms. It is difficult, in such a framework, to understand the changes of direction that often appear in a young persons life, coming apparently from nowhere. Such changes can be seen in the story. Growing up, the young girl loves to help her father outside with the foxes, rather than to aid her mother with dreary and peculiarly depressing work in the kitchen. In this escape from her predestined responsibilities, the narrator looks upon her mothers assigned tasks to be endless, while she views the work of her father as ritualistically important. This view illustrates her happy childhood, filled with dreams and fantasy. Her contrast between the work of her father and the chores of her mother, symbolizes an arising struggle between what the narrator is expected to do and what she wants to do. Work done by her father is viewed as being real, while that done by her mother is considered boring. Conflicting views of what is fun and what is expected lead the narrator to her initiation into adulthood. The protagonist in the story begins to realize societys views of her when her father introduces her to a salesman, while she is working outside, as his new hired hand. She is almost pleased until the salesman replies I thought it was only a girl. Even her grandmother bombards her with commands, Girls keep their knees together when they sit down. And Girls dont slam doors like that. The worst is when she asks a question and her grandmother answers Thats none of a girls business. Even after that, she continues to slam doors and sit awkwardly because she feels that it keeps her free. In other words, she is not ready to accept and claim her gender identity a tendency that disturbs her mother and it is at this time, that the mother, good intentionally shackles her daughter to her correct place in the world to prepare her for stereotypes later on in life. However, after talking with her mother, the narrator realises that she has to become a girl; A girl was not, as I had supposed, simply what I was; it was what I had to become. Here, the narrator realises that there is no escape from the predetermined duties that go along with the passage of a child into being a girl and a girl into a woman. Boys and Girls by Alice Munro highlights and emphasises the theme of initiation. The story depicts initiation as a rite of passage according to gender stereotypes and a loss of innocence. Conformity plays a vital role in determining the outcome of the narrators passage into adulthood. Throughout the story, the narrator is confronted with conflicting thoughts and ideas regarding her initiation into adulthood. Ultimately, she wishes to work with her father, and stay a tomboy, but through a conflict with her mother and grandmother, she comes to realise that she is expected, like the women before her, to adopt the gender stereotype which comes with her growing and passing into adulthood. Similarly, her younger brother, Laird, is also initiated, but into manhood, something he yearns for. In conclusion, Munros story illustrates the struggles between the dreams and reality of the rite of passage and initiation, based on gender stereotypes society has placed on men and women.

Re-entry Student :: essays research papers

Motivation to Return to School I decided at that moment that I would return to school and graduate with my bachelor?s degree. I made a promise to myself that I would finish my education. If I complete my education, I would make my parents proud of me. Plus, I want to be the first person on either side of my family to attend graduate school. Adults return to college primarily because they desire a higher paying career or a professional job. This could be a registered nurse, an elementary school teacher, a policeman or an attorney. It could also be an accountant, a journalist, a librarian, an interior decorator or a beautician (Smith, 2001). After being on the road for three years, I decided to check into returning to college at the University of Delaware and the University of Pennsylvania. Both universities informed me that I would have to retake my first two years that I had completed at Chattanooga State. I would have to commit for another four to six years of college. I did not have the time to do this. I wanted to be finished with my bachelor?s degree within two years if possible. So, later, when they realize that their choices are limited, their futures sealed or semi-gelled, they decide that school is where they need to be (Smith, 2001). I had made arrangements for an apartment before I had moved, so all I had to do was wait for the moving van to bring my furniture in. I went looking for a job and found a position with the Veterans Affairs. While I was unpacking and settling in, I filled out and submitted my paper work for UTC.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a few weeks, I received a response from UTC stating that I was accepted and could start fall semester. I was so excited about finishing my education. My major was Healthcare Administration. Older women -- those in their mid-20s and older -- returning to college make up better than half of the evening enrollments in area colleges. Nontraditional students are usually in their mid-20s to mid-40s, enrolling part time vs. full time. They generally attend evening classes and have jobs and family obligations to balance with their studies (Richards, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the meeting with my advisor, I was advised that I would take an extra ten to fifteen classes before I could graduate. I was looking at the catalog at the course I could take and the advisor told me to take my freshman classes first before getting into major classes.

Descartes methods of doubt Essay

?In this paper, I will be examining Rene Descartes’ reasons for doubting all of his beliefs. I will begin with Descartes’ first meditation, showing how he argues his reasons of doubt. Followed with Descartes’ second meditation, presenting the one piece of knowledge that Descartes finds irrefutable and explaining why he believes it to be so. Descartes formulates three different skepticisms while reflecting on a number of falsehoods he was led to believe throughout his life. Upon reflection, Descartes decides that he must establish a new foundation of beliefs, he declares, â€Å"I must once for all seriously undertake to rid myself of all the opinions which I formally accepted† (Descartes, p. 17). Descartes decides that if there is any reason to doubt one of his present beliefs, then the belief as a whole must be rejected. Descartes starts with his beliefs, which he has come to through his own senses. It is hard to doubt one’s own senses but Descartes acknowledges that even the most trusted senses have the ability to be deceitful. For example, when I look up at the sun it appears to be relatively small, but in reality the sun is much larger then I perceive it to be. Therefore, my sense of sight is not completely accurate, which then causes me to doubt my sense of sight. Unless the object in view is close at hand, then how could I possibly doubt that the object exists? Descartes finds reason for doubt even with objects up close. To argue this claim he formulates his dream hypothesis to prove that our senses can still be misleading even in cases like this, he states â€Å"I have in sleep deceived by similar illusions, and in dwelling carefully on this reflection I see so manifestly that there are no certain indications by which we may clearly distinguish wakefulness from sleep† (Descartes, p. 18). When Descartes’ senses fail in separating the two states, his trust in his senses are doubted because his senses cannot differentiate dreams from reality. It is this doubt that leads Descartes to the realization that beliefs derived from senses cannot be fully trusted, and in fact proves that there may not be any physical matter as all. Descartes dives even deeper into the role of senses in dreams, as well as art; stating â€Å"Things which are represented to us in sleep are like painted representations which can only have been formed as the counterpart of something real and true† (Descartes, p. 18). This shows that what we perceive to be real is the driving force behind our imagination. Furthermore, our dreams spawn from our imaginations’, which means that our dreams consist of only thing that we perceive to be real. Now looking back to what I previously stated, if our senses cannot be trusted to differentiate dreams from reality then how can I be sure that I’m not asleep at this very moment and that I am only dreaming of typing on a laptop. Aside from Descartes disbelief in his own senses, Descartes doubts the validity in sciences. Descartes justifies this uncertainty with his evil genius hypothesis; he says, â€Å"Some evil genius not less powerful than deceitful, has employed his whole energies in deceiving me† (Descartes, p. 19). This quote suggests, it is possible that our foundations of math and science are false, and that all beliefs may be deceptions. This skeptical hypothesis is arguably the most powerful of all skeptical hypothesizes. With this premise, doubt can be found in any belief that can be conceived and Descartes concludes that nothing has ever existed. After Descartes attempts to rid himself of all belief that he considers to be false he is left with to many doubts to forget, Descartes expresses his emotions by saying, â€Å"I had all of the sudden fallen into very deep water, I am so disconnected that I can neither make certain of setting my feet on the bottom, nor can I swim and so support myself on the surface. † (Descartes, p. 133). We can see the mixed emotions Descartes experiences with this statment. I believe that this disconcert stems from the fact that Descartes now doubts everything he knew and once believed to have validity. I also believe that it is this distress that led him to unearth the one piece of knowledge that he is unable to deny. After much thought, Descartes realizes that the only belief he cannot deny is that he himself exists. Descartes then states, â€Å"But there is some deceiver or other, very powerful and very cunning, who ever employs his ingenuity in deceiving me. Then without doubt I exist also if he deceives me† (Descartes, p. 134). This quote displays to me that Descartes knows that if he is able to be deceived, by whom ever it may be, then in fact he must exist because if he did not exist then he would not be able to be deceived. Therefore, Descartes finally finds validity in a belief, which he vitally needs at this time of conflicting thought upon all of his former beliefs. In conclusion, Descartes’ doubt in all of his believes is formed through his skeptical hypothesizes, beginning with senses are deceiving at a distance, which doubts sizes and shapes at a distance when perceived, but not up close. Following with his dream hypothesis, which can doubt things up close facilitated by the imagination, but cannot doubt truths of mathematics and sciences. Closing with the evil genius hypothesis, which is able to doubt mathematical facts such as a square having four sides, but this final hypothesis brings the one undisputable belief of existence.

Reality Television and the Youth Essay

Reality television has evolved over the past sixty years. They have gone from clean practical jokes to a portrayal of an American family to how to party, lie and deceive. The more the focus is on partying, drugs, sex, vulgarerness, the more our young people will portray these traits. There needs to be more focus on good wholesome clean fun, which keeps the youth safe and healthy. The way to change the way our society is headed is to stop the programing that is hurting all of us. Reality shows of today teaches the youth that it’s alright to disobey their parents, its alright to party, do drugs, have sex with multiple people, get pregnant, and that the guys that don’t have to stay around or take care of the situation they helped put the girl in. The cause and effects of today’s reality shows far outweigh the advantages they have. It’s hard to believe that reality shows have been around for almost sixty years. The very first reality show was produced and aired in 1954, the show is Candid Camera. It was innocent practical jokes on unsuspecting strangers on the streets. The reactions were funny and the jokes were tasteful and clean. The next show is where our reality shows stem from. Its was produced and aired in 1973. An American Family, only had twelve episodes and during this time there were two reasons it became infamous. The two reasons were the demanded divorce from wife Pat and that their son Lance came out and openly announced he was gay, he was the first openly gay person. This is where our reality television stems from. An American Family show really opened up the airways for the nastiness that is called reality television. ttp://usatoday30. usatoday. com/life/columnist/popcandy/2003-01-08-candy. htm Reality television is on just about every channel now days, there is no way to get away from some type of reality show. The main type of reality show is one that is based on nakedness, deceitfulness, and selfishness. These shows teach our young girls that they need to look a certain way, act mean, and do whatever they can to get as many guys as possible. There are so many diets out to keep all women thinking they all need to be skinny like the models or actresses. There are many different types of women, and there is no way we can all be a size 2. Women and girls do not need to be mean to one another; we can all get along and be friends. There is nothing wrong with being with one man. It’s actually healthier to have less sexual partners that to sleep with every man possible. Reality shows teach guys that it’s alright to have sex with as many women as possible to show how masculine they are. They teach guys/men that it’s alright to treat women like a fast food meal, once they are done with them, they can just throw them away. Reality shows do not show how a man should treat a woman with respect, and kindness. Gentlemen are hard to find these days, because the men of the house is either not there or don’t care what his son is doing. It’s nice to see a young man hold the door open for women of all ages. http://healthland. time. com/2011/10/18/what-reality-tv-teaches-teen-girls/ Children are like little dry sponges, the cleaner, good, interesting fun water you put in them that’s the type of person they will be. But if you pump them full of nasty and filthy water that’s the kind of person they will be. I want to have a society of clean, mature, and independent teens with morals and standards. As parents we take care of our children when they are toddlers, but as soon as they are in their adolescents parents start to drift away from the kids, most of the time kids are pushed away and they end up watching whatever they can find. Reality television shows are a biggest part of the way young people act the way they do, but quite a few of the cartoons that are on the airways are just as bad as the reality shows. Here’s want needs to happen, is parents need to change before the children can change. There needs to be more reality shows with morals, standards, and how to have respect for those around us. We need to get away from all this junk that is on the air now. If we had some better shows on the air and show how families should be, our country would be able to turn around. I think there should be a class that teaches respect and morals, instead of sex education, teach the girls to respect themselves and the guys to respect the girls as well as themselves. There would be less and less unwanted teen pregnancies. It would also make for a better home life and easier relationships between parents and kids. These classes should be mandatory for the kids and if parents have any problems with that, than they to need to be able to sit in on a class or two. As mentioned before, this is the type of programing that most of the young people that are still impressionable watch, not to mention the parents. If you are a parent and you have young kids in your home the last thing you should want to do is let them watch these type shows. We have to change something and it needs to start at home. Family’s need to change the way they watch TV, because we need to make the right choices for our kids and give them a good, clean, moral start. If they chose to watch these type shows later in life it was their choice. We need to talk to our kids about true reality and what will happen if they make certain choices. If they chose to have sex then there is a high possibility that they will get pregnant or get someone pregnant. Tell them that there is nothing 100% other than not doing it. Plus it shows that they respect themselves, and if the other person respects them than everything will be as it should be. Our kids have known from the time they were little and they started asking questions we told them the truth that they could understand at that age. Now that they are teens we answer as we would an adult. They have to right to know the truth and the whole truth. We don’t believe you are helping them if you hold stuff back that will help them make the right decisions. If it’s alright to disobey your parents, or to lie, cheat, steal, have big parties, drink and use drugs, have sex and get pregnant, and have guys just want you for what you look like and not what you think, than we don’t need to change anything, but if you don’t believe all of that then we need to change what it is our children and even ourselves watch. The only way we can change all of this is to make changes in our homes first, then in our schools, because if we change these first the media will change afterward, because they will not have the ratings to keep all that junk on the air. I believe if we would change than everything else would change, but we have to start with ourselves and our children. Then work with the school systems. Once we get these areas in control then we can work with what kind of shows we get to watch, but to make it all work we have to be willing to get out of the thinking you have your life and I have mine. That is one reason our country is in the shape it’s in. The more we work close to home the more it will spread for the good of everybody work with the school systems. Once we get these areas in control then we can work with what kind of shows we get to watch, but to make it all work we have to be willing to get out of the thinking you have your life and I have mine. That is one reason our country is in the shape it’s in. The more we work close to home the more it will spread for the good of everybody.

It as a Dummy Subject in Grammar

It as a Dummy Subject in Grammar The word it can be a  subject (or dummy subject) in sentences about times, dates, and the weather (such as, Its raining) and in certain idioms (Its OK). Also known as ambient it or empty it. Unlike the ordinary pronoun it, dummy it refers to nothing at all; it simply serves a grammatical function. In other words, dummy it has a grammatical meaning but no lexical meaning. Examples and Observations Here are some examples: It is hot, it is late, and it is time to go.It will be morning soon.Juan WilliamsBut it is a new day. The need for honest conversations across racial as well as ethnic and religious lines has never been greater.William FauknerHe did not know it was midnight and he did not know how far he had come.Its Always Sunny In PhiladelphiaWaitress: Wow, why are you so sweaty?Charlie Kelly: Its really hot in here.Waitress: Its not hot, its freezing.Charlie Kelly: Its freezing, isnt it. They are blazing that AC.Penelope FitzgeraldIts a pity that Kattie couldnt be here tonight.Sean Astin, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingIts a shame, really. Lady Galadriel gave me that. Real elvish rope.Bob DylanAnd it aint no use to sit and wonder why, babe,If you dont know by now.Wallace StevensIt was evening all afternoon.It was snowingAnd it was going to snow.The blackbird satIn the cedar-limbs.Christopher J. Halle[S]nowing is just snowing: not even God can snow, and although we can be snowed on, i n, or under, the meaning of the verb snow just doesnt require anything to be snowed (except snow itself, I suppose, but that would be a little redundant). So semantics doesnt explain why we need to express a subject, even a dummy one like it in It is snowing. Verbs That Accompany Ambient It James D. McCawleyAmbient it occurs only in combination with a limited set of verbs and predicate adjectives that express environmental conditions (especially, but not exclusively, the weather):- (8a) It was raining/snowing/thundering/pouring.- (8b) It was hot/cold/pleasant/delightful/unbearable/disgusting/uncomfortable in the attic.- (8c) I like/enjoy/hate it here.- (8d) Its third down and twelve to go.- (8e) Its intermission now.- (8e) Its 4:00.In most instances ambient it is the subject of its clause either in surface structure or in what is arguably the deep structure (as in the case of The lake makes it pleasant here, which allows an analysis in which the deep structure direct object of make is a sentence It is pleasant here whose subject is ambient it). Subject Extraposition Rodney D. HuddlestonClauses with a subordinate clause subject generally have variants with the subordinate clause at the end and dummy it as the subject:- a. That he was acquitted disturbs her.- b. It disturbs her that he was acquitted. Using Dummy It in African-American Vernacular English Fern L. JohnsonThe use of dummy it (Labov, 1972a) corresponds to particular meanings in AAVE. Roughly equivalent to SAE there, it can be found in contexts such as the following: It wasnt nothing to do and Its a new car, which compare to SAE There wasnt nothing to do and Theres a new car. This dummy it exists in Gullah as well and is likely a direct retention from plantation creole. Also Known As: ambient it, introductory it, prop it, empty it, nonreferential it

Luxury goods industry Porter's five forces model Essay

Luxury goods industry Porter's five forces model - Essay Example The Social Media has empowered consumers in all industries, including in the luxury goods industry; because of the feeling that they can secure the support of many other people in regard to their rights, as consumers, customers in the luxury brand industry have become more powerful to influence the industry’s strategies (Deloitte 2014) – H Since 2012 an important trend has appeared in the luxury goods industry: emphasis is given to ‘fine jewellery’ (Luxury Society 2012, par.13) and not on ‘seasonal accessories’ (Luxury Society 2012, par.13). Louis Vuitton has been the luxury brand that first supported this trend; Richemont Group, the owner of popular brands such as Cartier, had followed (Luxury Society 2012) - L Popular luxury brands have taken action against those who try to develop cheap substitutes of their products; for example, in a relevant lawsuit the courts ordered the owners of a series of websites that have developed such activity to pay an amount of $100 million to Hermes (Luxury Society 2012) - L In any case luxury products are, by their nature, related to costly materials; the high cost of these products prevents those who would like to create substitute products of low price (Luxury Society 2012) - L a) continuous turbulences in markets worldwide; downturns in the performance of markets have been proved as able to affect the buying power of the industry’s customers (Paton and Sanderson 2014); only the brands that can secure high quality, innovation and uniqueness of their products are able to secure their market position - H The rate of development of the luxury goods industry is satisfactory but unstable; the strong turbulences in the international market are considered as the key reason for this phenomenon. The industry’s high instability would discourage new entrants to enter in the luxury

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 4

Assignment - Essay Example In reality however excellence has a dimension as limited as the companies itself. It means that the organization strives to find the best available practice rather than following market leaders or competitors. This finding the best practices and implementing them will result from an exhaustive self assessment and investigation by the organization itself. The level of excellence that an organization has achieved is generally measured by the results the organization has delivered and is very greatly dependent upon the performance management systems used. Organizational excellence is an overall way in which organizations work from balancing stakeholders interests to the management of profits and prioritizing ones needs without losing control with such operational efficiency that doesn’t lead to doubts about its performance and utilization of resources. The achievement of such excellence has since always been a dilemma with multiple theories based on it. But in a nutshell it should be understood that the means of achieving excellence were always and will always be an item of great interest and research and though unanimity will never be achieved, the best way is to strive hard to question how to achieve it and then implement those solutions with utmost efficiency. What should be remembered however is that in the race of excellence there is no finish line. The business excellence model largely determines how organizations all over the world handle their operations and how decision making takes place. Different parts of the world have different excellence models which are dependent upon the organizational structure in those regions as well as the preferences of customers and the mindset of the employees. Customer focus and logical decision-making, form the core of all models. One of the earliest excellence models is the Deming Excellence model which is based on