Organization behavior class in the news report Essay

Organization behavior class in the news report - Essay Example The author pointed out the openness of Grove to learn from his audience, his students. Being an educator at Stanford University, Grove have laid down a realistic case, very truthful indeed because it pertains to the future of his very own company. Tedlow used this incident to show his readers the leadership style of Grove. He wrote a brief biography of the CEO by accident, how, from being an engineer, he strove to become one of the most admired corporate leaders using his past experiences to as guides and educational tools. Tedlow also highlighted Grove's reliance on data during decision-making. He finally pointed out Grove's advocacy in independent thinking. Thinking for one's self using data and previous experiences (and mistakes) as references are cornerstones of Grove's leadership style. In the other article, "Peter Drucker On Leadership" Forbes author Rich Karlgaard used his personal interview with the management guru in plotting out the latter's basic leadership principles. The first point that the author raised is Drucker's emphasis on the question "What needs to be done" For Drucker, knowing what a leader needs to do, as opposed to the asking one's self "What do I want to do," is the key for successful management. Checking one's performance based on the things they ought to do is the next success factor of effective leaders. Drucker further emphasized that effective leaders are mission driven and are willing to turn down other irrelevant tasks to their mission. They also make clear what their current priorities are to their subordinates. A unique leadership style is also required. Focusing on strengths and delegating tasks you are weak at. To save time and money, Drucker also advised leaders to refrain from too much travelling and instead use the power of modern technologies to facilitate communication with subordinates. Karlgaard further warned leaders that misuse of charisma is detrimental to one's leadership. Better be a reliable silent leader than a deceitful charismatic one. Google's CEO Eric E. Schmidt narrowly focused strategy is what author Ben Elgin examines in his article "Google: A $50 Billion 'One Trick Pony'" in Business Week. Elgin showed how the search engine giant preferred to stick with its existing method of generating income than to diversify its advertising product line by exploring other income opportunities. The author commented that Google's singularity in its focus to its text advertisements might hurt the company in the future. Article Comparison These articles show three different perspectives on leadership. The first one is about the hands-on leadership principles accumulated by Andrew Grove. As a practicing business leader, Grove pointed out his first-hand wisdom on how to drive an organization to the top. Based on his past experiences of Grove's failures and successes, Tedlow gave us a picture on how the CEO riskily responded to the leadership problems that he encountered. The second article is more conservative and theoretical. It concerns more on the wisdom gained by an academe and business book writer, Peter Drucker. Drucker based his writings on his researches about CEO's. Being a business professor he gives us theoretical pointers rather than practical wisdom in leading an organization. Karlgaard's article is more of a commentary concerning the soundness of Schmidt's strategy. By limiting is focus on a single product line, Google has become a towering leader in that particular market. Despite these contrasts

School Connectedness analysisi based on multiple studies Essay

School Connectedness analysisi based on multiple studies - Essay Example Introduction School connectedness is a concept that refers to the extent of attachment, trust, compassion and positivity observed and felt by students for their school environment, teachers and class mates (Whitlock, 2003). In another view, it can be perceived as an ideological barometer of judging the true strength of a government’s academic policies, and the overall success of any educational institution. Whitlock (2003, p.1) affirms that â€Å"school connectedness revolves around the idea that when young people consistently receive empathy, attention, and praise at school, they feel a sense of belonging and support that is the springboard for healthy growth and development." It is also known as â€Å"school engagement," â€Å"school attachment,† and â€Å"school bonding† (Blum, 2004, p.1). Countless studies so far have been conducted to analyze the strength, importance, and impact of school connectedness on the cognitive, emotional, physical, and social grow th as well as the familial lives of students from varying age groups. Every research in this matter provides extra ordinary findings, exclusive details, and enlightening analysis about the miscellaneous factors associated with school connectedness. ... However, the concept of school bonding is not a hypothetical one; it is an integral factor that influences every student in one way or the other. That is why it was deemed important to understand and evaluate the varying levels of school connectedness on different aspects of an individual’s life. Robert Blum explains that â€Å"research on students’ attachment to the schools they attend is conducted in a variety of disciplines: education, health, psychology and sociology† (2004, p.1). Therefore, in search of a perfect analysis for this report, different studies on all these aspect will be inspected so that the importance of school bonding could be understood. School and family share a correlated association because home environment and preferences hugely affect the level of school connectedness. This is why the influence and impact of family conditions and environs on school belonging is important to be analyzed first. It is a pre-conceived notion that family and school are the two most important stabilizing factors in a person’s life and that their strong coalition produces an everlasting impact on students from a very early age. However, it is important to analyze if strong parent-teacher frequency really is important for developing strong sense of school-likeness. Serpell and Mashburn (2011) observed the extent to which family-school connection affected children’s social growth during Prekindergarten. A combination of 2966 multi-lingual four-aged children from 240 classrooms of 40 prominent state-funded Pre-K study programs in six states of USA participated in this study (Serpell & Mashburn, 2012). The results revealed that â€Å"pre-k teachers' perceptions of a positive relationship with parents are strongly associated with their ratings of children's

Overview of Cryptographic Techniques

Overview of Cryptographic Techniques Gunasekaran, Priya Dharshini Cryptographic Techniques The backbone of many organization is the electronic communications. Most of the information are communicated online. Hence the important informations are to be maintained confidentially. To maintain the highly confidential information, a secure and robust system is required. Som and Banerjee (2013, p. 1) states that â€Å"Cryptography is the science of making communication unintelligible to everyone except the intended receiver(s).† Message secrecy and reliability, sender verification are the main feature provided by cryptography. The major functionality of cryptography are encryption and decryption. Encryption is a process of changing the simple text into a cipher text. Decryption is the reverse process, changing the cipher text into a simple readable text. The encryption and the decryption are processed based on the key shared between the sender and the receiver. Sender uses the key to encrypt the information, whereas the receiver uses the key to decrypt the encrypted inform ation. Kester and Danquah says that symmetric and asymmetric are the two main cryptographic algorithms. Symmetric key algorithm exchanges the public key which is used to encrypt and decrypt the message. Asymmetric algorithm provides more security than the symmetric algorithm since it uses both public and private keys for generating the cipher text. Various cryptographic techniques have been discovered based on the symmetric and asymmetric algorithms. This paper discuss the three major cryptographic techniques, square matrix algorithm, public key exchange algorithm using matrix, and asymmetric key algorithm using arithmetic equations. The most basic cryptographic technique is square matrix algorithm. Som and Banerjee says that in this technique the data is placed in the square matrix as in Figure 1 (2013, p. 1). The authors says that a matrix is considered based on the size of the simple text and the letters in the simple text are placed diagonally in the matrix (2013). Som and Banerjee explains that the key is generated by adding the position values of the letters in the diagonal position (p. 1).The author explains that the letters in the square are read serially and the position values are added with the key value obtained. Som and Banerjee says that for the each of the position value obtained the chipper text is generated (p. 2). Som and Banerjee explains this algorithm taking the simple text as â€Å"DIFFERENTIATIONS† (p. 2). Figure 1. Plain text are placed into a square matrix (Som, Banerjee, 2013, p. 2) Som and Banerjee describes that the key is generated as addi ng the position value of ‘D’, position value of ‘E’, position value of ‘T’, position value of ‘S’ which results as 38, the value of the each letters are like A being1 up to Z being 26 (2013, p. 2). Som and Banerjee states that the intermediate chipper text generated by adding the key value with the each of the position value is â€Å"PURQRQZMDFFAUUZE† as in Figure 2 (p. 2). Figure 2. The matric table of the intermediate cipher text (Som, Banerjee, 2013, p. 2) According to Som and Banerjee intermediate chipper text is converted into binary form and the sub sectioned (2013, p. 3). Som and Banerjee says that the binary converted data is combined with the next set of blocks (p. 3). This procedure is followed for all the sub sectioned blocks. In this way the each of the block is formed resulting in the actual cipher text. In this example the actual cipher text is 640 680 656 2592 2624 2592 180 152 24159191040 20401094936 70 260 680 680 720 517. Som and Banerjee explain that the decryption of the cipher is converting the number into its binary form (p. 3). The authors also explains that the binary data is then divided into a set of blocks and the individual letter for the each block is obtained (2013). Som and Banerjee states that the plain text is obtained by subtracting the position value of the intermediate text with the shared key value (2013). This method is one of the easiest method to secure the information. Public key exchange algorithm using matrix is another cryptographic techniques. Kester explains the algorithm with help of two parties A and B. According to Kester an individual private key will be chosen for the parties A and B as APVK and BPVK respectively (2012). The author syas that the public key of the party A and B, APUK and BPUK is obtained from the private key using an algorithm, considering the algorithm being CGN as shown in the Figure 3 and Figure 4 respectively (2012). Figure 3. Public key generation for the party A (Kester, 2012, p. 79) Figure 4. Public key generation for the party B (Kester, 2012, p. 79) Kester also says that the public key, APUK and BPUK, is shared between both the parties (2012, p. 79). According to author the private key is not exchanged between the parties (2012, p. 79). Kester describes that the plain text is encrypted by the party A and sent to party B (2012, p. 79). The author also says that the encryption is performed using the private key of party A and the public of the party B, since the public is shared with the party A (2012). Kester explains that the encrypted text is sent to the party B (2012, p. 79). Kester states that the message received by party B is decrypted using the private key of the party A (2012, p.79). The author describes that the public key is primarily used for authentication and private keys are used for encryption (2012). According to Kester, â€Å"The decryption of the message of a particular cipher text will only be possible if and only if the message sent is intended to be read by that recipient† (2012, p. 80). This algorithm is the basic functionality for all encryption and decryption methods. Asymmetric key algorithm using arithmetic equations is a mathematical cryptographic technique. According to Kester and Danquah (2012, p. 71), the intermediate cipher text is generated using twelve equation and the main cipher text is generated using the shared key. Kester and Danquah state that there are two keys for a complete cryptographic procedure which are public key for authentication, private key for encryption and decryption (2012). Kester and Danquah describes that a software was developed based on the public key and the private key (2012). Kester and Danquah also states that only eight string of data can be used by the software (2012). Therefore this algorithm is explains the method to generate the chipper text using the software. According to Kester and Danquah, a constant value a chose between which below the number of letter of the plain text (2012).The authors state that the public key if the indivual part is generated by applying the mod function on the constant value (2012). The authors also say that the private key is any value chose below the number of letter in the plain text (2012). The authors state that the cipher text is generated using on the private and the public keys using the mod function (2012). The authors state that the public key is shared between two users and the private key is generated for individual users (2012, p. 71). Kester and Danquah says that the decryption is the reverse process of the encryption following the algorithm form the step 12 to the step 1 (2012). The authors also say that the public generated id unique for sender and the receiver and is dependent on the private key of the sender and the receiver (2012, p. 72). Kester and Danquah state that â€Å"The cipher for the public key from the private key and vice versa depends on the function used to generate keys† (2012, p. 73). This algorithm is an arithmetic cryptographic techniques generating the cipher text based on the position of the text place. Square matrix algorithm, public key exchange algorithm using matrix, and asymmetric key algorithm using arithmetic equations are the three major cryptographic techniques. They are several different cryptographic methods to secure the message delivered through the internet. Mukesh and Subashini says that biometric algorithm has been implemented widely and is proved that the data is secured effectively (2012, p. 19). References Kester, Q. A., (2012). A Public-Key Exchange Cryptographic Technique using Matrix, IEEE, 978-1-4673-4789-1/12, 78-81. Kester, Q. A., Danquah, P., (2012). A Novel Cryptographic key technique, IEEE, 978-1-4673-4789-1/12, 70-73. Mukesh, R., Subashini, V. J., (2012). Fingerprint based Authentication system using threshold visual cryptographic technique, IEEE, IBSN: 978-81-909042-2-3, 16-19. Som, S., Banerjee, M., (2013). Cryptographic Technique by Square Matrix and Single Point Crossover on Binary Field, IEEE, 978-1-4673-2821-0/12, 106.

Easter Island :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stony sentry’s, carved years ago by Polynesian craftsmen, gaze over one of the most remote places in the world. With their land enlarged by overuse, islanders now draw on a revival of their culture to attract visitors. I intend to tell about this small island off the coast of Chile named Easter Island.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Easter Island, submerged volcanic mountain range in the eastern Pacific Ocean, is located 500 miles South of the Tropic of Capricorn, and 2,200 miles West of Chile. This area is located were it is swept by strong trade winds. Because of his, the island remains warm through out the year. As you know, Easter Island is small. To be exact it has an area of 64 square miles about the size of Washington D.C. Easter Island’s population as grown a lot since diseases spread to most of the island in1877. Some of the remaining people left for South America, and the island was left 110 people. The population grew throughout the years in 1955 it was 990, in 1980 it was 1,842 and in 1989 it was 2,095.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As many people have traditions, at parties and other celebrations, Easter Island has its own. They paint their bodies, the chant, they dance and the sing songs of their forbears. Each September, flocks of sooty terns come to nest on tiny islets about a mile off the shore. Since ancient times, there have been ceremonies to celebrate the birds’ arrival and to choose the birdman. The birdman competition is where each clan selected a representative to swim to the islets where the birds nested. They are to find and egg and swim back the first one back with an unbroken egg becomes the birdman. Another competition is during Tapati Rapa Nui - Rapa Nui is where guys race with heavy loads on their backs to try to win points for a girl, out of many girls, who want to be crowned festival queen. Some islanders practice the custom of elongating their earlobes. This was done by piercing the ear and gradually enlarging the hole.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today most experts believe that Easter Island was first settled by Polynesians looking for a new homeland. About 1680 A.D, the quality of life on the island began to decrease. At this time, clan rivals erupted in a bloody battle between long ears and shorts ears. This destruction of the islands natural resource undoubtedly contributed to its decline.

Black Madonna’s Essay

According to Scheer Black Madonna’s have went from majesty to mystery with the construct of race as a science toward the end of the 18th century. With this construct of race it begins to dramatically undermine the pious interpretations of the objects and images surrounding the Black Madonna. A common theme used is that the Madonna’s became black unintentional, has greatly affected the depth into which the study of the Black Madonna’s has gone. Michael P. Duricy gives three categories in which the Madonna’s can be placed: 1) Dark brown or black Madonna’s with skin pigmentation matching that of the indigenous population. 2) Those that have turn black as a result of certain physical factors such as deterioration of lead-based paints, accumulated smoke from the use of votive candles; and the accumulation of grime over the ages. The third and final category is a residual category with no ready explanation. Charles Rohault de Fleury and Stephen Beissel support the second category that the images were blackened by the surround elements. There are two strong theories that if the Madonna was indeed intentionally darkened it was because the Madonna was to illustrate a text from the Canticle of Canticles or Song of Songs that said â€Å"I am black but beautiful† Stephen Benko summarizes the other theory as relating the Black Madonna to the ancient earth-goddess and then converted to Christianity. The most fertile soil is black in color and the blacker it is the more suited it is for agriculture. Scheer mentions that the ideas of pre-Christian beliefs are preserved in the folk culture of the Black Madonna’s earth centered spirituality at the helm of the hypothesis of the color choice of the Madonna’s. Scheer says that there is no mention of color of the Madonna’s only the recurrence in motifs of a miraculous find and the refused removal of the object or painting. Lastly, Scheer mentions that the votive tablets do not speak of when the images became black but when they were perceived Black.

Only Child Syndrome Essay

When most couples today are thinking about kids, they wonder how many they should have. Some people want big families and others would rather have smaller ones. Then there are others that have no clue. They may worry about ‘the only child syndrome†, there are some people that believe it’s true. The question is ‘what is the only child syndrome? It’s a myth that dates back all the way to the late 1800s. When G. Stanley Hall said being an only child was â€Å"a disease all in itself.† Susan Newman, a social psychologist at Rutgers University and the author of the book â€Å"Parenting an Only Child† says the myth has been continued because, â€Å"People articulate that only children are spoiled, they’re aggressive, they’re bossy, they’re lonely, they’re maladjusted and the list goes on and on and on.† (Only-Child Syndrome or Advantage) But there is no science to prove that the stereotype is true. Newman has said, â€Å"There has been hundreds and hundreds of research studies that show that only children are no different from their peers.† (OCSA) Even though most parents fear that their child will have â€Å"the only child syndrome†, there are many positive aspects of having an only child. Children are expensive. According to the department of Labor, for families that make roughly $60,000 a year, each child costs more than $250,000 by the time he or she reaches 18, and that doesn’t include the cost of college (What’s Better: One Child or Siblings?). Children cost their parents roughly $50,000 in just food by the time their 18. †Twenty percent of the family population is one child,† Susan Newman said. â€Å"In the major metropolitan cities, like New York and Los Angeles, that number is thirty percent. People are having children later, which leaves less time for having the second child. Housing is expensive. The divorce rate hovers at fifty percent. Often both parents are working, and child care is a factor.† (WB:OCS) By being in an only child family, the child can develop better verbal skills and excel in school because they have more time to read than children with siblings. They also tend to have high IQ’s because their parents hold them to such high expectations and have more money to give them for schooling. Only children usually have good leadership benefits. They are both born first and last so they have both roles that they have to assume. Only children don’t usually take to groups often, but when they do they more that usually will dominate the group in leadership positions (Only Child Versus Multiple Siblings). As an only child they don’t have to worry about sibling rivalries. They don’t have to worry about competing for their parent’s affection. Sibling rivalries may become out of control when a younger, rebellious siblings compete for their parent’s affection. In some instances, sibling rivalries have become fatal when inheritances or other emotional affection come into play (OCVMS). It’s no fun having a sibling that your parent’s think can do no wrong. The child always has to get compared to this sibling no matter what they do. It would put a strain on the relationship with the sibling and also the relationship with the parents. An only child wouldn’t have to deal with any of that. Only children can grow up to become more independent, that is if their parents haven’t spoiled them by tending to their each and every need (Advantages and Disadvantages of Being an Only Child). They wouldn’t have an older sibling to depend on to help them every step of the way so they would have to fend for themselves. There may be many advantages of being an only child but there are also some disadvantages. â€Å"The Little Emperor Syndrome† is one that comes to mind. The Little Emperor Syndrome is an unintended consequence of China’s one-child policy. The parent gives their love, attention, resources to the one child and the results are that the child becomes spoiled and behaves like a â€Å"Little Emperor†. (ADBOC) The child gets used to having everything done for them by their parent so much so that when they live in the real world, they are faced with real problems they may not be able to cope with. They may also lack self-confidence, and may feel lost when they are outside of the shelter that their parent have made for them. This may not always be the case though. It can be overcome with good parenting. Another big disadvantage of being an only child may be the feeling of loneliness. They wouldn’t have any siblings to talk to and share memories with, or to play with on the weekends. When their parents are no longer around, not having someone to talk to or look up to for any kind of help or support can be a real problem for the child. Furthermore, when their parents are older and need to have someone to take care of them, the only child would have to have all of that responsibility on their shoulders and it could get very overwhelming (ADBOC). An only child could have a lot of pressure put on them by their parents. Like pressure to keep the family name going, or academic pressures. Also being an only child could mean having your parents watch you like a hawk, which may be quite suffocating and stressful. Having siblings could take some of that pressure off that one child and they could have a more of a stress free life. But again this may not be true in all cases. The only child may be able to handle stress easily or have no stress at all. Only children have to work twice as hard at making friends. They don’t have the opportunity of learning social skills by having other children in their household. So that means they have to learn all of their social skills in the real world with other children. An only child may be labeled as a â€Å"spoiled brat† by others that are jealous of their success. They usually receive more negativity from the world than children who were raised with multiple siblings (OCVMS). They may also be labeled as â€Å"loners† because they are used to working on their own on solving problems. A â€Å"loner† isn’t usually taken well by society. Only children usually value their privacy and the luxuries of having their personal lives communicated only to trusted groups of individuals (OCVMS). On the other hand, having multiple siblings can have its advantages, too. Children with siblings learn to negotiate, dominate or submit to other people. They learn to interact with each other at home first rather than with other children. Siblings tend to learn from each other’s mistakes. The first born usually take the role of the â€Å"teacher† or the boss in the family. They can teach the younger siblings about the things they did wrong when they were younger and didn’t know themselves. People who must deal with multiple siblings learn to be better leaders. They are taught to cooperate negotiate and in some instances, compete at home (OCVMS). Most likely the oldest sibling is usually the natural born leader. When individuals have siblings they tend to learn early n what their strengths and weaknesses are and they can build their lives accordingly. Negotiating with multiple siblings is usually a big reason so individuals to learn fast what their strength and we aknesses are so they can use them. Like being an only child, having siblings has its disadvantages too. Having to fight for parent attention and financial support is a big one. Parents who often have to educate multiple kids and enroll them in social activities find themselves in financial strain (OCVMS). So if there is a big age difference between kids, one child may have completely different experience that the other siblings. The blame game is another disadvantage. Younger siblings are usually more rebellious and less successful. The older sibling is usually the one that takes the heat for the younger sibling’s proclivities or personality traits. Younger male siblings are more likely to become homosexual. In fact, there is a 20% chance that a younger male sibling will become gay (OCVMS). Jealousy is often directed toward the older and usually more successful sibling. The younger siblings may form a group to unseat the older sibling from their â€Å"throne.† Younger siblings may be jealous of the older siblings’ money, knowledge, spouse, status, or the time that was spent with their parents before they were born. This happens especially when there is a significant age different between siblings. Many couples now days have to worry about many different things when they want to become parents. They worry about how many kids they want and financially strains of having children. I come from a family where I am the eldest of four younger siblings. Even though I don’t experience it first hand, I am not one who believes in the only child syndrome. Works Cited â€Å"Advantages and Disadvantages of Being an Only Child.† HubPages. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"Joys of Parenting.† Joys of Parenting. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"Only Child Syndrome a Myth.† Discovery News. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"The Situationist.† The Situationist. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.

Amy Beach (Mrs. H. H. A. Beach)

Amy Beach (Mrs. H. H. A. Beach) Amy Beach Facts Known for: classical composer, whose success was unusual for her sex, one of few American composers recognized internationally at the timeOccupation: pianist, composerDates: September 5, 1867 - December 27, 1944Also known as: Amy Marcy Cheney, Amy Marcy Cheney Beach, Amy Cheney Beach, Mrs. H. H. A. Beach Amy Beach Biography: Amy Cheney began to sing at the age of two and play piano at the age of four. She began her formal study of piano at age six, taught first by her mother. When she performed in her first public recital at age seven, she included some pieces of her own composition. Her parents had her study music in Boston, although it was more common for musicians of her talent to study in Europe. She attended a private school in Boston and studied with musical teachers and coaches Ernst Perabo, Junius Hill and Carl Baermann. At the age of sixteen, Amy Cheney had her professional debut, and in March, 1885, appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, performing Chopins F minor concerto. In December of 1885, when she was eighteen, Amy married a much-older man. Dr. Henry Harris Aubrey Beach was a surgeon in Boston who was also an amateur musician. Amy Beach used the professional name Mrs. H. H. A. Beach from that time on, though more recently, she has been credited as Amy Beach or Amy Cheney Beach. Dr. Beach encouraged his wife to compose and publish her compositions, rather than perform publicly, after their marriage, bowing to a Victorian custom of wives avoiding the public sphere. Her Mass was performed by the Boston Symphony in 1892. She had achieved enough recognition to be asked to compose a choral piece for the 1893 Worlds Fair in Chicago. Her Gaelic Symphony, based on folk tunes of Ireland, by that same orchestra in 1896. She composed a piano concerto, and in a rare public appearance, soloed with the Boston Symphony in April of 1900 to debut that piece. A 1904 work, Variations on Balkan Themes, also used folk tunes as inspiration. In 1910, Dr. Beach died; the marriage had been happy but childless. Amy Beach continued composing and returned to performing. She toured Europe, playing her own compositions. Europeans were not used to either American composers or female composers meeting their high standards for classical music, and she gained considerable attention for her work there. Amy Beach began using that name when in Europe, but returned to using Mrs. H. H. A. Beach when she discovered that she already had some recognition for her compositions published under that name. She was once asked in Europe, when still using the name Amy Beach, whether she was the daughter of Mrs. H. H. A. Beach. When Amy Beach returned to America in 1914, she lived in New York and continued composing and performing. She played at two other Worlds Fairs: in 1915 in San Francisco and in 1939 in New York. She performed at the White House for Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. The womens suffrage movement used her career as an example of a womans success. That it was unusual for a woman to achieve her level of recognition is reflected in the comment by George Witefield Chadwick, another Boston composer, who called her one of the boys for her excellence. Her style, influenced by the New England composers and romantics, and influenced by the American Transcendentalists, was considered during her own lifetime to be somewhat out of date. In the 1970s, with the rise of feminism and attention to womens history, Amy Beachs music was rediscovered and performed more often than it had been. No known recordings of her own performances exist. Key Works Amy Beach wrote more than 150 works, and published almost all of those. These are some of the best-known: 1889: Valse-Caprice1892: Fireflies1892: Mass in E-flat major1892: aria Eilende Wolken1893: Festival Jubilate1893: Ecstasy1894: Ballad1896: Gaelic Symphony1900: Three Browning Songs1903: June1904: Shena Van1907: The Chambered Nautilus1915: Panama Hymn1922: The Hermit Thrush at Eve and The Hermit Thrush at Morn1928: The Canticle of the Sun

HOPE Foundation essays

HOPE Foundation essays In Georgia, there is a program going on that helps out the student immensely. The Georgia State Lottery is used as a device to send hard-working students to college for free. Since the start of the lottery, over 488,00 kids have gone to college on the HOPE scholarship due to the lottery (Message from the President 1). Also, the lottery helps pay for pre-kindergarten facilities and programs, as well as computer and technology upgrades for their high schools through the HOPE foundation. North Carolina needs to take a serious look at the revenue Georgia brings from its lottery and think how it could be beneficial for North Carolina students. First, the lottery helps out a tremendous amount of students through the HOPE program. The way that the Hope scholarship works is that all Georgia high school students that graduates with a 'B' average or higher becomes eligible to receive a grant to help cover the cost of tuition, book, and mandatory fees at any public Georgia college or university and a $3,000 dollar scholarship to any private college (Educational Uses of Lottery Proceeds 1). Also, they will provide full tuition, books, and fees to any technical institute in the state of Georgia. That sounds like a whole lot of incentive for young adults to make a 'B' average in school. I just don't understand why North Carolina does not have the same incentive for our children. To keep the college student a good student, you must also keep a 'B' average in college to keep your scholarship. Georgia has given more than 1 billion dollars toward college bound students since 1993 (HOPE scholarship 1). North Carolina has no pro grams of this sort. Two years after starting college, HOPE recipients have a higher G.P.A. (grade point average), and have earned more credit hours than their counterparts who do not have the HOPE scholarship according to The Council For School Performance (Council for School Perfo ...

Worlds Biggest Smoke Bomb

Worlds Biggest Smoke Bomb Have you ever wondered just how big the worlds biggest smoke bomb would be or how it could be constructed? We built a 15-pound smoke bomb to apply for the Guinness World Record for Worlds Biggest Smoke Bomb. Heres how the worlds biggest smoke bomb was made. Why explain how to do it? Well, one of the requirements for a Guinness World Record is that it be breakable. Im hoping explaining how it was done will inspire you to make your own smoke bomb and experiment with the possibilities. Its what science and invention are all about! In addition to this written description, theres also a video, showing the final result. Smoke Bomb Recipe There are several ways to produce smoke, but for a device to be a smoke bomb, it needs to produce a lot of smoke. Dry ice and liquid nitrogen produce fog, but thats something different from smoke. If you want real smoke, you can prepare a powdered smoke mixture or make a solid smoke bomb. To make the worlds biggest smoke bomb, we went with the traditional saltpeter and sugar mixture. You can get smoke at different ratios of ingredients. We made the smoke bomb using: 3 parts saltpeter or potassium nitrate (Spectracide Stump Remover)2 parts sucrose (granulated white sugar) Its possible to make a smoke bomb by dampening these ingredients, mixing them and allowing the formula to dry, but that can take a really long time, plus it doesnt burn as well as the cooked mixture. We cooked the smoke bomb in relatively small batches on a kitchen stove, pouring each batch into a large cardboard mortar. Preparing the Smoke Bomb This smoke bomb formula also is used for model rockets because it produces a lot of pressure as gases are released during combustion. This is great for a rocket, but not desirable for a smoke bomb, so the design needed to prevent the smoke bomb from launching itself. To accomplish this, holes were drilled into the cardboard mortar so gases would escape in all directions. The completed smoke bomb was placed in a hole and lit from the top so that it would push down into the ground. Lessons Learned The design of the smoke bomb worked exactly as planned, but it would have been better if the smoke bomb had burned a little more slowly and with less flame. How can this be achieved? There are two easy fixes. One solution would be to change the ratio of potassium nitrate to sugar. A 1:1 ratio is harder to light, but burns more slowly and produces more smoke. Another solution is to add a small amount of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to the mixture to moderate the rate of the reaction. For example, if we do this, a typical amount is 1 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate per 60 grams potassium nitrate and 40 grams sugar. Safety Notes   If you want to make a smoke bomb of your own or potentially break this record, its best to start small. First, make sure its legal to make and light smoke bombs where you live. Since they dont explode, smoke bombs are legal in many places that disallow other fireworks, but its best to know the law before you get started. Also, use common sense. Dont light smoke bombs anywhere you cant manage a fire, should one start. Smoke bombs should only be made and lit under adult supervision. Start out with the non-cook smoke bomb and then try some of my other recipes. Feel free to write me if you have any questions. Have fun! Disclaimer: Please be advised that the content provided by our website is for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Fireworks and the chemicals contained within them are dangerous and should always be handled with care and used with common sense. By using this website you acknowledge that ThoughtCo., its parent About, Inc. (a/k/a Dotdash), and IAC/InterActive Corp. shall have no liability for any damages, injuries, or other legal matters caused by your use of fireworks or the knowledge or application of the information on this website. The providers of this content specifically do not condone using fireworks for disruptive, unsafe, illegal, or destructive purposes. You are responsible for following all applicable laws before using or applying the information provided on this website.

Marketing Mix Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing Mix - Assignment Example The Le Bistrot Pierre restaurant chain provides a wide array of dishes to be presented to its customers. It is found that the restaurant provides a wide range of dishes on appetizers ranging from vegetable to non-vegetable dishes. For instance, the vegetable dishes consist of items like tomato preparations, onion soups and mushroom dishes. In the non-vegetarian section the restaurant in the appetizer front presents its customers with items like snail dipped in garlic butter. (Pierre’s Bistro, 2010) The restaurant is widely known not only for its flavored dishes but also for its economical price ranges. It is observed that the restaurant provides two to three courses of lunch at highly affordable rates. The rates charged for the lunch sessions at the restaurant vary between ten to twelve pounds only making it highly attractive from the customer’s side. The customers can even order for a glass of wine before commencing on the lunch at a humble rate of fifteen pounds. (Le Bistrot Pierre, n.d.; Le Bistrot Pierre: Restaurant Views, n.d.; Le Bistrot, 2010). In regards to its distribution parameters the restaurant chain Le Bistrot Pierre has opened up its eight unit in Harrogate, a township in Yorkshire. It is also planning to open up with its ninth arm sometime later this year. The restaurant chain Le Bistrot Pierre claims that its newly opened arm would help attract huge footfalls for the presence of a bar cum dining space. It also states that it is promoting a space for the balcony purpose also in the restaurant. The restaurant chain has other operating units spread along different key areas of United Kingdom. They include areas like Nottingham, Leicester, Derby, Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon and Sheffield. (Chomka, 2010) The restaurant outlet of Le Bistrot Pierre situated at Leamington Spa is in the center of many shopping outlets and

The Short ID Exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Short ID Exam - Assignment Example 1.Normative Sources These are sources of information that offer guides on the ethical/correct way of doing something. There are three normative sources in Islam: The Qur’an, the hadiths, and classical Islamic law. 2.Historiography This is the study of materials written by Muslim historians on the events of the early Islamic period. 3. The five Pillars of Islam These are the obligations that every Muslim should live by. They are prayer (Salat), faith (Shahadah), concern for the needy (Zakat), fasting (Sawm), and pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). 4. Caliphate This is an Islamic political-religious leadership that centered on a successor (Caliph/Khalifah) to Prophet Muhammad. 5. Hadith These are sacred collections containing records of sayings and conduct of Prophet Muhammad. 6.Turkic Migrations The general movement of people from Central Asia resulting in the expansion of the Turkic Tribes in the Middle East and Europe 7.Muhammad al-Khwarizmi A Persian mathematician renowned for his c ontributions to mathematics, more so Algebra. 8. Pax Mongolica A period of peace and stability after the conquest of the Mongolian Empire 9.Sha Ismail Safavi Shah of Iran between 1502 and 1524 and founder of Persia’s Safavid Empire. He also played a major role in overseeing the dominance of the Twelver branch of Shia Islam over Ismaili.

Human Resource Development at Primark Stores Ltd Research Proposal

Human Resource Development at Primark Stores Ltd - Research Proposal Example During the study an effort will be made to observe the general working at Primark store in Manchester to seek answers to the following key objectives. Prerequisite to a decent work culture is about respecting individuals and treating everyone, customers and colleagues, with dignity. How Primark has been able to adopt a balancing approach towards motivating the workforce. Research approaches and methods radically influence research content and, consequently, the policies designed in response to that content. Research philosophy is a belief about the way in which data about a phenomenon should be gathered, analyzed and used. This thesis is a qualitative case study which focuses on an analysis of the HR policies prevailing in the retail industry in general and Primark in particular. To carry out such a study in general we resort to two main approaches; Deductive reasoning, which works from the more general to the more specific subjects. Sometimes this is informally called a "top-down" approach. In such approach we take up the 'theory' and then try to apply it to the hypotheses that we intend to test. Gradually we narrow down to the testing of data and observations for their applicability to the theory/ theories to arrive at a confirmation of its applicability or not. The Inductive approach on the other hand begins with collecting data, specific observations, which then lead to broader generalization and theories. Such an approach in called as "bottom up" approach. The patterns thus detected are formulated into tentative hypotheses and we can therefore arrive at some general conclusion about our subject. In this case the study will be more of an inductive one as I'll be observing the functioning of the store, talking to the boys and girls out there about there working hours, compensation etc. During the process I'll also be interacting with some customers to solicit there views about the Primark and the employees in general. Data Collection Secondary Sources: Such data can be collected from the existing literature, research reports, company leaflets, information brochure etc. Primary Sources: Such data can be collected by interacting with the staff, management, customers and other stakeholders. By observing the working and the supply/ distribution chain also we can gather first hand data. It will be little difficult to interact with the top management of the company but I will surely try to meet some of the seniors at the retail outlet. Time Scale and Resources Efforts would be made to complete the different modules of the project leading to the completion of the project as per the following timeline (Note-These are completion dates). Submission of Proposal: Oct 12, 2007 Interaction with the Tutor: October 16, 2007 Inclusion of suggestions by the tutor: October 17, 2007 Preparation of questionnaire: October 25, 2007 Data

Financial Ratio Analysis of Mondi PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Financial Ratio Analysis of Mondi PLC - Essay Example More importantly, with the global economy favoring emerging market growth and the European economy arguably poised for recovery, Mondi’s heavier investment in production capacity and forest assets indicates that the company is well-positioned to take early advantage of any market expansion that may take place in the near future. Â  Mondi plc is a premium listed company on the London Stock Exchange, and together with Mondi Limited comprises the Mondi Group which is an international paper and packaging manufacturer. The Group has production facilities located in 28 countries, with key operations in central Europe, Russia, and South Africa, and employing 23,400 people. Mondi’s goal is to become the ‘best-performing paper and packaging group in the world’ (Mondi Annual Report 2012) and approaches this with an integrated strategy that aims at attaining standards of workplace safety, ethical business conduct, social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and economic prudence in the course of pursuing its business practices and decision-making. Â  Mondi plc operates globally but is primarily treated here as a UK listed company, therefore analysis of the economic environment shall be focused on the UK to arrive at a concise finding. Later, the industry prospects of the paper and packaging industry shall be described with an expanded world outlook. Â  Data supporting the economic forecasts for the UK, as contained in the OECD Economic Outlook (OECD, 2012), are attached as Appendix A in this report. The OECD forecast highlighted four principal directions it sees in the UK economy. They are: Â  OECD forecasts for the nominal wage shows the likelihood of an upward trend commencing 2013.

Knowledge Is the True Organ of Sight, not the Eyes Essay

Knowledge Is the True Organ of Sight, not the Eyes - Essay Example Quoting Plato’s cave example, Falzon (2002) explains that like Plato’s compelling image of the cave, normal human beings tend to imagine things or believe in things that might merely be shadows or mere appearance, and that real-world could be something very different. Knowledge gained through senses creates images that humans tend to imagine again and again, which might not correlate with reality most of the times. Therefore, knowledge gained through senses might not be appropriate in all situations. Instead, knowledge gained through understanding and rationality helps in misinterpreting the information that senses perceive. It is interesting to note that what we see produces limited knowledge as the information involved is limited; but, what we observe imbibes greater knowledge and information. For example, Placher (1983; p.154) quotes the example of Aquinas's argument that explained how human beings see the changes in the world; but they realize that the changes happe ning in any object is because of changes happening elsewhere. The ability to see the changes happening elsewhere is observation. This observation is important for gaining an understanding of what is happening and its source as well as its outcome. In this manner, distinct events can be related and thus an understanding can be gained, which ultimately leads to improved knowledge.  

Schools can Help Prevent Childhood Obesity Essay

Schools can Help Prevent Childhood Obesity - Essay Example School cafeterias are obliged to offer healthy food choices. This is the underlying principle of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), started in 1946. The federal school lunch and breakfast program caters to twenty-nine million school children daily and aims to provide nutritionally balanced meals at a cost of seven million a year to taxpayers (Fried and Simon, 1492). 99% of all public schools and 83% of private schools participate in the program which reimburses the cost of the breakfast and lunch and provides commodity supplies (Leviton, 43). The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides dietary guidelines and nutritional standards for schools in implementing the NSLP. Based on recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, the NSLP aims to â€Å"enhance the diet and health of school children, and help mitigate the childhood obesity trend† (USDA web site). Schools are required to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole gra ins and low-fat milk and reduce the levels of sodium and saturated fats. The ‘Farm to School’ program attempts to bring fresh, locally produced food into school cafeterias and introduce children to farms, gardening, and cooking. In theory, all schools under the NSLP provide balanced nutritional meals. However, the reality is different: a 2009 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that 94 percent of school lunches failed to meet the USDA’s regulatory standards regarding the sodium or total fat standards. Dana Woldow, a mother who is a volunteer in her children’s school nutrition committee, says, â€Å"In the school cafeteria you could buy soda, potato chips, snack cakes, corndogs, French fries, apple turnovers, ice cream --you know, carnival food† (Christensen). This is largely because frozen and processed foods are cheaper than fresh or organic produce and the NSLP is under-funded. Schools also procure pre-cooked food as they do not have kitchens. It is clear that there is much room for improvement in school cafeteria’s ability to provide a nutritious diet for all students. The healthy food offerings in school cafeterias are significantly off-set by the availability of ‘competitive food.’ This term refers to foods of little nutritional value which compete with the NSLP funded school breakfast and

Knowledge Is the True Organ of Sight, not the Eyes Essay

Knowledge Is the True Organ of Sight, not the Eyes - Essay Example Quoting Plato’s cave example, Falzon (2002) explains that like Plato’s compelling image of the cave, normal human beings tend to imagine things or believe in things that might merely be shadows or mere appearance, and that real-world could be something very different. Knowledge gained through senses creates images that humans tend to imagine again and again, which might not correlate with reality most of the times. Therefore, knowledge gained through senses might not be appropriate in all situations. Instead, knowledge gained through understanding and rationality helps in misinterpreting the information that senses perceive. It is interesting to note that what we see produces limited knowledge as the information involved is limited; but, what we observe imbibes greater knowledge and information. For example, Placher (1983; p.154) quotes the example of Aquinas's argument that explained how human beings see the changes in the world; but they realize that the changes happe ning in any object is because of changes happening elsewhere. The ability to see the changes happening elsewhere is observation. This observation is important for gaining an understanding of what is happening and its source as well as its outcome. In this manner, distinct events can be related and thus an understanding can be gained, which ultimately leads to improved knowledge.  

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Essay Example for Free

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Essay The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international comparative assessment about mathematics and science education that is organized by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The survey has been administered periodically in cycles of 4 years since 1995. Initially TIMSS was an acronym for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, which identified its position as the third study following the First and Second International Mathematics and Science Studies (FIMS SIMS) in 1964 and 1982 respectively. A similar study to the 1995 TIMSS (using the same technical framework) was carried out in 1999, and was referred to as the Third International Mathematics and Science Study Repeat (TIMSS-R). The 2003 study was the third cycle of studies based on the 1995 assessment framework, and the acronym TIMSS was redefined to mean Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (http://nces.ed.gov/timss). With funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the TIMSS assessment was to be offered more timely in intervals of 4 years. Table 1 gives an overview on the TIMSS assessment, target populations, and the number of countries that participated in each administration. Table 1. TIMSS assessments and participating countries at the 8th grade level Study Name Acronym Year Number of Countries Target population Grades tested Third International Mathematics and Science Study TIMSS 1994/5 42 3rd /4th, 7th/8th , 12th Third International Mathematics and Science Study Repeat. TIMSS-R 1998/9 40 8th Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study TIMSS 2002/3 46 4th 8th Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study TIMSS 2006/7 Over 60 4th, 8th, (12th rescheduled 2008) TIMSS is considered the largest, most comprehensive, rigorous, and extensive international comparative educational study ever conducted (Alejandro, 2000). It touches on almost every facet of the learning of science and mathematics. The 2003 TIMSS project was comprised of over 360 000 students, over 38 000 teachers, and over 12 000 school principals, and as many as 1 500 contextual variables were included in addition to variables on student achievement scores (Nelson, 2002; TIMSS‟ User guide 2003). TIMSS aims at providing policy makers and educational practitioners with information and indicators about their national educational systems from an international perspective. Alejandro argues that TIMSS serves a â€Å"mirror† function to participating countries to reflect comparatively on their education systems. Martin and Kelly (2004) suggest that TIMSS tests go beyond measuring achievement to including a thorough investigation of curriculum and how it is delivered in classrooms around the world. In a nutshell, the assessment is perceived to be valid and reliable as a measure of student achievement. However, the TIMSS assessments are not without critics. Among the critical voices is that of Wolf (2002) who questions the validity issues of the TIMSS studies. His contention is that TIMSS, being an international assessment, may have testing procedures that are not appropriate for some countries‟ usual testing practices. Related to that, Zuzovsky (2000) specifically questions the reliability of these tests. He argues that the heavily elaborated coding systems inherent in the TIMSS scoring procedures yield lower inter-rater consistency and also that translation of achievement tests into different languages brings the reliability of the assessments into question. The downside of cross-sectional assessments such as the TIMSS projects did not escape the attention of de Lange (2007) who questions the assumption behind international studies that a single test can give comparable measures of curriculum effects across countries. In spite of these criticisms, Alejandro, the chairman of IEA, sees the worth in countries participating in the TIMSS surveys. He argues that â€Å"More than just league tables, the TIMSS data place achievement in an international context where it can be considered from multiple perspectives† (Alejandro, 2000, p. 2). A similar statement was expressed more than 35 years ago by Bock (1970). He perceived the world as shrinking through technology. In support of international studies, he argued that through participation in international studies and by sharing educational reports, countries get a glimpse of each other‟s cultural practices. The TIMSS international reports give an overall impression of the impact that different education factors have on students‟ performance in different countries. It is by further engaging in secondary analysis of the TIMSS data and by conducting further studies related to the findings of TIMSS assessments that countries better understand their schooling system. In particular, it is important to identify areas of concern and address those systematically rather than attempt to replicate another country`s curriculum system simply because the schooling system there seems to be effective. Education indicators are numerous and vary in their effect from country to country. It is possible that each of the 1,500 contextual variables administered in the TIMSS surveys were included because of some supporting literature on their influence on students‟ learning. TIMSS as model of Educational Achievement The literature on models of educational indicators and their performance as a system together with research studies that model student learning achievement as a function of the characteristics of their schools and their family background is extensive (Oakes, 2006; Kaplan Elliott, 2007; Kaplan Kreisman, 2000; Koller, Baumert, Clausen, Hosenfeld, 2001). However, in spite of the extensive literature on the subject of modeling of educational data, no single model of educational performance has gained widespread acceptance (Oakes, 2006; Nelson, 2002). This lack of a global model was noted by Nelson in relation to the TIMSS projects, that, although rigorously executed, and with all its popularity (with more participants than any other IEA study), TIMSS has not attempted to come up with a prescriptive model that relates educational factors to student achievement that can be applicable across nations. Nelson is adamant that any attempt to provide a universal model would not be wise because countries differ in their educational policies and instructional practices so that a one-size fits- all model would not be realistic. That said, though models of educational performance seem diverse as suggested by the literature, in Haertel, Walberg, and Weinstein‟s (2003) view, they have more commonalities than differences. Haertel et al. conducted a meta-analysis of studies that modeled school performance data and found that the presented models had a common structure. Though the models differed in their specifications, their structures were comprised of three categories of pre-existing conditions (cognitive/affective attributes and resources), instructional processes (opportunity to learn, quality of instruction), and outcome measures (achievement, affective behaviors). These models presented student performance as a function of student, teacher, and/or school background variables. Studies of interest to my research are those that modeled students‟ performance as a function of their background variables; the model of interest that informed my variable selection is the Input-Process-Output (IPO) model by Oakes (2006), or Rand Model (Shavelson, McDonnell, Oakes, 2006). The IPO model has similar structural components as the models that were reviewed by Haertel et al. (2003) and models student achievement as a function of some resources. I selected this model for my conceptual framework because of its scope of coverage of educational indicators. The model presents a holistic conception of student learning in a classroom setting and it appears frequently in literature that analyzes large scale data (e.g. Kaplan and Kreisman, 2000; Koller, Baumert, Clausen, Hosenfeld, 2001 analyzing TIMSS data). Additionally, it has been used extensively to guide education researchers in the selection, specification, and analysis of educational variables that correlate with student learning outcomes (Kaplan Elliott, 2007; Kaplan Kreisman, 2000; Koller, Baumert, Clausen, Hosenfeld, 2001). It is taken as one of the influential models in shaping public opinion and policy on how to foster school improvement. TIMSS Input-Process-Output Model The input-process-output (IPO) model by TIMSS is one of the improved versions of the traditional input-output (IO) models of school organizational data (Glasman, Biniaminov, 2001). Glasman and Biniaminov reported that the input-output traditional model employed research strategies that measured changes in the systems‟ outputs brought about by changes in the systems‟ inputs. The IO model was criticized for not taking the academic environment into account and for oversimplifying the schooling process by portraying it as linear. According to Glasman and Biniaminov, â€Å"the input-output analyses [did] not deal with characteristics of the dynamic and ongoing interrelationships between students and teachers or those among students themselves† (p. 509). To overcome the problem, Oakes‟ model added a third component (processes) that mediated the input variables into the output variables and that also provided an educational context for the model. The process component focuses on classroom characteristics such as instructional quality issues (explained in the next section under measures for the model). Oakes‟ model is therefore comprised of three components of an educational system: inputs, processes, and outputs (IPO) (Figure1). Figure 1. A comprehensive Model of an Educational System INPUTS PROCESSES OUTPUTS Fiscal and Curriculum Achievement other quality resources School quality Instructional Participation Quality Dropouts Teacher Characteristics Teaching quality Student Attitudes Background Aspirations Note. The arrows indicate the direction of effect Briefly stated, according to Shavelson, McDonnell, and Oakes, (2001) â€Å"the TIMSS model‟s inputs are the human and financial resources available to education† (p. 13): This includes teacher quality (e.g. certification and experience), student background (e.g. parents‟ education and home possessions), and school quality (e.g. school climate). â€Å"Its processes are what is taught and how it is taught† (p. 13): This includes classroom characteristics such as curriculum quality (e.g. pace and coverage of materials), teaching quality (e.g. integration between teacher, pupil, and materials), and instructional quality (e.g. instructional tasks, teaching methods, and classroom climate) and â€Å"its outputs are the consequences of schooling for students from different backgrounds† (p. 13) such as academic achievement, participation (what percentage graduate versus drop out), and attitudes (e.g. any desires to continue studying math or career goals that are math related). The TIMSS model is complex and provides insight into how the various components of the education system relate to one another. As noted earlier, one of the shortcomings of the traditional input output model was its structure in which nested data was treated as though linear, and the TIMSS model addressed that problem. This was noted by Kaplan and Elliott that â€Å"the TIMSS‟ model, is one instantiation of the organizational structure of schooling that captures its hierarchical nature† (Kaplan, Elliott, 2007; p. 221). The two suggested that the model was multilevel in form and was testable through statistical methodologies that take the multilevel nature of educational data into consideration. Kaplan and Elliot used the model for their framework to propose a model-based approach for validating educational indicators that explicitly took into account the organizational features of schooling. The two contended from their model that it was not necessary for every indicator that has ever been suggested for collection to actually appear in the model. To them, it is the research questions and the goals for the investigations that should determine which indicators to include in a statistical model. Nevertheless, Oakes (2006) advised that a single indicator of each component of the educational system was inadequate. What was needed, in his view, was for each component to have indicators of all its most critical dimensions, and, â€Å"without a series of indicators that assesses all important facets of the schooling processes (the 3 components of the model), we can neither understand the system`s overall health nor determine the conditions under which a particular goal is met† (Oakes, 2006, p. 8). Oakes further observed that each of the three components appeared to be necessary but insufficient by itself to convey full information about school effects. That is, although a system of indicators measures distinct components of the education model, it also provides information about how the individual components work together to produce the overall effect. What can be deduced from Oake`s remarks is that studies that model only one component of the educational system may not be doing an adequate job of conveying the necessary information about the school effects. Conclusions What I considered informative from TIMSS and through the deliberations by Kaplan and Elliott (2007) about TIMSS`s model in general, and its use in particular, was how to utilize its structure to reach the different components of an education system holistically. It was of interest that the TIMSS model has flexible attributes in those variables could be rearranged to reflect the hierarchical nature of classroom data as evidenced in the current study in subsequent chapters. In one study, Kaplan and Kreisman (2000) used the TIMSS` model to validate indicators of mathematics education using its data. Rather than group their variables into the three distinct categories of Input-Process-Output as outlined in the model structure, they contended that since TIMSS` model was inherently multilevel, a subset of the inputs and processes occurred at higher levels of the education system. As a result, they grouped their indicators into three organizational levels: student, teacher, and school. That is to say, although TIMMS` model (Figure 1) groups school resources, teacher quality, and student background as one category of input (or prerequisite) variables, these indicators occur at different hierarchical levels of the school organization. Some of the variables included in the Kaplan and Kreisman model were: †¢Ã¯â‚¬  At student level: mathematics achievement, attitude toward mathematics, utility of mathematics, parents’ education, and mother’s expectations. †¢Ã¯â‚¬  At teacher level: method of instruction, teacher collaboration with colleagues, teacher’s level of education, and teaching experience. †¢Ã¯â‚¬  At school level: opportunities for continuing professional development, good facilities, school climate, level of discipline, and outstanding teacher recognition. Needless to say, Kaplan and Kreisman`s (2000) variables were representative of the three components of the IPO model even though the variables were grouped differently. Some of the variables they used were composite indicators. These were variables such as attitudes and methods of instruction. The two authors ran factor analyses to help group related items into the composite indicators and they had mathematics achievement as their outcome measure. In summary, TIMMS` model is more of a conceptual framework than a prescriptive one. That is, it does not prescribe what variables one should include in a statistical model for testing educational performance, but offers guidance about the components from which to draw the variables. Directions for Future Research TIMSS data have opened extensive avenues for further research work. In conclusion, this paper has evidenced the complexities involved in TIMSS data. It is hoped that this study and other studies that continue to model TIMSS data and pilot TIMSS instruments will help to illuminate the factors that explain student achievement in the us and in many other countries and to direct policy interventions.

Analysis Coke And Pepsi Learn To Compete In India Business Essay

Analysis Coke And Pepsi Learn To Compete In India Business Essay The political environment in India has proven to be critical to company performance for both Pepsi co and coca-cola India. What specific aspects of the political environment have played key roles? Could these effects have been anticipated prior to market entry? If not, could developments in the political arena have been handled better by each company? In order to understand what Coca Cola and Pepsi had to deal with in India, it is essential to grasp the full meaning of what politics includes. Politics is not merely the political ideology the country has and thus the governance of the state including government policies and the role he plays in the country but also on a micro level it deals with small associations and unions and thus also with division of power. India was seen for many years as being unfriendly to foreign investors. In fact the Principle of Indigenous Availability law specified that if an item could be obtained locally, imports of a similar product were forbidden. Following the first Gulf War in 1991, measures were taken to liberalize the Indian economy introducing the New Industrial Policy to eliminate barriers such as bureaucracy and regulation to foreign direct investment. Despite this, protectionism was still evident in India. Pepsi entered the Indian beverage market in July 1986 i.e. before the liberalization of Indias government, while Coca Cola followed for the second time (after a presence between 1958 and 1977) in 1993. Despite this, both of them received alien status upon entry in the Indian market. The two corporations were required to follow government policies designed to impede foreign business. Sales of Pepsis soft drink concentrate to local bottlers could not exceed 25% of total sales while fruits and vegetables by Pepsi Foods Ltd. had to be processed. Coca Cola on the other hand had to agree to sell 49% of its equity as a condition of entering and buying out an Indian company (Parle). Moreover, according to Indian law it was forbidden to promote products under foreign brand names if sold within India and thus Pepsi became Lehar Pepsi and Coca Cola became Coca Cola India. The Indian government acted as a regulator imposing sets of laws and rules that restrained the way the companies do business. According to Dr. Ashok Rao, (Head of Network Project, CEDT, Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore) (2006), India has a very confused, diverse and stagnant political system. The amount of political parties present in India and the power regional political parties have, act as big barriers to businesses. Unlike Western democracies, power is centralized and top politicians dictate what happens thus businesses will have to work through many more layers to reach to somebody who can actually take a decision. The micro environment in India mainly pressure groups also affected heavily Coca Cola and Pepsi. Their political power in India was substantial at the time. To name a few, there was the All-India Anti-Imperialist Forum which called for a boycott of all American and British goods after the attacks on Iraq and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) led by Ms. Sunita Narain who issued a report stating that drinks made by Coca Cola and PepsiCo were found to contain pesticide residue far higher than the limits suggested by governments Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Both of them led to decline in sales; however, the damage done to sales through government action was less important than the bad publicity received. All the above highlight the political power and instability present in India. Government situations in India were dynamic and inconsistent mainly because government laws and policies were unclear and not based on strong foundations (Ash Rao, 2006). Because of this inconsistency in the legal environment, there was a greater importance played on lobbying the politicians. Lack of solid institutions gave way to corruption. In fact, as Li Chain, (Ex-member, Planning Commission and Political Reformer in Bangalor) stated years later (Ashok Rao et al, 2006), India ranks high on the corruption index. We have not yet found a way of containing corruption in our bureaucracy and political system. Being such a dynamic and inconsistent environment, Coca Cola and Pepsi could not predict most of the issues raised beforehand. However, just by looking at the unstable, confusing and dynamic political environment both companies should have been prepared to deal with similar issues. Coca Colas agreement to sell 49% of its equity to Indian partners within two years is a case in point. While lobbying was out of the question due to an oversight of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), another option would have been that of not investing further through a joint venture with Parle until solid foundations were built. During the time, investment rules were constantly changing and unclear and thus Coca Cola should have known better and not expect an equal treatment (other foreign companies such as Philips and Carrier were allowed to buy back most of their outstanding shares) considering that as stated by market analysts, there was no apparent logic behind India government policies. PepsiCo was quite quick in every situation to abide with the changing policies however both companies lacked pro-activeness. With specific measures in place, both companies could have avoided all the bad publicity on their brand names. Timing of entry into the Indian market brought different results for PepsiCo and Coca-Cola India. What benefits or disadvantages accrued as a result of earlier or later entry? Timing of entry in a foreign market is a critical decision. Although the first entrant in the market would have better chances of gaining market share, both first and following entrants have their advantages and disadvantages. The political and legal environment in India does not present a clear cut line which amongst PepsiCo and Coca Cola India had the most advantages in terms of time of entry. PepsiCo was the first to enter the market in 1986, although in actual fact Coca Cola had already had a presence in India between 1958 and 1977. The decision to leave was taken when Indias government tried to force Coca-Cola to share their recipe and trim its equity stake down to 40%. Coca Cola re-entered the market in 1993. PepsiCos timing was impeccable. During that period the carbonated soft drink market experienced substantial growth in India. Pepsi were able to ensure their place and grab a good share amount of the soft drink sales; managing in fact to gain 29% market share by 1993. Moreover, according to Srivastava M. (2010) Pepsi became this catch-all for anything that was bottled, fizzy and from abroad. The word Pepsi became part of everyday vocabulary in India referring to soft drinks in general and not only PepsiCo soft drinks. However, PepsiCo also suffered from a number disadvantages because of its timing. The Indian Government only approved its application to trade in the Indian market after agreeing to the threshold of total sales not exceeding 25% and that of changing name to Lehar Pepsi. PepsiCo also struggled to fight off the smaller Indian soft drink brands in its venture to gain market share. Coca Cola India, on the other hand, entered the market 6 years after PepsiCo. During this timeframe legislations were amended to facilitate foreign investment including the elimination of the clause forcing foreign companies to join forces with Indian companies in order to be able to enter the market. In fact, Coca Cola entered the Indian market as Coca-Cola India in 1993. However, wanting to expand its investments, Coca Cola India formed a joint venture with industry leader, Parle, in 1996, buying out four of its bottling plants together with its leading brands Thums Up, Limca, Citra, Gold Spot and Mazaa. For Coca-Cola India to do this, however, it had to sign an agreement with the Indian government agreeing to sell 49% of its equity to Indian Partners. The Indian market is enormous in terms of population and geography. How have the two companies responded to the sheer scale of operations in India in terms of i. product policies, ii. promotional activities, iii. pricing policies and iv. distribution arrangements. A population of over 1 billion people ( as of 2010 census) and being the 7th largest country in the world, makes India one of the largest markets in the current economy. Both Pepsi and Coke had to adapt to such enormity, and they did so throughout several areas. Product Policies Both companies carefully catered for the Indian tastes. They entered the market with products close to those already available in India such as lime beverages, fruit drinks as well as water. They carefully waited until they had a secure position in the market and had established their core products; then introduced American- type drinks. One particular example is the introduction of Sprite, a beverage forming part of the Coca- Cola family. They also introduced new products. Coke was the first to start producing bottled water under the name of Kinley while Pepsi Foods introduced Aquafina. Promotional Activities The Navrartri Festival is the second highest season for soft-drink consumption. Pepsi and Coke made full use of this festival and saw it as a promotional opportunity. Coca-Cola India: It gave away 20,000 passes to the festival; one for every purchase of a Thums Up. They also introduced a buy one get one free scheme and held lucky draws where one could win a trip to Goa. PepsiCo: It sponsored dance competitions on a large scale and had many promotional offers such as a free kilo of Basmati rice with every refill of a case of 300ml of Pepsi as well as free kit-kat with every 1.5 l bottle and free Polo with every 500ml bottle. The segmentation of different areas of India allowed for the differentiation and division of rural and urban Indian youth into categories, India A and India B respectively. Doing so they were able to advertise and promote their products differently so as to target and appeal to these markets individually. Coke made use of Bollywood stars to endorse its products, featuring them in their adverts and campaigns while Pepsi preferred to use sporting events and famous athletes such as cricket players and sponsored events such as the Cricket World Series of 2003. Pricing Policies PepsiCo: It included an aggressive pricing policy on their one litre bottles which created different reactions between their competition. Coc Cola India: In 2003, it slashed its prices of softdrinks by 15-25% as an attempt to encourage consumption and enhance affordability. It also made sure the soft drinks were made available to consumers so as to make it a regular purchase. PepsiCo was forced to match these price cuts in order to keep up. Distribution Arrangement In terms of distribution arrangements both PepsiCo and Coca-Cola India had production plants and bottling centers all throughout India located strategically in the largest cities including Bombay/Mumbai and Delhi. More plants were added when demand increased and when the product range grew. Moreover, having formed partnerships with local companies, both Coca Cola and Pepsi were able to get initial access into the market. Global Localisation is a policy both companies have implemented successfully. Give examples for each company from the case. By definition, the term glocal refers to the organization (in this case corporations such as Coca Cola India and PepsiCo) and the community which is willing and able to think globally and act locally. Both firms have identified this emerging trend as the key element to surviving in the Indian Market. They adapted their products to the location and culture they marketed them in. PepsiCo PepsiCos first signs of glocalisation were apparent from the moment it attempted to enter the Indian market as it did so as a joint venture with another two locally based companies, Voltas and Punjab Agro. Together they formed PepsiFoods Ltd. In 1990 PepsiCo then proceeded to changing its name as well as the name of its other products to Pepsi Lehar so as to conform with the imposed government regulations. This name also helped them to integrate further with the Indian culture. PepsiCo also launched Lehar 7UP so as to cater for the local tastes and lime culture and placed this in the clear lemon beverage category. PepsiCo vigorously sponsored cricket players as well as cricket and other sporting tournaments such as soccer. It also sponsored for the whole event those cricket players in the Indian Cricket Team who participated in the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa. Moreover, it took advantage of the World Cup Fever by organising local tournaments and featuring football heroes during this period in their campaigns. PepsiCo also chose its campaigns to tie in with imporant sporting events such as the Keep it Cool 7UP Summer Campaign which coincided with India Zimbabwe One Day Cricket Series. The endorsement of popular Bollywood actors such Amitabh Bachchcans endorsement of Mirinda was also used. As mentioned in the previous question, PepsiCo also made use of the Navrartri Festival by creating promotional offers. In the year 2000, it teamed up with Guarjarati TV to telecast the festival throughout the 9 nights. Coca-Cola India Coca-Cola India also started off as a joint venture; with Brittania Industries India Ltd. In 1993 it went on to form a joint venture with Parle, purchasing its 4 major bottling plants and leading brands including Thums up which in 2002 ranked second nationwide in terms of softdrink consumption. This allowed it to integrate a national drink under the Coca Cola brand so as to boost Coca Colas image and credibility. Glocalisation is part of Coca Colas think global act local business plan. Coca Cola also made use of the Navrartri Festival in order to integrate themselves with local culture. In 2002 they gave out 20, 000 free passes to the fast dance happening during this festival; one for every bottle of Thums Up bought. Coca Cola India also carried out lifestyle advertising and its main strategy was to build a connect using the relevant local idioms. They made use of adverts featuring famous directors such as A.R. Rahman, music director of Slumdog Millionaire, and made sure to use popular local music such as the gaana. Coca Cola India also made use of Bollywood stars to attract consumers; targeted especially to the rural and urban youth catered for in different segments. Famous stars include Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi. Some analysts consider that Coca-Cola India made mistakes in planning and managing its return to India. Do you agree? If not, what or who do you think was responsible for any mistakes? Coca Cola first entered the Indian market in 1958, however withdrawn in 1977 after facing many problems from the government, such as cutting its equity stake to 40 percent and being asked to hand over its secret formula for the syrup. Coca Cola managed to re-enter the market in 1993 after the first application in May 1990 was rejected. Pepsis application to enter the Indian market was probably a trigger for Coca Cola to do the same. This could have been Coca Colas first mistake: haste. Wanting to be part of this growing and developing market, it entered the market soon after PepsiCo; despite knowing that although sixteen years had passed from its first attempt in the market, the political environment was still very unstable and thus very risky. Doing heavy research before entering such a risky (politically, economically and also culturally) market, is vital. Still, there was a lot of which Coca Cola did not know about the Indian market, especially in confronting the huge political risks. Although Coca Cola has its faults, blaming Coca Cola entirely would be wrong. The Indian government and other authorities had a lot of power on businesses, as explained in Question 1, making it very hard to predict certain situations. Nonetheless, if Coca Cola India had been a bit more knowledgeable and careful in planning and implementing its corporate and business strategies, it could have avoided certain managing mistakes. However, staying out of this attractive market would have been a shame. Although it is fair to say that its market entry was not made easy due to government application rejections and other imposed rules; Coca Cola India could have tried negotiating with the government a bit more before entering the market). During its first years in the market, Coca Cola India was also very slow in realizing certain key issues such as the ideal price point for its soft drinks. Having more than 50% of the population under poverty line, a reduction in prices (which actually occurred then in 2003), would have increased consumption and thus increasing profits. All in all, Coca Cola India was quite successful in its choice of strategy, considering it has around one million retail outlets around India selling Coca Cola. Few of its best communication strategies were those of including stars from Bollywood in its advertising and the Buy one Get one free promotion. Despite this however, as mentioned before, understanding the Indian population a bit more could have helped. In conclusion, what Coca Cola India needed most were safer and more solid grounds to compete on. While there were a lot of external factors and hidden risks which were out of Coca Colas control, better management of these situations would have lead to better results (as discussed in question 1). Although its clear that Coca Cola made mistakes in its market entry stage; it was also a bit unlucky; maybe due to its hasty decision in entering the market. How can Pepsi and Coke confront the issues of water use in the manufacture of their products? How can they defuse further boycotts or demonstrations against their products? How effective are activist groups like the one that launched the campaign in California? Should Coke address the group directly or just let the furor subside, as it surely will? The Coca Cola Company used 290 billion liters of water in 2006 alone, enough to meet the entire worlds drinking water needs for 10 days (Amit Srivastava, July 30, 2007). This fresh water was mainly used to clean their equipment in the production process, turning two thirds of this water into waste water. One must note that this is done in a country where water shortage is a meagre problem. Therefore both multi-national must take the bull by the horn and change the way they do certain procedures without hiding but being sincere. More efficient ways of cleaning must be found to waste less water and be more responsible towards the Indian nation. Coca-Cola has lately announced a partnership of US $20 billion over three years between them and the world wildlife fund on water conservation. This will help in rebuilding the trust with the Indian population so as to succeed in the Indian market. An element of corporate social responsibility is important for companies to work better within for eign market. Bad publicity can damage a companys reputation definitely. This was clearly experienced by both PepsiCo and Coca Cola India. Although advisory boards were created and purity tests were conducted in order to avoid further boycotts or demonstrations against their products, this was not enough. Better use of Public Relations would have been a first step. Having conducted purity tests, the next step would be that of communicating the results in an effective way. Choosing to deny the accusations and then presenting these tests could have been felt as a pique. The use of press releases and open days at the factories showing the process for example would have made both the government and the general public more participant. Moreover, trying to deal with the government by emphasizing on corporate social responsibility could have gained governments trust and thus earn a safer position in exchange. Offering a percentage of their profits to help in building schools or hospitals in India could h ave been an idea. Activist groups, like the one in California, are very powerful. They can be great allies but also worst enemies for a company. Their influence on the general Coke consumer is great as they reach the consumer directly through various activities; and in turn these consumers force manufacturers/ suppliers etc to take action. In fact, the campaigns in California led to several bottling plants closing down as well as the discontinuation of contracts with Coca Cola. Coke should address the group directly avoiding accusations of trying to hide its activities and actions. In this way it would defend itself and would also be able to regain its credibility and continue building its image by being proactive. Another reason why it should do so is to gain trust of customers since it claims it has nothing to hide by being truthful and giving an answer instead of waiting for the rumors, accusations and scandal to subside. Which of the 2 companies do you think has better long term prospects for success in India? The two companies in question are strong multinationals which are widespread around the world. Some might argue that on world terms Coca-Cola is the strongest brand out of the two. However after analyzing the case in hand it is evident that both companies could have handled situations different leading to different results. The success or lack of it in the first years in a foreign country can be very helpful in predicting the future of the company. Pepsi on the one hand has already a great market share and sustainable brand recognition. On the other hand, Coca Colas conflicts with the Indian government are not very promising. Having a good relationship with authorities is vital for growth. Both multi-nationals have been successful in developing marketing strategies aimed at increasing the consumption of carbonated soft drinks. Moreover, they were both very successful in glocalization as seen earlier. Some argue that PepsiCo was most successful through the use of Basmati rice (considered a luxury type of rice) in its sales promotions while others consider Coca Colas depiction of Bollywood stars its advertising campaigns as being impeccable. Moreover, Coca Cola India was always the initiator of the new ventures/strategies, but failed to follow through. PepsiCo followed Coca Colas initial ideas, going that step further. In fact, PepsiCo was more successful in engaging the local people with its brand. Statistically, Pepsi has had constant growth during its occupancy in a stable pattern. Long term investors seem to prefer Pepsi Co due to its promise of future expansion. If a company invests in Pepsi Co today, PepsiCo is promising a rise of almost 100 more points by 2015. Coca Cola India seems to be attracting more those who believe in fixed income, as its investments seem to be fluctuating less. Regarding direct competition, Coca-Cola still trails behind Pepsi in terms of market share which could signify that Pepsi has a better overall strategy for success. Coca Cola seems to be struggling more to survive in such a dynamic and growing market. All in all, the current situation does point more towards Pepsi as being more successful than Coca Cola in the Indian market. What lessons can each company draw from its Indian experience as it contemplates entry into other Big Emerging Markets? It seems that prior market research was most overlooked by both companies. Deep market research including all the PESTLE elements is vital in order to understand how to do business in the foreign country. As stated in the text: In many ways, Coke and Pepsi managers got to learn the hard way that what works here does not always work there. Moreover, on-going environmental scanning is important in order to be able to anticipate matters rather than being re-active to situations. With specific measures in place, both companies could have avoided all the bad publicity on their brand names. Both companies should also have focused more on education of their products. Most probably, many emerging countries lack knowledge of their brands and also lack certain infrastructures and standards of living present in other developed countries. PepsiCo lessons learnt Pepsi realized how important it is to understand and keep with local tastes thus focusing on the clear lemon category which was a great hit in India. It is also beneficial to pay attention to market trends in order to position your product accordingly. A very important point for Pepsi in India was the pricing policy and bottle sizes. Adapting your communication mix as well as distribution methods to the market is also a key point. Local celebrity appeals made for exceptional advertising for PepsiCo. Coca Cola India lessons learnt While also realizing the importance of paying attention to market trends; Coca Cola surely realizes the importance of investing in local products. While not investing in Thums Up brand for the first couple of years, decreasing market share from 60% of total carbonated beverage sales to 15%, after a substantial investment, Thums Up ranked second nationwide within a year. The importance of timing of entry should not be overlooked. Coca Cola entered the market at a poor time because they had to agree to abide by all of the Foreign Investment Laws of that year Defining your target audiences more specifically than what Coca Cola did in India could have helped for better targeting/positioning and thus advertising of products. Coca Cola separated its markets as India A and India B without any further differentiation through for example age, gender, language, interests, location. Establishing a good business relationship with the host countrys government and/or any other governmental or non-governmental groups present in the country is also vital as these could act either as a source of advantage or could impede your success. Coca Cola made a mistake in trying to get out of its promises. It had already made a mistake by entering the contract they did. By continuing to apply for extensions and attempting to deny voting rights for the Indian stake, Coca Cola India was only tarnishing its public image and destroying its relationship with the government. Finally, as Venkatesh Mysore, (Managing Director, MetLife India Insurance Company Pvt. Ltd. In Bangalore) said: It is extremely important for MNCs to follow the laws of the land, and not look for short-cuts (Ashok Rao et al. 2006).

The Sun Also Rises :: essays research papers

July's People is a story of a white family who experience life as black people would in South Africa at the time. They leave their home and their jobs in the United States and follow their servant, July, to live in an African tribe. The whole time that they are living in Africa they depend on July for survival yet they still treat him as a servant. July wishes that he would be treated more as an equal but besides that he does not mind being their servant as long as he gets paid. The reversal of roles, in this book, does not really change people. It is as though they know where they stand with each other and that could never change. The Smales would always be above July, who would always be destined to be their servant no matter how much their lives depended on him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the United States the Smales were probably a little more well off than an average family. The father worked as an architect and made good money, that is evident because they can afford a servant. They decide to leave their home and to move to a new and unfamiliar place. July leads them to his tribe in Africa. The change occurs right there, to the Smales United States is home but to July it is a foreign place, whereas Africa is where July feels at home and the Smales feel like they are on another planet. Being strangers to this new place Smales depend on July for survival. Their inability to Goldenberg 2 communicate with the natives and the fact that they are the only whites in a tribe complicates things. They depend on July to get tools, find shelter, and get food among other things. At the same time they don't trust him. They are always suspecting that he is stealing from them, they get upset when he takes the truck with out their permission, they feel like he is trying to cheat them in some way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Smales were never thought of as being part of the tribe, they stood out, not only because they were white but also because they came from a different culture. July remains their servant through out the whole book. Neither of them, July nor the Smales, attempted becoming good friends and working together through the hardships of war. July demands money for everything he does and the Smales expect for him to take care of things.

Okonkwo as Epic Hero in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay

Okonkwo as Epic Hero in Things Fall Apart      Ã‚  Ã‚   Achebe’s work, Things Fall Apart, is an epic; it resembles stories about heroes found in many cultures. In these stories, the heroes are extraordinary individuals, whose careers and destinies are not theirs alone, but are bound with the fortunes and destinies of their society. They become heroes by accomplishing great things for themselves and their communities, winning much fame as a result.    Okonkwo fits this pattern. The first paragraph of Things Fall Apart is notable in this respect, for it describes Okonkwo as follows:    Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honour to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat. Amalinze was the great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino. He was called the Cat because his back would never touch the earth. It was this man that Okonkwo threw in a fight which the old man agreed was one of the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights. (3)    In an epic story, the hero undergoes many tests, which we can see as rites of passage. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo undergoes such tests, including the wrestling match with Amalinze the Cat, his struggle with the negative legacy of his father, and the struggle to succeed on his own.    Praising heroes is a basic function of epics. As ... ... Hopes and Impediments. New York: Doubleday, 1989. Innes, C.L. Chinua Achebe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990. Nnolim, Charles E. "Achebe's Things Fall Apart: An Igbo National Epic" Modern Black Literature. ed. Okechukwu Mezu New York: Black Academy Press, 1971, 55-60. Obiechina, Emmanuel. "Narrative Proverbs in the African Novel," Research in African Literatures, 24, 4 (1993), 123-140. Okafor, Chinyere Grace. "From the Heart of Masculinity: Ogbodo-Uke Women's Masking." Research in African Literatures, 25, 3 (1994), 7-17. Traore, Ousseynou. "Matrical Approach to Things Fall Apart; A Poetics of Epic and Mythic Paradigms." Approaches to Teaching Achebe's Things Fall Apart. ed. Bernth Lindfors. New York: MLA, 1991, 65-73.