Essay 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 18

1 - Essay Example At the door there is a hanging on the wall showing a menu of river fish available to the customers that day. There are leafy trees around the shop indicating that the environment around supports plantation. People from the region get to purchase fresh produce from the farms and fish from the shop since these products are available. The painting has a message that further reinforces the title â€Å"Honest Weights and Square Dealings.† This assures the customer of reliable, honest dealings and quality services. It is during the time of a business busy schedule as indicated by presence of majority of family members. The members are making an effort to attract more customers to the shop. On the poster advertising the name of the business there is a phone number at the top, meaning that the society is developed and uses mobile phones as means of communication. Outside the kiosk two young men hold melons up close to their heads. One boy is using both hands showing how strong he is. Around them there are several baskets of oranges placed left and right of the shop. There are berries on display at the centre of the shop. This indicates the business has no monopoly over the market. Several marketing strategies have been used such as; display of fruits outside, hanging of the menu which has affordable prices at the door, and the two boys outside the kiosk advertising. There are flowers outside the kiosk that adds aesthetic value, attracts and makes the shopping area attractive. The flowers beautify the place implying the kiosk cares for their social welfare, quality and hygiene. A small girl curtseys and welcomes the customers into the shop. The photo shows two gentlemen inside the kiosk ushering in customers indicating that the services being offered in the shop are friendly. The back door is visible and it leads to another room. This family has used a portion

Are Emotion and Reason Equally Necessary in Justifying Moral Decisions Essay Example for Free

Are Emotion and Reason Equally Necessary in Justifying Moral Decisions Essay In analyzing human behavior and human thought processes it can be said that reason and emotions are always present in each major decision. There is no human being, even the most morally upright or the most unbiased observer can make crucial moral decisions without having to have felt the power of reason and the equally powerful emotions in his mind and body. If Emotion and Reason are taken together and if the proponent of this paper will not be given the freedom to choose one from the other then the answer to the query is no. There is no need to have the combined benefit of emotion and reason to justify a moral decision. But if allowed a free hand one should insist that Reason is necessary in justifying moral decisions. This paper will look into the implications of using Emotion and Reason in matters regarding moral decisions. This will be done by finding out what is the meaning of emotions and reason in the world of epistemology. But even before that there is a need to have a review of epistemology the theories on how human beings acquire knowledge. Background Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that deals with how man attains knowledge. For many the getting of knowledge from reading, observing the external environment and by doing experiments can be taken for granted. But for philosophers it is not simply about getting data and then having the ability to describe what was observed and inferred afterwards. Philosophers are persistent that man knows the exact process and if there is none then one should suspect if there is actual learning that occurred after all. With this in mind it is time to introduce two diverging schools of thought when it comes to epistemology and how man exactly acquires knowledge. The first group of philosophers believes that human beings can get knowledge using pure reason. It is the use of the rationale mind, to think using logic to deduce and infer from what can be observed. It is easy to say â€Å"reason† but it is difficult to explain the actual processes of how man looks at the different pieces of the puzzle and then be able to see the whole picture and finds a pattern or connection. Reason is the man’s secret weapon and allows him to reign supreme in this planet. There is no other creature that can use the harness the awesome power of reason in the same way as a human being. A good example is on how man can deduce that certain plants are edible while others are lethal. It is common knowledge that man learns to distinguish between a tasty snack and a vine of poison by observing animals around him. This is probably the same technique used to discover that the seeds hidden behind the coffee pod are not only edible but also a source of one heavenly drink. Without the ability to reason it would have been impossible for man to realize that there is something in that coffee pod after observing the goat or maybe birds taking a liking for the sweet fruit. Another example of reason is in finding a pattern and consistency in natural occurrences such as typhoons, fruiting seasons, gestation period etc. Using reason man was able to build a system where he can begin to tame nature and enjoy her benefits. He can plant and expect harvest. He can build shelter and expect to be protected by an upcoming storm. Man can also reproduce his kind and even multiply his flocks knowing pretty well that there are certain laws in nature that he can rely upon and all these are possible by unleashing the power of reason. Diverging Stream Another school of thought when it comes to the acquirement of knowledge is called empiricism. The empiricists believe that it gaining knowledge through reason alone is suspect. They argue that reason can be influenced by many factors and they conclude that biases and prejudices can interfere in the process. This is understandable because for thousands of years man has postulated about something and made predictions about the future only to be made a fool at the end. This is because reason has its limits. It is at this point that that man is advised not to jump to conclusions. Empiricists will assert that accurate knowledge is only possible if man avails of his senses. The eyes to use to see and measure; the hands used to grasp and determine shape; the ears to hear and determine sound; the nose for determining smells; and the tongue for taste. Emotions are feelings and better yet it is a reaction that a person can observe after the body and the mind – or the heart – is exposed to certain external factors. For example, a mother sees her baby crying because she had not eaten the whole day. The mother has no money to buy milk and she too begins to cry. Her emotion – can be labeled as sadness – tells her that her mind and body does not agree to the image that she saw which is her poor baby experiencing acute hunger. There is another view of emotions which can be very helpful in this study. There are those who assert that emotions are not only act as messengers that tell a person whether something good or bad has occurred but they can be feelings that propels a person to do what is right even when faced with great odds. Jaggar remarked that, â€Å"†¦it is appropriate to feel joy when we are developing or exercising our creative powers, and it is appropriate to feel anger and perhaps disgust in those situations where humans are denied their full creativity or freedom† (1996, p. 82). A good example of such an occurrence was again given by Jaggar who wrote, â€Å"Certain emotions may be both morally appropriate and epistemologically advantageous in approaching nonhuman and even the inanimate world Jane Goodall’s scientific contribution to our understanding of chimpanzee behavior seems to have been made possible only by her amazing empathy with or even love for these animals† (1996, p. 182). To those who are familiar with Goodall’s case will admire her courage and determination considering that she had to travel to Africa and be removed from the comforts and security of Western society and be immersed in a hostile environment, not with humans but with wild animals. It is a good instance of how emotions guided someone to do something heroic. It is easy to understand what emotions can do to lift ordinary humans to strive for things that exceed his grasp. Emotions can fire-up a person and allow him to go where no one has gone before. The history of the United States is replete with examples where tough moral decisions were justified with the cry for freedom and equality. But there is also a counter-argument that emotions are not needed to do justify moral decisions. Reason alone should be enough to move a person to do what is right. This is because emotions can be subjective. And there is no need to furnish volumes of scientific material to prove that point. Emotions can even be counter-productive when used to analyze tough moral decisions as evidenced from the results of a new study published in Newsweek. According to Wray Herbert – writing for Newsweek (2008): A large and growing number of psychologists now argue that a welter of prejudices are simmering just below the surface of society: prejudices against many ethnic groups, against women, gays, the elderly, and outsiders like the homeless and drug addicts. The big question is whether these unconscious animosities are potent enough to actually shape our actions, to make us do things we ourselves find shameful. A new study suggests that, unhappily, the answer is yes. Conclusion The question whether emotion and reason are equally necessary to justify moral decisions is a double-headed query that should have been simplified by separating emotion and reason; rephrasing it in two separate questions: 1) Is emotion necessary to justify moral decisions and 2) Is reason necessary to justify moral decisions. If this is possible then the proponent of this study will say no to the first and then say yes to the second question. But since the main topic used the phrase equally necessary then the answer is no meaning there is no need to bring both emotion and reason to the process of analysis of the problem and ultimately giving the justification for a moral decision. To clarify what is meant by using emotion in the decision process, one has to revisit the example of Jane Goodall and his work with endangered species, it was her strong feelings of emotions, specifically empathy that allowed her to do so much. Using this understanding of emotion the proponent still cannot endorse the use of emotion to judge a moral case because even with strong emotions one can still be mistaken. An excellent example would be the events that transpired in Germany in World War II. The residents of this nation enthusiastically embraced the idea given by Hitler that Jews deserve nothing but death and suffering. The majority agreed or at least the Nazis agreed that this is fact, even truth and they are responsible for the death of 6 million Jews. If one will go to Germany today and present the same ideas to present day Germans they will surely not react with the same fervor as they did in the time of Hitler but they will recoil in horror. This is a clear example of the subjectivity of emotions and therefore not needed to analyze tough moral issues.

As I Lay Dying Essay: The Characters -- As I Lay Dying Essays

The Characters in As I Lay Dying The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail. (excerpt-Faulkner's Nobel Prize acceptance speech)   Ã‚  Ã‚   Analyzing character in a Faulkner novel is like trying to reach the bottom of a bottomless pit because Faulkner's characters often lack ration, speak in telegraphed stream-of-consciousness, and rarely if ever lend themselves to ready analysis.   This is particularly true in As I Lay Dying, a novel of a fragmented and dysfunctional family told through fragmented chapters.   Each character reveals their perspective in different chapters, but the perspectives are true to life in that though they all reveal information about the Bundren family and their struggles to exist they are all limited by the perspective of the character providing the revelations.   The story centers on the death of the mother of the Bundren clan, Addie, whose imminent death creates fragmentation and chaos in the Bundren family because Anse, Addie's husband, has promised to travel to Jefferson to bury her with her family.   Floods, fires, injuries and poor decisions mar the journey, but the fa mily endures and Anse brings home a new Mrs. Bundren.   However, Anse, often read as the most selfish Bundren is the only one prepared to go on with life and accept Addie's death.      Others in the family are not so ready to accept the displacement of their mother so readily.   Among them, Vardaman and Dewey Dell are often portrayed as the least individualized characters in the Bundren family.   Someone once suggests he is a "frightened, perhaps deranged child" and she is a "female vegetable."   These suggestions might be a bit extreme, but defin... ...ner   57).   Vardaman, on the other hand, is even younger than Dewey Dell and seems less able to cope with reality.   However, he does see Darl set fire to the Gillespie's barn and trusts Dewey Dell enough to reveal this to her.   She tells him never to repeat it.   However, Vardaman will be disappointed in the journey as will Dewey Dell.   Only Anse gets what he wants.   Vardaman's train is not in the store window and Dewey Dell is tricked by another man, the pharmacist, into providing sexual favors.   Both are victims of their genetics and their environment, which, at their age, does leave them the least individualized characters in the novel.      WORKS   CITED          Faulkner, W.   As I Lay Dying.   Vintage Books, New York, 1957.       2                                                      

Steven Spielberg said about ‘Saving Private Ryan’ that, “I wanted to put chaos upon the screen’

Writing for a film magazine, analyse the methods used to make the opening battle sequence both shocking and realistic and comment on ho successful you think he was in meeting his objective. â€Å"I wanted to put chaos upon the screen. I wanted the audience to feel the same way as those green recruits that were just off those Higgins boats and never seen combat before. Ninety-five percent of them hadn't. It was complete chaos†. Internationally acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, Steven Spielberg's ‘Saving Private Ryan' is an unforgettable film that has profound and lasting impact throughout the world. Winner of five time academy awards including Best Director. ‘Saving Private Ryan' was first released on September 11th 1998 as a joint production of DreamWorks and Paramount pictures. Seen through the eyes of a squad of American troops, the story begins World War Two's historic and unforgettable D-Day landing then moves beyond Omaha Beach, as the eight American troops embark on a special, emotional but dangerous mission. Captain Miller must take his men through a journey like never before to find one man, one private, Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Spielberg enlisted the help of Tom Hanks (Captain Miller), who is best known nowadays for his astounding performance in The Da Vinci Code. Tom Sizemore (Sergeant Horvath), Edward Burns (Private Reiben), Barry Pepper (Private Jackson), Jeremy Davis (Private Upham) and Matt Damon (Private Ryan). Contributing to the height of realism Spielberg took an almost documentarian approach to filming. He refused to do any storyboarding prior to shooting, and using hand held cameras much of the time. † I wanted to hit the sets much like a newsreel cameraman following the solders into war†. Throughout the film Spielberg demonstrated the magnificent use of the hand held cameras, maybe the most remembered of these is the first battle scene, that we see when the American troops land on Omaha Beach. Unlike this film, other films of the war genre always seemed to follow the same concept, which was there always seemed to be a glory-figure, the one who always survived right till the end and lived happily ever after. He wanted break the convections of war emphasizing the sense of realism as much as he could. I think the realism is not showing people dying, blood and gore, to me realism shows the emotion of people, those families who lose two, three and even four children, in combat. It shows the devastation of not only solders but innocent people who lose their lives because of other peoples decisions†. In my eyes this film does show realism and how war effects people mentally and physically, and how you can be the most experienced solder or a new solder that has never seen war before and still the effects are the same. Saving Private Ryan' lasts for a remarkable time, of two hours and fifty minutes, the film takes the audience through travesty and triumph and through death and despair. Death, we see a lot of through out the film and blood and gore so if you haven't got a strong stomach I suggest that you don't watch this film. The question that I asked myself while watching ‘Saving Private Ryan' was yes, people are dying because it is war, but for what reason? To maintain your countries status, or to fight the fight that you should not be fighting. This film in my opinion challenges you, and lets you think for yourself, even though this film is just a mimic of what really happened and we know this, you cannot help to think that it's real (watching the action as though it is happening at the present time). We as an audience get emotionally attached to the characters, as we see then through the good times and the bad. Spielberg did this well. But my main reason for writing this review is to focus on the opening scenes, which are the most catastrophic, and highly effective scenes of all. So did Steven Spielberg (also the creator of other box office sensations which include Jaws 1975, Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981 and Jurassic Park 1993) manage to live up to this main aim and did he really succeed on putting â€Å"chaos upon the screen†? I am going to start by analyzing the opening scene, which the idea of the transition of present to past takes place. We first hear classical music which in, and the image of a translucent American flag, blowing in the breeze. Then it passes and the film begins with a selection of characters, all we hear is the very faint music and the sound of the ocean. There is no speaking, this often makes the audience concentrate on the body language of the characters because sometimes, you can tell more on how the character is feeling not by speech but by the emotion that comes through by the characters body language. We see an elderly man maybe in his late 70's leading them, as he stumbles along the path (we as an audience do not yet know that the old man is Private James Ryan). As the camera pans out we see an American and French flag, this gives us a clue to where we are. As it turns out we are in Collevile-sur-mer, Normandy France. Spielberg uses pathetic fallacy here, as we can hear the sea more, as it becomes more aggressive this could reflect the old mans feelings he might be anxious, nervous or even apprehensive. As the camera gives us a long shot from above we begin to see a white sea of headstones. Dramatic music begins to play, and increases in volume as more headstones are reveled. In my opinion the music reminded me of military music, the kind of music that would be played at a funeral of a past solder, a piece of evidence that backs that up is we see a man dressed in full military uniform, standing by one of the graves. So these two suggestions suggest that we are at the graves that we are at are something to do with past solders, and as we are in Normandy, France were part of the Second World War took place, it makes sense. Then we see another mid-shot of the graves and the old man. After walking down a few rows, the emotional man falls to his knees at the foot of a grave almost in a position that you might be honoring someone, he starts to cry. As an audience we feel for this unknown character but we are not entirely sure what is happening. This scene because it is shot in the present the color is vibrant. The camera zooms in to the old mans blue eyes, (suggesting that we are going into one of his memory's) this is called a detailed close up, where the camera focuses on one part of the body to show a specific emotion, and can often make the character appear isolated and detached from everybody else. Then the sounds of crashing waves dominate the scene, and it drowns out the sound of the music, and here we are now taken from present to past. The scene establishes a connection between the elderly man in the graveyard and D-Day. The date and setting are established a mood of fear and tension is created. The audience is given a cursory introduction to the some of the main characters. This scene leaves us too more unanswered questions than answered. Then, a flashback takes the audience and the character back to landing at Normandy on D-Day. All this film is just simply just a memory of Private James Ryan. Now the transition from present to past has taken place, we first see a deep focus shot of Omaha Beach with iron hedgehogs both in the foreground and stretching into the background. We then see from a long shot of the boats as they approach shore. About ten American soldiers in a Higgins boat waiting anxiously, again there is no talking it is all silent all but the sound of the boat and the crashing of the waves, creating tension. The long shot then cuts to a close up of Captain Miller's hand shaking this is a recurrent image, as we see this shot many times through out the film. And we also get close up shots of soldiers terrified expressions. When the boats to finally come ashore your ears are dominated by the sound of constant gunfire, which add to the confusion and devastation. Many solders are killed within seconds of leaving the boats. These soldiers act like pawns in a game of chess, there is no way that they are going to survive they in my opinion they are meant to be killed so the other solders have a chance of surviving. There's medium close up shots of solders being killed. The camera then switches up above, there is an over the shoulder shot of a German so the audience sees the battle from there perspective. Which gives a sense of power to the Germans and a sense of hopelessness to the Americans. But isn't war supposed to be fair? The Americans from their view look like pin pricks on a map; this makes the audience feel like the Americans are fighting a lost cause and this indicates the immense difficulty of the mission. So the various perspectives (German and American) give the overview of the carnage. As soldiers plunge into the sea the camera follows them, giving the audience yet again their perspective as they struggle both below and above the surface. The sound becomes muted, the sound of water fills or ears, this takes us back to what Spielberg said he that wanted us to experience war just like the soldiers. The use of handheld cameras in the battle sequence increases and emphasizes the impact caused and makes the opening scene very lively and this makes us, the audience feel part of the action as if we were making our way around the beach with the troops. † I wanted to hit the sets much like a newsreel cameraman following the soldiers into war†. Spielberg in this part of the film uses desaturated colour in contrast with the vibrant colour in the opening scene. It gives the effect that we are in a memory and in the past, looking back on events that have already taken place. It is just all, instant chaos. Another important aspect of the opening 24 minutes is Captain Miller's confusion. As Captain Miller stagers out the bloody sea. He stumbles and falls. We looks up at witnesses the chaos and around him. As we see the fear in his eyes even through he is an experienced soldier it can still effect a experienced soldier the same as a new soldier just coming into war. This is another point that Spielberg wanted to get across was you never get used to the turmoil, and watching people die before your eyes. It's still the same experience over and over again. Also the fact that if you did manage to survive it was only by luck. There is then an over the shoulder shot of Captain Miller, this shows the audience what war looks like from his perspective. The camera it is not at standstill it is all jerky and shaky because it was a hand held camera. As Captain Miller tips bloody water out of his helmet and replaces it making him look blood-splattered. As muted sound accompanies the slow motion, but the disturbing explosions can still be heard in the background. The facial expression of Captain Miller's shows true fear. His eyes show the question, why are we doing this, is there a point? The sound returns as a General shouts for instructions. Captain Miller finally pulls himself together and he resumes his responsibilities. All of this has it's effects on the audience as we are plunged into the horror of the D-Day landing at Omaha Beach, and we see Captain Miller and experience the senseless carnage through his eyes. Although not a raw recruit he is nevertheless shocked beyond belief. And we as an audience are given an insight into the true horror of war. As the end of the battle finally comes, it comes as a relief to the audience after the exhausting twenty minutes or so of loud gunfire and just immense no stop action. We are struck by the enormity of the event that has just taken place. We then get a close up of Captain Miller's hand shaking, as I said earlier this is a recurrent image. Then the camera zooms to a close up of his eyes again showing the audience his viewpoint. Gentle music quietly fades in. The waves sound peaceful after the prolonged noise of chaos and destruction. Also the melancholy music adds to the solemnity of the images. As Captain Miller rests Sergeant Horvath comments, â€Å"That's quite a view†, a sentiment that is echoed by Miller. This is not however referring to a nice view but a shocking and breathtaking view of the beach. As the camera rises and slowly pans to the left we begin to see the whole of the beach covered in dead bodies, and the scarlet water flowing feely. Then finally zooms on this one mans backpack of one soldier – Ryan. The final shot showing the name ‘Ryan' on the backpack of one of the fallen soldiers establishes a link between the sequence we have just seen as well as both the title and the plot of the film. So did Steven Spielberg fulfill his main aim for ‘Saving Private Ryan' which was â€Å"I wanted to put chaos upon the screen â€Å". In my eyes as a reviewer of ‘Saving Private Ryan' he did fulfill that aim, he showed from start to finish a sense of realism, and broke entirely away from the traditional convections of the film war genre. He used magnificent camera angles, which contributed a lot to the film as a whole. This film keeps you on the edge of your seat, and guessing what is going to happen next. I think the opening sequence prepared the audience for what followed because the horror in the opening scene and the devastation that you see is the same that you see, or even worse than through out the whole film. I would recommend this film if you want a film with a moral, and a meaning. But the one main issue that I had watching this film is the time it lasts for two hours and fifty minutes, so you do have to be dedicated to watching it from the start. The way that I would watch it is with the family on a Friday night with popcorn and a box of tissues. I would give this film a rating of 7/10, the main reasons why I didn't give 10/10 is because for me personally it was to gory, it lasted to long and I didn't have the patience, and it was one of those films that you would watch once and then never watch it again because there would be no need.

Black People Essay

Tar Baby Toni Morrison’s novel might for some be a novel of cultural awakening. One also might at their first reading and perhaps also by reading the different studies made on Tar Baby, restricted to an interpretation that sees Jadine, Morrison’s protagonist, as woman who has, consciously or unconsciously, lost her â€Å"ancient properties† (305) and internalized the values of a white culture. Jadine has totally disconnected herself from her racial identity and cultural heritage. This reading is supported by the fact that Jadine has got her education in Europe with the financial assistance of Valerian Street (her aunt’s and uncle’s employer). Paraphrasing Marylyn sanders Mobley – the characterization of the protagonist, Jadine, draws attention to a fundamental problem as one that Morrison wants to affirm the self-reliance and freedom of a black woman who makes choices for her own life on her own terms. She also seeks to point out the dangers that can happen to the totally self-reliant if there is no historical connection. While the conflict in Tar Baby is undoubtedly â€Å"between assimilation and cultural nationalism represented by the sealskin coat Ryk has given her and the pie table† (Rayson, 94), the limiting categories which Jadine is continually forced into do not come from the white characters but primarily from the black community in which she finds herself because she (Jadine) has embraced white stereotypes along with white culture. While Valerian is portrayed as the traditional master-figure in the novel, it is actually Son, Sydney and Ondine, and the folk past represented by the different women in different places that try to conquer and dominate Jadine, who retain and represent their culture in the very colour of their skin. On the other hand, one could argue that it is as a result of Jadine’s university education in Europe and her career that further draws her away from her culture and identity and therefore (paraphrasing Mobley in Toni Morrison critical perspectives past and present) contributes significantly to the emotional and spiritual uncertainty that plague her as well as the many different roles that are imposed upon her by her aunt and uncle as well as the ‘society’ that caused her to seek upward social mobility. Sydney and Ondine, Jadine’s uncle and aunt in the novel can be seen as representative of one of the tar pits for Jadine. They do not accept all black people equal in the community in which they live because they employ racial hierarchies. Ondine sees herself as the only woman in the house (209), while Sydney notes more than twice that he is a Philadelphia Negro, â€Å"the proudest people in the race† (61). They seem to have a clear vision of what they want for Jadine their niece. As the story progresses, though, it becomes clearer that it is not actually a question of what they want for Jadine but what they want of her or expect her to do. In addition to them wanting Jadine to provide them safety and credit for their race, Ondine admits by the end of the novel, â€Å"maybe I just wanted her to feel sorry for us [†¦ ] and that’s a lowdown wish if I ever had one† (282). Jadine understands that Sydney and Ondine â€Å"had gotten Valerian to pay her tuition while they sent her the rest† (49) and Ondine keeps reminding that she â€Å"would have stood on her feet all day all night to put Jadine through that school† (193). Ondine sees Jadine as her â€Å"crown† (282), and she and Sydney are continually â€Å"boasting† (49) about Jadine’s success to the point that Margaret calls Ondine â€Å"Mother Superior† (84). In return, they seem to want Jadine to offer them safety for the rest of their lives as Ondine claims that â€Å"Nothing can happen to us as long as she’s here† (102). They are not comfortable with the idea of Jadine marrying Ryk, who is â€Å"white but European which was not as bad as white and American† (48), but they are terrified of her running off with a â€Å"no-count Negro† (193) like Son. Although their views on racial hierarchies seem to alter from time to time, on the outside they seem to want what is best for Jadine. Jadine refute Ondine’s views of black womanhood when she tells her some of the things that are expected of her from society Jadine tells Ondine that: â€Å"I don’t want to learn how to be the kind of woman you’re talking about because I don’t want to be that kind of woman† (282). This, according to Rayson (1998), might be interpreted as Jadine’s â€Å"rejecting the roles of mother, daughter, and woman to stay the tar baby† (Rayson, 95), however it marks her becoming aware of what kind of woman she is by the end of the novel. Jadine‘s inclination toward upward social mobility leads to her separation from the Afro-American roots and the tar quality that Morrison advocates. This kind of flaw in Jadine effectively disqualifies her as a black woman capable of nurturing a family and by large the community. Jadine‘s perception of an ancestral relationship from which she is estranged occurs when she sees an African woman in a Parisian bakery. When she is celebrating her success as model evidenced in her appearance on the cover of Elle, Jadine becomes nervous or perhaps uncomfortable by the African woman in yellow attire. She triggers an identity crisis in Jadine at the moment when she should have felt more secure with her professional achievement assured by beauty and education. In his African woman, Jadine catches a glimpse of beauty, a womanliness, an innate elegance, a nurturer, an authenticity that she had never known before: ? That woman‘s woman – that mother/sister/she/; that unphotographable beauty? (p. 43). By calling the African woman ? that mother/sister/she,? J. Deswal (online source â€Å"Tar Baby- Shodhganga) claims that â€Å"Morrison presents a threefold definition of womanhood which can thrive within the confines of family and community only. The three eggs she balances effortlessly in her ? tar-black fingers? (p. 44) appear to Jadine as if the woman were boasting of her own easy acceptance of womanhood†. Wendy Harding and Jacky Martin in A World of Difference: An Inter-cultural Study of Toni Morrison explain the importance of the African woman‘s presence as such: â€Å"Whereas Jadine has just been rewarded for her conformity to Western ideals of feminity, the African woman suggests a more powerful version of black womanhood. Like some fertility goddess, she holds in her hand the secret of life. She is the mother of the world in whose black hands whiteness appears as something as easily crushed as cared for (71). When Jadine measures herself by the idea of black womanhood that she sees in the African woman the insecurities of her rootless condition surface in her mind. The women in yellow makes Jadine confront her female role and her sexuality†. Jadine sees ? something in her eyes so powerful? (p. 42) that she follows the woman out of the store. The writers also claim that â€Å"As a symbol of repudiation of Jadine‘s westernized lifestyle, the African woman ?looks right at Jadine? (p. 43) and spits on the pavement†. Jadine hates the woman for her spitting, but what she cannot do is escape feeling ? lonely in a way; lonely and inauthentic? as she tells the readers on page 45. When the sense of self is based on the denial of one‘s ethnic roots, one is certain to experience mental chaos and alienation. So, the woman‘s insult to Jadine had the powerful effect of challenging Jadine‘s choices: her white boyfriend, her girlfriends in New York, her parties, her picture on the cover of Elle and the way she lived her life. One can say that it is as a result of the African woman that Jadine desided to visit her aunt and uncle on the island. Jadine is confused and even questions her plans to marry Ryk, her white boyfriend: I wonder if the person he wants to marry is me or a black girl? And if it isn‘t me he wants, but any black girl who looks like me, talks and acts like me, what will happen when he finds out that I hate ear hoops, that I don‘t have to straighten my hair, that Mingus puts me to sleep, that sometimes I want to get out of my skin and be only the person inside – not American – not black – just me? (p. 45) It is through Son, however, that Morrison offers Jadine the ultimate opportunity to ‘redeem’ herself to her heritage, adapt it and revive her womanhood. Son picks up from where the African woman left off in a sense by making Jadine confront her inauthenticity. Jadine and Son enjoys their stay in New York because it is the place where Jadine feels at ease. She feels loved and safe: ? He ‘unorphaned’ her completely and gave her a brand-new childhood? (p. 231). In turn, Son is encouraged by her need and by his apparent ability to redefine Jadine culturally and emotionally. Son insists that he and Jadine goes to Eloe his hometown where Jadine will see how Son is rooted in family and cultural heritage. He attempts to rescue Jadine from her ignorance and disdain for her cultural heritage, trying in a sense to mould Jadine into the image of his black female ancestors. Son assumes that a relationship with Jadine will mean that they will have children together. He presses claims for family and community: ? He smiled at the vigour of his own heartbeat at the thought of her having his baby? (p. 220). Thus, he wants Jadine to love the nurturing aspects of home and fraternity. He is fed on dreams of his community women. The dreams of ? yellow houses with white doors? and ? fat black ladies in white dresses minding the pie table? (p. 119) are nourishment to Son. Sandra Pouchet Paquet (The ancestors as foundation in their eyes were watching god and tar baby) observes: ? In Son‘s dreams of Eloe, the African-American male ego is restored in a community of black man at the center of a black community. But however appreciative Son is of the beauty, the strength, and the toughness of black women; his vision is of male dominance; of the black women as handmaiden? (511). The image feminity that Son cherishes – of the black woman taking passive role as a nurturer of the hearth – is flagrantly opposite to Jadine‘s perception of the modern black woman. This terrifies Jadine and narrows the possibility of their forming a family. The modern, educated black woman seems to snivel at the aspects of traditional female- specific role as the nurturer of hearth and home. Decadent white values and life style thwart the black woman’s vital roles of building families and raising children. The modern black woman cannot be a complete human being, for she allows her education to keep her career separate from her nurturing role. The black woman is increasingly becoming able to define her own status and to be economically independent. She tries to seek equality in her relationship with men. Robert Staples gives an insight into the faltering dynamics of modern couples: ? What was once a viable institution because women were a subservient group has lost its value for some people in these days of women‘s liberation. The stability of marriage was contingent on the woman accepting her place in the home and not creating dissension by challenging the male‘s prerogatives? (125). The black woman‘s intrinsic quality of ? accepting her place in the home? is Morrison‘s tar quality. However, in advocating the tar quality Morrison does not admonish the educational and professional accomplishments of the black woman. In fact, the black woman is expected to achieve a balance between her roles in the domestic and professional fields. â€Å"It is the historical ability of black women to keep their families and careers together. In an era where both the black male and female seek to fulfill individual desires, relationships falter and, consequently, the prospects of the propagation of a family are not too bright. Jadine‘s tar quality is submerged by the white-like urge for freedom and self-actualization. As a result, she finds the conventions of black womanhood antithetical to her own value system†. At Eloe, Jadine is determined to resist rigid male-female role categorization. Jadine cannot ?understand (or accept) her being shunted off with Ellen and the children while the men grouped on the porch and after a greeting, ignored her? (p. 248). While at Eloe, Jadine is provided with yet another chance to attain certain qualities that is for black women. She is accustomed to living an upper-class white lifestyle so she finds the people of Eloe limited and backward. Their stifling little shacks are more foreign to her than the hotel-like splendor of Valerian‘s mansion. She stays in Aunt Rosa‘s house where she feels claustrophobically enclosed in a dark, windowless room. She feels ? she might as well have been in a cave, a grave, the dark womb of the earth, suffocating with the sound of plant life moving, but deprived of its sight? (p. 254). It is in this very room where Jadine and Son were having sex that she had a second awakening vision, which is more frightening than the one she had in Paris about the African Woman. Here, Older, black, fruitful and nurturing women – her own dead mother, her Aunt Ondine, Son‘s dead wife, the African woman in yellow and other black women of her past – become a threatening part of Jadine‘s dreams: I have breasts too,‘ she said or thought or willed, I have breasts too. ‘ But they didn‘t believe her. They just held their own higher and pushed their own farther out and looked at her,? (p. 261) and ? the night women were not merely against her†¦ not merely looking superior over their sagging breasts and folded stomachs, they seemed somehow in agreement with each other about her, and were all determined to punish her for having neglected her cultural heritage. They wanted to bind the person she had become and choke it with their breasts. The night women?accuse Jadine for trading the ? ancient properties? (p. 308) of being a daughter, mother, and a woman for her upward mobility and self-enhancement. All these women are punishing Jadine for her refusal to define herself in relation to family, historical tradition and culture. As they ‘brandish’ their breasts before her eyes, they mock and insult her with their feminity. Jadine finds these women backward and sees no self-fulfilling value in the roles that they serve. However, she is constantly haunted by dreams of the black female image that she seems to have lost throughout life. Ondine express shame and disappointment over her lack of concern for her family, the African woman, at the Parisian bakery, spits at her in disgust and the night women, in the vision at Eloe taunt her with their nurturing breasts. Having refuted her own black culture and heritage, Jadine face the consequence of a divided consciousness and a mental death. Her decision to end the love affair with Son— ? I can‘t let you hurt me again? (p. 274) is an evidence of her shunning womanhood and losing her Afro- American roots as she chooses Ryk her white boyfriend over Son who refused to become the person or image that Jadine wants him to be . Jadine is compelled to make her choice and she decides that it is in Paris, away from Son, where there are prospects of financial success and personal independence. She doesn‘t want what Son and Eloe have to offer: To settle for wifely competence when she could be a beauty queen or to settle for fertility rather than originality and nurturing instead of building? (p. 271). Jadine makes it clear to the reader that she is self-sufficient and independent of men, family and community.

Augustine and Skepticism Essays - Philosophical Methodology

Augustine and Skepticism Essays - Philosophical Methodology Augustine and Skepticism Augustine and Skepticism PHI/105 March 28, 2013 Augustine and Skepticism Augustine did not lead a straight and narrow life. In fact, his younger years were spent being promiscuous and tended to hang out with the wrong crowd. He made a few bad decisions in life but eventually turned it around, became a professor of Rhetoric and was baptized into Christianity. Augustine later became Bishop. But the main thing he was known for was refuting total skepticism . Even though others may not agree, I am generally a skeptic but can relate to Augustine because his opinion makes sense and the examples confirm the possibility of a rebuttal. Augustine noted that there was three ways of refruting total skepticism. They were through the principle of non-contradiction, the act of doubting, and the sense of perception. He thought these three things were very important and would disprove skepticism but others would still not believe. I think his arguments make sense and his examples help me to understand exactly what he is saying. First, skepticism is refuted by the principle of noncontradiction, which we explained earlier more informally. According to this principle, a proposition and its contradiction cannot both be trueone or the other must be true. The propositions The stick is straight and It is false that the stick is straight cannot both be true. (Moore If something is true and not true, it cannot be perceived to be valid. If they contradict, it is said to be false. We know in life, what is, is. So I agree with his concept here. Second, Augustine held that the act of doubting discloses ones existence as something that is absolutely certain: from the fact I am doubting, it follows automatically that I am. (Moore and Bruder, 2011, pg. 82). Being a skeptic, I have always felt comfortable doubting something because if make me feel I had made the right decision once I evaluated everything. I see what he is saying regarding the I am doubting conflicting with the I am To have doubt means the statement does not show true meaning that is clear to begin with.

Lebanese Culture essays

Lebanese Culture essays It was Saturday, the first Saturday of the month, and the girls were at it again. Mohammed left early when he heard his mom clanging pots together in the kitchen. "MaMaaa, is Sana and Marina coming for lunch today'" he called from the flat roof after morning prayers. "Yes, you sister and grandmother are coming for the day. You know we meet every month on the first. Marina your sister has a new job at the retail store in town, and your grand mother is, well, she is the same as ever. Ready to complain about the politician, the food, and the way you kids dress, but she is still my mother, and I enjoy her company. We have seen many changes . . and you should . . ." Mohammed already had grabbed his work vest, and was headed out the door as his mother's voice changed from one of telling him about the day to judging his modern attitudes. "Good by MaMaa, I will be back after evening prayer." He called over his shoulder. The last thing he wanted to do was to be lectured on his attitudes by his mother. He was a young man, and as he pulled on his brightly colored woven vest, Mohammed stepped onto his red Honda scooter, Lillianna went back to work on the layers of pastry. She was fixing her momma's recipe of Baklava which had been passed down to her by her mother. The dough had to be just right, or Sana would have something else to complain about. Although Lillianna respected her mom as the oldest living members of the family, her days were not often filled with the energy she was putting into the baking this morning. Having her mom and daughter Marina over was one of the bright spots of her monthly calendar. Since her husband was killed in the 1980 civil war, Mohammed, Marina and her mom were the focus of most of her life's energy. She still couldn't get the image out of her mind. Her husbands business had been bombed during fighting in the neighborhood. He wasn'...

Private School Uniforms and Dress Codes

Private School Uniforms and Dress Codes When you think of a dress code or uniform, what comes to mind? Most people will call to mind the stereotypical images we see in media: pressed and proper uniforms at military academies, the navy blazers or sports coats with ties and slacks at boys schools, and the plaid skirts and white shirts with knee socks and dress shoes at girls schools. But is this attire actually the norm at private schools? Many private schools attribute most of their uniform traditions and dress codes back to their British public school roots. The formal starched collars and tails worn by Eton College boys are world-famous, but they are hardly typical of a normal school uniform these days. Much more common is a looser dress code consisting of the ubiquitous blazer, white shirt, school tie, slacks, socks and black shoes; or the option of wearing dresses, or a blazer and blouse with slacks or skirts  are pretty much standard for girls. What is the difference between a uniform and dress code? The very word uniform suggests the raison detre for unis as some of the private school crowd calls them. It is one specific and standard style of dress that every student wears. Some school uniforms allow for optional additions, such as sweaters or vests to wear over the uniforms. While the rules at every school will differ, some will allow students to add their own personal flair, dressing up their standard attire with scarves and other accessories, but there are typically limitations to how much can be added to the uniform. A dress code is a strict outline of acceptable attire that isnt limited to one or two options. It serves as more of a guideline rather than a rigid rule, and provides more flexibility for students. Many view dress code as an attempt to create conformity as opposed to uniformity. Dress codes can vary by school and range from more formal dress codes requiring specific colors and limited choices of attire, to more flexible options that may simply prohibit certain forms of attire.   Why Do Schools Have Uniforms and Dress Codes? Many schools have implemented uniforms and dress codes for both practical and social reasons. Practically speaking, a standardized uniform allows a child to get by with a minimum amount of clothing. You have your everyday wear and then a Sunday best outfit for more formal occasions. A uniform often serves as a marvelous equalizer of social status. It matters not whether you are the Earl of Snowdon or the son of the local green grocer  when you don that uniform. Everybody looks the same. Uniformity rules. Do uniforms improve test scores and enhance discipline? Long Beach Unified School District, back in the 90s, instituted a dress code policy for its students. Proponents of the policy claimed that the dress code created a climate for education which led to improved test scores and better discipline. Research may vary on this, and responses from parents often differs from teachers, with parents (and students) arguing for more flexibility for personal style and expression, while teachers are often largely supportive of uniforms and dress codes because of the perceived improvements in both student performance and behavior. That said, private schools generally create a climate for learning more consistently than public schools do, to begin with. Uniforms and dress codes are just one part of the formula for success. The real secret to success is consistently enforcing rules and regulations. Hold students accountable and you will see results. What About Teachers Dress Codes? Most private schools also have dress codes for teachers. While the guidelines for adults may not mirror that of students, they are often similar, engaging faculty members in modeling good behavior and dressing best practices.   What Happens When You Disregard the Uniform or Dress Code? Now, we all know that students of any age have their ways of getting around dress code requirements. The slacks have a way of becoming a bit baggier than the school regulations intended. The shirts tend to hang out below the oversize jacket. Skirts seem to shrink overnight. This can be difficult for schools to enforce, and infractions can result in varying responses, ranging from verbal reminders to detention and even formal disciplinary action for repeated offenders.

Managerial Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managerial Finance - Assignment Example For example a firm is investing a sum of money in a project which promises to yield $200, $400 and $ 1000 in the next three years. Simply adding this figure would give us a wrong estimation as the money is to be received in the coming years and not today therefore we will have to discount these sums of money using a particular interest rate to know the actual worth of dollars that would be today. 2 ) Opportunity Costs are those costs that a firm foregoes in order to pursue some other investment or decision. For example a company has a plot of land that is vacant, it now has two options either to rent it and receive rent income or to use that land to construct its factories that will again earn it some benefit. Now, if the company decides to construct a manufacturing plant on that site it has to forego that rental income which otherwise it would have received if the factory was not built. Hence in finance and business we factor in that cost and include it as an expense to gauge the true outcome of our actual decision. 3) Cost of capital is the cost for a firm of raising capital either through equity or debt. A company has te decide the optimum mix of both as it will invest that money to gain higher returns therefore the lower the cost of capital the better. The cost of capital is determined by the firms target capital structure which is the weight ages in which it wants to raise equity and debt. It is the duty of the Finance Managers to manage a firms cost of capital and define an optimum kevel. 4) The firm’s optimum capital structure is the weight ages of both equity and debt for which the cost of capital is the lowest. We also know that a company cannot raise unlimited amounts of capital for that lowest cost and optimum weight age level. The WACC (Weighted Average cost if capital) changes after a particular level of capital is reached also

Financial crises and Fair Value Accounting (Historical cost,deprival Essay

Financial crises and Fair Value Accounting (Historical cost,deprival value and replacement cost) - Essay Example hand, the supporters of fair value accounting method argued that the role of this method of valuation was minimalistic in the financial crisis and that the use of other methods of accounting could not have prevented the crisis. They identified that certain macro-economic factors like account surpluses, dispersing of loans without credibility checking, excess level of risk taking by the banks and the sharp fall in the prices of mortgage backed assets to be the main factors driving the financial crisis. The financial crisis of 2008 was a deep recession which impacted almost all the nations of the world. Therefore, the reasons that have caused the crisis have been extensively studied by the economists and scholars. One of the most studied topics in this respect is whether the use of the fair value accounting by the financial institutions has been a driving force for the downturn. The financial crisis of 2008 led to major debates among the researchers, academicians, banks as well as other participants of the financial markets regarding the role of Fair Value accounting in driving the failure of the financial markets in during the financial crisis. The financial crisis of 2008 was characterized by liquidity and volatility problems in the financial markets and the collapse or quasi breakdown of the major financial institutions of Wall Street like Lehman Brothers, Merry Lynch, Royal Bank of Scotland, Citicorp, AIG, Bear Sterns and Dexia (Ryan, 2008, p.14). The non-supporters of Fair Value Accounting argued that the use of fair value accounting methods in the financial reporting of the major financial institutions was the main accelerator and amplifier of the high intensity of the financial downturn. According to them, many financial institutions marked down the asset values in their financial reports due to the drip in the value of many financial instruments. Th e marked down representation of the asset values in the balance sheets weakened the capitalization ratios of

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Essay

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - Essay Example Decontamination ensures that there are no medical or health implications in the treatment process with regard to renal medicine. This is due to the possibility of infections that could hinder or act as counteractive measures towards the entire of treating renal diseases. Moreover, cleaning and decontamination alleviates all forms of erroneous diagnosis and reinfections with unknown pathogens, as well as conditions that are not part of the patients’ original condition. In addition, decontamination and cleaning keeps the conditions of renal medicine and the facilities hosting it hygienic and clean for the benefit of the staff assigned to work in the facilities. As a result, the conditions of work should be widely favourable and to accommodate the needs of the staff. This is in relation to productivity and lack of infections and unfavourable working conditions for the members of staff. This works through elimination of risk factors that may distract members of staff from the duti es and tasks or create an inconducive atmosphere. Health care facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient units, play host to a wide variety of microorganisms that prey on patients undergoing treatment. Healthcare-associated infections, also referred to as nosocomial infections, are defined as those that are associated with medical or surgical intervention within the healthcare facility. For an infection to be described as nosocomial, it has to occur following 48 hours of hospitalisation or surgery or 3 days after discharge (Inweregbu, et al 2005, p.1). Such infections are often caused by breaches in control practices and procedures, which have to be met to ensure patient safety. Such breaches include the use of non-sterile environment during medical intervention, resulting in an infection. Healthcare associated infections are caused by a variety of common bacteria, fungi and viruses, which are introduced in a patient during medical intervention in non-sterile conditi ons (Memarzadeh n.d, p.10). Despite marked medical advances in the recent years, most patients are always at risk of developing nosocomial infections. In industrialised countries, healthcare-associated infections have a significant impact on public health by contributing to an increase in morbidity and mortality. Similarly, as healthcare facilities stretch their budgets to facilitate the extended care to the affected patients. It is estimated that such infections occur in every 1of 10 patients who are admitted to the hospital, which accounts for about 5000 deaths. Consequently, financial repercussions felt are enormous and translate to billions of pounds for the National Health Service. The relatively high prevalence of nosocomial infections has seen patients extend their stay in hospitals; incurring additional costs compared to uninfected patients. A study conducted by the European Prevalence of Infection in Intensive Care indicated that the prevalence rate in ICU has steeply decli ned from 1.8% in 2006 to 0.1% in 2012 (NHS Choices 2012). Patients under intensive care units are particularly at risk of hospital-acquired infections owing to the invasive procedures accorded to them. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites are the main causative agents of hospital-acquired infections in most healthcare facilities, where the pathogens may be present in the patient’s body, the environment, contaminated hospital equipment or the medical professionals. The most common types of healthcare-associated infections are urinary tract infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and surgical wound infections (Pennsylvania Department of Health n.d, p.1). For instance, following surgery, the patient may develop an infection around the surgical wound

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Strategic management - Essay Example More specifically, using the diagram in the Figure 3, Appendix, the firm’s stakeholders could be categorized as follows: a) the Owners should be found at the level of the relevant hierarchy having the strongest interest in the firm’s performance, b) the firm’s employees would follow, c) suppliers would also be interested in the firm’s position in its market – indicating its ability to continue its cooperation with its suppliers, d) customers would be at the next – lower – level; they would be benefited from the firm’s performance – but only up to the point that they could not identify other firm with similar products and lower prices; e) the state would be at the last level of the relevant list; the firm’s performance would be important for the state affecting its contributions in the national economy – tax paid for the firm’s profits. The performance of the firm within its market can be differentiated under the influence of a series of factors. These factors have been identified and explained using the Pestel Analysis; at a next level the industry globalisation drivers are presented – at the level that they are related with the firm’s operational initiatives. In accordance with Neely (2002) ‘the key benefit in the process of deciding what to measure appears to lie in the fact that the process forces management teams to be explicit about their priorities’ (Neely, 2002, p.295). In other words, the identification and the evaluation of key strategic values for the development of corporate activities are quite important for setting the criteria on which the restructuring of the firm’s strategies will be based. In the PESTEL analysis, the firm’s operations are related to specific factors, the following ones: a) Political; it refers to the government’s strategies regarding the entrepreneurial activity in the specific industry; even if in the

International Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

International Business Environment - Essay Example   The first stage of IPLC depicts the growth phase of an innovative product when a firm makes a technological breakthrough. Such markets are more common in the developed countries as the purchasing power of the individuals is higher therein and they are more inclined towards experimenting with new products. The initial stage of a product is characterized by wide promotion and high prices, leading to high profits. Competition is noted to be low. Hereafter, the product is exported to various industrial countries, implying the stage end and a downward descent of the experience curve of the product. The exports made to other advanced countries marks beginning of the second stage of IPLC. The product design and process becomes more stable with greater investment in the production plants, which drives down the labor and transportation costs. The production process is shifted offshore in order to cater to the local markets. Reduction in the profit margins is noticed; nevertheless, the att ractiveness of the business does not decline as the market demand persists. This phase may witness a dwindling in a product’s sales volume in the original market and many products get phased out. In this phase, the original manufacturer no longer has the exclusive rights and is forced to sell off the remaining products at a discounted price.The model helps start-up organizations aiming for international expansion to gain a better understanding of changes occurring in the pattern of trade, besides planning out the production process.   

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Strategic management - Essay Example More specifically, using the diagram in the Figure 3, Appendix, the firm’s stakeholders could be categorized as follows: a) the Owners should be found at the level of the relevant hierarchy having the strongest interest in the firm’s performance, b) the firm’s employees would follow, c) suppliers would also be interested in the firm’s position in its market – indicating its ability to continue its cooperation with its suppliers, d) customers would be at the next – lower – level; they would be benefited from the firm’s performance – but only up to the point that they could not identify other firm with similar products and lower prices; e) the state would be at the last level of the relevant list; the firm’s performance would be important for the state affecting its contributions in the national economy – tax paid for the firm’s profits. The performance of the firm within its market can be differentiated under the influence of a series of factors. These factors have been identified and explained using the Pestel Analysis; at a next level the industry globalisation drivers are presented – at the level that they are related with the firm’s operational initiatives. In accordance with Neely (2002) ‘the key benefit in the process of deciding what to measure appears to lie in the fact that the process forces management teams to be explicit about their priorities’ (Neely, 2002, p.295). In other words, the identification and the evaluation of key strategic values for the development of corporate activities are quite important for setting the criteria on which the restructuring of the firm’s strategies will be based. In the PESTEL analysis, the firm’s operations are related to specific factors, the following ones: a) Political; it refers to the government’s strategies regarding the entrepreneurial activity in the specific industry; even if in the

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 30

Leadership - Essay Example Although the leader retains his decision making power as an individual, yet he is supposed to interact with the subordinates and reach a general agreement with them for the creation of a learning culture in the organization. To create a culture of learning in my organization, I would promote teamwork. There is a lot that inexperienced employees can learn from the more experienced coworkers. Group integration, frequent communication and eradication of dysfunctional conflicts are the prime issues that need to be addressed before the culture of learning can be established and promoted. Once this is achieved, I shall organize opportunities of learning and development for my organization including workshops and on-the-job training. â€Å"If organizations can sense and respond to emerging opportunities, there is a good chance they will endure† (Conner and Clawson, 2005). On my part, I need to collaborate more with my subordinates and inculcate the sense of need for change in them so that they may overcome their differences and display optimal

Skills of Tourism graduates Essay Example for Free

Skills of Tourism graduates Essay The primary objective of this study is to determine the employability skills of Tourism graduates from the year 2005 to 2009 of University of Perpetual Help System Dalta Molino such as Communication Skills, Human Relation Skills, Technical Skills, Management Skills, Research Skills and Leadership Skills. The study is anchored in the theory of Gazier as cited by Weinert who stated that employability is supply and demand. The Descriptive research design was utilized to analyze and delineate the current work abilities of the BST graduates. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to determine if significant difference exist in the employability skills of Tourism graduates in relation to their year of graduation. The study revealed that there were significant differences in the employability skills of the Tourism graduates when they are grouped according to year graduated. The differences among the batches can be accounted from the variable factors and circumstances during the period of their study. Hence, from the results, the institution can improve the quality of teaching by bringing students outside the classroom setting, hiring faculty who are equipped with background and experience in the tourism industry and related jobs, and the University should extend utmost effort to provide facilities of the tourism college Introduction The University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPHSD) – Molino Campus, College of International and Hospitality Management is committed to providing quality education by offering a wide range of theoretical, practical knowledge and skills through various aspects of hospitality management which is necessary to every student in becoming competent individuals of society. The college offers study programs such as Bachelor of Science major in Hotel and Restaurant Management (BSHRM), Associate in Hotel and Restaurant Management (ASHRM) and Bachelor of Science in Tourism (BST). The Bachelor of Science in Tourism is a discipline that provides a wide array of experiences that leads to the understanding of history, customs, traditions, values and culture of different places both here and abroad. Further, the BS Tourism program includes a course on Tour guiding, Foreign language, Tourist destination marketing, Thesis writing, Tourism Planning and Development, Personal Development and Public Relation, Cruise management, Travel Agency Management and Operation, Principles of Tourism with Tourism Laws, Philippine Tourism: Geography and Culture, World Tourism: Geography and Culture, Principles of Management, Front Office Management, and Convention and Recreation Management. These are the courses being taught to the students to gain the employability skills of tou rism such as the Communication skill, Human relation skill, Tour guiding skill, Management Skill, Research Skill and Leadership skill. Student capabilities as used in this study refer to abilities learned in the four corners of the classroom preparing graduates for employment as they step out of the portals of their alma mater. Such skills result in better employability of graduates. According to Hind and Moss (2011), employability is a person’s capability to gain and maintain employment. Further, it depends on the knowledge, skills and abilities possessed by the latter. Employability of graduates therefore depends on the trainings they attended from first year to their graduation. According to Walker (2006), tourism as career is a dynamic, evolving and consumer – driven force it is also the world’s largest industry or collection of industries. When all its interrelated components are placed under one umbrella: tourism, travel, lodging, conventions, expositions, meetings, events; restaurants, managed services: assembly, destination and event management, and recreation. Walker also said that tourism plays a foundational role in framing the various services that hospitality companies perform. In the past five years, the UPHSD – Molino has produced number of graduates that have eventually joined tourism industry works in the tourism industry. Their work is crucial in creating appreciation of the beauty of the world; therefore, these graduates need certain skills and knowledge in order to be considered assets to tourism establishments and maintain employability. The study provides documentary analysis about the employability skills of Bachelor of Science in Tourism graduates batch 2005 – 2009 of UPHSD- Molino Campus to meet the demands of the industry of the new century. Further, responses from graduates concerning various issues related to teaching and learning were also considered. Such information is essential to assist the University in planning and determining factors linked to student learning, curriculum design, and improvement of services provided by UPHSD. Therefore the researchers opted to conduct a study about the employability skills of Bachelor of Science in Tourism graduates batch 2005 – 2009 of UPHSD- Molino Campus. Specifically it aims to determine the capabilities, knowledge, and skills possessed by graduates in finding and maintaining work. The study is anchored in the theory of Gazier as cited by Weinert (2001). According to Gazier, employability attempts to influence the â€Å"supply† side of the labo r market, that is, the workers and their productive capacities and performance, while the â€Å"demand† side is made up of the companies’ requirement. This theory of Gazier as cited by Weinert (2001) guided the researchers in the research because it gives an idea that employability is supply and demand where in the University produces supply to the Tourism industry yet the â€Å"product†; graduates should meet the demand of the Tourism industry. The researchers believe that to be able to market the graduates, the supply must possess communication skills, human relation, tour guiding skills, management skills, research skills and leadership skills. These skills are crucial to meet the demand of the industry to further promote employability. IMPROVEMENT EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS Figure 1. Conceptual Framework Figure 1 shows that employability is dependent variable from graduates’ skills and the improvement of the university in terms of Curriculum design, services offered by the University and hiring faculty. In relation to the study, the graduates should focus on enhancing both students’ skills and their facilities to have a high employment opportunity. To determine the target respondents for the study, the researchers used the list of graduates. The researchers analyzed the aforesaid skills using Mean, Percentage, ANOVA and Frequency Distribution to determine if significant differences exist in the employability skills of Tourism graduates in relation to their civil status, gender, and year of graduation. The study focused on the BS Tourism Graduates of University of Perpetual Help System DALTA- Molino Campus from year 2005-2009. The respondents were only 25 graduates of tourism from 2005-2009 1. Descriptive Research 2. Researcher –made Questionnaire 3. Statistical Treatment * Frequency * Percentage * Mean * ANOVA Improvements of: -Curriculum Design -Services offered by the University -Hiring Faculty 1. Profile of the Respondents * Civil Status * Gender * Year Graduated * Employment Status * Employed * Unemployed * Nature of Work * Airline * Travel Agency * Cruise ship * Front Office (Hotel) * Hospitality Related Jobs ( Tourism Officer, Casino, Event Organizing) * Others 2. Skills * Communication Skills * Human Relation Skills * Technical Skills * Management Skills * Research Skills * Leadership Skills INPUTProcess OUTPUT Figure 2 Operational Framework Figure 2 above shows that the study will use the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of civil status, gender, nature of work, year of graduation, employment status, and employability skills of the graduate of BST from 2005 – 2009. Such data will be the inputs for the study. A questionnaire developed by the researchers will be used as research instrument. Statistical treatment in the form of frequency distribution, percentage, mean, and ANOVA will be applied to process and interpret the collected data. The inputs and process described above will assist the University in planning and determining factors linked to students learning, curriculum design, and improvement of services provided by UPHSD. This study aims to determine the employability skills of Bachelor of Science in Tourism graduates batch 2005 – 2009 of UPHSD- Molino Campus. METHODS The study covered the Graduates of BS-Tourism Students of batch 2005 – 2009 from University of Perpetual Help System – DALTA Molino Campus as respondents of study which is compose of 25 students. To collect/gather the names of the graduates as well as their contact numbers and addresses to get the total population needed for the study, the researchers sought permission from the office of Student Personnel Service. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the respondent. The researchers used a descriptive quantitative design for this research After the researchers gathered the list needed for the research, they distributed and administered the questionnaires to the respondents through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and email and researchers also reached them with their contact numbers. Further, the researchers also conducted field work (i.e., home visits) to reach the graduate and completed the data gathering for the period of 5 months. Data we re tabulated after the retrieval and brought to a statistician for statistical treatment, after which the researchers interpreted the result to give recommendation. There are more female graduates of tourism. The dominance of female students in the Tourism programme in this study is in line with a previous study on study motivations in Korea, Taiwan, and China (Kim, et al., 2007), indicating the popularity of hospitality and tourism Management among female students in Asian countries. 1.2 Civil Status; Almost all of the respondents are still single, which implies that if not for personal reasons, the quality and the demand of their current job kept them unmarried. In a book entitled â€Å"Introduction to Hospitality Operations† by Walker 2009, the WTO (World Tourism Association) has declared that tourism industry work is very demanding; it is a 24hour-a day, 7-day-week, 52-week-a-year economic driver. 1.3 Year Graduated Most of the respondents are graduates of Batch 2008-2009. Respondents that graduated earlier from the UPHSD-Molino are less accessible than those who graduated recently, which can be attributed to the demands or location of their jobs as those who have graduated earlier tend be more established in their jobs. 1.4 Employment Status? Most of the respondents are already employed. This indicates the high employability of the graduates of UPHSD-Molino. The program BS Tourism offered by the UPHSD- Molino provides many opportunities for graduates to work in various professions in different sectors such as restaurants, resorts, air and cruise lines, theme parks, and casinos. 1.5 Nature of Work It can be gleaned from the table 1.5 that 88% are employed in work aligned with their course. This indicates that he graduates are generally qualified to jobs aligned or closely aligned with their course, while the 8% are employed to other industry such as in business sector. The remaining 4% is a respondent who resigned from her work, which was inclined to tourism industry, and now focusing on her family. As stated above, the tourism program provides many opportunities for employment, which includes land, air and sea-based work. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS College of International and Hospitality Management is committed to providing quality education by offering a wide range of theoretical and practical knowledge and skills through various aspects of hospitality management which is necessary to every student in becoming competent individuals of society. The above discussion has evaluated the skills of tourism students who graduated from the UPHSD -Molino, particularly, their technical, managerial, research, leadership, human relation, and communication skills. The null hypothesis, in which the researchers assumed no significant difference in the employability skills of the respondents, was rejected. The graduates of each batch rated themselves differently on various skills because of the different situations and factors that affected them during their study. According to the summary of data on different employability skills of tourism graduates, the researchers found significant differences in the employability skills of the respondents. In their analysis, the researchers gleaned that Tourism graduates have strong potential for employment as they have acquired the necessary tourism skills. Along with the Tourism skills, the institution can improve the quality of teaching by bringing students outside the classroom setting such as seminars, hotel and airline familiarizations, tour guiding competition and other tourism-related activities for them to fully experience and understand their field. Because the researchers believe that learning never stops in the four walls of the classroom itself instead they need to be exposed. Hiring faculty who are equipped with background and experience in the tourism industry and related jobs, such as those employed in tourism bureaus in government or tourism-related businesses, and those who have experience in organizing events/programs and activities. Certificates of accreditation from the DOT and other organizations such as TESDA on tour guiding, travel management, and so on would help instructors in molding and developing students as better tourism industry professionals with high employability. Faculty with tourism industry experience can share more of their familiarity with the industry that is not purely textbook-dependent. In terms of technical skills, revealed as a weakness among the graduates, the University should extend utmost effort to provide facilities of the tourism college such as ticketing office with systems of Fidelio, Abacus, and Amadeus. Offer different language course in every year for them to be globally competitive. REFERENCES Claire Rees, Peter Forbes and Bianca Kubler Student Employability Profiles: A Guide for Higher Education Practitioners Communication Skills http://www.communicationskills.com.in/definition-of-communication- skills.htm Final pre – proof draft of Harvey, L., 2001, â€Å"Defining and Measuring Employability†, Quality in Higher Education 7 (2), pp. 97 – 110 Lamberton and Minor (2010)http://wiki.answer.com/Q/whatishumanrelations Lomax, R.G. (2007) Statistical Concepts: A Second Course ISBN Management Skills www. buzzle.com/articles/management-skill Planet Philippines by Pepper Marcelo (March 30, 2011)After College, Now What? Planet Philippines Leandro Milan (January 23, 2010) Migration: Oversupply of Unemployable Graduates The Higher Education Academy Graduate Impact, Student Employability and Academic Integrity University of Glasgow: Employer’s Perception of the Employability Skills of New Graduates www. kent.ac.uk/careers/docs/graduate-employability-skills%202011.pdf Weinert, P., Baukens, M., et. Al (2001) Employability: From Theory and Practice, Transaction

Does Descartes Successfully Prove The Existence Of God Philosophy Essay

Does Descartes Successfully Prove The Existence Of God Philosophy Essay Descartes arch mission in the Meditations was to provide a theory that would help him get to the truth. Descartes book Meditations on First Philosophy consists of six meditations through which he addresses several uncertain issues in attempt to remove their uncertainties. Maybe the most essential meditation he speaks of is the third meditation in which he discusses the debatable issue of The Existence of God. Although the existence of God is an objective matter, Descartes method in proving this existence is perhaps the most efficient in removing any shadow of doubt which a person might have. This method, which will be further discussed, has its own imperfections and therefore it was fairly easy for doubters to come up with rebuttals and hence, the matter remains objective. Descartes begins his third meditation discussing the existence of himself and regards himself as a thinking thing. In addition to that, he erases any doubts having to do with his sensory experience saying that although he knows his sensory perception and imagination may not exist outside him, however, they do exist inside him and are means of thinking. This that has been said previously does help Descartes approach the truth he seeks but is still not sufficient. Furthermore he continues by saying that a person cannot exist independently; human beings were created by an infinite substance; a being that is eternal, independent and has the highest power plus intelligence. This infinite substance is the reason for the existence of human beings and everything surrounding them, this infinite substance is God. The existence of God to Descartes is a necessity and a crucial matter especially after he established that in order to exist as finite beings, an infinite substance must exist to create us. In previous meditations, Descartes talked about how doubts and desires come from an interpretation that people lack certain things and that people would not notice this lack if it werent for the existence of a more ideal presence that has the things lacked by people. Furthermore, Descartes saw that there is no reason to doubt the existence of God since his perception and understanding of God is an infinite reality and therefore is more likely to be authentic than other conceptions. Having inferred that God essentially exists, Descartes asks himself how he acquired the idea of God. That being said, he advised three types of ideas: Adventitious, factitious, and innate. Adventitious ideas are derived from knowledge that we encounter through life. Factitious ideas are ideas come from our creative imagination. Innate ideas come from within and so from this definition, Descartes considers God to exist as an idea which we were born with and which God himself placed in us. Descartes distinct and clear perception is that God exists as perfection. In order to be labeled as a betrayer, one must have defects and faults. Furthermore, since Descartes sees God as a faultless and infinite being, then God could not be a betrayer or a deceiver. Cogito, ergo sum is a Latin phrase meaning I think, therefore I am and which Descartes quotes. He then explains that as the cogito is there, so should the existence of God. Although meditation three mainly discusses the existence of God, Descartes raises the issue again in meditation five. Meditation five: The essence of material things, and the existence of God considered a second time, includes three principle matters. The first topic covers the essence of matter. The second topic discusses the ontological argument for Gods existence and the third matter involves getting to the route to perfect knowledge. In this meditation, Descartes distinguishes between two things; the essence and the existence. Before knowing of an existing thing, one must be aware of its essence. What he means by that is, knowing the essence of things is to find out whether these certain things could possibly exist and not be actually there. However, we will further see that this does not apply to God, and that God serves as an exception in this matter. Descartes was strongly against Aristotles argument of the essence. To Aristotle, one learns the essence of a triangle by observing and examining surrounding triangular objects. While Descartes says that we acquire knowledge of the essence mainly through the intellect and after that being done will we be able to observe objects in the world resembling triangles. Adding to that, Descartes continues with his argument against Aristotles belief and says that since there are no perfect triangles in the real world then how will we be able to understand them if they do not exist? He also discusses the issue of mathematically abstract equations which we have learned but have not derived from whats surrounding us in our world. He then decides to turn this argument of essence to a more important issue which is proving the existence of God a second time now. However, this second proof shows to be weaker than the one he has discussed in his third meditation. The fact that he considers he should add more proof in this meditation makes us wonder, is he not sure of his first proof? The proof he provides in the fifth meditation is a form of proof that was used amongst scholastic philosophers. We have already established that our formulated idea of God equals a perfect and infinite being. Hence, that would necessarily include existence; it would be considered ideal to exist than not to exist. According to the Descartes, the term existence is not just considered a characteristic of God but a crucial feature of Gods, so that means God cannot be created without associating existence with him. After that proof was known to people and philosophers, Kant pointed out that it contained flaws since he does not agree with the fact that existence defines and object. To Kant, existence does not accommodate a certain object as much as it accommodates the world. Therefore he concludes that existence is not a property of Gods. Although Descartes provided many explanations regarding his proofs, they still remain very objective thus raising many counter arguments presented by people and philosophers. Descartes claim that we have a clear and distinct idea of an infinite being is not a valid statement because we do not in any way have a clear idea of this infinite being. That being said, when we are able to think of an ideal being does not follow that this ideal being we are thinking of actually exists. Thinking of something does not validate its existence or make it actually exist. Furthermore, even if we have an idea of God within us, it does not necessarily mean that God put that idea in us. Our ideas are not all innate, we do possess adventitious ideas which enable us to think and imagine creatively thus creating the idea of God. In order for God to be able to create himself and exist independently, he must own the attribute of timelessness, and we cannot just assume that he does own that property; hence, we cannot say that God is the reason he exists. If we allow something to be there without a cause then we would be going against our nature, and if we do allow it, then how does that stop everything else from existing without a cause? These arguments are not denying the existence of God, they are just justifying that Descartes proofs and discussions are presented in a weak manner and do not successfully prove the existence of God. Descartes does present himself as an intelligent person with rational discussions, but has failed to provide much rational explanations with regards to the existence of God. Since the beginning of his meditations, Descartes did classify that his thoughts of God present God as a perfect infinite being and then he classified himself as an imperfect being. This poses a problem; how can an imperfect person decide and define which properties exist as being perfect and which do not? When he says that, it is as if he is saying that his judgments and explanations are as ideal as his idea of God. To conclude matters, it is possible to think of God and an imperfect being. However that does not summon the things I think of to existence. Every person can have a different thought or image of God according to his/her way of thinking. That is why, the existence of God remains a debatable issue and is very much objective regardless of the different present religions.

Situational Leadership Analysis Essay -- Leadership

Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory (SLT) asserts that a leader’s effectiveness is dependent upon the readiness, or ability and willingness, of the leader’s followers to complete a task. This leadership style is an amalgamation of task-oriented and relationship-oriented characteristics that are employed depending upon the situation and the followers involved. According to the SLT, as followers increase in readiness the leader’s style is to adapt accordingly (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2009). The table below (Babou, 2008) summarizes the leadership behaviors that the SLT presumes are appropriate to the various stages of follower readiness. Each quadrant of the Leadership Behaviors chart corresponds to the same quadrant in the Follower Readiness chart. Leadership Behaviors Style 1 (S1 or Directing): High task/low relationship This leader uses above-average amounts of task behavior and below-average amounts of relationship behavior. Style 2 (S2 or Coaching): High task/high relationship This leader uses greater-than-average amounts of both task and relationship behaviors. Style 3 (S3 or Supporting): High relationship/low task This leader exhibits greater-than-average amounts of relationship behavior and below-average amounts of task behavior. Style 4 (S4 or Delegating): Low relationship/low task This leader uses below-average amounts of both relationship and task behaviors. Follower Readiness For example, under this theory the leader would employ High Directive/High Support leadership behaviors to the Disillusioned Learner. Ideally, the leader helps the followers as they progress through the stages to achieve the Self-Reliant Achiever/Delegating level. While I do not necessarily ... ...ul leader. Without high competence in these areas, the leader is unlikely to find success to any significant degree regardless of how well he or she performs in the other areas. Overall I am pleased with where I currently am in these fundamental areas, particularly in those areas that define me as a person and would otherwise be extremely difficult to change. The areas of weakness reveal adjustments that I can make in my style and how I outwardly present myself, but I do not believe there are any gaps that cannot be bridged as I continue my quest to become a better leader. Works Cited Babou. (2008, March 26). Variations in situational leadership Web. 28 March 2015 http://leadershipchamps.wordpress.com/2008/03/26/variations-in-situational-leadership/ Kinicki, A., & Kreitner, R. (2009). Organizational behavior (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Revenue Management and Pricing Essay

Springfield Nor’easters was a new Class A minor league baseball team, which would start the first season in June 2009. The marketing director, Larry Buckingham, had to design the price scheme for the new season. Springfield was the third largest city in Massachusetts with 55,338 residents and around 60% of the households were families with children below 18. However, Springfield offered few spectator opportunities for sports fans, the only way to attend a professional baseball game is to drive to other cities. Springfield Nor’easters, the first professional baseball team in the region, will compete in one of the 19 regional leagues under Minor League Baseball (MiLB). Each of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) was affiliated with minor league teams and they funded players’ salaries as well as bat and ball expenses, while minor league teams were responsible for uniform expenses, league dues, office and travel expenses, etc. Nor’easters’ financial goal for the first year is break even and their income will come from tickets sales, concession sales and sponsors from local institutions and organizations. To design his tickets offers, Buckingham found that it’s important to both analyze the remaining data from a survey done in 2005 by League Sports Association and conduct a more detailed survey specific to the local market. Buckingham then figured out that his primary research objectives were to know how many people would come to the games and how much to charge them, and he made several observations while interviewing some counterparts of other minor league teams. First off, he needed to price seats on par with competition such as movies, bowling and other sporting events. Secondly, it’s important to have a well-designed mix of season tickets, group sales and individual tickets. Thirdly, he should consider promoting group sales with special promotions. Last but not least, concessions were critically important with at least a 39% profit margin. Buckingham kept three criteria in mind while designing the survey questions: maximum information yield for management decisions, question clarity for respondents, and ease of data analysis. He decided to conduct this survey by  mailing 10,000 postcards that would direct recipients to a website where they could complete a questionnaire and then get entered into a drawing. The online questionnaire was pretested three times and several questions were changed afterwards according to the feedback. The mailing list for the postcard was drawn from two sources. One half was taken from Springfield census tracts of households with income above the poverty level and the other was obtained from the mailing lists of four sports-related organizations in Springfield. Ultimately, 625 responses were tabulated. Luckily, Buckingham found that the sample respondent characteristics were fairly representative of the Springfield market. Buckingham knew that his real goal was to maximize not only ticket income but also concessions. He wanted to make sure the prices of different packages were set appropriately. Also, while calculating the concession sales, he was told to note that attendance would drop from around 100% (individual game) to 97% (5-game), 95% (20-game), 90% (38-game). With these things in mind, Buckingham started to analyze the survey data and calculated the optimal prices. We found that the actual pricing policy is much more complicated, there are a wide variety of seats, and more games (full season = 70 games). To have a more-close-to-situation price for comparison, we exclude the special and upscale tickets. Then average the rest’s ticket price (â€Å"Diamond Boxes†, â€Å"Field Boxes†, â€Å"Dugout Boxes†, and â€Å"General Admission†), and come up with a result of $9.25 per game. To sum up, our proposed price ($10/game) is slightly higher than the actual price, and the reasons are as followed. 　　First, in the actual stadium, there are some high-class club and seat that will compensate for other cheaper tickets. Second, there may be more advertisement, sponsorship, and special event revenue which haven’t been counted in the case. Third, the actual stadium may have more seats (ex. grass seating), so the ticket price can be lower ours. Lastly, however, global recession may be a cause, but we do not consider it to take a great part. Though the ticket price per NBA game actually increases through years, taking into account the improving but still sluggish economy in 2012 and the difference in popularity, it’s not likely that Springfield Cardinals is able to set price high.

Personal Statement

In order to fulfilling my dream and preparing for my work career, my target of studying abroad Is to accept the professional courses' trailing. And the program of management or some other subjects In business school would be my first choice. There are three advantages for me to study Management. First of all, character of Hard-working, the higher learning ability, and the strong interest of study made me ready for studying abroad. In undergraduate, I wonderfully complete my own professional courses.In addition, I have read many business books which I put this knowledge into practice. When I was a sophomore, I had applied for the national innovation project of College students. Under the teacher's guidance, we determined â€Å"Human foreign language environment's influence of international image† as project's title. In the three months of study, I show my diligent and the project supervisor appointed me as the project manager who should gear of solid bilingual foundation, exper ience In translation, and contrastive study of English and Chinese language.In this project, we mainly reviewed the English signs and Instructions In public places. And we made our efforts to Improve the city engage environment, enhance city image and grade. Second, in order to prepare for the postgraduate study in business courses, I deliberately practice my communication skills, leadership ability and team cooperation ability in some social practices. In freshman summer vacation, I have returned to my hometown.With local friends, we organized a college student's voluntary teaching program, hoping it could enrich the students' summer life through this activity, also wanting to try our ability to help local children. This event caused great repercussions in my hometown. Local students like me and my friends are happy to work with me. Besides, for as much as possible about the business aspects of knowledge, I also participated In extracurricular activities. As an assistant manager of Agricultural Bank of China I have learnt business knowledge and applied this to communicate with customer.In the absence of business education background, I sincerely have a good learning attitude and enterprising, in this way, I have created a better working performance. Third, I have a wide range of interests. In order to practice these hobbies, I keen on ring, get ready. As the saying goes, chance is for a person who always gets ready. Every year Huber University holds a large English drama competition, competition is open to all radio stations member to recruit final host.I have great interests to trying new things, so before the interview, I have better prepared, I changed my dress to formal cult and wrote my speech's manuscript. After the Interview, teacher finally pointed me be the English host. I felt an unexpected favor at that time, because I knew there were a lot of radio host professional veterans, and l, a non host tot the best one, but I appreciate your attitude badly , this makes me believe you can host this party. † Besides the host, I was a good actor.When I was a freshman, I was refused by the school's English drama club-â€Å"soma†. It sparked my interest in performing. So in one year, I got up early and faced to mirror to practice a variety of expressions, sadness, Joy or anger. Through my unremitting efforts, I officially became a member of soma in the second year. Just in the second year's final drama show, I applied for the heroine successfully. In that show night, I became the focus. After the show, I cried. The injured local will be your most powerful part.In addition to these advantages above, I have some other working experience all of which are relevant to Business or Management. I have worked as Chinese Unisom promoter and China Ping's bank loan officer to promote their products. During the processing of credit business, I further understand various types of financial status of the company also types of business. I yea rn for the advanced teaching and learning system and I hope to become an excellent businesswoman in future. Personal Statement Ivan Gonzalez Akune English 4:3 4 October , 2011 Personal Statement The obstacles in my life have shaped and influenced my goals for my future. Due to the struggles I have surpassed in my life. I have set high goals that one day I will accomplish. I am proud to say that my parents have influenced my high ideals. Being a child of two immigrant parents whom once had nothing, has really motivated me to stay committed and determined . I as well as other first generation students who are planning on attending college need to be aware that we need overcome a big obstacle which is ahead of us.College is a important topic brought up among ourselves and our family because of the high expectations that have been set. I need to accomplish whatever is required to reach my full potential. I will be the second of three children in my family to attend a four-year college, having followed my sister’s footsteps. I can relate to my parents as they first arrived to this country and my arrival to the real world. I look at my parents as role models because if they were able to go from nothing to something, so can I. This has motivated me to stay positive and committed to further my studies beyond a high school diploma.Something that has sparkled my interest in my choosen career is the success our country has had in the business world. I feel that being highly involved in sports it has allowed me to exercise my social skills, which are required in the business world. Being part of a team has taught me how to collaborate with others and gather ideas as well as information to deliberate. My interest in the business field comes from my urge to contribute to our country’s economic world. Business to me is something that occurs everyday, whether it be in a restaurant, at a store, or bank. Personal Statement Ivan Gonzalez Akune English 4:3 4 October , 2011 Personal Statement The obstacles in my life have shaped and influenced my goals for my future. Due to the struggles I have surpassed in my life. I have set high goals that one day I will accomplish. I am proud to say that my parents have influenced my high ideals. Being a child of two immigrant parents whom once had nothing, has really motivated me to stay committed and determined . I as well as other first generation students who are planning on attending college need to be aware that we need overcome a big obstacle which is ahead of us.College is a important topic brought up among ourselves and our family because of the high expectations that have been set. I need to accomplish whatever is required to reach my full potential. I will be the second of three children in my family to attend a four-year college, having followed my sister’s footsteps. I can relate to my parents as they first arrived to this country and my arrival to the real world. I look at my parents as role models because if they were able to go from nothing to something, so can I. This has motivated me to stay positive and committed to further my studies beyond a high school diploma.Something that has sparkled my interest in my choosen career is the success our country has had in the business world. I feel that being highly involved in sports it has allowed me to exercise my social skills, which are required in the business world. Being part of a team has taught me how to collaborate with others and gather ideas as well as information to deliberate. My interest in the business field comes from my urge to contribute to our country’s economic world. Business to me is something that occurs everyday, whether it be in a restaurant, at a store, or bank. Personal statement In today’s society, communication is everywhere , but for me the best and most influential form of communication is visual. Images are a huge part of todays world and in my eyes has the greatest potential to document the factual or express the imaginary. They can stimulate thought and challenge opinions.In a world where we are becoming increasingly disconnected from ourselves and each other I strongly believe that images help to reconnect us all. No other form of communication is as powerful, nor can speak to so many people across the world as the universal language of photography. It fascinates me how a simple click of a camera can capture a moment that will remain in the memory forever.I am relatively new to photography, really only expressing a genuine interest in the last twelve months or so, and my passion for it has grown and continues to grow, using books, magazines, videos and various other sources I have educated myself in how to compose photographs , Taking photos of my children where ever it may be, in the house, on a family day out, family weddings trying to better my skills and create images pleasing not just to my eyes but others aswell, finally taking the step to enroll on an access to higher education course to follow my chosen career path.Documentary photography caught my eye, viewing images from the likes of don mc’cullin from various conflicts around the globe and seeing firsthand of the hardships, the terror and also the romance of war. Another subject was the likes of portraiture and wedding photography. Making a man and wife’s special day bring a smile, a tear and laughter for years to come as an ever lasting memory. Although I don’t really have any actual work experience I take my camera wherever I go, family days out, weddings, birthdays religious holidays and most of all for fun with my children, who are more than happy to pose at a seconds notice.Working with backdrops and lights, ever striving to perfect di fferent techniques. By doing a degree in photography I feel that not only will my dreams of becoming a photographer come true but the skills I have already gained through photography will become larger and I will succeed in all my hard work. I hope to then pursue my career as a photographer in whatever path I choose to go down understanding the skills necessary for the career I want are both creatively and academically challenging, but due to my thriving ambition, social ability, and an overall love of this subject, is definatley something I could excel at, given the opportunity. Personal Statement I had often heard my teachers at school saying that an ambition with focused efforts eventually leads to success. These motivational words provided me encouragement and will to plan my goals, and work diligently to achieve them. Since my long-term career goal has been to acquire the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical work experience for leading a professionally managed Fortune 500 company, I can assert that I am on the right path of professional advancement. Achievements at School and Management Lessons from Work in SingaporeI have been fortunate to receive excellent education at school and college from topnotch institution in Singapore. I completed my schooling from St. Francis Methodist School in Singapore with outstanding grades under the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level) Examination. I was always punctual and regular in submitting my assignments. Owing to my noteworthy performance, I was honored with â€Å"Academic Excellent Award. † Besides, I participated in extra-curricular activities like sports, and won inter-school competitions on behalf of my school.My punctuality, politeness, awards in inter-school competitions and excellent academic results fetched me the title of â€Å"Student Ambassador. † My achievements at school bolstered my confidence to study Business Administration from a reputed North American university. Since most of the reputed universities require a minimum of five years of work experience as a criterion for admission, I decided to work in Singapore as â€Å"Assistant Stage Manager,† and in the meantime, I started applying for admission to various colleges in Canada with reasonable tuition costs.During my tenure as â€Å"Assistant Stage Manager,† I improved my organizational and time management skills. I realized that self-discipline is important in life, and to imbibe this vital trait, I practiced very hard, and with my sheer perseverance, I gradually learnt to balance my personal and professional life. I was entrusted with responsibility, where my duties included interaction with business clients, stage artists, and reporting to the higher management of the company.I was sincere in my work, and I exceeded the expectations of my boss. I realized that my practical management lessons had already started here, and I was developing my communication skills as well. However, I felt that I needed more theoretical knowledge in management, which would provide a strong foundation for my long-term professional goal. Upgrading Management Skills in Canada Fortune favored me when I got acceptance for a High School Diploma from Bronte College of Canada in Mississauga, Ontario.I was delighted, and soon enrolled in the academic program. Since I had to pay the tuition fees for the program, I worked as a â€Å"Barista† in the Starbucks Coffee Company. Besides earning money to pay my tuition costs and other living expenses, I was also getting an expos ure to the North American society. My direct interaction with the customers helped me to enhance my interpersonal skills, and moreover, I was quickly learning about the art of coffee making.Before joining Starbucks, I had never enjoyed cooking in my life, but while working as a â€Å"Barista,† my culinary passion developed strongly, and I found myself cooking exotic food at my home not only for myself but also for my friends. However, an entrepreneur spirit within me motivated me to start my small business, and now, I own a company called Western Cooper and Metal. I have experienced that life is proper management of time and job priorities, whose theory needs to be applied in practice, and I can say with confidence that I have been able to do it successfully.Advanced Management Course at Liberty University, Virginia As a self-employed professional, I have been trying to use my work experience, and learn from the available online educational sources to enhance my management sk ills. Since my work took most of the time, I had enrolled in an online management program called the â€Å"Associate of Arts in Business,† which is run by the Liberty University in Virginia. After successful completion of the program, I have studied the foundation level courses in accounting, business administration, computing, law, statistics, etc.Now, I am prepared to pursue the Bachelor of Business Administration program from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Admission to the BBA Program from University of Massachusetts at Amherst I have been slowly and steadily working towards the attainment of my long-term goal of leading a Fortune 500 company. Good managers need good theoretical knowledge, which can be learnt only from reputed schools of management.After doing a good research of the management schools, I am applying for admission to the part-time BBA program from the Isenberg School of Management in the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. I have the necess ary educational background and relevant work experience, which shall enable me to pursue the management program. I have an excellent command over English language, and I can read, write and speak in English without any difficulty. I have already studied from two premier educational institutions in Canada and the U.S. A. I am adept at using Microsoft Office and Internet, while my programming skills in Java are also excellent. Since my admission shall influence the attainment of my long-term professional goal, I request the admissions committee to kindly consider my application based on my outstanding educational qualifications and work experience. It shall be an honor for me to learn from distinguished professors at the Isenberg School of Management in the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Personal Statement Ivan Gonzalez Akune English 4:3 4 October , 2011 Personal Statement The obstacles in my life have shaped and influenced my goals for my future. Due to the struggles I have surpassed in my life. I have set high goals that one day I will accomplish. I am proud to say that my parents have influenced my high ideals. Being a child of two immigrant parents whom once had nothing, has really motivated me to stay committed and determined . I as well as other first generation students who are planning on attending college need to be aware that we need overcome a big obstacle which is ahead of us.College is a important topic brought up among ourselves and our family because of the high expectations that have been set. I need to accomplish whatever is required to reach my full potential. I will be the second of three children in my family to attend a four-year college, having followed my sister’s footsteps. I can relate to my parents as they first arrived to this country and my arrival to the real world. I look at my parents as role models because if they were able to go from nothing to something, so can I. This has motivated me to stay positive and committed to further my studies beyond a high school diploma.Something that has sparkled my interest in my choosen career is the success our country has had in the business world. I feel that being highly involved in sports it has allowed me to exercise my social skills, which are required in the business world. Being part of a team has taught me how to collaborate with others and gather ideas as well as information to deliberate. My interest in the business field comes from my urge to contribute to our country’s economic world. Business to me is something that occurs everyday, whether it be in a restaurant, at a store, or bank.