Dispatches Paper Essay

As I read Dispatches by Michael Herr, there is an overwhelming sense of fear and horror. His dispatches are populated by soldiers called ‘grunts’, whose enemy was everywhere and nowhere. Their maps were blank; their names for the enemy, ‘Charlie’ or ‘VC’, told them nothing. How do you recognize them? They all wear black pajamas; they are all alien to us. They are everywhere. That’s where the paranoia began. Herr’s dispatches are disturbing because he writes from inside the nightmare, with all the tension and terror that turned these young men into killing machines. It is all the more frightening because, emptied of any concerns for justice, or ethics, or solidarity, they opened fire anywhere, everywhere. After all, who could know where or who the enemy was? Herr’s use of brutal imagery absorbed me into his savage surroundings. From the soldier who can’t stop drooling as a result of a particularly dreadful gun battle, to the scenes of the dead, American and Vietnamese, adult and infant, on battlefields and village streets. The characters are real people in a situation that most of them neither like nor understand. They are young men who invoke the same shortcomings we all have. They are professional soldiers and act that way despite their misgivings. They push past the boundaries of fear and into the realms of heroism or insanity or death. Everyone that he introduces is individual. There are no carbon copy soldiers here. They are funny or musical or religious or delusional. I felt as though I was being introduced to people I knew throughout the book. From time off in Saigon and Hong Kong to his time spent in a bunker during the siege of Khe Sanh, Herr covers every aspect of the war. He shows how so many soldiers were so drastically affected by the war. He describes the strange, fearful moments when at night the jungle suddenly goes silent. Herr tells tales of Marines throwing themselves on top of him with incoming fire, people he has only just met minutes or hours before that are risking their lives to protect his. This book is very descriptive and one of the best examples of this is this sentence, â€Å"Every fifth round was a tracer, and when Spooky was working, everything stopped while that solid stream of violent  red poured down out of the black sky.† In this sentence Herr is retelling the feelings felt by everyone as they watched the gunships flying overhead, unleashing the fury of gatling-guns that could fire thousands of rounds per minute. Not only does Herr convey the impact of such a sight; he does it in such a manner that a vivid image is formed in the reader’s mind. One of the more disturbing and insightful quotes in the book comes when a Marine at Khe Sanh learns that his wife is pregnant, but not with his child. Herr retells with this account, â€Å"†Oh don’t worry,† Orrin said. â€Å"There’s gonna be a death in my family. Just soon’s I git home.† And then he laughed. It was a terrible laugh, very quiet and intense, and it was the thing that made everyone who heard it believe Orrin.† This quote shows how badly some soldiers were transformed during the war. A man who used to be very peaceful and calm would now snap at the slightest provocation. He would now plan the death of his wife for cheating on him. With these examples I would definitely say that one of the strengths of this book is its vivid descriptions. The other strength of this book is probably how it covers the emotional and physical aspects of the war. Still it is difficult to reconcile Herr’s disregard for the grunts’ brutality and his apparent admiration that surfaces. Herr feeds on the death and carnage of the battlefield. It is difficult to grudge a person for their attachment to the most exciting times of their life. Herr’s is almost an addiction to the life of the thrill seeker, but as he frequently mentions, unlike the grunts, he could always take the next chopper back to an air-conditioned hotel room in Saigon, or leave altogether. (Not that an air-conditioned room in Saigon would be necessarily safer than Khe Sahn†¦) He describes Vietnam as a jumbled, confused, mess of a living hell. Herr also wrote the narration for â€Å"Apocalypse Now,† so what more do you need to know? It is crucial to understand that this book is not a political or military history of the war. Instead, Herr tried to portray the â€Å"experience† of what it was like to be in Vietnam; you won’t find a handy map and glossary in the back. (If you honestly don’t know what words like di di, zip, grunt, 16, and DMZ mean, I suggest you bone up on your history.) There are two major downfalls to this book: rambling and fiction. His writing style, disjointed and confused, makes the book a little hard to get used to. But when you do get used to it only then can you see that Herr is trying to give the reader an accurate account rather than a moral lecture. In terms of fiction the problem with writers is that they are writers. As such they are basically dishonest. This is not Vietnam as told by a soldier. This is Vietnam as told by a journalist who is â€Å"in-country† to the precise extent he cares to be and hotfoots it out of there when the going gets rough. In the beginning of the book Herr describes the horrors of night patrol by describing his own fear. He then informs the bewildered reader that this is a bit too much for him and therefore takes his journalistic eye somewhere else. The difference between a journalist and a soldier is that the soldier can’t leave when he feels like it and so he doesn’t have the luxury of drama. Unfortunately, most of this book is drama.

Financial Pressure on College Students Essay

Students spend time with their families and escape their academic worries. However, when students return to campus, they can bring back more than they bargained for. Some students feel pressure from their parents to succeed and returning home reminds them of that pressure. Mickie Wong, 19, a child development major, goes home about once a month. She said upon returning to her home in Temple City, Calif., she feels pressure from her parents about her academics. Wong said her parents sent her to study at a university because they want her to be successful and financially stable. â€Å"I feel pressured when I go home because my parents lecture me every time they see me because they came to America so that their kids can have a better future,† said Wong. Wong’s parents are immigrants from Vietnam and grew up without the advantages she has now. Because of that, Wong said her parents have high expectations for her academic career. â€Å"They say that I should be studying everyday, going to the library, taking full advantage of this wonderful opportunity to go to college, something they didn’t have,† Wong said. Wong is involved with the fraternity Zeta Phi Rho, and is in good academic standing. However, she said she feels her parents set too high expectations for her academic performance. â€Å"That’s their method of guilt tripping me. I feel like I should be doing more than I am. I should try harder,† Wong said. Upon returning from home, Wong said she feels motivated to work harder and try to meet her parents’ high standards. This motivation wanes away though, and she stops working as much as before. â€Å"I usually fall back into the same routine after a few weeks. I don’t see them every weekend so they can’t remind me,† Wong said. Kishev Navindaran, 19, a mechanical engineering major, goes home to San Diego, Calif., once every five weeks. He typically spends a day or two during the weekend with his family and friends. Going home gives Navindaran the chance to reflect on the opportunity his parents gave him and the importance of an education. â€Å"I get more home sick when I visit home and it puts everything into perspective,† said Navindaran. Navindaran’s parents express interest in his education by talking about his studies and his academic standing. He said they motivate him to work harder in school. â€Å"My parents always tell me to study hard and they ask me how I’m doing in school. It motivates me to do better,† he said. Navindaran’s brothers, who are also college students, inspire him by having conversations about each other’s experiences. They keep tabs on each other to make sure that they are on a path to success. â€Å"I usually talk to my brothers to see how they’re doing and it’s more of a motivation for me,† Navindaran said. Shaan Cowasjee, 19, undeclared, also lives in San Diego. He goes home to see his family once every four to five weeks. He said he cherishes the time he spends in San Diego with his loved ones because it helps him appreciate them a lot more. â€Å"It’s more of a special and appreciating feeling,† said Cowasjee. â€Å"You get to hang out with family and you appreciate them more,† he added. Cowasjee said it is tough on his parents because he’s so far away and they cannot ensure that he is putting full effort into his studies. However, he said, he uses this as motivation to work harder in school. â€Å"My parents tell me to focus more, they feel like I’m slacking because I’m not there with them and they’re not motivating me 24/7,† Cowasjee said.

Athletes and Financial Investment Firms

Does the acquisition of material goods or financial gains insure financial stability? Is there peace of mind for an individual once these goals of procurement are achieved? Is there anyway to insure financial peace of mind? The simple answer would be to become a professional athlete, to win the lottery, or marry into Bill Gate†s family. However, these are all long shots for a majority of the world. But even these do not guarantee long-term financial stability. That is why it is becoming increasingly important to possess a high level of competency in the area of wealth management. What exactly is wealth management? Wealth management is the proficient administration of one†s total assets through financial planning and accurately allocating wealth to achieve a financial goal. Financial planning integrates the execution of various financial services, which promote growth, and stability of an investor†s wealth. Planning is differentiated according to the specific needs and focus of individuals. A high-net-worth individual would bear distinct goals that differentiate from that of a small-time investor. Albeit that these investors may have unique objectives, the necessity for a competent provider of such financial services is evident. The world of finance is unpredictable and continuously shifting. Investors find themselves overwhelmed by intimidation caused by the perception that investment firms are bottom-line oriented with no regard to their personal financial goals. As a result, investment firms are making resilient efforts to educate investors and offer them extended financial services. These services are specifically designed through a financial plan, which caters to the individual investor. Athletes and Financial Investment Firms Does the acquisition of material goods or financial gains insure financial stability? Is there peace of mind for an individual once these goals of procurement are achieved? Is there anyway to insure financial peace of mind? The simple answer would be to become a professional athlete, to win the lottery, or marry into Bill Gate†s family. However, these are all long shots for a majority of the world. But even these do not guarantee long-term financial stability. That is why it is becoming increasingly important to possess a high level of competency in the area of wealth management. What exactly is wealth management? Wealth management is the proficient administration of one†s total assets through financial planning and accurately allocating wealth to achieve a financial goal. Financial planning integrates the execution of various financial services, which promote growth, and stability of an investor†s wealth. Planning is differentiated according to the specific needs and focus of individuals. A high-net-worth individual would bear distinct goals that differentiate from that of a small-time investor. Albeit that these investors may have unique objectives, the necessity for a competent provider of such financial services is evident. The world of finance is unpredictable and continuously shifting. Investors find themselves overwhelmed by intimidation caused by the perception that investment firms are bottom-line oriented with no regard to their personal financial goals. As a result, investment firms are making resilient efforts to educate investors and offer them extended financial services. These services are specifically designed through a financial plan, which caters to the individual investor.

Critically analyse the concepts of mentorship, supervision and Essay

Critically analyse the concepts of mentorship, supervision and assessment and their role in inflencing the quality of the learning environment in clinical pract - Essay Example plenty of definitions including some handy, sound-bite sized ones that range from the spiritual and almost purply poetic picture of mentors as leading us along the journey of our lives (Kinney Marguerite Rogers, Donna R. Packa, and Sandra B. Dunbar 1993, 89-96). We trust them because they have been there before. They embody our hopes, cast light on the way ahead, interpret arcane signs, warn us of lurking dangers, and point out unexpected delights along the way. Mentoring is a process that increasingly used in management development and the skills and techniques learned on the management development programme are put into practice through the support and help of an experienced manager back in the workplace (Allery, L. A., Owen, P. A., & Robling, M. R. 1997, 870-4). Learning environment did occur most frequently when the supervisor kept an equidistant position. This position is not only an open, non-judgemental, non-competitive attitude, but also includes the keeping of a continuous and stable focus on the RNs reconstruction of his interaction with the patient: in other words, viewing the nurse-patient interaction as a "system" with its own boundaries and frame. The patient can discover new material in the object as the analyst fails largely or completely to meet the patients expectations in certain areas-particularly the area of difficulties--which have previously always been fulfilled by virtue of unconscious steering mechanisms. Similarly, dynamic factors that frequently stimulate conflicts seem always to be present in the supervisory system and influence the learning process. Nevertheless, it is possible and desirable to maintain the frame and boundaries around both the patient-analyst and the candidate-supervisor systems. In most large hospitals there are orientation programs for employees, with instruction in hospital organization, policies and procedures. These learning and orientation is sometimes further informal instruction on the practical aspects of

Course Project Proposal Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Course Project Proposal - Term Paper Example We deal in a wide range of products such as household needs, family apparel, electronics, assistance in health & beauty, fabrics, jewelry, garden & lawn, shoes, toys and crafts among others. We even provide facilities in pharmacy, photo centers, portrait studios, banks as well as Tire & Lube Express. At the time of the establishment of the company, the founder had set three objectives or rather missions which would characterize his business and they were customer service, respect towards individuals and determination for brilliance (Hayden & Et. Al., 2002). Our company is known for following its mission objectives except for one and that is respect for individuals. The customers are treated with a lot of respect by the company but when it comes down to the employees then a big difference is being observed. The company does not treat its employees with the respect that they deserve and in a way it reflects the fact that the company does not value its employees which has resulted in a high turnover among the employees. My company addresses the employees of our stores as ‘associates’. The company provides liberal financial incentives as rewards for their employees by way of distributing the profit of the company with the employees through the option of buying stocks. However, here I should mention that these facilities and benefits are offered only to the full-time employees. Majority of the employees working in the stores are part-time workers and they are not paid generously by my company. Majority of the workers are just paid the bare minimum local wage. Needless to add that they are not provided any benefits as it takes a time period of five years to become qualified for these benefits. As I have mentioned earlier that a high rate of turnover prevails amongst these employees and so, there are bleak chances that they would reach that required level. I am a manager in one of the stores of the company. I joined the

Questions about Marketing Concepts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Questions about Marketing Concepts - Assignment Example Marketing basically links all the functional departments of an organization to the customer's needs and wants. The idea behind marketing is that the customer is of prime importance and that the most significant task in any organization is first to identify the needs of the customer and then to ensure that all operations are geared toward meeting them efficiently and effectively. Marketing function concerns itself not only with customers but with competitors and suppliers as well. Thus marketing is not just a function but a management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably and responsibly with due regard for the environment and social foundation. A website is a crucial component of the company's to attract current and potential customers. It represents the company globally. A web site is a virtual front-line and direct link to suppliers, distributors, and potential and present customers. It is essential that a website conveys the company's objectives and goals immediately when a browser enters the site. The seven key design elements to achieve an effective web interface are Context, Content, Community, Customisation, Communication, Connection, and Commerce. (Rayporter & Jaworski, 2001) The context refers to layout or design of the website, created by...It is what makes the website easy to find and access and the website simple to use. Content is the text, pictures, sound, video, graphics, downloads, chat rooms, bulletin boards, service, products and information etc that the website contains.The community is described as the ways how the site enables user-to-user communication. E.g. blog, chat rooms etc. It allows users to know the opinions of other users to interact with each other and encourages them to make purchases or visit the site again. Customization refers to the ability of the site to allow different users to personalize their own profiles by means of content and context selection and other personalization tools.

Miriam, Naomi,Esther, and theWisdomWoman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Miriam, Naomi,Esther, and theWisdomWoman - Essay Example The Hebrew word is actually closer to the meaning of righteous than innocent. Elihu therefore explained that God does not do evil and only brings upon people what their conduct deserves (34:10-11). Further, he points out that people cry out under oppression to plead for relief yet they fail to turn to God (35:9-10). Elihu then reassures Job that God does not despise men (36:5) and "He does not take his eyes off the righteous" (36:7). The gist of Elihus talk is that obeying God is necessary so that people can then spend the rest of their years in prosperity and contentment (36:11). In effect, his attempt is to extol God in the eyes of Job and proclaim Gods magnificence "beyond our understanding" (36:26). A more open response from God himself was given in the whirlwind (38-41) after He rebukes Job for expressing words without knowledge (38:2). In the film Bruce Almighty, the problem of suffering is brought out when Sharri asks Jeff why there is so much pain in the world given that God is so gracious. Dan is even more skeptical of Gods very existence as a result of the suffering he sees. A point is made that to be God, you cannot mess with freewill. In response, Sherri asks Jeff how love and freewill relates to the pain and suffering present in the world. This explains the problem of suffering, as was experienced by Job, by highlighting the real purpose of men and their suffering. Gods perspective is that He desires to have a loving relationship with his creatures. Thus, the problem of suffering is linked directly with this desire because it is the separation that actually causes suffering. Moreover, as long as freewill exists, so too will suffering. Both the Book of Job and the movie are similar in presenting characters who question the goodness of God amid the suffering they see in the world and their own lives, and presents numerous

Marketing strategies analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing strategies analysis - Case Study Example Despite this factor, it is also imperative to know that the company has retained and even accumulated a high number of customers that have remained loyal and this is owing to the appropriate customer service they get from the company and the long services that they get from these commodities. There are many existing opportunities for disruptive innovation in this particular market and Apex has really integrated them and thus come out as strengths.. All these developments receive appreciation and are recognized as milestones in the contemporary technology environment. It is important to understand that coming up with a new technological marketing device in the company, such as a watch, where it is directly connected to the phone, the operator can directly hear the conversation between the seller, and the buyer has it leading in its industry. The connection is in a manner that the user does not require to get into the pocket to communicate with the head office regarding the pricing but rather just presses some buttons on the device and talks freely is a bold move that can revolutionize the technology world. This one disruptive innovation will work effectively in the contemporary world. Another strength is regarding the fact that the company has earned many loyal customers over the years and thus it is difficult for other companies to attract them. Competitors are very critical in any business. In order to understand the weaknesses presented by the company, it is important to put oneself as one of the competitors and show the various ways the competitor can beat Apex due to its weakness. If tasked with the role of bringing up a rival company, an effective strategy would ensure that the strategy was quite different from that adopted by Apex Foods. As opposed to Apex Foods’s strategy of marketing commodities to high-end customers only, the commodities produced would be of high

Policing and the Bill of Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Policing and the Bill of Rights - Essay Example Moreover, policing amendments are persuaded if someone is taken into custody on the basis of origin, religion, and race etc. Police are boosted to sustain a balance between flexibility and security that the government has formed. United States has historic put more heaviness on the edge of flexibility and has been recounted as a trial in organized liberty (Keenan 10-108). It has been shown that the policeman play a centered function in the achievement of this trial, and thus, it is furthermore a trial the U.S. government in regulation enforcement and peacekeeping. One of the biggest examples of warrantless search and tracing phone calls is â€Å"Water Gate scandal†. The secret agents, with the powers of fourth amendment of constitution, had captured the ill elements used in elections. By this action, the politicians, who use the evil tricks to win election, get the lesson. The IV amendment is defined as: â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized†. From all â€Å"search and seizures† will not be contravened by warrants handed out without origin likelihood. It is sustained by oath or pledge or not as recounted the location to be sought or the individuals. It is described from managing assembly with the premeditated exception was amended on the talks. It is distributing almost equal to the all kind of people. And the amendment was launched to double-check and it would be managed by a preliminary committee. Couple of alterations denied to be integrated into the dialect of the part of the dwelling and the dialect of the legal provision was ratified. As the amendment documented, the argument over the â€Å"search and

Economic system Essay Example for Free

Economic system Essay In our present time , there are many speculation spoken by different people, regarding the implementation of the new Curriculum , K to 12. There are many question still hanging on ,Is it the solution to our poverty , underemployment and unemployment.? Does K to 12 curriculum basically enhance our students knowledge? Does this curriculum eliminates at lessen poverty in our country. Our DepEd Secretary, Bro. Armin A. Luistro, FSC, starting whenhe became an Education Secretary, He is trying to change the traditional way of teaching, trying to resolve different problem, control and motivates the teachers, students , parents and government officials to cooperate in order to help our students to be competitive enough. In his Declaration of State of Philippine Education, he emphasize the trend and issues in Education System in: a. Philippine Education is under in Chronic Illness b. Regression in Access c. Bureaucratic Melee d. Appropriations allotted I n Education e. On the need of Reform f. The Join Forces of 3 Agencies in Government. The DOLE, TESDA, and CHED. g. The Idea of EFA 2015 and Millennium Development Goals, 1. The Philippine Education is under in chronic illness He said that our country is under the chronic illness , it is because the system in our country is suffering from different crisis, not only come from economic problem, but most probably in political system. In this country, Our governmentalways change our curriculum from time to time, for them we must faced the reality and we must adapt the changes but the  mere fact is , they don’t even support that particular in terms of facilities, tools, books and other school materials, that’s why our curriculum is only a Trial-Error set up. Inother aspects the reason why we still in the last in terms of Education it is because of corruption and political problems. 2. Regression in Access The main problem in our country is the lengthof Basic Education in Elementary and Secondary, this is only 10 years, unlike to other country which is 12 years. This is the reason why Filipino did not get the appropriate job on other country, 3. Bureaucratic Melee In this case, we can say that the cultural aspects of the society are the big problem. Despite of financial and economic crisis happen in our country, they questioned some people or other non –government organizations if school receive donations, For them it is a form of corruption ,but the reality is some government officials is the one who is the corrupt one. We must face the reality that government funds is not sufficient to support different schools that’s why we need support from other agencies. 4. Appropriations for Education Department of Budget and Management or DBM allocatesfund for a certain school whether it has autonomy or not. These budgets were divided depends on the numbers of enrollees per school. Government also allocates fund for the Teachers tools, equipments, lesson plan, and classrecords , salaries and bonuses and incentives. Education is free, according to the Deped Memorandum. They allocated fundsfor Education but the big problem is, the higher ranking person did not distributed that funds to different divisions, instead of they corrupt that funds. That’s why DepEdis number2 in Corruption 5. On the Need for Reform Our Educationsystem needs a reformation, in order to make our graduates be competitive enough. Reform will start on the top down to the lower ranking position. Reformation willlead us tothe better world, better society and better graduates. Reformation not only in Educational system but also in the society, most especially in our government presently. Reform in policies, avoid corruption, because new ideas, new curriculum, and helpus tobuild mind of a graduates professionally growth.

The environmental management

The environmental management Environmental Management is a very important component of sustainable living. The interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary nature of Environmental Management enables it to solve the complex environmental problems (pollution, erosion, flooding, deforestation, desertification, just to name but a few) that essentially characterize our landscape at the local regional and global scale. To better understand these problems, the discipline draws on a wealth of expertise in both concepts and approaches from the natural or physical and social sciences to develop this interdisciplinary. This essay seeks to explore the nature of environmental management and in particular, attention is drawn on the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinarity of environmental management. The environmental problems we face today are many and varied. From pollution, erosion, flooding, deforestation, desertification, to climate change- all present themselves in very practical terms and as such environmental management is more important than ever before. However, the field has been the subject of wide criticism. For instance Bryant and Wilson (1998) criticized the field as a result of the limitations in the understanding of root causes-political, economic or cultural issues. There is no generally acceptable definition of the subject environmental management. This is partly due to its broad scope and in part of the diversity of specialism (Barrow, 1999). However, attempts have been made by several authors to define environmental management. For example, Riordan (1995); Barrow (1999); Wilson and Bryant (1997); Bryant and Geoff (2009), have all made substantial effort to define Environmental Management. Environmental management has been defined as both a process and a field of study (Wilson and Bryant 1997). In his book, Barrow (1999 p. 5) presented an overview of some definitions of Environmental Management. Like Environmental Management, definitions and interpretations of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity abound in literature. For instance, Klein, 2004; Tress and Tress, 2001; Tress et al., 2005; Jones and Macdonald, 2007; Evans and Randalls, 2008; and Wesselink, 2009. In its simplest sense interdisciplinarity is an integrative research approach that transects many disciplinary boundaries with a common goal and the aim of production of new knowledge and theory (Tress et al., 2005). As a process, Environmental Management, according to (Wilson and Bryant, 1997 p.7) can be defined   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"as a multi-layered process associated with the interaction of state and non-state environmental managers with the environment and with each other. Environmental Managers are those whose livelihood is primarily dependent on the application of skill in the active and self conscious, direct or indirect, manipulation of the environment with the aim of enhancing predictability in a context of social and environmental uncertainty. † While the term state will include state officials such as Department of the Environment, DoE, and Department of Environment Food and Rural Agriculture, DEFRA, just to name a few, non-state, on the other hand includes environmental NGOs, farmers, transnational corporations(TNCs), hunter-gatherers. In this light, environmental management is a process not exclusive only to large national and international environmental actors but inclusive to a range of predominantly local level environmental actors (Wilson and Bryant, 1997). On the other hand, Environmental management, as a field of study, evolved with the growing concern about environmental degradation in the late 1960s and early 1970 (Bryant and Geoff, 2009; Wilson and Bryant, 1997) after post industrialization. According to Barrow (2006: 24-26) Environmental Management as a field can be subdivided into the following: â€Å"sustainable development issues; environmental assessment, modeling, forecasting and hindcasting;corporate environmental management; pollution recognition and control; environmental economics;environmental enforcement and legislation; environment and development institutions and ethics; environmental management systems and quality issues; environmental planning and management; assessment of stakeholders involved in environmental management; environmental perceptions and education; community participation for environmental management/sustainability; institution building for environmental management/sustainable development; biodiversity conservation; natural resources management; environmental rehabilitation/restoration; environmental politics; environmental aid and institution building†. While the list is not exhaustive, partly because Environmental Management is relatively a nascent discipline (Barrow, 2006) and is still evolving, its broad scope is readily appreciated at a glance, as it tends to techno-centric problem solving approach rather than reactive approach. Table 1 highlights some distinguishing features of traditional environmental management as it were during its early evolution and at present. Referring to interdisciplinarity, the interdisciplinary nature of environmental management is more than just integration. It is essentially a modern way of thinking that involves identification, definition as well as interpretation of studies with the view of proffering practical oriented solutions to environmental problems (ORiordan, 1995). Again, Transdisciplinary studies according to Tress et al. (2005) involves the integration of both academic and non-academic participant (stakeholders) to research a common goal with the creation of new knowledge and theory. It is explicit from the definitions above that interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity are both integrative, in that new knowledge and theory is created. However, a distinguishing element is that transdisciplinary research combines interdisciplinarity with a participatory approach (Tress et al., 2005) Traditional Environmental Management Modern Environmental Management Largely top-down approach Bottom-up approach Management was authoritarian participatory and much more integrative Short term plan Long term plan and therefore sustainable Exploitational in approach Emphasizes stewardship rather than exploitation. Tends to be reactive Tends to be proactive and participatory Disciplinary, at best multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary, or even holistic in approach State centric Non state factors involved in the process of EM Influence of natural science discipline Shift from the natural science to social science Tress and Tress (2001) introduced a transdisciplinary landscape concept. The transdisciplinary landscape concept, according to Tress and Tress (2001) is based on five dimensions: the spatial entity, the mental entity, the temporal dimension, the nexus of nature and culture, and the systemic properties of landscape. The significance of collaboration in interdisciplinary and trandisciplinary research in the understanding of human-environment interaction cannot be overemphasized. Although environmental management takes its root from the natural science, however there seems to be a shift from the natural science to social science (Bryant and Wilson, 1998). Figure 1 as shown in the appendix depicts the profound influence from the social sciences and again, in the words of Wilsons and Bryant (1997, p 17) Environmental Management operates at the intersection of a range of disciplines and subdisciplines. From the foregoing, It is obvious that Environmental Management is increasingly becoming interdisciplinary and applying a great deal of transdisciplinarity approaches. For example, Wesselink (2008) and Potschin and Haines-Young (2005) have emphasized the importance of applying transdisciplinarity in their studies of land use planning and landscape ecology respectively.. While the environmental problems we face today are many and varied both in scope and complexity, no one discipline can effectively provide the knowledge adequate enough to fully understand nor solve them (Tress and Tress, 2001). Modern approaches of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinarity in Environmental Management can be a panacea of all local to global environmental ills. This notwithstanding, more powerful and robust tools are needed for dealing with the problems of scaling and uncertainty which are crucial in the human-environment interaction at all scale. It is the position of this essay, therefore, that while the search for a strong and robust tools continues in order to mitigate, control and prevent environmental problems, active consultation and collaboration with local communities is a necessary ingredient for sustainable solution. References Barrow, C. J 1999. Environmental Management: Principles and Practice. Routledge, London. Barrow, C. J. 2006. Environmental Management for Sustainable Development. 2nd edition. Routledge, London. Bryant R.L and Wilson G.A 1998. Rethinking Environmental Management. Progress in Human Geography 22(3) pp 321-343 Evans, J. and Randalls, S. 2008 Geography and Paratactical Interdisciplinarity: Views from the ESRC-NERC PhD studentship programme. Geoforum 39 pp 581-592 Jones, P. and Macdonald, N. 2007. Getting it wrong first time: building on interdisciplinary research relationship. Area 39(4) pp 490-498. ORiordan, T. ed 1995 Environmental Science for Environmental Management Longman Scientific Technical, England. Potschin, M and Haines-Young, R. 2006. Rio+10, Sustainability Science and Landscape Ecology. Landscape and urban planning. 75, 162-74. Phillipson, J. and Lowe, P. 2009 Barriers to Research Collaboration across disciplines: scientific paradigms and institutional practices. Environment and Planning 41, pp 1171-1184 Klein, J. T. 2004 Prospects for Transdisciplinarity. Futures 36 pp 515-526 Tress, B and Tress, G 2001 Capitalising on Multiplicity: A Transdisciplinary Systems Approach to Landscape Research. Landscape and Urban Planning 57, pp 143-157 Tress, B., Tress, G.,Fry, G. and Opdam, P. 2005 eds. From Landscape Research to Landscape Planning: Aspects of Integration, Education and Application. Springer, Netherland. Wesselink, A 2009. The Emergence of interdisciplinary Knowledge in Problem-focussed Research. Area 41 (4) pp. 404-413. Wilson, G. A and Bryant, R.L 1997. Environmental Management: New Directions fot the Twenty-First Century.UCL, London

Free College Essays - The Greatest Sinner in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: free essay writer

The Scarlet Letter - Chillingworth and the Greatest Sin When asked to describe Roger Chillingworth, peers say he was an upstanding, respectful, concerned citizen. They would have been right, but he didn’t let anyone know just how much he cared. With the loss of Hester, he became filled with anger and jealousy and eventually let his emotions overtake him. At the close of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the malevolent state of Roger Chillingworth’s heart made him the guiltiest. Throughout the entire novel, every character except for Roger Chillingworth learned to forgive and cleared his or her heart of guilt. When the reverend showed his concern for the doctor just before his death he said, â€Å"may God forgive thee. Thou hast deeply sinned† (251). For example, Dimmesdale used some of his last words to forgive the doctor of his wrongdoing. Even though Chillingworth tortured and haunted him until the very end of his life, the reverend had strong enough character to want God to show mercy on the evildoer’s soul. Moreover, Dimmesdale was able to forgive Hester when he told her, â€Å"I do forgive you Hester† (191). Because of his high position of authority, Dimmesdale set high standards for his life, and that reflected in the way he handled personal relationships. Also, if Chillingworth had been more understanding towards Hester’s problem, he had a better chance at winning her love back. Finally, both Hester and her lover admitted their sin on the scaffold and sought forgiveness for their transgressions while Chillingworth never could admit he sinned. Secondly, Chillingworth’s actions were motivated by hate and a lust for revenge that overpowered him in the end. Therefore an awful change must have taken place in the doctor since â€Å"human nature loves more readily than it hates† (156). The actions of Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth were all motivated by a deep passion for one thing or another. However, the difference in their actions was that the adulteress and the minister acted out of love for each other while her husband acted out of anger and jealousy. Also, the physician underwent such a change that â€Å"there came a glare of red light out of his eyes; as if the old man’s soul were on fire, and kept smoldering duskily within his breast† (166). Eventually Chillingworth’s heart became so twisted and contorted that there were very noticeable differences in his personality.

Nietzsche : God Is Dead Essay -- Philosophy Atheist Atheism Friedrich

The Question: State your understanding of the philosophy of F. Nietzsche. What does he mean by saying "God is Dead"?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nietzsche's philosophy is that of a radical view as it calls for the complete reevaluation of morals and blatantly attacks the Judeo-Christian tradition in modern society. He believed one should dare to become who they are. In order to ascertain one's full potential as a human being, the ethic system of which by society runs, must be changed as it only hampers one's will to power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Nietzsche, philosophy is not the pursuit of truth, for there are no truths, only interpretations, instead it is an attempt on the creator's behalf to interpret reality in their favor. To illustrate this point he examines master morality as opposed to slave morality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Master morality simply defined is a system of what is good and what is evil, set up by and based on those who have power. So it is not surprising that it would regard the attributes of a noble to be inherently good and those of a weaker peasant to be evil or, rather, undesirable. Since it is the rich and powerful who define this morality, it is built to their benefit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Contrary to master morality, there is slave morality and likewise it is built with the same biases only differing as it leans to benefit the poor. This system of ethics overturned that of the master, by twisting all virtues hailed as good by noble aristocrats, into evils, slowly over the course of time. Then goodnes...

Communication in Gustave Flauberts Madame Bovary Essay -- Madame Bova

Communication in Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary, the quest for the sublime and perfect expression seems to be trapped in the inability to successfully verbalize thoughts and interpret the words of others. The relationship between written words and how they are translated into dialogue and action is central in evaluating Emma's actions and fate, and ultimately challenges the reader to look at the intricacies of communication.    Flaubert's portrayal of Emma's reading habits provides the basic framework for evaluating the way she processes information. In the purest representation of Emma's readership, she "picked up a book, and then, dreaming between the lines let it drop on her knees."(43). Flaubert uses reading to establish Emma's short attention span to any thoughts outside of her own. The book falling towards the floor symbolically creates the space for her illusions-- notice Flaubert chooses the word "dreaming" instead of "reading," stressing her imaginative tendencies rather than those of a critical nature. In representing Emma's interpretation skills, her distortion of the material becomes a semi-conscious decision because she chooses to deviate from the original text, but at times her manipulation of words is more accurately described as misinterpretation. When Leon praises the entertainment value of the simplistic novels containing "noble characters, pure affections, and pictures of hap piness," she misses his further conclusion that "since these works fail to touch the heart, they miss, it seems to me, the true end of art" (59). The subtext implies that she is incapable of distinguishing differences in the quality of expressions and understandi... ...ility for the interpretation of the text.    Works Cited and Consulted Berg, William J. and Laurey K. Martin. Gustave Flaubert. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1997. Colet, Louise. Lui: A View of Him. Translated by Marilyn Gaddis Rose. Athens and London: University of Georgia Press, 1986. Flaubert, Gustave. Madame Bovary. Translated by Paul de Man. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1965. Lottman, Herbert. Flaubert. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1989. Maraini, Dacia. Searching for Emma: Gustave Flaubert and Madame Bovary. Translated by Vincent J. Bertolini. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. Nadeau, Maurice. The Greatness of Flaubert. New York: Library Press, 1972. Steegmuller, Francis. Flaubert and Madame Bovary. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968. Troyat, Henri. Flaubert. New York: Viking, 1992.   

Environmental Stressors Essay

The objective of the authors was to identify the psychosocial and environmental factors which young people who receive special education are associated with. The authors conducted a research in Public schools located in Minnesota with the aim of testing the psychosocial and environmental factors between people who have attended special education and those who have not. The total number of adolescents who participated in the research was 121848. The findings revealed that the adolescents who had attended special education experienced higher levels of psychosocial and environmental problems compared to adolescents who had not. This paper aims at analyzing the article â€Å"Environmental stressors and emotional status of adolescents who have been in special eduction classes† by Iris Wagman and Michael Resnick. Introduction. There has been an increase in the number of young people who receive special education, in recent days. This has been attributed to the increase in cases of physical and mental health disability. In the article being analyzed, the authors begin by giving statistics on the number of children who receive special education. They put this figure at ten percent of all children aged between six and seventeen, with another 750000 children being at risk of developing similar disabilities. According to Borowsky and Resnick (1998), bbetween 1976 and 1994, the number of adolescents who receive special education has risen from 3. 7 million to 5. 4 million. Funding for this education has also increased to $2. 32 billion from $373 million in a similar period. The high number of children who suffer from these disorders necessitates the need to improve the welfare of disabled people. Literature review. The authors intend to investigate the difference in psychosocial and environmental factors experienced by adolescents who attend special schools in comparison to those who do not. As has been stated, this was necessitated by the large number of children who experience developmental disability. The increase in the number of students who attend special schools followed the passage of the Handicapped Children Act in 1975, which empowered the disabled children to access appropriate and free education. However, there is limited information on the outcome of special education on these students. This is due to the reason that most surveys that have been carried out in the past have ignored them. Most researches which have been carried out have focused on the welfare of young adults who have received special education. These studies have proved that most of them acquire employment after finishing high school and other training programs. Further studies of children with learning disorders have revealed that there is an association between child neglect and abuse, and learning impairment. However, the extent to which psychosocial and environmental factors which young people who receive special education experience has not been conclusively researched. This is the major reason why the researchers carried out the research on the subject. Methods and procedures. In obtaining the data, all public schools in Minnesota participated, with the exception of one school. A questionnaire was given to 131000 students in public schools in grade six, nine and twelve. About 3% of the surveys had questionable accuracy and were thus excluded. According to Borowsky and Resnick (1998), the questionnaire had a completion time of about an hour, and was designed at the reading level of fifth graders. The questionnaire was given with parental consent, and the students were also allowed to ignore any questions they did not wish to answer. This is commendable, since flexibility enabled the students to be comfortable with the questionnaire. This survey is carried out after every three years, which is consistent and enables results to be comparable. However, the authors do not describe the weaknesses of the use of questionnaires as a source of data collection. According to Kothari (2005), qquestionnaires have many disadvantages and some of them include the fact that the questions are standardized, which presents the risk of misinterpretation by the respondent. Questionnaires do not also present the possibility of probing responses, which limits the extent to which a researcher can get an insight on the opinion of the participant. Another limitation of a questionnaire is that some people only present socially desirable behavior when answering them, which may limit the accuracy of questionnaires. Finally, open ended questions can generate long responses, and this may present difficulties in processing the data. These weaknesses should have been disclosed to people who will rely on this information for decision making. Results and data analysis. The results revealed that 14. 9% of female and 20. 8% of males had attended special education classes. The students who had attended these special classes had higher chances of performing poorly in academics, as compared to the students who had not attended these classes. Boys who had attended special education classes were four times more likely to have difficulties in reading, compared to those who had not attended these classes. On the other hand, girls who had attended special education classes were six times more likely to have difficulties in reading, compared to those who had not attended these classes. Boys who had attended special education classes were three times more likely to have below average grades, compared to those who had not attended these classes. On the other hand, girls who had attended special education classes were also three times more likely to have below average grades, compared to those who had not attended these classes. The students who attended special education classes reported higher instances of not living with their adoptive or biological parents. In the case for boys, 43. 9% of special education students and 31. 8% of children who did not attend special classes reported not living with their adoptive or biological parents respectively. On the other hand, in the case for girls, 42. 4% special education students and 30. 2% of children who did not attend special classes reported not living with their adoptive or biological parents respectively. In terms of family violence, more than one and a half times as many boys and girls who had attended special education school, experienced family violence, compared to those who did not attend these schools. However of the students who experienced abuse, girls outnumbered boys by three times. The levels of emotional status varied between sixth, ninth and twelve graders. These findings reveal that the students who attend special schools experience higher proportions of non traditional and single parent households, compared to those who did not attend these schools. The findings also revealed that the students who attend special schools experience higher proportions of having family members with drug or alcohol problems. They suffered from poor emotional health and sexual abuse. However, female students suffered more than their male peers regarding sexual abuse. These findings are consisted with others which have been done in the past, which reveal that children of parents who either abuse alcohol or experience family violence, are likely to perform poorly as compared to those of families which do not experience these problems. The findings are particularly useful for groups which advocate for the rights of children or disabled people, since they expose the problems which such children experience. Summary and conclusion The authors have presented the research in an internationally acceptable format, though there have been a few weaknesses. The only weakness in the presentation of the paper is the lack of a clear hypotheses statement. Other weaknesses include the fact that the authors did not reveal the weaknesses of the use of questionnaire. The authors did not also give the weaknesses of the use of secondary sources of data when gathering information. They used academic journals to gather information, yet they did not mention the weaknesses of using them in research. Some weaknesses include the fact that there is no possibility of verifying the information gathered. Another weakness is that if the original journal was biased and the authors rely on it for writing the research, then it is likely that the research will also be biased (Kumar, 2005). These weaknesses should have been mentioned since they are useful for people who will use the research to make decisions. However the research has been comprehensively covered. The use of academic journals reduces the chances of bias since they are written by scholars. The references represent a diversity of sources, a fact which makes the research more comprehensive and valid. This research can be used as a basis for future research. For instance, a future research can be carried out with the aim of finding out the causes of disparity between the levels of girls and boys attending special schools, who have been sexually abused. References Kothari, C. R. (2005). Research Methodology: Techniques & Methods. New York: New Age Publishers. Kumar, R. (2005). Research Methodology: A Step-by-step Guide for Beginners. New York: SAGE. Borowsky, I. W. , Resnick, M. D. (1998). Environmental Stressors and Emotional Status of Adolescents Who Have Been in Special Education Classes. Archpediatrics adolesc Med Journal. Retriev

Arranged marriages Essay

I find it difficult to see how anyone could possibly approve of arranged marriages. In an arranged marriage, the bride and groom are selected by a third party rather than each other. Arranged marriages are most common in the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia – however with 55% of marriages in the world being arranged- you would be likely to find cases of arranged marriages anywhere you go. There are many different types of arranged marriages which follow all different rules and traditions to ensure it goes smoothly, but none of these allow you to pick the right partner yourself. I intend to put my personal views across, my view that arranged marriages are – and always will be –a violation against human rights. The main formula for life goes something like: have a childhood, get an education, get a job, have children, and grow old. However, many people following that formula tend to do something extreme, involuntary perhaps – fall in love. People in love will want to spend the rest of their life with the person they love, and the most logical way of ensuring this is through marriage. Marriage is a commitment shared between two people, a legal contract binding them together for life. How can people want to partake in such commitment with someone, they hardly know, let alone love? If a marriage is arranged by someone else, then it isn’t based on the grounds of which most marriages take place – love. Call me a romantic, but a marriage without love sounds like a very troublesome, difficult thing. By having your wedding arranged by someone else, this is taking away your free will – and furthermore denying you of the natural emotion of love. This is one of life’s many rare experiences, and I think every human should be guaranteed the free ability to get to know someone, fall in love, and as a result, get married. Through arranged marriage, you are agreeing to commit your life to someone whom you don’t know much about, by doing this, you are choosing to dedicate your whole entire life to a person – who may turn out to be nothing like you expect. Furthermore, not everyone in the world is genuine, and a lot of people would arrange a marriage for their children or someone close to them with their own selfish concerns in mind. In under-developed countries, where lots of people live in poverty, some parents will choose to marry off their children to people of a higher social status – increasing their own honour and wealth, and the happiness of the parents may overshadow the children’s. As much as this could be an easy escape from a hard life – we must consider the effects this could have on the people getting married. Their spouse isn’t being picked to suit them – so without common interest’s etc- there is a poor chance the couple will get on, which will then lead to an unhappy marriage and perhaps a hard life, taking the person in a broken marriage back to square one. Subsequently, arranged marriages can have a massive impact on someone’s life before, during, and after the marriage takes place. Perhaps you may be the unlucky one – and because you don’t truly know the person you are marrying – will be exposed to a variety of problems which may be hard to escape. Some of these problems range from abuse, violence and forced sexual relationships, to name just a few. A case in the media not too long ago bears witness to a twelve year old bride (her wedding arranged) who died after struggling for three days in labour to give birth. This type of marriage is appalling, and disgusting within itself – but exposing girls to this at such a young age is absolutely repulsive and I have no idea how this can be legal. A Nationwide survey in 2005 showed that half of marriages in rural India involved brides younger than 18 – the age of consent. This lifestyle is leaving so many young girls with no real hope for life outside of marriage, with a lot of cases contracting life-threatening diseases such as HIV and aids. Also most of these young girls have to give up their education to enter a lifestyle they are not ready for, leaving them neglected with deprivation of choice. How can they escape this living nightmare? How could their parents be so cruel? However, many people would choose to disagree with me. Especially if you’re brought up in a culture where having your marriage arranged is a common procedure, and this is all you have ever known. Despite the points I made earlier, there may be some parents who want what’s best for their children and providing they are older and wiser, less likely be impulsive in the decisions they make. Also, this may decrease any risk of family problems or struggles. Our family’s opinions matter very dearly to us, and if they are choosing that you marry a specific person, this must mean they approve of them. This means keeping your family, community, culture and tradition happy, whilst bringing two families together as one. Also, we must remember that much of modern day arranged marriages are different from traditional arranged marriages, where the participants have no say at all. Many of the arranged marriages these days allow the couple to have unsupervised dates and get to know one another before the marriage –some aren’t so strict. Even so, many disapproved arranged marriages still take place – through blackmail or worse – and this needs to stop. The divorce rate for arranged marriages is also much lower (around 4-6%, 10 times less than normal marriages) but whether this is due to happy marriages or more to do with the fact that they aren’t allowed to get divorced- remains unseen. To come to a conclusion, the cons of arranged marriages overweigh the pros by miles for me. I think they are an unnatural disgrace to this life, which we are supposed to be allowed free will in. Marriage is supposed to be based on commitment, love, affection and attraction – this being impossible to achieve without the chance to choose the person you want all this with. â€Å"Don’t marry the person you think you can live with; marry the individual you can’t live without.† – this quote from James C Dobson highlights the purpose of marriage, being not just a chance to live with eac h other, but a chance to ensure your love is secure for life. People are selfish, it’s a part of our nature – we can’t escape it. Our self-centred nature is the type that means our own purposes come before others, perhaps even our children’s. Making people enter a marriage with the wrong person will leave them feeling suffocated in a relationship that might, not even, make their lives worth living. A case brought into the press has recently brought forward an 8 year old child bride that boldly went by herself to court and demanded a judge to dissolve her marriage to a man in his thirties. If that doesn’t show how disgraceful and sick arranged marriages are, then this earth surely has so sympathy or care for anyone more unfortunate than us. If an 8 year old girl can stand up for herself to defend her rights of marriage, surely the rest of us can at least have the heart to disagree with such a horrific, shameful matter – which is all arranged marriages are. Shelley Bruce, Fraserburgh Academy Word Count – 1259 Bibliography http://www.indiabix.com/group-discussion/love-marriages-vs-arranged-marriages/ http://www.womensweb.in/articles/love-marriage-vs-arranged-marriage/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/burdens-and-benefits-of-arranged-marriages-0412137 http://www.statisticbrain.com/arranged-marriage-statistics/ http://www.debate.org/opinions/are-arranged-marriages-better-than-marrying-for-love (Un)arranged Marriage – Bali Rai http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/fashion/weddings/parental-involvement-can-help-in-choosing-marriage-partners-experts-say.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.rljewels.com/home/love-marriage-arrange-marriage.html

Colgate Marketing Essay

Colgate is famous for having a long history of strong relationship with its retail trade partners. This Company delights consumers around there world with a an array of Oral Care, Home Care, Personal Care, and Pet Nutrition products. Small stores around the world are just important to Colgate as large ones. Behind the success of Colgate’s brands are carefully developed business and marketing strategies. Based on consumer and shopper insights, the Company works closely with local merchandisers and shop owners to offer a relevant assortment of products and merchandising services to get high visibility in each store. With a view to promoting their oral products to their target market, the company has been able to use various marketing strategies approaches. In line with above the line promotions, the company uses television, radio and newspaper advertisements and many more. In addition, the company also promotes their products in famous magazines and internet banner ads as well. It can also be said that Colgate-Palmolive also uses via-the-line promotion approach. This is done by considering a via the line communication approach. The company does this by hiring an advertising agency which helps them to make a better advertising campaign for their products. The company had 1713 direct stores as of may 2010. The oral care distribution network isdistribution network is spread across 90 cities in India. The company products are availableacross 4.3 mn retail outlets. Flag ship Brand  ± Colgate Dental Cream is the largest distributed product in the Toothpaste market available in 4.1 MM stores. 1.1.1.Political 1.1.2.Economic Charging higher premium which focused on consuming and lower income classes. Pricing done on the basis of price points Packaging would be customized on the basis of price points. In June, 2012, Colgate-Palmolive announcedcapacity expansion plans in India by opening its fifth production facility in the country with an investment of $20 million. With Procter & Gamble likely to have postponed its decision to enter into the Indian toothpaste market yet again, Colgate has more room to continue building its market share in the fast-expanding Indian oral care market. Colgate currently occupies half of the Indian oral care market and competes with Unilever and local player Dabur. Colgate has continued to grow its market share in Indian oral care market despite stiff competition from Unilever and other low-cost competitors. Its market share in terms of volume increased to 54%last quarter, two percentage points higher than the prior year period. The Colgate brand is almost synonymous with oral care products in India thanks to its deep distribution network and effective marketing strategies, along with focused market activity to increase toothpaste use. Colgate also occupies a 26% share (by volume) of the nascent but fast-growing mouthwash category. The strategy is to phase-out unproductive toothpastes in the baking soda/gel varieties specifically Colgate Baking Soda & Peroxide Oxygen Whitening Frosty Mint Striped Gel, Colgate 2in1 Oxygen Whitening and Cavity Protection Winterfresh Gel. The product packaging will be advertising other Colgate products in an attempt to retain brand loyal users. By October 2011, these varieties of Colgate will no longer be produced for the United States market. In effect, this will generate more cash flow that can be diverted into the creation of new brands and new marketing campaigns thereby decreasing stress upon margin levels. The strategy is to phase-out unproductive toothpastes in the baking soda/gel varieties specifically Colgate Baking Soda & Peroxide Oxygen Whitening Frosty Mint Striped Gel, Colgate 2in1 Oxygen Whitening and Cavity Protection Winterfresh Gel. The product packaging will be advertising other Colgate products in an attempt to retain brand loyal users. . Keys to success can be determined based upon Colgate and its competitions’ past and current market share, trends, strengths and weaknesses. Over the past sixty years there has been a power struggle between Colgate, Aquafresh and Crest to acquire market share. As a category leader it is imperative to follow and predict trends within the United Statestoothpaste industry. Based on the MRI data, regular pasteoutsells beyond all other types of toothpaste and has the highest percentage of users. 1.1.3.Social 2.Geographic:- It depends on region, population, factor, urban conditions etc. On this basis for example, Colgate introduces a sun screen ingredients which protect from sun rays. 3.Demographic:- It comprise age, gender, income , life cycle of family and education. For example young people do not go for hair color treatment. 4.Psychographic:- it depends on persons thinking and what are the 5.Personality characteristic of him. It is a difficult marketing segmentation to implement because sometimes market may not aware of there life style of there people. 6. Behavioral:- It consists two things a) The benefits desired from the product. b)The rate at which customer is using product. 7.It can be applied on Colgate, the benefits from there toothpaste product are no plaque, no cavities, fresh breath, very low price , good quality and white teeth. Product Mix Product Focusing toward rural rich and consuming class by endorsing the development of ‘ Colgate Ayurvedic Toothpowder ’ . For Urban population, they would come up with the products suiting to young generation, for kids in the age group from 4-10 years. Unique Product and able to differentiate from all other products existing in the market e.g. Colgate Herbal White which promises a unique formula. Packaging-green colour ensures the ‘herbal ness’. Target Market Kids Brushing -more effective and fun for kids Sparkling gel comes in 2 exciting variants – Bright Pink gel , and Bright Blue gel ,yummy Bubble Fruit flavour Tweety and bugs bunny are favourites with kids The fruity bubble gum flavour – kids brush longer developing good oral care habits Family Strong teeth and fresh breath Developed using Colgate’s international expertise in oral care Unique formula protects teeth from decay Refreshing minty flavour makes breath super f resh Youth Icy wave of minty coolness Cooling crystals and emphasis on â€Å"taazgi†. In order to gain favorable PR and keep Colgate in the light of the media, this plan suggests a campaign that will donate a 1% of specially marked packages to a charity of ones choice. Partnering with www.charitynavigator.org to create a micro list of charities and their information. Purchasers will be able to choose and track the donations via the Colgate website by answering several demographic questions and entering a unique code. Facebook will feature a separate page that will promote Colgate, describe the donation campaign and charities offered by charitynavigator.org. Also, a downloadable iphone application will be created to track contributions. This marketing tactic will foster a positive image of Colgate, create an increase of sales in specific Colgate brands, harvest demographic customer information, draw added consumers to the Colgate website and more of a presence on Facebook. In order to gain favorable PR and keep Colgate in the light of the media, this plan suggests a ca mpaign that will donate a 1% of specially marked packages to a charity of ones choice. Partnering with www.charitynavigator.org to create a micro list of charities and their information. Purchasers will be able to choose and track the donations via the Colgate website by answering several demographic questions and entering a unique code. Facebook will feature a separate page that will promote Colgate, describe thedonation campaign and charities offered by charitynavigator.org. Also, a downloadable iphone application will be created to track contributions. This marketing tactic will foster a positive image of Colgate, create an increase of sales in specific Colgate brands, harvest demographic customer information, draw added consumers to the Colgate website and more of a presence on Facebook. This idea will be retrofitted to print ads as well by using the same twenty images with the smiling, foamy face and underneath the images will appear the Colgate slogan, â€Å"Colgate A World of Care.† This marketing campaign has the ability to touch a vast consumer base. Th ere is universality to the idea. The concept relates and is identifiable with people because â€Å"everyone brushes their teeth in the pajamas.† Maslow’s hierarchy of needs dictates that the identifiably social component of the commercial will appeal to the subconscious of viewers creating the added value necessary to enhance the image of Colgate and gain added market share. Choosing actors specifically by gender and racial profile can appeal to start-up and young bustling families. This commercial will attract potential users and reaffirm current consumers. The investment in a revitalizing campaign to improve the image of Colgate will inevitably increase market share by 1.00% or $11,141,377 at a minimum. Colgate donates millions of dollars annually to the ADA’s â€Å"Give a Kid A Smile.† Colgate is a direct partner with this ADA program. Colgate can position a positive image by presenting itself as a proactive, helpful productthat is good for teeth, but also for community and country as a whole. In order to gain favorable PR and keep Colgate in the light of the media, this plan suggests a campaign that will donate a 1% of specially marked packages to a charity of ones choice. Donations will grow parallel to product sales by partnering with www.charitynavigator.org to create a micro list of charities and their information. Purchasers will be able to choose and track the donations via the Colgate website by answering several demographic questions and entering a unique code. 7.1.1.Technological Marketing Strategies Market Dominance Market leader – dominance in Oral Care Catering to all the segments -long product line Massive advertising, awareness ,especially in child segment Product Differentiation Different packaging for all its product line Changes packaging according to product innovation Differentiation due to massive promotion on channels Create a different image in the eyes of consumers Innovation Strategy Pioneered in new product development and business model innovation Cutting edge technology- innovation strategy. Positioning and creating Brand Equity Consumer- more health and hygiene conscious Vast consumer base in India Sectoral opportunity in other oral products Smaller packs to drive growth Direct media promotions â€Å"Operation Jagruti† program Educate villagers about oral hygiene Its benefits vis-à  -vis traditional products like â€Å"Neem† Conducted by giving product trials and free samples The steps Colgate took were to redesign its distribution network, improve its transportation management system, update its logistics efficiency program, and develop customer cost-to-serve data. The use of integrated logistics systems encompasses materials management, material flow systems, and physical distribution aided by information technology. Through this use of ILS, Colgate has been able to shorten the order cycle time, reduce clerical labor, reduce error rate in documents and provide improved control of operations. It is made possible through the use of following activities by Colgate through ILS a) Sales Forecasting on the basis of which company schedules distribution, production and inventory levels. Colgate has a dynamic website with the title, â€Å"Colgate World of Care,†that details products, oral care, company history, e-newsletter and special offers. The website also has a social networking page called Colgate Smile to engage the consumer to get involved with their oral health and the Colgate-Palmolive Company. Colgate also has social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace. Technology is changing daily life within the world markets from the way people create and use a shopping list to the cars people purchase. Toothpaste has a direct correlation with the toothbrush. Every year new toothbrush models come outclaiming superior plaque removal using such selling points as super sonic technology to blast away plaque build up or crisscrossing bristles to lift and brush plaque away. Also under the heading of technology are cameras and Facebook. Today people carry camerasat all times. Any event is now a potential photo shoot. The ease of access and spontaneous nature of camera usage requires the consumer to be aware of their smile at all times. Facebook will feature a separate page that will promote Colgate, describe thedonation campaign and charities offered by charitynavigator.org. Also, a downloadable iphone application will be created to track contributions. This marketing tactic will foster a positive image of Colgate, create an increase of sales in specific Colgate brands, harvest demographic customer information, draw added consumers to the Colgate website and more of a presence on Facebook.

Psy 240 Appendix C

There are four stages of sleep, stage 1 occurs when the person decides it’s time to fall asleep. Initially in stage 1 alpha waves start waxing and waning bursts of 8-12 Hz’s EEG. This is when we are alert at our wake fullness. Stage one sleep RRG is low voltage but high frequency signal. As the stages progress into stage 2 there’s a gradual increase in EEG voltage and decrease in EEG frequency. Stage 2 has a higher amplitude and lower frequency and also has two wave forms, k complexes and sleep spindles.Stage 3 is Delta waves, which are the largest and slowest EEG waves. Stage 4 is essentially the predominance of delta waves. Throughout the night the body goes through these 4 stages numerous times. It is a continuous cycle until the body fully awakes. Stage one is also the REM sleep stage and is where a person dreams. There are five common belies of dreams the first being, that external stimuli can become incorporated into dreams. Second, dreams last only an inst ant. Third, some people claim that they do not dream.Fourth, penile erections are assumed to be related to sexual dreams. And lastly, sleepwalking and sleep talking occur only when dreaming. There are two theories related to dreams, the first being Freud’s theory. He believes that dreams are triggered by unacceptable repressed wishes, often of a sexual nature. The second is activation synthesis theory of Hobson’s, he believed that during REM sleep many brain stem circuits become active and bombard the cerebral cortex with neural signals.He believes that a dream is the cerebral cortex’s way of taking all the random thoughts and making sense of them all. I agree with Hobson, I believe that all the random events throughout the day put together the dream. Freud’s theory does not seem legitimate to me because not everyone has negative or unacceptable wishes nor is every dream a sexual. More often than not my dreams comprise of random and often times very confu sing acts. Thus is the reason why I agree with Hobson.

Management Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management Development - Essay Example Planning is the foundation of all other management functions. The manager as planner assesses the present position of the company and allocates various steps to improve the company’s position in the future. Further, the manager locates the resources necessary to achieve the organization’s objectives. 1 Leadership involves effective communication skills, decision-making skills, planning and implementation, intelligence, and last but not least, influence. A manager, as a leader, needs to motivate employees to perform at their optimum level. In addition, leading entails having a vision and guiding the employees to fulfill this vision through effective communication. Organizing which comprise creating a structure for both the oral and written plans to be accomplished is yet another critical function. The manager delegates the various responsibilities and subtasks to the competent employees. What is more, managers address the important dimension of implementation of the various plans which are formulated. Finally, controlling involves monitoring the implementation of the plans and the various activities in order to ensure that the goals of the company are achieved. As controller, the manager handles conflict and controls any problems which may occur in the day to day running of the organization. Henry Mintzberg (1980) identified three categories of roles of a manager namely interpersonal roles, informational roles, and decisional roles. The interpersonal roles of the manager comprise the figurehead, leader and liaison. The informational roles include monitor, disseminator and spokesman. The decisional roles involve entrepreneur, disturbance handler, negotiator and resource allocator. The four areas of management in which I would like to improve are the manger as a leader, the manager as an organizer, the manager as a decision-maker and the manager as a planner. These four areas are critical to my role as a manager. Firstly, a manager who is unable to lead

Sunday Participation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sunday Participation - Assignment Example facilities are able to accomplish all the missions and the operations that are required by the injured since the acute care offered by the facilities require a stay in the hospital emergency department, ambulatory surgery center and it also deals with the current changes in the health sector (Roe, 2005). The facilities prevent the transfer of the patient to higher sectors for further treatment. The categories of the security standards are all important in that the categories depend on each other to bring the perfect security. The administrative category will require the tools from the physical category to use in the safeguard. The administrative category will also need the technical category to make sure that the implementations that they need to take are in the processes needed for the accomplishment of the security requirements. The tools, ideas and the processes combined make the tools able to accomplishment of the desired objectives of the

Video games and its positive effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Video games and its positive effects - Essay Example A lot of research has been conducted in this regard and there exists useful information from psychologists that point to the relationship between video games and intelligence. According to Carmel et al. (2009), video games are a great avenue for learning and developing skills and expertise as individuals commit their time in the play. Scholars from different fields have recognized video games as being very beneficial to players. In as much as the video games have negative effects on the players, there are a wide range of positive effects that people can get from playing these games. This essay will seek to address the positive impact of video games on individuals in terms of their intelligence and social interaction among other benefits. Renowned psychologist Shawn Green from the University of Wisconsin supported the claim that video games are in fact useful in brain development of players, thereby improving their intelligence (Green, & Bavelier, 2004). He acknowledges that the video games alter the physical structure of one’s brain in as much as reading and learning to play a piano does to an individual. He compares the effect of a combination of concentration and the rewarding surges of neurotransmitters such as dopamine to the brain to the effect that physical body exercise has on building muscles (Olthouse, 2009). Video games help to strengthen the neural circuits which lead to brain development among the video game players. Video games help to enhance a wide range of skills among the players, which in turn improves the intelligence of the players (Green, & Bavelier, 2004). Some of the skills developed by video games include the aspect of following instructions, problem solving skills and logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills, multi tasking, quick thinking and decision making, strategy and anticipation, estimating skills, memory and concentration, situation awareness among other skills. Video games are enjoyable to play as well as being addictive and the players play the games in order to become victorious over the opponents or to successfully complete missions in a specific game. This requires good decision making, strategizing and concentration on the part of the players. The video games enhance the ability of the players in following instructions. The games require players to perform various things in order to achieve specific goals in the game. By following these instructions, the players get to develop their intelligence in terms of following instructions whenever they want to complete a task or achieve certain objectives. The players, through coming up with strategies to complete their missions and achieve their objectives in the game, they learn how to develop their problem solving skills and development of logic (Green, & Bavelier, 2004). Games such as Angry Birds and The Incredible Machine are very great in developing problem solving skills since they require players to solve some challenging task s in the game. Other games, such as the shooting games, help to develop the players’ hand-eye coordination. In the shooting games, the character can be engaged in both shooting and running and the player needs to ensure both are done simultaneously in order to be successful in the mission. This process also requires great coordination between the players’ hands and eyes as they play. This in turn works on developing the mental skills of the players. Research has shown that

How have cell phones changed the human race socially on a global scale Research Paper

How have cell phones changed the human race socially on a global scale - Research Paper Example It analyses the changes in communication, the society, technology and foreign relations as a result of the widespread technology, giving appropriate recommendations. Introduction Referred to as cell phones by Americans, mobile phones in Africa, Australia, Asia and Europe and in many other ways globally, cell phones have been commercially available for about two and a half decades, enjoying staggering adoption rate as noted by Goggin (1). This has led to the existence of about 5 billion cell phones in the world as at end of 2010 with developing countries having more cell phones than developed countries (Hakoama and Hakoyama 2). China has been noted to be the largest wireless network in the world followed by India and America respectively. According to Prasad (38), the cell phone market in Africa is the fastest in growth globally, perhaps due to the sunset in the industry in the European market as observed by O’Brien. Klemens (2) evaluates the components that make up a cell phon e. Of course, cell phones are basically telephones, but they also serve as transmitters and radio receivers, which brings into perspective the understanding of antennas, radio waves and history of radio. The functions of a cell phone would be undertaken by microscopic circuits; the user’s interface would be provided by the liquid crystal display and a battery would be needed to power it. Whereas the distribution of cell phones could reveal much concentration and variation, it would be safe to appreciate that in merely two and half decades since its commercialization, cell phones have grown to be more than mere voice call devices. According to Goggin (2), cell phones have become a central cultural technology in their own right. Pros of Cell Phone Usage Just like many other technologies, cell phones come with its pros and cons. They help people keep in touch without the barrier of location as its mobility allows people to communicate no matter their location. The extra features that come with cell phones such as radio, free communication applications and even TVs save the user money that would have otherwise been used to acquire or subscribe to such services (Eapen, Kumar, and Bhat 138). Cell phones increase the feeling of safety as with the gadget in whatever place, one would feel closer to emergency services in case need be (Prasad 42). Cons of Cell Phone Usage On the other hand, being reachable anytime anywhere could serve as a disadvantage. It could cause one the inconveniences of for example being called back to work when its vacation time with family. Owning this gadget increases one’s expenses due to the cost involved in not only its acquisition but also subscription to the accompanying services such as voice calls and text messages. On safety, Banjo, Hu, and Sundar (128) cite the National Safety Council which estimates car accidents resulting from cell phone distractions at 28% of the total accidents. The associated radiation emission has b een linked to health risks including cancer, depression and high blood pressure (Eapen, Kumar, and Bhat 139; Kaplan 3). In schools, cell phones have been noted to propagate cheating and lack of concentration and distractions in classes. The materials making up cell phone printed circuit boards, liquid crystal displays, batteries and plastic casings contain toxic substances which

James Cameron-Deepsea Challenge Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

James Cameron-Deepsea Challenge - Research Paper Example Even though the respective journey’s the bottom of Marianas Trench were separated by nearly 50 years, the main scientific mission for each were strikingly similar. The first journey to the bottom of the trench too place in 1960. This mission, staffed by Jacques Piccard and Navy Lt. Don Walsh was specifically interested to determine whether or not sea life, or life of any kind, could survive at such crushing depths. As a result of the descent and the length of time that was budgeted on the bottom of the sea floor, Walsh and Piccard only had 20 minutes in which to capture any video or photo proof of life existing at that depth. Sadly, as a result of all of the silt that they had stirred up on their way down, no convincing photographic or video proof was able to be provided. Yet, before the craft began its long voyage back to the surface, Walsh is said to have spotted a flatfish; something that many scholars then dismissed as impossible due to the great pressure and depths that e xisted at the bottom of the Marianas Trench. Many individuals would further state that what Walsh saw was not a flatfish but instead a type of sea cucumber. Further, the first voyage took place in an Italian/German made submersible that was named the Trieste. This particular submersible was far ahead of its time and leverage many life support systems and backup systems to ensure that the individuals onboard could maintain life support even in the event of an unexpected occurrence at great depth. Further, as compared to the submersible that Cameron took to the bottom of the trench, the Trieste weighed a staggering 13 metric tons. By means of comparison, Cameron’s craft was much smaller and only allowed for a single individual to pilot it to the bottom of the depth. However, like the Trieste, the DeepSea Challenger was outfitted with the very latest technology and had a great many systems and subsystems dedicated to sustaining life support even in the event that a primary syste m failed. Further, the DeepSea Challenger was specifically designed for the trip to the bottom of the Marianas Trench; whereas the Trieste was not tailor made for the task of going to the bottom of the Marianas Trench. Nonetheless, both submersibles were able to successfully complete their respective journeys without incident. Rather than being ballasted by gasoline and detachable water cylinders, the DeepSea Challenger was ballasted by refillable water ballasts alongside a backup dissolving ballast should the water ballasts fail to remove on the trip back to the surface. As a means of comparing the trip itself, Cameron’s craft made the roundtrip voyage in just a little over 7 hours time. By means of comparison, the 1960s crew made the trip in a combined 5 ? hours. The time differential can most effectively be explained by a discussion and consideration of the fact that Cameron spent a significantly longer period of time at the ocean’s floor as compared to those within the Trieste. As compared to the journey of the Trieste Cameron’s craft experienced some technical difficulty as he sprung a very small leak at the great depths of the Marians Trench; therefore he found it expeditious to forego the gathering of ocean floor samples that he had previously planned on collecting. With that being said, as compared to Walsh and Piccard, Cameron was no able to find any proof of

Flash Fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Flash Fiction - Essay Example Flash fiction Mr P was known for his combative approach in dealing with issues affecting the general public. The fact that he was approachable must be acknowledged from the onset. He was loved by all and sundry. On this fateful day, the members of parliament of his country had allegedly awarded themselves huge salaries and send off packages given that their terms in office were almost coming to an end. This did not go down well with Mr P who was known to object to the corrupt and unethical tendencies of the greedy members of parliament. He termed the move unfortunate, cruel, insensitive and highly regrettable. He then moved ahead and called the members of the public to hold a peaceful demonstration in order to express a public displeasure and dissatisfaction with the move of the law makers. It was around 4pm, barely two hours after Members of Parliament unanimously agreed to award themselves the packages, and the beautiful town of Ayoma was already thronged with crowds demonstrating. There was a lot of noise in the town. The businesses suddenly came to a standstill. Mr P was at the fore front, leading the demonstration. The crowd turned rowdy and almost unruly. The roads connecting the town to other major towns were blocked. It was not business as usual. The members of the media were all over the place covering the event. It was exactly 5 pm when a huge group of security officers were deployed to quell and calm the crowd that had become very rowdy. Gun shots were heard in the air. Tear gas and hot water was poured on the demonstrators. Mr P took the police head on, confronted them. A police officer caught him by the collar of his shirt. He fought back by giving a very hot slap on the cheek of the officer until the officer collapsed. He would later say that he did not have any intention of slapping the police officer, in fact, according to him, it is the officer that brought his cheeks closer to his hand. All in all, nobody dares the police and gets scot free. A s such, they arrested him. This worsened the already bad situation. A man of the people had been arrested by the police serving an irresponsible government. A man of the people had been put into a police vehicle, a â€Å"Black Maria† heading for the pathetic cell. The crowd could not take this lying down. Things took another turn, violence ensued. The groups engaged the police in running battles fighting for the release of their man. They used the weapons at their disposal to attack the police. Stones were coming towards the police from all directions like rain water. Containing the situation became difficult. More and more police officers were deployed to help ease the violence which had now moved from fighting with the police to looting of property from shops and other major business premises. At some point, a gunshot was heard and a sharp voice of a female reverberated through the crowd. It was the only sister of Mr P. She

Ebay Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ebay Strategy - Essay Example As the report declares eBay operates the leading online auction community on the Internet. Secondly , the second strength is intellectual property .eBay’s intellectual property such as its trademarks, copyrights, patents and domain names will help to give the company a competitive advantage over its rivals in the market place. Then , Brand is one of the key strengths of eBay.The strength of the eBay brand name is increasing. The brand is now becoming more mainstream, as it benefits from an increase in both brand awareness and brand recognition. In addition , Double-digit growth in sales has been seen in a number of the company’s eight core product categories. Pay Pal is one of the most successful strategies for eBay.The acquisition of Pay Pal has helped the company to enhance the experience of customers using eBay.This has had a knock on effect and helped to boost the satisfaction of customers using eBay. Perhaps one of eBay’s biggest strengths is its business mo del. The company’s business model means that eBay has no inventory and low capital requirements. This paper stresses that there are also some weaknesses of eBay strategy .The first is advertising revenues. Although advertising revenue only represents a small proportion of revenues, it is an area where eBay should be looking to exploit in order to generate greater revenues for the company as a whole. The second one is technology development. eBay still needs to improve a number of areas of its website in order to generate increased sales in the future.

Organizing a trip to Edingburgh Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Organizing a trip to Edingburgh - Essay Example Art and other portraits are among the major contributions of Edinburgh. Scottish art council, National gallery of Scotland, Scottish National Portrait Gallery and other art centers are the major attractions. Edinburgh has witnessed lots of International twin programs from various universities and colleges across the world. The trip involves a large number of students and members of the faculty who will guide the students in different aspects during the trip. Some other university staff will also be part of the trip and their assistance is expected to make the trip more fruitful. The date selected for the trip is the month of May when the University classes are suspended due to summer holiday (5TH May, 2009 to 9th May, 2009). Flight tickets are being obtained for all the persons going for the trip. As per the rate given by the travel agents, the air fare is 200' per person (100' for Wales to Edinburgh and 100' for Edinburgh to Wales). The trip will be in business class. Hotels will be booked in Edinburgh for the trip. The rooms will be of double or triple occupancy. Rooms will be allotted to students and staff as per their preference. As per the rates provided by the hotel manager in Edinburgh, each person has to pay 200 ' daily for lodging. This price includes all the hotel facilities except food. ll the people goi Cab Fare ll the people going for trip are to assemble at the University campus. Cabs will carry them from the University campus to Wales airport on day 0. Cabs will also be hired to transport people from Hotel in Edinburgh to the airport of Edinburgh. As per the rates provided by the Cab association, they are going to charge 10 ' per person. All the cabs will be fully air conditioned. Food All the participants will be provided with breakfast, lunch, evening snacks and dinner. Breakfast will be provided by the hotel in Edinburgh. For lunch, restaurants have been selected in Edinburgh with flexible food items. Three different restaurants have been selected for three days of trip in Edinburgh. The restaurants have

The Caste system Essay Example for Free

The Caste system Essay In order to answer this question it is necessary to address the issues raised from the caste system and the importance it has for society and the Hindus. The main issue that has emerged from the caste system is the treatment of the untouchables or Dalits. The Dalits exist outside the caste system, there are literally outcastes, and because of this status thrust upon them they are at the bottom of the social hierarchy. This status has dire consequences for the dalits. In village life they are expected to dwell outside the confines of the village, as they are considered to be polluting for the higher castes. Because they are considered to be polluting they are expected to have certain occupations that caste Hindus would consider polluting, such occupations include pig tending and assisting to cremate the dead, occupations that are not particularly appealing. They are the subject of crime and discrimination, for example K Danalaxmi, a Dalit, in Tamil Nadu and 57 other dalits have had been raided by higher caste Hindus and their huts the subject to arson attacks: she tells a BBC correspondent: the parents of children that go to the same school as my daughter did this they hate us and may come back again. 5 Politically speaking the dalits are legally equal to any other higher caste Hindu, indeed in the village Tamil Nadu high caste Hindus go to school with dalit children, so efforts have been made to reconcile the social rift between castes. However, such action has resulted in the assaults and violent actions committed against the dalits similar to that of the dalits in the village of Tamil Nadu. Indeed throughout history there have been many attempts to affiliate the higher castes with the untouchables. In the middle ages the Bhatki movement, meaning to love, encouraged the worship of God through adoration and devotion. More importantly in terms of caste, it attracted Hindus of all castes and presented a greater representation in Hindu society for those of the lower castes. In the 12th century, founder of the new philosophic movement, Shankaracharya preached that the two ways to salvation, dhyan and karma, was being monopolised by the Brahmin caste. Devotion was considered by the Bhatki movement as an equal path towards salvation. Another historical example of criticism of the caste system came much later in the 18th and 19th centuries, during the days of the British Empire. Missionaries were sent out to civilise the native pagans to the light of Christianity. Missionaries were successful at converting the dalits and the lower castes; for these subsections of society Christianity presented an attractive alternate life style. More recently another critic of the Caste system had an enormous impact on Indian society, indeed on the world. Mahatma Ghandi, who was a Vaisya, campaigned against the unjust social and economic aspects of the caste system, and did much work to improve the status of the untouchables, which he called the children of God or Harijans (a term much resented by the untouchables who preferred the term Dalits. ) The caste system is a highly controversial aspect of Hinduism, originating from Vedic times and lasting to the present day. It affects every aspect of Indian society, from marriages to government. It is has been heavily criticised since its creation, and constantly reformed. Indeed in the Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna invented the concept of Dharma, which offered reassurance to low caste Hindus for a chance for salvation. Albeit the caste systems origins may have been secular, it has become so embodied with the religion of Hinduism that to criticise the caste system is to criticise Hinduism. Thus it remains the foundation of modern Indian society. Has the caste system outlived its relevance to modern life? From a western perspective it has, westerners see it as inequitable and morally wrong. But in order to understand the true flaws of the caste system it is necessary to view the caste system from a Hindu perspective, only then can a scholar see if the caste system should still exist and the importance it has to Hindu life. Bibliography Introduction to Hinduism-Kim Knott www. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/south_asia/459591. stm http://artworld. uea. ac. uk/teaching_modules/india/historical_background/the_hindu_caste_system/welcome. html http://www. themystica. com/mystica/articles/b/bhakti. html 1 Introduction to Hinduism-K. K. Klostermaier. 2 At the core of most religions is the idea of attempting to join a supreme being. 3 The term cycle is perhaps misleading as it is more linear than a cycle. (perhaps) 4 Arvind Shama in Hinduism by Kim Knott. 5 www. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/459591. stm Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Agard: Half-Caste section.