Public health Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public health - Assignment Example Due to the serious repercussions of the false accusations, drug testing should only be used when positive results signify compelling proof o use of drug (U.S. News and World Reports, 1996). When those who do not use are falsely accused, this might lead to stigmatization for offenses that they are clean or free of. In addition, false accusations may lead to the loss of good and bright students. In resolving the moral dilemma, it will be important that ways are found of balancing these critical values. It is argued by critics of programs of drug testing that students have a fundamental right to privacy (OKeefe, 2000). It is frequently claimed that drug tests that are conducted in a proper way are very correct, and proof of use of drug that are provided by the tests is thus credible. The main concern of several critics of drug testing in schools that innocent students will be seriously affected appears to be irrational if appropriate confirmatory tests are carried out. Ethical dilemmas in the issue of vaccination include; for instance, we find that in an attempt to ensure that the greatest number of people is protected; regulations of public vaccine might violate individual liberty and freedom. Tension ensues when people want to exercise their conjugal rights in protecting themselves together with their children by not accepting vaccination, if they refuse present safety or medical evidence, or even if their ideological beliefs are seriously against vaccination. Vaccines are really responsible for most successes of global public health, like the eradication of measles and substantial reductions in some other serious infections such as smallpox and polio. However, vaccinations have for long time been the subject of different ethical controversies. Ethical discussions and objections to institutions and some other mandates come up because some people and communities

Dietary Supplements Report Essay Example for Free

Dietary Supplements Report Essay Dietary supplements are products intended for ingestion as supplements to the diet. Dietary supplements can have vitamins, herbs, enzymes, extracts, plant substances, amino acids, botanicals, and concentrates. Supplements are beneficial to the body because they can enhance the nutrients in foods, aid in weight loss, provide energy, cure illnesses, optimize health, and protect against diseases. If a person does not consume enough nutrients because of a disease or eating habits dietary supplements are extremely beneficial. There are certain groups that benefit most from dietary supplements; pregnant women, vegetarians, dieters, and the elderly. An increase of folic acid and iron is needed to reduce the risk of defects and prevent anemia. Vegetarians should take vitamin B12 because they do not eat animal foods which contain more vitamin B12 than any other food source. If a person eats less than 1200 calories when on a diet, they will not get the amount of nutrients needed. If dieters take a multi-vitamin they will meet the daily recommendations for nutrients. Anyone over the age of 50 should take calcium, Vitamin D, and B12 to maintain a healthy life. Calcium and vitamin D will help keep the bones strong, lower blood pressure, and prevent diseases like osteoporosis and multiple sclerosis. Vitamin B12 will promote heart health and fight fatigue. There are many risks when taking dietary supplements. Dietary supplements are not regulated or tested by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for side effects before they are available to consumers (â€Å"The skinny on dietary supplements,† 2008). Dietary supplements are also harmful because they contain chemicals that can be harmful. Some supplements contain non-essential hormones and enzymes. Dietary supplements may cause medications, over-the-counter or prescribed, to work differently or not at all. When taking any supplement it is important to read the label and ask a physician before taking the supplement to reduce chances of toxicity. Many people think dietary supplements provide all the nutrients needed to support a healthy diet; they are only part of a ealthy diet (Grosvenor, 2006). As stated earlier, the government does not regulate dietary supplements as they do other foods and drugs (U. S. Food and Drug Administration: Dietary Supplements, 2013). In 1994 the government created the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). The act states manufacturers are responsible for ensuring the product is safe before it is put on the market. If the product is unsafe after it is on the market the FDA is respon sible for taking action to correct the issue. The FDA is responsible for providing product information and literature. It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to ensure all ingredients are listed on the labels of the product and the information is true. The manufacturer has to submit reports for any supplement that has any type of negative reaction. The FDA implemented a Dietary Supplement Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMPs) that all personnel in the company must follow to ensure quality control. Supplements are needed by people with life-threatening diseases like kidney failure. People that have kidney failure, depending on the type of dialysis they use, peritoneal or hemodialysis. Peritoneal dialysis uses osmosis and diffusion through the peritoneal cavity to remove waste and fluid; this process causes a lack of potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Hemodialysis uses an artificial kidney to remove wastes and fluids from the blood; this process causes a lack of phosphorus, iron, and epogen. The common bond between both types of dialysis is the lack of phosphorus. Phosphorus supplements are used to strengthen the bones of dialysis patients, prevent renal bone disease, and keep the heart healthy. The dose varies from patient to patient, depending on the food intake. If the patient does not take the prescribed dose they experience many different effects. If too much of the phosphorus supplement is ingested, itching will occur. If not enough phosphorus is ingested, weakness will occur and bones will begin to get brittle causing them to break.

Evidence Law Burden of Proof

Evidence Law Burden of Proof The legal or persuasive burden of proof is defined as the ‘burden of persuading the tribunal of fact, to the standard of proof required and on the whole of the evidence, of the truth or sufficient probability of every essential fact in issue’. In our scenario, the claimant will bear the legal burden of proving each element of his claim and this entitles him to call evidence first, giving evidence through witnesses, who will also be cross-examined. The legal burden of proof can only be judged in the light of all the evidence presented in a case, and this can only be done once the defendants have also presented their case. The prosecution has the legal burden to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and to disprove beyond reasonable doubt the defences that an accused raises. In simple terms, there is an obligation of proving or disproving facts at issue. The burden is ‘legal’ in the sense that it is imposed by a legal rule and ‘persuasive’ in the sense that the party bearing the burden will lose on that issue if he fails to discharge the burden by persuading the tribunal of fact to the relevant standard. In Jayasena, Lord Devlin said that the prosecution discharges the evidential burden â€Å"â₠¬ . In Ching, reasonable doubt is described as a doubt to which you can give a reason as opposed to a mere fanciful sort of speculation. The evidential burden of proof is the burden of adducing evidence fit for consideration by the jury and there is the need to adduce sufficient evidence to satisfy a judge that the matter can be left to the jury to decide. There is an obligation upon both prosecution and defence to present sufficient evidence in support of their case. If the defence fails to discharge the evidential burden, the judge relieves the prosecution from the burden of disproving it. According to Lord Devlin, this requirement may be conveniently called ‘evidential burden’. The prosecution does not have to disprove every possible defence in advance, so if a party has an evidential burden, it does not mean that they actually have to prove anything. The prosecution discharges the evidential burden by establishing a prima facie case, that is enough evidence to entitle, but not compel, the tribunal to find in favour of claimant, had it been no further evidence. In this case, the claimant has thereby defeated a submission of ‘no case to answer’, while the defendant is not obliged to give evidence or call any witnesses. In established the principle of ‘golden thread’, according to which ‘throughout the web of the English Criminal Law one golden thread is always to be seen, that it is the duty of the prosecution to prove the prisoner’s guilt’. Where the accused pleads one of the exceptions, insanity, he bears the persuasive burden which is discharged on a balance of probabilities. However, if the defendant’s defence involves pleading issues, such as non-insane automatism, provocation or self-defence, the onus of disproving them rests on the prosecution. This formulation creates dif ficulties to juries as to the nature of reasonable doubt. As a result, a second formulation was put forward by Lord Goddard, the ‘satisfied so that you feel sure’. In Summers he stated ‘ if the jury told that it is their duty to regard the evidence and see that it satisfies them so that they can feel sure when they return a verdict, that is much better than using the expression ‘reasonable doubt’. When the defence bears the legal burden on an issue, they must prove it on balance of probabilities , as illustrated by Lord Denning in Miller. As the prosecution must disprove the defence ‘beyond reasonable doubt’, the defendant is required to demonstrate to a judge that a jury might have a reasonable doubt as to whether his defence will be disproved by the prosecution. The evidential burden will have been discharged if the defence was ‘a reasonable possibility’ worth leaving to the jury to consider, but not if ‘no reasonable jury, properly directed as to the law, could fail to find the defence disproved’. Therefore, the defendant must to call witnesses or give evidence to substantiate any defence and then it is for the prosecution to illustrate beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defence and acted with the necessary mental element. Question 2 a confession is defined as inclusive of any statement that partly or wholly adverse to someone who made it, whether made to someone in authority or not, or made in words or otherwise. A confession may be oral, in writing, by conduct or in any other way of communicating information. As stated in, if the defendant accepts an accusation made by the victim of the crime, or by someone else who is on an equal footing, then to the extent that he has accepted it, the statement becomes his own. However, any breach of the procedure may be used as ground for excluding a confession. First, as soon a police officer has grounds to suspect that a person has committed an offence and wishes to question him, the necessary steps needs to be follow, including access to legal advice, as anything said is considered as evidence under. The admissibility and relevance of a confession are questions to be decided by the judge, whereas the weight to be given to the confession is a question for the jury. The defendant cannot be compelled to testify as this may be regarded as a breach of the legal procedure. If the witness is wrongly compelled to answer such a question, his answer may not be admitted as evidence against him at his later prosecution. Under the defence may represent to the court that the confession may to be obtained by suasion and should automatically excluded, even if it turns out to be true. As defined in the method of questioning may amount to oppression. For example, in the deliberate misuse of the truth about the defendant’s mother health by the police could amount to harsh or improper treatment and therefore oppression. Finally, the Court of Human Rights restated the importance of the right to silence and privilege against self-incrimination under Article 6 ECHR regarding access to justice and fair procedure. Pursuant, there is the legal advice privilege, according to which communications passing between lawyer and client, materials prepared for the purposes of litigation and advice given are privileged. To quote the words of Lord Taylor, ‘’, being sure that nothing will be revealed without his consent. It arises out of a relationship of confidence between lawyer and client. Thus, the privilege must prevail over purely procedural subordinate legislation. The only limitations imposed are in relation to the relevant legal context as held in Balabel and Three Rivers. Finally, it is submitted that no breach of confidentiality and no loss of privilege is involved when they are present during interviews or involved in preparing or transmitting communications with the client. Question 3 Opinion evidence is not admissible because it is for the tribunal of fact, and not for the witnesses, to form its opinion on the evidence. They must confine themselves to their personal perception of facts and not make any inferences from those directly observed facts. The opinion of expert-witnesses is helpful when the jury or the judge are unable to form an opinion based on bare facts and require additional expert assistance or when matters arise which concern other sciences or faculties. Although the ‘helpfulness principle’ of an expert witness has been criticized , expert opinion evidence to be admissible it must be able to provide the court with information which is probably outside of jury’s or a judge experience and knowledge, but it must also be evidence which gives the court the help it needs in forming its conclusions. There is no closed category where evidence cannot be placed before a jury, as ‘it would be wrong to deny to the law of evidence the advances to be gained from new techniques and new advances in science’ . An expert’s opinion in order to be reliable it have to be illustrated by admissible evidence. In Hodges was held that part of an expert’s experience and expertise might lie in his knowledge of unpublished material and in his evaluation of it. In R v Gilfoyle, the court suggested that if an opinion given by an expert may not be independently reconsidered by any criteria, this may to hinder its admittance. This is why provides that a jury shall not to make a determination [on unfitness to be tried]†¦except on the written or oral evidence of two at least medical registered practitioners. In our scenario, Dr. Khan’s opinion will not be admissible in evidence, because the method used is an innovative one, which cannot be independently reviewed yet and in any case it is essential that another registered medical practitioner confirms Dr Khan’s opinion. Question 4 (a)provides that ‘any person who without legal authority or presumable excuse and whereof the proof shoul lie on him, has into his possession any offensive weapon in any public area shall to be regarded guilty of violation †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. In R v Williams , it was concluded that imposes a legal burden on the defendant and it was then for the prosecution to make the jury sure that the appellant was not aware and did no has any reason to be suspected that it was readily convertible. Pursuant toan imitation weapon is one that looks as a such weapon; and it can be easily be converted into a weapon which a shot may be discharged. S. 1(6) mentions ‘readily convertible’ as requiring someone without special skills to converting it and for the work involved no tools or outfit other than such as are in common use by individuals performing manufacture and maintenance works in their own homes. The burden of proof on the defendant relies on the plea of diminished responsibility, as per section William has the legal burden of proof and to establish, on the balance of probabilities, that he has not been aware that the imitation firearm could be converted to fire live ammunition and thus he had no intention to use it and thus he may be able to rely upon this defence at trial. (b)In Bowers , it was held that clearly allows an adverse inference to be drawn from silence at a police interview where an accused had not given evidence, as to hold otherwise would permit an accused to preclude the drawing of such inferences by choosing not to give evidence. permits conclusion to be assumed when a accussed remain silent at the time he questioned. , the defendants silent was inadmissible, but the jury had to conclude to an unfavorable conclusion because of defendants silence at charge according to section 34(1)(b). Subsequently, this section cannot be applied to William case. In criminal proceedings, the general rule is that everybody has to be regarded innocent until guilty is proven. The prosecution has to illustrate that the defendant committed an offence by establishing ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ all elements of the violation. permits the jury and the court to conclude to such presumptions as may be regarded proper from the defendant failure or refusal to give evidence and answer any question without good reason. Conclusion is not permitted when the court understands that the mental or physical condition of the defendant makes him undesirable to provide evidence. Based on the 5-step test established in Cowan , if jury’s conclusion show that the silence only can appreciably be ascribed to the defendants no answers or none that would stand up to cross-examination, they may conclude to an hypothetical presumption. Also in , it was held that a jury had not directed that reasons might be provided for not giving other evidence than the in ability to explain or answer the prosecution case. Therefore, ay be able to be applied in our case. (c)Where a suspect disputes identification, the prosecution will have to prove that the defendant is, beyond all reasonable doubt, the person who committed the offence. This is because it has not been clear so far whether the statement that the accused person was the person who committed the offence is admissible as evidence, or merely evidence confirming the evidence of the identifying witness at trial. According to the admissibility of a witness statement about identification is based on whether the evidence are given to the best of his belief and he states the truth. Building on that, the Court of Appeal in Turnbull provided guidance regarding disputed identification evidence and specified that a mistaken witness possible can be persuasive, but notice is required if the prosecution depends fully on the regularity of the identification of the defendant which the defense claims to be incorrect. Also the jury must take into account all the conditions in which identification was made, such as distance, light, impediments, witnesses’ previous accusations and the time between original observation and formal identification. In our scenario, given the circumstances at the night of the crime, William can argue based on Turnbull that there is a high probability that the witnesses’ statement may be not accurate as they cannot be absolutely sure about what they saw.

The Reluctance of Hamlet toward Killing Essay -- William Shakespeare H

The Reluctance of Hamlet toward Killing in William Shakespeare's Hamlet The reluctant character Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, has become one of the most cited characters in history. Throughout Shakespeare's play Hamlet knows what he must do, but avoids it in his mind. The problem is: why does hamlet delay in avenging his father's death? Hamlet is afraid. He is afraid of failure. Hamlet tries to play off his fear by blaming outside circumstances, like doubting the existence of the ghost when he knows in his heart it is true, and not having the right opportunity to exact revenge. What it all boils down to is a belief in himself, or lack of, that is a lack of self confidence. Hamlet's excuse of doubting the ghost is displayed in his actions when they meet. "Be thou a spirit of health or a goblin damned,/ bring with the airs from heaven of blasts from hell,/ be thy intents wicked or charitable,/ thou com'st in such a questionable shape/ that I will speak to thee. I'll call thee 'Hamlet',/ 'King', 'Father', 'Royal Dane'" (Act 1, Sc. 4, ln. 44-50)(51) Hamlet's words here clearly illustrate how Hamlet acts confused but honestly knows the ghost is true. Hamlet wants to doubt the existence of the ghost when he tells Horatio and the others, "Never make known what you have seen tonight."(Act 1, Sc. 5, ln. 160)(65) The mere fact that Hamlet hesitates to reveal that he has seen the ghost at all and swears Horatio and the other sentinels to secrecy, shows his want to keep the proof of his father's death secret. When hamlet says, "If his occulted guilt/ do not itself unkennel in one speech,/ it is a damned ghost that we have seen,/ and my imaginations are as foul/ as Vulcan's stithy." (Act 3, Sc. 2, ln. 85-89)(141) Hamlet h... ...even though his heart believes. He hesitates because he is afraid of failure: failure to his father, mother, and to himself. And furthermore, the tragedy of Hamlet would not have been much of a tragedy had Hamlet not procrastinated. If he had killed Claudiuds the night of the play, Polonius, Ophelia, Gertrude and Laertes would not have died. Some critics may say Hamlet did not delay. Some critics may ask the question, What is delay? Delay is to put off to a future time. Hamlet definitely puts off the killing of Claudius until the end of the play. Even if he has valid reasons to delay, he delays non the less. So critics who ask the question of whether he delays or not are completely wrong because there is no doubt in whether he delays or not, because he does. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. T. J. B. Spencer. New York: Penguin, 1996.

Dire Predictions: Global Warming

Geography November 29, 2010 Dire Predictions : Student Edition Chapter one of Dire Predictions Understanding Global Warming does exactly like the title says, it gives the reader the essential basics of understanding the Global Warming issue. Chapter one gives essential information covering a wide range of things including: the natural and human impacts on climate, definition of a greenhouse gas and how it affects temperature, positive and negative feedback loops, threatening human byproducts that affect the ozone, ways scientists study ancient climates, and it gives possible future Earth outcomes due to global warming.It is a really loaded chapter I know, but this information proves to be very valuable when learning about global warming. In fact, the information is so valuable that it can’t be covered by just stating a quick overview of the chapter, but needs a more detailed summary. Some natural variables that potentially affect the Earth’s climate include the sun, vol canic eruptions, and Earth’s orbit. But how exactly does something like a volcanic eruption effect climate?This is because â€Å"Explosive volcanic eruptions modify the composition of the atmosphere by injecting small particles called aerosols into the atmosphere layer. † These released aerosols block the solar radiation that would have reached Earth’s surface and consequently, it has cooling effect on Earth’s surface. The more talked about topic in chapter one however is the non-natural, or human induced impacts causing global warming. Humans burning of fossil fuels and release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) are both examples of human variables that affect global warming.CFC’s are a kind of gas that is released by cooling apparatus’ such as the refrigerator. These gasses have been proven to destroy the ozone. Furthermore, the book goes on to prove that the major impacts causing global warming are not natural but mostly human made. It states that the hole in the ozone is not mostly caused by a natural increase in CO2 gasses but the release of CFC-11 and CFC-12 gasses by humans into the environment. As proof of the gasses affect on the ozone it states that the average temperature of the globe has gone up from 13. degrees Celsius to 14. 5 degrees Celsius. It seems like a small amount of temperature increase but even one degree average increase can have a major influence on global warming. Finally, chapter one goes on to describe what happens if these patterns persist. So what will happen if these patterns persist, and what effects will it have on agriculture and man? To better understand what will happen to us, we have to understand what the ozone layer does. The ozone layer protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation.If these patterns persist the ozone will protect less and less ultraviolet radiation from entering Earth’s atmosphere. If this happens then the ice caps will melt which will be catastrophic to man and agriculture. According to http://www. tropical-rainforest-animals. com/Global-Warming-Effects. html some effects of global warming will be: Floods Droughts, Heat waves, Extreme winter cold and snow fall, Tornadoes, Extreme storms, Tropical cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons. You don’t have to be a geography major to know that these types of effects will deal a devastating blow to people and plants.Precipitation patterns will also change everywhere, messing up normal agricultural growth. Some more effects global warming will have on agriculture and animals is it will make trees produce leaves earlier, it will cause earlier greening on vegetation, it causes re-distributions of algae that will kill animals that eat it to survive, and the ultraviolet radiation will ultimately poison humans and animals and destroy plants everywhere. If we have no ozone life will be unsustainable on Earth. But wait, all these horrible things don’t have to happen; we can do things to prevent global warming.We can start to help this not to happen by burning up less fossil fuels, thus reducing emissions into the ozone. Scientists and mechanics have recently been working together to make cars that produce less waste and are better for the environment. We can help by buying these kinds of cars and investing in this type of research. Another way to help is if we as a world unite and we set goals and laws that require fewer emissions from each country. Also, it may seem small but a way we can all help is by recycling things which cuts down the waste it takes to make whole new things.More ways you can help are by: using less air conditioning and heat, changing light bulbs to more energy efficient ones, buying energy efficient products, driving less or carpooling, using less hot water, and finally planting a tree. Although planting a tree or changing a light bulb may seem like a small way to help, if everyone in the world followed these suggestions emissions would b e greatly reduced which could save the Earth. Scientists have worked together to try to understand the problem.By constantly recording new data and looking at old data they have come to a better understanding of what we use that causes these emissions and the way it affects us and our planet. A way scientists have studied the ancient atmosphere is by drilling into the ice caps and examining the trapped air. Also scientists are constantly observing the ozone layer to see any changes that might come. Scientists also look at what kind of molecules the ozone is made of and gasses that could destroy it. Learning about the problem is half the battle so we are on our way to a brighter tomorrow.I think the information given in the book was good information based on scientific truths. The information in this book was very easy to follow as almost every page had a corresponding graph or picture to help you understand the information given. However one of the problems I had with the informatio n in this book is I felt that it was really quick to discredit the other side of the argument with not much detail. When faced with an opposing point the author just basically says that all other views are wrong and moves on.Also, the information in this book jumped to something completely different every other page. But that being said I did learn a lot from reading this book. The thing I found most interesting in the book were some of the statistics given throughout the chapter. For example thought how long the gasses CFC-11 and CFC-12 last and how much more potent it is that carbon dioxide. Even after five hundred years after CFC-12 is released, it is still 5,200 times more potent than carbon dioxide. And five hundred years after CFC-11 is released, it is 1,620 times more potent that the carbon dioxide (Dire Predictions, p. 9). With CFC gasses and other harmful gasses lasting this long it is important to stop the release of these harmful gasses as soon as we can. Another thing I found interesting in the book was the change in Mount Kilimanjaro snow coverage over time. First, it shows Mount Kilimanjaro during the year 1912 and it is covered in snow. That picture is followed by a picture of Mount Kilimanjaro during the year 2007, and the snow cover has almost all disappeared. Another statistic I found very interesting in chapter one is the graphs on page thirty-three.These graphs show the amount of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere before and up to 2005. The graphs show that the levels of these greenhouse gasses are pretty constant until it reaches the year 2005; When the graph line representing the gasses reaches to just before the year 2005, levels of all three of these gasses skyrocket. (Dire Predictions, pg. 33) Reading this book made me realize how serious the global warming issue is and how it is already affecting the world today. Due to global warming life as we know it could possibly come to an end.But don’t start put ting your bucket list together just yet. If we start doing things everyday to help reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses we can make sure that tomorrow is a brighter day, figuratively that is. The things stated earlier (using less air conditioning and heat, changing light bulbs to more energy efficient ones, buying energy efficient products, driving less or carpooling, using less hot water, planting trees) are all examples of everyday things we can do to help the environment and stop global warming.Another thing that people can do to help this problem is by educating themselves about global warming. By educating yourself about global warming you can solve the problem easier because you know the causes. Also you can educate other people about the importance of taking global warming into consideration. If everyone around the world pitches in to try to help, maybe the next book we read will be Optimistic Predictions.Works Cited Banerjee, Subhankar. â€Å"Global Warming. † New York Times. 6 Oct. 2010. Mann, Michael E. , and Lee R. Kump. Dire Predictions: Understanding Global Warming. New York, NY: DK Pub. , 2009. Print. May, Elizabeth, and Zoe? Caron. Global warming for dummies . Mississauga, ON: J. Wiley & Sons Canada, 2009. Print. Nodvin, Stephen C. â€Å"Global Warming. † encyclopedia of earth. 9 May. 2010. 29 Nov. 2010. . Yeatman, William. â€Å"Global Warming: Solutions/Cost/Science GlobalWarming. org  |  Archive  |  Global Warming 101 . † Global Warming . N. p. , 9 Feb. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. .

Loneliness in Hamlet

Loneliness in Hamlet The article â€Å"Personal and Social Influences on Loneliness: The Mediating Effect of Social Provisions† defined loneliness by stating, â€Å"First, loneliness is thought to result from perceived deficiencies in one’s social world. Second, loneliness is thought to be a subjective state experienced by the individual, rather than some objective feature in the individual’s social world. Third, this experience frequently is unpleasant and distressing† (Kraus et al. 85). Everyone faces loneliness and despair in their lives.In today’s world people may feel misunderstood or isolated, or they could feel deficient because the lack a family or missing a loved one. In Hamlet, much of the loneliness and suffering he endures is due to the secrets he is forced to keep. There were many instances where Hamlet felt alone and upset, but he could not share his pain with anyone else. We can also find examples of Hamlet’s despair due to bet rayal from his so-called friends. The loneliness and despair in Hamlet are factors that added to his suffering and caused his overall demise.Hamlet is a lonely, isolated character, with few friends and little faith in humanity. His loneliness plays a great role in his downfall, by alienating him from his friends and family and eventually taking control of his actions. He does not share the knowledge of his father's murder with anyone. He can't trust his friends and family, and he hides his true feelings from his only love, Ophelia, adding to her insanity. These events eventually lead to his downfall, and could have been avoided by sharing his dilemma.Throughout the play, Hamlet discovers who is loyal to him and also who his real enemies are. Right away, Hamlet dislikes his uncle. He is already distraught over losing his father, but he has also to deal with the marriage of his beloved mother to his uncle, who killed his father and whom he perceives as being cruel and cold-hearted. Ha mlet refers to his uncle as, â€Å"A little more than kin, and less than kind† (1. 2. 564). This clearly demonstrates the extreme hatred Hamlet has towards his uncle. Hamlet also feels intensely betrayed by his mother.Claude Williamson states that â€Å"[†¦] the shock which he suffered on hearing of the murder and on realizing the full horror of his mother's action made, as it were, a wound in his mind, which hurt whenever he thought of his uncle or of his mother's connection with that uncle† (98). Hamlet trusted his mother and feels as if she has disregarded any love she ever felt towards her former husband. In Hamlet’s eyes, his mother has offended his father, and he blames her for his death. Hamlet says to his mother, â€Å"A bloody deed!Almost as bad, good mother, As kill a king, and marry with his brother† (3. 4. 621). This shows that he is revolted by the idea of the marriage between his uncle and his mother. Hamlet also encounters loneliness a nd despair with Ophelia. Due to his experiences throughout the play, Hamlet distances himself from Ophelia, whom he is actually in love with. He does this by insulting her and convincing her that he is mad and never had any true feelings for her. By pretending to be mad and not telling Ophelia about his true feelings, he is misleading her as well.Ophelia believed his affections were true and she fell in love, only to be crushed by his madness. However, in his madness, Hamlet came to see Ophelia in a disheveled state, â€Å"[†¦ ] with his doublet all unbraced, no hat upon his head, his stockings fouled, ungartered, and down-gyved to his ankle, pale as his shirt, his knees knocking [†¦ ]† and frightened her (2. 1. 585). Her father bid her not to speak to him, and she complied. Poor Hamlet sank deeper into his madness, alone and dejected. Ophelia, also depressed, was ready to take her own life.Hamlet is devastated because he never actually meant to hurt her. Hamlet say s, â€Å"I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum† (5. 1. 654). This shows how much Hamlet truly loved Ophelia. The last factor that contributed to Hamlet’s loneliness is that he didn’t share his problems with anyone (except for Horatio). He hid his hatred towards his uncle, the loss he felt with his mother, and the secret of his encounter with his murdered father’s ghost. If he had told more people his secrets, then they could have been more willing to help him.The person who could have helped him the most and spared him the most grief is Ophelia. By telling her about his father’s murder and about his plan to avenge his death, Ophelia would have provided Hamlet with comfort and understanding. His tragic flaw came from the misleading act he put on in order to hide his ambitions, and the crafty schemes he came up with to reach his goals. However, some topics are so complex that Hamlet may face limitations in discussing them with people who are not as deep as he.Hamlet’s loneliness was caused by many incidents, some of which Hamlet brought upon him himself. Had he shared his problems with the few people he could trust, and not hidden the knowledge of his father's murder, he might have avoided the great loss of his family, his friends, and his life. Secrets, deception, and despair plagued Hamlet throughout the play, and ultimately caused his downfall. It is important that we have support from our friends through difficult times. When we alienate people by keeping secrets from them, it is to our disadvantage. We cause our own loneliness.

John Henry Picture Book by Julius Lester

John Henry Picture Book by Julius Lester The legend of John Henry has been celebrated in song and story for generations, but my favorite version is the childrens picture book John Henry by Julius Lester, with illustrations by Jerry Pinkney.   Julius Lesters John Henry is based on the African American folk ballad John Henry, the tale of John Henry, the steel-driving man who was bigger and stronger than anyone and the competition between him and the steam-powered drill in digging a railroad tunnel through a mountain. While John Henry dies at the end, this is not a sad story but a celebration of a life well lived.   I recommend Lesters retelling of the story of the African American folk hero as an excellent read aloud for children five and older, as well as a good book for independent readers in grades 4-5. Who Was John Henry? While much has been written about John Henry, much of the true story of John Henry is still shrouded in mystery. However, what the John Henry of song and story represents is very clear in both the words and images in this book. Artist Jerry Pinkney saw John Henry as ... a free man, whose strength and valor bring him fame. He was a strong folk hero for African Americans, a symbol of all the working men who made a major contribution to the building of the roads and railroads in the mountains of West Virginia - a dangerous job for which many paid with their lives. (Source: Penguin Putnam Inc.) John Henry: The Story Julius Lesters story of John Henry begins with his birth and immediate growth to a size so large that his head and shoulders busted through the roof which was over the porch of his familys home in 1870s West Virginia. The tall tale continues with the saga of how John Henry grew big, strong, fast, and fearless. His crowning achievement, and the cause of his death, was winning a competition to break through a mountain so the railroad could go through. On one side of the mountain, the railroad boss used a steam drill. On the other side, John Henry used his hammers and amazing strength. When John Henry and the stream drill met inside the mountain, the boss was amazed to find that while he had come only a quarter of a mile, John Henry had come a mile and a quarter. John Henry walked out of the tunnel to the cheers of the other workers, then fell to the ground and died. Everyone who was there came to the realization that Dying aint important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living. Awards and Recognition John Henry was named a Caldecott Honor Book. and to be named a Randolph Cadecott Medal or Honor Book recipient is a prestigious honor. Caldecott honors are awarded annually by the American Library Association in recognition of excellence in American childrens picture book illustration. Other honors for John Henry include  a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and being included on the ALA Notable Childrens Books list. John Henry: My Recommendation There are several things that make this book memorable. The first is Julius Lesters use of imagery and personification. For example, when describing what happened when John Henry laughed loudly, Lester reported, †¦the sun got scared. It scurried from behind the moons skirts and went to bed, which is where it shouldve been anyway. The second is the artwork of Jerry Pinkney. While Pinkney used his usual pencil, colored pencils, and watercolors, his use of shading is exaggerated in the illustrations, to good effect. This creates almost a transparent effect in some scenes, creating the illusion of looking into the far distant past. Its as if you can see what is going on, but you also know that it all has a bigger, broader meaning than just the scene depicted. The third is the extra information provided. It helps to set the context for the story. Included are brief author and illustrator biographies, a note from the author about his collaboration with Pinkney, and an overview of the origin of the John Henry story and the sources used by Lester. This information will be particularly helpful to teachers and librarians as they share the book with students. I recommend this childrens picture book for the children five to ten years old and their families.   Its also a good book for elementary school classrooms. (Puffin Books, Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 1994. Hardcover edition ISBN: 0803716060, 1999, Paperback edition ISBN: 9780140566222)

Top 5 Tips for a Summer Vacation on a Budget

Top 5 Tips for a Summer Vacation on a Budget How to Plan a Vacation on a Budget Many people struggle with the quest of going on a vacation with a thin wallet. But theres no need to worry knowing these five tips, youll be able to go on an amazing trip without spending much! Afford Summer Vacation With These 5 Tips Set a goal Do you know how much money you need to have to go on a vacation? Even if the expensive holiday isnt possible this year, think how much money you require to make your vacation happen and set a savings goal. Think that its too difficult? Just read on. Make a spending plan Quality summer planning requires a good spending plan. In case you dont have a household or a personal budget, creating one should be the first thing to do for finding money for your trip. Understand that it will be very difficult to save money if you dont know about all of your expenses. When people see all their planned expenses, it gets easier for them to decide what they can abstain from to achieve their savings goals. Cut back your expenses Once you have your spending plan before your eyes, you will clearly see what expenses you can trim to get extra money for your vacation. For instance, you can put your cable bill on hold during the spring months when the weather is fine. You may also plan your meals better so that youre eating out less and preparing meals yourself. All those little things, if adhered to strictly for months, can save you enough money to help you go on vacation. Setup automatic transfers Unfortunately, if were financially uneducated, we can become the worst enemies of our money. Therefore, we need to develop and use strategies that will keep our money safe from ourselves. You can use your credit union or bank to setup automatic transfers from your regular account to another account which you will find difficult to withdraw money from. It can be a high-interest savings account which isnt connected with your credit card. For instance, if you transfer $25 on a weekly basis, you can save up to $1,300 within one year. Ask yourself can I live without $25 a week? Sure you can! Dont ignore this little but smart trick to save money automatically. Choose staycation If you cant imagine a better place for vacation than your bed or money is really tight this year, you can choose not to travel anywhere. Staycations are becoming more and more popular, and in case youre interested in getting one, google top staycations ideas to get more info about it. If you use these smart tips, you will certainly find a way to save money for your next vacation even if money is tight this year. Its all about planning, organization, and a little bit of self-discipline.

Billy Budd Essays - Billy Budd, Billy Kessler, Pale Yellow Skin

Billy Budd Unknown There is much to be said about innocence. If one is with innocence than one can do no wrong. But that is not all to be said. Innocence is not always a good thing. It could make one naive or blind to certain evils. Like in the case of Billy Budd. Billy was innocent from evil and therefore could not see the evil of John Claggart approaching him, out to destroy him. It is known Billy's innocence was his down fall by hiding the true evil from his eyes. But why was John Claggart out to destroy Billy?. There are several reasons why John Claggart attempts to destroy Billy Budd. John Claggart wants to destroy Billy because he is extremely wary of Billy's intentions. He has come to believe that Billy is planning a mutiny and wants to take over the ship. Claggart reports this to captain Vere saying," During today's chase and possible encounter I had seen enough to convince him that at least one sailor aboard was dangerous." Meaning that he felt Billy was against them. Claggart felt that Billy's big plan was to get in favor of all the men on the ship and then turn them against the captain. Captain Vere responds by having Billy and Claggart meet in private where Claggart can openly accuse Billy of this crime. Fortunately, Claggarts attempt to destroy Billy for mutiny fails because he is struck down by Billy in one blow, ending the matter, but opening a much more serious one. Claggart is also seen as attempting to destroy Billy due to his evil nature in general. Nothing depicts Claggart's evil nature better than the way he looks. His cleanly chiseled chin and cunning violet eyes that can cut lesser sailors with an evil glare. His pale yellow skin and jet black curly hair; they all contrast his character. He is out to destroy Billy because of the constant struggle of good and evil. Billy is innocent and cannot comprehend evil therefore making him good. People calling Billy "baby budd, and handsome sailor" just seem to contrast the good in him even more. Claggart was born evil and therefore is evil. Claggart would naturally be out to destroy Billy because he is what he is against. Just good vs. evil in a battle for control. That is why Claggart is naturally out to bring the downfall of Billy Budd. It is very true that jealousy is another reason why John Claggart wanted the destruction of Billy Budd. Claggart was never well liked by the crew he was watching over. This would not have been a problem except that Billy Budd was so very liked by the crew. Every time he saw the love of Billy he was reminded of the dislike of himself. One old sailor on the ship noticed this too and warned Billy by saying, "Jimmy Leggs is down on you". Jimmy Leggs referring to Claggart. One instance which occured in the kitchen just made matters worse when Billy spilled the soup he was making and it ran down the corridor just as Claggart was walking by. Claggart did not openly get angry at Billy for the accident, but inside felt he had done it on purpose. As the soup ran down the corridor it seemed to symbolize an actual line drawn between the two. The resentment Claggart felt for Billy made him look him too critically. That is a good reason why Claggart could have thought Billy was planning a mutiny a nd would want him destroyed. He was just jealous of Billy's popularity. There are several reasons why John Claggart attempts to destroy Billy Budd. One might ask why and come up with the obvious and not so obvious answer, even though we know the real reason for his downfall. That was his innocence. Yes, Billy Budd was innocent of evil, but that innocence is what made him unable to see the evil out to destroy him in Claggart. Too much innocence is not always a good thing, but a little helps from doing wrong. There is quite a bit to be said about innocence.

Evaluate the legacy of the two world wars on the provision of 'decent Essay

Evaluate the legacy of the two world wars on the provision of 'decent housing' during the twentieth century - Essay Example This paper explores the Legacy of World War I and II on the provision of decent housing during the 20th century. Prior to the First World War, Britain’s construction and provision of housing was largely a responsibility of the private sector (Burnett 1986). It was not until the termination of the First World War that the central government and local authorities assumed more active role in house construction and utilization of land. The development of council houses diminished the role played by market forces of demand and supply on locations of houses construction. According to Taylor (1998), Birmingham city took the lead as other cities followed in the same footsteps. The provision of inexpensive housing constructed by local authorities under subsidies of the central government heightened the involvement of the public in determining how land was to be used. Market forces of demand and supply no longer influenced the utilization, misuse and non-use of land. The central government and local authority in housing provision was aimed at eradicating poverty, boosting public health and reducing social isolation. The famous â€Å"home fit for Heroes,† emerged after the First World War when honoring fighters in the war became the central political focus. Local councils built council houses to ease overcrowding and to provide quality houses for low-income tenants (Daunton 2008). The programme was initiated in nineteenth century and peaked during the mid-twentieth century, at the point when the programme included extensive suburban estates as well as urban developments characterized with tower blocks. Clapp (1994) argued that there was smaller extent of property destruction during the First World War leading to lack of urgent reconstruction programmes. However, the initial sustained thrust to build and develop cheap and subsidized houses by local authorities began in 1919 under

Audience Analysis Cover Sheet + Persuasive Letter on Surrogacy Assignment

Audience Analysis Cover Sheet + Persuasive Letter on Surrogacy Arrangements - Assignment Example Such as this is not a topic commonly discussed to them, reactions will be varied. Most would be interested in hearing the objective arguments on both sides of the spectrum before fully developing their own opinion. A number will already have a shaped opinion which may be for or against the issue. By the end of the speech, some may still be on the fence with their stand. It is important to note that their concern would be minimal unless they know of or are suffering from fertility issues. Those who may have a background which favors surrogacy motherhood would have a strong opinion in favor of it. While those who don’t will most likely yield reasonable attention on the speaker’s stand. It may not be avoided that there would be some bigotry surrounding the issue. Topics that would scrutinize and disparage gay people and gay relations should be avoided. A holier-than-thou voice in presenting the subject should also be evaded. These would simply exclude people and could even be perceived as ignorance and narrow-mindedness. It should not revolve around intolerance but rather an objective approach to presenting the most logical and preeminent debate on the issue. Approach should be firm from the beginning of the speech. When presenting the argument which is against surrogacy motherhood, there should be authoritativeness in stating your opinion. This is to be able to convince the audience on your conviction regarding the rectitude of your argument. They should feel your own personal adherence to the fact that the issue of surrogacy is wrong in a number of aspects and not just simply a stubborn belief. In presenting the data that let you come up in forming your own position, there should be a tone of seriousness to it. Because it is a sensitive issue, it would be difficult to add humor to your speech. Instead, fervor should always be present to persuade them to adapt to your stand. The speech

What role does equality play in socialist ideology Essay - 1

What role does equality play in socialist ideology - Essay Example Under this ideology, social and economic surplus achieved through socialist philosophy is allocated to labourers in the working class equitably and where political and corporate systems become decentralised. Thus, under this practical definition of socialism, equality not only plays a powerful role in socialist doctrine, it is the foundational imperative of the ideology. Equality, both socially and economically, underpins the foundation of socialist thought. Under most socialist models, the philosophy is an evolution from attempts to block or otherwise emerge from capitalist ideology which, during the 19th Century, began to dominate many international economies experiencing economic growth born of the Industrial Revolution. Capitalism, by design, applauds the emergence of the profit-seeking corporation in which capital assets, including industrial machinery and factories, are controlled by either private citizens or private businesses (Degen 2008). Gains on capital assets and paid labour are then allowed to accrue to serve the utility of private ownership supported by various pricing mechanisms as the foundation of allocation of capital goods (products and services) which is unequal depending on economic resources of the consuming public. Socialist ideology, on the other hand, especially with the more revolutionary Marxist school of thought, considers capitalism to be extravagant and utterly inefficient as allocation of capital goods produced is disproportionate to satisfying the needs of a broader society and labourers are deemed to be exploited to ensure surplus of production is available for private owners. Socialists reject disparate allocation of produced and natural resources and prefer social ownership of capital assets to maximise the utility of majority society (Degen 2008). This is akin to a form of act utilitarianism in which maximising majority utility, even when requiring some self-sacrifice, are mandates (Hooker 2001; Kagan 1991). Thus,

Critical Evaluation and Analysis of Employability Skills Essay - 1

Critical Evaluation and Analysis of Employability Skills - Essay Example The researcher’s main focus was to improve his skills in report writing because as a spinal research coordinator, he is required to write various projects and business cases. In addition, the author’s skills in budgeting, assertiveness, leadership, team working and knowing how to deal with difficult situations in line with HR policies are all important skills. Evaluation is an important stage in the self-reflection as it helps me to focus on my career goals and those of the organization. In researcher’s role as a spinal research coordinator he is required to liaise and coordinate with different levels of staff - medical and non-medical - within the spinal deformity unit and across the hospital. The coordination of various research projects, managing elements of operational delivery of the spinal deformity unit, and resource planning and assessment, are all requirements of researcher’s role. These requirements are in line with researcher’s plan to be come more conversant with HR policies. Thus, the researcher has developed team building skills since this role involved familiarizing himself with HR policies and regulations would enable him to work with human resource activities which require management. This plan has helped to improve researcher’s service delivery in the field of human resources and use his time more effectively to fulfill his potential and further career. The researcher’s personal development plan was to improve his report-writing skills which seem to meet the requirements of researcher’s organization. The role of a spinal research coordinator in his organization requires someone with knowledge of writing various reports and working on business cases. Since at the moment the author has little skills in regard to report writing, developing these skills shall be of paramount importance in attaining his organization’s requirements in this area. Other requirements of researcher’s o rganization, such as assisting the human resources department in recruitment and resource planning, are tasks that a resource manager should be accountable for.

WWI and WWII Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

WWI and WWII - Essay Example A second cause of the First World War was the newly acquired military strength (arms race) of the European and the Asian nations. With no justified cause to test their military capabilities, the animosity in regard to the colonies came as a welcome relief. Significant alliances made prior to 1914 by strong hold countries in Europe also fueled the war. For instance, the Triple Entente in which France, Britain, and Russia agreed not to sign peace treaties separately. There is also the Triple alliance comprising of Italy, Germany, and Austria-Hungary. The commencement of the First World War saw the utilization of the legal obligations subject to these treaties. The need to prove political and military dominance stemmed from nationalism. For instance, Slavics in Bosnia and Herzegovina preferred to be part of Serbia. Their protest against Austria-Hungary’s domination of these two regions led to the final and presumably immediate trigger of this war, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. The WW1 has similarity in causation with the First World War. Germany, in both instances, instigated the war with more valor than the other nations. In the case of the First World War, military prowess was the motivating factor. However, the Second World War was a case of wounded pride owing to the Treaty of Versailles. The policy of disarmament, which made them vulnerable to other countries attacks, also seemed unfair. Unlike the First World War, dialogue as a means of curbing war dominated the years before the Second World War. An example of a failed Dialogue is the Munich agreement (1938) which Hitler broke barely a year after enactment. The Failure of the League of Nations to foster peace as a result of military and monetary incapability also contributed to the Second World War. For the other nations such as Britain and France, nationalism as a cause was as eminent as in the

What role does equality play in socialist ideology Essay - 1

What role does equality play in socialist ideology - Essay Example Under this ideology, social and economic surplus achieved through socialist philosophy is allocated to labourers in the working class equitably and where political and corporate systems become decentralised. Thus, under this practical definition of socialism, equality not only plays a powerful role in socialist doctrine, it is the foundational imperative of the ideology. Equality, both socially and economically, underpins the foundation of socialist thought. Under most socialist models, the philosophy is an evolution from attempts to block or otherwise emerge from capitalist ideology which, during the 19th Century, began to dominate many international economies experiencing economic growth born of the Industrial Revolution. Capitalism, by design, applauds the emergence of the profit-seeking corporation in which capital assets, including industrial machinery and factories, are controlled by either private citizens or private businesses (Degen 2008). Gains on capital assets and paid labour are then allowed to accrue to serve the utility of private ownership supported by various pricing mechanisms as the foundation of allocation of capital goods (products and services) which is unequal depending on economic resources of the consuming public. Socialist ideology, on the other hand, especially with the more revolutionary Marxist school of thought, considers capitalism to be extravagant and utterly inefficient as allocation of capital goods produced is disproportionate to satisfying the needs of a broader society and labourers are deemed to be exploited to ensure surplus of production is available for private owners. Socialists reject disparate allocation of produced and natural resources and prefer social ownership of capital assets to maximise the utility of majority society (Degen 2008). This is akin to a form of act utilitarianism in which maximising majority utility, even when requiring some self-sacrifice, are mandates (Hooker 2001; Kagan 1991). Thus,

WWI and WWII Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

WWI and WWII - Essay Example A second cause of the First World War was the newly acquired military strength (arms race) of the European and the Asian nations. With no justified cause to test their military capabilities, the animosity in regard to the colonies came as a welcome relief. Significant alliances made prior to 1914 by strong hold countries in Europe also fueled the war. For instance, the Triple Entente in which France, Britain, and Russia agreed not to sign peace treaties separately. There is also the Triple alliance comprising of Italy, Germany, and Austria-Hungary. The commencement of the First World War saw the utilization of the legal obligations subject to these treaties. The need to prove political and military dominance stemmed from nationalism. For instance, Slavics in Bosnia and Herzegovina preferred to be part of Serbia. Their protest against Austria-Hungary’s domination of these two regions led to the final and presumably immediate trigger of this war, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. The WW1 has similarity in causation with the First World War. Germany, in both instances, instigated the war with more valor than the other nations. In the case of the First World War, military prowess was the motivating factor. However, the Second World War was a case of wounded pride owing to the Treaty of Versailles. The policy of disarmament, which made them vulnerable to other countries attacks, also seemed unfair. Unlike the First World War, dialogue as a means of curbing war dominated the years before the Second World War. An example of a failed Dialogue is the Munich agreement (1938) which Hitler broke barely a year after enactment. The Failure of the League of Nations to foster peace as a result of military and monetary incapability also contributed to the Second World War. For the other nations such as Britain and France, nationalism as a cause was as eminent as in the

Shitology Essay Example for Free

Shitology Essay There have been many stories told in the past about Gods. Every story has its own supernatural spin, providing a forceful sense of cause and effect events. This almost always forms the cultural plot to describe a bad or good point in time. Certain sequences of myths describe a situation where god destroys mankind for not going through with their intentions when they created mankind, by creating a massive flood. These stories include: â€Å"Noah’s Ark†, â€Å"Tata and Nena†, and the â€Å"Deucalion†. All of these stories have cultural aspects that provide similarities and differences in each other. One thing that is important to point out is that â€Å"Tata and Nena†, â€Å"Deucalion†, and â€Å"Noah’s Ark† all explain what happened to the world after it was destroyed, in different ways. For example in the story of â€Å"Deucalion†, â€Å"Tlaloc then appeared to them and said, â€Å"This is how I am repaid for saving your lives? † They were changed into dogs† (Bierlein30). In the story â€Å"Tata and Nena†, they were asked to only eat corn but instead they ate fish, so then Tlaloc got mad and turned them into dogs, in a world that was completely destroyed with no intention of repopulation. In the â€Å"Deucalion† story, â€Å"These rocks were transformed into people who repopulated the earth† (Deucalion30). Rocks were thrown behind Zeus who then was turned to people who soon remade the world all over again. Also the myth of â€Å"Noah’s Ark† has a different story, â€Å"God then repopulated the world with what Noah had saved. Like the one of each animal† (Noah29). God decided to make the world again and used the animals Noah saved to do so. This all proves that all of the stories had a different way of explaining what happened to the world after it was destroyed. All of the myths describe a different culture involved. Like, In the story â€Å"Deucalion†, â€Å"And it rained for 9 days and 9 nights until the entire world was flooded except for two mountain peaks in Greece, Mt Parnassus and Mt. Olympus, the latter being the home of the Gods†(Deucalion30). This shows that the Greek gods were ignorant and made it rain everywhere except in the Greece Mountains where they were staying. In â€Å"Tata and Nena†, â€Å"During the era of the Fourth Sun, the Sun of Water, the people grew very wicked and ignored the worships of the gods† (Bierlein30). The Aztec gods were mad at humans for not listening to them, and so they decided they needed to flood the whole world. This shows that no one cared at all about anything the Aztec gods wanted. Also, In â€Å"Noah’s Ark†, God flooded the world and then saved Noah. He then repopulated the world and the Jews were afraid of the flood. God then promised the Jews he would not do another flood (Noah29). God basically said he’s tired of destroying the world with water, and he’ll leave the Jews alone for awhile. It’s really obvious that all of the destruction of the world was all to show a side in which they came from and eventually rejoiced. In the stories of â€Å"Tata and Nena†, â€Å"Deucalion† and â€Å"Noah’s Ark† all have similarities. Like in â€Å"Tata and Nena†, â€Å"The god’s became angry and Tlaloc, the god of rains, announced that he was going to destroy the world with a flood† (Bierlein30). This proves that â€Å"Noah’s Ark†, â€Å"Deucalion†, and â€Å"Tata and Nena† all had moody gods that would wipeout the world with a flood if things weren’t going as planned. In the â€Å"Deucalion† he was asked to go in the boat away from the flood. â€Å"These rocks were transformed into people who repopulated the earth† (Deucalion30). In both of the stories of â€Å"Deucalion† and â€Å"Noah’s Ark† the world was repopulated after the destruction. In the story of â€Å"Noah’s Ark†, â€Å"God asked Noah to take his family and get a male and female of every animal then to build an ark† (Noah29). In both stories of â€Å"Noah’s Ark† and â€Å"Deucalion† they were asked to do something and were saved from the flood in the end. This makes it crystal clear that stories have very similar actions during the flood. Noah’s Ark†, â€Å"Tata and Nena†, and the â€Å"Deucalion† showed many similarities and differences. It also showed how Aztec, Jewish and Greek cultures presented their myths, and for the most part, explaining much more than just a flood. To this day there are people who claim they have found huge wooden boats relating it back to these myths. The truth is that people will believe whatever they want to believe. Al Gore is a firm believer in UFOs, and that’s not crazy in our society. The only difference between that and â€Å"Noah’s Ark† is that there are multiple flood myths passed on from century to century.

Analyzing The ERP Implementation Of Companies Information Technology Essay

Analyzing The ERP Implementation Of Companies Information Technology Essay Looking into the business processes implementation of Tesco one of the leading food retail companies in the UK which has gone from strength to strength in the food retail and established it is presence in Europe, US and Asia and analyse Enterprise Resource Planning implementation in one of the leading food retailers operating in 14 countries around the world and how these operations are run and analyse the challenges faced and lessons learnt. PROJECT DELIVERABLES: 1. Identify five critical business processes 2. Plot the process map of the organization 3. Analyze the type of BPR implementation in the company 4. Analyze the ERP implementation in the company and the challenges 5. Business benefits and learnings Company Background We have selected to study the food retail giant Tesco PLC the largest food retailer in the UK employing over 470,000 people with revenue of over  £54 billion in 2009. There are about 4,331 Tesco stores in fourteen countries worldwide. This famous food retailer was founded in 1919 and in 1929 opened its first ever food retail store in Edgware, London. It has rapidly evolved over the years and has established itself a prominent position among the food retails giants in UK. Tescos Core Business is based in the UK and has operations mainly in USA, Europe and Asia. Fig 1: Tesco Operations around the world With its expansion to other countries Tesco had to standardize the IT systems and business processes to sustain the overseas business which has facilitated a unique and homogenized way of working in 3,263 stores in all 14 countries.This project involved standardising the business processes and IT systems used to dealing with customers and day to day running of stores, financial and in-store systems warehousing, payroll and distribution systems. This execution of business process was initiated a couple of years after Tesco-in-a-Box  system to even out an enterprise resource planning system Oracle in each region of business operation. Tesco carries out and provides services via online retail websites tesco.com and Tesco Direct and offers financial services through Tesco Personal Finance and broadband internet connections services. Fig 2: UK Food Retailers by Market share Tesco products fall under the category of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and (Non-FMCG) or durable consumer goods. Sourcing and Procurement TIS Tesco International Sourcing Hong Kong does the procurement, commercial design, management, quality control, production and deals with all the 50,000 product lines customs documents. The operation is of a phenomenal scale. This station deals with 800 suppliers in more than 1200 factories. International Sourcing manages the end-to-end procurement process TIS Tesco International Sourcing Hong Kong does the procurement, commercial design, management, quality control, production and deals with all the 50,000 product lines customs documents. The operation is of a phenomenal scale. This station deals with 800 suppliers in more than 1200 factories. Hong Kong-based global supply and sourcing operations was founded in 1970.It supplies 12 countries, supplies 60% of UK clothing, durable goods 41% UK, 44 countries from 50,000 sku, 58 seaports, 72.000 containers, 533 employees and No. 1 retailer in the UK buying office Six new regional purchasing offices will be soon opened by Tesco to boost local sourcing from close by supplier and farmers. Tesco procurement includes the following processes for acquiring goods: Procurement planning: identifying and determining which product or products need to be acquired, the quantity, quality and Product description Searching Suppliers: Having identified the products and product specifications, the search for suppliers and sources begins Tendering: Receiving quotes, offers, and negotiation with potential suppliers begins Supplier Selection: the bids, offers and proposal are assessed in order to choose the right one Formal Agreement: making certain that supplier will meet the expected requirements of the business and terms and conditions Signing the Contract: formal legally binding agreement is signed based on the mutually agreed business terms Purchasing Non-Food: Costs and Logistics Centralized procurement system is used by Tesco in its growing business. The procurement system is Oracle retail that supports Tescos centralized buying of non-food items in bulk and the centralized purchasing system facilitates order generation through which supply chain and procurement are controlled centrally. Buying Power: bulk buying discounts; critical mass drives down costs. Direct Sourcing: (65% UK clothing) eliminates intermediary agent mark-up: captures greater percentage of gross margins. International Purchasing: low cost factors of textile production (labour, materials) in Asia (India, Sri Lanka, China, Indonesia). Distribution: Initially utilized existing purchasing and distribution channels. Subsequent development of efficient dedicated N-F infrastructure: warehouses, logistics and specialized management systems. Inventory control All products of Tesco PLC have different shelf life and one of the key performance indicators accepted by Tesco PLC is the right products at the right time in the right condition Indexes of the products delivered by them to the consumer. Inventory control allows Tesco PLC to achieve low inventory levels thereby reducing costs and achieve greater value index. Inventory control however, does not aim to specifically reduce inventory, a sufficient inventory levels must be maintained to have a service level at the Depot of 95% RAD. It also helps to reduce distribution runs thereby saving transportation and logistics costs. Human Resource and Finance Human resources management is a pivotal element of any successful business company; the information received through this area should be continuously monitored and correct evaluation for professional development and social protection of workers. Nonetheless, owing to the fact that large amount of information which is processed in this area, the job gets harder day by day. ERP is depicted as a useful tool to assist and guide users to focus their work in direct relationship with staff, and to relate personal skills and aspirations of staff related to the companys goals and objectives. The crucial application and system of cash management helps manage your account which includes credit cards, banks and saving institutions and all these required functions are simply based in one place. The cash management applications offer making deposits, printing checks, cost of funds transfer and reconciliation of cash accounts facilities to accounting staff. Logistics and Distribution Logistics management deals with the activities related to the physical flow of goods and products, raw materials and the obtaining of materials from sales to the customers which include distribution of products and goods, storage and production. Logistics environment integration is achieved by bringing together all and every activity constituting it. Tesco distribution centres are responsible for ensuring that the goods are delivered to the stores on time. Tesco has primary and secondary distribution areas. Primary distribution has the duty of delivering the products and goods from suppliers to the Tesco depots. Secondary distribution has the job of getting products and goods from depots to Tesco stores. The team and channel of distribution is very important for Tesco operations who should try to make operations simple, cheaper and better and Tesco stores should get the right products at the right time in the right condition. Distributions are also fundamental in strategic decision making around opening new depots, and supporting the operators throughout the whole process from business case concept, through to build and opening. Level 1 business processes Tesco Retail Buying CENTRAL HEAD OFFICE Marketing Logistics Human Resource Management International Operations Non-Store Operations Property Finance Buying M Stores Suppliers Distribution Centre International = Flow of products = Flow of information Stores Customers Level 2 Business Processes Phase one of RPM Process: Understanding the needs of retail Customer Realization of requirements of new product Existing customers requirements tracking Available Information sources: Information obtained from internal sales data Information from consumer publications and suppliers Market research and Competitor analysis Phase two of RPM process: Requirements and design of product to satisfy customer needs Turning the realised need into product opportunity Mixing a few attributes to benefits customer Prescribed specifications of product qualities Phase three of RPM process Look out for a suitable Supplier Look and find a supplier that can provide, make and deliver the right product Evaluate and assess suppliers for suitability on the basis of value such as product quality, short lead time and price RPM PROCESS STAGES 4 and 5: Award the contract or Spell out order Stage 4: Place Order Detailed quantity such as packaging, size, variety, How, where and when the goods to delivered Stage 5: Assess the performance of Product for example, the sales and profits of product etc Assess supplier for on time and accurate delivery Including qualitative measures such as customer feedback Planning Logistics Warehouse capacity Location planning Scheduling Dispatching Provision of Human Resource Support Developing Human Resources information and facilities Making sure that the site is safe Supervision and management of Team Relations Administering and Planning benefits and compensation Provision of Financial Support Complete the Receivable Accounts Complete the Payable Accounts Give Financial Accounting and Controlling Support Perform Budgeting and Planning Capital Assets Planning Complete Cash Management Supervising and managing External Relations Type of BPR implementation Customer, competition and change are the three driving forces behind the ever-changing business world. Hence, companies are constantly seeking novel solutions for the problems in their businesses as of late, some established business and corporations have turned to the great solution of business process reengineering. Reengineering is critical and fundamental redesign of business processes in order to radically improve vital business measures such as speed, quality, cost, service and overall performance. BPR is not about small scale changes it is rather about radical rethinking and innovation, so BPR is not for companies desiring a 10% improvement, but for corporations and companies that expect and desire 1o fold improvement and increase. Business processes reengineering aims at the business processes and endeavours to radically redesign the strategic processes of added value which lies at the heart of business. When a company rethink what processes need to carried out in what way, then it decides up on how best that can be achieved. Reengineering targets the business processes of an organization such as the procedures and steps and resources used to make products and customer services rules which are applied to meet particular customers needs and demands. Analysis, identification, and redesign of an organizations core business processes are done by reengineering in order to obtain big improvements such as speed, quality, cost, service and overall business performance. The main motive behind BPR is the continuous implementation and development of advanced networks and information systems. Big companies are using more and more forms of technology to back up novel processes of business instead of sticking to their normal ways of carrying out work. BPR is one way of redesigning how an organizations work should be done in order to back up the organizations reduce costs and mission. BPR is not just a centralized storage system. It helps organizations pave the way for the automation of business processes based on the rules pre-defined. Business processes automation saves time, reduces costs and manual process handling time. Processes automation help eliminate human errors related to date entry for example in Excel and most manual work. ERP IMPLEMENTATION METHODOLOGY To meet the challenges of the modern business demands and run its business economically and efficiently Tesco PLC implemented the ERP in five fundamental stages: Phase 1: The Planning Phase Tesco established the necessary information and need for the implementation of ERP systems and successful implementation and redesign phases and laid the ground work. Phase 2: The Redesign Phase During the redesign stage training was given to the BPR team was trained and followed by the method of transforming the chosen processes and applying the solutions which were recommended Phase 3: The Implementation Phase Implementation phase turned the recommendations by the team to reality by realizing the redesign goals which involved planning for, prioritizing and implementing project to realize the redesign Phase 4: The Finalization Phase Finalized training program, end-user training, readiness assessment, production system prep, finalize cutover plan, communicate cutover plan, Inform external partners as necessary Phase5: Production master data conversion, Execute cutover plan, Monitor process system usage, On-site support, Issue resolution, Communicate on-going support process Tesco applied a gradual plan to implement ERP systems by adopting the step by step approach in the organization. The well-planned methodology resulted in low cost of integration in the state of careful and meticulous implementation. The chosen approach of implementation of ERP added hugely successful rate of implementing ERP. ERP systems fundamentally play the same role in the vast range of Tescos products. These ERP systems offer functionality to company internal all complex economic processing matters and providing realistic and up-to-date and accurate picture of the economic management of the company. On the basis of an intricate and current approach for managing the flow of information in the enterprise, today ERP systems are modular, open and controlled by parameters to be easily customized to the needs of the customer. One of the ERP systems keeping the latest development and functionality standards is ORASHEI a  large system supporting company internal economic management in complexity. The system allows for keeping tally of and processing all economic agendas as management of assets, material supplies, invoicing, tax documents, business trips, buildings and facilities, and financial flows. ORASHEI facilitates operative management of organizational units, planning, budgeting and evaluating economic data, especially in relation to MIS. ERP implementation benefits to Tesco The implementation of ERP in Tesco since it is first days has been nothing but a story of success giving the business full edge of service quality, efficiency, customer satisfaction and value for money products and massive savings across all business functional areas some of which are as follows: Productivity boost through using a common and homogenized sales applications and finance and human resources systems in all operations worldwide The applications and systems are centrally managed from the Bangalore IT service centre instead of each business in every country having separate applications The entire network is using uniformly Oracle financials both in core business and in global operations and finance applications and processes are centralized and consolidated globally across the Tesco group All systems and applications including Oracle financial which is used for e-invoicing and HR software PeopleSoft and measuring budgeting targets application Terradata are centralized Isotrak is a great hosted service which provides real time vehicle tracking and precise high service levels world class data centres Providing all the 26 UK distribution centres of Tesco a single transport fleet and transport management perspective Improving driver security through the provision of a key fob panic alarm that operates in or out of the vehicle, plus the ability, through vehicle tracking, to guide a swift security response Tesco distribution system has improved quantity of products dispatched per litre of fuel used by 8 percent by using Isotrak systems, outperforming its target of a 2.5 percent increase which amounts to saving over 54,000 deliveries per annum. A common platform of technology and business processes and technology together with a standardized business processes contributes to the Tesco group to be competitive and also maintain the overseas expansion and using purchasing centralised systems and processes makes the other country productive too. Supply chain efficiency has improved with Ortecs cutting edge supply chain optimization software, there is on going improvement and making certain the supply chain works effectively and efficiently, the operations cots are cut down Learning and recommendations from Tesco Implementation Even though the implementation is top driven, it is vital to clearly communicate the need and benefits of the implementation with the employees so that they understand the worth and need and give their support It is extremely important to generate energy within the team members and creating ownership in the organization. It is important to have a top-driven implementation especially for a company that is focusing on a growth of 20-30%. It really important to gauge and decide whether to buy ERP or develop customized systems within organization and set time frame for the implementation. There has to be clear setting up of accountability and ownership in the implementation stage and a special team has to be set up for regular monitoring and control Starting the integration with the finance module has been a time tested and proven implementation strategy that works almost every time Proper training has to be given to the employees during the implementation stage and monitoring has to take place to make sure the implementation has given desired results and that the user acceptance is ensured because of the ease of access and simplicity of the process Decide on the right implementation method of the systems to avoid failure assessing the needs and requirements and business demand and size. Trial runs are very important. There has to be a proper reporting and documentation system in any organization. This can be achieved by the implementation of ERP because it automates the reporting and documentation is available in electronic media. It is important to know the total cost of ownership and identify if the implementation will produce results. ERP most of all gives a transparency in a system that facilitates overall growth and empowers the people and motivates them as they know whats happening in the organization Conclusion ERP Implementation and IT system introduction and innovation have been a steady on going process at Tesco and always lies at the heart of business processes improvement and has been a story of success and achievement whether it is been partially Tesco developed system or collaboration. ERP/BRP and IT have not only contributed to core business growth, automation and efficiency of processes in business functional areas but also saving time, money, improving quality, safety and global growth and expansion and brand name in Tescos leadership drive.

Social Deviance Essay -- Sociology Behavior Society Deviant Essays

Social Deviance Social deviance is a term that refers to forms of behavior and qualities of persons that others in society devalue and discredit. So what exactly is deviance? In this essay we are concerned with social deviance, not physiological deviations from the expected norm. In general, any behavior that does not conform to social norms is deviance; that is behavior that violates significant social norms and is disapproved of by a large number of people as a result. For societies to run with some semblance of order the problem of deviance is essential and intrinsic to any conception of social order. It is problematic because it causes a disruption, but it is essential because it defines our boundaries as a society. It is intrinsic to a conception of order in that defining what is real and expected, defining what is acceptable, and defining who we are - always done in opposition to what is unreal, unexpected, unacceptable and who we are not. If we can accept the reality of change, then designations of deviance are crucial in locating the shifting boundaries of our socially structured reality. (Erikson, 1964) What is perceived as deviant behavior is subject to change depending on our position, place and time. Different cultures have different levels of social order and control, therefore making what can be seen as a deviant behavior in one culture highly acceptable in another. When we define someone or some group as deviant - we strengthen our own position and simplify our response to the "other": we can ignore, expunge, destroy, or rehabilitate them. We convince ourselves of our own normalcy by condemning and controlling those who disagree. Deviance is a phenomenon situated in power: Winners are the good and the normal; Losers are the sick, the crazy, and the evil. Deviance therefore exists in opposition to those who attempt to control it - to those who have power. (Phofl, 1994) Deviance is not a matter of the cost or consequences of a particular behavior, or the behavior itself. Deviance is a label used to maintain the power, control, and position of a dominant group. It is a negotiated order. Deviance violates some groups assumptions about reality (social order). It violates expectations. The definition of deviance defines the threat and allows for containment and control of the threat. The definition of deviance preserv... ...one is given the label of a deviant in order to understand deviance itself. (Haralambos, Holborn, van Krieken, Smith, 1996) It seems that it can be concluded that deviant behavior cannot be seen to be based entirely on the individuals involved. It is a social problem, brought about by the differing views and values instilled in each culture and society. Amazonian Indians walk around without any clothing, to them this is not a deviant act, in modern western society this is indeed an act of great deviance and one might find themselves arrested for it. So depending on the state of social order and associated norms acts of deviance differ greatly. Reference List Becker H. S., Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance, Free Press, New York, USA. Erikson K. T. 1964, Notes on the sociology of deviance, in The Other Side: Perspectives on Deviance, Free Press, New York, USA. Giddens A., 1997, Sociology 3rd edition, Polity Press, UK. Haralambos M. Holborn M. van Krieken R. & Smith P., 1996, Sociology- themes and perspectives, Longman, Melbourne, Australia. Phofl S. 1994, Images of Deviance and Social Control: A Sociological History, McGraw-Hill, USA.

And Now For Someone Completely Different :: Essays Papers

And Now For Someone Completely Different When the six foot five inch man that is John Cleese is mentioned, most people see him in their minds eye complaining about his dead parrot or as the brave Sir Lancelot. What many people don't think of, though, is his involvement with multiple other productions, not all of them comedy. His involvement, too, stretches from just simple acting. John Cleese is truly a Renaissance man of the media. John Cleese went through school wanting to be in the legal profession and he received his M.A. degree from Downing College in Cambridge. He soon abandoned his plans in law, however, when he had a great success with Footlights, the performing arts society for Cambridge. He met his future writing partner and Python member Graham Chapman in Footlights. Cleese had an appearance in the Footlights Revue which was a campus production that later was shown in London's West End, and then again, as Cambridge Circus, on Broadway in 1964 (Current Biography). He stayed in New York to perform in the British musical Half a Sixpence. When he returned to England he was approached by David Frost to help write and to perform in Frost's new weekly BBC comedy show, The Frost Report, in 1965. Chapman was also working on The Frost Report, with other to be Python members Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Jones (The Life of Monty Python). Cleese went on with his writing partnership with Chapman after The Frost Report, working on such titles as The Magic Christian, based on the novel by Terry Southern (The Fairly Uncreative Monty Python Site). Cleese's largest comedy hit came when he joined up again with Chapman, Idle, Palin, and Jones. Together, with American cartoonist Terry Gilliam, they created the notorious Monty Python's Flying Circus. The whole group co-wrote and starred in this "breakneck barrage of satiric skits, [and] surreal cartoons" (Current Biography) for several years; drawing over ten million viewers each week. The Monty Python sextet would later collaborate to write books, do live performances, and make movies, such as Monty Python and the Holy Gail (1975), a spoof on the legend of King Arthur and his quest for the Holy Grail, and The Meaning of Life (1983), which was Monty Python's view on the stages of life (TFUMPS). At the emerging point of his career that was his BBC works, he met American actress Connie Booth, who he would wed in 1968 (TLOMP). The couple would write and star in a small motion picture in 1974 but would have great success in the television And Now For Someone Completely Different :: Essays Papers And Now For Someone Completely Different When the six foot five inch man that is John Cleese is mentioned, most people see him in their minds eye complaining about his dead parrot or as the brave Sir Lancelot. What many people don't think of, though, is his involvement with multiple other productions, not all of them comedy. His involvement, too, stretches from just simple acting. John Cleese is truly a Renaissance man of the media. John Cleese went through school wanting to be in the legal profession and he received his M.A. degree from Downing College in Cambridge. He soon abandoned his plans in law, however, when he had a great success with Footlights, the performing arts society for Cambridge. He met his future writing partner and Python member Graham Chapman in Footlights. Cleese had an appearance in the Footlights Revue which was a campus production that later was shown in London's West End, and then again, as Cambridge Circus, on Broadway in 1964 (Current Biography). He stayed in New York to perform in the British musical Half a Sixpence. When he returned to England he was approached by David Frost to help write and to perform in Frost's new weekly BBC comedy show, The Frost Report, in 1965. Chapman was also working on The Frost Report, with other to be Python members Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Jones (The Life of Monty Python). Cleese went on with his writing partnership with Chapman after The Frost Report, working on such titles as The Magic Christian, based on the novel by Terry Southern (The Fairly Uncreative Monty Python Site). Cleese's largest comedy hit came when he joined up again with Chapman, Idle, Palin, and Jones. Together, with American cartoonist Terry Gilliam, they created the notorious Monty Python's Flying Circus. The whole group co-wrote and starred in this "breakneck barrage of satiric skits, [and] surreal cartoons" (Current Biography) for several years; drawing over ten million viewers each week. The Monty Python sextet would later collaborate to write books, do live performances, and make movies, such as Monty Python and the Holy Gail (1975), a spoof on the legend of King Arthur and his quest for the Holy Grail, and The Meaning of Life (1983), which was Monty Python's view on the stages of life (TFUMPS). At the emerging point of his career that was his BBC works, he met American actress Connie Booth, who he would wed in 1968 (TLOMP). The couple would write and star in a small motion picture in 1974 but would have great success in the television

Marketing, Customer Value, and the Lin Essay

INTRODUCTION In today’s economy, firms are no longer the center of business. In order to survive, companies need to acknowledge the fact that business now revolves around customers (Keith, 1960). As a result, marketing becomes one of the most prominent philosophies in business. Therefore, to get a better understanding of today’s business, this essay will be discussing about three important concepts. These concepts are marketing as a business philosophy, the understanding of customer value, followed by the link between marketing and customer value. In addition, this essay will be using the Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema as example of the concepts’ application. MARKETING Marketing as a business philosophy has grew astoundingly for the past few decades. It becomes one of the influential subjects that being thoroughly explored in the society. Many have tried to define marketing in different ways. Based on a marketing expert Philip Kotler (1983), marketing is defined as a â€Å"human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange processes† (p. 7). Marketing exists in order to know what the customers wants and what are their needs, and satisfy those wants and needs through transactions. According to Kotler (1983), there are various philosophies that can guide the business conducts exchange and achieves desired outcomes. Using Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema as example, philosophies that will be discussed here are product philosophy and marketing philosophy. Product Philosophy According to Kotler (1983), product philosophy assumes that customers will choose to buy high quality products, and thus organizations should focus on the product design and its quality.  Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema is an example of product philosophy application in business. In February 1997, Village Cinemas and Warner Bros partnered to open a new type of cinema in Melbourne’s Crown Casino—â€Å"Gold Class† cinema (Wikipedia, 2014). This new luxury cinema format was then expanded to other Village Cinemas 1 throughout Australia and around the world. â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema is a premium venue, offering personalized service level with smaller and private cinemas. â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema focuses highly on its products’ quality by improving the art projection and its sound systems as well as adding recliner to its seats (Village Roadshow Limited, n.d.). All these new high quality products were prove as how â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema highly values the quality of its products. However, product concept will not be enough for Village Cinema to become successful. The purpose of a cinema is to entertain customers. Yet, entertainment as human’s needs can actually be satisfied by something else such as sport events or music concerts. Thus, Village Cinema needs to apply marketing philosophy to complement the product philosophy. Marketing Philosophy To understand marketing philosophy, it is important to know the purpose of business in advance. Peter F. Drucker (1999) stated, â€Å"there is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer† (p. 35). Marketing concept focuses on identifying what the customer needs, what products can attract customers and how to promote them effectively (Kotler, 1983). By putting marketing philosophy in practice, business can serve what consumers want and will generate greater profit. Village Cinemas developed the â€Å"Gold Class† concept even further in order to  Ã¢â‚¬Å"widen the appeal of going to movies† and â€Å"attract broader demographic† (Village Roadshow Limited, n.d.). They put marketing philosophy into practice by analyzing what action should be undertaken in order to satisfy the customers’ need of being served. In addition to entertainment, human likes to be given personal service. Thus, Village Cinemas improve the â€Å"Gold Class† Cinemas by providing entertainment with high quality products and giving a personalized service at the same time. â€Å"Gold Class† Cinemas â€Å"boast a full service bar, lounge and gourmet food with personal waiter service during each screening† (Village Cinemas, n.d.). As the pioneer of this concept, Village Cinema has successfully embraced the marketing philosophy where business should focus on the customer and to provide what they want. 2 CUSTOMER VALUE Zeithaml (1988, as cited in Smith & Colgate, 2007, p. 8) defined customer value as being â€Å"what customers get from the purchase and use of a product versus what they pay.† According to Drucker (1999), customer value determines what the business will produce and whether it will prosper or not. Clearly, customers will prefer to consume the product that offers them most benefits with least costs possible. Based on their researches, Smith and Colgate (2007) proposed four major values of customer that applicable to consumer and to customer value creation strategy. According to Smith and Colgate (2007), functional value is concerned about the purpose and usefulness of a product. Experiential value is concerned with the customers’ feelings created by the product whereas symbolic value is concerned about the psychological meaning of a product to customers. On the other hand, cost is related to the both direct and indirect costs of using the product. The following table shows customer value creation strategy with Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema as the example. Functional Correct /- Movies, sound systems, and seats has high quality accurate – attribute creativity) Product characteristic (quality, customization, – Given appropriate attributes when necessary (e.g.: 3D glasses when watching 3D movies) – All food and beverages menu should be available when ordered Appropriate – Movie delivered without any disturbance performance – Being served with high quality service – Seat recliner move accordingly – Ordered food and beverages come correctly and within appropriate time length. Appropriate – Everything function effectively and appropriately as it outcomes should be – Cinema should be able to entertain and serve the 3 customers – Foods and beverages should be able to satisfy customers Experiential Sensory – More specialised and high quality theatre design for â€Å"Gold Class† customers than other normal customers in order to improve aesthetic value – Food plating should be appealing – Foods and beverages should smell and taste good Emotional – The movie watched will bring pleasure and enjoyment, (fun, excitement, happy, adventurous, sad, humorous or any other emotional feeling) – Customers should feel satisfied after being entertained and served personally Social – The design of â€Å"Gold Class† theatre have fewer seats and intimate setting, which could lead to a love bonding between partners or loved ones – Friendship and love bonding with families and friends by watching movie in â€Å"Gold Class† cinema together Epistemic – Some high quality movies provided by the â€Å"Gold Class† cinemas might provide knowledge and educational movie, fantasy, or any other experiences depend on the movie genre Symbolic Self identity – Staff and system interaction can make customer feel / worth better about their own selves. – Personalised service can make customer feel exclusive Personal Watching with the meaning loved one and become unforgettable memories – Irreplaceable quality time with family or friends every week in the cinema Self – Customers can express their taste of movie and expression preference of way to spend their leisure time Social – Customers can gain prestige and status by watching 4 meaning movie in â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema in front of their friends – The term â€Å"Gold Class† itself can boost up the customer’s image and self esteem when they enter the special theatre in front of crowd – As the ticket is expensive, customers will be known as rich by other, which can make them feel exclusive Conditional meaning Cost – People will think only those with higher disposable income or rich background can watch in this cinema Economic – The price of the ticket, food and beverages – The transportation cost or any other indirect cost Psychologi- – Some psychological relationship cost such as cal attachment or addiction – Equity conflict for customers who think highly of how some people can’t afford to enjoy the privilege Personal – Energy, effort and time spent to queue or click the investment order button through internet Risk – Low personal and operational risk as Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema is a well-known brand – High financial risk as the price is higher than other theatre 5 LINK BETWEEN MARKETING AND CUSTOMER VALUE Whatever the market or the business operating at, marketing has one common theme— to ‘create perceived customer value that is superior to alternatives available while at the same time creating value for the business’ (Kotler, Brown, Burton, Deans, & Armstrong. 2010, p. 4). When marketing philosophy is applied in a business, customer value will play a really important role. Creation of the customer value is critical for marketing, especially when the business is going to develop new products and services (Smith & Colgate, 2007). Customer value represents customer point of view, and marketing needs it in order to manage a profitable relationships between business and customers. With marketing philosophy, business needs to know what customers consider important in a product—what customers value in a product—and to develop those products according to customers’ preferences. Compared to marketing philosophy, customer value doesn’t really influence product philosophy. In this case, business assumes that customers will prefer to buy high quality product with reasonable price, thus marketing effort is not much needed (Kotler, 1983). However, Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema still considers customers value as critical to their business. Village Cinema didn’t only focus on the product quality, yet they deliver a personalized and high quality service as well in order to satisfy the customers. Village Cinema knows that customers want to be entertained and personally served in the same time. Thus, the importance of customer value was demonstrated by applying marketing philosophy in their business and develop â€Å"Gold Class† concept. CONCLUSION To conclude, marketing is highly linked with customer value. Despite having different philosophies, every business should not take customer value lightly if they want to survive in today’s competition. Even if some businesses like Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema embrace more than one philosophy, they still need to address customer value as a really important concept that can influence their business outcome. REFERENCE LIST Drucker, P. F. (1999). The Practice of Management. Oxford, London: Butterworth Heinemann. Keith, R. J. (1960). The Marketing Revolution. Journal of Marketing, 24(3), 35-38. Retrieved from http://www,jstor.org/stable/1248704 Kotler, P. (1983). Marketing and Human Needs. Marketing in Australia (pp. 3-27). Melbourne, VIC: Prentice-Hall of Australia. Kotler, P., Brown, L., Burton, S., Deans, K., & Armstrong, G. (2010). Marketing (8th ed.). Sydney, NSW: Pearson Australia. Smith, J. B. & Colgate, M. (2007). Customer Value Creation: A Practical Framework. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 15(1), 7-23. Doi: 10.2753/mtp10696679150101 Village Cinemas. (n. d.) Gold Class. Retrieved from http://villagecinemas.com.au/goldclass Village Roadshow Limited. (n.d.) Cinema Exhibition. Retrieved from http://www.villageroadshow.com.au/Company-Profile/Exhibition.htm Wikipedia. (2014). Village Cinemas. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Cinemas