Saturday, August 31, 2019

Jeanne Lewis at Steples

Harvard Business School 9-400-065 Rev. July 24, 2000 Jeanne Lewis at Staples, Inc. (A) (Abridged) op YO INC Six months from now, on February 1, 1998, Jeanne Lewis (HBS '92) would become the senior vice president of marketing at Staples, Inc. (Staples), a nationwide office supplies superstore. After 10 months working side by side with Todd Krasnow, the current executive vice president of marketing, Lewis was becoming familiar with the department. Her initial assessment led her to wonder if the department's operating style was suited to evolving competitive realities.As KrasnoWs heir apparent, Lewis anted to be involved in shaping the department's priorities for the upcoming year. The strategic planning process traditionally began around this time in August, and Lewis wondered if the time to start taking action had arrived. Thus far, 1997 had been a trying year for the company: the Federal Trade Commission had challenged Staples' proposed merger with Office Depot, and the two companies had recently abandoned 10 months of merger efforts.At that time, Chairman and CEO Tom Stemberg reaffirmed his commitment that Staples would grow from a $5 billion company to a $10 billion company by the turn of the century. Staples not only had to grow bigger, it also had to grow better, as analysts had become accustomed to the company's 14 consecutive quarters of earnings-per-share growth in excess of 30%. The theme of the upcoming year was twofold: strong growth and more effective execution. c Lewis believed that Stembergs pronouncement to look for the â€Å"silver lining† in the failed merger and to take to heart the lessons of the merger could serve as a call to action for the marketing department. Marketing, which served as both an architect and driver of the brand, would play a critical role in Staples' continued success. Lewis knew that Staples could survive only if it was prepared to get rid of outmoded ideas and replace them with new ones†a philosophy shared b y Krasnow. But Lewis also knew that it could be trigntening to give up the ideas that nad made the company successful.Furthermore, the marketing staff was understandably apprehensive about KrasnoWs planned departure, and many were already mourning his loss. Lewis explained: No While the merger distractions were going on, things that maybe should have been dealt with, weren't. Now, I wanted to make it clear that a new person was coming on oard in this area, and fgure out how we could get back to business. We needed to refocus on building our business, because it was as competitive as ever, and we had lost a couple of beats in a few marketing areas while busy with the merger.We were at a turning point in the marketing department, as opposed to being long past it. Because of the confluence of external events as well as our own internal complexity, if we didn't change, then I was concerned it would start to show eventually in sales. Research Associate Jennifer M. Suesse prepared this ca se under the supervision of Professor Linda A. Hill as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. It is an abridged version of an earlier case, â€Å"Jeanne Lewis at Staples, Inc. (A),† HBS No. 499-041, prepared by Research Associate Kristin C.Doughty under the supervision of Professor Linda A. Hill. Some names have been disguised. Copyright 2000 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http://www. hbsp. harvard. edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means†electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise†without the permission of Harvard Business School. This document is authorized for use only by Harutyun Gevorgyan at HE OTHER until November 2014. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [email  protected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. 400-065 Lewis knew the marketing department's role in ensuring success was twofold: maintaining the delicate balance between meeting short-term financial objectives ith appropriate promotional tactics and building customer loyalty and retention witn an ettective marketing strategy; and investigating ways to leverage Staples' brand and broaden its franchise.She also had specific questions about some of the department's structures, systems, and staffing. She was eager to get started, but recognized the risks of doing too much, too fast: My style is that I want things to happen quickly. When I see things†either a new problem someone has never had to fgure out before, or where theyVe Just had a different sense of timing†I Jump in and say, â€Å"here's the way to do it,† and that makes hange happen quickly. But that could l imit my ability to work across and with the organization.I could end up spending too much time managing down and not enough time making broader, more expansive impact by managing across the organization as well. Staples' Background (1985-1991)1 In 1985, Tom Stemberg (HBS '73), known for his marketing sa'. n. y and innovations in the staid supermarket industry (as vice president of sales at Star Market, and president of First National Supermarket), pioneered the concept of the office supplies superstore. A â€Å"Toys ‘R' Us† of office supplies, â€Å"Staples, the Office Superstore† would provide completeness, convenience, informed assistance as well as attractive prices†¦ overing everything from coffee to computer software† for the small-business customer. 2 Initial customer research indicated that most small businesses did not track their total expenditures for office products closely, nor were they aware that they were paying on average 40% more for t hem than large corporations. To communicate the savings and increased convenience of its new way of procuring office supplies, Staples' management was prepared to invest heavily in marketing. Staples' message would emphasize discounts and convenience, leaving customers free from the hassles† of dealing with long lines, order forms, and multiple suppliers.For the pivotal role of director of marketing, Stemberg hired Todd Krasnow, a 28-year- old HBS graduate who had worked in marketing at Star Market with Stembergs new VP of operations. In the early days, Stembergs team of five (himself, Krasnow, CFO, VP of operations, VP of merchandising) each had their own primary spheres of responsibility, but they all worked very closely together, doing whatever it took to get the Job done. They began the mornings with a 7:00 0'clock meeting, reconvened for a orking lunch, and generally worked through the evening until 10:00 0'clock.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Functional Benchmarking: Learning from best practices to improve service quality in medium and small hotels

Despite the prevalent debate of organizational education, there is modest learned contribution on promoting learning through the realistic purpose of management apparatus. This is particularly correct in a complex domestic supply series milieu of an institute. Benchmarking is documented as a vital means for constant enhancement of quality. A large amount of publications by a variety of authors reveal the significance of this practice. Reviews of literature on benchmarking have been prepared in the past by a small number of authors. However, bearing in mind the contributions in the recent times, a more complete examination is attempted here.In this essay, the authors have reviewed benchmarking literature in a manner that would help researchers, academicians and practitioners to take a deeper look at the expansion, development and applicability of this method. The authors have examined a range of papers and have anticipated a diverse plan of categorization. In addition, certain gaps th at would present clues for extra study in benchmarking have been recognized. Study Questions A study of small hospitality businesses was undertaken in order to address the following research questions:1) How extensive is the formal and informal practice of benchmarking in small hospitality businesses? 2) What kinds of practices and approaches are more or less likely to be benchmarked in small hospitality businesses? 3) How is the corporate culture of firms in the small hospitality industry associated with their interest in benchmarking best practices? Principal Findings Comparing performance figures is the procedure in the benchmarking processes that seem to be accepted and applied by tourism managers rather than more complex procedures like analyzing or optimizing.However, there is a growing body of researchers assuming that benchmarking is not exclusively a comparison practice. Studying the business feat of a number of hospitality sectors (attractions, restaurants and caterings, m otels); Bergin et al. (2000) found that benchmarking is frequently confused with the practice of viable assessment studies. Terms such as benchmarking, interfirm comparisons and competitive comparison analysis are inaccurately interchanged. Benchmarking is thought to be a more potent tool than competitive comparison. Key WordsBenchmarking, competitive comparison, comparison analysis, interfirm comparisons, hospitality sectors. Introduction Benchmarking is concerned with obtaining information through relative study and applying it to develop internal procedures or practices (Smith, 1997). Whilst Business Week has described benchmarking as â€Å"a euphemism for legally ripping off someone else’s idea† (McGonagle and Fleming, 1998), meaningful analysis and successful implementation is shown to be a complex task. As McNary (1994) observes â€Å"what often gets copied in benchmarking are only the symptoms of success instead of the causes of success†.This review check s existing literature on benchmarking, particularly with respect to context, procedure, needs and benefits. The applicability to higher education is examined and results drawn. Decision makers are continuously on the look out for methods to make possible quality upgrading. Benchmarking is one such technique that has developed into a popular process in the recently. Benchmarking is one of many total quality management tools, which comprise problem solving, procedure reengineering and process improvement. According to DeToro (1995), benchmarking needs to be positioned within this larger context.From the strategic perspective, â€Å"benchmarking could only be a piece of the jigsaw of initiatives needed to achieve substantial improvements† (Smith, 1997). The challenge is to match the process with the optimal tool or technique (Keehley, 1997). Though benchmarking is not up-to-the-minute, it has now found more users, and takes up a major place, helping quality development. Quite re gularly, the benchmarking notion is understood to be an act of imitating or replicating. But in actuality this proves to be an idea that aids in originality rather than imitation, as stated by Thompson and Cox (1997).Many authors have contributed to the literature on benchmarking ensuing in more than 350 publications as of June 2002. Taking in the growth of publications, some efforts have been made in the past to review the literature. Despite the widespread discussion of both organizational learning and the learning organization (Yeo, 2005), there are few practical tools to promote learning within a supply chain context that also give implementation advice for practitioners (Garvin, 1993; Shipton, 2004). This paper, aside from providing a review of literature on benchmarking, envelops the following objectives:(1) Assembling the publications in a methodical way to allow easy and quick search; (2) Classification of literature; (3) Analysis of result of publications; and (4) Discover gaps plus presenting hints for further research. As benchmarking relevance is rising considerably in large organizations, they have, as yet, had restricted application among small hospitality businesses. Much interest has been paid to small businesses in current tourism and hospitality literature, but this has centered on savings, finance and the use of technology (e. g. Buhalis, 1993; Kwansa, 1994; Ozer, 1996).There has been little research to quantify performance points of small hospitality businesses either as singular organizations or as workings of tourist destinations. This paper argues that benchmarking offers benefits for small hospitality businesses and for the destinations where they are situated. This is mainly true of grading schemes, where most of the fee is sustained by grading organizations, not by the small business themselves. Awards or grades give customers self-assurance and at the same time present a yardstick of competitiveness within the location area.Literatur e review The literature review focuses on exploring the potential of benchmarking to facilitate learning. It signifies the critical performance areas in classification and grading schemes in small to medium hotels. In the following part it specifies how people benefit from the stated grading schemes and how benchmarking is a useful grading scheme for hotel managers. Tourist destinations: components of attractiveness Mill and Morrison (1992) make a note that tourist destinations are made of attractions, facilities, infrastructure, transportation and hospitality.Laws (1995) spots chief essentials contributing to the attractiveness of a tourist destination as being climate, ecology, culture and traditional architecture and less important rudiments specifically for tourist groups, e. g. hotels, catering, transport and entertainment. Goodall and Bergsma (1990) consider total cost a fifth constituent, in addition to attractions, facilities/services, accessibility and image. Destination ch oice, image and pleasure have all been the center of extensive tourism research(McLellan and Fousher, 1983; Pyo et al. , 1989;Selby and Morgan, 1996; Sirakaya et al. , 1996).The subsequent inventory demonstrates components of tourist destination attractiveness, amassed from these sources, which were literature reviews concerning tourist destination choice, image and tourist satisfaction. Attractions †¢ Scenery/natural resources; †¢ Climate; †¢ Culture; †¢ Food; †¢ History; †¢ Ethnicity; and †¢ Accessibility. Facilities and services †¢ Accommodation; †¢ Airports; †¢ bus/train stations; †¢ Sport facilities; †¢ Entertainment; †¢ Shopping centers; and †¢ Food and beverage facilities. Infrastructure †¢ Water systems; †¢ Communication networks; †¢ Health care; †¢ Power sources; †¢ Sewage/drainage areas;†¢ Streets/highways; and †¢ Security systems. Hospitality †¢ Friendliness; â₠¬ ¢ Helpfulness; and †¢ Responsiveness to complaints. Cost †¢ Value for money; †¢ Accommodation prices; †¢ Food and beverage prices; †¢ Transportation prices; and †¢ Shopping prices Directly or indirectly, small businesses participate in an dynamic role in granting roughly all the physical and intangible components of attractiveness acknowledged in the lists shown above. Thus, they contribute significantly to visitor satisfaction/dissatisfaction and to tourist opinion and images of destinations. Small hospitality businessesHotel firms provide products which include tangible and intangible elements that combine into an exclusive combination of production and service. While room provision is a pure service activity, food and beverage functions involve processing and retailing processes. This might signify that the actual delivery of hospitality services may diverge widely and that the benefits derived are associated with feelings or emotions. The repercus sions are that consumers use biased and contradictory frames of reference to judge the quality of services, presenting difficulties for the hotel operative in satisfying the customer.Customer prejudice is emphasized in Day and Peters comments that â€Å"Quality is rather like pornography in this respect. We may not be able to describe it easily, but we know it when we see it†. Its ambiguity is amplified because high quality service is often delivered by impulsive and since reacts by hotel staff which cannot simply be practiced or scripted, but are even so an important means of client satisfaction. In order to endure and be successful, a business has to make sure that it is producing the goods or services that the customer wants, that it gets its quality right, and that it brings on time.There is a growing body of evidence which suggests that are straight links with the satisfaction of the server and customer, repeat sales and profits. Heskettet al. implies that quality, repea t usage, profits and investment form a self-reinforcing rotation. As a result, despite the apparently indefinable nature of the hotel product, service improvement can represent an important source of competitive advantage because quality in service delivery can lead to more repeat custom and greater sales revenue.Augmented presentation may also benefit managers and staff whose tangible and intangible benefits include job satisfaction, profit sharing and esteem. Small businesses are imperative to the financial health of both developed and developing countries. Gavron et al. (1998) makes a note of the vitality of the hospitality and tourism sector in this regard, in which low barrier to access generally ensure a steady supply of new businesses; at the same time as unproductive or inefficient ones are going through difficulty. Quinn et al. (1992) remarks on the somewhat low capital investment required to start new small tourist businesses.Entry costs can be abridged even for relatively asset-intensive businesses such as hotels, through leasing or through mortgage/loan agreements. Welshand White (1981) describe as resource poverty the inclination of small hospitality businesses to be short of financial backing and management skill and Gavron et al. (1998) refer to this as the reason why 64 per cent of UK small businesses fall short within four years. In Germany, where an inspection is required before an industrialist can start up in business, the rate is 32 per cent.Specific tourism-related statistics are limited, but, for example, Chelland Pittaway (1997) report that almost 50 percent of restaurants did not endure the first two years in their study. The British Venture Capital Association (1996) makes a note that many small business managers are provoked by life style rather than economic and success issues. While this does not automatically mean that they function to insufficient professional standards, it does simply that they may not be motivated to endeavor f urther improvement in a business which already produces adequate profits.Eggers et al. (1994) note that businesses either look for stabilization or have an expansion orientation. They categorize a series of central business stages and comment that a business which is thriving at one stage may not have the knowledge crucial to uphold success in others. Thus, although small businesses have a vital part in creating tourist satisfaction, they are neither a homogeneous group, nor able to give constantly high service delivery.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Law Sample of Essay Plan

Introduction * The 6 essential elements to form a contract is offer, acceptance, consideration, intention to create legal bound, capacity to contract and legality of promise. * An acceptance of an offer will create an agreement. * However, not all agreements are recognized as contracts. * Agreements with no intention to create legal obligations will not create a contract. * In order to create blinding agreement acceptance must be final and unconditional. Body Paragraph 1 * Acceptance is a clear and undoubted assent to the offer and all of its terms. * The law regard as acceptance when the offeree accepted the offeror’s offer. Not acceptance is when one party disputes whether the other accepted the offer. * Acceptance is important because acceptance will lead to agreement to be formed and contract will comes into existence. Paragraph 2 * 4 rule in acceptance which are, acceptance must be clear and undoubted, offeror requirements must be met, acceptance in reliance upon the offe r and acceptance must be communicated. * Mirror image rule is the rule of contracts that prohibits an offeree from changing the terms of that offer * The alteration in terms of the offer by the acceptance voided the agreement and there will no contract exists. The rationale of the mirror image rule is to ensure the acceptance is final and absolutely unconditional so that blinding contract can be done. Paragraph 3 * Conditional or qualified acceptance is as long as the conditions are not satisfied, an acceptance give subject to a condition will not operate * A conditional acceptance is not a blinding agreement due to acceptance must be final and absolutely unconditional. * This type of acceptance operates as a counter offer, therefore this will destroy the first offer. The purpose of inserting â€Å"subject to contract† means parties does not want to be bound by the contract until it become the written contract. * This will affect enforceability due to the conditions were not been satisfied. Paragraph 4 * I) Masters v Cameron * II) Souter v Shyamba Pty Ltd * III) First Church of Christ, Scientist , Brisbane as trustee under instrument 7020202154 v Ormile Trading Pty Ltd * IV) Teviot Downs Estate Pty Ltd & Anor v MTAA Superannuation Fund (Flagstone Cheek and Spring Mountain Park) Property Pty Limited * V) Redowood Pty Ltd v Mongoose Pty Ltd VI) Australian Woollen Mills Pty Ltd v The Commonwealth * VII) Godecke v Kirwan * VIII) Niesmann v Collingridge * The past case decisions have shown clear guidelines on what is conditional acceptance Conclusion * Acceptance can occur when there is exist of an offer and through acceptance, blinding agreement will be made. * I agree that blinding agreement can be create through final and absolutely acceptance. * This is to ensure that both parties will not make any loses and prevent injustice to occur. The past case decision can be used due to its accuracy that given out fair and justice to the both parties. (506 Words) Bibliography Book 1) David Parker and Gerald Box, Business Law For Business Student 2011 (Lawbook Co, 1st ed, 2011) 2) Stephen Graw, An Introduction to the law of Contract (LBC Information Services, 3rd ed,1998). Case Law 1) Australian Woollen Mills Pty Ltd v The Commonwealth (1955) 93 CLR 546 (Privy Council) 2) Redowood Pty Ltd v Mongoose Pty Ltd [2005] NSWCA 32 (Spigelman CJ, Tobias JA and Bryson JA)

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Knowledge on Nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Knowledge on Nature - Essay Example Organic machine influences the healthy environment of the natural resources as a result of the technological pollutions, exploitation of the natural resources and the use of chemical substances in the manipulation of the nature. Technology is the only tool man employs in the extortion and exploitation of what he desired to transform the organic machinery of the river, its meanders, hinterland and the river valley as well as the other naturally occurring parts of the environment. In the exploitation of the naturally historical environment, the gender and race are distinctive and major participants (Conrad 102). The race and gender are always disagreeing between those who are for the healthy existence of nature in their own self-image and those who are against the healthy existence of the natural environment. The Colombia River, as an example of nature, emerges mainly from the organic machinery such as a cyborg. These were cultural artefacts including a blend of both human and nature c ontributions. For the conservation to take place, there must be individuals against the healthy being of nature while others are in support of the natural and pure form of the environment. This results into conflicts especially where some individuals resolve into the conservation of the environment while the others manipulate it through the technological knowledge and for their own self-interests.The understanding of nature is normally complex. The built environment has really affected the natural environment.... This results into conflicts especially where some individuals resolve into the conservation of the environment while the others manipulate it through the technological knowledge and for their own self-interests. The understanding of nature is normally complex. The built environment has really affected the natural environment. The wilderness and the geographical area parts of the environment are no longer in existence especially throughout my hometown. The skyscrapers have taken almost the whole environment in which we live. Technology, therefore, even though has improved the lifestyle of the people, greatly undermines nature. The natural underlying rock materials isotactic and biostatic equilibrium, because of the heavily built environment, is greatly affected. This is some of the major causes of tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes. The underground river sources are not in perfect flow because of the heavy earth moving machines which are part of the built environment. The artificial ly modified technological environment has affected the purity of nature beginning with the quality of the air we breathe to the plants and animals life. My understanding of nature, therefore, is based on the healthy conservation of the ecosystem. The built environment should be considerate of the well-being of the plants, animals as well as the underlying organic matter and rock material. My hometown environment is full of technological manipulations, which greatly undermines nature. For the continuity of the natural environment to be upheld, therefore, there is a need for each individual to take part in the natural environment conservation (Sherman 178). This is what is suggested in the Colombia River organic machine conservation. White believes that the cultural

Aristotle= form, matter, soul, body, potential, capacity, actuality, Essay

Aristotle= form, matter, soul, body, potential, capacity, actuality, process, end, exercise - Essay Example The soul is the form because it determines the actual being of the lady while her physical body is the matter that has potential of being. The fetus in the womb of the lady is a potential being because it cannot use its potential of being (Witt675). The unborn child is in the process of being because it has potential to develop into independent being. When the baby will be born, the fetus will have become the end because it will be able to exercise its capacity of a being to attain an independent form. However, both mother and the fetus form a composite and are a form and matter. In conclusion, the composite substance of a being can be described in different ways. Its body is the matter while the soul is its form. Soul determines the actual being of the person since it determines the end. It enables being to exercise its capacity of being. The body is a matter that has potential to develop a capacity through a defined

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Religion, Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religion, Literature - Essay Example However, after Nietzsche had developed an independent mind, their difference grew, as they perceived humanity and life through different perspectives. This paper delves into Nietzsche’s disappointment with Wagner and how his religious views diverged from Nietzsche’s views. Nietzsche describes Wagner as a musician who is the master than anyone he knows in the discovery of tones that are peculiar to tormented, oppressed, and suffering souls (Darby 56). Wagner could even give a speech to dumb misery. He could be master of everything that was small, but he refused to be this according to Nietzsche. Several other factors made Nietzsche disappointed in Wagner. The work begins by showing that he and Wagner were opposites (Darby 60). He goes on to state that the book was for psychologists and that all Germans were excluded from those he intended to read his books. This was most likely in reference to Wagner and his roots. Nietzsche then goes on to express his admiration for Wagner and his ability to express both his misery and suffering in his creations of short music. After this, he goes on to take a critical stand on Wagner’s attempt at large work production (Nikos 65). Nietzsche was also critically disappointed at the physical aspect of Wagner’s music (Nikos 65). He even went on to try to expose Wagner as more of an actor than of a composer. According to him, Wagner’s feet, lungs, heart, throat and intestines were affected uncomfortably. Nietzsche also says he was disappointed to discover that in Wagner’s music existed no pleasing melody or rhythm. Rather, Nietzsche contends, Wagner’s music was merely a way of enhancing gesturing and posing theatrically. Nietzsche also reveals that he wanted and desired profound, wanton, cheerful, roguish, graceful, and tender music. He reserves praise for Chopin, Peter Gast, Liszt and Rossini, and all Venetian music. He, in fact, ends the Intermezzo with his poem, Venice. He found the discussed qualities

Monday, August 26, 2019

Management and Organisational Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management and Organisational Behaviour - Essay Example Again, the relationship between a company’s business structure and cultural parameters throw light on the performance potential of the company. The structural pattern of small business units is generally flat owing to the reduced hierarchy levels between the employees and owner of the company. However in case of big concerns the structural system attains a much complex pattern with the creation of several functional departments. It signifies a specialized performance pattern of the business unit. The difference in the organizational structures is also closely associated to the degree of control exercised over the people or employees in achievement of organizational objectives. The different organizational structures underline the nature and extent of responsibilities entrusted on the employees which also calls for rendering of rewards and punishment. Similarly the employees working together in groups design the organizational culture and cite the norms and ethics of the compan y. The cultural system of a company is flexible and is decided between the mutual understanding of the upper and lower management levels depending on circumstances and situations. Both the structural and cultural parameters work together in designing the norms of business leadership for efficient performance of the organization (Rollinson, 2008, pp.4-5). ... The set of organizational values also indicate the behavioral and communicating patterns of the employees with external interested parties like the customers, government and similar other interest groups. Further the existence of organizational culture helps in encouraging the people to work in a group network in order to achieve organizational objectives. The behavior and attitudes of the group of people working closely with each other are governed by the cultural parameters set by the company which in turn helps in the fulfillment of business objectives. On the other hand the group dynamics of the different individuals are also governed by the system of organizational structure. The system of organizational structure governs the level of interaction between the people at different organizational levels in order to achieve business objectives. The structural parameters of an organization help the employees to coordinate with each other and also to communicate in an effective manner with other hierarchies. This renders a sense of support to them to work more effectively in fulfilling business goals (Jennifer, 2009.p.6; Mullins, 2008, pp. 66-70). Organizational Culture and Leadership Organizational leadership centers on the maintenance of the core values and business philosophy of the concern as distinct from other companies performing in the external environment. These core values and visions upon which a business functions are formulated through the development of organizational cultures. Development of organizational cultures also enhances the ethical and loyal parameters in the behavioral patterns of the employees within an organization. These organizational

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The growth of debt among young American Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The growth of debt among young American - Essay Example (Economic Crisis, 71) The purpose of this research would be to determine the three most fundamental questions related to the aspect of growth of debt among young Americans. What is the social problem 2) What cause this social problem 3) What is the impact to the people of this social problem 4) What are some solutions regarding to this social problem One of the interests financial planners have would be in understanding how money attitudes can be related to both investment and savings behaviors. Financial counselors wish to understand the how and why students either intentionally or unintentionally get themselves into debt. The rapid rise in consumer credit card debt and personal bankruptcies causes concern with policy makers and this is one reason for the study. There is increasing evidence that credit card debt has contributed to the rise in family financial problems and personal bankruptcies (Brobeck, 45). In the quest to discover why consumer credit card use and debt are increasing it is important to understand an individual's attitudes towards credit, money and debt (Hayhoe, 645). The use of credit has becom... The use of credit has become almost a rite of passage for many collegiate students worldwide. The objective of this paper would be to study the attitudes of university students in the use of credit cards and the general use of money. The aim in actuality is to study the positive and negative credit card usage by University students and the reasons behind their usage or abuse. University students often are faced with a barrage of financial considerations including credit cards, financial institutions, student financing for educational purposes, part-time employment and other such financial decisions to manage. The research conducted would be inclusive of local collegiate students just beginning their tenure on campus and those that have been on campus for a year or more. Credit Cards have gained a lot of popularity in the United Kingdom and around the world. Most businesses use credit card services. The businesses, especially retail stores, have their own credit cards. They either have just a credit card for their store alone or they might have a Visa, MasterCard or even an American Express logo on it where the consumers can use that credit card no matter where they shop. In fact, if the businesses did not use credit cards they would lose a good chunk of money. This review will cover credit use and abuse, credit cards themselves, consumer decision making, consumer attitudes, adoption behavior, credit card debt and the viewpoint of credit card issuers and banks. Long term cardholders who carry a balance, pay late, and on occasion would surpass their credit limit, thus incurring additional fees, would in fact be the most

Saturday, August 24, 2019

The Principle of Parliamentary Sovereignty Research Paper

The Principle of Parliamentary Sovereignty - Research Paper Example The principle of parliamentary sovereignty was held high in Jackson v Attorney-General by Lord Bingham. Jackson v Attorney-General was a pivotal House of Lords case that brings to fore the legality of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 in the context of banning fox hunting by passing the Hunting Act 2004. The Hunting Act 2004 was passed while ascribing to section 2 of the Parliament Act 1911, which was amended by section 1 of Parliament Act 1949, in the sense that the Act was passed sans the consent of the House of Lords after the expiry of the prescribed delay. In that sense, Jackson v Attorney-General stood to be an important case lies within the scope of the principle of parliamentary sovereignty. Within the sphere of the parliamentary sovereignty, Jackson v Attorney-General raised the question raised the questions regarding the validity of all the legislation passed under 1949 Parliament Act as the appellants argued that the Hunting Act passed under the 1949 Parliament Act was inv alid, because the parent act was passed while ascribing to the 1911 Act, a privilege that the 1911 Act never intended to allow. Since the Enrolled Bill Doctrine enunciated that the courts of law could not look into the procedural aspects of passed legislation, the bigger question that this case raised was that whether it was allowable to courts to challenge an Act passed by the Parliament. Lord Hope put an end to this controversy by referring to the principle of pre-enactment practice when he said that: â€Å"The political reality is that of general acceptance by all the main parties and by both Houses of the amended timetable which the 1949 Act introduced.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Legalization of Marijuana in Arizona Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legalization of Marijuana in Arizona - Essay Example Currently, taxation on Alcohol and Cigarettes has been beneficial for the federal government. Solely $9 billion are gained annually through the excise tax on alcohol and $25 billion through cigarettes. States collect approximately $5.5 billion through alcohol taxes. There are certain shortcomings in the system due to which legitimate amount is still not collected. Collection of the exact amount of money through taxes on alcohol and cigarettes would gather billions of dollars. Strong legislation and adequate measures for the collection of tax on marijuana will definitely help Arizona to accumulate billions of dollars. Legalization of marijuana should be done in such a manner that high taxes are applied to it. There is not the much abundant supply of marijuana in the country and it has been sold in the grey market at a high price. Eventually, legalization of marijuana and quotation of high prices would basically discourage people to spend money on it. At the same; tax collection throug h it would be advantageous. The legalization of marijuana would promote its usage in the country but due to high prices, people would not be able to purchase it which would be ultimately positive. Most of the users of Marijuana are teenagers, high prices would change their purchase behaviors and sales reduction would be seen. Legalization of marijuana would also enable State to keep the record of demand and supply, which is fundamental for economics and finance division of Arizona. The sale and purchase mechanism of marijuana is still prevalent beneath the table and it involves drug dealers, criminals, and mob gangs. Due to legalization, these unlawful business operators would get out of their hubs for business. Their presence in the market would basically escort police officials to find the culprits of smuggling and illegal trade. By catching these individuals, the economy of the country and state would rise as grey market and smuggling has destroyed nation’s economy.  

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Management Evolution Essay Example for Free

Management Evolution Essay The evolution of management can be traced back to the start of the Industrial Revolution. â€Å"Management and leadership abilities were not thought of as learnable skills but derived from one’s heredity. There did not exist the need for a theory of management: leaders were born, not made. † (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 14). This belief ignored the need for a written theory of management and focused on the practice itself. As industrialization increased and spread, problems related to the factory system began to appear. Large numbers of workers were needed to keep up with the rapid economic expansion. Many of these workers were immigrant, unskilled, and non-English speaking. Managers did not know how to train these employees. This led to a scientific study of management and to what is today known as management theory. Classical School of Management The first management theory, Scientific Management, arose because of a need to increase worker efficiency and productivity. Emphasis of this approach was placed on the best way to get the most work accomplished. Focus was on examining the work process and developing the skills of the workforce. The classical school owes its origins to several contributors; including Frederick Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, Henry Gantt, and Mary Parker Follet. Frederick Taylor is often referred to as the â€Å"father of scientific management†. He believed that organizations should study and gain an understanding of work and develop precise procedures to complete it. â€Å"Taylor believed that economic prosperity could only be achieved by maximal worker productivity, which in turn, would be the product of making workers more efficient† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 5). By analyzing every job through scientific observations, he felt there was only one best way of doing a job. He believed managers should study each job and determine the minimum necessary steps needed to complete it. Individuals step would be analyzed to determine the most efficient way of performing it. Managers would then total the time of each individual task to determine the optimum amount of time necessary to complete the entire task. Workers would then follow the precise instructions of management. If tasks were not completed in the optimal amount of given, workers were removed from the job. He believed this system gave managers power over workers. Workers could no longer resist management demands. Managers possessed the knowledge and workers performed their detailed steps. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were a husband and wife team that studied job motions. â€Å"The Gilbreths are considered pioneers in making use of motion studies to improve worker efficiency† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 16). Frank analyzed worker actions to determine the best possible method of performing a given job. When he understood all the motions, he would seek to improve the efficiency of each action and reduce the number of motions required to accomplish the job–a process called job simplification† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 16). Managers would then select, train, and develop workers with devised procedures. Lillian extended this theory into the home in an effort to determine the ideal way to complete household tasks. Henry Gantt developed the Gantt chart; a work scheduling chart that measures planned and completed work along throughout each stage of completion. The Gantt chart is a powerful planning and evaluation tool used by managers. He believed inefficiency was a result of management unrealistic production standards. According to Gantt, â€Å"work standards should be determined by scientific observation and measurement, and only then may realistic work standards be set† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 17). Gantt also believed that workers should be rewarded for good work through a bonus system. He felt that workers would be more productive and achieve higher levels of production if there was an incentive. To motivate workers to go beyond the daily production quotas, he pioneered the use of a production bonus (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 18). Gantt also focused on the importance of quality leadership and management skills and their relationship to building effective industrial organizations. Mary Parker Follet is often referred to as the â€Å"mother of conflict resolution†. â€Å"Her research and writings pointed to a collaborative approach to problem solving that advocated compromise† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 17). Follet focused on the importance of establishing and developing common goals within the workplace. She believed workers should be allowed to participate in the decision making process. She believed workers could and would comply and follow management’s logical requests without being given too many orders; workers should not be micromanaged. â€Å"The classical approach to management theory had asserted that the key to worker efficiency and organizational productivity was efficient job design, use of appropriate incentives, and effective managerial functioning† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 23). This approach emphasized the work elements and eliminated the human dimensions. Behavioral School of Management The behavioral approach stresses that effective management will come from an understanding of the worker† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 23). Emphasis of this approach is based on the belief that every human being has social and physiological needs which affect performance and motivation. Focus was on improving the self-esteem and self-confidence of the workforce. Contributors to the behavioral school include Elton Mayo, Chester Barnard, and Douglas McGregor. Elton Mayo was the founder of the human relations movement. â€Å"Mayo concluded that factors other than the physical aspects of work had the power of improving production. These factors related to the interrelationships between workers and individual psychology† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 25). Mayo believed that if workers were treated with respect and their needs were being met, they would be more productive and their work would be more efficient; therefore both the employee and management would benefit. Mayo is known for his work conducted at the Western Electric Company in Chicago; known as the Hawthorne Experiments. He was able to prove that the relationship that employees have with management directly affects productivity. He concluded that management needed to be more directly involved with employees. Chester Barnard developed the acceptance theory of management, which focuses managerial authority. He believed that employees themselves determined if managerial order is legitimate and acceptable. He felt that in order for employees to accept that managers have legitimate authority to act, they must first understand the communication they receive from management. Employees must also feel that the communication that is received is consistent with the organization’s purpose. Bernard believed that managers needed to share a common purpose and express a willingness to cooperate with the employees. â€Å"Douglas McGregor, in distinguishing between the pessimistic Theory X view of employees and the optimistic Theory Y, had a dramatic impact on management theory and practice† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 27). Theory X which characterized the views of Taylor is based on the assumption that the average human being dislikes work and that because of this dislike they must be threatened and controlled before they will work. Theory X also assumes that the average person desires security and prefers being directed. Average people dislike responsibility and have little ambition. Theory Y which characterized the views of Mayo is based on the assumption that if a job is satisfying and the working conditions are good, then the worker will be committed to the organization. Theory Y also assumes that if the average worker is committed, then they will not only accept, but seek responsibility. McGregor believed that managers should operate with the belief that workers will contribute more to an organization if they feel valued and are treated responsibly. The behavioral approach to management theory focused on the workforce and their needs; the human element of the organization. This approach emphasized work as a group activity and aimed at increasing work productivity through collaboration. Production Operations Management (POM) Approach The Production Operation Management Approach to management was developed in response to increasingly difficult operational problems and a rapidly changing environment. The concepts of the POM Approach were based on the belief that the scientific method was the solution to problem solving. Herbert Simon was a major contributor to the POM Approach. â€Å"Herbert Simon is best known for his research in decision-making and information processing but also made contributions to cognitive psychology, computer science, public administration, philosophy of science, and artificial intelligence† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 29). Simon coined the term satisficing which was based on the belief that executives rarely had access to perfect information. They were more apt to accept data acquired early in a search and seek solutions or accept choices that are deemed good enough for their purposes. He believed that seeking the maximal solution or result expended resources. â€Å"Production operations management stresses a systems approach that views the total operating system and analyzes a problem within that system. The problem is seen to exist as it relates to the total system, and any proposed solution is evaluated as it relates to the same system† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 30). The POM approach focused more on production and less on the human factor. Contingency Approach The contingency approach to management is the most recent school of thought about management. It combines the ideas of the other three approaches and states that there is no one universal set of management principles or one best way by which to manage an organization. This approach is based on the belief that to effective, planning, organizing, leading and controlling must be contingent on the circumstances in which an organization operates. Different problems require different solutions. â€Å"This approach arose out of the observation that the three earlier approaches to management–the classical, the behavioral, and productions operations research–did not always lead to an acceptable solution† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 1). The contingency approach applies to all areas of management, not just organizing and leading. This approach takes into consideration both the internal and external environments of the organization. Conclusion â€Å"The foundations of the various approaches to schools of management theory are found in a variety of disciplines, inclu ding economics, psychology, sociology, mathematics, philosophy, and industrial engineering. But management theory, even though it makes use of other scholarly areas and the observations of the practicing manager, has emerged as a separate area of study since the 1940’s† (Montana Charnov, 2008, p. 4). The thoughts and ideas of the classical school have been analyzed and developed over the years; however the basic concepts are still in practice today. Relation to Work Environment I believe that the contingency approach to management is the most effective. The classical, the behavioral, and productions operations research approaches all are based on a universal approach, one best way, of management that applies the same techniques to every organization. As a manager I have come to realize that not all people and every situation should be handled identically. I believe managerial decisions and actions are contingent upon a given situation. Managerial styles and techniques must vary according to the circumstances of the situation. To be effective, managers must determine which factors are relevant in what situation. I believe the most important aspect of the contingency theory is that it accounts for the human factor. As the Dining Services Director at Miles Community College, I am required to make daily decisions concerning both my department and the organization as a whole. I believe that to be an effective manager it is necessary to evaluate each and every situation to come up with the appropriate decisions and actions. I understand that each and every situation is unique and requires a situational analysis. I also believe that every decision I make affects the organization therefore my decisions are based on the goals and values of the organization as a whole. I believe that the contingency theory best fits my management style.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Language Acquisition and Learning Essay Example for Free

Language Acquisition and Learning Essay There are several theories as to how people acquire and learn the intricacies of language not only to communicate but also to communicate their ideas across an audience. As a matter of fact, most of these theories if not all of them contends with each other. The two famous contending ideas are that of the Behaviorist Theory purported by B. F. Skinner which argues that language learning is a matter of â€Å"imitation, practice, reinforcement, and habit formation (Author, Year)† and the Innatist Theory posited by Noam Chomsky which presents the notion of a Universal Grammar found in every human being’s mind that made them cognitively capable in learning a language (Author, Year). While both of these theories account for the similarities and differences in first language and second language learning, it is Stephen Krashen who first made a basic distinction that first language is acquired while second language is learned (Author, Year). According to Krashen, to acquire a language is to understand the language just like that of a child acquiring his/her first language without any conscious attention to the language form. On one hand, learning a language is to focus on the form and rules of a particular language. Aside from these basic differences there are also other factors that affect both first language acquisition and second language learning such as the cognitive and environmental aspects. In the cognitive aspect, Chomsky said that humans in terms of language learning have The Critical Period Hypothesis, a genetic program that contains the kinds of knowledge and skill necessary for the learning of a language in a specific period of every human’s life. This further suggests that most of human’s first language endeavor happens in this period which makes it easier to learn as opposed to second language learning that will happen beyond CPH. It is argued that beyond these critical periods, it is already difficult if not impossible to acquire those language learning skills as supported by the case study of a 12-year old boy Victor who grew up in the wilderness of France without any contact with any human language but the sound of the animals and the woods (Author, Year). It is believed that second language can no loner access the innate acquisition they have when they learn their first language which lead them to rely on their other cognitive skills. The second cognitive aspect is the knowledge of a prior language. Second language whether children or adults have already acquired a first language on their own that works both as an advantage and a disadvantage. It is an advantage because of the fact that they have a prior language on how languages work. It is a disadvantage in a sense that this prior knowledge would affect and influence the learner’s knowledge of the second language that would inevitable lead them to make incorrect guesses on how the second language works. Second language learners already have cognitive maturity and metalinguistic awareness that a first language learner does not have which allows them to solve problems and engage themselves in language discussions. Moreover, there are also attitudinal and cultural differences involve in between first language acquisition and second language learning. First is the willingness to use and experiment the new language. For instance, children learning their first language would try to express themselves in different ways sometimes in erroneous ways even when their proficiency in the language is limited. However, adult second language learners would find it stressful to not able to express themselves which inhibits them to endeavor with the language. Lastly, there is an environmental differences involved in language learning acquisition and learning. For instance, first language learners are exposed in an informal environment where parents respond to their children’s language in a natural way such as a correction based on meaning as opposed to a correction based grammar accuracy. Correction is often made through reaction as opposed to a second language learning setting where every wrong utterance is corrected. In this way, second language learners are deprived of the experiencing language in a real communication set- up which is hazardous in their learning.

Primary Theoretical Frameworks For Discussing Intimate Partner Violence Criminology Essay

Primary Theoretical Frameworks For Discussing Intimate Partner Violence Criminology Essay Select (highlight) this text and then begin typing your abstract, which should be limited to one paragraph of not more than 120 words Discuss the primary theoretical frameworks-feminist, psychological (including biological hypotheses), or sociological-for understanding intimate partner violence and how each perspective might influence the development of intervention with perpetrators, or counseling with victims? Use examples from the readings to demonstrate the relationship between theory and practice. AND TYPE HEADING] Intimate partner violence is a multi-causal, multifaceted phenomenon and no single theoretical approach has proven sufficient in adequately explaining it. Fortunately, the field of intimate partner violence research has evolved to a point where now the interactive nature of the various relevant factors may be considered. Studies have identified possible determinants of intimate partner violence. Several of these possible causes are salient across diverse cultural and social contexts. Still theories to give reasons for intimate partner violence remain relatively limited. This regrettable lack of a theoretical perspective could possibly limit efforts to better understand intimate partner violence and to develop an effective and sustainable intervention with the perpetrators. This lack of perspective is particularly disconcerting at the level of primary prevention. This writer will examine the principal theoretical frameworks that constitute intimate partner violence. Feminist theories of violence against women tend to place much emphasis on the societal structures of gender-based inequality. The feminist framework argues that as the predominant social class, men have differential access to material and symbolic resources. Women, conversely are devalued as secondary and inferior (Bograd, 1988). As a consequence, womens experiences are often defined as inferior as a result of male domination, a trait that femininist argue influences all aspects of life. The violence, rather than being an individual psychological problem, is instead an expression of male domination of females. Violence against women, in the feminist view, includes a variety of control tactics meant to control women. Much feminist research is based on the premise that gender inequality is the source of violence against women, and that the social institutions of marriage and family are special contexts that may promote, maintain, and even support mens use of physical force against women.   Researchers in this tradition tend to rely heavily on qualitative interviews for data; and most of them have reached the conclusion that violent men are more likely to adhere to an ideology of familial patriarchy (Dobash and Dobash 1979). Gender analysis tackles the belief system that convinces male perpetrators that they have a right to control women in intimate relationships. Failure to address this belief system means that men may simply switch from physical to emotional abuse, and women and children will continue to live in fear. The contributions of psychology to violence in the intimate relationship have received much attention. The majority of research on the topic of intimate partner violence centers on personality disorders and early experiences that will increase the risk of future violent behavior (Buzawa, 2003). Although psychologists have long investigated the factors that predispose one to violence, an individual personality trait has not been found that influences someone to domestic partner violence. perpetrators do not share a set of personality characteristics or a psychiatric diagnosis that distinguishes them from people who are not abusive (Buzawa, 2003). There are some perpetrators who suffer from psychiatric problems, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or psychopathology. Yet, most do not have psychiatric illnesses, and caution is advised in attributing mental illness as a root cause of domestic violence.   On the contrary, there exists a complicated combination of factors that predispose an individual to violent behavior (Buzawa, 2003). The psychological framework extends these factors onto the influence of children growing up within a combination of these external forces.   Usually, men who batter are seeking a sense of power and control over their partners or their own lives, or because they are tremendously dependent on the woman and are threatened by any moves on her part towards independence. Some men batter because thats the only way they know how to be close to or relate to a partner. Some men grew up in violent households, where they watched their mothers abused by their fathers and where they themselves were abused. Some men become violent under the influence of drugs or alcohol, although the substances themselves do not cause the violence. Many psychological approaches view violence as a learned behavior that can be unlearned as apposed to a consequence of individual pathology, stress, or alcohol abuse. In order to institute an effective intervention, individuals must be able to confront their anger without resulting to violent interactions. According to Buzawa Buzawa (2003), a major conflict is that batterers have yet to develop alternative strategies to control their anger. They contend that batterers generally are less capable or adapt to at argumentative self expression (p.34). One compelling premise is that violence in men is not only natural, but an essential trait that was developed through an evolutionary process. As argued by Dobash Dobash (1998), Men have a greater propensity for violence than women. They further maintain that violence is embedded in male physicality, culture and experience (Dobash, 1998). To further extend this argument, Buzawa Buzawa (2003) contend that, It has been empirically established that although both genders commit acts of domestic violence, men commit far more serious violence than do women(p.39). Research on the historical and biochemical links to aggression has considered other pathways, one of which is evolutionary. Daly Wilson (1998) maintain that, violent capabilities and inclinations arose in our male ancestors in response to the demands of male on male competition (Dabash,p.200). Further, Newborn Stanko (1994) maintain that young men learn to do violence and within some cultural expressions it plays an important role in their social place and personal identity (p.165). The question arises, if there is in fact an inherent basis for violence, can there also be a biochemical basis for violence toward women? Domestic violence was found to be all-pervasive among all women but varying in volume and frequency across class, age and education level. As stated by Jewkes, (2002), Womens susceptibility to intimate partner violence has been shown to be greatest in societies where the use of violence in many situations is a socially accepted norm (p.359). Thus family violence will take place more often in violent societies.   With this in mind, it is not uncommon to see more cases of domestic violence reported in communities plagued with violence such as underprivileged inner cities. As stated by Buzawa Buzawa (2003), although domestic violence is present in all social strata and ethnic groups, it is disproportionately concentrated in population subgroups that are stressed with poverty (p.40). Some subcultures develop norms that permit the use of physical violence to a greater degree than the dominant culture. For instance, if a particular community has a significantly high violent crime rate, than it is to be expected that violence will in some way manifest in the home. Often, people in these economically depraved communities develop peer relationships that promote male dominance in the community as well as the use of violence to support a culture of violence against women. Ultimately, domestic violence is a complicated interplay of social, genetic, and environmental factors. Male violence against women in intimate relationships is a social problem condoned and supported by the customs and traditions of a particular society.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Pop :: Essays Papers

Pop It is 6:59 in the morning on a nice fall day. The sun is out; the leaves have already begun falling and the temperature is in the mid 50s. It is Saturday and the weekend is already looking bright. A minute later there is an alarm clock blast and Richard quickly turns it off. His room is always cold but for some reason that’s the way he likes to sleep. It could be the middle of winter and he will have the fan on. He sits on the edge of his bed, puts his glasses on and stays there for a few minutes—patiently waiting for the cobwebs to leave his tired, aching head. Finally he gets up and gets dressed, putting on a pair of clean, faded jeans, a T-shirt and a zippered hooded sweater. Richard then proceeds to go downstairs to the kitchen, where his wife of 47 years, Vera, already has pot of coffee brewing. The strong, rich aroma has quickly enveloped the room. â€Å"Dick, did you sleep well last night?† Vera asks. As Richard reaches for the medicine cabinet, he re plies, â€Å"No, all night long my allergies felt like a locomotive was running through my head.† Richard starts swallowing some pills, some for his allergies and some for his diabetes, slightly throwing his head back with each pill as if to insure it would go down quickly. Richard talks to Vera for a few more minutes, small talk, nothing much. He is a man of few words. He walks outside to feed his horses. The air is crisp and as he strolls he can hear the crunching of leaves beneath his feet. In the barn, the sun is shining through the cracks in the roof. This makes him feel good and alive, knowing it is a great day to view the country on horseback. Richard comes back in the house, sits down at the kitchen counter and starts watching the news. â€Å"Hey Dick, do you want to wake Michael and ask him if he wants to go with us to Darrell’s for breakfast?† â€Å"Yeah, I’ll just finish my cup of coffee.† It is now close to 8 o’clock and Richard goes and wakes Michael and asks him. Michael replies, â€Å"No, Pop, I’m tired and I have a football game later.† As Michael is saying this, he reaches over to make sure his alarm clock is off, and as he does, his sleeve comes up on his arm, clearly showing a tattoo.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Creation :: essays papers

Creation Isaac Newton, Johann Kepler, Blasie Pascal, Galileo, Michael Faraday, Samuel Morse, George Washington Carver, Gregor Mendel and Louis Pasteur were all scientists who believed in the Biblical Theory of Evolution. I am writing about the Biblical Theory of Evolution because I grew up hearing this theory and I have always wondered exactly what it was and what it all meant. This paper is meant to explain the Biblical Theory of Evolution. The Biblical Theory of Evolution begins with the first book of the bible. The following is what the bible says about creation according to Genesis 1. â€Å"(1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (3) And God said, let there be light: and there was light. (4) And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (5) And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (6) And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. (7) And God made the firmament, and divided the waters, which were under the firmament from the waters, which were above the firmament: and it was so. (8) And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. (9) And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it Was so. (10) And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. (11) And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. (12) And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in Itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (13) And the evening and the morning were the third day. (14) And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for Signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:(15) And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Drug Enforcement :: essays research papers fc

What we Prohibit We Cannot Control: Restriction Before Education?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a definite problem regarding the laws that enforce drug use in the United States today. Think about this question. Why are some of the most injurious, addictive, and mind altering substances in the world--tobacco and alcohol--legal, while other drugs are illegal that potentially cause no harm and have very little abuse?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States has declared 178 substances illegal. These substances are believed to be so dangerous that they are controlled at the highest level for medical use or forbidden outright, even for medical research. Remarkably many of these substances are not physically harmful and have never caused a death. Every year, legal drug use results in about fifteen percent of all hospital admissions, with one hundred thirty six billion dollars in medical costs. It seems odd, then, to make such a big distinction between legal and illegal drugs regarding the law.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A startling fact, Congressman Newt Gingrich, the Speaker of the House, proposed legislation that would impose the death penalty for people caught carrying as little as two ounces of marijuana. He excused his own past marijuana use by explaining that pot smoking â€Å"was a sign that we were alive and in graduate school in that era.† Prison sentences for being caught with a large amount of marijuana are ten years, mandatory minimum, with no parole allowed. A prison sentence for murder six point three years. That is the average served, with parole allowed. The average sentence for a first time, non-violent drug offender is longer than for rape, child molestation, bank robbery, or manslaughter.(Gahlinger 2) This is an appalling statistic. The government is enforcing harsher punishment on a marijuana smoker compared to a murderer!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The government is filling prisons with drug offenders that will not learn anything while there. Most likely when their term in prison is over they will go back to the same thing that they were doing before they went in to the system. Billions of tax payer dollars are keeping these drug offenders behind bars when a drug treatment program could be helping them to correct current addictive behavior and how to curtail their thoughts and actions to a more positive lifestyle. While the government puts one drug offender away another one is ready to step up to the plate and replace him or her. This is a never ending cycle. â€Å"Why do we not speak of ski abuse or a chain saw problem?

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Marketing and Catering Services

Company Background SIDAH CATERING SERVICES has been established on 25 January 2003. The company was established to carry out the work of supplying cooked food, drinking water, food, raw, wet, dry, and Catering Services. CATERING SERVICES SIDAH registered with the Ministry of Finance Malaysia in 080100 (beverage), 080200 (wet raw food), 080300 (dried raw food), 0804000 (canned / bottled / sachet), 080501 (Islamic cooked food) .CATERING SERVICES SIDAH have faith and strength ION develop businesses in the future with the success obtained and are being or have been performing service work on Vision School Cafeteria USJ, Subang Jaya, Cafeteria Pharmaniaga, National School Cafeteria Sek. 7, Religious School Cafeteria Sec. 3, Diner School Setia Alam, Restaurant Sidah and some premises in other institutions. The company also undertakes catering services involving several government departments and private organizations. Vision and misson Vision Mision The Fundamental to our approach is our c ommitment to provide the most effective solution to the people.And it is easy as 1†¦2†¦3†¦ To become the most effective Services solution To provide a cost Reasonable and Quality Services solution to the community To provide a multi-featured professional way at a reasonable price to fulfill the satisfaction of the society needs. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors. For example: A strength for a business could be: †¢a new, innovative product or service †¢location of your business †¢quality processes and procedures †¢any other aspect of your business that adds value to your product or service. A weakness could be: †¢lack of marketing expertise †¢location of your business poor quality goods or services †¢damaged reputation Opportunities and threats are external factors. For example: An opportunity could be: †¢a developing market such as the Internet. †¢mergers, joint ventures or strategic alliances †¢moving into new market segments that offer improved profits †¢a new international market †¢a market vacated by an ineffective competitor A threat could be: †¢a new competitor †¢price wars with competitors †¢a competitor has a new, innovative product or service †¢competitors have superior access to channels of distribution †¢taxation is introduced on your product or service

Friday, August 16, 2019

Drug test Essay

Case Study Analysis Paper COMM/215 Oct 20, 2014 Winifred Donnelly ? Case Study Analysis Paper In the case study, Carl is a new recruiter for ABC Inc. Upon being assigned to his position, he beat expectations by successfully hiring several new people despite his lack of time on the job. Because of this, he probably feels a lot of pressure to succeed and continue to perform better than his previous efforts at all times. He has made a number of mistakes in the case study and is at a loss as to what he should do next. Specifically, well look at the mistakes Carl made, what he should. have done in the first place, and the options he has available to him now to correct the mistakes hes made. First of all, Carl started off wrong by assuring Monica that everything would be taken care of in time and leaving it at that. There is quite a bit involved with making sure each hire has their applications and resumes filled out and submitted correctly. Additionally, drug screening is something that has to be done at an approved facility for your company or corporation since there are potential legal issues if the urinalysis tests are done at your place of business. Even hospitals  send their employees urinalysis bottles to other medical facilities to have them checked rather than doing the drug screening at their own facility though there are companies that are offering on-site drug testing (OHS Health and Safety Services, Inc. , 2014). Physicals are also a potential headache to schedule for even one person, let alone a group of people. Rarely does it ever seem that a doctor isnt busy doing something. People are constantly getting sick, injured or dying and its the doctors duty to help them even if that means making their death less painful for them. Trying to get a doctor  to conduct a physical isnt necessarily difficult, one just needs to schedule the appointment a month or two in advance which Carl did not do. As for the booklets, pamphlets, and manuals, Carl should have looked into getting those right away instead of blowing it off. This particular problem isnt quite as dire as the drug screening or the physical, but it will take anywhere from a few days to a week or more to get all the literature he is going to need for the new hires. Finally, he should have de- conflicted the training classroom schedule with the other departments in the company. In any  organization, there is a need for some kind of classroom environment that is conducive to learning but it doesnt do you any good if someone else is using the classroom when you need it. With this in mind, there was a schedule on the wall that Carl checked when he went to the classroom that projected out for at least a month or two. Carl waited too long to get his reservation placed in the calendar because Joe has the room for the rest of the month or more. Carl was off to a good start despite all the issues found with how he has handled the situation so far. Carl established himself as a quick learner and hard worker by making successful hires so quickly into his job time as a recruiter. Some people would say that the job is mostly natural skill because it only involves talking to people, but there is much more to it than that. Obviously, otherwise Carl would not have found himself in the mess he is in now. On top of talking with potential hires about the company, what they are all about, what they are looking for, and how the potential hire could fit into the job, they have to seal the deal by ensuring the hire meets all the companys qualifications too. If the potential hire isnt capable of meeting the basic company standards of education, behavior, attitude, ethics, etc. then they likely will not be a productive member of the workforce and its the recruiters job to find those things out on his/her own or go about making sure the potential hire gets to the right organization that can find that out. Upon receiving the phone call from Monica, Carl should have pulled out a pad of paper, his scheduling calendar, and a writing utensil and made notes during his conversation with Monica. He should have found out exactly what she wanted to happen and give her immediate feedback with his own ideas and timelines related to how long it would take to accomplish a certain task or the timeframe he would need to get an individual hire ready to start working. Once they had both come to an agreement on the plan they would use to get the hires ready to become employees, they could have both hung up the phone with a positive feeling of accomplishment and understanding. Carl should have started going about accomplishing said plan as soon as he hung up with Monica. The first things to be scheduled should be the things that are the most difficult to schedule the physical and drug screening. With those two things out of the way and taken care of, Carl should make sure he brings in and talks to face to face at least three hires a day to go over 1 / 2 their applications and resumes to make sure they are complete and filled out correctly. As an added bonus, if Monica had a particular format she desires on a resume, when Carl brings in the hires he can help them re-write their resumes so they meet Monicas desired format. Once the appointments have been scheduled and before individual meetings with the hires take place, classroom space should be reserved for the orientation. If the situation still plays out the way it is currently then Carl will have to find someplace else to conduct the orientation unless he can work out a deal with Joe. Depending on how long Carl will need the classroom, perhaps he can slip in, conduct orientation, and slip right back out while Joes class is on lunch or out at another site doing on-the-job-training (OJT). Finally, the literature should be compiled between meeting each hire and helping them with their paperwork. If need be, Carl can request more literature from whichever department of the company issues those documents, he can order them himself from their distributer, or have an assistant take them down to a place like Kinkos and get copies made. With the situation being what it is for Carl now, he still has several options open to him if he could get himself in a state of mind to recognize them. The drug screening and the physicals are going to give him the hardest time so he  should try to get them taken care of first. If hes able to schedule his hires before the orientation date then he is good, but if not he should go ahead and schedule them when he can and adjust based on that. The problems hes facing with the paperwork can be handled fairly easily by getting one good copy of each pamphlet, manual, etc. and get copies made or requisition more from the department in charge of stocking those supplies. They may not be happy being asked to cough up a whole mess of literature on short notice, but that is part of their job and he should do something to make it  up to them in the future. It is important to be on good terms with the folks who are in charge of supplies, especially from a military standpoint. As far as finding classroom space, Carl should approach Joe with his problem and see if he can fit his class in before or after one of Joes classes. If not, Carl should look into booking a conference room similar to the ones most hotels have for rent or like some restaurants have where the room is closed off from the rest of the dining floor. Either way, Carl has options in that regard as well. Additionally, and here is the hard part, Carl is most likely going to have to let Monica know that her new hires might not be ready in the timeframe they previously agreed upon. Due to his inexperience and lack of time on the job, this should not be a career-ender for Carl but it isnt going to make Monica happy with him. If Carl is able to still get everything in order in time to conduct the orientation on the date he agreed to with Monica, then everything is good. Carl is in a tough position, but hes not out of the fight yet. Carl made some  mistakes, mostly due to inexperience or perhaps he became cocky after doing so well on his previous recruiting scenario. In order to get back on his feet and save face, Carl has several different routes he can take to get his mission accomplished. Ultimately, Carl should do his best to right his wrong, get his mission accomplished, learn from his mistakes and press on. References University of Phoenix. (2014) Week Two supplement, Case Study for Student Analysis. Electronically retrieved October 19, 2014 from University of Phoenix, Week Two, Resource. COMM215 Essential of College Writing OHS Health and Safety Services, Inc.. (2014). On-site drug testing services versus clinic services. Retrieved from http//www. ohsinc. com/on_site_drug_testing_onsite_drug_test_specimen_collection_CH ART. htm PAGE 6 PAGE MERGEFORMAT 1 Y, dXiJ(x(? I_TS? 1EZBmU/xYy5g/GMGeD3Vqq8K)fw9 xrxwrTZaGy8IjbRcXI u3KGnD1NIBs RuKV. ELM2fi? V? vlu8zH (W uV4(Tn 7_m-UBww_8(/0hFL)7iAs),Qg20ppf DU4p MDBJlC5 2FhsFYn3E6945Z5k8Fmw-dznZ? xJZp/P,)KQk5qpN8KGbe Sd17? paSR 6Q POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

Book Reflection Assignment Essay

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards is a very fascinating and insightful book that everyone who is interested in special education should definitely read. After reading the book, I could not help myself but be compelled by the story’s main insight about the beauty of life despite the challenges brought about by the pain of the past and the challenges of the present. In this book, two of the most compelling aspects that I would never forget are (1) the realization of Caroline of the struggles she is about to face for having a mentally handicapped child and (2) the hope and courage she has gathered all her life to be able to appreciate the beauty and mystery of her entire being. In the first insight, it is best exemplified by the most obvious and vividly compelling scenarios in the first few chapters of the book. One clear situation is when Caroline refuses the money Dr. David Henry wanted to give her to start a new life again and move away from the depressing and helpless state in Kentucky. It is well-explained in this scene that not only will the book open up a narrative form of the beauty of remembering the past, it also immediately gives a hint of how life should always be a story of redemption and courage. Interestingly, this opening insight reminds me of the most important lesson everyone living with special children should always remember: everything shall pass when you are being patient. Just like the freezing cold that surround the town of Kentucky and just like the undeniably unbearable pain of a mother who just realized the long arduous struggle of having a handicapped child, there is nothing in suffering that does not fully pass away in time. This is something that is well-linked throughout Kim Edwards Book and something we are immediately introduced right after we first realize how the hard future of Caroline’s twins shall be. In understanding the essence of special education, nothing is more important than realizing and putting in practice the virtue of being patient. That is why the main situation in the book that made me appreciate the second insight even more is the time when Caroline finally heard of David’s death and told her children the truth. In this scene, I am immediately reminded of the basic requisite needed in having enough patience to answer the needs of special children: the pure truth. Everybody deserves the truth. Just because the special children we are dealing with don’t always respond as fast as normal people do, does not mean they are less worthy of our trust. Just as the final realization of Caroline to tell her children everything about their past, we should never deprive anyone who is worthy of the truth the story they deserve to know. Thus, the resolution being highlighted in the final scenarios of this book simply shows the very important lesson in understanding the patience, courage and determination it takes to succeed in addressing the needs of special children: honesty. Impact The three things in the book that I can clearly identify as having a strong impact to me as I work with individuals with disabilities and their parents in the future are quite similar to the insight I just mentioned above: (1) the value of courage, (2)the virtue of patience and (3)the importance of trust. The value of courage is best described in the part of the book when Phoebe and Paul were already eighteen-years old and Caroline was about to tell David the truth but then failed to do so because of an event David was hosting. In one of the most subtle scenes in this part of the story, the courage of getting through life’s struggles while being patient clearly comes to mind. Something special education most importantly requires in cases where special children and their parents are made to do things they would otherwise just refuse to doing. The virtue of patience could not have been made clearer in the entire lay-out of the book. I could not express enough the important virtue of patience in handling patients with special needs. It’s no different when handling with parents. The difficulty of making parents understand the strength and commitment it takes to raise special children could not be a more ideal example for this. The importance of trust in dealing with special children and their guardians is also best linked in the entire story of the book. When Caroline handles the difficulty of having a kid who has a down syndrome, I was struck with awe on how much strength she was able to gather in simply making ends meet by simply being honest to herself. In dealing with special education, success on the part of the teacher is impossible without first getting the trust of the parents and their special children. In this aspect, I will not only agree with a critic who said that â€Å"The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is appealing to readers who want a literary page turner and something to discuss in their reading groups† (Rich, 2006, p. 1), but also declare that, overall, it is very successful at that. This simply goes to say that it is a highly commendable recommended book for a type of audience who wants to understand more the industry of handling special children and the challenges their loved ones are facing each day. This book is also very important to those who want to understand life in someone else’s unique view. If such is the goal and purpose of the novel, I would definitely say the author is more than successful in achieving it. Reference Rich, M. (2006). â€Å"A Stirring Family Drama Is a Hit (in Paperback)† . The New York Times. http://www. nytimes. com/2006/07/13/books/13memo. html? _r=1. Retrieved on 2009-07-05

Thursday, August 15, 2019

My computer

Computers and networks are involved in virtually all social and academic services today. In this normal social world, it helps us save valuable time traveling to places just to see pictures and images of different places. The internet has virtually conquered the world and successfully conquered a very big part of our lives. One can never measure the space and time the internet has lived and evolved for years since its creation. Computers play a significant role in human lives either personal or business. You can see kids or grown ups do their work at their computers. My computer can really act as my buddy. I play games in it, chat in it, and communicate with other people through Yahoo instant messenger, MSN, or Skype. I just get to log in and see if my friends are online, if not I can always look for new friends and buddies in the net that has the same interest as I have. And it has given me a good view of other culture, their attitude, their language and how they look at life. I get a different outlook with life and its meaning which make me understand people and the world better. Communication is very important in building relationships. So my buddy computer has helped me a lot to send email messages and notes to my mom and dad. This I used to make a list of the things that I need to buy, update on some of my school activities, and of course asking favor from mom and dad on some things like additional allowances or weekend getaways with the family.   We do talk to each other personally of course but sometimes there are things that we need to put into writing so they can just print it out and bring it with them when they got to do the errand for my favors. Sometimes I get bored and I am kind of lazy going out so I just lie down in my bed, set my speakers, and then off I go to the coolest music in town. I can download whatever games, music, videos, and a lot of other things in the net that gets my attention. Sometimes I danced with the music to exercise, watch basketball, or just plainly watch HBO or Cinemax. I am sure it contains more than any other human being can give you in terms of information and features. Of course the caring, the sharing and sometimes the quarrels are three human attributes a cold computer buddy can’t give. My computer buddy helps me define my food selections for the day. Whenever mom and dad get lazy cooking meals, I am automatically assigned to chef. Being a chef means ordering and calling restaurants for food delivery. This is the most exciting part. This is the only time I get to order some things in the menu that I don’t understand and have it delivered to the house. There are plenty of websites where we can order food and their menus are already provided together with their prices. Anyway, I get to order what I like and they got to pay everything and it was fun. My cousins visit us sometimes and when they are here at the house, the only thing we get on with the group is my computer buddy. We play music and plainly chat and enjoy each others company. We browse the net for games, and play. Whenever I have an assignment, I always go to my computer for research and references. My computer has always been a buddy for me although it is just an object to say but it has given me a lot of help and a lot of things that I enjoy. To describe it, I can say my computer is a good buddy with a very intelligent mind powered by the internet filled with useful information.   

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Cloudstreet Essay

Cloudstreet: Religion and Spirituality | A Novel by Tim Winton| â€Å"From separate catastrophes, two rural families flee to the city and find themselves sharing a great, breathing, shuddering joint called Cloudstreet, where they begin their lives again from scratch. For twenty years they roister and rankle, laugh and curse until the roof over their heads becomes a home for their hearts.† (Winton, 1991) Tim Winton’s critically acclaimed novel, Cloudstreet is a masterful tale of love, meaning and heartbreaking tragedy that speaks strongly of a post war Australian society that was essentially rebuilding itself after years of political upheaval and financial struggle. Good Morning/Afternoon Ladies and Gentleman. I am a representative of the National English Curriculum board and today I am here to demonstrate to you how Cloudstreet is authentic and believable, and as Marieke Hardy suggests: â€Å"It is Australian. Reading it felt like coming home.† Throughout Cloudstreet, there are numerous concepts that portray the Australian cultural identity; and the theme of religion and spirituality is especially prominent and appealing. The concept of luck, Aboriginal spirituality, and the search for the meaning of life, are all Australian ideas that Winton expertly portrays. Spirituality can be defined as â€Å"a concern for that which is unseen or intangible; as opposed to physical or mundane.† (Greenberg, 2008) It encourages a sense of peace and purpose within an individual and promotes a feeling of belonging. Additionally, religion can be defined as â€Å"the belief in, and worship of a superhuman controlling power.† (Religion) Both concepts are widely integrated into the core of the novel and are depicted through the Australian notion of luck. Luck, which some would argue has long been etched into the Australian consciousness as a common working class superstition, is, whether th ey are conscious of it or not, a form of religion for both families. The Pickles family, most notably Sam, rely on the â€Å"shifty shadow of God† (p 12) to warn them about future events, while the Lamb’s simple game of â€Å"spinning the knife† (p 53) acts as their metaphorical life compass. â€Å"The Lucky Country† (Horne, 1964) is a phrase that originated from a book of the same name written in the 1960’s, and since then, has gained widespread popularity and thus, been attached to the Australian culture for a long time. Winton has  cleverly examined this historical background to incorporate an accurate facet of the Australian identity into the novel and its characters. Also related to the concept of luck, is the fact that after Fish drowns, Oriel, once a devoted and â€Å"god fearing† Christian, begins to question her faith and the reliability of believing in God. When Fish is resuscitated, but only â€Å"some of him comes back†, (p 32) both she and Lester are emotionally forced to abandon God and Christianity and instead, turn to luck, hard work and the idea that â€Å"life and death, was all there was,† (p 65) in order to endure their circumstances. This draws on the common â€Å"Aussie battler† tradition, of which a working class person overcame challenging situations through perseverance, faith and steadfast determination. In terms of the Australian cultural identity, Winton has again taken an important and recognized historical Australian idea and shaped it to evoke feelings of familiarity and intimacy between the readers and the characters of Cloudstreet. The frequent appearance of the â€Å"Blackfella† is yet another example of how the Australian cultural identity is portrayed through examination of Aboriginal Spirituality. However, in many scenes throughout the novel, the blackfella signifies both Christian and Aboriginal spirituality through allusion and comparison. For example, he is likened to Jesus by walking on water and again when he produces a never ending supply of wine and bread in Quick’s car. This comparison is particularly effective as it symbolises the â€Å"coming together† of Christianity and Aboriginality, which was a particularly delicate Australian issue during the time period of the novel, due to Aboriginal marginalisation and the rise of Christian ideals. Essentially, the Blackfella acts as a reminder of the original religion inherent to Australia and its development, during a time when social and political change was overtaking that of its native beliefs. The â€Å"Blackfella† also ac ts as the conscience of the characters when they have lost their way or their family unit is threatened. This can ultimately be seen when he leads Quick back to Cloudstreet after he runs away to the country, knowing that Quick feels secretly lost without his family, and needs them to feel fully alive. He also persuades Sam not the sell the house and states that â€Å"you shouldn’t break a place. Places are strong and important,† (p 406) referring to not only the house and its tragic Aboriginal history, but also to the fragile  families who live inside it. In doing so, he ensures that the families stay whole and together, which is an important and dominating religious value for Aboriginality and Christianity, both during the time period of the novel and in our modern Australian society. Consequently, the â€Å"Blackfella’s† role in Cloudstreet is a significant contribution to the novel’s relevancy to the Australian cultural identity. The Australian cultural identity is also illustrated in Cloudstreet through the spiritual symbolism and personification of the river, and its connection to the character’s search for the meaning of life. This is particularly significant for Quick Lamb, who, is spiritually linked to the river in a number of ways. The river acts as a place of peace, purpose and belonging for Quick. Connecting with his mother when they go prawning, glowing after fishing in the country, and most importantly, falling in love with Rose Pickles, are the most significant spiritually defining events that Quick experiences while on the river. Through realising just how symbolically important the river is to him, Quick finally understands the true meaning of his life, and gains a feeling of belonging that allows him to finally shed his self-degrading title of â€Å"the lost lamb.† (p 310) Australia is a country that values the water. Geographically, we are surrounded by it, with most of our population residing close to the shores. As a result of this, the water is seen as a common gathering place, from which one cannot easily escape nor regard as irrelevant to the Australian way of life. Winton has taken this idea and incorporated it into Cloudstreet, to emphasise and promote a relevant part of Australian culture. Finally, the river’s spiritual and religious connection to Fish Lamb is perhaps the most important concept of the novel. After Fish drowns and has his soul ripped into two separate pieces (spiritual fish and physical fish), the river that he so desperately longs for, essentially becomes his gateway to the spiritual world; to the place where he belongs. It is not until the end of the novel when Fish is finally free to reunite with the water that he is truly whole again. â€Å"I burst into the moon, sun and stars of who I really am. Being Fish Lamb. Perfectly. Always. Everyplace. Me.†(p 424) For many, water in Australia is culturally considered to be the blood of the country; a place of c leansing and rejuvenation. Likewise, for Fish, the river embodies the epitome of the spirit of Australia in the form of life giving water. Although his life was initially taken by the water, it is eventually returned to him when his physical self re-joins his spiritual self. In conclusion, Winton flawlessly encapsulates the cultural identity and spirit of Australia in Cloudstreet through symbolic representations of luck, Aboriginal spirituality and the search for the meaning of life. The characters’ connection with religion and spirituality resonates strongly with the reader and successfully evokes feelings of belonging and familiarity that confirms Cloudstreet is indeed a classic Australian novel. Bibliography Associates, R. Q. (2008, September 16). Ideology in Cloudstreet . Retrieved 2013, from www.englishcurriculum.com.au Cloudstreet Notes. (n.d.). Retrieved 2013, from Sydney Home Tutoring: http://www.sydneyhometutoring.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Details-Cloudstreet-notes.pdf. Dot Point Notes Cloudstreet. (n.d.). Retrieved 2013, from Sydney Home Tutoring : http://www.sydneyhometutoring.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Dot-Point-Notes-Cloudstreet.pdf. Greenberg, N. (2008, October 8). Retrieved 2013, from Can Spirituality Be Defined: http://notes.utk.edu/bio/unistudy.nsf/935c0d855156f9e08525738a006f2417/bdc83cd10e58d14a852573b00072525d Horne, D. (1964). The Lucky Country. Penguin Books Australia. Religion. (n.d.). Retrieved 2013, from Google Definitions: https://www.google.com.au/search?q=religion+definition Winton, T. (1991). Cloudstreet. McPhee Gribble.