American Agriculture DBQ

Industrialism drove our country to advance and develop quickly from 1865 to 1900. All aspects of society felt the impacts. Agriculture in America, experienced these new effects, changing completely the way it was conducted in the states. As technology increased, and the invention of new tools came about, farming was able to commercialize and become more efficient. Economic conditions of this time, hindered the farmers profitability and growth. New policies enforced by the government in this era sought out to help agriculture, but on occasion angered the farmers.Agriculture in the states changed drastically from 1865 to 1900. Technological advances boomed starting in the 1860’s, totally improving the ways of American agriculture. Railroads were growing in size, and allowed for transportation of crops to become exponentially more efficient. A map showed the amount of railroads in 1870 compared to 1890; they tripled in size. (Doc B) Cyrus Mccormick was an inventor and farmer duri ng this era. It was his idea to build the first combine. This basically created a quicker harvesting process of crops.Mccormick wasn’t the only one innovating in this time. 1n 1868, James Oliver invented the steel plow. This was yet another tool, which increased the speed at which one could gather crops. Corbis Bettmann took a photo of a wheat harvest in 1880. A plow similar to Oliver’s was being dragged behind several horses in order to collect as much wheat as possible quickly. (Doc D) However, it wasn’t just crops that were being shipped out faster. Cattle and all livestock were being grown and slaughtered at greater rates.In 1884, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, published an article describing slaughtering capacity at a local Chicago establishment. It stated that it had â€Å"†¦ a slaughtering capacity of 400,000 head annually. † (Doc F) They were raising livestock faster than ever before. Economic conditions in the US hindered the agricult ural growth during this era. Prices and inflation were uncertain and ever-changing, causing strife in the farming communities. Over the course of 35 years the prices of crops

Martinez Company Essay

Introduction Martinez Company is introducing a new product that may be manufactured by using either one of two methods, capital intensive, or labor intensive method. For the capital intensive method, the manufacturing costs per unit are; direct material at $5.00, direct labor at $6.00, variable overhead costs at $3.00 and fixed manufacturing costs at $2,508,000 for the period. For the labor intensive method costs per unit are; direct materials at $5.50, direct labor at $8.00, variable overhead costs at $4.50 and fixed manufacturing costs at $1,538,000 for the period. The research department of Martinez Company recommended an introductory unit sales price of $30. The selling expenses are approximately $502, 000 annually in addition to $2 for each unit sold regardless of the manufacturing method used. The second part of the research is to determine how many units the company will have to sell annually for both methods to be equal. To determine this number the company will need to calculate the indifference point. The calculation is the total fixed cost of both methods is subtracted and then  divided by the contribution margin per unit for each method. Indifference point = (3,010,000-2,040,000)/(14-10) = 242,500. So the company would have to sell 242,500 units for both methods to be equally profitable. This is good information because based on the manufacturing cost of each production method the company will have to sell a specific number of units to maximize profitability. Based on this number the company will select each method in accordance with the projected number of units to be sold. Capital-Intensive Manufacturing vs. Labor-Intensive Manufacturing In the future, the Martinez Company will need to use either capital-intensive or labor intensive method for production. Capital intensive manufacturing method focuses on a high level of capital investment, while labor intensive focuses on a high level of labor investment. Capital intensive manufacturing method is mostly used on a large scale production with automated processes. Labor intensive method is mostly likely used on smaller scale production with personalized products. The capital manufacturing method is also based on whether the organization is producing a standardized product or an exclusive product. The labor intensive manufacturing method should be used when a substantial amount of customer interaction is needed. Capital intensive manufacturing method can be used when the work is too dangerous for employees. With labor intensive manufacturing method there are lower fixed costs and higher variable costs. With the capital intensive manufacturing method there are higher fixed costs and variable costs. In this case, the capital intensive method would be the preferred choice if the sales are expected to be higher than the indifference number of $242,500. Capital intensive manufacturing method limits competition by serving as a barrier to entry and as a capital intensive business, the Martinez Corporation can benefit from this. Barriers to entry are obstacles that prevent new companies to function in capital-intensive industries. Capital intensive manufacturing minimizes human error resulting in a more effective and efficient productivity. Another great advantage with capital intensive manufacturing method is the minimal labor impact.

Advertisement and Vice Product

When is the last time you go to order a burger in fast food shop? And recently have you ever went to a convenient store and purchased a pack of cigarette? Nowadays advertisement of fast food, tobacco and alcohol product are catchy in magazines, newspapers, TV commercials or bus stop stations and it seems these products have become part of our daily lives. Fast food, tobacco and alcohol products are advertised as our â€Å"trusted friends† and fast food, tobacco and alcohol companies are targeting not only adults but also teenagers and children to be their potential customers. What are the possible adverse effects brought by these â€Å"vice† or unhealthy products to us and our young generations? It is a known fact that consuming too much fast food, tobacco and alcohol can link to certain health problems such as obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, elevated cholesterol intake and related cancers. In fact, it is estimated in 2010 there are 222,520 new cases of lung cancers and the number of deaths from lung cancer is 157,300. Cigarette smoking accounts for at least 30%of cancer death and 87% of lung cancer. Excess consumption of alcohol drinking is the key factor for developing certain cancer and this may increase the risk in having lung cancer. Nevertheless, the issue of consuming too much fast food have drawn the attention of the public too as it contributes the tripled rate of overweight among adolescents and the doubled rate among small children since the 1980s. Despite of such threat to the health of the public by excess consumption of such fast food, tobacco and alcohol products, why is the public still spare their money on purchasing such health-risking product? Rpgger Parloff, â€Å" Is Fast the nest tobacco? For Big Food, the supersizing of America is becoming a big headache, Fortune Magazine, 8/3/2000, page 1 paragraph 1 and 3 ) Perhaps the answer to such question is how much faith we have in these products. It seems we always believe that companies like McDonald, Burger, Heineken or Marlboro are trust-worthy and everything they tell us in their advertisement is true and they claim they are doing their best to serve their customers. But the fact is we are already scammed by these advertisements which are aggressively prompted by companies intentionally abetting us to have confidence in their products. What are the advertisement strategies used by these companies? Fast food companies attract children to purchase fast food by launching advertisement with imaginary characters such as Ronald Donald, including toys in their fast food meal and creating kid clubs or building more playgrounds in their chains. The fast food companies know that children are too young to judge what is right and what is wrong and they are not able to comprehend the purpose of the commercials and believe that everything claimed by the commercials are all true. The Fast food companies are using all their effort to make children develop brand loyalty and recognition to their business so as to encourage children to be their potential customers. Fast food Companies also attract young people to buy fast food by offering soft drinks and snacks in schools or building more chains in school areas in order to encourage students to buys fast food for regular meals. Unfortunately, tobacco and alcohol companies are using even more aggressive strategies to attract future customers. These companies include elements like sexual content to make teenager have ideas that smoking or drinking can make them more mature and there is nothing wrong with enjoying a materialistic life. It is shocking that in most of the tobacco and alcohol commercials there are sexy models in clubs or parties, making exotic posture to make the readers arouse all kinds of fantasy. For example, I remember there is one alcohol advertisement by Bacardi which there is a young woman with underwear in panther’s pattern is striping her clothes off while she is holding a glass of wine. What would young people think about this advertisement? To most of the teenagers there are plenty of things that they are restricted to know about when they are very young. Many young people are very eager or curious to explore new stuff like sex or even smoking and drinking. Tobacco and alcohol companies are now even focusing 18-to-25 year old markets by promoting events at bars and sponsoring rock and blues concerts. Every year alcohol companies spend $5. 7billions on commercials concentrated in sports programs to make their products part of the fun in the matches. Such advertisement strategies by fast food, tobacco and alcohol companies may seem not a big deal to us, however it would be not wise for us to ignore the potential impacts by such products as they are already influencing our life little by little. Too much fast food not only has brought harm to young people’s health but also distorted their universal values by misleading them that everything are granted when their parents promise to buy them fast food after they constantly nag or beg their parents. For cigarette and alcohols, even though these products are for adults only, we should not underestimate the potential harm to teenagers. More and more teenagers may become pro-longed smokers and drinkers and eventually some of them may end up giving up their future by abandoning their study or jobs. In worst case scenario there may result in family dispute and violence. It would be very sad that teenagers choose to have a materialistic life in which he or she immerses themselves in joy-seeking activities like drinking, smoking or even taking drugs only without searching for the real meaning of life. Is there anything we or our government can do to stop fast food, tobacco and alcohol companies from manipulating our lives and protect teenagers from become overweigh victims of obesity or bad habits of smoking and drinking? Our government has the obligation to advocate and carry out certain measures to restrict fast food, tobacco and alcohol companies to promote their unhealthy products to the public. First of all, our government should implement laws that ban direct advertisement of fast food, tobacco and alcohol advertisement to people less than 18 years old through magazine, newspaper, TV programs or commercials and internet. Most children enjoy watching TV everyday and they receive tremendous amount of information from TV channels. Some of these information are educative while some of them are rubbish only. However children are not mature to distinguish what is purpose of such commercials. For example, when children see a commercial promoting McDonald’s burger with Ronald Donald dancing around, he or she may not know that McDonald wants them to ask their parents to pay them 5 dollars for a meal. Instead they may think eating McDonald meal is enjoyable and Ronald Donald is their trusted friend. Indeed big companies don’t really care what kind of consequences will happen on our ulnerable children after they spend so much money on making advertisements and deliver them to the public without taking any responsibility; they only care about how well the advertisements work and promote their products. Hence It is very urgent that our government should advocate and implement certain law to stop such immoral way of advertising by restricting broadcasting of fast food, tobacco and alcohol commercials until it is 10:00 pm when all children are in bed or requiring fast food, tobacco and alcohol companies to make advertisements without mentioning sensitive terms such as â€Å"cigarette†,†beer†,†smoking† or†drinking†. As cigarette and alcohol are proven to be harmful to our health, commercials related to such products should even be banned from magazines or newspaper. If companies violate such laws they have to pay a large amount of fines and people in these companies who are responsible for posing such advertisement may need to go behind bars. However, somebody may argue that such policy is just a seemingly feasible method to stop big companies aggressively advertisement; there are always loop hole for fast food, tobacco and alcohol companies to advertise their products. But does it mean we should not do anything? According to Eric Schlosser’s book â€Å"Fast Food Nation†, â€Å"The academy did not recommend a ban on such advertising because it seemed impractical and would infringe upon advertiser’s freedom of speech. Today the health risks faced by the nation’s children far outweigh the needs of its mass marketers. † Long time ago people didn’t expect much from banning of cigarette advertisement from radio and television, but now everybody knows that smoking is fatal to their health. Hopefully by doing that the fast food companies will consider change their recipe into a healthier one and ultimately help children get rid of their unbalanced eating habits. Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation, Harper Perennial, USA, 2005, page 262) Secondly, adding more tax to fast food may be a feasible idea to encourage people to eat less fast food. Also more tax can be added to toys which are included in children meal in fast food shop. Often children are attracted to fast food simply just for the toys but at the end parents are the ones who pay for the meal. If the parents think the fast food is not worthy, they will start buying less fast food. People have the choice to ake decision for themselves and they can judge whether to buy an expensive fast food meal or not when healthy and cheaper food becomes an alternative to them. It would be a wise idea to prohibit fast food companies from offering soft drinks or fried food in schools or opening chains in area where schools are nearby in order help children resist the temptation of tasty burgers and French fries. According to administrators in San Francisco and Seattle, â€Å"it’s our responsibility to make it clear that schools are here to serve children, not commercial interest. And indeed recently, according to a research published in Journal of Law and Economics in November 2008, elimination of tax deductibility of food advertisement cost equals to increas ing the food advertisement cost by 54%. (Science Daily, â€Å"Ban on fast food TV advertisement would reverse childhood obesity trends, study shows, 1/27/11, < http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2008/11/081119120149. htm > ) Lastly, our government can consider making it mandatory to require cigarette manufacturer put on warnings on cigarette packing to make sure that all smokers know the consequence of pro-longed smoking to their body. Of course it wouldn’t be effective enough to have words of warning printed on the packing, so in order to make the warning more deterrent, certain kind of photos should be printed on the packing as well. What kind of photos would be suitable? In Hong Kong photos of black lungs or skeleton with a burning cigarette in its mouth are printed on the packing of cigarette to remind smokers that smoking is a self-destructive behavior rather than a relief. According to Lori Ferrsina, advocate for the American Cancer Society of Massachusetts, â€Å"Reducing public smoking is a golden nugget in its impact on youth. You are changing the world you raise kid in, not just telling them it’s bad for them. † We shouldn’t exploit other’s freedom of smoking, but at least we should facilitate an environment in which we can help people stay away from trying their first puff of cigarette. ( Marianne Lavelle, â€Å"An Anti-smoking Ad vs. New Cigarette Marketing Ploy†, page 2, paragraph 10 ) In fact our government can resort to a more simple solution – education, to convince our future generations that taking care of their health is their own business. Education is another effective way to teach our young generations to make choices on what they eat. Education on how to maintain a balanced daily live and conveying the idea of understanding good health and nutrition should be included in lessons in school in order to let students know how much nutrition they can obtain from their daily meal and what would happen if they eat more than they need. Also children should acknowledge that excess smoking or drinking can result in higher risk of having heart diseases or cancers. Perhaps young people are not willing to pay attention to the importance of having balanced diets or staying away from smoking and drinking but at least they should be warned and have a brief idea of what would happen when they are addicted to fast food, cigarette or alcohol too much. It is our responsibility to help children realize they can make a choice on their diet before they are too late to make such choices. However, even our government is willing to do their best to protect us by implementing laws and policies, it is still our own business to take care of our health. What can we do to make sure we and our children can have balanced diets or stay away from bad habits of smoking or drinking? Firstly, it would be a good idea for parents to supervise their children when they are watching TV or browsing the internet. Some parents are not aware of what kind of TV programs or internet website their children are watching. This is definitely not good to children because they need adults to tell them what kind of messages they get from the media Is correct. If parents are willing to spare a little every day to accompany their children to watch TV or browse the internet, they can possibly prevent their children from accepting wrong information from the media by telling them the truth about excess consumption of fast food, cigarette and alcohol. In fact, simply telling children that they are too young to have too much fast food or smoke and drink, without explaining why adults shouldn’t do the same, is not convincing enough to persuade children that having too much fast food or smoking and drinking are unhealthy. So parents need to be role model to their children by having more balanced and health diets like sandwiches or fruits and quitting smoking or drinking. If parents can make lunch box for children to eat in school every day, children can obtain sufficient amount of nutrition and prevent them from being overweighed. To conclude, although it is our own choice to have or not to have fast food, cigarette or alcohol, that doesn’t make a reason for big companies to promote their products aggressively without considering their social responsibility. Now it is not the time to judge who is right or wrong, instead we should figure out what we can do for our future generations. Works Cited: Rpgger Parloff, â€Å" Is Fast the nest tobacco? For Big Food, the supersizing of America is becoming a big headache, Fortune Magazine, 8/3/2000, page 1 paragraph 1 and 3 Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation, Harper Perennial, USA, 2005, page 262) Science Daily, â€Å"Ban on fast food TV advertisement would reverse childhood obesity trends, study shows, 1/27/11, < http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2008/11/081119120149. htm > Marianne Lavelle, â€Å"An Anti-smoking Ad vs. New Cigarette Marketing Ploy†, page 2, paragraph 10

MAI Systems Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MAI Systems Corporation - Case Study Example Recently, Softbrands purchased the Company back in August 2006. Since its inception in 1957, the Company has gone through significant changes. Being an opportunist and thanks to IBM and the Justice Department in 1956 when the entire computer industry was under the monopoly of IBM, Walter R. Oreamuno and his associate came up with an idea of re-purchasing the computer equipment from IBM customers and leasing it back to the customers at a lower rate than what was being offered by IBM. This idea was a great boast to the MAI's growth but did not last that long. During this time, the Company opted for an IPO with an Not realizing IBM's strategy of depreciating its punch card equipment and the innovation of 360 third generation computer, MAI invested substantially in the older equipment that resulted in MAI's growth to stall. During 1967, a major setback on merger plans with Transamerica, Oreamuno stepped down as the CEO and was replaced by Luther Schwalm an ex-IBM veteran. With a shift in strategy, the earlier investment in the older IBM equipment did not prove to be fertile, Schwalm decided to write-off the outdated older equipment. MAI's cash flow was impacted so substantially that its net worth in 1970 was negative $ 28 million. Oreamuno's decision proved out to be so wrong that even Schwalm was unable to bring the Company out of trouble. It was that when in 1971 MAI's CFO took over as the President. With a new strategy, Kurshan reorganized MAI into a holding company with various subsidiaries. Basic/Four and Sorbus subsidiaries of MAI did well in bringing MAI back to life. Sorbus took advantage of MAI's existing 1,200-person maintenance staff as its core, and expanding from there. Basic/Four was a major success instantaneously. In 1972, Basic/Four introduced the first multi-user transaction-processing mini-computer to use the Business Basic language. Basic/Four's revenue grew up to $43 million, and it was contributing around two-thirds of MAI's tot al earnings. Focused on software products, MAI in 1977 took over acquired Word stream Corporation. This company was producing word processing systems and IBM-compatible CRT terminals. MAI shipped its 10,000th computer system in the year 1980. The market for these computers began to shift drastically at this time, and small companies were turning to cheaper, newly available personal computers instead of the mini-computers that had been Basic/Four's forte. In 1983, the company introduced its MAI 8000, a super-minicomputer nearly as powerful as a mainframe computer, which was proficient enough of servicing up to 96 users at one time. In 1984, a New York-based investor Asher Edelman purchased 12 percent of MAI's stock. Edelman by means of a proxy war for control of the company won four seats on MAI's ten-member board of directors. In the course of the proxy battle, Edelman received a settlement in the $1 million range following a libel suit filed against MAI concerning company advertisements. During April 1984, MAI International Corporation, the company's worldwide marketing arm, was folded into

To what extent has the credit crunch contributed towards a downturn in Essay

To what extent has the credit crunch contributed towards a downturn in UK house prices - Essay Example ers to ask for hefty deposits, with seven of the ten leading lenders not lending to borrowers who have less than 10 per cent deposit (Gilmore & Blakely 2008). This has led to increased stock of unsold property in the market, which in turn has led to the decline in house prices. According to the figures from Nationwide, the second-largest mortgage lender, the value of an average home fell by 1.8 per cent in April. This is 1.1 percent lower from April last year, amounting to a loss equivalent to  £5 per day (Gilmore & Blakely 2008). Shaftesbury, the British property company that has shops and restaurants in and around London’s Carnaby Street, announced a net loss of  £91.2m for the six months preceding March 31 as against a net earnings of  £212m for the corresponding period a year ago. This is the first announcement of loss by the group since 1992. This year, the company announced a fall in its net asset value by 11 percent (O’Grady 2008). The outlook for the coming quarter remains unexciting with more surveyors expecting a decline in rent. Graham Beale, chief executive of Nationwide Building Society, has predicted that this fall in house prices would continue, with further decline in prices into 2009-10. In the six months to the end of September, Nationwide had advanced mortgages worth  £1bn, considering repayments and redemptions, as against  £3.6bn in the corresponding period last year (Osborne 2008). The society reports an increase in arrears and repossession signalling that the adverse effects of the crisis are beginning to set in with the borrowers facing difficulties in making mortgage repayments. Repossessions doubled year on year, with 300 homes repossessed in the six months to the end of April as against 143 in the corresponding period last year (Osborne 2008). The Market Oracle predicts a 15% fall in the UK house prices over two years to August 2009 (Walayat 2008). It is expected that the UK would follow the footsteps of the US, where the housing

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example This ensures commitment of the staff in achieving company objectives leading to improved performance and productivity and consequently profitability and competitive advantage for the firm. Banco is a medium sized bank with over 300 branches and operates 24hours, seven days thus making its HR function complex. It faces stiff competition from other companies and needs to fulfil the needs of increasing customers prompted by rapid development in service industry of two nearby towns. Being located in an area of low unemployment, Banco needs to formulate policies and strategies that ensure employee retention. Banco policies are formulated at the head office and imposed on the branches despite the difference that exist in different localities and therefore do not consider diversity and cultural issues when making decisions. The management is bureaucratic in nature as no communication channels are available for the staff to communicate with senior administration except through union represen tatives. The company has training and development policy whereby responsibility is put on team leaders. The recruitment policy entails external recruitment by agencies and at the headquarters. Team work is encouraged and performance is measured through set targets which are supposed to be accomplished individually and through team work. The overall goal of the organization is to ensure quality services so as to retain customers and remain competitive in the service industry. Despite all these measures, its HR policies and procedures is not effective leading to labour turnover, absenteeism and declining profitability. The paper will discuss the various HR issues in the bank and appropriate recommendations to ensure the bank achieves its goals. Human Resource Issues and Recommendations Management One of the problems facing Banco is the manner in which it is managed. It is evident that all policies and procedures are formulated at a headquarters and implemented on other branches. The s trategies may be applicable in one branch but not the others due to cultural diversity. For example the rewards given to motivate workers are viewed differently by different individuals and cultures; some appreciate monetary rewards while others may appreciate non monetary rewards such as promotion so as to climb the social class. The local managers are not involved in formulating the policies and therefore they are not committed to implement the same in order to achieve results. The management team is also inexperienced and therefore cannot handle employees at the call centre if they themselves are not confident. The management also does not communicate directly with the staff but does so through the trade union and therefore may not realise the problems the employees are facing and handle them in order to gain loyalty and commitment. Banco can change its management techniques in order to achieve its objectives. It should appreciate diversity at workplace and hence involve local br anch managers in formulating policies and give them autonomy to formulate some policies at branch level in accordance with local needs. This is important in getting the local managers to feel they own the decisions thus are committed to achieving the company objectives. The managers also have knowledge of the area in which the call centres are located and are close to the customers

Financial Reporting Theory and Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial Reporting Theory and Practice - Essay Example Since the reporting of a company's performance greatly depends on which accounting standard is utilized, the firm's health often depends on the policies in financial reporting. One of the most important issues in financial reporting is the valuation of the company's assets. Since a firm's asset is often measured by the amount of resources it holds in its asset account, companies should not overlook the valuation measures they use. This paper will examine the valuation of tangible, fixed assets as set by FRS and IAS. Valuation of fixed assets is laid out on FRS 15 entitled Tangible Fixed Asset and in IAS 16 with the heading Property Plant and Equipment. However, standard setters differ in their requirements regarding revaluation. FRS 15 states that "none specialized properties should be valued on the basis of the existing use value, with the addition of notional directly attributable acquisition costs where material (53a)." Meanwhile IAS 16 necessitates that asset be measured at the fair value unless (a) the exchange transaction lacks commercial substance or (b) the fair value of neither the asset received nor the asset given up is reliably measurable.

Why Is Homeschooling Better than Public Schools Speech Essay - 10

Why Is Homeschooling Better than Public Schools Speech - Essay Example In less than two months, all of us we will be through with our assignments and syllabus. No influence from other children and outsiders, the health of our children will be under close monitoring of the parent and every stage of the child development will be noted (Stevens, 2001). If you have not guessed of what I am touching on, I am talking about homeschooling. In 2013 alone more than 2.05 million US students were homeschooling. This was an increase of 75% from 1999. Not only in the US where homeschooling has been adopted, in Indonesia as indicated by Home School Legal Defense Association, more than 3000 families have now turned to homeschool as their best way to educate and shape their children. a. It is obvious that the major difference between homeschooling and public school is that the former is safer since the parent is with her or his child all the time. In public schools, bullying is very common, a vice affects the motivation of the children leading to poor performance. While parents who take their children to public school are not aware of what may happen to the child, parents who educate their children at home closely monitor their children and in case of any behavioural deviation, they address it on time. a. A major misconception about homeschooling is that it makes the children not to be exposed to life experiences. This is not true as far as I am concerned. Homeschooling children have adequate time to go for outing and meet their friends for example during the weekends (Welner and Kevin, 1999). Through social media, they can intermingle with their colleagues. There is no discrimination based on race, religion or nationality at home. Just by being comfortable during and after studying, the children are motivated to study the following day and they do not worry school as compared to their public school counterparts. b. More than 70% of homeschooling children take the career they choose. They are not influenced by their friends neither do the parents force them.

Role of the US Financial System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Role of the US Financial System - Essay Example The financial system consists of two types of markets: the money markets and the capital market. The money markets are financial assets with a maturity date of one year or less. The most influential of all money market instruments which provides liquidity to the system are treasury bills. Treasury bill are 90 day maturity short term bills which pay the investors a modest interest rate for of approximately 4-5% for borrowing money to the government (Jsj, 2007).. Treasury bills are sold in the public market by investors and are considered a risk free proposition for investors since the assets is guaranteed against the US treasury reserves. The government along with the federally issued T-bill also sales other types of financial instruments in the money and capital markets. The government sells a lot of government bonds in order to finance governmental expenses such as making infrastructure improvements, capital projects, and cover emergency expenses among other uses. Bonds are sold by the federal, state, municipal government, and state agencies to acquire funds to finance their operations. The capital market takes place in stock exchanges around the world. The United States has many stock exchanges including the world most powerful exchange called the New York Stock Exchange. Another powerful exchange is the over the counter market of NASDAQ. In the stock market industry there have been a lot of mergers between international exchanges joining forces to gain power. In the floor of the stock exchange the brokers make purchases and sales of common stock, preferred stocks, futures, options, bonds among other types of financial instruments immediately after a client places an order. The stock market and the exchanges in which activity takes place are an economic market structure that is considered a perfect competition. In a perfectly competitive market the market reacts to new information immediately and

Apple Computer, Incorporated Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Apple Computer, Incorporated - Essay Example Apple's main objective is to become the market leader by capturing a large share of the computing industry. Apple also apparently wanted to dominate the computing industry in terms of innovation. These objectives are backed with definite strategies which ushered Apple in its place in the global market. Apple's strategy is built on its core competence of developing technologically advance and innovative products. It should be noted that Apple is one of the major players in leading the evolution of personal computing since its establishment. During 1977, it can be recalled that the firm introduced the Apple II microcomputer which strongly captured home users. In 1983, Apple came up with another revolution-the Lisa which is the "first commercial computer to employ graphical interface." In 1984, Apple introduced another revolution-the Macintosh which is now known as Mac. Mac became the leader in employing user friendly graphical interface. Apple also succeeded in pioneering the use of the mouse in personal computers. The Mac marked a major success for Apple as it became a major influence in the development of graphical interfaces in other companies. ... In 1991, Apple launched its PowerBook line of portable computers "establishing the modern ergonomic form and design that has since become ubiquitous in the portable market" (Apple 1) The previous years further witnessed Apple's commitment to its innovation strategy as it expanded its focus by including professional and prosumer video, music and photoproduction solutions. Right now, Apple is also considered as a leading force in music space. Apple does not just bring innovative products to the market. The company also focused on bringing products which can better serve its customers. The saga of the innovations spearheaded by Apple recounts how the company invented more user friendly computing equipments. Thus, Apple also focuses on satisfying customer need by introducing new product features which makes computing easier. Because Apple's products are usually represents and features state of the art technology, they are positioned to attract technology savvy customers who can afford their quality. Apple strategically target customers backed by high purchasing power. Apple focuses on capturing customers in the middle and high end markets. Also, one of the most notable strategies employed by Apple is called "backwards marketing strategy." It should be noted that the company is charging its software a very low price. In fact, Apple almost gives away its software. However, this tactic is to get buyers purchase the higher priced hardware (Seward 1). Company Strengths Apple gained its name as one of the largest manufacturer and distributor of computing equipments and software. The company was able to gain this position through its competitive advantage. Apple has strong brand equity, recognized for its

My Immortal Soul Essay Example for Free

My Immortal Soul Essay Plato has roused many readers with the work of a great philosopher by the name of Socrates. Through Plato, Socrates lived on generations after his time. A topic of Socrates that many will continue to discuss is the idea of â€Å"an immortal soul†. Although there are various works and dialogues about this topic it is found to be best explained in The Phaedo. It is fair to say that the mind may wonder when one dies what exactly happens to the beloved soul, the giver of life often thought of as the very essence of life does it live on beyond the body, or does it die with it? Does the soul have knowledge of the past if it really does live on? In Plato’s The Phaedo, Plato recounts Socrates final days before he is put to death. Socrates has been imprisoned and sentenced to death for corrupting the youth of Athens and not following the rights of Athenian religion.[1] Socrates death brings him and his fellow philosophers Cebes, Simmions, Phaedo, and Plato into a perplex dialogue about this notion of an afterlife and what does one have to look forward to after death. Death is defined as the separation of the body from the soul. In The Phaedo death has two notions a common one which is the basic idea that the soul dies and the physical, idea that the soul separates from the body after death. â€Å"The soul is most like that which is divine, immortal intelligible, uniform, indissoluble, and ever self-consistent and invariable, whereas body is most like that which human, mortal is, multiform, unintelligible, dissoluble, and never self-consistent.† (Phaedo)[2] According to Socrates, knowledge is not something one came to understand but it was actually imprinted on the soul. Knowledge to Socrates was an unchanging eternal truth, something that could not be acquired through experience and time. Socrates friends believe that after death the soul disperses into the air like a breath. On the contrary Socrates believes that the soul is in fact immortal and if one wants to become free of pain they way to do so is to exempt themselves from the physical pleasures of the world. In this dialogue Socrates and the philosophers explore several arguments for this idea of an immortal soul. These arguments were to illustrate and verify that death is not the dying of body and soul collectively, but when the body dies the soul continues to live on. Socrates offers readers four main arguments: The Cyclical Argument, which is the idea that forms are fixed and external. The soul is the sole purpose of life in this argument, and therefore cannot die and it is also to be seen as virtually never-ending. Next is The Theory of Recollection, which insists that at birth everyone has knowledge that the soul experienced in another life. Meaning that the soul would have had to be existent before birth to bear this said knowledge. The Form of Life Argument confers that the soul bears a resemblance to that which is imperceptible and godly because it is abstract. The body bears a resemblance to the perceptible and the corporeal because it is objective. The Affinity Argument maybe the simplest of all. It reiterates Socrates thoughts of the body and soul, in saying that when the body dies and decomposes our soul will continue to exist in another world.[3] Since the soul is immortal it has been recycled many times, and has also experienced everything there is to experience, for Socrates and Plato this idea of recollection is much deeper than remembering something once forgotten. Socrates views knowledge as something that cannot be learned but the soul recalls it as it is being recycled. Grasping the understanding that things come to be beings by being composed of something pre-existing and when ceased these parts will continue to exist. Focusing on The Theory of Recollection, this is the claim that knowledge is innate, and cannot be learned. â€Å"What you said about the soul. They think that after it has left the body it no longer exists anywhere, but that it is destroyed and dissolved on the day the man dies.†(Cebes)[4] Socrates’ point for this argument is that our soul with holds this knowledge and we are born with it. Although we do not remember things before we are born it is said that certain experiences can nevertheless re awaken certain aspects of that memory. For example in The Meno, Socrates raises a mathematical problem to Menos slave boy, who does not have any prior training in mathematics. The boy thinks he knows the answer but Socrates makes him see that his initial hypothesis of the answer is wrong. By purely asking questions, Socrates gets the slave boy to state the right answer. Socrates insists that he has not told the boy the answer, but through questioning the slave boy, Socrates aided him to recollect the slave boy’s own knowledge of mathematics.[5] Furthermore Socrates also makes another example of recollection by stating if one were to come in contact with a picture or an item of a beloved then it would be simple to recall said person to the mind. This is the idea of how recollection works. If we examine this example and change certain aspects of it, it does not become very clear either. If a picture of a beloved one was shown to a stranger it is safe to say that the stranger would not be able to recall any thoughts, memories or details of the person in the photograph because they do not have any prior knowledge of said person. In order for the stranger to do so they would have had to been in acquaintance with that person in the photograph at one time or another. This act of resemblance is easier for someone who already knows the person. Plato also uses an example of a vehicle stating that before a vehicle is mobile there were parts that were made to turn it into a vehicle such as the engine, steering wheel, and etcetera. He continues to make the point that even after the vehicle breaks down that these pieces will still remain to create the next vehicle. According to Plato ordinary objects participate in this recollection of platonic forms themselves; these things remind of us platonic forms because the soul once encountered it. He persists that the soul must have ex isted because of this. All of which are ways to reiterate that this idea that knowledge is imprinted on the soul may have validity to it. In essence there was time where only the soul existed and it soon found a home in a body of another, making it now a mortal being(birth). Reincarnation is not only a rebirth of the soul but the neutralization of the knowledge one attained before birth as well. Then there is a period where our a priori knowledge seems to disappear only to reappear when it is recalled. It is claimed that we lose our knowledge at birth; then by the use of our senses in connection with particular objects we recover the knowledge we had before. However, this relationship between the perception of sensible objects and our capacity of finding knowledge can produce a series of confusions concerning whether it is possible to recall all prior knowledge. The problem in this argument and certain aspects of this notion of an immortal soul is that even if it were proven that we were made up something before birth, and something will remain after death, it is not for certain that it is the soul. Through scientific study it is understood that the body is also made of atoms it is also known that atoms existed before the body and will continue long after the body. The atoms that make up the body will in fact be recycled as well just as Socrates has the concept that the soul lives on. Plato and Socrates were correct on the idea that certain parts were in pre-existence does come to make one existent and will exist after death. Although even with this idea one cannot be certain that the soul is one of the parts of the body that is solely immortal. There is not adequate information given by Plato or Socrates to make this argument suffice. We must raise an inquiry of why is that in order to think of perfection we must have already had to have seen it? Aside from philosophical views, in everyday life we encounter imperfections and it is safe to say that the mind is capable of wondering what something of beauty, perfection, or a perfect circle appears to be. The mind is also able to think about these ideas even if the soul has never encountered it. If these arguments prove anything it proves that The Theory of Recollection and The Cyclical Argument both attest that the soul existed before but the arguments do not prove that the soul will continue to exist after this life. Works Cited 1. Cahn, M Steven. Classics of Western Philosophy. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc 2006 2. Morgan, K, 2000, Myth and Philosophy from the pre-Socratics to Plato, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 3. Partenie, Catalin, Platos Myths, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = . (April 11th2010) [1] Cahn- Plato’s, The Phaedo [2] Quote from the philosopher Phaedo [3] Socrates theories discussed by Plato [4] Phaedo 70a [5] Plato’s The Meno

Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Macbeth Essay Since the Mesopotamian era of 3000 B. C. numbers have been an essential part of life and are easily found throughout society, imbedded in religion, intertwined in mythology and commonly related with superstitions. Even in the twenty-first century people still believe in ancient numerical superstitions, such as the lucky number seven, or the unlucky number thirteen. During the seventeenth century William Shakespeare uses societal superstitions in his famous tragedy, â€Å"Macbeth†, by writing in a threefold literary pattern. Shakespeare reinvents the number three by relating in to evil and darkness throughout the play, providing it with a new superstitious meaning. â€Å"Macbeth† follows the transformation of the title character from thane to king, sane to evil. After putting down two rebellions against the King of Scotland, Macbeth is awarded title and favor with the gracious King Duncan. When greeted by three mysterious witches, they prophesy that Macbeth will be made Thane of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland. They also prophesize that Banquo will beget a long line of Scottish kings but will never be king himself. Macbeth and Banquo treat their prophecies sceptically until some of King Duncan’s men come to thank the two generals for their victories in battle and to tell Macbeth that he has indeed been named thane of Cawdor. In attempt to aid the prophecy, Macbeth murders the good Duncan and is crowned King of Scotland, but once his great goal to be king is achieved he begins to fear the prophecy brought forth to Banquo. In fear of being overthrown from the throne Macbeth goes on a psychotic rampage attempting to protect his future while ruining his sanity and brings upon himself his own demise. While entangling the threefold literary pattern into a tragic plot, William Shakespeare presents the appearance of three apparitions, the three murders, and the character choice of three witches to precipitate evil at the presence of the number three. Shakespeare turns the conventional and traditional meaning of three’s upside down in act one, scene one when he begins to relate the number to evil. Threes are commonly related to stability and completeness; in religion there is God omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, in time there are three divisions, past, present and future, and three grammatical persons- me, myself and I. In a dark and ominous meeting, Shakespeare introduces his audience to three women who will continue to haunt Macbeth throughout the play: the three weird sisters. As the first characters the audience has the pleasure of meeting, the witches set the mood for the entire play with a sense supernatural as â€Å"instruments of darkness† (I. iii. 136). In the opening scene of the play each witch speaks three times within the first eleven lines, the first two being â€Å"When shall we three meet again / In thunder, lightning, or in rain? coupling three undesirable and threatening circumstances, suggesting constrictions and limitations as these three things generally happen at the same time. The triplet pattern begins with this, giving a false sense of stability until to the audience until the witches state that what is â€Å"fair is foul, and foul is fair† (I. i. 12). This suggests that the stability of threes is actually a farce and will bring instability and chaos. Before t heir meeting with Macbeth, the fist witch informs her sisters that she has planned revenge against a sailor whose wife refused to share her chestnuts. Through her description of her plan, Shakespeare reveals to his audience that they posses great power but with limits unlike an instrument of fate would have. She plans to transport through a â€Å"sieve† (I. iii. 9) to curse him but she is not powerful enough to have him shipwrecked, only to have his ship â€Å"tempest-tossed† (I. iii. 26), showing their limits. As the first witch explains her plan she speaks in triplets, â€Å"I’ll do, I’ll do, and I’ll do† (I. iii. 11), to emphasize her evil intentions. When Macbeth and Banquo present themselves to the witches just moments later, they greet Macbeth â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter! † (I. iii. 51-53). Three greetings that seem so fair â€Å"of noble having and of royal hope† (I. iii. 59) are sure to turn foul. The greetings mimic the common greeting of the New Testament, â€Å"All Hail† (Matthew 28. 9). In Matthew 26. 49, Judas prepares to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin and Roman soldiers. His plan is to identify Jesus by greeting him with a kiss so that the soldiers will know which man to arrest. Judas approaches Jesus, saying, Hail Master. The witches greet Macbeth in a similar fashion, and, as Judas betrayed Jesus, so do the witches betray Macbeth. This mirroring comparison shows Shakespeare cutting all biblical and holy beliefs in the number three, using religious evidence to eliminate the idea that three is a number of stability. Shakespeare even has his three witches speak in contradictions to create moral confusion and increase the presence of evil, such as when the witches characterize Banquo as â€Å"lesser than Macbeth, and greater† (I. iii. 68). After stirring up quite a bit of trouble, the witches vanquish, not to be seen again until the first scene of the fourth act. The signal to begin their evil incantations is brought to the witches by three meows of a â€Å"brinded cat† (IV. i. 1). Again, the witches take turns, speaking in a threefold pattern, taking their turns and presenting a rhyming, triple statement to open the act; â€Å"Thrice the brinded cat hath mewd. / Thrice, and once the hedge-pig whined. / Harpier cries â€Å"‘Tis time, ‘tis time† (IV. i. 1-3). While working on concocting brew the witches chant around a cauldron, throwing in various items, taking turns to add their contributions, dividing the ingredients into three separate groups. When Macbeth arrives to the cavern he greets the witches as â€Å"secret, black, and midnight hags† (IV. i. 48), three negative descriptions dripping with evil connotations. The â€Å"weird sisters† (III. iv. 165) conclude the evil presence within triplet patterns by presenting three mysterious visions or apparitions to Macbeth, in order to provide him with the same sense of false security that the audience had felt initially. With thunder roaring in the background, Shakespeare thrusts his main character into various situations that would terrify any person â€Å"milk of human kindness† (I. v. 7). When Macbeth is faced with the three apparitions they bring him fair sounding news that is doomed to be destructive and â€Å"foul† (IV. iii. 28) because of the threefold predictable pattern. When the first of the three mystical spirits appears to Macbeth in the form of a floating warhead, warning him to â€Å"beware Macduff† (IV. i. 81), Macbeth shrugs it off, already knowing this. When the second apparition appears as a bloody child, it tells Macbeth that no man born of a woman can do him harm. This gives Macbeth great confidence: Then live Macduff: what need I fear of thee (IV. . 93). Finally, the third ghost appears as a child wearing a crown with holding a tree in hand. This phantom is the one to stir Macbeth’s blood and spook him and has him demanding to know the meaning of the final vision. The child tells Macbeth that he â€Å"shall never be vanquished [†¦] until/ Great Birnam Wood [comes] to high Dunsinane Hill† (IV. i. 105-106), a seemingly impossible task, but in the Shakespearean world of three’s, things are not as they seem. This, giving Macbeth false security, is followed by a procession of eight crowned kings all similar to the one before. The final king carries a mirror, showing a seemingly endless lineage of kings, frightening Macbeth into overbold, unthinking irrationality, contrary to his previous semi-thoughtful behaviour. The three apparitions all in still a false sense of self-assurance in Macbeth but after Shakespeare’s triplet patterns have caused nothing but grief during the play, the audience is able to see through the prophetic ghouls that act as symbols, foreshadowing the way the prophecies will be fulfilled. The warhead suggests a third rebellion, the first two put down by Macbeth while the third is caused by his treacherous ways in a turn of events that can only suggest that if Macbeth hasn’t died the first two times, then the third time’s the charm. The bloody child of the second vision is the image of Macduff as a babe â€Å"from his mother’s womb / untimely rippd† (V. viii. 19-20), delivered through caesarean section. This minor technicality that evades Macbeth is the key to his downfall, and thanks to his ignorance he believes he is invincible. The line of kings, thrust in Macbeth’s face is his last hope, the finishing blow. With the knowledge that there will be men who â€Å"are too like the spirit of Banquo† (IV. i. 127) Macbeth subconsciously knows that all hope is lost to him, but he clings to the second apparitions speech, claiming that he cannot be harmed by any person born of a woman. The terrible three’s that Shakespeare entangles into the apparition’s doom-filled messages not only anticipate the death of Macbeth, but also lead him to it. It is by his self-assurance, pride and ambition that Macbeth believes he will survive, hearing only what he wishes from the prophecies. Since the prophecies suggest he will be fine, Macbeth takes it to heart and believes so without watching out for himself; he does not attempt to prevent the rebellion, nor does he stay in the castle when he knows he is a target because â€Å"none of woman born [can] harm Macbeth† (IV. i. 91-92). By presenting these ghoulish visions, the witches lead Macbeth to his death by power of suggestion and lack of a complete digestion of the situation on the title characters part. The witches’ prophetic ways also lead Macbeth to far worse things than pride. Macbeth is urged by the third prophecy of being king to kill Duncan, King of Scotland. Although his wife is the â€Å"spur† (I. vi. 25) who pricks the horse of intent, the intent is spawn from the prospect of his hopes coming true. The third prophecy leads him to murder, using trickery to make the fair prospect of being King derive from such a foul act as unjust murder against the â€Å"gracious Duncan† (III. vi. 3-4). If Macbeth had stayed content with the first murder he could have lived a happier life, but troubled by the prophecy presented to Banquo, Macbeth fears for his throne and sets out to murder his best friend in a foolish attempt to disprove the prophecy. Macbeth performs his second murder. While this time, instead of doing it himself, Macbeth hires two murders, but as the fates have it a third joins the informal party. With the third murderer present, a seemingly easy kill has become a challenge and struggle because three is a crowd. If the third murderer was Macbeth, unable to stay away from the murder of his self-sworn enemy, it is no doubt that he tagged along to fulfill the destruction of a prophecy, only intensifying its after effects. Macbeth becomes miserable and his mind is unclear; the second murder had haunted him and caused him great fear. If not for the prophecies and initial trickery, Macbeth would have not stopped to rage against a friend that had been so dear to him and would have not killed Banquo in an attempt to save his own life, that was previously not in danger. The first two murders written by Shakespeare mainly show cause, but the third and final brings a big effect. With Macbeth murdering the innocent wife and children of Macduff, just because he fears Macduff knows the truth about Duncan’s murderer, the intent of murder changes. The first two were intended to attain and keep a powerful position, but when his pride and fear get the better of him, Macbeth hires men to commit the third murder with no sense of regret, as he had after murdering Duncan (â€Å"I am afraid to think what I have done† (II. ii. 66)). Nor is Macbeth mentally disturbed, as he had been after murdering Banquo, seeing ghosts. After the third murder, Macbeth is a well-seasoned professional and becomes emotionally detached from his victims as they become but another dead. The third murder backfires and works against Macbeth, only spurring the intent of Macduff to slaughter him more savagely than before. Shakespeare pushes the idea that there needs to be a third murder in order for symmetry and regulation, but by adding in a third murder, Shakespeare is able to, again, shatter all former pretences about the stability of the number three, changing its relationship to represent evil. While using triplet speaking patterns, triplet events and groups of three people, Shakespeare uses three savage murders, three frightening apparitions and three ugly, diabolical and manipulative witches to present the number three as a superstition, dragging along evil wherever it goes. While Shakespeare uses the number three to predict and present evil throughout the tragedy â€Å"Macbeth†, he strives toward changing societal views of the number. With a simple beheading, Macbeth’s tragic downfall is complete and caused entirely by the three prophecies foretold by the three witches who showed Macbeth the three apparitions and encouraged him to commit three murders. By introducing the three witches first, Shakespeare relates the number three to the hags immediately and through their chaotic destruction of people’s lives by influencing their sins, the witches represent all the evil of the prophecy.

Work-Family Conflict and Job-Satisfaction in Married Couples

Work-Family Conflict and Job-Satisfaction in Married Couples DISCUSSION A struggle which is common in most of the people nowadays is Work-family conflict. It is a battle which everybody is fighting i.e. to maintain the balance between work and family. This conflict is also affecting major sub-areas of work and family life and one of those areas is Job-satisfaction. Hence the present research study was aimed to find the relationship between work-family conflict and job-satisfaction and therefore is titled as â€Å"Work-Family Conflict and Job-Satisfaction in Married Couples.† The study was conducted on the sample of 80 i.e. n=80 which comprised 40 (50%) males and 40 (50%) females. All the participants were the university professors at Amity University Sec-125 Noida, Uttar Pradesh. For the conduction of research study, two standardized questionnaires were used. They are Work Family Conflict Scale developed by R.G.Netemeyer, J.S. Boles, R.McMurrian (1996) and Job-Satisfaction Scale (JSS-R) by Dr.B.L.Gupta (2009). In the study the indepenpedent varia bles are Work intereference with family (WIF), Family intereference with work (FIW) and gender. The dependent variable in the study is Job-satisfaction. Statistical analysis was done with the help of MS-Excel 2010. In statistical analysis, mean, standard deviations, T-tests and Pearson’s coefficient of correlation was calculated. The findings of the study broadly explain the impact of work-family conflict on job-satisfaction among males and females. The analysis of the sample population made it clear that there is no significant gender difference in the level of perception of work-family conflict and job-satisfaction. Work family conflict is a conflict between different roles of life i.e. work and family. It is always the result of imbalance between the individual’s work and family life. It arises when people fail to fulfil their responsibilities in both the areas as well as towards their personal development. There is various cause of work-family conflict such as long working hours, increased family demands, increased work-pressure, personality differences etc. These factors increase the incongruity in work and family domains and eventually result into work-family conflict. Job-satisfaction is usually defined as the level of contentment or gratification an individual has with his/her working environment. It is none other than his or her attitude toward the work, nature of tasks, supervision, colleagues, environment etc. Job-satisfaction doesn’t get affected by any one aspect of the job but it is something which gets generated by the cumulative facets of one’s job or work. Hence we can easily assume that it is not the one dimensional concept rather a multidimensional construct. Now we take into account the negative correlation of work-family conflict and job-satisfaction level of males and females. It was found in the result that there was a negative correlation between the two which means greater the work-family conflict, lesser the job satisfaction and vice-versa. The finding of the research is also supported by Patel C.J, Beekhan A, Paruk Z, Ramgoon S (2008) who studied work-family conflict, job satisfaction and spousal support. They discovered the effect of work on functioning of the family and its association to job satisfaction and it was found in the study that work-family conflict and job satisfaction was negatively correlated. On further analysis of the gender differences between males and females, we found that there was no significant difference between male and female in the level of perception of work-interference to family (WIF). Similarly it was also found that there was no significant gender difference in the perception of family interference to work (FIW). The above results are well supported by the study done by Sadia Aziz Ansari (2011) who studied the occurrence of WIF and FIW in both the genders. The outcome of the study showed that there was no significant gender difference in relation to work interference with family and family interference with work. There was no significant difference between work-family conflict and job-satisfaction of males and females. HYPOTHESES TESTING There would be a negative correlation between Work-Family Conflict and Job-Satisfaction. The stated hypothesis was accepted as the Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) was -0.22. It indicates that as the work-family conflict increases, job-satisfaction decreases and vice-versa. Family interfering with work would be more prevalent in women as compared to men. The stated hypothesis was rejected since t-value (0.11) was not significant. Work interfering with family would be more prevalent in women as compared to men. The stated hypothesis was rejected since t-value (0.24) was not significant. There would be no significant difference on work-family conflict and job satisfaction of men and women. The t scores for work-family conflict and job satisfaction of men and women are 0.69 and 0.61 which are not the significant score. Hence our hypothesis stands accepted. CHAPTER-6 SUMMARY CONCLUSION SUMMARY The present investigation is titled as â€Å"Work-Family Conflict and Job-Satisfaction in Married men and women.. The concerned study is conducted on a sample of 80 with 30 (50%) males and 30 (50%) females were taken from universities across Noida , Uttar Pradesh . The study used the standardised test of Work-Family Conflict by R.G.Netemeyer, J.S.Boles, R.McMurrian (1996) and Job-satisfaction scale by Dr. B.L.Gupta (2009). The study showed that there is a negative correlation between Work-Family Conflict and Job-Satisfaction among males and females. This indicates there is an inverse relation between the two. The more the work-family conflict among individuals the lesser the job-satisfaction and vice-versa. The present study determines also revealed that there is no significant gender difference in the perception of work to family conflict and family to work conflict. It was also shown in the study that there was no significant gender difference on work-family conflict and job-satisfaction. To make the research more scientific the following hypothesis were made There would be a negative correlation between Work-Family Conflict and Job-Satisfaction. Family interfering with work would be more prevalent in women as compared to men. Work interfering with family would be more prevalent in women as compared to men. There would be no significant difference on work-family conflict and job satisfaction of men and women. The findings of the research suggests There is correlation between Work-Family Conflict and Job-Satisfaction. It indicates that as the work-family conflict increases, job-satisfaction decreases and vice-versa. There is no significant gender difference in the perception of family interfering with work. There is no significant gender difference in the perception of work interfering with family. There is no significant difference in work-family conflict and job-satisfaction of males and females. CONCLUSION Work-family conflict and Job-satisfaction has a negative correlation. It mean they have inverse connection. If work-family conflict increases jobs-satisfaction tends to decline and vice-versa. There is no gender difference in the level of perception of work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict. There is no significant gender difference in job-satisfaction and work-family conflict. LIMITATIONS The present investigation may have some limitations as it was carried out in a short period of time and with limited resources. Some important limitations are: Due to sensitivity of the topic individuals might not have disclosed the truth completely. There was no control over other relevant variables. Small sample size might have the effect on the results. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS Work-family conflict is a strong predictor of job-satisfaction among employees suggests that by being flexible as an employer one can increase the level of job-satisfaction. For reducing work-life conflict and increasing job-satisfaction level, an individual should learn to prioritize tasks. It would help him/her in a positive manner. If an individual is facing stress at work-place due to which he/she having conflicts with the family, in this case they need to identify the stressors and work upon them. Also they can communicate with their family members and share their concerns. Lastly it is very important to take out personal time i.e. a time which they spend with themselves. It will reduce the stress and pressure of an individual which would eventually lower the conflicts. The present investigation is titled as â€Å"Work-Family Conflict and Job-Satisfaction in Married men and women.. The concerned study is conducted on a sample of 80 with 30 (50%) males and 30 (50%) females were taken from universities across Noida , Uttar Pradesh . The study used the standardised test of Work-Family Conflict by R.G.Netemeyer, J.S.Boles, R.McMurrian (1996) and Job-satisfaction scale by Dr. B.L.Gupta (2009). The study showed that there is a negative correlation between Work-Family Conflict and Job-Satisfaction among males and females. This indicates there is an inverse relation between the two. The more the work-family conflict among individuals the lesser the job-satisfaction and vice-versa. The present study determines also revealed that there is no significant gender difference in the perception of work to family conflict and family to work conflict. It was also shown in the study that there was no significant gender difference on work-family conflict and job-satisfaction. To make the research more scientific the following hypothesis were made There would be a negative correlation between Work-Family Conflict and Job-Satisfaction. Family interfering with work would be more prevalent in women as compared to men. Work interfering with family would be more prevalent in women as compared to men. There would be no significant difference on work-family conflict and job satisfaction of men and women. The findings of the research suggests There is correlation between Work-Family Conflict and Job-Satisfaction. It indicates that as the work-family conflict increases, job-satisfaction decreases and vice-versa. There is no significant gender difference in the perception of family interfering with work. There is no significant gender difference in the perception of work interfering with family. There is no significant difference in work-family conflict and job-satisfaction of males and females. CONCLUSION Work-family conflict and Job-satisfaction has a negative correlation. It mean they have inverse connection. If work-family conflict increases jobs-satisfaction tends to decline and vice-versa. There is no gender difference in the level of perception of work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict. There is no significant gender difference in job-satisfaction and work-family conflict. LIMITATIONS The present investigation may have some limitations as it was carried out in a short period of time and with limited resources. Some important limitations are: Due to sensitivity of the topic individuals might not have disclosed the truth completely. There was no control over other relevant variables. Small sample size might have the effect on the results. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS Work-family conflict is a strong predictor of job-satisfaction among employees suggests that by being flexible as an employer one can increase the level of job-satisfaction. For reducing work-life conflict and increasing job-satisfaction level, an individual should learn to prioritize tasks. It would help him/her in a positive manner. If an individual is facing stress at work-place due to which he/she having conflicts with the family, in this case they need to identify the stressors and work upon them. Also they can communicate with their family members and share their concerns. Lastly it is very important to take out personal time i.e. a time which they spend with themselves. It will reduce the stress and pressure of an individual which would eventually lower the conflicts.

The Saddest Day :: essays research papers

It was one of those superb days that makes you forget all your problems and makes you grateful that you are alive. The sun was beaming down scintillating honeyed rays to the earth, turning everything they touched into gold. The wind was a light blowing breeze, like angels breathing softly upon the world. The birds were singing their most beautiful songs turning the trees into radiant symphony orchestras. The crystal clear sky must have transformed into a mirror over the Caribbean Sea, for it was of the most beautiful shades of blue I had ever laid eyes on. The leaves were blowing around on the ground, already changed to fall colors of browns, yellows, and even pinks. The air smelled refreshing like a splash of cold water on your face when you awake in the morning, and crispy like an autumn leaf. Indeed, it was a glorious day, but you should never judge a book by its cover. As I stepped out of the house that morning, I took a deep breath and let the morning air fill my lungs. I was off to school, my Dad was waiting impatiently for me in the car. Beep! Beep! I heard the horn blow, echoing off the brick wall of my apartment. I hurried along to the car, barely jumping in before my Dad started to pull away. "You need to get ready a little faster you know." He said to me with what seemed to be a permanent stern look on his face. I wasn't going to argue with him today. It was too splendid out to fight, so I just nodded my head and smiled. I went through the day feeling great. School seemed as if it had zoomed by and before I knew it I was walking home. The weather was still the same, if not better by now. As I passed little children on my way home I smiled thinking about when I was little how great it was then. The worst thing in the world then was a scraped knee, and now it was a broken heart. As I neared my house I got a chill down my spine, like a cold gush of air when you open the freezer. I didn't think anything of it at the time. It was just a chill and I got them all the time. But now I know to be scared when I get one of

The First Descent of the Grand Canyon Essay -- American America Histor

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Wesley Powell was one of the foremost explorers in American history, and his first descent down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon is one of America’s greatest adventure stories. Although he is not as well known as other explorers, his travels and his contributions to American history are significant because they represent a spirit of discovery motivated not by self-glory or the acquisition of gold or land, but by a curiosity about and appreciation for both the natural world and the native peoples of the West.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Wesley Powell pursued knowledge and the uncommon experience his entire life. Born in 1834 in Ohio to a Methodist minister, he became interested in science as a boy and was fortunate to have a neighbor who was both an amateur scientist and a willing teacher (Stegner 13–14). In 1846, the Powell family moved to Wisconsin, where John Wesley struggled to continue his scientific education against the will of his father, who wanted him to become a preacher. In 1857, he set off on his first great adventure: a trip down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in a rowboat (Stegner 16).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1861 Powell enlisted in the Union Army and was elected captain of artillery under U. S. Grant. He was wounded at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862 and lost his right arm. Despite his debility, however, Powell returned to active duty and finished the war (Stegner 17).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the Civil War, Powell became a professor of science at Illinois Weslyan and curator of the Illinois State Natural History museum. In 1867 he went on his first expedition to Colorado and began his life-long love affair with the American West and the native peoples who lived there. The next year he went back to Colorado and spent the winter amon... ...de him fearless and victorious against hardship. Because of his unfaltering dedication to knowledge and the preservation of the West, Powell is truly one of the most significant American explorers of the nineteenth century. Works Cited Hillers, John K. â€Å"Tau-gu, Chief of the Paiutes, and Major John Wesley Powell.† 1873. National Anthropological Archives. Washington: Smithsonian Institution. Powell, John Wesley. The Exploration of the Colorado River. Ed. Wallace Stegner. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1957. ---. Report on the Lands of the Arid Region of the United States. 2nd ed. Washington: GPO, 1879. ---. â€Å"Wreck at Disaster Falls.† Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries. Washington: GPO, 1875: 26. Stegner, Wallace. Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1954.

Identify Marks and Spencers market position and determine why they nearly collapsed :: essays research papers

Identify Marks and Spencers market position and determine why they nearly collapsed Introduction Marks & Spencer is one of the UK's foremost retailers of clothing, foods, homeware and financial services, boasting a weekly customer base of 10 million in over 300 UK stores. Marks & Spencer operate in 30 countries worldwide, and has a group turnover in excess of  £8 billion. It has specific values, missions and visions. It’s main vision is ‘to be the standard against which all others are measured’, it’s main mission is ‘to make aspirational quality accessible to all’, and it’s main values are quality, service, innovation and trust. (www.marksandspencer.co.uk). By the end of 1998 though, there was evidence of a crisis occurring. Customers and media pulled together to assist senior management partake in an internal audit to identify the problems and see if they could come to a solution. The purpose of this assignment is to construct a SWOT analysis, highlighting each of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that were highlighted in the internal audit. The SWOT analysis is contained within the marketing plan and is the third step in the marketing planning process, coming after the Marketing audit and before any assumptions. (Joisce, Ted (2002), Marketing Planning Lecture Notes – 14/10/02, Mission, Objectives, Strategy, Tactics) Conclusions will be drawn from the SWOT analysis, which will attempt to review the company’s position and identify the marketing priorities. Also, Marks & Spencer’s recent marketing activities will be critically analysed in order to ascertain what improvements have been made since 1998. This assignment will attempt to determine why Marks & Spencer nearly collapsed and what they have achieved in terms of success and failure as part of their recovery programme. Strategic wear-out occurs when an organisation no longer meets customer needs and the pursued strategy is surpassed by competitors. (Drummond and Ensor, Strategic Marketing Management, p. 149, Butterworth Heinemann) Marks & Spencer is a perfect example of a company that had a successful strategy but failed to adapt to the changing environment and have therefore suffered from ‘strategic wear-out.’ Evidence to support this quote comes in the form of Marks and Spencer sending very little on marketing communications and being overtaken by their competitors, but this will be explained later in the assignment. As Figure 2 shows, strategic wear-out refers to the lack of fit between an organizations strategy and the needs of the marketplace. This was clearly evident with Marks and Spencer when they became complacent about their customer service standards and thought their customers understood what Marks and Spencer stood for without marketing when all along they didn’t.

Swot Analysis of Netflix

SWOT analysis for Netflix: Strengths: 1. Proprietary technology. Netflix has proprietary technology system to stream TV shows and movies and also including processing delivery and return DVDs. This specific system makes the business in Netflix more efficiency. 2. Goodwill and brand value. Netflix is a company with reputation. It has 15 years experiences and has a good deal of loyal consumers. 3. Competitive price. The service is in expensive in Netflix. It just cost 8 dollar per month and subscribers can enjoy unlimited viewing. 4. Simple service process.The service process in Netflix is simple. There are no commercials, no commitments, no contracts which can save consumer’s time and make the service more efficiency. 5. Open-minded managers. They continuously receive feedback from their consumers to change their strategy which makes the company more profitable and prevent many risks. 6. Good user experience. With just a little bit of timing, customers can have movies coming an d going so as to almost always have a movie ready to watch. Which generating loyal and enthusiastic customers. Weakness: 1.Third-party logistics or third-party device. Netflix have to rely on third-party logistics or third-party device, which mean if consumers lose confident with US mail system or some devices company, it will have bad effect on the reputation of Netflix. 2. Laws and government regulations. As an industry rely on internet, Netflix has to keep continual attention to laws and government regulations and make a quick reaction if something changed. 3. Pricing power. It has to accept the rates and delivery schedules set by the U. S. postal service, as well as the rates set by streaming providers. . Weak of internet system. As the main service of Netflix is completed on internet, there has the chance that the system to be attacked by hacker and it will bring tremendous negative effect on Netflix. 5. Debts. Netflix have issued $400 million in debt offerings and may incur ad ditional debt in the future, which may adversely affect their financial condition and future financial results. 6. Content distribution. These are not exclusive, which allowing competitors access to the same movies and television shows, leaving the way open for competition. Opportunities 1.Branding value. Netflix can become the first thing people think of for watching movies at home, just like â€Å"Google† is the first thing many think of for searching. There's been at least one instance of using the word â€Å"Netflix† as a verb, so this could be the beginning. 2. Technology changing. As the technology changing fast, Netflix can use continuously strategy changing to take the first mover advantage. 3. The big and increasing market. There have over 30 million members in over 50 countries enjoying over a billion hours of TV show and movies from Netflix every month.As the market is still increasing, there has a big opportunity for Netflix. 4. International expanding. As Netflix will expanding its domain outside United States, it will face many opportunities and challenges. 5. Distribution. As more subscribers come aboard, the value of Netflix as a distributor of content for studios goes up, leading to more pricing power for Netflix and less for the content producers. Threats 1. Competitors. That existing or new competitor  in the same domain, for example Google,YouTube and Amazon is the next most serious threat after Hulu. 2. Free ad-supported TV shows and movies. If large market segment bring for this kind of free TV shows and movies, the rate of growth in Netflix could be decline. 3. The liability for negligence, copyright or patent. Face the potential liability for content uploaded from their users. Netflix have the possible to be litigation if their consumers upload some videos illegal, which will cost Netflix a lot and will have negative results of their operation work. 4. The Copyright law change. If U.S. Copyright law were altered to amend or eliminate the First Sale Doctrine or if studios were to release or distribute titles on DVD in a manner that attempts to circumvent or limit the effects of the First Sale Doctrine, their business could be adversely affected. 5. Increasingly cost of their acquisition of DVD content and the logistic company. They are unable to negotiate with the studios because of consumers have lists and they have to buy the movies on the list. As labors cost more and more expensive the delivery DVDs cost is increasing. Risk 1.If Netflix efforts to attract and retain subscribers are not successful, their business will be adversely affected. 2. If Netflix unable to successfully or profitably compete with current and new competitors, programs and technologies, their business will be adversely affected, and they may not be able to increase or maintain market share, revenues or profitability. 3. If Netflix are unable to continue to recover from the negative consumer reaction to their price change and other announcements made during the third quarter of 2011, their business will be adversely affected. . If Netflix cannot foresee the consumer viewing habits exactly maybe it will make some wrong strategy and have adversely affected. 5. Many of their systems and operational practices were implemented when Netflix at a smaller scale of operations and they are undertaking efforts to migrate the vast majority of their systems to cloud-based processors. If they are not able to manage the growing complexity of their business, including improving, refining or revising our systems and operational practices, their business may be adversely affected. . The big portion of goodwill in its total asset is also a risk. If they cannot provide good service and make consumers satisfied, it will suffer a very bad influence for its profit. If they are unable to protect their domain names, their reputation and brand could be adversely affected. 7. Delayed availability of new release DVDs for rental co uld adversely affect Netflix’s business. In January 2012, Warner Home Entertainment announced it was increasing the period of delay to fifty-six days.If other studios were to increase the period of delay and /or if their subscriber satisfaction is negatively impacted by this increase in the Warner delay, their business could be adversely impacted. 8. Proprietary technology to stream TV shows and movies and to manage other aspects of their operations, including processing delivery and return of their DVDs to their subscribers, and the failure of this technology to operate effectively could adversely affect their business. . In the event of an earthquake or other natural or man-made disaster, Netflix’s operations could be adversely affected. They may not be able to effectively shift their fulfillment and delivery operations to handle disruptions in service arising from these events. 10. They could be subject to economic, political, regulatory and other risks arising from their international operations. 11. They may lose key employees or may be unable to hire qualified employees.

Poetry Analysis of Going Blind by Rainer Maria Wilke

I chose the poem Going Blind by Rainer Maria Wilke. Essentially, the poem outlines an observer’s thoughts about a girl at a party who is blind. My initial feeling during the first few lines was pity for the blind girl, as the poem talks about her hesitant smile and how she holds her cup differently than everyone else because she can’t see them. She tries to follow along, laughs when cued, is left behind as partygoers start to wander. But then the feeling changes during the last line and another feeling emerges, one of sparked curiosity and a slight shift of perspective.Leading up to that, the observer viewed the girl almost as weak and incapable, left of out the evenings events. She pitied the vacant stare and the slow movements. But then observer catches a glimpse of something else, a glimmer of deeper existence behind the milky eyes. The focus shifts to less of a judgement towards this unknown girl towards herself and a place of self-awareness. She realizes that every thing may not be as her first glance may have suggested.Going Blind is written in a loose rhyme scheme that contributes to the relatable yet mysterious tone of the poem. The punctuation is not dissimilar to prose, but the sixteen lines in quatrain form are cut off to create the rhyme, which is a, b, b, a. I feel this poem appealed more to the sight, as the description given painted, for me, a clear picture of the room full of people, the way she sat with her tea, how the guests ambled from room to room, the way her eyes looked.As far as metaphorical phrases go, the blind girl’s eyes were compared to a lit pond, and her demeanor was compared to a nervous performer’s. The theme of Going Blind, from my perspective, is the complexity and the area of unknown within each blank face we see. We can think we have someone figured out, when in reality, there is more than meets the eye, and specifically, there is more to the character of this poem than her disability.

Political Science and Federal Bureaucracy Essay

Develop a detailed outline of your second main point. (For assistance with your writing skills, check out the Ashford Writing Center at https://awc.ashford.edu/essay-dev-essay-structure.html) 1. Federal Policies: a. Provide a topic sentence that briefly describes one advantage and one disadvantage to a national policy that must be implemented by one agency of the federal bureaucracy. One advantage of a policy that must be implemented by one agency of the federal bureaucracy is the actual federal experts in the bureaucracy. The people set up the policy know much more about the issues than the president and this creates bureaucracy power. One disadvantage is that at any time the president can rearrange the organization chart of the bureaucracy. b. Provide a topic sentence that recommends one option to maintain the advantage and one to improve the disadvantage. One option to maintain the advantage is to keep the detail of the policy inside the bureaucracy. The less the president knows about the issue, the more the bureaucracy has control of the issue. One way to improve the disadvantage is implement order. The reorganization should be authorized through congress. 2. Scholarly Support: (For assistance with your research see the Tutorials provided by Ashford University’s Library at http://library.ashford.edu/tutorials.aspx, the APA Style Aid at https://www.wou.edu/provost/library/clip/apa/, and for Annotated Bibliographies at https://awc.ashford.edu/tocw-sample-annotated-bibliography.html for additional help) a. Provide two credible sources in APA format to support your main points. O’CONNELL, A. J. (2014). BUREAUCRACY AT THE BOUNDARY. University Of Pennsylvania Law Review, 162(4), 841-927 Scholz, J. T., Twombly, J., & Headrick, B. (1991). Street-Level Political Controls Over Federal Bureaucracy. The American Political Science Review, (3). 829 b. Briefly discuss how these sources support your main points. Both articles provide a vast amount of detailed information on what the president can and cannot control in the bureaucracy. Also it provides information on their limitations as well as to why they generate polices. c. Briefly evaluate your sources for bias, validity, and reliability. Both sources have been reviewed for bias, validity and reliability. The source were found on Ashford’s peer scholarly reviewed sources in the library which makes them credible.

“Demon in the Freezer” A Book Report Essay

â€Å"Demon in the Freezer† by popular virus expert Richard Preston is the third book in his ‘trilogy of death.’ After zooming in on the dangers of Ebola virus in his best-selling book â€Å"The Hot Zone,† and bioengineered monkey pox in â€Å"The Cobra Event,† Preston shifts the focus to the lurking threat posed by the deadly smallpox virus in the event that it becomes the new weapon of choice among terrorists dabbling in chemical warfare.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The book is premised on an alarming but very real possibility – the vulnerability of America and the rest of the world to biological weapons at the hands of terrorists.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It all begins on the events of September 27, 2001, a Thursday, nearly three weeks after the terror attacks on the Twin Towers of the New York World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Photo retoucher Robert Stevens begins to feel unwell and suffers from flu-like symptoms after he takes his family hiking in North Carolina. He starts to vomit profusely and soon develops a high fever, convulsions, and slips into a coma before succumbing to a fatal breathing arrest. Medical experts diagnose the cause of death as inhalation anthrax, alerting Army officials into action. More poisoned letters are discovered and the victims are rushed into bivouac units, forcing authorities to confront the worst – could the anthrax, non-communicable and treatable with early diagnosis, be laced with something far more deadly – the fatal smallpox virus?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After narrating the anthrax attacks on Sen. Tom Deschle’s office in October 2001, Preston makes a temporal jump (one of several in fact) to cover a smallpox outbreak in Germany back in 1970, courtesy of the man Peter Los, who in his youth has gone traipsing halfway around the world in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan in pursuit of the hippie ideals of the ‘60s. Preston then proceeds to describe the prehistoric origins of smallpox as far as the early river valley civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Then he propels back to the ‘70s as he retells the smallpox eradication campaign led by medical doctor Donald Ainslie (DA) Henderson, then director of the World Health Organization’s Smallpox Eradication Unit from its inception (1966) to 1977, just before the last known reported case occurred.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Henderson is passionate about getting rid of the virus: â€Å"What we need to do is create a general moral climate where smallpox is considered too morally reprehensible to be used as a weapon. That would make the possession of smallpox in a laboratory, anywhere, effectively a crime against humanity. The likelihood that it would be used as a weapon is diminished by a global commitment to destroy it. How much it is diminished I don’t know. But it adds a level of safety (Preston, 2002, p. 54).â€Å"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Soviet epidemiologist also deserves credit for jump-starting the modern effort to eradicate smallpox – Viktor Zhdanov – who called for its global eradication at the 1958 World Health Assembly annual meeting. This was subsequently endorsed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965 in a political move to improve American-Soviet relations, and D.A. Henderson found himself heading the World Health Organization’s new Smallpox Eradication Unit. And the rest of the eradication campaign became one of the greatest feats in public health history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Preston now turns to an examination of the Soviet biological weapons program in 1989, after Soviet biologist Vladimir Pasechnik defected to Britain and confirmed that the USSR had biological missiles targeted at the United States. This infuriated then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and US President George Bush, who confronted Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. In response, Gorbachev allowed a small, secret team of weapons inspectors to tour the Soviet’s bio-warfare facilities for their Biopreparat program. These American and British inspectors were alarmed by what they discovered: Russian scientists were testing and experimenting with smallpox at their bioweapons facility at the Vector virology complex in Siberia, in violation of the WHO rules. This was denied by Soviet authorities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For top UDAMRIID scientist Peter Jahrling, the demon in the freezer has been set loose, with illegal stocks of the smallpox virus in possession of rogue states like Iraq and North Korea almost a certainty. The thought of biologists in secret labs creating new strains of the virus into a ‘superpox’ variant resistant to all vaccines is enough to sent chills down virologists’ spines. Jahrling is leading a team of scientists in controversial experiments with live smallpox to develop vaccines and help counter what the bioterrorists might be cooking up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author views the subject of bioterrorism as a very real, urgent and alarming threat to national security, and the fate of humanity on the whole, given today’s mobile world where a smallpox outbreak could spread as fast as wildfire across countries all over the globe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Following the events after 9/11 and the anthrax terror, Preston highlights the new world order: the urgency to safeguard civilization from these new menaces. Smallpox is recognized as the new supreme bioterror menace, given the disease’s potential to cause human agony, its capability for fast and easy transmission, and ultimately its lethal character. Anthrax pales in comparison as direct contact is unnecessary for smallpox to spread – all it takes is for the virus to travel through a ventilation system. Immunity from the disease through vaccines introduced decades ago effectively vanishes, and if released in today’s very mobile world, it would easily overwhelm mankind in dreadful waves. Preston succinctly captures the menace of smallpox, without resorting to hyperbole: â€Å"Smallpox is explosively contagious, and it travels through the air. Virus particles in the mouth become airborne when the host talks. If you inhale a single particle of smallpox, you can come down with the disease†¦ Then the illness hits with a spike of fever, a backache, and vomiting, and a bit later tiny red spots appear all over the body. The spots turn into blisters, called pustules, and the pustules enlarge, filling with pressurized opalescent pus. The eruption of pustules is sometimes called the splitting of the dermis. The skin doesn’t break, but splits horizontally, tearing away from its underlayers. The pustules become hard, bloated sacs the size of peas, encasing the body with pus, and the skin resembles a cobbled stone street. †¦The pain of the splitting is extraordinary. People lose the ability to speak, and their eyes can squeeze shut with pustules, but they remain alert. Death comes with a breathing arrest or a heart attack or shock or an immune-system storm, though exactly how smallpox kills a person is not known (Preston, 2002, p. 44).†   Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The sociological consequences on account of the issue of bioterrorism are manifold and far-reaching. There is of course the issue of power relations among nations, particularly in the case of the arms race between the United States and the USSR during the Cold War which brought to the fore the threat of nuclear annihilation and bio-chemical warfare. Though the Soviet bloc has crumbled, other rogue states, e.g. North Korea, Cuba and Iran, are more than ready to threaten and challenge the United States for military supremacy, and might even be developing new weapons of mass destruction no longer limited to nuclear warheads but utilizing as well deadly pathogens and viral strains.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Preston spends much time in the book discussing current efforts of the American scientific community to research smallpox in the hope of better combating bioterrorism. It is important to note, as Preston does, that the people leading the fight to destroy smallpox, though well-trained, was still mostly a ragtag group of scientists and medical doctors with the firm conviction that smallpox could indeed, and should be annihilated from the face of the planet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perhaps his discussion of the current research on smallpox would prove more relevant as he provides a detailed description and analysis of the conflicts and controversies surrounding the project – from securing approval and the go-ahead signal from top government officials to the personal conflicts and issues the personalities involved in the research have had to face. The primary concern centers on the perceived lax security at the two worldwide biomedical installations, one in Atlanta and the other at Siberia, and their conviction on the very real threat of bioterrorism which could strike anytime and claim so many lives, given the state of unpreparedness to counter such an attack.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Preston successfully connects the past (the impetus for eradication of the disease) to the future (current concerns on how to counter the virus). As situated within the new-world context of post 9/11, there is a pressing need for vaccine stockpiling, long advocated by top government virologist Peter Jahrling who had initially feared the lacing of the mailed anthrax spores with smallpox. He comes into conflict with D. A. Henderson, the current head of the Office of Public Health Preparedness, as he argues for the development of an antiviral agent for those who cannot receive the smallpox vaccine. Henderson thinks that Jahrling’s experimentation with smallpox in laboratory monkeys is a largely futile step in the wrong direction. The dean of John Hopkins School of Public Health Al Sommer has joined the fray, believing that Jahrling’s work provides an impetus for other countries to conduct their on experiments on smallpox, thereby â€Å"We could start an arms race over smallpox†¦ (Sommers as quoted by Preston, 2002).†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   More disturbing is the revelation of the creation of a genetically engineered mousepox virus to which mousepox-resistant rodents are highly susceptible, intensifying the fear that unscrupulous scientists might have already created a ‘smallpox supervirus’ immune to current vaccines. Preston (2002) leaves us with this dire warning: â€Å"The main thing that stands between the human species and the creation of a supervirus is a sense of responsibility among individual biologists†¦The international community of physicists came of age in a burst of light over the sand of Trinity in New Mexico. The biologists have not yet experienced their Trinity.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The book’s main strength is that is a well-researched piece, and Richard Preston has proven himself a skillful writer with his vivid narration and matter-of-fact style allowing him to dispense with hyperbole.   The book succeeds in frightening its readers as it covers many interesting episodes. Although some may find the message of â€Å"Demon in the Freezer† grim and uncomfortable it nonetheless awakens readers to the true significance of chillingly real concepts, i.e. â€Å"weapons of mass destruction† and â€Å"bioterrorism.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the weak side, the temporal jumps in the narration give one the feeling of a disjointed read, as the two stories on anthrax and smallpox do not quite flow as smoothly and coherently as one might wish – the author fails to weave the story in such a way that there is an effectively riveting and seamless momentum – though each part is fascinating. At some point, there is also too much details to grasp and absorb, and to that extent the reader have to grapple with information overload, halting the usually rapid fire story-telling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main bias of the author is that he is of course writing from the American perspective, as the USA proves to be the eminent target of terror attacks. Thus, â€Å"Demon in the Freezer† appears to be an attempt to inform and warn Americans of the dangers they are currently facing from the threat of bioterrorism, and to some extent to influence authorities and make them realize the horrors – a global viral epidemic which could wipe out the world’s population – which might arise from inaction on the part of government and the scientific community:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"A vaccine-resistant smallpox would be everyone’s worst nightmare come true†¦ We could be left trying to fight a genetically engineered virus with a vaccine that had been invented in 1796 (Preston, 2002).†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   General Russell had this to add: â€Å"If smallpox really got going, people should be most concerned about a lack of effective leadership on the part of their government (quoted by Preston, 2002, p. 60).â€Å"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On a happy note, â€Å"Demon in the Freezer† provided the timely opportunity for me to get acquainted with the issue of bioterrorism and its related concepts – biological warfare, weapons of mass destruction, etc., which are obviously pressing concerns for humanity burdened with the threat of nuclear destruction and annihilation in a not-so-distant future. However, this remains to be the only experience I have so far with the issue of bioterrorism and specifically smallpox and anthrax, for that matter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In terms of the need for further research, I think it should focus more on determining and mapping out the states which really have illegal strains of smallpox virus in their possession, in order to effectively prepare for any possible worse-case scenarios in the advent of a smallpox terror attack. Aside from smallpox, it might prove helpful in the long-run if scientists also map out other possible biological agents which might pose future threats to human security, and to explore the possibility of developing vaccines and other counter-measures. All of these proposed researches need to be conducted in the most stringent, up-to-standard manner possible, with adequate empirical grounding and in the most morally and ethically acceptable ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I think in many ways (though it might be indirect), the reviewed work does relate to Sociology, with the latter in turn covering a wide array of fields involving human interaction and dynamics in the context of groups and societies. Political institutions and the ensuing dynamics and power relations governing these are discussed by Preston in the book, together with the issue of ethics in research, i.e. the controversy surrounding experiments with smallpox and other viral agents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perhaps it would prove useful if material from the book would be incorporated into class lectures, particularly the ethical aspects of research and experimentation with life –threatening organisms, the actual existence and lingering threat of biological warfare and terrorism, and how it is being met by existing social institutions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Overall, I did found â€Å"Demon in the Freezer† an interesting read, though at times I had to really struggle with understanding all the concepts and trains of thought Preston had introduced in his narratives. It was informative at the same time, though at some point you would really realize how frighteningly real is the scenario the author is trying to relay to his audience. Reference: Preston, Richard (2002). â€Å"Demon in the Freezer.† New York: Random House.