American Literature Exam Questions Essay

12. Discuss the characteristic features of the experimental prose in 1960-2000 on chosen examples. Experimental literature refers to written works – often novels or magazines – that place great emphasis on innovations regarding technique and style. Naked Lunch is a novel by William S. Burroughs, a complete American edition(1962). †¢The book is structured as a series of loosely-connected vignettes. Burroughs himself stated that the chapters are intended to be read in any order. The reader follows the narration of junkie William Lee. †¢The manner in which the novel is written the reader to see only part of the picture—as much as he wants to see. It often happens that something mentioned in the book reappears much later producing thus a series of intratextual relationships and echoes. This idea, relating to different perspectives within a larger picture, is itself a theme which runs throughout this book. †¢The novel’s mix of taboo fantasies, peculiar creatures and eccentric personalities all serve to unmask mechanisms and processes of control, and have led to much controversy. †¢By decentralizing the plot Burroughs produces a series of interrelated literal caricatures, satires, and parodies throug hout the novel. A Pynchon-influenced generation of writers in the 1990s, such as David Foster Wallace, who would combine some of the experimental form-play of the 60’s writers with a more emotionally-deflating irony, and a greater tendency towards accessibility and humor. Infinite Jest is a 1996 lengthy and complex work takes place in a semi-parodic future version of North America. The novel touches on the topics of tennis, substance addiction and recovery programs, depression, child abuse, family relationships, advertising and popular entertainment, film theory, and Quebec separatism. †¢There are frequent references to endnotes throughout the novel. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Wallace characterized their use as a method of disrupting the linearity of the text while maintaining some sense of narrative cohesion. †¢Acronyms are another signature device in Wallace’s work and are used frequently within the novel. †¢Wallace’s writing voice is a postmodern mixtur e of high- and low-brow linguistic traits. He juxtaposes, often within  a single sentence, colloquialisms and polysyllabic, obscure, or esoteric words. 13. On the example of a chosen text by Henry James, enumerate typical features of psychological realism. A psychological novel, also called psychological realism, is a work of prose fiction which: †¢places more than the usual amount of emphasis on interior characterization, and on the motives, circumstances, and internal action which springs from, and develops, external action. †¢The psychological novel can be called a novel of the â€Å"inner man,† so to say. In some cases, the stream of consciousness technique, as well as interior monologues, may be employed to better illustrate the inner workings of the human mind at work. Flashbacks may also be featured. The Portrait of a Lady is a novel by Henry James (1881). This is the story of a spirited young American woman, Isabel Archer, who â€Å"affronts her destiny† and finds it overwhelming. She inherits a large amount of money and subsequently becomes the victim of Machiavellian scheming by two American expatriates. It also treats in a profound way the themes of personal freedom, responsibility, betrayal, and sexuality. In this novel James had pushed the analysis of human consciousness and motivation to new levels, particularly in such passages as the famous Chapter 42, where Isabel meditates deep into the night about her marriage and the trap she seems to have fallen into. James made an in-depth account of Isabel’s deepest terrors in his preface to the New York Edition of the novel. 14. Characterize the genre of horror on the chosen example of American popular literature of 20th and 21st century. The trait of the genre of horror is that: †¢it provokes a response, emotional, psychological or physical within each individual which causes someone to react with fear. †¢in order for that response to be elicited there are different techniques used, such as unreal figures (phantoms, mummies, etc.), or more real situations and figures  (serial killers, rapists, kidnappers). †¢The main ingredient within horror is that the reader can relate to it somehow and that there’s always something unexpected on its way. The whole horror genre is build up upon people’s fear of the unknown and anxieties. ‘Salem’s Lot is a 1975 horror fiction novel written by Stephen King. Ben Mears, a successful writer who grew up in the town of Jerusalem’s Lot has returned home because of his wife’s death. †¢Ben plans to write a book about the â€Å"Marsten House†, an abandoned mansion that gave him nightmares after a bad experience with it as a child. He unexpectedly finds out that the Marsten House is about to be inhabited by the vampire Kurt Barlow. †¢Over the course of the book, the town is slowly taken over by vampires, reducing it to a ghost town by day as they sleep. †¢Finally, Ben and the other man succeed in destroying the master vampire Barlow, but, lucky to escape with their lives, are forced to leave the town to the crop of newly created vampires. †¢An epilogue has the two returning to the town a year later, intending to renew the battle. Ben, knowing that there are too many hiding places for the town’s vampires, sets some underbrush on fire in an attempt to destroy as many homes as possible thus making the vampires easier to hunt. The Shining is a 1977 horror novel by American author Stephen King. †¢Jack Torrance is trying to rebuild his life accepts a job as a winter caretaker at the large, isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado where he goes with wife Wendy, and son Danny. †¢Danny’s clairvoyance (jasnowidztwo) makes him sensitive to supernatural forces. †¢The hotel has a personality in its own right, and acts as a psychic lens. Danny has premonitions of the hotel’s danger to his family and begins seeing ghosts and frightening visions from the hotel’s past, but puts up with them in the hope that they are not dangerous in the present. †¢The hotel has difficulty possessing Danny, so it begins to possess Jack. Wendy discovers that they are completely isolated at the Overlook, as Jack has sabotaged the hotel’s snowmobile and smashed the CB radio in the office. She and Jack battle. Hallorann, working at a winter resort in Florida, hears Danny’s psychic call for help and rushes back to the Overlook. The hotel causes Jack to kill himself with the roque  mallet. †¢Finally the boiler explodes, destroying the Overlook. The novel ends with Danny and Wendy summering at a resort in Maine where Hallorann, the head chef, is comforting Danny over the loss of his father. 15. Characterize the genre of sci-fi and/or cyberpunk on the chosen examples of American popular literature of 20th and 21st century. Science fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature. Science fiction is largely based on writing rationally about alternative possibilities. The settings for science fiction are often contrary to known reality, but the majority of science fiction relies on a considerable degree of suspension of disbelief provided by potential scientific explanations to various fictional elements. These may include: †¢a setting in the future, in alternative timelines, or in an historical past that contradicts known facts of history or the archaeological record †¢a setting in outer space, on other worlds, or involving aliens †¢stories that involve technology or scientific principles that contradict known laws of nature †¢stories that involve discovery or application of new scientific principles, such as time travel or new technology, such as nanotechnology, faster-than-light travel or robots, or of new and different political or social systems EXAMPLES: Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert, published in 1965. Dune is frequently cited as the world’s best-selling science fiction novel. Set in the far future among a feudal interstellar empire where planetary fiefdoms (lenna) are controlled by noble houses that owe an allegiance (lojalność, hoÅ‚d) to the Imperial House Corrino, Dune tells the story of young Paul Atreides (the heir apparent to Duke Leto Atreides and the scion of House Atreides) as he and his family accept control of the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the â€Å"spice† melange, the most important and valuable substance in the universe. The story explores the complex and  multi-layered interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion, as the forces of the Empire confront each other for control of Arrakis and its â€Å"spice†. Ender’s Game (1985) is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. †¢set in Earth’s future,   Ã¢â‚¬ ¢presents an endangered humankind that have barely survived two conflicts with the Formics (an insectoid alien race also known as the â€Å"Buggers†). †¢in preparation for an anticipated third invasion, an international fleet maintains a school to find and train future fleet commanders. The world’s most talented children, including the novel’s protagonist Ender Wiggin, are taken at a very young age to a training center known as the Battle School. There, teachers train them in the arts of war through increasingly difficult games including ones undertaken in zero gravity in the Battle Room where Ender’s tactical genius is revealed. †¢Ender’s â€Å"final exam† consists of a scenario where bugger ships outnumber Ender’s fleet a thousand to one near a planetary mass. Ender orders the use of a special weapon, the Molecular Disruption Device, against the planet itself, destroying the simulated planet and all ships in orbit. Soon he finds out that all the simulations were real battles taking place with real fleets, and that he had killed all the queens on their home planet. He is not allowed to return to Earth because his special skills are too dangerous. Ender is made Governor of the first human colony on a Bugger world, and they leave together on the first colony ship.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 29

Chapter 29 When it was all finished, Simon looked great, better than I'd ever seen him look. Joshua had not only raised him from the dead, but also healed his leprosy. Maggie and Martha were ecstatic. The new and improved Simon invited us back to his house to celebrate. Unfortunately, Abel and Crustus had witnessed the resurrection and the healing, and despite our admonishments, they started to spread the story through Bethany and Jerusalem. Joseph of Arimathea accompanied us to Simon's house, but he was hardly in a celebratory mood. â€Å"This dinner's not exactly a trap,† he told Joshua, â€Å"it's more like a test.† â€Å"I've been to one of their trials by dinner,† said Joshua. â€Å"I thought you were a believer.† â€Å"I am,† said Joseph, â€Å"especially after what I saw today, but that's why you have to come to my house and have dinner with the Pharisees from the council. Show them who you are. Explain to them in an informal setting what it is that you are doing.† â€Å"Satan himself once asked me to prove myself,† said Joshua. â€Å"What proof do I owe these hypocrites?† â€Å"Please, Joshua. They may be hypocrites, but they have great influence over the people. Because they condemn you the people are afraid to listen to the Word. I know Pontius Pilate, I don't think anyone would harm you in my home and risk his wrath.† Joshua sat for a moment, sipping his wine. â€Å"Then into the den of vipers I shall go.† â€Å"Don't do it, Joshua,† I said. â€Å"And you have to come alone,† said Joseph. â€Å"You can't bring any of the apostles.† â€Å"That's not a problem,† I said. â€Å"I'm only a disciple.† â€Å"Especially not him,† said Joseph. â€Å"Jakan bar Iban will be there.† â€Å"So I guess it's another night sitting home for me, too,† said Maggie. Later we all watched and waved as Joseph and Joshua left to go back to Jerusalem for the dinner at Joseph's house. â€Å"As soon as they get around the corner you follow them,† Maggie said to me. â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"Stay close enough to hear if he needs you.† â€Å"Absolutely.† â€Å"Come here.† She pulled me inside the door where the others wouldn't see and gave me one of those Maggie kisses that made me walk into walls and forget my name for a few minutes. It was the first in months. She released me and held me at arm's length, then, â€Å"You know that if there were no Joshua, I wouldn't love anyone but you,† she said. â€Å"You don't have to bribe me to watch over him, Maggie.† â€Å"I know. That's one of the reasons I love you,† she said. â€Å"Now go.† My years of trying to sneak up on the monks in the monastery paid me back as I shadowed Joshua and Joseph through Jerusalem. They had no idea I was following, as I slipped from shadow to shadow, wall to tree, finally to Joseph's house, which lay south of the city walls, only a stone's throw from the palace of the high priest, Caiaphas. Joseph of Arimathea's house was only slightly smaller than the palace itself, but I was able to find a spot on the roof of an adjacent building where I could watch the dinner through a window and still have a view of the front door. Joshua and Joseph sat in the dining room drinking wine by themselves for a while, then gradually the servants let in the other guests as they arrived in groups of twos and threes. There were a dozen of them by the time dinner was served, all of the Pharisees that had been at the dinner at Jakan's house, plus five more that I had never seen before, but all were severe and meticulous about washing before dinner and checking each other to make sure that all was in order. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I really didn't care. There seemed to be no immediate threat to Joshua, and that was all I was worried about. He could hold his own on the rhetorical battlefield. Then, when it seemed that it would end without incident, I saw the tall hat and white robe of a priest in the street, and with him two Temple guards carrying their long, bronze-tipped spears. I dropped down off the roof and made my way around the opposite side of the house, arriving just in time to see a servant lead the priest inside. As soon as Joshua came through the door at Simon's house Martha and Maggie showered him with kisses as if he had returned from the war, then led him to the table and started interrogating him about the dinner. â€Å"First they yelled at me for having fun, drinking wine, and feasting. Saying that if I was truly a prophet I would fast.† â€Å"And what did you tell them?† I asked, still a little winded from the running to get to Simon's house ahead of Joshua. â€Å"I said, well, John didn't eat anything but bugs, and he never drank wine in his life, and he certainly never had any fun, and they didn't believe him, so what kind of standards were they trying to set, and please pass the tabbouleh.† â€Å"What did they say then?† â€Å"Then they yelled at me for eating with tax collectors and harlots.† â€Å"Hey,† said Matthew. â€Å"Hey,† said Martha. â€Å"They didn't mean you, Martha, they meant Maggie.† â€Å"Hey,† said Maggie. â€Å"I told them that tax collectors and harlots would see the kingdom of God before they did. Then they yelled at me for healing on the Sabbath, not washing my hands before I eat, being in league with the Devil again, and blaspheming by claiming to be the Son of God.† â€Å"Then what?† â€Å"Then we had dessert. It was some sort of cake made with dates and honey. I liked it. Then a guy came to the door wearing priest's robes.† â€Å"Uh-oh,† said Matthew. â€Å"Yeah, that was bad,† said Joshua. â€Å"He went around whispering in the ears of all the Pharisees, then Jakan asked me by what authority I raised Simon from the dead.† â€Å"And what did you say?† â€Å"I didn't say anything, not with the Sadducee there. But Joseph told them that Simon hadn't been dead. He was just sleeping.† â€Å"So what did they say to that?† â€Å"Then they asked me by what authority I woke him up.† â€Å"And what did you say?† â€Å"I got angry then. I said by all the authority of God and the Holy Ghost, by the authority of Moses and Elijah, by the authority of David and Solomon, by the authority of thunder and lightning, by the authority of the sea and the air and the fire in the earth, I told them.† â€Å"And what did they say?† â€Å"They said that Simon must have been a very sound sleeper.† â€Å"Sarcasm is wasted on those guys,† I said. â€Å"Completely wasted,† said Joshua. â€Å"Anyway, then I left, and outside there were two guards from the Temple. The shafts of their spears had been broken and they were both unconscious. There was blood on one's scalp. So I healed them, and when I saw they were coming around, I came here.† â€Å"They don't think you attacked the guards?† Simon asked. â€Å"No, the priest followed me down. He saw them at the same time that I did.† â€Å"And your healing them didn't convince him?† â€Å"Hardly.† â€Å"So what do we do now?† â€Å"I think we should go back to Galilee. Joseph will send word if anything comes of the meeting of the council.† â€Å"You know what will come of it,† Maggie said. â€Å"You threaten them. And now they have the priests involved. You know what will happen.† â€Å"Yes, I do,† said Joshua. â€Å"But you don't. We'll leave for Capernaum in the morning.† Later Maggie came to me in the great room of Simon's house, where we were all bedded down for the night. She crawled under my blanket and put her lips right next to my ear. As usual, she smelled of lemons and cinnamon. â€Å"What did you do to those guards?† she whispered. â€Å"I surprised them. I thought they might be there to arrest Joshua.† â€Å"You might have gotten him arrested.† â€Å"Look, have you done this before? Because if you have some sort of plan, please let me in on it. Personally, I'm making this up as I go along.† â€Å"You did good,† she whispered. She kissed my ear. â€Å"Thank you.† I reached for her and she shimmied away. â€Å"And I'm still not going to sleep with you,† she said. The messenger must have ridden through several nights to get ahead of us, but when we got back to Capernaum there was already a message waiting from Joseph of Arimathea. Joshua: Pharisee council condemned you to death for blasphemy. Herod concurs. No official death warrant issued, but suggest you take disciples into Herod Philip's territory until things settle down. No word from the priests yet, which is good. Enjoyed having you at dinner, please drop by next time you're in town. Your friend, Joseph of Arimathea Joshua read the message aloud to all of us, then pointed to a deserted mountaintop on the northern shore of the lake near Bethsaida. â€Å"Before we leave Galilee again, I am going up that mountain. I will stay there until all in Galilee who wish to hear the good news have come. Only then will I leave to go to Philip's territory. Go out now and find the faithful. Tell them where to find me.† â€Å"Joshua,† Peter said, â€Å"there are already two or three hundred sick and lame waiting at the synagogue for you to heal them. They've been gathering for all the days you've been gone.† â€Å"Why didn't you tell me?† â€Å"Well, Bartholomew greeted them and took their names, then we told them that you'd be with them as soon as you got the chance. They're fine.† â€Å"I lead the dogs back and forth by them occasionally so we look busy,† said Bart. Joshua stormed off to the synagogue waving his hands in the air as if asking God why he had been plagued by a gang of dimwits, but then, I might have been reading that into his gesture. The rest of us spread out into Galilee to announce that Joshua was going to be preaching a great sermon on a mountain north of Capernaum. Maggie and I traveled together, along with Simon the Canaanite and Maggie's friends Johanna and Susanna. We decided to take three days and walk a circle through northern Galilee that would take us through a dozen towns and bring us back to the mountain just in time to help direct the pilgrims that would be gathering. The first night we camped in a sheltered valley outside a town called Jamnith. We ate bread and cheese by the fire and afterward Simon and I shared wine while the women went off to sleep. It was the first time I'd ever had a chance to talk to the Zealot without his friend Judas around. â€Å"I hope Joshua can bring the kingdom down on their heads now,† Simon said. â€Å"Otherwise I may have to look for another prophet to pledge my sword to.† I nearly choked on my wine, and handed him the wineskin as I fought for breath. â€Å"Simon,† I said, â€Å"do you believe he's the Son of God?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"You don't, and you're still following him?† â€Å"I am not saying he's not a great prophet, but the Christ? the Son of God? I don't know.† â€Å"You've traveled with him. Heard him speak. Seen his power over demons, over people. You've seen him heal people. Feed people. And what does he ask?† â€Å"Nothing. A place to sleep. Some food. Some wine.† â€Å"And if you could do those things, what would you have?† Here Simon leaned back and looked into the stars, as he let his imagination unroll. â€Å"I would have villages full of women in my bed. I'd have a fine palace, and slaves to bathe me. I would have the finest food and wine and kings would travel from far away just to look at my gold. I would be glorious.† â€Å"But Joshua has only his cloak and his sandals.† Simon seemed to snap out of his reverie, and he wasn't happy about it. â€Å"Just because I am weak does not make him the Christ.† â€Å"That's exactly what makes him the Christ.† â€Å"Maybe he's just naive.† â€Å"Count on it,† I said. I stood and handed him the wineskin. â€Å"You can finish it. I'm going to sleep.† Simon raised his eyebrows. â€Å"The Magdalene, she's a luscious woman. A man could lose himself there.† I took a deep breath and thought about defending Maggie's honor, or even warning Simon about making advances on her, but then I thought better of it. The Zealot needed to learn a lesson that I wasn't qualified to teach. But Maggie was. â€Å"Good night, Simon,† I said. In the morning I found Simon sitting by the cold ashes of the fire, cradling his head in his hands. â€Å"Simon?† I inquired. He looked up at me and I saw a huge purple goose egg on his forehead, just below the bangs of his Roman haircut. A spot of blood seeped out of the middle. His right eye was nearly swollen shut. â€Å"Ouch,† I said. â€Å"How did you do that?† Just then Maggie came out from behind a bush. â€Å"He accidentally crawled into Susanna's bedroll last night,† Maggie said. â€Å"I thought he was an attacker, so naturally, I brained him with a rock.† â€Å"Naturally,† I said. â€Å"I'm so sorry, Simon,† Maggie said. I could hear Susanna and Johanna giggling behind the bush. â€Å"It was an honest mistake,† said Simon. I couldn't tell whether he meant his or Maggie's, but either way he was lying. â€Å"Good thing you're an apostle,† I said. â€Å"You'll have that healed up by noon.† We finished our loop of northern Galilee without incident, and indeed, Simon was nearly healed by the time we returned to the mountain above Bethsaida, where Joshua awaited us with over five thousand followers. â€Å"I can't get away from them long enough to find baskets,† Peter complained. â€Å"Everywhere I go there are fifty people following me,† said Judas. â€Å"How do they expect us to bring them food if they won't let us work?† I had heard similar complaints from Matthew, James, and Andrew, and even Thomas was whining that people were stepping all over Thomas Two. Joshua had multiplied seven loaves into enough to feed the multitude, but no one could get to the food to distribute it. Maggie and I finally fought our way to the top of the mountain where we found Joshua preaching. He signaled the crowd that he was going to take a break, then came over to us. â€Å"This is excellent,† he said. â€Å"So many of the faithful.† â€Å"Uh, Josh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I know,† he said. â€Å"You two go to Magdala. Get the big ship and bring it to Bethsaida. Once we feed the faithful I'll send the disciples down to you. Go out into the lake and wait for me.† We managed to pull John out of the crowd and took him with us to Magdala to help sail the ship back up the coast. Neither Maggie nor I felt confident enough to handle the big boat without one of the fishermen on board. A half-day later we docked in Bethsaida, where the other apostles were waiting for us. â€Å"He's led them to the other side of the mountain,† Peter said. â€Å"He'll deliver a blessing then send them on their way. Hopefully they'll go home and he can meet us.† â€Å"Did you see any soldiers in the crowd?† I asked. â€Å"Not yet, but we should have been out of Herod's territory by now. The Pharisees are hanging on the edge of the crowd like they know something is going to happen.† We assumed that he would be swimming or rowing out in one of the small boats, but when he finally came down to the shore the multitude was still following him, and he just kept walking, right across the surface of the water to the boat. The crowd stopped at the shore and cheered. Even we were astounded by this new miracle, and we sat in the boat with our mouths hanging open as Joshua approached. â€Å"What?† he said. â€Å"What? What? What?† â€Å"Master, you're walking on the water,† said Peter. â€Å"I just ate,† Joshua said. â€Å"You can't go into the water for an hour after you eat. You could get a cramp. What, none of you guys have mothers?† â€Å"It's a miracle,† shouted Peter. â€Å"It's no big deal,† Joshua said, dismissing the miracle with the wave of a hand. â€Å"It's easy. Really, Peter, you should try it.† Peter stood up in the boat tentatively. â€Å"Really, try it.† Peter started to take off his tunic. â€Å"Keep that on,† said Joshua. â€Å"And your sandals too.† â€Å"But Lord, this is a new tunic.† â€Å"Then keep it dry, Peter. Come to me. Step upon the water.† Peter put one foot over the side and into the water. â€Å"Trust your faith, Peter,† I yelled. â€Å"If you doubt you won't be able to do it.† Then Peter stepped with both feet onto the surface of the water, and for a split second he stood there. And we were all amazed. â€Å"Hey, I'm – † Then he sank like a stone. He came up sputtering. We were all doubled over giggling, and even Joshua had sunk up to his ankles, he was laughing so hard. â€Å"I can't believe you fell for that,† said Joshua. He ran across the water and helped us pull Peter into the boat. â€Å"Peter, you're as dumb as a box of rocks. But what amazing faith you have. I'm going to build my church on this box of rocks.† â€Å"You would have Peter build your church?† asked Philip. â€Å"Because he tried to walk on the water.† â€Å"Would you have tried it?† asked Joshua. â€Å"Of course not,† said Philip. â€Å"I can't swim.† â€Å"Then who has the greater faith?† Joshua climbed into the boat and shook the water off of his sandals, then tousled Peter's wet hair. â€Å"Someone will have to carry on the church when I'm gone, and I'm going to be gone soon. In the spring we'll go to Jerusalem for the Passover, and there I will be judged by the scribes and the priests, and there I will be tortured and put to death. But three days from the day of my death, I shall rise, and be with you again.† As Joshua spoke Maggie had latched onto my arm. By the time he was finished speaking her nails had drawn blood from my biceps. A shadow of grief seemed to pass over the faces of the disciples. We looked not at each other, and neither at the ground, but at a place in space a few feet from our faces, where I suppose one looks for a clear answer to appear out of undefined shock. â€Å"Well, that sucks,† someone said. We landed at the town of Hippos, on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, directly across the lake from Tiberius. Joshua had preached here before when we had come over to hide the first time, and there were people in the town who would receive the apostles into their homes until Joshua sent them out again. We'd brought many baskets of the broken bread from Bethsaida, and Judas and Simon helped me unload them from the ship, wading in and out of the shallows where we anchored, as Hippos had no dock. â€Å"The bread stood piled like small mountains,† Judas said. â€Å"Much more than when we fed the five thousand. A Jewish army could fight long days on that kind of supply. If the Romans have taught us anything it's that an army fights on its stomach.† I stopped schlepping and looked at him. Simon, who stood next to me, set his basket down on the beach, then lifted the edge of his sash to show me the hilt of his dagger. â€Å"The kingdom will be ours only when we take it by the sword. We've had no problem spilling Roman blood. No master but God.† I reached over and gently pulled Simon's sash back over the hilt of his dagger. â€Å"Have you ever heard Joshua talk about doing harm to anyone? Even an enemy?† â€Å"No,† Judas said. â€Å"He can't speak openly about taking the kingdom until he's ready to strike. That's why he always speaks in parables.† â€Å"That is a crock of rancid yak butter,† said a voice from the ship. Joshua sat up, a net hung over his head like a tattered prayer shawl. He'd been sleeping in the bow of the ship and we'd completely forgotten about him. â€Å"Biff, call everyone together, here on the beach. I haven't made myself clear to everyone, evidently.† I dropped my basket and ran into town to get the others. In less than an hour we were all seated on the beach and Joshua paced before us. â€Å"The kingdom is open to everyone,† Joshua said. â€Å"Ev-ree-one, get it?† Everyone nodded. â€Å"Even Romans.† Everyone stopped nodding. â€Å"The kingdom of God is upon us, but the Romans will remain in Israel. The kingdom of God has nothing to do with the kingdom of Israel, do you all understand that?† â€Å"But the Messiah is supposed to lead our people to freedom,† Judas shouted. â€Å"No master but God!† Simon added. â€Å"Shut up!† said Joshua. â€Å"I was not sent to deliver wrath. We will be delivered into the kingdom by forgiveness, not conquest. People, we have been over this, what have I not made clear?† â€Å"How we are to cast the Romans out of the kingdom?† shouted Nathaniel. â€Å"You should know better,† Joshua said to Nathaniel, â€Å"you yellow-haired freak. One more time, we can't cast the Romans out of the kingdom because the kingdom is open to all.† And I think they were getting it, at least the two Zealots were getting it, because they looked profoundly disappointed. They'd waited their whole life for the Messiah to come along and establish the kingdom by crushing the Romans, now he was telling them in his own divine words that it wasn't going to happen. But then Joshua started with the parables. â€Å"The kingdom is like a wheat field with tares, you can't pull out the tares without destroying the grain.† Blank stares. Doubly blank from the fishermen, who didn't know squat from farming metaphors. â€Å"A tare is a rye grass,† Joshua explained. â€Å"It weaves its roots amid the roots of wheat or barley, and there's no way to pull them out without ruining the crop.† Nobody got it. â€Å"Okay,† Joshua continued. â€Å"The children of heaven are the good people, and the tares are the bad ones. You get both. And when you're all done, the angels pick out the wicked and burn them.† â€Å"Not getting it,† said Peter. He shook his head, and his gray mane whipped around his face like a confused lion trying to shake off the sight of a flying wildebeest. â€Å"How do you guys preach this stuff if you don't understand it? Okay, try this: the kingdom of heaven is like, uh, a merchant seeking pearls.† â€Å"Like before swine,† said Bartholomew. â€Å"Yes! Bart! Yes! Only no swine this time, same pearls though.† Three hours later, Joshua was still at it, and he was starting to run out of things to liken the kingdom to, his favorite, the mustard seed, having failed in three different tries. â€Å"Okay, the kingdom is like a monkey.† Joshua was hoarse and his voice was breaking. â€Å"How?† â€Å"A Jewish monkey, right?† â€Å"Is it like a monkey eating a mustard seed?† I stood up and went to Joshua and put my arm around his shoulder. â€Å"Josh, take a break.† I led him down the beach toward the village. He shook his head. â€Å"Those are the dumbest sons of bitches on earth.† â€Å"They've become like little children, as you told them to.† â€Å"Stupid little children,† Joshua said. I heard light footsteps on the sand behind us and Maggie threw her arms around our necks. She kissed Joshua on the forehead, making a loud wet smacking sound, then looked as if she was going to do the same to me so I shied away. â€Å"You two are the ninnies here. You both rail on them about their intelligence, when that doesn't have anything to do with why they're here. Have either one of you heard them preach? I have. Peter can heal the sick now. I've seen it. I've seen James make the lame walk. Faith isn't an act of intelligence, it's an act of imagination. Every time you give them a new metaphor for the kingdom they see the metaphor, a mustard seed, a field, a garden, a vineyard, it's like pointing something out to a cat – the cat looks at your finger, not at what you're pointing at. They don't need to understand it, they only need to believe, and they do. They imagine the kingdom as they need it to be, they don't need to grasp it, it's there already, they can let it be. Imagination, not intellect.† Maggie let go of our necks, then stood there grinning like a madwoman. Joshua looked at her, then at me. I shrugged. â€Å"I told you she was smarter than both of us.† â€Å"I know,† Joshua said. â€Å"I don't know if I can stand you both being right in the same day. I need some time to think and pray.† â€Å"Go on then,† Maggie said, waving him on. I stopped and watched my friend walk into the village, having absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do. I turned back to Maggie. â€Å"You heard the Passover prediction?† She nodded. â€Å"I take it you didn't confront him.† â€Å"I don't know what to say.† â€Å"We need to talk him out of it. If he knows what awaits him in Jerusalem, why go? Why don't we go into Phoenicia or Syria? He could even take the good news to Greece and be perfectly safe. They have people running all over the place preaching different ideas – look at Bartholomew and his Cynics.† â€Å"When we were in India, we saw a festival in the city of their goddess Kali. She's a goddess of destruction, Maggie. It was the bloodiest thing I've ever seen, thousands of animals slaughtered, hundreds of men beheaded. The whole world seemed slick with blood. Joshua and I saved some children from being flayed alive, but when it was over, Joshua kept saying, no more sacrifices. No more.† Maggie looked at me as if she expected more. â€Å"So? It was horrible, what did you expect him to say?† â€Å"He wasn't talking to me, Maggie. He was talking to God. And I don't think he was making a request.† â€Å"Are you saying that he thinks his father wants to kill him for trying to change things, so he can't avoid it because it's the will of God?† â€Å"No, I'm saying that he's going to allow himself to be killed to show his father that things need to be changed. He's not going to try to avoid it at all.† For three months we begged, we pleaded, we reasoned, and we wept, but we could not talk Joshua out of going to Jerusalem for Passover. Joseph of Arimathea had sent word that the Pharisees and Sadducees were still plotting against Joshua, that Jakan had been speaking out against Joshua's followers in the Court of the Gentiles, outside the Temple. But the threats only seemed to strengthen Joshua's resolve. A couple of times Maggie and I managed to tie Joshua up and stash him in the bottom of a boat, using knots that we had learned from the sailor brothers Peter and Andrew, but both times Joshua appeared a few minutes later holding the cords that had bound him, saying things like, â€Å"Good knots, but not quite good enough, were they?† Maggie and I worried together for days before we left for Jerusalem. â€Å"He could be wrong about the execution,† I said. â€Å"Yes, he could be,† Maggie agreed. â€Å"Do you think he is? Wrong about it, I mean?† â€Å"I think I'm going to throw up.† â€Å"I don't see how that's going to stop him.† And it didn't. The next day we left for Jerusalem. On the way we stopped to rest along the road at a town along the Jordan River called Beth Shemesh. We were sitting there, feeling somber and helpless, watching the column of pilgrims move along the riverbank, when an old woman emerged from the column and beat her way through the reclining apostles with a walking staff. â€Å"Out of the way, I need to talk to this fellow. Move, you oaf, you need to take a bath.† She bonked Bartholomew on the head as she passed and his doggy pals nipped at her heels. â€Å"Look out there, I'm an old woman, I need to see this Joshua of Nazareth.† â€Å"Oh no, Mother,† John wailed. James got up to stop her and she threatened him with the staff. â€Å"What can I help you with, Old Mother?† Joshua asked. â€Å"I'm the wife of Zebedee, mother of these two.† She pointed her staff to James and John. â€Å"I hear that you're going to the kingdom soon.† â€Å"If it be so, so be it,† said Joshua. â€Å"Well, my late husband, Zebedee, God rest his soul, left these boys a perfectly good business, and since they've been following you around they've run it into the ground.† She turned to her sons. â€Å"Into the ground!† Joshua put his hand on her arm, but instead of the usual calm that I saw come over people when he touched them, Mrs. Zebedee pulled away and swung her staff at him, barely missing his head. â€Å"Don't try to bamboozle me, Mr. Smooth Talker. My boys have ruined their father's business for you, so I want your assurance that in return they get to sit on either side of the throne in the kingdom. It's only fair. They're good boys.† She turned to James and John. â€Å"If your father was alive it would kill him to see what you two have done.† â€Å"But Old Mother, it's not up to me who will sit next to the throne.† â€Å"Who is it up to?† â€Å"Well, it's up to the Lord, my father.† â€Å"Well then go ask him.† She leaned on her staff and tapped a foot. â€Å"I'll wait.† â€Å"But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You would deny a dying woman her last request?† â€Å"You're not dying.† â€Å"You're killing me here. Go check. Go.† Joshua looked at us all sheepishly. We all looked away, cowards that we were. It's not as if any of us had ever learned to deal with a Jewish mother either. â€Å"I'll go up on that mountain and check,† Joshua said, pointing to the highest peak in the area. â€Å"Well go, then. You want I should be late for the Passover?† â€Å"Right. Okay, then, I'll go check, right now.† Josh backed away slowly, sort of sidled toward the mountain. Mount Tabor, I think it was. Mrs. Zebedee went after her sons like she was shooing chickens out of the garden. â€Å"What are you, pillars of salt? Go with him.† Peter laughed and she whirled around with her staff ready to brain him. Peter pretended to cough. â€Å"I'd better go along, uh, just in case they need a witness.† He scurried after Joshua and the other two. The old woman glared at me. â€Å"What are you looking at? You think the pain of childbirth ends when they move away? What do you know? Does a broken heart know from a different neighborhood?† They were gone all night, a very long night in which we all got to hear about John and James' father, Zebedee, who evidently had possessed the courage of Daniel, the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Samson, the devotion of Abraham, the good looks of David, and the tackle of Goliath, God rest his soul. (Funny, James had always described his father as a wormy little guy with a lisp.) When the four came back over the hill we all leapt to our feet and ran to greet them – I would have carried them back on my shoulders if it would have shut the old woman up. â€Å"Well?† she said. â€Å"It was amazing,† Peter said to us all, ignoring the old woman. â€Å"We saw three thrones. Moses was on one, Elijah was on another, and the third was ready for Joshua. And a huge voice came out of the sky, saying, ‘This is my son, with whom I am well pleased.'† â€Å"Oh yeah, he said that before,† I said. â€Å"I heard it this time,† Joshua said, smiling. â€Å"Just the three chairs then?† said Mrs. Zebedee. She looked at her two sons, who were cowering behind Joshua. â€Å"No place for you two, of course.† She started to stagger away from them, a hand clutched to her heart. â€Å"I suppose one can be happy for the mothers of Moses and Elijah and this Nazareth boy, then. They don't have to know what it is to have a spike in the heart.† Down the riverbank she limped, off toward Jerusalem. Joshua squeezed the brothers' shoulders. â€Å"I'll fix it.† He ran after Mrs. Zebedee. Maggie elbowed me and when I looked around at her there were tears in her eyes. â€Å"He's not wrong,† she said. â€Å"That's it,† I said. â€Å"Well, ask his mother to talk him out of it. No one can resist her – I mean, I can't. I mean, she's not you, but†¦Look! Is that a seagull?†

Nursing Children and Childbearing Families Essay

Nursing Children and Childbearing Families - Essay Example Q1d: The use of folic acid during pregnancy can help reduce the risk of developing neural tube defects (NTDs) in the baby by 75% (Atrash, Johnson, Adams, Cordero, & Howse, 2006). Since NTDs occur between the 20th to 28th day after conception, and it takes time for adequate stores of folic acid to build up in the body and a large proportion of pregnancies are unplanned, folic acid supplementation should begin atleast 4 weeks prior to a planned pregnancy (Iqbal, 2000; Jaquier, 2007; Czeizel & Dudas, 1992). Q2a: Some important functions of the placenta include gaseous exchange, excretion, provision of nutrients and metabolic substrates for the fetus and endocrine functions, i.e. production and secretion of several hormones (Benirschke & Kaufmann, 2000). Q2b: One of the most important functions of the human placenta is gaseous exchange, i.e. to serve as the lungs for the fetus. The placenta transfers oxygen-rich blood from the mother to the fetus and returns blood high in carbondioxide a nd other gases back to the mother’s body where it can be re-oxygenated via the mother’s lungs. ... The placenta also facilitates the transfer of all nutrient substances from the maternal body to the fetus which are required during growth and development (Benirschke & Kaufmann, 2000). Lastly, the placenta is involved in the production and secretion of several hormones such as hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), hPL (human placental lactogen) and placental GH (growth hormone), all of which are required not only for the sustained maintenance of the placenta but also to provide the required stimuli for the growth and maturation of different organ systems within the fetus (Guibourdenche, Fournier, Malassine, & Evain-Brion, 2009). Q3a: For the newborn, breast milk is the source of all the essential nutrients required for the optimal growth and nutrition, including proteins, carbohydrates and fats (Henderson & Scobbie, 2006). Moreover, all these nutrients are present in the correct proportions and quantities needed for the baby during different stages of growth and development as the com position of breast milk changes over time. Breastfeeding also confers protection against a variety of infectious diseases such as diarrhea, respiratory infections, otitis media and urinary tract infections (Henderson & Scobbie, 2006). Breastfeeding is advantageous for the mother too. It has been found to help in the involution of the uterus post-delivery via stimulating oxytocin medicated uterine contractions (Henderson & Scobbie, 2006). It also acts as a natural contraceptive, helping to increase child spacing via causing lactational amenorrhea. From a psychological perspective, breastfeeding has been shown to decrease the levels of anxiety in the mother and

Business Strategy. (Tesla Motors, Kellogg's Efficiency) Assignment

Business Strategy. (Tesla Motors, Kellogg's Efficiency) - Assignment Example The mission statement focused on achievement of growth by offering better services to customers and actively catering for the needs of its stakeholders. In order to formulate its strategy properly, the firm had to identify the expectations of stakeholders like customers, employees and shareholders. Afterwards, it had to analyse its current performance in regards to service delivery, corporate social responsibility, and profitability. Finally, a company strategy was defined on what the firm needed to have achieved in order to close the performance gap (Ketokivi and Castaà ±er, 2004: 360). In order to achieve its objectives, the company needed a plan, most of which involved strengthening the core competencies and correcting the mistakes the firm had been making in regards to quality service delivery. For instance, Kellogg's is excellent at keeping injury levels among its employees at their lowest levels; therefore, all the firm did was to establish targets to act as benchmarks for its facilities. The facilities used this benchmark in order to be recognized as the safest, and the firm benefitted in the form of increased employee satisfaction, low turnover, higher productivity, revenue and profits, and a competitive edge for the firm over the years (Ketokivi and Castaà ±er, 2004: 360). ... For instance, Kellogg's worked with the supermarket chain in order to capture the market share of customers that seek to obtain all their shopping from one location. Moreover, the firm had responsible corporate social responsibility in its strategic plan to ensure that all its activities are geared towards achieving long-term and short-term goals. For instance, it sponsored community-based events that promote physical activities among customers and members of the public. In addition, all its product packaging has information on the products and the recommended daily intake for various nutrients. By doing so, Kellogg's showed its customers that their welfare comes first, even if it means having them to reduce the amount of products they would otherwise have bought without using the guidelines on the labels (Oliveira-Castro et al., 2008: 454). Analysis of Tesla Motors The firm aims at producing fully electric motor vehicles for use by low and middle-income earners. However, due to the high costs of production, and lack of large-scale production infrastructure to enable large scale production the firm may not achieve its objective. Production of cars is a costly venture, and considering the lack of resources at Tesla, the dream of a fully electric vehicle for family, government and other clients may never be achieved. Contrary to expectation, the management of the firm has a strategic plan in place that aims at achieving this vision by, primarily by driving the firm into mass production to enable it to enjoy the economies of scale of doing business in bulk (Schroder, 2009). Tesla’s strategy is to attract public interest,

Inventive Spelling, should we convert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Inventive Spelling, should we convert - Essay Example Moreover, it allows a person to write and experiment with letters without being bound in a specific set of rules (Goswami, Ziegler & Richardson, 2005). Purpose of Inventive Spelling The purpose of inventive writing is to encourage children to communicate their thoughts without worrying if they are able to express it correctly. People who advocate the use of inventive spelling claim that children who are taught through this approach present a developing comprehension of the sounds corresponding each letter, wherein a more advanced inventive spelling approach encourages a student to write the sounds that represents the words they hear (Goswami, et. al, 2005). In addition, advocates of this approach share that students who are constantly corrected in the way they spell usually lose interest in writing and eventually develop a low self esteem. Instead of hindering a child to express his or her thoughts due to spelling lapses, the inventive spelling approach enjoins the children to write as they please, and correct them from there (Andrews, et. Al, 2005). The process of inventive spelling is one of the new means of teachers in helping their students to learn. It had been established on the premise of children's comprehension, which follows the context of encouraging children to express their thoughts first before teaching them the restrictive measures of spelling guidelines. Through inventive spelling, students are free to express their thoughts through using the letters and spelling patterns they know (Frisson,2002). In that regard, inventive spelling has been formulated towards the children's developmental process. When students use inventive spelling, the teacher would be able to identify what the child knows and doesn't know about proper English spelling. This would then help the teacher to know what aspect of the writing form she must focus on in teaching the students. In addition, inventive spelling also helps a child understand that words should be spelled ba sed on how you say them (Bowman& Treiman, 2002). As stoodents lern haw tu spel, it iz hrd tu xpek dat day wud bee eibel tu spel everi wrd korekly. It iz dan imprtan tu nat dat invintiv speling iz an aproch tuwards tradishoal speling, end nat a speling porm in itself. It ken bee regardd as an edyukeishonal tuol dat wud hlp stoodents tu lern da konvenshonal mins, by alawng stoodents tu wraite yusng invintd speling end gaid da chaildren in rekognaizng mizspeled wrdz end tich da korek ones. In diz maner, a stoodent's speling abilty wud impruv, daus enayblng dam tu spel mor wrdz korekly (Richgels, 2001). Advantages of Inventive Spelling Research indicates teaching students how to spell entails a process of memorizing words. However, inventive spelling allows children to communicate their thoughts, and later on adapt the correct form as they get exposed to correct spelling. The context of visual memory was associated with the ability of a child to visualize what a word should look like, w hich is deemed an integral aspect of spelling. On the other hand, an expert noted that visual memory can be developed through learning word patterns and using these words in the process of reading and writing, as opposed to simply memorizing a list of words (Richgels, 2001). In essence, children are able to learn how to communicate their thoughts in writing and learn how to spell these properly afterwards. This would then help students to express their ideas, without beings restricted by spelling guidelines. Through this

Types of Business Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Types of Business Organisations - Essay Example The very best thing you can do for a superintended is not to give him more money, more buildings, or a better contract. Instead, give him a tool to make his average teachers just a little bit better and you will see a vastly greater impact across the district than any model school or blue-ribbon program will ever bring. Our coaches are master teachers who are comfortable in any classroom. They love children and love working with children in schools. They possess energy and a positive outlook, making them the kind of people that others enjoy being around.Above all, they are able to communicate their deep, honest belief in teachers, even as they suggest ways for teachers to improve Preparing the stakeholders, which includes the classroom teachers, for the new instructional facilitator’s positions is essential. According to Water’s and Grubb (2004), leadership initiating a change, such as the instructional facilitator positions, must understand the magnitude of the change implemented to use the correct leadership practices. Strategically planning and outlining expectations of the new roles can provide powerful support for the new positions. When the destination is clear and goals loaded with specifics, there is little question about what work is completed or unfinished. According to Heifetz (1994), knowing how hard to push and when to let up is central to leadership. Some teachers may need more time to adapt to the idea of a professional development opportunity that exists in their district and classroom. ... There is no guarantee that the state of Wyoming will fund the instructional facilitator positions past the two-year time frame. The intent being that if a district decides the positions positively affect student achievement after the two-year time frame, the district will provide the funding for instructional facilitators and plan for their sustainability. The sustainability of the instructional facilitator positions will be greatly impacted by the attitude of the teachers towards the instructional facilitators, and what percentage of the teachers invite the instructional facilitators to help them. Researchers at the Kansas University Center for Research on Learning have been refining and evaluating instructional coaching programs. Researchers at the Kansas University Center for Research on Learning, (2004) reports that there are less tangible qualities that impact the success of instructional facilitators. Our coaches are master teachers who are comfortable in any classroom. They love children and love working with children in schools. They possess energy and a positive outlook, making them the kind of people that others enjoy being around. Above all, they are able to communicate their deep, honest belief in teachers, even as they suggest ways for teachers to improve. (p.1) An instructional facilitator's success will depend greatly on how receptive the classroom teachers are to welcoming the instructional facilitators in their classroom. Teacher's attitudes towards the instructional facilitators are crucial. According to Knight (2006) at the University of Kansas, "If teachers like a coach, they usually will try out what the coach suggests. If they don't like the coach, they will even resist helpful

Social Work Theory & Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Social Work Theory & Practice - Essay Example The concern of the State to utilize medical facilities to control bad behaviour (in the absence of formal evidence of psychosis) continued in the twentieth century (Rogers and Pilgrim, 2005). In Scotland this is a major undertaking by government. Mental health law is about securing benefits for, and protecting the rights of, people with a mental disorder. Its primary objective is to make sure people with a mental disorder can receive effective care and treatment (Scottish Executive, 2003). This highlights the fact that the government and its policies are geared towards the care for the mentally aberrant. The new legislation dealing with mental health lays the foundation for government to act in dealing with those who are mentally troubled. In fact, the new legislation is Scotland establishes principles upon which government measures are to be based on. What are unique in the current law is the new mechanisms it puts into place. These new measures better empower the state in dealing with this social concern. An example of this is when the law sets out principles relating to the way in which the function must be discharged. These require the person discharging the function to do so in a way, which involves the minimum restriction on the freedom of the patient (Scottish Executive, 2003). The current policies also clarify and refine the role and duty of government with regards to mental health. The new Mental Health law in Scotland allows for the removal to a place of safety of a person who is exposed to ill-treatment or neglect or who is unable to look after himself or his property/financial affairs. It further allows for a person to be removed from a public place to a place of safety where it is in the interests of that person or where it is necessary to protect other people (Scottish Executive, 2003). This descriptively lays down the scenario when the state should act and for what

Ecpnomics for Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ecpnomics for Business - Essay Example The economy showed signs of a slowdown, though not to the point of recession. The GDP growth of only 1.1% took many economists by surprise and was the lowest rate of growth in three years (Porter & Bajaj, 2006). The GDP reported disappointing end-of-year results for the automotive industry in the U.S. Economists believed this to be the result of high gas prices and the expiration of deep discounts from the summer and fall seasons, which automakers instituted to improve domestic sales. Many U.S, economists predicted a normalization of sales and economic growth within the first half of 2006. Though some experts were not so optimistic. Robert J. Barbera, chief economist at Investment Technologies Group, Inc. and Charles Dumas, the chief international economist at Lombard Street Research in London predicted a slowdown, if not an outright onset of a recession by the end of the year (Porter & Bajaj, 2006). According to Steve Goldstein (2006), "Home Depot rose 3% in the pre-open after it earned $1.3 billion, or 0.60 cents a share in the 4th quarter of year 2006. This rise was up from 0.47 cents a share or $1 billion within the last year. The revenue for Home Depot has risen 16% while store sales were up. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis had a slow-down in the fourth-quarter growth. This primarily reflected a deceleration in consumer spending (2006). The annual growth for GDP was 3.5% which was unchanged from the estimate in February. According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in April 2006 was 5.10 % in Texas 4.6% in San Antonio, Texas, and 4.7% nationally, which was comparatively the lowest rate since 2001. The relationship between supply and demand became precarious as unemployment affected the industry in several ways as Bureau of Economic Analysis showed a rise in personal income

Industrial Peace in Canada Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Industrial Peace in Canada - Research Paper Example Either is sometimes painful and destructive. The right of laborers to organize themselves into an association or union is warranted in Canada by its laws on labor. One exceptional character present in the trade union environment in the country is the so-called Rand formula named after its creator, Justice Ivan Rand of the Supreme Court of Canada. The principle arose in the midst of a labor strike against the Ford Motor company. Under it, all workers are obliged to pay union dues on the justification that they are benefited from the efforts which the union undertakes in their favor. In order to make sure that union dues are collected, the employer concerned is authorized by the union to deduct the same from the payroll money of the laborers. (A History of Labor Unions in Canada. registered-nurse-canada.com. [internet]). It is worth to note that on some reasonable grounds, like in the case of religious or faith orientations that do not allow followers to participate in a labor union or movement, a worker or employee may not be f orced to join the union or bargaining representative. In that case, an agency fee equivalent to the sum of the union dues has still to be paid by the worker or employee who does not wish to so join. For around forty years, union membership population in Canada has fared better than in the United States. Post-depression figures show that only about thirteen percent of workers in the U.S. have stayed as union members from the old average of thirty per cent. On the other hand, the statistics in Canada has remained strong and steady at thirty one per cent for non-agriculture manpower. For the whole public and private sectors, union membership in Canada is twice as much than the U.S. counterparts. (How "anti-union" laws saved Canadian labour: certification and striker replacements in post-war industrial relations. Industrial Relations (Canadian). GOLIATH. BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE ON DEMAND. [internet]) There are now more than four million Canadians in the list of union members. Organized labor in plants and other workplaces has its advantages. Honest and sincere union leaders can very well link the rank and file workers with management such that problems of each side are immediately addressed. Rapport is enhanced when the union and the management are in constant communication. Labor-management cooperation boosts the morale of the workers and therefore increases productivity. On another note, labor unions which are duly certified bargaining representatives have certain rights under the law. If collective bargaining negotiations bog down, the certified union can petition or apply an application to go on strike. In such a deadlock, management can also declare a lockout but it will do more harm than good to the company which has a lot of capital, investments and resources to lose during the shutdown. Industrial relations in Canada Historically, strikes usually were resorted to when laborers tried to organize in order to achieve union recognition. This was so

My Reflection Essay Example for Free

My Reflection Essay From the beginning of our life we do not own anything but we have to strive harder in order to survive. The story of Ben Carson, when he is a student he was bullied and was tempted by his classmate to do bad thing but still his mother did not lack of reminding his children to be still. And because of that his mother let his children realized of how hard she is working well in order to survive with their school. Then he tried his best in school, aim high for his dream†¦ see more:san andreas movie summary My reflection on this movie, for I am still a student †¦I will try my very best to do good in school, I will try not to be tempted from wrongdoings ,I will try my best to make my parents proud on me. And do let them get angry, by Ben Carson I was touch by his story that despite of being nothingHe really study hard to fulfill his dream and I have to encourage myself to be same as Ben Carson†¦ I will reflect this to myself for I am still a student, this movie will motivate me from my studying. Give importance and effort to all my subjects so that I can pass. Control myself not to be tempted from wrongdoings. And I will try my best to make my parents proud of methis movie is a really touching story†¦we should have a determination to be a successful person. For me, I will do my best to achieve my goal also to finish my school.

Forecasting Inventory Needs For Home Depot Stores Nationwide Commerce Essay

Forecasting Inventory Needs For Home Depot Stores Nationwide Commerce Essay Forecasting is one of the most important aspects of any business that wants to maintain its competitive advantage. The Home Depot uses the gross national product (GNP) to forecast its demand for inventory. Due to the current state of the housing market, The Home Depot is finding it difficult to properly forecast inventory stocks resulting in a surplus of unsold goods and missed sales opportunities due to lack of other merchandise This paper will briefly describe some of the different techniques and methods used to forecast. There will be two courses of actions (COAs) developed. One will be recommended over the other and an implementation plan will be presented. Forecasting Inventory Needs for Home Depot Stores Nationwide Introduction The Home Depot is a multi-international organization with brick-and-mortar stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China. The current state of the United States economy has been detrimental to many organizations. The Home Depot bases its inventory needs on the housing market. Recently the housing market has been fluctuating in an unpredictable manner. This becomes a concern for organizations that base their inventory needs on it. Improper inventory stocks can be a detriment whether it is overstocked or under stock. If inventory is under stocked organizations may lose potential business to competitors due to an inability to keep up with demand. Overstock causes an issue with costs associated with storage of unsold merchandise and can tie up much needed capital. Problem Statement Due to the current state of the housing market, The Home Depot is finding it difficult to properly forecast inventory stocks resulting in a surplus of unsold goods and missed sales opportunities due to lack of other merchandise. NOTE: BACKGROUND CONTENT SHOULD BE THE LITERATURE REVIEW. LIT REVIEW CONTENT SHOULD BE THE BACKGROUND. IM NOT SEEING MANY OF THE MANAGEMENT TOPICS INTEGRATED INTO EITHER SECTION. YOU MENTIONED SEVERAL OF THE TOPICS JUST AS YOU STARTED THE LIT REVIEW, BUT YOU ONLY MENTIONED THEM THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. YOU HAVE TO WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT THEM THAT WOULD BRING VALUE TO THE SUBJECT OF YOU PAPER. Background A forecast is a statement about the future. Many businesses use forecasting in an effort to squeeze every last drop of profit out of a situation. The Home Depot, for example, bases sales forecast on mortgage refinancing rates. Usually the smaller rates are at any given time in history will equate to higher sales. There are many different uses of forecast. Forecast can be used for accounting, finance, human resources, marketing, management information systems, operations, and product or service design to name a few. While forecasts are instrumental to an organizations financial future they are rarely perfect due to the randomness of the variables involved. The accuracy of forecasts themselves decrease as the time horizon of forecast increases. For example, the Home Depot can forecast sales for this year more accurately than they can for next year. There are many different elements of the forecast that would be considered good. In order for a forecast to be considered good the forecast would have to be timely, reliable, accurate, meaningful, and easy to use. According to Stevenson, there are two main uses for forecasts. The first is to assist managers with planning the system and the second is to assist them plan the use of the system (Stevenson, 2001). What is meant by planning the system is just that. It is a means to plan the system that involves long-range plans such as what products or services to offer as well as what equipment to buy and where to build facilities and things of that nature. According to Stevenson, planning the use of the system generally refers to the short-range and intermediate range which typically involves things such as planning the budget, scheduling, short-term goals, the needs of the investor, inventory, etc. Forecasting for business goes far beyond just forecasting the demand of products and services. It also includes being able to predict profits, revenue, availability of raw materials and many other variables. The Home Depot, being a home improvements store, must also be able to predict things such as th e housing market. There are certain features that are common to all of the different forecasting techniques. One of the main commonalities of forecasting is that no one has a crystal ball, and no one can see into the future; therefore forecasts are far from perfect. No one can predict precisely how often a large number of related factors will impinge upon the variable in question, this, and the presence of randomness, preclude a perfect forecast (Stevenson, 2001). Another commonality to all forecasting techniques is that forecast accuracy will become less accurate as time moves on, an example of this is given above, due to the fact that forecasting errors for group items will have a canceling effect upon themselves. For example, the Home Depot can forecast the sales goals of a particular department better than the sales goal of an individual product. According to Stevenson (2001) six basic steps are involved in the forecasting process shown in Table 1. Note: I would put these steps in a Table. Label it Table 1. Paraphrase the content. Step One Determine the purpose of forecast (Stevenson, 2001). One must know the reason behind forecasting in the first place. If a person is forecasting how many individuals will show up to a bake sale as opposed to how many pallets of shingles need to be urgent in order to facilitate demand at any given time, knowing the purpose will justify the level of accuracy that is necessary. Step Two Establish a time horizon (Stevenson, 2001). One must have a time horizon in their forecast, one must also realize that the accuracy of the forecast will diminish as the time horizon increases. Step Three Choose a forecasting technique (Stevenson, 2001). Once again there are numerous amounts of forecasting techniques that are being used today. It is extremely important for the forecaster to choose one that will best suit the needs of the forecast. Step Four Gather and analyze relevant data (Stevenson, 2001). Before beginning any daunting task one must gather all relevant information that one needs in order to put it all together and make sense of it. In this stage the forecaster must also identify any assumptions that are made while preparing using forecast. Step Five Prepare the forecast (Stevenson, 2001). In this step one would use whichever technique that was decided in order to prepare the forecast for monitoring. Step Six Monitor the forecast (Stevenson, 2001). The forecast is similar to that of any automated program and therefore will need to be monitored. The reason that the forecast needs to be monitored is because it is not performing in the way that it should be, the forecaster needs to go back re-examine the data and make any relevant changes in order to keep the forecast on the straight and narrow path. If the forecast is not performing in a satisfactory manner certain assumptions couldve been overlooked or completely wrong. In either case the forecaster must then prepare a revised forecast Literature Review Inventory management is one of the key issues faced by managers that deal with seasonal products. It is important to understand how product forecasting has been previously used. As technology advances and globalization continues to be on the rise, keeping up with supply and demand becomes a challenge. Businesses need to learn how to create a supply chain advantage. In this section demand forecasting, demand learning, and product lifecycle forecasting methods will be discussed. Six rules for effective forecasting will also be included. Demand Forecast According to Huang, Chang, and Chou (2006), the first step in finding precise demand forecast is to collect and organize complete and applicable historical demand data for any given product. Demand of this nature can be issued daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly depending on the time within the planning window. The process of modeling demand and determining demand forecasts is as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦demand data, demand analysis, demand forecast model, perimeter estimation, demand simulation, demand forecast, and expected demand (Huang et al, 2006). There are two aspects of forecasting that are vital. The first is the expected level of demand, the second is the degree of accuracy that can be assigned to a forecast. Demand Learning Demand learning is one of the inventory models that has received considerable attention in the literature. Herbert Scarf is one of the first authors to incorporate demand learning in an inventory modeling context. In his literature, Bayes Solution of the Statistical Inventory Problem, he developed an interesting inventory model that uses observed demand information and a current stock level together in the decision process. It is his assumption that demand is generated from an exponential class of distributions, and a collaboration of prior distributions are used for the unknown parameters (Scarf, 1958). For seasonal demand forecasting a Quick Response policy was adopted by many manufacturers. This procedure was developed in an effort to reduce a manufacturers production time to respond to orders in a timelier manner so that forecast can be improved by collecting more information about the future demand. Suri (2004) studied the Quick Response policy extensively. According to his lite rature, there are four core concepts of quick response manufacturing: The Power of Time, Organizational Structure, Understanding and Exploiting System Dynamics, and Enterprise-wide Unified Strategy. Product Lifecycle Forecasting Method Burruss (2002) describes the product lifecycle forecasting method. He used this method to propose a way to more accurately forecast products with high uncertainty and a short lifecycle. According to Burruss, a short lifecycle ranges anywhere from 9 months to 18 months. According to the literature, products forecasted using this method, should have well defined lifecycle phases from introduction to maturity and then to end-of-life, a high demand spike during the introduction phase, which is then followed by a gradual downward leveling off during maturity, and a steep end-of-life drop-off that is usually caused by planned product rollovers (Burruss, 2002). Six Rules for Effective Forecasting Paul Saffo describes the difference between prediction and forecasting. He says that prediction deals with future certainty while forecasting looks at how events in the present are influential to the possible changes in direction (Saffo, 2007). In his literature he describes six simple rules for effective forecasting that managers should observe as they develop forecasting policies (Saffo, 2007). The first rule is to define a cone of uncertainty. According to the literature, the cone of uncertainty is used to help managers exercise strategic judgment. The most important part of the cone of uncertainty is defining its breadth, which is a measure of overall uncertainty (Saffo, 2007). The second rule is to look for the S-curve. Saffo explains that change does not usually follow a straight line. It is important to see and identify an S-curve pattern once it begins (Saffo, 2007). Rule three is to embrace the things that do not fit. A successful forecaster will be able to look to the left of an S-curve inflection point and notice indicators of what is to come. However, sometimes there are items to the left of the S-curve inflection point that simply do not fit. It is the job of the forecaster to recognize those items and adjust the forecast appropriately. The fourth rule is to hold strong opinions weakly. Here, Saffo is saying that one of the largest mistakes a forecaster will make is to rely on one piece of information, which at the time seems extremely strong due to the fact that it reinforces the conclusion that the forecaster had previously. According to the literature, more weak information, bits and pieces, put together is more trustworthy than a single source of strong information. Rule five says look back twice as far as you look forward. This rule is a continuation of rules two and three. One must know ones history before they can effectively expect future outcomes. One of the hardest parts of looking in history is to know when it does not fit. Rule six, the last rule, is to know when not to make a forecast. There are certain times when forecasting is easy and sometimes when it is just not possible. Saffo uses the dot com bubble of the 1990s as an example of this rule. Forecasters suggested that at the time that old rules did not apply when in fact they were extremely prevalent and the old economic imperatives bursts the dot com bubble (Saffo, 2007). Discussion As stated above there are many different types of forecasting methods that may be used. Moon and Mentzer (2004) describe a time series technique as only looking at patterns of the history of actual sales. The time series technique will look and determine whether the patterns that are prevalent at the time can be projected into the future. This will be the basis of the forecast. All time series techniques examine one or more of four time series patterns, which include level, trend, seasonality, and noise (Moon Mentzer, 2004). Research by Moon and Mentzer (2004) suggest that the level is a horizontal sales history, or what the sales pattern would be if there were no trend, seasonality, or noise. Most forecasters use the level as the starting point for the time series and look at the other patterns later. In Figure 1 that follows, the data follows a horizontal pattern around mean. Figure 1. Title (Note: All tables and figures must carry a number and a title. This does not mean anything because you gave no legend. What is the X axis? What is the Y axis? What do the numbers represent. ) The way the line moves up and down as sales increase or decrease or curve or remain a straight line is what is considered the trend. Most businesses will prefer a trend that is always increasing; however, this is usually not the case. The trend is essentially the bread-and-butter of any forecast. It allows forecasters to be able to determine what is working and what is not, and present this information to management in an effort to mitigate future loss. In Figure 2 that follows, the data is progressively increasing which shows a trend. Note: So trends are based on data? You never really said that. Here you have to introduce Figure 2 and title it. You cannot just stick a graphic in and say nothing about it. Figure 2. Title (Note: You need to include a legend.) Seasonality is described by Moon and Mentzer (2004) as a repeating pattern of sales increases and decreases that occurs within a one-year period or less. For example, the Home Depot experiences high sales every fall for snow blowers, high sales of lawnmowers during the spring, and high sales every summer for air-conditioners. The pattern of these high sales during those periods within the year typically repeat themselves every year and therefore, the seasonality line can be seen as a regular pattern. Figure 3 that follows represents a seasonal pattern. The data exhibits a regularly repeating pattern. (Note: Same comment. You need to title and provide a legend.) Figure 3. Title Noise is the unexplained phenomena that occurs in forecasts. These phenomena usually seem unexplainable until a regression analysis or similar has been conducted. For example if the Home Depot were to have high sales of lawnmowers in the winter months, that would be considered noise. The high sales of lawnmowers can be explained possibly by global warming (unusually warm weather in the winter months), a fire sale of lawnmowers during these months, or some other explanation. The fact is that high sales of that product are unusual and have not happened consistently in the past years and therefore is considered noise. The Figure 4 shows how noise would appear on a chart. There is an inconsistency in the pattern. Figure 4. Title Insert Legend Management Concepts There are many different techniques and approaches when it comes to management. However while dealing with a forecast, managers are faced with more decision-making attributes. In order for any organization to be successful it all starts with being able to properly manage not only personnel, but also the other aspects of the business. In the military, soldiers are taught to lead by example. They are taught very early on to Be, Know, Do. Be the individual that you want your soldiers to be, know all of the required information before presenting it to a subordinate, and do what is morally and ethically right at all times regardless of the situation in which one might find themselves (Hesselbein Shinseki, 2004). You need a citation for this information. Not sure the military example is relevant. Li (2007) describes supply change management as a set of synchronized decisions and activities utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, transporters, retailers, and customers so that the right product or service is distributed in the right quantities, to the right locations, and at the right time, in order to minimize system wide costs while satisfying customer service level requirements. The Home Depot is an industry that ranks inventory in the top five business costs. Oversupply and undersupply of inventory at any given moment could have an extremely detrimental impact on the corporation. Establishing the right amount of product through effective forecasting will ensure that the Home Depot has the products customers need when they want them. This will also mitigate the overstock costs for storage of unsold goods. Economic Environment The current economic environment in the United States is bleak to say the least. As of the writing of this paper there is a high unemployment rate of 7.9% and a slow growth of the United States economy. Growth in the previous year has been at an extremely slow pace. Home sales directly impact inventory needs of the Home Depot. Total sales of homes in the United States have declined 1.7 percent since August of 2012 (realestateabc.com, 2012). Figure 5 shows . . . Figure 5. Title What year? You need to state the year. If home sales continue to decline it could mean that mortgage rates will increase. Increase in mortgage rates would mean that home improvement stores such as the Home Depot would take the brunt of the impact in the hike of the rate. Improvement in the economic environment is crucial for retailers like Home Depot (Steverman, 2009).. The housing bust in the United States hit the Home Depot hard. Due to the state of the economy, the Home Depot had reduced the square footage growth plans in an effort to improve free cash flow and provide strong returns for the company. (Home Depot, 2012). In 2009, the company was forced to exit its EXPO, THD Design Center., Yardbirds, and HD Bath businesses in an effort to focus solely on the brick-and-mortar stores (Home Depot, 2012). According to the five-year summary of financial and operating results of the Home Depot, the company is slowly regaining its previous financial success. Its total net sales are still lower in 2011 than they were in 2007. However, the trend indicates that the company is poised to regain its momentum and bring sales back to what they were previously. Table 1 is a five-year summary of The Home Depots financial and operating results. Table 1. Title Quantitative Tools and Techniques There are many different tools and techniques that are commonly used to support business decision-making. Arguably, decision trees are one of the best tools to assist managers in choosing between several courses of actions. Decision trees take information directly from the managers and allows them to see the outcomes of different courses they might take. According to Mind Tools, there are five steps to creating a decision tree, as shown in Table 2. The first step is to draw a decision tree. This will be the outline to which the manager would fill in the information related to each course of action. Second step will be to evaluate the decision tree. In this step the manager would decide which options have the greatest worth (Mind Tools, n.d.). The third step would be to calculate the values in the tree. Mind Tools suggest to start on the right-hand side of the tree and work backwards to the left. The fourth step is to calculate the value of uncertain outcome nodes. When calculating th e value of uncertain outcomes, one would do this by multiplying the value of the outcomes by their profitability. The total for that node of the tree is the total of these values (Mind Tools, n.d.). The fifth step of creating a decision tree is calculating the value of the decision nodes. In this step managers will have to write down the cost of each option and then subtract the cost from outcome that would give managers a value that represents the benefit of that particular decision. Figure 6 is an example of a decision tree that was retrieved from the Mind Tools website. (Note: It should be Figure 6, not Figure 4) Figure 6. Marketing Concepts As a home improvement warehouse store, the Home Depots customer base are the average do-it-yourselfers, do it for me, and professionals. The Home Depots competition not only includes big-name stores like Lowes but the local hardware stores. The Home Depot uses multiple social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. On these sites they reach out to customers through videos depicting how easy it is to do-it-yourself with the right tools and support from the store. They bring customers into the store by hosting how-to seminars. They do these things in an effort to increase brand loyalty, interaction with customers, and customers comfort level when doing projects on their own. In this day and age there are many outlets that companies can utilize an effort to reach maximum customer base. Chantal Tode (2012) wrote an article on how Home Depot decided to do an iPad app in an effort to integrate a customer experience that would get them more involved in home decor. Home Depot launched the Home Depot Style Guide Spring 2012 app around mid-March (Tode, 2012). This iPad application for the Home Depot has proven to be a huge success. The Home Depot will attempt to optimize Home Depot.com in an effort to provide iPad users with the best experience. Matt Jones, general manager of mobile for HomeDepot.com, Atlanta, Georgia said it has outperformed our expectations in terms of downloads, page views per visit and time spent in the app (Tode, 2012). Global View of Business Marketing. Success in international markets depends on a number of different things. When thinking about marketing for an international organization one must consider the wants and needs of that particular market. What works in Houston may not be the same in China. The Home Depot entered Chinas market in 2006. Unfortunately, the company did not do due diligence and study what the market demanded in that country. The Home Depot attempted to market in China the same way as it did in the United States. As a result the Home Depot will close the last of the seven stores in that country. Further research shows that the market in China is more of a do it for me culture (Burkitt, 2012), in part due to cheap labor and the fact that most individuals live in apartments. This means they have less need for items such as lumber and gardening tools. The closing of the stores will cost the Home Depot approximately $160 million after-tax in the third quarter 2012 (Burkitt, 2012). The Home Depot has a YouTube channel dedicated to Spanish speaking customers. This is a strategic marketing plan that should assist the Home Depot with its Spanish-speaking customers and improve its brand with. Management. Same comment as above. International management is one of the key things that brings success when working in a global economy. It is important to understand the culture of the country in which the business will operate. The Home Depot has stores in Canada, Mexico, . Canadian business is improving performance in the fourth quarter (Home Depot, 2012). Mexican business has 33 consecutive quarters of positive comp growth (Home Depot, 2012). Economic and Business Operations. Same comment as above about format. As previously discussed, the Home Depots economic and business operations are going quite well in the international market with the exception of China. The international businesses are operated similarly to those based in the United States. Nextels for the Home Depot outside of the United States were $8 billion for fiscal year 2011 (Home Depot, 2012). Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Foundations of Human Enterprise The Home Depot is very involved in community outreach programs. They have an organization known as The Home Depot Foundation with a mission to ensure that every veteran has a place to call home (Home Depot Foundation, 2012). In 2011 this organization completed more than 1000 projects with more than 400 of them focused specifically on veterans. They worked on projects such as painting local schools, community gardens, and refurbishing needy familys homes while working with local nonprofit organizations. The Home Depot also helps when disaster relief is needed. They assist local governments and organizations by providing supplies and resources needed to clean up and rebuild neighborhoods. The organization also contributes $500,000 to the American Red Cross annual disaster giving program (Home Depot Foundation, 2012). Business and Economic Principles Organizations such as the Home Depot need to understand that basic business and economic principles are of the utmost importance. This paper has discussed many different business and economic principles to include demand, economies of scale, opportunity costs and exit strategies. Critical Thinking The Home Depot solves problems and makes decisions more quickly due to the development of common vocabulary that is used throughout the organization. It utilizes a cross functional relationship approach by mixing the different strengths of the creative, teamwork, and rational approach to problem solving. The Home Depot also empowers its employees to think critically by taking courses offered through the employee website to enhance current skills and learn new ones. They also provide web-based seminars to help their employees learn how to resolve problems efficiently and effectively when they occur. Elements of the Environment That Influence Management Activities This paper has already presented many of the elements that affect management. Elements such as economic conditions, competition, and international environment have been discussed. Other elements that affect management, especially in a home improvement environment, would be things such as weather and social environment. The weather plays a large role due because it directly impacts customer flow to the store. During seasons that involve multiple days of inclement weather, management must make the decision as to what hours the store will be open, what conditions would cause the store to close early, and what items should be brought to the front of the store in an effort to catch the eye of customers. The Home Depot is already answering the question to social environment. When society changes so should business, and the Home Depot has done just that. One can find the Home Depot on many social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Courses of Action (COA) The Home Depot currently uses microeconomic data and economic theory to forecast the levels of demand for its products through the Gross National Product (GNP). The problem is that its demand is closely based on the housing market. As of late the housing market has been unpredictable and therefore the Home Depot should utilize a different forecasting technique. Below are two different COAs to take in consideration. Course of Action One The first course of action would be to implement the Delphi method to forcast inventory needs. This method is a combination of qualitative and quantitative processes that are derived from qualified experts opinions and are used to develop possible theories for the future. There are five steps in the Delphi method (Chong, Adnan, Zin, 2012). The first of his two identify the problem. Administrators will design questionnaires and evaluate total costs before starting the actual procedures. Upon completion of this step the expert selection will begin. Step two is actually selecting the experts. The actual size of the project that needs to be completed will be the determining factor as to how many experts will sit on the panel. The size of the panel actually depends on the budget allotted (Chong et al., 2012). The next step is to administer the questionnaire to the experts. In this step the members of the panel will draw conclusions from their own personal experiences and any other sort o f data or research that is available to them at the time (Chong et al., 2012). The fourth step is actually broken down into different parts. The first part will be to evaluate the responses that were generated from the original questionnaire. The responses that are evaluated from the first questionnaire are used by the director to develop more in-depth questions to be used in the second questionnaire. The second part of the fourth step is to redistribute the questionnaire with more focused questions in an organized list of the responses to these questions on the first questionnaire (Chong et al., 2012). The fifth step is to interpret the results. This final step will continue until all the experts said on the panel comes to a consensus (Chong et al., 2012). The reason this process works relatively well is because the experts are not together. This allows administrators to get a true consensus without prejudice or bias. Figure 7 shows how the Delphi method is used. Figure 7. Delphi Method. Course of Action Two The second course of action would be to implement the Holt-Winters Method for Seasonality Technique. This method utilizes the seasonality factor in order to account for seasonality associated with a product (Gelper, Fried, Croux, 2008). For example, the Home Depot sells many lawnmowers in the springtime and many air-conditioners when the temperature rises in the summer. This particular method needs to estimate three components of a forecasting equation (Gelper et al., 2008). The first component is the current level of sales. This component is achieved by removing noise and all seasonal aspects of the level. The second component is to use the current trend. This is the difference between the levels that are expected to happen between any two given seasons. The third is to add the seasonality. For example, if the Home Depot wanted to forecast sales for August and it is June, the following equalization could be utilized: [level (100) +2*trend (10)]*seasonal (1.4) = 128 units The Holt Winters method estimated that the current level is 100, the trend is five, and August has the seasonal index of 1.4. Figure 8 shows an example of the Holt Winters exponential smoothing. Figure 8. Holt Winters Exponential Smoothing. (Note: I see you have a legend on this one. Good) Recommendation Given the choices between the Delphi method and t

Comparing Female Identity in To The Lighthouse, Heat of the Day and Under the Net :: comparison compare contrast essays

Female Identity in Virginia Woolf’s, To The Lighthouse, Elizabeth Bowen’s, Heat of the Day and Iris Murdoch’s, Under the Net After reading Virginia Woolf’s, â€Å"To The Lighthouse†, readers are left with the disturbing reality of the role of a woman during this time period.   The characters of Mrs. Ramsay and Lily Briscoe portray these demeaning roles.  Ã‚   However, instead of completely giving in to the domination of men, they are starting the woman’s movement of resistance in the period of the beginning of World War I.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Likewise, in Elizabeth Bowen’s novel, â€Å"The Heat of the Day†, different female roles emerge from the characters which help present change in the identity of women and power.   The two main female characters, Stella Rodney and Louie Lewis, among others in this World War Two time-framed novel, carry working class jobs.   They are starting to change the stereotypical views of women just being housewives and serving their â€Å"husbands†.  Ã‚  Ã‚   These characters allow readers to plainly see that women are capable of and deserve equality on the same level as men.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essentially paves the road to other novels of this time after World War II, such as Iris Murdoch’s, â€Å"Under the Net†.   In this novel women are starting to receive respect for their positions in the world.  Ã‚   Men are recognizing their significant value in society.   This can be seen by the relationship between the characters of Jake Donaghue and Anna Quentin. Victoria Glendinning further exemplifies the correlation between these 20th Century novels.   She is a contemporary fiction writer and biographer of Bowen, Rebecca West, and Trollope, among others.   Glendinning states that,   â€Å"She [Bowen] is a major writer†¦She is what happened after Bloomsbury†¦the link that connects Virginia Woolf with Iris Murdoch and Mrielk Spark†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These highly regarded and well-respected female authors are showing that women can and do hold power in our society.   These authors send the message to readers that women throughout time have been and still are fully capable of thinking for themselves.  Ã‚   They can hold their own ground without having to subject themselves to the dominance of the males, be it in writing novels, raising a family, working in a factory, or pursuing a singing career.   Thus, they as all women, deserve to be held in respect for their achievements and deserve equality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In reference to Virginia Woolf’s novel, â€Å"To The Lighthouse† she takes the major female characters of Mrs.

Pornography on the Internet Essay -- social issues

Pornography on the Internet The Internet is a method of communication and a source of information that is becoming popular among those who are interested in the information superhighway. The problem with this world we know as Cyberspace, the ‘Net, or the Web is that some of this information, including pornographical material and hate literature, is being accessible to minors. Did you know that 83.5% of the images available on the Internet are pornographical? Did you know that the Internet’s pornography and hate literature are available to curious children that happen to bump into them? One of the drawing features of the young Internet was its freedom. It’s "...a rare example of a true, modern, functional anarchy...there are no official censors, no bosses, no board of directors, no stockholders" (Sterling). It’s an open forum where anyone can say anything, and the only thing holding them back is their own conscience. This lawless atmosphere bothered many people, including Nebraska Senator James Exon. Exon proposed in July, 1994 that an amendment be added to the Telecommunications Reform Bill to regulate content on the Internet. His proposal was rejected at the time, but after persistence and increased support, his proposal evolved into the Communications Decency Act (CDA), part of the 1996 Telecommunications Reform Act The Internet has changed the world by creating advertising, information, and businesses. However, there are the few bad apples in the Internet that have information, literature, graphics and images that have been deemed inappropriate for minors. Therefore, many people feel the Internet should be censored by the Government. The Government owns and operates the Internet and its agencies are responsible for what is on the Internet. However, for the parents with minors that are concerned about what their kids see- they should go out and get software to censor the Internet. Don’t ruin everyone else’s fun. Why should I have to be a peasant of the Government tyranny over the Internet? The people that worry about their kids and make the Government worry about it and pass legislation on censorship are the people that are too damn lazy to buy Internet Censorship software programs for their PERSONAL computers, NOT the entire United States’. The Government wants censorship, but a segment of the Internet’s population does not. The Communi... ... the user would exercise control of the information available on interactive media instead of the government or network operators. The CDA criminalizes "knowingly transmit[ing] or mak[ing] available" information on interactive media that can be accessed just as easily by wondering the isles of a book store. It also criminalizes "indecent" speech that is transmitted electronically between two consenting adults. i.e. Email. The punishment for such a "crime" can be up to 2 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. The Communications Decency Act is unconstitutional by banning speech that is protected by the First Amendment in a medium in which the user is giving the ability to select what he or she does or does not want to receive. The government gives citizens the privilege of using the internet, but it has never given them the right to use it. If we have a "Constitution" and, supposedly, a "First Amendment"- why is the Government using legislation to stop us from expressing ourselves? We seem to be a ironic and paradox country. We didn’t want to be the first to use nuclear weapons and the atomic bomb, but were the first and, so far to present day, the last to use them.