My Life Has a Purpose

(a short story) My Life has a Purpose One windy afternoon, swaying trees , leaves falling scattered on the road, two newly friends agreed to take a walk to relax. On their way they saw a grocery store and dropped by to buy some snacks. They have reached the park and found a comfortable place under a tree. â€Å"What a tiring day! † said Cecile , the older one as she lean on the tree. She is chubby with a long curly hair and has the asset of beautiful eyes. â€Å"You’re right. Thank God we almost done half of the requirements. † answered Baby . â€Å"It’s relaxing here. She continued as she look around. â€Å" A nice place to charge not just our tired bodies but also stressed minds. † added Cecile as she starts to open a snack. Together they laugh. Baby heard her cellphone beep, someone send her a message. She check her bag looking for the cellphone, she saw her wallet, open it and saw the picture of her mother, brother, and father. While staring at the picture, she didn’t notice tears are falling from her eyes. When Cecile glance at her, she was worried. â€Å"Baby why are you crying? What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well? Tell me. Asked Cecile in a worried voice. â€Å"Don’t worry I’m okay. † Replied Baby while wiping her tears. â€Å" Cecile took her wallet and saw the reason why she cried,- their family picture. Cecile knew that Baby’s parents and only brother already passed away, but don’t have any idea what caused their death. â€Å"Baby if you don’t mind, i want to know how did your parents died, as well as your brother. † Cecile requested, as she look at her waiting for a positive response. Baby glance at her. â€Å" Okay I’ll tell you, but bear with me, I’m emotional. † She replied with a smiling teary eyes.Though 14 years had passed, everything is still fresh in her mind. â€Å" The weather was bad, heavy rains and strong wind, I was alone in the room in the school dormitory around seven o’clock in the evening I heard a strange sound that caught my attention. Suddenly the window opened because of the strong wind. When I was about to close the window, I saw a figure of a woman wearing a white dress seated on one branch of the star apple tree. I didn’t mind it, I closed the window and went back to bed as I waited for my room mate. † She started. Cecile was just quiet listening. That was the night before the real thing happen. † Baby paused for a while. â€Å" what real thing? † Cecile curiously asked. Baby continued as sadness reflected in her eyes. â€Å" The next day, a news came that a child and mother were both drowned in the river. I was shocked when I learned that it was my mother and brother they were talking about. It seems that time, my world collapse. I cried and cried. Together with my classmates and teachers, we go through the bad weather and walked three kilometer s to go home. When I got home, I saw my dad crying with wounded knees. â€Å"Why, what happened to your dad?. Cecile interrupted. â€Å"The three of them were together in that scene,my mother was the first one to fell in the river, my brother saw it then called the attention of our father. My dad upon seeing my mother was drowning, he jumped to save her. The water current was so strong, they couldn’t resist. When my brother saw our parents in that situation he eventually jump to save them but unfortunately, his head bumped on the rock that led to lost of consciousness. His body was carried by the strong current of the river.On the other hand, my father failed to save my mom, he lost sight of her. It was a miracle that my father survived because the river is too wide and the current was too strong with the heavy rains, he bumped a stable big rock where he hung on so that he won’t be carried by the river flow, where he got the wounds on his knees. † With a soft v oice as she continue to relay what had happened that led to the death of both her mother and brother. â€Å"oh! I’m sorry my friend, that was so difficult for you. † Cecile holds her hand to show her sympathy. â€Å"how about their bodies? a question pumped out from her mind as she recall that her father lost sight of her mother when he rescued her, and the part that her brother’s body went with the river flow. â€Å"My brother’s corpse was found on the same day, and it took three weeks for the rescuers , with my dad and relatives, to find my mother’s corpse. † She answered. Cecile became more curious. Many questions lingering in her mind. Baby tried to answer in detailed to satisfy her curiosity. Time was so fast, the sun already sets, the two friends pack up their things, pick up their trashes and place in the garbage can. It’s time to start a walk home.They both lived in the same apartment. The breeze is getting colder. â€Å"So the figure of a woman wearing a white dress you’ve seen the night before they were drowned, could that be a sign that something bad happened to your mom? † asked Cecile while walking. â€Å"hmmm. I don’t think so. I haven’t felt strange that time. † She replied. When they got home Baby put her things in her room and went to the kitchen to make coffee for the both of them. On the other hand, Cecile entered her room to get a sweater After a few minutes, Baby returned to the living room holding two cups of hot coffee to warm themselves.While sipping, Cecile remember to asked about her father. â€Å"Baby how about your father? † Cecile asked. â€Å" He passed away just last year due to complication. † She answered. Since the death of her brother and mother, her father kept on drinking liquor, though she tried to stopped him. His father had a prostate cancer, liver problem, a heart problem that led to his death. At the age of 17, she lost h er mother and brother. There was a point in her life that she asked God why them, there are lot of bad people who deserve to die to stop them from their wickedness.After 14 years, his father followed. â€Å" My friend you are a strong woman, you’ve overcome that challenge in your life. I salute you. † Cecile uttered in serious voice. â€Å"It was not that easy, but with the help of God I did it. Life must go on. Everything happens for a reason. I know God has a great plan for my life, and the things I’ve been through is just a part of the preparation of molding me to be worthy of the plan He has for me. â€Å" Baby replied. Cecile nodded as she agreed to what she said. They went to the kitchen to have their dinner, and there they continued their conversation. A year from now you’ll be graduating as a teacher and I know you’ll be an inspiration to your future students as you have inspired me now. † Cecile’s words of encouragement. â⠂¬Å"To God be the glory. Thank you my friend. Actually I don’t really expect that I could go back to school to pursue my studies. Aside from that, i didn’t dream of becoming a teacher. But here I am because of the goodness of the Lord , He will use me in this field. You too, you’ll be a successful businesswoman someday. † She responded. â€Å"God’s will. Said Cecile as she refill her plate with rice. â€Å" Should I call you ma’am Baby Girl or ma’am Ritchie? Ha ha. † â€Å" Of course I preferred the latter one, I’m already a big girl! † Their laughters echoed in every corner of the room. Her real name is Ritchie Biasura, calling her baby girl started when she got a copy of her birth certificate from the NSO, where Baby Girl Biasura was the written name. Her updated records was not yet forwarded from the local civil registrar to the NSO main office. She was advised to check her records and fix whatever problems bef ore graduation.

Critical Analysis of Sherwood Anderson’s Sopohistication

In the story of â€Å"Sophistication† by Sherwood Anderson there is one character that sticks out as what one would consider a foil, and he is know in this short story as the College Instructor. He is described as dry and a gold digger going after the banker’s daughter. Helen does not really enjoy his company â€Å"she wanted to drive the instructor away† (Anderson 169). She loathed how her mother thought that no man from the town would be worthy of her, or the fortune that would come along with her marriage. Furthermore, she did understand why she could not go after love, but has to go after prestige for her family. He knew that the life of a college instructor could not make him a large amount of money, but he needed a way to fund his studies as a college professor. Also, he never sees himself falling in love with Helen, he even says â€Å"I should marry women with money†, ultimately he is only in it for the money (169). He sees this as an opportunity when he found Helen’s mother wanted her daughter to marry. He thought he has a great opportunity to marry into money. Nevertheless, he never accounted for the wants or feeling of Helen, her wants conflicted with convictions of the college instructor. It could be argued throughout the book that â€Å"He wanted to appear cosmopolitan† (171). Although, this sounded appealing to Helen’s mother, it does not appeal to Helen. She despised the thought of ever being with him, she considered herself a free spirit, not wanting to be held back or told what to do. Proving this, she runs out of her house yelling for George. In her heart she knows that they are the only ones who truly understood each other. Thus, the college instructor is effectively run out of her life after Helen and George go on their silent walk.

Be true to thyself

Be true to thyself Essay â€Å"I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer.†-The Invisible ManBe True to ThyselfMany people travel through life on a constant search on who there are and how they fit into this world. Some maneuver through situations and issues that they are faced with never being true to themselves, but more so modeling the behaviors of others. It is not until one defines their self-image, obtain a healthy amount of self-esteem, and confidence can they execute decisions concerning their lives. Until then, their actions are merely mimics or derivatives of the thoughts or beliefs of another. In Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man, the nameless protagonist does not possess a definite sense of self, which results in his living his life for others. Primarily, the invisible man emulates his life after other people. The first example of this is how he behaves like his grandfather. On his deathbed the invisible man’s grandfather tells him to â€Å"to keep up the good fight†(Ellison16). Following this he was always doing what was right and was â€Å"considered an example of desired conduct—just as his grandfather had been†(Ellison 17). Once the invisible man goes off to college he begins to act in a manner to please Mr. Norton. Not only does Mr. Norton not identify with the invisible man racially, he views blacks as â€Å"a mark on the scoreboard of his achievement†(Ellison 95). Despite these two facts the invisible man allows himself to be a â€Å"do boy† by chauffeuring Mr. Norton to slave quarters. It is here that the protagonist can truly be identified as someone that is not in touch with himself because he sacrifices his education for a man that is not concerned about him or his race. Dr. Bledsoe tries to drive this concept into the invisible man when he tells him that â€Å"the white folks tell everybody what to think†(Ellison 143). Dr. Bledsoe expels the invisible man from school, hoping that he will learn how to survive and develop an identity that suits him. After being expelled from school, the invisible man begins a journey to make a living for himself. He ends up in New York where he is introduced to â€Å"The Brotherhood†. â€Å"The Brotherhood† quickly gives him a place to live, a job with a reasonable salary, and petty cash to spend on clothing. He adopts their ideologies, mimics their way of life, and indulges himself in their literature. After going through a rigorous tutorial program the invisible man emerges brainwashed and still lacking an identity. Never making his own decisions, the invisible man becomes â€Å"chief spokesman of the Harlem District†(Ellison 359) and finally begins to promote the ideas of â€Å"The Bro therhood† to the people of Harlem. Not knowing that â€Å"The Brotherhood† is using him to entice the people into following their doctrine and adopting their philosophies. He never decided where he would go or what cause he would speak against. He became a pawn for â€Å"The Brotherhood†. To them he was not an individual, but an inanimate object. Eventually the invisible man grows tired of â€Å"The Brotherhood† and their mannerisms. However, instead of trying to work on developing an identity, the invisible man begins to impersonate â€Å"Rine the runner and Rine the gambler and Rine the briber and Rine the lover and Rinehart the Reverend†(Ellison 498). Wearing a large hat and glasses tinted a dark green, he moves about the street with greetings of â€Å"Hey now!†(Ellison 485) and â€Å"daddy-o†(Ellison 484). He immerses himself into a youthful lifestyle with no prior knowledge of how it operates. His resemblance to Rinehart is advant ageous because it allows him to travel safely from place to place while in hiding from â€Å"â€Å"The Brotherhood†Ã¢â‚¬ . The invisible man moves through his life never really living for himself but for others. In addition, to adopting the behaviors expected of him, he also adopts the personalities of others. Both of these practices strengthen the idea that he is invisible â€Å"simply because people refuse to see† (Ellison 3) him because there really is not a concrete personality to see. Though the invisible man lives a life of emulation for some time, he eventually retreats from others to discover his identity. The invisible man’s first step to living a personally fulfilling life was realizing that his â€Å"future lies chiefly in his own hands†(Vanzant 1/15). Consequently, if he does not know what to identify himself with he will not control his future. To have an established identity one’s self-image, self-esteem and confidence must be asses sed and developed. Secondly he learns that â€Å"identification with an organization or a cause is no substitute for self-realization† (Vanzant4/29). He realizes that his relationship to â€Å"The Brotherhood† and his role in their activities was insignificant. He excepts the fact that he was not really a part of the group, but more so someone that ran errands. In addition, the invisible man discovers â€Å"In the solitude of your mind are the answers to all your questions about life. You must take the time to ask and listen†(Vanzant 1/17). This is seen when he says â€Å"I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer.† (Ellison 15). Taking time to think about morals, values and basic characteristics can prove useful in determining the qualities, which a person would like to exemplify. Knowing what he stands for will allow him to make better judgments in the future. In due time, he will begin to make judgments based on what his morals, ideas, and values reflect. â€Å"Nothing can dim the light which shines from within†(Vanzant 2/5), when you have a positive self-image you exude a confidence that surpasses even the most negative comments and corrupted situations. The invisible man begins to look at himself positivelyâ€Å"We must not wish to be anything but what we, are and to be that perfectly†(Vanzant 1/7). When we are satisfied with whom we are then we can begin to accomplish things. As the invisible man’s self-esteem increases so does his self-confidence. When someone begins to construct who they are they must realize that â€Å"If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With no confidence, you have won even before you have started†(Vanzant 2/7). The invisible man develops a self-definition, which makes him â€Å"visible† to others. READ: The Failures of Affirmative Action EssayFurthermore, retreating underground was the best decision the invisible man made. Underground is where he finally realizes that he has no identity â€Å"is the way it has always been† (Ellison 566) and that his life was merely a farce. He realizes that other people controlled his whole life: from his grandfather’s death; to driving Mr. Norton; to being expelled from college by Dr. Bledsoe; to being a member of â€Å" â€Å"The Brotherhood†. He understands that he was never given a chance to think for himself and develop an identity befitting him: My problem was that I always tried to go in everyone’s way but my own. I have also been called one thing and then another while no one really wished to hear what I called myself. So after many years of trying to adopt the opinion of others I finally rebelled. (Ellison 573)After years and years of portraying others thoughts and beliefs he accepts â€Å"That I am nobo dy but myself.†(Ellison 15). It took him years to understand that some people live their whole life never knowing who they are and he was one of those people. Happy and content with his subterraneous lifestyle the invisible man begins to live a life true to himself. Invisible Man is a dynamic novel that many people can relate to today. Myriads of people are on a continuous search for their identity and purpose. This process has been conquered by some; however, many never discover or develop to their full potential. The lesson of this novel, however, is that seeking a strong self-definition is essential, while keeping in mind to not let outside agents determine that definition. This novel is one that I would recommend to all of my friends because while following the path that the invisible man takes to self-discover, I realized that many of us are on the same trail of discovery. Invisible Man highlights and emphasizes the significance in having a strong self-identity to live a productive and satisfying life.

Personal statement. Application essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal statement. Application - Essay Example I enjoy helping them learn and I derive much joy in understanding how they discover new things in what adults find ordinary and boring. Like every primary school teacher I know, one of the greatest sources of happiness and fulfilment is to see the eyes and faces of children light up when they discover something new. It is like a lamp being switched on inside their minds. I am also at peace whenever I am with children, and I enjoy the noise and chaos that accompany them, a clear sign of their joy of life and of each one's infinite future possibilities. I see the world's future in each one, and I like it when they are noisy and active, eager to enjoy each other's company. I know how to make them quiet through a calm personal presence that adds to their enthusiasm. When I am in front of children, I know how to act according to what the situation demands and steer us all towards learning goals. I know how to motivate children and exercise patience when needed.

ISMG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

ISMG - Essay Example ody but it has its own way of ensuring development of the organization and this way is by putting in place good management policies to control the crisis. There are several forms of organizational crisis but with the case of ABS Canada, the kind of organizational crisis being experienced could be said to be organizational conflict because it involves a lot of agitations among the rank and file of the organization. A critical study of the case at hand at ABS Canada would be related to the Mind Frame Consulting (2000) explanation of why organizational conflicts arise as they note that organizational conflicts often result because â€Å"divisions and departments often have different objectives. If their members cannot find common values and goals, they will not cooperate.† Lack of cooperation would also worsen any form of organizational conflict. Identifying the causes and giving out appropriate solutions may however become the best remedy at hand. To this effect, a lot is tasked on Mr. Roberge to look into the causes of the conflict and appropriately devise workable solutions that will be welcomed by all stakeholders in the organization. There are three major parties that could be linked to the cause of the present organizational conflict and for that matter organizational crisis at ABS Canada. These parties are the recruiters of the project manager, out of whom Mr. Roberge may be singled out, the project manager himself and finally, the departmental leaders who team members who should have worked with the project manager. Clearly before the coming of the project manager, there was perfect peace and harmony in the organization. By organizational standards, the organization accepted to run the affairs and future of the company in a more collaborative means that involved all departments and sectors of the organization. This was evident in the meeting that agreed on the long term strategic plan for the company. Indeed, to have started implementing the strategic plan,

3600 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

3600 - Essay Example Therefore, the evolution of the word clearly indicates that this branch of anthropological study actually deals with procedure pertaining to qualitative research methodology, precisely in anthropological studies or in social sciences and implies to the gathering of empirical data pertaining to human culture and science. The ethnography therefore focuses on the myriad aspects pertaining to socio-cultural milieu of a particular tribe or people residing in some of the particular geographical terrains. The ethnography by Daniel Neuman is about the music in the northern part of India known as â€Å"Hindustani Music† in the local language by the canon of musicians related with it. Music is a primitive language for communication in human civilisation. Various socio-cultural and historical perspectives of the people residing in a particular geographical area evolve through music or folklore and folk culture of that area. Likewise, â€Å"Hindustani Music† bears the typical cultural essence of North India and is an incarnation of the rich heritage and culture of the area with its myriad blend and influences. The ethnography, â€Å"The Life of Music in North India† is a journey through the history witnessing the origin and the development of ‘Hindustani Music’ and the way it nurtured in the hands of the magician musicians through ages. The ethnography is very strong as it bears the testimony and experience of these musicians who dedicated their life and passed on their legacy to the future generations even for the cause of the particular music and its development. The research content of the ethnography is based primarily on the field work which can be treated as the primary research too. The first-hand survey done by Neuman during the year 1969 to 1971 in Delhi forms the base of the ethnography. Neuman interviewed musicians during this time and he made a trip to the northern part of India, precisely the cities those are situated

Visiting Ireland Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Visiting Ireland - Research Paper Example At the moment, I am going to convince you to visit Ireland instead of another country by elaborating on the Irish geography, ancient attractions, the magnificent natural environment, excellent infrastructure, and the vibrancy of the country’s multicultural background. Geography Let us begin with the unique Irish geography. For a country covering about 70,000 square kilometres of land surface, Ireland is approximately the size of West Virginia in United States (Kockel, 1994). However, in spite of its small size, Ireland has more than its fair share of major attractions, for everyone who values and appreciates the beauty of nature, blend with a touch of human ingenuity. For a country with ancient history and civilisation that rivals Mesopotamia, the beauty of visiting Ireland is that you get that rare opportunity of experiencing the lives of ancient Mesolithic stone age inhabitants and modern exuberant lifestyle in urban centres at the same time. Ireland is the home of scenic la ndscapes, with rich history and multicultural setting that spreads from the capital city Dublin to the smallest hamlet in the countryside (Irishtourism.com 2012). Ancient heritage To appreciate the progress that humanity has made up to the contemporary society, it is important to look back to the ancient civilisations, which have left an indelible mark on the Irish landscape. You should visit Ireland because it offers you the opportunity of seeing and experiencing the cradle of human civilisation in Europe. Ireland has historical artefacts, buildings and structures that have resisted the powerful forces of nature and they continue eliciting awe and admiration from harshest critics and sceptics. The Blarney Castle, Boyne Valley, Cahir Castle, Ceide Fields and Christ Church Cathedral are just a few of the must see historic sights and buildings in Ireland. Others include Hill of Tara, Clonmacnoise, Dublin castle, Glendalough and Newgrange (Cronin, 2003). The Blarney castle was build be fore AD 1200 and the King Muster Cormac McCarthy rebuilt the imposing building after its destruction in 1446(Irishtourism.com, 2012). The Blarney Castle houses the Blarney Stone, a mysterious artefact that is shrouded with mythical and legendary tales. The most popular myths surrounding the existence of the Blarney stone is that Biblical Jacob used it as a pillow. Prophet Jeremiah according to the myth brought the stone to Ireland. The stone is an important Christian artefact because it is believed that Blarney Stone existed during the exodus of Jews from Egypt and Moses struck it with his staff to produce clean water for the thirsty Israelites in the wilderness. Thus, Blarney Stone is a valued medieval artefact and is said to possess mysterious powers (Irishtourism.com 2012). Boyne Valley is a must see for anyone with interests of ancient technology and history. The valley contains valuable information about the â€Å"burial tombs of Knowth and Newgrange† (Irishtourism.com 2 012). These tombs are over 5,000 years old, exceeding the great pyramids of Egypt and the Stonehenge of England in age (Peillon and Slater, 1998). Build during the medieval neolith age, Boyne Valley is recognized world heritage site. For tourists interested in ancient agrarian practices, the Ceide Fields is the place to visit. Ceide fields are the oldest farming systems in the world, dating back to over 5,000 years ago.

Parental Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Parental Responsibility - Essay Example The Children Act of 1989 provides for guidelines as to the responsibilities, rights and duties that parents have over and to their children. Parental responsibility refers these duties, in the context of family and in the spirit of ensuring that the child is taken care of. It also helps in outlining how certain situations can and should be handled in cases where the difference sources of authorities may be in disagreement or where there is a disagreement between the child and the parent. In the United Kingdom, the majority age is 18. This means that before this age, there is always a need to make sure that the parent can protect them. Responsibilities come with rights and vice versa (Hendrick, 2011). One of the historic issues with regard to the parental responsibility is the Gillick case where Mrs. Gillick had sued to stop doctors from prescribing contraception and offering contraction advice to people below the age of sixteen. After a long battle that ended in the House of Lords, G illick lost because the house of lord voted in favor of giving people under sixteen the choice when it comes to such issues. However, this was to be done within the Gillick competence guidelines that would be use to determine when a teenager can decide regardless of the parent’s decision, when to take such treatment. The issue of Gillick covers the problems of the fact that although there are some age limits that are kept to define who is an adult and who is a child, people mature at very different rates regardless of the chronological

Treatment Programs for Prison Inmates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Treatment Programs for Prison Inmates - Essay Example The need for adequate treatment measures has been established. Finally various treatment measures that can be incorporated by authorities to ensure rehabilitation of inmates with addiction have been identified and evaluated. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-1V) refers to brain altering substances as 'substances' and to the related disorders as 'substance-related disorders'(1994, p174). The DSM - IV indicates that the term substance refers to a drug of abuse, a medication, or a toxin. The word substance is generally preferable to the word drug because the term drug refers to manufactured chemicals while many of the substances associated with abuse patterns occur naturally (opium) or are not meant for human consumption (phenyl). Here it is vital to differentiate between substance abuse and substance dependence. Substance dependence: This is loosely termed as addiction to alcohol as well as other addictive substances (such as opium, marijuana, cocaine etc). It is a reversible state and the person starts craving the substance under stress, life changes, or a low/depressed mood. Substance abuse: On the other hand, substance abuse is much more serious, wherein the individual becomes tolerant of the substance and needs an increasing amount to reach an inebriated state. An abuser will also face withdrawal symptoms in which state it becomes close to impossible to function normally in the absence of the substance. The life span of the typical addict is about 12 years shorter than the average citizen, and alcohol now ranks as the third major cause of death in the United States (Kaplan and Saddock, 1989, p. 391). Objectives This research has a two pronged objective: To study the link between criminal activity and substance abuse To examine the various treatment programs available for prison inmates with a history of alcohol and drug abuse Increasing crime rates, overpopulated prisons, and few measures taken towards the prevention of crime are major concerns over the world, particularly in countries such as the USA where the crime rate is significantly high. A large number of prison inmates are for the most part substance abusers and there is a close link between substance abuse and crime. In many instances, substance abuse can also be seen as the catalyst that triggers criminal activity. Keeping this in mind, controlling substance abuse in this group in an attempt to decrease crime rates would eventually bring about a significant social change. Identifying and implementing effective treatment programs for prison inmates is therefore a necessary and important step in the overall prevention of crime. Research design This is an exploratory study using an Ex-Post Facto Design. Literature Review Sarah Liriano and Malcolm Ramsay in 2000 attempted to measure prisoners' drug use prior to their prison term as a possible benchmark against which effectiveness of the Prison Service drugs strategy could be monitored. The data from the Criminality Survey showed that (73%) of respondents had used an illegal drug in the twelve months before

Fundamentls of Entrepreneurship Essay Example for Free

Fundamentls of Entrepreneurship Essay Fundamental of entrepreneurship is an individual who takes initiative to bundle resource in innovative ways and is willing to bear the risk or uncertainty to act. The purpose of done this assignment to know and understand that entrepreneurship play role to started new business enterprise. Moreover, entrepreneur for started new enterprise that SPM JATI (cooking oil), need review performance of his business, identify strength and weaknesses, recommend a plan of action that will capitalize on the company’s strengths, and overcome its weaknesses and finally business existing performance could be maintained and strengthened. Without this cannot complete the task to started new business. Before I start my assignment, I had obtained some information from my lecture and I also get information about entrepreneurship from internet. Through internet I know that entrepreneur of review performance to started new enterprise that SPM JATI (cooking oil), strength and weaknesses, recommend a plan of action and business existing performance could be maintained and strengthened. Entrepreneurship must face all kind of problem and know need to solve the problem then only can achieve in business, if the entrepreneur run away from business it show he or she cannot face it the business and don’t know how to solve the problem. Task 1, is mention a bout review the performance of SPM JATI enterprise cooking oil. It’s easy to focus only on the day-to-day running of SPM JATI enterprise. It’s simply include business efficiency, financial position, business goals and conduct a customers and market analysis. Task 2, is indentify about SPM JATI enterprise, strength could be seen in terms of SPM JATI staff extremely polite and helpful and your competitor’s staff has very few customer-friendly attributes, products SPM JATI provides cooking oil, customers loyalty is demand, and location located at. And weakness, an object’s look every aspect of SPM JATI enterprise whether its products and service could be improved. Task 3, is analysis the company strengths and weaknesses. And how to overcome the weaknesses of company. Task 4 is talking about help jerry to investigate ways in which business existing performance could be maintained and strengthened Task 1: 2. 2 How would you review the performance of his business? 2. 1. 1 Introduction task 1 In this task talking about review the performance of business of SPM JATI Company. This task explains about operation management. Product planning, location planning, process planning, supply chain management and quality management. 2. 1. 2 Answer Review the performance of SPM JATI Enterprise cooking oil for financial position, it’s often fail because of poor financial management or a lack of planning. Often the business plan that was used to help raise finance is put on a shelf to gather dust. When it comes to SPM JATI Enterprise cooking oil business success, therefore, developing and implementing sound financial and management systems. . Product planning Product planning and product control work hand in hand to ensure that consumers get the products they want, when they want. Product planning involves evaluating the product and placement, price, package and position. SPM JATI cooking oil using product planning. Price must standard and the package look nice and the customer attract to the package. Location planning Location is also very important for service and manufacturing ventures, which have such costs as advertising, promotion and distribution that are a direct result on where they located. SPM JATI company location is very near customer and other shop also. Location has to be convenient for customers and their employees need adequate parking. That means locating near to key suppliers in areas for pick-up and deliveries. JATI company choosing the best location for business that us the first step to target the customers. Process planning A business plan is used when starting a new business or new product into market. SPM JATI cooking oil develops the products and maintains the products. SPM JATI cooking oil planning buys a new machine that is automotive packing machine to improve the business and supply in big scale. Supply chain management Supply chain management is the oversight materials information and finance as move in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to consumer. The product flow includes the movement of goods from a supplier to a customer as well as customer returns or service needs. SPM JATI cooking oil supply to wholesaler and the wholesaler supply to consumer this is supply hain management of SPM JATI cooking oil company. Quality management SPM JATI Company maintains the good name and reputation of the company. To gain a competitive advantage, many companies will implement a quality management system to ensure they produce the best products. 2. 1. 3 Conclusion The conclusion is when I do this question I got a lot of idea about the business and also I can understand very well about what is product planning, location planning, process planning, supply chain management and how much important to business. This steps all SPM JATI company follow and maintain the business Task 2: 2. 2 Help Jerry identify his company’s strength and weaknesses. 2. 2. 1 Introduction task 2 In this task discuss about SPM JATI company strengths and weakness. SPM JATI company strengths and weakness. SPM JATI Company strengths is understand consumer needs and provide high level customer service. Weakness is not enough workers in the company and also the labor costs very high. 2. 2. 2 Answer: The impacts of internal strengths and weaknesses on the success of the ‘subject’ of analysis. The internal strengths and weaknesses of you, your staff, your products, and your business. The internal strength that make’s organization more competitive than its marketplace peers. And the internal weaknesses with organization that will keep it from achieving its objectives; it is what an organization does poorly. Strength This involves looking at the strength and weaknesses of SPM JATIenterprise cooking oil. Internal strength of business SPM JATI enterprise cooking oil, could be seen in terms of SPM JATI enterprise staff, products, customers loyalty, processes, or location. SPM JATI enterprise cooking oil,strengthterms staffextremely polite and helpful, very important to be totally honest and realistic. Next products, cooking oil, customer loyalty is when a supplier received the reward of his efforts in interacting with his customer. Customer loyalty tends the customer to voluntarily choose a particular product against another for his needs. Location for SPM JATI enterprise are very good because very near to customer and wholesaler also. So when very near to customer the supply cost become low and can save money also. The name of company very popular everyone knows about JATI cooking oil and the products quality. JATI Company understands the consumer needs. JATI Companyprovides high level customer service. Have a presence in retail markets. And also the customer like and go for JATI cooking oil. Weakness Company weaknesses are a lack of resources or capabilities. SPM JATI Company has higher labor costs. Competitor who can have similar productivity from lower labor costs. SPM JATI also not enough workers and the management are not very good. 2. 2. 3 Conclusion In this task discuss about the company strengths and weakness. Explain about the SPM JATI company strengths and weakness. Task 3: 2. Following the analysis of the company strengths and weaknesses, recommend a plan of action that will capitalize on the company strengths, and overcome its weaknesses. 2. 3. 1 Introduction In this task discuss about the strengths and weakness of Jerry Company SPM JATI enterprise. So need to find out some step to help Jerry Company to improve. And also discuss the overcome company weakness. 2. 3. 2 Answer Company strengths The first strengths for jerry JATI Company are good name in market everyone know about the company and the brand. JATI Company provides high level customer service. Customer also likes to buy JATI products because customer likes the packing and the good service also. JATI Company supply goods time to time. Overcome company weakness After I discuss about strength and weakness of Jerry Company that is SPM JATI enterprise. Jerry can be try to improve the products and packing. Customer service is very important in business, Jerry Company must focus on customer service. First the weakness of SPM JATI Company is higher labor costs. After that SPM JATI company not enough workers in the company so cannot produce more products because very less worker. SPM JATI must take new worker for company and can produce more products. SPM JATI company have 3 lorry but that is not enough for supply goods because a lot of order from customer and wholesaler. So need to buy new lorry, for more supply goods for customer and the business also can develop if supply more goods for customer the company can make high profit. 2. 3. 3 Conclusion As a conclusion, I help to find the steps or ways to help Jerry Company to improve and do much better then now. Next is, found the ways to solve jerry company weakness Task 4 2. Jerry has bought you a one-week return ticket to his holiday home in Penang. He wants you to helpHim investigate ways in which the business existing performance could be maintained and strengthened. 2. 4. 1 Task 4 introduction In this task discuss about to help jerry investigate ways in which the business existing performance could maintained and strengthened. I help jerry how to improve the performance of SPM JATI Company. So for one-wee k I will take care jerry business and help him also to improve the business. 2. 4. 2 Answer The ways to improve the company performance I have help jerry to promote his company name and product. I do which customers buy a lot of JATI product they all get some gifts from company. Next is, I give some donation under JATI company name then only people know about the company and what they are selling or produce. This also one good type of advertising. If company name popular in market then all customer know about the company and the business sales also increase. And I ask jerry to do some offer or discount. When customer purchase JATI product the price be half price for few month, to promote the product. Another idea is make t-shirt for customer, like which shop sell a lot of JATI products give them t-shirt. 2. 4. 3 Conclusion Conclusion is, this is the ways to improve the company performance and steps. When jerry follow the steps above sure jerry company will be improve and success on his overall business performance and also can increase the business sales or monthly turnover can increase. This steps all are very good to business improve and can increase the production of the company so jerry must follow the ways to improve. But now Jerry Companyimproves ready, so for no problem for Jerry Company. I think Jerry Company does better sales and better business management. Because jerry know ready what is steps and ways to improve the company performance. 3. 0 Conclusion As a conclusion when I finish this whole assignment I can understand what is business strength and weaknesses. And how to take care the business and also how to solve the problem. So when jerry follows all the ways or steps of business, sure the business will successes and can make more profit. Every entrepreneur must know the business strength and weakness.

Competition and Performance in Supermarket Industry

Competition and Performance in Supermarket Industry Analyse the management aspects of competition and performance in the supermarket industry, based on the case study given in the attachment. What role have the competitive strategies of supermarkets had in their success? In evaluating the sources of sustainable competitive advantage, which seem most important: market positioning, high levels of market power, or high levels of internal efficiency? Taking into consideration the four current dominant supermarket chains in the UK; Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisions, whilst acknowledging the slightly smaller popular grocery retailers such as Waitrose and Marks and Spencer an analysis of their comparative individual strategic framework is not dissimilar in many ways. Certainly in terms of the top four providers they have increased their market share through relentless buy up of smaller local convenience stores and chains, in addition to undercutting local suppliers, making them more cost effective. This has resulted in the retail food industry becoming an Oligopoly market, where only a few firms dominate the market by way of high levels of branding, brand loyalty, stable prices and a strong interdependence between the leading stores in relation to their own strategic movements. The emphasis is on advertising campaigns and tough barriers for any new competitors to overcome. They are all benefitting considerably by their economies of sale.[1] Tesco controls over 30% of the overall British grocery market. A market position which provides it with the strength and confidence to succeed against its rival competitors. Not only is positioning integral to the strategic success of the supermarket giants. It was Wal-Marts massive buying power which ultimately enabled Asda to become the second highest retailer in the market, usurping Sainsbury’s in 2003 from its number two spot. Another key area of its successes however grew out of its ability to offer a range of non-food items, such as clothing and kitchen ware. By expanding and diversifying its products in this way it was able to increase its overall market power. In 2002 Asda’s Chief Executive Tony DeNuzio confirmed, â€Å"two thousand lines have been sourced jointly with Wal-Mart and these delivered prices unheard of in the UK market.[2] Similarly Sainsbury’s business success came under threat several years ago when its market position was threatened and eventually commandeered by Asda. It needed to increase its competitive advantage quickly and one of the main ways it achieved this was by expanding and improving its own internal communications systems. Following the decline in sales and competitive defeat to Asda it responded by initiating the Making Sainsbury’s Great Again strategy. A significant four year recovery plan which included terminating the outsourced contracting of its IT infrastructure to the company Accenture. It shifted instead to the development of its own in-house IT systems saving the company millions of pounds.[3] This internal efficiency was further enhanced in 2006 when Sainsbury’s introduced new schemes such as Try Something New Today’ which became their motto for both customers and employees with a new emphasis on training and development and colleague communication . The supermarket chain also introduced a comprehensive monthly employee survey, called Talkback providing them with an indication of the level of staff satisfaction and quality of overall service being provided to the customers. During the same year Sainsbury’s launched an apprenticeship scheme for qualifying its in-house bakers, together with a leadership scheme for its branch and regional managers, designed to improve the level of quality of its management team, in addition to empowering its own staff. A combination of new stores, new lines and internal enhancement enabled Sainsbury’s to increase their profits significantly over the last few years. In 2008 these have been confirmed as  £488 million, before tax. A rise of  £108 million compared to 2007. And an overwhelming profit increase of  £380 million for Sainsbury’s since 2006.[4] All of the factors relating to market position, market power and internal efficiency can determine the strategic effectiveness of a successful supermarket giant in terms of how they inter-relate and require shifting or reviewing depending on the situation and motivation for change. What have been the marketing strategies of supermarkets? Evaluate these strategies. Marketing Strategies appear to be progressing away from the traditional 4Ps of Product, Place, Price and Promotion as Marketing is beginning to become more about the relationship of the public to the organization itself. Markets are now so competitive that more innovative ways of attracting customers is becoming key to remaining successful. Perhaps one of the best examples of a successful marketing strategy in order to maintain its existing customer focus, in addition to gaining more direct information about them as individuals, is through Tesco’s Clubcard scheme. This scheme has enabled Tesco to create a retail strategy, to determine their customers and which market these customers fit into as well as what they are looking for from a supermarket.[5] Similarly its computers for school voucher scheme turned shopping into a means of providing equipment for schools, maintained loyalty amongst families with children, raising their profile as a community conscious organization. Asda’s marketing strategy has always focused heavily on value. In 2006 it developed a new  £45 million marketing strategy which killed off their â€Å"always low prices slogan. A whole new approach to marketing its products now fell under the umbrella of more for you for less, This was a result of Asda’s market share decreasing to 16.7% and a recognition of Sainsbury’s recovery success. Asda also wanted to accentuate the quality and freshness of its food and drink, as the low price concept had begun to have less and less impact on its customers. It invested an enormous  £45 million advertising campaign using celebrities and even abandoned the familiar reassuring ‘Asda Price’ jingle. [6] In 2007, still reeling from the repercussions of its multi-million takeover bid of Safeway Superstores Morrison’s decided to revamp its image and market itself in a completely new way. It changed its logo and introduced the new strapline â€Å"The food sp ecialist for everyone.† In a similar way to Asda, Morrison’s made the decision to move away from the budget concept and value of lower costing food towards an angle that emphasized the quality of its products; where they came from and how they were packaged and presented. [7] This immediately followed a particularly controversial period for Morrison’s who were the first stock exchange company to post their results after the charity Christian Aid announced it would actively expose and campaign against industries that were seen to be abusing the environment.[8] It therefore becomes fairly apparent from these few recent examples that many of the major supermarkets are focusing their marketing strategies around the current political climate of the country, alongside the ever fluctuating expectations of its consumers. Comparatively the supermarket chain Waitrose has consistently delivered a reputation for stocking quality products, that are fair trade and organic. With the contentious strapline ‘honestly priced’ Waitrose focuses specifically on food and drink and has not diversified its products in line with the other major supermarkets. It has a very different socio-economic demographic for its market and their approach differs from other supermarkets in that they are all about brand loyalty. It has an account card like many other stores but chooses not to promote it. Rewards include concert tickets or selected food items, again emphasizing its overall different audience. The same audience who utilisie the John Lewis brand, the controlling arm of the supermarket. And most importantly of all the Waitrose profits are ploughed directly back into the pockets of its employees, maintaining a holistic enterprise with a fair, honest and high profile image. To what extent should supermarkets take into account ethics and corporate social responsibility when designing their competitive strategies and their relationship with suppliers? Do these responsibilities extend to protecting local communities and convenience stores? How should environmental questions be accounted for? By way of suppliers it is fair to assume from the media attention received that UK farmers are often seen to be suffering the effects of the considerable pressures put upon them to deliver high quality for lower prices, in addition to smaller grocers who find it continuously difficult to compete against the costs implemented by the supermarkets. The long-term impacts of battles between grocers and now non-food retail companies in the wake of the growth in expansion of supermarkets in new product areas, indicates that local based shopping facilities could decline further in future years. In response to the seemingly unending expansion and development of supermarkets across the UK, with smaller convenience stores moving into small towns and villages the Office of Fair Trading, (OFT) published the findings of an investigation into Britain’s four largest supermarkets, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons. Primarily based on how they treated suppliers. The report discovered no issues with the relationship overall and the conclusion was positive. However, since these outcomes were made public there remains an ongoing observation of practices by supermarkets nationally and an increasing profile with regard to the social and environmental responsibilities these hugely powerful, profit hungry enterprises have become in recent years. Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR has become of significant importance to supermarkets, with some responding at higher levels than others. Marks and Spencer have introduced a five year eco strategy aiming to proactively tackle issues including climate change, waste reduction and ethical trading. And Sainsbury’s Active Kids initiative, allowing the 80% of all UK registered schools to redeem vouchers for sports equipment. Donating a generous  £7 million of their own profits towards the campaign. [9] However this does not take into account the lack of co-operation by the larger supermarkets to help prevent cheap alcohol binge drinking. Frank Soodeen the Communications Director for Alcohol Concern stated earlier this year that ‘Supermarkets have a responsibility to price alcohol realistically†¦This is not an ordinary product and continuing to cynically market it below cost in order to increase footfall increases the risk to the public health†¦In the current climate of social and environmental awareness, a tough policy for corporate social responsibility (CSR) is worth its weight in gold.’ [10] Asda has since become the first supermarket to remove all of its super strength canned beers and lagers. In addition it has taken forward a new proof of age scheme titled Challenge 25. Customers who purchase alcohol must now produce some form of identification if they appear to look younger than twenty five. Furthermore the Federation of Small Businesses claims around 2,000 independent retailers go out of business each year. Supermarkets selling items with no mark-up are subsequently pushing all other smaller independent traders out of business as they simply cannot compete. Fair trade is an ongoing concern, with cheap labour in foreign countries enabling the retail trade to adopt low cost prices through exploitation. Earlier this year Martin Hearson from the campaigns organization Labour Behind The Label was quoted as reiterating ‘In theory, all the main supermarkets are committed to this but in practice, we have seen very little ethics to live up to the promise to pay workers a living wage’[11] It is abundantly apparent that supermarkets play a significant role in CSR issues and have a responsibility to maintain a level of standards across a number of areas that impact on both local communities and larger global matters. Tesco recently published their own Corporate Social Responsibility policy, which can be found on their website accompanied by the following statement ‘Our Corporate Social Responsibility policy objective is to earn the trust of our customers by acting responsibly in the communities we serve. We recognise our impact on society at all levels and work to maximise the benefits we bring. Customers are at the heart of everything we do. CSR is good for our business and good for the communities where we operate. By building goodwill and trust with our customers, we can earn their lifetime loyalty, which is our core purpose.’[12] To what extent is it inevitable that local convenience stores will decline? Are there feasible strategic or marketing responses available to them? The University of Southampton having been carrying out research around the reaction of consumers to the take over and demise of the local convenience store. The impact on communities who had recently been party to the addition of a Tesco Express in their local town or village within four different geographical areas of Hampshire were analysed over a period of one year providing the following conclusions Many citizens moved away from travelling to the distant out of town supermarkets, preferring to use not only the local Tesco Express, but other local shops as well. The return of out of town shoppers brought about by the inclusion of a smaller Tesco actually encouraged the concentration of increased local shopping trends, rather than having a detrimental effect on the community. In response to the findings the research team leader Professor Wrigley commented â€Å"It is clear that the introduction of the Tesco Express format to these communities helped bring about a major re-localisation of top-up shopping – away from distant superstores towards local shops. If consumers can access the same quality of fresh food and product ranges locally as they do in larger supermarkets, then increasingly it seems they will divert their top-up shopping back into their local neighborhood. This may have potential benefits for other traders, but more interestingly has considerable significance in changing the way we shop – with more people walking and cycling to stores.’[13] This conclusive positive influence of supermarket chain presence in local environments is reflected less positively in a topical piece of correspondence from The Executive Chairman for the Association of Convenience Stores to the Inquiry Secretary of the Groceries Market Investigation Competition Commission in 2007. The letter documents an investigative outcome of Costcutter stores nationwide. Whereas the commission had found there to be no decline in the general consumer use of Costcutters. The outcomes of the evidence provided by the Association of Convenience stores details a very different picture altogether, noting ‘The case: IGD I William Reed reports a decline of 5000 stores between the years of 2000 to 2006, and the decline of independents added to symbol group independents has declined by 4,611 stores in the same time period.’ The correspondence goes on to claim that a significant number of independent retailers are closing regularly across the country. And those that have remained successful have been subjected to takeover bids by Tesco or Sainsbury’s. An example of one Tesco store opening in a market town in Yorkshire, demonstrated that the existing Costcutter nearby received a turnover of a 50% decrease.[14] Although it is clear that supermarkets are not able to meet all grocery shopping needs as more local convenience stores fall into decline, less choice will be available to the consumer. In addition minority groups and those unable to access large super stores out of town, who would ordinarily have completed their shopping locally are now being forced into taking the cheaper option the presence of a smaller convenience Tesco Metro or Sainsbury’s central provides, making the audience for independent and convenience retailers even narrower. How might suppliers respond to the pressure they face? Suppliers are consistently left with fewer choices in terms of providing produce at an economic level consistent with continued growth resulting from the lack of profit made impossible from value Supermarket trading. Not only are they reduced to having to cut their costs, but they are under pressure in other areas like having to accept longer payment plans and cut prices sometimes even further by having to contribute to special supermarket promotional activity. [15] One of the options remaining is for suppliers to consider moving their industries abroad or carrying out more overseas trading. Alternatively by changing their products to meet the demanding needs of consumers to be greener, more organic and free range and finding new ways in which production costs can be consequently reduced in the process to impart better profits would be advantageous. Adapting to new methods of meeting the demands of the supermarkets are a continued necessity for suppliers to survive in the current market. Some suppliers may end up trading overseas, with the supermarkets forced to then buy the same product abroad at a higher cost, but with the profits going back into the pockets of the supplier. This will have a consequent knock-on effect to how all global supply and demand is met in the future. Alternatively the creation of Stockless centres through an enhanced supermarket internet home delivery service would enable goods to transfer directly from the supplier to the consumer door-to-door with no over-head costs. This would help reduce any transportation or logistic costs or financial implications incurred by the suppliers. Some supermarkets are now co-operating at a much more intensive level with their suppliers by recruiting specialists employed to work directly as a point of liaison to collaborate with the supplier in specific matters relating to the quality of the product they are providing, as well as financial advice and support with storage, refrigeration and logistical problems. [16]There is perhaps potential then to increase this level of support and develop a closer working relationship between retailer and supplier in order that both are satisfied. Bibliography Ebrahimi, H, 14 May 2006, Financial Daily Mail article ‘Britain’s top competition watchdog has said it is ready to see small suppliers squeezed out of business by powerful supermarkets so long as savings are passed on to consumers’ Gummesson, E (1999) Total Relationship Marketing: From the 4Ps Product, Price, Promotion, Place of Traditional Marketing Management to the 30Rs the Thirty Relationships of the New Marketing Paradigm: Butterworth-Heinemann Juniper.T, April 24, 2006 ‘A not so super market’, Guardian Newspaper Knights, D, and Wilmott, H (2000) The Reengineering Revolution? : Critical Studies of Corporate Change: Sage Knights, M (2005) ‘Sainsburys calls time on IT outsourcing contract’, Computing magazine University of Southamption press release, 03 November 2005, ‘Consumers Respond to transformation in UK Convenience Store Sector’, ref 05/191 Letter from Colin Graves to Tim Oyler, 23 November 2007 http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/inquiries/ref2006/grocery/pdf/responses_prov_findings_main_party_costcutter.pdf, Date accessed 12/09/08 (2002) ‘Asda fuelled by Wal-Mart power Food Retailing’, Eurofood article 7 March, 2006, ‘Asda plans marketing revamp’, Yorkshire Regional Development Agency article www.retail-vision.co.uk http://www.j-sainsbury.com/ar06/overview/groupperformance.shtml/ Chairman’s statement (2008) http://www.j-sainsbury.com/ar08/chairman/index.shtml, Date accessed 10/09/08 1 Footnotes [1] Juniper.T, April 24, 2006 ‘A not so super market’, Guardian Newspaper [2] (2002) ‘Asda fuelled by Wal-Mart power Food Retailing’, Eurofood article [3] Knights,M (2005) ‘Sainsburys calls time on IT outsourcing contract’, Computing magazine [4] http://www.j-sainsbury.com/ar06/overview/groupperformance.shtml/ Chairman’s statement (2008) http://www.j-sainsbury.com/ar08/chairman/index.shtml, Date accessed 10/09/08 [5] www.retail-vision.co.uk [6] 7 March, 2006, ‘Asda plans marketing revamp’, Yorkshire Regional Development Agency article [7] Johnson, B (2007) ‘Morrisons has sterling strategy’, Advertising Marketing article [8] Johnson, B (2007) ‘Morrisons has sterling strategy’, Advertising Marketing article [9] http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/files/reports/cr2005/index.asp?pageid=90 [10] Gough,V, 04 July 2008, Article from mycustomer.com, http://www.mycustomer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=133794u=pndm=phnd, Date accessed13/09/08 [11] Gough,V, 04 July 2008, Article from mycustomer.com, http://www.mycustomer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=133794u=pndm=phnd, Date accessed13/09/08 [12] http://www.tesco.ie/csr/index.html, Date accessed 13/09/08 [13] University of Southamption press release, 03 November 2005, ‘Consumers Respond to transformation in UK Convinience Store Sector’, ref 05/191 [14] Letter from Colin Graves to Tim Oyler, 23 November 2007 http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/inquiries/ref2006/grocery/pdf/responses_prov_findings_main_party_costcutter.pdf, Date accessed 12/09/08 [15] Ebrahimi,H, 14 May 2006, Financial Daily Mail article ‘Britain’s top competition watchdog has said it is ready to see small suppliers squeezed out of business by powerful supermarkets so long as savings are passed on to consumers’ [16] Knights, D, and Wilmott, H (2000) The Reengineering Revolution?: Critical Studies of Corporate Change : Sage

An Analysis of two businesses :: Business and Management Studies

An Analysis of 2 businesses Level 2 Task 1 Being a partnership is suited to Mount Pleasant Post Office for many reasons. These are concerned especially with: 1) The size of the business being small 2) The responsibility of the owners 3) The way that the profits of the business are shared out Some of the reasons why it is most suitable for Mount Pleasant Post Office to be a partnership are concerned the advantages it gets from being a partnership. These are the advantages this partnership business gets: 1) When this business first started up, it did not need the help of solicitors or accountants. This was because it was already easy to set up. 2) Also there is no-one who will know about how well the business is doing. This way, everything can be kept private. 3) Unlike Sole Proprietorships, more capital can be raised. This is because there are more people/owners to gather money. There are also sleeping partners who don’t actually run the business on a day-by-day basis, but they do provide money when it is vitally needed. 4) Another advantage is that unlike sole Proprietorship businesses, this business has unlimited specialisation. This means that the jobs can be shared out amongst the owners. Certain people who are good at certain things wouldn’t have to bother with the other jobs. Other reasons why it is most suitable for Mount Pleasant Post Office to be a partnership are concerned with the disadvantages it would get from organising itself in a different way. These are the disadvantages Mount Pleasant Post Office would face by being a sole proprietorship: 1) The business would have had limited specialisation which means that the owner would have had to do everything to keep the business going. 2) If the owner fell ill, then he would have to close the complete business for some time. Also if the owner wants to have a break and go on a holiday then he would have to close the business for some time. 3) If the owner is unhappy about running the business and wants to quit, then the business also ends. These are the disadvantages Mount Pleasant Post Office would face by being a limited company: 1) The public would have to be notified about how the business is going by producing reports. These reports are costly to produce even

Asians and Kill Bill Essay -- Stereotyping Asia Asian Movie Film Essay

Asians and Kill Bill Sitting in the movie theater, I was baffled to see so many stereotypes touched on in one single film. These stereotypes were not just any kind of stereotype – they were those pertaining to Asians in particular. The obviousness and sheer transparency of the stereotypes made the movie look like a complete joke. The film? Kill Bill. The majority of today’s films starring Asian actors and actresses often contain numerous stereotypes. They cater to the biased views that most non-Asians have of Asian ethnicity and culture. What they do not know they make up for in ignorance and ridicule in one of today’s top forms of mass media. By using a widespread style of media in today’s pop culture, more and more people are being displayed the fabricated stereotypes of Asians. In one of the more commonly portrayed stereotypes in film, Asians are often portrayed as great martial artists. Martial arts seem to come less as a skill and more a natural ability to someone who is Asian. Somehow, it’s right in our blood. Actors who have contributed to t... Asians and Kill Bill Essay -- Stereotyping Asia Asian Movie Film Essay Asians and Kill Bill Sitting in the movie theater, I was baffled to see so many stereotypes touched on in one single film. These stereotypes were not just any kind of stereotype – they were those pertaining to Asians in particular. The obviousness and sheer transparency of the stereotypes made the movie look like a complete joke. The film? Kill Bill. The majority of today’s films starring Asian actors and actresses often contain numerous stereotypes. They cater to the biased views that most non-Asians have of Asian ethnicity and culture. What they do not know they make up for in ignorance and ridicule in one of today’s top forms of mass media. By using a widespread style of media in today’s pop culture, more and more people are being displayed the fabricated stereotypes of Asians. In one of the more commonly portrayed stereotypes in film, Asians are often portrayed as great martial artists. Martial arts seem to come less as a skill and more a natural ability to someone who is Asian. Somehow, it’s right in our blood. Actors who have contributed to t...

Things Fall Apart and The Second Coming Essay -- comparison compare co

Things Fall Apart and The Second Coming "The Second Coming" By William Butler Yeats Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer, Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosened upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosened, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned The best lack of all convictions, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Chinua Achebe based his story, "Things Fall Apart," on the poem by William Butler Yeats called "The Second Coming." These two pieces of literature have many similarities but no differenc...

Aquinas and Dante: Perfecting Human Reason

Julia Caldwell Professor Albrecht Development of Western Civilization 2, February, 2013 Aquinas and Dante: Perfecting Human Reason Aquinas and Dante: Perfecting Human Reason Despite the fact that Dante’s reader doesn’t encounter St. Thomas Aquinas within the Comedia until Paradise, the beliefs and teachings of Aquinas are woven throughout the entirety of the famous poem. St. Thomas Aquinas’s cosmology and theology are used as the foundation for Dante’s Comedia, and for this reason it is no surprise that the experiences of the Pilgrim symbolically reflect many of Aquinas’s teachings.The Pilgrim’s experiences on his journey through the afterlife reflect what Aquinas called the, â€Å"two-fold truth concerning the divine being, one to which the inquiry of reason can reach, the other which surpasses the whole ability of human reason† (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 4). Dante also illustrates Aquinas’s conclusion that man’s reason tends toward the source of ultimate true while mans will tends toward the ultimate good. The reader is able to see how Dante’s will and reason search for, and ultimately attain, fulfillment in the vision of the Divine Essence.Both Aquinas and Dante emphasize the necessary union between human reason and divine faith as a means of attaining this fulfillment. As the instiller of these inclinations, only God Himself can satisfy them. Aquinas demonstrates this idea through his explanation of the natural and the divine law as they pertain to the Eternal law. Dante demonstrates this idea through the Pilgrim’s interactions with his guides and the culmination of his ascension in Paradise. Just as with body and soul, matter and form, there is a harmonious relationship between reason and faith; yet the agents within these partnerships are not equal.Both Dante and Aquinas acknowledge that human reason can assist the individual in understanding God and coinciding oneâ€℠¢s will with His will, but they both conclude that this secular-based reasoning is subjugated by and therefore must be perfected by theology. In Dante’s Virgil the reader finds human reason personified. Being the shade of a renowned and wise philosopher, Virgil is a perfect candidate to guide the Pilgrim through hell and purgatory. In his own lifetime Virgil lived as a pious man and therefore attained the imperfect Earthly happiness that can be acquired through natural powers.However, as Aquinas states, â€Å"every knowledge that is according to the mode of created substance, falls short of the vision of the Divine Essence,† therefore Virgil is unable to reach fulfillment since he cannot ascend to Paradise (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 12). Instead, like many of his pagan contemporaries, Virgil is doomed to spend eternity in the underworld’s Limbo. He will forever yearn to know the ultimate happiness and the ultimate truth that are only found in God. As Virgil puts it himself, â€Å"In this alone we suffer: cut off from hope, we live in desire† (Inferno, 20).Dante provides Virgil as a means of illustrating the incompleteness of human reason, whereby observing Aquinas’s warning. When describing the home of philosophers within Limbo Dante writes, â€Å"we reached a place spread out and luminous† (Inferno 22). It is fitting that this realm be characterized by light because as Aquinas states, â€Å"[natural reason] is nothing else than an imprint on us of the Divine light† (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 13). The knowledge possessed by the philosophers comes from God Himself, or the Eternal Law.Having never embraced the faith of God through the implementation of the theological virtues, however, Virgil is an imperfect soul. Much like Virgil, human reason is guided by the light of the Eternal Law, but is unperfected without the divine law. It is this very imperfection of Virgil’s nature that makes him the perf ect guide for the initial stages of Dante’s journey. In Virgil Dante finds a guide capable of explaining and illuminating the conceptual and rational worlds of Hell and Purgatory, but also in Virgil Dante is able to see the limits of human reason without the theological virtues.With Virgil as his guide, the Pilgrim is â€Å"guided by the light of natural reason† (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 2). Along his journey, however, Virgil comes to realize that his wise guide is not all-powerful. When the pair arrives at the gates of Dis in Canto 8, the Furies slam the gates of the city shut despite Virgil’s pleas. It is only when a holy messenger from Paradise arrives that the Furies surrender to God’s will and allow Dante and Virgil to enter. Taking this event metaphorically, reason is unable to go on further without grace. As the pair travel within the realm of Purgatory it becomes clear that Dante’s uestions are becoming more of a challenge for Virg il. When Virgil is trying to explain why his shade casts no shadow, his reasoning can only goes as far as to say that his condition is, â€Å"willed by that Power which wills its secret not to be revealed† (Purgatory 207). Dante goes on to describe Virgil’s countenance as having â€Å"anguished thoughts† (Purgatory 207). Virgil’s struggle to explain the dynamics of the afterlife as the pair comes closer to Paradise reflects Aquinas’s conclusion that â€Å"[the] human intellect is not able to reach a comprehension of the divine substance through its natural power† (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 3).Furthermore this instance exemplifies Aquinas’s conclusion that human reason is able to recognize effects but is unable to explain the Ultimate Cause of these effects without faith (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 9). Virgil can see that he has no shadow, but he cannot explain the source of the original cause. Since Virgil never believe d in the faith of the divine mysteries while he was still on Earth, his intellect is unable to grasp an understanding of God’s will. In conclusion, because Virgil doesn’t use faith to perfect his reason, his own will can never be aligned with the will of his Creator.Virgil specifically alludes to the fault in his faith when he distinguishes between pagan and Christian prayer. He admits that his own prayers, along with the prayers of all pagans, â€Å"had no access to God† (Purgatory, 225). Unlike pagan prayers, which according to Virgil in the Aeneid are powerless in a universe predestined by the Fates, Christian prayers are an embodiment of human participation with the true divine. By taking part in prayer, the individual takes part in the theological virtues that â€Å"are infused by God alone† and â€Å"direct us aright to God† (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 11).It is only through the participation in these theological virtues that an individual can be guided toward God Himself. These virtues are the perfecting agents by which the human will and intellect are pushed toward their â€Å"last act† (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 8). This last act is the attainment of happiness in the vision of the Divine Essence. Rather than try to explain concepts beyond what his reason can grapple with, Virgil asks his pupil to wait for Beatrice to answer his questions on this subject: â€Å"Do not try to resolve so deep a doubt; wait until she shall make it clearer—she, he light between truth and intelligence† (Purgatory 225). In this statement Virgil admits that Beatrice, as â€Å"the light†, is more capable of illuminating matters of the divine than the poet. Once the pair reaches the top of mount Purgatory, Virgil tells his young friend, â€Å"you’ve reached the place where my discernment now has reached its end† (Purgatory 351). Virgil has taken the Pilgrim as far as reason can dictate; now Dant e requires a guide of theological proportions to guide him in a realm where reason is blinded.When Dante reaches the top of Mount Purgatory, he has been cleansed of every perversion of the will. The feelings of admiration he felt for Virgil have been replaced by the intense love he feels for his new guide, Beatrice. He now desires conceptual knowledge less and instead begins to explore understanding through his senses. This tradeoff is necessary in this new realm where observations may not be fitting to human concepts. This necessity is made clear when Beatrice beings to explain to Dante the divinely ordained distribution of power amongst the stars (Paradise Canto I).Before she lays out the complicated plan she warns Dante, â€Å"even when the senses guide, reason’s wingspan can sometimes be short† (Paradise 399). This is a reminder to Dante that his experiences in Paradise will not be as easily digested and picked apart as his experiences in Hell and Purgatory. In the former realms, human reason could essentially provide explanations without needing the aid of theology. This is also a cue to Dante’s readers that they are not mentally capable of understanding the phenomena he is about to experience, so they must rely on faith.In a larger context, humanity must rely on its faith in God to have any earthly understanding of what heaven is. Donning red, white, and green, Beatrice symbolically represents the theological virtues, including faith. Dante initially relies on the eyes of Beatrice to reflect the heavenly bodies, since the brightness of Paradise overwhelms his eyes (Paradise 393). This can be metaphorically applied to the idea that humans must rely on the assistance of God, through belief and participation in the theological virtues, to begin to understand God’s mysteries.In the same way Dante initially owes his sight of Paradise to the eyes of Beatrice, humanity owes perfection of its reason to the theological virtues. As Aqui nas chimes, â€Å"the theological virtues direct man to supernatural happiness† (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 11). Through keeping faith in the mysteries while on Earth, a soul will be ready to behold them in the afterlife. In this way, both Dante and Aquinas emphasize how important it is for Christians to believe in the mysteries of the divine even when they transcend human reason.Even having beheld the beauty of the Divine himself, Dante is unable to relate the experience in words to his readers. Though he has seen the mysteries of God with his own eyes, the Divine Essence’s unparalleled nature transcends human explanation and human understanding. In this way Dante illustrates Aquinas’s conclusion that while on Earth we must rely on what we believe not what we actually see and understand. Aquinas says, â€Å"although human reason cannot grasp fully the truths that are yet above it†¦if it somehow holds these truths by faith, it acquires great perfection for itself† (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 6).In this way Aquinas clarifies the relationship between faith and reason. Without faith, reason remains unperfected and vulnerable to falsehoods. With faith, however, reason aligns itself with truth and thus aligns itself with the will of God. Individuals who perfect reason with faith are guided along the path towards salvation, just as Dante experiences. Following this path, one is able to arrive at the end toward which all humanity tends, prepared and deserving of the vision of the Divine Essence. It is only at this moment that the individual achieves the desires of both reason and will: truth and happiness.

Education in “The Republic” & “Discourse on the Arts and Sciences”

The role and significance of education with regard to political and social institutions is a subject that has interested political philosophers for millennia. In particular, the views of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, as evidenced in The Republic, and of the pre-Romantic philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau in his Discourse on the Arts and Sciences, present a striking juxtaposition of the two extremes of the ongoing philosophical and political debate over the function and value of education. In this paper, I will argue that Rousseau's repudiation of education, while imperfect and offering no remedy to the ills it disparages, is superior inasmuch as it comes closer to the truth of things than does Plato's idealized conceptions. To do so, I will first examine Plato's interpretation of the role of education and its function in shaping the structure of society and government and in producing good citizens. I will then introduce Rousseau's view of education and the negative effects of the civilized culture which it produces, and using this view, will attempt to illustrate the naivete and over-idealization of Plato's notions. Finally, I will attempt to demonstrate that it is Rousseau's view, rather than Plato's, that is ultimately more significant in assessing the actual (vs. idealized) merits (or lack thereof, in Rousseau's case) by which education should be judged with regard to the nurturance of good citizens. For Plato, the question of the role of education arises near the end of Book II (377e), after a discussion of both the necessary and consequent attributes of Socrates' kallipolis or â€Å"Ideal City. Such a city, Socrates argues, will, before long, have need of both a specialization of labor (in order for the greatest level of diversity and luxury of goods to be achieved) and of the establishment of a class of â€Å"Guardians† to protect the city from its envious neighbors and maintain order within its walls (i. e. , to police and govern the city). This, in turn, leads inexorably to the question of what attributes the Ideal City will require of its Guardians, and how best to foster such attributes. The early, childhood education of the Guardians, Socrates argues, is the key. What, then, asks Socrates, should children be taught, and when? This quickly leads to a discussion of censorship. Socrates cites a number of questionable passages from Homer which cannot, he thinks, be allowed in education, since they represent dishonorable behavior and encourage the fear of death. The dramatic form of much of this poetry is also suspect: it puts unworthy words into the mouths of gods & heroes. Socrates suggests that what we would call â€Å"direct quotation† must be strictly limited to morally-elevating speech. Nothing can be permitted that compromises the education of the young Guardians, as it is they who will one day rule and protect the city, and whom the lesser-constituted citizens of the polis will attempt to emulate, assimilating, via the imitative process of mimesis, to the Myth (or â€Å"noble lie†) of the Ideal City in which justice is achieved when everyone assumes their proper role in society. The process of mimesis, is, of course, yet another form of education, in which those of Iron and Bronze natures are â€Å"instructed† and inspired by the superior intelligence and character of the Gold and Silver members of the Guardian class. It is therefore a form of education without which the polis cannot operate. Thus, for Guardian and ordinary citizen alike, the education of the young and the continuing â€Å"instruction† of the citizenry are crucial. In addition to these aspects, Plato also conceives of another function of education, and one which is quite significant in its relation to Rousseau's views. For Plato, education and ethics are interdependent. To be ethical, in turn, requires a twofold movement: movement away from immersion in concrete affairs to thinking and vision of unchanging order and structures (such as justice) and then movement back from dialectic to participation and re-attachment in worldly affairs. It is a temptation to become an abstract scholar. But the vision of the good is the vision of what is good for oneself and the city — of the common good. If one does not return to help his fellow human beings, he becomes selfish and in time will be less able to see what is good, what is best. An unselfish devotion to the good requires an unselfish devotion to the realization of this good in human affairs. Just as the purpose of understanding order and limits in one's own life is to bring about order and restraint in one's own character and desires, the understanding of justice requires application in the public sphere (through education). A man who forgets the polis is like a man who forgets he has a body. Plato thus advocates educating both the body and the city (for one needs both), not turning one's back on them. If education is, for Plato, the means by which man comes to fully realize (through society) his potential as a human being and by which society as a whole is in turn elevated, for Rousseau it is quite the opposite. Education, argues Rousseau, does not elevate the souls of men but rather corrodes them. The noble mimesis which lies at the heart of education in Plato's kallipolis is for Rousseau merely a slavish imitation of the tired ideas of antiquity. The ill effects of this imitation are manifold. Firstly, argues Rousseau, when we devote ourselves to the learning of old ideas, we stifle our own creativity and originality. Where is there room for original thought, when, in our incessant efforts to impress one another with our erudition, we are constantly spouting the ideas of others? In a world devoid of originality, the mark of greatness, intelligence, and virtue is reduced to nothing more than our ability to please others by reciting the wisdom of the past. This emphasis on originality is in marked contrast with Plato, who finds no value in originality, deeming it antithetical to a polis otherwise unified by shared Myths of the Ideal City and of Metals. Rousseau rejects this â€Å"unity†, rightly denouncing it as a form of slavery , in which humanity's inherent capacity for spontaneous, original self-expression is replaced with the yoking. of the mind and the will to the ideas of others, who are often long dead. In addition to suppressing the innate human need for originality, education (and the appetite for â€Å"culture† and â€Å"sophistication† that it engenders) causes us to conceal ourselves, to mask our true natures, desires, and emotions. We become artificial and shallow, using our social amenities and our knowledge of literature, etc. , to present a pleasing but deceptive face to the world, a notion quite at odds with the ideas of Plato. We assume, in Rousseau's words, â€Å"the appearance of all virtues, without being in possession of one of them. Finally, argues Rousseau, rather than strengthening our minds and bodies and (a critical point) moving us towards that which is ethical, as Plato contends, education and civilization effeminate and weaken us physically and (perhaps most significantly) mentally, and cause us, in this weakness, to stoop to every manner of depravity and injustice against one another. â€Å"External ornaments,† writes Rousseau, â€Å"are no less foreign to virtue, which is the strength and activity of the mind. The honest man is an athlete, who loves to wrestle stark naked; he scorns all those vile trappings, which prevent the exertion of his strength, and were, for the most part, invented only to conceal some deformity. † Virtue, as opposed to Plato's conception, is an action, and results not from the imitation inherent in mimesis, but rather in the activity — in the exercise — of the body, mind and soul. Education, however, demands imitation, demands a modeling upon what has been successful. How, then, do we rightly assess the merits of education with regard to its it molding of the public character — in its ability to produce â€Å"good† citizens. The answer to this hinges, I submit, on how we choose to define the â€Å"good† citizen. Clearly, if obedience (or â€Å"assimilation to a political ideology†, or perhaps â€Å"voluntary servitude†) is the hallmark of the good citizen, then we must regard Plato's disposition towards education as the proper one. However, obedience, despite its obvious centrality to the smooth operation of society (as we would have social chaos were it completely absent), has its useful limits. Over-assimilation to a political idea or â€Å"blueprint† is every bit as dangerous — indeed, far more so — as the utter under-assimilation of anarchy. For those inclined to dispute this, I would urge them to review the history of Nazi Germany as perhaps the definitive example of what sad, awful spectacles of injustice we humans are capable of when we trade in our mental and spiritual autonomy for the convenient apathy and faceless anonymity of the political ideal. Furthermore, if , as Rousseau contends, our civilization is such that, â€Å"Sincere friendship, real esteem, and perfect confidence [in each other] are banished from among men,† what is the quality of the society for which education — any modern education — purports to prepares us? When, â€Å"Jealousy, suspicion, fear coldness, reserve, hate, and fraud lie constantly concealed under †¦ [a] uniform and deceitful veil of politeness,† what is left to us to educate citizens for, other than the pleasure we seem to derive in pedantic displays of hoary knowledge? If we remove the civility from â€Å"civilization†, what remains to us that any education will remedy?

How Does Shakespeare Present The Witches in ‘Macbeth’ and to what Extent do they influence events? Essay

‘Macbeth’ is a tragic play that focuses on how one man is driven mad with ambition, the play was written in a time of society when witches were greatly feared and believed to exist, so the fact that the witches in the play influence Macbeth’s downfall was scary to them. Did the witches in Macbeth cause him to kill the king? The witches are without doubt evil, they do no good deeds and only perform acts of evil, ‘enter three witches’ there are three of them, which suggests something to do with the unholy trinity, there are a lot of other implications of the trinity in the play, three types of weather and Banquo being murdered by three people. They make potions with disgusting things in, some which are body parts that earlier belonged to human which shows they do not care about the human race which suggests they are not human. They kill a woman’s husband just because she would not share her food and says ‘here I have a pilots thumb’ which shows they are proud ant take it as a prize. They can control the weather but only use it for bad ‘in thunder lightening or in rain?’ Also, they kill livestock as if it was a hobby and they do not really care. They do nothing good for Macbeth’s life and know what they are doing from the start. Without the witches in the play, there would not be a story as they are behind all of the trouble. They influence Macbeth to be exceedingly power hungry and arrogant but one thing they cannot do it control people, they never actually control or give orders to Macbeth, they just ‘guide’ him. They say to him ‘all hail Macbeth that shalt be king’ which then later influences him to kill Duncan so that he himself can become king. They tell him ‘for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth’ which makes him believe that he is invincible which influences him to be very big headed and feel that he can get away with anything which then eventually leads to his death. Calling the witches ugly would be a huge understatement, they are worse than that as they cannot even be described as human, they are referred to as the ‘weird sisters’ by Banquo and Macbeth throughout the play but whether they are even girls is questionable, as Banquo even says at one point ‘you should be women and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so.’ Banquo also says ‘so withered and wild in their attire’ They are never described as anything but repulsive, Macbeth describes them as an infection ‘infected by the air whereon they ride’ Macbeth calls them ‘filthy hags’ In Polanski’s film of Macbeth one of the witches is deformed and does not have a face, which shows how he interprets how ugly Shakespeare was trying to explain they were. It is clear that they are not your every day women, as Banquo says ‘look not like the inhabitants of the earth’ They are very sinister and mysterious ‘how now you secret, black and midnight hags’ Macbeth says, and with the use of the words black and midnight you can tell that they are associated with night. This brings me on to how the witches in Macbeth fit a stereotype. The fact that the witches are ugly is a stereotype in itself because witches are rarely stereotyped as being beautiful women. ‘Where hast thou been sister?’ ‘Killing swine.’ In the middle ages if a lot of farm animals were getting ill it would be blamed on witchcraft so it is therefore stereotypical that they kill pigs. They can predict the future, which shows they have supernatural powers and are psychic which is what you would expect a witch to be. They often speak in chant, which seems like a spell ‘when the hurlyburly’s done, when the battles lost and won’ and they can fly ‘hover through the fog’ they use cauldrons and make disgusting potions. The witches have a lot of power over many things although they cannot actually kill directly, yet they have other ways to kill. They manage to kill a woman’s husband by creating a storm and doing other awful things ‘sleep shall neither night nor day’ they have the power to stop him from sleeping. The witches have power over the weather and they can conjure up spirits. ‘Show his eyes and grieve his heart; come like shadows, so depart’ and they can predict the future, which shows power. ‘A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come’ and ‘by the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.’ They hold a lot of power over Macbeth and he believes most things that they say because they come across as spiritual and all knowing to him. The witches influence Macbeth all throughout the play, they influence him to kill Macduff’s family ‘Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, beware Macduff’ they tell him that he will never be killed until the wood moves to the top of the hill which obviously sounds un-likely to happen at all to him. ‘Macbeth shall never be vanquished be, until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill’ which is another thing that makes him believe that he is invincible. They influence the weather a lot as well. Everything they influence is for evil but the reason for why they do all of this is unclear. In conclusion Shakespeare presents the witches as evil, ugly old hags and they influence events completely and without them there would not be a story.

Disaster management approaches for libraries in India

Abstraction The present paper highlights the catastrophe and its direction in general and in libraries in electronic age. The paper besides suggested the direction methods of catastrophe in libraries. Libraries are the keeper of our history, civilization and civilisation. They are maintaining the heritage of the state in safe for last 1000s of old ages. The precaution against catastrophe for the libraries is really of import. Safeguard should be in such planned ways that save the resources of library without any harm. In India libraries are non concentrating on catastrophe direction due to unawareness and dearth of financess. Libraries and reputed Information Centres should organize plan on catastrophe direction in libraries. There should be developing and workshop plan for library forces every bit good as for library users. Library and pull offing authorization should do necessary agreement for the effectual plan of catastrophe direction in libraries. Disaster direction plan should be implement ed from the initial phase ( from the building of edifice for any administration ) . Key-Words:Catastrophe, Disaster Management, Natural Disaster, Man-Made Disaster, Disaster Management – Libraries, Artificial Disaster 1. Introduction: Now libraries of India transforming themselves from traditional library to modern library or we may state automated, electronic, digital, practical or intercrossed libraries. With the development of engineering alterations, the development of hardship besides increased. Adversity or catastrophe may be natural an artificial besides. Disaster and its direction ( Disaster Management ) now becomes the firing subject in many field due to natural catastrophe as cyclone, twister, temblor, fire due to heavy rain, H2O inundation etc. and unreal catastrophe as power grid failure, web failure, fire, waiter fail, short -circuit etc. In libraries, governments and libraries are non giving their attending for direction of any sort of catastrophe. In India except some progress libraries, most of libraries have no prearrangement for catastrophe. Libraries have our history. Civilization and civilization in books and in electronic signifier, if any catastrophe occurred they will lose valuable history, Civilization and civilization. 2. Catastrophe Catastrophe is an unexpected, black go oning transporting inordinate mutilation, harm, and devastation and desolation to life and belongings. The mutilation caused by catastrophes is incalculable and differs with the topographical location, clime and the type of the Earth surface/degree of susceptibleness. These effects may be mental, socio-economic, political and cultural province of the affected country. Catastrophe may be work forces made ( Artificial ) and natural. Some definition of catastrophe as follow: An happening doing widespread devastation and hurt ; a catastrophe.† Emergency â€Å"A serious state of affairs or happening that happens out of the blue and demands immediate action [ 1 ] .† ( American Heritage Dictionary. 3 rd. ed. , 1996 ) In modern-day academe, catastrophes are seen as the consequence of jeopardies on vulnerable countries. Hazards that occur in countries with low exposure do non ensue in a catastrophe ; as is the instance in uninhabited parts. ( Quarantelli 1998 ) [ 2 ] . Acatastropheis a natural or semisynthetic ( or technological ) jeopardy ensuing in an event of significant extent doing important physical harm or devastation, loss of life, or drastic alteration to the environment. A catastrophe can be extensively defined as any tragic event stemming from events such as temblors, inundations, ruinous accidents, fires, or detonations. It is a phenomenon that can do harm to life and belongings and destruct the economic, societal and cultural life of people. [ 3 ] 2.1 Natural Catastrophe A natural catastrophe is an deduction when a natural danger touches creatures and/or the built atmosphere. The resulting harm is governed by on the capacity of the population to back up or contend the catastrophe: their resiliency. This apprehension is concentrated in the preparation: â€Å" catastrophes occur when jeopardies meet defencelessness † . A natural danger will hereafter ne'er consequence in a natural catastrophe in countries without exposure. Numerous uniquenesss like, landslides, temblors, eruptions, volcanic, cyclones and inundations are all natural jeopardies that kill 1000s of people and destroy moneys of district and goods every clip. Followings are the chief natural catastrophes:EarthquakesFloodsVolcanic eruptionsCyclonesBiological agents ( micro-organisms, insect or vermin infestation )Fires ( wildfires )Rain2.2. Artificial ( Men Made ) Catastrophe With the technological development the jeopardies besides grows. Artificial catastrophes besides can be caused by worlds. Dangerous stuffs exigencies include chemical tumbles and groundwater pollution. Workplace fires ( caused by short-circuit etc. ) are more common and can arise significant belongings mutilation and loss of life. Communities are besides defenseless to these menaces posed by overzealous groups who use fierceness against both people and belongings. In Artificial catastrophe, marks may include military and civilian authorities installations, international airdromes, high-profile landmarks and big metropoliss. In Cyber-terrorism involves onslaughts against computing machines ( server down, virus onslaught, choping and unauthorized entree etc. ) and networks done to intimidate or coerce a authorities or its people for political or societal aims. 3. Disaster direction It is a subject that includes devising, armed robbery, and reconstructing society when natural or human-made catastrophes occur. In general, any Crisis direction is the ageless procedure by which all persons, groups, and communities manage jeopardies in an attempt to avoid or hone the impact of catastrophes ensuing from the jeopardies ‘Disaster direction can be defined as the organisation and direction of resources and duties for covering with all human-centered facets of exigencies, in peculiar readiness, response and recovery in order to decrease the impact of catastrophes. [ 4 ] 4. Catastrophe in Libraries Catastrophe either natural or manmade may happen in any administration and at any topographic point of the universe. Its earnestness may be distinguished on preventative, pre-arrangement and other security methods. Now, libraries have entered in the age of electronic age but with the coming of engineering in libraries, the technological ( Artificial ) catastrophe has besides generated. Natural catastrophe like implosion therapy, temblor, cyclones, rain and Volcanic eruptions etc. are indistinguishable and non changed but traveling toward uncertainness due to planetary heating. Day to twenty-four hours semisynthetic catastrophe as power cuts, web failure, cooling- warming, larceny of books, web tower failure, struggle, noise, and force may happen in libraries. Besides these, fire, sever failure, crashing of computing machine besides are major catastrophe in libraries. Sometimes some misshaping may change over in major catastrophe in libraries. 5. Disaster Management in Libraries: Libraries are our guardian or custodian of our history, civilization and civilisation. They are maintaining these records in printed and non-printed papers. Students, scholar outlook are besides linked with libraries. So maintenance and security of libraries are indispensable from catastrophe etc. In this concern Indian libraries ( particularly authorities and public libraries ) frustrated us. Libraries are non so secured in this concern. Most of the libraries have non installed fire dismay system in their libraries. If installed, the care of these systems is zero, merely they became show peace. Libraries are besides faces many twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours catastrophe like power-cuts ( No holding generators ) , no heating-cooling system etc. Libraries are information Centre are besides organizing many workshop, conference and seminar of ICT but neglected the subject like catastrophe direction in libraries [ 5 ] . This is doomed of Libraries as they are supplying reading stuff ( books, diaries and encyclopaedias etc. ) on catastrophe direction to their users for research but for them, there is no such ageless plan in this concern. Fundss are besides a barrier in this concern as libraries non acquiring equal financess for purchase books etc. and these catastrophes are the secondary stage for the libraries. I personally observed in many libraries that there was no such preventative equipment and measuring for this catastrophe ( natural and semisynthetic ) . Catastrophe commanding program is a must be assimilated in preliminary planning of establishing a library and information Centre. Numerous minor arrows for a complete catastrophe direction program, which are independent of each other but are interwoven. Libraries either academic or public and authorization ( Government- Non-Government ) should do the undermentioned proviso in their libraries against catastrophe direction: Fruitful Plan: Each catastrophe has three stages: earlier, during and after. A variableness of programs is required to pull off with each of these stages. There should be fruitful program for catastrophe direction. Catastrophe program must cover complete of the library and information Centre including staff, readers, beginnings of information, equipment and substructure and it must be a concerted squad attempt. Mirror Server/ Backup:There should be agreement of mirror waiter and day-to-day backup of work should be taken on regular base by the competent library staff. Data backup should non maintain in library and be placed at minimal two topographic points. A responsible staff may take this backup with them. AMC of library waiter and UPC may be an alternate security step for this. Power Supply:There should be one chief switch of light system of library and topographic point to put MCV- Light accountant should be installed in the library to avoid short-circuit in light system. Duty:There should be arrested development of duties on staff and suited should be identified and sequence should be fixed in written and verbally. Suitable senior and junior staff should be incorporated in catastrophe planning. Power-Cuts: There should be installing of Solar Power System and UPS to provide the the uninterrupted power supply. Sound proof power generator may be installed for this system. Fire:Fire dismay system and fume sensor should be installed in library on each degree so that any type of fume and fire is detected. The staff preparation is indispensable to manage such system and should openings for staff to be qui vive of what is expected of them in the event of catastrophe. Library should placing imperative parts of the edifice, aggregations, apportioning deliverance primacies, acknowledging utility storage sites, supplying satisfactory fire protection. Extra Fundss Agreement: There should be an extra fund agreement to secure the preventative equipment and for doing such catastrophe agreement in libraries. Rain- Floods: It is impartial as of import to find where the H2O is coming from and should to halt it at its cause as it is to cover up the books. There should be agreement of H2O security out system around the library. The entree of H2O should travel in direct to toss off to earth. User Awareness Program: There should be a user consciousness plan sing the catastrophe direction. This plan may be included in user education/ orientation plan of the library. Workshop/Training and Conference: Time to clip library and information centres should form preparation and workshop plan on catastrophe direction in libraries. Disaster Management Agency:Library and information centres may engage Disaster Management Agency for catastrophe direction. Library may contract with such type of bureau ( Government and Private ) . There are many such types of bureaus are available ( on-line – offline ) for catastrophe direction.6. Decision:Now the scope of catastrophe has increased, natural catastrophe is increasing due to planetary heating and unreal catastrophes ( man-made ) are increasing with the coming of Information Communication Technology. Pre-planning for catastrophe is really of import as this direction is inter-linked on each other. These planning should be implemented from the initial stage ( from the point of building of edifice of any administration like libraries ) . Time to clip mock drill should besides implement for proving of the plan. Care of such process is besides really of import. Government, non-government and pull offing governments should besides pay more attending on this issue. Go vernment should besides do such positive policies for libraries and information sing the execution of catastrophe direction.Related BibliographyAparac-Gazivoda, T. and Katalenac, D. ( 1993 ) Wounded libraries in Croatia, Zagreb: Croatian Library Association. Archives, Aldershot: Ashgate.Featherstone, Robin M. , Lyon, Becky J, and Ruffin, Angela B. ( 2008 ) .Librarian’s Role in Disaster Response: an Oral History Project. Journal of Medical Library Association, 96,256-282.doi 10.3163/1536-5050.96.4.009.Golrick, Michael A. ( 2009 ) . Disaster direction: Stairss in the procedure. Retrieved from: hypertext transfer protocol: //michaelgolrick.blogspot.com/2009/03/disaster-management-plan-steps-in.html.Saint matthews, G. and Eden, P. ( 1996 ) Disaster direction in British libraries. Project study with guidelines for library directors, London: The British Library.Saint matthews, Graham, & A ; Eden, Paul. ( 1996 ) â€Å" Disaster direction preparation in libraries † , Library R eview, Vol. 45 Iodine: 1, pp.30 – 38Riedlmayer, A. ( 2007 ) ‘Crimes of war, offenses of peace: devastation of libraries during and after the Balkan wars of the 1990s’ , Library Trends 1 ( 56 ) , 107-132.1