Moral Philosophy Essay

Hare uses the â€Å"indirect† version of utilitarianism. Hare believes that individuals can deliberate at the intuitive level. In dire situations where there is no time to evaluate decisions on a critical level, intuition maybe used to commit most acts. Direct utilitarianism follows a rigid rules approach to utilitarianism. Hare’s approach implies that certain acts done intuitively will become moral because the decision was made on a gut level instinct instead of simply following a set of rules. Hare attempts to distinguish his theories from â€Å"crude† or direct utilitarianism. However, it would seem that he does not remove the problems of direct utilitarianism, but he manages to create new ones. â€Å"An act (for act utilitarians) or rule (for rule utilitarians) is right if and only if the act or rule maximizes the utility of all persons (or sentient beings). † 1 Following the direct utilitarianism approach, there is no flexibility for human emotion or consequences. In addition, there is no true definition of what is right for all persons. An example would be a decision by a surgeon in an emergency room to save the life of an elderly priest or that of a young man that was in a terrible car accident. By the direct utilitarianism approach, the surgeon would have to ascertain what would be best for all persons. Such a decision would realistically be made deliberation and gut instinct. The direct utilitarianism approach does not answer what is best for everyone in this type of circumstance. The problem with Hare’s approach is one can prove virtually any moral dilemma with custom tailored and non-realistic circumstances where gut instinct would be used as the determining factor for the situation. There are no set guidelines for defining what is moral for these extenuating circumstances. Hare in general often speaks about conflicting desires, and he seems to adhere to Plato’s notion that being good coincides with being informed. What Hare fails to address is that some individuals might desire to do evil. Hare presumes that the individual is going to conform to the standards of society and use deliberation to not commit heinous and horrific acts. With the direct utilitarianism approach, individuals will act for the good of everyone thus more likely to conform to moral restrictions placed upon them by society. Hare’s approach states that individuals will follow gut instinct to do what is moral but at the same time Hare’s approach calls for individuals to follow deliberation when making some decisions. For the individual that is a sociopath, Hare’s response would be that the sociopath would â€Å"condemn those desires at a critical level†. 2 With the assumption of individual conformity to the group’s standard, Hare is contracting his gut instinct part of the decision making progress. Hare argues that direct utilitarianism cannot accommodate political rights because the government is an institutional set of rules and regulations. Direct utilitarianism assumes that the government knows what is best for the majority. Hare’s approach would require the individual to deliberate as to follow the rules set forth by the government. Using Hare’s approach it would be ethical for an individual to refuse to pay taxes or speed on the highway because there would’ve been a deliberation and analysis based on the critical level of thinking. Hare’s approach is more direct utilitarianism on the political issues because the individual will most likely make a choice that is inherently good for everyone to avoid negative consequences such as a speeding ticket or imprisonment. Each decision or choice that the individual makes results in some type of consequence. Hare’s approach to indirect utilitarianism does not address consequences. The direct utilitarianism addresses consequences because the individual is going to follow rules that are set forth for the good of the whole. Direct utilitarianism requires conformity to societal standards to maximize individual happiness. Hare’s approach requires that the individual deliberate and make a decision. Yet, the other part of his approach requires the individual to follow gut instinct while conforming to good of the whole to make an ethical decision. Instead of refuting the direct utilitarianism approach, Hare is supporting the notion that we all have a set of rules that we inherently follow. To strictly follow Hare’s approach to indirect utilitarianism, society would be in total chaos because virtually any circumstance can be manipulated to appear as though the individual was following instinct and thus making a moral decision. There are no overall guidelines for extenuating circumstances with Hare’s approach to indirect utilitarianism. Hare creates more chaos in trying to refute the direct utilitarianism approach instead of providing solid arguments for the nature of human beings and ethical decisions.

Hunter-gather to settled community Essay

Growth of existing trade routes –Silk Roads, Mediterranean Sea, Trans-Saharan, Indian Ocean—due to innovations and technology (caravans, compass, larger ships, credit) The rise of new trade routes centering on Mesoamerica and the Andes Commercial growth due to new trading organizations (Hanseatic League), and state practices (minting of coins, paper money) and state-sponsored commercial infrastructures such as the Grand Canal of China Trans-Eurasian trade as a result of the expansion of empire (china, Byzantine Empire, Muslim caliphates, Mongols) Cross- Cultural exchanges through existing or new networks of trade and communication. The diffusion of cultural, scientific and technological traditions and new food crops, agricultural techniques, and epidemic diseases (including the Black Death) along Eastern Hemisphere trade routes Byzantine Empire, Chinese dynasties, Islamic states, Mongol Khanates, and feudalism in Europe and Japan The expansion of state systems in the Americas: Mayan city states, Mexica (â€Å"Aztecs†), Inca Technological and cultural transfer between states and empires, including tang China and the Abbasids, across the Mongol Empires,  and during the Crusades Increased agricultural and industrial production in many regions due to technological innovations (such as Chinmpa(floating plants in the water) field systems) the expansions of textile, porcelain, iron and exports from china, Persia and India Revival of urban centers, the rise of commerce and warmer temperatures between 800 and 1300; rising agricultural productivity and population, and the greater availability of labor. Varying forms of labor organization: free peasant agriculture, guild organization, several forms of coerced and unfree labor (serfdom, mit’a, slavery) The spread and diffusion of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Neoconfucianism, and corresponding changes in gender relations and family structure. Intensification of existing regional trade networks, bringing prosperity and economic disruption ot the trading regions of the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Sahara, and overland Eurasia. European synthesis of technological developments based on knowledge developed in the classical, Islamic, and Asian worlds – resulting in new tools, ship designs, and understanding of global wind and current patterns. New transoceanic maritime reconnaissance: Zheng He in the Indian Ocean, Portuguese in West Africa, Spanish voyages across the Atlantic and Pacific, European searches for multiple routes to Asia across the North Atlantic A new global circulation of goods driven by mercantilist European monarchies, with worldwide circulation of silver from the Americas, colonial joint-stock companies, and the use of free and unfree laborers mixing African, American, and European cultures and peoples The Columbian Exchange of diseases, foods, and domesticated animals between Eastern and Western hemispheres, with subsequent population increase in Afro-Eurasia but indigenous population loss, deforestation, and soil depletion in the Americas Worldwide innovations in visual and performing arts, such as the Renaissance in Europe (with its accompanying expansion of literacy) A growing global demand for raw materials and finished products, resulting within Africa and the export of slaves to the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, and the Americas; and a range of coerced labor in American colonial economies (indentured servitude, encomienda system) The formation of new political and economic elites as a result of imperial conquests and widening global economic opportunities, such as the Manchus in China and creole elites in Spanish America Fluctuating power of existing elites such as the nobility in Europe and daimyo in Japan, as a reult of increasingly powerful monarchs and leaders Gender and family restructuring: demographic changes in Arica resulting from the slave trades, the trade relationships of Southeast Asian women and European men, and the smaller size of European families Massive demographic changes in the Americas resulting in new ethnic and racial classifications (mestizo, mulatto, creole) Use of a variety of methods by rulers to legitimize, consolidate, and centralize power – including monumental architecture, urban design, religious ideas (European divine right, Aztec human sacrifice, Songhay promotion of Islam), differential treatment of ethnic and religious groups (Ottoman treatment of non-Muslims), recruitment of bureaucratic elites and military professionals (Ottoman devshirme, Chinese examination system, samurai), tribute collection, and tax farming Increased use of gunpowder, cannons, and armed trade to establish large  empires in both hemispheres: European trading- post empires in Africa and Asia; land empires in China, India, the Middle East, and Eurasia (Manchus, Mughals, Ottomans, Russians) Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British maritime empires in the Americas Competition over trade routes (Caribbean piracy), state rivalries (Thirty Years War), and local resistance (samurai revolts) challenged state consolidation and expansion

“Moon Palace” by Paul Auster Essay

This is the story of Marco Stanley Fogg, an orphan searching for love, his father and the key to the riddle of his origin and fate. Marco’s mother was killed in a car accident when he was eleven years old, and he never knew who was his father. Since then he had lived with his Uncle Victor in a small apartment on 112th Street in N.Y. His Uncle was a part of a band who was named Wally Moon and preformed at the Moon Palace diner. When Stanley grew up he went to the University; Uncle Victor gave him for this occasion a present, one thousand books. Afterwards, his Uncle had suddenly died. Then Stanley’s situation became worse; He saw his money dwindle to zero, he lost the apartment and wound up living in the streets (He slept for three weeks in Central Park without food and with little money). His friends David Zimmer and Kitty Wu had found him and took care of him til he recover from his illness. Staley lived in Zimmer’s house until he had moved away to another apart ment, then Stanley searched for a new place to live and found a job as a live-in companion for an elderly gentleman in a wheelchair. He lived with him for about half year until the gentleman died. His name was Effing Thomas but his real name was Julian Barber. In the past he was a famous painter but he stopped painting after the death of his brother and he changed his name after being considered dead by mistake. Stanley and Effing were very bonded since Effing was like the father Stanley never had. Dear Diary June, 1967 Today I was again in Broadway Street where was Chandler’s Bookstore. I had sold him another box of Uncle Victor’s book. Sure, I had already read them. I know that they were the only memory, which was left from my uncle, buy I need the money to pay the rent and to buy some food and eat. August, 1968 Today I woke up early in the morning and got out to the street. As I was walking I saw that the drugstore had been opened already, I entered and I dropped a penny into the drugstore Exacto scale to see what was happening to me. From 154 in June, I fell to 139 in July and then to 123 in august. For someone who measured slightly over six feet, this began to be dangerously little. August, 1969 Today Fernandez, the owner of the building, threw me out my apartment. I took my knapsack with a few odds and ends, tucked the clarinet case, that Uncle Victor had left to me, and walked out the door†¦ I don’t know what I’ll do, or where do I’ll go†¦ October, 1970 Now I have just finished to type down the life story of Effing on the typewriter that he had gave me. I have copied it from the notes I had taken in those nights when we sat down after supper. Me on the sofa and him in his wheelchair. He had told everything; Why had he changed his name and why did he choose this name (Effing), why did he stop painting, what happened to his wife and to his son. And eventually he told me that when he will die he wants his body to be cremated.

Impact Of Be True To Your School On Different Persons Essay

Impact Of Be True To Your School On Different Persons - Essay Example The narrative included Greene and his peers getting summer jobs, drinking liquor, finding the latest hits of the day and earning marks for their teams, among others. These events were faithfully chronicled in a daily diary, which for its frequency could tend to become tedious at times. But this is quite rare and to be expected since the diary involved every single day of the entire year. What Greene has accomplished in this particular narrative, however, is the transformation of the seemingly banal and ordinary American teen life into something compelling, entertaining and memorable. Grown-ups would find it easy to forget what transpired in their youth, having more serious concerns and real-life troubles to occupy their minds. Greene will teach them to look back and marvel at those days when everything was simple when the most challenging events include getting at least a score of B and pursuing a romantic interest. These things - within the context of Greene's narrative - assume an entirely new utility: they serve as a reminder. For some, it would be a reminder of what shaped them into what they are now. For others, it would about the things that made them happy or the time when the seeds of their dreams began germinating. Greene articulated this best when he, at the beginning of the story, wrote: â€Å"When I look at the diary after years had passed, I realized that what I had here was something money could not buy: time preserved† (vii). Perhaps this was the reason why Lindy met Greene several years later when he flew to where she lived in Ohio. She met him for dinner and went as far as going up with Greene to his room (46).

Thought Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thought Paper - Essay Example â€Å"The general terms "high context" and "low context" (popularized by Edward Hall) are used to describe broad-brush cultural differences between societies† (Beer). These are the things that we discuss in the next section. High context societies or groups are observed to have close connections over a long period of time. In this context, we see that â€Å"many aspects of cultural behavior are not made explicit because most members know what to do and what to think from years of interaction with each other† thus a family is a fit example for this (Beer). On the other hand, â€Å"low context refers to societies where people tend to have many connections but of shorter duration or for some specific reason. In these societies, cultural behavior and beliefs may need to be spelled out explicitly so that those coming into the cultural environment know how to behave† (Beer). Conflict resolution will differ according to the level of context the group has. Conflict in a low context group might might resort to adherence to certain rules in resolving conflict. This means a strict or rigid written rule. On the other hand, conflict in a high context group such as the family, can be resolved with under standing and patience. This does not necessitate an arbiter or a written code but patient and compassionate understanding of others’ faults. The key concepts, such as honor, shame and saving face will also differ across cultures. Honor can be of varying level according to culture. For some like the Japanese, authorities are regarding with highest honor so that submission easily follows from the subordinates. More liberal countries such as America or even the Third World country such as the Philippines encourage citizen’s freedom thus authorities are ostracized such as done during mass rally and political revolution. Resolving with authorities in a culture such as Japan would necessitate paying much honor to the authorities. On the other hand, â€Å"shame is a common form of

Math and the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Math and the Internet - Essay Example The most important question is: Is mathematics involved in such an important part of our everyday life The hardware is a main part of Internet - it is comprised of servers and personal computers. The information is represented electronically using different levels of voltages. For instance, a 0 could be represented by a 0 voltage and a 1 could be represented by a voltage of 3 volts. To avoid overheating the voltage levels must to be low which means that each piece of information on the computer can be represented with the values 1 or 0. The common language of arithmetic is the decimal number system. Normally we use a numbering system referred to as base 10. Digits in this system may take the values 0 through 9. In any base "n" (where n is a positive integer), digits may take values from 0 to "n-1"; so in base 2 (the binary system) the digits can have values 0 or 1. This is why the information on the computer can be represented only in binary and each piece of information is called 'bit' (from "BInary digiT). In the binary number system each number larger than 1 requires multiple bits and each consecutive place value is a power of two.

Delegation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Delegation Paper - Essay Example However, there has been a significant transformation in management style and approach of MGM Transport's managers. After attending a management seminar, most of the managers adapted a new way of dealing with their team members or subordinates most especially in the manner the delegated tasks to their subordinates. Delegation in MGM Transport is now all about asking questions and hearing out what the employees have to say regarding specific concerns. Managers in the company now place more value on what the employees have to say. So before they dish out orders left and right, the managers consult their people, ask them questions, and make them give their suggestions as to how the issue will be solved. As early as the planning stages, the managers now involve their team members. The plan of action which used to be the responsibility of the manager has now become collaboration between the manager and the employees. A specific instance that will demonstrate how such delegation process occurs in MGM is when the issue of the need to expand the company's less-than-a-truckload (LTL) services. John Adams, a member of the sales team, was tasked to study the need to expand the company's LTL services and which regions or areas must be considered. Before coming up with any decision or plan of action, John called for a meeting with his team. He told them of the situation and asked them what they have to say about it. Adams asked them for suggestion as to how to proceed with the task. When everyone had said their piece, John and his team worked out a plan that will resolve the issue at hand. By involving his team in the planning process, John was able to eliminate possible misunderstandings that commonly occur when the team members do not have sufficient knowledge or background on the task that needs to be done. It was only after the consultation process did John divide the tasks among the team members. E ach member was assigned to do things that fit into his area of expertise the best. No one person was given too much or too little duties. Delegation in MGM used to be a big concern and a weakness of the managers. However, this has greatly changed. Today, delegation has been utilized by MGM managers as an effective tool that will increase the productivity of the company. II. Delegation in Other Areas and Activities The case of MGM Transport demonstrates a situation wherein delegation was effectively used in the planning stage. Delegation, however, is applicable not just to the planning phase. Delegation can be used in several other phases and stages in an organization. There are various ways by which delegation can be valuable to an organization and the various processes embedded in its operations. As seen in the example of MGM, delegating in planning requires the involvement of key employees whose skills and capabilities are necessary for the resolution of a particular issue. When in the planning process, it is vital for the manager to be aware of the various perspectives and points of view of an issue. Moreover, any manager in any organization would want that he would have as much suggestions and ideas from as many angles and sides when he makes decisions on certain issues. It is in this case wherein delegation can ease the planning process. Not only will delegation reduce the pressure on the

Ethical Dilemma Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Dilemma Nursing - Assignment Example As doctors, their duty is to save the life of the patients. Moreover, the sanctity of life is an important factor that should be respected by one and all. The second dilemma is the ethical issues involved in the patient’s consent with regard to his treatment. Patient’s autonomy to decide about his medication and his welfare has increasingly become a critical issue within the medical field. Medical paternalism is also a strong issue here. Dr. House is famous for his brilliant but unconventional methods and therefore, his beliefs that he knows more than patients, reveals his paternalistic attitude. Last but not the least important dilemma is that of non-maleficence which dissuades doctors to deliberately harm the patients. These are crucial issues which pose serious challenges for the medical team that is treating Dr. Ezra, especially when they are asked to stop the test and put him to sleep. Answer 2 Dr. House ignores Dr. Ezra’s request for stopping further tests and his demand for euthanasia. The two main ethical principles that can be applied to support Dr. House’s actions are medical beneficence and Kantian’s theory of deontology. The principle of beneficence and non-maleficence are important ethical issues within the medical field that support Dr. House’s actions. ... Kantian’s deontology promotes the concept that the motives of actions always be right and towards the wider benefit of the people (Schneewind, 1990). Acting appropriately at all times, therefore, becomes a key issue that is not concerned with the consequences but the acts which are carried out with good motives. In this case, the House’s major concern was to diagnose the cause of the worsening medical condition of Dr. Ezra. Therefore, his insistence on the tests was aimed at giving relief to Dr. Ezra through diagnosis. House believed that the test would help him to find the cause and equip him with knowledge and information to start the right treatment and correct medication which would help the patient to fully recover. Answer 3 As a nurse, I would not condone Dr. House’s actions mainly because of two ethical principles: the patient has a right to make a decision about his treatment. Patient’s consent is very important that not only shows that he is aware of the pros and con of the treatment and therefore, but his agreement or refusal is also an empowered decision. In this case, Dr. Ezra himself was a renowned medical professional who knew the futility of tests and therefore had asked the team to stop the treatment. Dr. House’s contention that he knows best, defy the basic module of the patient’s autonomy. Furthermore, House was not sure of the diagnosis and all his test were just blind guesses for coming to a definite conclusion. The test could also have an adverse impact on Dr. Ezra’s conditions. Hence, my belief that Dr. House’s actions were not right. Secondly, the utilitarian theory of Bentham proposes that actions should give happiness to the maximum number of people (Rosentand, 2002).  Ã‚  

Organisations and management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Organisations and management - Essay Example There is a widespread denial of slavery in management studies, which primarily focus on victims thereby ignoring the role of enterprises and managers in the most atrocious human rights abuses in modern management practice. This article proposes that management research should play a role in explaining why slavery persists in modern day business practices even in the presence of rules, norms, and practices that are meant to discourage it. This article develops a model of modern day slavery as a management practice, which highlights the manner in which modern day organizations succeed in exploiting certain competitive as well as institutional conditions that generate slavery. Similarly, this theory reveals how companies insulate themselves against all forms of institutional pressures that discourage slavery while shaping or sustaining those conditions that promote slavery or prevent it. The evolution of slavery from a formally sanctioned practice to a criminalized practice bound to the informal economy has enhanced the ambiguity and dynamism of slavery in modern business practice, thereby posing challenges for its definition; a precise definition of modern slavery distinguishes it as â€Å"the exercise of ‘powers attaching to the right of ownership’† (Crane, 2013). Modern slaves are compelled to work by threats and they are owned or manipulated by their employer by use of mental, physical as well as threatened abuse; similarly, modern slaves are dehumanized and treated as property besides being physically constrained in their movements and being economically exploited through underpayment. Despite the many forms of slavery and the various business models through which it can be deployed, slavery is essentially an attempt to illegitimately underprice labor, thus, establishing the illegitimate practices through which enterprises achieve underpricing and survival is essential in understanding modern

Cooking to Become a Chef Essay Example for Free

Cooking to Become a Chef Essay Cooking for me is my way of expressing myself. It gives me a chance as a person to show my friends and family what I’m good at and what I love to do. I haven’t always enjoyed the art of cooking. With cooking, I have learned to prepare different types of meals using different methods, ingredients, a potpourri of equipment and seasonings. Food seasoning is a personal trademark you create and eventually it classifies you to either be prominent as a chef or just a plain Jane Suzy homemaker who cooks for her family only for the fact that we all need to eat. Experimenting is what got me where I am at today. My mother was a diabetic so the meals were prepared with a bland taste, no seasonings, with just a tad bit of pepper, nothing more. When I started cooking I hated it for the simple fact I didn’t know how. I had to follow recipes even for macaroni and cheese. It wasn’t until I met my husband and his family that I started to enjoy cooking because the meals were starting to taste better and I was learning how to make them taste better. He and his family slowly taught me how to cook and when to use seasoning and how much to use. At first, my meals were a work in progress. As the years went on, I have learned to use my eyes and taste buds for measuring cups and spoons. That’s what helps create your own â€Å"cooking signature†. As you learn to cook, you learn to shy away from some or all of the exact measurements in order to create your signature. For some, cooking is just another everyday back breaking chore, a necessity to always haven to follow a recipe, precisely measuring each ingredient, to the point of the great inventor of the microwave ovens. For others it comes natural, a passion they thrive to live on by creating their own â€Å"cooking signature†. Coming to mind are a couple of brilliant and extraordinary chefs that are indulgingly reliable. These two men have countless awards, degrees, own restaurants, shows and cookbooks to show and prove their overwhelming credibility’s. They are Wolfgang puck and Bobby Flay. Neither of the two were born to cook, none of us are. Some talents came naturally while the rest they learned and were taught. Both men attended Le Cordon Bleu and both men are featured on the food network. I may not have earned any degrees or awards such as a Michelin star or chef of the year and did not attend a culinary institute like they have, however, my cooking now exceeds my friends and families expectations. The qualities of an excellent educational resource would have to include tips and the breakdowns of recipes or step by step instructions for them. Pictures or video tutorials are also very helpful to one who’s learning the art of cooking. Tutorials show you step by step from preparing to serving the dish or meal. I have found two out of thousands of resources that have all the educational resources needed as well as countless credibility and qualifications to help you succeed as a prominent chef. These two would be, Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary institute and the Food Network a television show on cable and the food network also has a very useful website, www. foodnetwork. com . The food network website is filled with a massive amount of information that is accurate and full of every resource there is needed for and about cooking. The food network is a unique lifestyle network and Web site that endeavors to be more than just cooking. The network is devoted to exploring new and different ways to tackle food through pop culture, contests, adventure, and travel while also increasing its repertoire of technique-based information. Food Network is strewed to more than 96 million U. S. households and averages more than seven million Web site users monthly. With its headquarters in New York City and branches in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Knoxville, Food Network can be seen internationally in Canada, Australia, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Monaco, Andorra, Africa, France, and the French-speaking territories in the Caribbean and Polynesia. Le Cordon Bleu, www. LeCordonBleu. com, is an extremely accredited culinary institute. The school is constantly keeping their courses up to date and actively adapting to current and future needs of culinary services. The schools graduates leave the school with a diploma that is acknowledged around the world. That has been proven by both Flay and Puck. The culinary institute is solely dedicated to the appreciation and mastery of culinary arts to the their students who study there from over 70 countries around the world. This is where I would want to further my culinary learning, to gain more knowledge; they are one of the top culinary institutes. Qualifications of the resources should include Awards, culinary degrees, owning of their own restaurants with worldwide recognition. They should be well respected, well known with credibility too. Trademarks and copyrights also makes these resources important and credible. We want to make sure our resources are also current and up to date. However, cooking has been a part of our lives undoubtedly forever. Resources such as cookbooks are for the most part revised after some time, but not always. So see, there are numerous and countless educational and reliable resources out there for everyone, from beginner to expert. With a little bit of research one could capture the success of becoming an artistic cook. Learning new ideas and tricks, or just wanting to better yourself in your own kitchen, whatever the case may be, No one should ever have to struggle with cooking. With a little bit of patients anyone can learn how to cook.

Purpose And Significance Of The Study Education Essay

Purpose And Significance Of The Study Education Essay According to Alwright (1983), classroom-centred research is any study which investigates what occurs in the classroom; that occurrence could be related to the way a teacher interacts with his students; the way students interact with one another; the conditions which promote effective learning; or anything else related to learning in the classroom. Throughout the past five years, the majority of MA ALT research at Newcastle University has been predominantly classroom-centred Why?. Researchers have either examined and scrutinised the teaching practice, approaches and methodologies adopted in their own diverse, international teaching contexts (Aslanidou, 2005; Al-Nufaie, 2006; Abu Baha, 2007; Al-Zughaibi, 2008; Chen, 2009); or they have explored a variety of cognitive and linguistic difficulties that L2 students face when learning English, suggesting possible causes and solutions to these problems (Hu, 2005; Chou, 2006; Huang, 2007; Chen, 2008; Al-Rahbi, 2009). Although classroom-centre d research is a fundamental part of ALT and unquestionably serves its purpose; if and when research conducted external to the classroom produces new insights into effective language learning, it is equally significant; as the essential aim of all ALT research is to add to current world knowledge (Hedge, 2000). A minute number of MA ALT researchers at Newcastle University have investigated topics which are external to the classroom yet promote effective language learning indirectly (Walter, 2006; Lambton, 2006; Pelik, 2008; Michalska, 2009); surprisingly however, no researcher has ever inquired about the role EFL managers may or may not play in language learning. This is particularly surprising because global EFL institutes such as IH, Bell, and WSI all require clarify these acronyms prospective EFL managers to be MA ALT qualified. These institutes insist EFL managers possess this qualification based upon the assumption that it equips them with the knowledge necessary to be a successful EFL manager. Contrary to their belief, although an MA ALT course does present recent theories and debates regarding language learning, it fails to sufficiently address the specific needs of an EFL manager; this is most evident in the fact that there is no EFL Manager: Theory Practice type module available f or MA ALT students. Due to the lack of research about EFL management, the purpose of this study is to investigate the role of EFL managers in language learning. Although some ALT professors are intrigued by this research project and have clearly stated: this is an interesting topic (Windeatt, 2010:2); others have their doubts about its relevance and have said: I do not feel that this is remotely within my sphere of competence; the question really is whether it is within Applied Linguistics. No need for this in my opinion but u could ask him about it Essentially it deals with educational management; the fact that the product is language teaching is no more relevant than groceries are to the management of Sainsburys (Cook, 2010:3). Though everyone is entitled to his own opinion, this view towards ALT research and EFL management is arguably flawed for the following three reasons: Firstly, the Board Directors of TESOL Inc. (2005) advise ALT researchers to be diverse in their choice of research topics in order for theories about effective language learning and teaching to continuously advance. They urge researchers to explore the field of ALT from a wide variety of angles and viewpoints; and to be innovative in the type of research they conduct. To date, ALT research has demonstrated that language learning can be affected by learner styles; psychological factors; teaching methods; socio-cultural factors, and many other issues (Hedge, 2000). In spite of this, there is no published material on the influence that EFL managers may or may not have on language learning, which implies this particular project is innovative and has the potential to fill an obvious information gap. Secondly, the fact that this project is closely related to educational management, is not necessarily a negative point; on the contrary, this type of research may be part of the logical progression of ALT. Historically, ALT research has always followed a similar pattern to Education research (Grenfell, 1998). Both fields were initially predominantly teacher-centred, meaning the majority of research conducted in these fields focused heavily upon teachers, teaching theory and practice. Over time, their research became student-centred, meaning the general research focus shifted toward the student, his experience as a learner, and methods of promoting effective learning. Essentially, research in both fields has historically been classroom-centred. In recent years however, Education research has taken a step outside of the classroom by looking at how external factors such as school administration affects learning (Charles, 2010). As will become evident from the literature review, there has been a substantial amount of research conducted on school effectiveness, which indicate that second only to explicit teaching, school management has the greatest influence on classroom learning. Based upon Education research, coupled with the recent emergence of global ALT seminars on EFL Management and HE courses in EFL Management (ibid); it is reasonable to assume that future ALT research will explore the role of EFL managers in language learning more thoroughly. Thirdly, the mere fact that a world-renowned scholar of linguistics would imply there is no difference between managing a Sainsburys store and managing an EFL school is reason enough to conduct this research. If such a hypothesis is correct, then researching this topic could provide valuable information for EFL schools such as Bell and IH; perhaps they should be employing staff with general management experience and BAs in Business Studies rather than an MA in ALT? On the other hand, if such a hypothesis is in incorrect, then researching this topic could provide ALT researchers with new insights into the role management in language learning. Additionally, as pointed out by one of the participants of this study, research such as this is useful as it gives EFL managers the opportunity to reflect upon their own practice, and the way in which they contribute to a language students learning experience. Moreover, potential EFL managers, such as some of the students on this MA ALT programme , may find this research useful for the theories it presents regarding the role that they will eventually adopt. The acid test of theory in an applied discipline such as educational management [or ALT] is its relevance to practice (Bush, 2002:15). Scope Context of the Study The purpose of this study then, is to investigate the role of management in language learning; and it is arguably a significant piece of research, as it can have both academic and real-world implications for the reasons already mentioned. Initially, over a dozen private British Council accredited ESL schools throughout the U.K. were contacted and asked to participate in the study; unfortunately, all of these schools declined without providing reasons why. Based upon their unwillingness to participate, and the guidance of Windeatt Cook (2010), it was decided that the most feasible method of research would be to conduct an exploratory case-study on the ESOL department of a public tertiary institute in the North East of England. I donà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t know According to the participants who were interviewed in this study, the purpose of ESOL departments in British tertiary institutes is threefold: 1) To provide EFL courses for international students who want to study in the UK for a fixed period of time, then return to their home countries. These students generally tend to study EAP courses in preparation for IELTS exams or entrance to a British university; however, some of them study English for business purposes, whilst others simply want a general English course. Whatever the reason, these courses are similar to the types of courses provided by schools such as Bell and IH. 2) To provide ESOL courses for people residing in the UK who want to live here permanently. These students are generally asylum seekers who have fled their own countries due to severe personal circumstances. They tend to study ESOL courses either in preparation of UK citizenship tests; or to equip themselves with the language skills necessary to communicate by English in their day-to-day lives. 3) To provide teacher training courses for native speakers of English who want to become EFL teachers; or for current EFL teachers who want to gain further qualifications. These training courses can vary from Cambridge CELTA and DELTA courses to academic Diplomas and BAs in TEFL. The ESOL department which took part in this study was composed of several managers and approximately seventy teachers. Organisation of chapters Having justified the purpose of this study and providing background information about its research context, the organisation of this dissertation essay is now presented below: Chapter 1: Introduction this chapter highlights the importance of conducting research on the role of EFL managers in language learning, and introduces background information about the context of this research project. Chapter 2: Literature Review this chapter presents key theories about educational management and specifically looks at research into the claims Education researchers have made concerning the influence managers have on learning. Based upon these claims, the role of management in an ESOL context is discussed Chapter 3: Methodology this chapter states the research question and describes the research design and procedures used in this study, including information about the participants and data collection methods employed. Chapter 4: Data Analysis this chapter provides a critical analysis of the results in relation to the literature review. Chapter 5: Conclusions finally, conclusions from the entire investigation are presented here. ______________________________________________________

Developing the Literate Child

Developing the Literate Child Introduction ‘Early-years educators relate what is being taught to what children  already know. In order to extend each child’s learning they support  and guide children through each new stage of learning. They know  that the abilities and attitudes that young children develop in the  early years are an important part of a life-long journey during which  children will need to acquire all the language skills necessary to  interpret, manipulate, control and organize language for their own  present and future purposes.’ (Browne 1996, vii) The above quote neatly summarises the need to ensure that young children’s language development is fostered in the best possible way by educators. What children learn now can have a life-long impact upon how they interact with the world in future. It is the child’s teacher, who has the capacity to greatly influence how a child acquires and uses language, to assess what the child already knows, and to use this knowledge to foster and guide the child through, ‘each new stage of learning,’ (Browne 1996, vii). It was with this clear intention in mind, with which the following study was undertaken. The aim, to assess one child’s current speaking and listening, reading and writing skills, to analyse any observations carefully, and to use the information gathered as a basis for planning the child’s future learning needs. The child chosen, a female, was aged 5 years and 9 months at the time of the study and does not have any recognised special educati onal needs. She will, henceforth, be referred to as, ‘Child A,’ for the remainder of the report. Reading Analysis Listening to Child A read on a one-to-one basis was extremely informative. She is starting to use some expression in her voice, and is attempting to make the text sound more like natural language, however, she has little sense of phrase boundaries, and consequently, can often sound stilted. She regularly has to decode words on a word-by-word basis, but is not always successful in her attempts, meaning that the language does not flow. There were frequent extended pauses during the reading of each sentence. On a number of occasions Child A was unable to decode a word but had a limited number of alternative strategies available to her, in order to help her to continue reading. The miscue analyses showed that Child A’s average negative miscue rate was 8.06% for the books chosen from her particular reading ‘stage’. It is recommended that when matching a book to a reader the negative miscue rate should lie somewhere between 3% and 8%, with a miscue rate of 10% representing frustration level, (Moon et al. 1994, 116).This evidence may suggest that the text was too difficult for Child A, resulting in a negative effect on her confidence and interest. Graham and Kelly propound that, ‘Surprising insights into children’s reading can emerge in the one-to-one conversations which you have with them,’ (Graham and Kelly 1997, 115). I talked at length with Child A and we discussed her reading habits and attitudes towards books. It quickly became obvious that Child A loves books in many forms. She confided that she often imagines that she is the princess in the stories which are read to her. Child A likes to look at the pictures in books and tell her own stories from these, but feels unable to read the words alone. It became clear that Child A has access to many books at home, and Mum and Dad evidently read a lot. She delighted in recounting her first experience of visiting a library, which occurred recently, and she was given ample time to choose a book to take home. Child A proudly confided that she knew the book by heart as she had read it that often. It was evident that Child A, not only enjoys reading, but also see s herself as a good reader. Observation of Child A during several guided reading sessions with her class teacher, presented a different picture. Child A frequently became easily distracted, and failed to focus on the text which was in front of her. She appeared to be restless and anxious to move off onto different activities. Child A was confident when attempting to read a word she thought she knew, however, when she came across an unfamiliar word she would not attempt to read it. With prompting she would begin to ‘sound’ a word out, but often gave up before completing the word. Again, Child A seems over reliant on picture cues and was attempting to tell the story from the pictures. She remained unfocused throughout each guided reading session and while other children were turning the pages of their books, Child A sat with her book shut. She was unable to participate in the group discussion concerning the book and was unable to relate the main points of the story to the teacher when asked. Child A was also observed during shared whole-class reading sessions. While she did not openly volunteer answers to the questions asked, she did respond once the class teacher asked her a direct question. In consideration of the above evidence, and in conjunction with the level descriptors provided by the National Curriculum (www.nc.uk.net), it is possible to suggest that Child A is working at Level One in terms of her reading: ‘Pupils recognise familiar words in simple texts. They use their  knowledge of letters and sound-symbol relationships in order to  read words and to establish meaning when reading aloud. In these   activities they sometimes require support. They express their   response to poems, stories and non-fiction by identifying aspects   they like.’ (www.nc.uk.net) However, it is clear that Child A meets only part of this level descriptor, as she is not yet using her phonic knowledge to read words, and to use the words to comprehend the story. Implications for Teaching and Learning: Reading It is clear from the evidence given above that Child A is not a confident of fluent reader. She is working in the early stages of National Curriculum level 1, and will need specific support if she is to begin to work in the later stages of the level, and indeed to start to work towards National Curriculum level 2. The problems with Child A’s use of expression and lack of awareness of phrase boundaries, could perhaps be addressed by adults modelling the reading process. Graham and Kelly suggest that this is a viable way of first introducing a book to a child, before they are given the opportunity to read the book for themselves, (Graham and Kelly 1997, 105). This could give Child A the confidence she needs and will expose her to the way books should be read, using lots of expression. It will also aid her awareness of phrase boundaries, particularly if the adult traces the text with their finger as they read and makes exaggerated pauses when full stops or commas are encountered. Child A’s reluctance to join in group and class discussion about books could be a result of a lack of confidence in her own abilities, or perhaps she is unsure of how to respond correctly and does not want to ‘risk,’ getting it wrong. Again, one-one-one reading sessions could be an ideal way to address this problem. Graham and Kelly (1997) suggest that there should be a specific pattern to one-on-one reading sessions with young children, this pattern consists of five separate steps. ‘Warming up the text,’ allows children to look at the book chosen with an adult, handling it and making links with their own experiences, making them feel more comfortable before they begin reading (Graham and Kelly 1997, 105). ‘Reviewing the book,’ is also an important part of the confidence building process, and would allow Child A to give her opinion on the book without fear of failure, (Graham and Kelly 1997, 106). These strategies will hopefully help to b uild Child A’s self confidence and she should then eventually be able to give her opinions in shared and guided reading sessions. The miscue analyses also indicated that the books from Child A’s ‘shelf,’ were perhaps too difficult for her, resulting in boredom and frustration, this could also have been the case during the guided reading sessions. Child A should be given books from a ‘lower shelf,’ to read in order to build up her self confidence. In addition to this, being placed with children of a similar, or slightly lower, ability for guided reading sessions could also have a positive impact. Speaking and Listening Analysis During whole-class, teacher-led activities Child A did not speak unless she was asked a direct question by the class teacher. On such occasions, Child A would sometimes respond accurately, at other times she would not respond at all. When the children were asked to respond to questions by raising their hands, Child A would not put up her hand. During such teaching sessions, Child A was often observed to be very restless, although she was keen to sit right at the front. The children were regularly asked to work with ‘talking partners,’ during the direct teaching, it was observed that Child A never responded to her partner in such situations, simply refusing to speak. During independent activities, Child A was observed to ignore other children on her table. Often her peers attempted to draw her into their activity or conversation, however, she did not respond to them in anyway, and indeed seemed to ignore them. Child A was also observed during ‘free-play,’ situations. Generally Child A would remain on her self-chosen task and did not initiate conversation with her peers. The exception to this being conflict situations, where Child A was extremely vocal in expressing her unhappiness to another child. When surrounded by other children, Child A still did not join in with their chatter. During free-play Child A would occasionally respond to a direct question from an adult observer, but at other times would attempt to ignore them. Occasionally Child A would address a direct comment to an adult observer, in relation to her self-generated task, but did not then become engaged in conversation. Play-times seemed to present a different view of Child A, in terms of her speaking and listening ability. She was observed on several occasions playing, with another girl from her class, a variety of different clapping and singing games. The two girls demonstrated different games to each other, and were evidently listening and responding to each other. ‘Pupils talk about matters of immediate interest. They listen to others  and usually respond appropriately. They convey simple meanings to  a range of listeners, speaking audibly, and begin to extend their ideas  or accounts by providing some detail.’ (www.nc.uk.net) This level descriptor indicates that, although Child A only meets part of the criteria for National Curriculum level 1, she is working at the lower end of this level. The observations made in the playground show that Child A is able, when the opportunity presents itself, to, ‘talk about matters of immediate interest,’ (www.nc.uk.net). Implications for Teaching and Learning: Speaking and Listening The evidence collected suggests that although Child A is confident when speaking to her peers at playtimes, she is not comfortable during class or group situations on and often prefers to remain silent. It is important to develop her ability to, ‘listen to others,’ and to, ‘respond appropriately,’ if Child A is to work towards National Curriculum level 2 for speaking and listening (www.nc.uk.net ). One of the key learning objectives for speaking and listening for children in Year One is, ‘to ask and answer questions, make relevant contributions, offer suggestions and take turns,’ (DFES 2003a, 24). The document Speaking, Listening, Learning: working with children in Key Stages 1 and 2 (DFES 2003a), offers some good suggestions for teaching towards this learning objective, and recommends a great deal of paired work, and teacher modelling of how to ask and answer questions. If Child A was able to observe adults modelling paired work, or some of her peers engaged in discussion work, she may start to feel sufficiently confident enough to join in herself. An additional strategy to help Child A during paired work, might be to try her with a variety of different partners to see if she responds better to a certain child. ‘All areas of the curriculum offer distinct opportunities for developing children’s speaking and listening,’ (DFES 2003b, 11) and consequently it may be possible to engage Child B more fully in speaking and listening activities when linked to a subject she enjoys. The use of paired discussion, could be better suited to a science lesson, for example, rather than confining such discussions to English lessons. Writing Analysis Several conversations with Child A led to the conclusion that she does perceive herself as a good writer. She enjoys writing for a purpose, she explained that she regularly writes lists and stories at home, giving them to her parents to read. It is clear from examining the writing samples, that while Child A is confidently identifying the initial and final phonemes in words, and writing these down, she appears to be having more difficulty with medial phonemes, as many of these are missing from the words she has written down. For example in Appendix III, the writing clearly shows that Child A has attempted to write the word, ‘wonderful,’ however she has clearly identified the sounds at the beginning and ends of the word, but the middle sounds have not been clearly audible to her, resulting in the word, ‘wunful.’ The three samples of Child A’s writing which were examined (see Appendices I, II and III), indicate that she is making phonetically plausible attempts at words as the writing can be clearly read without the aid of the child in most places. Child A does show an awareness of how to use full stops, although these are not consistently in the correct places. She does not yet seem aware that it is necessary to leave a clear space in between her words, and only does so in a couple of places. The evidence listed above, in conjunction with the writing samples contained within Appendices I, II, and III, indicate that Child A is working at National Curriculum level 1: ‘Pupils’ writing communicates meaning through simple words and  phrases. In their reading or their writing, pupils begin to show  awareness of how full stops are used. Letters are usually clearly  shaped and correctly oriented. (www.nc.uk.net ) It is clear from the above level descriptor, that although Child A is working at National Curriculum level 1, she does not meet all of the listed criteria and, therefore, should not be assessed for level 2. Implications for Teaching and Learning: Writing The evidence given supports the suggestion that Child A is progressing through National Curriculum level 1 and into level 2. There are several things that could be done to support this transition. It could be said that her main development point is to improve her spelling and to start to recognise medial sounds in words. Child A also needs to start leaving finger spaces in between words and to start using full stops correctly. The publication, Progression in Phonics: materials for whole class teaching, (DFES 1999) provides lots of suggestions for improving Child A’s ability to hear medial sounds. For example, the game, ‘Croaker,’ develops the children’s ability to hear and identify phonemes in a specified part of the word, using a puppet, (DFES 1999, 26). Such a game could improve Child A’s ability to hear and identify medial phonemes with the aim of improving her spelling. Reid suggests that shared and modelled writing are effective ways of supporting young children’s writing development, (Reid in Bentley and Burman et al. 1999, 103-104). This could be a good way of improving Child A’s use of finger spaces and full stops. If the teacher models the correct use of full stops and finger spaces, and also makes lots of deliberate mistakes which the children can help to correct, Child A will begin to understand how to use full stops and finger spaces effectively in her own writing. Conclusion In conclusion, the evidence presented above indicates that Child A is working at National Curriculum level 1 for her reading, writing and speaking and listening skills. It has already been suggested that effective teachers use what children already know as a basis for developing their language skills and facilitating their progression. The evidence collected has been carefully analysed with this aim in mind, and areas for the development of Child A’s literacy skills have been identified. Adult modelling of the reading and writing process should play a key part in this development, if Child A is to make good progress towards National Curriculum level 2. Peer modelling could also play an important role, and could also help to foster Child A’s self confidence. It is important that all these suggestions are linked to other areas of the curriculum in order to engage and interest Child A, although this should also be of paramount importance when teaching all children. If all these suggestions are put into action, Child A should start to make sound progress and will, in addition, be playing an important part in this progression herself. Bibliography Browne, Ann (1996) Developing Language and Literacy 3-8. London: Paul Chapman Publishing Limited. DFES (1999) Progression In Phonics: Materials for Whole-Class Teaching (The National Literacy Strategy) London: Department for Education and Employment DFES (2003a) Speaking, Listening, Learning: working with children in Key Stages 1 and 2: Teaching objectives and classroom activities. London: Department for Education and Employment DFES (2003b) Speaking, Listening, Learning: working with children in Key Stages 1 and 2: Handbook. London: Department for Education and Employment Graham, Judith and Kelly, Alison (1997) Reading Under Control: Teaching Reading in the Primary School. London: David Fulton Publishers Ltd. Moon, Cliff and Bourne, Jill (1994) The Open University Resource Pack: Learning to Teach Reading. Milton Keynes: The Open University. Reid, Dee Writing at Key Stage 1 in Bentley, Diana, Burman, Christine, Chamberlin, Rosemary et al. The Really Practical Guide to Primary English ( 1999) London: Stanley Thorne Publishers Ltd. www.nc.uk.net

Essay on the Dysfunctional Family of The Glass Menagerie

The Dysfunctional Family of The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dysfunctional. Codependent. Enmeshed. Low self-esteem. Emotional problems of the modern twenty-first century or problems of the past? In his play, The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams portrays a southern family in the 1940's trying to deal with life's pressures, and their own fears after they are deserted by their husband and father. Although today, we have access to hundreds of psychoanalysis books and therapists, the family problems of the distant past continue to be the family problems of the present.    The three family members are adults at the time of this play, struggling to be individuals, and yet, very enmeshed and codependent with one another. The overbearing and domineering mother, Amanda, spends much of her time reliving the past; her days as a southern belle. She desperately hopes her daughter, Laura, will marry. Laura suffers from an inferiority complex partially due to a minor disability that she perceives as a major one. She has difficulty coping with life outside of the apartment, her cherished glass animal collection, and her Victrola. Tom, Amanda's son, resents his role as provider for the family, yearns to be free from him mother's constant nagging, and longs to pursue his own dreams. A futile attempt is made to match Laura with Jim, an old high school acquaintance and one of Tom's work mates.    Jim is very self-assured and attempts to help Laura with her problems of self-esteem and shyness. Laura seems to be responding to his efforts of help when he unexpectedly announces his engagement to be married. Of course, this brings an end to the well-planned evening. At this point, there seems to be a wake-up call for these characters. A... ... yet, escape into their own, personal cocoon of fear and insecurity.    In conclusion, nothing really changes from beginning to end. Laura is still dependent, very shy, and lonely. Tom still has no real future, even though he runs away to fulfill his dreams. Amanda has no job and continues to relive her past. We really don't know what happens to Jim. In an effort to free themselves, these characters become more entangled in their problems. The ending is sad, without hope. However, The Glass Menagerie is timeless. Many of us can relate to these characters in some way. Most of us struggle in some way with fear, insecurity, dysfunction, codependency, and the complexities of life. Yes! The problems of the past continue to be the problems of the present. Works Cited Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. New York: New Directions Publishing, 1999.

Battle Of Impunity :: essays research papers

Battle of Impunity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Insults often serve as a catalyst for revenge. Yet, revenge never comes without consequences. These consequences can stay in a person’s subconscious for the remainder of their life. Through the clever short story â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† by Edgar Allan Poe, Montresor suffers from being insulted, seeking revenge and living with guilt. Montresor is unsuccessful in punishing Fortunato with impunity. The obsession to confess is a killer. Montresor starts the evil revenge plot with a smile on his face. â€Å"It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.† Montresor believes that he will feel free and better about himself, for he will be completing his mission of impunity. With one brick remaining, â€Å"My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so.† He thinks he will feel free, but throughout his life his freedom to do otherwise stands chained in the dank vault with Fortunato. He to is dead to the world, immobile, chained to the rock of his one guilt-ridden act of aggression. The sickness he feels isn’t the dampness of the catacombs, but the first feeling of remorse. He is killing a well â€Å"respected and even feared† man. Now confessing, t here is no way to change the past and his guilty conscience still remains. Through all the trouble Montresor goes through to kill the one person he truly despises, he benefits nothing. He thinks he will be happy. He even smiles at the sight of Fortunato in the beginning. Once he completes the task, the only thing left to do is live his life leaving Fortunato behind physically and mentally. Montresor can be better off leaving Fortunato alone, but instead he takes the unchristian way out and ends Fortunato’s life. He doesn’t gain anything from doing this, except a guilty conscience and a dead body. â€Å"A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.† Montresor doesn’t gain anything positive from the revenge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With every experience one learns a lesson. Montresor lets the insulting Fortunato go straight to his head. He over reacts and cleverly tricks Fortunato into â€Å"the catacombs of the Montresors.

Relevance of Earlier Warfare to Modern Warfare Essay

The art of War has been the subject of great scholarly activity as the attributes that make a person a skilled Commander in times of War have arose great curiosity amongst statesmen, generals and philosophers alike. More surprisingly, the advent of modern warfare has cast a shadow of fallacy on the minds of many individuals and has made them to believe that the current military professional has nothing to learn from the great commanders of the past as he is too â€Å"well equipped† to dwell on such detail. The truth is that history is the best teacher and as this paper progresses, I will be utilizing historic references to explain my point of contention that there is still a lot to learn from the likes of Fredrick the Great, Napoleon and Ulysses Grant. Argument The first and foremost evidence to support my thesis is that there is similarity between the goals of the current military professional and his counterpart from centuries ago. This similarity is more profound if you find yourself fighting for the same ideals, the same land and the same enemy. It is this similarity between the two that allows the current military professional to reassess himself in light of what is happening today. For example, according to Adam Hart – Davis (2007), the prime reason for the fall of Napoleon was that he invaded Russia, in the year 1812 (P. 179). The Russian Generals tactfully withdrew from territory destroying their own towns, farms, cultivation and infrastructure along the way. A month after defeating the Russians outside Moscow, Napoleon decided to retreat back to Paris out of concern of loss of control. However, his decision to do so in the winter proved fatal as the lack of shelter and infrastructure killed his troops physically and mentally. The Russians kept pursuit of the retreating forces and managed to kill scores of them. By the time Napoleon managed to get back home, all that was left of his army was a demoralized handful of men against an efficiently trained numerous force that had left Paris with him on the way to Russia earlier that year, contributing to his eventual fall in 1815. According to Gilbert (2004), a 130 years on, Hitler made the same mistake when he invaded Russia in 1941 just when the harsh winter started (P. 249). The Russians employed the same strategy and after defeating the Germans at the siege of Moscow and Stalingrad, they chased the retreating German forces back into Germany proper and were instrumental in the fall of Berlin and the end of the Nazi regime itself. Thus, had Hitler paid attention to the fault at which his predecessor had been, there was a great probability that he would not have met the end that he did in 1945. The second point of argument is that although how we conduct warfare these days has changed, the strategy or tactfulness has not. No matter what resources in weaponry and personnel that a general may have at his disposal, there is no denying that as far as tact is concerned, there is always a lot to learn. Consider Fredrick the Great who, in 1756, fearing a joint attack by major European powers including Russia, Sweden, and Hapsburg Austria etc launched a pre-emptive strike on its neighbors. According to The strategy was of immense benefit as he was able to destroy part of the hostile forces that allowed moral and tangible support when confronted by a full scale invasion. According to Adam Hart Davis (2007), the same strategy was followed by Israel in 1967 when on rumors of a joint Arab attack on her lands compelled her to make a pre emptive strike on Egypt, Syria and Jordan (P. 353). The result was that Israel doubled its land area in just six days by capturing the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank and the Golan heights. Again, what mattered was not the advanced weaponry that Israel had but the line of thought that was mutual between Fredrick the Great in 1756 and the Israeli leadership of 1967. Another example is the use of landscape and climate by the Russian Tsar Alexander in 1812 against Napoleon and by the Russian leader Joseph Stalin in 1941 against Nazi Germany. This use of the climate is yet to be seen again but, according to Adam Hart – Davis (2007), the use of the terrain and the landscape by the Viet-Cong against American forces in Vietnam and the Afghan Guerrillas against Soviet troops in Afghanistan enforces my point that tact is something which can be learned from the great Generals of the past (P. 355, 373-4). The last reason to support my thesis is that the rules of engagement have not changed as weaponry or tools have improved and not changed completely. This calls for a more proactive approach as to how we address the issue at hand, namely, whether the current military professional stand to benefit from the study of the Great generals of the past. Consider an example. The Trojan War, as depicted by Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey, could be the first example in warfare history of deception. Whereby the Trojan horse was meant to be a gift, it turned out to be a mechanism as to how the Athenian forces enter the city. Contrast this with reports that in the run up to the 2003 Second Gulf War. According to Sifry and Cerf (2007), American intelligence agencies planted false evidence to make Saddam Hussein believe that the coalition attack would come from Turkey and not from the Southern neighboring countries of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia (P. 114). This forced Saddam to place more battalions to defend the Northern front than would have been necessary. Thus, it can be argued that weaponry or tools, to a large extent have remained the same in nature but have changed in form. Guns have replaced swords but their use remains the same. Cannon guns have been replaced but their use remains the same. The Trojan horse has been replaced by false intelligence and thus the use remains the same. In the end, the point of contention is that if the tools at hand for the general have only changed in form and not in substance, there is every reason to believe that the current military professional stands to benefit a lot by studying his counterparts from centuries ago. Conclusion Thus, as can be seen, there is still a lot for the current military professional to learn from his predecessors. The reasons are that situations repeat themselves, tactfulness is an attribute that can be readily applied and does not wither with age and the use of the tools at the military disposal remains the same. It can be argued, thus, that the greatest armies of our time will not be those that have the most advanced weaponry but those with the best Generals who happen to know the history of those before them yet alike them. Adam Hart – Davis (2007). History: The Definitive Visual Guide from the Dawn of Civilization to the Present Day. London: Dorling Kindersley. Gilbert, M. (2004). The Second World War: A complete History. London: Henry Holt and Co. Sifry, M. & Cerf. C. (2007). Iraq War Reader: History, Documents, Opinions. . New york: Simon & Schuster

The Genesis Account of Creation: Myth or Reality

I always do recall, while reading through the first few pages of the Bible, (i. e. the book of Genesis), how highly impressed I was as a child, to see how the world began and how God put everything in place but then kept pondering; who was there with God taking a record of events while he was creating? Once upon a time, I asked my Christian Religious Studies teacher in School and he stood there dumbfounded unable to give any response. During my Catechism days, I was made to understand I must believe everything that the bible contains as true without doubting. However the more I tried to understand the creation narratives, the more questions generated within me. Was the world actually created just as the book of Genesis tells us? Did the same God, who created man last on the sixth day in Chapter One, come back again in Chapter Two to create the same man first before other things? In fact, considering the recent advancements in science and the claims by evolutionists today about the origin of the world, can we say that these creation narratives amount to mere myths? According to the Anchor Bible Dictionary, prior to the period of the Enlightenment, the question of whether or not the Bible contained any myths at all was not so pronounced. In fact, it was as from the 18th century that people started wondering if the Old Testament stories such as the creation narratives could possibly count as myths. This was basically fuelled by the various movements which came up to stress that the basis for anything to be considered true was its historical verifiability. Hence, the debate about myths in the Bible was initially a question of its truth and falsity. For instance, when the Bible speaks of events which took place prior to when the world itself began (when no man could have possibly existed to take a record of them), a successful attempt to show that they are actually myths translates to saying they are simply products of human imagination. And if this is the case, it follows then that the entire Bible itself rests on a questionable foundation. Hence over the years, several scholars have invested a great deal of time and effort on this quest. Before we proceed, it is important to bear in mind that at the heart of this debate lies the eaning and conception of the term myth. What is myth? And what constitutes a myth? What is Myth? Etymologically, the English word myth comes from the Greek mythos. In early Greek mythos meant â€Å"word, speech, design†; it was more or less synonymous with epos (â€Å"word, speech, message†), and close in meaning to logos (â€Å"account, talk†); myth is narration, tale-telling. Gradually it came to be used as a technical term for an entertaining tale, the truth of which was uncertain or unwarranted. From the time of Plato onward, mythos then became a contrasting term for logos (i. e. the rational, responsible account). To this day, whenever the word myth is used, there is an underlining tendency to consider that which it refers to as superstition. As B. Batto observes, â€Å"the derogation of myth as pagan superstition and therefore false and incompatible with Christian dogma remained the characteristic Christian attitude until the modern period – and is still the prevalent in some circles. † Initial Conclusion – No Myths in the Bible Based on the above, it becomes clear that with this understanding of the term myth, the Bible contains no myths since it has no pagan superstitions incompatible with Christian dogma. Now it becomes easy to see how stories as such as the Enuma Elish, Altrahasis or even the various African traditional stories of creation, etc could best be described as myths. In line with this, the word myth came to be defined as â€Å"stories about the gods† (a definition which was popularised by the Grimm Brothers) thereby distinguishing the Bible narratives out as non-myths. Since the Bible is essentially monotheistic it cannot possibly contain any myth as myths essentially refer to stories about several gods. Following this same principle, in his Introduction To The Old Testament, Wermer H.  Schmidt, goes further to explain that the Old Testament based on its conception of God â€Å"uses the language of myth in giving expression to its faith and it in fact borrows from surrounding cultures a number of mythical motifs and bits of mythical stories†¦ but it does not itself develop any myths. † In other words, the Genesis accounts of creation for instance only borrowed certain mythical motifs from those of the Ancient Near East but do not in themselves constitute any myth. The Evolution of Meaning and the Possibility of Myth in the Bible From the foregoing, it appears our case has been solved already. Just as we have shown, the meaning of the term myth gradually evolved from its simple understanding as a ‘narration’ to later take a negative connotation as ‘false tale. ’ At this point it was very easy to distinguish what could count as true (believable) and what should be dumped as myth (entertainment). However the trouble began when the term myth came to be positively re-defined with time. The Italian philosopher Vico posited â€Å"that myth came from within man’s own deepest inner nature; using the imagination rather than reason the first men gave true – even if non-rational and pre-scientific – answers to the original human dilemmas. German scholar David Friedrich Strauss (1808–74) working principally on the New Testament using the theory of Euphemism reached quite shocking conclusions that bulk of the O. T and N. T narratives such as the birth and conception of Jesus were not historically true, even if as mythical materials they did offer a deeper kind of human truth. His book Life of Jesus (1835), though had immediately rendered him famous eventually, led to the end of his academic career as many couldn’t accept his opinions. Nonetheless with a growing body of research and findings in Biblical archaeology which seemed to support Strauss, there arose some tension towards the end of the 19th Century with regard to the continued denial of myths in the Bible. Scholars after Strauss such as Hermann Gunkel, insisted that myths are stories about the gods and that â€Å"for a story of the gods at least two gods are essential† but since OT â€Å"from its beginning tended toward monotheism,† the Bible contains no complete myths. With time, scholars outside the realm of biblical studies dismissed this definition of myth â€Å"as inadequate, overly narrow, and apologetic. † In other words, as the meaning of myth gradually evolved from the negative to the positive conception of myth as deep truth, (that is â€Å"the profound symbolisation of realities which transcend human capacity to comprehend and express in ordinary language but which are profoundly true and paradigmatic for authentic life†), scholars such as Rudolf Bultmann (1884–1976) now propelled by the historico-critical method soon began to associate the term myth with certain key biblical mysteries. For Bultmann, the term myth assumed a much broader definition as â€Å"one of the ways in which any culture objectifies and symbolizes its entire worldview. † With such a broad understanding of myth, it was impossible to deny that much biblical narrative is inherently mythological. In this regard G. H. Davies in 1956 defined myth as â€Å"a way of thinking and imagining about the divine† and not necessarily about the gods such that myth can also occur in monotheistic religions. Following this trend of thought, John L.  McKenzie SJ in his Dictionary of the Bible (1976), came to the conclusion that â€Å"when we compare the thought processes of the OT with the processes of Semitc myth, we observe that the OT rejects all elements which are out of character with the God whom they knew. But what they knew of God could be expressed only through symbolic form and concrete cosmic event, and the relations of God with the world and with man were perceived and expressed through the same patterns and processes which elsewhere we call mythical. † In this same line of thought came more recent scholars such as B. S.  Childs as well as F. M. Cross. Today scholars believe that â€Å"in Israel, no less than in Ancient Near East generally, mythopoeism (myth-making) constituted one of the basic modes of speculation about the origin of the world and the place of human kind. † Reflecting personally on the above, I have come to realise that the debate about myth in the Bible, (a debate which had initially being sparked off by those movements who claimed that the basis of truth is historical verifiability) over the years now became a debate about the meaning of the word myth. As such, scholars delved into the issue over the years failing to realise that those who began the debate had in mind a conception that whatever fails the test of historical verification is untrue and as such should be considered as a myth. Scholars jumped into the debate without first realising the mistake of these movements. Historical verifiability is not the only criterion for truth. If for instance as at when I was born, nobody took records of my birth and it so happened that all my entire generation, my parents my siblings and everybody around me then suddenly died, the fact that I have no historical poof of my birth does not mean I wasn’t born at all. Hence the real error wasn’t about the definition of the term myth but the misconception that whatever is pre-history is false. No wonder, as long as myth remained in its original conception as false tale, the Bible was free of myths but the moment the definition of myth shifted into the more positive light as deep truths, the same Bible suddenly became full of myths. What we should bear in mind is that when this debate began the concept of myth was basically negative. (Recall that from Plato, myth was seen as a contrast for logos). And as long as the debate continues, the definition ought to remain the same. Even to this day, as long as we continue to regard the word myth as a false narrative, then the Bible contains no myths; the Genesis accounts of creation are not myths but pure realities, truths – although not historical, not scientific, not mathematical, but theological.

Why Sony Failed?

Why Sony fail? When I read â€Å"Leading Change Why Transformation Efforts Fail†, I directly linked Sony with the transformation fail. Sony, the previous electrical giant, announced a record annual net loss of $6. 4 billion for fiscal year 2011 in May 22 2012. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Sony reported substantial losses. Transformation efforts couldn’t turnaround the bad situation of Sony due to the mistakes that made by Sony in those transformation.First, Sony did not establishing a great enough sense of urgency. Sony began its diversification strategy in 1980s. By 1990’s, Sony shaped game, electric, picture, and finance four main businesses. By that time, some potential crisis began to emerge. However, all of these risks were hidden by excellent annual reports. Even when Sony confronted â€Å"Sony Shock† in 2003, leaders of Sony couldn’t realize its development dilemma and prepare to transform.Until 2005, continued losses pushed So ny to review its strategy and re-appointed Sir Howard Stringer as CEO. Sony had lost a lot of opportunities, such as LCD TV. Post core business of Sony, electrical manufacture, Second, Sony lacked a clear version. As a high technological company, innovation decided the fate of Sony. However, Sony made a fetish of its brand recognition and marketing power, and ignored the importance of innovation. The last great innovation of Sony is CD, which was launched in 1982.Even when Sony reintroduced innovation as its basic strategy, there was no direct process to commit the strategy, and the strategy just became an empty slogan. Even today, Sony cannot have a leading technology in its areas. Now, Sony appointed a new CEO, who emphasized the importance of innovation for Sony. There isn’t enough time left to the new CEO, and maybe Sony will die in future several years. Hiroko Tabuchi First Published: Mon, Apr 16 2012. 06 26 PM IST How Sony failed to keep up with the tech revolution

The Sale to Procter & Gamble

On February 28th 2005, Gillette was sold to Procter and Gamble for $57 billion.Gillette is based in Boston and was founded in 1901. It sells products in over 200 countries in 31 manufacturing plants in 14 countries. It is one of the leading manufacturing firms left in Boston.Procter and Gamble is based in Cincinnati, established in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble and was incorporated in 1905. To date it has sold more than 300 brands of products in more than 160 countries.Because of the competition in this industry, Procter and Gamble thought it was a good idea to buy out Gillette. They had already noticed that Walmart had the biggest percentage of Procter & Gamble’s revenue (17%) and this would grow to 30% after the merger. Also, there would be a cost savings of $14 to $16 billion a year and a 1% increase in sales growth after the merger.Key Issues One of the key issues is that 6,000 employees of Gillette would be losing their jobs.Another key issue is that severance packages from these kinds of mergers have been seen to be too high. For example, when Manulife Financial Corporation merged with John Hancock Financial Services, the Chief Financial Officer from John Hancock, David D’Alessandro, received a package of $16.4 million. When Bank of America bought Fleet Boston Financial Group, Chad Gifford (CFO of Fleet Boston) got $16 million.Now, Gillette’s James Kilts is getting a severance package of $30 million and could earn $172 million in cash   and stock. In fact, $50 million of the compensation package was directly tied to the merger. A lot of academics did not agree with this arrangement because they believe it should be tied to the performance of the company and not to the merger.Another issue is that employees of Gillette were already complaining about unfair working conditions and retirees were going to have to pay more for healthcare after the merger.

Satirical Attack on the Education System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Satirical Attack on the Education System - Essay Example He writes for a newspaper with a satire style, where he criticizes the educational system for not training their students enough to have acceptable writing and research skills. The writer can be trusted because of the use of evidence and logic to present his claims, and though his appeal to logos is based on his own personal experiences as a shadow writer and may be contested, his rants and insights have been reproduced in other scholarly articles, and furthermore, Dante effectively uses the appeal to emotions by focusing on how his job impacts the future professionals and workers of the world. Using logos, Dante successfully argues his main claim that the educational system is to be primarily blamed for students depending on shadow scholars because of the emphasis on grading and not education and their inability to handle cultural differences. The reasons that he provided are based on his interactions with students, whom he categorized into three types: â€Å"the English-as-second-language student; the hopelessly deficient student; and the lazy rich kid† (Dante par. 21). He supports these categories through examples of what they expect from their writers and why they expect this way. For instance, for the rich student, he says: â€Å"While the deficient student will generally not know how to ask for what he wants until he doesnt get it, the lazy rich student will know exactly what he wants† (Dante 22). Still, his experiences are hard to verify since his clients will certainly not admit to plagiarism. It is possible to check his claims, nonetheless, through g oing through academic articles written on the topic, such those from Austin, Simpson, and Reynen and Scanlon. These authors agree that many students use these paper mills because they can and because of the failings of the educational system. Dante’s ethos is perceived is high because he is consistent on what he says he does for his clients.

Final Essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final Essays - Essay Example Jesse Ventura didn’t talk down to people like Nader did, nor did he have the boring, stifling personality that Ross Perot projected. Ross Perot, it might be said, had some advantages over Ventura. He shared Ventura’s style of â€Å"straight talk† which appealed to a lot of Americans. With his Southern drawl and antebellum charm, Ross Perot was somewhat of an interesting character, especially due to the fact that he liked showing a lot of visuals (i.e., charts) whilst speaking. Perot also appeared more â€Å"serious† about life than Ventura, who most people might not have taken seriously because of his celebrity. Nader possessed the advantage over Ventura in that, he seemed like a more â€Å"serious† candidate, and a well-educated one at that. Ralph Nader is most famous for his exposure of hot dogs not having met FDA standards. Trained in both economics and green living, Nader cares about organizations like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of A nimals). These three candidacies show us that the likelihood of a third party in America—even if it were moderately strong—is not enough to defeat the two main parties of Democrat and Republican that are in place. Independent party candidates are not usually serious in scope, and thus, they undermine themselves. 2. E.E. Schattschnieder says "democracy without political parties is impossible." Is he correct? Why? (250 words) Democracy, as Schattschneider said, would probably most likely be impossible without political parties. Indeed, â€Å"†¦E.E. Schattschneider sought to redefine democracy and popular control of government by formulating a concept that has since become known as the ‘doctrine of responsible party government.’†1 Basically, without political parties, the best way that the government would be described is total anarchy. There would be complete chaos without political parties because it would be â€Å"every man for himself.† To be more politically correct, one could also say it would also be â€Å"every woman for herself.† Indeed, political parties in a democracy serve to help checks and balances stay in effect. The fact that there are two opposing political parties is ideal in the sense that one party can check the other by not allowing certain actions to happen based on the way the parties vote strategically in both houses of Congress—the Senate and the House. On the other hand, one of the disadvantages is not necessarily with not having parties, but with having two parties only—which many times makes politics in the United States a polarizing, partisan, all-out, knock-down, dragged-out war. Both political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, equally believe in their opinions. The problem is that many times, neither side wants to make concessions in order to get deals made and laws passed because both sides always have scruples when it comes to getting their particular leg islation passed. To this end, it is hoped that in the future both sides collaborate. 3. According to "Toward a More Responsible Party System All Over Again" is there a need to re-conceptualize and restructure our party system to establish programmatic-based political parties, disciplined parties, and party responsibility? (270 words) There is a dire need in the United States to definitely re-conceptualize and restructure the existing party system in this country. All types of parties should be considered as long as they only serve to help people and espouse a noteworthy cause or group of

Fashion and its importance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fashion and its importance - Essay Example The essay "Fashion and its importance" explores what is fashion and analyzes its importance. Fashion designers’ lives revolve around fashion, they start outfit trends and people follow them based on their taste. People may use fashion for many different reasons, some might use it for self-expression; the way they dress and appear might seem extreme and that might be what they personally feel about life. Also, other people might use fashion to communicate and present their status. Apart from personal usage, the economy uses fashion to grow. Some might think that the fashion industry is not important and does not need to be taken serious or be interested in. They might see it in a negative way that can be offensive to the fashion icons. Fashion is an important aspect in the day-to-day life in society because it defines a person’s personality; it is used as a way of communication and benefits the economy.Fashion does define a person’s personality in the way an indiv idual dresses. The phrase ‘you are what you wear’ that was made famous by fashionistas has been proven to be correct. says that a person’s fashion personality defines who they are, and it is shown in the way they dress. People will always classify others according to the clothes that they wear. One can be said to be classy, elegant, decent or indecent depending on how they dress. Most of the people do not pay attention to others outfits, while some who are interested in fashion tend to complement their outfits. These could be simple things. like color clashing, accessorizing and making sure that clothes are a perfect fit and not a size bigger. Fashion also helps in the identification of a person’s career, attitude towards certain things and personality (Ingram, 2000). This is more obvious in careers like police service, nursing, doctors and pilots among others that require their professionals to have a specified form of dressing/uniform that can be used to identify them easily. Fashion is a major tool used to express ones personality. This is evident in most communities in Africa and the various religions of the world. The Maasai of Kenya have a distinct way of dressing, which shows that they value their tradition that has stood the test of time for centuries. This community in Kenya is famous for its red shukas that have even been imitated by some designers in the west for their uniqueness, (Werlin, 2011). The Gothic community is yet another example of fashion been used to express attitude, and to show personality. These people often prefer to wear dark colors mostly black with black make up, and accessories. Fashion does not only represent personality but also defines people’s status in the society. Important people in the society, have defining dress codes that distinguish them for the general public (Ingram, 2011). The Royal family of the United Kingdom has expensive, elegant clothing that are custom made and not many can afford. Status of a person is shown in the way they are dressed, not only the status but also a person’s inner expression. Fashion has been used as a form of self-expression in many occasions. Valens (2013) says that â€Å"colors have meanings and we often express the same feeling as the colors that we wear on our clothes†. Fashion used in dull occasions is utilized in such a way that the mood of the people in that occasion is brought out in the fashion used during the occasion. In sad occasions, dull colors are

The necessary analysis to decide whether to invest in Target Case Study

The necessary analysis to decide whether to invest in Target - Case Study Example Target Plc is not a new name in the retail, food and ingredients industry and is considered analogous to quality and premium branding. The company is a diversified conglomerate having five major strategic segments which are sugar, agriculture, retail, grocery and ingredients. As per the latest financial statements of the company for the annual year 2012, the company is operating in almost all of the major cities of the United States. The vision and mission statement of the company is to achieve strong leadership in the course of business which is sustainable and long lasting. The company always strives to provide quality products to the individuals and other consumers and to become a necessary brand in the people’s day to day active life. Financial Highlight [Annual report Target, 2012 , Pg2] As apparent form the above financial highlight, the company presents a strong financial outlook and appears to be a lucrative company for the investors to invest in. The company has vario us revenue centers through which the company generates most of its revenues. During the financial year 2012, the highest earning revenue center for the company was heath, beauty and households which constituted about 25% of the total revenue of the company. Evaluation of American Retail Market The growth in the American retail market for the financial year 2012 saw an escalation as compared to the previous financial years. During every quarter of the financial year, the retail industry in USA experienced a growth of 1%. The analysts are of the view that this particular growth in the industry is a definite positive sign if it is compared to the last two financial years. The retailing conditions in the past two years remained quite adverse for the companies but now the situation appears fruitful and lucrative for the companies. A Comparison of financial year 2012 with the financial year of 2011 presents that fact that the volume of sales in the retail industry in USA increased by 2.7 percent. Changes in reported retail sales between August 2011 and August 2012 standard reporting periods (by size of business)       Pre-dominantly food Non-specialized pre-dominantly non-food Textile, clothing and footwear House-hold goods Other non-food Non-store retailing Pre-dominantly automotive fuel Total All Retailing including automotive fuel                               increase 107 32 138 72 375 64 23 811 All decrease 97 33 104 77 306 46 50 713    Total 204 65 242 149 681 110 73 1524                               Large increase 66 32 110 42 158 30 n.a. 438 decrease 56 33 73 47 107 19 n.a. 335    Total 122 65 183 89 265 49 n.a. 773 Small increase 41 n.a. 28 30 217 34 23 373 and decrease 41 n.a. 31 30 199 27 50 378 medium Total 82 n.a. 59 60 416 61 73 751 [Ons.gov (1999) Retail Sales: August, 2012] With respect to the sports merchandise business, there were certain hardships that were faced by the retailer. During the year 201 2, costs of both cotton and fuel increased, particularly of fuel which resulted in an escalation in the manufacturing cost of the merchandise. Target has in place an import team which constantly monitors the fluctuation in prices of cotton. For the purpose of reducing the cost of fuel, the retailers are now acquiring the help from the