Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The Past And Present Of Writing - 1496 Words

Every piece of writing starts from an idea of another piece of writing that has already been written. Writers from the past, present, and even future can all thank one another for their great ideas and inspiration to write. Each piece of writing is either history or history in the making. History last forever, and the reason that people have knowledge about the past is because of writes documentation. Without old writings, one would not have valuable information about how people lived hundreds of years ago, how people acted, as well as how America was run as a country. Therefore, writings from 400 years ago, to even 2016 have not only informed one about history, but also shaped the way Americans live their lives to this day. Present day Americans are obsessed with technology and are always on the web looking at different information on an array of topics in many different places. Many years ago, one would have to travel to learn what about what was going on in another town or state. One similarity between the past and present is the newspaper. One can find all sorts of information about many topics from reading any published newspaper. Benjamin Franklin published Poor Richard s Almanack for many years. His almanac is very much like a newspaper as it contained valuable information to help inform and entertain, just like a newspaper does. Poor Richard’s Alamack gave advice for anyone who was reading to take in and use the information. In one publication of the Alamac,Show MoreRelatedCommand Of The Conventions Of Standard English Grammar And Usage When Writing Or Speaking1040 Words   |  5 PagesDemonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking o CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.B Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses. Theme Time Warp When Writing Lesson Topic: Verb Tenses Objectives Language 1. Students will recognize verb tenses: present continuous tense 2. Students will differentiate use between present tense and present continuous tense Content 1. Students will understand that verbs change formRead MoreInvestigating the Extent to Which Historians Can Be Objective1137 Words   |  5 PagesInvestigating the Extent to Which Historians Can Be Objective ‘You have reckoned that history ought to judge the past and to instruct the contemporary world as to the future. The present attempt does not yield to that high office. It will merely tell you how it really was’ - Leopold Von Ranke ‘There are no facts, only interpretations’ – Nietzsche Here we encounter two diametrically opposed views concerning objectivity. It can be argued that â€Å"true† objectivity cannotRead MoreWhat Is The Rule For Forming Questions Within The Simple Present And Simple Past?1523 Words   |  7 Pagesin the simple present and simple past in English? Questions in the simple present can be formed in a couple of ways with questions lacking question words such as â€Å"Do† and â€Å"Does† (examples: Do you read short stories? and Does Frank play the violin?), and questions containing question words such as â€Å"What,† â€Å"When,† and â€Å"Where† (examples: What do you type on your laptop?, When does your brother go to school, and Where do you visit your relatives?). To form a question in the simple past, the auxiliaryRead MoreTradition And The Individual Talent944 Words   |  4 Pagesrequires great ambition and focus to learn from past poets. A great poet must learn from predecessors of the difficult art before he or she takes to writing great poetry. According to Eliot writers must learn from the past, conform to present-day traditions, and realize their poetry will be compared to past and present works. Eliot’s belief of tradition is complex and different from the standard definition of tradition. The works from the past great poets create the definition of tradition, accordingRead MoreSyllabus1484 Words   |  6 Pagesinformation. * Supplying information. | Language Skills and Knowledge | Listening: Listening where people ask for personal information.Speaking: How to give information requested.Reading: Different types of identification forms and documents. Writing: Complete an application form from a patient. Grammar: Wh – Questions and answers with it’s. Verb to be. Functional Language: Asking for personal details. Exchange for personal information (names, phone numbers, e-mail address, etc.) | Week 3 Read MoreMatthew Arnold as a Poet and Critic1500 Words   |  6 Pagesa literary text and seeing how, if at all, it enlivens the spirit of the writer in relation to what is around him. During the first half of the twentieth century, literary critics became aware and conscious of the interaction between the past and the present. The interests of the critics ranged from the poetics of Plato and Aristotle, through the theory and criticism of the Renaissance, and to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. They were most deeply indebted to the nineteenth century. OfRead MoreThe Influence of Books on the Past and Present Literacy850 Words   |  3 Pagesinfluence of religious books such as the bible on the past and present states of literacy. Past literacy based on religious books shows the origin of the biblical practices of exorcism and the culture of Protestantism in England. It describes the superstitions surrounding the early forms of education and the difficulty they bring as regards the understanding of religious books. The article shows that the understanding of the bible influenced the present state of literacy by introducing prudence and enlightenmentRead MoreHistorical Settings Of Apocalyptic Texts1745 Words   |  7 Pagesthe ways in which people did this was by writing texts to define who they were, where they came from, and what they stood for. Jewish authors during the second temple period used the historical settings in their writings to forward agendas, which were often shaped by present concerns. These historical settings w ere sometimes fallacious and were written not to accurately depict past events, but to validate authors’ experiences and agendas in their present society. The historical settings of apocalypticRead MoreAmerican Indian Activism And Setting Ground As A Feminist Writing1659 Words   |  7 Pagescomes to writing, the purpose and voice of the author is extremely important when it comes to reaching out to the intended audience. Writing is all about authors expressing themselves through poems, books, short stories, etc. For the most part, authors write for different purposes whether it is for informing, entertaining, or persuade. As for Joy Harjo, this author bases her writing on expressing her views and opinion on American Indian activism and setting ground as a Feminist writing. She is knownRead MoreAnalysis Of The Writings Of Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, And Edgar Allan Poe1335 Words   |  6 Pages Review of writings of Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe. By Mantegbosh Letyibelu Irving, Poe, and Hawthorne were arguably some of the most popular writers of the 19th century (Dincer 223; Lauter 2505). All three of them are known for their short essays and their advocacy to make writing a full-fledged and legitimate profession. Their writings show that they were hugely influenced by the Romantic Movement (romanticism); ‘a movement in art, literature, music, philosophy

Monday, December 16, 2019

Michael Manley Free Essays

Michael Norman Manley (December 10, 1924 – March 6, 1997) was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica (1972 – 1980, 1989 – 1992). The second son of Jamaica’s Premier Norman Manley and Jamaican artist Edna Manley, Michael Manley was a charismatic figure who became the leader of the Jamaican People’s National Party a few months before his father’s death in 1969. Contents [hide] 1 Reforms 2 Diplomacy 3 Violence 4 Opposition 5 Re-election 6 Family 7 Retirement and death 8 Sources 9 Notes Reforms Manley soundly beat the unpopular incumbent Prime Minister Hugh Shearer (his cousin) in the election of 1972 after running on a platform of â€Å"better must come,† giving â€Å"power to the people† and leading â€Å"a government of truth. We will write a custom essay sample on Michael Manley or any similar topic only for you Order Now † Manley instituted a series of socio-economic reforms that yielded mixed success. Though he was a biracial Jamaican from an elite family, Manley’s successful trade union background helped him to maintain a close relationship with the country’s poor, black majority, and he was a dynamic, popular leader. Unlike his father, who had a reputation for being formal and businesslike, the younger Manley moved easily among people of all strata and made Parliament accessible to the people by abolishing the requirement for men to wear jackets and ties to its sittings. In this regard he started a fashion revolution, often preferring the kariba shirt or bush jacket over a formal suit. Diplomacy Manley developed close friendships with several foreign leaders, foremost of whom were Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Olof Palme of Sweden, Pierre Trudeau of Canada and Fidel Castro of Cuba. With Cuba just 145 km (90 miles) north of Jamaica, he strengthened diplomatic relations between the two island nations, much to the dismay of United States policymakers. At the 1979 meeting of the non-aligned movement, Manley strongly pressed for the development of what was called a natural alliance between the Non-aligned movement and the Soviet Union to battle imperialism. In his speech he said, â€Å"All anti-imperialists know that the balance of forces in the world shifted irrevocably in 1917 when there was a movement and a man in the October Revolution, and Lenin was the man. Manley saw Cuba and the Cuban model as having much to offer both Jamaica and the world. In diplomatic affairs, Manley believed in respecting the different systems of government of other countries and not interfering in their internal affairs. Violence Manley was the Prime Minister when Jamaica experienced a significant escalation of its political culture of violence. Supporters of his opponent Edward Seaga and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and Manley’s People’s National Party (PNP) engaged in a bloody struggle which began before the 1976 election and ended when Seaga was installed as Prime Minister in 1980. While the violent political culture was not invented by Seaga or Manley, and had its roots in conflicts between the parties from as early as the beginning of the two-party system in the 1940s, political violence reached unprecedented levels in the 1970s. Indeed, the two elections accompanied by the greatest violence were those (1976 and 1980) in which Seaga was trying to unseat Manley. Violence flared in January 1976 in anticipation of elections. A State of Emergency was declared by Manley’s party the PNP in June and 500 people, including some prominent members of the JLP, were accused of trying to overthrow the government and were detained, without charges, in a specially created prison at the Up-Park Camp military headquarters [1]. Elections were held on 15 December that year, while the state of emergency was still in effect. The PNP was returned to office. The State of Emergency continued into the next year. Extraordinary powers granted the police by the Suppression of Crime Act of 1974 continued to the end of the 1980s. Violence continued to blight political life in the 1970s. Gangs armed by both parties fought for control of urban constituencies. In the election year of 1980 around 800 Jamaicans were killed. While the murder rate in Jamaica has long been high, Jamaicans were particularly shocked by the violence at that time. In the 1980 elections, Seaga’s JLP won and he became Prime Minister. Opposition As Leader of the Opposition Manley became an outspoken critic of the new conservative administration. He strongly opposed intervention in Grenada after Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was overthrown and executed. Immediately after committing Jamaican troops to Ronald Reagan’s invasion of Grenada in 1983, Seaga called a snap election – two years early – on the pretext that Dr Paul Robertson, General Secretary of the PNP, had called for his resignation. Manley, who may have been taken by surprise by the maneuver, led his party in a boycott of the elections, and so the Jamaica Labour Party won all seats in parliament against only marginal opposition in six of the sixty electoral constituencies. During his period of opposition in the 1980s, Manley, a compelling speaker, travelled extensively, speaking to audiences around the world. He taught a graduate seminar and gave a series of public lectures at Columbia University in New York. In the 1980s a Judicial Enquiry, the Smith Commission, was held on the 1976 State of Emergency. Manley admitted that he declared it on evidence that was manufactured to help him win the forthcoming election. In 1986 Manley travelled to Britain and visited Birmingham. He attended a number of venues including the Afro Caribbean Resource Centre in Winson Green and Digbeth Civic Hall. The mainly black audiences turned out en masse to hear Manley speak. Re-election By 1989 Manley had softened his socialist rhetoric, explicitly advocating a role for private enterprise. With the fall of the Soviet Union, he also ceased his support for a variety of international causes. In the election of that year he campaigned on a very moderate platform. Seaga’s administration had fallen out of favor – both with the electorate and the US – and the PNP was re-elected handily. Manley’s second term was short and largely uneventful. In 1992, citing health reasons he stepped down as Prime Minister and PNP leader. His former Deputy Prime Minister, Percival Patterson, assumed both offices. Family Michael Manley had 5 children: Rachel Manley, Joseph Manley, Sarah Manley, Natasha Manley and David Manley. Retirement and death Manley wrote seven books, including the award-winning A History of West Indies Cricket, in which he discussed the links between cricket and West Indian nationalism. Michael Manley died of prostate cancer on 6 March, 1997, the same day as another Caribbean politician, Cheddi Jagan of Guyana How to cite Michael Manley, Essay examples

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Nature, Scope and Importance of Business Policy free essay sample

Mansi Arora Madan (JIMS faculty), for helping me in giving me all relevant information about the product and service. I would hereby, make most of the opportunity by expressing my sincerest thanks to all my faculties whose teachings gave me conceptual understanding and clarity of comprehension, which ultimately made my job more easy. Credit also goes to all my friends whose encouragement kept me in good stead. Their continuous support has given me the strength and confidence to complete the project without any difficulty. Finally I would like thank all lecturers, friends and my family for their kind of support and to all who directly or indirectly helped me in preparing this project report and special thanks to Wikipedia. org. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Electronic commerce or e-Commerce as is known today evolved as businesses (end to end process) started to shift from real time market to digital market. All of the business today as we see is done over the internet and anything which is not there is meant to be wiped off. Ecommerce, the online shopping system has brought down political and physical barriers giving everyone in the world an equal playing ground for their market, everyone can put their products on sale through the e-stores(website dedicated to selling of product, a virtual store). Speaking about the last decade we saw a great market, rise over the internet, online shopping was introduced wherein firstly computer scientists got interested in then it came to general public and gradually became a substitute for the real market place. Ecommerce, as is generally thought of, is not the birth child of â€Å"The Web† but it just got kick’ started by â€Å"The Web†. Online shopping developed with B2B as well as with B2C since everybody is on internet, and development is going on each and every second for grabbing a better share of the market. Even as we write this article on Ecommerce with our exhaustive research!!! May just be not enough. In this study I’ve tried to capture the highlights in the area of e-commerce industries , How it started and Milestones India has achieved in e-commerce history. I’ve also done a brief report on the top 3 players in e-commerce sector in India i. e. ebay, flipkart ,snapdeal like marketing strategies, Value cost analysis which includes Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning of all the 3 players, plus measured the Risk taken by these companies through SWOT analysis. INTRODUCTION OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY India has an internet user base of about 137 million as of June 2012. The penetration of e-commerce is low compared to markets like the United States and the United Kingdom but is growing at a much faster rate with a large number of new entrants. The industry consensus is that growth is at an inflection point with key drivers being: Increasing broadband Internet and 3G penetration, Rising standards of living and a burgeoning, upwardly mobile middle class with high disposable incomes ,Availability of much wider product range (including long tail and Direct Imports) compared to what is available at brick and mortar retailers, Busy lifestyles, urban traffic congestion and lack of time for offline shopping, Lower prices compared to brick and mortar retail driven by disintermediation and reduced inventory and real estate costs , Increased usage of online classified sites, with more consumer buying and selling second-hand goods , Evolution of the online marketplace model with sites like ebay , flipkart, and snapdeal . Indias e-commerce market was worth about $2. 5 billion in 2009, it went up to $6. 3 billion in 2011 and to $14 billion in 2012. About 75% of this is travel related (airline tickets, railway tickets, hotel bookings, on line mobile recharge etc. ). Online Retailing comprises about 12. 5% ($300 Million as of 2009). India has close to 10 million online shoppers and is growing at an estimated 30% CAGR vis-a-vis a global growth rate of 8–10%. Electronics and Apparel are the biggest categories in terms of sales. Indias retail market is estimated at $470 billion in 2011 and is expected to grow to $675 Bn by 2016 and $850 Bn by 2020, – estimated CAGR of 7%. According to Forrester, the e-commerce market in India is set to grow the fastest within the Asia-Pacific Region at a CAGR of over 57% between 2012–16. Indias e-tailing markct -post/indian-e-tailing-market/ Indian Retail Market Size and Growth Estimates. HISTORY One of the most popular activities on the Web is shopping. It has much allure in it — you can shop at your leisure, anytime, and in your pajamas. Literally anyone can have their pages built to display their specific goods and services. History of ecommerce dates back to the invention of the very old notion of sell and buy, electricity, cables, computers, modems, and the Internet. Ecommerce became possible in 1991 when the Internet was opened to commercial use. Since that date thousands of businesses have taken up residence at web sites. At first, the term ecommerce meant the process of execution of commercial transactions electronically with the help of the leading technologies such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) which gave an opportunity for users to exchange business information and do electronic transactions. The ability to use these technologies appeared in the late 1970s and allowed business companies and organizations to send commercial documentation electronically. Although the Internet began to advance in popularity among the general public in 1994, it took approximately four years to develop the security protocols (for example, HTTP) and DSL which allowed rapid access and a persistent connection to the Internet. In 2000 a great number of business companies in the United States and Western Europe represented their services in the World Wide Web. At this time the meaning of the word ecommerce was changed. People began to define the term ecommerce as the process of purchasing of available goods and services over the Internet using secure connections and electronic payment services. Although the dot-com collapse in 2000 led to unfortunate results and many of ecommerce companies disappeared, the brick and mortar retailers recognized the advantages of electronic commerce and began to add such capabilities to their web sites (e. g. after the online grocery store Webvan came to ruin, two supermarket chains, Albertsons and Safeway, began to use ecomme rce to enable their customers to buy groceries online). By the end of 2001, the largest form of ecommerce, Business-to-Business (B2B) model, had around $700 billion in transactions. According to all available data, ecommerce sales continued to grow in the next few years and, by the end of 2007, ecommerce sales accounted for 3. 4 percent of total sales. Ecommerce has a great deal of advantages over brick and mortar stores and mail order catalogs. Consumers can easily search through a large database of products and services. They can see actual prices, build an order over several days and email it as a wish list hoping that someone will pay for their selected goods. Customers can compare prices with a click of the mouse and buy the selected product at best prices. Online vendors, in their turn, also get distinct advantages. The web and its search engines provide a way to be found by customers without expensive advertising campaign. Even small online shops can reach global markets. Web technology also allows to track customer preferences and to deliver individually-tailored marketing. History of ecommerce is unthinkable without Amazon and Ebay which were among the first Internet companies to allow electronic transactions. Thanks to their founders we now have a handsome ecommerce sector and enjoy the buying and selling advantages of the Internet. Currently there are 5 largest and most famous worldwide Internet retailers: Amazon, Dell, Staples, Office Depot and Hewlett Packard. According to statistics, the most popular categories of products sold in the World Wide Web are music, books, computers, office supplies and other consumer electronics. Amazon. com, Inc. is one of the most famous ecommerce companies and is located in Seattle, Washington (USA). It was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos and was one of the first American ecommerce companies to sell products over the Internet. After the dot-com collapse Amazon lost its position as a successful business model, however, in 2003 the company made its first annual profit which was the first step to the further development. At the outset Amazon. om was considered as an online bookstore, but in time it extended a variety of goods by adding electronics, software, DVDs, video games, music CDs, MP3s, apparel, footwear, health products, etc. The original name of the company was Cadabra. co m, but shortly after it become popular in the Internet Bezos decided to rename his business Amazon after the worlds most voluminous river. In 1999 Jeff Bezos was entitled as the Person of the Year by Time Magazine in recognition of the companys success. Although the companys main headquarters is located in the USA, WA, Amazon has set up separate websites in other economically developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and China. The company supports and operates retail web sites for many famous businesses, including Marks Spencer, Lacoste, the NBA, Bebe Stores, Target, etc. Amazon is one of the first ecommerce businesses to establish an affiliate marketing program, and nowadays the company gets about 40% of its sales from affiliates and third party sellers who list and sell goods on the web site. In 2008 Amazon penetrated into the cinema and is currently sponsoring the film The Stolen Child with 20th Century Fox. According to the research conducted in 2008, the domain Amazon. com attracted about 615 million customers every year. The most popular feature of the web site is the review system, i. e. he ability for visitors to submit their reviews and rate any product on a rating scale from one to five stars. Amazon. com is also well-known for its clear and user-friendly advanced search facility which enables visitors to search for keywords in the full text of many books in the database. One more company which has contributed much to the process of ecommerce development is Dell Inc. , an American company located in Texas, which stands third in computer sales within the industry behind Hewlett-Packard and Acer. Launched in 1994 as a static page, Dell. com has made rapid strides, and by the end of 1997 was the first company to record a million dollars in online sales. The companys unique strategy of selling goods over the World Wide Web with no retail outlets and no middlemen has been admired by a lot of customers and imitated by a great number of ecommerce businesses. The key factor of Dells success is that Dell. com enables customers to choose and to control, i. e. visitors can browse the site and assemble PCs piece by piece choosing each single component based on their budget and requirements. According to statistics, approximately half of the companys profit comes from the web site. In 2007, Fortune magazine ranked Dell as the 34th-largest company in the Fortune 500 list and 8th on its annual Top 20 list of the most successful and admired companies in the USA in recognition of the companys business model. History of ecommerce is a history of a new, virtual world which is evolving according to the customer advantage. It is a world which we are all building together brick by brick, laying a secure foundation for the future generations. OBJECTIVES  ·To study the performance of ecommerce Industry in India  ·To study the strength, weakness threats of the player’s in ecommerce Industry.  ·To study the customer profile of the player’s in ecommerce Industry.  ·To study the market share owned by the player’s in ecommerce industry in India. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Methodology is the basic framework and the approach that has to be followed to carry out the approach used to collect the data, the sources of primary data, i. e. from where and how it has been collected. Research is a diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover or revise facts, theories, applications etc. Methodology is system of methods followed by particular discip line. Thus, Research Methodology is the way how we conduct our research. In the present project report type of research conducted is Quantitative research. Exploratory research is undertaken which involves extensive scanning of secondary data. The best websites are considered which gives all the efficient and effective information. References for the project are from the websites and books and the company’s . COMPETITORS India has the fastest growing ecommerce sector with its high population and development potential. flipkart, snapdeal ,yebhi. com , ebay, amazon, fashion and you, myntra, jabong, naaptol, homeshop18 are major sites in India. In this project report I’ll be discussing the top 3 sites in ecommerce sector in India. Flipkart was founded in 2007 by Sachin and Binny Bansal, both alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. They worked for Amazon. com before quitting and founding their own company. Initially they used word of mouth marketing to popularise their company. A few months later, the company sold its first book on flipkart. com—John Woods Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. Today, as per Alexa traffic rankings, Flipkart is amongst the top 20 Indian Web sites and has been credited with being Indias largest online bookseller with over 11 million titles on offer. The store started with selling books and in 2010 branched out to selling CDs, DVDs, mobile phones and accessories, cameras, computers, computer accessories and peripherals, and in 2011, pens stationery, other electronic items such as home appliances, kitchen appliances, personal care gadgets, health care products etc. Further in 2012, Flipkart added A. C, air coolers, school supplies, office supplies, art supplies life style products to its product portfolio. As of today, Flipkart employs more than 4500 people. Marketing Strategies Flipkart has been mostly marketed by word of mouth advertising. Customer satisfaction has been their best marketing medium. Flipkart very wisely used SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Google Ad-words as the marketing tools to have a far reach in the online world. Flipkart. com official Facebook page has close to 9 lac likes. Flipkart recently launched a series of 3 ads with the tag line No Kidding No worries. Kids were used to create the adverts to send out the message if a kid can do it, you can also do it. The message is very clear to make people more comfortable with Flipkart, to generate a great customer relationship and loyalty on the basis of great product prices and excellent customer service. All in all to create a great ustomer experience. | Foundation date|2007| Headquarters[-gt;0]|Bangalore[-gt;1], India| Area served|India[-gt;2]| Founder(s)[-gt;3]| ·Sachin Bansal ·Binny Bansal| Key people|Sachin Bansal Binny Bansal| Industry[-gt;4]|Internet[-gt;5], Online retailing[-gt;6]| Products[-gt;7]|Flipkart. com, Electronic Wallet[-gt ;8], Mime360. com, Chakpak. com, Flyte Digital Music Store| Services[-gt;9]|Electronic commerce[-gt;10]| Revenue[-gt;11]| 500 crore[-gt;12] (US$92 million) (FY[-gt;13] 2011–12)[1]| Employees[-gt;14]|4500| Slogan(s)[-gt;15]|The Online Megastore| Website[-gt;16]|Flipkart. com[-gt;17]| Alexa[-gt;18] rank| 209; India: 12 (April 2013)[2]| Type of site|Online shopping[-gt;19]| Advertising[-gt;20]|yes| Registration|Optional (required for buying Digital Content)| Available in[-gt;21]|English[-gt;22]| Launched|2007; 6 years ago| Current status|Online| Snapdeal. com was started in February 2010, as a daily deal platform, but later expanded into product retailing across various categories. Snapdeal claims to have a subscriber base of more than 20 million and has a presence across 4000+ towns and cities. Snapdeal. com is a online retail website, headquartered in New Delhi, India. The company was started by Kunal Bahl, a Wharton graduate and Rohit Bansal, alumnus of IIT Delhi, in February 2010. In January 2011, Snapdeal received a funding of $12 million from Nexus Venture Partners and Indo-US Venture Partners. Subsequently, in July 2011, the company raised a further $45 million from Bessemer Venture Partners, along with existing investors Nexus Venture Partners and Indo-US Venture Partners, taking the total investment in the company to $52 million. In June 2010, Snapdeal acquired Bangalore-based group buying site, Grabbon. com. In April 2012, Snapdeal acquired esportsbuy. com, an online sports goods retailer based out of Delhi. Marketing Strategies Snapdeal does three things effectively which pretty few start-ups do. The following simple strategies could help you promote your new company with good results. 1. Customer Data is GOLD! Using Facebook and history of customers purchases helps a lot for a small business to target effectively. In the Sponsored Ads category of Facebook, different ads of Snapdeal appear in different user-profiles. Personalization helps in gaining positive attention and real customers. 2. Effective Social Media Marketing! I would mention one example here. Earlier one social media enthusiast blogged about Snapdeal’s cheap advertising strategy in one of her blogs. The brand got a lot of negative buzz due to this. After the negative buzz, Snapdeal replied back apologizing for such advertisements. It was so positive that is created good vibes for the brand. To ERR IS HUMAN. But, how quick you (the brand / business) are to admit, accept and rectify it makes the difference. Snapdeal also created a lot of buzz on the Valentines Day of 2011 with an innovative Date With Me-Gul Panag campaign. It created a lot of excitement and positive word of mouth for the brand. Thus, effective social media marketing[-gt;23] is absolutely essential for a start-up to gain awareness. 3. Personalized E-mail Marketing! Effective usage of customer-data to personalize e-mail messages has also helped Snapdeal gain a lot of momentum. For example, Snapdeal has used my preferences and interests to target particular offers to me. Thats why, I lways get weekly travel offers from Snapdeal. Thus, start-ups who use mass-emailing tools beware your emails will be rarely opened and more often than not, theyll land in the Spam folder. These three simple methods could take your small business to the top. If you are a start-up and want help in marketing, or want to suggest anything, you are w elcome to connect with us. | URL[-gt;24]|www. snapdeal. com[-gt;25]| Type of site|Online shopping[-gt;26](Online marketplace[-gt;27])| Available language[-gt;28](s)|English| Users[-gt;29]|18+ Million Users| Owner|Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal| Launched|2010; 3 years ago| Alexa[-gt;30] rank| 508 (April 2012)[1]| Headquaters| New delhi| AuctionWeb was founded in San Jose, California, on September 5, 1995, by French-born Iranian-American computer programmer Pierre Omidyar (born on June 21, 1967) as part of a larger personal site that included, among other things, Omidyars own tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Ebola virus. One of the first items sold on AuctionWeb was a broken laser pointer for $14. 83. Astonished, Omidyar contacted the winning bidder to ask if he understood that the laser pointer was broken. In his responding email, the buyer explained: Im a collector of broken laser pointers. The frequently repeated story that eBay was founded to help Omidyars fiancee trade Pez candy dispensers was fabricated by a public relations manager in 1997 to interest the media, which were not interested in the companys previous explanation about wanting to create a perfect market. This was revealed in Adam Cohens 2002 book, The Perfect Store, and confirmed by eBay. Chris Agarpao was hired as eBays first employee and Jeffrey Skoll was hired as the first president of the company in early 1996. In November 1996, eBay entered into its first third-party licensing deal, with a company called Electronic Travel Auction to use SmartMarket Technology to sell plane tickets and other travel products. Growth was phenomenal; in January 1997 the site hosted 2,000,000 auctions, compared with 250,000 during the whole of 1996. The company officially changed the name of its service from AuctionWeb to eBay in September 1997. Originally, the site belonged to Echo Bay Technology Group, Omidyars consulting firm. Omidyar had tried to register the domain name echobay. com, but found it already taken by the Echo Bay Mines, a gold mining company, so he shortened it to his second choice, eBay. com. In 1997, the company received $6. 7 million in funding from the venture capital firm Benchmark Capital. Meg Whitman was hired as eBay President and CEO in March 1998. At the time, the company had 30 employees, half a million users and revenues of $4. 7 million in the United States. eBay went public on September 21, 1998,and both Omidyar and Skoll became instant billionaires. eBays target share price of $18 was all but ignored as the price went to $53. 50 on the first day of trading. As the company expanded product categories beyond collectibles into almost any saleable item, business grew quickly. In February 2002, the company purchased IBazar, a similar European auction web site founded in 1998 and then bought PayPal on October 14, 2002. By early 2008, the company had expanded worldwide, counted hundreds of millions of registered users, 15,000+ employees and revenues of almost $7. 7 billion. [15] After nearly ten years at eBay, Whitman decided to enter politics. On January 23, 2008 the company announced that Whitman would step down on March 31, 2008 and John Donahoe was selected to become President and CEO. Whitman remained on the Board of Directors and continued to advise Donahoe through 2008. In late 2009, eBay completed the sale of Skype for $2. 75 billion, but will still own 30% equity in the company. In July 2010, eBay was sued for $3. 8 billion by XPRT Ventures that accused eBay of stealing information shared in confidence by the inventors on XPRTs own patents, and incorporated it into features in its own payment systems, such as PayPal Pay Later and PayPal Buyer Credit. On December 20, 2010, eBay announced its acquisition of a German online shopping club, brands4friends. de, for â‚ ¬150 million ($197 million) to strengthen the companys interests in the fashion industry in Europe. It is subject to regulatory approval and expected to close it in the Q1 2011. Marketing Strategies Bay India one of the largest e commerce stores in India has launched a price challenge an age old marketing trick wherein they are challenging people to find prices lower than those advertised by eBay India. The challenge is focused on a select range of gadgets, including mobile handsets, MP 3 players and digital cameras. Most young Indian men are passionate about three things women, cars/bikes and gadgets . This campaign is targeted at tech savvy young men who take an interest in gadgets and reside in the top 10 metros of the country. Men in the age group of 18-35 years account for 70-75 per cent of the traffic on eBay. The site claims that men prefer buying gadgets, while women prefer buying jewelery from the site. According to afaqs eBay will use outdoor extensively in cities such as Lucknow, Coimbatore, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai while Radio advertising will be used in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. While it will also use display advertising across major portals such as Yahoo. co. in and Rediff. com. Search marketing will also be used. Very recently Subhiksha used a TV campaign to highlight lowest prices for mobiles and they pulled it off quite well and that might have been motivation for EBay to launch this campaign. Indians being so price conscious I am sure this one month long campaign is definitely going to give eBay a good boost. If you are going to go for this campaign do keep a look out for Terms and Conditions wherein lies the catch Vodafone (Highlights) Type|Private| Industry|Telecommunications| Predecessor(s)|Hutchison Essar| Founded|1994| Headquarters|Mumbai, Maharashtra, India| Products|Mobile telephonyWireless broadband services| Owner(s)|Vodafone GroupTakshi Group| Parent|Vodafone International Holdings BV (VIH)| DEMAND AND SUPPLY RELATIONSHIP MARKET SHARE CUSTOMER PROFILE SEGMENTATION TARGETING ANALYSIS FLIPKART STP Segmentation:  ·All internet users and shoppers Target:  ·Flipkart concentrates on more Psychographic, which helps in deciding where to display ads online  ·They target online shoppers and people who don’t online shop (thus TVC to encourage them) Positioning: Customer delight (low price, free shipping, replacement of faulty products)  ·No kidding no worries  ·Online megastore  ·one stop solution snapdeal Snapdeal is Indias leading online marketplace. It offers shipping to over 4000 towns and cities in India covering 3000 plus brands in close to 200 different categories. It sells over 25000 units per day from more than 50000 different merchants. Snapdeal has been growing exponentially in customer base too with close to 1. 8 crore registered users in September 2012. Employee base of Snapdeal has also grown from 20 in February 2010 to over 1500 in September 2012. Let us now look at the STP strategy followed by Snapdeal. Segmentation : Identify desirable market segments Segmentation involves grouping consumers based on certain criteria. Snapdeal has done a very broad segmentation by grouping people who have internet access into one segment. There are other parameters for segmentation based on demographics, location, psychographic and behavioral pattern of people. Demographic segmentation Teens and young adults are grouped together into one segment. People in the age group of 16 to 30 years typically forms this segment. These people are either college students or people who have recently started earning. People having moderate to high family income are segmented together. Geographic segmentation Indian urban class Psychographic segmentat People in upper middle class Behavioral segmentation  · Internet savvy users  · People who are not afraid of online shopping  · People who love to get discounts  · People who want to try new products or services Targeting : Target your product for that segment Snapdeal focuses on mass online marketing but uses customer history to give a more personalized experience. Some of the strategies followed by Snapdeal are:  · Large base of internet users easily reached via o Customized email based on historic data o Social media o Online advertisements o Word of mouth Use of mobile apps to increase customer base  · Target people relying on internet for shopping  · Increase target market by partnering with corporate houses for bulk selling  · Target small and medium enterprises to showcase their product / service online for greater visibility. Besides following these strategies Snapdeal plans to target new marke ts by tying up with retailers in smaller towns and rural areas. Customers reluctant in shopping online can also be persuaded by keeping customer transactions data secure. Positioning : Position your brand to segment’s desires Snapdeal is currently positioned as best advertising and discount platform in the online Indian market. For product and service providers it acts as a great advertising platform and for consumers it acts as a low price online market. Snapdeal is trying to reposition itself with greater focus on quality. All the products showcased on the website are genuine. Each and every product is quality checked before being delivered to the customers. Even after repositioning its marketing strategy, Snapdeal aims to offer good value for money to consumers and remain highly competitive in the market. By following above mentioned STP strategy Snapdeal has been able to grow at a fast pace and has increased its customer base exponentially. ebay RISK SWOT ANALYSIS Vodafone have better technology so it can capture the customers of the other networks as well. | RECOMMENDATIONS By virtue of its service, customer satifaction and advertising strategy ebay. inc is successful in grabbing the highest market share in India, but there are still some recommendations from my study point of view is that ebay. inc needs to make its customer service more stronger than other service providers to dominate the market in future too. ebay. inc should introduce fast delivery service than the other because its competitor flipkart. com had introduced it. Low supports in promotion have lead to fluctuation in sale. It has affected the sale service brand image of ebay. inc especially in Cities. Persuasive Advertising, Advertising, Technical Expertise, Media, Sales promotion and Occasional discount can help snapdeal to give a tuff competition to ebay. inc and flipkart. com. The future of flipkart. com is getting brighter day by day. Their immense customer based services are adding to the value and goodwill of the company. Their services such as flyte music and electronic wallet etc. are very much capable of gathering interest of their customers and even attracting new customers. Their sense of innovation can be seen in their innovative ads, which takes them distinctly ahead of their competitors. They engage innovators all over the world to bring the customers the best communications technologies and products. Innovations in mobile advertising are gaining momentum, along with developing mobile TV services. Further interest for the future is in rich ecommerce within community and other applications, which will allow their customers to make calls, share pictures and other media all within single application. CONCLUSION The Indian Telecom Service provider industry is gearing for a revolution. The customer is driving this revolution and will see more unique and sophisticated offerings coming his way. The 3G which will pave the way for 3. 5G, 3. 75G and the next big thing-4G and the VAS services will keep the customer asking for more. The rural areas which have remained untapped will see an insurgence of services.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

The Last Leaf Review free essay sample

O Henry always has me saying O marvelous! The gruesome plots, the careful work on the minutest of the minute details, the unpredictable surprise endings, the imaginative use of connotation and so much more. He dared to personify the dreadful Pneumonia as the cold, unseen stranger! THE LAST LEAF remains one of my favorite short stories written by him. The plot revolves around two artist girls Sue and Johnsy who have their own studio in quaint old Greenwich Village. Theirs was a relationship fostered on mutual trust and their common tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves! All went hunky dory till Johnsy fell ill with pneumonia one cold November month. The disease seemed to drain out the last streaks of will and womanly taste from her being. She lay all day on her bed awaiting her death, looking out of the window listlessly. The doctor put her chances at one-in-ten, which he swelled up to one-in-five if Sue managed to get Johnsy to ask one question about the new winter styles in cloak sleeves! Here the author tries to cook up humor from a womans natural eye for fashion. We will write a custom essay sample on The Last Leaf Review or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Distressed by the doctors verdict Sue cried a Japanese napkin to a pulp another typical womanly reaction! She, at no cost, wanted to lose a friend who had so much in common with her and who had, for the past one year, been her staunch companion in everything from her artistic conquests to her personal trivia. With a heavy heart she gathered her drawing board and paintbrush (and a great amount of will) and made her way into Johnsys room. Johnsy lay there still as death itself. Sue began working on an illustration for a magazine story. Young artists must pave their way to Art by drawing pictures for magazine stories that young authors write to pave their way to Literature! Here the author has skillfully rawn a comparison between the two classes of strugglers and brought to light how the two, despite being so different in their genres, together make a wonderful piece! How many of us have actually read up a story because the illustrations were appealing?! Coming back to the story, our heroine Sue sat there in the room sketching with determination, trying to drown her sorrow into her art. Sud denly the sound of low moans broke her trance. She went quickly to Johnsys bedside. She was lying there eyes open wide and fixed outside the window. She was counting counting backwards! Sues solicitous glances found that Johnsy had her eyes on an old, old vine, the leaves of which had been ripped off its body, exposing the rotting skeleton. It had been losing leaves at an alarming rate, from over a hundred leaves on it three days ago to five Just then. In her desperation Johnsy cried out that her life would betray her the day the last leaf fell! Her friend rebuked her with magnificent scorn, calling her a scatterbrain! She declared that she wouldnt leave the room until she saw the last leaf fall off, which she was sure would happen before dark, and prove Johnsys paranoid fears unfounded. On the ground floor of Sues studio lived old Behrman. He was over sixty and sported a long Michael Angelo Moses beard dangling over an impish body. A failure in art his drawing board had waited forty years to receive the first line of the great masterpiece he planned to create! It was still waiting. He made both ends meet by serving as a model to young artists. And Sue was his regular customer. Later that day Sue went over to Behrman to get him to to him. The old man was visibly stupefied at what he heard and blabbered about illogical people of the world. Nevertheless, Sue went back home once her work was done. Days passed and the old vine started making small steps to becoming bald! As each day came and went, its leaves bid adieu one after the other. And Johnsy her belief was becoming a reality! She was slowly slipping away into death. So the leaves fell one after the other until one very last! Johnsy busied herself bidding her final farewell to the world. Days slipped away like sand; soon and fast, but the last leaf refused to fall off, determined not to betray its naked host! Rain, shine or the twilight, nothing could possibly make it part ways with the vine. The young woman waited and she waited still and then her patience wore off. The concluded that God didnt want her in his kingdom and realized that asking for death was a sin. For the first time through her illness she asked for her broth without waiting for Sue to Jostle it down her throat. Soon she was her true self again up and about! One afternoon as the two girls sat knitting, Sue broke the news of old Behrmans death from pneumonia. He was found cold and wet and in pain and beside him was a palette with green and yellow colours mixed on it. No one had wondered why the last leaf never fluttered, never moved Behrman had finally delivered his masterpiece! He had painted it the night the last leaf fell!

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Family Member SSD Benefits

Family Member SSD Benefits Can Family Members Receive SSD Benefits? If you are receiving Social Security Disability, your family members may be entitled to receive a portion of your benefits. These dependent benefits can be paid to a spouse, divorced spouse and children.Let’s take a closer look at the circumstances for each.Spouse A spouse who is caring for your child who is 16-years-old or younger may receive benefits. The benefits will stop once a child is 16-years-old. However, the child will typically receive benefits until he or she reaches 18-years-old.If a spouse is 62-years old or older and his or her Social Security retirement benefits are lower than yours, he or she can receive benefits.Ex-Spouse A divorced spouse who is 62-year-old or older and collects retirement benefits that are less than yours can receive benefits.The marriage between you and the divorced spouse must have lasted for at least 10 years.The divorced spouse must not be remarried.Minor Children Please note that your biological child, adopted child or stepchild can re ceive benefits.Children who are unmarried and under the age of 18 are eligible for benefits until they reach 18-years-old.Adult Children If a child is between 18 and 19-years-old and is a full-time student, (cannot exceed 12th grade) he or she will receive benefits until graduation or two months after turning 19, according to which event occurs first.Disabled Children If a child is 18-year-old or older and has a disability that started before age 22, he or she will receive benefits.Grandchildren In some cases, a grandchild can receive benefits if:The parents of the child are deceasedThe grandchild started living with his or her grandparents before turning 18-years-oldHe or she received at least 50% of their financial support from their grandparent the year before the grandparent qualified for SSD.How Much Can Family Members Receive? The maximum family benefit must be 150-180%. If you are receiving SSD benefits, the amount you will receive is set at 100%. For example, if a father is receiving SSD benefits (100%) his eligible wife, and two children will receive an equal amount of benefits that range from 50-80% in total.We Can HelpIf you are disabled and unable to work, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan  for a free confidential consultation. We’ll let you know if we can help you get a monthly check and help you determine if any money or assets you receive could impact your eligibility for disability benefits.Disability Attorneys of Michigan  works hard every day helping the disabled of Michigan seek the  Social Security Disability benefits  they need. If you are unable to work due to a physical, mental, or cognitive impairment, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan  now for a free consultation at  800-949-2900.Let Michigan’s experienced Social Security Disability law firm help you get the benefits you deserve.Disability Attorneys of Michigan, Compassionate Excellence. disability attorney, disability lawyer, Michigan Disability Attorney, social security disability family benefits

Friday, November 22, 2019

Judy Garland Biography and Profile

Judy Garland Biography and Profile Judy Garland ( June 10, 1922 - June 22, 1969 ) was a singer and actress who gained nearly equal acclaim in both fields. She was the first solo woman to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and the American Film Institute named her one of the 10 greatest female stars of American cinema. Early Years Judy Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Her parents were vaudeville performers, and soon Frances joined her older sisters Mary Jane and Dorothy to become the singing and dancing act the Gumm Sisters. The details remain murky, but around 1934, the Gumm Sisters, in search of a more appealing name, became the Garland Sisters. Soon after, Frances officially changed her name to Judy. The Garland Sisters group broke up in 1935 when Suzanne, the oldest of the sisters, married musician, Lee Kahn. Later in 1935, Judy was signed to a contract with film company MGM without the usual screen test. However, the studio was not sure how to promote the 13-year-old Garland; she was older than the usual child star but still too young for adult parts. After a few unsuccessful projects, her breakthrough moment came when she was paired with Mickey Rooney in the 1938  film Love Finds Andy Hardy. Personal Life Judy Garlands turbulent personal life was marked by several instances of heartbreak. When Judy Garland was 13 years old, her 49-year-old father succumbed to meningitis, leaving her emotionally devastated. Years later, her first adult love, bandleader Artie Shaw, eloped with actress Lana Turner leaving Garland crushed. She received an engagement ring on her 18th birthday from musician David Rose who was at the time still married to actress Martha Raye. After the divorce, Judy and David were briefly married. Just three years later, in 1944, the marriage ended.   Following an affair with legendary director Orson Welles, while he was married to actress Rita Hayworth, Judy Garland married director Vicente Minnelli in June 1945. They had one daughter, singer and actress Liza Minnelli. By 1951 they were divorced. During the late 1940s, Garland was hospitalized following a nervous breakdown, underwent electroshock therapy to treat depression, and began to have serious problems with alcohol addiction. During June 1952, Judy Garland married her tour manager and producer Sid Luft. They had two children, singer and actress Lorna Luft and Joey Luft. They divorced in 1965. In November 1965, Garland married tour promoter, Mark Herron. They were divorced in February 1969, and she married her fifth and final husband Mickey Deans in March. In 1959, Judy Garland was diagnosed with acute hepatitis, and she informed doctors that she was unlikely to have more than five years to live. She said she would likely never sing again and remembered feeling relief at the diagnosis because it reduced much of the pressure in her life. However, she recovered over a period of several months and began performing concerts again.   Film Career Following her success in a series of films with Mickey Rooney, the teenage Judy Garland was cast in the lead role of 1939s The Wizard of Oz. In the movie, she sang what became identified as her signature song Over the Rainbow. It was a critical success and Garland earned a special Juvenile Academy Award for her performance in both The Wizard of Oz and Babes In Arms with Mickey Rooney. Judy Garland starred in three of her most successful films in the 1940s. In 1944s Meet Me In St. Louis she sang The Trolley Song and the holiday classic Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. For 1948s The Easter Parade, she teamed with legendary dancer and actor Fred Astaire. She starred in 1949s In the Good Old Summertime with Van Johnson. It was one of her biggest box-office successes and featured the movie debut of Judy Garlands three-year-old daughter Liza Minnelli. By 1950, Judy Garland earned a reputation for being difficult while filming new projects. She was accused of showing a lack of effort while drugs and alcohol also interfered with appearing on time for shoots. In 1954, Garland made a celebrated comeback in the second film version of A Star Is Born. Her performance earned accolades from critics and audiences alike, and she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In 1961 she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Judgment at Nuremberg, but her days as a top Hollywood actress were over. Music Career The last two decades of Judy Garlands life were dominated by her success as a singer in concerts, TV shows, and on record. In 1951, she launched a highly successful tour of Great Britain and Ireland performing for sold-out audiences. The songs of vaudeville legend Al Jolson were a centerpiece of her concerts. During the tour, Garland experienced a rebirth as a performer. In 1956, she became the highest-paid entertainer yet in Las Vegas earning $55,000 a week for a four-week engagement. Judy Garlands first appearance on a TV special took place in 1955 on the Ford Star Jubilee. It was CBS first full-scale color broadcast and was a received stellar ratings. Following three successful TV specials in 1962 and 1963, Garland was given her own weekly series,  The Judy Garland Show. Although it was canceled after only one season, The Judy Garland Show earned four Emmy Award nominations including for Best Variety Series. On April 23, 1961, Judy Garland performed a concert at Carnegie Hall that many consider the highlight of her live performance career. A double album of the show spent 13 weeks at number one on the album chart and earned a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. After her TV series ended in 1964, Garland returned to the concert stage. She performed live at the London Palladium in November 1964 with her 18-year-old daughter, Liza Minnelli. A 1964 Australian tour turned disastrous when Garland was late to take the stage and accused of being drunk. Judy Garlands final concert appearance took place in Copenhagen, Denmark in March 1969, three months before her death. Death On June 22, 1969, Judy Garland was found dead in the bathroom of a rented house in London, England. The coroner determined the cause to be an overdose of barbiturates. He indicated the death was accidental, and there was no evidence of suicidal intent. Garlands The Wizard of Oz co-star Ray Bolger said at her funeral, She just plain wore out. Although initially interred at a cemetery in upstate New York, in 2017, at the request of Judy Garlands children, her remains were transferred to the Hollywood Forever cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Legacy Judy Garlands reputation as one of the greatest entertainers of all time remains strong. More than two dozen biographies have been written about her since her death, and she was listed by the American Film Institute at #8 among all-time greatest female movie stars. The American Film Institute also listed her performance of Over the Rainbow as the top movie song of all time. Four more, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Get Happy, The Trolley Song, and The Man That Got Away are listed in the top 100. Garland received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1997. She has been featured twice on U.S. postage stamps. Judy Garland is also considered to be a gay community icon. There are differing reasons offered for that status, but the most common include identification with her personal struggles and her relationship to camp culture. In the late 1960s, news accounts of Garlands nightclub performances disparagingly commented on homosexual men being a disproportionately large part of the audience. Many also credit Over the Rainbow as being an inspiration for the gay communitys ubiquitous rainbow flag.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Safe Work Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Safe Work Environment - Essay Example The main question is whether or not the untidy state of the office in connection with the moving of desks and filing cabinets was such that it was a breach of the employer’s statutory duty to provide a safe and healthy workplace. Assuming therefore that a work system was devised in which employees were supervised and competent regarding working around the boxes, and there was a reasonable explanation for the untidy state of the office, the employer is not in breach of the statutory and common law duty to provide a safe and healthy workplace. The main question is whether or not it was reasonably practical to move the boxes from the work area and whether or not it was reasonable to expect for workers to assume some responsibility for their own safety given the state of the office at the time (Smith v Scott Bowyers 1986). The employer can also expect employees to exercise some degree of common sense in situations where an obvious danger exists (O’Reilly v National Rail 196 6). ... n that James would play a practical joke on Juliana and it would appear that the injury suffered by Juliana was a result of the practical joke and not as a result of the untidy state of the office. It is not known whether or not James was predisposed to playing practical jokes on the job. For example it was held in Smith v Crossley Brothers (1951) that where employers were unaware of the fact that an employee was a practical joker they cannot be vicariously liable for the harm caused by a practical joker on the job. In such circumstances the practical joke cannot be predicted nor can it be prevented. Moreover, in such a case, the employee is said to be off on a frolic of his own and not acting in the course of his or her employment (Smith v Crossley Brothers, 1951). Had James played a practical joke in the course of performing a duty, the employer would be vicariously liable for James’ behaviour and the resulting injury to Juliana (Harrison v Michelin Tyre Co. 1985). If he is known to be a practical joker on the job and the employer did nothing to stop or prevent James playing practical jokes, they may be vicariously liable for the injuries to Juliana (Hudson v Ridge Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 1957). It was held in Hudson that when an employer is aware that an employee by his or her behaviour poses a source of danger to other employees, the common law duty of care to provide a healthy and safe workplace requires the employer to remove that source of danger (Hudson v Ridge Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 1957). It therefore follows that now that the employer is aware of James’ behaviour and there is a reasonable belief that James may repeat this behaviour, the employer may dismiss James (Albernethy v Mott, Hay and Anderson 1974). The onus is on the employer to prove that the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Grace Hopper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Grace Hopper - Assignment Example She would become an employee of the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation. Hopper made valuable contributions in the development of programming languages and applications for the UNIVAC computer. She developed a compiler which helps to act as an interface between machine language and human language. This revolutionary accomplishment now forms the basis of modern programming languages and applications. It helped to create the basic syntax for coding applications. Hopper would invent the term â€Å"computer bug† when a real moth was found to be trapped in the UNIVAC computer (Beyer, 69). Hopper’s greatest contribution was the development of the COBOL which became the standard blueprint for modern programming languages. COBOL was easily understood and applied by computer programmers. It uses English language syntax as a means of developing efficient and effective applications. Hopper made valuable contributions in creating standards for programming languages. These standards have led to the immense proliferation and development of applications. Grace Hopper will always be acclaimed for making computer technologies accessible to the general public. Her valuable research now forms the basis of modern applications and

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Human Sexuality Essay Example for Free

Human Sexuality Essay Teresita went to a fraternity party because shed heard that this fraternity really knew how to have fun and she really needed fun after a disastrous academic week. She knew that some women had been taken advantage of at previous parties, but she put that out of her mind, as she downed one drink after another. Just when things were getting dull, the coolest guy on campus took her by the hand, led her upstairs and talked her into having sex. The next day, Teresita noticed that her vagina was bruised and bleeding. She barely recalled having sex, but knew who was responsible for her condition, and filed rape charges against him with the campus administrator. Phillip was alone on the beach. Midnight was his favourite time of day, there were no other people around and he could really enjoy the sound of the waves and smell of the ocean breeze. He was almost asleep when he felt two women sit down next to him. One of them held down his arms while sitting on his chest. The other woman pulled down his bathing suit and began fellatio. In spite of his struggling and his anger, he got an erection. Both women took turns sitting on his erection, and left him when they were done. Phillip was confused he couldnt tell if he had been raped or not. He knows he didnt want to have sex with these women he didnt know, but cant understand why he couldnt fight them off (they were both smaller than him) and why he had an erection. Monica is seventeen and has been having sex with guys since she was fifteen. Gary is twenty-one and heard that Monica was hot stuff in bed. They go out and have consensual sex. Next day, Garys friend tells him he raped Monica. Is Garys friend correct?

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Quasars and Active Galaxies Essay -- Essays Papers

Quasars and Active Galaxies The astronomical world is full of phenomena beyond the average person’s imagination. The technical tools and analytical methods astronomers use are very complex. The enormous numbers and distances are mind boggling. Theories behind astronomical phenomena are based on yet another theory. In order to understand the concept of quasars and active galaxies, one must first have a feel for the astronomical numbers involved. Secondly, a basic knowledge of the tools of the trade, and finally, a working knowledge of astronomical jargon. Once there is a working knowledge of the aforementioned factors, then there is the chance that one could be able to assimilate the complex theoretical properties that are used to discuss quasars and active galaxies. In order to understand the large numbers used to express the vast distances discussed in astronomy, one needs to relate these numbers to everyday life. During everyday conversation, people may say things like â€Å"the national debt is trillions of dollars,† â€Å"the lottery is up to 31 million dollars,† or â€Å"John Doe is a billionaire.† An astronomer might say that â€Å"one astronomical unit equals 93,000,000 miles or that a light-year is 5,870,000,000,000,000 miles.† The human comprehension level of all of these terms is probably nowhere near the actual truth behind how large these numbers really are. To obtain a feel for these gigantic distances used by astronomers, Astronomy Magazine writer, John P. Wiley says it may be helpful to keep in mind that it takes thirty-one years to count to one billion at the rate of one number per second. He also puts a voyage to a galaxy that is a billion light-years away into perspective by calculating how long it would take to get there in a vessel speeding along at 18,000 miles an hour. The trip would take 37 trillion years. When discussing galaxies and quasars, billions are the smallest numbers used (56,57). The theory of how quasars are created is based on the idea that the universe is expanding. Among astronomers, the popular consensus is that the Earth is in an expanding universe in which the laws of physics will hold true beyond this planet as well. G. Mark Voit, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute, believes that the beginning of the universe was a time when many galaxies would be visible to the naked eye b... ... telescopes like Hubble, and the Very Long Baseline Interferometry Space Observatory (VSOP), have also proven useful analytical tools for astronomers. Black holes and quasars are interdependent theories. The explanation of black holes leads to an explanation for quasars. These phenomena lead astronomers to believe that there may be places in the universe where the laws of physics may break down, opening doors to new theories for future astronomers (Hawkings). Works Cited Bartusiak, Marcia. â€Å"Outsmarting the Early Universe.† Astronomy 26.10 (1998): 55-59. Chaisson, Eric., and Steve McMillan. Astronomy Today. 3rd ed. Toronto: Prentice-Hall, 1999. Disney, Michael. â€Å"A New Look at Quasars.† Scientific American 278.6 (1998): 52-57. Hawking, Stephen. â€Å"Universe.† PBS Home Video. BBC-TV, 1997. Olsen, Steve. â€Å"Black Hole Hunters.† Astronomy 27.5 (1999): 48-55. Peterson, Ivars. â€Å"The Birth of Twin Quasars.† Science News 137.4 (1990): 60. Voit, G. Mark. â€Å"The Rise and Fall of Quasars: Dormant Monsters May Lie Sleeping in Nearby Galaxies.† Sky & Telescope 97.5 (1999): 40-46. Wiley, John P. Jr. â€Å"A Googolplex of Galaxies.† Astronomy 27.5 (1999): 56-57.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Health Promotion in Nursing Care Essay

Many years ago, people focused on disease and illness and not staying healthy or preventing illness from occurring. People did not go to the doctor for wellness checks but rather only if they had an ailment. Immunizations have removed some of the diseases that were causing death among the individuals that had contracted the illness. Health promotion has come to the forefront in medical practice since the movement of Healthy People that focuses on health and not illness. Health promotion can be perceived differently by individuals. â€Å"Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behaviour towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions† World Health Organization website (as cited in Casey 2007). Nurses have a vital role in health promotion in all health care settings, be it at home, in a clinic, hospital, or out in the community. It is important for the nurse to understand that health promotion is not only for the healthy but also for individuals that are disabled, have a chronic disease or are dying. By administering education and referrals to other health care professionals, the nurse is providing individuals the tools they need to experience the highest level of health possible for their given situation. Often nurses are engaging in health promotion activities while interacting with patients and are not aware of this as it becomes automatic in daily practice. Health promotion in a hospital setting can be as simple as encouraging deep breathing exercises and early mobilization to prevent pneumonia. Nurses can serve as a role model and educator in different settings such as at home with their own family members, clinics, hospitals or in the community (Lazarou, C., & Kouta, C. 2010 ). One role of the nurse in health promotion is to collaborate with all providers involved. Collaboration is especially important when working in a homecare setting to make sure a diagnosis hasn’t changed or the primary provider hasn’t changed the treatment plan. Supporting health promotion will help the economy by reducing illness and disease, allow faster recovery of illness and improve one’s quality of life. Effective health promotion teaching ultimately depends on how open the individual(s) is to change (Casey 2007). Prior to providing health promotion material, it is important to assess the learner to obtain their preferred learning method and any cultural issues that would affect the teaching. The teaching material has to be age appropriate for the learner. If they do not understand what is being taught, the teaching will be a waste of time for the nurse as well as the individual(s) involved. A nurse can passively mention a health promotion idea while caring for their patient to see their response to the concept. This passive approach could spur a conversation regarding the idea and make the patient more receptive to learning. After assessing the patient for learning readiness, providing written material and encouraging individuals to make a change is a good place to start a promotion activity. Another implementation approach would be to involve the patient’s family if the teaching involves cooking or other lifestyle changes. This approach will add a support system for the patient but also make others in the household aware of changes that need to be made. Depending on what the lifestyle changes are, they could benefit the entire household, not just the patient. The patient should be involved when setting health promotion goals (Casey 2007). If the goals are set by the nurse, the patient will probably not be as receptive to making a lifestyle change. Another method effective for health promotion is motivational interviewing. The patient is involved during all stages of planning. They not only decide on the goal, but also figure out what barriers they may face that would hinder their success. This approach would work well for implementing health promotion for increased activity and incorporating more fruits and vegetables into one’s diet. (Whittemore et al., 2010) There are three types of health promotion. The first type of health promotion is primary prevention. This type of prevention is often carried out in a community setting. Fluoridation of water to help lessen cavities, smoking bans in public areas and immunizations are examples of primary prevention as they remove the risk factors or causes of disease. The second type of health promotion is secondary prevention. Annual physicals, mammograms and colonoscopies are examples of secondary prevention because they are able to detect disease early, often before the patient is symptomatic. At this level of prevention, it is hoped that the disease is caught early enough so the effects can be reversed. The third type of health promotion is tertiary prevention. During this stage of health promotion, the patient already has the disease so the aim is to slow the progression to allow the patient to have the highest quality of life possible. Blood glucose control for the diabetic to try to prevent blindness and limb amputations is one example of tertiary prevention. Rehabilitation after a stroke would also fall under tertiary prevention (Oberg 2010). Over the years, health promotion is an important responsibility that has shifted from the physician to the nurse. They can participate in health fairs or partner with organizations and schools within the community to provide seminars. If funding for a program is an issue, grants might be available for funding. Physicians, dentists or dieticians may volunteer their time or help with the funding for school programs. Nurses could also participate with corporations to promote healthy lifestyle changes to lower health insurance premiums for their employees. As more people focus on wellness instead of illness, opportunities for the nurse to encourage health promotion are endless. References Casey, D. (2007). Nurses’ perceptions, understanding and experiences of health promotion. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 16(6), 1039-1049. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2007.01640.x Lazarou, C., & Kouta, C. (2010). The role of nurses in the prevention and management of obesity. British Journal Of Nursing (BJN), 19(10), 641-647. Oberg, E. (2010). Preventive services update. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, 9(4), 22-26. Whittemore, R., Melkus, G., Alexander, N., Zibel, S., Visone, E., Muench, U., & †¦ Wilborne, S. (2010). Implementation of a lifestyle program in primary care by nurse practitioners. Journal Of The American Academy Of Nurse Practitioners, 22(12), 684-693. doi:10.1111/j.1745-7599.2010.00562.x View as multi-pages

Saturday, November 9, 2019

J.M Coetzee Foe Paper

Then adds, â€Å"But perhaps it is the doing ot Providence that Friday tinds himselt on an island under a lenient master, rather than in Brazil, under the planter's lash, or in Africa, where the forests teem with cannibals† (24). Here, Cruso defends Friday and highlights the unfair ways of the slavery that removed Friday from his homeland. Cruso even calls himself a â€Å"lenient† master, demonstrating that he does care for Friday. This affection corroborates the idea that Cruso and Friday have a father-son relationship, but there is also strong evidence to prove that Cruso sees Friday as a lave.Coetzee portrays this relationship in a multifaceted way, that leads to the speculation of two conclusions; one conclusion being that Friday is like a slave to Cruso, another conclusion is that Friday is like a son to Crusoe. Coetzee creates Friday as a key narrative tool, which Coetzee uses to hammer home a broader motif: a connection between Fridays relationship with Cruso and apartheid. However, little is known about this central character except for his slave identity and speech deficiency.The reader is told that when Friday was a child, he was taken by the lavers, and that they cut off his tongue to â€Å"prevent him from ever telling his story: who he was, where his home lay, how it came about that he was taken† (23). Thus the mutilation of Friday's tongue ensures that his story remains buried within himself. The relationship between Cruso and Friday seems to strongly resemble the relationship between the oppressors and the oppressed in South Africa during apartheid.Friday, silenced by an unknown entity, represents the people that have no opportunity to speak out, but hold the stories that tell the tale of apartheid from a ifferent viewpoint. But these people cannot speak. They, like Friday, are silenced. They are the ones that need to be heard. Struck by the urgency of Friday's silence, Susan admits, â€Å"To tell my story and be silent on F riday's tongue is no better than offering a book for sale with pages in it quietly left empty† (67).Susan believes that her story is useless without input from Friday. This directly correlates to the story of South Africa, and it being useless without the moving stories of the oppressed people. Friday shows some sign of rebellion when Cruso becomes ill with the fever. Here, Friday makes no effort to help Susan take care of Cruso. Fridays motives are unclear here, but it could very well be his remorse finally rearing its ugly head, finding a way to fght the oppression that has chained him all of his life.Nevertheless, immediately after Cruso recovers, Friday is restored to being a servant mindlessly serving a master. In South Africa, the oppressed people were afraid to take a stand against the government, Just like how Friday is tentative to take a stand gainst Cruso. Friday waits until Cruso is week with the flu, and then makes a sly, seemingly accidental attempt at revenge. C oetzee views this inability to act out and stand up as a major detriment to both Friday and the oppressed people of South Africa.Fridays conformity and silence runs in tandem with the oppressed society of South Africa at the time that Coetzee wrote Foe. Cruso represents the oppressor, only teaching Friday what he needs to know, never more. The lack of disclosure and freedom that Friday experiences throughout the novel is characteristic of apartheid. Coetzee uses this relationship as a vessel to deliver the subtle yet powerful comparison of slavery to South Africa.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The eNotes Blog 10 Websites for Students Seeking SummerInternships

10 Websites for Students Seeking SummerInternships There comes a time in every student’s academic career when internships become highly encouraged, perhaps even required. They’re a great way to learn about an industry, gain valuable work experience, and develop personal skills. In fact, studies show many Fortune-500 companies retain over 80% of their interns as entry-level hires. Summer is peak internship season, but don’t feel discouraged if you haven’t found anything yet. There’s still time to find an internship that’s right for you. Lets look at ten websites to help make the internship search a little less stressful- now and all year long! 1.  WayUp.com Designed for early career professionals, WayUp makes finding your internship match a breeze. After creating a profile, you can see pages of internship opportunities that have been specifically selected for you based on how well you match the employers’ qualifications. The filtered results ensure that your skill set fits the bill of your potential employer, so no more tirelessly scrolling through positions that require years of experience you may not currently possess. 2. Idealist.com If you’re interested in working in the nonprofit sector, this is the ideal (wink, wink) website. Idealist ensures that the opportunities presented are personalized based on your industry of interest and strongest skills. Not ready to commit to an internship? Check out their volunteer opportunities or their various urban social groups to get involved with a community or program you may want to pursue in the future. 3. MonsterCollege For over 20 years, Monster.com continues to be one of the leading job searching websites. MonsterCollege specifically helps students and recent grads prepare for life after college. From resume advice to dressing for success, they cover everything you’d want to know before venturing into the working world. The site is interactive, informative, and provides an abundance of insight into strategies for success. 4. LinkedIn Sometimes, finding an internship is all about who you know. LinkedIn helps you directly connect with employers, recruiters, and people you’ve already met. It’s like the Facebook for job hunting- except you don’t have to deal with any obnoxious memes clogging your news feed. You can customize your profile to reflect your skills, ideas, and career ambitions. One of the best features on LinkedIn is its â€Å"Easy Apply† button; all you have to do is click the button and LinkedIn sends employers your resume and phone number. If they think you’re a good fit, they’ll reach out to you. 5. GoAbroad.com Who says you have to look for an internship near home? Feed your wanderlust and build your resume with meaningful travel. GoAbroad features hundreds of internship opportunities among dozens of different countries. The â€Å"Help Me Pick a Program† feature assists in narrowing down the search by focusing on your travel goals and desired timeline. You can even go abroad and earn a couple college credits while fulfilling your internship duties. All of this while maximizing adventure?! It sounds like a pretty incredible plan to me. 6. Glassdoor for Students Glassdoor for Students is a section of Glassdoor.com dedicated to helping students find work. You can compare salaries, reviews, benefits, interview questions, and employee satisfaction to other companies within the same field. The best part about Glassdoor for Students is its unlimited access to all of these perks just by signing up with your school email address. What’s better than getting the inside scoop from the people who’ve actually worked there? If you’re lucky, you may even receive a few interview questions to help you prep for your big day. 7. InternQueen.com Intern Queen was founded back in 2009 after its creator recognized the need for a more personalized way for young people to connect with career and internship opportunities. The website offers year-round internship opportunities for on-site and remote programs. They also maintain a strong social-media presence that’ll keep you in the loop if any special programs arise. 8. CollegeRecruiter.com College Recruiters help students and recent grads find seasonal jobs, internships, and entry-level work. Their custom search database is easy to navigate and offers filters to help you find the perfect fit. They also have articles, blogs, and videos to help individuals along the way with their search. They even provide a free resume critique where their writing experts confidentially review and provide feedback on your resumes and other employment correspondences. 9. SummerInternships.com   Don’t let the name fool you! Summer Internships offers internship opportunities year-round. Sponsored by Dream Careers, this site offers programs in eleven major cities, including London and Paris. With over 25 different industries to choose from, you just may find your dream career. Its custom internship placement has helped over 17,000 students find their perfect programs for over 17 years. 10. Your School’s Recruitment Portal / Handshake Be sure not to overlook your school’s recruitment portal. Aside from the career services on campus, many school websites offer a portal for students to connect with alumni and other recruiters. Many schools are now pairing up with Handshake, a growing, early-talent network. Handshake aims to bridge the opportunity gap that students face when trying to build careers. They’ve united over 9-million students and young alumni with over 250,000 employers on one network. Bonus Tip!: Make Personal Connections Networking is a great way to build relationships and obtain credible advice from those working on the inside. Create a list of places where you’d want to work and try to connect with someone in the industry. Whether you chat over a cup of coffee or shadow someone on a work day, anything you can do to express interest and get your foot in the door is beneficial. There’s no need to feel intimidated or nervous about reaching out to someone; the people you’re trying to contact probably have been in a very similar position. Ultimately, you have nothing to lose! Your efforts will be welcomed and respected. Wherever your search may take you, remember that there are plenty of resources to help match you with the right internship.

Monday, November 4, 2019

African Americans and the Military

Even before the United States was listed as a country, African Americans already served in the army. From small villagers' militiamen to military and seamen, African Americans strengthened their efforts to defend and eventually acquired their freedom. The struggle for unifying and recognizing black soldiers is a slow job. According to President Harry S 's presidential decree in 1948, until the end of the Second World War, the US forces were completely legally unified. The African American first joined the army on June 1, 1942. More than 2.5 million African-American men were enrolled in military drafts and African-American women volunteered to serve during the war. During the war, the admission rate of African Americans reached the highest ever in history, and the number of people serving in the army exceeded one million people. However, the US military is still seriously isolated. Air Force and Marines did not hire African Americans, and the Navy accepted African Americans as chef an d waiter. The army has only five African American officials. In addition, during the war, no African Americans receive the Medal of Honor, their mission in the war is mainly reserved for noncombat troops. During the Civil War, African Americans played an important role in EFF. More than 200,000 African Americans, equivalent to 10% of all troops, work for allied forces. 37,000 people died in the fight for the league. Most are slaves serving in isolation forces of the Caucasian officer. African-American soldiers do not have the same rights as Caucasians. Caucasian soldiers are $ 13.00 per month and clothing allowance is $ 3.00, but African-American soldiers earn 10 dollars per month and deduct $ 3.00 from clothing income. However, on June 15, 1864, African-American soldiers received equal pay. African Americans were very suspicious at the beginning of the civil war. Alliance Navy accepted African-American volunteers. Frederick Douglas believes that if African Americans fight them, the y will help African Americans have the right of equality. At what age many children have helped them in civil war. Because of the African-Americans' disadvantage, black units are not used in battle like the past. However, African Americans have fought in countless fights. African Americans are fighting bravely. As the alliance needed a soldier, the North leader saw another reason for African Americans to participate in the civil war. Congress said loudly they wanted to recruit them because they think they might have more soldiers

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Selective Incorporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Selective Incorporation - Essay Example Selective incorporation has been applied in numerous instances to protect and uphold human rights especially in a criminal proceeding. This was done during the tenure of chief justice Earl Warren when the rights enjoyed by the criminal defendants were expanded. For example, in the case of Gideon v Wainwright, the defendant was accused of breaking into bay harbor pool hall and stealing cigarette change from the vending machines.Though Gideon requested a lawyer to be appointed by the states, the state of Florida declined, stating that this can only be done in capital offenses. However, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th amendment allowed all defendants to access the services of an attorney. This right, as stated in the sixth amendment of the constitution was meant to protect the rights of the accused and ensure the provision of free trails. The Miranda v Arizona established the principle of equal access to legal representation during a trial and the determination was based on select ive incorporation. Failure to inform a suspect of his right during arrest constitutes legal subjugation of their legal rights as contained in the first 8 amendments and the 14th amendment of the United States Constitution. The 5th amendment of the united states indicates that a suspect has a right to remain silent during arrest as any pronouncement made can be used against them in the determination of the case.The sixth amendment indicates that a legal counsel must represent suspects during the determination of their cases.

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Business proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business proposal - Essay Example This industry is being supported by the economic situation: the rise in real wages and growing food expenditure (Morrison). The European for Reconstruction and Development revised the growth projections for Russia increasing them by slightly above 0.3% and considering this change there is the need to increase production of processed food products in the market. Serovic Stores Inc. Russia is a mainstream food store in Russia and could do better-adding food and poultry products to its shelves. Sourcing these products from the Shuka Food Processors Co. LTD would allow the store to provide more products. These are new to the Russian market and beat the competition by having the healthiest and most delicious range of products gracing their shelves. The purpose of Shuserovis Food Processors Company limited to start the partnership to conquer the Russian processed food market. Consequently, it is in order to make an impact in the rich Russian market Shuka Food Processors Co. LTD needs Serovic Stores Inc. The investment in this lucrative venture would be a significant success for both companies that couple together. The partnerships are to come up with an enterprise for food production in Moscow to serve the Russian market. There market gap is owing to the increasing demand for food in China due to population growth, hence reducing the export of food products to Russia (Schweitzer). Currently, it means that the Russian economy has an additional order of about 15000 tons per year. The production capabilities of agricultural produce, in this case, is in the approximation of 35000tons per year, and approximately 75% of the total raw material will be from the Russian farmers.The projection of Investment benefits is 40.2million USD per year. Shuserovis Food Processors Company limited, require introducing new processed food products to the Russian market to beat the competition and to earn profits. The

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Three Important Benefits That IBM Will Receive From Outsourcing Essay

The Three Important Benefits That IBM Will Receive From Outsourcing Their HR Functions To Fidelity - Essay Example This is called outsourcing. Many large companies now outsource jobs such as call center services, e-mail services, and payroll. These jobs are handled by separate companies that specialize in each of the services by means of contracts. Today more and more companies are resorting to outsourcing. This is attributed mainly to the increased efficiency and cost cuts. Earlier small companies and companies which were newly established would resort to outsourcing, but today even giants like IBM are making use of it. In July 2002, a deal was negotiated between International Business Machines Corp. and Fidelity's Employer Service Co. According to the deal, Fidelity's Employer Services Co. unit was to take over key human-resources functions for 260,000 IBM employees and retirees. Fidelity was to hire 450 of IBM's 1,200 U.S. human-resources employees. Among the jobs Fidelity would handle for IBM were health-plan administration, career services and pension administration. IBM would continue to provide other functions in house, including payroll (Johannes L. and Armstrong D. 2002). According to the article "The benefits of outsourcing for small businesses (n. d)", "Though reducing expenditure is not the prime reason for outsourcing, it is certainly a major factor. Outsourcing converts fixed costs into variable costs and releases capital for investment elsewhere in the business. Outsourcing makes the firm more attractive to investors, since of the ability to pump more capital directly into revenue-producing activities." Though true for small companies, it applies equally well for giants like IBM. In the case of IBM this is exemplified by the fact that the human resource functions of 260,000 workers and retirees have been taken over by Fidelity which has specialization in the field. If the former were to do the same job, it would certainly prove more costly than that of the latter. The funds saved, if invested elsewhere in the company would improve revenues. Also this would make IBM more attractive to investors, as the saved capital can be invested in the revenue generating areas and core fields. Increase in efficiency: As IBM is a research oriented company specializing in manufacturing computers, it has a high research and development expenditure. Fidelity's cost structure and economy of scale can give IBM Corp an important and strategic advantage. This would help in decreasing the labor costs. The success of IBM depends upon short term projects that it undertakes. Hiring and training workers for short-term projects can be very expensive and short term employees don't always live up to the desired expectations (The benefits of outsourcing for small businesses). IBM's deal with fidelity will play a leading role in improving overall efficiency by decreasing labor costs. About 450 workers in IBM Corp.'s Raleigh employee service center will transfer to Fidelity Investments beginning Aug. 1, as part of an agreement that allows Boston-based Fidelity to administer IBM's pension plan, the 12th largest in the United States (450 IBM employees to transfer to Fidelity. July 2002). The transfer of 450 out of 12 00 members in the human resource division would certainly decrease the labor costs by more than one third in that particular division. Also as the number of employees is decreased, it increases the scope for other employees to make their jobs secure. More security means more productivity which in turn means more efficiency. Focus on core businesses. IBM, too, like any other company has

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Evolutionary Roots of Deception: Book Review

Evolutionary Roots of Deception: Book Review Loredana Lenghel Deception – Evolution’s Hidden Agenda â€Å"Deceit is the Cinderella of human nature† (2004, p.2) says David Livingstone Smith in his book â€Å"Why We Lie, The Evolutionary Roots of Deception and the Unconscious Mind†. The author tries to show, through several examples and intriguing connections, that lying is an evolutionary adaptation which allowed the human species to thrive. He argues that â€Å"Deceit () is essential to humanity but disowned by perpetrators at every turn† (2004, p.2). The book proves to be an ambitious try at showing that deception is an intrinsic part of cognition; that it comes naturally to all humans. Even more spectacular is his try to convince us that deception is controlled by the unconscious mind, thus allowing for self-manipulation. For this purpose, Smith uses The Machiavellian Mind Theory arguing that humans’ extra Intelligence allows them to overcome primal needs, thus being advantageous for social manipulation. The author’s aim is to convince the reader that manipulation plays a central role in the evolution of humans. He argues that in order for our ancestors to thrive in the ever developing social context and increase their fitness, they were required to come up with ways to mediate social encounters. He starts by showing that everyone is a â€Å"natural-born liar†. From baby monkeys to human infants, from religious myths to children stories, lying is ubiquitous and a part of all cultures. Smith argues that lying does not resume to just words, people also lie with their bodies and actions. Even more intriguing, lying is not always aimed at someone else. He proposes that â€Å"we are equally adept at deceiving ourselves† (2004, p.21). The unconscious is actively trying to conceal information from us through the process of self-deception; an idea not unique to Smith (Chance et al., 2011; Hippel Trivers, 2001). He continues to show that not only humans are â€Å"manipu lators and mind readers†. He gives examples of deception from the animal sphere, from camouflage and mimicry to more sophisticated ways of deception, such as language, he argues that these are proof that deception is an evolutionary advantage. Mind reading, an organism’s ability to predict another’s behaviour, increases its chances of survival, thus acting as an adaptation. It is the driving force behind evolution because â€Å"Mind reading facilitates deception, and deception encourages mind reading† (2004, p.35). In â€Å"The Evolution of Machiavelli† he elaborates on the roots of deception and self-deception. He argues that deception was used by our ancestors to conceal their true intentions. The ones that were superior in this aspect had an edge over others. He presents Nick Humphrey’s papers in which he argues that the race between the best deceiver and the best mind-reader was what gave birth to human intelligence, allowing them to manage the increasing social complexity. This hypothesis is supported by others, who, by looking at the neocortex’s size, brain part involved in relationship mediation, found evidence in support for the social intellect theory (Dunbar, 1992). They argued that the ratio of the neocortex volume is the best predictor of group size. Moreover, Orbell et al. argued that Machiavellian intelligence could have evolved alongside cooperation (Orbell et al., 2004). This idea raises the question whether, as Smith said, unconscious deception would be eve n more beneficial for cooperation and the increase of the human species. His next chapter builds on the idea that self-deception is possible due human mind’s division into unconscious and conscious regions. He argues that the time between the unconscious awareness and conscious perception is what allows the Machiavellian module to act and distort the information. He supports Freud’s idea that â€Å"consciousness had no role in mental processing† (2004, p.97). To portray this intriguing proposition of self-deception being an adaptation, Smith used a creative analogy. He argued that humans are constantly part of a game of â€Å"social poker†. In order to win it, one needs to anticipate the other player’s move by using the mechanisms of deception and mind-reading. To improve their own strategy and avoid being foreseeable, the mechanism of self-deception became an adaptive advantage. By believing the lie themselves, other players could not predict their moves. This analogy shows the benefits of self-deception. That being sai d, some argue that even though there might be short-term psychological benefits, self-deception can come with long-term costs, such as an inaccurate prediction of future performance (Chance et al., 2011) or loss of information integrity which can result in inappropriate action (Hippel Trivers, 2011). The device that allowed for this to happen, he says, was the evolution of language, which ushered the struggle between deception and detection. Language offered an advantage in the social poker game, giving more chances of success to those with this skill. In his view, social exchanges are monitored by the unconscious Machiavellian mind. This module is sensitive to both the conscious and unconscious cues of others because it is the Machiavellian module itself who communicates through unconscious verbal insinuations. He argues that this idea is â€Å"less bizarre than it might at appear† (2004, p.121). Coded communication might have evolved due to the language’s initial purpose, gossip. Concealing information from third parties and exchanging confidences through cheap gossip allowed for secret alliances and a favoured position in the social circle. He affirms that â€Å"For our species, all roads lead to self-deception and thus to unconscious communication† (2004, p.147). At a first look online, it is noticeable that only with the title this book has stirred some controversy. Commentaries stating that the book â€Å"got them hooked† from the beginning were prevailing. The book was generally regarded as an interesting read, but not a piece of strong evidence for its propositions. Pinker (2010) did not view it as an attempt to persuade readers, but rather, as an attempt to recruit researchers into conducting studies to test the theory’s value. Others regarded the book as highly speculative without even considering the â€Å"obvious counterarguments† (Sager, 2004). Sager argued that not even the speculations seem plausible, thus begging the question whether they could even lead to anything more. Dickins (2005), although being less critical, agrees with the general argument that the connection made between the unconscious and deception is questionable. In conclusion, Smith’s book presented itself as a worthwhile read. First catching my attention by not completely disregarding Freud’s theories, and then using it to stir controversy upon human integrity, it undoubtedly offered some food for thought. Even though converting readers into believers of its cause is improbable, the book will make them critically analyse their interactions and looks for the smallest hints of (self)deception. The style of writing and creativity in portraying ideas were an additional bonus to the book’s appeal, raising interest in Smith’s other works. Bibliography Chance, Z., Norton, M. I., Gino, F., Ariely, D. (2011). Temporal View of the Costs and Benefits of Self-Deception. PNAS, 15655-15659. Dickins, T. E. (2005). A Necessary Pain in the Heart. Retrieved March 02, 2014, from Human Nature. Dunbar, R. I. (1992). Neocortex Size as Constraint on Group Size in Primates. Journal of Human Evolution, 469-493. Hippel, W. v., Trivers, R. (2011). The Evolution and Psychology of Self-Deception. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1-56. Orbell, J., Morikawa, T., Hartwig, J., Hanley, J., Allen, N. (2004). Machiavellian Intelligence as a Basis for the Evolution of Cooperative Dispositions. American Political Science Review, 1-15. Pinker, S. (2010). The Cognitive Niche: Coeolution of intelligence, sociality, and language. PNAS, 8993-8999. Sager, A. (2004). Review Why We Lie The Evolutionary Roots of Deception and the Unconscious Mind . Retrieved March 02, 2014, from Metapsychology: http://metapsychology.mentalhelp.net/poc/view doc.php?type=bookid=2262 Smith, D. L. (2004). Why We Lie The Evolutionary Roots of Deception and the Unconscious Mind. New York: St. Martins Griffin.